Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 756 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

12 me a great deal of anxiety, for I like that In- dian.” ‘*So do I; but what does our guide, Girard, thir': of Pawnee Pete’s stay?” ‘‘ asked him this morning, and his idea was that Pawnee Pete hac decided to follow the trail on to see just where it led and get at an idea of the locality of the camp.” ‘“[ guess he is right there, for Pawnee Pete is very thorough, you know.” ‘* | know that he is, and I only hope that no harm has befallen poor Pawnee Pete.” ‘Pawnee Pete all right,” said a voice just outside of the tent, and in stepped the Indian as he spoke. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE PAWNEE’S STORY, CAPTAIN EMMETT uttered a cry of joy at sight of the Pawnee, and he was not a very de- monstrative man either. He seized Pawnee Pete’s hand, wrung it warm- iy, and then said: ‘Well, Pete, I am glad to see vou back again,” ** Pete heap glad to get back. ‘* Nearly lose scalp, see!” : He showed a wound in his arm as spoke, and it was seen that his face was haggard and thin. His clothes teo were very much the worse for wear, and there was every evidence that Pawnee Pete had been in a tight place and hard luck. ‘* Poor fellow, you shall have a drink and a good supper at once. ‘*Then you can tell us all about it.” ‘‘ Yes, talk heap when eat something.” , The cook was called and hastily brought Pete 4 good supper, which he ate with great gusto, for he had been given a stiff drink of rum, When the last morsel on the plate bad van- ished, Pete said emphatically: ‘* Heap glad to get back.” ‘* Where have you been, Pete?” ‘To Sioumvillage.” ‘* Ah! you trailed that man to the Sioux vil- lage, then?” sé Tes,” “Girard was right, then, Doc; but Pete, tell us all about it.” ‘*Trail man to river, and he go to village of Red Hair.” ** Ah! the camp over which a white renegade is chief?” 6s Yes.” ** You went there?” ‘*Me went on trail, and man went to Red Hair’s village.” ‘* And you followed him there?” ‘** He get there by noon, me go by nigbt.” “Yes, and then?” **Me climb tree and see village and count braves,” ** You did well; but did you see the boy?” ** Saw little white chief two times,” ac Ab!” ‘“* He walk in village with man I follow.” ‘** What did I tell you, Emmet?” “You may be right, Doc.” **] tell you that the man isa renegade himself; but you saw aim with the boy, Pete?” ‘* Yes, Pete stay in tree all day.” ** No, did you do that?” ‘** Yes, hide in tree and see the Sioux heap. ‘* Want to kill them, but keep quiet.” ‘** You were wise; but how long did you stay up the tree?” ‘* Two nights, one day.” ‘* And bow often did you see the boy?” ‘Two times,” ** And with the white man?” ‘“* Yes, amd more pale-faces there, too, squaws and pappoose.” ** Ah! how many?” ‘* See two squaws and three pappoose.” ** There will be no trouble with this testimony, Doc, to get a force of troops to raid that village.” ‘“*] should think not, captain; but what did you do then, Pete?” ‘Me think me see little white chief, and so stay to talk. ** Me wait long, get hungry and go at night to get something to eat at my pony camp, ‘* Find two Sioux brave there and fight. * Kill two brave, see scalp here,” and he show- ed his scalps hanging at bis belt, “* But more Sioux came, heap many, andI run away. “Have to walk, for Sioux have pony, and here Pawnee Pete now.” ““T see you are here, my brave Pete, and I thank you over and over again, and I will not forget your courage and your great goodness, : Dashing Charlie’s Destiny. | ** Now go to your camp and get much needed rest, and we will talk it over to-morrow,” ‘* You are a brave fellow, Pawnee Pete,” add- ed Doctor Chalmers, *‘and you shall bea great | chief some day.” Pawnee Pete departed highly delighted at the | praise bestowed upon him, and forgetting his long tramp on foot, hunger and the hardships he had known. The two friends then sat in silence for a while, which was at last broken by the remark of Cap- tain Emmett: ‘* Well, Doc, what do you think?” “Just what [said before, that the man you | i allowed to go was no other than a renegade him- | self. ‘* Why, I half believe he had pards with him who were watching toseeif hereturned from the camp, and in case you had held him we would have had another courier, rest assured of it.” ‘*You may be right, and you generally are, but [am glad to know from Pawnee Pete just which camp the boy isin, and we will go there and securehim upon our return, if that man Lone Rifle does not keep faith with us,” “Which he will not.” ‘Granted that he does not, we will then res- cue Charlie and the other captives, and it will give mea chance to carry out my plan to do what J] hinted to youl wished to accomplish, and which thus far is a secret, but one you will know all about in good time,” ‘*T can bide my time, captain,” “‘T know that,” was the answer of Captain Emmett, and then the two friends parted for the night, CHAPTER XXVIII. A PARD IN CAMP, THE day following the return of Pawnee Pete, one of the trainmen came to the tent of Captain Emmett and asked for an interview with him. Doc Chalmers was there, and started to leave, when the man said: ‘“* Don’t go, doctor, for I will be glad to have you hear what I am going to say.” With this the doctor resumed his seat, and Captain Emmett said: ‘Well, Loyd, vou look troubled, so what is it you have to say?” ‘*T am troubled, captain, and greatly so. “The fact is, | have held a secret on my mind for some time, and I ought to have told you be- fore: but I do so now, as I suppose Pawnee Pete has told you what he discovered,” ‘*Pawnee Pete bas told me about his trip to the village of Red Hair, Loyd,” ** Did be say nothing of another trail joining the one he followed?” | “Nothing,” answered Captain Emmett, with surprise. should know it, and though I have to implicate a man who bas been a good pard of mine, I will not let any underhand work of his pass, and harm you and others,” ‘*'You survrise me, Loyd,” ‘*] was surprised, sir for I did not tbink it of him.” “Of who?” ‘*The man I am going to tell you about, sir.” ‘Well, Loyd, out with it all,” * You know, captain, the night the courier came to our camp?” sé Yes,” ** Well, sir, I was strolling about that night, for the moon was at its full, and I enjoyed the evening, and I saw the courier leave the camp. = Then IT saw him halt beyond the guard and a man came from the camp and joined him,” ‘é Ab !? **1 was not thirty feet away from them, sitting down and leaning against a tree, and they did not suspect my presence, ‘*T heard the one from camp say: ‘** Hello, Buck, what are you doing here? ‘**f am on @ paying racket, old pard,’ was the answer, ***] didn’t know you was along with the fur- traders until I saw you, and gave you the sign,’ ‘** Yes, [am one of ’em, but is there anything better on hand for me to chip in on?’ **¢ Yes, if you will do your share and play spy, sO as to tell me al] 1 want to know when we meet again on Bend Creek, on the back trail of the train. ‘*¢JIl be the one to do it, Pard Buck; but you passed off as Lone Rifle?” “*T did, for I was playing a game to win, and there is money in it for you if you do your share.’ ‘**1’m with you to the end, Buck Baldwin, for [don’t go baek on an old pard, and only took | **Well, I will out with it anyhow, for y 5 —w ee — ef d- pl 4 My Ki 4 ; ~~ ™ ; 4 =~ -comicbooks. this position hoping for something better to come in my way, where Il could get big money with- out working for it,’ ‘** Weill, my game is the one to come into, and you'll win in the end; but there will be red work to be done.” ‘‘¢T am not a man to shy at blood, Buck, as you know, if gold dazzles my eyes and serves as an ointment to ease my con:clence, ‘“¢Toll me all about it, ‘pard, and I’m with you,’ *** Walk along with me and [ll do it,’ ‘‘Such was about the conversation I heard, captain, and I waited there an hour before the man came back, ‘Then he went straight to bis camp and in the morning early [ walked out and saw his trail plainly, walking alongside of Buck Bald- win’s horse, ‘*I thought that Pawnee Pete had seen this trail and reported it to you, that some one from the camp bad met the courier.” ‘“ No, Pawnee Pete left at night and went across the river, camped until dawn, so he could pick up the trail from there, which he did. ‘** But who was this man, Loyd?” ‘* V'll tell you soon, sir. ‘*] did not speak to him about it, but I asked him if he recognized the courier, Lone Rifle. ** He repliea that he did not, **] then watched him closely and saw that he was constantly taking notes. ‘‘ These he puts in the barrel of his rifle, which has a plug in the end, and there isa string at- tached to draw the papers out, ** W hat those notes are I do not know, but you can get the rifle and see, and alll ask is that you do not tell where you got your information, for Ido not wish a map who has been my pard to know that I gave him away, and yet I feel it my duty to report to you that he is oaly a spy.” } ‘You have done your duty, Loyd, and I thank you, ‘* Doctor Chalmers here has doubted the courier all along, and I believe we are going to find out that he is right. ** Now where is this pard of yours?’ ‘“‘ Over in the fort now, sir, so you can get the gun from the tent, ‘‘ He keeps it rolled in a blanket.” ** And who is he?’ **Gold Dust Dick, sir.” “ Ha! that man whom I trusted so well that I made him boss of the drivers? ‘* You surprise me.” ‘‘T aro also surprised, I admit, though I have told you, Emmett, that the man’s honest actions belied bis face, which is that of @ villain,” ‘Your words, Doc; but I will go for the gun now and see what the papers are he has put iu it, The captain did so, and soon returned carry- ing an old style single-barre! duck gun, CHAPTER XXIX, THE SPY. THE wooden plug in the muzzle of the old shot- gun was taken out, and underneath was found @ String. ‘WZ Drawive upon this, it drew out of the barrel of the gun a roll of papers, Upon them, written in a bold, distinct hand, were notes of yvarlous kinds, They began on the day following the comingjof Lone Rifle, the pretended courier, and were UP to date, for each one was dated, The captain read each one aloud, and slowly- They were in the form of a diary, and the one was of a most COmpromising nature. It was as follows: “Met my old pard, Buck Baldwin, last night, sail- ing under false colors, as is usual with him. ‘He brought back vividly to my mind our road- agent days together. “« Says he is now a reregade in the Sioux camp and has a game to play that will bring big money- ‘“T am to do my share, report exact number of men on return, what the outfit is worth, hOW many horses and all else, and jot down any points of in- terest, and give them to 95 when he comes to our camp on the back trail at Bend Creek, where he is to meet us by appointment by the captaln. This was sufficient for the captain to read, when he said: ** What a fool! ‘‘ He is betrayed by his own hand. ‘‘All men are cranks in one way OT the other, for see, this smart fellow, brave and seemingly reliable, bas written his doom right here,” Continuing the notes, Captain Emmett read: “Tam to find out the exact number of troops of all arms, at each post and fort, and this I can do at our halting-place, by cultivating the soldiers, ‘Well, it revives old times to see Buck again, and I suppose 1 am in for a lawless life once more,” eh . "a , 17 * A 4 f rr . ey ee * com