Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 756 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

- . ~~ ~ a ; a the — « -_ : ~ ae 2 4 “ss > = io : - et me oma “ ; 5 < li as | a wee ~ 4% » 1) fy, 14 Baldwin, for the renegades had a large tepee together, They had just reached the spot, and were dis- mounting, when a horseman rode up, he having come from among the returned buffalo-bunters, He was a large map, with a deeply-bronzed face, but Charlie saw that he was no Indian. He was in Indian costume throughout, and wore the head dress of feathers of a great chief, But bis hair was long and curling, and it was red, while in strange contrast his eyes were large and jet-black. ‘‘ Ah! Baldwin, back again, 1 see, you and Bricktop,” he said in a deep voice, and Charlie noted that Bricktop’s hair was also of what the plainsmen called *‘carmine hue,” and more so than was that of the chief. ‘‘ Yes, Chief Red Hair, we are back again, and we have here a prisoner whom | have much ter tell you about, fer there is money in him,” said Baldwin in response, ** indeed, then he is very welcome; but where did you capture him?” * From Captain Emmett’s train.” ** The fur-trader?” ‘** Yas, chief, he is his nephew.” ‘“Well, Emmett will have to pay big money to get him again, that is all,” responded Chief Red Hair, and those words gave Charlie an idea of why he had been kidnapped to make his uncle pay ransom movuey for bim. ** Well, be won’t do it if I can escape, that is certain,” said Charlie to himself, and he from that moment had his thoughts full of how be could escape from the Sioux village. CHAPTER XXXIL A PLOT OVERHEARD, : CHARLIE EMMETT accepted his captivity with apparent resignation. he Chief Red Hair seemed to take a fancy to him from the very first, and ordered Bald- win to set him free, 5 be 3 hanes en ee a : Dashing Charlie’s Destiny. their return, say that you have the boy, throw them off their guard, and that night I will dash into their camp with warriors enough to over- whelm them. ‘* My braves will get scalps in plenty, and the ' wagon train of furs will bring us a small for- SSS sissies sess ns tune, along with the wagons, stock, weapons and all, ‘* You can tell Captain Emmett that you will return the following day with the boy, and that night we will strike them.” ** A good plan, chief; but the boy?” ‘* Will remain here, for I will adopt him, as he is useful to me, and Emmett must be taken alive, for he will pay big money for his release, ‘*Now we have just about six weeks to ar- range our plans of action, and we will make it a rich haul indeed.” Buck Baldwin left the chief delighted with the idea, while he said: ‘*T told him nothing of the secret Emmett knows, and which I shall wring from him, ‘* Yes, he must be taken alive at all hazards, for he knows where Nick Nye’s gold mine is to be found.” And Charlie had overheard all. CHAPTER XXXITI. DASHING CHARLIE PLAYS IT ALONE, CHARLIE EMMETT’S stay in the Sioux camp bad taught bim a great deal of Indian nature, He kept his eyes and ears open for all be could see and hear, and he made the Sioux tongue a study until be had mastered it pretty well. He seemed to have become invaluable to the Great Chief Red Hair, and was with him con- stantly. At length the time came for the departure of the party of braves who were to bead off the ( fur-trader’s train. The two men, Baldwin and Bricktop, had | argued that the boy was too dangerous a young | tiger to go free, but the chief told them then to take turns in watching him, but free he | should be, for the idea of the boy’s escape » from the Sioux camp was utterly preposterous. Charlie therefore took up his quarters in the tepee of the two renegades, and as he got several chances to speak to the other white captives he was not long in discovering the exact situation of affairs in the Indian village, There were present haif a dozen unfortunate white women who bad been torn from their homes by Sioux warriors and were held there as captives, There were also as many children there in the village who were also held as captives, Red Hair was the chief of the village, and though a white man he had a heart they said even more cruel than the red-skins, Buck Baldwin and Bricktop were under chiefs, and acted as spies for the Indians, going to the settlements and camps from time to time and aining information of the movements of richly reighted trains, unprotected settlements and the strength of the soldiers at the various forts, They were just returning from a spying ex- pedition when they captured poor Charlie, and the chief Red Hair soon was told all the infor- mation which they had to tell, When he understood the situation fully, Charlie began to plot to escape, and he was determined that nothing should stand in the way of his doing so. He was as cunning as a fox, and seeing that Red Hair, ths renegade chief, had taken a great fancy to him, he showed all that he could that he was fond of bim, or assumed it at least, This pleased the chief, who, a month after Charlie’s arrival in camp, told bim to come to his quarters and live, Baldwin had gone away on some mission alone, leaving Bricktop to guard the boy, and the latter, not to be broken of his rest at nigbt, bad bound Charlie securely. This Dashing Charlie reported to the chief, and then it was that he was told to make his bome at his tepee. One night Buck Baldwin returned, and went straight to the tepee of the chief. He did not know that Charlie was there, and Red Hair never thought of the boy, or supposed he was asleep, perhaps did not care. At any rate Charlie lay awake and heard all of Buck Beldwin’s Leg th his visit to the camp of the fur-traders as Lone Rifle, and his plan with Captain Emmett. ‘*A thousand dollars, did te say he would give for the return of the boy?” ** Yes, chief.” ** Well, you are to go there and meet them on | | | Chief Red Hair bad told Baldwin he would lead the expedition with three hundred picked braves, and that he, Baldwin, was to go on ahead with Bricktop, and meet the traders ac- cording to his agreement with Captain Emmett, To prevent all mistakes, Baldwin was to be some days in advance of the time when the train was expected to camp at Canyon Spring, The chief with his braves were to come from the direction of the settlements, and be ready to rush in upop the camp the night after Baldwin’s visit to it. Charlie, at great risk, bad managed to hear all, and when he had the whole plot down he made his plans accordingly. It was decided that Chief Red Hair and his picked braves should leave the village at night, and without a word as to where they were go- ing, and this was a blessing for Charlie, for he was not to know anything about it either, more than that the chief told him he was going on a hunt for a week, and he could not accompany him, Buck Baldwin took his departure one night with Bricktop, and three nights after Red Hair rode out of the village at the head of his braves, He had left Charlie fast asleep as he supposed; but such was not the case, as the boy was up soon after he heard Red Hair ride away, hauled bis weapons from the place where be knew them to be, drew from a hiding-place a bag of pro- visions be had stored away at odd times, and going to where the chief’s horses were kept at night, selected the one he knew to be the best one of the lot, His own saddle and bridle were put on the anima!, and mounting Charlie rode away. One brave asked bin where he was going and he said that Chief Red Hair had sent him back after something he bad left, and the Indian said no more. The trail was a broad one, and yet Charlie could not have seen it at night; but be knew the way to go, and when dawn came Was delighted to find that he had been following upon the broad trail left by the three bundred braves, He did not care to get too near, and so camped, and when starting again rode slowly. At night he camped until dawn, and then followed the trail more rapidly until the fresh- ness of the tracks told him he must go slow, He knew that the Indians must be near their hiding-place, to lie in wait for the coming of Baldwin, to tell them that all was ready for the attack, He had learned a great deal about prairie craft, and so he decided to boldly make the venture to head off the train, for he felt that be would know the train’s trail when he came to it and would at once recogniza whether it had passed or not on its way back to Omaha. He made a wide flank movement, ever watch- ful for danger, as he was fearful he might stum- ble upon Buck Baldwin and Bricktop, as he ~ ay a8 _ _ —— — ——E ——— —— knew not just where they would await the train’s coming. It was just before sunset when he came to a scene he recalled having paused upon his way after the train, when be was guided by the treacherous Limber Joe, Down in the valley be saw the trail, and rid- ing there quickly he discovered the fresh tracks of the wagons, ‘* The train bas gone by!” he cried, and wheel- ing his horse into it be rodealong ata run to soon come in sight of the train just going into camp. A moment moreand he had dashed into camp and received a rousing welcome. Of course the story of Dashing Charlie was soon told, and then followed the plans to give the Indians a surprise where they expected to utterly wipe out their white foes. The next morning into camp rode Buck Bald- win, and both Charlie and the Chief’s borse were in hiding, so he saw no cause for suspicion. He told Captain Emmett how be had tried in vain tosteal his boy from the Indian village, but had been sent with him, along with a guard of red-skins to deliver him up when the pay- ment of the thousand dollars bad been made, ‘if you agrees ter pay it, cap’n, P’ll come ter- morrow with ther boy, and band him over; but I must have your word for it, or ther red-skins what has got him won’t let him go,” ‘*'You bripg my nephew to me to-morrow, at any time you say, and I will pay you the money and give you something for yourself, too, Lone Rifle,” was Captain Emmett’s response, And then, in an incidental way, he told how he bad lost half bis men and only bad a small force, and he seemed to put every confidence in Lone Rifle, who little dreamed of the men hidin in the wagons, and also of the soldiers stowe away out of sight, so that he should only see about two dozen in the party, After being well treated by Captain Emmett, Lone Rifle, as the renegade called himself, left the camp, promising to be on hand the next day. He rode straight to his camp, got Bricktop, and then the two went to where the chief, Red Hair, was encamped, and told him how the men in the train had been thinned out, and the vic- tory would be an easy one, ‘* We will soon be rich, men,” was Red Hair’s response, and as it was now dark, he started bis warriors upon their trail to attack the train of the fur-traders. CHAPTER XXXIV. CONCLUSION. Tue Chief Red Hair and his three bundred braves crept upon the fur-traders’ encampment, and when they charged with wild yells and showers of arrows, they were never more sur- prised in their lives, for sheets of flames shot forth above, around them, and seemingly from the ground, and they heard the wild cheers of @ hundred men. The result of the fire was that red-men and ponies went down in heaps, dead and dying, and the terrible carnage continued until the fright- maddened Sioux turned and fled in wild dismay, followed by the triumphant yells of the train- men. It was a perfect victory for the fur-traders, excepting that, though Buck Baldwin lay dead upon the ground, Bricktop and the renegade chief Red Hair escaped, or at least were not to be found among the dead and wounded, of which latter number there were but very, very few. Of course all praise was given to Dashin Charlie, who was indeed made a hero of, and al said that the destiny of such a youth was to be- come @ plainsman, for no other career would suit bim so well, The train continued on its way the next day, and upon bis arrival in Omaha, Captain im- mett found tbat be had indeed made quite a fortune out of bis venture, As Charlie told him that his destiny was to become a borderman, and he would not go home, he decidd to let him remain, and the boy ac- companied him on the expedition Captain Emmet made into the Indian couptry to free the white captives of the Sioux. ; In this he was not successful, for the Indians Were all on the war-path, and the force was not strong enough to cope with them, so the ex- pedition returned, and Dashing Charlie at once accepted the position of scout to the fur-traders, upon their expedition northward each year, That he won fame in bis new calling is a matter of history, while bis numerous adven- tures would fill volumes, and have given him a name that will long live upon the far frontier, and be enrolled in the history of the Wild West. THE END, books. : ote, PEO rer +” | =e