Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 778 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

a" a P] > 7. bn are at Pg Near the center of this vale was the ‘‘ Devil’s Trap,” one of those odd and unique stone forma- tions so often met with in the great mountains, At 2 distance it looked like the ruins of a great stone building; and there were those of a scien- | tific mind who believed it was the remains of a stone fortress of an age coeval with that of ancient Mexico and Central America. It was an immense pile of gigantic rocks covering a | quarter of anacre of ground. They had been thrown together so as to form an open court | near the center, a couple rods in extent, and in this opening was a spring of pure cool water that had no visible outlet. None of the rocks were over fifteen feet high, and flatontop. There were no lessthan half a score of cracks or fissures, extending from top to bottom, by which the opening could be reached from the outside. One or two of these were wide enough to admit a manon horseback. Not one of them ran straight through, but zig- zagged here andthere, ofter two of themcoming | together before reaching the opening in the center, so that one, standing inside, could not peo out in any direction except overhead. Peculiar as this accident of nature, if I may so callit, was, the place would have receivedno | xaivre than passing notice had it not been forthe | epring inside. And this had been regarded as | the alluring power of the Devil’s Trap, for in tne shadows of the narrow passages the sly old panther lay in wait to pounce upon the timid deer that came there to drink. There, nodoubt, tor ages past had the bloodthirstv red-skins lain | in wait for foe or quarry. There, no doubt, had man met man and beast met beast and | fought to the death, the victor slaking his thirst | in blood as well as water. The bleaching, de- | caying bones ’round and about the place, and | even in the narrow passages, attested all this. Indian tradition and white man’s superstition had given Snake Canyon, as wellas the Devil’s | Trap, an unsavory reputation, and it was this fact, as well as the difficulties to be encountered in traversing the pass, that kept the Indians and mountaineers out of the canyon. This Highland Harry knew, and having no super- stitious blood in his veins, he had hoped to profit by it. More than once he had slept alone im the Devil’s Trap without fear or fright. But the youth was too much of a mountaineer to approach the place unguardedly, and before he and Uncle Bildad ventured within they made a complete circuit of thestone-pile. Finding no trace of any one having preceded them there that day, they entered a passage ana proceeded to the | fearless and impulsive nature, Highland opening around which the rocks rose straight up | The ground in the opening was covered with oe eae shot, we ar’n’t,” replied Pistol Jim, with an air | of triumph, ‘‘ We’re’round takin’in stragglers | the red-skin and gave hiu: a kick in the stom- sich as you folks. Yakima, you and Bruiser Bill | ach that curled him up like a sick bear; and advance and hit them gents’ weepons for’em. | Highland Harry wasin the act of serving the We don’t want their hands down with a their reach. That kid’s too flip witha to low him to tech oneo’ them. We want to make sure o’ him this time.” ‘* Cowards! villains!” hissed Harry, ‘‘ give me a show and [ll take my chances with—” **Oh, you're game, Highland Harry,” inter- rupted the outlaw, ‘‘but we don’t fear your mouth. You’ve permission to bang away with that all you want to; it’s that ’tarnal old long 7 ee a Highland Harry, the Wizard Rifleman. | 5 Quickly Uncle Bildad bounded to the side of op in | unknown in asimilar manner when he recognized arker | him as an old and respected friend. is smoly hoke!” he exclaimed, ‘‘ it’s Spo- kane Joe!” ‘‘°Tis for a fact, but’s the fight over? who ' licked?’ the old hunter asked, springing to his feet and looking around him like one confused, ‘*Fight’s all over, Joe,” responded Harry. | ** Ajax, the Infant Giant, dropped in here and ranger o’ a rifle that you handle so reckless that | makes our folks bashful when you're ’round loose, You see, we knew you were comin’down Snake Canyon on yer way to Teton Basin, and ’spectin’ you’d haul up here for refreshments, ‘* Expectin’ us!’ sneered Uncle Bildad. ** Harry, I reckon ‘ Bat’s’ been sendin’ out more pigeons.” Phe outlaw laughed. ** You're catchin’ on, ain’t you?’ he said; ‘‘ I reckon you fellers begin to see that gittin’ into the Teton Basin isn’t so easy as ye thought! mee Rg chaps than you have tried it and ied. Harry was about to make some reply to the villain’s remarks when he was admonished to silence by sight of an object in the passage di- rectly behind and over the outlaw’s head. It had appeared from behind an angle in the gap. It was a big, round object, which might have been taken for a full moon just rising had it been at all luminous; but it was not—it was a dark object which the young mountaineer read- ily discovered was a human head and face, A pair of half-closed eyes, the lids drooping at the outer corners, an immense nose of the Roman type, a prodigious big mouth wreathed about with a serio-comic expression, a beardless, boy- ish tace covered all over with freckles, made up a cast of features that sent a thrill of joy and hope to the heart of the Wizard Rifleman. He recognized the face poked up from behind _we laid for you in a way-up style.” eer, one Jack Bowman, better known as Ajax, the Infant Giant. A young man of two-and- twenty, standing nearly seven feet in his moc- casins, b with muscles of iron, he was a giant indeed in j did the job all up like a whip.’ ‘*Gol darn that big, speckled-faced kid!’ with an affected contemptuous glance over at Ajax, who was coolly gathering up the outlaws’ wea- pons and piling them at one side; ‘‘that feller’s alers sp’ilin’some o’ my calculations o’late. I snowed them robbers war here, and war watch- in’ their movements when you two fellers come insight. Before 1 could w. rn you o’ 97 gh slipped into the Trap. Then I thought I'd ' cover myself all over with glory by comin’ over | bere and lickiu’the outfit. I ' | | | | ' : . the rock as that of a friend—a fellow mountain- | idn’t know Jax. war here.” **Ho! ho! ho!” laughed the young Giant, ad- vancing to greet his old friends, ‘* you did git in late, Spoky, but I’m glad to see you jist the same, And you, also, Highland Harry and Uncle Bildad, whom I now greet with joy see- ing I’ve been too busy to doso before. By rs folks, wasn’t there a sudden changein the cli- mate round here, tho’? Them outlaws were warblin’ off taunts and musical Jaughter to you folks in cherubimic style, wasn’t they?” ‘Yes, they had the drop on us for awhile,” responded Uncle Bildad. ‘‘ You struck this vicinity in just the proper season.” ‘** | should remark,” answered the young Giant, with a glance at Bruiser Bill and Yakima, who were gradually recovering from the confusion of mind occasioned by Ajax’s fist;‘‘ but them bilious outlaws don’t know I was here before they were. The fact of itis, when they arrived I lay on top of this stone-pile squoze into a dimple of the rock like a smile of summer sun- shine. 1 see’d you fellers approaching, and could have warned you away, but then I’d had no fun. It’s the first rumpus I’ve had for a month, Times are awful dull in these hills, road-shouldered and brawny-breasted, | boys.” ‘tbe Giant’s remarks were somewhat charac- size, as well as in strength, with a spirit ‘brave | teristic of the man himself. As before stated, and daring tocorrespond, Knowing the giant’s | he was a man of twenty-two years, but his face he was disappointed. T 1e Colossus raised his | arry | was smooth as that of a boy of sixteen, In fact, expected to see him leap forward upon the un- | he looked more like a great, awkward, over- were of buckskin and worn in a decided slovenly like a wall. | suspecting outlaws at vey roment; but in this | grown boy than a man. His Se os tete o ! ravel and spalts from the face of the rock. he spring was at one side, its waters clear as crystal and inviting to the thirsty, dust-begrim- ed scouts. Leaning his gunagainst the wall Uncle Bildad threw himself upon the ground with an air of relief, removed his bat and wiped the dust and perspiration from his brow. Highland Harry Jaid his gun downand walked over to the spring to getadrink. As he did so, he started back, his eyes fixed on the ground before him, say- ing: ‘‘By smoly hoke! Uncle, there’s been some one or something here lately, after all!” * Yes, and they're here yit !” It was a strange voice that spoke thus from out of one of the passages converging there and it was accompanied by the quick tread of feet, and looking around Highland Harry found himself and Uncle Bildad covered with the re- volvers of two desperate-looking men, one of bar apa : ict ad * Hands up, Highlan 8 and pard, or you die instanter!” . se t pF To add to the force of this command and threat, four more armed villains, two of whom were leering sayages, emerged from conceal- ment and confronted the surprised moun- taineers. Never was Highland Harry taken so com- pletely off his guard, and he saw at a glance that he was wholly at the cutlaws’ mercy. Re- sistance would be sure death in the face of those cocked and pointed revolvers, and so he did the only sensible thing for him to do, and threw up his hands, Uncle Bildad following his example, ‘*Tuem’s the proper perceedin’s,” said the outlaw spokesman, ‘‘for 1, Pistol Jim, never axes a feller the second time to throw up,” “*Darn your measly skins!” exclaimed Uncle Bildad, reproachfully, ‘‘you're a pack o’ sneaks, if you’d give us a half show we’d Ae the hull o’ you!” ‘Oh, we're not around givin’ shows to be tinger in a warning gesture, shook his big bull | head, wrenthed his mottled face into a horrid grimace, then stepped back and disappeared in the passage. CHAPTER VI, THE TRAPPERS TRAPPED. HIGHLAND HARRY was left in doubt as to the intentions of the Infant Giant. He had hoped that he would attack the outlaws before he and ) | Bildad Durr were disarmed, but being disap- | | pointed in this he could only await the Giant’s pleasure. Meanwhile the two outlaws addressed as manner. His trowsers were held in place by a leather belt, which was dragged low upon his hips by the weight of two big navy revolvers. His pockets were bulging with metallic cartridges, while his blue flannel shirt was disposed to es- cape through the six-inch space between the top of heey pauts and the bottom of his hunting- acket, But despite his carelessness of personal habits, his boyish appearance and apparent reckless way, Ajax, as he had been aptly called, was a man of dauntless courage, a fearless, dashing spirit, Herculean strength, and indomitable will. Socially he was a jolly, rollicking, big- Yakima Jule and ‘‘ Bruiser” Bill advanced and | hearted boy. took possession of the mountaineers’ weapons. This done ‘‘ Pistol” Jim and his companion low- After he had greeted his friends and explain- ed his position at the beginning of the contest to ered their revolvers and opened upon the pris- | them, the Infant Giant turned to the outlaws, oners a tirade of abuse and taunts on the failure | saying: of their mission to Teton Basin, ‘I must not neglect these folks; as I’m hostin But suddenly, in the midst of an outburst of | this ranch to-night, I want to entertain all laughter, a long, vivid tongue of fire shot from | guests the best I can,” out one of the shadow-choked paseere accomn- panied by the crack of a revo ‘* This affairmay not be so funny, you big ver, and two of | sloven, before youare done with it!” Bruiser the robbers fell dead, pierced through by oneand | Bill remarked as be sat upon the ground, his the same bullet. hands locked around his knees, that were drawn Before a man could turn, the Titan form of up almost to his chin. Ajax came bounding into the opening, a roar» like that of a lion pealing from bis lips, Had a thunderbolt fell from the starry sky the outlaws could not have been taken hy greater surprise, Even a second shot from the giant’s revolver was fired, and one of the two savages killed, before the villains bad fully cornprehended the situation. When they did, it was too late to act, for the next instant the : iron fist of the Infant laid Bruiser Bill and | Yakima Jule prostrate upon the earth; while the surviving Indian, to escape a similar fate, took to his heels, Swiftly he flew across the opening, but suddenly collided with a figure that ' ’ ' } came bounding into the opening from the very | passage he was aiming to reach, and both he | be wellto place our ‘‘ Bruiser William—I believe that’s what I beard you called,” responded Ajax thrusting his thumbs behind his belt, ‘ do be docile now: don’t throw out any insinuations and scare mv friends here all away. I don’t want to he left alone with you—I’m bashful before stran- ers.’ “ss You're a fool—a brutal blow-hard!” declar- ed Yakima. ‘¢T reckon as what he did blow hard ag’in’ you pilgrims,” observed Spokane Joe. ‘*The In- fant smacks a feller’s mug awful solid, I know, from the looks o’ your catty-wampus features,” ‘*T think,” said Highland Harry, ‘‘it would ends, the onemy, in bonds, andthe unknown were 'mrled backward to the | as it is almost night and we don’t want them te earth, half-stunned Ly ti» shock, lose us.” ee oe 3 «1% . ? a OO Pas