Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 786 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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, seemed to depend wholly on his present succes or failure. A low cry escaped him, as he felt the tense cords give slightly, unable to longer withstand the tremendous force he was exerting. He surged at them again and again, until the veins on his arms stood out in knots. Drops of sweat were on his forehead, while he writhed as if in the agony of a great pain. The cords cut cruelly into his flesh, but of this be seemed insensible, Finally one of the strands parted, this bring- ing about a loosening of all the cords on his wrists, Tears welled to his eyes as he lay back, almost exhausted, yet realizing he would soon be free, Free to help himself and Sidney! He hearkened for a moment to the words that were still proceeding from the council-chamber. He cared little what was being said, now, being only desirous to know that the men were still there. He sat up and removed the bonds from his aching arms, then tried to untie those that held his feet. The knots were drawn tight, and his fingers were so numb he could not do this; but he got hold of a jagged piece of granite, and by a diligent renin | with ite roughened edge, at length cut through the thongs. His limbs and body felt wofully cramped, but in spite of this, be staggered to his feet and began to grope bis way toward the apartment where he had last seen the young ranchbman, He was not aware that a guard bad been placed over the room occupied by the girl. Had he known this, he would have taken greater precautions. The guard selected by Maverick for this purpose was the messenger who had come in go short a time before, and be was so tired and ati | that he was haif-dozing at his post of duty, In his ignorance of the guard’s presence, and in the darkness, Old Lone Hand stumbled heavily against this man, He instinctively leaped back as he did so, filled with a foreboding of trouble. The kick which Joe had given him brought to the guard a rude awakening. He sprung up in blind haste, and when Lone Hand turned to run, he lugged out his revolver and fired wildly down the passage, well knowing that this was not a member of the band. The shot and the guard’s calls brought Mave- rick Bill and his comrades tumbling out of the council-chambe", and these quickly filled the space which the borderman would have been compelled to pass over toreach Sidney, Being between him and the fire, that burned law in the large room, he could see them, though they could not see him. He realized that it would be suicidal to try to pass them, “This is awful!’ he moaned, as he halted a moment, in bewilderment, ‘* They’ll do up the boy, shore!” Like a flash came a thought of the soldiers who were presumed to be at that moment marching on Prairie Gibraltar, Of himself, he could do nothing; but he might reach these troopers and hurry them to the rescue, before it was too late, To do this he must bave a horse, and be knew of none but the one he so dreaded. The Specter Steed was still standing in its stall, where he had last seen it, Would he dare to make use of it? He was almost frenzied. ‘*f reckon [ll hey to!” he declared. ‘‘ There don't seem to be any other chance. The thing can’t more’n kill me, an’ I’ll be killed if I stay hyer; an’ if [ don’t go, Sid’ll be killed, too!” He was not given much time for reflection or debate, Maverick and the outlaws were ad- vancing along the passage in his direction. From Maverick’s loud commands he knew that & man was being sent to the corral to cut him off. He must act at once, if at all, The excitement bad driven from his mind all thought of the pain and Cramps which had lately troubled him. He turned toward the Phantom horse and ran on With the nimbleness of youth. The shouts of the outlaws behind him acted ag a spur. He did not stop to search for 4 bridle, but deftly loosened the rope halter with which the animal was tied; and then burried with it through the contracted avenue leading to the corral, He was Only a moment or two in gaining the opening, 80d as go00n as he saw the star- light above bim and the horse, he leaped on the horse’s back, dug his heels into its flanks, and by a pressure of his knees guided it toward the corral gateway which he had that night seen to be open, As he did this, ® strange thing happened. As the horse sprung forward in obedience to the urgent kicks, thesingular glow faded from Lone Hand Joe. its coat, causing Old Joe to utter an exclama- tion of alarm, His fears were so aroused by this phenomenon that he was tempted to slide from its back and trust to his heels. He might have dona so, had not the calis of Maverick’s men sounded so perilously near, There was one thing he could not gainsay: Whether he was astride of a horse or the spirit of a horse, it was bearing him by marvelous leaps from the presence of hig enemies, Although Old Joedid not think of it at the time, it was a fortunate thisg for him that the queer light faded just when itdid. Otherwise, he would have become the target of well-direct- ed bullets. With the disappearance of the glow, the outlaws had nothing with which to guide them in their aiming. Old Joe and his odd steed dashed through the opening in the corral barrier and sped straight toward the prairie, Pistol-shots still rung out, though none of the balis sad come near him, He could tell by the sounds of the men’s voices that they were burrying out some animals which they had kept somewhere hidden, thus showing that they meant to pursue him. “Ketch me if you kin!” was his grim com- ment, scarcely uttered above a whisper. ‘‘ This nag 1’m a-ridin’ is a hummer, an’so long as it don’t shine up like a lamp, I don’t feel so much afeard—” The sentence was brought to an abrupt con- clusion. The phosphorescent glow came again, treme the old borderman to a state of abject rror. CHAPTER XVIII. A TIME FOR HASTE, THE yell that arose bebind bim told him that the horse was seen by the outlaws, They would be able to follow it by the light, thus increasing the danger of recapture. The horse galloped steadily forward in an easy, tireless manner, that went to prove its mettle and enduraace, In spite of bis fears, Old Lone Hand could not but. be pleased with the way the Specter Steed was leaving his foes, The play of the firm muscles on the shoulders, which he could readily feel with his extended knees, the obedience with which it responded to this guiding, the steady sound of the boof-falls, all tended to dispel the idea that the horse was a supernatural creature; and as the minutes pass- ed without bringing any other mysterious mani- festation, Old Joe again took courage. “‘Flyin’ steeds v’ the Arabians! I guess I’ve been a fool all along. I’ve always been taught never to look a gift horse in the mouth; an’ hyer I’ve been examinin’ every tooth o’ this’n as it were, tryin’ to make out it’s no good—an it a-doin’ its level best fer me without money an’ without price! It’s got queer-lookin’ hair, but that oughtn’t to count ag’in’ it so long as it does what it kin to save Sidney an’ me,” It was soon evident that the phantom horse was fleeter of foot than any of those ridden by the outlaws, for the thunder of the pursuit grew steadily fainter and fainter. **Good boss! Good hoss!” giving the shining coat a series of loving pats. ‘' Purty is as purt does; and, accordin’ to that, you’re the hand- somest creeter above ground, I'll take back ever’thing I’ve said ag’in’ ye. I'll adopt the sen- timents 0’ the feller’s toast to the women: ‘I — understand ye; but God bless ye! I love e The horse comprehended the kindly tone and action, if it did not comprehend the words, and seemed to gather new vigor from them. Old Joe’s thoughts were almost constantly on Phil Sidney; and, when he could no more bear his enemies, be changed his direction for a cross- ing of the river where he knew the troopers must pass on their way to Prairie Gibraltar. It was atime for haste, Every moment was of the utmost importanve, and he began to realize more and more how fortunate a thing it was that he was mounted on so fleet and spirited a steed. He could not divest himself of the feeling that what he was doing seemed like: a Lase abandon- ment of the young ranchman, Had he believed there was any chance whatever to aid Phil Sid- ney by an insmediate return to the robber home, he would not have hesitated a moment to retrace his way. But he knew that, aroused as the outlaws were, he could do nothing, single-hand- ed. To go back would be only to place himself again in their clutches, It was an emergency in which the Committee of One must seek other help, ie would not allow himself.to dwell on Phil’s present peril, nor on the fact that the young ranchman’s death had been decreed. Of course, he could not keep all thought of this out of his ( Came nearer and nearer, mind; but he tried to look forward to a with the troopers, and a burried march relief, Untiring as the phantom steed seemec it began to show some signs of exhausti fore the river crossing was reached, The old borderman drew it down into a sl gait, and carefully noted its labored breathit ‘*Tt’s a dead shore thing that this ain’t spirit boss!” he soliloquized, ‘* l reckon, now spirit hoss would never git tired at all; andi safe to bet that one uv ’um wouldn’t bev lungs to thump like that.” He felt of its moist, steaming coat, which shone on, in spite of the perspiration that bathed it ‘*Reg’lar sweat,” he mused, rubbing bis fin- gers together and pressing them to bis nostrils. ‘*Reg’lar hoss sweat, too. It do puzzle me, though I don’t think Ill be afraid o’ the thing any more,” he night was far advanced when he reached the crossing; and his coming created quite as much of a panic as Sidney had wuccasioned among his own cowboys some nights before, L'he troopers had gone into camp on the northern bank of the stream, and were awaiting the re- turn of Ben Stetson and a scout who bad depart- ed some hours previous to spy out the land at. Prairie Gibraltar, Neither the troopers nor their commander had ever heard of the phantom horse, and when Old Joe was seen moving across the prairie toward the camp at a good canter, a state of intense ex- citement supervened, The soldiers tumbled out as one man to view the singular sight and to speculate concerning it. But for the rigid disci- pline under which they were always held, many of them would have fled, as the phantom horse The fussy little colonel, who was in charge of the expedition, always made it a point not to show the white feather on any occasion; and he: sent. a messenger out to intercept their queer- looking visitor, and to inquire his business, ‘Oh, this boss!’ and Old Joe chuckled grimly, as be was balted, and understood the cause, ‘* He’s a singular critter, shore; but, pard, he’s a hummer, is hair seems to bea little off, but: he brung me frum Prairie Gibraltar quicker’n any beast I ever straddled. Whatever he may do, or however be may look, [ll al’ays put that down to his credit, Show me the way to yer boss. I’ve a message that must be delivered in- stanter,” A wondering crowd gathered about the horse, when he had been brought into camp, and many were the explabations and comments of the men, He was of a docile disposition, and suffered him- self to be handled and pinched. He was subject- ed to a most rigid examination; but all that was learned by it is just what tke reader already knows. is coat seemed like the coat of any other horse, save that it shone something like phosphorus, e Old Joe was at once conducted before Colonel Tomlinson and questioned as to his errand; and in hurried sentences told wby he had come, and ers the great need of haste, ‘omlinson disliked to do anything out of the regular routine, and, having sent Ben Stetson and a scout to make an examination of Prairie Gibraltar, it seemed to him to be the proper thing to await their report, ‘Tf ye do, cunnel, it'll bring about the death uv the boy!” Old Joe protested. ‘* He may be dead already, shot to pieces by them murderin’ kyotes, though Pll never believe it tell ’m forced to. I’m a-takin’ it fer granted that he’s still alive, an’ that if we move out uv hyer on the jump, we'll be in time to save him. aylight’ll come onto you, cunnel, if you wait fer the com- in’ o’ yer scouts, an’ that'll sp’ile everthing. With a good light to shoot by, the fellers behind them rock walls kin bold a riy’ment.” Colone] Tomlinson was not insensible to the force of this argument, There was only one thing that kept him from acceding at once to Old Joe’s request. He did not know Old Joe; a fact which he stated with rough bluntness, ‘‘My good fellow, if I had any way to as- sure myself that what you say is true I'd move on Prairié Gibraltar immediately. How can I tell that you may not be playing me false? How can I know that you are not one of these out- laws yourself, and have come here to draw me into a trap? If Ben Stetson was here, now, he sould settle it,” : Old Joe was irritated by this, though he could not fail to recognize the weight of the argu- ment. He knew that such tricks had heen played. All he could do was to reassert the upright- ness of his intentions and the truth of his story, comicbooks.co