Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 794 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

-~ a ; pee Bund so close that a jack- rabbit in’t git by unseen. I reckon the proper ming to do is to crawl inter some good hidin’ place, and there wait for a more favorable chance to puckachee.” “Good sound advice which shall be promptly acted upon. Spider, can you guide us to a place that will afford concealment and safety from our now infuriated ene- mics?” The hunchback hesitated but a moment ¢re vouchsafing an affirmative response. ‘‘There’s a place less’n a mile from here,” said he, ‘‘that couldn’t suit the purpose any better if you had it made to order. I’ve only be’n there once, an’ that was several years ago, but l reckon I kin take ye to the spot without much trouble.” “Then lead on at once, for there’s no time to waste,” and Headlight Harry looked nervously from side to side, as though half expecting to see the enemy even ther burst into view. ‘‘Hold yer hosses, pard! Don’t be in too Wig a rush!” advised the hunchback, coolly. ‘*‘We’ve got a good start on the varmints, so we. kin afford to take things tol’rable easy; an’ 1 reckon ’twill be a good scheme to kiver our tracks as much as pos- _ gible, so’s to set the rascals guessin’. Jest leave the hull bizness ter me, pards, an’ I’ll undertake ter git ye outer difficulty slicker’n a whistle.” Preparations were at once made for the re- treat, the first step being to secure the weapons and ammunition of the five van- quished ruffians, which acquisition served to give the party much the appearance of a walking arsenal. Then, under the hunch- back’s careful directions, they hastened to leave the scene of the late encounter, pro- ceeding for a short distance in a direction precisely contrary to that which it was in. tended to ultimately pursue, then making a wide detour, great care being taken to con- ceal all evidence of this abrupt change of course. Thanks to the hard, stony nature of the soil, this was accomplished in a manner that might be safely calculated to deceive the enemy; and, having completed these ma- neuvers to his own satisfaction, the Spider now plunged boldly into the forest; shaping - his course straight for the hidden retreat. The route led through a dense growth of - underbrush, in which progress was difficult and slow, especially to the Railroad Pards, who, lame and sore from their late ill-usage, limped painfully in the footsteps of their guide, crawling with difficulty over the in: numerable bowlders and fallen trees which , atrewed the way. | For nearly am hour the four continued to struggle through this unbroken wilderness, the hunchback leading the way with an un- hesitancy that betokened his thorough know!l- edge of the region. Finally the sound of rushing waters reach ed their ears, and they emerged from the thicket to find further progress barred by a swollen mountain creek, which rushed leap- ing and swirling on its course. ere the Spider paused for a moment, looking keenly from side to side. Evidently he recognized the locality, for, with a self- satisfied chuckle, he turned his steps down- - gtream, beckoning the others to follow. A short distance below they came to where a gigantic pine had fallen squarely peed across the stream, furnishing a rude but adequate means of reaching the opposite side, dry shod. | Over the tree-trunk glided the dwarf with catlike agility, while his More cautious com- e* ‘> |! ern for any length of. time meant inevitable ‘ / Headlight Harry’s Hunt.. , tives were forced to make the best of their uncomfortable surroundings through the long, weary hours that intervened. Night came at last, however, and the dwarf made instant preparations for departure. ‘*Are you sure you can find hate way back again, Spider?” queried Headlight Harry, anxiously, as he accompanied the spy to the entrance. ‘‘ As the camp is fully three miles away, and the night is dark and starless, it seems to .me almost a foolhardy venture for you.” ‘*So much the better,” grimly chuckled the hunchback. ‘* Like an owl, I kin see best in the night, an’ 1 know ev’ry foot o’ the kentry hereabouts, so ye kin count on seein’ me back about midnight. When ye hear three hoots o’ the night-owl in succes- sion, then expect to see the Spider soon after. So-long!” He pushed through the mass of vines and vanished in the inky gloom, while the three fugitives, returning to the inner chamber, settled themselves to endure the wearisome hours that must elapse ere the spy’s return, and the water was barely wide enough to afford a foothold to the four wayfarers, who now carefully continued their way down- stream, At a point perhaps & hundred yards below the fallen pine, their guide suddenly paused and began a careful examination of the wall, | pushing aside the tangled mass of vines here and there, evidently in quest of some particu- lar object, or spot, while the others looked on in vague anticipation. Their curiosity was satisfied a moment later, for the Spider gave a cry of exultation, and pointed triumphantly at a dark, irregu- lar opening in the wall which his careful’ scrutiny had revealed. ‘‘Hyar ye are, at last, pards! I knowed I couldn’t miss the place, though I ha’n’t b’en hyar for years,” was his cheery exclamation, while the fugitives looked on in no little as- tonishment. ‘*A hole in the wall,eh? Where the dick- ens does it lead to?” cried Headlight Harry. “This hyar is the mouth of a passage which runs straight into an ipnercave. I explored the hull bizness one day, an’ know it like a book. Come, pards; bundle in an’ take a look at yer future dwellin’-place.” This singular tunnel entrance was but a few feet from the base of the cliff, being so small that a person could enter only on hands and knees. One by one the fugitives crawled into the cavity, while the vines which screened the opening were carefully replaced. The passage slanted slightly downward, and extended straight into the heart of the cliff for perhaps thirty feet, forming the entrance to a subterraneous chamber of considerable proportions. CHAPTER VIII. THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR, Kina Krresy, boss of Satan’s Camp, sat alone within his private room on the evening following the capture and subsequent rescue of the Railroad Pards, His strangely band- some face wore an expression of doubt and anxiety that was in marked contrast with his customary air of ease and unconcern, He was bending cover a rough pine table, laden with the bountiful supply of cigars and liquid refreshments that were invariably Such, at least, was the explanation vouch- | 0” hand for his own exclusive use; but on sa the Spider ith j fugitives | this particular occasion the King seemed in- elas i Ptegben Rescai te > | different to the craving of his inner man. were forced to rest content, since nothing | : was visible to their own eyes in the Styeiwn | With hands pressed tightly to his knitted gloom which pervaded the place. They | brows, and his keen eyes pe the sin- searched in vain for even a single match, by gle sheet of paper upon the table be ore him, aid of which to catch a momentary glimpse the gambler presented the picture of one struggling with an annoying mystery. of the surroundings. by hee’ : “Wal, pards. what d’ye think o’ yer new So, this is the wonderful secret ciphers. quarters?” chuckled the hunchback guide, FF key to Gid REE BI EGSTETO“AOCNE fell as they stood in a huddled group within the | © owly from bis lips. “I’m a Dutchman if dismal cavern. ‘‘ Not very comfortable, Ili | lt isn't the queerest document I ever struck allow, but it’s safety we're after about this | ‘0 all my travels, I’ve glanced at ita dozen times or more, but this is the first time time more’n anything else; an’ 1 reckon we | ,, Cita tas kin stay hyar till doomsday without bein’ l’ve had the courage to tavkle it in earnest, diskivered by the enemy.” ‘You're right, Spider; a more admirable hiding-place could hardly be imagined, True, a little light of some sort would make the place more congenial, but we can afford to overlook such trifles when we know that | we are at last safe from pursuit.” ‘But I say, Spicer,” interposed Rufe | Ruffle, in anxious tones, ‘‘ ye don’t happen to have a lunch-counter connected with this | hyar ranch, do ye? This den is all right enuff to hide in, but 1 reckon if ye keep us hyar very long without grub, it’s goin’ to make things mighty unpleasant for the inner man,” The words of the fireman embodied an idea that had hitherto failed to occur to the fugitives, whose desire to escape the clutches of thelr enemies had risen paramount to all other considerations. To remain in the cav- pesky thing, anyhow!” It was, indeed, the old miner’s cipher ‘writing that lay before the gambler, the original paper, which was scarcely larger than a postage-stamp, having been carefully pasted to a larger sheet in order to preserve it. This tiny scrap was closely covered with letters, evidently written in the juice of a berry with asbarp stick for a pen, and which had now faded almost to the point of illegibility. The inscription read as follows: 8'Q Y GBI starvation; while to venture forth in quest | Such was the curious cipher prepared by of food would be fairly suicidal, in view of | Gideon Goff as a guide to the hiding-place the fact that the vicinity would be'likely to , of his cherished gold, and which he had con- swarm with deadly foes, | trived with an ingenuity well calculated to In this dilemma an immediate council was | bewilder the most intelligent mind. No held to devise some way of averting this new | wonder, then, that the rough and illiterate difficulty. It was finally decided that the | gambler contemplated this apparently mean- Spider should pay a visit to Satan’s Camp | ingless jumble of character with the elpless that very night, there to secure provisions | air of one who is floundering in a laby- ie vee 2 or : » “3 a —* - tC ar: - Hang me if I can make head or tail to the -——-spanions followed gingerly, one by one, un- > Wore til all had crossed in safety. The creek on this side was bordered by a and other necessities, and also if possible | rinth of impenetrable mystery. learn something of the intentions of the en- ‘‘What durned tom-foolery is this, any- emy. This was a duty which the dare-devil how? I don’t pretend to be a scholar, not hunchback accepted with avidity, declaring | by a blamed sight; but I did manage to his ability to carry out the plan successfully, | learn my A BC when I was a kid, and I — Of course this venture could be made! know there’sno sort 0’ sense nor reason to only under cover of darkness, so the fugi- | this thing as it now stands, Confound the ES. ~-* ofty bluff which rose precipitously almost from the water’s edge, its cold gray side par- tally hidden by a mass of clinging vines, af a ae ae bank between this towering rock-wall ’ * “og - oa « i, £6, ; _ @ 4 é