Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 795 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

i A vi af rh prt Renee maa carpe ty ; ; : - Kit Bandy in Red Ruin. ; t ' Py , : . RY ‘ Ae or a “— Listening, the boy heard the men address each other by such names as Hector, Achilles, Ajax, and other names of ancient Greek and Trojan warriors, and this fact convinced him that he had really discovered the stronghold of Bill Tro- jan’s band of outlaws. After keeping up a sort of desultory conver- sation for an hour, at, least, Little Fury heard one of the freebooters ask: ‘* Captain Trojan, hadn’t we better be movin’? It’s as dark now as it will be.” ‘*Don’t worry your mind, Hector,” was the reply; ‘*the world wasn’t made in a day, and, besides, we’ve nothin’ to fear since that young imp, Little Fury, got completely wiped out by the land-slide.” **Oh-ho!” exclaimed the young scout to him- self, ‘‘so I’m really and completely wiped out, am 1? Well, I guess not! bm simply blotted out for a day or two, and when I get out of this snarl Vil proceed to start another land-slide, and if 1—’ Here the youth’s reflections were ended in or- der to catch the following from the lips of one of the outlaws: _ ** Captain, it’s all o’ ten miles to Black Dog’s camp. The mayor will be there waitin’ us, and he wants to get over the range with his goods, soon as possible, You see, the stage ll git into Red Ruin before night and report an attack by road-agents, and then the whole camp ’ll come b'ilin’ into these hills—” ‘* Whyfore?” interrupted the captain; ‘‘ it’s no unusual thing toroba stage nowadays. To be sure the accidental killin’ o’ the driver and one “anges 8 war a little out o’ the usual order, ut, not enough so to disturb a prosperous min- ing-camp. Te littlo lady passenger, of course, we didn’t disturb to any great extent.” A low, chuckling laugh followed the outlaw’s concluding remark. From their talk Little Fury had learned one thing: the villains had just come in from an at- tack on the stage-coach, They bad killed the driver and one passenger; but the ‘‘ little lady passenger ” they had not disturbed. ‘Who could that ‘ little lady passenger ’ have been?” the boy askedhimseif, ‘‘ Wasit Florence Walworth? If so, then be had been imprisoned in that cavern nearly three days! or else she arrived ahead of time,” ‘‘The wu’st feature o’ this hull darned b’is- ness,” the boy heard one of the robbers say, ‘* is the death o’ ‘ Eneas’ in that landslide. rf ‘Queenie’ gits wind o’ bis death, she’ll kick the hull bus’ness over ‘ithout regard to conse- quences.” ‘‘ But she mus’n’t hear o’ it,” replied another; vaeeee not till the sale o’ the property’s made ood, aa I’ve been afeard all the time,” the first speaker said, *‘ bout the gal. She war ae eee *bout goin’ into the scheme, and if she finds out one thing bein’ wrong—that is, that she’s been lied to, somewhat, I wouldn’t give a nick for ‘ Ajax’s’ chance to eskape stretchin’ hemp.” Who Queenie was, and the ‘‘scheme” to which, the outlaw referred, Little Fury could not find out, nor even imagine, Finally the outlaws made ready to leave the cavern, or, allof them but one, who appeared to be indisposed. To him Captain Trojan was heard to say, as the party arose to leave: ‘*(;ood-night, Diomede; sorry you ar’n’t able to go along, but take care of yourself till we git back,” Then the five departed, taking the weeping risoner with them. Little Fury now ventured to make a careful survey of the big cavern. The man left behind he recognized as the villain he had wounded at Bethesda Pool. His head was bound up in ‘clothes, and his face looked pale and haggard. The cavern was lighted with a miner’s lamp. At three or four different places water was dropping from the ceiling intu vesssls on the floor, and it was by this means, no doubt, that the outlaws obtained their water supply. The boy saw ‘*Diomede” lay down on the floor and cover himself with a blanket, immedi- ately after his friends departed. Ina few min- utes he was sound asleep. Little Fury could heer his heavy breathing quite ge Na > This was the boy’s time to act. Stealthily he crept out into the great chamber, rose to his feet, stretched his cramped limbs and went through other silent performances to restore the circulation of blood. , Then he advanced to one of the water-vessels, took it up and dr«nk his fill, all the time keeping one eye, 48 it were. on the sleeping *‘ Trojan.” | His thirst quenched, he began looking about ‘ for something to eat. Heespied a box at the further end ofthe cave and started to inspect it. On the way he saw something glisten on the wall, and stopped to examine it. To his great surprise, and joy as well, he found it to be his own revolver, and by it was his knife! Ina twinkling he had transferred them to his belt, Reaching the box he found it contained bread and meat. Taking aseat onarock he helped himself, and never did food, coarse and stale as it was, taste sweeter to a hungry mortal And still the wounded outlaw slept on When he had finished eating the young scout made a further inspection of the robber den. In a niche in the wall he found no less than six revolvers of different caliber and value—all loaded, : A grim smile passed over the youngster’s face as he proceeded to fill his belt and pockets with the weapons, He grew bolder and bolder as he continued his inspection of the place, and at last, when he had made the rounds, he walked up to the sleeping outlaw and gave himashove with hisfoot,saying: ‘** Landlord, say, wake up here, and look after your guests!” The outlaw groaned, threw aside his covering and rising to a sitting posture, gazed around bim in bewilderment, and then up into the face of the figure standing before him. ‘*Don’t know me, do you, Diomede?” the youth asked as he leaned forward and placed a revolver at tbe villain’s face, *‘1’m Little Fury, and that’s a loaded revolver, and it’s liable to go off, and you’d better keep cool. I’m as many us you are now,-and somewhat more flush,” The outlaw growled out an oath and then quickly clasped his head between both hands as if it were bursting with pain, instead of ab- ject fear. ‘*] know, Diomede, you’re surprised,” the boy went on, ‘‘for soam 1; You're a sound sleeper, Dio.; I’ve been roamin’ around here in your palace for an hour, eating and drinking at the expense of you rosy Greek and Trojan gods, re- luctant to wake your lordship.” ‘* Young devil!” hissed the dumfounded out- law, ‘‘ you’il pay for this most dearly |!” ‘1m willin’ to pay reg‘lar hotel-rates, Dio- mede,” Frank rephed: ‘‘ but, l’m short now, and you'll have to call on my banker in Red Ruin first time you’re taere. But, say, pard: can’t you tell me who that woman is your folks took away from here awhile ago?” The man answered with an oath: ‘¢ Never! you young varlet!” ‘* Then rise up, and if you have any weapons about your garments hand them over, I mean business, now,” And Little Fury spoke in a tone not to be misunderstood, The outlaw arose to his feet and submitted to be searched. A revolver was all Frank found, and, adding it to his already large collection, he continued: ‘*Now Diomede,I go, I’d ought to kill you before I go, but, as I don’t want the blood of such a ki-yote on my bands, lil leave you for the Vigilantes, Ta! ta! Diomede.” Taking the lamp from the wall, Little Fury started from the cavern. He had not taken twenty steps when a bullet cut past his bead and the pent-up roar of a revolver rolled down the cavern. ** Pd ought to known it!” was Frank’s quic' reflection, as he dropped the lamp and pressed himself into a depression in the wall as a second bullet came down the passage. | Little Fury now returned the fire, and for the next minute-the exchange of compliments be- tween them was decidedly lively. ‘* Diomece” was the first to cease flring— whether for the want of ammunition or Jack of breath was not certain; but the invincible voung whirlwind was well supplied with both, and awaited patiently the renewal of the con- flict on the part of the ** Trojan.” But he waited in vain. Fully five minutes passed, and hearing nothing of the outlaw, he ventured to pick up the lamp and hold it at arm’s-length to draw the enemy’s fire should he be waiting for him, But, as no shot followed, he came to the conclusion that he had downed the villain, and at once continued his retreat from the cavern. Soon he reached the outer world once more, He found it was night. The moon, almost in the zenith, was flooding mountain and vale with its mellow, drowsy light. ‘“*Thank God!” the young scout exclaimed, aloud, as he realized that he was Once more free, drinking in the fresh, cool air of heaven. For a moment he steod at the mouth of the cavern, gazing around to get his bearings; then he bounded bib pe sa the mountain, and was soon lost in the shadows of Crow Wing Canyon. / 5 , . i i : ‘ : ” y ¥ ; \ i“ a9 .¥ ‘ ‘ fee ' ' t Ee Ce CHAPTER VIII. A PILGRIM STRANGER, THIRTY miles up Crow Wing Canyon was located the temporary camp of the Ute chief, Black Dog, and there we would now conduct the reader, It is night, and around a roaring camp-fire are sitting and lounging forty or fifty red-skin warriors, and some eight or ten white men. The latter are none other than the Trojan outlaws, chief among whom is the noted desperado, So- corro Dan, the Desert Vulture. The latter had just arrived in camp, that eve- ning. For four-and-twenty hours had he been expected. Butfor his absence the Indians would have been on their march through the hills and. the outlaws back at their den. The handcuffs were still on the great scoun- drel’s wrists, {hough the chain had been cut, The place selected by Black Dog for his camp was a strong position. The pass was narrow and deep, the walls on either side rising straight in the air for a mile above and below. There was a spring hard by and an abundanceof dead- wooi for fuel almost choking the pass im places, Captain Trojan and his gang had been in the camp of Black Dog sincethe night before. They had come there, bringing with them a youn captive girl whose beauty set the covetous chie beside himself with passionate admiration, The poor girl was well-nigh exhausted when the camp was reached, but she was at once pro- vided with a comfortable couch placed ina little grotto-like cave in the side of the canyon. To guard against intrusion, as well as to ah vent escape, a stone wall four feet high had been laid up across the mouth of this grotto, The arriva) of Socorro Dan shortly after night- fall was hailed with a feeling of relief by Cap- tain Trojan and his men, ‘‘ We were a little uneasy ’bout you, Dan’l!* the outlaw chief said, ‘‘ was afeard you’d got into trouble.” ‘‘Andisol did, See these bracelets?” And the Desert Vulture held up his manacled. wrist so that all could see the irons. ‘*Thuander and lightnin’!” exclaimed Trojan; ‘“‘ what’s that mean?” The outlaw related his encounter with Kit Bandy in the saloon at Red Ruin, and his nar- row escape through the timely help of a friend who shot Bandy, set the building on fire, an created a panic, during which he got away inte the hills where he bad spent just twenty hours in filing the links of bis manacle on the edge of a sharp stone, The red-faced desperado was congratulated on his good luck in being the first man to outwit the notorious Kit Bandy,tbe news of whose death and cremation afforded the band of cut- throats no little joy and satistaction. After the outlaw had finished the story of his adventures at Red Ruin, Captain Trojan said: ‘‘ Well, Dan’l, we’ve delivered your goods im good order. She’s over yander in that grotto, She needs rest and sleep. She has eaten but little, and seems determined to starve her sweet self to death,” ‘* 1°}] go over there after awhile and cheer her up.” announced the red-faced wretch, with a grin, ‘*I must first have something to eat, my- sel’, for ’m twenty-four hours off feed, But,. men, how’s the camp? Is it well-guarded?’ ‘Tt will be,” answered Black Dog. And it was. To guard against the possibility of surprise two bonfires had been lighted in the defile, one above and one below the main camp, dnd three warriors were detailed to each to keep them burning through the night. As these fires. lighted every foot of the pass between the great walls, a rabbit could not pass unobserved. Socorro Dan was furnished the best food the camp afforded, and after be had satisfied his hunger, he announced his intention of calling on tbecaptive in the grotto. But before he bad carried this intention into execution, the whole camp was aroused by a strange sound coming from up the canyon. At first it was not very distinct, but, as it grew louder and louder—nearer and nearer, the outlaws discovered it was some One coming down the canyon, singing in a loud, stentorian voice that woke the sleeping echoes for milesand miles. ‘‘Well, by the gods! what’s "bout to strike ml exclaimed Captain Trojan, with a puzzled look, A smile passed over the face of Socorro Dan, as he replied: ‘* Sounds like a Salvation Army!” | ‘*Tt does, don’t it? Reckon they’re comin’ te proselyte us.” t he Phot