Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 81 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

“They are retreating; I heard the tramp of their horses’ feet on the other side the ridge, and, oh, heavens! Jo, i heard the moans of a woman—it must have been Lizzie—and that set my brain on fire, and scarcely knowing what I did I left both the horses and rushed to the ridge—but they were gone; I could see nothing of them, and then I turned to hunt for you. God’s name, can we do noth- arcely giving his companion time to finish his words, and vouchsating no Bad Lightning Jo shot over the hill like an arrow, 8 raight in the path of the fleeing Comanches. He did not pause to leap pe the back of his own mustang; he had no time or that. Down the hollow, between the ridges, he shot like a thunderbolt. His practiced eye saw on the ground around him the prints of the horses’ fying feet, and he knew that he was on the right track. Still hesaw nothing of them—but look! Six horsemen on a full gallop were seen thundering over the ridge in a direction at right-angles to the one he was pursu- ing—fleeing as they supposed from three times their number, but in reality from a single man. The excited scout could not avoid giving out his wild, peculiar yell, as he recognized among the half- dozen the chieftan Swico, and saw that he held in his black arms the beautiful Lizzie Manning. The Comanches heard that strange yell, and iden- tified it. Only one living man could give utterance to that frightful ery, and once heard it could never be forgotten, They glanced over their shoulders and saw the single man bearing down upon them; but they continued their headlong flight, and the next moment were shut out, for the time, from view by the interposing ridge over which they had just No doubt they believed that the single scout, rush- ing down upon them at such terrific speed, had a whole company upon his heels, and they could not use, just then, for the delightful privilege of kill- ng such a noted enemy as he. F ichtning Jo kept on down the hollow, following a course at right-angles to the one taken by the manches, until he reached the point where they had gone over, when he bounded up the declivity, ex- ting to come up with them the next minute. As he did so he was met by the discharge of two rifles —one of the bullets striking him in the fleshy part of the er ge but although the sting instantly warned him of what had taken place, he did not pause or even look down to see how serious was the wound, but he made straight for the Indians, who were now in full view again, But hold! what meant that which he now saw? In- stead of six, there were but five Comanches, and a lance sufficed to show that the missing one was wico-Cheque, with the maid, By what means had he disappeared in such a sud- den and mysterious manner? The moment Lightning Jo became aware of the state of things he paus His experienced eye told him that the Comanche must have made another turn, the instant he sed over the ridge, leaving his comrades, and ta a course precisely opposite to that of the scout, so that indeed the two ac — met, with the back of the ridge shutting out from the view of the other. One sweep of his eagle eye was sufficient to tell Jo this, and he made straight for the stunted trees, somewhat similar to those in which he had first met him, certain that Swico was either among them, or fleeing beyond. The correctness of this conclusion was verified the next moment, by a glimpse of the red devil, with his horse still under full speed, fleeing up the hollow beyond the clump of trees, apparently with every ay et of poking good his — Jo was through the clump of trees in an instant, and then, as he found himself gaining rapidly, he gave out his panther-like yell. The Comanche, who was no more than a hundred yards distant, man to turn in his saddle, and pointed his rifle at the scout, who did the same. : But the treacherous red-skin, with a cowardice culiarly his own, forced the form of Lizzie Mannin directly in front of him, like a shield, and succeed in sorgening himself in such a way that Jo found he was as likely to strike the one as the other. In this strait it only remained for the scout to attempt to escape the bullet, and he made a light- ning-like leap to one side; marvelous as was his quickness, it could not equal that of a rifle-ball, and he was struck. daahcl inch the porposeay deawins, the. Ce e wi € purpose of drawing th eee from his horse, and finishing him with his e With superhuman energy he passed fully one-half the intervening distance, ere the startled Swico could urge his steed forward again, and then he dropped like a shot to the earth. Even then he would not yield—but with an amaz- ing power of Ly rolled over on his face, and rose on his uninjured knee. In this ition he raised his rifle 4s but the malignant Comanche had his eye upon him, and the same instant the fainting form of the girl was whirled around in his front, and the aks wey: oon bo for a, eer, <p meceates shooting both, finding himself baffled at every point, dro of back again in despair. **No use; I may as well go under,” he muttered, giving up an sng The exulting Comanche, still fearful of the wound- ed man’s rifle, rode on, inten to return at his leisure and scalp the man who been so long such an effective foe. But his career was atan end. He was still looking at the prostrate form of the scout, when the near crack of a rifle broke the stillness, and the great Lightning Jo Comanche chieftain, Swico-Cheque, rolled from his mustang, shot through the heart! In his fall he d ed Lizzie Manning with him, and he would have slain her in his dying moments, had he not been killed as instantly as if stricken by a bolt from heaven. The maiden, rall to a sense of her terrible position, tore herself and the next moment was caught in the arms of Egbert Rodman. “‘Thank God! thank God!” he exclaimed, as he pressed her to his heart; “‘ saved at last!” She joined her murmurs of thanksgiving with his and then with a noble sympathy characteristic of her, she raised her head and said: “* Poor Jo is hurt; and I’m afraid he’s killed! Let us go to him.” e two hurried down the hollow where the scout lay as motionless asif dead; but he roused up when he saw them. **I’m pretty badly hurt,” said he, “ but if I can call my hoss here, 1 think I can ride him to the fort. You'd better get that one yonder for the gal. Bless your heart! I’m glad to see you alive,” he added, with a kindly light beaming in his dark eyes. ‘‘ say Roddy, help me down to where that red-skin lays. I want to take a look at him.” Lightning Joe made the signal to his mustang, and then, almost carried by his friend, he was help- ed to where the een A body of Swico-Cheque lay stretched upon the earth. ‘*1 won't scalp him,” muttered the scout, as he looked at him, “ ‘cause he can’t see it, but I'll take charge of that fancy dress of his, and send it to Was ington for the Peace Commissioners to look And this was done.* A few minutes later, the mustang of Lightning Jo came trotting over the ridge, followed by the horse of Egbert. With considerable care the wounded scout was placed upon it; Lizzie mounted the Indian horse, and the three instantly started on their jour- ney to Fort Adams, which was reached without any incident worthy of mention. The other ladies were found just preparing to start for Santa Fe under a strong escort. Egbert and e joined them, after being assured by the surgeoh of the fort that the wounds of Lightning Jo were not of a serious na- ture, and barring accidents, he was sure soon to re- cover his usual strength and activity again. Tried in the fire, as were the two lovers, the bond of love was so deepened and purified, that nothing could occur to weaken and mar it; and when, some months later, the handsome couple were united in Santa Fe—the jolliest guest of all, and the one in most general favor, was Lightning Jo, who had a story to tell the young husband and wife when he gained the first opportunity to see them alone, This story was nothing more nor less than the clea up of the mystery of the Terror of the Prairie, as he had learned it from a Comanche prisoner brought into thefort. This noted creature and Swico-Cheque, the Comanche chief, were the same. It was a ruse of the sagacious red-skin by which he obtained any desired knowledge of a he intended to attack, Well aware of the superstitious nature of the border- men, he blackened his face in a fantastic manner, and wrapped several thick blankets about his body. These were bullet-proof, and although he incurred great risk of being killed, and was wounded more than once, yet it was left for Egbert Rodman to fire the bullet that killed Swico-Cheque, the Terror of the Prairie, and at the same time gained him his lovely wife. *A short time ago, while on a visit to the Land Office, I was shown by Mr. Wilson, the accomplished Commissioner, a singular relic of a late fight on the Plains. It was a garment taken from an Indian chief, after death. A shirt of buck-skin, made without the usual ornamentation of beads and porcupine quills, yet ¢ with something quite novel in the decorative way—a full, long fringe formed of the hair of white women and children. It was a ghastly adornment—indeed, the entire gar. ment was avery unpleasant thing to inspect. e only point in it on which the eye could rest without horror or pity, was a small round hole, beneath which the ops of a human wild beast came one day to a stop.— Correspondence N. Y. Tri- bune. THE END. The Sunnyside Library. 1 Latta Rooks. By Thomas Moore........... 10c. 2 Don Juan. By Lord Byron... ........ oesce. BOG, 8 PARADISE Lost. By John Milton........ esses 100, 4 THe Lavy or rue Lake. Sir Walter Scott... 10c. 5 Lucite. By Owen Meredith... 6 UNDINE, OR THE WaTeER-Spirir. From the German of Friederich De La Motte Fouque... 10¢ For sale by all newsdealers, or sent, postage paid, on receipt of twelve cents for single numbers, double numbers twenty-four cents. ADAMS, VICTOR & CO., Publishers, 98 William street, N. Y 13 Beadle’s Half-Dime Library PRRe*= 1 DeEapwoop Dick, THE PRINCE oF THE ROAD. By maward Ei. Ween. é acus - odtaes-saeeen 2 YELLOWSTONE JACK. wy oseph E. 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