Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 814 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

, > 1 ater “! - 4 i ee d - ~~ , | 10 Ace High, the Frisco Detective. senger, and the great coach set off up the trail | a dozen sleek steeds tied toa stout stake set at grassy plateau that was hemmed in by smooth RAG with a flourish, one extremity of the opening. aced, towering cliffs—in appearance an ex- ™% | es Dusk was fast falling when the heavily-loaded The lieutenant was the first to speak, tinct crater of a volcano. ay coach swung around on Crescent Spur, and the ‘You say you bring word from the captain; A dozen picturesque pole *‘ shacks” stood near. driver cracked his whip to start the mules | your communication must be of the utmost im- | the center of the retreat—just now lighted up by down the opposite slope, portance or I sball never forgive myself for | a couple of huge fires that were blazing a little The old stayer had just begun to congratulate | letting those treasure-boxes slip through my | way distant. himself that he would _ the daugerons spot | fingers!” About the fires pernape a dozen men were eat- se * without loaing: theerich Express be carried, when ** Well then, lieutenant, just grab yourself by | ing supper, they being waited upon bya num- a he was brought to a halt by a ringing voiceclose | the paw an’ call it square! ber of comely young squaws—their wives. ‘* Here is the paper ther captain sent, an’ ef it The new arrivals were welcomed warmly by don’t prove important, then ther captain didn’t | the others, and many questions were asked in hey time ter write it all down!” and the stranger | relation to the treasure they had expected to at hand, accompanied by the metallic clicking be of several gunlocks, 1S Ae ‘* Halt! Pull up, Overland, and dismount!’ | passed over the cipher message he had taken | capture from the “ hearse,” from the unfortunate rider, far boyond Pilgrim’s One of the bandits was upon the point of mak- CHAPTER XIII. : : , Camp. ing a statement of their undertaking, when he ONE AGAINST TWENTY, The lieutenant turned his back upon his vil- | w:s interrupted, notto say startled, by a wild WE will pass over the reply that the driver, | lainous looking band while reading the cipher, | yell and a profusion of ‘‘ cuss-words” from the Overland Sam, made to the command, as it | but the messenger observed that they exchanged rear, would not look well here, significant glances, with now and then a dark The entire band started and looked in the di- “This is gittin’ too all-fired every-day-like!” | scowl at their leader, rection of the sound. ane went on the driver, when he bad recovered his ‘“‘By .my life! but there will be some fur in This is what they saw: og breath after his first outburst, these mountains shortly!’ mused the rifleman. A tall, wiry, dark-faced man, struggling with ‘a ve ‘* It war on’y ten days ago that ye [lifted my **I believe ‘ the scamps are upon the point of | all his power, in the grasp of their new leader, Express boxes, an’ hyar ye airag’in. Now I’m | mutinying,’ and but for my presence with a | who still remained seated upon his horse, ith givin’ it to ye straight, lieutenant: either yew | loaded rifle they would actually drop the lieuten- The outlaws started forward with howls of er I bev got ter quit! ant where he stands! wrath, **Til be tetotally hornswaggled by a knock- ‘*Tell you what, Dicky, my boy, you are go- Their leader’s captive was the most popular kneed mule ef I’m goin’ ter stan’ bein’ held up | ing to have your hands full when you take | man in the band, and one they soon hoped to re- ev'ry week by,syew!,yew slabsided, lantern- | charge of this band of cut-throats! coguize as their chief, jawed, butter-brained, addle-pated son of a Mor- ‘* But they will find old Dead-shot Dick on ‘** Hold on, my lads!” cried the rifleman, easily . t mon, yew! I’m done!” hand like a thumb—” restraining his captive across bis saddle with one hard The lieutenant had stood all this time im the Just here the messenger was interrupted in his | hand, while with the other he pulled from his | glare of a half-dozen torches in the hands of his | musings by the lieutenant, belt a long navy revolver. ‘* This man jslipped uty men, with folded arms, and an amused smile The road-agent drew to one side. and motion- | off his horse, back in ther pass, with ther inten- | Ni} wreathel his mustached lips that showed just | ing the messenger to him, asked: tion of puncturing my carkiss with a knife as I \ se beneath his balf-mask. ‘“You are one of the Hounds of course, | rode past where he crouched, but ez I tole yer | It was evident that the veteran driver, Over- | Hank?” afore, I kin see in ther dark %s wells I kin in land Sam, wasa privileged character with the ‘* | have the honor, lieutenant,” daylight, so I natchely grabbed him by ther outlaws, for he replied pleasantly: ‘** And I suppose are in the captain’s confidence | neck an’ brought him along. | JS “So you aredone, are you, Sam? Allright! | pretty firmly?” ** Now, as we ain’t acquainted yet, though he | a I didn’t know but you were wound up for all ‘Wal yes, rather.” said back hyar we soon would be, I'll let him go iz night. ‘I take it, by this note, that he is in trouble, | —so! but if I set eyes on him after ten minutes, tae ** But, thanks—muchly} And now, with your | as he wants me to come to ’Frisco at once,” Ill shcot him on the snot. Now git!’ and with by ermission I will tate charge of those Express ‘* Well now, ['should remark! As near as I | a vigorous kick he sent the assassin lunging to- ‘ag iy oxes once more; but 1 promise you, Sam, it | can find he is just about corrilled, as it war?” ward his companions, shall not happen again this month!” “Yes, it must be so, or the captain would The bandits again leaped forward. ‘Ob, yes; with my promi-sion, of course— | never think of asking me to help him; so I shall * Down with tbe colonel and up with Black with two carbines pointed right at my gizzard! | start for Frisco within ten minutes,” Jack!” thev yelled, ** Condem’ yer, lieutenant, why carn’t ye guv ** And now, one word of warning: When you The ‘‘colonel” slipped behind his horse, and a feller a chance? take charge of this band, you will be called | the next: moment the crash of a score of revol- Me F **Call cut yer men, one at a time, an’ [ll lick | upon to face more danger than you probably | vers rung upon the night air. +i ther whole b’ilin’ of ye!” , now conceive of—” | ** An’ I'd bholp yer in a minnit, driver!” “Ob, 1 guess nct, lieutenant. I see they be CHAPTER XIV, The voice came from the coach window, which | jist on the p’int of rebellin’ ag’in’ ther present THE ‘*COLONEL’S.” COUP D'ETAT, had been lowered at the first halt. administration, but I guess they’ll find a brick- It was terribie odds for one man. to take, but The speaker was the passenger from Pilgrim’s | in-a-hat when they kick ag’in’ Hank Hoodlum! the rifleman stood off the savage crowd bravely. Camp. His head and shoulders were thrust out *T’ma bad man when I’m riled, lieutenant, There were over twenty of the outlaws, and of the window, and plainly, in the bright glare | an’ I promise yer, when ye come back, ye’ll | every man wes a fighter, though there seemed Fy of the torches, couJd be seen the red-hound | find this downy chicken on top of ther heap!” to be few ‘ cruck shots” among them, Ra charm as it dangled from his neck, The lieutenant grasped the other’s hand cor- The s'ranger had taken refuge behind his 4 : As the lieutenant’s eyes rested upon the orna- | dially. horse at the first advance of the enemy, and, mevt, he started, then moved forward a pace, ‘* By Jove! ycu area jewel, Hank,” he cried, | with loosened revolvers, and rifle Jeveled across } The outlaw was about to speak when the other | delightedly. ‘‘l have nothing more to say, for | his saddle he coc lly waited their first move, fi gave him a warning look, and said, in the | I see you can take care of yourself! It quickly came, > maudlin voice of one very much intoxicated: * And now I[ will introduce you to the band, A dozen revolvers were discharged at the man ‘*Ob, come on ye durned frog-eater! Walk | and give them my instructions,’ and horse, and the latter fell with an almost ; right up bere while I knock a—hic—eye outer ye!” This was soon done, after which the lieutenant | human shriek, | and as the disguised rifieman spoke, he thrust a | meunted a superb animal standing near, and As the horse fell, the rifleman threw himself ait brawny fist through the window, and shook it | rode away in the darkness. like the wind, and | flat upon the ground and brought his deadly Fa menacingly. But just here a diversion occurred, | the disguised Dead-s'iot found himself suddenly weapon to bear upon the breast of the man gal | 4. In some manner the door became unlatched, | the uuweicome leader of a rebellious band of | called)by the outlaws Black Jack, it “gi and the defiant passenger, giving a lurch, came | outlaws, ‘* Halt, there!” he thundered, above the yells i sprawling upon all fours to the ground, ** Now then, my lads, lead away to the ren- | of the mad horde, al. Staggering to his feet with evident difficulty, | dezvous, and we'll soon become better ac- **Ten paces further and you are a dead man!” mm AL, tet « he reeled toward the lientenant crying: quuinted,” cried the new leader, as he mounted At the sound of that stentorian voice the band ; eat **C-cuss yer. d-dirty pictur’! WVil—hbic— | an odd horse that happened to be present, involuntarily halted, tb ios par’lyze ve fer—hic—thet!” and he threw his|, “Yas, [ reckon we will, Lieu—er, what But not so the villain addressed, ft whole weight upon the wondering outlaw. mought we call yez, anyhow?” It was his one consuming desire to become tte ~~ fy: It was at this moment that a sbrill whistle ‘* Wal, seein’s ye hev already got a captain | absolute leader of these human vultures; and, | rung out, and tbe stage, driver, and passengers | an’ a lieutenant, ye mougbt call me colonel— } almost insane with rage as he was at the trick found themselves wrapped in impenetrable dark- | Color¢l Hank Hoodlum, at yer sarvice!” their strange Jeader had played upon him but a ness, ** All right, colonel, I reckon we will be ac-| short while before, be counted not his chances, te bie The torches had been extinguished as if by | quainted afore soon!” and the speaker pulled his | but leaped forward as recklessly as before. ie | Magic, there came a confused hurrying sound of | horse in just behind the coloael, It proved to be a leap to his death, for a pen- a retreating footsteps, and the road-agent had But the latter halted. cil of flame spurted from behind the fallen dred vanished, ‘“‘Pll take keer of the rear, thank ye,” he | horse, a vicious crack from the little mfle, and a Whe the seeming inebriate had precipitated | said. “J always ride behind, fer ye see, I can | the Red Birds of the Rockies had lost their ey himself upon the lieutenant he had hurriedly | seq in ther dark almost ez well ez I kin in | chosen leader. Na fi whispered, close to the other’s ear: daylight!” ‘* Wal, boys, have you bad fun enough with Hb “| bring word from the cuptain; quick—} The road-agent grumblingly complied with | the green colovel, or shall we proceed with the Yous vamose!” And this was the real cause of the | this hint to keep in front of his Jeader, and the | matinee, and wipe each other .ut and every man Eeie (i sudden departure of the outlaws, cavalcade set off slowly along a rough narrow | bury his own bones?” nese 48 But of course old Overland Sam did not know | fissure in the giant cliff that seemed to gradu- | The “colonel” had risen, aud seated Limself mt ee this, and he could only climb wonderingly back a5) lead upward as they advanced. nonchalantly upon his dead horse, though he Poe. to his seat and drive on, after roundly cursing f the outlaws at all doubted their new | dangled a couple of huge revolvers between bis ie ae an the ‘ inebriate,” the road-agents, and everything | leader’s statenient that be could see in the dark, | knees. It was evident the bendits were deepl eae, a4 pen elgze be could think of at the moment, they were soon convinced of the fact, in a start- | impressed by the prowess displayed by the dead. ro, ae ae The bandits had not retreated far. ling manner. | shot in the last encounter, and they were now wat eee Scarcely three rods from the trail they came The fissure, or ravine as it might be called, | in jast the right frame of mind to be won over i whi a a level, circular opening, entirely surround- | was dark a8 Egypt, and to one unfamiliar with | by the little game of ‘‘ bluff” which the “ colo- . Sb , by massive bowlders that had evidently | the way would seem to be all but interminable, | nel” had in view. mee Tira) fallen from the cliff higb overhead. But at last the bandits filed slowly out of the | ‘* Now, boys, just s’pozen we reason together te. dark pathway, to find themselyes in a smal | a little,” he went on, as he crossed his legs, and aie, ; A torch was hastily lighted, its glare showing nt - bd . — ‘, Lt : oF ad we . + eg vee 4 *. « yy, : _ E " ‘ Me eye ts tes OG IG aa » Me fe é M4 ew! : »* 4% C - 4 ; - * nm 4 - A r 4 w ie, 1% iF ” Jeol ac ean ; : am } s “, Wea te A . - cer i 4 Pay Palit « ‘. Pa 2 . re o> Bey 4 } ¢ £ . " - | “ 5 bi Bin 4” « ¥. » cht 4 + pe . > bd - 5 — y . ) 7 : & < ewe les 5 Peas ” : . fe | | . ) } ‘ \ ‘ . « ; is ua a 4 As si eee - ’ 4