Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 840 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

fess.” Rod Sage declared. Deadwood Dick. Jr.’s, Clutch. sealed to him. The street was wide, and over it hung the sky. ‘It looks as though the mayor would have the opportunity to act in his official capacity, after all,” remarked John Hartz, the sport, witha light laugh. ‘‘ Your out- law seems to have taken the aggressive, now, Mayor Gibson, and it falls to you to do something for the protection of your people.” He looked at the mayor keenly, and Gib- son could not help remembering his mention regarding Deadwood Dick made only so short a time before, ‘‘] guess you are right,” the mayor agreed, ‘‘ I'll consider it right away.” CHAPTER IIT. PISTOL PRACTICE. Tre shades of night had fallen ere Dick Sellers and his companion, Rod Sage, reach- ed the camp. A perfect understanding had been ar- rived at between them as they came down from the mountain heights, and Sage stood pledged to assist Seller in carrying out his scheme of vengeance, Just as the pair were entering the camp at the head of the one main street something of a remarkable nature took place. | There was a sharp detonation, accom- punicd with a flash of light, high in the air over the camp. It was about at'the camp center, and over the main street. ‘‘What’s that?” Sage immediately in- quired. ‘‘Hang me if I know,” answered Seller, wonderingly. ‘* Something new?” ‘‘ Never heard it beforein the time I’ve been here.” At that moment it was heard again, with another flash, and now the street was full of people and the excitement was high. ‘- Well, this is rather awakening, I'll eon- ‘*One is led to imagine the camp is being bombarded. Come on and let’s hear what the citizens have to say about it,” There was yet another report and flash, and immediately after that there came forth a shout of excitement from the crowd. Over the camp now hung a cloud of powder smoke, bright and unfurling in the clear air, and upon it, in inky letters, were ominous words of warning. . The words were these: DEATH TO DEADWOOD DICK! The two men just in from the hills looked at it in the same degree of amazement as did all the rest. There was something new un- der the sun, it seemed, and here was a sam- le. As the cloud rose higer and became thin- ner, the letters became less distinct, and of a sudden they were gone. Immediately, though, they were replaced by others— CAPTAIN CRUSHER. | These were faint, but plainly seen by all, and they remained upon the cloud till it had passed too far off to display them longer, By this time Seller and Sage had reached the crowd. ‘“‘Tt beats all I ever heard of,” Seller ob- served, , ‘* Looks as though we have set out to crush a pretty big man,” Sage responded in low tone. ‘‘Know anything about this Dead wood Dick?” ‘‘T have heard a good deal about him. He’s a detective, a terror to outlaws of every stripe and brand. Looks as though Captain ~— Crusher has reason to think he’s after him.” ‘Yes, so it does, His warning has made a big stir here, anyhow.” So 1t had, indeed, Everybody was excit- ed. and the mayor about the most excited of all, ‘‘T want to know what this means,” he cried out, ‘‘I want to know how that was done? Who was it threw those bombs, or whatever they were?” ‘Guess ,you’ll have ter ask Captain Crusher himself,” spoke up one man, ‘Yes, [PH ask him, curse him! Ill double the reward I’ve offered for him, that’s what Pll do! Do you hear, men? It’s a thousand dollars now for the outlaw, instead of five hundred!” ‘* Hooray!” was the cheer that went up. ‘We'll have him, you bet!” ‘That thousand is ourn!” ** Count et out, mayor!’ And half a hundred similar cries, from every quarter. ‘““Yes, a thousand dollars for Captain Crusher, dead or alive!’ the mayor made plain and definite. ‘‘ We'll see whether we can’t have law and ordar here.” There was plenty of light in the street, for every window was lighted up and there were lamps in the street besides, and every man could see who his neighbor was. About the time the mayor spoke, as last quoted, one eager fellow caught sight of Rod. Sage, laying hands on him straightway. , **Hyer!” he yelled out. ‘‘What’s this hyer I’ve got? ii er’s a new face, and meb- by et’s Captain Crusher himself! Ef et is, that thousing dollars is mine, and don’t ye ferget et!” This fellow was one Boley Bone—or so he was called. | He was a powerful fellow, with the strength of an ox. — ‘‘ Hands off!’ Sage sternly ordered. ‘‘ I’m not your Captain Crusher, or any kin to him, but Ti make you think I’m his dadif you don’t take your paw off my collar instantly. Take it off, I tell you, sir!” ‘‘He isn’t Captain Crusher,” spoke up Dick Seller. ‘‘He is a pard of mine, Bo- ley.” ‘Pard of yourn, is he? Wedon’t know you yerself any too well, I reckon, do we, ‘That’s what we don’t,” was shouted by some of the most villainous-looking of the assembled crowd. . ‘Will you take your hand off?” demanded Sage, in a tone that clearly proved it to be the last time he would ask the question. “ Yas, when I git ready, I will—” Olip! . He was ready then, it seemed, forjhe fell to the ground like a log, insensible. The stranger had dealt him a blow under the jaw with the quickness of light, lifting him clear of the ground and laying him on his back, | ‘* Does anybody else want some?” Rod de- manded. ‘‘If he does, let him step up while it is on tap. Iam not your Captain Crusher, as that fellow hinted, and I’m here to prove it.” ‘‘Boys, arrest that man,” ordered fhe ayor. | this had taken place in the briefest possible time, and the mayor had just found room to chip in, ‘*Think it over before you begin,” the stranger called out sharply. ‘‘On what grounds do you order my arrest, sir? Sim- ply because I am a stranger among you?” ‘‘On the ground, sir, that this man de- clared you to be Captain Crusher, and by the right of being mayor of this camp and having it in my power to arrest whom I will. Boys, take him!” ‘* Boys, you_ had better go slow about it,” the stranger coolly warned. ‘‘ Let me at least have my say out before you pitch in. That fellow did not declare J was Captain Crusher; he simply called attention to the fact that I was a stranger. I deny your right to arrest me, Sir Mayor.” **T don’t care what you deny; you'l find that Iam -boss here and what I say goes. Citizens, take him!” Rod Sage sprung back a step, covering the crowd with a brace of revolvers. ‘‘ Back!” he ordered. ‘‘ What do yow in- tend doting with me, Sir Mayor, I demand to know?” ‘‘ Hang ye!” bellowed the rougher element. of the crowd. ‘* You have heard it,” the mayor support- ed. ‘* We'll give you a trial, and if you can prove you are not Captain Crusher, that will be all right; if you can’t then you swing.” ‘“There’s ‘fat justice in that, I must say,” the stranger commented, laughing lightly. ‘Well, before you do any hanging you will have to take me, and I warn you # you try it on somebody is going to get hurt. Now, pitch in or leave me alone, just as yow please.” This display of nerve chilled their ardor t@ a degree. ‘And you may count me: in, too,” spoke up Dick Seller, drawing a weapon with his well right hand. ‘This man is my pard, and I’m not going to see him jumped on without doing my little best.” As he spoke he ranged himself shoulder to shoulder with Rod, but facing the other way to protect against attack from that direc- tion. ‘ ‘“What are you going to do about it, Sir Mayor?” the stranger demanded. ‘““l’m going to show you, sir, that my com- mands here are law,” was the thundered re- tort. ‘‘ At him, men, and take him at any cost! I begin to think we'll have eause to hang him for the life of Boley Bone, any- how.” There was a snarl from the crowd, like that of some fierce animal at bay, but they prudently hesitated. ‘The result of this be on your head, Sir Mayor,” Sage warned. ‘*On my head be it. I’m responsible for my conduct, when acting in my Official capacity. Citizens of Big Nug, did you hear my order?” That was a favorite expression with the mayor—his ‘‘ official capacity.” n this demand, some one on the outer edge of the crowd fired a shot, and the balk was opened. Others fired, and with a rush the crowd closed in. Then began about as lively a jubilee of the sort as can well be imagined. Revolvers barked spitefully, bullets flew thick and fast—many of them harmlessly, ‘but not all, and of the latter were the bullets| from the weapons of Rod Sage. Like lightning his shots rung out, this way and that, and every shot brought a yell % of mortal pain and the victim bit the dust. The stranger stood alone, too, for Dick Seller, was down. But, it was soon over. The stranger’s weapons were quite emptied, © and nothing remained for him but to try to fight his way through the crowd with his revolvers as clubs. — This was impossible, however, and in @ moment more he was overpowered by force of numbers, his weapons snatched from him, and he was helplessly a prisoner. ““That’s what ’m going to do about it, curse you!” cried the mayor. ** Well, it was all one-sided, and I couldn’t expect anything else,” was the cool rejoinder. - ‘“And now you'll hang anyhow, for the lives of these brave fellows,” the mayor added. ‘‘There’s no,need of a trial to prove your work here.” a | The crowd howled its approval. ‘«T don’t disclaim it,” the stranger defiantly rejoined. bullet, and I’m only sorry my weapons hadn’t fifty shots in each. Go ahead and do your — worst; but, before you begin let me tell you who I am: I am not the outlaw, Captain Crusher, but Iam Deadwood Dick, Junior, Ak 5 = ~~ . - - | ef h'> 4 4 4 abl . St eee de oe WE OS **T don’t think I wasted a single ~ » . ay < wre : . - — ——— 7 * JT t* « * LS .