Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 85 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

OS ND ———s — — 2— 25 = = — a =i = ET ~*~ < o-oo ~ + anna 10 / SS = Se ey Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. — ceeding was to give her a ringing box upon the ears. ‘What did you let ’em take you away fur? Why didn’t you holler and yell, so that we might’ve knowed what they was at? I guess yon didn’t care much whether they took you or not. And then followed another series of cuffs and blows, until the poor girl put up her hands to protect her ears, and cried with,pain. Velas- quies desisted for a while, apparently to the re- t gy red-skins, who enjoyed any thing of e sort. ‘“*If you ever play Sap father such a trick again, J’ll kill you!” he savagely added, as he strode away. ‘ It was on the point of Begsie’s tongue to deny that he was her father, but she dared not, for fear of provoking him to greater anger. She finally ventured to look around. Almost the first object that met her gaze was the figure of Dick Havens, some distance away, just as it lay after being cast down by Buck Buckram in his flight. She stared in horror at it for a moment, and then gasped out the question: ‘‘ Is he dead?” “Dead? In course he is. I shot him!” was the exniing pers of Velasquies, as he stood near, com ently viewing her. Unable to repress her feelings, she burst into tears again, and covering her face, sobbed vio- lently. This so enr her brutal master, that he walked up to where she sat, and cuffed her even more violently than before. “Cry fur him, will yer? Vl give yer some- thing to cry about. Begins to look as though yer run away yerself, instead of their takin’ er. m Had the unfeeling half-breed but known the truth, there is no telling what punishment he would have inflicted. It was a pitiable scene, and had Buck Buckram been within range, nothing would have afforded him more pleasure than have sent a bullet through the skull of the dastardly tyrant; and he would have done it without a moment’s hesi- ym even though he had to face a hundred eaths. The death of Dick Havens was yet unaveng- Little Bess saw nothing of the dead Apaches, as ay had been carefully drawn away by their friends, and buried at a distance. Those of the red-skins who did not join the alae al rty remained behind until they re- ed, hen it was found that Buck Byek rum really had escaped, the disappointment of the Apaches was fearful, and their shrieking and howling appalling. ; They had already scalped the dead Havens, and by one impulse they rushed upon him again, kicking, cutting, strikin g and hammering so furiously, that they injured one another in their werge ee en they finally desisted through sheer ex- haustion, scarcely any semblance to humanity remained about what had once been the active, ial-natured Dick Havens. He had been outraged beyond all power of de- scription. A number of Indians, as Buck Buckram ex- pected would be done, continued the pursuit for a time, but it was finally given over, and the entire party collected in front of the cavern which had served as a refuge to the fugitives. CHAPTER XIX. A CAPTIVE AGAIN. . Arter the Apaches had vented their childish rage and disappointment at the escape of Buck Buckram, they made preparations to leave the place, which had seen more of a failure than a success upon their part. ' Before starting, all the furs and peltries were brought out from the cavern or cache and car- ried with them. Thus the labor of months was gone in a few moments. The party moved toward the river where they entered their canoes, and started up- stream, the direction from which they had come. The same Indian who had heen with Velasquies, at the time of the escape of little Bess, still was with him, and the two, in com- pany with the captive, entered a small boat to- ether. . This savage was a full-blooded Apache, one of the most treacherous and malignant of his race. He and tho half-breed came together. from unison of disposition. They hunted and trapped with each other, and Damon and Pythi- as never were more intimate, and, apparently, more attached. . And yet, either of these precious scoundrels would have cut the throat of the other, had there been anything to gain by it. It was hardly likely that such companionship would continue for any length of time, without a rup- ture of some kind. e reason that it had not et occurred, was simply because the oceasion ad not come. , The afternoon was waning when the Apaches moved up-stream in their canoes, and when they had gone a few miles, night descended up- on them; but the sdme moon which had shone through a cloudless sky still beamed on them, and they were plainly discernible for a long distance from the shore. Gradually as the party moved along, the small boat, containing the three individuals in whom we are most interested, fell behind the others. The latter, as a matter of course, ob- served i but it was nothing to them. The half-br accompanied them when he chose and went alone when he so elected, without question. The truth of it was that Velasquies was not willing to trust his prize among the unscrupu- lous savages. Bess was a girl of extraordina beauty, was growing fast, and he had seen looks among the savages which alarmed him. Many miles away, in the Hunter’s Valley, the half-breed had a wife and numerous family whom he occasionally visited, and who looked upon him with terror and loathing. When he made his appearance among them, it was to abuse and maltreat his family in a shameful manner. His own offspring fled in terror and hid themselves in the wood, while his wife had many a time run shrieking for her life, with the inhuman brute in furious pursuit. They had no friends to whom they could go, and were thus compelled to lead.a life of misery and suffering, which it is im ible to realize or appreciate. Velasquies bed determined to e Bess to this home, and have her for a year or so, and then make her his wife. Here she would be safe, and not liable to run away, as she was old enough to understand that there was no possi- bility of her escaping the perils of the wood, should she attempt to reach the nearest settle- ment. He had taken Bess to his miserable home years before, and his wife knew not where she came from, nor did she dare ask. She had been left there when too young to accompan him, but ever since she had attained any size, he had always taken her with him. The wife of Velasquies, although the veriest slave, had once been a woman of beauty, and had been refined in her conversation and man- ners; and it was here that the girl had learned to talk in a manner which was a constant ‘sur- ane to the trappers in whose company she was or a short time. Unknown to either Buck Buckram or Velas- quies himself, their two families were at no great distance from each eget and the trap- pers had many a time been within a few miles of the little girl without suspecting it. It may well be supposed that had Bess known of the proximity of friends, she would have fled at midnight from the roof of her inhuman cap- tor, and sought refuge with the chivalrous at who would have defended her with his ife. The canoe of Velasquies was paddled by him- self and the Apache, and, by a mutual under- standing, they continued to fall further and further in the rear. ' By-and-by the main party were scarcely visi- ble, and then they vanished, and only the sound of the steady sweep of their paddles could be heard. Then these grew fainter and fainter, until they died out in the distance, and at last the trio were alone, leisurely pursuing their ray oie lonely river. inally the rowing ceased altogether. The canoe floated some ce in perfect quiet, and Velasquies, with a single impulse of his paddle, sent it against the bank. ‘*Come, get out!” he called to Bess, who was | drooping with sleep. She sprung nimbly out, and awaited on the shore his next commands. The two followed her, and the canoe was then drawn up the bank. The Apache took some pains to hide it in the bushes, so that it would escape the casual observation of any one passing, and then, Velasquies leading the way, they strode rapidly through the woods, in a course which was at right angles to the stream, | The forest was familiar to the men, and they strode forward without hesitation, little Bess walking between them. The distance, however, was short, when they reached a large, scraggy oak, at the base of which they began building a fire. It required but a few minutes for them to have a rearing crackling blaze, which di a grateful warmth on this cool night. Little Bess had tasted nothing for hours, and was nearly famished. She finally ventured to ask for something to eat, but was brutally told to “shut up.” As the night wore on she was given a blan- ket, but sleep did not visit her eyelids. She was thinking of one who had promised to come to her assistance, and who, at that moment was hunting through the woods for her. CHAPTER XX. . A GOOD THING ALL AROUND, LitTUE Bess found it impossible to sleep. A peculiar restlessness, rather singular in one so young, came over her shortly after she lay down; and although she lay quiet and motionless, yet she was as fully awake as when dragged from the cave by the half-breed. , The ravening hunger had given place to a faint, sick feeling, which made the thought of food distasteful to her, although, could she have swallowed a few mouthfuls, it would have re- turned to her with greater force than ever. As the night wore on, and the fire died down, the deep, regular breathing of Velasquies show- ed that he was wrapped in profound slumber, while the Apache sat with his knees drawn up, gazing fixedly into the fire, as though lost “1 oa unconscious of what was going on around m. But the red-skin was sharply conscious, and his black, snake-like eyes flitted from one to the other, with a keen eagerness which showed that something more than usual engaged his thoughts. He often looked at the half-breed, and then his eyes darted toward the form of Bess, who was all unaware of this scrutiny. It must have been past midnight, when our heroine was startled by hearing a catlike tread, and raising her head, she saw the Apache ap- oe omar Supposing the savage designed a ili her, she was about to scream, when he made a gesture which she understood to mean © silence, Terror alone kept her quiet, for she dreaded one of these as much as the other, and she knew that neither of them would hesitate to take the life of any person who stood in their way. ‘* Don’t make noise!” he whispered, in broken English. ‘‘Me kill you! Keep still!” Bess did not stir, and scarcely breathed. The Apache now motioned for her to rise. ‘‘He bad man!” said 5 pram to the sleeping Velasquies. ‘‘ He hurt you; me take~- won’t hurt.” Bess did not dare to refuse, and yet she now feared the Indian more than the white man. She believed that he intended to steal her and take her to his home. She knew that if she re- sisted he would drive his knife to her heart, and she therefore rose meekly to her feet and await- ed his orders. With a hideous scowl he placed his face close to her own, and warned her again against mak- ing an outcry. F ‘Me kill you—make noise!” ‘““T won't,” said the cowering child, speaking unconsciously in quite loud tones, The Apache was silent a moment, gazing fur- tively around him. The half-b moved un- easily in his sleep, as though about to wake. The Apache clutched his knife, and turned his head as quick as lightning. ad Velasquies wakened at that moment, the knife would in- stantly have been buried in his bosom; but he ceased his restless movements and slept on. The wonder was that the red-skin did not slay his enemy at once, and so end the matter. He stood motionless as a statue, looking at the unconscious form, and then, satisfied that all was right, he took the hand of the girl, and plunged into the wood. | He walked rapidly, taking the direction which led toward the river. As the distance was in- considerable, it required but a short time to reach the stream, where, after a slight exami- nation, the canoe was found precisely as it had been left. Buty singular as it may seem, Velasquies was not eg, nor had he slept a wink since lying down. e had been shrewd enough to see, in the carefully studied actions of the Apache, a sinister design, and he had counterfeited un- consciousness for the purpose of ascertaining what the real intentions of the rascally Apache were. It did not take him long to divine that his real purpose was to steal the girl from him, and as we have shown, he allowed him to do so, EOomicvooks