Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 85 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

8 Beadle’s HalfDime Library. oe ee SS SO — —— — —————— SS i er er . | | ‘“‘Not 'zactly; ef you think you can take us, why don’t you do it?” ‘* We kin afford to wait.” oY s’pose you know me—Buck Buckram?” “ I s’pose you know me—V uies?”’ ‘* Yas; you’re the sneakin’ coward that got his head broke in Sant& Fe fur strikin’ an old woman, and that run off with a little gal that you’re no right to.” A fearful oath was the reply to this, and the half-breed added: “That’s none of your business, Buck Buck- ram. That is mine, and [’m goin’ to have her. Don’t she want to come to me?” ‘* Ef she does, I ain’t a-goin’ tolet her, even ef she cries for it,” replied Buck, who thought this deception justfiable under the circum- stances. “You'd better do’t, fur how you gwine to rolled into the cavern, and the crackling of fire was heard at the same time. t Shoot me! ef they ain’t goin’ to smoke us out! CHAPTER XV. A TERRIBLE EVENT. THERE was no doubt upon that point, for scarcely had the words been uttered, when the red tongues of the flames could be seen creep- ing up over the face of the bowlder. he heavy, suffocating smoke seemed to be drawn inward by some attraction, and in a few minutes it was hardly possible to breathe. ‘‘My God! what’s to be done?” exclaimed Ha- vens, growing bewildered for a moment. ** Keep cool!” was the ee a ‘“‘and keep your face close to the bottom. I wonder how the lit- tle gal is aad along?” wae of the rifles of those within. They had had a taste of the stuff of which they were made, and they wished no more of it. _- All the time that Havens was inhaling his scanty breath, he was watching with an eagle eye for a sight of some of his tormentors. He was especially anxious to gain a chance at the half-breed; but he, like all the others, carefully avoided obliging him, Buck Buckram and little Bess were doing as well as they could wish where they were. ‘The former felt that he was not using his comrade right in remaining there all the time; so he quickly ran to his side, and said he would change places with him. The latter yielded, and for a time all went well. Buck found he had great difficulty in breathing, but still he managed to succeed, He remained here about fifteen minutes, when help it, when we’ve got a hundred brave Apach- Buck called her, and she came to him. Havens reappeared at his side. ‘ es to make you?” “What are they trying to do?” she innocent- ‘We'll change; you go back and try it ‘*S’pose | give up the gal,” said Buck, ‘‘ what | ly asked. awhile.” do you purpose to do with us ?” ‘They want to smoke us out. How can you ‘‘Be careful, Dick,” he added, as he moved ‘* Can’t say ’zactly—just as the Apaches says; | stand it?’ away again. very likely t ey'll et yer go, and not trouble “It hurts my eyes more than my throat,” Once more did Buck inhale the free, cool air, yer any more.’ ‘* Yas; very likely,” was the sneering com- ment of Havens, who was listening to the con- versation; ‘how you’d like to git hold of us, wouldn’t you! How you'd like to raise our ha’r to pay fur your own skunks that we’ve. wiped out, wouldn’t you?” , ““What did you stick out that rag fur?’ was the next quéstion of the half-breed, and a very sensible one, too. ‘*T wanted to see whether you'll give us any- thing like a fair show, fur ef you will, we'll fight the whole shebang of you.”’ ‘* You can come out and do what you please; but we're bound to have that gal you’ve Zot in ‘* S’pose we won’t give her up?” ‘“* You'll have to do’t; and ef you ain’t ready just now, we kin wait—that’s all.” There was a coolness in the manner of Velas- rae which showed that he fully appreciated the situation, and could well afford to wait un- til the ripe fruit fell into their own hands. Nothing had been accomplished by the flag of truce; and from what took place, one might well question what the object of the trappers was in ware. They had learned to a certainty that Velas- quies was among their assailants, and they had in a manner aah the way for the return of little Bess to the temporary keeping of her for- mer brutal master. The girl had heard and recognized the voice of the h f-breed, and trembled with fear at the sound; but, as we have shown in another place her perceptions were more than ordinary, an she was only confirmed in her belief in the wis- dom of the plan she had mentioned some time fore. As there remained nothing to do, Buck drew in ee flag of truce, and the armistice was at an end. . The two trappers retreated to a point safely removed beyond the shots of their foes, and ear- he was ready to commit almost any deed that afforded the remotest chance of his getting out. Buck Bu strenuous! a a it. “Let us wait till the dead of night,” said he; ‘that’s our time, and then when they don’t think about it, and half of ’em be awake, we'll ee “— a EEE she replied, rubbing them with both hands. ‘*Go back as far as you can, and keep yer face urty close to the surface, and you'll stand it as ong as we can.” In the meantime, the heavy, damp smoke con- tinued to roll into the mouth of the cave, when it seemed to become heavy and overpowering. ‘“‘I can’t stand this much longer,” exclaimed Havens, who was on his knees and | gasping. ‘* It’s gettin’ bad; I’ve swallowed about all I can stand.” ‘‘Let’s make a rush; we ma now as to wait till we’re both kill Buck Buckram still hesitated, but the increas- ing density of the smoke quickly decided him. He was on the point of giving the word, when an exclamation from Bess arrested his notice. ‘‘Come here, quick | Here’s a place where you can breathe.’ They hastily serambled toward the voice. ‘Right down there,” she said, ‘‘ where the water comes in.” The half-strangled trappers placed their faces close to the damp pebbles. They found that a volume of cold air was rushing in, and they in- haled it with all the delight of the ched traveler who comes upon the icy spring. It was relief, it was happiness, it was bliss! But while they were happy, little Bess was becoming miserable. A cough reminded them that she was in danger of strangling, and both instantaneously drew their heads away. She hastily replaced her mouth to the vacat- ed pacing. and regained her normal self. t was now found impossible for all three to inhale the fresh air at once. They tried it sev- eral times, but as often as they did one failed. They therefore could do nothing but resort to taking turns. By this means, they could manage to get along. ‘‘How much longer before the varmints will think they have finished us?’ sullenly inquired Havens. ‘‘Ef they could see the smoke in yar, they’d as well do it ed,” pi Maybe they'll git tired and go away,” re- marked Bess, who, curiously enough, seemed to take upon herself the office of consoler. ‘*It seems to me,” said Havens, as he with- drew his face, ‘‘ that thar’s a chance of gittin’ a smaller breath of fresh air near the mouth of the cave.” which revived his whole system, while the face of Bess was close to his own. Suddenly there was the crack of a rifle. ** Dick has gained a shot,” he thought to him- self. ‘Then he called out: ‘* Did you hit him?” There was no reply and a vague, dreadful fear thrilled through him. He repeated his call, but still there was no reply. Buck ran across the intervening space. One eee end he saw his friend stretched flat upon is He kneeled down and looked in his face. It was enough. Dick ehgens had been shot dead by the Apaches! CHAPTER XVI. THE RUSH FOR LIFE. Buck BuCKRAM had witnessed sudden death in many and the most revolting forms. Even that of rN was terrible; but the sudden strik- ing down of Dick Havens startled him, as he had never been startled before. He ran his bands over his face, and felt for the beating of his heart, but ‘the was stone dead. He had been shot through the brain, while gasp- ing for the breath of life, by the half-breed Velasquies, who had been watching for the op- portunity. “4. As yet Bess knew nothing of the frightful tragedy which had been enacted so near her, and Buck determined to keep it from her. He remained by his dead comrade until the thickly- gathering smoke drove him away, when he has- aye back to where his young friend was await- ing bim. wR Why doesn’t Dick come?” she innocently asked. ‘‘T wanted him to do so, but he won’t,” ‘Ts he getting along well where he is?” ‘He can’t do any better.” They were silent awhile and then Buck said: | nestly di d the prospect. think we war done for, sure.” _“T begin to think, Bess, that your idea is the Havens favored drawing the stone aside, and | _ ‘‘ Ef they’d only hurry up and rush in, thar’d | right GAG, EASE all.’ ' ee ; rushing out» at once among the Indians. The | be some inducement to wait.” ‘IT kn ou would,’’ she replied, kissing him place was growing terribly irksome to him, and affectionately. ‘‘ We shall have to leave yer behind, and Vel- asquies will git you ag’in and beat you bad.” “No worse than he always has been, and then you know, you're going to come and take me away ag’in.” “That’s so; if I git out of this infarnal place sail in and make the fur fly.” ‘‘Yow’ll be right in the smoke.”’ alive.” “That's jist the matter; they willbe thinkin’| ‘‘ Not exactly, fur I noticed that it came in| ‘‘ You'll do it easy enough!” wasthe confident *bout it more then than ef we do it now.” over the tops of the rocks more than it did near ‘*'Fhen we'll have a better chance to run even ef the moon is tcor bright, than ef we went out in broad daylight.” ctin’ that, and they’ll wipe you out afore you will, I shan’t try to run away. When This was a strong argument, but Havens was ow it.” : are M ou goingaway?” / not satisfied by any means, He felt that every ‘Don’t fear for me,” was the reply, and Ha- ‘‘T thought I’d wait till night, but Dick want- hour weakened them, and added strength to | vens hastened forward in a crouching position. | ed me to go right off. What do you think about their enemies. He saw, too, that a surrender of “How are you making out?” sr Buck | it?” little Bess, how much they might deplore if, was unavoidable. ‘Why wait?’ he asked, after a few minutes’ silence. ‘‘ Don’t yer know the way out thar is so narrow like, that all of them varmints can’t get-at us at once?” “[ know that, but they can shoot.” _ “So kin we,” was the dogged response. We've got to go over the heads of ’em, too, to git cl’ar of the whole confounded rabble.” **T think a right powerful charge among ’em would do the business—” “Take my advice, Dick, and wait—” ‘* Hello!” At that instant a heavy volume of smoke the bottom.” ‘¢ Be very careful, for the varmints will be ex- Buckram, a few minutes later, speaking in a cautious undertone. well; you stay thar, and I kin hold out here.” All this time, the Apaches were whooping and yelling on the outside. They were sure they ad caught their prey at last, and would soon smoke them out. They kept piling on the brush and wood, and danced about like children, frantic with delight. Among the chorus of demoniac voices, it was easy to distinguish that of Velasquies. “We've got yer at last! we’ve got yer at last! ‘How do yer like it? Why don’t yer come out?’ Still they took good care to keep out of the reply. XK Then you'll have to stay hyar by this air i ao they rush in and get you.” ‘‘T don’t see any use of waiting, either.” ‘“<T ouess Dll go, then.” | ~ rit kiss you both good-by, then,” said she, This was a delicate matter to the grizzled old trapper. He saw, of course, that if she persist- ed in peg: l both, it would be impossible for him to keep the secret of Dick Havens’s death fromher. He, therefore, tried to discourage this natural manner of parting. ‘* No, Bess, we won’t either of us kiss yer.” ‘Why not?” she asked, in a respectful tone, ‘Pll tell you why; it looks too much as though | we didn’t expect to see you ag’in.” “Maybe you won’t, either.’ ‘We won't think so, anyway. I'll jist say (E() | OOO) GOMIIG cS