Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 858 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

just as soon as I think I have waited long enough.” He waited a considerable time longer, to make sure he was alone in the room and that none of the five had remained there, listening ' attentively. , Then he bethought him to lie down and listen over the trap to find whether he could hear any sounds from below. This he did, but all was still. He got up, and was about to speak to the parrot, when Poll sung out: ‘‘ This beats shoel!” Dick had to laugh. i ‘‘Ha, ha, ha! You areright it does, Poll!” he spoke, ‘‘ We are in a pickle, and no mis- take. But, where’s Pete?” ‘‘ Pete gone to Jericho! ha ha!” ‘«*Sh/” was the caution. ‘‘ You mustn’t chatter in that way, Poll! Did you leave Pete down there in that hole?’ pA ‘*Pete in a hole, you bet!” ‘*T guess he is, too, for a fact. Is Pete dead?” ‘‘Poor Pete! Poor Pete! Pete dead! Polly want cracker! Want booze!” Polly had been coming in the direction of Dick’s voice while they were talking, and ~ now he heard the hopping over the floor. BS ‘*Come on, Poll; eome on, old girl; here I am, right this way,” } ‘*Poll comin’, you bet! Polly want booze! Polly want cake!” The bird was now at his feet, and taking it up he fondled it a moment and was about to place it on his shoulder when he felt some- - thing under its wing. ‘‘A note from Pete, by the Royal Harry!” he exclaimed. He did not remove it yet, being in total darkness, but set his mind at work to see how he could make a light. ‘‘If I’ve got matches I’m all right,” he said to himself, as he placed the parrot on his shoulder and proceeded to feel. ‘‘ Yes, here they are, and we’re all hunk, Poll!” He lighted a match on the floor, and with it lighted the lamp. ‘“There, that’s a heap better, Poll,” he re- marked, cheerily. ‘‘ Now let's see what Pete has to say.” Lifting Poll from his shoulder he looked under her wings, and, sure enough a note - was secured there, as he had guessed. Quickly removing it, he read: ‘‘Dgear Dick:— ~ “Tam gone up this time. No use trying Hy to help me out, I guess. Worse fix than that up at Devil's Guleh. You had better get out of Deming with a whole skin while -youcan. It’s all up with me, Don’t sup- - -_ pose Poll will ever reach you, but if she does, this will tell you my fate. I write in the - dark, and don’t believe you can make it out, but it don’t matter. fe het dl “Yonr Pard, PETE,” Tt don’t matter, eh? We'll see about that, Pard Peter. You did get cut, didn’t you, Poll?) And we know Pete is alive, or was when he wrote this, anyhow, and we -know where to look for him. We’re going _ ‘to have bim out, Polly, or we are going to _ bu’st a button trying.’ be ~ “Fa, ha! You bet! You bet!” Mose reached up and burned the note over : RAY" _—-_— &— “> An 2. = - -< - - « we 2a : _, mA he ng et . — Sa eee SE ek — <<. ~ “> -« = - _ ~ a = ns Aste the combined weight of two men to open it But wae it 80? An idea had come to him. ) _ He got up and took the lamp out of the bow that held tt, and took a good look at the 7 * = — ’ _ gible for him to open it unaided. ~ “22 -” ee at ‘o ~ fat, a re : al a Ls Pwr » #3 Cs > 7 fg, (ia 4 ' ‘ui a bar that ran up into and through the ceil- ~ -> 7 * : » ’ >” 4 ‘ "s . _ the flame of the lamp, and that done he sat Old i down on the floor to think, ) _-_ ‘He would like to open that trap in the e i - floor, but that was impossible. ni me me before, and they had known it to be impos- | spite of himself. whole thing, noting that it was attached to Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Death-Hole Hustle. cided. ‘‘I’ll take a look around here first. No use getting into worse trouble till I see just how bad off 1 am now. ‘There may be a loop somewhere by which [ can get out. That's hardly likely, though, I suppose.” Carrying the lamp, he went over to the side on the right, and began a careful exami- nation of the whole wall. It was laid out in panels, every one of which looked asif it might be opened, but on trying them every one seemed to be per- fectly solid. Magic Mose was well aware that some of them did open, of course, butit was next to impossible for him to tell which one; so, finally, when he had made the complete cir- cuit of the room, he had to givé that idea up. Me That settles it,” he decided. ‘* But, that rope, that will come in handy, if I can carry out my idea; I must have that.” ‘* You bet!” chipped in cee b He had passed a rather long rope, lyin coiled near one corner of the room, an he went back and got it. Tn one end was a hook, and it was knotted at equal distances the entire length of it, and had the appearance of having been used for climbing purposes. ‘ ‘‘This means something,’ Dick told him- self, as he examined it. ‘‘ Wouldn’t wonder a bit if thisis used to climb down into that hole, when it is nécessary for the Black Masks to go down.” Going back to where the lamp belonged, he deposited rope and lamp on the floor and prepared to put to the test the idea that had come to him. ) As said, the ceiling of the room was low, so it was easy for him to take hold of the lamp bracket. This he did, and tested its strength. He could not move it any more than he might have moved the house—if he was under a house, which he could not be sure about. But, that was his scheme. Swinging clear from the floor, he drew up his legs, passed them through the bow, and by sheer strength of muscle, raised his body in that way until his shoulders Jay on the bottom of the lamp frame. His feet were now pressing the ceiling, with his knees greatly bent, and when he had taken a long breath he exerted his strength, a little at first, but gradually in- creasing until at last every muscle was at high tension. A little more, and yeta little more, and he felt something move, and as aniely as he felt that, he added all the power he had ia reserve. Slowly he straightened his body, slowly his head neared the floor, until at last it became more easy, he come down faster, and then the thing came to a stop and he turned over and alighted upon his feet. The gap in the floor was open! CHAPTER VY. “THE PROVERBIAL PECK OF TROUBLE ‘‘ Buty boy!” cried Poll Parrot, ‘‘ Dick bully boy!” ‘Yon bet your life we are going to get there, you feathered imp!” Dick gladly re- sponded. ‘But let up on Dick. Dick’s gone! Call me Mose!” ‘*Call Mose! Call Mose! Dick’s gone! Where are you, Mose? Mose. son-of-a-gun! It had taken | Ha-ha! ** Stop!” ordered mosic Mose, laughing in ‘“No swearing. Pete wring Poll’s neck if she swears!” ‘‘ Ha-ha!” croaked the bird, and forthwith it took its place on Dick’s shoulder again; and Dick, now taking the lamp, held it over, the opening and peered down. _ As ee ae as he could see, all was inky ‘blackness, and for all he could tell it might We 4 , 7 by Spaces ing. | Sky a hh ah be the bottomless pe | | ear 2566 TP ; , , , ” Tl] see about that, presently,” he de-| ‘It’s a pretty dismal prospect, Poll,” he ; ot {3 ry , - . is > of it ae rT? E* <5 f u >, ; A ar eh: Retr ‘Se ) bt | it “- Oe Lie Rcd ear ArA f . : dy eo LuRS * Rages ie At : : ¢ Ps) ea te) | 4; ; > 7. ae ow we Yi > v r! iP ak a ara : 18) oi . : i, "4'*u , ie a: . fe s » lw . 2 co 9 ARE TID Oe ae IRS ae aes ada mae itn BESS aE eae Me iehie 3 apace : ~ me b' di " = ob rt ata iP) iat ‘ “ Gis SLY hh Ca as a ee > ey f ear ae, [> ae) a: Wan ce Ee dhat 4 ‘é - Wt Bes halt 4 ‘ | Tt, ‘wh ; oo aes nm ~ 24 f * i St al wf ~- ’ eda tas wee Wa ee at ae ee ee PONS th i eY aN en i eee if ‘ ty pa rx 7 . — _ FZ * vo « ps 7 | eee yor p 7 Pe GOlaaiieelere! €é-se remarked. ‘‘If you could only talk straight, and answer questions, I might get some in- formation out of you, seeing that you have | been down there.” : “*Polly wants booze!” | ‘The trouble is you do not know what | you want. Where’s Pete?’ ‘‘ Pete gone! Pete gone to shoel! Pete? Polly wants drink!” Magic Mose had taken up the rope, the end having the ring in it, and was now look- ing for a place where the ring was to be se- cured, for he had no doubt that he had made | a correct guess concerning the rope and the use that was made of it. Nor was he mistaken, Lying down, and nolo the lamp so that he could see well, he found a large hook un- | der one side of the gap in the floor, and to that he at once secured the ring in the rope | and flung the rope over and down, ) Away it went whirling, and there was soom a jerk upon the hook showing that it was at: full length. ‘‘ Now, Poll, down we go,” said Mose, de- ( cidedly. He wanted to take the lamp with him, but did not ‘see just how he could manage it, so he returned it to its place in the bracket, or hoop, and put it out. That done, he felt his way to the open- ing, and finding it, took a firm grip on the : rope. ‘Now, Poll,” he said, ‘‘hold fast!” “You bet!’ the response, with a queer chuckle. He slipped over, and was soon safely sus- pended over the damp and dismal pit. Pete? ; ~ a But, was he safe? He felt something slip-~ | ing’! “im ot | ‘Great Scott!” he ejaculated. ‘* What’s | wrong? Poll, we're going down!” And, so he was, but in a moment the downward motion ceased; there was a sud- , den stop, with a thud overhead, , ‘‘ Ha! I see how it is,” Dick said to him- | self. ‘‘ My weight on the hook has had the effect to close the trap, Poll; that is all. © I guess they will wonder how we got the o trap open, when they come to look for us, won't they?” | ‘* You bet! You bet!” ‘5 Mose now felt below for the next knot in’ ne the rope, and so proceeded carefully down into the dismal depth. The rope was 9 long one, and for a time he proceeded without fear of coming to the end of it, but, finally, he began to Pescend with more caution, to make sure when he had reached the end. At last this was reached, and still he had come to no bottom! ‘‘ Well, here we are,” he observed. ‘‘In a hole!” cried Poll. ‘* Yes, you bet.” ** You bet!” re Mose now twisted the rope around one | arm, and then, with the other hand, felt for a match, i pire Dy, This he found, and striking it on his leg, allowed it to blaze up, and by its light took me a good survey of his surroundings. - . A= aturally, be looked downward first. | : ee There was the gleam of water, just Visi- ee ble, quite a distance further below, and while he was trying to make out more, the match went out. . ae ‘‘T think I can improve upon this,” he said to himself, ‘If [ have gotany paper, [ll light a piece and send that down on an — exploring expediton. I want-to know just a wheré. lam.” 3 (dees | Oe Pe: He twisted the end of the rope around his leg, then around his body, and finally let it oe i pass forward in front of his left shoulder. . 5.5 Now he could use both arms, toacertaim == extent. : Ree ARPS Ea Feeling in his side pocket, ayeground: $7 ne Tearing it in half, he produced another =~ , : A ae ia : U3 ee ~ . 0% an we strs tare ae BY, - oh fi ater eM i Pat ily Ct 2 , hee ar 4 +d. vga wt. te we Harn FA ae ot © i af =| » os sn hy 7,