Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 902 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

*% _ ‘ > } ‘ detn 7 ie wre .~ sO in “ ~ in “ * ._ =>" a _ ‘for yourself. his own horse, and Keno had to take one of continued on the trail toward the mines, guarded one of the passes, and it was just accident that you missed the fight. ‘* But let us bury that dead man there and prepare to get out of this before daylight, as the coach comes along early, you know, and we do not wish to be seen by Fred Fox,” ‘Tf you hain’t anxious to be seen, my ad- vice, so far as it goes, is for yer not ter plant my dead pard here, for his grave will be seen, he’ll be dug up, recognized, and they’ll take your trail to see who did the business; see?” and the man’s words and manner at once convinced Nat that he was right. So he replied: ‘‘ All right, I'll take your advice, for we do not care to be followed. ‘‘We will carry the body along with us and bury it later on the trail.” ‘‘T can show you where you can hide it away, and let me tell you right here, and I am working now to serve you—” “ For your own good?” said Nat dryly. ‘‘In course [ am, for I hain’t no fool ter sarve yer for nothin’, stranger as yer be ter me, though I admits we has got quite well acquainted in the last half-hour.” '* Well, what were you going to say?” ‘ That Satan Sam got away, and if one of thet young feller’s shots didn’t plug him, he knows you has got me and my pard thar, and he’ll be hot on yer trail ter rescue us, not knowing Buster is dead, yer see, ‘‘ Now I has seen enough 0’ you ter know er hain't ter be caught asleep, and I just inder feels that he can’t rescue me so easy as I kin help myself, seeing as Buster is dead and I’ve got irons on, so | wants to work out my own salvation by what I bas ter say and kin do to help you.” ‘You have a very level head, pard, and your good health, yes your sudden death, will depend altogether upon what you can do { It is new nearly daylight, and by the ‘time it is dawn we will be ready to travel, so ‘we will get ready now.” This was decided upon, and the dead body was wrapped in a blanket and strapped se- curely upon the back of one of the ponies. The prisoner was next tied to the saddle of the animals of the assassins, as hisown pony had been taken by Satan Sam. Camp was then broken up and just at day- break the Boy Ferrets with their captive and the dead body moved out of the canyun and ——— CHAPTER XV. FOR HIS LIFE, Tne three Boy Ferrets. so fearlessly play- ing a desperate game with death out in the Wild West, thovgh regretting the escape of the leader of the outlaws, as they now were sure that Satan Sam was, congratulated themselves upon the success they had gained in the capture of one of the murderous trio, and the death of another of them. They werc convinced that the desire of their prisoner to save his own life would cause him to belray his comrades, and yet there was some doubt in Nat's mind as to whether he could tell all they wished to know, 7 \ The first thing to be done, New York Nat --well knew, was to get rid of the dead body; . then seek a hiding place for themselves and * then find out just what the prisoner did _ know of Jack Hammond's being dead or alive. So he said to the man, ‘‘ See here, pard,fyou push on to where we can hide this body, and then find us a safe retreat. »‘*Come, there is no time to lose, for Satan Sam is free and I donot intend he shall have time to circumvent us,” ‘“T'm working for you, pards, for I has a) to gain by it,” was the answer. ‘§ “Tshall soon know just how much you | noose around this man’s neck.” —’ : - ; ; BT a, ; a. } ’ . é ais te ‘ mis \ / i cob ase Tie RIS m5 ee Ge ais the yj ean) or AOA ET eee Hah j - — ee EE a ™. | ~My -* ’ oe New York Wat in Colorado. -_-—_—— —E—E regard your own life, for weare not to be trifled with, ll assure vou,” was the deter- mined reply of the young Ferret leader. The prisoner rode on in silence "and did lead them to a creek into which he turned so as to hide their trail, Nat however noticed that he turned up the stream when his idea was that he should have gone down it; but he made no com ment. After an hour in following up the stream the outlaw came to a place where they could turn out and their tracks not be seen. CHAPTER XVI. THE CONFESSION. THE outlaw prisoner had turned very pale at New York Nat’s words. He saw that the Ferret captain, if not a Wild Westerner, had caught on to their trail of the day before as they crossed it, and alsc had been sharp encugh to see that he was guiding them wrong. He did not like the look in Nat's face, and the prompt manner in which, Keno had obeyed the order to get the lasso, There was but one way he now saw to get The outlaw led the way, and they went | out of his scrape and he decided to take the on for half an hour over a perfectly track- less plain, and then he halted and said: ‘*Now plant my dead pard here, or if | course and confess, at least as far as he deemed it necessary to do to save his own life. So, as Keno threw the noose over his head you wish, chuck his body over that cliff | with no gentle hand, and Freckles calmly and the stream sixty feet below will soon carry him out 0’ sight.” ‘‘No, we will not be inhuman, so will bury him,” This they did, ard then they hud, an early dinner, and mouhting once more New York Nat said: ‘‘Now lead the way to a safe retreat, where we can hide from any pursuit of Satun Sam, and as soon as we are in a spot where we do not dread being found, we will talk business to you,” ‘‘T’m just the man to lead you right, and to talk business too, pards,” was the rep:y, and the prisoner led on once more, New York Nat whispering to his two Ferret pards: ‘‘ Watch every step of the trail, for that man is going to play us false if we do not prevent him.” Both Keno and Freckles looked surprised, for they had suspected that the outlaw was doing his best to serve them, and was only too glad to do so for his own sake, But the words of their young leader put them on their guard, and thev therefore kept their eyes open to all that was suspicious, For a couple of hours more the outlaw led the way, and then turned into a canyon penetrating a mountain range, and where the keen eye of Detective Nat at once saw that there wus a trail, made by horses, run- ning through it. The tracks led both ways, the canyon sides were very high, and it was from fifty to a hundred yards in width, ‘‘Now, boy pards, we kin be as safe here as if we was in Junction City, said the out- law, and hé continued; “You see there is a little hollow in the canyon here, and there is water, grass and wood there, and you can rest without any fear of danger.” Nat Jaughed, and the outlaw looked at him with surprise, and neither did the other boys see cause for amusement. ‘What's so funny, pard?’ asked the out- ‘law. ‘Why, that we will be safe here; but the truth is, it is a very dangerous place for you,” ‘* What does yer mean?” ‘*] mean that we will be safe, but that the danger is for you, for right here you are to die.” | ‘“Oh Lord! what is yer giving me?” ‘“« Just this, that [intend to hang you in this canyon, and then take my own way for finding a place of safety and discovering what | would know. ‘You think we are tenderfeet but we are not so tendeifooted as you might think, for I know the points of the compass and you have led us toward Junction City not from it, and more, you crossed one trail of yester- day thinking 1 did not notice it, and if we stayed here long we would soon be caught in a trap you have set for us. ot to be for your life, for I swear to you Tl stand no more nonsense. ‘‘Now, pard, what you do and say has ‘‘Keno, bring me that lariat and put a | pointed to a limb to hang him to, and made some remark about having a horse drag him up, he cried cagerly: ‘Yer is onter me, young pard, and I con- fesses I tried ter do yer, fer in followin’ yer trail, Satan Sum would hev sent a party this way fer sure, and I guesses they won't be long in comin’ along cither. ‘*But life is sweet and away ther best way | c’u'd, ‘““As I can't down yer, I'll givein and talk gospil straight, so what does yer promise me if 1 gives it to yer inn way ter please yer?” ‘* }’ll give you just five minutes to answer my questions, and if Iam satisfied you go free, when I've found out if you have told me the truth. ‘Tf you have lied to me then I shall be I wanted to git the judge, these two boys the jury, and we'll | try you, and it will not take long for us. to find out which horse will act as your hang- man, for up you will go,” ‘*] believes yer, pard, for yer looks it ter do what yer says ‘What does yer wish ter know?” ‘* Tiow far is Junction City from here?” ‘** Five miles,” ‘*T thought so, ‘Now, bow long is this canyon?” ‘*Tt branches off ahead o’ here about hal a mile.” | ‘* Enough, we will go on now to where it branches off and find a place where we can be secure,” | The order was given by Nat to mount and they went on at a gallop to where the can- yon branched off into several others, The trail there could hardly be fond, such was the nature of the ground, but Nat’s keen eyes did find it and he went into one of the canyons through which it did not lead, paying no heed to his prisoner’s advice now very freely offered. After a ride of half a mile he came to a most fertile spot, an ideal place for a camp, and where there was not the trace of a trac other than of duck and coyotes, ry further Nat soon found out, so no one went mountains, place selected, and while Freckles gathere supper. er to where the blankets and saddles bad been thrown, and said: ‘‘Sit down there, pard, and have a) sober talk, for as I said, your life depends upon what you tell me.” — j ‘‘l’m beginning to feel pretty sart’in \o’ a disconsolate tone, | “Remember our terms, death if you lie to ‘** T’ll be squar’ this time,” ’ ‘* Now to my questions,” | sa ‘© Yas.” | ‘Do you not belong to an outlaw band?” swered in a low tone: ‘* Yas.” ; 4 , ee Sc . i s) ro yi oy 7 “A A, o¢ Yar gp Me AS ‘Or eh’ + ¥, «_ “KN #2 if vw ab we, eb It was a blind canyon and went but little | that way as they could not pass on into the. The horses were staked out, a campin ¥ wood and built a fire, Keno began to prepare | Yew York Nat meanwhile led his prison. that now, young pard,” answered the man in. me, your life if you tell the truth.” | . After x moment of hesitation the man an- - a ae os . - \ ; : . ; ¥ v — . . mer y . . Be 4 ba . P s 7 ‘ - wae et) 4% e: y pe AA) 7 y Ss | “a ’ oe, 7 y a” Pe «75 ie” oe; =