Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 93 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

i his only resource was to fall back on general principles, and take the course which he believed would eventually lead him to the neighborhood of the cave. By carefully studying the position of the moon, he believed he was going too much to the south, and, turning to the right, he followed this course at a slow walk, watching carefully for some landmarks which could be recognized. Discov- ering none, and it being well on toward mid- night, he checked his horses, with the intention of waiting until morning. Jim was pretty tired, and, tying the horses together, he lay down on the ground beside a rock, and in a few moments was asleep. He was undisturbed until daylight, when he was awak- ened in a manner which brought a howl of ter- ror from him, é Some crushing oer descended upon his foot, and, starting up, e gazed about him for the cause. It proved nothing less than the bag- age mule so frequently referred to, which, in ourneying straight forward in the path which e had been started upon, had thus come directly upon the sleeping African. — ‘‘ What!” he shouted, placing himself directly in front of the animal, and checking him in the same manner that a wall of rock would have done. ‘Dat ’ere is queer!” he laughed, ‘‘ dat I put myself right afore you. Shouldn’t wonder now it you wason de right track; leastways we'll try you.” The mule was fired up, and, as it moved on again, the negro followed on the back of his own horse. To his t pee and gratification he had gone but a short distance when he caught sight of asmall clump of trees which he recogniz- ed as a point passed y him shortly after he had started in pursuit of the Mohave and his prey. He was Nighy pleased at this, and pressing on until he had reached the grove, became con- vinced that he was on the right track, and would rejoin his friends in the course of an hour, Beyond that spot all was familiar, and he ad- vanced without hesitation or Pua ME Reach- ing the point where their animals had been tethered, he drew them in among the trees, and, first securing them, started out in quest of his had walked but a few yards, when it sud- -denly occurred to him, as he recalled the previ- ous night’s experience, that there might be danger in advancing so openly to the cave. It was avery easy matter for a party of abori- gines to conceal themselves along the banks and rush upon and secure him before he could help It struck him, too, as he approached the cave, that an unnatural stillness reigned around it. The sun was now up, and it was high time that his friends were bestirring themselves. A vague fear took possession of the African, as he halted some rods away, and looked furtively about him. Everything was so uiet—nothing moving except the stream, and that made scarcely a ripple as it glided over its sandy bed. im was standing in this apprehensive state when a slight noise in the rear startled him. Turning his 2 e, he expected to behold a whole troop of on red-men about to swoop down upon him: but, in the place of that, recog: nized the smiling face-of young Edwin Inwoo . ‘‘Bress me, but you scart dis chile dat time! said Jim, his teeth fairly chattering at the re- ce of his shock. maT tow a stone to let you know I was near; I didn’t mean to frighten you. “Tt wasn’t de stone dat scart me, it was de thought dat I tink it was sumfin’ else. Whar’s George?” ‘* Inside the cave.” ‘‘ Had breakfast?” “No; we were just going to prepare it. Here he comes!” | At this oe George Inwood ry his ap- earance above ground, and.he greeted the negro with great gladness. e latter soon gave an account of his Shag a: capture of the horses, and his safe return with them. “You have done very well, Jim, especial when we remember that you had no gun wit ou. There are few men who would have dared o do so, even when fully armed.” . “But, dat ain’t all,” added the colored man, as he heaved a great sigh. “I seende most awfulest ting you ever heard tell on.” In answer to their anxious inquiry, he gave what has already been given by us, winding up with the declaration: ‘‘ An’ when I looked back de Jast time, what do you s’pose I seen? Vee I seen dat island rise up, flap its wings, an’ fly away! “There, Jim, that’s a little too much,” laugh- ed the elder Inwood. id The Boy Miners. ‘‘When it flapped its wings, didn’t it also crow?” asked Edwin, whose interest in the nar- rative was turned into equally intense amuse- ment at this culmination. “You folks can laugh,” retorted Jim, indig- nantly, ‘‘ but wait till you see what I did, an’ de shivers will run all ober you.” ‘Tt may be possible that it was a mirage,” said George, somewhat impressed by the earn- est manner of his sable friend. “A mirage by moonlight?” inquired Edwin. ‘‘ Such things have been heard of, I believe, although very rarely.” ‘“ What's a mirage ?” demanded Jim. By great perseverance, George succeeded in giving Jim a sort of an idea of what he meant, although in all probability, lie would have regarded the mirage itself equally mysterious and wonderful as the bodily exit of a bona fide island before his eyes. ‘‘ All I got to say is, you jes’ go an’ see it, an’ den you'll stop laughing at dem as what under- takes to explanify it to you.” ‘‘Perhaps we shall have the opportunity, as I have concluded to leave these quarters,” ‘What fur?’ ‘‘In the first place, our safety demands it. The Indians have found out we are here, and they will hover about and watch us, until some time they will pounce down upon us before we know it.” ‘“Whatob dat? Didn’t dey doit last ebening?”’ ‘Yes; and provigentially we were able to drive them off; but you can see that if a hun- dred of them were to come down here, they could keep us in the cave until we died of thirst and starvation, or were compelled to surrender, and our end in each case would be the same.” ‘‘ But we hadn’t orter leave de gold jus’ as we ’rin to find it.” ‘“We shall leave a very small quantity of it behind. The supply has about run out. You remember that we had a small lot yesterday. The reason was, that we had gathered aboutpall there was, and so you see there is nothing to keep us here, while we have every inducement to draw us away.” As this was undoubtedly the case, theré was no gainsaying the argument of Inwood, and it was decided to move their quarters without further delay. Breakfast was prepared, during which Edwin took his station and kept a sharp watch for straggling Indians. None were dis- covered, and he descended and joined them in the morning meal. Their baggage was piled on the mule, the five tiny sacks which contained the yellow.dust were taken in charge by George, and while it was yet early in the day, they took up the line of march. Very appropriately, Jim led the way, he rid- ing his nag with all the dignity of a conqueror at the head of his army. Inwood was not so particularly anxious to see the Enchanted Island, as to make sure that’no Mohaves were following them. The most vigilant scrutiny failed to detect any of the dreaded creatures, and our friends finally ventured to believe that with due prudence they could reach a place of safety. ‘*Dere!” said Jim pointing off to the east, ‘‘ is de lake an’ de island.” The beautiful, circular sheet of water lay a half-mile away, and right in the center was an island about fifty feet in length, and half that distance in breadth. It was covered with oung trees and dense vegetation, and in the right sunlight had a cool, fresh appearance, which made it still more pleasant than when viewed under the witching rays of the moon. George Inwood produced a smal spy-glass from his ket, and scanned it long and nar- rowly. There was something about this little island, aside from the marvelous stories related of it by Jim, which awakened his curiosity. While apparently still and devoid of life, he saw signs which convinced him that more than one person was upon it. In among the leaves he could detect a flutter- ing, tremulous motion, and around the edge of the island were ioe which must have been caused by human hands, as the surface of the lake in every other portion was as smooth as a mirror. e thought he heard once or twice a plashing sound, which came either from the island itself, or from directly behind it. He de- cided to say nothing of his suspicions until he had learned more of it, wkat certainly wore a singular look, to say the least. He was on the point of lowering his glass, when a slight movement among the bushes on the eastern shore of the lake caught his eye, and he immediately directed his gaze toward that int. The naked vision would have discovered nothing, but by the aid of the lens he discovered 7 aman standing on the very edge of the wood, and scrutinizing the party. As first glance, he took him to be an Indian, but a continued exa- mination satisfied Inwood that the stranger was a white man, dressed and painted as a red-man. What gave this impression was the fact that his outfit was not complete, being deficient about the head. This, instead of being bare, with the long, wiry black hair stained and ornamented with eagle-feathers, (as is the custom of the Mo- haves and Apaches) was surmounted by a = Ame hat which entirely concealed the short 1air. The painted white man gazed long and intent- ly upon the party, from which fact Inwood judged that he was displeased at their appear- ance and anxious to keep himself invisible. This united with the curious facts noted regard- ing the appearance of the island, furnished food for speculation, and Inwood lowered his glass and placed it away with the conviction that there was some mystery connected with this lake and the -tiny island resting in the center, which, perhaps, it might be well for him to at- tempt to fathom. “What you tink ob him?’ inquired Jim, ee wondering at the continued silence of In- wood, ‘‘Tt is the finest scene I have ever looked upon. Nothing could be more beautiful than the lake, and the island,and the green shores which surround, and the white mountain peaks away in the distance.” ‘“Wait till you see it fly away—den I guess you t’ink it beautifuller yet.” ‘‘T am afraid I shali have to wait a good while,” said Inwood. ‘Shall we go on?” inquired Edwin, ‘“‘T rather like the appearance of the country around here, and I think we are as likely to find gold asin any other place. We will hunt up some good spot, take up our quarters, and go to rospecting. The best plan, | think, is for us to urn square around and start back again.” ch at dat for?’ Edwin, too, looked an inquiry, but Geo said he had a good reason, and accordingly it was done. CHAPTER VIII, A LURKING FOR. THE party turned about as if to retrace their steps; but the moment they had descended the hill, so as to be out of sight of the Enchanted {sland, Inwood dismounted, and said to his friends: ‘Now, you walk the horses as slowly as you can, and when you get beyond that grove of trees, wait for me, but don’t halt until you are there,” Jim and Edwin looked wonderingly at him but he waved them impatiently away, an trailing his rifle, ran rapidly around the brow of the hill from which he had taken his view of the lake, and gaining a position where he could still see it, he screened himself from observa- tion, and carefully awaited the confirmation of his suspicions. He had been here about twenty minutes, when he observed an agitation in the bushes be- tween the hill and the lake, and the next min- ute the head and shoulders of a man rose to view. One glance identified him as the individ- ual whom he had surveyed through his tele- scope, and it is hardly nece to say that our young | friend watched his motions with intense in Looking cautiously about him, as if to satisfy himself that he was unobserved, the stranger soon came fully to view, and commenced ascend- ing the hill with a silent, cautious step. Reach- ing a point almost to the summit, he sunk down on his hands and knees, and looked over. Watching the horsemen, who by this time, were a third of a mile distant, for a few mo- ments, he laid his rifle across a mound of earth, and took a long, deliberate sight. Inwood felt very uncomfortable as he watch-— ed this operation, and he was on the point of bringing his own gun to his shoulder to prevent this murder, when the piece was discharged, and, glancing at his friends, he saw that tome werenot disturbed enough to cause them to look around. “Try it again!” muttered Inwood, ‘ that is rather too long a range’for a gun like yours,” The man, after the failure of his piece, took an upright position, and watched the horsemen with an intensity of gaze which showed that for some reason or other, he hada deep interest in theirmovements. Finally they rode behind the grove referred to, and the man, with a great sigh and some muttered words, turned on his heel and descended the hill, EOmic IOOKS (E(0)