Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 936 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

country te CHAPTER XVI. A RIDE FOR LIFE. “Do you think you would know the man who saved you from the ambush, boy pard?” asked Buffalo Bill, as the two rode on in silence for some time after Ned's last- remark. ‘IT am afraid not, sir, for I could not see his face; but I'll tell you one thing.” * Well?” “It comes to me more and more that I have heard his voice before.” ‘You have an idea whose it was?” “Well, sir, there was a certain ring to it that I noticed particularly, and in re- ealling it I had an idea that it sounded like Doctor Night-Hawk VPowell’s voice, raised to a high key. ‘*T guess you have struck it, boy pard. ““Night-Hawk has a peculiar voice, and it is just like him to protect you out of the camp, when he had reason to believe you were in danger. “He shadowed you, and, knowing the perfectly, drew to one side and went on ahead to where he was certain the ambush would be laid. “TFrom the cliff he had the fellows just where he wanted them, and it was like him not to wish to be known, “Then, too, he may have not cared to be known in the matter for other consid- erations than his modesty.” ‘He is a splendid fellow, Joe says, and I liked him.” “ He is all that, and a fine surgeon and physician as well. “The more you see of him the more you will tie to Night-Hawk Powell.” “There are three brothers,* Joe Jarvis said.” “ Yes, one of them a surgeon in the army at one of the forts north of this, and as good a scout as he is a surgeon and doctor. “Then there is Night-Hawk George, and his younger brother, Broncho Bill Powell, who is studying medicine, mining and hunting, “He is away from Mountain City now, off somewhere prospecting, but he makes his camp with Night-Hawk, and those who know them best have too much sense to crowd them, though they never seek trouble, and are as mild mannered’ as women. “Yes, I guess it was Night-Hawk George who saved you.” ~ “T'd like to think so, sir, and—”’ Ned stopped short, as Buffalo Bill had halted and was attentively regarding the ground. “Keep the prisoners here,’ he shortly, and rode off on a trail alone, In ten minutes he turned back, and as he came up he said, addressing the prisoners: “Your five pards were here holding council with the redskin chief. “Tracks ‘don’t lie, and they are up to some cunning work. ‘Tf they are the allies of the Indians, so ‘are you. ‘Tf they are allies of the Indians, they are renegades, and so are you, “Those five men came out of Mountain Gity yesterday, and they came here for a purpose, “That purpose was to meet the red- skins. | “They camped last night over beyond that hill, and the redskins got there this morning, and there was a council. “They returned to Mountain City, and said, ‘the redskins are moving toward the Red Canyon valley to wait, and they have got sinall bands prowling about to draw the Ss. now *Dr. Frank Powell, late U. A., Mayor of La Crosse, Wis. ' Dr. George Powell, one time a noted fron- tiersman, now a physician In La Crosse. William Powell, M. D., a well known_phy- sician of Wisconsin, and at one time a plains- man of note.—The Author, ’ ® “ ‘je »d , as : ° : ' | % ’ ._s 7 7 5 ‘ a , * L ' Rs ‘ey A ae. a a aL (oe : me ue’ i F ~ ‘ ,” . mn : a omit x. a : © : oh ro ee a ofl! ' ly) eas ve Y b ah iy 5. on a! e* —_—_— — Buftalo Bill’s Boy Mascot. _ -—_——_- troops in force up toward their country, and then their large band of warriors wil] make a strike somewhere. * But that don’t work, for I read it all as plain as my A BC. “Come, boy pard, we must push for the fort, for there is work to be done.” The manner in which Buffalo Bill told What he had discovered and read from those discoveries fairly amazed the Yankee boy. The scout seemed to be reading it all as though lt was written down before him. The two prisoners turned deathly pale at his words and glanced uneasily at each other. As they moved on once more the puce was increased to double the speed they had been traveling before, At last Buffalo Bill said: “See yonder hill, boy pard?” He pointed to a little hill half a mile ahead that was rugged and covered with dwarf cedars, Upon one side was a cliff overhanging the river, and beneath this the trail ran, _ The other side sloped down to the plain. Ned looked toward the hill at the scout’s words, and nodded. “Well, I have been corralled there no less than five times by Indians, and there are the graves of half a dozen soldiers on the hill, and some score of redskins. “We will camp there for an hour, as it is noon, and then push at a gallop for the fort.”’ As they neared the little bill Buffalo Bill, whose eyes were sweeping the country about him, suddenly called out: “Ride for your life, boy pard, for they are upon us!” One glance behind him revealed to the boy that two score of mounted warriors had suddenly appeared like magic from a small canyon near the river, and were riding to oe them off before they could reach the il CHAPTER XVII. BROUGHT TO TERMS. Buffalo Bill took in the odds against them at a glance, and everything there ‘was in their favor. He saw that they had a quarter of a mile to ride, the Indians twice that dis- tance, They were retarded by their prisoners, and the two horses Carrying dead bodies; the Indians were free to ride at full speed. Some of the Indians had rifles, most of them were only armed with bows and ar- rows. Once they could reach the hill they would find splendid shelter among the bowlders near the top, and’an open belt all around free of trees, It was twenty miles to the fort, and no help need be expected from there, unless a patrol of cayalry happened to be scout- ing about. ‘Start the prisoners ahead, boy pard, while I run to yonder hill and encourage those reds to remain behind,” and Buffalo Bill, leaping from his horse and leveling his rifle at once, its deadly music was heard. Shot after shot rang out, a perfect Stream of fire seemed bursting from the muzzle, and the reports mingled together until they could hardly be counted, A pony fell; another followed; a hrave toppled from his saddle—another and an- other—until, staggered by the fire, the redskins checked their speed, swerved from their rush, circled around out of range and came to a halt. Then Buffalo Bill gave his wild and well known war-cty, which the Indians an- swered, in chorus, and at once became greatly excited. It told them who it was they had to . fight-and warned them to beware; but it made them that more anxious to capture the great white chief whom they so ad- mired, yet so dreaded. Their swerving from their path and halt gave Buffalo Bill some precious mo- ments, which he was not slow in taking advantage of. ° Remounting his horse onee more. he spurred to the front after his youthful pard. Reaching the hill he dismounted, hitched his horse quickly, whipped out his bowie Knife, quickly cut loose the weapons of the dead outlaws and of the two pris- oners, Which gave him four extra rifles and eight revolvers. “ Hiteh the horses, Ned, behind those bowlders, while I get the arsenal ready; then unbind those fellows’ hands and bring them here, for they have got to fight!’ he called out. “ Ay, ay, sir,” cried Ned, and he had the horses secure in a minute, and the two prisoners’ feet were set free. “Now march!” he sharply ordered. The men obeyed, and Buffalo Bill put them in behind of a bowlder, six feet be- low him, but just before him. “Now tie their feet again, Ned, and drive a stake pin down to fasten them to. and I'll give them a couple of rifles each to help hold the fort.” “We'll help you fight if you'll let us go after we stand off ther redskins,” “Yas, that’s what we'll do, but not pull a trigger ‘less yer does.” “Stand aside, Ned, for those fellows are going to be in our way, and I'll end it now; they are less trouble dead! We'll do the work alone!” Up went the hands of the two men quickly, their faces showing how scared they were at Buffalo Bill’s announcement. Thy cried lustily not to kill them, that they’d fight the whole tribe if the scout would spare them. “ Stand there, then, or kneel behind that rock. I will give you the guns, and loaded. I will wateh you, and so will this youth, and if you so much as glance behind you, I'll see to it that you take the last look on earth in that glance. “When you two fire we will not, so I'll mark the effect of your shots, and if red-~ skins don’t fall, pale faces will! Do you understand ?” The ruffians understood it all only too well. They would be trusted with guns in their hands and forced to fight. They wanted the Indians to win, for, as allies, they knew they would be spared. The temptation would be great to chance a shot at the seout and the boy. But failure? That meant certain death, they fully realized. But they would be governed by circum- stances; so the two outlaws took the cuns and turned their faces toward the redskins as ordered. Buffalo Bill and Ned Osmond also stood ready for a fight to the death. Buffalo Bill had his matchless repeat- ing rifle, and knew what it could do, Ned had his carbine and. could load it with great rapidity. The two prisoners had their rifles and the rifles of their two dead comrades. On the rocks close by the hands of the scout and the youth were their own re- volvers and those of the four outlaws. It was a very formidable array of fire- arms for the redskins to charge upon, for a hundred shots could be fired from the weapons within a couple of minutes, if properly handled. And all this preparation to meet the red- skins had not taken five minutes. Now the Indians were coming on, with a rush, up the hill! - od