Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 936 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

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Called Little Buffalo Bil, he wished fo be worthy of the name he bore. “Yer better light out, young feller, if yer wishes ter save yer neck.” “Now, look here—your joy at sight of those men told just who and what you are, and they are masked Mounted Miners, SO t don't give you up without a fight now.’ Ned spoke sternly, and with a ring in his voice that showed ne was aroused to resistance. In his glance about him he had seen, not far away, one of those hills of solfa- naria hue so often seen in the desert belt. It was a hundred feet in height, had slop- ing sides and an opening in the top—a erater, in fact, for it was an extinct vol- cano. The hill and its approach were as barren ‘of vegetation as the palm of the hand, and the lava had flowed all about its base. Instantly Ned wheeled the horses and rode for this bill. The horsemen saw his act, aml iaughed, while they came on leisurely, as one of the prisoners called out: | “Come and rescue us, pards, for he's totin’ us to ther fort ter hang. “T's thet eub thet Buffalo Bill ties to?’ The horsemen heard all that was said, and the leader called back: “We'll rescue you, pards. | “Fe won't go far in that direction.” Tt seemed that the very spot where Ned Osmond had turned off was a peninsular formed by the river making a great bend there. As there were cliff banks all around, had Ned retreated down the bend there would have been no escape for him. But, instead of riding down the little valley, they saw him begin to climb the hill, Then they laughed again, and came leis- urely on. The two prisoners also laughed, and one remarked: “Better skip while you can, boy, and. leaye us.” But Ned made no reply. “T know my business, as you will find out.”” ‘ The men laughed, and the horses began to mount the steep hill, over the flinty lava. It was a rough and hard climb, but they reached the top. . Ned saw that there was no way of get- ting the horses in’ the opening, but there was space for his pris. ners and himself. * Dismount!” he said, as he untied the feet of one from under the horse. “We declines ter,” was the decided re- ply. Ned smiled, and instantly tied the man’s feet again, after which he took the ends of the stake ropes, sprang himself into eover, and said, quietly. | “Stay where you are, ae for you will protect me.” “Curse that boy!” orted! one of the men, while the other said: “Fer a tenderfoot, yer is about as fly as they makes ’em.”’ Ned made no reply, and kept his eyes upon the coming horsemen, — Buffalo ‘Bill's Boy Mascot. ——$_$—-— CHAPTER XIII. THB YANKEE BOY'S RUSE. The masked horsemen seemed to be so sure of their game that they did not hurry in the least. Ned watched them eagerly, saw them come within easy range of his rifle, and then, resting it upon the edge of the crater, took aim deliberately. But the brave boy did not aim at the masked horsemen coming up the barren hill, but at one of his two prisoners seated bound upon his horse. It was a picture that was strange and thrilling, and one that the two prisoners painfully mae, quickly realized the danger of. There they sat upon their horses, bound in their saddles, their stake ropes held by their boy captor, who crouched in the crater, his rifle leveled, his finger on trig- ger, ready to fire, not at the five coming horsemen, but at them. Upon one side of the prisoners was Ned’s horse, upon the other the fourth anima with the body of the dead outlaw strapped to the saddle. The Yankee lad had been driven to bay, and his clever mind had at once discoy- eted an opportunity to remain master of the situation. The five masked horsemen were within three hundred feet of the crater, when the voice of the boy called to them to halt. “Tf you come a step nearer, I will send a bullet through the hearts of these pris- oners!’” came in the clear voice of Little Buffalo Bill. The words brought the horsemen to a very sudden halt. Could they believe their eyes? Could they believe their ears? There was a tenderfoot boy at bay, and now he was going to show that he held the winning hand. Had they heard aright? He was going to fire upon them, they supposed. They expected that. | But no, his rifle was not aimed at them. It covered the heart of one of the pris- oners, and it was but a move from that to the other. The dead body across the horse told them that some one had been killed. The two bound men showed that they had been captured. Had the boy done this alone? Impossible. But they halted at his stern threat. They recognized him as the boy several had seen before. “It's Buffalo Bill’s eub!” growled one. “Will he do it?” “T wonder if he’s got the nerve?” * Let's try him?’ Such were the remarks made by the men. Then there were comments as to how he had gotten the prisoners and the dead * Forward!’ said the leader. But he added: “Be ready to halt quick, for he must not kill our pards." The five horsemen moyed ahead, and loud rang the,warning: “IT don't wish to kill them, but, so help me Heaven! I will!” se One, two—”’ c “ Halt!” eried the leader, and the’ five men halted with great promptness, for a cry had come from the prisoners, appealing to them, * We'll trick him,” he called out: “Say, boy, we'll let you go if you leuve your prisoners.” “Til let you go, if you'll leave my pris- oners alone,’ came the quick answer. “ We've got you foul, so you might as Said the leader, and well come to terms,” “Oh, I’m all right; don’t mind ‘me, ’ for eee dale I've got grub in plenty, and rather like % up here—it’s a fine view 1 have.” PD ae ‘Curse the boy!’ said the leader, and all echoed his sentiments. Then he tried it again. “We were running from redskins, and they'll be along soon and kill you.”’ ‘You were running mighty slow, and then, I don’t mind redskins—I like ’em.”’ “ Will you give up those men?’ **T will not.” * We'll take them, then.’ “If they are worth more to you dead than alive, I'll kill them for you.” “We do not wish to have them killed, but we will sacrifice their lives to eateh and hang you.” Then in a loud chorus came reply: “No yer don’t! Don’t mind us, but zo on, for ther boy will shoot—he hain’t gof no better sense!” This reply caused Ned to laugh. He saw the ludicrous side of the situa- tion in spite of his danger. “The blamed fools!” ‘“ Didn’t they know I was not in earn- est?” growled the leader, and he looked toward his compahions to suggest a plan of action to outwit the clever lad. “Say, boy.” * All right, man.” =e you going to give those men up?” — ‘ No.”’ . | “T’ll corral you there, then, and starve you out.’’ “Tl bet you don’t.”’ sé Why 97? , “T'll do some lying now,’ muttered Ned himself, while he answered, in a loud one: ' ‘Because Colonel Benham was to send — Buffalo Bill and some soldiers from the fort to-day to meet me in Mountain City and take me back, bu. I didn’t wish to trouble them to come all the > way, so I started to meet them. “ They'll be along soon, and, starve me .. : —not much you won't, I don’t think.”’ This very cool explanation made a de- cided impression. The faces of the two prisoners looked gloomy, and the men at the base of the hill cast quick glances behind them as though looking for the coming of the party from the fort at once, CHAPTER XIV. BUFFALO BILL. Ned smiled at the success of his reply, but his quick eye detected a movement among the horsemen, Instantly he took his hat off and rested it upon a stone at the edge of the crater, | while he moved his position. Hardly had he done so, when there came several Sharp reports together, and tha bullets Knocked the hat off the rock. **Cuss’ yer! ther boy wa’n’t whar’ yer shot!’ yelled one of the prisoners, who had just gotten on to Ned’s quick act and what the Outlaws intended. “No; I am all right. “ah “But try that again, and I VW kill one oe o these crows!” called out Ned, angrily, and =~ then he added: sts “ Never mind; fire all you wish, for Buf falo Bill will hear it.” at gain the outlaws cast an uneasy glance behind them, and then, to the utter amaze-— ment of Ned Osmond, they uttered cries of alarm and started away at full speed. Instantly his rifle flashed, and an ae ay , law fell from the saddle, Another shot, and a horse went down, A ¢ throwing his rider heavily, But the others halted, pulled him up to Be E , a seat behind one of their number, and — fled on rapidly. Then Ned beheld the eause of their - | flight, and which, from his ope Ba. eS. “ could not sooner see. 200ks com