Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 948 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

- be oe yep ay a if i J © And it's a good one, and we'll play it and I'm lucky to have f : for I needed one, and hoped to find two AA to the end, be the stakes what they may,” was Buffalo Bill’s stern response. CHAPTER XII. WAITING. Buffalo Bill felt that he had one to aid him, who, if a boy in years, Was a man in pluck and experience. It was a novel situation for him, he who had done so much to aid others, to save other lives, standing there in the dark in that old ruin, following the advice of a boy to save himself from death. Yet there was a ring in the youth’s tone that was sineere and true, and he trusted him implicitly, so said: “Well, Wild Kid, when do you think our friends will come to the ball?” “ Not until they are sure that you are sound asleep, so I'll go after my lariat, for that will take me a little time; but if they should come while I’m gone, I'll get a shot or two in from somewhere to help you, and be about until I know all is quiet, only don’t sleep too sound there.” *T never do, for my ears are on the watch when my eyes are closed.” ‘Good for the ears; but when you leave in the morning, take the river trail to El Monte, and I’ll be somewhere along the way. “ Now I'll take a break.” With this the boy glided out of the room, passed close along under the shad- ow of the chapel wall, and soon reached his lariat where it hung on the other side. He climbed up tothe roof, passed along the ridge to the cross, and tied Cody’s lariat to his own, passing them simply over the stone arm, and carrying the two ends down upon the other side. | ‘This time he landed in‘a dark corner of the chapel and the wall, and not fifty feet from the room where Buffalo Bill was waiting. | He arranged the ends of the lariat so that he could get hold of them in a hurry, and could, by pulling upon one end, when outside of the wall, drag the other over the cross after him. This done he moved gently forward to the door and whispered: . ‘* All serene!” “So far. “Have you arranged your means of es- eape?” “Oh, yes, and I’ve only got to crawl upon the wall, sit there in the shadow of the rear buttress of the chapel, and wait to see how the cards are played by the Don. “If the game goes square I'll drop over on the other side, pull the lariats off the eross, and glide out through the grave- : yard to where my pony is feeding.” “You are not afraid of ghosts, then?” “I’ve been a long time hoping to see one, but it seems that only those that are afraid of ghosts see them, for I can’t, and I’ve been ‘round dead folks right much in my time, SO I guess when the spirit leaves the body it don’t go fooling around any more where it left it; that’s my opinion, but then I’m only ja kid, and So green the cattle chase me. s/s the green line you speak of,” replied alo Bill, much amused at the way Wild Kid had of expressing himself. “It's just twelve o'clock,” said Wild See after a moment, glancing out of the “How do you tell?” | “J study the stars every night, for I’m out as much in the darkness as daytime, and I get to knowing pretty well.” “Yes, you are a close observer, I see, d such an ally, ooo _§ All cats are gray at aight, so I can’t cs a Buffalo Bill’s Snap-Shot. gentlemen I have letters to, to be the ones to aid me.” “Who are they?” came the blunt ques- tion. “Do you know Major Donald Brasher?” “You bet I know him; it was. his daughter I saved from the kidnappers to- day, and a year ago I saved her from the Indians; but the major hates me, though I’m not growing thin over it. ~ * He’s a good man, or would .be, if a certain fellow who is trying to marry his daughter would let bim.” Buffalo Bill listened to what Wild Isid said with great attention, but making no comment, asked: “Do you know Doctor Duke Delmar?” “T guess so, and he knows me, but our friendship don’t pan out to any alarming extent, though I did keep Rip Fait from putting a bullet in his brain once.” “How did you prevent it?’ ‘Killed Rip, of course. “That was the only way to stop Rip, and he was on the war-path for scalps, was blind for gore, and I pulled my gun on him when I saw that he had Doctor Duke booked to kill.” “And yet Doctor Duke Delmar is not your friend,?” ‘‘No; nobody is, except Lady Beauty Brasher, and she dare not show she don’t think I’m the devil on a round-up.” % Well, I'll be your friend, and I'll show | Ig * Don’t, it will ruin your reputation even with El Monte toughs; besides, if you want me to help you down here, I can do more for you by not appearing to know you; but I think death has started on the trail, for I saw something moving over yonder, sure, though it might have been one of the Don’s savage dogs.” “He would hardly let them out of the pen with strangers here.” “You are right, I never thought. of that; but I see now that what I saw move Was not dogs.” ‘No, I see them—they are men, three of them, and they are coming 4his way.” “They better stop to pray a little,’ was the quiet comment of Wild Kid as he held his revolver ready for use, Buffalo Bill standing by his side, a weapon also in his hand. is CHAPTER XIII. * PLAYING A DEADLY GAME. If Buffalo Bfll had had any doubt of his young ally, he could do so no longer when he saw three dark forms creep out of the shadows of the old mission and come si- lently toward the little adobe structure adjoining the chapel, where he had been placed to sleep. The youth was as cool, the scout no- ticed, aS though he were simply awaiting for a deer to come within range of his weapon. ; Within the room it was intensely dark, but Buffalo Bill had placed the little lamp and matches where he could get at them readily when needed. Bound upon a most important mission, after hearing the boy’s story of the three men, and knowing that the Don, his son and two peons, if not in league with them, might be prevailed to join them when he showed resistance, Buffalo Bill's plan would have been to simply escape with Wild Kid, as he had entered, and come back with a foree of ranchmen to gain his own and secure revenge. But Wild Igid had urged otherwise, and in a way that convinced the scout that his nizn was best. Le: If he cou.i down his three foes, and conv:nce Don Trego that he thought him wholly innocent and that the men had tracked him there to kill him, it would be best, for then he would have material to x 7 work on in the future against a man whom he knew had been trusted by Gen- eral Carr and other army officers. Explaining to the Don that he had not slept, and saw the three men advancing toward him, he had protected himself, thus not letting it be known that be had been warned, or that Wild Kid was inter- ested in the affair, the scout felt that he would hold a secret that would be to his advantage for future action. ‘“Tll halt them first, young pard, for I don’t wish to fire on a man without a warning, if he is coming to assasinate me.’ “ All right, sir; that’s my style, never to pull trigger unless the other party knows I am in the game. “ But don’t hold ’em up until they so close that none of the three can away.” “Oh, yes, I mean to kill if I have to, but I'd like to catch the man Panama alive to find out just who he is. “Can you pick him out?’ 7 ‘“ He’s the tallest of the three.” “Do you intend to fire also?” , “Well, it’s your picnic, but if I’m needed I'll chip in and it won’t cause me to lie awake nights if I uappen to kill Half Breed Jose, for he has tried the coward act on me several times, ‘“ He’s the little fellow on the left.” The three men were now within thirty feet of the building, and advanced side by side on tiptoe. In the center was the taller of the trio, the youth had said was Panama. It was bright starlight, and they were distinctly visible now, for they were in the open, well out of the shadows of the mission walls, and nearing those about the chapel and its annex. | -There was no doubt but that the men Were Coming directly toward the open door, for as Wild K‘d whispered: There was no other place for them to so in that direction, except to the chapel to pray, and I guess prayer time hasn’t come yet.” Another moment and the three men halted near the door and listened. Buffalo Bill breathed heavily, like a man in deep slumber, The men seemed reassured as they heard the breathing, some low order was given, and they separated, those on each side stepping some fifteen feet apart from the center one. ) | Instantly Wild Kid seized Buffalo Bill and drew him to one side of the door. The cot was just in front of the open door, but the men had separated so that they could fire from three directions into the room, and thus make sure of wound- ing, if not killing the scout. before they’ rushed in on him. get get Wild Kid seemed to anticipate their act,) ami so drew the scout to the shelter of the wall between the door and the win-| | dow, °* He had hardly done so when three shots’ came together, almost as one, and the— bullets sank into the cot. Ses ee Then came a second discharge, and the! ' three men ran toward the door, firing as they did so. But two answering shots flashed from’ the darkness of the room, and Half Breed 4 Jose and Mustang Matt dropped dead, while the form of the scout Sy ate from the door and his iron grip was upon the, throat of Panama, who was hurled to the ground with stunning force, while he heard the stern command: «ya ‘Resist, and I will kill you!” —_ his weapons torn from him, and hurle upon the floor, the door was closed, and — ~ . * ys ““T give up,” cried the half-dazed man,and he was dragged by the scout into t coe 7 c Poe o- re } . ya < bi @ . ‘~ ae : le + - . Ley - 4 “uy ot Re e , aS atts at ae » Se 7 tr € @ . -* * = 5A . ie * ota? ad * % ‘ i ha a SF me) 5 } se i «4 >_> Spee AG Se. . rh a = } “ad ov" ¥ tna ee €*3 Buffalo Bill stood at bay by the window, =