Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 958 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

ee hh: (ha re TE, | | ‘4 *2 NF fel Buffalo Bill’s a Bien to-night, so you can go on and take your comrades.” t me stay, then, and bring Talbot Edin with a shot?” “TY will not. ae “You must go, for I will have no mur- _ der here at my retreat. “Come, you must go, and now, for if aca Bill is guiding soldiers here I do wee BS not wish one of your band found in my house.” “Hands up! for here I stay to get that ‘Ye booty!” The words were sternly uttered in a pe low tone, and a revolver whipped out of his belt commanded instant obedience. that one and where his wife slept. The hermit ferryman was fairly trapped, and he knew it, for a room was between the walls were thick, the doors closed, and he ¢ Wil only obey, for he knew that he dealt ‘ We Wie wee a desperate man. But as he raised his hands, there broke on his ears the words behind the outlaw: “Up with your hands, man, for I have wy 9 me you covered! - a ett : ve ay * > y = Ue ‘7 *eaa Tae “_) » ? pe 4 ue iy ’ Vy > 7» . , : CHAPTER XXIV. BROUGHT TO TERMS. oA ery broke from the lips of the self- onfessed outlaw, and in his terror his _ revolver dropped from his hand, explod- \ing as it struck the floor. The report was followed by the savage bark aud rush of two huge dogs from Sabet retreat, just as Buffalo Bill pulled the lateh-string and stepped into the cabin, _ closing the door behind him in time te gave himself from the brutes. The man he had covered stood cowed a st me - before him, his hands still raised, while the ferry man uttered no word as he gazed oat the intruder with white face, and his Haihigs alarmed by the shot, came to the rescue, rifle in hand. _ “Hold, ferryman, I have no quarrel with you, but with that man. “ He is my prisoner!” cried Buffalo Bill. ‘* Buffalo Bill! “Phat ends me!” groaned the outlaw. “Tt will be a good riddance to the coun- Ay if it does. | Feo. ze ee en bind that man. securely, Pe cue ‘I keep him covered,” said Buffalo ‘The words of the scout brought the Sain back into the face of the ferryman, . and his wife’s lock of intense anxiety also ee with a strong, unreadable face, full of de- termination and nerve.* Bring your other canoe along, then, for Wwe may have to travel fast and far to overtake that band of outlaws.” “By the way, how many crossed the river?” “ Seventeen, sir.” “ Their leader was along?” ee, Sir,” “ Did they cross here some days ago?’ “Ten days ago, sir, going north toward Fort Farewell, “ There were twenty-one then, for you shot one, the man Talbot was killed, a third fell over a cliff with his horse, I was told, and this man made up the other four.” “Thank you, Ferryman John. ‘“T am sorry to have alarmed your wife, but am glad I was near to serve you.” *T oweygou my life, Mr. Cody,” said the ferryman, eurnestly. “TY shall never forget i!.” “ You appear to knew ime Dy name,” “The outlaws called you Buffalo B'll, and I have heard of you often,” and the ferryman seemed a trifle confused, a fact that did not escape the keen eye of Buffalo Bill. But the latter said to the outlaw: “ Come, you go with me to camp. “Keep your dogs off, ferryman, or, if they have to sample some one, let it be this outlaw.” “ They will not disturb y near. “TI do not understand how they allowed | you to come near.” “* Didn’t get on to my coming, for the wind was in my favor, and they were tak- ing it easy in the back yard.” With this the ferryman eseorted Buffalo Bill and his prisoner beyond the stockade, and there left them, promising to be on hand with his other canoe at dawn. As they walked on, Buffalo Bill suddenly said: “Now, I know such men as you ought to hang for your crimes, but perhaps you and I can come to terms.” “Tor God’s sake tell me how!” “* How long have you belonged to that band?” | “Two years,” ‘Where have you been operating most- ly ?” “In New Mexico, south of Wingate.” rou, sir, with me S Mazeppa-Chase._ — ———- friendly with the Navahoe Indians, and they aided you, while you also had a friend at Fort Farewell, and after capturing the commandant’s son, you tied him, Mazeppa- like, to the back of a black mustang, and—”’ ** You know it all.” “Then be wise and see if you can’t tell the whole story in return for your life, a horse, arms, a few dollars, and a piece of good advice.” “T'll do it. “TI know when I don’t hold a trump,” Was the answer, and ten minutes after the man Sat near the camp-fire, while Buf- falo Bill and Lieutenant Keyes were lis- tening to what he had to say. CHAPTER XXYV. THE OUTLAW’S CONFESSION. The outlaw prisoner was feeling nery- ous as he listened to Buffilo Bisi'’s ree.tal of how he had founu him at the ferry- man’s cabin, and all that he had heard him say, while he also had appeared toe force the man to terms or kill him. The outlaw was not sure that Lieutenant Keyes would be willing to extend clemen- cy to him for what he knew. The scout did the questioning, at the re- quest of Lieutenant Keyes, and asked: “ What brought your band together?” ** Love of gold.” “To plunder for it, rather than work?” “About that.” “You did not let a life stand in the way of getting gold?” ‘“ No.” ‘And you have been marauding about two years?” “About that.” “Who is your chief?” ‘Names do not tell anything, for that is all any of us know about him.” * What is his name?’ ‘We call him Captain Charlie.” * Describe him.” “Well, you see, the man who is now chief was our lieutenant, for you knocked the captain out of his saddle when they were going up the hill after you.” * Which one was that?” “His name was Captain Kent, or, at least, that is what we called him, “He had been captain but six months; he had met Lieutenant Charlie somewhere before, and joined the band, and the lieu- tenant made a bargain with him of some “ Are all the band on this trail?” * Yes.” “You know where they are going now?” ine left her countenance, for both seemed to have dreaded that they were to be the suf- ffalo Bill’s midnight visit. kind by which he became captain.” “T see, and Captain Kent is the one I shot?” 54 ferers by With wonderful alacrity, therefore, the » ferryman bound the outlaw, his wife hand- - {ng him a rope from the next room, and Ny then retreating to make her toilet, for she By had come to the rescue of her husband just as she had sprung from her bed. ‘ “Now, pard outlaw, you return with me ae Mt asa trying to tempt this (p His et murderous and ro ‘to my camp, for I heard how you were s man to aid you in a ng scheme, and I am As ie peed to know he is the honest fellow he & - ee Cae x = = ey aS — ~ 4 a a called him, he is in his" grave, he proved himself by his words. “As for your friend, Talbot, as you ving - fired upon me from ambush, and I killed him, while his booty I have back in camp “a near the ey A, ey Se At - to be at the crossing, me Y RN e river crossing Cod vlight. pard td fertyman, T wish you for there are a troop 0 heaps and a dozen scouts to put fee ty 5s el as I SS ong to, 680 Wity who ‘ft rn © ae to set “I will be there, sir, at ne, and you as best serve I ean. have nother ein } the ¢ e w fe rae ir aes re WE Pie iy. hS If a as ae nes ui 4 ots % name, and t t he he bed < trac te smote | 6s Yes.” “ You came on with them?’ “You know the trail they will take back?” ss Yes.” “ And about where they will camp?” “I do.” “And you know why they came “up here into Arizona?” “What else?” The man was silent. “Tl tell you that you came up here to kidnap a boy, and some of you were * Then the Colorado ferryman was ooply 9 ‘Colorado John, the Ferryman.”’ thos days of scouting service, Buffalo Bill met him a number of times, knowing him by the above was'a Mo-mon, Years after ed to his retreat. arrested and, jor of the Danite Legion in the Morne . ro e Legion in the emanayor alleged ins ferryman. often ferried acro Micers of of the law In search of him svi ed Tee's Ferry. eal re tone fn the gem thy nae made yt onthe v a desert.—The Auth be Incidents ie which “thie to Raed 7 | ‘or of the terete ecentaln Mea ae massacre. ried his life “Tt would ‘He it was.” “ Where is his body?” “ Buried up at the head of this canyon.” | “And he led this expedition into Ari- zona?’ “ce Yes.” “For what reason?” “Plunder, I thought; but our present captain has since told us it was to capture a boy, the son of the commandant of Fort Farewell.” “Ah! And you ad Ne, him?” * Yea, } * “ How ?” “Well, the eaptain had once lived among the Navahoes and knew their head chief, and we went to their camp, got a band of braves to support us, and went into hiding until some man in fort planned to get the boy to ride out”. and into our trap, for that man, a soldier, ! ran the plan.” “And the boy rode into your tap" ~ 86 He did. ” =f cnt tent a “T suppose I might as well be better if ee aid, a8 far o4 A At eT 5! vi rs . ae at) fi qi “ 2 at ¥ +7 m 4A i ; ve ., ‘ é sa ee i ci Ys re; ee | 1 I heard, and the captain met and wees ot