Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 961 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

There was a ladder here also, down which they almost fell. Again the arrows whizzed and sung and the Indians yelled. | She dashed after the white men, but threw up her hands at the instant of set- ting foot on the ladder. Then she fell headlong into the estufa, the Indian death-cry on her lips. Al lifted her up, but she was dead before he reached her, She had been but an Indian woman, ig- norant and poor, but she had been faith- ful unto death, and the tears came into his eyes as he thought of her great sac- ‘Tifice. 4g Isett snatched up the bow and arrows that had dropped from her hand, and looked up at the opening. Utter darkness reigned in the estufa, with the exception of the light that came in through this hole. ‘“T don’t know why she wanted us in here, unless it’s the best place in town to make a fight! That must have been her idea. The rascals can’t burn the thing, ‘% - and we can hold them back a while.” - ey All felt, though, that there could be but one end to such a conflict. They were sur- rounded by scores of savage foes and were without food or water. AK CHAPTER XVIII. A BONANZA STRIKE. An Indian daringly showed his head in the opening. Tsett quickly fitted an arrow, the bow- ay. string twanged, and the Indian sprang ‘eM backward with a screech, ye They could tell from the trampling of feet on the roof that a number of Indians had ascended the ladder. Isett fitted another arrow and narrowly watched the opening. Aztec Al and the tramp stood near him ay in silent expectation. Suddenly a flaming ball flew through the opening, fell at their feet, and illumin- ated the estufa’s interior. Its coming was unexpected and demoralizing. i A half dozen spears and as many ar- rows came through the hole, and the tramp fell back with a scared cry. An arrow was Sticking in his shoulder, and at first glance he seemed to be se- riously hurt, but, when Al ran up to him . and sought to draw the arrow out, he saw yl a it had only gone through the coat, and had ey not touched the shoulder at all. “A narrow squeak!” the tramp panted, dashing to the nearest wall. Recognizing the danger from the burning ball, Isett kicked it back out of range of the arrows, and stamped it out. It seemed to be made of cloth or fiber, soaked in some fatty substance. ¢ Scarcely was it extinguished, when an- other came through sputtering and flaring, followed by another shower of arrows and spears. “Keep back,-and they can’t hit you!’ Tsett cried, looking from the flaming ball | to the opening above. aS He had another arrow in readiness, and was firmly resolved to kill the first In- dian who attempted to descend. In spite of the peril, Al made a dash and drew back the foot of the ladder, causing the ladder to fall within the enclosure. At almost the same instant Smith uttered y an exclamation of surprise, and the boy turned and saw what so excited the tramp. The walls of the estufa were queerly and richly ornamented and covered. There were rugs and blankets of various designs, _ feathered prayer-stictks, fetiches, rattles, _ + 4£drums, bows, arrows and lances, and oe dozens of other articles, | en ee In addition—and this more than all else ">. drew the attention of the two—there were /—s many strings of pearls as fine as those ‘given the American boy by the old woman, > > - — io [at ea . ® a 4 ; re , ae S 5 ~_ e _* oe. LAP ae ; — yh . J 5 a Se . ~ S ‘ 2: Re ei Pt, + hee - —_ a re so ees. TST Corr " X < ~—2)- : > kh . : + = Y ' 1 and there were other strings of gems that looked to be diamonds, rubies and emer- alds, Isett had seized one of the long lances hurled into the estufa, and with its pgint had drawn away the bali of fire, which he now stamped out with his feet. Dense darkness followed. That gave them a minute’s which they sorely needed. Outside they could hear the excited cries of the Indians, and overhead footsteps. Another ball of fire quickly came through, landing close to Isett’s feet, and by its light he saw the bows and arrows on the wall. “Arm yourselves!” he commanded. “If we can’t save our lives, we can send some of these rascals ahead of us!” He was desperately determined. He had worked furiously, and in that close, hot hole, the sweat was streaming from every pore, Add to this closeness the odor and the gas from the fire balls, and the place was little less than suffocating. “Do all the damage you can! They'll smoke us out pretty soon, and then the jig’s up!’ He fired again, as he spoke, and the itinerant and the boy also sent arrows in the same direction. Al’s arrow, like his father’s, passed through the hole, but the other’s went awry, and stuck quivering in the mud wall opposite. A flight of arrows was the reply, and one of them went into the fleshy part of Aztee Al’s arm, He drew it out, with unblanching lip, and stanched the flow of blood as well as he could with a piece torn from the lining of his coat. Again the arrows flew, and one passed through the crown of the juggler’s hat, where it hung, with feathered end upward, like the famous ornament of Yankee Doodle. The fire balls were fairly rained into the estufa, the idea of the Indians being, ap- parently, to smother and choke out these enemies, if they could not otherwise be overcome, Isett was a host in himself. He was an expert with the bow, and so accurate in aim that seldom was a head or body shown at the hole but it got an arrow. The result was that, though the fire balls continued to rain, and the lances and ar- rows to fly, they came into the estufa without direction, The smoke was increasing, but, at the same time, the interior of the queer place was made fairly visible. A shout broke from the lad’s lips. “A way out! A way out!” The words electrified his companions. He rushed to the north side of the es- tufa—they had been standing all the time at the south side—and pointed out a black aperture near the ground. “The old woman wanted us to,come in here to save us! She knew of this!” “Not so fast!” warned Isett. “Better know what you've found first! Bazoo, watch the hole above!”’ Al was down on his hands and knees ex- ploring the opening. It was in form a small tunnel, leading no one could say where. Isett rolled one of the blazing balls’ near, took it on the end of a lance, and thrust it into the hole into which Al already had crawled. He saw that the tunnel had been much used. It’s floor was beaten like a road- way—a discovery that much excited him. He drew back and skewered two of the balls on a lance point. They were burn- ing brightly and made a fine torch. Al had scrambled back out of the hole respite, — = — > ee” a ® | ea 5 oe + ty * ‘ d Be vi Rese Tse: ores ‘=? “ A 1. OS. At y » . : The Tramp’s Trump-Trick. : 4 . be ' tte oe F * | 'o Me —— et 37 y* Me Sal say. + >/- F we. aes *, [ | ; Pet, x i) nd eas Ve? ARPT OF: ; Fr RAICRhMe “ a) . toe oe 6? See ay ae C . oat , ye &\ é , ed oe j “fe @) eal [ ‘ , ; att. _ _I L with the wonderful declaration that it seemed to have no end. 0 The Indians were now becoming b<cider, and Isett again stationed himself to drive them back with the arrows, of which there was, fortunately, an abundance on the floor and on the walls. **Load yourselves down with those jew- els,” he commanded, “while I hold the place! We'll try that tunnel. We can’t be any worse off in there, and it may lead us out of this!’ The tramp and the boy both hastened to obey the order. From the walls they pulled the pearls that were looped on sinews, and the other precious stones that were held in cloth-like meshes, which kept them secure and_at the same time re- vealed their beauty and value, They found no food, however, which, just at that time, would have been more precious than gems. They worked hurriedly, while Isett, with his arrows, kept back the Indians. In addition to the gems, they armed themselves with bows and arrows. When this was done, Al took up one of the prepared torches and Bazoo another. “All ready!” the boy cried. Then he-crawled into the tunnel in ad- vance of the tramp, leaving his father to bring up and protect the rear. CHAPTER XIX, THE FLIGHT THROUGH THE TUNNEL. As the little party plunged into the dark of the cramped tunnel, they felt as if they were going into a trap, but they hur- ried on, nevertheless, crawling, at first, their way lighted by the torches’ flare. A rod or so beyond the entrance the tun- nel so expanded as to admit of their stand- ing erect. They had barely reached this point, - when. the sounds behind them told that the Indians were growing bold and suspicious, and that some of them were on the point of leaping into the council-house, if the leap had not already been made. An arrow whizzed by the head of Isett. “Out with the lights!” was his order, and he extinguished his torch. Al did likewise, and then they stumbled on through the gloom. Other arrows flew dangerously near, and the cries and calls of Indians told that the estufa had been invaded and that pursuit was commenced. All, therefore, hurried on, sure that, whatever might be in front, death fol- lowed close behind. Fortunately, there were bends in the underground passage, and, while they stumbled heavily against the walls at these points, the angles gave them secur- ity from the arrows that were being fired. Once, when Al halted for an instant, he heard a light patter of feet. Isett also stopped, and quickly drawing an arrow to the head, he sent it spinning. - A. yell succeeded, and he knew that the arrow had found a human target. As they continued on and the tunnel showed no signs of a termination, they felt assured that the passage led to the outside world—that it was, in truth, the one pas- sage by which the world lying beyond the valley could be reached. ie hd ate <r + length, they ere broug oa halt by the a of torches and men in front. aeenee The torches, though some distance off Were coming toward them, and the im- pression was that, by some short cut, the village Indians had got in ahead and doses flac . “We'll charge “em!” Isett ferociously die right here as gritted. “Just as well anywhere.” : Hardly had the said the words, when - ‘ ‘. ‘ at & i sta wei! . rege} gay % © \? 2 4, ies) pul’? oO CS Cc vo » hie O “~A* - Px. —_ Em. ¢ ] : 4" Vs ’ -~