Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 961 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

Pa oe Ee a ht Ax “> OR APTER VII.) "4 UN THE GRASP OF THE RIO PERDIDAS. ar ke el Israel Isett and Bazoo Smith ran on at + their best speed, without once looking 4 back, naturally supposing that Al was at page a their heels. 4 > They succeeded in eluding the soldiers, & sg aided by the friendly haze and the rough | eharacter of the ground, and then stopped | to take stock of their surroundings. To their amazement they found them- selves alone together. Aztec Al and the guard were gone. Izett was much distressed and insisted on returning to look for his son. ~ “It’s almost like flying in the face of _, Providence to run a risk like that,” the | tramp objected., “ But it’s about the only _ kind of runnin’ we kin do. As fer me, I never was so tuckered.”’ He sank down, panting, and mopped his livid face with the ragged sleeve of his coat, “If you’re determined to go back, ‘wait fer you hyar.” a Isett turned back instantly, fearing his son had fallen into the hands of the soldiers. | He heard the soldiers talking, and ek crouched near them, but their words told ~ him that Al was not in their midst. ~~ In spite of the peril, he continued on back to the wall. ° . As he crept carefully along over the un- even surface, he called softly, now and then. His heart leaped when one of his calls ss Was answered. _ He moved in that direction, and came near falling into a trap. Some soldiers were out, calling as he had been—search- : ing, as it seemed, for one of their number +» whom the earthquake had stampeded. . *«» Tsett shifted his position, with consider- able celerity, and, in doing so, he tumbled into a rocky cleft. The fall brought a smothered ery, and he realized he had fallen astride of a man who was hiding in the cleft. It was the ie identical soldier stampeded by the earth- w, quake. FooaK a _ The man was so terror-stricken that he ‘simply groveled against the .rock, and _ whined like a fear-siricken animal. As may be imagined, Isett was consid- _ erably startled and tumbled off the fel- _low’s back in great haste. '. No sooner had he done so than the man erat ~ leaped out of the hole and ran across the slopes like a wild creature. 7 Altogether, it was a most fortunate fi _ thing for Isett. The searching soldiers * hoard the man’s cry and saw him rushing se ie away; and they passed by the cleft and ee Tan on after @iim. Isett heard them talking as they passed his hiding place. Their words showed be- -wilderment. They did not understand the ‘character and cause of the ery they had fe heard, and were wondering if the man had ~ encountered a wild animal or serpent. ieee: Searcely had they gone a dozen steps f . % when a few of them turned back for the _ purpose of investigating. ayy a: This action brought such an increase of a to Isett that’ he fairly shivered. ing about for some place of conceal- t, he discovered a ledge, under which Pil ms. aa - “ss 7 s rt ph- ie Mie Shen he heard the soldiers talking above Nhe BA Was startled when one of them a mantel and cast it into the ¢ay-, ~~ ro: ‘we ah mo fell near him, but did not reveal his ence. However, it seemed to satisfy dat hem that no Animal or other dangerous ae ci reature occupied the place, and they went if ig still talking. ly were they gone when Isett ‘pt out, all atremble, and beat a precip- e retreat. Ganvihead that he could not ee The Teor, S Trump-Trick ee = ee find his son, he could only hope to meet him at the rendezvous agreed on, — Rejoining the tramp, who was by this time well rested, the two continued on, heading toward the lower slopes, in the direction of the river—the Rio Perdidas, the same in which Aztec Al had plunged with his bicycle. No more earthquake shocks came, and the day brightened as they reached the trail that wound dizzily above the river at the point nearest the town of Cartretas. It was a very remarkable river, this Rio Perdidas—a veritable Lost River. Gath- ering a considerable body of water from the mountain plateaus, it rushed along here in bewildering zigzags, and then roared into a funnel of rock, where it dis- appeared, to be seen no more, Searcely had Isett and Smitb reached the trail when they became aware that pursuers were hanging on their track. They had not shaken off the soldiers, as they had fancied. It was an unpleasant discovery, for there was no deviating here from the trail, and the increasing light naturally added to the difficulties of escape. But they hurried up the trail, hoping to reach the rugged country beyond, where there were abundant places in which they might successfully hide. They went on in this manner for more than a ‘half-mile, closely pursued; and were at the narrowest and most dangerous point, when a mounted. Mexican appeared in front of them, Another and another came into view, all armed. From their higher position on the trail the mounted men could look down on the bewildered fugitives, and could likewise see the pursuing soldiers. For Isett and the tramp it was a peril- ous situation. There seemed absolutely no éscape. Seeing the ‘horsemen lift their rifles to fire, they turned back, bewilderedly, and ran toward the foot soldiers, looking in vain for a place by which they might ascend or descend. | More than fifty feet beneath them roared the swift river, churned into a yeasty foam, not so much by cruel rocks as by the vortex which here sucked it on; for not fifty yards’ below was the great funnel in which it disappeared. Coming in sight of the soldiers below, these began to yell, which so completely demoralized and bewildered the tramp that he quite lost his head, “Back! back!’ he cried, turning again toward the higher elevation, as if that could avail anything. He spun around quickly, and, in doing so, lost his footing, A wild cry came from him as he felt himself falling into the awful depths, and to save himself he clutched frantically at Isett. It did not serve to stay his fall, but only dragged Isett from the ledge, and they went tumbling toward the river. The. cries of the soldiers stilled as they witnessed the terrible sight. Together the men fell, with sickening swiftness. Then they struck the water and were immediately whirled out of sight. CHAPTER VIIL. IN THE POWER OF MERCILESS ENEMIES. Aztec Al, separated from his father and the tramp, hurried on in the direction he supposed they had taken, keeping a careful watch to prevent falling into the hands — of enemies. ’ ‘Though his general course was in the directi pursued by those he sought, and in the direction of the agreed place of . maeGRNG: he deviated empire from a their line of flight, and soon found himself in a broken and rugged region that prom- ished to give him much trouble. But he resolutely pressed on, putting the! | town farther and farther behind him. As he was running thus across the ragged ridges, he pitched heavily and fell ee a low cliff. He was saved from serious hurt by land- ing on a huge pile of brush, that broke the force of his fall. He had tumbled into a peculiar place, as he quickly saw—nothing less than the nest of an eagle. The nest itself was not so large, but a mass of brushwood, which had accumu. lated year after year, covered the ledge. Al came down in the center of the nest, in which were two young birds. He killed one of the young eagles in the fall, and scared away the old ones, that were sitting on the brushwood near, However, they were back before he had quite got his head, and understood his pe- culiar situation, and they came at him, apping their wings and screaming with a viciousness that attested their rage. Aztec Al drew himself up, and, twisting a club out of the brittle, brushy pile, struck at the nearest bird. He missed his stroke, the stick broke in’. his hands, and he came near pitching into the canyon. His pugilistic attitude beat them off for a few moments, and gave him time to look, about, The ledge ran down the mountain side, overhanging a canyon, and the view he had of it convinced him he could descend it in safety if the enraged eagles were not there to interfere. They were back again, flapping and screaming, and striking at him with beak and talon. He twisted another stick out of the nest, and struck at them as before, hitting one a vicious clip on the wing. Then the fight grew desperate.) Their courage and anger increased as they be- gan to feel he could not injure them, gain and again they came at him, almost hurling him from the ledge. Finding that the sticks were not of suf- ficient size to bo effective weapons, he pin gcesh deeper and brought up a bowl- er, Steadying himself, as they again dashed down, he hurled the stone, with true aim, at the female, which was ‘the largest bird and the fiercest fighter. It struck her fairly on the left wing, and knocked her, fluttering, into the can- yon, and her mate, startled by this unex-— pected disaster, flew, screaming, away. Given time in which to breathe, Al found himself in a panting and exhausted: state, and so trembling he could hardly stand. He sought another bowlder, fearing the return of the male; then sank down in the nest, feet. Hardly had he done so when he heard voices on the ledge below. Two men were ascending toward the point he oecupied, drawn by the noise of | the conflict just ended, too tired to remain longer on his | Al recoiled with fear “as he saw them, He knew them well. Both were bitter — enemies of himself and his father. One of them, Gabe Bunton, had. while in drink, at Isett’s mine, brutally attacked — Al, not a month before, and had been > drubbed and discharged by Isett for the offense. he The other, who was known as Thistle Jim, and who was, if possible, a greater. Villain than Bunton, had been caught steale _ “ a a= ing articles from the mine office, and had | been jailed for two years, principal witness against him The rou eka atl ARS seomitet ie | ee. Boy : Oe ~” a oe oe ed “ss woe . a rae 2! ? Isett being the . ao me “comi cboo ks.com La vt? - . Pedy ee 3 a a - BN, »