Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 981 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

Syn ee nar —_— > and Buffalo Bill was called, and the » commandant continued. “The two men unrecognized, Cody, and whom you asked to have released, are free to go; but this man I shall hold.” Barney and Reddy were only too glad to join the other settlers and go with them to their camp, to start on the re- turn to the valley the mext day; bur ~--* Sol was sent back to the guard-~ Sse to await an opportunity to send iim, under guard, to Colorado to stand trial for his crimes. “T’m not dead yet, Buffalo Bill, and some day we may meet again,” called out the desperado, as they led him away to the guardhouse, where Mr. Colvin was allowed to visit him to arrange about his ranch and cattle in Meadow- land Valley. Buffalo Bill then began his prepara- tions for his departure; and his first duty was to purchase a fine horse with provisions and ammunition, and a lot of useful presents, as he had promised, for Lone Buffalo, the Tonca Chief. As he rode off on the trail the next day, leading his well-laden packhorse, he passed the settlers’ outfit on its way home, and Mr. Colvin called out: “Luck to you, Buffalo Bill, and re- member you have many friends in Mead- owland Valley, for Lasso Sol, we all know now, was there to one day deal us a cruel blow,” and the settlers gave three cheers for the gallant scout, who raised his broad sombrero in recogni- tion. | CHAPTER XXII. YPICKING UP THE SCATTERED TRAILS. The young Silver Stars, when the set- ‘tiers turned back after discovering the °erail of the raiders to have branched off into a dozen, obeyed the instructions “of the leader of the Fighting Five, and dropped out one by one. Each youth was well mounted and armed, and supplied with his own haver- sack and food. No one knew the country better than they, for they had roved over every mile of it for far about the settlement in carrying out their duty as a Ranger Guard of the valley. So, one by one, the five started upon their separate ways, to follow the trails they deemed. best. Each one wisely made a sign on the trail, to show the others that he had taken that one, and not have two take the same way. They were soon all four marching off from each other, and eagerly watching every sign they came upon to give them any clue /regarding those they followed. The scattered trails would indicate that Indians were the raiders, but the young rangers had such confidence in Buffalo Bill’s assertion to the contrary that nothing could make them believe he was wrong. While the four men were trailing, Bird Bainbridge was dashing back to his burned home to attend the funeral of his parents, little brother Sammy, and the others so ruthlessly slain. His disappearance the next morning, with packhorse of supplies, will be re- called, while the kind settlers remained to build his home, as he had determined to live at the old place. At a quick pace, Bird Bainbridge pressed on after his confrades, and, com- ing to the spot where the raiders had scattered, he found first one, then the other of the trails marked, showing which ones his pards had taken. He quickly selected a fifth trail to follow, and set out upon it. Buffalo —_— - - + — _-_— —_-_-_—_- -- --—-—- - —_————_————— It was just nightfall when he was com- pelled to give up trailing, and halt until the morrow. But he had made one important dis- covery only a few minutes before halt- ing, and that was the fact that no less than three of the scattered trails had come together again. On one of them that merged into the one he had been following he found a siake, which he at once recognized. It simply showed that one of the Five was on one of the trails leading baéK into that he followed, and which seemed to be the principal one. This told him that one of his rangers was now on the trail he was following, and had passed that point about noon of that day, so was half a dozen hours ahead of him. Utterly prostrated for want of sleep, rest, and food, for he had eaten nothing when he had staked his horses out, he threw himself down upon his blankets, not caring for any supper. He expected to have another night of sorrow like the past. But his eyes closed In spite of him, and so deep was, the slumber he sunk into that he did not awaken until dawn. He was utterly amazed at himself, and he quickly rolled up his blankets, and wholly rested now, was hungry, so built a fire and had a good breakfast. Saddling up, he pressed on his way once more, and at a good gait, to sud- denly come upon the spot where the raiders had halted for the night. He knew that, having scattered, they would not expect to be followed, and he did not doubt, as another trail joined the large one he was following, that he would find all of them come together again during the day. This belief was carried out by seeing another trail merge into the one he was on soon after, and here he found an- other stake. This told him that two of his Ferret Pards were then ahead of him on that very trail. At noon another trail merged into the main one, and here again was another stake, so three of the five were now ahead of him, he knew, and his face brightened at the thought. As the trail he had taken seemed to have been the main one, and taken a more direct course, he saw that the others of the five had traveled miles more than he had, and he had conse- quently gained upon them. During the afternoon three more trails had joined the main one, and on one of them was another stake where it came in. This told him that his four ‘guards were now ahead of him, and having counted the trails where they had first scattered, Bird Bainbridge knew that when he found the spot where another came into the one he was on it would be the last one. All had united now save one. As he had come along he had picked up every clue, especially at the camps, and the more he had seen, the more he was convinced that Buffalo Bill had made no mistake “when he said that white men, not Indians, had been the raiders of Bonaventura Ranch. CHAPTER XXIII. FOUND. As Bird Bainbridge progressed upon his way, picking up the scattered trails, he pushed his horses to a good pace, hoping to catch up with his pards by nightfall. He saw that the nature of the country — Dill’s Fighting Five. “™ 13 —s —--+= was “anging; he was coming to arid. plateaus, and where the trail was not. easy to follow. This told him that the boys ahead had had slower work of it than had fallen to his lot, for they had in many ways left what signs they couid for him. to more rapidly follow them. One thing, however, worried him-—the missing trail had not yet*merged into the main one. He had made no miscount, he knew; one trail was missing! Whoever had taken it had not yet come back to the main one. The country he was now in was strange to the young trailer. He had once, with his pards, penetrated northward, by an- other trail, to the Arizona line, just where the Little Colorado River crossed it, and the boys had hunted and fished there for a week, for game was plenti- ful. This was the old camp which had been made the rendezvous for the Fight- ing Five, for Bird had an idea that the raiders had their haunts in the Little Colorado country. That the Five dare not attempt to fight. the raiders when found the young lead- er well knew. He merely wished to track them to their haunt, and then be able to lead Buffalo Bill there, leaving the rest. for the scout. With the night Bird camped on the: shore of a tiny lake, surrounded by ce- dars, and where there was fairly good grass for the horses. Again tired nature demanded rest, and once more he slept soundly, thus regain- ing his strength through the “ sweet re-- storer,”’ sleep. He ate a good supper and enjoyed his breakfast, for the tax upon his energies. demanded it. His grief was just as poignant, but he had settled into the determination not to yield to it, te be a man, and one day strike the blow to avenge that he had sworn to. Bright and early he was again in the: saddle. The trail, which he had followed near the Rio Grande thus far, branching off to the westward toward the Little Colorado. Through a barren country it now led, and when the tracks of the horses of his pards were visible, he could see that they were going very slow, for it was. difficult, except here and there, to fol- low the trail of the raiders. When plainly seen there were the: tracks of all the animals, as far as could be judged, that the raiders had left the: Meadowland Valley with. Whether the missing trail had yet come into the other Bird Bainbridge: was not sure, for it might have done so where the soil was too barren to leave a trace. On he went, fecling pretty certain that. he would at least come up with the four - pards by noon, and they could tell about how far ahead the raiders were. He grew a little anxious, fearing that the youngsters might have pressed. the raiders too close, and he knew? What | would follow, for the Five to be caught by superior numbers thus far from home and help. The more he thought of this the more it troubled him; so he increased his pace and moved on at a canter, only here and there able to detect any trail in the rocky soil. A short halt was made at* noon for the sake of the horses, not himself. Then the ride was renewed and the rapid. pace kept up by the resolute youth. 900 com Cc & spe “a ‘5