Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 981 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

om - : . =? —, - a Sa Wor ee wie me | > a > cad o, ‘a ~_, oA . (eo x 7 A qaeert, 8 — we. - d ; A > z , 4 mary ‘ot - Se a pe - =o tte P 4 aa Py , a . ‘rat Lees * Zs - ‘14 It was near sunset when Bird Bain- bridge ascended a rocky ridge covered “with scattered cedars. “When I get up there I can see far ahead,” he concluded, and he urged the horses into a gallop. As he neared the hill he suddenly saw horsemen appear upon the summit, and ‘gave a cheer as he recognized his four comrades, But they neither heard him nor saw him; they appeared to be bewildered, riding about in a most unmethodic way, which Bird could not understand. At last one of them gave a shout; whereupon the others dashed toward him and were seen to quickly dismount. Then the young leader realized what the trouble was; they were being pur- sued, and had been scattering to find an advantageous. position in which to en- trench themselves. The’ spot found was on the highest point of the ridge, right where there was a pile of rocks thrown up like a fort. They rode into or behind the rocks and their horses were not visible. Spurring up the ridge toward the spot, Bird Bainbridge was seen by his com- rades and a wild cheer greeted him. The next moment he, too, dashed into the little fort, and then he knew) the truth, for pressing back over the trail, in’ hot pursuit, were a score of horsemen, and not half a mile away. They were the Red-handed Raiders of Bonaventura Ranch! CHAPTER XXIV. UNDER SIEGE. The sight that met the brave young ' leader of the Five was not reassuring. The position had once been a place of ‘defense, not long before. Big stones had been thrown together and put in posi- tion, forming a breastwork six feet in height and the space behind large enough to conceal the horses of the boy braves and themselves. That those who had fought there be- fore had met a sad fate was shown by a dozen bleached skeletons lying within the enclosure—a mute witness but a Bad one. There was one opening to the ‘Sint of stones through which the horses could enter, where the rocks had been pulled down or had fallen. This gap the alert boys quickly closed up. | That the Five had halted there the raiders did not seem to believe, for _ they were pressing rapidly on up the * hill, evidently expecting to catch them on the open plain beyond. The young’ Captain was welcomed with a joy which made his heart glad, but there was no time then for questions to be asked and answered. * Boys, I have plenty to eat; ammuni- tion enough also,@and three canteens of water. We must stand them off as best we can and shoot to kill every time. “Be ready to give it to them just as soon as they come within range. “ach one should get his man; that is the only “way to cut down the number against us. “ Are you ready?” “ All ready,” was the answer, and ‘Jeaving their horses saddled as_ they ra » ee » ~~ * « >", vo-4 were, the boy braves quickly had their rifles on the ready. The trail, such as it was, led over the ridge a hundred yards from the little stone fortress. Along this the raiders were riding, their horses on the run. Reaching the top of the ridge, and - geeing nothing of those they pursued Bufialo Bill’s Fighting | FL ve. —— ee flying along the plain, as they had ex- pected, they drew rein in surprise. At that moment Bird Bainbridge said: “They are those who raided my home, for I see several of our horses yonder, and one man is riding my father’s sad- dle. “T will take him—Fire! ” The five rifles flashed almost as one. The man whom the young leader had picked out fell dead from the saddle and one other dropped from his horse. One man was wounded badly, as could be seen, and one horse dropped dead, another being hit hard, for he dashed off with his rider. Every one of the shots of the Five had told, though not as well as could have been wished, owing to the excite- ment of the marksmen. The =§raiders had just suspected that their foes were in hiding in the rock fort, and were turning to charge it when the volley came. The shots, as was expected, threw the raiders into disorder, and for a moment they hardly knew what to do, but one called out to charge the fort, and this they did. But the defenders opened with their revolvers, and the raiders, with the loss of one man killed, another wounded, and a couple of horses struck hard, turned and rode rapidly out of range. Watching them, the Five saw them talking excitedly for a few minutes; then the whole band went into camp in a ce- dar thicket, while one man led their horses down into the valley beyond, the Little Colorado flowing only a short dis- tance away. The raiders were seen to divide in two columns, one going one side of the little fortress, the other rounding it so as to completely encompass it. The men, counted now to be thirteen in number, sought rocks for refuge to take positions around the fort and be- siege it. They seemed to be sure of their: game now, the idea being to simply starve them out for water. One other man, down with the horses in the valley, made the number four- teen, but a fifteenth -was discerned in the cedars apparently their leader. Three dead bodies lay upon the field, and several wounded men reclined upon blankets in the cedars. “They are easily three to one against us, boys, but we hold the position on ‘them. “It is simply a case of siege, and we'll see how long we can stand it,” remarked Bird Bainbridge, quite at his ease. Then the boys each told how they had followed the respective trails they were on, and thus had all come together again. They had gone over the ridge intend- ing to camp op the river for the night, when; suddenly, they had discovered the raiders already encamped below on the river; so, there was nothing to do but to skip, which they had done, making for the hill crest, where their leader had found them. Thus beleaguered, the boys made the best of their situation, and first strength- ened it by filling up crevices in rocks, and so making their fortress as secure as hands could make ft. The horses were unsaddled and kept in one corner, the blankets were spread for beds, and the supplies were pro- duced. Food they had in plenty, but no fire to cook it with. Fortunately, each of the Five had his canteen filled, and this water might have to “to laat Shere, doeca ae them for a long time, but their poor horses must be the sufferers. “We can turn them out when they can stand it no longer, and if those wretches take this fort, our bones will be here with these around us, to show that we fought to! the last,” said Bird Bainbridge; there was no blanching of faces or tremors of heart among his com- rades; they would live or die together, CHAPTER XXYV. THE UNSEEN ALLY. Supper was eaten by the Fighting Five; then all went on watch for awhile, it being decided that two must be on guard all night. It would be moonlight soon, but until it was, the darkness might tempt the raiders to make an advance quietly, and then a rush. That this was attempted a shot soon revealed, for Seth Saunders had dis- cerned a moving object and had prompt- ly fired upon it. A yell of agony followed; rushing feet were heard; then another shot, that time by Bird Bainbridge, a moan following, and after that utter silence. There was another shot in the night late, when one of the raiders attempted to remove the-.dead. Rud Rainey fired the shot, and another raider remained on the field with the dead. The night finally passed, but day- break revealed that the raiders were still in position around the stone strong- hold of the dauntless Five. They were seen to go by twos to breakfast in the camp in the cedars, and their horses were visible grazing in the valley beyond, a guard with them. So the whole day passed in perfect quietness, the boys on incessant watch, ready for any demonstration. But the enemy made no move, up to nightfall. In the darkness which came before moonrise, a feint of attack was made by the raiders, but not carried out. The moon was well up when, to the surprise of the beleaguered boys, a shot flashed out in the valley, and there was heard the sound of troops ata gallop. Had some one fired upon the guard and run off with the horses? The raiders were heard calling to each other excitedly, and soon after, in the still, rarified air, a distant voice shouted: “They have killed Buster and stam- peded all the horses! They’ve got some pards outside the fort!” The Fighting Five cheered lustily, and were joyous Over what they heard. But, who could be their friend? . “It must be Buffalo Bill,” cried one. But the others shook their heads. “It is probably true; for if he left the fort soon after his arrival and was going by Fort Tule Rosa Wingate his trail would lead near here,’ said Bird Bain- bridge. Soon after midnight the watchers in: the fort were startled by another shot. Nick Walters and Kane Noland, who were on guard, reported that they had seen a rifle’s flash a couple of hundred yards from the camp in the cedars. That the shot had told on some one in the camp the excitement there suffi- ciently showed. Who could be this unknown friend? The rest of the night was a most un- easy one for the besiegers, but one of in- tense expectancy to the boys in the fort. * Morning came at last, and the Fight- ing Five then discovered that the raid- ers’ horses were not in the yalley. Had they been stampeded by the lone shot? > _