Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 981 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

: f . - ‘another flash was seen, Their foes still surrounded the posi- tion; they at least had not been stam- _ peded. Would the solitary marksman €0me again, to the raiders’ dismay? So the brave boys fondly hoped, and kept on the watch for every movement; but nothing transpired all that day; the enemy was not disturbed. The plunder seen in the camp in the cedars Bird Bainbridge knew to have been taken from his home, and he felt all the more merciless toward the men he had to fight. Another night came, and in the dark- ness preceding the rising of the moon another shot Was heard. ; Their unseen ally was still at work! A dozen shots quickly followed, fired from the camp, evidently aimed toward the spot where the unseen ally of the boys had been. “T do hope none of those bullets hit him,” said Bird, anxiously. Then they began to count. If the three shots fired by their solitary friend had each killed a raider, the band had been reduced. by seven killed and several wounded. At midnight another shot rang out, sharply, on the clear night air, now still nearer to the camp in the cedars. The delighted lads responded with a cheer, which told their unseen friend that all was yet well with. them! “It must be Buffalo Bill,” Bird, and all agreed with him. Thus another night passed away. The water was by that time almost gone from the canteens, and the horses were intensely suffering of thirst and decided . hunger. No food or water had they had, and the Five decided that the next morning they would turn the animals loose, to go to the valley for grass and to the river to quench their thirst. As the besiegers kept themselves out of sight, the lads could not tell wheth- er any more had been killed or wound- ed until the march to their camp kitch- en, by twos, for their meals was ob- served. “Yes, our invisible pard is cutting them off,” announced Bird, after a care- - ful watch and count; “ he is killing them ———_ off one by one.” All then were inspired with the hope that the raiders would soon have left the siege and depart. So the Five kept jn their horses and waited. Again night fell, and hardly had it done so when both the Besieged Five and the raiders were startled by a dozen shots ringing out in rapid succession! And the shots were turned upon’ the raiders’ camp in the cedars! “That is Buffalo Bill! It is his terri- ble repeating rifle!’’ shouted Bird Bain- bridge, and the Five sereamed them- selves hoarse with their welcome. CHAPTER XXVI. AVENGED AT. LAST. When Buffalo Bill left Fort McRae he held on his way along the trail leading to Meadowland Valley until: he came to _ where it branched off toward Fort Tule Rosa. This fort was reached without incident and only a short halt made there. Then the scout pulled out almost due north to cross the Zugi Plateau and reach. Deep Spring, the rendezvous ap- pointed with the Lone Buffalo. He did not doubt but that the Indian would be there with some information of the raiders. Expecting to halt at Deep Spring for a good rest, he pushed on rapidly for that point, and as he drew near it, late one afternoon, he was surprised to see some horses grazing ahead in a little meadow, not far from the Little Colorado. Almost instantly he noticed a horse- man coming toward him. “It is the Lone Buffalo, and he has got a big drove of horses in some way,” said the scout. Soon after the two met, and the In- dian’s face was all aglow at what he had to tell. He had followed a trail of the raiders, and had discovered, several days before, that they were encamped on the Little Colorado. He had hardly made this discovery, watching them from a ridge, when he saw a party of four horsemen ascending the ridge, and far back over the plain Was a single horseman with an animal in lead. He could not warn the party from where h2 was, though he had recognized the young Silver Star who had come to Buffalo Bill and himself upon the trail. He saw -them going right upon the outlaw camp. Then followed the discovery, the flight to the fort, the coming up of the single horseman and the pursuit of the raid- ers. “ How many?” The Indian held up his hand four times to indicate twenty. ‘“ Rather a large force, but what did you do then?’”’ “Me help,” was the reply. Encouraged to talk by the scout, Lone Buffalo went on to tell how the Five had stood the raiders off, and he, hav- ing fully reconnoitred the position, de- cided to pick the raiders off as he could. Then he re'ated about the killing of the guard over the horses and stamped- ing all the animals, bringing them to where they were them grazing. He told of his continued good work, and added how glad he was to see the scout, for together they could stampede the outlaws. : “We must do better than that, Lone Buffalo; we must wipe them out! “Such cutthroats as they deserve no merey, and that brave boy will be avenged sooner than we thought. “He has already done good work to- ward it himself, “from your account, though he was reckless to push on so far after so large a band, “But he is here now with his brave pards; the raiders of his home, the slay- ers of his people, are all here, and so, too, are we, Lone Buffalo! ‘Let us do our best to wipe out that band of outlaws, and now decide upon our plan to do it,” and the scout’s words and manner showed that he was moved to the quick and in deadly earnest. The result of the powwow with Lone Buffalo was that half a dozen effigies to represent men, were made and put on the horses and fastened there, Buffalo Bill finding that the Indian had bridled and saddled every outlaw’s horse before killing the guard and. stampeding the animals! When they moved toward the camp in the cedars, after dark, it certainly ap- peared to be half a dozen horsemen fol- lowing the scout and the redskin. Leaving the “dummy” horsemen to be brought up by the Lone Buffalo, the scout crept to a spot near the camp in the cedars, and opened with his repeat- ing rifle. The effect was startling, and when the Indian came dashing up with*his horse- men the rising moon revealing them, the scout shouted in commanding tones: OS: Buffalo Bill’s Figehting Five. “Troopers, charge! ”’ The outlaws were panic-stricken and fled, while the Fighting Five dashed out of their fort, mounted upon their ponies, weak though they were, and joined the | pursuit. Se LL Driven to bay in the plain below, the ranch terrors fired a voHey, that wound- ed Bird Bainbridge and the Indian slight- ly, and killed two ponies; but the an- swering fire caused them to shriek for mercy. Five of the desperadoes were made prisoners, and were.quickly led toward the camp on the Little Colorado, where wood, water and grass could be had in abundance. It was midnight before the other horses were brought up and the camp fires built, when supper was prepared and the Five went at it as they had fought—with a vengeance. The next day and night were spent in camp for rest, and the next morning the Fighting Five parted company with the gallant scout and Lone Buffalo, Bird Bainbricge saying with deep emotion: “Through you, Mr. Cody,.I have avenged my dead. God bless you and preserve you for other good work!” CHAPTER XXVIII. CONCLUSION. Buffalo Bill held on his way to Fort Wingate, to continue on in his remark- able career as the King of the Border. The Lone Buffalo, loaded down with the presents Buffalo Bill had brought him, among them a repeating rifle, and things given him by Bird Bainbridge from the booty recaptured from the out- laws, started for his retreat in the mountains, four ponies carrying his out- fit. There he continued to live, and was known as the Hermit Redskin. The Fighting Five, with their prison- ers, equaling them in number, and the booty packed on the recaptured and captured ponies, started for home. The dead outlaws had been buried, and the five prisoners almost wished that they had shared the fate of their evil comrades—that it was all over with be- fore the settlers could wreak their vengeance. It was a slow ride back to Meadow- land Valley, but one day at noon the cavalcade reached the ranch, and Bird saw what his kind and sympathetic friends had done for him. On their ar- rival word was sent down the valley to summon the settlers, who speedily as- sembled. A judge and jury were quickly found; the trial of the five prisoners fol- lowed, then their execution, for. their sentence was to be hanged. From that day Buffalo Bill’s Fighting Five became known as the patrol of the valley, and from one end to the other the settlers revered the name of Col. William F, Cody, the Chaef of Scouts. THE END. NEXT HALF-DIME LIBRARY, No. 983 THE GIRL PILOT; , The Death-Bell of the Reefs, -_—_--— oe BY G. WALDO BROWNE. ‘CO mre “4 ‘ ® } 1 * * — -@ | r - > - + . o *< —_— . \ ae" _* . ‘ “as 1 : ~ ‘a .