Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 768 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

¢ ‘ 12 not seem to find him, for there was not a sym- pathetic face in the whole crowd, Phocion looked at his watch, and replaced it in the pocket of bis buckskin vest. ‘“My time is not quite up,” said he. ‘‘ But I am ready to tell who killed Durango Dave,” A murmur of surprise ran through the gang and eye met eye in bewildering astonishment. ‘* He was sbot by Doodles,” continued the red- beard, ‘*Byv Doodles, the half-breed?’ cried half a dozen voices, ‘* By The Count’s protege,” coolly answered Phocion. ** Where is he?” The tall miner shook his head, ‘*' You don’t know, eh, Phocion, and yet you accuse Doodles of the murder of Durango Dave!” Tbe red beard dropped in acquiescence, ‘*Who told you that Dood'es killed Dave of Durango?” ‘* Doodles bimself,” The whole crowd laughed, ‘* This is a story fit for the marines!” said the giant who stood at the head of the mob, *‘It will do to tell ‘elsewhere, but not here, Phocion, We want proof of what you say, You must produce the culprit or the court will Sift. There was a terrible meaning in the last words. The court of Ragged Robin was Cap- tain Jack’s creation; it was as much a creature of his will as the men who composed it. Pho- cion knew this, but be did not quail at the words he heard, ‘*T can’t produce Doodles and I wouldn’t if 1 could,” he suddenly said, ** You wouldn’t, eb?” **T wouldn’t!” How firmly bebind the miner’s last words shut the lips that bad jus spook»! ‘*Gentlemen, 1 have . v1 my share of the work, You gave me teu hours in which to fiud the person who killed Durango Dave. I have found bim, It is for you to do the rest,” Han Phocion betrayed Eagle Ned to his foes? If he loved the boy, why had he. deliberately charged hin with this borrid crime? lt looked like treachery of the basest sort. Phocion turned toward the door and walked forward, There was a movement to intercept him, but all at once he wheeled avd covered the first rank with a six-shooter. His eyes fuir- ly glittered behind it and while he looked over the shining barrel those who watched him saw death in bis mien. ‘*Lam going out,” he said, ‘*The man who follows me will never reach the sunlight alive, When you want me at your packed court you will find me ready,” Out of the door went Phocion with the tread ofa victor. He was seen to cross the Plaza bending his steps toward the cabin where Stir- rup Steve was confined. ‘He is going to rescue Steve!” went up from every side. Phocion did not halt until he reached the door. It was secured on the outside with chain and sme and one ot bis hands seized the fasten- ngs, A quick wrench and the lock had_ been ** picked,” and those who looked at the defier saw tbe door thrown open. ** Steve?” called Phocion, and there came out the figure of Alta’s friend—the man accused of the murder of Red Mart, the secoad victim of the Spider’s stin; . ‘* This is mutiuy of the basest sort,” roared a voice, and all saw advancing across the Square the form of Jack Jargo, bis hat thrown back, and his long hair dangling in the wind on bis shoulders, ** Call it what you will,” said Phocion, looking at The Count. ‘I call it mutiny, too—mutiny against the accursed power of the Camp Spi- ders. A man can die but once, and if he falls resisting oppression he will have died a victor,” Jack stopped in the midst of the astonished men of the mountain camp, He glared at them with the malignity of a tiger, and then covered Phocion and Stirrup Steve with his hand. ‘‘ Forward! Arrest the two traitors!” he cried, Not a man moved, It might have been the revolver firmly gripped by tbe dark hand of Phocion that held them back, or it might have been the figure moving with swift strides toward the but. All recognized Alta—Alta, the mountain waif. Jack saw the girl and his brow ruffled. She had come between him and his victims once before, and bere she was again. Alta came on with her eyes riveted upon the Eagle Ned, two men facing the sullen mob, and when near them she halted and looked toward Jack and the Camp Spiders, ‘‘ Neither of those men are guilty,” she said, ‘* Their bands are bloodless, In the first place, Red Mart died by the same hand that slew Laza- s,”’ ‘* Who killed Lazarus?” cried some one in the crowd, The girl’s form seemed to bend forward, She | met the eyes of Steve and Phocion and seemed CC ttt ttt —_ ee to hesitate, **The Spiders killed them both,” she said at length, ‘* They felt the death sting of the insect, and died in their boots, Those men were marked; each carried on his breast a mark which was that of a band of Vigilantes that lived in a cer- tain camp which had spiders just like Ragged Robin, They wiped out the nest, or thought they did, but they were mistaken. One of the Spiders escaped; he lived through the deadly campaign inaugurated by the Vigilantes, The dagger that slew Red Mart and Lazarus was the dagger of the Spiders of the other mountain camp, It bas been transplanted here, Men of Ragged Robin, you are the slaves of the Spider of death; you are the tools of the wretch who would fasten upon the innocent the crime of murder,” There was no reply to these accusations, but all felt that one could have deen made, Alta walked on to the doomed miners, but stopped at the loud voice of Captain Jack, ‘* What is it, Captain Jargo?” she asked, Those who looked at The Count saw him throw his hat to the ground and step forward, He looked a perfect Apollo in the sunlight and was the center of interest, ‘** The court shall sit at once!” hecried, ‘‘ The tribunal which takes cognizance of these things is convened for immediate session,” A smile of derision seemed to touch the white lips of the wonderfully coo) beroine, **Call the court together,” she said. Captain Jack did so and then turned toward the palace. They all saw bim walk back over the Plaza while the crowd, or the largest part of it, went to Black Burt’s, The crisis in the history of Ragged Robin had come, It was the final struggle between the Camp Spiders and their enemies. In the minds of nearly all there could be but one ending of the figbt. The Camp Spiders were all-powerful; they had for their chief a man whose cunning and strength were proverbial—a man schooled in the crimes of other camps and the secrets of other trails, Where was Eagle Ned? The men of the camp must have asked themselves this question while they went away to prepare for the session of the famous tribunal of the Black Mesa. Would he appear again on the scene? Or had he fled, be- trayed by Phocion who had taken bim in and given him food and shelter? Alta and Stirrup Steve walked together to- ward the girl’s home thus telling all who saw them that they were more than friends. Dark looks followed the pair, who were followed by Phocion, whose figure seemed to have a lofticr stature and in whose eagle eyes shone a look of defiance and coolness, At the same time a boy was standing in the doorway of a mine the silent spectator, but at a distance from the scenes we have just witnessed, Kagle Ned had come out of tbe Merry Mixer and was watching the scenes before hin, His eye tcok in everything; he saw the girl’s triumphand watched the form of Jack as it went back to the palace where he had slept in the gleam of Selina’s dagger, When the nabob had closed the door of his house bebiad him, Eagle Ned went back into the the mine and stood for a moment against the wall with shadows on every side, ‘*T go out to win or lose,” be said, solemnly, ‘*The time for the final fight bas come, The mutineers may lose courage when the test comes, but I must not, I have played this kand in the very shadow of death, I bave spied with the hand of doom over me; I have slept in tie nest of the Camp Spider and, my lost sister, all for vou! More than this: I have another mission, I told the dead in the tunnel that I would avenge tle crime concealed there. Yes, Joshua Meeks, I will do this or perish by the Spiders of the Black Mesa!” ; And the uplifted hand of the boy spy fell to bis side and he disappeared once more. CHAPTER XyV, A SHOT IN THE BONANZA, ‘THE boy is somewhere, I would like to find him,” said Captain Jack when he bad entered he Boy on Guard, SANT ES SA the palace and faced a man whom he called to him, ** We will find him, captain,” ‘* Tt must be done,” The man departed and The Count was left alone, For some time he sat at the table, his face cast in thought and silence in the room. By and'by there stole in the figure of Selina, and the moment the woman saw him she stop- “You have given me away, eb?” said Selina. The Count looked at her and saw a dangerous ' light iv ber vyes, ‘*To be plain, I have found a husband for you,” he said atlast, ‘‘I thought it high time for you to bave a master, and so I found one. IL bave told Toby tbat you will become his wife.” Selina leaned toward the speaker, with a sin- ister smile at the corners of her moutb, “That is all right. You are very kind. W here is this future busband of mine?” ** Do you want to see him?” ‘* Why not?” smiled Selina. ‘I would like to see Toby. Shall I go out and find him?” The pnabob of Ragged Robin hardly knew what to say. He did not like Selina’s looks. There was something about bis sister which boded evil to his plans, aud he almost wished that be had not rescued her from the fury of the mob across the border, “1 will find him,” she wenton, “TI will go out and see Toby. But what have you done with the boy who stung you so?” ‘*He will be in my hands ere long. I will have the whole camp on bunt of him, and he cannot escape,” ** When you bave fc und him, what?” ‘“ Never mind that, I will attend to that when we have captured him! ‘* Tt won’t te banishment, will it?” ‘It will be more than’tbat, but I won’t tell you any more now,” and with a wave of his hand the boss of the camp dismissed Selina, who reluctantly retired, The court of the camp came together in the saloon where on more tban one occasion pre- viously it had met and passea sentence on some offender, It was composed of men in The Count’s service, and all of them bad worn the mask of the Camp Spider. These were the men who were to pass sentence on Phocion and Siir- rup Steve, and before whom, when caught, Eagle Ned would be brought, But other events were transpiring in anotber art of the camp, events destined to have a vearing on the session of the court, Tbe men sent out to search for Eagle Ned were at work. They had resolved to look thrcugh the mines, and remembering the Merry Mixer, a lot of them entered it, and found in the dry dust near the entrance a footprint, which seemed to give them encouragement, Eagle Ned heard the voices of bis hunters and retired deeper into the bonanza. He knew that the cool nien of the camp, the merciless follow- ers of the fortunes of Jack Jargo, were at bis heels, and it was not the proper time for him to appear on the scepe and unmask the man he hated. ; The men tracked him into the heart of the old mine and there met for consultation, There were six of them and they knew the interior of the mine pretty well. They had visited it on several occasions and when they found them- selves there, they resolved to prosecute the search until success crowned their efforts. Meanwhile, Ned, lying along a ledge in the dark, was watching the council being Leld be- neath him, Presently the men started and listened, ‘* Some one is behind us,” said one, ‘* We have been followed, Can 1t be by the boy bimse}t ?” Ned, too, had beard the footfall which came down the echoing corridorand all at once the figure of a gir] burst into the light of the torch in the wall, It was Alta, | ‘That is risky, Alta,” said Eagle Ned to him- self. ‘tl am able to take care of myself and you only run into danger when you come here to warn me of the hunt.” The girl of the camp saw the men before her and suddenly drew back, but too late, She had been seen by all, ‘Halt, thar!” cried the leader of the band, ‘We don’t want to hurt you, but you are the very person we want.” The next moment Alta came on and stopped in front of the six. “ Whar’s the boy?” Ned saw the lips of the girl meet resolutely and her eyes seemed to flash, The hand of the speaker clutched her arm and vf , .* Af | sf ? - "CF A “s : “7 : ‘ > ee * ae “ , ° > ¢ - é + \ \* ° > - , _s ome ‘ a — = -” | 2 Bis ; : ' ‘| ry 4 . i ‘ > e* J 1-8 ‘ = Lipo “ —_ : Mean! © : ee Ee ee —_— ~~» la : Ly Lad tt eae ae ey Se 3 $ ve, : (RFs ¥ ” ee ta d ; a