Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 768 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 THF BOY ON GUARD; OR, The Camp Spiders of Ragged Robin. A Romance of the Black Mesa, BY T. C. HARBAUGH, AUTHOR OF *‘ BUCKSKIN DETECTIVE,” ‘* PHIL FLASH,” ** BOY SHADOW,” ** WIDE-AWAKE LEM,” “*DAIGY DELL,” ‘* DODGER DICK” NOVELS, ETC., ETC., ETC, CHAPTER LI. THE MYSTERY OF THE TUNNEL. ‘* SEEMS ter me he’s a little queer hyer,” and the speaker known as Lazarus touched bis fore- head significantly and smiled, “He never says much, that’s a fact, an’ mebbe Lazarus is right, after all. What ever set him down in Ragged Robin Heaven only knows. He’s no good wharever he is, I guess,” This was the opinion of the tough crowd con- gregated in the one bar-room of the mining- camp situated in tne heart of the famous Black Mesa in the center of Arizona, The subject of these remarks was a boy who had just left the place—a lad of perhaps seven- teen, with a fine physique and a clear face which was framed with masses of dark hair almost as silken as the locks of a maiden, He was known as Eagle Ned, and had been for some time a resident of the camp. No one seemed to know from whence he had come, and it was believed that he was “‘out of his head” as the roughs of the camp expressed it—which meant that the boy was crazy, ‘*So long as he burts no one we'll let him stay,” continued the first speaker, a tall, dark- faced man with a bad eye who was called Laz- arus, because he always said he was broke, though he had been seen to play long at the gaming-table which ran through the whole night at Ragged Robin. Eagle Ned had folund a home with a good-heart- ed miner who lived on the outskirts of the CaEnys and witb whom he got along very well. ‘ When he left the bar-room he sauntered to- ward the cabin where he *‘ bunked,” and seemed to be talking to himself as if there was some- thing serious on his mind—the mind the toughs said was ‘‘ shaky.” Phocion, the miner with whom Ned tarried, bo not in and the boy ciosed the dvor and sat own, | | ~. “* I guess I will never find her,” he muttered. .“* Here I bave been scouring the camps of Arizona for months but,seem to beas far from success as ever, Everything is against me, Perhaps I ought to give up and try to lay up something forarainy day. But, I can’t get her out of my head; no, I can’t dismiss the fact that 1 once bad a sister and that she is lost. If it wasn’t for that I would go back, or to the new West and try to make a raise,” He would bave continued muttering or ponder- ing if the door had not opened at that moment and he beheld a man before him, It was’ not his friend Phocion but another tenant of the camp and well-known to every oneinit. Yes, everybody knew. ‘‘ The Count,” as he was called—a large man with waxed mustaches, a dark, Mexicanish Skin and. little eyes that looked as dangerous as those of a pantber. He wasthe main man of the camp, owned more “ locates” than any other, and was as rich as men generally get who mine and gamble among the mountains of the wild South- west. Eagle Ned eyed The Count sharply and his look was returned, with interest. ‘IT say, boy, bow would you like to do mea favor?’ demanded the man, ‘* ’m always ready to help any one. What is it you want done?’ **It’s a little dangerous, in a certain sense,” returned The Count, ‘‘ I wantsome one to creep down through the Devil’s Tunnel and see if there is a ghost at the end of it.” Now, Eagle Ned could not help smiling at this, He knew something about the Devil’s Tunnel, a long, dark, mysterious corridor in the main mine owned by The Count, whose other name was said to be Jack Jargo. Men who live wild, tough lives are more or less superstiticus, and it was believed that at the end of ‘he Devil’s Tun- nel lurked a ghost which was said to be the g Eagle Ned, the Boy on Guard. Eagle Ned spirit of an old Spanish monk walled up by the | made, the boy hastily lifted his hat and took Indians when they rebelled against Spanish rule | therefrom a newspaper, which he carefully in the Southwest and thus closed some of the | twisted and then fired, just as bis matcb was ex- richest mines in tbe world, piring. ‘* Are you afraid?’ asked Jack. He had good light now, and one which the ‘“‘T guess not,” was answered; and Ned arose | noxious vapors of the tunnel could not kill, and and put on the coat he kad thrown aside. | with itin one hand he looked again at the man ‘* When do you want me to go?” at his feet. ‘‘Now. Itis night and no one wili see us go He had never seen him before, To his knowl- down to the mine.” edge no such a person had ever come to Ragged ‘* Come along, then,” Robin, He was a fine-looking personage, with Somewhat surprised at the alacrity shown by | a sweeping mustache and clear-cut face, His the youth, The Count led the way from the | age must have been something past forty. shanty and in a moment they were on their way Though the face looked natural, and even to the shaft. fresh, Ned saw that a mold covered the hands. ‘* It’s a pretty long crawl,” explained Jack, as This showed that be bad been a long time dead if to give the boy a chance to back out, if he | and that for weeks, perhaps months, he bad lain wished, in the tunnel. ‘* Tl] do my best to get to the end of it,” was The sigbt of the dead man mystified the boy, the assurance, *] wonder if The Count knew anything of ** You don’t believe in spooks, then?” this?” heasked himself, ‘‘ This man was mur- Ned turned and looked into the miner’s face, | dered, for here is a dark spotin the neck. Ah, he He thought he caught a vanishing eagerness in | was stabbed from behind and perhaps brought the little eyes, but he did not seem to note it, to this place after the crime.” ‘*]T was never taught that ghosts harmed any The next moment Eagle Ned made another one,” he said, ‘' Therefore, I can’t say that | be-| startling discovery. The man’s left band lieve in such things,” clutched a piece of paper! Witbout hesitation They weut on until the mine shaft was reached | the boy tore it from the dead man’s clasp at the and five minutes later Eagle Ned and Jack stood | risk of destroying it, and holding it near the at the bottom of it, flame of his extemporized torch read some ‘**The boys thonght it best to shut the tunnel | scrawled lines which seemed to still the heart up,” explained the owner, as be turned bis light | that beat in his bosom, upon the tunnel whose mouth was seen to be i £ Seok Keon vhedeeit I weite this stopped with bowlders, “They never go into! jy teas words, ithe’ Hiatenae of darkness and it themselves and they don’t think that I would | wajied in till I die, My nameis Judah Meeks. I like to investigate,” came to Rageed Robin bunting for my own, but the The sihewy hands of The Count rolled the | Camp Spiders havestruck me, This is my birthday, stones from the mouth of the tunnel and Eagle | the 29th of May. and I must die on it. Who will 4 -- | avenge me? Who will break the web of the Camp Ned stooped and tried to look down the dark Spiders and crush the Spiders themselves? Do it | way. But his keen eyes refused to show him and have a dead man’s blessing!” -_——_—_oenneneeeeee een nS. rm anything, | ** No ghosts yet, Jack,” he observed, soberly, “The 29th of May?” cried Eagle Ned. te,” ‘* Heavens, this is November and this man lias ** Tl investiga ‘‘ All right; go in now and see how long the | been lving hereall that time! Judah Meeks, eb? infernal tunnel is, and what is at the end of it; | If lever get out of here myself, I will find out then return and report.” something about him, and, if I ever ean, I will The boy did so, He crawled into the tunnel, | avenge hisdeath, I’m now doubly on guard; I which was nearly high enough to let bim stand | Must be sleepless now,” erect and looking back be saw that Jack ard his Then, bis torch baving burned out, he found torch had vanished, bimself ina gloom that seemed palpable. He Ned was well provided with long stick | was the companion of the dead! matches, aud striking one, he sounded the walls | | _--oe o> CHAPTER II, ANOTHER, Puocron, Ned’s friend, came home and found the shanty uninhabited, | This person was a singular man who had roughed it nearly al) bis life. He wore a red beard, which did not enhance his good looks, nor were bis long ape-like arms graceful appendages to his lank body, . Phocion had taken a fancy to the boy, who seemed to be a waif on the sea of life, and when and kept on, On, on be went, the close, fetid air almost sickening him, All at once he stopped and thought, ‘‘What if I am that man’s victim?” passed |. eh his mind, ‘* What if be brought me to this place to bury me here? They don’t like me, I know they don’t; I am tramping around too much, and always with my eyes open. heard them talking about me this very night down at Black Burt’s, and very well understand that they would like to have me out of the camp, I have seen some very strange things since com- ing to Ragged Robin, and they don’t want me | Ned came to thecamp the old prospector was to find out too much, that is evident, so I must | prompt to offer him a home, and to tell him that be on guard, all) the time—never be found off | so Jong as he remained his shanty door was open guard,” to bim, He went on again, however, finding that the | ‘*T don’t see what’s come over the boy,” said tunnel bad turned and no longer was running straight into the huge hill, He could touch the sides. with outstretched hands, but the stones shed an almost icy moisture, and altogether the | else, If the latter, be would better be careful, Dévil’s Tunnel was about as dismal a place as | for this camp is not the place for a sly-boots. It | Phocion, ‘*I have caught him out of nights, | one could imagine. | is dangerous ground to people of this sort an’ | | for he ccmes in at all bours, Mebbe he is lookin’ for the lost sister an’ mebbe he is up to something There came a time when his matches would | they wouldn’t hesitate to set it up on the young not burn. When he struck one it went out im-! ’un—not a bit!” mediately, as if some ghostly band had smotb- Phocion went out and walked down to where ered it, e knew it was the foul, mephitic air | the doors of the bar-room lately visited by Eagle in the tunnel, and shutting his lips bard, resolved | Ned stood open, He Jooked inside as he passed to go a little further and then make his way | and seemed to take vote of the crowd at the back, counter, A smile flitted across Phocion’s face. At last Eagle Ned found the last match in his ‘**Same old lay-out,” he muttered, but not-loud pocket, and be promised bimself to hoard it for | enough to reach the ears of the gang inside. some desperate emergency. ‘‘1t’s been the same old gang ever since I came He touched the end of the tunnel, or at least | to Ragged Robin. I don’t see how Alta can he thought he did, for a wall rose before him | stand it: but, mebbe she thinks she couldn’t do and he came to a halt, better and so stays where sbe is,” ‘* Now, where is the ghost?” he asked himself. | Phocion was quitting the vicinity when he His foot, striking something, seemed to an- | heard a footstep, and turning was face to face swer ‘* here,” and out came bis last match, with a young girl. Ned pulled off his hat and sheltered the flame ‘* Bless me, if it isn’t Alta herself!” be ejacu- within it, then he stooved and held the match | lated, and then he leaned forward and question- close to the ground, ed the fair creature, ’ W hat did he see? “What am I out to-night for, Phocion?” re- Could it be that he was looking down into the | peated the girl, who was not yet nineteen, “| face of a dead man at the end of the Devil’s | don’t like to tell you, for they might not like it, Tunnel?—that a human being lay on the wet | but, murder has been committed!” | stone, with his arms outstretched, and looking ‘‘ Murder?” echoed the man, with a sudden for all the world like a late victim of murder? and of face. ‘*‘ You don’t mean to say that For once, as if to show bim that he had come agle Ned, my little pard friend, has been—” to a terrible place, the match burned longer “Of course not! What put that in your than common, and fearing to lose the light it | head? Who would kill the boy, anyhow? ! s bow - * . m . . Ay. at) woud OO