Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 1092 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

24 Old Cross-Eye, the Maverick-Hunter. Then he advanced slowly oyer the grass to- ward the body of the other, walking as if he was severely hurt, which was the case. Tom’s first bullet bad done the. most damage when Tomlinson had risen to his knees to fire, For that moment the desperado’s whole bod had been exposed, and he had received a ball through the bowels, that promised to end his existence in a short space of time—not more There was not much time to think about it* The poor judge was still lying there by his pony, but Tom could see, from the way in which he moved that’ he had not been killed. The poor old man was writhing about, andAry- ing to rise. Tomlinson was kneeling behind the body of his horse, réloading his Winchester | with a coolness that showd he bad not yet received a wound, “Thought ye didn’t know me, Haow d’ye know my name?” The judge reddened deeply as he retorted: ‘*One may know any sort of public scoundrel, by name and reputation, sir, without being compelled to recognize him socially. Get out of my path, sir.” And the bot-headed old Southerner instantly drew his pistol; for he saw that the other was But Tomlinson, like eye ee = ~~ a> - —— ees tg. — & bent on provoking a fight, and he was resolved on giving him ,the first. bullet, before he could draw his own weapon. He saw, too, what ‘Tomlinson did not see, the figure of a horseman coming over the prairie, behind the desperado, from the direction of Punch Burleson’s ranch, and recognized the form of Tom Field, who was galloping straight toward the pair. He had gotten his pistol out of. the holster, and almost cocked it, when Tomlinson, who had bad his bands down by his side, under the Mexican serape he wore over his gray jacket, suddenly fired from under that shelter, a cow- ardly shot, that he had had trained all the time he had been speaking; and the poor old jodge threw up his arms, his pistol going off as he did so, and fell under the feet of bis pony, with a faint cry, shot through the middle of the breast. The next minute came a shout in the rear, and the desperado turned his horse fo see the stranger, whom be did not recognize at first, coming over the green plain as fast as he could ZO. Tomlinson saw the gay velvet. dress, and thought it the sure mark of one of his own class, ° Who it could be, he did not know; but he ‘threw back his serape instantly, and prepared for action; for the duel on horseback was one of bis stroazest points, and one on which he prided himself particularly. y The two men wasted ne time in words, . They seemed to recognize an enemy as soon as they set eyes on each other. Tom Field had his Winchester rifle out, and ‘flred as he crossed the desperado’s path aiago- nally, while Tomlinson threw himself over the side of the horse, in the Indian fashion, The desperado had a rifle as well as the man pia was coming; but he bad not had it out in me. 4 He had attacked the judge with a derringer, which could be biaden in the hand, and kept under the shade of the serape, while bis Win- chester had been strapped to his back. He managed to get it out as he went over the side of bis horse, but not before his animal had re- ceived the shot intended for himself. . It had been fired to strike bim in the side, just above the belt, but as he went over the other side of the horse, Tom Field changed the aim, in ‘time to tuke the borse in the side, and_dropped it on the grass, stone-dead. This was by no means a disadvantage to Tom- _ linson, as far as the duel went, becauseit gave him a shelter for his body, under which he could fire at the other, as he rode about, ex- But Tom Field, on bis part, as soon as he saw the pony go down, put spurs to bis own horse, ‘and gallo by the fallen steed, at full speed, Fomping nto the only thing he saw exposed by 3 on—the. of the desperado, That head was behind the sights of a rifle and shot after shot was returned as Tom sen them in, with an accuracy that showed Tomlin- — bad not ee Se tt nme je | heaped of the horse was against any execu- ‘tion for either party; but it told against Field the most; for o6 eee steady rest, while Tom’s pony was on Pp. a Had it not been trained for the exp pur- pose of firing from its back, the disadvantage ‘would have been greater; but Tom bad trained it, up in the lonely ranch at the borders ef the Indian Territory. ° | The ten shots in each rifle were delivered in less than ten seconds: for neither man bad any idea of being shot down while taking aim. om felt several sharp twinges, as he was by the bullets of the desperado, but none of them see 'o make a disabling wound, and be rode on at speed, till be had exhausted bis magazine, when he passed out of range to re- d. It was his first duel, and be felt a strange sen- sation of exhilaration, as*he realized that he was not burt yet. He had recognized Tomlinson, and bad seen the desperado shoot down the old judge. He had sped to avenge the murder, as if he bad been a born Texan. All his former scruples “99 ~ the wind at the sight of the old map, as e fell. fi ‘Hitherto he had only fired at animals or tar- gets, and the words of the old judge flashed through his_mind at that moment; J’ve seen many a man wear a whole arsenal Se san who would run like a hare, if he had to use them at @qrocte that fired back at him.” Now he was firing at just that sort of target. It was firing back at him, with an aim that showed the person behind it was no fool, and be t the last time he and Tomlin- reme : gon bad met, the desperado had out-shot him. Would he out-shoot tevnoet ‘ esse rifle was nowhere to the other man was lying down, | think a hae ead till ye’ve,see Tom directed his eyes upward for a moment and his lips moved, but he safd no audible words, Perhaps his prayer was nono the less beard. Then he set spurs to his horse, and came down on the kneeling desperado at his best speed, the pony fairly leaping out.of its skin in its eager rush. Tomlinson drew up bis rifle to fire, and Tom put in p#acticea trick which be had learned from his friend Wild Cat, in. an Indian drill that he had seen up by the ranch of Old Cross- eC. Watching for the flash, he made his horse swerve from the path, and, as he expected, the shot went by his side, and sped on harmlessly, It pas-ed his shoulder, and showed him that Tomlinson was firing low, to hit bim in the breast, ; The flash had not yet fairly bidden itself in the white smoke, when be fired back into the puff, and saw some*hing that made 4 spring to one side, and then fell over. | He hud hit Tomlinson, though how severely he could not tell; for the desperado’was again sheltered, bebiod the carcass of the pony. Then Field remembered what Wild Cat had told bim an Indian would do, in such an emer- ency. ak: Make the horse do the work for you. It is dangerous to go near a wild beast, when it is wounded.” : He eircled off in the Indian fashion, with the object of getting to the other side of the shelter and making Tomlinson move out. coal His pony was fresh and swift, and bad been trained, not only by himself but by Wild Cat, for a war pony. : It wou'd stop as soon as its master jumped off, and wait for bim to remuunt, and Tom had determined to take advantage of all the tricks he knew. He swept on. at full speed, and, as he circled the dead pony, saw the desperado drag himself slowly round the shelter, with a motion that showed he was either badly burt, or afraid that he would be, if. he showed a single inch of his body. . . A O ice he got another chance, and was about to fire, when the flash came again, 2nd the hiss of the bullet was so close that it. tore the flap- ping side of his jacket,and left a hole there, that showed bow he would have fared, if it had been tighter. The flapping had deceived Tomlinson’s eye. True to the teaching of his Indian friend, Tom sent a bullet back into the smoke in auswer to the messenger at his own door, Whether it took effect or not, he could not tell any more than a man in a baitle, but he sped on''«ill he was out Of the smoke, trying to get round his enemy’s flank. | Presently be saw Tomlinson’s_ serape coming into view, and it Jay quite still. On he went till he bad got round the side of the horse, aud the » of the desperado was iE revealed lying there. 4 hand lay on the back of the pony and pe y, be seen, rer The ong 9 was apparently dead, lying on his face, f-supporte pony. | , ~ Then, had it not been for the wise counsels of his old friend that came into his mind at that momont with uliar force on account of, the way io which boar had come to him, Tom Piela might have fallen into a serious mistake, He had. actually turned his horse's head in- ward, to ride up and examine the body, when the counsel of Wild Cat flashed over his mind. ‘‘ When you think your enemy dead,” was the counsel of the savage, derived from many an Indian fig ye cheaper to waste an ar row on a dea y than to receive one from a live warrior,” The moral of the counsel was not altered by the substitution of bullets for arrows. | Tom Field balted bis borse and drew up his rifle to fire, — the ramp By the Indian’s advice was st exe pal Tomlinson, who bad taken the desperate chance be bad in the hope of hoodwinking the oung man into comi ear bim unguarded, had been watching bim as he rode and as saon aa the borse stopped and fired at bim. > The fact that he did not leap to his feet show- ed that he was burt, but his aim was as good as ever, and Tom Field fell back before he could level his rifle. | For a moment he hung on the croup of his horse and then slipped down and lay extended on the grass, to all appearance dead. The desperado slowly rose up, and smiled as | kind. he muttered: | "I ‘*Aha, young feller! It ain't allers safe to 'd the grave.” — by the carcass of the. the desperado rolled over’ 4! than a week, at furthest. most men of bis class, had that much of the savage about him, that he was willing to die, if be could only get bis revenge on the man that | had shot bim, He had shammed death on pur- | pose to get the other near bim, and it bad never entered bis head tbat a young man who had never bad any experience in fighting, would- retort the trick on himself. His. only fault was in not knowing that Tom had been taught by an Indian warrior. The Indians have Jong reduced the art of fighting on horseback, one at a time, to a science; and the youngest warridr who has passed through their war-drills bas all the theoretical knowledge of the oldest, though he may lack its application. Tom had been an enthusiast about the In- dians, and they had been proud of their pupil. Wild Cat, in particular, had taught him most of the Indian drill, and bad given bim particular instructions about the way to sham dead and outwit an enemy who has shammed dead, When Tom saw the flash of Tomlinson’s piece, he realized the game of the other, and dropped off the side of bis hdrse, on purpose to dodge the bullet, and make the desperado think be had killed bim, The ball had really struck him, not where Tomlinson had aimed it, in the middle of bis body, but bad passed through the flesh of the side, just above the hip bone where _tbe largest muscles of the human body are situated, It bad made a wound, not deep, but very sharp, and accompanied with a tremendous shock as slight hurts often are in battle, - He had fallen from bis horse from faintness -but retained bis coolness under the strain; and saw the desperado coming slowly toward bia, hobbling, with his rifle for a support in a way that showed he was bit bard, Tom lay still, and the words of the old Indian again flashed throuch bis mind. — ‘A death-blow,” said Wild Cat solemnly, ‘tig the only one that a warrior never repents, The heart of a man is the life of a man,” Tom lay there on bis back, and bis “ind =e watching him keenly as he eame; but Tomlin- son had not got bis rifle trained on his foe. As) the desperado came within range, the younger man sudc auly leveled bis own piece as he Iny, and fired. The shot struck Tomlinson in the heart, and he fell dead. Sih CHAPTER XXVIII. SURGEON AND FRIEND. ‘Tom Frexp had killed bis first man in fair figut, and, as he saw the desperado go down, he felt a strange sensation of mingled sorrow and © tr'umph, moment before, there bad been a fine, stalwart man, with a bandsome face and thé skill of a trained warrior, Now it was re- duced to a heap of senseless clay, and the young man slowly rose to bis feet and stared down at the body, as if he was spellboudd. | He, Tom Field, who had been the gentlest of men; who bad shrunk from quarreling, from bis sensitive and Bag ake temperament, bad killed a man in fair figbt, and that man the most noted desperado in that part of Texas, He himself was burt, but the burt was a mere — | trifle, as be knew, when he came to examine, trom his own medical knowledge. He hastily bandaged, it, and started over to see how ba y the poor judge had been burt, He was able to mount his horse; rode there, and found the old man on the grass, moaning feebly, with the hot sun shi nto his bi He was shot through the middle of the lungs, d Tom saw that, if be were not rémoved from “where he was lying, he would stand a chanee o dying in a v-ry few hours, The youn man lifted the bead of the old one, and gave fim water, from rig e carried witb him, The judge swallowed it eagerly, in the intense thirst w is always prcduced by & wound, and asked: | | ‘* Who's that? Is that you, Field?” | ‘‘'Yos, sir,” answered Tom, soothitigly. ‘It’s on right, You ag hend: I wer 4 pi em, an ie on you torough, killed the fellow ~f shot you, sir.” The judge opened his eyes.and stared at the young man who was supporting him, as he whispered: —_. “ Rield, I anf‘afraid I was very rude to you, the other day. I apologize. I made a grave mistake. “ Don’t think of th ll replied Tom, as he began to wash the wound, and puta piece of it, with strips of plaster, the only _ ett a Oo the orifice could be stopped, in a wound of th “ He was close to me,” con i the same tone, as if he wan ould, while there was yet x j 7 : ’ "a , . . i al 4 . 8 - } af? + Th AS Ss oe oe Dns « % 7 > . LEA SAL iS peat Rar SNE LR ES, * j » vr ~ a re ays wry | oot 4 ae > «4° *