Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 1092 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

his courage came out now, when he was almost discomfited. He had one shot left, and*it was bis business not to throw that away. To stop the fugitive it was necessary to kill his -horse, and at the animal the aim of the English overseer was directed, Tom Field, in advance, saw bim in the wmir- ror, which he had inserted. in the stock of his riflo, in the manner of a folding-sight, so that he could fire at an object behind him, without the trouble of adjusting the mirror by the eye, It was mechanically fixed, so that the object seeen in the mirror must be under the aim of the rifle. : Tom saw the Englishman in the mirror throw up his rifle and instantly aimed bis own weapon back at him, It was a perilous shot from the back of the galloping horse; but the trained pony was easy as a rocking-cbair. Tom had practiced the art of quick shooting, ever since be had received his lesson from Tom- linson, at the ranch, up by the Indian territory. His life depended on it, and be fired just be- fore Berkeley. The_ flash of his own piece ob- scured his vision for an instant; but he felt the sting of a bullet as it grazed his right thigh, shewing that Berkeley had missed the horse, and as be turned his head to look round, the Englishm in had fallen on the grass, and the men who had come after Tom were galloping up to Berkeley with every appearance of excitement. The chase was over for the time; for, though he saw Berkeley rise and point after him, the men would not follow, and Tom Field galloped away victor, after his first fight with numbers, His shot had struck Berkeley in the leg at the very moment of firing his piece, causing a mo- mentary tremor and the loss cf the shot, while the English overseer bad dropped from the shock, and found that a bullet had grazed his -Anee-cap. He cursed, with a virulence that amazed the ‘Texans, who had thought him a man of such dignity that be never swora, and as soon as he bad gotten a fresh horse, went back to town, determined to organize a hunt for Tom that should make the county too hot to hold him. But in this, as other things, he reckoned too Tast. CHAPTER XXXI. THE PRISONER SURRENDERS, A WEEK had passed by, and Satanta county was all agog with the news that there had been a fight with the Indians of the Territory, and that a large number of men, belonging tu the great Glasgow Cattle Company, had been killed in the fight. 3 At first it was certain that this had happened, and that the English lord, who had cut such a spread in the country, had been among the bi ma while the red savages were coming down, like a swarm of locusts, to murder and plunder everything they could find in the county. Then the report was condensed to the state- ments of people who had heard from eye-wit- nesses, that the Indians had bad nothing to do with the matter at all, and.that it was all a desperado, who bad heen bunted down by a sheriff’s posse into the Territory. Then came the news that nobody had been killed, but that quite a number had been wound- ed, and that the Eaglish lord was among the number. Finally, a man who wore the company’s uni- form was caught on the streets of Satanstown, and asked what the trouble was all about. He declined to answer at first, but, after a few drinks, at the expense of the curious, vouch- safed the ioformation that ‘‘ he and his friends had been on a wild goose chase, way up to the Injun Territory, where they had been buntin’ ‘for a man who was said to live there, and that he had taken —_ in the Territory, where they couldn’t get at bim nobow.” That was all he knew ‘‘ except that he didn’t want no more sich rides, on an empty stum- amick,” | Then a rumor spread round the county that the man who had killed Tomlinson had come back and had shown himself on the streets of Satanstown, at nigbt, and in a bar-room. Tbat he should have gone into a bar-room was not the surprising thing to the minds of the men of the town, but it was the character of the first order that he had given, that was the topic of wonder. For the stranger had taken a glass of water, and had drank it, in lain sight of the bar keeper, when every man 4 the room was expecting to hear him call for whisky straight, at the very least. He bad bad all his weapons on, and bad talk- ed with the bar-keeper about the cattle com- pany, and whether any of its men were in town that night.: There were none; for the company was en- gaged in the task of erecting a new fence, around part of its property, and wanted all its men on its own ground at night. The barrier around the Collingsworth Ranch was the only remnant of tbe original fence left, and that bad been undisturbed since the famous first night attack of the fence-cutters. The news that the man whosbot Tomlinson posts pull | | | | } LL TT | | had come back spread rapidly, and reached the ears of Captain Berkeley the next day, when he immediately set off for the town to investigate, and traced the stranger to a place éalled the “ White Elephant,” where drinks of all kinds were dispensed to the thirsty and moneyed men of the county, on a cash basis, But that was all Berkeley could do. What had become of the man, and where he bad gone, no one knew, or if they knew, they would not tell. He bad come in, called fora glass of water, and had treated a party of men from the neighboring ranches, after which be had gone away, and the men had gone with him. Asked who the other men were, the bar-keep- er professed ignorance, though be knew every man in the county by sight or reputation. Berkeley had to go from the saloon without Old Cross-Eye, the Maverick-Hunter. | 27 - away all their dead and wounded, if they had any, which no one could tell. Berkeley, who had had command of the whole affair, was furious at the slack watch which had permitted the loss; for if, seemed that the damage had been done before the guards around the ranch had given the alarm. But there was no use in swearing over the mat- ter; and the overseer had, long before, deter- mined to make the eounty pay for the loss, if there was any Jaw in Texas, which he was as- sured there was, So he contented bimself with resolving to get the revenge he could out of Tom Field; the next day, and with that, rode home, The next morning, early, he was on bis way to town, with every man he could rake to- gether to ride with him. He knew that Field would not have sent him the message he had, if the coveted information, and, as he rode home, | be had not determined to come surrounded by saw Punch Burleson with a party of his friends his friends; and Berkeley bad taken the precau- riding from the prairie to the town, as if they | tion to get the town on hisside, as far as he bad business there. The feeling between the ranchers and the men of the company had grown to that pitch now that neither party ven- could by sending emissaries who would get ‘‘ the boys” on bis side, As he neared the town, he saw a large caval- tured out of their own territory save in large | cade coming toward the place, from another parties, and on this occasion the party of the ranchers was a little the larger of the two. As Punch rode into the street of Satanstown be saw Berkeley at the other end of the street, and waved his hand to the Englishman, as a signal that he desired to speak to him. Berkeley, not knowing hat to make of this, halted his horse, and brought bis pistols a little more to the front. Punch came up, evidently in a pacific mood, and as soon as he was near enough to be heard, he called out: ‘‘ You’re Captain Berkeley, ain’t you, sir?” ‘‘ Yes,” said the captain, coldly. ‘* What is it, sir?’ 3 “ve got a message fur you, from the gen- tleman as killed Tomlinson,” said Punch coolly. ™ He axed me to say to ye that he’s a-comin’ down to surrender himself to-morrer, and that he ain’t goin’ to run no more. That's all, sir. He’ll be byar ct nine o’clock in the morning, afore the jedge hyer—Concha’s his name, | b’lieve.” “ And where is he now?” asked Berkeley. Punch grinned, as he replied: : ‘‘T dunno, sir. He didn’t tell me whar he were. I’ve given my message, and that’s all I know.” The Englishman bit his lip, as he said: “Then have you any objections to saying where you saw him, sir? I suppose he didn’t spring out of the ground, did he?” - Punch shrugged his shoulders as he answered: “ Waal, naow, that air a queerious idee, Cap. Aout of the graound? No, sir; he didn’t spring aout of nograound. He come over the preerie, like a good man sbould, on a good boss, and earryin’ a good lot of weepins. Whar did I meet him? aal, if ye wanter know very bad, Ill tell ye, fa’r and squar’. I met him at my own house, and I’ve jest come from thar.” The Englishman bowed politely, as he an- swered: ‘‘ Thank you very much, sir. aay Then he rode away, and as soon as he got home, called a caucus of all his men, and direct- ed a close watch to be kept over Punch Burle- son’s house that night, He would bave gone in on asearch-warrant, but to have done so would have been to provoke a useless quarrel, and it was probable that Punch had told bim the story ae on purpose to throw bim off his mag At Ri seente it was a curious thing that Punch did not come home that night, and that the guards around his house heard shots, in the direction of the log-paluce of the company, about-midnight. The captain had given orders that as soon as shots were heard, it was to be the duty of every man on the estate to ride there, as soon as pos- sible, and join in the fight. Accordingly, the guardsaround Punch’s house put spurs to their horses, and rode in the direc- tion of the firing, when they saw the flashes that told of a hot engagement, and the dark figures on the prairie of two distinct bodies of horsemen, round the fence that encircled the ranch of the late Judge Collingsworth. They dasbed in to the rescue, and found their own men engaged with a body of horsemen, who outnumbered them considerably, so that they were giving way and running. he arrival of the guards from Punch Burle- son’s restored the fight in a measure, for, almost immediately, there was heard a whistle, and the men on the other side turned their horses, and fled in all directions. But the cattle com- any’s men were in no condition to pursue. ney had lost several men killed, and the rest had seen enough of their opponents to know that a chase in the dark was likely to cost them more than it was worth. They settled to their work again, and found that the party that had brought on the fight had beeh the night-riders of Satanta county, and had wrecked the wires around the ranch of the late judge, as completely as such a thing could bedone, The wires had been cut between every two ts, all around, and half of the up, while the raiders had carried } | | | | : | re ee ee en ee ee en i a ma a ear nn a ek oe ee ee direction, and ‘immediately cautioned bis men to get ready, incase they saw Field, to “jump him” at once. The captain had learned the meaning of the Texan slang pretty well by this time, and could employ it understandingly. But be had no chance to “jump” Field, for Field was not there, when he got near enough to see the men who composed the cavalcade, There were Punch Burleson, Deaf Smith, Colonel Callahan, Limpy Balstrop, and all the other ranchers of Satanta county, and, in tbe midst of the cavalcade, rode two ladies, beside a horse-litter of the old Mexican pattern, in- side of which lay the figure of a man, who had evidently been hurt severely, from the fact that he was lying on the pillows, and not dressed, saveina shirt and white trowsers,loose and easy. At first Berkeley thought that it was a scheme to deceive him, and that Tom Field was con- cealed in the litter; but, as be rode nearer, he saw, with inexpressible amrzement, that the man in the litter was Judge Collingsworth, whom he thought dead, and at whose funeral he had been a wilness. It was the judge beyond a doubt, and he saw the Englishman; for, as Berkeley rode near, the old man turned bis eyes that way, and Berkeley saw him smile, as if something amused him greatly. In fact it was only that morning that the judge had heard of the trick, of which he and the captain bad been made the simultaneous vic- tims, To make B rkeley believe he was out of dan- ger from the press : pce of the judge as a witness, the girls had arranged a mock funeral from the house, and bad actually buried an empty coffin, followed -by a file of mourners, till they could enjoy the triumph of bringing their father out, as @ witness, in court, as they were about to do now. As soon as the Englishman saw the judge alive, he realized that the’ game was up, as far as the prosecution of Tom for the murder of Tomlinson was concerned, and turned bis head away, to escape the eyes of the judge and the sense of his own bumiliation, at being outwit- ted. Then he beard the jeers of the ranchers, as they laughed uproariously to each other, with- out uttering a word. But Berkeley understood them, and his face ne: like that of a corpse, with the restrained ury of the man, as he rode on, without turning his head. The self-restraint of his English aristocratic breeding saved bim from exhibiting any emo- tion, At last they got to the court, and the men of the cattle company crowded into the court-room —it was but a small place at best—with the hope of crowding out Field’s friends. Each man had bis pistol under bis coat, ready for a free fight, which be thought to be impending. But there was no figbt to come off that day. Just as the cowboys of the company settled themselves, to crowd out anybody who might try to get a seat, the door at the back of the littte court-room upened, end the fat and olive- tinted Concha made bis oleaginous appearance, and said; . “De gentlemens vill please come to order in de court. De case is dat of de county of Satan- ta against Thomas Field. De constable vill bring de prisoner into de court,” Berkeley rose in surprise and stared at the door, from which emerged no less a person than Hank the Nailer, with bis weapons on, accom- panied by Tom Field, who was armed with equal perfection. ‘“‘Hyar’s the prisoner, jedge,” said Hank quietly. Concha nodded, ‘* Vere is de counsel for de people?” he asked. And up jumped Mr. Belshazzar Levy, crying: ‘* Please your houor, I appear for the people.” CHAPTER XXXIL. CONCLUSION. “You vill put in your case,” said Concha, without casting a look at the lawyer, though : comicbooks =. - ee ee een A oo a “ - — _