Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 1102 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 The Stranger Sharp. Spanish John grinned and Jimsonweed looked lice discovered to his disgust that his: opponent astonished at this announcement. The Spaniard, knowing that Santi!!. had been an officer in the Mexican cavalry service, guessed his game, while the saloon-keeper was astonished at such an outlandish weapon being chosen. ‘* That suits me!” the Fresh replied. ‘*T had just as lief carve you with a saber as ‘any other kind of a cheese-knife or toad-sticker ‘that was ever invented, but I reckon you'll have “to provide the weapons, though, for I don’t own ‘any saber, and I don’t know anybody in the ‘camp that does.” _ *T havea pair of sabers and will be glad to ‘lend you one, although I give you fair warning I intend to kill you with as little mercy as ‘though you were a mad-dog!” Santilla ex- claimed. ** Oh, that is all right,” the Fresh renlied. ‘You are welcome to go ii and do your level best as far as I am concerned. ‘‘For my part lam not particularly anxious to kill you, but I think I should really enjoy slicing off a piece of each of your ears, so that I would be able to know you again if I ever hap- ned to meet you. ‘‘T always like to put my brand on all my cattle.” The cool insolence of the speech caused the chief of police to flare up again. ‘¢ By the everlasting hills!’ he cried, shaking his clinched fist in furious anger at the sarcastic Californian, ‘‘ when thisfight is ended you will not bein a condition to jest—you will be only fit for dogs to eat.” ‘*Tf you love the dogs, don’t let ’em try to sharpen their teeth on my bones, for 1 will poi- son ’em for sure,” Blake retorted. ‘‘Bnough of words—let us come to deeds!” said the chief of police, impatiently. ‘‘'The sabers are at my office, and in my opin- ion the quicker this affair is settled the bet- ter.’ ‘Thatis my idea exactly; procrastination is the thief of time; that’s an old adage and an ex- tremely true one, ‘* You say the sabers are at your office?” ‘‘They are—ten minutes’ walk from here.” ‘Suppose we get them at once?’ Blake sug- gested. . “There's a nice nioon to-night, plenty of light for such a picnie as we contemplate, and we can surely find some quiet spot on the outskirts of the town where we can settle our little affair without difficulty.” ‘‘We need seconds,” remarked the chief: of police, and then he glanced at Spanish John and Jimsonwecd as much as to ask if they would do, ‘Oh, yos, they'll fill the bill nicely,” observed Blake, quick to comprehend the meaning of the ] - ook, | **Spanish John can act for you, and my es- teemed friend hyer, Mister Jimsonweed, will do his prettiest at my back.” cy shall be gla to oblige,” said the Spaniard. ‘*So will I,” the saloon-keeper added. ** Come on, then, and don’t let us waste any more time!” exclaimed the Fresh, briskly. ‘* Follow me, and we will soon make an end to this matter,” said Santilla. And.then the party adjourned to the street. The chief of police and Spanish John went on in the advance, while Blake and Jimsonweed brought up the rear. Santilla was a little uneasy in his mind. The prompt acceptance of the weapon which he had proposed by the other disturbed him, ‘* Can it be possible that this scoundrel knows how to use a saber?” he observed, cautiously, to Spanish John, as they walked along. ** Oh, no, I think not.” ‘‘ Buthe manifested no surprise oralarm when I mentioned sabers.” ** He’s a reckless dare-devil and knows no bet- ter. If you had been an expert cannoneer and had challenged him to fight with ten-pounders, he would have accepted with equalalacrity. In certain matterssuch men as he are madmen and are not capable of understanding the danger which they encounter.” To the average Mexican mind this was the only reasonable explanation for the foolbardi- ness often displayed by the American frontiers- men. As Santilla had stated, it was only a short walk to his office. There the sabers were secured, and then the party took up the line of march for the outskirts of the town. Spanish John acted as the guide, for, as he ex- lained, he knew a nice, quiet spot, remote from e road, where they would not be apt bo be dis- turbed by passers-by, And when the duelists arrived at the place they found that Spanish John’s statement was ectly correct, A fringe of bushes shielded them-from obser- vation, and the ground was as level as the palm of one’s hand, The foemen took their places with unsheathed sabers. The ani was given, and they advanced and es, And the moment they did so the chief of po- i Was DO novice in the use of the weapon. That was apparent from the mannren in which he handled the saber. But Santilla was not allowed any time to ve- flect upon this fact, for hardly had the: shiming blades crossed when the Californian begam a fierce attack. With a brilliant ** parade”’ he confused his:.op- ponent, who gave ground, dismayed by the fury of the assault. And then by a clever trick Santilla’s saber was twisted out of his hand, and after this disarmament, with the flat of his blade the Cali- fornian dealt his opponent a termible- stroke on be head, felling him as though he had been shot. Spanish John ran to the assistance of the chief of police, fearing that his: skull was frac- tured, But Santilla was only stunned, and im a few moments recovered his senses, Wher. he arose to bis feet, assisted by his sec- ond, he announced that he had received all the satisfaction he craved, and then in gloomy dis- gust departed, accompanied by Spanish John. Jimsonweed was delighted, and despite of Blake’s injunction of silence, when he returned to tho town rehearsed the story of the fight with great gusto, The Fresh thus had new laurels. added to his chaplet. CHAPTER XX. THE PAINTED BRAN, CHANGE we now for awhile the scene of our story. Thirty miles northwest of Santa. Fé in the mountain foothilis a small party of Indian war- riors were encamped. It was a thickly-wooded district, game was abundant and the party were evidently on a hunting excursion, and it had been a successful one, too, as the skins visible about the camp showed. There were only five in the party, one old “buck” and four young braves, scarcely more than striplings, not one of them eighteen as ret. : It was high noon at the time we bring the Indian camp to the attention of our readers. The lads were absent in search of game, and ony. the old chief was at home. e wasaiman of splendid physique, tall and brawny, although possessivg the crooked legs which are a peculiarity of the horse Lndians, as those tribes are termed who nen the greater part of their time in the saddle, dating from the moment when they are big enough to cling to the back of a horse. And so it follows that as they seldom walk, their lower limbs become crooked, and the man whose brawny upper part makes*him appear like a giant when seated on the ground, when he ets up his misshapen lower limbs bring him ool below the thadtuns hight. The chief was a man well in years, sixty or seventy at least, but still in almost full posses- sion of all his splendid physical powers, though his face was so seamed and disfigured by the un- relenting hand of tine that it appeared as hard as though carved out of a block of wood. The Indian was no common man, as the re- cords of the frontier for the last forty years could show. He was an Apache chief and bore the odd name of the Painted Bean. In the olden time he had been one of the great war-chiefs, and it was his boast that be had slain ten times as inany pale-faces as he had fin- gers and toes, and those who had watched his career for the last forty years did not believe that this boast was in the least exaggerated. In fact there were plenty of the old frontiers- men prompt to affirm that the statement in- stead of overleaping the truth in reality fell shortof it. The Apaches were a warlike nation, and from the early days of the settlement of the West have given the settlers and the Government much trouble, and the particular band to which the Painted Bean belonged had been one of the most troublesome in the nation. But at last the red-skins had been beaten down and, though the band led by the Painted Bean had heen one of the last to surrender, yet it had finally been brought to bay, two-thirds of them killed in the fight that ensued, and the others forced to surrender. Painted Bean’s band was on a reservation now about a hundred odd miles to the southwest of Santa Fé, and the old chief, having given up his bad habits, was now a *‘ good Indian,” although he bad plenty of, white-skinned enemies, who did not hesitate to assert that the chief and his bucks were up to all sorts of deviltry when the Government agent was not watching them. Painted Bean and his band were very good In- dians about the time that the Government ra- tions were being given out, but very bad red- skins when the rations were disposed of and the agent’s back was turned. he old chiet lay upon the sward wrapped from head to heel in his dirty blanket, although basking in the full rays of the nognday sun, He was puffing away at one of the quaint In- ee i a nnn erm dian pipes, apparently enjoying himselifrhugely, when a horseman came riding along, The rider was no stranger to our readers, being the leader of the men who had made so 0 rate an attack upon the Fresh of Frisco re 4 the Indian. girl, the Bloodsucker chief, in act. He was dressed exactly the same as on the night of the- attack, excepting that he did not wear the black, haif-mask. But the long haix, streaming around his face, and the heavy beard, together with the broad- brimmed siouch hat pulled down cver his eyes, afforded amefficient disguise. - The Indian; never stirred as the horseman rode up; his. jet-black, bead-like eyes bad sur- veyed the other the moment he made his ap- pearance on the trail, coming throwgh the shrubbery whick had previously concealed him, and the scrutiny apparently satisfied him that there wasn’t any danger to be apprebended from the man, On his part, the horseman cast a careful glance arouns, as if he wished to.satisfy himself that. there. wasn’t anybody else around. The wooded knoll which the ned-skins had se-- lected for their «amp was sosituated, being sur- rounded by open country on” all sides, that it, was impossible for any one to,play the spy upon, any conversation that might take place there. he stranger dismounted frem his horse, tied the animal te one of the trees, and then ap- proached the chief, who smoked his pipe in per fect composure, just deigning to. notice the presence of the other. ‘* How?” said the horseman. ‘* How !” responded the savage. **T heard that you and your braves were hunt~ ing in this neighborhood, and so I started to see you. You do not remember me, I sup- ‘Yes, chief remember,” was the unexpected reply. ‘* Oh, you do?” ‘* Yes, know you-false hair, false beard— know you all the same,” Painted Bean respond- ed; he spoke English quite fluently. ‘* Well, that saves explanations and time, eh, chief?” remarked the other, seating himself 8 the grassy sward, evidently with the idea, of making himself comfortable. ‘* Yes, ycs, beap save.” ‘* We haven't seen each other for some time, chief.” ‘*‘Many moons.” ** We have done some good strokes of business together in our time,” ‘he old Indian grinned, showing his white, fang-like teeth. ‘*Do you know how I am situated now?” ‘* Me know.” ‘** You manage to keep posted on what is going on, I see,” ‘*Oh, yes, the Painted Bean does not sleep.” ‘‘ How is it that you never come down to see me?” ‘* No business.” ‘T see, I see; you’re just old business all the time. By the way, how do you stand now? You’re a good Indian, I wee pars ‘Oh, yes, good Injun,” and again the old chief grinned, ‘‘Some of your young men jump over the traces and kick up a row sometimes, I sup- pose?’ ‘* Yes, yes; me 80 sorry—me talk to um; they drink fire-water and say go to blazes,” ‘* And then they leave the agency and become bad Indians?” ‘*'Yes, yes, me can’t help it.” ‘*How many braves have you got that you can trust?” ‘* Four sons, trust them same as myself.” ‘* Oh, yes, I had forgotten your boys, but then T haven’t met’ you, you know, for nearly five years, and of course in that time they have grown up.” ‘*Four good braves,” said the old warrior, proudly. ‘‘ Long Wolf, Little Gun, Funny Bird and Black Mustang.” ‘¢ Yes, I have heard of eve report says that there are no the Apache nation.” ‘¢ Great braves all!” exclaimed the chief, sen- tentiously. ‘* Well, Painted Bean, if you want to make a stake I can give you a chance.” ‘‘How much?’ asked the Indian, his eyes sparkling with greed. ‘‘ A thousand dollars for one job and about two thousand for another.” | ‘¢ Aha!” exclaimed the red-skin, gratified at the prospect, ‘‘thatis the kind of business I like, Me do it—not much risk?” and he fixed his glit- tering orbs inquiringly upon the other. ‘*No, not much. Job number one is to settle the hash of a single man.” ‘That is a good price, then,” observed the chief, ‘‘I have killed for ten dollars.” ‘* Yes, but no such man as this fellow, for ne is a fighter.” The lip of the old Indian curled in con- tempt. pe: The, white man lives not on the earth whom I cannot overcome insingle fight!” be exclaimed, proudly, one of them, and tter warriors in - ’ * a | rid , : hd » . : oY rs t “= micboo nA A) % " in i, : 4 . ‘ % Ve ia ~~ . ors + Vey wr4 “er == -.