Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 124 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

———. ——.-__,_, _ > ——- ~ —> — --> _ — — —— _ — — —— — eee . ee and a hunting-flask containing the latter bev- erage. Brown conducted himself with con- siderable dexterity in the performance of his Assowaum, the Avenger ee ee ————_-— e- - - — ~ “* How shall we remove the prisoner?” asked Curtis; “we have no boat,” “The [Indian will see to that,” replied Bar- —— ae ee ee ne ee — et bear it—but I think I shall be sick to-night, if I don’t get a stiff dram, As for eating, I have lost all appetite.” > grateful office; he rubbed the forehead, tem- | ker; ‘‘there he sits near him, and gazes in his “Put me in mind of it when we get home,” ples, and hands, of his beloved Marion, with a | face like a young girl at her sweetheart. Brr! | said Roberts, softly; ‘‘ but—doun’t let Marion perseverance that excited Barker’s utmost as- | —my flesh creeps when I think of the blood- | observe it—the women always blow through Lonishment, thirsty thoughts that are passing through that | the same horn, and if they did uothing else, ‘*Harper,” he said to his friend, whispe: ing | Indian’s heart and head for all that sott look. | why—they’d turn the jug bottom upward and in his ear, ‘is Brown a doctor?’ These savages are a frightful set.” let it ran out—and that would be u yily -- it’s No,” replied the latter, smiling—‘t why?” ‘‘T wouldn’t be in the preacher’s skin,” mut- | genuine Monongahela,” ** Because he nnderstands the rubbing so | tered Curtis, “for all the treasures of the **Do you know, Roberts, what the preacher well; my arms would have been asleep long | earth; for if the Regulators should set him | puts me in mind of, as he lies in the arms ago—he goes it like steam.” free, I believe the Indian would fasten his | of his enemy?’ asked Barker, thoughtfully, “‘Father!” sighed forth Marion, unclosing | teeth in his throat, and suck his blood.” after a short pause, a her large, bright eyes; “father!” Her glance ‘* His wound will prevent him from riding,” ““ What?’ ar did not meet her father’s, however, although | said Stevenson, who had in the meanwhile ex- ‘Why, of a knavish Spanish trader, who, the latter held her hands fast clasped in his | amined Rawson’s shoulder; ‘‘the bone is | according to a legend of the Pawnees, was tied own, but that of Brown, who, bending. over | broken,” on horseback to the body of his wife, whom her with tender care and beartfelt joy depicted “Do you think that the wound is dangerous?’ | he had murdered, and he is doomed to fly with in his features, was watching the gradual re- | asked the Indian, as if waking from adream. | her over the prairies through all eternity. I covery of the being whom be loved so warmly. | “If he is compelled to ride, and should take | don’t believe that the Methodist will see any- ‘Father!’ sighed tbe maiden, and then | cold—the night is damp—I wouldn’t answer | thing else as long as he lives, than the Indian’s closed her eyes again, but with so calm and | for it,” replied Stevenson. eye fastened upon him.” sweet a smile, that it almost seemed as if she ‘“*T will carry him,” said the Indian. **Come, Barker, let us ride on before to quiet looked upon the passing scene as a pleasant “Whom?” asked Barker; ‘‘the preacher?” my wife and make preparations for our visi- dream, and feared to lose it on waking to “Yes, I will carry him,” replied Assowaum, | tors,” said Roberts. ‘‘My blood runs cold actual life. and he wrapped his blanket about the wounded | here!” “Have you been able to overtake any of the | man. The two men galloped by the rest of the fugitives?” asked Hatfield, at last, who thought “Gentlemen,” suid old Roberts, addressing | train, and as the torches which they bore in it his duty to assume the office of leader, since | those present, ‘*some of you, as I have heard, | their hands fora moment illuminated the face Brown’s medical talents were so much in re- | are to remain here to-night; these, I expect to | of the preacher and the Indian, they saw how quisition at this moment, breakfast to-morrow morning; but the others | Assowaum gazed anxiously down upon his vic- ‘‘No,” replied Harper, “we haven’t caught } who are to set out with us, as the prisoner | tim, then raised his eyes again with a triumph- any of them, but I think our balls baven’t |} must be removed from here, and my house | ant glance and walked quickly onward, as if been thrown away. When we reached the | doesn’t stand so very far from the road, for | relieved from a heavy burden, The preacher river we saw the dark shadow of a boat, | my wife is probably by this time quite anxious | was still alive! L, gliding down the opposite shore, and fired our | about us, and then—” rifles at it; all at once we heard something fall into the water, and splash around in it for a while, but it was too dark to seemore. I hope to Heaven that our leaden messengers have done their duty, and, at least, settled one of the rogues.” “There was only one with this man here,” said Ellen, timidly. ‘His name is Cotton; you all know him,” ‘Cotton! the d—l!” cried Wilson. ‘It’s lucky I didn’t know it before; I should have stormed the house on my own account, and might havo fared badly.” ** And what is to be done with the preacher?” ‘To-morrow the Regulators hold their court,” said Brown, ‘“‘ and he must be tried be- fore it, Four of his accomplices await their sentence at the same time—you know the spot, I should be glad if you would be present, Mr, Robe: ts. We need the aid of old and experi- enced Leads at such grave proceedings. Who are keeping guard in the wood?” **Only a few,” replied Cook. diau with some of our men, two birds in the nest, then?” ‘*tlave you not succeeded in discovering any trace of the mulatto?” * No, nothing of consequence; the Indian **The Cana- There were but ‘T invite you all,” cried Harper, laughing, as he continued the address which Roberts seemed in no hurry to conclude, *‘to stop to- night at my friend’s house; and though we may be a liitle straitened for room, yet we can make out to get along—we live in Arkan- sas,”’ ‘*Bravo!” cried Roberts, laughing good- naturedly, “spoken from my very heart! So then, gentlemen, if you will content yourselves wii \ my plain hospitality, we will set out at once. But does the Indian really mean to carry the unhappy wretch?” Assowaum answered this question by the act. Notwithstanding the wound which he had received, he raised the heavy frame of the preacher as if it had not weighed a feather and walked onward, without uttering a word, along the narrow path. Rawson must have been in a swoon, however, for he lay motion- less in his enemy’s arms, and his pale face rested upon the shoulder of the avenger, whose dark locks floated around the preacher’s brow. * He will not murder him, will he?’ whis- pered Marion, anxiously, to the young man, upon whose arm she had thus far leaned, and who now helped her into the saddle, ‘‘No, Marion, fear no further bloodshed this CHAPTER XI. THE spot where the Regulators were to hold their court was upon the summit of a steep hill or “ bluff,” which rose ‘perpendicularly on the southern shore of the Ta ‘fave, and was bor- dered on either side, the eastern and western, by the low bottom-land and thick cane-brake. About a mile further down the river, the stream intersected that road upon which the ae were led astray by the borse-thieves, and the jlittle hut in which Alapaha fell by the hand of the murderer stood, as the reader aware, scarcely half a mile distant from this down the La Fave. But, still and desolate as that steep bight usually was—for there was not a house within many miles on this side of the stream—it now displayed a scene replete with animation and activity; for beneath the slender pines and the thick-leaved oaks and hickories, about twenty robust hunters and farmers, genuine specimens of the true backwoodsman, lay reclining about five different fires, some busied preparing break- fast, others eating it, while the blue smoke rose curling in the clear morning air, as in times long past, when the original proprietors of the soil, the Arkansas Indians, occupied these hights, Usual as such encampments are in Arkansas and in the western woods generally, yet two o the groups of which it consisted gave to it an aspect which indicated that something of more thinks, indeed, that this morning—” evening,” replied Brown; “but to-morrow the | than ordinary interest was passing here. They ‘He is in the mountain,” said Assowaum; | court of the Regulators will decide upon the | formed, as it were, the background of this pie- “T saw his tracks,” fate of the wretch who has been guilty of | ture, and reclined furthest from the steep de- “ After the rain?” ‘‘He must have gone home again after the rain. When a bird’s nest is destroyed, it flut- ters for a long time about the tree. The yel- low boy grieves for the loss of his warm bed.” “Where is Wilson?’ said Brown, looking around ufter the young man. ‘‘He is seeing to the horses,” replied Hat- field; ‘and it will be best for the ladies to set out for home, but some of us must remain here in ord: r to search the place carefully by day- light. ’ ‘**ratfield, will you do me a favor?” said Brown, hesitating,and as it seemed to the former slightly blushing; ‘‘ I may be obliged to—” ‘‘With all my heart,” said the Regulator, interrupting him, and laughing heartily, ‘Of course you cant leave your patient, and ll cover your retreat, I will be at the appointed place at eleven in the morning. But you needn’t wait for me to begin the trial—set to work at once.” ‘‘ We will proceed against Atkins and Jones first,” replied Brown. ‘‘ We shall be obliged to commence early; therefore, come as soon as possible.” “Oh, there are the horses!” exclaimed Har- per. Well, boy! well, you dog, haven’t you a single word for your old uncle this evening? has this young girl driven him entirely out of your head—heh?” Uncle,” exclaimed Frown, and he grasped the kind old man by tke hand—‘“‘uncle, I am very happy!” three terrible murders—the measure of his sins is full.” “Frightful! frightful!” groaned the pocr maiden, remembering the danger which she had just escaped of falling a prey to this monster. “* And where is our little heroine—our Ama- zon?” asked Barker, looking around on all sides after Ellen. ‘Thunder and lightning! where does she hido herself? I proclaim myself her gallant this evening.” “Too late,” said Brown, laughing—‘ too late, sir—the post ,is occupied. Mr. Wilson had the kindness to offer his services, as no one appeared in haste to do so.” ‘Too late? so!’? said Barker; “that has hap- pened to me very often before now, and I could tell you a capital story about it, if the sight of that Indian before us didn’t freeze my blood— see how he carries his victim in his arms as carefully and delicately as a mother bears her child!” ‘“Tt’s true,” said Roberts, who rode at. his side, ‘there is something fearful in contem- plating the calm coldness with which the red- man proceeds toward his revenge. But he would rather resign the dearest treasure in the world than leave unfulfilled the oath which he took at the grave of his wife. You were present at the time, Barker?” ' ‘** Yes,” rephed the latter, starting from a deep reverie, ‘‘ just so—yes—by the by, Rob- erts, haven’t you, between ourselves, a drop of whisky in the house? I know your wife can’t clivity that overhung the river, beneath two separate clumps of dogwood-trees, whose white and blossoming branches overshadowed them as with a roof of flowers. The principal personages composing them, however, seemed to give little heed to the beauty of the scenery: they gazed, a darkly m bee gy ep leaves of en ormer year, upon Ww ey outstretc with fettered mbes. iv One of these groups was composed of the prisoners, Atkins, Johnson, Weston and Jones, uarded by two backwoodsmen who stood near them leaning upon their long rifles. The other group consisted of but two in- dividuals, the preacher and the Indian, Above them a crimson-colored, hanging vine wound its fantastic wreaths, with its funnel-shaped flowers of a purple hue, between which shone the white, swelling blossoms of the spice bushes and dogwood-trees, forming a charming con- trast. Beneath this roof of verdure and of flowers, near a bed of leaves carefully gathered together, which, spread with warm blankets, served as a soft and comfortable resting-place for the wounded preacher, cowered the Indian, turning his attention seldom, and then but for an instant only, from tie form which lay out- stretched before him, in order to feed the fire that burned near them, which he had lighted to temper the somewhat cool morning air for the suffering prisoner. A pitcher, filled with water, stood near him, which he often reached to the parched lips of the wounded man to quench bis thirst; as often carefully arranging the blankets ogain, that no rude breeze might blow upon The barking of dogs was now heard at no oon distance, and soon the Regulators, wlio d been engaged in fhe assault on the pre- MIECLOOC) (E() <S1GO