Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 137 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

é “Friend guide, you live most of your time in the forest. You know little of what is going on in the busy world, consequently you can have no idea of the important dispatches [ am bearer of to the good people of Laketown, as ~ell ag all other points along the shores of St. Clair.” ‘* Indeed, cap’n?” ‘‘ Yes, indeed; though I should not have said so much, even to my guide. But then I in- trust this much of my secret to you in con- fidence.” “It’s thar, cap’n, buried deep,” replied the fuide, laying his hand upon his breast. ‘I never go back on a friend, dashed if I do—but there—whist !” Something like the crack of a dry stick started them. Mucklewee rose to his feet, took up his rifle, and glided out into the night. In a few minutes he returne ‘“« Any discovery?” asked Rankin. ‘“Not a dashed thing could I hear, see, or smell.” “T’m glad of it. I wouldn’t have an enemy hear what I told you for a fortune.” “No danger bert, of an enemy hangin’ around here listenin’. If thar’s any about, they’ll net hesitate to bulge right in onto us like and dash off our hair in two twinks of a lightnin’-bolt.” ‘I’m afraid we’re getting a little nervous, Bill, for want of refreshments,” said Captain Rankin, ‘‘so we may as well take our rations now as any time.” He opened a small provision bag, from which he took some biscuits, cold meat, and a flask: of brandy. Both fell to and made a hearty meal upon the cold viands, in the mean time dis- cussing the events of the day in a low tone. They had about concluded their repast when a soft step was heard without, and the next in- stant the flap door was thrust aside, and a head, in which was set a pair of gleaming eyes and a double row of white, glittering teeth, was protruded within the tent. It was the head of a great, shaggy beast. Its jaws were open, its red tongue protruding frou the mouth from which the hot saliva wes al- most streaming. It was panting as though ex- hausted from sheer exertions, “ What in thunder is it, cap’n?’ questioned the borderman, drawing back as if with af- fright. a) } “You tell,” responded Rankin, grasping bis revolver. ** Bow-wow-wow!” barked the animal in a deep and thunderous tone that fairly shook the ground. Itseemed to have comprehended the two men’s want of information. “By heavens, it’s a dog, Bill!’ exclaimed nkin. ‘*Ttis, Pll be dashed to atoms ; and what an awful big kritter it is. But, cap’n, ’l sw’ar | believe it’s rantin’ mad.” ‘* Bow-wow!” barked the mastiff again, and he withdrew his head and disappeared in the gloom of night. Rankin and the old borderman rose and went out. All was silence, but in a moment they heard the patter of the dog’s feet coming back. They waited his approach. He came running 9 to them, in a friendly yet excited manner. e barked softly. Herubbed around their feet and whined uneasily; then he bounded away again into the woods. In a few moments he came back and went through the same maneu- vers and disappeared as before. He went in the same direction every time—going entirely be- yond their hearing. “Well, what the mystery does it mean, any- how?” Rankin asked, somewhat puzzled. ‘* Tl] be dashed to thunder if I can tell ye,” Mucklewee answered, not a little surprised him- self. ‘*T’'d like to understand it,”’ As if in answer to Rankin’s remarks, a sound resembling a cry of distress came to their ears. ‘Dash it, cap’n! sumthin’s up, sure as-death —somebody is in trouble! That dog’s got a sight of human pshun, kin. He wants halpahelp for his master. Here he comes again.” True enough; the pattering footsteps of the dog were heard approaching again, and in a moment he was fondling around them, whining with an eager, kind impatience. : When he started off again, Rankin said: _“ Let’s try and follow hints up, Bill. He don’t far.” ' ‘* Nuff said—here goes.” _ They set off after the animal, and had gone but a little way, when that cry of distress was again heard, a short distance before them. “Oh, hoppin’ hornits! bor-nits! h’nts!” wailed the unknown sufferer. * Hullo, we: ak what’s the . matter?” Mucklewee called out in a partially subdued tone. “Glory! glory!’ was the glad response. * What's thio penitent I say?” again demanded ‘the ide, “Oh, great hornits! I’m dead, stranger!— dead as a door nail, I am for a fact. Who be you? Whar ye goin’? Are ye the Old Nick r me ‘“No; we follered your deg out here; do ye ‘reported the nature of the wound. want help?’ demanded Mucklewee, and the two men advanced to the side of the pros- trate sufferer, whose voice denoted his youth- fulness. ‘** Well, I don’t know as help will do me much good, strangers, unless you help me out of this plagued unlucky world,” was the response. ‘I’ve been shot by a ’tarnal villain that Ill foller to purgatory that I may haunt him, I will for a burning fact. Yes, strangers, I’m down flaton my back. The vampire brought me flat, and if it hadn’t been for Belshazzar, my noble ole dog, the wolves’d had me sand- wiched long afore this.” ‘“Who are you? and what are you doing here?’ queried Captain Rankin. ‘“‘?’m Happy Harry, the Wild Boy of the Woods, stranger; but if ever there was an un- happy young devil, it’s me. The varlet’s shot was a bunglin’ thing—it only carried away one side of my head. How much nicer Id feel if it had been plum-center—took my hull sum- mit off, smack and smooth.” ‘*My lad, let us help you to our tent, and we'll see what can be done to alleviate your suffering,” said Rankin. **Do so, strangers, and if thar is sich a thing as speakin’ a good word for another in heaven, Pll not forgit you fellers, if I go that way. I know a feller can’t live long with one side of his head off.” Mucklewee advanced, and stooping over the youth took hold of his shoulder to raise him up, when Belshazzar uttered a growl, and mani- fested a disposition to object to the guide’s lib- erty with his young master. ** See here, y, make that ole grizzly growler subside, or I'll let you drap,” said Mucklewee. “Tt’s all right, Belshazzar,” the youth said, addressing his dog. ‘‘ Don’t take on, ole pard, and mebby we'll git patched up so’s we can gyrate a while longer. Stranger ”—addressin Mucklewee—“‘ jist git me up onto my feet an let me lean on you, and then I guess I can walk. I’m lopped-sided as thunder, on account of t’other half of me bein’ gone. Yes, strangers, the hull section of my head war blown to atoms. Oh, hornits! it war a miserable, bunglin’ shot friends. I could ’a’ done better with my hull head blown off, I could for a fact—ouch! here we go—steady, strangers.” “Thar ar’n’t more’n enuff of ve to make a good wolf-bait, boy,’ Mucklewee said, as he started toward the tent, half-carrying, halt- dragging the young borderman along. ‘*T’m no great shakes, stranger, for heft,” Harry replied; ‘‘ I never war, even when I had tvother half of my head, and ten gallons of blood that’s leaked away.’ ‘* Dashed if you mustn't be about dry then, if you’ve lost sich a power of claret.” ‘* Dry? why thar isn’t a drop of blood in me. Every grain’s been pumped out, and I’m as good as dead, I am for a fact.” Mucklewee laughed a dry sort of laugh, which was evidence of his disbelief of the youth being seriously hurt. It was so dark that they could not ascertain the extent of bis injuries, eerie | they were satisfied that his suffering grea nified the fact. How- ever, they moved slowly on and finally reached the tent. The lad was laid upon a blanket and the light brought down and held so as to fall upon his head. There was blood upon bis face and neck and upon his hands and in his hair, but to their happy ise they found that he had merely sustained a flesh-wound across the skull. It was sufficient, however, to cause great pain and loss of blood, and there was no doubt in the minds of the men but that the boy believed one side of his head was gone. Captain Rankin made the ae and arr seemed wonderfully cheered and strengthened by the good news, ‘*Hoppin’ hornits!” he exclaimed, rising easily to a sitting posture. .‘“‘I thought I was killed, stranger. I was sure the hull side of my head was blown off by that bunglin’, jackass shot. It’s queer how one’s feelin’s will effect the cay regeewt ar’n’t it?” ‘It seems to be the case with you, at least; but was itan Indian or white man tbat at- tempted your life?’ | ‘Tt war a white red-skin, stranger, and a ornery thief he war. A man that couldn’t make a better shot than that is no business in this country. But I tell ye, I see’d stars and little rings about the time the bullet waltzed through my hair, and over I keeled, as superbly as oon lease. And I expect if it badn’t been for Bel- ‘Shazzar the fool ’d’a’scalped me, I’ve laid out thar ever since four o’clock, or thereabouts, and that valiant old dog has stood over me. Oh, I tell ye, he’s a noble brute, and sich strength— whew I” “* He’s a dashed ugly old brute,” said Muck- lewee, inclined to with the boy. “Ugly? Great hoppin’ hornits, stranger! ou’d think he war ugly if he war to sock his th into your breathin’ arrangemints. He oni epeerh s+ : es ree eleanas er, he does for ac ut, frien be monsterous , ou told me that I’m not much killed, an vin’ it "ll do me good to wash this blood off my hands and face, I be- Long Beard, the Giant Spy. y eae lieve I'll escort myself out to the water and di in. Once cleaned up, you can see what I look like, I’m no great shakes for beauty, but I am purty good with arifle. Ican bring a deer, wing a bird, or bark a squirrel furder’n any other man on old St. Clair’s howlin’ shores.” ‘You can’t do it, friend Harry,” replied Mucklewee, ‘‘and Ill stake my moccasins on that.” ‘* Shake on that, Mucklewee,” said the youth, extending his hand; ‘‘ andsoon as mornin’ comes we'll test the matter.” ““Cap’n Rankin, you hear that?’ cried the guide. “ce I do.” The youth turned and walked out of the tent, followed by bis faithful canine companion. ‘* Rankin,” said Mucklewee, and his voice fell to a husky whisper, ‘‘ that boy’s been fool- in’ us. He knowed he wer’n’t hurt bad, and ke like as any way hurt himself on paren. e’s a spy On Our movements, dashed if I won’t bet on it. He’ll bear watchin’. He’s gone out, mebbe to run off with our boat. Dashed if he ar’n’t a sharper if he is a brat of a boy. But he’s older and knows more’n one’d think. And that dog—dashed if he isn’t a trained brute, I never—” ‘*Great hoppin’ hornits!” exclaimed the boy, dashing suddenly into the tent; ‘friends, do you know you're in an all-fired predicament?” Both men started to their feet, for they saw that Happy Harry was excited. Ne heehe gr the matter, lad?’ questioned Ran- in. ‘‘Why, great hornits, man, you’re in a trap! Tow re afloat on Lake St. Clair with a dozen bloody savages !” CHAPTER IV. LONG ‘BEARD. **‘ ANOTHER sell by that ’tarnal little imp,” ex~ claimed Mucklewee, as he started toward the door of the tent; but, Rankin was convinced that there was something wrong, else the boy was the most perfect actor he had ever met, The captain followed the guide out, and to his horror found that the youth had told the truth. The little sand-bar upon which they had pitched their tent: had actually detached itself from the shore and was floating out into the bay! To add-still more to the horrors and peril of the situation, our friends saw half a dozen savages scrambling out of the water up- on the floating raft. In an instant it flashed through the mind of Happy Harry that Rankin and bis guide had, by some means or other, got themselves into a well-concealed trap. He saw that the sup- posed sand-bar was nothing more than a raft covered with sand and gravel, and joined to the main shore so artfully that one less skillful than Bill Mucklewee was supposed to be would never have detected the cunning arrangement, Moreover, it was dark when they landed, else they might have discovered that the little sand- bar was not a natural one; and, as there was 110 action of the water in the bay, the raft lay perfectly motionless, doubtless held by props under it in the water, The trap was, in all probability, sct for these two persons, but it was a mystery to Harry how the savages had anticipated the intended camping spot of the travelers so well; for the men knew not where they would camp ten minutes before they pitched their tent on the bar. There was something certainly remark- able about it; but there was no time for con- jectures or idle words now. A conflict was at. hand—a bloody hand-to-hand encounter. rary Harry gave utterance to a cry s0 much like that of a terrified eagle that Rankin involuntarily turned to him with a sudden start. The next instant the youth drew his istols, and, bounding forward, opened the battle, The report of his weapons followed each other in quick succession. Belshazzar was close at his master’s side, and in an instant was at a red-skin’s throat. Wild now rose the tumult of battle upon the night. , The cunning red-skins, seven in number, had, by this time, all gained the top of the raft. But they had evidently met one not calculated upon—in fact, two of them—Harry and his “Phe raft had by this time, drifted out into — the misty moonli t, thereby enabling the foe to see where an upon whom to direct their blows. Mucklewee and Rankin became en with four brawny warriors on the opposite side of the tent. e savages were entirely nude, witlx the exception of their loin-cloths. Clubs were their only weapons, which was further evidence that they had calculated upon an easy victory. They a 1 to concentrate their main force nst Rankin, as though his uniform was in- centive to the deadliest ven ce. But the captain was a trained and Skillful man, and with his sword held them well at bay. Happy and his ° soon succeeded in tting rid of their th ts, when they Prater to the assistance of those on the other side. He had managed to get hold of one of the Indians’ clubs, and with these he played Eomichooks (Elo) “ ¢ 4 . BS : rs