Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. XII, No. 145 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

26 means of a torch, had probably made a capture. == | Pistol Pards. ‘‘ Shoot if you dare! “Your bullets must go through me to reach: him and you can guess what reckoning Colonel Dashwood will make if he finds me dead at your hands. We will surrender, but down with your weapons!”’ And as her sharp voice ceased another one took up the strain, in a rich, rolling brogue: ‘*Yes; down wid yer hands, er it’s cowld mate Oirish Molly’ll be makin’ av yer. Don’t yez turn the twinklin’ av a finger fur it’s both av yez I’ve kivered.” And up upon the plateau at their backs, a stepped the He knew nothing with certainty, but he be- lieved that Catalina had made her way through the rifted passage, and he suspected that per- haps Harold Wilkins and Kate might be found in her company. In fact hesuspecteda great deal more than the truth, and this was what made him so anxious to go forward. Catalina entered the passageway first, and the others followed her quite bravely. Alabas- ter Jim seemed to know that the road was safe to traverse; and at the other end they could scarcely find anything worse than they bad left | cocked revolver in either hand, behind. Irishwoman. ’ The journey through the darkness, though not so very long, appeared almost intermina- ble, and when a gush of fresh air seemed to tell them that they were nearing the outlet it raised their spirits wonderfully. Out they crept, for at the last the passage was very narrow, upon a rocky crest of the mountain, passing by a huge bowlder that was just poised at the edge of the rift. | As they came into the open air three men | bounded up a pathway that led around the | rock, and before they well knew how it was | done they were prisoners. Three as brawny, reckless, dare devil ruf- fians they had neverseen. The cold moonlight has a wonderful trick of bringing the hidden heart of a villain to his face, and so it was that | movement might disconcert her aim. these three looked all their nature, Kate gave |- But never were two men more mistaken, It a little scream as the leader put his hand rude- | was their own aim that proved to have been ly upon her shoulder. altogether wild, and down they dropped from “No use to squirm, leetle gal; we’ve got two rapid shots. yer foul. Up with yer bands all ov yer, while | = With a glad cry Catalina sprung forward. we take a twist ‘round ’em. We can’t hear | ‘‘Ah, you have ‘come! Iam so happy, for ther steps; but there’s more to come.” now we will be’safe. Who would have thought “This ar’ fun,” added a second, “ but s'pose | to see you here? What brought you? How will we lock ther door afore ther rest kims out. | we fly away?” I ain’t hankerin’ arter a bout with them pistol ‘“‘Sure, an’ it’s too many questions it’s yer pards, ef them’s ther galoots thet’s makin’ thet | asking me. It wor yer own purty face that rattlin’ little ruction below thar. Let tber | brought me, aided by two r’azonably stout capt’n draw his own badgers.” | legs, an’ it’s that same last that will take me “Yes. Knock the wedge out. They can’t | away. It’s wild I’ve been since yez lift me fur git away, then, sure; an’ thar’s only three ov | fear ye’d come to harrum; an’, be the same us hyer ef they should make a rush.” token, I’ve been in some danger meself. Then, ‘he bowlder at the edge of the rift was | ye spalpeen, it’s little mischief ye’ll do wid yer the door that the outlaw meant, and it was | ards tied behind yer back.” nicely poised, and held in place by a single The latter part of the speech was made to wedge. A few strokes and the stone, Joosened | the man that Wilkins had floored, and who from its place, toppled over and went rolling | had begun in a wandering sort of way to downward a dozen yards into the passage and | make preparations to get up and take another then came to a sudden halt against a shoulder | hand in the game. Then the four looked at of rock where the way was the narrowest. | each other and held a council of war. Half a dozen men might move the rock from Irish Molly’s adventures had been almost a the upper side; a dozen could not force it from | story in themselves, for she had been carried below. off by some of aptain Skull’s men when others “And now, my beauties, for you. You're | of their comrades had taken possession of sharp ones to slip through ther captain’s fin- | her ranch, and it was only that evening she but ‘you'll go no furder. fur this | had succeeded in making her escape. She sickly-lookin’ galoot, ther best plan ’u’d be to | knew little more about the mountains than chuck him right over hyer, where it’s a thou- | did Catalina, and was not ctively the san’ foot down.” best of guides, though her appearance inspired ' The leading spirit made a step forward, with | them all with new courage. a motion as though he had some notion “of With a blind faith in fortune they turned pe bow his proposition immediately into ef- | away from the spot and began to descend the | mountain side, first, however, having drawn . oe Hold on, pard. Good he’vings! ‘Yur on the arsenals of weapons the two dead wouldn't drop him afore you went through his | and the one living man had strapped around pockets? Why, you must be dreamin’!” — them ret Korret by mighty! Neighbor, shell out. At the other end of the Devil’s Door a sin- Ther yer pile will settle the vally oy | gle man remaiued on guard, if by chance he yer neck. If ther leed pans out well it may could pick up any intelligence of what was go- pay ter handle it keerfully. “Ef it don’t I | ing on below; but no sounds could he hear, and don’t keer how soon it drops.” ' down in the shadows of the great sink- -hole, a The three ruffians seemed to think that they | score of men might have lurked and he not would have a pretty easy thing managing’ two | have been any the wiser. girls and an invalid, all of whom had seemed | Alabaster Jim was somewhat alarmed when almost dumfounded aud without thought of | he saw his comrade fall; but a careful examin- resistance ation convinced him that it was only a faint- “But hi such c- y “you can’t most always ing fit. To be sure, it seemed a little odd to sometimes tell.” would have been better to | see a man in a swoon, but certainly Soft Hand have followed first intentions, and deferred clos- | had had a trial of the nerves severe enough to ing the “ door” until the prisoners were secured. be a sufficient excuse for the unmanly act. Mr. Wilkins always was a little slow to decide, | Yet, when he came to his senses again and but when his mind was actually made up he found Jim bending over him, he felt as cheap acted like a flash. As the mian approached as though he had been caught with his hand in bim be sprung forward like a cat, struck two | a blind beggar’s pocket. sharp blows, left and right, the last of which | However, be rapidly recovered his strength, leveled him flat, and then strove to draw the and soon was upon his feet again. revolver at his back which so far be had seen | «Tore yer hand up purty badly; thar ain't no opportunity to draw, | another man in the mines could hey did it, an’ The movement seemed a reckless, and well- | I’ll bet rocks on it. Kin yer hold a shooter nigb a useless one, for on the instant out came | yit, er am I to hey ther tan an’ you git ther the pistols of the remaining bandits. They | profits?’ were cautious, wily fellows, and preferred | “I can keep up my end, hands or no hands, using lead to advancing on this developing but I don't see that there is vag, hether to be mach athlete. Up went their hands and before | call for laughter. From what Wilkins could have drawn he would have been | in a regular trap, out of which there’s no le ® dead man had not Catalina, leaping forward, | ting unless some one lowers a rope. If you e —_—_—— --—- CHAPTER XXXV. A TEMPORARY LULL. It might have saved trouble if Irish Molly had neglected to insert her name in her-address; though she hada local reputation for being a woman that was most thoroughly able to take her own part. But two men snch as these were scarcely could be bluffed by a woman. They looked at each other, gave a sign, and in a twinkling had turned together. Perhaps they had doubts whether there was any danger, and if she meant what she said their sudden EE —— ee eC SSS tC Oe ee } | little favor you’re not the sharp . take you | for.” ‘Rope be hanged. That galoot thinks he’s posted; but thar’s a wrinkle er two that he ain’t fly to. We might tunible a couple of hundred feet furder down an’ git squelched; but I ain’t a-tumblin’. An’ we might stay hyar an’ starve; but I ain’t a-starvin’. I kin take yer out blindfolded, an’ I'll do it. Then we'll git right down ter bizness. I could ’a’ plugged that kunnel a dozen times but I held my hands. You bet I don’t do so no more.” “T begin to think so myself. It’s a mys. tery how it comes you didn’t corral him when you had the chance.” “Because I wanted to see him hung. I swore I’d have him strung up an’ I hate to go back on my word. But then I didn’t sey livin’. I kin hang his stiff. Wonder I didn’t think ov that afore.” This cheerful view of the case put Alabaster Jim im sudden good bumdér; and Soft Hand _ himself felt a sudden hopefulness, for despite his cool acceptanee of whatever ill luck fate sent him he was not one to take a roseate view | of things. He followed his guide with a step | that rapidly gained strength, and together the two carefully threaded their way along the verge of a chasm that went still further down into the bowels of the mountain. Fortunately for them they had been forced over the brink above at the one only place where they could have escaped a horrible death. CHAPTER XXXVL BEGINNING TO UNMASKE SLOWLY and cautiously Irish Molly led the way down the side of the mountain, winding along a devious path that, however, always bore downward. More than once they had to pause to consider their way; once or twice they had to drop over a ledge or leap across a rift. Sometimes they were in fect shade: sometimes the moonbeams, slanting across their course, made it light as day. Altogeth r their progress was slow. — A short time after they had left the plateau above there was a new development in the game. A man’s head was carefully raised over the further edge of the little plateau, and then a body followed. The new-tomer seemed one of the same gang, and quite noiselessly he approached the spot where the two dead outlaws lay, and the one living was sitting disconsolately se his hands bound behind hisback. = © “Hello! What’s to pay here? This ‘Wook like a nasty sort of mess, and I wouldn’t be in your boots, nohow.. What are you doing now?’ “ve been ‘waiting fur da ylight—couldn’t go down this hyer war I'd broke my neck fust jump. Cut me loose, now you’ve come, an’ maybe we won't be too late yet. Cusses on 7am. ” _ While the cords upon his: wrists were being out he added a few hasty explanations; and he being furnished with a revolver at once the two started off in pursuit. As they knew the road they gained rapidly on the fugitives and at length saw them just as they dropped over from a —, a ote « plateau. - Toward point of disappearance the worthies advanced cautiously, and as they ap- they heard voices below. When they looked down, fairly revealed in a flood of mcon- light they say a striking tableau. -— ~ _ When the four had reached the ground and a firm footing they became aware that some one was approaching, and in silence they stood, for they had no doubt but that the enemy was coming at least a dozen strong, Although the four, now, were all well arm- ed, it can easily be supposed that they had no desire to face a ng of road-agents, who were reckless eatiegh. avd desperate enough to stop at. nothing, and who outaenibered ‘them somewhere about three to one. Yet they had no thought of giving in. Ifa fight had to come it might as well be now as any other time, and perhaps better. Here they had the advantage of position, and if they had tried to do it could hardly have drawn the outlaws into a neater little ambuscade. There might be time to fire several shots apiece before the assailants could locate them wel] enough to try a volley. Catalina, whose e was certainly as a. courag thrown her arms around him, exclaiming: ' figure on our friends up yonder doing any such ' great as that of any of the others, alone seemed Eomilchbooks: Go