Beadle's Dime Library, No. 149 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

_->_ = < - ~~ o i i> = P im | Jetting ourselves be captured Sy. we > - # 7 . ® . A . ‘‘In a few minutes they will be here,” he said; “* what is to be done?” “Defend ourselves!"’ the maiden replied, lads fi hind the “* they do not appear to have fire-arms. Be walls of our house we could easily hold out against them till daybreak. “And then?”’ the half-breed asked doubtfully. “Then,” she answered, with exaltation, ‘* Heaven ‘will come to our aid.”’ “‘Amen!”’ the half-breed answered, less convinced than ever of the possibility of such a miracle. ‘*Make haste and bring down into the inn-room all the firearms we have; perhaps the heathens will fall back if teag A find themselves hotly received; and, after all, who knows whether they will attack us?’ ‘*Hum! the demons are oratty, and know perfect- iy well how many persons dwell in this house. Do not expect that they will withdraw until they have cartiod it by storm.” ‘* Well,” she exclaimed, resolutely, “let us trust to Heaven; we shall die bravely fighting, instead of e cowards, and be- coming the slaves of those heartless and merciless villains.”’ ** Be it so, then,"’ the half-breed answered, electri- fled by his mistress’s enthusiastic words, “we will fight. You know, senorita, that a combat does not terrify me. The pagans had better look out, for un- less they take care, I may play them a trick they will remember for a long time.” This conversation broke off here for the present owing to the necessity the speakers were under o Pp ring their means of defe which they did with a speed and intelligence which proved that this was not the first time they found themselves in 80 critical a tion. The reader must not feel surprised at the virile heroism Carmela displayed under the present cir- cumstances. On the border, where persons are in- y exposed to the incursions of Indians and marauders of every pony eres the women fight by the side of the men, and forgetting the weakness of their sex, they can, on occasion, prove themselves as brave as their husbands and brothers. Carmela was not mistaken, it was really a band of Indian bravos coming up at a gallop, who soon the house, and completely surrounded it. Usually the Indians in thelr expeditions proceed ee racaatink at Wcieh Br vw mim y. and o v great mspeéc- u. This time it was easy to see that they believed themselves certain of success, and were perfectly = aware that the veuta was stripped of its de- ers. On coming within twenty yards of the venta they stopped, dismounted, and seemed to be consulting for a moment. Lanzi had profited by these few moments of re- spite to pile on the table all the weapons in the house, consisting of about a dozen rifles. Although the doors and windows were barred, it was to follow the movements of the enemy through loopholes made at re tances. ela, armed with a rifle, had intrepidly sta- tioned herself before the door, while the half-breed walked up and down anxiously, going out and com- ing in again, and a coy giving the last touch to an important and mysterious job. “There,” he said a moment later, “that is all right; lay that rifle on the table again, senorita; we can only conquer those demons by stratagem, not by force, so leave me to act."’ “ What is F eto’ plan?”’ “You will see. I have sawn two planks out of the inclosure of the corral; so soon as you hear me open the door, set off at full speed.”’ “ But you?” **Do not trouble yourself apout me, but give your horse the spurs." **T will not abandon you.” “Nonsense! no folly of that sort; I am old, my life only hangs by a thiveed: but yours is precious and must be saved; let me alone, tell you. “No, unless you tell me,”’ “T will tell you nothing. You will find Tranquil at the ford of the Venado; not a word more.” “Ah, that is it,’ she exclaimed; “ well, I swear that I will not stir from your side, whatever may ha an. ” - ou are mad; have T not told you I ‘wished to play the Indians a famous trick?” “ Indeed !”’ * Well, you will ee. As, however, I fear some im- bys ary 20 our part, I wish tosee you start before m — “Are you speaking the truth?’ “Of course I am. In five minutes I shall have Sars Ot saribe me, then?” ¥ 7 ‘ you fancy I should find any fun in remaining ere?’ “What do you intend doing?”’ “Here are the Indians; begone, and do not forget to start at full gallop so soon as I open the door of net venta, and ride in the direction of the Venado ord,”’ ¢...”* ** But I ex 7 - one," he interrupted her quickly, as he ed her toward the corral, ‘it is all settled.” e maiden unwillingly obeyed; but at this moment loud blows against the shutters were audi- ble, and the half-b profited by this demonstra- tion of the Indians to close the door leading into the a) corral. “I swore to Tranquil to protect her, whatever might happen,’’ he muttered, ‘and I can only save her by for her. Well, I will die: but, Capa de Dios, have a fine funeral.”’ Fresh blows were dealt at the shutters, but with such violence that it was easy to see that they would be soon breken in. ‘“ Who's there?’’ the half-breed asked quietly. “Gente de paz,” was the reply from without. ‘“‘Hum!"’ Lanzi said, ‘‘for peaceful people you have a singular way of announcing your presence.”’ **Open, open!"’ the voice outside repeated. “lam very ready to do so, but what proves to me that you do not mean harm ?”’ a ‘Open, or we will break down the door. And the blows were renewed. “Oh, oh,” the half-breed said, “ you are strong in arms; do not trouble voutedlf further, I am going to open.” The Mows ceased. The half-breed unbarred the door, and opened it. The Indians rushed into the interior with yells and howls of joy. Lanzi slipped on one side to let them pass; he gave a start of joy on hearing a horse set out at full gallop. The Indians paid no attention to this incident. “ Drink!" they shouted. “What would you like to have?’’ the half-breed asked, seeking to gain time. ‘** Fire-water!”’ they yelled. Lanzi hastened to serve them, and the pM began. Knowihg they had nothing to fear from the inhabi- tants of the venta, the red-skins had rushed in so soon asthe door was opened, without taking the precaution to post sentries; this negligence, on which Lanzi calculated, gave Carmela the opportu- Bi he escaping unseen and undisturbed. e Indians, and na non the Apaches, have a frenzied passion fer strong liquors; the Comanches alone are teetotalers. Hitherto, they have succeed- ed in refraining from that mournful tendency to in- toxication, which decimates and brutalizes their brothers. Lanzi followed with a cunning look the evolutions of the red-skins, who crowd round the tables, drank deeply, and emptied the botas placed before them; their eyes were beginning to sparkle, their features were animated; they ke loudly all at once, no longer knowing what they said, and only thinking about becoming intoxicated. Suddenly the half-breed felt a hand laid on his shoulder. He turned. An Indian was standing with folded arms in front of him. ‘“* What do you want?"’ he asked him. ** Blue-fox is a chief,’’ the Indian answered, “ and has to speak with the pale-face."’ ‘Is not Blue-fox satisfied with the way in which I have received him and his companions? “Tt is not that; the warriors are drinking, and the chief wants something on ““Ah,"’ the half-breed said, “I am vexed, for I have given you all I had.” **No,”’ the Indian replied dryly. “ How so?" “Where is the golden-haired girl?" std; oh the Gonterr, eibber ending ‘pettecty well, ; On the contrary, un perfecly w The Indian smiled. “The e-face will look at Blue-fox,"’ he said “and will then see that he is a chief, and not a child who can be put off with falsehoods. What has be- come of the with the golden hair, who lives here with my brother?’’ “The person of whom you speak, if you mean the young lady to whom this house belongs—”’ “ es."’ mien ~ is a here.” Mier glan e chief gave him asearc glance. “The pale-face lies,”’ he said. “Look for her.”’ “She was here an hour ago.” “ That is on eal ‘* Where is she?”’ 7) Look. + | “The pale-face is adog whose scalp I will raise.” **Muc oor may it do you,” the half-breed an- swered witb a grin. Unfortunately, while uttering these words, Lanzi gave a triumphant glance in the direction of the eor- ral; the chief caught it, rushed to the door, and ut- tered a yell of disappointment on seeing the hole in ne Bog!” he yelled. aad drawing his scalping-knif “% 1’ he and drawing g- e@, he hurled it fariously at his enemy. But the latter, who was watching him, dodged the a, which struck into the wall a few inches from 5 ; p Lanzi leaped over the bar, and rushed at Blue- ox. The Indians rose tumultuously, and seizing their arms, bounded like wild beasts in pursuit of the half-breed. The latter, on reaching the door of the corral, turned, his pistols among the crowd, leapt on his horse, and buryi a in its flanks, orced it to leap through the breach. At the same moment a horrible noise was heard be gpa arm, She gas year corp a vba acm of stones, an ents of every description fell around tha viter and his horse, which was mad- dened with terror. The Venta del Potrero was blown into the air, mag ey | beneath its ruins the Apaches who had in- vaded it, Such was the trick Lanzi had promised himself to play on the Indians. ecan now understand why he had insisted on Carmela setting off at full speed. By a singular piece of good fortune, neither the half-breed nor his horse was wounded; the mus- tang, with foaming nostrils, flew over the prairie as if winged, cessantly urged on by its rider, who ex- cited it with s hear behind suit. Unluckily the night was too dark for him to assure himself whether he was mistaken. ur and force, for he fancied he could m the gallop of another horse in pur- CHAPTER XIX. THE CHASE. Tue reader will probably consider that the means employed by Lanzi to get rid of the Indians was somewhat violent, and that he should not have had recourse to them save in the utmost extremity. The justification of the half-breed is as simple as | it is easy to give; the Indian braves, when they cross the Mexican border, indulge mercilessly in every possible riot, displaying the greatest re A Sowerd the unhappy white men who fall into their hands, and for whom they testify a hatred which nothing can assuage. Lanzi’s position, alone, without help to expect from any one, in an isolated spot, in the power of some fifty demons wthout faith or law, was most critical; the more so, as the Apaches, once they had been excited by strong liquors, the abuse of which causes them a species of raving madness, would no longer have recognized any restraint; their san- nary character would have regained the upper . and they would have indulged in the most un- ee justifiable yoy & for the mere pleasure of making an enemy of th fed ved 4 The half-breed had, besides, peremptory reasons for behaving thus; he must, at all risks, insure Carmela’s safety, whom he had so sworn to Tranquil to defend, even at the peril of his own life. In Leal Nit case, he knew that his life or death depended solely on the caprice of the Indians, and hence he was quite reckless. Lanzi was a cold, positive, and methodical man, who never acted till he had Uabaps'er 2 weighed the chances of success or failure. Under present cir- cumstances, the balf-breed ran no risk for he knew that he was condemned by the Indian beforehand; if his plan succeeded, he might possibly ewes 4 not, he could die, but as a brave borderer should do, taking with him into the tomb a considerable num- ber of his implacable foes. His resolution once formed, it was carried out with the coolness we have described, and, to his presence of mind, he had found time to leap on his horse and fly. Still, all was not finished yet, and the gallo the half-breed heard behind him di greatly, by proving to him that his plan had not succeeded s0 well as he hoped, and that one of his —— at any rate, had escaped, and was on his track. The half-breed redoubled his — he made his horse swerve from the straight line incessantly, in order to throw out his obstinate pursuer; but every- thing was of no avail, and still he heard bim gallop- ing behind him. owever brave a man may be, however great the en is with which Heaven has endowed him, nothing affects his courage so much as to feel - self menaced in the darkness by an invisible and un- assailable foe; the obscurity of night, the silence that broods over the desert, the trees which in mad race defile on his right and left ee ae — and threatening phantoms—all es to highten the terrors of the ha dashes along under the impression a which is the more horrible, beeause he of , and knows not how to exoreieée it. Lanzi, with fro brow, ae and fore- head bathed with cold perspiration, r thus for several hours across country, bowed over bis horse's neck, following no settled course, but constantly wage tk the dry, sharp sound of the horse gallop- m. trangely enough, since he first heard this ’ it had not ap to draw any nearer; i amie bs fobowing coe tail of te mon be petened oO e of the man rsued, was not desirous of catching him up. x By degrees the half-breed'’s excitement calmed; the cold night air restored a little order to his ideas, his coolness returned, and with it the necessary clearness to judge of his position soundly. Lanzi was ashamed of this puerile terror, so un- worthy of a man like himself, which had for &0 lo through a selfish feeling, caused him to fo sacred duty he had taken on himself, of ® and defen at the peril of his life fri 8 daughter. At this thought, which struck him like a thunder- bolt, a burning blush flushed his face, a flash darted from his eyes, and he stopped his horse short, re- solved on once for all with his pursuer. The horse, sud pee arrested in its stride, uttered a snort of n, remained motionless, at the same instant the galloping of the invisible steed ceased to be heard. ‘“*Hilloah!" the half-breed muttered, “this is be- ginning to look ugly.” a And drawing 8 pistol from his belt he set the ham: mer. He immediately heard, like a funeral echo, the sharp sound of another hammer being set by his ad- versary. Still, this sound, instead of increasing the half- breed's apprehensions, seemed, on the contrary, to calm them. ‘** What is the ese A that?’ he asked himself mentally, as he shook his head, “‘can I be mistaken? have I not to deal with an A he After this aside, during which Lanzi ht in Mee ow his unknown foe, he shouted in a lou voice: “* Hilloah! who are you?”’ “Who are you?”’ a masculine voice replied, =, ing from the darkness, in a tone quite as resolute that of the half-breed. “ That's a singular answer,"’ Lanzi went on. “Not more singular than the —— These words were exchanged in excellent Spanish. The half-breed, now certain that he had to deal with. a white man, banished all fear, and prs | his — Bore it to his girdle, as he said -hu- mo : ‘* You must feel like myself, caballero, inclined to a breath after so long a ride; shall we rest bo- ther?” : air I wish for nothing better,’’ the other answered. “ Why,” a voice exclaimed, which the half-breed at once recognized, “it is Lanzi.”’ ‘Certainly,’ the latter shouted, joyfully. “‘ Votoa teeny Dona Carmela, I did not hope to meet you ere.” The three persons joined, and the explanations were short. Fear does not calculate or reflect. Dona Carmela | on one side, Lanzi on the other, filled with a vague terror, fled without attempting to account for the feeling that impelled them, exerted only by the in- stirct of self-preservatien, that supreme weapon given by God to man with which to escape danger in extremities. The only difference was, that the Falf-breed be- lieved himself pursued by Apaches, while Dona Car- mela sup them ahead of her. When the young lady, on Lanzi'’s recommenda- tion, left the venta, she rode blindly along the first path that presented itself. Heaven willed it for her happiness that at the mo- mert the house blew up with a terrible crash, Dona Carmela, half dead with fear and thrown from her horse, was found by a white hunter, who, moved with pity at the recital of the rs that menaced her. generously offered to escort to the Larch- tree hacienda, where she desired to pre in or- ol to place herself under Tranquil's immediate pro- ‘ion. IOOKS