Beadle's Dime Library No. 151 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

7° eee. = ~~ ee ee > — ~~ », a = — — eins ~~ ~— 3 S ee oo a ¥ * : E ~ ov ¢ at. he a F * - > ; . = - , . fe, ° ve tess ow a. pe om ee - at * ~~ , o WF aoe eo a2 nearly all asleep; but the slightest -calculated move, fis menent Es tep, might arouse them, for these alive who are h ages in keeping their senses alive, can hardly ever en unawares. At about two hundred yards at the most from the adventurers were the advanced works of the Larch- tree, gloomy, silent, and ap ntly, at least, aban- eat orplunged in sleep. Tranquil had only stop- ped to let his comrades fully understand the immi- nen er to which they .were exposed, and urge them to redouble their.caution, for, at the slightest | muppinees, they. would be lost. After this they again, They advanced thus for one hundred 3, or about h e@ distance separating them m the Larch-tree, when siddenly, at the moment when -Tranguil stretched out his arms to shelter ve behind a sand-hill, several men, crawling in _ the apposite direction found themselves face to face with him. anxiety... »..<¢ “Who goes there?” There was a second of terrible a low, and menacing voice “Oh! he said; “we are saved! It is I—Tranquil | the Ti ao : *‘ Who are the persons with you?” «Wood ranger for whom I answer.” ery 00d, pass on. The two ene separated, and crawled in opposite directions. The band with which the hunters ex- changed these,few words was commanded. by Don F az, who, more vigilant than the Texans, was making around of the glacis to assure himself that all was qnet and no surprise need be feared. Ten minutes after their, encounter with Don Felix, which might have turned out, so fatally for them, the. hunters reached the gates, and at the mention of ranquil’s name a@ passage was at once grated them, They were.at jengae insafety within | naclcuda, and it was high time that they should arrive; a few minutes longer and Carmela and her companion would gave fallen by the way-side. In spite of all their courage and geod will. the girls could no longer keep up; their stren was ex- ha . -Hence, so soon as the danger had. passed and the nervous excitement, which alone sustained them, ceased, they fell down unconscious. Tranquil raised Carmela in his and carried her. to. the interior of the hacienda; while Black- deer, who, in spite of his apparent insensibility, his squaw, hurried = to restore her to life. The unexpected arrival of Tranquil caused a gen- eral joy among the inhabitants of the hacienda, who had a deep friendship for this man, whose glori- s character they appreciated. The hunter was still busied with his daughter,.who was just begin- ping. to Fenner his senses, when Don Felix Paz, who finished his rounds, entered the cuarto, witha ea e from the colonel to the Canadian, begging latter to come to him at once. Tranquil obeyed, for Dona Carmela no longer re- quired . sistance-—the maiden had scarce ;re- gained her senses, ere she fell into a deep sleep, the natural result of the enormous fatigue she had en- dured during several days; While proceeding to : : 7 " ” ws , "i _ ’ ‘ 7 id ° - j The Freebooters. >t Hr" ' a ee ee om nfortunately, the hunter did not know much about | he had just received. Absorbed in the perusal, the t li s the country, owing to the isola lite He le inthe forests, he S awéred with the greatest frankness a eé questions the colonel thought proper to ask , and gave him the little information he had been enabled to collect; then he told him the various incidents of his own the young officer | troubled, and a vivid flush. suffused. his attentively to hen the latter came to the in- cident in the grotto, and the fragment of conversa- tion he had overheard between the Apache chief and the ‘Texan, his interest was greatly excited, and journey, At the name of Carm was sligh face; but he recov the hunter’s story... ed, and listen he pace him repeat the story. aa 1 tents!” Unhappily, that was impossible. Aftera moment, the colonel begged Tranquil to continue his story. ~The hunter then told him in what way he had man- aged to cross the enemy’s lines and introduce him- if into the fort, This bold action greatly struck the colonel. ““You were more fortunate than enemies,” The hunter smiled good-temperedly. “*T was almost certain of succeeding,”’ he said. “ How so?” “T have had a long experience of Indian habits, Mag enables* me to make nearly certain with them.” “Granted; but in this case you had not Indians to deal with.’ “Pardon me, colonel. “‘T do not understand you, so be kind enough to explain.” That is an éasy matter, Blue-fox entered the Texan camp this evening, at the head of two hun- dred warriors,” ” sai was not aware of it,” the colonel said, in sur- prise, “The Jaguar, to do honor to his terrible allies, concer to them the camp-guard for this night.” “Hence?” “Hence, colonel, all the Texans are sleeping soundly at this moment, while the Apaches are wetehing. or, at least, ought to be watching over the safety of their lives.’ “What do you mean by ought to be watching?” “‘T mean that the red-skins do not at all under- stand our manner of carrying on war, are not accus- tomed to sentinel duty, and so everybody is asleep in the camp.” ** Ah!” said the colonel, as he began once more, with a thoughtful air, the promenade he had inter- rupted to listen to the hunter’s story, e latter waited, taking an interrogative glance at Don Felix, who had remained in the room till it pleased the commandant to dismiss him. A few minutes passed, and not a syllable was exchanged; Don Juan seemed to be plunged in serious thought. All at once he stopped before the hunter and looked the colonel’s apartments, Tranquil questioned the | him full in the face. se gn noe with whom he had been connected for veral years, and who had no scruples about an- swering the hunter’s queries. ) - Matters were far from being well at the Larch- tree; the siege was carried on withan extraordinary obstinacy on both sides, and with many strange in- ludes. The insurgents, greatly annoyed by the ery of the fort, which killed a great many of m, and to which they could not reply, owing to heir absolute want of cannon, had adopted a sys- ton of Pupriaals, which caused the besieged con- iderable injury. This simple system was as fol- lows: T nsurgents, who were mostly hunte were excee ly skillful marksmen, and renown as such in a country where the science of firing is arried to its extreme limits. A certain number of ‘ arksmen sheltered themselves behind the nents o the camp; and each time a gunner ipted to load a piece, they infallibly shot away his had been carried so far, that nearty all the - gunners were hors de combat, and it was,only at intervals that a gun was fired from, the fort. This isolated sho y aimed, owing to the s ipitancy with whi the men laid the un, hue rough yeas oF ers matilatca Caused bit in lificant mage to t nsurgents, Who applaud- | with reason, the good result of their scheme. art e other hand, the fort was so closely invested an wae with such care, that.no one could enter ‘or quit it. It was impossible for those in the fort to | ; d how it was that the adventurers had managed to slip in after traversing the whole length Fg! e enemy’s camp, We must state, too, in order at everybody with justice, that the adventurers unders it less than anybody, het garrison of the hacienda lived, then, as if they had been roi cut off from the world, for no sound transpired without, and no news reached them. S situation was extremely disagreeable the Mexicans; unfortunately for them, it was : ravated, and threatened to become, ere , completely mo yerable. Colonel Melendez, ce the beginning of the siege, had proved himself what he was, that is to say, an officer of rare merit, with a vigilance nothing. could foil, and a trust- worthy bravery. Seeing his gunners so cruelly decimated by the Texan bullets, he undertook to pee a mace, loading the guns at his own peril, and fring them at the insurgents. td Such courage struck the Texans with so great af ag a that although it would several times have | easy for them to kill their daring foe, their rifles constantly turned, away from this man, who seemed to find a delight in braving death at every moment, The Jaguar, while closely invest- the fort, and eagerly desiring to carry it, | the OF iis : remptory orders to spare fs ie he Caan not ref from pitying and . * 4 ; ¢ d*.. .°* * M 7. » aa « Ye “IT have known you fora long time by reputation,”’ he said, sharply. ‘“‘You pass for an honest man, who can be trusted.” The Canadian bowed, not understanding to what these preliminaries tended. **T think Say said the enemy’s camp was plunged in sleep?’’ the colonel continued. * t is my conviction,” Tranquil answered; ny a crossed their lines too easiiy for it to be other- wise.” Don Felix. drew nearer. “Yes,” the young officer muttered, ‘we might give them a lesson.”’ ‘*A lesson they greatly need,” the major-domo added. ‘“Ah, ah!’’ the colonel said, with a smile; “then you understand me, Don Felix?”’ “Of course.”’ ‘‘ And you approve?” “ Perfectly.” | “Tt is one in the morning,” the colonel went on, as he looked at a clock standing on a console; “ at this moment sleep is the deepest. Well, we will attémpt a sortie; have the officers of the garrison aroused.,”’ The or-domo went out; five. minutes later, the officers, still half-asleep, obeyed their chief’s orders. ‘** Caballeros,’’ the latter said to them, so soon as he saw them. all collected round him, “I have re- solved to make a. sortie inst the rebels, surprise them, and fire their cantor if it be possible. Select from your soldiers one. hundred and fifty men, in whom you can trust, supply them with inflammable matters, aod in five minutes let them be drawn up inthe patio. Go; and before all, Il recommend you the ig 1 silence.”’ , The officers bowed, and at once left the room, The colonel then turned to Tranquil. ‘** Are you tired?”’ ‘““T am never so.” , “Very good. _You will serve as our guide; unfor- tunately, I want two others.” “ Bee procure them for your excellency,”’ * You?” “Yes, a wood-ranger and a Comanche chief, who entered. the fort with me, and for whom I answer with my head: Loyal Heart and Black-deer.” ‘“Warn them, then, and all three wait for mein the patio.” Tranquil hastened to call his friends, “Tf that hunter has spoken the truth, and I be- lieve he has,” the colonel continued, addressing the 6 pe “I am convinced we shall have an ex- cellent opportunity for repaying the rebels a hun- dred-fold the harm they havedone us. Do you ac- company me, Don Felix?” : ‘‘l would not for a fortune leave you one inch, un- der such circumstances.” ‘Come then, for the detachment must be ready a that letter,”” he muttered several times, “that letter; what would I not give to know its con- rudent,” he said, ‘‘in thus venturing into the midst of your Sine : ———— -young commander of the insurgents paid no atten- on to the noises without, when suddenly a rather sharp puff of wind caused the flame of the candle to flicker, and the shadow of a man was darkly defined on the canvas of the tent. % The young man, annoyed at being disturbed, raised his head angrily, and looked toward the en- trance of the tent, with a frown that promised noth- ing very pleasant for his inopportune intruder, But at the sight of the man who stood in the doorway, leaning on a long rifle,and fixing on him eyes that sparkled, the Jaguar restrained with difficulty a cry of surprise, and made a move to seize the pistols placed within reach on the table. : C4, This man, whom we have already had Fe: sion to present to the reader under very grave ¢€ wetistin ces, had nothing, we must confess, in his appearance that spoke greatly in his favor, His stern glance, his harsh face, rendered still harsher by bis lon white beard, his tall stature and strange attire, a about him ip a word, inspired repulsion and almost terror, The Jaguar's movement produced a sinister smile on his pale lips. | “Why take up your weapons?” he said, in a hoarse voice art he struck the palm of his hand against his rifle-barrel © had IL intended to kill you, you would have been dead long ago.” . The young man wheeled round his equipal, which brought him face to face with thestranger, The two men examined each other for a moment with the most minute attention. ~'*Have you looked at me enough?’ the stranger at length asked. : | “Yes,” the Jaguar answered; “‘now tell me who you are, what brings you here, and how you reached me,”’ ‘Those are a good many, questions at once, still I will try to answer them. hoam I? No onéknows,’ and there are moments when] am myself ignorant; I am an accursed, and a reprobate, Pata about the desert. like a wild beast in search of pre the red- skins, whose implacable enemy I am, and in whom I inspire a superstitious terror, call me the Kiein Stoman; is this information sufficient for you?’ ““What?”’ the young men exclaimed, utterly as- tounded, ‘‘ the White Scalper!” “Tam the man,” the stranger quietly answered; “Tam also known at times by the name of ‘The Pitiless,’.” he All this had been said by the old man in mo- notonous and hoarse voice peculiar to.men who, de- prived for a long time.of the society of their fellow- men, have been restricted to a forced silence, and hence speaking has become almost a labor to them. The Jaguar gave a start of repulsion at the sight of this sinister man, whose mournful, reputation had reached him with all its horrors. His memory im- mediately recalled all the traits of ferocity and cruelty imputed to this man, and it was under the impression of this recollection that he said to him with an accent of disgust he did not wish to con- ceal— “What is there in common between you and me?’’ The old man smiled sarcastically. “God,” he answered, “connects all men to each other by invisible bonds which render them respon-/. sible one for the other; He willed it so, in His su reme omniscience, in order to render society possible. On hearing this wild, geome 5 man pronounce the name of Deity, aud utter so s renee an argument, the J felt his surprise redoubled. =F pot discuss the point with pony he said; “every one in life follows the path destiny has traced for him, and it does not belong. to me to judge ou either favorably or unfavorably; still, I have e right of denying an connection with you, what- ever may be your feelings toward me, or the mo- tives that brought you hither; up to the present, we have been strangers to each other, and I desire to remain so for the future.” “What do you know of it? what certainty have ou that this is the first time we have been face to ace? man can no more answer for the past than for the future; both are in the hands of One more werful than him, of Him who judges of actions mediately, and for whom there is only one weight and one measure,” “Tam astonished,” the Jaguar answered, involun- tarily interested, ‘that the name of Deity should be so often on your lips,” @ Becavine it is doaply engraved en my heart,” the old man said, with an accent of gloomy sorrow which spread a vail of melancholy over his austere features. ‘‘ You Said yourself that you would not. judge me; retain, if you will, the evil impression which the probable f statements of others have made on you. I care little for the opinion of men, for I recognize no other judge of my actions but my ience.’ | et Be + gO Mind permit es © a erm ite g away, 8 advancing. Pave pexfous business to attend to, and need fo be “Tn a word, you show me the door; unluckily, I am not disposed, for the presses, to accede to your request, or, if you prefer it, obey your orders; I wish first to answer all your questions, and then, if you still insist on it, 1 will retire.” “Take care; for this obstinacy on your part may lead to dangerous consequences for you.” “Why threaten a man who does not insult you?” the old man replied, with undiminished coolness ; ‘*do you fancy that i put myself out of the way for nothing? No, no; serious motives bring me to you; and, ifI am not mistaken, ere long you will allow that the time you are unwilling to grant me, could not be better employed than in listening to me.” The Jaguar shrugged his shoulders “impatiently he felt a repugnance to employ -violen ta man who, after all, had in no way infringed on the laws of politeness, and, spite of himself, a species of secret presentiment warned him that the visit of man W be useful to him. th singular old man would oh. a iring, as much for his courage as for his devo- | by this time, “S then,’’ he said a moment after, in the tone ah n to the cause he served, They wenton, of a man who resigns himself to endure a thing. that Bie. A ugh Pg alipe near ras oo aoe pordnel was cu . ns mene on hes but which he cannot elude; “ but = Ip; e moment. when the hun was APTER XTV, pra By ¢ rm n, he was walking Mn Line up and PROPOSAL, ret “T am not so used to speaking as to find pleasure ptt oe. s be mp consulting from time to time a On the same night, almost a the same hour, the | in making long harangues,” the Scalper re ed; “I aa plan of the fortifications that lay open ona seated on a modest oak ea in his tent, | will only say shingserstonly. indlopentabie to be pro- Se with his elbow leaning on the table and his head on | perly understood by you.’ , uil’s arrival caused him great satisfaction, | his hand, was reading the light of a candle that “Do so then without further preamble.’ emitted but a dubious Hecht, important dispatches “Be it so. I now return to the second question ro = . ° ~ = ee a ~ a ne — for he hoped to obtain from him news from without, : pee eee aN dae Eomicbooks i, 3 — Pi UTS 4 te