Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 154 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

If : | a ——— ens ee a Ss OD ee = aL a 6 es = —— so = 5 if “16 ' coward,” he mutte The red sun gleamed on the weapons in the belt - = ee eS eee eee —- eee —————— SS — Joaquin, ‘the Saddle King. CHAPTER XIV. A FRIEND ON THE TRAIL, Tio ToMAS gave his advice in perfect good faith, and y felt that he was working for the best interests of both Carmela and her lover. In this belief, he regarded the smoke columns with positive pleasure, never doubting for’ that Joaquin Murieta was connected there- with, end accepting it as a token that his coun- el wo obe followed by the bold lover. Yet the veferan was not the least one surprised when the ambush was finally sprung, though he noted the peculiar advantages of the spot, and drew nearer to Don Felix and Carmela, feeling quite confident that now if ever would the trap be rung. Pte volley came, and to his horror and sur- prise, Tio Tomas found that the farce bade fair to become a tragedy as far as he was concerned. One of the bullets grazed his cheek, raising a purplish welt, asif from a heavy blow with a rawhide, while another passed through his clothes and broke the skin over his heart. This double shock was severe, and he reeled in his saddle, then drop to the ground like one slain or disabled. But, after the first mo- ment of confused dismay, the cunning old cam- paigner recovered his presence of mind, and his tall was purely voluntary. The impetuous charge of the mock Indians came just as he fell, and for a brief space it soemed as though Tio Tomas must be crushed beneath the trampling hoofs, but he displayed in no mean d , the skill and adroitness for which he had been noted in days gone by, glid- ing like a snake through the melee and crowding bis body beneath a rock where his person was safe from the dangers of hoof and weapon. From this place of refuge, he looked out upon the struggle, and his blood chilled as he saw the weapons gleam and flash and the red lif current begin to flow. “ Holy Mother! that is no sham!”’he mentally exclaimed as Don Felix struck down his first assailant. ‘*I was a blind fool—those are real savages. Ha!” he cried aloud, forgetting him- self as he witnessed the desperate attempt at revenge of the mutilated ruffians. ‘‘Guardthy- self, Don Felix—blessed be all the saints! The little one has courage fit for the wife of the Cid himself?” This as he saw Carmela shoot down the man who threatened the life of her father, and feel- ing a return of the fires of youth, io Tomas crawled out from beneath the rock, intending to play amore manful partin the game, But he was too late. Don Felix and Carmela wheeled and broke through the ranks of the enemy, who quickly recovered from their momentary confusion and thundered after in swift pursuit. Tio Tomas hesitated for a moment as he watched that mad race. The escort had vanished in some miraculous manner, and even the two scouts were no longer where they had fallen when the ambush was first sprung. It all looked very much like pan of some sort, and in his indignation forgetting the part he himself had intended to play, Tio Tomas re- solved to er the pursuers and lend his master all the aid that lay in his power. The veteran wasa true born Mexican, and like all of his race, an inveterate appene to pedestrianism, ‘There were several horses run- ning loose, in addition to his own, and he attempted to secure one of them. But the creatures were highly excited by the recent noise and confusion, added to the smell of powder smoke and fresh blood. One after an- other foiled his attempts, and the veteran narrowly escaped having his brains kicked out by his own horse, which then wheeled and set off in pursuit of the chase of its own accord, Panting and breathless from his unusually severe exertions, Tio Tomas down on a rock, and stared after his runaway horse wi anything but an amaible cast of countenance, And the first use he made of his second wind was to pour out curses on the treacherous crea- ture, as only a thoroughly enraged Mexican can. Even should he secure a horse, Tio Tomas saw that he could not overtake the chase in time to be of service. At their present reckless, breakneck pace, the matter must soon be de- cided in one way or another, and as his old limbs be to stiffen again, Tio Tomas was not sure that bis petag tin the lurch by his horse was the worst thing that could have be- fallen him, ‘**A man may be ays re pig Be nger ngering the purple wale on his c ke “oid as I am, I could fight for the little one as long as two limbs held together, but it would be the act of a fool to get butchered without the faintest hope of doing her or any one else an iota of good. I will follow after, to learn how the matter ends, ready to strikea blow for the little one and the master, if there comes a chance, but I will go as the serpent, not as the lion.” None knew better than old Tio how full of ril sucha trail as this might prove, and as of the man shot down by Carmela, he resolved to increase bis armament. SSS Scarcely had his fingers touched the pistol belt, when a red, blood-stained hand grasped his wrist with a cold and clammy touch. Tio Tomas, with an exclamation of mingled fear and anger, leaped back, the effort raising the man whom he had supposed a corpse to a sit- ting ture. “Water! for the love of God—water!” came in a husky rattle from the dying wretch’s throat, and as he swayed unsteadily to and fro, he presented a truly horrible picture. io Tomas quickly recovered his usual nerve, and fancying he saw a clew to the mystery which so perplexed him, he hastened to where a dead horse lay, and removing the water gourd luckily uninjured and nearly full, he returned to the dying man and gave him a drink —but barely enough to moisten his parched throat and lips. The wounded wretched gasped and moaned as the gourd was wrested away, but Tio Tomas held the priceless liquid above his reach, crying sternly: ** Answer my questions, and you shall have all you can drink; refuse, and you may die like the dog you have lived, for you are no Indian— ou area white man. Tell me—who planned is ambuscade?”’ . i J oaquin Murieta—give me drink—I choke— ie!” With a strength lent by the horrible torture he was suffering, the mock Indian leaped to his feet and tore the water bottle from the veteran’s g . But it was the last flickering of the vital spark Ere the bottle could touch his lips, he ied, and falling heavily, the liquid he so coveted flowed from the flask over his face. Tio Tomas was “Yodan by this totally un- ex answer. rue, he had _ believed Joaquin meant to ambush the party, but not in such a deadly manner. This man had tried to kill Don Felix, and he could still hear the drop- ping fire of the pursuing party. But there was a still greater surprise in store for him. He saw that the escaping water was ered peaking away the paint that masked e dead man’s features, and with one end of his scarf, he removed paint sufficient to allow him to recognize the wretch—one of Don Man- uel Camplido’s retainers, and one who had been particularly hostile to the young Sonorian. ‘A liar you lived, and with a foul lie hot on our lips you died, Sanchez Varrico!” muttered the veteran, arising with the coveted weapons in his hands, ‘‘ Joaquin Murieta never enlisted such as you in fis service—yet why did he say so, and him dying at the very moment?’ All this had consumed some little time, and Tio Tomas had not gone far before he came to a sudden pause. : The ground where he stood was considerably elevated above the level of the country toward the plain, and he saw the mishap which befell Don Felix, though the distance was too great for him to wholly comprehend what happened. “Holy Virgin! the master and little one are both down—the enemy are thrown into con- fusion—they wheel and ride this way—they are pursued, and by one man alone!” , It did not seem possible, but despite his age, Tio Tomas had unusually keen eyes, and he could distinguish the tiny blue puffs of smoke as they shot out in advance of the solitary pur- suer. et look as he might, he could see noth- ing of other men in chase, and was forced to the conclusion that nearly a score of men were fleeing in hot haste from a single adversary, ‘Tt is only of a piece with all the rest!” he muttered, in a tone ‘of disgust. “If the devil have not a finger in this pie, then it is because he no longer takes pica in mischief doing.” Tio Tomas, though rather fond of moralizing, even when he had no other listener than himself, saw that the present was no time for such in- dulgence. The miock red-skins were fleeing along the back trail quite as rapidly as they had gone over it in pursuit, and should they rp him he might fare but illy at their ands. “Twice they grazed my life. The third stroke may take it. I had better hunt my hole while f can!” | There was great danger of ps a should he turn either to the right or the! left, so Tio Tomas beat a hasty retreat, intending to con- ceal himself among the dense cover from whence the ambush had been sprung, but all at once he paused abruptly as his eyes rested Bee ates the par- tially charred face of the dead Varrico. Should the enémy also note this—and they couldscarcely | avoid doing so—would they believe it the work | of the dead man himself? | There was no time to waste, for the scene of | the ambush could be scrutinized from a consid- erable distance along the trail, but, fortunately | for himself, Tio Tomas could both reason and — act quickly. Scraping up a handful of the | blood-moistened earth, he daubed it liberally over the dead man’s countenance, turned him over upon his face, then glided like a human eo into the cha L , arcely had he done this than the weer horseman crossed the bighest point of the trail, then almost immediately slackened his pace. | His example was followed by bis comrades, and the concealed watcher’s heart throbbed almost painfully as he feared they were about to form an ambush for the man who had so gallantly beaten them off from their helpless prey. ‘“By all the saints! yonder he comes, riding straight into the trap—” But the sentence was never ended, for Tio Tomas recognized Don Manuel Camplido, and more—he saw the supposed mortal enemies meet in friendly conversation! Don uél seemed to be the principal speaker, and after a few moments he turned and rede back the way he had come, while the paint-bedaubed crew came on to the chaparral, where they dismounted and began removing their Indian trappings. Tio Tomas saw that the paints had been put on without oil, from the ready manner in which they were removed, and he nestled down closer in his covert as he reeog- nized one after another of the party. He knew that, were he found spying upon them, he would receive short shrift bi hee From where he lay the veteran could catch brief snatches of their talk, enough to tell him just how the ground lay, and to solve the enig- mathat had so thorougbly puzzled bim. is talk with Joaquin had been reported to Don Manuel, and that worthy had resolved to profit by the advice tendered the young Sonorian. He learned, too, that Camplido had killed Den Felix and taken Carmela prisoner. Scarcely were the men arrayed in their usual dress than one of them exclaimed: “Yonder rises the master’s signal—to horse, comrades!” As they rode eanais away, Tio Tomas crept from his covert and stole after them. His face was stern-set, and there was an unusal glitter in his old eyes. No'one could tell better than he the great risk he would be running, but the veteran was no coward when he saw something worth tee for, and he mentally registered an oath to foil the villainous Camplido, or yield up his life as the penalty of failure. From his former position among the rocks, he watched the movements of Don Manuel and his fellows. When he saw the former, bearing the form of @armela on the saddle before bim, head for his position, he once more retreated to cover. From thence he noted the course fol- lowed by the head rascal, but dared not attempt to follow him just then. The outlaws were en- paged in packing their dead fellows on horse- ack, meaning to carry them away to. some spot. where ey eae be hidden’ with little fear of their being umearthed as evidence against the living. As they left the scene of bloodshed and death, Tio Tcmas followed aftey. It was a difficuls and most dangerous task he bad voluntarily <s- sumed, but he never flinched. The broken nature of the ground was cne point in his favor, for while it afforded ¢:.od cover for a spy, it also compelled the horseimen to use caution in advancing. On a level, smooth tract of country, poor ‘Kio Tomas would soon have been left hopelessly behind. As is was, success crowned his efforts, but the old fellow was in a sad case when the party. at length went into camp. Yet, stiff and sore, his breath coming in gasps, feeling to his parched throat like puffs of air from a heated oven, the veteran did not give over his efforts unti! he succeeded in reaching a dense clump of bushes only. afew feet from where poor Carmela sat. om this ambush, Tio Tomas overherrd every word spoken by Don Manuel Camplico, and that rascal would scarcely have felt as much at ease had be even suspected the truth— that he was kept covered by a revolver in the hands of one who had few superiors with that wean And had his drunken insults went be- yond words, Camplido would have died in his tracks, though Tio Tomas knew that his own death must surely follow. His hand it was that Carmela caught sight of soon after Don Manuel Camplide lett her, his face that she pie! eh a moment later, his voice that came softly to her ears: “Fear not, little one! old Tio Tomas is ready to die for you!” CHAPTER XV. A PERILOUS UNDERTARANG, CARMELA bowed her head and covered her face with her hands, both to hide her powerful emotion from Gaspard, whose atteution seemed attracted, though it was hardly pone that he could either have heard or seen Tio Tomas, and to collect her suddenly scattered thoughts. She remembered baving seen the old man fa). when the pretended Indians fired their first vo" ley from ambush, and though expecting nothine less than death herself, his supposed death had given her a sharp pang even then. Now—as ty a miracle he had escaped, had dogged the kic- nappers to this lone spot, where he declared bis readiness to die in her defense. But those san « words, however encouraging, proved him to t» alone, and what could one man, old and near'y worn out, accomplish against nearly a score 0° stout, reckless ruffians? A heavy footfall checked her musings at this int, and quickly raising her head, Carmela held Gaspard before her. A rough-spoken, brutal fellow, despite his magnificent form and really handsome face, MIGDOO (C S) (¢ (E(©)