Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 183 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

“Oh, keep still; you will have the Indians down on you next.” ‘Me? Get out! Am I afraid of Indians, eh? Not if I know it; hi—yip! hi! That a bes’ brandy ever see in all my life. Takes right hold, that does, hip!” __ ‘Yes, [ should say that it did take hold. You are as drunk as a king, though what you wanted to get drunk for, / don’t know. old up, can’t you? I won’t hold you if you want to lie down.” ‘See that finger fly, didn’t you? It popped up like a jumping jack. Is’pose you think you know all about me, don’t you? I’m a guide and hunter, they say, but they don’t know that I came of one of the best families in old Ken- tucky, hurrah for Kentucky !” “Then you were not always a guide?’ said Gandelion, hopiug to get something out of him which would give a clew to his identity. ‘* Want to pump me ’cause I’m drunk, don’t A Hip! Can’t come that on me, you know, (I amdruvk. You shut up and let me sleep. The poison is killed now; thet brandy was powerful,” Gandelion arranged a pillow of moss for his head, and laid him on it, and ina moment the Guide was asleep, in that peculiarly strong sleep which only drunken men know. As he lay there, Gandelion saw that a little chain of gold which was passed around his neck had slipped out, and a golden locket lay half open upon the ground. He took it up, indolently, and turned it over, looking at the contents. It held two pictures, face to face—one, a noble looking young man, in a rich green uniform, and a lovely woman. Gandelion started back, with a look of surprise, and looked again and again at the pictures, and for half an hour he sat there, motionless, looking at the locket with the same fixed, intent gaze. CHAPTER XTX. THE AMBUSH. We must go back to the day when Darromed crossed the Miami, carrying Helen in his arms, and leaving his baffled pursuers upon the other bank unable to follow him. The defiant laugh of the savage rung in their ears like a knell, and they knew not what to do. The Guide was the first to recover himself, and calling to his companions to follow him, he ran along the bank to a place where the force of the stream began to slacken, and here, after several at- tempts they succeeded in crossing, pushing their-rifles before them on logs. Once on the other shore, they ran up the stream to the lace where they had last seen Helen, and ound the trail. Waterman was for following at once, and was seconded by the impulsive Irishman, when arose the passionless voice of common sense and reason. ‘“What do you propose to do, Clinton Wa- terman? Can we beat forty or fifty well-armed savages on their own ground?” ‘*I must save Helen; you promised to follow and save her,” was the only reply the lover could give. ‘*'Yes; but I have other objects for which I live, and dearer to me even than this, We can only throw our lives away by following these men now, for they will lay a trap for us. ‘*T did not know that you were a coward before,” was Waterman’s contemptuous retort. Gilbert started back and laid his hand upon a weapon, and for a moment the expression of his face was ble. ‘‘You must take back that word, young man,” he said. ‘'I take it from no living soul, be he whom be may.” ‘“T am not one to retract my words so readily,” returned Waterman, sternly. ‘“‘If you do not follow the trail of these hell-hounds you at least lay yourself open to the imputa- tion of cowardice, for I swear to go alone if no one will follow me in this duty.” Owasco etepped between them, for he saw that the Guide wasin a fearful passion. ‘‘ My oung brother is very wrong to ae the ravery of one who has fought well and nobly upon many fields,” he said. ‘‘ Let him reflect but a moment and he will see how great a wrong his words do to a noble man,” ‘‘T retract!” cried Waterman, impulsively. ‘I have proved your valor, and am aware that you do not know what fear means, but think of my beloved Helen, and consent to do something for her liberation. Forgive the impulsive folly of a man guided only by bis love.” “That is enough,” replied Gilbert. “I can remember when | was as fiery as you; but time and trouble have left their scars upon me, and I have learned in the rough school of affliction that nothing is to be gained by foolhardiness. We will follow the Indians as a matter of course, but cautiously, for their force is too great for us to co th.” “Thank you, Gilbert. I felt that you would pity and forgive me. I wish I could as readily forgive myself.” Owasco took the lead in following the trail. It led them by a devious path through the woods for some miles, made the circuit of the British post below the rapids, for Darromed knew that the British officers would not leave his prisoner in his grasp if he showed her at Gilbert, the Guide. the fort, and struck the river two miles below. Here some of the ty bad evidently taken to their canoes, while another, and by far the greater portion, had struck out across the forest in the direction of the Indian villages on the Sandusky. “That settles it,” said Gilbert; ‘‘ they are off for the Miami villages, or else for W yandot—I am inelined to think the latter. They put confi- dence in their ability to beat back Wayne, as they have before doue St. Clair and Harmar; 21 Bring the wild horse which Dawalla ht. trear thse land where the sun sets.” sition They brought out a fiery steed, such as, Mazeppa rode in his wild course through the Ukraine. “A noble steed— A Tartar of the Ukraine breed, Who looked as though the speed of thought, Were in his limbs; but he was wild, Wild as the wild deer, and untaught."’ They tied him, yet bleeding from his many but they will find themselves mistaken, for | wounds, upon the wild steed’s back, sitting Anthony Wayne is not the man to be caught perigee in the saddle, with his hands free, mapemee:’ **Let us follow them even to their villages, and b their hands,” ‘‘Helen has gone in the canoe. Take the frouble to look at these tracks leading away from the river, and you will see that there is no women among them. I have lived in the Indian country long enough, and studied their wiles with sufficient care to know this.” ‘* What course will they take?’ asked Water- man, in despair. " They will descend the river to its mouth, as I said before, and make for some of the sefitle- ments upon the lake below, probably San- dusky. y idea is to go back to the ropes and get canoes, as it is easier to follow in that way than on foot; besides, we can search the bays and inlets better, for who can :ell whether Darromed has not some hiding-place down the river in which he will leave Helen?” At this moment a man dressed in the garb of a settler burst from the bushes and ran toward them. They could see that his face was stained with blood and his garments torn and dirty, as if he had just been engaged in a terrible struggle. ‘‘Help me, if you are Christians,” he cried, in a voice of agony. ‘‘ A white girl is being carried through yonder thicket by alf a dozen W yandots, and we can save her.” ‘*‘Come on,” cried Waterman, drawing his pistols, ‘‘ It is Helen whom he has seen. ad the way, sir, and we will give a good account of these Indians,” ‘Wait, Clinton, for God’s sake!” cried Gil- bert. But the young man darted away, closely followed by Handy Pat in the lead of the new- comer, ough full of sore misgivings, the Guide and Owasco entered the thicket nearly together. At once, in front, flank and rear, rese a horde of yelling savages. Half a dozen threw themselves oe the leading man and dragged him out of sight, he uttering loud cries for mercy. Twenty or thirty painted red-skins surrounded tbe unfortunate party, and a circle of steel-knives and batchets hem- med them in. They fought with the energy of despair, and several of the yelling flends went down; but their stubborn valor was vain = sang the tremendous force of the enemy. hen the conflict was over, Waterman found himself and Pat, both wounded slightly in several places, prisoners in the hands of the savages. Neither Owasco nor the Guide were to be seen, though in the melee he had not been able to discover whether they had es- caped or were slain. The Indians were most of them known to the agent, who had passed the greater portion of the last four years among the tribes of the ‘‘ North-western Ter- ritory,” as the land north of the Obio was called by the Americans. But he looked in vain for an expression of sympathy or kindness in their painted faces. Several of them had been wounded and two killed in the desperate encounter. ‘* Hal” screamed one of the Indians, shaking a bloody hand in the face of the agent. ‘‘ You talk no more in the lodges of the Wyandots, You are no better than a dead dog from this hour, for the Wyandots will drink your blood.” “ Arrah, get away wid ye, ye thafe av the worruld,” yelled a ae Pat. ‘‘Come out, any two av ye, and I'll fight ye wid me bare fists an’ bate ye at that.” ‘* Keep still, Pat,” ordered Waterman. ‘‘ No- thing is to be gained by bluster, that I can see. We are in great trouble, and can only trust in an overruling Providence,” ‘*T’d thrust to me heels, av they’d let me loose but ony By aye —_ se | Ss e now, ye naygur, w e fight me nae wi cae fists for a dollar? dollar to a cint I bate ye.” One of the savages struck him in the mouth with bis open band, and, bound as he was, he could only gnash his teeth without returning the blow. The dead were buried upon the spot, and litters were made for the wounded; then, forcing the prisoners forward among them, they struck across country for the river. After a laborious march, during which the two men were exposed to every indignity they struck the river again, where they foun Darromed and his party —- to receive them. The chief came forward full of joy as he saw whom they bad as prisoners. ‘‘Hugh! these will make amends for the in- sults offered a chief of the great nation. I will give him a death such as no warrior ever gained, and, if he escapes he deserves to live. force or craftrescue Helen Carlyon from | LR RR RR a a mm a gm bree stalwart savages held the plunging horse and headed him for a great bluff which rose high above the water, a hundred feet in the air. Before they loosed him there was a cry of bitter agony, and Helen threw herself at the feet of the chief. ‘‘Spare him, chief, do not murder him before my eyes,” she gasped. ’ ‘“‘It is well that on should come,” said the chief, ‘‘for you shall see how a Wyandot avenges himse)f upon his enemies, who follow bim to slay him.” ‘* Beware!” bissed the young agent. ‘* Ima die, vile red-skin, but there are those who wi ovege any insult you offer that beautiful irl.’ : Darromed seized Helen by the wrist and dragged her to her feet. **Do not be a fool, white girl,” he cried. “You have come_ to look upon the death of the agent of the Yankees, and you shall. I hate him, and have hated bim for years, when I saw him coming among the tribes, making treaties to steal away their land for the Yankees. He is a dog whose blood will turn to water when he looks his death in the face and sees how terrible it is.” The woods had been cut away to the brow of the bluff, which rose like a tower above the water, by workmen who had been _ bringing supplies to the t at the rapids, leaving a narrow road. Into this road they led the plunging horse, laughing with demoniac glee as they thought of the terrible death before the young agent. His face wore a high and lofty icok, for if he must die, at least he would not die with bound bands, ' ‘Farewell, Helen!” he cried. “If I die here, never forget that I loved you and gave my life for your sake.” - e him!” shrieked Darromed, The Indians sprung aside, and struck the wild steed upon the flanks. Even while in mid career, the agent found time to throw off the bonds upon his feet, so that he had freedom of action. Upon both sides and in the rear, up to the very brow of the bluff, he saw the Indians standing with poised rifles, ready to shoot him down if he dared take apy other course except over the bluff. He set his teeth firmly, and rasping the reins, shouted to the wild horse. o need to urge bim on, in that hour. Wild with the blows he had received, and bis eyes set furiously, he plunged on toward the fatal In an hour like this, all the evilof a man’s life flasbes before his eyes like a vision. ater- man saw -this picture, and with a fervent prayer for the safety of Helen, and that God would forgive whatever sin he bad commi he dashed on. He caught the gleam of bright water, and then the horse reared upon the perilous verge, shot out into the air, and pluuged downward into space, while wild shouts of fiendish laughter rung in his ears, as he went whizzing downward. The water at the base of the bluff was fortunately deep, for horse and rider disappeared from view. But,. when the savages gained the brink, they saw the horse swimming slowly toward the oppo- site bank, but the agent was nowhere to be seen. Had it ended him? Was that young life, which promised so gloriously for the future, buried in the bright waters of the Miami? Helen bad hurried with the rest; she had seen the fatal plunge,.and when the horse rose alone, she uttered a Jong, wailing cry of agony, and would have thrown herself from the bluff, had nota hand seized her and dragged her back, “No, white girl,” said Darromed, ‘‘ you have seen the vengeance of a chief; beware that — not bring that vengeance on your own ead. “* Ha, look!” cried one of the braves; ‘‘ white man git away.” wage ed gr utterance to a yell of rage, which ech through the surrounding forest, while Handy Pat crowed loudly in delight. The horse was rising from the water near the other bank, but_by his side rose the manly form of Clinton Waterman, who was mounted the next moment, and amid a shower of balls, none of which seemed to reech their mark, be rode over the bank and disappeared. That bluff bas earned a name in history, and to this day the Buckeye men beside their fires tell the story of that wonderful leap, and still more wonderful escape. The anger of the chief knew no bounds. Not only bad he allowed his enemy to escape, but is desire to inflict some unique and dread- in ful punishment upon him, he actually fur- ICO (E@ MULE CS (E()