Beadle's Dime Library No. 199 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

gt ee ee VV © ee el el mes who sap- 1 an per- ni § ide iting ding a Jiamonce Jick, ne Dandy from Denver. : him to the ame in such a way as to cause his knees to touch his chin. This done, the Indian procured a thick piece of buffalo-skin, with which he grasped, one at a time, the now heated stones, placing them in a circle around his patient, and throwing the herbs upon them. A thick, fragrant steam quickly arose, and with a grunt of satisfaction the Kioway let down the flap-piece over the entrance and se- cured it. He had, while in Placer Palace, in- timated to Diamond Dick that ‘*‘ his lodge was open;” but it was now very certain thatif the young man should recover in his present close quarters, and realize that he was in the home of | his red friend, he would be forced to the con- | elusion that the assertion, was a decided lie. | There was little doubt that his reception was a decidedly warm one, but the lodge was emphati- cally closed. When the Kioway had secured the stakes, he sprung into the big tepée, and was absent some ten minutes; but when he reappeared, no one would have recognized him as the same man who had but just now been so zaalous and attentive in the care of Diamond Dick. He now appeared as the Medicine Man of | his tribe, attired in all the hideous trappings that belonged to his profession, and prepared to practice all the ceremonies that were customary previous to having any intercourse with the whites: for, in addition to their skill in the use | of herbal remedies, these men are supposed by their people to possess the power of driving away the Bad Spirit, whom they believe to have entered the bodies of those who are ill. Their powers, real or assumed, are beyond the comprehension of the simple savages, with whom any strange thing or piece of mechanism which they do not understand or any man who | is gifted with powers or skill that are strange to them, is ‘‘ Big Medicine.” The Colt’s revolver, the locomotive, and any- thing else that was appalling to the Indians, were each in their turn thus classed and desig- nated. Nelson Lee, who was born and reared among the Catskill mountains, but who, when he had arrived at man’s estate, went to Texas and be- came a noted scout and ranger, was captured by Comanches on the Rio Pecos, and owed his life to an old-fashioned alarm watch. While winding it up, he would feign to talk with the Great Spirit by word and gesture; and in this he was considered a big medicine man, and was the only one spared out of fourteen Texans who were captured at the same time. He was once sold, with his watch, for six hundred horses, to a branch of the tribe under the noted chief, Rolling Thunder, who was killed by Lee, the latter stealing upon him as he lay outstretched, drinking at a spring, and braining him with a hatchet. Leethea mounted the chief’s horse, and after wandering for two ‘weeks in the mountains, found bis way at length to Santa Fe. He wasa Big Medicine indeed; and the Indians, when visited by friendly tribes, always exhibited him, and induced him to ‘* make a talk with the Great Spirit,” the war- riors meanwhile standing around and listening with superstitious awe, as the old “ turnip whirled and whizzed out its peculiar alarm. This digression is necessary to explain the real nature and office of these men in their tribes, because most people in civilization sup- pose an Indian Medicine man to be one who merely heals and cures with herbs and barks; when, in reality, their knowledge of the cura- tive properties of such remedies have been learned from the missionaries who have pene- trated these wilds from the North and from the City of Mexico. Since then, it is true that the red-men have discovered for themselves many remedies hitherto unknown to the whites. As our friend Big Medicine bounded from jis lodge into the moonlit ee in front of it he resembled nothing in the heavens above or the earth beneath, his appearance being such as would drive all hope and life from any one in an ordinarily weak condition, if he did not suc- ceed in expelling the Bad Spirit, as was his in- tention, The entire head and neck of the Kioway was hidden by the huge head of a buffalo bull; the horns, flowing “ mop” and neck-skin werecom- plete, while a panther hide jhung from his shoulder to his feet, and his waist and limbs were covered with the skins, rattles, and dried heads of snakes, centipedes, and taran- tulas. Upon his leggings were daubed strange and hideous hieroglyphies, and beasts and rep- tiles in different colored pigments. His broad breast was decorated in the same manner. In one hand he held a horn that was filled with the teeth torn from the jaws of slain foes of his tribe, and coiled about his arm was a writhing, hissing rattlesnake. A tum-tum, or Indian a was secured to his belt, and a stick to beat the same was in his right hand. Coming up to the little lodge, within which, amid the stifling steam, Dick was secured, Big edicine gave a most unearébly how), and then sprung here and there in a spasmodic trot and contorting his horribly appareled form into every conceivable shape; meanwhile sbaking the horn of teeth in the air, while the snake a em me hissed and squirmed about his head, as the Kioway frantically beat the tum-tum. Circling the lodge in this manner, be began a wierd, monotonous chant; and then, at times, yelped like a wolf, shrieked like a panther, ending with a how! and a fierce guttural chant that sounded perfectly appalling. Big Medicine’s lone fandango was, however, doomed to be brought to a sudden close; for, in the midst of it, there came the sound of the bursting of dry hides, and the little buffalo-skin wigwam arose in the air like a balloon, and Diamond Dick sat, bound to the lodge-pole, the moon shining down upon his face, which was stamped with bewilderment, not unmixed with rage. .. Hurling, with one kick, the lodge from its pole, he started to his feet, just as Big Medicine in his hideous ‘‘ make-up,”’ sprung in one wild bound over it, and stood quivering and panting with exertion in front of his patient. Not a word was spoken, until Diamond Dick, having gazed wildly around for a full minute, began to realize that he was still on Mother Earth, and that the horrible figure before him might be human, cried out: ‘What kind of a circus and menagerie are you giving me here? Who, or what in the fiend’s name are you? If that is the extent of your canvas, I can’t travel with you, for ’m not in the side-show biz. What sort of a job have you putup on me? Cut these cords, I say, if there is any human about you, and let me out of this. I want to stretch myself, and breathe pure air again. Give mea drink of water, will you?” With a cry of relief, Big Medicine sprung into his lodge, and the next moment appeared in his original character. Proud of bis success, he said: “ Big Medicine say make Dick well before sun come. Dick well in one hour. Kioway tongue not forked.” * Well, I should say you must think that like cures like. If you haven’t given me a’ Turkish bath, ma liar. I thought I must be in the in- fernal regions when I saw your devilish rig, especially after those fiendish yells of yours. Where am I, any way? I’m blest if I can locate myself,” ‘*Big Medicine’s lodge open, but his white a too sick to come. Big Medicine bring im,’ ‘Well, I should say your lodge was open now, but I’m the craziest man out of an asylum if it wasn’t the tightest place I ever found my- = in; and it took a vigorous kick to open shop.’ ‘*Come,” said the Kioway, cutting the bonds and assisting Dick to rise; ‘‘come. Must run fast. Run with\red friend, or take heap cold. Then get stiff. My white brother been much hot, much sweat. Take run, then lie in buffalo- skin one hour. War-path open. Bad white _— thick in mountains. Find chief of Wild ats.’ After running his patient around the rock- inclosed y tee for ten minutes, Big Medicine covered Dick with a robe and made him lie down in the big lodge, bidding bim keep quiet for a time. en the Kioway stole out and stalked rapidly down toward the “‘ City.” CHAPTER X. AMONG THE BANDITS. SEEING that Reckless Rube was unharmed by her bullet, Dashing Dolores galloped after him in hot chase, mounted, as we have seen, upon Diamond Dick’s horse. That she bad recognized the man, there could be no doubt, from the fury shown in her every word and expression, None of the citizens knew anything of him or could say that they had seen him before. His face, as clearly shown in the moonlight, was that of a remarkably handsome man, with jet-black mustache and imperial and long curl- ing hair of the same hue. All were satisfied that Dolores had good and sufficient reasons for taking the man’s life; and they felt very sure, besides, that he was an out- law as well. In consequence of this, those who followed in pursuit of him had two objects in view—to protect Dolores and to capture the man whom she called Reckless Rube. It was with extreme difficulty that the girl could keep within view of the man whom she seemed resolved, at all hazards, to overtake. However, she urged on her steed, until, at the point where she had last seen the outlaw, she discovered him far below, in the bottom of a canyon, down the steep side of which was a trail much used by the miners. Notwithstanding the perilous nature of such a descent upon an “ American” horse, Dolores did not hesitate, and the black steed, although not accustomed to such traveling, finally reached the bed of the canyon, when his rider struck him with her rifle, and galloped on in mad pursuit. ’ The nobie animal, with far-reaching bounds, was just turning a bend in the canyon, and Do.ores felt certain that in one moment more she would be within range of the man she was pursuing. Nor was she mistaken, for Rube Rey- nolds was thrashing his mustang furiously, not two hundred yards away when she caught sight of him, as her horse sprung around the canyon curve. Trembling in every limb, covered with foam, and with the blood dripping from his flanks, the outlaw’s mustang staggered onward with a snort of pain and terror, his rider turning his head to gaze behind him, as if apprehensive that some dread danger was impending with which he was powerless to cope. Just ahead was another bend, and as Dolores perceived this she raised her rifle, and at the moment man and mustang were about to disappear, the canyon sh with a far-sounding report. ith a cry that was almost human, Reckless Rube’s horse sprung into the air, and then fell dead; while his rider, with a yell of terror, fled up the canyon, well knowing that his pursuer could have shot him instead of the horse, had she so wished, and consequently she had in view a more torturing revenge. In one mad bound the steed of Dolores now sprung over the dead mustang and darted around the bend. Glancing ahead, the girl caught a clear view beyond the curve, and brought her horse to a sudden halt, by a quick and firm jerk of the reins. It was not strange that she should do so, or that she should turn ghastly with sudden fright, for the scene within the canyon was such as would have appalled the stoutest heart, even had it pulsated in the breast of one well used to scenes of blood. The canyon beyond the bend around which Reckless Rube had fled was quite wide and en- tirely free from rocks, level as a floor, and now brightly illumined by the moon, But neither this, nor its natural surround- ings, striking and picturesque though they. were, drew the attention of Dolores; for her gaze was fastened upon a line of horsemen that stretched from side to side of the canyon, and barred her way, each wearing a black mask, from out the eye-holes of which shot glances that chilled the blood, and caused her for the moment to trem- ble in her saddle—more, however, from the aw unexpected sight than from hopeless ear. Each of the score of masked night-riders held tight rein in his left hand, and cocked revolver in his right; and thus they stood on seeming de- fense, when Reckless their line, too excited and shaken up to speak and explain the situation. Only for a moment did Dolores sit silent upon her horse, for soon her ears caught the clatter- ing sound of hoofs in the rear, coming down — the canyon whence she bad come. Thoughts and plans darted through the girl’s mind. She was daring and cunning, she realized fully her desperate position; but this did not cause her the deep concern and anxiety that she felt as these sounds fell faintly on her ears. She felt sure that some of the citizens of Big Medicine City had followed her, to protect her and induce ber to return, and that she had led them to their death; for she was itive there were not men enough to ooge with the band of desperate outlaws before her, who were, she knew beyond a doubt, the gang known as the ‘* Wild Cats,” commanded by the notorious Captain Halfhand., illed with deep concern and bitter regret Dolores formed a — to save them, or at ae to avert a too sudden and overwhelming sur- prise. Whirling her horse to the right-about, and with a shrill, piercing scream, she fired ber rifle, aiming between two of the bandits, and at the recumbent figure of Reckless Rube. A cry of agony followed the shot, minglin with the clatter of hoofs, as the black stee bearing the brave girl flew like an arrow from the bow, and around the abrupt bend of the canyon, not ten feet from the position at which she had first halted when the Wild Cat band met her view. : That the outlaws had felt confident of her capture, and that this flank movement was totally unexpected, was perfectly plain. Her loud scream, which, with her appearance and ‘‘ make-up,” had proses her sex, the report of ber rifle, and the yell of Reckless Rube, who had joined them in so strange and unexpected a manner—all these—-tended to confuse the bandits for the time. “The well-directed ‘‘ snap” shot of Dolores had torn through the muscular portion of Rube’s arm, near the shoulder, and caused the yell, fol- lowed by the cry: | ‘**Catch her, paras; catch ber! Capture or kill the she-devil, or she'll betray us to the *‘ cits” of Big Medicine City!” Before these words were well clear of Rube’s tongué, and as the tail of the black horse whisked around the curve of the canyon, a pecu- liar sound, like that made by a tom-cat, came from the right of the line; and, drivin urs into their horses, the bandits galloped in suit of the beautiful girl, who had, by her Sash and quickly executed movements, outwitted them. The canyon was narrow at some points, and wide at others; and this caused much disorder and confusion among the eager horde of out- laws, but six being able to ride abreast in some places. (ECO AMUCEL OOO ESS ube dashed through » (E() sa