Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 20 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

* ¥ ie oe ne eA ; ~* - : , ‘ 2 the banks of the Rio Gila, was Red Cedar, the Prairie Outlaw. His position appeared most critical, for he was alone in the desert, without weapons or provisions. We say without weapons, for the long knife passed through his deer-skin girdle was almost useless to him, In the Far West, that infinite ocean of yverdure, an unarmed man isa dead man! The struggle becomes impossible for him with the numberless enemies who watch his sing, and only await a favorable moment eatch him. Red Cedar was deprived of those inestima- ble riches of the hunter, a rifle and a horse. | Moreover, he was alone! Man, so long as he can see his fellow, even though that fellow be an enemy, does not believe himself abandoned. In his heart there remains a vague hope for which he can net account, but whieh sustains and endows him with courage. But, so soon as every human form has dis- appeared, and man, an imperceptible grain of dust in the desert, finds himself face to face with God, he trembles, for the feeling of his weakness is then revealed to him; he comprehends how insignificant he is before these colossal works of nature, and how in- sensatéis the struggle he must. carry on, in order to raise only a corner of the winding sheet of sand gradually settling down on him, and which assails him from all sides at once. Red. Cedar was an old wood-ranger. Many times, during his excursions in the prairies, he had found himself in almost desperate situations, and he had always got out of them by his boldness, patience, and above all, his firm will, | Still, he had never before been so dennded of every thing as he was at this moment. He must make up his mind to something, He arose, stifling an oath, and whistlin to his. dog, the only being that remained’ faithful in his misfortunes, he set out, not even taking the trouble to find out his di- rection. In facet, whatneed had he to choose one ? Were not a)l good for him, and would they not lead within a given period to the same end—death ? He walked thus for several hours, with drooping head, seeing the bighorns and as- shatas bounding round, as if mocking him. ' The buffaloes scarce deigned to raise their heads as he passed, and looked at him with their large, melancholy eyes, as if compre- hending that their implacable foe was dis- ee and they had nothing to fear from m. | The elks, balanced on the points of the rocks, leaped and sported round him, while his dog, who did not at all comprehend this novel affair, looked at its master, and seemed to. ask him what it all meant. The day passed thus, without producing the least change for the better in the squat- ter’s position; but, on the contrary, aggra- vating it. At ni htfall he fell on the “sand, exhausted by fatigue and hunger , The sun had disappeared, and the dark- ness was already invading the prairie. The howling of the wild beasts could be heard as they emerged from their lair to ae their thirst and go in search of ood, The disarmed squatter could not light a fire to keep them at bay. He looked around him; a last instinct of preservation, perhaps, or the final gleam of nope, that drvine spark which Is never ex- tinguished in the heart of the most unfor- tunate man, urged him to seek a shelter. He elimbed up a tree, and after tying him- self securely, through fear of a fall, if, as was very improbable, he fell asleep, he closed his eyes anit sought’ slumber, in order to cheat for a few moments, at any rate, that hunger which devoured him, and forget his deplorable position. But sleep does not thus visit the unfor-. tunate, and obstinately refused to come, when most earnestly invoked. . No one, who has not go ret can (=; ‘the horror of a sleepless night in e > | ‘The darkness is peopled with mournful specters, the wild beasts roar, the serpents wine round the trees, and at times clasp in: their cold and vi eoils the wretched man half-dead with terror. » . No one can say of how many centuries a minute is composed in thisterrible situation, or the length of this night ‘durin which the sickly mind creates the mos monstrous lucubrations. | Especially when the stomach is empty, brain is more invaded by delirium. ee atter breathed a sigh of relief. eye: WR And yet, what consequence to him was the appearance of light, for it was only the beginning of a day of intolerable suffering and frightful torture, - through a very circumstance, the eee em + Oe ee The New York Library. But, at any rate, he could see, he «could notice, what went on around him; the sun warmed and restored him some slight strength. He came down from the tree in whieh. he had passed the night, and»continued his journey. | Why did he goon? he did not know him- self; still, he walked as if he had a point to reach, although he was perfectly well.aware he had no help to expect from any one, and that, on the contrary, the first face he per- ocived would be that of an enemy. But the man whose mind is powerfully constituted ft ae He never gives up; he struggles to the last moment, and if he ean not trust to Providence, he hopes in accident, without daring to confess it to himself. It would be impossible for us to explain the thoughts that crossed the squatter’s brain while, with uncertain step he crossed silent- ly and sadly the vast solitudes of the prai- rie Toward midday, the heat became so in- tense, that, overcome by, so much moral and physical suffering, he sunk exhausted at the foot of a tree. He remained for a long time extended on the. ground; but, at length, impelled by want, he rose with.an ae and sought for ' roots and herbs which migh lull the hunger that gnawed bis vitals. His search was long in yain, but at last he . found a species of yucca, a pasty root, which he devoured with delight. He laid in a stock of this root, which he shared with his. dog, and, after a deep draught from the stream, he prepared to continue his journey, slightly re-invigorated by this more than frugal meal; when all at” once his eye emitted a flash, his face grew animated, and he murmured in a voice trem- bling with emotion: “ Suppose it was one!” This is what had caused Red Cedar’s ex- clamation. At the moment he was setting out again after looking mechanically around him, he fancied he noticed at a certain spot that the grass was closer and taller than anywhere else. This difference, visible only to a man long accustomed to the prairie, did not escape him. The Indians and hunters, often compelled to make a hurried journey, either to avoid. a hostile ambuscade or follow up the game, are necessitated to abandon a large portion of their plunder or merch #idise they carry with them for trading purposes. As they are not at all inclined to lose it, howeyer, they make what is-called in trap- per language a cache. It is effected in the following way : They begin by spreading blankets and buffalo-skins round the spot where) they in- tend making the cache: then they remove large sods of grass, square, round~ or ova at dig out the soil, being careful to lay i on the blankets or skins, When the hole is deep» enough, the sides are lined with buffalo-hides, for fear of damp, and the articles are Jaid in it: the soil is then put in again, and the grass laid over it, which is watered to make it grow, and the rest. of the earth is carried to the river, into which every particle is thrown, in order to hide any trace of the cache, which is so closely concealed, that a man must have an extraordinary skillful eye to discover one, and he often only finds old caches which have been ransacked and have nothing left in them. The objects placed in the caches will keep for five or six years without deteriorating. How many things concealed in this way have been lost through the death of their owners who bear with them in the tomb the secret of the spot where they haye deposit- ed their wealth ! | ’ We have said that the squatter imagined he had found such a cache, = = In his eee such a discovery was of inestimable yaluc.to him: it mightoffer him articles of primary necessity he wanted, ‘and restore him, as it were, to life, by sup- plying him with means to recommence his existence of hunting, plunder, and vagabond- age. He stood for some minutes with his eye fixea on the spot where he suspected the cache, his:mind agitated by undefinable feel- ings. At length he moderated his emotion, and his he palpitating with’ fear and hope, carefully laid his blanket: and buffalo-robe - by the cache to hold the earth, with that honesty innate in men accustomed to prai- rie life, who, though they may be bandits and lunder the property of others unscrupt- ously, still consider ita point of honor not ‘to squander it, or deprive the legal owner of any thing but what is absolutely necessary to themselves; then he knelt down and with his knife removed a sod of grass, Itis impossible to describe the quiver and ing to reach this point, he had formed so - Many chimeras, that he instinctively feared horse; two powder-horns, @! and an elk-skin game-pouch ri anxiety ef this man when he first plunged his knife into the ground. .He then eare- fully removed all the turf that seemed to him to form the outline of the cache. Thisfirst 4ask ended, he rested for a mo- ment to take breath, and at the same time to indulge in that emotion so full of pleasure and pain felt on accomplishing an act from which life or death depends. ..... After a quarter-of,an-hour, he passed his hand over his dank forehead, and set to work resolutely diggin * the ground with his knife, and removing it with his hands to the blanket. wo lt was really a rude task, especially for a man exhausted by fatigue-and weakened by privations. fe Several times he was compelled to stop through the exhaustion of his strength ; the work advanced slowly, and no sign as yet corroborated the squatter’s belief, —— More than once he was on the point of abandoning this vain search, but it was his only chance of safety; there alone, if he succeeded, would he find the means to be- come & Wwood-rangersrhence he clung to this plank of safety which chanee offered him, with all the energy of despair, that Archime- dean lever, which finds nothing impossible. Still, the unhappy wretch had been dig- ingJor.a long-time; a large hole Was gap- ng before him,\but nothing offered hima prospect of success; hhence,in spite of theaggf invincible energy of his character, he felt despair invading his mindonceagain. - = | A tear of impotent-rage brooded in his fever-inflamed eyelids, and. he. hurled his knife into the hole. .» : The knife sprung back; witha metallic sound; the squatter seized it and examined it closely—the point was broken clean off. He began digging again frenziedly with his nails, like a wild beast, disdaining the use of his knife any longer, and ‘he soon laid bare a buffa.o-hide. Instead of lifting ‘this skin at once, which doubtless covered all the _treastireés whose possession hée coveted, he’ began gazing at it with terrible anxiety. ed Cedar had not deceived himself: he had really discovered a cache. . But what did it contain? perhaps it had already been ransacked. and Was empty. When he had only one movement to make, in order to assure himself, he hésitated—he was afraid! oe u - During the three hours he Tiad been toil- tosee them vanish suddenly, and-fall back rudely into the frightful reality which held him in its iron claws. . eg For a long time he hesitated in this way; at length suddenly forming @ resolve, with hands trembling with emotion, palpitating beart and bloodshot eye, he tore away the buffalo-skin, with a movement ‘rapid as thought. * . He felt dazzled, and uttered a roar like a wild beast—he had hit upon a’ thorough hunter’s eache | It contained iron traps of every description, rifles, double and single pistols, powder- horns, bags filled with bullets, knives, and the thousand objects suitable for wood- rangers, Red Cedar felt himself born again: a sud- den change took place in him, he became again the implacable and indomitable being he had been prior to the catastrophe, with- out fear or remorse, ready to recommence the s le with all nature; and laughing at the and snares he might.meet with on the road. , He selected the best rifle, two pairs of double-barreled pistols, anda knife with a blade fifteen inches in length. © He also took the necessary harness for a ; of bullets, y &miroid. ered in the Indian fashion, containing 4 tin- der-box and al. the necessaries 10rbivonac- ing. He also found ie ee and tobacco, which he eagerly clutched, for his Sreatest privation had been the imability ‘to smoke, When he had loaded himself With all he thought he needed, he restored all to its. primitive condition, and skillfully removed the traces which might ’ave"Tevealed to . others the cache whic had been ' useful 0 Siineeih ‘ je san) Se Le eee his duty of an honest. man. Performed, Red Cedar threw his rifle over his Shoulder, ; age to-the dog, and went off hurried - » muttering : bs eToys oi Ah, ah! you fancied: you had forced the — paar in ite dade we shall see wiothen it can e its revenge. Por, mA, By what extraordinary | yb sp Was the — squatter, who entered theides*rb atthe head — of a numerous and resolu il SOP; Teduced to such a state of umgen’iper 3 | — 2 - ——. comicbooks: i - ee a ae