Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 20 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

= ey Prat! Proayses i. x ee Pal 3 ba ‘ } Pe eo, @ , ; Phe Bandit at Bay. round his lips, and he muttered, ina low and inarticulate voice: ‘‘No, [am not dead, but I shall soon be, 80.”” | Then he closed his eyes again, and fell back, apparently in his former state of in- sensibility. The spectators anxiously followed the pro- gress of this 5 ee agony. _ White Gaze ear. **Do you hear me, Sandoval! ?”’ she said to The bandit suddenly quivered, as it he had received electric shock. He turned toward the speaker, and partially opened his eyes. Ne Who is near me?’ he asked. “J, Pedro. Do you not recognize your old comrade ?’’ Red Cedar said. _* Yes,” the Pirate said, peevishly, “I re- cognize you; but it was not you I wished to Bee, ‘* Whom do you mean ?”’ : ““The Nina. Has she abandoned me too —she, for whom I am dying?” ‘‘No, I have not abandoned you,’’ the girl quickly interrupted him; ‘your re- proach is i be eae it was I who succored you. . Here I am, father.” ‘*Ah,” he said, with a sigh of satisfaction, ‘* you,are there, Nina: all the better. God, if there be a God, will reward you for what you have done.’’ “Do not speak of that, but tell me why. you asked for me, father.’ ‘**Do not give me that name,’’ the bandit said, violently. ‘I am not your father!” There was a moment’s silence. At length the Pirate continued, in an al- most indistinct voice, and as if speaking to himself; .“*The hand of God is in this—it was He who decreed that at the last moment the daughter of the victim should see one of the principal assassins die,”’ His hearers looked at each other silently; an instinctive fear, a species of superstitious terror had seized upon them, and jhey did not dare question this man. A few minutes elapsed. ‘*Oh, how I suffer!’’ he suddenly mutter- ed; ‘‘.my head is a red-hot furnace—give me drink.” Water was quickly brought him, but he re- pulsed it, saying : "No, not water—I want to regain my strength,”’ , “What will you have, then ?’’ Red Cedar asked him, - “Give me brandy.” “Nay,” the girl said, imploringly ; “do not drink spirits—they will kill yon.’ | ‘Kill me ?” the bandit said; “why, am_I not a dead man already »’ The White Gazelle gave Red Cedar a glance. ‘‘ Let us do what he wishes,’ the latter whispered; ‘‘heis a lost man.”’ _“ Brandy,” the sufferer said again; “ maké haste, if you do not wish me to die ere I have spoken,”’ Red Cedar seized his gourd, and in spite of the girl’s entreaties, thrust the neck be- tween the Pirate’s lips. _ Sandoval drank ey ah : “An!” he said, with a sigh of satisfaction : “at present I feel strong. I did not believe that it was so difficult to die. Well, if there be a God, may his will be done. Red Cedar, ive me ¢ ne of your pistols, and leave me Jobe gourd.” | The squatter did as his comrade re: quested. | ‘Very good,’”’ he went on; ‘‘now, retire all of you; I have to speak with the Nina.” Red Cedar could not conceal his dissatis- faction. “ Why weary yourself?’ he said; ‘it would be better for you to let us pay you that attention your condition demands.’ “Oh!” the bandit said, with a grin, “T understand you; you would sooner see me die, without uftering a syllable, for you sus- “what T am about to say. Well, I ‘1 sorry for you; but I must and will epeak.? | _ ** What do I care for your wanderings ?” the squatter said; “itis only the interest ( feel in-you that—” “ Enough!’ Sandoval interrupted him, sharply. “Silence! [ will speak! no hu- man power can force me in my dying hours to keep the secret longer; it has been rank- ling in my bosom too. ong already.” | ~/**My good ‘father—” the girl mur 6s Peace,” the bandit went on, authorita- tively, “do not oppose my will, ‘Nina. You mu ¢ learn from me certala things beforé I ing. ott “Red Cedar fixed @ burning glanee on the e frowned, and, bending. over the dying man, put her mouth to his aying man, as he conyulsively clutched the butt of a pistol; but he suddenly loosed his hold, and smiled ironically. “What dolcare?’*he said; ‘it is too late now.”’ Sandoval heard him. ‘* Perhaps so,”’ he replied: ‘‘ heaven alone knows.”’ ‘* Weshall see,’’ the squatter retorted, sar- castically. . He made a signal. The Apaches retired silently with him, and the girl remained alone near the dying man. White Gazelle was a prey to an extraordi- nary emotion, for which she could not ac- count, She feared, and yet desired that the ban- dit should make to her the gloomy confes- sion she expected. Something told her that on this man her life and future fortune depended. CHAPTER XXX, THE PIRATE’S CONFESSION. A FEW moments passed, during which the Pirate seemed painfully collecting his thoughts before speaking. At length, he seized the gourd, raisedit to his lips a second time, and after drinking heartily, replaced it by his side. <A feverish flush immediately spread over his cheeks, his eyes grew brighter, and he said, in a firmer voice than might have been expected: ** Listen to me attentively, child, and profit by what'you are about to hear. I am dy- ing, and mendo not lie atsuch a moment. The words I shall utter are true. You well know. me, “T have not always been a Pirate of the Prairies, or tiger with a human face—one of those wretches whom it is, permissible to hunt like wild beasts. “No! there was a time when I was young, handsome, andrich; at that remote period Iwas called Walter Stapleton, and was. so rich that I did not know the amount of my fortune. Like every one else you fancied me a Spaniard, and haye been. equally de- ceived—I am a citizen of the United States, descended from an old Puritan fimily long settled at New York. My. parents died be- fore I was twenty years of age; master ofan immense fortune, I had become connected with all the svamps in,the city; two es- pecially became my intimate friends, and succeededinashort time in getting such a hold.on me, that I only acted on their im- pulses and by their suggestions. One of them was born in New York, like myself, the other was a Mexican. ‘* Both were, like myself, good-looking, and rich,,or, at least, they appeared so, for they squandered enormous sums. Their names were—but why tell you them?” he added; “Tam not speaking of them here, but only of myself. One day the Mexican came to me with a letter in hi family called him home, for he was to enter the church ; but he would not, or, at least, could not leave New York at the moment. I never knew the reason; but one month later we were all three compelled to seek’ a refuge in Mexico, after a mournful tragedy in which my two friends played the chief rt, leaying behind them a trail of blood. fF reneh to you that I never learned the cir- cumstances.” At this moment arustling was audible in the bushes against which the bandit was leaning ; but the Gazelle, overcome by the increasing interest of the story, did not no- tice it. There was an interruption for some min- utes, Pedro Sandoval was growing percep- tibly weaker. | ‘‘[ must finish, however,” he said; and making an effort, he continued ; We were at Mexico, where welivednobly. Inashort time I gained the reputation of a finished gentleman. A great gambler, and adored by women, shall I repeat to you the follies and extravagances that filled nny days? Suf- fice it for you to know that I deserved this reputation in every respect. One day, a stranger arrived in Mexico.’ He was, it was said, a gentleman from an up-country proy- ince, enormously rich, and traveling for pleasure. This man inashort time dtp layed such recklessness, that his reputation soon equaled and even surpassed mine. I, who had always been the first in every wild scheme, was placed in the secon@rank. My friends laughed at thesudden change effeet- d, and by this incessant railler ‘augmented my anger and a detestation of this Don Pa- checo Tudela, as the man wasecalled. Sever- al times already we had met face to face at the tertulias, and each time our glances crossed like sword-blades. I comprehended that this man hated me. _ “For my part, a dull jealousy devoured ‘+ J s hand; his. 4 me when hfs name was mentioned fin my presence. A crisis Was imminent, and we oth sought it. ‘‘One evening, when we were both at the tertulia of the Governor of Arispe, a game of monte was arranged. You know that ame, Which is the ruling passion of the Mexicana I had held the bank for some hours, and an incredible run of luck had made me gain immense sums, which were piled up before me, and covered nearly the whole of the table. The gamblers, terri- fied by this constant good-luck, retired in dismay. I was about tocollect and send off my money, when I heard a few paces from me Don.Pacheco saying ironically to a party of friends: “*Tam not jealous of Sefior Stapleton’s ood-luck... I haye allowed him to win that Re may repair his ruined fortune, and stop the cries of his creditors, who have been yelping for a long time at his heels.’ ‘These words wounded me the more be- cause they were true. My fortune, mort- gaged beyond its value, only existed on yaper, and numerous creditors pursued me. i walked up to Don Pacheco, and looked him boldly in the face. ‘**'To prove to you that I do not fear los- ing,’ I said tohim, ‘I offer to stake on one hand with you all it has taken me so many hours to win.’ ‘* The stranger looked at mein his turn; then said, in his cutting voice, and with the sarcastic accent habitual to him: “You are wrong, my dear sir. This money is very & ~*ssary to you; and, if I were mad enou,.. eo play with you, I warn you that you would lose, ‘He laughed in my face, and turned his back on me, * «Oh! Isaid to him, ‘ you are afraid—and then, again, you probably do not possess one quarter the sum there, and that is why you dare not play.’ “Don Pachéew shrugged his shoulders without replying to me, and addressed the richest banker of Arispe, who was standing near him; — '***Don Julio Baldomero,’ he said, ‘how much do you think there is on that table ?”’ “The banker took a glance in my direc- tion, and then answered : *** Six hundred thousand piasters, or near- ly so, senior.’ | «Very good,’ the other said. ‘ Don Ju- lfo, be good enough to give me a bill for twelve hundred thousand piasters, payable at- sight, on your bank.’ | a The banker bowed, took out his pocket- book, and wrote a few words on a leaf which re tore out, and handed to Don Pacheco. _*** Do you believe, sir,’ the Mexican said to me, ‘‘that this bill represents the sum before you ?” ““These words were accompanied by the sarcastic smile this man constantly had on his lips, and which drove me wild. ““* Yes,’ I replied haughtily, ‘and I am awaiting your determination,’ : ““It is formed,’ he said. ‘Ask for new cards, and letus begin. Still, you can re- call your’word, if you like.’ ‘** Nonsense,’ I said, as I undid a fresh pack of cards. ‘Although our altercation had been short, as everybody knew our feelings toward each other, all the guests at the tertulia had col- lected around us. ‘““A profound silence prevaiied in te room, the faces expressed the curiosity and interest uroused by this strange scene. ‘“‘ After shuflling the cards for some time, IT handed them to my opponent to cut. ‘*The stranger laid his right hand on the pack, and said to me impertinently: ; “ *There is yet time.’ “T shrugged my shoulders as reply. “He cut, and I began “gape 5 | | ‘At the fourth hand I had lost, ana was ruined !”’ The Pirate stopped. For some time his voice had been growing weaker, and it was only by making extreme efforts that he succeeded in speaking distinctly. | “ Drink !” he said, so softly that the gir) scarce heard him. | She-caught up a skin of water ** No,” he said, ‘‘ brandy.”’ . White Gazelle obeyed him. ~The Pirate eagerly drank two or tire mouthfuls. : ‘‘All was over,” he continued, in a firm voice, with sparkling eye, and face flushed by the fever preying on him. ‘Conceali my rage in my heart, I prepared to leaye the table with a smileon my lips. **One moment, sir,’ my opponent said: ‘The game is not over yet.’ Lube “*What do you want more? I answered him. ‘Have younot won? Fu “*Oh!” he said, with a gesture of su- me contempt; ‘thatistrue. Ihave won is wretched sum. But you have a stake still to risk.’ : Mina ee ee ee i comicboo