Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 20 — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

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But, suddenly an incomprehensible thing occurred ; a terrible, superhuman noise was neard; the horses, going at full speed, stop- ed, neighing with terror; and the Pirates, nantes. and red-skins, instinctively raising their eyes to heaven, could not restrain a ery of horror. **T will escape in spite of you all,’”’ Red Cedar shouted And he buried his spurs in his horse’s flanks ; the animal gave vent to a snort of agony, but remained motionless. ‘*My daughter!’ Don Miguel shouted, striving in yain to reach the Pirate. ““Come and take her, dog,’’ the bandit yelled; ‘‘I will only give her to you dead.” CHAPTER XXXYVIL. THE EARTHQUAKE. A FRIGHTFUL change had suddenly taken place in nature. The heavenly vault had assumed the ap- pearance of a vast globe of yellow copper: the pallid moon emitted no beams; and the atmosphere was so transparent, that the most distant objects were visible. A stifling heat weighed on the earth, and there was not a breath in the air tw stir the leaves. The Gila had ceased to flow. The hoarse roar which had been heard be- fore was repeated with tenfold force: the river, lifted bodily, as if by a powerful and invisible hand, rose to an enormous hight, and suddenly descended on the plain, over which it poured with incredible rapidity: the mountains oscillated on their base, hurl- ing on to the farrie enormous blocks of rock, which fell with a frightful crash: the earth, opening on all sides, filled up valleys, leveled hills, poured from its bosom torrents of sulphurous water, which threw up stdnes and burning mud, and then began to heave with a slow and continuous movement. It was an earthquake—the most fearful scourge of those regions. The ground seemed to boil, if we may em- ploy the expression—rising and falling inces- santly, like the waves of the sea during a tempest. The bed of the rivers and streams changed at each instant, and gulfs of un- fathomable depth opened beneath the feet of the terrified men The wild beasts, driven from their lairs and repulsed by the river, whose waters constantly rose, came, mad with terror, to join the men. Countless herds of buffaloes traversed the plain, uttering hoarse lowings, dashing against each other, turning back suddenly to avoid the abysses that opened at their feet, and threatening in their furious course to trample under every thing that offered am obstacle. The jaguars, panthers, cougars, grizzly bears, and coyotes, pell-mell with the deer, antelopes, elks, and asshatas, uttered howls and plaintive yells, not thinking of attacki each other, so thoroughly had fear Daralyeed their bloodthirsty instincts. The birds whirled round, with wild croak- ings, in the air To i nen with sulphur and bitumen, or fell heavily to the ground, stunned by fear, with their wings’ out- stretched, and feathers standing on end. A second scourge joined the former, and added, were it possible, to the horror of this scene. The fire lit in the camp by the Indiana radually gained the tall prairie grass; sud- enly it was revealed in its majestic and terrible splendor, kindling all its sparks With a whizzing sound. A yereen must have seen a fire on the prairies of the Far West to form an idea of the splendid horror of such a sight. Virgin forests are burnt to the ground, their aged trees writhing, and uttering com- a and cries like human beings. The neandescent mountains resemble ill-omened libs bonaeE, Whose immense flames rise as spirals to the sky, which they color for a wide distance with their blood-red hue. Che earth continued at intervals to suffer violent shocks; to the north-west the waters of the Gila were bounding madly forward ; in the south-west, the fire was hurrying on - With sharp and rapid leaps. The aahap yy recite the hunters, and the Pirates, their enemies, saw the space around them growing momentarily stnaller, and every chance of safety cut off in turn. In this supreme moment, when every feel- ing of hatred should have been extinguished in their hearts, Red Cedar and the hunters, Only thinking of their yengeance, continued their rapid bunt, racing like demons across the prairie, which would soon doubtless serve as their sepulcher. In the meanwhile, the two scourges marched toward one another, and the whites and red-skins could already calculate with certainty how many minutes were left them in their last refuge, ere they were buried beneath the waters, or devoured by the flames. At this terrible moment the Apaches all turned to Valentine as the only man who could save them; apd at this supreme 4 al, the hunter gave up for a few secon is pursuit of Red Cedar. ‘* What do my brothers ask ?’’ he said. ‘*That the great hunter of the pale-faces should save them,’’ Black Cat said, without hesitation. Valentine smiled mournfully, as he took a look at all these men who awaited their safety from him. *“*God alone can save you,” he said, “‘ for he is omnipotent; his hand has weighed heavily on us. What can I, a poor creature, do? ‘“‘The pale hunter must save us,’’ the Apache chief repeated. **T will try it,’’ the hunter said, with a sigh. he Indians eagerly collected around him. The simple men considered that this hunt- er, whom they were accustomed to admire, and whom they had seen do so many sur- prising deeds, had a superhuman power at his command: they placed a superstitious faith in him. — ‘““My brothers will listen;’’ Valentine went on: ‘only one chance of safety is left them—a very weak one, but it is at present the only one they can attempt. Let each take his arms, and without loss of time kill the buffaloes mag running about the prai- rie; their skins will serve as canoes to fly the fire that threatens to devour every- thing.”’ The Indians gave vent toa shout of joy and hope, and without further hesitation at- tacked the buffaloes, which, half-mad with terror, let themselves be killed without of- fering the slightest resistance. So soon as Valentine saw that his allies were following his advice, and were. busily engaged in making their canoes, he thought once more of the Pirates, who, for their part, had not remained idle. Directed by Red Cedar, they had collected some uprooted trees, attached them together with their lassoes, and after this, forming a raft which would bear them all, they thrust it into the water, and intrusted themselves to the current. Don Pablo seeing his enemy on the point of escaping hima second time, did not hesi- tate to cover him with his rifle. But Andres Garote had a spite on the young Mexican, and taking advantage of the op- poe he quickly raised his rifle and fired. The bullet, disturbed by the oscilla- tion of the raft, did not hit the young man, but hit the rifle in his hands, at themoment he was pulling the trigger. The Pirates uttered a shout of triumph which was suddenly changed intoa ery of anger. ndres Garote fell into their arms with a bullet through his chest, presented to him by Curumilla. Just at this moment the sun rose glorious on the horizon, lighting up the magnificent pore of travailing nature, and restoring a ittle courage to the men. The red-skins, after making, with their pecuiiar quickness and skill, eome twenty ee were already beginnirg to launch em. The hunters tried to lasso the raft, and draw it to them, while the Pirates, on the other hand, employed the utmost eflorts to keep it in the current. Curumilla had succeeded in throwing his lasso so as to entangle it in the trees, but Red Cedar cut it twice with his knife. “We must finish with that bandit,” Val- entine said; ‘kill him at all risks.’’ ‘*One moment, I implore you,’’ Don Mig- uel entreated, ‘‘let me first speek to him : perhaps I may move his heart. ‘‘Humph!” the hunter muttered, as he rested his rifle on the ground, “it would be easier to move a tiger.” Don Miguel walked a few paces forward. ‘““Red Cedar,” he exclaimed, ‘‘have pity on me—give me back my daughter.”’ The Pirate grinned, but gave no answer. “Red Cedar,” Don Mignel went on, “have pity on me, I implore you ; I will pa any ransom you ask; but in the name o what there is most sacred on earth, restore me my daughter; remember that you owe your life to me,”’ ‘*T owe you nothing,” the squatter said, brutally; ‘‘thelife you saved you tried to take from me again; we are quits,” = daughter! give me my daughter.” ** Where is mine a Where is Ellen? Re- store her to me; perhaps, after that, I will consent to give you your daughter,” ‘She is not with us, Red Cedar, I swearit to you; she went away with Harry, the young hunter, to join you.”’ ‘* A lie!’ the pirate yelled—“‘ a lie !”’ At this moment, Dona Clara, whose move- ments nobody was watching, boldly leaped into the water. But, at the sound of the dive, Red Cedar turned and plunged in after her. The hunt- ers began firing again on the Pirate, who, as if he had a charmed life, shook his head with a sarcastic laugh at every bullet that struck the water near him. ‘Help!’ the maiden cried in a panting voice; ‘** Valentine, my father, help me !”’ **T come,’’ Don Miguel answered; ‘‘ cour- age, my child, courage !” And, only listening to paternal love, Don Miguel bounded forward, but, at a sign from Valentine, Curumilla and Eagle-wing stop- "sy him, in spite of all his efforts to tear imself from their grasp. The hunter took his knife in his teeth, and leaped into the river. ‘“* Come, father!’ Dona Clara repeated— ““where are you? where are you ?”’ **Here I am !’’ Don Miguel shrieked, “Courage! courage !’’ Valentine shouted. The hunter made a tremendous effort to reach the maiden, and the two enemies found themselves face to face in the agitated waters of the Gila. Forgetting all —. of self-preservation, they rushed on other knife in hand. At this moment a formidable sound, re- sembling the discharge of a park of artillery, burst from the entrails of the earth, a terri- ole shock agitated the ground, and the river de forced back into its bed with irresistible orce. Red Cedar and Valentine, seized by the colossal wave produced by this tremendous clash, turned round and round for some mo- wents, but were then hastily separated, and an impassible gulf opened between them. At the same instant a cry of horrible pain echoed through the air. ‘There!’ Red Cedar yelled, ‘‘ [told you I would only give you your daughter dead— come and take her!”’ And with a demoniac laugh, he buried his knife in Dona Clara’s bosom. The poor girl fell on her knees, clasped -_ hands and expired, crying, for the last me: ** Father, father !’’ “Oh!” Don Miguel shrieked, “woe! woe!” and he fell unconscious on the ground. At the sight of this cowardly act, Valen- tine, rendered powerless, writhed his hands in despair. Curumilla raised his rifle, and ere Red Ce- dar could start his horse at a gallop, fired ; but the bullet, badly aimed, did 1ot strike the bandit, whouttered a yell of triumph, and started at full speed. “Oh!” Valentine shouted, ‘‘] swear by heaven I will have that monster’s life !”’ The shock we just alluded to was the last effort of the earthquake, though there were afew more scarcely-felt oscillations, as if the earth were seeking to regain its balance, which it had momentarily lost. The Apaches, carried away in their canoes, had already gained a considerable distance ; the fire was expiring for want of nourish- ment, the ground haying been inundated by the waters of the river. {In spite of the help lavished on him by his friends, Don Miguel did not return to life for along time. The General approached the hunter, who was leaning, gloomy and pensive, on his rifle, with his eyes fixed on space. “What are we doing here?’ he said to him; ‘“‘why do we not resume our pursuit of that villain ?’’ ‘* Because,’’ Valentine replied, in a mourn- ful voice, ‘‘ we must pay the last duties to his victim.” The General bowed, and an hour later the hunters placed Dona Clara in the ground. Don Miguel, supported by the General and his son, wept over the grave which contain- ed his child. When the Indian chief had filled up the hole, and rolled on to it rocks, lest it might be profaned by wild beasts, Valentine seized his friend’s hand and pressed it. ‘* Don Miguel,” he said to him, “women weep, men avenge themselves.”’ “Oh yes!’’ the father cried, with energy ; “vengeance ! vengeance !” But, alas! this cry, uttered over a scarce elosed tomb, died out without an echo. Red Cedar and his companions had disa peared in the inextricable windings of the desert. Days must yet elapse before the so pretty desired hour of vengeance would arrive, for Gop, by got a are inscrutible, had net yet said enough - THE END,