Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 202 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

4 ofe a »"* ' * — “That is settled then.” | ‘*Have you any specific directions to give?” ‘*No; I prefer that you use your own judg- ment, You know a good deal more about Black Bend than I do.” ‘“Nobody knows it better, and I will soon root out the durnation Black Masks,” was the eonfident reply. . After some further conversation, the guide prepared to depart. Brigham followed them to the door and watched thoughtfully as they rode away. ” i believe I have secured two trump cards, The réputation of Cactus Jack is established, and if i have any skill in reading faces, Boze- man is a perfect jewel. He is more my kind of a man than his companion, for the less talk a man makes the less trouble he runs foul of.” The speaker’s attention was directed to a new object as a man walked toward the door. He seemed out of place in New Mexico, for his dress was of broadcloth, but it was in keepiug with his aristocratic face and slender form. His face was that of a student, although well tanned, and his form was more bent than seemed suit- able to his years. Brigham recognized bim as Nathan Townsend, the owner of the ranch seen by the two guides as they approached the town, and a cordial greeting passed between the two. ‘* What success, to-day, sir?” the soldier asked; looking at the canvas bag in the other’s hands. ‘‘ Excellent, captain. Let us go inside and I will show you some fine specimens.” They sat down at the table and Townsend poured th it a motley colleetion of small stones. They were of almost every color to be found in the region, ani their owner looked at them adoringly. **Isn’t that fine? Everything seemed ready for my hands, to-day, and I have specimens in that heap from which I would not part under any consideration.” **Your house must be pretty well filled, I should think,” said Brigham, handling the specimens as in duty bound, buf as ignorant as a boy of the proper name of any. ‘“T have quite a large quantity,” said Town- they will run a railroad send, posh we ae here before | get ready to take them East.” ‘‘Then you really intend to return?” “Oh, yes. I am only a temporary resident in New Mexico, lured here by a desire to gather such treasures as these. When I am satisfied with my work, I shall return East with articles which will make men wonder.” ‘| wish you success,” said the soldier, but his hand had ceased to move among the speci- mens, ana be spoke absently, Was it possible that the departure of the geologist would in any way affect him—that he would be more pleased to have him remain in New Mexico than to go where honors and fame would be his? CHAPTER IV. A LITTLE ADVENTURE. WueEN the two guides left Captain Brigham they went straight to Dutch Hans’s tavern, and were soon engaged in getting away with a good dinner, for the old fellow spread as good a table as could be found anywhere around the Mim- bres. He and Cactus Jack were * pa friends despite their great dissimilarity. ‘The guide liked good eating when he wasin town, and Hans liked a man who paid his bills without murmuring. ‘Table board costs enough in New Mexico, so that any man might be justified in ‘* kicking;” but Cactus Jack’s money was poured out as freely as water when he struck any settlement. Dinner over, the prairie men retired to their room, which overlooked the street, and sat down for a smoke. “We don’t get much rest this time,” said Jack. “Those Black Masks must be hunted down right away.” “T reckon et we kin do it,” Bozeman an- swered, “That's just the size of it. They will find they ain’t got any Eastern clams to buck against now.” - ‘Have you any theory?” “ Not yet. We must nose around some before that comes. I incline to the captain’s opinion that they must have a den in the hills, bow- ver.’ ‘Probably they hev allies right hyar in ther town.” “Likely as not. See here, Boze, £ wish I felt as easy about that girl we saw last night as Ido about this case.” ‘Don’t worry about her, boyee. She hes got a durned pile o’ grit under her quiet exterior, an’ I reckon she kin keer fur herself.” “Mayb-, but it is no trifling matter to be left afoot in that region. What’ll she do for food and. drink, and what will be the result if the Apaches should light on her?” ‘*In the last case she would be gobbled, o’ course, but I hev a feelin’ that she will be all right.’ | ‘** Do you suppose we shall ever see her ngain?” ‘¢-You’ve got me now. We may run ag’in’ her some time, an’ I hope we will. I’d rayther like ter know what rumpus got her inter that diffi- Se Cactus Jack, the Giant Guide. kilty. She war no female bandit, that is sar- tin. ‘*Oh! some rascal with more brains than heart was at the bottom of it. I hope she has the pluck to take satisfaction, and if she ever needs a friend, she has only to apply to Cactus Jack, the roaring tiger of the Mimbres.” Silence fell between the two, and though they remained some time at the window, nothing of consequence was seen. Black Bend was not wild and wicked like most frontier towns; the presence of the fort kept down all open vio- lence, and it was a very rare thing to see a drunken man holding a circus in the street. Only one saloon had the Bend, and the keeper of this was shrewd enough to know that in or- der to keep the good will of the commander of the fort he must say ho to the man who would fill himself with liquor beyond lis proper ca- pacity. All this did not go to show that it was a strictly perfect town. There were men there impossible to recognize him, but they felt a little -urprise at seeing that he was only a boy, for boys were not common in that region. Perhaps the distance deceived them—he might be a man of small stature—but they forgot all this as they marked his attitude. He was look- |ing keenly toward the north, in the direction from which they had just come, and Cactus Jack was about to make a comment when the unknown turned and glided along the edge of who would cut a throat for a small sum, as the | them. He had gone but a few rods, however, then showed; the Black Masks played their | presence of dead men around the post now and parts for golden gain, and it was well for peo- ple to look to themselves if they went abroad by night. This fact was well known to the guides, but men who fight Apache warriors’ witbout a | thought of danger are not prone to think of | lesser dangers, and they bad decided to look about the town and hills that very night. As darkness drew near, and the heat became less oppressive, more people began to be seen, and as Jack knew the majority of them, he spoke of them to Zeke and explained the pe- culiarities of each. Among the rest who passed were two young men of more than ordinary appearance. They were dressed plainly enough, and in border fashion, but their hands showed no evidence of toil, They were the sons of Nathan Townsend, and were in the West principally for the amuse- ment the thing offered. ‘*They’re no fools,” said Bozeman, looking at them attentively. ‘' Thar is plenty o’ grit in ther carcasses.” “If you eotton to them, you ougbt to see their sister. Miss Marian is the prettiest girl along the Mimbres.” ‘* Did you ever see a gal who warn’t a beauty?” the mountaineer dryly asked. ‘* Scoff on, unbeliever, but wait till you see her. Ifshe don’t make your old heart sizzle with the fires cf youth, I am no judge of anatomy.” Bozeman chuckled good-naturedly. He would as soon have thought of crying for the moon as of having bis beart stirred by a woman’s face, but he had all of a true man’s chivalrous regard for the sex, and he was at any time ready to use band and rifle for any one of them who might be in trouble. An hour after nightfall, the guides went out armed as though for the war-trail, after the fashion of Black Bend, and gave the town an inspection first of al). Only in pe saloon did they find anything of interest, and even there it was so small that they soon left and went be- yond the cluster of huts. ‘* Whar now?” Bozeman asked, as they paused under a solitary tree. ‘Toward the mines. It ain’t likely we shall see anything of interest, but there is nothing like trying. ‘We'll be likely ter break our necks in some kenyon ef we ain’t keerful. Ther moon shows some signs o’ comin’ out, which would be a good thing.” “You ain’t worth a picayune on strange ground, Boze, but never you fear. Let the portable cactus lead the way and all will be well. I know every rock in these hills.” “Taint aun hour sence you said it war a strange region ter you,” retorted the elder man, ‘*That was an idiosyncracy of mine, old man.” | ‘‘Thar, thar: Tcave. When you mouth sech durnation words as them I don’t want ter argy.” They walked on fer half a mile, at the end of which time a slight diminishing of the darkness indicated that the moon would soon appear and make their progress easier. The hills seemed deserted by all living things except themselves, and the way was wild enough to please of te gre of such scenes, though without any beauty to arouse entbusi- asm. Scarcelv anything exceptrocks and earth were to be seen. Here and there, dwarfed bushes and shrubs held a precarious existence in crevices in the cliffs, but the soil was not of fertile nature. In many places among the rocks, the charac- ter of the place was bold and wild enough to arouse interest. Canyon-cut and cliff-surmount- ed, the hills made a way difficult and often dan- gerous to tread. , They were passing through a canyon nearly a hundred feet deep, and of precipitous sides, when a small stone suddenly fell with a dull thud on the sand at their feet, Quickly, both tooked upward, and on the top of the cliff saw a human being standing near the verge. In the darkness, it would have been % Yat es ther durnation critter up to?’ Zeke asked. ‘We will follow and discover. It is total darkness down here and he can’t see us. Shoot me if I don’t believe he is up to some mischief, He don’t act like an honest man sbould.” ‘Thar ain’t much hope fur us, He hes only ter step back from ther brink ter be ont o’ sight an’ we couldn’t climb thet rock ef ten bundred ’Paches war on our track.” Cactus Jack did not answer, but they quietly followed the canyon with the stranger far above before a large bowlder in his path caused him to turn aside, and though they watched keenly, he did not reappear. ** We’ve lost him, by ther Etarnal!” said Boze- man. ‘““{ reckon that is so. He has turned beck from the cliff, and our only hope is to find a way up and go for him on common ground.” ‘* Hi! look thar!” The muuntaineer pointed to the rear, and they | grew more interested as they saw another man moving along the same course the first had | trod. He was of larger frame and moved more | rapidly, and they began to comprehend that the | little drama above meant something. Unless their judgment deceived them. the second man was following the first, ard he looked so grim with his rifle carried well for- ward that the affair had the look of a hostile pursuit. ‘The guides stood in irresolution. It they had been on the level they would have promptly followed the two strangers, to learn what was afoot, but as it was, they were unde- cided whether to basten toward making an as- cent, or to watch from where they were. ‘*See what t’other chap will do when he reaches ther bowlder,” Zk» cautiously advised. The man indicated disappeared behind the rock, as the other bad done; but scarcely five seconds had elapsed when something appeared at the opposite side. We say something for it was an object not at first namable; but it speedily resolved itself into.a sort of knot of humanity, and it had just become evident that two men were fightin when one came near the edge and fell headlong down the canyon. As he neared them, whirling end over end, they felt a feeling of horror, for the fall could produce but one result; but the suspense was soon over, and the doomed wretch struck with ¢ dull thud on the sandy bottom. Instantly fatal was the fall, of course, and yet they stared mutely at the dark heap not twenty yards away, as though expecting some new move. Then, almost together, they again directed their gaze to the top of the chif. On the very brink stood the second man, peering down as though his gaze could pene- trate the darkness, and they saw that be wag the smaller of the two—the pursued. One moment his form was plain!y ofttlined against the sky, and then he drew back and dis- appeared from their view. ‘ By the Lord! this smacks of murder!” said Cactus Jack, in a subdued voice. ‘*One man has wiped out another, but we co not know ther cause,” answered Bozeman. ‘* Yonder man was chasing the other, but his lips will never tell us why. Watch the cliff, Boze, while I see if 1 know bim.” The giant knelt beside the dead man, He was mangled by the fall, as was natural, but his face bad escaped serious injury, and Jack tried to find a familiar look, Luckily, he had matches im his pocket, and when he had lighted one he saw that the deceased had been a man of middle age, while his unkempt beard and strongly-marked face were suggestive of a careless, if not a lawless, life. He was, however, a total stranger. The guide was about to arise, when the scund of footsteps up the canyon hastened bis move- ments. e bad heard no voices, and, in the darkness, could not yet distinguish any one; but the crunching of the sand was not to be misin erpreted. ‘“‘Somebody’s comin’,” said Bozeman. ‘Shall we scoot or stand our ground?’ ‘‘T don’t run for any man. I’m at their ser- vice in peace or war, but I wish we could hide, and see them unseen.” He swept a keen glance along the face of the cliff, but no recess apprared, and they quietly awaited the coming of the strangers. e encounter was not to their liking, for the men might be the Bleck Masks, for all they knew, and their plan was to work egainst that organi- zation secretly. ; They scon distinguished four men, but were ; ‘ JOO Eomic S 5 - Cor