Beadle's Dime Library No. 204 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 went plunging up the river, Post Oak Bill cry- ing out as they went: ‘“‘Great Cesar! Thet’s Sharp Eye. Ther red devils air p’inted fer ther ranch, er he wouldn’t be hyear!” By the time the scouts had reached the op- posite side of the Medina, a horseman appeared upon the high bank over their heads, and as he discovered them he gave a yell of joy. As the trio joined the stranger on the south bank he whirled his horse, waving bis sombrero, and they all disappeared from view, galloping at headlong speed toward the southwest. So exciting had been the occurrences of the night, unexpected and unthougbt of events transpiring in quick succession, that George, still suffering in body, sat his horse in a kind of stupor for some time after his friends had left him; and the Mestizo, had be been at the ford, would have been able to stab his foe in the back, even with the left hand that remained to him, so oblivious was he to everything around bim. George Adler had led a comparatively quiet life, and he now found himself suddenly launched upon the frontiers, with the dread dangers of the border in his path, seeing in imagination his darling Belle bound to the tor- tare stake, while a hundred paint-daubed fiends danced in glee, as the forks of flame flashed in her pale, beautiful face, and howled in deri- sion, as she moved her trembling lips in earnest prayer. Drawing his hand across his eyes with a nervous, weary motion, as if to banish the picture conjured up by all that he had seen and heard, George was about to urge his horse to- ward the ford, when the sound of another steed, coming up tbrough the bottom timber, fell upon his ear, and he alighted from his horse, tossed his rifle across the saddle, and stood, with a desperate light in his eve, ready to pull trigger upon the first view of the cow- ardly assassin who had thrice attempted his life. Only a moment had he to wait, but instead of the fiendish face of the half-breed, the hand- some features of Warnona burst into full view from the dark shades, her mustang coming at terrific speed, her long raven hair flying free, her face filled with an anxious, puzzled expres- sion. Before the disturbed branches had ceased to vibrate, and as the Waco squaw jerked her mustang to a halt in the illumined opening, Black Bear came crashing through the under- growth, and he also drew jaw-strap and leaned forward. ‘My white brother will be great brave,’’ he said. ‘‘ Does squaw look like Mestizo that he points his rifle?” ‘*No; but I was confused, and had forgotten that Wild Wolf had signaled Warnona,’’ he explained. “Where Wild Wolf?’ she then asked. “He has gone to the San Miguel. Big Foot , Wallace and Post Oak Bill came from San Antouio and joined us here. A Texan called Sharp Eyes galloped to the bank yonder from Bill’s ranch, and brought the news that the Comanches are on the prairie this side of the Frio; or, at least, so I understood by the talk of the scouts. Black Bear, Wild Wolf requested me to tell you to ride fast to Bandera Hills and order the Waco braves on the war-patb, down the San Miguel, to the ranch of Post Oak Bill.” Black Bear spoke not a word, but plunged his horse into the waters of the Medina, which curled away, on either side of him, as the sinewy animal swam rapidly to the south bank. Lifting his sombrero in farewell to Warno- na, George Adler also urged his horse to the ford. ‘Where does’ Water Warrior ride?” asked the squaw. “To find the trail of the two wagons.” ‘My white brother goes to save the scalp of his squaw. Are not Warnona’s words true?” **' Yes, I go to try and prevent her from be- ing murdered.” **Good,” she said. ‘‘ Warnona will go. Find wagon trail.” “T shall be very much rejoiced to have my red sister’s company, for I am not posted in reading sign. But will not Wild Wolf be an- gry?” ‘Wild Wolf will be glad,” she said, with a smile. In five minutes after reaching the opposite side of the river, George and his companion rode into the deserted camp of the Bowens. Big Foot Wallace. While the young man was searching the thick- ets, Warnona discovered the dead bear, and proceeded to cut several rich steaks from it. They then went together to the margin of the timber and looked out on the plain, Not two rifle-shots away, clearly seen in the moonlight, was a man, with one hand upraised, galloping like the wind toward the south, “Ugh!” broke from the lips of Warnona, ** Who is it?’ asked George, quickly. The squaw said but a single word in reply: ‘*EL MEstizo.” CHAPTER XIL. THE ENCOUNTER. AFTER Colonel Bowen had ordered his slaves to hitch up as fast as was possible, the latter portion of the command being quite superflu- ous, after the negroes had seen the carcass of the huge bear, he brought some water and bathed Belle’s head, who soon recovered, and sat up on her couch in the Dearborn. ‘Oh! papa,” the young girl cried, ‘‘I wish we were back on the Trinity. This has been a night of horrors. Have you not seen some strange sights while I have been unconscious?” “ Well,” said the colonel, at length, and speaking as if he would rather say nothing on the subject, ‘‘what have you seen, my dear, that you consider so strange? 1 have killeda black bear that had probably frightened you very much; but that is not a strange thing to sce in this portion of Texas. You ought not to have left the wagun, Belle. I shall station the servants on guard hereafter.” ‘I see that they are hitching up. Are we going on further, papa?” ‘Yes. I think it better to travel now; it is so much cooler in the small hours of the morn- ing.” ‘You are trying to deceive me, papa! I am sure that you have seen more than that bear, or you would not move camp so soon.” ‘*T asked you what you had seen, my child; and you have not told me yet. Let us com- pare notes.” “Well, to begin with, Isaw an Indian, all daubed with paint, only a few yards from here.” The colonel started, with a look of surprise, for he had disbelieved his own senses, upon re- flecting on the face he had seen among the foliage. He now knew that there had been really an Indian at the camp, and he was greatly mystified, as well as not a little alarmed. However, after a moment’s thought, he decided that no hostile party could be on the Medina, and that the warrior in question must be some friendly Indian in the service of the State. | He explained, in his way, the presence of the brave to his daughter; but she startled him still furthor by relating the strange sight which had at the first attracted her attention; namely, the half-breed crawling along the path, and the desperate fight between the two men, which had ended in both falling headlong down the bank into the river. Colonel Bowen was more puzzled and alarmed than his words or looks indicated, for he strove to appear unconcerned; but Belle was thoroughly frightened by these strange occurrences, and the dread possibilities that the future might still have for them. ‘“‘The men whom you saw fighting were doubtless enemies,” the colonel explained. ‘‘One of them, some precious Mexican horse- thief; and they would have met and fought just the same if we had not been here. I doubt very much if they knew of our presence; and that Indian, I presume, lives near at hand. But there is nothing to fear. For the future, however, I will be on the alert; and woe be to any lawless men, red or white, who interfere with us. Now, do try and get to sleep, Belle. We will push toward the San Miguel, where we can get fish and game.” ‘**T fear we are going to our death, papa.” **Ob, nonsense, Belle! you are feeling worn out from our journey, and you are weary from loss of sleep. You will be as bright as a lark in the morning.” And, wishing to avoid fur- ther comments on the situation of affairs, the colonel hastened to mount his horse. He then ordered Rosa, a young quadroon, to get into the Dearborn with her mistress, directed the other slaves to keep quiet, and not be alarmed, and then riding forward, guided the teamsters down the stream, on the margin of the timber, and cautioning them against making any out- cries to the animals. As their course led over an easy, moss-grown prairie, the motion of the vehicle lulled Belle to sleep, inspite of all her anxiety and fore- bodings. Nothing could be more terrible for Colonel Bowen to contemplate, than the thought of the beautiful girl who had grown into his heart, wedded to the son of her mother’s mur- derer; and he felt a certainty that had he re- mained on the Trinity, Frank Ames would have found a way to abduct Belle, and compel her to become his wife. Besides this, there was something nearly as terrible that he dreaded. If Frank should endeavor to collect, according to law, the note of his father’s which was in his possession, his past history would be raked up, and he would de disgraced in his old age, after having passed the latter years of his life in repenting of the wrong doings into which he had been led through the evil influence of Jack Ames, With such possibilities hanging over him, he could not stay on the Trinity, or anywhere that was known to Frank, and he hoped now to find a place where he could establish a home, and pass the remainder of his days with the daughter who was now all the world to him. Not for a moment did the old man think it possible that Frank Ames would be able to trace him; much less, that the Jatter was now within fifteen miles of him, and in hot pur- suit. Colonel Bowen thought too of George Adler, and although he knew nothing against the character of the young man, and was positive that he loved his daughter, and also that Belle loved him; he, for the reason that Georye’s father had once loved his murdered Agnes, had resolved that neither should this be. This resolution, however, was made more through selfishness than augbt else; for he wished to keep Belle with him while life Jasted, no other having a claim upon her. The happiness of his daughter was not con-- sidered; or if so, was overweighed by his own selfish feelings, and being of a stubborn dispo- sition he resolved to keep on, although he had been forewarned, by several whom he met in San Antonio, of the dangers in his path. With these thoughts filling his mind, the colonel rode on, his head bent forward; had. not this been the case, he would have seen afar to his right, a mun lashing his horse at a. terrific rate of speed. The face of this night-rider was swollen, and. contorted with fiendish rage and intense pain, and his right hand, which was uplifted as he rode, was bandaged with rags, and dripping with the blood. But even had colonel seen this manat the time when be arrived at a point abreast of the wagons, he would have lost sight. of him the next moment, for a drifting cloud covered the moon, and not only prevented the: Mestizo from being discovered, but also screen- ed from view a party of horsemen who, although far off on the plain, had been seen and recognized by the keen-eyed spy. Before the moon again rolled clear in the blue sky, and illumined the prairie, the solitary horse-. man had disappeared; but a motte of post oaks, some two miles ahead of the wagons, indicated his hiding-place, as well as that of the equestrian party—or would have done so to Colonel Bowen, had he been so fortunate as to have seen the night-riders before the moon be- came obscured. Had the colonel been accustomed to border life, he would have avoided the vicinity of the motte, even though he might have had every reason to snppose that if was impossible for any foe to be lurking within its shadows; but: he seemed to be utterly oblivious of any break in the level plain ahead of him— in fact, he was half asleep, as were also the negro drivers, The mules in the lead naturallv followed Colo- nel Bowen, who, in a fast walk, proceeded di- rectly toward the motte, in such a course as to pass within a few yards of the undergrowth. Had the mare he rode been a mustang, or even of the Spanish stock of Mexico, the animal would have steered clear of the motte without control of its rider, as it would have scented the presence of human beings; and all on the bor- der, who do not belong to the “outfit,” are avoided by the animals of the same, when those animals belong to the above mentioned breeds. A mule or a mustang will scent the. presence of the lurking Indian about a camp, and will snort with fright and alarm; but the scent of the first mentioned is stronger than tLat of the last. As we have said, the horse ridden by the cS Eomicboo