Beadle's Dime Library No. 204 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

— 28 braves, and be was filled with delight, and determined that the child of the great scout should sweep bis lodge. The squaws should taunt her, and whip ber with rods; they should put upon her the most degrading duties, slave, and degrade her below the dogs of his village. The squaws of the braves who bad been slain by her father should tie ber in tur- turing positions all night, at the fall of every moon, until she would ask the Great Spirit to take her to the desolate regions beyond the moon, where the grass is dead, where no game abounds, and she must wander forever He would make her his | amid the dry rocks for the water she would | never find. As for Belle, her daring and defiant manner, as well as ber great beauty, bad impressed the chief to such an extent that he resolved to make her one of his wives. His other squaws should wait upon her, and he would brain the one who dared offer ber harm, She should be queen of bis branch of the tribe. All this had been decided by Rolling Thun- der, and stepping within the muttering circle, dhe cried out: “ Creeping Coyote’s brother bas gone on the jong dark trail. His blood calls for vengeance, ut the blood of squaws pays not for warrior slain. My braves shall ’sound war-cries, and cheeks cf Mexicans shall grow pale. Squaws of San Miguel, whose cheeks like prairie rose, goto village on plain. Creeping Coyote can have yellow squaw for torture, but he will be alone. Come, braves, war-path open. War- cries on lips. Rolling Thunder has spoken.” Then, stridiog toward the main part of the camp where the women were secured, and near where the mustangs, fully equipped, were kept in a compact mass, he detailed six braves to guard the captives, as Creeping Coyote, his snaky eyes filled with a thirst for blood, cut the thongs about the ankles of Rosa, the quadroon. Jerking the popr girl to her feet, the red fiend twisted his fingers in her curly hair, and dragged her, sbrieking with terror, into the dark deptbs of the timber, while Belle and Maggie, both expecting to share her fate, gszed into each other’s eyes in speechless horror. As the vengeful Indian dragged Rosa away to the torture stake, Rolling Thunder led out his braves over the plain, to act their part in the strategic movements that were destined to annihilate the band of Capitan Caramba. Six burly braves stood, lances in hand, to guard the beautiful captives, who, could they have done so, would have stopped their ears to drown tbe cries and shrieks of the poor quad- roon, : These piercing screams caught the ear of th three scouts, causing them to halt suddenly, and listen, their senses almost paralyzed with horror. The cries reached the point, too, where Warnona, gazing out over the plain, stood watching for her lord's coming, and ber eyes flashed with the war-spirit of ber people, as she saw Wild Wolf and his braves dashing wildly toward the San Miguel; but the pride, caused by this moving sight, was turned into one of concern, quickly changed into fury, as she realized that the fiends of the //lanos were torturing their captives. Her eyes blazed, her form dilated, and, drawing her bow and arrow, she darted like an antelope through the timber, heedless of the drooping branches that tore her clothing. As tbe scouts beard the shrieks, a groan of anguish burst from Sharp Eye, while Post Oak Bill fairly gnashed bis teeth ina frenzy of rage. “ Come on, pards!” cried Big Foot Wallace, ‘‘’m a hashin’ hellyuns now on ther jump. Save ther kalikers ef we wades in bleed!” With these words he drew his knife, and they all plunged through the tangled thicket. But a short time did it take them, guided by the screams of the pretty quadroon, to reach the scene of torture, when a sight met their eyes which brcught them to a halt in horror. In front of them was a small opening, not more than ten feet across, the western side being clear of tall trees. In the middle of it was a conical mound, some four feet in bight, the nature of which caused them to sbudder, for they knew that it was a nest of the tortur- ing red ants. A small, but strong pecan sapling was bent over from the margin of the opening, and to it were bound fast the wrists of Rosa, the quadroon, her weight bending it in such a man- Big Foot Wallace. ner as to cause her to stand directly upon the terrible mound. Her clothing bad been torn from her form, and ber flesh was gashed in a borrible manner, her eyes being torn from their sockets, Just opposite, and between the scouts and poor Rosa, whose shrieks had now died away to low moans, stood Creeping Coyote, his hide- ous paint-daubed face filled with gloating exu)tation, his form drawn proudly erect, and bis bands reeking with the blood of his irno- cent victim, It required a most powerful effort of will to act as the dread occasiun de- manded. No word of consuitation or explana- tion, however, passed between the trio. Big Foot sprung toward the sapling, while Post Oak Bill and Sharp Eye dashed upon, and held Creeping Coyote to the earth. Big Foot wrenched the sapling top around, and cut the poor victim loose. He then cried out: “Drag ther dangnation devil hyer! We'll g’in bim a taste o’ his own way o’ tortur’!”’ The scout’s order was instantly obeyed. The Comanche, knowing that he was doomed, be- gan his death-song. “*TPll stop thet dang’d quick,” said Bill, in a fury. ‘‘ Mebbe so he’s hed a band in torturing Maggie!” With these words, the infuriated scout cut off the tongue and tore off the scalp of the In- dian. ‘‘T’ll take ther cuss’s ha’r,” he exclaimed; ‘for sich es he ain’t fit ter go inter even an Injun he’ven.” Then Big Foot allowed the sapling to resume its previous position, dragging with it the Comanche to the top of the mound, when in an instant the red ants darted over his feet end limbs aud began to cut in atoms tbe flesh from his body—a just retribution for Creep- ing Coyote. Just as the scout laid poor Rosa in the bushes, the death rattle sounded in her throat, for a merciful God had taken her to himself, purified by a torture greater than that of fire. ‘‘Thank ther Great Master! Ther poor gal air dead,” said Wallace, as he lifted his som- brero from his head and looked skyward for an instant. “ Never spit out a word ’bout how ther poor gal died ter ther t’others, ef so be es they hes bin spared ter us,” he said. ‘‘ But come on; we-~uns hes hefty work ahead. Ther reds an’ Capitan Caramba air at hit, tooth an’ nail, er I air muchly mistook. Come, pards; I kin carve ther hull war-party. I’m bD’ilin’ over with simon-pure prussic acid hyderfoby !”’ It needed no words to prevail upon Bill and Sharp Eye to act promptly. All dashed for- ward, with the rage of panthers deprived of their young. The dangers of the living overshadowed all duties to the dead. On they rushed, knowing that now if ever was the time to rescue the captives, before the return of the main portion of the war-party. Assistance from the Wacos was now unex- pected by the scouts, until it would probably be too late. Guided by the directions Warnona had given them they were obliged to proceed with caution, as they approached the position which they supposed to be their objective point; and the woodcraft and judgment of Wallace was brought into use and put to good advantage at this critical time, for te make a miss and stum- ble into the presence of those who bad been left to guard the captives, would only insure their death. The giant scout was, by his coolness, enabled to keep his two pards within prudent bounds; but he knew if either of them discovered Mag- gie in anything like a perilous position, they would lose that caution and judgment so neces- sary to success; and that the brunt of the com- ing struggle would fall upon bimself. He therefore gathered his forces, after giving or- ders that no arms except noiseless steel must be used. Providentially the trio were led to point di- rectly to the position occupied by the captives, and they were soon peering through the branches, within ten paces of the dark forms of the eight erect warriors who guarded the maidens. The attention of the braves was directed toward the bend, from which arose the mad sounds of desperate fighting, which fact gave every advantage to the would-be deliverers. There was no time for plans. Each of the three men braced himself, gripped his bowie tightly, and in gigantic bounds sprung forward, Post Oak Bill and Saarp Eye leaping at once upon the braves nearest to her whom they recognized as Maggie Moore. The scene that followed baffles description. No dozen men, unprepared for such an attack could bave successfully stood their ground be- fore such a terrible trio. Bowies flashed like the lightnings of the Guif; strong braves sunk to the earth, the death-yell gurgling in. their throats, smothered by their own blood, without having seen their foes, or comprehended their color or character. For all the herculean efforts and play of steel, two braves kept free from the terrible melee, cut loose the maidens, and grasping them in their arms, ran like deer into the thickets toward the north plain; the scouts at this moment being engaged hand-to- hand with the three remaining warricrs, the three others lying dead at their feet. All this happened in a moment’s time. The next, when the scouts had hacked their foes to the earth and dashed over their bodies after the captives, having now no hopes of taking them alive, the twang of bow-strings sounded, followed by yells of agony, mingled with the Waco war- ery, and Wild Wolf and Warnona rushed into view, each bearing in arms one of the maidens, both being biood-stuined and unconscious, Wild Wolf placed Belle in the arms of Big Foot Wallace, while Post Oak Bill and Sbarp Eye folded their arms about little Maggie, all trembling with excitement, and muttering prayers of gratitude. *‘No time talk,” said Wild Wolf, impera- tively. ‘* War-path open. War-cry on lips. Heap fight down river. Put squaws up tree. Comanche no find. Warnona stay watch. My white brothers ride in fight with Wild Wolf. See, horses in bushes.” These quickly spoken words, not one being useless, were recognized by the scouts as words of wisdom and to the point, Warnona, com- prebending what was expected of her, grasped two lariats, and sprung into the branches of a moss-draped tree which drooped near the ground. In little more than a minute, Belle and Mag- gie were bound to these limbs, in an easy po- sition, secure from observation, and Warnona, with bow ready and arrow fitted, crouched in the thick hanging moss, to guard with ber life the senseless maidens. ‘* Now, pards,” said Big Foot, ‘I’m ready fer ther hellyuns; an’ when kaliker ain’t ’pen- din’ immejitly pon me, I reckon I kin skupe in ha’r an’ spill bleed, ’bout es speedy es ther nex’ pilgrim. Hoop-la! I’m hunk now. Ther Angel air safe, an’ leetle Maggie. Bullets air trumps, an’ I bold a full band!” Springing upon an Indian mustang, the giant scout dug his spurs deep, jerked both re- volvers, holding the weapons in bis left hand; then, handling the jaw-strap after the manner of a full-blooded Comanche, he dashed after Wild Wolf, who had, on the instant, bounded through the wood upon his horse, and took his place at the head of the Waco braves. Post Oak Bill and Sharp Eye followed close after Big Foot, having secured two horses be- longing to the Indians they had slain; and, in a few moments, broke out from the bottom into the north plain, where, before their eyes, in a long line galloping neck-and-neck, were a score and a half of brave Wacos, Wild Wolf at their head, and nearly all armed with some kind of gun, from an escopet to a Mississippi yager, some having old-fashioned muskets, be- sides the bows at their backs. It wag a grand sight; and, filled with a hatred the most intense for both red butchers and bandits, beyond all thirsting for revenge, with a hundred bloody outrages and terrible torture scenes in their minds, almost as vividly impressed as was the recent horrible fate of the quadroon, the scouts spurred on the half- wild steeds they rode, and dashed toward the bend, bugging the timber-line, and riding parallel with the Wacos on the plain, who, as has been mentioned, were discovered by Cap- tain Caramba, as the latter made his escape to the cover of the thicket, having realized that his band was forever broken up, nine-tenths of them having been killed. CHAPTER XXV. THE WACOS VICTORIOUS, CAPTAIN CARAMBA was no fool. Indeed, had he not been gifted with good judgment, instantaneous in acting upon the same, and daring to a fault, he would not have been in command of the desperadoes and /adrones of the Rio Grande. IOO EGOMEGE KS (E(o)