Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 239 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

(et - ow ee - She thought it not unlikely, however, that a body of troops would be dispatched on the trail from Camp Johnston to the rescue as soon as news of the massacre and capture reached the ost. i But no soldiers bad escaped, and the awful facts might not become known for some time, not perhaps until too late—until her uncle bad been tortured fo death, and she herself —but she dared not think o® ber own fate. To drive taoughts of the dread doom that might await her from her mind, she began to picture the sufferings of Lionel, assisted in so doing by recalling the words of the Apache chief. She could see him now, in all his anguish of mind and body, tortured with thirst and burn- ing with fever, the beasts and serpents gathered around him and the loathsome buzzards soaring above his head, eager to tear his corpse, watch- ing gloatingly for his death. Thus the agonized maiden pictured him, and we have seen that imagination could scarce reach the reality of the scene. Then she, too, as did Lionel at the same mo. ment, cried out from her inmost soul: ‘““Oh, my God, Thou hast indeed forsaken me!” CHAPTER XIX. A PRACTICAL JOKE, WHEN Jim returned to bis companions, report- ing to Captain Blackbird that the coach was coming in the dis‘ance, all sprung to their feet and tightened girths, while the bandit chief proceeded to select a favorable covert in which he could conceal himself and Jim, and also have, on the opposite side of the road, a like thicket for his other two followers. When thus positioned, they had a long stretch of the north road within view, and through this vista they could also see the road at the decline into the stream, on the opposite bank from themselves. Consequently they were quite as much surprised and alarmed as had been the more desperate and murderous horde who were upon a like errand, on dis- ec vering that in place of its being the expected stage-coach, it was an ambulance with a caval- ry escort. “Deuce take you, Jim!” exclaimed the cap- tain, angrily; “you came near getting us into a pretty kettle of fish. Here, confound you! lead my horse back into the woods. I can find a place where I can observe this party in safety.” Blackbird, as he spoke, dismounted, and passed his bridle-rein to the amazed Jim, who quickly disappeared. He then called out to bis men on the opposite side of the road: “Sour back, boys, into the timber. not the game we are hunting.” The two’ bandits needed no second com- mand, but galloped fast through the under- growth, the ambulance and escort being now in the river. Blackbird had not long to wait in bis new position, for soon the advance of the escort appeared above the steep incline, Then the ambulance and the rear guard, all going at a slow pace, came full ia view. It so chanced that Lieutenant Warrington was turned half-about in his seat, conversing with his niece, the latter leaning forward, greatly interested in what he was saying. At the first glance Blackbird recognized the maiden, and the look of amazement on his face soon changed to one of jealous fury. In his most selfish and unjust mind he im- puted his present condition to her whom he bad so foully wronged. She had created so deep and ungovernable a& passion in his breast that he had lost all reason, and in that state had committed the crime that had banished him from civiliz tion, and forced him to lead the life of a border bandit, Thus the wretch reasoned, repudiating bis own entire responsibility for the crime and its consequences. Now, as he again caught sight of the lovely face that had once insnared him, there was as sudden a transformation in bis feelings as had occurred before; his former infatuation being as nothing to the passion that now consumed him, at discovering Winnie thus so closely in- timate with a United States officer. He madly resolved, on the instant, that, as she had driven him to bis present wild life, she should share it with him. That would take much of the curse of out- lawry and solitude from him; and the mere That is ce The Terrible Trio. thought almost impelled him forward to seize and drag her from the ambulance, Reflecting, the next instant, on the madness of such a proceeding, he kept his position, but with grating teeth and flashing eyes swear- ing that Winnie Warrington should yet be in his power. It was one satisfaction to him to know that Lionel Lacrosse had not seen Winnie since the day of her father’s murder; and Blackbird ex- ulted in the knowledge, although knowing that he himself had been detected as the assassin. He had learned of the flight of Lionel, and of the destruction of his home by the Apaches; and all this gave the miscreant intense satis- faction. He had, at times, been filled with no little dread, thinking that Lionel might be on the frontier, and that he might some time meet him. This fear had caused him to collect a band of lawless men, arm and equip them in Mexico, and by a free use of the money he had stolen from his father, gain their confidence and obedience. But these men had nearly all been killed, or captured, in an attack on a mail coach near Fort Clark, which was filled with scouts and rangers, expressly in anticipation of ib. Blackbird now felt sure that the officer in the ambulance was en route for Franklin, on the Texas side of the Rio Grande, across from El Paso; as he had learned from one of his men that fresh troops had been ordered there to break up a band of Mexican bandits, and make incursion into Apache Land! That the ambulance would make a _ short stop at Camp Johnston, he felt sure; and, had he but a dozen men, be would not hesitate to dash up the Concho, cut across the plain, and attack the escort at the Horse Head Crossing of the Pecos. He could easily bave made his men believe that the officer was a paymaster going to the upper Rio Grande posts to pay off the troops; and thus induce them to go on such a hazardous expedition. But he did not bave the men, and he was furious when he thought that he had neglected to send a spy into Fort Clark, to ascertain the number and character of the occupants of the coach; a neglect which had proved the ruin of his band. ‘‘ Dang my skin, Cap Blackbird!” said Jim, who now crawled up, through the thicket; ‘I war mighty consarned ’bout yer, an’ ’gun ter think ther sogers hed kerral’d yer.” *“*Not by a jug-full!” returned the bandit chief, ‘‘ Lead up the nags, and then recall the boys, and station them as before; for they change horses about sundown at Camp John- ston, The ambulance and escort must have started long before the coach airived at the upper station.” Jim departed on this errand, and Blackbird had recourse again to his whisky-flask; after which he walked across the road into the wood, and yave a low whistle. This was answered and the men, who had dashed into the woods at the appearance of the soldiers, came up, and took their stations as before. They bad but a little time to wait when the coach appeared; the horses dashing down the’ incline on the opposite side of the Colorado, into the ford. Captain Blackbird and Jim sprung into their saddles instantly, the former crying out to his men on the opposite side of the road: **Look sharp, boys! Attend to biz at the signal, One of you help Jim to stop the team, and the other draw bead on the driver. Til attend to the insides. Don’t make a botch of this biz now, for it’s our last chance,” ‘All right, Cap! We-uns air ready fer ther jump an’ shoot ef bits called fer.” ‘** Don’t shoot, unless to save our lives; for we know not who may bear the reports.” No further words were spoken, for again the rumble of wheels sounded, the horses having stopped to drink; the outlaws taking the pre- caution, before starting, to uncheck the ani- mals, Soon the team and stage appeared; the horses tugging up the steep bank to the south side of the ford; and with revolvers at full cock, tightly clutched in either hand, the road- agents made ready to dash from their covert, there being some ten feet clear space between them and the road. The stage came on at speed, the horses toss. ing their heads and snorting, not yet being free from the fright occasioned by the late fearful encounter. Soon they were nearly opposite the con- a — ee ee ee et eee ——— | cealed bandits, who, however, could not, when on the extreme edge of the thicket, in- spect the coach. ‘* Break brush, boys!” Thus yelled Cuptain Blackbird, as he spurred | his horse from the thicket, and added, as he presented his revolver: | Throw up your hands, or you are dead | men!’ | Jim and his companion opposite him caused | their steeds to bound to the heads of the stage votes and brought the same to halt, while i | the other bandit appeared at the west door of _ the coach at the same instant. So also did Captain Blackbird; his partner, not only grasping the bridle-rein of the off wheeler, but leveling his revolver at the _driver’s head, while he repeated the order of | his chief. | But no hands were upheld. Then, as Blackbird again called out: | ‘““Throw up your hands, or you are dead | mep,” a peal df half-smothered, but most flend- | ish and most unnatural laughter burst from the coach, This, coupled with the borrible sight that now met the view of the outlaw chief and his men, caused the very blood to curdle in their veins, Never were men more completely dum- founded and horrified; for, from the coach windows, staring upon them with glassy, sight- less eyes, and blood-stained, ghastly faces were naught but murdered men! The driver himself, they perceived, was a corpse also; and as all fully realized this, the fiendish, ubaccountable laughter froze the very blood in their veins, With faces blanched, and eyes filled with horror, they drove spurs as one man, and dashed into the timber, each striving to keep near the others, while lovd on the air in their rear rung hideous yells, and demoniac laughter afresh. On they urged their already maddened ani- mals, at every bound endangering their lives by their terrific speed, through the bottom timber; crashing through thickets and over piles of dead logs, all half-bent forward, not daring to look behind them, and insanely eager to increase the distance between themselves and the chariot of death—from the ghastly corpses with their sightless, staring eyes, and from the horrible, hellish laughter, that caused their hair to stand on end with superstitious terror, and to chill the very marrow in their . bones! Ne nee CHAPTER XX. FLIGHT OF THE BLACKBIRDS. THE bandits spurred wildly in a course di- agonal from the road and the river. Reason as they might, they could not solve the ter- rible mystery; first, in regard to the murder of the driver and passengers, and secondly, the unearthly yells and laughter. They knew that the Indians were not the authors of this wholesale crime, as the victims were not sealped nor the horses taken from the coach, and they knew of no bandit band iv the vicinity; besides this, they were well aware that no ‘‘road-agents” would kill either driver or passengers unless forced to do so to save their own lives, as troops would be sent out in all directions to hunt them to the death. But bere were six men and the driver, evi- dently murdered by knife-thrusts—a fact that in itself filled them with horror—and, when the peals of demon laughter greeted their ears, they expected next to see the bleeding corpses in hot pursuit of them. It was not until clear of the timber and far out on the open plain that the outlaws halted and gaged apprehensively toward the Colo~ rado. Nothing met their view, however. The event of half an hour ago appeared more like an awful dream than a reality. But a reality it was, as they all knew but too well. Captain Blackbird was the first to speak, but his voice surprised himself, so an- natural did it sound, and so difficult was it for him to articulate, “‘ Boys, the devil and all his imps are in that timber! I wouldn’t ride up the stage-road and cross the ford of the Red Fork for all Texas. ‘ What in the fiend’s name do you make of that bloody business?’ ‘* Dang’d ef yer hain’t got me whar my ha’r air short, Cap,” replied Jim. “Id give a heap ter fergit bit, but I’m dead sure I never shill. Dog gone me! I b’lieve hit’s a warnin” —————————— LS : ecomicboo (C “Si 9