Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 239 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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authors of all these miseries—Bird Blackwell and the Apaches—should again be prime movers to plunge the sufferers deeper into tor- tures of mind and body that should bury them in the darkest depths of despair—the only glimmering light from this dense cloud of merciless injustice being the appearance of one who, on the Salado, had sifted guilt from innocence and was now bending again his en- ergies to right the wrong. Single-Eye had sworn that, if Lionel La- crosse could be found, he would find bim. Had the scout known that Winnie Warring- ton had been captured by Apackes at the ford, and that Lionel bad also lost his liberty in his attempts to save her, he would have been filled with the deepest concern. He knew that Blackbird was in the vicinity. He had vowed that he would hunt that cow- ardly assassin to the death; and now, baving rescued Lionel, be was bringing him to the haunt of the outlaw, there to await events. Justice and mercy had slept; but yet, things had worked, and were working, toward a hap- pier state of affairs. While there is life, there is always hope. Winnie Warrington had cause rejoicing, from the fact that her uncle’s life, as well as her own had been spared. She would have had more cause for prayer- ful thanks, had she known that Lionel had been so providentially saved from a terrible death, Single Eye also, would have been greatly impressed, had he known that Blackbird had decided to return to his lone cabin, on the op- posite side of the Concho, in place of going through the dog-town. Had he taken the latter route, be would have discovered, and most certainly would have murdered Lionel. Not only this, but at the very time that the old szout was bearing | the unconscious form of the young planter from the scene of bis torture, he was barely screened by the friendly timber from the view of Blackbird and the desperadoes under him, who were bound to the same point as himself, Thus it is, in this life of ours, when all seems the darkest and most hopeless, there is much behind the scenes to give us relief and joy, could we but see it. And thus it happened, as we have men- tioned, that Single-Eye, as he approached the lone cabin, bearing sounds proceeding from a crowd of boisterous men on the opposite side of the river, at once decided that Blackbird and his band were coming to their rendezvous, and that the lives of Lionel and himself were in great peril. Notwithstanding the danger attending the attempt, the old scout resolved to break open the cabin, and secure for Lionel such articles as be felt sure must be inside. Halting sud- denly, he placed the young man, who had now regained his senses, in a natural position in the saddle, and ordering Skip-lively to ‘stan’ still, an’ not move a peg,” he darted through the woods to the outlaw’s cabin. Had not Blackbird balted, half-way between the ford and the cabin, to administer an oath of obedience to his new followers, they would have reached the spot before Single-Eye. The old scout bounded like a startled deer, and threw bis weight against the door. As the fastenings were ih bad repair, it flew open, disclosing to the astonished gaze of the old scout, stores of all kinds, in piles reaching to the eaves; evidently stolen from citizen and Government wagon-trains. Clutching a pair of blankets, he spread them on the floor, and proceeded to fill them with bottles of wine and brandy, and such eatables as he could grasp together. Drawing the load upon his shoulders, he made a hasty retreat, and soon reached the side of his faithful horse. Assisting Lionel to dismount, he bore him into a dense thicket, where, in a small clear space, he spread the blankets, and laying the suffering man upon them, bathed his wounds, dressing them with salve and ointment which he found in the cabin, But he saw, by the strange appearance of his pard, that he did not realize his condi- tion; neither did he know who was waiting upon him. Giving the young man 4 liberal dose of brandy, Single-Eye wrapped the blankets around him, and soon Lionel fell into a death- like sleep. The scout next attended to his horse, and afterward with four revolvers, a five shot car- bine and bis old “ Kaintuck,” lying by bis side, The Terrible Trio. 21 — 23 ready for instant use, he sat watching the | been on the Apache trail, that he had seen the sleeper; and woe be tothe man or men who might strike his trail, and come upon him, under such circumstances, Skip-lively “tore grass” in an adjacent | ‘open,” and Single-Eye now, for the first time since the noon of the foregoing day, broke his fast; first taking what he called a “ hefty | wagon-tongue, and now kuew who it was that had been there tortured. Single-Eye read this as plainly as if the Tonkaway bad spoken it. Then be said, in a low voice: ‘Tonk’, yer hes bin on ther trail o’ ther red hellyuns o’’Paches, what kim nigh sendin’ ole pour-down o’ terrantaler-juice,” which, if Liouel up t’other side o’ ther moon?” any man ever did need, it was our old friend at this time of all others in his eventful life. } } | CHAPTER XXIL. A SHEEP IN WOLF'S CLOTHING. WHILE Single-Eye sat watching Lionel, his senses on the alert, he distinctly heard the joy- ous shouts of the ‘‘ Blackbirds,” as they reached the cabin. His great concern now was, that some of them might, while in search of game, come upon him and his charge. In that event he and Lionel were both | doomed. He would fight to the last, of course; but the bandits would rush in upon him in over- powering numbers, | It was now that he began to feel some | strong regrets, | Coming up the Colorado, he had with him a | man, who although of red skin, was every inch _a man—his Indian pard, Turtle, the Tonkaway. This was one of the most skilled and noted | trailers among the Indians, and had always | been friendly to the Texans. At his request, | | | | | | the old scout had allowed him to cross the | | Colorado, some ten miles below the junction, to seek for trace of “ Blackbird.” Single Eye had agreed to meet the Tonka- way at tbe Concho ford; but the necessity | which there was for prompt action on his part, | following the startling discoveries that he _made, caused the scout to break his word with 'the Indian. At sunrise, the time appointed for their meeting at the ford, Single-Eye was | } _hbe felt sure had either been killed, or was suf- fering in some fiendish manner at the hands of his captors. Now, however, in the dangerous position in speeding up the trail, in search of Lionel, who, | Dang my cats! ‘Tur le bas been on Apache trail,”’ was the lacome return. * But yer didn’t know hit war our pard hyer thet they hed strung up ter squirm wi’ tortur’ ontil be slipped inter kingdom-come?” ‘‘Single-Eye he heap sharp. How know?” “‘T knowed by ther look in yer peepers; but whar in thunderation hev yer bin? Did yer skute from ther Colorado ford an’ strike ther ‘sign,’ er bev yer bin ter ther Concho cross- in’?” “Turtle ride first up Colorado; ride on this side river to ford; then go ’cross plain to Con- cho, Turtle see heap. Apache on war- path, Bad white man on war-path. Hear yell now.” “Dang my cats, Tonk’ ye’re kerrect, an’ we ’uns air in a pesky risky persisb. Er course yer see’d whar Lone Wolf sealped ther soger boyees, an’ yer knows they hes tuck a officer an’ a kaliker-kivered female ’oman toward ther Pecos?” ‘*Turtle read all sign. Trail wide—white squaw, the captive. White chief with gold on coat, he caplive—White squaw got hair like sun. White warriors got long knives on guns,” “How kim yer ter find out ‘bout ther ’oman’s ba’r?” The Indian opened his pouch, and took from it carefully several long, wavy, golden hairs, saying: ‘Turtle find hairs on thorn-bush, on trail.” “Yer gi’ns me a cramp in my ole heart, Tonk’. I can’t ba’r ter think thet bit mought be Winnie, fer she’s apt ter be a-travelin’ with her uncle, what’s a lootenant in ther army. I can’t think o’ bit. What | else hev yer see’d?” | which he found himself, he wished from the | bottom of his heart that Turtle was with him. | | But, just as the regret and wish filled his mind | a low, peculiar, bird-like whistle struck his | ears, which he immediately answered, agreed upon by these two prairie roamers. as but he had not long to wait. ‘Dog-gone my cats, Tonk’! whar in thun- _deration did yer come from? I sw’ar, yer skeered me outen a year’s grow, though I war wishin’ fer yer, _lar ole griz’ b’ar’s hug!” | The stoical countenance of the Indian showed no little amazement when he saw his young | white friend of Salado Creek, whom he and _Single-Eye had long since given up as dead, outstretched before him, and evidently in a _ badly wounded condition. Turtle, the Tonkaway, was a superb speci- men of bis tribe, being straight as an arrow, his frame muscular, and not an ounce of super- | fluous flesh upon him. This was unusual, for _most of the Tonkaways are corpulent, and with | fat, round faces and large heads. His nose | was much more nearly Grecian than like the | short pug so noticeable among his people, and _ his black, flashing, piercing eyes, together with | a quick movement in folding his arms, indi- cated au agility and dash that was uncommon among the red-men of the Southwest. His hair was long, reaching to bis belt be- hind, and thrust back of his ears, where it was held by a beaded fillet, from which proudly flaunted three feathers of the black eagle—the _ insignia of a chief. In full war-paint of vermilion and yellow ocher, with a narrow line of black pigment ex- tending from the nose, on either side, to the ears; the Tonkaway had in addition, upon bis bronzed breast, a representation of a turtle— the head, legs and tail of the same protruding from the sbell, as if in energetic action. But a moxent did the Indian look at Lionel. Then the muscles of his arms swelled out in huge knots, while the expression of his eyes showed intense fury; his form seeming to straighten and become more erect, and his nos- trils distending like those of a blooded race- borse at a starting-post. All this the old scout noticed. He knew how Single-Eye’s face showed great impatience, | I feels like givin’ yer a reg’ | I ‘“‘Turtle see beap. Stage, he come fast, B «! white men in tree jump on coach. Kili al! men, Drink heap. Then drive to ford with dead men. Blackbird, he got so many men,” —holding up three fingers—‘‘They hide in bush. Want rob stage. See dead men. Get scare. Then ride fast. More bad white men hide in stage. Bad white men burn coach. Then ride to Concho. Blackbird hide in bush. Then scare bad white men. Heap shoot, but ail come back from wood. ** Blackbird, be yell. All ride fast to trail. Shake hands. Then ride down Concho on south side, Hear yell now, All at log wig- wam.,” ‘‘ Wa-al, choke me ter death with a b’iled owl! I thought hit war ormighty sing’lar ’gards thar bein’ sich a heap o’ humans—er unhumans yer mought call ’em—down et thet cabin in ther p’int; but bow on ‘arth did yer know Blackbird’s ranch war thar?’ ‘Turtle see ‘sign’ over river. Climb tree. Then see log lodge. See bad white men from tree. They goupriver. Turtle follow trail.’’ “Wa-al, hit beats ther dickens how yer does sling yerself ’roun’, Tonk’! I hed no idee yer hed bin nigh ther Blackbird’s nest. I jist ’roved et ther dog-town in time ter save Lionel’s wind, I reckon; but be’s mighty bad fixed in his brain-box. I wisht he’d kinder *pear nat’ral-like speedy, fer thar’s hefty biz ahead, I reckon. I war feelin’ mighty con- sarned jist now. ‘“‘ Ef ther cut-throat hellyuns down yunder, who must be ’bout es cussid es ’Paches, sh’u’d run in on us, they’d gi’n us a hefty, breezy riffle of a he ole fight ter save our ha’r. Ef we’uns kin git Lionel ’roun’ ter biz, we'll skupe Blackbird in outen ther wet, Let’s gi'n him ‘nother dose o’ brandy. “T hes swored thet ef Lionel doesn’t split ther black beart o’ thet cussid Bird, Pll do hit myself, fer ther mivry he’s put onter ther best- est folkses on Salado Creek. But we must hump ourselves outen this afore long.” Single-Eye now proceeded to administer the brandy to Lionel, who was exceedingly rest- less, struggling as if he was being tortured in his slumber. He was soon aroused, but he could not yet comprehend his condition, or at first recall his past terrible experience, The presence of the old scout and the Tonkaway tended, not a to interpret it. He perceived that Turtle had little, to confuse him, for be had seen neither TeEomicboo (S “S col