Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 239 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

— a sa ee ee Thus the day passed. The Apaches continued to feast, and fre- quently changed their animals to fresh grass; yet the spy that Lone Wolf had sent out to Horse-Head Cros:ing returned not. This was a circumstance that caused the red | ' demons to feel more secure, and once more to | roll themselves in their blankets; satisfied that, + for this night also, there was no fear of alarm or attack. Had there been such, the spy would have reported enemies approaching the crossing from the direction of the Concho, north. Again night enveloped the gorge. Toe suffering Winnie looked more pallid, haggard and worn, as again she fastened her blue eyes in a glassy stare upon the outstretched form of her suffering relative, from whom all hope, as well as speech and motion, seemed to have departed. The dense gloom changed soon to a bright and beautiful moonlight, causing Winnie to remove her eyes from her unconsious uncle, and to gaze up into the star-studded arch of blue, through the interstices of the tall trees that surrounded them. Her trembling lips whispered pleading prayers for deliverance from _ the pitiless savages; wondering why He, who ruled the ten thousand worlds above her, could permit such terrible fiends to torture to the death those who had done them no harm. CHAPTER XXXVI. THE WORK IS BEGUN, TURTLE, the Tonkaway, knew that be had at least a bundred and forty miles to ride, before reaching Horse-Head Crossing; but there was one advantage. His course led him parallel to the Concho, and near the timber, into which he could dash at any time, to allow his horse to drink, as well as for a short rest while cropping a little wild rye. Full forty of these miles were covered before the sun arose, and the Tonkaway began to see that he must secure another animal—this time a mustang—as the American horse could not stand the run to the Pecos. Quickly springing to the earth, he detached a lasso from the cantle of his saddle, and securing the bridle to a bush, he entered the thick shades; succeeding in making his way through them until within a preper distance for casting his rope, the slack end of which he fastened to a small tree. A moment after his lasso circled into the “‘open,” where the herd had stopped to rest, and the noose dropped over the head, or leader of the herd. | The mustang was brought to the earth, and a band of buckskin was quickly bound about its eyes, after which Turtle slackened the lasso, and thrusting his band inte the mouth of his captive, drew out its tongue, by which he led it along until be reached his fagged steed. Saddle and jaw-strap were soon changed, and giving the stage-horse free range, Turtle sprung upon his prize, removed the buckskin blind, and the mustang shot like an arrow to- ward the Rio Pecos; kept in favorable course by jerk of jaw-strap, and an occasional blow on the side of its head from a quir?. Thus rode the Tonkaway, mounted upon a mustang steed that could gallop from rise to set of sun; but the animal was much fagged when half the distance between its place of capture and Horse-Head Crossing was reached. Fortune, bowever, still favored Turtle, for he succeeded in lassoing a fine horse, that had ‘been lost, or left by some military detachment passing up the trail. This animal was in good condition, and before midnight the Tonkaway was stealing through the timber cautiously, at Horse-Head Crossing, having suspicions than an Apache spy must have been there stationed by Lone Wolf, After a stealthy reconnoissance he forded the * Pecos, and then urged his horse up the trail, where, for a moment, the moon spread over the earth a flood of light, soon to be changed by a dense cloud into a pall of darkness. But that brief interval of bright silvery light was Heaven-sent, for, during its rule, the piercing eyes of the Tonkaway swept the plain, north, west, and south, and be uttered a grunt of blended surprise and relief, for but a few hundred yards in the last-mentioned direction, he discovered a mounted Apache brave, pointed down the Pecos, in place of up toward the Apache Mountains. Cpe This changed the course of Turtle in just the The Terrible Trio, i ——-———— + oe ee ee opposite direction from that he had first in- tended. The break in the clouds that permitted the moon to shine down upon the Apache spy was his death-signal, for the Tonkaway bhualf whirled his steed, and guided the animal di- rectly toward his foe. Ail this time the latter _ did not dream of the presence of an enemy in } TLL ness a ee his rear. Wearied by long watching, the Apache did not urge his horse from a walk. Again the broken and scattering clond bank allowed the moon undisputed sway. This time, as Turtle kuew, by a study of the sky, for some little time; and, as the mellow light illuminated the plain, he found bimself, as he had hoped and expected—not fifty yards from his foe. Gathering the jaw-strap in his left hand, favorable to his intended movements, the Tonkaway urged his borse suddenly forward. One look cast the hideous Apache behind him, Discovering that an Indian was dashing to- ward him, be at first supposed it to be one of his fellow braves sent to recall him to camp. A second glance, however, as well as the sound that filled his startled ears, forced upon bim a far different conclusion; and he jerked his knife, and strove to whirl his horse to meet bis foe—for he now recognized the war-paint of a tribe that were the most bitter enemies of the Apaches. At the sams moment the wild war-whoop of the Tonkaway broke on the air, and ‘before he could present a fighting front, Turtle’s mustang dashed against his own animal. The scalping-knife of the Tonkaway glittered for an instant before bis eyes; and then, crashed down with horrible grating sound, that sent the death-chill to his very finger-ends, The knife dropped from the Apache’s hand, his arms beat the air wildly, as he shot out his awful death-yell, and fell dead upon the plain. Then once more rung the exultant war- whoop of the Tonkaway, as Turtle, holding fast to the jaw-strap of the warrior’s horse, tore the reeking scalp from the head of his foe, and waved the trophy in the air. He then mounted the horse of the Apache spy and dashed southward, fully satisfled that the war-party of Lone Wolf were encamped in the Sierra Charrate Mountains, Indeed he had nut the slightest doubt of it; for he bad reached a point when he had slain the Apache where there bad been no pains taken to leave a blind trail, and traces of the war-party were to be seen even by moonlight. And here we leave the faithful Tonkaway, speeding furtber on, to danger and almost cer- tain death, in his endeavor to save bis friends, It was in the small hours of the morning, when the sleep of mankind is the deepest and but few and slight sounds disturb the stillness of the night inthe great gorge. Now anda then the snort of a horse is heard, but that is the only noise within the encamp- ment of Lone Wolf, excepting when the weird bowl of the black wolf comes occasionaily from the plains. For some time the moon has been obscured, but now bursts forth in all its splendor, seem- ing to have gained in brightness from being forced for & time by the clouds to witbhold its smile. Here and there along the eastern side of the gorge, beneath the shade of the cedars, can be seen the hideous painted face of an Apache brave; the eyes closed in sleep peaceful as that of a child, thotgh their main object in life is murder, and every crime is upon theit souls, Down at tha mouth of the gorge are two braves, who idly smoke their cigarettes, appre- hending no danger that cannot be detected afar off in time to prepare to meet it. Even the sentinel on the rocks is not aware of the presence of adark form in his rear—a brorze body, upon the breast of which is a turtle, done in different colored pigments. This totem, should he discover it, would speak to him of sudden death, or of a terrible struggle for life. Above that turtle flash eyes that are filled witb a vengeful look; a fierce and determined desperation tbat heeds no impedi- ment in the trail, that quails not even when the death film shuts out the earth from view for- ever, Crouched, like a panther ready to spring, is the faithful Tonkaway. By a scrutinizing survey of tho camp, he bad been enabled to lay his plans to save Winnie Warrington and her uncle, if it lay in bis power so to do, f ae ee oe ee Ce — Senet a as i eee eee 25 ie en —_— But a moment does be remained thus, | Then, with a portion of a blanket in his left hand, and his knife in his rigbt, he bounds | forward, The fragment of blanket is thrust | into the Apache’s mouth, effectually gagging him, Then follows the sickening sound, as the knife is plunged into the heart of the red senti- nel, and bis blood spurts over the rocks; the moon revealing the scene with a vividness that was borrible. And terrible were the death-struggles of the doomed brave; but the iron grasp of the Tonkaway held him as in a vise, and no sound of a death-yell could come from him. | Soon, the last convulsive throe told him the sentinel was dead; and the movements of Turtle were now rapid, proving how well he had studied out his proposed manner of pro- ceeding. Quickly removing the paint-bag from | the belt of bis victim, he opened the same, and taking a small round mirror from his pouch, and also a mojst rag, be removed the paint from bis face, and daubed the Apache war- stripes on his own visage. He next removed his eagle-feathers, and then tearing off a portion of the breech-cloth of the dead Apache, which was nearly the same color as his own skin, be covered with it the turtle totem on his breast. The slain sentinel had no head-dress, and as Turtle now stood, his appearance was much like that of bis victim. But now came the most critical moment. He had decided upon playing a very dangerous game; and one that could not be successfully carried out, more than once in a hundred times, Nevertheless the Tonkaway never faltered. He lanched the corpse of the Apache down the dizzy hight into a clump of cedars on the opposite side of the rocky spur from the two sentinels who were stationed at the entrance of the gorge, near where there were a number of the horses picketed. This caused the ani- mals to snort, and run buck and forth madly, Turtle felt sure that this would draw one of the guards from his post below, and he was not mistaken; for, the moment after; as he glanced over the rock, but one remained, He then stepped boldly within view, and, by an impatient gesture, beckoned the only guard at the entrance to come up to his side, signily- ing that something was wrong on the plain, Tbe Tonkaway showed, in his stoical face, nothing of the intense anxiety that ruled his brain. Life and death to himself and his white friends, hung upon the next few instants, Turtle was playing a fearfully desperate game, but he was equal to the emergency. The sentinel bounded up the rocks like a most knocking the Tonkaway over the cliff in his eager anxiety to know what danger threat- ened. But his eagerness was soon banished, His anxiety was soon changed to the death- agony. The iron grip of Turtle was upon bim, the blanket-gag was in his mouth, and the knife in his heart ere be realized that he was in the clutch of other than his fellow- brave. Soon the second victim of the Tonkaway sunk dead upon the rock, and the latter darted down to the entrance of the gorge, in time to meet the returning sentinel], who met his su posed comrade with an impatient ‘‘ Ugb,” sig- nifying by that, and the gesture that accom- panied if, that all was right. Again a slight thrashing of brush, and a horrid gurgling sound might bave been beard, and then all was still, third victim of the red avenger lay stark and covered with gore! Did I say death ruled there? waved his blood-stained knife over his head, stalked the Tonkaway out from the cedars— thus far master of the situation, Thus far he bad played his cards well, and by his bearing seemed confident that he held the winning-hand to the lust, and would ‘sweep the board.” CHAPTER XXVIL THE RESCUE. mountain goat, and sprang to the lookout, al-. Death ruled there—the x / I was wrong. Proud as a prince, the smoth- _ ered war-cry causing his lips to tremble as he - «€ * THE past movements of the Tonkaway bad ~ been rapid, and his future operations, he felt, must be more so. Much remained to be done, There was a vast plain to be crossed before Eomicboo S col