Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 244 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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the Indians, and thus destroy all prospects of a res- cue, From this last, plausible thought, Flora derived some consolation; and, when she considered the matter, she decided that, unless Will Washburne had been lberated, this stranger would not have fol- lowed the trail, for he could not have known, except from Will, that a white maiden was in the bands of the Comanches. Hope came thus to the suffering girl, just in time to save her from becoming an insane wreck. She now reclined against the tree, and gazed at the shades on all sides, striving to pierce the dark- ness. and yet dreading, even while she hoped, to see the form and face of her lover: for she feared that he would, in his anxiety and fury, spopardine his own life in a useless attempt to rescue her. Thus the night passed on, until the yells of the sentinels caused the heart of the poor captive to spring to her throat in apprehension; for the first thought with her now, was, that her rescuers would themselves be taken, Then her wonder was in- creased, by the rush of the braves from the camp toward the river. Seeing then, when the first excitement was over, that there were but a few warriors remaining in the camp, Flora suddenly thought, that now was the op- postesnity for her friends, if they were indeed vear at band. At this time, the Indians who remained, were all standing beyond her, and nearer the river, gazing with wonder and concern toward the stream, an listening intently to the bedlam of sounds on the west plain. This fact caused Flora to wish most sincerely that she could then discover the friendly face she had caught a glimpse ot in the tree, Just then, she felt her bonds being cut; but, be- fore she could turn her eyes, a blanket was thrown over her head, and she was clasped in the arms of a man, who, as she knew, stole cautiously to the south, amid the trees, for some distance, being then joined by another. A few muttered sentences passed between them, which Flora could not catch, though she knew tbe words were Bugiish, Then both men ran onward, at a rapid gait; and, at the very moment when those, whom she supposed to be her friends, started on the run, the report of fire-arms sounded through the arches of the timber, accompanied by Comanc war-whoops, and cries of agony and death. Though Flora’s face had been shielded by the blanket, and her rescuers had not spoken to her — things suspicious in themselves—Flora had not dreamed that other enemies than the Indians were in the vicinity. Now, however, @ whirlpool of strange thoughts passed through her mind. She knew full well that Will Washburne was not one of her rescuers, or he would have made himself known to her immediately upon reaching a safe distance, From the fact that there had been no yells from the Comanches at the time of her release, she rea- soned that the red-men were not aware of her es- cape; why, then, was this silence, and why had her face been thus shrouded, ere she was hurried away, All this had a suspicious look, The mystery, however, was soon to be explained. Poor Flora was again doomed to be huried back | | , _ or traversing the ee u Merciless Mart. ther leetle gal, fer they must ha’ tuck her since ther reds struck ‘cross ther drink.” Will Washburne at last comprehended the situa- tion. So far he felt relieved. ora was free from the fiendish Indians, and, bad as Mart Maxwell was, Will was confident he would do her no bodily harm, Besides this, Maxwell could not escape with ber, for he had no horses, and knew nothing of the country. At once the quartette of pards set out, on different pe each watching for the miscreants, whose ives were now forfeited beyond all hope. All that Rolling Thunder and bis braves could now see and hear wasa mass of dead and dying warriors, and the monotonous chant of death-songs, as they returned toward their camp; but, f an ambush, not daring to enter it. Here and there, up-stream, the four men dashed, at last realizing that this was useless, as the move- ments of their horses would warn the pursued of their approach. A low signal from Single-Eye now drew them together, and a consultation was held, which ended in their deciding to search the bottom timber on foot; all judging, with good reason, that the two fiendish persecutors of Flora Florence had been so roughly used by the Indians, as to prevent them from proceeding far. The animals were therefore led by Old Rocky to the extreme eastern edge of the timber, and they all set out on foot; Will, although unused to trailing n being one o the exploring party. Ne time was lost. Old Rocky could not only guard the animals, b\.t could keep a lookout over the plain to the east, from which direc- tion any wrones at might have been sent out from the fort would be likely to approach. With great caution, they proceeded ; Turtle follow- ing a course parallel with that of Will, and some distance nearer the stream, while Single-Eye stole into the depths of dread, and despair; and this | : _ chambers of the weapons, they drew their knives, | and fought with desperation, making their way to from a source, from which she had believed herself to be free entirely and forever! Her rescuers had now halted. The man who bore her in his arms had laid her poy the sward; but, although the bonds that had fastened her to the tree had been severed, her wrists were still bound, consequently she lay he!pless. . In a moment more the blanket was jerked from her head, and she saw that she was in a small open- ing, into which the moon shone brightly. lora also poem that two men stood before her, and as her eyes became accustomed to the licht, the faces of the men were revealed to her— faces that were villainous and crime-stamped, and now filled with most unholy exultation, Their c'othing was nearly all torn from their bodies, which were blood-stained, and showed the marks of severe scourging, evidently done with a rawhide. Ata glance Flora Florence saw this, and her eyes now darted from a face that was strange to her, to the other, which seemed strangely familiar. As she glanced into this face, a Satanic laugh broke from the owner, and Flora shrieked with hor- ror. Her brain seemed filled with crackling flames, and knives seemed to be piercing her very heart. As she fell fainting to the ground, the fiendish laugh still sounded in her ears—the laugh of her self-constituted guardian, of the man who had stolen her, when an infant, from her mother, who had driven that mother to insanity, who had mur- dered her father—the hellish laugh of Mart Max- well, the miscreant of the Missouri! CHAPTER XXVI. IN THE THICKEST OF THE FIGHT. THe exact location of the captive maiden in the camp being known to Single-Eye and Turtle, our four friends had no doubts but that, through a des- perate dash, sh way, they could rescue the girl, and escape with her. They made no halt, therefore, but spurred on as fast as the nature of the ground would admit. Reaching the margin of the north line of thickets, bordering the camp, Single-Eye and the Tonkaway drew up until their companions joined them; then, neck and neck, on they went, in a headlong charge into the midst of the warriors who had remained in the camp, Single-Eye making a point to reach the tree to which Flora was bound. On went the horses of our friends in an over- whelming charge, their rifles and revolvers vomit- ing fire and lead, causing the Comanches over the stream to decide that a large force of troops had attacked their camp. Being without their horses, pes were helpless, and did not dare of re- urning, Will Washburne, insanely eager and anxious ager after Single-E e, battli ae with all at opposed him; but was alyzed of a sudden by the words of the latter, Bs he sprung from his horse, yelling: eTher leetle gal air gone! Ther dang’d white kiotes hev run in ahead o’us! Git, boyees, git up crick, an’ beat ther bush! Scatter, an’ we'll kerral | was “Bad Med ooting down all who stood in their | along nearer the bank. Thus, up the Clear Fork, ae stealthily made their way. ot far had they proceeded, when sounds of con- flict ahead, from which sounded deep curses in Exg- lish, caused our three friends to rush like madmen toward the scene of strife. A strange scene it was. Entering a small opening, the trio saw, on the op- posite side, a dozen Comanche braves, amid whom were struggling desperately the two rufflans of whom they were in search. As our friends gap forward into the “ yon the sight that most maddened and agonized them, and Will more especially, was poor Flora, now ne borne away in the arms of a burly brave; her head, with its wealth of golden hair, hanging over bis arm, her arms limp, and her whole appearance indi- cating that the poor girl was senseless, With knife in hand, the young man sprung for- ward, yelling in his intense fury aud anguish, Gathering bis strength for apeperere conflict as he went, Will dashed on; Single-Eye and Turtle leav- ing him the satisfaction of rescuing the maiden, ae sprung toward the warriors who were striving to drag the white ruffians, Mart and Rand, into the undergrowth, but little caring whether they killed the two outlaws, or not, In among the horde they bounded, shooting their revolvers right and left; then, after emptying the the two men, whom they knocked senseless with the butts of their revolvers; but not until the ruffi- ans had received several stabs, in an endeavor to e&- cape from their red captors, who now beat 'a hasty retreat—that is, all who were in a condition to do 50. Bae of the Comanches lay dead upon the BW But a little less revolting and horrible in appear- ance than the hideous braves, were Mart Maxwell aud Rand Rogers; their Sonning in rags; their faces besmeared with blood, and their bare backs lacerated and swollen from the lashing received on their forced run f-om Elm Fork to Clear Fork. The surviving Comanes2 sought cover, with many a howl of dread and terror; some badly wounded, some chanting their dreary death-songs, and all “believing that the camp they had chosen icine.” The demoralization Anas the braves was general; the mysterious events o the night having awakened their superstitious fears, Panting with exertion and excitement, and filled with a thirst for revenge upon their foes, that had made them invincible in their das attack upon the Indians—thus stood Turtle and Single- ve, masters of the field, and having in their power the two ruffians, the lives of whom they had, but a little while ago, saved from the red,men, We must now, however, follow Will Washburne, after he had been left to show his skill and powers, by his two friends. The latter well knew that one man would have a better chance to rescue the maiden alone, and that any attempts of theirs to assist, might only bring about her death. About the same time, therefore, that le-Eye and the Tonkaway sprung among the massed braves, a pistol-shet away, Will came within ten feet of the Comanche who held his darling. At the distance mentioned, the red captor cast his eyes in the rear, warned by the onslaught of foes - upon his comrade braves. The looks and manner of the man, now so close upon him, knife in hand, convinced the Indian of his danger; so he whirled about, cast his lovely bur- den roughly upon the ground, causing Will to utter a yell of rage and anguish, and drawing his scalp- ing-knife, he stood y to meet the white foe who advanced upon him, : The muscular build of the young man showed the Comanche that he had no child's play before him. He saw that his life depended upon the play that he could give his arm and steel. in the briefest pos- sible space of time. There was another thought that flashed into the mind of the Indian, and which somewhat curtailed his powas of fight. This was, that he recognized in his foe the self-same captive whom he had assisted his brother braves to bind upon the back of the buf- falo only the vious morning, thus condemning him to a terrible and lingering death. As, however, the savage thrust his knife at his o ponent, he found it dextrously parried, and Will, with furious and overwhelming force, darted di- rectly upon him, hurling him to the 21 EMF oe HSE ec j Both now clutched each other in a desperate crip, rolling over and over and each bringing his entire strength to bear in hig efforts to kill the other. As each held the wrist of the other's knife-hand, the struggle was thus prolonged. And a fearful contest it wasi At times the young man would be uppermost, and then on positions of the combatants would be re- versed, All the time the mind of Will was tortured by the consciousness that Flora lay senseless, perhaps stricken with death, near at band. Then, there were the sounds of fierce conflict between his friends and | the savage foe but a littie distance away which came . to his ears; and, as the Comanche’s snake-like eyes met his, the youth realized that possibly—nay, prob- . ably—bis two pards might be slain! In that case the Indians would again bave Flora in their power, and would also put an end to his own life. Either this, or it might be that one or other of the inhuman white men who had cursed the life of Flora. Florence from the first might, during the confusion rs m lee, escape and bear the poor girl off with em. These aay ag drove Will to a more despr rate state of fury and apprehension than ever. Nerving himself, therefore, for one herculean effort and in- stantaneous action, he succeeded in throwing the warrior over, and in this way gaining the advan- tage in position. ) At the same time, by an electric-like twist of his. wrist, he wrenched his right band free, and raised it high over his head, pointed at the breast of his: | foe. The latter quickly attempted to parry the ex- cted blow by bringing his left arm upward and en strove to writhe from beneath his adversary. But the movements of the youth were quick as the lightning flash. He saw that the momentof all moments in his life had arrived. ) The next move must be a strategic one, With a : feigning motion as if to plunge his knife downward he caused the Comanche to strike up and outward, to ward it off. On the instant Will raised the knife again and it shot like a flash of I'ght, peer secpe | through bone and flesh, to the very hilt, in the breas of the Indian. The heart of the red-man was literally clove in twain and the rich life-tide spurted up over his slayer and the grass and flowers on every side. ne yell, the horrible death-yell, came from the throat of the warrior, and then followed a convul- sive struggle. The paint-daubed brave writhed for afew moments, like a crushed serpent; then, sud- denly, all motion ce , Trembling like an aspen leaf, Will Washburne arose, a cry of thankfulness upon his lips, and stag- gered toward the still form of his rescued darling, staggered like a babe taking its first steps. e strength of the young man had been ex- hausted. Thus, he reached the side of poor Flora, who lay as one dead; her golden tresses mingling with the dew-sprinkled green blades of grass, and the tiny flowerets, Then Wil) gazed downward, his brave \ EN eee heart bursting with its conflicting emotions. For a brief space he stood thus, swaying back and forth, his knife still in his hand; then, he fell for- ward upon the sward by the side of her whom he loved, all sense and motion gone from him! Turtle and Single-Eye, turning cway from the scene of their furious and unequa) contest, on through the dead and dying braves, and senseless white ruffians, in search of their young pard, thus found bim, There he lay, stricken to the carth, like a forest ine by lightning; having, in the rescue of his darl- ng Flora, received, as they supposed, in their grief aud concern for him, his death wound! CHAPTER XXVII. AFTER SO MANY YEARS. { Tvurt ie, the Tonkaway, sunk to the earth, by the side of Flora first; and, having felt her wrist gin- gerly, and placed bis hand on her breast, pr make the same examination of Will. Then, with a grunt of satisfaction he answered . the nana glance of oats ra “Too much heap ride on buffalo in hot sun for ) white brother. Too much heap trouble in head. ' White Rose, with hair like sunshine, think Co- manche torture, think bad white men kill. She wilt . 4 eee ee eee like flower on hill, when grass on prairie burn. Water from Clear Fork make heads clear. Waugh!'" The Tonkaway then dexterously removed the scalp of the dead Indian before him, and piscing it in his belt, set off to secure other like trophies, Greatly relieved at the confident assertions of Turtle, in rd to Will and Flora, Single-Eye ran quickly to the river, and filling bis sombrero with water, returned and > Seg it to the heads of both, who soon began to show signs of returning con- sciousness. In a little time, the old scout had the satisfaction of assisting both to a sitting posture. When the first bewilderment of the young man had passed, he caught the wondering girl arms, crying out in joy and Nig et 6! “ Again, my poor Flora; again | hold you thus! Stage ye may Heaven ever bless you!” “Ob, Will!’ exclaimed the girl; * can it be really ou?’ Once! thought that you had saved me from hoee dreadful Indians, but it was my horrid old guardian, who had me again in his power." : a ba turning to the scout, Flora said, with deep: eeling: ‘And here is one, to whom I owe much; for when I was in despair, he a to me, and I. felt from that moment that friends were near.” “This,” said Will, “is the noted scout, Single. ae and to him, and his two friends, we owe our ves ” “T will pray for you as long as I live,” said the maiden, extending fer hand to the old scout. He it eagerly, but replied somewhat impatient- “Thar! Thet'll do o’ thet sort o’ gab, fer both om yer. Me an’ my don't ‘spect no soft-sodder perlaver fer doin’ our juty; an’ 'sides, this byer ain't ho place ter hold a inquiry -meetin’. ‘ e a-harvestin’ ha’r, but he'll soon git in ther hull crap; an’ then we-'uns must make our- selves skeerce, right peart-like, er mebbe so we'll gilt. scooped in arter all. CORNICGOOOKSa(Col —— ee ——