Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 256 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

7 » “ es _ y ‘ f - : ~~? Double Dan, the Dastard 11 he had swept all traces of crime from the camp. Notwithstanding his care, however, Le Grand, as do all criminals, left — traces of his crime, as will be hereafter shown. But greats re- lieved, and fully believing that neither of the murders could, in any possible manner, be traced to him, the villain cast himself into a thicket, utterly prostrated with fatigue, both ' physical and mental, and was asleep in a ' moment. But the sleep of Louis Le Grand was only a series of horrible dreams, while deep groans continued to burst from his frothing lips. So benumbed, however, were his nerves, from his recent exertions, and from having been so over- taxed, that he could not awaken, although so terribly tortured. , ’ Full an hour passed in this way, when the animals ng A reared and plunged, snorting with affright, the mule pulling back upon its lariat, its hoofs striking the limbs of Le Grand in the thicket, as it crushed the bushes beneath them. Le Grand sprung upright, great beads of perspiration standing upon his forehead, and his eyes starting in horror; for, as he lay, he had naturally gazed upward before springing to his feet, the bushes, being pressed down by the terrified animal, giving him a clear view of the lower limbs of the huge trees above. And no wonder that the suddenly awakened man was appalled, especially when the state of his mind is considered, for, upon a large lower limb, not ten feet from his position, was a huge panther; its back arched, its fur standing out cat-like, and its immense claws tearing at the bark, preparatory to making a bound down- ward, Le Grand felt that his time had come. The eyes of the terrible beast glowed like coals of fire, and the wretched man knew that the animal would instantly spring downward; yet he was, as it were, chained to the spot with horror and dread, and could not move a muscle. However, his terrible suspense was of short duration, for the panther almost immediately shot through the air, landing directly upon the back of the mule, and not three feet from Le Grand’s head. Then followed a fearful strug- gling, a crashing of brush, and a tearing of flesh and hide; while the mule, with fearful enorts, bounded away into the dense shades, the panther still clinging to it, and sucking the blood from its neck veins! The frantic struggles of the horses caused Le Grand to recover himself; and hasten to his steed, unloosing the neck-rope, springing into the saddle, and once again s ing from the camp, impressed with the belief that there was to be no peace for him henceforth, that dangers and horrors would surround and torture bin, while the death that he would eventually covet would be denied him, or come in some dread and lingering form. Once more he hastened down the Brazos, this time with no more particular object than the last. But suddenly he recalled the fact that the ground over which he bad hastened to gaina covert on the river bank from which to shoot Roy Randolph, was soft, so also was the thicket from which he had fired the fatal shot. His trail would, in the event of Roy’s murder being discovered, be followed by keen-eyed men; and now he berated himself for an idiot, for he recollected that he had, in his excited state after sending the spherical messenger of deatk on its mission, hurled his rifle into the river. This rifle was silver-mounted, a silver plate being upon the breech, and on it was engraved his name; and this silver, if the water was not hire tf fed could be seen from the thicket, es- pecially by nen looking for “‘ sign.” This would be most damning proof, and must be attended to at once. Securing his horse, Le Grand stole toward the river, glancing suspiciously on every side as he did so. After much tearing through the under- growth, he at length descried the silvery sheen ef waters. A moment after, he stood in the ver spot from whence he had fired his rifle, and, rting the bushes, he swept the banks of the razos, up and down oneach side. No living, moving object was within view, and even the usual sounds of a ete and frogs seemed subdued and guarded. The scene was weird, but grand and impres- sive. ‘ Nature’s wild and abundant luxuriance fringed thelong and wide silvery sheen of waters, but Louis Le Grand had neither the time nor the in- Clination to study the vista. Realizing that he could not locate the position of the gun without a pole, he quickly drew his knife, and selecting a suitable sapling, he severed it from_ the und near the roots, and then trimmed off the ranches, Le Grand then stepped forward, parted the busbes, and again gazed suspiciously around him. All at once his form grew rigid, his face the pallor of death, while his eyes started from their sockets, fixed and staring across the river, where standing motionless as a statue, was a human form of robust build, every outline and linea- ment of which was plainly revealed, Well might the miscreant, Le Grand, quake | Grand’s being in the neighborhood, on the in terror, for that form and face belonged to | grounds that he would not dare return to the his victim! There could be no mistake. It was the ghost, the apparition of Roy Ran- dolph come to haunt him. For a moment Le Grand stood trembling in| every nerve, a picture of abject terror; the very | discernible. ulsa- | Roy decided that the miscreant had something blood in his veins seemed to congeal, the tions of his heart to stop. Then he whirled in | | ' i ; camp, up-river, after. the cowardly murder he had attempted, and hesaw now that he had been right. ; Only for a moment was Louis Le Grand’s face Then it vanished; and instantly on hand which would occasion a speedy return. his tracks, dropped his pole, and with a cry | This he judged by the maunerin which the vil- that was halft-shriek and half - bowl, through the undergrowth like a madman. Soon, however, he fell prostrate, lying there panting, for a time; he then crawled to his horse, and once more had recourse to his brandy-flask. The fiery liquor, in a measure, restored bim, and, for a few moments, he sat on the damp | sward pondering. At length he reasoned that his senses had deceived him—he had seen noth- ing. He recalled the hideous imaginings which had been his during the night, and he decided that this was of the same character. Having arrived at this conclusion, he pro- ceeded, after another dose of the brandy, to re- trace his steps, and soon reached the thicket, where be discovered the pole projecting from the water, its lower end thrust into the mud, as if to mark the spot his trailers must search. He saw that he had been once again an idiot, and was convinced that his latest reasonings were correct, for, upon gazing over the river to the point where he had seen the apparition, there was nothing in sight, except the huge log that projected over the water from out the un- dergrowth, and upon which he had fancied that he saw the form of Leroy Randolph. A low, hoarse laugh left the miscreant’s lips as he endeavored to grasp theend of the pole, leaning over, clear of the bushes, to clutch it, but the laugh was changed to a gurgling, gasp- ing sound, and again bis swarthy face became ghastly, while his frame trembled as before. There, on the opposite bank, some fifty yards above the point at which he had before seen it, was that same dread specter, Roy Randolph, as natural as life! He stood, with both arms upraised, both fore- fingers pointing skyward, as if warning the wretch who beheld him of the existence of one to whom vengeance belonged—of the retribu- tion that must soon overtake bim, There was no mistake this time. This was no hallucination—no vision of the imagination. For a full minute the eyes of Le Grand were frozen upon the form of Roy, his victim, his own position at the time being disregarded, when slowly his form sunk forward, and he in- stinctively caught at the pole, but missed it. He lost bis balance and the next instant Louis Le Grand shot forward, and with a sounding bnes sunk beneath the waters of the Rio razos. | CHAPTER XIII. ON THE TRAIL. As bas been previously intimated, Roy Ran- dolph after leaving Bend Plantation, immedi- ately proceeded up the Brazos, to the point at which he had been shot by the concealed assas- sin. He had not the slightest doubt that Louis Le Grand was the man who had set him adrift, and who had also ee his life, in a more sure and deadly manner, but which, too, had been unsuccessful. In far-reaching strides, Roy proceeded, his head bare, bis hair flying over his broad shoul- ders in the wind of his speed, while. the cool night air braced and invigorated him. In _less than an hour after departing from the bend, he reached the locality where the assassin’s bullet so nearly cost bim bis life; he having kept,open ground, and avoided the windings of the river. Plunging into the bottom timber, our hero proceeded directly through the same to the river, using caution, as he neared the bank; for he reasoned; that possibly the miscreant who had attempted his life might be still in the vicin- ity, as it was an unfrequented section. He well knew that the companions of. Le Grand, who had been encam with the latter, were un- principled rascals, as far as petty rascalities went; but he did not believe there was one among them who would be evenan accomplice in a capital crime. They were addicted to gambling, and were not particular in regard to the tricks they prac- ticed when playing for money; besides this, they had allof them bad reputations in other re- = age But, they had proved, at the time of the duel between himself and Le Grand, that they admired a brave man, and would not per- mit undue advantage to be taken in a so-called affair of honor; especially when such advantage would culminate in nothing less than cowardly murder, as would have been the case, had the bullet, fired by Le Grand in the duello, before the word, found its intended mark. Notwithstanding Roy had thougbt it possible he might see Le Grand in the vicinity, he was greatly astonished, upon peering through the bushes, to at once discover the face of the very man who filled his thoughts; gazing from a thicket, up and down the river, as if fearing observation. Roy had based his reasoning in regard to Le rr rrr A LS LL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL LL LL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL LL A CN tt tore | lain acted. He determined, therefore, to give the sup- posed assassin a fright, b rhe § himself; thus proving beyond a doubt that Le Grand was the man that sbot him, as the villain would un- doubtedly show signs of guilt at the appearance of his victim—the man, whom he must suppose to be dead, and floating away, many miles be- low, toward the Gulf, psa ose The reader has already been informed of the effect produced upon Le Grand by Roy’s eppear ance, at two different points, on the bank; our hero changing place and position’that it might seem more impressive. e at once perceived that Le Grand belicved him to bean apparition, the terror and horror expressed provingto Roy, conclusively, that the miscreant who shot bim was none other than the one he had Be act When Le Grand shot into the river, however, disappearing from view in the depths, Roy was in a state of great concern: for he didnot think such an easy death would be a just fate for such a double-dyed villain. Instantly concealing himself, Roy awaited the reappearancc of Le Grand, not tiowing whether the wretch could swim, and curious as to what movemert he would make, , ie nce 4 In a moment or two he arose to the surface, but at some distance down the stream from the spot at. which he had plunged in. And now, a most strange and exciting scene ensued; for the splashing had attracted the attention of the alli- gators in a small cove near Le Grand, and half- a dozen buge heads appeared, moving slowly toward the swimmer. As the latter percéived the slimy monsters, he filled the night air ‘with his shrieks, while he made frantic efforts to gain the bank, . : ioe Slowly the bage saurians neared the horrified swimmer, the latter being carried down stream by the current, until the bank of the river was full twenty feet in hight, and nearly ‘—perpen- dicular. a , Never, perhaps, did man struggle, more fran- tically to escape a horrible death than did Louis Le Grand; and only one chance seemed open Y save him, This was the root of a tree, whic projected from the bank, some seven feet from the water, hanging downward nearly to the same, Most desperately did Le Grand strike for the bank at the point where this root Projected, knowing that if he missed the same he was a lost man: that he would soon be drawn into the dark and muddy. depths, and. torn, and de- voured by the hideous monsters, whose eyes_ now glittered from out their rill y get slimy heads, that concealed jaws that would rend the body of a man in an instant. be Fast Le Grand neared his one hope of life, and fast the saurians approached their intended prey; which, long ere this, would have been theirs had not the piercing shrieks deterred them from the attack. | , Directly beneath the root, Le Grand was swept down, and with desperate clutch he grasped the same, drawing bimself up by a her- culean effort; the sounds beneath him causing — his hair to stand on end, and the blood to run cold. in his veins: for, the alligators, seeing their prey was about to escape. them, all meade frantic lunges onward. and upward, their fore- paws digging into the soft mud at the base of the bank, | ee And there suspended, clinging for dear life to the root, which was, luckily for him, a str , one, bung Louis Le Grand; his toes kicking, out’ the earth, and forming a partial Suppor the greafer part of his weight being sustained by. his.grip on the root.. And, below him, the mon- ster lizards snapped their jaws; dragging, at times, their slimy bodies partly clear of the waters, and their horrible teeth penis “i six inches of Le Grand’s feet, Then, the | beneath them would give way, and the repul- sive saurians would fall, with a terrific plunge, into the river, ‘the waters spattering up an over the affrighted wretch, who clung for life to the root of the tree, his face ghastly, and contorted with horror unspeakable. The terrible predicament of Le Grand was fully realized by Roy Bandolph, although he was at some distance from him; and he well knew that the miscreant could not long retain his position—that he must eventually drop, and be devoured by the hungry alligators. This was a fate, dastardly as had been the conduct of the wretch, which Roy thought too terrible for him—too terrible for even a brute. And, not only this, but our hero felt that, | possibly the horrible experiences of the night > cause Le Grand to repent of his misdeeds and crimes, and become a better man. Had Roy known of the bear and the panther, he would have been more decided in this gine ion; which, however, would have vanished, had EOMMIE NOC KS (E(@)