Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 257 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

> F a7. i i. 4 . = Pa - 14° rs light danced fitfully over the wall of the nt. A low moan escaped the lips of the sleeping beauty, and her fair arms began to move un- easily, as though that gloating gaze was troubling her, and with a desperate effort, Clay Benedict overcame the spell which had beld him entranced, and drawing a carefully prepared pitch plaster from his pocket, he crept within arm’s length of her couch, and the next moment the poor girl gave a convulsive start and attempt to shriek out—but her lips were sealed by the plaster, se firmly in place by the strong hand of the ug. Placing the lantern on the ground at arm’s- length, Benedict flashed forth his knife, and in a hoarse, disguised voice, he grated; **Not a word, ye p’izen cat! Ef you kick an’ thrash aroun’ tell you roust out the others, durned ef I don’t slit your wizzand from year to year! Simmer down an’ take it cool, an’ you shain’t be hurt a single ha’r o’ your purty head,” The terror-filled eyes sought to gain confirma- tion of this assurance by scanning the face of the intruder, but in vain. Not trusting wholly to the masking kerchief, the Thug kept his counte- nance turned away from the light, “Come, gal, onless you want to take a little jaunt jest as ye be, git up an’ putt on your day duds. But mind ye, now, no tricks on travel- ers. I won’t burt ye, long’s you act quiet, but the fust step you make to git away, ’ll kerry you to death, jest as sudden an’sartin as thougb a thunderbolt hed slipped down your gullet afore it bu’sted wide open—now mind,” Trembling, unnerved, fearing the worst, poor Bertha obeyed to the best of her ability, aided in donning her garments by the assassin, one of whose hands hovered close to her lips, to guard against her tearing off the plaster and giving the alarm to the sleeping gold-diggers. ‘Good enough so fur,” added the disguised voice. ‘*But, come to think, I reckon I'd ruther kerry you in my arms, then to take the chainces 0’ you givin’ me the dirty shake in the dark, Take it cool an’ easy, young-’un. The less kickin’ an’ squamblin’ ye do, the sooner it’ll be over,” he muttered, as he bound her hands tightly behind her back, then forced her back on the couch, to secure her ankles after the same fashion. In redoubled terror, poor Bertha struggled desperately, until her overtasked brain gave way, and with a convulsive shudder, she lay in- sensible, For an instant a chilling fear checked the heart of the assassin, but then as he saw she had merely fainted, he nodded grimly, mutter- ing below his breath: ‘So much the better, for now she’ll behave quietly.” Shutting off the light and stowing away the lantern, Clay Benedict lifted the woman in his strong arms and stole out of the tent, through the camp, and up one of the rocky trails, ‘‘Hellow, old fellow!” came a low voice, ‘Show goes it all?’ and a phantom-like form suddenly arose to bar his way. CHAPTER XI. THE FINAL CATASTROPHE. “THAT you, Jeff?” demanded Benedict, leap- eng peck a pace and drawing a pistol as he spoke. Pe Certain—who else?’ came the swift response. ** But you’ve been an infernal long time coming. I was just about taking a scout down yonder, to see if you hadn’t overslept yourself, or been smoked by the diggers and put in limbo.” ‘*T’ve had the deuce of a time, through no fault of mine, thougb,” said the Thug, with a short, mliaugh. °° There’s two less for the water to andle, at any rate.” “You rubbed them out?” “Slick asa whistle! The young sprout on guard over the dam, and the boss himself. Id rather have let out the last job, for it’s not so agreeable, knocking one’s prospective daddy-in- law in the head; but it had to be done.” ** And this is the girl you’ve spouted so much about?’ the outlaw asked, curiously peering into the deathlike countenance, as it lay against the shoulder of the assassin. ‘‘ A trim enough look- ing iece, but is it worth all the trouble you—” ‘ Never you mind, Gentle Jeff,” gruffly inter- rupted Benedict, ‘* The trouble is wine, not ours, and if I choose to run the risk, no one in is outfit has any right to object.” ** Oh, I’m not kicking on my own account,” was the careless retort. ‘‘Tll take precious good care to keep out of range of her peepers, when they open again, so she can’t connect me with this night’s work. But you; how will you ac- count to her—” “That, too, is my lookout, and need not trou- ble you in the least, old fellow. Don’t be so curious,” and Benedict carried his unconscious burden further up the rocks, at length lowering hei the ground in a secluded spot bet ween two rocks. ‘‘ Have you placed your men in position?” *“Longago. There are two acting on the dam, and a couple more watching at the lower end, one on each side, while the other is over at the opposite pass, You and I will guard this one, Death-Trap Diggines. The lads are made up as Indians, and will do their work up in good style, never fear.” ‘Tf the two fellows over yonder don’t blunder with their cartridges, there’ll be little work for any of us to do, once the water breaks loose, except to wait our chance and slip a few of your Cheyenne arrows into cold meat,” added the Thug, with a hard, cruel laugh. ‘‘But come; to work. The chest is there all right, but we must make it safe before the sig- nal to break down the dam is given, Follow close, and mind your footing.” ‘‘’'m stepping on sleeping rattlers—pull out!” ‘lay Benedict led the way down the winding pass, into the Golden Valley, his bootless feet giving out not the slightest sound, and as he drew near the camp he paused to listen. All was still. The doomed gold-diggers slept heavily after their laborious toil. Not a sound could be heard save the roaring of the waters in the chute above the dam, Touching Archer on the shoulder, Benedict glided on, entering the tent where the treasure- chest awaited them, Dropping the door-flap after entering, he turned the slide of his lantern partly on, and encores the ray of yellow light upon the iron chest. Archer glided forward, and catching hold of one handle, tested its weight, but found that his greatest efforts could barely lift the one end, and turning lis‘head toward his partner in crime, he shook it negatively. ‘‘T told you as much,” muttered Benedict, taking the key which he had found on the per- son of the luckless veteran from his pocket, and kneeling in front of the chest. ‘* We will have to take out a part of the dust, and stow it safely away, then come back for the remainder. I’m not sorry, for the boys might feel like kick- ing for bigher wages, were they to see the whole amount before the divide.” ‘*Not a kick,” replied Archer, in the same guarded tones. ‘*They’re too well trained for that. Let me lift my finger, and they’ll crouch like whipped curs at my feet.” ‘¢'You’ve never tempted them with sight of a prize like this,” said Benedict, turning the key and opening the chest, revealing many stout buckskin and canvas bags, filled full, and neatly tied up, with the weight of each sack marked upon it with red chalk, The nuggets and coarsest flakes of gold were packed in the canvas sacks, for fine dust would be more apt to sift through these and be wasted. Archer stared in open-mouthed amazement as Benedict lifted out sack after sack from the chest, for sanguine as the story told by the mountain spring by Clay Benedict had made him, his wildest fancies had never included a strike to equal this. And even in that moment he began to be dissatisfied with the amount promised him for his aid, munificent as he had until now thought it. Clay Benedict apparently suspected some- thing of this, for he turned abruptly toward his covetous mate, muttering: ‘¢ Business is business, old fellow, and a bar- See isa bargain. You named your price, and doubled it without asking.” ‘‘l'’m not kicking,” muttered the outlaw, sulkily. ‘‘But it’s a monstrous big stake for one man to tumble into!” ‘“‘T helped to dig it; but never mind that. I have only one word tosay. If you try to play double on me, I'll kill you though you were ten times my pard! If you live up to your word, and see me safe through the job, Ill show you a still richer strike—ay! one beside which this is only a flea-bite! Take your choice, and be quick about it, too!” ‘‘J’m your pard, as you say, and of course ae play fair; I never dreamed of doing aught else ‘‘T saw the devil sticking out of your eyes, though, old fellow,” grimly retorted Benedict, still doubting. ‘*That marvelous pile of gold dazzled me for a moment, I admit that,” frankly. ‘‘ But I never once thought of playing you false. If you think so, keep back the amount you _pro- mised me, until you are fully satisfied I am square.” ‘*That’s hearty!” and the Thug caught the out- law by the hand witha warm grip. ‘I know my old mate, now, and I repeat, you’ll never have cause to regret your sticking by your word, for I’ve made another strike that lays ‘way over this, and when the right time comes, we'll go into it for all it’s worth.” ‘** As equal partners?” ‘““As equal partners, of course,” was the prompt reply. No more was said, but when two-thirds of the number of gold-sacks were taken from the chest, it was reclosed and locked, while the two men shut off the light of the lantern and loaded themselves down with the precious metal, stag- perin silently out of the tent, across the level ed of the one time lake, and then scaling the crooked trail, being forced to pause more than oes in order to rest their heavily tasked mus- cles. “If we play our cards right, not one of the boys need even rig that we found more gold in the chest than is in it at this —— A, a. la moment,” said Benedict, as they reached the crest of the hill, and dropped their pre- cious burden. ‘ They may be everything you say, but for my part, I’ll be more at ease if the temptation to knock us both on the head is lessened, just this much.” ** As you please,” returned Archer, brushing the sweat-drops from bis heated brow. ‘‘I have all confidence in my influence over them, but if it will make you feel any easier, take your own way. IfIcan aid you, all that’s needed is for you to say bow and in what manner.” ‘¢ We'll cache these bags here, covering them over with stones and gravel. When the rest is divided, we’ll watch our chances, and prepare this for transportation unsuspected, It can be done, I reckon,” ‘Easily enough. J’ll keep the lads from watching too close, and there are pack-mules enough, if we leave some of our tools behind,” ‘* You play your part well and you'll never regr.t it, old pard,” said Benedict, earnestly. “That new strike—you’re sure there’s no mis- take aboutit beinga bonanza? Where is it, and how did you find out?’ curiously asked Archer, his eyes aglow with covetousness, ‘Time enough to talk about that when this: job is done,” shortly replied the Thug, who had no idea of prematurely disclosing bis precious secret. Partners though they had been in many a wild deed and tragic scene in the days gone by, there was little faith or confidence between the two scoundrels. Either would have betrayed the other without a moment’s hesi:ation, had the temptation been powerful enough to over- shadow the risk, and knowing this, Clay Bene- dict had hinted at his golden secret, feeling that without some such security, he would be mur- dered by his mate with as little compunction as he, himself, bad shown the men with whom he had lived on such terms of intimacy and good fellowship. Archer gaye a dissatisfied growl, but dare not ress his questions further, just then, and sulk- ily followed the example of his fellow criminal in covering up the sacks of gold, ‘¢ That will serve for the precede, said Bene- dict when the gold was hidden, *‘ No danger of my forgetting either the spot or the number of sacks, If 1 should, uo doubt you can fresben my memory, Jeff.” ‘*'You talk as though you thought I meant to sneak back and steal some of them,” growled Archer, indignantly, ‘‘Clumsier tricks than that bave been at- tempted, pard!” laughed the Thug. “I don’t thin go would attempt any such gouge game, but all the same it won’t do any harm to bear in mind this mueb: [ll kill the man that at- tempts to rob me, pard or no pard! Deal square with me, and [ll make your fortune, [ll fill your pockets so full that you can throw awa the ducats with both hands, from morn tilt eve. But it must be a perfectly square deal between us two, or all you'll get will be a grave —if the coyotes and buzzards don’t bury you instead !” ‘‘Look here!” and Archer sternly confronted him, with eyes aglow and hand on_ weapon, ‘*'You’ve said enough on that score. Dropit,or by the heaven above us, Ill give you cause for something more serious than snarling! The man who hints that I’m not perfectly square lies like a cowardly cur!” ‘* And I’m not that man,” said Benedict, with a sudden and cop aieia change of tone, ‘I’ve gone through with so much, in these last few days, that my brain is whirling like a top. I didn’t mean any Offense, old pard. Shake, and forget it all.” Their hands met in a grip that was close and firm enough to all outward seeming, but neither man was deceived. They knew how little faith existed between them, and how frail was the bond that held them together in out- ward amity. “That’s hearty, pard. Now let’s finish our work down yonder, for I’m anxious to see the circus performed. If those two rascals only perform their duty well!” ‘“‘If they make a botch it will be the first. since I knew them,” was the confident response, and then, in perfect silence the two villains descended the winding trail, and stole cau- Na y toward the tent where the chest awaited em. Still the doomed miners slept the sleep of the weary, Still the monotonous roar of the waters floated over the little valley, so soon to become as it was before the ingenious hand of man altered its features. Their bootless feet giving forth no ecloes on the dry sand and gravel, the two outlaws carried the iron chest out of the tent and across to the trail, up which they slowly Ja- bored until near the spot where the other gold was hidden. ““Good enough so far!” muttered Benedict, drawing along breath. ‘Even if those fools down yonder should wake up, we will still be ahead of the game. We’ve got the gold, and [ have the girl. It’s almost a pity they should be- wiped out without knowing how cunningly they have been outwitted!” ‘*T believe you’re going crazy, man!” impae- 900 com Ce (Ss !