Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 257 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

. ‘ ae? ’ - > tea aa ~~ “ he Sa ed » > 5 Ts .*% % = as ’ ¢ < . re e : ne ‘on e =) : = - » ere ' - ’ 5 >” ~ bal oe we aM pet rh tgs ewes - a > ms * Ry Leys : v c ene er) 4 f Pa “ r ; b tA 26 been busied trying to restore Colonel Carey to consciousness, uttered a shed pale cry and stood erect, pointing to a card of smoke-stained paper which was securely pinned to the breast of the mining king, and which had until now es- caped their notice. **Look!” he cried, in tones of wonder and doubt. ‘‘Canit be? Can they be the frightful wretches this card makes out? He tore the paper from its fastenings, and by the red light which came from the still glowing floor, he read: ““To whomsoever may chance to rescue these de- mons from the punishment they so richly deserve, a word of warning. “They are impostors, for the very name you know them by are stolen. They are assassins, for by their devilish cunning and pitiless ferocity, the original discoverers of what is now called Death- Trap Diggings, met their death. They blew out the dam and let the waters down on the sleeping camp. They guarded the passes by which alone escape was possible, and mercilessly slaughtered those who might have cheated the raging waters. And allthis for the gold the unfortunates had won by hard toil and many privations! ““We, the spirits of those murdered ones, have doomed them to suffer death; but not in t’is shape. We will keep watch, and if discovery should not come of its own accord, in time to save their evil lives, we will raise the alarm. Torment, and not death, is their present portion, “Tue GHosts oF GOLDEN VALLEY.” ~ For a brief space the an‘ditars stood in silence, pale-faced, wild-eyed, literally stunned hy this terrible charge brought against the mon whom they had looked upon as little short of bLeisg demi gods. But then a hoarse voice cried out: ~ * Tt’s all a bloody lie! Whoshould know that better’n we do, who’ve lived by these gents fer three years an’ over?” “Tt is the gospel truth!” came a stern voice from outside the building. ‘*Who benefited most by the re-discovery of Death-Trap Dig- ings? “Who was the first to strike a bonanza? ho dropped onto the richest leads? The only leads that have proved worth working? How came they so lucky, unless they had marked them out beforehand?” Swift and impetuous came the words, and so wholly unexpected were they that not aman stirred to identify the bold speaker until the voice abruptly died away. Nor even then, un- til Jeffreys uttered a fierce shout. “Catch that lying cur!” he snarled, stagger- ing to his feet and snatching a pistol from the belt of one of his rescuers. ‘‘ A thousand dol- lars for him alive! He can tell who did this foul work! Out and catch him!” He was one of the first to dash through the ruined door, pistol in hand, but there was noth- ing to be seen save a few men hastening to- ward the building, drawn thither by the wild rumors which were agitating aH Death-Trap Diggings. They had met no one fleeing. All search proved useless. The ovner of that accusing voice was gone; but not so the seed be had sown. On more than one face rested suspicion, Even though they escaped further attacks from the Ghosts of Golden Valley, the magnates of Death- Trap Diggings would never more command the confidence or rule so royally over the citizens 3 as they had in the past. Joe Jeffreys saw this, and bis pale fa¢e be- came hard-set. He saw that their case was growing most desperate, and as the rescuers finished extinguishing the smoldering embers, his evil brain was working rapidly. ' As for Colonel Carey, usnety the leader in whatever they did, he seemed stupefied, bis brain dazed by the tortures they had undergone before help came. He sat in the chair which | Budd Painter had occupied, watching every movement made by the men, but apparently without the power of comprehension. “This is an ugly affair, men,” said Jeffreys, his voice sounding cold and mechanical with the powerful restraint he was obliged to put upon it, to conceal his agitation. “It must be sifted to the bottom, and the authors of this dastardly outrage brougbt to justice, 1 I will ask your kind aid in the morning. But now— ou can see how atterly my partner is pros- by the tortures he has undergone. We can do nothing while he is in that state. He _ needs quiet and such nursing as I can give him best alone. _ * You see,” with a hard laugh as he pointed toward the open safe; “‘ our visitors were mor- tal enough 0 carry off all the gold we had stored in yonder. But I reckon our credit is good for what you may call for down-town. Take this,” bastily scrawling a few words on the back of a card, and handing it to the nearest 0 ‘Call for what you want; don’t be spar- ings we'll let it go on the account when those ell-hounds are hunted down, with your kind aid, evening.” - - ** But sha’n’t we watch the place?’ asked one of the miners, ‘‘ Mebbe them cusses may come back an’—” | “Tf they should, they will meet with a warmer i ge than they gave us,” with a hard, grim laugh. “* We'll not be caught twice in the same tra _ ” pet ‘Without any further remark, the men turned oa ' » | nto —— er Death-Trap Diggings. ee eee eee — away, not sorry to have the chance for talking straint. Jeffreys closed the splintered door, then strode back to the side of his stupefied partner, grasp- ing his shoulder and roughly shaking him, as he grated, angrily: ‘Brace up, man! Is this the time to give way like an old woman? Rouse yourself, or cursed if I don’t leave you to fight these devils alone!” ‘Devils? Yes, they’re devils—ghosts—the spirits of those poor devils we mur—” With a savage oath, Jeffreys grasped his throat and cut short the feeble, quavering speech. ‘You infernalidiot! rouse up! Do you know what you are saying? Suppose some outsider was to hear you say that?” For a moment Colonel Carey stared vacantly into the angry face which bent over him; then the light of reason returned to his eyes, and with a start he flung off the hand and leaped to his feet, glaring madly around him, as though looking for the ghostly avengers, ‘¢-You haven’t let them get away?” he de- manded, turning with a scowl upon Jeffreys. ‘* Tt’s their death or ours now—” “They’re gone, safe enough!” with a ‘short, hard laugh; ‘‘ and I, for one, am not anxious to have them come back very soon.” ‘* Tell me what happened; I can’*tremember— it’s all a fog!” muttered Colonel Carey, passing a hand over his eyes. ‘‘ In the other room then. There’s no telling who’s watching us here, and whatever we do must be kept secret between us two,” said Jef- freys, taking up the lamp and leading the way into the other apartment, Colonel Carey follow- ing. Khe room was empty, save for themselves. The shutter of the one rear window was open. At one end of the rude lounge, lay a_blood- stained pillow, where they had placed Musco- vado Jack, but he, too, had vanished. Jeffreys shut and fastened the shutter, placing the lamp on a small stand. His face was pale as he turned to his mate. “Those hell-hounds have carried off Musco- vado Jack, as well as that infernal Budd Pain- ter. The next time it will be you and |, if we’re fools enough to remain here and give them another whack at us!” The old-time courage and decision flashed back into the face and eyes of the colonel, and his voice was sharp and stern as Le muttered: “You're right, Jeff. We must pull out of this in a hurry. ‘Not for good, though. I won’t be driven away from my property for good and all. We'll fight cunning with cunning—trickery for trickery, We'll pull out to-night, and send back men with nerve and wit enough to solve this infernal mystery. Then it will be owr turn to strike—and strike home!” ‘“Good enough!” muttered Jeffreys, as their hands met inafirm grip. ‘‘I began to fear you had lost your nerve, but I see you are your old self once more. You're right. We'll have to skin out and lay low fora bit, until we can take soundings. And the sooner we set to work the better for our health.” A few more words passed between them, but these do not require recording here, since enough has been said to show the line they proposed following out of the mists. Se Looking to their weapons they extinguished the light, then cautiously opened the shutter. Carefully as they scanned the ground beyond, they failed to see any sign of their enemies, and then they stole through the window and glided away. They made their way toward the stables where their riding horses were kept, keeping a close lookout to see if they were being dogged. Just before the stables were réached, they came across Breachy Bull and his ‘“‘side partner,’ Conky Peters, emerging from a saloon, and an additional safeguard occurred to the mind of the colonel. He called the ruffians to one side, where they could not be seen nor overheard by any chance passer-by, and said: ‘“ We've got a clew to those devils who butch- ered poor Dick, and we mean to follow it up without delay, but we don’t want to run any risk of giving the alarm prematurely. You two go and get our horses—I'l] write an order for them—and meet us at the point of rocks, Be lively, now!” - ‘‘We'll be thar afore you kin wink twicet, boss,” said the half-drunken ruffian, taking the order and hastening away. ‘“* That’s a good move,” said Jeffreys, approv- ingly. ‘There won’t be much risk of any of those bloodhounds noticing us take saddle from there, and once clear of town, I reckon our bands can keep our heads,” ““Tf not we deserve to lose them,” said Colonel Carey, once more his old self, cool and self-re- liant. Still keeping a keen lookout against being dogged, the two men made their way to the po nt of rocks, and waited for the coming of heir horses. This was not long delayed, for it was well known that Breachy Bull was in the employ of the firm, and the written order he the strange aff.ir over together without re- | ean ea a Se. Te es | Lee ee eee eee eee eee ————— ee ———r me a St” _-_—— | bore was amply sufficient to insure immediate service, While waiting it was decided not to warn the men of what their real purpose was, lest the secret should accidentally leak out, and when the animals were brought they mounted and rode away with only a simple caution to the men not to allude to their journey until they heard from them again. Along the road at a steady trot, their spirits growing lighter with every rod they placed be- hind them, the two men rode, feeling that they had thoroughly outgeneraled the foe. But their congratulations came too soon. ‘ They were passing through the precise portion of the stage-road where Muscovado Jack met the Specters for the first time, when the bushes parted, and two lassoes whirled through the air, closing over the doomed men’s heads, dragging them from the saddle with stunning force, be- fore they could fairly realize their danger. And long ere their senses returned, they were: bound hand and foot on their animals, witb a ghostly rider supporting them on each side, while a third was bathing their faces with whisky to restore their consciousness. And thus it was when their eyes opened again. The Specter Chieftain moved before them, speaking coldly: ‘‘Poor fools! did you think to escape us sa easily? Did I not warn you that your every step was watched, your every thought divined even as it found shape in your evil brains? If you failed to believe my words then, let this prove them. ‘‘It was my voice that first called men to vour aid, when you thought your doom insured. I aided to burst open the door and cut you down. It was my hand that pinned that card of denunciation on your breast, Clay Benedict. I did this, because your hour bas not yet ar- rived; because you have not yet suffered all the torture placed against your name, ‘‘ But the time is fast approaching, and when the hour does strike, Satan himself cannot save: ou! Z At a motion of his gauntleted band, bandages were fastened over their eyes, and then they were conducted swiftly away, back to Death- Trap Diggings, as they firmly believed. Ere long, the ghostly cavalcade came to a halt, and some little time was spent, just how, the prisoners could not tell. Then the ride was resumed, to come to another check; when they felt sure the town must be close at band, Their bonds were cut, and they were lifted to the ground. A gag was placed between each pair of jaws, and their hands were firmly fast— ened bebind their backs. Then the voice of the White Chief hissed in their ears: ‘¢ You are going back to your office. We will leave you there, but you will be under close watch and ward. If a cry or a sound escapes you before day dawns, you will be borne away to meet your fate, without further parley. In the morning you will be set free: but death awaits any attempt to flee from Death-Trap Diggings without our consent.” Five mivutes later, and they were left inside the office. CHAPTER X, PUTTING HIS FATE TO THE TEST. THEIR bands bound behind them, their eyes bandaged, and gags between their jaws, the two partners lay helpless on the blackened floor of the office, throughout the remainder of that never-to-be-forgotten night. Though their feet were left at liberty, they dared not attempt to flee agaiust the stern warning of their mysteri- cus enemy, who had given them each ample evidence of his powers. They knew that it must be dawn, though the bandages kept all light from their eyes, for they could detect a growing murmur of sounds in the town, and then they fairly held their a as they heard footsteps approaching the office, Did those sounds herald the return of their enemies, or was it the coming of friends to set them free once again? ‘¢ Now I will be durned!” ejaculated a well- known voice, as the footsteps ceased abruptly at the cffice entrance. ‘‘ The boss and the cun- nel, or I’m a howlin’ liar!” Not the Specters, but the whisky-roughened voice of their henchman, Breachy Bull; and both Colonel Carey and Joe Jeffreys began roll- ing to and fro, trying to call on him for belp. Whatever his other qualities and re Bull was no fool, and whipping out a knife, he quickly set the two men at liberty, then lugged a whisky-bottle from his pocket and pressed them to partake of its contents. ‘¢ Tt’s the best in town, an’ bought with your own dust, so it ort to be good,” he said, apolo- getically. ‘“1til sarve fer to ile your jawin’- tackle, anyhow, or I wouldn’t make so free.” Poor as the poisonous stuff undoubtedly was, it tasted sweeter than nectar to the released men, just then, and when the flask again met the horny band of its owner, there was little re- maining in it, save air, “ You didn’t come any too soon, my good fellow,” said the colonel, rubbing his aching jaws with his hand, ‘‘ Another hour of that, ‘comic S o jeje) yO oe 7s * = Pow a cern ioe te —— re ne ~-