Beadle's Dime Library, No. 261 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

o Ass A NS t Il tiger against those who injured him, was mild as a dove before the voice of kindness. ‘* Montezuma is recdy to Jay down bis life for those who love him,” he said. Of such was the race whom, a few hundred years ago, the Spaniard came to convert and— to conquer, The Christian soldier and the Christian priest strode hand in band over populous nations— peaceful races—of vast wealth in the precious metals, marvelously skilled in the arts and of a high grade of civilization, Mild and loving by nature they offe:ed the hand of friendship to the pale stranger from the East. What was given in return? With one hand the Bible; with the other fire, torture, the sword—or, per- petual slavery in the depths of the earth laden with chains and doomed to eternal night! No wonder that the curse of revolutions, the instrument of an avenging Providence, rests even to the present day upon the Spanish Con- quests in America! ‘‘A guard is stationed without,” continued Montezuma; “‘ I know not how many. We are hemmed in at both ends,” This information, though not unexpected, came with direful import to the ears of the lit- tle party. ‘“How came you to escape their aim?” asked Moore. ‘‘ When I reached the corner of the bowlder, instead of thrusting my head into sight, I showed my foxskin cap, after hanging it to a stick.” The Indian as he spoke, pointed to his head- covering, an article sometimes worn by the southern tribes, ‘* A clever ruse—and then?” Ke mihp a the cap just at the edge of the bowlder. In the moonlight the guard supposed it to contain a human head.” ** Well?” exclaimed the others anx ously. ‘The guard first reloaded his gun, and then advanced eautiously to examine his supposed work. **Go on.” ‘‘He came within reach of my hunting-knife. He is dead.” The Indian smiled grimly as he gave this con- cise conclusion to his adventure, and half with- drew the deadly knife still red with recent blood, from his girdle. Birdie Lester shuddered and could not re- strain a slight movement of repulsion at the cool tone of the Indian in announcing a neces- sary but still terrible deed. “Do not blame him,” whispered Richard Moore in her ear. ‘‘ What he has done will per- haps lead us into safety.” urning again to Montezuma, he said: ‘* Was this man you slew the only one that made known his presence?” “No. Asecond came forth from the rocks y after the first.” ‘‘ Ah) and what became of him?’ ‘On seeing his companion suddenly fall he took to his heels and made for the opposite thicket as though pursued by spirits.” ‘And you saw no one else?” ‘No one save those two.” “Then depend upon it,” said Moore emphat- ically, ‘‘they were the only men left on the watch, The second man would not have run away as you describe had there been others to support bim,” : he Indian agreed to this conclusion as rea- sonable, At the same time he recommended caution, ; Certainly,” responded Moore, ‘‘and I think I have a plan that will test the matter.” Richard Moore bad his band on the huge rocking stone, ready to make his exit, when a terrific explosion, which seemed to rend the lofty vault above, and nearly deafened them, brought him to an abrupt pause. “Heavens!” cried he, ‘ Balboez blown open the secret door!” The sound, reverberating long the narrow aisles and confined passages of the tunnel, lasted some minutes, surpassing the loudest thunder in intensity, and gradually lessenin to a majestic close, like the roar of'a hundr soMtat him come,” cried Montezuma, “If be does not meet bis fate in this sanctuary of my forefathers it will be because the Evil One pro- tects him. ‘““T mobe we be seekin’ safer quarters in de mean time,” said Sam, who began to have strong suspicions that they were by no means clear of the trap. a All agreed to this opinion. Moore leading, they left the wonderful cavern, and by close pressing managed to find room bebind the large wider. As the strange rocking-stone closed to behind them the Indian turned with a solemn prayer, as if bidding a last farewell. The lieutenant, following out the ps he had formed, suddenly leaped upon the flat summit of the bowlder—stood for an instant erect, his tall form showing prominent in the moonlight, and then dropped flat upon his bands. Had any one been vatching, this movement h has reall y our t certainly to have provoked some notice. very thing remained still as a graveyard. Black Sam, the Prairie Thunderbolt. ‘We are safe at this end, I think,” said the soldier, leaping down. ‘‘Let us now take a straight course for the horses. Once mounted, we can snap our fingers at Senor Balboaz.” Another interruption came at this point—this time in the shape of bumap shrieks and cries, as of men in agony, seemingly from the very bosom of the mountain. A shudder of horror pervaded all, save, per- haps, Montezuma. ‘*Come, let us away from this place of hor- rors,” cried the lieutenant. ‘‘Nothing shall ever prevail on me to revisit it.” We will not describe the toilsome journey down the mountain-side. When they had reached a point only some few hundred yards from the place where the horses were tethered Moore called a halt. He bad observed that Birdie Lester, though making brave efforts to conceal it, was nearly overcome by fatigue. Their exciting and long-continued flight had proved too great a strain on her system, used though she was to an active out-door life. _ Though she protested earnestly, he insisted that she should rest; and led her to a secluded nook beneath a spreading chestnut, almost en- tirely hidden by a semi-tropic vegetation. ‘‘Here you will be safe,” he said; “and, for better protection, I will leave Montezuma as a guard. It is useless to tire yourself by proceed- ing further, as we must return to this point to get into the regular road.” No objection could be made to this. So the Indian and Birdie were left beneath the chest- nut. Richard Moore and Sam then hastened on alone at an increased pace to the spot where they bad left their borses and rifles previous to undertaking to spy out the Camp of Raiders. As they entered the smooth glade beneath the thick shadows of the magnolia trees, and the dark forms of the horses were already dim- ly seen, Sam, who could see like a cat in the dark, suddenly dropped to bis hands and knees. ‘Hist! Mars’ Moore—shoah’s you am libin’, hyar am a red-skin’s track!” CHAPTER XXII. THE AMBUSH. At t>is startling discovery of Sam’s, the lieutenant dropped also to his knees, and ex- amined keenly the faint imprint on the soft turf, ‘* What do you make of it?” he asked, ‘ Wal,” said Sam slowly, *“‘it am sartin some one hab bin byar an’ foun’ de losses.” ‘‘But the horses are bo h safe. No one has disturbed them.” ** Jes’ so. Don’t yer see he war not after the hosses, but somebody else?” “ Tt looks stron ly that way. The fact of his trying to cunceal presence shows some fur- ther design not yet accomplished.” . “Perc a in my ‘pinion dat design ‘Il show itself double-quick ’f we tries to get dem hosses.”” ‘You think—” ‘*No thinkin’ ’bout it. I’m dead sartin dat sarpent Bilboes, or sum ob his band, hab sot anudder trap fo’ us, an’ in dis bery spot.” roy train of reasoning had hit the truth ex- actly. The lieutenant was not long in coming to the same conclusion, though he did not put such im- plicit faith in it as Sam. ‘*Tt is lucky your sight is as keen as it is,” he said. ‘‘Had it not been for your seeing this track we should have infallibly run straight into an ambush,” “ Sartin; but what am we to do fur hosses?” ‘““We must make a circuit and take these raiders as they intended to take us- by sur- oe But s’posin’ dere am too many fo’ us ** We can draw them off, if we cannot drive them; and once at a suitable distance, we can double on them and make for our borses.” The leader of the party of raiders, who had been sent to Jay an ambush for the two scouts, had calculated wrongly if he imagined two such wary men could be surprised with only the ordinary precautions, In leaving that one track uncovered he had sealed the fate of his enterprise. The pb? 4 of sixteen had carefully ensconced themselves in the deep gloom of bushes and overarching trees, on either side of the narrow ravine in which the horses were secured, and directly opposite each other. They fancied they bad a sure thing against the pertinacious foes who had trailed them thus far into the mountains. They waited in silence during the interval it took the little party of four to make the dist&nce from the cave to the ravine containing the horses. They waited, their carbines poised at such close range that a volley would inevitebly prove fatal to any one coming between the two res The low sound of voices came faintly to their ears. They at once guessed that their victims were approaching. They clutched their ecar- bines closer in anxious suspense. a —————— eh IO ooaowrr— —— —————————— ———— — — — ——————————————————————————————eeeeSNSTSSFSSSSS.-__—_>O_NO.N OOO hes ee re _— But the voices do not come nearer. Finally they cease and depart altogether. The leader Gomez curses a little in Spanish, but can only wait with increasing anxiety to find out the meaning of it all. He does not wait long before a sbarp report greets his ears, coming directly from behind. The bullet bisses past his head and buries itself in a tree in front. ‘*Carambo !” exclaims the Mexican, “ the trick is discovered! Turn, boys, and after them, They have notbing but their revolvers, : at any rate,” A few otber choice commands, sprinkled with oaths, aroused the Apaches aud half- breeds to pursuit. It would bave required very little induce- ment to cause them to run the other way, so- panic-stricken were tbey at the sudden crack of a revolver from behind—a point totally unex- pected. As it was, they all, those on the other side of the ravine as well, ran Som mell through the: dense growth of trees and bushes, without path or guide, directed only by the tantalizing crack of a pistol, echoing forth at intervals, which lured them on without ever allowing them to catch a. glimpse of the desired objects, This will-o’-the-wisp game had lasted perhaps: half an hour, when all at once the Mexican who acted as leader realized that all further sound bad ceased in front—the revolver reports no: longer sounded out through the quiet forest. For the first time be realized the geme that had been played upon bim. In bis eagerness to» slay Balboaz’s two bitter foes, he bed allowed. himself to be lured away tbus far fiom bis post,. while the two experienced woodsmen bed al- ready doubled on him. and were prolably half- way back to their borses. He first allowed himself time for a volley of’ Spanish oaths, then gave orders to turn back and make all baste to the little ravine. This did not prove an easy matter. In the two miles they bad traversed the six- teen Apaebes and half-breeds had become sc» scattered that only two answered to the Mexi- can’s call, These slowly retraced their steps, and by dint= of continued sbouting, nearly all were finally; reunited. All but three. These three were brothers, Indians, and were’ ranked in the estimation of Balboaz above the rest of their tribe for shrewdness and cour- e. They were noble specimens of the native Amer- \ icans—tall, athletic, and stepping with a pecu- ® - liar, springy movement that evinced the per- fection of health and animal] spirits. When the rest of the raiders bad followed! after the two scouts, they sprung forward: among the foremost; tut a very few minutes: sufficed to show the elder of the brothers the: nature of the ruse ane played upon them, A quickly-exchanged whisper made the re— maining two acquainted with his disco . Another declared their cnited resolution to: wer the benefit of it themselves. he promise of two thousand pesos by Bal- boaz to the slayers of the two scouts bad nott been lost upon them. Unobserved, they separated from the main: body of the pursuers, end returned directly to» the litile ravine and the horses. They threw themcelves flat upon the groundi beneath the dense sbade of the magnolia trees,. scarcely a yard frem the tethered horses, They lay in silence, like stealthy tigers,. waiting for the moment to spring upon their prey. Their plan bad teen es cleverly corceived as it ~ 9 na 82 in execution, ey hear swift footsteps comin th hills to the left, é ea This time Sam and the lieutenant fancy they: ay secure their horses without further trou- e They hastily descend the slope to their: steeds, The heutenant bas already one band) on the horse's mane—the other stretched forth: for untying the reins from their fastening, The three brothers choose this moment forr their attack, With a united bound they spring up frcm the dark turf, and fiercely launch themselves like a lunan torpado om the two friends, Fortunately for the Jatter, the horses. stood between the two partics. otherwise the attack would have been or rtain)y fata).. This circumstance compelled the three In- dians to run arourd the steeds could reach their victims The interval was scarcely three seconds, but ry served to put our fiiencs in an attitude of de- ense, They had no time to use their revolvers. For a brief but fearful spece nothing was heard but the clash of knives and the deep- drawn breath of the combatants. / Two of the Indian brothers fell upon Richard Moore as being the greater prize. Sam had all he could de to manage the other. It took but a moment for the brave lieuten- ant to see that a regular set-to with knives ty before they |. o ae rf’ Bs against two Indian braveseach mere euillfok ge EComicbooksic ~~ " ae “t oa " - . , ¥ : P é ee = : . \ i = _ r : = .