Beadle's Dime Library, No. 261 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

eS LETS Tete oy a OD cat He did not look. The knife descended, urged by the powerful right arm of the negro scout, piercing the ban- dit’s skuil like thin paper. He fell without a groan, Faint as the noise was, the other bandit ad- | vaucing from the right and who ha not yet come | within reach of Moore’s arm, heard the fall. He glanced up just in time to dimly seea stout arm, clutching a knife, rise an instant and then disappear. He sprang back as if from an electric shock, at the same time giving utterance to a loud cry. if Back, Sam! We're in for it now!” cried the lieutenant, ; Both sprung back to their former position be- hind the bowlder. Once more, revolver in band, side by side, with backs firmly pressed to the dark-gray rock bebind them, they stood at bay driven to their last defense. They had not long to wait. The loud yell of the bandit drew the others’ rapidly around bim, e soon made known his discovery. ‘‘ At last we have them,” exclaimed Balboaz. ‘One united charge and they are ours.” The bandits glanced toward that dark corner hemmed in by rocks. A profound silence now reigned therein. The bandits little relished the task before them, though they were fifteen to two. That mysterious silence was terrifying to their untutored minds, “On!” cried Balboaz. ‘Why do you hesi- tate? Am I not leading you?” He dashed forward, The band, put to shame by his courage followed on a swift run, “Now for it!’ whispered the lieutenant; ‘¢ wait till their heads just loom above the bowl- der. Then make every sbot count.” On they came, They are within two yards of the stone barrier. Then rung out with startling replay. a per- night- fect fusilade of pistol-shots on the sti air. In less than a minute seven of the fifteen raiders lay prostrate with a pistol-bullet in the bead Balboaz himself was wounded in theshou!der. ‘©On,” he shouted, furious with rage. ‘* Will | you give up just as they have emptied their re- volvers?” The men recover their courage, With a mad shout of revenge they rush upon the stone barrier. squeeze through the narrow passage between it and the cliff. CHAPTER XIV. MONTEZUMA AGAIN, Tue two scouts realized that there was des- perate work before them, As the remnant of Balboag’s followers swarm- ed over the rock bowlder and through the nar- row , they fired among them the few shot remaining in their revolvers. Three more of the bandits fell, Only five remained. One of these was the leader Balboaz. He, ac- companied by one other, just as the sharp crack of revolvers ceased, sprung over the dead bodies of their comrades and rau with uplifted knives upon the lieutenant. ‘So sudden was this onset that the brave sol- dier had not time to draw his own bunting- knife. The pee pe of the two men had burled him backwa agains the rocky face of the cliff. He was beld pinioned in that narrow space, an empty revolver in bis hand, while Balboaz’s littering blade and black eyes gleamed revenge- ully above him. The other three, who had clambered across the bowlder, and had escaped the fusilade of pistol-shots, had fallen upon Sam almost at the same instant, The narrow space to which the struggle was confined prevented the latter from using his | ¢o vast strength to the best advantage, Besides, the three 1 from above and their united weight comin suddenly had forced the against the rear face of the Such was his tion that be could neither afford aid to the lieutenant nor release himself. The ready knives of the Mexicans already rose tbreateningly in the air. Side by side and almost at the same moment the two friends were held at the mercy of their deadliest enemies. Their fate would have been instant and sure and this chronicle have been brought to an un- timely end, bad not an extraordinary incident snatebed our friends, as it were, right from the grasp of death. The rock against which they were being pressed so tightly, all at once receded asif by magic, the lieutenant and Sam falling back- ward into what seemed to them Egyptian dark- ness. Then it as saeepey. 8 closed agai For fully a minu pas poe the two scouts were so Some clamber over—some bandits bad fallen upon him | so the bloody ke hanging to his aculous occurrence, that they lay motionless, and without attempting to rise. Amid this confusion of thought they were dimly conscious of a third person falling—light footsteps—a blow—a stifled cry—all at one and the same moment. They heard all this as in a dream—to be for- gotten in the sense of their own wonderful deliverance, It seemed as if some supernatural power had all at once snatched them from their enemies’ grasp, and transferred them to a different world and atmosphere. Moore was the first to recover his power of voice and reflection. 7 Sia m 177 **Oh, Mars’ Moore, am dat you?” “T was just trving to settle that point, Sam; though it’s the first time I ever doubted my being the son of my mother.” ‘Oh, sah! did dey really krife us, ’n’ are we in—in—” “Tn what, Sam?’ **'You know de place.” **Tf you mean the lake of fire and brimstone, I should say no—the air is decidedly too pleasant.” “Den whar are we?'an’ bow is we to get out?’ ‘That is a question we need not hurry to dis- pose of, since to all appearances we are much safer here than where we came from.” The two scouts had by this time risen to a standing position, The floor they had dis- covered to be of damp clay. By extending their hands they could feel the rugged wall of rock through which they had so magically fallen. All was d-rk as Erebus around them. For a moment—then a small, brilliant point of light appeared through the dense gloom, waving about like a will-o’-the-wisp. ‘*Hebbins! what am dat?’ whispered Sam, bis superstitious fears roused afresb. ‘*Perbhaps the tutelary genius of the place,” answered the lieutenant. ‘‘ We shall soon see, for it is rapidly approaching us.” In fact, the bright, Ns ay soon develo into the tal) fo carrying a lighted torch. The flickering rays illumined but a small por- tion of the gloomy cavern, only sufficient to render more vast and solemn the dark-gray rocks, the lofty ceiling, the columnar masses of stalactites, the dark openings fading into shadowy distances. In the center of the circle of lirht strode the form of theman, As he advanced into plainer view the lieutenant cried out: “Itis the Indian, Sam. The man we res- cued,” ‘* And who bas been fortunate enough to re- turn the favor,” responded the other in surpris- ingly good English. he two voices sounded strangely hollow, re- verberating from the cavern walls, ‘How so? You were not here,” said Moore in reply to the Indian’s remark. oh ge only been away afew moments to dispose of an unlucky M with you.” “ Ha! that accounts for the strange noises we heard, Youk him?’ ** Yes, it was the safest.” The Indian, Montezuma, holding the lighted torch above his head contemplated the two men eg tk ‘Which of you made the great shot that re- leasedme?” he at Jength asked. mide | sappoge that honor belongs to me,” an- swered Moore, He contemplated admiringly the bright-hued features of the Indian, which wore a dignity so becoming his race. ‘* At first I thought it was the Sun-God,” said Montezuma, ‘‘ who had deigued to protect me so wonderfully. But when I looked back from the summit of a cliff, I beheld two men pur- sued by the cattle thieves. Then I knew who were my preservers.” “True! I was lucky enough to cut the rope with a bullet, but it was your own activity and ps that finished the work,” said Moore. A glance of fierce pride kindled up the eyes of the Indian, while he glanced “girdle. at n point of light rm of a man can who tumbled in rdle. “So may all perish who lay a finger on the mee. scout tightly cliff, last of the Montezumas—the accursed race! thieves—assassins—Spaniards!” ‘You owe them no favors, that is certain—” ‘* And they shall obtain none.” ‘‘ But the scene I interrupted—the torture—” ‘*Was to wrest from measecret. That ac- cursed demon, Balboaz, has in some way dis- covered that l alone know the whereabouts of the immense treasure that was carried out of Mexico on its capture by the Spaniards.” The lieutenant smiled incredulously. Yet the dignified bearing and sincere tone of the speak- er perplexed him. “T have heard something of that legend,” ho said; ‘but always looked upon it as the hight of romance. Had such atreasure been preserv- ed, the secret could not have been carried unde- tected through all these years.” “Yet, it could and bas been so kept,” asserted the Indian, solemnly. ‘‘ Do you disbelieve me? by this strange and seemingly mir- I talk not with a crooked tongue.” giem,! & Black Sam, the Prairie Thunderb > ss — olt. A **T do not doubt your word; but I doubt your judgment—your sanity. You may be under some illusion,’ # ‘* What! an illusion, when I have seen it with my own eyes—touched it with my own hands} I hope to prove your mistake somo time in the future.” ‘Until then let us drop the subject,” said t' e lieutenant. “1 have something on band of far more importance than all the wealth of the , Incas. Do you knowofa young white maid: n— a captive to this Balboaz?” CHAPTER XV. THE NATURAL TUNNEL. Tue Indian was about to answer bim + hen an exclamation from Sam interrupted him, The latter had been examining, by the aid of the flickering torchlight, the dark-gray wall of rock through which himself and the heutenaut had made so strange an entrance into this un- derground world. Ata point directly opposite the place where they had first fallen, a large rock projected from the face of the wall, the summit flat, tapering downward till it terminated in a rounded shape at the bottom, This curved and rounded base could hardly bave maintained the singularly-shaped rock in its perpendicular tion bad it not been for the hollow, cradle-like basin in which it rested, — which seemed fitted by nature for its recep- tion. What had caused Sam’s exclamation of won- der was this: When, in examining tbe curious mass of stone, he had happened to press lightly against one end, it bad moved beneath the touch, anda a of cool night air bad blown in upon bis: cheek. The pressure removed, the stone instantly re- sumed its position, and to all appearances wag as firmly fixed on its foundation as the massive wall of which it seemed a part, ‘**I sw’ar to grashus, Mars’ Moore, jes’ look here!” ‘* What is it, Sam?” Ne ao Derbi dae os yer Lonches it.” 4 m poss e! y it’s as big as a house,’ ‘““No matter. I tell yer it do move. Try it fur yerself.” Moore smiled at what he thought an illusion on Sam’s part. However, he was about to advance to try the experiment of moving the immense stone, when , the Indian Jaying his hand lightly on his arm, / detaiued him, ‘*Do not attempt it,” he said warningly. ‘Your enemies may still be on the outside, The lieutenant looked u ponder eet. ‘Our enemies—outside! But what mov- ing that stone to do with them?’ “Much, The same opening that admitted you might also admit them.” **Ab! I begin to see,” said the lieutenant. “We owe our escape not toa miracle, but toa rare freak of nature. This must be one of those wonderful rocking-stones of which some five Bg only are known, scattered about the world. “Such may be the name in your tongue,” said the Indian. ‘ Among us it is called the _ cradle of the Sun God when He was first born among men.” ‘*So this stone completely blocks up the opening through which we came?’ ** Completely.” ‘*But why can’t dey open it frum de outside as well as we frum de inside?” put in Sam. ‘* Because it can only be pushed in a partien- lar direction. A hundred men could not move it pressing from witbout,” “Then you it was that opened the way for us so opportunely. You more than canceled the slight debt you contracted earlier in the even- ing.” E Nor so,” answered Montezuma, earnestly. ‘For releasing me from that man’s torture I would willingly devote a lifetime's service.” ‘I should be a selfish fool to accept such gratitude. If you only aid us in rescuing the captive I spoke of from Balboay’s bands, we shall be indeed paid a hundred times over,” ‘“The captive! a white maiden?” “Yes, you know of her whereabouts?” a saw her in the captain’s tent behind the © grove, “The ve in which they put re a Bro y put you to the “a Yes.” “That accounts for’ our not seeing it, She was not alone?” be added, anxiously, laws i ati An old squaw remains with her as a Richard Moore remained silent a moment, ‘An idea strikes me,” be observed suddenty, ** How long do you think we bave been in this cavern?” . ** Not ober thirty minits,” said Sam. The Indian shook his bead emphatically. ** Not ee than you could count two hon- dred,” he said. Moore laughed, _ . “Your wonderful escape has «'rstroyed your reckoning, Sam,” said he, consuliing his watch 0X0) f im (@) p Fee cae EOMMINE CSG ite al ws * - Sell Jad ae