Beadle's Dime Library No. 263 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

2 a —_ aes With this warning the hunchback turned and glided away in the darkness. St. Jerome made »no effort to delay him, but, hastening inebe op- posite direction, was soon 4 his own room. a ae Once there he behaved Jike anybody except | cool Captain Diamond. Commencing with a generous drink of brandy, he then lita cigar | in and then strode the room like a piraté on the | ip quarter-deck; He was terribly upset, and tte | 1" nature of the case placed him at fault, -He was 1) scheming for a million dollars, but Iron-Armed p if | Abe had. sworn to thwart him and he was afraid che would do it, > al Far into the night that steady tramp was to be heard as he revolved plan after plan in his mind to save himself from ruin. CHAPTER XVII. THE NIGHT MARAUDERS. i “GIVE way, men!” ‘ _ It was the night following the events last re- - o —* ———EEEEe ee ee ee -- ~—-e- w- “te SOS TT eres —— —————— ~s = ene wie tte , The fifth sat in the stern of the craft with 1 i i almost statue-like stillness. He was wrapped in ! 8 cloak, which was nearly met by a broad- i brimmed hat, so that even an acquaintance might have failed to recognize him, but was, in brief, Captain Diamond. One of the oarsmen was Ben Bolter; the others were friends whom he had enlisted for the en- terprise then in hand. iamond would have given a good deal for Redspur and a few more of the Black Riders, but they were miles away and he did not ex- pect to see them for some time. Having work to do he must rely on Bolter and the rascals of Sao Francisco, The boat proceeded up the sheet of water un- til the leader recognized certain prominent ‘points of the bold east coast. Directing their - course more carefully, they finally made a peep: and the boat was driven well up on the and, Leaving it alone they ascended the bank with St. Jerome at their head. He still retained his cloak and hat, but his eyes were busy and he easily recognized the spot where he had last seen Norola and had been frightened away by the appearance of The Wild. Somewbere beyond was a cabin, and it was this they wished to find—an undertaking which gave them hotrouble, Under the sbelter of a cliff as rugged as himself, Griff had bis bome. , It was surveyed and plans laid for their work, and then St. Jerome took Bolter aside. ‘‘Rememter,” he said, ‘‘there must be no ae itp ‘'Nary drop ** Be as gentl * You kin r And then Bas lated and a boat was crossing the sheet of water a we have before noticed. It contained five men, a" four of whom were at the oars, if eo ee | a] | | ——— es = oco-- SHO — i . = -_—<- -——— —< ES A ew OPI t= - s : ————- = - » bs a eap’p.” e as possible, and yet be sure,” on me.” ter took his men and proceeded nearer to the cabin and its sleeping inmates. I would give five thousand dollars if they would kill ber,” muttered St. Jerome. Strange inconsistency! for he had just given wholly different orders to Bolter; but, with all coldness and sagacity, St. Jerome was a strange man. He waited and listened for some sound from the house, scarcely stirring a finger. He was in that state of nervous expectation so hard to bear philosophically, for be knew something important was about to occur. nd so there did. Suddenly, a series of shrill screams burst on the air and the watcher ground out a fierce exclamation between his set teeth. He believed his men had failed and he whs tempted to flee. The cries, too, had a deep significance for him. uddenly they ceased, but other sounds came _ from the cabin and showed the family astir. Griff was aroused, and from what St. Jerome had that day learned of bis mettle be believed _ it to the advantage of his toals to get away be- fore the sturdy fisherman saw them, Evidently they thought so also, for he saw ‘them running toward him in a body. Nor was this all. They bore a burden with them, the nature of which be was not slow to understand, Victory seemed to be theirs. “Hop an’ jump, cap’n!” ordered Bolter, breathlessly. ‘‘ We’ve got ther female, but ther bul] durned cabsodle is waked up an’ things is dang’rous. Skip!” St. Jerome needed no urging and the the water together. The boat was pushed off, the men entered, dropped their burden inside, oars were dipped and the craft receded from the shore. At that moment there was a shout from above them, and looking up, they saw Griff outlined against the dim sky, together with the rifle he held in his band, ** Halt, thar!” he shouted, in a ringing voice. “Turn fur ther shore or I shoot!” ** Blaze away, Old Hundred!” cried Bolter, airily. The command was literally obeyed; there was a flash and report, and a bullet whistled into the midst of the kidnappers, oné of whom dropped bis oar and the boat swung inshore in _ great confusion. ‘*Malediction! ‘cried, a _ en ry — — — OO a a A A OS Re ae ——— ie oe lee — | a ee ee Se al oa) a mh ee ° ——_- —— - a as ' . = —<- -, athe ee — are you hit?” St. Jerome * a ran to. Tron-Armed A er ee ee ee ee Cee. Tsetse es I The man resumed his oar. “ ?’'m worth a dozen dead men. Pull away!” Again they caught the water and the boat resumed her course. One oarsman was bleeding from a slight wound in the forearm—a proof of | Griff's skill—but though it had caused tempo- | rary confusion, be settled down to work with | the grim resolution of his class. St. Jerome touched Bolter on the arm and | pointed to the motionless heap at their feet. ‘She is very still. Have you dared injure her?’ ‘** No; it’s only a woman’s swoon, an’ them’s a kind that'll get flabby ef a mouse squeaks. No, I ain’t did her hurt,” The leader scowled at the captive in the darkness and devoutly wished Bolter had | killed her. He wished, too; that their craft would unset and drown her. ‘‘Hyar comes ther pursuit,” said Bolter, sud- denly. ‘* Reckon that ole chap thinks he kin out-row this crew.” ** Let him come and cane pg a bullet through | his bead,” St, Jerome said, and there was no longer weakness in bis voice. If a dozen Griffs had stood before him he had the courage to fizht all, and his conscience would never have troubled him if his hand had sent them to the grave. Evidently, however, Griff was not a man to be afraid of flying lead. He bad launched bis own boat and got under way, and it was the momentary rattle of his oars that bad arrested Bolter’s attention. This sound soon ceased, however, for Griff was a thorough waterman, and he came flying down tbe lake at a pace which made St. Jerome loosen his revolver. He meant to keep his threat if the pursuer made himself obnoxious. “I say, there, hallo!” Griff called as he over- hauled them ina way which made Ben Bolter feel amaz-d. . “Hallo yourself!” St. Jerome answered. ** Hold on a bit; you've got something that don’t belong to you. There’s nothin’ on ther way-bills that includes The Wild on your eargo, Ef you hold on, it will save expense.” ‘*Keep back!” ordered St. Jerome sharply. ‘‘T know what I’m about, and I won’t bear in- at dao Keep off, or I'll put a bullet through you ‘Blaze away!” cheerfull and his boat cut the water | Toe stout fisherman, a a good shot, had little faith in the dark, and he was a when three quick flashes from the leading vil- lain’s position was followed by a leaden hail, which made matters warm around in bis sec- tion. One shot cut away a portion of his beard, as he looked over his shoulder, a second venti- lated his bat, and the third struck his right oar close to bis band. It was a close call, but Griff was no child. He kept on bravely, and St. Jerome, who did not like the idea of so much firing, suddenly changed his tactics. At his command his boat- men changed their course, swung around and shot down to meet their pursuer. Their stratagem was so neatly executed that Griff plainly saw he lacked the time necessary to save himself from being run down, so he answered Griff, e a fish’s fin. be had just made en ood deal ssurprise »made no attempt to avoid them. Instead, he - \ == —— ; loosened bis knife and revolver, and planned to go into their midst to win or lose all when the shock came. It was a great risk to ran—great odds to dare —but Griff was not the man to stop for such trifles. His life had been the stake in many an affray before then, St. Jerome felt a sincere admiration for such dauntless bravery, and under the impulse of the moment resolved to save him. An extra oar lay in the bottom of the larger boat, and he lifted it and prepared for work. There was a brief interval of time, and then the two boats met; but just as Griff would have made his leap, St. Jerome struck out with the oar as though it had been a spear, and the fish- erman, struck rely in the stomach, reeled back and fell into the water with a splash. Another instant and tte boats collided, the smaller one was overturned and the larger rode triumphantly over the wreck. ‘‘Home!” commanded St, Jerome Senne? the men bent over their oars and resumed t old course. : But the times seemed wholly out of joint, and another hail arose from the rear—this time a | double one, as though two voices were blended. ‘* Another boat!” said Ben Bolter, with a pro- fane addition. **Pull on!’ hissed St. Jerome. ‘‘ Malediction! are we to have the whole county at our heels? Look ye, men, what one among you has scruples?” The crew scoffed in concert; conscience and | they were not on speaking terms. ‘Then, by my life, we’ll make it hot for those fools if they follow, I’m not going to be chased back to ’Frisco, and all our plans found out and identities laid bare. Not I! If tbey close in, messmates, let’s give ‘em lead and steel.” The rough fellows echoed his sentiments, and it became clear that if the new pursuers suc- ceeded in closing in it would be to meet a warm and heir = vit a - — ‘ - ae SE a sh ot ~. be, the Hunchback Destroyer. _— ee ee ee reception. St. Jerome looked back at them bel- ligerently. Except that his power was less, he was the same cool, brave man known in the City of the Desert; his peculiarities, as seen in his intercourse with The Wild and Iron-Armed Abe, did not extend to those unknown enemies, Let us see who they were. They had been close at band when Griff went over the gunwale,and tbey closed in with a rush, wholly ignorant as to the trouble, but re- solved to strike for the right. When they arrived the larger boat was reced- | ing, the smaller floated bottom upward and they were about to go on when a man arose beside their own craft and feebly caught at the gunwale, lt was Griff, who must have sunk but for this timely aid. Ordinarily he would have been as much at home as a fish, but a solid blow m the stomach is not caleulated to make a man show at bis best immediately after; and Griff had the narrowest escape of bis life. He was dragged into the boat, and then its ; two occupants looked about. ‘‘Do you see any more, Ned?” one asked, ‘“‘There are no more,” gasped Griff. ‘* Pur- sue, pursue! The infernal villains has got The Wild.” The previous speaker started and bent over him quickly, evidently seeking to distinguish bis face, a CHAPTER XVIII. THE CHASE BY NIGHT. “ec GrRirFr!”’ The rescued man looked up quickly on hear- ing his name pronounced. 2 “Hallo, is it you, Doctor Rube?’ he ex- claimed. ‘‘ Wall, we’re wall met, that’s ali. The Wild bez b’en stole; help me git her back an’ I’m yours, truly.” ‘* Pull, Ned!” Doctor Rube spoke the words tersely, and then both oarsmen bent to their work and the boat went flying along in pursuit. Griff found bis strength returning more rapid- ly than could be expected, and be gained a sit- ting position and looked after the fugitives. ‘oT wixt you an’ me, doctor, thar needn’t be much said. They’ve got The Wild an’ I want her back, I’s in a fair way o’ doin’ it alone, but they poked me in the wind an’ I'd b’en fish- bait ef you hadn’t rowed down,” ‘« Who are they?’ Doctor Rube asked, between strokes. ‘Don’t know. They raided the house an’ tuk her, an’ that’s all I do know.” ‘*What can they want of her?” the doctor wonderingly continued. ‘‘Now you hey me. Thar ain’t many as would banker arter The Wild. She ain’t no- wise putty, nor sbe ain’t brilliant. I’ve tuk car’ o’ her because she was unfortinate, but them galoots must hev another object fur ther stealing.” Ned Boxfield, who bad managed to discover that Griff was the father of the beautiful girl he had seen when he and §St. Jerome were up the water together, was about to introduce himself to the fisherman when something oc- curred to change his plans, ‘“T have an ijee,” resumed Griff, “‘ which may or may not be handsome. Some leetle time ago two young ’Frisco bloods come up hyar on a Var, an’ as my gal happened ter run ona mud-bar they did the putty an’ helped her off; arter which they smirked an’ grinned an’ tri ter be ’greeable, but she see’d ther devil in their eyes an’ shook ’em, That wa’n’t the eend on’t, fur one day one on ’em showed ape ’in an tried ter be fascinatin’ ter Norola. etle good it did him, fur she wouldn’t speak ter him per- lite, an’ jest then The Wild happered ter stroll along. No sooner did ther blood see her than be give a squeak an’ dusted like a lunatic, an” The Wild nigh had a fit an’ sweared she had see’d him afore. Norola ‘lowed The Wild had stumbled on a page outer ber past, an’ though that there man may be innocent, I has my doubts. I'll bet a dollar he’s in ther boat ahead on us, This explanation had been made while Rube and Ned were using their oars lustily. Ned no longer desired to introduce himself. He had been branded a rascal, and the deeper he sunk his identity the better, The explana- tion set him tv thinking, however. Plainly the man who had made the second visit, as related, had been St. Jerome. Could it be be was in the boat ahead? Mr. Beesinger’s junior had been the so-called friend of St. Jerome because he was Leora Templeton’s friend, but we need searcely say he would not have been sorry to see him proved a rascal. If he was one Ned was just enough to wish it known, and from bis point of view it would remove a man who might one day be a rival. Consequently, he bent to bis oar and pulled lustily, wondering if Doctor Rube bad believed his statement that the present expedition was merely one of pleasure. At any rate, be was glad he had not told him about the Hebe or Rube might brand hima ras- cal also. 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