Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 272 — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

ne | 20 your waysand seen your great towns. I know well that you never came here for r: ere zeal for the Order, The crown of the degrees is one that you can never take, unless you fight against your own people to the death. You came here to find a book, which [ carry with me all the time. My people think it is a great medicine. I know what it is,and what it is worth. Come, monsieur, this lout does not un- derstand a word of French. Speak ouf, I know you come from some one to treat for the recovery of this book. I am quite willing to sell it for my price.” Slocum started slightly. ‘* Are you in earnest?” ‘‘Why not? You do not suppose that I do not see what is coming as well as you? A rail- voad will bs built through here, and my people in time will be compelled to give up their wild free life and turn farmers, herdsmen or beg- gars as they have done elsewhere, Well, when that time comes, I wish to secure a shelter for myself where I can doas I please. What will you give me for this book?’ Slocum hesitated. There was something in this strange man, half-Indian savage, half-edu- cated sharper, that made him dread exposing his hand to Sitting Bullin any manner, ., ‘* What do you want for it?” he asked in re- ‘turn. “For what?” The question was keenly put at once, but the young engineer evaded the apie ‘*For the article you are willing to sell, of course. I came hereto trade for furs, and all sorts of Indian work.” ~ “And what will you do with it when you have bought it, brother?’ ** Keep it, of course.” ‘“Why do you wish to keep it?’ “To remember you by, perhaps,” The Indian smiled slightly. ‘* You are a keen man, monsieur. How much co you « ffer?” * How much do you ask!” ‘*T ask in the first place, a secure place for myself when this war is over, wherein I may reside in my own fashion.” “You cannot find that in these United States,” said Slocum gravely. ‘If you have been in the East, you know it as well as 1,” Sitting Bull nodded gravely. “ Very well, then, I.can go acros3 the line to the shelter of the white mother. Next, I want a promise of ten thousand head of cattle every year te feed my people when the buffalo are all swept away.” ‘You can have it, 1 make no doubt,” the young engineer replied, Sitting Bull leaned forward and touched his wrist, sayirg: ‘* How am I to know that I shall get it?” Slocum was puzzied, He had never expected to come toa regular bargain with the chief till after months or weeks of patient toil; but here came Sitting Bull to the lodge on his very first nigbtin camp, in the middle of a northwester, to treat fora surrender or a bargain. ‘* How am I to know [I shall get it?” the chief asked him, and Slocum, still omovies a trap in every word, was casting about in his mind on what to say when Bat Richards rolled over on his side with a snort, and Sitting Bull cried sharply: “What's that? Is he drunk again? Have you any rum here?’ Certainly,” replied Slocum instantly, “the very best, great chief. Would you like to try The chief’s only answer was to rise and g° over to Bat Richards, whom he kicked in the side with his foot, saying: } * Dog, are you drunk again?” In that moment Montana George drew up his feet for a spring and leaped on the Sioux chief from behind, throttling him in the ap- proved style of the garrote, with all his force and idee ~ “Catch bis legs; hold him tight!” : It needed no such injunctions to make Slocum rush to his help, and do as be was told. Montana George’s right forearm was pressed firmly against the “‘ Adam’s apple ” of the Indian chief; the other arm being brought over to help it, and his whole strength was concentrated in the effort to throttle Sitting Bull. For an instant the struggle was tremendous; but when Slocum joined in the assault, caught hold of the Indian’s legs, and held them firmly bugged to his side s) as to take away the pur- -Chase that the victim had before, the contest was soon Over. Sitting Bull could not utter a sound, his breath being completely stopped, and his strug- gies became fainter and fainter till they ceased altogether, and George whispered: ‘“*1’m tuckered out, Mr, Slocum, but the var- mint’s gone under.” Then a4 laid him down and Slocum felt the ea It was flutterin “Turn him over then,” said George in the game tone. ‘T’ll fix him.” chief's h feebly, and he whispered: ** He’s not Bs With that he looked about him for a weapon, Seth Slocum, Railroad Suri — — — — EEE TT eee aaa aaa amma MME —_——— -_ and spied in Bat Richards’s belt a pair of re- voivers, He took one and deliberately hammered away at the back of the insensible man’s head, blow after blow, with all his force, till Slocum stop- ped him, whispering: . ‘There, there, he’s dead enough!” Montana George shook bis bead. “Not a bit of it. You don’t know Injuns, What would kill a white man’s only fun to them. He ain’t dead yet, but I reckon be won't give us any more trouble to-right. Let’s go through him and git.” ‘‘ Hadn’t we better tie him and gag him, in case he comes to bis senses?” ‘Right there, boss; we’ll do it.” For the next five minutes they wero busy in cutting thongs off the buckskin dress of the in sensible Sioux, and tying him so fast he could not by any possibility untie himself, if indeed he were alive. Then Montana George stuffed a leather gag into bis mouth, and observed: “There! reckon he’s safe now, if he does come to. Now, Mr. Slocum, git your book if it’s thar, and we'll skip.” | Slocum went through the equipments of the oo lea, man, and hauled out bis medicine- ag. Sire ‘enough, in the midst of the bag he felt the rectangular shape of the thing he sought, and finally drew forth the long-lost field-bouk, which he closely examined by the flickerin light of the fire, and found to the identica volume, still stained with poor Graves’s blood. He held out bis hand to George. ‘*God bless you, George,” he said. ‘* One good white man’s worth all the Indians on tae plains, I think.” CHAPTER XXIII, IN THE NORTHER. THE precious book was there, and to all ap- arance uninjured, though the cover was deep- ly stained with blood, which bad soaked through gome of the outer leaves and stuck them to- gether. Slocum hastily glanced over it, thrust it_inco his bosom inside his shirt, and then said to Mon- tana George: ¥ Now you propose to do?’ “ Skin out mighty lively, as soon as I’ve look- ed out a bit. Say, Mr, Slocum—” ‘© What is it?” ‘*We'll bave to put on two suits of duds apiece, or we'll freeze to death.” “Why, it’s not so cold in here,” ‘‘ Pat your nose outside though, and you'll find out if it ain’t. Jest try.” The advice seemed good to Slocum, and he crept to the door and put his head out from be- bind the flap. The lodge had been pitched as usnal with the door to leeward, and the wind had but little effect._on the flap. Slocum peered out and saw nothing but a white wilderness of drifting snow, already ankle deep, though the norther had set in for less than an hour. The snow was whizzing by, with a hissing sound, nearly horizontal; and the boarse moan- ing of the wind through the branches of the trees under the bluff bad an inexpressibly dis- mal sound. The dark outlines of the lodges, bare on the leeward side, stood out distinctly against the white background, while all above was a dingy gray between the snow and darkness, The young man red all round, and even went outside the lodge to feel for himself the coldness and force of the wind. As long as he was under the lee it did not seem so terribly cold; but as soon as he put his head out, the wind cut like a knife and the snow stung his face so sharply he*could not stand it. He returned into the teepee, and said to Mon- tana George: ‘‘Tt’s a terrible night. We shall be frozen to death if we face it.” George had been busy in his absence with the packs, aud now turned out some Indian hunting- shirts of buckskin, saying: ‘““! know that, Mr. Slocum; but you jest re- member this: it’s a choice for us between freezin’ to death, with a chance to escape, and being burned alive with vary a chance. If we stay in this teepee till morning, Sittin Bull will be missed and salt won’t save us. eve got to get up and dust, the best we know. See here, put on two of these Injun shirts and an extry pair of leggins; strip old Sitting Bull himself, fur that matter, and let the varmint freeze, if he ain’t dead now. Here’s gloves and moccasins, and alla man kin need to keep the cold out, and whisky besides. Anything to keep warm, but out of this we go in less than an hour or there'll be trouble.” ‘And when we get out, whatthen?” Slocum asked the question as he was burriedl dressing himself, and preparing for the struggle to come, re thought of that and there’s only one way I see, * What’s that?’ ’m ready to go with you. What do ‘stampede, down the valley. Veyor, ‘‘We must git to the herd; and git if on the Once started, every darned boss will run bis legs off, trying t> keep ahead of the wind, and the Injuns are likely to lose every head of stock they've got.” ‘But they have borse guards surely?” ‘* So they have, buf vou won’t find no borse- guards out to-night. Every darned one will be ugeing his lodge close, and no blame to him.” ‘* Bui it will be a bard thing to get the horses to leavo shelter; won’t it?” “You’re right, it will, but we’ve got todo it, and [reckon we kin. The first thing is to git out, with all the weepons we kin lay claws oD.’ : “There are none but Bat’s pistols. They dis- armed me, as well as you.” ‘*That’s nateral. Arter all, we don’t want weepons so much as ye might think; for if they do ketch us, all the weepons we could carry won’t belp us. A pistol each won’t be in the weal Bat’s got any of the cartridges round im. Lut this, on exumination of the snoring balf- breed, they found wot to be the case; and the were confronted with tho certainty tbat all they would have to take them to the Missouri would be a pistol apiece, with exactly six shots in it. Then at last, bundled up in clothing enough to enable them to defy even the norther, with a bandkercbhief over each face, leaving only an opening for an eye to peer out, Mon- tana George and Seth Slocum stole out of the teepee, and off through the soft powdery snow which was now nearly knee deep. Closing tbe flap of the lodge they waded slow- ly off toward tbe direction where the herd lay. when Montana whispered: ‘Look! Snow over.” Right shead of them, in the northwest be saw a solitary star, under tbe edge of a dense black cloud, and the snow bad already lost a great deal of its thickness, though the wind howled louder than ever, ‘“ We've got to skip lively,” muttered George. ‘As soon as they know the light’s come, somo of em will be routing out the guards. Come on, Mr. Slocum, Yonder are the borses,” The place he referred to was under the shel- ter of the wcods, where they saw a dark nass, and beard the snorting of tl e borses, On thev stole through the camp, the soft snow mi filing their steps, while the howling of the nortber drowned every otber sound. As they went, neither could avvid apprebensive glances around them, to see if any one was stir- ring, but aJl was perfectly silent and not a fig- ure could be seen. The wizd and snow were both in their faces, making vision abead difficult and almost im- possible, and so they struggled on till they reached the edge of the camp, where the force of the tempest compelled both men to pause and turn their backs to it. Tbe biting cold bad not yet penetrated their thick Jeathern garments; but their feces felt as if human endurance was overtaxed in facing such an ordeal, Nearly a minute they had to stand there, trying to summon courage again to face the blust, then turned again desperately and floundered on another bundred yards, when they saw a dark form, coming through the snow before the wind, leaping and plunging. ‘‘Tt’s one of the guards rurning for bis lodge. Leave bim to me,” muttered George: On they went, and as the plunging figure passed them, Montana George pretended to stumble in th» path, caught bold of the Indian’s legs, ard upset him, with his bead buried deep in the snow. ‘‘Quick!” be muttered, ‘‘Give it him on the back of the head, Slocum, quick!” Slocum drew his revolver and obeyed orders with such desperate strength that the unfortu- nate Indian lay still as a log after the first crack, when Montana George searched the prostrate figure eagerly for arms, finding to bis great disappointment only a kvife. ‘* [t’s only a boy,” he seid in a growling tone. ‘‘Tf he'd been a man be’d bave bad a pistol at least. He’ssafenow.” Tbe short struggle had warmed them so that for a moment they had forgotten that the nortber was still raging. When they started on again it was blowin harder and fiercer than before, as the snow fe! less thickly, and Slocum realized that it was growing colder and colder. On they struggled till they got under the shelter of the bluff and wood, when the wind left them, though they could still bear it howling through the tops of the trees above them. A warm, damp atmosphere soon encircled them, with a thin mist that vailed objects near them, and they perceived that it came from the mass of ponies, several thousand in number, huddled together under shelter of the wood. Cold as Was the weather elsewhere, the heat from these bodies, huddled close together, trampling and crowding, was perceptible twenty feet away. while, close by, not even the horses on the outside felt cold to the touch, They seemed to be rather alarmed and flighty red: “Wind’s going to change and drive ’em ont, than otberwise, and George whispe comicbooks