Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 272 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

seth Sl Te mmm, Al a . —_ ——_ eo See = ‘?—_ « ——_——_- -- ee thero “or aearly a second of time, and Slocum pulled the trigger, , ‘+Crack! Slap!” | He heard the bullet strike, and down went | the Indian, while the rest raised a yell to cover their discomfirure. ' At that moment Montana George said: ‘‘Here’s a pair, all loaded, Slocum, and | there’s four more cartrid ges left. Hand me the | pistol and [ll fill bim up. | Slocum reached out one hand; took the prof- fered pist ls, aud resumed bis watch, while the plainsman was busy behind him in reloading the empty chambers of the weapon, that had al- ready done such good service. : Presently Slocum heard bebind him the grat- ing of steps on the bank, and in a moment more George said: ‘Now, if we can ony oti their fire, we ave a chance to scrape ciear ; ‘‘ How shall we do ier” asked Slocum, As be spoke he looked around, and saw that the plainsman had taken the bull boat to the water's edge, where it lay with the pole resting on it, all ready to launch, : Montana George stood beside him, behind the trunk, surveying the dead Indian in front of the barricade, ‘* How shall we draw their fire?” he asked. ‘‘Tll show you, Mr. Slocum, Here, stick up old Injun here, and l’ll make a dash.” : So sayiug be stooped to the dead Indian in- side the barricade, hauled him up, and trans- ferred to the Sioux’s head his own gray felt hat. ** Now stick bim up,” he said, “‘and yell like | blazes afore you do it.” Slocum understood the ruse, and they both et: behind uoder cover and began to yell loudly. The yell was answered, and the two men rose and shoved up the dead Indian, as if he had made a leap. The appearance of the gray hat was the sig- nal for a volley, and they let the body fall for- ward over the tree, asif it had been struck by shots, The fall wasa rush, the Indians thi foe left to dispose of. ‘‘Pull him in,” said George, and the in the body again by the legs, as the Indian was close to the tree. Then both men rose suddenly within a few ec of their assailants, and blazed away with signal for a general yell and thi nking they bad only one hauled oremost such cool precision that again the rush was checked, and two more Indians fell before the tree. | ‘* Only nine left,” said Montana George, as he | coolly surveyed the bodies, ““and every dead man’s got his pistols. Mr. Slocum, ef we can find who’s got any more, | vote we charge and scatter ’em,” “Try the scarecrow again,” suggested Slo- cum, ‘‘ Sart*inly—don’t cost nothin’,” was the re- v. Again they hoisted the dead body, and again they drew a shot, this time a single one, and Slocum saw that if came from aman in ad- r vance of all the rest. Pe ‘There he is,” he said. him!” | Montana George gave another yell, and ran out from behind the tree, dodging from side to | side, and yelling, Slocum bard after him, a pis- tol in each hand, As be had expected, the charge shook the nerve of the only Indian left who bad a pistol, and he fired hastily and aimlessly, while neither of the white men pulled a trigger as they ran. The result was that be missed both of bis re- maining shots andturned to run after bis ua- armed friends, when George halted, drew up his pistol over his left elbow, and fired a single * Let’s charge shot. That shot dropped the Indian. ‘ ‘‘ Back! back” cried the plainsman, as soon as this was done, ‘* They ain’t dead yet; see the rest,” oe Ae Slocum looked round and saw six men, with : ~~ drawn knives, rushing to cut him off from the boat, that lay on the shore. | Back rushed he and George, flustered for the first time; for they knew how easy a thing it would be to ruin the boat by a single cut. Sbot after shot they fired, but the men with the knives rushed on liked madmen. Every shot struck, but ssemed to have no effect, un- less the Indian received it in head or beart, Slocum fired three shots directly into the | breast of one young fellow, hardly more than a y boy, without checking his rush in the least, and ' “7 ’ had to parry the thrust of the Indian’s knife | with his left-hand pistol, and use the other as a club, before any effect was produced, Then the man stumbled and fell on his face his knife burying itself in the ground within a ou inches of Slucum’s foot, where he lay pow- erless at last. iacanean George received a light stab from another maniac, and before the white men got to the bull boat, the Indians had got to the dead | bodies and were picking up the pistols. rf “Get im,” yelled George. ‘‘Got to take our chances now, best way we kin.” . : | | ‘ * 2 : . é + ad . rh Ss : 4 - em -— et 2 8 ee ee 3 See oo ae | Slocum helped him shove off the bull boat; both leaped in, gave a shove with the pole, and ‘sent the fragile craft whirling out into the | stream, where it was seized and swept away at seven milesan hour, to become the target of the remaining pistols. ‘*Don’t fire a shot,” said George quickly, 'as Slocum leveled his weapon; ‘‘not a shot, | They won’t hit us, Show all you kin and keep movin’.” As for himself, he kept his ev in constant motion from side to side, waving his arms, and bobbing his head, yelling all sorts of insulting epithets in Sioux, and encouraging the Indians to fire away their ammunition, which they pro- ceeded to do with intense industry. ' The bullets whistled over and on either side the canoe, and all round the men, but with ' such r aim that neither was strock, and the rapidity with which the current carried them away soon took them from tbe reach of the bul- lets, but also into the full power of the wind in twenty seconds. Keenly they felt it, after their short respite under the shelter of the bank. The terrible norther caught them, and sent the bull boat drifting down the raging river, till George and Slocum spread the blanket, all that was left to them now. Then the power of the tempest seemed to be about to lift them out of the water, and they went plowing and skipping along over the foaming tide, nearly carried out of the boat most of the time, The cold cut them like a knife; but on they went, mile after mile passing rapidly away, till Montavoa George said to Slocum: ‘“Mr. Slocum, I reckon were safe out of the Sioux country now. There ain’t many of the brutes left in these parts, and we'll be running on Unc'e Sam’s posts pretty soon,” “Is it safe to land yet?’ asked Slocum, his voice weak and tremulous from the bitter cold- ness of the wind, whi -h had at last penetrated even his double leathern garments, so that he felt numbed and ready to drop into the bottom of the boat. Montana had been watching the banks nar- rowly for some minutes, and here he brighten- up. “Bate toland! Yesand no. It’s safe from the Injuns, but ’tain’s safe ’gainst nothen else.” ‘* W bat else do you mean? soldiers?” Montana George grinned. ‘“* Ain’t likely to bea many sojers out now. They don’t go out scoutin’ in northers,” “Who then?” “Waal, painters and grizzlies, and old buck elk, and sech. Every shelter’s sure to be full of critters that hates the cold jest as much as me and you do, Mr. Slocum, so I reckon we’ll have to fight for it.” ‘* I’m ready to do anything, so long as I get to shelter somehow,” J ge Slocum, bis teeth chattering in his head. “A little more, and you'll have to take in the book alone, George. I’m giving it up.” Montana George cast a glance of alarm at his companion, who looked pinched and blue, and then scanned the shore eagerly, The boat was drifting unJer some bluffs, and the river was taking a turn that promised to bring them under sbelter in a short time. He pointed it out to Slocum who, at the news, livened m4 at once, Five minutes later, he was helping with the pole to shove th: boat across the rapid current _ to the shelter of the bluffs. I was a hard task, for the current was very swift and the river full of rocks at that point; but the work helped them both to withstand the cold, and, after a fierce struggle, in which more than once they were sent whirling round and round and nearly capsized over rocks, the shal- low little coracle in which they had journeyed so far grounded on a teach of pebblesin u re- , cess of the river, »nd George said ** Thank God, we're all right now at last!” They could hardly stand for the numbness of their feet, but they were out of the cold, cruel wind, and Montana George drew up the boat on the shore, and rushed into a thicket, from which he emerged with the cheering news: * Lots of deadwood round; bave a fire in no time now, Got a match?” In ten minutes later, he bad redeemed his ate and the two sorely-tried comrades were asking before an enormous fire of dry branchés, thorns and grass, that made a terrible blaze and threw ouf enough heat to roast an ox, while Montana George cried: ‘*Blaze away, old fire. Don’t care if every Sioux in the nation sees ye now,” CHAPTER XXVILI. CONCLUSION, THEY had come to a biuff of the Little Mis- souri river which had fallen at one place into a densely wooded recess very similar to Squaw- man’s Hole, below Gladstone, ) The underbrush was dry as tinder and they had some difficulty in keeping the fire from spreading while the change in their sensations from bitter cold to grateful warmth was almost instant. As soon as they were fairly warmed Montana George observed: ocum, Railroad Surveyor. 22 I ee, eee, ee one eo = - +e & -- —_ o_- ee ree le ee ee -— _ — De «© « Se oo eo °o-* —oe— « - ————— ~ -?° re} *““There’s a sight of game in thse nb thickets, if we want to hunt it up, but I reckon we'd best not disturb it, unless we’re sure we don’t stir up the wrong fellers.” ‘** What fellows? Bears?” “Shouldn’t wonder. Don’t know how you feel, Mr. Slocum, but I don’t feel much like tackling an old grizzly with these here little ps of pistols. They ain’t bad things in a In- un scrimmage, but, Lord! a grizzly wouldn’t tmnind ’em no more nor s0 many pea sbooters,” ‘Inthe meantime,” remarked Slocum, ‘‘ I’m exceedingly bungry. I ate only one meal yes- terday and if I see anything I shall be tempted to shoot it,”’ It was the middle of the forenoon when he spoke, and the force of the wind seemed to be about stationary, while the recess in which they were facing the soutbeast was almost ba ake from the rays of the sun that shone full nto it, Slocum had hardly said “shoot it” when Montana George pointed up the bank. There in the midst of the brushwood and looking curiously down at them, stood am nificent buck elk, with a pair of grand bran ing horns. His attitude was proud and noble and be tossed his antlers several times with a snort ee deliberately came down the hill toward them. : ‘What does he want?” asked Slocum, full of admiration for the stately creature, but puzzled at its boldness. Montana George had risen from the fireside and looked grave and serious, ‘By , Mr. Slocum,” he said, ‘I b’lieve the beast’s coming fur us. I’ve heern tell they was dangerous this time of year, but I never b’lieved it. Get out yer pistol, but don’t give it bim till ye can put it behind his shoulder. Look out ! The last exclamation was called forth by the antics of the buck, that bad now come down te the beach and stood there pews the ground, saorting and whistling, while he bowed his horns over and struck the pebbles violently, as much as to say: ** Look at that, now!” | ‘* He’s a-gittin’ up his mad,” remarked George sententiously. ‘‘ He’ll charge in a minute. You oO one side, I'll take the other, and rup in on im, If we don’t, he’s wusser’n a grizzly. Look out! | Again the buck called forth a warning as, after lashing himself into a s«ufficiently savage mood, he uttered an angry snort and rushed straight at the two men. | It was touch and go but what he struck one with his huge borns. _ | Slocum came the nearest, for one of the tines actually vg the skirt of one of his buntin shirts, and ripped the tough buckskin as if had been paper, The next moment Slocum, not rey of - what he did, caught hold of the antlers with oe bands and was tossed up in the air like a . He bung on like grim death, and came down again with such force that only the elastic horn saved him from a fatal injury. Then be managed to cling to the borns in such a way as to bring the buck’s head close to the earth, tryiug to toss bim up but unable to lift the weight a second time on account of the leverage, though it rmquired al) the man’s strength to keep bis perilous position. Then be saw Montana George run in from the rear on the buck, put bis pistol close to the os Rat as and fire, ac The elk dropped instantly and Jay still for several seconds, when George cried: ‘*Git to a tree: be isn’t dead yet!” Instinctively Slocum obeyed, and not a mo- ment too soon, The buck leaped up as if on steel springs at the sound of voices, and dashed after Montana George with a savage vebemence about whick there was no mistake, | Montana ran and dodged his best, but the — buck was too quick for him. | ‘ The great borns rose and fel), and some of the outermost tines caught the fleeing plainsman on the shoulder and knocked him down. me In a moment the great buck was on hi rearing up and striking down with its fore-feet, bringing the buge horns cown with a clash, while George sbouted for help. and tried te shield bimself in vain from the antlers, Slocum, paralyzed at first by the sudden attack from an avimal he had never before deemed specially dangerous, hesitated what to do, but the sight of his comrade’s danger overcame bis doubts, and he drew both pistols, and rushed in, firing into the buck’s body shot after shot at less than six feet distance. He had no time to fire three shots before the buck suddenly dropped again in the act of turn- ing and fell over the body of Montana George, where it lay stone dead, to all oreo though Slocum could hardly believe it at first. Montana George lay panting and groaning: ‘‘Help, Mr. Slocum. By gosh, I b’lieve d have b’en dun fur if you hadn’t come when you did. Haul him off.” COMNCEDVDOCOKS:. CO