Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 272 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

et ea ee = —_ = >. ae ~ —— ow Seth Slocum, Railroad Surveyor. _—— ———_ e-_ ._—- pressure, and nearly died in the struggle; but es soon as it dropped its liftle hands from weak- ne-s, the motber removed the constraint, and the lesson had been so severe that the poor baby found it best to keep quiet and to coofine its uneasiness to low whimpers and much wrig- gling of body. In the position in which they were, trying to slip out past a fortified post, guarded by sen- tuies, witb a baby in the party, the young sur- veyor cou'd not but admire the simple means taken by the mother to secure silence, and no longer wondered that she was allowed to ride, while Red Feather did all the work, It was a matter of necessity to silence the baby, and there was only one alternative be- sides leaving it behind, which was to make it one person’s work to mind it, Bat Richards,while they were waiting for the return of Montana George, kept near the child, petting and fondling it, evidently exceedingly affectionate and vroud, both of baby. and mo- ther, while Red Feather beld sulkily aloof, at- tending to the horses, jealous of her rival, but not daring to make op-n ot.j ction, At last came a rustle in tue bushes, and Mon- tana George stole out with bis finger on bis :ips, whispering: | ‘* You must ronp stiller, or we'll be found out sure, I] heard the kid squall just now, and we're not a quarter of a mile below the fort.” Bat Richards waved both hands in a fashion to signify contempt. ‘* Vat mattaire! Dey are soldat and no hear noting. It is time ve move, if you do not see any von coming,” ‘No, there’s no one coming, and there’s a prairie crack ’bout fifty rod below here, as we can move out by,” returned Montana George. ‘‘ Time to turn the boat adrift, if we’re to cover our. trail,” ) They proceeded to where -the boat. still lay, fastened to two saplings, and began to hack at the loops of rope which were passed round the trees, till they parted, and the boat went swinging away down the current, whirl- ing round in the eddies on her way to New Ox leans. Then they started up the bank. CHAPTER IX. RUNNING THE GUARD. ARRIVED at the top of the bank, before them stretched a bare plain, flat asa table to all ap- pearance, with little or no tokens of herbage, the season being dry, About a quarter ofa mile off to the right, up the stream, was a group of houses and a stock- ade, which showed the position of Fort Glad- stone, and extreme caution was necessary to ioe it without being seen in the bright moon- light. 0 Slocum indeed, who, with all his ability and E:stern education, was as yet but a child in matters of prairie-craft, the task seemed bopeless, as they clustered. under the shade of some trees that grow at the edge of the bank. Toe plain lay therein the moonlight without so much as a bush for coverand they bad eleven onies in the party, with five people and a baby n arms, While be was hesitating over the prospect, Montana George calied his att-ntion to a dark streak in the prairie. that ran off to the left front vanisbing in the distance, but not appearing to end in the plain. | ‘There's @ canyon,” he said, in a low tone. “‘Reckon it runs out several mile. We got to git there, one by one,” Tbe party remained in the shelter of the trees as long a8 was possible, and skirted the river- bed till opposite this dark line, when Bat Rich- ards took eo pony, ne pieanelt over os side, hanging by one arm and. leg in the Indian 2 and rode boldky out at a walk toward tbe dark ravitle that spanned the plain, He bad not gone twenty steps in the light of the moon when bis identity disappeared and one might have fancied it only a@ stray horse moving to the ravine for a Change of grass. | Montana George watched the fort closely dur- ing the passage, and drew a long sigh of relief, sees pega Ja So ttn iiiaa e sentry ain’t looking way, or he'd bave helllenedy Go ahead, R'pple.” et . or with the baby, followed suitin a less hazardous fashion, but lying as close ty her horse a8 she could go and moving slowly, the animal picking at the grass as it went, | Ripple got safely into the canyon, and Feather followed in a similar style with three ponies abreast, all without notice from the fort. ‘‘That’s enough,” observed Montana George toSlocum, “ Them Injunscan tae care of them- selves, baby and all. It won't do to take it for granted that sentry’s never going to look this wav. We'll waita bit.’ | | Five of the ponies bad gone and of the six that remained two carried Slocum and his friend: three their thines; and the other wag the lodge-bearer of Bat Richards. They were all beginning to snuff eagerly to ne after their companions, threateni “Get rodele his nose,“ to that one’s head and h whispered Montana Georye, and he set the ex- ample by firmly compressing the nostrils of one pony in the same way as the squaw had done witb the baby, and with similar success, ‘‘They’re cunning brutes, these ponies,” he observed presently, when they were quiet. **'The Injuns teach ’em to keep still and I reckon aes know the reason. Now go it, you old ras- cal,” As be spoke he dismissed the pony witha slap, and the animal went off at a trot to the edge of the track, paused a moment to look into its dark recesses, and then ereappeered, ‘‘ He’]] follow'‘his mates,” said George. They watched tbe fort, and, Slocum took out his field*-glass, a very powerful instrument, and scanned the buildings in the light of the moon. He saw the bouses and a white palisade, and caught the gleam of a bayonet, carried by a soldier on the end of his rifle. He told Montana George, and they both watched for some time to see if the man would move, Maybe he is watching us,” whispered Slo- cum, ‘‘I can see him standing there, and he seems to be looking this way.” ‘* Keep still then,” whispered back, the scout, ‘‘He saw the last hoss, and he’s waiting to see if any more come.” Slocum kept bis eye to the glass, and at last saw the man move slowly off, frequently turn- ingse look back. e told Montana George, whcse only reply was: | ‘‘Keep your eyes skinned there, and don’t talk, A little goesa long way ona still night. I see him too,” They held on to the remaining pack ponies, which were becoming very restless, wanting to follow their companions, For nearly five minutes more the distant sentry paced up and down; frequently pausing to look their way, and at last he seemed to come to the conclusion that it had been a false alarm, for be turned his back and stood still. 7 Slocum was about to let another pack-pony zo, when he caught sight in the glass of several moving figures coming toward the sentry, and Montana George hurriedly whispered: ‘*Lay low, There comes the relief. If he suspects anything, some of ’em will come this way. If not, we’reall rigbt. Listen sharp!” They listened attentively and beard the low murmur of voices as the sentry exchanged or- ders with the new-comers. Then came the clinking of arms and brass buckles as tbe relief moved away, while the new sentry commenced bis walk with the brisk- ness of a man who is under his corporal’s eye, aud Montana whispered: ‘It’s all right, We'll move as soon as his back’s well turned.” In fact, after a few turns, they saw tbe sentry ge into a box provided for the purpose, from which he did not emerge for so long that Mon- tana said; ** He’s goin’ to sleep, Let the broncho go.” Slocum released the uneasy pony, and the little creature started off at a trot, dasbed into the canyon, and they could hear it trotting and neighing all the way down the ravine, answered froin far away in the advance by the others, George uttered a vicious curse as he listened, muttering: | ‘The pure brute ll give the alarm, sure as fate, and we'll have to run for it., Git on yer hoss, Mr. Slocum, or we gits turned back sure,” But Slocum, who was watching through the glass, saw nO movement in the sentry box, and retorted: ‘* Don’t get flurried, man. The sound comes to us up the ravine, bat it don’t go to the fort that way. Hark! it’s stopped.” The neighing had indeed subsided toa dead silence, and still there was not a sign of motion in the fort. After waiting five minutes more, Slocum threw himself down on his borse’s neck and started for the crack, followed by the pack- nies, Whetber he was seen or not he could not tell, but be saw no motion in the fort and was soon sheltered in the ravine, which he found to be a crackin the earth formed by the accumulated cracks of thousands of years, where the winter’s rains had wasbed away tbe soft strata of the soil and formed a torrent-bed, dry for half the ear, It descended from the level of the prairie, quite regularly, with a smooth bottom of sand about two feet wide, and rugged, nearly per- pendicular sides, while the bard-beaten state of the sand showed that it had been used as a road by wild animals of all sorts for 2 long time. soon as Slocum was fairly hidden from view, he made his horse trot out, and before long caught sight of the dark figures of his In- dian fricnds ahead. B-fore he bad time to come with them he nove parang oe bebind him,-and saw Mon- A 6 coming up. * Well” he asked, oy scout rode to his “Reckon not,” said George hurriedly, “ but for all that we want to put, the best we know how, for they’re sure to hunt up this barranca in the morn i} and if they find our trail it won't need no Injun to read it.” ‘Bat why should they follow us?” ‘To keep us from going out to the Sioux, of course,” ' ‘* But it’s no business of theirs,” *‘ Maybe it ain’t, but they make it go, if so be they get a chance. They’ll take us fur Injun traders,’ ‘*That's just what I want every one to do, George... lt’s our only chance to get into the cap p safely, you say. Montana George nodded. ‘Ay, ay; that’s all true enough; but you dons remember what it is that Ipjuns wants in trade. ‘Il know what we've got, what Bat told me was atest 1 is) ‘““Ay, ay, it’s Bat this, and Bat that,” ani the scout ill-temperedly. ‘‘I ain’t saying he ain’t giving you good advice, mind you, but you must remember that what's good fur a Ip-_ jun’s bad fur a white man. I ain’t no lover of. payers, but I must say if 1 was a sojer Pd hate a Injun-trader worse than a Injun,” ss hy ? George gave a sbort laugh. | ; ‘‘ Why? Well, lswear I thought you knew. What bave you got in the packs of the three. - ponies we own in this outfit.” Ona! ‘‘Tobaeco, and brass cartridges for Win. chester rifles,” replied Slocum, innocently, What of that? I suppose they need the cart- ridges for hunting; don’t they?’- r ountain George snorted. , | “Ay, ay, for Lunting. They need ‘em bad, and they'll be darned glad. to see us, you bet; but you can bet too that the sojers wouldn't. like it over much if they knew we was going. out withsich a cargo.” ‘“Of course 1 know all that,” returned the young engineer calmly, ‘‘ but just now all I’m thinking of is how to recuver tbat field-book. If I get that back, ard the company get the ap- propriation, we can afford to let the soldiers owl, They owe us more than we owe them,” | ‘* How’s that?” , ‘‘ All they do for us is to protect. our advance surveys; but where we go, the Indian has to leave the country, and one railroad will do more to open the West than all the lazy soldiers that ever qwnged round a fort,” | Slocum spoke warmly; for he was a plain, bardworking man, and bad noticed, since his trip out West, what a useless set as a class army men were, Montana George seemed to be satisfied with his sentiments, for he replied: ‘By gosh, that’s about so; but for all that the scjers thinks they does a beap fur the coun- try, and I will say that they bring a lot of grub and money round,” : They dropped the conversation right there, for they began to see ahead of them that the ravine, barranca or canyon, as it might be variously called, had ended abruptly in a wall, and that the Indians had turned round a corner. and disappeared. | ‘ Trotting up to the place they found that the side rayine bad merged into a larger one, from which branched off at intervals, like the limbs of a tree, side ravines and torrent-beds, | To Slccum, who had. seen ‘these. mazes of. ravines before, the problem of threading them © without a mistake had always seemed a diffi-. cult one, but Bat Richards went on without the: slightest besitation, and before an hour bad passed led them out on the level plain agein, a ood six miles from Fort Gladstone in a straight ine; but, as Montana George observed: | ‘Nigher thirty the way they’ll have to go, unless they follow our trail dead, and I dont believe they’ll do that. Itell ye, Mr. Slocum, this Bat Richards is a darned — guide, if he 13a balf-breed. He'll keep us hid, if man can, till we gi' to Sitting Bull’s camp. After that, look out,” ; ers ye r= oe at oF name ga tone. ; f ust bim «yet, rge. You can’t deny that be has done well so far.” ; he “It’s his biz” grumbled ;George, ‘‘ but we ain’t crossed the Jast line yet, and there’s scout- in’ parties cut. We may run on one of ’em and get sent beck yet.” id ‘Pll risk that,” replied Slocum. “I’m going to make a spoon or spoila horn this time, George, and don’t you forget it.” CHAPTER X. THE SCOUTING-PARTY. | WHEN the little party emerged on the open plain the moon was within an bour of its set- ting, but they could see a long way ahead. Bat Richards waited till bis friendscame up and said, pointing toa dark spot far ahead on ‘Ve stay dere to-morrow, and march at night. omy a we get out of dis. Ve hef to go fast. oup-la!’ | Lise With that he laid the whip on et ores and away went the whole string, at the ra amble of the Indian pony on a Patras kee it up, hour after hour, till the dark reveal- ed itself to be a clump of wood, stan island- like on the prairie, and promising a shelter from COMNGHDOCKS - : \ €oO