Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 308 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

os ——— — —— eee . ——- — ~ rr ee as soon as the snow would bear his weight, and ought already to have reached the plateau. If he should fal to find the missing man at Hubbard’s, he would at least get news of him there, such as might aid in a further search. He declared that he had not the slightest fear of getting lost, or of any other danger. Hie knew the way to Hubbard’s well enough, and there was no reason why he should not be able to go there and back, as well as any other person. His will prevailed over advice and expostula- tions, and he was soon in trim for the trip. Solon Marley furnished him with a loud and sbrill whistle, with which he was to give infor- wation of his return to the bead of the slope. Around his waist he buckled a loaded revol- ver, and at his back be tied his skates anda pair of snow-sboes, Thus accoutered, he was lowered from the plateau to the foot of the cLff, and began his journey. He was not yet an adept in the use of snow- shoes, but soon began to ‘‘get the bang” of them, bis greatest difficulty at first being, as he partly walked and partly slid down the slope, to keep himself clear of collision with the trees that covered it, When he reached the lake, he was greatly surprised and rejoiced to find it comparatively clear of snow. There was eid on the islands and on shore, whither it had drifted in great heaps, and here and there on the lake were some pretty high ridges. But the greater part of the ice was clear enough to afford good skating, and he gladly availed himself of the chance, Replacing his snow-shoes on bis back, he strapped on his skates, and was soon whizzing over the lake at a fine rate of speed. : Near the foot of the lake he landed, and again donned bis snow-shoes, He easily found a trail that led into the supply-road, and followed that road to Hub- bard’s, reaching the tavern in good time, CHAPTER XXIII. CHASED BY WOLVES. At Hubbard’s Charley Creed hastened to make inquiries concerning Hemlock Hank. He got news there; but it was of a most un- satisfactory description. Hank Ward had been at the tavern on the day he started from The Outlook, but had left for home in good time and good order, Josh Hubbard told the young man of the collision between the loggers and the arenes in which Hank had taken part; but the little difficulty had been pleasantly settled, and be was sure that it could bave had nothing to do with Hank’s disappearance, None of the drogers had left the tavern on that day, or for two days subsequently. Indeed, they had just set out on their return trip, and in the mean time they had not been out of Hubbard’s sight, The only other people who had been there while Hemlock Hank was at the tavern were Dick Risden and bis Indian. Risden had conversed for a little while with the missing man; but Josh Hubbard did not know what they were talking about. Risden and Auguste, accompanied by Sol Barnes, had left the tavern shortly after Hank Ward started; but the landlord did not note the direction they took. He had no reason to suspect them of medita- ting any harm to Hank, and was entirely sure that the drogers had not molested him after he left the tavern, When he was asked what he supposed had be- come of the missing man, Josh Hubbard could only shake his head and wonder, He had not the remotest idea, and could not venture even the faintest kind of a guess, Hank Ward was duly sober and fully ab‘e to take care of himself, and no reason could be imagined why he should have fallen into any sort of trouble, Of course there was no trail to follow, and any search or investigation must be entirely aimless and necessarily fruitless. Charley Creed bad his dinner at Hubbard’s, and then set out to return to The Outlook, bad- ly discouraged, and quite at a loss to conjec- ture what might have become of his friend, ; When he reached the lake ‘ie transferred bis snow-shoes from his feet to his back, and was strapping on his skates when he was startled by a strange sound. It was utterly unlike anything he had ever heard before, and he could not imagine what it was or where it came from, At one time it seemed to proceed from the forest bebind bim, and at another from the lake before him; but there was surely nothing on the lake. Then it came nearer, and suddenly it deepened and contracted into a yell. A yell so wild, unearthly, and unutterably horrible, that it fairly made the hair rise on his head, He hastily finished strapping his skates, jump- ed up, and started out on the lake, Hemlock Hank. _— = --- — ee eee Hardly had he left the shore when that yell broke out again, louder and fiercer than be- fore, and so near that he was then thoroughly alarmed. Looking back, he saw some dark objects flying among the trees, and their great speed and savage yelps, together with their shape and color, told him what they were. He had never seen their like before, but recognized them from descriptions he had read and heard as the dreaded gray wolves, migra- tory animals that were then becoming numer- ous in those woods, So swiftly did they pursue bim along the shore, that he was glad that he was out on the ice, where his skates could do better work than their feet. He sped away with strong and rapid strokes, feeling safe where he was, But a howl that arose directly bebind him soon convinced him that his confidence was a delusion. Looking back again, he saw his pack of foes following him on the ice as swiftly, it seemed, as they bad pursued him on the shore. Still be was not seriously alarmed. He was a splendid skater, and had not yet put forth his full powers. Although he bad a good start, he realized the fact that be would have to ¢o his best, and struck out at the top of bis speed. It would not do, The nearness of the howls told him that they surpassed him in fleetness, and another glance -ehind showed him that they were gajning rapidly. There were four of them, and they were fiercely in earnest. Even if they should fail to overtake him, the lake would come to an end, and then they would have him, What was he to do? There seemed to be nothing for it but ‘o draw his revolver and take the desperate chances of a fight with the ravenous brutes, As he put his haud to his belt for that pur- pose, the change of attitude, and perhaps an in- voluntary motion following the bent of his mind, gave him a change of direction. His skates carried him out of his course and nearly at right angles to it, The next moment, and before he could fairly realize what bad happened, the four wolves shot by him at full speed, but evidently usi.g their best endeavors to stop or to turn, Scill pet howled with rage as they passed him, but slipped and fell as they went on, their red tongues lolling out, the white tusks gleam- ing in their bloody mouths, and their dark, shaggy breasts flecked with foam, Charley was suddenly and joyfully enlighten- ed, and he blessed the man who first invented skates, , The formation of the feet of the wolves was such that though they could make wonderful ne on the ice, they could only run in a straight ine. Consequently he would be able to avoid them by dodging and turning, and the lake afforded ample room for the exercise of that strategy. By the time the wolves had recovered their footing and made the turn, he was speeding down the lake, well in advance of them, Again they followed and overtook him, and again he wheeled quickly, well knowing what he was about this time, and confident of the success of his new expedient. He. had his revolver out, and used it with judgment and skill. As the brutes shot by him again, vainly en- deavoring to s‘op their headway, he fired at the leader, and dropped him. As soon as bis mates could regain their feet, they pounced upon their dead comrade, and in oar minutes there was nothing left of him but nes, Chegrley Creed flew up the lake this time, and when it was necessary to d again, he per- ceived that he had gained considerably on his pursuers, As he wheeled again, he fired another shot, crippling one of the wolves. ut a wounded wolf was as good as a dead wolf to the other howlers, and quickly they made a meal of him. The young man could measure pretty.closely the amount he would gain each time by turn- ing and running, and he was sure that he could keep up that sort of thing at least as long as the wolves could, But it was a serious question whether there was any real value in bis gains, Each of them only brought him nearer the head of the lake, where he would be obliged to take to the land, and then his foes would have him at a disadvantage. The one thing necessary was the extermina- tion of the wolves. When he made the next turn, he again fired, aiming at the leader, but missed him, He had then but three chargesin his revolver, and there were two wo ves left, Easy arithmetic put the shots one ahead of the wolves but the calculation required that no more shots should be wasted. He made a short spin down the lake, and 17 came to a full stop when be turned, firing again at the leader as the wolves flew by. This time he dropped bis quarry, and then he considered himself good for the wolf that was left. But the skulking brute, finding himself alone, with none of his race remainiag to back up Lis enterprise, lost heart and abandoned it. He turned tail, and fled, without stoppirg to taste his dead comrade, CHAPTER XXIV. A SOLITARY SEARCH. CHARLEY CREED, greatly relieved by the dis- appearance of the last of bis foes, skated at his ease to the shore at the head of the lake. There he exchanged skates for snow-shoes, and glided slowly over the crusted snow that covered the slope. It was nearly dark when he reached the foot of the cliff, and sounded his whistle as a signal of his return, His friends bad evidently been expecting him and looking for him, as the rope was let down almost instantly, and he was soon raised to the top of the cliff. ne small budget of news that he brought concerning Hemlock Hank was quickly emptied, and it proved to be as unsatisfactory to the otbers as it was to himself. His difficulty with the wolves he reserved for the present, but related it in all its details at supper-time. This story had a different «effect upon all ex- cept the Indian, upon whom it seemed to have no effect at all, Mattie Marley shuddered at his peril, rejoiced at his escape, and declared that he should never be allowed to go on such an expedition again. Solon Marley may bave had similar feelings; but they were overshadowed by another thought that bad taken possession of him. “Those gray wolves are becoming altogether too plentiful and dangerous in these parts,” said he, ‘fam afraid that our friend Hank Ward may have fallen in witha pack of the brutes, and that they made an end of bim,.” Charley Creed scouted the idea. ** Hank has lived too long in the woods,” he said, ‘‘to allow the wolves or any other beasts to get ahead of him.” ‘* But something has got ahead of bim, and what can it have been but the wolves? He was entirely unarmed when he left here, and he daried no skates, nor even apair of snow- shoes.” ‘“He would not have needed snow-shoes,” re- lied Charley, ‘‘as the snow had not begun to Fall when he left Hubbard’s and the storm need not have bindered him from getting here.” “You know, Mr. Creed, what a narrow es- cape you had from those brutes, If it had not been for your revolver, you might have disap- peared and we could never have guessed what bad become of you.” ‘That is true; but Hank understands their ways so much better than I do. I can’t think of him as having met such a fate.” It is horrible, to be sure; but what else can we think of? I am seriously afraid that his loss must be charged to the wolves.” “What do you think of it, Louis?” asked the r The Indian was ready with an answer, and it was an answer that was quite unexpected by the others. ‘“Wolves,” he replied. “ Yes, ’twas wolves, One white wolf—name Dick Risden. One red wolf—name Auguste. Mebbe one long, thin wolf—name Sol Barnes,” This put a new face on the affair, Though Louis could give no good reason for his belief, except that he knew Sol Barnes to have a apie against Hemlock Hank, it found favor with thp others, who began to invent ar- guments to sustain it. It was at the worst much more agreeable than the wolf-pack theory. The fact that Risden, with the other two in his company, bad been seen conversing with Hank at Hubbard's, and_ the further fact that they left the tavern shortly after he went away, were given fully as much weight as they ce- served to baye, Nobody could pretend to say what reason those three might bave had for molesting Hank Ward, or for causing his disappearance, The fact that he was me there in the compan of Charley Creed, son of the senior partner of the firm of Creed & Ralston, ought to have ab- solved Dick Risden from that suspicion; but it was not considered, ‘‘Mebbe Sol Barnes raise a row, and Hank fight ’um,” suggested Louis, There was nothing to support or to disprove this suggestion; but it was accepted. ‘Louis go find ’um,” was the Indian's con- cluding remark, and the next morning he left The Outlook for that purpose, Charley Creed was anxious to accompany him; but Louis had not forgotten how stubborn- ly the young man insisted on going to Hub- bard’s in his stead, and be had other reasons for wishing to undertake the expedition alone. As he explained it, Charley would be one too aN « Saas — Se ee a ee ee ee —— —- —_— ——eEeEeE—eEeE—E— a — er (COMIC OO KS ti neat! _ €on