Beadle's Dime Library No. 309 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

ble of guidin 14 He was about to enjoy some little satisfaction for the inhuman torture of his friends, the team- sters, and the disasters that the war-party had occasioned; for on, at terrific speed, evidently frightened by a skulking wolf, which catchin the scent of blood, had sprung into the track o the stampede to follow the same, led by an in- stinct of its own to know that it would thus find its supper—on, toward the Comanches, came the mustang with its ghastly load, the dead warrior, bringing silent, but plain, evidence of the tate of his comrades, and that an avenger, a terrible avenger, was near at band, whose work was begun in a systematicand business-like manner, the vouchers being delivered. Big Foot balted wars 4 in his walk; for, as the moon now shone brightly, the animal and its rider were clearly defined, though not to an extent to show that the Indian was dead, ac erpern there was something strange about im, Cis long hair flew not in the wind of his speed, and bis manner was unnaturally stiff in the saddle; while bis arms bung listless, being slightly jerked up and down by the bounds of the mustang. The entire Comanche party thought that it was a messenger from the party of braves who had gone after the stampede; but, as the strange rider—strange, because not guiding his steed, and because of the appearances described—drew nearer, all ceased eating. Those who were re- clining sprung to their feet with “‘ughs” of sur- prise; even Big Foot giving a loud ‘‘ waugh!” and striding forward to meet the new-comer, The warriors, at a signal from their chief, read out quickly in a triangular manner; for all saw the brave who approached was incapa- bis mustang, being evidently not wo wounded but scalped. he borse would bave broken through the line of warriors, so terrified was the animal, had not some sprung forward a\.d caught the jaw- strap, the slack end of which Old Rocky bad fastened to the saddle, Directly between two fires was the mustang, when it was brought to a halt, and then, such a yell shot out from every throat simultaneously, that the very leaves on the adjacent trees flut- tered, and Old Rocky lay back and shook as in a spasm, clawing the bark from the trees like a panther about to spring, in his great exultation and mirth—forgetting, for the moment, the tor- tured captives, The old scout nearly strangled by swallowing a portion of his quid of “‘nigger-head;” and, had not the confusion and interest below him been so intense, he would doubtless have betray- ed his position by his oper Ganghing the tears actually ranuing down his cheeks, for the first time ree aed in many years. When Old Rocky recovered himself and clear- ed his eyes, hesaw the entire party of Comanches acked around the mustang, the dead brave be- ng cut loose and the animal secured to a wag- on, Then the braves separated, twoof them laying their dead comrade outstretched upon the earth, and then, as the scalps and ears were discover- ed, the quick packing of the warriors around the horse, all staring at the face and scalped head of the brave, having prevented these from be- ing noticed before, suc P igee of vengeance and howls for the slain, and whoops of war, shot out alternately, as were terrific and almost deafening! Big Foot’s voice rung out in quick command, and a half-dozen braves sprung upon their mus- ae and lashed the animals toward the ord, The Comanche chief evidently saw that the herd might be lost to him, the animals being the most coveted pa of the plunder. He then looked about bis greatly thinned war- party, apparently meditating sending out searchers for the foe who Lad slain his braves; but Old Rocky laughed in his sleeve—for he knew well what Big Foot was bothered about— as the order fai'ed to pass the chief’s lips. The old scout now stole down. the tree with the utmost care, and as be was about to drop from the lowermost limbs, to his great amaze- ment he discovered a young Comanche brave crouched beneath, gazing into his own camp, but not revealed to view! ky remained in his perch, but in a moment the young brave stole directly beneath him, ening J apprehensive glances toward the camp, but keeping ou in the direction ot the river. Filled with amazement at first, the old scout soon gave a chuckle of joy, aud glided after the young brave, through the undergrowth. On second consideration, he had connected this Co- manche with some of his missing friends. Old Rocky was correct. The red was none other than the captor of Paul Pemberton, who had been frightened from the river and his captive by Pearl, and then Rattler, springing from the cliff; but who, after witnessing now the rage of the chief and bis warriors, felt that he would rather face un- known, than real and present dangers, and thought of returning to bis captive. He began to fear that, as so many warriors bad been slain, he, in a measure, would be at this late ———— eee — hour in rather a bad fix, if he had not some- thing to show that would account for his long absence. CHAPTER XVI. SAVED FROM TORTURE. OLD Rocky had but just crossed the ford, and sent his gbastly messenger toward Big Foot and his war-party, when Rattler, swimming with the unconscious Pear] Pemberton, passed around a sharp bend in the river just above, and came within sight of the ford. Had the ranger been two minutes sooner in turning the bend, he would have discovered Old Rocky; but the cruel Fates had ordained that this was not to be, However, when he left Pearl with his horse in the thicket, starting out for the purpose of liberating Paul, the old scout was following the Comanche brave; all having the same objective point, namely the place where Paul lay, strug- gling to free himself from his bonds. It so happened that Rattler did not reach the oint in question, until the young brave glided into the little ‘‘open” by the river-side; the ranger stealing up to pounce upon the Indian by the bank, while the scout was doing the same thing, with the same object in view, ap- proaching inland, The Comanche entered the ‘‘ open” with no little caution, and was evidently agreeably sur- famed to find’ that bis captive had not been iberated. After a close inspection of the face of the cliff and the river, be slipped near to bis captive, drew his tomabawk, and raised it, as on a former occasion. The captive closed his eyes, thinking that his time had really come. But at that very instant two dark forms shot from the undergrowth, from the different points mentioned, bounding directly upon the young brave. One—the ranger—was a trifle in advance of the other, and his knife was driven with grea4 force to the very buckhorn in the brave’s breast, while at the same time he huried his victim into the river. Turning, he faced Old Rocky, knife in hand—for Rattler bad seen the scout approach, but had taken him for another Indian. ‘‘Wa-al, Jumpin’ Jerusalem!” exclaimed the latter; ‘‘ef hit ain’t yeou, Rattler, what’s cheated me out’n my meat! Cuss my cats, put hit thar!” . ‘Shake it is, Old Rocky,” said the ranger; ‘*this is one lucky moment. By Heavens! t only hope it is the turning-point forus. But we are forgetting Paul. e can talk after we have cut that poor boy free.” This was soon accomplished, and such a sud- den transformation from captivity, with cer- tain death staring him in the face, to liberty and friends, as Paul experienced, seldom oc- curs, The youth’s astonishment was deeper than that of either Old Rocky or Rattler. The old scout was for once without words. He felt a choking sensation in his throat as he saw these two,so truly attached to each other, thus reunited. These were now account- ed for, but there were two more still to find. Rattler knew there was no time to lose, Lifting Paul to the river-bank, he said: “Well, thank Heaven! Paul and Pearl are safe from the red flends! Rocky, old pard, do you know anything of Colonel Pemberton?” ‘‘T swan,” said the old scout, ‘‘I’m so sot back, I doesn’t know what ter say! I’m double- bar’i’d glad ter know ther leetle gal air right side up wi’ care, but whar in thunderation be she? ‘‘ Paul, leetle pard, gi’n us yer paw! I war arter thet red hellyun when Rattler chipped jist a flicker ahead o’ me. I swan I war so s’prised I clar fergut ter chaw, though I hey bin goin’ hit hefty! ‘*But Colonel Pemberton?’ repeated the ranger; ‘‘bhow about bim, Old Rocky?” ‘*All I knows ’bout ther curnil air thet he friz onter my critter, an’ dasbed up ther drink, I reckon he air plum lunified, an’ hit ain’t no wonder. But Il axed whar Miss Pearl war.” ‘*She’s over the river, in the thicket, where you left my horse tied—you remember.” Old Rocky gave a deep groan and fell ped ae though he had been struck a heavy ow | ‘* What ails you, old pard!” asked Rattler, in alarm. ** Dang my dogs, ef ther hellishness air over! Thet’s what 1 mean. Vm afeard ther con- demned scum o’ Big Foot ’ll scoop ther leetle gal in ag’in!” ‘*Explain,” cried the ranger, greatly agi- tated, ‘Why, pard, jist a bit ago I laid out ten red hellyuns within half a shoot o’ thet thicket, an’ sculped ’em, Then I cut off the’r years, socked one onter a nag an’ tied him fasted, an’ sent ther corpus, with thar years an’ ba’r, inter Big Foot’s camp wi’ my compliments,” : oe, saw no dead there, either above or be- ow. ‘*They’re jist above. An’ while I war watch- in’ ther camp, I see’d six more start out arter ther herd—fer I cleaned out ther fu’st party, Raybold, the Rattling Ranger. —s bein’ chuck-full o’ hyderphobic indig’ on ’count o’ Paul an’ Pearl, an’ yeou. I thort yer war all eypbied up, er sent ter kingdom come on ther whiz. ‘IT won’t ax yer how yer gut ther leetle gal— we-uns hain’t gut time ter perlaver ‘bout nothin’, Ef Pearl air hunk, we’ve gut heft biz ter git two feller mortals outen thar hell- yuns clutches—two teamsters, Jim an’ Bud—an” they air bein’ tortur’d now wuss por p’ison!” Rattler had been completely stunned by the words of Old Rocky; bis manner causing the young man more concern and anxiety than his words, Without further talk, he cried out: ‘Stay here, will you? I'll bring Pearl!” The next moment, he darted headlong down, the river, and through the undergrowth, likea madman. Such had been the totally unexpected, indeed. undreamed-of, events since reaching the San Saba, so quickly bad the one followed the other, so mysterious and tragic had they been, that, our tbree friends who bad met as we have de- scribed hardly knew what to say to each other. The departure of the ree ranger so hastily,, almost dumfounded Old Rocky, although pre- pared for it, or thinking that he was, ‘‘ Wa-al, I swan ter thunder an’ lightnin’! Hit do ’pear thet ther bull o’ our outfit hev gut ter be either wiped clean out on ther wbiz, tor- tur’d, er go plum Junified,” said Old Rocky, as be gazed after Rattler, and then ejected a squirt of tobacco-juice spitefully toward the timber-cove where the Comanches were then filling the air with unearthly howls; proving that they were re-arranging their dead, or per- forming some ceremony over them. ‘* Leetle pard, yer hev no idee how worrita- ted an’ flusterkated I hes bin, plum through this hull conglomerated hellishness. I lifted off a heavy load o’bilious grief, by takin’ a. eep et ther wagons, all smashed ter flinders, peop . ’ mong which war all what war left o’ ther pore boyees, what fit like painters, es I knowed by ther poppin’ o’ ther shooters, which I heerd. from ther rocks an’ hyeraways, ‘‘T see’d, by ther mashed an’ hashed-up humans, thet yeou an’ your dad warn’t thar, an’ thet war a comfort. 1 didn’t know but what ther curnil hed bin gobbled, arter proper- atin’ my critter, which w’u’dn’t never ‘low no: buman ’ceptin’ me ter straddle him afore. ‘Yer needn’t talk a bit, Paul; when yer gits: stout, with vim ’nough ter levant, we'll skute toward ther ford, fer ter see ef Rattler an’ Miss Pearl air all O, K; though I feels jubous ’bout, ther gills bout ’em. “Yer dad, I reckon, hev jist gone an’ susan-- sided, by lungin’ rightinter ther main camp,. thinkin’ yeou an’ Pearl war thar, an’ so gut gobbled. Fac’ air, leetle pard, I air ther wustest worritated, an’ mixed upconglomerated. human what perergrinates this hyer yeartb,” So saying, the old scout jerked his six-shoot- ers, half-cocked them, revolving the cylinders to ascertain whether they were in proper order, all the time chewing vigorously at his quid. Then, as he saw the body of the young brave whom Rattler had slain, lodged against a snag,. he waded out into the water, and scalped the Indian, placing the trophy in his belt. Paul Pemberton had been so bewildered and: distressed, after knowing that his father bad without doubt, stood and seen him carried. away by the young Comanche, that he was ut- terly broken with grief and concern; for he AL. knew that his father must really have been almost demented, crazed by such a suc- cession of horrible events, or he would have ati once attempted a rescue. But the probable danger to which Pearl was’ yet exposed, and the assertion of Old Rocky,,. that he believed the colonel was a captive in the maincamp, aroused the youth to action >, his daring and determined spirit coming in a moment, to the front. f He sprung to his feet, repudiating the pain that really was torturing from his lacerated ankles and wrists, while his berd felt as heavy as lead from the effects of the blow from the- tomahawk. Staggering back and forth over the sward, he aid: said: ‘¢Old Rocky, just wait a moment until I get: the stiffness out of my joints, and 1 am with you, Ido not wonder tbat you feel so mystified at the sudden and marvelous changes in the chapter of horrors that have been enacted since we reached this seemingly accursed river, [I saved my poor father when an Indian was astride of him with an uplifted knife, shoot- ing the savage dead, when father sprung to his. eet. ‘‘Then the Comanche, that Rattler just now- killed, knocked me senseless and brought me- bere. From this, it seems almost certain that my father must be insane, or he would have: sprung to my defense, especially after I had just saved bis life.” E ‘*Gi’n us yer paw ag’in, leetle pard!” burst out Old Rocky. ‘‘I thought a heap o’ yer afore, but since yer bes wiped out a hellyun,. an’ saved yér dad, dang’d ef I ain’t proudo er} rr Thet counts fer all. Ther ole curnil, arter Gomichoo Z |