Beadle's New York Dime Library, Vol. III, No. 34 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

— 7 } Ht SE — — $$ Se a ems SE ee ee oes = E> + => 12 outlaws had chosen to follow the course of the other streamlet. That, like the brook that Talbot was on, evidently found its way through the wall of rock b means of a canyon similar to the one through whic Dick had decided to only he guessed that the other canyou was wide enough to afford a passage-- way over the rocks by the side of the stream. Into the gloomy gorge, then, Talbot went without hesitation. The walls, rising straight upward two hundred feet or more, encom him. No sign of life was there within that ae spot except that, as he waded through the still pools, or Jumped from bowlder to bowlder, in the middle of the purling stream, the speckled trout, swift as the arrow from the bow, would dart from under the sheltering rock and flash across the brook. Twenty minutes or so had Dick toiled onward through the dark canyon, when it turned on to the right, and a hundred yards, beyond end Now came the Seneer Talbot guessed at once that by the opening of the canyon the road-agents would lie in wait. Once again he stole onward with noiseless steps; the knotted club he ew with a firmer hand, a merved each muscle in his frame for a desperate con- flict. He expected that any moment might bring him, unawares, upon his enemy. A dozen steps more and he would be clear of the canyon. The moment of danger was near at , Noiselessly, Talbot advanced; ten steps and he stood at the canyon’s mouth. Beyond him lay the — valley of the Wisdom, and afar off, on the clear blue sky, he could see the curls of smoke which rose from the “ city ” of a Bar. But there was something else which forced itself upon Talbot’s vision, besides the blue sky, the rising valley and the smoke rings. Scarcely fifty paces from the mouth of the canyon, seated upon the und, indulging in a gue of cards, were three of fhe road-agents, while the fourth, a cocked revolver in the hollow of his hand, was leaning over a giant bowlder, and keeping watch and ward to the north. The backs of the outlaws—except one of. the three engaged in the game of cards—were turned toward Talbot. The watch was directed to the north, not to the canyon through which Dick had come. A mo- ment’s examination showed Dick the cause. A hun- dred yards or so to the north was the entrance to another canyon, through which, as Talbot had an- ticipated, the other branch of the underground stream found its way into the valley, and then into the Wisdom, The outlaws had apparently no idea that their a would come a any other path than by the one which they watched. Oh, how Talbot cursed the unlucky chance that robbed him of his weapons. If he had his trusty six-shooter with him, he could easily have “‘ picked” off two of the three engaged in the game of cards, if not all three of them, before they could have risen to their feet. But, weaponless as he was, he could only crouch down behind one of the rocks at the en- trance of the canyon and wait, trusting that in time the outlaws would tire of their watch and return to their hidden abode in the mountain's side. The card-game proceeded with increased earnest- ness; the sentinel on watch turned every now and then to note the progress of the play; it was plain that he wished to join in with the others. The outlaws were playing “ poker,” gambling with bits of stone for money as seriously as though ounces of gold-dust depended upon the turn of the card. Talbot had plenty of time to examine how the land lay. About five hundred paces from the rocky range was a trail leading along parallel with the Picard evidently an old Indian road, made by war- es art Meee | the rocky from the Salmon ver Valley, the country of the hunting-grounds of the B the vaibes washed by the Wisdom river and the ferson Fork of the eer into which the wa- ter of the Wisdom flowed. Then, suddenly, came a sound on the clear moun- tain air which made the outlaw band drop their to their feet. cards, sp their weapons, and The cond dies Leu ho to the heart of the tive crouching down be the bowlders. harp on the mountain air came the clear ring of a horse’s hoof, shod with 4 ea upon the rocks over which ran the old oot trail. No Indian ny, then, bearing a red-skin, but a white- man’s c er. A moment or so the road-agents paused and lis- tened; then they held a muttered consultation, and afterward, like so meee snakes, crouched down be- hind the rocks and bushes, evidently lying in ambush for the horseman. : r and sharper the sound of the horse's hoofs rung out upon the air as the stranger came Fe eae From hiding-place, Talbot could y see the outlaws & cheke weapons Siteroneting to attack the new-comer. He fully comprehended the danger to which the porsensay bp A pee Arenas paipleesy) oe reaming of pe e wou an rey human wolves crouched behind the cee The path the horseman was follo so wound in and about the rocks and clumps of which fringed the mountain's side, that, though the sound of the horse's hoofs could be plainly heard, yet the rider was still concealed from sight, nor would he come into view until he reached the little open space through which flowed the two branches of the moun- tain stream, The horseman then was safe from danger until he reached the open , but Talbot fully understood that the moment the horseman should appear in the opening the revolvers of the outlaws would speak, and the death-cry of the victim wouid follow as surely as the white smoke of the powder would curl upward on the clear mountain air. And Talbot, too, did not dare to venture from his -place to warn the ranger of the terrible dan- ger which lurked in his path, for he, too, was within range of the outlaws’ fire. > Louder and louder grew the sound of the horse's hoofs; a few seconds more and the stranger would be in the trap. ™ ‘Talbot's heart beat high, and his breath came thick and fast. Could he save the stranger from the outlaws, the horseman in turn might save him from them. A thought flashed across his brain. Beadle’s Dime Library. He could not show himself to warn the stranger, for that would e him to the fire of the road- —_ ai tio ela e aon _ stranger = pe *e: peared a e e of the opening, and then would be too late; but, by a single. chicast he could ut the horseman on his guard, and yet not betray is own hiding-place; that is, if the stranger was at all used to the wild life of the mountain region and was prepared to meet danger at every turn. The stranger was within ten feet of the opening when Talbot's warning cry rung out shrilly on the air. “Stop! Danger!” Then came a sudden change upon the scene. The horseman pulled his steed up short; the outlaws grasped their weapons and pared around them in perfect amazement, while Dick, snugly con- jeg oa the bowlders, laughed at the success rs) plan. The road-agents were thoroughly astonished, and ust a little bit alarmed. They had not dreamed hat mortal soul was near save themselves and the horseman whom they had marked for their prey. And now the clear voice ringing out on the air seemed to them more like the warning of a pane from the other world than the caution of a mo iike themselves. The rock echo, too, took up the shout, and “ Stop! ——. ! came back clear and full from the moun- tain-side. The echo's voice completely unnerved the super- stitious outlaws. One, bolder than the rest, cried out in a whisper that the warning sounds came from wandering min- ers prospecting for gold on the hill above them; but another declared, in fear-stricken tones, that the spirits of the air had leagued together to save the stranger from them. And Dick, lying behind the rocks, chuckled as he beheld their alarm; but, the end had not yet come; the outlaws still held their ground, though now they watched the mountain's side on their flank as care- fully as they did the open space before them. It was — that they expected an attack from a hid- den foe. And the stran emoniously ? to denote r who had been waged so uncer- o sound came from the rocky trail whereabouts or probable action. CHAPTER XXI. THE FIGHT. For full twenty minutes there was silence on the mountain's sides. The four road-agents still crouch- ed behind the rocks, with their cocked revolvers in their hands; Talbot still remained concealed behind a rock at the mouth of the smaller canyon, chafing with impatience; and the mounted stranger, who had stop so quietly at Talbot’s warning cry, gave no sign to denote his preaenes, The action of the drama stopped. The brooks flowed swiftly on; the sun rose higher and higher, and to the minenges: ng along the old Indian ee wae no g ye oe po that each moment see the beginning of a fearful tragedy. mie What the blazes has become of him?” growled the taller one of the four brigands—a ae ruffian, He referred to the horseman who had stopped so wr dine back. gested one of the outla ‘ “Gone rh one of the outlaws. ** Not a bit of itl cried the smallest one of the four —a red-bearded fellow, short and stoutly built, like a Pawnee Indian. “ Why not?” “We'd have heered his hoss’s hoofs ef he had.”’ “JT wonder whar that yeu came from, anyway?’ said another one of the three, with a covert glance at the rocky ledge above him, as if he ex to see a human form perched on the almost inaccessible aa Ree oe a *t res plows thar,”’ the page suslew 8 7" was any u an’ they wanted to go fur us, they See ee blue blazes outen us with a rock, long ago.”’ ‘*What’s your programme?” asked the fourth one of the ban “Why, I take it that this feller is a-hidin’ in the bushes over toes: an'I move that one or two of us scout ‘round an’ git in his rear; then we’ve got ‘** But this feller wot gave the yell?” ‘“We kin take keer of him arter we finish the feller that was on the hoss.” ‘* Who'll go on the scout?” es for one,’’ the red-bearded man sald. ** And [ for another,"’ said the giant. “And we'll ber in case you start him,”’ one of ~ oe said, slapping the butt of his revolver sig- cantly. ** All co-rect; an’ now I'll jest take a look fur to see how the old we) wo ” the ruffian with the red beard face said, ously. The four looked at each other and ned—they Senirocisted humor—and then “ Red- ” raised head cautiously and peered out between the rocks, Th report of aS rifle sounded on the e of a Spencer rifle so on air; the ball struck the haprudent outlaw, who had exposed himself to the of the foe, plumb be- tween the eyes, boring a little round hole through pep mesure = mask — okuih one oS etal a road-agen p e ground, stone dea his li ret eng eerie showing his yellow, -like e outlaws glared at each other in horror. They could hardly realize that death had come so sudden- ly among them. A moment, with eyes distended by horror, they looked upon the body of their stricken comrade lying, yet warm, before them; then their muttered curses rose on the air, and they amas to discover from whence the shot had come that had been fired with = coer Sapa tion, though, tha was me caution, tho t laws peered from Behind he ae n the other side o eo , just Indian tealldebapched into the open inane ede e — smoke was rising slowly from a little clump of es. “Thar; the cuss is hid in them bushes!” the t cried, angrily. ‘* Now, boys, put a volle right’into the bush; it’s ten to one that we ‘ wing’ him!” Then, with deliberate aim, the three outlaws pour- . ed six shots into the clump of bushes from which rose the white smoke. A hollow groan broke on the air, coming from the other side of the opening. “We've hit him, by Cain!’ cried the giant, in lee, and, incautiously, he exposed his head, expect- ing to see some signs of a death-struggle going on a - bushes into which they had fired. rac Again the rifle spoke; again a stricken man went down; shot through the brain, dying instantly and almost without a groan. The giant would never more figure in scenes of pon ag plunder. For a moment the two rem ruffians gazed in ghastly astonishment upon the lifeless form before them, then looked forth toward the covert of the hidden foe, who, single-handed, was making such a terrible fight. Another curl of white smoke was rising slowly on the air, but this time it came from the other side of the Indian trail. The outlaws guessed the truth in an instant; they had been tricked. After firing the first shot the expunge. had changed his position, and their volley had damaged only the bushes and the rocks. The hollow moan of pain was aoe a device to induce them to relax their caution. It had succeeded only too well; bitterly the brigands cursed their own een and the shrewdness of their unknown foe. ‘** What had we better do?” questioned one of the outlaws, looking, with a troubled face, at the bloody evidence of the stranger’s skill in marksmanship lying stiff and still before him. ‘Git! replied the other, laconically. “Without oryng to git even for this work?’’ the other asked, pointing to his slain comrades. ‘‘Are you tired of the game, an’ want to ‘pass in your check?’ ”’ “Well, no, but I hate like blazes to cry quits jist yet. Four on us ag’in’ one, an’ git flax too; it won't do to tell Rob o’ that. He'd drive us out o’ the band in no time.” “TI don’t keer what anybody says,” the calcula- ting ruffian said, Conpedy. **T ain’t a fool; I know when I’ve got enough; t ain’t the least bit of a hog "bout me. This stranger’s ‘hand’ is too much for me; I ‘ pass’ this time for sure.”’ “I'm going to have another crack at him, any- way!’ the first outlaw cried; ‘‘ you kin jest git ef you want to.”’ “Well, I'll stay long enough for to see this cuss boaliy. too, then I'll ‘ levant!’’’ the second replied, coolly. ‘*He don't plug me much, you bet!"’ the other cried, in an acl oT flax him yet!" And then he shook his clenched fist savagely at the invisible foe on the other side of the little open space. The empty menace came near costing the outlaw dear, for, incautiously, he exposed his hand beyond the cover of the bowlder, and the alert foe, ever on the watch, promptly sent a bullet at it, which was fired with such excellent aim that it tore away a ee of skin from one of the outlaw’s knuckles. storm of curses came from the lips of the road-agent as his hand dropped down, benumbed ee bullet’s shock. The ruffian at first thought that his hand was shattered. “Oh! you're anxious to be laid oo the other outlaw exclaimed, out of patience at the bravado of his comrade. And just about this s of the thought that he might as welltake a handin, From his post of observation he had seen the two outlaws fall by the bullets of the ambushed foe, and noticed, also, the wounding of the third outlaw. And now, you are!" ame, Dick from the uneasy movements of the two road-agents, he confidently guessed that they were pre g to retreat from all further contest. CHAFTER XXII. Asp while tho sseond cation wee urging the first w w e to retreat, and he, ruefully his bleeding hand, was calling down curses upon the head of the ambushed mar , Talbot’s voice rung out clear none the air: Lira th “There's o 0 one of them’s wound- con ae in Rin ore Biltake ea id ce : ani un ; Up and at ’em!” then Talbot yelled like a demon. ig “Blazes! there’s an army of them!” cried one of the outlaws, and then the two dashed backward over the rocks and through the bushes, going up the can- yon like hunted antelopes, The stranger in the bushes sent half a dozen shots after them with his re rifle as fast as he could fire. He understood the eaeeean, The a for their lives up the can- yon, were comple con that, in place of one man, had really been contending with a dozen. The noise made by the outlaws crashing through the bush had hardly died away when Talbot stepped forth from his place of concealment in the mouth naga ena fad gi oan pe. — = cuvions to see the ven the desperate outlaw - rible lesson. - 5 ater gained the center of the opening, ushes by the Indian trail, ad ag Joan, man, leading a coal-black horse of wondrous uty. In his hand he carried the rifle which had ie sack deadly execution on the persons of the open space, and thee Seb annie eeanlee : ere was amu start o ‘ Fach recognized the other. rot saloon i ane fo, Calon Séck, ad Sate oon, in answer one : that his name was John Rimes ht sight of T Hardly e young man caug of Tal- bot’s face, when me dropped the reins of the horse which he was cocked the neer, and brought it half up on a line with Dick’s Talbot, ten paces from the stranger, stirred not at the menacing motion, and moved neither hand nor foot to stay the threatened attack, He only sur- veyed the stranger in wonder, » holding in his hand the knotted stick, he leaned calmly upon it. A moment in silence the stranger covered Talbot with the muzzle of his rifle; there was a nervous tremor | in his semanas unger of bee was pressed upon the pressure which w oat the aaa to Dick’s heart was want ‘gg oare “You are Dick Talbot,” the stranger said slowly and there was a strange nervousness in his manner. Eomicboo (E cS Cc (0) ee —_ te a — ys