Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

Velvet Hand. 25 knife upon another without giving him fair warning, a damned coward!” Del Colma’s face first grew red and then pale as he listened to this disgraceful accusation. ‘Oh, I am mad, I know it!” he cried wildly. ‘‘But you donot know how this man has wronged me; and I am as a child in his hands in a fair fight!” A frank confession, certainly! “ Why, Velvet Hand, what have you done to him?” Judge Candy asked. “Nothing at all, except play cards with him,” the sharp replied, promptly. “Oh, it is not that, gentlemen!” the Californian exclaimed, quickly. ‘‘He has abducted my sister!” There was a general exclamation of astonishment at this charge. “Yes, gentlemen,” Del Colma continued, “ this very night ” —in his excitement he forgot that another day had dawned—“‘ this villain, with armed ruffians, broke into my house, bound, blindfolded and gagged my servant, and then carried off my sister Blanche! Just after midnight the deed was done, and am I not justified in killing such a wretch?” ‘‘Oh, nonsense!” Clint MacAlpine said. “I can prove a clear alibifor Velvet Hand! I met him at the auction sale this morn- ing, and he hasn’t been out of my sight five minutes since that time up to the present moment!” ‘We can all bear witness that Velvet Hand has been with us in a room in the Occidental ever since nine o’clock last evening!” Judge Candy declared. The head of the Californian drooped; in his blind, unreasoning way he had instantly fixed upon Velvet Hand as the author of the outrage without a particle of evidence to connect him with it in any way, except that he believed that the sharp desired the girl. “Gentlemen, I will swear to you, by any oaths that a man should hold sacred, that I-know absolutely nothing in regard to this sad affair,” Velvet Hand said, impressively, and there was not one in the circle, not even the half-crazy Californian, who did not believe he spoke the truth. “But I have an idea who is the author of the outrage, and I'll have the girl back again within a week if she be living, or lose my life in the attempt.” “Tm with you!” MacAlpine cried. ‘*Count me in!” exclaimed Candy. “And your humble servant, also,” added Pollock. “Tm your mutton with the wool on!” tke ever-impressible Billy King yelled. “Thank you, gentlemen, but one man alone can aid me at present; my old Indian ally, Mud-turtle. As luck has it, he is at my little ranche at the upper end of the town, Within two days expect to hear from me.” And then Velvet Hand hurried away. CHAPTER XXXII A FEARFUL RETRIBUTION, Once clear of the town of Cinnabar, the abductors of the unfortunate Blanche—there were three of them, all closely dis- guised in black cloaks and masks—rode into the trail leading up the Shasta stream. One look at the persons of the outlaws, and it is easy to recog- nize Captain Death and his road-agents. Straight onward they pushed, following the trail closely. They left the river just at the commencement of the McCloud Can yon, and circled around the rocky wall, passed the junction of the Angel’s Bar trail with the main road, and then plunged into the well-wooded wilderness, sweeping from the crest of the McCloud Canyon to the westward. Captain Death rode on ahead, the peerless form of the abducted girl in his strong arms, while close behind him came the two road-x gents. ‘‘Not for the cave to-night, eh?’ questioned the worthy, who had called himself Buck of Angel’s. ‘‘No,” replied the other, the evil-faced Joe Smith, “A new hiding-place?” “You bet!” ‘The captain’s head is level!” ‘‘Oh, you can go rocks on that!” replied the other. ‘The cave is played out now; no good in the cave since that velvet chap slipped through our fingers as sleek as an eel,” the man from Angel’s declared. ‘‘ Where are we bound, I wonder?’ ‘‘Blest if I know! The captain is a close-mouthed chap; he don’t let nothin’ out.” ‘‘ What’s the ideo of takin’ the gal away?” ‘‘Make her folks come down with a big pile to get her in!” raat That’s a bully idea!” thought Smith. ‘Oh, yes; the captain has got a head on his shoulders.” “*Sposen they don’t come down with the dust quickly?” “The captain will cut off one of her pretty ears and nail it up in the streets of Cinnabar, as a gentle reminder to her folks that he is in a hurry,” the ruffian replied, “ Ah, that will fetch ’em!” The party turned into the little open defile above the McCloud Canyon, through which r@n the water-course, evidently the cause of the canyon’s formation. The moon, a round, bright. ball, still high in the heavens, was shining brightly, so that the defile was almost as light as by day. Captain Death reined in his steed, and his followers did like- wise. — ooo The road-agent leader cast asearching glance around him, and then, placing his fingers in his mouth, whistled shrilly. His followers, astonished at the action, looked eagerly around them, anxious to observe the result of the signal. And totally astounded were they when from a hidden covert amid the rocks, like the lair of the wild beast, a painted, feather-ornamented chief rose to sight. In a trice the road-agents had their revolvers in their hands, They feared that they had ridden into an Indian ambuscade, but quickly and sternly Captain Death allayed their appre- hensions. . ‘Put up your weapons, you fools!” he cried. ‘The chief is an ally—a friend!” “Ugh! chief—white man’s friend all time!” and the warrior slapped his brawny, naked breast with his huge paw. 7. dro are your warriors to take the girl?’ demanded the road- agent. **Here—ready! Come!” replied the Indian: and in obedience to the chief’s command four stout warriors, bearing a buffalo-robe between them, advanced from their hiding-places among the bushes. The buffalo-robe had stout saplings fastened alcng two sides, so that it formed arude sort of a litter. Into this receptacle Blanche was deposited, still wrapped se- curely in her blanket, and still tightly bound. ‘‘All is understood, chief?’ Captain Death questioned. ‘Yes, me thinks so.” ‘You are to keep the girl safely until I come for her, and you must be careful that no knowledge that the girl is with you reaches any of the whites.” ‘Me be careful,” “Because if it was found out that the girl was concealed among your mountains there would be a swarm of white men up here after her.” The Indian drew himself up proudly and smacked his chest again with true savage dignity. “Not all the white men who dig in the mud can drive the red chiefs from the hills of their fathers!” he cried. ‘* Ah, just stick to that and if they do come give them a warm reception.” ) “The red-men can either fight like the mountain lion or play at hide-and-seek in the woods like the fox.” ‘And when you deliver the girl safely into my hands, I wil give you twenty-five rifles—as good guns as any that the white men have,” ‘Good; Injun want long gun—shoot far.” | **Oh, you shall have them; the best the market affords,” “‘Injun glad that his white brother is generous.” “Tl be as good as my word; keep faith with meand yor will have no cause to repent it!” ‘‘Injun always keep faith—good Injun—no bad hearts in the tribe,” replied the brave with, stolid dignity. The road-agent leader glanced upward at the moon, now fast waning. _ “Morning will soon be here and we’ve got a long ride before us. In so many days,” and Captain Death held up five fingers, **T will meet you here 2 The savage gravely displayed five fingers and nodded. ‘You understand?” **'Yes, chief know.” “ And I'll bring a rifle with meas a sample of the rest.” “It is good!” Perfectly plain now to the two road-agents was the course which the bold Captain Death had followed, He had continued to ally himself with the Indians, and so had provided a safe re- treat to place the girl, secure from all danger of discovery. But to the mind of the suspicious road-agents it was like playing with edged tools to have any dealings with these uncer- tain, tricky red-men, and right glad were they, therefore, when a Death bade the red wolf good-by and gave the signal to ride on. The red-man gravely said, ‘‘ How,” after the stolid fashion of pers race; then Captain Death and his band rode away down the efile. Fifty paces the three whites had gone, their figures dark against the pale moonlight, when the old savage raised his hand high above his head. A signal it was—a signal for blood and slaughter, for on the instant, a whistling arrow hurtled forth from almost every tree and bush on the sides of the defile. Down went the three road-agents, transfixed with the keen- pointed, barbed shafts. Writhing in the terrible agonies of death upon rocky, sterile soil, lay the outlaws, a dozen arrows in each breast, And this was the way that the old red butcher Koo-choo, the McCloud chief, kept faith with the white man. A few minutes and the death struggles were over; cold and still in the moonlight, with rigid, convulsed faces lay the dreaded Cap- tain Death and his two right-hand men. The Indian had avenged the plunder of many a hapless emi- grant. And now what earthly power could tear Blanche from the iron grip of the red McCloud? THE WATER-BIRD’S DEVICE. HGH up amid the lava rocks, right under the shadows of great Shasta’s peak, was the chief village of the McCloudsa COMME DOO] KS