Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

| Se ew 26 a Beadle’s: Dime bibrary. Deaving a détactiment to strip the slaughtered whites of their arms and dlothing, the old chief, with the rest of his band, took up the line Of march for the McCloud village. Perched among the rocks liké an eagle’s nest, it was no idle boast of the old chieftain when he asserted that he laughed at the’ power of the white man. : ! Through the green mountain’s gorge ran a limpid stream. By the borders of thé water-course the ponies of the tribe found excellent pasture. The woods around abounded in game, the streams in’fish. It was, in truth, a very silvan paradise! Above and below the little valley the gorge contracted. A sentinel posted below the valley could easily detect the approach of a foe in sufficient time to,allow all the non-fighting members of the village to take to the hills; and, protected by the natural, fortifications, the rocky ramparts, rising in regular successive lines, the red warriors could hope to make a stubborn resistance against a force double their own in number. 7 At thé upper end of the valley the tent—whickee-up—tepee—. or wigwam, as the skin-covered habitations of the wild sons of, the desert and the wood are variously calleéd—of the old chief was situated. . It was a larger habitation than any other lodge in the village, and immediately behind it was another wigwam, communicating with the first by means of a skin door, but much smaller in size, The captive girl was carried directly to the inner wigwam, placed upon the ground, still in the litter, and then the sturdy red braves, who had acted as beasts of burden, withdrew, and in their place came the soft-eyed, gentle-voiced Indian maid, Hula- haha, the Water-bird. With kindly hands she unbound the lashings which confined the limbs of the white maiden, removed the bandages from around her héad, and allowed lier to Once more breathe the free. air and enjoy the blessing of her eyesight. ~~. sept Re _ Nearly stifled had Blanche been by the rude muffler, and her limbs were sore from their long confinement. = ms | The interior. of the lodge was quite dark, for the cold, gray light of the morning, stéaling noOw so swiftly over the eastern hills, had not ‘yet penetrated to the interior of the Indian wig- “Oh, Virgin Mother! where am I?” cried Blanche in terror, upon recovering the use of her voice, and ‘Vainly endeavoring to se her eyes, which, keen aS they were, could not penetrate the darkness hich surrounded her. | ' @Tn the Village of thé red McClouds, by great Shasta’s peak,” replied the Indian girl. | ee ‘‘ And you, who are you that sveak to me? Your voice. is familiar?" : ers : the >t? vg., Hula-haha, the Water-bitd, the dauiiter, of Koo-choo,. the Hog, the great chief of the McClonds, If the white bird remem- bers, the McCloud girl came to see what shé was like, once, tinder the edver of the night, in the great white village.” |... _ And then back to the mind of che came the remembrance of her intérview with the girl. appa: ee _ “ And is it you who caused me to be brought here?” she natur- a Sa" T een BA atiswered the Water-bird, g | ‘The daughter “Oh, no,” atiswered the Water-bird, gravely. “The daughter of the McClouds would pote a single hair of sir halt for are you not the beloved squaw 6 Gee chau white chief?” - In truth, this savage maiden was a noble woman, despite the fact that she was but a mountain wild-flower that had grown, to womanhood with as little training as the free pines on the sides of Shasta’s snow-crowned peak, | ‘hates wits ) ‘«‘ And why was I brought. here, then?” ) 3 The Indian girl evaded the question; she knew, only too well, why the old chief had so gladly embraced the opportunity to get, the white girl into his clutches, but she shrunk from telling the terrible truth, . “: | sles ‘‘Bad white men carried my sister from her big lodge down the river where the gold diggers live, and they paid the red-man to receive my sister and keep her safe for them.” _ ‘“ And these white men are to come for me, then?” asked Blanche, unconsciously, her brain in a whirl at this strange story. “No, the white men are dead.” Dead!” » | | “The warriors of the McCloud killed them; my sister is avenged for the wrong they did her,” | j Blanche shuddered; terrible thoughts were in her mind, The red chiefs had evidently leagued with the white men who had committed this fearful assault upon her, and then, when they had fairly lured the whites into their hands, had ruthlessly slaught- ered them, What fate was she reserved for?. What mercy could she expect at the hands of these blood-stained savages, “es _ “Qh, you-are a woman like myself!” Blanche cried, implor- ingly; ‘can you not aid me to escape from this terrible peril?” ‘‘T cannot,” the Indian girl replied, sadly. 4 ) ‘‘To what terrible fate am I doomed?” the hapless girl cried in ony. *eThe heart, of the red maiden was touched by the piteous cry, “Let my sister listen,” she said, sinking her voice to a whisper, evidently afraid lest she should be overheard; ‘‘ when the great white chief, the Velvet Hand, hears that his singing-bird is gon he will know where to look for her, for he knows the plans o the red McClouds. He will come to the McCloud village. The Water-bird will be on thé watch; she will see the chief and tell him all; then he will come and take the white bird away, for he is a great warrior and the McClouds are afraid of him.” The Indian maid spoke confidently, and yet her words afforded but little consolation to the aching eee of “a Californian girl. What could a single man, no matter how brave and skilled he might be, achieve with, a, whole. village of. Indian, warriors leagued against him? The thought was madness, e hardy Gintabar’ man wotlld but lose his own lite in endeavoring to rescue her, ee “Oh, no, do not tell him that Tami here unless he comes with a force strong enough to overpower the Indians!” she exclaimed; «‘single-handed, he would but be lured fo his destruction!” “The light of the morning had now penétrated into the lodge, so that the two girls could plainly see each other. The, Water-bird shook her head; it was plain that she had much more faith in the skill and prowess of the Velvet Hand than the Californian maiden, but then Blanche knew nothing of the past career of thé man; was totally ignorant of the wild and daring deeds which. had made the white chief of the Shasta tribe d very demigod to the simple red-men of the mountain land, | The great. red chief will come soon,” said the red maid, with a glance at the scanty costume of the captive; “ will my sister wear the Indian,,garb while she dwells in the McCloud village?” .. Right. gladly Blanche accepted the offer, and soon she was in dress a very daughter of the McClouds, With her jet-black hair and dark skin she did not look unlike an Indian girl when attired in the forest garb. | aan And then the Indian maid prepared a rude breakfast, of which the captive ate heartily; she was young, strong, and nature craved food. : , ‘The meal dispatched, the Water-bird withdrew, promising to return soon, — ) Tyo, three, four hours passed away, and the sun was high in the heavens, when Blanche heard a sturdy step in the outer wig- wam; then the skin door was abruptly pushed aside, and an ‘old; brawny chieftain stalked into the apartment, and with his Tittle, glittering black eyes leered covetously at the helpless captive. It was Koo-choo, the Hog! Gere rat Sees yi om od evolled dom be | (A oPATE WORSE THAN DEATH. — 7, , Tre heart of the Californian girl sunk within her as she looked upon the ugly, greasy chieftain. _ al . a No map. in his right mind could possibly decide that the old McCloud warrior had any pretensions to good looks, and not one oman out of ten thousand, white or red, but would have eclared him fo.be positively hideots. = oy DRO, cbigt had prepared himself for the occasion too; he had adorned his face with fresh véermilion, had donnéd his handsomest attire, and stood before the maiden he wished to captivate, proud in his regal magnificence, the satese mountain chief of’ all! “How?” said the old warrior;opening the conversation after the approved fashion common to the frontier. Blanche bowed her yhead .in »salutation, fixing her brilliant black eyes full upon the ugly face of the old savage, as if expect- ing to read her fate there. if JUTHASE A o(#*Bet the white bird not tremble,” continued the chief ;,‘*here she is as safe as the mountain eagle in the sky!” . .. 10 qu What mockery! The bird-of Jove bore himself.on free wings, while she was a helpless prisoner—a captive song-bird.....) |. -.Bhe: bad white men; who stole, the pale flower from her home and people, fell by the. hands of; the, red, warriors, inthe motihtain gulch, Let) the white bird take heart; her foes;are dead, and their scalps hang in the smoke of the McCloud)wig- was, . . » bos . ‘And you will send me back to my people?’ the girl ques- tioned, eagerly.» “‘ They, will reward you well, and say that you are a true friend to the white men.” «— . , " The old red ehief drew himself up proudly. 6] _{'Koo-choo,, the Hog, is like the mountain lion, he, is king over the land of Shasta; he is no friend to the false white men who dig.,in. the, earth like the beaver; he is their foe, and when they come up the river beyond the McCloud canyon, he will take a stick and drive them, back... The red chiefs are)tired of the white man; soon the Modocs will raise the wap-shout, and all the painted braves of Northern California will join in the ery; we'll drive the white man back to his foot-hills, where he can dig in the dirt as muchas he pleases!” . Hope sunk in Blanche’s breast as she listened to this bragging brute. B , “No go back to the big lodges of the pale-face,” the old warrior continued; ‘stay here with the red-men. Koo-choo, the Hog, is a ;great warrior; no, red chief,ig the, North dare dispute his power; very great chief—three squaws, ,injun squaws, old, ugly,” and here the painted beast made a,grimace, ‘ but work heap, The chief wants,a white squaw, young, tender; the white bird will do; let her say that she will come and dwell in the lodge of the great McCloud chief, and ‘she shall be as a queen over his nation.” __ , This, was a fate far worse even than death to the beautiful, high-spirited Californian girl. . The .w--slave of this heathen monster, whose hands were red wi: ue blood of helpless vic- tims; whose soul was charged, with a thousand crimes;-—oh, the most horrid death that human ingenuity could possibly invent would. be. bliss indeed compared to such pollution as association But she was a helpless captive, far from home and friends, in the almost,,inaecessible mountains tributary to great Shasta; what. possible chance, was.,there; for her to escape from the dreadful fate so closely, impending! - With gloating eyes the old red wolf looked upon her; noted the’ beauty of her face, the matchless perfection of her well-rounded GOMmiGcbooks (E(@)