Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

we + Many atime the gray light of the’morn had peeped in at the window of a little private room on the second floor of the Occi- dental Hotel to find the Californian’and the Velvet Hand hard at play, with a week’s production ofthe Cinnabar lode trembling in the balance; and seldom it was that Del Colma rose a winner from tlie table. | And when Mr. Dick Velvet was rallied about his avoidance of the glowing beauty, so rich in all her wondrous charms, and asked why, being so intimate with the brother, he had not tried to push his fortune with the sister—for the cool sport was as good-looking a gentleman as there was in the town—he would laughingly reply that women were “ bad medicine” to him, and that as long as he depended upon card-playing to: keep ahead of the world he would give the softer sex a wide berth. Thus matters stood in the year 187—, when we again take up the pen to chronicle the doings of the men of Cinnabar. CHAPTER IL THE BAND OF CAPTAIN DEATH. THREE miles from Cinnabar City the Shasta river cut its way through the McCloud canyon. Dark and deep was the defile—as lonely a spot as could be found within a dozen miles of the mining settlement. At the upper end of the canyon this defile widened out into @ small rocky valley, through which ran the old Indian trail leading from Cinnabar up the river. Alon thé trail, in°the dusk of ‘the evenitig, a horseman was riding. He was well mounted, well armed, and seémed familiar with the road, for he pushed straight onward without hesitation. When he reiithed the open valley above the McCloud canyon, he halted ‘for a moment, cast a careful glance around him as if suspicious of observation, then spurred his’ horse over the steep rocks until he reached the side of the rocky wall. ‘There he dismounted, Drawing a black mask froni his pocket, he covered his face with ft. This done, he pushed his way through a dense clump of bushes, leading his’ horse by the bridle, and disap- peared, apparently having made his way right into the solid rock; but if the clump of had been removed, the mouth of a caye—a narrow cleft, just wide enough to allow the eee of a horse—would have been visible, ‘Within the narrow passage all was dark as Egypt, but the masked man proceeded without hesitation, apparently familiar with the road, until a winding in the passage suddenly brought him into a vaulted chamber in the rock; thirty feet at least in diameter it was. iets Within the apartment, the roof of which extended cone-shaped up into the rock, evidently having an outlet above, were two other horses—two other men. The horses were quietly munching their oats in some rude stalls constructed at the further ene of the apartment. The men, roughly dressed, miner fashion, and also hiding their facés behind black masks, were seated upon some buffalo-robes, seemingly waiting for the’arrival of the new-comer, A couple of lanterns suspended from spikes driven into the walls afforded light. The moment the horseman released his grasp on the bridle, the animal hastened to join the other two, thus plainly proving that he was no stranger to the cavern and its mysteries. And this secret chamber in the heart of the hill was the moun- tain home of the daring and bloody road-agent known far and wide in the Shasta vulley as Captain Death, And who was Captain Death? Ah! that was a question that often had been put but as yet had not been answered. About a year before the time of which we write Captain Death had first made his appearance in the Shasta valley. A stage-coach, northward bound for Yreka, had been ‘halted in a gloomy defile, seven. or eight miles from the city of Cinnabar, and robbed of its express matter. A single man had done the job. The driver, perceiving that the road-agent was alone, had attempted—contrary to. the general habit of his class—to offer resistance, but, had been Promptly tumbled off his box by a well-directed shot fired by the outlaw. The frightened passengers, four in number, had fled from the hack in hot haste at the driver’s downfall, never offering a sign of resistance; then the ‘‘ gentleman of the road” had coolly pro- ceeded to appropriate the valuables. This finished he had addressed a few words to the disabled driver, who lay groaning on the ground, cursing the evil star which led him to offer resist- ance to the bird of prey. ‘‘My name is Captain Death,” he said, in a coarse, evidently ised voice. ‘‘I’m going to run this hyer trail for a time and I want the folks hereabouts to understand that I mean. busi- ness, every time! If they knuckle down and let me go ugh ’em, all right! If they don’t, then look out for sudden death.” With this the bird of prey ‘coolly rode off. Of course Wells and Fargo, the owners of the stage line, were not going to stand any of this nonsense; therefore, meno wetit for Captain Death lively, but little good it did them, too; not a single trace of the desperado could they discover! After a time the search was given up, as the road-agent was supposed to have been driven off by the urgent chase; but, just as every body had come to the conclusion that they wouldn't hear ny more of the bold rider, another coach going north was attacked, and this time Captain Death had two companions. : _ «4... A md a A desperate resistance was offered by one of the passengers, an old man, who carried a small fortune on his person, and who was accompanied by his daughter. All fled from the hack but he; fierce at the prospect of losing his gold. Captain Death called upon him to surrender; he refused, when, without more ado, the road-agents opened fire upon the coach, mortally wounding at the first discharge both the old man and his daughter, but, although staining their souls with this terrible crime, the outlaws did not secure the prize they were in search of, for the up coach from Yreka happening to approach just at that moment, compelled the rascals to retreat in hot haste. This bloody deed created a terrible excitement; and for a time the road-agents disappeared, but when the excitement cooled down again they haunted the road. The name of Captain Death: became as well known along the trail as the express line itself, but so cunningly did he manage that never by any chance did one of the many expeditions in pursuit of him ever get fairly upon his trail. » That Captain Death was well posted as to the designs of his pursuers was evident; he had “‘ friends at court” and they gave him timely warning when danger. threatened him, The two road-agents nodded to their chief when he appeared, for the solitary horseman was the notorious Captain Death, in person. He took a seat on one of the buffaio-robes, lighted a cigarette, commenced smoking as he looked, inquiringly, upon his followers. *‘ Any news?” he asked. ‘“‘Not any,” responded the road-agent on the right, a tall, broad-shouldered fellow who was known as No, 1, Captain Death had organized his band in a peculiar, manner. The faith of man he distrusted, and therefore neither one of his companions knew who.he was, or had ever seen him without his mask. He had picked his two men, had approached them. at night, disguised, and enrolled them, neither one. knowing the other, ‘‘ For our own safety,” as he had, explained,,. “ it is best we should be as strangers to each other.., Then, if,onée is.taken he cannot denounce. his companions.” . |; /s0, with covered faces, the. outlaws always met. ‘Names were never mentioned. The leader was addressed as captain, | the first road-agent, the burly fellow, as No. 1, the second, a thin, tall individual, as No, 2, ** Nothing stirring, eh?” “ Nothin’ that I hear of,” replied No. 2, with, a sattiegieia accent. “Tt is some time since.we made @ raise.” Te,” responded No. 1, with a melancholy. shake of the head, “Dry as dust an’ nothin’ to keep the j’ints limber.” “Bout time we struck a Intype somewhar. I, cale’late!” No, 2 suggested, i Dye got a big job on h boys,” Captain Death said; “no road-agent business. this time, something that will pay us better. ou. eng. she-finnahan minet m8 YL ‘1 ;, Both of the men nodded, 0. 6 diiw geo “ That’s our mutton!” ; The two men shook their. heads; a dot dean “The mine is a rich one.” a “°Tain’t payin’ much yet,” No, L observed, “That is because it has not yet got fairly to mor but re will pay, though, A friend of mine wants it, but as it would take twenty-five or thirty thousand dollars to buy. it he proposes that we shall get it for him, which we can ata less figure. F del Colma is at the end of his rope; all the money he has is in the mine; there’s a mortgage of. ten thousand doilars due on it next week. He hopes to push that mortgage off for a month and in the mean time get out ore enough to meet, it, . Now we, raise blazes generally; damage thé machinery, get the han a strike, stop work by any means so that the place will have to be sold by the sheriff, then my friend will pay two or three thousand dollars for the services we render in the matter.” ““Hol’ on!” cried No, 1, suddenly, “Js your friend named Injun Dick Talbot?” ; we oN ‘“‘Injun Dick Talbot,” said Captain Death, slowly; “ what do you mean?’ “Why, that, if it isn’t Injun Dick he mought as well hang up his fiddle!” No. 1 replied. “‘ Tell you what it is, Cap,, I know a heap ’bout this hyer town! That air Cinnabar mine belongs to Injun Dick, the Death Shot of the Shasta as he’s been called! It’s an onlucky consarn; I’ve bin expectin’ to see Dick pop in and bu’st it up as he allers has done afore.” “f never heard of him,” Captain Death said, dryly, « and I reckon that he won't trouble my scheme any.” .. “That Velvet Hand is tryin’ to bu’st. the Cinnabar consarn as fast as he kin,” No, 2 remarked, abruptly. “I heered last night that he winned a thousand dollars from Del Colma in a single settin’. ” “‘T shouldn’t be surprised; but now to business; remember! Do all that is in your power to stop the mine from ih Sea If we can fetch Del Colma into the hands of the sheriff it will be a couple of thousand dollars in our pockets, We must let, the stages alone for awhile, for the pursuit is still hot, and stiira mean time can amuse ourselves with, Mais little game. The night hence we will meet here again.” ‘Say, Cap.!” cried No, 1, abruptly, ‘‘ wouldn’t it be a good idea to go for this Velvet Hand? I reckon that he would pan out right lively ef we got him up hyer onc’t.” “That is worth thinking of,’ Captain Death replied, rising; “and now, boys, be careful how you approach the cave, for if our hiding-place was once discovered it would be all up with us.” And then the three separated, each one to make his way back to Cinnabar, by different roads. The plot against Del Colma was working, Gomicdooks