Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

— strangers during or after the attack. Evidently the scheme had been carefully planned in advance in all its details, but what was its meaning? Onward the party went at a rapid pace, turning aside from the main trail a short distance on and striking into a “blind” path which wound through the shrubbery, running almost parallel with the road, but about a quarter of a mile south of it. For thirty minutes at least the party proceeded on their way, and the captured man readily understood that he was being con- veyed to some secure retreat; but, being as familiar with all the Shasta region as any native red brave, he did not doubt that when the bandage was removed from his eyes he would be able to recognize the locality to which he had been conveyed. Velvet Hand could hear the rustling of the pine needles as the party forced’ their way through the narrow passage, the trail of the night beasts of prey, and then easily distinguished the differ- ence when the hoofs of the mule trod on the uncovered lava rock, and then, when the air grew thick around him, and he missed the breath of the free winds, he guessed that he had been conveyed into some mountain cavern, - CHAPTER VL A FEARFUL ALTERNATIVE, Tue beast was halted, the prisoner removed from his back and seated upon a soft couch; then the scarf was taken from his head —and once again Velvet Hand was permitted to enjoy the privi- lege of his eyesight. He looked around him. As he had anticipated he was in a cavern deep in the bosom of the mountain. A few tallow candles, stuck in crevices in the walls, dimly lighted up the scene. Three men beside himself were in the apartment, and each and every one of the three had carefully hidden his face under a black mask, The road-agents—for the Cinnabar man guessed they were such —were all armed—in fact, fairly bristled with weapons. Through their black masks their gleaming eyes shone, and Vel- vet Hand fancied that they all looked threateningly upon him, The road-agents were seated upon elevated seats covered with buffalo-robes while the captive had been placed upon a skin couch upon the floor, so that the three looked down like judges in council. ‘‘You are the Cinnabar sharp called Velvet Hand?” the tallest road-agent said; he sat in the center and seemed to be the chief of the three. Hewas the one who had been concealed in the bushes and whose face the captive had not seen. Velvet Hand looked inquiringly upon the gleaming eyes, shin- ing through the holes in the black mask when the man spoke; it might be only fancy, yet the prisoner would have sworn that the owner of the voice was no stranger to him. ‘‘ Richard Velvet is my name, and I am sometimes called Vel- vet Hand,” the prisoner answered, ‘‘ Well, we have taken considerable pains to secure an inter- view with you.” ‘«T should suppose so,” Velvet Hand dryly retorted. ‘‘We have long desired to make your acquaintance,” “sé Indeed?’ ‘And as we deemed it improbable that you would accept an invitation to visit us in our mountain home, we took measures to compel you to come ” “The game is yours; I ‘ pass,’” Velvet Hand answered, in short parlance. ‘‘ Probably you are a little mixed as to why we have taken all this trouble?’ ‘¢ Quite correct.” ‘‘We were anxious to make your acquaintance; and had an idea we might be mutually useful to each other.” ‘‘No sabe,” responded the sharp, tersely, “You don’t understand?” No, sir.” “Do you know who we are?” “‘ Well, I think I can guess.” ‘‘We are men of liberal ideas; there is altogether too much inequality in this world; some men have too much money, others not enough; we propose to strike a balance,” ‘‘ At the muzzle of a revolver, eh?” “ Correct!” ‘“‘Or the point of a bowie-knife, we ain’t ticular toa shade!” put in the road-agent on the right, and in his hoarse tones the Cinnabar sharp recognized the voice of Buck of Angels. ‘‘ And as you are a man who does business something after our fashion, we didn’t know but what you might feel inclined to join teams with us. I am Captesin Death, and these are the road- agents of Shasta. We own all the roads south of Yreka, and we intend to collect toll from everybody that travels over them, provided the pilgrims are well fixed and ain’t too heafty on the fight.” ~ Velvet Hand nodded to signify that he understood, and the longer he listened to the voice of the road-agent the more he became convinced that Captain Death was no stranger to the Occidental Hotel and the streets of Cinnabar, “Come, Velvet Hand, you are the very man we want,” Captain Death continued. ‘We want one more in our band, and you are the very man to fill the bill. I’m told that you are not afraid of man or devil, that you are as good a pistol-shot as there is in the Shasta valley, and as you rob men now at cards, why, it will be right in your line to change the ‘papers’ for the revolver.” 6 Beadle’s Dime Library. “T beg your pardon!” cried Velvet Hand, shortly, “but you have made a slight mistake,” and there was a gleam of anger in his dark eyes as he spoke. ‘I have never robbed anybody yet at cards; I try to play as fair a game as I know how, unless I get in with a lot of thieves, and then if they try to cheat me it is only fair, I take it, to turn the tables upon them.” “Oh, yes, I understand all about that!” Captain Death ex- claimed, abruptly. ‘‘I never knew a gambler yet that didn’t play on the square. Men of your trade are not as honest as we road-agents. We own up to skinning Our game when you cry honesty, but it’s all a matter of words, and we won’t quarrel about it, What do yousay now? Will you join the band of Captain Death?” _ “What are the inducements?” Velvet Hand asked, in his quiet way. ‘‘ All booty will be divided into five parts; one share to each of the band and two to the captain. The captain—myself—to plan the jobs and receive unqualified obedience from the mem- bers of the band,” “That is I must obey any order that you may give whether it suits me or not.” _ * Exactly.” ‘‘ And who guarantees me against being shot by the troops, or a well-heeled passenger, or from being hung by some vigilance committee?’ Velvet Hand demanded. The road-agents looked at each other, and then Captain Death burst into a hoarse laugh, ‘‘Oho, my fine fellow, you must take your chances on that.” “T reckon I won’t chip in!” Velvet Hand retorted. “Um not used to following any man’s lead but my own, and, least of all, going it blind, I’m very much obliged for your flattering offer, and when your time comes to be hung I’ll travel a hundred miles to say good-by to any one of you.” The road-agents glared ominously at the bold speaker. “This is your final decision?” demanded Captain Death, angrily. “You can bet all your rocks on it!” Velvet Hand replied, boldly. ‘I’m no man’s dog, and when I do choose a master it won’t be one who travels with a halter around his néck,” : “Bold words, considering that you are a helpless prisoner in our hands!” the road-agent leader cried. ‘“‘T generally speak my mind wherever I am.” «Well, since you have refused our offer, now hear our little game!” Captain Death added. ‘ We have got you foul and we intend to make something out of you. You're the king card- sharp of Cinnabar, and I reckon that you must have feathered your nest pretty well; now we propose to make you shell out, How much are you worth—ten thousand dollars?’ **T reckon that I ain’t.” | ‘Five thousand then?” Yes, I guess I can touch that figure.” “Good! write us an order on your banker for five thousand dollars; I’ll send and have it cashed, and when the messenger returns you can go free.” “Oh, I reckon that I won’t do that,” Velvet Hand said, coolly. “Tf you won’t sign freely we shall be compelled to use un- pleasant means,” returned the road-agent. ‘‘ We'll give you one hour to think the matter over, and then, if you still per- sist in your refusal, we’ll slice off about an inch of your right ear; then another hour to consider the matter, and if you are still obstinate a similar slice off the left ear, and so on until both ears aré gone, and then we'll commence on your fingers. They call you Velvet Hand, I believe, because you have such a light, womanly touch; we’ll cure you of that if you hold out long enough, and then your pards can call you ‘stumps.’ Come on, boys, we'll leave this high-toned gentleman to solitary reflec- tion.” And the road-agents withdrew to an outer apartment of the mountain cavern. CHAPTER VIL MR. REDAN’S LITTLE GAME. In the office of the Cinnabar mine sat Bertrand Redan, the superintendent of the works. Redan was a man of twenty-eight or nine; a tall, well-built fellow, with jet-black hair, worn short and twisting itself into little crispy curls; a long, drooping mustache and pointed chin- piece, the ends elaborately waxed, and of the same intense hue as the hair, ornamented the lower part of the face; he had full, fine eyes of uncertain tint, sometimes seeming black, at others p agrie gray, and then again, in certain lights, and under cer- in impulses, showing green and cat-like. His complexion was a strange one, being unnaturally white, quite a contrast to the faces of the hiisnes hls daily associates. Particular care Bertrand Redan took of his handsome face, and the fact would have been apt to have rather damaged him in the opinion of the hard-fisted men of Cinnabar, but for the well- known truth, that, this one thing excepted, the superintendent of the Cinnabar mine was as rough and tough a customer as a man would be likely to meet with in a long journey. Ready was he at all times to back his words with either fists or weapons, and Cinnabar City had learned long ago that the ‘head man” of the Cinnabar affair was fully able to take his own t. ps ES was not popular in the town. There was something about him that kept men at a distance. No chum—no bosom friend had he, unlike, in this particular, nearly every other person EORMIE DOOKS