Beadle's Dime Library No. 387 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

’ — You did when we were at the other end of the , looked real enough to other eyes, but to him— trail; why not now that theend is within sight?’ | on that rude bag seemed written in fiery letters ‘Tt is different—” ‘‘Get down to work and prove it different, then. Don’t croak beforehand, marked in your chart, Open it. we have to chew the cud of disappointment, we can do it justice. At least we won’t be bothered the words, ‘A GOLD PHANTOM!” So long he stood motionless that Louis Knapp Find the spot | could no longer control his curiosity, and cried And then, if | out encouraging! ‘* For her, mardi Remember all that little bag represents! Freeze to it, Rex! ‘There’s a thou- with doubts as to whether or no we are not | sand more of them just beyond, begging you to losing time that might be put to better advan- tage. Gospel, ditto of ditto!” And talking after this fashion, Louis Knap passed an arm through that of his friend, drawing him away to the point where their two comrades were patiently waiting them with the horses and pack-mules. And before this spot was gained, the lively tongue had roused Stuart from his fit of despondency, even 1f it had not eee the old bright smile to his handsome ace. Long before reaching this remote point in the hills, the full object of their mission had been explained to George Little and Mark Oberlin, and those worthies were to the full as eager as Louis Knapp himself to put the matter to the test, now that they were so near their journey’s end. And little time was cut to waste. Half an hour more found them removing the packs and equipage from the animals, staking the latter out where they could have fair pick- ing. This duty was attended to by Little and Oberlin, while Louis Knapp bore Rex Stuart silent company as, chart in hand, the latter carefully sought to locate the exact spot where the golden treasure was supposed to lie. ‘‘Tt is here, as near as I can tell,” at length uttered the young man, stamping one heel deep into the comparatively soft soil. ‘* Or hereabouts, say,” cheerfully added Knapp. ‘*'We won't ke positive to a few feet, more or less. We have tools and strong arms. We can turn over an acre or two of ground just to give us an appetite for supper.” With folded arms Rex Stuart stared moodily at the ground. Now that the result was so nearly reached, he felt a strong reluctance to make any further move. Through his brain flashed all the tales he had ever heard of this notorious ‘‘lost cache.” He remembered how many times sanguine parties had set to work, only to be foiled by the treasure which then became known far and wide as THE PHANTOM OF GOLD. Thousands firmly believed in its existence. Tens of thousands smiled whenever they heard it mentioned, evidently classing it with those other | marvelous legends, The Lost Cities and The Mountain of Gold. Until recently he had been one of the most skeptical. Only when he held that chart in his hand, listening to the dark tragedy of the past as dimly, pantie outlined by the wounded cripple, and feeling that he had passed over the very ground marked out on that bit of paper, had his opinion changed. Then he believed quite as positively as he had at first disbelieved. But his hopes grew fainter and fainter the nearer he came to the end, until now, as he stood over the very spot indicated by that blood-red cross on the chart, he felt that it was all a lie, all a de- lusion, born of a disordered brain! Not so Louis pp and his companions. They were eager to get to work, and without waiting for Rex Stuart to utter the word, they grasped their tools and began sending the dirt flying in a shower. “For a few inches the soil was loose and easy to manage, but then it grew harder and more com- net, calling the pick into play. Yet Louis iran declared that he saw clear evidence that, at some remote date, the soil had been taken up and replaced. eT woulat't take ninety cents on the dollar and draw off without striking another blow!” he declared, seemingly in sober earnest. Now that the ice was broken, Rex Stuart worked with the rest, his muscular arms and strong back coming into play. And though an hour passed by without any discovery of moment—although they had excavated a pit waist deep for several yards around the spot where the young man planted his heel, neither man flagged for an instant. Although they said nothing, each one was coming under the peculiar, indescribable influence of that burning fever which invariably attacks the seeker after gold. gee Fatigue was unfelt. The ge of time was unnoted. The more ground they removed, the busier they labored, the more resolute they were to succeed before giving over, And then—a deep, hoarse cry escaped the lips of George Little as his spade was driven into the side of the excavation, beyond where the pick had done its work. He started back, pointing out an object which every eye was upon, which every eye at once recognized—a small sack of skin, evidently made of untanned hide, since they could still make out the hair through its covering of mold and dirt. ‘Hands off, lads!” cried Louis Knapp, sharp- ly, himself drawing back. ‘* We have done our work—the rest belongs to Stuart.” The three men left the pit, and Rex Stuart stood alone in its middle. He was staring fix- edly at the bag, as though bound by aspell. It a 4 } a ——— eee eee eee eee SSS oss pe them out into the sunlight. Go in, my acd!’ Mechanically Rex Stuart stepped forward and grasped the bag by its puckered-up neck, Jift- ing it from its resting-place, holding it up be- fore his glowing eyes—only to hur! it from him with a hard, teballic laugh! The bag struck against a rock, the rotten stitches broke, letting a portion of its contents fall out. A cry of angry astonishment broke from the lips of the three men as they stared, wild-eyed, at the bag. Instead of gold it contained pebbles and sand! ‘*T was not so far wrong, you see, Louis?” ut- tered Stuart, as he shoopadt out of the hole and advanced with a smile that was ghastly as the cold grin of death itself. ‘‘ We have been chasing a Gold Phantom,” ‘* Not all—it is only one bag that—” Rex Stuart did not appear to hear his excited words, but brushed past him and sunk down on a rock hard by, his head bowed upon his hands and his face hidden from view. Louis Knapp followed him, at first fearing some rash act on his part. The blow was such a terrible one, even though Stuart had for the last few days ery begun to fear they were doomed to meet with disappointment. If noth- ing at all had been discovered, the shock would have been far less hard to bear. But to find the chart true in every detail, even up to discover- ing the skin bag which seemed to have been buried there yesrs and years before that day, so hard and perfectly settled was the soil around ie—anid then to find that instead of exact gold, its contents were pebbles and sand! A less tasked brain than his might well totter on its throne for those first few minutes. Rex Stuart looked up at that gentle touch on his shoulder, his face ghastly pale, his blue eyes shot with blood, but with a faint smile playing about his lips. ‘* Don’t worry on my account, old fellow,” he muttered, his voice husky and strained. ‘‘ I?m all right. Ilooked for nothing better, but— Tl get over it quicker if you will let me have it out alone.” ‘You won’t—you don’t—” ‘* Mean to waste a bullet or soil a knife, Lou?” with a laugh that sounded a little more natural than the other. ‘‘Tll promise you that much. I’m not the stuff that gives up so easily!” ‘‘ And there’s hope even yet!” eagerly added the other. ‘‘That may have been put in with the rest asasort of stall! We'll soon find the real treasure, never fear.” . ‘* Not in thisevery-day world, old fellow. You know what it is—a Gold Phantom!” The hard, reckless tone in which these words were uttered, did not serve to lessen the anxiety felt by Louis oat . More than ever he feared the result of this blow as concerning his friend. Yet he felt that he could trust him alone, after receiving that promise to do nothin rash, and surely the quickest method of curing him would be by unearthing the real treasure and pouring the yellow sands at his feet. _Naturally sanguine, Louis Knapp really be- lieved he could do this, The bag stuffed with worthless pebbles puzzled him, but still he would not believe that a chart had been so carefully written out, true in all its minor details, true as to the lay of the ground, the curves of the valley even to dotting Joven each tree and prominent rock, simply for the purpose of perpetrating such a clumsy hoax as this! ‘The real stuff is there, and I know it!"* he muttered between his tightly clinched teeth. ‘*Ha! the boys have found it, sure!” _He sprung toward the pit, where he caught sight of Little and Oberlin briskly plying their picks, flinging out bag after bag, similar in out- ward appearance to the one which Rex Stuart had hurled from him, convinced by its lack of weight that his hopes were foiled. And too impatient to wait for his trembling fingers to untie the hard knots, Louis om drew his knife and slashed open the first sack he came to—only to grind his teeth with savage dis- appointment, ebbles and sand! Nothing more. One after another—still naught but worthless pebbles and sand! With his form bowed, his face buried in his hands, Rex Stuart sat on that gray bowlder, thinking, thinking. Not of himself, Of the far-away dear one who was counting the hours as they slowly dragged by, marking his progress in imagina- tion, perhaps even at that moment smiling with joy as she pictured him with the long-talked-of old Phantom in his hands, a glorious reality! It was of Precious Wingfold he was think'ng, and of her bitter disappointment when he re- turned, as return he must, with empty hands, Ns } 8 3 ‘ vy S345 4 Dark Durg, the Ishmael of the Hills. Oey ee i : ~ ——— 21 powerless to save her father from his relentless enemies. How would she bear up under the: heavy blow? Would she still prove true to the vows his eager ears had drank in so greedily? Or would she prove truer to what she held her duty than to her love?) Would she sacrifice herself in order to preserve her father? Would—” Thus his thoughts were running riot when he heard the voice of Louis Kuapp ringing out, | stern and menacing: ** Hold up, there! Stop and give an account of yourself!” He lifted his bead and caught sight of a tall, athletic figure advancing toward him, He saw Louis and his mates drawing their pistols and making threatening motions, but the stranger paid them no attention beyond a cold side glance, That brought his profile into view, and Rex Stuart recognized the strange being who had ‘Mow his name and title as Dark Durg, the shmael of the Hills, With a sharp cry the young man rose to his feet, motioning his friends back with one hand as he sprung forward to meet the outlaw. His face was as pale as death, his blue eyes: glowing like balls of living fire, for a sudden suspicion assailed him at the sight of that per- son. And in harsh, menacing tones he spoke: “T see it all, now! You came here before us: and robbed the cache, you infernal scoundrel!” Lark Durg paused with folded arms, a cold smile playing about his thin, compressed lips. \ More than ever did he look the Indian now, with his dress of mingled skins and coa1se cloth, with his long, straight hair, black as mid- night, with his bronzed skin and beardless face. ‘*Tf so, you surely must have noticed some signs ‘of the ground having been prey dis- turbed,” he said, with a sneer that sent the hot blood flashing into the cheeks of the young —— ——_——————————— eee ee ——_ —————<—— ——— a Eee an. ‘** Who is this fellow, and what does he want, crowding in among gentlemen, Rex?” bluntl demanded Knapp, coming up, tiki ar in hand, followed by his mates, equally well armed and ij to the full as suspicious. ‘*One who has a better right to this valle than you, perhaps, my dear sir,’ retorted Dark Durg, turning on the hot-tempered youth with a cold smile. ‘‘I came here to speak with this: entleman. Will you be so kind as to take a. ack seat for a few moments? Then, if you in- sist upon it, I will try and satisfy you to the top of your bent.” | olite enough the words, but there was a cold { insolence in the tone and look with which they } were accompanied that set Knapp’s blood to: . boiling, and only the prompt interference of Rex Stuart prevented a conflict then and there. He caught Louis by the arm, saying: | ‘**Oblige me, mate, and step a little aside with | our friends. I, too, wish to have a few words | with this friend.” ‘*Of course, if you ask it,” muttered Knapp, though with a sorry grace, despite his words, ; . eo = ‘* But all the same I’m going to keep an eye on the fellow, and if. he makes a crooked move— well, I wouldn’t give a counterfeit cent for his: lease of life after!” ‘ If Dark Durg heerd this pointed threat, his. . face gave no sign. He still stood with folded ' arms, that cold, sneering smile playing about his: i thin lips. Nor did he offer to speak even when | the three men had drawn back to the pit from whence they had torn the bogus treasure. ‘Will you explain, sir?’ sharply uttered Stuart, after a brief pause. qi ‘* What particular point, if I may ask?” ‘You heard what that felow—what Hum y, Dick told me. You saw him give me this rit * oe it from his bosom and striking it angrily with his finger, his eyes flashing. ‘ You heard him say that it would lead me to a rich treas- ure. And he said thatif I needed any more information, you could supply it.” { ** You came, and you discovered?” smiled Dark | oor * t the treasure wasafraud! Thatinstead of gold, there was nothing more valuable than pebbles and sand!” swiftly replied Stuart. ‘‘And you accuse me of being beforehand © with you? Of robbing the cache, and then add- ing insult to injury by refilling the bags with sand and bits of rock? Rex Stuart hesitated, his pale cheeks flushing a little under thatkeen gaze. Such had beenhis | first thought when he caught sight of the outlaw approaching, but now he remembered what they had remarked upon before unearthing the first bag: that the earth was firmly packed, and evi- dently had not been disturbed below the surface i for years. “ T thought so at first, but I begin to think I may have wronged you, as to that,” he slowly replied. i .—— | | | | . ‘That makes ample amends for your charge, ' aud we will drop that part of the matter, if you _ please,” said Dark Durg, with a slight inclina- | tion of his head. ‘In return, I wiil be equally | as - gs I knew that you would find nothing Wy worth the trouble of coming so far as—” } ‘What do you mean by that?’ hoarsely inter- posed Rex, his eyes glowing anew, his hands clinching tightly. : comicbooks:con