Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 394 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

4 : i . . .* ree. ; . pe ae ~~ x os — . . * nak é and oo ee . 4 -* . 26 - = 9 7 —_—— =P tomgm 6 +. eee = en oe 7 White Beaver, the Exile of the Platte. TS FO ope s - 5 r y . . en a ¢ — that he was a foe they all stood in great awe of, Wolf Fang at once decided to push on with his captive, and not make another at- tack upon the ranch, especially as he feared that soldiers might be following the scout. As for Night Hawk, he took his capture ‘He likes the Night Hawk, for he knows he is a great warrior.” “The liking is not mutual.” “The Wolf Fang says,” continued the old medicine-chief, who did not master half of what Night Hawk said, ‘‘that if the white with a coolness that won the admiration of | chief can beat the fleetest of his young braves the Indians. in the race, he shall have the Red Flower as Speaking their tongue, he taunted them | his squaw.”’ with their flight and their defeat. They stood his jeers in silence, but prom- ised each other “hey would enjoy a good * He is very kind; but if I don’t beat the runners?” ‘The Red Flower will have no love for time with their captive when they reached | him.” 7 their village. What that ‘‘ good time ” was Night Hawk well knew, for he had seen prisoners tortur- ed, and had no reason to believe that they wy, would neglect any art of torturing him which y their devilish natures could invent. He well knew that he would be placed % upon his back upon the ground, lariats tied | to his hands and feet, which would be bat breast to eat down into his heart.* oe Ill fed, cruelly treated, bound so tightly Hawk was hurried on by the Sioux. But he had a nature that did not repine, a _ frame to endure, and a courage to meet all that was heaped upon him in abuse, and not from his lips. 2 On the contrary he laughed at them, jeer- ed them as squaw-warriors, and drove them nearly crazy with his taunts. 4 After days of travel, with little rest at ‘night, the Indians reached their village. Others of the grand party that had started forth to hunt for scalps, plunder and victory, + Way, sothat the village was wild when they | heard the news of the defeat of Wolf Fang, | their great chief. _ Night Hawk being the only pale-face cap- tive, they determined to have a merry time - over his death, that would avenge the dead braves lost far away upon the prairie. » Finding their prisoner's limbs so swollen _ from the tight binding, they determined to _nurse him up into good condition for the time of his execution, for they wanted no sick man on their hands, that could not give them _a grand entertainment. © George Powell was put in the care of the medicine chief to doctor up, and he was fed on the fat of the Indian land, which was slim dict in the way of delicacies, to say the least of it. Ri But he wished to regain his strength, and the full use of his limbs, and so did all he | could to promote this end, One day the medicine-chief informed him \that he was going to be put to the test on the morrow, to see what he could do against the noble Sioux braves. + **Whatam I todo, chief, to prove your warriors are all squaws?” he asked, taunt- ingly. ae, e Phe Night Hawk is fleet of foot, the - pale-faces say?” Yes, I can get over ground pretty lively when encouraged by anything awful behind ” os -_ f “. 2 5, wok ? r d + 7 om .. “ ‘. aa ¢ “ ‘ “The Night Hawk is to race with a num- ber of our fleetest braves. ~~ ** They are to start at one end of the vil- -_ Jage and run through it, around the Medicine Lodge here, and back to the starting-post.” (a “Well, what if I beat the fleet-running braves in the race?” “The Night Hawk is a great white chief.” “And you are a great old villian,” said . Night Hawk. er, ‘*TTe has won the heart of the Red Flower, the sister of Wolf Fang.” “©You don’t mean it?” ———-—- * Phe medicine-chief speaks true.” ms) ** The first time you ever struck the truth, ~— then.” AB ° . |. The Red Flower wishes to marry the ‘Night Hawk.” __-- ** She sends a healthy old sinner to tell me Z ; - * The Bed Flower can marry only a great Chief,” ae: And I hope she will.” **But she wants the pale-face chief, and asked her brother for him.” ~~ ** And what did Wolf Fang say?” bie, -—----- fi 4 ‘< *A common mode of torturing prisoners among a the Sioux.—T# AvTHor.’' d ’ ai ¥ F me. ~ i | ‘Is that all?” ‘The Night Hawk will be given to the squaws and pappooses to torture to death.”’ ‘‘l’ll make a run for the Red Flower, chief,” was the reply of Night Hawk, and he , at once began to train, by walking up and down the prison tepee to get exercise, not so much to gain a red bride, as to escape the old hags that he knew would worry him | ' ' stretched apart, and then fires built upon his | like a pack of coyotes woculd a wounded deer. The following afternoon Night Hawk was that the bonds gave him great pain, Night | led from the tepee, to find the Indians revel- ing in anticipated sport. te was led to the further end of the vil- lage, and the Red Flower herself told him of | her wish to become his wife, and pointed out -_ once did the red-skins hear a groan or a sigh | the course he was to run, which was over a mile in distance, the turning point being the Medicine Lodge beyond the other tepees, and situated upon a ridge that looked down upon the other Indian town. The Red Flower was pretty for an Indian, but would have been very homely for a pale- face maiden; but the old hags of squaws had come in, and a few more were on the | | | | | | | ——_—_—_—_—_———————___—_—_———— lV rrr Om eee ee a seen = bad _ were homelier, and their fingers seemed to itch to get hold of the white captive. There were over a score of runners, tall, gaunt young braves, that looked as though they could run like deer, and Night Hawk, though remarkably fleet of foot, felt the chances greatly against him. At the word they all bounded away, and, until the white man got limbered up, the red-skins led him; but then he warmed to | his work and fairly flew past one after the other of the red-skins until, as they neared the tepee around which they were to turn, only five led him. : Suddenly, as Night Hawk had almost reached the Medicine Lodge, a horseman dashed over the ridge, leading another horse by a lariat. -Then there came a couple of shots, two warriors ahead of Night Hawk dropped dead, and the others, unarmed as they were, turned in wild fright and flight, as Broncho Billy dashed up and shouted: ‘Mount this horse, George, while I stir up those fellows with a few shots!” With a bound Night Hawk was in the empty saddle, and with shouts of triumph the two brothers dashed back over the ridge, leaving the Indians in the village wild with rage, and the braves yelling in their frenzy, as they rushed for their ponies to repel an at- tack of the whites, whom they believed to be about to rush upon them in large force, ‘Will, my noble brotber, you have saved me from death, or marriage,” cried George Powell, as he rode by the side of his brother and grasped his hand. ‘“ And God knows which is to be the most dreaded, George,” laughed Will Powell. ‘*You will have your joke, Will; but who are with you?” ‘These two horses.” ‘What! you came alone?” ‘“‘T have a couple of more good ponies staked out about twenty miles from here, and thirty miles further on there are three more, so 1 think we can break down any In- dian horseflesh that comes in pursuit.” ‘Will, you planned this well, and Heaven bless you; but it was just like you.” ‘“‘Yes, and after we get a day’s rest at Monkton’s Ranch, it must be just like us both to get Frank out of his scrape.” ‘True, and that is why | sent for you when I got into a trap myself; but yonder | come the red-skins.”’ ‘* Yes, but they ll come a little slow until they see we have no other aid near; but I’ve ot the horseflesh to distance them, and we'll oO it.” And Broncho Will’s words came true, for the relay of horses were found, staked out as he had jeft them, and they were thus enabled to drop the Indians rapidly in the race for Pres life, and reach Monkton Ranch in safety, where, after several days’ rest, they both set forth to rescue their brother Frank, and with a result already known to the reader, CHAPTER LII. IN LOVE’S FETTERS. | Tue welcome of Frank Powell and Night Hawk back to the fort, along with their bro- ther, was a grand one, and certainly the ar- rival most unexpected, for the soldiers had almost given up hope of seeing the popular ' surgeon aud chief of scouts again at their posts of duty. Broncho Bill was by no means unknown at the fort, for he had on several occasions visited his brothers there, joining them in their scouts and bunts, and in that way had learned much of the country. His genial disposition and free and eas manner had made him a favorite with all, and now, having been the rescuer of one _ brother, and with him gone to the rescue of the other, he became a hero of heroes, and | wore his honors lightly. | | | The adventures of the surgeon, the captiv- ity of the scout, and the perils of Broncho Bill in going to their rescue were told over and over again, and the officers decided to get up an entertainment in their honor, sending out invitations to the bold rancheros who dwelt in that dangerous locality within fifty miles around, Of course Major Monkton was invited, a » | coy of young officers, with Lieutenant Ames ‘at their head, riding over to Prairie Rest Ranch to deliver the invitation. | The evening of the entertainment rolled round, and the fort was ablaze with light, and the half-score of ladies present found | themselves belles amid a hundred gallants. | But Janette, sad-eyed, beautiful, and a ‘heroine, carried off the honors, and won the | devoted admiration of all, though it was very evident that the ‘‘star of her destiny” was Surgeon Frank Powell, for toward him her anner was more tender and confiding than it was even to Major Monkton, her adopted _ father. | All noticed this, and predicted that the be- witching girl would win the surgeon's heart, as he had hers, and it caused many real heart- aches among the young officers, who, how- ever, could not but admit that Frank Powell had the prior claim, if any one had. Some joked George and Will Powell abou | aoe cut out by the Doctor. and the former | said: ‘‘Oh, you know Frank is a surgeon and knows just where the weak poiuts of a wo- man’s anatomy lie, and he has won her love, and I do not wonder at it, for he’s a noble fellow, if a brother does say so, and deserves all the joy he can reap in this world.” 7 ae for Will Powell, he laughed lightly and said: | Tam glad Frank has won her, for it will _ keep me from breaking my heart over the lit- | tle witch, and she'll be my sister, anyhow. | ‘**T can love harder than a government mule can kick, but I am too well acquainted with myself to marry just now and make a wo- | man wretched; but the girls who marry my brothers will capture boranzas of solid ' worth.” | And all this time neither Frank Powell or Janette had spoken one word of love, the one | to the other; but the heart spoke through the ‘eyes of both, and in that silent confession each seemed happy. : The next day after the entertainment Frank Powell and his brothers went along with Major Monkton and Janette as an extra es- cort. for thére were rumors that the Red An- gels were again on the rampage, and a train had been attacked by them on the South Platte, its defenders driven off, and robbed. ‘*T wish, Powell, you and your two bro- thers woald take a little scout around and see what Captain Kit is up to,” Major Ben- teen had said to Frank Powell, and thus it was that the three brothers had gone with | the party to Prairie Rest Ranch. ° As they came in sight of the ranch there was a large trail discovered, as though a | party of horsemefi had passed along there under cover of the darkness. Interested in examining it, the men halt- ed, while Janette said that she would gallo onto the ranch and order supper for the guests, f comicbooks — » ay.28- ~ tc" (co) ee NS en ee eS ~~ y