Beadle's Dime Library No. 411: The White Crook — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

mm, el vet : Ca oe ' ; he ~ Sen "Elton my ; . , : , RPE ‘ The White Crook. 15 they dared, and fire at the loopholes in the doors anda windows. Oe This style of warfare seldom elicited any reply, as Hark Sarpy had instructed the de- fenders of Bella Vista to be careful of their am- munition and not to fire unless they saw a good chance for an effective shot, and such chances were quite infrequent. abe As night increased, caution prevailed within the stone house, and to every white man was assigned his post of observation and defense. This caution was the more necessary as the night proved to be so dark that objects at the distance of more than a hundred yards could be but dimly discerned. Yet it became evident, as the night deepened | and darkened, that the Apaches were preparing tor some important movement. | Hark Sarpy and Shawnee Jim, both of whom seemed to be able to see in the darkness nearly as —— oe ee As soon as this work had been onongly done, the shutter was replaced, and the white men congratulated themselves upon having so easily defeated the supreme effort of their ene- mies. The Apaches were far from being so well pleased. When the hay ceased to blaze, they set up a how]! of rage and disappointment, and “caer 4 sent a shower of bullets at the house, by whic nobody was hurt. When they perceived that their three com- rades did not return to them, they doubtless realized the fact that their grand attempt had resulted in a disastrous failure. It must have increased their chagrin to know that the people in the house had an abundant supply of water, though they had worked so hard to deprive them of that useful element.- At all events, they were so far discouraged, well asin the daylight, declared that the sav- | that they made no further attempt upon the ages were busy in an few shots were sent in that direction, but with- out seriously annoying them. In the house few lights were allowed, and those were burned low and under cover, so that the loopholes should not be illurainated, as in the event of an attack the enemy would be sure | | , morning of the next day, and the white people | had such an easy time that they were induced to to aim at the lighted apertures. After closely watching the proceedings outside fora while, Sarpy gave a significant order. He directed that the largest vessels in the house should be filled with water and placed near the winduw on the second floor, that was | directly over the front door. Then it was understood that the enemy meant to make an attempt to fire the house. Of course the stone walls were safe against any such attempt; but the veranda was of wood, and if that could be burned, together wita the front door, and perhaps a window or so. the Apaches might be able to profit by their numerical advantage. This undertaking was begun by a scattered but simultaneous advance on all sides of the house, but especially a‘ the front, which was hay to the house started to run as soon as they had set fire to it, darting and leaping about as gain and again the cavalry bugle sounded, | came to an opening in the bills at the left, which they ran, in the hope of escaping the bullets of making it plain that the troops were consider- | he entered. he {ait es Atersarion ing the situation and trying to find out what; Then his sense of sightcameintoplay,as he In this hope they were grievously disap- | was the matter; but Hark Sarpy declared that | perceived the light of a small fireashort dis = pointed. he expected no assistance from that quarter. tance up the little glen. | viens. There were two of them left, as it proved, and | | ‘* The house,” he said, “is quite out of sight | He went forward boldly until he was near | they were both shot down before they had got a | from any portion of the valley, and the soldiers | enough to observe the camp by the firelight and t ae dozen yards from the house, This was not the only hope of the savage foe that was doomed to disappointment. Hardly had the runners dropped in their tracks, when the attempted co tion came to a sudden end, , The portion of the veranda roof over the front door jutted out from just above the second story window, leaving a clear space. between that window and the burning hay. ; uickly the heavy shutter was taken down, a all the vessels of water that had been pre- about the stable, and a | house that night, and its defenders, dividing themselves into watches, rested peacefully until morning. CHAPTER XXTI. A SKILLFUL SCOUT. NoTHING of interest occurred during the lieve that their enemies would abandon the siege. The Apaches kept themselves well out of range, and were evidently at a loss to decide what they should do, holding several consulta- tions which seemed to result in nothing. Although Bella Vista was so high and ovt of the way, that nothing that went on there would be likely to be discovered by any passers-by in the valley or elsewhere, a the country was raised by the outbreak, and the Apaches on the plateau knew that they would be better off with their friends in the Southern Mountains. Shortly after noon something happened that greatly excited the defender of Bella Vista, though its effect upon the besiegers could only to prevent it, have no reason to suppose that there is any sort of a habitation up here. Besides, if they bnew our fix, they would.be unable to get up here un- less we could communicate with them and tell them the way. Even then a couple of men at the cut could keep off a regiment.” These apprehensions proved to be only too well founded. The soldiers halted in the valley nearly two hours, during which time the bugle was sounded occasionally, and more shots were fired from the horse, and the smoke wes kept up; but nothing came of the efforts, —<<<seeemati LLL CLL evV1m"™————— Ne mm — ee FE SU —— — concluded to treat the affair as a conundrum and give it up. The bugle sounded the advance, and its last notes were so faint and far that there could be no doubt of the departure of the soldiers. If any further proof was needed it was fur- nished by the Apache scouts, who returned from the edge of the cliff to the main body. When night came, Manuel had a proposition to offer. Although a daring one, it was practical and was received with favor. He proposed that he should take a coil of light but strong rope, slip through the Apache cordon around the house, and reach the cliff at the southern end of the plateau. Then he would make his line fast, let himself down to the pass where it descended toward the valley, find the Apache camp, steal a horse there, and ride away to seek assistance from the military. This project was quite feasible, as it would be no difficult matter for one man to pass the Apache line in the darkness; but there were two objections to it, neither of which was very strong. One was that Manuel might not be able to find the lower camp at night. Another was that, if he should find it, his hatred of the Apaches was so intense that he might be tempted to try to wipe out a few of | them, and thus make a botch of his mission. Hark Sarpy cautioned him on the latter point, and the Mexican promised that he would re- frain from any attempt at Apache slaughter, and would content himself with taking a horse, ° ‘“*If you get help,” said the leader—*‘ that i when you get help, bring them right here. the Apaches are gone, we will be gone; but you will know how to pick up the trail and fol- low it.” | Manuel slipped out at the back way, and dis- appeared in the darkness, As no shot was heard, and no commotion was perceptible amcug the Apaches, it was supposed at the house tha He followed his nose down the valley until he take note of its occupants. There were three Apaches apparently sleeping pael he 3 there, and a fourth keeping guard. Besides these there were a white man bound and sitting up, and a female who was probably asleep. , The situation was a difficult one, as it was evident that the horses were further up the glen, and that he would be obliged to pass the camp with what might come after it; and the Mexican found no to reach them, This was a small matter, com 4 he had succeeded in getting = ' marked by such rapid and continuous wes | as | be imagined. through safely. . aro | showed that the enemy wefe not afraid of The sound of a bugle was what aroused Hark That was just what he had done. ; ae wasting cartridges. Sarpy and his friends, and it evidently came, His experience among the savages and with ~~ Indeed, the bullets rattled pens the heavy | faint but clear, from the valiey at the foot of the | Hark Sarpy had taught him how tocreepand shutters at such a rate that it was not safe to | cliff. crawl, and be made his way as silently as @ — stand at the loopholes. Ak % There was no question that it was a military | snake through the trees and shrubbery, passing = ~~ The next movement was [Patent and, as | bugle, and that it uttered a military call, mak- | near the dark form of an Apache who was seate — Hark Sarpy said, was probably planned and | ing it clear that a body of cavalry was passing | ed against a tree half-asleep, but without dis- directed by Zeke Stebbins. through the valley. turbing him in the least. ae _ A large quantity of hay had been brought out ‘*Thou art so near, and yet so far!’ wasthe | Thus he reached the southern end of the AS, ‘from the stable, and tied and compressed with | quotation that sprung involuntarily to the lips | plateau, where the cliff was not as high as on eee t ropes that were found there, until it took the | of more than one of the party. the western side, and prepared for bisdescent. ‘ | form of a cumbrous but not unwieldy ball. It was intensely aggravating to know that | Making an end of his rope fast toa tree, he oes f This big ball was carefully navigated to the | friends—powerful and plentiful friends—were at | protec it with a bunch of grass where it — open space in front of the house, when it was ; such a little distance from the besieged house, over the edge, so that it should not be Ka rolled forward by probably three or four sav- | and yet its inmates were unable to communicate | liable to be cut by the rock. ith ages, who were of course concealed and pro- | with them or convey to them any sort of infor- Then he strapped his rifle upon his back and — tre tected by its bulk. mation of their condition. let himself down. Te _ As it approached the house, the white men Of course it would not do to let the soldiers go As the cliff at that point was not asheer per=- sought to shoot down those tumblebugs of a | by without making an effort to attract their at- | pendicular, he was obliged to use his feet as new style, and did fire a few shots, but without | tention, and three shots in succession were fired | well as his hands, with the additional danger — see any appreciable effect, as the ball kept advanc- | from the house, that the rope might be frayed by jutting points ing toward the front door. The Apaches kept remarkably quiet, as they | of rock; but he reached the bottom safely,and | ow the tumblebugs were to get away after | also had heard thecavalry bugle and knew what | when he was once in the pass he knew just what firing the mass was not apparent, unless they | it meant. to do, ae , expected to escape under cover of the excite- Naturally they were unwilling to make their | The only possible difficulty at that stage of ment and confusion caused by the conflagra- | presence on the plateau known to their enemies | the game would be the chance meeting with tion. in the valley. some Apache in the pass,and if thatshou'dhap- = But Hark Sarpy was determined that there From the top of the house scouts could be | pen he was determined thatit would be badfor should be no excitement, and he had men sta- | seen cautiously approaching the edge of the cliff | the Apache. Se tioned at the water receptacles toextinguish the | and peering over to watch the movements of the He met no living creature as he descended the = flames, as well as those who were to fire on the | troops. pase to its entrance at the valley, where he se6 sneaking foe. The white men wished that they could do the | his wits at work to discover the location of the So the ball of hay was rolled to the house, and, | same; but the house was so surrounded that it | lower Apache camp, as it was quite certain that by a vigorous boost, was bounced up on the would have been worse than useless to make the | they had one down there. ‘ot veranda against the front door. | attempt. | Manuel prided himself upon the ability of his That effort was fatal to one of the boosters, As the bugle sounded again, it was thought | nose, in spite of the fact that ithad been cure = who was stretched lifeless by a bullet from the | that the soldiers had been attracted by the shots, | tailed of its fair proportions. aye,: rifle of Manuel, who was posted at the edge of | but it was not to be supposed that their meaning It was perhaps true, as he often asserted, the roof. had been understood. that he could smell Apaches if they were =~ Fire was at once applied to the hay by the | More shots were fired, and aneffort of another | anywhere in his vicmity, and he was quite sure — crouching Apaches, and immediately the flames | sort was made as soon as possible. that he could smell smoke at a considerable and smoke began to rise. A large iron vessel was carried up onthe roof, | distance, unless the wind took it away from Hark Sarpy allowed the fire to get a good and a fire was built in it, and when the blaze was | him. ine start, as the light would be useful to his marks- | fairly started, some rubbish was thrown on to The savages must be supposed to have hada men, make a smoke. fire at their camp, if it was not then burning, They used it to good purpose. Though this proceeding was doubtless highly | and his organ of smell soon discovered the pres~ The enterprising Apaches who had brought | objectionable to the Apaches, they were unable | ence of smoke in the air. i, . 4 tanga - aS? i. e ae Mad - a 6 ; 2, a —s » ¥ - « red for the purpose were emptied out, speedi- | special difficultyin flanking the comp as hewas ip Bs) fy. epingming the flames. _ At last it appeared that the men in blue had ' as quiet as a cat, and the light of the fire deep- “sae Jy 2 PGI ee Se ig NM A Recs Ni “COMIEDOOKS. con