Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 414 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

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The young miner had now Grawn his re- ~volvers, and though the vailed woman still clung to him with a despairing energy, he -opened fire from the windows upon the near- vest horseman. The result was that a rider tumbled from his saddle, and a second shot brought down a horse. At the same moment Red Renard drew near, and, with a mighty leap, sprung to the box of the stage-coach, at the same ‘time uttering one of his wild and ringing war-cries. ‘Drive on, pard! Lay on your whip, sand I'll keep them at bay!” shouted King Kendall. But, as he spoke, the coach started off with a bound, and Ked Renard called out: ‘*Stage man dead; me drive quick!” It was not a pleasant sensation for King Kendall, or the vailed woman either, to feel that the only one on the box was an Indian. He might be a brave man, a_ superb |. trailer, a dead shot, and unsurpassed rider; ‘but when it came to a red-skin holding ‘the ribbons over six-in-hand, it was another thing. - The road was a dangerous one, King Ken- -dall knew, for he had been over it. The horses were wild, and for the reins to ‘be in the hands of an Indian, untutored in driving, it looked bad for the whole outfit, and King Kendall intended to scramble on top and himseif take the ribbons. But this he could not just then do, for right at the rear of the coach appeared a _ horseman, whirling a lariat with the inten- _ tion to catch the horses. Instantly King Kendall fired, and the man ~went beadlong to the ground. But others were at hand, and they kept ‘the young miner busy. A hot fusilade was now begun upon the coach, and, as the horses seemed to be kept ‘jin the road, King Kendall devoted himself to beating off the Gold Buzzards, who were urged hard in chase, astily raising the cushions, he somewhat rudely placed the vailed woman in a heap ‘upon the front seat, and piled them up about her as a protection, for now and then a bullet crashed through the coach. ‘‘Sit there!” he said, in an authoritative tone. | ‘*T will, if you do not attempt to leave the coach,” was the hoarse reply. ‘*T will not— Ha! we turned that curve _ well—yes, by Heaven! that Indian knows ‘how to drive!” he cried, admiringly, as the horses swept around a dangerous curve in _ the trail and then went flying along where ‘the road ran upon a narrow shelf. Satisfied that the man on the box, red-skin though he was, could handle the ribbons -~with skill, King Kendall turned h's attention to beating off the Gold Buzzards. The outlaws were now rushing along at the full speed of their horses, and keeping up a constant fire; but the Indian driver kept the s oach team at a flying pace, wound in and out with skill as the trail ran, and turned the sharp curves in a manner that could not -be surpassed. First from one window and then the other King Kendail fired his revolvers, and seldom - without injury or death to man or horse, so ‘that the Gold Buzzards fought a little shy of crowding too close upon their foe’s deadly ‘weapons. They seemed to expect to see the coach come to grief, or to run the horses down weight they dragged. Also, they tried to shoot the horses, but the Indian, seemingly anticipating this, kept the coach as much as possible as a shield be- tween them. True, several of the horses had been a slightly, but they still held on “well, = — .— “Sy, { Red Renard, the Indian Detective. em ee a = ee ee ee The Gold Buzzards also tried to riddle | and these extended up the mountain-side to the coach with bullets, in hope of killing | a great hight. the daring man who kept them at bay; but there was baggage on behind, the rear wall of the coach was thick, and only now and then did a ball penetrate it, and then did no damage, Suddenly a steep hill appeared in the trail ahead, | | | Springing over on the rock, he looked about for the trail of the red-skin. In that hard, rocky soil none had been left. ‘*By the great sun worshipers! but that Indian is a queer one. ‘The only way for me to catch him is to It was only a few rods to the top, but : kill him,” muttered King Kendall, deeply the ascent was very steep, and the horses were compelled to check their pace in going up. Then the Gold Buzzards dashed up in a mass, and leaning from one window, King Kendall made his revolvers rattle in a lively way, and bring death to the outlaws. But they still pressed nearer, until sud- denly the young miner heard a loud com- raand : ‘Halt all!’ Instantly the Gold Buzzard drew rein, and then King Kendall saw the cause. The vailed woman stood in the road, her face toward the outlaws, her hands raised as though to warn them back. In a moment, when he was leaning out of the window firing, the vailed woman had slipped out of the other door and sprung to the ground, for up the steep hill the coach was necessarily going very slow. King Kendall had twice urged her back, when he saw her rise and look out; but he had not anticipated such an act upon her art. “Hold, chief! The woman has sprung out!” he shouted to Red Renard, at first in- tending to attempt her rescue. But the red-skin seemed to appreciate the utter madness of such an attempt, and drove on again at full speed, when the coach reached the level ground. To the amazement of King Kendall, as he glanced back through the dust and smoke, he saw that the Gold Buzzards did not fol- low further. They had given up the chase. Utterly worn out by his exertions, he sunk upon the back seat to rest, while on the coach sped. For some moments he sat there, and then observed that the horses were slackening their pace. ‘That Indian is the best driver I ever saw. ‘*T thought I could handle the reins well, but L yield the palm to him, for this is no road to drive in a run. ‘*He knows the Gold Buzzards have given it up, and will soon stop for a rest, and then I'll be face to face with the remarkable man. ‘But what on earth caused that vailed woman to do as she did, | wonder? “It seems to me I heard her say some- thing about finding the one she looked for; but in the excitement I did not listen, and thought she was talking from fright. “Can it be possible that she recognized some one among those outlaws? ‘“They certainly stopped at her command —Ah! the Indian is changing rein, and I will get out and join him upon the box.” As he spoke the stage rolled up alongside of a oy 4 rock, which like a cliff overhung the road, and came to a halt. As King Kendall made an effort to open the door, he saw something flit over his head, and just caught sight of Red Renard as he sprung to the rock from the top of the stage-coach. e did not understand the motive, and Aastily tried to open the door, but the coach was too near the rock, and he went to the other side. The handle of this door had been broken off by a bullet, and he had some little diffi- culty in getting out. But at last he sprung to the ground. The Indian was nowhere visible. The horses had been stopped by the rock, and stood panting and covered with foam after their hard run. Springing upon the box, King Kendall saw that the brake was on full, and the reins had been neatly turned around one of the lamps. Standing up, he marked the leap which the Indian had made upon the rock. He hallooed, but no answer came. He called him by name, but got no re- sponse, | Above the rock grew a thicket of pines, , disappointed at the flight of the red skin. “Well,” he continued, springing back upon the box of the stage coach, *‘this is a predicament to be caught in. ‘* A coach-and-six, no passengers, and I te be the driver. ‘* Well, it goes through to Fairy City, and I will look into the pockets of the dead driver for instructions.” He turned as he spoke to poor Hickory, when he was surprised to see the eyes of the supposed dead man fastened upon him. ‘* Pard, I hain’t in the least dead yit,” was the low reply of Old Hickory. ‘‘My poor fellow, | deemed you dead; but what can I do for you?” asked King Kendall, kindly, bending over the wounded man, who was gasping for breath, a bullet- wound being in his throat. ‘‘Pard, | are a goner, and I knows it; but Lordy! didn t thet wild Injun make thet old huss hum?’ and a smile came upon the pallid face. ‘‘He are ther best driver I ever seen draw ther ribbons, and he slung my cld carkiss on top, so as | wouldn’t fall off, for he believed me dead, and I jist lay a-watchin’ him. ‘He handled them ribbons beautiful, and played ther silk onter ther ponies in a way thet made ‘em fly. ‘But then he hauled up and skipped without a word, and here we is.” ‘Yes; but let me see your wound, for perhaps—”’ ‘*Pard, ’tain’t no use, and thar are no pre- haps fer me. ‘“T is a goner, and I knows it, so you'll hev to run the old huss inter Fairy City, and tell ’em when yer gits back ter Bonanza City that 1 died at my post—hark! doesn't yer hear hoofs a-comin?”’ ‘‘By Heaven! you are right, and we are to have more music,” cried King Kendall, as he took up his rifle and prepared for deadly work. CHAPTER XXXIX. THE DEATH BY THE ROADSIDE. WueEN the dying driver, for Old Hickory had indeed received his death-wound, heard the sound of hoof-falls, and King Kendail stood on his guard, still mounted upon the box of the stage coach, both expected a re- turn of the Gold Buzzards. The young miner determined to await the nearer approach of the horsemen, and if they proved to be the Gold Buzzards, he would start the team in full flight again, and, with the rest which they had, he hoped he could keep ahead of the outlaws, especially as they would have quite a long start from the time they appeared in sight. If they came from the opposite direction, of course he could not turn the coach around in that narrow road, and so must fight it out at bay. ‘“They seems ter be comin’ down ther trail, pard,” said Old Hickory, whose ears were by no means yet dulled in their hearing by the approach of death. ‘* Yes, they come on the trail from Fairy City; but we will have to face them, be they who they may.” ‘*You will, pard, and :f you do half what yer did ter-day, thar’ll be howlin’ in ther camp. Nty Lordy! but I never seen jist two sich pilgrims as you an’ thet Injun is. ‘“* Pard, id am slippin’ away from ’arth rather lively, and I hev a word ter say. ‘*T hev ae a bad man in my way, but I hes hed much ter put me out with human natur’, ‘‘T expected I'd be kilt some day in a row, and I are glad ter hev it said I died doin’ of my duty.” ‘You did, indeed, old man,” earnestly said or Kendall, his eyes upon the bend in the road. ‘‘T hed it said ter me by my side-pard, Slippery Jim, ter rob ther coach, ef I got ter drive it, and he'd help me; but I told him I Eomichbooks i * Cc Sas ; whe . - a ee a vy ae % .