Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 414 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

ze ‘*T’'m glad the Bravo has gone, for he was a terror.” ‘‘ And he means mischief, you bet, for look yonder!” cried Slouchy Sam, and he pointed to a distant hill upon which the Bravo had halted, and now sat on his horse, shaking his fist at the little group of miners. Having thus shown his hatred toward his former comrades, Buck Bradley turned and rode on directly toward the Death Mountains against which he had been warned by Red Renard. But the Bravo seemed familiar with the trail, for he did not hesitate, and turning into a rocky deer-path soon came to a foaming torrent that dashed along at a terrific pace between its pre- cipitous banks, and with a deafening roar hur!l- ing its volumes of water,over a fall not very far distant. Across this surging torrent a rude bridge of =x,“ had been built. t consisted of three long trees, projecting from one shore, or cliff, to the other. The weight of the heavy ends had enabled the smaller ends to be pushed to a support on the opposite cliff, and the tops were hewn off so as to make a surer footing, wile a hand-rail, frail in the extreme, ran along each side. With ropes and braces the logs had been made quite firm, so that the fragile-looking bridge bore the weight of the Bravo and his horse with- out any danger of precipitating them into the ing stream beneath them. t was very evident that the Bravo had cross- ed that bridge before, as he showed no hesitancy in doing so. Reaching the other side he stopped suddenly, stood an instant as though in thought, and then hissed forth: ‘‘Curse them! I'll do it, for some of them will die, and that man may be one.” Turning to his saddle, he took from the skirt a small hand-saw, and with this in his hand he retraced his way on foot one-third the length of the bridge. Then lying down flat upon his face, he reach- «d under the bridge and began his deadly work, It was slow, tedious; but revenge urged him on, and at length he had sawed the three logs to within a short space of the top. Over his work, to hide it, he arranged the bark, and then walked back to the bank where he had left his horse. The logs swerved beneath his weight, and he hastened off of them, and mounting his horse rode on his way, his face full of devilish delight, while he laughed in a bitter way as he thought of his revenge on some of the party back on the trai], and perhaps on King Kendall himself. Hardly had he disappeared from sight in a distant thicket, when a horseman approached, ~ slowly following his trail. - It was Red Renard, the Lone Sioux. Reaching the little bridge, he had boldly rid- den upon it, and after a few lengths a crackling sound was heard, then a crash, and the Indian and his pony were hurled into the raging torrent below. That Red Renard knew his danger there was no doubt, for when he arose above the flood his first glance was toward the falls. His pony was driving along at a furious pace, some twenty feet below him, and struggling hard in the mad waters, With Herculean strength the Indian strove to reach the bank nearest to him, though it was but a wall of rock. But in vain his skill as a swimmer—in vain his strength and endurance, The mad torrent bore him along with the speed of a race-horse straight for the falls which his pony was nearing with frightful rapidity, and at the same time shrieking with terror as only a horse can shriek in moments of The face of Red Renard was calm and fearless, for he would meet. boldly the death he could not avert. ; But suddenly up to the edge of the cliff dash- ed a horse and rider. - The animal had been reined back suddenly, and the rider had come to see from whence came those terrified screams. The rider was a young girl and her face paled as her eyes fell first upon the struggling pony and then upon the Indian. She was dressed in a pias Terps in of buckskin, wore a slouch sombrero, and her skin was darkly bronzed; but her face was beautiful, and that she a fearless and resolute nature her actions at once demonstrated. The moment she beheld the Indian her right hand sought her saddle-horn, and then it was waved around her head, swinging a coiled Urgin horse forward into a run she ined the position she sought, and then boldly apaliod the coil, the well-trained animal at the same moment dropping back upon his haunches bracing hi f to meet the shock, should the lariat not fail. As the noose left her hand the maiden cried, in fervent tones: “ “ guide my lariat, for if it misses he is her. eee cs CHAPTER V. RED RENARD’S RESCUE, RED RENARD, the Sioux miner, had been in many a deadly peril in his life, and there had been chances in favor of his death a hundred to one; but he had never given up hope but once, and that was when he saw the falls within a few yards of him, and his pony going over them with an appalling cry of terror. That any human agency could save him then he did not believe, and, with a calmness that showed his fearless nature, he resigned bimself to death, his eyes instinctively raised to the bright blue skies above, as though to trace out the trail his spirit must take upon its way to the happy bunting-grounds. here was much that Red Renard had meant to accomplish, there was much in his life that he had left undone; but death waits for no man, be his skin white, black, or red, and he felt that the moment had come when he must die, die by be- ing hurled among the wild waters, hundreds of feet to the rocks below. An instant he closed his eyes, and when he opened them he almost felt that he had passed into tae Great Beyond. But no, the roar of the falling waters yet filled his ears, the sunlight yet tinged the tree- tops, the mad torrent still swept him along with lightning speed, the blue skies seemed as far off as before, and a glance showed him his pony on the very verge of death. But his eyes also fell upon objects that seemed to have ee as if by magic. It was the young girl and her pony, whose nerve and daring had determined her upon res- cuing the drowning Indian. He saw her seize her lasso from the saddle- horn, urge her pony to a run until she was near enough to throw it, and then he watched the coil as it came whizzing toward him. An instant of dread suspense, and it came above him, having been surely aimed, and grasp- ing it with a grip like an iron vise, he awaited the shock that must follow. Would the lariat part in twain? Would the pony hold firm against the strain? These questions flitted through his mind, and then followed one awful second of suspense, and the shock came. It caused the lariat to cut blisters upon his flesh, but it held firm, and the little pony never wavered, while from the lips of the maiden came the fervent words: ‘* God above, I thank Thee!” Instantly the Indian began to aid himself, drawing himself through the waters hand over hand by the lariat. His palms were blistered, for now and then the surging waters drove him back a few feet in spite of his giant efforts; but at last the steep cliff wa3 reached. ‘* Hold firm, while I dismount and aid yeu!” cried the girl, and with a word of warning to her noble horse, she slipped from her saddle, and teking her sombrero from her head, placed it at the ide of the cliff under the rope to prevent the strands from cutting on the sharp rocks. ‘‘Now can you come up?’ she cried to Red Renard, still clinging below. ‘Yes; me come, t’ank you,” was the answer, in the deep tones of the Indian, and he began to climb the lariat. Braci herself, the maiden cxtended her hand, and grasped that of the Indian, all bleed- se Ser blistered as it was. nother instant and the chief stood by her side, dripping but still dignified and calm, while he g upon his observer with a look of devout admiration. He said nothing, on gazing in seemin speechless yratitude, and his look expressed vol- umes, Under it the young girl w nervous, and broke the spell with: FOr eS ** Will you come to my father’s house and rest after your struggle with the waters?” ‘*No; me go to my own camp: but me t’ank pale-face lady, and Renard be her friend. ‘He twice to-day nearly die, and two times been saved, so he have two pale-face friends he won't forget. ‘ Goo’-by.” Without another word he turned and stalked away, taking a deer-path running along the bank of the stream, and seemingly leading to the valley far below. In amazement the young girl gazed after him, and then, with a sigh, coiled up her lariat, re- laced her sombrero upon her haughty young ead, and springing lightly into her saddle started to ride away, when suddenly she saw a horseman ride out of the thicket right upon her: She was quick enough to see that he was lean- ing over in his saddle, evidently following some trail, and that he had not discovered her, so, with a lightning-like movement she drew a revolver from her belt, and leveling it full at him, cried ina bts Dew threatening voice: ‘* Halt! hands up, or die!” CHAPTER VI. A STRANGE GIRL. ‘* Gosh alive! I am ketched, and by a “‘ Who is yer, leetle one 7, SR Red Renard, the Indian Detective. ae ae ee The speaker was Buck the Bravo. He certainly was wholly taken aback, and, though a little hand held the revolver pointed at him, he saw that there was not the slightest tremor in it, and that the aim was sure for his heart. He had gone on his way, after his fiendish work of cutting the bridge, until he came up- on a trail that attracted his attention. It was of a single horse, and the animal was E freshly shod, as his experienced eye told him. The trail was not an hour old he well knew and he determined to see who had made it. He was aware that he was in a very dan gerous locality, for the vicinity of the range the miners called the Death Mountains, was infested with roving bands of Indians, and an outlaw band, known as the Gold Buzzards, were said to have their haunt there, where they could retreat, after committing depredations upon the mining-camps and Overland trails, without fear of pursuit. Strange stories were told of the Death Moun- tains, for it was said they were rich in gold veins, and yet, that whoever had there sought 40 dig the precious yellow metal had lost their ves. Also, men said, that the spirits of those lost in. the search for gold among the fated hills, guard- ed the mines, Now, Buck the Bravo had struck a trail com- ing right out of the mountains, and he was de- termined to follow it. His desire for revenge was forgotten in his: hope of finding one who might perchance know of the lost gold mine, and he struck off in pur- suit most eagerly. So eagerly, in fact, did he pursue the trail, that he rode out of the thick timber directly up- on the muzzle of a revolver, held by the one whom he followed. It was no wonder then that he was takem aback, and more so, even, to see a woman in that wild, weird land. A woman, no! but a young and beautiful girl, and yet one who had it in her face to carry out her threat and kill him, if his bands were not put up at her waectme. ° ‘‘Tt matters not who J am; but who are you, is the question?” came the calm response of the maiden, ‘“‘That is soon told, for I’m a gold-hunter, heading for the Fatal Hills, where I am told there is rich boodle, while, if you wants my name, it is Buck Bradley in these parts, what- ever it might ha’ been whar I come from.” ‘* Well, Pard Buck Bradley, gold-hunter at large, do you see that trail?’ and the young girl pointed to the trail leading along the stream. ** I does.” ‘“Well, my advice to you is to strike it with all haste, and to follow it with all speed away from the vicinity of the Death Moun- tains.” ‘* Who says so, leetle gal?” eT do.” **T guess I can live whar a gal can,” he said, doggedly. ‘*T think otherwise, and am so sure of it that, Till prove it to you if you do not obey me!’ ‘‘The bridge is bu’sted across the stream.” ‘* Ah! how know you that?” she said, quickly. ‘“‘T comed that way.” ‘‘ How did you cross this torrent on a broken bridge?” She saw him change color, and added, th ‘* Was any one on your trail?” ‘*There might have been.” ‘“‘ Aha! I see it all: you were pursued and cut the bridge to destroy your pursuer; but you did not succeed !” The man started, and asked ace “ Alas you seen any one on my trail?” **T have.” ‘‘ Who were they?” ‘“You should know, so why ask?” was the quiet response. s Yes, I knows, and I don’t want to meet erm. “That is your lookout; but come, leave this side of the stream, and quickly.” ‘‘ How can I, with the bridge gone?” ‘* You must find a way, for you doubtless have been here before.” ‘‘T prefers to stay here.” ‘Well, you can stay here dead, or depart and. ve, ‘Take your choice.” The man saw that he had one to deal with that would stand no trifling. He still sat upon his horse, his hands raised above his head as he had thrown them up at her first command, and he felt that to disobey would. be to bring a shot. He would not fire upon the girl if he could, for he wished to know who she was and what she was doing in that wild country. To do this he had but one course to pursue, and that was to depart, or at least to pretend to do so, and he said: e Well, leetle gal, you has the drop on me, and the look to use it. so I caves and travels, ‘“‘If you sees any one looking fer Buck. Eomicbooks ‘? po ih ah orth (E()