Beadle's Dime Library No. 417: Tucson Tom — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

; em ag * ment Tucson Tom, the Bowie Bravo. ‘ 11 heme ia their fortifie? town in the moun- tains whoily against her will. This being the case they were not apt to secure her in any way. Having finirhed reloading his weapons, the Texan considesed whac next he should do. He decided to advance. The Indians had made no move to leave the spot, nor was there any pursuit institu- ted. Evidently they had seen quite enough of the pale rider on the yellow horse, and hoped he would not cease his mad flight until he had gained the settlement. Tkey knew not the Bowie Bravo. He was willing to risk his life again in the future as he had in the past, for the fair oung Frincess of the Sun who had stolen his aart and who seemed to possess besides some mysterious influence over him. Nct long in making up his mind, Tucson Tom staked the piebald mustang as best he cculd, hoping to find him again should he have need of the animal’s services. Then, mounted on Buckskin he set about retracing his course. This was a comparatively easy matter. The Indians had entered the grove and proceeded to make merry over the retaking of the young Princess of the Sun. Already a fire had been started. As Tucson Tom drew near he could see them carrying ir. the dead and wounded. It would not dc to go nearer on horse- back. Thus far his approach had been quiet and without noise, but the Indians must surely have posted vedettes, and unless he was ex- ceedingly careful, the report of a gun, and the cutting of @ leaden messenger through muscle and sinew would be his first intima- tion of danger. He left Buckskir alone, unfettered. The norse would not stray from the spot and at the first signal from him would gallop to his side like the wind. He now approached the grove on foot. As he drew nearer his caution increased ana it was nov misplaced, for presently he saw the figure of an Indian vedettes. The man was outlined against the sky. Remembering how he had been able to see the man-wolf as it crawled toward him, Tom dia not try tc pass the vedette until he had given him a wide berth. He managed to reach the trees at last. The shelter bere was sparse, but by keep- ing tc acertain side he could creep forward unaei the bushes unobserved. What were the Apaches about to do? He saw them about the fire, and it was not long before his eyes fell upon Dancing Feather, seated just where she had been sleeping wken the alarm came. How different must be her feelings. She strove to control herself so that the Indians couid read nothing from her face. és This was rare diplomacy. She had been instructed by her lover as to the course to pursue in the event of capture. When the ranger’s eyes rested upon the long line of dead and wounded he felt a sav- age thrill of satisfaction at his work. Unless he could effect the rescue of Mabel by scme cunning trick, he meant to increase the length of that line ere he was done with it The Indians were going through some sort of ceremony, and when Tom saw a rudely painted representation of the sun on a piece of dressed skin, he realized that they were doing some religious ceremcny. He tried to count them. Thanks to the execution he had already done among them their numbers were few. By degrees the spirits of Tucson Tom, which bad fallen to zero, began to revive. With each eersy | moment he saw a new and bette: prospect for a rescue. He lay there like a stone as time passed on, Waiting for the Indians to grow weary and seek rest in slumber. This they were slow in doing. One by one however they lay down after wrapping themselves in their blankets, and soon their stentorian breathing announced that they were in the clutches of the dream. od, % By this time the ranger was growing more _ dkap a trifle uneasy. What meant this? Was it imagination or did he really see objects around him much better than a short time previous? He knit his brows, and then as he made a certain discovery started as though he had been made the recipient of an electric shock. Dawn was approaching! When he was aroused by the snorting of the faithful Buckskin he had believed that the hour was about midnight, but now he en that it must have been some time ater, There was no gainsaying the fact—the bray dawn was at hand. o delay longer wouid be fatal to all his plans. Prompt action was all that would answer. He swept a last glance around him. So quickly was the pall of night fading before the approach of the day king, that already one could see quite a little distance out upon the plain, and but for the fact that Buckskin had probably lain down he must have been discovered by this time by the argus-eyed vedettes along the border of the timber. Tucson Tom’s eyes were glued upon the camp among the trees. ( The Indians seemed pretty generally asleep. Could he signal to Mabel? She still sat there. Her face was toward him and it was evi- dent that she had not let her eyas close in slumber since the awful awakening. He was just about to rise up and beckon for her to come to him, while he covered the slumbering Indians with his revolvers, and made ready to pour a volley into their midst at the first movement, when a sound struck on his ear that made him pause. He lowered his head to the ground. There came to him the unmistakable sound of many horses’ hoofs beating the turf. At the same moment one of the vedettes came in on the run, Tucson Tom saw that his chance was gone. It had been snatched from his grasp, just when he was about to seize it. Gritting his teeth he remained there, his eyes glued upon the camp. If the Indians made a move as though they were about to fly with the young girl he was ready to open upon them. A jabbering was taking puace. | Then all eyes were turned upon a secon vedette who came hurrying in. ‘* Yengees!”’ was the word that fell from his lips. It explained all. CHAPTER XVII. A BATTLE AND A RACE. Tucson Tom heard that word with more pleasure than he would possibly have con- fessed. It meant assistance. A party of whites had come upon the scene, and the new-comers were even then bearing down upon the trees, as the thunder of hoofs, distinctly heard, proved beyond a doubt. They must have learned of the presence there of the Apaches, and were seeking an encounter. Hurried preparations were made. At first Tom believed the Indians were about to take to flight, but when he was almost in the act of disclosing his presence by a shot, he realized his error. The young Priestess of the Sun was given in charge of two braves, while the rest hur- riediy mounted their horses and snatched up their guns ana lances. They meant to fight. And this teld the concealed ranger that the body of whites approaching could not be large in point of number. hat it gave him much satisfaction, the reader can rest assured. He saw the main body of Apaches dash out of the timber and form in line to the south of the trees, and heard their defiant yells answered by hoarse shouts from the plain. The Apaches now put their horses in motion. It is generally their line of tactics to strike an enemy and not sustain the shock them- selves, and as the whites were still comin va gai the Apaches could not afford to hold ack, rr rr ee eee eee CL Although not properly horse Indians like the Comanches, the Apaches ride well and seem complete masters of thei steeds. Tom waiched the scene, although he did not forget w also keep an eye on the two guards of Dancmg Feather. The dawn was strong enough for him to discover that the Apaches had made a mis- take when they announced the new-comers as ‘‘ Yengees.” ‘‘ Mexicans, by thunder!” muttered Tom. It was easy to distinguish this fact. He was puzzled to place them, for they were not in uniform, nor did they carry lances, so that this precluded all possibility of their being soldiers. On the other hand, they did not seem to be the peons and vagueros of a hacienda, for such men would never have exhibited the boldness these worthies were proving in thus making a dash upon a force of Indians whose number even they were ignorant of. If Tom had a suspicion flash into his mind, no word of it escaped his lips. He saw the two lines come together with a clash, in which the rattling of Indian lances, the quick report of firearms, and the shouts of all the combatants, united to make deafening. This much met his gaze; then his attention was attracted by the actions of Dancing Feather’s guards. Whether these fellows were acting under orders, or from a general sense of caution and a fear that their comrades were bound to be whipped in this encounter, it mattered not, for the result was the same. They brought up three mustangs, and as- sisting Mabel to mount onc, leaped upon the backs of the other two. : Tom had his revolver ready, and he step- ped forward so that his aim might be un- trammeled when the proper time came for him to fire. : As he was behind the two Indians, they having their attention riveted upon the battle our on the plain, they saw him not. The scene beyond had now reached its climax, and Tom could not help but find some interest in it. The Mexicans had proved their valor. Their dash was proof against the fierce energy of the Apaches, who, endeavoring to fight after their cwn manner from behind their steeds, had been brought into close quarters by the onward sweep of their foes. For a few minutes the scene had been in- spiring to the highest degree. Horses reared and plunged, Weapons crashed, the brown bodies of the Apaches fell out of sight again and again behind their steeds, only to reappear when threatened by a new enemy. The dusky riders were no match for their foes, as was evident to an experienced ob- server like the ranger, from the beginning. True, they seemed to disable about as many of the Mexicans as they suffered loss them- selves, but the latter had the advantage, and bore upon them so heavily, that they were. broken and fied in hot haste. It was at this moment that a guttural cry from one of the guards told Tucson Tom that as they turned to fly with their charge, his presence among the trees had been dis- covered. One of the men urged his horse toward him, and lowering the lance he carried, bent over to one side, intending to thrust him through. The laudabie intention was not fated to be carried out, however. Tucson Tom looked him calmly in the face. _ He did not even seem to think it worth his while to raise the revolver he held and glance along the barrel, but fired while holding it near his waist. The fellow was upop him. He made a vicious lunge at the ranger which Tom escaped by stepping back. As soon as he had passed by, the unlucky brave dropped his lance and then pitched head-foremost from his steed. The Bowie Bravo’s bullet had done its work after all. Tucson Tom had known full well where the brave was struck, and he had not vouch- safed him a glance after the fellow had passed. with the other warrior. <€om (E © le His attention was now wholly*taken up x *-* ' oot ‘5 > + - * -~* oe * ; * : . a : ‘a> ome : 4 ‘ sz 4 lt ‘ a