Beadle's Dime Library No. 417: Tucson Tom — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

> .- yi" Eros, + — — — — — ——— ae rene lS — oi eee — a * rs Tucson ‘Tom, the Bowie Bravo. 0 EE a CHAPTER XIX. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE TIMBER. Tur Mexican saw plainly that there was nothing of braggadocio about the Texan—he meant every word he said. That he would of his own free will urge battle against five men, and they some of the most notorious characters of the border, was a fact proven by his actions as well as his words. Ready—for what? The desperadoes looked at one another again. Then the grin upon their faces settled into a hard look. Tom was a brave man—there was no gain- saying that—but if he would be so foolish as to run his head against the rocks, he had only himself to blame. He bad dared them to battle in a way that left them no escape. Having confidence in their own prowess, there was not one of them but who believed in his own mind that the rash ranger was courting his doom. Cortina himself may have felt some little scruples about giving the signal that would prove the death of this brave man. It would not be the first time he had mur- dered a brave man, and when the affair came as a part of his duty, what fault could he find? So he crushed down such feelings with an iron hand, and turned his full attention to- ward the matter in question. That the disposal of the young ranger would prove a much tougher task than some of them anticipated, Cortina knew full well. He had met such men before. There was that in the manly bearing, the clear, resolute eye, and the positive words of the young man, that told him the latter meant all that he said. Besides, there were the two revolvers, and they had an ugly look. Tom seemed to be glancing from one to another of the desperadoes, as though sclect- ing the men upon whom he might first try the weapons he held in his grasp. But this gave them an uneasy feeling. Each fellow felt as though he were doomed to drop off suddenly. ‘ When General Cortina raised his hand, they would spring like panthers. Perhaps the Mexican chief might have hesitated to assavt this terrible Texan with but four men belonging to his company, but he had noticed a certain thing that gave him much ground for hope. This lay in the fact that one of the men had managed to get around to the rear of the ranger. ; i Apparently his presence was unnoticed. Upon this man depended the whole battle. Cortina might have waited until this wor- thy could draw a pistol and shoot the ranger in the back, but he was so afraid lest the Texan should discover the fellow through some incautious move of his, such as the clicking of the pistol-lock, that he hastily gave the signal. This was done by raising his hand. It was a well-known signal with the four desperadoes, and they could not by any pos- sibility mistake it. Nor did they. A simultaneous yell broke from the lips of the three who were on a line with Cortina, and as though they had suddenly been seized with a fit, they began leaping about like so many jumping harlequins. — Now this was done to distract the atten- tion of the Texan for a brief space of time, during which it was their intention to draw their weapons and open upon bim, in case their comrade had not already done the work. With some menthis might have worked. Their frantic gyrations were certainly of an order to astonish one, and before this feel- ing could be overcome they would be ready for business. Not so Tucson Tom. He had been too long in the business of hunting desperadoes not to know what tricks and devices they were apt. to resort to. As the men in front of him started into this little game, he threw both revolvers for- ward and brought them to bear. » The sharp reports followed. Tom had not fired in vain. ———————— —_—+-— —- —- - - —- 5 One of the men went down with a bullet lodged somewhere in his breast, while a second began hopping about in a manner quite different from his recent performance, having been struck in the fleshy part of the leg. So far as the fight was concerned, he was now virtually out of it. | Having delivered these telling shots, Tom, with exceeding quickness, threw one leg over the back of his horse and dropped to the ground. All this in a second of time. As he went down he managed in some mysterious way to pull back the hammer of one revolver, so that he was ready for busi- ness again the second his feet touched the earth. Had the ranger been fully aware of what was occurring in his rear he could not have timed his descent with more success. At the very instant of his fall, there sound- ed the crack of a pistol back of him. This from the fellow who had managed to gain his rear by trickery. Tucson Tom instantly let fly from behind the shelter of his horse, and the remaining man beside Cortina doubled himself up as if suddenly overtaken by a terrible pain. This left but two. One of these, Cortina himself, was in front, while the other was in his rear. The latter worthy claimed his first atten- tion. Foiled in his shot by the unexpected action of the ranger, the Mexican had drawn his machete and now sprung boldly forward. Tucson Tom never refused such a chal- lenge. it might have been policy perhaps to have first disposed of Cortina, before engaging in a hand to hand conflict, but this was a time when action and thought went band in hand, He was upon the fellow like a whirlwind. One revolver had been dropped, and in its place he now held a glittering bowie. The Mexican, though amazed at his sud- den action, was ready for him, and as the blades crossed he knew his doom was sealed. He had met his master! Desperation nerved his arin. Possibly he hoped for assistance from his chief who was near by. Be that as it may he proved no coward, though the awe-inspiring presence of the ranger had struck a chill to his heart, ~~ Cut and slash they went at it. Bowie ere to machete. Tucson Tom had not forgotten Cortina. He knew the Border Tiger stood there with his hand outst: etched—that in this hand was a pistol which he was simply waiting for an opportunity to discharge. The ranger was ready to meet him haif way. He still held a revolver in his other hand and with his thumb had drawn back the hammer so that had he chosen now he might have ended his present fight with a bullet. This he scorned to do. He was a match for three such men as the one who was blindly wielding the machete and giving him any number of opportunities’ to strike home. The reason why he had not ended the affair before now was because he was looking out for Cortina. Finally the time arrived when he could no longer delay the finishing stroke. It was given. The long bowie blade flashed through the air, and sweeping the Mexican’s weapon out of the way, plunged it into his side, cutting through muscle and sinew with the keenness of a razor. There was a yelp from the man. He believed his end had come, though such was not the case, and whirling around he sunk to the ground in a heap, Tucson Tom had withdrawn his bowie- blade almost as speedily as it had been shot forward, and the bloody weapon was still held in his hand. Cortina saw his opportunity. He fired. As it was no part of the ranger’s plan to stand and be made a target of by one whom he knew through reputation to be a death- shot, he had leaped to one side and behind a tree with the speed of thought. Hence, although there could be no doubt 'asto the intentions of the bandit, his exe. ee nn nr RR . au A 13 cution was miserable, owing to this sudden change of base on the part of his foe. It was now Tucson Tom’s turn. With the crack of his weapon, Cortina uttered a cry of mingled rage and pain, and dropping his weapon, let his arm fall to his side in a way that told the story. It was shattered! The ranger, seeing that all danger was past, now made his appearance again. ‘* General!” he said, ‘‘ 1 hope youare satis- fied.”’ There was irony in his tone, and the Bor- der Tiger’s face was dark as a thundercloud as he growled: “‘Carajo! for the present, yes; but you have not seen the last of Cortina, Tucson Tom!” At this moment a woman’s cry of distress came floating from the plain. The ranger with one wild leap was on Buckskin, and speeding like a meteor © through the timber. CHAPTER XX. THE CRACK OF DOOM. WueEn Tucson Tom burst out from among the trees, he saw a sight that stirred his 2 blood. Once again Dancing Feather was in danger. She had been so earnestly engaged in look- ing toward the timber, knowing that those pistol-shots meant that her lover was in deadly danger, that she had not noticed the speedy approach of a man on horseback until he was at her side. This worthy was one of Cortina’s men. Coe He did not know what was going on within the grove, but having been among the ~ Apaches, he recognized the girl as the one they sought, and had hence sought to cap- ture her. : a Tucson Tom shot out of the timber like a streak of fire. His course was straight toward the spot | where stood the Cross Trees. a Had the young girl beenarmed, sbe would no doubt have defended herself against the ruffian, for her Indian education must have $ given her strength of character. . Unfortunately, she possessed not a weapon of any kind. ee All she could do was to give that scream, and then endeavor to cause her horse to rear up and break away from her captor. She knew full well that if her lover was alive and within hearing distance of that = ~~ * sound, he would fly to her assistance. ae There was fury stamped upon the face of — the Texan as he thus rushed to the rescue. se An attempt on his own life he could for- give—that might come from brave men, and he had just shown that he could be merciful by wounding instead of shooting to kill, in : what he had recently done. we This was a far different case. rig The wretch upon whom he was nowrush- ing had his hands upon Mabel, and she was so sacred in the 2yes of the ranger, thatthe man who touched her must die. aces Cortina rushed to the edge of the timber to see the drama. He took it all in at a glance. ‘are When he saw Buckskin and his master __ thus bearing down upon the Cross Trees, he gave the fellow there up for lost. poet Nothing could save him. a Dancing Feather, too, caught sight of the one thus approaching, and her cry of delight at thus realizing that Tom had not only come out of the battle in the timber un- harmed but was flying to her relief, must have reached the ear of the Mexican desper- ado who had hold of her. i: oe He looked, and was amazed. Ci From the rattle of firearms inthe timber, — he had been of the opinion that the man who” rode the yellow horse had by this time been quite riddled with bullets. "aS There was considerable difference between capturing a Jone, unprotected and unarmed =~ girl, and attempting the same thing when he saw rushing down upon him, like a devil incarnate, the man who had just issued from a fight with five desperadoes. te The fellow seemed to think so at any rate, | a Taking advantage of his momentary con- ce. sternation, the girl broke away from him, He still held the rope of the horse upon which she was mounted, howevey—the same __ fatal rope that had been clasped by the Indian Pena AP eee we ire 7: ms a —< W « 4 - ree —— . rot a ? bio ‘ ‘© ‘ a. * < Bie ®)