Beadle's Dime Library No. 417: Tucson Tom — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

| : 1 | I a | 1 tr. ~ “a * “, ' ; ie Tuc 16 If this would not be sufficient tostop them he knew of other means. The flight could be resumed when once these bloodhounds of the border had been hurled back. Slowly the seconds passed. They were now almost within range, At this point they seemee to cluster as if | for a hasty consultation, and Tom was quick to see his opportunity. There was a sudden movement of his arm. Over went the pile of rocks. From below there suddenly came a wild yell of dismay, and the terches were hastily extinguished either through accident or de- sign, the man above did not care to investi- gate which. His object had been accomplished. Flight was now the order of the hour. The scoundrels had probably been con- siderably bruised by the fall of stone, but he had no idea of exterminating them. By some other means they would succeed in reaching the top of the ridge, but by this | time Tom and his fair charge would be rid- | ing over the dark plain. | He hurried back to the little camp. Dancing Feather was awake and waiting anxiously to see him. She had heard the yells of the despera- does, and wondered how Tom was dealing with them, ‘ Together they led the horses down the son ‘Tom, the Bowie A | Such was a fact however. He was awakened in the middle of the night by a note of warning from Buckskin 'and knew that the faithful horse had scented danger. All was darkness around him. He heard the regular breathing of the young girl near him, and this reassured him, | for his first thought was of her. After listening for a moment he became convinced that some one was near the horses, which would account for Buckskin’s actions. There was a chance that it might prove to be a hungry wolf. Tucson Tom believed, however, that in all | likelihood it would turn out to be a prowling Indian. He crept cautiously toward the spot. Every sense was on the alert, for danger of this kind was not to be trifled with, Buckskin continued to give an occasional snort which proved to his master that the danger was by no means past. Tom held a bowie in his hand and was fully determined to use it if the occasion offered, for although the prowling party had only designs upon their horses, if they lost there it would be next to impossible to make any headway toward Tucson. fe was now close to the animals. The darkness in the barranca was intense and while it seemed to baffle his purpose to some extent, at the same time it served him Bravo. —_———— { | There are to be found there the outcasts of all countries, desperadoes who have been hunted from the States by the stern arm of the law, and who make Tucson their head- quarters. Among them wander hunters and trap- | pers, miners and cowboys. The stern majesty of the law is unknown, and the revolver takes the place of it. That weapon is all-powerful. The man who can draw the quickest is the _ Taost respected citizen. In the early days of which I write, the town of Tucson was a den of iniquity, with few rood traits. Just as the shades of evening were draw- _ing over the plain and river, two parties rode _ into the place. One of these consisted of two persons, and in these we recognize our friends Tucson Tom and Dancing Feather. The other had five men in its ranks, men | whose bandaged heads and arms proclaimed the fact of their having been in some sort of a scrimmage. | In the leader we recognize Cortina, | By making a bee-line for Tucson after his | discomfiture on the ridge, the Mexican and his sadly demoralized company had been en- abled to reach the place at the same time that | the ranger did. | The gathering darkness hid each party, so that neither one knew of the other’s arrival, ' slope, in a path Tom had previously marked | for the prowling foe could not see to deter- | and believed themselves to be the first to out for such use, and finally they reached the | level land at the base of the ridge. | Here they mountea. When they were riding safely away the | Texan could not but feel relieved, not that he had at any time feared for his own safety, but knowing the desperate resolve of the desperadoes, he had been a trifle afraid Jest one of them should slip across the ridge in time to waylay them, and sending a shot into their midst, sent at random, possibly strike the young girl he loved. True, if such a thing had happened he might have remained in the neighborhood until he had avenged her death by exter- minating the last one of the bandits, but that | would be poor consolation, and hence he | co glad to get away without running such risks. Presently cries of rage from the top of the ridge announced the fact that Cortina and | his followers had reached the top of the | ridge. They fired several shots, but it was only an exhibition of spite, for there was not one | chance in a thousand of their striking any- | thing. The fugitives rode on. As Tom had marked out his course he was able to follow pretty close upon the line, even in the gloom of night. He related to his fair companion what he had done as they rode along. After two hcurs riding they reached a little grove of trees. Here they drew rein again. A second camp was formed and Tucson Tom yielded to slumber. While Buckskin was near by he had little fear of being taken by surprise. Still every half hour or so he would raise his head and listen intently. The balance of the night passed away with out any further alarm. é If Cortina and his men had not entirely given up the idea of following them, they meant to do so more at their leisure, trusting to some accident to throw the fugitives into their power. In the morning the Texan started another small fire, and they were able to indulge in a second meal of cooked venison. Then they resumed their journey, Nothing was seen of the pursuers either red or white, during the day. Tucson Tom had reason to congratulate himself on the success attained in thus elud- ing his foes and gaining such a long start. Should this good luck continue for a couple of days he would reach his destination —Tucson. , - He had changed his course now and was now heading toward the South. That night they camped in the dry bed of au olden stream. ° The darranca was not unlike that where we first found them, and Tom had no idea that they would have trouble here. mine his whereabouts. Tom now listened intently. As the horses were for the moment quiet he could catch the least sound, and presently | he was ready to swear he had heard a rust- ling movement. Still he remained as immovable as the rock around him. Was it an Indian? If so were there more than one? These were questions of grave importance to the ranger. From the place where he crouched he could just get a glimpse of Buckskin’s outlines. He wondered why the animal stood with his head lowered, and no longer gave token of his displeasure by those snorts. The truth was suddenly made manifest. There came to his ears a dull sound. At the same time he saw the animal rear upd his hind-quarters. The truth struck home, Buckskin had waited until he knew the sulking red-skin was within range, and had then let fly. Tom made an examination. He found a dead Indian there, one of the horse’s hoofs having smashed his skull. There was no further alarm. As the night was already well spent, the ranger concluded to remain awake, and keep watch and ward over his companion. Morning dawned at last. _ He said nothing of the night’s catastrophe to Dancing Feather, having with the first gray streaks of dawn removed the body of the dead Indian to some distance. In doing this he made a discovery. The red-skin was not an Apache but of the Navajo tribe. What he had been doing alone in this region it would be hard to say, unless he were a spy, but seeing the two fugitives’ camp, an unconquerable desire to possess the yellow horse must have seized upon him. It had led him to his death. Again the two fugitives started out upon their day’s journey. They met with no misfortune during the twelve hours they were moving. When night came, Tom declared that if all went well they should be in Tucson at the close of another day. What his plans were then, he did not say, but possibly there was a part of the dramato be played ip this border town, and he meant to see it through. The peril of the plains was not all that he had to face for her sake—there were also ene- mies nearer home, CHAPTER XXIV. TUCSON TOM PLAYS THE SPY. Tucson was more of a Mexican town than American before the Southern Pacific Rail- road ran through it, and even to-day there are as many Greasers embraced in its popu- Jation as all others combined, | rv. - - 7 t/ s ‘ - e : : ta i . . : ‘- ve &, : . <> : ‘ > yk ‘ 4 _* ° F eam * a, . 7+ dal — = . vey A reach the border town. i Possibly there would be some surprise manifested when the truth became known. Tom made direct for a little tavern with which he was acquainted. It was kept by one Captain Sams, a ’49er, who had several times found and lost a for- tune in California, and finally drifted down to Arizona, married a buxom girl and set up in business. His place was the most orderly in town, and that was why Tom preferred it. The old captain was a man not to be trifled with, and the common riff-raff gave him a wide berth. Tom knew he had several comfortable rooms in his old two-story adobe building, and it was now his intention to secure one of these for the benefit of Mabel; this done, he had business on hand. Captain Sams and his wife greeted the young girl warmly, when they heard her story and what wonderful things Tom had done, The old ’49er winced at.the mention of Cortina’s name, for the Border Tiger was feared by all the honest men on the fron- tier. When he had seen Mabel comfortable— and even the rude fixtures of the tavern were somewhat strange to her so that they had to he explained by the landlord’s good wife— Tom went out. His first care was to procure another revol- ver and a supply of ammunition, for to se- cure respect in this wild Arizona town, a man required to be well ‘‘ heeled,” and to carry his weapons in full view. The streets were dark, save in places where a light flashed upon them. ow and then some Mexican resident could be met, preceded by a boy bearing aloft a flambeau, and accompanied by two stout men-servants with cudgels. No man who had respect for his life was to be found in the streets of Tucson after dark without arms or a guard This did not speak very well for the town, but Judge Lynch had been known to appear here several times, and this was a hopeful sign. "Tom twice halted to watch one of these singular processions go by. he second time, happening to glance up at the house opposite, he gave a start. ‘‘That is the face, assure as fate! If I would know more of my Matel’s history, I must enter that house to-night!” he mut- tered. The face he had seen was that of a woman, and his words told that this was not the first time it had fallen under his observa- tion. After the Mexican Don and his squad had assed by, he set about examining the build- ing, in the balcony window of which he had caught a glimpse of that face. Few bouses in Tucson had a second story. micbooks.co 7 o* se — . 0 * oo a A ? &