Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 464 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

andycraw, the Man of Grit. can tell you something more. Are you a friend The new-comers were . greatly surprised at of Sandy Crawley?” ‘‘Wal, I knowed him long ago, though I ; badn’t see him in a good while, and I reckon I kin call myself his friend.” “Then what I’ve got to say is this: You had better drop your friendship, because he’s not the kind of man that honest folks ought to mix with. More than that—if you show any friend- ship for him in the way of trying to help him out of the serape he isin here, you will be in the same box with him, and will get more or less burt, according as you behave.” ‘‘ A nod is as good as a wink to a blind hoss,” answered the old man. ‘‘ We-uns don’t want to help no bank-robbers, ‘cause were honest, though we’re pore. Ef you want any help to ketch him—” finding a number of armed men at Spoon Lake, and yet more surprised at seeing the Gazelle anchored out in the lake; but their circum- stances were quickly and satisfactorily ex- plained when the two parties became ac- quainted. The leader of the party from the interior in- troduced himself as Abner Barkley, sheriff of the county, and others who were with him as his friends and neighbors, Tom Heilman made himself known as a sheriff from Missouri, introduced his companions, and eameaines the business that had brought them there. When, Abner Barkley and his friends were made aware of the fact that there were men on the little steamboat who were charged with such ‘‘No, we don’t need any help, and all you | a heinous crime as bank robbery, they began to have to do is to keep your hands off, or you may get hurt.” This settled the matter for the Hitchley tribe. Such partial, or provisory, or contingent ar- rangement as they had made with Sandy Craw- ley and his friends with the view of defendin them, for a consideration, against the wicke men who were supposed to be pursuing them, must be dropped instantly and entirely in the presence of officers of the law. Not that the squatters bad any special re- spect for the officers of the law; but they had a wholesome fear of them, and were not likely to side with the weaker party against the stronger. Besides, there seemed to be no feasible way of effecting a junction between the land and naval forces of the recent combination, and the im- possibility of communicating with the Gazelle offered a good opening for crawling out. The Hitchleys, however, could easily content themselves with the thought that they need not risk their lives, and that the advance payment which they had received in consideration of the alliance was likely to remain with them. The men from the Mountaineer, having set- tled this point, proceeded to consider the chances of capturing the Gazelle and the three men they wanted. Two ways of effecting this object seemed to offer themselves, and two only. If the Gazelle people chose to remain on board and in the middle of the lake—and there seemed to be nothing else for them to do—they must in- evitably be starved out in time. If it should not be deemed advisable to await that slow process, if would be necessary to or- ganize some sort of a naval expedition for the capture of the little steamboat. Concerning the latter plan, the Hitchleys might have given some valuable information if they had chosen to do so; but as to that subject their mouths were closed tightly. Naturally, the idea of a raft occurred to Sheriff Heilman and his party, as there were no boats on the lake, and there was absolutely no other way of getting at the Gazelie. A circumstance that fell under the observa- tion of Amos Harding caused him to consult with Hiram Hitchley on this point. ‘‘]T have seen a raft or part of a raft aground | i ee take a lively interest in the case. When they leared the further fact that a reward was offered for the apprehension of the robbers, their interest grew stronger, and they eagerly offered to do allin their power to assist in the capture of the men who were wanted. ‘“Your Missouri warrant don’t run in Arkansas, Mr. Heilman,” observed Barkley; ‘*but that don’t count. If we can catch the men, and [reckon we can, you may take them away. Itisa good thing, I can tell you, that you sat down on those Hitchley folks as soon as you did, as I am willing to bet that they would have taken the other side if they had got a chance,’ : Barkley and his friends dined with the Moun- taineer men at their camp, and after dinner joined them in the labor of building the rafts, To this work the Arkansans were admirably adapted, and it progressed so well during the afternoon that there was a good prospect for finishing it the next day. CHAPTER XXXIII. SANDYCRAW’S ESCAPE. IF any person on shore or elsewhere supposed that Sandycraw was going to stay cooped up there, like a rat with its hole stopped at the mouth, to await the process of slow starvation, or an encounter with a carefully organized raft navy, that person was mistaken in the man, Anybody who was acquainted with Mr. Alex- ander Crawley, or with his reputation, must have known that he was not going to give up, or keep quiet, while there was a fighting chance for life or rapid In justice to the men from the Mountaineer it must be said that they did not expect him to give up or to keep quiet. They expected him to make a fight from his vantage-point on the water, and were calculat- ing on a hotly-contested naval battle, in which they believed that their log-clad gunboats would be victorious, Sandycraw, however, had his own ideas of the matter, and was pretty well aware of his own intentions. As for a naval engagement, the work on the ee Oe Ce ET 25 the depths of the forest, pursuit could be only a matter of guesswork and haphazard. Having decided on this plan, he made his ar- rangements to suit it. He drew upa bill of sale, transferring the Gazelle to her pilot, which he executed before witnesses, He gave the pilot full instructions as to what he should do with the boat if he should be able to get her back to the Mississippi, and supplied him with money for expenses, Then he explained his plan to his two part- ners in the bank robbery, and they agreed to it at once, as there was really nothing else left for them to do. The only difference of opinion between the three was concerning the disposal of the “ stuff ” which they had buried the night before, and this discussion was carried on quietly, so that none of the others on the boat should get a bint of the whereabouts of the plunder. Ben Somes was decidedly of the opinion that they ought to digit up and take it with them, as they were going far away, and it might be a long time before they or either of them could come back and get it. To this Sandycraw objected that in all prob- ability it would be as much as they could do to take care of themselves, and that they would have not a bit of time or thought for anything except their own safety. Besides, only one of them could carry the ‘* boodle,” and the otbers might not be entirely willing to trust him with it, as the plan was that they should separate, so as to divide and distract pursuit. e EY + By far the better plan, in his opinion, would be to strike out through the woods and the country until they could reach a railroad, and rendezvous, say, at Texarkana, which would be as safe a place for them as they could find, The “stuff” in the meantime would be safe where they had buried it, as they only knew where it was, and none of them could interfere with it until their present trouble should blow over, when they would come and resurrect if, Berry Sanders agreed with his chief on these points, and Ben Somes was obliged to assent to the opinion of the majority, though he gave in ee, A little before dusk Sandycraw played a game that was intended to impress his adversaries with the belief that the men they were hunting were not the least bit afraid of them. The Gazelle’s anchor was pulled up, and she steamed over toward where the men were work- ing on the raft, running so close tc the shore that she could easily be bailed. As the pilot was nervous about making this venture, Ghaaioy took the wheel. The Mountaineer’s men were amazed at his audacity, but did not lose the use of their tongues. ‘*’You had better surrender,” shouted Sheriff Heilman. ‘* You can’t get out of the lake, and we are bound to have you sooner or later.” ‘You had better leave here before you get burt,” answered Sandycraw. ‘“ Let me tell you one thing—I’ve got a howitzer on board, and it - - - bs A EA near the shore,” said he. ‘It is a queer piece | rafts would be wasted, as he did not intend to | is loaded with grape, and I will wipeout your = of work, and it has been burned so as to be use- | fight any such battle. whole crowd if you bother me too much.” . ie less. I would like to know whether it was he men on the Gazelle kept a close watch on | This’‘was mere bravado, as there wasnosuch = yours, and what you built such a raft for.” the shore, and Sandycraw with his powerful | piece of artillery on theGazelle; butthemenon “Jest fur fishin’,’ answered the old man. | glass kept a closer watch than anybody else. shore did not know that, though the statement ‘We built a fire on it when we was out at| When he saw the party from tbe Mountaineer | seemed incredible to them. a night, so’s to draw the fishes, and I reckon we unce down on the Hitchley habitation, be | The Gazelle steamed back to her former posi- — didn’t put it out well enough, and it kep’ on | knew that his chance of help from that quarter | tion. but did not anchor,as Sandycraw had burnin’.” was gone, and realized the fact that he had | noted the best point for making alanding,and — This explanation was not altogether satisfac- | been foolish to attempt to enter into any nego- be awaited the proper time for action. oa tory, but was accepted, as the matter was not | tiations with the squatters, because of the ex- | hat time was near at hand, as the early tere “te worth inquiring into further. treme difficulty of joining his forces with theirs. | of the night was dark, and it was deemed ee * Then you know how to build such a raft as| The arrival of Abner Barkley’s party from | to get ashore and into the woods before the we want,” suggested Harding. the interior was as great a surprise to him as to | moon rose. ee - “Wal, Ireckon I might tell you how to cob- | anybody else, and he could not imagine what it | It proved tobeso dark that the pric of: aa ble one up; but I'd advise you to build two | meant. running the Gazelle to the shore wasabandoned, rafts, so’s to take the boat from two sides, or| It was clear, however, that the new-comers | and Sandycraw and his partners, after rtp +¥e kinder surround her.” . ; were fraternizing with his pursuers, and there- | farewell to their friends on the steamboat, oe This was such good advice that it was at once | fore he could only conclude that a fresh lot of | into the little skiff and started for the shore. oS adopted, and work was begun on the rafts as | his enemies had arrived. They presumed that their attempt would not as ible, When work on the rafts was begun, and it | be discovered in the darkness, and that nothing It would take time, but there was some satis- | was evident that two of them were to be con- | of the kind would be suspected while theGa- faction in knowing that in the mean while the | structed, the intention of bis foes was manifest, | zelle kept ber position in tbe middle of the lake. _ starvation process would also be going on, and the safety of himself and his partners came So they proceeded silently and cautiously, as _ Hardly had the workers begun to cut down | up for consideration. they had done when they went to bury the plun- > trees for the logs of the raft, when there was aj! As he did not intend to fight if be could help | der, and reached the shore, as they had reason . new and interesting development, which made | it, there was only one thing to do, and that was | to believe, without having been observed by something of a change in the situation. the very thing which he had determined upon | their enemie?. Pers This was the arrival of a party of mounted | doing in such a contingency as had arrived. The combined land forces, however, had done men, fully a dozen in number, who had come to| He must go ashore with Ben Somes and Berry | what they could to prevent any eacape from the = ‘‘look up” the Hitchley tribe, and arrest one or | Sanders, and the three fugitives must strike | Gazelle, by plecing sentries around thelake,and = more of them on a charge of cattle-stealing. through the forest and into the interior until | the sentries, though far apart, were wide awake = Though the Hitchleys boasted of their honesty, | they could reach a railroud and distance pur- | and vigilant. A they had been more than suspected for some | suit, One of them happened to be stationed near the time, and proof against them had finally been | Of course this plan would have to wait until | very spot where the thrée fugitives landed from procured, night, and it would seem to be entirely feasible | the dinghy, and their speech, though suppressed, == The party of mounted men was composed of | then. | quickly made hin) aware of their presence in Sq \. the sheriff of the county in which Spoon Lake | Though the number of his enemies on shore | vicinity. ; : was situated, a posse of volunteer deputies, and | appeared to have considerably increased, there | ‘* Who goes there?” he hailed, haviug been a 4 two men to identify those who were presumed to | were still not enough of them to put anything | soldier. ‘ Halt, or I'll fire.” Ss ‘ be cattle-thieves. like a complete cordon around the lake. much |. There was no answer, and he bailedagain, — | By this development the Hitchleys were com- | less to present a defensive front at any point | while the three men were creeping toward him letely upset, and they wilted, individually, col- | where the Gazelle might choose to land, and | as silently as snakes. oe ectively, and all over. , Sandycraw had no doubt of his ability to get | He fired his rifle at the spot wherehehad : Surrender was of course an absolute necessity, ashore and out of the way without being serious- | heard the voices, but hit nobody, and the next ani two of the Hitchley young men were picked | ly hindered. instant he was struck by a shot from Crawley’s out by the identifiers and put under guard. 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