Beadle's Dime Library No. 51: Red Rob, The Boy Road-Agent — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

Red Reb,:The Boy; Road-Agent. CHAPTER, XX1LII. THE NIGHT FLIGHT. Daxora Dan was busily engaged north of the camp when Octavia and Maggie were captured. A band of Arapahoes, acting in concert. with, the outlaws, attacked the camp in order to draw attention from the south side, and thereby enable Missouri Moll to carry out his designs, . But as soon as the outlaw’s shout of vengeance announced his success, the Indians withdrew. Then the defenders hurried to the other side of the camp to find the maidens gone. ‘‘ Oh, heavens!” burst from Albert St, Kenelm’s lips, and he fairly staggered under the terrible blow, |. ‘‘Oh, Lord!’ groaned Dakota Dan. ‘‘I knowed some- thin’ war goin’ wrong,” he continued, with a dubious shake of the head, ‘‘ when I heard them rovin’ wild-cats-of .Ara- pahoes utter, their war-yoop, and then not make a general attack. I knowed it, war one of their tarnal slippery tricks to draw our attention aside, while other of their friends done ., some deviltry, at. another, point,” ‘You were right, Dan,” replied St. Kenelm, with a heavy. neart. ‘* The outlaws had tied a number of lariats together, when one of. their men crawled in and fastened one end. of it to the wagon-tongue, leaving the other end out in the woods where, the main party would not be exposed, By this means, the wagon was drawn suddenly into the impene- trable shadows.,, The,rope.is here yet.” |. “Too bad,.too bad?” sighed the ranger, regretfully. ‘I did not think Missouri Moll could, outwit the Triangle. , But I'll make it all up yet, friends—I. will, true .as water runs down, hill, Jist keep. a -stiddy nerve, a stiff lip and quiet tongue. I’ve never found a case yit, but - what we— that’s me, Patience,,my .mare, and Humility, my dorg— could work.,out.; We, figure by the rule of three, and we have solved some knotty problems. When man, hoof, and. howler are all once set a-goin’, you could jist as well. stop an avalanche. With Humility to, take the lead with his olfactory snoot, me next to direct movements, and drap an’ occasional bullet here and there, and old Patience to bring up the rear and slap an occasional red-skin into purgatory— with all.these things set. to work like machinery, then look out for a pestilence. _ Why, bless your soul, friends, when I war up in.Dakota, the Triangle got to be sich a dead cer- tainty that jist to shout ‘‘ Dakota Dan” at a red-skin he’d drap, down instanter, and, arrange his hair for the skulp- knife. As for Missouri Moll and his men—why, they won't be a huckleberry to us for to circumvent if they don’t fall” in with the Ingins. If two men will go with me, we’ll take the trail at. once, and won’t come back without them als,” : z Major St. Kenelm and Richard Boswell, brothers of the captured maidens, at once announeed their readiness to ac- company him; and leaving the camp in charge of Mr, Gil- brest, his boys and the negroes, the three set out in pursuit of Missouri Moll, They all journeyed on foot, although the ranger took his mare along to be used in case of emergency. They had no _ difficulty in finding the trail of the outlaws, nor in following it. . Humility took the lead with his nose to the ground, and, all the men had to do was to follow the dog. To St. Kenelm and Boswell, this would have been a difficult task, owing to the darkness, which at times entirely concealed the animal from view; but to old Dan it was.no trouble whatever. The dog and master had become so ac- customed to each other’s part.in the great drama of, border life they were continually enacting, that they seemed con- trolled by the same, intuitive volition, Thus for miles they journeyed on, when a low, significant _ whine of the dog told that the enemy was near, Tbe trio came to a halt—they listened. They heard a. slight, confused crashing through the undergrowth and tram- ple of hoofed feet some distance in advance. ‘« Plant yerselves right here, friends,” said the old border- man, ‘‘and then I’ll know whar to find ye when I come, back. Don’t moye if the earth sinks ’neath ‘yer feet, for, if we git sep’rated, we might git into trouble, out ana reconnoiter the sitewation—be back in a minute or more.” And, so saying, the ranger stole softly away. St. Kenelm_ and Boswell listened. They could now hear the murmur of © many voices, as if engaged in consultation; and presently they heard the tread of. horses’ feet going away, and all sounds become hushed. Lewd 2-7 The enemy had resumed his journey. Pil run. — Dakota Dan soon made his reappearance. | ‘‘ Well, what discovery, Dan?” asked St. Kenelm, with eager impatience. | . ‘‘'The ’tarnal devils have divided the work—that is, the Arapahoes and outlaws met out thar, and the ’Rappas claim- ed one of the gals for their share of the spoils.” ‘“‘ And did they get one of them?” asked Boswell. “They did, by Jerusalem! ‘The outlaws didn’t want to give her up, but they had to or fight. But I don’t know which one the ‘Rappas. got. It war too dark to tell—the "Raps went one way and the whites the t’other.” This news. added new weight to the brothers’ grief, but to the major the blow fell with double force. Both his sister and sweetheart, were in peril, but, while they were captives together, he knew the presence of one would be some comfort to the other. But now they were separated, and he instinctively felt that the one in the power of the In- dians was in the most imminent peril, and between his love - for his sister and that of his sweetheart, it was a hard mat- ter for him to decide which party to follow first—the one _ which had Octavia, or the one which had Maggie in custody. — Fortunately, however, he had no decision to make, for Dakota Dan knew not which of the maidens had been given up to the Indians. But which ever was.in the power of the outlaws, Dakota Dan considered in the most peril. For, notwithstanding his hatred for the Indians, he considered them more honorable and, humane toward female captives than their white associates. He argued this to his two com- panions, and succeeded in convincing them that an Indian was a savage by nature, but with many redeeming traits of character, while a renegade was a creature whose moral de- pravity was utter and complete. The old ranger’s views were accepted as a decision to the question as to which party they should follow. Moreover, | Missouri Moll was acting under a spirit of revenge, and there was no telling what his devilish heart would lead him into, © to gratify that spirit. The trail of the outlaws continued due southward, crossed the San Juan river, and headed for the mountains wherein their safety would be assured. Missouri Moll led the way, with an ease and rapidity that were evidence of a familiar knowledge of the country and its tortuous windings.. He was followed by ten men, all well mounted and armed, and all of the most desperate char- acter. The outlaw had kept Maggie Boswell a captive in his possession, under the impression that she was St. Kenelm’s sister. He carried her in front of him, the poor girl lying an almost lifeless burden in his strong arms. As they rode along, the,ruffians conyersed together over their victory, all appearing wonderfully elated at their ‘‘ mas- ter’s ” success, ‘‘Durn ther souls of them!” the, desperado growled, as they moved along, “‘T’ll Varn ’em how to tamper with me, Missouri Moll, King of the, Road, This ’ere gal ’ll not be- gin to pay for that ’tarnal gap that Saint Kenelm cut across my face, forever ruinin’ my beauty. No, boys; we'll cut for the hills and ambush. The friends of this gal ’ll be apt to foller us, of course, when we’ll shoot every devil of ’em. But, lookey here, boys, I want about five of you to drap behind now, and act asa rear guard. If persuers should . come onto us, all to one’t, it would hussel me like thunder to git out of the way with this gal. She’s a dead lump, al- most. Thar’s no danger, yit it’s best to keep on the safe side. The emegrants can’t track us in the night, so we'll be able to git hid afore morning. But then I want a rear guard, It’ll be more military-like. They'll think I’m a, reg’lar West P’int gineral afore they git through with me.” Five men at once signified their willingness to comply with their master’s orders, and at once took their positions in the rear of the cavalcade. | | After crossing the river, the outlaws entered the dry gravelly bed of a stream, and continued to follow its well- defined course toward the mountains, They did not move. with all the speed nor silence possible, for in their exces- sive elations of triumph, they had forgotten all about the dog of Dakota Dan, by means of which swift pursuit could be conducted. And while the outlaw was congratulating himself, on the success that had attended his night’s work, and the distance he was putting between himself and enemies, | Dakota Dan and his two companions were gaining upon them . every minute. | ‘Ignorant, of this fact; however, Missouri Moll rode leisurely on up the creek. As he advanced, the banks om either side Goim a 27 . JOOKSHE