Beadle's Dime Library No. 51: Red Rob, The Boy Road-Agent — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

30 ————— A line of fifty men, dressed in the uniform of United States soldiers, and with muskets at a trail, filed out of the dark pinon woods. ‘‘ Ah!” exclaimed the commandant, ‘‘ we have the young outlaw at last. Down, Red Rob, and surrender.” Fifty muskets gleamed brightly in the morning sun as they rose quickly to the shoulders of the soldiery—fifty deadly muzzles converged to a single focus—the breast of the Boy Road-agent. ‘* Soldiers, 1 am your prisoner,” exclaimed the fearless youth, in a calm, unmoved tone. He dismounted and gave himself up. His men turned to tiee—he saw them, and snatching up tne horn that hung at his side, blew a shrill blast upon it, ‘The men paused in their flight, turned about and rode boldly down into camp. The soldiers suspected some treachery—that an attempt to release their leader would be made. ‘‘ Boys, surrender. We are all prisoners.” It was Red Rob who spoke. The soldiers were relieved of their fears, but astonished. The outlaws dismounted and gave up their weapons, and became prisoners. The soldiers went into camp then and there, and were soon after joined by a party of civilians who had accom- panied the expedition into the San Juan in search of the robbers. Among the number was one of the chief justices of the territory, and this eccentric public functionary at once con- vened a court, as he claimed he had the right to do, and Red Rob was put upon trial for his life! CHAPTER XXXVI. THE TRIANGLE AT WORK. In the mean time, where was Octavia St. Kenelm? Guarded with all that care and caution peculiar to the savage, she was being conducted toward the Arapaho vil- lage. Her captors numbered some thirty braves. All were afoot, and they journeyed but a short distance after they had got possession of the maiden when they went into camp for the night. Their force was sufficiently strong to pre- clude all fears of danger from the friends of the maiden, were they disposed to follow them. Octavia was treated with far more kindness than Maggie, although the former was the captive of savage barbarians. After their halt for the night, she was placed in a little bower, extemporized for her comfort, and carpeted with skins and furs. Her shoulders had been wrapped in a blanket to protect her from the chill night air. During the long hours of night, she was closely guarded, and the next morning a clumsy framework, like a litter, was constructed of poles and blankets, upon which the captive was seated and borne onward by four warriors, In fact, she was treated with unusual kindness. She was not permitted to walk even where walking would have been preferable, and notwithstanding the difficulty and delay experienced in get- ting through the woods and mountain passes with the litter. When night again closed in, it found the party several miles from their village; however, it was the intention to make that stronghold before halting, and so they pushed slowly onward. ’ Shortly after dark the glimmer of a camp-fire some dis-: tance ahead, diverted the attention of the party from their great desire and efforts to reach home. about the fire, and the rather secluded location of the camp -although it lay directly in the path of the red-‘men—which seemed to indicate that it was the camp of a white man. A halt was ordered and a scout sent forward to reconnoiter. He soon returned with the intelligence that a single white man was encamped in the woods by the fire. The chief selected five warriors from the party and sent them forward to capture the unknown intruder. With the silence of phantoms, the warriors crept stealthily forward through the gloom. They soon came in sight of the camp, btt to their surprise and disappointment the man was gone. But that his absence was only temporary, was evident from one fact; his horse remained hitched near the fire, and seemed inobvious to all earthly things save the sweet enjoyment of a sound slumber. Beadle’s Dime Library. For there was that’ The savages remained concealed nearly an hour, waiting the return of the man; but to their regret he came not. A hasty consultation was held, which drew out the belief that the enemy had got wind of their approach and feeling far more safe iu trueting to his own legs than those cf his ant} quated-looking old horse, he had left it behind. With all ‘hat caution with which a wolf feels its way to ward a carcss not visited before, the savages crept from tieit concealmen: and approached the camp fire. The old horse opened its eyes and kicked out viciously at the open air, as though it had been awakened from a bad dream. The savages laughed at this sudden demonstration of the slumbering beast. The red skins forgot all else in their desire for savage sport, and one of them crept softly up and picked the old horse with the keen point of his knife. But quicker than a flash of lightning, the animal whirled and planted its heels in the Indian’s stomach, sending his body in the air, and his spirit to the happy hunting-grounds. This put a sudden termination to the fun, anda goodly distance between them aud the deadly heels of the treacher- ous old horse. A messenger was dispatched for the main column which soon came up. Octavia could scarcely repress a cry of surprise when her eyes fell upon the old horse hitched within the full glow of the camp-fire. It was old Patience, the mare of Dakota Dan, the ranger. But where was the ranger, himself? Was he near—or had the mare been stolen from the corral at the Hidden Home? Fierce and deadly were the scowls that clouded the sav- ages’ brows, as they turned their eyes from the dead com- rade upon whose naked breast was the livid imprint of two hoof-marks, to the old mare drowsing unconcernedly by the camp-fire. Not a savage would now venture within reach of her, but long poles and switches were cut, with which the resolute red-men began to ‘‘ whale” the dormant tiger-temper out of the old anatomy, with the view of substituting her for the litter when once subdued. Octavia saw the cruel intention of her captors, and, spring- ing to her feet, she ran up to the old mare and began caress- ing her in a manner that seemed perfectly congenial to her —the animal’s—feminine sensibilities. The animal seemed to know that the girl was not an enemy to her master, and her docility toward the maiden was but the evidence of re- markable animal instinct Patience had become quite an object of admiration and curiosity in the camp of the settlers. All had bestowed some kindness upon her—had petted and fed her and indulged her in her peculiar, wonderful sagacity, or ‘‘ female gump- shin” as old Dan would have it. Octavia had ridden her fed her and caressed her so often that the mare finally re garded her with as much respect and the same obedience as her master. The maiden’s heart had grown strong with hope since their arrival at the camp fire. The presence of the old mare was evidence to her that Dan was not far away, and perhaps others of her friends were with him. But why the range had left his mare and gone off, she could not form the slight- est conception. She inwardly hoped and prayed that nothing had befallen him. The savages seemed to regard the animal’s friendliness toward the maiden with some curiosity and doubt; but as none of them could speak English, they could elicit no infor- mation by questioning. So far, the conversation between captive and captors had been carried on by signs and gestures. At length, however, a warrior ventured to approach the ani- mal. She made no offer of violence, and so the worst trouble was overcome and the mare was at once unhitched. The chief of the party, a large fleshy fellow, arranged a cushion of several thicknesses of blankets on the animal’s back, and upon this, arranged his own two hundred pounds of adipose tissue, determined to make the rest of the journey in ease and comfort. Octavia was also given a seat upon the croup behind the savage dignitary and then the procession moved triumphantly forward, the dead warrior taking the maiden’s place on the litter. Patience yielded to savage authority with humble resigna- tion, and ambled slowly away through the gloomy woods, with the sullen savage rocking from side to side, and the fair captive weeping, more despondent than ever. Octavia was satisfied that they were nearing the Indian village, or else her captors would have gone into camp at Ebooks (ECON (EO)