Beadle's Dime Library No. 51: Red Rob, The Boy Road-Agent — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

Red Rob, The Boy Road-Agent. 35 eel eee —What did it mean? —Why were they there? -Had- they bound that helpless nan.to the, stake op the jisland? |) )::1< There were few moments for idle speculations. The; tor, rent was near. |The rain was falling, fast—the, cries of jthe doomed, man sounded above all, | Humility started, suddenly up with a low, eae srowl. Dan heard a slight rustle behind him, and, tusning, he saw the bushes near him suddenly parted, and a black, ter- tified face appear in the opening! OHAPTER XXX.’ SLYLY AND THE TORRENT. Ir was Slyly, the Weasel, that appeared before the ranges. “““¢ Zin-ee, stranger!” exclaimed the young darkey; “aid I skeer you bad?” -‘©Who are you, anyhow?—an imp of darkness?” ree ed Dan, confronting the boy, while Humility kept up ‘his iw growling. ‘Tm black as sin, massa—black as a chunk whittled’ out’ ob de night; but if you jis’ make dat. or’hery-lodkin’ dog’ ‘ob your’n quit his snarlin’ and take his teeth in, rit come out ob here and tell. you who T is.’ cutie Dan quieted his dog, and the little darkey slid out of the bushes like an eel. “ Now I’s Slyly, the Weasel, and live up to de ruins; and, massa, if you can save dat youvg man out~ dar what de wicked men are goin to kill, de young missus "Il never for- git to pray for you.’ deed “Who is that man? and why is he fastened to that post?” asked Dan. ~ “He’s Mister Shear-e-ding, and’ he’s put dar to drown, ‘case he lubs de ole massa’s gal. Ole Massa Hamallado is an awful bad man. But Lord, massa, don’t you hear de torrent comin’ ?” | Ay os -“ Dm not deaf, nigger.” “4©'Wal, can’t you save de young man for Miss Zella’s sake?” **Tt’s too late now; the torrent’s here—oh! Je-rusalem!” **Oh, Lord!” proaned the boy. With the rush and roar of a hundred trains of cars along their iron road, the torrent swept past them, bearing upon its foamy crest masses of floating timber and debris. It seemed utterly impossible that human life could withstand the awful tread of thé seething giant. ‘But no sooner had the head of the torrent passed by, and the water in its wake sought a general level in the bed of the river, than that wail of dis- tress again issued forth upon the night. Dan glanced over the now full, rushing river, and, to his surprise and horror, beheld the bound and fettered man still at his post. The’ island, however, was submerged, and the doomed man nearly covered. were above the rushing tide. The river was nearly bank- full and still, rising rapidly. A few minutes more, and the life of Asa Sheridan will have. been ended. The young man’s terror and mental torture were far more terrible than they would have been had ‘he been consigned to. the tiger-pit. It was by a miracle only that he escaped being ground to atoms under the heel of the flood-reonster, to bé tortured to death by inches as the water. creyc slowly up his breast and neck. He struggled with all the despera- tion ‘of a madman to free himself, but the water had drawn his bonds all the tighter, and his efforts were as futile as @ child’s, His enemies had made sure that he would not es- cape, and then, to make assurance doubly sure, they stood upon the bank to watch him perish. To shoot @ man down seemed no pleasure to Leopold Hamallado.. It was too soon over with. He love: to sce an enemy writhe in agony, as.we haye already seen in the case of Basil Walraymond. When he found that the two bears were dead—had been poisoned—his devilish brain was put to. work to.conjure up a substitute for the beasts. The storm muttering afar off suggested an idea. He knew by former observations what was sure to iollow the storm in the mountains—the flooding of the San Juan. He made xnown his‘ plans’ to his men, and with the captive at once repaired to the island to put them into execution. And,,so far, all’ had worked well; and with that fiendish delight which appeared.to be the controlling element of their na- tures, they watched the form of the youth slowly sinking be- meath the rising waters. Slowly, and with all the ltorror in the touch of a slimy Only his head and shoulders ry serpent, the water crept up the young man’s neck. He could furn his) head» from) side: to: side. He could glance along the surface of the lightning-lit waters: and:see it roll- ing around him: Hevcould)see therdusky forms of;his tor mentors standing on the high: ont but ndi friendly: form was to be'seeti.: + 10h you villi The water at lenath heaalved his ‘chin, He saw ithat he had ‘but ‘a minute: longer ‘to ‘live, }:The rushing: river was black ‘with: floatmg) logs and debris swept down’ from: the mountains; and it was only the ‘post against which’ he was leaning that saved : the young man from beng deasiied to atoms‘ by these. ‘tf ' The! last hope of aria edblateinies faded from Asa Sheri- dan's ‘breast, and: he. pl to Godin prayer his trembling voice. ‘Something brushed bach cheek, He turned his head’ and saw that a huge forked log had caught astride of the post to which he'was bound. ; Each! ‘prong was; about :ten féet’in length by a foot and a ‘half in diameter; and while Sheri- dan was contemplating each with that’ vague hope with which a drowning ‘man’ grasps ata straw, a voice wittiin a f60t of him: paceaty spoke: ath ‘Stranger, ye're ina rime am ticklish “place, vain’t ye 9» ro we - Sheridan ‘bent his Bead to one bide andi saw the head of a man’ close up in the’erotch of thethuge fork. It was a: thin, rough, bearded ‘face, yet one calculated to inspire the’ suffer- ing man with hope.» His heart leaped with: i end 11? — articulated the imploring appeals |: ! ‘* Help, stranger, or [ll drown!” wu . ‘“*T believe you,” replied the ‘man in. the: orb toh of the log, reaching’ out andcutting young) Sheridan’s bunds; ‘now, jist as soon as yer hands are free, throw ’em up and)cling to the logs. But. keep! yer, head ,, well,behind, the prongs, and ‘then them) devils); can’t, nadot, you, |) einiphid nase, strap: ger; how’s that?” lope Jelf tomai lo vb gwd ‘““I’m ‘free!—great God):'be! thanked! hy am free) once more!” the young man exclaimed, ina low tone, | ‘+/Who'are you, friend? MHeaven’s instrument of mercy?” . ‘AD Tm) familiarly Known as Dakota Dan)! the Triangle red- skin extarminator, |Than’s;two, more of,us back yet-——one’s Humility, my idorg,.and the other’s, Patience, my mate awful pre-dicament you war.in,;wa’n’t it, youngster?” » |, ) “ Twas dying by inches, Dakota Dan,” the) young man responded; ‘‘ but how .are we, to, Shes now). the log has lodged ‘against this post?” © oy.) ‘* Jist wait, youngster;. the water Nl, soon mise and boost the bark over the post, then away we'll go, lieigh-ho, down the river! | Keep)a hand .on.each; prong to support yerself, and then we’ll run no dione es !—nowl—here, we go a-scootin’!” { of baila Leopold Hamallado. and his. iehdcate saw the great forked log lodge against the post. Its prong next to them concealed the youth’s head from''their view. » But stillothey kept their watch until the top of the post had disappeared, beneath ‘the rising “Wwaves;;,and when ‘the fork; floated. on, they never dreamed that it bore two! human souls with it. Outwitted, defeated viliains, they supposed the mad waves had covered their victim, and that the morning sun would rise upon a life: less, bloated form standing erect upon the island, a tempting feast ‘to’ those eee inhabitants ofthe cane vul- pia ated as ii 7) ; / "7 eetaa CHAPTER XXXI, LJ | ON TERRA FIRMA. “THs ‘ere is what I call boatin’ under diffickilty, young- ster,” said Dakota,Dan,,as he and Sheridan floated swiftly down the roaring river; ‘‘P’ve sailed on canoes and other large vessels that there way, whar the accommodations war much better’n they ure here. Most too much moisture. “bout this for me; stranger.” ‘T observe that you are inclined to take. things coolly, old friend,” said Asa. ‘Yes, this water, especially. But, youngster, kick. out vigorously with your left. foot, and. rep try and ‘ gee’ this ’ere craft to’rds the ‘shore, and let’s and. I never did like boatin’, . Asa complied with the ranger’s request, and ¢ a perceptible change in the course of the Jog was observed. It veered off toward the right shore, and in a few minutes tne men had ,” EOMmIiGDooks (E(@)