Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 512 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

Captain Velyet’s Big Stake. a —.-——__- _ — ‘* What if they don’t want to got You know how men of their kind are sometimes.” | ‘“Yes, But we havea certain code here—the | Code of No Man’s Ground. We are as populous here as we want tobe. We interfere with no living man beyond our boundaries, and we ask no one to interfere with us within them, Fifty men would fill us to overflowing. They may come, but they must not stay. I say this firmly, Captain Goldbar, with the Code of No Man’s Ground to back me.” The two men face to face exchanged looks and Norgan, who was always on the alert, thought he had made a discovery which was to give a speedy and a tragic turn to affairs. The camp chemist was not mistaken, CHAPTER VIII. er THE oObe GOTHS. ** You see, sir, that I am no r prophet. Look yonder.” gree The man who called himself Gideon Goldbar spoke thus to Boss Nevada and at the same time he called the Shasta captain’s attentiou to a line of men and horses straggling down over the trail elevated some hundreds of feet above the camp. No glass was needed to make them out, and the men of No Man’s Ground who watched the movement with a great deal of interest and some- times in silence, felt that they were gazing at an end to their seclusion, ‘* Those are the gold vultures brought to Satan City by a bonanza falsehood,” said Boss Nevada, after watching the scene a fewseconds, ‘It will take them nearly an hour to get here, I wish the mountain would open and swallow every mother’s son of them.” Gideon Goldbar smiled faintly, and looked at another man who, standing by bimself, was quietly looking at the invasion, This was Dun Duff. As yet the stern command revealed on the message from Sacramento by Norgan’s chemi- cals had not been carried out, Boss Nevada was curious to know why Colo- nel Bluff wanted their visitor crushed like a viper, and he was waiting tosee if Dun Duff would not in some manner give him a glimpse of his ‘* hand,” ‘* Tt can be done any time,” the captain of the camp thought to himself, ‘‘I have but to lift my haud and off goes his head, but I want to know why the Colonel wants him crushed, To- night, mebbe, or to-morrow. Time enough, anyhow.” un Duff and Gideon Goldbar had not yet met, There were some in camp who inclined to the belief that the two men were well-known to one another, and that they were keeping apart for selfish purposes. Boss Nevada did not think so. He prided himseif on his judgment of human nature wherever he found it, and he had decided secretly that the men were not friends. It was still two hours before sunset when the head of the column seen on the mountain ap- peared at the confines of Satan City. lt was a motley crowd sureenough. There were men on horseback and men afoot, but all showed traces of travel and not a few were curs- ing the trip while they entered the capital of No Man’s Ground. A crowd of sullen, unwelcome faces greeted them. A wallof bronzed stalwarts seemed to rise between them and the treasures of the new Golconda. The caravan halted on the Baqnarsy and horses were unsaddled under the very limb from which the corpse of Mark Moline had lately dangled. Boss Nevada walked toward the company with nearly one-half of the population of Satan City at bis heels, he cold eye of the Shasta Boss looked the men over individually and as a whole. He sized them up and seemed to draw a not very pleasant conclusion, It was a bad crowd. It was composed largely of old prospectors—men who had roughed it from diggings to diggings and tramped from claim to claim. ‘‘ A crowd not to be brow-beaten if it doesn’t want to be,” summed up Norgan the assayer. *“‘T would like to know which of the two men fetched it up here—Dun Duff or Gideon Goid- bar. Don’t tell me that such a set 0’ men came together by chance, Can’t I see that they’ve been picked—picked by some covl head for a po And that purpose, what? The wrest- n bh of No Man’s Ground from the hands that old it now.” Boss Nevada mingled with theinvaders. In a little while his reserve seemed to pass away and he became chatty as he met different mem- bers of the caravan. Everywhere he heard the same story. They had been apprised of the finding of a new mine on No Mav’s Ground. One report had confirmed another until they could not but believe. They had come mostly from Sacramento, but here and there along the trail other eager ones had joined them, till the band was swelled to its present numbers. ; The head of Satan City told the miners that an a“ rumor, which contained not one atom of truth, No Man’s Ground was a nice place to inhabit. The climate was good, the air was pure, but as to it having the semblance of a bonanza, poof! he would let them see for themselves, Asa matter of course, Shasta Sam’s bar did a good business after the arrival of the gold Goths, As tongues became loosened under the influ- ence of the mountain liquors, the pards of Satan City, who always kept a certain object in view, picked up some new information here and there. One of these industrious spies sougbt out Boss Nevada and found him in what was called ‘ the office,” a small chamber hewn out of almost solid rock, and e great many feet from the sur- face and the light, “So you have founda man who recognizes Dun Duff?’ asked Boss Nevada, when he had ry to the man’s report, ** And at first sight he called him by quite an- other name, eh?’ ‘* He did.” “*That is one point,” responded Nevada, with asmile, ‘“‘He is a manof more names than one. We know him to have two, but there’s no telling how many more he’s got. Was the fel- low positive?” ‘*He seemed to be. When I mentioned that the person he saw was Dun Duff, he wanted to bet five ounces of dust that he could startle him by speaking a certain name behind his back.”, ‘You did not let him do that, Onyx?” ““No. I didn’t want to test him without or- ders,” ‘*Can you find the miner readily?” ‘* Yes, captain.” **Go and bring him here,” ** To ‘ the office? ” asked the pard, with a look of surprise. **No; you are right, Onyx—not here. Bring him to Mine Number Taree within thirty min- utes, There’s nothing there for him to see, you know. Do tbe work silently. This may be im- portant. By Jericho! if the Colonel knew this, the ebair wouldn’t hold him, crippled as he is,” Onyx departed, to find the man with whom he had conversed among the newly-arrived miners, and Boss Nevada turned to the desk built half-way into the wall, He opened a door with a small steel key, and took out several bits of paper and a stick of red sealing-wax, Witb these in his possession he left the spot, but soon afterward leaned against a buge rock near the entrance to an underground apart- ment similar to the office, Presently footsteps and voices were heard, and then Onyx and another man made their ap- pearance, ‘*This is he, captain,” observed Onyx, point- ing to his companion. It was not altogether dark in the place. A lamp fastened to a stone wall gave some light but Boss Nevada turned it higher, and surveyed the man again. ‘* Your name?’ demanded the Boss of No Man’s Ground. ** Nicol Macbeth,” ** Where from?” ‘‘From pretty nigh everywhere, captain,” with a smile, ** You ave cosmopolitan, then?” ** We'll say so.” ‘*What do you know about the man called Dun Duff? Theman who brought you to me bole ae taht you called him by another name.” "laid, ‘*Then you recognized him” ** But not as Dun Duff?” “cc No,” ‘Well, [am waiting for you to go on, Mac- beth,” The man before Boss Nevada seemed to won- der why this inquisition, The captain of the camp noticed it, *““We reward men who do us a favor,” he hastened to say, presuming on Macbeth’s cupid- ity. ‘‘ There’s nothing here for the many who came into carp to-day; there may be a good deal for the discreet few. "You understand me, Macbeth?” *' Perfectly,” answered the man. A moment’s silence followed the answer, ‘* Where did you see, we will say, Dun Duff before to-day?’ **In Arizona, in Colorado, in ’Frisco and—” Boss Nevada threw up his han “That will do, Who is he?” **Do you want the name by which I would call him, were we on intimate terms, eh?” ‘* That is exactly what I want,” Nicol Macbeth leaned toward Boss Nevada, and answered in lowered tones: *‘T would call him Cactus Claude for one name,” ‘What for another?” ‘*The Marked Major.” ** Anything else?” ** Not at present,” answered Macbeth, ‘Why is he bere?” ‘*That’s quite another thing,” laughed the he was sorry they had been dragged so far by miner, ‘You don’t pretend to know?” ““T know nothing.” ‘‘Had he anything to do with you men in- vading No Man’s Ground?” Nicol Macbeth shook his head. ‘‘ You came up here for what was to bo found, did you?” ‘Thats’ all, But stay! one other question,” The miner, who had started off, turned back. ‘*What is Dun Duff's reputation for cool- ness?” asked Boss Nevada, ‘* Tt is first-class,” ‘*Is he ‘on the drop?” ‘* He is perfectly at home with the pistol, and, if he hasn’t abandoned his once favorite idea, with the dynamite-knife, also,” ‘* What is that?” ‘‘ A bowie with some kind of explosive in the handle, The knife is thrown; the handle, in- stead of the oint, strikes the victiin, and the explosion follows.” “Great Caesar! is this the sort of man we've got to deal with?” cried Boss Nevada. Macbeth said nothing. ‘* After all you have said, and all you have seen and know, would you say that Dun Duff is here on mischief bent?” is fle never goes anywhere on any other mis- sion. Once more the Boss of Satan City said “ that is all,” and this time Nicol Macbeth was per- mitted to disappear. “Three names and a dynamite dagger!” parted Boss Nevada’s lips as he followed the old Goth back toward tie Square. There was a gleam of eagerness and triumph in his eyes. He crossed the Plaza at one side and entered a cabin a few steps beyond. It was not his own, as a woman’s voice of greeting assured him. He stood face to face with Opal. ‘* Opal, my girl, I have another request,” said another man e. ‘‘ What! are you going to ha n stay in the under the code, and want me house?” was the quick retort. ‘*' You are right as to half of it, girl. I want you to keep close to the cabin till morning.” ‘* What are you going to do?” ‘* Make sufe the secret of No Man’s Ground!” CHAPTER IX. BETWEEN TWO CABINS, WHETHER he was afraid to trust himself longer in the presence of the beautiful girl call- sometimes the Seraph of Satan City, or whether he was eager to carry out his intentions at once, Boss Nevada turned from the cabin without giving Opal a chance to reply. | * How are they going to make the secret safe and who endangers it?’ she asked herself, while the sound of Nevada’s feet died away, ‘‘ The camp swarms with wild-looking men who say, I understand that they come here in the capacity of miners; but what bas occasioned this simul- taneous rush?” P Opal went to the door and looked toward the square, he day had vanished and she could no longer single out the different stalwart forms that had attracted her before. Laughter and voices were borne to her ears, and beyond the Plaza she saw the open door of Shasta Sam’s saloon, She was looking and listening in the doorway when a figure came around the cabin. Opal drew back, but a quick laugh assured her that she had nothing to fear, ‘Tt is the man who came last,” ed through her thoughts when she gave the man before her a second cok, ‘*Did I frighten you? You will pardon me,” oke the one at the door with the light from the lamp within on his face. ‘‘I have been waiting a little while to see you. You are alone?” ‘* Yes,” answered Opal, though her tones did not contain the grant of an interview. A second Jater she stepped back and held the door open. ‘“*Tf you want to talk with me let us go in- side,” said she, and in a mument she found her- self face to face in her own little abode with Gideon Goldbar, ¢ Sbe had seen the men several times on the street since his arrival in Satan City, Lut never before had she stood so close to bim. She now remarked that be was handsome, with a fine figure, a well-molded face and an observing black eye. What did he want tosay to her? ‘‘They call you Opal, do they not?’ began Gideon, ‘* Opal,” answered the girl with a smile, ‘* You have been here a long time?” ‘* A long time,” was the quiet echo. ‘You know that a portion of the Code of No Man’s Ground was carried out here last night?” Opal could not keep back a start. **T should not have asked you this, perhaps,” smiled the stranger, ‘‘ You cannot be igno- rant of the proceedings under the tree in th Square. What I want to ask is, what do you know about Mark Moline?” | ‘*T might say, nothing.” “<cOmMmIGcHDOOKS (Elo) a i : . 4 4 *