Beadle's Dime Library No. 518 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

Royal Richard, the Thoroughbred. ——— 17 The next instant Desperate Dave was upon him, dealing him a kick just back of the ear, which toppled him over senseless, ‘‘Aha! my bird!” ejaculated the captive, trembling with delight and exultation. ‘* You were wary enough, and yet you fluttered into the snare. ‘*[jlrelieve you of some of your toggery, just to see what sort of a figure I shall cut as Three Bears.” Danton set to work without loss of time, his first move heing to disarm, bind and gag the senseless renegade. In due course, he concluded his task, What a tigure he presented. Arrayed in the coat and head-dress of the renegade chief, and with his hands and face liberally daubed with the pigments so dear to the beart of the Apache, his aspect was as ferocious as villainous, The only weak pvint in his presentment was his luxuriant mustache. ‘* By keeping alittleshady, l’ll pass, reckon,” he muttered, ** Now, to get rid of this carrion. Old Duke Harpy may return at any moment, and what a hue and cry he’d raise at sight of his precious son! But how and where?—that’s the question, and a puzzling one it is, too. ‘* Not bere in the lodge, for the chances are that be would be found just at the wrong mo- ment, ‘* No, he must be taken from here, and the sooner the better. Tl reconnoiter,” With a searching glance at Harpy, Danton glided cautiously out of the lodge. To his inexpressiblerelief, the camp was silent, without a red-skin in view. A further survey decided his course of action. Directly in the rear of the tent, a few rods to the northward, was a heavy growth of chaparral, extending back to the face of the cliff forming the boundary of the pocket at that oint. ‘‘P]] just chock his royal highness, Mr. Harpy, into that bit of brush,” mused the des- perado, “He'll be safe enough there until we've had ample time to get clear of this in- fernal den.” In due course, the feat was accomplished, the unconscious renegade being stowed away in a dark nook at the foot of the cliff. ‘*Now for Pauline,” thought Danton, as he skirted the chaparral. ‘‘I will apprise her of the exact state of affairs, then seek the secret outlet of which Duke Uarpy spoke. If I could only bit upon some expeditious way to find it! if it is securely hidden, a search wil) only be tim: -vasted.” Kee,ing well in the shadows, the desperate adventurer ry ot made his way to the lodge in which Pauline Mordaunt was confined. Arrived in the immediate vicinity, Danton halted long enough to assure himself that the uard had not deserted the position assigned im. ‘“Curse it!” he gritted; “I was in hope that the red-skin had joined his fellows in the sores! ‘* But he is there, and now my work is deadly perilous; for my disguise is not such as to with- stend a close inspection, ‘“*T must hit upon some ruse to draw him ith Danton, just then, to think was to act. A large pebble thrown at the sentry attracted his atipntion; and Danton beckoned him to ap- roach, Standing in the shadows, the desperado readily passed as Ben Harpy, and the red-skin glided rapidly toward him. t was a fatal move for the red renegade. ** Another obstacle removed!” grim] tered Danton. ‘“*The way is now ala Pauline.” Boldly crossing the space of moonlight, he en- tered the lodge. ‘* Miss Mordaunt.” A moment of silence followed the cautiously- uttered exclamation; then, in a faint tone came the response: Who speaks?” ‘*T am here. ‘*Tt is I, McBuff or Danton. I have come to tell you to hope for the best. lf I meet with no ill-luck you shall be with your friends within a few hours. ** Are you bound?” ‘** Hand and foot,” Pauline replied. ‘* But how came you kere” Danton rightly suspected that there was a tone of suspicion in the query. — **T was brought kere a captive with you, but have sneceeded in getting out of durance vile,” he replied, and he rapidly narrated bis expe- rience, keeping back the fact that Death-Eagle and Three Bears were members of the Harpy family, simply stating that they were white out- laws, father and son. : ‘* And this secret pass, do you think you can find it?’ Pauline asked. “T must,and I will,one way or another,” was the determined reply. : ‘‘ Now I will relieve you of your pinions, and ‘vou must remain quiet unti! lreturn, I shall gone not a moment longer than is neces- sary.” Pauline assented to the arrangement. Danton mut- ar to cut away her bonds and thrust a revolver into her hand. He then left the lodge. Again seeking the shadows, he made another thorough survey of the visibse portion of the en- campment, finding nothing to create alarm or in any way alter the aspect of affairs, For some minutes he did not sbift his posi- tion. ‘‘ It will take time, but it offers a certain re- sult,” he at length exclaimed, half-aloud; *‘ and I will do it, for at the worst it is better than seeking the hidden outlet, and without further hesitation he strode directly across the pocket to the lodge of Ben Harpy. Entering, he produced pencil and paper, and in the dim light hastily scrawled the following: ‘**Pap:—Come straight to the secret pass as soon as you see this. I wiil be waiting there. BENn.”’ Placing the message where it would readily be seen by any one entering the lodge, Danton at once withdrew and secreted himself securely in the adjacent shadows, An hour passed, with no sign of Old Duke Harpy, and the desperado was fast becoming the prey of an overpowering impatience, when at last the chief of the red renegades appeared, approaching from the direction of the gorge. Direct to the lodge he strode, pushing aside the flap and entering without so much as a cursory glance at his surroundings, ‘Tf the scrawl only passes muster!” breathed Danton, hopefully, as he eagerly awaited the re- appearance of the old chief. ‘‘ Had I only beon familiar with Ben Harpy’s handwriting!” Little time was left bim for conjecture, how- ever, for Duke Harpy soon came out of the lodge, and set off at a sharp pace toward the cliff forming the northern boundary of the pocket. As was evident, the ruse had worked. As noiseless as ashadow, grim and determined 2 late itself, Danton followed close behind the chief. Straight ahead walked Duke Harpy, glanc- ing neither right nor left, to all appearances with suspicions unaroused; straight onward, to disa r suddenly at the foot of the cliff. ** He has entered the secret pass,” exultantly thought Danton. »‘* The secret is out! All that remains is to get the old thief out of the way.” Parting the vines through which Harpy had gone, the trailer boldly, yet cautiously, entered the fissure beyond—a narrow, winding way along which he had to feel his way with the ut- most care, A dozen paces within the gloomy recess brought him to an abrupt angle, flooded with moonlight. Heedlessly pushing on, he with startling abruptness came face to face with Old Duke Harpy! Upon the face of the chief was a cynical smile, In his right hand he held a leveled re- volver, ‘*T calculate your little scheme has not panned out so very well, Mr. Danton,” he exclaimed, his voice sinking into a low, hissing strain. ‘‘ You are a pretty shrewd fellow, but Duke Harpy is too old a bird to be caught with any- thing in the way of chaff. ‘And now just oblige me by raising your hands. Before putting you out of your misery, I desire to interview you in regard to the where- abouts and condition of my son, Ben Harpy.” ‘Don’t mention it—only too happy, you know,” murmured Danton, striving bard to ap- pear unconcerned, yet fairly quivering with the excitement of a new-born hope; for, beyond the old chief and creeping toward him with consum- mate stealth was a crouching form—a form un- mistakably that of a white man! Just a breath—then the butt of a heavy re- volver descended with crushing force upon the head of Duke Harpy, dropping him senseless in histracks, One keen, piercing glance at the face of his deliverer, and Danton started back, sick at heart, aghast wita terror. Little wonder, The man was none other than Royal Richard, the redoubtable Red-Hand Sport! CHAPTER XXI. LONG PETE’S BLUNDER AND WHAT IT COST. THE very first move upon the part of Long Pete Jenkins when Dan Yuba, from his station at the top of the heavily-wooded bluff, bad with- drawn the lariat in pursuance of a prearranged signal, was to make a thorough reconnoissance of his immediate surroundings, to assure himself that his descent into the lair of the red rene- gades had been witnessed by no prowling red- skin, : For the task before the indomitable plains- man was not such as to admit of anything short of the most rigid caution; and, even with that, the odds_were overwhelmingly against its being smoothly and successfully accomplished, owing, in chief, to the extent of the encampment and the nature of its surroundings. If surprised ani cut off from the medium of escape offered by Dan Yuba’s lariat, Long Pete was doomed, and with him Paulme Mordaunt. Satisfied with the result of bis observations, the gangling giant at length turned his atten- tion to the lodges, hoping almcst against hope, to note something which would give him an inkling as to the exact position of the captive Pauline. “Tt is of nouse—I’ve got to make ther rounds, cost what it may!” he muttered. ‘Ole Death-Eagle hes hidden ther girl away, an’ I must seek ter find her. ** An’ fu’st p’int ov all, (ll strike fer ther big lodge ov ther chief, right in the center ov ther camp; and, peeping close in against the face of the cliff, he glided rapidly through the under- growth. Ata point not beyond four or five rods from the place at which he descended into the pocket his foot came in contact with a soft, yieldin shape, and he started back as a faint, half-stifle moan arose in the darkness, With weapons in hand, he listened intently. Might it not be some cunning trick of the red renegades— the artfully-devised and skillfully- executed ruse of one or more of the Apaches, who had chanced to witness his advent into the camp? That was the first idea suggesting itself to the daring spy; but he quickly put it aside. A red- skin the shape might be; but the chances were decidedly against such a possibility. Quite likely the shape would take torm in a victim of the ruthless Apaches, A moment—then again came the moan, Cautiously, yet without hesitation, Jenkins advanced and bent over the prostrate sufferer. In the intense gloom, the features of the latter were indistinguisbable; it required but a mo- ment, however, to arrive at a fairly accurate conclusion as to his situation. He was a captive, bound and gagged, just re- turning to consciousness, In some manner, the gag had become partially disarranged. A further examination convinced Long Pete that the fellow was not only a ve eh but a white man. Thereupon, he severed his bonds and relieved him of the bag. ‘*T hevn’t time ter stay by yetill ye’re on yer ins ag’in, my hearty,” mused the plainsman; ‘* but I'll fix ye up es best I kin, an’ mebbe ye'll dig out ov hyar on yer own hook w’en ye come round.” And then Jenkins went on his way. Scarcely was his tall form lost in the gloom when the prostrate man raised himself to a sit- ting posture, ‘“Score one for Ben Harpy!” he hissed. ‘ Ill his feet, the renegade baffle ’em all, yet!” Cautiously gainin chief glided stealthily, yet swiftly toward the mouth of the gorge, bis face grim and deter- mined, his dark eyes gleaming balefully. Witbin ten minutes from the time he disap- peared within its dark recesses, he bad returped with ten picked braves at his back, Three of these he dispatched to the left, three to the right, to scout through the undergrowth bordering the pocket, then with the four re- maining hastened direct to the ledge in which he had gone down before Danton’s superior cun- ning. The lodge was deserted. One glance was enough to determine that fact, and more. On the hard-packed earthen floor lay a bit of crumpled paper. Ben Harpy swooped down upon it like a hawk upon its prey. Smoothing it, he hastily read the brief message it contained. *Pap—Come straight to the secret pass as soon as you see this, I will be waiting there. BEN.” For just a moment the outlaw stood aghast. Then, as the full portent of the words flashed upon him, rage and chagrin got the better of his astonishment. ‘*Oh, the scheming devil! he’s tricked us both and rescued the girl!” he gritted. ‘He has es- caped b wey of the secret pass, too, for pap has surely fallen into the trap. ‘“ But, by heaven! the game’s not up yet! They must still be in the pass, and may be over- taken!” Without a breath of delay, he sprung to the entrance of the lodge and sounded a signal for the immediate return of the six scouts. They came trooping in, rallying at the quar- ters of their chief in an incredibly short time. Then, with the ten braves close behind him, Ben Harpy darted toward the secret pass. * You here !” The two words came faintly from Danton’s lips, but his eyes were clear and fearless as they met those of the Red-Hand Sport. *“*T am bere, D te Dave,” coldly iterated Brazzleton, ‘*And as you are here, too, I reckon you’re my meat!” ‘Tt does look that way,” reluctantly admitted the desperado. ** But I tell you, Dick Brazzleton, this move is doing your cause more harm than good—that is, if you were really Dick Royale’s friend. A few hours ago, the circumstances would have © been different. _ ‘‘For I want you to know, Dick Brazzleton, that, bad as I am, I bave jumped Rube Harpy’s game for gold—have taken the opposing side and am heart and hand with the Mordaunts. ‘“T want you to know, too, that Pauline Mor- — daunt is a captive in the camp at the lower end. Z -~ €OoO m Cc ,OO ‘ 7s vs See ae i elie ees ® ce OOS eee — a nt ‘ os neta tlie » e<-e é ‘(2 toe ee ee ee