Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 533 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

28 Oregon, the Sport with a Scar. reach of their revolvers. Present danger was not thought of, and before they remembered cr suspected its presence they were well into a dark and narrow defile. Then up rose Captain Gadley and a dozen masked men, half to the one side, half to the other, hemming them in. In his bands the captain held a Winchester, and without a word of warning he pointed it straight for Chestnut Chink and pulled the trigger. here was not another there that the attack did not find unprepared; but Chestnut, the slow and timorous, was ready. Quick asa cat, at the appearance of Captain Gadley, he leaned sideways, and his hands dropped upon Long Ebe’s shoulders, A sudden | wrench and he brought the trailer in front of him, just in time to receive the hissing bullet that would otherwise have taken his own life. Then, with a wild and peculiar cry, be dashed away down the gorge, while the outlaws again | sunk out of sight, CHAPTER XXXIV. THE SPRING OF CYRIL’S TRAP, CHESTNUT was gone before Neville and his men had time to stop him. The plan to keep an eye on him was not a complete success, and its failure, at the time, seemed hardly to be re- gretted. Whether true or false to them, he had barely escaped with his life. There was no doubt that the ball was aimed at bim; and if it | struck Ebe, it was because Chink had pulled him in range. A muttered curse dropped from Captain Gadiey, as he threw up another cartridge. ** After him, two of you, and shoot him down if heattempts toescape. The cursed botch of | And you | his bas cost us the life of a-good man, infernal botches! How did you come to let bim getaway? The whole drove might as well have | Keep them covered | got through. Steady now! while I talk sense to’em. No shooting till you get orders; but keep your guns ready at an aim,” ; Captain Gadley—or Cyril North, as the reader best knows him—got no answer to his conflict- ing words, His men handled their weapons to show they meant business, and glared down at the men in the pen below, peering carefuily | from their coverts, offering no mark for a shot, and yet ready to rise and pour in a volley the moment the order was given. Cyril meantime acted with the recklessness that had always been his own, It was only for & moment that he had taken to cover. stood up boldly, his left hand upheld, the palm to the front, while in his right hand he grasped his rifle, ** Ho, there, you below! You’llhave a chance for all the shooting you want if you'll hold your horses a little. Just now there’s a chance for a talk, Ihave you foul anyhow, so you'd be big- fer: fools than I[ think if you don’t take it. at are you doing here on our play ground? Somebody come to the front, and speak up live- | ly now. It’s as much asI can do to keep the boys from shooting, and when they begin it will be hard to find a grass spot left of you.” ** Perhaps; but you'll find that the shooting will not be all on one side,” shouted back Neville, stepping a pace forward to assume the — leadership that belonged to him, ‘‘ We meet once more, face to face, Cyril North. You know well enough why we are here. Surrender or take the consequences,” *““My dear boy, your consequences can’t amount to much, otherwise; but if we surren- dered they would pan out too keavy for any fun. You mustsee how itis yourself. Now,I’ve got a little to say to you, and your gang, since you are in the humor tolisten, You've seen my Men—and you didn’t take a shot at them when you bad the chance that we don’t intend to give youagain. Every one of them can drive center at at two hundred yards, and you’re not near that far away now. Every one of them has a bead, though you can’t see them. When their fingers ull, you all drop, too dead to kick. That’s just the fix you're in. When I say hands up, if they don’t come up there’s nothing to stop from taking in the iast soul in the outfit. talking to you now—the rest are not tenderfeet, and they have been understanding the situation all alcng.” ‘* Excuse me, pard!” Dave Dunn spoke up, Everybody knew that having walked into the trap the words of the road-agent were the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, The sudden fall of Long Ebe had produced a startling effect, and Dave, | save Neville, was the coolest man there. ‘“‘ That may all be true, but you’ve stepped a little too far forward, You can’t dodge, and I'll fire at the flash if a man picks trigger. [I’ve got you lined. Don’t you stir, but quit putting on side. Let’s talk this thing over, What in thunder dc you want?” tohave him, [ve no use for the rest of you riff- raff. any more than I had for that cold meat that lies on the trail. If the fool in the bushes | hadn't pulled him in the way be wouldn’t have stopped a bullet, and there would have been no One burt, You can pul! out fou Brace Box or , * Then he | Tm | wherever you belong; but North lam going to have if I have to turn some sixty more toes up to the daisies. I am leaving this region anyhow so that a little slaughter, more or less, won | harm me worth a cent. Besides that, I know — camp. All the men you could coax out ere to hunt Captain Gadley wouldn’t make a mouthful, There’s about three solid men to | think about, and the rest of the town ain’t worth /acent, Maa alive, you can’t get out of the box. Name your vanity.” The two men grev, if any ng cooler as they talked. Dunn was crouching, his rifle at his shoulder, his left elbow resting on his knee. It looked as though he could hold the drop for a | week, Partly covered, too, as he was, it weuld not be so easy to bring him down bya single | shot. To fire and miss rendered the captain’s | death almost a certainty. Cyril North stood with his arms folded, From _ the time he first spoke the sneer never left his lips. One would have said that he must feel himself absolutely bullet-proof. on as stoically as though they were so many eda spring. Captain Gadley was accustomed to bave his orders obeyed when he gave any, and His men looked | machines, that would move only when he toucb- | cave to which Viola had been transferred by a more direct, though fully as dangerous a route. Of course he was far enough away from the known cave on the Chico Rico. After the fierce outbreak immediately upon Neville’s capture, the outlaw said no more to hita, and when, at theend of the long journey the halt came, the captive knew not whether he was near Viola or not, Neville was also curious to know what had become of Chestnut Chink, Had he rejoined the men from Brace Box; had he been slain by the outlaws; was he their ally; was he wander- ing by himself? So Neville questioned, when he turned his thoughts from himself; but he got no answer. Only, after the party had traveled some dis- tance, two men had joimed it; and held a hasty, whispered conversation with the leader. Per- haps it related to the fugitive, It did not seem to be very pleasunt, nor very alarming. At the end Cyril dismissed them with a peremptory gesture, sending them back on the trail. They had not rejoined the party when the balt was made, Some hours passed, and the darkness came down upon the camp. Neville, having bad one _ these men expected to do as he said even if they | hand set at liberty long enough to masticate his _ thought this game of nerve would result in the | death of both men. | It was Neville who broke the deadlock. _ “One moment, Dunn. You men have all stuck by me well enough, but luck is dead against us, aud there is no need of a general _ sacrifice, when you all might escape, and it’s not so certain that any harm will come to me, Once out of this trap, you can take care of yourselves, If yonder man allows von to retire, I will vield myself his prisoner. I[f he will not, we'll fight it out right here, if we never stir another foot, There’s no need forasingle word more except yes or no, How is it?” ‘**Good enough. If your men accept the capitulation, they can march out on those terms with drums beating and banners flying; only they bad better go soon, And the next time they come to bunt me they want to keep their eyes very wide open. Take your dead along, too. I have no use for it here.” Dunn wavered, The fact was he rather wanted to take a shot at the mountain outlaw, and would have been willing to run the risks for himself. In an un- dertone he muttered: ‘** You sure you mean it? We ain’t dead yet, or even badly skeered,” ‘*] mean what I say, always. Be quick, be- fore be thinks to go through your pockets, have already paid you fair wages, and if I see you again I'll pay you more. Good-day. Find Oregon, if you can; he will arrange the rest.” Up in the air he held his hands, and marched down the ravine in the direction taken by Chest- nut Chink in his flight. After that there was little delay on the part of the men from Brace Box. They accepted the situation, and were off in a moment, not slto- ee certain they would not be shot in the The one division of the outlaws kept them coy- ered; the other, with their captain, followed after Neville. ‘* T fancy that I have you now, Master Neville,” said Cyril, as he at last stood by the side of hls cousin. ‘*Tf you had been sensible, you would have fought it out when there was at least the ghost of a chance, Of course you have none now, Up to this I have held my hand a little, till I could see how the cat jumped. I[ thought I might go East. Now I giva that up, and get down to the business pure and simple of evening up old scores. Curse you! Ive been yearnin for your life every day since [ left home; but never thought I'd get that and the old lady’s money to boot.” ‘* My life you may take; but if you ever get our aunt’s wealth, it will pass on to your heirs before you have time tocarry itaway. Before I left Brace Box, I sent a statement back of how _ we found you, and of what manner you were. When you advance to claim the fortune, you will see the noose banging ready for your neck.” Thanks for the warning; but I assure you I have no idea of running any such risks. My _ wife will attend to all that. shall send her— | the divine Viola—to claim it, and carry it away to some foreign clime where we may spend it together. Come back to us, Neville, come back to us in the spirit, and mark how bappy we can be. Ob, if your ghost only could come, how the sight would make him wince, But, never mind, | First, you shall dance at our wedding; then, you | shall dance on the rope.” | There was a savage bate in his words that made Neville shiver and say no more. yet _ his nerve was unbroken, but it remained to be seen how he would endure what captain Gadley _ had still in store for him. “‘] want Neville North, there; and I expect | CHAPTER XXXV. DOORS OPEN AT SEVEN. Cyrit had his cousins at his mercy, and, for the present. Brace Box was disp of. He did not revisit the camping-ground of the pre- ceding night; but gained the vicinity of the EE supper, wondered if, after all, Cyril could be as bad as he seemed; and if so, how soon he would be enlightened. Hardly had he asked the question when the answer came, after a fashion. Cyril and two of bis men escorted a stranger into his presence, ‘Ah, Cousin Neville, I am sorry that you have to beso uncomfortable, but as I cannot trust you to come to your senses in a reason- able time, I have todo more tying and less watching. Allow me to make you acquainted with Reverend Leonidas Bear, who bas just ar- rived from Bed Rock, I hope you can amuse him while I get our dear Viola ready for the ceremony.” He left them together then, and Neville looked at the creature with a disgust that was some- what mingled with amazement. Could this man be a minister? “Sorry to meet you here and under such cir- cumstances,” snuffled the man, understanding the gaze that was fixed upon him, and winking his bleared eyes to clear them somewhat of the moisture that lingered there, ‘*T have been unfortunate in my life, and have had foes, sir, foes. They helped to drag me down until it was a question, sir, whether I would ever rise again. But I am emerging—I begin to feel my footing. I have regained the confidence of my fellow mortals, am now a justice of the ce, and one day will go back, sir, rehabilitated in the sight of the world.” ‘* And as a preparatory act you are here, the confidant of a mountain outlaw, and pledged to do bis vile work?” ‘‘ My young friend, with me it is a case of necessity; therefore, why should I not submit gracefully. Having been once under a cloud, though of an entirely different nature, I natur- ally feel some sympathy for erring mortals who seem to have been forced into temporary retire- ment. I do not judge them harshly, and I sym- pathize with you. Am I not doing my duty?” Leonidas was very far from being a Spartan! It was evident that unless he was bad as the worst, he had a respectful fear of Captain Gadley, and did not intend to imperil his life, asserting bis manhood. se “heed you hound!” exclaimed Neville, in bot t ‘* ff my hands were loose I'd choke you where you stand. If you take part or lot in this vilest of all vile plots you should be flayed alive, and roasted over a slow fire.” ‘* And, my dear young friend, that is about what would be done with me if I did not. I am a captain, sir, like yourself. They came, sir, two outlaws, perhaps, but men who would not be denied, to my humble cabin, where, sir, law and religion are alike dispensed, and at the point of the pistol—of the pistol, sir, they drag- ged meaway. Ido not profess to be immacu- late; but I hope, sir, I understand enougb to take care of my own interests, I bave been warned not to accept as gospel your wild rav- ings. Ihave been told that you came hither hungering and thirsting for the life of your own cousin, and that you kad become almost a maniac because your schemes were balked. I refuse to listen to your uncharitable espersions, It is largely at the request of a lady, that I consented to take part in what I rdmit seems to me to be a somewhat irregular proceeding. I begin, sir,{to respect the young lady for her ood taste, A read-agent who is a gentleman is better than a man who isa ruffian. I make allowance for your jealousy and disappoint- ment, but I refuse to listen longer to your rav- ings, and I hrpe I will not long be compelled to undergo the indignity of your presence, The queer little man turnei away, and left Neville not a whit less wrathful, but full of wonder whether be was not more deserving of pity than wrath. Could it be that Viola was mad enougk to consent to or desire such a sac- rifice? If so, then she was searcely worthy of the risks he had so cheerfully been willing to run. Gomilchboo <S