Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 534 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

*6 es” Awe 16 Green Mountain Joe. I have been traveling, which leads me to | black hole could be discovered, and Joe be- conclude that there is an opening into the | gan to think there was none. outer world somewhere ahead of me. If I Suddenly, however, Chip grasped Joe by turn back it is altogether likely that I will | the arm, pointing on ahead of them to where be entirely unable to find the place where I | a light could be seen rapidly crossing the cor- fell, and even if. I succeed in doing so, it | ridor they were in, disappearing almost as will be impossible for me to climb up into the other cavern without aid. Again, the | rock may have rolled back upon Chipmonk, | killing him, and thus preventing him from | giving Joe the alarm. ‘*On the whole I think it is best for me to | keep on for a while, anyway. It will be | time enough for me to turn back when I am satisfied that I cannot get out this way.” Having decided the point he again started on, walking even more rapidly than before. **Hello! What's that?” he exclaimed, suddenly, gazing ahead of him in open-eyed wonder. ‘‘It must be Joe, looking for me; and yet he could not possibly be in that di- rection either.” ‘* By Jove!” he exclaimed, a moment later, ‘there are three of them!” Then suddenly a flood of light burst upon him. The thing which had at first arrested his attention was a light, evidently fastened to the wall, but when he had walked a few steps further he saw another one further on, and then another: and the conviction rushed upon him like a revelation that he had wan- dered into a passage which had taken him back under the very footsteps he had made but a short time before with Joe; in other words that he was in the Counterfeiters’ Cave, and that the lights ahead of him were the lights the counterfeiters used in passing from one portion of their stronghold to another. “Tt’s an ill wind that blows ‘uck to no- body.” he muttered, instantly putting out his lantern, lest he should be discovered. ‘‘I am in a bad fix, though, the best way I can manage. It is next to impossible for me to find the place where I got into this thing, and I can’t go out in the way I have started without walking right through those fellow’s clutches, and if they once get a good fast hold of me, I’m a goner, sure! Anyway, I am going to see more than I can from here. In this dark place I ought to get along without being noticed much, if I keep in the shadow. I'll just leave this lantern here where I can find it if I come back this way. How I wish Joe was with me.” Putting the lantern on the floor near one of the side walls, he went forward cautiously, yet eagerly, flushed with the excitement of the moment. ‘* There is one of the gang that I know by sight, anyhow,” he muttered, ‘‘ but I don't want to meet him yet, for his sharp eyes would see through me in an instant. With the others, if any of them should accost me, I think I can give a password which will throw them off their guard.” CHAPTER XIX. CHIP HAS A PLAN, We left Joe and Chipmonk in a bad pre- dicament, standing as they were, upon the narrow ledge over an apparently bottomless abyss, with all means of retreat gone, and with the constant expectation that the very next moment their foothold might fall from beneath them, and send them headlong into the mysterious black hole. ‘Air ye scar’t, Chip?” asked Joe, as soon as he had recovered his breath; ‘‘’cos I am, an’ ye’d be more’n mortal ef ye warn’t, too. One thing ’s sart’in, we’ve got ter go on, ’cos we can’t go back if we wanter.”’ ‘*Right ye be!” replied Chip, quiveringly, and in a voice which made Joe hold the lan- tern up and look at him curiously. ‘*Darn’d ef it hain’t a’most changed yer voice, Chip,” he said, lowering the light again. ‘*‘Don’t lose yer backbone, lad, ef ve air scar’t, ’cos backbone allers counts big, even when ther odds air ag’inst ye. Kimon, an’ we'll try an’ git across this. blasted place. ‘Thar’s some folk in Derry who don’t b’lieve ina hell, but I think if I could fetch ’em here I'd convert ’em; eh, Chip?” He started on over the narrow ledge, which kept growing narrower and narrower as they progressed, until it was all they could do to retain their foothold, and once, or aie Chip’s feet slipped nearly off the rock. They were fully fifty feet fror. the point where the rock had fallen in behind them, and as yet no signs of the other side of the quickly as it appeared. ‘‘There’s Sharp!” exclaimed Joe, excited- ly; Sa—/ %% He had begun to shout, but before the en- tire syllable had escaped him, Chipmonk had sprung forward at the risk of falling and placed his hand over Joe’s mouth, stop- ping the word ere it was uttered. ‘“What did ye do thet fur?” asked Joe angrily. ‘‘Sam had a lantern with him, an’ he’s just gone out o’ sight, an’ mebbe we won't see him again.” ‘‘That wasn’t Sam Sharp,” said Chip, breathlessly. ‘* It wasn’t?” “ec No.” ‘Then who was it?” “‘Can’t yesee?” exclaimed the boy with no little disgust. ‘‘See? No! I—eh? What? Chip, by thunder, you're smart! I never would have thought of it, but jest es true’s ye live, this here thing has led us right back to ther cave where them counterfeiters be. . Holy smoke! say, we must find Sam naow, anyway!” * Wait, Joe,” said Chipmonk; ‘‘ I’ve got- ter plan, I hev, see? Jest ye listen while I give it to ye.” ‘Spit it aout, youngster.” ‘*Ye see, Joe,” said Chip apologetically, ‘‘T know these ‘ere fellers—” | ‘* What—them counterfeiters?” Chip nodded. ‘‘ Yes, | know ’em, an’ w'ot’s more, they know me, fur I been in the habit o’ comin’ an’ goin’ in an’ out o’ their cave fur ever so long ” ‘* Ye ain’t one of them, be ye, Chip?” ‘‘Mebby I am, an’ agin, mebby I ain’t, | Joe, but whether Iam’r not, 1 am one 0’ | you fellers, an’ I’m agoin’ ter stick to ye, right through, ag’inst all comers, you hear me.” ‘Right, Chip—now w’ot’s yer plan?” ¢ This, J oe. T'll o in ahead an’ look around me an’ see ef thar’s a chance fur us ter git through this way an’ go back to where we left the feller chained up, ’cos, you know we can’t never git back the wa we came, At ther same time I'll find out if they’ve got their dukes onter thet detective chap, an’ ef they hev, we'll find some wa ter git him out,see? You wait here till kim back, see? I don’t know jist w'ot I will do till I look around, but I'll do suthin’ an’ don't ye forgit it, either.” ‘‘Right, Chip! Thar’s only one part of yer plan thet I don’t like.” ** W’ot’s thet?” ‘‘ Stayin’ here. This rock we’re a stan’in’ on may be wide enough fur a little Chip- monk like you, but fura great hulk of a fel- ler like me, its sort o’ narrer like. We'll jist drive on fur enough so’s I kin stan’ on bed- rock an’ then ye kin go on and see w’ot’s w'ot, eh?” ‘Right ye be, Joe—right ye be!’ Again they started forward cautiously, and presently the ledge began to widen until before long they stepped off of it onto the solid flooring of the cavern beyond the black hole. ° Then Chip, after advising Joe to put out the light and wait, started away through the darkness, leaving his friend in order to save him if possible. " ‘‘Surely I should have nerve enough for anything after what I have already passed through,” he whispered to himself as he bur- ried forward. ‘‘ This part of the cavern is entirely unknown to me, though I suppose it should be as familiar as any, but the light satisfied me that we were in the counterfeit- er’s cave, beyond doubt.” He made his way onward as rapidly as possible, occasionally stumbling over a loose rock which had fallen from the roof, or com- ing roughly into contact with some pro- jection from the side, until at length his hand ran off from the wall by which he had been tracing his way, and he discovered that he had reached the point where they had seen the light cross and disappear. As he paused and looked, he could see numerous stationary lights fixed along the walls in the new corridor which he had — found, and he thought he knew where he was at once. Turning without hesitation, he walked boldly toward the lights, soon reaching a point where he could see plainly, and dis- covering that he was ‘in the main corridor of the cave, only at that part of it furthest in the mountain, ‘‘T must be near the headquarters,” he thought. ‘‘I’ll just look about me and see if the men we captured have been missed.” Advancing still further, he presently turned sharply to the right, emerging into a large chamber which looked very grotesque in the light of many lights swung from the ceilings. Several large hand-presses were arranged about the room, while in the center was a table upon which the paraphernalia for eating were scattered profusely. Sitting around the table, and helping themselves bountifully, were a half-dozen rough-looking men en- gaged in eating their breakfast. ‘* Hello, Chip!” shouted one of the men, as the boy entered; ‘‘ what brought you here at this hour? You must have started in the middle of the night.” ‘‘T didn’t!’ replied Chip. ‘‘ I started yes- terday, an’ hev been in the cave all night. You fellers don’t keep no watch, anyhow! a hull pack o’ eceps could drop onto ye ‘thout yer ever fin’in’ it out. I kim in at ther bush entrance an’ stopped at ther little room thar till now, see? Guv a feller suthin’ t’ eat, won’tcher?” ‘I yec’on we will, Chip,” said another. ‘*Mosey up an’ use yer dukes, ’r ye'll git left, sure ’nuff.” ** Where’s Barnes?” asked the boy, looking around, as he helped himself to a slice of bacon and some bread. ‘Give it up!’ said a third. ‘‘He’n Tim Copper ’n Cxesar went aout on duty o’ some kind ’bout dusk, an’ none of ’em ain’t show’d up since; seen ’em?” ‘“Naw; been snoozin’. It ’u’d suit me jes’ ’3 well ef they didn’t kim back at all. Ceesar’s a brute; Tim Coppe’s no good, an’ . Barnes ’s too stuck up fur me.” ‘* Right ye be, Chip!” chuckled another. ‘*Them’s my sentiments ter a Tee-e.’ ‘‘Anything new, lately?” asked Chip, after a moment’s pause. ‘* Nothin’,” somebody replied, and the boy went on munching his breakfast in silence. When the meal was finished, Chipmonk arose, and passing through several of the lantern-lighted corridors, presently found himself before the wicket door, where the captain's negro attendant kept guard, and in a moment more that ebony-cvlored individual showed his somber face through the open- ing. ‘Ts ther capting up?” asked Chip. ‘‘He am,” replied the negro. ‘* Busy?” peck busy, Mas’r Chip.” - “Ask him ef he wants ter. see me.” ‘é He don’.” ‘* How d’ye know that?” ‘*He sed he didn't wanter see nobody, no- how,” grinned the black. ‘‘Well,” said Chip, ‘‘tell him I’m here, anyhow, an’ thet I’m goin’ back ter the vil- lage, an’ mebby ye’ll find he does wanter see me.” . The negro departed, but in a moment he returned hastily, saying: ‘‘T guess, Mas’r Chip, he reckons you is nobody, fo’ he wants ter talk to you.” and without further parley the boy was allowed to enter the presence of the counterfeiter chief. Quickeye was busy writing when the lad entered, and did not look up for several mo- ments, during which the boy flung himself familiarly upon one of the upholstered chairs which stood rather in the shadow, and waited. Finally the note was ended, folded, sealed and directed, and then the counterfeiter chieftain raised his head. ‘‘T was expecting you, Chip,’ he said. “You were seen on the mountain Rertesy with Joe Alden and a stranger, and I rather looked for your report before this time.” ‘*Couldn’t git here no quicker,” replied Chip. huskily, and coughing a little. ‘*Your cold is no better, I see,” went on the captain. ‘‘Who was the stranger, Chip?” ‘His name’s Sharp.” EComicgbooks. - Sie