Beadle's Dime Library No. 807 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

: Secing that the story of the coming of Wild Bill with his brother, for who else could it be, and hea _ prisoner, doubpiess, © had greatly disturbed the captain, Colonel . Monastery granted the request asked and the 4 officer hastened to his quarters to prepare for an earlier start than had been intended. Leaving tbe colonel to explain to Major Canfield, he had at once gone to the barracks and ordered the two troops to go under his 4 command, with the two pieces of light } artillery and half a dozen scouts to be ready to start by dawn at the latest. Then he went back to his quarters and * began to pace to and fro, his face stern, his brow clouded. He sent an orderly to his lieutenants with orders, and though several officers, hearing of his going on the expedition, dropped in to see him, he refused himself to all visitors and continued to pace the floor of his little cabin, his brain and heart in a whirl at what he had heard from Colonel Monastery of the coming of his brother with Wild Bill, who had been sent on the mission, as had been confessed, of hunting down his, Adrian Val- dos’s record, to discover if there was really just cause why he should be under a cloud with bis brother officers, or it originated in the malicious hearts of his unsuccessful rivals. The time of departure came and found Captain Valdos seedy but he had not once closed his eyes, nearly the whole night being spent in that steady pacing to and fro, Placing himself at the head of the troop- ers, who, with the scouts, numbered some- thing over a, hundred men, Captain Valdos, an ideal soldier, rode out of the fort. When the sun rose he saw ahead some dis- tance and was surprised to discover that the scout who had been sent along in charge of the half-dozen other men in, buckskin, was none other than Kit Carrol. With flashing eyes he put spurs to his horse and riding to the front cailed out an- y: ‘*See here, Carrol, how is it that you have dared to come along as chief of scouts of my command?” °* The scout saluted politely and replied: “TI came by order of Major Canfield, sir.” Captain Valdos was about to make an angry retort, when he recalled that Kit Car- rol was known as a splendid scout and that Major Canfield had sent bim for that reason, he of course having no knowledge of what had occurred between them, so said; ‘‘ All right, sir, and see that you do not forget that I am in command here, even after your report to Colonel Monastery.” Then he wheeled his horse out of the trail and waited for his command to come up, while the scout went on his way amazed at the fact that the colonel had spoken to the accused captain of his charges against him, and then had sent himeout at the head of the advance, ‘‘T fear I have made a mistake,” mut- tered the scout, and he seemed anxious to keep as far ahead as possible, so as not to be under the eye of the man he had failed to ‘intimidate into paying him hush-money, or to disgrace by his charge against him. Just before sunset that same evening, as the scouts were seeking a good camping- place, Kit Carrol sent back word that there ‘was a large force of Indians in sight, several hundred in number, | Captain Valdos’s first duty was to dispatch a courier back over the trail to report to Major Canfield that the Indians had been 4 met in force, and then ordering his officers to form in line of battle he rode quickly for- ward to recorinoiter. A glance showed him that the Indians had just discovered their approach and were taken by surprise, for, in a valley, they were hastening toward the hill several miles away where ‘they could make a stand. ‘Tt will be ruinous to us if they reach the hills, so I will charge them now-and fight it out in the open valley. “Tell Captain Lane to bring up the men,” he ordered, and in ten minutes more the troopers were stripped for the fight and ready for the charge, the artillery, scouts and pack-animals forming as a reserve in the timber. | Loud rung the command as Captain Valdos placed himself at the head of the command, | dering of hoofs, a hun . i 4 ¢ aS * “= and with cheers, a ty of steel and thun- red horsemen were led at a run down into the valley. Checked in their retreat, the Indians, four times the force of their foes, rallied to beat them back, and in ten minutes more the pale-faces and the red-men had met witha might crash, anda terrible hand-to-hand fight | braves surrounding the chief, and was begun. But back the Indians were being driven when two startling cries were heard that sent | a thrill of horror through the heart of every | trooper. ‘The captain has fallen!” | So rung the first cry, and all saw him torn | from his horse where he had dashed far | ahead into the midst of a band surrounding | their chief, ‘The Indians are reinforced!” So rung the second cry, and down from the hill at the full speed of their ponies came a large force of warriors, ‘‘Sound the retreat, bugler,” reluctantly ordered Captain Lane, and the gallant troopers began to fall back from the bloody scene. | CHAPTER VI. HIS FATE. Ir was the order of Colonel Monastery, and the well: known push of Major Canfield, that prevented a very serious ending to the advance guard under Captain Valdos. The colonel, when he heard that the cap- tain’s command had gone off before dawn, had at once sent for Major Canfield and told him not to delay longer, «1s was the intention | at first to start the following day, but to get off on the trail at the earliest possible mo- ment, adding: : ‘ ‘‘Valdos heard bad news last night, ma- jor, which I fear will make him very reck- less of his own safety, and also of his men.” Under these instructions Major Canfield started with three troops, two more light | uns, and left one more troop and a battal- on of infantry to follow the next morning with the supply wagons. 4 He was therefore but a few hours behind Captain Valdos in starting, and riding more rapidly than the advance, the courier sent back to hasten him on found him not two miles away. At once he pushed on at a gallop, but be- | fore he reached the ridge he heard the wild, victorious shouts of the Indians rising above the roar of battle, aud then followed the booming of the two guns left on the ridge, which plainly told that the troopers were re- | treating and hard pressed. Ac ighy BR fe the ridge, a hundred yards | ahead of his command, Major Canfield bit his lips as he beheld the cavelry retreating at a gallop, yet fighting as they came on, while behind them came a force now num- bering seven to one against them, | | He knew well that but for his coming they could not have rallied strong enough at the guns to check that horde of savages, and he quickly ranged his men in line, ordered the guns with him to take position and go into action, and as the flying cavalry reached the ridge, they beheld a support that would save them, and’ burst forth in a loud yell of triumph. . The cheers were drowned then by the rat- tle of carbines and the thunder of the four guns, and the avalanche of red riders met a check that pushed them back as though they had run at full speed against a precipice, Having, when met by the courier, sent word back for the third force to hasten.on, Major Canfield felt no dread of the numbers in front of him, yet cared not to send his tried troopers on a charge against them, leaving it for the four guns to stampede them by bursting shells,in their midst, for the sun was setting and darkness would soon envelop the scene. The ridge where be had taken position was well supplied with s, wood and water, and besides was a stronghold of de- fense, so he at once ordered the men to go into camp, and threw out his scouts to take in the situation, while he eyed the red-skins through his glass. “There are some six hundred of them in ago, and more beyond the hills across the valley. | | f Valdos was rash.to attack as he did, and he is fortunate not to have suffered more 7 i. Wild Bill, the Wild West Duelist. Wit doing)so,” he said to the officers about im. ‘Captain Valdos hus suffered all he can, Major Canfield, for he is dead,” said! Captaim Lane riding up just then. } ‘* What! Valdos dead! this is terrible.” ‘Yes, he led thé charge away ahead of the line, and I saw him dash into a group of he must. have been riddled with bullets and _ terribly” torn with arrows and lances, ‘‘Tsaw him fall, and made an effort to reach him, but the Indians were reinforced and we were beaten back. ‘But for your timely arrival sir, I fear the rest of us would have been overwhelmed aud shared poor Valdos’s fate.” A young lieutenant, a sergeant and half a dozen men had also been killed, and a score: more wounded, so that a gloom fell upor their comrades at the result of the captain’s fatal charge while Major Canfieid muttered: ‘‘Tt was just as the colonel feared: what- ever it was that Valdos heard, it had made him reckless of consequences, ' ‘-T wonder how Miss. Marcelite will bear this news?” The night passed away without disturb- ance, but the morning dawned to reveal the Indians in large force on the hills and im strong position. Until the coming up of the third foree Major Canfield dared not attack, for in all there he would have about four hundred men,and he sent a. courier back to haster them on incase the Indians, encamped by numbers, should attack him, There upon the field lay the dead soldiers, the Indians having removed their slain; but. an effort to reach them was met by the whole force of red-skins being put upon the move.. Thus the day passed, and with night the: third force arrived and went into camp. Before dawn Major Canfield moved against. the foe, and the guns began to throw shells: into the hills as they advanced. But with the sunrise not an Indian was. seen, and there lay the bodies of the soldiers, scalped, mutilated beyond all recognition, torn by coyotes during the night, a warning of what the soldiers must expect in frontier warfare. The bodies were buried with honors, and. the command then pushed on rapidly and. brought the Indians to bay at noon. But after suffering heavily the red-skins: stampeded and the pursuit ended at night with victory for the soldiers, who several days after started upon the return to the fort. to report the sad news of the killing of their comrades, and tell how gallantly Adrian Val- dos had died, seeming to seek death. rather than shun it. CHAPTER VII. : WILD BILL. \ Back came the gallant little force under Major Canfield, having won a victory far more important in its results than appeared upon the surface, for they had met the Indians | upon their own ground, had headed them off , in an intended raid upon the settlements which would have been fatal and destructive in its results, and beaten them back to their villages with heavy loss and completely — cowed, at least for awhile. The loss to the soldiers had been in a meas- ure angn in comparison to the good. accom- plished, for they footed up two. officers and a dozen men slain, two score wounded and — no prisoners to be tortured to death by the red-skins, + ag . The loss of Captain Valdos was most keen- ly felt, on account of his entering the army — as he had and his gallant record. | That he might break the news: gently to the one whom it was said he was engaged to, Major Canfield, himself a lover of Marcelite, — her, though she regarded > and refused by him with the highest esteem, appreciating: his many noble qualities, had hastened on ahead as the command neared Fort Blank, to first see Colonel Monastery and make his re- ' port. In a few words he told the colonel the re- sults of the expedition, and that a troop, , with half a dozen scouts and one gun, had. been left behind to stil! keep the Indians: awed, and he had returned with the main. force and the wounded, Then hetold the colonel how true had been. | Ecomicbooks.« Ge as . . : . ‘ 4 - wh . ¥ oD “a . ve