Beadle's Dime Library No. 826 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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He a ad 2 <— °2- = “= wrx. ane Map Fi , oe -29 4 a a i 10 They had come to rescue the scout, and yet though they had saved the party from destruction Buffalo Bill, for reasons known only to himself, had chosen to escape rescue and had goue off with the small band of Red Ropers to place himself in the power of still other Pawnees. The secret of Buffalo Bill’s alliance with the Pawnees Surgeon Powell could not fathom or understand; but he would patient- ly await the result. Nearer and nearer drew the Sioux to the poe and the soldiers kept close on their trail. ’ But, suddenly, while the red-skins were et a mile from the range there was heard a oud volley of rifles up in the pass, followed by the wild war-cries of the Pawnees, and answered by the cries of the Sioux evidently taken by surprise. What did it mean? What could it mean? The retreating Sioux had come toa halt on the trail, for they were evidently wholly surprised and astonished at what they heard, Into their midst a few shells were thrown, at that moment, which set them in motion again toward the pass from whence came now wilder yells and the rattle of rifles, showing that a battle was being fought there. ‘* What does it mean?” asked Major Mel- ton in surprise, *‘Tt means, sir, that Cody and his Paw- nees are there, attacking the Sioux sent there to ambush us; and see! Yonder come re- inforcements for you, Major Melton, so right here must be fought a battle that the Sioux will never forget—the battle of Hermit’s Pass!” Surgeon Powell pointed back over the trail, to where, several miles away, there were coming into view the mounted infantry +p two more guns hastening to join in the ght, © CHAPTER XXI. DOOM DRIVEN. Tm Sioux, in spite of their numbers, hesi- tated as to what to do, ee aie They were ina trap, where they had in- tended to entrap their foes. Their mortal enemies, the Pawnees, as they knew by their war-cries, were at the pass, wnd to attack their several bands, must be in large force. On their trail came a very dangerous foe, the pale-faces with their ‘‘ wheel guns,” and, could they have turned upon them and beat- en down their horsemen, not far off they be- held a force equally as large coming on, and their vision revealed that they too carried wheel guns. _ In their despair they were almost ready to stampede, but their chief had a cool head and he quickly ordered them on. - The intention of the chief was to rush on tothe pass, aid their bands there in over- _ whelming the Pawnees and then, united, to _ turn and stand at bay to beat back the pale- The stand must be made there at the pass, (ae - for once the soldiers broke through it and 4 £9 , 4 ; stampeded them, the trail to their village was not such a long one, and there might be more soldiers following those they saw. When they had left their village in half a ei ce dozen strong bands, with the double inten- . te tion of surprising the Pawnees and the fort, they had suddenly found the soldiers in the field against them, and now they appeared to have their old enemies the Pawnees, as their - - * > allies against them. --——-« §till “more had the retreating Sioux to re- <> 4s #8 Ve gret, and that was the fact of their being cut off from their village, for, unless they could get ‘through the pass, they would have to -__-¥etreat along the base of the oa, for many af ; - to go through, and should the soldiers make a dash direct to their stronghold, they could : fee 5* 4% miles before another opening could be found reach it ahead of them, and find but few warriors there to offer defense. Rae Ser a the Sionx made a desperate dash for the pass, to rush through it and over the “) Pawnees, and their intention was at once ; * a > «0» ig - a . ’ ~~ Loe - geen by Surgeon Powell and explained to _» «Major Melton, who sent a courier back to ‘hasten on the reinforcements, and ordered . ae & | , rtill ery Lo the 8 4 1b. re ee ix c ay s mh, 4 +a Sete! , a+ - fire hotly into, ranks as soon as they could dash on to a posi- tion ahead, As the shells began to burst in their midst, the Sioux were almost driven to desperation, but still rode on toward the fight raging in the pass. But, ere they reached it the wild yells of triumphant Pawnees arose above the roar of the guns, and then came pouring out from the base of the mountain half a thousand horsemen, and many warriors on foot, driven into a hasty flight by the Pawnees who vic- toriously held Hermit’s Pass. **See, Major Cody and his Pawnees have won, for that is pate-face generalship, not red-skin tactics that has planned that blow and Victory. ‘‘Now press on and you can drive the Sioux to doom,” cried Surgeon Powell, and gaining permission from Major Melton, he moved on with the scout company, followed by Captain Emory and his two troops, while the rest of the command deployed to hem the Sioux in by a crescent of fire, which would be strengthened by the reinforcements then hastening on. “‘Tf Cody and his Pawnees—if it is Cod —can only hold the pass, we can, as Powell says, drive the Sioux now to their doom,” said Major Melton to the officers about him. ‘‘Cody is there, sir,” excitedly cried a young officer who had been long gazing in- tently througha oh bea at the pass, ‘‘Do you see him, Egbert?” asked half a dozen in chorus. ‘* Yes, I saw him ride out of the pass, and there are hundreds of Pawnee horsemen about him. ‘* Cody is mounted on a white horse and is placing his braves to resist the Sioux, while others are pressing those who have just been driven out of the pass.” Every eye was now at a field-glass and turned upon the struggling red horsemen at the pass. Then came at once cry after cry: ‘*] see him!” “Yes, it is Cody!” ‘* Buffalo Bill is there!” ‘* Bravo for Buffalo Bill!” ‘* Now the Sioux are downed!” and as the news spread dowr the line the cry was taken up all along: ‘‘ Buffalo Bill holds the pass!” Then cheer after cheer went up from the soldiers, and back to the major came a cou- rier to report: ‘Surgeon Powell says that Buffalo Bill holds the pass, sir, with a large band of Pawnees, so that you can drive the Sioux hard upon him.” ‘‘ And we will,” said the major, sternly, and the troopers were ordered to charge, while the other two guns having come up, unlimbered and went into action, while the mounted infantry formed in line for a steady advance in crescent shape upon the range. - Encouraged by the coming of their com- rades, the Sioux driven from the pass turned about and the whole mass with wild yells and firing rifles and arrows, made a desperate rush to break through the pass, But they were met there by a force of Pawnees under their white leader whom they could not drive from their posts. It is true they hurled them back into the narrow pass, and the soldiers behind the line was broken, but Surgeon Powell called out: ‘** See, it was a ruse, Cody’s trap, for there they come back again.” It was true, the Sioux had recoiled from some unlooked-for danger they came upon in the. pass, and wheeling to the right in solid force they began their retreat along the base of the mountain, leaving their dead and wounded behind them, and followed by the bursting shells of the guns, and the charging Boys in Blue. ‘ j 807] CHAPTER XXII. ’ THE HERO OF THE PASS, Tr was a grand victory for the soldiers, a terrible defeat for the Sioux. | As the latter started in rapid retreat, there filed out of the pass half a thousand Paw- nee braves, well mounted and armed, and |. mo ine tN 3 4 1 ht ey hy ate while 5ullalo Dili = has >» a pe awe, © “ sec Poe ey Bufalo Bill’s Sharp-Shooters. white horse, his snowy hide stained with several slight arrow wounds, rode at a gallop to the spot where Major Melton had halted and was establishing a temporary camp. “Ah, Cody, I welcome you gladly, ®for you are the hero of the pass, the man who won the fight,” cried the major, grasping the hand of the scout, who modestly re- plied: “Thanks, major, but I had about five hundred fighting Pawnce braves to help me hold the Sioux in check, while you gave them a terrible whipping—why, one shell killed five of them, and their loss is great in warriors and ponies, and they’ll never for, get this lesson.”’ ‘* But have you turned Pawnee, Cody, for ou are fighting with red-skins now, making it a case of dog eat dog?” Buffalo Bill laughed and replied: ** No, major, I have not turned red-skin, but Iam glad to say by a lucky ten-strike of mine I got the Pawnees as our allies. ‘*The story is too long to tell now, but the Pawnees are our red brothers, and as your men must be dead beat from their hard work and the horses, too, may I suggest that you recall them from the pursuit as the Pawnees will push the Sioux until they cross the range.” ‘**T’ll doit, for my men and horses are used up; but who would not be to gain such a victory ?” The order was given to recall the pursuit, and then Major Melton asked: ‘* But how did you hold that pass, Cody?” ‘*f sent to the Pawnee village, sir, as I felt confident that the Sioux would retreat by this pass, and asked chief Knife Killer for a couple of hundred braves. ‘*He sent me five hundred braves, and it was well that he did, for the Sioux had other bands there; but we were first on the field, and came by the trail on the summit of the ridge, for I met the Pawnees twenty miles from here, **We lay in ambush, sending our horses around by the slope, and so were hidden on the ridge while the Sioux bands coming up went into ambush in the pass. ‘* When I saw you coming and driving the Sioux before you, I decided to attack those in the pass before they were joined by their comrades, and the first they knew of our being upon the ridge was a shower of rocks, arrows and bullets. ‘‘ Of course we stampeded them, and driv- ing them out of the ridge, we brought our horses up and kept up the fight, falling back when they made their grand charge, ‘*But I had left plenty of Pawnees on the cliffs, with rock ammunition in abundance, and retreating befere them we led them into the trap and they did not face the music lon before they fled, and again we charge them. ‘With you hemming them in, sir, you won the bottle very quickly.” ‘“You are the hero, Cody, as I said, and such shall be my report; but what red-skins are those approaching now?” ‘Those are my Red Ropers, sir, the band of the young chief Sioux Slayer. ‘*They throw a lariat as well as a Texan cowboy, ride like Comanches, and the band are fifty strong, less than I lost to-day and they go back to the fort with me to enter the service of the Government, if it will accept them, as Pawnee scouts, and with them and my own scouts, Colonel Markham need have no more dread of the Sioux sur- prising the fort and settlements.” “ And will they now ally themselves with the hated pale-faces?” ‘*Oh yes, sir.” : ‘¢ What necromancy have you been guilty of to win them over, Cody?” _ “The love of Sioux scalps has done it, sir, for see, they are well supplied,” and as the Pawnee hcrsemen halted near the camp Buffalo Bill pointed to the gory trophies that hung at their belts. — ‘‘T must hear the story of it all some time, Cody; but now present your aide-de- : Sioux Slayer, I believe you call him,” and Buffalo Bill called to the young chief to ap- proach. oe Y He did so with quiet dignity, and Buffalo Bill said: ““T wish my a oe rn ra) cy f ys ‘i 1 ee he Pawnee brother, the chief, * hi ‘they bega n to press: their flying foes hard, | Sioux Slayer, to know the white chi <3 Ot “ - nted upon a splendid pale-pace warriors, for he is his friend.” EPL RS a Ee Ca am ante tee AT ge es fg eo , OO ee omy ™ os _ =I vr. 7, y . 5 © ae — it : its i? > : ~ €omicbooks.com