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diff --git a/old/62638-h/62638-h.htm b/old/62638-h/62638-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index e3bca14..0000000 --- a/old/62638-h/62638-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14161 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Buffalo Bill, the Border King, by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.p1 {margin-top: 1em;} -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} - -/*Modified horizontal rules to fix ePub display issue*/ -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -/*End modified horizontal rule CSS*/ - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - -/*Table format*/ -td.tableft1{ text-align: left; vertical-align: top; text-indent: -0.25em; padding-left: 1.3em;} -td.tableft2{ text-align: left; vertical-align: top; text-indent: -0.75em; padding-left: 1.3em;} -td.tableft{ text-align: left; vertical-align: top; text-indent: -1.3em; padding-left: 1.3em;} -td.tableftb{ text-align: left; vertical-align: top; text-indent: -0.75em; padding-left: 1.3em;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - -.boxcontents{ - max-width: 22em; - padding: 1em; - border: 0em solid black; - margin: 0 auto; -} - -.pcontents{ - text-align:left; - text-indent:-2em; - padding-left:2em; - margin-top: 0.1em; - margin-bottom: 0.1em; -} - -.boxit{ - max-width: 25em; - padding: 1em; - border: 0.5em solid black; - border-style: double; - margin: 0 auto; } - -.center {text-align: center;} - -/* Images */ -img { max-width: 100%; height:auto; } - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - max-width: 90%; -} - -.figcenter1 { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - max-width: 40%; -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - -/*CSS to set font sizes*/ -/*font sizes for non-header font changes*/ -.xxlargefont{font-size: xx-large} -.xlargefont{font-size: x-large} -.largefont{font-size: large} -.mediumfont{font-size: medium} -.boldfont{font-weight:bold} -.cheaderfont{font-size:medium} - -/*CSS to force a page break in ePub*/ -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} - -h1.nobreak{ - page-break-before: avoid; - padding-top: 0; -} - -h2.nobreak{ - page-break-before: avoid; - padding-top: 0; -} - -p.nobreak{ - page-break-before: avoid; - padding-top: 0; -} - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Buffalo Bill, the Border King, by -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Buffalo Bill, the Border King - Redskin and Cowboy - -Author: Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -Release Date: July 14, 2020 [EBook #62638] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL, THE BORDER KING *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover." /> -</div> - -<div style="padding-top:2em"> -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 style="margin-top: 0em">Transcriber’s Notes:</h2> - -<p>The Table of Contents was created by the transcriber and placed -in the public domain.</p> - -<p><a href="#TN_end">Additional Transcriber’s Notes</a> are at the -end.</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="boxcontents"> -<p class="xlargefont center boldfont">CONTENTS</p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#IN_APPRECIATION_OF_WILLIAM_F_CODY">In Appreciation of William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill).</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">Chapter I. Running the Death-gantlet.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Chapter II. The Border King.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">Chapter III. The King of the Sioux.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Chapter IV. Buffalo Bill’s Plot.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">Chapter V. The Desperate Venture.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI. The Dash of the Scouts.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Chapter VII. The Ace of Clubs.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Chapter VIII. Facing Death.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Chapter IX. Breaking Through the Red Circle.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Chapter X. The Ride to the Rescue.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">Chapter XI. A Busy Half-hour.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">Chapter XII. A Flying Fight.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">Chapter XIII. The Chase of the White Antelope.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">Chapter XIV. A Startling Discovery.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">Chapter XV. The Treasure Chest.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Chapter XVI. The Bandits of the Overland Trail.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">Chapter XVII. A Friend in Need.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">Chapter XVIII. The Race With Death.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Chapter XIX. Danforth’s Hand Is Stayed Again.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Chapter XX. A Double Capture.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">Chapter XXI. The Cave in the Mountain.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">Chapter XXII. The Night Prowlers.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">Chapter XXIII. More Than They Bargained For.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">Chapter XXIV. Chased by the Flames.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">Chapter XXV. The Telltale Crow.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">Chapter XXVI. The Massacre.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">Chapter XXVII. “The Death Killer.”</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">Chapter XXVIII. The White Antelope Interferes.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">Chapter XXIX. A Girl’s Word.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">Chapter XXX. The Mad Hunter.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXI">Chapter XXXI. Buffalo Bill’s Great Shot.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXII">Chapter XXXII. The Border King’s Pledge.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIII">Chapter XXXIII. Tracking the Mad Hunter.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIV">Chapter XXXIV. Red Knife Loses His “Medicine.”</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXV">Chapter XXXV. The Search For New Medicine.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVI">Chapter XXXVI. The Magic Cup.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVII">Chapter XXXVII. The Traitor.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVIII">Chapter XXXVIII. White Antelope’s Peril.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIX">Chapter XXXIX. A Cry For Help.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XL">Chapter XL. The Freight-train.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLI">Chapter XLI. “On Guard!”</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLII">Chapter XLII. The Avenger.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIII">Chapter XLIII. Man to Man at Last.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIV">Chapter XLIV. The Fight to Gain the Island.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLV">Chapter XLV. War to the Knife.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVI">Chapter XLVI. And the Knife to the Hilt.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVII">Chapter XLVII. The Conqueror.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVIII">Chapter XLVIII. The Pledge Kept.</a></p> -<p class="pcontents"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIX">Chapter XLIX. Conclusion.</a></p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<div class="figcenter1"> -<img src="images/titlepage.jpg" alt="Title page." /> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h1 class="nobreak">Buffalo Bill, the Border King</h1> - - -<p class="center boldfont">OR,<br /> -<span class="xlargefont" style="line-height:3">REDSKIN AND COWBOY</span></p> - -<p class="center p1 xlargefont"><span class="mediumfont">BY</span><br /> -Col. Prentiss Ingraham</p> - -<p class="center" style="margin-bottom:2em">Author of “Buffalo Bill”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/titlepageicon.jpg" alt="Publisher's icon." /> -</div> - -<p class="center xlargefont p2">STREET & SMITH CORPORATION<br /> -<span class="largefont">PUBLISHERS</span><br /> -79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center nobreak">Copyright, 1907<br /> -By STREET & SMITH</p> - -<p class="center">Buffalo Bill, the Border King</p> - -<p class="center p2">(Printed in the United States of America)</p> - -<p class="center">All rights reserved including that of translation into foreign languages, -including the Scandinavian.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[1]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IN_APPRECIATION_OF_WILLIAM_F_CODY">IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY<br /> -<span class="largefont">(BUFFALO BILL).</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>It is now some generations since Josh Billings, Ned -Buntline, and Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, intimate friends -of Colonel William F. Cody, used to forgather in the -office of Francis S. Smith, then proprietor of the <cite>New -York Weekly</cite>. It was a dingy little office on Rose Street, -New York, but the breath of the great outdoors stirred -there when these old-timers got together. As a result of -these conversations, Colonel Ingraham and Ned Buntline -began to write of the adventures of Buffalo Bill -for Street & Smith.</p> - -<p>Colonel Cody was born in Scott County, Iowa, February -26, 1846. Before he had reached his teens, his -father, Isaac Cody, with his mother and two sisters, -migrated to Kansas, which at that time was little more -than a wilderness.</p> - -<p>When the elder Cody was killed shortly afterward in -the Kansas “Border War,” young Bill assumed the difficult -role of family breadwinner. During 1860, and until -the outbreak of the Civil War, Cody lived the arduous -life of a pony-express rider. Cody volunteered his services -as government scout and guide and served throughout -the Civil War with Generals McNeil and A. J. -Smith. He was a distinguished member of the Seventh -Kansas Cavalry.</p> - -<p>During the Civil War, while riding through the streets -of St. Louis, Cody rescued a frightened schoolgirl from -a band of annoyers. In true romantic style, Cody and -Louisa Federci, the girl, were married March 6, 1866.</p> - -<p>In 1867 Cody was employed to furnish a specified -amount of buffalo meat to the construction men at work -on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. It was in this period -that he received the sobriquet “Buffalo Bill.”</p> - -<p>In 1868 and for four years thereafter Colonel Cody<span class="pagenum">[2]</span> -served as scout and guide in campaigns against the Sioux -and Cheyenne Indians. It was General Sheridan who -conferred on Cody the honor of chief of scouts of the -command.</p> - -<p>After completing a period of service in the Nebraska -legislature, Cody joined the Fifth Cavalry in 1876, and -was again appointed chief of scouts.</p> - -<p>Colonel Cody’s fame had reached the East long before, -and a great many New Yorkers went out to see -him and join in his buffalo hunts, including such men -as August Belmont, James Gordon Bennett, Anson -Stager, and J. G. Heckscher. In entertaining these -visitors at Fort McPherson, Cody was accustomed to -arrange wild-West exhibitions. In return his friends -invited him to visit New York. It was upon seeing his -first play in the metropolis that Cody conceived the idea -of going into the show business.</p> - -<p>Assisted by Ned Buntline, novelist, and Colonel Ingraham, -he started his “Wild West” show, which later -developed and expanded into “A Congress of the Roughriders -of the World,” first presented at Omaha, Nebraska. -In time it became a familiar yearly entertainment -in the great cities of this country and Europe. -Many famous personages attended the performances, and -became his warm friends, including Mr. Gladstone, the -Marquis of Lorne, King Edward, Queen Victoria, and -the Prince of Wales, now King of England.</p> - -<p>At the outbreak of the Sioux, in 1890 and 1891, -Colonel Cody served at the head of the Nebraska National -Guard. In 1895 Cody took up the development -of Wyoming Valley by introducing irrigation. Not long -afterward he became judge advocate general of the -Wyoming National Guard.</p> - -<p>Colonel Cody (Buffalo Bill) died in Denver, Colorado, -on January 10, 1917. His legacy to a grateful world was -a large share in the development of the West, and a -multitude of achievements in horsemanship, marksmanship, -and endurance that will live for ages. His life -will continue to be a leading example of the manliness, -courage, and devotion to duty that belonged to a picturesque -phase of American life now passed, like the great -patriot whose career it typified, into the Great Beyond.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center xxlargefont" style="margin-bottom:1em">BUFFALO BILL, THE BORDER KING.</p> - - - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">RUNNING THE DEATH-GANTLET.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Fort Advance, a structure built of heavy, squared -timbers and some masonry, with towers at the four -corners, commanding the deep ditches which had been -dug around the walls, stood in the heart of the then -untracked Territory of Utah. It was the central figure -of a beautiful valley—when in repose—and commanded -one of the important passes and wagon trails -of the Rockies.</p> - -<p>A mountain torrent flowed through the valley, and -a supply of pure water from this stream had been -diverted into the armed square which, commanded by -Major Frank Baldwin, was a veritable City of Refuge -to all the whites who chanced to be in the country at -this time.</p> - -<p>For the valley of Fort Advance offered no peaceful -scene. The savage denizens of the mountain and -plain had risen, and, in a raging, vengeful flood, had -poured into the valley and besieged the unfortunate -occupants of the fort. These were a branch of the -great Sioux tribe, and, under their leading chief, Oak -Heart, fought with the desperation and blind fanaticism -of Berserkers.</p> - -<p>A belt of red warriors surrounded Fort Advance,<span class="pagenum">[6]</span> -cutting off all escape, or the approach of any assistance -to the inmates of the stockade, outnumbering -the able-bodied men under Major Baldwin’s command -five to one! Among them rode the famous Oak -Heart, inspiring his children to greater deeds of daring. -By his side rode a graceful, beautiful girl of -some seventeen years, whose face bore the unmistakable -stamp of having other than Indian blood flowing -in her veins. Long, luxurious hair, every strand of -golden hue, contrasted strangely with her bronze complexion, -while her eyes were sloe-black, and brilliant -with every changing expression.</p> - -<p>This was White Antelope, a daughter of Oak Heart, -and she held almost as much influence in the tribe as -the grim old chief himself. Because of her beauty, indeed, -she was almost worshiped as a goddess. At -least, there was not a young buck in all the Utah -Sioux who would not have attempted any deed of -daring for the sake of calling the White Antelope his -squaw.</p> - -<p>But while the red warriors were so inspired without -the walls of the fortress, within was a much different -scene. Major Baldwin’s resources were at an end. -Many of his men were wounded, or ill; food was low; -the wily redskins had cut off their water-supply; and -there were but a few rounds of ammunition remaining. -Fort Advance and its people were at a desperate -pass, indeed!</p> - -<p>After a conference with his subordinate officers, -Major Baldwin stood up in the midst of his haggard, -powder-begrimed men. They were faithful fellows—many -of them bore the scars of old Indian fights.<span class="pagenum">[7]</span> -But human endurance has its limit, and there is an -end to man’s courage.</p> - -<p>“Will no man in this fort dare run the death-gantlet -and bring aid to us?” cried the major.</p> - -<p>It was an appeal from the lips of a fearless man, -one who had won a record as a soldier in the Civil -War, and had made it good later upon the field as -an Indian fighter. The demand was for one who -would risk almost certain death to save a couple of -hundred of his fellow beings, among them a score of -women and children.</p> - -<p>The nearest military post where help might be obtained -was forty miles away. Several brave men had -already attempted to run the deadly gantlet, and had -died before the horrified eyes of the fort’s inmates. -It seemed like flinging one’s life away to venture into -the open where, just beyond rifle-shot, the red warriors -ringed the fort about.</p> - -<p>Such was the situation, and another attack was -about due. The riding of the big chief and his daughter -through the mass of Indians, was for the purpose -of giving instructions regarding the coming charge. -Ammunition in the fort might run out this time. -Then over the barrier would swarm the redskins, and -the thought of the massacre that would follow made -even Major Baldwin’s cheek blanch.</p> - -<p>So the gallant commander’s appeal had been made—and -had it been made in vain? So it would seem, -for not a man spoke for several moments. They -shifted their guns, or changed weight from one foot -to the other, or adjusted a bandage which already -marked the redskin’s devilish work.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[8]</span></p> - -<p>They were brave men; but death seemed too sure a -result of the attempt called for; it meant—to their -minds—but another life flung away!</p> - -<p>“Was it not better that all should die here together, -fighting desperately till the last man fell?” That was -the question these old scarred veterans asked in their -own minds. The venture would be utterly and completely -hopeless.</p> - -<p>“<em>Look there!</em>”</p> - -<p>The trumpet-call was uttered by an officer on one -of the towers of the stockade. His arm pointed westward, -toward a ridge of rock which—barren and forbidding—sloped -down into the valley facing the main -gateway of Fort Advance.</p> - -<p>At the officer’s cry a score of men leaped to positions -from which could be seen the object that occasioned -it. Even Major Baldwin, knowing that the cry -had been uttered because of some momentous happening, -hurriedly mounted to the platform above the gate. -He feared that already his demand for another volunteer -was too late. He believed the redskins were massing -for another charge.</p> - -<p>All eyes were strained in the direction the officer -on the watch-tower pointed. A gasp of amazement -was chorused by those who saw and understood the -meaning of the cry.</p> - -<p>A horseman was seen riding like the wind toward -the fort—and he was a white man!</p> - -<p>The Indians who had already beheld this rash adventurer -were dumb with amazement. They were as -much surprised by his appearance as were the inmates -of the fort.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[9]</span></p> - -<p>The unknown rider was leading a packhorse. The -horse he bestrode was a magnificent animal, and the -packhorse flying along by its side was a racer as well, -for both came on, down the long tongue of barren -rock, at a spanking pace.</p> - -<p>From whence had the man come? Who was he? -How had he gotten almost through the Indian lines -undiscovered?</p> - -<p>He certainly had all but run the gantlet of the red -warriors, for no shot, or no arrow, had been fired at -him until he was discovered by the officer on the -watch-tower of the fort.</p> - -<p>Then it was that he spurred forward like the wind, -and floating to the ears of the whites who watched -him so fearfully came the long, tremolo yell of the -Sioux warriors as they started in pursuit of the daredevil -rider. He was heading directly for the large -gates of the fort.</p> - -<p>That he had chosen well his place to break through -the Indian death-circle was evident, for there were few -braves near him as he fled along the sloping ridge into -the valley. His rifle he turned to right, or to left, -firing with the same ease from either shoulder, while -his mount, and the packhorse tied to its bridle, guided -their own feet over the rocky way.</p> - -<p>When he pulled trigger the bullet did not miss its -mark. The rifle rang out a death-knell, or sent a -wounded brave out of action.</p> - -<p>The ponies of the Indians were feeding in the valley, -with only a guard here and there, and there were -no mounted warriors near to close in on the reckless -rider, or to head him off. Hark! Their vengeful<span class="pagenum">[10]</span> -yells, as they observed the possibility of the daring -man’s escape, were awful to hear. They were in a -frenzy of rage at the desperate act of the horseman.</p> - -<p>Rifles and bows sent bullets and shafts at him, but -at long range. If he was hit he did not show it. The -horses still thundered on, down into the valley, as -recklessly as frenzied buffalo.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart, the great war chief, heard the commotion -and saw the speeding white man. The chief was -mounted, and he lashed his horse into a dead run for -the point where the reckless paleface was descending -into the valley. With him rode the White Antelope, -and their coming spurred the braves to more strenuous -attempts to reach, or capture, or kill, the daredevil -rider.</p> - -<p>The occupants of the fort—those who beheld this -wonderful race—were on the qui vive. Their exclamations -displayed the anxiety and uncertainty they -felt.</p> - -<p>“He can never make it!”</p> - -<p>“The Indian guard are driving in the ponies to bar -his way!”</p> - -<p>“Who is he?”</p> - -<p>“How he rides!”</p> - -<p>“God guard the brave fellow!” cried a woman’s -voice.</p> - -<p>One of the gentler sex had climbed to the platform -over the gate, and this was her prayer.</p> - -<p>Other women had dropped to their knees, and were -fervently praying God to spare the splendid fellow who -was daring the gantlet of death. A cheer rose from -the soldiery. This unknown was showing them the -way that they had not dared to go.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[11]</span></p> - -<p>“That packhorse is wounded. Why doesn’t he leave -it?” cried one of the officers. “It is delaying him—can’t -the fellow see it?”</p> - -<p>At that moment the commander shouted:</p> - -<p>“Captain Keyes, take your troop to the rescue of -that brave fellow!”</p> - -<p>“With pleasure, sir! I was about to ask your permission -to do just that,” declared the junior officer.</p> - -<p>The bugle sounded, but its notes were drowned in -a sudden wild shout of joy that rose from the two -hundred inmates of the fort. Another officer, with -a field-glass at his eye, had suddenly turned and -shouted:</p> - -<p>“It is Buffalo Bill, the Border King!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE BORDER KING.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The wild cheers that greeted the recognition of the -daring gantlet runner came in frenzied roars, the -piping voices of children, the treble notes of women, -and the deep bass of the men mingling in a swelling -chorus that rose higher and higher.</p> - -<p>The Border King, as he had been called, heard the -sound. He understood that it was in his welcome, -and he fairly stood up in his stirrups and waved his -sombrero, while the horses dashed on at the same -mad pace.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, or William F. Cody, as was his real -name, was the chief of scouts at this very fort, and he -was a hero—almost a god—in the eyes of the soldiers -and his brother scouts.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[12]</span></p> - -<p>A week before he had started for Denver with important -despatches, but had returned in a few hours -to report signs of a large band of Indians on the move. -He had warned Major Baldwin that Oak Heart and -his braves might be intending a concerted attack upon -Fort Advance; but duty called Buffalo Bill to the trail -again, and he had hurried away on his Denver mission.</p> - -<p>That the danger he had dreaded was real, the surrounding -of the fort several days later by the Sioux -proved. Scouts had been sent for aid, but too late. -None had gotten through the belt of redskins, and -that belt was tightening each hour. The ammunition -was low, and the awful end was not far off if help -from some quarter did not appear.</p> - -<p>Even the appearance of Buffalo Bill inspired the -beleaguered whites with hope. It seemed an almost -hopeless attempt to reach the fort, for the red warriors -were closing in upon him. Yet he rode on unshakenly.</p> - -<p>Down the ridge he sped, and out upon the plain. -He was seemingly coming from the sunshine of life -into the valley of death’s shadow!</p> - -<p>Why did he do it? Why did he risk his life so recklessly -when only forty miles away he could have obtained -help from the military post? There was some -reason behind his daring act, and some cause for his -delaying his effort by dragging the packhorse, now -wounded, with him.</p> - -<p>All in the fort knew what this hero of the border -had done to win fame among the mighty men of the -frontier. He was chief and king among them. Yet -what could he do now to help the besieged in the<span class="pagenum">[13]</span> -fortress, even did he reach the gate? That was the -question!</p> - -<p>But hope revived, nevertheless, in every heart. Even -the commandant, Major Frank Baldwin, began to look -more hopeful as the scout drew closer to the fort. He -had known Buffalo Bill long and well, and he knew of -what marvels he was capable!</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had been born in a cabin home on the -banks of the Mississippi River in the State of Iowa, -and from his eighth year he had been a pioneer—an -advance agent of civilization. At that age his -father had removed to Kansas, and as a boy Billie -Cody saw and took part in the bloody struggles in -Kansas between the supporters of slavery and those -who believed that the soil of Kansas should be unsmirched -by that terrible traffic in human lives.</p> - -<p>Cody’s father, indeed, lost his life because of his -belief in freedom, and the boy was obliged to help -support the family at a tender age. He went to Leavenworth, -and there hired out to Alex Majors, who of -that day was the chief of the overland freighters into -the far West.</p> - -<p>The boy was eleven years old—an age when most -youngsters think only of their play and of their stomachs. -But Billie Cody had seen his father shot down; -he had nursed him and hidden him from his foes, and -from the dying pioneer had received a sacred charge. -That was the care of his mother and sister. It was -necessary for him to earn a man’s wage, not a boy’s. -And to get it he must do a man’s work. He was a -splendid rider, even then—one of those horsemen who -seem a part of the animal he bestrode, like the Centaurs<span class="pagenum">[14]</span> -of which Greek mythology tells us. Alex -Majors needed a messenger to ride from train to train -along the wagon-trail, and he entrusted young Cody -with the job.</p> - -<p>It was one that might have put to the test the -bravery of a seasoned plainsman. Indians and wild -beasts were both very plentiful. There were hundreds -of dangers to threaten the lone boy as he rode swiftly -over the trails. Yet even then he began to make his -mark. He had several encounters with the Indians -during his first season. As he says himself, the first -redskin he ever saw stole from him, and he had to -force the scoundrel—boy though he was—to give up -the property at the point of the rifle. This incident, -perhaps, gave the youth a certain daring in approaching -the reds which often stood him well in after adventures. -And the reds learned to respect and fear -Billie Cody. He allowed his hair to grow long, to -show the Indians that he was not afraid to wear a -“scalp-lock”—practically daring any of his red foes to -come and take it!</p> - -<p>So from that early day he had been active on the -border. All knew him—red as well as white. He -had been an Indian fighter from his eleventh year, -the hero of hundreds of daring deeds, thrilling adventures, -and narrow escapes. He was as gentle as a -woman with the weak, the feeble, or with those who -claimed his protection; but he was as savage in battle -as a mountain lion, and had well earned the title bestowed -upon him by his admiring friends—the Border -King. His coming to the fort now—if he could make -it safely—was worth in itself a company of reenforcements, -for it put heart into all the besieged.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[15]</span></p> - -<p>“Never mind, Keyes! it is Cody, and he will get -through,” called out Major Baldwin to Captain Keyes, -as the men were mounting.</p> - -<p>Captain Edward L. Keyes was a splendid type of -cavalry officer, and he was anxious for another brush -with the redskins at close quarters. He was disappointed, -but as the man making the attempt to reach -Fort Advance was Buffalo Bill, the captain agreed -with Major Baldwin that “he would get through.”</p> - -<p>The Border King had turned his rifle now upon -the Indian guards who were trying to head him off -by blocking his way with the large herd of half-wild -ponies which had been feeding in the valley. Indian -ponies are not broken like those used by white men. -They are pretty nearly wild all their days. The red man -merely teaches his mount to answer to the pressure -of his knees, and to the jerk of the single rawhide -thong that is slipped around the brute’s lower jaw. -And these lessons are further enforced by cruelty.</p> - -<p>The odor of a white person is offensive to an Indian -pony. A white man has been known frequently to -stampede a band of Indian mounts; and not infrequently -the mob of wild creatures has turned upon -the unfortunate paleface and trampled him to death -under their unshod feet.</p> - -<p>Therefore, this opposition of the ponies was no -small matter. They were a formidable barrier to -Buffalo Bill’s successful arrival at the gate of the -stockade fort.</p> - -<p>His rifle rattled forth lively, yet deadly, music, and -his aim was wonderfully true for that of a man riding -at full speed. Emptying the gun, he swung it quickly -over his shoulder, and drawing the big cavalry pistols<span class="pagenum">[16]</span> -from their holsters the daring scout began to fairly -mow a path through the herd of ponies. The slugs -carried by the large-caliber pistols were as effective as -the balls from his rifle. The mob of squealing, kicking, -biting ponies broke before his charge, and swept -on ahead of him. Another cheer from the watchers in -the fort signaled this fact. The ponies were stampeding -directly toward Fort Advance.</p> - -<p>“Out and line ’em up!”</p> - -<p>“We’ll corral the ponies if we kyan’t th’ Injuns!”</p> - -<p>“Throw open the gates!” commanded Major Baldwin, -his voice heard above the tumult.</p> - -<p>The command was obeyed, and Captain Keyes and -his men galloped out to meet the mob.</p> - -<p>In vain did the Indian guards try to head off the -stampede. By having left their ponies in the valley -where the grass was sweet and long, they had been -caught in this trap. Instead of capturing Buffalo Bill -it looked as though he and the other whites would -capture the bulk of the Indian ponies!</p> - -<p>Oak Heart and the White Antelope, with a few -mounted reds at their back, thundered across the level -plain and up the rise toward the fort. But the pony -herd and Buffalo Bill were well in the lead.</p> - -<p>The king of the border turned in his saddle, and -waved his sombrero in mockery at the Indian chief. -Then the ponies dashed into the gateway and were -corraled, while the scout, still leading his packhorse, -swept in behind them.</p> - -<p>“On guard, all! The redskins will charge on foot -to try and get their ponies!” shouted the scout, as he -came through the gate.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[17]</span></p> - -<p>His voice rose above the turmoil and brought the -delighted men to their duty. Major Baldwin echoed -Buffalo Bill’s advice, ordering everybody to their -posts.</p> - -<p>“Be careful of the expenditure of powder and lead, -men!” warned the major, from his stand on the platform. -“Remember we are running short.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe it, major!” cried the voice of -the scout, as he dismounted in the middle of the enthusiastic -throng.</p> - -<p>“What’s that, Cody?”</p> - -<p>“Strip the packhorse. I have brought you a-plenty -of ammunition until reenforcements can be had.”</p> - -<p>“God bless you, Cody, for those words! You have -saved us,” cried Major Baldwin, and there was a -tremor in his voice as he glanced toward the group of -women and children.</p> - -<p>He came down from the platform, and wrung the -scout’s hand, as he asked:</p> - -<p>“In the name of Heaven, Cody, where did you get -ammunition? Surely, you did not bring it all the way -from Denver?”</p> - -<p>“No, indeed. I cached this over a year ago, major,” -the scout replied cheerfully. “It will hold those red -devils off until help arrives. You’ve sent to Fort -Resistence, I presume?”</p> - -<p>“Sent, alas! But five men have died in the attempt.”</p> - -<p>“And not one got through?” cried Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Not one, Cody.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill’s face assumed a look of anxiety—an -expression not often seen there.</p> - -<p>“I had called for another volunteer <a id="Ref_17" href="#Ref_17a">when</a> you were<span class="pagenum">[18]</span> -discovered coming. It was a splendid dash you made, -Cody, and a desperate one as well.”</p> - -<p>“Aye,” said the scout gravely. “Desperate it was, -indeed. But it must be made again. This ammunition -I have brought you may last till morning; but -the reds must be taken on the flank or they’ll hold you -here till kingdom come!</p> - -<p>“I’ll try to get through again, Major Baldwin. You -must have help,” declared the Border King sternly.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE KING OF THE SIOUX.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Scarcely had Buffalo Bill uttered these cheering -words when a babble of cries arose from the watchers -on the towers and the platform over the gate. The -redskins were gathering for a concerted charge, maddened -by his escape and the loss of their ponies.</p> - -<p>Saving a few chiefs, beside Oak Heart and the -White Antelope none of the reds were mounted. However, -they were so enraged now that they ignored the -whites’ accuracy of aim and came on within rifle-shot -of the stockade.</p> - -<p>The ammunition brought on the packhorse led by -the scout was hastily distributed among the defendants -of the fort, with orders to throw no shot away. They -were to shoot to kill, and Major Baldwin advised as -did “Old Put” at the first great battle in United States -history—the Battle of Bunker Hill—“to wait till they -saw the whites of the enemies’ eyes!”</p> - -<p>Powder was as precious to that devoted band as -gold-dust, and bullets were as valuable as diamonds.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[19]</span></p> - -<p>Major Baldwin took his position on the observation -platform above the gate, Buffalo Bill by his side, -repeating rifle in hand, and near them stood a couple -of young officers as aids, and the bugler. All were -armed with rifles, and every weapon for which there -was no immediate need in the fort was loaded and -ready. The women were in two groups—one ready -to reload the weapons tossed them by the men, and the -other to assist the surgeon with the wounded.</p> - -<p>The Indians came swarming across the valley in a -red tidal wave. They were decreasing their circle, -and expected to rush the stockade walls in a cyclonic -charge.</p> - -<p>They quickened their pace as they came, and the -weird war-whoop deafened the beleaguered garrison. -They came with a rush at last, showering the walls -with arrows and bullets, some of which found their -way into the loopholes.</p> - -<p>It was a grand charge to look upon; it was a desperate -one to check.</p> - -<p>The whites had their orders and obeyed them. Not -a rifle cracked until the Indians were under the -stockade walls, scrambling through the ditch. Then -the four six-pounders roared from the block-towers, -their scattering lead and iron mowing down the yelling -redskins in the ditches.</p> - -<p>Then volley upon volley of carbines, repeating -rifles, and muskets echoed the rolling thunder of the -big guns.</p> - -<p>Not a few of the bullets and arrows entered the -loopholes, and many dead and wounded were numbered -among the whites; but the carnage among the -redskins was awful to contemplate.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[20]</span></p> - -<p>The thunder of the big guns, the popping of the -smaller firearms, the screaming of the wild ponies -corraled in the fort, and the demoralized shrieks of -the Indians themselves made a veritable hell upon -earth!</p> - -<p>Above all rose the notes of the bugle sending forth -orders at Major Baldwin’s command. Now and then -that piercing, weird war-cry of the Border King was -heard—a sound well known and feared by the Indians. -They recognized it as the voice of he whom they called -Pa-e-has-ka—“The Long Hair.”</p> - -<p>Indian nature was not equal to facing the deadly -hail of iron and lead, and the red wave broke against -the stockade and receded, leaving many still and writhing -bodies in the ditches which surrounded the fort, -and scattered upon the plain. Slowly at first the redskins -surged backward under the galling fire of the -whites but finally the retreat became a stampede.</p> - -<p>The rout was complete. All but the dead and badly -wounded escaped swiftly out of rifle-shot, save one -mounted chief. He was left alone, struggling with -his mount, trying to force the animal to leave the -vicinity of the fort gate.</p> - -<p>This was Oak Heart himself, the king of the Sioux, -and his mount was a great white cavalry charger that -he had captured months before. This was no half-wild -Indian pony; yet the Indian chief, without spurs -and a proper bridle, could not control the beast. The -horse had heard the bugle to which he had been so -long used. He was determined in his equine mind to -rejoin the white men who had been his friends, instead -of these cruel red masters, and he made a dash -for the gate of the fortress.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[21]</span></p> - -<p>In vain did Chief Oak Heart try to check him. He -would have flung himself from the horse’s back, but -the creature was so swift of foot and the ground was -so broken here, that such an act would have assured -Oak Heart’s instant death. Besides, being the great -chief of his tribe, Oak Heart had bound himself to -the horse that, if wounded or killed, he would not be -lost to his people which—according to Indian belief—would -be shame.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart had lost his scalping-knife, and could -not cut the rawhide lariat that held him fast. He -writhed, yelling maledictions in Sioux upon the horse; -but he could neither check the brute nor unfasten the -lariat.</p> - -<p>His warriors soon saw Chief Oak Heart’s predicament, -and they charged back to his rescue. The White -Antelope led them on, for she was as brave as her -father.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had been first to see the difficulty into -which the chief had gotten himself, and springing -down from the platform he threw himself into the saddle, -shouted for the gates to be opened, and spurred -his horse out of the fort.</p> - -<p>“Don’t shoot the girl!” the scout yelled to the soldiers -lining the walls above him. “Have a care for -the girl!”</p> - -<p>But there was scarcely chance for the whites to fire -at all at the oncoming White Antelope and her party, -before Buffalo Bill was beside the big white charger -and the struggling king of the Sioux.</p> - -<p>Out flashed the scout’s pistol, and he presented it to -the red man’s head.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[22]</span></p> - -<p>“Oak Heart, you are my prisoner! Yield yourself!” -he cried, in the Sioux tongue.</p> - -<p>At the same moment he seized the thong by which -the Indian was wrenching at the jaw of the white -horse, snatched it from Oak Heart’s grasp, and gave -the big charger his head. The white horse sprang -forward for the open gate of the fort, and Buffalo -Bill’s mount kept abreast of him. The redskins dared -not fire at the scout for fear of killing Oak Heart.</p> - -<p>A volley from the soldiery sent the would-be rescuers -of the chief back to cover. Only the beautiful -girl, White Antelope, was left boldly in the open, -shaking her befeathered spear and trying to rally her -people to the charge. The white men honored Buffalo -Bill’s request and did not shoot at her, or the Sioux -would have lost their mascot as well as their great -chieftain.</p> - -<p>In a moment the scout with his prisoner dashed -through the open gates, which were slammed shut -and barred amid the deafening acclamations of the -garrison. Major Baldwin was on hand to grasp Buffalo -Bill’s hand again, and as he wrung it he cried:</p> - -<p>“Another brave deed to your credit, Cody! It was -cleverly done.”</p> - -<p>He turned to the chief whom the scout was freeing -from the lariat that had been the cause of his capture. -The redskin king had accepted his fate philosophically. -His look and bearing was of fearlessness and savage -dignity. He had been captured by the palefaces, and -so humbled in the eyes of a thousand braves; but he -was defiant still, and his features would not reveal his -heart-anguish to those foes that now surrounded him -with flushed faces.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[23]</span></p> - -<p>The stoical traits of the Indian character cannot but -arouse admiration in the white man’s breast. From -babyhood the redskin is taught—both by precept and -instinct—to utter no cry of pain, to reveal no emotion -which should cause a foe pleasure. When captured by -other savages, the Indian will go to the fire, or stand -to be hacked to pieces by his enemies, with no sound -issuing from his lips but the death-chant.</p> - -<p>And this Spartan fortitude is present in the very -papooses themselves. A traveler once told how, in -walking through an Indian village, he came upon a -little baby tied in the Indian fashion to a board, the -board leaning against the outside of a wigwam. The -mother had left it there and the white man came upon -it suddenly. Undoubtedly his appearance, and his -standing to look at the small savage, frightened it as -such an experience would a white child. But his voice -was not raised. Not a sound did the poor little savage -utter; but the tears formed in his beady eyes and ran -down his fat cheeks. Infant that he was, and filled -with fright of the white man, he would not weep -aloud.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart, the savage king, looked abroad upon -his enemies, and his haughty face gave no expression -of fear. He was a captive, but his spirit was unconquered.</p> - -<p>“This is a good job, Cody,” whispered Baldwin, -glancing again at the chieftain. “We can make use of -him, eh?”</p> - -<p>“We can, indeed, major,” returned the scout.</p> - -<p>“But that crowd out yonder will be watching us all -the closer now. How under the sun anybody can get -through them after this——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[24]</span></p> - -<p>“Leave it to me, major,” interrupted Buffalo Bill -firmly. “I am ready to make the trial—and make it -now!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">BUFFALO BILL’S PLOT.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There was a look on Buffalo Bill’s face as he spoke -that informed Major Baldwin that the scout had already -formed some plan which he wished to make -known to him. So the officer said:</p> - -<p>“Come to my quarters, Cody, and we will talk it -over. Captain Keyes, kindly take charge of the chief -and see that he is neither ill-treated or disturbed. -Some of these boys feel pretty ugly, I am sure. We -have lost a number of good men, and two of the children -have been frightfully wounded by arrows coming -through the lower loopholes.”</p> - -<p>When the major and the scout reached the former’s -office, Baldwin said:</p> - -<p>“Are you in earnest in this attempt, Cody?”</p> - -<p>“Never more so, Major Baldwin. Help we <em>must</em> -have.”</p> - -<p>“No man knows the danger better than you do. I -need not warn you.”</p> - -<p>“Quite needless, sir. I know the game from A -to Z.”</p> - -<p>“Very true. But there are great odds against you.”</p> - -<p>“No man, I believe, sir, stands a better chance of -getting through than myself.”</p> - -<p>“That is so; yet, while many good men might be -spared to make the attempt, you are the one who cannot -be replaced.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[25]</span></p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir; but my life is no more to me than -another man’s is to him. If I’d been thinking of the -chances of getting shot up all these years, I reckon I’d -turned up my toes long ago. I never think of death -if I can help it.”</p> - -<p>“It’s true, Cody!” exclaimed the major. “You act -as though the bullet wasn’t molded that could kill -you.”</p> - -<p>“So the redskins say, I believe,” responded the scout -grimly.</p> - -<p>“Yet your place cannot easily be filled,” the major -said again. “If you can get some other volunteer I -wish you would. I don’t want to lose you, Bill.”</p> - -<p>“Captain Keyes is anxious to go, sir, but——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes; Keyes is a daredevil whom nothing will -daunt; but I refused his request and those of my few -other officers.”</p> - -<p>“Then I must go, sir.”</p> - -<p>“First, tell me about your mission,” said the major -abruptly.</p> - -<p>“I delivered your despatches, sir,” said Cody, “and -here are others for you. On coming within a few -miles of the fort I saw that several large parties of -Indians had passed, all seemingly making in this direction. -I knew what was up at once. I suspected that -unless you had been lucky enough to get a supply of -ammunition before the reds closed in on you, you’d -run short; but there was that horse load we had to -bury last year when I was on the expedition with Captain -Ames. So I went over there and found it all in -good shape.</p> - -<p>“I came mighty near losing it all, however,” added -the scout, smiling, “for in the very act of uncovering<span class="pagenum">[26]</span> -the stuff I was come upon by a redskin on a good -horse. It was kill or be killed, and before he could -either shoot me or knife me I had laid him out.</p> - -<p>“His war-bonnet and rigging made a pretty good -disguise for me. And certainly his horse came in -handy. The animal was not a wild pony, but had -Uncle Sam’s brand on him. Where the red got him, -Heaven only knows. Some poor white man probably -lost his life before he lost his horse.</p> - -<p>“However, I dressed up as near like an Injun as I -could, and packed the ammunition on the dead man’s -mount. I made a détour so as to come up from the -west, and be opposite the main gate; for I knew about -how the red devils would swarm about you here. And -I was not interfered with until, coming out on that -ridge, I had to throw aside my disguise, or run the -risk of being made a target of by some of your fellows -in the stockade here. I knew they could shoot -better than the redskins,” and Cody laughed.</p> - -<p>“So here I am,” the scout added, “little the worse -for wear, major.”</p> - -<p>“And a more gallant ride I never saw. You have -done nobly, Cody. The ammunition will keep us going -for some hours.”</p> - -<p>“Unless the redskins rush you too hard.”</p> - -<p>“You think they will try to charge again—and without -their horses?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing. Our capture of Oak Heart will stir -’em up worse than ever.”</p> - -<p>“They won’t wait until dark, then?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe so. That half-wild girl, White Antelope, -will give them no peace until they try to rescue -her father.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[27]</span></p> - -<p>“But you warned my men not to shoot her.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. She’s Injun now,” said Buffalo Bill -sadly. “But her mother wasn’t a redskin, and perhaps -some day, when old Oak Heart passes in his chips, she -may be gotten away from the savages.”</p> - -<p>“You knew her mother, then, Cody?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. And a noble woman she was.”</p> - -<p>“Yet she went to the wigwam of a dirty redskin?”</p> - -<p>“Ah! you don’t know the circumstances. It is a -sad story, Major Baldwin, and some day I’ll tell it to -you. But don’t blame the mother—or the unfortunate -child of this strange union. <em>She</em> would make a beautiful -woman if she were civilized, cross-blood though -she be.”</p> - -<p>“Well, well! It’s a sad case, as you say. I’ll pass -the word to the officers to instruct their men to spare -the White Antelope wherever they may meet her.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said Buffalo Bill simply. “My scouts -already know my wishes on the subject. And now, -major, I must get ready for my dash through that -mob again.”</p> - -<p>“It seems a wicked shame to let you go, Cody! Yet—we -can’t beat off many more charges even with this -access of ammunition.”</p> - -<p>“You surely can’t. I must go.”</p> - -<p>“You have devised a plan, I can see.”</p> - -<p>“I have, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Well, sit here and tell me. The mess cook is -preparing a hearty meal for you. You can talk while -you eat, Cody.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks for your thoughtfulness, major. I <em>am</em> a -little slim-waisted, not daring to build a fire since -yesterday.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[28]</span></p> - -<p>“Just like you to neglect your own needs when others -demand your services.”</p> - -<p>“Ha, ha!” laughed the scout. “I had some desire -to keep my scalp, as well. The reds are too thick -hereabout to make fire-building a safe occupation.”</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, your plan?” queried the officer.</p> - -<p>“Why, it came to me when I saw old Oak Heart -mixed up with that blessed old white horse, you know. -That old fellow is an ancient friend of mine. I recognized -him at once. And he never did love an Injun. -I wonder how Oak Heart managed to ride him at -all.”</p> - -<p>“The horse, you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. Well, as for the chief, we have him; but -we never can make terms with his tribe for his release.”</p> - -<p>“You think not?”</p> - -<p>“I <em>know</em> so. The chief is a true Sioux. He would -never allow his people to make terms for his life. You -could hack him to pieces on that scaffolding yonder, -where all the reds could see, and it would not change -the attitude of the crew a mite, excepting to make -them more bloodthirsty.”</p> - -<p>“Yes?”</p> - -<p>“So we can’t make terms with him.”</p> - -<p>“What do you advise, then?”</p> - -<p>“That you have a talk with Oak Heart. He understands -English very well, and what he doesn’t understand -I’ll interpret for him.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead, Cody,” said the major, laughing. -“What are my further instructions?”</p> - -<p>“Why, sir——”</p> - -<p>“You know very well, scout, that you are bossing<span class="pagenum">[29]</span> -your superior officer. But it isn’t the first time. What -shall I say to this red rascal?”</p> - -<p>Cody’s smile widened and his eyes twinkled.</p> - -<p>“Just tell him that he has proved himself too brave -an enemy to be either kept in captivity, or punished.”</p> - -<p>“And set him free!”</p> - -<p>“Sure.”</p> - -<p>“But why?”</p> - -<p>“Because I can use him in just that way, sir.”</p> - -<p>“How?”</p> - -<p>“Let me explain. I’ll mount his horse—or the one -he rode. I know the splendid fellow well, as I told -you. He belonged to Colonel Miles, and a faster or -better enduring animal is not now on the frontier.</p> - -<p>“I’ll put Oak Heart on my old black. The poor fellow -is foundered and will never again be of much -value. We will ride out side by side.”</p> - -<p>“You will!”</p> - -<p>“Somebody must return Oak Heart to his people, -you know. And I crave permission to do that.”</p> - -<p>“All very well, Cody; but I don’t see your plan.”</p> - -<p>Cody laughed again.</p> - -<p>“I’ll make it plainer then, sir, by saying that I propose -to paint and rig up as old Oak Heart himself, and -put <em>him</em> in my togs.”</p> - -<p>“Jove, scout! That is a perilous scheme.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a good one.”</p> - -<p>“But you’ll be shot when they find you out.”</p> - -<p>“<em>When</em> they do I’ll be a mile away. I’m going to -ride on ahead toward the mouth of the cañon. It’s the -nearest road to Fort Resistence. I’ll wave back the -tribe as I advance, and they’ll think it is Oak Heart -ordering them. They’ll obey him, all right. <em>Then</em> I’ll<span class="pagenum">[30]</span> -make a break for it, and you can wager I’ll get -through all right, and with that white hoss under me -nothing in that outfit can head me off or catch me!”</p> - -<p>“And the chief?”</p> - -<p>“Hold him back a bit at the stockade. When my -horse begins to run, let him go. If the beggars shoot -him, it will serve the old scoundrel right. At least, it -will confuse the reds.”</p> - -<p>“A good idea!” exclaimed Baldwin. “And I really -believe it is feasible.”</p> - -<p>“Sure it is.”</p> - -<p>“There doesn’t seem any better way to break through -their lines.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right! Strategy must aid pluck in this -game.”</p> - -<p>“Aye, and you’re the one to make the effort. But -may I suggest an amendment, scout?”</p> - -<p>“Just put it up to me, Major Baldwin. You haven’t -been chasing Injuns all this time without having -learned a trick or two yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Cody. Here’s my idea: Oak Heart -will see through your scheme and possibly signal his -people the truth before you can reach the cañon.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have to run that risk.”</p> - -<p>“No use running any more risk than necessary. Why -not take a second man with you?”</p> - -<p>“Ah!”</p> - -<p>“Yes. One of you represent Oak Heart and the -other be yourself. We’ll hold the real chief back until -you and your mate get to the cañon. Then, by turning -Oak Heart loose, we will add to the reds’ confusion, as -you say.”</p> - -<p>“Glorious! Fine, major! And I’ll take Texas Jack<span class="pagenum">[31]</span> -with me and let <em>him</em> play Oak Heart’s part. He makes -a better Injun than I should. And then—I know Jack. -One of us will be sure to get through and reach Resistence.”</p> - -<p>“Jack has been on duty night and day, Cody,” objected -Major Baldwin. “He volunteered to make the -attempt before, but I vetoed it. I needed his presence -and advice. To let you both go is like putting all my -eggs in one basket and sending them to a dangerous -market.”</p> - -<p>“He’s the man I want,” said Buffalo Bill firmly.</p> - -<p>“All right! Let Omohondreau be sent for,” the -major said, turning to an orderly.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE DESPERATE VENTURE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Texas Jack’s real name was Jean Omohondreau, -and he came of a wealthy and noble French family, although -he was born in America. It is said that he had -refused the title of “Marquis of Omohondreau,” although -later he was known as “The White King of the -Pawnees,” having been adopted into that tribe and -completely winning the confidence of the red men.</p> - -<p>At this time Jack was smooth shaven, and with -his deeply bronzed features and piercing eyes and black -hair he did not look unlike an Indian. Besides, he had -lived among the savages even more than Buffalo Bill -himself, and had that imitative faculty so general in -French people. He could “take off” the savage to the -life.</p> - -<p>When Texas Jack came sleepily enough from his<span class="pagenum">[32]</span> -bunk, it took but a few words from Cody to wake his -old pard up. The moment Jack understood what was -wanted of him, he was in for the plan, heart and soul.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart, who had been entertained—possibly to -his great surprise, although he had not shown such -emotion in his hard old face—by the younger officers -with food and drink, and some of the paleface’s real -tobacco, instead of dried willow bark, was now given a -uniform and slouch hat in place of his war-bonnet and -beaded and befeathered buckskin suit and gay blanket.</p> - -<p>The natural acquisitiveness of the Indian character, -and the childish joy they have in new finery, possibly -made the chief ignore what was done with his old garments. -Texas Jack made himself look the Indian brave -to the life, put on Chief Oak Heart’s abandoned finery, -and, mounting the splendid white cavalry charger—but -with saddle hidden by his blanket—was ready to accompany -Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>The latter sprang into the saddle of his claybank—“Buckskin”—and -led the way through the open gate. -Behind them was the surprised Oak Heart upon Buffalo -Bill’s old black, and the soldiers were ready to set -him free the moment the two scouts had crossed the -danger zone.</p> - -<p>The Indians had retired sullenly after Oak Heart’s -capture, and White Antelope had as yet been unable to -rally them to another charge upon the stockade. Their -last charge had been disastrous, and they had not only -lost their principal chief, but had been unable to bring -back to their camping lines many of the dead and injured. -But the belt of red humanity still encircled the -fort, and it was plain that they proposed to abide there -until such time arrived as could compass their revenge.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[33]</span></p> - -<p>Those of the less seriously wounded had dragged -themselves back toward their companions; but the -others had been removed inside the fort and were being -cared for by the surgeon, after he had ministered to the -wounded whites. The dead redskins were let lie where -they had fallen for the time being.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart had noted the care taken of his wounded -braves by the white medicine-man. If this charity impressed -him his immobile face showed no emotion. He -sat the horse that had been given him like a graven -image.</p> - -<p>Now the moment had arrived for the departure of -the two scouts from the fort. As the pair dashed -through the open gateway many good wishes followed -them. But the troops had been warned not to cheer. -That might apprise the redskins that some desperate -venture was about to be made.</p> - -<p>“Good-by, Bill, and may God guard you!” cried -Major Baldwin. “And you, too, Texas Jack! I hope -to see you both again.”</p> - -<p>Cody turned and waved his hand to him; but Jack, -in the character of the captured chief, looked straight -ahead over his horse’s ears, and he made no gesture.</p> - -<p>“We’ll bear toward the left, Jack, for our best plan -is to strike for the cañon,” said Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Right you are, pard. But don’t let’s make a dash -till we hafter. We’ll gain everything by keeping them -red devils guessing.”</p> - -<p>“Sure’s you live, Jack! The moment the reds make -a move for us, you sign for them to go back. Keep -’em at a distance if you can.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” assured Texas Jack.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[34]</span></p> - -<p>“Sit up stiff, old man, and play the part right,” admonished -Buffalo Bill with a laugh.</p> - -<p>These courageous men could laugh in the face of -almost certain death!</p> - -<p>“What d’ye suppose they think of it, Bill?” asked -Jack. “They’re awake, all right. I wonder what they -think at seeing you bringing their supposed chief back -to them?”</p> - -<p>“I’d give a good deal to know just what they are -<em>going</em> to think,” said Cody, more gravely. “But we’ll -soon know.”</p> - -<p>“Betcher we will!”</p> - -<p>“It’s unnecessary to ask you, Jack, if you’ve got -your shooting irons ready?”</p> - -<p>“Ready and loaded, Bill.”</p> - -<p>The two scouts were as watchful as antelopes, and -as cautious. But they appeared to ride along at an -easy lope, and in a most careless fashion. This is the -coolness born of long familiarity with peril; they could -meet death itself without the quiver of a nerve.</p> - -<p>They progressed but slowly, and the eyes of most of -the red men were fixed upon them. It was plain that the -savages did not understand just what was going forward -when they saw he who appeared to be their king -riding thus quietly, and armed and caparisoned, with -Long Hair, the white scout. They could not understand -why he was coming back to them in company -with Pa-e-has-ka.</p> - -<p>Soon they began to move forward in a body to meet -the coming “chief” and his comrade.</p> - -<p>“Give ’em the sign language, Jack. It’s time,” muttered -Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>Omohondreau was an adept at this wonderful <a id="Ref_34" href="#Ref_34a">means</a><span class="pagenum">[35]</span> -of communication, which was really a general language -understood by the members of all the red tribes. He -raised first one hand, palm outward, and then the -other, and motioned the red men back. The warriors -hesitated—then obeyed.</p> - -<p>But a mounted figure came dashing from another -part of the field, and this silent sign manual did not -retard it.</p> - -<p>“Face of a pig!” ejaculated Texas Jack, in the patois -of the French Canadian, and which he sometimes -lapsed into in moments of excitement. “Here comes -that gal, Bill!”</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope!” exclaimed Cody. “I had -forgotten her.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I warn her away?”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid if you turned to face her she would see -that you are not Oak Heart.”</p> - -<p>“Quicker, then, Pard Cody!”</p> - -<p>“No. They might suspect.”</p> - -<p>“Heavens, Bill! What will you do when the girl -overtakes us?”</p> - -<p>“Whatever comes handiest.”</p> - -<p>“I could put a bullet through her without turning,” -muttered Jack.</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t be so cruel, old man.”</p> - -<p>“Hang it, man!” exclaimed Jack in disgust. “She’s -only a ’breed.”</p> - -<p>“No. You’ll not injure her. I have your promise, -Jack,” said Cody confidently.</p> - -<p>“But she’ll finish us if she suspects. I think she has -a pistol,” said Jack.</p> - -<p>“We’ll see.”</p> - -<p>“Hang it, Bill Cody! You’re the coldest proposition<span class="pagenum">[36]</span> -I ever came across. I’ll eat this old war-bonnet—and -it’s about as digestible as a wreath of prickly -pear—if we don’t have trouble with that gal.”</p> - -<p>Evidently White Antelope was much amazed by the -fact that her father did not even look in her direction, -for she called some welcome to him in Sioux. Neither -of the scouts made reply, but both kept watch of her -out of the corners of their eyes. The girl, puzzled by -the mystery, half drew in her pony.</p> - -<p>The mob of Indians waited. That they were puzzled -was evident; but as long as they remained inactive -the scouts’ chances were increased.</p> - -<p>“Can we make it, Pard Cody?” muttered Texas -Jack.</p> - -<p>“If the girl doesn’t suspect too quick.”</p> - -<p>“She’ll queer us—sure!”</p> - -<p>“I hope not,” and Buffalo Bill looked grave.</p> - -<p>“If she comes nearer we’ll have to do something, -Bill—as sure as thunder she’s coming!”</p> - -<p>It was true. White Antelope had again spoken to -her pony, and the animal leaped forward. She came -from the left, and Texas Jack rode nearest her.</p> - -<p>“Keep on, Jack!” exclaimed Bill under his breath.</p> - -<p>He pulled back Buckskin and got around so as to -ride between the supposed Indian chief and the girl. -Instantly White Antelope seemed to suspect that all -was not right. She raised her voice, crying in her -native tongue:</p> - -<p>“Why does the great chief not speak to his child? -Oak Heart, my father, it is I, your daughter, White -Antelope, who calls you!”</p> - -<p>She was all the time riding nearer. There seemed -no way to stop her, and she must soon be near enough<span class="pagenum">[37]</span> -to observe that the supposed Oak Heart was a false -Indian.</p> - -<p>Fortunately the tribesmen were some hundreds of -yards away from the two scouts. But they heard something -of what White Antelope said, and they began to -move forward, murmuring among themselves. They -did not for a moment suspect that this was not their -great chief, but they believed that something was -wrong with him, and that Pa-e-has-ka had Oak Heart -in his power.</p> - -<p>“They’re coming, Cody!” whispered Texas Jack. -“They’ll make a rush in a moment.”</p> - -<p>“Sign them again!” commanded Buffalo Bill. “It’s -our only chance.”</p> - -<p>“Think it will work?”</p> - -<p>“It <em>must</em> work. We need a few moments more before -we make a dash for the cañon.”</p> - -<p>“But that gal——”</p> - -<p>“I’ll ’tend to her,” exclaimed Buffalo Bill. “Signal -the reds to keep back.”</p> - -<p>Again Texas Jack raised his hands and made the -well understood sign. But the Indians hesitated. They -saw White Antelope still riding toward the supposed -chief and the scout, crying to her father to answer her.</p> - -<p>“Keep on for the cañon, Jack!” muttered Buffalo -Bill beneath his breath.</p> - -<p>He jerked his horse to one side, turning to meet the -Indian maiden. As she rode down toward the scouts, -her golden hair flying in the wind, her lips parted, her -eyes shining, she was indeed a beautiful creature. Her -beauty alone would have made any old Indian hunter -withhold his hand. And Buffalo Bill had a deeper reason<span class="pagenum">[38]</span> -for wishing no harm to befall the half-breed -daughter of Oak Heart.</p> - -<p>“What is the white chief, Pa-e-has-ka, doing with -Oak Heart?” the girl cried in Sioux, urging her pony -toward the scouts.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was riding with the rein of the claybank -horse lying upon its neck, and guiding him with his -knees. His rifle lay across his saddle, the muzzle -pointing in the direction of White Antelope as she rode -near. He did not raise his voice, nor change the expression -of his face, for the scout knew that he was -being closely watched by the crowd of redskins in the -background. But into his voice as he spoke he threw -all the threatening, venimous tone of a madman thirsting -for blood.</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope, like her father, Chief Oak -Heart, is in my power. Do not make a single motion -to show that you are startled, White Antelope, for if -you do my first bullet shall be driven through your -heart, and my second shall cleave the heart of your -father!”</p> - -<p>These words, spoken with such wicked emphasis, -seemed to come from a veritable fiend instead of the -placid-looking white scout. The White Antelope’s -great eyes opened wider, and she half stopped her -pony.</p> - -<p>“None of that!” snapped Buffalo Bill in English, -which he knew the girl understood quite well. “Make -a false move at your peril—and at your father’s!”</p> - -<p>“My father——” began the startled maiden gaspingly.</p> - -<p>“Ride closer. Keep beside me, Oak Heart! I forbid -you speaking to your child!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[39]</span></p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill’s commanding tone was most brutal. -His eyes flashed into the Indian maiden’s own as -though he meant every word of his recent threat. But -the supposed Oak Heart’s shoulders shook. However, -he kept his head turned religiously away from his -“daughter.”</p> - -<p>The seconds were slipping by, and the scouts were -approaching very near to the place where they would -be obliged to turn sharply and make their dash for the -cañon. Despite their bearing off so far toward the -left, their course had been apparently toward the Indian -lines.</p> - -<p>White Antelope, all the rich color receded from her -cheeks, rode beside Buffalo Bill on his left hand. She -was not only frightened by the scout’s threat, which he -seemed to be able to fulfil, but she was puzzled at her -father’s inaction and seeming helplessness. She tried -to force her pony forward slyly so as to obtain a look -at Oak Heart’s features.</p> - -<p>“None o’ that!” commanded Buffalo Bill in quite -as brutal and threatening a tone as before.</p> - -<p>At the moment a wild yell rose from their rear—from -the direction of the fort. The girl turned swiftly -to look. And so surprised were the scouts to hear a -disturbance in that direction, that they glanced around, -too.</p> - -<p>Out of the gateway appeared a black horse, and on -its back a figure in uniform and wide-brimmed hat. -But as the horse dashed on the figure snatched off the -uniform hat, displaying the long, flying hair of an Indian, -and he broke into a shrill and terrible Indian -war-whoop!</p> - -<p>On the heels of this another roar burst from the<span class="pagenum">[40]</span> -fort, and out of the gateway piled a troop of mounted -men—those soldiers that were first to get upon their -horses to pursue the wily Oak Heart. The latter saw -his daughter and knew her danger. Following his -war-whoop, he shrieked a warning to White Antelope. -She understood the words he uttered, although the -scouts could not.</p> - -<p>The girl turned swiftly and saw Texas Jack’s -painted face.</p> - -<p>“False paleface!” she cried. “You are not Oak -Heart. The great chief is <em>there</em>!” and she pointed back -at the flying figure on the black horse.</p> - -<p>“It’s all up, Cody!” cried Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill leaned suddenly from his saddle and -snatched from the maiden’s belt the revolver which she -cherished above most of her possessions. He feared -her ability to use this.</p> - -<p>“Off with you, Jack!” he cried. “Now’s our time!” -and setting spurs to his claybank he raced after Texas -Jack toward the opening of the defile which they had -been so gradually and cautiously approaching.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE DASH OF THE SCOUTS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>So interested had the officers and garrison of Fort -Advance become in the attempt of the courageous -scouts to reach the cañon entrance, that they had quite -neglected to watch the king of the Sioux. That he -understood fully the trick that Buffalo Bill and Texas -Jack were attempting to play upon his people was -proven by the outcome.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[41]</span></p> - -<p>The savage chief sat his black horse in motionless -gloom, and as though his eyes saw nothing. Captain -Edward Keyes had kept his file of men in the saddle -ready to make a break from the fort should the scouts -fall in need of some attempt at rescue. Otherwise, -everybody was crowding forward to look out of the -gate, or, from the platform and watch-towers, to view -the work of the brave men who had gone from them.</p> - -<p>The black horse, on which Buffalo Bill had ridden -so many times, but which he had now been obliged to -abandon because of its age and the fact that he had -been ridden too hard on one or two occasions, missed -its master. It had seen Buffalo Bill and his companion -ride out of the fort, and it desired to follow. Perhaps -the horse did not approve of the Indian that now -backed him.</p> - -<p>However it was, it danced about a good deal, and -champed at the bit, and seemed to give the stoical chief -considerable trouble. Twice it started for the gate, and -the soldiers headed it off. Likewise Oak Heart drew -it in hard with his hand on the bridle. It seemed as -though the chief had no expectation of leaving the fort -until his white captors were ready.</p> - -<p>But that was all the savage cunning of the chief. It -was his cunning, too, perhaps, that made the horse so -nervous. He doubtless slyly spurred him with his toe -or heel, and kept the animal on the qui vive all the -time.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart could follow Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack -with his eyes, and he doubtless understood—now, at -least—just what they were about. Suddenly the -White Antelope came into view, riding like the wind -down upon the two scouts. Oak Heart’s face did not<span class="pagenum">[42]</span> -change a muscle, but just then his mount made a sidelong -leap, and when he became manageable again the -black charger was just within the open gateway.</p> - -<p>Several moments passed. The white men’s attention -was strained upon the little comedy being enacted by -the two scouts and the Indian maiden. They could -not hear, of course, but they could imagine that the -situation had become mighty “ticklish” for the scouts, -knowing Buffalo Bill’s objection to injuring the Sioux -maiden.</p> - -<p>It was at this minute that the black horse made a -final charge through the gateway. Two men were -knocked down, and Oak Heart threw himself over to -one side of the galloping horse, shielding himself with -its body from the guns of the surprised white men in -the stockade.</p> - -<p>His wild yells had already apprised White Antelope -of the deception. Buffalo Bill had disarmed her, and -the two scouts spurred on toward the cañon.</p> - -<p>The hearts of the watching people at the fort were -in their throats. A general cry of dread burst from -them as they saw the Border King and Texas Jack -turn abruptly toward the cañon. The Indians saw the -act, too, but for a few seconds did not comprehend it. -They were slower than White Antelope in understanding -that the supposed warrior with Pa-e-has-ka was a -white man in disguise, and that the person careering -across the plain on the black charger was the real Oak -Heart.</p> - -<p>The signals of Texas Jack in his character of Oak -Heart had drawn many of the Indians away from the -cañon’s mouth toward the place for which the supposed -chief and Buffalo Bill seemed to be aiming.<span class="pagenum">[43]</span> -There were very few left in the path of the reckless -scouts. Yet those few must be settled with.</p> - -<p>There were no mounted warriors near the cañon entrance. -The great scout had chosen his place of attack -wisely. And there were few ponies in the vicinity, anyway—not -over two dozen at the most. The earlier -stampeding of the ponies had almost entirely dismounted -Oak Heart’s braves. The ponies that might -follow, should the scouts get through safely, neither -of them feared, mounted as they were on such splendid -animals.</p> - -<p>“Let ’em out, Jack!” cried Buffalo Bill, as they made -directly for the cañon.</p> - -<p>“I hear you!” returned Texas Jack, smiling recklessly, -and settling himself more firmly in his saddle.</p> - -<p>The two were off like frightened deer. For some -moments the Indians were almost dumb with amazement. -Then the war-whoop of Oak Heart was answered -by wild cries from all about the field. The reds -knew that the Border King had outwitted them, and as -one man the mob of redskins made for the entrance to -the cañon, firing as they ran.</p> - -<p>The scouts did not return the fire. They kept their -bullets for targets nearer the path their horses followed. -The nearer Indians were converging swiftly -at the mouth of the cañon.</p> - -<p>Behind, and nearest to the scouts, came Oak Heart -and White Antelope, who had waited to join her -father. But neither of them were armed. When Buffalo -Bill snatched the revolver from the girl’s belt he -had made a good point in the game, for she was an -excellent shot with the small gun—for an Indian.</p> - -<p>Suddenly The Border King raised his rifle, and shot<span class="pagenum">[44]</span> -after shot rang out. He fired at the Indians directly -in front of him, gathering to bar the way. There were -now a score of them near enough to be dangerous.</p> - -<p>The repeating rifle sang deadly music, for several of -the braves fell. With the last shot from Buffalo Bill’s -weapon, Texas Jack’s gun took up the tune and rattled -forth the death notes. They were now close to the -group of reds, and the shots forced the Indians to -scatter.</p> - -<p>Instantly the scouts slung their guns over their -shoulders and drew the big pistols from the saddle-holsters. -With one of these in each hand, the scouts -rode on.</p> - -<p>Theirs was indeed a desperate charge, and, although -now hidden by the nature of the ground from the bulk -of the Indians, the encounter was visible from the fort.</p> - -<p>The chorus of wild yells, the rattle of revolvers, the -heavier discharges of the old muzzle-loaders of the -redskins, and the resonant war-cries of the scouts -themselves, were heard by the besieged. The Border -King and Texas Jack were having the running fight of -their lives. Would they get through alive?</p> - -<p>Suddenly a chorused groan arose from the white -onlookers, while a shriek of exultation came from -those Indians who saw the incident. Buffalo Bill’s -horse gave a sudden convulsive leap ahead, then fell to -his knees. The scout loosened his feet in the stirrups, -and, as the brave Buckskin rolled over upon its side, -dead, the scout stood upright, turning his revolvers on -his foes. Texas Jack, on the white charger, tore on -into the mouth of the cañon.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had emptied the pistols which he had -carried in his saddle-holsters. Now, he stood beside<span class="pagenum">[45]</span> -his dead horse, with the pistols drawn from his belt in -either hand. He stood boldly at bay, and the redskins -went down before his deadly aim.</p> - -<p>The redskins’ triumph was short-lived. Texas Jack, -seeing his partner’s peril, turned his great white -charger as quickly as might be. Back he rushed to -Cody’s side.</p> - -<p>“Up with yuh, pard!” he shouted.</p> - -<p>He whirled the big horse again. With a leap, Buffalo -Bill sprang up behind Texas Jack, his back to that -of his partner, and again the horse was headed for the -cañon’s mouth. The four revolvers of the scouts spit -death into their foes at every jump of the horse.</p> - -<p>Those redskins who opposed the way either crumpled -up and fell to the rocks or dodged behind the boulders -for safety. It seemed as though their numbers were -sufficient to make the scouts’ escape impossible; the -odds against the white men were all of ten to one!</p> - -<p>But the redskins’ shooting was wild, while the accuracy -of the white men’s aim was phenomenal. Many -a red, just as he had drawn bead upon the scouts, was -struck by a pistol ball, and either knocked over completely -or his own shot diverted.</p> - -<p>The cheering of the garrison as they saw Texas -Jack return for his partner inspired the scouts. The -last Indian went down before them and was trampled -under the hoofs of the charger that bore them both, -and as they shot out of sight into the gloom of the -cañon’s mouth Buffalo Bill removed his sombrero and -waved it to the watchers on the fort stockade, while -his well-known war-cry rang over the field of battle!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[46]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE ACE OF CLUBS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“We’ve got through, Jack!”</p> - -<p>“We sure have, Pard Cody.”</p> - -<p>“Anybody hurt?”</p> - -<p>“I got a couple of nicks from the pesky arrows,” -said Omohondreau. “But, shucks! them Injuns can’t -shoot with a white man’s gun worth a hoot in a rainwater -barrel.... Yuh lost Buckskin, Cody.”</p> - -<p>“And sorry enough I am to lose the poor creature. -He’s been a good nag.”</p> - -<p>“How about you, Pard Cody?”</p> - -<p>“A scratch from a bullet in my left shoulder. It’s -bleeding a little, but I won’t stop to fool with it now. -And I got four arrows through my clothes. Oh, we -were lucky!”</p> - -<p>“Betcher life! We’ve been favored mightily.”</p> - -<p>“Thank God for it,” said Buffalo Bill devoutly. “I -don’t expect often to come through two such circuses -in one day—and have nothing worse to show for it.”</p> - -<p>“Right. Now, old man, what’s the program?”</p> - -<p>“Keep on. I don’t feel safe as long as we’re at the -bottom of this hole in the hills.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right. But we haven’t got but one -horse——”</p> - -<p>“I was thinking of that.”</p> - -<p>“And your thoughts?”</p> - -<p>“We can’t both ride this horse, good as he is, all the -way to Fort Resistence.”</p> - -<p>“Right again!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[47]</span></p> - -<p>“One of us must push on for help about as fast as -the horse can go.”</p> - -<p>“Sure.”</p> - -<p>“There isn’t much danger of the reds following us -far, for their ponies aren’t to be compared with this -fellow—and they all know what he can do.”</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“Then you’d better let me go on, as soon as we come -to the creek ahead and shape ourselves up a bit, and -you can scout around until I return with help from -Fort Resistence.”</p> - -<p>“Pard Bill!”</p> - -<p>“Yes?”</p> - -<p>“They need every rifle they can git in the fort, yuh -know.”</p> - -<p>“They certainly do.”</p> - -<p>“Scouting around yere all night, I can’t do much -good, and that’s a fact.”</p> - -<p>“Very true, Jack! Very true.”</p> - -<p>“And I’ve got nothing to eat, while the maje and the -folks at Advance will be mighty anxious tuh know if -yuh got through all right—ain’t that so?”</p> - -<p>“Reckon you’re right, Jack.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’m goin’ to take a sneak back and try to git -through the lines after dark.”</p> - -<p>“No, you won’t, Jack Omohondreau. I veto that.”</p> - -<p>“Put the kibosh on it, do yuh?” asked Jack, leering -back at his partner over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“I certainly do!”</p> - -<p>“Why, pard?”</p> - -<p>“There’s no danger going on now for help, so I’ll -return to the fort myself, while you strike out for<span class="pagenum">[48]</span> -Resistence and help. I got you into this. I’m not going -to shoulder the heavy part of the job off onto you.”</p> - -<p>“That’s like you, Cody! Always lookin’ for trouble -to git into yourself. But I’m going back.”</p> - -<p>“I say no,” replied Buffalo Bill firmly.</p> - -<p>“Now, see here!” exclaimed Jack, in some heat. -“It’s my idea to go back, and I’m going.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you needn’t stop here,” laughed Cody, as -Jack, in his excitement, brought the horse down to a -walk.</p> - -<p>“You listen to reason!” exclaimed Texas Jack. “I -speak the lingo all O. K.”</p> - -<p>“I admit that.”</p> - -<p>“And I’m already playing Injun.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! That may be, but I can soon change my -colors.”</p> - -<p>“You’re as obstinate as a mule, Cody!”</p> - -<p>“See here, Jack, I admit that the folks need us back -there at the fort, and one had better return, but I -should be the one.”</p> - -<p>“Tell you what, pard!” exclaimed Jack, smitten with -a sudden thought.</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll draw lots to see who goes.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll beat you at that game, Jack!” cried Cody, with -a laugh.</p> - -<p>“Don’t yuh crow too loud, old man,” said Texas -Jack gaily. “When we git to the creek we’ll see who’s -who!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll go you, for my luck is good.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure a child of fortune myself,” laughed Jack.</p> - -<p>They soon reached the creek, which cut across the -cañon at its widest part, spurting from under a ledge<span class="pagenum">[49]</span> -on one side, and disappearing with a tinkle of falling -water through a crack on the other—one of those underground -streams often found in the Rockies, which -only by chance ever come to the light of day.</p> - -<p>The scouts dismounted, making sure that all pursuit -had been abandoned by their mounted foes, at -least, and washed and dressed their slight wounds. In -each man’s pouch was Indian salve, certain valuable -herbs, dried, and bandages rolled for them by the -women of Fort Advance. Your old frontiersman was -no mean surgeon, and many a man to-day, whose early -years were spent on the border, owes his life to some -rough but prompt bit of surgery on the part of a pard -with powder-stained fingers.</p> - -<p>“Now, we’ll draw lots to see who goes back,” said -Cody. “Wish we had a pack of cards.”</p> - -<p>“I got what th’ boys call a Sing Sing Bible,” observed -Texas Jack, drawing the pack from his pouch.</p> - -<p>“Good! We can’t take the time to play any game, -but I’ll shuffle, you cut, and the one who holds the ace -of clubs goes back to Advance.”</p> - -<p>“Agreed. Shuffle ’em good, old man—though I -feel I’m going to win right now.”</p> - -<p>“You’re too cock-sure,” laughed Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>The scouts spoke in a light-hearted way, but each -realized the terrible ordeal that might fall to the one -who attempted to return to Fort Advance. Major -Baldwin needed one of them as an adviser—and his -rifle would be an acquisition as well, for both Buffalo -Bill and Texas Jack were dead shots.</p> - -<p>The uncertainty and impatience of the entire garrison -would be relieved, too, if they were informed that -one of the scouts had gone on to Resistence and would<span class="pagenum">[50]</span> -surely bring help the next day. This knowledge would -put heart in the defenders of Fort Advance when the -Indians attacked, as they surely would after nightfall.</p> - -<p>The cards were shuffled by the chief scout, and then -he held them in his open palm. Texas Jack cut at a -point about half-way down the pack. One after another -the pasteboards were discarded, and Buffalo -Bill had already displayed two aces, when suddenly his -partner chuckled and slammed down another card, face -up. It was the fatal card—the ace of clubs.</p> - -<p>“Got yuh that time, Pard Cody!” exclaimed Texas -Jack in delight.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill looked regretful, while his partner was -triumphant.</p> - -<p>“I told yuh I was a child of fortune,” laughed Texas -Jack.</p> - -<p>“I yield, old man,” said Cody. “May your luck -carry you through in safety.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll git there—or the reds will know I tried,” said -Jack with emphasis.</p> - -<p>“Aye, that they will. Now I must be off, Jack. The -horse is rested, and he’s got a hard road to travel this -night. I’ll be back with help as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p>“You ought to make it by morning with any kind -of luck.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll do my best,” declared Buffalo Bill. “And now -good-by, old pard! If you go under I’ll see that there -are plenty of those red devils on the trail to the happy -hunting grounds to make up for your loss.”</p> - -<p>They wrung each other’s hands, and, although the -spoken word was light, the look in each man’s eyes -showed a deeper feeling. Buffalo Bill walked quickly to -where the great white horse was feeding, and, vaulting<span class="pagenum">[51]</span> -into the saddle, the horse, without urging, started into -his easy lope.</p> - -<p>Once the mounted scout looked back. Texas Jack -stood in the middle of the trail looking more like an -Indian chief than ever, he was so silent and stern of -feature.</p> - -<p>They waved their hands briefly—a last farewell. -Then the Border King disappeared around a turn in -the trail, and Texas Jack prepared for his attempt, -night now being not far away.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">FACING DEATH.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Texas Jack had been a ranchman in Texas since -early boyhood. His sentiments and affiliations were -Southern, and when the war broke out he joined the -Confederate Army as a scout. He was a reckless, daredevil -fellow, yet high-minded, honorable to foe as well -as friend. The noble blood of the Omohondreaus -showed through the rough manner of the hardy frontiersman.</p> - -<p>It was Jack Omohondreau who came so near dealing -an irreparable blow to the Northern cause by capturing -President Lincoln and taking him South as a prisoner. -How near the daring scout came to accomplishing this -very thing nobody but those few Confederates in the -secret—and possibly Lincoln himself—ever knew.</p> - -<p>However, when the Civil War was ended, Buffalo -Bill, who had scouted for the other side, found Jack in -Kansas, and it was through his influence that the young -French-American was enlisted in the Federal Army.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[52]</span></p> - -<p>He was of cheery nature, fearless to recklessness, -strong as a grizzly, and possessed of a handsome presence. -Such was the man who had determined to return -through the ring of enraged Sioux to give comfort and -help to the besieged garrison of Fort Advance.</p> - -<p>He knew all that he had to risk, but, in his Indian -disguise, and under cover of the early darkness, he -hoped to accomplish his purpose. If captured by the -redskins he well knew that death by the most frightful -torture would be his portion. The Sioux hated him almost -as fiercely as they hated Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>That he could speak their language was in Jack’s -favor. And he knew that if he chanced upon any -bunch of the reds a word or two might pass him -through all right. Oak Heart had gathered several -different branches of the tribe together, and many of -the braves must be strangers to each other.</p> - -<p>The scout had already formed his plan of return to -the fort. He had reloaded his rifle and revolvers, seen -that his knife was still in its scabbard, and, after another -long swig at the clear, running water and a -tightening of his belt, Texas Jack climbed one side of -the cañon with infinite caution. He could not return -through the gorge itself, for he did not know how near -pursuit might be. And he wormed his way up the -steep ascent like a serpent, that he might not be observed -from below.</p> - -<p>Night came upon him as he arrived on the summit -of the timbered ridge. The forest was a tangled -wilderness, but he knew how to pass through it without -making the slightest disturbance, and, as he might -come upon the Indians at any moment, he was glad of -the darkness and the thicket. A few miles along this<span class="pagenum">[53]</span> -ridge and he would come out upon a bluff that overlooked -the valley in which Fort Advance was situated.</p> - -<p>He strode on lightly, yet swiftly—threading his way -through the trackless forest with a confidence which -brought him straight to his destination. And as yet -he had not passed an Indian.</p> - -<p>The dash of the scouts into the cañon had drawn all -the outposts from the hills, and the redskins were either -guarding the lower passes, ringing the fort, or gathered -about the camp-fires where the main encampment -had been established.</p> - -<p>When Texas Jack came out upon the bluff he could -see these camp-fires twinkling on the other side of the -valley, although it was still light enough for him to -see all who moved below him. The encampment was -at the base of the southern hills, some two miles from -the fort. Some half-hundred ponies were feeding in -the valley, with the guards about them doubled. The -loss of the bulk of the herd had been a severe blow to -the redskins, and Texas Jack knew that the Indians -would put forth every effort to retake them, should opportunity -arise.</p> - -<p>Jack decided that Chief Oak Heart was probably at -the encampment, counseling with his old men and the -other chiefs regarding the next blow to be struck at -Fort Advance. That plans of deviltry and cunning -were being hatched the scout was certain.</p> - -<p>Then he thought of the Border King flying along -the trail to Resistence for help, and he regained his -courage.</p> - -<p>Awaiting with the stolid patience of a redskin for -the night to deepen, the scout finally pursued his march<span class="pagenum">[54]</span> -into the valley. He had carefully weighed all chances -for and against his success. Now he was ready to take -them.</p> - -<p>Night spread its wings over the valley. It hid its -scars and wounds and the stark bodies of the dead, lying -under the fortress walls. In the gloaming it might -have been the most peaceful valley in all the Rockies. -One coming upon it suddenly, and unwarned, would -never have suspected the blood so recently spilled there -and the threatening aspect of the situation at that very -moment!</p> - -<p>Texas Jack stole down the declivity with a step as -light as the fall of a leaf. The savage whom he imitated -could have moved no more lightly, and as he -came into the valley itself he crouched and crept along -like a shadow.</p> - -<p>He knew that the red men would be moving about, -passing and repassing each other, and keeping up a -tightening circle about the fort. They would afford -the opportunity for no other white man to escape from -the fort if they could help it. But they moved about -as silently as the scout himself, and as the redskin is -notoriously silent, Texas Jack’s ears were of little good -to him in this emergency.</p> - -<p>An Indian is not troubled by military accouterments -to rattle as he walks; his moccasins are soundless, and -he has schooled himself to endure all those little discomforts -of body or environment that cause the white -man to betray himself by either sound or movement. -If a red warrior lay in wait for an enemy the flies and -other insects might half eat him up without his betraying -himself by a movement. He seldom has catarrhal -affections of the throat, or if he does stifles the desire<span class="pagenum">[55]</span> -to cough or sneeze. He has, indeed, his whole body -and mind under perfect control.</p> - -<p>Therefore Texas Jack knew that the red men might -be near—upon each side of him—in his very path, perhaps, -yet they passed and repassed, silent as so many -ghosts.</p> - -<p>Texas Jack crept but a short way from the base of -the hill before he lay flat down in the weeds and brush. -There was a big rock on his right hand, and he believed -that that obstacle, looming up as it did in the -gloom, would keep anybody from walking over him.</p> - -<p>His reason for lying there was easily understood. -From the dark ground he could look upward and see -any form passing between him and the lighter sky-line. -He wished to get a line on the pacing to and fro of the -sentinels. If there was any regularity regarding their -beats, the scout might be able to time his passage so as -not to be seen at all.</p> - -<p>For if his presence was discovered, although his -dress and appearance might carry him through, still -there was a grave danger that they would not. There -might be some password, for the redskins were shrewd, -or he might run against some chief going the rounds -of his men to see that all were properly placed.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a form seemed to rise out of the ground -before the advancing scout. It stood a moment directly -between him and the lighter sky-line. Then it -passed on—silently as the wind over the grass.</p> - -<p>He heard a muffled grunt—a guttural Indian word—dropped -by some invisible redskin in the direction the -figure had disappeared. Then that, or another, sentinel -returned and passed slowly across the line of Texas -Jack’s vision. He was quite near the lines of sentinels,<span class="pagenum">[56]</span> -and he determined to lie there and, if possible, time -their coming and going before trying himself to get -through.</p> - -<p>Once more the figure crossed the line of the scout’s -vision. Texas Jack lay, scarcely moving in the grass, -and with fingers on wrist counted his pulse while the -Indian was in sight. In this way he learned something -of the time it took for the sentinel to pace from end to -end of his beat. He lay for some time and timed him -back and forth to make sure that there was some regularity -in the redskin’s actions.</p> - -<p>Then, at the right moment—as the sentinel passed -out of view in one direction, Texas Jack darted forward -like a serpent through the tall weeds. Although -he ran on his feet and touched but one hand now and -then to help retain his balance, the scout’s body could -never have been seen above the waving tops of the -grass and weeds.</p> - -<p>For several rods he ran in this way and then dropped -down again, panting, hugging the earth, flattening his -body upon it, and waiting with every nerve on the qui -vive to discover if his actions had been noted.</p> - -<p>And well he knew that, if the sentinel had seen him, -no shout—no sound—would be raised. The red would -sneak up behind him, and his first audible sound would -be the cry of triumph when the scalping-knife was -plunged into the scout’s back!</p> - -<p>Jack twisted his neck to see back over his shoulder. -After a moment the Indian sentinel appeared again. -He walked upright. Jack could see his nodding topknot -of feathers, and that he carried a gun of some -kind. He passed on without even glancing in the -scout’s direction.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[57]</span></p> - -<p>“Thanks be for that!” thought the scout. “Now, -what’s ahead?”</p> - -<p>That the Sioux had but one ring of sentinels around -the fort he knew was not the fact. There were two -lines at least—possibly three. He raised his head like -a turtle stretching from its shell and tried to pierce the -gloom of the valley.</p> - -<p>And then it was that he suddenly beheld a tall figure -standing motionless not far ahead of him and almost -in his path. It was a chief of some importance from -his war-bonnet, and he had perhaps been going the -rounds of his sentinels. Now he stood motionless, his -back to the scout, looking toward the fort, one elbow -leaning upon a broken stub of a tree, the other hand -holding his rifle, hanging idly by his side. The chief -was evidently in a reverie—or was he listening? Had -he heard the scout’s breathing—or some other sound -that warned him of the white man’s presence?</p> - -<p>The question seared Texas Jack’s brain. It startled -him to action. This was no moment for taking -chances.</p> - -<p>He rose up like a shadow, and, with great, catlike -strides, stole upon the statuelike Indian. It went -against the grain for the scout to strike even a redskin -from behind. Man to man and face to face in a fair -struggle would have pleased Texas Jack better. But -the entire success of his attempt to reach the fort depended -upon the action of the next few seconds.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the chief began to turn—with a jerking -motion which showed that he was startled. Some instinct -told him that there was an enemy at hand. Perhaps -his lips were already opened to give a warning -call.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[58]</span></p> - -<p>Like a stone from the sling the scout leaped forward—as -the panther leaps! His knee found the small -of the Indian’s back; his left had clutched his throat -like a vise; his right drove his keen blade downward—<em>and -home</em>!</p> - -<p>The redskin crumpled and fell without a sound upon -the earth. Not even a cough or death-rattle proclaimed -the passing of his spirit. And the number of seconds -occupied in the killing were infinitesimal. One moment -the red chief stood there leaning on the broken -tree; the next Texas Jack, in his Indian garb, had -taken his place and assumed his attitude!</p> - -<p>Unless some member of the tribe had been near -enough to watch the chief continuously, this action of -the scout’s was inspired. The chief had gone down -and lay dead under his feet; the white man had taken -his place, and for several moments, while he recovered -his breath, he stood there in the exact attitude the real -Indian had assumed in life.</p> - -<p>Carefully he scrutinized his surroundings as closely -as might be for the gloom. He became aware at length -that a warrior was stalking toward him from the left—undoubtedly -one of the sentinels. This man came on, -saw the supposed chief standing by the tree stub, and -made a gesture as though he were saluting his superior.</p> - -<p>“Ugh!” muttered Texas Jack in an excellent imitation -of an Indian guttural. He did not care to risk -his Sioux intonation if he could help it.</p> - -<p>The sentinel went on. Texas Jack was about to -change his position and make for the fort when he saw -the sentinel who had just passed and another, returning. -They would pass him very closely. Did they suspect?<span class="pagenum">[59]</span> -Had the first brave become suspicious, and was -he bringing the second to help him attack the supposed -chief?</p> - -<p>The thought sent a chill to the heart of the courageous -scout. It seemed to him that, thus early in the -game, he had come to a death-struggle with the redskins!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">BREAKING THROUGH THE RED CIRCLE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Slowly the two braves approached Texas Jack’s position. -The scout dared not change his attitude—he -could not afford to put the men on guard if they <em>were</em> -still unsuspicious of him.</p> - -<p>His rifle-butt rested on the ground; his elbows leaned -upon the tree stub; he stared straight across the valley -to where the camp-fires twinkled, and to where two or -three points of light, and the gloomy outline of the tall -stockade, proclaimed the presence of the fort.</p> - -<p>Would the two warriors speak to him?—or would -they respect his apparent reverie and pass on?</p> - -<p>Out of the corner of his eye Texas Jack watched the -coming sentinels. Every muscle and nerve in his body -was strained for a spring. He had made up his mind -already what action he should take did the reds show -that they meant to accost him.</p> - -<p>He did not wish to fire his gun and so call every -Indian in that part of the valley to the spot. He -gripped instead his rifle by the muzzle, and the instant -one of those savages came within reach he would whirl -up the gun and bring its stock with crushing force -down upon the man’s head!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[60]</span></p> - -<p>Then the knife for the second brave! That was all -he could do. If he were not shot or tomahawked first, -he could finish both of the reds without making much -disturbance. The main difficulty would be to stifle -their death-yells, as he had that of the chief at his feet.</p> - -<p>So he waited, his body sweating, although it was a -chill night, uncertain as to what the warriors would do. -They were talking in low tones; this in itself gave the -scout some hope. Had they intended attacking him -their plans would have been made before they came -so near, and there would be no need of conversation.</p> - -<p>The seconds numbered as the warriors came on -seemed centuries long to the scout. But at length he -saw that they were passing him quietly. They glanced -at him, but he stood haughtily aloof, and the braves -were not encouraged by his manner to speak. He saw -them go with a relief that almost unnerved him!</p> - -<p>He could not risk their coming back. The instant -they were out of sight the scout stooped, stripped the -dead man of his gun, bow and arrows, and knife, and -in a crouching position ran agilely forward to where a -clump of young trees loomed up in the path, a hundred -yards to the front.</p> - -<p>There he dropped down and lay a moment, listening. -Not a sound from those behind; not a sound from any -redskins before him. Had he at last gotten through -the lines completely?</p> - -<p>He could not really believe this good fortune was his -so easily. He stood up at last and peered all about. -And suddenly, just as he was about to move forward -once more toward the fort, he heard the stamp of a -pony’s hoof on the other side of the clump of trees!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[61]</span></p> - -<p>The sound dropped Texas Jack to the ground like a -rifle-shot. Had he been seen by the rider of the pony? -Or did the pony have a rider? It might be one escaped -from the herd and roaming at will about the valley.</p> - -<p>The pony stamped again. There was no other -sound.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got tuh find out what’s doin’ there before I -make another break,” muttered the scout. “And here -goes!”</p> - -<p>The thicket was a closely woven one. Did he try to -pass through it with his guns and other accouterments -he might make some disturbance. So he left everything -but his pistols, knife, and the bow and arrows -he had taken from the dead chief on the ground, and -began to worm his way through the brush-clump.</p> - -<p>Once he made some little noise by catching a part of -his clothing on a brittle branch. Instantly he halted -and made the squeaking grunt of the porcupine. His -imitation of animals was perfect, and a porcupine -might easily be on the still hunt in the thicket-patch.</p> - -<p>The pony did not change its position. Jack knew. -So, after a moment of waiting, the scout risked moving -on. He came finally to the edge of the brush, and -there the horse stood—not three yards away from him!</p> - -<p>And from where he crouched the scout could see -more than the bulk of the pony’s body against the sky-line. -It was bestrode by an Indian in head-dress and -blanket. It was doubtless one of the chiefs who had -started to ride around the fort. Would he ride on and -not suspect the presence of the white man in the -bushes?</p> - -<p>But perhaps, in his nervousness, Texas Jack had not<span class="pagenum">[62]</span> -imitated the porcupine true enough to satisfy the keen -ear of the Indian. Or else the porcupine’s grunt was a -private signal between this chief and his own men.</p> - -<p>However, Texas Jack saw the redskin force his pony -nearer the thicket, and he heard its rider twitter like a -bird disturbed at night in its nest.</p> - -<p>“Old man, you’ve got the best of me!” thought the -scout. “I can’t answer that signal, for I don’t know -what the answer <em>is</em>. It’s a bad thing for you!”</p> - -<p>There was no time for hesitation. Again the scout -had to take life or be killed himself. The scout was a -good shot with the bow and arrows as he was with rifle -or pistol. And he must use a silent weapon to get rid -of this foe.</p> - -<p>It was too far to leap with his knife. The bow and -arrows of the dead chief came in handy. In a flash -the crouching scout fitted an arrow to the bowstring -and drew the shaft to its head. There he waited, still -as a graven image, until the horse and rider were almost -upon him.</p> - -<p>Then he let drive the arrow. It sped with fearful -force, aimed at the throat of the red chieftain that all -death-cry might be stilled.</p> - -<p>True was the aim and fatal the shot. The arrow -penetrated the Indian’s throat, and its head stuck out a -hand’s breadth at the back of his neck. Without a -sound the Indian toppled from the pony’s back.</p> - -<p>The horse snorted and sprang forward. His escape -might have been as dire a calamity for the scout as the -death-yell of the chieftain. If the pony dashed away -across the valley, the sentinels would surely be aroused.</p> - -<p>But the animal made but one leap. Like a shadow -Texas Jack leaped up and caught the rawhide bridle<span class="pagenum">[63]</span> -which had been snatched from the dead man’s hand. -He brought the pony to an abrupt halt. Instantly he -swung himself upon the bare back of the animal, well -used to riding Indian fashion, and guided him to the -other side of the thicket, leaving the chief where he had -fallen. He did not stop to strip him of his arms; he -had quite all he could carry, and he wanted his own -rifle.</p> - -<p>All seemed to have gone well, and it looked to the -scout at that moment as though the way before him to -the fort was clear sailing. But just as he was congratulating -himself on this belief a wild and ear-splitting -yell arose on the night, and from a spot not far in his -rear. First one voice and then another took up the -yell—it was the warning of the red man when he finds -the trail of the secret enemy!</p> - -<p>Texas Jack knew well what it meant. The first Indian -he had killed, and whose place beside the dead -tree he had taken, had been found by the sentinels. -They knew that some shrewd enemy had been at work, -and their yells aroused the braves all over the valley.</p> - -<p>The cries told the redskins as plainly as words that -some white man was trying to break through their -lines. Major Baldwin had thrown a line of sentinels -outside the stockade, and these heard the cries and understood -as well. They passed back the word that -either Buffalo Bill or Texas Jack was coming.</p> - -<p>And so the scout was coming—on the back of the -half-wild Indian pony. The danger behind him was -great, nor was that still ahead slight. Some of the -young braves, eager for scalps, had crept forward in -the darkness, hoping to shoot some white man on the -towers, or one that ventured beyond the stockade walls.<span class="pagenum">[64]</span> -As the war-whoop was raised these young braves -started back for their lines on the jump.</p> - -<p>One of them saw the scout coming up the hill at full -speed. Although Texas Jack was still in Indian dress, -the warrior decided that no honest redskin would be -riding in that direction at such a pace!</p> - -<p>He fired suddenly. So did the scout. The aim of -both was true, for the Indian’s bullet killed the pony -Jack was riding, and Jack’s bullet killed the Indian -himself.</p> - -<p>Although badly shaken by his fall from the pony’s -back, Texas Jack was on his feet in an instant and was -running at topmost speed for the fort. He suspected -that there would be a line of sentinels outside the stockade, -and he raised his voice as he ran:</p> - -<p>“Hold on, men; it’s Texas Jack! Don’t shoot!”</p> - -<p>A cheer was the answer from the fort, while the -Indians in the rear who heard uttered their war-whoop -again and fired a scattering volley in the direction of -the scout’s voice. But he was not hit, and, a few minutes -later, he passed in through the gateway of the fort.</p> - -<p>Proud of his deed, as he had good reason to be, he -shouted:</p> - -<p>“Slightly disfigured, boys, but still in the ring!”</p> - -<p>The commander greeted the scout joyfully, but with -his next breath asked anxiously:</p> - -<p>“But Cody?”</p> - -<p>“Is a long way on his ride to Resistence, sir.”</p> - -<p>A cheer greeted this reply.</p> - -<p>“Thank God for that good news! I trust you were -not hurt on your way, Jack, though you <em>did</em> raise a -merry rumpus in the Indian camps.”</p> - -<p>“Well, now! Didn’t they turn loose for a few minutes,<span class="pagenum">[65]</span> -sir? But I got only a shake-up, for I got too -proud to walk, and the pony I cabbaged took a header -with an Injun bullet in him. Somebody got worse -hurt than I did, though, and I’m not kicking a little -bit, as luck came my way.”</p> - -<p>“And it came our way, too, Jack! We’re mighty -glad to have you back.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that was my luck, too!” said Jack, laughing. -“Buffalo was bound to come and send me on to Resistence -with the news, but I wouldn’t hear to it, and -finally we drew lots and I won.”</p> - -<p>“Next to Cody himself you’re the man I want,” declared -Major Baldwin; “for, although all my officers -and men are true as steel—and able, too—your experience -is worth much, not to speak of the value of your -rifle. Your coming and the knowledge that Cody has -got through all right gives us a new lease of life.”</p> - -<p>The major’s praise tinged the bronzed cheek of the -scout with blushes, and he hurried away to remove his -war-paint and to change into more civilized garments.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE RIDE TO THE RESCUE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The Border King, after leaving Texas Jack in the -cañon, did not spare the white horse he rode, for he -was riding to save many human lives.</p> - -<p>He had known this horse when he was the favorite -steed of Colonel Nelson A. Miles, and the scout well -knew the endurance of which the horse was capable.</p> - -<p>The creature had been captured by Oak Heart, the -king of the Utah Sioux, in an attack on a military<span class="pagenum">[66]</span> -camp, and Colonel Miles had told Cody to try and get -him back from his Indian master.</p> - -<p>“I hate to think of the old fellow being handled by -that red scamp. Get him back, Cody, and he’s yours,” -the colonel had told the scout.</p> - -<p>And now Buffalo Bill had the long-barreled, strong-limbed -racer under him, and he was proving himself -as fleet as a deer and as tireless as a hound.</p> - -<p>“The colonel used to call you Runaway, I remember,” -said the scout, talking aloud to the handsome -creature, and patting the side of his neck with a tender -hand, “and what Oak Heart christened you I don’t -know, but I shall call you after your redskin master, -and it shall be Chief.”</p> - -<p>The horse snorted and tossed his head as though he -understood what was being said to him, and hour after -hour, mile after mile, he kept up his steady lope—that -long, free canter that takes the Western range horse -over so long a trail in so short a time.</p> - -<p>Darkness fell soon after Cody rode away from Texas -Jack. He hoped to reached the military post for which -he aimed before midnight. And he was not mistaken. -The new day had not commenced when the scout on his -white charger thundered up to the gates of Fort Resistence.</p> - -<p>“Halt! Who comes here?” rang out the sentinel’s -challenge.</p> - -<p>“All right, pard! This is Scout Cody with an urgent -message for the commander. Let me in!”</p> - -<p>“By thunder! Is it really you, Buffalo Bill?” cried -the sentinel over the gate.</p> - -<p>“What’s left of me after about the hardest day’s -work of my life.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[67]</span></p> - -<p>“Injuns?”</p> - -<p>“And a-plenty of them. Hurry up, old man! This -is no place for gossip,” urged the scout.</p> - -<p>“Wait till I call the corporal,” exclaimed the curious -sentinel. Then:</p> - -<p>“Corporal of the guard! Corporal of the guard! -Rouse up, corporal! There’s somebody at the gate!”</p> - -<p>Half the garrison was aroused by the shouting. The -corporal came on the run, saw who it was without, and -let the scout and his dripping horse within.</p> - -<p>“Injuns, sure, Cody?” asked those who were awake.</p> - -<p>“Fort Advance has been surrounded for three days -by a thousand red devils under Oak Heart!” exclaimed -Cody to the officer on duty. “I must see Colonel Royal -at once.”</p> - -<p>The commander of the fort had gotten out of bed -already, and he received the scout in his nightshirt.</p> - -<p>“Is this true, Cody?” he cried. “Is Major Baldwin -threatened?”</p> - -<p>“Why, sir, your scouts must have been hived up for -a week past if they haven’t seen Injun signs,” said -Cody earnestly. “For three days the Sioux have held -the garrison of Fort Advance prisoners, and five men -have been killed trying to get to you. They’re pretty -nearly out of ammunition.”</p> - -<p>“My God, Cody! You astonish me. I’ve had the -scouts working through the country on the other side, -trusting to hear from you if anything went wrong in -the direction of Advance.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve been to Denver, sir. Just got back to-day. I -managed to run in half a packload of ammunition that -I had cached, and then Texas Jack and I got through -the lines again late this afternoon and—here I am!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[68]</span></p> - -<p>“Texas Jack! He’s not killed, I hope?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. The reckless fellow <em>would</em> try to go -back to cheer the fort with the news that I had got -away safely.”</p> - -<p>“That’s enough now, Bill. You’ll get something to -eat, and if you are going back with the men I -send——”</p> - -<p>“You bet I am. I got a fellow to rub Chief down, -and he’ll be good for it.”</p> - -<p>“Your horse? Well, I’m off to see things prepared.”</p> - -<p>The energetic commander at once ordered his adjutant -to call out two troops of cavalry, mount two companies -of infantry, and, with a couple of light guns, to -start to the reenforcement of Fort Advance. Extra -supplies and ammunition were to be taken in ambulances.</p> - -<p>Captain Alfred Taylor, of the Fifth Cavalry, was -given command of the expedition, and ordered to start -within the hour. They tried to get Cody to take some -rest, for more than twenty-four hours the scout had -been active, most of the time in the saddle, and part of -the time fighting for his very life, but he was determined -to go back with the party of reenforcements.</p> - -<p>When it pulled out from Post Resistence Buffalo -Bill rode ahead as guide, while half a dozen of Colonel -Royal’s scouts went along to guard the flanks, and to -clear out the cañon when they came to it. Cody felt -that Oak Heart, knowing that the white men had got -through his lines and were probably making for Resistence, -might send a part of his force forward to meet -any rescue party coming to the aid of the garrison of -Fort Advance.</p> - -<p>And the <a id="Ref_69" href="#Ref_69a">wise scout</a> had not been mistaken in this.<span class="pagenum">[69]</span> -Perhaps one reason why Texas Jack had succeeded so -easily in returning to Fort Advance was because the -king of the Sioux had drawn off quite three hundred -of his braves for special duty, and sent them along the -track toward Fort Resistence.</p> - -<p>The easiest and shortest trail between the two forts -was through the cañon, and this Oak Heart well knew. -He ordered the chiefs in charge of the three hundred -to ambush the rescue-party near the entrance to the -cañon at the other end, and not long before Cody and -the other scouts, riding ahead of Captain Taylor’s command, -came within shouting distance of the cañon the -bloodthirsty savages were hidden among the rocks and -trees on the sloping sides, ready to pour a deadly fire -into the band of rescuers when they came along the -trail beneath them.</p> - -<p>While yet the scouts were some distance from the -cañon something startled them ahead. Tearing along -the trail toward them came a herd of deer, frightened -from their night’s lair by something untoward.</p> - -<p>“Now, what under the canopy started <em>them</em> to running?” -asked Cody, who never let anything go past -him unexplained.</p> - -<p>“Wolves, it’s likely,” said one of the Resistence -scouts named Judd.</p> - -<p>“Haven’t heard a wolf howl to-night,” declared Buffalo -Bill.</p> - -<p>“You’re right there, pard,” said another scout, Barney -by name.</p> - -<p>“And there was no critter on the trail of those white-tails,” -said a third man.</p> - -<p>“That means Injuns, then,” declared Barney.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[70]</span></p> - -<p>“I reckon you’re right, boys,” said the Border King. -“Let’s see. Those deer came directly from the cañon.”</p> - -<p>“You bet they did.”</p> - -<p>“Something doing there, then, boys.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon you’re right, Buffler.”</p> - -<p>“Here, Barney, you ride back and tell Captain Taylor -to halt his column. Judd, you and I leave our -horses here and go ahead to reconnoiter. Savvy?”</p> - -<p>“Sure!”</p> - -<p>Barney rode back. Judd and Buffalo Bill discarded -their mounts and went ahead afoot.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart was a born general, and, like old Colorow, -of the Utes, displayed abilities in planning his -campaigns that placed him head and shoulders above -the average redskin chieftain. There have been few -great warriors among the red Indians. Red Jacket, -Black Eagle, Tecumseh, Colorow, and a few others -have possessed unnatural characteristics for redskins, -and that is why they left their mark on Indian history.</p> - -<p>And Oak Heart had sufficient control over his warriors -to make them do something which above all -things a redskin hates. He made them fight at night!</p> - -<p>Now, the Indian is a spiritualist of the most pronounced -breed. By day the spirits of the dead, and -those powerful beings which he believes control men’s -affairs, sleep; by night these supernatural beings walk -abroad, and no Southern darky is more afraid of seeing -a ghost than a redskin. The medicine chiefs, who -are, most of them, a set of unconscionable fakers, -foster this belief in ghosts and evil spirits and so prey -on the tribes.</p> - -<p>Indians often select the hour just before dawn to -strike their enemies, because at that time man usually<span class="pagenum">[71]</span> -sleeps more deeply. But to make a forced march and -lay an ambuscade in the middle of the night—well, -this proved Oak Heart’s mastery of his tribe. Buffalo -Bill suspected that the herd of deer had been frightened -by something more than a single redskin—or a -small scouting-party of them. He knew Oak Heart’s -abilities and respected them. Rash as the scout might -be at times, he never took foolish chances. To lead -the rescue-party into the head of the cañon might -bring it to complete ruin.</p> - -<p>“Judd! you take the west side of that gorge, and I’ll -go east,” he commanded his brother scout.</p> - -<p>“How’ll I communicate? Signal?”</p> - -<p>“No! If there are many of the reds they have already -frightened away most of the small animals that -we might imitate, and to give a bird-call would utterly -ruin us. No bird will be waking up at this time -o’ night—ugh!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what then?” demanded the other.</p> - -<p>“Never mind what you find, keep still. Meet me -here—in twenty minutes if possible; not later than half -an hour from now, at most.”</p> - -<p>“Half an hour?”</p> - -<p>“Yep. And remember, a confounded lot can happen -in half an hour,” added Cody, with a chuckle.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A BUSY HALF-HOUR.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Buffalo Bill had spoken a truer word than he -thought. A great deal may happen in thirty minutes, -and the Border King, as he separated from his brother<span class="pagenum">[72]</span> -scout, was unconsciously approaching a series of startling -and perilous happenings.</p> - -<p>The moment the darkness had wiped Judd out of -sight the wary scout turned eastward from the trail. -The brush was thick and hung heavy with the dew of -the mountains—and that might as well be rain. Every -twig he touched communicated to its parent branch a -shiver that showered him like a patent bath. He kept -the lock of his magazine rifle under his armpit, pulled -down the brim of his sombrero to shield his face, and -walked swiftly on for some few yards. Yet he made -wonderfully little noise.</p> - -<p>Having begun to climb rising ground, he here bore -off toward the gorge, or cañon. If Oak Heart had -laid an ambush there, the reds would be hiding in the -brush, behind logs, and sheltered by boulders, all along -the sidehills for some hundreds of yards. Buffalo Bill -proposed to make a wide enough détour to get well behind -the ambushed foe.</p> - -<p>By chance, however, he came suddenly upon a slope -of gravel and sand, and stepped upon it before he -realized the shifting nature of the soil. A stream of -small pebbles began rattling down the hill!</p> - -<p>Instantly Buffalo Bill learned that his suspicions -had been well founded. The Indians were there.</p> - -<p>He heard a startled grunt below him. Then in -Sioux a voice asked a brief question.</p> - -<p>“Bear?” returned a second Indian.</p> - -<p>There was a sound as though one of the speakers -had risen from his place. Buffalo Bill cast his mind -quickly over the situation. The suggestion that a bear -might be lurking about the sidehill seemed the most<span class="pagenum">[73]</span> -reasonable. A bear is notably a blundersome beast, -and the wind was not from the ambushed redskins. -The scout grasped the idea.</p> - -<p>He sent another small avalanche of gravel down the -slope, and then floundered a bit in the brush. His -ability to imitate the voices of birds and animals -was very keen; but it is not easy to imitate the gruff, -startled “woof!” of the marauding bear. However, -he essayed it and then stamped away up the hill -through the brush, making a deuce of a clatter till he -reached an open space. He hoped that the reds would -take his play-acting in good faith; yet he could not -help having his doubts. He considered that, had he -been in their place, he would have felt strong doubt -regarding the validity of the sound, and would have -investigated.</p> - -<p>Therefore he slipped behind an enormous tree trunk -at the edge of this opening and waited to see if the -supposed bear would be followed. Minute after minute -passed, and a deathlike silence reigned upon the -hillside. Buffalo Bill was wasting time, but he was -too wary to approach closer to the Indians—near -enough to learn their numbers at least—until he was -assured that his first mistake had not borne perilous -fruit.</p> - -<p>Sharp as his hearing was, however, he did not hear -a footfall, or a breath; yet of a sudden a figure was -silhouetted before him against the open space in the -forest. An Indian stood there with folded arms, his -back to the scout, and facing the clearing!</p> - -<p>One of the reds whom Cody had disturbed was not -satisfied with the imitated retreat of the frightened -“bear.” He had come to investigate and stood now<span class="pagenum">[74]</span> -almost within striking distance of the scout. But the -latter feared to shoot him, of course; nor did he trust -to a fling of his tomahawk, or knife. There were too -many uncertainties about either of those methods of -removing the redskin. To steal from behind the tree -and spring upon him was another difficult thing, for -the ground was strewn with rustling leaves and twigs, -and the scout feared to announce his approach.</p> - -<p>To his disgust, too, the Indian turned and began -searching about the edge of the forest. Cody saw him -step cautiously behind two trees and stick the muzzle -of the old-fashioned musket he bore into a brush-clump. -The red was trying to learn if the creature -that had made all that “catouse” was still in the vicinity.</p> - -<p>Instantly the scout glanced about in the gloom for a -means of hiding himself more surely. In a minute -the red would come his way.</p> - -<p>Directly above his head he saw a branch. He -slipped the strap of his rifle over his head and shoulder, -thus leaving his hands free, seized the branch, and -drew himself up carefully as an acrobat does when -he “chins” the horizontal bar. Without a sound, or -the rattle of a button or an accouterment, the scout -drew himself into the tree. Three branches sprang -from the butt low down, so furnishing him a splendid -nest.</p> - -<p>He removed his gun and stood it upright, wedged -in a niche. Then he lay down along the lower branch, -his body in the darkness merely adding a darker -shadow to it, and watched and listened. No mountain -cat was better ambushed for a foe. His guns he loosened -in their scabbards, and then, drawing his bowie,<span class="pagenum">[75]</span> -he stuck it softly into the branch within easy reach of -his hand.</p> - -<p>At that instant there was a soft rustling in the leaves -which covered the ground below. Cody craned his -neck to see. The Indian in a stooping posture came -into view. He halted directly under the limb on which -the scout lay. It seemed too dark for him to see any -mark that the scout might have left, yet he seemed -wonderfully interested in the tree and the ground beneath -it.</p> - -<p>Cody could see the outline of his figure very well -indeed. How much sharper the red’s vision might be -he did not know; but he was not taking any chances. -He noted that the red scamp faced the tree trunk and -was apparently examining the rough bark for recently -broken places. Was it possible that the fellow was -really stumbling upon the truth—that a man had -climbed this tree? Or was he feeling for the marks of -a bear’s claws?</p> - -<p>However, Cody decided the red had gone far -enough. Besides, the fellow was temptingly near. -He was a small, wiry man weighing little more than a -hundred pounds.</p> - -<p>Cody stooped suddenly, and both his muscular hands -clutched the Indian around the neck—one before, one -behind. And with this awful grip—which cut short -any attempt to breathe, let alone to cry out—he lifted -the redskin off his feet!</p> - -<p>As was only natural, the red dropped his gun and -clutched with both hands at the hand which pinched -his windpipe. He kicked vainly for freedom. Before -he could drop his hand to his knife and draw that, -Cody jerked him upward till the top of his head struck<span class="pagenum">[76]</span> -with fearful force against the under side of the tree -branch. He could actually hear the redskin’s crown -crack!</p> - -<p>The foe’s hands dropped limply; yet Cody held on -and squeezed his throat for a minute longer. Then -he dropped the fellow like a bag of bones to the -ground.</p> - -<p>In a moment he seized his own rifle and dropped -lightly beside him. The Indian had not stirred; he -was without doubt dead. Cody took his weapons and -removed his scalp, and went his way with some confidence -that there was certainly one more “good” Indian.</p> - -<p>He dodged the gravel bank this time, and came -down the side of the cañon at another point—some -rods beyond that at which he had found the first of the -reds established. There were fewer trees here, and, -looking from above, the scout was able to observe considerable -of the more open hillside. Dark as the night -was, he saw several forms crouching behind stumps -and boulders.</p> - -<p>He made a further détour, came down the hill again, -and found the same conditions. On this side of the -trail the Indians were extended along the hillside for -five hundred yards and more. It was a big ambushing -party. Cody reckoned it to be no less than two hundred -braves at the least, and probably more. Captain -Taylor’s command was not prepared to meet such a -foe—especially when the foe would have every advantage -of cover.</p> - -<p>Had it not been so dark, or had Cody known the -ground better, a flank movement might have been made -which would have overwhelmed the reds. But this<span class="pagenum">[77]</span> -would have taken much time, too, and, meanwhile, -the garrison at Fort Advance was in sore need of reenforcements.</p> - -<p>Cody returned swiftly to the rendezvous he had appointed -with Judd, to learn what that individual had -discovered upon the other side of the cañon.</p> - -<p>Now, the warriors lay very silently indeed in their -ambuscade, but three hundred men cannot be in a small -place like that together without making some sounds. -Judd, too, discovered the ambush, although he did -not know just how many Indians were awaiting the -coming of the bluecoats.</p> - -<p>“There’s a good bunch of them. Perhaps Oak -Heart has drawn off half his gang,” said Cody. -“We’ve got to fool ’em, Judd.”</p> - -<p>They hurried back to the group of scouts, and there -Cody issued his instructions. Judd and three others -were to watch the Indians as well as possible. Meanwhile -Cody proposed to ride back and meet Captain -Taylor’s command and take them, by another way, to -the valley in which Fort Advance was situated.</p> - -<p>Cody rode back in haste and reported the danger -ahead.</p> - -<p>“We are able to handle five hundred redskins, -Cody,” said the officer, eager for a fight.</p> - -<p>“But not when they are established on both sides of -the trail and it is dark and the forest is too thick for -you to maneuver horses. No, no, captain! Be advised -by me.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you are right, Cody.”</p> - -<p>“And, besides, you will be able to deliver a heavier -blow <a id="Ref_77" href="#Ref_77a">to</a> Oak Heart’s gang if you fall upon them unexpectedly;<span class="pagenum">[78]</span> -and then, when these ambuscaders rush in, -you’ll be ready to cut them to pieces, too.”</p> - -<p>“Right you are, scout. You are sure of the way?”</p> - -<p>“Confident. It’s a bit rough, but I could find it with -my eyes bandaged.”</p> - -<p>“Lead on, then, scout.”</p> - -<p>“And no bugle-calls,” warned Cody. “Pass the -word to the men. We don’t want these reds, waiting -in the cañon, to suspect that we are stealing a march -on them.”</p> - -<p>Fortunately, the troops did not have to take the back -track. The path by which the Border King was to -lead them to their destination branched off this main -trail into the hills. Over the rough way they rode, and -soon the eastern sky began to grow gray. Dawn was -approaching, and the increased light made the path -vastly easier of traveling.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and Captain Taylor rode some distance -ahead of the troops. The cavalry could go only as -fast as the guns and ambulances could keep up, so the -band moved necessarily slow.</p> - -<p>They came at last almost within sight of Fort Advance. -A low ridge shut out their view of the valley. -Suddenly the cool morning breeze brought to them a -great shouting and hullabaloo, intermingled with rifle-shots -and the intermittent discharge of heavy guns.</p> - -<p>“An attack!” exclaimed the captain and the scout -together, and they spurred their horses to the top of -the ridge.</p> - -<p>It was true. Oak Heart had chosen the hour before -dawn as the time to throw his remaining warriors -against the stockade. He believed that about this time -the rescue-party would be falling into the trap he had<span class="pagenum">[79]</span> -laid for it in the cañon. He would keep both bands of -white men so busy that they could not go to each -other’s rescue.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the heavy guns ceased. There was only -the occasional snapping of rifles from the fort.</p> - -<p>“My God, Cody! What does that mean?” gasped -Captain Taylor.</p> - -<p>“Their ammunition has run out!” cried the scout. -“I adjure you, captain, bring up your men at a double-quick. -The next few minutes may settle the question -as to whether those red devils get the scalps of every -man, woman, and child in the fort! There is not an -instant to lose, sir!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A FLYING FIGHT.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Captain Taylor saw the desperate need of help for -the unfortunate inmates of Fort Advance quite as -clearly as did Buffalo Bill, but his men were in heavy -marching order, and there were the artillery and ambulances -to be thought of, too. The column was strung -out along the trail for two miles.</p> - -<p>“It will take some time to bring the men up and -form in line of battle, Cody,” declared Captain Taylor.</p> - -<p>“And meanwhile Oak Heart will throw his entire -force over those palisades!” cried the scout. “By the -time we deploy into the valley there’ll be no garrison, -and the red devils can turn their attention to us. The -firing will call up the gang from the cañon, and we’ll -be between two fires.”</p> - -<p>“It can’t be helped——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[80]</span></p> - -<p>“It <em>can</em> be helped, sir—begging your pardon! Give -me a few of your men and let me push on. It will make -a diversion in favor of the garrison. If the braves see -us coming they’ll hesitate about throwing themselves -into the fort and so being caught in a trap.”</p> - -<p>“Good, Cody! You are right. And your appearance -will at least show that help is at hand and encourage -the garrison. But I’m afraid you’ll be cut to -pieces.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to take that chance. Somebody has got -to die this day—why not us?” demanded the courageous -scout. “Let me have some of your cavalry as -they come up. There’s the head of the column!”</p> - -<p>“Go, and God bless you, my brave fellow! Take all -the men whose horses can stand a hard run,” said -the gallant captain.</p> - -<p>He signaled the head of the column forward at -once. The troops had already heard the firing, and -were eager to get into action.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to bring your artillery and ambulances -down into the valley by yonder ridge, captain,” said -the scout, pointing out the tongue of rocky land over -which he had raced the day before with his pack-load -of ammunition for the beleaguered fort. “From there -you can sweep the valley to the very gates of the -fort, and likewise you can cover the exit of the cañon -through which the ambushing party will like enough -pour in a short time.”</p> - -<p>“Good! I’ll make a note of that,” declared the officer. -“There, Cody, are your men. Pick out the -horses you think will be able to keep somewhere near -your whitey. Every man of them is eager to attend, -I promise you!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[81]</span></p> - -<p>This was true enough, as the scout well knew. In -five minutes, with two lieutenants and a couple of -score of troopers at his heels, the scout set the pace -over the ridge and down into the smoke-wreathed -valley.</p> - -<p>They were soon in full sight of the fort and the -redskins clamoring about it. And it was a complete -surprise to Oak Heart and his braves to see reenforcements -for the whites so near at hand. As for the defenders -of Fort Advance, they were wild with joy to -see even this small troop coming to their rescue.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill’s white steed was recognized, and cheers -rent the air from the garrison which, a few moments -before, had given up all hope. The Indians had been -about to rush the stockade, and then a hand-to-hand -fight would have ensued inside the fort which could -have ended in but one way. The redskins outnumbered -the whites so greatly, despite their losses, that -the garrison would have been completely overwhelmed.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart saw that he was likely to be defeated, -after all. Victory had all but perched upon his banners; -now, with his forces separated, he was very -likely to taste the bitter ashes of defeat!</p> - -<p>But the Sioux king was a born leader and strategist. -He saw that, in some way, his plans for ambuscading -the relief party had fallen through. His three hundred -braves were idle up the cañon while the whites from -Fort Resistence were coming to the help of their comrades -by another way. Those reserve forces he needed, -and needed at once.</p> - -<p>He spoke to the White Antelope. She had acted as -his aid all through the battle, and now she wheeled -her pony instantly and dashed away toward the mouth<span class="pagenum">[82]</span> -of the cañon. She was instructed to inform the ambuscading -party of the change in affairs and to bring -them back at top speed.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and his flying column of cavalry saw -and understood this move. Lieutenant Dick Danforth, -the dashing young lieutenant who ranked in command -of the party, spurred up beside Cody.</p> - -<p>“See that girl yonder?” he cried.</p> - -<p>“I see her,” returned the scout gravely.</p> - -<p>“She’s a messenger, eh?”</p> - -<p>“She is.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that the way into the cañon where those other -Indians were lying in wait for us?”</p> - -<p>“You’re mighty right, lieutenant,” admitted the -scout.</p> - -<p>“We must stop her!”</p> - -<p>The scout remained silent, measuring the distance -between them and the flying White Antelope, and the -mouth of the cañon as well.</p> - -<p>“We’ve <em>got</em> to stop her!” exclaimed Dick Danforth.</p> - -<p>“How are you going to do it?” demanded Cody -grimly.</p> - -<p>Danforth picked up his carbine quickly. Cody at -once laid his hand on the young officer’s arm.</p> - -<p>“No, no, Dick!” he said, with feeling. “Not that!”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, scout?” demanded the young -officer, displeased.</p> - -<p>“You must not shoot that girl!”</p> - -<p>“Why, she’s a confounded squaw—and she’s an -enemy—and she’s taking a message that may bring -trouble to us all.”</p> - -<p>“She must be stopped; but you must not kill her.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[83]</span></p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with you, Cody?” the young -man demanded again. “She’s nothing but a redskin.”</p> - -<p>“There is another way—without taking her life,” -declared the scout.</p> - -<p>“What makes you so tender of the squaw? Lord! -I don’t ask <em>you</em> to shoot her,” and the lieutenant raised -his carbine again.</p> - -<p>Cody’s hand this time fell upon the lieutenant’s wrist -with force, as he urged Chief alongside the other’s -mount.</p> - -<p>“And by God, sir! <em>you</em> shall not shoot her—above -all men!” he cried.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by this?” demanded Lieutenant -Danforth, his face white as death. “I have a reason -for killing every damned Indian that comes under my -eye—you know <em>that</em>, Bill Cody!”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps; but not White Antelope,” said the scout -earnestly.</p> - -<p>“And why not White Antelope, as you call her? -Is she any better than any other of the devil’s red -spawn? Let go of my arm! I’m going to shoot that -girl!”</p> - -<p>“You are beside yourself!” exclaimed Cody coldly. -“Do you want it told around your mess that you deliberately -shot a squaw-woman?”</p> - -<p>“She’s a messenger, man!”</p> - -<p>“That’s no excuse.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you the red devils killed my people—butchered -them! I saw my father with his head split open by -an Indian hatchet! My mother was dragged away to -a worse death, it’s likely. <em>I’ve sworn revenge on -every redskin that walks the earth!</em> Let go of me, -Cody, or I’ll kill you!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[84]</span></p> - -<p>“You are beside yourself, sir,” said the scout, still -coldly. “You would not kill me, for I have always -been your friend. It was I who got you your chance -at West Point. It was I who made you what you are -now. You’ll not kill <em>me</em>, Dick Danforth!”</p> - -<p>The two had ridden furiously ahead of the troopers, -both bearing off toward the cañon’s mouth toward -which the squaw was flying on her pony. The other -men could not hear this conversation, jerked out between -the jumps of the two great horses.</p> - -<p>That Dick Danforth, the young lieutenant, was beside -himself, was easily to be seen. He was not responsible -at the moment for his actions or speech.</p> - -<p>“That gal must not be harmed, Danforth,” said -Cody firmly. “If you hold any gratitude in your -heart toward me, show it now. I demand that the -girl be unharmed—now or at any other time—and -especially at your hand.”</p> - -<p>The scout’s seriousness—aye, his passion in saying -this—impressed Danforth so deeply that his own rage -gave place to wonder.</p> - -<p>“Why, what do you know about her, Cody? Who -is she?”</p> - -<p>“It does not matter. I must have your promise. -<em>You</em> must never harm the White Antelope. Indeed, -you must guard her and keep others from harming her -with your life; do you understand?”</p> - -<p>“No, I <em>don’t</em> understand. And I won’t help an -Injun.”</p> - -<p>“You will do as I say, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“No!”</p> - -<p>“I demand it, Dick!” said the scout feelingly.</p> - -<p>“That is not fair, Cody!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[85]</span></p> - -<p>“It is fair. I saved your life. I made you what -you are. I have a right to some return, and I demand -this.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, thunder, Bill!” ejaculated Dick Danforth, more -in his usual light tone than before. “If you put it -<em>that</em> way——”</p> - -<p>“I do.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll have to promise.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, my boy. I hold you to your word.”</p> - -<p>“But don’t you ever ask me to save an Injun again, -for I won’t do it!”</p> - -<p>“All right.”</p> - -<p>“And while we’ve been rowing, that blamed squaw -is getting away. She’ll carry the alarm to the other -Indians as sure as shooting!”</p> - -<p>“She won’t!” returned the scout, with confidence. -“Ride on with your men, Dick. Cut your way through -that gang of reds to the gates of the fort if necessary. -Off with you! Leave the girl to me!”</p> - -<p>With a wave of his hand he clapped spurs to Chief, -and pulled sharply on his rein. The girl had almost -reached the mouth of the cañon when Cody started -in direct pursuit.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE CHASE OF THE WHITE ANTELOPE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The Border King did not pick his way as he spurred -the great white horse down the declivity after the -flying Indian girl. He allowed Chief to guide himself, -for he felt confidence in the horse’s sense. They -went down the hill like an avalanche, and an avalanche -of small stones and broken brush went with them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[86]</span></p> - -<p>To the troopers behind on the ridge, to the defenders -of the fort, and to the Indians themselves who -saw the charge of the big white horse, it seemed that -neither horse nor rider could reach the bottom alive.</p> - -<p>But Chief did not even lose his stride in going down, -and at the bottom, in answer to a sharp tug on the rein, -he turned and shot away along the trail after the disappearing -White Antelope.</p> - -<p>Oak Heart and his braves saw the act, and knew -Cody’s reason for chasing the young squaw. Half the -army of Sioux would have started in pursuit; but -Dick Danforth’s troopers were sweeping down the -hill by a smoother road, and would cut the Indians off -from the entrance to the cañon. The reds were balked.</p> - -<p>Dick Danforth’s blood was up. He had been born -a Western boy, and, as he had intimated in his recent -conversation with Cody, he had bitter reason to hate -the redskins. He had been made an orphan, and his -young life ruined, by these very Sioux.</p> - -<p>He spoke to the bugler, and the wild notes of the -charge rang out across the valley. Two score the -troopers numbered, and there were five or six hundred -Indians against them; but the bold fellows were ready -to dash into the midst of the redskins.</p> - -<p>Besides, Major Baldwin, seeing what desperate -chances the troopers from Fort Resistence were taking, -ordered Captain Ed. Keyes to charge with every able-bodied -cavalryman the stockade contained. The fort -gates were flung open, and out upon the Indians, already -wavering and uncertain, charged Keyes and his -troop, sabers in hand. They had no ammunition, but -they wielded their sabers like fiends. The Indians, -most of them unmounted, were borne down, trampled<span class="pagenum">[87]</span> -under the feet of the big cavalry horses, and slashed -unmercifully on one side by Keyes, while Danforth -came up on the other, his men shooting at short range -with carbines and pistols, and finally taking to the -sword also.</p> - -<p>And while this wild carnage was in progress, Buffalo -Bill and the White Antelope were racing along the -trail in the cañon, the girl intent upon carrying her -father’s message and arousing the redskins lying in -ambush miles away, while the scout was just as determined -that, without injuring her, she should be -kept from carrying out her plan.</p> - -<p>It was still dark down here in the cañon. Although -the sun was already showing his red face above the -eastern hills, as yet there was not light enough to dissipate -the gloom at the bottom of this deep cut in the -hills. Indeed, Buffalo Bill followed the girl more by -sense of sound than sense of sight for the first half-mile.</p> - -<p>Then the pace of the great white horse told. His -stride was too much for the Indian pony, no matter -how cruelly White Antelope lashed it. Steadily the -scout drew nearer.</p> - -<p>The gray light filtered down from above and showed -to the scout the young squaw turning her head again -and again to watch the progress of her pursuer. She -was evidently measuring with fearful glance the rapidly -lessening distance between them.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill might easily have killed her as she -leaned forward on her pony’s neck, urging him with -whip and voice. His face was very set and stern, -too; but the sternness was not that which masked his -countenance when he was bent upon an enemy’s death.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[88]</span></p> - -<p>He saw, indeed, the frightened maiden before him, -flying madly from his approach; but his mind was -laboring with thoughts which carried him back for -many years—thoughts which had often embittered -his mind and robbed him of his rest at night. He remembered -this beautiful girl’s mother and how he -would have saved her from her awful fate; yet that was -not to be! And here he was pursuing the daughter—yet -in a far different manner.</p> - -<p>The girl looked back again. Her beautiful face had -paled, losing all its naturally rich coloring. Although -Buffalo Bill had held her in his power only the day -before and had not harmed her, this wild child of -the forest and plain saw no reason for his sparing -her now. And, indeed, there <em>was</em> no apparent reason. -She saw in his attempt to capture her instead of killing -her outright, merely the desire of the warrior to -parade a captive before his admiring brethren, and -then, perhaps, she would be made a slave as the redskins -made slaves of the white squaws they stole!</p> - -<p>White Antelope had no reason for believing in the -honor and tenderness of white men. She had been -taught from childhood that they were her deadly enemies. -Her mother had died too soon after her birth to -instil into the maiden’s mind any different belief than -that held by the savages about her.</p> - -<p>So the girl looked back at Cody in terror, and made -up her savage mind to die rather than be captured by -the scout.</p> - -<p>But she would sell her life dearly as may be. The -day before Long Hair, as she called him, had disarmed -her of the light revolver which had been a most -precious possession. Now she had only her bow and<span class="pagenum">[89]</span> -arrows—a weapon that is not easily used in shooting -behind one while the pony is at full speed.</p> - -<p>But this was what the girl tried to do. She strung -her bow and seized an arrow from the quiver which -hung over her shoulder. Then, while the pony was -still paddling along the trail at his best pace, she turned -her agile young body about, drew the shaft to its head, -and let drive at the coming scout.</p> - -<p>He ducked as he saw her action; but the shaft went -through his hat and carried it away. Instantly she -fitted another arrow to the bowstring and sent it likewise -at her enemy. Cody slipped over on the far side -of Chief, hanging by toe and one hand to the running -animal, an Indian trick that no brave could do better -than the scout himself. The second shaft went over -his saddle in about the place his heart might have been -had he been sitting upright!</p> - -<p>The Indian maiden was not to be balked so easily. -She turned again to urge her pony on, hoping, it is -likely, that Long Hair would bob up into the saddle -again. But he saw she had a third arrow on the string, -and he remained where he was.</p> - -<p>But to tamely endure such a persecution as this was -not the scout’s intention. Besides, he feared that the -White Antelope might shoot Chief.</p> - -<p>As he slung himself over the side of the big white -horse, Cody had drawn one of the loaded pistols from -its holster. With this gun he was a marvelously accurate -shot. It had a barrel almost as long as the old-fashioned -derringer, and in the hand of a trained -marksman could do the execution of a finely sighted -rifle.</p> - -<p>Under the horse’s neck he had a very clear view of<span class="pagenum">[90]</span> -the girl on the pony in front, although she could not -easily aim at any vital part of the scout in the position -in which he hung from Chief. As the young -squaw turned sidewise to larrup her pony again with -the quirt hanging to her wrist, Buffalo Bill took a -snap shot at the quiver of arrows at her back.</p> - -<p>It was a perilous shot—if he did not wish to harm -the girl. Few marksmen would have dared try it. -William Tell was a bungler, indeed, as compared with -some of the marksmen of our great West, and William -F. Cody was, in his day, the best of them all!</p> - -<p>His pistol ball sped true. The thong from which -the quiver hung was severed, and if the hot lead seared -the girl’s shoulder in passing it did no more!</p> - -<p>The quiver fell to the ground; but the girl had still -a remaining arrow—it was already upon her bowstring. -She turned swiftly to drive it home—perhaps -into the heart of the great white horse that bore her -enemy so swiftly.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill realized the danger to his noble steed. -He sprang upright into the saddle, the smoking pistol -still in his hand. His appearance as a fair target attracted -the Indian maiden’s aim. She drew the arrowhead -to her ear.</p> - -<p>But the white man’s pistol spoke before she could -release the feathered shaft.</p> - -<p>Crack!</p> - -<p>The long-barreled revolver spit its death-dealing bullet, -and the smoke enveloped Buffalo Bill’s head for -a moment and then passed away.</p> - -<p>Twang!</p> - -<p>That was the snap of the bowstring. But the arrow -flew wildly in the air, over the scout’s head. The<span class="pagenum">[91]</span> -bullet had severed the deer tendon of which the string -was made just as the girl released the shaft. Buffalo -Bill had taken another desperate shot—and had won. -The bow was put out of commission, but the bullet -had not touched the fair user of the bow.</p> - -<p>White Antelope threw away her broken implement -in wrath, and lashed her pony again. But he, poor -creature, was coming to the end of his leash. His little -legs could not carry even so light a burden as herself -much farther.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill saw that this was so, and he spoke to -Chief, dropping the pistol back into its holster again. -The great white horse redoubled his effort. He shot -along the trail as though he was fresh from the stable.</p> - -<p>This spurt of speed brought the scout beside the -Indian girl and her mount so quickly that White Antelope -had no time to cast herself to the ground as -she had intended. Even as she screamed and would -have leaped to certain death, the white horse came neck -and neck with her mount, Cody leaned over and seized -her around the waist with his right arm, and, drawing -his pistol this time with his left hand, shot the -Indian pony through the head!</p> - -<p>He could not afford to have the relieved beast run -on to the ambushed Indians miles up the cañon and -so warn them of what was being done. The pony staggered -on a few yards and fell dead. Chief leaped the -fallen body and then came to a stop.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the young squaw had been struggling -in Cody’s grasp. She had one more weapon, and out -it flashed from the bead-worked sheath at her side. -It was a keen scalping-knife, and with a single downward<span class="pagenum">[92]</span> -thrust she might have ended Cody’s earthly -career.</p> - -<p>However, the scout was watching for just this little -play. As the bright blade descended toward his breast, -he caught the point upon his pistol. The blade -snapped, and with a single blow he knocked the handle -and butt of the blade from the girl’s hand!</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope is in Long Hair’s power. -Let her lie quietly,” commanded the scout in Sioux.</p> - -<p>He placed the girl before him, picked up Chief’s -bridle, turned the horse about, and they started down -the cañon again. The girl did not struggle now, or -seek to escape. She was beaten. He could feel her -body shake with emotion; but true to Indian custom -and tradition, she did not weep.</p> - -<p>Cody feared that some of the Indians might have -got by Dick Danforth and entered the cañon to follow -him; so he went back very circumspectly. If he -was caught between two fires he could merely sell his -life as dearly as possible; but he would have kept the -men in ambush from coming to the help of their tribesmen -in time to do any good.</p> - -<p>Soon the noise of battle reached their ears. The girl -gave no sign of interest, nor did Cody speak to her. -In truth, the scout had a bitter problem to consider.</p> - -<p>What should he do with the girl? She was in his -power. At least, he had separated her from her father -and from her Indian friends. But was the time ripe -for her to be introduced to white people—to those in -Fort Advance, for instance?</p> - -<p>It was a time when men’s passions were deeply -stirred. There would be murder and hatred in the -hearts of the whites as well as in that of the redskins.<span class="pagenum">[93]</span> -Of what good to bring this half-breed girl into contact -with whites who felt a desire to kill every creature -with Indian blood in its veins? And why take -the girl away from the red men at the moment when -her own heart was bitter as gall toward the whites? -What good would come of such an act? Buffalo Bill’s -good sense answered for him:</p> - -<p>“None!”</p> - -<p>Nor did the whites desire her as a hostage. To hold -her prisoner would be to strengthen her affiliation with -the Sioux. No, no! She must go free—if Cody were -free himself.</p> - -<p>This question could not be answered until he had -ridden to the end of the cañon, and he went on very -circumspectly.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A STARTLING DISCOVERY.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Meanwhile, the two troops of cavalry, under Lieutenant -Dick Danforth and Captain Keyes respectively, -plowed their way through the massed redskins. They -met, and Captain Keyes heartily greeted the men from -Fort Resistence.</p> - -<p>“God bless you, Danforth—and you, Mercer! -You’ve come just in time to save us, for we are completely -out of ammunition. Where’s Cody?”</p> - -<p>“Gone to head off Oak Heart’s messenger to the -men he had hidden up the cañon to fall upon us—had -we come that way,” said Danforth.</p> - -<p>“And there is the rest of your column appearing!” -cried Keyes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[94]</span></p> - -<p>His seniority gave him command. He raised his -saber on high and stood up in his stirrups.</p> - -<p>“Now, charge back to the fort, my bully boys, and -give these red devils what they are looking for!”</p> - -<p>The redskins were not inactive, and there were -already empty saddles in the troop; but the tribesmen -were demoralized. They began fleeing toward the -river across the valley. Out upon the ridge spurred -the guns belonging to Captain Taylor’s command, unlimbered, -and opened fire on the fleeing reds, the shells -screaming over the heads of the charging troops in -blue. Down into the valley poured the remainder of -Taylor’s column, eager to have some part in the rout.</p> - -<p>Upon this scene rode Buffalo Bill and his beautiful -captive as they left the cañon’s mouth. The Indians -were in wild flight. The whites were forcing them -toward the river.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill pulled in his horse, and his keen glance -swept the field of carnage. He saw that the battle was -practically over. Oak Heart’s warriors had shown the -white feather. The unexpected coming of the rescue-party -had knocked out completely the reds’ plans, -and they could not rally.</p> - -<p>Then the scout looked down at the sorrowful face of -White Antelope.</p> - -<p>“Yonder flies the White Antelope’s father, the great -chief, Oak Heart, and his people,” Cody said gravely. -“The palefaces are greater than the red men. They always -have been. They always will be. Remember, -White Antelope, that Pa-e-has-ka says this, and he is -wise, and he knows. The red men must melt away before -the white men, or else become as the white men -are—tillers of the soil, traders, homesteaders. The<span class="pagenum">[95]</span> -red men, who learn this lesson soon, will be saved. -There is no other gospel to preach to the red men—and -Pa-e-has-ka preaches it.</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope’s mother was white,” continued -the old scout, seeing that he had the girl’s attention, -and he spoke with trembling voice. “She was -a beautiful woman—and Oak Heart loved her greatly. -While she lived the Sioux remained for years at peace -with the white men. Now Oak Heart is influenced by -less wise counselors than thy mother. And see what -has come of it!</p> - -<p>“Many men are dead. Much bitterness is engendered. -The strife has been bloody, and now the red -men go back to their squaws and children like whipped -dogs!</p> - -<p>“The whites and reds will now be against each other -for a long time because of this trouble. And what have -the people gained, White Antelope? A few scalps? -Aye, but they have lost more. Many women will tear -their hair and mourn in the lodges of the Sioux because -of this battle.</p> - -<p>“Let the White Antelope remember this. She has -influence beyond her years with her people. Let her -remember what Pa-e-has-ka says and counsel her -father and the other chiefs to make peace with the -white men while they may.</p> - -<p>“Now, Pa-e-has-ka sends the White Antelope back -to Chief Oak Heart. Tell thy father how the Long -Hair had thee in his power, and did thee no harm. -I am thy friend, White Antelope. See! that is the -way to the river. Keep behind the trees, and the bluecoats -will not see thee. Fly! For the time is short.<span class="pagenum">[96]</span> -Soon your people will be in full retreat, and the old -chief will believe his daughter is lost to him.”</p> - -<p>The scout set the girl down upon her feet. His voice -trembled as he ceased speaking, and he looked closely -into her face to see if it had been moved at all by his -speech. But he saw there only fright and wonder—the -terror of the wild creature unexpectedly released from -the trap.</p> - -<p>So he let her go and saw her flee on feet as fleet as a -deer’s through the undergrowth toward the river, -which the vanguard of the Indians were already crossing. -Then the scout set spurs to Chief and tore after -the column of blue which had hastened to the support -of Keyes and Danforth.</p> - -<p>Although the rifles and pistols of the men from the -fort were empty, their blades were sharp. Before Cody -reached the field of action it had become merely a -drive of redskins to the river. The bluecoats rode -them down, hacking them as they passed, pressing Oak -Heart hard.</p> - -<p>Horses and white men went down in the mêlée; but -when the war-cry of Buffalo Bill was heard that seemed -to drive the last atom of courage from the Sioux, and -they ran like a herd of frightened deer, flinging away -their arms, and leaping from the high river-bank into -the shallows.</p> - -<p>Some were swept away by the deeper current in the -middle and drowned. Had there been a ford near at -hand, the soldiers would have crossed over and continued -the massacre on the farther side. But the -stream afforded Oak Heart a chance to rally his braves.</p> - -<p>Sheltered somewhat by the high bank, his riflemen -could pick off the soldiers as they appeared, and it became<span class="pagenum">[97]</span> -dangerous for the cavalrymen to ride to the very -brink of the bluff. This allowed the frightened Indians -to escape across the stream, Oak Heart and a few -others guarding their retreat.</p> - -<p>While Buffalo Bill was receiving the congratulations -of Captain Keyes and Texas Jack, the voice of the old -chief, Oak Heart, suddenly rose from below.</p> - -<p>“I know you, Great White Chief Buffalo Bill! Oak -Heart never forget. You save your people—kill my -young men—make Sioux run! Me remember, Pa-e-has-ka!”</p> - -<p>“He’s got it in for you, Bill, sure enough!” cried -Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>Raising his trumpetlike voice, the great scout replied -to the threat of the beaten Indian chief:</p> - -<p>“Pa-e-has-ka knows the voice of Oak Heart—and -the heart of Oak Heart. He will not forget!”</p> - -<p>The Border King might have picked off the chief -with his rifle as he climbed the farther bank of the -stream on his wearied pony. But he scorned to do -such an act. Besides, far up the river he saw a slender -figure dive down the bank, plunge into the stream, -and fight the fierce current to the other side, where it -quickly scrambled out, up the bank, and ran to join the -fleeing Indians.</p> - -<p>“What become of the girl, Cody?” whispered Dick -Danforth, getting him aside.</p> - -<p>The Border King pointed to this figure following the -trail of the defeated warriors.</p> - -<p>“There she goes, Dick,” he whispered. “Remember -your promise!”</p> - -<p>It was indeed a great victory for the whites. The -Sioux had lost many ponies and more than a hundred<span class="pagenum">[98]</span> -slain, although some of the dead had been taken away. -In wounded the Indians had suffered more heavily -still.</p> - -<p>However, it was a costly victory for the whites. -More than twenty troopers lay dead within the fort, -and several were scattered upon the plain. There were -more than half a hundred seriously injured, while of -minor casualties there were so many that the garrison -had ceased to note them. Almost everybody within -Fort Advance showed, at least, some slight mark of -the conflict.</p> - -<p>Upon every tongue was heard the name of Buffalo -Bill, the Border King; for, but for him, how different -might have been the result! All felt that the great -scout had saved Fort Advance, and, as Texas Jack -said, “put a crimp in the Sioux that they’d remember -till they were gray-headed.” Indeed the fame of this -deed for many years made Buffalo Bill’s name a household -word along the frontier.</p> - -<p>Embarrassed by the praise bestowed upon him, the -scout looked to the care of his horse, Chief, and then -slipped away to hide and rest, Texas Jack keeping -his hiding-place a secret that he might not be disturbed.</p> - -<p>When he slipped out of his retreat the next day he -was greeted with a cheer, and Major Baldwin sent -for him at parade that evening and complimented him -publicly for his work, with a word of praise for Texas -Jack, as well.</p> - -<p>When matters had quieted down a little at the fort -and the rescuers had returned to Fort Resistance, Buffalo -Bill had a talk with Major Baldwin.</p> - -<p>“Somebody should make an attempt to see what old -Oak Heart is about now,” said the scout. “And I<span class="pagenum">[99]</span> -reckon I’m the man, major. There are still a lot of -masterless Indians in these hills, and we want to know -what they’re up to. There is another matter I wish to -scout around about, too. On my way down from Denver -I crossed the trail of Boyd Bennett.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean that despicable deserter has dared -show up again?” cried the major.</p> - -<p>“I believe he is in the neighborhood. There have -been several robberies of stage-coaches and mail-wagons -up north, and they bear the ear-marks of Boyd -Bennett. At any rate, this clue I speak of will bear -following up.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, Cody. I’ll excuse you from your other -duties. I wish I was giving you a quiet vacation, however.”</p> - -<p>The scout smiled.</p> - -<p>“Excitement is the breath of life to me, major. -Wait till I get old. Perhaps I may want to settle down -then.”</p> - -<p>This Boyd Bennett was an old enemy of Buffalo -Bill’s. He was a deserter from the United States -Army, and had become the leader of one of those bands -of road-agents that cropped up so thickly soon after -the close of the Civil War. The West was overrun -with disbanded guerrillas who had fought on both sides -of the great struggle—wild and masterless men who -had lived so long by the power of the sword, that they -would not conform to law and order when legitimate -fighting was supposed to be ended.</p> - -<p>These cursed the growing West. Boyd Bennett had -committed several crimes, but had as yet escaped apprehension -and punishment.</p> - -<p>An army paymaster was soon to make the rounds<span class="pagenum">[100]</span> -by coach, paying off the several garrisons; and so it -was important to locate Boyd Bennett, the overland -bandit, and his gang, and make sure that they were -not plotting to seize the paymaster’s treasure.</p> - -<p>After a couple of days’ trailing into the Indian -country, the scout found that Oak Heart and his warriors -were seemingly too much battered by the battle -at Fort Advance to think of making another raid at -present. They were likely to lie low for awhile.</p> - -<p>So Buffalo Bill went in search of Boyd Bennett and -his gang. He knew that the rendezvous of the road-agents -was usually near some stage-road, and the scout -chanced upon the road leading from Fort Advance to -Alikon. He knew the time of the coach-running, and -after riding along the trail for a couple of miles he -came upon the coach as he expected.</p> - -<p>That is, he expected to find the coach about here; -but the scene presented to his gaze, when he beheld it, -was most startling.</p> - -<p>There was the coach; the horses were standing patiently -in the trail; and yet no driver was on the box, -nor did he see any one near at first. Spurring forward, -Buffalo Bill beheld the driver sprawling on the ground, -with the reins still clutched tightly in his hands. It -was Bud Sharkey, whom the scout knew well; and -the unfortunate fellow had been shot from his seat -on the stage-coach.</p> - -<p>There were three other dead bodies on the ground—an -officer and two soldiers. They were all dead, -and, furthermore, the scout noted now that the four -had been scalped.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[101]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE TREASURE CHEST.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>This dreadful discovery told the scout that Indians -had held up the coach. Yet he wondered if it had been -done for robbery as well as murder? The officer he -recognized as Captain Hinkley, the paymaster; the -soldiers were his guard. He was a week ahead of his -time; yet he had not managed to get safely through.</p> - -<p>The fact that Indians had done the deed, however, -disturbed Buffalo Bill. He could not understand it. -The marks of half a dozen unshod ponies proved that -his first suspicion was correct. Some of Oak Heart’s -young braves might have done this. It was true, too, -that the driver and soldiers had all been shot with arrows.</p> - -<p>“How do I know that robbery has been committed -at all?” muttered Buffalo Bill, and he leaped off his -horse and made search inside the stage.</p> - -<p>It was revealed at once that the marauders must -have been frightened off before they came upon Captain -Hinkley’s strong-box and bags of coin.</p> - -<p>Fear of being caught in the act of murder and -rapine usually rides the redskin to undue haste. Had -there been whites with this gang of red robbers—either -Boyd Bennett himself or any of his men—Cody knew -that no small matter would have frightened them away -before the object of the hold-up of the stage was accomplished. -And the presence of the treasure-chest -proved that the marauders must have been driven off.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[102]</span></p> - -<p>By what, or whom? Surely his own coming had -not done this! Yet the thought gave the scout food -for serious reflection. Perhaps the reds might be -lurking near and would descend again upon the spot -and finish their job by gathering in <em>his</em> scalp as well -as that of the driver, the paymaster, and his guards.</p> - -<p>He did not touch the money, therefore, but appeared -likewise to find nothing in the coach. He even -went back to his horse, mounted into the saddle, and -set off along the trail at a lope as though proposing -to go for help. He had remembered that there was a -sandy piece of ground not far away, and here his -horse’s hoofbeats would be deadened. As soon as -he reached this he halted, dismounted, led his horse -up among the rocks, and approached the scene of the -catastrophe with great circumspection. Not a bird -did he raise by this maneuver.</p> - -<p>“They’ve vamosed!” declared Buffalo Bill, with confidence. -“A scalping party of reds, and they knew -nothing about the money. So it appears, at least. Yet, -from all I’ve heard, Bennett is hand and glove with -Oak Heart’s people. He’ll hear of this without fail. -Now, what had I better do?”</p> - -<p>He spent little time in cogitating, however. Cody -was a man who made up his mind instinctively, rather -than by any slow process of reasoning. He was -prompt on this occasion to come to a conclusion.</p> - -<p>The party of Indians who had done this hold-up act -were not in the immediate vicinity. It was of some -moment to Cody, however, to learn how far they had -gone, and in what direction. He rustled the treasure-box -out of the stage and lugged it up into the rocks, -where he found a hiding-place that would do for the<span class="pagenum">[103]</span> -nonce. Then he picked up the trail of the redskins -afoot and hurried after them.</p> - -<p>Beyond the nearest hill the party had fled down into -a well-watered valley which the scout knew led to a -gorge, which was about the shortest way to Oak -Heart’s camp. If Boyd Bennett and his gang happened -to be with the Indians, saw the scalps, and guessed -who the reds had murdered, he would be here after the -treasure-box in short order.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill believed that the reds were aiming for -this gorge; yet they might have had another route in -view. To make sure, he cut across the valley on a -straight line for the mouth of the gorge to see if the -trail was marked there, as well.</p> - -<p>The middle of the valley was a swamp, and one -that the scout had never been through. He had no -idea that it was so dangerous a place until he had -gotten some rods into it. Then, in leaping from a -tussock to what looked like a solid log, he found the -log, hammock, and all, sinking under him, and there -was no safe spot ahead on which he could alight.</p> - -<p>“Great Scott! I’d better go around, after all,” he -muttered, in disgust, and turned gingerly on the sinking -log.</p> - -<p>And then, to his amazement, he saw that the comparatively -safe place on which he had last stood had -disappeared! As he leaped it had toppled over and -the quagmire had swallowed it instantly. All he could -see was a long stretch of some ten or twelve feet of -stinking, dimpling black muck!</p> - -<p>“However did I get over that place?” grunted the -scout, in surprise. “Why, I’m due to go ten feet under -the surface maybe, if I jump!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[104]</span></p> - -<p>And it quickly became apparent that he might go -that depth under the surface if he didn’t jump, too. -The old log sank lower and lower, until finally the -liquid mud lapped over it completely and began to rise -around his ankles. The log was only about eight feet -long. He crept to the end which lay nearest solid -ground, but even then it was a good eight-foot jump, -and from such an unstable footing that seemed well -nigh impossible of accomplishment.</p> - -<p>Besides, the log began to tip. Where he stood it -sank deeper and deeper, and with a splash of the filthy -mire the other end shot into sight. Cody had to leap -to the middle of the stick quickly to save himself from -toppling over completely into the mud. There he -wavered a moment until he caught his balance, and -then, with grimness, looked about for escape.</p> - -<p>He couldn’t hope for any help. Indeed, he would -have been more troubled than delighted to see any -other person than himself in this swamp at just this -moment. The matter of the pay-chest rested heavily -on his mind. However he escaped from this situation -it must be by his own exertions, and those alone.</p> - -<p>To try to wade to a more solid spot was to court -possible extinction. To sink slowly into this muck -and be smothered by it was a horrible thought. It -chilled even the scout’s blood!</p> - -<p>And, meantime, the log was sinking steadily. Inch -by inch it was being submerged, and the mire was -crawling up Buffalo Bill’s boot-legs.</p> - -<p>The swamp was quite heavily wooded, so he was -hidden from the view of anybody on the eminences -around about. And, as he cast a worried glance about -at the heights in fear that he might have attracted attention,<span class="pagenum">[105]</span> -he suddenly beheld the end of a tree branch -almost over his head.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” exclaimed he, and his eyes glistened as he -followed the trend of this branch with their glance.</p> - -<p>Of course, the branch was altogether too slight -above his head to bear his weight, even could he reach -it. But it promised something. He glanced along its -length several times to the parent trunk some twenty -feet away, and then began operations. There was, -indeed, no time for him to lose, for the log was a good -bit under the surface of the dimpling mud by this.</p> - -<p>The fronded end of the branch was much too high -for him to reach it with his hands; nor could he pull -it down with his gun. Indeed, he got rid of that implement -at once—it only weighed him down into the -mire the faster—by tossing it into a crotch of the -branch, where it fortunately chanced to catch and -hang. He removed his belt, slipped the cartridges into -the side pockets of his coat, tied his handkerchief to one -end of the belt to make it longer, and then fastened -one of his pistols to the handkerchief to weight the -end. Swinging this weighted line, he cast the pistol -about the small twigs above his head. The weapon -caught in them, and gradually he drew the end of the -branch down within the grasp of his hands.</p> - -<p>He held this and fastened on his belt and gun again, -buttoning his pockets so as not to lose his ammunition. -The end of the branch was a bushy fan of small twigs -and leaves. He could pull it down into the mud, and -the green wood was tough and strong; but there was -a big chance, when he bore any weight upon it, of the -limb tearing off at the trunk.</p> - -<p>However, swarming up this branch seemed the only<span class="pagenum">[106]</span> -way of escape from the smothering mud which already -was as high as his knees. Its suction was terrific, too. -When he flung himself forward on the branch he -could scarcely drag his boots out of the mire.</p> - -<p>But he fought on desperately, dragging up first one -booted foot and then the other, and, although the limb -cracked and he lay almost flat in the mud at first, he -finally wormed his way up the branch to its bigger -part. There he straddled it and waited to get his -breath, and to scrape off some of the mud.</p> - -<p>“A little more,” he puffed, “and I’d have gone down -in that, and nobody would have been the wiser. Ah!”</p> - -<p>He halted in his speech and stared down into the -mud. An idea had smitten him, and he turned it over -and over in his mind while he worked his way along -the limb and descended to the foot of the tree.</p> - -<p>He returned as quickly as possible to the edge of -the swamp, and was contented thereafter to follow the -trail of the redskins direct. No more short cuts! He -found in time that his early suspicions had been correct. -The trail led to the head of the gorge, and he -was bound to believe that the murderers were some of -Oak Heart’s Sioux.</p> - -<p>“Boyd Bennett will learn of the hold-up inside of -twenty-four hours—if not sooner. It’s up to me to -hide that money where he won’t be able to find it.”</p> - -<p>With this decision uppermost in his mind, he put -into practise the idea that had been suggested to him -as he sat on the tree branch. Returning to the temporary -hiding-place of the money, he carried the chest -to the edge of the swamp, endeavoring to leave as -little trail as possible as he went. He had brought his -lariat with him, and when he reached one of the most<span class="pagenum">[107]</span> -treacherous-looking pools of mud, he fastened the -lariat about the box and lowered it into the depths. -The quagmire sucked the box out of sight almost instantly.</p> - -<p>Then Cody tied the end of the lariat to a tree-root -under the surface of the muck, and so effectually disposed -of the treasure where nobody but himself—or -some person whom he guided—could find it. He returned -to the scene of the hold-up and prepared to get -away with the driverless stage instantly.</p> - -<p>He placed the dead man inside the stage, tied Chief -to one of the leaders, and, mounting to the box, drove -hurriedly along the trail.</p> - -<p>Being alone, he could not drive the horses and guard -the treasure, too; so he had hidden it, intending to -bring back a file of troopers from the fort later and -pick it up.</p> - -<p>He had not driven two miles along the trail when, -loud and threatening, rose a voice from the rocks beside -the road, which uttered these significant words:</p> - -<p>“Live or die—yours the choice! Up with your -hands there!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE BANDITS OF THE OVERLAND TRAIL.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>It was Buffalo Bill’s choice to live just then, so he -drew rein. He knew from whom the command came, -too, just as well as he knew that resistance would be -useless.</p> - -<p>“Up with your hands, or die! Come, take your -choice, Buffalo Bill!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[108]</span></p> - -<p>The threatening words were repeated, as Buffalo -Bill had simply reined the horses to a halt and still -grasped the lines. He saw at a glance that bandits had -sprung to the heads of his leaders, while he was covered -by the revolver in the hand of Boyd Bennett himself. -With no change of expression the scout said:</p> - -<p>“As you seem to hold trumps in this game, Bennett, -up go my hands.”</p> - -<p>He gave the reins a turn around the lantern, and -Buffalo Bill coolly raised his hands above his head to -the apparent relief of the outlaws at the horses’ heads, -for they seemed to have feared that, after all, he -might resist. They knew that, if he had chosen to -die fighting, some of them would have bitten the dust -first.</p> - -<p>“You have acted wisely, Buffalo Bill, and I am glad -to see that even you can be cowed when you’re in a -tight place,” laughed Boyd Bennett.</p> - -<p>“We won’t discuss that part of the proposition,” said -Cody coolly. “I’m anxious to get on, so don’t detain -me with philosophical remarks.”</p> - -<p>“Ah—indeed! In a hurry, are you?”</p> - -<p>“I am, Bennett; in a mighty hurry.”</p> - -<p>“Well, wait a bit. Go slowly. You’ve got something -on that stage I want—though I didn’t expect to -see you driving it.”</p> - -<p>“No?”</p> - -<p>“But you make as good a driver as any—and you -give up just as easy,” and Boyd Bennett laughed again.</p> - -<p>“Well, what is it you want?”</p> - -<p>“The gold-box you carry.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got me, old man,” said Buffalo Bill easily. -“Guess again.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[109]</span></p> - -<p>“Don’t play with me, Cody, or I’ll have your life.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the use of shooting me if you’re not going -to make anything out of it?” demanded the scout -calmly.</p> - -<p>“I am determined to have that paymaster’s chest.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, sho! <em>that’s</em> your game, is it?”</p> - -<p>“It is.”</p> - -<p>“And you think I’ve got it?”</p> - -<p>“I <em>know</em> it’s on this stage-coach.”</p> - -<p>“Come, now, what’ll you bet?” drawled Cody easily.</p> - -<p>“What are you waiting for, Cody?” demanded the -outlaw angrily. “I know you’ve got it. Shell out!”</p> - -<p>“You know a lot, Bennett.”</p> - -<p>“I know the gold is there.”</p> - -<p>“You’re mistaken.”</p> - -<p>“I am not. I had a friend who saw it put on board. -You’ve got it, and I intend to possess it.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead and possess,” drawled the scout.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you trifle with me, Cody! I know you -wouldn’t have been put up to drive this old hearse if -the soldiers’ money was not aboard.”</p> - -<p>“Say! you know a whole lot, Bennett. D’ye mind -if I smoke?”</p> - -<p>“Keep your hands up!” roared Bennett; “or I’ll -puncture you!”</p> - -<p>“Thanks! You needn’t be so gruff about it. Didn’t -know tobacco smoke was so offensive to you.”</p> - -<p>“Hand down that box before I count three, or you’re -a dead man!” commanded the robber with deadly significance.</p> - -<p>“You keep well posted, Bennett; but you’re behind -time on this run.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” asked the startled road-agent,<span class="pagenum">[110]</span> -beginning to suspect that Buffalo Bill’s ease of manner -masked some high card in the game.</p> - -<p>“The coach has already been robbed.”</p> - -<p>“You lie!”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill’s brows met in a sudden frown.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got the drop on me, Bennett, or you’d never -question my word aloud.”</p> - -<p>“You <em>do</em> lie.”</p> - -<p>“Open the coach door and look for yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Not for Joe! I’m no spring chicken, Cody,” -laughed the outlaw. “Set a trap for us, have you? -Men! fire through that coach—low down.”</p> - -<p>Half a dozen or more rifles blazed away. The bullets -shattered the sashes of the coach doors and went -through and through the vehicle.</p> - -<p>“Scared at nothing, are you?” taunted Buffalo Bill. -“If I’d come up behind you on a dark night and hollered -‘Boo!’ I suppose you’d all run.”</p> - -<p>“Men! if he moves, kill him!” commanded the exasperated -Bennett, and he stepped forward and flung -open the coach door.</p> - -<p>Even Boyd Bennett started at what he beheld there.</p> - -<p>“The devil! what does this mean, Cody?”</p> - -<p>“Injuns.”</p> - -<p>“How did you escape?”</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t with the coach.”</p> - -<p>“And the treasure-box?”</p> - -<p>“Look for yourself.”</p> - -<p>“The Indians got it?”</p> - -<p>“Whether they did or did not, you lose the game, -Bennett,” said Buffalo Bill, laughing with an appearance -of heartiness which he did not feel.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe they got it!” cried Bennett, in rage.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[111]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, you can run along and ask ’em. They’re not -over a dozen miles away, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>The countenance of Boyd Bennett grew black with -passion, and for a moment he was silent, while into -his eyes crept an expression of devilish intent. Then -he spoke, and his words hissed from a throat hot with -passion:</p> - -<p>“Buffalo Bill, you have sealed your doom by this -act!”</p> - -<p>“Say! I’ve heard talk like that before, Bennett.”</p> - -<p>“Mine are no idle words.”</p> - -<p>“Well, go on with the dance,” quoth the scout coolly.</p> - -<p>“Here!” commanded the bandit chief, “two of you -men get up on the box and bind him.”</p> - -<p>He was obeyed at once, as far as the climbing to the -box went, although the fellows approached the scout -gingerly enough. Buffalo Bill sat smiling, with his -hands still raised above his head. Suddenly, as the -men were about to seize him, and their bodies in some -measure intervened between his own and the rifles and -pistol pointed at the scout, the latter seized both with -iron grip.</p> - -<p>Giving his war-whoop, the scout leaped up, hurled -one of the road-agents to the ground, and with the -other in his arms leaped from the box of the coach. -As they alighted, Buffalo Bill drew a revolver, and -was throwing it forward to fire at the outlaw chief, -when the weapon was knocked from his hand by a -blow from behind, and several of the bandits threw -themselves upon him.</p> - -<p>“For your lives, do not kill him!” shouted Bennett, -springing forward to join in the fight for the mastery -of the scout.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[112]</span></p> - -<p>Borne down by the weight of numbers, Buffalo Bill -was unable to break from his foes, and he was soon -securely bound, hand and foot. Then the bandits -turned to their chief for further orders. The expression -of fiendish cruelty upon Bennett’s face showed -that he had formed some diabolical plot to avenge himself -upon his old-time foe. He believed that Buffalo -Bill had thwarted him in his desire to get the government -money; and, anyway, there was an old score between -them, and Bennett proposed to square the account -to date!</p> - -<p>“Now drag him up to that box again,” ordered the -bandit leader, and with some effort they accomplished -it.</p> - -<p>“Lash him there!” was the next command, and the -scout was securely tied to the seat.</p> - -<p>“Now throw the reins loosely over the foot-board!”</p> - -<p>This order was likewise obeyed, Buffalo Bill the -while looking calmly on, evidently anticipating the -crime his enemy intended, yet uttering no word. He -would not plead for his life of the miserable cur who -now had him in his power.</p> - -<p>Having executed their work, by lashing Buffalo Bill -with lariats firmly to the box seat and his feet to the -foot-board, the outlaws turned to their cruel captain -for further orders. It was at this moment that Buffalo -Bill took occasion to speak; but his voice was calm -and his manner unshaken:</p> - -<p>“Hold on, Bennett, before you go too far!”</p> - -<p>The bandits’ chief turned with a wicked smile, and -asked:</p> - -<p>“With what do you threaten me, Bill Cody?”</p> - -<p>“The worst fate that ever met mortal man, if you<span class="pagenum">[113]</span> -dare commit the deed you have in view,” was the bold -reply.</p> - -<p>“Dead men tell no tales!”</p> - -<p>“Ah, but they do! It is only the fool that says ‘It -is all over!’ when his enemy is dead by his hand. It is -not over. It has only begun! My fate will become -known; a hundred border men will not rest till they -learn who committed this deed; and then a thousand -men will not rest till vengeance is satisfied!”</p> - -<p>“Bah! Your friends might be bad men to meet, I’ve -no doubt—if they could prove anything.”</p> - -<p>“They’ll prove enough. Your fate will be worse -than mine, Boyd Bennett.”</p> - -<p>“You seem to be cock-sure of what I’m going to treat -you to?” said Bennett.</p> - -<p>“I am.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what is it?”</p> - -<p>“You propose to lead the horses to yonder fork of -the trail, turn them loose, and start them down Breakneck -Hill.”</p> - -<p>“Right! Right, by thunder!” roared the road-agent, -slapping his thigh and laughing. “You are a mighty -good guesser, Buffalo Bill. That is exactly what I -shall do.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A FRIEND IN NEED.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>If Buffalo Bill’s face paled he showed no other mark -of fear. He knew Boyd Bennett, and had every reason -to believe that the man hated him desperately -enough to carry out his awful threat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[114]</span></p> - -<p>It was no bluff on the outlaw’s part to frighten him -into giving up the secret of the hidden government -money. To a man like Bennett, whose temper was -ungovernable, revenge was worth more than treasure. -He did not even ask the scout where he had hidden the -treasure-box.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t forgotten, my handsome plainsman, that -once you captured me and sent me to the guard-house. -I swore to be revenged upon you then.”</p> - -<p>“You deserved what you got—you dirty deserter!” -exclaimed Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>The outlaw leader shrugged his shoulders and turned -to his men.</p> - -<p>“All ready?”</p> - -<p>“He’s hard and fast, captain.”</p> - -<p>“Unfasten that splendid horse he was riding. I -need just such an animal in my business.”</p> - -<p>They untied Chief from the leaders.</p> - -<p>“Buffalo Bill, straight for the Breakneck you go. -And if these horses don’t carry you down fast enough -to smash this old coach to atoms and break your cursed -neck, I’ll give up this business and turn parson!”</p> - -<p>“You’ll never have time to repent of your sins and -turn parson, Bennett,” said the scout.</p> - -<p>“Meaning I’ll die with my boots on?” asked the outlaw -lightly.</p> - -<p>“Meaning you’ll be hung,” returned Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you put too much confidence in <em>that</em>, old -man,” said Bennett. “At least, you won’t be to my -hanging.”</p> - -<p>“There’s many a slip, you know,” said the scout -tauntingly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[115]</span></p> - -<p>“I presume you hope to be rescued even now, do -you not?” cried Bennett.</p> - -<p>But Buffalo Bill did not expect that. He had -taunted the man, hoping to inspire him with such ungovernable -fury that he would shoot him quickly and -so save him the awful ride to death. Even the boldest -man might shrink from that journey down Breakneck -Hill!</p> - -<p>“No, no, old man! You are mine this time. I tell -you that you, the horses, and the old hearse, shall all -go to the devil together. Here, boys! lead the horses -to yonder fork of the roads and there turn them loose!”</p> - -<p>The command was obeyed. Whether the other outlaws -desired Buffalo Bill’s death as their leader did, -he had such a hold upon them that not one objected -to the mode of vengeance to be wreaked upon the -scout. The horses were led to the brink of the steep -hill. It had once been the stage-road; but a landslide, -and various heavy rains, had made it impracticable. -It was almost as steep as the side of a house in places, -and the roadway was full of boulders and stumps, while -the gulleys made by heavy rains cut through it in -many spots. A careful pack-animal might pick its way -from top to bottom safely; but no vehicle could exist -in a passage down Breakneck Hill.</p> - -<p>The hill was not a continuous decline. It pitched -sharply at first; then there was nearly a quarter of -a mile of easy going along a plateau until there came -the final and impassable descent into the valley.</p> - -<p>“Now, Buffalo Bill, your life ends here!” cried Bennett -savagely.</p> - -<p>“All right, Bennett! And the boys won’t forget how -I died,” was the reckless response.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[116]</span></p> - -<p>“Turn ’em loose!” shouted the bandit leader.</p> - -<p>The men at the bits sprang aside. The horses, having -stood so long, and “smelling their oats” ahead of -them, were eager to be off. With a great tug the coach -started, the harness clattering about the horses’ heels -almost immediately as the coach pitched over the rise. -This, and the shouts and yells of the outlaws, frightened -the poor brutes. They felt no restraining hand -on the lines; there was no foot on the brake. The -coach was coming down behind them with all its -weight.</p> - -<p>Therefore the horses leaped away, frightened beyond -reason. The old coach bumped and swayed. -The rough, steep pitch was not long, but it looked as -though the coach would not arrive at the bottom of -this first incline without being smashed.</p> - -<p>Down it thundered, the wheels bumping, the body -swaying, and the bound figure, on the seat unable to -retard it in the least. Behind thundered the big white -horse, for, breaking away from its captors, Chief intended -to follow his master to the death!</p> - -<p>Not far away from the scene of the hold-up of the -stage-coach by the outlaws, and near the time that the -coach and horses were released upon this dangerous -dash down Breakneck Hill, a horseman was crossing a -table-land, one side of which was formed by the steep -wall of the bluff down the face of which the old stage-road -led.</p> - -<p>Though alone upon the table-land, far in the rear -other horsemen were visible upon his trail. At first -glance one might have thought that it was a chase, the -man in front being pursued by the score or so of men -behind him; but a second scrutiny would have shown<span class="pagenum">[117]</span> -that it was merely the difference in horse-flesh and -human endurance that caused the long space to separate -the leader and his followers.</p> - -<p>The lone horseman was dressed in a cavalry fatigue -uniform with pants tucked in boots, a slouch-hat pinned -up with a pair of crossed sabers, and a gold cord encircling -the hat, while upon the shoulders of his jacket -were straps showing his rank to be that of a first lieutenant -in the United States Army.</p> - -<p>His face was stern for so young a man, but there -were humorous lines about his smoothly shaven lips, -and fun danced in the corners of his eyes. Despite -the hard brown of his countenance, that must have begun -to be tanned by the Western sun and wind at an -early age, there was a kindly appearance about the -young lieutenant.</p> - -<p>He was armed with a cavalry sword and a pair of -service pistols. One gauntleted hand rested on his -sword-hilt as his horse galloped along. He was several -miles ahead of his men, who were now scarcely -more than black specks against the horizon.</p> - -<p>“Kinder risky to ride so far ahead, I suppose,” he -was muttering. “Bill would tell me that. By thunder! -if I’m attacked on this plateau I can fight—or run—I -hope. There’s little cover hereabouts for either Indians -or road-agents. And the latter gentry don’t -usually care to tackle Uncle Sam’s cavalry.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly the silence about him was shattered by distant -yells and several rifle-shots. He glanced back. -Nothing was happening to his men. The sound came -from ahead. Again he heard shouts and shots, and -after that the ring of horses’ hoofs and the rumble of -heavy wheels.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[118]</span></p> - -<p>“By thunder! a hold-up!” he gasped. “And those -weren’t Indian yells. The stage-coach, I’ll bet! Yet -the coach wouldn’t take the old road yonder. Why! -It couldn’t come that way! It would be surely -wrecked.”</p> - -<p>Yet, although the shouts and rifle-shots died away, -the sound of the wheels and the hammering of the -horses’ hoofs increased. Some heavy vehicle, drawn -by several horses, was coming down the Breakneck -Hill road!</p> - -<p>The lone horseman, who had halted at the first -sound, now set spurs to his mount again. He headed -directly across the plateau. The stage-road was just -below the brink of the precipitous slant not many rods -away, and toward this place the lieutenant hurried.</p> - -<p>“It <em>is</em> the stage!” he cried. “The miscreants have -turned it down the old road. There’s a level bit below -here for some rods; but if it crosses that and goes -down the other descent—well! God help them if there -is man, woman, or child aboard!”</p> - -<p>He reached the brink of the steep descent to the level -stretch of the old road. Down the first dip was tearing -six frightened steeds with the old stage-coach -swaying and bounding behind them. And in the rear -a riderless white horse was racing after the coach!</p> - -<p>That horse the lieutenant recognized.</p> - -<p>“That’s Cody’s mount—it is, by thunder! What’s -it doing here? And where’s Bill?”</p> - -<p>There was not another horse like Chief on the frontier; -but the stage was too far away for the young -man to recognize the figure swaying on the coach seat.</p> - -<p>“They’re running away, and the driver’s lost his -nerve!” exclaimed the cavalryman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[119]</span></p> - -<p>Then he raised his voice, shouting in trumpet tones:</p> - -<p>“Put on your brake! drag hard on your lines, man, -or you are lost!”</p> - -<p>The six horses, keeping their feet almost miraculously, -bounded out upon the level stretch. They did -not hold back in the least. They were maddened with -fear now, and were headed straight for the second descent. -On <em>that</em> hill they would quickly come to grief. -No power could save them.</p> - -<p>Again the astonished cavalryman yelled his warning -to the man on the driver’s seat of the coach. His -words seemed to reach the man’s ears. He made no -move to seize the lines or retard the mad course of the -horses, but in clarion tones came back the answer:</p> - -<p>“I am bound! I cannot stop them! Shoot!”</p> - -<p>Perhaps the involuntary passenger on the doomed -stage-coach meant for the young man to shoot <em>him</em> and -so let him escape a more awful death. But no such intention -had the lieutenant. The coach was coming -toward him rapidly, and he obtained a clearer view of -the bound man.</p> - -<p>“Buffalo Bill, by the nine gods of war!” he shouted -suddenly, recognizing his friend. “What in Heaven’s -name does this mean?”</p> - -<p>There was nobody to answer the query; but he saw -that the man was indeed bound to his seat, and that -the reins were loosely swinging, bound to the lantern. -The brake was not on at all!</p> - -<p>At this discovery the lieutenant sank his spurs into -the flanks of his thoroughbred, and, with a wild snort -of pain and anger, the horse leaped down the sharp -declivity toward the piece of rough, but level roadway, -over which the coach must come.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[120]</span></p> - -<p>Yet half-way down the incline the lieutenant was -smitten with a sudden thought, and he pulled hard on -the bit. The thoroughbred lay back on his haunches -and slid. The rider seized one of his guns and cocked -the weapon.</p> - -<p>“Now, Dick Danforth, prove your fame as a dead -shot,” he muttered. “For if ever true marksmanship -was needed, it is now to save yonder brave man from -death!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE RACE WITH DEATH.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The young officer’s face was stern, yet calm. No -nerves had he, and, although so much depended upon -his work of the next few moments, he was certainly -cool. His eyes only flashed, showing the excitement -that bore him up.</p> - -<p>He glanced at the pistol to see that all was right. -Straight along the level the maddened horses came, the -coach swaying behind them like a ship in a heavy sea. -And behind it came Chief as though he hoped to do -something for his imperiled master.</p> - -<p>Dick Danforth was above the road, and, as he had -pulled back his horse, the creature was fairly sliding -down the steep incline, laying back on its haunches -and bracing its forefeet to retard its progress.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill could do nothing to help himself. Even -had he been able to seize the reins at this moment and -slam on the brake, he could not have brought the wild -horses to a halt before the damage was <a id="Ref_120" href="#Ref_120a">done</a>. It all -depended upon Dick Danforth.</p> - -<p>Far up the hill the keen eye of the <a id="Ref_1201" href="#Ref_120b">officer</a> descried<span class="pagenum">[121]</span> -a band of horsemen. They wore no uniforms, were -not in buckskin, and were not Indians. He understood -who they were at once. He knew that Buffalo Bill -had been sent to his doom by the bandits of the overland -trail.</p> - -<p>“But, by thunder! we’ll fool ’em!” muttered the -young officer.</p> - -<p>Almost instantly his finger touched the trigger of -the pistol, and the flash and report followed. With -perfect presence of mind he had made his calculations. -Did he kill one of the leaders it would throw the other -horses upon him, and the stage would be wrecked after -all, and Buffalo Bill doubtless killed.</p> - -<p>Did he kill one of the wheel-horses instead it would -act as a drag on the others, and still be borne along at -a slackening speed, until its mate could be brought -down. This he had aimed to do and—he succeeded!</p> - -<p>With the crack of the first shot the off-wheeler -dropped, the stage swayed forward sideways, and then -was dragged on, with the dead horse, yet at a slackened -pace.</p> - -<p>With the second shot the other wheel-horse stumbled, -staggered, half-fell, regained its feet again, and -finally went down heavily. Again the coach swayed -badly; but the stout pole was kept up by the pressure -of the draft of four horses upon it, and the heavy -breast chains and traces held the two dead animals -firmly attached to it, both acting as a powerful drag -upon the others, and retarding their speed to a slow -gallop.</p> - -<p>Dick Danforth let his mount out, came down the remainder -of the run with a rush, and on the level -reached the leader’s heads. He seized the bridle of<span class="pagenum">[122]</span> -the nearest horse and dragged him to one side, almost -throwing him. The horse broke step and pulled its -mate down. In a minute all four were brought up -standing—and not an instant too soon, for the brink -of the second and more perilous part of the hill was -right before them!</p> - -<p>The horses were still in a nervous state; but Dick -Danforth could trust his own mount. He placed the -horse he rode in front of the leaders, leaped from the -saddle, and left the bridle-reins hanging over his -horse’s head. While they remained thus nothing less -than an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption, would -make the horse move out of his tracks—and the coach-animals -could not pass him.</p> - -<p>“Quick, Danforth! As you are alone you’d best get -out of here quick. Here come my foes!” cried Buffalo -Bill, glancing back.</p> - -<p>Boyd Bennett and his men, all mounted now, were -picking their way down the hill, intent upon overtaking -Buffalo Bill again and his lone rescuer. But Dick Danforth -was not the man to fly and leave a comrade in -peril. His escort was as yet a long way off, he knew; -Buffalo Bill was bound too tightly for quick release, -and could not aid in beating back the bandits.</p> - -<p>Danforth ran directly toward the coach, nevertheless. -Along came Chief at an easy lope, and he caught -the horse. He saw that Cody’s loaded pistols were in -the holsters. He snatched them out, and climbed -quickly up to the box seat.</p> - -<p>By then the bandits had begun to fire. But, without -replying, and while the lead whistled about their heads -like hail, the lieutenant slashed the cords which held -Buffalo Bill’s hands in limbo.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[123]</span></p> - -<p>“Grab these and let the sons-of-guns have ’em, -Cody!” yelled the excited officer, thrusting his own -pistols into the scout’s hands.</p> - -<p>Then he flung himself forward upon his face along -the coach top, and, dragging his own guns from his -boots, into the tops of which he had dropped them, he -began to blaze away at Boyd Bennett and his gang with -such good success that almost instantly the leader was -wounded and another man was dropped out of his -saddle. Buffalo Bill began to fire rapidly, too, being -able to twist the upper part of his body about and take -aim.</p> - -<p>With two such dead shots against the robbers, the -latter had little stomach for the battle. Besides, the -scoundrels saw Danforth’s hat, and one yelled:</p> - -<p>“Look out, boys! the troopers are on us!”</p> - -<p>And already the thunder of the squadron of cavalry -on the plateau above reached their ears. Their leader -having disappeared in such a hurry, the cavalrymen -had come up rapidly, and now heard the firing of the -guns below.</p> - -<p>“Hold, men! fly for your lives!” shouted the voice of -Boyd Bennett.</p> - -<p>He wheeled and larruped his horse up the hill. Before -the troopers reached the brink of the bluff above -the coach, the robbers were out of sight.</p> - -<p>“You’re all right, old man!” yelled Danforth, in -huge delight, smiting Cody on the back.</p> - -<p>“Thanks to you, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“Who was your particular friend yonder—the fellow -with the mustache and the black hair?”</p> - -<p>“Boyd Bennett.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[124]</span></p> - -<p>“By the nine gods of war! Too bad I didn’t settle -his hash instead of just stinging him.”</p> - -<p>“Too bad, indeed, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“Are you hurt?”</p> - -<p>“No. But you might cut my other ropes. I’d like -to get off this blamed old ramshackle thing before she -starts again. Those horses are still nervous.”</p> - -<p>“Right you are, Bill!” cried the lieutenant, and -while his men hurriedly made their way down the hill -leading their mounts—and passing wondering remarks -at the trail left on the hillside by the lieutenant’s horse—Danforth -finished cutting Cody free.</p> - -<p>While Cody related his adventure with the coach, the -lieutenant’s men dragged out the dead horses and reharnessed -the others. The dead soldiers and driver -brought forth angry ejaculations from the troopers. -Danforth and his men were out on scouting duty, and -when the lieutenant heard of the hidden treasure-chest, -he undertook the duty of getting it and bearing it and -the stage-coach on to Fort Advance.</p> - -<p>“You don’t need all your men for that, Dick,” the -scout said. “Half your escort can take the coach and -the treasure in. I’ve a long score to even up with Boyd -Bennett, and I’m going to hit his trail right now. I -have my horse and my weapons, and with you and a -file of your men we ought to be able to handle the -scoundrels if we have the luck to overtake them.”</p> - -<p>“I’m agreeable, Cody,” declared the reckless lieutenant. -“You haven’t any scruples about my shooting -these road-agents if we come up with them?”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, lieutenant?” asked Cody curiously. -“What’s the burn?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[125]</span></p> - -<p>“Why, you seemed to object to my potting that Injun -gal, White Antelope.”</p> - -<p>The scout’s face clouded, and he shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Don’t jest over that, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! I’m not jesting. I spotted her only this -morning—and stayed my hand. Otherwise she would -be walking behind my chariot.”</p> - -<p>“White Antelope out this way?” exclaimed Cody -wonderingly.</p> - -<p>“She sure was.”</p> - -<p>“Then there’s something afoot among the Sioux. -We must look into this.”</p> - -<p>“But first the road-agents?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. First we’ll serve Boyd Bennett.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">DANFORTH’S HAND IS STAYED AGAIN.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>It was decided, however, that the entire troop would -return with the stage-coach to the scene of the original -hold-up. Although Bennett had been driven off so -successfully by the bluecoats, Buffalo Bill feared that -he might meet up with the scalping party that had -killed the paymaster and his guard, and take his gang -over to this spot to search for the pay-chest that he -was so sure his old enemy, the scout, had hidden.</p> - -<p>“We might have the luck to catch him on the -ground. If not, we’ll pick up his trail as soon as we -see a part of your men off with the coach and the -treasure,” said Cody.</p> - -<p>The four horses drew the empty stage up the hill -with little difficulty, and, surrounded by the troop of<span class="pagenum">[126]</span> -cavalry, it rattled back along the trail to the gruesome -spot where Cody had first seen it. There Danforth -set his men afoot, and at several points of vantage, -to watch the road and the valley behind the ridge, -while he and the scout went down into the swamp for -the treasure-chest.</p> - -<p>They had one of the troopers follow them at a distance -of a few rods. Their numbers were so few, and -they were so scattered, that Danforth took every precaution -against being ambushed. The day was -waning, and they were obliged to hurry if they would -fish out the chest and then pick up the trail of the outlaw -gang before night. And Danforth was quite as -eager as the scout to do this last.</p> - -<p>When they got into the wood which masked the -swampy ground they alarmed a big caribou, which -started slowly in the very direction they were taking.</p> - -<p>“That doesn’t look much as though there were -either reds or whites lurking near,” muttered Cody.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, Bill! I want a shot at that fellow,” exclaimed -Danforth eagerly.</p> - -<p>“He’s not going fast. Perhaps you can bring him -down.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to try. There, he’s stopped to feed -again. He’s a cheeky old cuss.”</p> - -<p>“What you want him for? Your party is well provisioned.”</p> - -<p>“The colonel will be glad of a haunch of caribou -venison. He’s fond of it, and the flesh is good now.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Dick. Take my gun. It’s better than -yours.”</p> - -<p>The eager young lieutenant seized the weapon and -began creeping through the brush in the direction of<span class="pagenum">[127]</span> -the caribou’s flight. Cody came behind, not much interested -in the game, having his mind more fixed upon -the overtaking of Boyd Bennett. The hunt promised -to be a brief one, however.</p> - -<p>Fortunately the running buck had not diverted far -from the straightaway course to the hiding-place of -the treasure-box; otherwise Cody might have more -strenuously objected. In a few minutes the two men -came to a glade well dotted with trees, yet free for the -most part of brush so that they could see some distance.</p> - -<p>“Wait! isn’t that him, Bill?” whispered the young -lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“Your eyesight is good, Dick. Where?” asked the -scout.</p> - -<p>“Yonder. Beyond that low brush-clump.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!”</p> - -<p>“That’s sure him, Bill. Yes, sir! he’s facing this -way. You can see his black breast and fore legs. -Down, Bill! don’t show yourself,” whispered Danforth -eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Wait a moment. Better be sure, Dick,” muttered -the scout, stooping and peering under the sharp of his -hand toward the spot indicated.</p> - -<p>“Gad! he’ll get away. Let me plug him.”</p> - -<p>The light was so uncertain that, old and keen-eyed -hunter that he was, Cody was not at all sure it was -the caribou they saw.</p> - -<p>“Don’t make a mistake, Dick,” he murmured.</p> - -<p>“What mistake? The mistake of letting the critter -git away?” cried the young man, exasperated.</p> - -<p>“Many a man has been shot from overeagerness in -the chase,” said the scout warningly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[128]</span></p> - -<p>“Why, that’s no man!”</p> - -<p>“A big buck standing head on in the brush like this -one, looks just like a man in black clothes—don’t you -see?”</p> - -<p>“It <em>does</em> look like a man,” admitted Danforth. “I’ll -remember that, Bill. But we know well enough that -<em>this</em> is a caribou.”</p> - -<p>“Do we?”</p> - -<p>“Of course! Confound you, Bill——”</p> - -<p>Suddenly a sharp whistle issued from the scout’s -lips. Dick Danforth swore out loud and jerked his -gun to his shoulder. But the scout grabbed his arm.</p> - -<p>“There’s your buck, Dick!” the older man exclaimed.</p> - -<p>In a flash the figure beyond the glade moved and -came into better view for an instant. It was not a -deer at all, but a man—a gigantic figure, dressed in -some rough black garment, and he was in view of the -two friends for but a few seconds. Then he darted -behind a tree.</p> - -<p>“It’s a bear!” gasped Danforth. “I might have -plugged him, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Get out! That’s no bear. It’s a man.”</p> - -<p>“One of that gang?” whispered Danforth, suddenly -more cautious.</p> - -<p>“I—don’t—know——”</p> - -<p>“Better have let me shot him, anyway,” grumbled -the lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“You bloodthirsty young savage! Be still.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly the figure beyond the glade rushed from -behind the tree and glided swiftly away through the -timber. As he went he uttered a most eery scream,<span class="pagenum">[129]</span> -his voice floating back to them as he disappeared in -the rapidly darkening forest.</p> - -<p>“Well! what do you think of that?” gasped Danforth.</p> - -<p>“Why, the man must be crazy!” exclaimed the scout. -“That wasn’t Bennett or any of his crowd.”</p> - -<p>“Nor a redskin.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, it wasn’t a red. And a madman——”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got it!” exclaimed the lieutenant suddenly. -“That was the Mad Hunter.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! do you believe there is such a person?”</p> - -<p>“One of our old sergeants says he met him, and that -the madman took a pot-shot at him,” declared the lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“Well. I’ve heard of him myself.”</p> - -<p>“And that chap was a big man, all right.”</p> - -<p>“A giant.”</p> - -<p>“And as crazy as a bedbug,” added Danforth decidedly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t know how crazy they are; but this chap certainly -acted as though he was a good subject for restraint. -Ugh! did you ever hear such a yell?”</p> - -<p>“I know you stopped me from making a very pretty -shot, Bill,” laughed the youngster. “That’s the second -time. The next time I’ll be tempted to turn my -gun on you, old man.”</p> - -<p>Cody became grave again the instant he was reminded -of how Danforth had come near to shooting -White Antelope, but he made no rejoinder. They hurried -back to the edge of the swamp, and, leaving the -cavalryman to watch, the scout and the lieutenant soon -found the root to which Cody had tied the lariat, and, -with some little difficulty, dragged the submerged box<span class="pagenum">[130]</span> -into view. There was a handle upon each end, and between -them the two friends carried the chest back to -the stage-coach. They loaded it aboard, one of the -troopers tied his horse behind and took the reins, and -four rode before and behind the coach as guard. Just -as dusk fell the paymaster’s chest resumed its journey -to Fort Advance, with the dead bodies of its former -unfortunate guardians.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A DOUBLE CAPTURE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Lieutenant Danforth and the bulk of his squad attended -Buffalo Bill on his search for the gang of outlaws. -As soon as the coach was well on its way, they -rode to the spot where Boyd Bennett and his men had -left the trail, and, despite the fact that it was rapidly -growing dark, they picked up the hoofmarks of the -renegades’ horses and followed them rapidly for some -miles.</p> - -<p>Although the sky was clear and there was a long -evening, the party of trailers could not keep on for -long. They got well into the hills; but the tracks of -the outlaw gang showed that Bennett had kept on at a -swift pace, and it was utterly useless for the troop to -wear out their own mounts and possibly miss the trail -itself after dark.</p> - -<p>“It’s a long chase, as a stern chase always is, Dick,” -said the scout. “We might as well make up our minds -to that, first as last.”</p> - -<p>“So I suppose, Bill.”</p> - -<p>“But as long as we’re once on the scoundrel’s trail,<span class="pagenum">[131]</span> -I’ll stick to it to the end,” said Cody grimly. “Better -rest up the men and horses and make an early start.”</p> - -<p>“Right you are. How’s yonder place for a camp?”</p> - -<p>“In among those rocks—yes. We can set sentinels -on the top of them. Nobody can approach us then.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Too bad I didn’t drop that caribou. A -little fresh meat would have been agreeable.”</p> - -<p>“No smoke, boy. Can’t afford to make a fire. -We’re not only following some pretty shrewd white -men, but we’re in the Injun country.”</p> - -<p>“Thunder!”</p> - -<p>“Cold fodder to-night,” said the scout firmly.</p> - -<p>“Well. My orderly always packs a small spirit-lamp. -He can make shift to get us all a cup of coffee,” -said Danforth, and he proceeded to give the necessary -orders, and the troop was soon bivouacked for the -night.</p> - -<p>The horses, well hobbled, grazed within bowshot -of the camp, and a sentinel placed so as to overlook -them where they were on the plain. No wily enemy -might approach them without the watcher, if he be -sharp-eyed, seeing the marauder. Yet Buffalo Bill did -not altogether trust to the watchfulness of the troopers.</p> - -<p>He was in need of rest, and he rolled up in his -blanket and left Danforth to smoke his pipe alone, -early in the evening. But when the midnight watch -turned out the old scout arose like a specter, spoke to -the corporal in charge, and stole out of the camp. -Knowing the avarice of Boyd Bennett and suspecting -that of his men, he felt sure that they would not give -up so easily the chance of finding and appropriating<span class="pagenum">[132]</span> -the pay-chest which Captain Hinkley had lost his life -to defend.</p> - -<p>In the first blush of the attack by the troopers, the -outlaws had broken and fled. But they would recover -their nerve. They might be joined by some of -Oak Heart’s braves, with whom Cody knew Bennett -fraternized. They might even hear the full particulars -of the Indians’ hold-up of the stage, and be more -confident than ever of the fact that Cody had hidden -the treasure.</p> - -<p>The scout believed that, as he and Danforth had -moved so quickly, the coach with its present guard -would get through in safety to Fort Advance. It was -probably there by this time, in fact. But Bennett and -his men might come back to see what was really being -done by the troopers, and they would be sure to fall -upon the bivouac. Therefore, the scout was on the -alert.</p> - -<p>He made a complete circuit of the camp, but out of -sight and gunshot of the sentinels. He did not care -to furnish a target for his own friends. Having -agreed with the corporal on a signal, he would not -come in without sounding it, and so warning the bluecoats -of his return.</p> - -<p>However, he found no sign of an enemy, although -he spent an hour and a half in creeping about the vicinity. -And this very fact amazed and somewhat troubled -him. He could not imagine Bennett under ordinary -circumstances flying from an enemy without sending -back a scout to learn if the trail was not being -followed. Cody was dissatisfied. He feared that the -reason he had not discovered such a scout was because -it was some person more wily than himself!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[133]</span></p> - -<p>No white man could be that. Ordinarily Buffalo -Bill would pitch his own cunning against a redskin’s, -too; but in this case, if there was an Indian creeping -about the camp, he would have the advantage over -the Border King. He might have crawled to the summit -of some hill and from that vantage overlook the -encampment of Uncle Sam’s troops.</p> - -<p>Having encircled the encampment, Buffalo Bill was -undecided whether to return to the bivouac—his -blanket beckoned him—or to once more make the circle. -Suddenly he heard Chief whinny loudly. There -was some activity among the horses; but the scout -heard the sentinel’s voice and knew that the mob of -animals would not stampede. But his own mount -screamed again—angrily.</p> - -<p>“By thunder!” muttered the Border King. “That -means one thing, and one thing only. Chief smells -a redskin—or more than one!”</p> - -<p>Yet he did not start down into the encampment to -arouse the men. The horses quieted down, and there -was no further warning from the big white horse. -The scout, however, glided out upon the plain, taking -advantage of the shadow of every bush and boulder, -and so stood beside the soldier watching the herd. He -came so suddenly that the man was startled and -grunted:</p> - -<p>“Holy Jo, Cody! You give me a start.”</p> - -<p>“See what an Injun might do to you.”</p> - -<p>“Not much. I’d smell the prowling devils,” said the -trooper confidently.</p> - -<p>“What was the matter with my horse?”</p> - -<p>“That white fellow?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[134]</span></p> - -<p>“Dunno. Just squealed.”</p> - -<p>Cody thought to himself: “Well, your smelling -powers are not equal to Chief’s. <em>He</em> certainly got the -taint of redskin on the air.”</p> - -<p>Aloud the scout asked:</p> - -<p>“Which way was the horse headed when he squealed—did -you notice?”</p> - -<p>“Just about as he is now. What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p>“Humph! didn’t know but the horse was sick,” replied -Cody dryly, and he walked through the herd till -he stood beside Chief.</p> - -<p>“So, boy! what’s the matter?” he said soothingly, -smoothing the horse’s muzzle.</p> - -<p>Chief whinnied softly; his fright was passed. Suddenly -the sentinel, who had idly followed Cody’s movements -with his glance, became aware of the fact that -the scout had disappeared! It was not a dark night, -and the plain was open; but the scout was gone as -completely as though he had been suddenly wiped out -of existence!</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be switched!” grunted the surprised -trooper, stepping forward, and then stopping again. -“I could have swore that feller stood by his hoss a -minute ago.”</p> - -<p>And he was right on that point, of course. But Buffalo -Bill had slipped the lariat from his saddle-bow -and suddenly dropped into the grass at his horse’s -feet. Chief began to crop the grass again, and paid no -attention while his master crept away from the herd. -Cody knew that the light breeze had brought but a -single whiff of Indian to the horse’s nostrils. The -redskin could not be far away.</p> - -<p>He crept across the plain and finally reached rising<span class="pagenum">[135]</span> -ground, where clumps of brush and an occasional tree -offered shelter. He had been over this ground before, -but he knew that some prowling enemy had been -here more recently. He remained almost flat upon -the ground and gazed all about him, seeking to see -the silhouette of any lurking figure against the sky.</p> - -<p>And in this he was successful. At first he overlooked -it, believing it to be a tree. Then he saw it -move slightly, and finally made out the body of a tall -man standing beside a sapling, some distance up the -hill. Eagerly the scout crawled up the slope, and -finally gained a point above and beyond the stationary -figure.</p> - -<p>Before he could accomplish more, however, the figure -he had watched so carefully suddenly stepped -away from the tree. He heard a guttural voice grunt -the single syllable:</p> - -<p>“Ugh!”</p> - -<p>For an instant Cody feared his own presence had -been discovered. Then he saw what had drawn the -ejaculation from the redskin. A second figure had -appeared on the hillside. Cody lay behind a boulder -and watched the two men approach each other. There -was a rapid interchange of guttural observations in the -Sioux tongue. Two scouts were reporting to each -other what they had discovered about the bivouac and -the numbers of the pony soldiers there encamped.</p> - -<p>For all he knew there might be a big party of reds -within call. He scarcely believed so, considering how -the reds hate to travel by night; but the presence of -these scouts suggested, at least, that Boyd Bennett had -influence enough over the tribesmen to send these two -back to do his dirty work.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[136]</span></p> - -<p>However, the scout was minded to make a bold play.</p> - -<p>He rose up softly from behind the boulder. The -Indians’ backs were half-turned to him, and their -heads were very close together while they whispered -softly. Cody poised himself, and, judging his distance, -began to circle his rope—which he had brought -with him on the chance of tying up a prisoner—carefully.</p> - -<p>Swish!</p> - -<p>The serpentine loop hurtled over the heads of the -redskins, and—dropped! There were two startled -screams, both of which were choked off instantly.</p> - -<p>The scout flung himself backward and drew the -horsehair noose taut. It had caught one Indian -around the neck and over the shoulders, and the other -had but one hand free. The first jerk yanked both off -their feet and held them together with such firmness -that they could not rise or stretch the loop. They -were like one enraged animal, struggling and lashing -out upon the ground!</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill ran in, wound the slack of the line -about their writhing bodies and about their legs. In -a couple of minutes they were so mixed up with that -rope that it was hard to tell which Indian was which!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE CAVE IN THE MOUNTAIN.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Now, despite the excitement of the moment, Cody -noticed one fact that delighted him. The two entangled -Indians did not cry out. After the first involuntary -grunt, neither uttered a yell of rage or despair,<span class="pagenum">[137]</span> -and this proved a point in the scout’s favor. There -were no other redskins near at hand!</p> - -<p>Had there been, a war-whoop from the struggling -scamps would have been quite in order. But as they -were evidently scouting with their main party at some -distance, they were mighty careful about raising a -racket and so bringing the soldiers up the hill to the -aid of their unknown enemy. As for the latter, Buffalo -Bill, he was not in the habit of singing out for -help—not even when the odds were greater against -him than upon this occasion.</p> - -<p>Having yanked the fellows back upon the ground -twice, and pulling the lariat so taut that one Indian’s -throat was almost cut, he taught the prisoners that -he was master. He then, as shown, entangled their -feet and legs, and so held them triced like a bale of -hay.</p> - -<p>Being sure of handling them now, he came close, -lashed the end of his lariat, and removed their knives -and tomahawks. They had dropped their guns at the -moment of the attack, and these the scout gathered up, -too.</p> - -<p>Having made sure of the prisoners single-handed, -the Border King walked composedly down toward the -camp. The sentinel near the horses saw him coming -and challenged:</p> - -<p>“Who goes there?”</p> - -<p>“It’s me, old man.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! I thought ’twas you, Cody. Where’d you go -to back there a spell? All of a sudden I lost you.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I walked out to capture a couple of reds that -were hanging about.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[138]</span></p> - -<p>“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the man. “That’s a good -one. I ain’t heard a thing to-night, have you?”</p> - -<p>“My horse did.”</p> - -<p>“What?”</p> - -<p>“Chief heard, or smelled, reds. And I’ve got ’em -tied up out yonder,” said Buffalo Bill coolly. “Call -your corporal and have ’em brought in.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that, Bill?” gasped the trooper.</p> - -<p>“Call the corporal.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean to say you’ve captured an Indian -since you left me?”</p> - -<p>“Two.”</p> - -<p>“No!”</p> - -<p>“I tell you I have,” said Cody, with some exasperation. -“Here are their arms. Get a move on you!” -The surprised and half-doubting trooper made so much -noise arousing his immediate officer that the lieutenant -was awakened, too. He came down with the corporal -and two men and went out with Cody to bring in the -reds. It was a fact that none of the soldiers really believed -Cody had captured two redskins until they saw -the captives writhing on the ground.</p> - -<p>“And I wouldn’t have had ’em much longer if you -fellows had stopped to chin any more. They’re most -free,” said Cody.</p> - -<p>“Bill, you’re a wonder,” declared Dick Danforth.</p> - -<p>“Thanks. Bring ’em in. Let’s see who the scamps -are.”</p> - -<p>This was done, the fire was renewed, and those of -the troopers who had been aroused gathered around in -a respectful circle to hear their lieutenant and the scout -put the two bucks through their catechism.</p> - -<p>That they belonged to Oak Heart’s tribe was easy to<span class="pagenum">[139]</span> -learn; but beyond that the two young redskins were -very non-committal. They had come scouting about -the soldier camp for Death Killer, the new medicine -chief of the Sioux; little else could the whites learn.</p> - -<p>“Who the deuce is this Death Killer, Bill?” demanded -Lieutenant Danforth.</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard some whispers of him; but who he is -I haven’t learned,” said Cody.</p> - -<p>“Was he with the bunch that Oak Heart brought -up against Fort Advance?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“That’s odd, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“These medicine chiefs are mighty scarey of their -safety. They never take many risks, you bet!”</p> - -<p>“So Death Killer stayed at home and let his children -fight the battle alone, eh?” remarked the lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“Why, as to that, I believe the Sioux didn’t have -this wonderful new chief at that time.”</p> - -<p>“Is that so?”</p> - -<p>“I met an Arapahoe, a friend of mine, who told -me something about the medicine chief that Oak -Heart had got. The Sioux believe that the next -time they buck up against the whites, the medicine of -this Death Killer will bring them the victory.”</p> - -<p>This was said aside so that the two young Indians -could not understand.</p> - -<p>“What’ll we do with these fellows, Bill?” asked -the young officer.</p> - -<p>“Thunder! We don’t want any prisoners.”</p> - -<p>“You mean to shoot them?”</p> - -<p>“What’s the use? It will only mean bringing the -whole tribe about our ears like a swarm of bees.<span class="pagenum">[140]</span> -While we’re hunting Bennett we don’t want the Sioux -onto us, too.”</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t advise turning them loose?”</p> - -<p>“Well, do you know a better way of getting rid of -them?”</p> - -<p>Danforth shook his head slowly.</p> - -<p>“They certainly would be white elephants on our -hands if we tried to hold them,” he admitted.</p> - -<p>“Kick ’em out,” advised the scout.</p> - -<p>“They’ll go back and report.”</p> - -<p>“What can they report? That they found a bunch -of troopers here camping on the trail of the white outlaws.”</p> - -<p>“But suppose Bennett is hand and glove with the -reds as you think?”</p> - -<p>“Then we must run that risk. Here! let me talk -with these young bucks alone,” suggested Cody.</p> - -<p>The examination of the reds had been accomplished -in English and by aid of the sign language. Now the -scout spoke to them in their own tongue. He did not -expect to win their confidence; but since they had discovered -that no other than Pa-e-has-ka had so easily -overcome them, they felt better in their minds.</p> - -<p>Finally Cody unfastened them, filled their pouches -with food, gave them back their weapons, and advised -them to go back to their lodges.</p> - -<p>“Let this medicine chief, Death Killer, come himself -to learn our numbers and our intentions,” said the -scout significantly. “Let him learn about us by his -magic. If he is so great a medicine-man why does -he not know these things by his magic power? Go, -brothers; you have your lives at the hand of the Long -Hair.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[141]</span></p> - -<p>The two young reds departed with unmoved countenances. -If they felt gratitude they would not be -likely to show it in the expression of their faces. That -would be against Indian nature.</p> - -<p>The camp being pretty thoroughly aroused now, and -daybreak being near, the lieutenant ordered breakfast -prepared. Buffalo Bill did not object to a fire being -made now. Not only had their encampment been discovered -by the reds; but the morning was so misty that -the smoke would not rise high, anyway.</p> - -<p>They went on after the meal, finding the trail of the -outlaws difficult of following in some places, for it -was apparent that an attempt had been made to cloud -the trace. By mid-forenoon, however, they were deep -in the hills, in a wild and gloomy country, and where -every mile was perilous. They might be ambushed by -the foe in almost any cut, and Cody kept the command -back while he investigated every particularly ugly-looking -defile. What report the two released Indians -might make to their people had much to do with the -safety of the expedition, too. For all the whites knew, -the Sioux might be gathering to fall upon them!</p> - -<p>Not a soul did they see on the trail; but they found -the place where Boyd Bennett and his men had spent -the night; and they noted marks which assured them -that the outlaws had lit out that morning hurriedly. -Evidently the approach of the troopers was feared by -the renegades.</p> - -<p>Before night, however, Cody called a halt in the forward -movement. They were in the midst of peaks, -and tall, chimneylike rocks where the timber was -sparse and vegetation of any other kind becoming thin.<span class="pagenum">[142]</span> -Shelter was not easily obtained, and the trail had to -be guessed at many times, the way was so rocky.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like the look of this territory, Dick,” said -the scout.</p> - -<p>“Those fellows can’t be far ahead of us,” declared -the eager lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“I’m not so sure of that. They plainly know the -way.”</p> - -<p>“Well, they haven’t succeeded in fooling us much -yet.”</p> - -<p>“That may be; but they may fool us badly in the -end.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t croak, Bill; that isn’t like you.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you, boy, we’re perhaps putting our necks -into a noose. I’ve seen several smokes this afternoon. -Now, if the Injuns join in with Boyd Bennett, and -make common cause with him—well, where’ll we be?”</p> - -<p>“Here, or hereabout,” grunted Danforth.</p> - -<p>“And we’ll stay here, too! I vote we make an end -of this quick.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Bill, I thought you were so eager to follow -Bennett up?”</p> - -<p>“So I am. But I’m not as eager for meeting my finish -as you seem to be.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! you’re not afraid for yourself, Bill. I -know you,” cried Danforth.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got no right to run you into peril.”</p> - -<p>“Forget me!”</p> - -<p>“And you’ve no right to lead your troop into a -pocket. What do you suppose your ‘kern’ will say?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, shucks! I hate to give this up.”</p> - -<p>“So do I, son. But we’ve got to.”</p> - -<p>“You mean to start right back now?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[143]</span></p> - -<p>“You’re the doctor. I’m not in command,” said -Cody.</p> - -<p>“Hang it all, Bill! you are virtually in command, -and you know it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you want me to advise?”</p> - -<p>“Of course.”</p> - -<p>“Then I say we’d better hunt a place to stop the -night, and then light out for a more healthy country -in the morning. I begin to feel that we’re being -watched.”</p> - -<p>“You <em>feel</em> so?”</p> - -<p>“Sounds silly, doesn’t it, eh? But it’s so. And -intuition has stood me in good stead before. There -are foes near. We want to get shelter and prepare to -receive them properly.”</p> - -<p>Thus advised, Dick Danforth ordered his men to -dismount, and they led their horses up into the rocky -gorge Cody had chosen as a retreat. It would have -been well for Danforth if he always so easily listened -to the admonition of his elders and the better informed.</p> - -<p>Just inside the gorge was a yawning cavern in the -mountainside. Evidently Cody knew of this retreat, -even had he never been over the ground before. He -led his big white horse with satisfaction into the dusky -interior.</p> - -<p>“Hold on, Bill! The critters can’t feed in there,” -Danforth objected, bringing his own animal to a stop.</p> - -<p>“All right. We’ll have to cut brush for ’em to pick -over. There’s no safe feeding ground outside.”</p> - -<p>“But, hang it! how do we know who or what may -be in that hole?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[144]</span></p> - -<p>“Chief says there are no Injuns here, that’s sure!” -retorted the scout, laughing.</p> - -<p>“But it may be a grizzly’s lair, or a cougar’s.”</p> - -<p>“Nope. Old Chief would have made remarks about -it. Come on, lieutenant.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m not afraid, if that’s what you mean!” -grunted Dick Danforth, and with a nod to his file-leader, -he followed the scout into the maw of the darksome -cave.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE NIGHT PROWLERS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The frontiersmen—those who were Buffalo Bill’s -associates—mapped the mountains and plains of the -West long before Uncle Sam’s exploration parties -ever penetrated the wilderness. Cody had never been -to this hole in the mountainside before, yet he knew -all about it. Hunters and trappers—and some early -gold-seekers—had told him of its existence. It had -been considered “bad medicine” by the Indians who inhabited -this section of the country before the Sioux -had flowed over into the land, and Oak Heart’s people -themselves kept away from it. The scout was pretty -sure that they had a sufficiently strong fortress here -to withstand any ordinary attack.</p> - -<p>Besides, there was spring water in the cave, and, as -he showed Danforth very quickly, something better -still. As they advanced under the arched roof of the -cavern, light appeared ahead.</p> - -<p>“There’s another opening,” said Danforth.</p> - -<p>“Looks like it.”</p> - -<p>“Why, they can get at us from two directions, Bill!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[145]</span></p> - -<p>“Can they?”</p> - -<p>“You’re blamed cool about it.”</p> - -<p>“Might as well be cool as hot. We have got to take -it as it comes.”</p> - -<p>The light grew apace.</p> - -<p>“What kind of a place is this, anyway?” cried the -lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“Come along, sir!”</p> - -<p>“But the horses——”</p> - -<p>“Bring the horses along, too. I reckon I haven’t -mistaken the place. Here we are!”</p> - -<p>As he spoke they came out into a roughly circular -basin, surrounded completely by steep—aye, unscalable—rocks, -but well grown to grass and bushes at the -bottom. It was a veritable little pocket in the heart of -the mountain. There was no escape from it, and no -getting into it, excepting through the cave.</p> - -<p>Chief kicked up his heels, snorted joyfully, and -broke away from Cody’s detaining hand. The other -horses followed, and the whole herd set to cropping -the sweet grass in equine delight.</p> - -<p>“Well, sir! This beats my time!” exclaimed Danforth.</p> - -<p>“Guess we can stand a bit of a siege here, if necessary, -eh?” queried Cody.</p> - -<p>“That we could.”</p> - -<p>Fire-wood was cut and brought into the cave and -the meal started. Cody was not content to remain for -long inactive, however. He slept while the meal was -being prepared. After he had eaten, however, he left -the camp, and in the gloaming made his way out and -down into the valley from which they had retired, on -the lookout for the enemy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[146]</span></p> - -<p>The worst of it was, he did not exactly know -whether their white or red foes would be upon them -first. The Sioux might attack—for they were now -well into the Indian country—or Boyd Bennett and his -gang might come back at them. If the latter, the -troopers could handle the outlaws easily. But a horde -of savages might give the troops a mighty pretty brush -up here in the hills, so far away from reenforcements -and a base of supplies.</p> - -<p>The scout was careful to leave no trace himself, and -when he reached the spot where the troopers had -turned aside from the outlaw’s trail, he hid and -watched, and waited, to see what or who might “turn -up.” That it was about time for either the outlaws -or the Indians to show their hand Cody was sure.</p> - -<p>His judgment was good in this case, too. He had -not been lying in wait an hour when he saw two -mounted figures coming along the valley toward his -station. Dark as it was down here, he could make out -their outlines sufficiently to know that one was an -Indian and the other was a white man. They came -to the point where the troopers had diverged from -Boyd Bennett’s trail, and there halted to whisper together.</p> - -<p>From where he lay in the rocks, Cody could see -the fire blazing in the mouth of the cave up in the -gorge. He knew the men below him could see it, too. -Writhing down the hill, like a serpent between the -boulders, the scout reached a point where he could -overhear something of what the Indian and the white -man said.</p> - -<p>“Return and bring them to this place. The hour<span class="pagenum">[147]</span> -must be no later than midnight,” the white man was -saying in a commanding manner.</p> - -<p>“It shall be as my brother says,” the redskin muttered.</p> - -<p>“My men will advance and draw their first fire—perhaps -get them out of the cave. You say there is -no chance of getting in from the rear?”</p> - -<p>“No Sioux would venture, if it were possible. That -cavern was the abode of a great spirit at one time.”</p> - -<p>“Ha! Very well. Do as I have bid you. You and -your braves hold back if you must. But if we draw -the badgers, we can count upon you to pitch in?”</p> - -<p>“It is as my brother says.”</p> - -<p>“All right! Off with you. I await my men here.”</p> - -<p>The redskin twitched his pony’s head about, and -rode softly away. After standing a moment in the -path, the white man’s horse was turned out upon a -bit of sward, and Cody knew that the fellow dismounted. -He evidently proposed to remain near and -watch the cave until reenforcements arrived.</p> - -<p>And Cody knew the scoundrel. He had recognized -the voice, and likewise by the fact that he held his -left arm stiffly bound to his side, the scout knew that -it was Boyd Bennett himself. Dick Danforth had -indeed “stung” the robber. The bone of his left arm -had been broken, and he could barely hold the reins -with that hand.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was greatly tempted. Here was a -chance for him to take his old enemy, single-handed. -And did naught but personal vengeance enter into -the affair, he would have made the attempt. But there -was a brave opportunity of rounding up more of the<span class="pagenum">[148]</span> -gang, despite their affiliation with the redskins, and -Cody resisted the temptation.</p> - -<p>He made his way back to the cave, found most of -the troopers already peacefully asleep, and Danforth -anxiously awaiting his return.</p> - -<p>“Well?” demanded the young lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“We’re going to have visitors about midnight.”</p> - -<p>“How’s that?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bennett and his gang will make the attack; a -set of thieving reds will stand off to pitch in if the -whites can’t handle us.”</p> - -<p>“Gee, Cody! how d’you know all that?”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill told him.</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you shoot the bloody thieves?”</p> - -<p>“And lose the chance of rounding up more of -them?”</p> - -<p>“They’ll be too many for us, I fear,” said Danforth, -although without displaying any particular fear of such -an outcome.</p> - -<p>“They will certainly outnumber us—reds and all.”</p> - -<p>“Nice prospect.”</p> - -<p>“But forewarned is forearmed, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Right you are, Bill! We have the advantage of -knowing that they are coming, whereas they will labor -under the disadvantage of believing we are unsuspicious.”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“But hived up in this place——”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t got to stay hived up,” interrupted the -scout. “And we don’t want to.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got a plan, Bill?”</p> - -<p>“I have.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[149]</span></p> - -<p>“State it, old man. You know well enough you -don’t have to stand on ceremony with me.”</p> - -<p>“This fire can be seen from below. Let it die down. -Don’t let any fuel be flung on for some time. When -it’s at the lowest we can lead our horses out without -being seen.”</p> - -<p>“Give up our shelter, Bill? And with a horde of -redskins coming?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. Let them attack an empty cave—but one -that doesn’t look empty. The last man to leave can -fling a pile of fuel on the fire and then slip away before -it burns up brightly. So we’ll have ’em attacking -an empty fortress while we are out here among -the rocks ready to play heck with ’em!”</p> - -<p>“I’m not afraid of the outlaws,” said Danforth -slowly. “But the redskins——”</p> - -<p>“Won’t come too near the cave; it’s bad medicine, -as I told you.”</p> - -<p>“But when they see that we’re outside——”</p> - -<p>“Wait! We’ll lead the horses away along the trail -we came over, and leave them in charge of one man. -Then, when it gets too hot for us—if the reds pitch -in—we’ll decamp. The reds won’t be too near, however. -I know ’em. An Injun is as full of superstition -as an egg is of meat.”</p> - -<p>“Your plan looks good, Bill.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Stop that fellow—quick! He’ll spoil it -all.”</p> - -<p>Danforth turned to see one of the guards advancing -toward the fire with an armful of fuel. The lieutenant -ordered him to desist and instructed his subordinate -to let the fire die down. Then he and Cody rolled up -in their blankets for an hour’s sleep.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[150]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">MORE THAN THEY BARGAINED FOR.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When the lieutenant and scout were awakened, according -to order, the camp became at once an exceedingly -lively though quiet place. The men had their -instructions in a low tone from Danforth. They led -the horses into the cave from the rear, and, the fire -being now merely a bed of glowing coals, the shadows -of neither man nor beast were pricked out by the light -from the fire.</p> - -<p>Cody had slipped out and beaten the rocks and brush -on the hillside before the mouth of the cavern. He -found no lurking spy, but he went far enough to hear -Boyd Bennett’s horse stamping in the valley. The -outlaw was still there awaiting the coming of his men -and of his redskin allies.</p> - -<p>The scout hurried back and led the way with Chief, -warning the troopers to smother any desire on their -mounts’ part to whinny if they smelt the strange horse -in the valley. The scout had picked out a path around -the swell of the mountain, between the rocks and -ledges, and, although it was a roundabout way, it was -sod-covered for most of the distance, and they were -enabled to lead their mounts away without an appreciable -sound. Like a file of shadows they passed around -the mountain and down into the lowlands. There the -horses were tethered and left in the care of a single -soldier. The others hurried back to positions near the -mouth of the cave, to await the expected attack of the -outlaws.</p> - -<p>Divided as their forces had been, by sending the<span class="pagenum">[151]</span> -stage and treasure on to Fort Advance, Danforth’s -squad now numbered less than the gang of outlaws. -And, in addition, Boyd Bennett would have at his back -a party of bloodthirsty savages. It was a ticklish position, -and none understood that better than the Border -King, Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>Strategy was the scout’s best card under these circumstances. -He knew the quality of the gang whom -Boyd Bennett had gathered about him. They were ignorant, -superstitious scoundrels, and, therefore, he -ventured to play upon their fears as well as to lay -a close ambush for them.</p> - -<p>To approach the mouth of the cave in which the fire -now burned brightly necessitated the foe advancing up -a sidehill into the mouth of the gulch under the shelter -merely of low brush and boulders, with here and there -a stunted tree, the roots of which had found fixture between -the rocks. Higher up the mountain, and upon -both sides of the gulch, were thicker forest.</p> - -<p>Under Cody’s advice Danforth placed his men upon -the side of the gulch opposite the cavern’s mouth, and -outside the gulch itself, all positions selected being -easy of access to the trail down which they had led -their horses so cautiously. A more withering fire -could have been arranged by placing the troopers upon -both sides of the gorge; a cross-fire is always more -galling and confusing to an enemy. But, then, there -remained the danger of the reds rushing to the assistance -of Boyd Bennett and his gang, and so those -soldiers above the cave might be cut off from escape. -Whatever happened, the mêlée was bound to be a -sharp and quick one; it would be all over in a few moments.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[152]</span></p> - -<p>Just outside the mouth of the gulch, and in advance -of the line of hidden troopers, was a rather larger tree -than most upon the lower hillside, and it had a low -crotch from which sprang three branches. Cody saw -that to approach the cavern’s entrance, the attacking -force would be pretty sure to come close under this -tree. Seeing this, he evolved—with the help of the -corporal—a scheme which later added much to the -excitement of the battle and came near to utterly routing -the outlaw gang.</p> - -<p>There was little time for preparation, however; already -the hour grew close to midnight. Cody crept -into the cave, showed himself in the firelight, threw on -more wood, and then crept out again, so as to assure -the watching Bennett below that the place was still -occupied. Then the scout went down into the valley -and watched and listened until his keen ear assured -him that several ponies were being ridden rapidly toward -the hiding-place of the bandit leader.</p> - -<p>How many were coming—whether the reds were -with the whites—Buffalo Bill did not know. Nor did -he consider it well to wait to learn. That the attack -would be made at once, he was sure. Boyd Bennett -was not the most patient man in the world, and he had -waited here long for his men to appear.</p> - -<p>Cody found the lieutenant, and snuggled down beside -him behind a brush-clump.</p> - -<p>“By the nine gods of war, Bill! I thought you’d -never come,” muttered Danforth. “I got as nervous -as an old maid with her first beau, fearing that you -wouldn’t get here in time to holler. I can imitate some -critters—thanks to you and Jack Omohondreau: but<span class="pagenum">[153]</span> -when it comes to murdering the night air with the -scream of a wildcat——”</p> - -<p>“Sh!” breathed Cody. “They’re coming.”</p> - -<p>Danforth became quiet. They were placed so that -the entire sweep of the side-hill was before them. Several -of the troopers were nearer the cave; several were -behind the station of the lieutenant and the scout. All -had their instructions regarding the withholding of -their fire until a prearranged instant.</p> - -<p>Soon Danforth beheld several flitting shadows below. -A number of men were coming up the rocky -slope; they had spread out and were approaching the -cavern’s mouth without any regard to military formation. -Several, however, were coming close to the -forked tree which Cody had previously noted. That -stood some yards in front, and a little below, where -he lay with his friend, the lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“All right, Bill!” whispered Danforth.</p> - -<p>“Wait till I give the word,” breathed the scout. -“Let some of them pass. We want every shot to -count.”</p> - -<p>A few moments more they waited. Several figures -passed on up the hill, dodging from rock to rock, but -all converging toward the mouth of the cave where -the fire now glowed dully. That they were the bandits, -and not the redskins, Cody was sure. Suddenly -he saw two of the prowlers approaching the forked -tree. He nudged Danforth sharply.</p> - -<p>The two outlaws in question were almost under the -branching limbs of the tree when they heard what -sounded like the scratching of claws on the rough bark. -Both looked up, and beheld an uncertain but bulky<span class="pagenum">[154]</span> -figure lying along one branch. A sharp snarl seemed -to come from it, and the two bandits sprang away.</p> - -<p>“Curse you!” exclaimed the voice of Bennett, low -but deadly in its temper. “What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p>Two or three of the bandits ran together. They -thought some attack had been made upon them.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” repeated several in shrill whispers.</p> - -<p>“A cougar!”</p> - -<p>“A wildcat!”</p> - -<p>“Get back to your stations!” commanded Bennett. -“Do you want to spoil the whole thing? Such cursed -foolishness over a blamed tomcat——”</p> - -<p>He had approached the tree, and suddenly the animal -on the limb seemed to gather itself for a spring, -and there sounded upon the night air the shrill, blood-curdling -yell of the dreaded panther!</p> - -<p>“Look out, Boyd! He’s goin’ ter jump!” exclaimed -one fellow.</p> - -<p>Several of the others stepped warily back and raised -their guns. Above on the hillside—this had been prearranged -by Cody—one of the troopers shouted:</p> - -<p>“Who goes there?”</p> - -<p>“Curse my body and bones!” growled Bennett. -“The game is spoiled! They’ve heard us.”</p> - -<p>The supposed panther screamed again, and then -the body in the tree was hurled out into the air. Involuntarily -every outlaw in sight took a pot-shot at -the flying body. The mountainside reechoed with the -reports of half a dozen guns, and the flashes of the -same revealed to the ambushed party just where the -bandits stood.</p> - -<p>The log of wood, dressed in a blanket, representing -the panther, and jerked out of the tree by Cody’s lariat,<span class="pagenum">[155]</span> -fell to the ground riddled by the bullets of the outlaws. -But instantly Danforth leaped up and shouted to his -men:</p> - -<p>“Now, my bullies! Give it to them!”</p> - -<p>The troopers fired a broadside. Four of the robbers -dropped under the fire, and two more ran away -screaming. Cody had picked out Bennett, and intended -to wound or kill him; but the wily scoundrel -seemed to fear some game just as the dummy was -yanked by Danforth from the tree. He leaped away -and dodged behind a boulder before the first shot -from the party in ambush was fired.</p> - -<p>As the echoes of the first round from the troopers -died away Boyd Bennett raised an ear-splitting yell -of defiance. It was a war-whoop that the redskins -in the rear evidently understood. They answered from -the valley, and, although the soldiers had succeeded in -placing so many of the bandits hors de combat at -their first fire, Danforth whistled almost instantly for -his men to retire.</p> - -<p>“Did you wing Bennett, Cody?” asked the young -lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“No. The scaly rascal left his men to bear the -brunt of the trouble, and he’s under shelter half-way -down the hill.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t we get him?”</p> - -<p>“With those reds tearing up to his aid?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, by thunder, Bill! I hoped to either kill the -scoundrel or bring him in.”</p> - -<p>“So did I.”</p> - -<p>“But we can’t risk staying here longer.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right there, Dick. Come on. The men -have gone.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[156]</span></p> - -<p>The scout and the lieutenant followed their men -down the hill. And none too soon, for the redskins -soon found that their white brethren had been outwitted -by the soldiers, and they came tearing along the -valley trail to try and head the refugees off.</p> - -<p>They were not successful in that, however. Every -trooper came in, they mounted at the command, and -with fresh horses under them soon outdistanced all -pursuit.</p> - -<p>“It’s getting too lively for us,” said Buffalo Bill, -in disgust. “We can’t chance it with such a small -force. I hate to give it up; but we must.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll keep on if you say the word, scout,” said -Danforth.</p> - -<p>“You’d ride straight into the jaws of hell if you -thought there’d be a fight, Dick,” said Cody. “But -discretion is the better part of valor in this case.”</p> - -<p>“I hate to give Bennett up,” grumbled the younger -man.</p> - -<p>“So do I. But it can’t be helped.”</p> - -<p>“When I get back to Resistence I’m going to ask -Colonel Royal to give me a roving commission to hunt -the scoundrel down.”</p> - -<p>Neither of them realized at the time what the putting -of this decision into practise would amount to in -the end.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">CHASED BY THE FLAMES.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The welcome that greeted the Border King upon his -return to Fort Advance was proof of his popularity, -and of the admiration the garrison held him in. That<span class="pagenum">[157]</span> -his coolness and wisdom had saved the paymaster’s -money-box from capture by the bandits, and so made -it unnecessary for the boys in blue to endure another -long wait for their pay, added not a little to their -feeling for the scout.</p> - -<p>The troopers had told the story in full. Captain -Hinkley and his guard had been buried, and the coach-driver, -as well. The soldiers had a most revengeful -feeling toward Boyd Bennett and his outlaw band, -and Danforth went back to Resistence with his troop, -threatening slaughter for the road-agents if he could -catch them.</p> - -<p>The activities of the Indians, however, disturbed -Buffalo Bill and the commander of Fort Advance more -than the work of the outlaw, at just this time. The -Border King, with Texas Jack, set out on a mission -soon after his return to the fort. Ten days later Lieutenant -Danforth, with a squadron of men, was allowed -to make an attempt to bring in Boyd Bennett by the -commandant of Post Resistence.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was still away on his scouting expedition -and did not know of this. He was deep in the -Indian country, and had found nothing of real significance -regarding any concerted movement among -the Sioux, although there was plenty of excitement. -Little bands of warriors were going back and forth, -from encampment to encampment; but nothing was -being accomplished by the redskins.</p> - -<p>“What does it look like to you, old man?” queried -the Border King of his partner. “Are we barking up -the wrong tree?”</p> - -<p>“Dunno,” replied Texas Jack, pursing up his lips -and looking more serious than usual. “There may be<span class="pagenum">[158]</span> -a coon in the crotch; but we certainly haven’t shook -him down.”</p> - -<p>“How does all this running back and forth from -teepee to teepee strike you?”</p> - -<p>“Looks like the reds was given more tuh society -than us’al, Buffler. But, Great Scott! you can’t never -tell what’s in a red’s mind when he’s planning some -game.”</p> - -<p>“There is surely no outbreak planned for the immediate -future, eh?”</p> - -<p>“No. These runners aren’t gathering the tribe. I -reckon Oak Heart got his belly full and won’t trouble -us for some time.”</p> - -<p>“But this new medicine-man they’ve got?”</p> - -<p>“Humph! Death Killer, eh? Nice name that! -I’d like a squint at him.”</p> - -<p>“Me, too.”</p> - -<p>“Wonder if we couldn’t sneak over to Oak Heart’s -town and take this Death Killer into camp?”</p> - -<p>“Kidnap him?”</p> - -<p>“Yep.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a cool one, Jack, my boy. What’ll the reds -be doing meanwhile?”</p> - -<p>“That’s all that stops me—that question,” replied -Texas, with a grin.</p> - -<p>This conversation took place beside a running brook, -in the heart of a great forest many miles from Fort -Advance, where our story first opened. The wind -soughed through the tree tops and brought scurrying to -earth the dying leaves which proclaimed the fast approach -of King Winter. Suddenly Cody rose upon -his feet and keenly snuffed the air.</p> - -<p>“What’s th’ matter, Bill? What d’yer scent?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[159]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ve been smelling it for an hour, Jack.”</p> - -<p>“What is it?”</p> - -<p>“Smoke.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! here’s wood burning at your feet.”</p> - -<p>“No, no!” exclaimed the other. “This breeze is -rising and is blowing more steadily than it did. And -it brings the smoke to us. Look up through the tree -tops. D’ye see how hazy it’s grown?”</p> - -<p>“Umph-ah!”</p> - -<p>“Nothing to fool over, Jack. It’s a big fire.”</p> - -<p>“D’yer believe so, Bill?”</p> - -<p>“I do, indeed,” said the anxious scout.</p> - -<p>Texas Jack cast his eyes about the forest aisles reflectively. -He knew as well as his companion the peril -attending a forest fire; but he was naturally of a -more volatile character, and the discovery made less -impression upon him at first.</p> - -<p>“We’d better make a break, hadn’t we, Bill?” he -asked finally.</p> - -<p>“Just think a bit, Jack,” the other replied. -“Where’ll we go? Do you realize that this crick is the -biggest body of water in a circle of forty miles?”</p> - -<p>“If my hoss kin make Black River, yours kin, I -reckon.”</p> - -<p>“True enough. But the wind is blowing directly -from Black River. That’s where the fire is, old man. -The nearest water of any size is Bendigo Lake, and -the going will be thundering hard on the horses.”</p> - -<p>Texas Jack leaped up and exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“Hark! what’s that?”</p> - -<p>A crashing in the underbrush had startled both -men. Some distance away there burst into the glade -a fine herd of deer, all running madly. They swept<span class="pagenum">[160]</span> -across the scouts’ line of vision and disappeared in -another clump of brush, keenly alive to peril in their -rear.</p> - -<p>“They’ve come a power of a ways in the last half-hour, -Jack,” said Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Right you are, Buffler. Guess we’d better light out. -Ha! there goes a grayback.”</p> - -<p>A lone wolf slunk through the underbrush, gave the -two men a sharp look, and then loped away in the same -direction as that followed by the deer. But he was -not running the deer—oh, no, indeed!</p> - -<p>Soon other animals began to drift past the camp -of the scouts. The two packed their war-bags, caught -their mounts, and prepared to leave the vicinity in -short order. By that time, although the evening was -closing in, the sky was a mass of ruddy, drifting haze. -The fire was advancing with terrific speed, yet it was -still so far away that the smoke floated high above -the tree tops, and they heard no sound.</p> - -<p>“Reckon we kin make it, Bill,” said Texas Jack, as -they pricked their mounts along the forest path.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was not so sanguine, however. The -fire was coming down upon them with terrific speed, -for instead of deepening the evening brightened all -about them as they rode. The odor of burning wood -was now quite pungent, and past them in mad flight -went all manner of small animals, while now and then -the startled “woof! woof!” of a bear was heard in the -brush as he, too, lumbered along.</p> - -<p>The paths of the forest were not cleared for riding. -Deer and other animals, searching drinking-places and -salt-licks, first made these traces through the wilderness. -The red man followed, following the spoor of<span class="pagenum">[161]</span> -the game. And so the paths became “runways,” sometimes -worn knee-deep and only wide enough for a single -person to pass. Such paths were of little use to -horsemen.</p> - -<p>Where the forest was open or clear of underbrush, -the two scouts could travel with some rapidity; but -in the thick, junglelike scrub, it was even necessary at -times to get down and lead their horses. This delayed -them, and before long the smoke wraiths began to -drift past them and the distant roaring of the flames -was perceptible.</p> - -<p>Had the men given the horses their heads the animals -would have become panic-stricken like the other -dumb beasts, and they would have dashed through the -forest at a much better pace; but Buffalo Bill and -Texas Jack would have been swept from the saddles, -and, perhaps, killed. It began to look, indeed, as -though both horses and men could get along better -and faster alone. Texas remarked upon this fact.</p> - -<p>“I know it, Jack—I know it,” said Cody. “But I -don’t want to lose Chief. And then, we can’t carry -all our plunder and make any time at all.”</p> - -<p>“Life’s sweeter to me than either hoss or rifle,” declared -Texas, laughing.</p> - -<p>“Me, too; but it may be a week before we catch the -brutes.”</p> - -<p>“I vote we let ’em go. It’s getting derned hard to -manage them, anyway, Buffler.”</p> - -<p>“So it is. Keep your grub, Texas.”</p> - -<p>“Betcher!”</p> - -<p>Both men were off their mounts in a hurry. They -left their magazine guns in the saddle scabbards, and -their holster pistols as well. If the Indians or any<span class="pagenum">[162]</span> -ne’er-do-well whites found the horses after the fire, -they would make quite a haul.</p> - -<p>Jack’s horse plunged away, snorting to be free, and -was quickly out of sight; but Chief seemed uncertain -whether to leave his master or not. The scouts did -not delay an instant, but started off at a sharp run -through the forest, with their packs on their backs. -They could dodge under the low branches and burst -through the brush-clumps, or avoid them altogether, -with much more facility than before.</p> - -<p>Chief ran whinnying after them. Suddenly out of -the yellow haze above the tree tops a blazing ball of -leaves or such light flotsam, floated down. It fell between -the white horse and the two men, and Chief -snorted and leaped aside. Fortunately the firebrand -went out without igniting any of the leaves or twigs -which rustled so dryly under foot, but the flame evidently -spoiled Chief’s desire to keep with the men. He -kicked up his heels and dashed away in the same direction -as his mate.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack noted this brand, but -they said nothing, only increasing their speed. There -was vast danger from these flying balls of fire. The -wind continued to rise, and soon the conflagration -would be leaping ahead rods at a time! It would ignite -in dozens of places at once.</p> - -<p>As they ran together, Texas Jack glanced into his -comrade’s serious face, and a grin overspread his own.</p> - -<p>“Say, Buffler,” he said, “I didn’t sleep none too -warm last night. Reckon we’ll be more comfortable -to-night, eh?”</p> - -<p>Cody had to smile at that.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[163]</span></p> - -<p>“You reckless devil, you! You’d joke in sight of -the fires of Tophet.”</p> - -<p>At the moment a great burst of flame roared up into -the sky from the summit of a little hill behind them, and -both men glanced back. The banner of fire streamed -clear across the sky.</p> - -<p>“Gee, Bill! Tophet couldn’t look hotter than that,” -declared Texas Jack.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE TELLTALE CROW.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>For the most part, however, the scouts saved their -breath and spoke but little. They were straining every -effort to reach Bendigo Lake, the only body of water -of sufficient size to offer protection from the conflagration. -Every creek and pond hole in the neighborhood, -which either of them knew about, was low now, and -none were big enough to promise safety. In Bendigo -Lake was a long, narrow island, wooded to be sure; -but the lake was so wide that the scouts believed the -flames would not leap from the shore to the island.</p> - -<p>“At any rate, it’s our best play, Buffler. No doubt -of that,” observed Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>“Right you are, Texas,” panted the other. “Pick -up your feet!”</p> - -<p>“That fire’s certainly racing to overtake us.”</p> - -<p>“Ha! What’s that?” muttered Cody, suddenly turning -to look up a small slope which was more heavily -wooded than the lowland through which they were -passing.</p> - -<p>There had been a movement in the brush. The<span class="pagenum">[164]</span> -wind did not affect the leaves and branches down here; -it was only the tree tops that swayed and sang in the -breeze.</p> - -<p>“A deer, eh?” panted Jack.</p> - -<p>“There!”</p> - -<p>Uttering the yell, Buffalo Bill seized his friend by -the neck and flung him suddenly forward upon his -face. He fell himself as well, and at the very instant -there was a flash in the bushes on the side-hill, an explosion -sounded, and the zip-zip of the bullet cut the -air over their heads.</p> - -<p>Both scouts rolled aside, found covert, and sprang -into position, revolvers in hand. Cody emptied one -pistol as rapidly as possible into the brush-clump from -which the treacherous shot had been fired.</p> - -<p>“No use, Bill! There he goes!” yelled Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>Off at one side they saw a huge figure pass rapidly -out of sight. It looked like a bear running on its -hind legs—were such a thing possible.</p> - -<p>“Of all the bloody-minded scoundrels!” said Texas -Jack, as the two scouts set forth again, in the same -direction as that taken by the person who had fired at -them—which was likewise toward the lake, “that fellow -takes the bun.”</p> - -<p>“Who was he? The smoke was in my eyes, and I -couldn’t tell whether he was white or red.”</p> - -<p>“He was white, all right—or, so I have always -heard,” declared Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>“By thunder! you don’t mean to say you know the -scoundrel?”</p> - -<p>“Not personally acquainted with him—no,” laughed -Jack.</p> - -<p>“What then?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[165]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ve heard tell of him a good deal the past dozen -years.”</p> - -<p>“Who is he?”</p> - -<p>“The Mad Hunter.”</p> - -<p>“Get out!”</p> - -<p>“That’s who it was, Buffler.”</p> - -<p>“Why should the fool fire at us?”</p> - -<p>“He’d just as soon shoot a white man as a red.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a devil.”</p> - -<p>“That he is.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I believe I saved his life the other day when -I was out with Dick Danforth.”</p> - -<p>“What for?”</p> - -<p>Cody told him of how the young lieutenant had -come near to shooting a gigantic man for a caribou, -and how the being had run away yelling into the -forest.</p> - -<p>“That’s him. Crazy as they make them.”</p> - -<p>“He must be crazy if he would stop to shoot men -down when such a fire as that yonder is on his track as -well as theirs.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon an insane person don’t act logically.”</p> - -<p>“He’s worse than the dumb beasts,” said Cody. -“Look at that rabbit running almost between your -legs, Jack. Aw! don’t step on him!”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t—dern his hide!” exclaimed Texas Jack, making -a flying leap over the bunny.</p> - -<p>“He’s scared stiff. Some of the deer have run close -enough to us to be touched. Even a bear will behave -when there’s a forest fire. But this crazy bedlam is -ready to shoot inoffensive men when death of the most -awful kind is threatening him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[166]</span></p> - -<p>“That’s why he’s crazy, I reckon,” said Texas Jack. -“Come on, Buffler; this way.”</p> - -<p>The light of the fire now made the forest about them -as light almost as day, but the radiance flickered, and -the shadows danced in a blinding fashion. The scouts -could not see as clearly as usual. Within a mile of -the spot where they had been attacked by the Mad -Hunter a second shot was fired at them—this time -from directly ahead. Fortunately, the bullet went -wild.</p> - -<p>“He’s got a single-shot, old-fashioned rifle,” declared -Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>“That’s what is saving our lives,” returned his comrade.</p> - -<p>“He’s ahead of us—between us and the lake.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve got to try to capture him, then,” declared -Cody firmly. “No use mincing matters. The fire is -bad enough, but he is more dangerous.”</p> - -<p>“Reckon you’re right, Buffler,” grunted Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>The scouts separated, running several rods apart, so -that the Mad Hunter might not be able to get them -both in a line. And, if that were possible, they increased -their pace. They heard the man crashing -through the brush ahead, but they did not obtain another -glimpse of him. And so phenomenal was his -speed that soon he was out of ear-shot. Besides, the -roaring of the flames and the crashing of falling trees -interfered with their tracking of the madman by his -footsteps.</p> - -<p>Their enemy ran as no human being ever ran before, -for he got far enough ahead to load his old-fashioned -gun and again await their coming. This<span class="pagenum">[167]</span> -time he took a shot at Texas Jack and sent that -worthy’s hat spinning into the air.</p> - -<p>“Confound his hide!” roared the scout. “Pepper -him, Bill!”</p> - -<p>But with a scream of rage the madman was off -through the illuminated forest once more, and Cody’s -shots did not overtake him. Besides, the light was so -uncertain that the scout did not waste but two balls in -the attempt to bring down the foe.</p> - -<p>“He’ll git one of us yet,” cried Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>“We’ll keep as close to him as possible. He mustn’t -have a chance to reload!”</p> - -<p>But it was like chasing a will-o’-the-wisp. The -madman was off like the wind, shrieking his defiance. -They could not keep him in sight, although the fire -now was illuminating the forest far ahead of them.</p> - -<p>The roaring of the flames drowned the scouts’ -shouts to each other, too; and the heat puffed upon -their backs as though somebody had suddenly swung -open the door of an enormous furnace.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Cody saw his friend throw up his hand, -and knew that he shouted rather than heard the sound -of his voice. Jack turned at a sharp angle, too, and -Buffalo Bill followed suit. In a moment a glint of -steel-blue water ahead invigorated Cody as well as his -comrade. Lake Bendigo was at hand!</p> - -<p>In fifteen minutes they were on the shore. The -water was a blessed relief to their eyes when they -plunged their faces into it. In the rear the fire roared -mightily, and the smoke now began to drift down -upon them with smothering thickness.</p> - -<p>“We’d better take off our clothes and swim for the -island, heh?” queried Jack.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[168]</span></p> - -<p>“Yes. There’s a bunch of driftwood that will make -some kind of a raft. We’ll use it to transport our -clothing and guns.”</p> - -<p>They stripped swiftly and were about to step into -the water and push off the rude raft piled with their -possessions when:</p> - -<p>Ping!</p> - -<p>The bullet buried itself in a tree trunk right beside -Buffalo Bill’s head.</p> - -<p>“Holy Christmas!” exclaimed Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>“That devil has got ahead of us,” declared Cody. -“That bullet came from the island.”</p> - -<p>“Why, he’s got us between two fires!” exclaimed -Texas, bound to joke under any and all circumstances.</p> - -<p>For an instant the scouts were nonplused. They -had involuntarily taken trees, but the heat from the -rear was already unpleasant to their bare bodies.</p> - -<p>“We can’t stay here,” muttered Cody. “I shall go -around the lake a ways, Texas, and try to swim over -without being seen. You show yourself here. Better -still, push off the raft and keep behind it and submerged -as much as possible. Make for the island, but -go slowly.”</p> - -<p>“You bet I’ll make for the island. I think I’d rather -take cold lead than hot flames. Ouch!”</p> - -<p>“Meanwhile I’ll try to sneak over and get to the -madman’s rear.”</p> - -<p>“Bare-handed?”</p> - -<p>“How else, man?” cried Cody. “I must be prepared -to swim under water a part of the way. It must be -cunning to match his cunning or we are lost, Jack!”</p> - -<p>Texas Jack realized that this was so, and he made -no further objection. Cody glided away through the<span class="pagenum">[169]</span> -shadowy forest, and Jack pushed off the raft and -dodged another bullet. He was soon floundering in -the cold water, pushing the raft before him, but by no -means enamored of his position. The fire was behind -and would devour him shortly if he returned to the -shore. Every few moments a bullet sped from the -madman’s hiding-place on the island and “plunked” -into the raft, or into the water close beside the -swimmer.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Cody scurried along the shore, but suddenly -found himself cut off by a tongue of the fire -that had got ahead of the main conflagration and was -already burning fiercely at the very verge of the lake. -Traveling through the brush in his bare skin was not -pleasant at best, so the scout tried sneaking into the -water behind the little point of land which chanced to -hide the island.</p> - -<p>Cold as the water was, it was a blessed relief from -the heat and smoke of the forest. As he struck out -from the shore, blazing embers showered about him, -hissing and smoking as they struck the water. The -smoke rolled down upon the lake and now and then -completely blinded him, and must certainly have hidden -his head from the observation of anybody on the -island. Cody was delighted with the apparent success -of his scheme, and struck out strongly for the little -patch of wooded soil in which he hoped, with Texas -Jack, to find safety. That it was held in possession by -a madman did not matter. It was the single refuge -offered the scouts, and if the madman would not share -it peacefully, he must be put out of the way.</p> - -<p>These were Cody’s thoughts as he swam across the -intervening space. He finally came to the sloping<span class="pagenum">[170]</span> -shore, so that he could stand upright and wade in with -his head and shoulders out of water. He had gone so -far around the island that he believed that the madman, -watching Texas Jack and his raft, would not see -his own approach.</p> - -<p>And he did almost reach the shore unmolested. -Suddenly, out of a dark hemlock at the extreme point -of the island, there sprang a big crow, which, with -raucous cry, flew over the scout and circled about him -threateningly. The crow’s nest was evidently in that -tree, and the coming of this strange maritime animal, -who walked erect like a man, but wore no clothes, -troubled the crow’s mind.</p> - -<p>The bird squawked like a hen with its head caught -between two fence-palings. Cody made a dash for the -shore, hoping to get under cover and so cease to disturb -the telltale crow.</p> - -<p>But as he was about to step out on dry land a gigantic -figure suddenly sprang through the brush at the -water’s edge and appeared over him in a most threatening -attitude. Above his head the man held a great -rock, which he poised to fling upon the unarmed scout.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE MASSACRE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Why the madman had not sought to shoot him -Buffalo Bill did not ask at the moment. The fact that -he was at such a disadvantage was enough to fill his -mind with forebodings. The rock was poised in the -giant’s hands just over his head, and, as the scout was -more than knee-deep in the water, it seemed impossible<span class="pagenum">[171]</span> -for him to successfully dodge the missile if it were -flung.</p> - -<p>The madman stood in the shadow, and Cody could -not see his face. All he saw was that the man looked -like a great, wet bear. He had swum or waded across -to the island with all his clothes on. He evidently -knew Bendigo Lake and its surroundings better than -either of the scouts, and had found a shallow path -across from the mainland.</p> - -<p>For several seconds the scout and the giant faced -each other. Buffalo Bill’s muscles grew tense. He -would try leaping upon the fellow, at any rate, although -the possibility of his dodging the rock looked -exceeding small.</p> - -<p>And then there suddenly flashed into his mind such -a simple dodge for getting the best of his foe that the -scout hesitated to use it. It seemed so exceedingly -simple and childish. But the moments were flying, -and the Mad Hunter was on the point of flinging the -rock down upon him with terrific force.</p> - -<p>Cody stood so that his hands just touched the water. -He hollowed his palms, swung both arms back, and -suddenly scooped up the water and flung it in a blinding -sheet of spray into the maniac’s face.</p> - -<p>Again and again he splashed the water over the fellow. -The Mad Hunter uttered a howl of rage, and, -as Cody threw himself to one side, still splashing the -water, the rock was thrown. But the scout had destroyed -the maniac’s aim and escaped the missile altogether.</p> - -<p>Cody could not land, however. The best he could -do was to plunge back into the deeper water and there -dive and remain swimming under the surface until he<span class="pagenum">[172]</span> -had placed the island between himself and the fire. -Here the trees threw black shadows, although the -whole northern sky was red as blood, and the flames -danced wildly upon the tree tops on the mainland.</p> - -<p>The Mad Hunter had disappeared, yet the scout -did not know whether he had gone back to watch -Texas Jack and the raft or was lurking in the shadow, -waiting to spy upon him again. Meanwhile he was -becoming thoroughly chilled, and feared to remain -out beyond his depth, for a cramp might take him, and -he could never struggle ashore then.</p> - -<p>Carefully he waded shoreward once more, watching -the shadows beneath the trees, fearing to see the bulk -of the maniac burst out of the brush and attack him -again. There were several frightened creatures on the -island, but they cowered and were dumb. All the -scout could hear was the lapping of the water and the -crackling of the conflagration on the mainland.</p> - -<p>The fire was eating through the forest very rapidly. -It had reached the shore and was passing swiftly -around the entire lake. Cody and Texas Jack could -not return to the mainland now under any circumstances. -It was the island or drowning for them!</p> - -<p>And Cody feared that his brave comrade had already -succumbed to the cold water, or mayhap to a bullet -from the maniac’s rifle. The fire as it ate around the -lake began to illuminate this side of the island, too, -and he feared that he would soon be a shining mark -for the Mad Hunter.</p> - -<p>He kept his body under water and crept in toward -the shore, his head only showing. He knew that he -was taking his life in his hands, but the water was -chilling him to the bone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[173]</span></p> - -<p>Suddenly there was a great shouting on the other -shore of the island, and following it came the pop of a -pistol several times. Cody leaped ashore, and, despite -the rough way and the thorns and brush which tore -his body, he dashed across the narrow bit of land. He -knew Texas Jack had landed and might need his help.</p> - -<p>As he ran, however, he suddenly came full tilt -against a great, hairy object that was blundering -through the brush. Over went the scout, and with an -angry “Woof!” the bear darted aside, and a moment -later he heard a splash in the lake, and knew that the -creature had found the presence of mankind on the -island more fear-inspiring than the fire on the mainland.</p> - -<p>When Cody picked himself up he beheld the half-clothed -figure of Texas Jack standing over him.</p> - -<p>“By the piper that played before Pharaoh!” ejaculated -Texas. “What’s the matter with you, Buffler? -Come an’ git your clo’es—or do you fancy parading -around yere in your birthday suit?”</p> - -<p>“What—what was that?” demanded the scout.</p> - -<p>“A bear. I fell over him myself and drove him -off.”</p> - -<p>“I thought for a minute it was the madman.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s gone,” said Texas Jack. “He ran out of -ammunition, I reckon, and he took to the water, clo’es -and all. There’s a shallow place yonder. We can -wade ashore that way, too, when the fire burns out.”</p> - -<p>“He pretty near had me,” said Cody, and related -his adventure as he shakingly got into his clothing.</p> - -<p>Texas Jack built a fire for them to dry and get -warm by, and meanwhile explained that, finding he -could not keep the scouts off the island, the Mad<span class="pagenum">[174]</span> -Hunter had departed for the mainland, approaching -that part where the fire had come nearest to burning -itself out.</p> - -<p>“It’s dangerous to go over there yet,” said Buffalo -Bill.</p> - -<p>“You can bet it is. But he reckoned he’d rather go -than meet us closer to. The old scoundrel! I’ve -heard of his tricks and deviltry, but I never happened -to run up against him before.”</p> - -<p>“I hope I never will again,” said Cody devoutly.</p> - -<p>But he was doomed to meet the Mad Hunter again, -and to learn that about him that caused the Border -King much sorrow of spirit.</p> - -<p>The scouts remained on the island during the night, -and late the next day started out to find their mounts. -There was a swamp several miles away, and, knowing -well the keen instinct of their horses, the scouts went -to it, and in less than twenty-four hours found both -Chief and the other, much mud-bespattered, but in -good condition. And their arms, though somewhat -rusted, were safe.</p> - -<p>The forest fire had burned over a large tract of -country, had driven away the game, and had cleared -the territory of Indians. So the scouts separated to -follow the trails of different bands of reds and spot -their new villages. Their duty was to find and report -upon every new encampment of the redskins, that the -department might keep tabs on the movements of the -savages.</p> - -<p>Cody kept his eyes open for traces of the bandits, -but during the following week learned nothing of the -movements of Boyd Bennett and his gang.</p> - -<p>He was thinking of going to a certain rendezvous<span class="pagenum">[175]</span> -where he expected to join Texas Jack, when he came -suddenly upon a spectacle in a little valley that brought -him up standing. So appalling—and unexpected—was -the scene that it seemed for the moment as though -his heart stopped beating!</p> - -<p>Over a score of figures in blue lay in the little cup-shaped -coulée, where they had fallen battling for life!</p> - -<p>There they lay, partly stripped of their uniforms in -some cases, robbed of their weapons, and lying amid -their foes, hideous, painted savages, whom their red -companions, in their haste to fly from the fearful -scene, had not borne off to burial. Yet they had found -time to tear the scalp-lock from the head of each white -man.</p> - -<p>They lay in no order. The battle had been of the -fiercest, and hand to hand. Here a trooper; there another—a -redskin, an officer, a chief, a caparisoned -steed, an Indian pony—all dead they lay and huddled -together by the riverside in the tiny valley.</p> - -<p>Upon this scene Buffalo Bill came suddenly, just -as the sun was about to drop below the western hills. -The sight shocked and sickened him. Man of iron -heart and steel nerves that he was, the sight made him -reel in his saddle. He reined in his good horse, until -it rose upon its haunches, and covered his eyes with one -gauntleted hand as though to shut out the awful sight.</p> - -<p>An instant only did the scout show this weakness; -then he scrutinized the red field which had flashed like -some horrid vision on his sight.</p> - -<p>White-faced as the dead, with eyes which scrutinized -each form and feature of the white men, the scout -counted the slain. Gradually his own orbs flashed<span class="pagenum">[176]</span> -with the fires of rage, and his lips became livid and -quivering.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, with a stifled cry, he leaped from his -horse’s back and strode to one figure that lay stark -at one side. It was in contact with a heap of slain -on a knoll at the foot of a rock.</p> - -<p>Here the end had evidently come. This spot was -plainly the last act of the fearful drama. Here the -curtain of doom had fallen upon the remnant of the -gallant band, to rise no more for them in this life!</p> - -<p>A groan issued from the scout’s lips, and he bowed -his head in grief. There, with face upturned, lying in -an attitude that showed he had died fighting to the -last, lay Lieutenant Dick Danforth!</p> - -<p>The boy’s left hand grasped the barrel of an empty -revolver; he had used it as a club at close quarters. -The right held his sword-hilt, the blade buried in the -body of a painted chief, whose death was probably the -last act of the dying leader of the slaughtered troops.</p> - -<p>About him lay the foe, piled in heaps. Dick Danforth -had sold his life at a dear price, indeed. And -the fiends had run without scalping him!</p> - -<p>“Danforth dead!” murmured the scout. “It cannot -be possible.”</p> - -<p>Yet it was true; he saw it plainly before he touched -the already stiffening body. Merely by some freak of -circumstances the young man had not been scalped.</p> - -<p>“Devils’ work this!” muttered the scout. He -glanced again over the field. There were many points -that had at first escaped his attention. For instance, -there were shod horses lying dead that had never been -ridden by either cavalrymen or Indian!</p> - -<p>“Aye, Indians did the deed, but there is a paleface<span class="pagenum">[177]</span> -hand behind it, and I mean to ferret out the fiend -who inspired it,” said Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>He dropped upon his knees again and felt of Danforth’s -body. There, in a voice quivering with sorrow -and passion, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“Aye! here beside the body of the man whom I loved—who -saved me from death—I swear revenge on the -instigator of this crime!”</p> - -<p>In his deep feeling he spoke these words aloud. A -sound smote upon his ear. He sprang to his feet with -a cry and turned as a harsh voice pealed out behind -him:</p> - -<p>“And <em>I</em> swear, Buffalo Bill, that you shall never keep -the oath your lips have just uttered!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">“THE DEATH KILLER.”</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Buffalo Bill had believed himself alone with the -dead on this field of blood, and the voice fell like a -knell upon his ear. For the moment he was half-unmanned. -Then he wheeled completely to face the -speaker.</p> - -<p>He knew then that he had an old and deadly foe to -deal with. His discovery, however, brought the scout -to himself. He recovered his presence of mind, and -in a tone that was reckless in its defiance, he cried:</p> - -<p>“So we meet again, do we, Bennett? And you think -you hold the trumps once more?”</p> - -<p>“I do—and likewise a revolver at your head, Cody!” -declared the bandit. “Drop your rifle!”</p> - -<p>The scout obeyed. The pistol in Bennett’s hand was<span class="pagenum">[178]</span> -a well-timed argument. To all appearances the man -was an Indian chief, for he was bedecked with feathers, -his face was hideously painted, and he wore the full -attire of a redskin, from moccasins to war-bonnet.</p> - -<p>At his back, with rifles and arrows likewise covering -the scout, were a score of braves who had, with -the stealthy tread of panthers, followed their leader -to the spot where Buffalo Bill had mourned over the -bodies of the slain white men. Cody knew well that -he was at the mercy of a merciless foe.</p> - -<p>“You know me, do you, Cody?” said the bandit.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know you—even if you’ve turned squaw-man,” -said Cody bitterly. “I recognize your black -heart under the paint and feathers.”</p> - -<p>“Have a care, scout, for every word of insult you -heap upon me shall increase your torture at the stake.”</p> - -<p>“I see you’ve got it all mapped out for my finish,” -said Cody.</p> - -<p>“You will not escape me this time, Buffalo Bill!” -declared the bandit chief exultingly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be too sure.”</p> - -<p>“Nay. It is settled. You are in my power. There -can be no rescue here. <em>There</em> lies the one who cheated -my vengeance before. He has paid the price.”</p> - -<p>“True. And <em>his</em> death must be paid for,” muttered -the scout.</p> - -<p>“But not by you, Cody.”</p> - -<p>“Wait!” was the enigmatical word of the Border -King, his eyes flashing the hate he felt for his sneering -captor.</p> - -<p>“Do not tempt me too far, you dog!” exclaimed Bennett. -“Remember you pay for all this when you come -to die.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[179]</span></p> - -<p>“Aye; when I <em>do</em> come to die! But I am one who -believes that while there is life there is still hope, you -accursed renegade!”</p> - -<p>“That belief will not benefit you now, Cody. You -are a dead man already.”</p> - -<p>“I’m the liveliest dead man <em>you</em> ever saw!”</p> - -<p>The renegade looked as though he was about to -shoot the scout in his tracks; but he caught sight of -the smile that curled Cody’s lips, and, not understanding -it, refrained. Indeed, he looked all about, somewhat -nervously, to try to discover the meaning of the -scout’s expression.</p> - -<p>“You must have help at hand, or you would not be -so defiant, Buffalo Bill.”</p> - -<p>“That may be,” said the scout non-committingly.</p> - -<p>“At least, these will not help you,” said Boyd Bennett, -with a horrible smile, pointing to the stark figures -in the valley.</p> - -<p>“Not one left to tell the story—no prisoners?” -queried Cody sorrowfully, forgetting for the moment -his own peril.</p> - -<p>“No, no! Chief Oak Heart wanted no prisoners -from Danforth’s band. I told the chief that Danforth -and his men were come to take him captive—that -they had sworn to do it! Ha! ha! That was rich, -eh? So every man of them died.”</p> - -<p>“And he came for <em>you</em>,” said Cody bitterly.</p> - -<p>“Aye; and met the death he deserved; but a more -merciful death than <em>you</em> will meet, scout. I do not -need to stir up the red men’s rage against <em>you</em>. They -will receive you with great joy at Oak Heart’s encampment.”</p> - -<p>“And you fought with these savages?” cried Cody.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[180]</span></p> - -<p>“I did. And killed as they killed—without mercy.”</p> - -<p>“You do not fear to admit your crimes.”</p> - -<p>“Why should I? For am I not speaking to one who -will soon be dead? Bah! you can no longer frighten -me, Buffalo Bill!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it looks as though I was near my finish; I do -not deny it,” said Cody quietly. “But tell me one -thing, Boyd Bennett. Did you kill Lieutenant Danforth -yourself?”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to say I did not. There was a good -deal of hot work right here. But Red Knife claims -the honor of having delivered the finishing-stroke. -We were returning to take the scalp-lock——”</p> - -<p>“By Heaven, man! you shall not do it!” roared -Cody, starting forward.</p> - -<p>But a dozen rifles clicked, and he knew that he was -helpless. He fell back again. Bennett laughed.</p> - -<p>“Chief Oak Heart refused to allow any of his braves -to scalp Danforth because he had fought so boldly.”</p> - -<p>“God bless the old red sinner for that!” murmured -the much wrought-upon scout.</p> - -<p>Bennett laughed again.</p> - -<p>“But I am Death Killer, the medicine-chief, and I -have come back myself to take the scalp-lock from the -head of the man against whom I swore revenge.”</p> - -<p>“Boyd Bennett! accursed though you be, with a -heart blacker than the foulest redskin can boast of, -you would not do this wrong!” cried Buffalo Bill, in -horror.</p> - -<p>“Watch me, scout.”</p> - -<p>“You shall not do it!”</p> - -<p>“You are mistaken; I shall. I came back with Red -Knife and a few of the braves to point me out the<span class="pagenum">[181]</span> -place where Danforth fell. On the way we saw you -arrive, and we dogged your steps to the very corpse of -your friend.</p> - -<p>“Ha, Cody! this is sweet—this revenge. My kind -have cast me off. Well, then! I cast the white men -off! I spit upon them! I slay them! And now I -scalp my enemy!”</p> - -<p>Bennett had worked himself into a species of frenzy. -He sprang forward now, dropping his revolver, knife -in hand, to carry out his threat.</p> - -<p>“Never shall you do this crime—not if this is my -last act on earth!” shouted the scout.</p> - -<p>As he spoke he suddenly jerked a revolver from his -belt, threw it forward, and fired pointblank at Boyd -Bennett, all with the quickness of a flash of light!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE WHITE ANTELOPE INTERFERES.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>So rapid and unexpected was this movement of Buffalo -Bill, in drawing his revolver and firing it, that not -one of the warriors who stood behind the renegade -chief—some with arrows already fitted to their bows, -and others with rifles covering the scout—had time to -fire.</p> - -<p>Yet, swift as he had been, one eye was quick enough -to send an arrow upon its errand. The shaft struck -the outstretched arm of the scout just as his finger -pulled the trigger of his weapon, and the shock -destroyed his aim.</p> - -<p>Having made this daring move, however, and believing -that death must follow the deed, Buffalo Bill<span class="pagenum">[182]</span> -dropped his left hand upon his second pistol, determined -to press the fight, kill Bennett, and die as -had the brave man at his feet—fighting to the last!</p> - -<p>Maddened with rage and thirsting for the life of -his foe, Boyd Bennett shouted to his warriors to rush -upon the scout and take him alive that he might end -his career by cruel torture. But suddenly a slender -form darted before the red braves, and, with arrow set -in readiness to let fly, the White Antelope thrust herself -between the white man and the reds who would -have seized him.</p> - -<p>“Let the Sioux braves hold their hands. The White -Antelope commands it!”</p> - -<p>Like one man the reds halted, and even the renegade -shrank back a step, gazing in fear and wonder -on the apparition of the beautiful girl.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, too, gazed upon the chief’s daughter -in amazement. He knew now that the arrow he drew -from the wound in his right forearm had been driven -home by the girl; yet now she stood between him and -his foes.</p> - -<p>Her attitude evidently astonished Bennett as much -as it did Cody himself, for the renegade cried:</p> - -<p>“Why has the White Antelope become the friend of -the slayer of her people? The man she shelters is -Pa-e-has-ka, the Long Hair.”</p> - -<p>“The arrow of the White Antelope brings blood -from the arm of Pa-e-has-ka. Is that the way in -which a Sioux shows friendship?” asked the young -girl scornfully.</p> - -<p>“Then the White Antelope yields the paleface foe to -the medicine chief of her tribe?”</p> - -<p>“No!” was the decided response.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[183]</span></p> - -<p>“What would you do?” demanded the renegade -angrily.</p> - -<p>“I will deliver Pa-e-has-ka to the great chief, my -father, Oak Heart.”</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope is no warrior,” sneered the -renegade. “Are there not braves enough loyal to Oak -Heart to carry out his will upon this paleface?”</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope may be no warrior,” said the -girl; “but she has just saved the life of the Death -Killer.”</p> - -<p>At this Buffalo Bill laughed aloud, for the shot was -a good one, and his seeming indifference to his peril -caused the daughter of the chief to turn her eyes upon -him. She scanned the scout from head to foot. What -was in her thoughts he could not guess; but, suddenly, -deciding upon a course of action, she stepped boldly to -the side of Buffalo Bill, and touched with tender fingers -the wounded arm which he had bared.</p> - -<p>“If the Long Hair has ointment for the wound, it -would be better to bind it,” she said to him.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill opened his pouch, and the girl found -the salve and bandages he always carried. Meanwhile, -the scout sucked the wound to remove any foreign matter -that might have been driven into it by the arrowhead. -Then the Indian maiden bound up the hurt -while the renegade looked on sullenly.</p> - -<p>“Why is the Long Hair here—so near the village -of the Sioux?” she asked Buffalo Bill, when this act -of kindness was performed.</p> - -<p>“I chanced upon the place. I saw the dead. Here -lies my friend—the young man whom I loved as a -son,” said the scout, pointing to the body of Danforth.<span class="pagenum">[184]</span> -“He and his men have been all slain by the -Sioux.”</p> - -<p>“They were enemies,” said the girl simply.</p> - -<p>“But they had not come out to disturb the red men.”</p> - -<p>“Why were they here?”</p> - -<p>“To find and take prisoner that villain yonder!” exclaimed -Buffalo Bill, scowling at Boyd Bennett in his -war-paint and feathers. “That man who is neither -white nor red, but a squaw-man! He had committed -crimes against the white man’s law and should be -punished by that law.”</p> - -<p>“My father heard that the palefaces were coming -to seize him.”</p> - -<p>“Another lie of that renegade!” exclaimed the scout. -“And while I mourned over the body of this young -man, the villain came upon me, returning, as he declares, -to tear the scalp from the head of the white -chief whom he was not brave enough himself to -kill!”</p> - -<p>The girl seemed to understand. She glanced from -the body of Danforth to the rage-inflamed face of Boyd -Bennett.</p> - -<p>“Is it from this dead white chief’s head the Killer -would take the scalp?” she asked haughtily.</p> - -<p>“Aye; and I <em>will</em> have it!” cried Bennett.</p> - -<p>“Did the young paleface fall by thy hand, Death -Killer?” demanded the maiden, with all the dignity of -a judge.</p> - -<p>“It matters not. Forget not, oh, White Antelope, -that I am the medicine chief of the Sioux——”</p> - -<p>“And see that the Death Killer forget not that <em>I</em> -am the daughter of Oak Heart!” she interrupted.</p> - -<p>“I acknowledge that fact,” sneered Boyd Bennett.<span class="pagenum">[185]</span> -“But the White Antelope has no control over the acts -of the Death Killer.”</p> - -<p>“Did the paleface fall to your prowess?” she demanded -again, looking the renegade sternly in the eye.</p> - -<p>An Indian stepped forward. He carried a blood-stained -war-club in one hand. In a deep guttural he -said:</p> - -<p>“The white chief’s scalp should be Red Knife’s; -he brought him low at last with a blow of his club. -But the great chief, Oak Heart, forbade that we take -the scalp of so brave a warrior.”</p> - -<p>“Then why does the Death Killer wish to do that -which is forbidden by my father?” cried the girl -quickly.</p> - -<p>“Is it the White Antelope’s place to question the -medicine chief of her tribe?” demanded the painted -white man, with haughty demeanor. “The scalp of -the dead bluecoat is my prize!”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill saw indecision in the Indian maiden’s -face. He knew how superstitious the redskins were -regarding the mysterious powers claimed by all medicine -chiefs. In some way—by some manner of fake -magic—Boyd Bennett had roused the superstitious -reverence of the Sioux, and Buffalo Bill did not know -how greatly the chief’s daughter might be tainted by -this feeling of reverence for the villainous renegade.</p> - -<p>“Let not this crime be done, White Antelope,” he -said in her ear. “Remember what Pa-e-has-ka told -you in the cañon, when he had you in his power. He -knows much. He was once your mother’s trusted -friend. And he warns you now—as you hope for -peace of soul and body—not to allow the dead young -man to be so treated by your people.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[186]</span></p> - -<p>The girl turned upon him suddenly, with wide-open -eyes.</p> - -<p>“What does Long Hair mean? What is this dead -paleface to her?”</p> - -<p>“That Long Hair may not tell thee, oh, White Antelope. -Trust him——”</p> - -<p>“Trust a paleface!”</p> - -<p>“Trust one who has given you back to your father -when he might have taken your life, or held you -prisoner.”</p> - -<p>“Aye, Long Hair, thou didst that. It is true.”</p> - -<p>“And believe me,” the scout said, more earnestly -still, in English, not wishing the other Indians to -understand; “this dead paleface whom even the great -chief Oak Heart admired for his bravery, is more to -the White Antelope than she knows. The time will -come when I can explain all to you, girl—but not -now!”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” demanded Boyd Bennett, stepping -forward. “What’s this foolishness you are telling the -girl?”</p> - -<p>But the White Antelope haughtily waved him back.</p> - -<p>“Let the Death Killer stand away. The chief’s -daughter can care for herself. And let not one of -these dead palefaces be further disturbed. It is my -will!”</p> - -<p>The waiting Indians grunted agreement. They were -willing enough to obey the beautiful princess. The -White Antelope turned again to Buffalo Bill:</p> - -<p>“Where are the paleface brothers of Pa-e-has-ka?”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill pointed in the direction from which he -had come.</p> - -<p>“Far away.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[187]</span></p> - -<p>“The White Antelope is his foe, and the foe of his -people; but she wishes not to see the wolves and the -vultures tear the bodies of brave men for food. The -Sioux have come to remove their dead. Let Pa-e-has-ka -go bring his brother warriors to remove the -paleface slain.”</p> - -<p>At that Boyd Bennett uttered an oath and sprang -forward.</p> - -<p>“Not that, girl! You’re crazy!”</p> - -<p>“We’ll see who wears the breeches in this family, -Boyd Bennett!” laughed the scout.</p> - -<p>“You shall not leave this spot alive, Bill Cody!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, shucks! Don’t speak so harshly,” gibed the -scout.</p> - -<p>The girl raised her hand. Without looking at the -renegade, she said to Buffalo Bill:</p> - -<p>“But Pa-e-has-ka must make the White Antelope a -promise.”</p> - -<p>“All right. What is it?”</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope came from the great chief -Oak Heart, who told her to seek the paleface warriors -and tell them where to find their dead. He bids them -to come here and remove their slain in peace, and not -to follow on the track of his people. Will Pa-e-has-ka -tell the big chief the words of Oak Heart?”</p> - -<p>“I will.”</p> - -<p>“Then Pa-e-has-ka must promise to return and yield -himself to the Sioux.”</p> - -<p>She looked Buffalo Bill straight in the eye as she -stated her condition, and he saw that she meant exactly -what she said; but he asked:</p> - -<p>“Does the White Antelope mean that I am to give<span class="pagenum">[188]</span> -myself up to the red warriors after I have guided the -bluecoats here?”</p> - -<p>“She has spoken.”</p> - -<p>“And this is the promise she wishes Pa-e-has-ka to -make?”</p> - -<p>The Indian girl nodded.</p> - -<p>“Why should Pa-e-has-ka return?”</p> - -<p>“He is the captive of the medicine chief, Death -Killer, now; but White Antelope lets him go free that -the paleface braves lie not unburied, and that the other -white warriors take heed not to follow upon the trail -of the Sioux. Will Pa-e-has-ka promise?”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was silent for a moment. If he refused -he knew that her protection would cease. If he agreed -to her condition he must keep his word, be the end -what it might. And that end looked to the scout much -like an ironwood stake, a hot fire, and a bunch of -naked red devils dancing a two-step about him while -he slowly crisped to a cinder!</p> - -<p>There was a loophole. He made a mental reservation -that, after bearing the tidings of the massacre to -the fort, and delivering Oak Heart’s warning, he -would return to the Sioux encampment—but with a -force behind him that would surprise the redskins!</p> - -<p>“I agree,” he said finally.</p> - -<p>“Trust not the fox-tongue of the Long Hair!” cried -Boyd Bennett violently. “He will not keep his -pledge.”</p> - -<p>“The paleface is the foe of my people, but his -tongue is straight,” declared the Indian maiden, with -confidence.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill began secretly to weaken on that “mental -reservation.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[189]</span></p> - -<p>“But he will come with a force at his back and burn -the Indian village,” cried the renegade.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had to give the fellow credit for having -divined his purpose; but the girl turned scornfully -from the squaw-man.</p> - -<p>“Pa-e-has-ka is not two-faced. He is not a turncoat,” -she said sneeringly. “The White Antelope will -believe that the Long Hair will return alone.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill at that completely abandoned the “mental -reservation” clause.</p> - -<p>“Bet your life he will!” he exclaimed. “I’ll come -back as I promise, girl.”</p> - -<p>“Then let Pa-e-has-ka go.”</p> - -<p>But as she spoke the command, Boyd Bennett once -more sprang forward. He covered the scout with his -rifle and cried:</p> - -<p>“I am the medicine chief of the Sioux, and I say -the paleface dog shall not go!”</p> - -<p>Then in English he declared:</p> - -<p>“Your hour has come, Buffalo Bill. You die here -and now!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A GIRL’S WORD.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The instant the renegade uttered the threat, Buffalo -Bill placed himself upon guard by drawing his -revolvers and covering the scoundrel. His wounded -arm was sore, but the nerves had recovered from the -shock of the arrow-wound, and he could hold his gun -steadily enough. The renegade was so near at best -that the scout could not miss him!</p> - -<p>But the scout did not shoot. The White Antelope<span class="pagenum">[190]</span> -with flashing eyes, sprang to the front, and she, too, -aimed her arrow at Boyd Bennett.</p> - -<p>The warriors—or the bulk of them, at least—were -surprised by Buffalo Bill’s action, and their several -weapons were in line for the scout’s heart before they -noted the White Antelope’s action. Then several of -them dropped their guns, and their facial expression -was as foolish as it was possible for so stoical a set -of faces to be!</p> - -<p>For a moment the tableau continued. A sudden motion -might have precipitated a bloody, though brief, -conflict. Buffalo Bill, though pale, was stern and determined, -his eyes riveted upon the face of Boyd Bennett. -He felt that the girl was friendly to him, and he -knew her influence among the Sioux.</p> - -<p>“Why do you not bring that finger to the trigger of -your rifle, Bennett?” he asked sneeringly. “It won’t -go off otherwise.”</p> - -<p>The girl looked at the warriors and commanded -quickly:</p> - -<p>“Let the braves of Oak Heart turn their weapons -from the heart of Pa-e-has-ka, the paleface chief.”</p> - -<p>To the delight of Buffalo Bill, the command was instantly -obeyed. Much as they might have feared the -power of the medicine chief, Oak Heart was greater, -and his daughter was here as his representative.</p> - -<p>That Boyd Bennett was nonplused by this move was -plain. His face fell, and he lowered his own rifle. -But the scowl of deadly hatred which he bestowed on -the white man threatened vengeance at some future -date.</p> - -<p>“I reckon the redskins are trumps, old man, and the -girl holds a full hand of them!” laughed Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[191]</span></p> - -<p>“It is your time to laugh now, Cody. But mine will -come,” gritted the renegade.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I can’t expect to laugh always, Bennett; but,” -and the scout changed his speech to the Sioux dialect, -that all the warriors might understand; “let the renegade -paleface meet me now in personal combat, and -settle the matter at once. Long Hair does not fear a -fair fight with the mighty Death Killer!” he added -sneeringly.</p> - -<p>The nods and grunts of the warriors showed that -they approved of this proposal. Although they could -not quite agree with the White Antelope’s friendliness -with Buffalo Bill, they saw that he was a brave man—as, -indeed, they knew well before—and a duel to the -death seemed to their savage minds the only way to -properly decide the controversy between their medicine -chief and the scout. They looked at Bennett expectantly.</p> - -<p>But the renegade was not desirous of meeting Buffalo -Bill with any weapon he might name! He knew -the scout’s prowess too well. His desire was to see the -scout writhing in the embrace of the flames, or standing -bound as a target for the hatchet-marksmen of the -Indian tribe with which he was affiliated.</p> - -<p>He dared not seem to refuse the challenge, however, -for he would then lose completely his influence with -Oak Heart’s braves. But suddenly he caught sight of -the Indian maiden’s face, and that he read like an open -book!</p> - -<p>“The enemy of the Sioux has spoken well. We will -fight!” exclaimed Boyd Bennett promptly, but with a -crafty smile wreathing his lips.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[192]</span></p> - -<p>“The White Antelope says ‘No!’” exclaimed the Indian -girl, facing the renegade.</p> - -<p>As he was so sure she would veto the proposition, -the wily Bennett was eager to urge the duel.</p> - -<p>“Why does the daughter of the great chief interfere? -She says that Pa-e-has-ka is not her friend, and -yet she shields him.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had to chuckle over this. He couldn’t -help it. He saw through the whole game of Bennett’s, -and it amused him.</p> - -<p>“No, the Long Hair shall not fight the medicine -chief,” declared the girl earnestly.</p> - -<p>“And why not?” demanded Bennett, with continued -haughtiness.</p> - -<p>“Because if they fought, the white man would wear -the medicine chief’s scalp at his belt,” declared the -young girl. “The white man shall go his way, bring -his brothers to bury the paleface dead, and then deliver -himself to Oak Heart, as he has promised.”</p> - -<p>“And you can make up your mind, Boyd Bennett, -that she says one very true thing,” declared Buffalo -Bill. “Whenever we <em>do</em> fight, you’ll go under! Mark -that! I’ll run you down yet and nail your scalp to the -wall of Fort Advance as a warning to all horse-thieves, -stage-robbers, and deserters!”</p> - -<p>The White Antelope spoke quickly before the wrathful -Bennett could reply to this challenge:</p> - -<p>“Let the paleface go to his big chief. There is his -horse. Yonder is his weapon. Mount, Pa-e-has-ka, -and away!”</p> - -<p>“Aye, girl,” said Cody, in English; “but what will -happen to this poor young man if I go, leaving that<span class="pagenum">[193]</span> -brute here? He will tear the scalp from Danforth’s -head as soon as my back, and yours, are turned.”</p> - -<p>“That he shall not!” exclaimed the White Antelope.</p> - -<p>“You do not know his treachery,” said Buffalo Bill, -who knew that the very deed was in Bennett’s mind.</p> - -<p>“I have told the white man that the brave young -chief shall not be mistreated.”</p> - -<p>“Your word on it, girl?”</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope has spoken. She will guard -the body of the young white chief herself until Pa-e-has-ka’s -return.”</p> - -<p>“Good!” exclaimed Buffalo Bill. “And, my girl, -you’ll never be sorry for this mercy shown the corpse -of that poor young man.”</p> - -<p>The girl looked at him strangely.</p> - -<p>“The Long Hair will return, as he has promised, to -the village of Oak Heart?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll keep my word; do you keep yours,” said the -scout.</p> - -<p>“Pa-e-has-ka’s tongue is straight?”</p> - -<p>“As sure as I live, I’ll come back, girl!” declared the -scout earnestly.</p> - -<p>The next instant he mounted Chief unmolested, having -picked up his rifle, settled himself in the saddle, -seized the reins, and dashed away. As he mounted the -ridge he looked back. The reds were busy separating -their own slain from the dead soldiers. The tall figure -of the medicine chief was stalking angrily from the -scene. White Antelope was down on her knees by the -body of Dick Danforth, the dead lieutenant. With a -dumb ache at his heart, and little thought for his own -coming peril, Buffalo Bill went over the rise and -spurred away for Fort Advance.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[194]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE MAD HUNTER.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>In the valley a cavalry command was encamped, -some hours after the battle in which Lieutenant Dick -Danforth and his men had been overwhelmed by Oak -Heart’s ambuscade.</p> - -<p>It was just sunset, but twilight among the mountains -is sometimes four hours long—a man might see to read -fine print at nine o’clock.</p> - -<p>The command had ridden hard and were a-wearied, -so the party had bivouacked early, the guide reporting -that the ridge before them afforded no good camping-ground. -The horses were soon lariated out, and scores -of camp-fires were kindled along the banks of the -stream, while the cheerful rattle of dishes and the smell -of cooking sharpened the appetites of the troopers.</p> - -<p>Leaving his servant to prepare his frugal meal, the -commander of the soldiers strode up the hillside toward -the summit of the ridge, the better to view the -valley and its boundaries while daylight lingered.</p> - -<p>“Be careful, captain, for I look for Injuns hereabouts,” -called the guide, who was Texas Jack.</p> - -<p>“All right, Jack. I’ll signal if I see any signs of -the red scamps,” returned the fearless officer, as he -strode on up the ascent.</p> - -<p>Once or twice he turned to enjoy the scene of beauty -spreading below him—the lovely valley, the winding -stream, the picturesque bivouac of the troopers, and the -distant blue hills, on which the light was fading rapidly. -At length he reached the point from which he<span class="pagenum">[195]</span> -could view a part of the country through which the -morrow’s trail would lead them.</p> - -<p>Below him, on that side of the ridge, all was shadow -now, for the ridge shut off the last glow of the golden -western sky; but the summits of the hills and ridges -were still bathed in the departing sun’s radiance. The -scene so impressed him that, quite unconsciously, the -officer spoke aloud:</p> - -<p>“No wonder that poor Lo loves this land so well -that he’s willing to fight for it. It is a pity it must -ever be settled, and cut up into farms and homesteads—and -possibly, town lots! The life of the free savage is -the best, after all!”</p> - -<p>“Well said, captain! But I’ve got the drop on you!”</p> - -<p>The officer started as the voice fell upon his ears, -and, dropping his hand upon his sword-hilt, turned to -face the speaker. Before him, and not six paces distant, -having just stepped from a dense thicket, was an -apparition which, at first sight, the officer scarce realized -was human!</p> - -<p>And yet, no other shape was near, and from the -lips of the strange being that confronted him had fallen -the threatening words he had heard.</p> - -<p>“Who and what are you?” cried the officer sternly, -his eyes beholding a being of gigantic size, clad in the -skins of beasts, so that at first sight he appeared more -like a grizzly bear reared upon its hind legs!</p> - -<p>About the waist of the giant was a red fox-skin -belt, in which were slung two revolvers and a large -knife; upon his head was a panther-skin cap, the tail -hanging down the man’s back, and on his feet were -moccasins of black bearskin. Hair black as night fell -to his waist; beard of the same hue matted and unkempt;<span class="pagenum">[196]</span> -and a dark, haggard face, out of which glittered -the wildest eyes it had ever been the officer’s fortune -to see.</p> - -<p>To finish this terrifying picture, the strange being -held a rifle at his shoulder, and that rifle was aimed -now at the military officer’s heart!</p> - -<p>“You ask who and what I am?” repeated the creature, -in a deep voice.</p> - -<p>“I do,” said the soldier, measuring him with the eye -of a hawk.</p> - -<p>He had instantly seen that he was in the presence -of a maniac—a person utterly irresponsible for his -acts. Whether he was to be cajoled out of his present -murderous condition of mind, the soldier did not -know. But he was watching for some wavering of -the rifle which might tell him that the fellow was off -his guard, and that there might be a chance to spring -under his guard and seize him.</p> - -<p>“You are a bold man to question me, captain!” said -the giant sternly.</p> - -<p>“I know it; but I’ve an overpowering curiosity to -find out,” and the captain dropped his hand carelessly -upon the butt of the pistol he carried at his hip.</p> - -<p>“Hands up!” exclaimed the fellow, seeing the movement. -“Hands up, or you are a dead man!”</p> - -<p>Hoping that he might yet parley with the maniac, -the officer obeyed. It were better, perhaps, had he -drawn his gun and risked a shot. The giant looked at -him with wicked, glowing eyes.</p> - -<p>“I will tell you who I am, officer,” he whispered -hoarsely. “I am a <em>madman</em>!”</p> - -<p>The last word he fairly shrieked; yet not for a second<span class="pagenum">[197]</span> -did he forget his victim, nor did his hand tremble. -The rifle still transfixed the helpless officer.</p> - -<p>But the officer was a kindly man, and although he -believed himself in peril of his life still, the brave man -ever has pity for those touched in the head. He said -quietly:</p> - -<p>“My poor man, lower your weapon and come with -me down to yonder camp. Those are Uncle Sam’s -troops down there. They will take care of you.”</p> - -<p>“Ha!” cried the maniac furiously. “I need no one -to care for me. I can care for myself. You’d much -better be thinking of help for yourself, captain.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then I’ll go along and look for that help,” -said the officer easily.</p> - -<p>“Don’t move!”</p> - -<p>“But, my dear fellow——”</p> - -<p>“Hold! Address no words of kindness to me, for -they are thrown away upon one whose duty it is to -slay.”</p> - -<p>“But it surely isn’t your duty to kill <em>me</em>!”</p> - -<p>“Aye—you, too.”</p> - -<p>“But what have I done to you?”</p> - -<p>“It matters not. Mankind has done enough to me. -I am appointed to slay, and slay I will!”</p> - -<p>“It’s nice to know your duty so clearly,” said the -officer easily. “But aren’t you liable to make a mistake?”</p> - -<p>“No! Never a mistake. Once I might have made -a mistake. That was when I believed I was called of -God to kill the redskins only. I know better now.”</p> - -<p>“Well!” murmured the officer, hoping to catch the -madman off his guard, if only for a moment.</p> - -<p>“I saw the error of my ways,” cried the madman.<span class="pagenum">[198]</span> -“I beheld my sins. I had neglected the full measure -of my duty.”</p> - -<p>“So killing redskins didn’t satisfy you, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Why should I kill the savages alone? I saw white -men quite as brutal—aye, more brutal—than the red. -I saw them commit the same atrocities. I saw white -rangers rip the scalps from the head of their dead foes; -I saw the soldiers storm the Indian encampments and -kill the squaws and the papoose at the breast! Aye! -how much better are the whites than the red men?”</p> - -<p>“And having seen all this bloody warfare, you wish -to add to the sum total of horror by killing everybody -you come across, do you, old fellow?”</p> - -<p>“You are all alike to me. I kill. That is the way I -obtain ammunition and arms. The arms and cartridges -you carry are mine!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll give them to you right now, if you want -them,” exclaimed the captain eagerly. “You won’t -have to kill me to get them. Really, it isn’t necessary. -I’ll do the polite and hand them over.”</p> - -<p>To himself he thought:</p> - -<p>“And I’ll hand you something that will do you a lot -of good the first chance I get!”</p> - -<p>But the madman was not to be fooled so easily.</p> - -<p>“Nay, nay! Your bullets would not fly true for me -were you alive,” declared the giant. “I am the Mad -Hunter. Have you heard of me?”</p> - -<p>“I have heard of such a character,” admitted the -captain.</p> - -<p>“I am he, and if you know of me you must know -that I show mercy to none—not even to one wearing -the uniform you do. No, no! I spare neither my own -race—for I was white once, before I became like the<span class="pagenum">[199]</span> -beasts that perish—nor the redskin. All fall before -me.”</p> - -<p>The man spoke with intensity; yet not a motion -gave the officer hope of his chance to spring on him. -The man’s nerves were of steel; he held the rifle as -though it and his own body were of stone; yet the -glittering eyes showed his victim that if he dropped his -hands a bullet would end his career on the instant.</p> - -<p>“But, you know, <em>I</em> haven’t harmed you, my poor -man,” said the officer.</p> - -<p>“All mankind are my foes,” said the Mad Hunter, -in his strong monotone, and without moving. “Come! -the night draws near, and I have yet to travel many -miles to my cave in the mountains.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t let me detain you, old man,” said the officer. -“Won’t it do just as well another day?”</p> - -<p>“Come! prepare to die. If you have prayers to -say, repeat them quickly. It is growing dark.”</p> - -<p>Now, the officer didn’t care how dark it got before -the madman fired. Indeed, he would have been glad if -it suddenly became pitch-dark—so dark that he might -dodge away and escape the sinister weapon which held -its “bead” on his breast. He gave up all hope of -“talking the fellow out of it.” The madman meant to -kill him, and unless some miracle averted the fate, he -would very quickly be a dead man!</p> - -<p>The madman was a giant in build and strength. He -remembered now having heard the scouts tell many -strange stories of the Mad Hunter about the camp-fire. -For years he had been tracking about the Rockies, appearing -unexpectedly in first one locality and then another; -sometimes committing atrocious murders of inoffensive -people. But usually his presence was noted<span class="pagenum">[200]</span> -by the scouts by the dead bodies of Indians, their bodies -mutilated by a cross gashed with the madman’s knife -over their hearts. He put this insignia upon every -redskin he killed, so that even the savages—who feared -him as some spirit and altogether supernatural—knew -who to lay the death of their friends to when the Mad -Hunter was about.</p> - -<p>Whether the giant had a habit of marking his white -victims in the same way, the captain did not know; -but it was a suggestion that did not tranquilize his -nerves. To cope with the giant he knew would be -impossible. He was a tall and strong man himself; -but the maniac could have handled three men like the -officer with ease. A movement toward his revolver or -sword would be a signal for his death. Yet the officer -could not stand here helplessly and allow the maniac -to shoot him down!</p> - -<p>In full view below him were the camp-fires of his -men. The valley had grown dark now, but surely they -could see him clearly standing here on the summit of -the ridge. His body must loom big against the sky-line. -Yet it was plain they did not see the giant with -him.</p> - -<p><em>He</em> stood in the shadow of the thicket where he had -hidden at the officer’s approach. It was behind him, -and made him invisible to the men in the valley. To -call for aid would bring the end more quickly. So he -waited in silence, hoping against hope that some mad -freak of the maniac’s mind and humor might work for -his salvation.</p> - -<p>If the Mad Hunter kept his word, the officer had -but a few minutes to live. He looked all about the -vicinity, hoping he might see some chance of help. It<span class="pagenum">[201]</span> -was a desperate—a really hopeless thought. Who or -what could save him now?</p> - -<p>Suddenly his eyes became fixed upon the spur of a -hill that jutted out across a shallow valley. The lingering -rays of the sun touched the hill-spur redly. It -seemed much nearer to him than it really was, and -along its brink came a horse and rider!</p> - -<p>The officer gasped; then held his breath, and did -not change the mask of his face. He had learned long -since to hide emotion; but this was a terrible situation, -and he had almost lost his nerve.</p> - -<p>The horseman had evidently been about to descend -into the valley, when his glance fell upon the two men -standing like statues upon the opposite ridge. <em>He</em> -could see the giant huntsman, if the soldiers in the -other valley could not. He saw at once the attitude of -both men and understood. He drew rein, and the officer -at the same moment recognized him. Unconsciously -his lips parted, and the name of the rider came -from the officer in a quick gasp:</p> - -<p>“Buffalo Bill!”</p> - -<p>The keen ear of the mad hercules caught the name, -and, turning like a panther at bay, he saw the scout on -the distant spur. As he moved, the officer’s hands -dropped, and he seized the revolver from his belt. -Throwing it forward, he pulled the trigger as the madman -wheeled again toward him.</p> - -<p>But the hammer fell without exploding the cartridge. -The madman laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>“No, no!” he shouted. “The bullet is not cast that -will kill the Mad Hunter! The cartridge is not made -that will injure me!”</p> - -<p>The officer found his pistol-hammer jammed. He<span class="pagenum">[202]</span> -could not cock the weapon again. With a wild shriek -the maniac dropped his rifle, and, drawing his knife, -flung himself at his victim, intending evidently to kill -him with those slashes across the breast which usually -marked his dead.</p> - -<p>But in that awful moment the doomed man’s eyes -turned upon the distant spur, and he beheld the rifle -rise to the horseman’s shoulder. Desperate as was -the chance, Buffalo Bill intending risking a shot to -save him. He flung himself backward, as the madman -came on, leaving the field clear for the scout to fire.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXI">CHAPTER XXXI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">BUFFALO BILL’S GREAT SHOT.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>In that instant, as he was falling backward upon the -ground, knowing that if the huge madman reached him -before Buffalo Bill’s bullet reached its mark he would -be a dead man, a clear perception of the great mistake -he had made flashed through the captain’s mind. He -remembered that that morning when cleaning his revolver -he had noticed something wrong with the hammer, -and had put it aside, unloaded, to attend to later -in the day. But as he started from the camp that evening -to walk up the hill, and Texas Jack had called his -warning to him, he had picked up the weapon and -thrust it into his belt without looking at it.</p> - -<p>Had he not made this error he would have shot the -Mad Hunter dead in that instant when the giant turned -his head to look across the little valley. As he went -backward, the officer flung away his useless revolver -and clutched at his sword. But he could not get it<span class="pagenum">[203]</span> -from its scabbard in time. It was but half-drawn when -he landed upon his back with a shock that almost deprived -him of his senses!</p> - -<p>Fearful, indeed, were the chances against the officer. -He was absolutely helpless then, and like a tiger-cat the -madman had sprung at his falling body. He actually -was in the air with the blade of his knife poised to -thrust downward into the officer’s breast when the latter -heard the crack of Buffalo Bill’s rifle on the other -hillside.</p> - -<p>The keen eye of the scout on horseback had noted -every move of the game on the ridge. He recognized -the officer, and he guessed who the other man must be -when he saw his threatening attitude. It was a long -shot, and there was danger at first of his hitting the -captain instead of his foe.</p> - -<p>But when the former flung himself backward the -scout dared fire. And he pulled the trigger just in the -nick of time. The maniac was already plunging forward -to knife the supine soldier when the bullet sped -on its mission.</p> - -<p>With a scream the madman pitched forward, over-leaping -his victim, and falling on his face upon the -ground, the knife being plunged hilt deep into the soft -earth! A red streak showed across his scalp where -the bullet had grazed the man’s crown.</p> - -<p>“Bravo, bravo, Buffalo Bill! I owe my life to him—and -Heaven knows I was never in closer quarters with -death!” cried the officer, as he leaped up and drew his -sword to further defend himself.</p> - -<p>But the huge form lay still. The Mad Hunter lay -unconscious. Therefore, turning to the opposite hill, -he waved his hat, which he had picked up, to the horseman<span class="pagenum">[204]</span> -who was now spurring down into the valley. An -answering yell from Buffalo Bill showed that he saw -the officer was safe.</p> - -<p>The rifle-shot and the shout of the Border King -was unheard down there in the bigger valley; all this -tragic happening had been in sight of the camp of the -troopers, yet had chanced to go unnoticed. It was the -scout who had come upon the scene in the nick of time, -and who again had proved himself a hero.</p> - -<p>With rapid bounds the scout urged his big white -charger up the hill, from the shadows below to the -twilight of the ridge summit. Finally he pulled up, -threw himself from the saddle, and the officer caught -his gauntleted hand.</p> - -<p>“God bless you, Cody!”</p> - -<p>“Captain Ed. Keyes!”</p> - -<p>“Always in the right place at the right time, scout. -Another minute, and that old madman would have -sent me on my long journey, and no mistake!”</p> - -<p>“I came blamed near being in the wrong place, captain,” -said Cody seriously. “That was a long shot. I -was taking great chances, and if you hadn’t flung yourself -backward I should have scarcely risked firing at -all.”</p> - -<p>Then he turned to view the prostrate form of the -madman, and said:</p> - -<p>“It’s that crazy fellow they talk about, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“So he said. He seemed to be proud of his reputation.”</p> - -<p>“The Mad Hunter!”</p> - -<p>“Yes. And mad he certainly is—poor fellow. I -suppose he’s not to be blamed for what he can’t help. -But he’s better dead than at large. Ugh! Another<span class="pagenum">[205]</span> -moment, and he’d had his devil’s cross slashed on my -breast, I fancy.”</p> - -<p>“You had a narrow squeak, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I certainly did. Is he dead?”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was stooping over the giant. He turned -him over so that his face was visible in the half-light.</p> - -<p>“<em>That</em> shot oughtn’t to have killed him,” muttered -the scout, noting the course of his bullet.</p> - -<p>“It certainly couldn’t have hurt his brain any more -than it <em>was</em> queered. He’s breathing, isn’t he?”</p> - -<p>But Buffalo Bill did not immediately reply. He had -suddenly fallen silent, and when Captain Keyes looked -at the scout in surprise he saw that his eyes were fixed -with a most strange expression upon the unconscious -madman’s face.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter, Cody?” the officer asked.</p> - -<p>The scout still made no reply. It is doubtful if he -heard his superior officer. He seemed devouring the -features of the unconscious man.</p> - -<p>Little of the face could be seen for the matted beard -and hair. Yet the angles of the cheek-bones and jaw -were easily traced; likewise, the penthouse brows and -deeply sunken eyes. The nose was prominent—a -handsome nose, with its point thin and flexible, and -the nostrils well marked.</p> - -<p>“No—no,” murmured the scout at last. “I never -could have seen him before—never!”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with you, Cody?”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill looked up at him, and wet his lips before -speaking.</p> - -<p>“I—I thought I saw a ghost, Captain Keyes—a -ghost! My God! and it’s no wonder, with my mind -full of the horror I <em>have</em> seen already this evening. It—it<span class="pagenum">[206]</span> -was Danforth—he’s got into my mind, and I can’t -forget him.”</p> - -<p>“Dick Danforth—Lieutenant Danforth?”</p> - -<p>“Aye—the poor boy himself.”</p> - -<p>“What under the sun has Dick got to do with this -madman?”</p> - -<p>“Oh—nothing! nothing!” exclaimed Cody, leaping -up. “But I have to report a very terrible thing, captain.”</p> - -<p>“Not about Dick Danforth?”</p> - -<p>“It is, sir. Lieutenant Danforth is dead—dead with -all his men!”</p> - -<p>“No!”</p> - -<p>“It is the awful truth, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot believe it, Cody. You are beside yourself. -You look strange, man!”</p> - -<p>“Aye, and you would look strange yourself had you -seen what <em>I</em> have seen, Captain Keyes.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me!”</p> - -<p>“I was on my way to Fort Advance with the news -when I happened to see you—as I supposed, facing a -grizzly bear over on this ridge.”</p> - -<p>“He was worse than a grizzly,” said Keyes, with a -glance at the giant. “But give me the particulars——”</p> - -<p>“Boyd Bennett has joined the Sioux, betrayed Danforth -and his men into a trap, and the whole party were -wiped out.”</p> - -<p>“My God, Cody!”</p> - -<p>“It is so. I saw them. I was captured by Bennett, -indeed. It was within a few miles of Oak Heart’s big -village.”</p> - -<p>“Ha! And did you see the wily old scoundrel himself?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[207]</span></p> - -<p>“Oak Heart?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“No; but I saw a representative of the chief;” and -he repeated the story of his coming upon the field of -carnage and his adventure with Bennett and the White -Antelope, while Keyes hurried him down the hillside -toward the troopers’ camp.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXII">CHAPTER XXXII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE BORDER KING’S PLEDGE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>With him Captain Keyes had over a hundred cavalrymen, -a company of mounted infantry, and two mountain -howitzers, numbering, with the artillerymen and -scouts, nearly two hundred men—a strong flying -column, that could move rapidly and stand off a big -force of Indians. They were then encamped not -twenty miles from the main village of the Sioux, and -not much more than half that distance from the coulée -where Danforth’s squadron had been overcome.</p> - -<p>The coming of Buffalo Bill, although it had been -most timely for Captain Keyes, and had undoubtedly -saved his life, cast a mantle of gloom over the encampment. -Although the men had been warned to turn in -early, because of the work before them on the morrow, -they stood or sat around the camp-fires until late, discussing -the terrible intelligence the scout had brought.</p> - -<p>And at the officers’ quarters, Buffalo Bill had to relate -the story all over again to an eager band of listeners. -All had known Dick Danforth, and his death -was greatly deplored.</p> - -<p>As soon as he could get away, and had eaten a bit of<span class="pagenum">[208]</span> -supper, Cody sought out his faithful partner, Jack -Omohondreau.</p> - -<p>“Jack, old man, did you ever see the Wild Huntsman?”</p> - -<p>“What! this fellow who come pretty near bowling -over the captain—the Mad Hunter?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Never. But I’ve seen his spoor—and I’ve seen his -work.”</p> - -<p>“Meaning his dead?”</p> - -<p>“Yep. Two redskins. He didn’t do a thing but -hash them up. Ugh!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I killed him up there. Will you get -a couple of torches, and bring two other fellows you -can trust, and help me make a search for him?”</p> - -<p>“Lord! Want to put the finishing touch on him—eh?”</p> - -<p>“No. I must bring him down here and have the surgeon -give him what care he can.”</p> - -<p>“Whew! You’d best roll him over a precipice by -mistake.”</p> - -<p>“The man is mad.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, he isn’t missing much, if he cashes in.”</p> - -<p>“But perhaps he can be cured.”</p> - -<p>“Well, are you going to tackle the cure?”</p> - -<p>“I want to see if he’s dead first,” said Cody non-committingly. -“Go find your men—and don’t forget -the torches, Jack.”</p> - -<p>Texas Jack found both, and the four men searched -the ridge thoroughly—or as thoroughly as they could -by torchlight; but the gigantic madman was not there. -He might have crawled into some hole to hide; anyway, -they had to give it up for the night.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[209]</span></p> - -<p>As they returned to camp they found an orderly -searching industriously for Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Captain Keyes’ compliments, sir, and will you come -to his tent at once?”</p> - -<p>The scout complied with his request. Keyes had his -despatch-box open, and was undoubtedly just inditing -his report of the day’s work, and of the intelligence the -scout had brought him, to his commander at Fort Advance. -He motioned the scout to a camp-stool.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, Cody. I want to talk with you.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill obeyed.</p> - -<p>“We have deeded to divide the command. I shall -go myself with the first division on to the place where -our poor brave fellows lie, and attend to the burial of -their bodies. The rest of my party will form a reserve -squad with the howitzers—in case of treachery.”</p> - -<p>“There will be no treachery, Captain Keyes. I know -Oak Heart.”</p> - -<p>“But you say that deserter, Bennett, has influence -in the tribe.”</p> - -<p>“Not enough to make the old chief break his word.”</p> - -<p>“Best to be sure, anyway. Now, there’s a point I -wish to discuss with you. I know your confounded -quixotism, Cody. You certainly don’t propose to -keep your promise to that squaw and go alone to the -Indian encampment?”</p> - -<p>“I do mean just that, sir.”</p> - -<p>At this the officer rose to his feet and spoke -vigorously.</p> - -<p>“Cody, you sha’n’t do it! By the nine gods of war! -it’s foolish—it’s insane!”</p> - -<p>“I have promised.”</p> - -<p>“But I forbid you!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[210]</span></p> - -<p>“I can’t help that, sir; but if you will think a moment, -you will see that it is quite out of your jurisdiction. -I was the reds’ prisoner. They did not have -to let me go at all. My life is hostage to them yet. -They have trusted me—and, God knows, enough white -men have lied to them.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll attack their camp, small as my force is.”</p> - -<p>“You will compass my death sure enough if you -do,” said the scout, shaking his head.</p> - -<p>“But, Cody, of all white men alive, <em>you</em> are the one -they most wish to see <em>dead</em>!”</p> - -<p>“So be it.”</p> - -<p>“Be reasonable.”</p> - -<p>“They desire to make my closer acquaintance, and I -intend to give them the chance,” said Buffalo Bill, -smiling.</p> - -<p>“Never, Cody!”</p> - -<p>“But I——”</p> - -<p>“I’ll hear no ‘buts,’ scouts. If you persist in such a -foolish intention I’ll put you in the guard-house and -keep you under arrest until you come to your senses.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid I’ll grow gray in the guard-house, then,” -laughed Buffalo Bill, who knew that his friend did not -mean this.</p> - -<p>“But you were forced to make the promise to save -your life. Therefore, the promise was given under -durance and cannot hold.”</p> - -<p>“The redskins have few lawyers,” said Cody, with a -smile. “That sophistry would not appeal to them.”</p> - -<p>“It’s sure death!”</p> - -<p>“I’m not so sure of that. However, I must go to -Oak Heart’s camp. I may risk my life, but I hope to -accomplish a purpose that I have in mind.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[211]</span></p> - -<p>The officer saw that the scout was determined, and -that his will could not be shaken.</p> - -<p>“It seems like being a party to your murder to let -you go, scout,” said Captain Keyes gloomily. “And -you saved my life, too!”</p> - -<p>“Let us hope for the best, sir,” said the scout quietly, -as he bowed himself out of the officer’s tent.</p> - -<p>Before dawn Buffalo Bill and a squad of men sent -by Captain Keyes went to the ridge to hunt the live—or -dead—body of the Mad Hunter. In an hour, and -just before the column was ready to start, the squad -returned without Cody.</p> - -<p>“Where is the scout, sergeant?” asked Captain -Keyes.</p> - -<p>“He left us upon the ridge, sir,” said the man, saluting.</p> - -<p>“Left you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“And where did he go?”</p> - -<p>“He struck a trail, sir, and said he would be off -on it.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of trail?”</p> - -<p>“The Mad Hunter’s trail. We could not find the -man, but Mr. Cody saw where he had walked away, -and he started in pursuit.”</p> - -<p>“He’s gone farther than that!” exclaimed Captain -Keyes, shaking his head. “What say, Texas Jack?”</p> - -<p>Omohondreau, who knew of Buffalo Bill’s promise -to the White Antelope, nodded.</p> - -<p>“He’s gone to the Injun camp,” said the brother -scout, “and it’s a toss-up if it isn’t ‘good-by, Bill -Cody!’ for good and all!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[212]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXIII">CHAPTER XXXIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">TRACKING THE MAD HUNTER.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>After a night of uneasy repose, in which the thoughts -engendered by his first sight of the Mad Hunter’s face -had ridden him like a nightmare, Buffalo Bill was determined -to make a thorough search for the maniac. -Had he not believed the evening before that the man -was likely to remain unconscious until roused by the -efforts of the surgeon, he would have begged Captain -Keyes to let him stay by the maniac until help could -come. He was deeply disappointed when he and Jack -Omohondreau could not find the giant.</p> - -<p>In the morning he had searched patiently, struck the -trail of the madman, and, as the sergeant reported, had -started at once to follow and run the maniac down. -He had brought his horse, and having left the soldiers, -he mounted Chief and followed the big footprints of -the wild man at a round trot for some distance.</p> - -<p>How seriously the man was wounded, Cody did not -know; but his quarry did not seem to try to hide his -trail. Straight along the ridge it led, then down into -the little valley the scout had ridden across the night -before, and so up the range of hills on the other side. -Something about the walking of the big man puzzled -the scout greatly, and suddenly Buffalo Bill spurred -his horse to the summit of a high hill, that he might -take a survey of the country over which it seemed the -madman might pass.</p> - -<p>The soldiers were under way now, and, first of all, -Cody saw them traversing a defile at one side, up which -they had come from the bivouac of the past night. A<span class="pagenum">[213]</span> -steep bluff towered beside them where they were then -marching as Buffalo Bill came out upon the back-bone -of the range.</p> - -<p>The course he had taken in following the madman’s -trail had brought the scout out ahead of the marching -column. But it was not upon them that his gaze became -fastened. Instead, a single moving object upon -the summit of the bluff in the shadow of which the soldiers -marched held his attention. This object was -more than a mile ahead of the soldiery, and would -never be noticed from the valley below.</p> - -<p>In an instant Buffalo Bill divined the identity of the -moving object, and the nature of the work which engaged -its attention. The ridge of land on which he -stood was unbroken to the bluff itself. He set spurs -to Chief and raced along the highlands, knowing that -he would not likely be seen by the soldiers, and therefore -must do alone what he could to avert the catastrophe -which he saw imminent.</p> - -<p>Thwarted the night before when he sought the life -of Captain Keyes, the Mad Hunter was trying to compass -a worse crime. The moving form Buffalo Bill -knew to be the maniac, and he saw that he was gathering -huge rocks into a pile, which he proposed to push -over upon the soldiers as they passed below the bluff!</p> - -<p>It was a fiendish plan, and well worthy of the man’s -insane cunning. Buffalo Bill spurred on, and came to -a place not many yards behind the Mad Hunter without -the latter’s being aware of his presence, so intent -was he in the work.</p> - -<p>Leaving his horse and rifle, the scout, with soft -tread and every sense alert, crept up behind the busy -lunatic. He saw that the Mad Hunter had put aside<span class="pagenum">[214]</span> -his own arms, the better to toil at his horrid trap. With -a single shot from his revolver the scout might have -dropped the maniac dead, and so relieved the world of -a dangerous creature—a being neither man nor brute. -But the scout did not wish to hurt the giant.</p> - -<p>Finally, without being discovered, the scout stood -within twenty feet of the Mad Hunter. His eyes were -as fierce as a wolf’s, his hands opened and shut with -nervous clutches, and his lips moved continuously as -he whispered to himself. Yet something familiar in -the contour of the poor creature’s face held Cody spellbound. -He was moved as he had been the night before -when he had first looked upon the features of the wild -man.</p> - -<p>Nearer and nearer drew the column of soldiers, for -through a gap in the edge of the bluff Cody could mark -their progress. Captain Keyes and his officers, and -Texas Jack, rode ahead. The madman prepared to tip -his monument of rocks over upon their devoted heads!</p> - -<p>Suddenly the Mad Hunter picked up a great stone—one -that the scout was sure no two ordinary men could -lift—and, picking his victim on the plain below, was -about to fling it down. Cody quickly dashed across -the intervening space, and, revolver in hand, tapped -the madman on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>With a sudden inspiration the scout shouted into the -man’s ear a name he had not spoken himself for a dozen -years—the name of a man who, until the night before, -he had believed long since dead.</p> - -<p>The Mad Hunter turned in a flash. He dropped -the rock. He stared at the scout with wondering gaze. -His eyes grew somber as the light of insane rage died -out of them. He whispered at last:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[215]</span></p> - -<p>“Who—who calls me by that name? Speak!”</p> - -<p>Trembling violently, he gazed upon the scout with -some shadow of reason struggling to dawn in his expression. -It was elusive—fleeting—yet the scout knew -that he had touched a chord of memory that shook the -man to the foundation of his being.</p> - -<p>“Who speaks that name after all these years?” cried -the madman again.</p> - -<p>“I am Bill Cody—Cody, your old pal. Cody, the -man you knew on the Rio Grande!” exclaimed the -scout, his own voice shaking, for the discovery he had -made passed the bounds of reason.</p> - -<p>The strange being shook his head slowly.</p> - -<p>“No. You may be whom you say; but the man you -spoke of first is dead—dead—a long time dead!”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, however, was gaining confidence in his -discovery all the time.</p> - -<p>“You’re the man! I know you are. Think, man! -Send back your memory to those old times. Remember -the work we did together. Remember—remember -your wife—your child——”</p> - -<p>With a shriek like nothing human, with a face that -changed in a flash to that of a demoniac, the Mad -Hunter hurled himself, bare-handed, at the scout’s -throat.</p> - -<p>“Fiend! Fiend from the pit!” he yelled. “You have -come to torment me and taunt me! Ah! for long have -I escaped your taunts; but now you have returned!”</p> - -<p>His heartrending cry almost unmanned the scout. -He saw that he had touched the wrong chord with the -madman. Reminded of the loss of his wife and child, -the victim of this awful fate had been thrown into a -paroxysm of rage.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[216]</span></p> - -<p>For an instant Buffalo Bill hesitated. That hesitation -came near to costing him his life. The maniac -was upon him and seized his pistol-hand before he -could make up his mind to fire at his old friend. The -madman’s other hand tightened on the scout’s throat. -They swayed upon the edge of the precipice.</p> - -<p>Seconds dragged like hours in that struggle. Buffalo -Bill had met more than his match in this wild being. -Suddenly he heard a cry below:</p> - -<p>“Hold, Cody! for God’s sake, hold!”</p> - -<p>It was Captain Keyes’ voice. It inspired the sinking -scout to make one final and desperate effort. He -half-tore him self free of the giant’s clutch.</p> - -<p>“Steady! Texas Jack has got the drop on him!” -yelled the voice of Keyes again.</p> - -<p>Instantly there came the sharp crack of a rifle. The -maniac jumped slightly, and his awful grip loosened. -The scout tore himself completely away, spattered by -the maniac’s blood.</p> - -<p>The latter whirled about, back to the brink of the -bluff, clutched helplessly at the air with his great -hands, and pitched down the declivity. He was dead -before he struck the bottom—a heap of broken bones -and bruised flesh!</p> - -<p>Texas Jack mounted the cliff to see if the scout was -all right. He found Cody wiping the blood from his -face, and very grave of look.</p> - -<p>“Had to shoot him, old man. ’Twas you or him, -yuh know,” said the brother scout.</p> - -<p>“I know it, Jack. I can only thank you. But I am -sorry—bitterly sorry. I knew that man when he was -a right good fellow. Ask Captain Keyes to give him<span class="pagenum">[217]</span> -decent burial, and to mark the grave—mark it with the -letter ‘D.’”</p> - -<p>With these words Cody shook hands with his pard -and hastened away to where Chief was quietly feeding. -In a moment he was riding hard away from the spot -where the terrible tragedy had taken place.</p> - -<p>Captain Keyes complied with Cody’s request, but -was sorry that the scout had evidently gone on his mission -of death—for the officer could look at the visit to -the Indian encampment in no other light.</p> - -<p>He had divided his force, as he said he should, and -the vanguard went on to the coulée and buried the -dead. All the redskins had been removed, and the -place was deserted of the living. But when they came -to search for Dick Danforth’s body, intending to remove -it to the fort with them, it was not to be found. -The brave lieutenant, for whose scalp Buffalo Bill had -pleaded with White Antelope, had disappeared from -the field of battle.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXIV">CHAPTER XXXIV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">RED KNIFE LOSES HIS “MEDICINE.”</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>At the time the fire burst out in the great forest and -Buffalo Bill, the Border King, and his partner, Texas -Jack, were chased by the flames, a young buck of Oak -Heart’s tribe of Utah Sioux was likewise in the path -of the flames. He had been out after a bear, because -his father, an old brave now toothless and unable to -follow in the chase, had expressed a desire for bear -paws, roasted.</p> - -<p>The government of Indian society is strictly patriarchal.<span class="pagenum">[218]</span> -The father of a family demands, and is accorded, -the greatest respect. Besides, it is a trait of -Indian character to care for and respect the aged. The -aged men of the tribe usually mold its opinions in both -peace and war.</p> - -<p>Besides, Red Knife, as this young buck was named, -was not a married man. He was what the whites -would have called “an old bach.” He had no teepee -of his own, but it was a notorious fact that he cast -longing glances toward White Antelope, the cherished -daughter of Oak Heart and the flower of the Sioux -maidens. He had gone hunting for the bear because -his father was fond of bear paws, but with the claws, -and others in his possession, he hoped to make a cunning -necklace that would be acceptable to the chief’s -daughter.</p> - -<p>Red Knife had lately become of moment in the -tribe. It had been his hand that had finally felled the -chief of the pony soldiers who were killed in the -coulée, and whom Death Killer had tried to scalp. -Red Knife hoped in time to become so important that -the White Antelope would really look at him with -favor, instead of ignoring him altogether.</p> - -<p>The buck had obtained a single shot at his bearship, -wounding him with a barbed arrow, and had driven -him into a thicket toward the close of the day. Suddenly -the smoke that had been hanging over the hilltops -for hours swooped down upon the Indian and his -quarry, and following the smoke came the fire—a -deluge of flame!</p> - -<p>The bear suddenly lost his fear of the redskin, and -the latter lost his desire to take bear paws to his teepee.</p> - -<p>The crackling of the flames as they leaped down the<span class="pagenum">[219]</span> -wooded side-hills into the valley warned both hunter -and hunted that there was no time to lose. The bear -burst out of the thicket, the arrow still sticking in his -rump, and waddled off for running water at a great -pace. The Indian had chased the beast into unfamiliar -territory, and now he took advantage of his -prey’s instinct. He followed the bear.</p> - -<p>Through brush and bramble, over rocky way and -swampy land, the bear and the man raced. At times -they were almost side by side, and neither paid the -least attention to the other. Lighter and swifter -creatures passed the two like the wind; the bear and -the redskin plugged along doggedly, as though running -for a wager.</p> - -<p>They were not in the neighborhood of Bendigo -Lake, so they did not meet up with either the two -scouts or with the Mad Hunter. It was a stream -which the bear, back in his little brain, knew would -be running full even at this dry season. They reached -it barely in time to save themselves from being withered -by the flames. The bear’s fur was indeed smoking.</p> - -<p>He plunged over the bank into the deep, dark pool. -Red Knife went after bruin, landing squarely on the -bear’s back, eliciting only the notice of a grunt from -the beast as he sank to the bottom of the pool and let -the flames roar overhead.</p> - -<p>The redskin stayed below the surface as long as he -could, too. He could feel the bear beside him all the -time. He might have flung himself upon the beast -with his knife and killed him. It were better had he -done so.</p> - -<p>But at the time Red Knife was too perturbed to<span class="pagenum">[220]</span> -think of killing his companion in misery. When the -redskin came up to breathe, the fiery brands showered -upon him so thickly that he was glad to sink again. -It was some time before it was safe for him to squat, -with his head out of water.</p> - -<p>And there were the redskin and the bear, both on -their haunches, with their noses stuck out of the pool -like two bullfrogs. As the heat grew less intense and -the brands stopped falling, the bear and the man began -eying each other with less favor. Each recovered from -his panic and began to remember that they were deadly -enemies.</p> - -<p>The bear growled and shifted his position to a distance -from the red; the latter got out his knife—the -only weapon he had saved—and in moments when he -was not dodging flying fire planned what he would do -should bruin take it into his head to attack.</p> - -<p>This deep pool in the brook was no proper arena -for a bear-fight—especially when the human antagonist -had simply a knife. Red Knife thought some of -sinking to the bottom of the pool again and making -the attack himself by trying to drive his blade into -some vulnerable part of the beast.</p> - -<p>But the difficulty of using his knife with any surety, -or putting any force behind the blow under water, detained -him from trying this. Besides, the bear, if -killed or badly injured, would sink and might pinion -the redskin to the bottom of the brook.</p> - -<p>Therefore, as soon as he could see at all through -the rolling smoke, and the worst of the flames had -passed, leaving a thicket or dead tree only blazing in its -wake here and there, the redskin made up his mind -that he would better trust to the dry ground. His<span class="pagenum">[221]</span> -moccasins were well-nigh torn from his feet by his -furious race through the forest, and his meager clothing -in general had been seriously torn. There was -little to shield him from the fire if he came forth, but -the water of the brook was ice-cold, and hardy as the -Red Knife was its chill had now set his teeth to playing -like castanets.</p> - -<p>The bear whined with the cold, too, but the next -moment he growled as Red Knife made a movement -toward him. If the beast once got a hold with his -front paws on the redskin he would disembowel him -with the great claws of his hind feet. Red Knife -shrank farther away from the bear’s vicinity.</p> - -<p>At this bruin plucked up courage. He growled -again, came down off his haunches, and began to -swim across the pool toward the Indian. The latter -saw that it was his move—and the only place for him -to move to was out of the water. So he backed into -the shallower part of the stream and toward a part of -the bank that was comparatively clear of fire.</p> - -<p>The heat and smoke were still almost blistering. -To leave the water was a cross indeed. But the bear -continued to advance, and Red Knife did not consider -that he wished to come immediately to close quarters -with the brute.</p> - -<p>As he backed out of the stream the heat of a near-by -blazing thicket warmed him more than comfortably. -The chill was driven out of his body, and his teeth -stopped chattering. Fearful as he was of the fire—all -wild beasts hate it—the bear found the increasing -warmth grateful, too. He scrambled out upon the -bank, too, and actually squatted down in the heat of -the bonfire to dry himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[222]</span></p> - -<p>Red Knife looked about him as well as he could for -the drifting smoke, and picked out the apparently -safest path from the spot. Had he been contented to -decamp without stirring up the bear, he would have -been all right. But an Indian loves to tell of his -prowess around the camp-fire, and so far there had -been very little in this adventure to suggest a tale of -self-glorification.</p> - -<p>Therefore the buck determined to have those bear -paws for his father and the claws for the necklace, -after all!</p> - -<p>He hunted out a big stone, pried it out of the smoking -ground with his knife, and, picking it up, poised it -carefully for a cast. With a sudden grunt of anger, -the bear rose up. He seemed to smell trouble in the -air. His movement rather spoiled Red Knife’s aim, or -else the buck was nervous. The stone, thrown with -terrific force, just glanced from bruin’s hard skull!</p> - -<p>With a roar the bear sprang at the foolish red man. -He came all glaring eyes, froth-dripping fangs, and -unsheathed claws—a sight to drive the barb of terror -into the bravest heart!</p> - -<p>The redskin found himself walled in by fire behind. -He leaped for the pool again, but the bear reached -him with one paw first. The stroke ripped his hunting-shirt -and leggings fairly from his body. Nothing -but shreds of the garments were left and hung upon -him—along with shreds of his torn flesh!</p> - -<p>The redskin yelled and leaped into the water. The -bear growled and plunged after him. As he came up -Red Knife saw the great body of the beast going -down, and he struck at it with his blade again and -again. The sharp steel was buried in the body of the<span class="pagenum">[223]</span> -brute at each stroke, but all about the shoulders—a -part not at all vital.</p> - -<p>Again and again Red Knife struck before the bear -came to the surface, but, although the blood flowed -until the agitated pool was dyed red, the bear came -up as strong and as ugly as ever.</p> - -<p>Red Knife threw himself backward and escaped the -first plunging blows of the bear. He reached shallow -water and leaped ashore, being more agile in this than -his bearship. But in doing so he chanced to slip and -turn his ankle. The pain was very great for a moment, -and the Indian fell to the ground, giving the -bear a chance to almost overtake him.</p> - -<p>Instantly, however, the red turned and struck at his -bearship before the latter could seize him with its -great, slobbering jaws. An attack always puts a bear -on the defensive. He squatted back on his haunches, -ready to either hug his enemy or to strike at him with -his great forearms, which swung like flails!</p> - -<p>Red Knife clambered to his feet, but he could not -run. The bear would overtake him now in a short -race. He poised himself on one foot, holding his -dripping blade before him, and, believing himself come -to the end of his time, the stoical Indian began to chant -the death-song.</p> - -<p>The growling of the bear almost drowned this cry -of the Indian. The latter advanced to embrace death, -yet determined to sell his last breath dearly.</p> - -<p>The flaillike arms of the bear swung to and fro; he -champed his teeth and roared. The Indian flung himself -with the desperation of a berserker upon the animal, -striking again and again with his keen blade.</p> - -<p>Two awful raking blows the bear got in himself.<span class="pagenum">[224]</span> -It stripped the last rag from the Indian’s body, and -broke the string of the amulet he wore about his neck, -as well. They clinched like two men wrestling, and so -rolled into the pool.</p> - -<p>Splash! they went under the surface. Bubbles and -gore rose to the agitated top of the water.</p> - -<p>Then one of the contestants floated up, struggled a -bit, secured a footing, and slowly walked ashore. It -was the Indian. It was Red Knife, as naked as when -he was born. He sank upon the bank of the stream, -the conqueror in a good fight. But he had no joy in -his heart. Instead, he was filled with gloom. In the -struggle and the last plunge in the pool he had lost his -medicine-bag!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXV">CHAPTER XXXV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE SEARCH FOR NEW MEDICINE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When a young brave comes to man’s estate his initiation -into the religion of his tribe is a great matter. -Heretofore he has had no real name. He has been -called by several names, perhaps, but they have been -those given him by his parents, and are perhaps only -the pet names of childhood. Now he is a man and gets -the name which in war and on the hunt he is hopeful -of making great and long-remembered by the tribe.</p> - -<p>Red Knife belonged to the family of the Crow. The -signification of that family was painted upon his -father’s wigwam, as it would be upon his own when -he set up a domicile for himself.</p> - -<p>So the medicine-man had put into a bag the dried -entrails of a crow, its hard, black claws, and some of<span class="pagenum">[225]</span> -its feathers, with various other charms against evil. -The young man had watched all night upon a lonely -hill, fasting, to guard his shield and arms, as well as -the new medicine, from those spirits that are ever warring -against human beings—according to the Indian -code—and had in other ways proved himself worthy -of being a brave in the councils of the Sioux.</p> - -<p>The bag, which had been fastened about Red Knife’s -neck, was as precious to the Indian as his soul! Having -lost it, he had lost caste and all else that an Indian -holds of value. He would be considered apostate from -the faith of his fathers; all that he had done heretofore -in war and the chase would be held as nothing. He -would be outcast from his kind, having lost his medicine, -unless he could by some wonderful performance, -or by some mysterious chance, find and appropriate a -new medicine.</p> - -<p>There are just so many medicines in the world, according -to the Indian belief; there is one for each man. -Having lost his medicine, it could not be replaced by -the medicine chief or by any other ordinary means. -He could not kill an enemy and take <em>his</em> medicine for -his own; for as soon as a man is dead the virtue of -his medicine accompanies him on the journey to the -happy hunting-grounds.</p> - -<p>No man would be so foolish as to sell his medicine -at any price. With his last breath he will fight for -that amulet. Red Knife was undone indeed as he sat -there beside the bloody pool. All the manhood had -gone out of him. His hard fight and his many wounds -seemed as nothing to him now. He was bereft of his -choicest possession and could not be comforted.</p> - -<p>Yet a desire to be with his kind, to see the faces of<span class="pagenum">[226]</span> -his tribesmen again, drove the young man finally from -his position. The fire had gone from the forest, and it -was midday of the second day before he rose to his -feet. The decomposing gases in the body of the bear -had brought it to the surface. Red Knife hobbled -down, cut off the paws and strung them about his -neck, flayed the carcass, cut off some flesh for his own -consumption, found a flint-stone, and with the back of -his knife struck off sparks which lit a fire, and after -eating and renewing his strength he wrapped himself -in the gory robe and started for Oak Heart’s village.</p> - -<p>This encampment had been well out of the line of -the forest fire and had not been disturbed by it. Red -Knife reached it in the night and came to his father’s -lodge. But he did not venture within. He was -pariah—outcast—the lowest of the low.</p> - -<p>His mother gave him food in the morning, but his -father sent back the bear’s paws. It was soon known -that Red Knife had lost his medicine, and the head of -the Crow family could not accept food at his hand. Of -course, Red Knife knew it would be useless to make -the bear claws into a necklace for the White Antelope. -She would look at him less now than before. Besides, -the White Antelope remained in her lodge, with one -old woman, her nurse, most of the time. There was -something very mysterious about the movements of -the daughter of the chief.</p> - -<p>This did not interest Red Knife much at the time, -however. He was past thinking of women. His own -people looked at him askance. Nobody spoke to him; -he was welcome in no lodge, and the very clothing -which his mother <a id="Ref_226" href="#Ref_226a">flung</a> him seemed begrudged. All -Indians must harden their hearts against a being so<span class="pagenum">[227]</span> -cursed of the Great Spirit that he had lost his medicine!</p> - -<p>He could enter no council of his tribe; he had no -voice in the general affairs; he could join in none of -the sports. All that he had done before was forgotten. -Even that he had brought low the white chief who had -led the pony soldiers to the battle in the coulée counted -nothing for Red Knife now. He was outcast.</p> - -<p>Red Knife could not stand for this long. An Indian -does not make way with himself. A suicide wanders -forever between this life and that to come, and is never -at rest. But Red Knife was nearly desperate enough -to resort to this awful finish.</p> - -<p>At least he determined to go out from among his -people and never to return until he had found a new -medicine and obtained a new name for himself—in -other words, until he could demand the respect of his -family and of his tribe.</p> - -<p>Now he crept out of the encampment, and from a -high hill muttered his farewell address to his home -and his people. He would not be Red Knife when he -returned—if he returned at all. All the encampment -knew that, but only one figure stood by his father’s -lodge to watch him go. He knew that was his mother, -but it was beneath him to notice a squaw!</p> - -<p>Now this young buck had set forth on a search as -great as that for the Golden Fleece or the Holy Grail -of old! Had the tribe a Homer, some great saga -might have been written regarding the labor Red -Knife had set himself.</p> - -<p>To go forth and kill an enemy and take his medicine -was a simple matter. But the medicine of another -would surely bring bad luck to the scion of the family<span class="pagenum">[228]</span> -of Crow. And to find a man with two medicines—ah! -that were a well-nigh impossible task! And, when -found, would such a fortunate person be willing to -give up his extra medicine? To fight for it might end -in the death of the first possessor, and then would the -virtue go from the medicine and it become a curse to -Red Knife.</p> - -<p>The young man left his village and journeyed aimlessly -for two days through the mountains. So unnoticing -was he that finally he came to a place where -he did not know his way out. He was not so far -from Oak Heart’s village, but its direction he did not -know for sure. And this valley in which he found -himself seemed an uninhabited place.</p> - -<p>Many of the braves were out on hunting bent, but -Red Knife had not seen any of them for twenty-four -hours. Nor had he beheld a white man until, coming -down to drink at the edge of the stream which watered -this valley, he suddenly saw a figure in buckskin sitting -upon a great, white horse on the opposite side of the -stream. In the fading light of the evening the being -looked gigantic to the red man—who was in a state of -mind to see ghosts or anything else eerie! The strange -figure was that of a white man. He had hair flowing -to his shoulders, and he sat his horse with folded arms, -staring off into the distance, evidently wrapped in deep -thought.</p> - -<p>The wind was with the brave, and the horse even -did not notice his presence. Red Knife might have -crossed the stream and leaped upon the unsuspicious -white man. Yet his mind was not upon killing, and -when he finally recognized the stranger as the far-famed -Pa-e-has-ka or Long Hair <a id="Ref_228" href="#Ref_228a">he feared</a><span class="pagenum">[229]</span> -and would not, single-handed, have attempted the -man’s death.</p> - -<p>Seldom might Buffalo Bill have been so easily -caught napping. But he had seen no trace of Indians -in the valley; he had ridden through it to this spot, and -now his mind had reverted to his deep sorrow regarding -Dick Danforth’s death, and he thought of nothing -else.</p> - -<p>He roused at last from his reverie with a sigh, and -glanced about him. His vision fell upon the figure of -the young brave standing, likewise with folded arms, -upon the edge of the stream. He could not repress a -start of surprise at the appearance.</p> - -<p>“How!” grunted Red Knife.</p> - -<p>“How!” repeated the scout, in English.</p> - -<p>Then in the Sioux dialect he said:</p> - -<p>“Is it peace, brother?”</p> - -<p>“It is peace.”</p> - -<p>The scout had seen that the young buck was not -panoplied for war, and now he dismounted and came -to his side of the stream.</p> - -<p>“You are one of Oak Heart’s people?” Cody asked.</p> - -<p>“I <em>was</em> Red Knife, of the Sioux.”</p> - -<p>The scout overlooked the emphasis on the “was” for -the moment. His attention was particularly stung by -the name the brave gave.</p> - -<p>“‘Red Knife!’” he repeated.</p> - -<p>The brave bowed and was silent.</p> - -<p>“It was you who killed the white chief of the pony -soldiers?” gasped Cody.</p> - -<p>Red Knife nodded again.</p> - -<p>The scout fiercely gripped the rifle he carried. In -his heart he felt like shooting the brave down where he<span class="pagenum">[230]</span> -stood. But he repressed this momentary feeling and -said:</p> - -<p>“I have sworn vengeance against all who had to do -with the death of that young man. He was as my son. -Will Red Knife fight Pa-e-has-ka? Let him choose -his own weapons and come against me that I may kill -him in fair fight.”</p> - -<p>“I heard of your oath over the dead body of the -brave white chief,” said Red Knife. “Pa-e-has-ka is a -great chief himself. Red Knife is no match for him. -But Red Knife now has no name and is of no people. -Would Pa-e-has-ka fight with such a one?”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” demanded Cody, in English, -suddenly seeing that the young man was in a despondent -mood.</p> - -<p>“I am an outcast from my people.”</p> - -<p>“What’s all that for? I should think the bloody -devils would have rejoiced over your killing of poor -Danforth,” muttered the scout.</p> - -<p>“Let me tell Pa-e-has-ka the tale,” began Red Knife -oratorically. “The Sioux did indeed rejoice over the -death of the young white chief. Red Knife was then a -great warrior. But since misery has come upon him.”</p> - -<p>“And serve him right!” muttered Cody.</p> - -<p>With many a flourish of flowery phrase, the buck -went on to recount his fight with the bear and the loss -of his medicine-bag. He displayed the half-healed -wounds made by the bear, and Cody saw that the story -was true. Knowing well how great a matter this loss -was to the Indian, the scout could not help but feeling -some pity for him.</p> - -<p>Besides, Red Knife had only followed out his savage -instincts and code of honor in killing Danforth. And<span class="pagenum">[231]</span> -putting aside his personal desire for vengeance, Buffalo -Bill saw that he might make use of the young brave. -It was not against the ordinary bucks who had been in -the fight that the scout felt hatred. Boyd Bennett had -lied to Oak Heart, made him believe that Danforth’s -expedition was after the old chief, and had led and -planned the attack upon the soldiers and brought about -their massacre.</p> - -<p>It was the renegade—he who called himself Death -Killer, medicine chief of the Sioux—whom Buffalo -Bill wished to get!</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had taken many desperate chances in his -life. From the time when, as a younker of eleven -years, he had hired out to the freighter at Leavenworth -to do a man’s work for a man’s pay, and became a messenger -riding between the long freight-trains on the -overland trail, he had faced death in many forms and -on many occasions. But in determining to go to the -Sioux encampment to keep his tryst with White Antelope, -he seemed to be passing the limit of reckless -daring!</p> - -<p>Yet he believed that he had a chance for life. He -would risk it, at least.</p> - -<p>For some days he had scouted about Oak Heart’s -encampment, and he had learned that something very -strange was going on in that neighborhood. He saw -in this meeting with the outcast Red Knife a chance -to gain a more intimate knowledge of matters in the -encampment before venturing himself in the lion’s -mouth.</p> - -<p>“Let Red Knife join Pa-e-has-ka upon this side of -the brook,” the scout said, at last. “There shall be a -truce between them. Pa-e-has-ka will share his meat<span class="pagenum">[232]</span> -with Red Knife; Red Knife shall smoke and sleep beside -Pa-e-has-ka’s fire.”</p> - -<p>If the young brave was astonished at this sudden -proffer of friendship, he showed nothing of the kind -in his face. He did not even hesitate. He crossed -the brook straightly and helped prepare the camp in -silence.</p> - -<p>The fact was the young Indian had put himself in -the hands of the spirits. He believed he was being led. -Perhaps this white man had a good medicine which -Red Knife might fairly obtain and so become a person -of consequence in his tribe again.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXVI">CHAPTER XXXVI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE MAGIC CUP.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>First of all, Cody desired to question the Sioux warrior, -and as he prepared a hearty meal he proceeded to -draw Red Knife out.</p> - -<p>“When did my brother leave the village of his -people?”</p> - -<p>“It is a night and two days.”</p> - -<p>“Is Oak Heart inclined to peace?”</p> - -<p>“Oak Heart awaits the coming of the Long Hair, as -he promised White Antelope.”</p> - -<p>“Very true,” said Cody calmly. “But there is one -near Oak Heart who would keep the Long Hair from -fulfilling his promise.”</p> - -<p>“A warrior?”</p> - -<p>“The renegade white, whom you call Death Killer.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! Death Killer is a great magician,” declared -Red Knife, looking as though he meant it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[233]</span></p> - -<p>“He is a wicked white. He is throwing dirt in the -faces of my red brothers. They do not know him.”</p> - -<p>“His medicine is wonderful.”</p> - -<p>“Yet he could not make new medicine for the Red -Knife?” suggested Cody slyly.</p> - -<p>“Ah! who could do that?” demanded the brave -gloomily.</p> - -<p>“I have heard of its being done,” said the scout, -and then, before the red man could ask a question, he -proceeded: “Death Killer has ringed the camp with his -own braves. They lay in wait for Pa-e-has-ka. Is it -not so?”</p> - -<p>At this Red Knife showed that he was surprised.</p> - -<p>“This is bad. This is not known to Oak Heart. Is -it so, Long Hair?”</p> - -<p>“The Sioux know that Long Hair is not two-tongued,” -declared Cody. “This is so. I suspected it, -and I have found them watching. Is not Death Killer -much from the camp?”</p> - -<p>“He is.”</p> - -<p>“He goes from watcher to watcher to see that all -are in their places. If Long Hair goes straight to the -camp of Oak Heart, he will be killed.”</p> - -<p>Red Knife shrugged his shoulders and fell silent. -Cody saw that, although the young brave considered it -none of his business—it was a fight between Long -Hair and Death Killer—he did not approve of the latter’s -methods. And the scout was convinced, too, that -the bulk of the Indians—and Oak Heart himself—knew -naught of the trick to which Boyd Bennett had -resorted.</p> - -<p>Cody had not been foolish enough to ride straight -toward Oak Heart’s village when he rode away from<span class="pagenum">[234]</span> -the spot where the Mad Hunter had been killed. He -had seen in Boyd Bennett’s face, when he had gone -free under his promise to the chief’s daughter, that the -scoundrel would do all in his power to keep the scout -from fulfilling his agreement. Although in going to -the Indian village Cody would be taking his life in his -hand, still by <em>not</em> appearing there he would lose honor -among the reds themselves.</p> - -<p>It would be said among the Utah Sioux, and from -them spread to the Utes, Arapahoes, and others, that -Pa-e-has-ka was afraid to keep his promise. And from -the time he first journeyed across the plains Buffalo -Bill had kept his agreements in every particular with -the red man, friend or foe alike. He was one of the few -white men “without guile.” He said what he meant, -and meant what he said, and he was considered single-tongued -by all, though he was up to every craftiness -that his enemies might try upon him.</p> - -<p>Cody now wished to undermine the popularity of -Boyd Bennett among Oak Heart’s braves. Even if he -got through the medicine chief’s guards and reached -the council-lodge of the Sioux, he would have to face -the influence of the renegade, and that might overcome -him to the extent of his life’s sacrifice. The scout -was not the man to go blindly into a trap.</p> - -<p>Death Killer, as he called himself, was playing the -traitor. Cody wished to convince Red Knife of this -fact and send him back to the encampment to spread -the tale against Death Killer. To this end he used the -cunning which he had long cultivated in his association -with the redskins.</p> - -<p>He well knew the regard in which the Indian holds -his medicine-bag. If he could restore to Red Knife his<span class="pagenum">[235]</span> -medicine, or, rather, supply him with a new amulet -that would make him a man and a citizen again, the -scout could command his good offices to almost any -extent.</p> - -<p>But the scout said nothing further that night. He -let his observations regarding the renegade Bennett -sink into the red man’s mind. In the morning he fed -him bountifully again. When he had finished, Red -Knife showed that he had digested Cody’s remarks -well, and was in some measure grateful for the entertainment -shown him.</p> - -<p>“The Long Hair is my brother. He has warmed -me and fed me. If the Long Hair really desires to -appear before Oak Heart and the old men of the tribe, -as he has promised, Red Knife may show him a way.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” exclaimed the scout. “Some way that Death -Killer is not guarding with his braves, eh?”</p> - -<p>“It may be.”</p> - -<p>“In which direction is it?”</p> - -<p>“The Long Hair knows the direction of the encampment, -perhaps? Red Knife, wandering in broken -spirit, has lost his way.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you want to know the direction of the place?”</p> - -<p>“It is so. The lodges of his people will not receive -Red Knife, but he may point them out, by a secret -way, to the Long Hair.”</p> - -<p>“Humph! Let’s see the direction,” muttered Cody, -and drew from under his shirt a small compass in a -brass cup which was hung about his neck by a strong -cord.</p> - -<p>The Indian’s eyes suddenly glistened. Here was -the great white’s chief’s medicine, and Red Knife was -greatly interested in medicines just then! He peered<span class="pagenum">[236]</span> -closely at the cup which Cody held in his hand. The -latter noticed the brave’s eagerness, and he knew instinctively -what was passing through the red’s mind.</p> - -<p>Therefore the scout made a great show of consulting -the compass, holding it in his hand while the little -needle waggled cheerfully to his movements, pointing -ever to the north. Finally Red Knife spoke—breathlessly:</p> - -<p>“Does the magic cup speak to Long Hair? If so, -its voice is very low. Does it tell where lies the lodges -of my people?”</p> - -<p>“It does not speak. But it answers the question,” -declared Cody gravely.</p> - -<p>“A marvelous magic!” exclaimed Red Knife. “The -white chief worships the spirit of the cup?”</p> - -<p>“This is a great medicine, Red Knife,” said Cody -seriously. “Now mark! We wish to know how to -travel to reach the lodges of your people. Long Hair -knows that we are south and west of the village. We -look into the cup.”</p> - -<p>He thrust the compass under the Indian’s nose, and -Red Knife had hard work to keep from jumping back.</p> - -<p>“Look! See the finger which moves?”</p> - -<p>“Ugh! It is magic!” muttered the young brave.</p> - -<p>“That finger points ever to the cold land—to the -lands from which winter comes. Always to the north -it points. Therefore, so standing and facing the north, -my right hand points to the sunrise, my left to the -sunset,” suiting the action to his words. “Behind me -is the south. Therefore, by facing the sunrise and -bearing off somewhat to the north of that, we approach -the village of Chief Oak Heart.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[237]</span></p> - -<p>“Ugh! It is wonder-work, indeed!” exclaimed Red -Knife. “It is a great medicine.”</p> - -<p>“It is a great and good medicine. No brave in Red -Knife’s tribe has a medicine like this.”</p> - -<p>“There are no two medicines alike in this world,” -grunted the brave philosophically.</p> - -<p>Cody went to the bag strapped to Chief’s saddle, unbuckled -a pocket, and brought out a small packet tied -in wash-leather and oilskin. When he was in Denver he -had made a purchase for a brother scout, but so far -had not run up against the man to give it to him. He -came back to the fire, squatted down beside Red Knife, -and unwrapped the exact counterpart of his own -“magic cup,” only this was brighter and unused.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” ejaculated the Indian, starting back.</p> - -<p>“You see, here is another of the magic cups. I -have long had two medicines,” said Buffalo Bill, drawing -slightly on his imagination. “They are good medicines. -They have brought me good luck and made me -successful in the chase, and in war. The Red Knife -has no medicine. What would he do for the possession -of this?” and the scout held out the compass temptingly.</p> - -<p>Red Knife could barely restrain himself now. His -cheeks actually flushed, and his eyes glistened.</p> - -<p>“The Red Knife is a man!” he cried. “He will -fight the Long Hair for the good medicine.”</p> - -<p>“Nay. The Long Hair cannot battle at once with -he whom he has fed. The Red Knife and the Long -Hair are brothers. The Long Hair will give his red -brother the magic cup,” and he thrust the compass into -the brave’s willing hand.</p> - -<p>“In return,” Cody pursued, “Red Knife will take<span class="pagenum">[238]</span> -the tale of Death Killer’s treachery into Oak Heart’s -village. Come! Long Hair will show his brother the -medicine chief’s braves lurking for the scalp of Long -Hair. It is a true tale. Red Knife will tell Oak -Heart himself.”</p> - -<p>“Waugh! Death Killer is a mighty chief,” said Red -Knife hesitatingly.</p> - -<p>“And this is a mighty medicine,” suggested the wily -scout.</p> - -<p>The Indian rose up suddenly and thrust the compass -into the breast of his shirt. He had evidently made up -his mind.</p> - -<p>“It is well,” he said shortly. “Let Long Hair show -this truth to me.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXVII">CHAPTER XXXVII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE TRAITOR.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Buffalo Bill was too wise to take Chief too near the -Indian encampment. The wise white horse could take -care of himself in ordinary emergencies, but he would -be rather in the way up in the mountains, and the scout -left him in a well-grassed valley, while he and Red -Knife went on toward the Indian village.</p> - -<p>Chief Oak Heart had established himself in a place -not easy of access by the pony soldiers, and he had a -great contempt for the “walk-a-heaps.” The Sioux -are great riders, seldom walking where a pony can -carry them, and are contemptuous of all people who do -not likewise ride.</p> - -<p>Red Knife had left his village afoot. It was a mark -of his humility and his desperate straits. The route<span class="pagenum">[239]</span> -back to the encampment was so rough that ponies -would have been of little use to either the red man or -the scout. They were all day in climbing the mountain -and finding a pass through to the other side of the -ridge. They came out about dark in sight of the valley -where the village lay. Its lights were visible to -them from the mountainside. They retired to a cave -that Red Knife knew of, however, and built their own -fire, out of sight.</p> - -<p>Red Knife was mightily pleased with his new medicine. -He was eager to get down to his people and -show its virtues to them. But he had promised two -things to the scout. One was to point out a secret -trail down into Oak Heart’s camp; the other to spread -among the braves the fact of Death Killer’s treachery—providing -Cody proved to his satisfaction that the -medicine chief <em>was</em> treacherous.</p> - -<p>Before daybreak Buffalo Bill awoke his red ally, and -they stole out of the cave like shadows. The Border -King had marked well the stations of the various -braves who were under the medicine chief’s control. -They were set at every entrance to the valley by which -the scout might have penetrated to the encampment.</p> - -<p>At least, such had been the case upon his previous -visit, and they were not long at the search before -spotting one of these sentinels. At least, he was one -of Death Killer’s particular friends, and he was apparently -watching a pass through the hills.</p> - -<p>The scout and Red Knife approached quite near to -him, but Cody would not let his companion speak to -the sentinel.</p> - -<p>“Wait! Let us see if there are more, as I have told -my red brother,” he observed, and they went on to another<span class="pagenum">[240]</span> -path. Sure enough, there, grimly camped beside -the way, was a second brave, likewise one of those who -associated more closely with Boyd Bennett, the renegade. -Again they went on, going cautiously now, for -it was past sunrise, and found a third watchman.</p> - -<p>These plainly were not sentinels placed to guard -particularly the camp itself. Those were much nearer -the village. These red men were stationed thusly for -a particular purpose.</p> - -<p>“Is my red brother satisfied that the Long Hair -spoke truly?” asked the scout of the young brave.</p> - -<p>“Pa-e-has-ka is of single tongue. He does not lie. -But Red Knife will first go to Chief Oak Heart and -ask him if, by his instruction, these men were sent to -bar the way to the lodges of the Sioux. If the great -chief knows naught of it, then must Death Killer explain.”</p> - -<p>“Tell Oak Heart to remove these guards and Long -Hair will appear before him as he promised the White -Antelope,” said Cody seriously.</p> - -<p>Red Knife solemnly shook hands with him. Although -the young brave had, by his own confession, -killed Dick Danforth, the scout had been forced to -make use of him. Now he gave him a word of warning:</p> - -<p>“Although Red Knife is now Long Hair’s friend, -and Long Hair has given him of his own strong medicine -that Red Knife might be a man among his people, -there is still a feud between them. It was Red Knife’s -hand that killed the young white chief, whom Long -Hair loved. When next we meet let Red Knife beware.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[241]</span></p> - -<p>“It is just,” admitted the Indian solemnly. “Let us -go.”</p> - -<p>He led Cody then to the hidden path which would -enable the scout to pass all of Death Killer’s sentinels -and, indeed, most of the guards of the village, and so -ride almost into the encampment itself without being -seen. Then, without a word further, the young brave -turned his face toward his father’s lodge.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill sat down and smoked his pipe while he -watched him along the trail into the valley. He could -watch Red Knife for a long distance before the young -man came out upon the bluff which overlooked the -valley where the encampment lay. Until that time he -could not be seen from below.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Buffalo Bill saw a figure among the rocks -near the path which Red Knife was following. It was -of another Indian, but the scout could not see the -man’s face—not even with the aid of his field-glasses. -Red Knife seemed totally unconscious of the other’s -presence until suddenly the stranger leaped before him -and stood in his path.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” muttered Cody. “What’s all this?”</p> - -<p>It was evident that the two redskins conversed excitedly. -What they said, of course, the scout could -not even guess. Indians are usually so self-repressed -that the scout could not judge at this distance whether -they spoke angrily or in the most pleasant way together.</p> - -<p>It seemed, however, as though the strange redskin -tried to urge Red Knife to wait, but the young brave -was determined to go on down into the valley. At -last he seemed almost to break away from the other -and push on toward the edge of the bluff. Cody knew<span class="pagenum">[242]</span> -that neither of the actors in the drama below could be -seen from the village.</p> - -<p>Red Knife was determined, and left the one who had -accosted him. The latter shrank back and watched -him for a moment. Then suddenly Cody saw him -gather himself, jerk the tomahawk from his belt, and -swing the weapon high in the air!</p> - -<p>Cody caught himself from crying out, but he <em>did</em> -leap up as the fatal blow fell. The strange Indian cast -himself upon Red Knife’s back and clove the unconscious -red man’s skull with a mighty blow of the -hatchet. Red Knife went down in a heap!</p> - -<p>Cody pulled himself together and, through the glass, -watched the traitor stoop over the fallen man, strip the -scalp from his head, and then dart away among the -rocks. Steeped in guilt as he was, the scout knew the -villain would not remain near the scene of his atrocious -act. Therefore he risked going down to the place himself.</p> - -<p>Poor Red Knife was truly disposed of. The hatchet -had killed him instantly. And all the hopes Cody had -based upon his good offices were dissipated at once.</p> - -<p>The scout stood there for some time and communed -with himself. Should he risk going on into the village -now? Or should he await some favorable opportunity -of undermining Boyd Bennett’s power before putting -himself within the bandit’s grasp?</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[243]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXVIII">CHAPTER XXXVIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">WHITE ANTELOPE’S PERIL.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There was much disturbance in the encampment -about this time, as Buffalo Bill had seen when making -his observations from the high peaks about the valley. -The Indians ran to and fro like ants, and runners frequently -went out, or came in by the northern roads. -This meant surely that Oak Heart was communicating -with the other chiefs, and the scout feared that, stirred -up by Boyd Bennett in his character of medicine chief, -the Sioux leader was preparing for another attack like -that on Fort Advance.</p> - -<p>Rumors ran rife among the Indians regarding the -movements of the bluecoats, and the numbers of them -who had come to bury the dead whites after the recent -ambush in which Oak Heart himself had taken part. -The old chief, believing that Lieutenant Danforth was -coming to attack his encampment, had taken part in -this sanguinary struggle himself.</p> - -<p>Now certain warriors brought strange rumors into -the village. It was said that Pa-e-has-ka was on the -war-path, too. And that he was leading the whites to -the encampment. So spoke the Death Killer, the white -medicine chief of the Sioux, who was gaining great -influence with the young men of the tribe.</p> - -<p>“Pa-e-has-ka is my foe,” he said bitterly, “and I -sought to bring him captive here, or to slay him with -his friend; but the White Antelope freed him, and sent -him back to his people to carry Oak Heart’s warning. -What has been done? Do not the white men come in -force into the Indian country?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[244]</span></p> - -<p>“The White Antelope turned a panther loose upon -the trail of my red brothers. And he told her that he -would return and come a prisoner again into Oak -Heart’s village, and to his lodge. Has he come?”</p> - -<p>“No!” answered many voices.</p> - -<p>“But the warriors come in and tell how Pa-e-has-ka -has killed their comrades, scalped their brothers, and -laughed at them for squaws. Will the Sioux braves -let the paleface dog longer kick dirt in their faces? Is -he not now near their village, and yet no warrior -brings in his scalp, because he is under the protection -of the White Antelope?”</p> - -<p>A murmur arose from the old men about the council -circle.</p> - -<p>“Let my medicine braves seek his trail and bring him -alive into the presence of the great chief, and the Death -Killer will show him how the Pa-e-has-ka will weep -like a squaw when he is bound to the torture-stake.”</p> - -<p>This speech of the renegade excited the Indians to -frenzy. There was no longer any possibility of restraining -the young men. A hundred warriors took -the trail with the avowed intention of bringing in the -Long Hair.</p> - -<p>When Red Knife was found dead upon the bluff -overlooking the camp there was considerable wonder -expressed. The unfortunate scion of the Crow family -had lost caste, it was true, but why he should have -been killed by the supposedly lurking white man—the -Red Knife had gone from the camp unarmed—even -the redskins themselves could not understand. As the -murders increased Bennett grew louder in his objurgations -against Long Hair.</p> - -<p>From the hour of his disappointment upon the gory<span class="pagenum">[245]</span> -field where Danforth and his band had met their doom, -the renegade had thirsted for revenge upon the scout. -He had secretly despatched a noted warrior to meet and -kill Buffalo Bill on his return; but having not again -seen or heard of this brave, Bennett feared that he had -come to grief at the hands of the old Indian fighter.</p> - -<p>The medicine chief did not wish Buffalo Bill to -really appear before Oak Heart and the old chiefs of -the tribe. He was not at all sure what the outcome of -such a venture might be. Indians admire bravery and -boldness above all other virtues, and Bennett feared -the dashing scout might influence the tribe against <em>him</em>, -too.</p> - -<p>For defending the scout and permitting him to go -free upon his pledge to return, the renegade had not -forgiven the White Antelope. Yet he knew the influence -she held in the tribe, that upon account of her -having been born with yellow hair, and growing up -far more beautiful than any maiden of the Sioux, she -was regarded as a favored child of the Great Spirit, -and that should he cross her will he might lose the -power he had gained over the tribesmen.</p> - -<p>He had hoped, too, to win the Indian maiden for his -lodge, when he first became familiar with the tribe; -but she had treated his advances with disdain, and this -was a second reason why he felt revengeful toward her. -To get any redskin to aid him in a plot against White -Antelope, he knew would be impossible; yet he did not -despair of either conquering the proud girl, or getting -rid of her altogether. At least, he desired to keep her -away from the camp and the council if Buffalo Bill -were brought in; otherwise, she might disturb all his -plans and aid in the release of the white man.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[246]</span></p> - -<p>Therefore the medicine chief watched the teepee of -the white queen keenly. When he saw her mount her -pony and gallop out of the village, and past the guards -which encircled it, Boyd Bennett followed secretly. -White Antelope, accustomed to going where and how -she pleased, and having unbounded confidence in her -own prowess, rode to the top of a ridge some distance -from the encampment.</p> - -<p>The young brave who sentineled this high strip of -ground was much in love with the beautiful daughter -of the chief, and with her before his eyes he forgot all -else. So wrapped was the young man in the contemplation -of the girl that he forgot his duty. A form -suddenly bounded from behind a rock near-by, an iron -hand gripped the youth’s throat and bore him backward -out of sight, and the long knife in the murderer’s hand -struck home—to the heart.</p> - -<p>It was over instantly. No sound—only a gasp, and -the death-rattle in the brave’s throat. Then, with the -knife, the murderer made a quick incision in a rough -circle in the scalp, about the size of a dollar, and with -his teeth tore off the dead warrior’s scalp-lock.</p> - -<p>Seated there by the side of his victim the slayer -looked upon him with real pleasure, while he muttered -in a sinister tone:</p> - -<p>“More blood! Ah! I love it! This shall be another -death laid to the wiles of Buffalo Bill. Now for -the White Antelope, and then——</p> - -<p>“There she comes! Now to catch her as she passes!”</p> - -<p>He crouched behind his rocky shelter as he spoke, -while the White Antelope, seemingly somewhat despondent, -came riding slowly back toward the village. -In truth, she had ridden to see if she could spy the<span class="pagenum">[247]</span> -coming of the Long Hair, who had promised to return. -That strange man had gained a wonderful hold upon -her mind. And, beside, she had a great secret to impart -to him.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the girl uttered a cry of alarm and tried to -wheel her pony to dash away, for to her side had -sprung the form of Boyd Bennett. But his rough hand -effectually shut off her scream, he seized her in his -arms, and, dragging her from the frightened pony’s -back, he darted down a defile, unseen by any of the Indian -guards.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXIX">CHAPTER XXXIX.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A CRY FOR HELP.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>In a large cavern penetrating a pile of rocks, rising -to an elevation that commanded a view of the Indian -village, sat Buffalo Bill. He had a strong field-glass, -and for two days he had been studying the camp, and -all that went in or came out of it.</p> - -<p>He had seen many things which led him to know -that Boyd Bennett was as two-faced with his Indian -friends as he had been with the whites. This murder -was not the first the medicine chief had done.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll never get them down finer than I have -them now,” he was saying thoughtfully. “I wish I had -Texas here to send back word to Captain Keyes. A -knowledge of the exact situation of the village and just -how many warriors old Oak Heart has might be of inestimable -value later—if I don’t get away again!”</p> - -<p>The great scout intended to go into the village and -boldly face the renegade. He had hoped by lingering<span class="pagenum">[248]</span> -about the place in secret to catch the medicine chief -unawares, and so put him out of the way before delivering -himself to the tribe. For it was Boyd Bennett -alone whom the scout feared. He had a secret possession -which he believed might save him from death at -the hands of the Sioux, providing Bennett was not -there to use his influence as medicine chief against -him.</p> - -<p>As he came to this final desperate decision, however, -Buffalo Bill saw the renegade come into view among -the rocks, and in his arms he carried the struggling -figure of the White Antelope. Catching sight of the -scout, the girl shrieked in English:</p> - -<p>“Long Hair! Save me! save me!”</p> - -<p>The renegade turned his bloodshot eyes upon the -scout. He shrieked with ungovernable fury at him -and gibbered:</p> - -<p>“Raise your hand, Buffalo Bill, and I will kill her!”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill raised his rifle and sighted pointblank -at his old foe. But the scoundrel held the girl before -his own body, besides threatening her with his upraised -knife. At another time—or given another person -than the White Antelope—the scout would have -risked one of his wonderful shots and perhaps brought -the bandit chief down before he could have done his -captive harm. He hesitated, however, for he had great -reason for desiring to save the girl’s life. The fluctuation -of a hair’s breadth in his aim might put the rifle-ball -into her body instead of Boyd Bennett’s.</p> - -<p>Therefore the scout, with a groan, dropped his gun. -The girl shrieked again, and in a moment Bennett -leaped behind a boulder and fled along a secret path, -entirely hidden from the scout’s station.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[249]</span></p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill heard the girl’s heartrending shrieks as -she was carried swiftly into the hills. They appealed -to him strongly, and, quickly girding himself for the -chase, he followed on the trail of the abductor.</p> - -<p>The object of the bandit’s mad act Buffalo Bill did -not realize. Bennett’s bloodthirsty killing of the sentinel—and -formerly of Red Knife—seemed to point to -the fact that the man’s brain was turned. Why he had -fled now from the encampment with the chief’s daughter -was a deep mystery, unless he was indeed mad.</p> - -<p>The scout’s mind, however, was given up mainly to -planning for the release of the girl and the overcoming -of her captor. Boyd Bennett seemed to be alone in -this abduction plot, and the scout felt rejoiced that at -last it seemed he was to meet the fellow with something -like an equal chance.</p> - -<p>The principal thing now was to not give Bennett -start enough to hide in the rocks. Buffalo Bill could -hear the scrambling of the man with the girl in his -arms, although for some time he could not see him. -Not until they rounded the spur of the mountain and -arrived upon the farther slope did the scout obtain a -glimpse of the object of his pursuit.</p> - -<p>Then, to his bitter disappointment, he beheld Boyd -Bennett, still lugging the girl, running down the hill -toward a thicket, near which was tethered a horse, -saddled and bridled! As he ran the renegade—now a -traitor both to the reds and the whites—uttered a -shrill “coee!” and immediately a horseman appeared -from behind the thicket. It was one of the outlaw’s -old gang, Buffalo Bill made no doubt, and he had been -here in waiting, with the extra horse for his chief and -the girl.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[250]</span></p> - -<p>White Antelope no longer struggled in the fiend’s -arms. Buffalo Bill knew that she had fainted and lay -limply across Bennett’s saddle as he put her up and -mounted in such haste. But the scout was too far -away now for a shot. The two villains started their -horses down the slope and were quickly out of sight, -and all this without a single redskin being aroused!</p> - -<p>Plainly Bennett had planned this coup with great -cunning. He had placed his own braves in positions -to bar Buffalo Bill from the valley where the camp -lay, but had allowed one of Oak Heart’s braves to bar -one exit. That brave Cody had seen the scoundrel -kill and scalp, so leaving a plain path into the encampment -if the scout wished to go that way.</p> - -<p>But two strong desires led the scout upon a different -trail. His interest in White Antelope was no small interest. -Happenings of late had really increased it, -indeed. And Boyd Bennett must be run down!</p> - -<p>Afoot as he was, the scout hurried after the two -outlaws and their fair-haired captive, for by keeping -doggedly at it a man may run down a horse. Providing -the outlaws had no fresh horses and their destination -was far away, Cody felt confident that he would -overtake them even though he continued afoot.</p> - -<p>But chance favored him. Bennett and his companions -followed a trace through the mountains which -passed within a few miles of the valley in which Buffalo -Bill had left Chief, his big white horse. The scout -left the trail long enough to obtain his mount, which, -having fed well and being rested, was as eager for the -trail as his master.</p> - -<p>Back to the bandit’s trail the scout rode, and the -white stallion flung mile after mile of the rocky way<span class="pagenum">[251]</span> -beneath his feet. Bennett and his companion had not -tried to disguise their trail. Evidently they felt either -sure of no pursuit, or considered themselves a match -for Buffalo Bill. Bennett probably did not think that -the Indians themselves would miss White Antelope -until the trail was stale and he would be too far away -with the girl to be overtaken.</p> - -<p>The pursuer came upon the place where the trio had -camped at noon. They had boldly built a fire and -cooked food, and Cody even found the marks of the -girl’s moccasins in the soft ground beside the trail. -Perhaps she had shrewdly stepped there when her -captors were not looking, hoping that their trail was -being followed. At another place she had torn some -beadwork from her garments and flung it on the -ground.</p> - -<p>“She’s a sharp girl, all right,” said Cody to himself. -“And if she has confidence in my following and -saving her, I swear it shall not be misplaced!”</p> - -<p>Before night, however, the scout received a shock -which made him almost despair. The trail he was -following came down into a great valley through the -middle of which flowed a broad river. On the river’s -bank the hoof-marks of Bennett’s mount and his companion’s -were joined by those of a dozen other horses!</p> - -<p>“They’ve been caught, by thunder!” was Cody’s first -thought.</p> - -<p>Then he saw that this supposition was entirely -wrong, and his heart sank. These were not unshod -Indian ponies. Nor could they be a party of peaceful -travelers who had joined Bennett and his friend. It -was the rest of the gang. The outlaws had here -joined their leader, and, instead of following two<span class="pagenum">[252]</span> -scoundrels, the scout was up against the entire gang—and -single-handed!</p> - -<p>Then did he wish that he had sought out a part of -Captain Keyes’ command and brought them on this -hunt for the bandit leader and his helpless captive. He -shuddered to think of what might be White Antelope’s -fate among these ruffians. He could not go -back now for help; and yet, if he overtook the gang, -what could he, a man alone, do toward getting the -girl free?</p> - -<p>Yet Buffalo Bill, the Border King, had spent years -of his life in taking chances. He had been up against -as serious odds before, and had come out on top. He -did not hesitate for a single instant, but crossed the -river at the ford, and followed the hoof-prints of the -gang up the opposite bank of the river.</p> - -<p>If they were making for their rendezvous, well and -good. He would at least learn one—perhaps the principal—hiding-place -of the gang, and later could bring -a party to overwhelm them. Meantime, he would trust -to luck and a merciful Providence to assist him in obtaining -White Antelope’s release unharmed from the -villainous crew.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XL">CHAPTER XL.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE FREIGHT-TRAIN.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The sun was sinking like a great globe of fire, seemingly -at the very foot of the broad valley which, from -its head, spread forth miles upon square miles of verdant -lawn, crimson and yellow groves, the leaves of -which blushed before the cold finger-touch of winter<span class="pagenum">[253]</span> -interspersed with patches of hemlock and spruce, now, -as ever, green. Through the valley flowed a broad -river, joined here by several mountain brooks which -tumbled down from the heights on either hand to -swell the main current, which entered the vale from -the mouth of the broad cañon on the north. A deeply -rutted wagon trail came out of the cañon as well as the -river. For miles this trace wound along the riverside, -hemmed in by gigantic cliffs on the tops of which -the bighorn sheep looked like specks to the traveler below, -and which were so high and so close together in -places that it was twilight at noon in the bottom of -the gorge!</p> - -<p>Indeed, back in the cañon it was already night when -the sun was but setting out here in the valley. Therefore -the “mule-skinners” cracked their blacksnakes and -shouted many objurgations to their patient animals, -desiring to reach the open and make camp outside the -cañon before darkness finally settled upon the valley. -The creaking of the wagon wheels and the cracking of -the whips, with the voices of the mule-skinners, made -music a mile up the cañon.</p> - -<p>It was a heavy wagon-train. First rode the captain -on a gray mare with a bell on her neck. With her -tethered near the wagons the mules could be turned -loose at night; they would never desert the camp as -long as the gray mare remained faithful.</p> - -<p>The wagons of the train were linked together—five -or six great, lumbering, canvas-topped vehicles, with -eight or ten span of mules hauling on each section. -There were three of these sections in the train, six -men to a section, the captain, and the cook who rode -behind on another saddle-horse, leading a pack-animal<span class="pagenum">[254]</span> -which bore the cook-tent and some of the camp equipment.</p> - -<p>When the captain reached the mouth of the cañon -and beheld the pleasant, sunlit valley he turned and -uttered a loud “coee! coee!” which brought the cook -and his packhorse trotting forward. The valley looked -perfectly safe to the captain of the train, and he selected -an indenture in the river-bank where the cook -and he set up the tent, and, as fast as the wagons came -up, they deployed off the trail so as to make a horseshoe -figure around the camping-place, the open part -of which was toward the river.</p> - -<p>This precaution was always taken whether they saw -Indian signs or not. And at night rifles were issued -to the men and a strong guard mounted. Each man -“packed” a couple of guns at his waist all day, anyway.</p> - -<p>The selection of this low piece of ground as the -camp was not wise, however. An enemy could ride -to the edge of the low, sloping bluff which surrounded -it on three sides and pop bullets over the wagon tops -into the enclosure, shooting from one side those who -strove to guard the other line of the camp.</p> - -<p>For days, however, the party had seen no signs of -redskins. Small scalping-parties would fight shy of -the wagon-train; for twenty well-armed whites were -bound to be respected by the Arabs of the plains, -especially as the train crew was sure to be armed with -the quickfiring guns which the Indians so feared.</p> - -<p>After the sun set the evening was short, for it was -late fall now. The air grew chill; in the midst of the -camp the men built a rousing fire, aside from that -over which the cook pottered, and around this they<span class="pagenum">[255]</span> -gathered and told stories, cracked rude jokes, or -basked silently in the warmth of the flames, resting -from the toil of the day. So unconscious were they -of aught but their immediate surroundings that they -did not see several horsemen who topped the nearest -rise to the west, and overlooking the camp.</p> - -<p>It was now deep dusk, but the horsemen were silhouetted -against the sky-line so plainly that had any -of the freighters chanced to glance that way they must -have seen the figures. Only for a moment were they -in view, however. The leader of the group spoke -sharply, but in a low tone, to his mates, and all pulled -their horses about and disappeared quickly beyond the -ridge.</p> - -<p>Later, and afoot, two of the party came again to the -summit of the ridge and reconnoitered. The freighters’ -camp lay calmly under the starry sky, the fires -burning briskly, the mules champing the grass of the -plain contentedly, occasionally a laugh or a sharp word -echoing across the valley between the calls of the night-birds.</p> - -<p>The wind wandered down from the heights and -shook the canvas covers of the wagons as though trying -to arouse the men to the danger that threatened -them. Coyotes whined in the distance, sniffing the -herd, but too cowardly to advance until on the morrow -the freight-train should have passed on. <em>Then</em> they -would come boldly in and fight over the scraps remaining. -And, perhaps, there would be greater booty -for the scavengers of the plains to fight over!</p> - -<p>The men scouting about the freighters’ camp numbered -the unconscious men and noted their arms and -how the camp was arranged. There was a high river-bank.<span class="pagenum">[256]</span> -The captain of the train had ordered the arrangement -of the wagons partly because he was eager -to obtain water; but there was a high bank to the river -here, and a narrow beach below it. Men afoot could -creep down this bank and, sheltered from the camp, -approach it and attack from the riverside. Even a -sentinel stationed on the very verge of the bank would -be little likely to apprehend the coming of such an attacking -force, unless he chanced to be expecting it.</p> - -<p>The captain of the train set one of his watchmen on -the bank above the river, however, and to keep warm -the rifleman walked back and forth, pacing a beat some -twenty yards long. This would have been all very -well had the crew believed there was a particle of danger -threatening the camp. But so confident were they -of peace that they did not even drive the mules down -from the higher ground where they were feeding. A -party of a dozen reds—if they could have loosed the -gray mare—might have made off with the entire herd.</p> - -<p>There was a shelter tent for each six men, while the -cook and the captain shared the fourth canvas. At -ten o’clock, under a black-velvet sky pricked out with -the brilliant but distant stars, the camp was as quiet -as the grave—that is, providing one could imagine -some of the occupants of the grave sleeping their long -sleep “loudly.” Aside from these snores, however, -and the champing of the horses and mules, there was -little sound to break the silence. There was a sentinel -pacing a short beat on the inland side of the -camp; but, it being cold when the wind swooped down -and flapped the loose canvas, he got in behind the -chain of wagons and was not so much use as a guard. -Along the river-bank paced the other sentinel, whistling<span class="pagenum">[257]</span> -under his breath, and staring off across the black, -smoothly flowing water, in which the stars were mirrored.</p> - -<p>Wide-awake as he was, this second guard heard -nothing when a single figure slipped down the river-bank -beyond the camp and toward the cañon’s entrance, -and in a stooping posture sneaked along toward -him. This figure lay low upon the shore when -the guard walked that way. When the guard turned -the prowler arose again and kept just behind him, but -below the bank, until both reached about the middle -of the beat the sentinel was following.</p> - -<p>Then, softly as a cat, without as much as scratching -a button or rattling the rifle in his hand or the guns -in his belt, the stranger darted up the bank, and, stooping -low, hurried to the smaller tent in which slept the -captain of the train and the cook. Evidently the -stranger had picked this tent out before dark, and -shrewdly guessed who occupied it. Lifting the flap -softly, he crept in and lowered it before the guard on -the river-bank turned. The other guard was standing -facing the opposite way and saw nothing.</p> - -<p>Once in the darkness of the tent, the stranger coolly -squatted on his haunches, laid down his rifle, and -drawing out a match-safe, scratched a lucifer and held -it up so that the sputtering flame might cast some radiance -over the interior of the tent.</p> - -<p>The pungent odor of the sulfur got in the nose of -one of the sleepers, and he sneezed. He sneezed a second -time and sat up suddenly, blinking his eyes in -surprise at the figure squatting inside the tent. This -was an utter stranger to him—a man with long hair, -a military hat, buckskin coat, and riding breeches and<span class="pagenum">[258]</span> -boots. And he was armed like a pirate—belt stuck full -of guns and with a big bowie. He smiled cheerfully -at the amazed and sleepy individual, however.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” he said. “Which one of you is the captain?”</p> - -<p>“Heh?” murmured the startled one.</p> - -<p>“Who’s the boss?”</p> - -<p>“I—I’m the cook.”</p> - -<p>“Then the other feller is the boss?”</p> - -<p>“I—I reckon so. Say, Billings!” and he suddenly -punched the other man in the ribs. “Wake up! We’re -surrounded!”</p> - -<p>“Shut up, you fool!” exclaimed the visitor, slapping -his palm suddenly over the second man’s mouth, -for it opened to emit a yell before his eyes were fairly -ajar. “It’s all right. What did you want to startle -him for?”</p> - -<p>“Who the devil are you?” demanded the cook.</p> - -<p>“And how’d you git here?” cried the other man.</p> - -<p>“I’m Cody, and I belong just now to the command -at Fort Advance. You’re in about as dangerous a -position as a score of men can be and get out of it -alive, and I’ve sneaked into your camp to help you.”</p> - -<p>“Injuns!” groaned the cook, turning pale.</p> - -<p>“There ain’t a red within forty miles,” declared -Buffalo Bill, for he it was.</p> - -<p>“Then what’s the matter?” sputtered the captain of -the freight crew. “I’ve set guards over the camp. -We’re all right.”</p> - -<p>“Your guards are a lot of use, ain’t they?” sneered -the scout. “They’re out there walking up and down -like two wooden men; but they didn’t see me get by.”</p> - -<p>“But, for Heaven’s sake what is the matter?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[259]</span></p> - -<p>“You’ve got worse than Injuns after you.”</p> - -<p>“What can that be?”</p> - -<p>“Boyd Bennett’s gang of hold-up men.”</p> - -<p>“Git out! Bennett’s left the country.”</p> - -<p>“He’s j’ined an Injun tribe,” added the cook. “Become -a squaw man.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he’s out yonder with about a dozen of -the p’izenest ruffians that it’s ever been my fate to -run up against,” declared Buffalo Bill. “And from -what I could overhear lying out there on my belly in -the grass, they’re pretty near ready to stampede you!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Lord!” groaned the cook.</p> - -<p>But the captain of the crew was no coward. He -was awake now, and he leaped up, ready to fight for -his own life and help to defend the lives of his mates -and the valuable property entrusted to him.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Cody, you take command,” he urged instantly. -“You are a better man than any one in this entire party—that -I’ll swear to. I have shown my incompetency -already by placing my guards so carelessly that you -could creep into my very sleeping tent without being -apprehended.”</p> - -<p>“Many a man has made the mistake of being too -confident when there were no signs of trouble,” said -Buffalo Bill. “But you had no knowledge of these -outlaws being near you, of course. Although, it was -quite by chance that they did not blunder into your -midst, I fancy. There are fewer of them than there -are of your men; but if they had caught you with your -pants down it would have been ‘Good-by John!’ for -you all. This is as bloody-minded a gang of cut-throats -as infest this Western country.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[260]</span></p> - -<p>“So I have heard said of Bennett and his men. But -I thought they had left the Overland Trail.”</p> - -<p>“They are not on the old lay just at present,” Cody -explained. “In fact, I am following them for an entirely -different reason. And if we have the luck to -beat the devils, I’d be thankful for any help you could -give me toward capturing the whole gang and rescuing -a prisoner they hold.”</p> - -<p>“A prisoner?”</p> - -<p>“Aye, and a girl—God help her!”</p> - -<p>“Great heavens! a woman in the hands of those -ruffians?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Who is she?”</p> - -<p>“White Antelope, the daughter of old Oak Heart, -the Sioux chieftain.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, thunder! a squaw!” exclaimed the captain of -the train crew in disgust.</p> - -<p>“She’s just as precious to the old redskin as the -daughter of a white man is to him, I s’pose,” said the -scout sternly. “Besides, her release means a great -deal to me—and to Major Baldwin of Fort Advance—and, -perhaps, to the entire white settlers of this -part of the country.”</p> - -<p>“Well, well! I can’t afford to quarrel with you over -a red squaw,” said the other lightly. “You help us, -and we’ll help you.”</p> - -<p>“I am here for the purpose of helping you,” said the -Border King, with some stiffness of manner, for the -other’s tone had jarred upon him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[261]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLI">CHAPTER XLI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">“ON GUARD!”</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“First of all,” said the captain of the freighters, “I -want you to take command, Cody, as I said.”</p> - -<p>“No, no!” the scout hastened to reply. “I would -not take that upon myself.”</p> - -<p>“I insist.”</p> - -<p>“No. I must be free myself to act in this other -matter I speak of. If I see a chance to run off the -girl while you fellows are handling the outlaws, I must -do so.”</p> - -<p>“And leave us for a redskin?”</p> - -<p>“That is it,” returned Cody seriously. “My duty -is first to her at this time.”</p> - -<p>“But that is nonsense, man! People of a blood -should stick together. Let the red squaw go.”</p> - -<p>“She’s got white blood in her better than either -yours or mine, sir!” snapped the scout.</p> - -<p>“Oh! she’s a half-breed?”</p> - -<p>“She is. But I am not here to discuss White Antelope. -Time is passing. I will advise you to the -best of my ability in this fight; but I cannot accept -the responsibility of command.”</p> - -<p>“All I can do, then, is to rouse up the other boys -and make ready to receive boarders.”</p> - -<p>“But there is more than one way of doing that,” -said Cody, with a smile which the other did not see -in the dark tent.</p> - -<p>“Heh?”</p> - -<p>“No use in rousing out the other men in a way to -show the outlaws you are expecting them.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[262]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, shucks! are they watching us already?”</p> - -<p>“They sure are. All I feared in making my way to -your tent was their sharp eyes. I knew what your -guards would be.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t have a very high opinion of us mule-skinners, -then?” said the captain, rather sharply.</p> - -<p>“I have a very poor opinion indeed of men who will -be careless on this trail,” said Buffalo Bill sternly. -“Recklessness is never bravery.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” grunted the other.</p> - -<p>“Cook, you creep out at the rear and speak to the -sentinel at the back of the camp. Keep close to the -ground and tell him to have a care. Let him step -across and speak to the guard by the river—casually, -remember.”</p> - -<p>“All right, sir,” said the cook, recognizing the tone -of authority.</p> - -<p>“Then you creep over to the farther tent and awaken -the boys carefully. The captain here had better attend -to the other two. Go on your hands and knees, boys! -And don’t startle anybody. Have they got arms with -’em, or are they in the wagons?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’ve got their rifles. I’m not quite a fool,” -said the captain.</p> - -<p>“Glad to hear that,” the scout returned, and did not -stop to explain whether he was rejoiced to hear that -the men were properly armed, or that the captain was -not an entire ignoramus!</p> - -<p>It was too serious a situation for the man to take -open offense, however. He, as well as the cook, did -Cody’s bidding without further remark. They crept -from tent to tent, keeping well in the shadow, while<span class="pagenum">[263]</span> -the first guard, warned by the cook, went across and -warned the man pacing the beat by the river.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was pretty confident that the outlaws -would wait until the sentinels were changed at midnight -before attacking. That was the best time for -such a movement, for the new guards would be sleepy, -and the other men would have just settled into heavier -sleep.</p> - -<p>When the gang had been awakened the captain reported -to the scout. Thus far none of the boys had -come out of the three larger tents, and they were -warned to keep under cover until they received the -word.</p> - -<p>“You don’t want to have your mules stampeded -far,” said the scout. “When the sentinels are changed, -let one of those coming off duty step out and lead in -your bell-mare, and hobble her inside the line of the -wagons. Then you’ll be sure of her, and, even if the -long-ears do run away, they’ll come back again, come -daybreak.”</p> - -<p>The cook’s fire was already out, and Cody warned -them to let the other one burn down as low as it -would. The more shadowy the camp was the better -the freighters could move about without attracting -the notice of any watching outlaws.</p> - -<p>Cody remained in the little tent with the flap pinned -back, and the cook and the captain came to him and reported -their missions accomplished. Midnight came—it -was not a long wait—and the sentinels went to -the tents and appeared to awaken those who were to -relieve them. Cody had particularly instructed the -man who was to go to the river-bank. One of the<span class="pagenum">[264]</span> -others brought in the gray mare. The camp settled -down to apparent quietude and peace again.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys, to your places,” whispered the scout to -the cook and the captain. “Signal your men, captain; -be ready to fling on the fire a heap of that light stuff -yonder when you hear me hoot, cook! All right!”</p> - -<p>The captain crept out once more and scratched with -his finger-nail upon the canvas of each tent. At that -the freighters began to wriggle out from under the -canvas and crawl on their bellies to shelter beneath -the wagons. Cody knew that the first fire of the outlaws -would be aimed at the tents. Boyd Bennett and -his villains would expect to thus kill or seriously -wound several of the sleeping freighters and throw the -others into utter confusion.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill remained no longer in the small tent -himself. He crept down to the river-bank, and he and -the sentinel saw each other. Cody expected a part of -the attacking party would approach in the way he had -come to the camp, only from the other direction.</p> - -<p>And this was a good guess. The outlaws—or several -of them—dismounted and came along under the -bank. In fact, so sure were they of catching the encampment -asleep, that the scout heard their footsteps. -They did not take proper care in disguising them.</p> - -<p>“Now, mister!” Buffalo Bill exclaimed, under his -breath to the sentinel near him.</p> - -<p>Instantly this man dropped down in the grass, the -other guard fell flat, there was a sudden pounding of -horse’ hoofs down the ridge from the south and -west. Then:</p> - -<p>Bang! bang! bang!</p> - -<p>A volley of rifle-shots tore through the tents inside<span class="pagenum">[265]</span> -the wagon-line. Instantly the shrill yell of Buffalo -Bill, the Border King, answered the shots defiantly. -The sound had often struck terror to the hearts of his -red foes, and it was not unknown to Boyd Bennett and -his comrades.</p> - -<p>“That hell-cat, Cody, is here!” screamed Bennett.</p> - -<p>The cook flung the light brush on the fire. It blazed -up almost immediately, giving the men under the -wagons a chance to see any of the outlaws that might -venture into the camp. But none of them reached the -inner circle. As those afoot sprang up the bank from -the riverside, Cody and the man with him shot them -down, or drove them shrieking with fear out of rifle-shot.</p> - -<p>Pandemonium reigned for a few minutes, however. -Although Boyd Bennett yelled his warning, the gang -did not give over the fight so easily. They poured -round after round of bullets into the camp; but at first -they did not realize that they were being answered -from beneath the wagons rather than from the tents.</p> - -<p>Several of their ponies were shot down. Although -the mules were stampeded for a ways, the ruffians -could make no good use of this fact. Instead of catching -the camp unawares, they were themselves ambushed, -thanks to the Border King!</p> - -<p>“Escape, men! We are undone!” shrieked Boyd -Bennett, at last.</p> - -<p>He had seen four of his men fall never to rise again, -and two others had lost their mounts and had to spend -precious moments in catching two of their dead comrades’ -horses. Back the decimated party fled over the -ridge.</p> - -<p>The freighters poured in volley after volley upon the<span class="pagenum">[266]</span> -retreating outlaws. But the captain would not let -them mount such horses and mules as they could catch -and follow the crew. In this he got square with Buffalo -Bill for the scout’s sharp words.</p> - -<p>In the height of the fight, after seeing that the -freight crew were more than a match for the outlaws, -Buffalo Bill had slipped down under the river-bank -and had run at his best pace toward the spot where -the outlaws had been encamped earlier in the evening. -There he had seen White Antelope tied to a sapling -so that she could not escape while her captors tried -their nefarious scheme of robbing and murdering the -freight-train crew.</p> - -<p>Believing that Bennett would leave nobody to guard -the girl, the scout was bent upon reaching the place -first and releasing her.</p> - -<p>And this much he did accomplish: he reached the -place first. But almost as soon as he had recognized -Buffalo Bill’s yell, Boyd Bennett spurred back toward -the bound girl. He feared the scout would do exactly -the thing he was attempting. Knowing that -Cody must have followed them here for the express -purpose of saving White Antelope, he feared the -shrewdness of his enemy.</p> - -<p>Cody found the spot. A camp-fire burned low, but -revealed the girl writhing in her bonds at one side. -The scout bounded to her side just as the thunder of -Bennett’s horse sounded down the hill.</p> - -<p>“All right, White Antelope! ’Tis I—the Long -Hair!” whispered the scout. “My horse is not far -away. I will save you—— The devil!”</p> - -<p>The scout broke off with a savage exclamation. He -had hoped to slash through the girl’s bonds and carry<span class="pagenum">[267]</span> -her to his horse, which he had left in a thicket not far -away. But for once in his life the scout had made a -terrible oversight!</p> - -<p>Chief had picked up a small pebble in his hoof late -that afternoon, and Buffalo Bill had got down and -pried it out with the point of his bowie. He had stuck -the knife into a sheath which hung to his saddle-bow, -and had forgotten it until this very instant. He had -nothing with which to cut the girl’s bonds.</p> - -<p>Already the chief of the bandits was almost upon -him. Boyd Bennett rode down the hill yelling like a -fiend.</p> - -<p>“Fly!” murmured the girl. “They will kill you.”</p> - -<p>“Curse it! I am foiled for the time. But, remember, -White Antelope, I am near you and will release -you yet, and serve your enemy as he deserves!”</p> - -<p>With these words the scout dropped to all fours, -and, as stealthily and silently as a wolf, crept away -in the darkness.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLII">CHAPTER XLII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE AVENGER.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The gang of outlaws had been depleted by five. -One had fallen on the river-bank, and four others had -either been killed or so badly wounded that they fell -captive to the freighters on the side of the ridge. -There were but eight who gathered about the spot -where White Antelope was left tied, when the fight -was over.</p> - -<p>And they feared pursuit and a worse thrashing than -they had already endured. They clamored to be led<span class="pagenum">[268]</span> -away from the place, and Boyd Bennett, gnashing his -teeth in impotent rage, was forced to agree.</p> - -<p>Every man of them had a fear of Buffalo Bill, the -Border King. How he could have gotten ahead of -them, and been in the teamsters’ encampment when -they made their attack, added to the superstitious -veneration in which the outlaws had begun to hold -the great scout. Heretofore they had held Boyd Bennett -as a better man than Cody; but now they began to -doubt.</p> - -<p>Besides, several of them did not approve of his bearing -away the Indian girl from her village. While -Bennett had posed as the medicine chief of the Sioux, -they were all sure of being treated well by the savages. -Some of them had taken Indian wives and were -living in ease and plenty—the lazy, irresponsible existence -of the “squaw-man.”</p> - -<p>Boyd Bennett’s unhappy attachment for the chief’s -daughter had brought the gang together again, and -old-time loyalty had caused them to answer his command. -But they now believed that they had lost more -than they should gain. All the Sioux would be down -upon them, and so they would be at enmity with every -man they met in the forest and on the plain, both red -and white!</p> - -<p>White Antelope showed plainly that she would never -yield to Boyd Bennett’s demand and espouse him. -While he was with the Indians and wielding so much -influence as Death Killer, the medicine-man, she had -spurned his advances. Much more did she hold him in -contempt now.</p> - -<p>And Boyd Bennett, too, was acting very strangely. -Evil ways and evil desires were turning the man’s<span class="pagenum">[269]</span> -brain. He acted without judgment. Now he unloosed -White Antelope, caught her up to his saddle, -and rode away with his men without as much as looking -for traces of Buffalo Bill in the vicinity, or learning -if in reality the freighters were inclined to follow -up their advantage and push the attack.</p> - -<p>They swam the river and made for another exit -from the valley. But their horses were pretty well -done up, and they could get only a spurt of speed out -of them now and then. Besides, Boyd Bennett’s own -mount refused after a time to carry double. This -necessitated one of the other ruffians carrying White -Antelope before him on his saddle.</p> - -<p>The chance afforded the chief villain an escape from -certain death. The party were aiming to leave the valley -by the way the broadening river flowed; but they -were some distance from the river’s side. Through the -uncertain light of early morning they did not see a -tireless white horse carrying its rider down the opposite -bank until they reached a ford, through which -the stallion splashed to the side of the stream on which -the bandits rode.</p> - -<p>It was the avenger on the villain’s trail; but they -did not suspect that again Buffalo Bill had ridden -ahead of them. Chief was tireless.</p> - -<p>The scout ensconced the horse behind a thicket, and -wormed his way out into the open where he could -draw bead on anybody passing along the river trail. -It was a long shot, but the scout had succeeded in -making more ticklish ones in times past.</p> - -<p>By and by the band of tired horsemen loped along -the trail. The light was too uncertain for Cody to -distinguish one man from the other; but he saw one<span class="pagenum">[270]</span> -riding ahead and carrying the girl before him, and -he believed it must be Bennett. He did not think the -fellow would let the White Antelope out of his own -bloody hands.</p> - -<p>Therefore he took sight—deadly sight—at this man, -and shot him through the head!</p> - -<p>A yell rose from the bandits as the rifle exploded -and the man pitched off his mount. It was answered -by Buffalo Bill’s eery war-whoop. The seven remaining -bandits knew who had fired the fatal shot.</p> - -<p>But, although the immediate captor of the girl had -fallen, she had no time to urge the pony to one side -and thus escape. Buffalo Bill saw his mistake in a -moment. With a wild yell Boyd Bennett spurred to -the side of the horse which White Antelope sat, and -threatened her with drawn bowie as the whole cavalcade -shot down the river trail and put a brush-clump -between them and the scout’s rifle. When they appeared -again they were out of rifle-shot.</p> - -<p>“Seven of them left,” muttered Buffalo Bill. “I -thought I had that devil that time. But let him wait—let -him wait!”</p> - -<p>He mounted Chief once more and rode for a time -in the wake of the bandits. But, fearing that some of -them might slip off their horses and lay in wait for -him, he turned aside into the hilly country and so saw -the refugees only occasionally from the summits of certain -hills which he climbed. He kept them from resting, -however, during the forenoon. By midday the -desperadoes’ ponies were completely worn out.</p> - -<p>Had they not been so fearful of the scout the seven -men might have shown fight. They were equally well -armed with Buffalo Bill, and some of them were good<span class="pagenum">[271]</span> -shots. But Boyd Bennett thought only of escape with -the girl, and his mates were in a blue funk, anyway.</p> - -<p>They came at noon to a deserted Indian encampment. -It was a hunting-camp, the braves evidently being -out in the hills after game and having left nobody -but the squaws on guard. The squaws had gone into -the bush after late berries. Therefore, there was none -to balk the bandits.</p> - -<p>There were no ponies, or the men would have left -their fagged mounts and stolen those of the red men. -But in the river lay two good-sized canoes. Abandoning -their ponies the outlaws seized these boats, forced -White Antelope into the leading one with Boyd Bennett -and two others, and the four remaining men entering -the other boat, both were pushed off and paddled -down the stream.</p> - -<p>Cody beheld this move from a hilltop, and immediately -rode down to the river. Had he crossed the paths -of any of the Indians—they were not Sioux, but he -knew the tribe—he might have obtained their help. -Alone, however, he came to the river-bank. The -canoes were far out in the stream and going down -rapidly with the current and the force of the paddles. -The scout saw the White Antelope on her knees in the -forward boat, her arms stretched out to him. Her mute -gesture for help spurred him on to a desperate attempt!</p> - -<p>Chief had come far now without much rest, but he -was able to make one more spurt. Down the river -path the scout thundered, racing to catch up with -the canoes. There was a high bluff across the river, -offering no landing-place. On this side the bank was -low. Even if the canoes were paddled near the opposite<span class="pagenum">[272]</span> -shore, the scout’s rifle would carry a deadly ball -that distance. In coming near, and into sight, however, -he gave the bandits a chance to try their marksmanship -upon him.</p> - -<p>But this risk the brave scout took. For the White -Antelope’s sake he was venturing his life.</p> - -<p>He forced Chief to top speed until the brave old -horse came out upon a cleared space just ahead of the -two canoes. The bandits began to pop at him with -their rifles; but shooting from a sitting position in a -trumpery little canoe was no easy job.</p> - -<p>Both craft were overloaded, anyway. Two men -were supposed to be the full complement of the cargo -of each. So the craft rode low, and the least movement -might tip them over. One man in the forward -boat, and two in the latter, turned their attention to the -scout and his white horse; but their bullets flew wide -of the mark.</p> - -<p>The scout, however, paid no more attention to the -whistling lead than he would have to so many buzzing -flies. He dismounted from Chief, and, standing out -deliberately on the river-bank, raised his rifle and took -aim at the leading paddler in the rear boat. He did -not shoot at those with White Antelope in the other -canoe. First he would reduce the numbers of the -gang.</p> - -<p>Crack!</p> - -<p>The heavy rifle spoke no louder than a pistol across -the flat surface of the water. With a yell the man -dropped his paddle, turned a face all gory upon the -scout, and then pitched out of the canoe!</p> - -<p>Strangely enough he did not tip over the vessel.<span class="pagenum">[273]</span> -Another caught up his paddle. They tried to urge -the craft to the foot of the steep bluff. But now the -current had caught the light canoe in a fierce grip, and -to swerve it was not easy.</p> - -<p>Crack!</p> - -<p>Just as a second man was drawing bead as well as -he could upon the undaunted scout, the rifle dropped -from his hands, and he fell backward into the bottom -of the canoe. The craft dipped dangerously and all -but went over. As it righted the scout fired a third -time. Plunk the ball went through and through the -body of the canoe!</p> - -<p>The water began to run in at both holes, and the -canoe sank. One of the remaining men, in complete -panic, threw himself overboard and swam for the -shore. The other continued to paddle desperately.</p> - -<p>A double report sounded. The rifleman in the forward -boat had stood up and taken a better aim at the -scout. The latter’s shoulder was plowed just under -the skin by the ball. But Cody’s own bullet sped -straight to the desperate paddler in the second canoe, -and the man fell sideways, shot through the lungs; the -canoe tipped completely, and man and canoe went to -the bottom together.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the fourth man in that boat had reached -the strand. It was a narrow beach and offered no -shelter for him. He scrambled up the steep bluff like -a crab making for its hole. But when he was half-way -up, and his body against the yellow sand made an excellent -target, the scout’s gun spoke again.</p> - -<p>Sprawled out, and screaming, the fellow fell all the -way back to the shore, and there, squirming with the -agony of the wound which was in a vital part, he rolled<span class="pagenum">[274]</span> -into the river, and the black current swept him swiftly -down-stream.</p> - -<p>He passed the first canoe that had been retarding, -while the rifleman tried a second particular shot at the -scout. The drowning man yelled for help. He even -snatched at the gunwale of the canoe as he was swept -by.</p> - -<p>Instantly Boyd Bennett seized a pistol from his belt -and deliberately shot the drowning man through the -head. Perhaps, if the latter had seized the canoe, he -would have overturned it and sacrificed the four other -lives; yet it was a desperately cruel act!</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Cody had leaped aside, escaping the second -shot of the rifleman in the remaining canoe; and -then, before the man could sit down and the canoe -could shoot ahead, he dropped him cleanly with a ball -through the heart!</p> - -<p>In five minutes the bloody battle was over. But two -of the bandits were left alive. The other five had -sunk to the bottom of the river, while the remaining -two, and the White Antelope, were being carried -swiftly down the stream, and by a current now so -powerful that they could not steer to the bank on either -side. Just below were the worst series of rapids on -the entire river!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLIII">CHAPTER XLIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">MAN TO MAN AT LAST.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Buffalo Bill knew the peril which threatened the two -bandits and the girl quite as soon as they knew it -themselves. But he was handicapped a bit now by his<span class="pagenum">[275]</span> -wound, which bled profusely. He had to wait to bind -it up roughly, so that the blood would stop flowing, -before he could pay much attention to the endangered -trio in the canoe.</p> - -<p>Ere then the craft was swiftly speeding down the -river, going almost as fast as an ordinary horse could -trot. Buffalo Bill whistled Chief to him, sprang into -the saddle, and galloped down the trail. It was some -minutes before he overtook the boat.</p> - -<p>There was no danger then of anybody aboard it -shooting at him. Boyd Bennett in the stern and his -last comrade in the bow were having all they could -handle in steering the craft. Rocks and snags began -to crop up in the current, and they were now tossed -this way, then that, while the foaming water boiled -almost into the frail craft!</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, intent on saving White Antelope’s life -at any cost, unslung his lariat and made ready to cast -the endangered men an end if the canoe came near -enough to the shore. For the sake of assisting the girl -he would have given up his vengeance on the outlaws.</p> - -<p>However, when he cast the rope, although it fell -across the boat, Boyd Bennett, with a scream of rage, -threw it off.</p> - -<p>“You madman!” yelled his companion, glancing -over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Mind your paddle!” roared Bennett.</p> - -<p>“My God! I’ll take help from anybody,” cried the -other.</p> - -<p>Cody coiled his rope to swing it again, this time intending -to aim ahead of the canoe so that the other -man could catch it. But Bennett saw his intention, -and he drew in his paddle, grabbed his pistol, and<span class="pagenum">[276]</span> -presented it at his comrade’s back. White Antelope -was lying down in the canoe, knowing that this was -the safest place for her.</p> - -<p>“You touch that rope!” shrieked the bandit leader, -as the lariat whistled through the air again, “and I’ll -send you to Hades!”</p> - -<p>The man glanced fearfully over his shoulder at the -words, and saw the threatening pistol.</p> - -<p>“Look out!” shouted Buffalo Bill, for his cast had -been true, and the coil of the lasso was circling just -over the man.</p> - -<p>The fellow was too scared of the pistol to watch the -loop, and it settled fairly over his head. With a shriek -he tried then to get out of it, but it was too late. The -canoe darted suddenly into a cross current, shooting -off from the shore, and the rope was pulled taut.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill could not have released the rope from -his saddle-bow in time to save the unfortunate outlaw, -nor could he force Chief nearer the water. The -noose was about the man’s neck, and with an awful -jerk the rope literally snatched him out of the canoe!</p> - -<p>Had the girl not been lying down at the moment his -body would have carried her likewise into the river. -It was by mere chance that the canoe did not overturn; -but it righted and sailed on with its freight of two. -The other outlaw was dead before Buffalo Bill could -drag him ashore. His neck had been broken.</p> - -<p>The scout’s interest lay, however, in the fate of the -two remaining in the canoe. He cast the dead man -loose and spurred hard down the path, trying to keep -up with the frail canoe now shooting the rapids.</p> - -<p>It was a perilous journey; yet Boyd Bennett, ruffian -though he was, exercised the greatest ingenuity in<span class="pagenum">[277]</span> -managing the canoe. The scout could not but admire -this in the fellow.</p> - -<p>It seemed impossible, however, that the canoe and -its living freight could get through the rapids intact. -The water boiled madly about the craft. It was flung -hither and yon, and at times it was so racked by -the opposing forces of the current that Buffalo Bill, -on the bank, could hear the wood crack.</p> - -<p>Boyd Bennett’s glaring eyes did not turn toward his -enemy throughout all this trial. He watched each -black-ribbed rock or floating snag against which his -craft might be hurled. Nor did he speak a word to -the girl lying in the bottom of the canoe.</p> - -<p>She knew as well as he that any movement on her -part would add to their danger, and, although she -might now leap overboard—she was free—it would -mean certain death. So freedom tantalized her. She -could only escape at the peril of her life!</p> - -<p>She saw Boyd Bennett’s glowing eyes occasionally -cast upon her a basilisklike glance. There was madness -in them, she knew. The brave girl, used as she -was to battle and the chase, shrank from this terrible -foe. And she was helpless!</p> - -<p>The canoe swung around rocks, which she thought -surely they must hit; it just escaped collision with logs -and drift-stuff in the most marvelous manner, and all -the time Boyd Bennett sat holding the paddle as a -steering-oar, his black eyes glaring out of his death’s-head -face, impassive, yet all alive to the dangers of the -run.</p> - -<p>Spray broke over the side of the canoe and drenched -the girl. The craft seemed to fairly throb and jump -with the motion of the water.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[278]</span></p> - -<p>Once an eddy seized them. Despite all Bennett -could do the canoe shot into this whirlpool, and they -made several rapid revolutions before the man saw his -way out, and thrust the canoe between two ragged -jaws of rock, and so escaped!</p> - -<p>On and on fled the boat, while Buffalo Bill urged -his mount along the river path. He could barely keep -up with it. Each moment he expected to see it overturned, -and both passengers tumbled into the raging -current.</p> - -<p>At last the more quiet river below the rapids came -into view. Here the stream widened and the current -quickly became sluggish. In the midst of the stream -was a wooded island, its sharp upper end, consisting of -an outcropping ledge, dividing the river into two channels -just at the foot of the white water.</p> - -<p>The canoe, as it shot out of the smother of spray, -chanced to take the channel nearest to the bank on -which Cody urged his horse. This was an oversight -on Bennett’s part, but he had been too anxious to -get out of the rapids at all to attend to where the canoe -finally went.</p> - -<p>Cody saw his chance, and, although Chief was well -winded now, he yelled with delight. He saw what appeared -to be the finish of the race—and in his favor.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got you now, Boyd Bennett!” he shouted.</p> - -<p>The bandit at last turned his eyes upon him, and -then glanced around. He saw Cody’s meaning. The -canoe was drifting so near the scout that the latter -could either shoot, or rope him. And the long island -forbade his getting away.</p> - -<p>But the villain was not yet to his last card. His<span class="pagenum">[279]</span> -mind was keenly alive to the situation, and he lost no -points in the game.</p> - -<p>“Not yet, Bill Cody—not yet!” he shrieked, and -with a single thrust of his paddle, turned the canoe’s -nose toward the island.</p> - -<p>“Hold, or I fire!” cried the scout, raising his weapon -and drawing bead upon the bandit.</p> - -<p>Boyd Bennett drove the canoe into the rocky ledge -which masked the end of the island. Like paper the -frail craft tore apart, and both he and the girl were -flung into the stream.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill’s bullet flew wide of its mark that time! -White Antelope was in as much danger as the bandit—perhaps -more—for the scout did not know whether -the girl could swim or not, and the current was still -quite swift and the water deep.</p> - -<p>But White Antelope soon showed what she could -do in the river. Cold as the water was, the instant -she came to the surface and saw Boyd Bennett’s arms -stretched out for her, she threw herself backward -and dove again to the bottom of the river! With a -yell the bandit flung himself after her, and again just -missed the scout’s bullet. The scoundrel seemed to -bear a charmed life. Buffalo Bill was unable to hit him. -Although they were man to man at last, it was a question -still who would come out winner in the game.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[280]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLIV">CHAPTER XLIV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE FIGHT TO GAIN THE ISLAND.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>White Antelope sank to the bottom of the river; -then, unlike ordinary swimmers, she did not move in -a straight line, but shot off at a sharp angle, and endeavored -to make the shore where Cody was, while -still under water. But Boyd Bennett was quite as cunning. -He cut across her path, and, as the girl came -shooting in a long slant to the surface of the river, he -reached and caught her by the shoulder.</p> - -<p>White Antelope screamed and sought to wrench herself -away. Cody had flung aside his rifle and urged -Chief down into the stream. The white horse was -already belly deep in the flood, picking his way intelligently, -while his master, rope in hand, prepared to -fling the loop to the Indian maiden.</p> - -<p>But before Cody could make the cast, Bennett had -grabbed the girl and thrust her under the surface -again. White Antelope went down gurgling, and the -cruel hand of the bandit chief held her fast. With -an oath the scout seized a revolver and aimed at the -black, sleek head of the scoundrel.</p> - -<p>“Hold your fire, Bill Cody!” cried the bandit again. -“Hold your fire, or I’ll drown this girl—as sure as -you live, I will! She’s mine, and, by Heaven, you -sha’n’t take her from me—unless it’s her dead body!”</p> - -<p>“You devil, you!” roared the scout. “You are -drowning her!”</p> - -<p>“I surely will if you don’t put up your gun!”</p> - -<p>“Let her up!”</p> - -<p>“Put away your gun!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[281]</span></p> - -<p>The scout was obliged to do so. If he shot the -scoundrel the latter might sink, his clutch still upon -the White Antelope, and neither of them rise again -until the breath had left both their bodies!</p> - -<p>Boyd Bennett saw the scout put the gun back into -his belt. He then dragged the girl up by her long, -golden hair, and with her in his arms—she was now -totally unconscious—he struck out with his free hand -for the island. The scout seemed helpless. There -was nothing he could do to stop the foe or free the -girl. The situation stumped Buffalo Bill completely!</p> - -<p>All the scout could do was to wait, hand on gun, for -some chance to aid his cause. While Bennett struggled -in the river with the girl he dared not fire for two reasons. -One, already stated, was that he feared the man -would sink with his burden and both be drowned; -the other was that he feared his pistol-ball might -wound the girl as well as Bennett.</p> - -<p>And now it was not altogether sure that the scoundrel -could make the shore of the island. He was -weaker than he had been, and the burden of the girl -bore him down. There was a current set off from the -island on this side, and he had this to fight. And fight -he did—with a bravery which Cody could but admire. -He breasted the current, and fought inch by inch the -downward drag of the river. It was too much for -him, however.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the bandit almost lost his hold upon the -girl. Cody believed he was about to give her up and -save himself, and he prepared to force Chief into the -deeper current and so swim out for her. He swung -his lariat again, too, that it might be ready for -emergency. But, although Bennett was carried down-stream<span class="pagenum">[282]</span> -and the shore of the island was rapidly receding -from him, he still clung to the Indian maid.</p> - -<p>“Look out for the rope, Boyd Bennett! Catch it!” -sang out the scout, believing that now the fellow would -certainly rather save his life and lose the girl than -lose both his own and her lives. But a sputtering -shriek came back from the maniac:</p> - -<p>“Fling your rope if you dare, Bill Cody! I’ll kill -her if you do—mark that!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a fool, man. You can’t save her and yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll both drown,” returned Boyd Bennett, -with the determination of a still fearless man.</p> - -<p>“I’ll give you your freedom!” roared Cody, at desperate -straits now.</p> - -<p>“I’ll not take it of you. If I die she goes with me—ah!”</p> - -<p>A sudden eddy seized the man and swung him toward -the island. He had evidently stored some remaining -energy, and this he now put forth. He -seemed fairly to leap forward in the water which -was over his head near the bank. But he caught at -a drooping tree-branch and held on.</p> - -<p>Now, could Cody only have reached him, Boyd -Bennett would have been at his mercy. But only for -an instant did the weakness overpower him. He -swung in shoreward, his feet found footing on a ledge -of rock, and in another minute he clambered up out -of the water, and, with the unfortunate girl still hanging -limply over his shoulder, passed out of the scout’s -sight!</p> - -<p>The island was well wooded. It contained about<span class="pagenum">[283]</span> -half an acre and was long and narrow. It was so long -that from the bank to which Cody had again turned -his mount, he could not see whether the bandit found -some immediate way of leaving it, and so reaching the -farther shore of the river, or not.</p> - -<p>There was no time to waste for Buffalo Bill, therefore. -He must press after the man and the girl, giving -the former no time to recover his strength, and, -perhaps, make his escape from the island.</p> - -<p>But Chief could not help his master across the deep -water to the ledgy island. Nor could Buffalo Bill -make it encumbered by his heavy accouterments. That -was not to be considered for a moment!</p> - -<p>He dismounted and let Chief go free. The old -horse had done his share well, and as soon as he was -relieved of the saddle and bridle, he lay down and -rolled as though to get the cramps out of his body. -The water of the river was ice-cold.</p> - -<p>It even made Cody shrink when he contemplated it. -His only way of reaching the island was by swimming, -and against that current, and with the chill evening -coming on, the scout might well hesitate. But not -for long. What must be done would better be done -quickly, and the Border King was well inured to exposure -and cold. He threw aside his ammunition-belt -and his weapons. His coat, waistcoat, and outer shirt -went likewise. Off came his riding-boots, and then -in his undergarment, and with his bowie between his -teeth, he plunged into the flood and essayed the venture.</p> - -<p>Whether he was being watched from the island by -his enemy, Cody did not know. But this was the -only way he saw to get at Boyd Bennett and the girl.<span class="pagenum">[284]</span> -He was matching his life against the bandit’s now, -in the last desperate act of the series which had followed -the abduction of White Antelope early the day -before.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLV">CHAPTER XLV.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">WAR TO THE KNIFE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>And, indeed, Boyd Bennett was almost at his last -gasp when he dragged himself ashore and put the -nearest clump of brush between him and the water, -thus hiding his future movements from the sharp eyes -of the Border King. There the man fell upon the -meager sward that clothed this part of the island, and -lay, gasping like a great fish just out of its element, -almost helpless with exhaustion. The White Antelope, -had she recovered consciousness and power of -action during those first few minutes, might easily have -escaped from her captor. But she had come nearer -being drowned than was at all pleasant. She lay so -still and white where Bennett had flung her upon the -ground, that even he, hardened villain that he was, -feared his usage of her delicate body had been too -much for the spirit that inhabited it, and that the -breath was already sped from the girl.</p> - -<p>But not for some minutes did Bennett think thus. -He could barely recover his own breath at first. He -was chilled through and through by the icy water. -His clothing clung to him like lead. He had lost most -of his weapons during his struggle in the river; but -his bowie and a pistol remained—the latter, of course, -useless in its present condition. His ammunition was<span class="pagenum">[285]</span> -saturated, too. He had but his knife to depend on, -was he attacked.</p> - -<p>And at that thought the bandit chief started to life! -Attacked, indeed! There was a relentless enemy on -his trail. He, too, knew that it had come to the final -trial of strength between he and the Border King. -His death, or William F. Cody’s, must mark this island -as a tragic spot forever.</p> - -<p>The great scout, he knew, would never give up while -life remained in his body. As for Bennett himself, -he was pushed now to the last extremity. He was -bereft of all his associates. He had seen them killed -one by one, by fate, or by the relentless arm of Buffalo -Bill. He had lost caste with the Sioux, over whom he -had obtained so great an influence during the past few -months. And all for what? For this White Antelope—a -half-breed girl—a woman who hated him, and -who considered herself, though of mixed blood, too -good for him.</p> - -<p>He gnashed his teeth in rage as he thought of this, -and his rage somewhat aroused him. He crawled to -the girl and shook her. Her body was limp—and oh, -so cold! It well-nigh frightened Bennett to touch her. -Could it be that she was already dead?</p> - -<p>He tore open the doeskin blouse that draped the -upper part of her person and bared her bosom. His -hand sought her heart and felt a timid flutter there. -She was still alive!</p> - -<p>Yet, how to warm that spark of life into full flame? -He had nothing in which to wrap her; his own clothing -was saturated. But in his hunting-shirt he carried -a carefully stoppered bottle, and in this receptacle<span class="pagenum">[286]</span> -were several sulfur matches. These were as precious -as gold to him now. He crept about the little plateau -of the island, gathering twigs and dry branches and -rubbish. This light stuff he heaped in a pile, and -then, before he dared light the pyre, he found and -broke up larger wood and made ready a roaring heap -which, a few moments after he touched his match to -it, blazed several feet into the air.</p> - -<p>The sun was going down, and this bonfire warded -off the coming chill of night. He basked in the heat -himself, feeling grateful for every leaping, scorching -flame. He dragged the girl within the radiance of -the fire and chafed her hands and her forehead, and -removed her torn moccasins and held her small, beautifully -formed feet to the fire. These ministrations -he performed with some little tenderness; but, although -the girl sighed and her lips parted, and her -chilled body seemed to respond to the warmth of the -fire, she did not open her eyes.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Boyd Bennett started to his feet with an -exclamation of rage. He had entirely forgotten something -during these minutes. What was Buffalo Bill -about?</p> - -<p>He ran through the bushes and appeared upon the -edge of the river looking toward the side where Cody -had been. There was the big white horse, divested of -saddle and bridle, cropping the grass on the bank. -There, too, Bennett saw most of Cody’s clothes and -accouterments—a neat pile of them. But where was -the man himself?</p> - -<p>The bandit was inspired instantly with fear that he -had overlooked his enemy too long. Had he been -given time to cross to the island?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[287]</span></p> - -<p>And where else could Cody be? For what other -reason would he have removed his clothing and arms?</p> - -<p>“The devil is swimming the river!” muttered the -bandit.</p> - -<p>The sun was setting, and it was already growing -dusky on this side of the island. Boyd Bennett cast -his keen glance over the troubled surface of the water, -seeking the bold swimmer. He was not aware that -at the moment he parted the bushes to step out on -the shore, Cody, in midstream, had seen him, and had -sunk beneath the surface, leaving scarcely a ripple to -show where he had gone down.</p> - -<p>And once in the depths the scout had swum as -strongly as he could for the island. The current swept -him downward, and he was some yards below Boyd -Bennett’s position when he finally had to come up for -air. His head bobbed above the surface as sleek as a -seal’s or an otter’s—and looking much like that of the -latter animal. Only to get a breath did the scout remain -at the surface, then he sank beneath again.</p> - -<p>Although Bennett did not actually see his head, he -caught the ripples on the surface as Cody went down. -He saw that there was no eddy there, and he suspected -instantly what had caused the disturbance on -the water. With an oath he ran along the edge of -the island until he came opposite the spot.</p> - -<p>In a minute Cody came up again for air. With a -yell Bennett sighted him. The scout was this time -much nearer the shore—and he was much nearer his -last gasp than before, too! Crossing the river he had -found all the task promised from the other side. It -was not only a long swim, but it was an arduous swim.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got you now, Bill Cody!” roared the bandit,<span class="pagenum">[288]</span> -shaking his fists above his head in an abandonment of -rage. “I’ve got you now!”</p> - -<p>Had Buffalo Bill had breath to do so he might have -told him that the river had a bigger mortgage on him. -The current was pulling him down-stream with a -power that taxed his utmost strength to counteract.</p> - -<p>“You’re my meat!” bawled Bennett. “Let me get -my hands on you, you hell-hound!”</p> - -<p>Cody bore all this in silence. He was struggling to -gain a foothold near the shore. Once his feet found -bottom, but then the current tore him away and he -had to fight to get back. Bennett ran along the shore -and stood over him, his face aflame, his eyes blazing -like coals, his lips fairly frothing.</p> - -<p>Cody finally made the shallow again and stood upon -his feet. That was a blessed relief! He was head -and shoulders out of the water, and now he took the -knife from between his teeth and held it clutched -firmly in his right hand.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got you!” bawled Bennett, fairly dancing up -and down on the shore. “Come ashore and I’ll have -your scalp! I’ll cut your heart out! I’ll slice you -into cat’s meat! And if you don’t come ashore the -river will get you. Ha! ha! ha! Bill Cody is between -the devil and the deep sea this time!”</p> - -<p>And the scout thought that this was a pretty true -statement of the case. For, if ever there was a fiend -incarnate, it was Bennett at this juncture. And the -river was as wicked and dangerous as the sea could -possibly be. The scout was indeed between two perils—and -neither would give him a chance for his life.</p> - -<p>The moment he waded within striking distance Bennett<span class="pagenum">[289]</span> -would attack him. And the river dragged at -him continually.</p> - -<p>But, at least, the scout could parley. He had breath -enough to say:</p> - -<p>“Boyd Bennett, you and I have many an old score -to settle. Give me footing on that bank. You have -your knife; I have mine. Let us try conclusions -fairly.”</p> - -<p>“What! Give you a chance to play some scurvy -trick on me—when I’ve got you dead to rights?” cried -Bennett, and laughed long and loudly.</p> - -<p>Cody edged a step nearer to the shore.</p> - -<p>“Be a man!” urged the scout. “You’re as good -as I am.”</p> - -<p>“I’m better—curse you!”</p> - -<p>Cody gained another foot.</p> - -<p>“Let us try conclusions, blade to blade. Give me a -show, man!”</p> - -<p>“It’s war to the knife, and the knife to the hilt between -us—that’s true, Bill Cody!” gritted out the man. -“But you shall not be given a chance. I’ll kill you in -cold blood—or see you drown in this river. Mark ye -that!”</p> - -<p>Cody crept a few inches nearer.</p> - -<p>“Come! You are rested. You’ve got your strength -back. I’m chilled to the bone. But don’t kill me as -you would a dog, Bennett!” urged the wily scout.</p> - -<p>“A dog you are, and a dog’s death you shall die!”</p> - -<p>Cody stooped a little now so as to appear still to -be in deep water. But he had gained considerable. -The fellow’s rage and excitement made him overlook -this cunning.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[290]</span></p> - -<p>“A chance; just a foothold on the bank—for God’s -sake!” cried Cody.</p> - -<p>“Not much; I won’t! You die where you are—or -drown!”</p> - -<p>Boyd Bennett stooped, and holding his own bowie -with grim clutch, made a pass at the scout. The latter -dodged—and made another foot.</p> - -<p>“Give me a show!” cried the man in the water, apparently -at his last gasp.</p> - -<p>“No, no! I’ll have your life—and now!”</p> - -<p>Again the bandit made a thrust. At the moment -Cody flung his body forward, and his left hand -clutched a tree-branch which overhung the river. At -last he had a stable hold upon terra firma. With a -shout he dragged himself in toward the bank, and, -in turn, lunged at his antagonist. So unexpected was -the blow that he came near catching Bennett in a vital -spot. As it was, the point of the scout’s bowie slit -his enemy’s sleeve from wrist to elbow and brought -the blood beneath!</p> - -<p>“You devil!” yelled Bennett, leaping back, smarting -with pain.</p> - -<p>It was just the chance Cody wished. He bounded -out upon the rocky shore. His own war-cry resounded -through the island. All his weakness dropped -from him like a garment. At last he was before his -foe, and they were evenly matched—man to man and -blade to blade!</p> - -<p>“Guard yourself, you scoundrel!” cried Buffalo Bill, -the Border King. “It is war to the knife, and the -knife to the hilt, as you yourself have said. Your -life or mine—which is the better man! One of us, -Boyd Bennett, shall never leave this spot alive!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[291]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLVI">CHAPTER XLVI.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">AND THE KNIFE TO THE HILT.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>All the time Buffalo Bill had been standing in the -shallow water parleying with his enemy, he had been -regaining his breath and his strength, both sadly depleted -by his swim across the river. Now he had -leaped ashore almost as fresh and strong as Bennett -himself.</p> - -<p>His leaping ashore had quite startled the bandit; -but he did not give back after his first cry of surprise -and pain. He, too, was armed with a bowie. They -were indeed equal, and the bandit was no physical -coward.</p> - -<p>Colonel James Bowie, of Texas, invented a terrible -weapon of defense and offense when he gave the world -the heavy hunting-knife which bears his name. It is -a long, slightly curved blade, having a razor-sharp -two-edged point and a heavy back. It is fitted with a -handle and guard, and is always carried in a sheath. -It can be thrown with great precision by the old-time -“knife-fighter”; but it is at close quarters that the true -wickedness of the weapon comes to light.</p> - -<p>In a fight with these knives death must surely result—many -times to both antagonists; surely to one. -One stroke does it; there is no need of a second if the -first really gets home. A strong blow would sever -a man’s head from his body!</p> - -<p>Both the scout and Boyd Bennett were familiar -with the use of the great knife. Facing each other, -left foot forward, stooping slightly, they circled about<span class="pagenum">[292]</span> -each other like two cocks looking for a chance to -strike. The men’s eyes were fastened upon each other, -like the eyes of pugilists. In the expanding and contracting -of the eyeball they saw the intent of their -antagonist to make a move.</p> - -<p>Crouching, the two shifted about on the rocks. The -ground was not good for such cautious work; but -one did not know it better than the other. It was as -fair to Bennett as to the scout.</p> - -<p>Both men feinted, but did not come to close quarters. -They began to breathe heavily, not so much from -exhaustion as from excitement. The wind hissed between -their locked teeth. Their eyes were like those -of mad beasts. Their bare feet shifted on the rocks -with a shuffling sound, but otherwise they were noiseless -in their tigerlike movements.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, with a shriek like a wildcat, Boyd Bennett -leaped at his foe. He thought he saw an opening. -This was what the scout intended, and he gave back -just a little. But before Bennett was upon him the -other glided to one side and struck sharply at the man. -The blades clashed and sparks flew from the steel. -At the same moment the men clutched each other by -the left wrist, and at last the issue was really joined!</p> - -<p>There they stood panting, foot to foot and breast -to breast, their fingers locked about each other’s wrists -like steel bands, the knife-blades “slithering” against -each other, every muscle in their bodies as tense as -steel wires. The pressure of blade against blade was -all that kept the men apart. If one gave an atom in -an endeavor to stab his foe, he would open his own -breast to the knife. This was a foregone conclusion. -The pressure of knife against knife seemed <a id="Ref_292" href="#Ref_292a">a</a> frail<span class="pagenum">[293]</span> -barrier; but that was all that lay between the two men -and sudden and awful death!</p> - -<p>The man who made the first reckless move, or the -one whose bodily forces first gave before the strain, -was the one who ran the greatest peril. To the cool -man, the brave man, the man with iron nerve and -an undaunted patience—to him would come victory!</p> - -<p>Knowing this, Buffalo Bill took the only advantage -that remained to him. His own mind was calm, his -brain steady, his vision unclouded by hot rage. <em>His</em> -emotion was a sort of cold fury, as deadly as the steel -blade, the handle of which he clutched. At last he -had his enemy before him—within his grasp—face to -face and steel to steel!</p> - -<p>And so he taunted him, knowing that Bennett’s -brain and heart were already afire with hatred.</p> - -<p>“You’ve no girl now to conquer, Boyd Bennett!” -the scout hissed. “You’re not robbing the cradle now. -Look out! Another mistake like that and I’ll have -you!”</p> - -<p>“Curse you, you’re a dead man already!” cried the -bandit.</p> - -<p>“I’m as good as a dozen dead ones. Don’t fool -yourself. Ah!”</p> - -<p>“Not yet!”</p> - -<p>“But almost—almost, my boy! I’ll get you the next -time. My brave Death Killer—medicine chief of the -Sioux! Ah-ha, you villain! You’ve played <em>that</em> game -to the end, too.”</p> - -<p>Bennett fairly gnashed his teeth and put forth furious -endeavors to break down his antagonist’s guard.</p> - -<p>“Save your breath, man,” said Cody, knowing that<span class="pagenum">[294]</span> -his advice would have exactly a contrary effect upon -Bennett. “I’m only playing with you yet.”</p> - -<p>“It’s the worst game <em>you</em> ever played, Bill Cody!”</p> - -<p>Cody thought so himself, but he smiled back into the -other’s eyes, and the man’s rage grew.</p> - -<p>“I’ll get you yet!” roared Bennett.</p> - -<p>“But not that way,” muttered the scout. “Ah! -<em>Now</em> we have it!”</p> - -<p>With a sudden turn of his wrist he almost brought -Bennett to his knees. Both men clung so tightly to -each other’s left wrists, however, that little advantage -was to be gained by sudden twists. It was the steady -pressure of steel against steel that would finally gain -the day. One arm must be stronger than the other—one -foot more skilful—one eye more true.</p> - -<p>“This is a bad end for you, Boyd Bennett!” began -Cody again.</p> - -<p>He was scarcely panting himself; but the other was -breathing hard, gnashing his teeth, rolling his eyes, -like a veritable madman. He screamed with rage at -this remark of the scout’s, and the froth flew from -his lips. If ever a man was mad, Boyd Bennett was -that person.</p> - -<p>“And all for what?” quoth the scout. “What did -you make by it? The girl would have nothing to do -with you. Had you remained in Oak Heart’s camp -you might have finished me. But <em>not</em> that way!” -guarding himself from a furious lunge of the other’s -knife.</p> - -<p>“No, no, my boy! You made a grave error. Back -there you had some power. You might have had -the upper hand over me. Now <em>I</em> have it!”</p> - -<p>“Not yet!” roared Bennett.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[295]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I have! I’m only playing with you, I -tell you. When I am ready I’ll put you where the -dogs won’t bite you! Ah! how’s that?”</p> - -<p>Boyd had made a furious lunge; and his hand had -slipped on Cody’s wrist. Quick as lightning the scout -slipped aside, broke from the death-grapple, and slit -the point of his knife up Bennett’s upper arm, making -a deep, ugly wound. The blood fairly spurted from -the severed artery. It was then but a matter of a few -minutes before Bennett would be helpless, unless he -managed to finish Cody first.</p> - -<p>They circled about each other again, watchful as -cats. Once or twice they tried to grapple, but it -amounted to nothing. Bennett’s wound was troubling -him sorely. The blood was running in a stream -from the point of his elbow.</p> - -<p>“Say your prayers—if you have any to say, you -scoundrel!” exclaimed the scout sternly. “For you -pay for your murders and atrocities here and now! If -you have killed that poor girl by your brutal treatment, -you pay for it in short order.”</p> - -<p>Bennett leaped in at him. The scout gave back a -bit, and suddenly his foot slipped on a wet slab of rock. -He fell to one knee. With a yell of delight, the -wounded bandit flung himself upon him.</p> - -<p>It was not the scout’s finish, however. Cody had a -wealth of reserve force yet. He flung himself forward -to meet Bennett’s charge, caught his left wrist and the -weight of the man’s body upon his left shoulder. The -scoundrel’s stroke overreached, and the pit of his -stomach came in heavy contact with his antagonist’s -shoulder-bone.</p> - -<p>That antagonist rose up suddenly and pitched Bennett<span class="pagenum">[296]</span> -clear over him. The man landed on his head and -shoulders, but, as though made of India rubber, he -bounded to his feet and faced Cody again.</p> - -<p>He was panting for breath, his face was covered -with blood, and altogether he was a most terrible looking -object. He had no intention of giving up the fight, -however. With a yell, he flung himself once more at -Cody—but this time wildly.</p> - -<p>“’Tis the end at last, Boyd Bennett!” sang out the -clarion voice of the Border King.</p> - -<p>The villain knew it. His eyes rolled, his teeth chattered, -his mouth was agape as he reentered the fray. -Their left hands were locked again, and the knives -clashed. Steadily Cody forced his man back, back, -back—until a tree-trunk kept him from going farther. -From a crouching position the two men gradually -stood erect. The pressure of Buffalo Bill’s bowie -against that of his antagonist became a force that the -latter could not meet. His arm went slowly back until -the elbow struck sharply against the tree-trunk.</p> - -<p>With an awful scream of rage and deadly fear the -fellow’s fingers relaxed upon the handle of his bowie. -The blade clattered to the ground. He clutched feebly -at Cody’s throat, and then——</p> - -<p>It was indeed the knife to the hilt! Boyd Bennett -slipped to the ground and lay there, dead!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[297]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLVII">CHAPTER XLVII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE CONQUEROR.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Buffalo Bill turned his eyes from the bleeding corpse -of his enemy, staggered to a near-by boulder, and -dropped upon it to rest. His own strength was far -spent. Besides, the wound he had received in his -shoulder, aggravated by his long, cold swim and the -violent exertions of the past few minutes, had broken -out bleeding afresh. Boyd Bennett would never know -how near he came to being victor himself in this awful -battle!</p> - -<p>As for the consequence, he dropped upon the rock, -exhausted and ill. The hardiest and most seasoned -veteran comes to the end of his tether at last, and for -thirty-six hours Cody had been riding hard, and fighting -hard, and swimming hard—and all without bite -or sup! There had been no time for the preparation -of food when he left his cave in the mountain to follow -Boyd Bennett and the White Antelope, and since -that time he had neither dared shoot game nor had he -seen the time to cook and eat.</p> - -<p>And that which fairly quenched his spirit now was -the thought that he seemed to have taken all this hard -labor upon his shoulders for naught. True, his old-time -enemy was finally dead. Boyd Bennett, the outlaw -of the Overland Trail, the Death Killer of the -Utah Sioux, would never again trouble mortal man—unless -his spirit came back to haunt the scenes of his -bloody deeds.</p> - -<p>But Buffalo Bill had not put forth all this effort -merely to best this old-time foe. First of all, he desired<span class="pagenum">[298]</span> -to save the White Antelope, but he seemed to -have failed in this. Boyd Bennett had plainly carried -his threat into execution. He had actually drowned -the unfortunate girl. It had been that thought, more -than any other, that had nerved Buffalo Bill to drive -the steel home into Bennett’s heart!</p> - -<p>“All gone now—the last of the three!” muttered -the scout, passing his hand across his shaking lips. -“And such horrible deaths for all! Death by the bullet -and the fall from the cliff. Death by the war-club -and tomahawk. And now death by the river—and the -hands of a cursed villain. Horrible! horrible!”</p> - -<p>These enigmatical remarks, uttered aloud, drowned -a rustling in the bushes behind him. Suddenly a light -hand fell upon his shoulder. The scout did not start—his -nerves were too steady. But he glanced at the -small, brown hand, and then looked up along the arm, -turning his head until he looked full into the face of -the White Antelope. There his gaze hung, while his -lips remained speechless for the moment.</p> - -<p>“Pa-e-has-ka has killed his enemy and mine. This -makes the White Antelope and Long Hair friends.”</p> - -<p>She held out her hand to him, and the scout took it, -still in a daze.</p> - -<p>“By holy!” he muttered. “I sure thought she was -dead.”</p> - -<p>“What is it my white brother mutters?”</p> - -<p>“I reckoned you were drowned, White Antelope,” -repeated Cody.</p> - -<p>“Nay. I held my breath under the water. But -that wicked man came near to drowning me.”</p> - -<p>“I should say he did!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[299]</span></p> - -<p>“Then he would have revived me; but I remained -as though unconscious, for I feared him.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll have need to fear him no more.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! it was a good fight! I watched. The Long -Hair is indeed a great chief.”</p> - -<p>Cody shuddered and glanced away. He did not like -to think of the daughter of Oak Heart’s white wife -viewing with satisfaction such a terrible battle as that -which had just cursed this spot.</p> - -<p>“The Long Hair is cold. Let him come to the fire -yonder and dry his body and rest.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care if I do. I feel like I was frozen clear -to my marrow. You’ve got a fire, have you?”</p> - -<p>“Death Killer made it to dry us by. Now you shall -have it,” she said.</p> - -<p>The scout basked for some minutes in the heat of -the fire, which White Antelope heaped with fresh fuel. -But he could not remain inactive for long. His perturbed -mind, relieved by the discovery of the girl’s -safety, instantly fixed upon other worriments.</p> - -<p>Her absence from the encampment of the Sioux -would have long since been noted. Oak Heart would -be troubled by her absence. And they were a long -way from the valley in which the Indian village lay.</p> - -<p>Besides, they were marooned on this island in the -middle of the river. The canoe was wrecked, and -Cody shrank from making that long swim to the mainland -again. Besides, he doubted the girl’s ability to -accomplish such a task.</p> - -<p>There was nothing to eat on this island, however, -and food they must have before long. At least, the -scout felt the need of it.</p> - -<p>So he rose up very quickly from his reclining<span class="pagenum">[300]</span> -posture and went to the side of the island which faced -the river-bank from which he had swum. It was already -twilight, but he glanced sharply up and down -the bank for some wandering party that might help -them. The Indians might be searching for their canoes; -he could not expect any of the freighters to come -down so far as this, for the main trail turned off some -miles above.</p> - -<p>But not a soul appeared. The only living object -on the river-bank which he saw was Chief, quietly -grazing.</p> - -<p>“Then our hope lies in you, faithful old horse!” -cried Cody, and he uttered a shrill whistle.</p> - -<p>The white horse raised his head, whinnied, and -trotted down to the water’s edge. Buffalo Bill gave -the call which he used when he desired Chief to come -to him. The dumb brute understood, but he pawed -the gravel at the river’s edge and seemed to hesitate. -The distance across was wide, and the sullen current -was strong. He had already been in it and had been -almost swept away.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill repeated his call. The horse threw up -his head, neighed intelligently, and trotted down the -riverside to the lower end of the island. There the -current was not so swift. Without hesitation, this -time, the noble horse plunged into the flood and swam -with head high, and occasionally neighing at his master, -toward the island. Being untrammeled by saddle -or bridle, the creature handled himself remarkably well -in the current, and forged ahead without being swept -much out of his course by the stream.</p> - -<p>When he came near the shore, however, Buffalo -Bill was forced to rush in, cling to Chief’s mane, and<span class="pagenum">[301]</span> -guide the horse to land. There the brute climbed out -and shook himself like a great dog.</p> - -<p>“Ah! the white chief has control over even the -ponies,” said the Indian maid, in admiration.</p> - -<p>“And lucky he does,” muttered Buffalo Bill to himself. -“Without old Chief we’d be roosting here till -kingdom come!”</p> - -<p>But he had to give the horse time to breathe before -setting him at the current again. It was no easy pull -across. Finally he led the white horse down into the -water and gave the girl a boost upon his back, where -she straddled him, clinging to his thick mane.</p> - -<p>“Let him have his head,” Buffalo Bill commanded. -“He won’t need any guidance, but will bring us both -safe ashore.”</p> - -<p>He urged Chief into the deep water, and swam by -his side himself, resting a hand now and then on the -beast’s shoulder, and encouraging him with his voice. -Tired as they both were, man and beast found the pull -tremendous. They were carried some distance down -the river, but that did not so much matter. Only the -water chilled Cody to the bone, and he had visions of -rheumatism, that fell disease that lays hold upon the -woodsman early in life because of exposure and privation.</p> - -<p>It was somewhat of a battle to reach the shore, but -they accomplished a landing at last, and White Antelope -leaped down from Chief’s back and patted him.</p> - -<p>“A brave horse, and worthy of carrying a brave -man like Long Hair,” she declared.</p> - -<p>“Give him a night’s rest,” said Cody, “and he’ll -carry us both back to your father’s village.”</p> - -<p>“The Long Hair was going there to redeem his<span class="pagenum">[302]</span> -pledge to me when I chanced to spy him?” queried -White Antelope.</p> - -<p>“I certainly was snooping about, looking for a -chance to get through Bennett’s line of guards.”</p> - -<p>“But you had been killing and scalping Oak Heart’s -braves?”</p> - -<p>“Not a one. I was there waiting for a chance to -keep my promise to you,” said Buffalo Bill emphatically. -“This renegade white was the fellow who was -quietly knocking your young men in the head and -scalping them. He was as bloodthirsty a wretch as -ever went unhung. He’s dead now, thanks be!”</p> - -<p>“Then Oak Heart will receive you with more friendliness,” -said the girl.</p> - -<p>“I dunno how friendly he’ll feel,” muttered Cody. -“But I’ll take you back safe in the morning.”</p> - -<p>They hastened to build a rousing camp-fire, and as -soon as his undergarments were dry the scout put on -his outer clothing and accouterments. Then with his -rifle he stole away to a place where he had noted the -marks of many creatures that had come down to -drink, and there, just as the moon rose, found a doe -with her fawn and shot the youngster. So they had a -much needed late supper of roast kid. After which -Cody insisted that the girl sleep.</p> - -<p>As for himself, he sat up the livelong night, or paced -the river-bank to keep awake. Just before daybreak -he awoke the girl, and while she cooked breakfast he -obtained an hour’s repose.</p> - -<p>As they started from the river’s brink to ride -’cross country toward the range in which Oak Heart’s -camp was situated, White Antelope said:</p> - -<p>“My father’s braves will be out searching for me,<span class="pagenum">[303]</span> -mayhap. If they see White Antelope in the charge of -a white man, they may try to shoot him. They may -believe you were he who stole me away.”</p> - -<p>“I’d been thinking of that,” said Cody reflectively. -“I don’t want to get popped over for the wrong man, -that’s sure. I reckon I’ll have to change my appearance -a little.”</p> - -<p>“How will the white chief do that?” she demanded, -over his shoulder. She was riding behind him on the -saddle.</p> - -<p>“We’ll see when we come to that cave I’ve been -staying in. I reckon I’ve got something there that -may help me out. And I believe we shall be able to -reach it without being molested.”</p> - -<p>Chief bore them tirelessly all that day and far into -the night. When they halted and built their fire they -were within a few hours’ ride of the cave in the mountain -from which Cody had overlooked Oak Heart’s -camp. Seventy-two hours before he had left it to -chase Boyd Bennett and rescue the Indian maiden. -Much had happened since then both to the scout and in -the Indian encampment.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLVIII">CHAPTER XLVIII.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE PLEDGE KEPT.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There was much excitement in the village of the -Sioux. The white queen, the idolized daughter of -Oak Heart, had ridden away from her teepee and had -not returned. Then came the discovery of the death -of the young brave on the ridge, and the deed was set -down to the credit of the hated Long Hair.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[304]</span></p> - -<p>These mysterious murders that had been committed -so near the encampment had wrought upon the tribesmen -greatly. It seemed as though Long Hair possessed -some supernatural power. He flitted, seemingly, from -place to place without being seen, and killed the Sioux -almost in the confines of the encampment.</p> - -<p>While the chiefs were in council a horse was seen -approaching from a mountain defile, down over the -ridge, where the young brave had been found stabbed -to the heart. Upon the back of the horse were two persons, -one of them apparently a great chief in full war-dress; -the other was White Antelope herself.</p> - -<p>The strange chief rode directly down into the village, -not deigning to more than grunt a salutation to -the guards, and the girl refused to make any explanation, -either. Straight to the council-lodge the chief -rode, and, there dismounting, the two entered, the -young girl leading the way.</p> - -<p>The Indian is stoical and Spartan, but Oak Heart -was fond of his remaining child. He was moved now -by her unexpected recovery, and as she ran to him he -allowed her to take and hold his hand. The old men -nodded, too, for they believed that the White Antelope -was “good medicine.” The strange chief, however, -they did not know, and they eyed him with suspicion -as well as curiosity. Finally the White Antelope arose -and stepped into the circle, and there made her voice -heard by all in the lodge.</p> - -<p>“The Sioux are a wise people; their chiefs are wise; -their old men are wise, but sometimes even the wise -are mistaken. They make mistakes. They welcome -into their tribe one who stung and bit like the viper<span class="pagenum">[305]</span> -warmed in the bosom. Such a viper has been warmed -in the bosom of the Utah Sioux!”</p> - -<p>The old men grunted and looked at each other. -Some glanced covertly at the place where the medicine -chief, Death Killer, should have sat. He was not -present.</p> - -<p>“This one came with a false tale to my father, the -great chief, Oak Heart, and told a tale which sent the -Sioux on the war-path. They fell upon the palefaces -and killed them. The palefaces were not searching for -the Sioux village; they were searching for a wicked -paleface to punish him. Ah! he was two-tongued—and -his tongue was sharp as a knife.</p> - -<p>“The White Antelope speaks the truth to you. This -traitor was in the councils of the Sioux, but with his -own hand he was murdering our young men. See! -The still, red scalp of Po-ca-his-ta, torn from his head -by the traitor this very day. And this—as other—murders -he would have had the Sioux believe were -done by Long Hair, the paleface scout.</p> - -<p>“Long Hair was sent to tell his big chief of my -father’s warning, and to bring people to bury the dead. -Long Hair said he would return. Long Hair is of a -straight tongue. He is here!”</p> - -<p>Instantly the strange chief standing so motionless -in their presence threw the war-bonnet aside and -dropped the corner of the blanket which muffled his -face. Buffalo Bill stood revealed. A deep murmur -ran around the lodge, and it was half of surprise, half -of admiration for the bold paleface who had redeemed -his word to the White Antelope. Fearlessly the scout -stood before his redskin foes, his eyes fixed upon the -face of Oak Heart.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[306]</span></p> - -<p>“It is well,” said the old Sioux. “The Long Hair’s -life was forfeit when he was held by Death Killer. He -has gone to his people; he has returned as he said. -Now he must die.”</p> - -<p>But Buffalo Bill never changed color. White Antelope -started forward, her richly tinted face paling. It -was a moment before she controlled herself and stood -calmly to speak as an Indian should.</p> - -<p>“Let the White Antelope speak!” said Oak Heart -quietly.</p> - -<p>The girl, in rapid, burning words, related her capture -by Boyd Bennett and his death at the hands of the -scout. The treachery of the renegade was proved. -Buffalo Bill had been the medicine chief’s prisoner. -Why should the Sioux hold the captive of a creature -so dishonored?</p> - -<p>Her plea evidently made some impression, but all -eyes turned upon Oak Heart, and at length the old -chief spoke.</p> - -<p>“The Long Hair is a mighty paleface chief. He has -trailed the red man to his village, and his belt is heavy -with the scalps of my braves. He came here under the -war-bonnet of a Cheyenne chief, and has saved the -White Antelope from death.</p> - -<p>“But the Long Hair has long been a foe to the -Sioux. It was he who brought help to the white soldiers -in the fort when we would have beaten them. It -was he who took them ammunition. It was he who -stole our ponies.</p> - -<p>“The Long Hair has ofttimes looked on death. He -is not afraid of death. He must show my warriors how -a brave man <a id="Ref_306" href="#Ref_306a">can</a> die.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[307]</span></p> - -<p>For the first time since entering the lodge, Buffalo -Bill spoke:</p> - -<p>“It is true, Oak Heart, that I have been your foe, -and the foe of your people of late. It was not always -so. When the Sioux would dwell at peace with the -paleface, were content to live and hunt in these mountains -and not fall upon and kill the white soldiers, Long -Hair was their friend.</p> - -<p>“When the Wise Woman lived and her wisdom -guided the tribe, the Sioux remained at peace with the -paleface. But now worse councils prevail among you, -and your young men go out to battle and are slain. -And what do you gain? The palefaces are as numberless -as the leaves of the forest. When you kill one, -two come in his place; where you kill two, a dozen -appear. Take the word of one who has smoked in -your lodges and heard wisdom from your old men. -The Long Hair tells you to bury the hatchet and smoke -the peace-pipe with the white chiefs. Then shall you -have content and your bellies be filled, and your young -men shall grow up and be great hunters and your -young squaws live to bear children.</p> - -<p>“Long Hair has spoken. If the Sioux kill me, it is -but one white man dead. But how many will strike the -trail of the Sioux to avenge my death? The Sioux -have already lost many braves. Let them be content; -blood enough has been spilled. Is it not so?</p> - -<p>“Remember, too, oh, Oak Heart, how Long Hair -has sat in your lodge and talked with you and the Wise -Woman before the Great Spirit took her. Here!” he -drew from his hunting-shirt a sacred tomahawk pipe -with a broken edge. “Here is the pledge given to -Long-Hair long ago by the Wise Woman, and by Oak<span class="pagenum">[308]</span> -Heart. Then was Oak Heart’s mind single; he was -not full of wiles and thoughts of evil against the white -men and against Long Hair. This was the pledge that -Long Hair and the Sioux should never be at enmity. -And has the enmity been of Long Hair’s seeking? -Nay! The red men started to slay. The Long Hair -must go with his people. Has he done wrong?</p> - -<p>“See! Must Pa-e-has-ka die?” and he held up the -trophy again.</p> - -<p>A deathlike silence had fallen upon the lodge. The -old chief was greatly moved, and for an Indian—especially -a councilor—to show emotion is a disgrace. -Perhaps, too, his mind was filled with thoughts of the -Wise Woman, of whom Buffalo Bill had spoken so -feelingly.</p> - -<p>Years before, when Oak Heart was a much younger -man, the tribe had raided far to the south, by the waters -of a great river. They had come upon a ranchman and -his family, killed him, flung his body into the river, -and taken his wife, a beautiful white squaw, captive. -None but the son of the ranchman—a mere child—escaped. -He had been found and cared for after the -massacre by Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>The white squaw’s brain had been turned by the -horror of that time. She wandered about the encampment -in a dazed state. The Indians have a great awe -of those who are insane, believing that the finger of -the Great Spirit has touched them. She was cared for -tenderly and brought north with the tribe.</p> - -<p>She was a skilful woman with herbs and simples. -She nursed the wounded warriors; she helped the -women in travail; she cared for the children and the -young squaws. She was much beloved. Her influence,<span class="pagenum">[309]</span> -even before her mind cleared, became one for -great good in the tribe.</p> - -<p>Slowly she grew normal once more. Years had -passed. Instead of golden tresses, her hair was as -white as the snow upon the mountain peaks. Yet she -was still a young woman and good to look upon. Oak -Heart loved her. He had treated her with the utmost -respect and kindness. She had lived so long among -the redskins that she had lost all distaste for them, and -had imbibed many of their religious beliefs. She was -unutterably opposed to the warring of the tribe with -the whites, however.</p> - -<p>Her husband and children were dead—and the past -was dead. She espoused Oak Heart so as to retain her -influence over him and over the tribe, for the good of -the whites. It was after that that Buffalo Bill met the -Wise Woman and knew who she was. But he had -never told her that her son was alive, for fear that the -knowledge would do the poor woman more harm than -good. Also, she had a child by Oak Heart—the White -Antelope. But she died when the girl was small.</p> - -<p>Possibly thoughts of the dead woman moved the old -chief. Besides, the peace-pipe was a sacred pledge. He -suddenly rose, threw around him his blanket, and, -standing in the midst of the lodge, spoke impressively:</p> - -<p>“The Pa-e-has-ka is a friend to Oak Heart. When -the hatchet shall be buried between the red men and the -palefaces, they shall be brothers again. But now the -palefaces are on the trail of my people; so let the -Pa-e-has-ka hasten from us and join his own tribe. -Not one of my braves shall follow him. Oak Heart -has spoken.”</p> - -<p>There were murmurs about the lodge, but no chief<span class="pagenum">[310]</span> -at the moment put his objections in words. Buffalo -Bill found the White Antelope’s hand seeking his own. -She acted more like a modest and timid white girl than -ever before.</p> - -<p>“Let the white chief come with me,” she whispered. -“I have something to show him.”</p> - -<p>The amazed scout went with her out of the grand -lodge and was taken to her own teepee.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLIX">CHAPTER XLIX.<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">CONCLUSION.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The wondering Indians allowed the White Antelope -and Long Hair to pass. Inside the teepee an old -woman kept watch and guard. A figure lay upon a -heap of furs. It moved as the scout entered, raised -on its elbow, and a weak voice exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“By the nine gods of war! Thanks be it’s you, -Cody! I thought you’d never come, though this dear -girl here swore you would, as you had promised her.”</p> - -<p>To see one whom we believe dead—aye, have seen -lying stark on the field of battle and believe to have -been buried there—rise up suddenly and confront us is -indeed a shock. Buffalo Bill fell back a step, exclaiming:</p> - -<p>“Dick Danforth!”</p> - -<p>“’Tis I, old faithful! Thanks to this girl—who is -the whitest Injun God ever made—I am alive, the sole -survivor of my unfortunate party.”</p> - -<p>“Dick, I saw you lying on the field of battle,” declared -the scout, taking his hand. “How came you -here?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[311]</span></p> - -<p>“She brought me back to life. She found there was -life in me. I had got a terrible crack on the head. She -and the old woman brought me here, and I have been -hidden in this teepee ever since. I’m a whole lot better -now, Cody. I believe I could ride a horse.”</p> - -<p>“And the White Antelope has cared for you?” cried -the scout.</p> - -<p>“She has, indeed.” Then the young man whispered: -“Isn’t she beautiful? And how glad I am, old man, -that you stayed my hand that day when I would have -murdered her!”</p> - -<p>“Ho, ho!” muttered the scout. “Sets the wind in -that quarter? I must tell you two young people something -before more mischief be done.”</p> - -<p>He seized the girl’s hand and drew her forward to -the side of Danforth’s couch.</p> - -<p>“White Antelope,” he said in English, “do you remember -that I told you once I knew your mother?”</p> - -<p>She nodded, watching him with bright eyes.</p> - -<p>“She was a lovely woman. She was a white woman. -It was true she was Oak Heart’s wife, but she had -been espoused before by a good and great white man. -He was killed by Oak Heart’s people, and for a time -your mother was stricken by the mercy of the Great -Spirit with forgetfulness.</p> - -<p>“When she came to herself she believed that her -husband and her son were dead. She became Oak -Heart’s squaw. But her son was not dead. I had -saved him from the Indians, and he lived to grow -up——”</p> - -<p>Danforth raised himself up with a great cry.</p> - -<p>“You do not mean it! It is impossible!” he cried. -“This girl——?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[312]</span></p> - -<p>“Is your sister. White Antelope, this young man is -your elder brother—and a mighty fine fellow you’ll find -him. Your mother was the finest woman I ever knew, -and <em>your</em> father, Dick—God help him!—was once the -finest fellow in the world!”</p> - -<p>The scout choked and was silent. He was thinking -of that awful, convulsed face of the Mad Hunter as he -fell backward from the summit of the bluff, with Texas -Jack’s bullet in his brain!</p> - -<p>“He—he is my brother?” murmured the girl, her -eyes shining.</p> - -<p>“That’s what he is,” said the scout, recovering himself -and speaking heartily.</p> - -<p>She went to Danforth and put both her hands in his. -The young fellow suddenly pulled her down to him and -kissed her on the lips.</p> - -<p>“That’s the way <em>white</em> brothers and sisters greet -each other,” he said, with a weak laugh. “When can -you get us away from this camp, Cody?”</p> - -<p>That was a question easier to be asked than answered. -But the excitement over the letting of Cody -himself go free aided them in their attempt. The -chiefs were murmuring against the decision of Oak -Heart. The old man was fighting for his supremacy -as head chief of the tribe. He could not even see the -White Antelope, and shut her out of his lodge.</p> - -<p>This piqued the wayward girl. She was the more -ready to go with her new-found brother, as he was ill -and needed her. But she only agreed to go with him to -Fort Resistence and then directly return. But Dick -Danforth said confidently:</p> - -<p>“Let me once get her away from the influence of -these bloody redskins, and I’ll wean her away from<span class="pagenum">[313]</span> -them. I know what will please a young girl like her. -I’ll take her to San Francisco, Bill. Thanks to you, -I’ve some property of my own left of my poor father’s -estate. And isn’t she a beauty! Won’t she make ’em -sit up and take notice at the Bay?”</p> - -<p>Under cover of the night the scout and the Indian -maid helped the wounded Danforth upon a horse, and -the three wended their way from the encampment. -They were not followed—or, at least, were not overtaken—until -they reached Captain Keyes’ command. -Then they were hurried on under an escort to Resistence. -White Antelope made no objection to going, -her brother was so weak and needed her so much.</p> - -<p>Indeed, the wily young fellow remained an invalid -so long that his sister became half-reconciled to civilized -clothing and to white people before they took the -long journey to San Francisco, where Dick went to -spend the furlough allowed him by the department.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The scene changes once more to Fort Advance, some -days after that on which Buffalo Bill, the Border -King, had set out on his dangerous mission to the -village of the Sioux. It is a little past sunrise, and a -horseman is descried taking the trail from the cañon -toward the fort. He is mounted on a great white -charger that comes like the wind.</p> - -<p>The rider looks pale and jaded, and his buckskin -attire has seen hard usage. But he is recognized by -the sentinel over the gate, and his cry is repeated about -the fort:</p> - -<p>“Here comes Buffalo Bill, the King of the Border!”</p> - -<p>Waving his battered hat in response to the shout,<span class="pagenum">[314]</span> -Buffalo Bill rides straight to the open gate, enters, and -dismounts before Major Baldwin’s door. An orderly -seizes his bridle-rein, and the major comes forth and -grasps the scout’s hand with the words:</p> - -<p>“Thanks be to God for seeing you again alive, Cody! -When Keyes told me you were safe, I felt like ordering -a feast to celebrate the occasion. And they say the -Sioux are ready for peace?”</p> - -<p>“I believe they are. Oak Heart has pretty much lost -his grip on the tribe, and is an outcast. But the new -powers-that-be have seen the fallacy of trying issues -again with us.”</p> - -<p>“We certainly believed you dead one while, Cody.”</p> - -<p>“And it was a close shave not to be this time, sir.”</p> - -<p>“You have won out as usual, Bill, with flying -colors.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Major Baldwin. I went to Oak Heart’s village -with the firm determination to get Boyd Bennett -if it cost me my life. That scoundrel had been a -thorn in my side too long. I got him. He’s dead. -He’ll do no more harm <em>this</em> side of the Great Divide!”</p> - -<p>“A good piece of work, Cody. And I understand -that old maniac, the Mad Hunter, who attacked Keyes, -is dead, too?”</p> - -<p>“That is so. But I am sorry for <em>his</em> end. I tell you -in confidence, major, that the man was Dick Danforth’s -father—though I never suspected it until I saw -his face close to. The Indians were supposed to have -cracked him on the head and flung him into the river -years ago. The crack on the head was sure enough. -But he wasn’t drowned. His end has come now, poor -fellow.”</p> - -<p>“And <a id="Ref_314" href="#Ref_314a">Dick</a> wonderfully saved!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[315]</span></p> - -<p>“He is, indeed—and has found a sister.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, Cody! That was a joker you kept up your -sleeve a long time,” said the major.</p> - -<p>“True. I knew the boy’s hatred for all savages. I -did not know about his poor mother and this girl until -I had really instilled some of the boy’s hatred into his -mind myself. I feared for him to know the truth. -Yet I wanted to save her from the savages. Providence -performed what I could not.”</p> - -<p>“True.... But those scalp-locks, Cody?” -asked Major Baldwin, pointing to the string of ghastly -trophies hanging from the scout’s belt.</p> - -<p>“Oh, those are the roofs of the braves who tried to -raise my hair. I intended to have a rope made of -them to hang Boyd Bennett with, but I’ll have them -made into a bridle for you, instead, major.”</p> - -<p>“All right, scout. Thank you for the gift. And -now you are free. Report to me in full when you have -rested,” and with another hand-clasp the major let him -go.</p> - -<p>Many other hands were waiting to clasp that of the -Border King. It was some time before he could break -away and find Texas Jack in the scouts’ quarters.</p> - -<p>But times of rest were few and far between for these -hardy men of the frontier. One tribe of red men were -scarcely subjugated for the time when another would -rise up to kill and slay. It was not long before Buffalo -Bill was performing more daring deeds to add to his -fame upon the border.</p> - -<p class="center p1">THE END.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="boxit"> -<p class="center xxlargefont boldfont">Say, Boys!</p> - -<p>How’d you like to own your own bronc’? -How’d you like to be an expert at lassoing -and branding? How’d you like to ride the -rolling prairies in search of lost stock, and -perhaps have an adventure or two with certain -bad men who did not like you because -you were on the side of law and order? How -would you like it?</p> - -<p>Well, we all cannot go west and be cowboys, -but we sure can pay 15 cents for the stories -in the <cite>Western Story Library</cite>, and find a good, -comfortable spot, and immediately imagine -ourselves riding with Ted Strong and his -broncho boys, sharing their adventures, their -hardships and pleasures.</p> - -<p>Ted Strong and his pals are lovable fellows—every -one of them, and you will do well to -make comrades of them.</p> - -<p>Ask your dealer to show you a copy of the -<cite>Western Story Library</cite>.</p> - -<p class="center boldfont largefont">STREET & SMITH CORPORATION<br /> -79 Seventh Avenue <span style="padding-left:2em">New York City</span></p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="center largefont boldfont">WESTERN STORIES ABOUT<br /> -<span class="xxlargefont">BUFFALO BILL</span></p> - -<p class="xlargefont boldfont center">Price, Fifteen Cents</p> - -<p class="center largefont">Red-blooded Adventure Stories for Men</p> - -<p>There is no more romantic character in American history than -William F. Cody, or as he was internationally known, Buffalo -Bill. He, with Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, Wild Bill Hickok, -General Custer, and a few other adventurous spirits, laid the -foundation of our great West.</p> - -<p>There is no more brilliant page in American history than the -winning of the West. Never did pioneers live more thrilling -lives, so rife with adventure and brave deeds as the old scouts -and plainsmen. Foremost among these stands the imposing -figure of Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>All of the books in this list are intensely interesting. They -were written by the close friend and companion of Buffalo Bill—Colonel -Prentiss Ingraham. They depict actual adventures -which this pair of hard-hitting comrades experienced, while the -story of these adventures is interwoven with fiction; historically -the books are correct.</p> -</div> - -<p class="center p1"><em>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</em></p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="titles"> -<tr><td class="tableft1">1—Buffalo Bill, the Border King</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">2—Buffalo Bill’s Raid</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">3—Buffalo Bill’s Bravery</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">4—Buffalo Bill’s Trump Card</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">5—Buffalo Bill’s Pledge</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">6—Buffalo Bill’s Vengeance</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">7—Buffalo Bill’s Iron Grip</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">8—Buffalo Bill’s Capture</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft1">9—Buffalo Bill’s Danger Line</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">10—Buffalo Bill’s Comrades</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">11—Buffalo Bill’s Reckoning</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">12—Buffalo Bill’s Warning</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">13—Buffalo Bill at Bay</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">14—Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Pards</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">15—Buffalo Bill’s Brand</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">16—Buffalo Bill’s Honor</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">17—Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">18—Buffalo Bill’s Fight With Fire</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">19—Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">20—Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">21—Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">22—Buffalo Bill’s Trackers</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">23—Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">24—Buffalo Bill, Ambassador</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">25—Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">26—Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">27—Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">28—Buffalo Bill Against Odds</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">29—Buffalo Bill’s Hot Chase</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">30—Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Ally</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">31—Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Trove</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">32—Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Foes</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">33—Buffalo Bill’s Crack Shot</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">34—Buffalo Bill’s Close Call</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">35—Buffalo Bill’s Double Surprise</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">36—Buffalo Bill’s Ambush</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">37—Buffalo Bill’s Outlaw Hunt</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">38—Buffalo Bill’s Border Duel</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">39—Buffalo Bill’s Bid for Fame</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">40—Buffalo Bill’s Triumph</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">41—Buffalo Bill’s Spy Trailer</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">42—Buffalo Bill’s Death Call</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">43—Buffalo Bill’s Body Guard</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">44—Buffalo Bill’s Still Hunt</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">45—Buffalo Bill and the Doomed Dozen</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">46—Buffalo Bill’s Prairie Scout</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">47—Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Guide</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">48—Buffalo Bill’s Bonanza</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">49—Buffalo Bill’s Swoop</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">50—Buffalo Bill and the Gold King</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">51—Buffalo Bill, Deadshot</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">52—Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravos</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">53—Buffalo Bill’s Big Four</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">54—Buffalo Bill’s One-armed Pard</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">55—Buffalo Bill’s Race for Life</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">56—Buffalo Bill’s Return</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">57—Buffalo Bill’s Conquest</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">58—Buffalo Bill to the Rescue</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">59—Buffalo Bill’s Beautiful Foe</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">60—Buffalo Bill’s Perilous Task</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">61—Buffalo Bill’s Queer Find</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">62—Buffalo Bill’s Blind Lead</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">63—Buffalo Bill’s Resolution</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">64—Buffalo Bill, the Avenger</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">65—Buffalo Bill’s Pledged Pard</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">66—Buffalo Bill’s Weird Warning</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">67—Buffalo Bill’s Wild Ride</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">68—Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Stampede</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">69—Buffalo Bill’s Mine Mystery</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">70—Buffalo Bill’s Gold Hunt</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">71—Buffalo Bill’s Daring Dash</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">72—Buffalo Bill on Hand</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">73—Buffalo Bill’s Alliance</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">74—Buffalo Bill’s Relentless Foe</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">75—Buffalo Bill’s Midnight Ride</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">76—Buffalo Bill’s Chivalry</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">77—Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">78—Buffalo Bill’s Private War</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">79—Buffalo Bill’s Diamond Mine</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">80—Buffalo Bill’s Big Contract</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">81—Buffalo Bill’s Woman Foe</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">82—Buffalo Bill’s Ruse</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">83—Buffalo Bill’s Pursuit</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">84—Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Gold</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">85—Buffalo Bill in Mid-air</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">86—Buffalo Bill’s Queer Mission</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">87—Buffalo Bill’s Verdict</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">88—Buffalo Bill’s Ordeal</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">89—Buffalo Bill’s Camp Fires</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">90—Buffalo Bill’s Iron Nerve</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">91—Buffalo Bill’s Rival</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">92—Buffalo Bill’s Lone Hand</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">93—Buffalo Bill’s Sacrifice</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">94—Buffalo Bill’s Thunderbolt</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">95—Buffalo Bill’s Black Fortune</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">96—Buffalo Bill’s Wild Work</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">97—Buffalo Bill’s Yellow Trail</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">98—Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Train</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft2">99—Buffalo Bill’s Bowie Duel</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">100—Buffalo Bill’s Mystery Man</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">101—Buffalo Bill’s Bold Play</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">102—Buffalo Bill: Peacemaker</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">103—Buffalo Bill’s Big Surprise</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">104—Buffalo Bill’s Barricade</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">105—Buffalo Bill’s Test</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">106—Buffalo Bill’s Powwow</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">107—Buffalo Bill’s Stern Justice</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">108—Buffalo Bill’s Mysterious Friend</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">109—Buffalo Bill and the Boomers</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">110—Buffalo Bill’s Panther Fight</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">111—Buffalo Bill and the Overland Mail</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">112—Buffalo Bill on the Deadwood Trail</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">113—Buffalo Bill in Apache Land</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">114—Buffalo Bill’s Blindfold Duel</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">115—Buffalo Bill and the Lone Camper</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">116—Buffalo Bill’s Merry War</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">117—Buffalo Bill’s Star Play</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">118—Buffalo Bill’s War Cry</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">119—Buffalo Bill on Black Panther’s Trail</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">120—Buffalo Bill’s Slim Chance</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">121—Buffalo Bill Besieged</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">122—Buffalo Bill’s Bandit Round-up</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">123—Buffalo Bill’s Surprise Party</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">124—Buffalo Bill’s Lightning Raid</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">125—Buffalo Bill in Mexico</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">126—Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Foe</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">127—Buffalo Bill’s Tireless Chase</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">128—Buffalo Bill’s Boy Bugler</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">129—Buffalo Bill’s Sure Guess</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">130—Buffalo Bill’s Record Jump</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">131—Buffalo Bill in the Land of Dread</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">132—Buffalo Bill’s Tangled Clue</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tableft">133—Buffalo Bill’s Wolf Skin</td><td class="tableftb">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="xxlargefont boldfont center"><span style="padding-left:2.5em"><em>Adventure Stories</em></span><br /> -<span style="padding-left:2em"><em>Detective Stories</em></span><br /> -<span style="padding-left:1.5em"><em>Western Stories</em></span><br /> -<span style="padding-left:0.5em"><em>Love Stories</em></span><br /> -<em>Sea Stories</em></p> - -<p>All classes of fiction are to be found among -the Street & Smith novels. Our line contains -reading matter for every one, irrespective of age -or preference.</p> - -<p>The person who has only a moderate sum -to spend on reading matter will find this line -a veritable gold mine.</p> - -<p class="center largefont p1">STREET & SMITH CORPORATION,<br /> -79 Seventh Avenue,<br /> -New York, N. Y.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 id="TN_end" style="margin-top: 0em">Transcriber’s Notes:</h2> - -<p>Punctuation has been made consistent.</p> - -<p>Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in -the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors -have been corrected.</p> - -<p>The following changes were made:</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_17a" href="#Ref_17">p. 17</a>: when assumed for unintelligible word (volunteer when you were)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_34a" href="#Ref_34">p. 34:</a> means assumed for unintelligible word (wonderful means of)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_69a" href="#Ref_69">p. 69:</a> wise scout assumed for unintelligible words (the wise scout had)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_77a" href="#Ref_77">p. 77:</a> to assumed for unintelligible word (blow to Oak)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_120a" href="#Ref_120">p. 120:</a> done assumed for unintelligible word (was done. It)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_120b" href="#Ref_1201">p. 120:</a> officer assumed for unintelligible word (the officer descried)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_226a" href="#Ref_226">p. 226:</a> flung assumed for unintelligible word (mother flung him)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_228a" href="#Ref_228">p. 228:</a> unintelligible word(s) deleted (he feared and)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_292a" href="#Ref_292">p. 292:</a> a assumed for unintelligible word (seemed a frail)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_306a" href="#Ref_306">p. 306:</a> can assumed for unintelligible word (man can die)</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_314a" href="#Ref_314">p. 314:</a> Dick assumed for unintelligible word (And Dick wonderfully)</p> -</div></div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Buffalo Bill, the Border King, by -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL, THE BORDER KING *** - -***** This file should be named 62638-h.htm or 62638-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/6/3/62638/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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