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padding-left: 3em;} - - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - -.transnote p {text-indent: 0em;} - - -/* Poetry indents */ -.poetry .indent0 {text-indent: -3em;} -.poetry .indent2 {text-indent: -2em;} - -/* Illustration classes */ -.illowe4_125 {width: 4.125em;} -.illowp48 {width: 48%;} @media handheld { .illowp48 {width: 100%;} } - - - </style> - </head> - -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Buffalo Bill's Bold Play, 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's Bold Play - The Tiger of the Hills - -Author: Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -Release Date: November 10, 2020 [EBook #63705] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL'S BOLD PLAY *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Susan Carr and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter illowp48" id="cover" style="max-width: 52.125em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap p6 pg-brk" /> - -<h1>Buffalo Bill’s Bold Play<br /> -<span class="fs50">OR,</span><br /> -<span class="fs80">THE TIGER OF THE HILLS</span></h1> - -<p class="pfs80 p6"><span class="smcap">By</span></p> -<p class="pfs135">Colonel Prentiss Ingraham</p> - -<p class="pfs90">Author of the celebrated “Buffalo Bill” stories published in the<br /> -<span class="smcap">Border Stories</span>. For other titles see catalogue.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowe4_125" id="colophon"> - <img class="w100" src="images/colophon.jpg" alt="colophon" /> -</div> - -<p class="pfs120 p4">STREET & SMITH CORPORATION</p> -<p class="pfs90">PUBLISHERS</p> -<p class="pfs120">79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York</p> - -<hr class="chap p10pc" /> - -<div class="bbox pg-brk"> - -<p class="p2 pfs100">Copyright, 1909</p> -<p class="pfs100">By STREET & SMITH</p> -<hr class="r10" /> -<p class="pfs100 pb2">Buffalo Bill’s Bold Play</p> -</div> - -<p class="pfs80 p6">(Printed in the United States of America)</p> - -<p class="pfs90">All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign<br /> -languages, including the Scandinavian.</p> - - -<div class="chapter"> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class="autotable" width="95%" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"></td> -<td class="tdl"></td> -<td class="tdr fs80">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"></td> -<td class="tdl">IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">I.</td> -<td class="tdl">JUNIPER JOE’S JUBILEE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">5</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">II.</td> -<td class="tdl">“JACKSON DANE, DETECTIVE.”</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">III.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE BARON FINDS EXCITEMENT.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IV.</td> -<td class="tdl">SUSPICIONS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">V.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE SURPRISE AT JUNIPER JOE’S.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VI.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE BARON’S ADVENTURES.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VII.</td> -<td class="tdl">A STARTLING DISCOVERY.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IX.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE CHASE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">X.</td> -<td class="tdl">STARTLING REVELATIONS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XI.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE FOOL OF FOLLY MOUNTAIN.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XII.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE MISSION OF WHITE-EYED MOSES.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">BENSON ACTS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_127">127</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XIV.</td> -<td class="tdl">A WORRIED SHERIFF.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_133">133</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XV.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE SHERIFF’S WARNING.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XVI.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE GOPHER BITES.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_151">151</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XVII.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE BARON’S EXPERIENCE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_158">158</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XVIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">AN ASSASSIN AT WORK.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_167">167</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XIX.</td> -<td class="tdl">SHIFTING THE PRISONERS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_182">182</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XX.</td> -<td class="tdl">SPRINGING THE TRAP.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXI.</td> -<td class="tdl">TIM BENSON’S ESCAPE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_206">206</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXII.</td> -<td class="tdl">TIM BENSON’S CLEVERNESS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_211">211</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">BUFFALO BILL’S HOLD-UP.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_221">221</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXIV.</td> -<td class="tdl">GORILLA JAKE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_237">237</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXV.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE BETTS BROTHERS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_253">253</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXVI.</td> -<td class="tdl">IN THE UTE VILLAGES.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXVII.</td> -<td class="tdl">MATT SHEPARD AND THE MASSACRE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_263">263</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXVIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">HOW IT WORKED.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_275">275</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXIX.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE DARING OF BILL BETTS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_294">294</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXX.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE CAPTURE OF BENSON.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_305">305</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<div class="chapter"> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IN_APPRECIATION_OF_WILLIAM_F_CODY">IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY<br /> -(BUFFALO BILL).</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 -rôle 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"><a id="Page_2"></a>[Pg 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 <ins class="corr" id="tn2" title="Transcriber’s Note—“Rough-riders” changed to “Rough Riders”.">Rough Riders</ins> -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> - - -<div class="chapter"> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a></span></p> - -<p class="pfs180">BUFFALO BILL’S BOLD PLAY.</p> - -<hr class="r10" /> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.<br /> -<span class="fs70">JUNIPER JOE’S JUBILEE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When that wonderful invitation was read by the masculine -element and the few women of Blossom Range, -it created a sensation, announcing, as it did, that Juniper -Joe’s jubilee was to consist of his marriage to a -charming widow of the East, Mrs. Rafferty, followed -by a dance and “refreshments.”</p> - -<p>Stuck up in front of the post office, in none too legible -handwriting, it invited the whole town.</p> - -<p>The ending was a screamer:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“If you-all what sees this invitation dont come, you -shore will miss the only first-class happenin that, so fur, -has hit this hyer lively hamlet. I aint seen Mrs. Rafferty -yit; but I have her photographt, an shes all to the -good, jedgin by it. Anyway, I’m takin the risks. -Every man what is goin to laff at me had better come -armed; and every man what is goin to envy me my good -fortune why he had better come armed, too. The ceremony -will be performed strictly accordin to Hoyle, by -our cellerbated feller townsmen an Jestis of the Peace -Jedge Abercrombie Morris. After the weddin there -will be a dance, and after the dance refreshments of the -kind you-all can appreciate. The music aint goin to be -no Wagnerian concert stuff, but somethin that has got<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span> -a lively jump in it; furnished by that prince of fiddlers -White-eyed Moses. And jokes about Moses’ eyes or -nose will provoke a homicide. Likewise anybody callin’ -his fiddle a violin will be shot on the spot. What the -refreshments aire to consist of will depend on what sort -of truck Gopher Gabe happens to have in stock behind -his bar when the happy day arrives.”</p></div> - -<p>The thing was signed by “Juniper Joe.”</p> - -<p>What the fellow’s real name was few, if any, knew; -some said it was Mason, some Morgan, some even -slandered him by claiming that he walked about among -men bearing the plebeian cognomen of John Jones, -where he was better known.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe’s cabin—it was a big one—stood right at -the edge of the camp of Blossom Range, on the east. -The back of it burrowed into a hill; and in that hill was -Juniper Joe’s mine. No one could get into the mine, -it was claimed, unless he went through the house; and -the house was always locked, when Juniper Joe was -at work, or not receiving company.</p> - -<p>The mine had gained great fame lately. Juniper Joe -had struck “pockets” that were wonderfully rich, judging -by Blossom Range standards. They were rather -high standards, too; for other men, in other holes in -the ground, were making good strikes, all round the -town.</p> - -<p>It was because he had been so phenomenally lucky -that had induced Juniper Joe to seek a helpmate; he -wanted a woman to share his joys and sorrows, and help -him to spend his surplus cash. He might have got one -even in Blossom Range, on account of the plutocratic -reputation he had suddenly acquired; but he preferred<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span> -to pass them by and seek in fields afar for the future -partner of his bosom. So he said.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe’s invitations were a ten days’ sensation; -they would have been a month’s sensation, if that time -had intervened before the wedding and the dance.</p> - -<p>When the stage came in from Calumet Springs, on -the morning of the day fixed, every man who could be -there was down at the stables, for it was known that -the stage was bringing the bride.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe was there, of course, at the forefront, -ready to welcome to this “garden spot of the mountains” -the future Mrs. Joe. Also, he was arrayed regardless; -in solemn black, with a shirt and collar as white as Mrs. -Maginniss, the laundry lady, could make them; and by -extra pay she had been spurred to do her best. Topping -his head was a silk cady of the previous year’s vintage, -which he had bought of the one Jew pawnbroker of the -place. The pawnbroker had worn it the first day he -came into the camp; there was still a dent in one side, -where the brickbat had landed which expressed the -town’s disapproval of that style of headgear. Israel -Silverman, being by nature a wise man, had then laid -the cady gently away in moth balls; only to resurrect it -and sell it to Juniper Joe.</p> - -<p>On this day no one took a shot with brickbat or stone -at the shining hat. One reason was that Juniper Joe -had a “hostyle” temper when he was aroused by what -he considered an insult; the second reason was a double -one, but like it; he had two revolvers belted to his manly -waist, under the tails of his black broadcloth.</p> - -<p>There was some disappointment when Mrs. Rafferty -descended from the stage; <em>she was veiled!</em> It was a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span> -staggering blow to the curiosity of Blossom Range. But -she recognized Juniper Joe, when he rushed to meet -her; and the envious crowd was permitted to see her -walk away, with her arm hooked through his, to the -“hack” he had ordered.</p> - -<p>He escorted her, in the hack, to the best hotel in Blossom -Range, where he left her for the time being.</p> - -<p>One other circumstance must be mentioned, in connection -with that arrival, which created almost as much -curiosity as the coming of the Widow Rafferty.</p> - -<p>Out of the same stage coach stepped a tall man, of -handsome carriage and almost military bearing; a small, -oldish man, with a seamed face and whitening hair; and -a round-bodied man, whose legs were thin as pipe stems. -They, too, took their way to the self-same hotel; but -they walked.</p> - -<p>When they had been in the town less than an hour, it -became known, or noised about, that the three men were -Buffalo Bill and his two pards, Nick Nomad and Baron -Schnitzenhauser.</p> - -<p>But what were they there for?</p> - -<p>Nobody could answer the question, and few people -thought of them long. Time could not be wasted on -people, even so prominent, when every one in town had -to think all the while of the coming “jubilee.”</p> - -<p>Yet the three were not wholly forgotten; for along in -the afternoon a copy of that queer invitation found its -way to the men mentioned.</p> - -<p>To it was appended a little postscript:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>“Mrs. Rafferty says that as you-all was so pleasant -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span>to her while she was with ye in the stage from Calumet -Springs, that she thinks highly of ye, and has suggested -that it would be ther proper caper if, though bein strangers, -you was invited. Tharfore it’s hopin that you-all -will feel free to look on at the weddin, fling a heel in -the dancin, and sample the refreshments all ye like. In -this I am gladly jinin Mrs. Rafferty; though, at the -same time, acknowledgin that hers is the gentle hand -at present on the tiller of the bark matrimonyul. So -here’s again hopin you-all will come.”</p></div> - -<p>This, too, was signed “Juniper Joe.”</p> - -<p>It is almost needless to say that the trio went.</p> - -<p>The fiddle of White-eyed Moses was scraping, and -thudding feet shook the rafters at the time of the arrival -of Buffalo Bill and his pards at Jubilee Joe’s cabin. -But the wedding ceremony had not yet taken place. The -premature dancing was due to certain men so hilariously -inclined that they had “tipped” the fiddler, and set him -to going ahead of time, because they could not wait.</p> - -<p>But this ended, when Abercrombie Morris came into -the room and asked for quiet, announcing that the momentous -moment had arrived.</p> - -<p>“Honored as we aire this evening,” said “Judge” Morris, -“we aire under obligations to conduct ourselves as -ladies and gents, and lend a listenin’ ear to the sollum -words which is goin’ to bind this man and woman together -in the holy bonds o’ matrimony.”</p> - -<p>He was “sollum” enough himself, in his black clothing, -his fat, florid face clean-shaven, his hair plastered down -tight against his scalp with pomade; he was the only -“legal light” in Blossom Range, and appraised himself -accordingly.</p> - -<p>The main room, large as it was, was crowded to suffocation,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span> -the guests wedging themselves round the walls -in closely packed ranks, leaving an open space in the -centre, where Morris had taken his stand.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and his pards were near the outer door, -but in a position where they could witness everything -that took place.</p> - -<p>A hush fell on the crowd, as a door at the other end -of the room opened, and the bride and groom appeared -in it.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Rafferty, revealing herself for the first time, was -seen to be a medium-sized woman, light-haired, and -much painted and powdered. She was dressed in white, -and carried roses. Rumor said, afterward, that they -had been ordered from Frisco, at a staggering price, by -the happy bridegroom. Mrs. Rafferty was almost as solemn -in appearance as Morris; but Juniper Joe shot -happy glances here and there, apparently willing to think -that all the men in the room were dying of envy.</p> - -<p>Abercrombie Morris, Justice of the Peace, having -never officiated on such an occasion, bungled the marriage -service through nervousness; yet drew it out to a wonderful -length, sure that in Blossom Range Fate would not -soon give him such opportunity.</p> - -<p>The crowd was respectful; it would have been quite -as much so, even if it had not noted the bulging of the -coat tails of the bridegroom.</p> - -<p>When Abercrombie Morris had pronounced the couple -“husband and wife,” Juniper Joe took much apparent -delight in introducing his bride to every one in the house -he could reach conveniently.</p> - -<p>When it was through, he made a little speech.</p> - -<p>“What I has to say, ladies and feller citizens, is: ‘Go<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -and do likewise.’ Thar, on the wall, set in a picture -frame which I made to-day myself, is the thing which -worked the trick fer me; and any of you can use the -same means, and make a copy of it, if you want to do -as I did.”</p> - -<p>He pointed to an advertisement cut from a newspaper, -which he had framed and stuck against the wall.</p> - -<p>“I don’t need to sling no wise advice to the ladies present; -fer they aire knowin’ well to the fact that they can -each and every one of ’em git married any minute that -they say the word. So I directs my remarks to the male -sect; which, because it’s out o’ all proportion with the -other in this hyer town, don’t have much of a show. In -the East, thar’s women so numerous that they fair jostles -each other, without half enough men to go round; -a condition that is highly prejudicial to the good of society -both hyer and thar. Most any o’ them women -would jump at a chanct to marry a likely man, ’specially -if he could show a good bank account. The hills round -this hamlet aire sproutin’ with gold, in pockets, leads, -fissure veins, and every other way; every man hyer has -got a cinch on wealth, if only he’ll hustle. And that -wealth will git him a wife, if he wants one; it’s what -brung me mine.”</p> - -<p>He looked round, beaming, the woman at his side.</p> - -<p>“That’s all,” he said; “except that the room will now -be cleared fer the dancin’. White-eyed Moses has promised -to hand out some o’ his choicest toe-ticklin’ selections; -and you-all know how he can do it. No firearms -er knives to be allowed on the dancin’ floor; no altercations -permitted, neither. The first gent that starts one -will be bounced.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span></p> - -<p>He swung on round, still smiling, a gaunt figure, in his -black clothing.</p> - -<p>“So,” he finished, “that’s all; git yer pardners.”</p> - -<p>In order to do that, as there was so few women, some -of the men knotted handkerchiefs round their left arms, -to indicate that they were “women”; and the dancing -began, as White-eyed Moses struck up one of his lively -quadrilles.</p> - -<p>The new Mrs. Juniper Joe—no one could remember -that even in the ceremony Abercrombie Morris had -called him anything but Juniper Joe!—tried to dance -with nearly every man there, when they besieged her for -that favor; and only gave over the attempt because the -fiddler’s arm took a cramp at last, and he stopped fiddling.</p> - -<p>The new Mrs. Juniper Joe thus proved that she was -certainly of the strenuous type, so far as muscular activity -was concerned.</p> - -<p>As the dancing ended, and there was a rush for the -“refreshments,” a thing occurred which threw every one -into a flutter of excitement.</p> - -<p>A man who, as it appeared later, had not been invited -came in. He was a small, lithe man, with a smooth -face, and keen, light-blue eyes; Buffalo Bill had observed -him almost as soon as he was in the room, and wondered -who he was.</p> - -<p>His discovery, close by the door, which was open -behind him, brought quick work on the part of the hitherto -smiling bridegroom. Juniper Joe’s revolvers -bounced out of their hiding places beneath his coat tails, -and were fired as soon as he could swing them up; the -two reports, one from each revolver, crashing together.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span></p> - -<p>The lithe little man tumbled backward against the door, -which his fall half closed.</p> - -<p>As he did so, he sent a shot which smashed the one -light—a huge kerosene lamp suspended from the ceiling—thus -plunging the room into darkness.</p> - -<p>There was wild confusion following this shooting. -Men tumbled headlong out of the place, by the doors -and windows; those who remained flung themselves flat -on the floor, to escape possible bullets.</p> - -<p>The loud voice of Juniper Joe was heard, commanding -that another lamp should be brought.</p> - -<p>“I guess I got him,” he said.</p> - -<p>But when the lamp was brought, from another room, -the little man was not found, dead or wounded, by the -door. Juniper Joe’s bullets had gone through the wood -of the door; but neither on the door, nor the floor by it, -was there a stain of blood.</p> - -<p>There were naturally vociferous howls for an explanation, -by the men who had dropped for safety; this -thing of a man beginning pistol work like that seemed -to call for an apology.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe gave it, in a few crisp and characteristic -words.</p> - -<p>“That feller, gents,” he said, “was Tim Benson, road -agent and gin’ral outlaw, what I’m shore has been doin’ -the hold-up work recently on these hyer trails. I seen -him onct, at Holbrook, when he made a gitaway, after -robbin’ the Holbrook stage. He got five thousand dollars -o’ my good money at that time, and I swore I’d kill him -if ever I got a chanct. I thought I had the chanct, jes’ -now; but dropped it, somehow. I reckon I didn’t hit him,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span> -fer he shot out the light, and seems to have hit the safe -places outside somewhar.”</p> - -<p>Not many of the guests tarried for the “refreshments” -after that. Some went to look for Tim Benson; others, -scared, thought it best to take themselves off. In ten -minutes after the shooting, Juniper Joe’s cabin was nearly -emptied.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.<br /> -<span class="fs70">“JACKSON DANE, DETECTIVE.”</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>At the Eagle House, an hour afterward, the man shot -at by Juniper Joe appeared before the door of Buffalo -Bill’s room, and rapped.</p> - -<p>Nomad, who was in the room with the scout and the -baron, being nearest the door, drew it open.</p> - -<p>The little man came in, glancing narrowly around; a -quiet man, apparently mild-mannered. There was nothing -remarkable in his looks; in a crowd he would have -been passed without notice. Yet to the keen eyes of -Buffalo Bill the man’s very quietness of manner spoke of -reserve force and repression.</p> - -<p>“Cody, is it not?” said the little man, addressing the -scout.</p> - -<p>“The same,” the scout answered. “Have a chair with -us. These are my good friends, Nick Nomad and Baron -von Schnitzenhauser.”</p> - -<p>“Glad ter meet up with ye,” said Nomad, as the stranger -tucked himself into the first chair.</p> - -<p>“Aber I tond’t knowed you, I gan say der same py -mineselluf,” seconded the German.</p> - -<p>The stranger regarded them closely.</p> - -<p>“Thanks!” he said. “I think all you fellers was up at -Juniper Joe’s when he took them shots at me.”</p> - -<p>“Ouch! We seen idt! One of dose pullets vhistled -so close py mine ear dot I t’ink I can hear him yidt.”</p> - -<p>“I fancy they didn’t come as close to you as to me!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span></p> - -<p>The little man ran his hand through his hair, and revealed -a red welt on his forehead, just under the hair -he had lifted.</p> - -<p>“One of them came as near to me as that. I wonder -it didn’t knock me out. I still had enough sense to pull -for the lamp, as I went down; then I crawled out through -the door, and got away.”</p> - -<p>He looked at the three men curiously, as if wondering -what they thought of it.</p> - -<p>“It was quick shooting!” was the comment of Buffalo -Bill.</p> - -<p>The man had not yet introduced himself; and the scout -did not forget that Juniper Joe had charged him with -being Benson, the road agent, a man the scout had never -met, but whom he wished right then he could surely lay -his hands on.</p> - -<p>In truth, Buffalo Bill and his friends had been discussing -this very man when he appeared at the door -and came in.</p> - -<p>“What was said about me, after the shooting?” the -stranger asked, drawing one leg over the other and settling -into an easy attitude.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you want us to be quite frank with you?” -said the scout.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I’m expecting, gents. I knew something -would be said, and I fancied you heard it. I confess I -got away so quick that, whatever it was, I lost it. The -climate there didn’t seem healthy for me; so I tried as -fast as I could to change it.”</p> - -<p>He smiled, then—a thin-lipped smile, that had little -merriment in it.</p> - -<p>“Juniper Joe declared,” the scout told him directly,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -“that you were Tim Benson, the outlaw and road agent; -that he recognized you, as soon as you came through the -door, as being the man who had held up a stage at Holbrook -and robbed it, getting five thousand dollars of -his money; for which he had sworn to kill you on sight.”</p> - -<p>That thin-lipped smile, sneering now, became evident -again.</p> - -<p>“A clever yarn, to be made up so quickly!”</p> - -<p>“Then, it wasn’t true?” the scout queried.</p> - -<p>“Not a word of it. On the contrary, instead of being -Tim Benson, I am Jackson Dane, of San Francisco, in -the detective business, and came here looking for Tim -Benson myself.”</p> - -<p>“Ach! Iss dot so-o?” gasped the baron.</p> - -<p>“It’s so.”</p> - -<p>“Py yiminy, dhen——”</p> - -<p>But the scout cut in, to keep the baron from making -some damaging statement:</p> - -<p>“I suppose there must be something in your general -appearance which caused Juniper Joe to make that fool -mistake?”</p> - -<p>The stranger laughed at that.</p> - -<p>“If so, it came near being a fatal blunder for me!”</p> - -<p>The scout and his pards were making a careful study -of the man, without appearing to do so.</p> - -<p>“It was a clost call,” said Nomad. “But yer war too -quick fer him! Shootin’ out ther lights is a star play, -ef a man kin do et; an’ you rung the bell at the fust -crack. Buffler, here, couldn’t done et no better.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks for the compliment! But”—turning to Buffalo -Bill—“I don’t think I much resemble Benson, except -that we are both small men—rather undersized, you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -know; which is a marked thing in this country, where -nearly all the men are so big.”</p> - -<p>“Size an’ heft don’t allus count,” said Nomad naïvely. -“F’r instance, thar’s Buffler, an’ thar’s me.”</p> - -<p>“I judge that it’s your opinion,” the scout remarked, -“that Juniper Joe didn’t make any mistake?”</p> - -<p>“No; he simply lied.”</p> - -<p>“Why?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have to leave that to you; for I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>“Unless he really made a mistake, and thought you -were Benson, he wouldn’t have any reason to want to -shoot you?”</p> - -<p>“If he had any reason, I don’t know it.”</p> - -<p>“Then, we may suppose that, seeing you there by the -door, and not having time to correct his first impression, -he felt sure you were Benson, and blazed away.”</p> - -<p>“Mighty careless of him to do that!” said the stranger.</p> - -<p>His light-blue eyes twinkled, as if the thing amused -him.</p> - -<p>Then he shifted his legs, and for a moment the conversation -seemed stalled. He probably had noticed by -this time that the scout was closely watching him!</p> - -<p>“One of the things bringing me here,” he said, breaking -the silence, “was to find out if you fellows air barking -up the same tree; that is, to see if you came here -chasin’ Tim Benson?”</p> - -<p>“If so?” the scout queried.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, I didn’t know but that somehow we might -make shift to work the thing together—me giving you -whatever tips I run acrost, and you doin’ the same by -me. There’s a reward of ten thousand out for Benson, -half of it put up by the Wells Fargo. I’d like to handle<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -all of it, of course; but if I can’t swing the thing alone, -I’d be willing to divide up with good men like you; in -case we could work the thing by a combination better -than singly.”</p> - -<p>“You know about me,” said the scout; “that is, that -I’m in the employment of the government, as a scout, -and for other special purposes; so, of course, you will -see readily that if I came here with my friends looking -for Benson, it is because Benson has been troubling the -mails.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know that, or supposed it. As for me, I fly -alone; in the private detective line, you know; just now -on the trail of that ten thousand dollars reward, and -hoping I’ll land it.”</p> - -<p>“That isn’t what I meant.”</p> - -<p>“No? What did you mean?”</p> - -<p>“That you have my credentials—that is, you know -something about me. <em>I don’t know anything about you!</em> -It’s an important matter; so I hope you won’t mind my -bluntness.”</p> - -<p>“But I’ve told you!”</p> - -<p>“But shown no papers, nor even a badge. You must -have some source of authority, I suppose?”</p> - -<p>For an instant the man who had given the name of -Jackson Dane seemed to hesitate.</p> - -<p>“The truth is,” he said, “though likely you won’t believe -it, that I lost everything in that hotel fire at Deming, -where I was last week; just got out by the skin of -my teeth; so that my extra clothing and everything else -went up in smoke.”</p> - -<p>“Er, waugh!” Nomad gulped.</p> - -<p>“You think that is fishy?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span></p> - -<p>“I didn’t say et!” the trapper apologized. “Et’s jes’ a -way I has o’ breathin’ hard, at times.”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t any letters which you have received -since?” Buffalo Bill questioned.</p> - -<p>“Well, yes: just one!”</p> - -<p>Jackson Dane pulled out what seemed at first a letter, -but was discovered to be an envelope from which the -letter was gone; it bore the postmark of Blossom Range, -and the date of that very day.</p> - -<p>“I got this letter here this morning, soon after I struck -the town,” he explained.</p> - -<p>The scout looked at the envelope, noting that it bore -the address of “Mr. Jackson Dane, Blossom Range,” but -that it held no letter.</p> - -<p>“I see,” he said; but his tone was noncommittal.</p> - -<p>“That’s all I’ve got right now, in the way of credentials,” -said the little man.</p> - -<p>“You’ll pardon me for saying,” said the scout quietly, -“that since Juniper Joe tried to kill you because he -claimed you are Tim Benson, it would hardly be politic -for me to enter into any arrangements with you, of the -kind you mention.”</p> - -<p>Jackson Dane flushed slightly.</p> - -<p>“Sorry you look at it in that way,” he said. “But -for that fire in Deming, I could prove who I am, even to -your satisfaction.”</p> - -<p>He sat in hesitation, looking from one to the other. -Then he seemed about to put on his hat.</p> - -<p>“Just what do you know about Juniper Joe?” the -scout inquired of him.</p> - -<p>“No more than what everybody else knows here in -the town, I reckon: he has struck it rich in his mine,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -has taken a wife, and is celebrating. I can’t say that I -admire his judgment, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“In taking a wife in that way?”</p> - -<p>“Just so. What does he know about her? She answers -his advertisement, which says that he is rich, and -comes on. Mebby they’ll git along together; but the -chances are that they’ll be fighting like cats and dogs inside -of a month. I know that all of life is a gamble; -yet I wouldn’t take fool risks.”</p> - -<p>He put on his hat, and arose to go.</p> - -<p>“Sorry, gents, that we can’t make a hitch,” he said. -“But I can ask this of you: Don’t mention it so’s Juniper -Joe will know I’ve been here. As he seems convinced -that I’m Tim Benson, I reckon I’ll have to keep -out of his sight; or else get myself ready to shoot -quicker than he can. I don’t care to get into trouble -here in this town, as that would interfere with the work -that brought me.”</p> - -<p>He turned to the door.</p> - -<p>Nomad sat, crouched, as if he thought of hurling himself -at the stranger and stopping him.</p> - -<p>But as Buffalo Bill made no movement, the trapper -held his impulse in check; and Jackson Dane, of Frisco, -wended his way down the stairs in peace.</p> - -<p>“Er, waugh!” Nomad gurgled, when he was gone. -“Waugh!”</p> - -<p>“Well, out with it, if it hurts you,” the scout told him.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t et strike ye thet mebby Juniper Joe told ther -truth, and that we’re lettin ’ther very critter we’re after -git erway?”</p> - -<p>“I am yoost t’inking dot mineselluf,” said the baron; -though he did not seem excited.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span></p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill produced a flat pocketbook, and extracted -from it a tintype picture.</p> - -<p>It was of a miner, in red shirt and clay-stained trousers, -leaning on the handle of a miner’s pick. He looked -at it closely; then passed it to Nomad.</p> - -<p>The round-bodied German climbed out of his chair, -and came over to inspect it with Nomad, looking over -the trapper’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Waal, et’s powerful hard ter decide a matter like -thet,” said Nomad. “This hyar was taken all o’ five -y’ars ago, I reckon; and ’tain’t anything much of a pickcher. -Yet put the clo’es this hyar Jackson Dane war -w’arin’ outer ther man in this, an’ et might be ther same -feller.”</p> - -<p>“Aber dhey tond’t look der same, idt mighdt pe,” confessed -the baron; “budt dhis veller he iss vearin’ a musdache.”</p> - -<p>“’Twouldn’t be hard ter shave et off, I reckon,” Nomad -reminded.</p> - -<p>The resemblance between the man in the tintype and -Jackson Dane could not be said to be marked. Both -were apparently of about the same size, the stature of the -man in the tintype being judged by the height of the -pick. They had been told that the original of the picture -was light-haired and blue-eyed. So was Jackson Dane.</p> - -<p>The man in the tintype was the outlaw and road agent, -Tim Benson. They had come to Blossom Range looking -for him. Two weeks before he had been working -the Blossom Range stage trails, taking heavy toll. He -had, likewise, not hesitated to lay his hands on valuables -carried in Uncle Sam’s mail bags; for which reason -Buffalo Bill had been sent on his trail. From the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span> -vicinity of Blossom Range he had skipped into other territory; -then had been heard of in Deming; when last -seen, he was said to be making back toward Blossom -Range.</p> - -<p>That was about all that the scout knew, and it was -little enough. Five years before, Tim Benson had been -a miner, in a little place near Virginia City; it was there -he had this picture taken, by a traveling tintype artist, -leaning on his miner’s pick.</p> - -<p>“Vale,” said the baron, “I am sduck! Vot ar-re ye -going to do?”</p> - -<p>“I think I shall try for a talk with Juniper Joe,” said -the scout.</p> - -<p>“Et might jump suthin’ outer ther bresh,” Nomad -agreed.</p> - -<p>“Eenyhow,” the baron added, “I am hobing dot soon -ve vill pe scaring oop some adwentures dot haf a liddle -excidemendts in ’em.”</p> - -<p>They were still talking the thing over, the little man -not having been gone ten minutes, when the scout had -another visitor, who came to the door of his room at -the Eagle House, and knocked.</p> - -<p>Again Nomad drew open the door.</p> - -<p>All were surprised to see the object of their talk—Juniper -Joe, tall and thin, dressed in his black broadcloth, -the tails of his coat suspiciously lifted by the big -revolvers that rested against his hips. He looked carefully -at the scout’s companions; then came on in, when -invited.</p> - -<p>“I don’t keer if I do,” he said, when the scout asked -him to take a chair.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span></p> - -<p>He helped himself to the one which the little man had -occupied so short a while before.</p> - -<p>“You-all was at the jubilee to-night,” he said, running -his eyes over them; “and so know what happened ter -break up the gin’ral hilarity o’ that festive occasion. Because -o’ which I’m hyer, when I ought ter be thar with -my blushin’ bride this minute. I believe that the town -gin’rally thinks that the only mistake I made was in not -gittin’ the coyote I shot at; which you heerd me say -was Tim Benson, the road agent.”</p> - -<p>“Er, waugh! We heerd yer!” Nomad told him.</p> - -<p>“You know somethin’ about Benson?”</p> - -<p>“Not so much but thet our cur’osity is ixcited ter hear -more.”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe turned to Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“I reckon you’re hyer trailin’ somebody. It’s considered -lately that you aire, when you pike into a town like -this.”</p> - -<p>“I might be traveling for my health, you know,” Buffalo -Bill observed, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“When already yer has got ther health o’ a grizzly? -Nobody’d think it. No; you come hyer fer somebody; -and I’ve been figgerin’ that it must be you’re lookin’ for -Benson, because he’s known to have been in this section -recent, doin’ hold-up work, as I said thar at my house.”</p> - -<p>“Have you known him well?”</p> - -<p>“I never seen him clost but onct; but then I had so -good a look at him that I spotted him to-night as soon’s -he poked his nose in at the door. Too bad that when I -pulled on him I didn’t git him! Of course, he’s still in -the town; and I reckon if chanct comes his way, he’ll<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -make the new Mrs. Joe ag’in a widder. But I’m heeled -fer him!”</p> - -<p>He dropped a hand to the bulging revolvers.</p> - -<p>“He’ll haf to pot me from the dark, if he gits me!” he -boasted. “But that ain’t what I come over hyer to -elucidate, after leavin’ my bride of an hour er so to -home all alone, which ain’t a proper thing fer any man -to do; and I wouldn’t do it but for the circumstances.</p> - -<p>“You-all aire knowin’ to the fact,” he went on, “that -lately I’ve been hittin’ it big in my mine. Sense the -Wells Fargo sent out its last shipment, I’ve pulled out -o’ that mine gold dust and nuggets to the amount of ten -thousand dollars’ worth. To-morrow the Wells Fargo -is goin’ to ship it out fer me, with stuff from a good -many other mines round hyer; I reckon thar’ll be fifty -thousand dollars go out in the express company’s cash -boxes to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, having been so short a time in the place, -did not know this, and was interested.</p> - -<p>“So-o?” said the baron. “Dot iss more gold as I haf -effer seen in one bunches.”</p> - -<p>“Et’s er heap,” Nomad admitted.</p> - -<p>“I reckoned,” went on Juniper Joe, “that you-all would -be takin’ a hand in gyardin’ that stage load of wealth -when she pulls out. So I’ve come to give ye a pinter. -Jest in the cañon tother side o’ Stag Mountain is whar -you’re likely to have trouble; in my opinion, if the agents -hits you, it will be right thar. I say this so’s you can -be ready for ’em.”</p> - -<p>“As the Wells Fargo people haven’t told us anything -about it,” said the scout, “I think it is unlikely they will -ask our help.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span></p> - -<p>“But the mail goes through on the same stage, you -know,” Juniper Joe explained. “I jedge it’s the mail -that you’re most int’rested in?”</p> - -<p>“Aber you tond’t know vhere diss roadt achent iss -vot you shodt at,” said the baron, “I exbose dot you -vill pe looking for him yourselluf?”</p> - -<p>“Waal, I’ll kinder keep my eyes peeled, as I ambles -round the town,” Juniper Joe admitted. “Ye see, I -think he’ll lay low, now that he knows he has been spotted. -But it’s him being hyer which makes me figger that -the bullion stage to-morrow is goin’ to have er heap -of fun gittin’ through?”</p> - -<p>“You think,” said the scout, “that he will hold it up, -at the place you mentioned?”</p> - -<p>“I figger that he has got friends hyer, and they’ll help -him do it. I’m goin’ to say to the Wells Fargo folks -what I’ve said to you. And I’m goin’ to make ’em a suggestion, -which I now make to you. Why wouldn’t it be -a good idea to send the old stage out empty, but with -gyards in it? Make a bluff, ye see, which will cause -Tim Benson an’ his gang to think the bullion, nuggets, -an’ dust aire goin’ that way. Then put the stuff over -the mountains in some other manner, which the agents -wouldn’t git onto.”</p> - -<p>“It might do,” the scout admitted.</p> - -<p>“Uff he tond’t gatch onto it.”</p> - -<p>“It can be kept quiet,” said Juniper Joe. “I jest wanted -to say these things, and have ye think ’em over to-night. -Now I got to git back to my new wife; er she’ll -be thinking that mayby I’ve run up ag’inst the pistol of -Benson. She didn’t want me to come down hyer to-night,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -on that account. Women aire gin’rally skeery critters, -ye know.”</p> - -<p>He pulled himself out of his chair; then went out and -downstairs, walking slowly, as if he were thinking over -the situation.</p> - -<p>“Er, waugh!” Nomad whooped again, when he was -gone. “What does yer make o’ <em>thet</em>?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll know better when I’ve had a talk with the Wells -Fargo people,” was the scout’s answer. “That’s what -I’m going to do now, if I can find them at this time of -night.”</p> - -<p>When the scout and his pards found the Wells Fargo -people, which was not for an hour afterward, as the express -office had long been closed for the day, they discovered -that Juniper Joe had deviated far enough from -his homeward track to get there with his advice ahead -of them.</p> - -<p>“His idea is so good,” said the Wells Fargo agent, -“that we’re going to adopt it. We’ll send out the stage -empty, but with a strong guard in it. If the agents hold -it up, we’ll have a chance of shooting them all to pieces; -and they will secure nothing, even if they get into it.”</p> - -<p>“How will you send the stuff?” the scout asked.</p> - -<p>Though the agent was in his own home, he got out of -his chair and, going outside, walked all round the house, -to see if possible eavesdroppers could be there.</p> - -<p>When he came back he was satisfied.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll tell you,” he said. “We’ll send the stuff -over the mountains in charge of two prospectors that we -<em>know</em> are reliable—Jack Austin and Bennett Brown. -They’ll take burros, and will pretend to be setting out on -a prospecting trip; and so throw off any suspicion. When<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span> -they get down out of Eagle Gap, they’ll swing to the -east, and put the stuff on the stage at Colorow Springs, -where the stage will be instructed to wait for them. Beyond -that point there won’t be much danger, as the country -is open and level, and a hold-up wouldn’t be attempted.”</p> - -<p>“Der only t’ing,” said the baron, “iss, vill idt vork? I -vouldt like to go mit Austin unt Prown.”</p> - -<p>“Why?” said the agent.</p> - -<p>“Because, in my obinion, dot iss vhere der excidement -iss going to pe seen; unt I am fondt uff excidemendts.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE BARON FINDS EXCITEMENT.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>The baron got his wish.</p> - -<p>The Blossom Range postmaster, having wired for instructions -that night, handed to Buffalo Bill in the morning -an order requiring him to become one of the escort -of the mail stage to leave the town that day. The post -office authorities had got into quick communication with -those of the war department, with that result.</p> - -<p>Nomad chose to go with Buffalo Bill. The stage -would carry the mails, even though it did not take the -treasure. So that determined the matter for the scout.</p> - -<p>When the Wells Fargo agent asked if he could recommend -a good fighting man to go with the burros that -were to be taken out by Austin and Brown, the scout -recommended the baron.</p> - -<p>“Ach! I am a brosbector,” said the baron, highly -pleased, as he clattered down from his room in the -Eagle House and paused by the desk of the clerk.</p> - -<p>He looked it, every inch, in spite of his girth and his -pipe-stem legs. He was dressed as a miner, except that -he stuck to his little fore-and-aft cap.</p> - -<p>“I haf seen enough since I gome py dhis town in,” he -explained, “to seddle idt vor me. Dhere iss goldt in -dhese hills; unt I am going to findt some uff idt.”</p> - -<p>“Look out for road agents and Indians, then, if you -git hold of any,” the clerk warned him. “Going out -alone?” he asked, as a second thought.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span></p> - -<p>“Not any. I tond’t peen ackvainted mit dhese hills, -unt meppy I might losdt mineselluf. No; I am going -oudt mit Ausdin unt Prown.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’re going out this morning, are they? Good -men! But though they’ve prospected a lot round here -in the last month or so, I never knew them to strike -anything worth while.”</p> - -<p>“Idt iss <em>me</em> vot vill shange dheir lucks!” the baron -boasted, as he went on out of the office.</p> - -<p>Austin and Brown had their burros in the street, and -were waiting for the baron. They were quiet-looking -men, of the miner type, who, in a town like that, would -not attract a second glance. Nor was anybody paying -heed to their burros and their packed outfit, with the -picks and shovels displayed prominently on top; prospectors -went from the town every day, and these two -men had already been out a number of times.</p> - -<p>All attention was being directed to the stage, ready -soon to leave the stables with the United States mail, -and, as was supposed, the treasure to be shipped that day -by the Wells Fargo company.</p> - -<p>The stage was filled with armed men, who prominently -displayed their hardware. On top, sitting beside the -driver, were old Nomad and Buffalo Bill. The public -knew now that Buffalo Bill was being sent along by the -postal authorities.</p> - -<p>It was the general belief that when the treasure went -through the cañon beyond Stag Mountain, where so many -hold-ups had occurred, there would be a lively fight, if -the bandits, who were known to be infesting the hills, -could get enough men together to make the deadly tackle.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span></p> - -<p>But the stage went through the cañon that day without -a ripple of excitement. Not a road agent was there.</p> - -<p>To be sure of this, when the stage had passed beyond -what was considered the danger spot it was halted, and -some of the armed men went back, to poke through the -bushes.</p> - -<p>“Scared ’em off with the big show of fighting men we -made,” said the men, when they returned.</p> - -<p>It was fully two hours later when the baron, with Austin -and Brown, butted into the excitement which the -baron had anticipated.</p> - -<p>At Eagle Gap, where no trouble of any kind had ever -before occurred, two men rose up beside the winding -path, and began to shoot as soon as they rose. The -men were masked, and they were well armed, each with -a repeating rifle and a brace of revolvers.</p> - -<p>Austin went down at the first fire, shot through the -head, being killed instantly. Brown toppled, falling -wounded. The baron threw himself flat on the ground, -escaping that first shooting as if by a miracle; though -the real reason was that Austin and Brown stopped the -first bullets the bandits sent from their repeaters; and -before they could fire again the baron was down, and -behind a rock.</p> - -<p>“Ouch!” he squawked. “I am to pe kilt, huh!”</p> - -<p>Then he fired back.</p> - -<p>He apparently wounded one of the men, which stopped -their rush toward him, and enabled him to take a tumble -backward down the steep slope. The baron plowed a -reckless furrow, which barked his skin and tore his -clothing, but landed him in a rocky hollow some distance<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -down, before the outlaws could get to the top of the slope -and shoot at him.</p> - -<p>Poking his head out enough to enable him to see, he -blazed away again, when he saw one of the men appear; -and drove the bandits back once more.</p> - -<p>Following this, the baron crept on his hands and knees -down the gulley, determining what the men were doing -by the sounds they made.</p> - -<p>“Ach!” he said. “Dhis iss der vorsdt effer.”</p> - -<p>The baron did not show himself for a while; but sat -nursing his rifle, occupying a hollow into which he -wedged his body, and where he was resolved to fight to -the death if the outlaws followed him.</p> - -<p>He knew they had the advantage, being familiar with -the country, and being two to one.</p> - -<p>When he concluded that they were not coming after -him, he got out of his hole, and tried to discover what -they were doing.</p> - -<p>Then he found that they were gone.</p> - -<p>They had taken the burros and treasure, and had vanished.</p> - -<p>The place was a cut, with debouching gashes making -from it in various directions, all rocky and hard as flint; -so that, being unfamiliar with the location, the baron -could do nothing.</p> - -<p>Abundant proof that they had been there was given by -the grewsome sight of the dead Austin, and by the wounded -man they had considered dying when they left him.</p> - -<p>Brown had been shot through the right side, but he -was still conscious. To keep them from finishing him, -he had feigned death.</p> - -<p>When the baron gave him some stimulant from his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -pocket flask, the prospector regained enough animation -to be able to talk.</p> - -<p>“Tough luck, pard!” he said. “They got Austin!</p> - -<p>“Unt der dreasure!”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I didn’t see but two of ’em. If they hadn’t -surprised us, we might ’a’ done something. But thar -wasn’t much show, when they riz up shootin’ as they -riz. If you think they’re gone, see if that bullet is still -in my side, will ye?”</p> - -<p>The baron made the examination, his rifle on the -ground where he could pick it up instantly.</p> - -<p>“Der pullet vendt t’rough,” he said, when he had -looked the man over. “You needt der hosbidal pooty -kvick, I dell you.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon I’ll never git thar, with the burros gone.”</p> - -<p>The baron gave the man more stimulant; then plugged -the wound and bandaged it as well as he could, tearing -the man’s shirt into strips for the purpose.</p> - -<p>Having done that, he stood back and looked the man -over.</p> - -<p>“I dhinks maype I gan carry you,” he said. “You aind’t -so heavy as me.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t reckon you could do it, pard,” Brown answered.</p> - -<p>“Vale, ve dry idt, eenyhow. Uff der voundt tond’t -pleed too much ve gan make idt. How many miles iss -idt?”</p> - -<p>“All of three, I reckon; and rough goin’.”</p> - -<p>In spite of his unpromising physical appearance, the -baron was strong; and he had the stuff of which heroes -are made.</p> - -<p>He accomplished the three miles over the rough trails<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -with Brown on his shoulders, and got him into the local -hospital in time to save his life.</p> - -<p>The knowledge that the prospectors had been in charge -of the treasure; that Austin was dead, Brown wounded, -and the treasure gone, furnished news of a sufficiently -exciting kind to fill all the public places of Blossom -Range with crowds.</p> - -<p>“A Dutchman’s luck!” was the universal verdict, when -reference to the baron’s escape was made. “You can’t -kill a Dutchman.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill talked the matter over with his pards, in -the seclusion of his room at the Eagle House, while a -delegation of the townspeople had gone out to Eagle -Gap to bring in the body of the dead prospector, and -poke round out there for whatever they could find of -interest concerning the daring desperadoes who had -made the attack.</p> - -<p>“Thar is one shore thing,” said old Nomad, humped -up in his chair and smoking his pipe; “ther chaps what -made ther tackle had information o’ the hull bizness.”</p> - -<p>“Unt der kvestion iss,” the baron added, “how didt -dey knowed idt?”</p> - -<p>“Somebody leaked the information,” said Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Which means,” said Nomad, “thet either ther express -agent, ther fellers in ther post office, er at the stage -stables, aire inter ther thing deep. Et was ter be kept -so clost, ye know, thet nobudy c’d ketch on.”</p> - -<p>“Vot uff Yuniper Yoe?” asked the baron; “I am t’inking -uff him!”</p> - -<p>“Er, waugh! Yer mean he might er been ther one -ter give ther snap away?”</p> - -<p>“Dot iss yoost vot I am saying.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span></p> - -<p>“But—he had ten thousand dollars’ wuth o’ stuff in -them burro packs! Would he tip off ther road agents, -ter git his own wealth? Et don’t hardly look like it, -pard.”</p> - -<p>“I aind’t saying dot he did idt,” the baron admitted. “I -am yoost asking some kvestions.”</p> - -<p>“Right now, we are pretty much in the dark,” the scout -admitted.</p> - -<p>“Ve ar-re all oop der sdump!”</p> - -<p>“They are giving you a lot of praise round the town, -baron,” Buffalo Bill told him. “They say that you put -up a nervy fight.”</p> - -<p>“Vale,” said the baron, unmoved, sucking at his long-stemmed -pipe, “dey tond’t know only yoost vot I toldt -’em.”</p> - -<p>“Brown says that you put up a good fight, and that -you wounded one of the outlaws.”</p> - -<p>“I seen der willain reel pack unt shake, ven I shodt -at him; budt he ditn’t vall town.”</p> - -<p>“And you brought Brown in on your shoulders.”</p> - -<p>“Uff course! Vot else couldt I do? Dot aind’t no -pravery, idt vos yoost muscle; unt idt took a heab uff idt, -I dell you. He veigh apoudt two dons, pefore I gidt him -here py der hospidal in. Yaw!”</p> - -<p>“What makes you think et may be Juniper Joe leaked -information?” Nomad asked, coming back to the subject -that interested hint.</p> - -<p>“I haf no reason; idt iss yoost vot Puffalo Pill somedime -calls insdinedtiveness. I seem to schmell idt in -der admosphere.”</p> - -<p>“That ain’t no reason!” the trapper sniffed.</p> - -<p>“You ar-re righdt; idt aind’t.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span></p> - -<p>“Speaking of Juniper Joe,” remarked Buffalo Bill, -“this morning early I saw his wife downtown; I heard -her say she was out making calls on the ladies, as she -wanted to get acquainted with them as soon as she -could.”</p> - -<p>“It wouldn’t take her long,” Nomad sniffed, “fer thar -ain’t many in this hamlet.”</p> - -<p>“I noticed that she paid a visit to the show girls who -are stopping at the Casino; the bills outside announce that -they’ve got a playlet on the boards there, called ‘Grandpa’s -Holiday’.”</p> - -<p>Nomad snickered.</p> - -<p>“Whatever would she want to call on them song birds -fer?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, except through curiosity, and because -there are so few women in the town. I was still outside -when she came down, and she was talking with one -of them at the foot of the stairs just before she came -away. I took a look at the girl—a thing with a head of -hair like a Circassian Beauty; on asking one of the assistants -who she was, I was informed that her name is -Vera Bright.”</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad gulped, smothering a snicker. -“Thar’s a name fer ye!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose it meant anything at all,” remarked -the scout, as if musing over it.</p> - -<p>“Prob’ly not. Them show gals is frum ther East, I -reckon, and likely thet accounted fer Mrs. Joe payin’ ’em -a visit.”</p> - -<p>They came back to the subject uppermost in their -minds—the question of who could have leaked information -to the road agents.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span></p> - -<p>When they had threshed through it again, and made -nothing of it, Buffalo Bill prepared to go down to the -Wells Fargo office.</p> - -<p>“Do yer reckon,” said Nomad, as he and the baron -arose to accompany the scout, “that this hyar Jackson -Dane, what calls hisself a Frisco detective, could be -mixed inter ther thing? Recklect thet Juniper Joe says -he is shore Tim Benson.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not forgetting what Juniper Joe said about -him.”</p> - -<p>“But what does yer think?” the trapper persisted.</p> - -<p>“There I am stalled again. It seems that we are -called on to suspect everybody: the express agent, the -post office people, the stage hands, and driver, Juniper -Joe, and this alleged detective. Perhaps we’ll even add -to the list as we go along.”</p> - -<p>“Mebby we’ll ring in the Casino ladies,” suggested -the trapper with a grin.</p> - -<p>“It wouldn’t surprise me if we did.”</p> - -<p>“Waugh!”</p> - -<p>“Vale, dot vouldt furnish some excidemendt!” protested -the German.</p> - -<p>“I should think, Schnitz, thet ye’d had ernough fer -one day!” Nomad growled.</p> - -<p>“I am a hawg for excidemendt,” the baron admitted.</p> - -<p>Down at the Wells Fargo office they found Juniper -Joe, with a number of other men, most of them shippers -of the treasure taken by the road agents. They had -been filing claims for repayment by the company.</p> - -<p>“I cain’t afford to lose that ten thousand dollars, y’ -know,” the scout heard Juniper Joe remarking, as he -entered the door. “It’s a lot o’ money; I paid the company<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -fer safe transportation, and I expects it to make -good.”</p> - -<p>Some of the other claimants said much the same -thing.</p> - -<p>The office was crowded, for, in addition to these men, -a lot of loafers were hanging round, their ears open for -news and gossip.</p> - -<p>Having entered, Buffalo Bill and his pards stood by -the door, almost at first unnoticed, listening to the talk, -trying to get a “line” on something.</p> - -<p>The agent seemed flustered and nervous; apparently, -he did not know what the powers who were over him -would think of his action in sending the treasure across -the mountain with the prospectors. He even admitted -that he expected a “call down,” as he had exceeded his -authority in doing it.</p> - -<p>“I suppose I ought to have let her gone by the stage,” -he said. “Likely if I had the stage would have been held -up, and the stuff taken, and instead of one dead man -and another in the hospital, the cañon down there beyond -Stag Mountain would have been full of them.”</p> - -<p>“So, it’s your opinion that somebody who knew the secret, -leaked?” said Buffalo Bill, speaking up now, to -note the effect.</p> - -<p>“Oh! you’re here?” said the agent.</p> - -<p>To the scout, perhaps unduly suspicious just then, it -seemed an unfortunate remark, as he was sure that the -agent had seen him when he entered with his pards.</p> - -<p>“What is <em>your</em> opinion?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Somebody blabbed, of course! But I hope you don’t -think <em>I</em> did it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span></p> - -<p>“It’s an uncalled-for statement,” said the scout. “I’m -not accusing anybody—simply asking questions.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know anything about it! About all I -know right now is that it puts me in a hole, and I’ll -likely lose my job. Why, there was more than fifty -thousand dollars’ worth of stuff in those bags the burros -carried!”</p> - -<p>“So I knew.”</p> - -<p>“And, of course, the Wells Fargo company air going -to make a hot time about it.”</p> - -<p>“I think they ought to.”</p> - -<p>The people in the room, loafers and all, were staring -at the tall scout.</p> - -<p>“It don’t make any difference to me about that,” spoke -up Juniper Joe. “I surrendered my stuff into your -hands; and, of course, I’m goin’ to see that the company -makes good the loss; that’s all. You’d do the same, if -me.”</p> - -<p>“But you forget that it was <em>you</em> who suggested the -plan of sendin’ it out with them prospectors!” the agent -shot at him.</p> - -<p>“I thought it was a good scheme; ’twould have been, -if somebody hadn’t been too free with his mouth. I -ain’t sayin’ who it was. But somebody on the inside -hustled the news to the road agents. That ain’t my -fault; and my scheme cain’t be blamed fer it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well! you’ve put in your claim, and that settles -it!” the agent snapped back.</p> - -<p>“It don’t settle it until I see the company’s money!” -Juniper Joe told him; then went out of the office.</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill and his pards left, after a talk -with the agent, they were no wiser then when they went.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.<br /> -<span class="fs70">SUSPICIONS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Buffalo Bill and his pards tried to “jump a trail” that -afternoon and evening, without success.</p> - -<p>The scout talked with Brown, the wounded man in -the hospital; but got no additional information.</p> - -<p>“The two fellers was so masked,” said Brown, “that I -couldn’t tell if they was black, white, or red. The surprise -was so complete, anyway, that maybe I wouldn’t -have noticed. We wasn’t expectin’ trouble—leastways, I -wasn’t; for I allowed the agents would be fooled complete, -and would tackle the stage, if they done anything. -Then, fu’st thing I knew, there was them masked devils -whanging away at us with repeating rifles. Austin was -killed; and I got this hole in my side. Your Dutch -pard was gamy, and clipped one of the agents. I could -swear to that; because, as I drapped, I heard the feller -rip out a cuss word, and saw him reel back. But he -didn’t fall; so, p’raps the wound didn’t amount to much. -One of ’em tried to down the Dutchman; but he got -away. That’s about all; except that we lost everything. -They even took my hardware and Austin’s, with our -cartridge belts. Then they drove the burros away. I -had my nose ag’inst the yearth, playin’ dead fer all I -was wu’th at that time, so I didn’t see ’em go, but I -heard ’em. About the next thing I knew, your friend -was bendin’ over me. I got purty weak, and I reckon -I had fainted. And that’s all.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span></p> - -<p>“Did you see what sort of men they were, as to size?” -the scout asked. “You might have done that when they -were getting your weapons.”</p> - -<p>“I was too busy playin’ dead jest then to notice clost,” -Brown admitted. “But I did see that one was tall and -t’other seemed medium size. It was the small one that -was wounded.”</p> - -<p>“Did you notice their voices?”</p> - -<p>“Not in p’tickler.”</p> - -<p>“You were at Juniper Joe’s wedding?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>“Then you probably saw the man Juniper Joe shot -at?”</p> - -<p>“I did.”</p> - -<p>“Joe claimed the man was Tim Benson, the road -agent.”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t fergittin’ that, neither.”</p> - -<p>“Try to recall if one of the road agents resembled -that man in any way.”</p> - -<p>Brown pondered over this.</p> - -<p>“Well, the littlest one might have been him,” he said; -“I should say he was about that size.”</p> - -<p>“Some one on the inside must have informed the agents -that you and Austin were going over the mountains with -the treasure bags,” said the scout. “You couldn’t give -a guess as to who that could be?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve been thinkin’ about that,” Brown confessed. -“No, I can’t say who it could have been. My best guess -is, that if that little man was Benson he hung round -somewhere and overheard the talk when the thing was -planned.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a good guess.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span></p> - -<p>In Brown’s wounded and feverish condition the scout -had talked long enough; and he took his departure.</p> - -<p>“A water haul,” he told himself. “But Brown’s guess -that the man called Benson may have got onto the thing -by eavesdropping may be the right one. I think I should -like, right now, to meet Jackson Dane, detective.”</p> - -<p>He met him, on his return to his hotel; Dane was -by the door of his room, awaiting his appearance.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” said the little man, cheerily. “I’ve been -waiting to have a talk with you confidential.”</p> - -<p>“I’m agreeable to that,” said the scout.</p> - -<p>He unlocked the door, and they went into the room -together. Closing and locking the door, Buffalo Bill -hoisted one of the windows.</p> - -<p>“What’s that for?” said Dane.</p> - -<p>“The window is to let in a breath of air; the door is -locked to keep out possible intruders.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!”</p> - -<p>“It startled you?”</p> - -<p>“Well, as you were unkind enough to suggest that I -was a fraud of the first water, when I was here before, I -didn’t know but you was getting ready to jump at me, -and put up a holler for help to hold me.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill laughed grimly.</p> - -<p>“You are nervous.”</p> - -<p>“Who wouldn’t be, knowing that Juniper Joe is walking -the streets with two revolvers, ready to down me -the minute he sees me? That’s enough to make any -man nervous. Are your pards here?”</p> - -<p>“They’re close about.”</p> - -<p>“I have been hammering away at this case ever since -I saw you last; and have a theory.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span></p> - -<p>“Out with it; if you want to share it with me.”</p> - -<p>“It’s just this. <em>Juniper Joe’s wife is one of the road -agents.</em>”</p> - -<p>“What makes you think so?” Buffalo Bill asked mildly, -yet showing interest.</p> - -<p>“The thing has come to me by degrees. A while ago -I was down in Gopher Gabe’s saloon, just inside the -door; I had my hat pulled over my eyes, for I didn’t -want to be recognized; and I heard men talking in there, -by the bar. I don’t know who they were; but what they -said gave me all the information I have about that remarkable -hold-up and shooting in Eagle Gap to-day; -though I admit that before that I knew something had -happened, for I saw your Dutch pard come in with that -wounded man on his back.</p> - -<p>“What I heard them saying at Gopher Gabe’s,” he -went on, “was that the Dutchman reported that one of -the agents was a tall man, and the other a small man. -Juniper Joe is a tall man; and Mrs. Joe is a small woman.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t think that the new Mrs. Joe is a <em>man</em>?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about that; but probably a woman. -Now, inasmuch as Juniper Joe knew all about the plans -for sending the stuff over the mountains on burros, what -would have been easier than for him and his wife to -disguise and go out there and do the hold-up act?”</p> - -<p>“It could have been done by them, in all probability.”</p> - -<p>“Say that Joe had ten thousand dollars of stuff in the -express bags, what of it? There was as much as forty -thousand more, as I understand it. That forty thousand -would be a big haul.”</p> - -<p>“It would.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span></p> - -<p>“So, there you are, according to my way of thinking.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you arrest Joe, then? You say that you -are a detective.”</p> - -<p>The little man flushed slightly.</p> - -<p>“I suppose I oughtn’t to admit it,” he said; “but, since -Joe took that shot at me, I’m afraid of him; if I should -go up to his cabin, he would down me, and ask what I -had come for afterward. That’s the way I look at it.”</p> - -<p>“If I should arrest this woman, and find that you are -right, what would you expect?” the scout demanded.</p> - -<p>“The half of that ten thousand reward <em>for the arrest -of Tim Benson</em>,” was the unexpected statement.</p> - -<p>“What is that?” cried the scout.</p> - -<p>“I heard, before I came here, that Tim Benson is a -woman!”</p> - -<p>The scout sat pondering this.</p> - -<p>“Would that be any reason why Juniper Joe should -want to shoot you?”</p> - -<p>“He knows that I am here after Tim Benson!”</p> - -<p>“I see.”</p> - -<p>“And you’ll see that I’m right, if you arrest Mrs. Joe,” -Dane declared, confidently. “That’s what I want you to -do; and the sooner the better.”</p> - -<p>“Why your hurry?”</p> - -<p>“It will keep other fellows from being held up and -killed by that couple,” he explained suavely.</p> - -<p>The scout sat looking at him.</p> - -<p>“This gives me a new idea,” he said.</p> - -<p>“I thought it would.”</p> - -<p>“For one thing”—he still looked at Dane—“I think -I ought to arrest <em>you</em>; but—hold on, the door is locked, -remember!—I am not going to do it—right now.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span></p> - -<p>Jackson Dane, who had leaped up with a startled look, -dropped nervously back into his chair.</p> - -<p>“You’re humorous—at times.”</p> - -<p>“Think so?”</p> - -<p>“It would turn out to be a boomerang, if you did arrest -me and it was found then that I am just what I -claim to be; the town would sure have the laugh on you. -But you do what I say, and you won’t regret it. Go up -to that cabin and arrest Mrs. Joe; and don’t delay about -it.”</p> - -<p>“Why the haste?” Buffalo Bill asked again.</p> - -<p>“Because I have a feeling that she isn’t going to stay -long in Blossom Range, and now is your chance to get -Tim Benson by doing it.”</p> - -<p>He stood up and put on his hat.</p> - -<p>“I am ready to go, now,” he said. “You will do as -you please, of course.”</p> - -<p>“I’m pretty sure to.”</p> - -<p>“Well, think it over, anyway. Perhaps you’ll come -round to my opinion.”</p> - -<p>The scout put the key in the lock, and opened the -door.</p> - -<p>“So, you don’t intend to arrest me?” said Dane, as he -passed out into the hall.</p> - -<p>“Not right now,” the scout told him.</p> - -<p>“That’s kind of you, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>He laughed lightly, and ran for the head of the stairs.</p> - -<p>Well behind him, yet keeping the little man in sight, -Buffalo Bill trailed him through the streets of Blossom -Range, observing that Dane had pulled his hat down -over his eyes, and turned up the collar of his coat, as if -he did not wish to be recognized. But Blossom Range<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -was a bustling place, and men were too busy to pay -much attention to pedestrians; so that, apparently, Jackson -Dane was not given a second look by any one, as -he passed along.</p> - -<p>The scout’s interest was quickened when Dane turned -to the Casino, as the little local theatre was called, and -went in by the entrance marked “Private.”</p> - -<p>Reaching that door, the scout stood listening; then -went in, also; but quietly.</p> - -<p>In a room above, as he stood on the stairs, he distinctly -heard Jackson Dane talking with the blonde beauty -whose name had been given as Vera Bright.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s singular!” was his thought. “He is -talking with the same girl that Mrs. Juniper Joe had a -confab with! I wonder if there is a connection here?”</p> - -<p>But he could not understand what Dane and the girl -were saying.</p> - -<p>He did not want to be seen spying on the stairs of -the Casino, and when it seemed he could not get nearer -that room without discovery, as people were passing -through the upper halls, he retreated to the street.</p> - -<p>But he did not at once go away.</p> - -<p>Taking a position on the opposite side of the street, -where he fancied he could not be seen, he watched the -door marked “Private.”</p> - -<p>But though he tarried there two hours, Jackson Dane -did not reappear.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was a good deal puzzled, when he made -his way back to the Eagle House.</p> - -<p>“But there’s one thing,” he resolved; “to-night I’ll -watch Juniper Joe’s cabin for a while.”</p> - -<p>He did not wait until night, however, before visiting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -the place. He made a bold call on Juniper Joe, soon -after leaving the Casino.</p> - -<p>The door of the cabin was locked, as usual; but when -the scout had rapped briskly two or three times, heavy -steps were heard, and Juniper Joe cautiously opened the -door.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s you!” he said, when he beheld the scout, his -manner uneasy.</p> - -<p>“Yes; can I come in?” Buffalo Bill answered.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe flung the door open, and invited him in.</p> - -<p>The big room which had witnessed the “jubilee” was -unoccupied, save by Juniper Joe and the scout.</p> - -<p>“Your wife is not in?” the scout asked.</p> - -<p>“She’s downtown somewhar, gittin’ acquainted with -the Blossom Range ladies; she allowed, seein’ that she -was mightily int’rested in society back East, that it was -goin’ to be plum lonely fer her hyer if she didn’t stir up -some women to talk to; so she sailed out, and has been -workin’ hard at it the better part of the day.”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe had discarded his black broadcloth and -shiny cady for a miner’s working suit and a soft, clay-stained -hat.</p> - -<p>“Been pokin’ about in my mine,” he explained. “Struck -another rich pocket, too!” He beamed. “Allow me to -show you some o’ the nuggets I got out of it.”</p> - -<p>He went into the other room, and brought out some -nuggets—a handful of them.</p> - -<p>“Beauties, ain’t they?” he said, as the scout inspected -them. “Struck the pocket this mornin’, soon after I -come back frum the express office, an’ have been gopherin’ -round it ever sense. If things keeps up this way,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span> -I’ll have another shipment to make in a week er so; but, -by jings, I don’t let the Wells Fargo handle it!”</p> - -<p>“They fell down pretty badly on that last job.”</p> - -<p>“’Jever see anything like it! Every bush round Blossom -Range seems to be hidin’ an agent, and the town is -full o’ thieves. That’s why I allus keep that door locked -when I’m out of the house, or at work back in the mine. -I was glad to git that stuff into the hands of the express -company, fer I expected every night to be knocked on -the head before mornin’, so long as I had it in hyer. -Thar’s plenty men in this town would kill ye fer a bag -o’ gold dust.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid that’s right.”</p> - -<p>“I’m shore of it. And sense Tim Benson is round -hyer, I ain’t takin’ no chances.”</p> - -<p>He indicated the two big revolvers under his coat.</p> - -<p>“I keep ’em strapped to me constant,” he confessed. -“It will be him er me, if we meet; and I know it.”</p> - -<p>He put the nuggets away. On coming back, he asked -how Brown was getting along.</p> - -<p>Knowing that the man he called Benson had gone to -the Casino, Buffalo Bill was tempted to tell him of it; -which would perhaps send him down there, looking for -him. If a duel came of it, there might be some surprising -developments.</p> - -<p>But the scout put the temptation aside.</p> - -<p>He did not know how much he could believe of what -Juniper Joe and Jackson Dane had said. And, if all -were true, he did not care to take the responsibility of -setting two men to shooting at each other.</p> - -<p>“I’m still stalled!” he admitted to himself, when he -left Juniper Joe’s cabin.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE SURPRISE AT JUNIPER JOE’S.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Buffalo Bill filled in the day by riding with Nick Nomad -out to Eagle Gap, for the purpose of looking over -the scene of the hold-up.</p> - -<p>Baron von Schnitzenhauser, his curiosity fired by what -the scout told him of the visit of Jackson Dane to the -show girl called Vera Bright, had determined that he -would shadow the Casino, instead.</p> - -<p>So the baron donned again his prospector’s suit of -clothing, discarded his little fore-and-aft cap for a miner’s -slouch hat, and sallied forth. It was one of the -baron’s peculiar delusions that he could disguise himself -easily; it was a harmless impression, and sometimes it -<ins class="corr" id="tn49" title="Transcriber’s Note—“yieded” changed to “yielded”.">yielded</ins> -no end of excitement. But any one familiar with -the appearance of that round body and those pipe-stem -legs did not need to wait for the baron to open his mouth -to know who he was.</p> - -<p>The body of Austin had been brought in by some of -the citizens of Blossom Range; so there was nothing -grewsome at Eagle Gap, when the scout and trapper -reached it.</p> - -<p>They found the spot readily enough, from the descriptions -which had been furnished by the baron.</p> - -<p>As said, it was a ragged crevice of rock, through which -the winding mountain trail ran. Beside it was the ridge -over which the baron had jumped, and the shaly slope<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -down which his round body had plunged in search of -safety.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and Nomad looked the place over pretty -thoroughly. They found blood stains at the point where -Austin had been killed and Brown had been wounded. -Near by they picked up empty cartridge shells, apparently -from the rifles of the outlaws. But they found -nothing else of much interest. The rocky surface held -no tracks, either of the men or the burros; so that -trailing was out of the question. Any of the several -gullies leading off from the main one might have taken -the road agents away; yet which one, or whether they -had gone straight along the winding path when they disappeared -from the sight of Brown, could not be settled. -The baron had not seen them depart.</p> - -<p>After spending a fruitless hour in their search, Buffalo -Bill and Nomad returned to town, as night was at -hand.</p> - -<p>On the way to the pass and back, they talked much of -what had happened, each presenting many theories for -discussion. One of the things they particularly discussed -was the statement of Jackson Dane, that the two road -agents who had done the work had been Juniper Joe and -his new wife.</p> - -<p>“Ef Dane didn’t act so quare hisself, some deependence -might be put in what he said,” averred Nomad.</p> - -<p>“Very true,” the scout assented; “the difficulty lies -just there.”</p> - -<p>“Ef he wanted to be frank and aboveboard wi’ ye, -why didn’t he make some mention of thet gal, Vera -Bright?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span></p> - -<p>“She may have no connection with the thing at all; -in fact, I don’t see how she could have.”</p> - -<p>“So, thar ye air; jest whar ye was before,” said Nomad.</p> - -<p>The lights of the town were glimmering across the -rocky slopes as they approached; and night had come.</p> - -<p>“What ye goin’ to do to-night?” Nomad asked.</p> - -<p>“I think I shall stick to my plan of watching Juniper -Joe’s cabin to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Y’ ain’t had any sleep ter-day!” the trapper objected.</p> - -<p>“That doesn’t matter. I can roll in some time before -morning, and get all I need. We’ll first see if the baron -has jumped anything, in his watching at the Casino.”</p> - -<p>But the baron did not appear at the evening meal at -the Eagle House; nor had he showed up when the scout -set out with the trapper for Juniper Joe’s.</p> - -<p>By a roundabout way, they reached the cabin, without -being observed, as they believed.</p> - -<p>It was dark.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe, who had been downtown, came home about -ten o’clock. He locked the door after he went in. Then -the light that had been burning was put out, and darkness -reigned in the cabin.</p> - -<p>About four o’clock in the morning, Buffalo Bill and -Nomad gave it up, and went back to the Eagle House. -They needed sleep and rest.</p> - -<p>The baron had not returned; and the night clerk had -not seen him.</p> - -<p>“When ther baron gits onter a job, he’s like a dawg -hangin’ ter a root,” Nomad observed. “I opine thet he’s -still hanging round ther Casino.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span></p> - -<p>“If he doesn’t appear by morning we will investigate,” -said the scout, as he turned in.</p> - -<p>In the morning, when he went down to the Casino -and Gopher Gabe’s saloon to inquire about the German, -Buffalo Bill was told that he had been seen in the -vicinity of Juniper Joe’s cabin.</p> - -<p>The scout’s informant was a disreputable, rum-soaked -specimen, who had heard him ask Gopher Gabe if the -German had been there during the previous evening.</p> - -<p>“I know the Dutchman,” said the fellow. “He was -wearin’ miner’s clo’es, like he did when he piked out with -them prospectors. I dunno what he was doin’ up there.”</p> - -<p>“What hour was this?” the scout asked.</p> - -<p>“Now, I’ll tell ye how ’twas,” said the fellow, laying -a hand on the scout’s arm with confidential and offensive -familiarity. “I was boozin’ las’ night, and I had wandered -up there for a snooze, to git over it; there air -trees growin’ along the slope by Juniper Joe’s, an’ they -make a dandy sleepin’ place. I camped down there -early in the evening; mebby ’twas nine o’clock; and I -went to sleep at onct. About four, er mebby five, in -the mornin’. I awoke with a tur’ble thirst; you know how -’tis! I was so thirsty it woke me.</p> - -<p>“It was too early to git a drink. I knowed that; and -I hadn’t tuck any whisky up there with me. While I -was wonderin’ how I was goin’ to live out the time -until Gopher Gabe’d open his shutters down here, I seen -the Dutchman; he come stealin’ along through the trees, -right by me. That’s all I know.”</p> - -<p>“You are sure of that?”</p> - -<p>“Hope I may die, if I didn’t!”</p> - -<p>“Thanks!” said the scout, turning away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span></p> - -<p>The greasy loafer caught him by the coat.</p> - -<p>“It’s wuth somethin’, ain’t it?” he whined. “Enough -ter git a feller a drink, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, disgusted, threw him a silver dollar, and -hastened off.</p> - -<p>He knew that the man’s statement had been overheard -by Gopher Gabe, if not others; which fact he disliked. -And he wanted to get away from him. Besides, -if his story were true, it was worth investigating.</p> - -<p>“What was the baron doing at Juniper Joe’s, when -he set out to shadow the people in the Casino?” was his -thought. “I wonder if that rascal is a liar?”</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill reached Juniper Joe’s cabin, it -was tightly locked. As the hour was yet early, it seemed -probable that the occupants were not yet up. But at a -venture the scout knocked.</p> - -<p>A deep groan was the answer, within the cabin.</p> - -<p>The scout knocked again, startled by that; and heard -another groan.</p> - -<p>After that, he did not stop to get help; but threw his -weight against the door, ramming it half off its hinges, -splintering the wood round the lock. Having struck it -like a stone out of a catapult, he was precipitated into -the big front room when the door yielded.</p> - -<p>The light of early morning streamed in, revealing an -unexpected sight. Juniper Joe lay on the floor in a -corner, bound and gagged; while not far from him lay -Mrs. Joe, either dead or apparently unconscious.</p> - -<p>With a cry, the scout sprang to the woman first.</p> - -<p>When he turned her, he saw that blood was clotted -in her hair over her forehead. She seemed unconscious, -and it looked like a case of murder.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span></p> - -<p>Turning to the man, Buffalo Bill cut the cord that -held the gag, then severed those on his arms and ankles. -The gag was made of a piece of stick, smooth and round, -held by strong cotton string; the wrist and ankle cords -were of the same sort of string.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe gasped and choked as the gag came out of -his mouth.</p> - -<p>“Mum—my wife!” he sputtered.</p> - -<p>The scout went again to the woman, and lifted her -head; then he got out his flask and gave her some of the -contents. It revived her; so that she gasped and moved.</p> - -<p>“She isn’t dead,” he told Juniper Joe.</p> - -<p>The latter got heavily to his feet, and came over, -kneeling beside the scout, who was working over the -woman.</p> - -<p>“If you can walk,” said the scout, “you had better -hustle out for help and a doctor. How did this happen?”</p> - -<p>“Bub—Benson!” Juniper Joe stuttered.</p> - -<p>“He did it?”</p> - -<p>“Sh—shore thing. How he got into the cabin, I -dunno; but the first thing I knowed I heard my wife -screech out. It was before light; but I was back in the -mine. It brought me running. When I butted through -the door thar, not knowin’ what to expect, Benson tripped -me, and give me a side-winder behind the ear that done -me up fer a while. When I got my thinker to goin’ -again, I was hawg-tied like you found me.”</p> - -<p>“Benson!”</p> - -<p>“That gold you saw me have—he got it, every bit -of it.”</p> - -<p>“You saw him get it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span></p> - -<p>“I was comin’ back to myself, and seen him take it; -he done it up in a bag that was over thar; then he let -himself out by the door, which he locked behind him.”</p> - -<p>“If I hadn’t been gagged,” he added, “I might have -hollered then, when he opened the door; but I reckon -even then ’twouldn’t done no good, as nobody lives -clost by.”</p> - -<p>“Better get help for your wife,” Buffalo Bill advised.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe seemed either too anxious to leave her, -or he did not want to get a doctor; instead of following -the scout’s advice, he turned his attention to assisting -in restoring her to consciousness.</p> - -<p>Their combined efforts were soon rewarded.</p> - -<p>When she came back to consciousness the woman lay -on the bed, in the rear room, where the scout had placed -her; she looked round wildly.</p> - -<p>“You are all right, now,” Buffalo Bill told her.</p> - -<p>“B-b-but Benson!” she cried, as if frightened.</p> - -<p>“He is not here now.”</p> - -<p>“He struck me and knocked me down,” she stated.</p> - -<p>She put out her hands, clinging to Juniper Joe.</p> - -<p>“Thar—thar!” he said. “That’s all right; he ain’t -hyer now.”</p> - -<p>She stared round.</p> - -<p>“He cut out,” he said; “but he tuck the nuggets I got -out o’ that pocket in the mine yisterday.”</p> - -<p>“He didn’t shoot you?” Buffalo Bill asked her, as he -again looked at the wound and the caked blood round -it. “It resembles a pistol wound.”</p> - -<p>“He hit me with a pistol, I think,” she averred. “I -reckon it was the pistol hammer done it.”</p> - -<p>“Very likely.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span></p> - -<p>As Juniper Joe still showed an unwillingness to get -help, Buffalo Bill soon left the cabin, and sent a physician, -whose office he passed on his hurried way back -to the town.</p> - -<p>“Of course, the hammer of a pistol could have made -that wound,” he thought; “but to me it looked mightily -like a bullet wound, made some hours before, though -it had bled rather recently.”</p> - -<p>He could not get away from the thoughts suggested -by Jackson Dane’s declaration that Juniper Joe and his -wife were the two who had played road agents and -corraled the treasure guarded by the baron and the -prospectors.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE BARON’S ADVENTURES.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Old Nomad was right in saying that when the baron -tackled a job that interested him he would hang to it -like a dog to a root.</p> - -<p>The baron loved excitement, though he was not an -excitable man. All hunters love excitement—that is -why they hunt. Now, of all manner of hunting, there -is nothing so tremendously exciting as a man hunt. It -holds that tingling spice of personal danger which makes -all other forms of hunting tame in comparison.</p> - -<p>The German was in some ways a very shrewd man, -though in others he was the personification of folly. -But, taken all around, he had a good deal more hard -horse sense that he was ever likely to get credit for. -And some of his intuitions—call them guesses, if you -will!—were really remarkable.</p> - -<p>When he heard from Buffalo Bill that the fellow calling -himself Jackson Dane had gone down to the Casino, -and had been heard in conversation with Vera Bright, -the baron’s intuitions told him that here was something -worth investigating. He did not know what it was, -but that did not matter. He determined to investigate, -and he did, with the wonderful patience of a German. -It is a patience which makes the Germans seem slow at -times, but which enables them to “get there.”</p> - -<p>In his miner’s clothing, the baron went down first to -Gopher Gabe’s booze mill; but finding nothing there that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -interested him at the time, or offered anything, he went -on to the Casino, which was not far distant. In fact, -the Casino and Gopher Gabe’s disreputable establishment -had secret inner connections, and Gopher Gabe was -financially interested in the Casino. It was a sort of -attachment to his bar, for there were “wine rooms” in -the rear of the Casino, to which, at certain times, waiters -passed continually with beverages.</p> - -<p>The baron knew all this, without having to ask -about it.</p> - -<p>As no great time had elapsed since Buffalo Bill had -been watching, the baron reasoned that Jackson Dane -was still somewhere behind the doors of the Casino.</p> - -<p>To get the hang of the entrances and exits, he went -round to the back of the building, which abutted on an -alley, where he found a rear door. But as the alley, after -a semi-circular swing, came back to the main street, the -baron found a spot where he could conveniently observe -it, while at the same time watching the front entrances, -and particularly that door marked “Private,” through -which Jackson Dane had passed.</p> - -<p>But it was a long and tiresome wait.</p> - -<p>The baron, not caring to produce the long-stemmed -pipe dear to his German heart, though he had it with -him, bought a cheap clay article at a tobacco store on -the corner; which he enjoyed, as he squatted silently in -a convenient doorway.</p> - -<p>Now and then he walked about, mingling with the -people who came and went. But ever his eyes were on -the doors, even when he seemed to be looking in other -directions; not a man came out that the baron did not -see and size up. Thus he remained until night came;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span> -when for his supper he bought a sandwich on the corner.</p> - -<p>Throughout the evening performance in the Casino, -the baron stuck to his post outside, though giving attention -now and then to the singing, which could be heard -from the street.</p> - -<p>When the crowd came away at last, the baron was on -his feet, moving about, watching everything.</p> - -<p>He did not see Jackson Dane come out.</p> - -<p>“I tond’t t’ink he has passed me,” thought the baron, -when the last of the concert goers had departed. “So-o, -uff he vos in dhere vhen I fairst sit me down, he iss -in dhere yidt. I vill vaidt a vhiles.”</p> - -<p>He waited, with German patience, until two o’clock in -the morning, before he was rewarded.</p> - -<p>At that time he seemed to be a drunken miner asleep -in the doorway he had chosen, his body slouched against -the door, his big hat over his eyes, in such a way that -he could see under its broad brim.</p> - -<p>At two o’clock Jackson Dane and Vera Bright came -down the private stairs leading to the street, and they -were quarreling.</p> - -<p>“Ach!” muttered the German. “Yoost hear dot!”</p> - -<p>It was a jealous quarrel; he could make that out, -though he could get only a word now and then.</p> - -<p>“Vhen lofers blay oudt, dhen der dickens iss to bay!” -muttered the baron. “Mr. Shackson Dane iss two-vaced, -somehow; yidt I tond’t seen yoost how. Dot misinformation -may gome py me lader. Yaw!”</p> - -<p>He could not see the man and the girl at first, but soon -they came out through the door, still quarreling, and he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -had a fair view of them; so knew he was not mistaken -as to their identity.</p> - -<p>Dane strode up the street, and the girl went back into -the building.</p> - -<p>The baron pretended to awake with a snort; then rose -heavily, and stretched himself.</p> - -<p>“Ouch!” he muttered. “I am going to gatch so mooch -coldt sidding here dot I petter gidt me avay.”</p> - -<p>And he did.</p> - -<p>He slouched into the street, which was pretty well deserted -by that time; then, getting the bearings of Jackson -Dane, he began to follow him, with care.</p> - -<p>Dane went to the upper part of the town, and disappeared -there, the spot where he vanished being not remote -from the cabin of Juniper Joe.</p> - -<p>“I haf been t’inking all alongk dot dhere is some gonnection -between dhem two vellers,” the baron muttered; -“unt now maype I gan findt oudt vot idt iss.”</p> - -<p>But he failed in that.</p> - -<p>He searched about for Jackson Dane, but did not find -him, though several times he passed through the trees -close up to the cabin.</p> - -<p>Shortly before daylight he thought he saw Dane amid -the trees; but he failed to see where he went.</p> - -<p>Right there the baron camped down, to wait for daylight.</p> - -<p>“Dhis groundt idt iss pooty soft,” he mused; “unt dher -vay he vas valking he vouldt haf to make some dracks; -I vill vaidt yoost a vhiles unt dake a loogk.”</p> - -<p>When he could see the tracks the baron began to follow -them, finding that they led out into the hills on the -north of the town.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span></p> - -<p>“I am vishing dot I haf Puffalo Pill’s Inchun drailers -py me ridght now,” he thought, every time the trailing -became difficult. “Liddle Cayuse couldt do dhis petter -as me.”</p> - -<p>But the German patience that characterized him -caused him to stick to the work, even though at times he -went so slowly that it seemed he was not progressing -at all.</p> - -<p>When he was a mile from the town, Schnitzenhauser -suddenly doubled up, and fell on his stomach, in such -haste that it jarred the breath out of him.</p> - -<p>“Ouch!” he breathed, as soon as he could breathe at -all. “Dot iss too kvick vork for oldt Schnitzenhauser. I -am vondering dit he see me?”</p> - -<p>He had sighted Jackson Dane, whom he had been so -long following, and he could not be sure that Dane had -not reciprocated.</p> - -<p>For a time the baron lay flat on the ground; the only -movement he made was to put back his hand to his hip -holster, and get out his reliable forty-five.</p> - -<p>“Der hartvare is der pitzness, uff he dries too choomp -me,” he thought. “Aber I tond’t apsoludely knowed idt, -I am gonwinced now dot dhis Shackson Dane is one -willain.”</p> - -<p>When he began to feel safe, the baron lifted his head -and took a look.</p> - -<p>Jackson Dane had scooped out a hole beneath a stone -on a hillside, and was burying buckskin bags. Even as -he looked, the baron saw him open one of the bags, put -in his hand, and let a shower of gold nuggets slide -through his fingers.</p> - -<p>The baron was tremendously excited by that.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span></p> - -<p>“Yiminy!” he gasped, lifting himself higher.</p> - -<p>Jackson Dane did not turn round, nor indicate in any -way that he caught that unwise exclamation; though after -events indicated that he must have heard it.</p> - -<p>He went on quietly with his work of cacheing the -bags of nuggets.</p> - -<p>When he had finished, having been watched throughout -by the baron with deep interest, Dane covered the -cache, taking apparent care to obliterate all traces of -what he had done; then he walked straight away, into -the bushes growing beyond.</p> - -<p>“Py yiminy, dhis iss a luckiness vor me!” gasped the -baron. “I haf fint vhere he iss hide some goldt unt I -vandt to know vot iss der meanness uff idt. Meppy I -vill resurrecdion idt unt took idt in to Puffalo Pill. Yaw! -Dot vouldt make his eyes standt oudt so beeg pesite his -noses dot he couldn’t see.”</p> - -<p>He was quivering with the excitement of his discovery.</p> - -<p>He crawled from behind the bush which had covered -him; then in a stooping position hurried up to the cache.</p> - -<p>As he bent over it there was a flash and a report and -the baron pitched forward on his face.</p> - -<p>Jackson Dane had not only discovered him but had -laid a trap for him and had shot him, discharging his -revolver from a nest of bushes twenty yards away.</p> - -<p>The baron came to himself by and by, feeling very -dizzy at first and without knowledge of what had happened.</p> - -<p>But when he beheld the hole where the bags had been -cached it brought him to full recollection.</p> - -<p>“Yoompin’ yack rappits!” he gasped. “I am shodt—huh? -Vale tond’t idt beat der Dutch? Yoost vhen I am<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -t’inking I am so smartness dot nopody couldn’t pe eeny -smardter I am shodt into sixdeen bieces.”</p> - -<p>His head ached terrifically. When he put up his hand -to it there came away a trickle of blood on his fingers.</p> - -<p>“So-o I am shodt py der headt in!”</p> - -<p>He stared at the hole in the ground marking the -empty cache.</p> - -<p>“Unt he haf daken off der goldt? Vale, vor bermitting -dot I oughdt to pe shodt more as I am now.”</p> - -<p>But the baron had not been robbed.</p> - -<p>He looked about, but saw no one; then he examined -his wound again. It was but a scratch on the top of -the head; but it had knocked off his hat and dropped -him senseless. The wound had bled freely and the baron -discovered that his face was dyed crimson.</p> - -<p>“Dot iss vodt haf made him t’ink I am deadt,” he -thought; “vhen he seen dher bloodt vlowing like dot -he iss shure I am a goneness undt he tond’t do noddings -more; only he yoost dake der goldt unt gidt oudt. Yidt -I t’ink me dot a doctor petter loogk at dot pullet sgratches -pooty kvick.”</p> - -<p>He knew that it was useless to think of following -Jackson Dane; in his present condition the baron was -not equal to it.</p> - -<p>“Uff I kan gidt indo town I vill haf Puffalo Pill unt -Nomat dackle der yob vot I had made a messes uff,” he -said. “Yaw! I am no goodt.”</p> - -<p>The baron climbed to his feet, staggered a few times -in trying to go forward; then got a new grip of his -strength and started off at a pretty good gait.</p> - -<p>Now and then he experienced a sensation as if he were -falling over on his face; at other times he felt as if he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -must sit down and rest. But Dutch grit carried him -through and got him into the town.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and Nomad were at the Eagle House and -astonished they were, too, when they saw him in that -condition.</p> - -<p>“Whoop!” Nomad roared. “What in the——”</p> - -<p>“Kvit idt!” commanded the baron, waving his hand. -“I am shodt, but I tond’t vandt nopoty to knowed idt.”</p> - -<p>“Wow!”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and the trapper caught the baron by the -arms and drew him hastily into the scout’s room.</p> - -<p>“Bad hurt?” asked the trapper.</p> - -<p>“Dake a loogk, unt seen vor yourselluf.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill made a hasty examination, asking questions, -with Nomad, while he was doing it.</p> - -<p>“Idt vos der Denfer dedecdive,” said the baron.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad rumbled. “How’d et happen?”</p> - -<p>“Vale, he hadt a bistol, unt he bulled der triggers. -How does idt effer habben, vhen a vellers is shodt—huh?”</p> - -<p>“I mean——”</p> - -<p>“I am in der vay vhen der pullet gomes—dot iss vot <em>I</em> -mean.”</p> - -<p>“Stop yer guffin’! Is his skull bu’sted, Buffler? Blame -ef he don’t seem like it; acts like he’d lost what little -sense he ever had.”</p> - -<p>“You vix oop dot voundt fairst, Cody, unt dhen I vill -do some dalkings. Der ploodt is ruining dhis nice brosbector’s -suidt uff cloding, v’ich gost me dwendy tollars.”</p> - -<p>“Yer aind’t keerin’ fer yer bu’sted headpiece?” said -Nomad, with a grin. “I don’t wonder! ’Tain’t wu’th -much.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span></p> - -<p>When the scout had bathed and washed out the wound, -he finished his examination, and told the baron that it -was but a scalp wound, which he did not consider at all -serious.</p> - -<p>“I think I can fix you up, without any need of sending -you to a doctor.”</p> - -<p>From his saddle pouches he got out material, and in -a little while had the wound dressed as well as any surgeon -could have done it.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, the baron had begun to unfold his -tale of woe.</p> - -<p>“I vendt py der Casino down,” he explained; “unt vhen -I haf sday dhere so longk dot I gand’t goundt how -longk idt iss, Shackson Dane he gomes oudt, dalking mit -dhis vomans. Vhen he goes oop der streedt, I am doing -der shatow acdt yoost so neadtly as neffer vos. Budt -oop py Yuniper Yoe’s I lose sighdt uff him.”</p> - -<p>“Juniper Joe’s!” gasped Nomad.</p> - -<p>“We have just come from there,” the scout announced.</p> - -<p>“So-o! I haf come vrom some odder blaces. Oop -py Yuniper Yoe’s I lose sighdt uff him. I hoondt roundt -a vhiles, unt sday py der drees in, till idt iss pooty near -morning. Dhen I seen him.”</p> - -<p>“By Juniper Joe’s?” said Nomad.</p> - -<p>“No; py der drees in.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! But maybe he come frum thar.”</p> - -<p>“Maype he dit. I am nodt knowing. As soon as I -see him I losdt him ag’in.”</p> - -<p>“Wow!”</p> - -<p>“I am nodt an Inchun drailer, but I sday me righdt -dhere undil I gan see his dracks py der daylighdts. So, -I voller him. Afdher a vhiles I see him making a gache.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span></p> - -<p>“A gash!”</p> - -<p>“No; a hole in der groundt vot he iss putting goldt -nuggedts in. He haf der goldt nuggedts in puckskin -pags; unt in der hole he puries dhem. Yaw!”</p> - -<p>“Waal, go on, Schnitz! Et’s plum more irritatin’ than -moskeeter bites ter lissen to you—you’re so slow.”</p> - -<p>“Vhen he iss gone avay, I grawl oop py der gache, to -dake a loogks. Unt dhen——”</p> - -<p>“Yes, go on! An’ then!”</p> - -<p>“‘Bangs!’ goes his bistol; unt I am deadt.”</p> - -<p>“Wow! But you’re livin’ yit.”</p> - -<p>“Maype so-o; aber vor a liddle vhiles I tond’t know -noddings. Vhen I haf gome pack py mineselluf der goldt -nuggedts iss gone, unt he iss gone, unt I am laying on -der groundt yoost like a deadt mans. Now, vot do you -t’ink uff dot?”</p> - -<p>“Thet he seen ye, Schnitz, an’ laid fer ye.”</p> - -<p>“Idt iss yoost vot I t’inks.”</p> - -<p>“You are sure this man who shot you was Jackson -Dane?” the scout queried.</p> - -<p>“Yaw! I seen him.”</p> - -<p>“Ye didn’t try ter foller him, after thet?” asked the -trapper.</p> - -<p>“Afdher dot? Himmel! Vhen I am shoodedt py der -headt in, unt am pleeding like a stuck pigs? Pesites, I -am inkinscious vhen he gidts avay, unt tond’t know -vhere he haf gone.”</p> - -<p>“No, o’ course, ye couldn’t well follered him, under -ther sarcumstances.”</p> - -<p>“Ledt me exblanadion idt to you petter,” said the -baron, in his interest and excitement ignoring his throbbing -head. “Vhere der gache iss made py him, der<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -groundt iss werry hardt, so dot I tond’t t’ink dhere vos -eeny dracks. Eenyhow, yoost pefore I got to dot sbot, I -am vollering him by insdinctifeness; py vhich I mean dot -I am going alongk yoost like a hoondting tog, aber I -gandt smell eenyt’ings. Unt, dhen, I seen him!”</p> - -<p>“I think we’ll want to take a look at that place as soon -as we can,” Buffalo Bill remarked, deeply interested.</p> - -<p>“I gan showed you idt righdt avay.”</p> - -<p>“But your head!”</p> - -<p>“Ach! Now dot you haf fixed him, idt iss noddings -at all. Yoost a pullet sgratch.”</p> - -<p>“You’re likely to feel bad effects from it, baron. I -think, when it knocked you down and out, there must -have been some concussion of the brain. It’s advisable -for you to go to bed and get a rest, after that. Besides, -you need sleep anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“Sleeb!” the baron sputtered. “Couldt I sleeb afdher -dot? Nein!”</p> - -<p>“Ef you can give us good enough p’inters, I reckon -Buffler an’ me can find the place,” said Nomad, anxious -to set out immediately.</p> - -<p>“Yoost ledt me dake a resting vor a liddle vhiles, unt -I vill show you myselluf,” the baron declared.</p> - -<p>He settled himself more comfortably in his chair; then -fished out and filled his pipe.</p> - -<p>“A goot schmoke iss vot I am needting. Aber a glass -uff lager peer vouldt be efen petter. I am going to -schmoke, vhile you tell me apoudt Yuniper Yoe, vhen -you vos oop to his blace dhis morning.”</p> - -<p>“Waal, you’ll find it as movin’ a tail, baron, as was -ever stuck on a dawg,” said Nomad. “Buffler went up -thar, jest after daylight. He found ther cabin locked<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -tight as a money chist; and when he hammered on ther -door he heard a groan. So he broke ther door down an’ -went in, ter find Juniper Joe hog-tied an’ gagged in the -corner, and Mrs. Joe layin’ slung out on the floor as -ef dead. An’ ther place had been robbed.”</p> - -<p>The German dropped his pipe and stared.</p> - -<p>“Himmel!” he cried. “Iss dot der troot?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing truer, baron.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a correct account of it,” said Buffalo Bill. “The -woman was unconscious from a wound on the head; it -looked like a bullet wound to me, but she thought it had -been made with the hammer of a revolver; at least, that -is what she claimed. I got Joe on his feet, and then we -worked over the woman for a while, finally bringing -her round. They declared that the man who had attacked -them and robbed them was Tim Benson.”</p> - -<p>“Who iss also-o Shackson Dane!” said the baron.</p> - -<p>“So far, that is merely a supposition.”</p> - -<p>“Eenyhow, I am pelieving it.”</p> - -<p>“Thet would er been excitement fer ye, baron, ef so -be you hed been thar!”</p> - -<p>“I vos hafing enough excidemendts, being shoodted py -him.”</p> - -<p>“Ther question is,” Nomad went on, “kin we hang -these things together? F’r instunce, ef you trailed Jackson -Dane frum ther Casino, could he also been ther man -thet turned ther trick at Juniper Joe’s cabin?”</p> - -<p>“He couldt,” the baron declared.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” gurgled Nomad.</p> - -<p>“Ledt me exblanadion idt to you,” said the baron. -“Vhen I haf drailed Shackson Dane close py der cabin -uff Yuniper Yoe, I lose him; dot iss, I tond’t gan seen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -him eeny more. Unt I t’ink vunce, maype he iss go py -dher capin in; budt I tond’t know. I sday roundt unt -vaidt. Py unt py, like vot I toldt you, I seen him makin’ -a sneek drough der drees. Budt idt iss dark, unt I gan’t -voller him. So I cambs me town dhere, unt vaidts vor -idt to gidt some lighdter. Dhen I dake ub der drail, vot -I see vhen der daylighdt gomes. Py unt py, I seen him -ag’in, making der gache, unt hidting der goldt. Unt—dhen -I am shoodted py him. Yaw!”</p> - -<p>Nomad turned with beaming, wrinkled face to the -scout, his blue eyes bright with excitement.</p> - -<p>“Seems cl’ar ernough, Buffler,” he commented. “I -reckon Dane went to Juniper’s; got inter ther cabin, -knocked down the woman, and tied up Juniper, then -hiked with the gold.</p> - -<p>“Budt,” said the German, “I tought dot Yuniper Yoe -haf shipped all uff his goldt avay py der Vells Vargo -Gompany.”</p> - -<p>“He told me,” said the scout, “that he had made another -strike; and he showed me some of the nuggets he -had got. They were handsome.”</p> - -<p>“So-o?”</p> - -<p>“I reckon et’s a shore thing that Dane went to Juniper’s -an’ got his goldt,” averred Nomad. “Thet don’t -prove that Juniper Joe was right in claimin’ thet Dane -is this pizen tarantler, Tim Benson; but et goes a long -ways toward it.”</p> - -<p>“Dot iss so,” the baron admitted.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill could but agree to the same thing.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said the baron, putting away the pipe he had -dropped, and had not smoked, “I am readty to leadt you -to der sbot vhere I am shoodted, unt vhere vos der<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -gache. Uff ve sdrike a drail dhere, ve gan voller idt, -unt maype findt oudt somet’ing’s vort’ vhiles. I t’ink, -py yiminy, dot ve ar-re on der righdt dracks, unt dot -Shackson Dane iss Dim Penson.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think you’re equal to it?” Buffalo Bill asked.</p> - -<p>“Ach! Dot pullet voundt iss only a sgratch! Uff I -sday me pehint now, I am going to vorry me indo some -sicknesses. Ve ar-re going to haf some excidemendt -now, I pet you.”</p> - -<p>“Allus huntin’ excitement, baron!” said Nomad, with a -smile. “Et’s goin’ ter be ther death o’ ye yit.”</p> - -<p>“Uff so-o, I vill die habby.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">A STARTLING DISCOVERY.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The three pards passed Juniper Joe’s cabin on foot. -Though they attracted some attention as they went along, -they were not followed. It had been heralded over Blossom -Range that Juniper Joe’s cabin had been robbed in -the night, and he and his wife injured. As a consequence, -sensation lovers and the overcurious were prowling -around in numbers in the vicinity of the cabin. But it -was closed.</p> - -<p>The scout and his pard avoided these people; and on -the hills beyond the cabin proceeded to lose themselves -to view, in the brush and trees.</p> - -<p>They had deviated several points from a direct line -to the spot named by the baron, until they were out of -sight; then the baron straightened away for their destination, -leading rapidly.</p> - -<p>When they reached the place where he had been shot, -they found proofs of the truth of his story. The hole -where the gold had been placed, then removed, had been -but partly filled in. The spot where the baron had fallen -when the bullet struck him could also be seen. He -pointed it out with trembling pride.</p> - -<p>“Himmel! Vhen I am shot it seemed dot der dop uff -my headt vly off; unt dhen I ditn’t knowed noddings -votsoefer.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon he took his crack at ye, Schnitz, frum behind -thet bush over thar,” commented the trapper, looking<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -round narrowly. “Et’s a good thing fer ye thet -et’s all o’ twenty yards to thet bush; ef’t had been nearer -he’d a hogged ye. Pistols allus shoot high at a leetle -distance; which is why ye got his lead on ther top o’ -yer head, instid o’ right through et. Funny he didn’t -think o’ thet, an’ make a clost enough examination ter -find out.”</p> - -<p>“I am guessing dot he vos in a hurry,” said the baron. -“He vandted to make a gitavay kvick, as somepoty -mighdt haf heard him.”</p> - -<p>“Schnitzenhauser is probably right about that,” Buffalo -Bill agreed. “The rascal couldn’t tell but that the shot -would be heard, and bring some one; and it’s a safe gamble -that he wouldn’t want to be seen here.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he toughdt I vos deadt, all righdt, unt so dit I; -aber I ditn’t knowed eenyt’ings apoudt idt. Vhen I -gome to mineselluf pack, I haf a headaches vot you readt -apoudt, I pet you. Ach! Idt shoombs yidt, yoost like a -grasshobber kicking py der insite uff my heat.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill gave the German a sharp look, observing -that his florid face was a bit less highly colored than -usual.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know but you ought to be at the hotel in bed, -baron,” he suggested.</p> - -<p>“Neffer!” cried the undaunted German. “I aind’t gifing -oop undil ve findt dhis veller. Cody, you unt Nomad -ar-re as goodt as Inchuns vor drailing; see uff you gan -findt der willain’s dracks.”</p> - -<p>They began the search; but the ground was like flint, -and they accomplished nothing near the cache.</p> - -<p>When they picked up footprints, they were at some<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span> -distance, but in the direction of the flight of the man who -had shot the baron.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” said the scout. “Here he goes!”</p> - -<p>“Waugh! K’rect ye air, Buffler. Now we’ll hang to -’em. Seems thet he was p’inted out into the hills.”</p> - -<p>“I pedt you,” whispered the baron, staring round as if -he expected to see Jackson Dane start up out of the -brush, “he vos going furdher on, to pury dose puckskin -pags ag’in. You see, he iss disdurped py me, unt gan’t -hidt dhem here no more; so he iss loogking vor anodder -blace.”</p> - -<p>It was a very reasonable supposition.</p> - -<p>In this opinion, they began to follow the tracks; -though even there the trailing was far from easy. The -baron acknowledged that he was not enough of a -“hoondting tog” to do anything with a trail so dim; but -the scout and trapper were as keen-eyed and experienced -as Indians, and they went along fast enough.</p> - -<p>When they had gone half a mile, covering the ground -slowly, they came to what seemed to be another cache.</p> - -<p>It was in a sandy place. All round it the sand had -been smoothed down—a bush having been drawn over it; -so that whatever footprints had been made were wiped -out. Even the “cache” had been covered in that manner; -but as a good deal of sand had been taken out in digging -the hole, all of which could not be put back when the hole -was filled in, a slight mound was the result.</p> - -<p>The scout and his pards inspected this mound, and the -apparent work of track-hiding round it, before they ventured -up to it; for they could not be certain that the man -who had done the work was not somewhere near, in -hiding.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span></p> - -<p>To make sure on this point, they cautiously skirted -round the place.</p> - -<p>But no human presence was discovered.</p> - -<p>Then they came up to the “cache.”</p> - -<p>The baron was now much excited; he believed the gold-nugget -bags he had seen were buried anew at that spot. -Buffalo Bill and Nomad drew their sheath knives and attacked -the sand, which, when loosened, they were able -to draw out with their hands.</p> - -<p>They went down rapidly; but the hole was much -deeper than they anticipated.</p> - -<p>“Gone down ter Chiny, he did,” grumbled the trapper, -“ter make shore thet ther stuff would be safe.”</p> - -<p>When they got down near the bottom of the hole, -which, after all, was not so very deep, instead of striking -against buckskin bags, their knives struck clothing.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad gurgled in his surprise. “He’s -wrapped ther thing up in his coat, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill began to heave out the sand in great handfuls; -when it was discovered that <em>the coat hid a body</em>.</p> - -<p>The old trapper flung himself out of the grave—for -that is what it was—with a snort.</p> - -<p>“I’m jiggered ef thet don’t give me ther creeps!” he -cried. “Waugh! Cody, there’s a dead man in thar.”</p> - -<p>The baron was also tremendously excited.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill continued to excavate quietly, but hurriedly; -and soon revealed a man’s arm.</p> - -<p>“I’ll have your help here, Nomad,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Br-r-r! I’m er Piegan, Buffler, ef thet don’t give me -ther creeps.”</p> - -<p>“I am in der same fixings,” said the baron, jumping -about. “Ach! A deadt mans! Vot iss der meanness?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span></p> - -<p>But Nomad sprang down to the aid of the scout; when -together they pulled the body out of the sand. It had -been doubled and crumpled up in the hole, was fully -dressed, and the sand had been simply pushed in on it -and trampled down.</p> - -<p>Even Buffalo Bill gasped in surprise when the face of -the dead man was seen.</p> - -<p>For it was the face of Jackson Dane!</p> - -<p>“Waugh! Er, waugh!” Nomad was whooping. “I’m -er Piegan, ef——”</p> - -<p>“Well, it knocks all our theories on the head,” said the -scout, breaking in on Nomad’s war-dance accompaniment.</p> - -<p>“Idt iss make me veel like I am grazy!” cried the -baron, staring goggle-eyed.</p> - -<p>The dead man, having been lifted out of the hole, was -laid gently on the ground.</p> - -<p>Then it was seen that Dane had been shot through -the body.</p> - -<p>“Probably killed instantly,” was the scout’s conclusion, -when he saw the character of the wound. “Nomad, you’d -better pike back to town and send officers out to take -charge of this. It will be impossible to keep the thing -still, I suppose; and I don’t know that there is really any -need of it.”</p> - -<p>“Who kilt him?” cried the baron. “He couldn’t haf -shoodted himselluf unt also puriet himselluf!”</p> - -<p>“That’s a fool idea, Schnitz!” the trapper snorted.</p> - -<p>“I knowed it iss. But uff he gone here py himselluf—— Vale, -somepoty exblanadion idt to me.”</p> - -<p>“Apparently, unless we are all off in our guesses, he -came out here to bury the stuff the baron saw him have,” -suggested the scout; “then some one, seeing him with it,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -shot him, got away with the gold, and hid the body -here.”</p> - -<p>Instead of starting off to town, Nomad began to circle -round, to see what he could discover.</p> - -<p>In a few seconds he let out a cry.</p> - -<p>“Hyer’s er trail, Buffler!”</p> - -<p>When the scout examined it, he found tracks somewhat -larger than those they had been following. They -plunged into some bushes off on the right, went on a few -yards, then swung round in the direction of Blossom -Range.</p> - -<p>“Hikin’ back fer home, <em>he</em> was!” said the trapper. -“What does yer make o’ thet, Buffler?”</p> - -<p>“The tracks of the murderer, without a doubt. After -he covered up the grave, he was in too big a hurry to -thoroughly hide his tracks here; though you can see that -he was trying to step softly. If he doesn’t take to rocky -land, we can probably follow this until the streets of the -town are at least reached. He is back there by this time, -of course, if he went right along; and there can be no -trailing of him in the streets.”</p> - -<p>“Somebody might ’a’ seen him, though, when he went -inter the town,” Nomad suggested. “You stay right -hyar with ther baron, by ther body. I’ll foller these -tracks, on my way ter town, and see ef I kin make anything -of ’em. You’ll find me back hyar ’fore ye know -et.”</p> - -<p>The wiry old trapper set off at a sharp jog trot, following -the trail of the supposed murderer; and was soon -out of sight.</p> - -<p>The German, still weak from his wound, though excitement -now flushed his face, dropped down on the sand a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span> -few yards from the body. Buffalo Bill placed his handkerchief -over the face of the dead man; then took a seat -beside the baron.</p> - -<p>“Vale, vot do you make uff idt?” the baron asked.</p> - -<p>“What do <em>you</em> make of it?”</p> - -<p>“Noddings. I am as mixed oop as a cotton pall vot -der pussy cats haf peen blaying mit.”</p> - -<p>He breathed heavily.</p> - -<p>“You see how idt iss. Ve manufacdure der t’eory dot -Shackson Dane he has gone to der capin uff Yuniper -Yoe unt ropped him, unt dot he vos oudt here drying -to hide der goldt he got py doing so-o. Dot may sdill -pe der troot’. Yidt der t’ought vot game py me, vhen I -seen der poty, iss dot Yuniper Yoe haf follered him unt -kilt him; budt idt tond’t holdt vater. Vor you see, Yuniper -Yoe he gand’t pe here unt at der same dime at der -capin daking care uff his voundedt vifes. So-o.”</p> - -<p>He puffed out his cheeks, and his eyes stared, as he -struggled with this knotty problem.</p> - -<p>“Unt uff Shackson Dane he iss Dim Penson, unt—Ach! -I gif idt oop! You say somedings.”</p> - -<p>“Jackson Dane, or Tim Benson; the fellow is dead.”</p> - -<p>“Dot iss too blain to sbeak apoudt.”</p> - -<p>“And he said that Juniper Joe would kill him on -sight.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw.”</p> - -<p>“Is there any one else he would have been afraid of?”</p> - -<p>The German jumped as if a bee had stung him.</p> - -<p>“What is it?”</p> - -<p>“An itea haf hidt me.”</p> - -<p>“Out with it, then.”</p> - -<p>“You rememper dot vomans py der Casino in?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span></p> - -<p>“Vera Bright?”</p> - -<p>“Der same. Dhey vas kvarreling vhen on der sdairs -at der Casino, yoost pefore he gome avay.”</p> - -<p>“But you didn’t see her follow him.”</p> - -<p>“I tidn’t. Budt iss idt a sign dot she ton’t? She -mighdt haf; and she mighdt haf done dhis shooding -here.”</p> - -<p>“What about those big tracks Nomad is following? -They were not made by a woman.”</p> - -<p>The baron jumped up and began to circle round the -sandy spot, going farther and farther out, like a dog trying -to pick up a lost scent.</p> - -<p>At last he whooped a discovery.</p> - -<p>“Idt vos der vomans, shure!” he howled, as Buffalo -Bill hurried to him. “See der dracks uff dhem liddle -shoon.”</p> - -<p>The tracks which the baron had discovered were small, -as if they had been made by a woman. In their haste, -the scout and Nomad had overlooked them, or rather had -not searched long enough to find them, after discovering -the larger tracks.</p> - -<p>“Idt iss a skinch dot idt iss der vomans!” said the -baron, his face shining. “Vot you t’ink?”</p> - -<p>The scout was following the tracks.</p> - -<p>They led off in a direction opposite to those taken by -the larger tracks; but circled after a while, and also -turned toward the town.</p> - -<p>“Vale, vot do you t’ink uff idt?” cried the baron.</p> - -<p>They continued to follow the tracks, which led them -on toward the town.</p> - -<p>But they had gone but a few hundred yards when a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -rifle cracked, and a bullet sped with a whining sound past -the scout’s head.</p> - -<p>He ducked and fell flat.</p> - -<p>“Down!” he urged.</p> - -<p>“You are hidt?” the baron squawked, as he also -dropped to the ground.</p> - -<p>“No; but that came within an inch of me.”</p> - -<p>“Py yiminy, dhis iss some excidemendts vot you readt -apoudt!”</p> - -<p>“You are getting your full share to-day, baron.”</p> - -<p>“I pet you!”</p> - -<p>They stopped talking, to listen; but they heard nothing.</p> - -<p>“Iss he caming?” the baron whispered.</p> - -<p>“I think not; I don’t hear anything.”</p> - -<p>“Who vos idt?”</p> - -<p>“Ask me something easy.”</p> - -<p>“He shodt at you?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it seemed like it, didn’t it?”</p> - -<p>The baron began to crawl off.</p> - -<p>“Whereaway?”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to loogk vor dot willain.”</p> - -<p>“He may be waiting for us to show ourselves; it seems -likely.”</p> - -<p>In spite of this, the reckless German crept off to a -slight knoll, where, in the midst of bushes, he lifted his -head, with his hat off, and took a look.</p> - -<p>“Better keep your hat on,” the scout warned; “that -bandage on your head makes you conspicuous.”</p> - -<p>The baron ducked down with a “yeep.”</p> - -<p>“Did you see him?” Buffalo Bill asked.</p> - -<p>“No; but I ditn’t vanted him to seen me!”</p> - -<p>After listening some time longer, the scout joined the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -baron; but though they looked about as well as they -could, they saw no one.</p> - -<p>“He thought he killed me, and let it go at that; or he -feared that he didn’t, and that I would get him if he -came on. One guess is as good as another.”</p> - -<p>“I gan make a guesses dot peadts all uff dhem: I -guess dot ve tond’t knowed noddings apoudt idt.”</p> - -<p>While they were talking in low tones, they heard a -crashing among the brush, but in the direction of the -town.</p> - -<p>“Vot?” the German gasped.</p> - -<p>But the next moment they knew that the sound was -made by the men whom the trapper had secured from -Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>When they came in sight they were seen to be excited -citizens, half a dozen in number, accompanying an officer -and the coroner, bearing with them a stretcher for -the body.</p> - -<p>The baron leaped to his feet and swung his hat to -direct them; but did not call.</p> - -<p>“Petter loogk oudt!” he cautioned, as they came near.</p> - -<p>“Who was that shootin’?” Nomad demanded. “We -heard a rifle off hyar. Been shootin’ at somebody?”</p> - -<p>“Somepoty has peen shoodting at us!” the baron informed -him.</p> - -<p>“Great gallinipers! Who was et?”</p> - -<p>“I vish dot you vouldt toldt me. Der pullet idt seems -vos vor Cody; but it ditn’t git him.”</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t er been ther feller thet killed Dane?” said -Nomad.</p> - -<p>“Ve tond’t know who idt vos.”</p> - -<p>The scout arose and greeted the officers and citizens.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span></p> - -<p>“We have found other tracks here,” he said, pointing -off to the right, where the tracks were to be seen.</p> - -<p>Nomad and some of the men ran over there.</p> - -<p>“Tracks of a woman!” cried the trapper.</p> - -<p>“So we thought.”</p> - -<p>“Whar’d they come frum?”</p> - -<p>“Near the point where the body was buried,” the scout -told him.</p> - -<p>“And goin’ toward town?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Then thet woman must er been with ther man what -downed Dane.”</p> - -<p>“It would seem so. Gentlemen, we can show you -where the body lies now,” said the scout, “if you will -follow us.”</p> - -<p>“Petter loogk oudt vor der man mit der gun!” the -baron warned.</p> - -<p>But apparently the man with the gun had vanished; -for when they set out for the spot where the body had -been left, they did not see or hear him.</p> - -<p>But still another surprise awaited them, as stunning -almost as the first. On reaching the spot where it had -been left, the body itself had disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Whar’d yer put et?” Nomad asked, puzzled.</p> - -<p>The baron and the scout were staring dumfounded at -the place where the body had last been seen.</p> - -<p>“Idt iss gone!” the baron howled. “Yumpin’ yack -rappits, idt iss gone!”</p> - -<p>“It’s true, gentlemen,” the scout supplemented; “the -body that we left right here has disappeared.”</p> - -<p>The thing was astounding.</p> - -<p>“More excitement baron!” Nomad yelped.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span></p> - -<p>“Don’t I knowed idt? I am grazy mit excidemendts.”</p> - -<p>“Yer air shore gittin’ good measure, Schnitz!” the -trapper whooped.</p> - -<p>He began to look for the trail of the man who must -have borne the body away.</p> - -<p>Tracks were found almost immediately—those of a -man, whose shoes cut rather deeply into the ground, and -made some impression even where the soil was hard; -showing that he had borne a burden. There could be not -a doubt that the burden was the body of Jackson Dane.</p> - -<p>“Vale, I see some daylighdts,” the baron declared; -“der mans vot haf done dhis iss der same vun vot haf -shoodted at Cody; I am petting on idt.”</p> - -<p>“I guess ye’re right, Schnitz,” the trapper agreed. -“Now, we’ll see ef we can foller him.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill put himself at the head of the excited -little party, and the chase began.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>As if he knew he would be followed, the man who had -borne off the body had struck rocky ground soon, so -completely breaking his trail that to pursue it promised to -be a work of great difficulty.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill stopped.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I care to go farther just now,” he said. -“Though, later, I want to come here and cipher this -thing out. I’m going back to Blossom Range.”</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” the trapper objected. “What fer? This -hyar is ther place fer work ter be done right now.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” said Buffalo Bill, thoughtfully; -“I’ll leave you and the baron to claw the tangles -out of this thing; and I’ll try to join you before long. As -you go along break a bush now and then, so that when -I return I’ll have no trouble in finding you.”</p> - -<p>“But what ye goin’ back fer?” Nomad asked, impatiently.</p> - -<p>It seemed to him that to pick up the lost trail was the -most important thing at the moment; at any rate, he -could think of nothing more promising.</p> - -<p>Because of the listening ears turned toward him, Buffalo -Bill did not care to acquaint the trapper with the -thoughts in his mind.</p> - -<p>So he made a lame excuse, about having forgotten -something; and turned about, leaving the trapper and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> -the baron to go on alone; as all of the town men turned -back when Cody did.</p> - -<p>“You can dig out that trail, Nomad, if any one on -earth can,” he told the trapper. “So just hang to it, you -and the baron—unless he wants to go back with me! -When I return, I shall come with the expectation of finding -that you have dug out something worth while.”</p> - -<p>But the baron had no wish to return to Blossom Range -at that time; it was his idea that the blind trail which -Nomad was to try to spell out offered worlds of excitement, -of the most surprising kind.</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill <ins class="corr" id="tn84" title="Transcriber’s Note—“reachel” changed to “reached”.">reached</ins> -Blossom Range, he took the officer and the coroner aside, after -dismissing the other men.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you know all about those men who have been -with you, and that they’re to be trusted,” he explained; -“but I don’t know any of them, and the faces of one or -two didn’t strike me favorably. What I want to do now -is to have you go with me to the Casino and arrest there -a woman called Vera Bright; she is with the show company -that has been giving performances in the Casino -the past week. After that, I shall ask you to go with -me to Juniper Joe’s and place Juniper Joe and his wife -under arrest.”</p> - -<p>The officer and coroner stared at him.</p> - -<p>“Not Juniper Joe!” gasped the officer.</p> - -<p>“None other. If I am making a mistake, I will stand -responsible for it. The man who was slain out there -was the same that Juniper Joe tried to kill the night of -his wedding; and this woman, Vera Bright, was with -the murdered man shortly before daylight this morning, -as I know through the testimony of the German, who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -was watching the Casino at that time. He heard them -quarreling. In addition, Mrs. Juniper Joe made that -woman a visit yesterday.”</p> - -<p>“If you back the thing, I’ll make the arrests,” said the -officer, but reluctantly.</p> - -<p>“I will back you!” the scout told him. “Or, if you -don’t want to do it, I will make the arrests myself; yet -I should prefer to have you to do that part of the work.”</p> - -<p>He did not think it wise, being still rather hazy about -some points himself, to tell these men all his conclusions; -he preferred to let events speak for themselves.</p> - -<p>When they got down to the Casino and called for Miss -Vera Bright, they were informed that she was not there; -that, in fact, she had left Blossom Range that morning, -on the stage for Calumet Springs.</p> - -<p>“Let me see the manager of the show,” Buffalo Bill -requested.</p> - -<p>The manager came down—a pale, blond, young fellow—and -began to answer Buffalo Bill’s questions.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know she was going,” he declared; “and -none of the company did. The first we knew, she had -her things packed, and asked me for her salary. I -wouldn’t pay it, of course, under the circumstances, as -we expect to play here another week, and she was in the -cast. She went away in a huff.”</p> - -<p>“How long was she with your company?” was the -scout’s next question.</p> - -<p>The manager admitted that he had “picked her up” at -Calumet Springs, when the company was there on its way -to Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>“She wanted to join us, and I let her do so, as I -thought we could use her,” he explained.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span></p> - -<p>“So you really know nothing about her?”</p> - -<p>“Not a thing!”</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill left the Casino, he sent a telegram -to the marshal of Calumet Wells, requesting him to hold -the woman until certain charges against her could be investigated.</p> - -<p>“Now for Juniper Joe’s!” he said to the officer.</p> - -<p>When they reached the cabin of Juniper Joe, they had -somewhat the same experience; Juniper Joe was not -there, neither was his wife. The cabin was locked.</p> - -<p>The door which the scout had so recently splintered -had been somewhat repaired, and was braced on the inside, -as well as locked.</p> - -<p>“This is queer!” was the officer’s comment.</p> - -<p>“Just a little bit,” the scout agreed.</p> - -<p>“Shall I break the door in?”</p> - -<p>“That is my advice.”</p> - -<p>When it was battered in and they entered, they found -no one inside.</p> - -<p>A warrant had been secured, authorizing the house and -the mine to be searched. Therefore, the officer forced -the door which led to the mine. The mine looked dark -as a cave; so lights were secured, before they tried to -enter it.</p> - -<p>They examined the mine back of the cabin, the scout -flashing the light curiously on the walls.</p> - -<p>He made no remarks about his discoveries, and his -examination was not a close one; but he commented freely -enough on the fact that the couple must have departed -by the front door.</p> - -<p>“Yet it seemed to have been barred on the inside!” -was the officer’s objection.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span></p> - -<p>This was overcome, when a closer examination of the -door was made. The bar of wood had been so arranged -that it would drop down on the inside and so hold the -door when it was closed from the outside. Hence the -theory that it had been barred from the inside fell to the -ground.</p> - -<p>“This may be nothing but a mare’s nest, though,” the -officer suggested; “Juniper Joe and his wife may be -both downtown right now.”</p> - -<p>“His wife was supposed to have been too badly hurt -to leave the cabin,” the scout reminded.</p> - -<p>“But she may have gone to some doctor’s office!”</p> - -<p>Though this was true enough, the scout did not believe -it.</p> - -<p>After they had made sure that the mine and cabin -were unoccupied, Buffalo Bill asked the men to return -to the town and make a search for Juniper Joe and his -wife, and to arrest them if they were found.</p> - -<p>As for himself, as soon as the men set out, he turned -about and started off, with the intention of rejoining Nomad -and the baron.</p> - -<p>“A water haul!” he said to himself, as he walked on -swiftly. “But I think that at last we are making some -progress.”</p> - -<p>It was the scout’s opinion that the couple and Vera -Bright had hastily left the town.</p> - -<p>“Why?” was the question.</p> - -<p>It seemed to him there could be but one answer.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE CHASE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Old Nomad was exclaiming softly in his characteristic -way, standing on the edge of a precipitous cliff wall. -The baron, by his side, had hold of a bush, and was peering -over into the depths below.</p> - -<p>“I’m er Piegan,” said Nomad, “ef suthin’ ain’t been -throwed down thar!”</p> - -<p>“Aber I gand’t seen noddings, I am pelieving idt iss -der pody,” the baron averred.</p> - -<p>Sounds of footsteps attracted their attention.</p> - -<p>Then they saw Buffalo Bill hurrying toward them.</p> - -<p>He had come rapidly from the town, having followed -them without trouble, because of the broken bushes -they had left in their wake to guide him.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad called to him, and swung his hand. -“Come over hyar!”</p> - -<p>“I’m coming.”</p> - -<p>“Ve haf followed der drail to dot boint ofer dhere,” -the baron explained, as the scout came up. “Idt vendt -straight on; but Nomat he seen vot he took to pe dracks -goming dhis vay; unt idt loogks as uff somed’ings had -peen pitched town here.”</p> - -<p>“We’re believin’ thet ther critter we follered sidetracked -carefully to this point,” added Nomad, “an’ hyar -he got rid o’ ther body he war kerryin’. Et looks et.”</p> - -<p>The scout seized a bush, and began to go down the -cliff side.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span></p> - -<p>“We can soon discover if it is so,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Vot dit you findt in der town?” the baron shot at him.</p> - -<p>“Vera Bright, Juniper Joe, and his wife are all missing.”</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad whooped. “We’ve been figgerin’ -thet we’ve been follerin’ ther trail o’ Juniper Joe and -p’raps his wife. Anyhow, thar’s big tracks and leetle -ones. But we couldn’t make et come out right thet -Juniper Joe an’ his wife had been hyar, when we reckoned -they war back in ther own cabin.”</p> - -<p>The scout soon reached the bottom of the cavity, which -was bush-grown along its sides. He called up his discovery.</p> - -<p>“Your guess was right,” he said. “Here is the body.”</p> - -<p>It had been pitched far enough out, so that in its fall -it did not break bushes; and it lay in a crumpled heap.</p> - -<p>The scout only tarried long enough to be sure that it -was the body of the man known to him as Jackson Dane; -then he came climbing up out of the black depths.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he added, “whoever had the body threw it over -here, to get rid of it; and took it from that other place -so that it might not be found by the searchers.”</p> - -<p>“Why sh’d he wanted ter do thet?” Nomad queried.</p> - -<p>“I can only guess, of course; though he ought to have -known that it had already been seen. In law, you know, -the body must be produced, or identified, in order to -convict any one of murder; otherwise, there could be no -showing absolutely that the man supposed to be murdered -was dead. He might be living, somewhere in secret. -But it was a foolish move, in this case, to try to -hide it here, it seems to me; as the body had already been -seen.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span></p> - -<p>“Aber the man vot dook it mighdtn’t haf knowed dot,” -suggested the German.</p> - -<p>“Very true.”</p> - -<p>“But about thet woman and Juniper Joe cuttin’ out?” -said Nomad. “You air shore of thet?”</p> - -<p>“I went with the officer to the Casino, to arrest the -woman, but she had left by the morning stage for Calumet -Springs. I sent a telegram to the marshal there; and -if he does his duty, it will stop her at that point. When -we went to Juniper’s cabin, we found it empty and dark. -On forcing the door, we found no one, even though we -searched the cabin and the mine. Of course, if you have -been following their trail, it shows plainly enough where -they are now.”</p> - -<p>“What’s yer idee?” the trapper questioned.</p> - -<p>“Simply that they came out and killed Dane. Perhaps -they started back to the town; then saw us, and that -changed their plans. Some one shot at me, you know; -and probably that was Juniper Joe.”</p> - -<p>“Then you’ve reached ther conclusion thet he is plum -crooked?”</p> - -<p>“I have.”</p> - -<p>“And his wife, too?”</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t it look it?”</p> - -<p>“Waugh! Et does.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll pick up their trail over there, and see if we -can’t crowd ’em. Did it seem fresh?”</p> - -<p>“Not so very old, anyway,” Nomad told him.</p> - -<p>“You didn’t see any indication that buckskin bags had -been cached, or pitched into some hole?”</p> - -<p>“No; but they could er been pitched inter some hole -easy ’nuff, without our knowin’ it. Thar’s a lot o’ crevices<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -along the trail; an’ without leavin’ his tracks a feller -could easy ernough heave buckskin bags inter any of -’em.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t time to look that up, now. Show me the -trail, and we’ll see what we can do.”</p> - -<p>When the trail was regained, the scout took the lead, -and pushed the work hard.</p> - -<p>Though the country was rocky and covered with much -scrub, they went along rapidly. There were few trailers -who could equal Buffalo Bill. It was hard work, so that -often he preferred to let his Indians do it; but he was -always equal to the task, as in this instance.</p> - -<p>There were tracks of two people—one the track of a -man surely; the other smaller, which might have been -made by a woman; though, if so, she had worn a coarse -and heavy shoe, just fitted for that kind of work.</p> - -<p>At length the trails split; the larger tracks going off -to the right, the others to the left.</p> - -<p>“I’ll follow the man,” said the scout; “you take the -other. I fancy the man is Juniper Joe; the other may -be his wife.”</p> - -<p>It had become evident that the couple were getting -tired; they had traveled rapidly, as if at first frightened, -and so had begun to use up their strength. It was perhaps -for that reason they separated; as they might have -thought the pursuers, if they knew of them, would follow -the larger tracks.</p> - -<p>By this time Buffalo Bill and his pards were a good -five miles north of the mining town of Blossom Range, -and in the vicinity of a village of the Ute tribe of Indians.</p> - -<p>The Utes were supposed to be peaceably inclined. At<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -any rate, they had shown no hostile intentions since Iron -Bow had led them on the warpath, five years before, and -had been badly worsted. But they were still blanket -Indians, much given to powwowing and strange dances, -to feathered headdresses and variegated paints.</p> - -<p>For some time Buffalo Bill had been half convinced -that the tracks he and his pards had followed would lead, -by and by, to this Ute village.</p> - -<p>Yet, when the tracks separated, this did not seem so -likely.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, pressing ahead on the trail he had chosen, -soon lost sight of Nomad and the baron.</p> - -<p>He had gone nearly a mile, through a very rough country, -when he became aware of the fact that the Indians -were near him; he saw a few, and heard others. They -had apparently been deer hunting. Their tracks, here and -there, covered over those he was pursuing; so that twice -he had to stop and spend valuable time in puzzling out -the trail.</p> - -<p>“If this fellow is a friend of the Utes, it’s likely he -will join the deer hunters,” thought the scout.</p> - -<p>A little later a shot rang out.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, a man sprang out of bushes a hundred -yards away, leaping up as if he thought the bullet had -been sent at him, and ran with big jumps across the -rocks, through the rough ground.</p> - -<p>At a glance, Buffalo Bill saw that the man was Juniper -Joe.</p> - -<p>“Our guess is right, so far,” he muttered.</p> - -<p>The man disappeared quickly; but Buffalo Bill was in -hot chase, determined not to lose sight of him.</p> - -<p>He was wondering, at the same time, if the Indians had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span> -shot at this man. Apparently, the fellow had thought so; -for it seemed that he had leaped up and ran from the Indians, -rather than from the scout, whom, apparently, he -had not yet seen.</p> - -<p>Off at one side Indian yells broke out; but they were -not war-trail yells; they were hunting yells, announcing -victory.</p> - -<p>“The Utes fired at game, and brought it down,” was -the scout’s conclusion. “I am sure now they did not -shoot at Juniper Joe.”</p> - -<p>Then he came again in sight of the man, who had -gained a slippery slope, which he was trying to climb, -though, at some points, to do it he would have needed -the ability of a fly.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill could see that Juniper Joe was a badly -frightened individual. It seemed to the scout he was -frightened by the Indian yelling, following the shot; that, -in short, Juniper Joe was sure the Indians had fired at -him and were now pursuing him.</p> - -<p>Climbing over slippery rocks, Juniper Joe gained the -treacherous edge of a cañon, along which he ran at -reckless speed.</p> - -<p>The scout called to him.</p> - -<p>The effect was bad. Juniper Joe tried to stop and look -about; as he did so, stumbling, so that he was thrown -heavily. The next instant he was bounding off the edge -of the precipice, and went shooting down.</p> - -<p>The scout stopped with a gasp of surprise.</p> - -<p>He saw Juniper Joe crash into the top of a pine, out -of which he tumbled, to land in a cleft of rock in the face -of the cañon.</p> - -<p>Apparently, in his wild haste and fright, Juniper Joe<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -had been seriously, perhaps fatally, wounded; he lay -prostrate where he had fallen, without motion at first. -But a moment later Buffalo Bill saw him put up his -hand.</p> - -<p>“Not dead yet, at any rate!” said the scout, looking -about, with the desire of hurrying to the man’s assistance.</p> - -<p>Fortunately, in leaving Blossom Range the scout had -not only fully armed himself, but had brought along his -lariat, which he had often found more useful than any -weapon.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe’s red shirt showed plainly in the niche, -looking like a gout of blood, thus making it very suggestive. -Buffalo Bill had been somewhat surprised to -see Juniper Joe in full miner’s outfit, very different from -the clothing he usually wore in the town.</p> - -<p>For some time nothing had been heard from the Indians; -but now the scout saw some of them on the top -of the cañon wall, looking down at the injured man. -Others appeared in sight at various points.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill paid no attention to the Utes, though they -did not seem friendly. They showed no disposition to -help the injured man. In truth, even to consider such a -thing seriously was an evidence of much courage; for -Juniper Joe lay in a spot not to be approached at all -without much danger.</p> - -<p>The scout was not thinking of the possible danger, as -he hastened along, looking for a point at which he could -launch his lariat; his intention being, if he could find -such a place, to hurl the rope at it, then swing out and -over the cañon.</p> - -<p>The cañon was of such depth that even to look down -into it made one’s head swim.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span></p> - -<p>In spite of this, when he had found a favorable finger -of rock outthrust the scout swung the noose of his rope, -and with a wonderful cast fastened it round the tip of -the rocky projection on the other side.</p> - -<p>“Here goes!” he said.</p> - -<p>Clutching the rope, he ran forward, then flung himself -boldly out over the black gulf. The momentum carried -him across, so that his feet struck the opposite wall. As -soon as he could steady the oscillation of the rope, he -began to climb it, hand over hand.</p> - -<p>Though they had shown some evidences of an unfriendly -attitude, Buffalo Bill’s daring in going to the -aid of Juniper Joe stilled the Indians into peace.</p> - -<p>Slowly the scout climbed up the rope, over the dizzy -chasm, mounting steadily until he gained the spot where -Juniper Joe lay.</p> - -<p>Then he saw that Juniper Joe was not only not dead, -but treacherously inclined; the fellow’s eyes were blazing, -and as Buffalo Bill swung into the notch at his side, -Juniper Joe lifted himself and drove at the scout with a -knife.</p> - -<p>Though the surprise was stupendous, the scout was -equal to the occasion; he dropped down on the treacherous -scoundrel, and gripped him.</p> - -<p>A struggle followed; but Juniper Joe had not recovered -from the jarring effects of his fall, and the scout -was quickly the victor.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe dropped back, panting and glaring.</p> - -<p>“Curse you!” he fumed.</p> - -<p>The scout had caught the fellow’s knife away, and -now snatched away his revolvers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span></p> - -<p>“A pretty greeting for a man who risked his life to -come up here!” he said bitterly.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right!” growled Juniper Joe. “But what -did ye come up for? Me, I reckon! You didn’t come -jest to help me, I know.”</p> - -<p>Then he realized that he had said too much.</p> - -<p>“I’m kind o’ flighty,” he apologized; “so don’t think -o’ what I’ve done. I didn’t really know it was you, -Cody; ’pon honor, I didn’t. That jolt I got sort o’ put -me out o’ my head. Hope you’ll overlook it.”</p> - -<p>He rolled his eyes round, as if looking for the Indians.</p> - -<p>“Those Utes won’t trouble you!”</p> - -<p>“Mebby they won’t,” Juniper Joe grumbled; “but I -ain’t wantin’ to chance it. Ye see, I onct had trouble -with old Iron Bow.”</p> - -<p>“You thought they shot at you and chased you?”</p> - -<p>“I did.”</p> - -<p>“Rest easy, then. They shot at a deer, or some game -animal.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know it?”</p> - -<p>“I could tell by the way they yelled.”</p> - -<p>“You’re thunderin’ smart, you think!”</p> - -<p>Unnoting this insult, the scout tried to make an examination, -to discover if Juniper Joe was much hurt.</p> - -<p>“It’s jest my leg and right hip,” said the rascal; “feels -like my leg is broke.”</p> - -<p>“You couldn’t move it, if that was so.”</p> - -<p>The fellow had been bruised by his heavy fall, and -the breath had been jarred out of him, yet he was not -hurt, otherwise.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I think you’re all right!” the scout told him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span></p> - -<p>“What you goin’ to do?”</p> - -<p>“Try to get you down from here.”</p> - -<p>“I’m surprised to see you hyar,” said Juniper Joe, more -mildly. “I don’t reckon you come out to see if Iron -Bow is thinkin’ of war trailin’?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll talk about that when we get you down from -here,” the scout evaded.</p> - -<p>Just then a whoop sounded; and, looking up, Buffalo -Bill saw that the baron and Nomad had come in sight.</p> - -<p>He stood up and waved his hand to them, that they -might locate him; but at the same time he was careful not -to give Juniper Joe a chance to push him out of the -notch into the cañon. He was convinced that Juniper -Joe might want to do that very thing.</p> - -<p>“Who’s them?” asked Juniper Joe.</p> - -<p>“My friends—the baron and old Nomad.”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe growled something in his throat.</p> - -<p>“What was that?” the scout asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, nothin’! Lower me down, if you kin.”</p> - -<p>“It’s going to be a hard job; you’re a heavy man.”</p> - -<p>“Waal, then let me stay hyar!” the fellow growled.</p> - -<p>The scout put the noose of the rope round Juniper -Joe’s body, under the arms.</p> - -<p>“I’ll try it,” he said, “if you’ve got the grit!”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe looked over the edge, and shivered.</p> - -<p>“If anything should happen, I reckon I’d fetch up -dead on them rocks down there.”</p> - -<p>“I can get a pretty good grip, by locking a leg round -this point of rock, and I think I can hold you; but the -rope is strong enough to hold you, even if I should -slip.”</p> - -<p>“It’d cut me in two, if you should let go.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span></p> - -<p>“I suppose you’re willing for me to try it?”</p> - -<p>The fellow looked over again.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead!” he said, setting his jaws together. “I’ve -got to git down out of this in some way.”</p> - -<p>Helping himself, Juniper Joe slid over the edge of the -notch, aided by the scout, the latter supporting him as -he released his grip on the rock and dangled in midair.</p> - -<p>It was a fine exhibition of muscular strength, when -Buffalo Bill lowered the heavy body of Juniper Joe slowly -down from the notch, letting it slide against the cañon -wall.</p> - -<p>There was a shelf below; and when Juniper Joe had -gained that the scout directed him to cast off the noose.</p> - -<p>“I’m coming down,” he announced. “But,” he warned, -“no tricks! My pards are over there, you see; and they -wouldn’t stand for treachery on your part.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I ain’t intendin’ any,” Juniper Joe growled back.</p> - -<p>The scout swung out and lowered himself to the shelf.</p> - -<p>The rope was left hanging, of course, with the noose -hooked over the finger of rock. But the scout was a -rope wizard. By some clever jerks, which made wavy -<ins class="corr" id="tn98" title="Transcriber’s Note—“riples” changed to “ripples”.">ripples</ins> run up the rope, he flipped it off the rocky point, -and it dropped down.</p> - -<p>He found another projection, to which he fastened the -noose; and the performance was gone through again, this -time bringing the scout and his prisoner to the bottom of -the cañon.</p> - -<p>When they got down there they found the baron and -Nomad.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.<br /> -<span class="fs70">STARTLING REVELATIONS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>If the Utes remained in the vicinity, they kept out of -sight and were not seen again.</p> - -<p>Old Nomad and the baron had heard the shot of the -Indians; but, thinking it had come from the rifle of Buffalo -Bill, they had abandoned the trail they were following, -and came over to see if the scout was in trouble.</p> - -<p>“We allowed you was,” explained old Nomad, “er you -wouldn’t opened up in thet way. Glad ter know it was a -false alarm.”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe, standing up, with the noose of the lariat -removed, was walking about, apparently testing his -strength; suddenly he started off at a clipping gait, -showing how little he had been hurt by his fall.</p> - -<p>The baron and Nomad yelled when they saw him -start.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, instead of yelling, plucked out a revolver, -swung it round his head, and hurled it at the fleeing man.</p> - -<p>It struck him in the back of the neck and knocked him -sprawling.</p> - -<p>Though he fell heavily, and was somewhat stunned, -Juniper Joe still had full use of his tongue, as his raving -showed when they ran up to him. He demanded the reason -for such treatment.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re going to hold you, you know!” Buffalo -Bill told him.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe tried to pretend surprise.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span></p> - -<p>“What fer?” he howled.</p> - -<p>“For the murder of Jackson Dane—if that was his -name.”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe declared that he did not know what they -were talking about.</p> - -<p>“You tried to kill him once, at the time of your wedding, -when you claimed he was Tim Benson, the road -agent.”</p> - -<p>“Waal, that feller was Tim Benson; but I ain’t seen -him since.”</p> - -<p>“As we think you know all about it, and for other reasons, -we’re now going to take you back to Blossom -Range,” Buffalo Bill told him.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe protested against this loudly.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you will tell us who, then, was with you?”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe denied that any one had been with him.</p> - -<p>“Waugh! We won’t fool wi’ no sech liar,” Nomad -whooped. “You’ve showed thet ye kin walk—you done -some runnin’ a while ago; so we’re goin’ to tie ye and -march ye ahead of us, wi’ the understandin’ ef yer don’t -go peaceable you’ll go some other way.”</p> - -<p>When he saw that neither lying nor anything else -would do him any good, Juniper Joe submitted, but with -bad grace; after which he became sullen, refusing to -answer questions.</p> - -<p>On the return to the town, as they were able to pick -an easier trail than they had followed in getting there, -the scout’s party made better progress. They did not -stop to follow the trail of the supposed woman; but Nomad -was detached to see what he could do with it, under -instructions not to waste too much time, but to report in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -the town by nightfall. The baron’s head still troubling -him, he went along with Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill entered Blossom Range with his -prisoner, the afternoon stage was coming in from Calumet -Springs. So he took his prisoner right down to the stage -stables, though Juniper Joe protested against this outrage.</p> - -<p>One of the passengers by the stage was the marshal of -Calumet Springs, who had with him a woman, Miss Vera -Bright, whom he had brought back to Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>She stared at Buffalo Bill’s prisoner.</p> - -<p>“I think it will be well if we take them into a room -here together, and see if they won’t do some talking,” -was the scout’s statement to the Calumet Springs marshal.</p> - -<p>“If you can get anything out of her, you’re ahead of -me,” the marshal admitted; “she fit like a wildcat, when -I told her she would have to come back here, and only -stopped it when I threatened I’d put irons on her. She -weakened at that, and come along; but she’s a plum -furious beauty, I tell you, git her started.”</p> - -<p>The blonde woman and Juniper Joe were taken into a -back room of the stage office, where they were brought -face to face. In the room at the time was the marshal of -Calumet Springs, with Nomad and the baron, and, of -course, the scout, together with the local manager of the -stage line.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, a shrewd reader of human nature, opened -the ball by telling the woman that Juniper Joe was under -arrest for the murder of the man called Jackson Dane, -but whom Joe had said was Tim Benson.</p> - -<p>Her face paled at that, and her eyes flashed, and she -turned on the prisoner like a tigress.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span></p> - -<p>“Is that so?” she cried.</p> - -<p>“It’s a lie!” Juniper Joe declared to her.</p> - -<p>She turned to Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Is it true,” she said, “that he has killed him?”</p> - -<p>“Dane has been killed, and we believe this man did it; -we have evidence which it seems to us proves it.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure he did—if he is dead.”</p> - -<p>She bent her burning eyes on Juniper Joe; and he -seemed to wither under them.</p> - -<p>“Where is Tim?” she demanded.</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t know what you’re sayin’!” he said.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you do!” she flashed at him. “Where is the -man who was pretending to be your wife—the man you -made everybody believe was a woman, when you had -that fake wedding at your cabin? That was a fine game; -and I nearly died laughing when I knew about it. What’s -become of him?”</p> - -<p>It was an astonishing revelation; and Buffalo Bill -questioned her about it.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s the straight truth I’m giving you,” she -said defiantly; “I don’t care anything about this scoundrel -here; you can hang him, if you want to, and I think -he needs it; but I do want to know what has become of -the man who played that game with him. I want to -know if he is dead, too, or what has become of him.”</p> - -<p>“He isn’t dead!” the scout told her.</p> - -<p>“No! Then, if you know where he is, you had better -arrest him at once; for that man is Tim Benson, the road -agent.”</p> - -<p>“You’re sure of that?” the scout demanded.</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon I am. Didn’t he come down to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span> -Casino to see me yesterday, and just because he was jealous -of Dane?”</p> - -<p>“Is Dane the name of the man who was killed by -Juniper Joe?”</p> - -<p>A dash of tears came into her eyes.</p> - -<p>“Well, no, it isn’t, if I have to tell; and as he is dead, -it doesn’t matter now. His name was Ward—John -Ward.”</p> - -<p>It was another surprise; for John Ward was almost as -notorious an outlaw as Tim Benson.</p> - -<p>“It was a case of jealousy between Ward and Benson,” -she explained. “Benson came down to the Casino, -and threatened to kill me there, because Ward had -been to see me. Then Ward got mad, when I told him -about it, and swore he would kill Benson, or tell the -authorities who Benson really was. He didn’t like Benson, -and he didn’t like Juniper Joe; and he thought Juniper -was the biggest scoundrel of the two. There had -been bad blood between them a long time.”</p> - -<p>“Aw! Go ahead with yer lies!” Juniper Joe snarled at -her, giving her baleful glances. “Make up some good -ones while you’re at it.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to tell the truth,” she said; “they can’t do -anything with me, for I’m not mixed up in the thing, -except that Ward came to see me, and he and Benson -quarreled about it. I’ll tell the whole thing, you murderer; -you killed Ward, and I’ll get even with you by -blabbing everything!”</p> - -<p>She “blabbed.”</p> - -<p>According to her statement, Tim Benson had discovered -that Buffalo Bill was hot on his trail, and was coming -to Blossom Range, where Benson had been doing a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -lot of hold-up work recently. To throw him off the -track, he and Juniper Joe, who was secretly his partner -in crime, concocted the dazzling scheme of the “jubilee” -wedding, when Juniper Joe pretended to marry Tim -Benson, who was posing as Mrs. Rafferty, the widow -from the East. No one could deny that the thing had -been cleverly carried out; the whole of Blossom Range -had been neatly hoodwinked.</p> - -<p>It was Juniper Joe’s plan, after that, to have the gold -shipments sent out by the way of Eagle Gap, in charge -of the prospectors. He and Benson held them up there, -killing one and wounding the other. They got safely -back to the cabin with the plunder, after bringing the -burros near to the town, and then turning them loose in -the hills.</p> - -<p>Ward had knowledge of all this, and had told the woman -about it when he called on her. He had said that he -meant to kill Benson; and there could not be any doubt, -from evidence gathered later, that in the night, or just -before morning, he had gone to the cabin, where he had -attacked Juniper Joe and Benson. Probably, as he had -left Benson unconscious, he believed he had killed him.</p> - -<p>Benson had already been wounded in the head by a -bullet from the baron’s revolver. In the fight with Ward, -the latter had rapped Benson on the head, opening the -unhealed wound made by the baron’s bullet; thus producing -a condition which had puzzled Buffalo Bill; who, it -will be recalled, had found Juniper Joe and his “wife” in -the cabin that morning; Juniper Joe tied and gagged, and -his “wife” unconscious on the floor.</p> - -<p>Ward had got out with some of the nuggets in buckskin -bags, a part of the loot from the burro shipments;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span> -and had tried to cache them at the time he was followed -and seen by the baron.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe and his “wife” had also followed Ward; -and they had killed him. After that, becoming frightened, -they had tried to hide the body in a cañon, had -thrown away the bags of nuggets, and had shaped their -course to get out of the country, sure that at last Buffalo -Bill had discovered the truth and was after them hotfooted.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe bitterly denied the statements of Vera -Bright, raving thunderously in making his denials; he -was a much-abused and injured man, he declared, of good -intentions and wholly innocent of wrongdoing.</p> - -<p>Some proof against him was found when the mine was -again gone over by Buffalo Bill and the local officers, and -a thorough search brought out of various hiding places -the whole of the gold shipments which the Wells Fargo -had tried to send across the hills by the prospectors. This -was good evidence that Juniper Joe had been concerned -in that hold-up, and that when John Ward attacked the -occupants of the cabin he found but a small part of the -treasure.</p> - -<p>As for Juniper Joe’s mine, it was a “fake.” The indications -showed that no rich pockets had ever been struck -in it; so that it was apparent that the nuggets which -Juniper Joe pretended he had dug out had been obtained -in hold-ups.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE FOOL OF FOLLY MOUNTAIN.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Finding the trailing difficult, old Nomad returned to -Blossom Range that evening, having accomplished nothing.</p> - -<p>He was tremendously excited, when he learned the -story told by Vera Bright.</p> - -<p>“Waugh! Thet was a ringer!” he cried, commenting -on the clever manner in which Tim Benson and Juniper -Joe had deceived everybody with their “jubilee.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill got out and reread Juniper Joe’s unique -invitation to attend the “wedding.”</p> - -<p>“I vonder vot Vhite-eyed Moses iss t’inking now?” -said the baron.</p> - -<p>“Oh, waal, he got paid fer his fiddlin’,” said Nomad; -“so what does he keer? I should say thet Jedge Abercrombie -Morris, who performed the weddin’ ceremony, -was about the wu’st fooled man in town.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill laughed.</p> - -<p>“Do you think he was fooled any worse,” he said, -“than Buffalo Bill, Nick Nomad, and Baron von Schnitzenhauser? -It seems to me not.”</p> - -<p>“Say, thet was shore the plum limit, wan’t it?” the -trapper whooped.</p> - -<p>“I t’ink dhose two men shouldt be called Vera Bright, -insteadt uff dot voman,” the baron punned. “I am admitting -dot idt vos too mooch vor Schnitzenhauser.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span></p> - -<p>“Waugh! Ther same hyar. We was all fooled complete.”</p> - -<p>It was likely that the town would have “the laugh on -itself” for a long time, whenever Juniper Joe’s jubilee -was mentioned.</p> - -<p>The next day, Buffalo Bill and his pards tried to pick -up the trail of Tim Benson. But the clever little rascal -had a good start; and in the hills north of the town he -had so blinded his trail that they could do nothing with it.</p> - -<p>Once Buffalo Bill believed he had trailed the fellow -right to the edge of Iron Bow’s Ute village, and entered -the village to make inquiries. But if Benson had sought -concealment there, the Utes would not give up the secret.</p> - -<p>At last the chase was given over, and the scout and his -party returned to camp.</p> - -<p>“Waal, we’ve bagged one o’ the scoundrels, anyhow,” -Nomad comforted himself by saying.</p> - -<p>It was true enough—Juniper Joe was in jail in Blossom -Range.</p> - -<p>The woman was being held, too, for she would be -needed as a witness against him.</p> - -<p>They called on Juniper Joe on their return to the town; -but he was in a sullen mood, and would not talk.</p> - -<p>“If I’ve done all the things you say I have, I must be -mighty clever,” he said to them; then a twinkle came into -the corners of his eyes.</p> - -<p>It made Nomad laugh.</p> - -<p>He laughed again, when they came out of the jail.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” he gurgled. “Whenever I want ter tickle -myself half ter death, I’m jest goin’ ter whisper, ‘Juniper<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span> -Joe’s jubilee.’ But what yer goin’ ter do, Buffler? Let -Benson go by the board?”</p> - -<p>“No,” replied the scout with determination. “I am going -to get Benson, and make a clean round up.”</p> - -<p>That night a tall man with a blonde mustache and long -hair was closeted for a long time with Buffalo Bill in -the latter’s room at the Eagle House.</p> - -<p>He came to the Eagle House late at night, and he went -away before morning. With the exception of the scout -himself, no one saw him come and no one saw him go. -Not a servant, not even the night clerk, knew that he -had been there.</p> - -<p>Sunrise saw him occupying the cabin on top of a -hill called Folly Mountain, just north of the town. A -tenderfoot had built the cabin, worked furiously for a -month in the prospect hole behind it, without taking -out enough gold to pay even the blacksmith for sharpening -his picks, and was ready to sell out. The tall man -made him an offer for the cabin and the mine; then -the tenderfoot moved out, and the man with the blond -hair took possession.</p> - -<p>The first thing apprising Blossom Range of this -change of ownership was the small United States flag -flying from the pole in front of the house. The stranger -had changed the slender aspen growing there from a -tree into a flagstaff, and hoisted Old Glory.</p> - -<p>Blossom Range knew then that the tenderfoot had -either moved out or gone crazy. His habits had been -too penurious to admit of the suggestion that he could -have bought the flag, and it was not in keeping with his -character that he would have flung it to the breeze if he -had owned one.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span></p> - -<p>The smoke floating from the rusted stovepipe in the -lean-to which, backed against the hill, served as kitchen, -suggested that whoever had hoisted the flag was now -getting breakfast.</p> - -<p>The hour was early, yet curiosity was sufficient warrant -for sending a number of men to the cabin to investigate.</p> - -<p>When they gained it and looked through the open -door, they saw the tall, blond-haired man. He was -dressed in miner’s clothing, even to the flaming red -shirt, while round his neck was knotted a blue tie with -broad white stripes in it. It was not, however, until -attention was called to it that any one was likely to see -that this blue and white, with the red of the shirt, formed -the same colors as those in the flag.</p> - -<p>When the stranger turned to the visitors he gave -them a broad, pleasant smile, and they saw that he was -a handsome, well-set-up fellow, with an attractive face, -lighted by dark eyes.</p> - -<p>“Howdy!” he cried, seeing them.</p> - -<p>They clustered round the door.</p> - -<p>“Just bought this shack and moved in, and now I’m -getting me something to eat,” he explained. “Step in, -if you can find room in here.”</p> - -<p>Some of them came in, seating themselves on boxes he -pushed out for them. He continued the work of getting -his breakfast.</p> - -<p>“The tenderfoot I bought this of was kind enough to -tell me, after he had my cash, that the mine wouldn’t -yield anything; said he’d worked at it until he was tired -out, and didn’t get enough out of it to buy his smoking -tobacco.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span></p> - -<p>“I allow he was slingin’ ye the straight truth,” avowed -Persimmon Pete, who rested his claim to fame on the -fact that he hadn’t shaved since he came into the camp, -a year before.</p> - -<p>“I reckon you know what this hill is called?” he added, -after he had studied the face and figure of his host a -minute.</p> - -<p>“Well, no; I hadn’t even heard that it had a name.”</p> - -<p>“Folly Mountain,” said Persimmon Pete.</p> - -<p>The blond-headed stranger turned round, the frying -pan in his hand.</p> - -<p>“Wherefore and why?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Because every man that’s ever tried to git gold out of -it has been compelled to admit, in the end, that he was a -fool.”</p> - -<p>The stranger laughed lightly, and put the frying pan -back on the stove. It was sending up a cheerful odor of -bacon fat.</p> - -<p>“That sets out a pleasant prospect for me,” he said, -smiling.</p> - -<p>“So I reckon you’re in to spend yer good money and -hard work fer nothin’.”</p> - -<p>The stranger stabbed at a slice of the bacon with his -fork, turned it over neatly, then looked at Persimmon -Pete and the men with him.</p> - -<p>“But there’s more ways of killin’ a dog,” he said, -“than by chokin’ him to death on bones.”</p> - -<p>“Which is what?”</p> - -<p>“I’m satisfied that <em>I</em> can get gold where others have -failed.”</p> - -<p>“Ye can’t git blood out of a turnip,” declared Persimmon -Pete.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span></p> - -<p>The man laughed again; he had an easy, gurgling -laugh, and his manner was calculated to make him friends.</p> - -<p>“Which is saying that there ain’t any blood in this -turnip. Mebby so. Time will tell the tale. But I’ll -say to ye now that I’ve got a new process which will git -all the gold there is, anyway; by that I mean <em>all</em> the -gold.”</p> - -<p>He leaned back against the wall, with a glance now -and then at his frying pan.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been lookin’ at that hole in the ground back -there since I bought it, and with my new processes I -can skin gold out of it in a way to make your eyes bulge -out. You’ll see.”</p> - -<p>He sat down to his breakfast at last. It was a simple -meal, suggesting that the stranger did not expect to live -in luxury; but he invited them to share it with him.</p> - -<p>“No, we’ll be goin’,” they told him.</p> - -<p>“Come up and see me often,” he said to them, and -smiled at their backs as he watched them walk away.</p> - -<p>Not until they were halfway to the foot of the hill -did any of them remember that they had not learned the -stranger’s name.</p> - -<p>Persimmon Pete came back for this desired information, -poking his bushy beard again through the narrow -door.</p> - -<p>“Beggin’ yer pardin!” he said. “But the boys has delegated -me to inquire how you spell it.”</p> - -<p>The stranger’s gurgling laugh rang out again.</p> - -<p>“Spell what?”</p> - -<p>“Why, your name, o’ course.”</p> - -<p>The stranger came to the door of the cabin, and swung<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -his sinewy hand up at the flag floating from the top of -the trimmed aspen.</p> - -<p>“See that?” he said.</p> - -<p>“I see the flag, if that’s what you mean.”</p> - -<p>“There are a number of things that I’m short on, but -I’m long on two things—patriotism and pluck. Ever -hear of a hiatus?”</p> - -<p>Persimmon Pete shook his puzzled head.</p> - -<p>“Never did,” he declared.</p> - -<p>“Well, a hiatus is a sort of vacancy between one something -and another something. Do you get that? There -came a hiatus in my memory—a sort of chink—and my -name dropped out through that chink. Find it for me, -and I’ll give you good money. So long as I couldn’t -remember my own, I’ve taken one that everybody knows -and everybody can remember. Call me Uncle Samuel.”</p> - -<p>He looked at the flag again.</p> - -<p>“N-n-not Uncle Sus-Sam?”</p> - -<p>“The same. I see that you recognize the name; so, of -course, you can’t forget it. I’m Uncle Sam, and the flag -up there is my emblem. What can’t be done under the -folds of that flag there ain’t no use trying to do. For -which reason I know that I’ll get blood out of this -turnip.”</p> - -<p>Persimmon Pete turned away.</p> - -<p>“Crazy as a bedbug,” he reported to the men who were -awaiting him. “He calls himself Uncle Sam, and says -that the flag is his emblem.”</p> - -<p>Before the day ended the stranger in the tenderfoot’s -cabin had been given another name by the amused people -of Blossom Range; they called him the Fool of Folly -Mountain.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span></p> - -<p>As a usual thing, little attention was paid to the men -who delved here and there about the town in search of -the elusive metal on which the town based its prosperity. -Miners and prospectors came and they went, and no -one noted either their coming or going, save the men -who sold them grub and outfits.</p> - -<p>But it was different with Uncle Sam; because he had -given a queer name and achieved another, and because -he professed to be able to get gold where none was believed -to exist.</p> - -<p>He put up a little furnace in the back room, where he -heated ores, “roasting” them, to test their value. He -brought in a small assayer’s outfit and a blowpipe. Often -he was seen toiling far into the night, the light of his -window looking like a red eye or a blazing star, shining -on the top of Folly Mountain.</p> - -<p>The curiosity concerning him was increased by this. -If he had sought deliberately to excite the citizens of -Blossom Range, the stranger could not have taken means -more effective.</p> - -<p>The hope that some method might be found to render -low-grade ores worth working was in the heart of every -man; and the stranger’s oft-repeated assertions that he -had such a process, and was perfecting it more and more -every day, stirred their imaginations.</p> - -<p>Sometimes men crept up in the night to the cabin, and -lay close against the walls, watching and listening, hoping, -to surprise his secret, if he had one.</p> - -<p>But the stranger seemed to possess marvelous intuition. -As often as this happened he either ceased his -work and remained silent within or came out casually -and greeted them. He did not seem surprised when he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span> -found them, nor put out; but always spoke to them -cheerfully and sometimes invited them in.</p> - -<p>Twice he was known to show men of that kind what -he was doing, so far as they could understand it; which -was just far enough to befog them completely. He -talked in learned words which none of them could comprehend; -and his explanations, though at the moment -seeming marvelously clear, were seen afterward not to -explain anything.</p> - -<p>When he had been there a week he lugged down to the -Wells Fargo Express office a gunny bag that seemed -heavily laden.</p> - -<p>Some of the loafers before the office doors followed -him inside, and saw him plump the heavy bag down -before the Wells Fargo agent.</p> - -<p>When the stranger opened it, they saw that it held -gold; not in nuggets or gold dust, but in solid pieces, -which apparently he had fused with his blowpipe.</p> - -<p>“Test it and weigh it,” he said; “and then ship it for -me.”</p> - -<p>“Who’ll I ship it to?” the agent asked, staring at the -yellow lumps.</p> - -<p>“Ship it to Uncle Sam’s Sister, ’Frisco,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>The agent tested and weighed the “stuff,” and found -there was five hundred dollars’ worth; it was genuine -gold.</p> - -<p>“Got it out of that hole up there that I bought of the -tenderfoot,” beamed the stranger. “Everybody said there -wasn’t anything in it; but they hadn’t seen me work my -new and secret process. By and by they will begin to -believe.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span></p> - -<p>“I suppose your sister will get this without any other -name than that?”</p> - -<p>The stranger had given a street and a number, but no -other name for the consignee.</p> - -<p>“Just that—Uncle Sam’s Sister. She’ll git it. If not, -the company can ship it back to me at my expense.”</p> - -<p>Some of the loafers, when outside, expressed their -amazement; and if Uncle Sam had been selling stock in -his new process the stock would have taken a boom.</p> - -<p>Yet as the news spread there were comments of another -kind.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s all right, for him!” remarked a certain -Wise One of the camp. “But I don’t go no yarn of that -kind. Why, see here, how long’s it been sence Juniper -Joe was digging in that hole back of <em>his</em> cabin, and -shipping stuff he claimed he got there? Not ten days, -has it? Then it was found out that Juniper Joe was -doin’ the road-agent act big, and the stuff he shipped he -had stole. He’s in the jail right here in this camp now, -for that, ain’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Then you think this new feller is playin’ the same -game?” was asked.</p> - -<p>“I’m not saying,” said the Wise One. “But see here: -night before last a bullion stage was held up and the cash -box emptied by agents. The Wells Fargo wouldn’t take -the risk of that shipment, but it was sent by other parties, -and the road agents got it. Does any one know who them -road agents are?”</p> - -<p>No one knew; or, at least, no one was willing to admit -that he knew.</p> - -<p>“Put two and two together and they make four, don’t<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -they—or do they make five?” said the Wise One. “But -remember, I ain’t making no charges against anybody.”</p> - -<p>“So you think——”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t think anything; I’m jest trying to make -you think.”</p> - -<p>The words of the Wise One went flying round town. -So that more people visited the tenderfoot’s cabin, to -take a look at the tall man with the blond mustache and -the long hair; all of whom he greeted genially, and some -of whom he showed his “process,” so much, at least, as -he wished to show; and he told them about it in words -that were more wonderful than any they had ever seen -in print.</p> - -<p>But the universal judgment was that this party could -not be Tim Benson, who was a small man—so small that -he had successfully played the rôle of a woman. Neither -could he be Juniper Joe, as Juniper Joe was at that -blessed moment immured tightly within the walls of the -jail at Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>Who was the stranger?</p> - -<p>“Uncle Sam,” <em>he</em> said, smiling, if any one ventured to -ask him.</p> - -<p>So the fame of the Fool of Folly Mountain went broadcast -throughout the land surrounding the stirring mining -camp.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE MISSION OF WHITE-EYED MOSES.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Uncle Sam’s flag had been flying and his blowpipe -going for a week or more, when one day White-eyed -Moses came out of Gopher Gabe’s, his fiddle in a green -bag under his arm, and a bundle of clothing in another -bag he hoisted over his shoulder on a stick.</p> - -<p>Apparently, White-eyed Moses was about to depart -from Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>But when some one asked him about it, he set his pack -on the ground, and explained:</p> - -<p>“You see, it is this way: The Utes are going to haf a -dance, and they want some music which is not all tom-tom. -So I am going out to aggommodate the Utes.”</p> - -<p>“Taking your clothing?” was the smiling question.</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes! I ditn’t mention that. I am gommissioned -to bring them some clodings and blankets. I sell them -to them and git a gommission. That is why I say I am -gommissioned.”</p> - -<p>He waved his hands and smirked, then hoisted his -bundle to his shoulder and went on.</p> - -<p>At least ten times in getting out of Blossom Range -White-eyed Moses was asked those questions and made -those answers.</p> - -<p>“It is foony,” he said to himself, when he hit the trail -north of the town and plodded on toward the distant Ute -village. “It is nopody’s pusiness vere I am going, yet -eferpody makes it his pusiness.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span></p> - -<p>It took him three hours to reach the Ute village.</p> - -<p>Just before coming to it he mounted to the top of a -hill which gave him a good view of the backward way; -there he remained for nearly an hour, watching, to make -sure that he had not been followed.</p> - -<p>Satisfied at last, White-eyed Moses took his way into -the village, apparently without fear, though lately the -Utes had been in no good temper toward the white men, -chiefly because of the encroachments of miners and -prospectors.</p> - -<p>As the Utes gathered round him, the fiddler stood -looking about.</p> - -<p>He did not understand their language, so it was of no -use to try to speak with them; but he had a universal -language in his fiddle.</p> - -<p>He took it out of the green bag, twanged the strings -with his fingers, tuned it, and began to play.</p> - -<p>No sooner had the strains of “Money Musk” floated -among the tepees than a man appeared, jumping hurriedly -out of one. He was a white man, small of frame. A -blanket was round him, covering his ordinary clothing, -and his face had been smeared with grease and dirt. As -he was clean shaven, with that blanket on him he looked, -at a little distance, like one of the Utes.</p> - -<p>“I t’ought it would fetch him!” muttered the fiddler, -with a smile. “He was hiding.”</p> - -<p>The blanketed white man was quickly at the fiddler’s -side.</p> - -<p>“How did you get here?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>White-eyed Moses stopped fiddling, extended his hand, -and smiled.</p> - -<p>“My feet brought me. How you are?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span></p> - -<p>“Good. What’s the news downtown?”</p> - -<p>“Juniper Joe is still in chail.”</p> - -<p>“So I supposed.”</p> - -<p>“And he aind’t going to git oudt easy.”</p> - -<p>“I s’pose not.”</p> - -<p>The Indians standing round were staring; others were -hurrying up, and the lodges continued to yield still more.</p> - -<p>“Vere can we go for a little talk?” asked White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“In that lodge I come out of. Of course you’re here -to see me?”</p> - -<p>“Of gourse. But before I go avay dere must be some -dancing and chumping, in Indian fashion; to make me be -able to keep my wordt, you know.”</p> - -<p>“There comes Iron Bow now. What shall I say to -him?”</p> - -<p>“Tell him I heardt that the Utes was going to have a -dance, and wanted some white man’s music. I vill blay -for them by and by, afdher we have hadt that talk. You -understand? Gopher Gabe he sendt me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!”</p> - -<p>“You have been doing some roadt-achent work ladely?”</p> - -<p>“Some has been done, hey?”</p> - -<p>The blanketed white man grinned under his grease and -dirt.</p> - -<p>“Some holdt-ups. Gabe says idt was you done ’em. -I told him I ditn’t think you vouldt be so reckless.”</p> - -<p>Iron Bow came up with a number of his warriors. -By this time a considerable crowd of curious redskins -surrounded the two white men. But they showed no -hostile feelings. The fiddle had caught their fancy; they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span> -kept telling the fiddler to work it again, though he did -not understand them.</p> - -<p>“How?” said Iron Bow gravely.</p> - -<p>White-eyed Moses put out his hand.</p> - -<p>“I am gladt to see you,” he said. “Afdher a liddle -we will have some music and a dance. My friend here -can explain it to you petter than I. Idt is a peautiful -location you have here for a willage; cooler and higher -than in the town. I think myself I should enchoy it.”</p> - -<p>He shook hands with some of the warriors.</p> - -<p>None of them had said a word except the chief, but -they shook his hand limply when he held it out. Now -and then they looked at the blanketed white man, as -if for an explanation.</p> - -<p>He gave it to Iron Bow in Ute, telling the chief that -the man with the music-maker had come out to amuse -them, so that they could have a dance if they wished; -but that first he wanted to talk.</p> - -<p>Iron Bow grunted what seemed an assent, and the -white men went into the lodge.</p> - -<p>“Iron Bow knows me,” explained the blanketed figure, -who was none other than the road agent, Tim Benson. -“So I hit this place when Cody and his gang crowded me -too hard; and I’ve been here ever since.”</p> - -<p>“Excebt when you was road achenting!”</p> - -<p>Benson nodded.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been out just twice.”</p> - -<p>“Dare have been more holdt-ups than shust two.”</p> - -<p>“Others are jumpin’ in, eh?”</p> - -<p>“It is hinted that this Fool of Folly Mountain is in -it.”</p> - -<p>“Likely he is. What I got I cached, and it’s where<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span> -I can lay my hands on it when I need it. How is Juniper -Joe?”</p> - -<p>“He couldn’t pe worse.”</p> - -<p>“It’s rough to be in a hole like that.”</p> - -<p>“Wery rough. Gopher Gabe triedt to get him out on -bail, and couldn’t. He is held for murder, you understandt—for -shooting that man, John Ward.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he could expect that. It’d be the same for me -if they could lay hands on me. Cody there yet?”</p> - -<p>“Righdt there.”</p> - -<p>The outlaw ground out some ugly words between his -teeth.</p> - -<p>“As we couldn’t git Juniper Joe out in no way, Gopher -Gabe has sent me to see you,” explained the fiddler.</p> - -<p>“That so? Does he think I can do anything?”</p> - -<p>“He knows idt. I have here clodings and everything, -so that you can make shanges in your looks. I can cut -your hairs while I am here, too, and give you another -shave.”</p> - -<p>Benson stared.</p> - -<p>“I was wondering what you had in that bag,” he -said.</p> - -<p>“The oudtfit—everything you will needt. It is a desperate -situvation. Gopher Gabe says that you are the -only man what can work it, so as to get Juniper Joe out -of the chail. And so I am here.”</p> - -<p>They talked for half an hour, then were forced to stop, -because the curious Indians, peering in on them, gave -them no peace.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to give that dance, now that you’ve -promised it,” said Benson.</p> - -<p>“It is vhat I wandt; so that I can surely say, vhen I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -go back, that I have been blaying the fiddle for an -Indian dance.”</p> - -<p>“It’s known that you came?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes! Vhat was the use to try to hide idt? It -couldn’t been didt.”</p> - -<p>“You could have made a sneak in the night.”</p> - -<p>“Idt was only this morning that Gopher Gabe came -to the notion he wouldt sendt me; and he insisted I shall -gome at once.”</p> - -<p>“How in thunder did you fellers know that I was -here?”</p> - -<p>“Vell, <em>he</em> guessed it; that last holdt-up was like your -work, he said; and he felt sure if you was round here you -must be hiding with the Utes.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; he knew I was friendly with them and old Iron -Bow.”</p> - -<p>“So it was, and he sent me.”</p> - -<p>He took his fiddle and went outside.</p> - -<p>Tim Benson came out, also; and, standing by him, announced -to the Indians that the white man would furnish -music if they desired to dance.</p> - -<p>The Indians were willing enough, yet the thing was a -failure; the Utes had no knowledge of any dancing steps -suited to the music of White-eyed Moses, nor could the -latter adapt his fiddling to the jerky hops of the Utes. -Aside from this, dancing is not, with Indians, the light-hearted -and light-heeled affair it is with white men, but -something solemn, or fierce, or fanatical.</p> - -<p>The Utes gave it up after a while. Yet White-eyed -Moses continued to please them with his music; for they -enjoyed the strains of his fiddle, even though they could -not dance to them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span></p> - -<p>After the fiddling and the dance failure, White-eyed -Moses went back into the tepee which was being used -by the road agent, where they took up the thread of -their talk. He also shaved Benson and gave him a haircut.</p> - -<p>“This is going to be a risky thing,” Benson commented. -“If I’m caught, it means the jail, and maybe hangin’, for -me; but I’ll tackle it, anyhow. Juniper would do as much -for me, likely.”</p> - -<p>“Gopher Gabe says that you are the only one who -can vork idt,” urged the fiddler.</p> - -<p>“The thing I don’t like is that Cody and his gang are -still in the town. That’s a feller I’m afraid of.”</p> - -<p>“Idt’s a vonder,” said White-eyed Moses, “that he -ain’t been oudt here looking for you.”</p> - -<p>“Did you think he hadn’t?”</p> - -<p>The fiddler stared.</p> - -<p>“Vell, if he has ve ditn’t know idt.”</p> - -<p>“He has been here twice, and old Iron Bow tells me -that once, besides, it’s known he was out on the hills, -off there, watching the village.”</p> - -<p>“That interesds me. And it will be news to Gopher -Gabe.”</p> - -<p>“The first time he come,” explained Benson, “was in -broad daylight; right after I’d made my escape. I think -it was the second day I was here. I was expecting it, -and stayed close in the tepee; and he didn’t see me. Iron -Bow fed him lies, and he went away. Though that had -seemed to satisfy him, he was back that same night. He -sneaked in that time, thinking he’d catch me if I was -hiding here; but he didn’t. He had an Indian blanket -round him, and how long he had been in the village<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span> -before the Indians caught on, nobody knows. He revealed -himself accidentally, by catching his blanket -against a snaggy limb and stripping it from his head and -shoulders. After which, when he saw that the jig was -up, he laughed and told them some fishy yarn about -trying to fool them.</p> - -<p>“When Iron Bow—he wasn’t here at the time—heard -about it, the thing made him mad as fire. He doesn’t -particularly like Cody, anyway; so I took pains to make -him madder, showing him that it was an insult. So if -Cody does it again, and is caught, there’s going to be -trouble.”</p> - -<p>White-eyed Moses listened to this uneasily.</p> - -<p>“Maype he is oudt on the hills now?” he suggested.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think it. You see, since he was seen here -I have had two Utes hired to stay out on the hills and -watch for him.”</p> - -<p>“If he saw that fiddling and dancing it will be a gifaway!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why, since you say you told in the town -that you was coming out here to play for a dance.”</p> - -<p>This considerably relieved the apprehension of the -fiddler.</p> - -<p>“But if he saw me with you?” he questioned.</p> - -<p>“He would think I’m an Indian, wouldn’t he? I’m -looking out for that.”</p> - -<p>White-eyed Moses looked at the road agent with a -glance of admiration.</p> - -<p>“You are a smardt man,” he said, “and that is why -Gopher Gabe haf picked you oudt for this chob.”</p> - -<p>“Jest the same, I’d been glad to have him pick another.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span></p> - -<p>“What shall I tell him vhen I go back?”</p> - -<p>Benson got up and closed the flap of the skin tepee, to -keep the Utes from peering in. But as he came back -he laughed; for shadows dropping down showed that -they had sought the ground, and he saw then the lower -edges of the skins lifted and black eyes looking in.</p> - -<p>“Yet there are some people who say that an Indian -is a stolid thing, without curiosity!” he commented. -“Take a look at that line of eyes, will ye?”</p> - -<p>“I am seeing them,” said White-eyed Moses. “What -was you going to do?”</p> - -<p>“I was going to look at the clothing and stuff you -brought me, but I won’t do it now. You can tell me -about it; not many of them understand English.”</p> - -<p>“There is a suidt of cloding,” said the fiddler. “Also -vhiskers and mustache, and a vig; nothing cheap, you -understand, but expensive goodts, the best that could be -had in ’Frisco. He sent Swansea Bill to ’Frisco to get -them for this very occasion. Dhen there are paints and -dyes, and all dhat. You will find idt gomplete.”</p> - -<p>“What’s my lay?”</p> - -<p>“Gopher Gabe left it to you. But he said if you could -appear dare as some officer with authoridy to act, you -could get through the chail easy enough. Chust what -that authoridy would be he dit not know; he left it to -you. But he said, too, that vonce you was in the newspaper -line, and you might use that.”</p> - -<p>“Is he prepared to back me?”</p> - -<p>White-eyed Moses shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Vell,” he said, “you know how it is! Gopher Gabe -will spendt his money like vater; but vhen it gomes to -daking personal risks, he ain’t dare. You can’t exbect<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -much from him. But he couldt furnish fighting men, -if it was needet.”</p> - -<p>“Nobody is allowed to see Juniper, I reckon?”</p> - -<p>“I t’ink not.”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t seen him?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“No chance, I suppose, to bribe the jailer?”</p> - -<p>“It’s Matt Shepard; you know him.”</p> - -<p>“No chance there, and Shepard will be a hard man to -fool. He’ll shoot, too. He wouldn’t like anything better -than to turn his gun loose on me.”</p> - -<p>“So you will haf to be careful.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess. I wish it was any man but Shepard.”</p> - -<p>They talked the matter over at length, suggesting and -discussing various plans, with the chances for and against -each. The afternoon was well gone when they were -through.</p> - -<p>“I’ll try it,” said Benson resolutely; “I’ll make a -break to do something for pore old Joe; I know he would -for me. You see, pals in this line have got to stick together, -or make a try to, even at the risk of going under. -If I don’t do something for him, I reckon he will have -to hang. That would be a pity, for the feller he killed -had it in for him, and deserved to be put under the sod.”</p> - -<p>“That is righdt, too,” assented White-eyed Moses.</p> - -<p>He was ready at last to go.</p> - -<p>“I vill tell Gopher Gabe that you vill undertake it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. Say to Gabe that he’ll hear of me -doing something inside of twenty-four hours.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">BENSON ACTS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The quiet little man who came along the prison wall -and turned toward the high barred gate, peered before -him curiously, then stopped before the gate and looked -at it.</p> - -<p>He was dressed neatly in a suit of light English tweed, -wore eyeglasses, a tall hat, and had a vacant air. Any -one seeing him would have said he was a high-browed -college professor or scientist who had strayed out of -his proper range. All but Gopher Gabe. Having sighted -him from his saloon over the way, Gopher Gabe came to -the door with some of his patrons, and opined wisely -that the stranger scanning the prison gate was “one of -these yere newspaper writers, lookin’ for somethin’ to -write up.”</p> - -<p>In that, Gopher Gabe was a prophet; though his ability -at accurate forecasting had been gained by a recognition -of the clothing as the same which White-eyed Moses had -taken out to the Ute village the day before, and the -fiddler’s statements on his return.</p> - -<p>Finding the way open as far as the prison office, the -stranger entered it and fished out his card, which he -threw on the desk of Matt Shepard.</p> - -<p>Shepard, a bushy-browed man with keen eyes, whose -heels were at the moment lifted to the top of the desk, -looked at the card, then at the little man. Though he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -had seen Tim Benson, there was no recognition in his -eyes.</p> - -<p>“Well, what is it?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“You can see by that I am a representative of the San -Francisco <cite>Oracle</cite>,” said the little man quietly. “I am -studying the prison systems of the West, and want to -look this one over. When I publish my article I shall -have a good word to say of you personally, I hope.”</p> - -<p>“Never heard of this hyer San Francisco <cite>Oracle</cite>,” said -Shepard severely, though his tone was milder than before.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s the leading paper of its kind in the city of -San Francisco,” the little man assured him. “Sorry I -neglected to bring a copy with me, but I have some down -at the Eagle House, and will see that you have one. In -last week’s issue I had a write-up of the Comstock Mine, -at Virginia City.”</p> - -<p>“When will this hyer write-up come out?” said the -jailer, flattered and interested.</p> - -<p>“In two weeks, if I can get the copy in on time, and I -think I can. I’ve got to look at the prisons at Deming -and Nueces first; but that can be done yet this week.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you want me to do?”</p> - -<p>“Simply conduct me through the prison, or such parts -of it as you wish to show me; and I’d like a look at -some of the most notorious of the prisoners you’ve got in -here. A little spicy talk about them will help to give my -write-up the necessary tang.”</p> - -<p>Shepard didn’t know what “tang” was, but it sounded -well. So he tumbled.</p> - -<p>He got out of his comfortable chair, grumbling a little, -but more than ever pleased, for he had the usual vanity -of men of his class; and a few minutes later he was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -piloting Mr. Osgood Fleming—that was the name on -the card—through the prison of Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>It was a new prison, with strong walls; as good as -could be found within five hundred miles; Shepard knew -that, and was proud of it. Proud he was, likewise, of the -fact that he was the sheriff of the county, and by virtue -of it keeper of this magnificent jail.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got a mighty fine assortment of jailbirds in -hyer right now,” he said, warming up under the influence -of the ingratiating manner of the polite little man. -“Road agents, murderers, horse thieves—y’ can’t name -any of that class o’ criminals we ain’t got. Last one -put in was Juniper Joe. He was the real ringer out of -all of ’em; took the hull blamed town in in the neatest -way y’ could ever think of.”</p> - -<p>He had to tell the whole story, it seemed so good to -him, even if it was at the expense of Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>The narrative so interested the little man that he insisted -he must see this “graceless scamp,” and, if possible, -have a talk with him.</p> - -<p>“You can talk with him through the bars of his cell, -standin’ outside,” said the jailer, who was of the honest -kind. “Against the rules, ye see, to do otherwise, when -a man is in hyer on a charge of murder.”</p> - -<p>The little man was sure that was all he would care to -do. He even asked if there would not possibly be danger, -even though he stood outside in the jail corridor.</p> - -<p>Shepard laughed hoarsely at that; it was not a joke, -it seemed, for the little man actually trembled.</p> - -<p>“Well, he’s shore some quick on the shoot,” avowed -Shepard; “but y’ needn’t be afraid of him; he ain’t got<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span> -a gun on him. Been searched thoroughly; I seen to it -m’self.”</p> - -<p>When they came to the cell occupied by Juniper Joe -the little man stood back against the opposite wall of the -corridor, apparently fearing that Juniper Joe might reach -out his long arms and seize him, like some caged gorilla.</p> - -<p>Shepard stepped up to the cell door, thus putting himself -in front of the little man.</p> - -<p>The jailer was hazy as to what took place after that; -but something whacked him on the back of the head, -and he fell against the cell door, then tumbled heavily to -the floor.</p> - -<p>When he came to himself, half an hour afterward, he -was still hazy; but he could see that the cell door was -open and that Juniper Joe was gone.</p> - -<p>Feeling in his pockets, he found that his keys and his -pistols were gone, too.</p> - -<p>That aroused him.</p> - -<p>He delivered himself of a howl that sounded like a -war whoop, and flinging himself out of the corridor, raced -down to his office and the outer gate, passing on his way -a guard who had been stationed in the corridor. It is -to be stated that the guard was lying on the floor, and -was as unconscious as Shepard had been a few minutes -before.</p> - -<p>When Shepard reached the outer gate he found it -locked.</p> - -<p>He had no keys—and was locked in his own jail.</p> - -<p>He now set up a terrible howling, which brought the -other guards and caused citizens to gather round outside.</p> - -<p>The upshot of it was that when the outer gate was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span> -opened, and Shepard got into the street, he found that -Juniper Joe and Osgood Fleming were nowhere to be -found.</p> - -<p>Two men had been seen, by people in Gopher Gabe’s -saloon, to issue from the jail; one being Osgood Fleming, -the other a tall man wearing a linen duster and a soft -crush hat.</p> - -<p>“It was Juniper Joe!” howled Shepard. “Though -where he got the duster and hat beats me.”</p> - -<p>“Why, if that feller that went in was a fake,” said -Gopher Gabe, “he must ’a’ furnished Joe with the things.”</p> - -<p>“But he couldn’t—he didn’t have ’em; didn’t have any -place to carry ’em, er hide ’em.”</p> - -<p>“He might have had ’em in his high hat,” said Gopher -Gabe, smiling. “A linen duster and soft hat might be -rolled up into a very little ball.”</p> - -<p>Shepard smote himself on the forehead, sank weakly -on a bench, and called loudly for a drink, to steady his -shaking nerves.</p> - -<p>“I’m a fool!” he howled. “I’m a blithering idiot!”</p> - -<p>A crowd was gathering round him.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe brought the drink himself.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got to send out an alarm,” said Shepard, when -he had swallowed the whisky. “It ain’t too late to -round them fellers up, maybe. Where’s Buffalo Bill? -Somebody jump down to the Eagle House and let him -know. And git word to the mayor, somebody; thar’s got -to be a reward offered. The Wells Fargo will want to -give a reward, anyhow. Gee whittaker! Juniper Joe out -of jail ag’in, and I done it! Gabe, give me another -drink; this knocks me all out.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span></p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill came down to see the perspiring -jailer, he asked a number of questions.</p> - -<p>“You were fooled neatly,” was his comment, when he -had heard the story.</p> - -<p>“But—but,” stammered the jailer, “who was the brass-plated -high brow that carried the job through?”</p> - -<p>“Tim Benson,” said the great scout quietly.</p> - -<p>Shepard fell back against the wall.</p> - -<p>“Benson!” he gasped. “Wow! The feller that played -woman and fooled the whole town!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.<br /> -<span class="fs70">A WORRIED SHERIFF.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The express office and Gopher Gabe’s saloon were -robbed that night.</p> - -<p>Matt Shepard, sheriff and jailer, brought the news to -Buffalo Bill, at the Eagle House.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think they’d strike so soon,” he said. “That -is, if it was them done it. But Benson has got nerve -enough fer anything.”</p> - -<p>Shepard was “sore” over the way Benson had overreached -him.</p> - -<p>“There has been other robberies, though—while Juniper -Joe was in the jail; and of course them couldn’t be -charged against <em>him</em>.”</p> - -<p>He had taken a seat in the scout’s room in his best -chair, and now helped himself from the box of cigars on -the table. Nomad was in the room, and so was the -baron.</p> - -<p>“What do you think of this chap they call the Fool -of Folly Mountain?” he asked abruptly.</p> - -<p>“What do <em>you</em> think of him?” Buffalo Bill returned.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s suspicious, the way he is doin’. There’s -a whole lot of fellers in town ready to swear that he is -up to road-agent tricks, and that what he’s doin’, er -pretendin’ to do up there, is jest a blind. I dunno about -it myself, but I’m watchin’ him. I was up there yesterday, -after Juniper Joe got past me, lookin’ round.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill seemed amused.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span></p> - -<p>“You didn’t find Juniper Joe there, of course?”</p> - -<p>“No. Hardly expected that I would; but I wanted -a peek at the things that feller’s doin’. He’s rigged up -a little place where he assays stuff frum his mine, so he -says. I think it’s a bluff. I seen some of the gold he -took down to the express office which he claimed he got -out of his mine by some new and secret process; it was -just gold fused together. He could hold up stages and -travelers, git their gold ore, and turn it into solid pieces -that way, couldn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Easy enough, I should think,” the scout admitted.</p> - -<p>“So I’ve about arrive at the conclusion that’s what he’s -doin’,” the sheriff averred, biting off a piece of his cigar. -“I think I’ll have some men set to watch his cabin.”</p> - -<p>“Er, waugh!” Nomad snorted.</p> - -<p>The sheriff gave him a sharp look.</p> - -<p>“Jest got a frog in my throat,” the trapper explained. -“I’m tuck thet way et times.”</p> - -<p>The baron sucked silently at his long-stemmed pipe, -and the expression of his face was as cast iron as he -could make it.</p> - -<p>“It come to me,” the sheriff went on, “after I’d started -fer this place, that maybe this fool on the mountain -was into that game last night, instead of Juniper and -Benson. Though at first I was sure it was them; and -that they had done it more as a exhibition of clear sand -than to git the money.”</p> - -<p>He studied the face of Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“What’s your idea?”</p> - -<p>“That it was the work of Juniper Joe and Benson.”</p> - -<p>“Then you don’t credit the idea that the Fool o’ Folly -Mountain may have turned the trick?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span></p> - -<p>“I don’t.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think he’s giving the public a square deal? -Don’t you think he is lyin’?”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill seemed to ponder this.</p> - -<p>“I’m interested in watching that fellow,” he said. “So, -if you’ll just leave his case with me, it will be a favor.”</p> - -<p>The sheriff was glad enough to get it off his hands, -he said; he had now so many irons in the fire that he -was burning some of them. But he declared that in the -end Buffalo Bill would discover that the Fool of Folly -Mountain was playing a huge double game and profiting -by it.</p> - -<p>“That’s the opinion of the town, is it?” the scout -asked.</p> - -<p>“Nearly every one is comin’ round to that belief. So -it wouldn’t surprise me if a mob marched up there some -night and took him out and hung him. We’ve had too -much hold-up work round hyer. And the town is sore -over the way it was fooled by Benson and Juniper Joe. -The people ain’t goin’ to be easy with the next feller -that runs a bluff like that.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill laughed.</p> - -<p>“I guess there never was a community more cleverly -sold,” he remarked.</p> - -<p>“And they ain’t any notion o’ bein’ sold ag’in.”</p> - -<p>“Y’ cain’t blame ’em,” Nomad commented, as if he -felt he ought to do some of the talking. “Even Buffler -was tuck in complete.”</p> - -<p>“Budt only at fairst,” corrected the German, coming -to the scout’s defense.</p> - -<p>“What I’m up hyer fer mainly,” said the sheriff, “is -to git your idea of what move I’d better make. Juniper<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span> -Joe and Benson are partners once more. What deviltry -them two can’t hatch up when they’re together there’s -no tellin’. They’ll shore go back to the road if they -haven’t already. I’d like to lay ’em by the heels.”</p> - -<p>“The only thing that can be done for a time,” the -scout answered, “aside from keeping up a continual -watch, is to stop shipments of gold out of Blossom -Range until they have been apprehended.”</p> - -<p>“Which would tie up the business of the camp,” Shepard -objected.</p> - -<p>“But it’s better policy to keep the gold here than to -lose it. Yet there is one other thing that can be done: -that is to send such a strong guard with every stage -that goes through that the road agents won’t dare hold -it up.”</p> - -<p>“You see, speakin’ gin’rally, we figger that we’re workin’ -ag’inst jest two men,” said the sheriff; “when, as a -matter of fact, we don’t know how many we’re up ag’inst. -Benson and Juniper Joe, in my opinion, has got scores -of men who will help ’em, right hyer in this camp. I -remember two months ago, when Benson was workin’ -the road, we tried sendin’ through strong guards with -the stages. There was <em>ten</em> men on one stage that was -held up in the cañon jest t’other side o’ Stag Mountain. -But there was <em>twenty</em> of the road agents that held it -up. Five of the guards was shot dead in the fight, two -more wounded, and the whole shipment was lost. They -even took the stage horses. That’s the kind of men we’ve -got to deal with.”</p> - -<p>He knocked the ashes from his cigar, swung one leg -over the other, and went on:</p> - -<p>“Then there’s the Utes. They ain’t road agents, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> -they’re treacherous devils, and they hide the road agents. -They do it because the agents supplies ’em with whisky -and amm’nition. Old Iron Bow, the Ute chief, is as -big a rascal as ever walked on two legs, and the most -of his waryers air jest like him.</p> - -<p>“Three weeks ago, when I was after Jimmy Blood, I -had a tip that he had hiked to Iron Bow and that the -chief was hidin’ him. So I goes up there with a gang -of my men at my back, and demands him. The chief -he gives me the laugh; says ’t no white man ain’t been -in that village for a month. I wanted to search the -tepees, but he wouldn’t let me. I didn’t dare try it without -his consent; I didn’t have men enough, in the first -place, and, in the second, if I’d got the Utes started, -there’d been a merry old party; it might ’a’ put ’em on -the warpath, and I didn’t care to take that risk. Jimmy -was there, I reckon; but he made a sneak afterwards, and -got out of the country. He was heard of, anyway, over -in Albuquerque.”</p> - -<p>He paused for breath.</p> - -<p>“So,” he added, “that’s the situation. If any one -reckons that bein’ sheriff of this county is a snap, let him -take another think. It’s plantin’ gray hairs in my head -fast enough, I tell you; which is maybe because I try -to play square and do my whole duty.”</p> - -<p>He was on the point of recurring to the subject of -the possibility of apprehending Benson and Juniper Joe, -when there was a tap on the door that stayed him.</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill opened the door in answer to the -knock he saw a veiled woman.</p> - -<p>“May I come in?” she said, looking past him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span></p> - -<p>But when she was inside and beheld the sheriff she -seemed on the point of making a retreat.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go, madam,” said Shepard, rising, “if you think -you can talk better without me bein’ here.”</p> - -<p>“No; stay!” she said, after hesitating. “Perhaps it is -just as well that you should hear what I’ve come to say -to Mr. Cody.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had put out a chair for her. When she -took it she lifted her veil and revealed herself as Vera -Bright.</p> - -<p>The woman looked about the room, then fixed her eyes -on Buffalo Bill, though she gave a glance now and then -in the direction of the sheriff.</p> - -<p>“I think I can guess what Mr. Shepard is here for,” -she said, making her beginning. “It concerns the escape -of Juniper Joe from prison.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve hit the nail straight on the head, madam,” -Shepard admitted. “That’s a thing that’s worryin’ me -a whole lot right now.”</p> - -<p>He was trying to study the face of the woman, as he -had an idea that she bore him no good will, for the reason -that he had held her in Blossom Range at a time when -she was very anxious to get away.</p> - -<p>But the study of her face could not reveal much. The -paint and powder were laid on too thick for that. Her -abundant hair was blondined, or false—perhaps both. -But artificial as she was in appearance, she seemed at -the moment at least to be in earnest.</p> - -<p>“I think I can perhaps give information of value,” -she declared, “if I am assured that I shall be shielded.”</p> - -<p>“I think we can promise that, so far as the men in -this room are concerned,” the scout assured her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span></p> - -<p>“I don’t know that Mr. Shepard will be likely to -think that anything I say can be believed,” she said. “He -remembers that I lied to him when I was brought back -from Calumet Wells; but I wanted to get away, then, -and so thought I had cause for lying. But in this case -it’s different. I’ve got a good reason for telling the -truth.”</p> - -<p>She turned to Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“I don’t need to tell you why Tim Benson killed John -Ward, as you know all about it. But you may not know -that when he killed him he made me his deadly enemy.”</p> - -<p>“I had guessed as much,” the scout told her.</p> - -<p>“So, now that Benson is still hanging round here, and -he and Juniper Joe are again together, I want to tell -you to watch the saloon of Gopher Gabe.”</p> - -<p>“We have been doing something in that line already,” -the scout told her.</p> - -<p>“Then you have suspected Gopher Gabe?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I shouldn’t say as much as that; but resorts -like his are always to be held in suspicion. Even if the -proprietor is straight, such a place draws shady characters -of all kinds.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you do not know,” he added, “that Gopher -Gabe’s place was robbed last night.”</p> - -<p>Her surprise showed, even under her paint and -powder.</p> - -<p>“I was not aware of it.”</p> - -<p>“The post office shared the same fate,” he told her.</p> - -<p>“It puzzles me,” she said; “for that would indicate -that the robbers were not friends of Gopher Gabe.”</p> - -<p>“And you had thought they were?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I thought so.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span></p> - -<p>“The robbery at Gopher Gabe’s may have been a -mere blind, madam,” said Shepard. “I’ve known o’ the -like.”</p> - -<p>“That would explain it.”</p> - -<p>She turned back to the scout.</p> - -<p>“There is one other thing I wanted to mention,” she -said. “This new man up on the hill that they speak of -as the Fool has been visiting Gopher Gabe’s place. I saw -him go in there only yesterday.”</p> - -<p>“That so?” said Shepard. “You know, Cody, I said -I had been suspectin’ that feller. He’s crooked.”</p> - -<p>“He is gambling at Gopher Gabe’s,” said the woman. -“One of the girls with the company here has told me -that. I am sure he is in with Gopher Gabe’s gang.”</p> - -<p>“It seems to be an important bit of evidence,” the -scout admitted.</p> - -<p>“Yaw, I pedt you!” gulped the German.</p> - -<p>“I’m allowin’ et seems ter be,” Nomad added.</p> - -<p>“You’ll all come round to my opinion of that feller -after a while,” the sheriff declared confidently. “I’m -goin’ to—— But I forgot, Cody, that you asked me -to keep my hands off him; that you wanted to handle -that part of the thing yourself.”</p> - -<p>“That is my wish,” the scout admitted.</p> - -<p>“You knew that Gopher Gabe is interested in the -Casino?” said the woman.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” the scout told her.</p> - -<p>“The two are connected. The waiters go from the -saloon to the wine rooms back of the Casino through an -alley leading from the rear of the saloon. The distance -is but a few steps.”</p> - -<p>The scout nodded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span></p> - -<p>“And of course if the waiters can go through there -other people can, from the wine rooms to the saloon. -My suggestion is, if you could get a man in there as -one of the waiters, and have him watch, some revelations -would come that would surprise you.”</p> - -<p>“It might be done,” said Shepard, straightening up in -his chair as the idea struck him; “though jest now I -don’t know how we could work it to get a man in there.”</p> - -<p>She laughed unpleasantly, and suggested, as if she did -not mean it, that some night they might rap one of the -waiters on the head, and then put a man in his place.</p> - -<p>Nomad, who was sitting near the door, now made a -sudden dive at it, breaking the conversation abruptly; -then flung the door open and raced along the hall. They -heard the click of his revolver as he cocked it, and his -bawling command to some one to stop; and heard, likewise, -the pattering of feet.</p> - -<p>The incident brought up every one in the room. Buffalo -Bill and Shepard jumped to the door; the baron -tumbled out of his chair, dropping his pipe; and the -woman stood up nervously.</p> - -<p>Nomad soon returned, grunting and fuming.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” he breathed. “Thar was a critter out thar -eavesdrappin’. I heard him breathin’, by the lower aidge -o’ the door, as he listened, and jumped fer him; but he -was too quick fer me. I might ’a’ shot him as he -skedaddled, but I didn’t hardly want ter do et; an’ when -I got ter the foot o’ the stairs, he was clean gone.”</p> - -<p>“An eavesdropper!” the woman cried, shaken with the -agitation of sudden fear.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll have to loaf round out in the hall while<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span> -we continue this talk,” the scout said to Nomad. “It’s a -thing we ought to have done before.”</p> - -<p>“Wonder who the skunk was?” puffed the sheriff.</p> - -<p>“Some one who had a good reason for wanting to -know what was being said in here, you may be certain,” -the scout told him.</p> - -<p>“Vale, he vor shure heardt vot you vos saying apoudt -putting somepoty in der blace uff one uff dose vaiters,” -the baron reminded.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I reckon he must have heard that,” admitted -Shepard.</p> - -<p>“Which means that we’ll not be able to do it now,” -said the scout. “If he was a friend of Gopher Gabe, -which seems likely, of course Gabe would be looking for -a trick of that kind now, and block it promptly.”</p> - -<p>The scout saw that the woman still seemed frightened.</p> - -<p>“I was going to make a request of you, and I shall -still make it,” he said, “though what has happened may -cause you to think the thing will be dangerous. I take -it for granted that you want to get even with Tim -Benson for killing Ward.”</p> - -<p>Her courage seemed to come back with a bound.</p> - -<p>“It seems to me,” she said, with her first show of emotion, -“that I would be willing to give my life for that!”</p> - -<p>“You will not have to give your life, I am sure; yet -you will have to assume some risk in doing what I -suggest. That is that you rejoin the show company -you were with, which is still at the Casino. I think -that would put you in a position where you could do -some spying on Gopher Gabe’s place to good advantage.”</p> - -<p>“That certainly would be at the risk of my life, after -what that eavesdropper must have heard,” she told him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span></p> - -<p>“But are you willing to try it?”</p> - -<p>She drew a deep breath; then for a moment or so -was silent.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” she said, “I will try it; I’ll rejoin the company, -if the manager will take me back.”</p> - -<p>“I think he will do that. If he isn’t willing, a little -money given to him quietly will work it. Yet I hardly -need to say to you that in my opinion he will consider -that you are worth more to him now than ever. You -understand what I mean. Everybody has been talking -about your supposed connection with the road agents. -Could there be a better advertisement, from the manager’s -standpoint?”</p> - -<p>Shepard slapped his knee.</p> - -<p>“Jest the ticket!” he said. “If the lady will consent -to it.”</p> - -<p>She was silent again, as if thinking this over.</p> - -<p>“I can try it,” she declared quietly, rising. “But don’t -forget that what I came here for was to ask you to -watch Gopher Gabe’s. I will do what I can, from the -Casino side, if I get the chance; but you men ought to -be able to do a good deal more from the outside.”</p> - -<p>The scout was on his feet as she turned to the door.</p> - -<p>“Remember,” he said, “that while we are watching, -we will take means to protect you as far as we can. -We are anxious to get Benson.”</p> - -<p>“And mighty anxious to get Juniper Joe back in the -jail,” added the sheriff.</p> - -<p>She stopped in the doorway, turning to the scout.</p> - -<p>“I may want to communicate with you. I shall use -the post office if I do. I suppose <em>that</em> can be trusted?”</p> - -<p>Nomad had come back to the door, along the hall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span></p> - -<p>“Nothin’ kin be trusted in this hyer thievin’ town!” he -declared.</p> - -<p>She smiled on the old trapper with what must have -been something of a remnant of her vanished coquetry.</p> - -<p>“Not even me?” she said.</p> - -<p>Then she hurried along the hall and left the hotel, -pulling her veil down as she did so.</p> - -<p>Nomad came on into the room, after a steady look -at her back.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” he said, flinging himself into a chair. “Is -she playin’ fa’r er otherwise? Mebby so; I dunno.”</p> - -<p>“Nomat, I am mit you,” declared the baron. “Vhen -I rememper my vife, vot was so sveet yoost pefore ve vos -marriet, unt den vos a she-tiger yoost afdher ve vos -marriet, I ton’dt dake no stocks in enny vomans.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill laughed.</p> - -<p>“She will play fair while it is to her interest to do -so, and just now she thinks it is to her interest.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” drawled Shepard, “we can watch her while -we’re watchin’ other people. But I’d like to know who -it was had his nose stuck under the door hyer while we -was talkin’.”</p> - -<p>“It looked to me,” said Nomad, “like the back o’ White-eyed -Moses.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE SHERIFF’S WARNING.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little -rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table -before him. His full jaws had a sleek, round, well-fed -look, which, with his eyes, gave him a fancied resemblance -to the thick-cheeked, pouched gopher of the West, -and had conferred on him the name by which he was best -known.</p> - -<p>In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: -He worked underground. Though in secret connection -with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had -managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge -of the public. Most people were reluctant to think that -a man so “whole-souled” as Gopher Gabe could be a -secret partner with the thugs and road agents who had -made Blossom Range notorious.</p> - -<p>He ran a saloon, it was true, and gambling was done -there. Also, he had an interest in the Casino and the -unsavory wine rooms connected with it. Everybody -knew that, yet few, if any, guessed the whole truth.</p> - -<p>Into the small room where Gopher Gabe sat, White-eyed -Moses suddenly projected himself at such speed -that his coat tails flapped out behind him. His white -eyes were staring and he was much excited, as well as -breathless.</p> - -<p>“Vhat an escabe!” he gasped, sinking into a chair.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span></p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe, who had lifted the foaming glass, put it -down untouched.</p> - -<p>“What in Sam Hill——”</p> - -<p>“You said I shouldt vatch Buffalo Bill’s rooms, if I -could,” explained the fiddler. “So when, this morning, I -seen Shepardt go dare, and then this voman, Miss Vera -Bright, I triedt it. That is vhat I mean. They were in -his room, talking, and I dropped down by the door, in -the hall outsite. I vas gitting some imbortant information, -I t’ought, vhen that trapper chumbed at the door, -and I had to gidt.”</p> - -<p>He breathed heavily.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe looked at him steadily.</p> - -<p>“I reckon what you heard was about that jail escape -and the robberies last night? Naturally Shepard would -go there to talk about it, as he thinks he is small persimmons -alongside of Buffalo Bill. What was they -sayin’.”</p> - -<p>“Vell, the voman is going in with them!”</p> - -<p>The saloon keeper stiffened back in his chair.</p> - -<p>“So?”</p> - -<p>“They was talking it over. She was gifing her suspicions -about you.”</p> - -<p>“So?” said Gabe, but his voice had risen, and his rat-like -eyes began to glitter. “What was she sayin’?”</p> - -<p>“She was telling them to vatch your blace.”</p> - -<p>“So?”</p> - -<p>“That’s vhat I made of it. She is wanting rewenge -on Juniper Joe and Benson for killing Ward.”</p> - -<p>“Git a woman worked up along the jealousy-and-revenge -line,” said Gopher Gabe, “and you’ve got a devil -to deal with. But <em>she</em> don’t know anything.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span></p> - -<p>“I am hobing not.”</p> - -<p>“I’m certain she don’t. She was with the show only -a week, and all she saw was what went on in the wine -rooms. What’s she goin’ to do?”</p> - -<p>“Vell, I don’t know that. She was gifing them tips.”</p> - -<p>“And will give ’em more if she can. But that needn’t -scared you.”</p> - -<p>“I see you ton’dt understand. I was scared because I -am so near being catched. I didn’t get oudt of the hall -before that trapper vas in it. I t’ought he was going to -shoot.”</p> - -<p>“Did he recognize ye? That’s important.”</p> - -<p>“I am hobing he didn’t, but I don’t know. He didn’t -see my face, I am sure. I was going down the stairvay -vhen he shouted to me to stop. He clicked his rewolver, -but I didn’t stop.”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t hear anything to make you think they -guess where Juniper and Benson air?”</p> - -<p>“Only vhat she said. She told them to vatch your -joint. And there was some talk about putting some one -in blace of one of your vaiters, so that he could act as a -sby.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we can block that, now that we’re on. I don’t -think they can find Benson and Joe.”</p> - -<p>“Are they going out to the Utes?”</p> - -<p>“No. They’ll be safer right where I’ve got ’em. I -ain’t scared yet. Buffalo Bill has been watching this -place straight along, but not saying anything about it; -we know that. Let him watch. He’ll not catch me napping.”</p> - -<p>“Shepardt has been your friendt.”</p> - -<p>“He is yit. But of course he won’t stand for lawbreakin’<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span> -and jailbreakin’. So long’s he thinks I’m on -the square, Shepard ain’t goin’ to make trouble; but——”</p> - -<p>A man who had come into the saloon, instead of stopping -before the bar, had come on back, and now approached -the small room where Gopher Gabe and his -fiddling lieutenant were conferring.</p> - -<p>White-eyed Moses took a look through the crack of the -door.</p> - -<p>“Gootness! It’s him, right now.”</p> - -<p>“Matt Shepard?”</p> - -<p>“Sure.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s all right. Jest you keep your face -straight, and say that you hain’t been near the Eagle -House. I’ll fix him.”</p> - -<p>Matt Shepard, square-jawed, big-framed, honest, and -gritty, but a man of the type known as a “mixer,” came -up to the door of the room, then pushed it open, and -walked in, looking at the proprietor and at White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Mose!” he said, taking a seat quite as if he -felt at home. “Where you been keepin’ yerself lately?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, all roundt. In the usual blaces,” was the fiddler’s -answer.</p> - -<p>“Fiddlin’ business as good as ever, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Purdy goodt!”</p> - -<p>“You wasn’t over t’ the Eagle House a while ago? -Think straight now!”</p> - -<p>“I vasn’t over dare.”</p> - -<p>“You’re goin’ to stick to that?”</p> - -<p>“Vhy shouldt I be over dare?”</p> - -<p>“It was said that you was spyin’ on Cody!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span></p> - -<p>White-eyed Moses threw out his hands in vehement -disclaimer.</p> - -<p>“Well, I ain’t goin’ to ask you to swear to it,” said -Shepard. “If a man’s word can’t be believed, I wouldn’t -believe his oath. You’ve heard, o’ course, of the escape -of Juniper. Everybody has. So, what do you think -of it?”</p> - -<p>“You vas neatly done.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right.”</p> - -<p>He turned to Gopher Gabe.</p> - -<p>“I’m goin’ to talk straight, Gabe,” he said to him. -“I’ve always been your friend, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” Gopher Gabe grunted.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s like this: You’re bein’ suspected. First, -they say that you’re in with the thieves and thugs that -have been workin’ overtime round this camp lately. -Then they say that you know something about this plan -by which I was induced to let Juniper Joe slip through -my fingers.”</p> - -<p>“All a lie,” said Gopher Gabe.</p> - -<p>“Of course I expected you’d say that. So I’ve got only -this remark to make, though really I haven’t any right, -as an officer of the law, to make it. It’s jest this: If -any of the things that’s bein’ said are so, I give you -warning that it must be stopped. If you’re helpin’ Juniper -and Benson in their present game of hide-out, stop -it; and if you’re in with any of those hold-up men, stop -that, too; and short off.”</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe’s face flushed and his ratlike eyes glittered, -but he kept his temper within bounds, so that when -he spoke his voice was as usual. He even laughed as -he retorted:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span></p> - -<p>“All lies. You know the kind of business I run here—something -to drink, with gambling as a side issue, and -the serving of the Casino wine rooms. Everything’s -open and aboveboard. I ain’t no call to do any different.”</p> - -<p>“You oughtn’t to have, Gabe, and that’s a fact.”</p> - -<p>The sheriff got to his feet.</p> - -<p>“I stand for law and order here,” he said; “that’s my -business, and I’m goin’ to run it straight so long’s as -the people elect me to the office. You’d do the same, in -my place. But I play fair. So I jest dropped in to give -you warnin’.”</p> - -<p>He left the room, and they heard him speak to the barkeeper -on his way to the street.</p> - -<p>“Now, vhat do you think of that?” asked White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“It’s like Shepard, and it’s the thing that makes him -so popular.”</p> - -<p>“He’ll pull you, chust the same?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, if I give him the chance.”</p> - -<p>“You noticed that he ditn’t say anything aboudt Vera -Bright and the putting of some one as a sby in blace of -one of your vaiters!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon he’s got sense enough to keep some -things to himself.”</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe finished the beer on the table.</p> - -<p>He did not seem disturbed.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[151]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE GOPHER BITES.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Vera Bright found that Buffalo Bill was right in his -conjecture that she would have no difficulty in securing -her former position and that the manager would consider -her recent notoriety an added attraction.</p> - -<p>So she appeared in the show that evening in her former -part.</p> - -<p>When the performance was ended and she went back to -the wine rooms, she was told that Gopher Gabe wished -to see her.</p> - -<p>One of the waiters brought the invitation.</p> - -<p>“He’s in that little den he uses, back of the saloon,” -she was informed. “You’d better see him.”</p> - -<p>Vera Bright shivered, in spite of herself; she recalled -the fact that some one, possibly White-eyed Moses, had -eavesdropped at the door of Buffalo Bill’s room at the -Eagle House.</p> - -<p>“He isn’t in a temper?” she said anxiously.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so; he seemed in good enough humor. -But the way he said it when he told me to tell you made -me know that he meant it. So I’d advise you to go.”</p> - -<p>For a moment Vera Bright thought of bolting out of -the place and giving up the task she had assumed. Then -her native courage came to reassure her.</p> - -<p>“He may talk rough,” she thought; “but so long as -the waiter knows that he sent for me he won’t do anything<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[152]</span> -more than that. And if I’m to stay here and play -spy I must expect to meet him.”</p> - -<p>So she girded up her courage and went to the room -which Gopher Gabe used at times, where he would sit -giving his orders.</p> - -<p>His round, fat, flushed face showed only the utmost -kindness as she came into the room after pausing timidly -on the threshold. The hour was late—the performance -had lasted a long time. She wondered if she was -not doing a foolish thing.</p> - -<p>“So you came!” he said. “I thought you would.”</p> - -<p>He got up, gave her a chair, then closed the door; -but she observed that he did not lock it.</p> - -<p>“Good show to-night, they tell me,” he observed as -he came back, “and a good audience. I suppose the manager -raised your pay. He ought to.”</p> - -<p>She felt afraid of him; he was so large and strong, -such a very giant of a man—his jaws were heavy, his -neck thick, his shoulders big and broad. He was a huge, -coarse leviathan, and she felt that if he wished he could -crush her between his fat, thick fingers. Again the feeling -came on her strongly that in mixing in this matter -she was putting her life in danger.</p> - -<p>There was a slight trembling of her voice when she -asked him why he had sent for her.</p> - -<p>“Well,” he said, leaning back in his big chair and -looking steadily at her, “I understand that you have -gone over to my enemies; I wanted to ask you if it was -true.”</p> - -<p>“Not in the sense you perhaps think,” she assured him, -knowing now that White-eyed Moses had heard and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[153]</span> -told, and that she could not deceive the man before her -as to what had passed at the Eagle House.</p> - -<p>“In what sense, then?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I have nothing against <em>you</em>,” she told him.</p> - -<p>“Against some of my friends, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Not unless you call Juniper Joe and Tim Benson -your friends,” she declared. “I don’t need to explain -about that matter, as you understand it.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got it in fer them because you think they -killed Ward, and you was sweet on Ward! That’s it, -eh?”</p> - -<p>She clinched her hands tightly together in her lap.</p> - -<p>“Something like that,” she admitted.</p> - -<p>“Well, what is it you’re goin’ to do?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“If I can find out where they are I’m going to notify -the sheriff.”</p> - -<p>“And Buffalo Bill?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I shall tell him, too.”</p> - -<p>“Well, now, do you think all that gives you any cause -to ask them to watch my establishment?”</p> - -<p>He saw her tremble.</p> - -<p>“I—I——”</p> - -<p>He stopped her with a wave of his fat hand, leaning -toward her.</p> - -<p>“Before you answer that, which will be with a lie, I -reckon, tell me what you know about this feller on top o’ -Folly Mountain?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know anything about him.”</p> - -<p>“We’d like to know somethin’ about him, more than -we do.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard it hinted that he is a road agent, playing a -game there to fool the people.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[154]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ve heard the same, and I’d like to know the truth. -Now, I get right down to why I sent fer you. By offerin’ -to go in with Buffalo Bill and Matt Shepard, you’ve -showed that you’re a good deal of a fool. I’m speakin’ -straight, you see. What can they offer you? And what -have you got in common with them, anyhow? Your -kind is the kind that hangs out at the Casino and round -the wine rooms; not the law-and-order crowd. You -know it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know that, though I’m ashamed of it.”</p> - -<p>“Get over that!” he said roughly. “You’ll receive -more kindness from your own crowd than you ever will -from any other. Take it from me straight, that you will. -So, in the end, you ain’t goin’ to gain anything by goin’ -in with that crowd. Cut it out!”</p> - -<p>She returned his steady look.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“That sounds more like it. In the first place, I want -to say to you that you can’t stay round here and me not -know everything you’re doin’; just recollect that, and it -may be of help to you. I’ve got friends in plenty; men -you wouldn’t think of, too. When that law-and-order -crowd gets through with you, and that will be just as -soon as they ain’t got no further use for you, you’ll get -no favors from them; you ought to know that. With -your own crowd you can always have friends and help -when you want it. I know what’s troublin’ you. You -think you want to got even with Benson and Juniper -Joe. Now, let me tell you that you don’t. You’d better -forgit that old jealousy quarrel and let it go.”</p> - -<p>But he saw her eyes blaze when he said it.</p> - -<p>“You won’t?” he asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[155]</span></p> - -<p>“Not until both of them are back in jail or hung for -it,” she told him, her voice tense with sudden emotion.</p> - -<p>“A fine spirit for a woman to get into!” he declared, -with a forced laugh. “But I think you’ll get over it -when you’ve had a little time. Now, I’m goin’ to make -you a proposition. It’s got money in it, too. I’ll pay -you twice what you’re gettin’ at the Casino, if you’ll -scrape an acquaintance with the Fool of Folly Mountain -and find out just what he is up to.”</p> - -<p>He studied her face. Long experience had made him -apparently able to see to the heart of this woman, right -through the powder and paint.</p> - -<p>“You won’t do it?”</p> - -<p>She shook her head.</p> - -<p>“No!” she declared.</p> - -<p>“Why won’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Because, right now, I’ve got other work to do. Besides, -I don’t care to.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t waste time on that feller on Folly Mountain?”</p> - -<p>“No; and I don’t want to.”</p> - -<p>“So you’re goin’ to stick to this thing of bringin’ Benson -and Joe to the gallows?”</p> - -<p>“That’s just what I’m going to do!” she told him.</p> - -<p>“You told Buffalo Bill to git one of my waiters out of -the way and put a spy in here in his place.”</p> - -<p>She did not answer.</p> - -<p>“That’s so, ain’t it? Out with it!”</p> - -<p>“I see I’m a little fool.”</p> - -<p>“I think you are, myself.”</p> - -<p>“I mean, I’m a fool, or I would have lied to you, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[156]</span> -made you think I would do whatever you told me to do; -now, I’ll have to get out of that Casino company, and -out of the wine rooms, and won’t be able to do any of -the things I had planned.”</p> - -<p>“Still, you won’t come round to my idea, even when -you know that?”</p> - -<p>“No! I can’t.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got in you the making of a mighty good -woman!” He sneered. “But let me tell you why you -didn’t lie to me. It’s because you couldn’t. You know -you couldn’t fooled me, if you had tried it. So,” he -paused, and drew a deep breath, “I’m givin’ you now the -last chance. Say the word, and you’ll not want for -friends, or money, while you’re in this town. But if you -still want to stand in with that law-and-order crowd—well!”</p> - -<p>He drew up his shoulders and threw out his hands.</p> - -<p>“If you do,” he ended, “that’s your lookout. I’ll——”</p> - -<p>“You’ll do what?” she said, rising, terrified by his -answer.</p> - -<p>He rose, too.</p> - -<p>As it chanced, his chair was nearer the door than hers, -so that now, apparently without having intended it, he -blocked her way out.</p> - -<p>“I’ll do this!” he said, stepping toward her.</p> - -<p>She stared at him, frozen and stupefied with sudden -horror, because of the alteration in his face and manner; -it was as if a smiling man had changed into a snake before -her very eyes. And though she tried to recoil, she -did not seem able to do it.</p> - -<p>“I’ll do <em>this</em>!” he repeated, putting out his hand—a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[157]</span> -fat, pudgy hand, that now had a clammy look, as if the -fingers were brown eels.</p> - -<p>She tried to step backward and cry out.</p> - -<p>But the hand shot out, and the next moment it had -clutched her throat. She fell to the door, writhing in -that deadly, serpent grip.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[158]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE BARON’S EXPERIENCE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Idt pegins to loogk like excidemendt iss goming my -vay in punches.”</p> - -<p>The round-bodied baron, hiding in the shadows, stared -hard at a man of big girth who hurried past him bearing -a burden in his arms that strongly resembled the limp -form of a woman.</p> - -<p>The baron, having heard everything in that interview -with Vera Bright, had begged to be assigned work -in and about the Casino.</p> - -<p>“I haf done some goot sbying dhere alreadty,” he -urged. “I know some uff der beoples, too.”</p> - -<p>“But you couldn’t disguise yerself, Schnitz. Every -dog in Blossom Range knows ther look o’ ye, by this -time,” old Nomad had told him.</p> - -<p>“Vhen I dry, I gan disguises meinselluf as vell as eenypoty,” -the baron had protested; “but yoost dhis dime I -aind’t going to tried idt; I am going to der show, unt -loogk aroundt a liddle afdher idt iss ofer. Alreadty I -haf peen to dhis show more as vunce; unt I gan go ag’in -mitout keeking oop any teeficuldy.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had let the baron go.</p> - -<p>After the Casino performance was over, the German -managed to lose himself in the wine rooms and corridors -that lay behind the Casino and connected it with the establishment -presided over by Gopher Gabe.</p> - -<p>Yet he had not escaped observation entirely. A<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[159]</span> -waiter, meeting him in a passage, had asked him what he -was doing there. And when the baron said he was trying -to find his way out, the waiter had escorted him to the -exit.</p> - -<p>The baron had gone out; then he had come in again.</p> - -<p>This time he professed to be seeking White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“I hear he iss a Cherman, unt uff so, I vant to git -acvainted mit him,” was his statement.</p> - -<p>He did not find White-eyed Moses—did not look for -him; but again made his way into the passage which he -had been forced to leave.</p> - -<p>When near the saloon he heard the low grumble of the -voice of Gopher Gabe, at the time Gabe was talking with -the woman; but he could not hear what was said.</p> - -<p>Crouching in a dark corner, the baron waited; he -wanted to see with whom the saloon keeper was conversing.</p> - -<p>It was while in that spot that the big figure of Gopher -Gabe loomed before him; then passed swiftly on, bearing -in his arms what seemed to be the limp body of a -woman.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe had apparently passed without seeing the -baron.</p> - -<p>The latter rose up immediately and began to follow.</p> - -<p>“Dot iss shure a vomans,” he thought; “unt it look to -me as if she iss inkinscious. Uff so, idt haf a meanness.”</p> - -<p>In the dim light, the baron saw Gopher Gabe slide his -huge bulk through one of the doors of the wine rooms. -Then the door closed behind him. But as the room was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[160]</span> -not lighted the baron was not able even yet to make sure -that this was Gopher Gabe.</p> - -<p>So he crouched outside, again waiting. He had -reached the belief that the woman was Vera Bright.</p> - -<p>Five minutes later the big man came out of that room, -alone.</p> - -<p>Again he passed the baron, without apparently seeing -him; and went toward the saloon.</p> - -<p>The baron squatted in the gloom, staring at the door, -which the saloon keeper had closed behind him on coming -out.</p> - -<p>“He leef der inkinscious voman in dot room vor -shure,” was the baron’s conclusion. “Maybe diss iss a -case uff murter. Idt iss oop to me to see. By yiminy, uff -a murter haf been gommitted, Gopher Gape vill findt -himselluf in a slings.”</p> - -<p>He rose to his feet, trembling with eagerness.</p> - -<p>“Shall I dry der door?” he asked himself. “I ton’dt -know vot iss in dare; unt maybe I gan’t git in uff I dry -idt. Yidt, here iss going.”</p> - -<p>He crept up to the door, listened, then tried some keys -he had on a ring in his pocket. To his gratification one -of them turned the bolt of the lock, and the door opened.</p> - -<p>Having entered cautiously, he closed the door behind -him; then stood listening in the darkness. The room was -quiet. From the wine rooms beyond he heard singing -and laughter.</p> - -<p>“Iss eenypoty in here?” he asked, in a hoarse whisper.</p> - -<p>He got no satisfaction from this; so concluded to risk -a match.</p> - -<p>When it flared up and he looked about by its light he -saw the outlines of a very small square room, which was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[161]</span> -empty. The only door was the one by which he had -come in, and there were no windows. The woman was -not there. The only thing which drew his attention as -being out of the ordinary was a piece of wood, or board, -braced below the ceiling, which seemed likely to fall if -touched or jarred.</p> - -<p>“Vale, I am oop a sdump!” he concluded, staring round -in disappointment. “She vos broughdt in here, budt she -iss not bresent. Vot is der explanadions?”</p> - -<p>He turned to the door, intending to leave the room.</p> - -<p>As he did so he felt the floor begin to sink under him, -carrying him downward.</p> - -<p>He jumped for the door; but he could not get out now, -even when he tried to open it, for the descent of the platform -was so swift that by the time he had the door -opened a blank wall was passing apparently upward before -his face. He could not see it clearly, because of the -darkness; but he felt the wall sliding upward, when he -touched it with his fingers.</p> - -<p>“I am going indo der cellar uff dhis estaplishmendt! -Maybe der voman vent der same vay. Yaw! I pedt -you I am guessing righdt. Now, uff——”</p> - -<p>The sinking floor stopped with a bump that brought -the baron to his knees. He heard the piece of timber -which he had seen over him scuttling down, and threw -up his arm to ward it off; failing to do so, it rapped him -on the head, knocking him heavily to the floor.</p> - -<p>The door opened; and the baron, dazed and bewildered, -was seized by strong arms and dragged out, not -knowing at the moment what was happening to him.</p> - -<p>When he came back to something like clearness of -thought a dim light was shining before him, and by it a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[162]</span> -man was sitting. The man was Gopher Gabe, and the -light was from a candle stuck on top of a box. The -place seemed to be a cellar, and had the odor of one.</p> - -<p>The baron’s first effort was to brush away cobwebs -that seemed to obscure his vision. In trying it, he made -the discovery that he was tied up, hand and foot. He was -dizzy and half blind.</p> - -<p>“Vale,” he said, “how iss dhis?”</p> - -<p>His voice sounded strange to him, and far off.</p> - -<p>“You know where you are?” came in answer.</p> - -<p>“I seem to be in der cellar. Who ar-re you, eenyhow? -Somedings seems to pe fluddering pefore mine eyes, so -dot I do not see so blain as I wouldt like.”</p> - -<p>“How did you get in here?”</p> - -<p>“Idt iss der kvestion I am vandting to ask uff you.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know who I am?”</p> - -<p>The baron leaned forward and stared.</p> - -<p>“Iss dare somedings pefore mine eyes? I am in sooch -a bevildermendt dot I ton’dt know nottings blainly.”</p> - -<p>“You got a crack on the head when the elevator -stopped; I guess that’s what’s the matter with you. -There was a piece of timber loose in that elevator, and it -fell down on you.”</p> - -<p>“T’anks vor der misinformadion,” the baron grunted incredulously.</p> - -<p>“But the question is, What was you doin’ in that elevator?”</p> - -<p>“I ditn’t knowed idt vos one.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you know now; and by buttin’ in where you had -no business you got yerself in this fix.”</p> - -<p>The German, feeling his way back to clearer thought, -did not answer this.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[163]</span></p> - -<p>“You was spying!” said the man.</p> - -<p>The baron stared hard at him again.</p> - -<p>“You are Misder Gopher Gape, I t’ink,” he said at -last.</p> - -<p>“So you’ve recognized me?”</p> - -<p>“Vhy you tie me oop like dhis, Misder Gopher Gape?”</p> - -<p>“So you won’t hurt yerself, and so you won’t go pokin’ -about in places where you’ll get into trouble. I’m -goin’ to let you think over that a while. By and by, I’ll -see you again.”</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe arose, took the candle, and disappeared, -leaving the baron in total darkness.</p> - -<p>“Vale, dis iss a kveer pitzness,” he said. “Yaw! I -remember now, dot I was drying to findt oudt vot habben -to der vomans. Unt so I gidt me into teeficuldy. I vonder -vhat pecame uff her?”</p> - -<p>He had unconsciously spoken his thought aloud, in his -queer English.</p> - -<p>Then a voice reached him, from some spot near:</p> - -<p>“I am here!”</p> - -<p>The baron twisted around in his cords, staring.</p> - -<p>“You ar-re here? I ton’dt seen you.”</p> - -<p>“It would be hard to see anything, in this black hole.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! I pelief you. You come down py der elefator, -too—huh!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know how I got here.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! I remember. You vos inkinscious.”</p> - -<p>“That man attacked me, after he had sent for me to -visit him in his room back of his saloon; he choked me -until I couldn’t breathe; then I lost consciousness. I -think he means to kill us. For myself, I am sure of it.”</p> - -<p>“Yoompin’ yack rappits! Iss dot so-o?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[164]</span></p> - -<p>“I’m sure of it. I saw it in his eyes when he lunged -at me.”</p> - -<p>“Dhen I am t’inking dot ve petter pe findting a vay to -gidt oudt uff dhis blace.”</p> - -<p>“If it could be done!” she said hopelessly.</p> - -<p>“Aber I——”</p> - -<p>But he stopped; for voices had reached them. They -had been speaking in whispers, or little more; and the -voices came merely as a low grumble, as if walls separated -them from the speakers. When they kept silence -and listened they could now and then make out words, -that, apparently, were not meant for their ears.</p> - -<p>“We’ll show Cody a thing or two,” was one thing they -heard. “He has been thinking he is only up ag’inst a -couple of men. He is now gettin’ his eyes open to the -fact that he’s got a crowd to fight. But we can down -him. A shot from the dark will put him out of business. -As for this fool Dutchman, we’ll hold him a while, for we -may want to use him; then <em>he</em> can go over the road.”</p> - -<p>The grumble rose and fell, so that a good many things -could not be made out; but something was said about the -Fool of Folly Mountain.</p> - -<p>Then some words came quite clearly.</p> - -<p>“He’s in with us, all right;” this plainly referring to -Uncle Sam. “Cody thinks he is standing in with him; -and we’ll let him think it. By and by, if we don’t down -him too soon with a bullet, Cody will learn the truth.”</p> - -<p>Again the grumble died down.</p> - -<p>Then once more words came which could be understood.</p> - -<p>“The trapper, too; we’ll fix him. Needn’t think he can -come into this camp and put the kibosh onto us; it can’t<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[165]</span> -be done easy. We’ve got too many friends here, and -our organization is too strong.”</p> - -<p>For some time the voices went on, in a grumble that -rose and fell. But, though snatches of the talk came into -the cellar, the baron got little more that he could piece -together into intelligible sentences.</p> - -<p>At last the talk stopped altogether. But the men were -not heard to walk away. Still, it was apparent that they -had gone.</p> - -<p>“Vot do you t’ink uff idt?” the baron breathed at last.</p> - -<p>“It proves just what I said—that Gopher Gabe means -to kill us. It proves, too, what I’ve thought, that he has -a strong organization in this town. Cody will find that -he is fighting all the thugs and bad men of Blossom -Range, and there is a regiment of them; I think that in -the end they will kill him, too.”</p> - -<p>“Ton’dt you pelieve idt!” protested the baron. “Dare -iss nodt eenypoty vot gan kill Cody.”</p> - -<p>“He doesn’t bear a charmed life any more than other -men; and a bullet in the dark, or a knife thrust, can put -him out of the way as easy as it would any one else.”</p> - -<p>“You ton’dt knowed Cody!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know him. But his days are numbered.”</p> - -<p>“You are loogking indo der darkness,” said the baron; -“loogk oudt ondo der sunlighdt.”</p> - -<p>The woman seemed to laugh.</p> - -<p>“I can’t see any sunlight, in this black place.”</p> - -<p>“Imachine dot you see der sunlighdt, eenyhow! Idt -vill hellup. As vor Schnitzenhauser, he nefer gifs oop. -I haf peen in vorse blaces, unt I am sdill lifing. You -pedt me, ve gan gidt oudt uff dhis.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you would show me how.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[166]</span></p> - -<p>“Py yiminy, I vill!”</p> - -<p>He began to tug and struggle, in a wild effort to release -his hands from the cords that cut them.</p> - -<p>“I pedt I vill magke idt,” he declared. “Uff in no -odder vays, I vill gidt you to gnaw dhem off yoost like -a radt.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[167]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">AN ASSASSIN AT WORK.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The disappearance of Baron von Schnitzenhauser and -Vera Bright filled Buffalo Bill and Nomad with so much -uneasiness that they instituted a thorough search for -them, but without avail. They had dropped out of sight -completely. All that was known, was that the woman had -returned to her work at the Casino, and had disappeared; -and that the baron, set to shadow the Casino and Gopher -Gabe’s, had also vanished.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill sent for the sheriff, Matt Shepard; and -laid the facts before him.</p> - -<p>“You may not want to think so, Shepard,” said the -scout; “but Gopher Gabe is at the bottom of this. So, -as you’re on talking terms with him, I want you to tell -him, as coming straight from me, that he had better drop -this business. Tell him that I know he is holding the -baron and the woman; and that it’s up to him to let them -go, and right off.”</p> - -<p>“Which, if he don’t,” added Nomad, in a rasping -voice, “thar’ll be a dead saloon keeper purty prompt in -this hyar town!”</p> - -<p>“You’d better not say that to him, right now,” advised -the scout, speaking to Shepard, “but give it to him -hard, that he is making a fool of himself. Tell him it -shows he must be in with the blackleg gang that has -been running the robbery-and-murder mill round here<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[168]</span> -lately, and that he ought to know what the end will be -for the members of that gang.”</p> - -<p>Matt Shepard went over to Gopher Gabe’s.</p> - -<p>The saloon keeper was in his usual place, wiping off -the sloppy bar with a damp cloth. He looked white-faced -and worried.</p> - -<p>The sheriff delivered Buffalo Bill’s message.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe heard it through without apparent emotion, -but a bit of color came into his fat cheeks, and his -ratlike eyes glittered.</p> - -<p>“You tell Cody for me, that he is an a-number-one -fool,” was his answer. “Does he take me for an idiot?”</p> - -<p>“You don’t know a thing about it?” Shepard asked.</p> - -<p>“Certainly I don’t. I’d be a candidate for a lunatic -asylum, wouldn’t I, if I done a thing like that?” He -crushed the damp cloth in his thick fingers, and looked at -Shepard. “Cody has got so excited over his failure to do -anything, that he has gone to seein’ visions. Now, there -ain’t no band of highwaymen makin’ their headquarters -in this town; and you, as sheriff, ought to know that. -There’s been hold-ups and robberies; but they’ve been -done by individuals. Cody’s like a blind snake in August—scared -at every sound he hears, and strikin’ out at -everything.”</p> - -<p>Matt Shepard was about convinced that this was the -truth.</p> - -<p>“Of course, he’s naturally he’t up by this disappearance -of his pard,” he said, almost apologetically.</p> - -<p>“Maybe the Dutchman is on a drunk, and layin’ out -somewhere,” Gopher Gabe suggested.</p> - -<p>“It might be,” Shepard admitted.</p> - -<p>“As for that woman, the place to find out about her is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[169]</span> -at the Casino; if the manager of the show can’t tell you -anything about her, I can’t.”</p> - -<p>“About this Fool of Folly Mountain?” said Shepard, -coming back to what to him was a subject of mysterious -interest. “They tell me he’s been buckin’ the tiger -heavy of late, in your rooms back there.”</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe smiled.</p> - -<p>“Well, he says he is gittin’ a lot of gold out of that -wuthless dirt in what he calls his mine; and if he wants -to drop it here with me, I ain’t goin’ to make a kick, -am I?”</p> - -<p>“And they say he’s gittin’ thicker’n fleas with some of -the suspected men about town?”</p> - -<p>“I reckon you’d better see him, about that.”</p> - -<p>“I’m beginnin’ to watch him.”</p> - -<p>Shepard came away from Gopher Gabe’s knowing considerably -less than when he went. He reported to the -scout his disbelief that the saloon keeper was not playing -a straight game.</p> - -<p>But the report did not change the scout’s opinions, or -cause him to lessen his efforts.</p> - -<p>He was rapidly accumulating proof that in Blossom -Range Juniper Joe and Tim Benson were connected with -a desperate band, who were not only disposed to protect -those rascals, but willing to “put out of the way” their -enemies.</p> - -<p>Proofs of the desperate character of the men he was -watching came fast.</p> - -<p>As Buffalo Bill was sitting in the Eagle House dining -room that evening, the time being just after dark, a shot -sounded in the street, and the bullet shattered the glass -beside his plate, throwing splinters into his face.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[170]</span></p> - -<p>Nomad dived with a whoop under the table, crawled -out on the other side, and with revolver in hand ran to -the window through which the bullet had come.</p> - -<p>But he saw no one.</p> - -<p>That night Buffalo Bill spent several hours in quiet -work around Gopher Gabe’s and the Casino, with Nomad -doing business on the “side lines.” They returned to the -hotel together, at a late hour, having accomplished nothing.</p> - -<p>Hardly were they closeted in the scout’s room, talking -over their work, when a man passed rapidly through the -hall before the scout’s door. He stopped just the fraction -of a second, as if to make sure, by the sounds of -the voices within, where Buffalo Bill was sitting; then he -fired his revolver through the door, and went jumping in -wild leaps down the back stairs.</p> - -<p>It was useless to follow him.</p> - -<p>Five minutes later a bullet came through the window, -struck and caromed from the top of the table at which -the scout was sitting, then imbedded itself in the wall -behind him.</p> - -<p>Nomad promptly turned out the lamp.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” he growled. “I reckons we’ve got to set -round hyer in ther dark, ef we don’t want ter git lead -under our hides! This thing is gittin’ plum serious.”</p> - -<p>The scout went to the window, drew down the curtain, -then turned up the lamp; but he did not sit down again -by the table.</p> - -<p>“When such things as this begin to happen, it’s clear -proof that somebody’s getting badly scared,” he commented.</p> - -<p>“Who’s doin’ et? Thet’s what I wanter know.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[171]</span></p> - -<p>“Some of Gopher Gabe’s emissaries, of course; but he -ought to hire men who can do a little better shooting.”</p> - -<p>“Thet bullet come nigh ernough ter make a clost call.”</p> - -<p>“Well, yes; when it jumped from the table, it almost -kissed me on the nose.”</p> - -<p>He went to the wall and looked at the hole torn by the -bullet.</p> - -<p>“From a forty-five Colt revolver, I judge,” he commented.</p> - -<p>Steps were heard in the hall, and Nomad pulled his -revolver.</p> - -<p>“Ef thar’s more shootin’, I shoots fust!” he growled.</p> - -<p>But when, in answer to a rap; the scout opened the -door, they saw the white face of the night clerk; he -seemed scared.</p> - -<p>“Was that shooting in here?” he asked.</p> - -<p>Nomad pointed to the bullet hole in the wall.</p> - -<p>“Ther eending of et war hyer, though ther beginnin’ -wasn’t. Somebody has got inter ther pesky bad habit o’ -poppin’ at Buffler; et’s likely ther same cuss what tried -ter pot him at the supper table.”</p> - -<p>“This has got to stop,” said the exasperated clerk; “we -won’t have a guest in the house if it keeps up. To-night, -after that shooting at the dining table, four of our guests -left; the ones who were sitting at the table with you. -They said they didn’t care to run such risks; and that if -some one was trying to shoot you, they preferred to -absent themselves from your company.”</p> - -<p>“Who do you think’s doin’ et?” Nomad demanded.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t the ghost of an idea.”</p> - -<p>“Yer might guess.”</p> - -<p>“If I did, my guess would be that it’s a friend of Benson<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[172]</span> -and Juniper Joe. It’s known that the scout is hunting -for them two.”</p> - -<p>“Also, et’s known, ter me, at least, thet he’s shore goin’ -ter git ’em. Yer ain’t heard any news down at your -desk?”</p> - -<p>When the clerk declared that he hadn’t, and went -away, Buffalo Bill buckled on his pistols.</p> - -<p>“Whar away?” Nomad flung at him.</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll prowl round outside a little while. Maybe -I can get sight of that rascal, if he’s lurking about.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll pike erlong with ye.”</p> - -<p>“No; you stay here. Move about now and then; so -that if any one is watching the window he won’t know -that I’ve gone out. That may help me to catch him.”</p> - -<p>“An’ help me ter git er hunk o’ lead under my hide!”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill skulked round outside for an hour; but -he saw no one.</p> - -<p>“This hyar thing’s gittin’ onto my narves,” the trapper -declared, when the scout came back.</p> - -<p>“It’s a bit trying to be shot at, and not know who is -doing it!”</p> - -<p>He took a turn about the room.</p> - -<p>“I think, Nomad,” he said, “that I’ll do some scouting -around that cabin of the Fool, up on Folly Mountain, -before I turn in for the night.”</p> - -<p>“Wow!” Nomad gurgled. “He’s gittin’ thicker’n -thieves wi’ them cattle what air herdin’ continyul round -Gopher Gabe’s. I’m beginnin’ ter think he’s ther wust o’ -the lot. So, look out fer him; an’, ’special, look out fer -yerself.”</p> - -<p>The scout went away, slipping noiselessly down the -back stairs, then out into the night.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[173]</span></p> - -<p>But he saw no lurking form as he went.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill knew now that it was a race between -Death and Success, in his case and Nomad’s. If he -did not soon “get” the leaders of the band he was after, -they would “get” him. Evidence was accumulating, -showing that the desperadoes had a surprising number -of friends and allies, in some places where they were -least expected.</p> - -<p>He was still worried over the fate of the baron. Since -the German had dropped so suddenly and mysteriously -out of sight not a word had been received from him or -about him. The same was true of Vera Bright. The -show manager claimed not to know what had become of -the woman, and appeared to be much mystified. It was -useless to ask Gopher Gabe. Matt Shepard was being -fatally handicapped in his honest efforts to aid the scout -by reason of his belief in the statements of the saloon -keeper.</p> - -<p>During the next day another effort was made to assassinate -the scout. He was shot at in passing the window -of a house near Gopher Gabe’s saloon. He jumped -for the door and smashed it in, after the shot was fired, -and saw the disappearing heels of a man who dived -through an open window into an alley. When he reached -that window the scout found that the scoundrel had vanished. -But what view he had almost convinced him that -the man was White-eyed Moses. The house was unoccupied; -and the would-be assassin had apparently stationed -himself there and waited for the scout to pass -along.</p> - -<p>The shooting created some excitement in the street; -men also came out of Gopher Gabe’s place to investigate<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[174]</span> -it. The scout could only tell them that some one -had shot at him from the empty house.</p> - -<p>As White-eyed Moses was known to be one of Gopher -Gabe’s intimates, and the baron had been set to watch -Gopher Gabe’s as well as the Casino, the scout’s belief -that within Gopher Gabe’s establishment, or the Casino, -lay hid the mystery of the baron’s disappearance, became -more than ever established.</p> - -<p>That night, when the Casino show was over, Buffalo -Bill stationed the trapper in one of the alleys, with instructions -to watch both the saloon and the Casino; then -the scout swung over the alley wall, and tried to get at -the heart of the intricate maze of corridors and wine -rooms back of the saloon.</p> - -<p>He had a feeling that in doing this he was putting his -head into the lion’s mouth. Yet danger never daunted -him when such a purpose as this moved him. He had -reached a point where it seemed to him he must know -just what happened to the baron, no matter at what risk.</p> - -<p>Waiters were still passing to and fro between the saloon -and the wine rooms. Failing to make any prominent -discoveries back there, the scout moved upon the saloon -itself. Entering thus by the rear way, he came into the -gambling room, located back of the room containing the -bar.</p> - -<p>It was well filled, and some exciting games were in -progress. As men made way for Buffalo Bill, looking -at him curiously, for the rumor had run round the town -that bad blood existed between him and the saloon proprietor, -the scout’s eyes fell on the tall form and blond -locks of the Fool of Folly Mountain. With some others,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[175]</span> -he was deep in the mysteries of a card game, at one of -the tables.</p> - -<p>The scout stood looking with apparent interest at the -man who called himself by the name of Uncle Sam. -Finally, the man of the blond hair and blond mustache, -apparently feeling the scout’s staring eyes upon him, -looked up.</p> - -<p>“Won’t you have a try at poker, pardner?” he asked, -drawling his words.</p> - -<p>“Not to-night,” Buffalo Bill answered, and moved on.</p> - -<p>The scout saw nothing to make him suppose that these -men knew aught of the baron, and turned to leave the -place by the back way.</p> - -<p>As he did so, there was a flash and report, in a corridor -leading to the wine rooms, and the bullet brushed -his face.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill lowered his head and projected himself at -the corridor, hearing the fleeing steps of the man who -had shot at him.</p> - -<p>“White-eyed Moses!” was his thought.</p> - -<p>The rascal, discovering that he had failed once more, -was so frightened by it and the scout’s reckless pursuit -that he failed to fire again, but ran headlong toward the -wine rooms.</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill reached them, however, the man he -sought was not there. And when the inmates were questioned -they declared that though they had heard the shot -they had seen no one.</p> - -<p>As he turned back, Buffalo Bill thought he heard a -voice in one of the small rooms, the one nearest the -saloon.</p> - -<p>But when he entered it, the door being open, he saw no<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[176]</span> -one, and the room was empty. As the cubby-hole of a -place was dark, he struck a match, to look about.</p> - -<p>As if that were the signal, the room gave a downward -jerk and dip, then settled with him, sinking so rapidly -that he could not get out by the door.</p> - -<p>He did not know it, then; but he was in the same elevator -room which had trapped the baron.</p> - -<p>As the elevator struck bottom somewhere with a heavy -jerk, the scout heard a piece of wood break from its -fastenings and come down on him. With quick presence -of mind he dropped flat to the floor. The wood -struck so heavily that it would have crushed his head -like an eggshell if it had hit it fair; but by throwing -himself flat the scout escaped with only a bruising of his -shoulders, as one end of the timber struck against the -elevator wall and was partly stayed by it.</p> - -<p>“Trapped!” gritted the scout.</p> - -<p>He drew his revolver, waiting for the next move of his -enemies; for he was sure this had not happened by -chance.</p> - -<p>It came soon enough.</p> - -<p>The door opened before him, into the cellar, and some -men jumped at him.</p> - -<p>But as they expected to find that he had been knocked -out by the dropping of the timber, they were not prepared -for the facts. One went down from a blow of the -scout’s fist planted where it would do much good; the -others—there were four of them—tumbled backward.</p> - -<p>In another moment the scout was out in the cellar, his -revolver swinging.</p> - -<p>“Stand back!” rang his clear voice.</p> - -<p>When they came at him with a jump he fired. One<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[177]</span> -man dropped, hitting the cellar bottom with a grunt. -Another the scout knocked down, giving the rascal a left-handed -side-winder.</p> - -<p>The total result enabled Buffalo Bill to run to the other -end of the cellar, looking for a way out.</p> - -<p>One of the men on the floor opened with a revolver, -but he shot wild, being excited, and not able to see very -well.</p> - -<p>The scout did not reply to the shooting, but groped -along, looking for an exit.</p> - -<p>He came beneath a manhole, with a pile of coal under -it. He knew the coal could not have been dumped there -unless there was a place above for a wagon to stand. So -he scrambled to the top of the coal and set his broad -shoulders against the iron covering.</p> - -<p>Two of the men were on their feet again and were now -coming for him. One was swearing like a pirate.</p> - -<p>They had heard the sliding of the coal as the scout -climbed it; still, they could not see him.</p> - -<p>“Surrender!” yelled the fellow of the sulphurous voice.</p> - -<p>The scout had by this time unsettled the covering of -the manhole. He now heaved it upward and aside; then -quickly drew himself up through it.</p> - -<p>A shot roared behind him, as the light from the opened -manhole revealed to the men in the cellar what he was -doing. But Fortune still favored him. He was outside -now, unhurt, in an alley beside the saloon, the alley opening -on the main street.</p> - -<p>In another moment he was in the street itself.</p> - -<p>He ceased to run as soon as he was out in the light. -But he did not tarry, for he expected more shots to come -singing after him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[178]</span></p> - -<p>The shooting had attracted attention, and the street -was filling with men, who came pouring out of the saloon.</p> - -<p>In their midst appeared Matt Shepard. Then Nomad -came whooping on the scene, hastening from the alley in -which he had been left to watch.</p> - -<p>“I was trapped in the cellar there, Shepard,” the scout -explained, “by some men who tried to shoot me. I want -you to go in there with me, and we will make a search.”</p> - -<p>“Under Gopher Gabe’s?” cried Shepard, staring.</p> - -<p>“Yes, the cellar under Gopher Gabe’s; though it seems -to extend, also, under some of the wine rooms.”</p> - -<p>“You bet, we’ll look into it!” declared the sheriff. -“You jest foller me; we’ll interview Gabe about this.”</p> - -<p>The men who had leaped into the street were returning. -Some of them had heard the scout’s declaration to -the sheriff. They followed into the saloon, hard on the -heels of Shepard, Buffalo Bill, and Nomad.</p> - -<p>The barroom was filled with a talking, excited crowd. -A few men were still in the gaming room back of it. -Gopher Gabe came out of the latter place into the barroom, -as the scout and his companions entered.</p> - -<p>“What’s up?” he demanded. “Was that you shootin’ -round hyer, Cody?”</p> - -<p>“I was being shot at,” Buffalo Bill told him.</p> - -<p>“’Tain’t ther fust time, neither,” Nomad whooped. -“Bullets has been chasin’ him hard fer ther better part -o’ two days. We’re gittin’ so anxious erbout et thet ef we -don’t find sompin soon we’re plum li’ble ter throw fits.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill gave Gopher Gabe a keen look, and passed -on; the fat, flushed face of the saloon keeper revealed -nothing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[179]</span></p> - -<p>“As the thing happened in your cellar,” said the scout -to him, “I have asked the sheriff to search it, and the -wine rooms. Back there I stepped into a little room, -which turned out to be an elevator and dropped me into -the cellar, when the villains who were down there attacked -me, and tried to shoot me. But I winged one of -them, I’m sure.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon he must be thar yit,” said Nomad. “Lead -on thar, an’ we’ll mighty soon find out.”</p> - -<p>“I heard shootin’,” said the saloon keeper, his tone that -of apology; “but I reckoned it was out in the street.”</p> - -<p>Shepard led the way through the gaming room and -on into the corridor indicated, the scout and Nomad -tramping at his heels. Behind them followed Gopher -Gabe, protesting that he could not understand this queer -shooting attempt. Back of the saloon keeper streamed -the straggling and excited mob.</p> - -<p>“What was you doin’ back hyer, anyhow, Cody?” -Gopher Gabe demanded finally. “Only the waiters is -allowed in this passageway.”</p> - -<p>“Only the waiters, and officers of the law,” the scout -retorted.</p> - -<p>“Yes; if you put it that way.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the way I put it, Gabe. As I was shot at from -the window of an empty house near this place, I thought -I’d look round near the wine rooms, in the hope that I -might find who did it. Then this thing happened.”</p> - -<p>“It goes ahead o’ me,” said Gopher Gabe, “who could -have done it.”</p> - -<p>They gained the little cubby-hole of a room that had -been transformed into an elevator, or had been built in -that shape to conceal its design.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[180]</span></p> - -<p>“This is the place,” said the scout, stopping before the -door. “I thought the elevator would be at the bottom of -the cellar, but I see that it has been raised. Perhaps you -will know who raised it? I went in here; then struck a -match to look round, as it was dark. As I did so the -elevator descended; and that bit of timber up there, -which I see is in place again, came down on top of me -as the bottom was reached. It’s heavy enough to kill a -man, if it struck him right; and you will please note that -it seems braced up there, as if for the purpose.”</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe protested that he had never noticed that -the timber was “loose.”</p> - -<p>“It didn’t get me,” said the scout, “simply because I -dropped flat as the elevator landed. But though I wasn’t -much hurt by it——”</p> - -<p>“War yer hurt at all, Buffler?” Nomad bellowed.</p> - -<p>“It hit me on the shoulders, but did no damage. Then -the door was pulled open, and men came at me from -the cellar, trying their best to kill me. I found a manhole -and got out, or I reckon they would have succeeded.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a mighty queer thing,” said Gopher Gabe. “Some -rowdies got in hyer, I reckon, and tried to do ye, but I’m -not responsible fer that; you’ve got a lot of enemies in -this town, Cody. I suppose you know it?”</p> - -<p>The scout looked straight at Gopher Gabe.</p> - -<p>“Yes, a lot of them!” he said.</p> - -<p>“We’ll go down and look round,” said Shepard. “How -do ye work this thing, Gabe? Hanged if I knowed you -had an elevator hyer. What you use it fer?”</p> - -<p>“I keep whisky barrels and the like down there,” the -saloon keeper explained. “I put ’em in, and get ’em out -with this elevator.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[181]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I see!”</p> - -<p>As many as could crowded into the elevator and were -lowered by Gopher Gabe to the cellar.</p> - -<p>This time the timber above did not come down. Some -unobserved touch of the hand of the saloon keeper stayed -it in place.</p> - -<p>When the cellar was gained and entered, the sheriff -flashing round it the light of the lamp he had brought, -no wounded or dead man was seen in it; there were no -evidences of the fight.</p> - -<p>It looked, at first blush, as if the scout had been dreaming. -If he had not been able to show spots on the walls -where bullets had struck, many men there would have -gone away believing that he had lied.</p> - -<p>The manhole was found closed.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see nothin’, though, of the men,” said Shepard, -disappointed.</p> - -<p>“It’s as I said,” was Gopher Gabe’s comment; “some -street rowdies that have got it in fer Cody jumped on him -in hyer and tried to do him.”</p> - -<p>“Why war they layin’ fer him in hyar?” asked Nomad.</p> - -<p>“You can answer that as easy as I can,” the saloon -keeper replied. “How am I to know anything about it? -Everything was runnin’ along smooth upstairs when this -thing happened. If I should make a guess, it’d be that -they sneaked down hyer, thinking to find somethin’ they -could lug off. Then, when Cody come down they -thought he was after ’em; and so they tried to get ’em.”</p> - -<p>It seemed so reasonable an explanation that most of -the men who heard it believed it to be the true one.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[182]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.<br /> -<span class="fs70">SHIFTING THE PRISONERS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The Fool of Folly Mountain had no more than got -home when he had callers, though the hour was so late -that it verged upon morning. He had lighted his lamp -and was thinking of turning in for the balance of the -night, when they tapped on his door. When he admitted -them he saw that they were Gopher Gabe and White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“Have seats, gentlemen,” he said, in his suave manner. -“Sorry I can’t offer you cushioned rockers, but stools are -all I’ve got in stock right now. I haven’t much time to -sit down myself, so don’t find the need of soft chairs.”</p> - -<p>He pushed out two stools for them.</p> - -<p>Seating himself, Gopher Gabe looked curiously round -the room, at its rude and simple furnishing, and then -at the man himself. He could not but note that the fellow -who called himself Uncle Sam was a tall, handsome -man, made remarkable in appearance by his blond mustache -and the long, blond hair that fell down on his -shoulders. The man’s eyes were keen and penetrating, -almost belying the smiling face and genial manner.</p> - -<p>A door opening into the small back room gave a -glimpse of an assayer’s furnace and appliances.</p> - -<p>“I’m judgin’ that your secret process for gettin’ gold -out of just plain dirt is a good deal of a success,” said -the saloon keeper, with a meaning smile.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[183]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, yes; I’m doin’ tol’able in my line, thank you! -Took out a snug sum this week.”</p> - -<p>“And doubled it at my gaming tables.”</p> - -<p>The stranger’s gurgling laugh overflowed. The compliment -seemed to please him.</p> - -<p>“I hobe that our friendt vill not t’ink it an insuldt if -I say that he seems to know vare a blendy of aces are -to be foundt most easily,” remarked White-eyed Moses.</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam laughed again.</p> - -<p>“That seems to be the general inference,” he admitted; -“but I assure you, gentlemen, that I get my aces from -where they ought to come—the regular pack. Shall I -be blamed if the dealer throws them to me, when he -would, perhaps, prefer to throw me something else? It -is just gambler’s luck.”</p> - -<p>“It makes you a heap of a winner,” was Gopher Gabe’s -dry comment.</p> - -<p>“It’s a fact that the winnings seem to come my way -with astonishing regularity. But what would you? Shall -I refuse to win, when I can? I play for money, you -know—not for my health. The other gentlemen are doing -the same; so if they lose it’s their lookout.”</p> - -<p>“Cards and minin’ ain’t your only line, I take it?” said -Gopher Gabe, with a wink.</p> - -<p>“Idt is vhat brought us up here—ower obinion that -you had somet’ing else up your sleeve,” White-eyed -Moses added.</p> - -<p>“Several times, and in various ways,” said the saloon -keeper, “you have given us to understand that.”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam winked back at Gopher Gabe.</p> - -<p>“It may be so,” he admitted.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[184]</span></p> - -<p>“You know what we are drifting at?” said White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“Usually, I’m a good guesser, gentlemen!”</p> - -<p>“Then, gettin’ right down to business,” said Gopher -Gabe, “wouldn’t you like to go in with us?”</p> - -<p>“Getting right down to brass tacks, as you say. I’d like -to do that very thing, if my understanding of your meaning -is straight.”</p> - -<p>“You ain’t playing this game of assayer hyer without -a mighty good reason,” urged Gopher Gabe.</p> - -<p>“You’re right, I ain’t!”</p> - -<p>“The gold you get out of this dirt hyer you put into it -before you get it out?”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam winked again, twisting his face in a comical -smile. Then he lifted one eyelid.</p> - -<p>“See anything green under there, gents?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Ve knowed all along that it was bluff,” said White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam winked again, at the fiddler.</p> - -<p>“How much you makin’ out of it?” asked the saloon -keeper.</p> - -<p>“All I can.”</p> - -<p>“How many hauls do you make in a week?”</p> - -<p>“In the time I’ve been here I’ve made just five—if -that’s what you mean.”</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe and White-eyed Moses looked at each -other. The Fool of Folly Mountain leaned back on his -stool, smiling.</p> - -<p>“There have been just seven hold-ups round here in -that time, that we know about. We can account for two -of them; that is, we know who worked ’em. You done -the rest?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[185]</span></p> - -<p>“I guess we understand each other, Gabie. So I reckon -you might as well get down to business.”</p> - -<p>“You would go in with us?”</p> - -<p>“Kind gentlemen, I would, and be delighted. I believe -I could clear up more money, in with you.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of a hole have you got back there?” asked -the saloon keeper, looking at the assay room.</p> - -<p>“That’s my bluff assay room; but there’s space behind -it.”</p> - -<p>“A secret place?”</p> - -<p>“Hide a man in there, and you couldn’t find him in a -hundred years. I knew that hole was there when I -bought out the tenderfoot. He worked back here in -secret, thinking gold was to be found in great hunks; -I’ve been using it secretly, too, but for another reason.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got your winnings back there?”</p> - -<p>“And my stealings—some of them.”</p> - -<p>“Could you keep a couple of people snug in there for a -week or so?”</p> - -<p>“For a month, if you want it done.”</p> - -<p>“That is shust what ve have come to findt out about,” -White-eyed Moses admitted, rubbing his hands together.</p> - -<p>“I guessed it.”</p> - -<p>“You dit?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing.”</p> - -<p>“Vhat dit you guess?”</p> - -<p>“That the people you want me to care for back there -air the man and the woman who have so mysteriously -dropped out of sight recently.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you how it is,” said Gopher Gabe, growing -confidential now, drawing his stool nearer the other.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[186]</span></p> - -<p>“We have got them two, and it’s puzzlin’ us what to do -with them.”</p> - -<p>“You might knock ’em on the head!” said Uncle Sam, -with apparent callousness.</p> - -<p>“Lader, ve might,” admitted White-eyed Moses; “but -not shust now. You see, ve don’t vandt to gommit murter, -unless ve have to. It is a murter charge they have -got ag’inst Juniper Joe.”</p> - -<p>“Yet you’ve been trying to kill Cody!”</p> - -<p>“I ditn’t finish what I was saying. Ve vant to hold -them as some sort of hostages, you see. If ve git indo a -hole that we gan’t crawl out of, ve gan, maype, use them -to secure ower safety. You see the boint?”</p> - -<p>“I see that, all right.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve been holdin’ ’em in a room leadin’ off from -that cellar which was searched to-night,” the saloon -keeper told him. “Cody, when he was knockin’ round -down there, hammered with his knuckles on the walls. -He didn’t hit the right spot, or he would have tumbled. -The thing is too risky. He will search the place again, -and he’ll find that room. Then I’ll be in more trouble -than I want.”</p> - -<p>“If I ton’dt kill him in the meantime!” said White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“Moses will have to go into training, before he can -qualify as a pistol expert,” said Gopher Gabe, with a -skeptical laugh.</p> - -<p>“You mean that when he shoots at a man he hits the -lamp beside him, or shoots through the window where he -is sitting, and hits the wall? It would indicate that our -friend Moses has got a bad case of shaking palsy in his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[187]</span> -trigger finger, when shooting times comes. He ought to -get over it.”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam’s gurgling laugh sounded again, as he -concluded:</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you hire a substitute, Moses, who isn’t -affected in that way?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“<em>I’ve</em> tried to hire ’em,” the saloon keeper admitted. -“But the men of this town are so paralyzed with fear -whenever Cody comes in sight that money won’t buy ’em; -they say they don’t want to die with their boots on. He -has got a bad reputation as a quick gun man, and they -don’t want to take the risks.”</p> - -<p>“Yet a bit of cool assassination couldn’t get ’em into -trouble! I should think they would appreciate the fine -art of downing a man in the dark, when he wasn’t looking. -Drop a man that way, and he can’t shoot back, you -know.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon you’re laughin’ about it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no! The thing is too serious to laugh about.”</p> - -<p>“White-eyed Moses is weakenin’ on the game himself. -He come nigh gettin’ Cody’s lead yisterday.”</p> - -<p>“It vent t’rough my hat!” the rascal confessed.</p> - -<p>“And destroyed your nerve, eh?”</p> - -<p>“So we want to change tactics for a little while; that -is, we want to get them two people out of my cellar into -a safer place. We thought of you. Knowing that really -you are of our class, we come hyer; and I’m glad to find -we wasn’t mistaken.”</p> - -<p>The stranger smiled, apparently pleased by the compliment -which allied him with all the thugs and toughs -of Blossom Range.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[188]</span></p> - -<p>“Show me my duty and I’ll do it,” he said; “that is, -if there’s good money in it.”</p> - -<p>“A thousand dollars a week,” said the saloon keeper; -“and I’ll give you five hundred of it right now, if you’re -willin’. Besides, you can, if your place back there is -really secure enough to hold our prisoners, keep on beating -the fools at my gaming tables, and go right ahead, -too, with your hold-up work; though, in that last, there -is so much danger that I’d like to have you drop it till -this thing blows over. It will be safer for you, if you -do.”</p> - -<p>“At least vhile Buffalo Bill is here!” said White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“Then you’re going to let him live?” cried Uncle Sam, -in mockery.</p> - -<p>“I am nodt shoking!” Moses protested, flinging out his -hands.</p> - -<p>“Same here. I was never in a more serious humor in -my life.”</p> - -<p>“Can we bring them up here to-night?” Gopher Gabe -asked.</p> - -<p>“If you like, and think it’s safe.”</p> - -<p>“I want to see the hole back there first; that will help -me to decide the matter.”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam arose, and took the lamp from the table.</p> - -<p>“Just follow me, gents, and I’ll show you as cunning -a fox den as you ever looked into.”</p> - -<p>He led the way into the back room, where he pushed -on a concealed panel, which slid to one side under his -pressure, revealing a black hole that was seen to be a -passage.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[189]</span></p> - -<p>This they entered, the man going ahead with the light, -after closing the secret door behind them.</p> - -<p>A few yards of the tunnel admitted them to a small -chamber in the earth.</p> - -<p>“The tenderfoot gophered this out, and thought to -make a fortune,” Uncle Sam explained.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe looked it over with interest, and estimated -the distance to the cabin.</p> - -<p>“I reckon they could holler a long time in hyer without -bein’ heard beyond your cabin,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Until they was black in the face, and nobody’d ever -hear ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Idt seems,” said the fiddler, “shust the t’ing ve are -vanting.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon,” said Uncle Sam, “if you’re lookin’ for a -close cage to hold your birds in you see it right here. I’ll -take care of ’em for you; for that thousand a week, you -bet!”</p> - -<p>When they had looked the place over thoroughly and -discussed it, they went back to Uncle Sam’s cabin.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe looked at the hidden door, which appeared -to be the same as the rest of the wall.</p> - -<p>“I think it will do,” he said.</p> - -<p>He stripped off some bills, from a roll he drew from -his pocket, and passed them to the man of the blond hair.</p> - -<p>“Five hundred,” he said; “count it; you’ll get the other -five at the end of the week.”</p> - -<p>The stranger slipped the bank bills through his fingers -quickly, then put them in his wallet.</p> - -<p>“Correct,” he declared. “Bring along your cattle and -I’ll take care of ’em for you.”</p> - -<p>“You go with us down to my place now,” said Gopher<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[190]</span> -Gabe, “and we’ll turn ’em over to you there; and find -some men who will help you get ’em up here. How does -that suit you?”</p> - -<p>“If the bunch should be jumped on its way here, you -don’t want to be found with it. That’s your idea?”</p> - -<p>“I’m paying <em>you</em> to take that risk.”</p> - -<p>“That’s clever of you, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“I admit that in this game against Cody I’m playing -double,” said the saloon keeper. “You’ll know by and -by how that is.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon I know now, pard,” was the amiable answer. -“You’re the wise critter sitting in the dark and pullin’ -the strings, rakin’ in most of the money, too, while others -do the dangerous work. But it’s all right. I ain’t no call -to kick. Just ante up the cash to me at the end of each -week, and I’ll hold that couple back there till their heads -are gray. I can’t make a thousand dollars a week easier, -as I see it.”</p> - -<p>“Andt it is safe—for you,” urged White-eyed Moses.</p> - -<p>“I’m goin’ to make it safe, pards.”</p> - -<p>“We’d better be movin’, then,” said the saloon keeper, -“if the thing is all understood. Daylight will come -jumpin’ along by and by.”</p> - -<p>“Right you are. I’m ready.”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam locked the door of his cabin when they went -out of it.</p> - -<p>Then they took their way together downtown, but kept -to the dark streets.</p> - -<p>Entering Gopher Gabe’s establishment by the back -way, they came again into the gaming room; when the -man of the blond hair was surprised to find two men in -it—Tim Benson and Juniper Joe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[191]</span></p> - -<p>They looked a bit startled, but Gopher Gabe reassured -them.</p> - -<p>“He’s all right, boys,” he declared, referring to Uncle -Sam. “He’s come in with us, jest as I knew he would. -I think we’re goin’ to find him a mighty valuable man.”</p> - -<p>He introduced Uncle Sam to the two men.</p> - -<p>“What’s your right name?” Benson asked, looking at -the tall man with the blond hair. “We don’t want to -make any mistakes, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve clean forgot what it used to be.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve had a good reason to forget it?”</p> - -<p>“You’re sayin’ it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you should ever think of playin’ us false,” -Benson flung at him, “better think twice about it; for you -won’t live long afterward.”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam laughed.</p> - -<p>“That don’t trouble me,” he declared.</p> - -<p>“Idt is no use to pe making threats,” said White-eyed -Moses.</p> - -<p>“Correct!” agreed the saloon keeper. “You fellers -want to be friends. It stands you in hand; for I’m going -to hide you at his place for a couple o’ days or longer; -we talked it over while comin’ down hyer. I’m goin’ to -ask you to help him get that fool Dutchman and the -woman up to his cabin, too. So we’ll have to hustle.”</p> - -<p>“Changed your plans, eh?” asked Benson, rising.</p> - -<p>“I had to. Cody is catching on. If he should find you -in here it would land me, along with you—see? So I’ve -got to get you out of here. He’ll raid this place again, -in better fashion, before another twenty-four hours; and -I reckon you don’t want him to ketch you in here any -more than I do. That’s the way I look at it. If he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[192]</span> -should find you occupyin’ that room where you’ve been—and -at the same time unearth the baron and the woman -down below, I reckon it would be me for the jail, along -with the rest of the bunch.”</p> - -<p>It was singular, the influence the fat saloon keeper had -over these men. Benson was the brainier man, yet he -seemed willing to obey the saloon keeper’s orders.</p> - -<p>The five men went down into the cellar, taking the -back-cellar stairs, and carrying a lamp.</p> - -<p>The place was nearly filled with barrels and casks, -some empty, others containing liquors of various kinds.</p> - -<p>Two of these casks the men rolled out of the way, -under the saloon keeper’s instructions, when a small -door was revealed.</p> - -<p>This he opened. By stooping, the men passed through -it into a small room. In that room the light of the lamp -showed the baron and the woman, both trussed up in a -painful manner.</p> - -<p>The baron began to rave as soon as he saw them, for -the stolid Dutch patience had at last given away.</p> - -<p>“Cut it out, my friend,” said Uncle Sam. “You’re -goin’ with me. If you do right, you’ll be treated right. -But we ain’t goin’ to have any howling, understand, -either here or on the street.”</p> - -<p>The German stared up at him, blinking his eyes in the -unfamiliar light.</p> - -<p>“Take a good look at me,” the man said, with a laugh; -“maybe you’ll be able to recognize me hereafter.”</p> - -<p>“You ar-re vun tuyfel!” the baron spat at him.</p> - -<p>“Think so? All my friends say that I’m a perfect -angel.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[193]</span></p> - -<p>The woman had not a word to say; she seemed chilled -by her position, and filled with hopelessness.</p> - -<p>By one of the back doors of the Casino the prisoners -were got out into a dark street. Four men were in -charge of them—Uncle Sam, White-eyed Moses, Benson, -and Juniper Joe.</p> - -<p>The ropes had been removed from the ankles of the -prisoners, but their hands were still tied; and they had -been told that if they tried to escape, or call for help, -they would be killed without mercy.</p> - -<p>In that darkest hour before dawn the whole population -of Blossom Range appeared to be asleep. Not a person -was encountered in any of the dark, back streets through -which the party passed.</p> - -<p>When the cabin of Uncle Sam was reached, on the -crest of the hill called Folly Mountain, the darkness still -held.</p> - -<p>“I reckon we’d better not have a lamp,” said Uncle -Sam. “Its light might attract attention. I can strike a -match, and use that; and put it right out. So, in with -you.”</p> - -<p>The baron and the woman went into the cabin without -resisting. In fact, the baron seemed to have resigned -himself to his fate quite as fully as the woman.</p> - -<p>The three desperadoes went away as soon as the prisoners -were in the hole back of the cabin; but Juniper -Joe and Tim Benson informed Uncle Sam that they -would be back in a short time, and “board” with him.</p> - -<p>The blond-haired man watched them through his -darkened window as they melted out of sight down the -hill; then he took up his lamp, unlighted, and unlocked -the door which had been closed on the prisoners.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[194]</span></p> - -<p>Not until he had passed into the prison and had locked -the door behind him did he light the lamp.</p> - -<p>The prisoners were lying on the floor, bound again -hand and foot.</p> - -<p>“This is rough!” he said, holding up the lamp and looking -at them.</p> - -<p>“You gan bedt idt iss!” the baron exploded.</p> - -<p>“Now, I’ll tell ye what I’ll do; I’ll take these cords off -o’ you if you’ll give me your solemn word that you won’t -try to get out and cause me to lose the money I’m to receive -for holding you? What say?”</p> - -<p>“Ach! Cut ’em off!”</p> - -<p>“It seems to me that I can’t stand them on any longer,” -spoke up the woman.</p> - -<p>Laughing, the man began to untie the cords.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to cut ’em,” he explained, “and this takes -time; but if you’ll have patience off they will come soon. -Ye see, I may want to put ’em back on you, just as they -are now.”</p> - -<p>“Donder und blitzen!” the baron sputtered, when once -more he was free of the bonds that had chafed him.</p> - -<p>“Feels good, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Vot iss idt you ar-re going to do mit us now?”</p> - -<p>“You’ve promised to be good children, you know; -which means that you won’t try to get away; and I’m -goin’ to treat you accordingly. If any of that crew comes -back, I’ll have to tie you up again; but until then I’m -jest going to hold you on your word of honor.”</p> - -<p>“Idt iss der limidt.”</p> - -<p>“You mean <em>I</em> am the limit?”</p> - -<p>“Idt iss yoost vot I mean.”</p> - -<p>“Had anything to eat lately, you two?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[195]</span></p> - -<p>“Nodt anyt’ings.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you stay right here and be good, and I’ll bring -you something.”</p> - -<p>“Why can’t we go out into the other room?” asked the -woman. “It seems to me I’d give anything for a breath -of fresh air.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, you couldn’t eat out there without a -light, and a light might tell tales; so you’d better do the -eating act in here.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! Dot iss so,” the baron agreed. “How longk do -ve haf to sday here?”</p> - -<p>The blond-haired man laughed.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” he gurgled. “I’ll have to keep you here as -long as I get that thousand dollars a week. Unless,” he -added, “you could make it fifteen hundred, and buy me -off. I’m on the make.”</p> - -<p>He went out of the room, laughing. What he was -doing seemed a joke.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later, having supplied them with food, he -left the cabin, locking the door on the outside.</p> - -<p>But he had not secured the hidden door leading from -the cabin to the excavated room that was occupied by -the baron and the woman. This door was pushed open, -as Uncle Sam went away; and the woman, coming out -for a “breath of fresh air,” stood at the one window, -watching him as he disappeared down the hill.</p> - -<p>“Der ouder door iss locked, huh?” asked the baron.</p> - -<p>“Tightly locked,” she told him.</p> - -<p>“Vale, vot do you t’ink uff idt?”</p> - -<p>“The thing is so daring,” she said, “that it makes me -dizzy.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[196]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.<br /> -<span class="fs70">SPRINGING THE TRAP.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Tim Benson and Juniper Joe wanted to get out of the -country, but they yearned for more money before they -went. They had become so much frightened that not -even the offer of a hiding place in Uncle Sam’s cabin -could reassure them. Seeing more clearly every hour that -Gopher Gabe thought more of his own safety than he did -of that of any member of the gang, they were resolved to -cut loose from him, but to hide their intention until after -they had pulled off another “job.”</p> - -<p>That job was no less than the cracking of the safe of -the Blossom Range bank, which they knew was stuffed -with money and gold. The express company had refused -to carry either money or treasure over its route until -times bettered. So the prudent people of the town had -rushed their wealth to the bank, where guards were -mounted over it day and night.</p> - -<p>The question of how it could be cracked with safety, -under these conditions, was an important one. Benson -wanted to get the personal aid of Gopher Gabe and -White-eyed Moses, both of them once experts in that -line, though latterly they had taken to pathways that they -reckoned more secure.</p> - -<p>They refused to do the dangerous work; but agreed to -meet Benson and Juniper Joe that night, with others, -at the cabin of the Fool of Folly Mountain, there to talk -the matter over privately. They would look about during<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[197]</span> -the day, they said; so would be in position to give advice, -if nothing else.</p> - -<p>Strolling into Gopher Gabe’s establishment that day, -the Fool of Folly Mountain was asked by Gopher Gabe -to come into the back room, where a “talk” could be had.</p> - -<p>Back there the miner found both Juniper Joe and Tim -Benson; also White-eyed Moses, and another all-round -bad man, called Williams.</p> - -<p>They conferred with him about the matter in hand, -after cautiously “sounding” him.</p> - -<p>He thought it was a good scheme, he said, if it could -be worked; and he agreed to a meeting of the “gang” at -his cabin that night.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I care to try the safe-crackin’ job myself -jest yet,” he told them; “though maybe I’ll come to -it by and by; but I want you fellers to do it, so that you -can sure cinch onto enough money so that I won’t have -any trouble in gettin’ my little thousand a week. You -see, I’m lookin’ out for Number One, the same as you -are.”</p> - -<p>They asked him about the prisoners; and were assured -that they were “all right.”</p> - -<p>“Cody is gettin’ ready to raid this place,” Gopher Gabe -told him. “I got it straight. But he won’t find a thing -when he does it.”</p> - -<p>The night was dark and late when Gopher Gabe and -his friends came to the cabin on the mountain. With the -saloon keeper were Tim Benson, Juniper Joe, White-eyed -Moses, and the scoundrel called Williams.</p> - -<p>The Fool of Folly Mountain met them at the door and -let them in. The place was as dark as the night outside.</p> - -<p>“I’ll light my lamp as soon as you get inside,” he said<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[198]</span> -to them. “You see, if it was lit now the light would -shine out when the door is open, and somebody might see -you comin’ in; I don’t care for that. I’ve got to look -out for my own health, gents.”</p> - -<p>He laughed in his easy way; then told them to stand -still while he made sure the curtains were all drawn -tight, and he could light his lamp.</p> - -<p>“You might crack some of my valuable furniture, if -you should bark yer shins ag’inst it,” he explained further, -laughing.</p> - -<p>The only furniture to be seen when the lamp was -lighted were the stools and bed and the few belongings -of the cabin.</p> - -<p>“How’s the prisoners?” was Gopher Gabe’s first question, -when he was seated on one of the stools.</p> - -<p>“Fine as a fiddle—even Moses’ fiddle!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know but the Dutchman would rave round -some.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he did, at first; but I argued the thing out with -him.”</p> - -<p>“He didn’t seem to be open to argument?”</p> - -<p>“He changed his mind, when I told him if he wouldn’t -take my argument any other way I’d open a hole in his -head with a bullet and so get it in. That weakened him. -Improved much in your marksmanship lately, Moses?” -the Fool asked airily.</p> - -<p>“Ah, drop it!” the fiddler growled.</p> - -<p>“I ain’t heard that you have killed Buffalo Bill yet!”</p> - -<p>“That’s all righdt. But ve ditn’t come here for shoking.”</p> - -<p>“No?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[199]</span></p> - -<p>“We come hyer to talk business,” said Gopher Gabe. -“But first I’d like to look at them prisoners.”</p> - -<p>“Doubt my word, eh?”</p> - -<p>“No; I just want to see ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Right this way, then.”</p> - -<p>He took up the lamp.</p> - -<p>“Unless some of you gents have got the stub of a candle -in your pockets, you will have to sit here in the dark,” -he said, “or foller the procession.”</p> - -<p>They preferred to follow the procession.</p> - -<p>In the back room Uncle Sam stopped, and, with interest, -showed them his furnace, blowpipe, and other -things; also a lump of gold which he had laid on a shelf.</p> - -<p>“Kind o’ keerless, to lay gold round that way,” said -Williams, eying the chunk greedily.</p> - -<p>“Mebby so. But we’re bound to be honest among ourselves, -if not with other people; you see, I’m trustin’ you, -in showin’ it.”</p> - -<p>“Where’d you git it—out of the rocky dirt back there?” -asked Gopher Gabe, with a hoarse laugh.</p> - -<p>“That’s the result of the last hold-up I manipulated,” -said Uncle Sam, with apparent pride. “There’s some -nuggets, some gold dust, and the gold from four watches, -melted down into that. As soon as the express office -people git over their scare, I’m goin’ to ship it to my sister -in ’Frisco, and tell the express people I got it out of -my mine by my famous secret process.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon you ain’t got no sister!” said Williams.</p> - -<p>“I see that our friend Williams is inclined to be a -scoffer; and scoffers never come to any good end. Get -over it, Williams.”</p> - -<p>When he had shown them around the apartment and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[200]</span> -talked learnedly of his “secret process,” he was ready to -go into the hidden room with them; the place that held -his “mine.”</p> - -<p>“That talk is my regular stock in trade, that I hand out -to all the inquisitive people who come up here askin’ fool -questions,” he explained; “you ain’t expected to understand -it; nobody can. I don’t understand it myself; but -it sounds good.”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson smiled. Such work was of a kind that <em>he</em> -could appreciate.</p> - -<p>“Throw anything that seems to be high-browed at the -average man,” he said, “and he’s ready to think that you -know everything.”</p> - -<p>“Same as you did to Matt Shepard, eh?” said Uncle -Sam. “There was nerve for you, gents—the clear, wire-coated, -fibrous article. I think I have some nerve myself; -but Benson seems to hold the medal right now.”</p> - -<p>Benson was flattered, and smiled.</p> - -<p>The blond-haired man pushed on the hidden panel, and -swung open the door leading into the black hole; then he -took up his lamp again, and led the way into it.</p> - -<p>“Right at my heels, gents. There’s nothin’ in here to -bite ye.”</p> - -<p>They crowded in after him, and he closed the door; -then led the way to where, at one side of the room, the -baron lay tied hand and foot. At the other side was the -woman, tied in the same way.</p> - -<p>“The Dutchman was ragin’ round so at one time that -I had to anchor him to the wall, as you can see,” he said. -“Trust me, gents, to keep him; I’ll do it if I have to kill -him!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[201]</span></p> - -<p>A rope passed round the baron’s rotund body held him -to the wall.</p> - -<p>“Ach!” he spat at them as the light was flashed in his -face. “Go avay!”</p> - -<p>“How are ye feelin’, Dutchy?” asked the man of the -blond hair, laughing down upon him.</p> - -<p>“Uff I effer gidt dese t’ings off uff my handts, I vill -keel you!” the baron howled at him.</p> - -<p>“You see how gentle and tame he is, gents!” said Uncle -Sam. “I don’t know but I’ll have to put a gag in his -mouth, to keep him from biting himself.”</p> - -<p>“Vhen I gidt oudt uff dhis,” the baron snarled, “I vill -shoodt you yoost so full uff holes dot you vondt holdt -vhisky any longker.”</p> - -<p>“Wow! He thinks, Gabie, that I’m a steady patron of -your bar. You might disabuse his mind of so unflattering -an idea.”</p> - -<p>The men stood looking at the baron.</p> - -<p>“Go avay!” he shouted at them.</p> - -<p>They moved over to the side of the woman, though not -because he had ordered them off.</p> - -<p>Under the light of the lamp she looked pale and worn; -but perhaps that was largely because the paint had come -off her face.</p> - -<p>“The light hurts my eyes,” she urged.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe turned on his heel.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’re all right,” he said. “We’ll go back into -the house and have a talk now.”</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t want to see where I’ve cached some of -the gold I’ve been gettin’ by my secret process?” asked -the Fool.</p> - -<p>Williams perked up his head, showing his thieving interest;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[202]</span> -but the others, particularly Gopher Gabe, did not -seem so interested.</p> - -<p>“I think I won’t show it—now,” said Uncle Sam. -“Williams looks as if he’d like to steal it.”</p> - -<p>“Is that an insult?” asked Williams, bristling.</p> - -<p>“Only the truth, Williams.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come on!” Gopher Gabe growled. “We’ve got -something to do, other than fightin’ this night, if that -bank business is to be pulled off. That’s what we want -to talk about; so, come on!”</p> - -<p>The Fool of Folly Mountain led the way back into the -cabin, lamp in hand. This time he did not close the sliding -door behind him; but it was a thing not noticed.</p> - -<p>He went steadily to the table in the middle of the -room, set his lamp on it, so that the room was brightly -lighted; then put stools round the table for the men to -sit on.</p> - -<p>When he had done this he stepped toward the back -room; but stopped near the doorway, and stamped his -foot.</p> - -<p>Attracted by this, and by a scraping of feet and a -rustling sound, Gopher Gabe and the men at the table -looked around. What they saw paralyzed them.</p> - -<p>The Fool of Folly Mountain had two revolvers leveled, -covering them. Beside him, in the doorway, stood -the baron, holding two more revolvers. Out from one -corner of the room had stepped Buffalo Bill, with two -more revolvers leveled; and out of another corner Nomad -had appeared, with still two more.</p> - -<p>“The game is up!” said the Fool of Folly Mountain. -“You can see that I hold all the aces.”</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe tried to rise from his stool, but sank<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[203]</span> -back, an exclamation of bewildered amazement exploding -from him.</p> - -<p>“Tricked!” said Benson.</p> - -<p>With one sweep of his hand he knocked the lamp from -the table, smashing it; then they heard him crash -through the one little window.</p> - -<p>Another man tried to follow him; when there was a -flash and report, and he rolled to the floor; the man was -Williams.</p> - -<p>“Hands up, everybody! The next who tries it will be -shot down!”</p> - -<p>The words were from Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“Cody, I’m the boss fool, after all; and deservin’ the -name of the Fool of Folly Mountain; if I hadn’t been, I -wouldn’t have put the lamp where it could have been -knocked over. But you get by that window and down -the first critter that tries to go by you.”</p> - -<p>“I’m by et now,” came in the voice of Nomad; “and -you bet ther next devil tries it he goes down, jest like -this thing on the floor that has swallered ther lead pill I -sent at him. Gents, we’re hyer fer clean bizness.”</p> - -<p>The Fool of Folly Mountain got another lamp, from a -stand near his elbow, and lighted it; then, holding it -over his head, he looked at the table.</p> - -<p>Gopher Gabe, White-eyed Moses, and Juniper Joe sat -there, rigid and scared; on the floor by the window, which -had a ragged hole in it, lay the body of Williams.</p> - -<p>“Who in the devil’s name air you?” the saloon keeper -howled at the Fool, his tongue so thick he could hardly -pronounce the words.</p> - -<p>His face was white, his ratty eyes rolling, his pendulous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[204]</span> -lips were apart, and his whole huge body quivered with -fear.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Juniper Joe, not less scared, “who air ye, -anyhow?”</p> - -<p>The man of the blond hair smiled.</p> - -<p>“Wash off the stain that has turned my hair and mustache -to golden, and make a few other changes, and you -might recognize me; for I’m Cody’s old chum and side -pardner, Wild Bill Hickok!”</p> - -<p>The men at the table groaned.</p> - -<p>“Shall I jump through the winder and try ter git that -feller?” Nomad asked. “He’s ther wust of ther lot.”</p> - -<p>“He is,” the scout admitted; “Benson is the worst of -the lot, but he hasn’t escaped yet, even if he is out of this -room. Better let him go, right now, Nomad, unless you’re -hankerin’ to get a bullet. Better put in your time in tying -these rascals here, while the rest of us keep them -covered.”</p> - -<p>“Uff yoost vun uff dhem moves,” said the baron, “I -am going to shoodt him; I haf suffered so mooch dot it -vouldt pe a bleasure.”</p> - -<p>The white, scared face of the woman called Vera -Bright appeared in the doorway.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got them?” she said, peering in.</p> - -<p>“We will have,” Wild Bill told her, “just as soon as -Nomad can harness them up.”</p> - -<p>She came on into the room.</p> - -<p>“Idt vos a great drick, huh?” cried the German to her. -“Aber I ton’dt t’ought at one dime dot I gan standt idt -to blay it to der endt.”</p> - -<p>“So, you wasn’t tied at all back there?” said Gopher -Gabe, boring the baron with his ratlike eyes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[205]</span></p> - -<p>“Not so dot I feldt idt, eenyhow,” said the baron. -“Ve vos der bait for der rat drap, undil idt couldt pe -sprung.”</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe began to rave wildly, cursing the man he -had known as the Fool of Folly Mountain.</p> - -<p>“Was it a fair deal?” he howled. “You went even into -the road-agent biz, jest to carry this thing through.”</p> - -<p>“Which is where you’re mistaken, old boy,” Wild Bill -told him; “I only told you so, to get you to take me into -the gang, so that I could get on the inside of its schemes. -See? And the thing seems to have worked most beautifully.”</p> - -<p>Nomad was tying the rascals, doing the work well and -expeditiously. He was enjoying it, too.</p> - -<p>“Trapped!” snarled Gopher Gabe, as if the thought -choked him. “Trapped!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[206]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.<br /> -<span class="fs70">TIM BENSON’S ESCAPE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There was no more astonished man in the town than -Matt Shepard when he learned what had happened, and -that the Fool of Folly Mountain was none other than the -famous Wild Bill. The whole of the population of Blossom -Range were equally amazed.</p> - -<p>“It’s even a better trick than Juniper Joe played when -he pretended to marry Benson and fooled the whole kit -and b’ilin’ of us,” the sheriff declared.</p> - -<p>But Buffalo Bill was not satisfied; Tim Benson had got -away, and he wanted Benson.</p> - -<p>Juniper Joe was back in jail, in charge of Shepard; -and with him were Gopher Gabe and White-eyed Moses. -Now that he was trapped and caught, fearing the worst, -White-eyed Moses had “peached” on the whole gang, so -that others were soon brought to the jail; and there was -an exodus of scared people from the town.</p> - -<p>Knowing that Tim Benson had on more than one occasion -sought refuge with the Utes, Buffalo Bill took with -him his pards and Shepard, and went out there.</p> - -<p>Old Iron Bow, the chief, was not pleased with their intrusion -into the village.</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill demanded the surrender of the -white man, Iron Bow told him no white man was there.</p> - -<p>“You will let us look for him?” said the scout.</p> - -<p>Iron Bow declared that the thing would be an outrage, -but if the white wanted to look they could do so.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[207]</span></p> - -<p>As well as they could, Buffalo Bill and his companions -searched through the Ute village; but they did not find -Benson.</p> - -<p>“I suppose he suspected we would come here the first -thing, and so kept away,” was the scout’s conjecture.</p> - -<p>“Trust Benson for a long head,” said Shepard. “He’s -the slipperiest rascal in the West.”</p> - -<p>It had been said of Tim Benson more than once.</p> - -<p>Iron Bow’s warriors became ugly and truculent before -the white men left the village, so that it seemed a longer -stay might have brought about a collision.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they needn’t howl so,” said the sheriff, when the -village was left behind; “everybody knows that they -hide all sorts of jailbirds, if only the said jailbirds can -bring along a good supply of whisky and blankets, and -amm’nition, an’ the like o’ that. Some o’ these times I’m -goin’ to get a line on that work, and lug old Iron Bow -down to jail fer it.”</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” whooped Nomad. “You’ll stir up an Injun -uprisin’, ef ye do.”</p> - -<p>“Vot iss makin’ me mad as hornedts,” declared the -baron, “iss dot I ditn’t shoodt Penson vhen he smashed -der lamp. Dot vos incriminal carelessness, vor I had a -beadt on him.”</p> - -<p>“If ye had, baron, you would be now deprivin’ yerself -o’ much-needed excitement,” Nomad told him. “You -couldn’t be huntin’ fer him right now, ef he war dead, -could ye?”</p> - -<p>“And you couldn’t be runnin’ the pleasant resk of him -slammin’ a bullet into ye as you go along hyer,” added -Shepard.</p> - -<p>“Dot iss so,” the baron admitted. “I am t’inkin’, too,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[208]</span> -dot pefore ve gidt him ve vill pe having so mooch excidemendt -as neffer vos.”</p> - -<p>Between the town and the Indian village was a hill, -which had some good hiding places in and around it.</p> - -<p>This they searched, on their way back; though really -they had begun to feel that perhaps Benson had hurriedly -left the country.</p> - -<p>Benson was in hiding on this hill, and he had seen them -coming.</p> - -<p>He was armed, and in a desperate frame of mind.</p> - -<p>“So, they think they’ll surround me, and get me!” he -snarled, when he saw Wild Bill and Shepard go in one -direction, and the scout, with the others, in another direction. -“There will be dead men here, if they crowd -me.”</p> - -<p>He got into a position where he could see the approach -of Buffalo Bill and those with him, for he feared the scout -most of all.</p> - -<p>They passed beneath him, in a troughlike depression. -He saw them enter the “dip,” and was seized with the -thought that he might slay them all, when they gained a -certain point.</p> - -<p>Close by him was a great bowlder. He was familiar -with it, and knew that it might be set in motion down the -hill if a lever were set under its edge. He found a stick -that would do for the lever, which he put in position; -then he waited.</p> - -<p>He could not see them now, but he could hear them. -When he judged the right moment had come he threw -his weight and strength on the lever, and started the -stone.</p> - -<p>He started more than that—he started a landslip!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[209]</span></p> - -<p>The crash of the bounding bowlder, and the roar of -the landslip which it had started, warned the scout and -his pards of their peril.</p> - -<p>Yet it seemed that the discovery of their danger came -hardly in time.</p> - -<p>“Run for your lives!” the scout yelled.</p> - -<p>But as they ran for their lives the Dutch pard went -down before the terrible landslip.</p> - -<p>Fortunately, Baron von Schnitzenhauser was an exceedingly -quick-witted man in times of danger; otherwise, -it is probable he would not have lived so long.</p> - -<p>He scrambled for a hole that had a covering of rock, in -the shape of a shelf, and hurled himself under it just in -time.</p> - -<p>With a booming roar the bowlder passed over him; -then the loosened soil and rocks followed it, with a noise -that was deafening.</p> - -<p>The baron was buried, apparently; but he still could -breathe; for the shelf of rock held the weight of the -débris from even touching him.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and Nomad turned back. The landslip had -passed, but a cloud of dust hovered. Out of it floated -those yells of the baron.</p> - -<p>“Waugh! He’s livin’, anyhow,” said Nomad.</p> - -<p>The yells of the baron also brought Wild Bill and Matt -Shepard; they had started when they heard the landslip.</p> - -<p>It took two hours to dig the baron out; but he issued -forth without a scratch on him.</p> - -<p>“A fool for luck,” said Shepard, when the baron had -been unearthed.</p> - -<p>“Uff you mean der Fool uff der Folly Moundain, idt -iss so,” admitted the baron, feeling gingerly of himself,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[210]</span> -to make sure he was uninjured. “It iss no luckiness for -me dot I am scar’dt into sixdeen fidts alreadty, iss idt?”</p> - -<p>“Another lucky boy,” remarked Wild Bill, “is Tim -Benson. He started that landslip, and I saw him running. -But he was too far off for me to shoot at him; -and by this time he must be miles from here.”</p> - -<p>“Whether he is so very lucky or not will be told by and -by,” said Buffalo Bill. “I still intend to get him.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[211]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">TIM BENSON’S CLEVERNESS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>With Tim Benson at large a desperate fear lay on the -town and on the trails.</p> - -<p>Therefore, when Hank Elmore, stage driver, swung -his horses round in front of the stage station, and bawled -out, “All aboard fer <ins class="corr" id="tn211" title="Transcriber’s Note—“Calamut” changed to “Calumet”.">Calumet</ins> Wells!” the response was -disappointing.</p> - -<p>A woman stepped out of the station, closely veiled, and -carrying a large hand bag. Elmore dropped from his high -seat and handed her into his vehicle. Both Elmore and -the spectators knew that she was Miss Vera Bright.</p> - -<p>“Nobody else wantin’ to take passage in this hyer -hearse?” demanded Elmore, swinging round on his high-heeled -boots. “Tim Benson ain’t goin’ to——”</p> - -<p>A belated little man pushed his way hurriedly through -the crowd.</p> - -<p>“I’m going,” he said, and ran up to the coach.</p> - -<p>“Hop inside, er on ther seat with ther driver, jest as -ye like,” cried Elmore.</p> - -<p>He swung on round, glowering at the crowd.</p> - -<p>“As I was sayin’, thar ain’t no need fer ary gent hyer -what is wantin’ to travel over this trail to-day to be -afeard o’ Tim Benson. I know he’s a rantakerous gun -man, what shoots first and does his explainin’ about it -later; and that he has conducted more hold-ups than ary -man whatever was in this town; but he’s got sense. He -don’t hold up no stage when thar’s nothin’ to be gained<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[212]</span> -by it. To-day I ain’t kerryin’ no gold dust, ner treasure -o’ any kind—- ’ceptin’ the lady, gents, o’ course!—so, I -know he won’t bother me. He allus knows when treasure -is goin’ out, an’ when it ain’t; an’ he was never -knowed to come fer an empty stage. How he knows -when it kerries treasure I reckon is <em>his</em> business. So—who’s -goin’ over the trail with me ter-day?”</p> - -<p>When nobody else showed a desire to accompany him, -Hank Elmore climbed to his high seat, swung his long -lash, yelled at the horses; and the stage bounced and -jolted away over the cobblestone street, into the Calumet -Wells trail.</p> - -<p>“It’s gittin’ so that women have sure got more sand -than the men!” was his mental comment, as he thought -of his female passenger. “But I wonder why she’s pikin’ -out of Blossom Range?”</p> - -<p>The man who had entered the stage was apparently -thinking the same thing; for he began to question her.</p> - -<p>“I’ve seen you at the Casino,” he said, his tone one of -flattery. “Good show they’ve got there! I understood -that you was to stay another week.”</p> - -<p>She had lifted her veil after entering the stage, and -now gave him a close look.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I know you!” she said, as if that were a -sufficient answer.</p> - -<p>She observed that he was a small man, with a face -clean shaven, and a quiet, even unassuming, manner.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I reckon it ain’t any of my business,” he admitted, -“if you put it that way. It’s no loss, if you don’t -know me. But I’ve seen you a number of times. I -s’pose you’re on your way to Calumet Wells?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” she said, but indifferently.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[213]</span></p> - -<p>“And beyond that, of course; for that ain’t no proper -stopping place.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’m going beyond there.”</p> - -<p>“To ’Frisco?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps.”</p> - -<p>She drew back into her corner of the stage. But she -found it hard to stay there, for the pitching vehicle now -and then projected her out of it, once almost into the -arms of the man before her.</p> - -<p>“I—I beg your pardon!” she cried.</p> - -<p>“Don’t mention it.” He laughed. “’Tain’t the first -time I’ve had a lady throw herself at my head.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a poor joke!” she declared. But she laughed, too.</p> - -<p>He began to talk to her again, then; and presently -began once more to ask questions.</p> - -<p>“What you got in that big hand bag?” he queried.</p> - -<p>“What should I have in it? My clothing, of course.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly the expression of his face changed, and she -knew him—knew that this little man was Tim Benson -himself—Benson, the terrible desperado and road agent; -and she knew she had nothing to expect from him in the -way of favors.</p> - -<p>She started up with a little cry, but a jerk of the stage -threw her back against the cushions, while the rattle -of the wheels over the rough trail drowned her cry so -that it did not reach the driver.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Benson; “I see you know now -who I am!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but——”</p> - -<p>“Just a little trick I have, by which I fool both my -friends and my enemies. It’s easy, when one has the -gift, and knows how. Just draw up a few facial lines<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[214]</span> -here, and a few others down there, elevate your brows, -squint your eyes a little—just a little!—change the appearance -of your hair, and the thing is done. Nothing -easier.”</p> - -<p>He ran his fingers through his hair, hiding his face -with them for the fraction of a second; then looked at -her. The change was so complete that again she would -not have recognized him.</p> - -<p>“Easy enough, when you know how, eh? But it takes -a lot of practice. I worked at that for years before I -could get it down fine. But you needn’t be startled; and, -particularly, I advise you that it would be foolish for you -to call out to the driver. It could do you no good; and -might cause his sudden demise.”</p> - -<p>She sat staring at him, fascinated, terrified.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you’ll be willing to tell me why you’re leaving -Blossom Range now?” he added.</p> - -<p>Suddenly her eyes blazed.</p> - -<p>“I thought <em>you</em> were gone!” she gasped.</p> - -<p>“And that, because of it, your work there was done?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>She was silent a moment or so, still staring at him.</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t we be friends hereafter?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No,” she told him, the fire in her eyes increasing. -“You know what I have sworn to do?” Her voice trembled.</p> - -<p>“Hand me over to the hangman, or kill me yourself.” -He laughed. “It isn’t a nice resolve for a woman to -make.”</p> - -<p>“If I had known you were going on this stage!” she -panted.</p> - -<p>“Ah! My dear girl, in <em>that</em> you have a lot of company.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[215]</span> -A great many people would have been glad to -know that I was going on this stage.”</p> - -<p>“They said you had left Blossom Range.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, I wanted them to think that. I could have -stayed longer, but I didn’t care to.”</p> - -<p>“I know why.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you can guess.”</p> - -<p>“You knew that Buffalo Bill would get you, sooner or -later.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Cody can make himself very unpleasant, you -know. He is out of town this morning; and I was told -that he was out along the trail looking for me. He left -Wild Bill in the town, though, to keep watch there. I -saw Hickok in the street; but I’m sure he didn’t recognize -me, any more than you did.”</p> - -<p>He looked through the little window on that side.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” he said. “This old hearse has been doing -some tall traveling since we hit the trail. Either that, or -we have found each other such pleasant company that -time has fled faster than either of us was aware. I -prefer to think it is the latter.”</p> - -<p>He looked at her again, as if musing.</p> - -<p>“I want to say to you that if at any time you are very -much tempted to sing out your discovery of who I am to -the driver, better not do it.”</p> - -<p>He pulled a revolver from his pocket, and laid it on -the seat by him, with the muzzle toward her.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m not going to use it,” he told her, when she -shrank back in evident fright. “Not unless Cody appears -in the trail, as I’m half expecting him to do; then -I may use it on him. It’s a funny thing, the way he has -been able to keep tab on me. He couldn’t find me, yet he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[216]</span> -seemed to know all the time about what I was doing. -It’s my opinion that he heard I meant to leave the town, -and thought I would walk. If so, it was a foolish idea; -as he ought to know I never walk when good riding can -be had.”</p> - -<p>He looked at the hand bag again, lying on the floor of -the stage at the woman’s feet.</p> - -<p>“Anything else in that but your clothing?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing!”</p> - -<p>Her voice was weak from fear of him.</p> - -<p>“You seem to be scared. Well, you needn’t be! And -I’ll say that it doesn’t become you, as a woman who has -sworn against me all the terrible things you have. How -are you ever going to carry them out, if you weaken like -that?”</p> - -<p>He reached over, and pulled the bag across to him.</p> - -<p>Then he cocked his revolver on the seat beside him.</p> - -<p>“This revolver will go off and do you irreparable -damage,” he said, his voice hardening, “if you try to -interfere with me now. You know, of course, that I’m a -desperate man. Please don’t forget it.”</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m going to change myself into a woman. -See? If you’ll watch me, you’ll see how it’s done. -Where is the key to this thing?”</p> - -<p>She hesitated; then, trembling, she gave it to him.</p> - -<p>He unlocked the bag and tumbled the contents out on -the floor of the stage.</p> - -<p>“I ought to have a mirror—— Ah, thanks, here is -one!—and it would be better if I had a steady floor under -me. Yet needs must, when the devil drives. I’m<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[217]</span> -really expecting my friend Cody to appear now soon; and -I must be ready for him.”</p> - -<p>He chuckled, when he saw face powders and paints.</p> - -<p>“Just in my line,” he said. “I thought you’d have -them, and the clothing as well. In fact, I’m ready to confess -right now that I knew you were to go out in this -stage, and laid my plans accordingly.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a—devil!” she gasped.</p> - -<p>“Thanks, my dear, for the pretty compliment!”</p> - -<p>He pulled a dress out of the heap, looked it over -quickly, and began to put it on, over his clothing.</p> - -<p>“Just the fit,” he told her. “I’m a small man, you see.”</p> - -<p>He worked quickly.</p> - -<p>“I see that you’ve got a roll of false hair that is beautifully -blondined; I’ll thank you for the loan of it a -while.”</p> - -<p>She stared at him in terror; then, in fear, she gave it -to him.</p> - -<p>“You see,” he said, as he got to work, “that I wear my -hair long; so I can use this little headgear of yours very -readily. I’ll take those hair pins, too, if you please.”</p> - -<p>He looked into the hand mirror that had been in her -bag; then pinned the false hair in place.</p> - -<p>Having completed this to his satisfaction, with glances -now and then into the mirror, he took up her powder -and puff, and began to dab the powder over his face.</p> - -<p>“I took the precaution to have a clean shave before I -started,” he explained airily, but quietly; “so this will -work all right.”</p> - -<p>The whip of the driver was cracking from the top of -the stage, and the wheels were jarring heavily, so that -the stage pitched about; yet the pitching did not seem to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[218]</span> -discommode him. He worked quickly and with skill. On -his cheeks he put some of the paint which the woman -had applied so liberally to her own; he looked at her -sharply from time to time, then consulted the mirror.</p> - -<p>To her amazement, she saw that he was transforming -himself into a clever counterfeit resemblance—that his -features were becoming marvelously like hers, even to -the heavily laid on paint and powder. Besides, he had a -wonderful facial ability, enabling him to twist his face -into a fair counterfeit presentment of hers.</p> - -<p>“I’ve sometimes thought I made my mistake in life in -not going on the stage,” he remarked casually. “As -you’ve had experience, you may be able to judge of that -better than I can. This road-agent business is horribly -dangerous, as you may guess; and it isn’t any fun to be -breaking jail one week, and running away from Buffalo -Bill the next; which you know has been my awful lot. -Yet there is still a lot of fun in it, and whole worlds of -keen excitement. And what is life, if it is barren of -excitement?”</p> - -<p>He had brought into the stage a small hand bag; which -now, after he had made the desired changes in his appearance, -he opened. From it he took the contents, and -transferred them to her hand bag.</p> - -<p>Again he looked out of the window; but though his -eyes were turned on the landscape speeding past the -stage, his ears were keen; for when in desperation she -moved, with the wild intention of trying to get his revolver, -he lifted it from the seat beside him, and pointed -it at her.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t try it, my dear!” he said, in his smooth -voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[219]</span></p> - -<p>He looked again at her. She had dropped once more -back against the cushions, with a gasp of terror.</p> - -<p>“You see, I should hate awfully to be compelled to -shoot you!” he explained, in a cold-blooded tone that -made her shudder. “It would be bad for both of us; and -bad to muss up the stage, you know; it’s really a very -good stage, and newly recushioned. So you understand -how I feel about it.”</p> - -<p>“You are a devil!” she gasped again.</p> - -<p>“Only a man determined to protect himself at all -hazards. I wanted to look out and see if we aren’t -reaching the vicinity of Stag Mountain. In the cañon, -just beyond it, as you doubtless know, there have been a -lot of stage hold-ups lately; it may be we will meet -trouble there. We are nearing the place right now. Our -Jehu above seems to be laying on the whip a little more -heavily, and I judge that he is thinking of that place, too. -He has been through a good many of the hold-ups. I -should think, by this time, he would be so used to them -that if they did not happen he would miss them as a bit of -fun.”</p> - -<p>She did not answer.</p> - -<p>“But I’ll say this. If we are held up there, you sit -still right where you are. Otherwise, this revolver might -go off in your face. I shouldn’t hold myself responsible -for the consequences.”</p> - -<p>The tall peak of Stag Mountain came into view.</p> - -<p>Benson closed the woman’s hand bag and dropped the -key into his pocket. Then he lifted the skirt of the dress -he had put on over his clothing, and hid the revolver -somewhere under it.</p> - -<p>“We’re comin’ to ther place,” Hank Elmore bellowed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[220]</span> -to them, leaning down from his high perch so that they -could hear him. “But I don’t reckon we’ll meet up with -any trouble to-day.”</p> - -<p>He cracked his whip over the backs of the horses, and -the stage lurched and bounded into the gorge that swung -past the hill, and on into the cañon noted for its many -hold-ups.</p> - -<p>As if to bolster his courage, he began to sing.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[221]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">BUFFALO BILL’S HOLD-UP.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Matt Shepard bounced quickly into the room occupied -by Wild Bill Hickok, at the Eagle House.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me!” he said. “But if what I hear is so, Tim -Benson has got out o’ the town!”</p> - -<p>Wild Bill, who had been sitting comfortably by the window, -came to his feet with a jump.</p> - -<p>“Do you reckon it’s so?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“They say he took the stage; that <em>he</em> was the man that -was seen to git on. It was only after the stage had pulled -out, that Barney, the stableboy, decided that the one man -who went as a passenger was Benson. Barney has got -keen eyes, and I’m bettin’ his guess is the truth. If so, -Benson fooled me complete.”</p> - -<p>Matt Shepard turned back to the door when he had -delivered this.</p> - -<p>“I thought I’d tell you,” he said. “I’m goin’ to git -some men together and shack right out after that stage. -Benson has fooled me so many times——”</p> - -<p>“And may be fooling you now,” the man from Laramie -reminded.</p> - -<p>“You mean this guess of Barney’s may be wrong?”</p> - -<p>“It’s just what I mean. Who else went in the stage?”</p> - -<p>“Vera Bright.”</p> - -<p>“Wow!”</p> - -<p>“But I’m guaranteein’ that she didn’t know that the -man who climbed into the hearse with her was Benson.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[222]</span></p> - -<p>“Where is Miss Bright going?”</p> - -<p>“On her way to ’Frisco, I heard. She’s had enough of -the game here. She told me only yisterday that she believed -Benson had got out of the country, and she was -goin’ this morning.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a queer thing, if they’re there together.”</p> - -<p>“But just like Benson. Nobody can ever tell what -he’ll do. He’s sharper than tacks and slipperier than -eels. But that stage is humpin’ right along—Elmore is -driving, and he makes things hum when he’s on the box.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s so.”</p> - -<p>Wild Bill came out of his room, following the sheriff, -and locked the door behind him.</p> - -<p>“What you goin’ to do?” Shepard asked.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to get word of this to Buffalo Bill as fast -as I can.”</p> - -<p>“Where is he?”</p> - -<p>“Out on that very trail, and looking for Benson.”</p> - -<p>“You follow the stage, as soon as you can get your -men together! I’ll shack out alone.”</p> - -<p>Wild Bill went down the stairway to the lower floor -three steps at a jump; then ran out to the stable, at the -rear of the hotel, where he kept his riding horse.</p> - -<p>Before the slower-moving sheriff was well out in the -street, Wild Bill had his horse ready, and was in the -saddle.</p> - -<p>He struck at once into the Calumet Wells stage trail, -galloping out of the town; but he did not stick to it long. -The appearance of the dust in the trail told him that the -stage had passed that way not long before.</p> - -<p>“I’ll want to pass round the stage without Benson -knowing it, if the scoundrel is in it,” was his thought,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[223]</span> -“and so get word to Cody. It will take some hot riding -to do it, but I’ve got an animal here that can go. Shepard -is a slow mover; so he won’t get this far out within -an hour, if then; for he will want to get a lot of men -together, with horses, and that will take time. The stage -will be at Stag Mountain long enough before the sheriff -can get anywhere near it. That would be just the place -for Cody, if I can get the word to him in time.”</p> - -<p>So Wild Bill swung out of the trail, turning off to the -right, and rode at a swift gallop.</p> - -<p>Occasionally, as he drove his horse on, he consulted his -watch, and looked at the rising peak of Stag Mountain, -estimating the probable time the stage would get to that -point.</p> - -<p>Having left the trail, he did not see the stage at all. -But he came abreast of Stag Mountain in a remarkably -short time, and swung on around it, keeping to the path -he had chosen.</p> - -<p>“If Cody suspects that Benson may try this trail, in an -effort to get out of the town, I’ll find him near the other -end of the cañon,” was his conclusion. “I’ll look for him -there, at any rate.”</p> - -<p>The man from Laramie, knowing of his pard’s plans, -judged so accurately that, when he came again into the -stage trail, just beyond the cañon, he saw first a rifle -poked at him over the bushes, then the head of old -Nomad appear.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” the trapper bellowed at him. “I war jest -on ther p’int o’ pumpin’ lead at ye. Better swing back -on them reins. Buffler’s in hyar.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and the Baron rose out of the bushes and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[224]</span> -stepped into the trail, where Wild Bill had brought his -panting horse to a halt.</p> - -<p>“News!” said the man from Laramie.</p> - -<p>“I cal’lated et, soon’s I seen ’twas you!” said Nomad.</p> - -<p>“Tim Benson is coming in the stage, so I was told. -Shepard gave me the word; and though it is just a guess, -I straddled my animal and brought it to you.”</p> - -<p>“And the stage is due here at almost any minute,” was -Buffalo Bill’s comment.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I reckon it is. I rode like the devil was after -me, for I was bound to git here first. Shepard is to follow -it with a posse; but it’ll take him half a day, likely, -to turn round a few times and get under way.”</p> - -<p>“Uff idt iss drue,” said the baron, “I gan see some -bromise of a varm dimes goming. Dot Penson iss a -fighdter.”</p> - -<p>“Anybody with him?” the scout asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes—and it’s a funny thing! Vera Bright is in the -same stage.”</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad whooped. “Thet actress woman. -But she’s his inemy.”</p> - -<p>“As I understand it, she didn’t know he was to go, and -perhaps didn’t recognize him; he’s got a wonderful way -of changing his appearance—never saw anything like it. -The only thing I’m afraid of is that a mistake has been -made, and he ain’t in the stage with her at all. She went; -that’s sure. And a man went—a small man, about the -size of Benson; one of the stableboys says he knows it -<em>was</em> Benson. Now you know all I do.”</p> - -<p>“Budt ve vill haf to do some mofing kvick,” averred -the baron. “You vill pe hearing dot stage in apowet fife -minudes.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[225]</span></p> - -<p>“You’ll have to look out for Benson’s revolvers,” the -man from Laramie warned. “He’s quick with the trigger, -and he will shoot if cornered. We’ve got to get the -drop on him.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill took charge of the situation, and led his -friends at a run toward the cañon, which lay like a black -gulf on the southern side of the low peak called Stag -Mountain.</p> - -<p>Through the cañon the trail ran, and because the cañon -was dark, with bushes growing on each side, it had for -many months been a favorite place for hold-ups. Benson -had used it in that way a number of times himself.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the scout and his friends got into position -in the bushes in the cañon when the rumble of wheels announced -the approach of the stage.</p> - -<p>They soon afterward heard the snapping of Elmore’s -long whip, and the voice of the driver. He was singing, -to give himself and his passengers assurance. Elmore -always got nervous when he came to that spot. Though -he had been in a score of hold-ups and never injured, he -expected that each would be his last. If there had been -another way for the stage, he would have taken it. There -was a bridle path, which Wild Bill had followed; but -though it was wide enough for a horse, the stage could -not get through it.</p> - -<p>Elmore’s bellowing voice was wafted ahead of him -into the dark-walled confines of the cañon:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“The red-headed man from Santy Fe,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Held aces four, an’ then some more;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He got my wealth away frum me,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">An’ I am sore—I’m mighty sore!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The stage came in sight, lurching down into the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[226]</span> -cañon. Elmore swung his whip, making it crack like a -pistol.</p> - -<p>“G’lang!” they heard him yell. “Git through this hyar -brimstone hole, fast as ye can. Whoop! Wow! Go on, -there!”</p> - -<p>Hank Elmore, thinking he was through, or nearly so, -and safe, broke out in song again.</p> - -<p>But suddenly his singing changed to a howl, his foot -was jammed automatically against the heavy brake, and -he pulled back on the lines.</p> - -<p>“Whoa!” he yelled.</p> - -<p>Out of the bushes on each side weapons had appeared, -making him think that it was another road-agent hold-up; -though in an instant he saw that the men were Wild -Bill, Buffalo Bill, old Nomad, and Baron von Schnitzenhauser.</p> - -<p>“What in the name o’ Sam Hill!” he yelled, in his -amazement, as he recognized them. “Gents, this is——”</p> - -<p>“Just keep your seat and steady your horse,” Buffalo -Bill shot at him. “We won’t trouble <em>you</em>. The man we -are after is in the stage.”</p> - -<p>“Wow!” said Elmore. “Is that so? What’s <em>he</em> been -up to?”</p> - -<p>“If we aren’t mistaken, you’re pulling Benson along in -your old hearse to-day,” the scout told him.</p> - -<p>Elmore came near falling out of his seat.</p> - -<p>“Bub-Benson! But—say, it cain’t be. Bub-Benson -ain’t——”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill advanced on the stage, a revolver in each -hand, paying no further heed to the stage driver.</p> - -<p>“We think you’re in there, Benson!” he called out. “So -you might as well step right out and surrender. We<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[227]</span> -know you’re a big little man, and a mighty good pistol -shot; but there are four of us here, and we can do some -shooting, too. So, even if you downed one or two of us -you couldn’t get away. And it would go mighty hard -with you. Better come right out like a little man and -surrender.”</p> - -<p>But there was no reply to this.</p> - -<p>“Hold your revolvers on the stage doors,” the scout -commanded. “If Benson jumps out and tries to get -away, down him. He has given us enough trouble.”</p> - -<p>He stepped to the door of the stage on his side, and -boldly drew it open with his left hand, holding a revolver -in his right.</p> - -<p>“You might as well come out, Benson. There is a -woman in there. Miss Vera Bright; but, of course, she -knows that we mean no harm to her. We’re after Tim -Benson.”</p> - -<p>There was a rustling sound; then a woman—or what -they took, in the rather dim light, to be a woman—came -out of the stage, carrying a hand bag.</p> - -<p>“You—you sc-scared me so!”</p> - -<p>“No harm will be done you, Miss Bright,” said the -scout. “But there is a man in here; and we want him.”</p> - -<p>The scout put his head in at the stage door, and saw a -form lying back amid the cushions.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” he said. “What is this!”</p> - -<p>The next moment he had leaped into the stage, after -calling on his friends to keep a close watch.</p> - -<p>A woman lay unconscious against the cushions of the -coach, the scout saw at once.</p> - -<p>He stooped over her, the light not so good that he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[228]</span> -could see her face clearly; but a feeling that something -was wrong came to him.</p> - -<p>“Stop that woman outside!” he yelled.</p> - -<p>He turned to get out of the stage.</p> - -<p>At the same instant Nomad yelled something.</p> - -<p>“Stop her!” Buffalo Bill shouted.</p> - -<p>Nomad began to run after the supposed woman.</p> - -<p>“She is hikin’, Cody,” he announced.</p> - -<p>“Then shoot her! For that woman must be Tim -Benson!”</p> - -<p>The trapper’s revolver roared the next moment.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” he howled. “She’s gittin’ away, Buffler!”</p> - -<p>The scout flung himself out of the stage.</p> - -<p>All he saw at that first look was the skirts of the supposed -man, as they whipped out of sight behind a rock, -and Nomad lunging in that direction.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid we’re tricked,” said the scout to Wild Bill -and the baron. “But you stay right here; some woman is -in the stage, or else Benson. We will know directly.”</p> - -<p>Then he sprinted after Nomad.</p> - -<p>The disguised man was out of sight, amid the rocks -that lined the cañon, by the time the scout and the trapper -reached the spot where last they had seen him.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad roared, staring around. “Was et a -man, er a woman? Anyway, ther critter hes kited.”</p> - -<p>The scout ran on, looking about, hand on ready revolver, -prepared to shoot, and expecting to be shot at. The -rocky sides of the cañon were bush-grown, and there -were little crevices and cracks making off from it on -the right and left. These were dark, and made darker -by the bushes. The outlaw had all the advantage. He -could lie hidden; and when he felt safe, he could climb<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[229]</span> -softly up the broken and ragged cañon wall, or sneak -away along the rifts. Twenty men would hardly have -been enough to make a prompt and thorough exploration -of the many hiding places.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill turned back, meeting Nomad, who had -been following.</p> - -<p>“Er clean giterway!” the trapper howled.</p> - -<p>“It looks it, Nomad. But we’ll go back to the stage -and see what we have there.”</p> - -<p>Instead of answering, Nomad whirled as if on a pivot, -swinging his revolver round, and sent a shot plunging -and roaring into one of the side gorges. At the same -time he followed the shot by rushing into the place.</p> - -<p>“Did you see him?” Buffalo Bill called, following the -trapper.</p> - -<p>“I heared him—er her!”</p> - -<p>But the sound did not come again.</p> - -<p>What was heard next was a plunging of the stage -horses, then the bounding and rattling of the stage, accompanied -by a roar from Hank Elmore, commanding -the horses to stop.</p> - -<p>“I reckon ther hosses hez tuck et inter their heads ter -make a break, too,” commented the trapper.</p> - -<p>He and Buffalo Bill rushed into the gorge, searching -for the author of the sound they had heard. But they -unearthed nothing, and by and by came out.</p> - -<p>“We might’s well give et up, Buffler,” the trapper admitted -ruefully. He was in a fuming rage. “This is -tough luck. Whoever thet was made a clean giterway. -Looks like er trick o’ Benson’s.”</p> - -<p>Hastening back to the spot where Wild Bill and the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[230]</span> -German had been left with the stage, they found the -stage gone, and those who had been with it.</p> - -<p>“This is a beastly mess!” Nomad whooped. “Even so -big a thing as a stagecoach slips right through our fingers. -But I reckon thet Wild Bill an’ ther baron aire -chasin’ arter et.”</p> - -<p>They followed, also, hurrying at a run along the trail.</p> - -<p>When they came out of the cañon they saw the stage -and horses a quarter of a mile away. The German and -Wild Bill had apparently overtaken the stage, and then -had turned back, for they were coming toward the -cañon. The stage driver, after wrapping the lines round -a tree by the trail, came also toward the cañon, hastening -to overtake the man from Laramie.</p> - -<p>“Might’s well wait fer ’em ter git hyer,” suggested -Nomad. “I’m plum winded. But ef we war follerin’ -Benson, ther kyote got away.”</p> - -<p>“I believe it was Benson, in spite of the woman’s -clothing. Circumstances suggest it.”</p> - -<p>“And Wild Bill said thet et war him.”</p> - -<p>When Wild Bill came near he swung his hat and -whooped:</p> - -<p>“Did he get away?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>“Plum made ther through trip,” Nomad answered, his -face an angry red.</p> - -<p>“Was it a woman who was left in the stage?” the scout -asked.</p> - -<p>“It was Vera Bright.”</p> - -<p>“You’re sure of that?”</p> - -<p>“There’s no doubt whatever, pard. We brought her -round, and she talked with us. She’s in the stage yet, -but weak; we left her there and come hoppin’ back,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>[231]</span> -judgin’ that you was needin’ help. She told us that Benson -had taken her hand bag, got clothing and other things -out of it, and made a change in his looks, while he was in -the stage with her; and that she was too frightened to -make an outcry. He said to her, too, that he was -expecting you to appear, and that he would fool you, and -get away.”</p> - -<p>“Et’s what he has done, ther ornery skunk!” cried -Nomad. “But et’s jest like Benson.”</p> - -<p>“He iss like der flea,” put in the baron; “vhen you haf -got him, you gan loogk vor him at some odder blaces alreadty.”</p> - -<p>“He’s certain a mighty smart un,” commented the -stage driver. “I was tur’ble oneasy as I driv up ter ther -cañon, but I’d ’a’ been throwin’ fits ef I had guessed thet -Benson was the little gent ridin’ in my hearse.”</p> - -<p>“Benson knew that the town and the trails were watched -and covered, so he had to make use of some scheme to -get out at all; and, of course, he wanted to get out,” said -the scout. “I wonder where he will go now?”</p> - -<p>“Could we trail him?” asked the man from Laramie.</p> - -<p>“That’s to be settled, after we try it.”</p> - -<p>“Then you mean to try it?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly shall do everything to keep him from getting -out of the country. After he leaves this rocky section -and puts his foot on softer ground he has got to -make a trail, and I see no reason why we can’t find it -and follow him. It will take time; but if no rain comes -to wash out his tracks, we can do it.”</p> - -<p>“No rain in sight now,” said Nomad. “Et don’t rain -down in this kentry enough ter make a man reckle’t what -a good rain seems like.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>[232]</span></p> - -<p>A sound came from the direction of the horses, that -the stage driver had tied to the tree.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” he howled. “They’ve broke that hitchin’ -strap, and thar they go, cuss ’em!”</p> - -<p>The horses had broken away from the tree, and were -going down the trail at a tearing gait, dragging the stagecoach, -which swayed and bounced on the rough places, as -if it would go over.</p> - -<p>The excited stage driver started after them on foot, as -if he thought he could overtake them in that way.</p> - -<p>“No use to run your lungs out in that style, Elmore,” -the man from Laramie called out to him. “Our horses -are right here. You can straddle the back of one of ’em, -with the reg’lar rider, and get there a heap quicker.”</p> - -<p>The scout and his pards hurried to get up their horses, -which were hidden out in the scrub.</p> - -<p>But by the time they had done this the stage had -bobbed out of sight. By and by they even ceased to hear -it; though, before the sounds of its flight ceased, a -crashing sound reached them, much as if the stage had -been overturned.</p> - -<p>“That girl is shore gittin’ a run fer her money,” observed -Nomad; “thet is, ef she likes fast goin’ in an ole -stagecoach. I’m hopin’ she ain’t hurted none whatever.”</p> - -<p>They were quickly galloping along the trail after the -stage.</p> - -<p>When they came in sight of it they saw what had -happened. Scared by shadows at one side of the way, the -horses had swung out of the plain road, then had vainly -tried to get past, a big bowlder by going one on each -side of it; the result of which was that the pole of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>[233]</span> -stage had struck the rock, breaking the pole, bringing the -horses to a violent stop, and tumbling the stage over on -its side. In addition, the horses had snarled themselves -in their harness with a perfection that rendered them -helpless.</p> - -<p>Hank Elmore was aghast when he beheld the damage.</p> - -<p>“I wonder what et done fer ther woman?” was Nomad’s -query. “I don’t see her stirrin’ round, and ef she -ain’t eternally smashed, I sh’d think thet she’d git outer -ther ole hearse.”</p> - -<p>“I am guessing,” said the baron, “dot she iss inkinscious -ag’in.”</p> - -<p>“Repetition of a thing creates a habit,” said the man -from Laramie, with a laugh on his lips. “I’m hoping it -won’t be so in her case; as unconsciousness would be a -bad habit to cultivate.”</p> - -<p>They galloped up to the stage and the tangled horses. -But when they had done so and looked into the vehicle, -they were struck with amazement.</p> - -<p><em>The woman was not in the stage!</em></p> - -<p>“Wow! What’s ther meanin’ of et?” Nomad whooped.</p> - -<p>“Uff she had peen sbilt oudt alongk der vay ve musdt -haf seen her,” said the German.</p> - -<p>“That cushion has fallen, and maybe she is crumpled -up under it,” Buffalo Bill suggested.</p> - -<p>But she was not under the cushion; nor was she in the -stage at all.</p> - -<p>Hank Elmore, fuming and growling, was trying to -get his horses untangled.</p> - -<p>“This trip puts ther kibosh on any I ever took,” he -growled. “I have been through hold-ups a-plenty, but -this is wuss than any of ’em, fer me. One o’ you fellers<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>[234]</span> -that’s got a sharp knife lend a hand yere; this hawse has -twisted ’leventeen bowknots o’ leather round his forrud -laigs, and I cain’t untie none of ’em; we’ve got ter do -some knife work, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>Wild Bill sprang to his aid, and the recalcitrant harness -was hacked away.</p> - -<p>After making certain that the woman was not in or -near the stage, the scout requested Nomad and the -baron to look for trails near by, then turned about and -retraced his way, leaning over from the saddle, searching -carefully.</p> - -<p>A whoop from Nomad stopped the scout and brought -him back.</p> - -<p>“I’ve found tracks,” said the trapper, “but they ain’t -hers; look like a grizzly b’ar’s; but thet cain’t be, fer a -grizzly don’t w’ar shoes.”</p> - -<p>The scout flung himself out of the saddle; and, leaving -Bear Paw standing in the trail, he hurried over to the -spot occupied by the baron and Nomad. Wild Bill and -Hank Elmore were still unsnarling the stage horses.</p> - -<p>The trapper pointed solemnly to some tracks that he -and the baron had found.</p> - -<p>“Erbout big ernough fer a grizzly,” said Nomad, “an’ -ther feller thet made ’em shore shuffled along jest like a -b’ar; yit I reckon ’et war a man, ’count o’ ther shoes. -I never yit heerd thet b’ars war addicted ter ther shoe -habit.”</p> - -<p>The tracks were large, showing they had been made -by shoes of the biggest size. As the trapper stated, the -wearer had progressed with a shuffling movement, as was -to be told by the fact that where the ground was soft the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>[235]</span> -tracks were long-drawn, indicating that the feet had slid -along, instead of being well lifted.</p> - -<p>“Der kvestion vot me unt Nomat haf peen asking,” -said the baron, “iss, Dit he haf der vomans?”</p> - -<p>“We couldn’t tell, Buffler; fer, ye see, though them -tracks sink purty deep, it may be bercause ther feller was -a purty good weight hisself; ther size o’ them feet indercates -a big man.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll see if we can pick up the trail of the woman,” -said the scout. “That is, if she left the stage at this -point, and not before it reached here. It seems to me, -though, that she could not have got out of the stage, the -way it was tearing along, until it made its stop right -here.”</p> - -<p>“What would she want ter leave it fer?” asked Nomad.</p> - -<p>“She iss Vera Bright,” said the baron.</p> - -<p>“By which the baron means, I judge,” the scout explained, -“that she has been little better at times than a -comrade and friend of outlaws, and perhaps is not to be -trusted to do the honest thing in this case.”</p> - -<p>“Vot I am t’inking iss dot perhabs she ditn’t vant to -seen you, Cody. She might haf a reasons.”</p> - -<p>The scout was searching for tracks of the woman.</p> - -<p>Soon he found them—off on the right; small tracks, -going in the same direction of the large ones.</p> - -<p>“Now, which were made first,” he asked, “the woman’s, -or the tracks of the big feet? You can see that -both are fresh.”</p> - -<p>“Idt gidts me,” the baron confessed.</p> - -<p>“Likewise, hyer,” said Nomad. “Was she follerin’ ther -man, er was he follerin’ her; er was they travelin’ independent?<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>[236]</span> -Ther only way ter find out is ter overtake ’em, -I reckon.”</p> - -<p>The horses had been released from the tangled harness, -and the disgusted stage driver was tying them to -some trees. Wild Bill walked over to the place where -Buffalo Bill and his pards were discussing the trails.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been hearing your talk,” he said. “And I judge -you’re up in the air.”</p> - -<p>The scout admitted it.</p> - -<p>“What you going to do?”</p> - -<p>“Follow these trails, and see what became of the -woman first. Then try to pick up the trail left by Tim -Benson. I suppose there is no doubt the fellow was -Benson?”</p> - -<p>“Miss Vera Bright declared he was Benson.”</p> - -<p>“Budt can she pe trusdted?” asked Schnitzenhauser.</p> - -<p>“I think so, in that,” Wild Bill told him. “She was -scared, and she seemed to be speaking the truth. Yet I -can’t understand why she left the stage here, unless the -jolt she got when the stage hit that rock unsettled her -mind a bit.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill followed along the trail of the woman.</p> - -<p>“It’s a thing we’ve got to find out,” he said.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>[237]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> -<span class="fs70">GORILLA JAKE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Tim Benson, having by some clever and careful climbing, -got out of the cañon gorge, and to the high ground -beyond it, was hastening along, hurrying so rapidly to -put distance between himself and the men he feared that -he had not stopped even long enough to remove the woman’s -dress he wore, when he was brought to a sudden -and gasping halt by seeing a revolver poked at him over -the top of a bush.</p> - -<p>“Try ter draw a gun, and I’ll down ye!” came in warning -from behind the bush.</p> - -<p>Benson’s hands, going involuntarily to the revolver he -carried, stopped on touching the dress, which at the moment -he had forgotten he was wearing.</p> - -<p>“Hands up!” repeated the fellow behind the bush.</p> - -<p>Grumbling, and still ready to fight, Benson complied; -he did not believe the man who spoke was one of Buffalo -Bill’s followers, which increased the likelihood that -the man was an outlaw, like himself.</p> - -<p>“Come out of that, and let me see you!” he said. -“Likely I know you, if you’ve been herding round here.”</p> - -<p>The man came out, with his revolver leveled.</p> - -<p>As soon as Benson saw him he dropped down with a -breath of relief, then began to laugh, as an understanding -of the situation came to him. Yet the man saw nothing -to laugh at.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>[238]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ll jest take that there hand bag,” he said, “and any -other vallybles ye’ve got about ye.”</p> - -<p>“Wow! Gorilla Jake!”</p> - -<p>The man stopped with a grunt of surprise, but still -kept the revolver pointed at Benson.</p> - -<p>“It’s funny, eh?” he said. “Well, explain it, so’s I can -laugh with ye.”</p> - -<p>The fellow was a very giant, so far as stature went; -but he seemed an immense ape, or gorilla, rather than a -man. His arms were so abnormally long that the one -which hung down at his side extended to his knee. His -legs, by comparison, were short. His body was long; his -shoulders big and thick. His head was small, with cunning, -apelike eyes, set in the midst of a hairy face. His -clothing was rough; his hat, a brimless thing, crowded -down so tightly on his skull that the small size of his -head was clearly shown.</p> - -<p>“Who—who do you think I am?” Benson gasped.</p> - -<p>“I reckon you’re ther woman what let out the screech -when I come up to the stage over thar, after it whanged -into the rock. I looked in at ye; then you give out that -clippin’ yell and streaked it; I never see a female make -sech a jump. And run! Well, you was runnin’ like a -locomotive. I seen you had a hand bag, and that the -stage held nothin’; so I piked out and follered ye. Now, -I’ll take the hand bag.”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson stared at the apelike man before him.</p> - -<p>“When was this?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Waal, I’m figgerin’ that you know that jest as well as -I do. I’ll thank ye fer the hand bag.”</p> - -<p>“Was it <em>this</em> hand bag?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sayin’ it was. Hand it over.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>[239]</span></p> - -<p>“See here, you’re fooled.”</p> - -<p>“Not on yer life, I ain’t. When ye hand that bag over, -simply git rid of all yer other vallybles, too; fer I want -’em. How you knowed I’m called Gorilla Jake, I dunno; -but it don’t make much difference. I’m him. Knowin’ it, -you ought to know that I’ve got an impatient temper.”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson stood up, smoothed out his facial muscles -and threw off the dress he had drawn over his clothing. -Then Gorilla Jake saw that he had a man to deal with. -When fuller recognition struck him like a blow in the -face, he fell back.</p> - -<p>“Benson!” he howled.</p> - -<p>“Needn’t yell it. There’s men on my trail; and they’ll -be on yours in a minute, if they ain’t already. You know -’em, too—Buffalo Bill and his crowd.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake looked around, with a startled air.</p> - -<p>“Was that the crowd that was up by the cañon?” he -asked.</p> - -<p>“You’re speakin’ it.”</p> - -<p>“Gee-whittaker!”</p> - -<p>“But you needn’t holler it. They’ll be hoppin’ along -here soon enough, without that. What are you doing -here?”</p> - -<p>“What air you? And what was you playin’ woman -fer?”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson stood up, listening for sounds of pursuit.</p> - -<p>“Let’s hunt a safe hole somewhere; then we can talk -things over. It may be a lucky thing for both of us that -we’ve met.”</p> - -<p>“Not fer me—if you’ve got Buffalo Bill’s crowd follerin’ -ye!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>[240]</span></p> - -<p>But the apelike man followed Benson when the latter -set out to seek a safer stopping place.</p> - -<p>It was found by and by, in a hole, after a careful climb -across a rocky slope.</p> - -<p>“There’s a few bushes growing in the crevices here,” -said Benson, “and they’ll help to hide us; while this position, -away up here, gives us such an outlook that -Cody’s crowd can’t come on us easy without us seeing -them. So we can talk things over.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake dropped down inside the hole with Benson.</p> - -<p>“First,” said Benson, “what brought you here?”</p> - -<p>“I might answer by sayin’ my feet,” the apelike man -answered, spreading his mouth in a horrid grin; “but that -wouldn’t be explainin’, would it? So I forks over the -information that I was on my way to Blossom Range, -and was keepin’ out of the reg’lar trails simply as a -matter of habit.”</p> - -<p>“Any sheriffs chasin’ you?”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake hesitated.</p> - -<p>“Not this trip.”</p> - -<p>“The last I heard of you,” said Benson, ignoring the -hesitation, “was when it seemed you was going to hang -for killing Nat Spargo, over in Valley Falls.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake drew up his huge shoulders.</p> - -<p>“I got out o’ that,” he explained, “by makin’ the jury -believe that I done the thing in self-defense; but it was a -close squeeze.”</p> - -<p>“What is your lay now?”</p> - -<p>“Seems to me that I’m doin’ all the explainin’!” the -apelike man objected. “But, never mind—I’ll git my -whack at you when I’m through. Jest now I was goin’<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>[241]</span> -to Blossom Range, where I thought I might find some o’ -my old pals. But the chief reason was the Utes, that’s -livin’ jest north of it.”</p> - -<p>He pulled a package from his pocket. Opening it, he -displayed a number of brown tablets.</p> - -<p>“Good trick,” he said; “I paid fifty dollars fer the -recipe tellin’ how to make ’em. I never need to go road -agentin’ no more, to git all the cash I want. Feller that -I bought the recipe of was a Chinaman. Ordinary, I -take the drugs in their raw state, and mix ’em in whisky. -But over in Virginny City I found a drug-store man -what made it up in that shape fer me; and I kin kerry a -lot of it in a small compass.”</p> - -<p>He held one of the brown tablets up in his fingers.</p> - -<p>“Contains jest two grains,” he said. “Let a man mix -one o’ them in his whisky, and then let him drink it, and -he’s jest got to have more. After that, I’ve got him. It -makes him see visions and have the howlingest happy ole -time, with adventures in clear joy, such as never was; all -fer a few cents. One tablet will do that. Give him -three; and he gits wild. Give him four er five, and he’d -kill his best friend fer a dollar. Give him as high as ten, -and he jest lays down and don’t know nothin’ fer twenty-four -hours straight.”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson became intensely interested.</p> - -<p>He took the tablet and looked at it; felt it, smelled it, -then tasted it.</p> - -<p>“Not much taste to it,” he remarked.</p> - -<p>“It’s the effect what does the work.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve tried ’em yourself?”</p> - -<p>“Not any fer me, thank ye! If I did, I’d simply be -eatin’ ’em all the time; and it would be the end of me.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>[242]</span> -It gits the best of ’em, after a while, if they don’t stop it; -and they can’t stop it so long as the stuff is to be had. -Start an Injun at it, and first he’ll trade ye his gun; then -he’ll pass over his ponies and his blankets; finally he’ll -give ye his squaws, if ye want ’em.”</p> - -<p>“He might murder you to get the stuff, I should -think.”</p> - -<p>“It don’t work that way. When he’s the wildest, he’s -still got sense enough to pertect the man what furnishes -him his means of happiness, so’s he kin git more. See? -So I always feel safe.”</p> - -<p>“Is it an opium compound?”</p> - -<p>“Thar’s opium in it, and Indian hemp; them’s the principal -ingrediments. Thar’s another thing called woolly -loco; an’ some jalpasca, which comes frum Ceylon. But—shucks, -d’ye think I’m goin’ ter give ye ther recipe of -how to make this?”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson sat staring at the little tablets.</p> - -<p>“How many you got of them?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“More’n enough to set a hundred men crazier’n a band -o’ bobcats.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good!”</p> - -<p>“See hyer,” snarled the apelike man, showing his fang-like -teeth. “Seems to me I’m doin’ all the talkin’—answerin’ -all the questions! You ain’t opened up any information -about yerself, thet I’ve noticed. No hawg bizness -goes with me!”</p> - -<p>“I was just thinking.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I notice it. I want you should do some talkin’.”</p> - -<p>“I think we can make this stuff highly useful.”</p> - -<p>“I’m doin’ that already; it’s highly useful, to pull<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>[243]</span> -money in my direction. That’s a secrit I ain’t goin’ to -sheer with nobody. Besides, you said we would have a -confidential ixchange of information personal. I’ve laid -my cards on the table; put down yours.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I see! You want to hear my story.”</p> - -<p>“Prezackly.”</p> - -<p>“It’s short—but not sweet. As I told you, Cody and -his crowd are off over there somewhere, looking for me. -I came in the Calumet Wells stage from Blossom Range -this morning. In the stage with me was a woman, that -you don’t know—a show girl, who goes by the name of -Vera Bright. I thought a good deal of her at one time; -in fact, me and a gambler and road agent by the name of -John Ward ran a close race for a snug place in her affections. -She allowed Ward was a better looker than -myself, and he won out.”</p> - -<p>“I know him.”</p> - -<p>“You mean that you once knew him. Right now he is -dead.”</p> - -<p>“Wow! What did he die of?”</p> - -<p>“A bullet out of my pistol.”</p> - -<p>The apelike man edged away, staring at Benson.</p> - -<p>“Does that hit you in a tender spot?”</p> - -<p>“Not p’ticklerly; he wasn’t no friend of mine.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad of it. This woman I’m telling you about -never forgave me for killing Ward; though, as I look at -it, it was Ward for the graveyard, or me. He would -have killed me, only that I got him first.”</p> - -<p>Then Benson related his adventures in Blossom Range -in detail, and when he had finished the apelike man sat -staring in admiration at the master villain.</p> - -<p>“You’re shore a wonder!” he ejaculated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>[244]</span></p> - -<p>The compliment pleased Benson, and he smiled.</p> - -<p>“I got away, as I said; then I met you.”</p> - -<p>“Jest so. Well, I heard a rumble and noise in the trail, -and saw the stage down there, with the horses snarled. -Looked like nobody was in it, er that they was all dead; -so I slid down to investigate. When I poked my nose in -at the stage door thar was a woman layin’ on the cushions. -I reckon she thought I was the devil, fer which I ain’t -blamin’ her; I never did count much with women, ner in -a beauty show. She let out a yell, jumped out of the -stage, and fair flew; and she come in this direction.</p> - -<p>“About that time I thought I heard men frum the -cañon, and I kited; fer I didn’t want to meet ’em. I run -over in this direction, and then I heard you. Thinkin’ -it was maybe somebody that had follered me, I got behind -that bush. It was my intention, if the man was alone, as -I thought, to hold him up and rob him. But it was you.”</p> - -<p>“So we understand each other.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; now we understand each other.”</p> - -<p>“Got any plans now?”</p> - -<p>“I told you I was goin’ into the town, then to the -Utes.”</p> - -<p>“Better keep out of the town right now. As for the -Utes, I want to talk with you about them.”</p> - -<p>Throughout their talk Tim Benson had not been at -ease, owing to his fear that Buffalo Bill’s party might -come upon him unawares.</p> - -<p>Now he got up and crept stealthily away, after telling -the apelike man that he wanted to look round, and -would be back in a minute.</p> - -<p>When he returned he had news.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>[245]</span></p> - -<p>“I got a look at ’em,” he announced, “from that hill -out there.”</p> - -<p>“Wow! Ye did?” said Gorilla Jake, sitting up -straighter.</p> - -<p>“They’ve found the woman that you scared away from -the stage—the woman I was telling you about—and -they’re taking her back to it. I reckon they’ll send her -on to Calumet Wells with Elmore, or back to Blossom -Range.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s Elmore?”</p> - -<p>“Hank Elmore is the stage driver.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!”</p> - -<p>“Soon’s they’ve got the woman off their hands they’ll -be up here, follerin’ our trail.”</p> - -<p>“They’ll find it hard work trailin’ us acrost them -rocks.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you don’t know Cody. He can smell out a -trail just like a bloodhound. He’ll find it.”</p> - -<p>“Then I reckon we’d better be goin’ on.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, after we’ve had a few more words. You said -you were going into the town.”</p> - -<p>“It was my calc’lation.”</p> - -<p>“But you didn’t tell me who is after you!”</p> - -<p>The apelike man stared again—and the clever road -agent saw that in his guess he had hit the bull’s-eye.</p> - -<p>“Who said anybody was after me?” said Gorilla Jake.</p> - -<p>“Your manner told me. Who is it? Perhaps I can -give you some information.”</p> - -<p>The apelike man looked round, then at Benson.</p> - -<p>“Might’s well tell it, I s’pose. I was follered by them -cussed Betts brothers.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>[246]</span></p> - -<p>“Jim Betts and Bill Betts, the Great Combination?”</p> - -<p>“Edzackly. I see you know ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Only too well. I saw ’em no longer ago than last -night.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake stood up with a jump.</p> - -<p>“But there’s no use getting scared about it—here!” assured -the crafty road agent. “It was down in Blossom -Range that I saw ’em.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake sat down, his great frame shivering.</p> - -<p>“I might’s well tell ye the whole of it.”</p> - -<p>“I think it will be better, if you do,” said Benson, who -had lied in saying he had seen the Betts brothers in the -town; the truth being he had not seen them there or anywhere -else recently, though he knew who they were, and -feared them almost as much as he did Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>“I put a knife into the superintendent of the Goliath -Mine, at Soda Springs,” Gorilla Jake explained. “Hard -luck had me by the throat, and I was tryin’ to git the -cash that was in the safe at the mine office. The superintendent -was in the office, and we come together. He -gripped me; and to git free I knifed him. It was only -ten days ago. The thing made me pick up my feet and -git out o’ that in a hurry. A reward was offered fer me -alive er dead, by the mine directors, and it put the Bettses -hot on my trail; but I thought I had shook ’em off.”</p> - -<p>Benson concealed the feeling of satisfaction which this -gave him.</p> - -<p>“You won’t dare to go into the town now, at any rate,” -he said.</p> - -<p>“No, I reckon not.”</p> - -<p>“And Buffalo Bill will help the Bettses, of course.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>[247]</span></p> - -<p>“He allus does,” Gorilla Jake admitted, “when they -happen ter be workin’ in the same territory.”</p> - -<p>“So it looks to me that the best thing we can do is to -join forces. And since you’ve told me about those tablets, -and that you intended to go to the Utes, an idea has -come to me.”</p> - -<p>“I was goin’ to sell the stuff to the Utes; but I’ve got -to have whisky as a basis, to soak the things up in; that’s -why I was goin’ into Blossom Range—to git the whisky. -Can’t do nothin’ without it. I doctor the whisky with -the tablets. A red jest naturally likes the stuff, anyway; -put that dope into it, and you couldn’t pry him away from -it with a crowbar. He’ll trade everything he’s got fer -it. I’ve heard them Utes have got some gold dust, and I -know they’ve got furs and pelts. So that was my lay. -I thought I’d be safe there for a time, and that maybe -the Bettses would git tired, or lose the trail.”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson sat thinking over this, forming his crafty -plans. He knew now that Buffalo Bill would “get” him -unless he could hurl a force against the scout’s party and -crush it. That force might be the Utes.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got the whisky,” he announced, “and I’ll go in -with you in this thing; it will make for the safety of -both of us. I’ve been using the Ute village as a hide-out -on more than one occasion, and have found it a mighty -good place. But Cody has brought up Matt Shepard, the -sheriff, with a posse, and gone all through it, more than -once recently. And he’ll do it again. The Utes are -afraid of the sheriff and his posse; though without that -posse backing him they wouldn’t stand it. Iron Bow -told me the last time I was with him that he couldn’t -hide me again; he’s afraid Shepard will lug him off to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>[248]</span> -the Blossom Range jail. So it’s not that the old scamp -ain’t willing enough to hide me; and he wants the whisky -I give him for it.”</p> - -<p>“Where do ye keep this whisky? Git it in the town -every time?”</p> - -<p>“I used to. Lately I had a burro load cached in the -hills, as a thing to fall back on, if I wasn’t able to get it -in the town. Ye see, I didn’t dare take it all to the Utes -at once, and didn’t want to. The most of it is in that -cache now, in bottles.”</p> - -<p>“Wow!”</p> - -<p>“How does it hit you?”</p> - -<p>“Great!”</p> - -<p>“My idea is this; and you can tell if it will work. Give -enough of that stuff of yours, in that whisky, to a lot of -the warriors, and get them into a bloody humor; then -make them think that Buffalo Bill’s crowd is out here to -make trouble for ’em. It ought to send them out against -Cody’s gang red-headed.”</p> - -<p>The apelike man gurgled what he probably thought -was a laugh.</p> - -<p>“It’d do it.”</p> - -<p>“Then, the thing is easy. If the stuff will do that we -can simply wipe that crowd off the face of the earth.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake stood up and looked across the rocky -land.</p> - -<p>“How fur is it to that whisky cache? Seems to me I’d -like a drink myself. But with no dope in it; none o’ that -dope fer me!”</p> - -<p>“The cache isn’t far from the Ute village.”</p> - -<p>“If the reds has found it thar’ll be an empty cache -when we git thar.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>[249]</span></p> - -<p>“I don’t think they could find it.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon we ought to be movin’ out of this. If I -understood you, after Cody’s crowd put that woman back -into the stage they’re likely to come this way, follerin’ -our trails.”</p> - -<p>“They’re sure to.”</p> - -<p>He stepped farther out, still looking about.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he turned and dived back. As he did so a -bullet plunked against a rock right over his head.</p> - -<p>“Gee-whiskers!” he sputtered. “That was a close -call.”</p> - -<p>No rifle or revolver report had sounded.</p> - -<p>“<em>They</em> ain’t in the town, you bet!”</p> - -<p>His apelike face had changed in a moment to an ashen -white, showing terror. “It was from Bill Betts’ rifle,” -he said.</p> - -<p>Tim Benson was not a little startled.</p> - -<p>“You saw Bill Betts out there?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I seen the swish of his umbreller; then that came at -me.”</p> - -<p>Sweat began to stream out of his face.</p> - -<p>“Take a look out, and see! It was over by that big -rock. But look out fer yerself.”</p> - -<p>A good deal puzzled, Tim Benson crept to the edge of -the hole and looked out. After staring hard he failed to -locate the umbrella.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see anything,” he called back in a whisper.</p> - -<p>“Mebby she’s circlin’!”</p> - -<p>“<em>She?</em>”</p> - -<p>“I see that yuh don’t know much about ther Betts -brothers. Jim, he’s a tall, ganglin’ feller; while his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>[250]</span> -brother is little; that’s Bill. And Bill he does the female -lay.”</p> - -<p>“I see. One of my little tricks—plays woman.”</p> - -<p>“Where they ain’t known they purtend ter be husband -and wife, and air gin’rally quarrelin’ about all ther time, -jest to fool folks. The woman—I’ve kinder got inter -ther habit o’ callin’ Bill a woman!—don’t carry any -weepins that anybody knows of, but she is allers packin’ -about with her a big gray umbreller. It’s her rifle; an -air gun, that shoots wicked, yit don’t make a sound that -you can hear ten yards off. She whanged at me jest now -with her air gun. Which shows that she seen me. And -o’ course she’s crawlin’ up. Ain’t thar no way o’ gittin’ -out o’ this infernal hole without rushin’ out thar?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see her, or the umbrella,” Benson declared.</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake ventured to creep out at Benson’s side. -As soon as he could see across the rocks he dropped -down, dragging at the sleeve of his companion.</p> - -<p>“Thar! Thar!” he said, shivering. “Don’t yer see it?”</p> - -<p>“Blamed if I do.”</p> - -<p>“That gray rock off thar; looks jest like a gray rock, -anyhow. It’s her umbreller. She’s squattin behind it, -waiting fer me to show myself. She’ll hold us hyer till -Cody’s crowd comes up. It’s her game. She thinks she -has got me in a hole, and now she has plugged up the -hole.”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson saw the “gray rock,” when Gorilla Jake -pointed it out to him; but even then could hardly believe -that the gray object was not a rock.</p> - -<p>“If it’s an umbrella, a bullet through it ought to get -Bill Betts,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Which goes ter show that you don’t know her. She<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>[251]</span> -is layin’ off to one side, prob’ly, wi’ a rock coverin’ her, -er coverin’ her head and shoulders, so a bullet through -ther umbreller wouldn’t git her.”</p> - -<p>He worked a little higher, even at a risk, and tried to -look round. He was perspiring profusely, and his gray -eyes glittered; while his lips, drawn back, revealed his -fanglike teeth. More than ever he resembled an ape or -gorilla, rather than a man.</p> - -<p>Tim Benson was not slow in perceiving the desperate -character of the situation. Bottled up in the hole by that -deadly air rifle, what was to hinder the pretended woman -from keeping them there until Buffalo Bill’s party could -come up? That would mean Benson’s capture, as well -as Gorilla Jake’s.</p> - -<p>He drew back his head and studied the stones at the -rear of the hole. Then he looked at the long arms of -the man-ape, and his powerful shoulders. Benson himself -was a small man; but this giant at his side might do -the thing he could not. He could furnish the brains -which Gorilla Jake lacked, and the man-ape could furnish -the muscle which he lacked. It was, it seemed, a fortunate -combination.</p> - -<p>“If you’ve got the courage, Jake,” he said, “there’s no -reason why, with your strength, you can’t push those two -stones out of the way back there. It would furnish us a -means to get out of this hole.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake stared at the stones, licking his hairy lips.</p> - -<p>“If she didn’t pot me while I was doin’ it!” he objected.</p> - -<p>Benson looked round again.</p> - -<p>“Here, we can up-end this stone,” he said, “and it will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>[252]</span> -screen you from her bullets while you turn the trick. But -we’ve got to be quick about it.”</p> - -<p>“Quick’s the word! Cody’s crowd is comin’; I know -it by the way she jest sets down thar behind that umbreller.”</p> - -<p>They up-ended the stone, a thing easy to do when the -man-ape applied his immense strength to the task.</p> - -<p>Believing that this would screen him, Gorilla Jake -now attacked the stones at the rear of the nest, which -Benson pointed out. It was a wonderful exhibition of -brute strength; the muscles on his arms and shoulders -corded themselves up like knotted ropes, his breast -heaved up and down convulsively, sweat rained from his -face; but he moved the heaviest of the stones, and with -a great surge of his writhing body threw it to one side. -The next, which had lain under it, was not so difficult, -and a hole had been opened.</p> - -<p>Through it they pulled themselves; then slid their -bodies down the slope on the other side.</p> - -<p>They now had the rocky hill between themselves and -the terrible “woman” with the umbrella.</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake bounded to his feet like a huge ball of -live rubber.</p> - -<p>“Now fer the tall hills!” he panted.</p> - -<p>“Yes; this is our chance. Poke your nose at that peak -over there, and keep going. I’ll try to hold you in sight. -I guess we can give that crowd the slip even yet.”</p> - -<p>Then they began to run, with the peak as their first -objective point, being careful to keep to rocky and hard -ground.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>[253]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE BETTS BROTHERS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Tim Benson was right in saying that the rocky slopes -crossed by him and Gorilla Jake would not detain Buffalo -Bill, or throw him off the scent.</p> - -<p>But the difficult character of the work slowed his -progress, even though he had with him such wonderful -trailers as Nick Nomad and Wild Bill Hickok.</p> - -<p>As for the baron, he did not waste time in trying to -spell out the tracks—which he could not see at all without -assistance, and hardly then—but contented himself -with looking ahead and around, thereby performing a -most useful service, as it would not have been advisable -for all the eyes of the party to engage in trail searching.</p> - -<p>While doing his part of the work, the baron saw a man -duck down suddenly behind a rock.</p> - -<p>“Vot iss?” he gasped, stopping dead in his tracks.</p> - -<p>“Jes’ now it’s a fool Dutchman squawkin’ too loud!” -Nomad flung at him.</p> - -<p>“Budt I seen somepoty.”</p> - -<p>This attracted attention.</p> - -<p>“What did yer see, Shnitz? Don’t stand thar gogglin’.”</p> - -<p>“A man.”</p> - -<p>“Benson, I reckon. Whar was he?”</p> - -<p>“Budt idt vos nodt Penson. He iss a liddle veller. -Dhis vos a dall man, unt he vos vearing vhiskers!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>[254]</span></p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and the man from Laramie began to ask -questions.</p> - -<p>“Righdt py dot rock pehint I seen him, yoost now. He -vos so dall like he iss vearing sdilts, unt he haf longk -vhiskers like a sbinach.”</p> - -<p>“Which don’t prove et wasn’t Benson,” Nomad objected. -“Thet feller kin change his looks more than any -actor thet ever helped ther bloodhounds chase <em>Eliza</em>. -When we last seen him he was wearin’ one o’ Miss Vera -Bright’s dresses and doin’ ther woman act. Benson is -rale cute.”</p> - -<p>“Budt he couldn’t make himselluf so dall as dot, couldt -he, mitout sdilts?”</p> - -<p>“Waal, who’s ter know he warn’t w’arin’ stilts?” said -Nomad, determined to meet all objections, for he was -sure that the man seen could be none other than Benson.</p> - -<p>But a minute later he was undeceived; the man appeared -in full view for just a second, then jumped back -behind his rock.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad whooped now, rubbing his eyes. -“Ef thet ain’t ole Jim Betts, I’m er Piegan.”</p> - -<p>“Right-o! None other!” chimed in Wild Bill.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had discovered the same thing. He -stepped out, so that Jim Betts could see him clearly.</p> - -<p>Thereupon the hidden man appeared again; this time -coming toward them with tremendous strides of his long, -birdlike legs.</p> - -<p>“Thunder and carry one!” the man from Laramie exploded. -“What’s Betts doing here?”</p> - -<p>“Vhen he iss arrifed he vill exblandion idt,” suggested -the German.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>[255]</span></p> - -<p>Jim Betts came up rapidly, his small head outthrust, -his spinach whiskers floating in the breeze.</p> - -<p>“Howdy!” he called, yet he did not speak loud. “You -out after the same man we air?”</p> - -<p>“If you are after Tim Benson, we are,” the scout told -him.</p> - -<p>Greetings followed.</p> - -<p>“We ain’t after him,” said Betts; “we’re after Gorilla -Jake, fer knifin’ the mine superintendent at Sody Springs. -Thar’s a big reward out fer him, dead er alive; and -wherever a reward floats its invertation thar me and Bill -is mighty cert’in to be found. We been trailin’ him fer -better’n a week. He’s been p’intin’ his nose toward -Blossom Range; but we rounded him up, arter a fashion, -in these hills, this mornin’, an’ air now lookin’ fer him.”</p> - -<p>“Did he wear big boots?” asked the man from Laramie.</p> - -<p>“Yoost so peeg as vot a grizzly bear vears?” added -the German.</p> - -<p>“Waal, he does. He’s a sort o’ grizzly, too; er, ruther, -human ape. If ye ever set eyes on him ye’ll never fergit -him.”</p> - -<p>Jim Betts took from his pocket a soiled reward advertisement, -which gave a very accurate description of -Gorilla Jake; then the scout recalled who the man was.</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard of him, but never seen him,” he explained.</p> - -<p>“Then you know he’s a troublesome citizen,” said -Betts. “When I seen you comin’ along hyer I couldn’t -make out who ye was; so I dodged behind that rock. -Then I tuck the risk of showin’ myself, knowin’ that if -you was friends, and recognized me, you would come on. -Brother Bill is out hyar some’eres.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>[256]</span></p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad’s face was wrinkling with smiles -of pleasant recollections. “I recomembers yer brother, -all right. He’s ther female. Bill still w’arin’ skirts -now?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Not this trip; ’tain’t necessary. But he’s got his ole -umbreller with him. I prefers pistols and rifles m’self; -but Bill he says give him ther ole umbreller. It’s a wonder -the way ther thing will shoot, an’ ther way he kin -shoot it.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve seen those big tracks near here?” the scout -queried, after explaining further about Benson. “We -lost them.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Betts.</p> - -<p>“We’re follerin’ purty near by guesswork now,” Nomad -admitted. “Yit I cal’late we’re p’intin’ right.”</p> - -<p>“Waal, I’m powerful glad t’see ye!” Betts asserted -again. “Was your man goin’ in this same direction?”</p> - -<p>“Vot a kvestion!” exclaimed the baron. “Uff nodt, -vouldt Puffalo Pill pe going dhis vay?”</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll go on together,” said Betts. “I likes to -keep within clus hailin’ distance o’ Brother Bill, as he’s -a master hand to git into trouble when I ain’t nigh to -advise him.”</p> - -<p>“An’ Bill says,” Nomad reminded, “that <em>he</em> has continyul -got ter look out fer you, ter keep <em>you</em> frum gittin’ -inter trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Jest his idee o’ humor,” Jim Betts asserted airily.</p> - -<p>They were moving on together, across the stony land.</p> - -<p>Half an hour later they came in sight of Bill Betts, -crouched near his gray umbrella gun, watching the hole -where he believed Gorilla Jake lay concealed.</p> - -<p>When he saw his brother and the men with him, he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257"></a>[257]</span> -stared; then he lifted his hand, on recognizing them. -After that he closed the umbrella part of his gun, and -slid backward, rising to his feet as soon as he felt safe.</p> - -<p>In a minute or two he was before them.</p> - -<p>“Glad to see everybody—Cody specially!” he cried, -making an all-inclusive bow. “But right now I ain’t got -time ter tork. Right off thar is a hole what Gorilla Jake -is hidin’ in, an’ another man what’s a stranger ter me -hidin’ with him. I’ve been holdin’ ’em in thar by slammin’ -away now and then with this ole air gun; and I’m -afraid they may make a break fer other cover unless we -close up on ’em quick.”</p> - -<p>They “closed up” on the hole amid the rocks, near the -crest of the ridge, following Bill Betts. He began to -sing out for the occupants of the hole to “surrender,” as -soon as he was near enough.</p> - -<p>“Might’s well come right out o’ that and save trouble,” -he warned. “I has got Cody and his crowd backin’ me -now; and if we’re forced to charge ye somebody’s goin’ -to git hurt mighty bad. What do ye say? Goin’ to surrender -peaceable, er do we have to come fer ye on ther -run?”</p> - -<p>Nomad, obeying a motion from Buffalo Bill, had -hitched back, and was now circling round the base of the -ridge, to get on the other side.</p> - -<p>But at a risk, the scout took a shorter cut to knowledge.</p> - -<p>“Your men may not be in there,” he said to Betts.</p> - -<p>He stood up quickly, inviting a bullet, and saw the hole -made when Gorilla Jake heaved aside the stones.</p> - -<p>“The nest is empty!” he shouted; and started toward -it with drawn revolver.</p> - -<p>“Iss dot so-o!” howled the baron, tumbling right after<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258"></a>[258]</span> -him. “Den ve haf peen wit-oudted!” He meant out-witted.</p> - -<p>The others followed.</p> - -<p>“Thunder and carry one!” exploded the man from Laramie, -as the deserted hole in the rocks was reached and -he looked about.</p> - -<p>Bill Betts was stupefied.</p> - -<p>“May I be doggone!” he said. “I reckon I’m about -forty different kinds of fools, fer not suspectin’ that. But, -ye see, I didn’t suppose them rocks could be lifted; fergittin’ -that Gorilla Jake is a human steam engine, when -it comes to strength.”</p> - -<p>He began to look about on the other side of the ridge, -searching for the tracks of the fugitives there, a work in -which he soon had plenty of assistance.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259"></a>[259]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.<br /> -<span class="fs70">IN THE UTE VILLAGES.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Having made their successful getaway, Tim Benson -and Gorilla Jake covered the distance to the whisky -cache in record time.</p> - -<p>The whisky was in flat, pint bottles, and it was vile -stuff. Still, Gorilla Jake celebrated the opening of the -cache by swallowing the contents of one of the bottles.</p> - -<p>Only about half the bottles were removed, the others -being carefully concealed again. The men divided those -taken, distributing them to the best advantage on their -persons, after “doctoring” them with Gorilla Jake’s tablets.</p> - -<p>Before they started on for the Ute village they did -their best to obliterate all traces of the cache and of their -visit to it. Also, in approaching and leaving it, they -blinded their trail with great care.</p> - -<p>“If Cody finds this trail he’ll be doing good work,” -said Benson. “I don’t think he can do it.”</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake’s brutish face had flushed under the influence -of the liquor swallowed, and his gray eyes were -glittering. He still shuffled his steps with half-dragging -feet, and swung his long arms clumsily; yet his courage -was improved, and he walked more erect.</p> - -<p>“I reckon it’s a good thing fer you,” he said, growing -boastful, “that I met you jest as I did.”</p> - -<p>“I judge it was a good thing for both of us,” Benson -parried.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260"></a>[260]</span></p> - -<p>Though Benson had not touched the whisky, his face -had a peculiar look, and one that was not pleasant. All -the facial masks he assumed at various times were now -laid aside, so that his real self was more than usually -well revealed. It denoted cunning; but also a fear that -had begun to approach terror. It showed, too, a lack of -mental balance. Some of Benson’s “feats” had often -made his friends say he was “crazy,” though in its literal -sense they did not mean it. If they had beheld him now, -though, they might not have thought him crazy, they -would have seen that he was desperate. And desperation -carried to an extreme is but a form of insanity, in that it -leads men to do things which in ordinary moments they -would not dream of attempting.</p> - -<p>No greater proof of Benson’s decided list toward insanity -was needed than the step he had decided on, and -was now bent upon carrying out. A man normally balanced -would have seen that its end was more than -threatening. For, even granting that he induced the -Utes to destroy Buffalo Bill’s party, that could not be -the end of it. Other men would be sent, backed by the -power of the American Government. A perfectly sane -mind would have known that he could no more combat -and destroy them all than the old woman could sweep -back the sea.</p> - -<p>Benson justified his plan to himself by the thought -that if he had to “go under” he could send Buffalo Bill -ahead of him to the land of shades.</p> - -<p>A question was voiced now by the man who looked so -much like a great ape that Benson had a real scorn of -his mental ability:</p> - -<p>“Don’t ye reckon it’d be best if we jest dropped this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261"></a>[261]</span> -hull blamed thing and purceeded to put distance between -us and these hyer people?”</p> - -<p>Benson stopped, his face white and nervously troubled, -his brows lowering.</p> - -<p>“Weakening, are you?” he snarled.</p> - -<p>“Not edzackly, but——”</p> - -<p>“Then, swing along. In an hour or less Cody’s crowd -will pick up our trail in spite of all we’ve done, and will -be follering it. I ain’t any notion to be caught by ’em, -out here.”</p> - -<p>A cluck of anger sounded in the throat of the apelike -man. He did not like the tone in which this was said to -him. But he “swung along,” following hard at Benson’s -heels.</p> - -<p>On gaining the edge of the village, they were met and -opposed by warriors. But Benson stood his ground.</p> - -<p>“Tell Iron Bow that Little Eagle comes, with his servant, -bearing gifts for the chief and warriors, and wishes -to see him,” he said, making his communication in Ute.</p> - -<p>Iron Bow, the chief, was already approaching, drawn -by the hubbub. He arrived in no pleasant humor; and he -stared in a forbidding manner at the apelike man with -Benson.</p> - -<p>“Little Eagle knows,” said the chief, “that it is not -well for him to come again to the Ute village. Iron Bow -is his friend; yet the chief must think of his people.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what ye’re sayin’,” objected Gorilla Jake, -“but I don’t like the looks o’ things hyer.”</p> - -<p>Benson gave this no heed—he did not even look at -Gorilla Jake, but merely smiled upon the frowning chief -and truculent warriors; then he fished from a pocket one -of the bottles of “doctored” whisky.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262"></a>[262]</span></p> - -<p>“I and my servant have come with gifts for the chief -and warriors,” he said smoothly, as if he had not heard -the objections of Iron Bow. “Here are bottles of the -white man’s fire-water, which my brothers like so well.”</p> - -<p>He tried to pass them around; but the eager Indians, -forgetting their angry growls, clutched and crowded so -that it was soon a case of “first come, first served.”</p> - -<p>Iron Bow, deeming a scramble beneath his dignity, -raised the bottle given him to his lips, after which -sounded a hollow “gurgle-gurgle,” as the tempting liquor -slipped down his throat. He was almost the only Indian -there permitted by others to drink his bottle empty in -peace.</p> - -<p>“My servant has more,” said Benson airily, having -passed out all that he had. “But you must not fight for -it, and you must not make such a squabble over it that -you may break the bottles. It is very good fire-water, -as the chief knows.”</p> - -<p>He turned to his “servant,” and Gorilla Jake’s pockets -and shirt began to yield up “doctored” bottles.</p> - -<p>As many as thirty warriors, and the chief, got enough -of the powerful and poisonous stuff to fit them for murder -within half an hour.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263"></a>[263]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">MATT SHEPARD AND THE MASSACRE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Instead of driving the stage through to Calumet Wells, -Hank Elmore had turned his horses about in the trail, -and, with viciously cracking whip and jumping horses, -he took it at a bouncing gait back toward Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>Elmore was undeniably scared. Aside from that, he -wanted to be the first with the news into Blossom Range, -and talk the thing over with his cronies there, as he had -talked over every hold-up in which he had ever been -engaged. Elmore disliked hold-ups, because of the danger; -but when they were past he got great glory and -satisfaction out of the fact that he had been in them. -Sometimes he told marvelous stories of his courage and -prowess, but that was only when no one could contradict -him.</p> - -<p>With his horses jumping along the trail and the old -“hearse” rocking like a catboat in a gale, Elmore was -suddenly taken aback by the supposed discovery that he -was in for another hold-up, even though he had in the -stage only the scared woman who answered to the name -of Vera Bright. He stabbed his boot against the brake, -and surged back on the lines with a pull that threatened -them, weakened, as they were, with splicings and tyings.</p> - -<p>But, instead of road agents, the men who came into -view were Matt Shepard, sheriff and jailer of the county, -with a body of men behind him, some mounted and others<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264"></a>[264]</span> -on foot. Heavily armed, they had looked peculiarly -brigandish.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s you, is it?” yelled Elmore, much relieved.</p> - -<p>“Who did you think it was?” demanded Shepard, while -his men swarmed up behind him.</p> - -<p>“Agents!” answered Elmore laconically. “See anything -o’ these hyer knotted lines, gents? See that trace -over thar thet’s been cut and then tied together; and that -back band that has been served the same way? Y’ don’t -notice, I reckon, that this hyer harniss is hangin’ tergether -with strings. Ef you did, you wouldn’t ask has -I been in a hold-up.”</p> - -<p>Shepard and his backers were immensely interested.</p> - -<p>“Who was the hold-up gents?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>Then Elmore was able to turn one of the few jokes of -his life.</p> - -<p>“Buffalo Bill and his crowd!” he yelled. “Wow! -Would ye ’a’ thought it?”</p> - -<p>But after that he explained what he meant, while the -men from Blossom Range crowded round the stage and -looked at the cut and patched harness and the scratched -horses.</p> - -<p>“So the lady is inside?” said the sheriff.</p> - -<p>She came to the door, very pale and large-eyed. She -corroborated the story of the stage driver, and was able -to add details of her own from personal observation.</p> - -<p>“Cody is follerin’ him, then,” said Shepard. “It’s a -game we want to git into. Which way did Benson go?”</p> - -<p>“Buffler said he’d be mighty certain to rack out fer -the Ute village,” Elmore explained. “They’re goin’ thar -to git him. Buffler tole me to tell yer.”</p> - -<p>Shepard consulted a few moments with his followers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265"></a>[265]</span></p> - -<p>“I reckon we’ll save a whole heap of time,” he said, -“if we cut right acrost the hills hyer and head straight -fer the Ute village. No use in us goin’ on to where -Benson got out of the stage, as we couldn’t do nothin’ -there; it would be a foolish waste of time.”</p> - -<p>The men agreed with him.</p> - -<p>“So we’ll hit it up for the Ute village. If Benson has -taken refuge there ag’in we’ll snake him out, and I’ll -handcuff old Iron Bow and land him in jail for harboring -him.”</p> - -<p>Hank Elmore drove on toward Blossom Range, having -added interesting details and additions to the story he -meant to tell there, while the sheriff and his posse set off -across the hills by the shortest route, the Ute village their -objective point.</p> - -<p>In spite of the fact that some of them were unmounted -they made good progress, not being hampered by the -necessity of picking up and following an obscure trail.</p> - -<p>The time was past noon when the Ute village was approached. -Afar off they had heard Indian howling.</p> - -<p>A quarter of a mile from the village, when they were -most unsuspecting, they were struck by a blind charge -of warriors, of a kind they had never experienced or -heard of, and for which they were totally unprepared. -Shepard had expected to walk up to the village, summon -Iron Bow, demand Benson, then search the tepees, as he -had done before.</p> - -<p>Instead came this wild charge, the Ute warriors rising -out of a nest of rocks and pouring down on the posse -without warning. They were led by a small painted and -feathered figure and a very giant of a man who seemed -more like a wild animal than a man, though he also wore<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266"></a>[266]</span> -Indian paint and feathers. Iron Bow was there, too, -transformed into an Indian maniac.</p> - -<p>The screeching braves did not stop even when revolvers -were emptied at them. Rushing on the horsemen, -they caught them by the legs and pulled them bodily to -the ground. They seemed in a fanatical rage. The falling -men were shot and hatcheted. Those who at first, in -fright, pulled their horses round, got away. The others -fell, dead or wounded, or captured. Not even the horses -were spared; for when there seemed no white men to kill -the Utes began to slay the animals. It was not a rout, it -was annihilation.</p> - -<p>Matt Shepard had been shot from his horse, a bullet -passing through his body; but he still lived when he -struck the ground, and did not lose consciousness.</p> - -<p>With such horror as he had never felt, he witnessed the -terrible massacre of his followers. A groan which the -sight drew from him told the warriors that he was not -dead. One of the braves, thereupon, jumped at him with -a lance, to run him through.</p> - -<p>But the small painted chief, whom Shepard had noticed -at the beginning of the charge, leaped in, caught the -lance, and turned its point aside, so that it drove into the -ground; then he shouted angrily to the other Indians, -who were crowding round to finish the white prisoner.</p> - -<p>When it seemed that the Utes would kill Shepard, the -small man, yelling something, pulled a whisky bottle -from beneath his blanket and flung it out from him.</p> - -<p>The drug-and-whisky-crazed warriors made a combined -rush for it, and in a minute were fighting among -themselves for its possession.</p> - -<p>The small man whom Shepard thought a chief stood<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267"></a>[267]</span> -now before him. Close behind the small man came that -other painted figure, that had such a marked resemblance -to a wild animal.</p> - -<p>The little man spoke in English, and Shepard recognized -the voice of Tim Benson.</p> - -<p>“You know me?” said Benson.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know you now,” Shepard admitted. “It explains -things.”</p> - -<p>“Glad you see a great light. But you ain’t going to -last long.”</p> - -<p>“I know it,” said Shepard; “I don’t reckon I can live -half an hour. I’m bleeding inside.”</p> - -<p>“You were coming to the Ute village to get me?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; there’s no use denyin’ it. I’d have done it, but -for this treachery.”</p> - -<p>“Is it treachery for a man to protect himself?”</p> - -<p>“We won’t argue it—I ain’t got time! But the white -man who will furnish whisky to Indians had ought to be -tortured as well as hung.”</p> - -<p>“Where is Cody?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>“He ain’t right out there?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps so; I can’t say as to that.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’d like to send you to him with a message, saying -that the thing that has happened to your crowd is -going to happen to his. I’ll admit that when we jumped -down the hill here we thought—I did—that it was his -crowd; and if I hadn’t been mistaken in it he would be -where you are now. I’d like to send that word to him.”</p> - -<p>Shepard did not answer. He still looked courageously -at the man who was disguised as an Indian, but a grayish -pallor was stealing over his face.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268"></a>[268]</span></p> - -<p>The Indians had squabbled for the whisky, had swallowed -it, and now came rushing back. They were howling -for the blood of the white man.</p> - -<p>“Take him!” said the outlaw.</p> - -<p>He stepped aside, drawing the apelike man with him.</p> - -<p>It was the end of Matt Shepard, one of the bravest of -the sheriffs of the Western border.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The panicky survivors encountered Buffalo Bill’s party. -The shooting and yelling had been heard, and the scout -had hastened.</p> - -<p>“Better go back!” said Shepard’s deputy, whose name -was Dugan. “Shepard’s dead or wounded, and the hull -bilin’ that ain’t killed was captured, ceptin’ them that’s -with me. They’ll wipe you clean off the slate, if you go -there.”</p> - -<p>The other men with Dugan said much the same thing.</p> - -<p>Then they went on, riding and running in the direction -of Blossom Range.</p> - -<p>The hubbub of the Indians had died out.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill took stock of the situation before moving -on. The thing had a bad look.</p> - -<p>“It’s Benson’s work, of course,” he declared.</p> - -<p>“Benson’s and Gorilla Jake’s,” said Jim Betts. “They -j’ined forces, ye know; fer they war shore together in -that hole what Brother Bill thought he had blocked.”</p> - -<p>“They have given the Indians whisky.”</p> - -<p>“Hangin’s too good fer sech varmints,” Nomad declared.</p> - -<p>“I reckon, Cody,” suggested the man from Laramie,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269"></a>[269]</span> -“that we’d better find out just how the land lies ahead -of us, before we try to do much.”</p> - -<p>“How’re ye goin’ to git Benson, if he’s with the Utes, -and the Utes air out fer that kind of fightin’?” asked -Bill Betts.</p> - -<p>But they did not spend time discussing the situation -uselessly. Under Buffalo Bill’s guidance they moved -forward toward the point where the Indian attack had -fallen.</p> - -<p>When close upon it, the scout and the man from Laramie -went on, leaving the others to await the result of -their inspection.</p> - -<p>The evidence of the bloody work of the crazy Ute -warriors was plentiful and appalling. But they did not -find Matt Shepard, alive or dead.</p> - -<p>“He was wounded, the boys reported,” said Hickok, -“and I reckon they hauled him into the village. They’ll -be torturing him next. The thing I’m wishing is that I -could get Benson by the heels.”</p> - -<p>They were so close upon the Indian village that they -had used the utmost caution in reaching the battle -ground, and they could see right into the village, when -they cared to take the chances of discovery to accomplish -it. The Utes were making a lot of noise, and seemed -engrossed in dancing and yelling.</p> - -<p>“Well, what shall we do?” asked Wild Bill.</p> - -<p>“I was just thinking of sending to the town for help. -While our messenger is gone you and I might do something. -If Shepard is in the hands of the Utes we want -to know it.”</p> - -<p>“And if Benson is there we want to <em>get</em> him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_270"></a>[270]</span></p> - -<p>“Right. I think he will be either in our hands or dead -before this thing ends.”</p> - -<p>“Who can we send to the town; no one will want to -go? We’ve left our horses, and it will have to be some -one afoot. Besides, will anybody come out against the -Utes now, when they hear the story those fellows will -tell?”</p> - -<p>As there was no possibility of penetrating into the -village while daylight held, the two scouts and friends -back-tracked carefully, and delivered their report.</p> - -<p>While scouting around that afternoon, Buffalo Bill -came upon “sign,” which led directly to the discovery of -Tim Benson’s whisky cache. Wild Bill, Nomad, and Bill -Betts were with him at the time.</p> - -<p>Though Benson and the apelike man had blinded the -trail there, and had taken every means to conceal the -cache from the Indians, the trained eyes of the scout and -his friends enabled them to find it in a comparatively -brief period.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad grunted, when the cache had been -located. “I reckon Benson’s been hidin’ some of ther -gold from his hold-ups right hyar.”</p> - -<p>That was the first and most natural conclusion.</p> - -<p>“When we’ve gophered down to it,” said Wild Bill, -“we’ll know whether he’s been hiding anything. Whatever -it was he may have taken it away.”</p> - -<p>“I’m bettin’ thar’s gold down hyer!” Nomad reiterated.</p> - -<p>When they had gophered down and came upon the -concealed whisky bottles they were amazed. Yet they -did not fail to understand why they were there. Buffalo -Bill had known for some time that Benson bought the -good will of the Utes by providing them with whisky.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_271"></a>[271]</span></p> - -<p>“Waal, this hyer is a disapp’intment ter me,” Nomad -admitted. “Fer right now I warn’t seekin’ no red likker.”</p> - -<p>“Might sell the truck in town, though, for a good deal,” -said Bill Betts. “It’d be a cute thing to do, to keep the -reds frum gittin’ it.”</p> - -<p>Wild Bill laughed over this naive view of the proper -method to remove temptation from the Utes.</p> - -<p>“Nighabout half enough fer a burro load,” remarked -Betts, as the bottles were lifted out, one by one, and -placed on the ground. “Benson expected ter continner -in the whisky bisness with the Utes fer some time, by -ther looks.”</p> - -<p>“This sand hyer has been disturbed quite recent,” -averred Nomad, whose old eyes were still of the keenest.</p> - -<p>“Right-o!” Wild Bill agreed. “Here is where the Utes -got the courage which enabled them to charge and wipe -out the sheriff’s party.”</p> - -<p>“A man what will give whisky to pizen reds ought to -be hung,” Bill Betts added. “But what air we goin’ ter -do with the stuff, if we don’t take it to town?”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill had been considering the possibilities of -the discovery. Now he spoke:</p> - -<p>“Everything indicates that Benson cached a lot of -whisky here, which he has used from time to time in influencing -the Utes; and that this last Ute outbreak was -caused by it. If so, it occurs to me that he will come back -here soon for more of it. Now that he has started in, he -will have to keep the Utes drunk in order to control -them; otherwise, they might sober up, get scared over -what they have done, and be ready to make peace and -surrender him. He has got to block that; and to do it -he must get more whisky. He will come for it here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_272"></a>[272]</span></p> - -<p>“Right ye air, Buffler!” said Nomad. “Which means -’et we kin lay fer him right hyer, and rake him in when -he does come.”</p> - -<p>“Jest so,” said Bill Betts. “And if Gorilla Jake comes -with him, why, I kin rake him in. Me and Brother Jim -is after that reward.”</p> - -<p>The bottles lay on the ground, an imposing array.</p> - -<p>“Enough to stock up a barroom,” said Betts, eying -them covetously. “Thar ain’t any reason, gents, why we -can’t jest shift this cache; and, then, when we go to the -town, take the stuff with us and sell it thar. Whisky will -sell in a town like Blossom Range, when nothin’ else -would, and it allus brings good prices. We c’d divvy on -the stakes.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was mentally shaping up another plan.</p> - -<p>“As I said,” he remarked, “Benson will have to keep -the Utes intoxicated in order to manipulate them. But -suppose he fails to do so?”</p> - -<p>“Then he’ll bust,” said Betts, who was busily engaged -in reckoning up the value of the whisky, marking in the -sand and using a sliver of rock for a pencil.</p> - -<p>“K’rect!” commented Nomad, bending over him; but -whether Nomad meant to approve the idea or agreed -with the result of Bill Betts’ figures was not apparent.</p> - -<p>“Suppose,” said the scout, “that some of the Indians -should be with Benson when he comes to get the remainder -of his whisky here?”</p> - -<p>“Wow! We c’d rake ’em all in!” Nomad cried, looking -up.</p> - -<p>“But if we happened not to be right here, what would -happen?”</p> - -<p>“Why, we wouldn’t rake ’em in,” Nomad admitted.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_273"></a>[273]</span></p> - -<p>“I see you don’t get my idea. It is just this: The Indians -would be angered, perhaps would think Benson -had fooled them; then things would look bad for Benson.”</p> - -<p>“He might trail to the other cache, and show the Utes -jest what had been done, and so save himself; for the -Utes couldn’t blame him, when they saw how it had -happened,” said Betts.</p> - -<p>“I wanted to bring you round to that,” the scout confessed, -“so that perhaps you would agree with my ideas -on the subject. My suggestion is that we empty out -this whisky and fill the bottles with water from the -stream over there; then restore them to the cache!”</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad blurted, but not in approval.</p> - -<p>“Throw away all this good and vallyble whisky?” cried -Betts.</p> - -<p>“It isn’t ours to sell in the first place,” argued the -scout; “but if we can accomplish something we will take -it anyway, and drain it out into the sand. Considering -the use it is being put to, we have ample justification.”</p> - -<p>“But——” began Betts.</p> - -<p>“You have already admitted that if we cache the stuff -somewhere else the Utes may get it. If we turn it into -the sand they can’t. That’s a point to be considered. -But the chief thing—the chief object to be gained—is -that it will anger the Utes against Benson, if he brings -them here, or sends them here, and they find that the -whisky bottles hold nothing but water. If he angers -them, his influence over them is lost; particularly we can -count on that, when the influence of the whisky they have -had has died out.”</p> - -<p>Wild Bill put out his hand impulsively.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_274"></a>[274]</span></p> - -<p>“Buffalo Bill forever!” he said. “I was willing to -agree with Bill Betts and Nomad, that it would be a -wicked waste to turn all this whisky out; but you’re right -about it. We might not be here when Benson comes for -the stuff, which he will do sooner or later; and if he -comes with a lot of Utes we sure couldn’t grip him, even -if we were here. But if he brought ’em, and then they -got their mad up because the whisky was gone and the -bottles filled with water, Mr. Benson would sure be, -right off, in the hottest kind of trouble.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill further elaborated his idea, but the gist of -what was said has already been given.</p> - -<p>Only one change was made in the plan when they came -to carry it out. The whisky was emptied into the little -stream, instead of into the sand, for the reason that the -odor of the liquor in the sand might betray too much. -Then the bottles, filled at the stream, were restored to -their hiding place. When all had been done, careful -pains were taken to obliterate every trace.</p> - -<p>The time lacked yet two hours of sunset when the work -was completed, and Buffalo Bill’s little party drew back -into the brush, in the midst of the rocky ground surrounding -the cache, where they “bogged” down, waiting -to see what would happen.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill’s wish still was that Benson would come -out there alone, or accompanied only by Gorilla Jake, and -the rascals could be captured.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_275"></a>[275]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /> -<span class="fs70">HOW IT WORKED.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>If Buffalo Bill had been blessed with the gift of -prophecy he could not have given a more accurate forecast -of what would happen.</p> - -<p>For no more than half an hour had gone by when -Tim Benson appeared, creeping out of the bushy covert -of the hillside, in company with the gigantic, apelike -man, and a score of Ute Indians, with them the chief -himself, old Iron Bow.</p> - -<p>It was plain that many of the Indians, if not all, were -under the influence of liquor—their reeling walk showed -it; yet they maintained, in spite of this, their characteristic -Indian silence when on dangerous ground, and they -proceeded across the open sand to the site of the cache -without making much noise.</p> - -<p>The two who led the way, though they were painted -and feathered like the Indians, it was easy to see were -white men. The scout and his pards knew that the -small man was Benson; while Bill Betts was equally sure -that the apelike figure was Gorilla Jake.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got the proof o’ all yer surmises, Cody, right -hyer in a nutshell,” Betts whispered. “Benson and Jake -has been dopin’ the reds.”</p> - -<p>He did not know how accurately the word “dope” described -just what had been done.</p> - -<p>“I figger thet I could drap that skunk Benson right -frum hyer,” said Nomad, fingering his revolver. “But<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_276"></a>[276]</span> -’twouldn’t do. Bersides, we don’t want ter start no -killin’; we want ter capter him, so’s he kin git his jest -desarts at ther hands o’ ther hangman.”</p> - -<p>“And I’d hate to see Gorilla Jake killed,” said Betts, -“as it would cut me and Brother Jim out o’ that reward. -Still, we might be able to perduce his body, even if he -was killed; and the reward is fer him dead er alive.”</p> - -<p>It was a characteristic of the Bettses that they kept -their eyes on the main chance, and in all their clever border -detective work thought more of the offered rewards -than anything else. If it was a defect, it was forgiven -by their friends, who knew the terrible chances they -sometimes took to bring some ruffian to justice. They -earned all they got.</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose, Cody,” said the man from Laramie, -the old reckless light so often seen in his eyes flaming -there once more, “that we could charge that pizen crew -and get Benson and the other feller? If you say the -word, I’m ready to try it.”</p> - -<p>“We might do it!” the scout admitted.</p> - -<p>“Wow! Then you’re willing!” and Hickok drew out -his revolver.</p> - -<p>“But I didn’t say that it would be wise to make the -attempt. One or more of us might be killed, and that -wouldn’t pay, you know.”</p> - -<p>“If we charge with revolvers cracking and every man -Jack of us yellin’ to beat the band those reds would run, -and I know it.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was not so sure of it that he was willing to -take the risk.</p> - -<p>“Now we’ll see some fun,” whispered Nomad, as the -Utes and their guides came up to the cache which contained<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_277"></a>[277]</span> -nothing but whisky bottles filled with creek water. -“It’ll be like deprivin’ children of their promised candy. -They won’t be willin’ to stand et.”</p> - -<p>They saw Benson and the apelike man stop, and Benson -point to the ground. The Utes swarmed round the -spot, forgetting their caution, and talking, with furious -gestures.</p> - -<p>“Plenty stung up with excitement, when they thinks -they’re goin’ ter git er drink!” Nomad commented.</p> - -<p>“They’ll be stung up a heap more when they discover -that they ain’t goin’ ter git none,” said Bill Betts. -“Woosh! Wouldn’t I jes’ like ter turn my umbreller gun -loose on them varmints now.”</p> - -<p>He pushed the singular weapon out in front of him.</p> - -<p>“I reckon that would be too much like murder,” urged -the man from Laramie; “they’re heathen brutes, but still -they’re human.”</p> - -<p>Benson seemed to be talking to the Utes.</p> - -<p>They were too far off to get the words; but they saw -Gorilla Jake drop down and begin to scratch away the -sand with his huge, clawlike hands. He went into the -ground with the rapacity of a scared badger.</p> - -<p>The excited Utes stooped over him, getting in his -way; and there was a great chattering, showing that they -had lost their caution.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill was beginning to think that an opportunity -to charge and capture Benson was being presented, when -Gorilla Jake flung out a bottle.</p> - -<p>One of the Utes pounced on it; and so great was his -eager haste that he did not look at the contents, but broke -off the neck of the bottle with a blow of his brown fist -and stuck the broken bottle to his mouth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_278"></a>[278]</span></p> - -<p>He gave a choking howl of astonishment and grief -when his mouth filled with the luke-warm water; then -he held up the bottle, gesticulating furiously.</p> - -<p>Gorilla Jake was flinging out more of the bottles, all of -which were being seized on. But the yell and the jabbering -words of the disappointed Ute <ins class="corr" id="tn278" title="Transcriber’s Note—“neverthless” changed to “nevertheless.”.">nevertheless</ins> drew attention.</p> - -<p>The Utes discovered suddenly that the bottles held -tepid water instead of whisky. Benson made the same -astounding discovery, and so did Gorilla Jake. The -thing was at first incomprehensible.</p> - -<p>Benson spoke to the apelike man, who delved deeper -and flung out more bottles. But these, too, contained -only water.</p> - -<p>The Indians were yelling in their excitement. They -were angry, too, as if they thought that the white men -with them had worked the trick. Knives and hatchets -flashed in the red rays of the now declining sun.</p> - -<p>“A Kilkenny cat fight,” gulped Nomad. “Now’s ther -time, Cody, ter wade right inter them.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill drew his revolver, and was about to give -the command, when a score more of Ute warriors appeared -on the scene, coming from the direction of the -village. Apparently, having been left behind without a -knowledge of what was to be done, they had suspected it, -and followed.</p> - -<p>“Not now; it would be foolish to charge now!” the -scout whispered.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” Nomad growled. “Yer had ought to done -et a while ago!”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I said,” avowed Bill Betts, fingering his -umbrella gun.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_279"></a>[279]</span></p> - -<p>He lifted and sighted it. The handle of the umbrella -was the gun, the umbrella frame and cloth being mere -deceptions.</p> - -<p>“Give the word, Cody, and I can sure sting ’em up -some, and they won’t know who’s doin’ it.”</p> - -<p>But Buffalo Bill did not give the word. Twoscore or -more wildly excited Utes too much resembled a hornets’ -nest for him to want to poke them up in that way. Buffalo -Bill was noted for his courage, but that does not -mean that he was noted for recklessness. A good many -people mistake the one for the other. Nor was he inhuman.</p> - -<p>The Ute recruits were soon yelling quite as much as -those who had arrived at the cache with the white men. -What was being said could not be made out, but it was -apparent that warm remarks were being directed to Benson -and Gorilla Jake. Benson could be seen, surrounded -by Utes, waving his arms as if trying to explain the -thing.</p> - -<p>Conditions changed with startling suddenness. Benson’s -words seemed to take effect. The Utes swung out -from that centre of turmoil, and began to make a search -about the deceptive cache in quickly widening circles.</p> - -<p>It was plain to the scout and those with him that they -would have to get back to avoid trouble. The Indians -were in a murderous mood. And to try results with -more than forty Utes who were in that ugly mood would -be not merely foolhardy, but an invitation to hasty death.</p> - -<p>The Utes were rapidly widening their circles, running -round and round like hunting dogs that have lost a game -trail. Apparently Benson had convinced them that other -white men had tampered with the cache, and they were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_280"></a>[280]</span> -now furiously resolved to pick up the trail of these interlopers -and properly punish them for such an outrage.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill gave the order to retreat.</p> - -<p>“I hates ter go,” Nomad declared.</p> - -<p>“No wuss’n I do,” said Betts. “I wouldn’t be keerin’, -if only I had Gorilla Jake by the slack o’ the neck, takin’ -him along with me.”</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and the man from Laramie dropped behind -to hide the trail; a work which they so thoroughly -accomplished that the retreat was effected quickly and -safely.</p> - -<p>From the top of a tree on a hill some distance off, as -the sun was going down, Buffalo Bill saw the Utes -streaming back toward their village, the two white men -with them. The Utes were howling like drunken maniacs.</p> - -<p>Jim Betts set out shortly after dark with the intention -of hastening to Blossom Range that he might -hurry assistance to Buffalo Bill’s small party. Throughout -the whole afternoon the hope had been held that a -strong force would appear from the town, to avenge -the death of the sheriff and his men, but the help had not -come. Jim Betts had been selected because his legs were -long and he was a rapid and tireless walker. No horses -were to be had, as those of the scout’s party were too -far away.</p> - -<p>But a wise man makes sudden changes in his plans when -there seems reason for so doing.</p> - -<p>Hence, instead of striking straight out at his best gait, -Jim Betts did not go toward the town at all, after he had -proceeded less than half a mile in that direction but -turned toward the Ute village.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_281"></a>[281]</span></p> - -<p>The reason was that he had seen a shadowy, skulking -form moving in that course that he believed to be Gorilla -Jake.</p> - -<p>Jim Betts, quite as much as his brother Bill, was moved -most strongly by considerations touching his pocket; he, -too, wanted the reward offered for the arrest of Gorilla -Jake. If he could get the ape-man soonest by following -him now and pouncing on him it was what he wanted to -do. Perhaps he could, he thought, make the capture and -take Gorilla Jake right on into the town with him.</p> - -<p>The thing was too tempting not to try, and he slipped -off through the darkness in hasty pursuit of the skulking -figure.</p> - -<p>The man he was following was really Gorilla Jake, as -Betts made sure when the Ute village was approached. -He had not been able to come up with him, nor even see -him clearly, until the man passed into the light of a small -fire glowing before one of the outer tepees of the village.</p> - -<p>Betts hastened his steps, but he was too late; for the -apelike man flitted on past the fire.</p> - -<p>Jim Betts stopped, his heart hammering against his -ribs by reason of his rapid pursuit, while a sense of disappointment -and anger went through him.</p> - -<p>The Utes were either having a powwow near the -centre of the village, or were doing a lot of screeching -there just because they liked to howl in their present -demoralized condition: but the apelike man had not gone -in that direction; and, because he had not, and no one -was near the tepee or the fire to observe, the daring fellow, -who long before had won the title of the Gamecock -because of his recklessness, crossed the line into the Ute<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_282"></a>[282]</span> -village, still pursuing the murderer of the mine superintendent.</p> - -<p>Once again he caught sight of Gorilla Jake, near another -lodge, and scudded in that direction, bending his -tall form and running with almost silent feet.</p> - -<p>“If I kin lay my hands on the dog I’ll choke the wind -out o’ him and manage to git him out of hyer, when, if I -kin do that much, you bet I kin git him down to Blossom -Range. I could land him in the jail thar while I am -attendin’ to the other matter, and hold him in it till I -got ready to take him to Sody Springs.”</p> - -<p>The Indians were still howling.</p> - -<p>To his disappointment he saw the apelike figure turn -in the direction of those inharmonious sounds.</p> - -<p>Betts stopped and listened, called himself softly any -number of fools for not getting out of that dangerous -place, then went on, still pursuing Gorilla Jake.</p> - -<p>There was a fire leaping in front of a lodge, and in and -about the lodge he saw many Indian figures; but what -they were howling about he could not make out, unless -simply noisy because they were drunk. He concluded -that the latter must be the explanation.</p> - -<p>Then he saw the apelike man, who had been moving -toward the Utes, stop beside a lodge, duck his head as if -he had heard something, then pass into the tepee.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” said Jim Betts, staring. “What’s it mean?”</p> - -<p>Anyway, he thought he might be given a chance to -dive into that lodge, even though it was almost under -the painted noses of the yelling Utes, and grip his intended -prisoner. He was too close to the lodge not to -try it, reckless as it was.</p> - -<p>He was cautious enough to keep the bulk of the lodge<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_283"></a>[283]</span> -between himself and the Indians, and to take all the advantage -possible from the shadow cast by the leaping -fire; he crouched low, too, so that he seemed to slide his -tall form along the ground.</p> - -<p>In that manner he gained the rear of the lodge, where -he was stopped from proceeding farther by hearing -Gorilla Jake talking with Tim Benson. At first Betts -thought they had company, for he heard Indian grunts, -which came, however, from behind the lodge.</p> - -<p>The white men were flinging accusations at each other, -as soon as Gorilla Jake entered the lodge; it was apparent -that Benson had seen him passing and beckoned or -called to him to come in.</p> - -<p>“You didn’t have as many of them tablets as you said,” -Benson declared.</p> - -<p>“And you didn’t have any whisky, ’cept what we fust -brought in,” Gorilla Jake flung back at him.</p> - -<p>“Was that my fault?”</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t mine!”</p> - -<p>“Some one tampered with the cache. I’m betting it -was one of Cody’s crowd.”</p> - -<p>“Fer which reason,” said Gorilla Jake, and Jim Betts -heard him suck in his breath angrily, “if I’d hed a million -o’ them tablets you wouldn’t had the whisky to use -with ’em.”</p> - -<p>“We might have used them alone. We could have -told the Utes that they were better than whisky. That -was my plan, when I found the whisky was gone; then -I discovered you didn’t have any more. They’ll sober off -now, and then——”</p> - -<p>“We can cut out o’ this, can’t we?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_284"></a>[284]</span></p> - -<p>“Not while I’m on yer trail,” Jim Betts whispered. -“You’re my meat.”</p> - -<p>“Cody will follow us!” said Benson.</p> - -<p>His tone showed that his courage had broken down, or -else he was losing his mental balance.</p> - -<p>The apelike man snorted his anger and moved uneasily -about the lodge.</p> - -<p>“He’ll be comin’ out in a minute,” thought Jim Betts.</p> - -<p>In spite of the peril he began to crawl round to the -tepee entrance, with the intention of knocking Gorilla -Jake on the head there and making a desperate fight to -get out of the village with him. He drew his heavy -revolver, which he held so that he could use the butt.</p> - -<p>Betts had crawled no more than halfway round when -the apelike man, appearing in the lodge entrance, drew -toward him a mob of furious Utes, who came at him -howling.</p> - -<p>Betts heard him utter an exclamation and step back; -then heard him say to Benson:</p> - -<p>“If you’ve got any influence with ’em you’d better use -it now. They want me. I reckon, frum the looks; but -they’ll be wantin’ <em>you</em> next.”</p> - -<p>The Indians foamed up to the entrance, then flowed on -into the lodge.</p> - -<p>A desperate curiosity caused the reckless Gamecock -to lift the edge of the lodge skin and peer in, his form -flattened out and his face against the earth.</p> - -<p>As he did it a blow sounded; and he saw, then, that -Gorilla Jake had knocked one of the Indians down, and -was backing over against the wall, passing Benson, who -sat crouched on a lot of skins.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_285"></a>[285]</span></p> - -<p>A growl like that of an aroused animal came from the -lips of Gorilla Jake.</p> - -<p>“Stand up hyer and help me!” he flung at Benson.</p> - -<p>But Benson knew which side his bread was buttered -on right then, and he did nothing of the kind. He saw -that the Utes had come for Gorilla Jake, and that if he -interfered he would put his life in jeopardy. So he sat -still, letting the angry Utes stream past and even over -him.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” breathed the excited Gamecock, an eye at -the aperture taking everything in. “Wish’t Brother Bill -was hyer ter see this right now. But I’m afeard that this -trouble is goin’ to make it mighty hard fer me and Bill -to collect that reward fer Gorilla Jake; it begins to look -as if he is goin’ to git all that’s comin’ to him. Yet that -reward offer said ‘alive or dead.’ If he was scalped, I -don’t reckon that would make any difference. Only—I -hope they won’t burn him; ’twould be purty hard ter -produce the body, in that case.”</p> - -<p>The Gamecock was trembling with excitement and apprehension. -He wanted to hurl himself in there and take -the part of the threatened man, then lead him off to the -Blossom Range jail. But, plainly, that would not do. -Even Jim Betts was not reckless enough to try that.</p> - -<p>“Benson’s a coward, er he’d git right up and into that -game,” he breathed. “Gorilla Jake is his friend, ain’t he? -Well, why don’t he stand by his friend?”</p> - -<p>The Indians were crowding before Gorilla Jake, who -was shouting wildly at them. The one he had knocked -down was on his feet again, this time with a hatchet in -his hand.</p> - -<p>“Stand back!” the apelike man howled at them. His<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_286"></a>[286]</span> -knife had come out. “Stand back, all o’ ye, er take the -consequences. Y’ ain’t goin’ to pull me to pieces, and -not git my knife, I tell ye. Thar on the floor is the man -you want—not me; <em>he’s</em> the man that started this thing, -by s’jestin’ it. He’s the man that was to furnish the -whisky—the coward; and now he sets thar, an’ let’s me -do the fightin’. Stand back!”</p> - -<p>Few if any of them understood his English, but they -understood the significance of the sweep of his long arm -as it whirled the knife.</p> - -<p>The watching Gamecock did not know what they were -yelling, but he judged that they were accusing him of -treachery or deceit, or were demanding more whisky, -which it was clear he could not furnish. It was plain, -too, that they were temporarily crazy. That was the -only explanation; and Benson and Gorilla Jake had made -them so. No band of maniacs in any lunatic asylum ever -looked more terrifying or more desperate.</p> - -<p>One of them sprang straight at the throat of Gorilla -Jake like a dog flinging at an enemy.</p> - -<p>But he never reached the panting man. Gorilla Jake’s -long arm swept out, struck him in mid-air with a thump, -and the Ute dropped at the feet of the apelike man, his -chest torn open by the knife.</p> - -<p>“Stand back!” the desperate man yelled, swinging the -bloody knife.</p> - -<p>He looked insane, too, now; his lips frothing, his great -shoulders and muscular arms working, his hairy, painted -face twisted in rage, and his gray eyes glittering like -an angry animal’s.</p> - -<p>The fall of the Ute stayed the braves before him, it -had come so suddenly, but only for a moment; then<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_287"></a>[287]</span> -another leaped at him, with still others rushing in right -behind.</p> - -<p>Thump! Thump!</p> - -<p>Two of the Utes fell. The third Gorilla Jake caught -to his breast, gave him a deadly squeeze, such as a great -ape might give, and hurled him lifeless as a missile -straight into the faces of his friends, knocking down half -a dozen.</p> - -<p>Flinging himself backward against the rear wall of -the tepee, Gorilla Jake tried to get out there, but found -that he could not, and turned to rip the tough, dried -skins with his knife.</p> - -<p>It gave an opportunity for the maddened Utes to close -in on him, and they made use of it.</p> - -<p>His swinging arm clove open a hole in the tepee, and -he staggered through it, with Utes hanging to him like -leeches. Others poured, yelling, through the hole after -them.</p> - -<p>As this happened, the staring-eyed white man who -watched under the edge of the lodge saw Tim Benson -rise from the skins he sat on and project himself out of -the lodge by the way of the regular exit, brushing aside -the Utes crowding in there.</p> - -<p>The Gamecock got into action.</p> - -<p>But he was bewildered by his desire to follow and capture -Benson and his equally strong desire to know what -was being done to Gorilla Jake. Already he had reached -the conclusion that if he ever received a reward for -producing the body of Gorilla Jake, it would be by producing -a dead body.</p> - -<p>The roaring tumult on the other side of the lodge<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_288"></a>[288]</span> -where the apelike man and the maniacal Utes had gone -was indescribable.</p> - -<p>But Jim Betts was not able to see what became of -Gorilla Jake.</p> - -<p>He found it necessary to consider his own safety. -Utes were all round him. One had actually stepped -on the Gamecock’s fingers as he lay sprawled on the -ground.</p> - -<p>“I got ter git out o’ this!” was his startled thought.</p> - -<p>Apparently it was a conclusion taken none too soon.</p> - -<p>He began to crawfish away from the lodge, almost -flat on the ground, keeping out of the way of the Indians, -who rushed in what seemed the probable direction -taken by Gorilla Jake.</p> - -<p>The Gamecock moved rapidly, now that he had made -up his mind.</p> - -<p>There was another lodge, into whose shadow he got; -then he began to crawl round it, intending to get on the -other side, where the darkness lay heaviest, and then -perhaps make a dash to get safely out of the village.</p> - -<p>“I reckon that Gorilla Jake has gone under,” he was -thinking, “and that this climate is gittin’ mighty unhealthy -fer Tim Benson. It’ll be also plum malarious -fer me if I don’t move out of it. A sudden change of -base looks mighty good fer my health right now.”</p> - -<p>Then he stopped—not his words only, but his motions.</p> - -<p>Right before him he saw a blanketed figure hugging -the ground.</p> - -<p>“Wow! An Injun! Jest when I was gittin’ shet of -’em!”</p> - -<p>The “Injun” discovered by him moved with surprising -suddenness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_289"></a>[289]</span></p> - -<p>The blanket lifted, and the man under it jumped at -him, clutching the Gamecock by the throat before he -could get back or get out a weapon.</p> - -<p>Betts was a powerful man, and was never known to -surrender readily, so he began to put up the best fight -he could. He partly broke the strangle hold on his throat, -and reached for his knife, gurgling out a panting exclamation -at the same time.</p> - -<p>That gurgling exclamation, unintentional though it -was, proved a mighty lucky happening for Jim Betts -right then. The clutch on his windpipe, which was -closing again, dropped away; then a voice sounded:</p> - -<p>“Who are you?”</p> - -<p>“Wow! Who air you?”</p> - -<p>Jim Betts fell back, gasping and gurgling.</p> - -<p>“I’m Buffalo Bill!”</p> - -<p>“Wow! I’m Jim Betts!”</p> - -<p>The man drew himself together, pulling the blanket -over him.</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon,” he whispered: “I thought you -were an Indian.”</p> - -<p>“An’ I thought you must be the devil the way you -got holt o’ me.”</p> - -<p>“Get under this blanket quick, and lie low. Some of -the Utes are coming over this way.”</p> - -<p>Betts, helped by the scout, slid under the gray covering, -so that, as both men lay flat, the blanket covering -them looked like a dark shadow against the ground.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” Betts was breathing, filled with amazement. -“Cody! Wow! Buffalo Bill! I wonder if my thinkin’ -machinery ain’t slipped its gearin’? Cody can’t be here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_290"></a>[290]</span></p> - -<p>“What’s happening?” the scout asked in a whisper, -lowering his head.</p> - -<p>He had been peering out, with the blanket drawn close -about his eyes.</p> - -<p>“I reckon that Gorilla Jake has gone under.”</p> - -<p>“I was guessing as much.”</p> - -<p>“You seen him?”</p> - -<p>“I heard him.”</p> - -<p>“And the Utes!”</p> - -<p>“No one could help hearing them.”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t see Matt Shepard, the sheriff?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t; reckon he has gone under,” said Betts. -“What you doin’ in hyer, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“And you? We supposed you were on your way to -Blossom Range.”</p> - -<p>Betts began an explanation, but the scout cut him -short.</p> - -<p>“Hist! Not now. The Utes are near, some of them!”</p> - -<p>Betts and the scout lay snugly under the blanket, and -the running Utes passed on and away.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill began to talk again in cautious whispers.</p> - -<p>“I came in here to look round, thinking that perhaps I -might be able to capture Benson.”</p> - -<p>“And I come in hyer to look round, thinkin’ maybe I -might be able to capture Gorilla Jake.”</p> - -<p>“But why didn’t you go on to Blossom Range?”</p> - -<p>“That’s why. I wanted to capture Jake. I seen him -outside of the village when I fust set out, and turned -in hyer after him. I might have got him, but the Utes -chipped in, and I reckon Jake has seen his finish.”</p> - -<p>“You saw Benson?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. He was in the lodge with Jake, but he cut and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_291"></a>[291]</span> -run when the Utes pounced on Jake, so I don’t know -what become of him.”</p> - -<p>“I think we’d better try to get out of this.”</p> - -<p>“It’s dangerous hyer right now.”</p> - -<p>“Almost as dangerous as death itself. If the Utes -find us we’re gone. I never saw Indians so crazy. I’ve -seen them drunk, but never anything like this. If -Gorilla Jake has been killed by them I guess he brought -it on himself, for he and Benson must have fired them -up with whisky.”</p> - -<p>“Old forty-rod, if it’s filled with drugs and dope to -make it go fur, will knock out a white man, and make a -lunatic of a red; I’ve seen it before.”</p> - -<p>“I never saw Indians as wild as these are to-night.”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t understand anything the Utes said, but I -jedge they was crazy mad because Jake and Benson -couldn’t furnish ’em no more old redeye. Deprive a -red of whisky, after he’s been havin’ some, and it turns -him into a wild man. Benson and Jake was shore playin’ -with fire, and they’d ought to have knowed it. I reckon -it finished Jake.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll crawl off in this direction, in the shadow of the -lodge; be sure to keep the blanket over you,” said the -scout. “Be careful, too, that you move slowly and cautiously. -I shouldn’t have risked my life in here if I -had fully understood the situation. I’m glad I met you.”</p> - -<p>Jim Betts coughed out a low, wheezing laugh.</p> - -<p>“My achin’ throat don’t echo that sentiment,” he said; -“it’d feel a heap easier if I hadn’t met you. I never met -up with a man had a grip like that; I thought my neck -was bein’ crushed in.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_292"></a>[292]</span></p> - -<p>The scout did not echo the laugh; at this distance the -thing looked too serious.</p> - -<p>“I might have killed you, Betts,” he said. “I saw you -getting that knife, and——”</p> - -<p>“Then I ripped out somethin’ in purty plain English, -and you tumbled. It’s all right now. But I reckon my -throat will ache fer a week. When I have a heap of -time I’m goin’ ter see if you can’t choke an iron bolt so -that it will holler.”</p> - -<p>They crept along under the blanket, slipping it over -the ground, until they had cautiously crossed an open -space; then found themselves within the shadow of another -lodge.</p> - -<p>They were moving away from the centre of disturbance -and apparently increasing their chances.</p> - -<p>“Whar did ye leave the rest o’ the boys?” Betts asked, -as they stood up in the shadow of this lodge.</p> - -<p>“Where they were when you left us.”</p> - -<p>“They knowed you had come?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Brother Bill would be surprised, I reckon, if he -knowed I was here. He says I allus take too big risks. -Shall we make a run fer the aidge o’ the village now? -The distance ain’t more’n a hundred feet. Thar’s a -heap o’ noise goin’ on, and I reckon we could make a -lot of racket without bein’ heard by the crazy Utes.”</p> - -<p>“I think your brother Bill is right in saying that you -are inclined to take unnecessary risks. If we make a -dash to get out of here we may be seen and might be -shot. Caution still stands us in hand, I think.”</p> - -<p>The scout stooped again, and, clinging to the shadow<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_293"></a>[293]</span> -of the lodge as long as he could, he worked his way -toward the outer circle of lodges.</p> - -<p>Jim Betts followed him.</p> - -<p>Fortunately, interest in another quarter kept them -from being seen.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_294"></a>[294]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE DARING OF BILL BETTS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Vot iss?”</p> - -<p>Nomad and his pards were guarding the camp, Baron -von Schnitzenhauser being on the side toward the town. -Hearing something, he dropped down, the characteristic -question whispering from his lips, and stared hard into -the darkness.</p> - -<p>The sound, which had been like that of crashing feet, -had stopped. The baron did not know but that an Indian -had tried to come upon him, though an Indian, -unless intoxicated, would hardly have made so much -noise.</p> - -<p>“Der Inchuns haf peen howling so mooch dot maype -I am hearing t’ings vhen dare aind’t notting to seen,” -he muttered.</p> - -<p>Then he heard the sounds again, unmistakable footsteps -coming toward him.</p> - -<p>The baron lifted his forty-five revolver and poked it at -the sounds.</p> - -<p>“Uff you tond’t vant to gidt shodt you vill sbeak so -quickness like I dell you,” he commanded. “Who iss -idt?”</p> - -<p>“It’s me.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! Budt I tond’t know ‘me.’ Who iss ‘me’?”</p> - -<p>“Dugan. That you, Schnitz?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, idt iss Dugan? Der shepidy deriff—I mean der<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_295"></a>[295]</span> -debudy sheriff. Uff you ar-re sure dot you aind’t makin’ -a misdake you may come on.”</p> - -<p>When Dugan, deputy sheriff, came on, Schnitzenhauser -discovered that he had a man with him.</p> - -<p>“I’m Hank Elmore, stage driver,” said the second man, -reaching out his hand to the German.</p> - -<p>“You haf peen in more danger righdt now as in eeny -holdt-oop,” the baron told him; “vhen I gand’t seen -you, I am come mighdy nigh shooding you. Why you -make der sneak?”</p> - -<p>“Feared o’ the Utes,” said Elmore. “Where’s Cody? -We was huntin’ fer his party.”</p> - -<p>“I am some uff his barty.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know it; where’s the others?”</p> - -<p>“Righdt ofer dhere. Nomat is vatching on der righdt -site uff der gamp, unt Vilt Pill on der lefdt, unt Pill -Petts on der odder, unt me here. Cody is scoudting -roundt, unt saidt he vos going into der willage. From -der noises I haf peen hearing I t’ink, py yiminy, dey -musdt haf sbalped him alreaty.”</p> - -<p>“Yit you stay right hyer?”</p> - -<p>“Idt iss orders. Ve opey orders, uff somepoty gits -kilt. Oddervise, uff Cody iss nodt kilt unt comes py -dhis blace, he tond’t findt us here, unt dhere iss a mix-oop. -Notting iss vorser as a mix-oop in der night. You -hav somepoty caming pehint you—huh?”</p> - -<p>“Thar will be a crowd in the mornin’,” said Dugan. -“I tell ye thar’s the biggest skeer goin’ on down in Blossom -Range as ever ye see, ’count o’ the Utes chargin’ -that crowd and killin’ Shepard. I tried to git a posse to -come out to-night, but I couldn’t make it; nobody had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_296"></a>[296]</span> -the sand. Elmore said he’d come with me, and we’re -hyer.”</p> - -<p>“Cody vill pe glad to seen you—yaw. He vants more -men as he has got.”</p> - -<p>“Where will we find the rest of your crowd?” asked -Dugan.</p> - -<p>“Go righdt aheadt. Vhen you have gone tventy -yardts or so you petter call oudt, mitout too mooch noise, -so dot you don’t git shodt.”</p> - -<p>They were about to move on.</p> - -<p>“But, in attition,” said the German, “I vouldt pe -bleased uff vun of you couldt dake my blace standting -here, as I am getting so mooch exercise uff my mindt -apoudt Cody dot I shouldt like to make an inwestigadion. -Tond’t vorgidt idt.”</p> - -<p>They moved on, and soon he heard them speaking -with Bill Betts and Nomad.</p> - -<p>In a little while footsteps rustled again, and the baron -was about to call out, when Bill Betts announced his -presence and came forward.</p> - -<p>“I’m gittin’ that worked up over the racket goin’ on -in ther village thet I want ter see what it means,” he -said.</p> - -<p>“Yoost der same here. Cody iss in drouble, unt I -knowed idt.”</p> - -<p>“Sounds like it, don’t it? What I’m most afeard of -is that the bloody Utes air murderin’ Gorilla Jake.”</p> - -<p>“Unt maype Penson!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t keer fer Benson. But Jake is my meat. Me -and Brother Jim wants that reward fer arrestin’ him.”</p> - -<p>“Vale, you don’t can’t gidt it now, uff dhey kill him.”</p> - -<p>“We might. I’d like to see about it. And as Cody<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_297"></a>[297]</span> -must be havin’ trouble, I’d like you to go with me, so’s -we two kin look into things.”</p> - -<p>The baron shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Orders iss orders! I am commandedt to sday righdt -here.”</p> - -<p>“I know Cody said that, but Dugan is coming right -over hyer to watch at this p’int. He told me he would. -I asked Nomad to go with me, and he said he wouldn’t, -though I could see that he was mortally skeered up -about Buffler.”</p> - -<p>“You ditn’t ask Vildt Pill?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>They were silent a moment, listening to the unearthly -racket in the Ute village.</p> - -<p>“Thar’s another thing stingin’ me all up,” Bill Betts -admitted.</p> - -<p>“Vot iss?”</p> - -<p>“I’m harborin’ ther oncomfortable feelin’ that Brother -Jim is over in that village.”</p> - -<p>“He vendt to der town.”</p> - -<p>“I have a feelin’ that he didn’t, and that he’s now in -trouble. You see, he’s as anxious as me to git hold of -Gorilla Jake. I askt Dugan and Elmore if they met up -with him, and they said they didn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Idt iss not proof dot he ditn’t go to der town.”</p> - -<p>“I know it ain’t. But didn’t you ever have a presenterment, -baron?”</p> - -<p>“Many dimes, vhen I am asleeb; but odder beoples -call idt a nighdtmares.”</p> - -<p>“It is a feelin’.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! Idt iss a offul veeling. I haf hadt him. -Vonce diss nighdtmare vot climbed indo my pedt vos<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_298"></a>[298]</span> -redt all ofer, unt I hollered yoost like a horse. I am -sveadting yidt, venever I t’ink apoudt idt.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t understand me, but it don’t make any difference; -the question is, will you go with me? I’m settin’ -out right now for the Ute village. Hyer is yer -chance fer excitement, baron.”</p> - -<p>The “excitement” appeal seldom failed to move Baron -von Schnitzenhauser. He would have been willing to -rove half round the world to find some unusual form -of it. For a moment longer only he hesitated.</p> - -<p>“Dhis site uff der camp is avay frum der Inchuns, unt -Dugan iss to come here soon. Yaw! I will go mit you. -I am dot anxious apoudt Cody I gan’t standt idt eeny -longker. Ledt der vays, unt I am mit you. As for der -Utes, raus mit ’em. Cody iss maype needting rescuink -dhis minude.”</p> - -<p>Having made up his mind to accompany Bill Betts -on this wild excursion to the Ute village, the baron set -out forthwith, tramping at Betts’ heels with exceeding -care. He had been wanting to see for himself what was -happening, for such infernal Indian yelling he had never -heard in all his wide experience. He was genuinely anxious, -too, about Buffalo Bill. He justified his disobedience -of the latter’s orders by this feeling of anxiety, -though he knew well enough that if Cody’s wish could -be ascertained, Nomad would have been selected to go -to the village, if any one went at all. Buffalo Bill trusted -the old trapper as he did no one else except Wild Bill -Hickok.</p> - -<p>No difficulty was experienced in keeping to a straight -line—that wild howling would have guided one through -Stygian darkness. The only thing was to guard against<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_299"></a>[299]</span> -stumbling and falling. There was little likelihood that -they would be heard, because of the Indian uproar.</p> - -<p>“Sounds like ther infernal regions has heaved themselves -right out upon the yearth,” Bill Betts observed -when they stopped on nearing the commotion and noise. -“D’y’ ever hear anything like it?”</p> - -<p>“Der nearest,” said the baron, “iss vhen my vife gif -me a biece uff her mindt der second day after ve ar-re -marriet.”</p> - -<p>“Wow! It must er been a heavy piece!”</p> - -<p>“Vell, you haf heardt a door preaking down, unt a -stick uff vood hammering on idt. Dot vos my vife drying -to gidt at me into der room vare I haf run. Also-o, -she vos yelling for der bolice.”</p> - -<p>“You must have had a happy married life, Schnitz.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! Der fairst day idt voss vlatirons, der secondt -day idt vos proomsdicks unt rolling bins, unt der nexdt -day idt——”</p> - -<p>“Wow!” Betts broke in. “Lissen ter that. We’ve got -to git nearer.”</p> - -<p>“Nearer idt iss. I am mit you.”</p> - -<p>They were not content until they were close up by the -lodges. Then, as they still could not see well enough, -they crossed the line into the village.</p> - -<p>“Keep close by me, Schnitz, and be ready fer trouble -and to cut and run if we have to. See that lodge off -thar? It’s whar the yellin’ is fiercest. Sounds like -killin’ men thar, don’t it? I have a ingrowin’ feelin’ -that Brother Jim is clost about that spot.”</p> - -<p>The baron, who had been stooping, stood up and -stared off in the direction indicated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_300"></a>[300]</span></p> - -<p>A leaping fire near it showed the lodge and the swarming, -painted Indians.</p> - -<p>“Thar’s a temperance lesson fer ye!” said Betts. -“Shows what whisky will do.”</p> - -<p>“Ach! Vhisky iss no goot.”</p> - -<p>“I’m goin’ to git clost enough to see if Jim is in the -midst of that. You keep by me. Don’t fergit that I’ve -got my umbreller gun. We’re goin’ to git down now -and sneak along behind it. Thar’s bowlders big and -little everywhars you look. Set this umbreller open on -the ground, and in this pore light you couldn’t tell it -frum a bowlder. We can take advantage of that fact; -it’s why I like the old gun. Besides, if anybody comes -toward us, I can drap him with it, and he won’t know -whar the bullet come from. You jest keep close at my -heels.”</p> - -<p>Slipping to the ground, Bill Betts spread open his -umbrella gun, and he and the baron got behind it.</p> - -<p>The baron then saw that around the handle—which -was the gun—where it passed through the umbrella -there were openings, so that through them he and Betts -could look out. Through those openings, also, Betts -could aim the gun.</p> - -<p>“The old thing is chock-a-block with ca’tridges, as I -call ’em,” said Betts. “I kin mow down half a dozen -reds without havin’ to reload, and I got plenty more -ca’tridges in my pockets. Now, we’ll git closer.”</p> - -<p>Pushing the open umbrella carefully ahead of him and -moving slowly, Betts made a cautious approach to the -lodge where the howling Utes were seen.</p> - -<p>They were stopped in this perilous advance by seeing -the rear of the lodge break open suddenly and Gorilla<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_301"></a>[301]</span> -Jake come rolling out, dragging with him a number of -Utes. Though he was painted like the Indians, Bill -Betts knew him at once.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” Betts breathed. “See that—see it?”</p> - -<p>“I am seening idt.”</p> - -<p>“Thar he goes down, with Injuns right on top o’ him; -they’re goin’ ter kill him. Would you open on ’em if -you was me?”</p> - -<p>The German caught Betts by the arm.</p> - -<p>“Dond’t dooded idt!” he whispered. “Idt vouldt pe -our finishment.”</p> - -<p>“But they’re killin’ him, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! Idt looks like idt.”</p> - -<p>“And if they finish him, how am I to git that reward?”</p> - -<p>“You von’dt gidt eeny uff idt, Misder Petts, uff you -make a foolishness mit yourselluf righdt now. I am -vondering dot dey ton’dt seen us.”</p> - -<p>Then the German saw Tim Benson leap out of the -lodge entrance and go scampering in the other direction. -Betts caught sight of him, too.</p> - -<p>“Thar goes Benson,” Betts whispered, his hands shaking.</p> - -<p>“Yaw! I seen him. Budt I ain’dt vanting to foller -him dhis minude. Vot I am loogking vor iss Puffalo -Pill. You ton’dt seen Cody?”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t see him.”</p> - -<p>They beheld the “finish” of Gorilla Jake, to the great -grief of Bill Betts. The Indians had killed the apelike -man without mercy, simply because he could not furnish -them more whisky.</p> - -<p>A little after that the two crouching behind the umbrella<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_302"></a>[302]</span> -beheld the scalp of the unfortunate man elevated -on a lance before the lodge, with the drunken Indians -dancing and howling round it.</p> - -<p>“Gives me the creeps!” commented Bill Betts. “I’m -beginnin’ to think that Jim didn’t come hyer.”</p> - -<p>“Budt Cody dit!” whispered the German.</p> - -<p>“Yit he may have got out before this happened.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw, I am hobing so.”</p> - -<p>Bill Betts’ keen eyes beheld sneaking forms near the -outer lodges. He stared at them. What had seemed -but one man became suddenly two, when the blanket -round them dropped down.</p> - -<p>“White men!” he gasped. “I’m betting one of ’em is -Jim Betts. He’s that reckless he’s allus runnin’ inter -danger.”</p> - -<p>“Unt der odder iss maype Cody, who is yoost as reckless. -Now, you unt me——”</p> - -<p>“B’ jings, I believe they’re comin’ round this way. If -one o’ them men is Brother Jim I’ll roast him fer runnin’ -hisself into danger like this.”</p> - -<p>The “bowlder,” which the umbrella seemed to be, began -to move slowly backward, the men concealed by it -crawfishing toward the outer lodges.</p> - -<p>“I hate dog-goned bad to have to go and leave Gorilla -Jake!” said Betts.</p> - -<p>“Budt he iss dead.”</p> - -<p>“I know it, but the reward said ‘dead or alive.’”</p> - -<p>The reckless men did not get safely out of the village -without trouble. When they were still some distance -from the outermost lodge an Indian dog came toward -them, sniffing. Suddenly the dog began to bark.</p> - -<p>“Freeze!” said Betts.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_303"></a>[303]</span></p> - -<p>“Yaw! I am a piece uff ice.”</p> - -<p>An Indian appeared and called to the yelping dog.</p> - -<p>“Wow! See that?” whispered Betts.</p> - -<p>“I am hearing idt.”</p> - -<p>Encouraged by the Indian, the dog made a barking -rush at the dark umbrella.</p> - -<p>“The Injun thinks this is a bowlder,” said Betts, “but -the dog knows better.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw! He knows idt mit his nose.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I let him have it?”</p> - -<p>The dog settled the question by making a furious rush -upon the bowlder.</p> - -<p>The finger of Bill Betts clutched round the stock of -the umbrella handle in a nervous grip; a dull click -sounded, and the dog, yelping its last, fell dead in its -tracks.</p> - -<p>The Ute stared in wildest astonishment, then ran to -the dog, which was thirty feet or more from the bowlder.</p> - -<p>“Now he vill gome on unt seen us,” whispered the -German.</p> - -<p>The mystified Indian, after stooping for a moment -over the dog, advanced toward the “bowlder,” probably -thinking some one was behind it, yet puzzled because he -had heard no gun.</p> - -<p>The dull click sounded again, and the Indian reeled -backward with a yell, his right arm dropping at his side. -He yelled again; then began to run toward the dancing -Indians.</p> - -<p>“The bowlder’s got to move back ag’in,” said Bill -Betts. “Ye’re seein’ now the uses of a gun what don’t -seem ter be a gun. I reckon this ole umbreller has saved<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_304"></a>[304]</span> -more’n a dozen lives fer me; I’d been killed that many -times if I hadn’t had it.”</p> - -<p>“Vun more life idt haf safed you to-nighdt—huh?”</p> - -<p>“You bet you! Hitch back fast’s ye kin, Schnitz; -thar’ll be more Injuns whar that’n stood in a little while. -He’s reached the dancers and is spreadin’ the news thar.”</p> - -<p>Some of the dancers stopped their whirling and howling -and began to run toward the spot where the dog -had been killed and the Ute had received a shattered -arm. The injured Ute led the way, holding his bleeding -arm with his left hand.</p> - -<p>“Now we haf got to make der slide.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s a lively skedaddle fer us. Up goes ther umbreller. -Now, jump fer it.”</p> - -<p>The umbrella closed with a snap, and the two men -whom it had concealed sprang to their feet and beat a -hasty retreat out of the village before the staring eyes of -the astounded Utes.</p> - -<p>But the Utes, getting their wits together, followed, -howling like a crazy mob.</p> - -<p>As the baron and Bill Betts leaped into the darkness -beyond the farthest lodge they heard the voices of Buffalo -Bill and Jim Betts.</p> - -<p>“Right this way,” said the scout.</p> - -<p>“Come a-b’ilin’, Brother Bill!” Jim Betts called.</p> - -<p>The four men came together, then beat a quick retreat.</p> - -<p>Before the camp was reached the Betts brothers were -quarreling, each charging the other with foolish recklessness.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_305"></a>[305]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX.<br /> -<span class="fs70">THE CAPTURE OF BENSON.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When morning came a considerable force arrived from -Blossom Range. It was composed of the most courageous -men of the town, and they were well armed.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill, taking command of this force, moved on -the village of the Utes. But there was now no one in -the village who sought to oppose him. The warriors who -had howled and danced throughout the night lay in -a stupor and were helpless; several warriors were dead. -The woman and children, with the older men, and such -of the braves as had not been able to get enough of the -doctored whisky to hurt them, were alone able to meet -the force of the scout and talk intelligibly.</p> - -<p>They were dreadfully frightened by this array of -fighting men from the town, and seemed ready to make -any promises demanded. They were not to blame, they -said, for what had happened. The white men who had -brought the whisky should alone be blamed. One of -the white men who did it was dead, the other had fled -from the place.</p> - -<p>But the body of Gorilla Jake could not be found. This, -the Indians explained, was because it had been burnt -on the bonfire the Utes had built and kept roaring -through the greater part of the night.</p> - -<p>Old Iron Bow was in a stupor, from which he was -aroused with difficulty. Even then he could give no satisfactory -account of what had happened. But he and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_306"></a>[306]</span> -some of the worst of the warriors were placed under -arrest by Dugan, and were taken down to the Blossom -Range jail.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill and his friends searched the Ute village -through and through, but were not able to find Tim Benson.</p> - -<p>“He’s a feller yer cain’t never ketch,” said Nomad.</p> - -<p>Buffalo Bill did not side with this view.</p> - -<p>He sent orders everywhere, which blocked all the -trails leading from Blossom Range and the country surrounding -it, and sent messages again to all the surrounding -towns and mining camps.</p> - -<p>“I’ll get him yet,” he said in serene confidence. “You -see, he is probably now in the hills, or else has come -right back into Blossom Range. If he is in Blossom -Range it must be our work to see that he don’t get out -again. If he is out in the hills he will starve there, so -will have to come in.”</p> - -<p>But old Nomad had seen the hopes of the scout baffled -so often by the clever road agent that he had become -pessimistic on the subject of the capture of Tim Benson.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, the old trapper did not relax his efforts. -Buffalo Bill never had better lieutenants than Nomad, -Wild Bill, and the baron. They gave their strength -and time night and day to watching and shadowing. -Wild Bill kept a close watch on all the gaming places -of the town, knowing that Benson was a notorious -gamester, and would be found in such places if he felt -that he could visit them safely.</p> - -<p>Benson’s ability at disguising was not forgotten. So -every man and woman leaving the town was subjected -to an examination.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_307"></a>[307]</span></p> - -<p>It was bad for the business of the town, but it brought -results.</p> - -<p>Benson had really fled into Blossom Range, stopping -on the way only long enough to remove his Indian paint -and feathers and assume his ordinary clothing, which -he had kept with him in the Ute village and brought out -of it.</p> - -<p>For a day or two he hid with a friend, who fed him -and kept him secluded.</p> - -<p>But this friend was soon suspected and arrested. Benson -had to leave his house.</p> - -<p>The few friends left now in the town became afraid -to harbor him.</p> - -<p>At last a day came when Benson, grown desperate, -hungry, wearied with hiding like a terrified wolf, came -boldly out into the street. Yet he had taken the care to -give himself a change of clothing, which he stole during -the previous night, so that he was not now the dapper -gambler and desperado, but appeared as a miner in rough -clothing and clay-stained boots.</p> - -<p>“There are miners going in and out of the town to -their work every day, and I’ll try that trick,” he said to -himself. “I can’t get away during the night, for no man -is permitted to go out who is not known, so I’ve got to -make the try in broad daylight. If I fail——”</p> - -<p>He walked boldly down the street, passing dozens of -men, who gave him not a second glance.</p> - -<p>“They don’t know me! I guess I can work it. But -I’ve got to get farther than just out in the hills. How -will I do that? All the surrounding towns are guarded, -with men looking there for me, so I can’t go into the -towns. And if I stay in the hills I’ll starve; a coyote<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_308"></a>[308]</span> -couldn’t live there. I think I’ll have to try the stage -again.”</p> - -<p>Yet he knew that no man whose identity was not -clearly proven could leave now by the stage.</p> - -<p>Benson had not proceeded half a mile when he saw -the man whom he feared above all others—Buffalo Bill.</p> - -<p>The great scout had been standing at a street corner, -as if at ease with himself and the world, also apparently -not watching any one or looking for any one.</p> - -<p>But it was evident that he had seen and spotted Benson -as soon as the latter appeared in sight.</p> - -<p>When Buffalo Bill sauntered with seeming carelessness -across the street to intercept Tim Benson old -Nomad was in another street, which hid him from Benson’s -sight, though he and the scout could see each other.</p> - -<p>The scout put up his hand in a peculiar way, much as -if he were settling a refractory cuff in place, a sign -which Nomad saw at once and understood.</p> - -<p>Benson was still under the impression that Buffalo -Bill had not recognized him, when the scout, after brushing -by him, turned quickly, with handcuffs ready for -Benson’s wrists.</p> - -<p>“Better surrender without trouble, Benson!” he said -in a low tone. “I’ve got you, you see.”</p> - -<p>Benson whitened to the lips; then in desperation he -whipped out a revolver and fired at the scout. The -scout ducked and seemed to reel. At the same instant -the trapper came yelling upon the scene.</p> - -<p>“Waugh!” old Nomad whooped. “Better drap et, -Benson, fer ye’re shootin’ only blanks!”</p> - -<p>The shouted words, telling him his revolver held only -blanks, confused and balked Benson for a moment; it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_309"></a>[309]</span> -made him uncertain, and that caused him to hesitate. -The scout had not been touched by Benson’s bullet, and -it gave him the time and opportunity needed.</p> - -<p>He sprang upon Benson. When the latter’s hand went -up again with the revolver, Buffalo Bill turned the -weapon aside and at the same time snapped the wrist in -the handcuff; then, with a swing, he caught and brought -the other wrist round.</p> - -<p>“Click!” sounded the manacles.</p> - -<p>The revolver fell to the ground, and Benson reeled -back against the wall. That click and the touch of the -cold steel on his wrists let him know that the great scout -had him at last.</p> - -<p>Not until the thing had been done and the handcuffs -held his arms together did Benson come to a full realization -that Nomad had shouted those words simply to confuse -him and cause him to lose time.</p> - -<p>He turned upon the old trapper furiously.</p> - -<p>Nomad only laughed.</p> - -<p>“Thet’s all right, ye reprobate,” said the trapper. “We -wanted ter ketch yer, so I didn’t want ter drap ye with -a bullet myself, or hev ye drap Buffler. Ye’re the star -road agent o’ this section and the king o’ all the desperadoes -that’s been workin’ round hyer; but now we -has got ye. Et’s the final scoop.”</p> - -<p>Tim Benson, a very few minutes later, was in the jail -of Blossom Range, whither his pals had gone before -him.</p> - -<p>As for the Utes, old Iron Bow and the others who -were jailed, they were released in a few days and permitted -to return to the village. It was held that, being -savages, they were not really responsible for deeds committed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_310"></a>[310]</span> -under the influence of desperate white men and -strong drink.</p> - -<p>The Betts brothers did not get that reward.</p> - -<p>They could not produce the body of Gorilla Jake, dead -or alive. Yet there was no doubt that he had suffered -at the hands of the Utes a terrible punishment for his -crime of furnishing them with drugged whisky.</p> - - -<p class="pfs80 p2">THE END.</p> - -<div class="blockquoty"> -<p>No. 102 of the <span class="smcap">Buffalo Bill Border Stories</span>, entitled, -“Buffalo Bill, Peacemaker,” is a rattler that any boy -would sit up all night to read. The great scout’s hunt -for peace gets him into all sorts of trouble, and every -page has its thrills.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="fulla" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="pfs135">WESTERN STORIES ABOUT</p> -</div> - -<p class="pfs240">BUFFALO BILL</p> - -<p class="pfs180">Price, Fifteen Cents</p> - -<p class="pfs120 pb1">Red-blooded Adventure Stories for Men</p> - -<hr class="r10a5" /> - -<div class="blockquoty"> -<p class="p1">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, <ins class="corr" id="tn311" title="Transcriber’s Note—Changed “Wild Bill Hicock” to “Wild Bill Hickok”.">Wild Bill Hickok</ins>, -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="pfs90 bold"><em>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</em></p> - -<hr class="fulld" /> - -<table class="autotable fs90" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">1</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill, the Border King</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">2</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Raid</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">3</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Bravery</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">4</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Trump Card</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">5</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Pledge</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">6</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Vengeance</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">7</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Iron Grip</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">8</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Capture</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">9</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Danger Line</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">10</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Comrades</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">11</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Reckoning</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">12</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Warning</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">13</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill at Bay</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">14</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Pards</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">15</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Brand</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">16</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Honor</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">17</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">18</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Fight With Fire</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">19</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">20</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">21</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">22</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Trackers</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">23</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">24</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill, Ambassador</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">25</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">26</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">27</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">28</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill Against Odds</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">29</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Hot Chase</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">30</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Ally</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">31</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Trove</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">32</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Foes</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">33</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Crack Shot</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">34</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Close Call</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">35</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Double Surprise</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">36</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Ambush</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">37</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Outlaw Hunt</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">38</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Border Duel</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">39</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Bid for Fame</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">40</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Triumph</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">41</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Spy Trailer</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">42</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Death Call</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">43</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Body Guard</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">44</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Still Hunt</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">45</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill and the Doomed Dozen</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">46</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Prairie Scout</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">47</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Guide</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">48</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Bonanza</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">49</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Swoop</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">50</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill and the Gold King</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">51</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill, Deadshot</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">52</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravos</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">53</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Big Four</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">54</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s One-armed Pard</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">55</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Race for Life</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">56</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Return</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">57</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Conquest</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">58</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill to the Rescue</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">59</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Beautiful Foe</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">60</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Perilous Task</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">61</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Queer Find</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">62</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Blind Lead</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">63</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Resolution</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">64</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill, the Avenger</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">65</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Pledged Pard</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">66</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Weird Warning</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">67</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Wild Ride</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">68</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Stampede</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">69</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Mine Mystery</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">70</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Gold Hunt</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">71</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Daring Dash</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">72</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill on Hand</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">73</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Alliance</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">74</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Relentless Foe</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">75</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Midnight Ride</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">76</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Chivalry</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">77</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">78</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Private War</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">79</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Diamond Mine</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">80</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Big Contract</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">81</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Woman Foe</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">82</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Ruse</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">83</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Pursuit</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">84</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Gold</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">85</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill in Mid-air</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">86</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Queer Mission</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">87</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Verdict</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">88</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Ordeal</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">89</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Camp Fires</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">90</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Iron Nerve</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">91</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Rival</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">92</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Lone Hand</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">93</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Sacrifice</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">94</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Thunderbolt</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">95</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Black Fortune</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">96</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Wild Work</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">97</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Yellow Trail</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">98</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Train</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">99</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Bowie Duel</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">100</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Mystery Man</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">101</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Bold Play</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">102</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill: Peacemaker</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">103</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Big Surprise</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">104</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Barricade</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">105</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Test</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">106</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Powwow</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">107</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Stern Justice</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">108</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Mysterious Friend</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">109</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill and the Boomers</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">110</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Panther Fight</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">111</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill and the Overland Mail</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">112</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill on the Deadwood Trail</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">113</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill in Apache Land</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">114</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Blindfold Duel</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">115</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill and the Lone Camper</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">116</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Merry War</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">117</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Star Play</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">118</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s War Cry</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">119</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill on Black Panther’s Trail<span class="pad3"> </span></td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">120</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Slim Chance</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">121</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill Besieged</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">122</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Bandit Round-up</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">123</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Surprise Party</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">124</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Lightning Raid</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">125</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill in Mexico</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">126</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Foe</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">127</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Tireless Chase</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">128</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Boy Bugler</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">129</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Sure Guess</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">130</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Record Jump</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">131</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill in the Land of Dread</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">132</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Tangled Clue</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">133</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Buffalo Bill’s Wolf Skin</td> -<td class="tdl">By Col. Prentiss Ingraham</td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="pfs120">BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD</p> -</div> - -<p class="pfs240 bold lsp">ALGER SERIES</p> - -<p class="pfs100 bold">Clean Adventure Stories for Boys</p> - -<p class="pfs180">Price, Fifteen Cents</p> - -<hr class="r10a5" /> - -<p class="pfs120 pb1"><em>The Most Complete List Published</em></p> - -<div class="blockquoty"> -<p>The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio -Alger wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best.</p> - -<p>Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. -His work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. -The books have a quality, the value of which is beyond computation.</p> - -<p>There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being -helped along the road to true Americanism by reading these -books which are so peculiarly American in tone that the reader -cannot fail to absorb some of the spirit of fair play and clean -living which is so characteristically American.</p> - -<p>In this list are included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer -upon whose shoulders the cloak of Horatio Alger has fallen. -They are books of the Alger type, and to a very large extent vie -with Mr. Alger’s books in interest and wholesomeness.</p> -</div> - -<p class="pfs90 bold"><em>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</em></p> - -<hr class="fulld" /> - -<table class="autotable fs90" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">1</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Driven From Home</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">2</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">A Cousin’s Conspiracy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">3</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Ned Newton</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">4</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Andy Gordon</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">5</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Tony, the Tramp</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">6</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Five Hundred Dollar Check</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">7</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Helping Himself</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">8</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Making His Way</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">9</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Try and Trust</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">10</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Only an Irish Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">11</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jed, the Poorhouse Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">12</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Chester Rand</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">13</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">14</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Joe’s Luck</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">15</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">From Farm Boy to Senator</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">16</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Outlaw</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">17</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack’s Ward</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">18</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Dean Dunham</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">19</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">In a New World</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">20</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Both Sides of the Continent</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">21</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Store Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">22</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Brave and Bold</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">23</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">A New York Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">24</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Bob Burton</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">25</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Adventurer</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">26</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Julius, the Street Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">27</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Adrift in New York</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">28</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Tom Brace</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">29</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Struggling Upward</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">30</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy<span class="pad3"> </span></td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">31</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Tom Tracy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">32</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Acrobat</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">33</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Bound to Rise</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">34</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Hector’s Inheritance</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">35</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Do and Dare</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">36</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Tin Box</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">37</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Tom, the Bootblack</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">38</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Risen from the Ranks</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">39</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Shifting for Himself</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">40</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Wait and Hope</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">41</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Sam’s Chance</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">42</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Striving for Fortune</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">43</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Phil, the Fiddler</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">44</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Slow and Sure</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">45</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Walter Sherwood’s Probation</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">46</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">47</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Salesman</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">48</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Andy Grant’s Pluck</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">49</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Facing the World</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">50</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Luke Walton</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">51</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Strive and Succeed</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">52</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">From Canal Boy to President</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">53</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Erie Train Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">54</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Paul, the Peddler</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">55</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Miner</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">56</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Charlie Codman’s Cruise</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">57</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">A Debt of Honor</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">58</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Explorer</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">59</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Ben’s Nugget</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">60</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Errand Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">61</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Frank and Fearless</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">62</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Frank Hunter’s Peril</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">63</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Adrift in the City</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">64</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Tom Thatcher’s Fortune</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">65</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Tom Turner’s Legacy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">66</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Dan, the Newsboy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">67</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Digging for Gold</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">68</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Lester’s Luck</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">69</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">In Search of Treasure</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">70</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Frank’s Campaign</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">71</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Bernard Brook’s Adventures</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">72</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Robert Coverdale’s Struggles</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">73</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Paul Prescott’s Charge</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">74</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Mark Manning’s Mission</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">75</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Rupert’s Ambition</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">76</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Sink or Swim</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">77</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Backwood’s Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">78</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Tom Temple’s Career</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">79</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Ben Bruce</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">80</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Musician</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">81</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Telegraph Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">82</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Work and Win</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">83</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Train Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">84</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Cash Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">85</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Herbert Carter’s Legacy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">86</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Strong and Steady</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">87</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Lost at Sea</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">88</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">From Farm to Fortune</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">89</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Young Captain Jack</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">90</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Joe, the Hotel Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">91</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Out for Business</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">92</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Falling in With Fortune</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">93</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Nelson, the Newsboy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">94</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Randy of the River</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">95</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jerry, the Backwoods Boy</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">96</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Ben Logan’s Triumph</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">97</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Book Agent</td> -<td class="tdl">By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">98</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Last Cruise of <i>The Spitfire</i></td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">99</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Reuben Stone’s Discovery</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">100</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">True to Himself</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">101</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Richard Dare’s Venture</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">102</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Oliver Bright’s Search</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">103</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">To Alaska for Gold</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">104</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Auctioneer</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">105</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Bound to Be an Electrician</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">106</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Shorthand Tom</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">107</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Fighting for His Own</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">108</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Joe, the Surveyor</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">109</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Larry, the Wanderer</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">110</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Ranchman</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">111</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Lumbermen</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">112</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Explorers</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">113</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Boys of the Wilderness</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">114</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Boys of the Great Northwest</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">115</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Boys of the Gold Fields</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">116</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">For His Country</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">117</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Comrades in Peril</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">118</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Pearl Hunters</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">119</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">The Young Bandmaster</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">120</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Boys of the Fort</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">121</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">On Fortune’s Trail</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">122</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Lost in the Land of Ice</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">123</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Bob, the Photographer</td> -<td class="tdl">By Edward Stratemeyer</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<div class="bboxa"> -<p class="pfs240 lsp2 bold">Say, Boys!</p> - -<div class="blockquoty"> -<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> -</div> - -<hr class="fulla" /> - -<p class="pfs120 bold">STREET & SMITH CORPORATION<br /> -79 Seventh Avenue <span class="pad3">New York City</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="pfs150">RATTLING GOOD ADVENTURE</p> -</div> - -<p class="pfs240 bold">SPORT STORIES</p> - -<p class="pfs180">Price, Fifteen Cents</p> - -<hr class="r15" /> - -<p class="pfs150"><em>Stories of the Big Outdoors</em></p> - -<hr class="r15" /> - -<div class="blockquoty"> -<p>There has been a big demand for outdoor stories, and a very -considerable portion of it has been for the Maxwell Stevens -stories about Jack Lightfoot, the athlete.</p> - -<p>These stories are of interest to old and young. They are -not, strictly speaking, stories for boys, but boys everywhere -will find a great deal in them to engage their interest.</p> - -<p>The Jack Lightfoot stories deal with every branch of sport—baseball, -football, rowing, swimming, racing, tennis, and every -sort of occupation, both indoor and out, that the healthy-minded -man turns to.</p> -</div> - -<p class="pfs90 bold"><em>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</em></p> - -<hr class="fulld" /> - -<table class="autotable fs90" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">1</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot, the Athlete</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">2</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Crack Nine<span class="pad3"> </span></td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">3</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot Trapped</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">4</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Rival</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">5</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot in Camp</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">6</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Canoe Trip</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">7</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Iron Arm</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">8</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Hoodoo</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">9</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Decision</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">10</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Gun Club</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">11</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Blind</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">12</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Capture</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">13</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Head Work</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">14</td> -<td class="tdl">—</td> -<td class="tdl">Jack Lightfoot’s Wisdom</td> -<td class="tdl">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<div class="bboxb bbtxt pg-brk"> -<p>Adventure Stories</p> -<p>Detective Stories</p> -<p>Western Stories</p> -<p>Love Stories</p> -<p>Sea Stories</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquoty"> -<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> -</div> - -<hr class="r15d" /> - -<p class="pfs100 p2 bold">STREET & SMITH CORPORATION,<br /> -79 Seventh Avenue,<br /> -New York, N. Y.</p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<hr class="chap" /> -</div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="center bold">Transcriber’s Notes</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>The Table of Contents at the beginning of the book was created by the -transcriber.</p> - -<p>Minor punctuation errors have been silently corrected and, except -for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and -inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.</p> - -<p>Inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation such as -“fang-like/fanglike” and “clean-shaven/clean shaven” have been maintained.</p> - -<p>Extraneous commas in advertising pages deleted to properly align -table columns in electronic versions.</p> -</div> - -<ol> -<li><a href="#tn2">Page 2</a>: “Rough-riders” changed to “Rough Riders”.</li> - -<li><a href="#tn49">Page 49</a>: “yieded” changed to “yielded”.</li> - -<li><a href="#tn84">Page 84</a>: “reachel” changed to “reached”.</li> - -<li><a href="#tn98">Page 98</a>: “riples” changed to “ripples”.</li> - -<li><a href="#tn211">Page 211</a>: “Calamut” changed to “Calumet”.</li> - -<li><a href="#tn278">Page 278</a>: “neverthless” changed to “nevertheless”.</li> - -<li><a href="#tn311">Page 311</a>: “Hicock” changed to “Hickok”.</li> - - -</ol> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play, by -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL'S BOLD PLAY *** - -***** This file should be named 63705-h.htm or 63705-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/7/0/63705/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Susan Carr 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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