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diff --git a/old/64447-0.txt b/old/64447-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dac23ef..0000000 --- a/old/64447-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10690 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Buffalo Bill's Pursuit, 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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Buffalo Bill's Pursuit - The Heavy Hand of Justice - -Author: Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -Release Date: February 02, 2021 [eBook #64447] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: David Edwards, Susan Carr and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL'S PURSUIT *** - - - - - - Buffalo Bill’s Pursuit - - OR, - - The Heavy Hand of Justice - - - BY - - Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - - Author of the celebrated “Buffalo Bill” stories published in the - BORDER STORIES. For other titles see catalogue. - - - [Illustration: (Colophon)] - - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - - - - +----------------------------------+ - | | - | Copyright, 1907 | - | By STREET & SMITH | - | ----- | - | Buffalo Bill’s Pursuit | - | | - +----------------------------------+ - - - (Printed in the United States of America) - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian. - - - - - CONTENTS - - PAGE - IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY 1 - I. THE VOICE FROM THE TREE. 5 - II. PIZEN JANE, OF CINNABAR. 13 - III. CHASED BY WOLVES. 20 - IV. A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 32 - V. THE CAPTURE. 39 - VI. ABANDONED. 49 - VII. TAUNTS AND JEERS. 53 - VIII. CLOSING IN. 62 - IX. A DEFIANT PRISONER. 67 - X. MOTHER AND SON. 72 - XI. THE DESERT HOTSPUR. 78 - XII. IN THE OUTLAW STRONGHOLD. 84 - XIII. PEERLESS AS A SCOUT. 89 - XIV. THE LIVING BARRICADE. 96 - XV. THE GALLANT TROOPERS. 101 - XVI. A WOMAN’S VENGEANCE. 104 - XVII. PURSUED BY BLACKFEET. 109 - XVIII. THE BLACKFOOT TRAILERS. 118 - XIX. THE TRAGEDY OF THE CABIN. 123 - XX. AN AMAZING DISAPPEARANCE. 129 - XXI. THE PRISONER. 137 - XXII. WIND FLOWER. 146 - XXIII. THE FLIGHT OF THE FUGITIVES. 154 - XXIV. THE SCOUTS’ PURSUIT. 167 - XXV. AGAIN A PRISONER. 176 - XXVI. THE WILD RANGE RIDERS. 181 - XXVII. AGAIN ON THE TRAIL. 189 - XXVIII. THE CAPTURE OF THE MEDICINE MAN. 194 - XXIX. THE COMING OF THE MEDICINE MAN. 201 - XXX. THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACKFEET. 210 - XXXI. RINGED IN BY FIRE. 215 - XXXII. THE GIRL AND THE EMERALDS. 222 - XXXIII. THE EAVESDROPPER. 228 - XXXIV. THE MUSTANG CATCHERS. 235 - XXXV. THE ATTACK ON THE STAGE. 243 - XXXVI. DISAPPOINTED ROAD AGENTS. 251 - XXXVII. SETTING A TRAP. 256 - XXXVIII. A CAPTURE AND AN ESCAPE. 260 - XXXIX. THE EMERALDS GONE. 270 - XL. CODY AND NOMAD. 275 - XLI. THE OUTLAWS TRICKED. 283 - XLII. A ROUGH DIPLOMAT. 288 - XLIII. A WHIRLWIND CHASE. 293 - XLIV. LAWLESS STRATEGY. 298 - XLV. A SNEAKING COWARD. 305 - XLVI. THE CAPTURE OF THE THIEF. 311 - XLVII. AT BAY--AT PEACE. 316 - - - - - IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY - - (BUFFALO BILL). - - -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 _New York Weekly_. 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. - -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. - -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. - -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. - -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.” - -In 1868 and for four years thereafter Colonel Cody 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. - -After completing a period of service in the Nebraska legislature, -Cody joined the Fifth Cavalry in 1876, and was again appointed chief -of scouts. - -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. - -Assisted by Ned Buntline, novelist, and Colonel Ingraham, he started -his “Wild West” show, which later developed and expanded into “A -Congress of the Rough Riders 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. - -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. - -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. - - - - - BUFFALO BILL’S PURSUIT. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE VOICE FROM THE TREE. - - -Buffalo Bill drew rein and looked around. He was in a narrow and -lonely trail that ran close by the Cinnabar River. - -The country was gullied and cut by small cañons. Several hundred feet -below him the river roared in its narrow, rock-bound bed. On the -sloping side of this cañon was a number of trees, some of them of -large size; and trees of the same kind bordered the trail. - -The scout, having drawn rein, sat quite still in his saddle, -listening. All he heard now was the roar of the stream, the soughing -of the wind in the trees, and the restless champing of his spirited -horse. - -“Help!” - -A sudden cry of distress sounded near him, and once more Buffalo Bill -stared around. - -The call seemed to have come out of the sky, or to have floated from -the mist that rose above the tumbling water of the river. - -“Can my ears have fooled me?” was his thought. - -“Hello!” he called. “What is it?” - -A faint mumbling seemed to come in answer to this, but he could not -locate the sound nor distinguish the words. - -He rode up and down the trail, looking over into the cañon and along -its timbered slope; he let his eyes wander over the rocky hillsides -opposite the cañon. - -“The wind is fooling me!” was his thought. Yet he was not satisfied -to let it go at that; so he dismounted, tied his horse, and swung -down the incline of the cañon for a number of yards, and there -reaching a shelf of rock, he bent over the river and listened. Then -he heard it again--a cry for help. - -This time it seemed to be above him, almost over his head; and it -sounded so startlingly clear that he could have fancied that the lips -that made it were at his elbow. - -“Yes,” he said, starting up and staring around. “Where are you? I see -no one.” - -The call rose louder and clearer, so clear that it was absolutely -startling. Apparently, the one making the cry had, for the first -time, become aware that the call for help had reached human ears. - -“Here I am, right here! Help! I’m right here--in this tree!” - -Buffalo Bill rose to his feet and stared hard at the tree before him. -It was within six yards of him, higher up toward the level where lay -the trail; and the voice had seemed to come from the heart of it. Yet -he could see no hole in the tree. - -It was a large, stubby oak, wide branching and low; its thick boughs -extended along the cañon slope, forming there a massy shade. - -“Yes!” he said, jumping toward it. “In the tree? Where?” - -The voice seemed now to gurgle, and again the answer was so -indistinct that Buffalo Bill climbed up to the tree, and walked -around it, determined to find an opening, if there was one. - -“In the tree?” he asked. “In this tree?” - -He kicked on it and hammered on it with his knuckles. - -“Yes!” the voice now screamed, seeming to be right before him. -“I’m--fast--in--this--consarned--tree! Help! H-e-l-p! H-e-l-p!” - -“Yes!” said the scout again, shouting the word. “How did you get in? -And how can I reach you?” - -“I--fell--in! Help! H-e-l-p! H-e-l-p!” - -“Fell in? How? When----” - -“Fell in at the top, you fool! Help! H-e-l-p! H-e-l-p!” - -The voice had a strange, quavering sound, high-keyed and singular. - -“Fell in from the top!” The scout looked at the thick top of the -tree. “Well, this must be investigated!” - -He began to climb the tree, using his lariat to aid him, looping -it around the tree and around his body, thus assisting himself -materially in making the ascent. He climbed rapidly in this way, and -was soon in the lower branches. - -The voice continued to call, sometimes sounding loud and clear, and -then almost falling, or seeming to fall, to shrill whispers. - -He fancied these changes were due to the wind that roared through the -top of the tree, carrying the sound first one way and then another. - -In a very short time he was in the matted top of the oak, hanging -over the cañon. Then, to his amazement, he saw before him a large -hole, such as a bear might have used. The calls were coming from this -hole. - -He looked into it, but the hole was black as pitch, and he could see -nothing. However, the words of the person down in it seemed now to be -shot at him as if from the muzzle of a gun. - -“Help! H-e-l-p! H-e-l-p! I’m in the tree; and I----” - -“Yes--yes! I’m here to help you. How far down are you? I can’t see -you.” - -“Something’s stoppin’ up the hole now; it’s a bear mebbe! Help! -H-e-l-p!” - -“I am shutting the light out, I suppose. I want to help you. If I -lower my lariat can you get hold of it? Then perhaps I can pull you -out, or assist you to get out.” - -The calls changed in their character; the person in the tree had -become aware that some one was at the opening, and that this some one -was proffering assistance. - -“Drap yer rope, then!” the voice shrieked. “I kin climb it, mebbe.” - -The scout lowered the noose end of his lariat into the hole. - -“Just place the noose under your arms,” he instructed, “and I can -help you out.” - -He felt the rope jerked, and then the voice shouted: - -“All O. K. down here; now h’ist away. You’re a stranger, but a friend -in need; and a friend in need is wuth a dozen angels any day o’ the -week!” - -Buffalo Bill began to haul on the rope, and was instantly aware that -the individual in the tree was ascending. There was much scratching, -sputtering, and fussing, and many singular exclamations; but slowly -the tree prisoner ascended. Then the scout beheld the top of a head, -surmounted by a queer hat, or bonnet; so that, at that first glance, -he thought he had an Indian in the loop of the lariat. - -However, when the neck and shoulders, and then the body of the -prisoner appeared, he saw that he had drawn a woman out of the tree. - -The fact was amazing, and this woman was as singular a creature as -he had ever seen: being a tall, raw-boned, awkward female, with a -vinegary countenance, and features as homely as if they had been -copied from some comic monthly. - -“Hello!” she sputtered, as she clutched the edge of the hole and -began to draw herself out. “This here is what I calls an unfort’nit -condition fer a lady to be in. B’ jings, it is! An’ I reckon I’ve et -a peck o’ dirt and rotten wood, into the barg’in!” She spat pieces of -wood out of her mouth, revealing a row of fanglike teeth. “And I’ve -that mussed up my Sunday clo’es that I won’t be able to go to church -nex’ Sunday!” - -At this she cackled in a strange way, as if she had uttered a good -joke. - -With the scout’s assistance, she crawled out of the hole and dropped -down in the nest of broad limbs that were matted together in front of -the hole, forming there a sort of shelf of verdure. - -“Well, may I be switched if I was ever in sich a reedicklus situation -before!” she grumbled. “I reckon you never before pulled a lady out -o’ the top of a tree?” - -The scout was staring at her most ungallantly. - -“I didn’t,” he admitted. “I must beg your pardon if I was rough while -hauling on that rope.” - -“Oh, I ain’t as light as swan’s-down!” she cackled. “I’m purty hefty; -and heftier still when I git my mad up and git in a fight.” - -“But how did you get in such a place?” he was forced to demand. - -“I fell in.” - -“Fell in?” - -“You kin understand words, can’t ye? Yes, I fell in.” - -“But----” - -“Well, I clim’ up here last night, thinkin’ it’d be a safer place -to spend the night in than down on the ground, with wolves howlin’ -’round, and mebbe road agents perambulatin’ along the trail. It -looked like a good sort of a nest up here, and I thought I’d try it -fer safety; fer I cal’lated that if a wild cat, er a panther, got -into the tree, I could git down, mebbe; and I wasn’t as afeard o’ -them as I was o’ the wolves I heerd howlin’. And so I clim’ up. -And while mussin’ ’round here on these limbs, tryin’ to make myself -comfortable, I slipped into that hole, hurtin’ my arm some; and then, -fust thing I knowed, I was down in the holler of the tree inside, and -couldn’t git out ag’in.” - -She laughed in a mirthless way. - -“Well, you better believe that I was scai’t some, when I found I -couldn’t git out. I wiggled and I waggled, but it didn’t do no good; -and there I had to stay.” - -She laughed again, with that singular, mirthless cackle. - -“Well, I was safe enough from wolves and varmints of that kind; you’d -better believe I was. I didn’t hear a wolf, ner did a single wild cat -er panther try to pay me a visit; but when mornin’ come I couldn’t -git out. - -“I reckon I hollered so much that if the breath I wasted doin’ it was -all collected, it’d fill the sails of the British navy. But it didn’t -do a mite o’ good, seemed like, till bime-by I reckon you heerd me.” - -“Yes, I heard you. Your yells were enough to wake the dead!” - -She glanced down into the hole and shivered. - -“Now, if you’ll permit me, I’ll try to help you down to the ground,” -he said. - -“Oh, law, I kin make that all right; that don’t trouble me a little -bit!” - -To show that it did not, she swung down from the nest of branches, -and then, grappling the tree as if she were a man, she slid down to -the ground. The scout followed her, and soon stood beside her on the -shelving slope. - -“Now I’ll help you up to the trail,” he said. “You must be pretty -well exhausted by this time, and----” - -“Lawk, I don’t need no help!” - -She began to scramble up to the trail. - -The scout accompanied her, assisting her as much as she would let -him; and soon they stood together in the trail. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - PIZEN JANE, OF CINNABAR. - - -Having arrived at a position in the trail, Buffalo Bill looked more -carefully at the woman rescued from her strange prison in the hollow -oak overhanging the cañon of the river. - -The woman looked as intently at him, with black eyes that snapped and -burned. She inspected him from top to toe, critically, as if trying -to size him up and determine what character of man he was. Then a -sudden fiery wrath blazed in her black eyes, her lips became pinched, -and then opened in one of her strange cackles. - -“I guess,” she snapped, “that you’re the man that’s playin’ the fake -Buffler Bill trick about here. And if ye aire, then I dunno but I’d -ruther been left in the tree than to have been helped by ye. Aire you -him, er ain’t ye?” - -Buffalo Bill could not repress a smile at her manner. - -“I haven’t the pleasure of knowing who this fake Buffalo Bill is, but -I assure you that I am the real Buffalo Bill,” he said. “My name is -Cody, as, perhaps, you have heard, and----” - -She cackled again, scoffing at his declaration. - -“What’s the proof of it?” she demanded. - -“I shall not try to present any proof, other than my word.” - -“And if you’re the fake Buffler, yer word ain’t good furder’n a man -could sling a steer by the tail. You ain’t the fake Buffler?” - -“No, madam, I am not.” - -“Why do ye call me madam, and how’d ye know I ever was married, to -desarve that title? Simply because I’m oldish and have lost my good -looks? You don’t know me?” - -“I haven’t the honor.” - -He touched his hat again, but a smile disturbed the gravity of his -face. - -“Well, I’m Pizen Jane, frum Cinnabar. Never heerd o’ me?” - -“I never had the honor to----” - -“Shucks! Don’t be so perlite. Perliteness is due, mebbe, to young -girls with red cheeks and yaller hair, and eyes that keeps rollin’ at -the men; but it don’t b’long in talkin’ to a woman like me, that’s -seen the world, and had all her beauty knocked off her long ago.” - -“I only meant----” - -“Don’t _mean_, then, when speakin’ to me; jes’ _speak_ yer thoughts. -I know I’m homely, and my temper ain’t any purtier than my face. I’m -Pizen Jane, of Cinnabar.” - -He smiled. - -“I’m very glad to know you, and wish to assure you again that I am -William F. Cody, known to many as Buffalo Bill.” - -“Jes’ the same, I’m goin’ to watch ye!” - -“That’s kind of you.” - -“You mean to say by that it ain’t kind o’ me, after you yankin’ me -outer that hole? Well, I thank you fer that. Where you goin’?” - -“I was on my way from Cinnabar.” - -“Yisterday I was, too; but I got stuck in that hole, and that brought -my journeyin’ to a close. I reckon, if you’re goin’ on, I’ll go with -ye. You’ve got a hoss there.” - -“A very good animal.” - -“Glad of it; fer I’m goin’ to ride behind ye on that hoss. I don’t -reckon you’ve got anything to eat?” - -“Yes, I have food in my saddle pouches. I will get it for you.” - -“I’m that hungry I could eat sawdust! Fer, ye see, I didn’t have any -supper las’ night, an’ no breakfast this mornin’. If ’twasn’t so fur, -I’d git down to that river and git me a drink.” - -“I have a water bottle, which you’re welcome to.” - -“Law suz, you’re a reg’lar travelin’ hotel! Well, I’m glad of it; -fer I’m that hungry and dry that I can’t think straight. When I git -somethin’ to eat and drink, I’ll try to see if my hat is on straight, -and if my clothes sets right. Shouldn’t wonder if they don’t, sense -my experience in that tree.” - -She continued to talk while he procured the food and the water; and -then she sat down on the ground and devoured the things he gave her. -While doing it she now and then looked at him, with covert glances, -and now and then she mumbled, as if talking to herself. - -The scout was undeniably puzzled by this woman. In his experience on -the border he had encountered many strange characters. Sometimes he -had found that their eccentricity was assumed as a mask and covered -some hidden design, or concealed a scoundrelly and criminal past. In -a few cases he had found that an assumed eccentricity concealed an -officer of the law, who was masked in that way for detective work. - -After brushing the crumbs out of her lap in a thoughtful manner, she -looked up. - -“Was you tellin’ me the truth when you said you was the ginuine -Buffalo Bill?” - -“Nothing but the truth,” he answered. - -Her face still showed doubt. - -“Lemme ask ye another question er two.” - -“As many as you like.” - -“Did you ever hear of a wuthless critter named Pete Sanborn?” - -“I never did.” - -“He used to run a little hash house down at Cinnabar, only he was too -lazy to run it, and his wife done the work. He liked to gamble better -than he did to work, and he’d ruther pick a man’s pockets than to git -money in any other way.” - -“A fellow to keep away from.” - -“Well, he was. I knowed him to my sorrow. He done things lately a -good deal wuss’n any of them things. I hope vigilantes will git him, -and finish him.” - -Her blackened and straggling teeth came together with a vindictive -click. - -“And you never,” she went on, “heerd of a young feller called Pool -Clayton? His reg’lar name was Bruce, but he played pool and billiards -so much that the fellers got to callin’ him Pool; and I reckon it -fit him, fer the name stuck. He’s a young man, not much more’n a boy, -and I think he knowed you!” - -The final sentence she shot at the scout as if it were an accusation. - -“I never happened to meet him, so far as my knowledge goes.” - -“He’s a young man, and rather good lookin’; more weak than really -mean, I should say; and goin’ to the dogs fast, last accounts I had -of him.” - -“I never heard of him.” - -She brushed her lap again, as if there were more crumbs in it, and -looked down, as if taking time to gather her thoughts, or think of -more questions. Finally she rose, shaking out her skirt. - -“Now, if you don’t ’bject, I’d like fer ye to give me a lift on yer -hoss, if he’ll kerry double. It’s askin’ a good deal, I know, but----” - -“I shall be happy to let you ride on my horse, and I will walk; or -you may mount behind my saddle, if that pleases you.” - -She laughed then, cackling out in the manner that had first attracted -him. It was not musical, nor even suggestive of good humor, though -the woman apparently meant that it should suggest the last. - -“I’m Pizen Jane, of Cinnabar,” she said again, “and I hope you won’t -rue the day when you fust met me. You won’t, if you’re straight. But -if you’re not reelly Buffler Bill, but the fake that mebbe ye aire, -you’ll not think meetin’ me was good fer yer health.” - -Then she seemed to feel that this was harsh, when the things he had -done for her were considered. - -“I reckon I’d ought to beg yer pardon,” she said apologetically. -“If I say things you don’t like, fergit ’em. I’m loose-jawed, and -my tongue wags sometimes like a splinter in a windstorm. But if you -understood the things that’s made me what I am, you wouldn’t think -it a mite strange if I was tryin’ to shoot yer head off, instead of -talkin’ ca’m to you. You desarve it, if the things I’ve heerd about -ye aire true.” - -“I hope to merit your good opinion,” said the scout, much amused by -the freedom with which she “wagged” her tongue. - -“You’ll git it, if ye desarve it; and if ye don’t desarve it, then -you’ll git what you do desarve; and don’t you fail to recklect that! -Fer I’m Pizen Jane, of Cinnabar.” - -“It seems a strange name,” he said, bringing up his horse. - -“Well, I’m Pizen, to some people, ’cause I stand fer my rights and -don’t let nobody tromp on me. I’m Pizen to men who don’t do right, -you bet! And I’ll tell ye now, what mebbe I’d ought to keep to -myself, that I’m on the warpath, and that I’m standin’ ready to shoot -full of holes a certain man as soon as I meet him. Rejoice that you -ain’t him.” - -“You don’t seem so very warlike,” said the scout, smiling at her. “I -don’t mind telling you that.” - -“That’s a compliment, I s’pose? Well, I don’t desarve it.” She looked -the horse over critically. “Aire you goin’ right on through the -mountains?” - -“Yes.” - -“It’s nigh two days’ journey!” - -“Yes, I know it.” - -“And this trail is filled with road agents, they say; road agents -that lay fer everything that comes along, and shoots men as if they -wasn’t more than wolves.” - -“Yes, it’s a dangerous trail.” - -“What if you’re held up?” - -“I shall defend myself; but I’m trusting not to be.” - -“I reckon I can trust ye; and if I can’t trust ye I can watch ye. -Hold the hoss’ head, and I’ll sail up to his back.” - -The scout held the horse by the head, and with an agility that was -surprising, disdaining his aid, she put a foot in the stirrup and -mounted to the animal’s back, seating herself behind the saddle. - -“I’m spryer’n I look,” she said, “otherwise I couldn’t got into that -tree where ye found me. Now, if you’ll mount, we’ll jog along, and -you can tell me more about yerself while we’re goin’. I’ll say to you -that Pizen Jane, of Cinnabar, is searchin’ fer somebody she hopes to -find; and if she finds him, interestin’ times aire billed to foller -fer all concerned. That’s why I’m on this trail; what you’re on it -fur ain’t appeared yit, so fur as I know.” - -Buffalo Bill mounted, smiling at the woman’s naïve manner of trying -to “pump” him. - -Then they jogged on, as quaint a pair as the trail had seen in many a -day. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - CHASED BY WOLVES. - - -Because of the intense midsummer heat in that desert region, Buffalo -Bill did not journey far that morning, but relieved his horse of its -double burden long before noon, and took shelter from the burning sun -in the shady depths of the cañon, at a point where its sides were -scalable for man and beast. - -Pizen Jane seemed impervious to the heat, and declared her anxiety to -go on. But she descended into the cañon, and there helped the scout -eat the food which remained after her famine feast of the morning. - -Throughout the journey, and now, as she and the scout rested, she -asked strange questions without number, all tending to show that she -still did not believe he was the man he represented himself to be. - -What her own intentions and plans were she cloaked with much -cleverness, though she talked all around the subject, drowning it in -a very sea of words. - -Buffalo Bill gained the idea, however, that she had suffered some -wrong at the hands of some man, or men, or that some bitter grief and -disappointment had come to her; for the avenging, or righting, of -which she had set forth alone on this dangerous trail. In addition, -it seemed that she suspected him of being in some manner concerned in -the wrong done her, and that she had proofs of it she more than once -hinted. - -“I begin to fear you are crazy, madam,” he said, at length, when she -had vexed him with her many hints of personal wrongdoing. “But please -remember that I never met you before, and know absolutely nothing of -any of the men you so veiledly speak of. I might know more, if you -would be more open in what you say.” - -“And then you’d know too much, if you ain’t the reel Buffler!” she -cackled. “Pizen Jane may be homely lookin’, and no doubt she is, but -she ain’t no fool.” - -They did not go on until the cool shadows of evening covered the -trail. They continued the journey far into the night, going forward -by the light of the moon. - -The hour was late, when Pizen Jane gave a convulsive leap, and threw -her arms around the scout’s body, with a quick motion. - -“Did ye hear that?” she asked breathless. - -The scout drew rein. - -“I heard nothing,” said he. “What did you----” - -“There it is ag’in! Wolves, as I’m a mortal sinner! And they’re -answering each other, I’ll be bound. Jes’ listen at ’em!” - -The scout could not fail to hear them now, for their howls swept out -in a wild chorus. - -“Wolves?” she said. - -“Yes.” - -“Comin’ this way?” - -“I don’t know, I’m sure.” - -She observed that in spite of his careless reply he touched up the -horse with the spur. - -The wolves were in two bands, apparently; one band on the -mountainside, off on the left, and the other behind, in the trail, -or in the river cañon. Those on the hillside were nearest, and their -howls soon became frightful. - -“Chasin’ us?” she asked. - -“We’ll hope not.” - -“Well, I know they aire! Ye can’t fool me. I’ve had experience. This -ain’t the fust time I’ve heerd ’em.” - -She put her hand into her bosom and drew out a revolver. - -“This ain’t big enough to kill many wolves with,” she remarked; “but -it’s big enough to kill me, which it’ll do if the wolves should -seem about to git me. I’d ruther die by a bullet than to have them -critters tear me into giblets. Ugh! Hear ’em yellin’!” - -It was not a pleasant sound, and again the scout touched the horse up -with the spur. - -The country lay more open before him, a fact of which he was glad. -The moonlight and open country lessened the danger from the wolves; -for, like all evil creatures, they loved the darkness rather than the -light. - -The horse was now flying along, oblivious of its double burden. It -not only heard the wolves, but had scented them, and was frightened. - -The howling drew nearer, and soon the wolves, sweeping down from the -hills, were seen running along the trail just behind the fugitives, -and off on the left, beyond revolver shot. They grew constantly -bolder and bolder, so that soon they were close upon the horse. They -seemed to recognize the helplessness of the fugitives, pitted against -so many; for the wolf gains courage from numbers, and is boldest when -in big packs. - -Soon the wolves became so reckless that they dashed into the trail, -partly surrounding the horse. Then they began to leap at its nose, -and sought to strike their teeth into its legs for the purpose of -hamstringing it, after the manner in which they were accustomed to -bring down deer and other game. - -The scout shot one that sprang at the horse’s head; and then dropped -another that had leaped to the horse’s haunches. - -“Downed ’em, ye did!” cried Pizen Jane. “Good for you! It makes me -’most love ye, Buffler, to see you drop ’em like that.” - -He made no answer save a grunt of wrath. - -“Buffler,” Pizen Jane cackled, “I know you’re enj’yin’ my society, -even if the wolves is chasin’ us!” - -“I should feel better if you were not here,” he answered, quite -frankly. - -“Why, Buffler?” - -“Because of the wolves. You have no need to ask.” - -He fired at another. - -It fell with a yelp, being only wounded; but immediately its -ferocious comrades sprang on it, tearing it to pieces almost -instantly, being rendered savage beyond belief by the scent of its -flowing blood. - -Even the bold scout shuddered as he saw that. He had seen its like -more than once, yet it never failed to impress him with a sense of -the awful ferocity of wolves when maddened in that way, and of his -terrible peril. He knew that if his horse fell, or if either of the -riders should be thrown to the ground, a horrible death could only -result. - -“Buffler,” said Pizen Jane at length, as he brought down another -wolf, thus feeding it to its comrades, “I know this trail, havin’ -been over it before, and you don’t know it; but there’s a ford right -ahead, where the trail dips down and then crosses the river. If you -can reach that ford, you can git in the water there and make a stand -agin’ ’em wuth while. They’ll git us, otherwise.” - -She did not emit that cackling laugh now; in fact, she had begun to -appreciate her horrible danger, and was speculating as to its outcome. - -“Thank Heaven for that!” said the scout. “Perhaps I can hold them off -until the ford is reached.” - -He had fired every cartridge out of his revolver, and now drew -another. - -“Can you reload this one?” he said, passing it back to her, with some -cartridges. - -“Yes,” she said; “and shoot it, too!” - -She proceeded to show that she could, by bringing down a wolf that -tried to leap upon the horse, close by her. The claws of the wolf -struck through the thick hide of the horse just as she fired, and, -contracting in a death clutch, they raked the skin open, so that -blood flowed. - -The horse gave a jump that came nigh hurling Pizen Jane to the -ground; but she threw her arms round the scout and held on like grim -death. - -A dozen wolves had leaped on the one she shot, and were rending and -devouring it; but others came on, more frantically determined than -ever to pull down the horse, now, that they scented the hot blood -which streamed from its flank. - -Buffalo Bill brought down one of the pursuing wolves, and Pizen Jane -another. - -Though the living ones stopped to rend the dead and dying, the delay -was brief enough. - -Yet it enabled the sorely pressed horse to gain on its fiendish foes. - -“The ford’s jist ahead of ye now!” Pizen Jane screamed in the ear of -Buffalo Bill. - -In another minute he saw before him the darkly flowing waters of the -river, which had emerged from its cañon bed and here flowed through a -quiet landscape. - -Buffalo Bill spurred the frantic and terrified horse into the river -until the water came up over the girth. - -“Draw up your feet,” he said to Pizen Jane. - -“I ain’t neither sugar ner salt, to be melted away by a little -water,” she declared; “and I dunno but I could swim if I was driv’ -to it; so don’t worry about me. Jist so we git out o’ reach o’ them -screechin’ varmints, is all I ask.” - -The pursuing and infuriated wolves dashed up to the edge of the water. - -Buffalo Bill turned in the saddle and dropped one of them by a -well-directed shot, and then wounded another. - -The ferocious survivors began to tear at the fallen wolves as soon -as they were down, so that within a few minutes nothing was left of -them but shining, dislocated bones. The sight was enough to make the -scout and the woman shudder. - -Buffalo Bill urged the horse still farther out into the river, until -the water stood midway of its sides. - -The wolves on the shore seemed, within a few minutes, to number -scores, and even hundreds. Their snapping teeth, fiery eyes, and -struggling movements made the shore a writhing mass of fiendish -forms. Some of them dashed into the water and began to swim out to -the horse; but they were at a disadvantage in the water; for they -could not there make the tremendous leaps that would carry them to -the horse’s back, nor could they move quickly enough to baffle the -revolver fire of the scout and Pizen Jane. - -Pizen Jane was reloading and firing the revolver the scout had given -her, with a coolness and courage that would have befitted a man. - -Between them they succeeded in shooting every wolf that swam close to -the horse. - -The dark bodies of dead wolves bobbed in the stream below the ford, -where there were some eddies, that, catching them, whirled them -slowly round and round. - -But the fate of the wolves already slain had small deterrent effect -on those still living, and their numbers seemed inexhaustible. Where -they came from could hardly be told; they seemed to spring out of the -very ground; and they ran snapping and yelping along the banks, on -both sides of the river now, while at intervals a few of the most -desperate plunged in and tried to reach the horse and its riders. - -Generous as his supply of ammunition was, Buffalo Bill began to fear -it would soon be exhausted. - -Suddenly, while the wolves still raved on the shores of the moonlit -river, and dashed into the water in efforts to reach the horse, a -wild scream was heard near by, which had on them a marvelous effect. -It was the scream of a panther. The big beast had scented the flowing -blood, and doubtless had come for a feast. - -The leaping forms of the wolves dropped out of sight with almost -startling suddenness, as the lithe body of the panther came down the -hillside with springing leaps. - -“Glory be!” cried Pizen Jane, with an almost hysterical cackle. “The -painter has druv ’em off.” - -The “painter,” as she called the panther, came on toward the river, -not at first seeing the horse midway of the stream. In another moment -it would have been cracking the bones of the dead wolves, if the -horse had not been startled by its coming and began to plunge in the -water, making a good deal of noise. - -The panther stopped, throwing up its head and looking down at the -horse. It was startled, and seemed too surprised for a moment to -move. Then, with a quick leap, it turned aside; and in another -instant it, too, was lost to sight in the darkness. - -“Glory be!” Pizen Jane mumbled. - -Buffalo Bill saw now that she was trembling, as if her nerves were -exhausted. - -“Shall we ride out now?” he asked. - -Before she could answer, the sharp report of a revolver, or rifle, -sounded. It was some distance away; yet the stillness which had -followed the cessation of the wolf attack made it possible for sounds -to carry a long distance. Following the first shot, came others in -quick succession. - -“Some other pore critter attacked by them varmints!” Pizen Jane -interpreted. - -“Yes.” - -“I hope they don’t git him, if he’s honest and hon’rable; I hope he’s -nigh to the water, and can git into it, as we did.” - -The scout was listening for a repetition of the shots. - -“I hope a painter will come ’long to his ’sistance, as it did to -ours.” - -The shots did not sound again. - -“They’ve killed him, er he’s druv ’em away, er mebbe the painter -skeered ’em. I’m swearin’ by painters, frum this time on!” - -Pizen Jane’s tongue would wag, no matter what happened. - -“If I thought we could aid him, and he needed aid now, I’d try to go -to his help,” said the generous scout. - -“But we don’t know where he is!” - -“He’s out in that direction, somewhere.” - -“And he may be a road agent, or even an Injun. More likely to be, -than an honest man.” - -“Very true; yet I shouldn’t want any human being to be torn alive by -wolves.” - -“It’d serve some of ’em right,” avowed Pizen Jane, with a grimness -that was not pleasant. “Some on ’em that I know of, and am lookin’ -fer, ought to be chopped into giblets. If the wolves should kill ’em, -it’d save me the crime of murder when I meet ’em.” - -When the shots did not come again, and nothing occurred to indicate -who the man was, or what had happened to him, the scout abandoned his -desire to go to his aid. - -He feared the return of the wolves; and so he kept his horse in the -stream, though the beast was soon shaking from the chill of the cold -water. - -“It’s a tarnal queer thing, Buffler, ther way that animiles do,” -averred the woman, dropping into a mood of philosophy. “The wolves -warn’t afeared of us, even when we laid ’em out on the shore like -chopped corn, though they was skeered o’ that painter; and the -painter that wasn’t afeared of the wolves, was afeared of us. -Varmints aire that queer there’s no knowin’ what to expect of ’em.” - -For nearly an hour the scout kept his shivering horse in the stream; -but when it was seen that the wolves were not likely to return soon -he rode out of the water. - -On the shore he went into camp, and there he built a fire. The fire -would help to keep the wolves at bay; and also it was needed to -enable him and Pizen Jane to dry their wet clothing. - -He screened the fire as well as he could; yet he knew it might be -seen; and he was in a land where he could expect to meet enemies in -human shape as terrible as the wolves and as little given to mercy. -To guard against surprise, he for a time stood in the darkness -beyond the rim of the firelight, watching there, while the woman by -the fire dried and warmed herself. - -Far away he heard wolves howling, and they may have been some of -those who had pursued him; but the man who had fired the shots did -not make himself known. - -The stars and the moon swung their slow way westward, and the night -grew late. At last the scout returned to the fire, fed it with wood, -and sat down. - -Pizen Jane had fallen asleep, but his return aroused her, and she -raised herself on her elbow. - -“Buffler,” she said, smoothing back her tangled hair, “what aire ye -goin’ to do now?” - -“In what way?” he asked. “When?” - -“Why, to-morrer?” - -“I hardly know.” - -“Well, I know you’re lookin’ fer road agents!” - -“You seem to think you are a mind reader,” he declared, with a laugh. - -“I am. I kin read yer mind same’s my own.” - -“What am I thinking of?” - -“That you wish Pizen Jane was in purgatory, er some other furrin -country!” - -He laughed again, and she laughed with him. - -“Hardly that, of course.” - -“You’re wishin’ I wasn’t with you?” - -“Your society is very pleasant,” was his gallant statement; “but you -will admit that this is hardly the sort of country where a woman can -feel safe.” - -“And that’s why I’m goin’ to hang to ye. You can’t git rid of me. -I’ll cling to ye like the bark on a tree, and you can’t help it. Fer, -ye see, you’re huntin’ road agents, and so am I. And if you find ’em, -and I’m with ye, why, I’ll find ’em, too. And that’s what I want.” - -He smiled into the firelight. - -“I thought you were of the opinion that I was a fake, and you meant -to cling to me for the purpose of finding out?” - -“Well, that is one reason,” she admitted, with blunt frankness. “If -you ain’t the reel Buffler Bill, why, I want to know that, too. And -then I’ll be makin’ things mighty int’restin’ fer ye.” - -She laughed again, sliding from her stern grimness and threatening -into laughing good humor. - -“I’ll watch a while, if ye want to sleep,” she said. “I’ve had my -forty winks, and can git along now till morning.” - -The scout felt sure that he could trust this woman not to harm him -in his sleep. She still mystified him, and he could not yet fathom -her purpose in being there; for he did not credit her with all the -motives she professed. However, he trusted her, and so after a while -he lay down for a time, leaving Pizen Jane on guard by the dying camp -fire. - -The horse was picketed on its lariat a few yards away, and was -certain to give an alarm if wolves or other wild animals approached. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - A STARTLING DISCOVERY. - - -In the morning Buffalo Bill shot a jack rabbit, and they breakfasted -on that. Bones of wolves on the opposite shore gave evidence of the -terrible night battle with those creatures. - -To the woman it seemed almost a horrible dream, and not a reality, -with the sun now shining brightly, and not a wolf or other harmful -beast in sight. - -“I feel as good as new,” she said, in her queer way; “only a bit -stiff in the j’ints.” She walked along the river for exercise. “Now -what ye goin’ to do?” she asked, coming back, while the scout watered -his horse at the stream. - -“I’m going first to the point where those shots sounded in the night.” - -“D’ye reckon ye can find it?” - -“I hope so. I located the direction pretty accurately.” - -“But you couldn’t tell how fur they was off.” - -“No; but if we get the direction and keep going we’ll come to the -place, by and by.” - -“Yes; that’s so, too. I s’pose you’re wishin’ I’d go back to the town -this mornin’?” - -“Not since you said you didn’t intend to.” - -He smiled at her. She interested him, and he was still studying her, -trying to determine her character and what she really meant by thus -clinging to him. - -“Well, I’m goin’ to hang to ye; and if you should say I couldn’t, -I’d go anyhow. I think I’m takin’ a fancy to yer. If I was a younger -woman now----” - -“What?” - -“I think I’d try to marry ye, if I found out you was what ye pretend -to be, and honest.” - -“You flatter me,” he said, with a smile. - -“Do I? Well, I don’t mean it.” - -He helped her to the back of his horse, though she said she needed -no assistance; and they rode on again, going now in the direction of -those mysterious shots. - -They had progressed a mile before Buffalo Bill found what he was -looking for--indications of the presence of men. - -Hoofprints of horses showed, and the tracks of men, a considerable -body of them. But the tracks were nearly a day old, and could none -of them have been made by the man who fired the shots. There was, -too, the ashes of an old camp fire. Buffalo Bill inspected that with -considerable interest. - -“Ah!” he said, as he looked about. “Some one came along after these -men had left; and, finding this old camp and the ashes, he built a -new fire here; and that was last night; and, whoever he was, he did -the shooting.” - -“At wolves?” - -“Yes, I think so; that seems the most likely guess. Some of the -wolves troubled him, and he shot at them.” - -He began to search beyond the limits of the camp, hoping to find -wolf tracks which would prove his theory. - -He stopped this search on observing a soil-stained letter which had -been stepped on by a horse, whose hoofs had driven it into the earth, -half-covering it. - -He took it up and looked at it. To his astonishment, the address side -of the envelope bore the name of Nick Nomad. - -“Nomad!” he said, staring around as if he half expected to see his -old pard of the plains and mountains rise out of the ground there. -“Nomad! He was here.” - -He looked about; then took from the envelope the letter it held; for -the envelope had already been torn open. It was merely a note, on -some matter of business of no importance. - -“Nomad dropped it by chance. No; perhaps he dropped it purposely.” - -He began to search the ground closely. - -“What ye found?” called Pizen Jane, who was watching him. - -“A letter from an old friend.” - -“Funny kind of a post office to be gittin’ letters out of!” she -observed. “What’s it like?--a love letter?” - -The scout ignored her question and went on with his search. - -He found wolf tracks out beyond the point where the ground had been -torn by the hoofs of horses, thus establishing his belief that the -man who had camped alone there during the night had been troubled by -the wolves, and had fired upon them. - -“I wonder if that man could have been Nomad?” was his thought. He -dismissed it in a moment. “No; Nomad is too wary to have gone on -without inspecting my camp by the river; and, if he had inspected it, -he would have discovered me and made himself known.” - -He searched again at the point where the letter had been trampled -into the soil. This examination convinced him that the horse that -had stepped on the letter had been of the horses that were there two -nights before. - -“Whoever the man was who did the shooting he was not Nomad.” - -After a while he returned to where the woman had stood watching him. - -“What ye found?” she demanded. - -He showed her the letter. - -“Nick Nomad is an old friend of mine. We have hunted and trailed -together more times than I can tell you; and he’s true as steel. I -thought at first he did that shooting. But I’m convinced he did not. -A body of men camped here two nights ago; and at that time, or before -that time, Nomad was here, and dropped this letter.” - -“Some other man might have had it and dropped it,” she said. - -“Yes, that is so. Some other man might have dropped it.” - -“Road agents, mebbe. He might have been robbed, and they may have -tuck that letter from him, with other things.” - -“You’re good at guessing,” the scout admitted. “All of that may be -true. I’m of the opinion the large party camping here two nights ago -were road agents.” - -“He might have j’ined ’em?” - -“Impossible. What I’m afraid of is that he was with them as a -prisoner.” - -“Glory be! Ye don’t mean it?” - -“He’s shrewd; and if he was their prisoner he probably dropped this -letter, to let any one who found it know the fact, or guess it. He -doubtless had no chance to write, or to drop anything else.” - -“Road agents!” she said, looking about. - -“And now your question of what I am going to do is answered. I’m -going to follow the trail of those road agents, even if it is two -days old.” - -“And the man that camped here alone and done that shootin’ last -night?” - -“He may have been a road agent, following on their trail; and, if so, -he is now riding on to overtake them. We can tell better about that -as we go on.” - -“Or he may’ve been somebody follerin’ them, same as I am, and you?” - -“Very true.” - -The scout, though anxious now to go on as fast as possible, did not -give over the search of this camping spot until he was sure there was -nothing unfound that could aid him. - -“Mebbe he’s one o’ the men I’m lookin’ fur,” said Pizen Jane, as she -mounted to go on. “I don’t reckon he is, though; ’twould be too much -good luck. Luck ain’t been rollin’ my way much lately.” - -She cackled in her shrill fashion, as if she thought she had said -something funny. - -No single trail was observed to leave the main trail, as they went on. - -By and by the scout became convinced that Nick Nomad was a prisoner -of a gang of outlaws, though he had no solid proof on which to build -this belief. - -If it had not been for the fact that the letter had been trampled -into the ground, showing by that that the horses had been there after -it was dropped, he might have thought Nomad had struck the outlaws’ -trail, and was following them, for he knew that Nick Nomad was in -that country for the sole purpose of running down the road agents and -desperadoes that infested it--the same mission that had brought him -there. - -Buffalo Bill talked of his beliefs and theories with Pizen Jane, for -he discovered that she possessed a good fund of hard, common sense, -and her judgments were at times valuable. - -She agreed with him, when he had pointed out the hoofs, that Nick -Nomad had not been following the big trail; and, if that were so, -then that he had either been in advance of the outlaws or he was -with them. If with them, nothing was surer than that old Nomad was a -prisoner. - -“We’ll follow this trail until we know the truth,” said the scout. - -“Buffler,” she cackled, “I’m with ye! Ye may think that is a joke, -but ’tain’t; fer I mean that I’m with ye in spirit, as well as -otherwise. And mebbe you’ll allow bimeby that Pizen Jane is a good -deal better than she looks, and has got more sense than any man would -guess, if he jedged by the way her tongue clacks.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - THE CAPTURE. - - -Nick Nomad, the old trapper and mountainman, had received word -from his famous pard, Buffalo Bill, informing him that the latter -intended to go into the desert country that lay near the base of the -Sepulcher Mountains, for the purpose, if possible, of breaking up the -road-agent organization known to exist there. - -The mountains of the gruesome name deserved the title of Sepulcher. -They were barren and forbidding, and held so little water on their -desert side that it was as much as a man’s life was worth to get lost -in them there, for he was pretty certain to die of thirst. Yet the -Sepulcher Mountains held gold in paying quantities, and that lure was -drawing men from all quarters of the country. - -Gold is such a magnet that, no matter where it is, men will go to get -it, even under the arctic circle; and if it could be certainly known -that gold is at the north pole, money would soon be found to equip -expeditions of such magnitude that the secret of even that hitherto -unassailable point would quickly be laid bare. - -The miners and prospectors who were working in the Sepulcher -Mountains, and in the adjacent desert, locally called Death Valley, -had been shipping out a good deal of gold, by the stages, and in -other ways; and on that gold road agents had been levying heavy -tolls. - -Yet, knowing this, Nick Nomad had been unaccountably careless, after -striking the trail leading into the Sepulcher Mountains. He fancied -that the road agents confined their operations rather exclusively to -another trail, and to the other side of the mountains, and to the -trails that crisscrossed the desert. Hence, he did not adopt his -usual precautions. He went to sleep in the open, with a fire burning, -curling himself up by it, and there enjoying his pipe in fancied -security. - -Near by grazed his horse, the famous old Nebuchadnezzar; a horse -whose apparent age and decrepitude had to be discounted, or the -beholder would be much fooled in him; for, though it seemed that -Nebuchadnezzar had about outlived his usefulness and could run no -more than a turtle, the old beast was amazingly swift, and also -amazingly intelligent. So intelligent was he that old Nick Nomad felt -as safe, with Nebuchadnezzar grazing close by, as if the horse had -been a trained watch dog sitting guard there. - -However, even old Nebuchadnezzar grew sleepy after a while, and lay -down on the grass to rest. Being tired that day, for he had journeyed -far, he slept quite as heavily as did his wearied master; so that, -though his ears were keen, trampling hoofs were almost upon the -camp before the fact was thudded by their hoofs into his dull ears, -arousing him. - -Nebuchadnezzar lifted his head then, and squealed a warning, at the -same time scrambling up and snorting in alarm. - -Nick Nomad opened his eyes, and bounded to his feet with the agility -of a man many years younger. As he did so, he caught up his rifle, an -ancient weapon, and swung it round his head. - -“Whoa, Nebby, consarn ye!” he grunted. “What’s up?” - -He knew on the instant. “Hands up!” came to him out of the darkness, -and he heard rifles clicking. Then he saw dimly the figures of -mounted men. - -He ducked with lightning quickness, sliding across the smoldering -fire as he did so, trying thus to reach Nebuchadnezzar. He whistled -at the same time in a shrill way, and the knowing beast came running -toward him, until stopped by the lariat. - -The horse reached the end of the lariat with a jerk, and stood -snorting. - -“Whoa, Nebby!” - -In another minute Nick Nomad would have cut the lariat and been on -the back of the old horse; but a rifle rang, and the bullet whistled -past his face, making its wind felt, it was so close. - -Nomad stopped, then; not because he so much feared for himself, as -because he feared for the life of Nebuchadnezzar. He knew that even -in the darkness those riflemen could see well enough to shoot down -the horse; he was sure they would do it if he tried to get away on -its back; and Nebuchadnezzar was as dear to him as his own life. He -faced around, swinging his heavy rifle. - -“By all ther spooks o’ ther hills, ef I don’t let daylight through -ye, ef ye shoot Nebby!” he yelled. “’Ware thar, and don’t do it!” - -A man was riding toward him, and at the man’s heels came others. - -“Hands up!” - -“And drap my gun? Waal, ye don’t know me, if ye think I’ll do it. -Waugh!” - -“Put down that gun!” - -“I’ll do that, yes; and willin’, see ’t I can’t do nothin’ else. But -I shoots ther fust cuss thet lays a hand in harm on my ole hoss.” - -The man drew rein, and some of those behind him snickered at Nomad’s -words. - -“Who aire ye?” - -“Waugh! I’m a better man than ther critter that asks ther question!” - -“No foolishness! Hands up! And give your name!” - -One of the man’s followers, who had ridden near enough to see Nomad, -now announced the old trapper’s name. - -“Nick Nomad,” he said; “ther friend of Buffler Bill! And may the -devil roast him!” - -“Put down yer gun!” the leader commanded. - -The tone was so menacing that Nomad saw he must comply, if he didn’t -want to feel the lead of the outlaw’s revolver. So he laid the old -rifle on the ground, though he did it with a sigh. Then he folded -his arms on his breast, and stood erect before the outlaws, an -impressive figure, in spite of his small stature, wizened face, and -his eccentric dress. - -He was a typical trapper of the old time in appearance, with his -fringed and greasy leggings, and hunting shirt of cloth and -deerskin, and the round beaver-skin cap on his head, the cap being as -greasy and soiled as his clothing. - -“Now, what is it ye want of me?” he said; though the manner in which -the announcement of his name had been received told him that these -men were his enemies; and he was sure they were road agents, the very -desperadoes he had come there to seek with his old pard, Buffalo Bill. - -The men sprang from their saddles and surrounded him. - -Old Nebuchadnezzar backed from them to the end of his picket rope, -and snorted indignantly and fearfully. - -“Aire you Nick Nomad, as he says?” demanded the leader, peering into -the trapper’s face. - -Nomad fancied that lying would gain him nothing. - -“Happy ter say thet I am,” he declared. “I reckon it ain’t a name ter -be ashamed on, along this hyar border; seein’ thet Injuns and outlaws -never yit liked ther sound of it.” - -“Give up yer weapons.” - -“Thar’s my gun.” - -“But yer other weapons--yer knife and pistols.” - -“And then what?” the old man asked. “Mebbe ye’ll be wantin’ me ter -give up my life next?” - -“Surrender yer weapons!” was shouted at him. - -Nomad was driven to the conviction that this surrender meant his -death; but, if he was to die, he preferred to do it in more heroic -fashion than that. - -He sprang from the ground, as the outlaw leader bent toward him; and -his foot, catching the man under the chin, hurled him back against -the men behind him, throwing them into sudden confusion. - -Nomad, the next instant, was leaping away. - -He did not run toward Nebuchadnezzar, preferring to take the chances -of bullets alone, so strongly did he love his horse. - -Bullets followed, whizzing through the air round his head. - -The outlaws jumped in chase of him, yelling like Indians. - -Nomad stumbled, as he thus leaped along, and fell to the ground. - -It was a good thing for him; for bullets swept through the air over -the spot where he dropped, and some of them would have struck him if -he had remained in an upright position. - -He was trying to rise, when one of the outlaws sprang on him, landing -astride of his back, and almost knocking the breath out of him. This -outlaw threw his arms round Nomad’s neck, and yelled for help; and, -other outlaws piling on him at once, the old man was forced to submit. - -When he had been tied, and sat helpless on the grass, and the light -of a hastily built camp fire illuminated the scene, he stared -quizzically into the face of the infuriated leader, who stood now -before him, boiling with rage. - -“If old Nebby once puts his foot in yer face,” said Nomad, “man, -you’ll know thet the little love tap I handed ye wa’n’t jes’ nothin’ -at all! And what would ye expect? Was I goin’ to stand still and let -ye kill me? You’ve got me now; and so I cal’late I can’t help myself.” - -Snaky Pete, for it was he, drew a knife. - -“I’m tempted to slice ye into mince meat!” he gasped. - -“I wouldn’t,” said Nomad coolly; “fer I’ll tell ye right now that I’m -too old and tough ter make good mince meat out of.” - -The man turned around, fierce in his manner as an enraged grizzly. - -“Where’s Pool Clayton?” he snarled. - -A young man, a mere stripling, stepped forth from the vociferating -crowd. - -“Here!” he said. - -Nomad looked at him by the light of the fire. He saw a youth of -comely appearance, yet with a certain hardness of face that showed a -desperate attempt at recklessness. - -“You’ve been braggin’ of yer nerve,” said Snaky Pete to the youth. -“Hyer’s yer chance to show it!” - -Pool Clayton looked at his chief uneasily. - -“I don’t think I understand you!” he said, in clear-cut tones that -were quite unlike the gruff, thick speech of his companions. - -“Ye don’t?” - -“No.” - -“Well, hyer’s a chance to show yer nerve, and prove that you’re one -of us. You need hardenin’. We’ve got this old fool; but we can’t keep -him, and we can’t let him go. Git your gun, and put a bullet through -him, as he sets there. That’ll finish him, as a warnin’ to others -like him; and then we’ll go on.” - -The young man became as pale as if he had seen a ghost. He looked -about appealingly. - -“I--I--can’t do it!” he gasped. “It’s--it’s murder!” - -Snaky Pete glared at him. - -“You won’t obey orders?” - -“Yes--I’m willing to obey orders, but----” - -“Then, do what I tell ye!” roared the desperado leader. “Git yer -rifle, and put a bullet through this carrion, and show you’re a man, -with the nerve of a man.” - -Pool Clayton whitened still more, and trembled visibly. - -The outlaws pressed close about him, staring into his face, noting -this sign of what they considered weakness and cowardice. - -Snaky Pete’s eyes glittered like the eyes of the basilisk. - -“Do ye hear me?” he yelled. - -Clayton half turned about, as if he intended to obey; then stopped. - -“I--I can’t do it!” he gasped. “Don’t ask me to.” - -Snaky Pete came closer to him, his huge first doubled. - -“Do you obey orders?” he shouted. - -“Yes--but----” - -Crack! Snaky Pete’s heavy fist shot out, and struck the youth full in -the face, knocking him down. - -Clayton fell, clawing at the air; and then lay still where he had -fallen. - -The outlaw leader stepped toward him, as if he meant to administer a -kick in addition to the blow. - -“You’re the one that’s a tarnal coward!” old Nomad muttered. “I never -seen a man o’ that kind that wasn’t.” - -He was apparently the only calm person there; though it was his life -that was threatened. - -Snaky Pete lifted his heavy boot to kick Clayton, then repented of -his intention. - -“Let him lay!” he snarled. “He’ll come ’round all right. And we’ll -move on. He ain’t got the spirit of a skunk.” - -The outlaws began to get their horses ready for moving on. Snaky -Pete walked up to his prisoner. He looked fairly fiendish in the -flickering firelight. - -“Don’t git gay over this!” he growled. “You’ll go over the range in -the morning, just the same. That young skunk will come ’round bimeby -and foller on, and then will be meek as a kitten. He’ll finish you -with that bullet, and be glad to, before we git through with him.” - -The sage old trapper did not answer this brutal speech. He had -learned wisdom with his years. - -When the desperadoes lifted him to the back of old Nebuchadnezzar the -cords slipped from one of his wrists. - -He did not try to take advantage of it, so far as attempting an -escape was concerned; but in writhing around, as he struggled to -straighten up on his horse, he contrived to drop from an inner -pocket the letter which Buffalo Bill found. - -The shrewd old trapper was sure that sooner or later the keen-eyed -scout would hit that trail, and then would find that letter, and he -believed that if he could contrive to keep the breath of life in his -body until Buffalo Bill was given time to do something, his chances -of escape were yet good. Hence, he resolved to do nothing to unduly -anger this truculent outlaw chief and his men. - -“I kin be as humble as a creepin’ field mouse, when I haf to,” was -his thought, “and meek and humble is my lay now; maybe it’ll pull me -through.” - -When the outlaws went on they left Pool Clayton lying unconscious on -the grass, his horse lariated and grazing close by him. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - ABANDONED. - - -When Pool Clayton came to himself, with the darkness about him, -except where it was lightened by the dying camp fire, he saw that he -was alone--that he had been abandoned. - -His horse, grazing close by, tearing noisily at the grass, was the -only thing of life near him; but he shuddered when he heard, afar -off, the howl of wolves. - -“The men have left me!” he said, staggering to his feet. - -There was caked blood on his face, and on his shirt, for that blow in -the face had caused his nose to bleed freely. He was stiff and sore, -and he felt dizzy and wretchedly sick and miserable. - -As full recollection came to him, his whole body burned with -uncontrollable rage against Snaky Pete and the men who constituted -his band of road-agent outlaws. - -Clayton glanced round, looked at the sky, and then at the nearly -extinct fire. - -“They’ve been gone some time,” he said. “And have left me out here, -thinking maybe the wolves would get me.” - -Then he swore violently, raging against Snaky Pete, whom he loaded -with opprobrious names and noisy abuse. By and by he became saner and -cooler, though his new hatred of Snaky Pete did not abate. - -He lighted a torch of grass at the fire, and looked for the trail of -the outlaws, finding it soon. - -“Gone on,” he said; “and they’ll camp about morning at the Poplar -Bluffs.” - -He knew the place, and was sure he could find the outlaws in camp -there; but he did not know whether to follow them or not. - -In his searching he expected to come upon the body of the old -trapper, being fully persuaded that Snaky Pete meant his death. - -“They’ll shoot him, and leave him by the trail for the wolves to -eat,” he said. “Maybe that’s what the wolves are howling over now.” -He shuddered, as when Snaky Pete commanded him to shoot the old man. -“I couldn’t do that!” was his thought. “I couldn’t do it!” - -He stirred the fire into new life, for its light drove away a certain -lonely feeling that troubled him. And he began to think of what he -should now do. - -“I was a fool for ever joinin’ ’em,” he assured himself, groaning -over the memory of Snaky Pete’s brutal blow. “He’ll kill me, mebbe, -if I foller ’em; and the boys will make sport of me.” - -He was beginning to realize that he was not, after all, cut from the -same cloth as these outlaws. - -He had been wild in the town, had gambled, and got into bad company; -and, being tempted one night, he had gone with an acquaintance and -joined Snaky Pete’s band of road agents; being assured by his new -friend--one of Snaky Pete’s men--that the life led by this band was -one long and gay carouse, with plenty of fun--altogether a desirable -life for a young man of courage and spirit; who felt the chafing -restraint of law and order. - -Pool Clayton had been with the band less than a week, and was finding -the life anything but what he had pictured it. The men were rougher -and coarser and more brutal than he had imagined; and altogether the -delightful stir and excitement had not been what he anticipated. -Snaky Pete, whom he knew only too well, had been cruelly harsh, and -had told him he was a coward and a milksop, and needed “hardening.” - -Already there had been several attempts to “harden” him; that is, -to brutalize him, from which he had shrunk. This last attempt, -however, had gone beyond anything he had dreamed of; when he was -ordered to kill a man in cold blood, just as if that man were no more -than a wolf. Clayton had not been able to do it; and this was the -result--struck senseless to the ground, and abandoned on the lonely -prairie. - -“Mebbe I’d better go back to the town,” he said; “I ain’t fit for -this.” - -But back in the town officers were watching for him for some small -offense against the law; and he abandoned the thought of doing that -when he recalled the fact. - -There seemed nothing he could do except follow the outlaws and rejoin -them. He believed that long before he could overtake them the old -trapper would be murdered and put out of the way, and that murder, at -least, would not be forced on him. - -“I s’pose I can bear the boys chaffing and joking me,” he mused. -“And I reckon I do need hardening, if I’m to keep with ’em, and lead -this life. I reckon I am a sort of milksop and weak.” - -Yet he could not feel right toward Snaky Pete. A feeling that was -murderous burned in his very soul against the brutal outlaw leader. - -“That he should treat me that way--he!--when he’d ought to be my best -friend! I wouldn’t joined ’em, but fer the fact that I learned he was -the leader; and now to have him treat me that way!” - -After a while, when he felt better and stronger, he rose from the -fire and got his horse. Then he mounted, and rode away in the -direction of Poplar Bluffs, the camping place of which he knew. - -His evil tendencies, and evil surroundings and past, had conquered -again; he meant to rejoin the road agents, and “face the music,” -whatever it might be. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - TAUNTS AND JEERS. - - -Pool Clayton reached Poplar Bluffs, an isolated point on the river, -at the foot of a spur of the Sepulcher Mountains, after daylight, -but he did not at once venture into the camp. He could not summon up -enough courage until he saw a number of outlaws ride away from the -camp, and guessed that one of them was Snaky Pete. - -When he entered the camp he found but few of the outlaws there, and -those few seemed to be under command of a young fellow not much older -than himself. This young fellow was a weasel-eyed, rat-faced youth, -named Tom Molloy, as desperate a character for his years as one could -wish to see. - -Moreover, Molloy had no love for Pool Clayton. He had a feeling that -Clayton thought himself the better of the two, and it had aroused his -dislike and enmity. - -“So you’ve come sneakin’ in, have ye?” he sneered, his little eyes -gleaming with vindictive animosity. “I shouldn’t think you would, -after that!” - -Pool Clayton’s face flushed to a deep red, then paled. He had -expected to receive the jeers of the outlaws, but it did not please -him to have this young fellow begin the thing. Nor did it please him -to discover, as he did at once, that Molloy was leader here, in the -absence of the chief. - -“Where have they gone?” he asked, ignoring Molloy’s words. - -“Gone to rake in another prisoner fer you to shoot!” was the brutal -answer. One of the outlaws “ha-hahed” at this, his sympathies being -against Clayton. “And as the other one is here yit, you’ll have two -to shoot, soon’s the boss gits back.” - -Clayton did not answer, but slid out of his saddle. - -“The boss said that if you did come back you’d got to do what he -ordered ye to, er he’d sure shoot you!” Molloy added, with a sneer. - -Clayton picketed his horse, and returned to where the outlaws were -grouped. At one side lay the prisoner, old Nick Nomad; and Nomad’s -horse was with the other horses, grazing by the stream. - -“You heard what I said?” snapped Molloy. - -“Yes, I heard what you said.” - -Clayton felt and looked confused. His cheeks burned hot again, and he -knew he was trembling a little. Yet he tried to hide this indication -of weakness. - -Some of the men greeted him, but coldly and rather surlily. He saw -that he had fallen in their estimation. It was a rule of the band -that whatever the “boss” ordered had to be done, and no questions -asked. Clayton had refused to obey orders, and that made him a marked -man. - -“If you heard what I said, why don’t you answer?” Molloy demanded. - -“I don’t have to,” Clayton flared, shaken by growing anger. “Who are -_you_, anyway?” - -Molloy doubled a hairy red fist and stepped in front of him. - -“You don’t, hey? I reckon you know I’m commander here now?” - -“Yes.” Clayton eyed that hairy and threatening fist. - -“Then speak with respect to me. Do you understand that? You’ve got to -speak with respect to me, or I’ll hammer your face in ag’in.” - -“It wasn’t you did it.” - -“You think I can’t, eh?” - -Molloy shook his hairy, red fist under Clayton’s nose. - -Clayton hesitated, and looked about uneasily. He knew that since -his refusal of the night he was looked on as a coward by these men. -Molloy was bullying him because of that. Molloy was himself the -coward, and Clayton felt it--yet he hesitated, merely pushing the red -fist away when it was thrust so close that it touched the tip of his -nose. - -“Don’t do that!” he protested mildly; so mildly that Molloy was only -encouraged to continue his bullying. - -“I’m not to, eh?” said Molloy, pushing his fist once more against -Clayton’s nose, this time with such strength it was almost a blow. - -“I tell you not to do that again!” said Clayton, his tone rising. - -“And what will you do? Hey--you coward, what will you do? I’m in -command here, ain’t I?” - -“I haven’t said you’re not, but I tell you not to do that again.” - -Some of the men rose, grinning; this was becoming interesting to them. - -“Give it to him, Molloy!” one of them sang out. - -Molloy pushed his fist against Clayton’s nose, this time so strongly -that it brought blood, for Clayton’s nose was still sensitive and -ready to bleed at a touch. The dripping of blood down on his shirt -caused Clayton to turn white as a sheet; his eyes glittered with a -sort of flash, and he clenched his fists. - -“You’re a bully and a coward,” he said, in a low, tense tone. “And if -you think I’m afraid of you, or afraid to fight you, you’re mistaken.” - -He stepped back, and began slowly to take off his coat. His head was -roaring in a queer way, and flecks of red seemed to shoot and dart -before his eyes. - -The men gathered around, forming a ring, with the youths in the -middle. - -“Slug him, Molloy!” said the one who had chipped in before. - -Molloy could hardly believe his eyes, when he saw that Clayton was -coolly preparing to fight him. He sprang at him, but one of the men -caught and held him. - -“Meet him fair,” he was adjured; “meet him fair!” - -“Oh, I’ll meet him fair!” Molloy snarled, really amazed by the -discovery that he would have to fight; “and I’ll hammer him to a -pulp.” - -He shook himself free of the man’s hands, and began to take off his -own coat and roll up his sleeves. His arms were big and red, covered -with freckles, and unpleasant looking. - -Clayton’s arms, as he bared them, were white as a girl’s, above the -tan circles of his wrists; but, white as they were, they looked firm -and hard and muscular. His face, too pale, did not show fear now, nor -cowardice. - -“Now I’m ready for you!” he said quietly. - -“And here you git it!” howled Molloy, his anger flaming red in his -freckled face. “Look out, for I’m coming!” - -He leaped and swung, thinking to knock Clayton down at a blow. To his -surprise, Clayton side-stepped and dodged, so that the blow, meant -for his face, went over his head. - -Then--crack! Clayton’s hard white fist fell full on the freckled face -of the bully, and Molloy tumbled backward, and would have fallen if -one of the outlaws had not caught him. - -Molloy was dazed by that blow; but he saw that if he did not now whip -Clayton he would lose his standing with these men. - -Clayton was standing quite still, his broad chest heaving, his eyes -glittering, and his face still pale; he had his hands up, ready for -defense. - -When Molloy came again, his blow missed, and so did Clayton’s; and -then they locked in a fierce grapple, each striving to throw the -other. - -The men stood about, clapping their hands and urging on the fighting. -This was to them as good as a circus. - -“Slug him, Molloy!” - -“Stand up to him, Pool!” - -“Hook him under the jaw!” - -“Cave in his face!” - -Such were the commands shouted, as the men hopped about in their -excitement. - -The combatants came to the ground together, Clayton underneath. -Molloy had his arms around Clayton, and now tried to push his head -against the ground, and at the same time batter him in the face. - -In the opinion of the watching men, Pool Clayton was as good as -whipped, but with a mighty effort he twisted round, half rising; and -then, catching Molloy about the waist and shoulders, he lifted the -young bully and threw him through the air. - -Molloy fell on his head and shoulders, a crashing fall, and lay -still, after sliding out on the ground in a limp heap. - -The thing was done so quickly, and was such a surprise, that the men -stood in breathless silence, staring. Then one of them came up to -Clayton and offered his hand, which Clayton took. - -“I didn’t think ye’d do it, Pool,” he confessed. “But you’re a game -rooster, after all; and here’s my hand on’t!” - -Molloy groaned, writhed about, and then came slowly to a sitting -position, dabbing at his face weakly with his hands, and fluttering -his eyelids. For a minute he didn’t know what had happened to him. -Then he saw the grinning faces about him, and Pool Clayton standing, -white-faced and with arms folded, near by. - -At sight of that face, evoking recollections of what had happened, -Molloy uttered a scream of rage, and drew his revolver. He leveled it -quick as a flash and fired, uttering an oath as he did so. Instantly, -however, one of the outlaws sprang at him and succeeded in striking -his arm, thus turning the weapon aside. He pushed Molloy back -violently, and took the revolver from his hands. - -“None o’ that!” he cried sternly. “We don’t do that kind o’ work, ye -know! If you’re licked, you’re licked; and you’d ought to take it -like a man.” - -Molloy turned on him, springing to his feet. - -“Gimme my revolver!” he commanded. - -The man tossed it to one of his friends. - -“Not on yer life. I don’t!” - -“I’m boss here, ain’t I? Gimme that revolver!” - -“And let ye shoot Clayton?” - -“That’s none of your bizness! Gimme that revolver!” - -The man stood facing him. “See here!” he said. “We reports this biz -to Snaky Pete, and Snaky Pete ain’t goin’ to like it. And we don’t -take no more orders frum you while he’s gone. Do you git that through -yer head, or do I have to hammer it into it with my fist? You’re no -longer boss of this outfit. Ben, there, takes yer place; and he’s got -yer revolver. Now go off some’eres and think it over.” - -Molloy might have protested further, but that a feeling of dizzy -faintness came upon him, and he had to drop to a seat on the ground. - -Pool Clayton felt bewildered, rather than exultant, and he had -forebodings. He did not know how this whole thing would be regarded -by Snaky Pete. - -He walked out to his horse, after putting his coat on, and changed -the picket pin, trying to find something to occupy himself with, -while he could think. Finally he came back and sat down by the fire. - -Molloy, lying on the grass, panting and dizzy, glared at him -malevolently. The men said nothing, though they steadily regarded -both him and Molloy. - -“A good un fer you!” said a voice. - -Nick Nomad had spoken, much to Clayton’s surprise. - -“I was bettin’ on ye frum the fust jump. Whenever I hear a feller -hollerin’ and pawin’ round, tearin’ up the ground like a mad bull, -wantin’ to fight, I allus knows thet thar’s more wind in him than -courage; and so I knowed you’d do him up. And I’m congratulatin’ ye -on it.” - -Molloy lifted himself on his elbow and shot a malignant glance at the -old trapper. - -“Is it your cut in?” he snapped. “Shut yer head, and keep it shut, or -I’ll feed bullets into yer mouth.” - -“I’m thet hungry I could eat anything,” said the old trapper, “even -bullets.” - -The answer brought a laugh from the outlaws, and seemed to lessen the -tension. - -Pool Clayton had dropped down near the old trapper, but he did not -now look at him. But soon he heard the trapper say, and knew that the -words were intended for him, even though they might be overheard by -the other outlaws: - -“My old pard, Buffler Bill, has been sighted in this section of -kentry, yer friends has told me, and the boss has gone out ter -investigate reports about him; and he says if Buffler is caught, then -you’ll have the fun of shootin’ both him and me. I’m cal’lating that -there will be things doin’ some when they catches Buffler! He ain’t -sich a fool as me.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - CLOSING IN. - - -Snaky Pete had in his band some of the finest trailers of the West, -some being men who had made their mark as scouts in earlier and -better days. - -These men had “gone wrong” at last, and were now outlaws; but they -had not lost their skill in scouting and trailing; and on them Snaky -Pete relied for information concerning Buffalo Bill, if the latter -was really in the country. - -After leaving camp, Snaky Pete’s scouts and spies broke into two -bands, one being under his command, and the other under command of a -faithful lieutenant whose cruelties had gained him the name of The -White Wolf. - -It was now the night of the second day of their investigations, after -news had been received from the town confirming the information of -Buffalo Bill’s presence and mission. Word had come to Snaky Pete that -Buffalo Bill had been sighted. - -As strange as anything was the statement that the great border scout -was accompanied by a woman of hatchety face and elderly aspect. - -The informants brought a description of the place where Buffalo Bill -and this female had gone into camp; and, after a discussion with -his men, Snaky Pete decided to try to surround the scout there, and -capture or kill him. - -Horses were left behind, lest by neighing or stamping they should -reveal their presence to the man whom the outlaws hoped to take. - -At two o’clock in the morning the late moon came up, giving light; -and Snaky Pete delayed his attack until that hour, for the camp of -the scout was in a dark hollow, and light was needed to make an -attack on it successful. By the hour of midnight Snaky Pete and his -men were on the mountain slope just below this camp, and they were -creeping up the slope when the first faint light in the cast heralded -the rising moon. - -Buffalo Bill had been duly diligent, yet he knew nothing of this -stealthy approach of the road agents who were determined on his -destruction. He had fallen asleep in the earlier part of the night, -but now he was awake, having been aroused at about one o’clock. At -his command Pizen Jane had lain down, dropping into sound slumber. - -The scout knew he was in a dangerous country. In addition to the road -agents who had captured Nomad, Indians were known by him to be in the -neighborhood. All signs pointed to this as a particularly dangerous -locality. - -The scout sat in the darkness, before the rising of the moon. His -feet were over the concealed fire in a hole in the ground, to keep -them warm, for the night was cold, and his coat was drawn tightly -about him. His rifle was by his side, and in their places were his -revolvers and knife. - -The night was very dark just before the moon’s appearance, and he -observed that it also was remarkably quiet. Though some wolves howled -afar off, near at hand not a sound was to be heard. - -This was to his mind suggestive, and portended danger. He thought it -meant Indians. - -Whether they were crawling on him or not, he could not tell, but -that Indians were moving about seemed probable, even in the deathly -stillness. - -His horse, which had been grazing peacefully, became restless. -However, after a few snorts it settled down again to nibbling at the -scanty grass, though soon it ceased to feed. - -The scout rose now, undoubling his tall form and standing erect -in the darkness, with rifle in hand and head bent in a listening -attitude. He saw the dark shape where the woman lay. - -“No use to arouse her,” was his thought; “she needs all the sleep she -can get.” - -Pizen Jane was still an enigma to him, in spite of the vast amount -of talking she had done. The information given of herself had not -been much more informing than word puzzles, but she had clung to him, -refusing to leave him, while stoutly declaring that her mission there -was the same as his--to hunt down outlaws. - -When he heard nothing, the scout walked out to his horse. He found it -with head up and ears pricked forward, as if it either saw or heard -something suspicious. - -Standing by his horse, with hand on the lariat close to its nose, the -scout looked out into the silent darkness, while his imagination -pictured there crawling Indian forms. He did not think of outlaws. - -The moon rose, lighting the rim of the hollow where he had pitched -camp; but the rim was covered with a thick growth of bushes and small -trees, and so concealed from his searching eyes the forms of the -desperadoes who had crept up there. - -Suddenly they jumped into view, in the red moonlight, yelling as -wildly as if they were Indians; and, with revolvers cracking, they -sprang down into the hollow, where they expected to find the scout -asleep. - -With one swift circling motion Buffalo Bill drew his knife and cut -the rope that picketed his horse. In another instant he was on its -back, and then, with a wild dash, he broke through the thin line of -outlaws on that side. - -He knew that if he returned to assist Pizen Jane his life would pay -for it; and he preferred that she should fall into the hands of these -men, leaving him alive, so that he might aid her later; a thing he -certainly could not do if he rushed down there and fell under the -fire of their revolvers. Yet he had a certain twinge of conscience, -which seemed to accuse him of cowardice and an abandonment of Pizen -Jane. - -“But she can take care of herself, if any person in the world can, -and later I can do something for her,” he thought, as he drove his -horse pell-mell through the cracking bushes and the whipping branches -of the low trees. - -The outlaws near him yelled, and took snapshots at him; and soon -other shots came ripping through the brush after him. - -But he had cleared the cordon which Snaky Pete was certain he had -drawn around the camp; and, with a good horse under him, he felt -secure, even though that horse had now neither saddle nor bridle. - -He waved his hand grimly in the direction of the yelling outlaws, as -his horse galloped on into the open, and he saw the gray prairies at -the foot of the mountains lying before him in the light of the rising -moon. - -“Catch me, if you can!” he shouted, almost gay in the thought of the -manner in which the outlaws had let him slip through the meshes of -their net. - -Then he recalled that now both the woman and old Nick Nomad were -prisoners in their hands, while he had escaped by the narrowest -margin; and, realizing the delicate and dangerous work lying now -before him, he mentally girded himself anew for the desperate work -thus laid on him. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - A DEFIANT PRISONER. - - -Pizen Jane was aroused from heavy slumber by the yells of the road -agents and the crackling fire of their revolvers. She sprang up in -bewilderment and momentary terror. - -Men almost ran over her, as they dashed in pursuit of the scout. One -came up to her, and, catching her roughly by the arm, jerked her -round. - -Her anger blazed at the insult. Drawing back her fist, she struck him -in the face. - -“You don’t know me, I reckon?” she cried. “Well, I’m Pizen Jane, of -Cinnabar, and I don’t ’low no mis’rable specimen of a man to treat me -as if I wasn’t a lady.” - -The astounded road agent put a hand to his tingling face. Then, as -she seemed about to give him a second blow, he ducked and stepped -backward. - -“Pardon me,” he said, not without humor; “but I didn’t know I’d run -up ag’inst the hind leg of a mule!” - -Other desperadoes came rushing up, and they surrounded her, asking -questions. - -“It’s none o’ yer bizness who I am, er what I’m doin’ here!” she -snapped. “But I’m Pizen Jane, of Cinnabar; and what my bizness is -you’ll know ’fore you’re ready fer it, lemme tell ye! And if any -o’ you cattle thinks he can make fun o’ me, er tries to git gay -with me, he’ll mighty quick wish’t he’d gone to some school of good -manners.” - -“You was with Buffalo Bill?” - -“What if I was; an’ what if I wasn’t?” - -“That was him that rid off on that hoss?” - -“Foller him and ask him, and then mebbe you’ll find out!” - -She folded her arms and looked about defiantly, not at all afraid of -them, apparently; and she made a queer figure, as she stood there, -thus surrounded, with the light of the rising moon revealing her -gaunt form and homely features. - -The chase of the scout, to judge from the sounds, was of a lively -character; there was a continual popping of rifles and revolvers, as -the outlaws took snapshots at him, or at shadows which they mistook -for him. - -“I reckon they ain’t goin’ to git him,” said Pizen Jane complacently, -as she cocked an ear in the direction of the uproar. - -“Well, we’ve got you!” was the grim answer. - -“And a lot o’ good it will do ye! Now that you’ve got me, what ye -goin’ to do with me? I ain’t got no money, and I’m too old and homely -fer any o’ ye to want me fer a wife.” - -She had recovered her mental balance, if it had indeed been lost at -all. Now she sat down on the ground very deliberately, and smoothed -her tangled hair and her travel-stained dress. - -Some of the pursuing road agents began to come in, breathless and -spent. They stared hard at her; and she snapped at them with -vinegary answers when they asked questions. - -One of the men who soon returned from the pursuit was Snaky Pete. - -When her eyes lighted on him they burned with a fiercer fire than had -been in them lately. She got up and strode toward him, her fingers -outstretched as if she meant to tear his face. - -“So, it’s you, is it?” she cried. “Well, I might ’a’ knowed it -was you, and I did partly guess it! You low-lived, knock-kneed, -white-livered, flea-bitten, devil-hunted----” She stopped, gasping, -unable to find words to express her detestation and hatred; but went -on again: “Oh, you mis’rable scum of the earth! You pestiferous, -walkin’ image of a man! I’ve found you, and now I settle with you!” - -She stopped, and slowly drew a revolver from the folds of her dress. -In another moment she would have shot Snaky Pete dead, if one of his -men had not knocked the weapon from her hand. - -She struggled with this man, shrieking, and tearing at him, -frantically trying to regain her revolver. - -When she was held, for others were forced to go to their comrade’s -aid, she stood panting and glaring at Snaky Pete, who had not said a -word, but stared at her with wide eyes that hardly blinked. - -“Jane Clayton!” he gasped. “I thought----” - -“You thought I’d be too much of a woman, and too big a coward to----” - -“I thought you was dead,” he said; “I was told it, and I----” - -“Hoped I was, eh? Well, I ain’t! I’m alive enough to make things warm -fer ye, and I’m here to do it. Leggo of me!” - -This last was directed to the men who clung to her. - -“Leggo of me!” she screeched at them, flinging herself to and fro. - -“Search her and see if she’s got other weapons,” said Snaky Pete. - -The men had been astounded on hearing her words to him; the whole -thing was to them strange and mysterious. They searched her, but not -very thoroughly. - -“Now, what aire you doin’ here?” Snaky Pete demanded of her. “You was -with that man!” - -“Yes, with a man callin’ hisself Buffler Bill, though I don’t know -if he tole the truth about it. What of it? He was huntin’ outlaws, -he said; and so was I. And we j’ined teams, each to help the other. -I jedge, by the way you tried to git him, that he’s the ginuine -Buffler. And may the Lord speed him in runnin’ away from ye!” - -“I s’pose you know that you’ve run yerself into a good deal of danger -by yer foolishness?” said Snaky Pete. “If we’ll let you go in the -mornin’, and give ye a horse, will you cut out fer the town?” - -“Will I? Not till I git through with you!” - -“Then we’ll send you under escort; and if you won’t go no other way, -we’ll tie you to a horse and make you go.” - -“Pete Sanborn,” she said, scorn in her voice, “of all the mean, -low-down cowards on this earth, you’re the wust! You’re afeard o’ -me, and you’d better be. Oh, I kin tell these gapin’, white-livered -wretches with ye that I know you. And why shouldn’t I, sense I was -yer wife fer more’n two years, and had a chance to know how beastly -mean a man kin be when he gits down and tries? I come huntin’ ye, fer -one thing; and I’ve found ye.” - -Snaky Pete seemed afraid of her. - -“Shut up!” he said; but she cackled defiantly. - -“I won’t! I’m goin’ to tell these men what a coward ye aire. You -remember that time you knocked the drunk man down in the street, and -then drug him into an alley and robbed him? And do ye recklect that -other time, when you stole the gold altar service from a church, -and melted it down and sold it? And do you recall that other time, -when----” - -“Close your head!” he shouted. He sprang at her, wild-eyed and -fiendish; but she clawed him in the face, and he fell back. - -“Take her away!” he commanded. “Kill her--do anything! Take her away!” - -The men dragged her away, while she screamed and raved her hatred of -the man who had once been her husband. - -Snaky Pete tried to turn the incident aside as a jest. - -“Heavens!” he said, “that woman’s got a tongue worse than a whip! -She’ll kill me. I did marry her, but that tongue made me mighty sick -of my bargain, and I left her. She’s sore over that, and she----” - -He stopped as if disturbed by the angry outcries of Pizen Jane, -but it was really because he realized that he might talk too much -himself. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - MOTHER AND SON. - - -Buffalo Bill was not captured by Snaky Pete’s road agents. - -The escape of the dreaded scout annoyed them. They feared him, and -knowledge that he was in that region disconcerted and troubled them -greatly. - -They returned to the pursuit after daylight, but had no better -success, and at length gave over the attempt to capture the elusive -scout. - -When Snaky Pete and his band, with their woman prisoner, reached the -camp at Poplar Bluffs, Tom Molloy and Pool Clayton, with their strife -and bickering, had disrupted the band left there, and were on the -point of settling the trouble by a free-for-all fight. - -“You’ll be int’rested in some one there,” Snaky Pete had said to -Pizen Jane. - -That she was interested was proved by the outcry she made as her eyes -fell on Pool Clayton. - -“So you’re here, Bruce, jes’ as I expected to find ye?” she -sputtered. “Right here with these pizen skunks, after you writ to me -that you had fell into the hands of a fake Buffler Bill, who was a -road agent, and that he was holdin’ you a pris’ner, and was likely to -murder ye! What did you mean by writin’ that pack o’ lies to yer own -mother?” - -Pool Clayton’s face grew as red as a beet. He looked at Snaky Pete -and the road agents, and then back at the woman who had so suddenly -announced that he was her son. - -On the ground lay the prisoner, Nick Nomad, who had a twinkle in his -eyes now. - -“What did ye mean?” she screamed at Pool Clayton. “Here I find this -pizen scamp that used to call hisself my husband, and with him I find -you! Both o’ ye road agents--the man that was my husband and the boy -that was my son!” - -Pizen Jane’s voice broke in a sort of pitiful wail, and Nomad saw the -tears come into her eyes. - -Pool Clayton looked confused and sheepish; Snaky Pete looked angry -and humiliated. - -“Here, shut up yer yawp!” Snaky Pete shouted to her. “You’re a -nuisance; do ye know it?” - -“A nuisance is a good sight more of a credit to ther community than a -murderous wretch like you!” she retorted. “Shut up yer own yawp! The -Lord gimme my tongue, and I’ve a right to use it, and I’m goin’ to.” - -She turned again to Pool Clayton. - -“I’m ashamed of ye!” she said. “Why did you write me sich a pack o’ -lies?” - -“Just to make you think I--I was killed, or would be,” he admitted. - -“You didn’t want me to know that you had turned road agent. You -didn’t want me to know that you’d j’ined forces with that measly runt -there that I heard one of these men call Snaky Pete. Well, he _is_ -snaky, and he’s worse’n snaky.” - -Then her voice and manner changed. - -“Pool,” she said, with something of motherly tenderness in her voice, -“it hurt me to believe that you’d gone wrong; and to find you here -hurts me more than that did. Git out of it, son; leave this crowd of -villains, and try to be an honest man. I’m a pore old woman, but I’ll -work my finger nails off to git ye a start in some honest way, if -you’ll jes’ make a try to be honest.” - -“Take her away,” commanded Snaky Pete, irritated and wrathful. - -She suffered herself to be led away, broken in spirit now, and -sobbing. For the moment, at least, she was no longer Pizen Jane, but -a heartbroken old woman. - -The stir caused by the return of the main body of desperadoes caused -the feud between Pool Clayton and Tom Molloy to be forgotten, or -overlooked, for a time. - -The astonishing claim of Pizen Jane, that Pool Clayton was her son -and that Snaky Pete was her recreant husband, was enough of itself to -make the outlaws forget that Clayton and Molloy had fought, and were -threatening bloody things against each other. - -Snaky Pete walked nervously about, giving orders in a tone of -irritation which masked somewhat the real feelings of his heart. -He observed the prisoner, old Nick Nomad, then he looked at Pool -Clayton, who had withdrawn to a distance, both from his mother and -from Snaky Pete, his stepfather. - -Molloy had slunk away, and was busily engaged in making himself -inconspicuous. - -Snaky Pete grew wrathful and murderously vindictive. - -“Here!” he snarled, speaking to Pool Clayton. “You ain’t done yit -what I told ye to!” He swung his hand toward Nick Nomad, as he thus -spoke to the young would-be outlaw. “I told you to shoot that old -skunk, and git him out of the way, and you ain’t done it!” - -Pool Clayton came forward when Snaky Pete shouted to him a second -time. - -“You needn’t think that you and yer mother kin come here and run this -camp! If she makes trouble, I’ll lay a stingin’ quirt across her -back, and you’ve got to mind me, er I’ll put a bullet through your -head instanter, and git rid of ye!” - -Pool Clayton stood before him, trembling. - -“Do ye hear?” - -“Yes,” said Clayton. - -“Then finish up the job that you wouldn’t do when I first tole ye to; -put a bullet through that ole fool instanter. He’s a pard of Buffalo -Bill, and out he goes. We can’t keep him, and we can’t afford to let -him go.” - -Old Nick Nomad never changed countenance as he heard these brutal -orders. - -“Buffler,” he had said once, talking with his old border pard, “I -allus tries ter live, so that when ther eend comes I can face it -square and honest. My hand has been ag’inst wrong, and I has tried to -keep it frum doin’ wrong.” - -In that confident assurance old Nick Nomad lived, and in it he could -now die, if he had to. - -Yet the warm currents of life ran through his veins still, almost -as freely as when he was a youth, and he did not desire death. He -desired to live, that he might further strike at the wrongdoers of -the border; and even as he listened to Snaky Pete he was wondering -how he could escape the doom which those words seemingly foreshadowed. - -Another heard Snaky Pete’s brutal and murderous commands. The other -was Pizen Jane. She stepped courageously in front of the old trapper, -brushing away the hands of the outlaws who would have restrained her. - -“Aire you a friend of Buffler Bill--the ginuine Buffler Bill?” she -demanded. - -“Lady,” said Nomad, “I is happy ter say thet I’m one of thet man’s -closest friends. I’ll never deny thet, even afore ther Judgment.” - -She faced around toward Snaky Pete. - -“Pete Sanborn,” she said, her words sharp as knives, “when you kill -this man you shoot me down, too; and as fur as lettin’ any son of -mine do a thing like that, I’ll slay him with my own hands fust!” - -Snaky Pete’s eyes glittered and his face almost grew black with rage. - -“Git out of my way!” he yelled, drawing a long knife. He lifted it, -and jumped with it at the fearless woman. - -A rifle cracked, seeming far off on the slope of the near-by -mountain. Snaky Pete stopped in mid-air, and, throwing up his hands, -he fell to the earth, blood spurting from between his lips. - -The men of the camp stood still, shocked and confused; then a yell -of wrath broke forth. Some of them threw themselves on their horses, -while others rushed to Snaky Pete, lifting him. - -“Glory be!” screamed Pizen Jane, waving her gaunt arms. “If the devil -is dead, I know who killed him! ’Twas Buffler Bill!” - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE DESERT HOTSPUR. - - -Buffalo Bill had not only evaded and baffled the outlaws, but had -circled around them, struck their trail, and had followed it so -closely that, from the mountain side, he had been able to look down -into the camp and behold the scenes which have been described. - -He had strong field glasses, that drew the actors close to him, -apparently. He saw them so clearly that he almost fancied he could -follow the conversation. His long-range rifle lay at his side. He saw -that Nomad was there as a prisoner, and certain actions told him that -Nomad was in peril. He also fancied that Pizen Jane’s life was being -threatened. - -As he looked, lowering his field glasses occasionally, he fitted to -his rifle telescopic sights, taking them from a pocket of his coat. - -On all the border there was not another rifle shot like Buffalo Bill. -He was famous as a long-range sharpshooter. - -Instead of looking longer through the field glasses, he looked -now through the telescopic sights of his rifle. He saw Snaky Pete -standing before the woman, who was protecting Nick Nomad with her -body. He saw the knife raised and glittering in Snaky Pete’s hand. -Then his rifle cracked, with the sights bearing on the outlaw leader; -and the bullet speeding true, he saw Snaky Pete pitch up his hands -and roll to the ground. - -“Good work!” he said, patting the rifle affectionately. “That was -about as long a shot as I ever made; but I got him.” - -He saw men spring for their horses, and knew they would ride out to -the point where the rifle had sounded; yet he lingered long enough to -see Snaky Pete lifted and carried aside. - -“I didn’t kill him,” he said. “The distance was too great, and I -didn’t strike a vital spot; but he’ll remember it for some time, I’ve -no doubt, and maybe it will teach him better manners.” - -He removed the telescopic sight and stowed it away and placed the -field glasses in their case. - -Taking up his rifle, he made his way down the hill, keeping out of -view of the horsemen who were now riding hard in his direction. - -Some distance below, in a growth of aspens, his horse had been -concealed. Mounting, he rode down the slope. Then, swinging round the -projecting base of the hill, he shaped his course across the open -country. His horse was speedy, and it was seemingly untiring. - -Though the outlaws saw him soon, and gave hot chase, he steadily drew -away from them, and in an hour he had lost sight even of the foremost. - -That night, as darkness fell, the great scout was before the gate -at Fort Thompson, where a company of cavalry was stationed. He was -challenged; then he was admitted and conducted to the headquarters of -Major Clendenning, the commander. - -Cody’s horse was in a white lather of sweat from its long run; and -the scout’s clothing was powdered with white dust, and dust streaked -his face to a grayish tinge. He showed every indication of long and -hard riding. - -Clendenning sprang up, with outstretched hand, when the noted scout -was brought before him. - -Buffalo Bill had saluted, but he now took the extended hand of the -officer. - -“In the name of Heaven, Cody, where have you come from?” cried the -major. “I thought you were over about the Sepulcher Mountains.” - -“So I was, major,” was his answer, “but now I am here. I rode from -there since this morning.” - -Major Clendenning’s amazement showed in his face. - -“You had a change of horses, no doubt, and you must be nearly dead! -Let me get you some wine!” - -“I had only one horse. He is pretty well exhausted, but will be all -right after a rest. I need another, which I hope you can let me have.” - -“Swallow the wine, Cody, and then I’ll hear your story. Straight from -the Sepulcher Mountains since morning!” - -Buffalo Bill drank the wine, and then began to tell his story. - -“Nomad is a prisoner,” was one of his statements, “and so is a woman -from Cinnabar who calls herself Pizen Jane. I’m not just certain -of her, but she bravely stood up before Nomad when that outlaw -threatened him.” - -“She and Nomad will both be slain, if they have not been already,” -said Clendenning. - -“It may be. I’m hoping otherwise. But I saw I could do no more then -than I had done, and that if I expected to aid them I must have -assistance. So I rode here to get it.” - -“You shall have it, Cody.” - -“I want twenty good men, well armed and provisioned. We’ll not be -able to get back there as quickly as I came from there; but we can go -as fast as possible. I shall rescue Nomad and root out that devil’s -nest. If he has been killed, there will be some desperadoes of the -Sepulcher Mountains who will pay for it with their lives.” - -“You can start as early in the morning, Cody, as you like, and you -shall have the men,” said Clendenning; “I’ll give the orders right -now.” - -He turned to the door. - -“Stop, major; I want those men right now, without a moment’s delay.” - -Clendenning turned back in surprise. - -“But you’ll have to rest, Cody; you can’t go back without proper -rest.” - -“I’m fit to start back this minute, Major Clendenning. It will be a -favor if you detail the men who are to go with me, and have them get -ready instantly. I should like to have you order an extra horse for -me, and while preparations are being made I’ll eat a bite, and then -go right back.” - -Clendenning, amazed at the scout’s orders, proceeded, however, to -carry them out. - -Twenty picked men were soon saddling horses, looking to their rifles, -packing rations, and getting ready for a hard and swift ride to the -Sepulcher Mountains. - -Buffalo Bill swallowed some food hastily, ordered his saddle -pouches to be filled with more; and then dropped down on a lounge -in the major’s headquarters for a few winks of sleep. He had hardly -stretched himself on the lounge before he was sleeping soundly. - -He slept less than half an hour, during which time the preparations -for his departure were being hurried; then he awoke, seemingly much -refreshed and ready for any task. - -It was this astonishing ability to fall asleep anywhere and at any -time, and to awake after a brief slumber apparently as refreshed as -if he had slept through a whole night, that in part made Buffalo Bill -the wonder he was on a border trail. - -He now brushed his clothing, ate more food, and then issued from the -major’s headquarters. - -“Men,” he said, speaking to the troopers who greeted him, and who -were about ready to follow him, “we’ll have a hard night’s work of -it, and a part of to-morrow may be consumed if the outlaws have -changed their location; but I know you, each of you--men of the -gallant old Seventh Cavalry!--and I thank you in advance for the -success I know you will achieve. If Nick Nomad has been killed by -Snaky Pete’s desperadoes, then desperado blood will flow before we -see this fort again.” - -They cheered him to the echo. Not a man there but felt proud to -follow this gallant scout, whose reputation was so closely linked -with that of the famous Seventh Cavalry. - -Members of that noted regiment had died with Custer on the -battlefield of the Little Bighorn, when a handful of men were -overwhelmed and swept out of existence by a horde of Indian braves, -the flower of the Sioux nation. On almost every battlefield of the -West in which Uncle Sam’s troopers were hurled against Indians or -outlaws, the gallant Seventh had had representatives. - -The troopers cheered again, saluting the flag, as they passed in the -night out through the heavy double gates of the fort. - -Major Clendenning accompanied them beyond the limits of the fort and -its grounds. - -“Men,” he said, as he was about to turn back, “I have a new name -for our famous scout. Hotspur usually refers to a man impetuous of -temper; but it might mean, also, I think, a man who as a horseman -rode with a spur so hot that in nine hours he covered the distance -between the Sepulcher Mountains and Fort Thompson. So I give you a -new name for him--Buffalo Bill, the Desert Hotspur.” - -He lifted his hat to the scout; and again the troopers cheered, their -loud cheering rolling across the level lands in a way that, if it -could have been heard by them, would have startled the desperadoes -under Snaky Pete. - -Then the troopers, with Buffalo Bill riding swiftly at their head, -to set the pace for them, galloped away through the night and the -darkness, the thundering of the hoofs of the horses reaching into the -barracks at the fort. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - IN THE OUTLAW STRONGHOLD. - - -Snaky Pete’s men, when they returned, reported that no horse they had -could keep in sight of the thoroughbred ridden by Buffalo Bill. - -The outlaw chief received the report, lying on a roll of blankets, -gasping and sputtering. The bullet fired by the scout had struck -him on the lower lip, laying it open, knocking out some teeth, and -bringing a spurt of blood from the wound. Snaky Pete had thought he -was killed when he fell and knew that blood was pouring from his -mouth. As a matter of fact, he was not seriously wounded, though the -pain was sharp for a time, and the character of the wound made it -difficult for him to speak. - -His fright did not soon pass, however. Even after his men returned -with their report that Buffalo Bill had escaped he still lay on the -blankets, moaning and cursing. - -The fact that Buffalo Bill had ridden toward distant Fort Thompson -filled him with uneasiness. Because of it he ordered the horses to -be got ready, and the entire band to move at once into the Sepulcher -Mountains. - -He was filled with a sullen and savage rage against Pizen Jane and -Pool Clayton, and against Nick Nomad. He began to believe that Pizen -Jane had guided Nomad and Buffalo Bill; and he now even suspected -that Pool Clayton, in joining the band, was moved by a desire to -betray it into the hands of officers. - -He refused to furnish Pizen Jane with a horse, declaring that if she -accompanied him she would have to walk. - -She came up to him, as he swayed weakly on the horse to which he had -been helped. - -“Git out o’ my way,” he mumbled. “If you hang ’round me I’ll kill ye!” - -“But I want to know if you ain’t goin’ to send Pool away? I ain’t -goin’ away myself, but I want Pool turned loose on a horse, with -orders fer him to go back to Cinnabar. I’ve been talkin’ with him, -and he’ll do it. Aire ye goin’ to let him?” - -“I’ll furnish you with a horse to clear out on,” he said, speaking -with pain and difficulty. - -“Me? La, I ain’t goin’! But I want him to start now, instanter. Here -he’s like a good apple in the middle of a lot of rotten ones. So -I----” - -“Go yourself!” Snaky Pete snarled at her. - -“No, I stay with you!” - -“Why?” - -“Well, jest to please myself.” - -“To help that old trapper?” - -“No; jes’ to please myself. I’m yer wife, ain’t I? Er I was, before I -divorced ye. I think I’ll stay with you.” - -“I’ll kill you if you do!” he fumed. “He can’t go! Go yerself, and -I’ll be glad to have you git out.” - -She dropped back, to where Pool Clayton was riding. - -He slipped from his horse. - -“Take it, and I’ll walk,” he said, with a guilty flush. - -“I want you to leave these men instanter,” she urged. - -“No; I ain’t goin’ to. Why don’t _you_ go?” - -“Me?” She leaned toward him. “Because I’ve swore by everything that’s -good and bad that I’m goin’ to kill Pete Sanborn soon’s I git the -chance. He ruined my life, and now he’s ruinin’ yourn.” - -Her voice was low, but her face flushed as if she had swallowed fiery -liquor. - -Snaky Pete saw her talking with the youth, and then saw her mount the -horse which Pool surrendered to her. - -“They’re ag’inst me!” he grumbled, under his breath. “They’ve planned -to break up the band and git me captured. It’s revenge she’s after. -Well, I’ll settle her; and I’ll settle him, and that old trapper, -too! I see now why Pool wouldn’t shoot the old cuss; it was ’cause -he’s in with him. He and she aire in with Buffalo Bill and the -officers. Likely they’re to git a reward, if they land me. Well, I’ll -settle ’em!” - -He brooded over this, his anger mounting and his desire to “settle -’em” growing. - -“Mebbe I can git out of her what the plans of Buffalo Bill aire; er -mebbe I can git it out of Pool. I reckon that Cody will try to bring -soldiers from Fort Thompson. There’s a nasty fight comin’, I can see. -Well, I’m livin’ yit; and long’s I can straddle a horse and give -orders, I’m worth a dozen men in a fight. And if Cody thinks we won’t -fight he’ll know better when he tackles us.” - -His thoughts took another turn: - -“P’r’aps I might buy Cody to draw off the soldiers by sending him -word that if he didn’t I’d kill Nomad. It might work, and might be -advisable if we git in a tight hole.” - -He was in a fretting and fuming mood when the Sepulcher Mountains -were entered. His wound made him feverish, and that did not add to -his good temper. He snapped and snarled at his men whenever they came -to him for orders, and conducted himself altogether in a disagreeable -way. - -“He’s jes’ like a bear with a sore head,” said Pizen Jane, when she -observed these things. - -She had kept with the outlaw command, and Pool Clayton had done the -same; both of them avoiding, as much as possible, personal contact -with the irascible leader. - -As soon as their permanent camp was gained, in the Sepulcher -Mountains, the outlaws began to put it in order for a fight or a -siege. - -The place was a cuplike hollow, with a pass running through it. If an -enemy could gain and hold both ends of that pass the outlaws could -only escape by scaling the mountains. But, on the other hand, if the -outlaws barricaded those entrances into the valley and stationed a -force of riflemen behind the barricades, the troopers who climbed -over them would have the fight of their lives to accomplish it. - -Tn spite of the pain of his wound and his feverishness, Snaky Pete -personally superintended the strengthening of the barricades. He saw -that ammunition was properly distributed, and that all arms were put -in the best possible condition. - -Night was approaching before all the defenses were in condition to -suit him. He looked them over carefully, as he walked from point to -point, his face swathed in bandages. - -“If they climb over them,” he thought grimly, “there’ll be more dead -troopers than live ones. When Snaky Pete gits his back to the wall, -he fights, and they’ll find it out.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - PEERLESS AS A SCOUT. - - -Buffalo Bill and the troopers from Fort Thompson struck the foothills -of the Sepulcher Mountains at daybreak, and were thus able to get -under cover of the scrub that fringed them, and out of sight of any -spies and scouts that Snaky Pete might have sent out. - -It had been a hard night’s ride to accomplish this, but it was worth -the exertion. - -Buffalo Bill was sure that the road agents had changed their position -since he saw them last. Hence, the first thing to do was to locate -them in their new position. - -In spite of the tremendous strain he had been under for so long, he -undertook to do this himself; and he left the troopers in camp in a -grassy nest within the foothills, but close up to the base of the -Sepulcher range. - -He rode his weary horse for a few miles, until he struck the trail -made by the outlaws in their retreat. Then he left the horse well -concealed, and began on foot to follow the trail. It was so fresh -looking he thought the outlaws were not far ahead. However, he went -so slowly in order to guard against surprise, that the afternoon was -well advanced before he came in sight of the cuplike hollow where -they were preparing to make their stand. - -From an elevation that commanded the hollow he looked with his field -glasses right down into the camp, and saw the busy preparations -making to meet the troopers. - -He was much worried, because he could not see old Nick Nomad. He -hoped, however, that the old man was being held in one of the houses. - -Once he beheld Pizen Jane, but only for a brief moment or two. She -came out of a low hut, and looked about, and then went in again. - -“I must know, if possible, if Nomad is there; and I wish I could do -something to protect that woman when we make our charge.” - -His study of the outlaw stronghold convinced him that it would be -folly to attack it from either end of the pass. The barricades were -strong, he saw, and he did not wish to sacrifice the lives of any of -the troopers needlessly. So he began to examine the slopes of the -hills that led down into that hollow. - -They were unscalable to horses, but he believed at one point men -might descend them, even in the darkness. He made careful note of -that point, and stowed its landmarks in his memory. - -When the shadows of coming night filled the hollow, the scout -moved from his position, and began to work his way down toward it, -screening himself behind rocks and bushes. - -Darkness came fully while he was still on the slope of the hill, and -he remained there until he felt it was safe to work still nearer in -to the outlaw camp. - -Guards had been set at the barricades, and beyond them in the -passes, and guards were also stationed around the camp at intervals. - -The scout approached so near to one of these guards that he heard the -tread of the fellow’s feet and caught the odor of the tobacco burning -in his pipe. - -Though he desired to get still nearer in, Buffalo Bill saw the -difficulty of the attempt, for this sentry walked a beat which -crossed the line of his advance. - -After working with much care to one side, he crouched in the darkness -and emitted there the well-known “cuckoo” call of the prairie-dog -owl, hoping by it to reach old Nomad, if the trapper still lived. - -The guard was not disturbed at first by the call of the little owl, -for it was a familiar sound; but when it was several times repeated, -and with a variation he had never heard in the note, his attention -was attracted. - -“A cussed funny dog owl,” the scout heard him mutter; and then heard -him come toward him. - -Buffalo Bill desired to keep from the outlaws the fact that their -camp was being spied on, hence he crouched low in the hollow and -waited until the guard had turned back. Then he sent forth again the -“cuckoo” call, with that queer variation which had attracted the -notice of the sentinel. - -Unfortunately for the immediate success of the scout’s efforts, Nomad -was at the time asleep in one of the huts, and so did not hear him. - -When no answer came to his calls, the scout’s uneasiness concerning -the fate of Nomad grew. - -Resolved to know, if possible, if the old trapper lived, he slipped -from his place of concealment when the sentry had walked to the -farther end of his beat, and then went sliding farther down over the -steep rocks. - -The sentry was a keen-eared fellow, and heard the displacement of -a small stone, which rattled down the slope. Instantly the scout -flattened himself on the rocks and waited until the stone fell. - -After a moment of silence, the sentry again came toward him; and soon -the scout could see him faintly in the dim light of the stars. - -“Prairie-dog owls don’t ginerally go to rollin’ stones,” the sentinel -was muttering, as he stood staring up the slope, trying to make out -what it was had started the stone to rolling. - -He could see nothing that warranted suspicion. - -“Mebbe a coyote tryin’ to git at the owl,” he said to himself; “ain’t -heerd the owl fer a minute er so. P’r’aps it was scared off by a -coyote.” - -As he came still farther up the slope, prying and peering, he saw -something, and, pitching up his rifle, he fired at it. What he beheld -was the recumbent form of the scout flattened against the rock. - -The scout saw the rifle pointed toward him, and avoided its bullet by -a quick, sliding movement. The lead struck the rock over his head. - -That sliding motion was heard and seen by the sentry. He did not -believe, then, that what he had shot at was a man, but thought it a -coyote; and, because it had not bounded away, he thought he had slain -it. He leaped forward, swinging his rifle; while a roar of excited -calls and questions were hurled up at him from the camp. - -He beheld the dark ball into which the scout had doubled himself when -he knew he could not easily escape, and plunged toward it, with knife -in hand. - -To his astonishment, as he bent down he was caught by the collar -of his coat and jerked flat on his face. He yelled in fright; then -wheezed, as the iron fingers of the scout settled around his windpipe. - -The men below were yelling up at him. - -Buffalo Bill’s choking fingers reduced him to unconsciousness, and -then flung him aside. The scout still lay where he had been lying; -but now his revolvers were out. - -“That aroused the whole camp,” he said to himself, “and I’ll have to -get out of here quick.” - -It occurred to him that in arousing the outlaws he had probably -aroused the old trapper, also, if he lived; so he sent forth again, -with that varying quaver, the call of the little dog owl. - -Old Nomad, who had been awakened by the rifle shot and the clamor, -heard it, and recognized it at once. He sat bolt upright, listening -for its repetition. - -It came again, clear and unmistakable. - -“Buffler!” he said, with a thrill of recognition. Then he rolled to -the door of the hut, for he was bound; and from the open doorway -sounded a cry similar to that which had come from the hillside. - -When Buffalo Bill heard it, a great load of dread rolled from his -heart. - -“Nomad!” he said. “Thank Heaven he is alive!” - -Pizen Jane had been standing close by the door, on the outside, when -Nick Nomad uttered that cry of the dog owl. - -“That’s queer,” she said, looking at him, seeing him faintly -outlined. “Have you got a dog owl hid about ye?” - -“A hull cageful,” he answered. And again he sent out the cry. - -Buffalo Bill was already climbing up the slope, knowing that the -outlaws would soon be there. He was glad he had aroused old Nomad, -but he regretted that he had drawn the rifle fire of the sentry; for -he had hoped the outlaws would not guess that an enemy had gained -access to that slope of the hill overhanging their permanent camp. - -But regrets were useless. The only thing to be done was to -accommodate himself to the fact. - -When the outlaws, climbing up the hill, gained the point where the -sentry lay senseless, they found him, and flashed lights to discover -if he were dead or what had happened to him. By shaking the man, they -aroused him; and he sat up, staring and wheezing, clutching at his -aching throat. - -“I thought it was a coyote,” he gurgled. - -“And what was it?” - -“Well, I dunno; but somethin’ grabbed me and choked me, and----” - -“Must have been a man!” - -“I thought it--it was a coyote, prowlin’ round after a dog owl,” he -explained. “I heard the dog owl, and then I thought I saw the coyote, -and----” - -“Shot at a coyote? That was no way to do!” - -“Well, I didn’t know but ’twas mebbe a man.” - -They took him down into the camp, where Snaky Pete was nervously -awaiting their report. Snaky Pete questioned him, and inspected his -throat. - -“Finger prints there, it looks like,” he said. “’Twas a man. And if -a man, then ’twas an enemy, er he wouldn’t slid out that way. Mebbe -there aire more of ’em up there. Strengthen the guards, and every man -stand to his post.” - -Old Nick Nomad, lying in the doorway of the hut, was listening for -some other sound from Buffalo Bill. - -“What was the meanin’ of that?” Pizen Jane asked him, after the -helpless sentry had been brought in. - -Nomad was silent, and she repeated her question. - -“I might say, if I thought I could trust ye.” - -“I’ll prove to ye that you can,” she said; “though I’m doin’ jes’ -what I have been meanin’ to do all day.” She bent over him and cut -the cords that held him, and then slipped the knife into his hands. -“Now, what was it?” - -“Buffler Bill,” said Nomad. “He was out thar. Thet war his signal ter -me; and I answered it.” - -“He’s got men with him?” she gasped. - -“I dunno. Mebbe he has, and mebbe he ain’t. But he’s silent now, and -prob’bly has cut out, seein’ that the force hyar is too big fer him. -But you bet he’ll be comin’ back ag’in; and when he does, somethin’ -will be doin’.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE LIVING BARRICADE. - - -In one way, it was unfortunate that Pizen Jane had released old Nomad -at that time. A road agent who had heard the cry of the dog owl -from the hut, and wondered about it, came over to investigate, and -appeared so suddenly and inopportunely that he discovered what Pizen -Jane had done. With a yell of astonishment and wrath, he hurled the -woman aside and leaped on the old trapper. - -Under ordinary conditions, Nomad might have engaged this desperado -successfully; but now his arms and legs were benumbed, and his whole -body was sore and stiff, from the long congestion of blood caused by -the bonds that had been on him. - -Nevertheless, though surprised, and taken at such a disadvantage, -the old trapper put up a stiff fight. He slashed a wide gash in the -outlaw’s face with the knife Pizen Jane had given him; and then, -tripping the outlaw, he rolled with him over and over on the floor, -clawing and striking with all his might. - -Pizen Jane flew to the aid of Nomad, and set upon the road agent. - -How the singular combat would have ended, if there had been no -interference, cannot be stated. - -There was interference. Other outlaws, drawn by the noise, ran to the -hut; and in a very little while both old Nomad and Pizen Jane were -overpowered and their weapons taken from them. - -Snaky Pete came to the hut, drawn by the yells of his men, and -learned what had happened. His rage passed all bounds. He drew a -revolver, and for an instant it seemed that he meant to shoot both -old Nomad and Pizen Jane. Then another thought came to him. - -“Tie ’em, and keep ’em tied,” he said; “and send Pool Clayton here. I -want to see him bad.” - -That sounded ominous. - -Pool Clayton was called, and came forward with fear and trembling. He -had told his mother not long before that he was willing to leave the -outlaws, and glad to do it, if she would accompany him. He had been -expecting that she would do that soon. It was delayed, he thought, by -the difficulty of getting out of the camp. - -The young man had been given a good deal of time for serious -reflection. His dreams of what a road agent’s life was like had not -come true; and, besides, he had been aroused to a realization of -the enormity of the offense itself. In addition, his heart had been -touched by his mother. - -But perhaps the strongest of the forces that had moved him was a -recollection of Snaky Pete’s commands to him to shoot old Nomad. -That, with his present fear of personal danger in the battle with the -troopers that seemed imminent, had made him want to get out of the -camp without delay. - -It seemed to him that his talks with his mother, and even his -thoughts and desires to get away, had become known to Snaky Pete, -when the latter sent for him, commanding him sharply to appear at -once. - -On arriving at the hut, he saw Nomad and Pizen Jane bound and -prisoners. A startling fear that he was to be commanded to shoot not -only Nomad but his mother came to terrify him. - -“Tie him!” Snaky Pete roared. - -The road agents threw themselves upon the fear-stricken youth, -quickly subdued him, and bound him. Then Snaky Pete took occasion to -explain to his men just what he meant to do. - -“Buffalo Bill thinks mighty well, seems to me, of them three people,” -he said, pointing to the three prisoners. “It’s my opinion that Pool -and his mother got in here on purpose to betray the band, and lead -enemies to it. In my jedgment, they’d have done something to-night, -by way of weakenin’ the barricades, mebbe, that would have got us all -killed er captured.” - -The murmurs of the desperadoes rose unpleasantly as they listened to -these accusations. - -“I been watchin’ Pool ever sence he refused to shoot that old duffer -there when I ordered him to. That’s one p’int in the proof that he is -ole Nomad’s friend and Cody’s friend; and that woman I know to be the -pizenest rattlesnake in many ways that ever crawled on the earth. - -“Jes’ the same, I ain’t goin’ to shoot ’em--not now! I want ’em put -up in front of the barricades, where the troopers can see ’em; and -then, if the soldiers want to shoot into the barricades, let ’em do -it.” - -It was a long speech, and its utterance cost him effort and pain; -yet he felt savagely gratified by it. He had determined on the death -of Pizen Jane, and of Pool Clayton and Nick Nomad. - -If the troopers, in trying to take the barricades, killed the three, -well and good; for a time he hoped their position there would hold -the soldiers back. If the prisoners were not thus slain, he would -have them shot as enemies after the coming fight was over. He still -had confidence in his men and in the strength of his position, and -was feverishly vengeful and defiant. - -Pool Clayton wilted and cried out for mercy when he was dragged by -the road agents out to one of the barricades, and was lifted over it -and tied to the logs of which it was composed. His mother was tied by -his side. They were on the outside of the barricade, and looked up -the dark pass, where they half expected to see soon the flaming of -the carbines of troopers. - -Placed thus, where the rain of lead could not miss them, it seemed to -Pool Clayton that his end was at hand. He cried out in bitterness and -anguish of spirit, reproaching himself for the evil course which had -led to this horrible fate. - -“Pool,” said Pizen Jane, touched by his moaning outcries, “there -aire things that aire a heap worse’n to die this way; and one of the -things that aire worse is bein’ a successful road agent. Fer that is -a thing that would shore destroy you, body and soul.” - -“Oh, don’t talk that way!” he wailed. “Don’t talk that way! We must -escape! We must get away!” - -He threw himself to and fro in his agonies. - -One of the outlaws came climbing over the barricade. - -“See here,” he said, “if you don’t stop that yelpin’, I’ve got orders -to gag ye. Now, will you stop?” - -Pool Clayton stopped, but lay shivering against the logs, white-faced -and wild-eyed, overcome by terror. - -At the other barricade Nick Nomad had been tied in the same way. - -But Nomad was showing no cowardly spirit. He believed in Buffalo -Bill’s ability to accomplish even wonders, and he therefore had hope. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - THE GALLANT TROOPERS. - - -Buffalo Bill scaled successfully the slope of the mountain above the -outlaw camp and got away. - -He heard the uproar in the camp, and was almost tempted to turn back, -fearing for the life of Nick Nomad; but he went on. He did not really -see how he could help Nomad without at the same time putting his own -life in such jeopardy that the risk could not be justified. - -Two hours later he reached his horse, which he mounted, and then -shaped his course by the stars in the direction of the camp of -troopers. - -Midnight was long past when he reached their camp and reported his -discoveries. - -“I must have half an hour’s sleep,” he said, “and while I am getting -it have everything made ready for an immediate advance.” - -He dropped down by one of the fires, in his clothing, and was -sleeping almost at once, as soundly as a child. - -The lieutenant in command of the troopers awoke him at the end of his -brief nap. Then, once more, the redoubtable scout was in the saddle, -this time leading the troopers forth toward the discovered camp of -the desperadoes of the Sepulcher Mountains. - -The men under Buffalo Bill gained the base of the mountain over -against the outlaw camp shortly before daylight, having ridden hard -to accomplish it. - -There the horses were left, one man out of four dropping back to hold -them, while the other three went forward. Buffalo Bill again led the -advance, up the slopes of the mountain. - -His spying of the previous afternoon had convinced him of the folly -of trying to take those barricades by assault. He did not doubt the -courage and ability of the troopers, than whom braver men never -lived, but it would have been criminal, he felt, to ask them to lay -down their lives in front of those deadly barricades when the camp -might be taken in an easier way. His plan was to climb the mountain, -and descend in the darkness just before the dawn upon the outlaw -camp, endeavoring by this descent and the suddenness of the attack to -surprise and stampede its defenders. - -In spite of his strenuous efforts to get down the slope while the -darkness was densest, the very fact that the darkness was so great -kept the scout from doing this. For the descent had to be made with -caution; and, consequently, was made with wearying slowness. - -The gray dawn was in the east when the troopers crouched like -mountain lions on the rocky ground that overhung the outlaw camp. - -Down in the camp there was some kind of stir, though what it meant -could not be determined. In the gray light the shapes of the low huts -were almost indistinguishable. The sentries that the scout knew were -there could not be seen, for not a light flickered, and no camp-fire -glow was seen. Nevertheless, he was sure that behind the barricades -the outlaws were waiting and watching, and that alert sentinels were -making their ceaseless and vigilant rounds. - -Suddenly a single revolver shot sounded down in the camp, breaking -with startling clearness on the still air of the dawn. Following it -there was an excited clamor. - -Buffalo Bill did not know what that shot meant. He realized that it -might be a signal that he and the troopers had been discovered. Yet -he did not hesitate, but gave instantly the command to charge, hoping -to gain some advantage by the excitement and confusion into which the -outlaws seemed to have been thrown. - -The troopers leaped, some sliding and rolling, down the bowldered -slope. Then their charging cheer rose, and their carbines flamed and -cracked as they gained the lower ground, and rushed upon the huts -they now beheld before them. - -Most of the outlaws were at the moment behind the barricades which -defended the two sides of the camp, at the entrances of the pass. -Some of them, however, were in or near one of the huts, and, with -wild yells, they tried to meet the onset of the charging troopers. - -At the head of the troopers was seen the tall form of Buffalo Bill, -as, with revolver in hand, he led the charge. - -Desperadoes went down under the fire of the troopers, and troopers -fell, shot by desperadoes; and then the troopers were in the midst of -the huts, and the battle was on in all its fury. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - A WOMAN’S VENGEANCE. - - -The shot which Buffalo Bill and the troopers heard, and which was -followed by their advance, was fired by Pizen Jane. - -Perhaps because she was a woman the cords that bound her wrists and -held her to the barricade were not knotted as securely and tightly as -those that bound her son. Men were desperate and low indeed when they -do not, consciously or unconsciously, retain some consideration for a -woman. - -Pizen Jane had discovered, after a time, that she could work her -wrists about in the cords. She had said nothing of her discovery, for -outlaws were near her, behind the barricade; and out in front paced a -sentry. - -But she had begun to strain and tug at the cords, finding by and by -that they gave a little. - -This added to her desire to get out of them, and to that task she -bent her endeavors. - -Yet a long time went by before she again felt the cords slip and give -under her manipulation. - -After she was able to draw out one hand she stood for some time in -silence, considering what she could do. Apparently, she could do -nothing, because of the men near by. - -She did not dare to speak of what she had done to Pool, lest she -should be overheard. - -After that, as she had waited, hoping for something that would create -a diversion of which she could take advantage, the slow-moving time -had seemed interminable. - -But Pizen Jane was possessed of monumental patience. - -She had waited, minute by minute and hour by hour, hoping that -something would turn in her favor. - -At intervals she had strained at the cords which still held one -wrist, and at last freed it. Her feet were still tied at the ankles, -and her body was still bound to the barricade. - -She grew desperate when she saw the gray dawn breaking, and knew that -day was near, when inevitably what she had done would be discovered. - -She began to strain at the cords on her ankles; and at length, in -her desperation, she stooped over, determined to untie them with her -hands. - -The sentinel out in front saw her do this. - -“Hello!” he said. “What ye doin’?” - -She stood erect by the barricade, her hands behind her back once -more, her lips firmly compressed, and did not answer him. - -Long before, Pool Clayton had become little better than a shaking -jelly bag, through excess of fright. He hardly knew what the man -said, and he had not discovered what his courageous mother was doing. - -The man walked up to the barricade, and, stooping over, looked Pizen -Jane in the face. - -“Hello!” he repeated. “What you doin’?” - -Then her hands flew out, and, catching the knife from his belt, she -drove it into his shoulder, inflicting a wound that tumbled him back, -gasping and half paralyzed. - -Before the outlaws on the other side of the barricade knew just -what had occurred, Pizen Jane had cut the cords that held her, had -stricken loose those that bound Pool Clayton, and was climbing over -the barricade, the knife and the sentry’s revolver in her hands. - -“Git out o’ my way!” she snarled, striking at one of the men who -sought to oppose her progress. - -He fell back out of the way of the knife. Then she sprang down, and -in another instant she was running toward the huts. - -One of the outlaws pitched up a rifle and was on the point of -shooting her. - -“Don’t do it!” a companion warned, and he knocked the muzzle of the -gun aside. “The boss would raise Old Ned wi’ ye, if ye should.” - -Though they feared to shoot, a couple of them followed her; but when -they reached the huts, though they had followed close at her heels, -they could not find her. - -One of them poked his head into the hut where Snaky Pete was lying, -supposedly asleep. - -“Hello!” he called, in a low voice. “That woman has got away, and is -in the camp here some’eres.” - -Snaky Pete came to his feet, and rushed to the door. - -“Where is she?” he cried, his wounded lip cutting him like a knife as -he said it. - -“Here!” was the startling answer. - -Pizen Jane seemed to rise out of the ground before him. She threw up -the revolver, and fired full at him. It was the revolver shot that -the scout and the troopers heard. - -As its report rang out, Snaky Pete Sanborn, the outlaw and desperado, -pitched forward on his face, falling dead in the door of the hut. - -Pizen Jane had kept her vow. - -The charge of the troopers came right on top of this, turning the -attention of the outlaws to the task of repulsing the invaders. The -fight that followed was sharp and hot, but it was short. - -Finding that the troopers were within the camp itself, the -desperadoes stationed at the barricades deserted them, climbing them -and running for safety out through the pass. - -Those within the camp, who had been trapped there, fought with a -courage and desperation worthy of a better cause. They slew some of -the troopers, and several of their own number fell. - -The others tried to get out of the camp, but, being surrounded, they -threw down their weapons and surrendered. - -The shrill voice of Pizen Jane was heard once, as she took part in -the fight against the outlaws; and once the scout beheld her, with -smoking pistol, confronting one of the outlaws. When the fight had -ended she was found lying dead close by the hut where she had killed -her infamous and recreant husband. - -Nomad was, of course, released from his unpleasant predicament. -He received orders to remain a few hours longer at the camp, -in order to observe whether any of the deserters returned with -reënforcements--in which case he was to ride at once to Fort -Thompson. If none returned, he could rejoin Buffalo Bill and the -troopers at the fort, within the next three days. - -Pool Clayton seemed genuinely grieved over the death of his mother, -and shed bitter tears when he beheld her dead body. He was not held -for the crime of being a member of the road-agent band, but was -permitted to depart from that section of the country. - -That a genuine reformation in his character was effected the scout -believed, for afterward he had word of him, at a time when Pool was -residing in a mining town called Crystal Spring, where he had secured -honorable employment and seemed determined to live an honest life. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - PURSUED BY BLACKFEET. - - -“Whoa, Nebby, consarn ye! Don’t lose yer head, now, er mighty quick -you won’t have no head to lose.” - -Old Nick Nomad, the trapper and famous border scout, twisted around -in his saddle, jerking at his horse’s bridle, and stared back along -the way he had come after leaving the outlaw stronghold. - -Nomad was a small, dried-up specimen of a man, dressed in border -costume of ancient fashion, even to the beaver-skin cap. He held in -his right hand a long rifle. His old horse, ungainly as himself, yet -possessed of as many surprising qualities, stepped about, in spite -of the jerking rein, and showed every indication of nervousness and -fright. - -“You’re skittisher’n a two-year-old, and ain’t got any more sense, -when you smells Injuns,” Nick grumbled. “Stand still, now; they’re -comin’ erlong, I know, but they ain’t nigh enough ter bite ye!” - -Old Nebuchadnezzar had made a rapid run since the Blackfeet were -sighted, more than two miles back. The homely, shaggy-haired beast -had been too fleet for the Blackfeet ponies. His sides were heaving -now, and sweat trickled down his legs, dripping to the ground. Yet -he was ready to go on; and so much did he fear Indians that he would -have run until he fell, if Nomad had but given him rein and urged him -a little. - -Nomad was trying to determine whether the Blackfeet were coming on, -following his trail, or whether they had left the trail and were -trying to cut him off at some narrow pass. They were more familiar -with this part of the country than he was, and he knew in that they -possessed a decided advantage. - -After a time of quiet, the Blackfeet had once more become -troublesome, under Crazy Snake, whose hatred of the whites had flared -forth with sudden fury. - -Nomad had, for two days, returned to the old life he loved best of -all--trapping by the headwaters of the mountain streams, leading a -carefree existence in the open and under the blue sky. - -Then, on the last day--the day on which he was to arrive at the -fort--trouble and peril had descended on him when he had least -expected it. - -His traps were stolen or destroyed, his little hut was broken open -and robbed, and then Paul Davis, his old-time border partner, who had -encountered him in the neighborhood of the outlaws’ stronghold, was -slain, while returning one afternoon to the hut from a hunt. - -Nomad found Davis’ body in the trail that led down from the higher -mountains, and on Davis’ breast a bloody arrow, slashed there with a -scalping knife. - -The scalp had been torn from Davis’ head, thus proving that the work -had been done by Blackfeet, while the bloody arrow showed that this -was another “vengeance” blow struck by the chief, Crazy Snake. - -Old Nomad was not fool enough to linger there longer. He buried -the body of his old friend, protecting it from wolves by a heap of -stones placed on the grave. Then he cached his pelts, picked his few -belongings, mounted old Nebuchadnezzar, and set his face toward Fort -Thompson. - -But he was not to escape so easily. - -He had not gone far when he discovered that Blackfeet were dogging -his trail, for the apparent purpose of surprising him in camp, or -while he slept. He was sure these Blackfeet were led by Crazy Snake, -who had marked him for another victim. - -As Nomad sat staring along the backward way, a herd of elk came in -sight, swinging down the trail he had been following. He instantly -guided Nebuchadnezzar out of the trail, and let the elk go plunging -by, for they seemed to be frightened, and were running at high speed. - -“Good enough!” the old man grunted. “I think I kin puzzle them red -devils a bit now.” - -Sure that wherever the Blackfeet were they did not now see him, Nomad -dismounted, and, removing a blanket he carried in a roll behind his -saddle, he tore it into strips and wrapped them round the hoofs of -his horse, so that he would leave no trail. - -A trailless route would make it troublesome for even the keen-eyed -Blackfeet to follow him. - -Descending the mountain now by a zigzag path, and making, besides, -several changes in his course, Nomad succeeded in reaching lower -ground. Here he mounted Nebuchadnezzar again, and rode off in a new -direction; but several times changed his course, in his efforts to -baffle the Blackfeet. - -While he was thus riding on, he was astonished by hearing his name -spoken. He reined in and faced about, staring in surprise. - -“By ther great jumpin’ jack rabbits, ef that ain’t ther queerest -ever!” he grunted. “Somebody callin’ ter me hyer, at a p’int whar -thar ain’t nobody!” - -A pebble came rolling down the side of the hill, the suddenness with -which it bounced out at him making him jump. He saw that it had come -from a clump of aspens on the hillside not far away. - -His ancient rifle swung around with a quick motion, and the muzzle -was elevated toward the aspens. - -“Hi, there! Don’t shoot,” a voice called. “Like Davy Crockett’s coon, -I’ll come down.” - -Then a hand appeared, pushing some leaves aside, and, following this -hand, came the body of a man. - -Nomad gasped his amazement when he saw the clothing and face of this -man. Before him stood Buffalo Bill. - -Though Nomad’s astonishment was deep, he did not forget the peril in -which he was placed at that time. - -“Stand whar ye aire, Buffler!” he called. “The pizen reds aire -rompin’ round, and aire after my ha’r. Ole Crazy Snake is reachin’ -fer me with his fangs.” - -He guided his horse up to the aspens where the scout stood; the scout -asking questions, which he did not then answer. - -“Buffler, I’m gladder ter see ye than ef I’d found a gold mine! Got -yer hoss hyar?” - -“Yes; just back here in ther trees.” - -“Then, fer Heaven’s sake, muffle him, and git out with me, ’fore -ther reds finds this spot,” the old trapper urged. “I’m huntin’ fer a -hole ter hide in, till Crazy Snake and his Blackfeet villyuns leave -this kentry; and it’ll be healthy fer you ter do ther same quick’s ye -kin.” - -Buffalo Bill did not know until then that Crazy Snake had actually -taken to the warpath, though he had known there were rumors of war -trouble, and that a number of whites had been murdered. He shook -hands with old Nomad, and asked him some more questions. This time -Nomad answered: - -“I’ve give ’em a good start, and balled ’em some, Buffler, but they -ain’t easy ter fool.” - -“I know that, Nomad,” the scout answered; “but I think we can fool -them.” - -He retreated to where his horse was tied to an aspen; and then, -taking a blanket from his roll, he made mufflers like those used by -Nomad. He looked anxiously at the trail his horse had made in coming -to this little grove--some of the hoofmarks deeply scored the soil. -But there was no help for that now. - -In a few minutes he joined Nomad, mounted, and asked: - -“Were you making for the cañon down there?” - -“Anywhar, Buffler, ter fool ther Blackfeet. If yer knows this kentry -some I’ll let you p’int ther way, fer bur durned ef I’m any too well -acquainted with it.” - -Buffalo Bill took the lead. - -As the two men rode along, they discussed the pursuit of the -Blackfeet, and each learned the story of the other. - -“I came here from the fort on a scouting trip,” said Buffalo Bill, -“because the Blackfeet have killed some men and have been threatening -trouble. Since I arrived, a miner was murdered and scalped on the -Baldface trail, and a sheep-herder was treated the same way over in -Los Cerillos Valley. Both were slain by Blackfeet; yet I didn’t know -whether it was simply some single Blackfoot murderer, or was the work -of Blackfeet bands of rovers. I rode out here to-day, hoping to find -out something more about it.” - -“And now y’ve found, Buffler! The red devils aire risin’, and they’re -killin’ and scalpin’. Ole Crazy Snake’s bloody arrer will be on -the breasts of a good many dead men, ef ther thing continners, I’m -tellin’ ye. I thought it war time fer me ter cut sticks, and so I -did. I’m glad I met ye, Buffler.” - -The scout recounted many of the things that had happened during the -past three days, especially the departure of young Clayton, and Nomad -told of his trapping experiences. - -“I cached what furs I’d got tergether,” he said, “when I was ready -to slide out o’ the hills. If ther Blackfeet don’t find ’em, I’ll -git ’em some time. Ther thing jes’ now is ter take keer o’ my scalp, -which is a good deal more important than a beaver skin, handsome as a -beaver skin looks.” - -He pushed back his cap and scratched at his head, as if it itched in -anticipation of a scalping knife. - -They sought lower ground as they talked, and they talked in low -tones. - -“Nomad, it’s providential that I met you,” the scout told his old -friend. - -“I dunno about it, Buffler,” said Nomad, with a grin. “If I’d gone -straight ahead ’thout tryin’ to break my trail, ole Crazy Snake’s -band would have follered me hot-footed. And so they wouldn’t never -had a chance ter see you hyar an’ put you in danger. Now they may; -fer they’ll pick up thet trail o’ mine, if mortual man kin do it.” - -With the scout in the lead, they entered the cañon. - -On the rocks just by the water they removed the mufflers from the -hoofs of the horses. The animals were then ridden into the water, the -rocky bank there holding no trail; and down the stream they rode, -keeping in the water. They went on in this way nearly a mile, and -then began to follow up a tributary stream. - -As the scout rode along, his keen eyes searching either shore, he saw -a grove of trees. There were a number of these groves in the lower -part of the cañon, whose floor was of soil in places, rather than -rock. - -“If we can get under cover of those trees without making any tracks -doing it, we can probably lie safe there,” he remarked, while Nomad -looked at the grove. - -“Ole Nebby, hyar, kin do ’most anything, Buffler, but he ain’t learnt -to fly yit. And, without flyin’, I don’t see how you’re goin’ ter -git inter the midst of them trees and leave no sign. Fer thar’s soil -hyar, and not rock.” - -“But the grass, you’ll notice, come right down to the water,” said -the scout, “and is a thick, firm turf.” - -“Go ahead, Buffler; I’m follerin’ ye. Mebbe we kin make it by -mufflering ther hoofs of ther hosses. But we can’t muffler ’em very -well hyar in ther water, and when we rides out of ther stream with -their hoofs bare they’re shore goin’ ter make some tracks.” - -Buffalo Bill rode toward the shore. - -When close to the grass, but still in the water, he rose to his -horse’s back. Standing in the saddle, with the remaining blanket from -his roll held in his hands, he threw the blanket so that it fell on -the grass at the water’s edge. It fell, folded, as he had wanted it -to; and, with a quick jump, he leaped to it from the saddle. By this -clever plan, he kept his boots from cutting into the turf and soil. - -“You’ve got a blanket, in addition to the scraps you cut the other -one into,” he said. “Throw me your blanket.” - -Nomad threw the blanket to him, and the scout spread it out beside -the one on which he was standing. - -He kept his feet off the ground, while he arranged both blankets in -the form of a carpet, which touched the very rim of the water. Then -he spoke to his well-trained horse, and the obedient animal walked -from the water out upon the carpet of blankets. There the scout put -on the animal’s hoofs the mufflers, and then commanded it to walk on, -ordering it to stop when it had gone far enough. - -“Now, Nomad,” he called, “ride old Nebby out upon this carpet, and -when we’ve put the mufflers on him I think the trick will be nearly -done.” - -Nick Nomad complied, dismounting beside his horse on the blankets. -The mufflers were put upon the hoofs of Nebuchadnezzar. Then the old -man rode him on. - -Buffalo Bill called his horse back to him, climbed into the saddle, -stooped from the saddle, and picked the blankets from the ground, and -called the trapper’s attention to the apparent success of the ruse. - -The blankets and the muffled hoofs had prevented the showing of a -single hoofmark by the margin of the stream. More than that, they had -absorbed the water which ran from the legs of the horses, sucking it -up as a sponge would, and holding it; so that not even water remained -on the grass there to draw the attention of any eagle-eyed Blackfoot. - -The scout and the trapper now rode their muffled horses into the -thick grove, where they were completely hidden from view of any one -passing along the cañon stream, or on either of its banks. - -“Buffler,” said Nomad, filled with delight at the cleverness of -his old pard, “ef I’d had head enough I might have thought o’ thet -myself; but I didn’t. But I allow thet it’s ther cutest trick I ever -saw played ter try ter fool Injuns. Whar’d yer learn it?” - -“I thought of it myself just now. I don’t know that any one ever -tried it before. And that’s what makes it valuable. If we used some -trick that is familiar the Blackfeet would probably be expecting -it, and so would not be fooled by it. They’ll not be expecting this -trick, I hope.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - THE BLACKFOOT TRAILERS. - - -Under cover of the screening trees, Buffalo Bill and old Nomad -watched the cañon and stream, while they talked of the threatened -Blackfoot war, and of their individual experiences since they had -last been together. - -“It warn’t Blackfeet we war up ag’inst last time together, Buffler, -but road agents. Pool Clayton was with us then, you recomember? D’yer -think he’ll be in this hyar neighborhood soon?” - -“I’m not expecting him this time.” - -Buffalo Bill told his old mountain pard, however, that Pawnee Bill, -the famous dead shot, was to have joined him in the town below, but -had missed him there, and would no doubt follow. - -“It’s just possible,” he had stated, “that he went round by way of -the Ferguson Trail, and, if so, he may have gained these hills in -advance of my coming; yet I think he is behind me.” - -As the two friends talked thus, Buffalo Bill laid his hand with a -quick, firm motion on Nomad’s arm. Reaching out with the other hand, -he took his horse by the nose. - -“Hist!” came from his lips. - -Nomad understood, glanced at the stream, and patted the nose of old -Nebuchadnezzar to keep him still. - -A Blackfoot warrior had come in sight on the other side of the -little cañon river. He was naked, save for a breechclout, and his -copper-colored body was smeared and striped with paint. He carried -a long rifle, and a knife, and hatchet. In his raven hair eagle -feathers fluttered, proclaiming him not only a warrior, but, with the -abundant paint, announcing that he was on the warpath. - -He had come downstream, and he was scanning the river and its shores, -and the cañon walls, together with the wider expanses where the -little groves of trees were. But most he gave his attention to the -banks of the stream at the water’s edge. - -It was plain to the experienced bordermen that if he had not tracked -the white men to the cañon and the river, he at least suspected they -had gone there, and he was looking for the point where they had -emerged. His presence was proof that other Blackfeet were near, and -no doubt a strong war party. They had chased old Nomad, and were -ready for scalps and plunder. - -The concealed friends and their horses stood motionless, as the -Indian stepped with light feet along the farther shore of the little -river. - -He was a magnificent specimen of the American Indian; lithe, as well -as muscular, his body straight as an arrow, his limbs sinewy, yet so -gracefully and evenly developed that they would have done as models -for a sculptor or a painter. Buffalo Bill looked at the Blackfoot -with admiration, regarding him at the moment merely as a fine -specimen of Indian manhood, forgetting in that momentary enthusiasm -what his appearance there meant, and what was denoted by the paint -and the floating feathers. - -The Indian stared hard at the trees which concealed the scout -and the trapper. He neither saw nor heard anything there. On the -ground between the river and the grove there was not so much as an -indentation in the soil to suggest that horses had passed that way. - -“Whoa, Nebby, consarn ye!” Nomad whispered to his horse; for -Nebby’s ears were pricked up and his big eyes were staring. Indians -frightened him, for which Nomad was responsible, for he had taught -the old horse to fear them. - -“Nebby is better’n any watchdog,” was Nomad’s boast. “No Injun kin -come nigh him without him makin’ a hullabaloo.” - -This tendency to make a “hullabaloo” when he saw an Indian had its -disadvantages at times, as at present; yet the whispered adjurations -of old Nomad, and the touch of his hand, kept the horse quiet as the -Blackfoot passed along. As for the scout’s horse, though it had not -Nebby’s peculiar tendency, there was, nevertheless, danger that it -would make a noise of some kind, hence the scout kept his hand on its -nose. - -After staring hard at the grove, and scanning the soil by the stream, -the Blackfoot went on, and soon he was lost to sight in a bend of the -cañon. - -“A close shave!” said the scout. - -“And a healthy one fer thet red nigger, Buffler,” said Nomad -meaningly. “I’d hate fer him to ’a’ smelt us out hyar, fer then I’d -had to shot him. And that would ’a’ made a tarnal noise, too.” - -“Yes; we’d have been in for a fight.” - -“Thar’s more of ’em about, Buffler.” - -“They may be a good deal scattered, though; so we may see only this -fellow.” - -“I’m hopin’ it, Buffler.” - -They saw another, in a very few seconds, on their side of the stream. -He was armed and painted like the one who had just disappeared, but -he was not so tall and handsome. His body was shorter and thicker, -his arms longer, his sheer physical strength greater. He could not -have run like the one who had just gone on, but in a rough-and-tumble -fight he would have been an enemy more to be feared. - -He not only looked at the grove where the white men were hidden with -their horses, but he walked a few yards toward it, looking carefully -at the ground. - -Once or twice he stooped down and inspected the grass; and the scout -and trapper thought then he had seen some faint indentations in the -soil, and guessed of the trick that had been played. But the redskin -retraced his way to the river, and went on, searching its shores. - -“Phew, Buffler! I thought it war fight, shore thing, then!” - -“I, too.” - -“I reckon we’re safe hyar, unless they come back and take a notion to -look behind these trees. If they does it, thar will be dead Injuns, -and fun immediately afterward.” - -The Blackfeet did not return. An hour passed, and then another, and -nothing was seen or heard; but Cody and Nomad could not be sure -that sharp eyes were not watching the cañon from some cliff or cañon -precipice; hence they remained concealed in the grove, keeping the -horses as quiet as possible, and talking only in low tones. - -Not until darkness came did they venture to leave their secure -retreat. Even then they moved with the utmost caution, leading the -horses instead of riding them, and progressing so slowly that hours -elapsed before they came out into the open country below. There the -land lay broad and free before them, and the stars pointed the way. - -Yet they did not ride toward the town. Instead, they turned back into -the hills; for the discovery that the Blackfeet had taken the warpath -under Crazy Snake made the scout fearful for the safety of a family -he knew, who lived just under the shadows of the big hills. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - THE TRAGEDY OF THE CABIN. - - -The home of John Forest was a simple and unpretentious one, but it -was lighted by the beauty of a girl whom he loved as his own life, -his daughter Lena. - -Forest was lured by that witch of the world--gold. He believed he had -found gold at the foot of Big Tom Mountain, gold in quantities to pay -not only for working the mine he soon opened there, but enough to -make him rich. He had a brother who had found good ore in a region -not many miles away, and his brother’s success encouraged him to -“stick it out” even to the bitter end. - -The country was forbidding, and the Blackfeet were not far away; -yet Forest established his home under the shadow of the mountain, -installed in it his daughter as his housekeeper, and set to work. - -Like many mines, there was far more promise in the Lady Bird, as he -called it, than there was performance. He took out barely enough gold -to give him a living and supply him with tools and blasting powder. -Daily he kept hoping to strike the “mother lode,” or a seam of gold, -or, perhaps, a pocket of nuggets. - -He paid little heed to the Blackfeet. - -As for callers or visitors, he had a few; one of them being young -Bruce Clayton, who had fallen in love with the beautiful face of the -miner’s daughter, and who came there as frequently as his new “job” -permitted. - -Down in the town of Crystal Spring, some miles away, on one of her -infrequent visits, Lena Forest learned of the trouble brewing with -the Blackfeet, and its cause. - -It was a singular story, as she regarded it. - -Some white miners had established themselves near Crazy Snake’s -village; which, to the Indian mind, was bad of itself; and then one -of the miners, falling ill of measles, and not knowing what it was, -the disease had been communicated to the Blackfeet. - -Treated by Indian medicine men, whose sole idea of medication was to -rattle tomtoms and howl themselves hoarse in efforts to drive away -malignant spirits, the Blackfeet died like flies. One of the victims -of this scourge of the measles was Crazy Snake’s only son. - -Believing that the white men had sent this curse on the Blackfeet for -the purpose of destroying them, that they might secure the Indian -lands for mining purposes, Crazy Snake and some of his warriors -attacked the miners’ camp, and slew all in it, including the man who -was ill of measles, but who was at the time convalescing. Not content -with this summary vengeance, Crazy Snake was now threatening the -white people everywhere. - -The mark of his visitation was an arrow of blood scored with a knife -on the breast of each victim. - -This was the startling story Lena Forest brought home to her father. - -“The Blackfeet will not trouble us here,” said Forest. “I don’t think -they know we’re here, anyway; for not one has come near us all the -time we’ve been here. But if trouble seems threatening, we’ll cut -out in time to escape it.” - -The truth is, that though Forest feared more than he would say, -he believed he was at the moment on the verge of opening up that -wonderful seam of gold, and the golden lure chained him there. Every -day, even every hour, he was sure that the next stroke or two of the -pick, or the next few scrapes of his shovel, would reveal the gleam -of the shining metal for which he had worked so hard! - -No, he could not go just yet, even though Blackfeet threatened. -Besides, none had been seen near the house, nor in the hills near it. -Really, he tried to persuade himself, there was no danger. - -Lena Forest, uneasy, went to the town again, to gain further news of -the threatened Blackfoot trouble. - -She learned that the danger was really alarming, and that two noted -scouts had been sent for, and had arrived--Buffalo Bill and Pawnee -Bill. Her father knew these scouts, and Buffalo Bill was his personal -friend. She tried to see them, but found only Pawnee Bill, Cody -having departed for the hills. - -Pawnee Bill advised her that it was foolish for her and her father to -remain in their exposed home at that time, and assured her he would -call on her father and tell him so. - -The girl returned home, determined more than ever to induce her -father to go at once to the town, or to some point of greater -security. - -When she rode along the path, approaching her home in the gathering -twilight, she saw before the door a form lying in a limp heap, a -sight that stilled her heartbeats and caused her to reel in her -saddle with faintness. Nevertheless, she rode up to it, and, leaping -down by it, discovered her father, dead. He had been killed and -scalped; and on his breast, where the blue flannel shirt had been -torn open, was that dreadful sight, the arrow of blood drawn with a -scalping knife. - -The girl swooned at sight of it, and fell as if dead beside the dead -body. - -How long she remained there unconscious she did not know. The stars -were in the sky and the wind from the mountain was cold when she -aroused and came back to a realization of the terrible thing that had -befallen her father and herself. - -She threw herself on the inanimate form, and wept as if her eyes were -oceans. By and by she struggled to her feet. - -Her first thought was of flight, for personal safety, and for help -for her father, whose body needed to be protected from wolves and -other wild beasts. But she discovered that she had not strength to -go anywhere; and this, with thoughts of what might happen during her -absence, held her to the dreadful spot. - -She crept at length to the cabin, where she procured a candle. With -it she returned to her father’s body. Lighting the candle, she put -it upright on the ground beside him, knowing that wolves and other -wild animals fear such a light. Having done that, she returned to the -cabin, this time thinking of finding her horse, which had strayed -away, and of riding to the town with the news. - -But she swooned again as she crossed the threshold, and fell to the -floor, where she lay a long while. This time when she recovered she -crawled to the bed, and laid herself down on it. She slept, then; -though how or why she did was afterward a puzzle to her. - -The sun was shining in through the open door when a voice, the voice -of a man, aroused her. - -She got up, wild-eyed, her dress disheveled, her face tear-stained. - -The man was Pawnee Bill, whom she had seen and talked with in the -town. He had ridden out, as he had promised, leaving the town long -before dawn, and he had seen in the trail the dead body of John -Forest, mute witness of the vengeance of Crazy Snake, the Blackfoot. -The famous scout soon saw that the girl was on the verge of a -collapse from hysteria and overwrought nerves. She screamed when -she beheld him, ran toward him with outstretched hands, and in wild -phrases began to tell him of what had occurred. - -“My dear girl,” he said, “you do not need to tell me, for I have -seen. But let me urge you to try to control yourself. I shall escort -you back to the town, and then----” - -“But my father!” she wailed hysterically. - -“All that can be done for him now will be done, let me assure you.” - -The kind-hearted scout was really at a loss what to say and do in -this dire emergency, but he induced her to lie down again on the bed; -and then he went outside, thinking to get a spade and bury the body -of John Forest. - -As he did so, he beheld two men coming along the trail. He stared, -then recognized them, and ran toward them, calling their names. - -They were Buffalo Bill and old Nick Nomad. - -It was the family of John Forest that Buffalo Bill had been anxious -to warn against the dangers of the Blackfeet. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - AN AMAZING DISAPPEARANCE. - - -Lena Forest came out of the cabin when she heard Pawnee Bill talking -with the scouts and the trapper. She recognized the scout, for once -he had called on her father, and she ran toward him. - -“Oh, if you had but been here sooner!” she wailed. - -Buffalo Bill dismounted, and Nomad did the same. - -“Yes, we came too late,” said the scout sadly. “I have been talking -with Major Lillie, and we think you should be sent at once to the -town. Major Lillie will go with you, while my old friend, Nomad, and -I will pick up the trail of the Blackfeet murderers of your father. -That’s all that can be done now, except to give your father decent -burial, which we will do at once.” - -He took the girl by the hand, and his kind words caused her tears to -flow afresh. - -“Now, if you will go back into the house and lie down again for a -while it will be better for you,” he urged. “There is absolutely -nothing you can do, and you need as much rest as you can get before -you start on your trip. We will find your horse; and, if you like, -Nomad will go in and prepare something for you to eat, or make some -coffee for you.” - -“I couldn’t eat a mouthful,” she said. - -“But you will go into the house?” he urged. - -She understood, turned about with slow feet, and disappeared within. - -Pawnee Bill found the miner’s spade and pick, and brought them out -for the purpose of digging a grave, which work he and the scout at -once began, while old Nomad set forth on Nebuchadnezzar for the -purpose of finding and capturing the girl’s runaway horse. - -Buffalo Bill and his friend worked rapidly, and soon had a grave -hollowed out. Buffalo Bill then went to the house to get blankets in -which to wrap the body for burial. - -When he entered the cabin, he was astonished not to find the girl -there. However, he thought she had but stepped out, and he went to -the door to look around. When he failed to see her, he called to her. - -To his repeated calls there was no answer. - -He stepped out of the house, and walked around it. - -Nowhere was the girl to be seen. - -There was a rear door, which was unlocked, but was not open, and a -rear window, but the window had not been disturbed. - -Cody began to search the ground quickly with his keen eyes. He saw -a moccasin track by the rear door, yet he was not sure but it had -been made at the time the master of the house had been killed. The -house had been entered then, and some things had been taken, so the -girl had declared. That more had not been taken was a marvel to the -experienced scout. - -“Gordon, come here!” he called from the corner of the house. - -Pawnee Bill dropped the spade he was wielding and came running. - -“The girl is gone,” said the scout. “I found her absent from the -house, and I fail to see her anywhere.” He looked at Pawnee Bill -earnestly. “Was her mind so affected, do you think, that she would -slip out of this back door and into the hills, there?” he asked. “If -not----” - -“What?” said Pawnee Bill. - -Buffalo Bill pointed to the moccasin track. - -“That is suggestive, if it is new; but it’s hard to tell when it was -made. The girl is gone. You heard me call to her, and she has not -appeared, nor answered. If she did not go herself, some one took her. -That’s why I asked you that question.” - -“Her mind was all right,” said Pawnee Bill anxiously. “She was -depressed and almost hysterical, but not enough so to make her run -away in that fashion, or do anything rash.” - -“Then we must investigate this moccasin track at once. You’ll see -that an Indian could have slipped up to the house from the hills, -and where we were working we could not have seen him. He could have -entered by this rear door, and he could have carried off the girl. -The question is, did anything like that occur?” - -Pawnee Bill was one of the best of the border trailers. He and the -scout bent together to examine that moccasin track, after they had -scanned the hills for signs there of Indians. - -Soon they found another track, and then another, and still another, -all leading from the rear door in the direction of the hills. - -“They’re fresh,” said Buffalo Bill, pointing to a bent grass blade, -which had been crushed so recently that sap was oozing from it. - -“And look there!” said Pawnee Bill, picking up a broken feather. - -Where the feather was found they discovered indications that a -struggle had taken place, for the grass was cut and torn, and the -footmarks did not go straight on; there had been an interruption of -the progress of the Indian. - -“It’s clear as day now,” said the scout, rising and looking about. -“Some redskin stole to the cabin while we were busy at the grave. -He had seen her enter, and discovered that he could reach the cabin -without being observed by us. The girl had lain down on her bed, and -was perhaps half asleep, or may have had her head covered up. She -did not see him, at any rate, until it was impossible for her to cry -out; though his sudden appearance may have so frightened her that she -could not utter a sound. Then he picked her up in his arms, perhaps -choking her to make her keep still, and he carried her away into the -hills.” - -His nostrils were dilating and his bright eyes had become feverish, -so strongly did this mental picture of the dastardly outrage appeal -to his sensibilities. - -“You’re right,” said Lillie. “That is an eagle feather, broken, no -doubt, when at this point the girl made a fierce struggle to free -herself. She tore out the eagle feather; but she could not escape, -for he was too strong; and then, no doubt unconscious after that, she -was borne rapidly away.” - -“That fellow can’t be more than half a mile from here even now,” -said the scout. “We’ll have to follow at once. I wish that Nomad----” - -Even before he had finished expressing the wish that Nomad was there, -they heard his shout, and saw him riding swiftly in on his old horse. - -“Injuns!” he said, before drawing rein. “They’ve captered the gal’s -hoss and lit out with it.” - -“Did you see them?” Buffalo Bill asked. - -“No; didn’t need to; but I seen what they done, and I seen their -tracks, and the tracks of the hoss. I follered on a ways, to make -shore I wasn’t mistaken, and then I rid ter tell ye.” - -“The tracks were fresh?” - -“Yes; made this mornin’. Buffler, thar’s Injuns snoopin’ round hyar, -and thet’s a fact.” - -“More than the horse is gone,” said the scout; “the girl herself is -gone!” - -Nomad stared at the scout, then gripped his rifle and stared round. - -“Tooken by Injuns?” - -“Yes; that’s what Gordon and I make of it. Here are moccasin tracks. -We think the redskin stole into the cabin while we were digging the -grave, and came on her perhaps while she was asleep. Anyway, the -thing was done so quietly we didn’t hear a sound.” - -He pointed to the tracks, and to the eagle feather. - -Old Nomad was for the moment almost too amazed to speak. - -“We’ve got ter foller her, Buffler!” - -“Yes, and at once; and I was going to say to you that if you will -finish filling in the grave of John Forest, we will follow this -trail at once. Then you can come on as fast as possible, and no doubt -you’ll soon overtake us.” - -Nomad looked earnestly at the brown hills. - -“Crazy Snake?” he said, voicing the name in the thought of each. - -“That’s our opinion; at any rate, the rascal was a Blackfoot, as the -feather and the tracks show. I hardly think he had any warriors with -him, or, at most, he must have had only a few, or he would have tried -to tackle us and get our scalps.” - -Nomad turned his horse about and rode to the grave, where he slid out -of his saddle. - -They saw him at work vigorously with the spade, as they took up the -trail, after getting their horses. - -The trail was not difficult to follow, until it entered the rocky -hills. - -They progressed slowly, however, for they could not be sure that an -ambush had not been laid for them. - -Hard as the trail was to follow in the hills, they clung to it, -finding it the tracks of but one Indian. - -After a little while it bent back in a semicircle toward the river, -this showing that the redskin had merely run into the hills to get -the benefit of their cover, and that his real destination was the -river. - -They followed on more rapidly, and some distance below, where hills -and trees would screen him from sight of any one at the cabin, they -found that his trail converged more, and then went straight toward -the cañon stream. - -Here the trail was so plain in the soft soil that they were able -to follow it at rapid speed, and soon came to the river, where they -found water on the rocks, and other evidence to show that at this -point the Blackfoot had taken to a boat. It was certain he had gone -down the river, and not up; for to go up the river would have forced -him to pass so near to the cabin that he would have been in danger -of discovery, and, besides, the work of pulling against the current -would have been no small labor. - -“We’ll have to abandon the horses,” said the scout, when they had -ridden rapidly on for a half mile or more down the river, finding the -way growing rougher, and the cañon walls contracting until the stream -became a walled torrent. - -“Or go round, which may be a long journey!” said Pawnee Bill. - -“And would be likely to let the rascally redskin slip through our -fingers. We’ll have to keep to the river, even if we are forced to -swim.” - -As they talked, they heard Nomad approaching rapidly. He had finished -his work of burying and protecting the body of John Forest, and then -had followed hard on the trail of his friends. - -It took but a few words to convey to him all that the scouts knew. - -“We want you to ride to the town for help,” said Buffalo Bill to him. -“Raise a strong force, and come on as fast with it as you can. We’ll -stick to this trail. But we’re likely to get into trouble, and we’ll -need fighting men, in my opinion, before we accomplish much. The -rascal had beaten us temporarily, by taking to the water here; and -unless we can get a boat we’re going to have hard work to overtake -him.” - -“I’m bettin’ it’s Crazy Snake!” - -“So we think, though we don’t know it. Spread the news of the rising -of the Blackfeet, and hurry with a force to help us, or avenge us.” - -The last were ominous words from Buffalo Bill, and proved that he -appreciated the dangerous character of the undertaking upon which he -now thought of entering. - -Nomad wheeled old Nebuchadnezzar in the trail. - -“Right ye aire, Buffler,” he said. “I’ll raise ther country, and I’ll -be follerin’ ye with a company of men ’fore another twenty-four hours -rolls over my head.” He stretched forth his hand. “Shake, Buffler; -and you, too, Pawnee! You’re startin’ on a dangerous trip, and I -knows it. Mebbe we mayn’t meet ag’in ever in this world. But whatever -happens, I know you’ll be found doin’ yer duty.” - -He struck his horse with the spurs, waking old Nebuchadnezzar into -renewed life. - -“Good-by!” he said. “Good luck to ye, pards!” - -And then he rode away--the wise, simple, and brave old trapper, Nick -Nomad. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - THE PRISONER. - - -Lena Forest had hardly entered the cabin and stepped toward the bed, -where, in obedience to the words of Buffalo Bill, she expected to -lie down a while, when a footstep sounded softly behind her, and a -blanket fell over her head. - -Startled and alarmed beyond measure, she yet would have cried out, -but that the blanket was drawn tightly about her mouth, and on top -of the blanket a heavy hand pressed back the words she would have -uttered. She struggled frantically, but uselessly; for she was caught -up in arms too strong for her to resist, and was carried quietly out -of the room. - -Lena soon knew she was out of the cabin, for the feet of her captor -no longer thudded dully on the wooden floor, but descended, as if -down steps, and sank in soft grass now without a sound. - -Then she began to struggle again, trying desperately to throw off the -enveloping and smothering blanket, and making so gallant a fight for -her liberty that she tore a feather from the redskin’s head. That -feather told her that he was an Indian, which was a thing she had -already guessed and feared. - -She tried in vain to scream for help when this awful fear that she -was held by an Indian became certain knowledge; but again that heavy -hand kept her from making more than a few inarticulate sounds; and -she was being borne on, she knew not where. - -She became unconscious soon, a result largely of the choking and -smothering blanket, and for a time thereafter she had no knowledge of -anything. - -When she was put down at last, arousing at the same time, she -succeeded in whisking aside the blanket. Then she saw before her a -large Indian, almost naked, smeared with paint, who was drawing a -canoe from beneath the bank, and getting it ready, apparently, for a -journey on the river that flowed before her. - -She recognized the river as the cañon stream that rolled by her home, -and she recognized this spot as one she had seen many a time, a mile -below the cabin, at a point where the walls of the cañon began to -contract on the grassy valley, in readiness for further narrowing -farther down. - -The Indian saw that she had recovered consciousness, and he swung -around, lifting his hatchet menacingly. - -“White girl no make noise!” he warned, speaking fair English. - -The desire to cry out was frozen in her heart, which was filled with -a strange terror of this painted redskin. She stared at him, as the -bird is said to stare at the snake in whose power it has fallen. - -The savage adjusted the light canoe in the water, stopping in his -work now and then to listen, as if he anticipated pursuit. - -“White girl go with Crazy Snake!” he commanded, again producing the -fear-impelling hatchet, whose bright blade glanced the sunlight like -burnished silver. To her imagination that hatchet edge was red with -the blood of her murdered father. - -She tried now to spring up, and to run; and she tried to cry out. -But Crazy Snake, with a single bound, caught her by the hair, and -threw her to the ground. He flashed forth a knife, now, and thrust it -before her terrified eyes. - -“Injun kill!” he gurgled, in a way to make her blood run cold. “White -girl want Blackfoot kill?” - -“Yes, kill me!” she said, in sudden desperation. “Nothing better -could happen to me now.” - -However, he did not put his threat into execution, for he had simply -been trying to frighten her. He lifted her in his bare, painted arms, -and deposited her in the canoe, she being too helpless from fear -and weakness to do anything to prevent this. Then he stepped into -the canoe himself, pushed it off from shore, and, seating himself -deliberately, he took up the paddle and sent the light boat skimming -downstream. - -The current began to race faster here, and this, with the strokes of -the paddle, hurled the canoe on at dizzying speed. Yet this speed was -as nothing compared with that which the canoe made later on, when it -was caught in the torrent that rushed in wild cataracts through the -pinched-in space of the narrowed cañon, where the black walls came -close together, and towered to a great height overhead. - -Crazy Snake was skillful with the paddle. The girl’s eyes were fixed -on the water ahead, and though more than once it seemed to her that -the frail craft must surely be split on some rock, with a deft turn -he guided it past the danger point, and on down the wild and tumbling -stream. - -Lena Forest tried to think with something of sanity of her condition, -and failed utterly. Horror still held her, and she came from under -its spell but slowly. - -When the rapids had been passed safely, Crazy Snake began to talk. - -“Brown Eyes know why the great Blackfoot chief, Crazy Snake, do -this?” he said, naming her thus from the color of her eyes. - -She stared at him, as if she did not comprehend his meaning, but -really because she was still too terrified to answer him. - -“Blackfeet kill man that dig for the yellow earth,” he explained. -“The yellow earth makes the white man crazy, and he steals the land -of the Indians that he may dig it. So we kill him.” - -She knew that he meant her father. - -“White men hunting for the yellow earth threw a bad spell on the -Blackfeet. The evil spirits were made mad, and killed the Blackfeet. -They died. The son of Crazy Snake died. For that we kill the white -men.” - -She was sitting in the bow of the canoe, facing him, and he stared -at her with his shining black eyes, that looked so like the eyes of -a snake. She did not wonder that he was called, or called himself, -Crazy Snake; for those snaky eyes, to her heated imagination, seemed -like the eyes of some deadly serpent. They almost fascinated her. - -“But--but why do you--take me?” she gasped at last. - -Crazy Snake gave utterance to what seemed almost a chuckle. - -“Brown Eyes purty squaw!” he said. “Wide Foot, the squaw of Crazy -Snake, is old; he take a young squaw, who is white. The white men -will be killed. But the Brown Eyes she will live.” - -The statement roused her as nothing had done since the death of her -father. - -“I would rather die!” she said. “I will kill myself rather than -become your--your wife!” - -She half rose, and in another second would have leaped into the -stream; but he stretched out his long right arm with a quick motion, -catching her by her hair, which had come unbound in her struggles -with him, and jerked her flat in the bottom of the canoe. - -“Ugh!” he grunted. “Brown Eyes fool! Brown Eyes drown herself? No, -no! Brown Eyes be the squaw of Crazy Snake.” - -She lay there, in the bottom of the canoe, cowering. - -He put the paddle into the canoe, and then lifted her to a seat, -where she sat weakly, regarding him with looks of terror and loathing. - -Then he tried to make her see that he was doing her a great favor; -for he declared again that while all the white men were to be killed, -she was to be permitted to live, and would become the squaw of a -great chief. - -She failed to see the beauty of the picture he tried to draw. She -preferred death to that. - -A little farther down the stream Crazy Snake ran the canoe ashore, -where he tied it, after sinking it. - -She had been compelled to get out, and sat on the bank watching him -sink and conceal the boat. - -“Brown Eyes go on!” he said, coming up to her. - -It seemed that her terror could go no further; but apparently it did, -when from the bushes just ahead there appeared now another Indian. - -Crazy Snake showed surprise, thus evidencing that the appearance of -this Indian was unexpected even by him. - -The Indian was a Blackfoot, and was a young man, whose head displayed -the feathers of a chief. For an Indian, he was decidedly handsome; -yet the liberal application of paint and grease to his body made him -a disgusting sight to the girl prisoner. - -His black eyes opened in wide admiration, as he looked upon her. - -“Lightfoot is a long way from the village?” said the chief, speaking -to the younger Indian, who was none other than the warrior whom the -two scouts had observed. - -“He was with the party that followed the old trapper,” said -Lightfoot. “We lost his trail and could not find it again.” - -“If the young men wish to find the old whitehead, they can do it by -going up the river.” - -Crazy Snake waved his hand in the direction whence he had come. He -led the way under the cover of the trees, and then turned to the -young Indian, who had followed silently behind the prisoner. - -At the first word it was plain that Crazy Snake had taken a new line -of thought. - -“Can the great chief trust his son?” he said, speaking in the -hyperbole characteristic of the red men, for Lightfoot was not -related to him. - -Lightfoot folded his arms upon his paint-smeared bosom and looked -Crazy Snake full in the eye. - -“The son of the great chief, Crazy Snake, has but to hear and obey,” -he said. “Let the chief speak. Lightfoot is but a child, and will -learn wisdom of the great chief.” - -They spoke in Blackfoot, of which the prisoner did not understand a -word. - -She felt so weak and trembling that she was almost on the point of -sinking to the ground. She lifted her eyes to heaven, as if praying, -and uttered a name, the name of one who, she was sure, would follow -to the ends of the earth, to rescue or avenge her, if he but knew. -And she uttered, also, the name of Buffalo Bill. - -Crazy Snake stopped the words that were on his tongue and gazed at -her in a questioning way. - -“What does the Brown Eyes say?” he asked. - -“Nothing!” she gasped. “Nothing!” - -She shook with terror. - -Crazy Snake turned again to Lightfoot. - -“The young chief is wise,” he said. “Crazy Snake is the great war -chief of the Blackfeet. His red arrow burns on the breasts of many -white men already, and its bloody fire shall strike fear everywhere. -The father of Brown Eyes wears it, and his scalp is now in the belt -of Running Deer. But the girl is to be kept in the Blackfoot village. -Crazy Snake has work to do, for the white men will gather to avenge -the death of the men who wear the crimson arrow.” - -Lightfoot stood with folded arms, listening. - -“White men, one of them Long Hair, are now pursuing Crazy Snake. So -Crazy Snake wishes to turn back; and he wishes to gather warriors, -many warriors, to oppose the white men. He would strike the cunning -white men down when they follow--strike down the thieves that steal -the lands of the Blackfeet that they may dig in it for the yellow -earth.” - -“The son of the great chief hears,” said Lightfoot, when the older -chief paused. - -“The great chief will trust Lightfoot to take the white prisoner, -Brown Eyes, on to the Blackfoot village, where she is to be held -until the coming of Crazy Snake. Does my son hear with open ears?” - -“Lightfoot hears what the great chief says.” - -The young Indian looked at the girl, who still stood trembling before -them. A sudden admiration of her beauty shone in his black eyes, but -it was not observed either by the chief or the girl. - -“Lightfoot hears, and will obey,” he repeated. - -Crazy Snake returned to the canoe, and seemed to consider raising -it and resuming the voyage down the river. But he changed his mind, -apparently, and, turning from the river, he hastened away, and was -soon lost to view. - -Lightfoot stood looking at the girl who had been placed in his -charge. - -“Come!” he said finally. “We go to the village.” - -She was listening to the retreating footsteps of the older chief. - -“No, I will not go with you!” she declared. - -Admiration showed in his eyes. But he was an Indian, and accustomed -to having women obey. He caught her by the wrist and jerked her along. - -“Come!” he said. “Brown Eyes is very beautiful. It is too bad that -she is to enter the lodge of Crazy Snake, who has a wife already.” He -was speaking to himself, for his words were Blackfoot, and she did -not understand them. “Brown Eyes is too beautiful to be the squaw -of Crazy Snake. She should mate with a younger warrior. Is it meet -that winter should marry summer? Brown Eyes is young, and she is -beautiful.” - -He stopped and stood facing her, feasting his eyes on her beauty. -There was something in his look that terrified her. She tried to -break away from him, but again he caught her by the wrist and pulled -her along when she resisted. - -“Come!” he said, and this time he spoke in English. “We go fast. -Blackfoot town long, long way. Crazy Snake say we go fast.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - WIND FLOWER. - - -Crazy Snake had told the young chief that pursuit might be expected, -and that was why he was so anxious to hurry on. He felt sure that -soon the dreaded Long Hair, as Buffalo Bill was called, would be on -his trail. Buffalo Bill’s reputation as a long-distance shot, as a -trailer, and as an enemy whose cunning and skill were marvelous, was -great among the Blackfeet. - -Because of his fear of pursuit Lightfoot stopped now and then to -listen. Occasionally, where a small hill invited, he ascended it, -dragging the girl with him, and scanned the surrounding country. - -Crazy Snake had disappeared, and even the river was not now visible, -though the black cliff walls of the cañon could be seen. - -Finally the young chief gained the point where he had left his horse -hidden. - -Lena Forest was almost exhausted by that time, through fear and -the exertions she had been forced to put forth. Lightfoot had been -merciless in dragging her on, over obstructions, across chasms and -rocky tracts, and through bushy districts where thorny shrubs tore -her clothing and lacerated her body. - -Several times she had dropped down in sheer weakness and desperation; -but at such times he had assumed the ferocity of the old chief -himself, and, drawing his hatchet, he had threatened her until she -had risen and stumbled on again. - -When the little grove was gained where his horse had been left, -Lightfoot was given a shock of surprise. The horse was gone. - -He looked about in fear and anger, his black eyes searching for -footprints of a thief and the hoofmarks of the horse. - -A rippling laugh, strange and wild, came to him from a little -distance. - -Lena Forest looked toward the point whence it emanated, and was -astounded to see an Indian girl rise there from behind a rock and -come forward. The girl seemed amused when first she appeared; but a -frown was on her brown face as she approached the girl prisoner and -the young chief. - -“The Wind Flower!” gasped the young chief, speaking below his breath. -“What does she here?” - -“Oh, mighty chief,” she said in mockery, “where is thy horse? I see -it not. The eagles must have carried it away!” - -He regarded her uneasily. “Wind Flower has taken it,” he said. “Where -has she placed it? And what does she here?” - -The Indian girl laughed again, a rippling laugh that had in it -something of the music of running water, for it seemed to bubble and -gurgle in her brown throat. Yet that suspicious and questioning light -remained in her eyes. - -“I found the horse of the great chief, Lightfoot! I am but a -squaw--not a mighty warrior and hunter. But I could have taken his -horse and ridden it far from here, if I had willed. The mighty young -chief is like the bear that sleeps when the winter winds blow; he -does not see, and he does not hear. An enemy might have taken his -scalp, as well as his horse.” - -He shifted nervously on his feet under this rebuke, and looked at her -furtively as she turned to Lena Forest, throwing out one brown hand -in a significant gesture. - -“Where is the young chief taking the white woman?” she asked, and at -the question jealousy flashed in her dark eyes. - -Lena Forest understood this language of the eyes, even though she -could not understand the words. Jealousy is the same, and expresses -itself much the same way; whether it burns in the heart of a white -woman or of an Indian maid. She saw that this Indian girl loved -Lightfoot, and guessed that she was probably his promised wife. The -discovery, if it was a discovery, gave her hope. - -She stretched out her hands to the Indian girl. - -“Oh, tell him to let me go!” she begged, in pitiful tones. “You are a -woman and can sympathize with me. Ask him to let me go!” - -Wind Flower looked at her curiously, while a red flush crept into her -brown cheeks, giving them an added beauty. - -“Why white girl here?” she said, speaking English with difficulty, -and giving the words a queer pronunciation. “Why white girl with -Lightfoot?” - -Lightfoot himself answered her. - -“It is at the order of the great chief, Crazy Snake,” he explained. -“The white girl is the prisoner of Crazy Snake. He took her from her -cabin, after the Blackfeet had killed her father, and he has ordered -me to take her on to the Blackfoot village. She is to become the -white squaw of the great chief, Crazy Snake.” - -Wind Flower looked at him so sharply that it seemed the fire of her -black eyes burned into his very soul. - -“Does the young chief speak with the forked tongue of the serpent?” -she demanded. “Does he not love the white girl, and does he not take -her for himself?” - -Lightfoot protested that this was not true, and repeated his -assertion that he was but obeying the orders of Crazy Snake. - -“Wind Flower has concealed my horse in the glen beyond?” he asked, -finding that his protestations were not without effect. - -“Perhaps it was stolen and is now far away!” - -“I know it is in the glen beyond.” - -He walked on into the glen, and there found not only his own horse, -but the one which the Indian girl had ridden. When he returned he -brought both with him. - -Wind Flower sat on a stone, regarding the white girl distrustfully, -while the latter was appealing to her with a multiplicity of words -and gestures. - -“We will go on together,” said Lightfoot, speaking to the Indian -girl. “Why is Wind Flower here, so far from the village?” - -“The chief sees the bow and the arrows on my horse,” she answered. “I -hunted the deer, and he came in this direction, so that I followed. -Then I found the horse of the young chief, and from the top of the -hill I saw the young chief and his prisoner.” - -“We will go on together,” he repeated. - -He turned his horse about and commanded Lena Forest to mount to its -back. Then he walked beside the horse, leading it, while the Indian -girl, assisting herself to the back of her own animal, rode at his -side. - -Lena Forest was buoyed somewhat with hope, since meeting this Indian -girl; she believed that one of her own sex, even though an Indian, -would be less heartless than a Blackfoot warrior. - -The horses did not go fast enough to suit Lightfoot, and he dropped -behind, and lashed them on with switches, running at their heels. - -He still was not traveling as rapidly as he desired. Fear of Long -Hair lay heavily on him. - -“Will Wind Flower stay here with the white girl prisoner of Crazy -Snake, while Lightfoot goes to the top of the hill?” he asked at -length. He gave it as an order, though wording it as a question; and -then began to climb the hill, leaving the two girls there on the -horses. In a few moments he had disappeared from sight. - -Again, with pleading words, the white girl began to beg for the -assistance of the Indian. - -A strange look was in the face of the Indian maid, and Lena Forest -believed it denoted a yielding, and so her hopes rose swiftly. - -Wind Flower drew nearer, forcing her horse close up against that -ridden by the prisoner. She stared with her black eyes into the -brown orbs of the prisoner. - -“The paleface loves the young chief?” she said, her voice tremulous. -The words were articulated queerly, but their meaning was plain. - -“No, no, no!” stammered Lena Forest. “That is a mistake. I do not -love him--I am afraid of him. I want to go to the white people--my -people. We can go now. We have the horses, and he is afoot. Let us go -now. You are a woman. Help another woman who is in trouble.” - -The black eyes looking into hers burned with a dangerous fire. - -“The white girl lies!” said Wind Flower. - -“No, no! My father was killed, and I am a prisoner. Let me go; help -me to get away.” - -“Would the white girl go to the white people?” - -“I swear it! Oh, I swear it! Help me to get away. Perhaps I can pay -you in some way! Perhaps I can----” - -“The white girl’s tongue is crooked as the tongue of the mother of -all serpents! She loves the young chief. She would take him from Wind -Flower. And for that she dies!” - -She drew a knife and struck with sudden fury at the breast of the -swaying girl before her. But her horse chanced to shift its position, -and her blow fell short. - -Lena Forest screamed in fear, and began to belabor her horse, urging -it on. - -As her horse jumped into motion, the wild thought that perhaps she -could now escape came to her; and she beat the horse with her hands -and kicked his side with her heels. He started into a quick jogtrot. - -The Indian girl rode after her, and again tried to get near enough to -strike with the knife. As she did so the bushes parted, and Lightfoot -came bounding upon the scene. - -He shouted at the furiously jealous Indian girl in anger, and, with -quick bounds, caught the horse ridden by Lena Forest, throwing it -back, with a heavy jerk on the bridle. - -“Does Wind Flower love death?” he demanded of the Indian girl, -facing her now, while holding the bridle of the horse ridden by the -prisoner. “The vengeance of Crazy Snake is keen as his scalping -knife. He will strike Wind Flower to the earth, if he knows of this. -What does my little sister mean by it?” - -The anger seemed to die out of the face of the Indian girl, to be -replaced by a look of fear. - -“The rough wind of the mountain blew on the head of Wind Flower, and -it made her wild,” she said. “But the wind has passed, and she is -well again.” - -He shot her a keen glance. - -“Be careful that the mountain wind does not strike the head of Wind -Flower again,” he warned; “it might take it off, and roll it down the -hillside!” - -He glanced back along the trail, and then at the half-fainting white -girl. He drew his hatchet and waved it in her face. - -“We go on!” he said. “But the mountain wind still blows!” - -Then he again got behind the horses and drove them on with switches, -getting increased speed out of them. - -The brown face of Wind Flower had assumed a dark, leaden hue, as wild -emotions raged and burned in her heart. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - THE FLIGHT OF THE FUGITIVES. - - -That he might hasten along faster, and at the same time conceal -his trail in the tracks made by horses that had passed, the crafty -young chief soon left the rough and rocky hillsides, and entered the -regular mountain highway that connected the town below with some of -the mines above. - -This was the trail which Lena Forest used in making her infrequent -visits to the town. And when she saw it, and knew that her captor was -intending to enter it, her hopes rose again, and gave her renewed -strength. - -Lightfoot was shrewd enough to know that since the Indian scare there -was not much likelihood that any wayfarers would be encountered -on that trail. What he feared were the men whom he believed to be -following him--Buffalo Bill and his comrades, of whom Crazy Snake had -told him, and against whom he had been warned. - -Lightfoot was light of foot, as his name indicated; in truth, he was -a copper-colored Mercury, so fleet of foot and untiring was he. Fast -as he could drive the horses on, he had no trouble in keeping at -their heels. - -He drove them down the trail, which here curved and wound round -and over the hills, dipping and rising and losing itself in many a -charming spot. - -Lena Forest looked hungrily ahead, whenever a rise of the trail gave -her an extended view, always hoping to see there white horsemen. - -At first this crafty maneuver of Lightfoot’s puzzled her, for he -seemed to be going toward the town, when she naturally anticipated -that he would wish to keep as far from it as possible. But soon -she began to understand, when she saw, by glancing back, that the -hoofprints of the horses and his own moccasin tracks were lost in the -other tracks, which, in such numbers, had beaten the ground hard as -flint. - -She saw, too, that it was probably his purpose to leave this main -trail at some point, after utilizing it all he could, and that he -would then strike again into the rocky hills, and hold his course -toward the Blackfoot village. - -The white girl and the Indian maid talked little as the horses were -thus driven on. Lena Forest had about lost hope of being able to -persuade this Indian girl to help her; and she thought it not wise, -anyway, to express her desires when Lightfoot could hear, for he had -shown a pretty clear understanding of English. - -Though the Blackfeet were now threatening a bloody war on the whites, -there had been in the recent past so much intercourse and trading -between the two races that most of the Blackfeet, men and women, had -picked up a fair smattering of the language of the white men, so that -they could understand it at least in its simpler forms. - -By and by the fear of the pursuers he believed to be following became -so strong in the mind of the young Indian chief that once more he -left his prisoner in charge of the Indian girl, and stole away for -the purpose of climbing a hill, that he might look backward over the -way he had come. - -The place selected for leaving the horses and the prisoner was a dark -hollow, where the trail made a quick bend round rocks, and where -bushes, growing in each side of the trail, made good cover. - -Those bushes shut him from sight of the prisoner and the Indian girl -almost as soon as he started on his way. - -Lena Forest was about to begin her petitions again, and was trying to -summon enough courage to try to make an escape if there was another -refusal, when the bushes near by rustled, and a young man stood -forth, leveling a revolver at Wind Flower. - -“Don’t move!” he commanded. - -The face of the girl prisoner became white as chalk when she saw him, -and she seemed about to slide in a faint from her horse; but she -maintained her balance, and whispered: - -“Bruce! Oh, save me, dear!” - -The Indian girl became rigid as stone from fear; her black eyes -opening in fright when she looked into the muzzle of that revolver. -Her lips trembled and opened, as if she meant to call for help. - -“Don’t move!” came the command again. - -The young white man, dressed in miner’s clothing, stepped out quickly. - -“Down from the horse!” he said, his voice low but commanding. - -The words were addressed to the Indian girl; and, backed by the -revolver, it seemed that she would not dare to disobey them. Yet -as she slid to the ground, she screamed aloud for help, and threw -her arms round the neck of the young white man, surprising and -handicapping him. - -That scream, and the fact that her lover, Bruce Clayton, was there to -help her, and needed help now himself, aroused the dormant energy of -Lena Forest. - -She caught the rein of her horse and jerked the animal toward the -combatants--for at the moment the white man and the Indian girl were -struggling in lively conflict--and then she tried to get down and go -to the youth’s assistance. - -The horse gave a jump, being frightened, and she fell to the ground. -This scared the other horse. He, too, gave a rearing plunge, and -went clattering down the trail, and out of sight beyond the fringing -bushes. - -“Let him go!” Lena Forest panted, as she dashed at the Indian girl. - -But Clayton had caught hold of the Indian girl, and now he threw her -from him. She staggered, and then fell to the ground. - -Clayton caught the half-fainting white girl in his arms, and in -another moment he was running with her along the trail, following the -course taken by the scared horses. - -On the hillside sounded a whoop, showing that Lightfoot had heard the -outcry, suspected something of the character of what was happening, -and was bounding down the hill. - -Clayton had a horse below, at the side of the trail, concealed in -a small grove; and for that grove he now made lively tracks. He -reached the horse, and threw his sweetheart into the saddle; then -he sprang up himself, mounting with surprising speed and agility. -Catching her close in his arms again, he drove the horse into the -trail, and sped on. - -Behind him he heard another whoop--an Indian war whoop now, telling -him that the enraged redskin was pursuing, or, at least, that he -would pursue instantly. - -Clayton lashed the horse; and, in spite of its double burden, it -fairly flew along the winding trail. - -“We’re all right!” he said to the girl he clasped in his arms. “I -don’t understand it, but you’re safe now, Lena; and I think God must -have sent me along the trail at just that time, that I might save you -from that wretch.” - -She shuddered, put her arms round his shoulders, and nestled closer -to him. - -It seemed a delightful dream--this sudden transition from her -position as the prisoner of a painted Indian into the arms of the -youth she loved, and whom she had promised to marry. - -“You’re all right now?” he demanded. - -“Yes,” she whispered; “only--only terribly frightened!” - -“Still frightened? You’re safe now as can be.” - -“I mean that I--I was frightened and I’m so weak that I don’t think -I could walk; but this is heaven, after that--after I thought I was -to be taken to the Blackfoot village, and there forced to become the -squaw of an Indian.” - -“That young Indian chief?” - -“No; Crazy Snake!” - -“The infernal villain! He was with that young chief? I didn’t see -him.” - -“But he captured me--slipped on me in the house, after father was -killed, and----” - -“Your father dead?” He was shocked at the sad news. - -“Yes--dead--dead!” She sobbed again. “He was killed by the Blackfeet, -and----” - -She choked and could not go on. - -“Tell me about it,” he urged. - -She told him, brokenly, and in as few words as she could. - -He was silent a while, his eyes fixed on the trail, and his hearing -strained backward in anticipation of pursuit. - -“I knew the Blackfeet were rising, and I heard you had been in town,” -he said. “So I thought I’d ride out, and have a talk with you and -your father; for I thought it wasn’t any longer safe for you to stay -out in that lonely place. - -“That’s how I happened to meet you on the trail. I saw the Indian -coming, driving the two horses; but, truly, I didn’t know then one of -the persons riding was you. - -“I didn’t know what to expect of the Indian; so I hid my horse in the -grove, and went into concealment myself at the bend in the trail; for -I didn’t know but I might be needed, seeing that the riders of the -horses seemed to be women. - -“When I saw that you were one of them, I was too astonished for -anything. And then the Indian went up the hill; and----Well, you know -the rest.” - -“Oh, you are so brave!” she said. - -“Not I. You see, anybody would have done that; and when I saw that -it was you, I’d have died there fighting that rascal to get you away -from him.” - -“If he gets those horses, he’ll follow us,” she said, glancing back -along the trail. - -“He’ll follow, anyway, I think, horses or no horses; and some of -those Indians can run like antelopes. The trouble is, he’s likely to -get help.” - -“He is a good runner.” - -“He didn’t insult nor abuse you?” - -“No; but I was dreadfully afraid of him. The girl was jealous of me.” - -“Jealous?” - -“The young chief is her lover, I think; and she fancied he was taking -me to his wigwam.” - -He laughed then. - -“It was no laughing matter,” she said. - -“No, of course not; very far from it. But it’s amusing to think she -could be jealous of you.” He drew rein suddenly. “Hello! There are -Indians down below. Blackfeet, too, and they’re coming this way; but -I don’t think they’ve seen us. We’ve got to leave the trail and get -into the hills here.” - -He looked for rocky ground, and drew the horse out upon it. - -The knowledge that another peril confronted her served to make Lena -Forest more courageous. She released herself from her lover’s arms, -and sat upright, shifting to a position behind him, where she would -less hamper his movements. He chose rocky ground for the horse, and -went on as fast as he could. - -“We’ll be all right until these Blackfeet meet that young chief. And -then they’ll learn about us, and, of course, will follow us at once.” - -“They’re mounted, too!” - -“Yes, on Indian ponies; and those ponies are better able to climb -about these rocky hills than this big horse is. We must get as big a -start of them as we can.” - -He drove the horse on without mercy, forcing it at a swift pace over -the rough country, trying all the time to pick ground that would -leave a poor trail. - -As they thus rode on they heard the wild war whoops that announced -either their discovery, or that the Indians had encountered the young -chief, Lightfoot, and learned from him what had occurred. - -“Now, we must ride--ride!” said Clayton, and he bent forward in the -saddle, lashing the horse on, and using the spurs mercilessly. - -Again the wild yells of the Blackfeet broke forth. - -“They may be yelling for some other reason,” she said, trying to -encourage her lover. - -“Yes; they may have sighted Cody and Pawnee Bill,” he assented. -“There’s no telling; but they’ve struck something, some trail or some -enemy, and, like a pack of hounds when the game is scented, they -can’t help yelping.” - -The path grew rougher, if that can be called a path which was more -than half the time but a broken game trail, that played out and began -again in the most eccentric manner. They had gained a high shoulder -of the hills, and below them lay open country, that stretched on into -illimitable distances, where there was much coarse grass. - -“There is one way of defeating those scoundrels--of keeping them from -seeing our trail,” said Clayton, at last; “and that is to burn it.” - -“Burn it?” - -“Yes; ride down into that, and fire the grass, and then make our -flight behind the fire and the smoke.” - -“And have the fire overtake us and burn us to death! But try it; I’d -rather be burned to death than to fall into the hands of those awful -and merciless Blackfeet.” - -He guided the horse down the slope and on toward the grassy levels -that lay beyond. Ten minutes later he was well out in the grass. - -Here he stooped from the saddle, pulled a handful of dry grass, to -which he applied a lighted match, and then threw it down. - -While he did this the horse stood panting, sweat dripping from it. - -Young Clayton had seen that he must do something desperate, if he -escaped the Blackfeet; and this was the thing he was now to try. - -The burning grass communicated fire to that surrounding the horse. -Clayton sent the animal on, and with a few leaps it left the -conflagration behind it. - -The remarkable manner in which the fire spread through the dry grass -was worthy of comment. It flamed up with a roar. Seeming to create a -wind from the rising currents of heated air, the fire began to run -before the breeze, leaping along in an amazing way. - -It spread round from the spot where it had been started, burning -backward toward the hills and outward in the direction taken by the -horse. - -“Now, for a race!” thought Clayton, struck by a sudden fear, as he -saw how fast the fire was spreading. “Maybe that will be worse to get -away from than the Blackfeet; and if anything should happen to the -horse we’ll have to run for our lives!” - -He voiced none of this to the girl. - -“The Blackfeet haven’t been sighted yet,” he said to her. “They’ll -know, of course, or guess, that we’ve taken to the grass, and set it -on fire; but after that black smoke gets to rolling and the fire to -running good, it will be hard for them to tell where we have gone, -and I defy them to follow our trail after the fire has burned the -grass.” - -Before he had ridden a mile the fire was flaming in high billows -behind him, and the smoke, black and thick, filled the sky. - -Clayton began to be somewhat alarmed. - -In desperation he had entered this grassy land and had fired the -grass, but he seemed not to have bettered his position, in spite of -the blaze. Indeed, if the fire ringed him in, or overtook him, his -situation would be worse than before. - -Though his face paled, he spoke hopefully to the girl who clung to -him. - -The Blackfeet were still unseen; and, indeed could hardly have been -seen now through the pall of smoke and the billowing flame, even if -they had come riding straight down from the hills in chase. - -The horse was a gallant animal, and was standing up splendidly to the -work, yet the strain was beginning to tell. Its sides were heaving, -its head was sunk low, and its whole body was covered with a white -lather of sweat. Its nostrils gaped wide and red as it plunged onward. - -If the horse had been fresh, the hopes of Bruce Clayton would have -mounted high, for its gait was faster than the running advance of the -fire; but the horse was becoming exhausted. It had been tired even -before he encountered the young Indian chief, and since then he had -driven it hard. - -Three miles away, and lying along the rocky rim of the cañon which -held the river, was a long strip of woodland. - -On the other side were the hills. - -The open, grassy country lay straight ahead between these two. - -The speed of the fire, as it now pursued him, admonished Clayton -that safety demanded he should not hold to the straight-ahead line. -The fire would run on indefinitely, but the horse could not do so. -The Indians were in the hills when last he heard them; and for that -reason chiefly he turned the horse toward the distant fringe of -timber. - -“We can make those trees without trouble, I think,” he said, -encouraging the girl, whose terrified backward glances he had -observed. - -“But the fire is coming very fast!” she said. - -“And we are riding fast!” - -“But it is gaining on us. The horse has lost speed in the last mile. -The poor thing is exhausted.” - -“Still, I think we can reach those trees. We’ve got to do that.” - -The horse stumbled, bringing a cry from the girl; but righted, and -galloped heavily on. Soon it stumbled again. - -Then before them they beheld a yawning rent in the earth, like a -large and deep ditch. It was in fact a dry waterway, cut by rains -that came in some torrential storm down from the hills. It was -impossible to go round this gap in the earth. - -Driven by spur, whip, and voice, the tired horse tried to leap it. -It rose in the air, making a gallant effort, but lacked strength to -carry it across, and went falling down, down, into the great gully. - -Lena Forest screamed as the horse took that plunge. - -Clayton gripped tightly the rein, caught hold of the horn of the -saddle, yelled for the girl to cling to him, and steadied himself for -the shock of the fall. - -The horse struck with stunning force, and rolled over, throwing the -girl to one side. - -Clayton was hurled from the saddle over the horse’s head, where he -lay, unconscious and white-faced. - -Lena Forest scrambled up unhurt, but dazed and frightened. Then she -screamed again, as she saw Bruce lying there as if he were dead. - -And on came the fire, roaring and writhing, shooting up crackling -flames that seemed to laugh in glee, as if they realized the terrible -predicament of the girl and her brave lover. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - THE SCOUTS’ PURSUIT. - - -Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill, or Kulux-Kittibux, as he was known -among the Indians, after the departure of Nick Nomad, began a search -along the cañon stream. They left their horses behind them, for the -ground was too rough for a horse to get over it. - -The thing for which the eagle eyes of the scout were searching was -seen by him at last, when he began to despair of finding anything of -the kind. - -“There it is, Gordon,” he said, pointing. - -What seemed a foot section of twisted vine rose from the water, and -was wound in the most natural manner round the root of a tree. - -Buffalo Bill scrambled toward it, and soon had his hand on it. - -“Yes, just as I thought,” he said, and he began to pull on the thing. - -Soon it lengthened, and a sunken canoe rose into view. It had -been sunk cleverly there by its Indian owner; and the painter of -time-stained rawhide, twisted round the root in imitation of a vine, -the Indian had felt sure could not be distinguished from an actual -vine. - -The canoe was drawn from the water, and the water poured out of it. -Then the two friends entered it. Buffalo Bill took up the paddle that -had been lashed to the canoe, and turned the bow down the stream. - -They ran the rapids successfully. - -Because of the speed with which the current hurried them on, and also -because of the cleverness of Crazy Snake, they did not see where -he had concealed and sunk the canoe in which he had gone down the -stream; but swept on past it, and soon again were in rapids that bore -them farther and farther from that spot. - -Finally they abandoned the canoe, after sinking it and marking the -place, and went along the banks of the cañon stream, trying to find -the trail of Crazy Snake. - -“He’s been too much for us,” the scout admitted, when, after long -searching on either shore, and for a long distance up and down the -river, they were still in the dark. “The rascal was Crazy Snake, I -don’t doubt; and he’s one of the cleverest and least crazy of all the -Blackfeet.” - -As they continued this search, they saw black smoke roll up from the -wide stretch of low grassland that fell away from the foot of the -hills. - -Trees and hills intervened to keep them from at once seeing the fire -which gave birth to the smoke. - -When they climbed a hill, and the scout leveled on the grassland his -field glasses, the smoke and fire had attained such volume that the -fugitives riding away before the flames were not visible to him. - -Nor could he and Pawnee Bill detect any Indians out there, or in the -hills adjacent. - -“What’s the meaning of it, Cody?” Pawnee Bill asked. - -The scout could not tell him. There were many ways in which such a -fire might have started. - -The thing was so suggestive, however, that the scouts hung about the -edge of the grassland, close down by the river, a long time, looking -for Blackfeet along the slopes of the hills. - -At length they were astonished by seeing a young man come staggering -out of the cañon and running toward them. - -He had seen them, and was trying to reach them. As he drew nearer, -they saw that his face and hands were blackened, as if by fire or -smoke; and he not only staggered, but fell, as he came on. - -“Blackfoot deviltry, I reckon!” said Pawnee Bill. - -They ran to meet the young man. - -Pawnee Bill now recognized him as the thoroughly reformed youth he -had met in the town the day before, and with whom he had talked on -the subject of a probable Blackfoot uprising. - -“Why, it’s Clayton,” he said. “Pool Clayton. He’s hurt, I think.” - -Clayton was gasping from the effects of his violent run. As soon as -he reached them he began to tell his story, and it amazed them: - -“The girl whose father you were burying,” he said; “the girl who was -carried away by Crazy Snake from the cabin, she----” - -He stopped, choking for breath. - -“Yes; go on!” the scout begged. - -“I found her in charge of a young Indian called Lightfoot, who had an -Indian girl with him; and I took her away from them. They followed -us, and other Blackfeet chased us. We took to the grass country, -which I fired, thinking thus to hide the trail of my horse. We were -both riding one horse. But the horse was weakened by the long run -from the fire, and finally fell into a deep gully, in trying to leap -it. - -“I struck on my head, and didn’t know anything for a while. When -I came to myself the girl was gone. I couldn’t find any trail, or -anything; and I don’t know what became of her, or what to make of it. -The girl was Lena Forest, and she said you----” - -He stopped again, coughing and out of breath, but he had told enough -to stir them into the most intense interest. - -“Guide us to that gully,” said Buffalo Bill. - -They started at once, Clayton, telling more of his story as they -hurried on. - -His smoky, grimy appearance was caused by the fact that in reaching -them he had passed through a portion of the burned area. - -He conducted them as quickly as possible down the cañon, and then out -into the burned grassland, to the spot where his horse had tried to -leap the deep gully, and had fallen into it. - -The horse was found there, dead, for in its fall it had received -injuries which killed it. - -Clayton and the scouts, in gaining this spot, followed the gully from -the cañon, thus remaining below the level of the grassland; a fact -they counted on to keep them out of sight of any Blackfeet in the -hills. - -The young man showed them where he had fallen, and where he had -searched, after his return to consciousness. - -They took up the work where he had dropped it, giving to it their -great skill. - -There were no tracks visible at first in the burned grass; but when -they had gone up the gully some distance they found an Indian trail. -Two pairs of moccasins had come down from the hills to that point, -where they had entered the gully. - -As they had not climbed out of the gully on the other side, it was -certain they had either gone back, or up or down it. - -They had not gone back, and the scouts began to search the gully -closely. - -Then they found faint traces of the moccasin tracks on the hard soil, -with the toes pointing down the gully. - -Following this faint trail, they discovered that the Indians had -reached the point where now lay the dead horse. - -The rest was plain. They had captured the girl and taken her on with -them; and, being in a hurry, through fear, perhaps, they had not -stopped to scalp the young white man who lay there unconscious, and -whom no doubt they thought dead. - -“They went with her to the cañon,” was the declaration of Buffalo -Bill, when he had spelled this out from the dim writing in the soil -of the gully. - -They hastened on to the cañon, and soon reached it. - -The stream roared and raced before them. - -On the opposite side was a high, unscalable wall, showing -conclusively that the Indians and their prisoner had not gone that -way. - -“Gone downstream,” said Buffalo Bill; “and, of course, they went in -a canoe, for they couldn’t have done otherwise.” - -There was nothing to do now but to retrace their way to where the -scouts had sunk the Indian canoe, raise it, and set out down the -river, following the blind water trail taken by the Indians and their -captive. - -The mental state of young Clayton may be imagined while this search -was being made, and now when this canoe pursuit was begun. Yet he -tried to be hopeful, and he was resolutely courageous. - -He crouched in the stern of the canoe, wishing that he had in his own -hands the stout ash blade which the scout was wielding so skillfully -in the bow. He felt that the speed of the canoe was slow, very slow, -though it was going as fast as the nature of the channel warranted. - -Rocks jutted up in the stream here and there, and at sharp bends the -rocks at the sides threatened the canoe as it swung round them. - -Buffalo Bill gave his sole attention to the stream and to the paddle. - -The other scout kept his keen eyes busy in searching the walls and -the shores and the stream ahead, lest the canoe should be run into an -ambush. - -Soon the speed of the canoe ought to have satisfied even the wild -anxiety of the young lover. The current had quickened again into -cataracts that tossed and hurled the little craft about as if it were -but an eggshell. The rate at which it flew on was enough to take the -breath of the canoemen. - -Buffalo Bill poised and dipped his paddle with rare skill. It needed -a good eye, a strong arm, and a steady brain, and he had all three. - -A rock reared itself in the center of the stream, and the current -threw the canoe at it, as if to split it in two; but the unerring -paddle swept the canoe to one side, and the dangerous rock shot past, -with the water boiling white round and over it. A swift turn of the -channel threw the canoe over against the wall of dark granite, as if -to smash it there; but again the paddle urged it back into the middle -of the boiling water, and held it there, as it sped on with arrowy -swiftness. - -The cañon walls came closer together, pinching in, confining the -water, and increasing the strength of the current. The waterway grew -dark, as if enveloped in twilight; yet the white water swirling and -boiling over and round sharp, up-thrust rocks could still be seen, -wherever the rocks lifted themselves like hungry teeth. Around these, -dipping and paddling lustily, the scout guided the dancing canoe. - -Clayton was hanging on as if for dear life, for now and then the -canoe rose into the air and gave a leap as it took some cataract and -shot on, the waters roaring about the canoe in a fearful din. - -At last the cañon opened, brightening ahead; and soon the worst of -the perilous way was past, with smoother water opening before them. - -Pawnee Bill watched keenly for some indications on the shore that -would show that the captors of the girl had left the river with her -here. - -The boat moved on more slowly, to enable him to do this; but no -signs of such a disembarkation were to be seen. - -Soon before the canoe loomed the darkness of another narrow reach of -the cañon. - -“Shall we go into it?” the scout shouted. - -“Yes,” said Pawnee Bill. “They haven’t landed here; so they must have -gone on.” - -The canoe shot, with dizzying swiftness, toward the dark opening, -the current again running beneath the keel with race-horse speed, -requiring, for the safe management of the canoe, all of Buffalo -Bill’s marvelous skill with the paddle. - -It was seen, when they were fairly in the dark opening, that here the -cañon roofed itself overhead; so that the river ran through a black -tunnel, making thus practically an underground river. - -Neither of the three men had ever been on this part of the river -before; but Clayton recalled what some of his former associates, the -outlaws, had told him of an “underground river,” called the Bitter -Water, that cut through a cañon in these mountains. He knew now that -he was afloat on that underground stream. - -What the result would be he could not foretell. But he recked not of -the danger. If Lena Forest had been taken through it, he would not -hesitate to follow; no, not even if it led him to death. - -“Hold hard!” Buffalo Bill shouted, for the canoe was jumping and -bucking like a wild horse. “Hold hard!” - -Pawnee Bill could not use his eyes to much advantage in a search of -the black walls; and as for the young man, he had all he wanted to -do to cling to his place as the canoe flew on. - -The darkness became like ink, showing that the river was here -completely walled in; and it seemed to him that the water grew -rougher, while certainly its roar was much louder, due to its -closed-in condition. The roar was thunderous now. - -But on the canoe went, through the darkness and the howling noise, -whether to destruction, or to be guided through to safety, Bruce -Clayton could not tell. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - AGAIN A PRISONER. - - -Lena Forest had been recaptured by the handsome young chief, -Lightfoot. By hard riding, he and a comrade had circled round the -eastern end of the line of fire, only to find their horses exhausted -by the terrible run and themselves driven back by the flames. - -They abandoned their horses, and when the fire died down along the -edge of the rocky hills, they set out across the burned area on foot. - -They had become separated from the other Blackfeet, also, in the wild -chase. Lightfoot had lost sight of the young Indian girl, Wind Flower. - -His present companion was a young brave who stood ready to yield him -obedience as a chieftain of the Blackfoot nation. With this young -warrior, whose name was Red Antelope, Lightfoot came finally to the -gully. - -They could not leap it because of its width, and this fact induced -the young chief to think that perhaps the horse of the white man had -not been able to get across. - -To break their trail, Lightfoot descended, with his companion, into -the gully; and then they went on down, until they reached the point -where Clayton’s horse had fallen. - -They saw the girl bending over the prostrate youth, and the horse -lying dead. She did not see them, so wrapped was she in her grief and -in her frantic efforts to restore life to the seemingly inanimate -form of her hero. - -Under the conditions, they had no trouble in approaching her and -making her again a prisoner. - -Lightfoot was on the point of lifting the scalp of the apparently -dead white man, when a sound off in the distance made him think that -enemies were near and haste was desirable; so he caught up the girl, -and, with the aid of Red Antelope, bore her hastily toward the cañon. -There they brought to light a sunken canoe, which they emptied of its -water, and set out down the cañon stream in it, taking the helpless -and almost insane white girl with them. - -Of the running of the cañon river, Lena Forest had afterward no -very clear recollection. That recollection was like the memory of a -hideous nightmare. The flying canoe, the water that boiled round the -sharp rocks, the black shadows and the blacker cañon tunnel, together -with the painted faces and half-naked bodies of her Blackfeet -captors, were things and shapes of terror from which she shrank in -fright, cowering, and covering her eyes. - -Her strength and the temporary heroism she had shown when with her -lover had gone. She felt that death was better than this; and once, -in her despair, she would have thrown herself into the river, if Red -Antelope had not restrained her. He threw her down in the bottom -of the canoe, with a cry of warning and anger, and then swung his -hatchet menacingly before her terrified eyes. - -Lightfoot, wielding the paddle, grunted assent to this threat. In -his eyes, a squaw should be made obedient, and fear and threats were -good weapons for that purpose. If an Indian squaw was disobedient to -her lord and master, she was flogged; and he, without compunction, -would have applied a whip to this white girl, if he had thought it -necessary. Women were wholly inferior creatures, and they might be -stolen as a horse is stolen; and if so stolen, they belonged by right -to the one who thus carried them away. It was Indian custom, and to -the Indian mind that made it right. - -So they gave scant attention to the tears and entreaties and the -pitiful terror of the white girl thus dragged into a horrible -captivity. Tears did not kill women. In their opinion, tears and -crying were good for them; they often made the eyes brighter and -washed the dust of the prairie from smooth brown cheeks! - -After the passage of the underground river, the canoe shot out into -comparatively placid water, with green banks on each side, between -which it floated, until soon Blackfeet horsemen were seen, off on the -right bank. These horsemen brandished lances and yelled as they came -riding wildly toward the canoe. - -Lightfoot stood up, waving his paddle, and then his hand. - -He was immediately recognized. With a thunder of hoofs, and more -yelling, the wild horsemen drew up on the bank as the canoe was shot -to land. - -Lena Forest, white-faced and fearful, regarded this array of naked -warriors with dismay. But her heart was already broken, because of -her belief that her lover was dead. If these Indians would only kill -her, she would not object, she thought. She feared captivity and -Indian cruelty more than she feared death. - -The horsemen were a part of Crazy Snake’s band. As for that chief, -he was absent, and was said to be gone to get more warriors, with -whom to resist the white men in the fight that all believed would now -surely come. - -Lightfoot, standing up in the canoe, with paddle raised, pointed to -the prisoner. - -“She is to be the squaw of Crazy Snake!” he said, in order to settle -that matter once for all, as he saw a number of the younger warriors -regarding her with admiring looks. “Crazy Snake placed her in my -charge, to take to the village; and with Red Antelope I have got her -thus far.” - -In imperfect English he now ordered her to get out of the canoe. - -When she did not move quick enough to please him, he caught her by -the hair and half dragged her out. - -Some of the warriors laughed, as if pleased, when this brutal -treatment brought from her a cry of pain. - -“We wait here for Crazy Snake,” one of the braves informed Lightfoot. -“He was to meet us here with more warriors. What word comes from the -white men?” - -Lightfoot told them as much as he knew, or as much as he cared to -tell them. - -There were no lodges here, and but a temporary camping place had been -made. The girl prisoner sat on the ground, in the blazing heat of -the sun, without shelter. - -The warriors gathered around her, some with blankets drawn about -their shoulders, but most of them only in war paint and feathers. -They were merely disgusting brutes to her. Whatever others might see -in them that was picturesque and attractive, she saw none of it. -They were of the men who had murdered her father, and had taken her -captive, and now held her here in their midst. - -But most she thought of the fate of her lover, whose body, as she -believed, had been left in that gully in the midst of the burned -grasslands. - -What the future held for her she shuddered to think, but she knew -that death would be preferable to continued captivity with these -savages. - -The Blackfeet watched the shores of the stream and the cañon a while, -and also stationed warriors on the tops of the hills to report the -approach of any one. They were waiting the arrival of Crazy Snake. - -When he did not come as soon as anticipated, they made hasty -preparations for departure, intending to ride farther down the stream -to the Indian village. The white prisoner was to be placed there, and -there were other reasons which now induced them to make this retreat. -So far, no white men had been sighted by them. - -Lena Forest had been anxiously hoping to learn that white men were -coming, but her hope of that died away when she was placed on the -back of a pony and was again borne away. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - THE WILD RANGE RIDERS. - - -The men whom old Nick Nomad gathered about him in the town were a -wild-looking lot, yet typical of the border, particularly in the old -days when Nomad was younger and was noted as one of the most fiery of -the frontier Indian fighters. - -Luck favored him, for there had come into the town of Crystal Spring, -at the base of the mountains, a band of old-time bordermen, hunters, -trappers, and wild-horse catchers, with whom he was personally -acquainted. - -It had been Nomad’s intention to pick up a company of men in the -town, merchants, clerks, school teachers, stage drivers, bartenders, -gamblers, anything he could get, even though he had small faith in -the fighting spirit of a company thus collected. - -But that intention was set aside when he saw Lawler and his wild -range riders; and when they enrolled under him, as they did as soon -as they understood his need and heard his appeal, the confidence of -the old trapper rose many degrees. - -“Waugh!” he said, seizing the hand of Bill Lawler himself, and -shaking it as if it were a pump handle. “This hyar makes me think er -ther time me an’ a lot of the boyees give ther Snake River Injuns -sech a hustle. Lawler, ’twar Providence, and no mistake, thet sent -you hyar now.” - -He had fought Indians with Lawler, and had trapped and hunted with -him; and this was true of many of the men who had come into Crystal -Spring with Lawler. - -As has been said, they were a wild-looking lot, as they gathered -round old Nick Nomad and heard his story; and they declared their -intention of “wiping out” the Blackfeet, if that were necessary. -Among their arms, old-fashioned firearms prevailed, together with -fringed hunting garments and beaver-skin caps. They carried hatchets -and knives, after the Indian fashion, and the horses they rode were -small, wiry Indian ponies. - -Some of them had been drinking in the saloons, before the old trapper -arrived and made his call for volunteers, and these hilarious ones -were for riding straight to the Blackfoot village and sweeping it out -of existence with fire and pistol. - -“No!” said Nomad. “We goes fust thing ter Buffler, and then we does -what he says. And I thinks we can’t git ter him any too quick ter -please him.” - -Night was at hand by the time Nomad had guided these wild range -riders to the point where he had left Cody and Pawnee Bill. - -Neither was there, and he had hardly expected that either would be. -Nevertheless, the fact of their absence made it impossible for Nomad -and his company of Indian fighters to push on during the darkness. -They did not wish to overrun the scouts, who were supposed to be -in advance, and Nomad was anxious to halt there, for the coming of -Buffalo Bill. - -The range riders sprawled themselves for the night along the edge of -the hills, with the cañon river roaring noisily below them. - -No fires were built and no lights were shown. Guards were stationed. -They were in the Blackfoot country now, and a night surprise was a -thing to be watched against. Through the night sentries kept sharp -watch; but the night passed without excitement or incident of any -kind. - -When morning dawned, with no enemy in sight, many of the range riders -clamored to be led to the Indian village, which they desired to -attack in their wild Bedouin fashion. But old Nomad had been with -Buffalo Bill too much to believe that he would approve of a thing of -that kind, and he held back the eager rangers. - -“Waugh! I’ll take a look round,” he said, “and see what’s ter be -seen, and mebbe diskiver what’s best ter be did. I’m lookin’ fer -Buffler now ever’ minute. Ef he don’t come, then we’ll move on down -ther stream, and try ter hit his trail and foller it.” - -He rode away in the gray dawn on Nebuchadnezzar, promising to be back -soon. - -“I ain’t got no use fer Injuns no more’n they have,” was his thought, -“and I’m agreein’ with ’em that ther only good Injun is a dead -Injun; but, jes’ ther same, I knows thet Buffler would git hotter’n -a limekiln ef I should let them wild men charge ther Blackfeet, as -they want ter do. Ef Buffler’s fell inter ther hands of ther cusses, -why, then thet’s diff’runt; thet puts ther responsibility and their -commandin’ onter me. I reckons ef thet _has_ happened, we’ll be -obleeged ter charge ther reds, and wipe ’em out, ’specially if -they’ve done any wickedness ter Buffler.” - -He passed on down the cañon trail a long distance, looking carefully -about, and searching for “sign.” - -He saw pony hoofs and moccasin tracks, but they had been made early -the day before, he judged, which indicated that the men and horses -that had made them were not near. - -Yet old Nomad was mistaking and underrating Blackfoot cunning in -that; for, as he passed on, scanning the ground and glancing his -keen, old eyes along the hills, a number of Blackfeet were watching -him. - -They were under the leadership of Crazy Snake, as cunning a rascal as -had ever crept, serpentlike, through the defiles of those hills. - -There was nothing crazy about old Crazy Snake but his name. He -was shrewd, cunning, remarkably clear-headed for an Indian, and, -altogether, a dangerous redskin. The name had been given him because -of his ferocity in a certain battle, when, surrounded by an attacking -party of Cree Indians, he had fought his way through and escaped, -after killing and wounding many of them; he had fought as if he were -a crazy snake, and that was his name ever after. - -Crazy Snake was now just back from the trip he had made a number of -miles to the northward, having made a headlong ride for the purpose -of getting help from the Blackfoot village that lay at the big sink -of the Powder River. He had secured the warriors he had gone for, -and they were with him, and he was now on his way to the lower -village--his own village--where he meant to make a mighty resistance, -if the white men came there to attack him. - -When he saw, in the trail below, the old trapper jogging along on his -old horse, Nebuchadnezzar, he knew from Nomad’s manner that he was -searching for some trail, or for Indian “sign.” - -Crazy Snake knew, too, that this old trapper was the friend and pard -of the wonderful Long Hair, so feared by all the Western Indians. - -When he had determined the direction that Nomad would take, Crazy -Snake slipped away with several of his best warriors, and hastened -to put himself and them in front of the trapper, in an endeavor to -ambush him. - -Nomad, however, turned around, as if he smelled the trap that was -laid for him; and, after jogging along a short distance, disappeared -from sight of the Blackfeet. - -He had struck a trail that excited his curiosity. It was the plain -trail of a white man, and the white man seemed to be wounded, or -suffering. The tracks wavered here and there. - -“Got an Injun arrer in him, I’m guessin’,” was Nomad’s opinion. -“’Tain’t Buffler’s trail, ner Pawnee’s; and I dunno who it kin be. -But whoever he aire, he aire white; and I’ll see what’s the meanin’ -of it.” - -The trail was fresh and plain, and he followed it rapidly. - -It did not take him long to come in sight of a small hut half hidden -under a projecting ledge. The door was open, and the wavering trail -led through the grass straight up to it. - -“Some fool miner’s camped down hyar, and didn’t know thet ther -cussed Blackfeet aire threatenin’ all white men’s ha’r!” was Nomad’s -conclusion, as he left the trail, dismounted, and then approached the -house carefully from the rear, looking into the hut through the one -small rear window. - -A man lay on the floor by the door, seeming to have fallen there -through sheer weakness. - -Nomad immediately went around to the door. - -“Hello!” he said, stepping within. “Got some Injun lead in ye?” His -tone changed to astonishment. “Bill Givens!” he cried. “Waugh! Ole -pard, what’s ther meanin’ o’ this?” - -The meaning of it was that Bill Givens, an old acquaintance of -Nomad’s, was ill of measles, and in a dangerous condition. He had got -home, and tried to get into the house and on his bed, but had fallen -on the floor. - -Nomad knew what the trouble was as soon as he looked in Givens’ -splotched and fevered face; but he had no fear of measles; and, -picking Givens up, he put him on the narrow bed, and then tried to do -something for him to make him comfortable. - -“Been ground-hoggin’ out hyar by yerself, eh? Tryin’ ter git some of -the yaller gold thet everybody ’lows these hyar hills aire sloppin’ -over with, eh? Waugh! You’d ought to ’a’ got out o’ this ’fore ther -measles hit ye, fer ther Blackfeet aire thick as flies round hyar, -and aire likely ter make trouble.” - -He was puzzled as to what he should do. - -When he had worked over Givens a while, and had poured some hot water -down his throat, water heated in the tiny fireplace, Givens came, in -a measure, to himself. - -He knew that Blackfeet were around in that locality, and now, seeing -and recognizing his old trapper pard, he begged Nomad to take him -down to the town, or at least away from the cabin so surrounded by -Indian perils. - -“It’s resky, but not so resky as you stayin’ hyar, even if somebody -stayed hyar with ye, Givens,” said Nomad. “I reckon I kin help ye -stick ter ther back of my ole hoss, and we’ll git ye back to whar -ther rangers aire waitin’, and then have some of ’em stay by ye, er -git ye to ther town. I never deserts an ole pard, Givens, and I’ll -not desert you.” - -Nomad got Nebuchadnezzar, and with some difficulty helped the sick -man to mount to the horse’s back. Then he took the rein, and, with -Givens swaying weakly in the saddle, he set out with him, striking -the backward trail and hurrying on toward the camp of the rangers. - -Meanwhile, Crazy Snake had not been inactive; he had drawn his cordon -of Blackfeet warriors and descended into the trail. - -Suddenly rifle shots rang out and bowstrings twanged. - -Givens fell, with a bullet in his brain, tumbling heavily to the -ground. - -Bullets cut through Nomad’s clothing, and an arrow struck and stuck -in his beaver-skin cap, its feathered end projecting from the fur, -forming a strange-looking plume. - -Nomad tried to turn Nebuchadnezzar around in the trail, but the -Blackfoot rush was made too quickly; and, though he went down -fighting, he was subdued, and made a prisoner, being beaten to the -earth before he submitted. - -Nebuchadnezzar pawed and squealed, rushed on the Blackfeet with -his greenish teeth clicking and snapping, and lunged out with his -twinkling heels; but Nebuchadnezzar, too, was made a prisoner. - -Nomad’s effort to aid a needy friend had made him a prisoner of the -Blackfeet. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - AGAIN ON THE TRAIL. - - -Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill floated on down the cañon river until -they came to the open land beyond the “tunnel,” where they discovered -indications that Blackfeet had been on the shores there not long -before. - -This made them wary; they could not be sure that all the Blackfeet -were gone. Accordingly, they concealed their canoe, and searched the -ground along the shore. - -Bruce Clayton was with them, using his eyes as well as he could, but -unable to “read” what he saw on the ground, seeing but hoof marks of -horses, and some moccasin tracks in the damp soil by the margin of -the river. - -“They have retreated toward the village,” said Buffalo Bill. “Their -village lies farther down the stream, and they have gone in that -direction. The girl was taken with them, evidently.” - -Clayton wanted to hurry on and do something at once to rescue -her, but the wary scouts were not sure this was wise. They feared -ambushes, and knew, also, that they were not in force strong enough -to take the girl from the village. Whatever they did they must do by -craft. - -Aside from this, Buffalo Bill was expecting soon the coming of old -Nick Nomad, who had gone for assistance. - -He now sent Pawnee Bill back to meet Nomad’s force and guide it on, -and, with the anxious young lover, he began to follow the trail of -the Blackfeet. - -Avoiding all ambushes and pitfalls, but making slow progress, the -scout and his young friend reached the vicinity of the Blackfoot -village by the middle of the afternoon. - -From a hillside some distance away the scout surveyed it with his -glasses, and saw that the village was in a state of commotion. - -“Impossible to do anything right now,” was his conclusion. “The -warriors we’ve been following are there, and the village is aroused -and is being put in readiness for a fight. It would be as much as our -lives are worth if we should try to penetrate it now. We’ll have to -await the coming of Nomad, and whatever help he has got together.” - -“Perhaps I could go in after dark,” said young Clayton rashly. - -“We’ll see,” was the answer. “Nomad may get here by, or before, that -time.” - -But Nomad did not come. - -When darkness had settled over the earth the scout tried to enter the -village, but was driven back by the keen-nosed dogs, that swarmed -everywhere, watchful and hungry as wolves. - -“If only we could get some word to her!” said Clayton. “If we could -let her know that friends are near, it would encourage her.” - -“My attempt kicked up a good deal of excitement. She may guess from -that that friends are near. We’ll hope so.” - -“But if only some direct word could be got to her!” - -Clayton’s anxiety increased as the hours went by. - -“If you can’t sleep, my boy,” said the scout after a while, “keep -close watch while I take a try at it. I’ll be better to-morrow for a -little rest to-night.” - -“You don’t intend to attempt again to-night to reach her?” said -Clayton. - -“It’s impossible to do anything to-night, my dear fellow; the -Blackfeet are too much excited and too wide-awake.” - -When Buffalo Bill awoke, less than an hour later, Bruce Clayton was -gone. - -“The fool!” he said. “He’s certain to be captured, if he tries to get -into the village.” - -He rose and went again toward the village, filled with fear for -his friend’s safety. He sympathized with Clayton’s anxiety to do -something for the girl who was held by the Blackfeet, but at the same -time blamed him for folly and disobedience of orders. - -He had not gone far when wild yells and a noisy clamor told him that -Clayton had been captured. - -The scout stood still, listening to those telltale sounds. - -“Just as I feared,” he thought. “It will be a wonder if they don’t -kill him; and what good will his recklessness then do the girl?” - -He moved on with quick steps, being guided by the wild clamor and by -the flashing of lodge fires that were being rebuilt, or blown into -new life. - -Drums were soon booming in the council lodge, warriors were seen -hurrying to and fro by the light of the fires, and feverish activity -reigned. - -The Blackfeet, having captured the young white man, were sure that he -was a scout, and that a strong force of white men were near; and they -were getting ready to meet them if they came. - -The utter impossibility of entering the village without discovery was -apparent to the experienced scout. Though he wanted to aid the youth, -and also the girl, he saw that the attempt would have small chance of -success, and if it failed his own fate would, no doubt, be sealed. -Yet it required stern self-repression to remain inactive, knowing -what was going on so near him, and the peril of the prisoners. - -As Buffalo Bill lay close against the ground, screened by the -darkness, he saw small bodies of Blackfeet leave the village, and -knew they had been sent out to scout about, and, if possible, to -locate the white men who were supposed to be near. - -In going and coming these Blackfeet passed close to the scout; so -close that he could hear some of their low-spoken words and the soft -crunching of their moccasins. From what they said he discovered that -Crazy Snake was not in the village, but was expected soon, and that -the prisoners were being held until his coming. - -“That’s good!” was his thought. “Crazy Snake wants the girl for his -squaw, and these bloodthirsty rascals believe that he will give up -Clayton to the torture as soon as he arrives. Before that time comes -perhaps I can do something.” - -He slipped away from the village, and soon was hastening over the -backward way, hoping to get in communication now with Nomad’s men and -hurry them forward, and also eager to find Pawnee Bill. - -However, he discovered that parties of Blackfeet were coming and -going in the trail, and to avoid running into them he left it and -entered the hills. This slowed his progress, and morning dawned -before he had gone very far. Then, as he went on, he was given a -crushing surprise. - -He saw old Nomad, mounted on Nebuchadnezzar, in the midst of a body -of Blackfeet commanded by Crazy Snake. - -“Nomad a prisoner!” he said, with a groan. “What in blazes will -happen next?” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - THE CAPTURE OF THE MEDICINE MAN. - - -Unable to do anything to aid Nomad, who was surrounded by a strong -body of warriors, Buffalo Bill continued his retreat toward the point -where he hoped to, at least, find Pawnee Bill. - -That sight of Nomad borne away by the redskins inclined him to think -that the trapper had failed in his effort to get fighting men from -the town. - -But when he found Pawnee Bill, he found also the wild range riders -whom Nomad had led into the hills. They had met Pawnee Bill, and had -been waiting Nomad’s return, unaware that he had fallen into the -hands of the Indians. - -They greeted the noted scout with cheers. He was known personally to -most of them, and by reputation to all. But their cheers changed to -angry calls for vengeance when they learned what had befallen Nomad; -and they asked the scout to lead them toward the village at once. - -Buffalo Bill was pleased with the force that had been rallied by -Nomad. As fighting men, they were the best of the border; and he -believed they would be able to whip the Blackfeet even in a stand-up -fight. - -But the result to the prisoners was a thing that had to be taken into -consideration. - -If the Blackfeet were defeated in an open battle and driven back, the -surviving remnant would seek shelter in the mountains. But before -retreating they would, without doubt, slay their white prisoners. -Victory at such a cost of human life would be purchased all too -dearly. - -Nevertheless, Buffalo Bill now set himself at the head of the -rangers, and led them at as rapid a pace as was safe in the direction -of the Blackfoot village. - -Lawler, the commander of the rangers, rode at the scout’s side, and -so did Pawnee Bill. - -As they went, they discussed the situation with reference to the -safety of the prisoners, and agreed that by some strategy they should -be reached and rescued, if possible. How the thing was to be done was -the puzzle. - -As the village was approached the rangers slowed their pace, and the -two noted scouts were sent ahead. - -They separated when in the hills overhanging the village, going in -different directions, on the watch for Indian spies, and trying to -ascertain the state of affairs. - -When he had gone some distance Buffalo Bill dismounted and descended -on foot a few yards, to where a slight rise offered a better view. -He had got his field glasses and was preparing for a careful study -of conditions in the village when he was aroused by a sound from his -horse and by a sudden patter of moccasined feet. Turning about, he -saw an Indian warrior running to get the horse. - -Buffalo Bill did not wish to shoot the brave, lest the report of the -shot should carry too far; so he rushed at the redskin. - -The latter tried to leap to the back of the horse, but succeeded only -in dislodging the scout’s rifle, which hung by its strap to the high -pommel. - -The horse reared, shaking off the Indian, and the Indian, seeing that -he was in danger, turned about. He slipped and fell in his haste, -dropping his shield of buffalo hide, but retaining his lance; and -then he sprang away. - -Buffalo Bill reached his horse, cut the lariat, bounded into the -saddle, and gave chase, almost weaponless, though he had caught up -the shield, which the redskin had dropped. - -As he thus gave chase, the Blackfoot stood at bay, and when the scout -tried to ride him down he hurled the lance straight at the scout’s -broad breast. - -Buffalo Bill dodged, and caught the Indian’s lance on the shield; -otherwise, it would have gone through his body. But he rode the -horse right over the warrior, and, lunging at him from the saddle, -he caught the redskin by the throat, when both came to the ground -together, the scout on top. - -The fight that followed was furious and desperate, but of brief -duration. When it ended, Buffalo Bill was the victor, and the -Blackfoot brave lay panting on his back, the scout’s fingers -clutching him by the throat. - -The red warrior gurgled something which he meant as a word of -submission and surrender, but the scout still held him in that -choking grasp, not daring to trust him; and then, before the brave -could get back enough strength to resist, the scout had him bound -tight and fast. - -When the Blackfoot recovered sufficiently to talk, Buffalo Bill began -to ask him questions, emphasizing them by a pointed revolver. - -The warrior was sullen at first; but by and by he declared that his -name was Spotted Deer, and that he was a subchief, who had been sent -out there to meet and guide into the village a certain medicine man -from another village, who was coming to drive away the evil spirits -that were causing the Blackfeet to fall sick and die. In other words, -this medicine man had been sent for in the belief that he could charm -away the measles that had attacked so many of the Indians. - -“I think I want to meet that medicine man,” said the scout to -himself, when he had heard the story. Therefore, he went into hiding, -with his prisoner bound and gagged, his horse concealed some distance -away, and waited with as much patience as he could for the appearance -of the medicine man. - -As he thus waited, he shaped the plan that had come to his fertile -mind--a plan that promised aid to the imperiled prisoners. - -Within less than an hour the medicine man came in sight, advancing -down the trail that here descended from the higher mountains. - -Spotted Deer, though bound and gagged, struggled and gurgled, in an -effort to warn the medicine man of the danger he was in, and he threw -himself about in such a manner, in spite of the scout’s warnings to -him to desist, that he attracted the medicine man’s attention. Yet -the result of his strenuous efforts was not what he had hoped. - -The medicine man turned toward the bushes where he beheld the -commotion, stepping with Indian lightness of foot, and when he parted -the bushes to look in, he found himself looking into the deadly tube -of a revolver, with the dreaded Long Hair behind it threatening him. - -“Do not try to turn!” the scout commanded in Blackfoot; “for, if you -do, I shall shoot you.” - -The medicine man surrendered without a word, seeing that death would -be the result if he refused. Then he discovered the bound form of -Spotted Deer. - -Buffalo Bill kept him covered with the revolver, and with Indian -stoicism the medicine man sat down. - -“Now, your knife!” commanded the scout. - -The Blackfoot produced the weapon and placed it on the ground. His -hatchet was the only other weapon he possessed, and that he also -surrendered. - -Then the scout searched him. - -Under his blanket the medicine man had what may be called the tools -of his trade--his medicine rattle and drum, pigments and paints of -various kinds, his medicine bag, together with plumes, beadwork, and -other adornments. - -When he had possessed himself of these, Buffalo Bill tied the -medicine man, and bound him to the other captured Blackfoot. Then he -tied to the saddle on the back of the horse the articles taken from -the medicine man, and, leading his horse, he drove the two Indians -before him along the trail in the direction from which he had come. - -An hour later Buffalo Bill reached the wild range riders, without -mishap, with his prisoners and spoil, finding that Pawnee Bill had -not yet appeared. - -But Pawnee Bill came in soon, while the scout was explaining and -elaborating the plan he had conceived for the relief of the white -prisoners of the Blackfeet. - -It was so daring, however, that when Pawnee Bill heard it even he -opposed it; for the plan was nothing less than that Buffalo Bill -should paint and disguise himself and enter the Blackfoot village, -pretending to be the medicine man whom the Indians were expecting. - -But when Buffalo Bill had painted himself with the paints taken from -the medicine man, had arranged his hair in the Indian fashion and -ornamented it with plumes, had put on the clothing of the medicine -man, wrapped himself in the medicine man’s blanket and robes, and -arrayed himself, with tom-tom, medicine rattle, and other articles, -even Pawnee Bill’s skepticism vanished. - -“It almost frightens me to look at you now, Cody,” he said, with a -laugh. “If you can get into the village in the night rigged out in -that way, I think you can fool even old Crazy Snake himself. But we -shall stand ready to rush the village if anything happens to you. -Give us the signal--two wolf howls from the village--and we’ll charge -the redskins, whatever the cost.” - -The range riders were as enthusiastic as Pawnee Bill had now -become, and though they were themselves somewhat experienced in such -trickery, they marveled at the skill shown by Buffalo Bill in this -transformation. - -With the approach of night the range riders advanced toward the -village, with scouts out in front to guard against surprise and -ambush. But they stopped in the hills above the village. - -Then, as night came on, dark and cloudy, Buffalo Bill descended from -the hills. He knew the terrible danger to which he was now to expose -himself--that he was taking his life in his hands. Yet he did not -hesitate at this call of duty. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - THE COMING OF THE MEDICINE MAN. - - -Lena Forest’s position in the Blackfoot village could hardly have -been worse, for the malignity of two jealous Indian women was turned -against her in every possible way to make her suffer. - -These two women were Wind Flower and Wide Foot, the wife of Crazy -Snake. Wide Foot had been told that Crazy Snake, her lord and master, -was to install the new white squaw soon in his lodge, and that was -enough to fill her heart with bitter enmity against the inoffensive -white girl. - -As for Wind Flower, she could not rid herself of the belief that -Lightfoot, the handsome young chief who had promised to marry her, -was stricken with the charms of the white girl prisoner. And as -Lightfoot would probably be made head chief in the event of the -death of Crazy Snake, Wind Flower saw herself at some future time -dispossessed, as Wide Foot seemed about to be now. - -Lena Forest had been placed in Crazy Snake’s lodge in charge of Wide -Foot, who was ordered to care for her, and to see that she did not -escape; and this Wide Foot was commanded to do on peril of her own -life. - -Though fear of Crazy Snake, whose anger was a thing to be dreaded, -was enough to keep Wide Foot from doing the white girl harm of a -serious character, it did not prevent her from annoying the prisoner -in many ways. - -At times both Wide Foot and Wind Flower would sit in the lodge -entrance and make sport of the prisoner, grimacing, giggling at her, -making faces at her, even spitting at her, to show their hatred and -detestation. - -Wide Foot even refused to give her food and water, withholding them -until the white girl was fairly famished. - -When Bruce Clayton was captured by the Blackfeet and brought into -the village, Lena Forest’s prison-keeper tried to prevent her from -knowing it. But the knowledge could not be long withheld. The -Blackfeet were altogether too jubilant over the capture, and made too -great a noise about it. - -Lena Forest discovered that a prisoner had been brought in. When she -tried to get out of the lodge, and was thrown back by Wide Foot, and -then heard Bruce’s loud voice raised in anger at some insult, she -hurled Wide Foot aside, and dashed out of the lodge. - -She saw her lover seated on a horse, to which he was tied, with a -band of howling redskins round him, composed, in large part, of -frantic women and children. - -But for a guard of warriors the angry squaws would have pulled -Clayton from the horse and hacked him to pieces with knives. - -Lena Forest tried to reach Bruce, hardly knowing what she did; for -this sudden discovery that he was not really dead, but that he, -too, was a Blackfoot prisoner, nerved her to the highest pitch of -excitement and recklessness. She had no thought of what she would -do, or could do, if she gained his side; but was only possessed by -an insane desire to get to him, and die with him, if she could do -nothing else. - -Wide Foot took savage delight in seizing her and dragging her by the -hair back into the lodge. But the despondent girl had come to the -knowledge that her lover was alive, when she had thought him dead, -and the cruelty and abuse of the frenzied old woman made little -impression on her now. - -True, she feared now for Bruce’s life; yet while there is life there -is hope, and that he had been spared thus far gave glimmerings of -hope for the future. - -When the old trapper, Nick Nomad, was brought into the village there -was further wild commotion among the Blackfeet, of which the girl -prisoner could not fail to have knowledge. - -She was sure that Bruce still lived, and was held in some of the -lodges. - -She saw the trapper on his rawboned horse, as he was conducted past -the lodge entrance in a sort of triumphal entry made by Crazy Snake -himself; and from the shouts she knew that some big chief had arrived -and guessed it was Crazy Snake. Then she saw Crazy Snake, and was -sure of this. - -Throughout the remaining hours, until darkness came, the girl -prisoner tried to think of some means by which she might release -herself and the other prisoners. - -The wariness of the old squaw had increased since the coming of Crazy -Snake. No more did Wide Foot beat and abuse the captive, a thing she -feared to do now, lest the vengeance of Crazy Snake should descend on -her. - -Lena Forest listened to the thumping of the drums in the council -lodge, and to the fervid oratory of the warriors after nightfall. -She knew that things of importance were being discussed in that -big lodge, yet she could tell nothing of what was being said, even -though much of the talk reached her ears, for she knew not a word of -the language. Held close now under the eyes of the old squaw, the -girl crouched in the half-lighted prison lodge, listening to this -commotion. - -Dogs barked, and papooses and squaws talked in the midst of the -lodges. Warriors hurried to and fro, and Lena believed that scouts -and spies were passing in and out of the village. - -All of this made her think that perhaps white men were near, whom the -Indians feared; and she thought of Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill, for -whose coming she now prayed. - -But when at length Buffalo Bill came she had no thought that he was a -white man. - -The daring scout had made his entrance into the village in the most -natural way, riding into it on the back of an Indian pony, arrayed -in a medicine robe and blanket, painted until his features were -concealed, and with his mustache and imperial hidden beneath the -folds of the blanket which he kept muffled up around his chin. - -Only the upper part of his face, wonderfully striped with paint, his -feathered hair, and his eyes could be seen. - -He announced his presence, before entering, by a series of wild -yells, and a rattle of his medicine drum; and when the Blackfeet -swarmed forth to meet him, he told them briefly, and in well-chosen -Blackfoot words, that he was the medicine man who had been asked to -come to conjure away the demons that were making the Blackfeet fall -ill and die. - -Peril of the most deadly sort confronted him instantly, for Crazy -Snake stepped forth, and, looking keenly at him, said: - -“This is not Wandering Bear, the great medicine man of the Blackfeet -of the Sunken Lands?” - -But Buffalo Bill was ready even for that. - -“I am Whispering Elk, the Blackfoot medicine man from the far North,” -he answered. “Wandering Bear has gone to the Blackfeet of the -Sagebrush Valley, where there is much sickness, and I come in his -stead.” - -Crazy Snake, shrewd as he was, did not doubt that this was an Indian -medicine man; but he had met Wandering Bear, and this man did not -resemble him. - -Buffalo Bill, on his Indian pony, was conducted toward the council -lodge. Before it was reached, he was asked to stop at a lodge and -cure a warrior stricken with measles. - -While not believing that he could do anything more, perhaps, than -give the stricken warrior hope, the scout descended carefully from -the pony and entered the lodge. - -The Indian braves, the women and children, and even the suspicious -sniffing dogs came close at his heels, filling the lodge which he -entered. - -The sick man, his face lighted by the leaping fire of the lodge, -which had been stirred into new life, looked appealingly at the -supposed medicine man. - -For a minute, in the midst of a great silence, Buffalo Bill postured -before the sick man. Then, with a quick motion, and some shouted -words, he stooped and drew from under the skins that covered the -sick man the stuffed skin of a weasel, which he had concealed under -his robe. This he threw on the ground with a yell, and then beat and -tore it into fragments, casting the fragments into the fire, that the -Blackfeet might not too closely inspect them. - -The Blackfeet yelled in hoarse joy and triumph when they beheld what -they believed to be the body of the evil spirit, taking the shape of -a weasel, that had vexed and sickened the warrior. - -The warrior’s face glowed and his eyes brightened; and there was a -certainty that, believing now he would get well, much of the battle -against the disease had been already won by him. - -As the scout came out of this lodge the girl prisoner, Lena Forest, -saw him again; but he was still to her but a medicine man, a horrid -and horrible creature, worse even than the hideous Indians who had -surrounded her so much of late. She saw him go on toward the council -lodge, and heard there the renewed beating of drums, and a repetition -of the sounds of Indian oratory. - -Buffalo Bill, in thus desperately entering the Blackfoot village, -hoped to locate the prisoners, and, later in the night, release them. -If he was discovered, his own life would be the forfeit, he felt sure. - -The risk was great, but the thing to be gained was great, for it was -no less than the release of old Nomad and the other prisoners, thus -saving their lives; for he was certain they would be slain by the -Blackfeet, if the latter were forced to retreat by an attack of the -range riders. - -In the council lodge Buffalo Bill tried to conduct himself like -a true medicine man. He yelled and danced, and besought the good -spirits of the mountains to descend and assist him in driving out -the evil spirits that were vexing the Blackfeet. But he did not dare -talk too much, and much of his eloquence took the shape of pantomime, -in which he used wonderful gestures, always keeping the folds of the -blanket over the lower part of his face--which gave him an additional -air of mystery to the frenzied Indians. - -He discovered that one thing the Blackfeet were anxious about was -that he should confer on them some power, by a spell or charm, that -would enable them to resist the bullets of the white men, whom they -feared. - -The scout gave them whatever assurances they desired, feeling that he -could not safely do otherwise. - -Finally he left the council lodge, declaring that the spirits had -told him that, concealed in some of the lodges, were little demons, -hid under buffalo robes, and even in the earth, who were working much -evil, and he must find and destroy them. - -His object, of course, was to pass from lodge to lodge, in order to -locate the prisoners, and if possible communicate to them knowledge -of the thing he was trying to do. - -The warriors streamed after him, and behind the warriors came -the women and children, while the barking and sniffing dogs ran -everywhere, yelping and snarling. - -It did not take Buffalo Bill long to find out that Nomad and young -Clayton were held together in a lodge near the medicine lodge. - -“Now, if I can locate the girl,” he said to himself. - -The braves were crowding round him, and he dared not say a word in -English which would let Nomad and Clayton know who he was, and his -disguise and his acting were so good that they did not recognize him. -But he contrived to make himself known to old Nomad by a few words of -Spanish, and he saw the old man stare in confusion and astonishment. - -In a little while he found Lena Forest, crouching in the lodge where -she had been held from the first. - -At the entrance to this lodge stood old Wide Foot, who fell back when -the terrible medicine man appeared before her. - -Lena Forest started up, frightened by the entrance of the medicine -man. - -Not daring to use English, the scout said a few words in Spanish, -wondering if she would understand. She uttered a cry of amazement, -for she understood him--a cry which was fairly forced from her by her -wild astonishment. - -Buffalo Bill poked and peered, said a few words more to her in -Spanish, the Indians thinking them words of invocation which they -could not be expected to understand, and then he retreated. - -As he did so, coming thus out of the lodge, he heard wild yells, and -a rushing of feet. And then before him, bounding along, his eyes -blazing and his whole being wrought to a frenzy, he saw the medicine -man whom he had captured, and whom he was impersonating. - -With yells of rage the medicine man rushed upon him, denouncing him, -and screaming to the warriors that this was a white man, and must be -beaten down and captured; that he was the terrible Long Hair himself! - -It was like the explosion of a mine of gunpowder. Instantly, a -dozen warriors sprang at Buffalo Bill, tearing the blanket from his -shoulders, and yelling with rage as their enemy stood revealed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACKFEET. - - -Wandering Bear, the medicine man captured by Buffalo Bill, was a -shrewd old scoundrel, gifted not only with many natural qualities, -but some acquired ones, for the part he played as medicine man of the -Blackfeet. - -Like most, if not all, medicine men among savage peoples, he resorted -to tricks, some of them very clever; and one of his tricks was akin -to that shown on many a theatrical stage to-day, the getting out of -tightly set cords bound about his wrists and ankles. - -For a long time after darkness fell, old Wandering Bear lay twisting -quietly at the cords that held him. - -He had seen Buffalo Bill paint and decorate himself and depart, and -he guessed shrewdly what that meant. - -Also he saw that the white rangers were close down to the village, in -the scrub that covered the sides of the hills, and he was sure that -an attack on the village was contemplated, and that the departure of -the pretended medicine man had something to do with it and could mean -nothing but harm to the Blackfeet. - -He thought most of himself and his personal peril, as was but -natural. What these white men would do to him eventually he did not -know, but he anticipated nothing less than death. As for the other -Blackfoot, the one who had come to meet him and had been captured by -Buffalo Bill, Wandering Bear paid slight attention to him; his own -safety was the thing for which he longed and now worked. - -At last the cords on his wrists fell away, and by some clever -twisting he got his hands down to his ankles and untied the cords -that held them. - -After thus releasing himself, he lay a while, stretching his arms and -legs, to get them in condition. Then suddenly he bounded to his feet -with a startling yell, knocked over the ranger who stood close by -him, and was gone like a shot out of a gun. - -The rangers did not even fire a shot at him, for they did not wish -to announce to the Blackfeet below that they were so close to the -village. Yet they pursued the escaping medicine man, a pursuit that -was hopeless from the first. - -He disappeared, to appear in the Blackfoot village, leaping on and -denouncing Buffalo Bill, to the amazement of the Blackfeet who heard -and saw him. - -Buffalo Bill knew that the game was up. If he escaped with his life -he would have to move quickly, and do something desperate. - -Instantly two wolf howls rose on the startled air, floating out to -the wild range riders in the near-by hills. Then the scout struck -down the medicine man, who was trying to seize him, and darted into -the lodge of Crazy Snake. - -Lena Forest was in there, and at the entrance was Wide Foot. - -The intruder hurled the old hag sprawling; then caught the girl by -the hand and jumped to the rear of the lodge. His knife flashed, and -a tearing sound followed, as he ripped the lodge skin from top to -bottom, opening a way through. - -“Come!” he said, and he pulled the girl along, while the howls of the -Indians rose in a very pandemonium. - -By diving thus through the lodge Buffalo Bill gained a slight start -of his foes, but it was only enough to enable him to get out of the -lodge and run toward the shadows of the next one, for the angry -Blackfeet came swarming around the lodge and through it, yelling for -his life. - -He shaped his course toward the lodge where Nomad and Clayton were -held, and gained it a few yards in advance of his pursuers. Here he -thrust the knife into the hands of the startled and wildly excited -girl. - -“They’re in there,” he said; “release them while I hold back the -Indians. Jump lively!” - -She rushed into the lodge with the knife, the Indian who had been -guarding it having deserted his post. - -Buffalo Bill stepped into the entrance; and, turning about there, he -drew his revolver and shot down the foremost of the oncoming redskins. - -As the reports of his revolver broke forth, from the hills came the -wild, charging cheers of the range riders, who had heard and were now -answering the wolf howls. - -The charging cheers of the rangers and his own revolver fire checked -the advance of the enraged Blackfeet. Lena Forest was thus given -time in which to release old Nomad and her lover. - -They came to the lodge entrance hurriedly, putting themselves by the -side of the scout. - -“If we had weepons, Buffler!” old Nomad panted, “we’d lay out a few -of them howlin’ red devils!” - -Clayton was too astounded to speak; but he caught the girl in his -arms and seemed resolved to shield her by placing his body between -her and the angry Blackfeet. - -Buffalo Bill reached under his blanket, and, pulling out a loaded -revolver, passed it to Nomad, who received it with a yell of joy. - -“Waugh! Buffler, we stand tergether and we go down tergether. Whoop!” - -The startled Blackfeet were not given much time in which to rally, -for already the thunder of the pony hoofs of the charging range -riders was heard beyond the village. Then the wild riders were in the -very village itself, shooting and yelling, and the Blackfeet were in -flight. - -Short and sharp was that surprise and that battle. - -The Blackfeet who were not killed or captured fled to the hills for -refuge. However, numbers of them were captured, and the village was -given to the flames. - -Old Crazy Snake escaped, with his principal warriors, among them -the handsome young chief, Lightfoot, and the crafty medicine man, -Wandering Bear. - -A week later Crazy Snake sent down a piteous petition, assuring the -white men that he was their good friend, that he had always been -their good friend, and would be their good friend forever, if they -would but stop chasing him in the mountains. - -Thus ended the Blackfoot uprising, and no more the bloody arrow, -the mark of Crazy Snake’s vengeance, gleamed red on the bosoms of -men murdered by that treacherous old chieftain. He had been soundly -whipped; and a whipped Indian can be the meekest creature on the -earth. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - RINGED IN BY FIRE. - - -Nevertheless, in spite of this welcome lull after the storm, Major -Clendenning was determined to take no chances of a minor outbreak -on the part of the surviving members of the Blackfoot band. He -had learned from Buffalo Bill something of the haughty nature and -indomitable ambition of the younger chief, Lightfoot; and he had good -reason to fear that the Blackfeet would not long remain in their -refuge among the hills. Whether they would again molest the whites, -particularly the miners, or confine their hostile attentions to their -constant foes, the Crees, was an open question, and Major Clendenning -felt certain that the great scout could solve it. He, therefore, -dispatched Buffalo Bill to the territory formerly occupied by Crazy -Snake’s tribe, with instructions to find out as much as possible. - -Having left Lena Forest in charge of the kindly wife of one of the -officers at the fort, and having said farewell to Pawnee Bill, old -Nomad, and Bruce Clayton--who promised Lena that he would ride over -to the fort as often as he possibly could, and that he would work -hard and save enough money for them to be married--Buffalo Bill -mounted and rode forth to new adventures, in which his friends were -destined to share. - -He shaped his course directly toward the high hills, and on the -evening of the third day of his journey he found himself entering a -thick forest of scrub oaks and pines. As the shadows of night were -deepening, he decided to camp in a favorable spot; so he tethered -his horse, climbed farther up the mountain, spread a blanket on the -ground, and, carefully building a small fire, cooked his frugal meal. -After that, he dozed peacefully and soon fell into profound slumber. - -When he awoke in the morning he was startled by the smell of burning -pine needles and the sight of clouds of smoke drifting between the -trees. The ground was a solid carpet of pine needles, inches deep, -and this was now a carpet of flame. The fire climbed the trees, -throwing out red banners, wrapping the straight pines in roaring fire. - -In front of the scout was the edge of a precipice overhanging the -Bitter Water that here cut through the solid rock of its deep cañon -chasm. - -Yet sheer as was that precipice, and far down as were the waters of -the little river, Buffalo Bill seemed almost on the point of leaping -down. - -The mountain was steep, and he had left his horse near its base, -climbing himself to the rugged spot where he now stood. He was -trapped. Where he stood there was a narrow space of rock, on the edge -of the precipice; in front of him a small space of needle-covered -ground still untouched by fire; and beyond that a very furnace of -flame and smoke. The roar of the fire was terrifying of itself, and -now and then the fall of a burned tree trunk thundered through it, -like the crash of a cannon shot. - -“My own fault, too!” he said, as he looked about, searching vainly -for some avenue of escape. “I don’t know that I slept so soundly that -the fire got such a start as that. I suppose I must have thought it -the roar of the river.” - -But Buffalo Bill could not be quite sure that all the fault was with -himself. For, who had started the fire? He had deadly enemies in that -country, men who would have roasted him there as coolly as they would -have roasted a plucked partridge. - -But Buffalo Bill was not really troubling his mind so much about the -origin of the fire as how he could escape from it. He ran along the -edge of the precipice, looking down. - -The lariat that might have helped him he had left on the saddle, with -the horse. - -Twenty feet below him, on the side of the precipice, was a ledge; but -he could not get down to it, for the wall above it was as smooth as -a board, and glassy in its slipperiness. To jump down to that ledge -would be the same as deliberately committing suicide; for the ledge -was narrow, and the drop sheer, so that he would only have bounded, -or fallen, on down into the black cañon, if he had tried it. He could -see the white water roaring and racing far below; and could even see -other ledges and shelves that he might reach if he could only get -down to that first one. - -Seeing that he could not climb down the sheer wall, he turned, and -again faced the fire. - -Even in the few brief moments spent in inspecting the ledge, the -fire had gained in a startling way, and was now much closer and -much hotter than before. It roared and glowed in a big semicircle, -the two ends of the semicircle resting on the rim of the precipice -and traveling fast toward him. That he would be roasted alive if he -remained admitted of not a doubt; as even now, at the distance, the -heat of the fire was almost unbearable. - -A strange look, perhaps never before seen on the face of the -indomitable scout, came to it, and he took out his revolver. For -the instant he felt that he preferred to shoot himself rather than -to suffer the tortures of a living death by fire. But he shook his -head, thrust back the revolver, and turned again to the rim of the -precipice. - -“Perhaps I could tear up my clothes and make a rope that would reach -part way to the ledge, and I could drop the rest of the distance,” -was his thought. “I’ll try it; for I’ll die here if I don’t, and I’d -prefer to die trying to do something.” - -He was about to strip off his coat, when a shout reached him. It came -so suddenly and unexpectedly that it made his heart jump. - -“Yes?” he yelled, springing to the edge of the chasm and looking -about. He did not see any one. “Where are you?” he called, his heart -jumping with excitement and new hope. - -“Here!” The voice had a singular sound, shrill and feminine. - -He ran along the edge of the chasm, looking down, for it seemed to -come from below; and again he shouted an inquiry. - -Then he saw the figure of a young woman, who was on one of the ledges -below him, and was trying to ascend the steep side of the chasm. She -had a rope, which she had flung up, with its noose hooked over a -projection. - -“I’m coming!” she cried confidently, and began to climb the rope. - -Her slight body swung and swayed over the dizzy chasm as she began to -climb. Slowly ascending, sometimes she slipped back, with a motion -that made him think she was falling and brought his heart into his -mouth. - -He did not clearly see her face now, and he had not secured a very -good view of it, but he felt sure he knew who the young woman was. - -With much difficulty, the girl climbed the rope and drew herself upon -the ledge to which the noose held. She looked up, and then he saw her -face clearly--the face of Lena Forest. Yet it seemed impossible she -could be there, as he had believed she was safe at the fort. - -While the plucky girl was thus climbing the face of the dizzy -precipice, the fire was raging with wild fury, as if it knew that -help was coming to the scout and it was determined to overwhelm him -before that help could arrive. The increasing heat almost blistered -his face and hands now, and it drove him to the very edge of the -precipice, over which he soon was hanging, to escape it. - -With a heroism that was beyond praise, Lena continued to mount, from -ledge to ledge, throwing up the rope and catching it on projections, -and then climbing up to the projections. At length she gained the -ledge below the scout. - -When she looked up now he saw that she was on the point of -exhaustion. Her face was pale, and her eyes were big and bright. Her -breath came in gasps, as she stood up for the last cast of the rope. - -“Catch it!” she said, then the rope shot from her hand, and the noose -was caught by the scout. - -With a turn, he looped the noose over a point of the rock by him, and -the next instant he was sliding down the rope. It was like a rescue -from the very jaws of death. - -When Buffalo Bill gained the ledge, he found Lena Forest lying there, -almost in a faint, from sheer exhaustion and intense excitement. - -“Thank Heaven, I was in time!” she said, in a tremulous voice, when -she saw he had reached the ledge. - -“Yes!” he echoed. “I can never thank you enough for that. It saved me -from an awful fate, though we’re not entirely secure here.” - -“No, but you’re safe from the fire.” - -“Yes, I think so.” - -He looked down at the ledges still below him. The noose of the rope -was on the rock point above, and he had no rope now with which to -make a further descent. How he was ever to get down into the cañon -without a rope he did not know. - -“We’ll hope the fire won’t trouble the noose up there,” he said to -her; “and, if it doesn’t, when the fire dies down we can climb up -the rope and get out above. It seems impossible to descend into the -cañon.” - -“It seems to me I can never climb another yard,” Lena declared, so -thoroughly fatigued that she was almost crying. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - THE GIRL AND THE EMERALDS. - - -The fire roared on the pine levels overhead, and the girl and the -scout whom she had rescued from the fire talked. - -They had much to talk about beyond the fact that she had saved the -scout, and the inevitable discussion as to how they were to get off -the ledge where they now were. - -“Lena,” he said finally, and his tone showed hesitation, “I suppose -you are strong enough to hear unpleasant news?” - -Her face, already pale, grew paler. - -“My uncle?” she gasped. “Something has happened to him!” - -The scout put his hand into an inner pocket and brought out a filled -buckskin bag. - -“He asked me to send, or get, this to you.” - -She looked at him, trembling. - -“He--he is not dead?” - -“Yes, Lena,” said the kind-hearted scout, his own voice shaking. “I -am sorry to have to tell you that he died two days ago. You know -he was not well when he last saw your father. I’ve been doing some -scouting work in the mountains. Thinking to visit him, I called at -the cabin, and found him seriously ill with fever, in fact, at the -point of death. I did all I could for him, but it was little enough, -and he died. He gave me this package to give to you, or send to you; -for he thought you had started for the East long ago. He thought you -would persuade your father to give up his mine and go home--he had -never heard of John Forest’s death.” - -He put the buckskin bag in her trembling hands. - -When she opened it she found it filled with what seemed to be bits of -broken green glass. - -“Emeralds, and as fine as you’ll ever see,” he explained. “There’s a -fortune there, and he wanted me to see that they went to you. It’s a -queer place here to deliver them, and a strange----” - -He stopped, for she was not looking at the emeralds; thinking of her -father, she had begun to weep. - -“There was no letter from my uncle?” she said after a while. - -“No; he was too weak to write. He sent his love and the emeralds. He -was looking for gold, you know. Well, his pick broke through into a -cave, and opened up a queer place that must once have been an Indian -temple, or medicine lodge. The emeralds had been round the neck of a -stone idol. The buckskin string that had held them was decayed, so -that they had fallen to the floor, and were covered with dust. He -found one, and then, by a search, got all of them. - -“His first thought was that perhaps there were many more, and he made -a thorough search. I’m afraid that in that search he got the fever -that killed him. The place was horridly damp, as I afterward found; -for, after his death, I myself made a thorough exploration of the -cave, and discovered that fact, though nothing else. The only gems -were round the neck of the idol, I am sure.” - -She heard him with heartbreaking interest. - -“I must think about it,” she said; “I must have time to adjust myself -to it. It seems unbelievable. Oh, my poor uncle!” - -She seemed almost to have forgotten her strange position on that -ledge, the rescue of the scout, and the roaring of the fire above. - -For a long time she sat crouching, regaining her strength, while -she thought over the sad thing which had thus been brought to her -knowledge, and went back in memory to the past. - -For two years she had lived in the mining cabin not far from this -cañon with her father. In many ways those two years had been hard -ones for both her and her father. They had been lonely years to her, -for he had been away from home a good deal, and his brother, now dead -also, had visited them very seldom. - -But the loneliness had recently been broken by the visits of the -young man, to whom she had almost from the first given her heart. -Clayton was at Crystal Spring, where he intended to make a home for -her, and he was to have met her and accompanied her on her way back -to the fort, but she had missed him, and so had come alone. - -The morning after her return she had seen the fire, and then had -discovered that Buffalo Bill, the friend of her lover, was in peril -on the high precipice. - -As she sat in silence on the ledge, grieving over the death of her -uncle, she paid scant attention to the beautiful emeralds lying in -her lap; but finally she looked down at them, slowly placed them in -the buckskin bag, and then gave it to the scout. - -“Keep them for me a while, until we get out of this danger,” she -requested. “I wonder how we are to get out, too?” She looked up at -the smoke floating over them in a thick cloud. “Have you thought of -any way?” - -Buffalo Bill, while watching the changing face of the girl, had also -been looking at the rope at intervals, fearing the noose would be -burned away above. That had not yet happened, and the fire was dying -down. There was a great deal of smoke, yet little fire. - -He took the buckskin bag of emeralds and restored it to his pocket. - -“I think I’d like to see how that fire is doing,” he said, rising to -his feet. He began to climb the rope, and was soon at the top. - -There was still a good deal of fire in the woods beyond, where some -trees were burning, but close by the rocky point there was hardly any -blaze now, and the noose of the rope had been untouched. - -He leaned over and looked down at the girl. - -“It’s cool enough for one to stand it up here now,” he called to her. -“If you’d like to come up, make a noose and put it under your arms.” - -She made and adjusted the noose, and the strong arms of the scout -soon drew her to the top of the precipitous wall. - -“Not very pleasant up here even yet,” he said, “but better than down -there; and we have the comforting assurance that we’re out of the -cañon, and that the rope was equal to the strain.” - -“If we keep close to the cañon’s edge, perhaps we can get beyond the -fire now,” she suggested. “You have a horse, you said.” - -“If the poor fellow hasn’t been roasted. I’m a bit afraid the fire -reached him.” - -They set out along the edge of the precipice, Buffalo Bill taking the -rope. - -Though the ground was still hot and smoking in places, they were able -to make their way along, and, after a while, they passed out of the -burned area, and came into a region which the fire had not touched. - -“There the clever rascal is,” said the scout. “Look at him!--as -peaceful as a lamb!” - -His horse had broken the rope by which it had been tied, had run from -the fire, and was now grazing peacefully, not a hundred yards from -where the scout and the girl stood. - -The girl had asked many questions about her uncle, about his illness, -and about the emeralds; but she began to talk of these matters again, -when they got beyond the burned area, showing that she had thought of -nothing else all the time, even when she seemed to be thinking only -of getting away from the fire. - -The scout went over the story again, giving all the details, until, -by the aid of her imagination, Lena was able to reconstruct the whole -thing. - -“About those emeralds,” she said. “What am I to do with them?” - -“Whatever you please. It was your uncle’s desire for you to have -them, so that you might be freed from all want, educate yourself -to whatever extent you desired, travel, and enjoy life. It was a -satisfaction to him to believe that you would get them, and that they -would make you independent. I promised him faithfully that I would -deliver them into your hands; and if you hadn’t happened back here -as you did, and I had escaped from that fire, it was my intention to -return immediately to the fort for the purpose of delivering them to -you personally.” - -“You are very kind,” she said. “You wouldn’t trust them to the -express or to the stages?” - -“I should not have felt it safe to do so.” - -“The country is full of road agents.” - -“Yes; robbers and outlaws of all kinds.” - -She seemed to be thinking of this as they walked on toward the -scout’s horse. - -The animal was caught by Buffalo Bill, and he then insisted that she -should ride and that he would walk. He accompanied her to her uncle’s -cabin home, which was not far away. It was situated near the stage -trail that ran from Glendive to the railroad. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - THE EAVESDROPPER. - - -As Buffalo Bill and Lena Forest approached her uncle’s home, a man -who had been in the cabin slipped out by the back door. - -His horse was hidden in the grove two hundred yards off, and at -first he thought of reaching it and riding hurriedly away. But he -hesitated; and then, seeing an opening, he crawled under the floor. - -“I’ll just hear what that scout and the girl aire talkin’ about,” he -said. “And I’d like to know about them emeralds, if he or she has -got ’em. He was to have given ’em to her. But I’m gamblin’ he ain’t -any honester than other folks, and that he ain’t said a word to her -about ’em. I’ve got to git my fist on ’em, er know why. Great howlin’ -tomcats! Them gems aire worth a fortune that would make these hyer -little common fortunes you hear about look sick. I’m bettin’ Buffalo -Bill never hints a word to her about ’em. He’d be a fool to, and he -ain’t a fool!” - -He was hiding under the floor when Buffalo Bill and the girl came to -the cabin and entered it. To his surprise, they were speaking of the -emeralds which he had been sure the scout would never mention to her. - -“Oh, she’s got ’em now, has she?” he thought, as he heard the talk. -He pressed an ear to the boards above his head. “Oh, ho! He thinks -there’s danger that some one will git onto the fact that she’s got -’em, and that she’s in danger with ’em in this section of the -country. I reckon he don’t dream that I’m already onto the fact that -there aire such gems; that I came on him when he was givin’ his -promise to old Gordon there in the mountains, and that I follered -him, hopin’ to git a chance to pinch ’em; and that I fired the pines, -believin’ that I could roast him, and afterward git them emeralds -from his dead body. Well, I ain’t got ’em yit, but I’ll have ’em!” - -Though he so desired those emeralds, all his efforts to get them had -been sneaking and cowardly in the extreme. - -“I’ll have Bruce go with me, and I’ll let him carry them,” he heard -Lena say. “I’m going East, Mr. Cody, for a little visit, and perhaps -Bruce can go part way with me, on the stage.” - -“Bruce! Bruce!” the rascal muttered. “Who’s Bruce? So he’s to carry -’em, is he? He’s sweet on the girl. I’ve heard that she has a -‘steady,’ and that they’re going to marry. She’ll have him go with -her, and she’ll have him carry the emeralds, for no one will ever -think of him carryin’ ’em. That’s the game, is it? Oh, no; nobody -will ever think of that!” - -The listening rascal slapped his leg so hard in his jubilant mood -that he became startled; the sound of talking ceased. He heard the -scout walk to the door, and then walk back. - -“That was my horse, I guess, made that noise,” he heard the scout say. - -The man crouched into as small a space as he could, and lay -shivering, fearing now to breathe. Soon he heard the talking going on -again. - -“Oh! Aha!” he muttered, listening. “She’s goin’ to take the next -stage, which comes through here day after to-morrow, and go on that, -and her young man is to go with her. I reckon that when they git East -they’ll marry. He’ll be a fool not to marry her, if they git through -with the emeralds. But I reckon them gems aire due in this direction; -and, somehow, I think I’ll git ’em!” - -When he had heard apparently all that was to be said concerning the -emeralds and the manner of their transmission to the East, he crawled -from under the house. - -He was standing under a tree, beyond the corner of the house, when he -was surprised there by Buffalo Bill, who came on him suddenly, the -scout having issued from the front door. - -“Hello!” said the scout gruffly. “What are you doing here?” - -Instead of answering, the man turned about and ran. - -Buffalo Bill drew a revolver; then lowered it. He did not want to -shoot the fellow, nor did he want to alarm the girl. - -“The rascal was slipping up to the house for some purpose,” he said, -“but he didn’t reach it. I came out and caught him here under the -tree. Some scoundrelly scamp who thought to do a little stealing! If -I tell Miss Forest it will only frighten her. And her nerves are -gone all to pieces now. What’s the use of worrying her further?” - -Buffalo Bill watched the man as he disappeared within the grove, and -saw him come out with his horse and ride off. - -“The villain tried to keep his face turned away so that I wouldn’t -know him next time I saw him, but I think I’d recognize him, just the -same!” - -He returned to the house, and discovered Lena contemplating the -emeralds, which she had poured out on the table. - -“Good thing he didn’t get to see them,” was the scout’s thought, when -he observed that. - -“It seems almost as if my uncle _must_ come again, and that I ought -to wait here for him,” she said, looking up. “It’s strange how I -can’t make myself realize that he is dead.” - -She rested her cheek on her hand and looked at the scout. She was a -handsome girl, clad simply, but in good taste, and he could note her -beauty. Her brown eyes were dark and dreamy, and the flush now in her -cheeks, though it was a bit hectic, gave them the color that they -needed. The hand on which she rested her cheek was small and shapely, -though it was now rope-burned and red from the effects of her climb -that morning to save the life of the scout. - -“It’s hard to realize a thing which one doesn’t see,” Buffalo Bill -assented. - -“Of course, I can’t stay here,” she said; “and, really, I must go -at once; for hereafter this house will seem haunted to me. I’ll go -straight East, and have Bruce go with me. I may never come back -again. And yet I should like to look just once on my father’s grave.” - -“It’s a lonely place,” he said. “We heaped a cairn of stones over it, -and set up a little wooden headboard, bearing his name and the date -of his death.” - -“I shall put a costly monument there some time,” she announced. - -“He was worthy of it; for he was a good man, and I’m sure his last -thoughts were of you.” - -The brown eyes dimmed again with tears. - -She placed the emeralds in the buckskin bag, stowed it in the bosom -of her dress, and walked to the door. Standing there, she glanced -longingly up the trail and out across the river, to the side of the -cañon she had scaled, and then let her eyes wander on to the smoking -pines that stood in blackened ranks still higher. - -“I’m expecting every minute that Bruce will come,” she said. -“Something is keeping him.” She sat down again by the table. “Let me -get you some breakfast,” she urged; “and pardon me for not thinking -of it before.” - -“I’ve been too busy to think of anything to eat, my dear girl. Does -Bruce know you are here?” - -“Yes; I left word for him that I was going to see my uncle, and told -him how to get here. But I’m neglecting you! I have been too much -excited. I’ll get you something. And that will help to pass the time -away, too.” - -She was soon busy in the little kitchen. - -Buffalo Bill was thinking of the man he had seen under the tree. “I -wonder if he could have been nearer the house than that?” he began -now to question, as he left the house again and walked out to the -tree. - -He began to scan the ground between the house and the tree. The color -rose in his face as he did so, for he saw that the man had been at -the door and close by the windows; also he saw the hole under the -house, which looked as if something had lately passed through it. - -“Have you a dog?” he asked, returning to the house. - -“No,” she said. “Uncle never kept a dog, though often I’ve though he -ought to have one, and a good, savage one, too, living out here alone -so much. But no one ever really troubled him. Several months ago a -drunken man came along the trail, and at another time an Indian tried -to get into the house to steal something; but that’s all.” - -“That was enough!” - -She was bustling about the kitchen, and soon she had the breakfast -ready, and they sat down to it. - -“You’re expecting some one, too?” she said. “Pawnee Bill, and who was -the other?” - -“Nick Nomad.” - -“Oh, yes; such an odd name I couldn’t remember it. And you say he is -an odd character?” - -“But with a heart of gold. Old Nick Nomad is as true and good a -friend as I ever could wish to have.” - -“And all three of you are here looking for Blackfeet Indians and road -agents?” - -“Yes.” - -“I should think that would be dangerous?” - -“It has its drawbacks--a hunter of road agents may get a bullet from -one of them at any time.” - -He said it lightly, yet he meant it; the calling was peculiarly -dangerous. He preferred other work, and even scouting for Indians in -a hostile Indian country he considered far less perilous. - -When the breakfast was ended, she went to the door again and looked -up and down the trail. - -“Your friends are coming!” she announced. - -Buffalo Bill stepped quickly to the door. - -Pawnee Bill and Nick Nomad were approaching on horseback, from the -direction of Glendive, a town situated beyond Crystal Spring. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - - THE MUSTANG CATCHERS. - - -Bruce Clayton, the lover and promised husband of pretty Lena Forest, -appeared at the cabin while Pawnee Bill and Nomad were greeting the -famous scout. - -Her face flushed prettily as Buffalo Bill spoke in praise of her -heroic work in rescuing him from the fire. But it flushed even more, -with a glow of love and joy, when Bruce appeared. He had not known of -the death of the girl’s uncle, and was shocked by the news; but he -declared his entire willingness to accompany her in the stage to the -railroad station, and on East, if she wished it. There could be no -doubt that such a journey with the girl he loved would be the supreme -pleasure of his life. - -Nomad drew Buffalo Bill aside at the first opportunity. - -“Buffler,” he said, “we seen a feller hikin’ toward ther hills fast -as his hoss could go, and he comed from this direction; seemed ter me -he was scai’t about somethin’ er ’nother.” - -The old trapper had seen the man who had fled from the cabin--the -eavesdropper whom Buffalo Bill had surprised beneath the tree. - -While they talked, Pawnee Bill joined them. He was the same gallant, -debonair, handsome scout, dressed with an attention to appearance -that marked him among the careless bordermen--his velvet jacket, his -gold-mounted revolvers, and the costly saddle that was on the back of -his horse, always drawing attention wherever he went. - -“What, ho!” he said gayly, as he joined the scout and the trapper. -“Cody, we’d found a band of mustangers, and we half think they are -mixed up in some way with this stage-robbery business that’s making -the land hereabout notorious. I think we’d better investigate them a -bit.” - -Buffalo Bill mentioned the man he had seen, and who had been sighted -by Nomad. - -“Oh, yes; he was riding as if the Old Boy was after him.” Pawnee Bill -laughed at the recollection. “He was going so fast that he was only -hitting the high places. And, come to think of it, he was heading -in the direction of the valley where those mustangers hang out at -present.” - -Buffalo Bill told him what he suspected, told him of the death of the -girl’s uncle, and of the valuable emeralds with which he had been -intrusted. - -“She’d better get out of here with them as quick as she can,” said -Pawnee Bill. “The knowledge of such things can’t be kept; and if she -isn’t held up and robbed of them, it will be because she moves out in -a hurry.” - -After discussing the matter with these friends, the scout had another -talk with Lena, speaking also to young Clayton; and it was arranged -that she and Bruce should go that day to Glendive, and there take the -next stage for the railroad, thus getting out of the country with the -emeralds as soon as they could. - -Shortly after this talk, Buffalo Bill rode away with his two pards, -disappearing from sight of the cabin, and journeying in the direction -of the camp of the mustangers. - -When they reached the valley where the mustangers were, they found -that a mustang drive was in progress. - -“This looks honest,” said Buffalo Bill. “Men who make a business of -robbery and road-agent work aren’t going to fool with catching wild -horses; they can make more money in the other line.” - -He and his friends looked about for the man who had been seen by him -at the cabin, but failed to find him. - -The “boss” of the mustangers was a dark-skinned fellow known as Black -John; a man of herculean build, whose great size did not hamper his -movements, for he was light on his feet and as quick of motion as any -man that followed him. - -An extended semicircle of mustangers was closing in on a band of wild -horses. Few words were spoken. Each man understood his duty, and was -doing it. - -The three pards rode close up to the line of mustangers and looked on -with interest. - -In the old days, the plains and foothills held many bands of -mustangs, or wild horses, small, hardy animals, of great speed -and endurance, and their capture in large numbers was a paying -occupation. In some sections of the great West there are still -considerable bodies of mustangs, but no such bands as once existed. - -The method of catching these wild horses required great patience -and persistence. They were not lassoed, after being run down in a -hot race, as many people suppose; they were too fleet for that. The -common method adopted was to walk them down. For days, and even -weeks, the mustangers would follow slowly a band of wild horses. -Always the mustangs held pretty close to a certain grazing ground -to which they were accustomed, and if driven away from it, they -invariably came back to it. Usually once a day they sought some river -or water hole to drink. - -Knowing their habits, the mustangers would drive toward a band and -start the animals to moving. At first the wild horses would dash -away, running in fright. The mustangers did not pursue rapidly, but -kept their horses at a slow pace. The object was to keep the animals -continually moving. The first day or so the mustangs would run a -great deal and tire themselves. - -The mustangers prevented them from stopping long enough to feed, and -herded them away from the customary watering place. At the end of -a week the mustangs began to show signs of exhaustion. Eventually, -thirst, starvation, and fatigue would do their work, when the horses -could be driven in any direction. - -When this much had been accomplished, nooses were concealed in the -grass, with men hidden by them. The mustangs were driven over these -nooses, which were jerked, securing the mustangs by the legs. One -by one they were thus trapped, being driven time after time over -the hidden nooses, until all fell victims to the cunning of the -mustangers. - -There were two hundred mustangs or more being driven that day upon -the nooses concealed in the grass along the little stream where the -mustangers had their camp; and Buffalo Bill and his friends, sitting -their horses near by, watched with interest the work of the capture -of these wild horses. - -When a mustang was captured, a short chain was affixed to one -foreleg, and he was then released. He could not run; when he tried -it he invariably stepped on the chain with one of his hind feet and -either threw himself or gave himself such a wrench that he soon gave -up trying. Besides, the mustangs were now too tired to make much -effort to get away. - -When all had been captured they were to be driven into a high-fenced -corral, and left to recuperate; after which there would be exciting -times in “breaking” them, when such stunts of wild riding and bucking -would be seen as could probably be witnessed nowhere else. - -Twenty or thirty of the mustangs that were being crowded upon the -hidden nooses broke away, and made a dash to escape. - -Buffalo Bill and his companions were near the point where they broke -out, and started in pursuit of them. - -One of them, a handsome fellow, separated from the others; Pawnee -Bill, whirling his lariat, started in chase. - -The lariat flew out, and its noose circled the head of the mustang. - -But the horse ridden by Pawnee Bill set its foot in a dog hole, and -fell, throwing the dead shot to the ground. At the same instant, the -jerk on the lariat tore it from the saddle. As it flew out it became -wrapped round the body of the fallen rider, dragging him across the -plain. - -Buffalo Bill shouted, and rode to the help of his friend, driving his -horse at its highest speed. - -Pawnee Bill, caught in the lariat and dragged by the frightened -mustang, would have been dragged to his death if Buffalo Bill had not -ridden quickly to his rescue. - -Leaning from his saddle, Buffalo Bill slashed the rope with his -knife; and the mustang raced on, leaving Pawnee Bill on the ground, -somewhat crestfallen and bruised, but practically unhurt. He sprang -up, and ran to get his horse, which had got its foot out of the dog -hole, and seemed to be uninjured. - -“Cody, yours forever!” he shouted. “I’ll come to your aid likewise -and also whenever you get into trouble like that.” - -Then he was in the saddle, chasing the running mustang, which was -dragging the severed end of the rope. He succeeded in riding around -it, and drove it back toward the herd, where Buffalo Bill noosed it, -and it was subdued. - -“Great work, Cody!” called Black John, the leader of the mustangers. -“That is your mustang, if you want him.” - -“I’ll make you a present of him, so far as my interest goes,” said -Buffalo Bill. “It seems a pity, though, that such a fine fellow has -to be subdued and turned into a work animal.” - -“True enough, Cody; but we men have to work, and why not horses? -He’ll never do enough work to harm him, in my judgment. I get twenty -dollars apiece for these, after they’re a bit broken, and there’s -some money in it.” - -A man was galloping across the valley. - -“Some one is coming,” said the scout, drawing Black John’s attention -to the horseman. “Who is he?” - -Black John looked at the man. - -“That’s Toby Sam,” he said; “one of my men.” - -“Why Toby Sam?” said the scout. - -“Just the name we call him by, that’s all; I dunno what his real name -is.” - -Toby Sam was the rascal who had been under the tree at Gordon’s -and had fled when spoken to by Buffalo Bill. He was one of the -mustangers! It was a fact so suspicious that the scout decided to -watch the mustang catchers a while longer, and to find out more about -Toby Sam. - -When Toby Sam arrived, and discovered that Buffalo Bill and his -friends were there, he showed much confusion, but tried to cover it -up. - -Old Nick Nomad rode up to him. - -“Stranger,” he said bluntly, “I’m glad ter know ye, but I has seen -yer before, when you was ridin’ at sech a lickety-clip toward this -valley, from the direction of Gordon’s cabin, over on ther stage -trail. Thet war this mornin’.” - -“You’re mistaken,” said Toby Sam. “I wasn’t over there this mornin’.” - -“You were not at Forest’s this morning?” said Buffalo Bill, his sharp -eyes boring Toby Sam. “Didn’t I see you under the tree there close -by the house; and, when I spoke to you, didn’t you run and get your -horse, and ride away without answering me?” - -“It’s a mistake,” said Toby Sam. “I wasn’t over there at all.” - -“Then I beg your pardon,” said the scout. “It was a mistake.” - -But he knew that Toby Sam had lied, and he wondered why. - -In connection with the fact that Toby Sam might have seen those -emeralds, or heard talk about them, it was so suggestive that the -scout became uneasy. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - - THE ATTACK ON THE STAGE. - - -After tarrying with the mustang catchers of the Bitter Water, and -trying to study Toby Sam, Black John, and others, Buffalo Bill and -his friends departed, with no very clear conclusions, except a -deepening suspicion against Toby Sam. - -They journeyed toward the stage trail, thinking to intersect it where -the stage would pass, and there get a final word with Lena Forest, -who was to take the stage that day to the railroad. - -As they approached the crossing, they heard what was undoubtedly an -attack on the stagecoach. - -Buffalo Bill and his companions rode rapidly toward the shots and the -tumult. - -When they reached the trail they saw only a woman running about in -distraction. The stage and the outlaws were gone. The woman was Lena -Forest. - -“The robbers have taken her emeralds!” was the conclusion of Buffalo -Bill, as he dashed up to her, with Pawnee Bill and Nomad at his heels. - -She stared at him wild-eyed, and then rushed to meet him. - -“Bruce!” she cried. “They have carried him away.” - -It was not the gems she thought of, but her lover. - -“And the emeralds?” said Buffalo Bill. - -“They are here,” she said. “I concluded to carry them myself. The -stage was attacked right here by masked men. They took my watch and -purse, but didn’t know of the emeralds; but they carried away Bruce! -He must be--be followed at once.” - -Buffalo Bill slipped out of the saddle. - -“Where are the other passengers?” he said. “What became of them?” - -“They went on in the stage, after the holdup. The driver whipped up -his horses and drove on; but I threw open the coach door and leaped -out. I couldn’t go on, for Bruce had been seized and carried away by -the road agents. I wanted to do something to help him; but when I got -back here the road agents were gone. They seemed in a great hurry, -and did their work quickly.” - -“Did you get a look at the face of any one of them?” Pawnee Bill -asked. - -“They were masked.” - -“What kind of horses did they ride?” - -“I don’t know; Indian ponies, it seems to me.” - -“And they went south?” - -“Yes; toward the mountains.” - -Lena declared her belief that the road agents had taken young Clayton -because they had received word in some manner of the emeralds, and -believed he was carrying them. - -“When they discover their mistake,” she said, “they may kill him!” -She looked appealingly at Buffalo Bill. “I risked my life to save you -from the fire, Mr. Cody,” she reminded; “and now I ask in return that -you help me to rescue Bruce from the hands of those men, if it can -be done. It must be done, if he is not slain by them at once, or as -soon as they find he hasn’t the emeralds.” - -Buffalo Bill was ready to give her the promise asked. - -“One of us will go with you to the railroad, or back to Glendive,” he -said; “and the others will follow the outlaws as fast as possible.” - -“No, no!” she cried. “I am going with you!” - -Altogether, it seemed to him that the situation was unique. The -outlaws had attacked the stage to get possession of the emeralds. Not -finding them, and believing that young Clayton had them, they were -carrying him away, and had gone in great haste. And now the girl who -really carried on her person the coveted gems was urging a pursuit of -the road agents, and declaring her intention of taking part in it. - -“We have no horse for you,” he said, to dissuade her. “Besides, we -need a larger force, for there will probably be a fight. If one of us -conducts you to Glendive, or the railroad, he could summon help.” - -“The delay will be too great,” she urged. “Those men ought to be -followed at once, and we can’t weaken your force by sending a man -away. Some chance may come to help Bruce. And I must go with you.” -She looked at the scout’s horse. “Your horse will carry double, I -think; and you’ll find me a good horsewoman. I can mount behind you.” - -It was a waste of time to protest against the wishes of such a woman. -Moreover, Buffalo Bill admired her pluck and high courage, and he -knew she would be no weakling. The woman who could climb a wall -of that perilous cañon and hurl a rope to him, as she had done, -had more than the usual share of coolness and daring. In short, he -recognized in this brown-haired, bright-faced young woman the stuff -of which heroines are made. - -“The emeralds!” he said, as a final objection. - -“Let them go! I’d give them to the road agents willingly if they -would release Bruce. And, Mr. Cody, I confess to you that is what -I mean to do if I get the chance--offer the gems to those men for -Bruce’s release. We can’t fight them, they’re too strong; but we -might buy them, if we can get in touch with them to enter into -negotiations. That’s what I hope to do. They want the emeralds, not -Bruce.” - -“Very true,” he admitted. “I think they want the emeralds much more -than they do him.” - -“What I can’t understand is, how they knew I had them, or anything -about them. But they did. They searched Bruce hurriedly; and I heard -one of them tell him to hand over the emeralds. Where did they find -out about them?” - -“I’ll make a confession to you,” said Buffalo Bill, “as we ride -along. Lucky this horse is big and strong, and doesn’t object to -double burdens!” he cried, as he helped her to mount to the back of -his horse, and then he swung up into the saddle. - -Pawnee Bill and Nomad started their horses, and turned into the broad -trail left by the road agents when they rode away with their prisoner. - -“The confession I make is,” said Buffalo Bill, “that a man who, I -believe, was in this stage holdup, was seen by me at your uncle’s -home when I was there--when I came there with the emeralds, after -the fire. I didn’t want to tell you before, and make you uneasy. But -I saw him out under the tree, and when I tried to speak with him he -ran. I have been thinking the matter over since, and am pretty sure -now that he listened at the window, or under the floor.” - -“Under the floor?” - -“You’ll remember that I asked you if your uncle kept a dog? That -was because I had seen a hole under the floor which appeared as if -something--some animal or man--had recently been in it. I think now -that the man I’m speaking of had really been under the floor. If so, -he probably heard our talk about the emeralds. - -“Now, another thing: That man my friends and I saw with the mustang -catchers of the Bitter Water. He is called Toby Sam.” - -“You think the mustang catchers had a hand in this holdup?” - -“It looks it. I’m guessing a good deal, you see, and really am in the -dark; but that is my present guess.” - -The horses were going at a gallop now. - -Buffalo Bill drew rein, and asked the others to stop. - -“We’re foolish,” he said, “to take those emeralds on with us. The -thing to do is to hide them here somewhere. Then, no matter what -happens, they will be safe.” - -“But I intend to offer them for the release of my dear Bruce,” she -objected. - -“It wouldn’t be right to the memory of your uncle,” said the scout. -“He gave you those emeralds for a certain purpose.” - -“Yes, to make my life happy; but it can never be happy if Bruce -should be killed, especially if I had the feeling that I was to blame -because I held back the emeralds.” - -Nevertheless, Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, and Nomad talked her out of -the notion of attempting to make this sacrifice of the gems. - -“You are wiser than I,” she said, in submitting. “Do with them as you -like.” - -Accordingly, they concealed the emeralds in the buckskin bag at the -foot of a small tree, whose location it would be easy to remember. -Then they went on with the girl, following in the road agents’ trail, -and discussing the question of whether Pawnee Bill had not better -ride to Glendive for assistance. - -Hardly were they out of sight of the tree where they had buried the -gems when Black John, the leader of the mustang catchers, came out -of some bushes not far off, and advanced into the open, leading his -horse. - -“Now, what in thunder did they bury there?” he was saying. “I’ll jes’ -take a look, and see!” - -He found the place where the emeralds had been hid, and unearthed -them. - -“Great Rocky Mountains!” he gasped, when he opened the buckskin bag -and saw the priceless emeralds that lay in it. “But all the fiends’ -luck, if this ain’t a funny deal! Here we planned to rob the stage -and git the emeralds that Toby Sam tole us about. He said that the -young feller was to carry ’em, for safety. I was late gittin’ here; -and before I could do more’n hide they had gone for the stage, and -was kitin’ out south with the young feller a prisoner. And now here -comes along Buffalo Bill and his crowd, with the young lady, and -before goin’ furder they buries the jewels here, fer me! Waugh! I’ve -heard of mericles, and this is one of ’em!” - -He held up the gems and let them slide through his greedy fingers. - -“Luck--luck, such luck!” he muttered. “I’m wadin’ in luck, I’m -swimmin’ in it. I’m jes’ natcherly wallerin’ in luck! Hoop-la! -Emeralds fer a king! And now they’re right here in my fist.” - -Craft and greediness came to him. - -“Nobody’s seen me; the boys has gone on with Stockton; and here I’ve -got the emeralds. Nobody’s seen me!” He looked all around, and saw -not a person anywhere. “By the great tarantulas, why should I divide -’em with the other fellers? Why should I? We expected to git holt of -’em, and divide ’em up, and it would have been a handsome haul fer -each of us, even then. Toby Sam put us onto it because he was too -durn cowardly to try to make the riffle himself. But now--now they’re -mine! Why shouldn’t I hold ’em, and say nothin’? But durn ef I don’t, -too!” - -He stowed the buckskin bag of emeralds somewhere in an inner pocket -of his coat. Then he mounted his horse and rode slowly in the -direction taken by the road agents, and by the men and the girl who -had pursued them. - -“Luck!” he was muttering. “I’m swimmin’, I’m wallerin’, in luck. Was -there ever sech luck in the world before? I don’t believe it. Hope -to Harry I won’t wake up and find that I’m jes’ dreamin’; that I -ain’t here, and there ain’t been no holdup; and that there ain’t any -emeralds at all! Oh, gosh all fiddlesticks, wouldn’t that make me -sweat! Surely I can’t be dreamin’! Lemme take another look at ’em, to -be certain.” - -He took another look, and was sure that he was wide awake, and that -the emeralds were really in his possession. - -“Luck!” he cried. “Hoop-la! I’m rollin’ in the biggest luck I ever -heard of.” - -Then he rode on, jubilant and excited beyond words to express. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - - DISAPPOINTED ROAD AGENTS. - - -Black John had not come in time to lead the gang in the attack on -the stage. In his absence, Toby Sam was the leader; and the fact -that Toby Sam was the leader accounted in large measure for the -precipitate haste of the men engaged in the holdup. - -They were in such a hurry that they did no very thorough job. When -they could not find the emeralds on Clayton, they simply bundled him -on a horse and rode off with him, sure he had them concealed in his -clothing, and that they could search him at their leisure, where -there was no danger of rifle bullets. - -Toby Sam was a coward. That was the explanation of this singular -action. Like leader, like man; all were cowards when he led them. - -When they had ridden at a sharp gallop for a couple of miles, they -stopped their headlong pace and crowded around the prisoner, whose -feet were tied under his horse’s belly, and whose hands were tied -behind his back. - -Toby Sam flashed a glittering revolver and pointed it at him. - -“Cough up, now!” he commanded. “We ain’t got no time to fool with -you. We want them emeralds you’re carryin’, and we’re goin’ to -have ’em. If you don’t fork ’em out, er tell us where to find ’em -quick, we’ll tear the clothes off of ye, and cut you into ribbons. -Understand, we’re goin’ to have ’em!” - -Bruce Clayton smiled disdainfully. - -“I haven’t got them,” he said. - -“I s’pose you’ll say you don’t know anything about ’em?” - -“No, I won’t say that, since you seem to know better; but I haven’t -got them.” - -“You did have them!” - -“Not on this stage trip.” - -“No? Do you mean it?” Toby Sam howled the words, and his comrades -crowded angrily round the young man. “Who had ’em, then?” - -“When I get ready, I’ll tell you that,” Bruce said coolly. “You know -so much, I shouldn’t think you’d need to ask me anything.” - -“Search him!” yelled Toby Sam. - -Some of the road agents threw themselves on their helpless prisoner -and searched him thoroughly, doing it in the roughest fashion. -However, they failed to find the emeralds. - -“He ain’t got ’em!” they yelled. - -Toby Sam threw up his revolver again. He was brave enough when his -enemy was tied, and could not possibly harm him. - -“Tell us where them em’rulds aire!” he ordered. “And do it mighty -quick, er you’ll do no more talkin’ in this world.” - -There was such menace in his words and tone that Bruce hesitated. - -“I’ll tell you,” he said, “if you’ll let me go.” - -“Boyees, you hear him?” said Toby Sam. - -“After ther boss comes, we’ll let him go, if he tells the truth,” -said one of the men. - -“Yes, after the boss comes!” others shouted. - -“Say, you fellows,” said the young man coolly, “couldn’t you just -whisk those masks aside, so that I can see your faces? I always like -to know who I’m talking with. Strikes me this is a one-sided affair; -you know me, but hanged if I do you.” - -“But you’d like to?” - -“Well, yes; I’d like to.” - -“Tell us where them emeralds aire!” yelled Toby Sam. - -“Then you’ll let me go free.” - -“We will, when the boss comes, if you speak honest. Them emeralds -aire the things we’re after.” - -“That’s your solemn promise?” - -“Yes. Now, where aire they?” - -Toby Sam still held his revolver cocked. - -“Those emeralds are in the possession of Miss Forest. I can tell you -that now, for she is on the stage, and the stage has got such a start -of you that you couldn’t overtake it, no matter how hard you might -try. She has got them; and they’re safe.” - -A roar of surprise and anger arose. - -“But, see here,” said Toby Sam argumentatively, “I was under her -house when she and Buffler Bill war talkin’ of how they war goin’ to -send them emeralds on; and I heard her say that she would give ’em -to you to carry, ’cause then they’d be safer, fer no one would be -expectin’ you to have ’em. What about that? Ain’t that right?” - -“I don’t doubt you were sneak enough to crawl under the house and -listen in that way, since you admit it.” - -“But ain’t that right? Didn’t she say that?” - -“I think she did; but she is a woman, and a woman has an everlasting -right to change her mind whenever she wants to. She changed her mind.” - -“And she carried ’em, instead of you?” - -“That’s right; she carried them.” - -“Why was you along, then?” Toby Sam howled. “Answer me that!” - -“As her escort. I meant to go East with her.” - -“What for, if not to carry the emeralds?” - -The young man’s face flushed. - -“I intended to marry her when we reached the East,” he admitted. - -When some further sharp questions and threats did not change the -prisoner’s story, Toby Sam and some of his men drew aside and -discussed the matter. - -“Better wait fer the comin’ of the boss.” - -“But if we wait, then the chance of hittin’ the stage may be lost,” -was the answer to this advice. - -After they had talked a while they came back to Clayton. - -“Young feller,” said Toby Sam, “we aire fer the present believin’ -what you’ve told us about them emeralds. We’re goin’ to hold you, -because, if you’ve lied, then we’ll have a happy settlement with you -later; and, further, because we wants to hear what the boss says -about it. But we’re goin’ to send a man to the railroad. He’ll manage -to git into communication with the young lady you’re sweet on; and -he’ll say to her: ‘We’re holdin’ the man you expect to marry. You’ve -got certain emeralds we’re interested in. Hand over them emeralds, -and we’ll let your feller go free. Otherwise, we cuts short his -career with a swift bullet!’” - -“And now, to furnish proof to her that we have really got you, and -aire meanin’ bizness, we’re goin’ to ask ye to write her a little -letter--jes’ a few words from you to her, to that effeck. If she does -hand over the emeralds to our man, well and good fer you; but if she -don’t, then we ruther think that we’ll snuff out your life lamp in a -hurry. What d’ye say?” - -Bruce took time to consider this. - -“May I write what I please,” he asked, “or what I’m ordered?” - -“You writes what we tells you.” - -“Then I refuse to write anything.” - -He set his jaws stubbornly. - -Toby Sam’s big revolver appeared again, threatening him. - -“That’s all right,” said Clayton. “Shoot me, if you want to, and then -you’ll never get those emeralds.” - -“What’ll you write?” Toby Sam demanded. - -There were harsh and angry cries from the other men. - -“I’ll write to her to sell enough of the gems to get a thousand -dollars, and to pay it over only after I’m released.” - -“Well, you don’t! We has all them emeralds, or we has your life!” - -“Crack away!” said Clayton defiantly. “If you kill me, remember that -you won’t get anything.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - - SETTING A TRAP. - - -While they were still talking, Black John made his appearance, riding -up in such furious haste that his horse was white with foam. He had -circled the pursuers and got ahead of them. - -“Git a move on ye!” he commanded. - -“But, see here,” said Toby Sam, “does you understand ther situation? -This feller didn’t have the emeralds at all, but the girl’s got ’em, -and she’s on the stage; so we’re figurin’ about sendin’ a man to the -railroad, and tryin’ to open up negotiations with her, and sorter -trade him to her fer the emeralds. We reckon it may work.” - -Black John answered, with an oath: - -“She didn’t go on the stage, but jumped out; and now she’s with -Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, and that old trapper, and they’re -follerin’ your trail.” - -It was a study in human nature to watch the effect of this -revelation. It held singular proof of the fear which the names of -Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill had inspired in such men. They were -almost in a panic, some of them jerking the heads of their horses -round as if they wished to ride away as quickly as they could. - -Black John had the buckskin bag of emeralds at the moment in an inner -pocket of his coat, but he did not mention that to them. He had made -up his mind to keep the emeralds for himself. - -Another desire had come into his heart--the desire to rid himself -forever of the pursuit of Buffalo Bill and his companions. Buffalo -Bill had an unpleasant way of taking a trail and staying with it -until he accomplished what he set out for. To stop Buffalo Bill it -would be necessary to kill him. Of that Black John was certain. So -now he had planned to compass the death of Buffalo Bill and his -comrades, and to capture the girl. - -If the girl was captured and the emeralds were not found on her, that -could not be charged to him; and if she should admit that they had -been hidden, and should point out the place, and then they were not -found, that could not be charged against him. - -Altogether, he fancied he had worked out a clever plan, and at once -proposed it. - -“Ride on,” he said, “and I’ve got a proposition to talk over as we -go.” - -He stared at the prisoner through the holes of his black half mask, -and Bruce Clayton returned the stare with interest. - -It was a strange-looking cavalcade that moved on--the prisoner bound -and tied to his horse in the midst of those masked figures. - -Black John unfolded his plan: - -“We can lay fer ’em and trap ’em, and git the emeralds from the girl, -and at the same time wipe out Buffalo Bill and the devils that aire -with him. It’s the trick to play.” - -It did not suit Toby Sam, the coward. And others of the gang shared -his feelings and his fears. Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, and old Nick -Nomad were noted as the most desperate fighters of the border, and -they were men not easy to trap. It was a certain thing that in an -attempt to “wipe them out,” some of the outlaws would meet death. -Toby Sam and those who thought as he did were not yet ready to die. - -“It’d be a better and a safer plan,” said Toby Sam, “if we git word -to ’em that we’ll swap this young feller fer the emeralds. That girl -will jump at the offer, fer she’s goin’ to marry this feller. She’ll -take that bait quick; and, as far as the young feller is concerned, -we don’t want him, and if we keep him we’ll jes’ have to kill him.” - -Even as he talked, Toby Sam looked backward, fearing to see the -pursuing scouts. - -“If we git them emeralds,” he added, “and make a divvy, we’ll be that -well fixed fer money that we can quit this hyer other bizness we’ve -been workin’.” - -He meant the mustang catching. They followed mustang catching as a -blind. As mustangers, they had an excuse for being in that part of -the country, and for shifting from point to point; and mustanging -explained the money they occasionally displayed in the gambling -resorts and saloons of the towns. They did not really care for -mustanging, though they were glad enough to sell the mustangs they -caught. - -Toby Sam, being disguised and anxious to conceal his identity from -Bruce, did not say “mustanging,” yet his comrades knew what he meant. - -Black John was not pleased to see so many of his men incline to Toby -Sam’s view. - -“We’ve got to wipe out them cussed scouts!” he declared. “We’ll all -be in the penitentiary inside of a month if we don’t. And the thing -now will be dead easy. Jes’ lay fer ’em, as they come follerin’ -on our trail, shoot ’em from ambush, and that ends ’em. Nothing -dangerous er to be skeered of about that.” - -Black John’s position as “boss,” together with his arguments, won; -and the outlaws began to look for a good point for an ambuscade. - -They found it soon, on a hillside that overlooked a narrow pass -through which the pursuers would be expected to go. They rode through -the pass, circuited around, and gained the hillside, and lay down -there under some scrubby trees. - -Their horses were placed beyond the hill, and the prisoner was left -there in charge of two men, one of whom was Toby Sam. For Black John -knew what a coward Toby was, and feared to place him where he might -think his precious hide was in danger. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - - A CAPTURE AND AN ESCAPE. - - -When Buffalo Bill came in sight of the hill where the outlaws lay -waiting for him, and saw the narrow pass through which he must go, he -stopped, for he was wary and alert to discover signs of danger. - -“They were in a great hurry here,” he said, “and I suppose they went -right on; but, just the same, that looks too favorable for a trap, -and I think we’ll investigate it.” - -He brought out his field glasses and surveyed the sides of the hill -and the pass as well as he could, without discovering anything. - -Pawnee Bill and Nomad also scanned the suspected points, and saw -nothing out of the way. - -“If any one is there, they see us, or have seen us,” said the scout. - -He turned his horse about and rode behind a hill, and the others did -the same. - -Buffalo Bill wished heartily that Lena Forest was not with his -party. He did not doubt her courage. But she was a young woman, and -in the wild work he anticipated there was no place for a woman, -however brave she was. Yet he knew that she would not go back. -She had already refused to do that; and, of course, he could not -leave her without protection. But now he made another suggestion, -without believing she would accept it. This suggestion was for her -to accompany Pawnee Bill to the town of Glendive, where she could -remain, and Pawnee Bill could gather a force there and hurry back -with it. - -Pawnee Bill stood ready to go, but Lena Forest demurred. - -“I am not a child, and I’m not a weakling, if I am a woman,” she -declared. “I’ve given way to you, and have left the emeralds behind; -but I’m going on, in this trail, when you go on, if I have to walk.” - -“I’ll ride for help,” said Pawnee Bill, “though you know, Cody, that -if you’re to mix in any fighting, I’d rather be in it with you than -to eat when I’m hungry.” - -After a time of discussion, Pawnee Bill departed, on a swift ride for -assistance. - -“I can’t go on,” said Buffalo Bill, “until I’m positive no road -agents are on that hillside. So, if you will stay here with Nomad, -Lena, I’ll make it my business to find out.” - -“Look out fer yerself, Buffler, when ye do!” Nomad warned. - -Black John was as wily and wary as Buffalo Bill. He had seen the -scout; and, while leaving the most of his men to guard the pass, he -was himself, with a few others, moving swiftly, for the purpose of -trapping the scout where he was. - -Hence it happened that while Buffalo Bill was stealing along under -cover of the hills, intending to swing in a semicircle and get behind -the outlaws, if they were on that hillside, Black John was riding -as silently in a semicircle round in the other direction, intending -either to trap the scout and his companions in the scrubby grove, or -drive them into the pass, where they would come under the guns of the -road agents there. - -When Black John came in sight of the spot where he thought to find -Buffalo Bill, both the scouts were gone. But Nomad was there, with -Lena Forest. - -“Cody and his pard have rid on toward the pass,” was Black John’s -conclusion, “and the boyees will rake ’em in there. So here we go for -to rake in the two we sees before us. Now we put our hands on them -emeralds, fer here’s ther girl that’s got ’em.” - -He could hardly repress a smile, for he felt the buckskin bag of -emeralds pressing in a lump against his flesh, under his coat. - -But that mention of the emeralds was a bait for the men, and they -moved forward with him, making a clever sneak upon the trapper and -the girl. - -Nomad was talking in a fatherly way with Lena Forest, telling her -that she was foolish in insisting on staying with Buffalo Bill, when -all she could do was to hamper him. - -“Ye see, I’m older’n he is,” he was saying, “and so I’ve got past -ther p’int where I’m skeered ter say my say ter a woman because her -face is purty. ‘Purty is as purty does’ ter me now; though onct there -war a time when ther sight of a flutterin’ dress would set my heart -ter knockin’, and I wouldn’t had any more sense than a two-year-old. -Them times is gone by; I’m old, and I’m thet humly that I’m ashamed -ter look in a lookin’-glass, and I know it. So I kin afford ter speak -plain ter ye. You’re makin’ things hard fer Buffler by insistin’ on -stayin’ with him. ’Tain’t no proper place for a woman, and----” - -“But how can I leave Bruce and----” - -“Thar ye go; thar ye go! When a gal gits in love she loses her sense. -And that’s what ails ye. I don’t object ter ye thinkin’ proper good -and strong of ther man ye expect ter marry; but at ther same time, -hoss sense is hoss sense, and not somethin’ diff’runt. I say thet -you ought to go to ther town, and thet yer ought ter have gone when -Pawnee Bill went. And I say, furder----” - -He was not given an opportunity to say anything further. Old -Nebuchadnezzar, his homely, shaggy-headed horse, thrust out his nose, -scented into the bushes, and then gave a jump and a squeal. - -It was a warning; old Nebby was a veritable watchdog. But the warning -came too late. - -Before Nomad could seize his rifle, three men burst through the -bushes, and each covered him with a revolver. They were Black John -and two of his men, and two more came in sight a minute later. - -“Surrender!” - -Nomad was almost too chagrined for words. He knew that he was to -blame for permitting these men to sneak on him undiscovered in that -way, and hold him up at the point of the revolver. - -Nebuchadnezzar bared his greenish teeth, and in another moment would -have been at the throat of the nearest man. - -“Whoa, Nebby!” Nomad yelled. He had seen the man pitch up a revolver, -and knew that Nebby would get the bullet. He knew, too, that a -bullet would be his own portion if he made an attempt to run. - -“Ketched nappin’!” he said, lowering his rifle. “Yer aire too many -fur me. But if I hadn’t been a fool, ’twouldn’t happened.” - -Lena was too startled and too frightened for words. She stared at the -masked outlaws, her eyes big and bright, her face turning white. - -“Drop your gun!” Black John commanded. - -Nomad looked at him hard, and let the rifle slide to the ground. - -“I’m a fool, but I don’t skeer easy,” he said; “and I know who ye -aire, old hoss, which I’ll say it if I never speak another word. Why -don’t you take that devil’s han’k’cher off’n yer face?” - -Black John came forward, holding his revolver in readiness. - -“Keep him covered!” he called out. “Where’s the rest of your crowd?” - -“Yer aire lookin’ at ther whole of them,” said Nomad. “Me and my -daughter, hyar.” - -“Oh, your daughter! Where’s Cody and Lillie?” - -“I hesertates ter say, not knowin’.” - -“They were with you a few moments ago. I reckon they’ve gone on -toward the pass. Well, we’ll bag ’em there.” - -“They ain’t sech fools as me,” said Nomad bitterly. “When I git -through with this trail, I’m goin’ ter quit, and retire ter some -quiet home fer men thet has lost their senses. If I’d had mine, you -wouldn’t ketched me like this. But it’s all right; I’m old, and ain’t -got too many years in this world, and you can’t skeer me. But I does -ax yer to be easy wi’ ther gal.” - -“Search her,” said Black John, to one of his men. - -The masked bandit came forward. - -“You’ve got some em’rulds,” said this rascal. “Fork ’em over, and -save yerself trouble.” - -“But I haven’t them!” she protested. - -“Fork ’em over!” he shouted. - -“I haven’t them. We left them behind; but where, I refuse to tell -you.” - -“Search her!” said Black John, grinning in a knowing way. - -The man sprang upon the frightened girl, and the next moment it -seemed that he would tear her clothing from her body. - -It was too much for Nomad. Regardless of the revolvers leveled on -him, he leaped to Lena’s aid. With a blow of his fist he laid the -miscreant on the ground. At the same time his shrill whistle to -Nebuchadnezzar sounded, and the old horse came jumping to his side. - -“Git on him!” Nomad yelled to the girl, as he fought with another -outlaw who assailed him. - -Lena tried to obey, but her skirts were caught by the fallen rascal, -and she was thrown down. - -Black John came to the assistance of the man who was battling with -Nomad, and in a few moments the old man was conquered; and then his -hands were bound, while he was held down. - -“Shoot him!” snarled the rascal who had been bowled over by Nomad’s -gnarled fist. - -“Not yit!” Black John commanded. He put up a hand for silence. “Mebbe -that’ll draw Cody and Pawnee Bill,” he said; “and if they come we’ll -have a fight, er mebbe we can capture ’em here. Listen!” - -But if the sounds had reached Buffalo Bill, there was nothing to -indicate it. - -Nomad looked regretfully at the girl, who, frightened and trembling, -was standing close by, one of the outlaws grasping her by the arm. - -“Too bad, leetle gal,” he said; “but I’ve allus noticed thet storms -never last, and thet bright weather allus comes after they’re over. -It’s hard lines fer ye now, but better times is comin’.” - -“Shut up!” commanded Black John, who was still hearkening for some -sound of the approach of Buffalo Bill, and of Pawnee Bill, whom he -thought with him. - -Old Nebuchadnezzar, his bridle held by one of the masked men, was -dancing in uneasiness and anger. - -“Whoa, Nebuchadnezzar!” said Nomad. The uneasy horse gave him an -idea. Nebby was within a yard of him, and on Nebby’s back was his -old, high-horned saddle. Nomad’s feet were not yet bound, though that -would come soon, he knew. - -The shrill whistle, in a different key, rose from his lips. He jumped -to the horse and threw his bound hands up, so that the cords which -held his wrists together hooked over the saddle horn. - -Nebuchadnezzar gave so shrill a squeal that it was almost a scream, -and at the same time gave a jump and lunge which hurled to the -ground the man who was holding the bridle. - -The man tried to cling to the rein and stop the furious old horse, -but Nebuchadnezzar trod him under foot; and the next moment he was -“running away,” with old Nomad swinging along, supported by the -saddle horn. - -The old man had not taken time to get into the saddle--had feared to -try that--but was hoping the horse would bear him beyond the outlaws, -and that he could in some manner escape. - -Black John and some of the other outlaws pitched up their revolvers; -but instantly Black John lowered his. - -“Don’t shoot!” he said, for he did not want to send such an alarm to -Buffalo Bill. He had the girl, whom he had desired, and as for old -Nomad, he did not care much about him, one way or another. Buffalo -Bill and Pawnee Bill he desired to capture, or to kill. Hence his -caution. - -“Don’t shoot!” he said again. - -“But he’s gittin’ away!” - -“Let him go! He’s no good to us, anyhow. But Cody and Pawnee Bill -will be comin’ back here purty soon, in answer to that racket. -They’ll want to see what it means, an’ we’ll rake ’em in right here, -if the boyees down at the pass don’t do it. Down with you fellers, -and git the horses back; and don’t one of ye so much as breathe. -Here, young lady, come with me, and keep yer handsome mouth shet, er -I’ll put a knife into it, by way of a gag.” - -The escape of Nick Nomad had come with such stunning suddenness that -Lena Forest could hardly credit it, and knew not what to do, or think. - -When Black John seized her by the wrist and drew her back into the -bushes, she did not at first make any resistance, but she began -to struggle when she comprehended what this meant--the capture of -Buffalo Bill. - -“I shall cry out and warn him,” was her thought. “They can’t scare me -enough to keep me from doing that.” - -She was thinking, too, in a wild way, of Bruce, wondering where he -was, for she had been sure he was with the road agents. Though she -could not see their faces, she was certain these were the road agents -who had held up the stage, and, therefore, that they were the same -scoundrels who held Bruce a prisoner. - -She forgot the torn and shocking condition of her dress, in her -desire to warn Buffalo Bill. And lest the outlaws should gag her, or -remove her to some other place, she tried to give them now as little -trouble as possible. So she crouched down, as Black John ordered her -to, and listened with the listening outlaws for some sound that would -show Buffalo Bill was returning. - -However, that sound did not come, nor was anything heard from the -direction of the pass to indicate that the scout had fallen into the -ambush laid for him there. - -“Cuss him!” said Black John, breathing hard. “What’s happened, I -wonder? He and Pawnee Bill ought to have heard that row, and be -comin’ back.” - -“We’ve got the gal, anyway,” said one of the rascals, with a grin; -“and I’m believin’ she must have them em’rulds. If she ain’t, he has; -and we’ll git ’em, er know why.” - -The “he” referred to Bruce Clayton. - -Still no sound reached them indicating the return of the two scouts. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - - THE EMERALDS GONE. - - -When Black John and his masked bandits had waited so long for the -return of Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill that their patience was worn -out, they left the concealment of the bushes. - -It was certain that the scouts had not fallen into the trap in the -pass. If that had happened, rifle shots and the sounds of a conflict -would have notified them. - -Everywhere was a silence that was trying to Black John. Nomad had -vanished as if into space; and, though they might have picked up and -followed the trail of his horse, the outlaws did not think that would -justify the loss of time necessary. They were more interested in the -two scouts. - -Leaving the bushes, and circling back by the route they had come in -reaching them, taking their girl prisoner with them, they gained -again the hillside, where the other outlaws were waiting for the -scouts. - -Toby Sam was much relieved when he saw his chief. He felt sure that -for a time the danger of a fight had passed. - -“Seen nothin’ o’ ’em,” was Black John’s question. - -“Nary a hair,” said Toby Sam. “But you seem to have struck suthin’. -We heerd a racket up there, and some of ther boys was fer goin’ ter -see what it meant; but I told ’em to stay here. Orders is orders, and -that’s what you tole us ter do.” - -Clayton, who had been held in a hollow to the rear, was brought out, -and Lena could not repress a cry when she beheld her lover. She -marked his haggard face, but most she noted his bearing of courage -and reliance. She would have rushed to him, but one of the bandits -held her. - -“Oh, Bruce! Bruce!” she cried. - -“Cough up them em’rulds!” said one of the outlaws, “and then both o’ -ye can go free.” - -“Oh, do you mean it?” she cried, in a manner to make the bandits -think she intended their instant surrender. - -Black John opened his eyes, wondering if there were other emeralds of -which he had no knowledge, and he listened for her further statement. - -“I haven’t them,” she said, “as I’ve already told you; but I know -where they are; and if you will really release us, I’ll gladly show -you where they are. I’ll guide you to them. Oh, can I trust you? Will -you let us go?” - -She clasped her hands in agitation, and looked round on the masked -faces. - -“Can I trust you? Would you let us go, after getting those emeralds?” - -“Young lady,” said Black John, “we would. Show us where they aire, -and as soon as we git our fingers on ’em we’ll turn you loose.” - -He wanted his men to see that he was “doing all he could to get the -emeralds for them.” - -He began to question the girl, and got from her a repetition of -the statement that she would show them where the emeralds were -concealed, on their promise to let her and Bruce Clayton go free. - -She believed that Buffalo Bill and old Nomad could take care of -themselves; and as for Pawnee Bill, she thought he was hurrying out -of the country, on his way to Glendive. Her desire to secure the -freedom of Bruce Clayton made her selfish, perhaps, in some points. -The emeralds were as nothing to her, when compared with his safety. - -Black John had taken a sudden and violent liking for the girl. - -“I’ll cut loose from the others,” he told himself, “and slide; and -when I do I’ll take the emeralds, and I’d like to take her. I suppose -she’d make a rumpus, and all that, but what do I care? I can manage -her; if no other way, I can whale her, like the Injuns do their -squaws. I reckon that would fetch her to her senses. With the money -them emeralds will bring, I could hide out in Mexico somewheres, and -live like a prince, and never do no more work, ner run any more risk.” - -Black John had as little knowledge of the heart of a true and refined -woman as if he were an Indian. Such women as he had known were of the -lower, coarser sort, and he judged all women by them. - -“We’ll look round a bit,” he said to his men, for he had lost none of -his craftiness, “and we’ll see what’s become of Buffalo Bill and his -pard. And I wonder where that old trapper went to? That was a clever -thing he done, I’ll say! Also, it was reckless; fer if we hadn’t been -afraid to shoot we could have downed him and his horse dead easy!” - -He took a couple of men and began to scout about, hoping to discover -what had become of Pawnee Bill and Cody; but he saw nothing. - -“Beats my time!” he said. “They was right over there and follerin’ -our trail, but soon’s we laid a trap fer ’em they dropped out of -sight. Yit I know that neither them ner their horses kin fly. And I -don’t see that old trapper nowhere. He’s a smart one, and no mistake. -I reckon he and that old horse o’ his aire hidin’ in some holler, and -keepin’ as close to the grass and bushes as if they was a pair of -rabbits.” - -He spent almost an hour in this scouting trip, and returned with his -companions no wiser than when he went. - -Toby Sam was talking with the prisoners when Black John returned, and -the prisoners seemed in remarkably good spirits. - -Black John now moved his men along the backward way, but not on the -backward trail, and was soon leaving the hillside and the pass behind -him. - -The girl kept her own counsel, and did not tell them that Pawnee Bill -had departed for Glendive. - -When the spot was reached, near the stage trail, where the emeralds -had been concealed, she pointed it out to them. - -Black John could not hide a grin. It was such a joke--when he had the -emeralds in his pocket! - -The bandits saw the fresh earth turned there, and began to dig with -feverish energy. They reached the bottom of the hole, but found no -emeralds. - -Then their rage broke bounds; for, suddenly, they conceived the idea -that from the first Lena Forest had deceived them. - -If it had not been for Black John they would now have treated her -outrageously, and might have shot her, and her lover as well. - -Black John did not care for Clayton, but he meant to protect the -girl. He put himself in front of her, and drew his revolver. - -“Who’s the boss of this beehive?” he demanded harshly, fingering his -pistol. “You’ll know that I am, if you try any rushin’. Stand back, -there! And you, Toby Sam, shet yer yawp, er I’ll fill yer ugly mouth -with bullets. Let’s hear what the girl’s got to say.” - -They clamored for her to speak, but she was mystified, puzzled, -chagrined. - -“I saw them hidden there!” she said. - -“Then somebody’s dug ’em up!” was the disgusted statement. “Somebody -seen ’em hid here, and dug ’em up; and where they aire now ther Lord -knows; but we’ve seen the last of them em’rulds, unless the young -lady is lyin’.” - -They stared at her, and at Black John, who stood in front of her. - -“Mebbe we kin hit the trail of the feller that done it?” Black John -suggested. He set to work to do that, but pointed out the trail of -the scouts, instead of his own. - -He could afford to laugh at these men, now that he had the gems. He -was already wondering how he was to get away from them, and take the -girl with him. - - - - - CHAPTER XL. - - CODY AND NOMAD. - - -Buffalo Bill had seen the movements of the outlaws under Black John, -and had discovered the ambush laid for him on the hillside. He had -heard the outcry made when Nomad escaped, and then he had caught a -glimpse of the old trapper getting away, with his shaggy-headed horse. - -The great scout was too wise to show himself; he was but one man, and -the road agents numbered nearly a score. He was already satisfied -that they were the mustangers, or that some of them were, and that -the mustang catching was but a side issue, carried on chiefly for the -purpose of blinding people to their real work. - -The fact that old Nomad seemed to be dragged by his horse, instead of -riding on the back of the animal, suggested trouble for the old man, -though the scout did not understand the nature of it. - -Buffalo Bill now concealed his horse in a hollow that was filled with -bushes, and then on foot made his way in the direction of Nomad’s -flight. He was worried about the safety of the girl, whom he had left -with Nomad. More than ever he wished she would be tractable, and that -she had started for Glendive with Pawnee Bill. - -In going forward now, Buffalo Bill used the utmost carefulness. - -The thick growth of bushes that covered the land except in spots, -while offering him protection, screened as well much of the movements -of the road agents, so that he was in constant danger of blundering -into them at the most unexpected point. - -His wariness, his keen eyesight, and trained hearing stood him in -good stead. - -He found the hoofprints of Nebuchadnezzar, and began to follow them. -That the tracks were made by Nomad’s horse he knew from the fact that -recently Nebuchadnezzar had broken a triangular piece out of his -right fore hoof. The impression in the soil was unmistakable, to a -man trained as the scout was in the fine art of trailing. - -Half an hour or more afterward the scout saw indications that the old -horse had entered a small grove, near a little stream. He could not -see the horse in there, and he began to fear that here was an ambush. -He knew Nebby might have run into a bunch of road agents in that -grove and been captured, with his owner, and the road agents might be -lying in wait for any friend of Nomad who followed his trail. - -Standing off at a distance, concealed by trees and rocks, Buffalo -Bill uttered the “cuckoo” cry of the little prairie-dog owl. It was -a signal well understood by Nomad, when made in a peculiar way; and -when from the grove there came an answering cry, the scout knew that -in there no ambush existed. - -“Hello!” he called, as he now boldly advanced. - -“Thet you, Buffler?” came in a strained voice. - -Nomad did not appear, and the thing seemed suspicious, so the scout -went on, with revolver held ready for use. - -When he had penetrated the grove, he found a strange state of -affairs. Nomad lay on the ground, gasping, and almost breathless, -his hands bound together at the wrist. The ground seemed torn up by -his own efforts, for no enemy was to be seen. Close by stood old -Nebuchadnezzar, looking at Nomad, and then turning his sad eyes on -Buffalo Bill, as if to inquire the meaning of something he had not -brain enough to fathom. - -Buffalo Bill hurried forward and cut the cords from Nomad’s wrists. -Nomad rolled over to a sitting position. - -“Waugh!” he grunted, puffing his cheeks and blowing dirt out of his -mouth. “Buffler, talk er ground hogs! I been ground-hoggin’ in the -wust way ever. Fer an hour, seems ter me, I been kickin’ round hyar -wuss’n any cussed grasshopper. Whar’d ye come frum? And shake! I -never war so glad ter see anybody in all my bornd days!” - -He extended his hand. The lines of the cords, where they had cut into -his wrists, showed red, and deeply indented. - -“Who tied you?” asked the scout, mystified, and glancing all around -him. “I don’t see any trail here but yours.” - -“Waugh! Let me git my wind, Buffler, and I’ll norate a tale fer -ye that’ll make yer eyes bug out. I rid hyar bound thet way, and -I didn’t ride in the saddle, nuther; couldn’t git up inter ther -saddle.” - -Then he told, in his own peculiar phraseology, of how he had been -surprised and captured by the road agents, and of the manner of his -singular escape, aided by Nebuchadnezzar. - -“Thar never war yit another sech hoss, Buffler, on the top o’ ther -airth!” he declared, with characteristic enthusiasm. “Whoa, Nebby, -consarn ye; don’t git bashful and restless jes’ ’cause I’m praisin’ -ye! Stan’ still, thar!” He looked lovingly at the homely old beast. -“Nebby seen jes’ ther fix I war in, and he felt jes’ as bad as I did, -and war jes’ as ’shamed o’ ther way we had been caught nappin’. And -so he war ready fer somethin’ desprit, and he done it. I jes’ hooked -my two tied hands over the horn o’ ther saddle and Nebby carried -me off, same’s as if I war a bag o’ meal hooked onter him. It war -ther greatest thing I ever knowed on, Buffler, an’ no mistake. But -after Nebby’d done his part, I still seemed ter be not much better -off. I got my hands from over the saddle horn, but I couldn’t ontie -’em. I tried to gnaw ther cords loose, but my ole teeth has seen -their best days, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t break ther cords, -and thar I war; fer, smart as Nebby is, I couldn’t nowise git him -ter do anything. I tried ter git him ter bite at ther cords, but he -wouldn’t, and jes’ stood lookin’ at me, wonderin’ what kind of a -crazy fit I war havin’; fer I war shore pawin’ up ther ground suthin’ -dreadful, in tryin’ ter git myself free.” - -The old trapper told what he knew of the girl who had been left -behind in the power of the road agents, and of the road agents -themselves; though this last was little enough, and largely -guesswork, as he had not seen their faces. - -The scout saw that some strenuous and perilous work was cut out for -him. At all hazards, Lena must be rescued, and her lover as well. - -“We’ll have to lie low a while,” he said to Nomad. “We’ll strike -their trail after they’ve gone on, and then we’ll do what we can.” - -Old Nomad made a grimace. - -“Buffler, I feels like lyin’ low fer a week; fer I’m thet stiff and -sore thet every inch o’ me feels as ef it had been beat with an ox -whip. I reckon I’ve got you to thank fer my life, too; fer, try as I -would, I couldn’t git rid of them cords on my wrists. And, gee, but -them wrists aire hurtin’ yit!” - -They were red and swollen, and very painful. - -From the top of the nearest hill, to which he climbed with great -carefulness, Buffalo Bill viewed, as well as he could, the -surrounding country. He saw the road agents under Black John moving -off in the direction of the stage trail. It surprised him, and for a -time puzzled him; then he hit on what seemed to him the true solution. - -“They’ve forced Lena Forest to tell them where the emeralds are -buried, and they’re going to get them. Too bad! But I don’t see -how it’s to be prevented now. Of course, no one can blame her for -telling, when, no doubt, she was threatened, and frightened.” - -He surveyed the returning cavalcade with his field glasses; and saw -the two prisoners in the midst of the outlaws. - -As he lay thus on the top of the hill, he saw on another hill, some -distance away, a horseman appear. He swung the glasses around and -pointed them at this horseman, while a cry of surprise broke from his -lips. - -“Pawnee Bill!” - -And Pawnee Bill was supposed to be at that moment speeding on his way -to Glendive! - -Deeming it safe to do so, Buffalo Bill stood up and waved his hat -about his head. But the signal was not observed by Pawnee Bill, who -was looking at Black John’s men. - -Buffalo Bill saw the horseman begin to descend from the hill, with -the apparent intention of following the road agents. - -Therefore, he quickly climbed down himself, and returned in haste to -Nomad with his astonishing news. - -The scout and Nomad rode out of the grove, and, following swiftly in -the course taken by Pawnee Bill, soon overtook him. He was not at all -surprised to see them. - -“I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “From the top of that high -hill away over there I saw, with my glasses, that something had gone -wrong; and so I back-tracked, and here I am. What’s the news?” - -They had enough to tell him, of a surprising character. - -“I guess it was Nomad’s fight and capture that I saw,” he said. “As -you are both all right, perhaps I’d better go on again. I came back -because I thought likely I was needed.” - -As, in pursuing the road agents now, toward the stage trail, the -scouts were really going somewhat in the direction of Glendive, -Pawnee Bill kept with them. - -Before the stage trail was reached they saw the bandits returning, -still with their prisoners. - -Night was at hand. - -Black John had got rid of most of his men, having only six or eight -with him now, among them Toby Sam. Little by little he was reducing -his force, sending men here and there on various pretexts. In this -manner, he thought to get rid of them all, by and by, and have the -prisoners himself; when he meant to put the young man out of the way, -and fly with the young woman and the emeralds. - -The fact that Black John’s force had been reduced caused a change of -plan on the part of the scouts. - -It was decided that it was not necessary to send Pawnee Bill on to -Glendive for assistance, but that the wisest course now was for the -three pards to remain together, and, in the darkness, try to get at -the prisoners and release them. Therefore, when they fell in behind -Black John’s party, and began to follow this trail, they kept a -sharp outlook ahead, expecting that soon he would go into camp for -the night, when they would endeavor to put their plan of rescue into -execution. - -But Black John did not go into camp. He pushed straight on in the -gathering darkness. Before coming to the region where he might expect -to encounter Buffalo Bill, he shifted his course to miss him and then -hurried on again. - -Black John’s carelessness of pursuit enabled the scouts to keep -pretty close to him, after darkness fell, and still not reveal -themselves. - -Hour after hour Black John and his men held on their way. - -After a while he became suspicious, apparently, having heard the -pursuers, and dropped a scout back as a rear guard; thus forcing -Buffalo Bill and his companions to halt. - -When this rear guard went on again, he rode rapidly for some -rendezvous, failing to rejoin Black John; and soon the scouts were -bewildered in the darkness, and almost lost the trail. - -For a time after that they sat still on their horses, trying to hear -some sound indicating the direction of Black John’s retreat. Unable -to do this, they were forced to begin a search for hoofprints; but -they lost time in picking up the trail, and when it was found they -could not follow it rapidly. They held to it, however, with much -pertinacity, though falling rapidly behind the road agents. - -When morning came, after an all-night ride, that, in their -experience, had few equals in weariness, they were still on the -trail, but miles behind. They ignored their weariness, when they -saw the trail stretching straight on before them, and pressed their -horses into a swift gallop, after a brief stop for water and grazing, -and for food for themselves. - -“Buffler,” said Nomad, as they started on, “we hangs to this hyar -trail till ther last hoss is dead!” - - - - - CHAPTER XLI. - - THE OUTLAWS TRICKED. - - -Black John had got rid of all but six of his men, one of those -remaining being Toby Sam. The others he had dispatched on various -missions, and in that manner he meant to dispose of them all, one by -one. - -His horses were nearly exhausted now; he had ridden hard through the -night, and all through the hours of the forenoon, and the previous -day the horses had little rest. - -Lena Forest was almost in a state of collapse, from exhaustion; and -Bruce Clayton was not in much better state. His hands being tied -together, and his feet tied under the belly of his horse, so cramped -him that at times he suffered not only from fatigue, but such intense -pain that it was torture. - -Little Black John cared for these things. He had an iron frame that -resisted fatigue, and his men were as hardened to such things as -himself. - -But the exhausted horses had reached a point where their speed was -little better than a walk, and soon they would be unable to go on. - -Even Black John had a mental vision of pursuers hot on his trail. At -this juncture, it seemed to him a godsend, when he beheld a number of -horses grazing in a little valley, through which ran the trail he was -following. - -“Mustangs!” he said. “What luck!” - -He and his companions drew rein and looked down at the horses. More -than a dozen in number, with heads down, not apparently having seen -the horsemen, they presented a tempting sight to the eyes of Black -John and his comrades. - -During the night, grown reckless and tired of wearing them, Black -John and his companions had removed the half masks that had -concealed and disfigured their countenances, and stood revealed to -the prisoners in their true persons. It was an intimation to the -prisoners that they could not hope to escape, and that death, or -worse, awaited them. - -“There’s a cañon over there,” said Black John, as he studied the -mustangs and their situation. “If we could herd ’em into the mouth o’ -that, and then rush ’em, and drive ’em into it, we could ketch some -of ’em. And we’ve got to have some new horses.” - -He knew the region, and knew that this cañon became choked and ended -less than a mile back of its opening; so that, if the horses could be -forced into it, they would fall easy victims to the mustangers. - -Acting on Black John’s suggestions, his men spread out, several -hundred yards apart, and began to move down into the valley. - -Black John kept the prisoners with him, and close by him was Toby Sam. - -So certain were the mustangers that the horses they saw were wild -ones that the only care they used was in endeavoring to ride upon -them in such a way as to throw them toward the mouth of the cañon. - -But when the bandits had ridden so close that they began to wonder at -the fact that the mustangs did not race away in fright, there was a -sudden and startling transformation. - -An Indian appeared on the back of each of the “mustangs;” an Indian -striped and painted hideously, armed with feathered lance and rifle. -These redskins charged the white men, with hideous yells. - -Black John uttered an oath of amazement, and jerked his tired horse -around. He stretched forth a hand to catch the bridle rein of the -horse ridden by Lena Forest. He saw his comrades lashing their jaded -animals, in efforts to escape, and saw the redskins riding upon them. - -An Indian chief rode toward him, with rifle uplifted. - -Black John dropped the bridle rein of the girl’s horse, and, drawing -his revolver, he rode to meet the chief, firing upon him. He saw the -chief tumble to the ground, with a bullet in his forehead. - -Black John was really a capable fighter, the natural leader of the -wild men he grouped about him. - -Another Indian was coming toward him, and this Indian he shot out of -the saddle. - -But by this time the horse ridden by the girl was galloping off at -its best gait, and was really going fast, for fright gave it renewed -strength. - -With a running leap, Black John sprang to the back of one of the -Indian ponies, and then tried to catch the other. - -Several Indians rushing upon him compelled him to abandon his attempt -to capture the second pony. - -He yelled defiance at them, as they shot at him and hurled their -lances; and, with backward shots from his revolver, he rode away at a -furious pace, following the girl. - -He saw that several of his men were down, that others were fighting -with Indians, while still others were, like himself, riding away for -safety. - -The chase that followed was a hot one, and Black John was pressed -hard; but the pony he now had under him was fast, and he did not -spare it. He overtook the girl, shouting to her to stop. When she did -not, he rode up beside her galloping horse. Then he fairly lifted her -from its back, throwing her against his side; and, holding her there -by main strength, he galloped furiously on. - -“Git up behind me!” he shouted. “If you don’t, you’ll tumble, and it -will be the worse for you.” - -She was too weak to obey him; her mind, also, revolted at the thought -of going farther with him. She preferred to fall to the ground, and -meet death there. - -In desperation, Black John stopped his horse, and shifted her to its -back, in front of him. - -“You go with me,” he said. “D’ye want them Injuns to git ye? You’re a -fool, if ye do!” - -The Indian pursuers were coming up rapidly; but again Black John -urged on the plucky mustang, and found it so superior as a runner -that it again drew away from the Indians, in spite of its double -burden. - -Lena was in a fainting condition by this time. Weakened by the -terrible exertions she had been forced to undergo, and by the mental -agony she had endured, she had no strength of mind or body left. - -Black John was separated now from all of his men. Some of them were -down, killed by the redskins; the others were in flight. Even Toby -Sam was no longer near him. - -“’Twon’t be so bad,” was his thought, “if I can only git away from -the Injuns. Whatever turns up later, I’ll have a good excuse to give -for sep’rating myself from the boyees. I’m hopin’ I’ll never meet any -of ’em again, to make an explanation needful, but if I should I’ve -shorely got it now. But them cussed Injuns!” - -He looked back, and saw several redskins still chasing him, and he -knew if they stuck to it long enough they would probably tire down -his pony, for, in the long run, the double burden would tell on it. -When that came, he knew he would have to fight the Indians. - -“But they’ll think they’ve struck a rattler if they crowd me!” was -his grim thought. - -He drove his spurs into the sides of the mustang. Unused to such -things, it jumped forward, with a squeal of pain, greatly adding to -its speed. - -“I’ll make it,” was the thought of the ruffian. “And what more can -I want? I’ve got the emeralds and the girl, and I’ve got rid of -the fellers that might be inclined to make trouble--would shorely -make trouble if they knowed I had the emeralds. I’ll hit some trail -runnin’ into Mexican territory, and git out of the country. And then!” - -He looked at the white face of the girl, who had fallen limp in his -villainous arms. - - - - - CHAPTER XLII. - - A ROUGH DIPLOMAT. - - -When Lena Forest came to a full realization of her changed position, -she was alone with Black John. - -About them were rugged hills, hemming in a little valley, where the -captured Indian pony was grazing. - -Black John had gone into camp there, and was cooking some meat he had -found on the Indian pony. He was not only tired, but by this time -ravenously hungry. - -“Don’t be skeered,” he said, when he discovered that Lena was taking -note of her surroundings. “I don’t mean any harm to ye, not in the -least.” - -She started up, staring about; then turned to him. Her face was -corpselike in its pallor, and she swayed as she stood up. - -“Then, why did you bring me here; and why keep me here?” she said. -“Why don’t you join your men?” - -Black John stooped to sniff the roasting meat before replying. - -“Now I’ll tell ye,” he said; “and mebbe you won’t think it’s so bad. -I was your friend from the very first, but didn’t darst show it. The -men wanted you, and wanted your emeralds. What become of the emeralds -I don’t know, and jes’ now I don’t know where the other men aire. -They was scattered in that rumpus with the Injuns. You recollect the -Injuns, and what fools we was, in ridin’ up on ’em?” - -He stroked his beard, ruminating. - -“The boys was scattered by the Injuns. I got one of the Injun ponies, -and we come here on it; and I reckon we’re safe enough fer a while.” - -“Won’t you leave me here,” she begged, “or take me back to my -friends?” - -“What friends?” - -“Mr. Cody, and--and the men who were with him. You don’t know where -Bruce Clayton is?” - -“Nary, I don’t. He was with our crowd, when the Injuns hit us; but -where he went, and what become of him, I don’t know no more than you -do.” He inspected the meat. “Won’t you have somethin’ to eat?” he -asked, taking it from the fire and poking into it with his knife. -“This belonged to the Injun that owned the mustang, but I reckon as -he meant to eat it himself he didn’t pizen it. You look’s if you -needed to eat somethin’.” - -“I couldn’t swallow a mouthful,” she protested. “Won’t you please let -me go, and let me try to find my way back?” - -“That’s foolish, don’t ye think? Better eat some o’ this meat. It’s -good, and you need the stren’th it’ll give ye. Let me carve ye out a -bit of it.” - -She protested again that she could not eat. - -The outlaw seemed to want to argue the matter with her. What he -really wanted was to hear her talk, for he liked her voice, and to -make her forget if possible her condition. He was wondering how he -could gain her good will, and perhaps her liking. His ideas of women -were singular. He did not see why this girl might not come to like -him as much as he now liked her. - -“I’ve seen sich,” he told himself. “Put a couple o’ strange dogs -together, and they’ll fight like time; but after they git acquainted -they’re li’ble to be the best of friends. And other animals the same -way. Why not humans?” - -“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” he said, beginning to eat the roasted -meat. “I’ll try to find yer friends for ye, and hand you over to ’em.” - -She sprang up and came toward him, wildly excited. - -“Oh, if you will--if you will!” - -He smiled into her flushed face. - -“That’s what I’ll do. I dunno where they aire, and them Injuns may -have struck ’em and even wiped ’em out. I don’t think they did, -though. So, we’ll begin to look fer ’em right off. But if you’re to -try that, or try to do anything, you’ll need to do some eatin’. You -can’t go on much longer if you don’t. We’re stoppin’ here to give you -a chanct to rest, and the pony needs rest, too. The pony’s fillin’ up -on grass, showin’ how sensible he is.” - -She shook her head, when he held out some of the meat to her. - -“But if you don’t, why, ’tain’t no use fer you to try to do anything. -If you’re to find yer friends, you’ve got to have some stren’th, so -that you can do ridin’.” - -“You’ll help find my friends?” - -“Why, cert’in; ain’t I said so?” - -“And Bruce?” - -“Yes; we’ll look fer him, too. I see you don’t understand my -position?” - -“No, I don’t,” she confessed frankly. - -“Well, as I said, I was friendly toward you from the first, but -couldn’t do anything because of the other boys. I had to seem rough -to ye, on account of that.” - -“You were the boss--the leader?” - -“No, you’re mistaken; Toby Sam was the real boss.” He held out the -meat. - -“Eat it, and you’ll feel better; and when we go on you’ll be in -better shape to do the ridin’ we’ve got to do if we strike them -friends of yours, if they’re livin’.” - -She took the meat, and began to eat it. - -“That’s right,” said he, smiling encouragement. “Now, as I said, I -couldn’t do anything so long as t’others was with me. But sense I’m -alone I can do as I please. You’ll find I’m not sich a bad man as -you’ve prob’bly been thinkin’.” - -They rested by the stream nearly an hour. At the end of that time -Black John ascended the near-by hill to take a look over the country. -He came down hurriedly, and was much excited. - -“Injuns!” he said. “We’ve got to slide out of this mighty quick, er -we won’t be goin’ at all. Wish’t I had another horse fer ye, but -you’ll have to ride in front of me, same’s before.” - -He helped her to mount, and she assisted herself very materially, -for, believing him, she was anxious to get out of the valley. Then -they rode away hastily, heading once more southward. - -She noted the direction. - -“This takes me farther and farther from my friends!” she protested. -“We’re riding southward!” - -“Yes, but when Injuns aire in the trail right behind us we ain’t much -choice as to the direction we take. The thing to do is to move as -fast as we can out of the territory. We’ve got a start of ’em; yit -I’m expectin’ to hear their yells soon.” - -What Black John had really seen from the top of the hill was Buffalo -Bill and his friends, coming toward the valley at a fast gallop, -following his trail. - - - - - CHAPTER XLIII. - - A WHIRLWIND CHASE. - - -Following hard on the trail of Black John and his companions, Buffalo -Bill, Pawnee Bill, and Nick Nomad came to the point where Black -John’s men had been fooled by the Indians. - -Several bodies, scalped and mutilated, told their own story. - -Indian pony tracks were numerous, and all the evidences of a surprise -and a fight. - -Such “signs” were easy to read by men as experienced as Buffalo Bill -and his comrades. - -While examining this small battle ground, they heard a feeble shout, -and then beheld a young man ride out of a timbered gorge and come -toward them. - -The man was Bruce Clayton. - -His hands were still tied behind his back, and his feet were bound -together beneath the pony’s body. He was almost paralyzed from the -constriction of the cords, and the fact that he had been in that -painful position so long. - -He had been unable to guide his horse, except by pressure of his -knees, when the Indian surprise and attack came, and so the animal -had chosen its own course, dashing away in wild fright. - -It bore him into this gorge, and on into the midst of a growth of -brushy timber, some distance from the mouth of the gorge. There, by -voice alone, he had been able to check it. - -For some reason, perhaps because they were pursuing other men, the -Indians did not follow him, and he remained there undisturbed a long -time, wondering what he ought to do, or could do. He was unable to -release himself. - -By and by the horse grazed its way back to the mouth of the gorge. -Then the unhappy prisoner was able to ride forth, guiding with his -knees, and make his predicament known. - -Buffalo Bill lost no time in cutting away the cords that had held -Clayton so long to the back of the pony. - -The youth had to be helped from the saddle. When he began to talk, -it was seen that his mental sufferings had been as great as his -physical. He told them of the surprise by the Indians, and of what -had followed, so far as he had been able to see it. And he also told -of his own adventures and experiences. - -“Lena was with that leader when I saw her last,” he said. “But I -haven’t any idea where she is now. I fear the worst.” - -In spite of their desire to hasten on, the scouts remained there a -long time, a thing which gave Black John a good start. - -They could not go on with Clayton until his physical condition was -improved, nor could they hope to accomplish much until they had -gained something like accurate knowledge of what had become of the -girl. - -To the task of learning this last, Buffalo Bill and Pawnee bent their -utmost skill, leaving old Nomad to minister to the needs of Clayton. - -The scouts had long before picked out the individual trail of the -horse ridden by Black John; but now that he had secured an Indian -pony, they were put to their wits’ ends to know what to do. - -After much searching they came on a bit of evidence that was of the -utmost value. It was a piece of cloth torn by a thorny bush from -Lena’s dress. There could be no mistaking it, nor how it came to be -there. - -By this thorny bush they found pony tracks, heading southward. They -studied these tracks, until they were sure they should know them when -seen anywhere; for, to the experienced eye of the plainsman, there -is as much difference between the tracks made by different ponies as -there is between the penmanship of different men. - -When they had done this much, and had followed the trail some -distance, they returned to where old Nomad was caring for Bruce -Clayton. - -The brief rest had done a world of good for the young man. He had -walked by the stream, and so had got the stiffness and half paralysis -out of his body and limbs. He was still “sore as a boil,” as he -expressed it, but he had had something to eat and drink; and in his -anxiety he now declared that he was himself again, and was ready to -go on, wherever the scouts went. - -He was much encouraged by the report brought in by his friends, the -two scouts. He looked anxiously at the shred of cloth which they -showed, and then asked if he might have it. - -“I may never see her again!” he said simply, as he put it away in his -pocket. - -Bruce’s horse was also in better condition now, and was almost as -strong as the worn horses of the scout and his pards. - -Buffalo Bill was anxious to push on, now that he felt sure they had -found the trail of the pony that had borne the girl away. - -Whether the man who was supposed to be with her on that pony’s back -was Black John, or some one else, they, of course, did not know. - -In spite of the jaded condition of the horses, the chase that -followed was really of a whirlwind character, as the previous one had -been. If their quarry were Black John, they hoped to bring him in -sight soon, and they drove their horses on without much mercy. - -As has been seen, at a time when Black John began to feel safe, he -had found that these human bloodhounds were on his track and coming -up rapidly. - -On gaining the valley where Black John had stopped to rest and cook -some food, the evidences of his presence there was so fresh, and the -signs of his quick flight so plain, that Buffalo Bill was sure he was -not far ahead. Moreover, as his horse was carrying double, and was -tired, as its trail showed, they began confidently to believe that -in a short time they would be able to overhaul him and force him to -surrender his fair prisoner. - -“Crowd ’im, Buffler!” said Nomad, with youthful enthusiasm. “We’re -goin’ ter drive him inter a hole now mighty quick.” - -The next moment he was belaboring old Nebuchadnezzar, to get greater -speed out of him. - -Thus they swept along, riding hard on the trail of the fugitive. - -The Indian pony took to a rocky gorge, where its hoofprints were not -easily followed; but, as it could not have left the gorge, they rode -straight on at top speed. - -“Go ’long, Nebby, you ole crow bait!” said Nomad. “Hyar I’ve allus -been braggin’ on you bein’ a reg’lar bird with wings, when it come -ter runnin’, and now you’re hurtin’ my feelin’s by turnin’ inter a -snail. Go ’long!” - -They came in sight of the pony they were pursuing, at a bend in the -gorge, and they almost reeled in their saddles when they saw it, so -great was their astonishment. - -The pony was riderless! - -“Waugh!” Nomad roared, drawing rein and staring stupidly. “Whar’s -ther man and ther gal?” - -No one could answer his question. - - - - - CHAPTER XLIV. - - LAWLESS STRATEGY. - - -Black John was no fool. In fact, he was both shrewd and clever, and -possessed a foxlike instinct that stood him in good stead now. - -When he discovered that Buffalo Bill and three other men were near -and coming on rapidly, he rode swiftly out of the valley, with -the girl before him, telling her that he had sighted Indians. His -frightened manner and frantic haste made her believe he told the -truth. - -She had no desire to fall again into the hands of Indians. Her -experience with Lightfoot was vivid in her memory, causing her to -shudder at the recollection. Much as she detested her captor, to be -Lightfoot’s prisoner again would be worse; and now that Black John -was promising to convey her to her friends without delay, she was -beginning to believe in his sincerity. She did not, therefore, make -objection when he bore her away in front of him on the pony. - -He turned into the gorge after a sharp run. His manner in doing it -would have shown her that the country there was familiar to him, if -she had been experienced in judging of such things. - -When he had ridden at top speed some distance into the gorge, over -rocky ground which left no hoofprints, he drew rein and leaped down. - -“We can baffle ’em, I think,” he said, lifting her from the horse, -“if we move lively now. Redskins aire purty hard ter fool, but I -think I can fool these red gentlemen handsome.” - -He looked about a moment, then pulled a leaf of thorny cactus and -thrust it under the saddle girth. - -The pain of the cactus caused the horse to rear and plunge. “Go on -with ye now!” he said. “Git!” He gave it a heavy slap, which started -it along the trail. The pricking of the cactus caused it to continue -on at a headlong gallop. - -“Quick, now!” he said, taking the girl by the hand. - -She yielded her hand willingly. She was trembling, frightened, and -almost breathless, and her limbs were quaking under her, so that she -could hardly stand. - -“I’ll help ye!” he said encouragingly, pulling her along, up the -rocky slope. - -When she stumbled, as she did, now and then, his hand sustained her -from falling; and when places were reached which she was too weak to -surmount he lifted her in his arms. - -Ordinarily she would not have submitted in this way without taking -pains to verify his statements; but she had suffered so much -physically and mentally that she had lost the faculty of clear -judgment. Fear ruled her now more than anything else. - -The iron frame of Black John seemed impervious to fatigue. He scaled -the rocky slope as sure-footed as a mountain goat. At times he almost -ran, even though he carried the girl and the rocks were formidable. - -Before Buffalo Bill and his party reached the pony and discovered -that it had been abandoned. Black John was over the high ridge out -of sight, and descending rapidly toward a valley of which he knew. -In his work as a mustanger, and also long before, he had been all -through that region; so that he knew every hole and corner of it. He -headed now toward a deep gorge, which he followed up some distance, -and which led him by and by into a cozy nest, between green hills. -Here there was a small cave, in which more than once he had spent a -night, and below this cave, and not distant, was a spring of water. - -“If we had somethin’ to eat,” he said, when they had gained this -hiding place, “we could lay by here a week, until them redskins git -tired and clear out of the country. I don’t think they’ll find us -here. The way we come was so rocky that a bloodhound couldn’t hit the -trail and stick to it.” - -He laughed with cool assurance. - -As for the girl, she sank down in the cave, tired out and again -hopeless. - -If they should be cooped up there by Indians any length of time, she -fancied that the chance of meeting or finding Buffalo Bill and his -companions would be small. And as for Bruce--she shivered when she -thought of his possible fate, for she could not rid herself of the -fear that he had fallen into the hands of the Indians. - -During the night which followed, Black John lay with his rifle out -beyond the mouth of the cave, watching for the coming of his enemies, -not daring to sleep. - -He believed he was safe, but he was not sure of it. Buffalo Bill was -a hard man to shake off, when once he set out to run any one down. - -During that wakeful night Black John amused and occupied himself -by planning his future with the girl whom he now believed he could -deceive. He fancied he had gained her confidence, and that she was -beginning to like him, and that promised well. He thought, too, that -the girl was soundly sleeping throughout the night; but in this he -was mistaken, for she slept very little. At the first faint light of -day she had crept to the cave entrance and looked out. - -She saw Black John lying on the ground by a rock, not far off. That -he was not asleep she observed by his occasional movement; so she -slipped out to where he was, intending to ask him some questions. -Before she reached him she stopped, stupefied with astonishment. - -Black John had taken the buckskin bag from his inner pocket, poured -the emeralds on the ground, and was looking them over, hefting and -scanning them, and estimating their worth. - -The cry of the girl aroused him. - -She had crept forward until she was right at his elbow, and now she -jumped at the gems, and tried to heap them together in her hands. Her -voice and manner were hysterical. - -“You scoundrel!” she gasped. “You lied to me! You said----” - -He clutched her and pushed her back with an oath, and many of the -emeralds fell to the ground. - -Her act, and the fact that his duplicity had been discovered, enraged -him. He threw her to the ground, and, drawing his revolver, seemed -on the point of shooting her; but he thought better of it, and began -to pick up the fallen emeralds. She still clutched and held a few of -them. - -“Gimme them!” he commanded angrily. - -“You lied to me!” she said. - -“What if I did? Gimme them emeralds!” - -“Where did you get them?” - -“That’s none of your affair; give ’em to me.” - -“I won’t. They’re mine, and not yours.” - -“Then I’ll take ’em!” he cried, with another oath. - -He sprang upon her, threw her down, and by sheer strength and brutal -roughness took the gems from her. Then he stood off regarding her. -Dropping the gems into the bag, he closed it, and thrust it into his -pocket. - -“See here!” he said, in a harsh tone, “I’m taking care of you, and I -expect to pay myself by keepin’ these, and by keepin’ you!” - -“What do you mean?” she gasped. - -“I dunno as I could make the words plainer. I intend to keep these, -and to keep you.” He picked up his revolver. “So you might as well -understand it fust as last. There ain’t goin’ to be any cry-baby -bizness allowed here. I saved you from them Injuns, and----” - -“I believe you lied to me in that, too!” - -“Well, I didn’t! If I hadn’t hustled with you, and got away from ’em, -your purty scalp would be soon dryin’ in some Injun lodge; and that -wouldn’t be pleasant for you. Now see here!” - -He stood before her, large, uncouth, malevolent; a very brute of a -man, whose sheer brutal strength was enough to overawe and reduce to -subjection even a reasonably strong man. - -“Now see here! I ain’t goin’ to fool with you! You’re goin’ to do the -things I say. I’ve got these emeralds, and I’ve got you. Jes’ as soon -as it’s safe, I’m goin’ to make fer the Mexican line. Once across it, -I know plenty good hidin’ places. I’ll treat you well, if you’ll let -me; if you don’t let me treat ye well, that’s your own fault, not -mine. You’re goin’ to live with me from this on as my wife.” - -She uttered a scream, and drew back. - -He laughed; he knew she could not get away. - -“Hurts yer feelin’s, does it? Well, it needn’t. I’ve seen -worse-lookin’ men than I am.” - -“But never such a villain!” - -“Yes; even worse villains. I ain’t sich a bad lot. I’ve taken a -likin’ to you. You’re good lookin’, and, of course, you know it. -We’ll go together into Mexico, where we’ll hide till it’s safe to git -out somewheres else. You’ll live with me as my wife, freely if you -will, but you’ll live with me jes’ the same. And I’ll treat you well. -These emeralds will be as much yourn as mine--that is, the things -they buy will. And they’ll make us independent. I’ve done some things -that will make me want to hide away from the law for a while. By -the time we can go forth and look the world in the eye--the Mexican -world, mind ye!--you’ll not be keerin’ much whether you’re married -to me or not; for by that time you’ll think I’m a purty good sort of -a feller. I know women. What they need is a good whalin’, whenever -they think they know it all and want to be boss of the ranch. The -Injuns have the right of it. Whale a squaw and she’s obedient. And I -reckon it’s the same with a white woman.” - -“Never!” she cried, starting up. “Before I would be your wife--the -wife of such a scoundrel--I’d kill myself!” - -“Ho, ho!” he said, with a roar of laughter. “A tantrum like that is -what I guess I’ll like to see occasionally; it makes you purtier than -any picture.” - - - - - CHAPTER XLV. - - A SNEAKING COWARD. - - -The terror and horror of that day with Black John at the cave was -enough to bring a shudder to Lena. He was truculent and brutal. -Having no longer necessity to make him pretend to be what he was not, -he did not hesitate to frighten her, apparently for the mere pleasure -it gave him. - -One thing, however, held him somewhat in check; and that was her -screams, when he became too violent and too brutal. Unless he tied -and gagged her, the only way to keep her from screaming in terror -when he spoke too roughly to her was to keep away from her, and -permit her to have her own way. She could not escape, for he was out -in front of the cave, was armed, and possessed such strength that she -was helpless before him. - -Black John’s desire for quiet in and about the cave was caused by his -fear of Buffalo Bill and his pards. - -Though he still maintained to the girl the fiction that he had fled -with her from Indians, and was hiding from Indians, a thing on which -she was now skeptical, he did not believe Indians were near, in spite -of the surprising attack they had made. - -His fears of Buffalo Bill mounted high. Hence, throughout nearly the -whole of that long and wearing day he lay out on the slope before the -cave, watching the surrounding hills, and the little pass from the -gorge, by which he had reached this point. - -He lay almost motionless, too, knowing that to move about was to risk -being seen; while, when he remained still, his clothing blended in -with the dark rock and protected him. - -Nevertheless, he was seen, as night came on, not by Buffalo Bill and -his friends, but by that sneaking coward, Toby Sam. Toby Sam knew of -this cave, and had been in it more than once with Black John; and he, -too, had fled toward it for safety after that Indian attack. - -Toby Sam’s caution made him mount to an eminence and carefully -inspect the surroundings of the cave before venturing near it. - -Knowing just where to look, his keen eyes saw Black John sprawled at -full length on the slope, and the little glint of sunshine which fell -on Black John’s revolver. - -“Ho, ho!” he said. “Wonder who else is there? I’ll jes’ see.” - -Toby Sam was afoot, having abandoned his horse after he had ridden it -nearly to death. He drew back, so that Black John could not see him, -and then carefully picked his course in roundabout fashion to the -cave. - -The sun had set by that time. Still Toby Sam, being a cautious -rascal, did not make his presence known. He was by nature a sneak, -as well as a coward, and he sneaked now upon the man in front of the -cave. - -When not far off and on the point of making his presence known to -Black John, who seemed to be alone, he heard Black John speak to the -girl. - -It made Toby Sam’s cowardly heart jump with a queer thrill, when he -knew that Black John was speaking of the emeralds. - -The girl had said something of an accusing nature, apparently, and -Black John replied: - -“Shet up about the emeralds! They’re mine, and I propose to git a lot -of money out of ’em; and on that money we’ll live high.” - -Toby Sam flattened himself against the rocks like a lizard when -he heard that, for he knew that Black John had the emeralds, -and he desired to get them. He remained there without movement -until darkness had set in fully; then, with infinite patience and -tortoiselike slowness, he made an advance. - -Black John went into the cave and came out again. He was swearing, -and was in an ugly mood. Being hungry had made him ill-tempered. - -“A cuss on the emeralds,” he said, “I’d trade the very biggest of ’em -fer a mouthful o’ somethin’ to eat! I dunno but I’d better try to -git out o’ this to-night, fer to stay here long will be to starve to -death.” - -The moon came from behind a cloud while Black John sat in front of -the cave; and then Toby Sam saw that he had the precious bag of -emeralds out, and was toying with the gems, all of which he had -picked up again. - -For a long time Black John sat there, sometimes muttering, sometimes -as silent as the rocks. Finally he lay down, with revolver in his -hand, again to watch, as he had done the previous night. - -For another hour Toby Sam remained as still as if he had frozen into -position. - -Black John’s wakefulness of the night before, and his lack of rest -for so many hours, had told on him at last; and Toby Sam heard him -snore. - -The time for action had come. - -With his cowardly heart knocking against his ribs, Toby Sam began a -stealthy movement toward the sleeping man. Only his wild anxiety to -possess those emeralds could thus have urged him on. - -A mouse advancing could not have made less noise. - -Within five minutes the deed was done; Toby Sam had felt over the -body of the sleeping man, and had possessed himself of the buckskin -bag that had bulged the inner pocket of Black John’s coat. - -Black John awoke, with a snort, before Toby Sam had gone ten yards in -his sly retreat. Perhaps some dim recognition of what had happened -had come to disturb him. He rolled over, stretched out his arms, -breathed heavily, and then sat up. - -Toby Sam had become as silent as the very ground on which he lay, and -his body seemed no more than a portion of it. - -Black John did not at once discover the loss of the buckskin bag; -but, being uneasy, he rose and walked away from the cave, swinging -his revolver, and peering out along the slopes where the cloud-dimmed -moonlight lay. - -Toby Sam took advantage of this to worm along several yards farther; -but again he lay still when Black John returned to the mouth of the -cave. Then Black John discovered that the bag of emeralds was gone. - -It was so unbelievable a thing that at first he felt in his other -pockets, thinking he must have misplaced it. Then a great but subdued -oath ripped from his lips. He ran to the mouth of the cave, and -peered in. - -Worn out, the girl was asleep, close by the entrance. - -Black John stooped down, plucked her by the hair, and, with a jerk -that awoke her and brought from her a scream of pain and fright, he -pulled her to her feet. - -Toby Sam was sliding away with eellike silence and speed. - -“Hand over them emeralds!” Black John demanded of the terrified girl, -as he pulled her out of the cave, ignoring, in his rage, the danger -which would come from the screams that she uttered. He threw her down -on the ground and kicked her. - -“Hand over them emeralds!” he cried, standing above her. “Hand ’em -over!” - -She screamed again, and put up her hands. - -“You thought you’d play a cute trick on me, eh? Thought you’d sneak -’em out o’ my pocket, and then maybe, hide ’em, and pretend to be -asleep when I looked in on ye? Hand ’em over!” - -“I haven’t got them; I don’t know----” - -“Oh, ye don’t!” he drew his revolver. “This’ll help you to recklect! -Hand ’em over!” - -Toby Sam dislodged a stone in his sinuous flight, and it went rolling -down the hillside. Hearing it, Black John turned around with a jump -of surprise, and stared in the direction of the sound. - -Suddenly he felt that perhaps he had not been robbed by the girl, but -that some one else was the thief. - -With revolver in hand he began to move in the direction of that -sound, peering on before him. - -But Toby Sam was still as crafty as ever. He had wormed into a black -hole, and there he lay, doubled up like an opossum shamming death, -and with no more sound. - -Black John came within a yard of him, and did not see him. - -“I wonder what made that noise?” he muttered. “Somethin’ started a -stone. Mebbe a cussed coyote.” - -He peered long, on the slope of the hill, returning finally to the -cave, when he could discover nothing. - -The girl had tried to slip away during his absence, but had become -bewildered, and found herself in a “pocket” of the rocky wall, with -her way now barred by her captor. - -“Come out o’ there!” he snarled. “What you doin’ there?” - -She came out, trembling. - -“Now I ask ye ag’in fer them emeralds!” - -“And I tell you I haven’t them!” she screamed at him. “_I haven’t -them_, do you hear, you hateful beast?” - - - - - CHAPTER XLVI. - - THE CAPTURE OF THE THIEF. - - -As Toby Sam stole on, congratulating himself on his clever theft, he -tripped suddenly over what seemed to be a grapevine in the path. - -The supposed grapevine was a lariat, as he knew when a man sprang -on him, caught him by the throat, jammed his head back against the -ground, and commanded him to keep silent on pain of having his throat -cut. The fingers of the man were like iron in their hold, and the -command was made in a hoarse whisper. - -The place was a mile or less from the cave, and the capture was made -at a time when Toby Sam felt absolutely sure of getting away with the -emeralds. - -The cowardly rascal coughed and gurgled, and then lay back, quiet, -staring-eyed, and weak from fear. Then he saw that this man had -comrades, two of them, at least, who came up one on each side, and -they looked at the prisoner. - -“Got him, eh?” There was a chuckle. “Waugh! He’s thet pesky sneak, -Toby Sam!” - -It was Nick Nomad who spoke. Toby Sam recognized that, and knew he -had fallen into the hands of Buffalo Bill’s party, which was as bad -as, or worse, than falling into the hands of Black John. - -“Speak above a whisper, and you’re a dead man!” - -The fingers relaxed as the threat was made; and Toby Sam, clutching -his aching throat, stared again at the men who had captured him. - -“Search him, Gordon!” - -Pawnee Bill “went through” the pockets of Toby Sam. “Ah!” he said, in -a tone of surprise. “What’s this?” He had found the bag of emeralds. - -Buffalo Bill’s last remaining wax match illuminated the contents of -the bag, showing the nature of the find. - -Then they began to question Toby Sam. - -He tried to lie, at first; but the cold muzzle of Buffalo Bill’s -revolver, thrust into his face, convinced him of the wisdom of -telling the truth. Then he admitted the theft of the emeralds from -Black John, and told where Black John was hiding with his prisoner. - -“Hear that, Bruce?” said Buffalo Bill. - -Another man--a young man--had crept forward, and was listening. He -was shaking with excitement. - -“You must lead us to the place,” he said. “Is she well, and unharmed?” - -“I--I think she is; she was in there, and he was talkin’ with her, -and was cussin’ her, when I came away.” - -“Tell us just where this little cave is,” Buffalo Bill commanded. - -Toby Sam told as well as he could. - -“You’ll show us the way now. Bruce, hand me those cords! We’ll tie -his hands, and if he starts to run we’ll shoot him.” - -“I--I won’t run!” Toby Sam promised, his teeth chattering. - -His hands were tied by Buffalo Bill and Clayton. - -“Now lead on,” said Buffalo Bill; “and, remember, if you make any -noise, or try to warn Black John, we’ll shoot you.” - -Notwithstanding that they had captured Toby Sam and had him for a -guide, Buffalo Bill and his pards did not go far. - -The way was stony and rough, and they feared they could not get near -the cave without attracting Black John’s attention. Because of the -darkness Black John’s chances of getting out of the cave and away -were considerable, if he became alarmed and tried to escape. While, -if he fancied himself undiscovered and still safe, he would remain in -the cave, and could be captured in the morning. - -They discussed this phase of the matter, and lay down with their -prisoner on the slope of the hill, when still some distance from the -cave. - -Before that they had heard a scream from the girl, which had rendered -Clayton so frantic that Buffalo Bill’s utmost persuasions were needed -to keep him from making a blind rush through the darkness. Had he -done so he would have been shot, of course, by Black John, and -perhaps the efforts of his friends would have been balked. - -The hours that followed held nothing but mental torture for him. Nor -were the scouts and his pards much less concerned for the security of -the girl. They divined the situation: that the loss of the emeralds -had been discovered, and that Black John was, as a consequence, in an -unamiable and dangerous mood. - -Black John, supposed to be keeping watch by the cave, was as silent -as the men lying farther down on the bowldered slope. If he moved, -or spoke, they had no knowledge of it; and the girl made no sound, -after that scream which had reached them. - -Bruce Clayton tormented himself with fears that she was dead--had -been killed by Black John; or that Black John was even then out of -the cave, and far on his way to some other point, and that Cody and -his companions were guarding what was no better than an empty bird’s -nest. - -The morning came, after what seemed an interminable night; but the -faint light of the early morning did not reveal Black John; and -Bruce’s feverish fears intensified. But Buffalo Bill was not ready -yet to make a move. - -Only by combined luck and good work had he and his pards been able -to follow Black John’s trail to the point where they had captured -Toby Sam; and, after all that work, the scout was not willing to -jeopardize anything by a premature movement. - -Then something was seen to move on the slope. - -It was Black John, rising from another night of watching. - -Still Buffalo Bill and his pards maintained silence, waiting for the -light to get better. - -It was seen that Black John contemplated flight. He brought the girl -out of the cave, tottering as she was with weakness; and they heard -his harsh words to her. - -“Let me shoot him, the scoundrel!” begged Clayton. “I can’t stand it -any longer.” - -Instead, Buffalo Bill lifted his voice. “Hello, there!” he called. - -Black John wheeled as if on a pivot. He looked about, and saw no one. - -“We’ve got you covered with our revolvers,” were the next words he -heard. “If you don’t throw up your hands and surrender, down you go.” - -Black John did not surrender; he gave a jump for the cave, pulling -the girl backward by the hair, so that she fell in the very entrance, -and was pulled in by him, out of sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XLVII. - - AT BAY--AT PEACE. - - -Silence reigned after that until Buffalo Bill spoke again, announcing -to Black John that he was cornered, and demanding his surrender. - -“Come and git me!” yelled the desperate man. “But recklect when you -do I’ll shoot the girl.” - -“We want to have a talk with you,” said Buffalo Bill. “We’ve got a -proposition to make to you. Surrender the girl unharmed, and we’ll -spare your life.” - -When there was no answer to this, they began to crawl up the slope, -taking Toby Sam with them. - -“We’ve got a friend of yours here,” called Buffalo Bill. “We’ll -release him, and let him come in and tell you the conditions here, so -that you’ll know how foolish it is for you to try to hold out against -us.” - -“No--no!” Toby Sam gurgled; “he’ll shoot me! He’ll think I’ve turned -ag’inst him; he’ll think I took the emeralds; he’ll think----” - -He twisted out of the way of Buffalo Bill, whose intention of sending -him to the cave he feared, and leaping up, he tried to run. - -It was a foolish and fatal movement. - -Black John’s revolver cracked, and Toby Sam fell with its bullet in -his head, being dead as he struck the ground. - -Now at bay, Black John was desperate and murderous. He had thought -the man he shot at was one of Buffalo Bill’s force. - -Silence followed the fall of Toby Sam’s body, and it lay on the -rocks, the face, ghastly in death, turned skyward. - -There was a movement in the cave; the next moment Lena Forest -appeared. - -Her hands and feet were bound, but she stood erect, while behind her, -using her as a shield, Black John crouched, like a desperate villain -and craven. - -“Remember that I’m keepin’ her in front of me here in the mouth of -this cave,” he shouted, “and if you shoot at me the chances aire -you’ll hit her. Recklect it!” - -Buffalo Bill’s revolver was leveled, seemingly on the girl. The next -moment its report rang out, and the body of the man behind the girl -slipped downward, and then fell, sprawling out in the cavern entrance. - -It was a shot such as only Buffalo Bill or Pawnee Bill could have -made. - -In shouting his words, Black John had peered, with one eye, over the -shoulder of the girl, trying to see the men who were hemming him in. -That eye and the forehead by it was a mark big enough for Buffalo -Bill. He sent his revolver bullet into the head of Black John with as -deadly an effect as Black John, but a minute or so before, had sent -one into the head of Toby Sam. - - * * * * * - -Buffalo Bill and his friends remained there by the cave for almost -a week, to give Lena Forest time to regain her strength, for her -physical weakness was extreme. They shot game on the mountains and -in the valleys, and lived well. - -Black John and the coward, Toby Sam, were buried at the foot of the -hill, in graves unmarked by a single stone. As for the other outlaws, -who had scattered and fled, what became of them was not known, but -the band of “mustangers,” who had made their headquarters recently in -the valley of the Bitter Water, went suddenly out of business. - -When Lena had fully recovered from her exhaustion they all returned -to the fort. The day after their arrival there, Buffalo Bill resumed -his scouting expedition in the Blackfoot country. Bruce enlisted in -the regiment stationed at the fort. Later he and Lena journeyed to -the East, taking the emeralds; and there they were married and made -their home. - - - THE END. - - No. 84 of the BORDER STORIES, entitled “Buffalo Bill’s Hidden - Gold,” is a thrilling story in which Indians, outlaws, and - adventurers all play a big part in hunting for the treasure, - Buffalo Bill, as usual, leading all the rest in daring and bravery. - - - - - WESTERN STORIES ABOUT - - BUFFALO BILL - - Price, Fifteen Cents - - Red-blooded Adventure Stories for Men - - - There is no more romantic character in American history than - William F. Cody, or as he was internationally known, Buffalo Bill. - He, with Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, Wild Bill Hickok, General - Custer, and a few other adventurous spirits, laid the foundation of - our great West. - - 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. - - 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. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1--Buffalo Bill, the Border King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 2--Buffalo Bill’s Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 3--Buffalo Bill’s Bravery By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 4--Buffalo Bill’s Trump Card By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 5--Buffalo Bill’s Pledge By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 6--Buffalo Bill’s Vengeance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 7--Buffalo Bill’s Iron Grip By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 8--Buffalo Bill’s Capture By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 9--Buffalo Bill’s Danger Line By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 10--Buffalo Bill’s Comrades By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 11--Buffalo Bill’s Reckoning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 12--Buffalo Bill’s Warning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 13--Buffalo Bill at Bay By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 14--Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Pards By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 15--Buffalo Bill’s Brand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 16--Buffalo Bill’s Honor By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 17--Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 18--Buffalo Bill’s Fight With Fire By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 19--Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 20--Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 21--Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 22--Buffalo Bill’s Trackers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 23--Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 24--Buffalo Bill, Ambassador By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 25--Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 26--Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 27--Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 28--Buffalo Bill Against Odds By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 29--Buffalo Bill’s Hot Chase By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 30--Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Ally By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 31--Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Trove By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 32--Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Foes By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 33--Buffalo Bill’s Crack Shot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 34--Buffalo Bill’s Close Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 35--Buffalo Bill’s Double Surprise By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 36--Buffalo Bill’s Ambush By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 37--Buffalo Bill’s Outlaw Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 38--Buffalo Bill’s Border Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 39--Buffalo Bill’s Bid for Fame By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 40--Buffalo Bill’s Triumph By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 41--Buffalo Bill’s Spy Trailer By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 42--Buffalo Bill’s Death Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 43--Buffalo Bill’s Body Guard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 44--Buffalo Bill’s Still Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 45--Buffalo Bill and the Doomed Dozen By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 46--Buffalo Bill’s Prairie Scout By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 47--Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Guide By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 48--Buffalo Bill’s Bonanza By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 49--Buffalo Bill’s Swoop By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 50--Buffalo Bill and the Gold King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 51--Buffalo Bill, Deadshot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 52--Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravos By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 53--Buffalo Bill’s Big Four By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 54--Buffalo Bill’s One-armed Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 55--Buffalo Bill’s Race for Life By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 56--Buffalo Bill’s Return By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 57--Buffalo Bill’s Conquest By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 58--Buffalo Bill to the Rescue By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 59--Buffalo Bill’s Beautiful Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 60--Buffalo Bill’s Perilous Task By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - - - _Adventure Stories_ - _Detective Stories_ - _Western Stories_ - _Love Stories_ - _Sea Stories_ - - - 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. - - The person who has only a moderate sum to spend on reading matter - will find this line a veritable gold mine. - - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION, - 79 Seventh Avenue, - New York, N. 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