Five Cent Wide Awake Library (vol. 2) (1896 04 17)
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2 THE MARKED MOCCASIN. q The Subscription Price of the Frve Cent W1pDE AWAKE Lisrary by the year is $2.50: $1.25 per six months, post-paid. Address FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher, 34 and 36 North Moore Street, New Youk. Box 13. . The Marked Moccasin; OR. PANDY: ELEIS. PAR D, By MARLINE MANLY Author of “ Pandy Ellis,” ‘‘Dick Sharpley, the Cincinnati Detective,” ‘‘ Gold Gulch,” “ Old Sphinaz,” “ Peart Prince,” “‘ Diamond Cut Diamond,” etc., ete. CHAPTER I. one who had entered the lists had taken a shot at| Then placing a whistle to his mouth the t,and one-third of the number found | several sharp notes upon it, waited a SILVER RIFLE, THE PRAIRIE SHARPSHOOTER. ves debarred from further attempts, utes and repeated the signal, which it “P powderhorns!. the man what target Pad dame ane pallie ecemainies tuned. eect ‘ston ‘aon Sake an’ one- of the remainder foun very eye was ned upon sez this stranger hyar daren’t take his turn at the | that their aeauner were cut short. all but Roaring Ralph, wid taow Siting mark must run agin me, an’ they do sayas how| The young stranger, who had slmply given his | to happen, though he it are wuss nor tacklin’ a hay-cutter than ter git | name as Silver Rifle, had fired both of these times | ed on this account” in the way o’ this hoss, Step rignt up thar, boyee, | with a nonchalance and dead certainty that pro-| While they watched, there suddenly y dar dispute I kin lick ther | claimed his utter contempt for such target prac- | among the trees a gliding which ap hull crowd an’ a dog under the wagon. Youhear | tice, and his action had not failed to catch the eye | ed the young marksman. It was a ; Rockwood what of the champion shot of the past, he who had|in the most picturesque border style, you bet!” been as Reckless Rupert. hair falling down below her waist, and the fa The scene was a stirring one. The match had really been gotten up to skin ents, trimmed with beads and quills, * Fully fifty men and boys had gathered in the conclusions between him and a sergeant who shor off a form that Venus might have en- > on for a prize put up by the col- lately come to the post, and whose reputation as | vied. : and a marksman had ied him, for no one sus- Pon Some gd hand a round gourd not over eome familiar such a gathering, so that it ers for an t that a rival would appear | halfthe of the one Reckless Rupert had broken, would be useless in my describing buckskin clad r the champion in any one else. he uttered a few words in a low tone, and then men who have nauglit to do with my story. Astonishment was, therefore, ripe when the| walked toward the others as if carefully meas- There had been some ex, sergeant missed the now difficult mark, and the | uring the distance. because‘ man, who was a stranger to all | contest was now limited to these two. Then he wheeled about. of them desired to take s turn at the target; but| The colonel, disappointed and c! ed atthe| Something like an inarticulate ery came from these murmurs had now ceased. failure of his man to acquit creditably, | the thro oo they’ saw the aitt Qieod ee Daas Two reasons for this could be given. now took a new and fe hh interest in this new apes and stand there @ Statue, In eyes followed the motion of the young manag onel, which had been posted in a minent po- ward and scanned him eagerly from head to foot | he raised his rifle. . i 63 fig was none the i 5 é sition, declared that any one whoc' eould en-}as if forcibly reminded of some one, and then} “Stop!” said a voice, hoarse with fer the lists and eompets for the prize, and as that | shook his head sternly as though he would not | som es, “this'is oat officer now in sight the grumblers did | allow such ideas to remain in his ge a peasy. the life of that fair creature? not wish to cause an investigation, well knowing} Meanwhile, the sports went on. the name of humanity, stop him, and he is that they would not come out of it with flying Reckless Rupert was rather pleased than other- | welcome to the colors. : wise to discover thathe had metafoeman worthy| It was Reckless Rupert who gave Vent to these Sten agin, Hosting Eaiph wes & msn frown of his steel, and every device that an nious | words, and his face wasaflame with various emo. to every one of them, and they dare not excite his | brain and a keen marksman could was | tions. His eyes were glued upon the form of the ire, for fear of the result. brought to bear upon the matter. young, girl, nee & eee to all that this was The old ranger did not seem to be aequainted | He soon realize that he had met his | not the first time he had seen her, for her with the young man whose cause he adyocated, | match, for not only were his shots copied to the | ence under such peculiar circumstances affbened «sede wean ae pe eae kn: some- are pete Teer tee 4 aelner inthe kg vy. ek thing 0! marvelous shooting upon. For once a was pair ; ver turned and gave & 3crutinizing a chance to witness the naboniuhaient of the | but at this moment a few words glance, and then looked towaxd There was another motive, too, as might be | until the uired distance was passed over. | ness to ‘‘everlastingly chaw to shark’s meat” gieamed from the few words which the veteran ‘Thin: he turmadedia belt cut the gond, Ww man that dared oppose the venture of Mie - was the size of an orange, by the slender tegé, and showed such a cheerfulness in m e heels an’ turpentine! wonder if the gal| A dead silence came upon the assembly. the statement that there was no taker. are anywhars around. I'd like ter lay myole| Like astatue Reckless rt stood, with his| Again Silver Rifle bent his head; the weapon eek against the stock of his rifle.| became as steady as ! throw wo gee Agi vee dog ef I} Then came the sharp re and those who were paiuse, during whlch ge ‘ 5 cf f t ther it in hands. Soup-| watching intently saw the gourd fly into pieces, the soun oh aal pa me thar’s Rec Rupert; while the Sook elem long, remained in ravines by thunder nih toe = hu wait till it comes down toa fine point, and then | the hand of the old imperturbable ranger. looked up in the air to see the pieces fly as ay So try his shot, far thar’s nothin’} “Ef thet don’t her out then I reckon | had done when Reckless Rupert bot as eens te ot bate * with which com- | nothin’ will,” mu' the Colorado ranger, as | they dropped their to the head of the hiz fortable the veteran trapper lapsed into a Seen acne Bae Sale levegee it was that the small gourd gas He chanced to be watching the young stranger} The gourd had burst into about half adozen| One of the men ran out and teterned with the when the colonel drew near, and was epee. cad Seek Pees. bens Sees gourd, which had two holas in &, so close to the 1, Sse, hin give « stext, apd poll hie er showed the little hole made by the] center that the target had not broken. This he brimmed hat still 80 it would be im- | rifle ball. was about to show to the colonel, when the possible to, his face. apies eee Da, & sells of ccnntine: Sane for the first time, turned her face full This ene Se ee ered senene fuse be ae face. Ral nd ie that these two had met and that parting Oe sakners, of the officer uttered a loud ery. younger man did not desire corner of his eye. He hesitate,and then| “ My soul! it is ‘The presence of the colonel was tye signal for walk guiclle, beenrt tp Sas0d. he him- Peep uses. be to Silver the beginning of the sport, and presentuy every | self had stood/while holding 1 dollars to the one who
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3 - aan: lays him by the heels! Quick, or he will escape!” he thundered out. - The prairie sharpshooter dashed away, but a dozen would have been in pursuit had not Roar- ing Ralph sprang to the front and faced them, knife in hand, hi “Dust my Sunday breeches, if I don’t clean out the hull kit o’ ye yet. Silver Rifle kim hyarat my invitation, an’ he shall go clar. Whatever dge ther kernal may hevagin him must keep. ow, ther gone.” Kernal, w do ye know 0’ that gal?” 4 “Know of her!” almost gasped the enraged officer; “confound your impudence, Rockwood! that girl is my daughter Dolly! As to the young man, he is one who has sworn war to the knife against ms, and who will yet feel the weight of my anger.” CHAPTER II. TO THE DEATH. “ GREASER, yer a cheat and a swindle!” As the words were spoken, the man giving ut- terance to them sprang to his feet, and with re- markable agility swept the gold from the table into his pocket. Astonishment had held his opponent mute for the moment, but he, too, sprang to his feet, utter- ty hee ex ons. : wing a knife, he would have sprung at the hunter not the buckskin-clad worthy covered him with a revolyer. Lowering glances were cast upon him from many of the inmates of the der, but he seemed as cool as a cucumber. “T'ye been in jest this same position afore now, an’ don’t keer a continental how soon ye begin ms. Thar'll be some hefty work for the eoroner, I reckon, afore we’ve done. Is thar a man bh what knows me?” “T do,” came a voice at this instant, and all \ eyes were turned toward the speaker, a squatt dressed man, in buckskin and wearinga huge felt nat. “Ihave cause to remember you. Gentle- men, take a look at my classical head. You will be to notice that I am minus a fine pair of ears, That I owe to him.” As the stumpy hunter spoke, he removed his broad-brimmed felt hat, and swept back the mass of dark hair that was allowed to cover his neek, Sure enough, his ears were gone. The act also showed his face to be considerably slashed with Pits old ranger: laughed, ab it tekled ‘at th t) ughed, as at the it of the por 4 man. * Yas, I sliced ‘em off fur ye, Yeller Bob. Thet war afore ye gained yer present notoriety, an’ whan we cort ye steaiin’ our pelts up on ther sealed. ar tein. Can a Horn. Gilad ter meet yer ‘tye stir up acireus fur me hyar? Ther wolf blood hez been ae in me so long that I’m afraid they'll *m under ther daisies along ther border, ef I don't kick up a runipus soon.” This poy request rather staggered all who heard it, and the squatty, buckskin-clad ran- ger glared around him as though too full of rage to answer. “You will have enough of it to keep you awake, my fire-eater, for if Ican help it you will never leave here alive. emen,” he continued, turning to the crowd, “allow me to introduce to you a man vad : been pass bane of mer roe our ¢ or twenty years an "in whom havea death- grudge Pandy Ellis” © As the name of the noted Indian fighter fell upon the ears Cage assembled Pe @ a 08 wood gambling den, it was amazing to see how ‘they shrank from him, as they would, from one ‘ho had the small-pox. sik teen Beptteen fot the ueigsbecbood. . and : in » an bending down a trifle he drew a_ fifteen-inch the back of his neek. “Now I'm ready ter sail in. Guy ther word, eee sae ew sock I kin clean ther ranch out, in Santa Fe, ye "member, I laid ther floor, an’ ’'d ter kee 4 mE region. Yaller Bob, os on the bearded face flushed with | sail THE MARKED MOCCASIN. tion of his name, for it was not unknown among the men assembled there. “ Proceed with ther show, Yaller Bob—that’s a good feller,” insinuated old Pandy. To oblige you, I will. Comrades, be ready to in, and the man that drives his knife into the heart of Loe Fe gets my bonanza claim.” As Yellow Bob spoke, he suddenly turned a screw close at hand—a contrivance of the bar- tender’s—and all the lights in the place were ex- tinguished at once. his was a neat little contrivance on the of the proprietor, whereby he might escape should his life ever be threatened. No soontr had darkness come upon the scene than the most tremendous uproar ensued. Loud oaths and eries rent the air, accompanied by a smashing sound of glass. Indeed, it seemed for a time as though Bedlam had been let loose, but not a pistol shot was heard. Pandy Ellis and his comrade stood close to where they had been when ‘the lights went out, ready to engage in a desperate d to hand struggle for life, but as the racket gradually grew less in volume, what seemed to be the truth broke in upon their minds. It was so simply ridiculous that they had to laugh outright. All of the rufflans had skulked away. Py: this time the noise had ceased entirely, and all that could be heard was a series of most mel- ancholy grunts and whispered curses from one of the windows. Old Pandy struck a match and apolar. it to one of the lamps in the place, which immediately gave them the benefit of its light. There, stuck fast in one of the windows, was the redoubtable Yellow Bob. He had evidently been crawling out backward when the heavy sash fell across his back, pinning him there. Some one who had been pulling at lower ex- tremities outside, ran off as soon as the light ap- peared. The two hunters laughed loud and long at the ludicrous situation of the raseal, and then Blue Bill, with an eye to business, swept what loose change that remained upon the various tables in- to his pocket, to reimburse them for their trouble, after which the two rangers left the place. It was some ten minutes later, while Yellow Bob was makinga solemn oath to be the death of both of them, that Pandy and Blue Bill stood face to face in a lone cabin on the outskirts of the town. “Then you are on the trail?” asked Bill. “T have |started on it, an’ will foller ter ther death, There’s stirrmg times ahead, Right 9 = d I'm with old eo ou are,and I’m ‘ou, man, Here’s to the death,” of The parties shook hands, and the compact was Billy,” re- CHAPTER II. WOLF BLOOD, ? Ghorious Oui Gol we just in the west orious 0! was 8 Wi like a ball of fire, and wee Fa ns hod at hand, when two men broke thro’ the bushes that bordered a clear stream, of w the planing vere. There they stood, leaning upon their rifles, and loo around upon the peaceful scene. What mission had brought these two stern men “Bolly and I had separated, fur I had some business down in Mexico, while Bolly wanted to see some friends in Arkansas. It war several months afore I ter reach Little an’ ye may well e ther news I heard lik ter hev killed me outright. Bolly hed once hed a brother, which he —. were dead. Many a time hez he told me o’ ther lively times they hed together as bo - “<Tt seems thet he hed been looked on as dead fur years back; so wen a half drunken galoot run agin him in Little Rock in the dark, he knocked him down. I never could understand jest how it war; all I know is thet they heda ed duel on ther spot, wid some friends on side. “ Bolly was jest rekivering from asick spell, an’ I reckon his hand warn’t as steady as it might a been. His man fell but got up agin. Bolly lay thar, shot through ther heart.” The old ranger bowed his head in his hands for a few minutes as though the story was too” much for him, and Blue eould see hi unt frame trembling with emotion. Presently he. looked up , but there was a strained expres- sion on his thin face, ype nap snag peels that had made many a border scoundrel tremble to see. “T heerd it all through Ned Price. Thar wara time when I didn’t like Ned, ’cause I thort he war ther kind o’ a critter ter stab a man in ther back; but when I heerd how he keered fur my pore " Bolly Wherrit, I shook his hand, an’ swore I hed - wro: him. I seen him cringe like, but never cud tell why he did it. “Ter proceed with ther sad story. P ry: “Ned took Bolly off an’ hed him buried, while Jack Wherrit skipped the town. From some I heerd thet he war terribly worked-up when he found /thet he hed killed his brother, but run fur fear some 0’ ther boyees ’d take vengeance on him, ther cowardly brute. “I would ter Heaven I hed happened inter Lit- tle Rock about thet time; ther’d been a terrible time, fur I'd hev cut ther drunken coward’s weas- and out. I’ve been on his trail ever sinee, an’ Pri foller him ter ther end o’ ther world onless déath steps in an’ takes alead. When I find him—the slayer 0’ my pard—then woe ter him, Blue Bill, "i elters volo tml with gs and S) Sv m rage, an Se via ek Wha aortas was } would be terrible indeed. “ Ther trail hez been plain to me, fer ther hez ther family mark o’ the Wherrits—his left air crooked, an’ gg ea? the moccasin track. , and stood upon } Yaller a prisoner. They hated uite a Ww! d shuffle ter _ off be tial. Z iF : aE on :
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4 THE MARKED MOCCASIN. “Jest afore they left him, he coolly beggot. as a last favor, that Yaller Bob give him a chaw 0’ ’bacea, an’ ther critter, suspectin’ ncthin’, done it. When they war out o’ sight, what did Bolly do but salivate ther powder 0’ this wet place. “T found him sittin’ thar, chewin’ away a5 con- tentedly as a cow at her cud. Jest as I released the lad the pesky outlaws kim up, wonderin’ why they hadn’t heerd no explosion. We had quite a tussle with ’em, an’ Bolly fit like a king. Ah, me! ter think ther lad’ll never stand side by side with oy Sage It’s enough ter make one shed tears 0” bl ! You an’me make a team, Blue Bill, but Far nigh never - to me what ae rm pard ee on ter forty years we hev clung ter eac A Pandy Ellis war other, an’ it do seem as SoS er oat op o now an old trunk with ther | x curse on Jack Wherrit !” . behind the log, further on, a man’s face arose. His by were fastened upon the old and he seemed fascinated by the emo- Ellis. Now and then ashudder over frame, but he lay there ae | vines, motionless, until Blue B sprang to with an exelamation: feet, * Look ! here’s the very trail we lost at noon. him Fortune has prin, ee a There can be no mistaking that footprint. wretch has been here, has even sat upon this log!” Pandy Ellis sprang erect. “ My soul, I'm lost!” was the be os of the chidden man, as he drew back his head and flattened‘himself out still more against the log. “ Yas, he’s been hyar; that’s ther mark o’ ther sarpint—ther wretch thet made ole Pandy wuss nora widower. Wonld ter Heaven we ‘Tet soon, or you'll have one of your crazy y us bunt a camp down the river, and in the follow trail here—to death !” muttered the old ranger, aris- THE SPECTER CANOE. where the two hunters pitched their quite different from that which left. mouth of a ravine, and while be seen in front, back of them dense thicket, forest trees. a 5 u E & igs: an zt . | ; : had passed many a night in slumber, so that these were deemed comfortable resting places. The night passed on. Jupiter led his hosts across the blue rene ves ther train, so that | in the ceaseless march of time. Almost overh when ther fire kim along it war extinguished at | the god of war, en § Mars, glowered down like an eye of evil upon the slumbering earth. Strange noises came from the forest, near and far, but the howling of wolves and cries of vari- ous nocturnal birds and beasts would have been music in the ears of a backwoodsman. In the east the moon arose, looking like a Chi- nese — ee - pei coho ves in places where her light found an ptween the tall trees that lined the river bank, it trembled softly upon the water. . There was an indescribable witchery in the hour that acted like a charm. It eould not have been very far from midnight when old Pandy Ellis his head from the — and held it in a listening attitude. From ong service in the backwoods, his ears had be- come acute in a marvelous degree, and on many an occasion he had proven this. The sound that reached him was the light dip of a paddle upon the water, but it must have been something of more power than this that had waked up. Gaining his feet, he laid a hand on the arm of Blue Bill, who responded to the touch almost in- \y. The two men then c down the ravine to the. river, which was 5 'y spread out before them. At this point the stream was about twelve or fif- teen yards across from bank to bank, and just even with them the moon lit up its surface for a stretch of half a seore of feet. Closer comes the sound of the paddle, and it was evident that the canoe was near at hand. Both men pped their rifles nervously, for thoughts entered their minds that it might prove to be the man they sought, and the eyes of old Pandy seemed to flash fire at the idea, In ——— Pandy was once more kneeling upon the lonely grave of his old renewing the oath of vengeance; and was it necessary to chase the murderer over the whole world, he and Blue Bill would do it, so that in the end Bolly's death was —. Closer came the mysterious bark. There was a singular regularity in the strokes that fell upon old Pandy’s ear as unnatural. The — who used the paddle must be an adept, eed, to wield it with such precision. “ Thar it is!” said Blue Bill. Looking up the stream, the two men could see the shad outlines of a boat, with a human figure standing erect in it. The vessel was speed- ing down the river with lightning poe and even while they watched, it reached the edge of the illumined spot, and shot into view. The, occupant of this spectral craft was a man, dressed in foe costume; and, asghis hat was off, they could see his long white hair streaming m his shoulders. or a few seconds did the white bark canoe re Yon arp hg then both the vessel and it& occupant were lost to view in the semi-gloom be- y Pandy Ellis caught Blue Bill’s arm in a of steel, and his voice was husky, as he aT tied down u “Did ye see him, Billy? Heaven help me! That war the s o =a old pard, on whose ve I swore terrible oath. Ther ghost o’ y Wherrit cries aloud for vengeance CHAPTER Y. ON THE WAR-PATH: what we hev seen ther ghost o’ m pard. They man what y lay ig exe which his eyes had rested. cipient of a eo ayille thinking ot old man w ¥ solemn while past. Without the eomrade who had been at his side in almost every difficulty in which he been engaged, the future looked black indeed, the ol or ae or not spend much time in con- G) g of it Pandy felt the tears crow: e looked sharply at Blue lest his emotion shouldsbe E : Pak : E & ranger was locked fast in Mor pheus. That midnight vigil was never forgott Pandy, for the full tide of his loss came upon him, and he bowed his head ppc r Bic ie ake the pain he calmly looked to the future. He , already past the time allotted to —— through all his life he had all ho Pe the grim monster come; he often to fear him now. He had hand in defense a right, and the weak wrong, and his byAve soul would meet the of Life with not a stain upon it, other than those which will assail even the best of men. S & F i FEE been almost that hung in the blue sky. Ha! no wonder the old tra) masses + As the moon was behind h outlined, but it was easy a. peng Ante = 5 triumph, upon two ppers below ; had now gained — fell upon both of them. Pandy remained as motionless pon ette of the P it the bright fuce of the moon. Thus a few minutes matters remained tionary. Then the Indian’s arms were slowh or =
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. rl ie other side of the ravine, and knew the warrior with the bow was not alone. One wave of excitement seemed to surge thro his frame, and then he was as cool as ever before in his life. The wolf-blood had leaped in rejoicing at the rospect of an immediate and severe conflict, but e had quieted it. : The redskin evidently thought that by virtue of his discovery he had a right to demolish one of the daring pale-faces, and it was no doubt fuily arranged that when the death-cry of the stricken burst upon the mi ht air, the other Indians should throw themselves upon the re- maining white, and either capture or make away with him. » Quite a neat little plan, indeed, but it was fated to fail at the very start. ‘ Knowing that he, too, was in full view of the Indian, and denis ng several others besides, Pan- dy gave up the idea of raising his gun. © Was an expert at firing off-hand, and could do just as much execution without giving them the slightest warning of his intentions. Slowly the Indian raised his bow until it had been oa into the proper position; at the same time Pandy was elevating his gun by de- grees until he was sure that it was bearing di- rectly upon the painted devil behind the bush. There was no time to lose. When the Indian had gained his desired posi- tion he would give a quick, spasmodic jerk, and the/ arrow would be sent forward with force we to drive it clear through a buffalo. Autifors speak of an Indian slowly drawing the arrow back to the head, holding it there for a few seconds, as if to aim, and then lettingdrive; but this is all sheer nonsense. No one ever saw an Indian brave send an arrow thus. They aim by eta and gain a double amount of force by g the whole body forward with the shot; the whole work is done in an instant of time. No man knew this better than Pandy, and, therefore, he got himself in readiness, so as to be a any such move on the part of the . Keenly he watched the fellow’s every move, and when the final instant arrived, the old trapper’s age prema the trigger of his rifle. 2 here followed tne sharp, stunning a le shriek of Close upon its heels came a _horribl anguish. The Indian’s bow and arrow were thrown high up in the air, and as for the ill- fated brave himself, he made a spasmodic leap, and came ogee | down into the ravine, @way the vines and bushes in his death plunge. Old Pandy was on his feet in an instant, and al- Blue Bill had been aroused from a déep | th Sleep, he was not many seconds behind the vete- . He fomes 4 — pre bey Phy mat- & flash, for the ell put into pos- session of the facts. ir He rolled pomcovent sae es a twink- > un, lea to f the side of bis com: so eee “They had quite a hot time before them, but neither man thought of shirking the encounter even for an instant. For all they knew there — be fifty of the red fiends, but it was their to close with them first, and only retreat bers. e yy Blue Bill saw three long arrows ape A where he had , an not an instaif-too soon in rolling away from the The two men crouched down and waited for his rifle up close to his shoulder, and was only for an opportunity to use it, while his hand. er place in a few seconds of result. T gi 4 4 : t : death hovered with to elutch all who h 4 i 3 - Pi J] MYSTERIOUS ‘peat _ * Sb Pie's to follow. Blue Bill had drawn | ho fom a clear and THE MARKED MOCCASIN. silvery light, lay like a sea of glory, the gentle night wind now and then disturbing the grass, and makin, billows of the ocean. It was a glorious spectacle, and not a thing seemed to mar the serenity of the scene; but stay, from out the timber lme dashed a horse, upon whose back sat a man dressed in buckskin, In his hand this hunter grasped a long, deadly rifle; his face could not be seen, as the broad sombrero shaded it from view ; but his long white fer streamed out behind him as he dashed mad- ly along. Occasionally he turned in the saddle and looked behind him as though pursued, and that this was the case was speedily made manifest. When he had ridden about a hundred yards there burst out of the timber, with a series of shrill yells, a score of mounted Indians, who urged their horses with every conceivable method after the hunter. The moonlight chase had evidently been already continued for quite a time, and the horse of the white-haired hunter must have been already fa- uigued when it began, for he showed many signs of weariness now, while the animals of the red men were for the oped fresh. Away dashed the mad riders, Turning in his saddle the white-haired hunter aimed his rifle, Probably the Indians already knew what execution he could do, for they seem- ed to fear him, as every warrior flattened himself out upon the back of his steed. Orack | The hunter knew a trick worth two of theirs, and as the report of his gun rang out, one of the mustangs received the fatal lead, plunged for- ward, and threw his unsuspecting rider full twenty feet away. Whether injured b the shoe or not, the brave was most effectually counted seg from the struggle that was bound to take place. Once more the Indians arose and urged their wiry steeds onward. Their gain was very evi- dent, and one could almost decide upon the time it would take for the end of the race to come, The mysterious hunter's horse fairly's red, and yet with a determined nature, which only a man who has had such a noble animal can under- stand, he used every effort to keep up the race. Finally a volley of shots broke from the pur- suers, and the arrows and bullets hurtled around the mad rider. One, by accident, struck his horse’s leg, and the animal came toa sudden halt, so that it was with difficulty the man kept him- self from falling. fact © apparent, and they urged their horses forward as if anxious to reach the man at bay; but it was wonderful to note how quickly this determination was changed when the white- haired ranger raised his om | rifle. Every Indian sank behind his horse, and they seemed to wheel to the left, although the horses were still going forward at a mad “Dash my moccasins, if they ’ain’t got the Co- manche trick. Waal, that’s wuth comin’ so oe north ter see, I swar. Whoever heard o’ - feet * thet dodge afore? They don't quite git the o’ it; I reckon I could do better my- self without practice. I'll let ‘em understand thet amateurs can’t come thet game on this chicken.” About this time there ‘was formed a complete circle around the mysterious ranger, that con- tinually moved in the same direction, and as the arrows and bullets to cut the air around him, the white-haired hunter that un- it undulate here and there like the | his caught in a loop of rope that had been used for some purpose, was carried away at the heels otf mustang. As the hunter had suspected, this was the sig- nal for an assault. His rifle was now empty, and he would have no time to reload it, so he Ww the weapon into a clump of tall grass, where the * Indians would not be likely to find it, and atsome future time he might expect to recover it. True enough, the Indians turned their horses toward the center of the circle, and urged them madly forward. They wpe aig tried to conceal themselves behind their s' , only bending low as they da the animals forward. What followed was one of the strangest scenes of border adventure on record. Naturally, one of the Indians reached the point of action in advance of his fellows, and, dra in his mustang, bent over tosend an arrow throug! the form of the crouching trapper. It was a fatal action for him, As if charged with electricity, the form of the mysterious hunter sprang erect. As he did so his revolver was discharged, and the Indian, with a shrill howl, fell backward from his horse. At the same time the old ranger shot upward and assumed the position vacated by the red-skin. Then, turning upon the astonished Blackfeet, he sent several bullets among them. Almost before they could realize what had oc- curred, the valiant r was careering over the moonlit prairie once more, with a fair prospect of eluding enemies. . They chanced to have their weapons ready, however, and immediately sent a storm of mis- siles after the fleeing man. The effect was disastrous to him, for one of the arrows, sent by no mean hand, pierced the horse’s Pas and soon made its presence known, for the animal to run lame. By _ time Le rah a after him full tilt, whooping,- yelling, an harging every weapon they pyaemes at the daring pale-face, who had eluded them so boldly when everything seemed to point to his capture or death, Still, he continued to keep ahead of them, but it was only by dint of much effort; for the wound which eee had ee wus 7 tell upon the animal, an required every eflo: on the pait of the hunter to keep up this pace. He eagerly looked ahead, hoping to see some- thing that would give him hope, but as far as the moonlight allowed him to see, nothing encourag- ing came within the scope of his vision. fn his right hand be still firml — revolver, his only weapon sa’ e that rested in his belt, and it was evident that should matters come to close quarters once more, he would use both of these to advantage, Thus the mad race went on. Unconsciously to both , it was converg- tow: a Se have a chance to show his nor the freak of nature that split it in twain ; yet there it was, with a ugh - dle wide enough for horsemen to ride When within thirty yards of this stone, the horse upon which the a agen § ane = mounted lenly gave ou e saved himself = ce tate of the rer: Brena animal less he wished to fall a victim toa chance missile, | besid he had better drop behind the body of his dead Tse. R This he proceeded to do, and from his of concealment watched the maneuvers of the ene- my, showing more surprise and interest in re- gard to their strange actions than fear of the result, which proved beyond a doubt that the man cared not a — for a neg Grad the li circle aroun toting, o24 naan had taught the Blackfeet this trick of their Texan brothers must have in- structed them for they jer- the hi aim. The came so speedily that eould moat ina Sy te & anaplabot. ‘There ~ A —— t / ” ta 344 _ the brawny warrior, his foor i's at 4 4 certain point where the white man .
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® of the Indians, who, a few seconds later, reached she rock. While half-a-dozen shot around it, others dismounted and boldly plunged into the f To the extreme amazement of all, not a sign could they discover cf the enemy. He had been here, that they were ready to swear, but in some mysterions manner he had eluded them. ond the rock the grass was snort, and it seemed utterly impossible for any one to be con- @ealed in it, Amazement rendered the Indians speechless, and those who guarded the rock sat upon their horses around it like so many statues. ' One ofthese, hearing a noise above him, look- ed up just in time’to see the form of the myste- rious hunter, knife in hand, leap from the basin- shaped top of the rock, cily half-dozen feet above the Indian’s head, and land behind him on the mustang. —_—— ; —— CHAPTER VIL. MONEY-MAKEERS OF THE BORDER. ““Burrier’s hoofs an’ bar’s claws! reckon thar waint nobody ter home hyar, seein’ as [ve rap- till my Knuckles air sore, an’ yet I kin swar 8 smoke a-comin’ from ther chimbly. Tar an’ feather me ef I know any other way n ter jest sail in an’ make myself ter home, That’s me, Roarin’ Ralph Rockwood, ye bet!” The old ranger had been standing in front of quite a commodious but ancient log cabin, situ- ated far away up fin the forests of Blackfoot land, and which at one time evidently been oceupied by a band of trappers, either on friendly ferms with the redmen, or else possessed of an unusual spirit of bravado. When he had rapped until he was tired with- out receiving any reply, the old reckless ranger made up his mind to enter, nolens volens, so he lifted the satch, and stepped into the cabin. He founda cheery fire burning on the hearth, but not a soulin sight. Evidences of occupaney could ‘be seen in many directions, for the place had a.cozy appe. ee just then. There was a quantity of cold food upon the table, and with a@ charming assurance, theold ranger sat down and “ tackled ” it, to use his own expression. taking ut his huge Bowie to assist in the good wo In the meantime his eyes were roving about, and he gazed in isguised wonder at an elabo- though small press of some sort, also the tools that could be seen around, Had he fallen upon the retired home of some old hermit, who intended passing the i of his life in soly- ing some tremendous problem of evolution or ual motion? Pethe old ranger was not one to puzzle his head to any great extent over a problem, when a sim- ple exercise of patience would develop the whole matter, so he remained seated in the rude chair, calmly devouring the lunch set out for some one who had not to claim it. This was o iph’s way of doing things, and he generally came out of the horn with honor. As he sat there he indulged in reflections. , _ . “Tar my heels wid soap, but I can’t guess w'at this ranch air. Wun would think thet thar wara treasury department in these hyar wilds, man spoke, he stretched out his 3 up a bundle of singular papers his grasp. The light of the fire had revealed to him the fact that he held in his : bank-notes. off alog to get at the ph had heard that counterfeiters somewhere in though he knew little of the neatly done w a. sudden start, on one as though some sus- _ THE MARKED MOCCASIN. now the features of both men were rendered visi- ble, especially as they took off their hats and — them u wontbase 8 oaring Ralph u a low ery. One of the faces, at least, was very familiar to him, and yet he was greatly amazed that the owner should be found away up here in the far north-west, and seemingly the owner of this strange ranthe, **¥ailer Bob, by the Etarnal!” was the unut- tered comment, as he looked down upon the two. The individual whom last we saw wedged in between the sash and heavy window frame in the Deadwood gambling den, was seated below the old reckless trapper: and from his manner it was plain to read that he hada claim of some sort upon the riekety cabin in which they were. The other man was a heavy fellow, with a bearded face and matted hair. Roaring Ralph entertained a suspicion that he had seen him before, but just then could not place the rough-looking customer. Yellow Bob eyed the victuals on the table a lit- tle suspiciously, as if wondering whether he had demolished such a quantity of them, and then in- vited the other to plunge in, which he lost no time in proeeeding to do. Soon they were engaged in conversation, and by listening intently, the man in the loft could hear every word that was spoken. Singularly | enough, almost the fiest words he heard proved to be his own name. “So you hate this Roaring Ralph?” inquired Yellow Bob. , “Like pizen.” ‘My sentiments exactly; I hev an old grudge against the critter which has been keeping warm |} these many days back. I hadn't any idea that you had run against the old critter.” “*Waal—I hey. Thar’s his mark.” As the man spoke he swept back the masses of eoarse hair and revealed the fact that his ears were not where they should have been, Some hand had sliced them off! Ah! pany Ralph knew well enough now who this rough-looking customer was, As if conjured up from the past, there arose before him, in imagination, & scene in a trapping eamp some years before, when this man was caught in the act df robbing his traps, and in the presence of the whole brigade he sliced off his p> a amark that would forever brand him a lef. - f “ Hist me inter a} Pache’s grave ef it ain’t my old enemy, Black Donald. They allers told me that the critter would never furgit that job, an’ it seems that they war korrect,’ muttered the ranger. Yellow Bob uttered a ery of horror when his eyes beheld the work of the old trapper. —— “D’ye mean to say them’s his ear-marks?” coPhees F toskua "yore got a “Then I reckon ye’ve got a stronger gru him than me, and if the old Yepue ever into Sener Get i Sy sexe ze 4 in ne ye play evil wit! . Treckon thar aio’t no torture that would be teo keen for ye, Donald?” The other gritted his teeth. “ They laid awake nights thinkin’ what I would do to that critter when I faced him. Since the fe re this yer happened—some years back, I *t seen him onct, and when the time comes Roaring Ralph had best look ont, for I'm a tiger from the jungle.” “How was it you let him escape before? I should have thought you'd have slain him on the spot. art Fe I would if ther hedn’t been nigh onter twenty o’ his kimrades around ns. The fact is, I war neatly caught skinnin’ his traps. They kicked me outen ther camp, an’ I daren’t la ’round in hope 0” fekin® Roaring Ralph off, fur them men wo a hunted me ter ther eath. aos “If I hev sworn once ter be the death of my enemy I hev a thousand times. T ain’t in no hurry, far I know ther time will come around all ht, an' some day I'll find myself face ter face with the man I hate jest like ye hate a rattle- snake.” “Then you do not fear him?” “Fear him? Not much!” 4 “ But Roaring Ralph is nocommon man. Des- perado as Tam m: I should hate to be shut up in a dark cabin with him, and a knife placed nent our hands.” “ There’s a little diff S, and in sue iness, my friend. The boys will be here = to carry off the last issue,a package of w lies on the table beside you. there? Why, I would be wiling to swear that I left it there. Ah, here it is upon the floor. > What, is it not When I heard your signal down at the double — meet you. This is our cozy den, where there is no more danger of disturbance from the authorities than from the man in the moon. The Indians, too, are friendly. They call me the money-chief, and I make their chiefs an occasional present, in good money of course, else our little game here might have been dro ge Soa ““True enough. By fhe way, old hoss, this hyar knife’s a terrible weapon. “Who carries sich a thing ’round these dig; ? Bless me if Ta like ter hey it in myside. Thafs sich—thunder and lightnin’ !” | Black Donald had carelessly lifted the huge Bowie for a closer inspection, and his eyes fell upon a name rudely carved upon the handle: “Roaring Ralph Rockwood, youbet!” No wonder the giant started back with a ery of mingled amazement and alarm, letting the huge | knife fall from his nerveless fingers to the floor, | in which itstuck and remained quivering from | the violence of its descent. ; «What is it?” cried Yellow Bob, astounded by this strange action on the of his comrade. “Look an’ see. Blue blazes, but the critter must hev been hyar!* and Black Donald began to look nervously around him, ‘ Rese His companion was not a whit less excited when he had also read that inscription. * “ Roaring Ralph has been here since I went out to answer your signal. I apes it seemed as though the meat had diminished wonderfully ; then that package was on the floor instead of on the table. I hadn’t noticed the knife you were using, or else my suspicions might have been aroused. “Your deadly enemy is inthis immediate vicin- ity, Black Donald. e Opportunity Pa have waited for so long has come at last. Now, what do you intend to do about it?” asked Yellow Bob, * Do?” yelled the latter; “* with the critter, an’ [ll show the A human form dropped from an open tra) the floor above, and Donald saw before him his mortal-foe. | | snake!” - In “Dust my Sunday breeches!” cried Roarin z Ralph; “ var we air, Black Donald, an’ one o’ us stays hyar forever!” { z CHAPTER VIIL RECKLESS RUPERT. 3 A sMALL fire blazed in the heart of the : and bending over it was the same young whom we saw at the shoo match upon the border, and whom Colonel Leonard had called his daughter, Dolly. : To many upon the border she was now known under another name, and this was the musical one of Prairie Belle. - : : aE aor —~ bo watched oa frugal —— cook- g, the es parted anda yo ow stepped into view. There could be no miaake about 7 identity; there was the same clear-cut face that bore a marvelous resemblance to the "s, the same curly head and upright form we onee before, when he s up before the agsem- bled settlers and soldiers and won the prize which he had never received. j pote It was.Silver Rifle. f ' There was a strange, sad expression face that told of some heart trapble, w: e revealed as this story progresses, On the other hand, the you: git appeared to be all life and animation, as h it was her loving duty to cheer her companion. i . ae “Watchman, how goes the night?” she a = Sen nee re ac! r side, ; pests i 2 “* Coast seems to be all clear. Reckon wWR haw supper now if it’s ready,” he - replied, cloud passing from his voice. — “Tne few minutes, Jus you get down here will soon be mai os Pen | Sateatre ? the ; brow at the sound of her sweet SWE oaks I must have misplaced it in my hurry to — L me face to face ‘ ' A ~ ’
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THE MARKED MOCCASIN. - 7 gp woman to cheer our otherwise lonely lot on earth. | him, and then Silver Rifle, drawing her duwn to What with her neat little ways of managing, and her silvery laughter (whieh, though subdued, eould not be wholly quenched by the danger of her Situation), the meal passed off as nicely as though they had before them one of Delmonico’s repasts instead of simple venison steak and cof- fee. While they were thus engaged in eating, a human form was crawling through the forest in the direction of their little camp. This silent crawler was no greasy, paint-be- daubed Blackfoot warrior, but a young hunter, | these two together. him, gently kissed her. There was no demonstrative affection-in the action, but it showed the deep love that bound Reckless Rupert gave a groan that welled up from the heart as he saw this, for it seemed to seal his doom. Up to this time he had hoped “ f am inclined to believe you,” said Silver Rifle, lowering his weapon. “I have been upon the border long enough to distinguish the mock cries, when my attention is called to them, at least. What would you do, friend?” “Do! First of all this flre must go out.” Suiting the action to the word the young hunter sprang upon the fire, kicking the embers right that something might arise to befriend him, but | and left, and stamped upon them so savagely that in this kiss he read the destruction of his wishes. He bowed his head upon the tree and gave way to bitter reflections. Why had fate been thus cruelly cold in cheating one would imagine he had an especial spite against each individual one. ‘ In the sixth part of a minute hardly a sign of, = a im of what she | the fire remained. He pretended io become weaker with each passing second, and the Indian, seeing t dad in a new suit of buckskin that became him wonderfully. 7 Now and then he paused, and arising upon his knees, pote in feat eye: oN foreser, we sparse undergrow 6 fire o e young fugi- tives shone like a beacon, and toward this star of hope he was dexterously making his way. nally, when he was near enough to see dis- eeny, cautiously raised himself and glided a tree This act revealed his features and identity. It was Reckless Rupert. ‘ What was he doing in that far-away northern forest? The fact of his emotion at the sight of the young girl explained in his mission, for he had felt his heart stirred at the sight of her as it had never been before by womankind. From his | map of be ngs lag could see the two by the . anny: 2 E r e oy agen ae Jongest upon theyoung ; indeed, they seem to be riveted there, as if she od a magnetic wer over him. This was nothing singular, for e had loyed the young girl these many months back, though it was a silent affeetion. Finally, in glancing around, his eyes fell upon Silver Rifle, anda dark cloud passed over his faee. Reckless Rupert was a handsome man, and, as his name signified,a daring one; still there was much that was good in his composition, and which would be brought to the s at times “when the occasion demanded it. He looked on Silver Rifle as his rival, for there could be no mi the fact that these two ‘Toved each other. His eyes were glued upon was so prodigal with others? The realization was something that made him wince. He was aroused from this state, not by any movement of the two by the camp-fire, for they were still sitting there, gazing into the coals. The sounds he heard came from the surreunding for- est, and to the ear of an amateur would not have been anything unusual, To Reckless Rupert, however, the case was ex- tremely different. He had been a the plains for manya year, and to h these wolf howls were very significant, insomuch as he believed them to be counterfeit. _Eagerly he listened for a repetition of the sus- picious sounds, nor were they long in coming. There could now be no mistake; the Blackfeet were among the trees, having doubtless been at- tracted by the light of the camp-fire, and in a very short time it would be too late to warn the lovers. Reckless Rupert lost no time. 4 se forward, he reached the = in a few great bounds. The young man heard him com- ing, and such was the rapidity of his actions that by the time Rupert had gained the side of the lit- tle fire he found the rifle of the other bearing upon his broast. “What would you?” sternly demanded Silver Rifle, who had immediately re as his rival at the shooting- picious of his presence there. “Hush !” eried Rupert, ** you are surrounded by Indians. Listen, and you will hear their Gavel to each other among the trees. A few cognized the o ch, and was sus- er upon } a his, pressed him the harder, endeavoring to push him wiholly under water and keep him there until he drowned, : y d “‘ Now we must get out of this as speedily as possible. I donot doubt yourknowledge of wood- eraft, but as I have scouted in this part of the country before I know something of our where- abouts; so if you a objections I will as- sume the position of guide.” oT accog your proposition with thanks, an@ believe you mean W Before we move ‘let me ask you one question, strange though it may Pp to you. Are you aware of the presence of onel ey and his men anywhere in the vicinity?” \ “I have not m or heard a thing of the col- one! since that day of the shooting-match,” re- plied Reckless Rupert, wondering at the strange- ness of the question put to him. On that day, he had been so wrapped up in watching Dolly, that the words of the colonel to the effect that she was his daughter, and Silver Rifle one between whom and himself there existed ~ a bitter feud, bad been lost upon him, so that he could not conjecture now what under the ae the peers i fellow feared Ce ionel for, or even wis out of his 4 * You will swear this?” Pe pape | arr ce. I must apologize at a more fitting time ther | for the suspicions onientetnal 0! ‘ neerning here. Lead on, sir. Co Beqour band” mrs Ome, Dall gre Reckless Ru now found hi i position. pe himself in a strange Here was the girl whom he fairl eS. and either her lover or husband, Be Know ack * which, but at any rate the man who stood between re i ° * mn 4 ' Shem ; he saw the young girl place her hand to ie 3! ooter as if to cheer more minutes and any warning would have been the head of the prairi too late.”
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3 iv THE MARKED MOCCASIN. him and that which his soul longed to possess. Naturally, he should have hated Silver Rifle bitterly; but to his sur prise, he found that he entertained a feeling of respect and friendship for the young sharp-shooter. These two he was trying to lead to a place of safety, while the signals of the Blackfeet were ringing through the forest. Reckless Ru was a man well-versed in — lore, and yet he was not the very best one all the world to take friends out of such a trap, for as a general thing, his methods were of too desperate a nature. ery often it is just such means that succeed the best; but under circumstances like the pres- ent, the better and safer plan would have been a more cautiousone. From his heart he meant all for the best, and if his plans did fail, it was not because he failed to do his very utmost. As they walked at along, it became evident to even the eon herself that the In- dians were growing as thick as bees around a basswdod in full blossom, for their signals sounded almost from “anc | quarter. They had seen the fire extinguished, and ase: that those who had built it must be aware of their presence, did not hesitate to signal each other in an open manner. - # prepared for the worst,” whispered Ru- pert, “‘for the pesky critters are as thick as Skeeters in aswamp. Once we are discovered, and all hope of escape is well-nigh gone; but we ean die like brave men, defending the young lady here. Hist!” Close beside them there was a rustliug of the bushes, and at the words of the young eager himself and friends sank down to the ground. Another instant and there was a sharp, ringing ery that echoed through the forest, and then the figure of a painted Indian bounded from the bushes. It was still light enough for them tosee | him, and like a flash ‘weapon. * Of course the Blackfoot went plunging into the bushes, a dead man, for the p: sharpshooter never missed his aim; but before they could run tfdozen paces, it seemed as if every tree gave up an Indian brave, and the two yo unters found themselves in the midst of a howling mass of painted devils, against whom they could make 0 more impression than on a solid CHAPTER IX. HILT TO HILT, Panpr Exis and Blue Bill certainly had their hands full. There had been fully a dozen of the in the ix —at least that many ag ey naeoeen into the ravine. revolver ©) te pa Bong diminished their mumbers by several, and w redskins had rnal Nevertheless there were still enough of the In- dians left to give them some trouble; but neither of them could complain, as they had both been complaining of inertia only/a short time before, and Lore the opportunity was given them to let their wolf-blood have a show. The Indians must have realized that they had .~ fallen — some desperate characters, for they fought liketigers. Pandy was in his element. These redskins had — ee crates but they gave him a splendid oppo: ity ve ‘vent to his fury, and.he improved upon it ina ; that was simply marvelous. his useless revolver, Pandy drew, his At about the same instant a tall at him with the bound of a panther, d that he had caught a Tartar, for one er’s hands instantly encircled his terrible blade sought his heart. from him pm would a stick old the of the wild border, to the midst e yellow foes. The his knife could be seen in the moonlight, soon in hot work. fought like a Hercules, and there was not who could stand up before him. Like a rag- he tore thro the ranks of the Black- (o ceeeninen carees k on them again. i ry, while Blue Bill was not idle. pagan eek teseng ta the seston, Oonting Wows Nae into the m g blows “~ j i. Blue Bill, when aroused, was a r ipeson whirlwind, and between the two th P fair to clean out the whole crowd. Tndeod, feeey Eg Fy 5s ¢ E . . i i Hi #&5 Ps ae arte i ‘ ¢ ‘ low Bob, for he the silence. His fall from above, although in itself, had still been enough to set the floor to vibrating, and it was evident there wasa cavity below, and that the timbers that held the floor were unusually far gone. “Sculps an’ sassengers! hyar we air, beloved, an’ ‘twar a sweet scene ter gaze upon. Thy booti- *| ful phiz, Black Donald, air enough ter make a man satisfied wid life; ye hev called me, an’ ’m hyar. Now, what would ye? I kin see ther fight in yer black eyes. How well you’d like to slice off my ears, so that yer own would stop itchin’. Here’s yer chance, then. Lollypops an’ lobsters! Yaller Bob, will ye act as referee in this jewel ?” “ With pleasure,” responded the polite counter- feiter, for this was just what pleased him. “Then, Black Donald, draw yer weapon. We'll hey it out right hyar, chaw me up fur an alli r if we won’t, now,” sa’ which, Roaring h drew his long Bowie from where it had stuck w in the floor, deposited his rifle in a corner, a then once more faced the earless man. _ . Black Donald was not one-tenth so eager for a ras as appearances had made him seem a few utes before. In his heart he feared the old ranger like grim death, as was evidenced by the fact of his keeping clear of him these years had since his ears were made to pay the penalty of his radee although, danten this - time, he had continually boasted of the terrible revenge he intended to take when fortune should bring face to face with the old ranger again. Now, however, the alternative was forced upon him to either rg or show himself a coward, and besides, he had reason enough to hate this man, so there was nothing left for but to plungein. Here the old r stood, knifeinhand,and ready forthe fray. Yellow Bob, for some reason of his own, eg ee Fat sf for the ent, and resting upon the table, d that he would act as umpire, and decide in fayor of the one who came out first best, Black Donald drew his knife. The action was not near so flerce as one would naturally expect, after hearing his vows of ven ance upon the man who now tacod him. Still his : knife came out of its sheath, and after thatthere _ was no retreat for him. { He had no reason to fear, forall his lifehehad been noted as a swordsman, and could handlethe Bowie with the best of them. Unless, then, his alarm. had detracted from his usual skill, he might expect to come out of the fight, victor. There was one thing that made him uneasy. _ He knew the “yee of the old ranger, and ~— that when once he was aroused, he was apt to prove a perfect hurricane, whose equal could searce be found upon the border. If bi —— at hee left to him he would never have fou ut the ce of Yell : Bob made it & case of necessity nowel ae i it iaide, often — us to Ss } om and prudence would never { so Black Donald found it. roa : “Bullets an’ bayonets! hyar’s at ye, ole hoss, an’ ef yer come outen ther wid nose left ter ye, then it won't be ther fault o this 3 Ralph Rockwood, you bet. { eritter, Roaring Whoop!” } 5 to do m onald could defend Bt Sl tae So Pp no es cause fi this black-featured man, beyond his us toward the class of desperadoes to other belonged, but he knew that Donald life, and would not hesitate to puta his back should the ocassion occur; so was determined to give the fellow another and make it interesting for Yellow Bob, upon the table near the middle of the room, ly delighted with the stirring scene, Black Donald was no novice. He had seen some wield his blade quite well; but then he was Teal. ty ana the - in agility, and t comm: coun a @ tna 10 snor every Ait, ania e two men, ing devoted themselves to the game in hand, P "3 ings Ralph did not n ee ud! '
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° THE MARKED MOCCASIN. 3 at times he was getting the worst of the fight, and retreat before the furious onslaught of Don- ald, who, completely deceived, would plunge recklessly forward in anticipation of a speedy vietory, flushed with the thought that he was bearing the other back, until suddenly the old ranger would assume the offensive again, and rain such a shower of blows upon the earless man that it was all he could do to ward them off. Roaring Ralph was magnanimous. Several times he could have dealt a blow that would have told upon the contest, but he re- | yawning gulf shot table, Yellow Bob, the earless man, and our Roaring Ralph, down—to what? CHAPTER XI. THE DEATH LODGE. VaIN was the struggle of Reckless Rupert and the young prairie sharpshooter, for it seemed as though there was an Indian for every tree in the forest; and what could two men do against such @ host? They fought like heroes, long and well, and if east upon the whites when this fact was ascer- tained. It would not be well for them to retal*+ ate. Besides the dead, there were fully a dozen of the Blackteet who possessed wounds of some sort, more or less severe, which went to show the good use our two friends had made of their time and weapons. The young girl was treated well.; Evidently Howling Wolf had. seen her before, for his black eyes lighted up as they fell upon her lovely face, and he gave some orders in his own tongue which Reckless Rupert construed to Tse Marked Mocoasin.— Wolf Trailer bounded to his feet, and, knife in hand, would have finished his dastardly work, but that the chief covered him with a rifle and sternly bade him keep his’ distance. frained from doingso. Perhaps this was partl due to diplomacy, for he did not think much of Yellow Bob’s honesty and sterling qualities, and felt sure the scoundrel would just as soon send a bullet through his (Roaring Ralph’s) head, in ease he saw the fight going against Donald, as he would wink should a fly alight on his nose. While he fought, the old ranger became imbued with an idea. He noted the dilapidated condi- _ tion of the table upon which the self-appointed a umpire sat, and concluded that it would be an easy thing to bring him into the affair. The floor during this time was shaking violent- ly with the efforts of the two men, and threaten- ing to give way with every movement. Roaring Ralph, suddenly assuming the offen- _ sive, drove the other rapidly backward toward ‘the table. Meanwhile the umpire was indulging iu personalities. “Good for you, Donald; chase him. There, look out! A fine blow,old buckskin. Tables are turned now. Go it, Roaring Ralph. Whoopee! why do ye run, buzzard? Thar, he’s after ye like hhot cakes. Oh, this is what I call fun; it’s just glorious sport for the boy in the fable, but death to the frogs, which—hi there, have a care or— heavens, lookout, or-———” eame Black Donald against the table, which went over like ashot, the earless man fol- lowing; and such was Roaring Ralph's moment- um that he could not stop himself, and so accom- panied them. " This was too much. The rotten floor gave way, and through the y | they did not cover the ground with their slain ge Mer Soy and ae pea of old, they at east made quite a good impression u veral times ess Rupert saw a chance, which, by taking advantage: of, he might have gotten clear, but somehow he could not bring himself to do this. The ie ng did not occur to him then as after- ward, that by remaining free he could have done his friends more good than as a fellow All he looked at was his desire to be nea and share the fate of her he loved so yet so hopelessly. So long as there was a chance of resistance, the hunter would not submit; but when he saw Silver Rifle held fast inthe arms of several stal- wart braves, he knew that it was useless to strug- gle longer. Forcing his way to the chief of the party, whom he knew very well, he suddenly threw his gun at the redskin’s feet, and raised his hands in token of submission. _Having thus placed himself under the protection of the chief, it would have been as much as any warrior’s life was worth to have made even an effort to slay him. ** Howling Wolf, I give in. Your braves are like the leaves of the forest, and it is useless trying to stand out against them. I am your prisoner.” The chief muttered a few words, immedi- ately all signs of hostility ceased, though two men held each of the huntets after disarming them. An inspection of the fleld showed that three braves had met their fate, and dark looks were tive. lolly, madly and ca r be commands as to the good treatment of the white squaw. This pleased the ranger, and yet cag der yap in his heart he the truth, and a dim suspicion that this courtesy on the of Howl- ing Wolf foreboded evil to the whole of them in the future. : The Indians camped in the ravine until morn- ing, and then after making something of a meal, the march for the village was commenced, During the night Rupert had determined upon his plan of aetion, and this entailed his accompa- nying the Indians, for he had resolved to remain with them so long as they held the young gin in their power. Reckless Rupert was capabla,of it powers. either for or bad, although his life up to this time had never given oecasion for them to be brought to the surface. Now, however, he had firmly resolved that if by the sacrifice of his own life he could heip the girl whom he loved, there would be no hesitation on his part. The Indians wondered at the cheerfulness with which he walked along. If Silver Rifle or the young girl suspected the truth they gave no sign of it. Several times Rupert caught the eyes of the fastened upon him, and he flushed at the thoestt that he detected in them something more than mere sympathy; but the idea of her feeling any interest in him when her lover walked at her side was absurd, and the young ranger chided oor wedge allowing it toremain in his brain an
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ll 10 THE MARKED MOCCASIN. ‘The tramp was a dreary one, for the Blackfeet | emergency as any other man who devoted his had no horses. In the middle of the afternoon, however, the were joined by a party of half a dozen braves wit horses, This was part of the band with whom the unknown hunter fought. Five of the braves were desperately wounded, and the sixth was taking them home, while the rest of the band continued their hunt. 5 Up to the last aceount, however, it may be said Ithat the mysterious hunter had not yet been cap- tured or slain, A t This meeting wes fortunate in one respect—it gave Dolly a horse to ride, for at a command from the chief, an able warrior leaped from his seat and took his place among the other braves, while the young girl was helped upon the back of the steed, although she needed but little assist- ance. When night came they were so near the Black- foot villiage, that it was decided not to delay but ress ht forward, as the men could stand , and Dolly was now mounted. So the march was resumed after a halt of a few minutes to eat’a morsel and quaff the clear water of a brooklet. The scenery was perfectly grand when the moon arose and eee through interstices in the trees; it seem like a glim around them the soil was fertile, and the trees grew to an immense height, so that it had no re- semblance to the groves of serubby trees gener- ally found in the northwest. ‘owling Wolf took great pleasure in telling the captives they were now hear home, though he did not say what their fate was to be. It was easy to see from the gleam of his eyes what he had foal oe for —_ Rupert and the young i@ sharpshooter. Strange to say, neither of them appeared to be affected in the least. ‘Rupert was conscious of his own power to escape when the occasion arose for such a move, and had, as we already know, fully decided to meet the fate of his friends if he could not rescue them. As for Silver BR fle, he knew a trick that would very likely save his life, even ee he had been the means of helping several of the Blackfeet warriors from off this mortal coil. two hours high when ; eir ears the distant but Og: This sound seemed to ‘please the Indians ex- ceedingly, for they talked among themselves, breaking their moody silence. In less than ten minutes the chief gave utter- ance toa long, loud vee of intona- tion, that echoed y th the stilly rough It was answered by loud cries from the , and then there ensued a perfect de- mo’ of howls from both sides, and ly the were reached, @ captives were marched to a central square, where the two men were on exhibition, but Howling Wolf imm y gave Dolly into the k of an antiquated squaw, with whom she hed into a neighboring lodge, sending one ce at the two whites that made the Jeap madly through the veins of Reekless An exclamation aroused him. his throat like a er, but a sudden and well- ' directed kick from Rupert him out upon the ground. He bounded to his feet, and, knife in hand, bade him kee Trailer obeyed, but there was a terrible flash in his black eyes that told Rupert the time for a set- would come some day. The exhibition was now concluded, and the two . re renee 8 oat Sanee 20a was the Death Lodge. CHAPTER XII. THE PANTHER’S LAIR. THees are certainly times in life when the hu- that a vent rae oe)". Mag of fairyland ; | agreeab! time and wind After his severe tus#le with the Indian in the water, it was annoying, to use no stronger term, to find another enemy above his head when ho reached the top of the bank. The first thought that flashed through his mind was that he had better drop back into the stream; but perhaps it was just as well he did not attempt this, for there were rocks below him, as he had climbed the bank ina different place from his descent, anda fall upon them would have been anything but pleasant. The indistinct form of his enemy stooped over him as ifto wield either the tomahawk or scalp- ing-knife, and Blue Bill prepared for a tremen- dous spring in order to grasp the throat of his dimly seen foe, when suddenly there fell upon his ears a voice. *““Jehosophat! Blue Bill, I kim near takin’ yer h’ar thet time, an’ a bootful sculp ‘twould hev been to hang on my lodge pole. Come up, ole hoss, in a jiffy now.” His expected foe was old Pandy Ellis. Blue Bill could not but give a sigh of relief, for a fight with a brawny, Blackfoot warrior under the ee would not have been very e. Old Pandy assisted him to gain a sooting and then a hurried survey of the late battle-fie' id was taken, which revealed the fact that with one or two exceptions their foes had been annihlated. Both men had suffered in a degree from several wounds, but none of them were serious, and they had reason for congratulation. The victory had been an amazing one, for they had been out- numbered at least five to one, and that they had come out of the conflict ahead was only due to the fact of their being powerful fighters. There was now nothing left:for them to do but leave the sangu ravine with all possible speed, which they did, both of them securing some little relic to remind them of the fight, which had certainly been one of the finest in which either of them had ever en, * Those who had escaped Pandy’s terrible knife, and fled, would bea 53 the news to the Blackfoot village, and they might expect to find half a hun- dred warriors on their trail before twenty-four hours had elapsed. ; Accordingly they left the ravine and began to follow the course oe the river, intending to secrete themselves somewhere until morning came, when they would seek the trail of the Marked Moccasin and follow thro forest and stream, over prai- rie ae monn’ until their prey was run to eart They heard“no further signs of the red men, though several of them were groaning when the two friends left the ravine. After proceeding for several hundred yards old Pandy came to a halt and motioned Blue Bill to do the same. What he had seen or heard the lat- ter knew not, but he had implicit faith in Pandy, sank to the ground without the least hesita- ion. The moon forced an in, through the branches of the trees"Jand illumined different patches of of tne moss-covered ground. A human figure was stealing along not over thirty from them, and when he came into one of these moonlit places they both caught their breath and remained transfixed. Once before that night had they seen that spec- ter figure, and both men felt themselves shaking as they gazed upoe it. ges: who had knelt upon the grave of his , felt it the worst, but neither of them could stir an inch until the image had vanished from the spot. Then Pandy arose. “We hey seen ‘t agin, Billy, twice in one night. I wonder wot it does mean. Thar must a-been a deal of treachery in ther matter 0’ Billy’s death if he can’t lie easy in his grave; agin I renew m vow ter foller that critter ter the end o’ ther wor! but what I'll find him—ye hyar me, Billy?” “That I do, old man; and in me yon will have a comrade in your trail. I never felt as queer as I do now, for this is the first time I’ve ever looked upon a man that was dead and buried.” “Tt air a quar circumstance, but do ’ee know it kinder gives me heart? Thar war my pard as phn “5 Sage it did my ole eyes good ter see «been if he war a disemboweled_spirit, as sez.” They continued their tramp, and in a short time ved at a place where they concluded to re- main until daybreak. There was no chance of their being pursued by time, so that unless some one pigre rey their presence wo to expressing his surprise and keen eye would trace an opening under some vines. The trunk of the tree was hollow. As they came along the trail in the evening, the two men had noticed this place, and even peeped into the hollow portion, saying something in re- gard to what a nice place it would make to rest, never dreaming, however, that they would be forced to return to it before the night was over. Blue Bill stepped up to the tree in advance of Pandy, and parting the vines, vanished from view in the interior of the giant. As he did so, the ears of Pandy Ellis were sa- rei with a low growl that seemed to electrify m. “ Look out, Billy; thar’s a painter inside,” he cried, with sudden emphasis. © : Blue Bill had by this time found it out for him- self. No sooner he step inside the tree than he became conscious of the fact that a of ae x eyes were fixed upon him, and m ically he pulled back the hammer ot his rifle without asecond’s delay, at the sametime rais the weapon a trifle so as to bring it on a line ue flery orbs, as near as he could judge hy jute tion. When that growl] saluted ‘his ears, he under- stood immediately that he had invaded the den of that forest monarch, the panther, who had chanced to be out when they called before. , Blue Bill was now in anything but an enviable position. He could not retreat because the | ory) : er would not give him time, and knowing any instant the beast might spring, he dared not take a step backward. To fire wasrunning much risk, for there was not one chance in twenty of his reaching the crea- ture’s brain, and if he fuiled to do so he knew the consequence, It would never do to remain idle, however, and he realized this in a flash. The roar of his gun sounded immediately after, and just as soon as the weapbn was discharged he Sapeed “a n his hands and knees, letting the gun at the same time. His hand was at his belt and on his bowie in& trice, and as the blade came from its sheath, he heard a scrambling close by him as the struck, Blue Bill turned, knife in -hand, to re- ceive him, nor was the attack delayed a second, Man and beast went over on the ground, some- times one underneath, sometimes the other. the time both were at work, Blue Bill pl his terrible blade into the side of the the panther chewing the hat of the cow Bill had, very fortunately for himself, elutched the throat of the panther with his left hand, and such was the power of his arm that he succeeded in keeping the brute’s teeth away from his throat, though by some chance the panther managed to aA of his hat, which was demolished pretty Ww Old Pandy, outside the tree, was in a fever of suspense this while, for though he had full ee in Nee —- his ee knew Ww was to os with a wounded panther, for he would rather have been shut up in a room with three men, all of whom sought life. He stood there with his rifle held in readiness to receive the —, should it make its ap; ance, and yet fearing to see it, as he knew full well what this would portend. f The sounds that came to his ears from the in- terior of the tree were conflicting, but he could distinguish the worrying growl of the panther, the pr gd aa of blows, and the scrambling ot es. But for the fact that his keen ear could trace pain in the panther’s notes, he would have felt even more worried than he was. Gradually the noise became less violent, and he knew that with what result he could not even guess. At length complete silence fell upon the interior of the tree. Pandy’s worst fears were for all at once it struck him that both of the com-— batants had been killed. eontest was drawing to a close, It would not have been the first time such a . in the far rubbed ou ized more out. was rubbed e Therefore his hand shook a trifle pepo Bill, a8 a > tae
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: __ “ Tomahawks an’ _ though _ The bait was tempting. THE MASKED MOCCASIN. HH : moving object was stretched out more like the | panther than a human being. j Pandy covered. it with his rifie, and once this was done there was no hope for the panther, | should it prove to be such. “Speak out, or by ther leapin’ catamount I'll splinter yer thighbone. Ef it air ye, Blue Bill, en Heaven be praised ; if ther painter, then ye hed better hey skipped yer den this night, fur eae die!” “Hold hard, old comrade; Blue Bill it is, and right side up with care. Here, help me haul the eritter into the moonlight; there’s something queer about the animal, I don’t know what, ex- actly. Tar and featherme, Pandy Ellis, getdown ou your knees and look here !” CHAPTER XIII. BOARING RALPH'S MATINEE, TP excitexwent was what Roaring Ralph want- ed, he certainly had enough of it. Few men would have wished to pass through Sueh scenes more than once, and yetit was well known that the old ranger gloried in them. Yellow Bob had sat upon the table, evidently taking an infinite amount of delight in seeing his enemy 6n; dd with some one else, for he could me Ee the affair without being in hg danger him- which was the best part of it all. When, however, the catastrophe occurred, the outlaw did not find his position as enviable as he could have wished. shock must have been tremendous, for the three men, together with the rickety table, went ing to the floor, and unable to stand the after all that had previously occurred this gave yer and allowed the whole caboodle to go ugh. Very naturally, Roaring Ralph was the last to through the gaping hole in the fioor. This could be accounted for by two reasons, the first of which was that he had been in the rear, as the motive power of the whole catas- trophe, and also the last to fall. : henagain;as he went down, his hand caught upon the edge of the broken flooring, and, al- this gave way almost immediately, still it his progress a trifle. astra Roaring ph had a dim idea of seeing Jights and human forms as he shot through space, and then ‘es struck upon the ground. Again fortune favored him, for Yellow Bob - ehaneed to be directly beneath him, and thus be- -eame-the recipient of almost the whole collision. As for Black Donald, he was so unlucky as to fall upon his back, with the table covering all his form but feet and head. He had not lost his Senses from the shock, as was evidenced by the fact that he remained in this recumbent position the exciting little scene that ensued. Roaring Ralph sprang to his feet like an acro- bat, and threw a quick, astonished gaze around him. The sight he saw was enough to make a| b took of surprise come upon his face. _ He had fallen into the money-makers’ den. Around him were half a dozen brawny men who been e in some occupation before ur of the , together with the table u the floor. They had sprung erect, and Were gazing “upon the strange sight in dis- up leaped humor had left him now; in fact, it ough the heavy fall, with the roug to it, had completely demoralized feeling y; he was in a of oaths he turned i to te cool ra e upon his men, rep 's ig Ralph, and to lays hands on him first I Sent a thousand dollars in good gold.” we A eet x there was not one of the men but who had some knowledge of the old Colorado range either through hearsay or je . : personally, but it did - mot seem to amount year ter live! Back. ¥ ‘. : hey'came to a pause at } shouts, but it was one, and the next instant, by the words of their mad leader, upon the ranger. At” aan ee defy the lefy at Vicious thrusts were made for his heart, but the weapons only wounded some of the hands that wielded them, or else clashed together in unison. Before the men could recover, the erack of the ranger’s revolver sounded, and one of them went plunging into a heap of unfinished bank-notes at must have represented about half a million dollars. Then Roaring Ralph uttered his shrill war-ery, with which he was accustomed to strike terror to the hearts of his foes, and descended upon the body of money-makers like a hawk falls upon a flock of doves, though the comparison in this ease would hardly bear a close investigation, as the money-makers did not seem so yery much like gentle pigeons. They seattered at his onslaught as a drove of pigs would when a dog suddenly makes a plunge among them. Thus the ranger was enabled to reach the ladder that led to the mores floor. There was a trap above, which was probably open to the touch. As Roaring Ralph hung upon the ladder the men seemed to recover their senses, and sprang at him like so many erazy wolves. He kicked right and left, and sent a couple of bullets down that found lodging in the arms of as many men, but the gang had been fully aroused, and nothing short of annihilation could have kept the counterfeiters quiet now. Had they succeeded in dragging Roaring Ralph back into the cellar, and given him a chance to draw his formidable Bowie, I doubt if a single member of the border league would have come out of that death hole alive; for when the Colo- rado ranger became fully aroused, he was equal to a dozen common men, ace more Roaring Ralph sprang up the lad- er. This time he reached the trap, when one of the money-mukers leaping high, caught his foot, and held on with a tenacity yore of a better cause. There was only one way out of it for the ranger. With the strength of a giant, he pulled himself up, and as the fellow held on with a grip tenacious as death itself, he very naturally came up with the prairie man. en Roaring Ralph gained the floor, he coolly sat down, and once more drawing his revolver, aimed at the head of the incumbrance. “Bar’s claws an’ buffler hoofs! now, critter, uniess ye wanter hey daylight bored through ye, jestdrop!” The man was either too stubborn to obey, or else relied on his comrades for help, for he did not obey thecommand. As the revolver sound- ed, he uttered a shriek and fell back into the eel- lar, care one of Bi Ao ea which the rough ranger had purposely shot away, as though de- termined to mark all of the Be a something ts a manner as he had done Black Donald years ore. He was on his feet in an instant and ready for usiness. F One.of the desperadoes had managed in some way to gain a hold on the edge of the broken floor- ing, and, when Roaring Ralph arose to his feet, this worthy was already half way up. The old ranger sprang at him like a whirlwind. As he saw the threatened danger, the man at- tempted to pull himself all the way up, and such was his fear of the result, that he ly man- aged to do so. About this time something struck him. Whether it was the old ranger’s moccasined foot, clinched hand, or the butt of his rifle, he | dream, never knew, but at any rate he went whirling down to the cellar of the old cabin as ifa thunder- bolt had struck him ; and ever afterward, this man held it as his private opinion that the rough Colo- rado ranger was in some way conn: ith the Old Nick, and that to tackle one was to invite a conflict with the other. . u Ralph lost no time, Sp to the o m trap, he seized hold of the ladder, and cn oxen, ae : strength, threw both it and the man who was cending, over in a confused hea: the corner where it ha was about to voices outBide. At first remained all this w unbar the door, when he ar to dash out and he realized that poe Then, slapping down the trap, he arose to his. feet, laughed heartil and seizing his rifle from rie cool as any cucumber that ever grew in the dhade of a cornstalk. ‘ CHAPTER XIV. SINGING SWAN. Nerruer Reckless Rupert nor the prairie sharp-shooter had ever been cooped up in a Blackfoot Death Lodge before, but they knew ; what it meant, all the same. ¢ There was no hope for them, in the opinion of the Indians, who had already condemned them to death. Strange to say, however, the two men seemed in no wise concerned. They appeared as cheerful as if no danger hovered over them. . This can be easily accounted for. With Rupert it did not lie in his constitution to be despondent. At all times he wasready for the deadliest danger, into whizh he usually plunged with such an utter disre; for life, that he had become noted as a reckless man, who cared but little what aecident befell him so that some ex- citement fell to his share. , Then again he felt sure that he could escape if it came to the final moment, for he had ‘a way of slipping the tightest bonds, and concealed about his person was a weapon that would probably do him good service under such circumstances. As to the other, Silver Rifle was also sure of ob- taining his freedom, for he intended giving the redskins an exhibition of his rifle shooting that would cause them to look upon him as a magi. cian, and as a result he would be invited to re= main in the village and become one of them. Thus the night passed away. What little the two prisoners had to say was upon any other topie than Dolly, for instinctively they both seemed to avoid that. orning cama at last. A breakfast was brought to them upon platters 6f bark, consisting of venison and succotash, to which they didjustice, as may readily be believed. While they were eating, Silver Rifle looked up and found himself the cynosure of a pair of bi eyes, the owner of which had enteted the lodge er the guard had withdrawn, but so silently that neither of them had been aware of her pres- ‘ “ ence until the prairie sharpshooter thus accident- _ ally discovered. it. eir visitor was an Indian maiden, and it wag plain to be seen that she was the daughter of 2 - chief from her dress. She was very pretty, and her form one that, for contour, Venus might have envied. As her garments were gayly decorated with wampum, and colored beads and quills, as were also her leggins and tiny moccas) presented quite a beautiful picture. R Her black hair was long, reaching almost to the: ground, and was plaited more after the fashion of the Sioux than Blackfeet, while upon her head a diadem of precious stones, fastened upon yel- on} Es , she. te . low buckskin, gave her the regal air ofa princess. As Silver Rifle saw her fon so fixedlyat him, a thought —— into mind that was al- sa most an inspiration. =~ ee? This antetored child of the forest taken it. into her head to fall in loye with him. He could see it in her every action, and from her bright eyes. Might _— oe some assistance, _ then, in carrying ou' plans? To his surprise the Indian girl spo ,and in — such | English as to amaze L and Reckless Rupert, who now looked up. : “Silver Ritle has come to the . town, oons ‘ Swan saw himin a rast oa Bs would come someday. She young «J. , re < ater hada poh Dab the ‘tog ta
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f 12 ‘THE MARKED MOCCASIN. guess, and it was sae 4 when he had climbed up to a crack in the log-wall and looked out that he saw what it meant. The bonds of the prisoners had been cut when they were thrust into the Death Lodge so that Rupert did not have much trouble in scrambling up to the small hole through which the daylight was coming. : At first it seemed as though the young prairie sharpshooter was about to be made to run the gauntlet, for from all quarters the Blackfeet were gathered into aerowd. ’ Among some of the chiefs stood Silver Rifle, and in his hands was his favorite weapon. It was evident that were about to witness some specimens of his ° Whether this came from their previous knowl- of the prairie hooter, or through the citation of the red princess, could not be told, but there is nothing that will excite more interest among the redmen than skill in some branch of @ warrior’s duty, such as riding, shooting with gun or bow, or else knife and tomahawk throw- ing, unless it is tricks of legerdemain, which al- Ways amaze the heathen. m the performance was about to begin. Silver ie went through the old tricks of down a hawk,splittng a bullet by shoot- ing at a knife thrust into a tree, strikmg a penny thrown up into the air. Then came more diffi- cult work. Dolly made her ap; ce, and placed a small urd upon her head, as on a previous occasion. kless Rupert shut his eyes and gritted his teeth until he heard the report, and then saw that wee girl was unharmed. Indians were wonder-struck at the marks- of the young sharpshooter, but even more wonderful things were to come. Silver Rifle was shooting now with a greater object in view than he had ever had before, for the prize was life or death. ‘ CHAPTER XY. THE WHITE WIZARD. A GourD was now placed upon a short stick, fifty away. The Indians could not under- Stand what was about to be done with this, and, therefore, kept their eyes wide open. Silver Rifle spoke a few words to a chief near him, and then ed the man his rifle, with the to invite a g dis: Silver Rifle suddenly sprang foi and Ww himself upon the ground, as if about toturn a . He not go all the way over, however, remained with his feet in mid-air, where his hands should have been. Then, after balancing shortly, he stood upon his head, with his arms free. B according to instructions, the chief now the beautiful rifle in his hands, and, to amazement of all the beholders, the young prairie sharp-shooter proceeded to aim the wea- pon while thus standing upon his head. was something so in the sight that even Reckless Ru out through the crack in the prison , held his breath in wonder. y on Bay Be : F cs i 2 E & r E fit i ft _| Reckless Rupert, . probably he hoped earrled Dolly had disappeared again, and as Reckless Rupert saw Silver Rifle walking permpoealy about, side by side with Singing Swan, he uttere: something very like an oath, and leaped down from his post of observation, Silver Rifle was treacherous in his nature, so the young hunter coneluded. Not content with the love of such a peerless creature as Dolly, whose affection beamed from her very eyes, he must needs take advantage of the wight * city of this forest princess, and for some object de- paod her into believing that he was free to love er. “ He’s a mean, cowardly skunk, and I ae the man who would do sucha thing. Whar’s honor? To think of that dear girl being dropped, even for such a cats he the red princess. It makes my blood fairly a “* Perhaps he has an idea of getting usall away, and is pla his cards to that end, but I don’t care, it’s € same; for the time being he’s de- luding one gal, and ‘playing traitor to the other.” Reckless Rupert was himself in no enviable po- sition. The Blackfeet had good cause to hate him like poison, and there was no chance of his gain- ing his freedom in ore like the manner the 0 prairie s shooter ne, Still, Rlosthose Rupert did not feel in the least alarmed. His hands were free, and he was ofa knife, the existence ot which was entirely un- known to hisenemies, If it came to the worst, he could make quite an impression upon the Indians with this weapon. In the meantime, he was not the man to be idle. sec Togs hours of his ee | he had been struck with the idea that one would have thought should have come to him in the start; and when he realized that as a free man he would be of more value to the young girl than as a captive, his resolution was taken to effect his escape that — gh the livelong day he heard sounds from without that.seemed to tell him continually that the combined vengeance of the whole tribe was destined to fall upon his head. The Indian squaws were lamenting their dead. He could hear their weird crooning, to; er with the oceasional wild chants, and it could not be Lo ig to elevate his spirits very much, es- pecially when the fuct was clearly understood that he was the object of their furious bursts of Night fell at last. The hours passed slowly to Rupert, who had ; | fully determined that when midnight had arrived he would attempt to tunnel out of the strong Gradually the noise became less powerful, and at length, ju from the position of the moon as seen through the chink in the wall, he under- stood that the eventful time for him to begin wark had arrived. Throwing himself upon the hard, pounded ground, he was about to begin operations, when ear di & peculiar, noise. In- stantly he was on his feet, and all ntion. In a few minutes he was able to decide that it came from the room, and a short time later he made up his mind that the noise emanated from a keen knife in the hands of a powerful man. Some one was cutting a in to him. Doubtless it was Silver Rifle, who had com- menced his work. eff the esca e could also be off, and the end for w he worked be achieved. Satisfied with this idea, he waited ntly. After a Fe. he could see the bright sky through the hole, which idly under the keen there was no rapii knife of the anion: Stal enough to admit from al ig gs At length the hole was large ofthe passage of a human body. Then the mid- night worker bent his head and peered in. The moonlight fell upon the face. It was a painted one—the face of his sworn foe, the Blackfoot brave who sought his life with the pertinacity of a flend from Hades—Wolf Trailer. * CHAPTER XVI. ROARING RALPH IN A TRAP, poe. passed, but he awaited Ww! tie fest ace had been to shut down the Exclamations arose on all sides when they saw the gaping hole in the floor, and the tho might have entered some of their minds lightning had struck the house, but for the fact ee man’s head making its appearanee through e trap. It se Yellow Bob himself, a Hearing the well-known voices of some of his men above, the leader had thought it safe to ascend the ladder and see what had become Sore sutty bie Scion made their appearance, resen (ce) es le and ex bieedicns were in order, The amaze- Rockwood, was intense. Where had the reckless ranger go! This was an pr aera, Gigi and one that required some reflection before . Ye fect that he had most certainly barred the door after ea and yet the new-comers nad eee it open to their touch upon their ar- Vv: This was Roaring Ralph’s scheme, you know, and it bade fair to Pca miata 4 ‘Among the new-comers there chanced to be a doubting Thomas, however, who always suspeet- ed that some one was trying to outwit him. His pina a@ very one it was, even though t occasionally got him into trouble—was te put himself in the other person’s place, and see w he would be likely to do under the cireumstances. The keen eyes of this man were not long in fall- ing upon the ladder that led to the upper floor, and immediately he began to speculate. Once before the xangeshed sought refuge in the loft, why not a second time? Roaring ph could see very well what was coming, and knéw that as soon as the 's pee eame above the floor, he would be teow e! The man became more cautious in his move- ments, but finally first the yer a then his appeared in sight. Seeing nothing at first, he came bolder, and raised himself another Just then he saw the crouching form of Per, with the rifle bearing directly BeiFe b AH E z ; Pe ll PRee derstand it at all. leap out from the long rifle that was him, and thought the bullet must have heurt, when in Dag n was quite a different mark at which The Scns nan created tobe @ iiaaill and darkness came u the scene. 4 : from the excited crowd, who rade must have been shot Then weapons were e rotten floor of the loft itt ia ai ; i Re i and now must suffer the consequence. After some vain attempts to reach him, the counterfellers gave up the endeavor. The ranger heard him hard at work as if remo their machinery, and wondered what under sun they were ut. fof hx cabil a edy che roof of the n, and u looking Ww it was still as dark as - By and by, he knew that nearly all of the men had left the house. Were they about to allow him a@ chance to come forth? ‘larly. ‘Those men did not entertain such humane toward him; they would have taken much more delight {n s6eing him torn to pieces by wolmasy Or bansem Ah! what was that? ek uae 20) with a Sp 5 Rr and it did not
Page 13
It was indeed true. The money-makers had contemplated a re- /moval to another home base for some time, and ‘the action had been forced upon them now by the _demolition of their cabin at the hands of the ran- ‘ger. It was decided, however, that he should never be allowed to boast of his exploit. They had him cooped up in the loft, and there he should remain until his fate overtook him. Immediate steps were taken toward removal, and with such a force of men to work as was on hand, it did not take long to clear the cabin of all they wished to save. Then dry grass and leaves were thrown into the lower room, and after his men had formed a ey circle around the house, Yellow Bob concluded that the time had come for the com- pletion of his plans. A match was struck. Ley" this being applied to the pile of tinder, a tj t flame flashed immediately into existence, and the doom of the cabin was sealed. “Good-bye, old thunderbolt of the Colorado canyon!” shouted the money chief, as he sprang from the door of the cabin and rejoined his men, Old Ralph had been listening to the move ae cf the men below for some time, but for 8. doing. Thoughts of his mission to the northwest | flashed through his mind, and he wondered if he would find Silver Rifle in time to warn him that his enemy, the. colonel, was, witha com- pany of picked soldiers, searching for him, though ostensibly their mission was to scout eget the Blackfeet, and see if they were ready to make a treaty with the whites. From this fit of abstraction the old ranger was aroused by the noise of his enemy, Yellow Bob. ‘The meaning of the outlaw’s words was not yet plain to him, though he was on the eve of a dis- covery. Then it was, as before stated, that his olfactory ‘organs caught the pungent odor of burning fe of him he could notguess what they were | “tHE MARKED: MOCCASIN. but when daylight came he had more weighty matters upon’ his mind, and the affair was for- gotten, Gathering several armsful of leaves, the two men nea them inside the hollow tree, and then crawled in themselves. They were but human, and needed rest as well as the next man. Their work of the day had wearied them considerably, and as their sleep had been twice disturbed, it was but natural that they should feel tired out, especially when the fact is taken into considera- tion that they had fought and defeated a band of Blackfeet, greatly outnumbering them. Their couches were soft, and the gentle god of slumber, Morpheus, anxious to be wooed; so that before many minutes had sed by, both of the rangers had sunk into a refreshing sleep. There they lay with hands resting upon the ever faithful rifles, and yet sleeping as softly as two children; for althougn both of these men had gone through many startling adventures during their life in the woods and on the pruirie, not a single deed had they done to cast a blot upon their names,and when a man’s conscience is white, his slumber must of necessity be sound unless ill health has a strong hold upon him. _ How long they slept they never knew, at least for quite a time to come. Blue Bill chanced to be lying nearest the open- ing, and.when he opened his eyes it was with the dim consciousness that something cold had touched him. It might have been a dream, where he was ; again in imagination fighting hand to hand with | the strange panther, omeould it be that the mate | of the defunct brute was about entering the tree? The thought was enough to send a eold shiver through his frame. He opened his eyes again, for the first time he had seen nothing. The moon was still shining, but must have gained the western sky, for the rays did not enter the cavity, though from where he lay he could sée without by aslight turn of his leaves, and the whole truth flashed in upon him. |"head The situation was anything but pleasant to any Tan. gp Rey oh, after venting his feelings dn a tirade against the “tarnal critters,” closed the hole above the ladder, and then faced the ter- rible dilemma. j | OHAPTER XVII. A PAIR OF GLEAMING EYES. Buve Brix had not been sericusly injured in this conflict with the panther, and when he ut- tered those strong words, after pulling the de- funet animal out into the moonlight, old Pandy quickly sought his side. The dashing ranger had never been in a more desperate situation than that from which he had just emerged, but the kind will of Providence seemed to watch over him, and he had come out without a seratch excepting where in one place ‘the teeth of the creature had torn the skin from his arm, and this he looked upon in the light of nothing. What there was strange about the animal, old Pandy failed to see at first, but upon Bill’s point- amazement, the panther had a leather collar on. “That was a hty big help to me, I can tell the animal’s head away thar war some- ther in capt I've t * soak peta mysclt at taies, m al es, be relied ou, yet I’ve known a herous by far. Pandy was talking, Blue Bill had removed n of the defunct panther, easily done, as it was only buckle, , _moonlight, and vainly en- Ez \ ot deen enough, or else the © job was finally given up for no red would it the neck of his been in the forest some little The sight that met his gaze was enough to freeze the blood in the veins of any man but the most daring. Outlined against the heavens was the head of an Indian. He could see the face, — hair, and feathers that arose above the ebon ocks. The eyes of the red man glowed like sparks of phosphorescent light, and it was evident that he was glaring around the corey. for signs of those whose presence he suspe A As has been remarked before, the moonlight did not penetrate the tree, so that it was not as much illumined at this hour as when Blue Bill = crawled in to meet the strange panther in his ir. “na doubt Sor oe such keen \ § eS as _ kin was sup: possess, co’ netrate the semi-darkness with some effect, and it would be but natural to suppose that he had ere this detected the two forms of the recumbentrangers, owe they might have been but dimly seen by It had been the hand of the Indian groping about inside the cavity upon his first arrival, that had aroused Blue Bill How the Blackfoot had found them he was ut- terly at a loss to say. Perhaps it had been mere chance in his coming there. Then, again, there was a probability that he had heard the fight with the panther, watched their retirement into the hollow tree, and after waiting a reasonable time for them to give way to slumber, crept up, either to murder them in 2 al or to verify his belief before starting ‘or help. There was also a third '. The Indians who had Sane ee bowies in the ravine might have found assistance in ashort time, and returned to the scene of their disaster. | his Wat air | M ‘ost persons would think it im ible to trail in the night, when the trees ov vented the ‘moon’s rays from reaching the fifty places where it did accomplish once, Blue Bill was too old a cam in to 18 —_——__—_—— i 2 ' the cold hand moving up his body towards his throat. / It was evidently the intention of the warrior to throttle him. In order to accomplish this, he was obliged to bend forward, so that his head was close to that of the ranger, who could even feel his hot breath upon his cheek. To Blue Bill it made very little difference whether there was one Indian or fifty against whom he had to contend. He saw that but one course lay open to him, and did not hesitate about following it out, never caring what might follow. ; Even as the Indian would-be assassin bent for- ward to accomplish his work, a hand that had a grip like that of a vise, suddenly clutehed him by the throat, and with an alarming abruptness the redskin was jerked into the hollow tree. —— CHAPTER XVIIL IN THE TREE TOPS. THERE never lived on the face of this whole broad earth, a more daring man than Blue Bill. He was always foremost in the fight, reckless as to consequences, and brave to a fault. Where innocence was to be protected he would face ascore of desperadoes without flinching, and there was not a livmg man who could point to his past life with a clearer conscience than Blue Bill. When he pulled that redskin into the hollow tree, he not the remotest idea but what there were twenty of his comrades just without, waiting for their turn to investigate; but it made — such a small difference to him, that even had he — positive on this point he never would have esi fs : The redskin was no slouch in the line of strength, and though the sudden assault of the r discountenanced him, it was only for the time being. His good sense told him that he was in dead-. ly danger, and he was on the alert to save him- self from whatever fate was badger Aa him, | Blue Bil had drawn, his knife, but he did not ~ have an immediate chance to use it, for he had drawn the Indian toward him with more force than he had intended, so that he actually fell upon him. j By this time the Indian had become alarmed as — to his situation, and was beginning to struggle like a panther, despite the terrible grip upon Exerting his muscular foree, Blue Bill turned ~ the redskin over, and at it they went hammer and tongs. Old Pandy leaped to his feet likea flash at the first sign of trouble, and, as he could not tell whether le) © was wht: ss man, beast or devil, he contented with ; holding his rifle in Taneinpes and watchingforan | o \ My lance was soon rewarded. } pease at the opening, wnniistebaey 4 ndian. Pandy hesit afewsec- . onds whether to punch the fellow with the barrel f his or give him the contents, deciding to do the it was not easy to Teach over the 2 two struggling forms. tee thei of the rifle sounded there was a howl from without and the head vanished. A terrific floundering could be heard as the unfor- ed about among the bushes, tunate brave gs ie had 3 t Pandy was not to ] ‘ pot his revolver and waited for another tai The affair now mel a. : as er, as a made 7 2. > to find suchatough | » for it wasseldom he met match. — The fellow must have arms of for he Spite of all he cou do, the , not subdue him, both of them were f All at once, however, the fi a that no effort of his had been so h Blackf: to write or read th jot tas f upon it OF reali that a st ‘or ~ erce grip of the hea- then relaxed. Bill heard a half groan, Se Stoctive tama veupthe ghost, have the death of the brave on his p Pe eh Blue Bill was glad in his heart that ee for
Page 14
THE MARKED MOCCASIN. As the Indians seemed to be in considerable force, it was quickly decided that their best aes i they were, as both o} fighting they wished for on one night at least. As the inside of the tree was rough, it was easy work for them to make their way up beyond the opening, Pandy sli his rifle across his back, and Blue Bill carry: his in some mysterious manner. The Indians, emboldened by the silence that had fallen upon their foes, crept nearer to the i ahowers of missles into the cavity, to demolish the two daring rangers who they reached the proper point. What it was Blue Bill had not the eat iden but wing more con- idea as to there ery ht breeze blowing on his face. y his was gained. As his hand fell upon the edge of the opening, Sng eee d that the triumph of his plan or else its utter failure was close at hand. He poked his head cut. The moon had gone behind a cloud, and dark- ness had come upon the earth for the time being. It could not have been better. He lost no time in crawling out, and allowed Biue Bill to take his They found themselves upon a stout limb which seemed to run into an adjoining tree. Out cool upon this the r imm y himself, and the shouts of the Indians below ened ng Dy enprtebapns od have made. this manner both ofthe bold scouts managed to reach the shelter of the adjoining tree, and without any loss of time started for the next one the same success had attended their this time to dis- did not ee up ue roteedtlr . i i ow giant of the forest, and was | | AGAIN THAT GHOST. 4NDY spoke the truth when he declared that to burn them out, sup- were still in the hollow tres. brushwood all about the hole in ra 5 their foes 8 aE : 3¢ QR Ss iit i il i : be i i 7 There lay the log jast as on the previous even- ing when they sat of ven, ce and the marked trail. Suddenly old Pandy gave vent to a quick ejac- ulation, and er to his knees. Something upon the groun: caught his eye, and by the way he scanned it, there could be no doubt but what the old man thought it of some import- ance. “Great snakes! Blue Bill, looky hyar; I leave it ter yer ter say wat the. means,” he cried. Blue Bill threw himself town beside the old ranger, and as his eyes fell upon that which had drawn Pandy’s attention, he too gave vent to the surprise that seized upon him. “Ternal buffalo hoofs, if it ain’t the trail of the marked moccasin !” he cried. It did not take these two trailers long to find out the truth so far as the presence of the man oa hunted was concerned, e had been lying behind the great log when they sat down upon it, and had without doubt heard all of their conversation. This must have been pleasant news for the hunted man. The trail was now plain as daylight, and they lost no time in starting off upon it, If the man could escape two such veterans as these he ought pe allowed his life. rasa th © morning was passing away, an ey “— up the death-trail. ‘owards noon they lost it among some rocks, but with the pertinacity of hounds sought for traces of the marked moccasin here and there. It took them several hours to find it, but final- ly they came tu the river, and Blue Bill discovered © trail of the marked moccasin leading up from the water. Ina clump of bushes there was a canoe hidden away, which the man who made the trail had un- dou y used, though they could not see ex- actly what connection it:had with their game, or why he did not use it further to give them the slip. Pine water was still upon;the paddle, which went to prove that they were close upon the trail of the man who had wielded it. Away they weut like wolves upon the track of the deer, es in readiness for use, and both eyes and ears on the alert for si of the foe. Soon they entered the forest , intent upon following the trail of the marked moccasin. The afternoon was half over now, and unless they speedily overtook; the murderer, he would be given a ce to get away in the ness, 6 trees ry to throw long shadows, that in places looked like gaunt specter figures upon the sound. Now and then ky squirrels gather- ng nuts, bounded away from their path, or some larger animal broke cover to hide again in the depths of the forest. grew shadows. They were now getting closer to the fugitive, fi of the marked moccasin warm. ay Ae eyes ae hie tention’ thet in all prowelili- of They glided on like two scanake ayniene. Indeed, co that grew continually ive, he coud have been they were specter-hunt- ers. In this way they came in sight of a dense co) where the saplings grew thickly. they this than both men sank to the ground, as if struck by a common impulse. A human form was moving in advance of them, thicket. Their game was run down. had one knee on the ground, end the in ess. Whatever emotion he a ~ of having the mur- did not show look u oy We faces aid that be read the yeteran a8 a EE g 4 al gf 9 & i BE ; course he right angles, and about twenty-five went butt was spite of —a a! a ok P % Hi ee : shoulder, i ere and talked of their oath | lift in the shape of a wolf or fox | had encircle ‘his form, realized the xe men nr SS Wa in, the ranger’s arm was never more steady in his 8. Had the fateful moment come at last that was to witness the retributive act of justice u the assassin of poor, murdered Bolly Wherrit It seemed as though this must be the case. Pandy’s finger trembled upon the , and the next moment the sharp report would have been heard that announced the death of the man hammer of Pandy’s rifle, so that even had it fallen the weapon would not have been dis- ms tin the tarnal creation do ye mean, Blue Bill?” growled the amazed Pandy. “ Hush! you would never have forgiven your- self that shot. Look again, old hoss, and you'll see, not the man we’re arter, the maker the Marked Moccasin trail, but that self-same ghost of Bolly Wherrit, that can’t rest easy in its grave!” CHAPTER XX. BATTLE IN THE STRONG LODGE. REcELEsS RuPeRT could not repress anexcla- mation of mingled amazement and consternation when, upon looking up through the hole‘in the roof, his eyes fell upon the painted face of the ae whose hatred for him was so strong—Wolf iler, When he heard the scratching and rasping of a knife, the young ranger had believed that some friend was working for his liberty, and all alo: he had taken no little interest in the progress the unknown, which made the shock when itrame. all the more severe. = was ba pa ee vee ot meg um for any length o: e, however, an realizing what a tremendous depth of heed must be to influence the red warrior into paying this night visit, he determined to let him come, The — ranger was how W unarmed. It will be remembered that Reckless Rupert had a knife concealed about his person. True enough, in point of size, this weapon was far inferior to the terriblesixteen-inch bowie he was accustomed to handling, but in a desperate hand-lo-hand en- counter it could be made very effective. As he crouched there and upon ut admire the terrible hatred that would cause a man to descend to such means in order to ac- eomplish his nefarious object. It was well understood that while Silver Rifle redeemed himself his acts of white man would eseape terrible signed to him, or because he had an insane ing to be the one who shobld thrust the monster upon him, can never be known; at any rate, he labored faithfully to get atthe prise oner. He chose this unique way for several reasons. First of all, there were guards on the front sida of the death lodge, who would, in all ns frustrate his plans if he Pirro eg 3m se ig be = ‘FV aS
Page 15
= THE MARKED MOCCASIN. ‘armed with keen weapons, while it seemed per- feectly proper for him to believe that the white man was defenseless except so far as his arms went, and he was willing to risk them. Darkness surrounded them, save for the faint show of moonlight that managed to find an ingress thro a hole in the roof, but as they were locked in each other’s embrace, there was no need of any light on the subject. Reckless Rupert was a man of extraordinary strength, though it was only upon certain des- perate oceasions that he showed this, as it seemed to him that it was taking an unfair adyantage ofa common enemy. In this case, however, it was quite different. Whe redskin was a powerful man, and he had come to murder his pale-face foe, for, looking at it inthe oe ted light, it was nothing more than mur- der for Wolf Trailer to creep into the strong lodge and assault a man whom he felt sure was unarmed. The Indian had himself mistaken the strength of his opponent, for though bitter enemies, they had never, up to this tfine, been pitted against each other in a hand-to-hand encounter. Wolf Trailer was not long in discovering that he had made a terrible mistake, both in regard to the strength of the white man and also his being unarmed. : The fact of his being held as if in the jaws of a vise informed him as to the first, while the pain- ful wound inflicted by the hunter’s knife made him aware of the second clause. By this time it began to dimly enter the mind of the redskin that he had overstep the bounds of prudence in thus venturing into the strong cathe to kill a defenseless prisoner, and that the sooner he got himself out the better it would be for his health. Just there, however, the difficulty arose. The Indian was positive. The white man was equally determined. One exerted every fiber of his being to break away, while the*other maintained his savage grip, and prevented him from budging. *, this time Wolf Trailer was seriously alarm- ed for his mone hone forgetting all bravery and dignity, would have cried out, only that this was rendered impossible by the fact that Rupert’s left ‘hand clutched his throat, and try as he would, ~ not the faintest articulation could he make, Then the idea seemed to strike him that he was ready to pay the white man back in his own coin, as he ed two stout arms, and in one of his hands was clenched a knife. The thought, had it not been so tardy, might ’ have developed some chance for the unfortunate redskin, but the time for that had already gone with him. Somehow or other the choking off of his wind supply seemed to disable him about as _ badly as a dose of posion would have done, for pon éndeavgring to raise his hands, he discover- Ap odape ef ‘ort Legh too -aesnectte aes e of numb horror possession of the doomed Blackfoot, when he realized the awful redicament in which his rashness had placed - him. Havingconducted his expedition insecrecy, he could hope for no succor from friends, an : oe submit to the inevitable, and meet Nor Was it long in comin, _ There was a sudden vushing blow, a deep thud, the blade and of the white Hereules had cleft the te Indian's black heart in twain. - ‘ a.) Wort er broke loose from the clasp that held ai him, and involuntarily gave vent to a sobbing shriek, that rang out with startling dtstinct- _ ness on the t air, after which he fell to the _ beaten earth floor of the cabin, dead. _ Immediately yoices were heard outside, the guttural tones of Indians, beyond doubt, and even as the white hunter clambered like an ape up the side of the strong cabin, the door below swung open, be vs Moe ea CHAPTER XXI. , > - A . Arrer leaving him for such a length ot time because eveuts still more important claimed our we must now return to the mysterious was left in such a desperate situation. ; quickly discovered one of the # into which the huge rock was divided was oP hid ing sist hes noe the. tinct a r 2 - not the bt. Of course it could only be tem , for » gunning Indians would even ver then was to look out for the, good fortune} n ‘d | seat. As has been said before, the passa; the split in the rock was wide enou man to enter; and when men had been posted at both ends to prevent the escape of the paleface who had given them so much trouble, one of the Blackfeet urged his steed into the crevice, and with eyes on the alert pushed forward, followed closely by a second and a third sav: warrior. As they rode along, the tips of ‘their feathers were just visible from the top of the rock. The mysterious hunter watched them closely from his place of espionage. Presently an idea that had been forming in his mind took shape, and he lost no time in putting it into action. Raising his head above the edge of the rock, he saw one of the Blackfeet, who had been left to do the duty of sentry, seated on his mustang. Sud- denly, with the bound of a tiger, the hunter had leaped from the rock —landing upon the mustang ust in front of the Indian. ‘The animal, amazed at this sudden addition to his load, darted away like a meteor- a cireum- stance that suited the hunter exactly, and one which he felt called upon to assist by every means in his power, by thumping the animal’s sides, and striking him on the neck with his gun, using the — Fo it. y the time they had gone fifty. yards the aston- ished redskin had partly reovweced from the half stupor that seemed to come upon him when the hunter made his leap. This he evidenced by his actions. A pair of duskyarms glided around the form of the mysterious hunter, and,as these suddenly closed upon him, he found himself made the ob- ject of a peculier embrace which was about as dis- agreeable as it was strange. Such was the disadvantage under which the mysterious hunter labored, that even had he chosen to resist he would have been almost pow- erless in the hands of the redskin, because his back was toward the dusky aborigine. Strange to say, however, he made not the | attempt at self-defense in the way of s roa He knew something better, and lost but little time in proving this to the complete satisfaction of all parties concerned in the matter. bie risen! ote 3 advantageous position, for he uld fee m e pressing against the ch bart yore as he bent forward. ae at was necessary therefore was to pull back the hammer and let her drive. While they were being carried at full tilt across the open prairie b the alarmed mustang, he managed to ¢2t his han upon the trigger of the gun. There was a half-mufiled re} and then a ery » fe eeeiin on om ° 6 lips of the dusky er, 80 close e ears of the mysteri ey eould not but ih “apt yer @ sinewy arms relaxed their hold, and as the redskin was concerned, the white me dig had nothing more to fear; for when the report of the rifle sounded, the — still further alarmed gave another leap forward, which action resulted throwing the sorely wounded Indian from’ his formed by for a horse- It was easy to tell that he had gone wi turning to look, for the heavy thud w a ‘the ground was distinetly audible, and besides, the animal seemed to leap forward with renewed energy, A half-muffled yell from the rear proclaimed that all of this little tragedy had hon withéenett by the redskin’s comrades, and the hervy pound- ing of hoofs upon the prairie announced that they were in hot pursuit. For the hunter eared next to nothing. Although he had a decided faculty of outwit- ting the redskins, and seemed to take much pleasure in doing it, yet it was quite patent that the strange unknown had a reckless disregard for his life, which was shown in various ways. His actions, therefore, had been more the re- suit of babit than a deep and earnest desire to save himself from death, such as most men in his circumstances would have ced. The horse he was now mounted upon, although a long shot, animal when ers. By glancing over his shoulderas he rode along, he could see the shadowy forms of his enemies line, each t the mysterio us and one could lay above him. in time he would undoubtedly have lost them, had no aceident occurred. ? It was his pleasure, however, to get among the trees, nor was he very long in reaching the point he had been aiming for. Quickly turning his steed to the left, he plunged into the pose and was from that time lost to the sight of the Black- + feet, who might as well haye searched in a hay- stack for a needle,.as for the veteran hunter who had eluded them among the timber. Here we will leave the mysterious ranger, feel- ~ ing sure that this is not the last to be seen of him. CHAPTER XXII. BUBNED OUT. { Roane RaPu’s situation was anything but pleasant. He had entered the lodge of the money- makers, seereted himself in the loft, overheard ~ the conversation of Yellow Bob, the money chief, and Black Donald, had suddenly made his ap- pearance when the conversation had become warm concerning him, by dropping through an old trap in the middle of the floor; had engaged his old-time enemy, Donald, in mortal combat, and when the weak floor gave way, the three had been precipitated through the ragged opening among the counterfeiters below. : ; Then there had ensued quite a lively time, Roaring Ralph finally escaping to the room above, and m: to keep his enemies down. Hear- ing the sounds of another squad outside, he hast- - ened to the loft again, where he had been discov~ ered by one of the money-makers with a lamp, and come very near doing the same kind service for the man by a shot, Later on he had-made the discovery that the money-makers had removed their traps from the old cabin and surrounded it to prevent his escape. and then set fire toa heap of brush that bad ; been thrown into the lower story, which was just the place where last we saw the reckless old Colorado ranger. After closing the trap, upon discovering that the smoke coming up from below was caused by the malignity of his enemies, Roaring ve himself the ted space of a moment for us reflection. ; It was needless to deny that he was in a severo serape, and ev seemed to point to the fact that it might ibly have a fatal te: ion; } even the reckless r of the great Colorado — canyon was forced to admit that. a e had been in many a scrape, however, where, the odds seemed equally overw. and yet, ee ee minech bis long-logkentor Brey, | isly to elu is long-looked-for prey, — ene had turned up to save him from ou a fate. . ee He never knew from whence his reseue was to come—that was one of the mysteries of his life; but vat Ae ay the opportunity was sure to pre- sent itse Upon the present oceasion Roaring Ralph did not lose much time in useless tion. he He knew well enough that Heaven helps those — who help themselves, and that the sooner he be- gan prying around, the quicker he would find out the means of escape that would be offered to him. ny There was no sound from below that would indicate the presence of his foes, but he knew them too well to imagine that they would leave any Rs yaad for him to eseape'so long as they _ were able to know of it. * (ag >. Now and then the crackling of flames came to his ear, which sound informed him that the had seized upon the woodwork of the cabin, pes ina few more minutes would undoubtedly make their aj ce through the floor. + ae Before such a thing occurred it behooved him _ to stir his stumps and discover some means of _ yet outwitting his ferocious foes. S If there was only a bag Ayo ad tothe roof he ‘ahaa himself, but how was he to find out?, i cas a eo Even while he con aslim flame darted through an aperture in the floor, flashed upwa like an evil tongue and then vanished, Pog, Te- peated again, undou shortly. 3 By this means he w be enabled to see what f tH} ¢= the slender tongue of flame again made — ’ Ralph was ready, with his head an ate ees Pa . - on es- g for Shigh ty wee poe see Frc \ M: the fates seemed to have con- escape, — - ap, - ; romn bask, to note the condition of the roof, d intense satisfaction es-
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7 Cy ection had told him that it would be bet- ter for him to delay opening the trap until after the flame had once more appeared and died away, for fear the light shining through should eall the attention of the money-makers to the ——— frustrate his neat plan when near its 7D. He had not long to wait. Like aserpent’s tongue the wicked-looking lit- tle flame darted into view, flashed viciously for a dozen seconds, and withdrew slowly, as if loath to leave the spot. Now was his opportunity. Quickly was the trap raised. Darkness greeted him, as he had expected, for the moon was not yet up, and the fire had not broken from the inside of the lower story, —_ it would without doubt do so in a short 2. / Roaring Ralph listened. The night breeze blew, and he could hear the branches of the great trees eg | along the roof of the old cabin. Besides, he could in places trace dim outlines of their branches, though it was too dark and shaded to do even this well. ‘ There was no time to lose, With = agility of a pune » flames and money-makers between them were | PY: — fense, those of the rough ranger were peace- able. Roaring Ralph, by a quick movement of his hand, intereepted the hand of the other on its way to his belt, after a weapon of some sort. “Bar's claws and buffler hoofs—hold on, stranger! We’re friends, I reckon,” he whispered, hoarsely, and the man ceased his struggles. «How can I make sure of that?” he demanded. “Tr the fust place I reckon yonder fire war started fur my benefit, and the imps thar air jest making Rome howl, askin’ me ter come out an” let he ev a fair shot at my ole karkiss. Then agin name air a friendly un. Cartri an’? crawfish! I reckon ye’ve heard it often— in’ om ‘a Rockwood, the reckless ranger 0’ the Col- orado, ye bet.” A hand reached out and clasped his own in a firm grip. “Good enough. Maybe you don’t recognize my voice, Roaring Ralp , but I’m the fellow you took for a grizzly once upon a time away off in the direction of the Rockies. Ireckon you can bring it to mind now.” “Sawdust an’ sauerkratt, but will I ever that time! An’ so ye are the leetle detective cha) what kerried Rocky Mountain Dick, the - agent, off ter the east! Waal, I’m all-fired glad ter meet ye, an’ I kin understand wat ye’re arter widout any explanations. We'll leave them till we git more time. Just now it air plain ter be seen that unless we vamoose mighty soon, these parts *ll become a fur two chaps o’ yer size an’ mine. Look at ther critters a dan around that blazin’ cabin. Did ye ever see born lunatics?” The old ranger seemed dreadfully tickled over the antics of the money-makers, who were, in truth, dancing around the blazing eabin like so many Indians; but as no enemy came rush: out, they were beginning to look doubtful, as wondering whether there could be any way in which Roaring Ralph nad made his escape from what they had intended should be his funeral ' re. This warned the two friends that unless they wished to run further risks they had better be decamping at once, which they proceeded to do with as much s' as possible, When they had withdrawn quite a distance from the camp, they stopped for a short consul- | tation, and the detective, waiving his business for’ the a being; na a en ans ees eo é old ranger wherever he m go! Pat Ay mission in this hyar wilderness air ter find a lad called Silver Rifle, an’ warn him thet ther colonel air arter him wid troops; an’ blame ef I don’t find him ef ittakes allsummer, Thet’s me, Roarin’ Ralph, an’ don’t ye furgit it!’ CHAPTER XXIV. TRAILING BY NIGHT. “ Look again, old hoss, and you'll see, not the man we're arter, the maker of the Marked Moc- easin trail, but that self-same ghost of Bolly Wherrit, that can’t rest easy in its grave.” These words Blue Bill whis: hoarsely in the ear of old Pandy, in order to ex hand upon As they reached the ear of the old nerve seemed to forsake him, for eee 1 aleaf, and but for the hold Blue had upon his rifle, it would have undoubtedly fallen to ground. Sure enough, now that ealled to the fact, h dim figure that had bushes bore the unmistakable —- companion who had fought by side under the same blanket with him, sharing ger and happiness with him for the years. ee ei Gis oanece oem ee a noiseless, g! manner, to the right nor left, as if done with the ordinary this world, and even while the two men r vanished. ’ gave a long, deep fe wil the fone of ange. ‘+ ee oe ee 2i¥ re aan e @
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i . THE MARKED MOCCASIN. 17 his thoughts had taken another flight and were bent upon the man who had brought this great and wa gate loss upon him, the wretched mur- derer of his pard whom they had tracked so long ne thtally. and were sworn to follow # the Blue Bill watched him in silence, for he could realize just what emotions were in the heart of the old ranger. When Sam Wherrit fled to the regions of the far northwest he had an object in view. True, the murder of his brother had filled him with horror, but as they had never been together much there was very little affection between them, so that Sam’s emotion was more of fear oo consequences than sorrow at his drunken He knew how famous Bolly was, and that the man who killed him, no matter who he might be, would have a score of rangers on his trail, foremost among whom would be the most noted of all Indian fighters—Pandy Ellis. The very mention of that name would always excite a commotion among a crowd of border ruffians, some turning pale, while others grew red in the face and cursed, and it was little won- der that Sam Wherrit became dreadfully alarmed for his personal safety. fi He fied far away into the trackless wilderness, but there had followed on his heels, guided by that fatal Marked Moccasin, two trailers whom ee but death could keep from hunting him own. As has been already recorded, the wretched man had heard them talking while concealed be- hind the log, shivering in momentary fear lest they should turn and see him lying there; but it at not been so fated; and for that time he had escaped. . His main object, of course, in seeking these wilds was to hide himself from the eyes of his brother's friefids, and to do this he intended seek- ing the Blackfeet. me years previous Sam had been quite a noted Jeader among the red men, and was known far and wide as the White Chief. He had led the Blackfeet to victory many atime their enemies, the Crows, and even the Sioux, but had refused to war upon his own peo- 9 Pa agg had proved that there was some good an They would not let him return to the whites, so even t his will he had been obliged to og among them, only escaping at last by t These people would no doubt welcome him , and among them he sip age “va pep find my from danger. Hence, r escapin: the clutches of his enemies when he lay behj the log. he headed straight for the Indian village, and when Pandy Ellis and Blue Bill once more Saw the ghost of the old ranger’s departed pard, they were nota great distance from the Indian vil- kness had settled down over the land, and all chances of following the trail seemed about gone, but Pandy was equal to the emergency. - Drawing out a genuine bull’s-eye dark-lantern Such as burglars and the police use, he lighted it, and then away went the two men on the trail. They made good time, though, of course, so long ee kept on he would be likely to gain "Gime to an abrope hae decane soley ta an abru it, dec sole t he could smell an Indian town ahead. Hardly had he uttered these words when the bushes around them seemed fairly alive with the redskins who had lain in amb ~ : CHAPTER XXyV, \ SEPARATED. _ Sam WHeErarrt, the maker of the marked trail, had been in luck so far, for he had succeeded in who were upon his track, and be- _ gides, was near the Blackfoot town where h - rae re he ex- | him ning through the forest _ when he came unexpectedl large ban: _ of Indians, led by a pab-ohid Buffalo Bend. At first the Blackfeet had made demonstrations of hostility; indeed, there would have been very little chance for an ordinary ranger had he been in place ot the fugitive. . knew very well what to do, however, and with his hands made several gestures, that were understood by the In 2 they did not quite understand, and gtood rooted ix amazement. _ A fire that had before been half smothered and ee, che wdeneouth anartae ergro e time reached them—had been upon - | hurling the but as the force that had necessity "He ha‘l not the tho attack belng made, so that | was « prisons rhea ON hep was no difficulty in the parties seeing each other. When finally the Indians recognized their for- mer leader in many a hard-fought battle, they greeted him with the greatest enthusiasm, and for the first time since that fatal duel, Sam Wherritt felt as though he was safe. He did not know the men who were on his trail even then, or he would not have considered him- self saie with an army around him. When the Indians heard that Blue Bill, and the famous border trapper,‘old Pandy Ellis, were upon the trail of their whito chief, they said but little, though their actions were significant. The White Chief was sent forward to the village in charge of a guide, and then the redskins, steal- ing through the forest along Sam’s back trail for a score or two of yards, proceeded to lay in am- bush for the two rangers. They knew Pandy of old, and were quite con- fident that he would not give up a trail in which he was so intensely interested, simply because darkness happened to come on. In this supposition they were quite correct, as the reader has already seen. When the yelling demons sprang up on every side of them, and several fires of touchwood that had been held in readiness, were ignited, the scene was one of tremendous power. Both men were familiar with such, and saw nothing strange in it, but there was certainly a weirdness and power sued as none but a master hand could have transferred to canvas. Above the demoniae cries of the red men there now sounded the cracking of fire-arms as the two men used their rifles with fatal effect upon those of their foes who were nearest. Then the scene became a melee. Forty against two would be considered fearful odds at any time, and our friends, of course, had no thought of victory. All they wanted was to get away, and toward this end were all their en- deavors made. Although it was seldom the case that Pand Ellis did not carry a whirlwind of victory; wit him, yet there were times when circumstances were too much for him, and retreat advisable, unless he wished to commit suicide. Such, in fact, was the present. Knowing the utter folly of attempting to com- bat this horde of savage hes, at least, to a suc- cessful termination, he and Blue Bill had at once made up their minds to get out of it, though, od course, they would leave, their marks behind em. Both men fought, like warriors bold, and ac- complished wonders, though, of course, as usuul, Pandy’s hurricane style of business was more ef- fective as regarded the fruitful results than his companion’s methodical manner of fighting. The Indians could not stand u Saas him. Try as vers would, they melted before his club- bed rifle like snow before the summer sun, and there were many who learned more in a practi- cal way, about old Pandy Ellis, during the few minutes he was among them, than it had ever entered their minds to conceive before. There is nothing so apt as practical illustration. You may tell a man that it is unpleasant to take a dose of strychnine and he believes you, but can only realize how unpleasant the result is afterhe has had a hp Soma application. The Indians knew with whom they had to deal, and exerted themselves to the utmost to either eapture or kill the veteran trapper; but when they determined upon this course they were pur- suing a difficult matter. To tell the truth, the old ranger seemed to bear a charmed life, and so far as capturing him was concerned, du: his whole upon the -| border the ranger could only remember it one or 4 two times when he was in the power of his foes. Like a whirlwind, then, he rushed here and there, leaving a death track behind him, and be- } fighting fore the fight had been in p’ two minutes the redskins had given up all hope of capturing Blue Bill had not been quite so fortunate, for although he, too, had proved a giant in redskins this way and that, there came a time presentlyiwhen a spent bullet, glane- ing from & tree near by, struck him on the 5 ough he still retained his senses, the blow seemed to weaken and confuse him, so that be- fore he could recover himself, a portion of the red band had hurled themselves upon him, bearing him to the earth. He was soon in their power, and they quickly lashed his hands : ld Pandy was still about ‘like a lion, ame Bl Bill could now be spared to unite with the others him, the'time had come when he must of turn his back on the foe. atl comrade Had he known this, nothing could have in- Bo = ree to are the mo a . mn looking around, an ding the gallant heer missing, he took it for granted that Blue Bill, deemin dlise: retion the ‘better part of valor when fite odds were so great, had seized upon the opportunity to vamose the ranch. So old Pandy concluded that he could not do better than to leave the field to the redmen, though not in the least alarmed as to his safety. Giving a hoarse yell of defiance, the veteran ranger burst through his assailants as a giant would a of pigmies, and Jeaping into the | surrounding bushes, vanished from view. Lying there — the ground, with his hands sec! , and an Indian kneeling upon his breast, Blue Bill saw him depart, and understood ex~- actly the mistake under which he labored; but not a word would the brave fellow utter to bring - him back, for he realized how great the existing odds were t a single man, and knew that in all probability a better chance for rescue would be prevented. Thus the two comrades were separated; would - it please fate to again unite them? We shall see. CHAPTER XXVI, PINNED TO THE CABIN WALL. Ir had seemed as though the young white ranger, Reckless Rupert, was about to have his escape frustrated after all. ; Thefcaptors of Blue Bill, contrary to the custom _ of the Indians, had ‘entered the village Chg | with their prisoner, no doubt because they ; lost so many of their number that shame had seized upon them. A portion of the band having charge of Blue _— Bill made at once toward the prison lodge, una- © / ware of the fact that it had already an occupant, As they drew near they were amazed to hear the death-ery of Wolf-Trailer. At the same time several warriors, leaping erect, informed them that they had been statio: 5 there as guards. A rush was made immediately for the Death | Lodge, and to the amazement of all, the door was found secure. ‘ In their haste and excitement a slight hitch oe- curred, some pulling the door before the bar had been withdrawn, which, of course, rendered the task a doubly hard one. ‘ This caused a delay of perhaps a minute, and was the salvation of the white hunter; for had the door been thrown. open immediately he - would have been found clinging to the side of the eabin. en As it was he found time. to gain the opening, and clamber through. When the red-men finally opened the door and — ae ee — Bog — able eee — im- media’ the hole in the roof. What hained ~~ : of theslain — prisoner — that their attention, however, was the bod: Blackfoot brave, whose hatred for the ae acne hien to hipaestee event! ro f ; One of Pan t over and turned the dead brave upon his back, when he was they wero aroused by cries without, which told plain! 3 ; oughly citemert, the braves lost no time in rushing out, - half bellbving that the Pand had This they speedily found was an error on their ~ > i: thins a were not en; had Blue Bill © hand any desks to escape. It was speedily ascertained that the soi of had oe co be side of | lodge; indeed, a piteous sort of m told then: something P this sort even then, en with ~ wi ready the excited Blackfeet rushed aeday easand the prison lodge to find—what? - : Rupert had lost no time in clam! ’ Sere Seon) 10 cote teotoon a wurtanne open r he was ling from, tho further end ready to jump. ef wn he went like a rocket, struck earth, le because of his situa- staggered a littl - / 3 tion, and just as he recovered and was about to fh dart away, felta pair of naked his person. One of the Blackfeet had mistrusted thing was sary when the door of the h was foun’ en ne auiaagd So eae What. Seaton, ae. ped e When the ranger drop from the roof 5 contemplated and being bet me execution bad a» ) we: feet iif. velng - : due 2 1 y= * . ~~ arms glide around
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18 THE MARKED MOCCASIN. . though he had no idea who the prisoner could be who was thus outwitting the Blackfeet. then, was the cause of the arms being around the pe a praen he dropped. Reckless Rupert that a detention now of even a minute might prove fatal to his inter- and his action was quick as the lightning darts from the clouds, though the redskin’s arms encircled him, himself around so that he was face to face with his antagonist. The Indian was a muscular man, but his cules, eA yey 4 the redskin was pressed against the of the cabin. Then the Indian’s own long- bladed knife was torn from his belt. He seemed to realize his fate, and a nameless horror took eee ree Pv cme Nan If esiring to avert it. Theres was a sullen thud, a spasmodic quiver on the part of the Indjan as the steel through his heart, acry from his lips, an all was over. released his hold upon the In- then ing around, standing head fallen forward on his chest, and arms hang- ing listlessly at his sides. t was a terrible picture, and enough to make a cold chill through the frame. No sooner Reckless Rupert struck the fatal other side of the hedge, and it was equally certain that the coagy of two bere gre encounters e greater part of the village, so only hope would ve be in getting as - away from the spot with thespeed of his intention being to leave the place as possible; but this he found to be a than he had bargained for, as the In- dians were ap, in all directions, and in an- other minute would be discovered, his escape cut and the whole village at his heels. Rupert knew hardly what to do. at this 2 a human form erect in frontof him. It was the young empty ten minutes ago. A tall, lank confronted them, and as Reckless Rupert would have huried himself upon the red- till we compare notes.” sailing under false e e : : E te oi One of them had agreed to meet the colonel at this spot, which was known throughout the ne ny rn as Moose Head wage Se 6 soldiers went into camp. f a score of een ——. ° poetior. and the a while q preparations are in progress for evening meal, stood beside a tall, dead tree, look- ing earnestly towards the denser timber. far the troops had made their way undis- covered, and the red men had not the faintest idea in the world that such an enemy was ad- vancing into their country. As the colonel stood there, —— in deep meditation, a man dressed in buckskin approach- ed. That he did not belong to the cavalry was evident, for he made no military salute. **We are near our , colonel. In this tim- ber-stretch lies the Indian village. Thus far we have followed the Fone fellow’s trail, and now that we have found Out that they were 86 ee by the Blackfeet, our work will be easy. It may be, however, that we will arrive too late to save the boy, for if that was Reckless Rupert’s trail, as Iam ready to swear, then there must have been tall fighting done, for which the reward will be | death to the men.” **Heaven forbid!” ejaculated the colonel, in such evident alarm that the scout looked up at him in astonishment. *“T thought you hated this young Silver Rifle, colonel?” he said, half questioningly. “Hate him! No, you are mistaken, Rube. There is a question of dispute between him and me that forms a chasm which nothing can bridge over. Ifthat was spanned, then—but, pshaw ! it is nonsense to even think ofsuch a thing oceur- ring, for it can never be done. * For this cause hus my daughter left me, and it is Dolly whom I seek to save; Dolly who has drawn me hither; Dolly whom my father’s heart pants for_as does the thirsty deer after the water-brook. You mustex- cuse my emotions, Lasso Rube, but you know me well enough to make sure that the keenest bodily pain that could be inflicted upon me would never draw forth these tears.” For a few minutes there was silence between them. Lasso Rube would have turned and gone. avd that the colonel, with a motion, detained “ Bear with me a little while, my friend. The father has overcome the man, but it will speedily pass away. There, I feel better now,” rising erect and winking violently, ““and can face you onee more. What would you advise, Rube, in re- gard to our future movements, in case it turns out that these Blackfeet, who have captured those for whom we seek, turn out to be the braves of Big Buffalo?” “ This is a serious question, colonel, and it will | and then require considerable cunning to get around the matter. Big Buffalo is powerful, and any aggres- sive movement would, without doubt, involve the whole border in a war, the end of which no one could forsee. Still, you have your orders to de- molish the whole Indian town if you found any of his braves on the warpath, and I am sure we have had plenty of evidence of that in the plun- “rag homes and murdered settlers on the way they > it, like a whirlwind. Ha! there ose. Now we shall have news directly from the seat of war that is to be.” Sure enough, from out the dense forest there After a short discussion, it was decided to move on just as rapidly as it was ible to do, after the. men oa finished their suppers. There was war in the wind. CHAPTER XXYUL WOLF EYE NUMBER TWO. Bure Bru had been taken to the village by a roundabout way, for the Indians feared lest Pandy Ellis should pursue and suddenly precipi- tate upon them again, when there would be the mischief to pay. J It was comical to see how they huddled to- gether around that one prisoner and cast anxious oo into the surrounding forest as if fearful that dreadful ranger should burst out of his in among them. That was the way Pandy ‘generally made his name feared among his foes. Es Indian ae eames ee in view. in pposing t © old ranger waited un! hones, he would track them t to their village, and then create a first-class racket there. By being cunning, they thought all this might be avoided, and were willi Tapes in the time and trouble for the sake of the expected reward. So they went several miles out of their way, heading at right angles with the village, and fin- ally reaching a stream of water, which they in- tended should finish the business. They entered it, heading down stream, but — changed their course, moving upward with teh, place of concealment and plun For about an hour this was maintained, and then they left the creek, landing upon a fallen tree that lay y_ in the water. Blue Bill had been astonished at first at their movements, but it was not long before he — to comprehend them, and when he realized all this was done through fear of his old friend, Pandy Ellis, the dashing ranger almost forgot his peril, weane and all, in the merriment that seized upon ‘ It was simply ludicrous. The idea of over a score of men fearing one in this manner, and en- deavoring to escape him by every available means. Having taken this roundabout Mee passed ere the brave band came in sight This was all very well on their part, but un-} fortunately their calculations to deceive Pandy Ellis fell through, simply because he did not pre+ tend to follow them. the rendezvous that he had ited hours of the with Blue Bill, he waited there a reaso: time, d made the discovery that his was aprisoner; at least, he was forced to come to that conclusion. In order to make ae tet eee been killed, he went back to the late field, found his dark lantern> and searched carefully among the dead, but without finding the Object of his huut. He never ance tho of fo the trail of the warriors, for he w where Blackfoot town lay, and there was no reason for him to be- lieve that the Indians would take his friend any- uded glen his attire, besides coloring all exposed parts so as to resemble the brave as much as possible, shaving his hair smooth, and himself out with such admirable good that in half an hour he was a perfect fac simile of the dead : i t | ra Hi c Hi
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THE MARKED MOCCASIN. an Indian’s gait to a nicety and saluted ne shy taaer glee h owing Wo tween them + ‘Bye has come infrom the trail before as he bad news or good?” 6 carries both bad news and good. He came before the rest because he was left for _ dead upon the fleld. He met palefaces over the ridge, aS many again as we were, and it was only after hard fighting that we conquered. ‘My broth- ers oe ed them, and Wolf Eye was left among the dead. They will soon be here to speak for themselves. olf Eye is wounded and weak; will his brother help him to his lodge?” This was a cunning stroke of policy on the part of the old ranger. The brave readily consented, and though evidently burning with curiosity to hear the details of the fight, asked no more ques- tions, but conducted the bogus Wolf Eye to a lodge near at hand, after which he hastened away, eager to communicate all he knew to the rest, so that when the warriors arrived about midnight with their prisoner, they found a few of the leading chiefs and braves in the council lodge egmting them, although otherwise the village seemed locked in slumber. Old Pandy had learned that his disguise was a Temarkably good one, and alsothat he was to sail under the classic name of Wolf Eye, so long as \ he maintained his present disguise. He had a lodge all to himself, too, from which he might observe much that occurred, first mak- asiit in the rear in order to insure a road to rr in ease of necessity. -His meeting with Silver Rifle was intentional m his part, and discovering how the land lay, he closed himself to the prairie sharp-shooter, thom he had seen several times before this. . The ours man was very much encouraged to ink so well known a ranger as the veteran “r} Ellis was with him in his Work, which 43) now haye a much better chance of suc- - Between them they had taken Dolly from the where she was kept, and were devising eans for rescuing the gallant ranger who had so mueh for the two fugitives, when fort- 6 brought him directiy into their midst. + The fol . * Wolf the rest. CHAPTER XXIX. BLUE BILD IN DURANCE VILE. Brave Reekless Rupert was generaily consid- & rollicking fellow, full of wit and good but no sooner did he find himself in the 'y loved, Thought remain pert. eolor flashed into his cheek as she er-hand to him, and he could feel it his. were downcast, and something about manner—as seen by the light that reached the of the cabin through the slit that formed door—made the hunter’s heart throb wildly. she cared more for him than as a thought was Heaven itself, and yet it. left home and all that was dear to sake of Silver Rifle, and could such a to its idol? was either eee or else oing Dolly had heart-pain at the du- i unte; r ran, and his ip that he would not by word or the love of one who had already ‘iit i ts, for the Blackfeet were rush- without, intent on discover- tt /}reckon? Then the! and half a dozen outside as sentries, it seemed a rene task to think of Veg re et Blue Bill knew full well that Pandy would never forsake him. Before this he had been in equally perilous, sit- uations, and always came out first best; and as there was so much consolation in this thought, he could not see but that he might do it again. wid, tramped alongside an’ swore by these twenty years back, gone under. Heavy: ter Betsy, but it makes me feel queer; my flesh creeps ter think o’ it. No wonder ole Pandy air @ ragin’ like a wild bull. usage an’ sauer- kraut! tie me up in a blanket an’ throw me in- ter ther great Colorado canyon ef I kin realize thet ole Bolly Wherrit air planted under- Strange events indeed were clustering about the | ground Blackfoot village on this night, and enemies seemed closing in upon them from all directions. Through the dense forest, miles away, a long line of mounted men rode forward in silence like so man green but when an open space was thers rough which they were compelled to pass, the bright moonlight falling u revealed the cavalry uniform of United diers. On the other side three men weré looking upon the village of the Blackfeet from the shelter of the trees, and wondering what in creation had oceur- red to make the Indians resemble a nest of hor- nets rudely disturbed. It was the intention of old Pandy to get the three out of the place as quickly as possible, and then devote himself to the rescue of Blue Bill. By cera 7 several predatory excursions to neighboring lodges, he managed to secure weap- ons for all of them, s0 that in case of discovery they would be able to show their teeth. ‘ He had already marked out their line of retreat during his little scouts. Back of the lodge was a little ravine that led to the forest, and along this they could make their way, eventually bringing up, if discovery was avoided, at the place where they wished to be. uring this time the whole village was, of course, in a terrible uproar, and braves were m them tes sol- |} bounding in every direction, seeking for those baie escaped, for it had by this time been dis- covered that not only the white girl, but also the prairie sharp-shooter had disappeared, The Indians were furious. In the place of three aoe they had one, but this was péor consolation when they might just as easily as not have held the whole four, Our friends waited until the clamor had quieted down somewhat, and then determined to make an attempt to reach the forest. It was dangerous remaining in the lodge, for atany moment some warrior might intrude upon them, and then all would be lost. On the other hand, once the for- est was gained they would in a certain degree be safe, and could wait at the rendezvous appointed until old Pandy had made his attempt to his comrade in arms. The reason of the village seeming more quiet was because the Indians were assembled at the other end. A grand council was to be held in the great lodge, fires were being sprung into exist- ence in a dozen places, and all was bustle and fu- rore, which necessarily left the other end of the town quiet and almost deserted, just as nice an arrangement as our friends could have wished, Pandy was anxious to put into operation an ex- ceedingly daring plan he had just conceived, so they waited no longer, but under his guid- ance entered the ravine and skulked along. way to the forest, and at the edge of the Indian town, he from them, re lace of danger to carry out the bo life. CHAPTER XXX. THE MAN IN THE LOG, “ Bans’ claws an’ meee hcofs, but yer news reath awa, : arr nevold Solorsdo. ranger uttered these words he sank back upon @ log, as if in truth entirely ow Now break it gently ter me. “Tarnal snakes ’ snails t air ther wust piece o’ in ce Thev poten many a day. ity ole friend Bolly Wherrit dead—murdered! Thar’s more in them words nor I kin gét through my head ter onet, “ How war it, ? a sort o’ duel wid his brother, shot kinder in the air, an’ war laid out stiff an’ eold. He war forced inter it, war he? Waal, now, ye bet yer bottom dollar thet thar setae onst s ator a hmotber euss 0 : one How's thet? Ther air ag Ny his trail now, up in the nor’west hyar? ! Blue Bill air up hyar, an’ dear ne Pci Be agin’ reckon? | The DY ain't rae oO 1m takin’ a "sept the chances shou pee cig “rail 0° the Miter what done this foul ‘ “T seen Sam Wherrit at Brown’s Hole on my yy up here, an’ ef I hed only knowed then wat ther wouldn’t hev heen enough o’ him I do now, left ter to the Idest plan of forcing me if I ever lay | there ** Neither air he, ole hoss!” The words came from he knew not where. It might have been the air above, the earth be- neath, but of one thing old Ralph was quite itive about, and this was that his comrade not given utterance to them, as he had been watching him at the time. The old ranger sat there as if stupefied. It was surely the voice of Bolly Wherrit.that he heard, and coming upon the heels of the awful intelligence im by the little detective con- cerning the prairie duel, it aroused every grain of superstition in his nature. bo Bolly’s ghost speaking to him from the tom The moon was shining brightly, and lit up the little glade. He was quite positive that the voice eame from the surrounding forest. A cold chill be; to creep over his frame. : Hoaring Ralph feared neither man, beast nor devil, and had often proved his claim to the name of reckless bravery when others held back, but somehow the thought of being addressed by the ghost ofa aodatiee friend, who had lain molder- ing in the grave a month or two back, made him feel queer, and rooted him to his seat when his inclinations urged him to leap a “Traps an’ trails! Dust my Sunday breeches, did ye hear that woice, kimrade? I wonder ef it air a sign that I’m goin’ too, soon. Histe me into _ a Pache’s ve, but I'll swar that war the woice o’ Bolly Wherrit, Pandy’s ole pard, and ther man e say hez been under the sod this month er so. wsers an’ tomeats, but I’m a hull quandary mixed up!” **Yer a blamed fool, ole Ralph, ef ye want ter know it.” , Roaring Ralph this time sprang up as if imbued with a sudden shock from an electrie battery, and giving one great leap, turned and faced the — which he had been seated. he detective still stood motiouless, for he did not fully understand the matter, and there was nothing ghost-like about the proceedings to him. “Painters an’ powder-horns! rub me agin 4 hay-cutter ef he ‘t addressin’ me from ther grave. Bolly, ole chap, air that ye?” | “T reckon it are, old duffer,” came the muffled P= Miolanep ant Masiesbe | Wile ait “Mustangs an cans ye—an’ kin I do pitas + hey! ease yer sperit, departed kimrade?” asked the accommodating ranger. *T'm in this hyar blasted ole/log, an’ stuck fast; so I reckon ther best thing yo’ kin do fur thet sperit o’ ther departed Bolly Wherrit are ter le body out o’ hyar right lively, afore I split log a-larfin’ !” " Roatiog Ralph stood dumbfounded. ; : Amazement compelled him to lose the use 0 his limbs for the time beans but his eyes, at- tracted by a movement to the end of the log, could not help but see a pair of moceasined feet in @ mo- over, though it was pretty tough on the elbows Of thie mat in the! Pryor they rubbed the sides of the log, and threatened to inside for good. : Museular foree triumphed, however. It was not n that : d : i i c ine et Be : i ph BP tame a ea now,” “‘ take it easy, . r Pesky noe pickle" and s0 on. arom Finally came. » : exerted himself to the utmost, § used his muscles, the hunter had become stuck in the BE
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very easy to putin but deuced hard to pull out, \ his arms ill a double barb. Had it not been for the presence of our rollick- ing old friend, the imprisoned ranger could never have come out of that end of the log where he had entered, but would have been compelled to crawl along and eventuall rotten terminus with his e. ; . Upon being thus set at liberty the old rename stoo) over and took his rifle from the eavity that so en tg his prison, after which he , hb. It was the Samedi old ranger whose adven- tures with the mounted Blackfeet we have wit- nessed. “Dust my Sundy breeches!” roared the reck- less trapper, “ef it ain’t Pandy Ellis’ purd, Bolly Wherrit, in ther flesh!” CHAPTER XXXI. PANDY'S PARD. Scure enough, the man whom Ralph had pulled from the old log was none other than the famous pard of Pandy Ellis, the man whose supposed death by his brother Sam Wherrit had brought the veteran prince and his friend, Blue to this land of danger in pursuit of the sus murderer. It was almost universally believed by those who knew anything at all ut the matter that Bolly had been slain in the duel with his brother, = in reality he had only been stunned by the The stupendous pair of mistakes in this comedy of errors was iy due to chance, and the re- mainder left to the man who had carried the * seemingly dead Bolly Wherrit away. . x man secretly hated the ranger, but dared attempt no bodily to him ugh fear of his , Pandy Ellis. ® adopted a line of action, however, that was likely to ag bays satisfactory results and yet not him into danger, should it ever come to the of day. When Bolly came to his senses, he was solemn- ly assured by this pretended friend that his bul- let, although intended to be shot at random, had found the heart of his brother, who had died im- mediately, cursing him with his last breath. ze Sree bare ex tod, as SS stunn ° ir. . ren e again saw Be blared & eggs =! nm he and his brother together, of horror came over him as he what he had done. He faneied that the finger of scorn would now be eg at him, as the man who had murder- ed half-drunken brother in a duel, and in the end resolved to lose himself in the trackless wil- where no white man find him, where he pass supposed all along, Ralph talking hile he dak de into Ww upon og he had crawled for sleep come time pre- ous thrill thro: his whole trame he had been ived, and that supposed to have killed was in fleeing from the vengeance of Pandy So Oe that his old comrade was how often him fora tei i E f Hee a 4 i B i Bg 7 af- Bolly ly partner for several reasons. In the first place it was but natural that he should desire to see the ae forty years, the partner 0 e | man who had risked eut through the half | 1 Peaioly visti | of his deys in peace and repent- | the THE MARKED MOCCASIN. ed to let his er know that he was in the land of the living before it was too late. He had lost his horse, for the animal had re- ceived a wound during the flight after leaving the Indians at the large rock upon the prairie, and as it grew worse, the ranger at len, turned him oose He had little need of a horse in this country, anyhow, and especially when he had no a in view save to conceal himself in the wilder- ness. Being desirous, therefore, of accomplishing sev- eral things, the little party held a short consulta- tion, and it was then decided that they move on to the be ar 2 They therefore left the hollow log and moved forward, heading through the forest in the direc- tion whence the Blackfoot town lay, according to their F vai ent. ? Li id they suspect what thrilling events were taking place within the confines of that vil- lage of the wilderness, in which those they sought were prominent actors. As they were not far from the Indian town, it took them but a little time to draw near its con- fines. Even while they upon the many lodges, a band of specter-like figures glided past some little distance to the ehh: thowrh they could not distinguish them well enough to make sure wheth- er they were all Indians or not. Then began a most terrific row in the village. What had occurred they could not guess. Wheth- er the silent figures were foes and had been on the scalp trail, or some internal affair created the up- roar, Was & mystery. The first idea was soon dis of, for tke shouts all tended one way, and betokened rage and searching. Could old Pandy be mixed up this affair? This last thought occurred to Bolly first, but no sooner had he mentioned it to the others than they quickly coincided with him, for unless Pan- dy was somehow concerned in the affair, it could hardly have been created. They could see the braves rushing here and there, hither and thither, like a bees, the torehes some of them carried flash: for all the world like so many Jack-o’-lanterns in a southern swamp. Presently, however, the racket seemed to sub- side, and they saw several large fires spring into existence at the other end of the village, while toward that point all the warriors were hasten- t first they thought’some of the lodges must have been given to the flames, and as the breeze was brisk, ex to see a d sight, but it beeame evident after a little that this was a false "MRoaring Ralph epeedily ucssed the truth s 8 y gu e . The : had a prisoner of renown, of whom they were afraid, lest he should escape m. This fact, together with the other events that had so recently occurred among them (chief of which was the escape of Reckless Rupert after killing the two renowned warriors, and the os terious disappearance of himself and the o' two pale-faces, of which, however, the threemen in the bushes could only guess, as they knew nothing about it to a certainty), was deemed suf- ficient to be the cause of ing a gathering in the council-lodge, in order to have a grand pow- wow. It was Roaring Ralph who s that listen to what was and Bolly tly with him. A few minutes were enough for them to decide | a their little detective was to remain at the terminus of the village, CHAPTER XXXII. THE COUNCIL-LODGE,. THE council-lodge of the Blackfeet was a sin- affair, being nothing a attached to a deeply imbedded stake, the wind would have carried it over in a twinkling, Pandy Ellis saw this in an instent Se 3 a half circuit of the great tent, and ; briiiant thought entered his head, which tained for future use. Fi There was something of acrowd of squaws and boys gathered around the tent, into which eke toa’ lf-Eye, with a daring that had of 6 olf-Eye, with a at - ten distinguished him, hesitated only long enough to make sure that his revolvers were in reach, and his knife easy of access, when he followed the Indians inside. It was an astonis! ) The Blackfeet were fo: the tent, the chiefs inside an back, They had got the hang of the the center-pole, for a dozen stolen can blazing upon its tinsconces. It had been drawn up a dozen feet from the d the cord secured to the pole below, extra vio- lent gust of wind, the hoop would swing to aud fro, so that the effect upon the sea of dusky faces was strangely weird. Altogether it was one of the most singular spectacles upon which old Pandy Elis had ever Standing near the center of the comrade and fellow-avenger, Blue ger showed only defiance and disdain upon his nA hone the shies, aad yerenig Ghia mong chiefs, an r) ofa listener in the council, was a white and this Pandy felt sure must be the maker of the Marked Moccasin trail, the man he sought in order mostof - i to avenge the death of his old partner; however, — this was hardly the proper time for settling that feud; it would keep yet awhile, and in the mean- time all of his energies must be devoted towards rescuing Blue Bill from the red fiends. Tospeak honestly, this was task enough forany man, no matter what his reputation for cunning anit was inedegd both d thrilling spec-_ t was astrange an tacle that old Pandy coeds upon, buthe was not fool —— to attract attention Blue Bill was more than ordinarily keen, and had always boasted that he could tell Bandy Ellis,even © in the disguise of the devil. It did not take long for the cireus tent to fll up as & 80) r, sullen: ’ with the sa: ‘ ere W: upon every dusky face that told their deliberations were to be. “Tarnal snakes an’ biffler hides, but won't this hyer old circus tent seo a livelier time to-— night it ever did w’en her hosses , around it an’ ther bars performed,” the old gener bo Se with a low chuckle of satisfac- n. Finally all were seated, and it so that Pandy found himself vis-a-vi Bend, The council opened with the altho usual formalities, gulur ¥ more nor less than a | Knife. eireus It was not one ef the very means, but was circular, and feet in diameter. had been put poles to novices pape . neartly done; in faet, the whole decided leaning in how serious ,__ the blowing of smoke to the four cardi- — omitted 4 +
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_“Astrange thing has happened,” said the sub- chief, in intense tones ; ‘“‘ while we returned home, We came across the lifeless form of a warrior, shorn of his clothes, — of,his head-dress, robbed of all he possessed.” Turning to the dis- 7 eee , he thundered forth: ‘* Spirit of the eparted Wolf-Eye, what would you have? Why haye you not remained in the Happy Hunting Grounds? Speak!” . —_— ] CHAPTER XXXIII. A WOLF IN THE FOLD. ; 7 THE scene was amazing. Every Indian turned his eyes upon the warrior addressed. They did not understand the irony in Buffalo Bend’s voice, and fully believed that the ghost of the departed Wolf-Eye had, for some reason or other, attended their council. It was not an every-day occurrence to have the irit of a de brave ‘come back from the eath-land and assume his old position, and there were doubtless many among the Indians who would just as leave learn something ot the un- ' known country to which every one of them would ‘some day be compelled to journey. Hence the words of the sub-chief created sven ony ep among the braves than he had ‘or. As for the disguised trapper, he did not wait owing that the game was up so far as his re- lop in disguise was concerned, he sprang to One agile leap carried him to the open s in center of the assembly, where he stood, glar- around at the redmen like alion at bay. @ Was an adept in the Blackfeet language, could speak it like a native, so that when he ed his mouth and uttered words, those “ The spirit of Wolf-Eye has come over the river mm the death-land to speak’ to his brothers, ere is danger in the air. A man whom they iseven now among them. Wolf-Eye has come , but not as he went, for he has hinged into nother. Warriors, look well on me; do ye not now Heavy-Knife when you see him? Squaws, ery one of you. A white man spits on you and ies you. re are the Blackfeet when the ws strike? Hiding in their lodges, with the : aws upon them. There is not a rior among you. A white man defies you all. has come among you to save his friend, and vhen he leaves, death will be behind him. Watch, quaws and pap of the Blackfeet nation, d see the act of a fearless man.” Old Pandy had rattled this out in the Blackfeet es ‘Two hundred blazing orbs were fastened upon ; half that number of faces darkened with he most savage of scowls. ) Callan Indian a squaw and you give him the eadliest insult known, because they look down mh Squaws so much. The disguised ranger had added insult to in- : ot only had he come among them in the dis- guise of a comrade whom his own hand had in all probability slain, but he had defled them, called them squaws, and declared that one white brave was enough to whip the whole of them. Never in the history of their had the Black- feet been so effectually bulldozed and brow- | It was a time they would not be apt to it in a hurry. Ha! had they not the old ranger in their x? Spite of words, dia they not hold the ing hand? A hundred men were around him, and half as many more upon the outside of Was not escape thus rendered im- 2 Ellis, after delivering his exordium, time in fruitless oe but with ¥) a 3 spring reached side-of his friend ‘eyes that watched him were not hostile, and him did not immediately jump at the half-consum : caine tek cake ne f it, where the © lo in front of it, where y knew Saeethiog y ithin through the friends. THE MARKED MOCCASIN. They had by good fortune come upon that end of the tent furthest away from the fires. It was also the point from which the wind blew, and | where the one rope strained with the force of the le. This needs particular mention in order that what oceurred may be fully comprehended, for Pandy’s movement, made to effect the rescue of Blue Bill, and get both of them out of the scrape, was one of the most brilliant of his life. The hands of Blue Bill had been bound, but his feet were of course free. When the old ranger reached the side of his eomrade in distress, he held a long knife in one hand and his death-dealing revolver in the other. To cut the bonds that confined the wrists of Blue Bill was but the work of an instant, and then Pandy thrust into the hand of his friend the revolver. Having accomplished this much, he was ready to turn his attention to the redskins. As may be readily supposed, the Blackfeet chiefs and warriors, although stunned in a de- gree by the presence of this hated and feared ay king among them, were rapidly recover- ing their accustomed equanimity. his was made evident by the loud outeries that began to make themselves heard. Fortunately, Pandy’s plan was a feasible one. Leaping over to the t pole in the middle of the tent, he drew his knife across the cord that sustained the round hoop upon which rested the stolen candles with which the council lodge was lighted. CHAPTER XXXIV, , THE BORDER WHIRLWIND, Wen the dis Pandy Ellis drew his keen knife over the cord that sustained the weight of the wooden circular hoop that held the half dozen candles in tin sconces, there could be but one result. The cord ed up through a ring near the top of the pole, and thence down to the bottom. As almost every one of my readers know, this is used in the circus for raising the lights when the trapeze performers take their turn at recrea- tion in sailing through the air. No sooner had the ranger’s knife the strands than he held the end of the co. Springing back half a dozen feet, he gave it a strong and sudden pull, preg, the still half a dozen feet further, ten suddenly let go of the cord. 5 Down came the hoop with a crash. Darkness ensued. So far Pandy’s plan had worked admirably, but of course there was more to follow. : A tremendous uproar ensued when the lights were thus suddenly extinguished, for every In- dian seemed to vie with the rest in yelling him- self hoarse. : Although the candles were about all extin- guished by the sudden descent of the hoop to which they were fastened, the darkness that en- sued was not very intense. Through the large opening and over the heads of the Indians who crowded it, the light from the fires managed to enter. They had not been cared for so well since the council commenced, but still were gers of giving quite enough light,to dis- tinguish different persons. A few hurried words in the ear of Blue Bill ey let him into the main particulars of ‘andy’s plan, and he was ready to second it. Toward the back of the great tent they made There were several reasons for this. In the first , it was dark there, while the fires lighted up the front. Then whe could not enter their way. of what was going on egraph signs ay of their en To rush through this crowd would necessitate 21 an enemy when the Indians were just beyond the muzzle of his weapon. They forced their in this way from the center of the lodge toward the rear, and as death seemed to be in league with them, the In+ dians gave way before their assaults like lambs turning from a couple of wolves that had broken into the fold, only the ferocious Blackfeet did not much resemble innocent lambs. Dealing their blows right and left, our two friends began to draw near the canvas side of the tent. Many of the Indians, upon the first sign of a@ rumpus, had made for the opening, and as might have been expected, the natural result was that they were between the two~stout poles form- ing the sides of the doorway, so that not a soul could pass out unless he exercised cunning and erowded under the canvas at the side. This was the condition of affairs at the time when the two rangers reached the canvas. Their passage through the Indians had not been entirely free from return thrusts, for the Blackfeet braves were not the ones to tamely sub- mit to beingtrodden down. Like the rattlesnake, they would thrust out their poisoned at the enemy, even when in the agony of di , Both of the whites had received several wounds in the affair, but fortunately none of them were of a serious nature, nor did they impede the actions of the men, Together they reached the canvas at the end of the circus tent. | The bowie and revolver had opened a way for them when ——— passage seemed an impos; sible task, and the path of blood left behind them attested to the terrible nature of this pro- ceeding. Pandy paused for a few seconds, but only to cast a burried glance behind him. The Indians near- est the center of the tent had rescued one or two of the eandles and coaxed them into a flame, so that he was enabled to get. a dim idea of the con- fusion that reigned supreme within the grand council lodge of the Blackfeet. It was most certainly a sight he would never fo) of the excited redskins had become w in the doorway, as has been said before, while others were sprawling | oe hands and knees, either trying to crawl er the canvas, ~ oF romper to eseape the deadly fire of the e " Then there was the crowd near the center of the tent, ready for a meeting with the foes of their aegh tee as if an army of scouts and trappers - was ut. to be precipitated upon them. Pandy Ellis gave vent to a terrific war-ery, that rang out like a pean of victory above the yellsof the excited Blackfeet. Then his blood-stained knife made one down- ward lg ot As he had intended, the canvas was rent bythe | blow, leaving a means of egress for his comrade and himse’ Through this they went with all speed, and almost before the Indians, who had caught sight of them by the aid of the resurrected candles, could realize it, they were on the outside of the great tent. Here Pandy came to an abrupt pause. . The wind was blowing small guns, as a sailor © would have prokable qxgoetond it, and the tent was straining at the long rope that held it, like a ship at her cable. ; In an instant the old ranger’s keen knife was at rope. There was a report, almost like the dis- ne Geol, and the faithful rope had the gale, the great tent seemed tototter fora dozen seconds, and then, tothe horror of the Indians, came down with a rush, entangling fully fourscore of redskins under the canvas. ~ ‘ CHAPTER XXXV. READY FOR VENGEANCE. 4 much more danger and fighting than would be} THat was certainly a tof the most apt to Sell to-actashate inthe athen eiescticee pomiacan moran metic Meets of the There was one more cause for the old” vanger Sock ae selection of this route, as will be speedily made} The little detective had remained in pate u When Blue Bill and himself sprang into the midst of their enemies, they had only to strike gnd shoot to make sure of hitting foes, so dense Weate kept ble tre kn ically akan, : uge w nose who ave soon this angor i -to- hand encounter, can readily believe that he did a wonderful amount of execution with the keen, nn forge nr eny au ae + Ee) 5 3 the Indiaus si their ideas rel- ‘to the business on hand, two forms had} re re aaa lode. ; eunning with w ey made their way | d, themselves from the view of wh male or female, who en ving about, proclaimed th 4
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22 After he had applied the torch to one of the piles, and was watching the flames leap up, he Was amazed to see a human being sud pen bound through the fire with a yell of horror an The warrior had perhaps been drunk, and con- cealed himself among the dried grass to sleep off his stupidity. Ifso, he must have been horrified to thus sud- denly awaken and find his lodging-place in flames. Perhaps the first idea that assailed him was a conviction that he had been transferred, while he slept, to the infernal regions. At any rate, the little detective never stopped to inquire what the fellow thought. As soon as he saw that the Indian’s glaring eyes had be- come fastened upon him, he hurled the blazing torch square into his face, and then drawing a pistol, followed it up with a bullet that forever = it out of the Indian’s way to endanger his ety. The fierce wind, seizing upon the flimes, soon communicated them to the adjoining lodges, and the destruction of the whole Blackfeet village seemed imminent. Satisfied that the work left to him had beer wall done, the little detective at once made his way Out of the village, aiming for the rendezvous where he was to meet his friends when their part of the job was accomplished. Meanwhile the scene was growing in wildness at the other end of the village. When the great tent, no longer supported by the stout guy rope, colla) it buried three-fourths of the red warriors ierneath it, and such a kicking and scrambling as under that canvas you never did see. It was every man for himself, and knives were brought into in order to further the esca braves. One thing may THE MARKED MOCCASIN. the unfortunates under the great circus tent res- eued from their uncomfortable situation, the Blackfeet were now ready to look after the whites. sycamore tree, whose trunk was a perfect giantin point of size. Here the old ranger chief uttered the cry of the nighthawk very naturally, following it closely with the mow howl of the timber wolf, As the racket in the had died away in ro vee signals sounded loud and clear upon the r. mmediately three forms appeared in view from the other side of the great tree, one of which was undoubtedly a female, Of course these were Reckless Rupert, Silver Rifle, and the prairie belle, Dolly. There were now seven in ‘the party, with one more to hear from. The little detective soon showed up at a signal from Roaring Ralph, and they were now united. Bolly still kept in the background, for -he did not believe the time had yet come to disclose himself. As Pandy was still unaware of the fact that he was still in the land of the living, a few hours more or less could not ly make any differ- ose ae — Sg x while they were so —_ = Village it might dangerous to upset ranger in anyway, especially when they needed his advice and cool-headed ideas so m So Bolly remained in the background, and rs his face well-concealed. It chanced also that though old ons looked keenly at him on sever- al oceasions, as though weighing the of his ever having met him previous to this time, on each and eriry osterten Bolly chanced to be standing in the shadow of some tree that gave additional uncertainty to his form. party at once started off CHAPTER XXXVI. TRACKED WITH TORCHES, As has been said before, Bolly Wherrit and the old ranger, ing Ralph, watched the strange events that were taking place within the council lodge of the Blackfeet with great interest. When Pandy Ellis proclaimed himself in the person of Wolf-Eye, they were struck damb with amazement, and all Roaring Ralph could say was to keep muttering to himself t favorite but wholly incomprehensible expression : ** Dust my Sunday breeches !” Much as the two men would have delighted in assisting their beloved comrades, this was ren- dered impossible by the action of old Pandy him- self in extin hing the lights, though when he did so he no idea that friends were near. All they could do now was to remain quiet, and with reat weapon, assist the two, should they be so fortunate as to cut their way through the mass of savages and out of the tent. It was evident that they were making toward the rear end of the great tent, for prudence would teach them that it was the best route for their escape. Judging by the racket within, the rangers thought the infernal regions had broken loose upon earth, : Presently however aslit appeared in the canvas close to where they were standing, and two men sprang through into the open air. Even in the ech mere of the spot they reecog- nized Blue Bill and the old prince of prairie trap- of bushes ae been and made tow the adjacent village at of the im er oat this the fact that the great | pers. When Pandy stooped and cut the rope that | speed, tent not be worth much after such a per-| proved such'a support to the great lodge, both of} In less than twenty minutes four score of de- formance. them held their breath, for they at once grasped-| termined gad entened Laelieaes SORE as Those who were near the site crawled out, | his idea. bore torches, were upon the of the palefaces, others came popping through rents made, andthe} Then with a crash and a whirl, the whole fabric 2 ; ; gehen’ ‘tndoxterthes were restued Sa-bpeclllly as keeled over. , possible, , A true ranger yell broke from the lips of the CHAPTER XXXVI. Pandemonium had broken loose, to | two lookers-on, and immediately they bounded to WAITING. judge by the yells that so .. Never had there | the side of Pandy and Blue Bill. 80 much excitement within the bounds of| Bolly’s great hat was pulled down further than} ‘ Fropies an’ fryin’ looky thar! I'ma the Indian village. There was the escape of the | ever over his face, for he did not wish his pard | roarin’, tearin’ thund from the Colorado prisoners, Reckless a peg eid Rifle and the | to recognize him yet. He also managed to avoid | Canyon, but I never seed the ekal o’ thet sight, pale flower; the capture of Blue Bill; sudden ap- phe pram g Pabes yd ghee ps ae operant tar my heels for a 'Pache ef I did.” pearance of the terrible Heavy Knife in their sa-| it was some friend of Ralph’s who was a stranger| Roaring Ralph ited, as he spoke, to the ered council lodge; the tremendous upheaval | to him. open forest below them, : that followed when he put out the lights and,| At any rate this was no time for the meeting} The little band of the side mee UE Blue Bill, cut way through their}and the questions that would ensue, and Bolly | of a hill that formed part of the chain leading to crow ranks; the fall of the circus tent with | was very wise in restraining his earnest desire to | the mountains. fully four seore of warriors caught underneath it, | grasp the hand of his chum, and let him know he They had made s and finally the fearful ppg er teed. er was still in the lands of the living. vila, Sad were now See Lae end of the village was on fire, the flercewind| The good news would keep, and now that he | ing 5 when the words of the reckless ranger the flames toward them in a mannersig-| was in Pandy’s me, he could make sure | at 0: w their attention. and dangerous. that the ven; had sworn upon the} The wind was re Se ee No wonder the coolest-headed among the Black-| alarmed fugitive, Sam Wherrit, did not reach its | mountains, making a peculiar hy sound, teet confessed themselves bewildered # and one could easily guess that a storm this succession of events, and knew not in w’ In a few words Pandy told that he had left | was in somewhere which de- direction to turn. some friends not far away, and towards the lodge | seend upon them a ny tan 50 ee This state of inaction lasted not for long, how- | of Wolf- we sangeet ge fe g trot, the coolness ever; their whole village in danger from the } others following, with y Wherrit up 1 sucked up by the storm. conflagration, which must be stayed with all pos- | the rear. : a view could be sible speed, lea’ pursuit of the daring pale-| The moon was now shining in the far eastern so y left, although fixces to a later period. sky, but a better light than Saat wansroaping Vp it. : Slowgjto reach a culminating it of Lio ky thar!” suddenly said Roaring Ralp when such a thing does occur Indians ane ‘o the end of the village where the red are like so many mad wolves; and after all the | tongues of flame were alrealy ig to shoot : pew yg oy eee had suffered at the | upward into the air, “chaw my ole moceasin fur 0 © pee ae hands of this Banwa! of whites, when the| soup ef ther little detee ain't gone an’ done as we their progress, time for retaliation woe unto the wretched | told him. BPuillets an’ bagonets, but this air excit- ee ee ee een wer; better fur ther reds.” : them that they had met their fate in the boil- was, most certainly, but then they hoped to r SN ee ae tae ae turn the tables inashort time and make it equally Pj s the torture the furious Blackfeet would | as exciting for the whites. 4 have in store for them. The distance from the great tent to the lodge of The Indians went to work with a will to put ka Rly great, and they soon an end to the conflagration that was already | reac! Peg cing in! pen met one brave on the way, and he had saved his life by i into the uncertain pboeEa: i Er : 3 zt i
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Fe THE MARKED MOCCASIN. 23 . What their plens were our friends could not, of course, even guess. Reckless Rupert was stationed at a point a little separated from the others, for since the late affair,in which Ralph’s unknown friend had figured so conspicuously, they knew not from what quarter an attack might come, not fully understanding the advent of this little band of redskins in a quarter they had deemed more than ordinarily secure, Onecould easily guess where the thoughts of our Len ge were concentrated. | His nearness to Dolly, So with the glances she had given him, had aroused within him the strong powers that had lain sleeping. ““What relation does she bear toward Sil- ver Rifle ?” was the thought that tortured the poor boy. ‘She may be his wife—is his sweetheart at any rate, for did not the col- onel declare that he had taken Dolly away, and that there was an impassable gulf be- tween them? Then what does she mean, locking at me in that way? Are they but friendly oe Heaven keep me, my r heart had construed them into love, aa for her to love me, bound as she is to him, would be an act of treachery I could never forgive either in myself or her, “The colonel hates him. What if I should hand the young couple over to him, Then m reward would come in the shape of Dolly's hand, but I would hate myself, ane pertees she would hate me. No, never will Is my name with such a base act. Rather will I save them from the colonel’s wrath, as I intended when I followed them, and then bid farewell to peace forever,” The ~ of the young man was intense, That Doliy was forever lost to him he had not the least doubt in the world, for if she belonged to Silver Rifle, Reckless Rupert was not the man to accept a second-hand love, even when his own was so fie Meanwhile dawn was comingon, and quite a little scene was occurring in another part of the plateau. \ Hence, it was, that when so many of their number went down before the deadly mis- siles of the whites, the remainder stood aghast at the terrible spectacle. The storm of death from above had been too much for them, and immediate retreat seemed to be the prevailing idea in the minds of all; for they dropped their torches and vanished in a marvelously rapid manner. No sooner had this occurred than old Pandy gave vent toa wild huzza. “Whipped again, an’ don’t ye forget it!” he cried, leaping erect in his excitement. “Sculps an’ sausengers! tie me up wid a Commanch, ef it ain’tso. We kin lick ten times our weight in Blackfeet any day. Dust my Sunday breeches, ef we can’t!” exclaim- ed one whose name it may nat be necessary to state. Bolly still remained quiet. He resolved to wait until daylight now, and let his old partner make the startling dis- covery of his identity himself, when there would probably be.a high‘old scene. As for himself, he was just itching to get his arms around the old man, when he would make him feel whether he was in the land of the living, or had his toes turned up to the daisies. It was now not over an hour to dawn, and the Indians had been too thoroughly whipped to think of immediate fight, at least so our friends thought. It chanced, however, that when the torches were thrown down, some of the braves, in- peste ae of retreating, had fallen flat upon the rocks. When silence once more reigned, and the balls no longer came from above, these worthies commenced crawling stealthily for- ward and upward, their objective point be- ing, of course, the stone fort of the fugitives. Phere were only half a dozen of these dar- ing warriors. hen close tothe summit a found a little opening in the left hand side of the can- on, by making use of which they were ena- bled to gain the rocks ata sare where it had been deemed impossible by the whites for their red foes to climb upward. Like so many gaunt specters, the redmen crawled on, one after another, The top was finally reached. One of them peered over the rock, saw the crouching forms at the terminus of the little canyon, and, with a motion for his comrades to come on, vanished over the rock, His friends noticed that he gave a sort of spasmodic kick before disappearing, but took it for granted this was intentional on his art. 4 The first daring redskin had noticed a dark form crouching below when he poked his head over the rock, and the first intimation he had of such a presence was when an iron hand clutched his throat and a long, keen knife blade passed through his heart. Nearer crept Indian No. 2. hear them laugh and joke like other men, as if unconscious of it all. When the full force of the threatening danger became known to them, the old ran- gers prepared to meet it. Without losing any more time, therefore, old Pandy declared that they must be mov- ing forward, as the best and only thing they could do under the circumstances was to make a stand, and give the Blackfeet such a lesson that they would turn back and leave the trail that was so deadly to their tribe. Up through the narrow canyon, then, they made their way, wholly unconscious of the fact that theirs had not been the only white feet that had tramped that narrow pass within the last twenty-four hours, The ascent was rather difficult in places. When the place was reached where they in- tended opens their stand, another view of the forest could be obtained. The army of torches was still in view. ; “Before half an hour is gone by we -will have them here,” remarked Blue Bill. | 4 this time the moon was hidden behind a bank of clods in the west. There was yet an houror so before dark- mess would give way to dawn, Their position was a singular one, and may perhaps need a little explanation-so that the events that followed can be readily under- 3 | Where the canyon ended there was a little are Ma plateau, with the rocks rising hind it. Upon this plateau they had halted. ‘The only way which seemed open to attack from the Indians was through the little can- yon, and ‘they felt capable of guarding this against all the force that could be brought =, ced them. erhaps such determined men as the Black- feet might find another means of ascent, but the whites were ready to risk it. Unless the redskins managed to gain a point above them, the danger was not so ver great; but, should this occur, they woul nd it a hard task to save themselves. Meanwhile the Blackfeet were gradually drawing nearer. They entered the canyon far below, as was evidenced by the gleaming of torches. The tug of war was drawing near, Each man grasped his ae resolutely, and took the place assigned him by Pandy Ellis, and fortune pl it so that the old ‘man’s pard was next to himseif. ‘Then they waited. : CHAPTER XXXVIIL THE TUG OF WAR. Taey had not much time to remain in sus- ‘pense. Being sure that the whites had en- tered the;canyon, the Blackfeet pressed on, Whether they expected that those whom ‘they pursued would turn on them, it would be indeed to say, but the suspicion, if it did enter their minds, made no difference in The light grew stronger, the eyes of the . old ranger fell upon the ground, and he saw the tracks himself and little band had left in a patch of drift near by. echanically the ranger picked out each one by the marks left in the soil. r Suddenly he started. es ' An exclamation fell from his lips that de- noted both eagerness and amazement, and, bending down, he proceeded to examine the footprints that had caught his eye. They were not those of Blue Bill, Silver Rifle, or Dolly, but before him he saw, plain- ly visible, the trail of the marked moccasin. All at once Pandy stiffened Up. Heavens! what seemed to be the truth had - ey into his mind like a flash, and he saw it all. - Roaring Ralph’s unknown friend was Jack the reckless haste with which they continued| He proceeded just as his unfortunate pre-| Wherrit, the murderer of his Now he ‘the pursuit. decessor had done. realized why the man’s form seemed so _ Crouching above them were the seven| As soon as his eyes fell upon the little | familiar. r Well, he must die. Pandy Ellis drew his knife and then looked around him, EES boggy ranger —_ standing by the — Another redskin had passed in his checks, | rock, his resting on hisarms. = rr were now but four left. ae Pandy — 2 neh _ ae man ar _ 9° to give utterance to a not stir unt e old hand Although, no doubt, amazed at this sudden | cry as Bolly herrif's hand closed over his | holding the knife upon his shoulder ond said: (ange offered to their progress, the| throat, and after finishing him the ran “T am hyar ter avenge ther deatho’my n were too valiant to even think of | stood erect and sent a volle of balls over the pard!™ a giving up the fight as yet. rocks that effectually demolished the remain-} Then the man looked up. They rushed forward with loud yells that ing two Indians, : There are times when the issome- made the rocks abovering, his done, Bolly slipped away to avoid| how or other wonderfully up with — Another storm of bullets plowed through | Pandy, who was lavish in his praia of Roar- | the ludicrous. Sot their ranks and many went down. ing Ralph’s unknown friend, Fancy a man being charged with murder- _ Death lay beyond, and yet there were men ing himself, See ae sing enough to rash forward. CHAPTER XXXIX. CONCLUSION. ne if fe pear sought the = py riage 3 they were speedily accommoda or same weapons that had belched out their d ranger may have wondered who leaden messengers upon the last lot of their} t Roaring Ralph's was. comrades, were ready to perform the same “had seemed ind ot service for them. band of white men that was : . zg a position like this, they would prowest ; notice group at the head of the canyon he could see nothing else, and had no thought of danger from below until that mysterious hand grip- ped his throat. whites. - The erack of Pandy’s faithful old ri- the a rane sree the first sound to break | _ Six other weapons immediately followed suit, and quite a storm of bullets was sent hurtling among the advancing red-skins, Ia eres gael tet emerson ents aoerppaperainmencinesstigaramanssceagemenmntinhsiastuia stlnaemtanionsinames isd anauanstehmncseies sibs biiies inglaat thlanend tatabiaill at sak
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fA - 24 —~ oA ES errr ee Se PIE BRR vengeance > fe the grave that was supposed to contain all that was mortal of Bolly. The old man actually became a boy again in the exuberance of his joy, and alternately squeezed his chum, Blue Bill and the Colo- rado ranger. ; Affairs were brought to their notice about this time, however, that demanded imme- diate attention, Blue Bill made the discovery, that in some mysterious manner, the Indians had suc- ceeded in gaining the rocks above, and were even then preparing to demolish those below by hurling rocks down upon them. At this opportune moment, the little New York detective announced that he had found the very place, and an immediate rush for . the rocks back of the plateau was made. They would be safe in the cleft he had found, from the missiles of those above, but powerless to prevent the rest of the reds from ascending the canyon, and preparing for a rush upon them. It was not fated, however, that they were to remain in this situation long, for the ever watchful Blue Bill discovered that the cleft _ they had entered, was in reality the entrance toacare, f This being the case, it was deemed proper that some steps should he taken toward effecting an escape from their position. First of all, they to procure some torches, This was easily done, for a tree had once = almost directly overhead, and its dead ranches lay scattered around, where a bolt of lightning had sent them. An immense rock stood conveniently near at hand, which their united strength could set moving, and it settled into the crevice, filling it entirely. Satisfied with their work, the whites light- ed one of their torches, and the ex- ploration of the great cavern into which for- tune seemed to have directed them. Ten minutes had hardly passed away, be- fore a Cusky form swept on to the platform, and finding it empty, signaled for the rest of the tend lackfeet to appear. : * Hist!” At this thrilling, age whisper, our friends came to a sudden halt. Pandy Ellis, who carried the torch, had thrust it into a pool of water at his side, so that with marvelous quickness darkness had come upon the scene. He had seen a light ahead, and as their own torch was extinguished, the others also dis- covered it. Pandy was a man never to be caught napping, and he quickly made up his mind to discover what this meant. It could not be the sun, for dawn was just about breaking. So he left them there, and began making his way cautiously forward. When he had turned several bends, he found himself looking upon a curious scene. At first he thought it was a band of trap- pers encamped in the cavern, but quickly real- ized his mistake. This was the new abode of the border money-makers whom erg Ralph had worried into destroying their old cabin home, with himself in it, as they thought. They were the ones who had ascended the canyon as far as it was practicable in ad- vance of our friends. Of course, they must look upon the rene makers as d y foes, for such they would undouw! y prove be in a conflict ; and, be- sides, they were allies of the Indians, When dy Ellis made his way back to the others, and reported what he had seen, a hurried council took place. The little detective was terribly anxious to be at them, and as there was no other wa: out of the matter, the others soon agreed with him. A peut eases was at once com- menced. iy was rear, SO as to be out of the wa ‘ant bullets, and then the little band advanced slowly along the passage-way, led by Pandy and his old Pari. The y-makers only ni nine in _-‘They were busy when our friends suddenly hog 5 t| B eet. As the others came they d — TT THE MARKED MOCCASIN. burst upon them; but, knowing what capt- ure meant, they offered resistance, Yellow Bob'was amazed to find in the an- tagonist who crossed knives with him, the man whom he had so much cause to hate, and whom he thought had surely been cre- mated with the cabin; but, for the time, he became a human wildcat, and slashed away with such a vim that the Colorado ranger, in duty bound, soon felt compelled to give him his quietus. It was not long before the battle was over. Three money-makers, besides the leader, re- mained as prisoners in their hands, and a the rest had gone to that bourne whence no traveler e’er returns. They once more moved forward. It soon turned out just as our friends sus- pected it would. ; There were two entrances, One of the fellows had escaped during the melee and vanished down the passage in an opposite direction to that from which they had come, and forming their ideas from this, they hurried forward. ~ Before ten minutes had elapsed after this second start they were in the open air and gag forward, The Indians, unfortunately, were well ac- quainted with the strange cavern, and find ing one entrance barred, hastened around to past other, where they came upon a fresh trail. Oar friends were again at bay. This time the situation was not so wholl in their favor, for the ground was more level, and their breastworks detached rocks, The redskins had followed them with the keenness and pertinacity of sleuth hounds, finally overtaking them here. , One rush had been made, but the deadly rifles of the whites had warned them that this system of tactics would not be tolerated, and they withdrew to a distance. Pandy Ellis had freed the hands of the prisoners, and placing their own revolvers in them, sternly ordered them to fire; and that the first man who refused to obey would suf- fer for it they readily knew, Perhaps their shots were not so effective as those of the others, but they did not dare to. shoot wild while the old veteran’s keen eyes were upon them, and the Indians were rushing forward in a ,8o that in all probability some of their bullets told. Reckless Rupert watched Dolly with the earefulness of a brother, and did everything he could for her comfort. To his surprise, Silver Rifle seemed in no wise jealous at his attentions. Was to get her off his hands? Rupert grew in- dignant in na heart. ‘If he has deceived her an iota, by my faith, his life shal] answer for it, I will bea brother to her, since fate has denied me the right to a dearer relation,” he murmured. fternoon came, and still the situation re- mained unchanged. The Blackfeet had rigged up a moring barricade, e from small trees that h. been felled and fastened together. Behind this a score of them had advanced, and found shelter among some loose rocks that were connected with those behind which our friends knelt, Then the barricade was lugged slowly back, probably with the intention of bring- ing out a score more. The little detective declared himself able to dislodge those who had taken refuge among the rocks, and proceeded to do so. From his pocket he drew out a rubber slin and asmall box, which, upon mung coer 4 disclosed a dozen balls of intense blackness, about the size of marbles. While the rangers stood ready with their rifles, the detective drew back his rubber slin ed the ball. and discharg e followed it up with several more in rapid succession. i The first shock had probably stunned the ashed sO Many crazy men. the trappers’ rifles cracked merrily, a out | he tired of the prairie belle, and glad | . and quite a number of the red nomads of the © Northwest fell to rise no more, Atabout the same time the cheery sound of a cavalry bugle was heard, and the Black- feet were discovered racing everywhere in a panic stricken way, with the United States soldiers pursuing them, om “You are lost,” said Reckless Rupert, turning to Silver Rifle, but the young prairie sharpshooter smiled and shook his head. While his men were pursuing the terrified Blackfeet in all directions, chasing them like so many sheep, hewing and shooting them down, the colonel rode toward the little com- pany of fugitives, Reckless Rupert knew that the crisis was at hand. As the colonel drew nearer, Silver Rifle . spoke a few words to the little detective, The colonel drew rein. 4 “Dolly,” he said, sternly, and yet with a pathetic ring in his voice, “I have sought ou far and near, Will you return to your eart-broken father, or remain with this young scoundrel, who has disgraced the name he bears ?” “Father, you have been unjust toward Lewis. My love for you has never wavered, but still I shall cling to him so——” “Choose then between ys!” thundered the old colonel, interrupting her. She did not hesitate. Her arms were around the neck of the sharpshooter, who stood there © proud but silent. “Hear me then, father. You have shut the truth out of your heart and to let Lewis clear himself. Because he is innocent I cling to him so long as life lasts,” she said. “So be it,” muttered the old colonel, al- most choking, as he turned his s “so be - it. I will now return to my home. The weight of sorrow will soon lay me beside your mother in the grave.” . “Hold!” cried a voice, “Ihave something ~ to say about this, Col. Harvey. I am Jean Barthol, Secret Service Detective. You knew me well once, Col. Harvey. I know all about this affair. Yellow Bob here, alias Robert Stackpole, is the guilty man, as can be easil roven, Your son Lewis is as innocentasl. _ ‘ome with me a few minutes, and I will con- 7 vince you of this.” Reckless Rupert stood nae) . Silver Rifle, her brother 5 : He went up and took each of their hands. Not a word could he say, but Dolly blushed — furiously, and the welcome tidings that she © loved him was conveyed to the young man’s — heart. : Soon the impulsive colonel came dashing up, and leaping to the ground, threw his — arms around Lewis, him to forgive and forget, which the noble young man was — eager to do, re All was joy and peace, but it could = last, Pandy Fes -_ his fellow rangers sort. of council, and decided that ¢ better be moving without any waste for soon Big Buffalo would gather the . cent tribes, and the country would be too hot — for them. - fy and were followed by a large band of furi- ous Blackfeet, but. with the aid of the Gat- ling gun and the shrewd scouts, the Indian: =e defeated and they reached the fort ix safety. 4 Reckless Rupert gave up his per life and after megreia the Dears aena er settled down to private life, being possessed roar, d his d ld pard, after seeing andy an s dear old pard, ng Rapert married and Pan at the afi started for Leadville, where, of course, new adventures asvaited them. Sam W learned the truth, but preferred to with the Indians. Blue Bill and queer old Rockwood also turned in the silver mines, while Lasso Mose went South. a white girl poorern parents, and euded