diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/62638-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62638-0.txt | 11309 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 11309 deletions
diff --git a/old/62638-0.txt b/old/62638-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3fcebb2..0000000 --- a/old/62638-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11309 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Buffalo Bill, the Border King, by -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Buffalo Bill, the Border King - Redskin and Cowboy - -Author: Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -Release Date: July 14, 2020 [EBook #62638] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL, THE BORDER KING *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - -Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end. - - * * * * * - - - - -Buffalo Bill, the Border King - - - OR, REDSKIN AND COWBOY - - BY Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - Author of “Buffalo Bill” - - [Illustration] - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - * * * * * - -Copyright, 1907 By STREET & SMITH - -Buffalo Bill, the Border King - -(Printed in the United States of America) - -All rights reserved including that of translation into foreign -languages, including the Scandinavian. - - - - -IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY (BUFFALO BILL). - - -It is now some generations since Josh Billings, Ned Buntline, and -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, intimate friends of Colonel William F. Cody, -used to forgather in the office of Francis S. Smith, then proprietor -of the _New York Weekly_. It was a dingy little office on Rose Street, -New York, but the breath of the great outdoors stirred there when these -old-timers got together. As a result of these conversations, Colonel -Ingraham and Ned Buntline began to write of the adventures of Buffalo -Bill for Street & Smith. - -Colonel Cody was born in Scott County, Iowa, February 26, 1846. Before -he had reached his teens, his father, Isaac Cody, with his mother and -two sisters, migrated to Kansas, which at that time was little more -than a wilderness. - -When the elder Cody was killed shortly afterward in the Kansas “Border -War,” young Bill assumed the difficult role of family breadwinner. -During 1860, and until the outbreak of the Civil War, Cody lived the -arduous life of a pony-express rider. Cody volunteered his services as -government scout and guide and served throughout the Civil War with -Generals McNeil and A. J. Smith. He was a distinguished member of the -Seventh Kansas Cavalry. - -During the Civil War, while riding through the streets of St. Louis, -Cody rescued a frightened schoolgirl from a band of annoyers. In true -romantic style, Cody and Louisa Federci, the girl, were married March -6, 1866. - -In 1867 Cody was employed to furnish a specified amount of buffalo meat -to the construction men at work on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. It was -in this period that he received the sobriquet “Buffalo Bill.” - -In 1868 and for four years thereafter Colonel Cody served as scout -and guide in campaigns against the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. It was -General Sheridan who conferred on Cody the honor of chief of scouts of -the command. - -After completing a period of service in the Nebraska legislature, Cody -joined the Fifth Cavalry in 1876, and was again appointed chief of -scouts. - -Colonel Cody’s fame had reached the East long before, and a great -many New Yorkers went out to see him and join in his buffalo hunts, -including such men as August Belmont, James Gordon Bennett, Anson -Stager, and J. G. Heckscher. In entertaining these visitors at Fort -McPherson, Cody was accustomed to arrange wild-West exhibitions. In -return his friends invited him to visit New York. It was upon seeing -his first play in the metropolis that Cody conceived the idea of going -into the show business. - -Assisted by Ned Buntline, novelist, and Colonel Ingraham, he started -his “Wild West” show, which later developed and expanded into “A -Congress of the Roughriders of the World,” first presented at Omaha, -Nebraska. In time it became a familiar yearly entertainment in the -great cities of this country and Europe. Many famous personages -attended the performances, and became his warm friends, including Mr. -Gladstone, the Marquis of Lorne, King Edward, Queen Victoria, and the -Prince of Wales, now King of England. - -At the outbreak of the Sioux, in 1890 and 1891, Colonel Cody served -at the head of the Nebraska National Guard. In 1895 Cody took up the -development of Wyoming Valley by introducing irrigation. Not long -afterward he became judge advocate general of the Wyoming National -Guard. - -Colonel Cody (Buffalo Bill) died in Denver, Colorado, on January -10, 1917. His legacy to a grateful world was a large share in -the development of the West, and a multitude of achievements in -horsemanship, marksmanship, and endurance that will live for ages. His -life will continue to be a leading example of the manliness, courage, -and devotion to duty that belonged to a picturesque phase of American -life now passed, like the great patriot whose career it typified, into -the Great Beyond. - - * * * * * - -BUFFALO BILL, THE BORDER KING. - - - - -CHAPTER I. RUNNING THE DEATH-GANTLET. - - -Fort Advance, a structure built of heavy, squared timbers and some -masonry, with towers at the four corners, commanding the deep ditches -which had been dug around the walls, stood in the heart of the then -untracked Territory of Utah. It was the central figure of a beautiful -valley--when in repose--and commanded one of the important passes and -wagon trails of the Rockies. - -A mountain torrent flowed through the valley, and a supply of pure -water from this stream had been diverted into the armed square which, -commanded by Major Frank Baldwin, was a veritable City of Refuge to all -the whites who chanced to be in the country at this time. - -For the valley of Fort Advance offered no peaceful scene. The savage -denizens of the mountain and plain had risen, and, in a raging, -vengeful flood, had poured into the valley and besieged the unfortunate -occupants of the fort. These were a branch of the great Sioux tribe, -and, under their leading chief, Oak Heart, fought with the desperation -and blind fanaticism of Berserkers. - -A belt of red warriors surrounded Fort Advance, cutting off all -escape, or the approach of any assistance to the inmates of the -stockade, outnumbering the able-bodied men under Major Baldwin’s -command five to one! Among them rode the famous Oak Heart, inspiring -his children to greater deeds of daring. By his side rode a graceful, -beautiful girl of some seventeen years, whose face bore the -unmistakable stamp of having other than Indian blood flowing in her -veins. Long, luxurious hair, every strand of golden hue, contrasted -strangely with her bronze complexion, while her eyes were sloe-black, -and brilliant with every changing expression. - -This was White Antelope, a daughter of Oak Heart, and she held almost -as much influence in the tribe as the grim old chief himself. Because -of her beauty, indeed, she was almost worshiped as a goddess. At least, -there was not a young buck in all the Utah Sioux who would not have -attempted any deed of daring for the sake of calling the White Antelope -his squaw. - -But while the red warriors were so inspired without the walls of the -fortress, within was a much different scene. Major Baldwin’s resources -were at an end. Many of his men were wounded, or ill; food was low; the -wily redskins had cut off their water-supply; and there were but a few -rounds of ammunition remaining. Fort Advance and its people were at a -desperate pass, indeed! - -After a conference with his subordinate officers, Major Baldwin stood -up in the midst of his haggard, powder-begrimed men. They were faithful -fellows--many of them bore the scars of old Indian fights. But human -endurance has its limit, and there is an end to man’s courage. - -“Will no man in this fort dare run the death-gantlet and bring aid to -us?” cried the major. - -It was an appeal from the lips of a fearless man, one who had won a -record as a soldier in the Civil War, and had made it good later upon -the field as an Indian fighter. The demand was for one who would risk -almost certain death to save a couple of hundred of his fellow beings, -among them a score of women and children. - -The nearest military post where help might be obtained was forty -miles away. Several brave men had already attempted to run the deadly -gantlet, and had died before the horrified eyes of the fort’s inmates. -It seemed like flinging one’s life away to venture into the open where, -just beyond rifle-shot, the red warriors ringed the fort about. - -Such was the situation, and another attack was about due. The riding of -the big chief and his daughter through the mass of Indians, was for the -purpose of giving instructions regarding the coming charge. Ammunition -in the fort might run out this time. Then over the barrier would swarm -the redskins, and the thought of the massacre that would follow made -even Major Baldwin’s cheek blanch. - -So the gallant commander’s appeal had been made--and had it been made -in vain? So it would seem, for not a man spoke for several moments. -They shifted their guns, or changed weight from one foot to the other, -or adjusted a bandage which already marked the redskin’s devilish work. - -They were brave men; but death seemed too sure a result of the attempt -called for; it meant--to their minds--but another life flung away! - -“Was it not better that all should die here together, fighting -desperately till the last man fell?” That was the question these old -scarred veterans asked in their own minds. The venture would be utterly -and completely hopeless. - -“_Look there!_” - -The trumpet-call was uttered by an officer on one of the towers -of the stockade. His arm pointed westward, toward a ridge of rock -which--barren and forbidding--sloped down into the valley facing the -main gateway of Fort Advance. - -At the officer’s cry a score of men leaped to positions from which -could be seen the object that occasioned it. Even Major Baldwin, -knowing that the cry had been uttered because of some momentous -happening, hurriedly mounted to the platform above the gate. He feared -that already his demand for another volunteer was too late. He believed -the redskins were massing for another charge. - -All eyes were strained in the direction the officer on the watch-tower -pointed. A gasp of amazement was chorused by those who saw and -understood the meaning of the cry. - -A horseman was seen riding like the wind toward the fort--and he was a -white man! - -The Indians who had already beheld this rash adventurer were dumb with -amazement. They were as much surprised by his appearance as were the -inmates of the fort. - -The unknown rider was leading a packhorse. The horse he bestrode was a -magnificent animal, and the packhorse flying along by its side was a -racer as well, for both came on, down the long tongue of barren rock, -at a spanking pace. - -From whence had the man come? Who was he? How had he gotten almost -through the Indian lines undiscovered? - -He certainly had all but run the gantlet of the red warriors, for no -shot, or no arrow, had been fired at him until he was discovered by the -officer on the watch-tower of the fort. - -Then it was that he spurred forward like the wind, and floating to the -ears of the whites who watched him so fearfully came the long, tremolo -yell of the Sioux warriors as they started in pursuit of the daredevil -rider. He was heading directly for the large gates of the fort. - -That he had chosen well his place to break through the Indian -death-circle was evident, for there were few braves near him as he fled -along the sloping ridge into the valley. His rifle he turned to right, -or to left, firing with the same ease from either shoulder, while his -mount, and the packhorse tied to its bridle, guided their own feet over -the rocky way. - -When he pulled trigger the bullet did not miss its mark. The rifle rang -out a death-knell, or sent a wounded brave out of action. - -The ponies of the Indians were feeding in the valley, with only a guard -here and there, and there were no mounted warriors near to close in on -the reckless rider, or to head him off. Hark! Their vengeful yells, as -they observed the possibility of the daring man’s escape, were awful -to hear. They were in a frenzy of rage at the desperate act of the -horseman. - -Rifles and bows sent bullets and shafts at him, but at long range. If -he was hit he did not show it. The horses still thundered on, down into -the valley, as recklessly as frenzied buffalo. - -Oak Heart, the great war chief, heard the commotion and saw the -speeding white man. The chief was mounted, and he lashed his horse into -a dead run for the point where the reckless paleface was descending -into the valley. With him rode the White Antelope, and their coming -spurred the braves to more strenuous attempts to reach, or capture, or -kill, the daredevil rider. - -The occupants of the fort--those who beheld this wonderful race--were -on the qui vive. Their exclamations displayed the anxiety and -uncertainty they felt. - -“He can never make it!” - -“The Indian guard are driving in the ponies to bar his way!” - -“Who is he?” - -“How he rides!” - -“God guard the brave fellow!” cried a woman’s voice. - -One of the gentler sex had climbed to the platform over the gate, and -this was her prayer. - -Other women had dropped to their knees, and were fervently praying God -to spare the splendid fellow who was daring the gantlet of death. A -cheer rose from the soldiery. This unknown was showing them the way -that they had not dared to go. - -“That packhorse is wounded. Why doesn’t he leave it?” cried one of the -officers. “It is delaying him--can’t the fellow see it?” - -At that moment the commander shouted: - -“Captain Keyes, take your troop to the rescue of that brave fellow!” - -“With pleasure, sir! I was about to ask your permission to do just -that,” declared the junior officer. - -The bugle sounded, but its notes were drowned in a sudden wild shout -of joy that rose from the two hundred inmates of the fort. Another -officer, with a field-glass at his eye, had suddenly turned and shouted: - -“It is Buffalo Bill, the Border King!” - - - - -CHAPTER II. THE BORDER KING. - - -The wild cheers that greeted the recognition of the daring gantlet -runner came in frenzied roars, the piping voices of children, the -treble notes of women, and the deep bass of the men mingling in a -swelling chorus that rose higher and higher. - -The Border King, as he had been called, heard the sound. He understood -that it was in his welcome, and he fairly stood up in his stirrups and -waved his sombrero, while the horses dashed on at the same mad pace. - -Buffalo Bill, or William F. Cody, as was his real name, was the chief -of scouts at this very fort, and he was a hero--almost a god--in the -eyes of the soldiers and his brother scouts. - -A week before he had started for Denver with important despatches, but -had returned in a few hours to report signs of a large band of Indians -on the move. He had warned Major Baldwin that Oak Heart and his braves -might be intending a concerted attack upon Fort Advance; but duty -called Buffalo Bill to the trail again, and he had hurried away on his -Denver mission. - -That the danger he had dreaded was real, the surrounding of the fort -several days later by the Sioux proved. Scouts had been sent for aid, -but too late. None had gotten through the belt of redskins, and that -belt was tightening each hour. The ammunition was low, and the awful -end was not far off if help from some quarter did not appear. - -Even the appearance of Buffalo Bill inspired the beleaguered whites -with hope. It seemed an almost hopeless attempt to reach the fort, for -the red warriors were closing in upon him. Yet he rode on unshakenly. - -Down the ridge he sped, and out upon the plain. He was seemingly coming -from the sunshine of life into the valley of death’s shadow! - -Why did he do it? Why did he risk his life so recklessly when only -forty miles away he could have obtained help from the military post? -There was some reason behind his daring act, and some cause for his -delaying his effort by dragging the packhorse, now wounded, with him. - -All in the fort knew what this hero of the border had done to win fame -among the mighty men of the frontier. He was chief and king among them. -Yet what could he do now to help the besieged in the fortress, even -did he reach the gate? That was the question! - -But hope revived, nevertheless, in every heart. Even the commandant, -Major Frank Baldwin, began to look more hopeful as the scout drew -closer to the fort. He had known Buffalo Bill long and well, and he -knew of what marvels he was capable! - -Buffalo Bill had been born in a cabin home on the banks of the -Mississippi River in the State of Iowa, and from his eighth year he -had been a pioneer--an advance agent of civilization. At that age -his father had removed to Kansas, and as a boy Billie Cody saw and -took part in the bloody struggles in Kansas between the supporters -of slavery and those who believed that the soil of Kansas should be -unsmirched by that terrible traffic in human lives. - -Cody’s father, indeed, lost his life because of his belief in freedom, -and the boy was obliged to help support the family at a tender age. He -went to Leavenworth, and there hired out to Alex Majors, who of that -day was the chief of the overland freighters into the far West. - -The boy was eleven years old--an age when most youngsters think only of -their play and of their stomachs. But Billie Cody had seen his father -shot down; he had nursed him and hidden him from his foes, and from -the dying pioneer had received a sacred charge. That was the care of -his mother and sister. It was necessary for him to earn a man’s wage, -not a boy’s. And to get it he must do a man’s work. He was a splendid -rider, even then--one of those horsemen who seem a part of the animal -he bestrode, like the Centaurs of which Greek mythology tells us. -Alex Majors needed a messenger to ride from train to train along the -wagon-trail, and he entrusted young Cody with the job. - -It was one that might have put to the test the bravery of a seasoned -plainsman. Indians and wild beasts were both very plentiful. There -were hundreds of dangers to threaten the lone boy as he rode swiftly -over the trails. Yet even then he began to make his mark. He had -several encounters with the Indians during his first season. As he says -himself, the first redskin he ever saw stole from him, and he had to -force the scoundrel--boy though he was--to give up the property at the -point of the rifle. This incident, perhaps, gave the youth a certain -daring in approaching the reds which often stood him well in after -adventures. And the reds learned to respect and fear Billie Cody. He -allowed his hair to grow long, to show the Indians that he was not -afraid to wear a “scalp-lock”--practically daring any of his red foes -to come and take it! - -So from that early day he had been active on the border. All knew -him--red as well as white. He had been an Indian fighter from his -eleventh year, the hero of hundreds of daring deeds, thrilling -adventures, and narrow escapes. He was as gentle as a woman with the -weak, the feeble, or with those who claimed his protection; but he was -as savage in battle as a mountain lion, and had well earned the title -bestowed upon him by his admiring friends--the Border King. His coming -to the fort now--if he could make it safely--was worth in itself a -company of reenforcements, for it put heart into all the besieged. - -“Never mind, Keyes! it is Cody, and he will get through,” called out -Major Baldwin to Captain Keyes, as the men were mounting. - -Captain Edward L. Keyes was a splendid type of cavalry officer, and -he was anxious for another brush with the redskins at close quarters. -He was disappointed, but as the man making the attempt to reach Fort -Advance was Buffalo Bill, the captain agreed with Major Baldwin that -“he would get through.” - -The Border King had turned his rifle now upon the Indian guards who -were trying to head him off by blocking his way with the large herd of -half-wild ponies which had been feeding in the valley. Indian ponies -are not broken like those used by white men. They are pretty nearly -wild all their days. The red man merely teaches his mount to answer to -the pressure of his knees, and to the jerk of the single rawhide thong -that is slipped around the brute’s lower jaw. And these lessons are -further enforced by cruelty. - -The odor of a white person is offensive to an Indian pony. A white man -has been known frequently to stampede a band of Indian mounts; and not -infrequently the mob of wild creatures has turned upon the unfortunate -paleface and trampled him to death under their unshod feet. - -Therefore, this opposition of the ponies was no small matter. They were -a formidable barrier to Buffalo Bill’s successful arrival at the gate -of the stockade fort. - -His rifle rattled forth lively, yet deadly, music, and his aim was -wonderfully true for that of a man riding at full speed. Emptying the -gun, he swung it quickly over his shoulder, and drawing the big cavalry -pistols from their holsters the daring scout began to fairly mow a -path through the herd of ponies. The slugs carried by the large-caliber -pistols were as effective as the balls from his rifle. The mob of -squealing, kicking, biting ponies broke before his charge, and swept on -ahead of him. Another cheer from the watchers in the fort signaled this -fact. The ponies were stampeding directly toward Fort Advance. - -“Out and line ’em up!” - -“We’ll corral the ponies if we kyan’t th’ Injuns!” - -“Throw open the gates!” commanded Major Baldwin, his voice heard above -the tumult. - -The command was obeyed, and Captain Keyes and his men galloped out to -meet the mob. - -In vain did the Indian guards try to head off the stampede. By having -left their ponies in the valley where the grass was sweet and long, -they had been caught in this trap. Instead of capturing Buffalo Bill it -looked as though he and the other whites would capture the bulk of the -Indian ponies! - -Oak Heart and the White Antelope, with a few mounted reds at their -back, thundered across the level plain and up the rise toward the fort. -But the pony herd and Buffalo Bill were well in the lead. - -The king of the border turned in his saddle, and waved his sombrero in -mockery at the Indian chief. Then the ponies dashed into the gateway -and were corraled, while the scout, still leading his packhorse, swept -in behind them. - -“On guard, all! The redskins will charge on foot to try and get their -ponies!” shouted the scout, as he came through the gate. - -His voice rose above the turmoil and brought the delighted men to their -duty. Major Baldwin echoed Buffalo Bill’s advice, ordering everybody to -their posts. - -“Be careful of the expenditure of powder and lead, men!” warned the -major, from his stand on the platform. “Remember we are running short.” - -“Don’t you believe it, major!” cried the voice of the scout, as he -dismounted in the middle of the enthusiastic throng. - -“What’s that, Cody?” - -“Strip the packhorse. I have brought you a-plenty of ammunition until -reenforcements can be had.” - -“God bless you, Cody, for those words! You have saved us,” cried Major -Baldwin, and there was a tremor in his voice as he glanced toward the -group of women and children. - -He came down from the platform, and wrung the scout’s hand, as he asked: - -“In the name of Heaven, Cody, where did you get ammunition? Surely, you -did not bring it all the way from Denver?” - -“No, indeed. I cached this over a year ago, major,” the scout replied -cheerfully. “It will hold those red devils off until help arrives. -You’ve sent to Fort Resistence, I presume?” - -“Sent, alas! But five men have died in the attempt.” - -“And not one got through?” cried Buffalo Bill. - -“Not one, Cody.” - -Buffalo Bill’s face assumed a look of anxiety--an expression not often -seen there. - -“I had called for another volunteer when you were discovered coming. -It was a splendid dash you made, Cody, and a desperate one as well.” - -“Aye,” said the scout gravely. “Desperate it was, indeed. But it -must be made again. This ammunition I have brought you may last till -morning; but the reds must be taken on the flank or they’ll hold you -here till kingdom come! - -“I’ll try to get through again, Major Baldwin. You must have help,” -declared the Border King sternly. - - - - -CHAPTER III. THE KING OF THE SIOUX. - - -Scarcely had Buffalo Bill uttered these cheering words when a babble of -cries arose from the watchers on the towers and the platform over the -gate. The redskins were gathering for a concerted charge, maddened by -his escape and the loss of their ponies. - -Saving a few chiefs, beside Oak Heart and the White Antelope none of -the reds were mounted. However, they were so enraged now that they -ignored the whites’ accuracy of aim and came on within rifle-shot of -the stockade. - -The ammunition brought on the packhorse led by the scout was hastily -distributed among the defendants of the fort, with orders to throw no -shot away. They were to shoot to kill, and Major Baldwin advised as -did “Old Put” at the first great battle in United States history--the -Battle of Bunker Hill--“to wait till they saw the whites of the -enemies’ eyes!” - -Powder was as precious to that devoted band as gold-dust, and bullets -were as valuable as diamonds. - -Major Baldwin took his position on the observation platform above -the gate, Buffalo Bill by his side, repeating rifle in hand, and -near them stood a couple of young officers as aids, and the bugler. -All were armed with rifles, and every weapon for which there was no -immediate need in the fort was loaded and ready. The women were in two -groups--one ready to reload the weapons tossed them by the men, and the -other to assist the surgeon with the wounded. - -The Indians came swarming across the valley in a red tidal wave. They -were decreasing their circle, and expected to rush the stockade walls -in a cyclonic charge. - -They quickened their pace as they came, and the weird war-whoop -deafened the beleaguered garrison. They came with a rush at last, -showering the walls with arrows and bullets, some of which found their -way into the loopholes. - -It was a grand charge to look upon; it was a desperate one to check. - -The whites had their orders and obeyed them. Not a rifle cracked -until the Indians were under the stockade walls, scrambling through -the ditch. Then the four six-pounders roared from the block-towers, -their scattering lead and iron mowing down the yelling redskins in the -ditches. - -Then volley upon volley of carbines, repeating rifles, and muskets -echoed the rolling thunder of the big guns. - -Not a few of the bullets and arrows entered the loopholes, and many -dead and wounded were numbered among the whites; but the carnage among -the redskins was awful to contemplate. - -The thunder of the big guns, the popping of the smaller firearms, the -screaming of the wild ponies corraled in the fort, and the demoralized -shrieks of the Indians themselves made a veritable hell upon earth! - -Above all rose the notes of the bugle sending forth orders at Major -Baldwin’s command. Now and then that piercing, weird war-cry of -the Border King was heard--a sound well known and feared by the -Indians. They recognized it as the voice of he whom they called -Pa-e-has-ka--“The Long Hair.” - -Indian nature was not equal to facing the deadly hail of iron and lead, -and the red wave broke against the stockade and receded, leaving many -still and writhing bodies in the ditches which surrounded the fort, and -scattered upon the plain. Slowly at first the redskins surged backward -under the galling fire of the whites but finally the retreat became a -stampede. - -The rout was complete. All but the dead and badly wounded escaped -swiftly out of rifle-shot, save one mounted chief. He was left alone, -struggling with his mount, trying to force the animal to leave the -vicinity of the fort gate. - -This was Oak Heart himself, the king of the Sioux, and his mount was a -great white cavalry charger that he had captured months before. This -was no half-wild Indian pony; yet the Indian chief, without spurs and -a proper bridle, could not control the beast. The horse had heard the -bugle to which he had been so long used. He was determined in his -equine mind to rejoin the white men who had been his friends, instead -of these cruel red masters, and he made a dash for the gate of the -fortress. - -In vain did Chief Oak Heart try to check him. He would have flung -himself from the horse’s back, but the creature was so swift of foot -and the ground was so broken here, that such an act would have assured -Oak Heart’s instant death. Besides, being the great chief of his -tribe, Oak Heart had bound himself to the horse that, if wounded or -killed, he would not be lost to his people which--according to Indian -belief--would be shame. - -Oak Heart had lost his scalping-knife, and could not cut the rawhide -lariat that held him fast. He writhed, yelling maledictions in Sioux -upon the horse; but he could neither check the brute nor unfasten the -lariat. - -His warriors soon saw Chief Oak Heart’s predicament, and they charged -back to his rescue. The White Antelope led them on, for she was as -brave as her father. - -Buffalo Bill had been first to see the difficulty into which the chief -had gotten himself, and springing down from the platform he threw -himself into the saddle, shouted for the gates to be opened, and -spurred his horse out of the fort. - -“Don’t shoot the girl!” the scout yelled to the soldiers lining the -walls above him. “Have a care for the girl!” - -But there was scarcely chance for the whites to fire at all at the -oncoming White Antelope and her party, before Buffalo Bill was beside -the big white charger and the struggling king of the Sioux. - -Out flashed the scout’s pistol, and he presented it to the red man’s -head. - -“Oak Heart, you are my prisoner! Yield yourself!” he cried, in the -Sioux tongue. - -At the same moment he seized the thong by which the Indian was -wrenching at the jaw of the white horse, snatched it from Oak Heart’s -grasp, and gave the big charger his head. The white horse sprang -forward for the open gate of the fort, and Buffalo Bill’s mount kept -abreast of him. The redskins dared not fire at the scout for fear of -killing Oak Heart. - -A volley from the soldiery sent the would-be rescuers of the chief back -to cover. Only the beautiful girl, White Antelope, was left boldly in -the open, shaking her befeathered spear and trying to rally her people -to the charge. The white men honored Buffalo Bill’s request and did -not shoot at her, or the Sioux would have lost their mascot as well as -their great chieftain. - -In a moment the scout with his prisoner dashed through the open gates, -which were slammed shut and barred amid the deafening acclamations of -the garrison. Major Baldwin was on hand to grasp Buffalo Bill’s hand -again, and as he wrung it he cried: - -“Another brave deed to your credit, Cody! It was cleverly done.” - -He turned to the chief whom the scout was freeing from the lariat that -had been the cause of his capture. The redskin king had accepted his -fate philosophically. His look and bearing was of fearlessness and -savage dignity. He had been captured by the palefaces, and so humbled -in the eyes of a thousand braves; but he was defiant still, and his -features would not reveal his heart-anguish to those foes that now -surrounded him with flushed faces. - -The stoical traits of the Indian character cannot but arouse admiration -in the white man’s breast. From babyhood the redskin is taught--both -by precept and instinct--to utter no cry of pain, to reveal no emotion -which should cause a foe pleasure. When captured by other savages, the -Indian will go to the fire, or stand to be hacked to pieces by his -enemies, with no sound issuing from his lips but the death-chant. - -And this Spartan fortitude is present in the very papooses themselves. -A traveler once told how, in walking through an Indian village, he came -upon a little baby tied in the Indian fashion to a board, the board -leaning against the outside of a wigwam. The mother had left it there -and the white man came upon it suddenly. Undoubtedly his appearance, -and his standing to look at the small savage, frightened it as such -an experience would a white child. But his voice was not raised. Not -a sound did the poor little savage utter; but the tears formed in his -beady eyes and ran down his fat cheeks. Infant that he was, and filled -with fright of the white man, he would not weep aloud. - -Oak Heart, the savage king, looked abroad upon his enemies, and his -haughty face gave no expression of fear. He was a captive, but his -spirit was unconquered. - -“This is a good job, Cody,” whispered Baldwin, glancing again at the -chieftain. “We can make use of him, eh?” - -“We can, indeed, major,” returned the scout. - -“But that crowd out yonder will be watching us all the closer now. How -under the sun anybody can get through them after this----” - -“Leave it to me, major,” interrupted Buffalo Bill firmly. “I am ready -to make the trial--and make it now!” - - - - -CHAPTER IV. BUFFALO BILL’S PLOT. - - -There was a look on Buffalo Bill’s face as he spoke that informed Major -Baldwin that the scout had already formed some plan which he wished to -make known to him. So the officer said: - -“Come to my quarters, Cody, and we will talk it over. Captain Keyes, -kindly take charge of the chief and see that he is neither ill-treated -or disturbed. Some of these boys feel pretty ugly, I am sure. We -have lost a number of good men, and two of the children have been -frightfully wounded by arrows coming through the lower loopholes.” - -When the major and the scout reached the former’s office, Baldwin said: - -“Are you in earnest in this attempt, Cody?” - -“Never more so, Major Baldwin. Help we _must_ have.” - -“No man knows the danger better than you do. I need not warn you.” - -“Quite needless, sir. I know the game from A to Z.” - -“Very true. But there are great odds against you.” - -“No man, I believe, sir, stands a better chance of getting through than -myself.” - -“That is so; yet, while many good men might be spared to make the -attempt, you are the one who cannot be replaced.” - -“Thank you, sir; but my life is no more to me than another man’s is to -him. If I’d been thinking of the chances of getting shot up all these -years, I reckon I’d turned up my toes long ago. I never think of death -if I can help it.” - -“It’s true, Cody!” exclaimed the major. “You act as though the bullet -wasn’t molded that could kill you.” - -“So the redskins say, I believe,” responded the scout grimly. - -“Yet your place cannot easily be filled,” the major said again. “If you -can get some other volunteer I wish you would. I don’t want to lose -you, Bill.” - -“Captain Keyes is anxious to go, sir, but----” - -“Oh, yes; Keyes is a daredevil whom nothing will daunt; but I refused -his request and those of my few other officers.” - -“Then I must go, sir.” - -“First, tell me about your mission,” said the major abruptly. - -“I delivered your despatches, sir,” said Cody, “and here are others for -you. On coming within a few miles of the fort I saw that several large -parties of Indians had passed, all seemingly making in this direction. -I knew what was up at once. I suspected that unless you had been lucky -enough to get a supply of ammunition before the reds closed in on you, -you’d run short; but there was that horse load we had to bury last year -when I was on the expedition with Captain Ames. So I went over there -and found it all in good shape. - -“I came mighty near losing it all, however,” added the scout, smiling, -“for in the very act of uncovering the stuff I was come upon by a -redskin on a good horse. It was kill or be killed, and before he could -either shoot me or knife me I had laid him out. - -“His war-bonnet and rigging made a pretty good disguise for me. And -certainly his horse came in handy. The animal was not a wild pony, but -had Uncle Sam’s brand on him. Where the red got him, Heaven only knows. -Some poor white man probably lost his life before he lost his horse. - -“However, I dressed up as near like an Injun as I could, and packed the -ammunition on the dead man’s mount. I made a détour so as to come up -from the west, and be opposite the main gate; for I knew about how the -red devils would swarm about you here. And I was not interfered with -until, coming out on that ridge, I had to throw aside my disguise, or -run the risk of being made a target of by some of your fellows in the -stockade here. I knew they could shoot better than the redskins,” and -Cody laughed. - -“So here I am,” the scout added, “little the worse for wear, major.” - -“And a more gallant ride I never saw. You have done nobly, Cody. The -ammunition will keep us going for some hours.” - -“Unless the redskins rush you too hard.” - -“You think they will try to charge again--and without their horses?” - -“Sure thing. Our capture of Oak Heart will stir ’em up worse than ever.” - -“They won’t wait until dark, then?” - -“I don’t believe so. That half-wild girl, White Antelope, will give -them no peace until they try to rescue her father.” - -“But you warned my men not to shoot her.” - -“That’s right. She’s Injun now,” said Buffalo Bill sadly. “But her -mother wasn’t a redskin, and perhaps some day, when old Oak Heart -passes in his chips, she may be gotten away from the savages.” - -“You knew her mother, then, Cody?” - -“Yes. And a noble woman she was.” - -“Yet she went to the wigwam of a dirty redskin?” - -“Ah! you don’t know the circumstances. It is a sad story, Major -Baldwin, and some day I’ll tell it to you. But don’t blame the -mother--or the unfortunate child of this strange union. _She_ would -make a beautiful woman if she were civilized, cross-blood though she -be.” - -“Well, well! It’s a sad case, as you say. I’ll pass the word to the -officers to instruct their men to spare the White Antelope wherever -they may meet her.” - -“Thank you,” said Buffalo Bill simply. “My scouts already know my -wishes on the subject. And now, major, I must get ready for my dash -through that mob again.” - -“It seems a wicked shame to let you go, Cody! Yet--we can’t beat off -many more charges even with this access of ammunition.” - -“You surely can’t. I must go.” - -“You have devised a plan, I can see.” - -“I have, sir.” - -“Well, sit here and tell me. The mess cook is preparing a hearty meal -for you. You can talk while you eat, Cody.” - -“Thanks for your thoughtfulness, major. I _am_ a little slim-waisted, -not daring to build a fire since yesterday.” - -“Just like you to neglect your own needs when others demand your -services.” - -“Ha, ha!” laughed the scout. “I had some desire to keep my scalp, as -well. The reds are too thick hereabout to make fire-building a safe -occupation.” - -“Well, sir, your plan?” queried the officer. - -“Why, it came to me when I saw old Oak Heart mixed up with that blessed -old white horse, you know. That old fellow is an ancient friend of -mine. I recognized him at once. And he never did love an Injun. I -wonder how Oak Heart managed to ride him at all.” - -“The horse, you mean?” - -“Sure. Well, as for the chief, we have him; but we never can make terms -with his tribe for his release.” - -“You think not?” - -“I _know_ so. The chief is a true Sioux. He would never allow his -people to make terms for his life. You could hack him to pieces on that -scaffolding yonder, where all the reds could see, and it would not -change the attitude of the crew a mite, excepting to make them more -bloodthirsty.” - -“Yes?” - -“So we can’t make terms with him.” - -“What do you advise, then?” - -“That you have a talk with Oak Heart. He understands English very well, -and what he doesn’t understand I’ll interpret for him.” - -“Go ahead, Cody,” said the major, laughing. “What are my further -instructions?” - -“Why, sir----” - -“You know very well, scout, that you are bossing your superior -officer. But it isn’t the first time. What shall I say to this red -rascal?” - -Cody’s smile widened and his eyes twinkled. - -“Just tell him that he has proved himself too brave an enemy to be -either kept in captivity, or punished.” - -“And set him free!” - -“Sure.” - -“But why?” - -“Because I can use him in just that way, sir.” - -“How?” - -“Let me explain. I’ll mount his horse--or the one he rode. I know the -splendid fellow well, as I told you. He belonged to Colonel Miles, and -a faster or better enduring animal is not now on the frontier. - -“I’ll put Oak Heart on my old black. The poor fellow is foundered and -will never again be of much value. We will ride out side by side.” - -“You will!” - -“Somebody must return Oak Heart to his people, you know. And I crave -permission to do that.” - -“All very well, Cody; but I don’t see your plan.” - -Cody laughed again. - -“I’ll make it plainer then, sir, by saying that I propose to paint and -rig up as old Oak Heart himself, and put _him_ in my togs.” - -“Jove, scout! That is a perilous scheme.” - -“It’s a good one.” - -“But you’ll be shot when they find you out.” - -“_When_ they do I’ll be a mile away. I’m going to ride on ahead toward -the mouth of the cañon. It’s the nearest road to Fort Resistence. I’ll -wave back the tribe as I advance, and they’ll think it is Oak Heart -ordering them. They’ll obey him, all right. _Then_ I’ll make a break -for it, and you can wager I’ll get through all right, and with that -white hoss under me nothing in that outfit can head me off or catch me!” - -“And the chief?” - -“Hold him back a bit at the stockade. When my horse begins to run, -let him go. If the beggars shoot him, it will serve the old scoundrel -right. At least, it will confuse the reds.” - -“A good idea!” exclaimed Baldwin. “And I really believe it is feasible.” - -“Sure it is.” - -“There doesn’t seem any better way to break through their lines.” - -“That’s right! Strategy must aid pluck in this game.” - -“Aye, and you’re the one to make the effort. But may I suggest an -amendment, scout?” - -“Just put it up to me, Major Baldwin. You haven’t been chasing Injuns -all this time without having learned a trick or two yourself.” - -“Thank you, Cody. Here’s my idea: Oak Heart will see through your -scheme and possibly signal his people the truth before you can reach -the cañon.” - -“I’ll have to run that risk.” - -“No use running any more risk than necessary. Why not take a second man -with you?” - -“Ah!” - -“Yes. One of you represent Oak Heart and the other be yourself. We’ll -hold the real chief back until you and your mate get to the cañon. -Then, by turning Oak Heart loose, we will add to the reds’ confusion, -as you say.” - -“Glorious! Fine, major! And I’ll take Texas Jack with me and let -_him_ play Oak Heart’s part. He makes a better Injun than I should. -And then--I know Jack. One of us will be sure to get through and reach -Resistence.” - -“Jack has been on duty night and day, Cody,” objected Major Baldwin. -“He volunteered to make the attempt before, but I vetoed it. I needed -his presence and advice. To let you both go is like putting all my eggs -in one basket and sending them to a dangerous market.” - -“He’s the man I want,” said Buffalo Bill firmly. - -“All right! Let Omohondreau be sent for,” the major said, turning to an -orderly. - - - - -CHAPTER V. THE DESPERATE VENTURE. - - -Texas Jack’s real name was Jean Omohondreau, and he came of a wealthy -and noble French family, although he was born in America. It is said -that he had refused the title of “Marquis of Omohondreau,” although -later he was known as “The White King of the Pawnees,” having been -adopted into that tribe and completely winning the confidence of the -red men. - -At this time Jack was smooth shaven, and with his deeply bronzed -features and piercing eyes and black hair he did not look unlike an -Indian. Besides, he had lived among the savages even more than Buffalo -Bill himself, and had that imitative faculty so general in French -people. He could “take off” the savage to the life. - -When Texas Jack came sleepily enough from his bunk, it took but a few -words from Cody to wake his old pard up. The moment Jack understood -what was wanted of him, he was in for the plan, heart and soul. - -Oak Heart, who had been entertained--possibly to his great surprise, -although he had not shown such emotion in his hard old face--by the -younger officers with food and drink, and some of the paleface’s -real tobacco, instead of dried willow bark, was now given a uniform -and slouch hat in place of his war-bonnet and beaded and befeathered -buckskin suit and gay blanket. - -The natural acquisitiveness of the Indian character, and the childish -joy they have in new finery, possibly made the chief ignore what was -done with his old garments. Texas Jack made himself look the Indian -brave to the life, put on Chief Oak Heart’s abandoned finery, and, -mounting the splendid white cavalry charger--but with saddle hidden by -his blanket--was ready to accompany Buffalo Bill. - -The latter sprang into the saddle of his claybank--“Buckskin”--and led -the way through the open gate. Behind them was the surprised Oak Heart -upon Buffalo Bill’s old black, and the soldiers were ready to set him -free the moment the two scouts had crossed the danger zone. - -The Indians had retired sullenly after Oak Heart’s capture, and White -Antelope had as yet been unable to rally them to another charge upon -the stockade. Their last charge had been disastrous, and they had not -only lost their principal chief, but had been unable to bring back to -their camping lines many of the dead and injured. But the belt of red -humanity still encircled the fort, and it was plain that they proposed -to abide there until such time arrived as could compass their revenge. - -Those of the less seriously wounded had dragged themselves back toward -their companions; but the others had been removed inside the fort and -were being cared for by the surgeon, after he had ministered to the -wounded whites. The dead redskins were let lie where they had fallen -for the time being. - -Oak Heart had noted the care taken of his wounded braves by the white -medicine-man. If this charity impressed him his immobile face showed no -emotion. He sat the horse that had been given him like a graven image. - -Now the moment had arrived for the departure of the two scouts from -the fort. As the pair dashed through the open gateway many good wishes -followed them. But the troops had been warned not to cheer. That might -apprise the redskins that some desperate venture was about to be made. - -“Good-by, Bill, and may God guard you!” cried Major Baldwin. “And you, -too, Texas Jack! I hope to see you both again.” - -Cody turned and waved his hand to him; but Jack, in the character of -the captured chief, looked straight ahead over his horse’s ears, and he -made no gesture. - -“We’ll bear toward the left, Jack, for our best plan is to strike for -the cañon,” said Buffalo Bill. - -“Right you are, pard. But don’t let’s make a dash till we hafter. We’ll -gain everything by keeping them red devils guessing.” - -“Sure’s you live, Jack! The moment the reds make a move for us, you -sign for them to go back. Keep ’em at a distance if you can.” - -“I will,” assured Texas Jack. - -“Sit up stiff, old man, and play the part right,” admonished Buffalo -Bill with a laugh. - -These courageous men could laugh in the face of almost certain death! - -“What d’ye suppose they think of it, Bill?” asked Jack. “They’re awake, -all right. I wonder what they think at seeing you bringing their -supposed chief back to them?” - -“I’d give a good deal to know just what they are _going_ to think,” -said Cody, more gravely. “But we’ll soon know.” - -“Betcher we will!” - -“It’s unnecessary to ask you, Jack, if you’ve got your shooting irons -ready?” - -“Ready and loaded, Bill.” - -The two scouts were as watchful as antelopes, and as cautious. But they -appeared to ride along at an easy lope, and in a most careless fashion. -This is the coolness born of long familiarity with peril; they could -meet death itself without the quiver of a nerve. - -They progressed but slowly, and the eyes of most of the red men were -fixed upon them. It was plain that the savages did not understand just -what was going forward when they saw he who appeared to be their king -riding thus quietly, and armed and caparisoned, with Long Hair, the -white scout. They could not understand why he was coming back to them -in company with Pa-e-has-ka. - -Soon they began to move forward in a body to meet the coming “chief” -and his comrade. - -“Give ’em the sign language, Jack. It’s time,” muttered Buffalo Bill. - -Omohondreau was an adept at this wonderful means of communication, -which was really a general language understood by the members of all -the red tribes. He raised first one hand, palm outward, and then the -other, and motioned the red men back. The warriors hesitated--then -obeyed. - -But a mounted figure came dashing from another part of the field, and -this silent sign manual did not retard it. - -“Face of a pig!” ejaculated Texas Jack, in the patois of the French -Canadian, and which he sometimes lapsed into in moments of excitement. -“Here comes that gal, Bill!” - -“The White Antelope!” exclaimed Cody. “I had forgotten her.” - -“Shall I warn her away?” - -“I’m afraid if you turned to face her she would see that you are not -Oak Heart.” - -“Quicker, then, Pard Cody!” - -“No. They might suspect.” - -“Heavens, Bill! What will you do when the girl overtakes us?” - -“Whatever comes handiest.” - -“I could put a bullet through her without turning,” muttered Jack. - -“You wouldn’t be so cruel, old man.” - -“Hang it, man!” exclaimed Jack in disgust. “She’s only a ’breed.” - -“No. You’ll not injure her. I have your promise, Jack,” said Cody -confidently. - -“But she’ll finish us if she suspects. I think she has a pistol,” said -Jack. - -“We’ll see.” - -“Hang it, Bill Cody! You’re the coldest proposition I ever came -across. I’ll eat this old war-bonnet--and it’s about as digestible as a -wreath of prickly pear--if we don’t have trouble with that gal.” - -Evidently White Antelope was much amazed by the fact that her father -did not even look in her direction, for she called some welcome to him -in Sioux. Neither of the scouts made reply, but both kept watch of her -out of the corners of their eyes. The girl, puzzled by the mystery, -half drew in her pony. - -The mob of Indians waited. That they were puzzled was evident; but as -long as they remained inactive the scouts’ chances were increased. - -“Can we make it, Pard Cody?” muttered Texas Jack. - -“If the girl doesn’t suspect too quick.” - -“She’ll queer us--sure!” - -“I hope not,” and Buffalo Bill looked grave. - -“If she comes nearer we’ll have to do something, Bill--as sure as -thunder she’s coming!” - -It was true. White Antelope had again spoken to her pony, and the -animal leaped forward. She came from the left, and Texas Jack rode -nearest her. - -“Keep on, Jack!” exclaimed Bill under his breath. - -He pulled back Buckskin and got around so as to ride between the -supposed Indian chief and the girl. Instantly White Antelope seemed to -suspect that all was not right. She raised her voice, crying in her -native tongue: - -“Why does the great chief not speak to his child? Oak Heart, my father, -it is I, your daughter, White Antelope, who calls you!” - -She was all the time riding nearer. There seemed no way to stop her, -and she must soon be near enough to observe that the supposed Oak -Heart was a false Indian. - -Fortunately the tribesmen were some hundreds of yards away from the two -scouts. But they heard something of what White Antelope said, and they -began to move forward, murmuring among themselves. They did not for a -moment suspect that this was not their great chief, but they believed -that something was wrong with him, and that Pa-e-has-ka had Oak Heart -in his power. - -“They’re coming, Cody!” whispered Texas Jack. “They’ll make a rush in a -moment.” - -“Sign them again!” commanded Buffalo Bill. “It’s our only chance.” - -“Think it will work?” - -“It _must_ work. We need a few moments more before we make a dash for -the cañon.” - -“But that gal----” - -“I’ll ’tend to her,” exclaimed Buffalo Bill. “Signal the reds to keep -back.” - -Again Texas Jack raised his hands and made the well understood sign. -But the Indians hesitated. They saw White Antelope still riding toward -the supposed chief and the scout, crying to her father to answer her. - -“Keep on for the cañon, Jack!” muttered Buffalo Bill beneath his breath. - -He jerked his horse to one side, turning to meet the Indian maiden. As -she rode down toward the scouts, her golden hair flying in the wind, -her lips parted, her eyes shining, she was indeed a beautiful creature. -Her beauty alone would have made any old Indian hunter withhold his -hand. And Buffalo Bill had a deeper reason for wishing no harm to -befall the half-breed daughter of Oak Heart. - -“What is the white chief, Pa-e-has-ka, doing with Oak Heart?” the girl -cried in Sioux, urging her pony toward the scouts. - -Buffalo Bill was riding with the rein of the claybank horse lying upon -its neck, and guiding him with his knees. His rifle lay across his -saddle, the muzzle pointing in the direction of White Antelope as she -rode near. He did not raise his voice, nor change the expression of his -face, for the scout knew that he was being closely watched by the crowd -of redskins in the background. But into his voice as he spoke he threw -all the threatening, venimous tone of a madman thirsting for blood. - -“The White Antelope, like her father, Chief Oak Heart, is in my power. -Do not make a single motion to show that you are startled, White -Antelope, for if you do my first bullet shall be driven through your -heart, and my second shall cleave the heart of your father!” - -These words, spoken with such wicked emphasis, seemed to come from a -veritable fiend instead of the placid-looking white scout. The White -Antelope’s great eyes opened wider, and she half stopped her pony. - -“None of that!” snapped Buffalo Bill in English, which he knew the girl -understood quite well. “Make a false move at your peril--and at your -father’s!” - -“My father----” began the startled maiden gaspingly. - -“Ride closer. Keep beside me, Oak Heart! I forbid you speaking to your -child!” - -Buffalo Bill’s commanding tone was most brutal. His eyes flashed into -the Indian maiden’s own as though he meant every word of his recent -threat. But the supposed Oak Heart’s shoulders shook. However, he kept -his head turned religiously away from his “daughter.” - -The seconds were slipping by, and the scouts were approaching very near -to the place where they would be obliged to turn sharply and make their -dash for the cañon. Despite their bearing off so far toward the left, -their course had been apparently toward the Indian lines. - -White Antelope, all the rich color receded from her cheeks, rode -beside Buffalo Bill on his left hand. She was not only frightened by -the scout’s threat, which he seemed to be able to fulfil, but she was -puzzled at her father’s inaction and seeming helplessness. She tried -to force her pony forward slyly so as to obtain a look at Oak Heart’s -features. - -“None o’ that!” commanded Buffalo Bill in quite as brutal and -threatening a tone as before. - -At the moment a wild yell rose from their rear--from the direction -of the fort. The girl turned swiftly to look. And so surprised were -the scouts to hear a disturbance in that direction, that they glanced -around, too. - -Out of the gateway appeared a black horse, and on its back a figure in -uniform and wide-brimmed hat. But as the horse dashed on the figure -snatched off the uniform hat, displaying the long, flying hair of an -Indian, and he broke into a shrill and terrible Indian war-whoop! - -On the heels of this another roar burst from the fort, and out of the -gateway piled a troop of mounted men--those soldiers that were first -to get upon their horses to pursue the wily Oak Heart. The latter saw -his daughter and knew her danger. Following his war-whoop, he shrieked -a warning to White Antelope. She understood the words he uttered, -although the scouts could not. - -The girl turned swiftly and saw Texas Jack’s painted face. - -“False paleface!” she cried. “You are not Oak Heart. The great chief is -_there_!” and she pointed back at the flying figure on the black horse. - -“It’s all up, Cody!” cried Texas Jack. - -Buffalo Bill leaned suddenly from his saddle and snatched from the -maiden’s belt the revolver which she cherished above most of her -possessions. He feared her ability to use this. - -“Off with you, Jack!” he cried. “Now’s our time!” and setting spurs to -his claybank he raced after Texas Jack toward the opening of the defile -which they had been so gradually and cautiously approaching. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. THE DASH OF THE SCOUTS. - - -So interested had the officers and garrison of Fort Advance become -in the attempt of the courageous scouts to reach the cañon entrance, -that they had quite neglected to watch the king of the Sioux. That -he understood fully the trick that Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack were -attempting to play upon his people was proven by the outcome. - -The savage chief sat his black horse in motionless gloom, and as though -his eyes saw nothing. Captain Edward Keyes had kept his file of men -in the saddle ready to make a break from the fort should the scouts -fall in need of some attempt at rescue. Otherwise, everybody was -crowding forward to look out of the gate, or, from the platform and -watch-towers, to view the work of the brave men who had gone from them. - -The black horse, on which Buffalo Bill had ridden so many times, but -which he had now been obliged to abandon because of its age and the -fact that he had been ridden too hard on one or two occasions, missed -its master. It had seen Buffalo Bill and his companion ride out of the -fort, and it desired to follow. Perhaps the horse did not approve of -the Indian that now backed him. - -However it was, it danced about a good deal, and champed at the bit, -and seemed to give the stoical chief considerable trouble. Twice it -started for the gate, and the soldiers headed it off. Likewise Oak -Heart drew it in hard with his hand on the bridle. It seemed as though -the chief had no expectation of leaving the fort until his white -captors were ready. - -But that was all the savage cunning of the chief. It was his cunning, -too, perhaps, that made the horse so nervous. He doubtless slyly -spurred him with his toe or heel, and kept the animal on the qui vive -all the time. - -Oak Heart could follow Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack with his eyes, and -he doubtless understood--now, at least--just what they were about. -Suddenly the White Antelope came into view, riding like the wind down -upon the two scouts. Oak Heart’s face did not change a muscle, but -just then his mount made a sidelong leap, and when he became manageable -again the black charger was just within the open gateway. - -Several moments passed. The white men’s attention was strained upon -the little comedy being enacted by the two scouts and the Indian -maiden. They could not hear, of course, but they could imagine that the -situation had become mighty “ticklish” for the scouts, knowing Buffalo -Bill’s objection to injuring the Sioux maiden. - -It was at this minute that the black horse made a final charge through -the gateway. Two men were knocked down, and Oak Heart threw himself -over to one side of the galloping horse, shielding himself with its -body from the guns of the surprised white men in the stockade. - -His wild yells had already apprised White Antelope of the deception. -Buffalo Bill had disarmed her, and the two scouts spurred on toward the -cañon. - -The hearts of the watching people at the fort were in their throats. A -general cry of dread burst from them as they saw the Border King and -Texas Jack turn abruptly toward the cañon. The Indians saw the act, -too, but for a few seconds did not comprehend it. They were slower -than White Antelope in understanding that the supposed warrior with -Pa-e-has-ka was a white man in disguise, and that the person careering -across the plain on the black charger was the real Oak Heart. - -The signals of Texas Jack in his character of Oak Heart had drawn many -of the Indians away from the cañon’s mouth toward the place for which -the supposed chief and Buffalo Bill seemed to be aiming. There were -very few left in the path of the reckless scouts. Yet those few must be -settled with. - -There were no mounted warriors near the cañon entrance. The great -scout had chosen his place of attack wisely. And there were few ponies -in the vicinity, anyway--not over two dozen at the most. The earlier -stampeding of the ponies had almost entirely dismounted Oak Heart’s -braves. The ponies that might follow, should the scouts get through -safely, neither of them feared, mounted as they were on such splendid -animals. - -“Let ’em out, Jack!” cried Buffalo Bill, as they made directly for the -cañon. - -“I hear you!” returned Texas Jack, smiling recklessly, and settling -himself more firmly in his saddle. - -The two were off like frightened deer. For some moments the Indians -were almost dumb with amazement. Then the war-whoop of Oak Heart was -answered by wild cries from all about the field. The reds knew that the -Border King had outwitted them, and as one man the mob of redskins made -for the entrance to the cañon, firing as they ran. - -The scouts did not return the fire. They kept their bullets for -targets nearer the path their horses followed. The nearer Indians were -converging swiftly at the mouth of the cañon. - -Behind, and nearest to the scouts, came Oak Heart and White Antelope, -who had waited to join her father. But neither of them were armed. When -Buffalo Bill snatched the revolver from the girl’s belt he had made a -good point in the game, for she was an excellent shot with the small -gun--for an Indian. - -Suddenly The Border King raised his rifle, and shot after shot rang -out. He fired at the Indians directly in front of him, gathering to bar -the way. There were now a score of them near enough to be dangerous. - -The repeating rifle sang deadly music, for several of the braves fell. -With the last shot from Buffalo Bill’s weapon, Texas Jack’s gun took up -the tune and rattled forth the death notes. They were now close to the -group of reds, and the shots forced the Indians to scatter. - -Instantly the scouts slung their guns over their shoulders and drew the -big pistols from the saddle-holsters. With one of these in each hand, -the scouts rode on. - -Theirs was indeed a desperate charge, and, although now hidden by the -nature of the ground from the bulk of the Indians, the encounter was -visible from the fort. - -The chorus of wild yells, the rattle of revolvers, the heavier -discharges of the old muzzle-loaders of the redskins, and the resonant -war-cries of the scouts themselves, were heard by the besieged. The -Border King and Texas Jack were having the running fight of their -lives. Would they get through alive? - -Suddenly a chorused groan arose from the white onlookers, while a -shriek of exultation came from those Indians who saw the incident. -Buffalo Bill’s horse gave a sudden convulsive leap ahead, then fell -to his knees. The scout loosened his feet in the stirrups, and, as -the brave Buckskin rolled over upon its side, dead, the scout stood -upright, turning his revolvers on his foes. Texas Jack, on the white -charger, tore on into the mouth of the cañon. - -Buffalo Bill had emptied the pistols which he had carried in his -saddle-holsters. Now, he stood beside his dead horse, with the pistols -drawn from his belt in either hand. He stood boldly at bay, and the -redskins went down before his deadly aim. - -The redskins’ triumph was short-lived. Texas Jack, seeing his partner’s -peril, turned his great white charger as quickly as might be. Back he -rushed to Cody’s side. - -“Up with yuh, pard!” he shouted. - -He whirled the big horse again. With a leap, Buffalo Bill sprang up -behind Texas Jack, his back to that of his partner, and again the horse -was headed for the cañon’s mouth. The four revolvers of the scouts spit -death into their foes at every jump of the horse. - -Those redskins who opposed the way either crumpled up and fell to the -rocks or dodged behind the boulders for safety. It seemed as though -their numbers were sufficient to make the scouts’ escape impossible; -the odds against the white men were all of ten to one! - -But the redskins’ shooting was wild, while the accuracy of the white -men’s aim was phenomenal. Many a red, just as he had drawn bead upon -the scouts, was struck by a pistol ball, and either knocked over -completely or his own shot diverted. - -The cheering of the garrison as they saw Texas Jack return for his -partner inspired the scouts. The last Indian went down before them and -was trampled under the hoofs of the charger that bore them both, and as -they shot out of sight into the gloom of the cañon’s mouth Buffalo Bill -removed his sombrero and waved it to the watchers on the fort stockade, -while his well-known war-cry rang over the field of battle! - - - - -CHAPTER VII. THE ACE OF CLUBS. - - -“We’ve got through, Jack!” - -“We sure have, Pard Cody.” - -“Anybody hurt?” - -“I got a couple of nicks from the pesky arrows,” said Omohondreau. -“But, shucks! them Injuns can’t shoot with a white man’s gun worth a -hoot in a rainwater barrel.... Yuh lost Buckskin, Cody.” - -“And sorry enough I am to lose the poor creature. He’s been a good nag.” - -“How about you, Pard Cody?” - -“A scratch from a bullet in my left shoulder. It’s bleeding a little, -but I won’t stop to fool with it now. And I got four arrows through my -clothes. Oh, we were lucky!” - -“Betcher life! We’ve been favored mightily.” - -“Thank God for it,” said Buffalo Bill devoutly. “I don’t expect often -to come through two such circuses in one day--and have nothing worse to -show for it.” - -“Right. Now, old man, what’s the program?” - -“Keep on. I don’t feel safe as long as we’re at the bottom of this hole -in the hills.” - -“That’s all right. But we haven’t got but one horse----” - -“I was thinking of that.” - -“And your thoughts?” - -“We can’t both ride this horse, good as he is, all the way to Fort -Resistence.” - -“Right again!” - -“One of us must push on for help about as fast as the horse can go.” - -“Sure.” - -“There isn’t much danger of the reds following us far, for their ponies -aren’t to be compared with this fellow--and they all know what he can -do.” - -“Well?” - -“Then you’d better let me go on, as soon as we come to the creek ahead -and shape ourselves up a bit, and you can scout around until I return -with help from Fort Resistence.” - -“Pard Bill!” - -“Yes?” - -“They need every rifle they can git in the fort, yuh know.” - -“They certainly do.” - -“Scouting around yere all night, I can’t do much good, and that’s a -fact.” - -“Very true, Jack! Very true.” - -“And I’ve got nothing to eat, while the maje and the folks at Advance -will be mighty anxious tuh know if yuh got through all right--ain’t -that so?” - -“Reckon you’re right, Jack.” - -“Then I’m goin’ to take a sneak back and try to git through the lines -after dark.” - -“No, you won’t, Jack Omohondreau. I veto that.” - -“Put the kibosh on it, do yuh?” asked Jack, leering back at his partner -over his shoulder. - -“I certainly do!” - -“Why, pard?” - -“There’s no danger going on now for help, so I’ll return to the fort -myself, while you strike out for Resistence and help. I got you into -this. I’m not going to shoulder the heavy part of the job off onto you.” - -“That’s like you, Cody! Always lookin’ for trouble to git into -yourself. But I’m going back.” - -“I say no,” replied Buffalo Bill firmly. - -“Now, see here!” exclaimed Jack, in some heat. “It’s my idea to go -back, and I’m going.” - -“Well, you needn’t stop here,” laughed Cody, as Jack, in his -excitement, brought the horse down to a walk. - -“You listen to reason!” exclaimed Texas Jack. “I speak the lingo all O. -K.” - -“I admit that.” - -“And I’m already playing Injun.” - -“Pshaw! That may be, but I can soon change my colors.” - -“You’re as obstinate as a mule, Cody!” - -“See here, Jack, I admit that the folks need us back there at the fort, -and one had better return, but I should be the one.” - -“Tell you what, pard!” exclaimed Jack, smitten with a sudden thought. - -“Well?” - -“We’ll draw lots to see who goes.” - -“I’ll beat you at that game, Jack!” cried Cody, with a laugh. - -“Don’t yuh crow too loud, old man,” said Texas Jack gaily. “When we git -to the creek we’ll see who’s who!” - -“I’ll go you, for my luck is good.” - -“I’m sure a child of fortune myself,” laughed Jack. - -They soon reached the creek, which cut across the cañon at its widest -part, spurting from under a ledge on one side, and disappearing with -a tinkle of falling water through a crack on the other--one of those -underground streams often found in the Rockies, which only by chance -ever come to the light of day. - -The scouts dismounted, making sure that all pursuit had been abandoned -by their mounted foes, at least, and washed and dressed their slight -wounds. In each man’s pouch was Indian salve, certain valuable herbs, -dried, and bandages rolled for them by the women of Fort Advance. Your -old frontiersman was no mean surgeon, and many a man to-day, whose -early years were spent on the border, owes his life to some rough but -prompt bit of surgery on the part of a pard with powder-stained fingers. - -“Now, we’ll draw lots to see who goes back,” said Cody. “Wish we had a -pack of cards.” - -“I got what th’ boys call a Sing Sing Bible,” observed Texas Jack, -drawing the pack from his pouch. - -“Good! We can’t take the time to play any game, but I’ll shuffle, you -cut, and the one who holds the ace of clubs goes back to Advance.” - -“Agreed. Shuffle ’em good, old man--though I feel I’m going to win -right now.” - -“You’re too cock-sure,” laughed Buffalo Bill. - -The scouts spoke in a light-hearted way, but each realized the terrible -ordeal that might fall to the one who attempted to return to Fort -Advance. Major Baldwin needed one of them as an adviser--and his rifle -would be an acquisition as well, for both Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack -were dead shots. - -The uncertainty and impatience of the entire garrison would be -relieved, too, if they were informed that one of the scouts had gone on -to Resistence and would surely bring help the next day. This knowledge -would put heart in the defenders of Fort Advance when the Indians -attacked, as they surely would after nightfall. - -The cards were shuffled by the chief scout, and then he held them in -his open palm. Texas Jack cut at a point about half-way down the pack. -One after another the pasteboards were discarded, and Buffalo Bill had -already displayed two aces, when suddenly his partner chuckled and -slammed down another card, face up. It was the fatal card--the ace of -clubs. - -“Got yuh that time, Pard Cody!” exclaimed Texas Jack in delight. - -Buffalo Bill looked regretful, while his partner was triumphant. - -“I told yuh I was a child of fortune,” laughed Texas Jack. - -“I yield, old man,” said Cody. “May your luck carry you through in -safety.” - -“I’ll git there--or the reds will know I tried,” said Jack with -emphasis. - -“Aye, that they will. Now I must be off, Jack. The horse is rested, and -he’s got a hard road to travel this night. I’ll be back with help as -soon as possible.” - -“You ought to make it by morning with any kind of luck.” - -“I’ll do my best,” declared Buffalo Bill. “And now good-by, old pard! -If you go under I’ll see that there are plenty of those red devils on -the trail to the happy hunting grounds to make up for your loss.” - -They wrung each other’s hands, and, although the spoken word was -light, the look in each man’s eyes showed a deeper feeling. Buffalo -Bill walked quickly to where the great white horse was feeding, and, -vaulting into the saddle, the horse, without urging, started into his -easy lope. - -Once the mounted scout looked back. Texas Jack stood in the middle of -the trail looking more like an Indian chief than ever, he was so silent -and stern of feature. - -They waved their hands briefly--a last farewell. Then the Border King -disappeared around a turn in the trail, and Texas Jack prepared for his -attempt, night now being not far away. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. FACING DEATH. - - -Texas Jack had been a ranchman in Texas since early boyhood. His -sentiments and affiliations were Southern, and when the war broke out -he joined the Confederate Army as a scout. He was a reckless, daredevil -fellow, yet high-minded, honorable to foe as well as friend. The noble -blood of the Omohondreaus showed through the rough manner of the hardy -frontiersman. - -It was Jack Omohondreau who came so near dealing an irreparable blow -to the Northern cause by capturing President Lincoln and taking him -South as a prisoner. How near the daring scout came to accomplishing -this very thing nobody but those few Confederates in the secret--and -possibly Lincoln himself--ever knew. - -However, when the Civil War was ended, Buffalo Bill, who had scouted -for the other side, found Jack in Kansas, and it was through his -influence that the young French-American was enlisted in the Federal -Army. - -He was of cheery nature, fearless to recklessness, strong as a grizzly, -and possessed of a handsome presence. Such was the man who had -determined to return through the ring of enraged Sioux to give comfort -and help to the besieged garrison of Fort Advance. - -He knew all that he had to risk, but, in his Indian disguise, and under -cover of the early darkness, he hoped to accomplish his purpose. If -captured by the redskins he well knew that death by the most frightful -torture would be his portion. The Sioux hated him almost as fiercely as -they hated Buffalo Bill. - -That he could speak their language was in Jack’s favor. And he knew -that if he chanced upon any bunch of the reds a word or two might -pass him through all right. Oak Heart had gathered several different -branches of the tribe together, and many of the braves must be -strangers to each other. - -The scout had already formed his plan of return to the fort. He had -reloaded his rifle and revolvers, seen that his knife was still in its -scabbard, and, after another long swig at the clear, running water and -a tightening of his belt, Texas Jack climbed one side of the cañon with -infinite caution. He could not return through the gorge itself, for he -did not know how near pursuit might be. And he wormed his way up the -steep ascent like a serpent, that he might not be observed from below. - -Night came upon him as he arrived on the summit of the timbered ridge. -The forest was a tangled wilderness, but he knew how to pass through it -without making the slightest disturbance, and, as he might come upon -the Indians at any moment, he was glad of the darkness and the thicket. -A few miles along this ridge and he would come out upon a bluff that -overlooked the valley in which Fort Advance was situated. - -He strode on lightly, yet swiftly--threading his way through the -trackless forest with a confidence which brought him straight to his -destination. And as yet he had not passed an Indian. - -The dash of the scouts into the cañon had drawn all the outposts from -the hills, and the redskins were either guarding the lower passes, -ringing the fort, or gathered about the camp-fires where the main -encampment had been established. - -When Texas Jack came out upon the bluff he could see these camp-fires -twinkling on the other side of the valley, although it was still light -enough for him to see all who moved below him. The encampment was at -the base of the southern hills, some two miles from the fort. Some -half-hundred ponies were feeding in the valley, with the guards about -them doubled. The loss of the bulk of the herd had been a severe blow -to the redskins, and Texas Jack knew that the Indians would put forth -every effort to retake them, should opportunity arise. - -Jack decided that Chief Oak Heart was probably at the encampment, -counseling with his old men and the other chiefs regarding the next -blow to be struck at Fort Advance. That plans of deviltry and cunning -were being hatched the scout was certain. - -Then he thought of the Border King flying along the trail to Resistence -for help, and he regained his courage. - -Awaiting with the stolid patience of a redskin for the night to deepen, -the scout finally pursued his march into the valley. He had carefully -weighed all chances for and against his success. Now he was ready to -take them. - -Night spread its wings over the valley. It hid its scars and wounds -and the stark bodies of the dead, lying under the fortress walls. In -the gloaming it might have been the most peaceful valley in all the -Rockies. One coming upon it suddenly, and unwarned, would never have -suspected the blood so recently spilled there and the threatening -aspect of the situation at that very moment! - -Texas Jack stole down the declivity with a step as light as the fall of -a leaf. The savage whom he imitated could have moved no more lightly, -and as he came into the valley itself he crouched and crept along like -a shadow. - -He knew that the red men would be moving about, passing and repassing -each other, and keeping up a tightening circle about the fort. They -would afford the opportunity for no other white man to escape from the -fort if they could help it. But they moved about as silently as the -scout himself, and as the redskin is notoriously silent, Texas Jack’s -ears were of little good to him in this emergency. - -An Indian is not troubled by military accouterments to rattle as he -walks; his moccasins are soundless, and he has schooled himself to -endure all those little discomforts of body or environment that cause -the white man to betray himself by either sound or movement. If a red -warrior lay in wait for an enemy the flies and other insects might half -eat him up without his betraying himself by a movement. He seldom has -catarrhal affections of the throat, or if he does stifles the desire -to cough or sneeze. He has, indeed, his whole body and mind under -perfect control. - -Therefore Texas Jack knew that the red men might be near--upon each -side of him--in his very path, perhaps, yet they passed and repassed, -silent as so many ghosts. - -Texas Jack crept but a short way from the base of the hill before he -lay flat down in the weeds and brush. There was a big rock on his right -hand, and he believed that that obstacle, looming up as it did in the -gloom, would keep anybody from walking over him. - -His reason for lying there was easily understood. From the dark ground -he could look upward and see any form passing between him and the -lighter sky-line. He wished to get a line on the pacing to and fro of -the sentinels. If there was any regularity regarding their beats, the -scout might be able to time his passage so as not to be seen at all. - -For if his presence was discovered, although his dress and appearance -might carry him through, still there was a grave danger that they would -not. There might be some password, for the redskins were shrewd, or he -might run against some chief going the rounds of his men to see that -all were properly placed. - -Suddenly a form seemed to rise out of the ground before the advancing -scout. It stood a moment directly between him and the lighter sky-line. -Then it passed on--silently as the wind over the grass. - -He heard a muffled grunt--a guttural Indian word--dropped by some -invisible redskin in the direction the figure had disappeared. Then -that, or another, sentinel returned and passed slowly across the line -of Texas Jack’s vision. He was quite near the lines of sentinels, and -he determined to lie there and, if possible, time their coming and -going before trying himself to get through. - -Once more the figure crossed the line of the scout’s vision. Texas -Jack lay, scarcely moving in the grass, and with fingers on wrist -counted his pulse while the Indian was in sight. In this way he learned -something of the time it took for the sentinel to pace from end to end -of his beat. He lay for some time and timed him back and forth to make -sure that there was some regularity in the redskin’s actions. - -Then, at the right moment--as the sentinel passed out of view in one -direction, Texas Jack darted forward like a serpent through the tall -weeds. Although he ran on his feet and touched but one hand now and -then to help retain his balance, the scout’s body could never have been -seen above the waving tops of the grass and weeds. - -For several rods he ran in this way and then dropped down again, -panting, hugging the earth, flattening his body upon it, and waiting -with every nerve on the qui vive to discover if his actions had been -noted. - -And well he knew that, if the sentinel had seen him, no shout--no -sound--would be raised. The red would sneak up behind him, and his -first audible sound would be the cry of triumph when the scalping-knife -was plunged into the scout’s back! - -Jack twisted his neck to see back over his shoulder. After a moment the -Indian sentinel appeared again. He walked upright. Jack could see his -nodding topknot of feathers, and that he carried a gun of some kind. He -passed on without even glancing in the scout’s direction. - -“Thanks be for that!” thought the scout. “Now, what’s ahead?” - -That the Sioux had but one ring of sentinels around the fort he knew -was not the fact. There were two lines at least--possibly three. He -raised his head like a turtle stretching from its shell and tried to -pierce the gloom of the valley. - -And then it was that he suddenly beheld a tall figure standing -motionless not far ahead of him and almost in his path. It was a chief -of some importance from his war-bonnet, and he had perhaps been going -the rounds of his sentinels. Now he stood motionless, his back to the -scout, looking toward the fort, one elbow leaning upon a broken stub -of a tree, the other hand holding his rifle, hanging idly by his side. -The chief was evidently in a reverie--or was he listening? Had he heard -the scout’s breathing--or some other sound that warned him of the white -man’s presence? - -The question seared Texas Jack’s brain. It startled him to action. This -was no moment for taking chances. - -He rose up like a shadow, and, with great, catlike strides, stole -upon the statuelike Indian. It went against the grain for the scout -to strike even a redskin from behind. Man to man and face to face in -a fair struggle would have pleased Texas Jack better. But the entire -success of his attempt to reach the fort depended upon the action of -the next few seconds. - -Suddenly the chief began to turn--with a jerking motion which showed -that he was startled. Some instinct told him that there was an enemy at -hand. Perhaps his lips were already opened to give a warning call. - -Like a stone from the sling the scout leaped forward--as the panther -leaps! His knee found the small of the Indian’s back; his left had -clutched his throat like a vise; his right drove his keen blade -downward--_and home_! - -The redskin crumpled and fell without a sound upon the earth. Not even -a cough or death-rattle proclaimed the passing of his spirit. And the -number of seconds occupied in the killing were infinitesimal. One -moment the red chief stood there leaning on the broken tree; the next -Texas Jack, in his Indian garb, had taken his place and assumed his -attitude! - -Unless some member of the tribe had been near enough to watch the chief -continuously, this action of the scout’s was inspired. The chief had -gone down and lay dead under his feet; the white man had taken his -place, and for several moments, while he recovered his breath, he stood -there in the exact attitude the real Indian had assumed in life. - -Carefully he scrutinized his surroundings as closely as might be for -the gloom. He became aware at length that a warrior was stalking toward -him from the left--undoubtedly one of the sentinels. This man came on, -saw the supposed chief standing by the tree stub, and made a gesture as -though he were saluting his superior. - -“Ugh!” muttered Texas Jack in an excellent imitation of an Indian -guttural. He did not care to risk his Sioux intonation if he could help -it. - -The sentinel went on. Texas Jack was about to change his position -and make for the fort when he saw the sentinel who had just passed -and another, returning. They would pass him very closely. Did they -suspect? Had the first brave become suspicious, and was he bringing -the second to help him attack the supposed chief? - -The thought sent a chill to the heart of the courageous scout. -It seemed to him that, thus early in the game, he had come to a -death-struggle with the redskins! - - - - -CHAPTER IX. BREAKING THROUGH THE RED CIRCLE. - - -Slowly the two braves approached Texas Jack’s position. The scout dared -not change his attitude--he could not afford to put the men on guard if -they _were_ still unsuspicious of him. - -His rifle-butt rested on the ground; his elbows leaned upon the tree -stub; he stared straight across the valley to where the camp-fires -twinkled, and to where two or three points of light, and the gloomy -outline of the tall stockade, proclaimed the presence of the fort. - -Would the two warriors speak to him?--or would they respect his -apparent reverie and pass on? - -Out of the corner of his eye Texas Jack watched the coming sentinels. -Every muscle and nerve in his body was strained for a spring. He had -made up his mind already what action he should take did the reds show -that they meant to accost him. - -He did not wish to fire his gun and so call every Indian in that part -of the valley to the spot. He gripped instead his rifle by the muzzle, -and the instant one of those savages came within reach he would whirl -up the gun and bring its stock with crushing force down upon the man’s -head! - -Then the knife for the second brave! That was all he could do. If he -were not shot or tomahawked first, he could finish both of the reds -without making much disturbance. The main difficulty would be to stifle -their death-yells, as he had that of the chief at his feet. - -So he waited, his body sweating, although it was a chill night, -uncertain as to what the warriors would do. They were talking in low -tones; this in itself gave the scout some hope. Had they intended -attacking him their plans would have been made before they came so -near, and there would be no need of conversation. - -The seconds numbered as the warriors came on seemed centuries long to -the scout. But at length he saw that they were passing him quietly. -They glanced at him, but he stood haughtily aloof, and the braves were -not encouraged by his manner to speak. He saw them go with a relief -that almost unnerved him! - -He could not risk their coming back. The instant they were out of sight -the scout stooped, stripped the dead man of his gun, bow and arrows, -and knife, and in a crouching position ran agilely forward to where -a clump of young trees loomed up in the path, a hundred yards to the -front. - -There he dropped down and lay a moment, listening. Not a sound from -those behind; not a sound from any redskins before him. Had he at last -gotten through the lines completely? - -He could not really believe this good fortune was his so easily. He -stood up at last and peered all about. And suddenly, just as he was -about to move forward once more toward the fort, he heard the stamp of -a pony’s hoof on the other side of the clump of trees! - -The sound dropped Texas Jack to the ground like a rifle-shot. Had he -been seen by the rider of the pony? Or did the pony have a rider? It -might be one escaped from the herd and roaming at will about the valley. - -The pony stamped again. There was no other sound. - -“I’ve got tuh find out what’s doin’ there before I make another break,” -muttered the scout. “And here goes!” - -The thicket was a closely woven one. Did he try to pass through it with -his guns and other accouterments he might make some disturbance. So -he left everything but his pistols, knife, and the bow and arrows he -had taken from the dead chief on the ground, and began to worm his way -through the brush-clump. - -Once he made some little noise by catching a part of his clothing on a -brittle branch. Instantly he halted and made the squeaking grunt of the -porcupine. His imitation of animals was perfect, and a porcupine might -easily be on the still hunt in the thicket-patch. - -The pony did not change its position. Jack knew. So, after a moment of -waiting, the scout risked moving on. He came finally to the edge of the -brush, and there the horse stood--not three yards away from him! - -And from where he crouched the scout could see more than the bulk of -the pony’s body against the sky-line. It was bestrode by an Indian in -head-dress and blanket. It was doubtless one of the chiefs who had -started to ride around the fort. Would he ride on and not suspect the -presence of the white man in the bushes? - -But perhaps, in his nervousness, Texas Jack had not imitated the -porcupine true enough to satisfy the keen ear of the Indian. Or else -the porcupine’s grunt was a private signal between this chief and his -own men. - -However, Texas Jack saw the redskin force his pony nearer the thicket, -and he heard its rider twitter like a bird disturbed at night in its -nest. - -“Old man, you’ve got the best of me!” thought the scout. “I can’t -answer that signal, for I don’t know what the answer _is_. It’s a bad -thing for you!” - -There was no time for hesitation. Again the scout had to take life or -be killed himself. The scout was a good shot with the bow and arrows as -he was with rifle or pistol. And he must use a silent weapon to get rid -of this foe. - -It was too far to leap with his knife. The bow and arrows of the dead -chief came in handy. In a flash the crouching scout fitted an arrow to -the bowstring and drew the shaft to its head. There he waited, still as -a graven image, until the horse and rider were almost upon him. - -Then he let drive the arrow. It sped with fearful force, aimed at the -throat of the red chieftain that all death-cry might be stilled. - -True was the aim and fatal the shot. The arrow penetrated the Indian’s -throat, and its head stuck out a hand’s breadth at the back of his -neck. Without a sound the Indian toppled from the pony’s back. - -The horse snorted and sprang forward. His escape might have been as -dire a calamity for the scout as the death-yell of the chieftain. If -the pony dashed away across the valley, the sentinels would surely be -aroused. - -But the animal made but one leap. Like a shadow Texas Jack leaped up -and caught the rawhide bridle which had been snatched from the dead -man’s hand. He brought the pony to an abrupt halt. Instantly he swung -himself upon the bare back of the animal, well used to riding Indian -fashion, and guided him to the other side of the thicket, leaving the -chief where he had fallen. He did not stop to strip him of his arms; he -had quite all he could carry, and he wanted his own rifle. - -All seemed to have gone well, and it looked to the scout at that moment -as though the way before him to the fort was clear sailing. But just as -he was congratulating himself on this belief a wild and ear-splitting -yell arose on the night, and from a spot not far in his rear. First one -voice and then another took up the yell--it was the warning of the red -man when he finds the trail of the secret enemy! - -Texas Jack knew well what it meant. The first Indian he had killed, and -whose place beside the dead tree he had taken, had been found by the -sentinels. They knew that some shrewd enemy had been at work, and their -yells aroused the braves all over the valley. - -The cries told the redskins as plainly as words that some white man -was trying to break through their lines. Major Baldwin had thrown a -line of sentinels outside the stockade, and these heard the cries and -understood as well. They passed back the word that either Buffalo Bill -or Texas Jack was coming. - -And so the scout was coming--on the back of the half-wild Indian pony. -The danger behind him was great, nor was that still ahead slight. -Some of the young braves, eager for scalps, had crept forward in the -darkness, hoping to shoot some white man on the towers, or one that -ventured beyond the stockade walls. As the war-whoop was raised these -young braves started back for their lines on the jump. - -One of them saw the scout coming up the hill at full speed. Although -Texas Jack was still in Indian dress, the warrior decided that no -honest redskin would be riding in that direction at such a pace! - -He fired suddenly. So did the scout. The aim of both was true, for the -Indian’s bullet killed the pony Jack was riding, and Jack’s bullet -killed the Indian himself. - -Although badly shaken by his fall from the pony’s back, Texas Jack was -on his feet in an instant and was running at topmost speed for the -fort. He suspected that there would be a line of sentinels outside the -stockade, and he raised his voice as he ran: - -“Hold on, men; it’s Texas Jack! Don’t shoot!” - -A cheer was the answer from the fort, while the Indians in the rear -who heard uttered their war-whoop again and fired a scattering volley -in the direction of the scout’s voice. But he was not hit, and, a few -minutes later, he passed in through the gateway of the fort. - -Proud of his deed, as he had good reason to be, he shouted: - -“Slightly disfigured, boys, but still in the ring!” - -The commander greeted the scout joyfully, but with his next breath -asked anxiously: - -“But Cody?” - -“Is a long way on his ride to Resistence, sir.” - -A cheer greeted this reply. - -“Thank God for that good news! I trust you were not hurt on your way, -Jack, though you _did_ raise a merry rumpus in the Indian camps.” - -“Well, now! Didn’t they turn loose for a few minutes, sir? But I got -only a shake-up, for I got too proud to walk, and the pony I cabbaged -took a header with an Injun bullet in him. Somebody got worse hurt than -I did, though, and I’m not kicking a little bit, as luck came my way.” - -“And it came our way, too, Jack! We’re mighty glad to have you back.” - -“Oh, that was my luck, too!” said Jack, laughing. “Buffalo was bound to -come and send me on to Resistence with the news, but I wouldn’t hear to -it, and finally we drew lots and I won.” - -“Next to Cody himself you’re the man I want,” declared Major Baldwin; -“for, although all my officers and men are true as steel--and able, -too--your experience is worth much, not to speak of the value of your -rifle. Your coming and the knowledge that Cody has got through all -right gives us a new lease of life.” - -The major’s praise tinged the bronzed cheek of the scout with blushes, -and he hurried away to remove his war-paint and to change into more -civilized garments. - - - - -CHAPTER X. THE RIDE TO THE RESCUE. - - -The Border King, after leaving Texas Jack in the cañon, did not spare -the white horse he rode, for he was riding to save many human lives. - -He had known this horse when he was the favorite steed of Colonel -Nelson A. Miles, and the scout well knew the endurance of which the -horse was capable. - -The creature had been captured by Oak Heart, the king of the Utah -Sioux, in an attack on a military camp, and Colonel Miles had told -Cody to try and get him back from his Indian master. - -“I hate to think of the old fellow being handled by that red scamp. Get -him back, Cody, and he’s yours,” the colonel had told the scout. - -And now Buffalo Bill had the long-barreled, strong-limbed racer under -him, and he was proving himself as fleet as a deer and as tireless as a -hound. - -“The colonel used to call you Runaway, I remember,” said the scout, -talking aloud to the handsome creature, and patting the side of his -neck with a tender hand, “and what Oak Heart christened you I don’t -know, but I shall call you after your redskin master, and it shall be -Chief.” - -The horse snorted and tossed his head as though he understood what was -being said to him, and hour after hour, mile after mile, he kept up his -steady lope--that long, free canter that takes the Western range horse -over so long a trail in so short a time. - -Darkness fell soon after Cody rode away from Texas Jack. He hoped to -reached the military post for which he aimed before midnight. And he -was not mistaken. The new day had not commenced when the scout on his -white charger thundered up to the gates of Fort Resistence. - -“Halt! Who comes here?” rang out the sentinel’s challenge. - -“All right, pard! This is Scout Cody with an urgent message for the -commander. Let me in!” - -“By thunder! Is it really you, Buffalo Bill?” cried the sentinel over -the gate. - -“What’s left of me after about the hardest day’s work of my life.” - -“Injuns?” - -“And a-plenty of them. Hurry up, old man! This is no place for gossip,” -urged the scout. - -“Wait till I call the corporal,” exclaimed the curious sentinel. Then: - -“Corporal of the guard! Corporal of the guard! Rouse up, corporal! -There’s somebody at the gate!” - -Half the garrison was aroused by the shouting. The corporal came on the -run, saw who it was without, and let the scout and his dripping horse -within. - -“Injuns, sure, Cody?” asked those who were awake. - -“Fort Advance has been surrounded for three days by a thousand red -devils under Oak Heart!” exclaimed Cody to the officer on duty. “I must -see Colonel Royal at once.” - -The commander of the fort had gotten out of bed already, and he -received the scout in his nightshirt. - -“Is this true, Cody?” he cried. “Is Major Baldwin threatened?” - -“Why, sir, your scouts must have been hived up for a week past if they -haven’t seen Injun signs,” said Cody earnestly. “For three days the -Sioux have held the garrison of Fort Advance prisoners, and five men -have been killed trying to get to you. They’re pretty nearly out of -ammunition.” - -“My God, Cody! You astonish me. I’ve had the scouts working through the -country on the other side, trusting to hear from you if anything went -wrong in the direction of Advance.” - -“I’ve been to Denver, sir. Just got back to-day. I managed to run in -half a packload of ammunition that I had cached, and then Texas Jack -and I got through the lines again late this afternoon and--here I am!” - -“Texas Jack! He’s not killed, I hope?” - -“I don’t know. The reckless fellow _would_ try to go back to cheer the -fort with the news that I had got away safely.” - -“That’s enough now, Bill. You’ll get something to eat, and if you are -going back with the men I send----” - -“You bet I am. I got a fellow to rub Chief down, and he’ll be good for -it.” - -“Your horse? Well, I’m off to see things prepared.” - -The energetic commander at once ordered his adjutant to call out two -troops of cavalry, mount two companies of infantry, and, with a couple -of light guns, to start to the reenforcement of Fort Advance. Extra -supplies and ammunition were to be taken in ambulances. - -Captain Alfred Taylor, of the Fifth Cavalry, was given command of the -expedition, and ordered to start within the hour. They tried to get -Cody to take some rest, for more than twenty-four hours the scout had -been active, most of the time in the saddle, and part of the time -fighting for his very life, but he was determined to go back with the -party of reenforcements. - -When it pulled out from Post Resistence Buffalo Bill rode ahead as -guide, while half a dozen of Colonel Royal’s scouts went along to guard -the flanks, and to clear out the cañon when they came to it. Cody felt -that Oak Heart, knowing that the white men had got through his lines -and were probably making for Resistence, might send a part of his force -forward to meet any rescue party coming to the aid of the garrison of -Fort Advance. - -And the wise scout had not been mistaken in this. Perhaps one reason -why Texas Jack had succeeded so easily in returning to Fort Advance -was because the king of the Sioux had drawn off quite three hundred of -his braves for special duty, and sent them along the track toward Fort -Resistence. - -The easiest and shortest trail between the two forts was through the -cañon, and this Oak Heart well knew. He ordered the chiefs in charge of -the three hundred to ambush the rescue-party near the entrance to the -cañon at the other end, and not long before Cody and the other scouts, -riding ahead of Captain Taylor’s command, came within shouting distance -of the cañon the bloodthirsty savages were hidden among the rocks and -trees on the sloping sides, ready to pour a deadly fire into the band -of rescuers when they came along the trail beneath them. - -While yet the scouts were some distance from the cañon something -startled them ahead. Tearing along the trail toward them came a herd of -deer, frightened from their night’s lair by something untoward. - -“Now, what under the canopy started _them_ to running?” asked Cody, who -never let anything go past him unexplained. - -“Wolves, it’s likely,” said one of the Resistence scouts named Judd. - -“Haven’t heard a wolf howl to-night,” declared Buffalo Bill. - -“You’re right there, pard,” said another scout, Barney by name. - -“And there was no critter on the trail of those white-tails,” said a -third man. - -“That means Injuns, then,” declared Barney. - -“I reckon you’re right, boys,” said the Border King. “Let’s see. Those -deer came directly from the cañon.” - -“You bet they did.” - -“Something doing there, then, boys.” - -“I reckon you’re right, Buffler.” - -“Here, Barney, you ride back and tell Captain Taylor to halt his -column. Judd, you and I leave our horses here and go ahead to -reconnoiter. Savvy?” - -“Sure!” - -Barney rode back. Judd and Buffalo Bill discarded their mounts and went -ahead afoot. - -Oak Heart was a born general, and, like old Colorow, of the Utes, -displayed abilities in planning his campaigns that placed him head -and shoulders above the average redskin chieftain. There have -been few great warriors among the red Indians. Red Jacket, Black -Eagle, Tecumseh, Colorow, and a few others have possessed unnatural -characteristics for redskins, and that is why they left their mark on -Indian history. - -And Oak Heart had sufficient control over his warriors to make them do -something which above all things a redskin hates. He made them fight at -night! - -Now, the Indian is a spiritualist of the most pronounced breed. By day -the spirits of the dead, and those powerful beings which he believes -control men’s affairs, sleep; by night these supernatural beings -walk abroad, and no Southern darky is more afraid of seeing a ghost -than a redskin. The medicine chiefs, who are, most of them, a set of -unconscionable fakers, foster this belief in ghosts and evil spirits -and so prey on the tribes. - -Indians often select the hour just before dawn to strike their enemies, -because at that time man usually sleeps more deeply. But to make a -forced march and lay an ambuscade in the middle of the night--well, -this proved Oak Heart’s mastery of his tribe. Buffalo Bill suspected -that the herd of deer had been frightened by something more than a -single redskin--or a small scouting-party of them. He knew Oak Heart’s -abilities and respected them. Rash as the scout might be at times, he -never took foolish chances. To lead the rescue-party into the head of -the cañon might bring it to complete ruin. - -“Judd! you take the west side of that gorge, and I’ll go east,” he -commanded his brother scout. - -“How’ll I communicate? Signal?” - -“No! If there are many of the reds they have already frightened -away most of the small animals that we might imitate, and to give a -bird-call would utterly ruin us. No bird will be waking up at this time -o’ night--ugh!” - -“Well, what then?” demanded the other. - -“Never mind what you find, keep still. Meet me here--in twenty minutes -if possible; not later than half an hour from now, at most.” - -“Half an hour?” - -“Yep. And remember, a confounded lot can happen in half an hour,” added -Cody, with a chuckle. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. A BUSY HALF-HOUR. - - -Buffalo Bill had spoken a truer word than he thought. A great deal may -happen in thirty minutes, and the Border King, as he separated from his -brother scout, was unconsciously approaching a series of startling and -perilous happenings. - -The moment the darkness had wiped Judd out of sight the wary scout -turned eastward from the trail. The brush was thick and hung heavy with -the dew of the mountains--and that might as well be rain. Every twig he -touched communicated to its parent branch a shiver that showered him -like a patent bath. He kept the lock of his magazine rifle under his -armpit, pulled down the brim of his sombrero to shield his face, and -walked swiftly on for some few yards. Yet he made wonderfully little -noise. - -Having begun to climb rising ground, he here bore off toward the gorge, -or cañon. If Oak Heart had laid an ambush there, the reds would be -hiding in the brush, behind logs, and sheltered by boulders, all along -the sidehills for some hundreds of yards. Buffalo Bill proposed to make -a wide enough détour to get well behind the ambushed foe. - -By chance, however, he came suddenly upon a slope of gravel and sand, -and stepped upon it before he realized the shifting nature of the soil. -A stream of small pebbles began rattling down the hill! - -Instantly Buffalo Bill learned that his suspicions had been well -founded. The Indians were there. - -He heard a startled grunt below him. Then in Sioux a voice asked a -brief question. - -“Bear?” returned a second Indian. - -There was a sound as though one of the speakers had risen from his -place. Buffalo Bill cast his mind quickly over the situation. The -suggestion that a bear might be lurking about the sidehill seemed the -most reasonable. A bear is notably a blundersome beast, and the wind -was not from the ambushed redskins. The scout grasped the idea. - -He sent another small avalanche of gravel down the slope, and then -floundered a bit in the brush. His ability to imitate the voices of -birds and animals was very keen; but it is not easy to imitate the -gruff, startled “woof!” of the marauding bear. However, he essayed it -and then stamped away up the hill through the brush, making a deuce of -a clatter till he reached an open space. He hoped that the reds would -take his play-acting in good faith; yet he could not help having his -doubts. He considered that, had he been in their place, he would have -felt strong doubt regarding the validity of the sound, and would have -investigated. - -Therefore he slipped behind an enormous tree trunk at the edge of this -opening and waited to see if the supposed bear would be followed. -Minute after minute passed, and a deathlike silence reigned upon -the hillside. Buffalo Bill was wasting time, but he was too wary to -approach closer to the Indians--near enough to learn their numbers -at least--until he was assured that his first mistake had not borne -perilous fruit. - -Sharp as his hearing was, however, he did not hear a footfall, or a -breath; yet of a sudden a figure was silhouetted before him against the -open space in the forest. An Indian stood there with folded arms, his -back to the scout, and facing the clearing! - -One of the reds whom Cody had disturbed was not satisfied with the -imitated retreat of the frightened “bear.” He had come to investigate -and stood now almost within striking distance of the scout. But the -latter feared to shoot him, of course; nor did he trust to a fling of -his tomahawk, or knife. There were too many uncertainties about either -of those methods of removing the redskin. To steal from behind the tree -and spring upon him was another difficult thing, for the ground was -strewn with rustling leaves and twigs, and the scout feared to announce -his approach. - -To his disgust, too, the Indian turned and began searching about the -edge of the forest. Cody saw him step cautiously behind two trees -and stick the muzzle of the old-fashioned musket he bore into a -brush-clump. The red was trying to learn if the creature that had made -all that “catouse” was still in the vicinity. - -Instantly the scout glanced about in the gloom for a means of hiding -himself more surely. In a minute the red would come his way. - -Directly above his head he saw a branch. He slipped the strap of his -rifle over his head and shoulder, thus leaving his hands free, seized -the branch, and drew himself up carefully as an acrobat does when -he “chins” the horizontal bar. Without a sound, or the rattle of a -button or an accouterment, the scout drew himself into the tree. Three -branches sprang from the butt low down, so furnishing him a splendid -nest. - -He removed his gun and stood it upright, wedged in a niche. Then he lay -down along the lower branch, his body in the darkness merely adding -a darker shadow to it, and watched and listened. No mountain cat was -better ambushed for a foe. His guns he loosened in their scabbards, and -then, drawing his bowie, he stuck it softly into the branch within -easy reach of his hand. - -At that instant there was a soft rustling in the leaves which covered -the ground below. Cody craned his neck to see. The Indian in a stooping -posture came into view. He halted directly under the limb on which the -scout lay. It seemed too dark for him to see any mark that the scout -might have left, yet he seemed wonderfully interested in the tree and -the ground beneath it. - -Cody could see the outline of his figure very well indeed. How much -sharper the red’s vision might be he did not know; but he was not -taking any chances. He noted that the red scamp faced the tree trunk -and was apparently examining the rough bark for recently broken -places. Was it possible that the fellow was really stumbling upon the -truth--that a man had climbed this tree? Or was he feeling for the -marks of a bear’s claws? - -However, Cody decided the red had gone far enough. Besides, the fellow -was temptingly near. He was a small, wiry man weighing little more than -a hundred pounds. - -Cody stooped suddenly, and both his muscular hands clutched the -Indian around the neck--one before, one behind. And with this awful -grip--which cut short any attempt to breathe, let alone to cry out--he -lifted the redskin off his feet! - -As was only natural, the red dropped his gun and clutched with both -hands at the hand which pinched his windpipe. He kicked vainly for -freedom. Before he could drop his hand to his knife and draw that, Cody -jerked him upward till the top of his head struck with fearful force -against the under side of the tree branch. He could actually hear the -redskin’s crown crack! - -The foe’s hands dropped limply; yet Cody held on and squeezed his -throat for a minute longer. Then he dropped the fellow like a bag of -bones to the ground. - -In a moment he seized his own rifle and dropped lightly beside him. -The Indian had not stirred; he was without doubt dead. Cody took his -weapons and removed his scalp, and went his way with some confidence -that there was certainly one more “good” Indian. - -He dodged the gravel bank this time, and came down the side of the -cañon at another point--some rods beyond that at which he had found -the first of the reds established. There were fewer trees here, and, -looking from above, the scout was able to observe considerable of -the more open hillside. Dark as the night was, he saw several forms -crouching behind stumps and boulders. - -He made a further détour, came down the hill again, and found the same -conditions. On this side of the trail the Indians were extended along -the hillside for five hundred yards and more. It was a big ambushing -party. Cody reckoned it to be no less than two hundred braves at the -least, and probably more. Captain Taylor’s command was not prepared to -meet such a foe--especially when the foe would have every advantage of -cover. - -Had it not been so dark, or had Cody known the ground better, a flank -movement might have been made which would have overwhelmed the reds. -But this would have taken much time, too, and, meanwhile, the garrison -at Fort Advance was in sore need of reenforcements. - -Cody returned swiftly to the rendezvous he had appointed with Judd, to -learn what that individual had discovered upon the other side of the -cañon. - -Now, the warriors lay very silently indeed in their ambuscade, but -three hundred men cannot be in a small place like that together without -making some sounds. Judd, too, discovered the ambush, although he -did not know just how many Indians were awaiting the coming of the -bluecoats. - -“There’s a good bunch of them. Perhaps Oak Heart has drawn off half his -gang,” said Cody. “We’ve got to fool ’em, Judd.” - -They hurried back to the group of scouts, and there Cody issued his -instructions. Judd and three others were to watch the Indians as well -as possible. Meanwhile Cody proposed to ride back and meet Captain -Taylor’s command and take them, by another way, to the valley in which -Fort Advance was situated. - -Cody rode back in haste and reported the danger ahead. - -“We are able to handle five hundred redskins, Cody,” said the officer, -eager for a fight. - -“But not when they are established on both sides of the trail and it is -dark and the forest is too thick for you to maneuver horses. No, no, -captain! Be advised by me.” - -“I suppose you are right, Cody.” - -“And, besides, you will be able to deliver a heavier blow to Oak -Heart’s gang if you fall upon them unexpectedly; and then, when these -ambuscaders rush in, you’ll be ready to cut them to pieces, too.” - -“Right you are, scout. You are sure of the way?” - -“Confident. It’s a bit rough, but I could find it with my eyes -bandaged.” - -“Lead on, then, scout.” - -“And no bugle-calls,” warned Cody. “Pass the word to the men. We don’t -want these reds, waiting in the cañon, to suspect that we are stealing -a march on them.” - -Fortunately, the troops did not have to take the back track. The path -by which the Border King was to lead them to their destination branched -off this main trail into the hills. Over the rough way they rode, and -soon the eastern sky began to grow gray. Dawn was approaching, and the -increased light made the path vastly easier of traveling. - -Buffalo Bill and Captain Taylor rode some distance ahead of the troops. -The cavalry could go only as fast as the guns and ambulances could keep -up, so the band moved necessarily slow. - -They came at last almost within sight of Fort Advance. A low ridge shut -out their view of the valley. Suddenly the cool morning breeze brought -to them a great shouting and hullabaloo, intermingled with rifle-shots -and the intermittent discharge of heavy guns. - -“An attack!” exclaimed the captain and the scout together, and they -spurred their horses to the top of the ridge. - -It was true. Oak Heart had chosen the hour before dawn as the time to -throw his remaining warriors against the stockade. He believed that -about this time the rescue-party would be falling into the trap he had -laid for it in the cañon. He would keep both bands of white men so busy -that they could not go to each other’s rescue. - -Suddenly the heavy guns ceased. There was only the occasional snapping -of rifles from the fort. - -“My God, Cody! What does that mean?” gasped Captain Taylor. - -“Their ammunition has run out!” cried the scout. “I adjure you, -captain, bring up your men at a double-quick. The next few minutes may -settle the question as to whether those red devils get the scalps of -every man, woman, and child in the fort! There is not an instant to -lose, sir!” - - - - -CHAPTER XII. A FLYING FIGHT. - - -Captain Taylor saw the desperate need of help for the unfortunate -inmates of Fort Advance quite as clearly as did Buffalo Bill, but his -men were in heavy marching order, and there were the artillery and -ambulances to be thought of, too. The column was strung out along the -trail for two miles. - -“It will take some time to bring the men up and form in line of battle, -Cody,” declared Captain Taylor. - -“And meanwhile Oak Heart will throw his entire force over those -palisades!” cried the scout. “By the time we deploy into the valley -there’ll be no garrison, and the red devils can turn their attention -to us. The firing will call up the gang from the cañon, and we’ll be -between two fires.” - -“It can’t be helped----” - -“It _can_ be helped, sir--begging your pardon! Give me a few of your -men and let me push on. It will make a diversion in favor of the -garrison. If the braves see us coming they’ll hesitate about throwing -themselves into the fort and so being caught in a trap.” - -“Good, Cody! You are right. And your appearance will at least show that -help is at hand and encourage the garrison. But I’m afraid you’ll be -cut to pieces.” - -“We’ll have to take that chance. Somebody has got to die this day--why -not us?” demanded the courageous scout. “Let me have some of your -cavalry as they come up. There’s the head of the column!” - -“Go, and God bless you, my brave fellow! Take all the men whose horses -can stand a hard run,” said the gallant captain. - -He signaled the head of the column forward at once. The troops had -already heard the firing, and were eager to get into action. - -“You’ll have to bring your artillery and ambulances down into the -valley by yonder ridge, captain,” said the scout, pointing out the -tongue of rocky land over which he had raced the day before with his -pack-load of ammunition for the beleaguered fort. “From there you can -sweep the valley to the very gates of the fort, and likewise you can -cover the exit of the cañon through which the ambushing party will like -enough pour in a short time.” - -“Good! I’ll make a note of that,” declared the officer. “There, Cody, -are your men. Pick out the horses you think will be able to keep -somewhere near your whitey. Every man of them is eager to attend, I -promise you!” - -This was true enough, as the scout well knew. In five minutes, with two -lieutenants and a couple of score of troopers at his heels, the scout -set the pace over the ridge and down into the smoke-wreathed valley. - -They were soon in full sight of the fort and the redskins clamoring -about it. And it was a complete surprise to Oak Heart and his braves to -see reenforcements for the whites so near at hand. As for the defenders -of Fort Advance, they were wild with joy to see even this small troop -coming to their rescue. - -Buffalo Bill’s white steed was recognized, and cheers rent the air from -the garrison which, a few moments before, had given up all hope. The -Indians had been about to rush the stockade, and then a hand-to-hand -fight would have ensued inside the fort which could have ended in but -one way. The redskins outnumbered the whites so greatly, despite their -losses, that the garrison would have been completely overwhelmed. - -Oak Heart saw that he was likely to be defeated, after all. Victory had -all but perched upon his banners; now, with his forces separated, he -was very likely to taste the bitter ashes of defeat! - -But the Sioux king was a born leader and strategist. He saw that, -in some way, his plans for ambuscading the relief party had fallen -through. His three hundred braves were idle up the cañon while the -whites from Fort Resistence were coming to the help of their comrades -by another way. Those reserve forces he needed, and needed at once. - -He spoke to the White Antelope. She had acted as his aid all through -the battle, and now she wheeled her pony instantly and dashed away -toward the mouth of the cañon. She was instructed to inform the -ambuscading party of the change in affairs and to bring them back at -top speed. - -Buffalo Bill and his flying column of cavalry saw and understood this -move. Lieutenant Dick Danforth, the dashing young lieutenant who ranked -in command of the party, spurred up beside Cody. - -“See that girl yonder?” he cried. - -“I see her,” returned the scout gravely. - -“She’s a messenger, eh?” - -“She is.” - -“Isn’t that the way into the cañon where those other Indians were lying -in wait for us?” - -“You’re mighty right, lieutenant,” admitted the scout. - -“We must stop her!” - -The scout remained silent, measuring the distance between them and the -flying White Antelope, and the mouth of the cañon as well. - -“We’ve _got_ to stop her!” exclaimed Dick Danforth. - -“How are you going to do it?” demanded Cody grimly. - -Danforth picked up his carbine quickly. Cody at once laid his hand on -the young officer’s arm. - -“No, no, Dick!” he said, with feeling. “Not that!” - -“What do you mean, scout?” demanded the young officer, displeased. - -“You must not shoot that girl!” - -“Why, she’s a confounded squaw--and she’s an enemy--and she’s taking a -message that may bring trouble to us all.” - -“She must be stopped; but you must not kill her.” - -“What’s the matter with you, Cody?” the young man demanded again. -“She’s nothing but a redskin.” - -“There is another way--without taking her life,” declared the scout. - -“What makes you so tender of the squaw? Lord! I don’t ask _you_ to -shoot her,” and the lieutenant raised his carbine again. - -Cody’s hand this time fell upon the lieutenant’s wrist with force, as -he urged Chief alongside the other’s mount. - -“And by God, sir! _you_ shall not shoot her--above all men!” he cried. - -“What do you mean by this?” demanded Lieutenant Danforth, his face -white as death. “I have a reason for killing every damned Indian that -comes under my eye--you know _that_, Bill Cody!” - -“Perhaps; but not White Antelope,” said the scout earnestly. - -“And why not White Antelope, as you call her? Is she any better than -any other of the devil’s red spawn? Let go of my arm! I’m going to -shoot that girl!” - -“You are beside yourself!” exclaimed Cody coldly. “Do you want it told -around your mess that you deliberately shot a squaw-woman?” - -“She’s a messenger, man!” - -“That’s no excuse.” - -“I tell you the red devils killed my people--butchered them! I saw my -father with his head split open by an Indian hatchet! My mother was -dragged away to a worse death, it’s likely. _I’ve sworn revenge on -every redskin that walks the earth!_ Let go of me, Cody, or I’ll kill -you!” - -“You are beside yourself, sir,” said the scout, still coldly. “You -would not kill me, for I have always been your friend. It was I who got -you your chance at West Point. It was I who made you what you are now. -You’ll not kill _me_, Dick Danforth!” - -The two had ridden furiously ahead of the troopers, both bearing off -toward the cañon’s mouth toward which the squaw was flying on her pony. -The other men could not hear this conversation, jerked out between the -jumps of the two great horses. - -That Dick Danforth, the young lieutenant, was beside himself, was -easily to be seen. He was not responsible at the moment for his actions -or speech. - -“That gal must not be harmed, Danforth,” said Cody firmly. “If you -hold any gratitude in your heart toward me, show it now. I demand that -the girl be unharmed--now or at any other time--and especially at your -hand.” - -The scout’s seriousness--aye, his passion in saying this--impressed -Danforth so deeply that his own rage gave place to wonder. - -“Why, what do you know about her, Cody? Who is she?” - -“It does not matter. I must have your promise. _You_ must never harm -the White Antelope. Indeed, you must guard her and keep others from -harming her with your life; do you understand?” - -“No, I _don’t_ understand. And I won’t help an Injun.” - -“You will do as I say, Dick.” - -“No!” - -“I demand it, Dick!” said the scout feelingly. - -“That is not fair, Cody!” - -“It is fair. I saved your life. I made you what you are. I have a right -to some return, and I demand this.” - -“Oh, thunder, Bill!” ejaculated Dick Danforth, more in his usual light -tone than before. “If you put it _that_ way----” - -“I do.” - -“Then I’ll have to promise.” - -“Very well, my boy. I hold you to your word.” - -“But don’t you ever ask me to save an Injun again, for I won’t do it!” - -“All right.” - -“And while we’ve been rowing, that blamed squaw is getting away. She’ll -carry the alarm to the other Indians as sure as shooting!” - -“She won’t!” returned the scout, with confidence. “Ride on with your -men, Dick. Cut your way through that gang of reds to the gates of the -fort if necessary. Off with you! Leave the girl to me!” - -With a wave of his hand he clapped spurs to Chief, and pulled sharply -on his rein. The girl had almost reached the mouth of the cañon when -Cody started in direct pursuit. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. THE CHASE OF THE WHITE ANTELOPE. - - -The Border King did not pick his way as he spurred the great white -horse down the declivity after the flying Indian girl. He allowed Chief -to guide himself, for he felt confidence in the horse’s sense. They -went down the hill like an avalanche, and an avalanche of small stones -and broken brush went with them. - -To the troopers behind on the ridge, to the defenders of the fort, and -to the Indians themselves who saw the charge of the big white horse, it -seemed that neither horse nor rider could reach the bottom alive. - -But Chief did not even lose his stride in going down, and at the -bottom, in answer to a sharp tug on the rein, he turned and shot away -along the trail after the disappearing White Antelope. - -Oak Heart and his braves saw the act, and knew Cody’s reason for -chasing the young squaw. Half the army of Sioux would have started in -pursuit; but Dick Danforth’s troopers were sweeping down the hill by a -smoother road, and would cut the Indians off from the entrance to the -cañon. The reds were balked. - -Dick Danforth’s blood was up. He had been born a Western boy, and, as -he had intimated in his recent conversation with Cody, he had bitter -reason to hate the redskins. He had been made an orphan, and his young -life ruined, by these very Sioux. - -He spoke to the bugler, and the wild notes of the charge rang out -across the valley. Two score the troopers numbered, and there were five -or six hundred Indians against them; but the bold fellows were ready to -dash into the midst of the redskins. - -Besides, Major Baldwin, seeing what desperate chances the troopers -from Fort Resistence were taking, ordered Captain Ed. Keyes to charge -with every able-bodied cavalryman the stockade contained. The fort -gates were flung open, and out upon the Indians, already wavering and -uncertain, charged Keyes and his troop, sabers in hand. They had no -ammunition, but they wielded their sabers like fiends. The Indians, -most of them unmounted, were borne down, trampled under the feet of -the big cavalry horses, and slashed unmercifully on one side by Keyes, -while Danforth came up on the other, his men shooting at short range -with carbines and pistols, and finally taking to the sword also. - -And while this wild carnage was in progress, Buffalo Bill and the White -Antelope were racing along the trail in the cañon, the girl intent -upon carrying her father’s message and arousing the redskins lying in -ambush miles away, while the scout was just as determined that, without -injuring her, she should be kept from carrying out her plan. - -It was still dark down here in the cañon. Although the sun was already -showing his red face above the eastern hills, as yet there was not -light enough to dissipate the gloom at the bottom of this deep cut in -the hills. Indeed, Buffalo Bill followed the girl more by sense of -sound than sense of sight for the first half-mile. - -Then the pace of the great white horse told. His stride was too much -for the Indian pony, no matter how cruelly White Antelope lashed it. -Steadily the scout drew nearer. - -The gray light filtered down from above and showed to the scout the -young squaw turning her head again and again to watch the progress -of her pursuer. She was evidently measuring with fearful glance the -rapidly lessening distance between them. - -Buffalo Bill might easily have killed her as she leaned forward on her -pony’s neck, urging him with whip and voice. His face was very set and -stern, too; but the sternness was not that which masked his countenance -when he was bent upon an enemy’s death. - -He saw, indeed, the frightened maiden before him, flying madly from his -approach; but his mind was laboring with thoughts which carried him -back for many years--thoughts which had often embittered his mind and -robbed him of his rest at night. He remembered this beautiful girl’s -mother and how he would have saved her from her awful fate; yet that -was not to be! And here he was pursuing the daughter--yet in a far -different manner. - -The girl looked back again. Her beautiful face had paled, losing all -its naturally rich coloring. Although Buffalo Bill had held her in -his power only the day before and had not harmed her, this wild child -of the forest and plain saw no reason for his sparing her now. And, -indeed, there _was_ no apparent reason. She saw in his attempt to -capture her instead of killing her outright, merely the desire of the -warrior to parade a captive before his admiring brethren, and then, -perhaps, she would be made a slave as the redskins made slaves of the -white squaws they stole! - -White Antelope had no reason for believing in the honor and tenderness -of white men. She had been taught from childhood that they were her -deadly enemies. Her mother had died too soon after her birth to instil -into the maiden’s mind any different belief than that held by the -savages about her. - -So the girl looked back at Cody in terror, and made up her savage mind -to die rather than be captured by the scout. - -But she would sell her life dearly as may be. The day before Long -Hair, as she called him, had disarmed her of the light revolver which -had been a most precious possession. Now she had only her bow and -arrows--a weapon that is not easily used in shooting behind one while -the pony is at full speed. - -But this was what the girl tried to do. She strung her bow and seized -an arrow from the quiver which hung over her shoulder. Then, while the -pony was still paddling along the trail at his best pace, she turned -her agile young body about, drew the shaft to its head, and let drive -at the coming scout. - -He ducked as he saw her action; but the shaft went through his hat and -carried it away. Instantly she fitted another arrow to the bowstring -and sent it likewise at her enemy. Cody slipped over on the far side -of Chief, hanging by toe and one hand to the running animal, an Indian -trick that no brave could do better than the scout himself. The second -shaft went over his saddle in about the place his heart might have been -had he been sitting upright! - -The Indian maiden was not to be balked so easily. She turned again to -urge her pony on, hoping, it is likely, that Long Hair would bob up -into the saddle again. But he saw she had a third arrow on the string, -and he remained where he was. - -But to tamely endure such a persecution as this was not the scout’s -intention. Besides, he feared that the White Antelope might shoot Chief. - -As he slung himself over the side of the big white horse, Cody had -drawn one of the loaded pistols from its holster. With this gun he was -a marvelously accurate shot. It had a barrel almost as long as the -old-fashioned derringer, and in the hand of a trained marksman could do -the execution of a finely sighted rifle. - -Under the horse’s neck he had a very clear view of the girl on the -pony in front, although she could not easily aim at any vital part of -the scout in the position in which he hung from Chief. As the young -squaw turned sidewise to larrup her pony again with the quirt hanging -to her wrist, Buffalo Bill took a snap shot at the quiver of arrows at -her back. - -It was a perilous shot--if he did not wish to harm the girl. Few -marksmen would have dared try it. William Tell was a bungler, indeed, -as compared with some of the marksmen of our great West, and William F. -Cody was, in his day, the best of them all! - -His pistol ball sped true. The thong from which the quiver hung was -severed, and if the hot lead seared the girl’s shoulder in passing it -did no more! - -The quiver fell to the ground; but the girl had still a remaining -arrow--it was already upon her bowstring. She turned swiftly to drive -it home--perhaps into the heart of the great white horse that bore her -enemy so swiftly. - -Buffalo Bill realized the danger to his noble steed. He sprang upright -into the saddle, the smoking pistol still in his hand. His appearance -as a fair target attracted the Indian maiden’s aim. She drew the -arrowhead to her ear. - -But the white man’s pistol spoke before she could release the feathered -shaft. - -Crack! - -The long-barreled revolver spit its death-dealing bullet, and the smoke -enveloped Buffalo Bill’s head for a moment and then passed away. - -Twang! - -That was the snap of the bowstring. But the arrow flew wildly in the -air, over the scout’s head. The bullet had severed the deer tendon of -which the string was made just as the girl released the shaft. Buffalo -Bill had taken another desperate shot--and had won. The bow was put out -of commission, but the bullet had not touched the fair user of the bow. - -White Antelope threw away her broken implement in wrath, and lashed her -pony again. But he, poor creature, was coming to the end of his leash. -His little legs could not carry even so light a burden as herself much -farther. - -Buffalo Bill saw that this was so, and he spoke to Chief, dropping the -pistol back into its holster again. The great white horse redoubled his -effort. He shot along the trail as though he was fresh from the stable. - -This spurt of speed brought the scout beside the Indian girl and her -mount so quickly that White Antelope had no time to cast herself to the -ground as she had intended. Even as she screamed and would have leaped -to certain death, the white horse came neck and neck with her mount, -Cody leaned over and seized her around the waist with his right arm, -and, drawing his pistol this time with his left hand, shot the Indian -pony through the head! - -He could not afford to have the relieved beast run on to the ambushed -Indians miles up the cañon and so warn them of what was being done. The -pony staggered on a few yards and fell dead. Chief leaped the fallen -body and then came to a stop. - -Meanwhile, the young squaw had been struggling in Cody’s grasp. She had -one more weapon, and out it flashed from the bead-worked sheath at her -side. It was a keen scalping-knife, and with a single downward thrust -she might have ended Cody’s earthly career. - -However, the scout was watching for just this little play. As the -bright blade descended toward his breast, he caught the point upon his -pistol. The blade snapped, and with a single blow he knocked the handle -and butt of the blade from the girl’s hand! - -“The White Antelope is in Long Hair’s power. Let her lie quietly,” -commanded the scout in Sioux. - -He placed the girl before him, picked up Chief’s bridle, turned the -horse about, and they started down the cañon again. The girl did not -struggle now, or seek to escape. She was beaten. He could feel her body -shake with emotion; but true to Indian custom and tradition, she did -not weep. - -Cody feared that some of the Indians might have got by Dick -Danforth and entered the cañon to follow him; so he went back very -circumspectly. If he was caught between two fires he could merely sell -his life as dearly as possible; but he would have kept the men in -ambush from coming to the help of their tribesmen in time to do any -good. - -Soon the noise of battle reached their ears. The girl gave no sign of -interest, nor did Cody speak to her. In truth, the scout had a bitter -problem to consider. - -What should he do with the girl? She was in his power. At least, he had -separated her from her father and from her Indian friends. But was the -time ripe for her to be introduced to white people--to those in Fort -Advance, for instance? - -It was a time when men’s passions were deeply stirred. There would be -murder and hatred in the hearts of the whites as well as in that of the -redskins. Of what good to bring this half-breed girl into contact with -whites who felt a desire to kill every creature with Indian blood in -its veins? And why take the girl away from the red men at the moment -when her own heart was bitter as gall toward the whites? What good -would come of such an act? Buffalo Bill’s good sense answered for him: - -“None!” - -Nor did the whites desire her as a hostage. To hold her prisoner would -be to strengthen her affiliation with the Sioux. No, no! She must go -free--if Cody were free himself. - -This question could not be answered until he had ridden to the end of -the cañon, and he went on very circumspectly. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. A STARTLING DISCOVERY. - - -Meanwhile, the two troops of cavalry, under Lieutenant Dick Danforth -and Captain Keyes respectively, plowed their way through the massed -redskins. They met, and Captain Keyes heartily greeted the men from -Fort Resistence. - -“God bless you, Danforth--and you, Mercer! You’ve come just in time to -save us, for we are completely out of ammunition. Where’s Cody?” - -“Gone to head off Oak Heart’s messenger to the men he had hidden up the -cañon to fall upon us--had we come that way,” said Danforth. - -“And there is the rest of your column appearing!” cried Keyes. - -His seniority gave him command. He raised his saber on high and stood -up in his stirrups. - -“Now, charge back to the fort, my bully boys, and give these red devils -what they are looking for!” - -The redskins were not inactive, and there were already empty saddles -in the troop; but the tribesmen were demoralized. They began fleeing -toward the river across the valley. Out upon the ridge spurred the guns -belonging to Captain Taylor’s command, unlimbered, and opened fire on -the fleeing reds, the shells screaming over the heads of the charging -troops in blue. Down into the valley poured the remainder of Taylor’s -column, eager to have some part in the rout. - -Upon this scene rode Buffalo Bill and his beautiful captive as they -left the cañon’s mouth. The Indians were in wild flight. The whites -were forcing them toward the river. - -Buffalo Bill pulled in his horse, and his keen glance swept the field -of carnage. He saw that the battle was practically over. Oak Heart’s -warriors had shown the white feather. The unexpected coming of the -rescue-party had knocked out completely the reds’ plans, and they could -not rally. - -Then the scout looked down at the sorrowful face of White Antelope. - -“Yonder flies the White Antelope’s father, the great chief, Oak Heart, -and his people,” Cody said gravely. “The palefaces are greater than the -red men. They always have been. They always will be. Remember, White -Antelope, that Pa-e-has-ka says this, and he is wise, and he knows. -The red men must melt away before the white men, or else become as -the white men are--tillers of the soil, traders, homesteaders. The -red men, who learn this lesson soon, will be saved. There is no other -gospel to preach to the red men--and Pa-e-has-ka preaches it. - -“The White Antelope’s mother was white,” continued the old scout, -seeing that he had the girl’s attention, and he spoke with trembling -voice. “She was a beautiful woman--and Oak Heart loved her greatly. -While she lived the Sioux remained for years at peace with the white -men. Now Oak Heart is influenced by less wise counselors than thy -mother. And see what has come of it! - -“Many men are dead. Much bitterness is engendered. The strife has been -bloody, and now the red men go back to their squaws and children like -whipped dogs! - -“The whites and reds will now be against each other for a long time -because of this trouble. And what have the people gained, White -Antelope? A few scalps? Aye, but they have lost more. Many women will -tear their hair and mourn in the lodges of the Sioux because of this -battle. - -“Let the White Antelope remember this. She has influence beyond her -years with her people. Let her remember what Pa-e-has-ka says and -counsel her father and the other chiefs to make peace with the white -men while they may. - -“Now, Pa-e-has-ka sends the White Antelope back to Chief Oak Heart. -Tell thy father how the Long Hair had thee in his power, and did thee -no harm. I am thy friend, White Antelope. See! that is the way to the -river. Keep behind the trees, and the bluecoats will not see thee. Fly! -For the time is short. Soon your people will be in full retreat, and -the old chief will believe his daughter is lost to him.” - -The scout set the girl down upon her feet. His voice trembled as he -ceased speaking, and he looked closely into her face to see if it had -been moved at all by his speech. But he saw there only fright and -wonder--the terror of the wild creature unexpectedly released from the -trap. - -So he let her go and saw her flee on feet as fleet as a deer’s through -the undergrowth toward the river, which the vanguard of the Indians -were already crossing. Then the scout set spurs to Chief and tore after -the column of blue which had hastened to the support of Keyes and -Danforth. - -Although the rifles and pistols of the men from the fort were empty, -their blades were sharp. Before Cody reached the field of action it had -become merely a drive of redskins to the river. The bluecoats rode them -down, hacking them as they passed, pressing Oak Heart hard. - -Horses and white men went down in the mêlée; but when the war-cry of -Buffalo Bill was heard that seemed to drive the last atom of courage -from the Sioux, and they ran like a herd of frightened deer, flinging -away their arms, and leaping from the high river-bank into the shallows. - -Some were swept away by the deeper current in the middle and drowned. -Had there been a ford near at hand, the soldiers would have crossed -over and continued the massacre on the farther side. But the stream -afforded Oak Heart a chance to rally his braves. - -Sheltered somewhat by the high bank, his riflemen could pick off the -soldiers as they appeared, and it became dangerous for the cavalrymen -to ride to the very brink of the bluff. This allowed the frightened -Indians to escape across the stream, Oak Heart and a few others -guarding their retreat. - -While Buffalo Bill was receiving the congratulations of Captain Keyes -and Texas Jack, the voice of the old chief, Oak Heart, suddenly rose -from below. - -“I know you, Great White Chief Buffalo Bill! Oak Heart never forget. -You save your people--kill my young men--make Sioux run! Me remember, -Pa-e-has-ka!” - -“He’s got it in for you, Bill, sure enough!” cried Texas Jack. - -Raising his trumpetlike voice, the great scout replied to the threat of -the beaten Indian chief: - -“Pa-e-has-ka knows the voice of Oak Heart--and the heart of Oak Heart. -He will not forget!” - -The Border King might have picked off the chief with his rifle as he -climbed the farther bank of the stream on his wearied pony. But he -scorned to do such an act. Besides, far up the river he saw a slender -figure dive down the bank, plunge into the stream, and fight the fierce -current to the other side, where it quickly scrambled out, up the bank, -and ran to join the fleeing Indians. - -“What become of the girl, Cody?” whispered Dick Danforth, getting him -aside. - -The Border King pointed to this figure following the trail of the -defeated warriors. - -“There she goes, Dick,” he whispered. “Remember your promise!” - -It was indeed a great victory for the whites. The Sioux had lost many -ponies and more than a hundred slain, although some of the dead had -been taken away. In wounded the Indians had suffered more heavily still. - -However, it was a costly victory for the whites. More than twenty -troopers lay dead within the fort, and several were scattered upon the -plain. There were more than half a hundred seriously injured, while of -minor casualties there were so many that the garrison had ceased to -note them. Almost everybody within Fort Advance showed, at least, some -slight mark of the conflict. - -Upon every tongue was heard the name of Buffalo Bill, the Border -King; for, but for him, how different might have been the result! All -felt that the great scout had saved Fort Advance, and, as Texas Jack -said, “put a crimp in the Sioux that they’d remember till they were -gray-headed.” Indeed the fame of this deed for many years made Buffalo -Bill’s name a household word along the frontier. - -Embarrassed by the praise bestowed upon him, the scout looked to the -care of his horse, Chief, and then slipped away to hide and rest, Texas -Jack keeping his hiding-place a secret that he might not be disturbed. - -When he slipped out of his retreat the next day he was greeted with -a cheer, and Major Baldwin sent for him at parade that evening and -complimented him publicly for his work, with a word of praise for Texas -Jack, as well. - -When matters had quieted down a little at the fort and the rescuers had -returned to Fort Resistance, Buffalo Bill had a talk with Major Baldwin. - -“Somebody should make an attempt to see what old Oak Heart is about -now,” said the scout. “And I reckon I’m the man, major. There are -still a lot of masterless Indians in these hills, and we want to know -what they’re up to. There is another matter I wish to scout around -about, too. On my way down from Denver I crossed the trail of Boyd -Bennett.” - -“You don’t mean that despicable deserter has dared show up again?” -cried the major. - -“I believe he is in the neighborhood. There have been several robberies -of stage-coaches and mail-wagons up north, and they bear the ear-marks -of Boyd Bennett. At any rate, this clue I speak of will bear following -up.” - -“Very well, Cody. I’ll excuse you from your other duties. I wish I was -giving you a quiet vacation, however.” - -The scout smiled. - -“Excitement is the breath of life to me, major. Wait till I get old. -Perhaps I may want to settle down then.” - -This Boyd Bennett was an old enemy of Buffalo Bill’s. He was a deserter -from the United States Army, and had become the leader of one of those -bands of road-agents that cropped up so thickly soon after the close -of the Civil War. The West was overrun with disbanded guerrillas who -had fought on both sides of the great struggle--wild and masterless men -who had lived so long by the power of the sword, that they would not -conform to law and order when legitimate fighting was supposed to be -ended. - -These cursed the growing West. Boyd Bennett had committed several -crimes, but had as yet escaped apprehension and punishment. - -An army paymaster was soon to make the rounds by coach, paying off -the several garrisons; and so it was important to locate Boyd Bennett, -the overland bandit, and his gang, and make sure that they were not -plotting to seize the paymaster’s treasure. - -After a couple of days’ trailing into the Indian country, the scout -found that Oak Heart and his warriors were seemingly too much battered -by the battle at Fort Advance to think of making another raid at -present. They were likely to lie low for awhile. - -So Buffalo Bill went in search of Boyd Bennett and his gang. He -knew that the rendezvous of the road-agents was usually near some -stage-road, and the scout chanced upon the road leading from Fort -Advance to Alikon. He knew the time of the coach-running, and after -riding along the trail for a couple of miles he came upon the coach as -he expected. - -That is, he expected to find the coach about here; but the scene -presented to his gaze, when he beheld it, was most startling. - -There was the coach; the horses were standing patiently in the trail; -and yet no driver was on the box, nor did he see any one near at first. -Spurring forward, Buffalo Bill beheld the driver sprawling on the -ground, with the reins still clutched tightly in his hands. It was Bud -Sharkey, whom the scout knew well; and the unfortunate fellow had been -shot from his seat on the stage-coach. - -There were three other dead bodies on the ground--an officer and two -soldiers. They were all dead, and, furthermore, the scout noted now -that the four had been scalped. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. THE TREASURE CHEST. - - -This dreadful discovery told the scout that Indians had held up the -coach. Yet he wondered if it had been done for robbery as well as -murder? The officer he recognized as Captain Hinkley, the paymaster; -the soldiers were his guard. He was a week ahead of his time; yet he -had not managed to get safely through. - -The fact that Indians had done the deed, however, disturbed Buffalo -Bill. He could not understand it. The marks of half a dozen unshod -ponies proved that his first suspicion was correct. Some of Oak Heart’s -young braves might have done this. It was true, too, that the driver -and soldiers had all been shot with arrows. - -“How do I know that robbery has been committed at all?” muttered -Buffalo Bill, and he leaped off his horse and made search inside the -stage. - -It was revealed at once that the marauders must have been frightened -off before they came upon Captain Hinkley’s strong-box and bags of coin. - -Fear of being caught in the act of murder and rapine usually rides -the redskin to undue haste. Had there been whites with this gang of -red robbers--either Boyd Bennett himself or any of his men--Cody knew -that no small matter would have frightened them away before the object -of the hold-up of the stage was accomplished. And the presence of the -treasure-chest proved that the marauders must have been driven off. - -By what, or whom? Surely his own coming had not done this! Yet the -thought gave the scout food for serious reflection. Perhaps the reds -might be lurking near and would descend again upon the spot and finish -their job by gathering in _his_ scalp as well as that of the driver, -the paymaster, and his guards. - -He did not touch the money, therefore, but appeared likewise to find -nothing in the coach. He even went back to his horse, mounted into the -saddle, and set off along the trail at a lope as though proposing to -go for help. He had remembered that there was a sandy piece of ground -not far away, and here his horse’s hoofbeats would be deadened. As -soon as he reached this he halted, dismounted, led his horse up among -the rocks, and approached the scene of the catastrophe with great -circumspection. Not a bird did he raise by this maneuver. - -“They’ve vamosed!” declared Buffalo Bill, with confidence. “A scalping -party of reds, and they knew nothing about the money. So it appears, -at least. Yet, from all I’ve heard, Bennett is hand and glove with Oak -Heart’s people. He’ll hear of this without fail. Now, what had I better -do?” - -He spent little time in cogitating, however. Cody was a man who made up -his mind instinctively, rather than by any slow process of reasoning. -He was prompt on this occasion to come to a conclusion. - -The party of Indians who had done this hold-up act were not in the -immediate vicinity. It was of some moment to Cody, however, to -learn how far they had gone, and in what direction. He rustled the -treasure-box out of the stage and lugged it up into the rocks, where he -found a hiding-place that would do for the nonce. Then he picked up -the trail of the redskins afoot and hurried after them. - -Beyond the nearest hill the party had fled down into a well-watered -valley which the scout knew led to a gorge, which was about the -shortest way to Oak Heart’s camp. If Boyd Bennett and his gang happened -to be with the Indians, saw the scalps, and guessed who the reds had -murdered, he would be here after the treasure-box in short order. - -Buffalo Bill believed that the reds were aiming for this gorge; yet -they might have had another route in view. To make sure, he cut across -the valley on a straight line for the mouth of the gorge to see if the -trail was marked there, as well. - -The middle of the valley was a swamp, and one that the scout had never -been through. He had no idea that it was so dangerous a place until he -had gotten some rods into it. Then, in leaping from a tussock to what -looked like a solid log, he found the log, hammock, and all, sinking -under him, and there was no safe spot ahead on which he could alight. - -“Great Scott! I’d better go around, after all,” he muttered, in -disgust, and turned gingerly on the sinking log. - -And then, to his amazement, he saw that the comparatively safe place on -which he had last stood had disappeared! As he leaped it had toppled -over and the quagmire had swallowed it instantly. All he could see was -a long stretch of some ten or twelve feet of stinking, dimpling black -muck! - -“However did I get over that place?” grunted the scout, in surprise. -“Why, I’m due to go ten feet under the surface maybe, if I jump!” - -And it quickly became apparent that he might go that depth under the -surface if he didn’t jump, too. The old log sank lower and lower, until -finally the liquid mud lapped over it completely and began to rise -around his ankles. The log was only about eight feet long. He crept to -the end which lay nearest solid ground, but even then it was a good -eight-foot jump, and from such an unstable footing that seemed well -nigh impossible of accomplishment. - -Besides, the log began to tip. Where he stood it sank deeper and -deeper, and with a splash of the filthy mire the other end shot into -sight. Cody had to leap to the middle of the stick quickly to save -himself from toppling over completely into the mud. There he wavered -a moment until he caught his balance, and then, with grimness, looked -about for escape. - -He couldn’t hope for any help. Indeed, he would have been more troubled -than delighted to see any other person than himself in this swamp at -just this moment. The matter of the pay-chest rested heavily on his -mind. However he escaped from this situation it must be by his own -exertions, and those alone. - -To try to wade to a more solid spot was to court possible extinction. -To sink slowly into this muck and be smothered by it was a horrible -thought. It chilled even the scout’s blood! - -And, meantime, the log was sinking steadily. Inch by inch it was being -submerged, and the mire was crawling up Buffalo Bill’s boot-legs. - -The swamp was quite heavily wooded, so he was hidden from the view of -anybody on the eminences around about. And, as he cast a worried glance -about at the heights in fear that he might have attracted attention, -he suddenly beheld the end of a tree branch almost over his head. - -“Ah!” exclaimed he, and his eyes glistened as he followed the trend of -this branch with their glance. - -Of course, the branch was altogether too slight above his head to -bear his weight, even could he reach it. But it promised something. -He glanced along its length several times to the parent trunk some -twenty feet away, and then began operations. There was, indeed, no time -for him to lose, for the log was a good bit under the surface of the -dimpling mud by this. - -The fronded end of the branch was much too high for him to reach it -with his hands; nor could he pull it down with his gun. Indeed, he -got rid of that implement at once--it only weighed him down into the -mire the faster--by tossing it into a crotch of the branch, where it -fortunately chanced to catch and hang. He removed his belt, slipped the -cartridges into the side pockets of his coat, tied his handkerchief to -one end of the belt to make it longer, and then fastened one of his -pistols to the handkerchief to weight the end. Swinging this weighted -line, he cast the pistol about the small twigs above his head. The -weapon caught in them, and gradually he drew the end of the branch down -within the grasp of his hands. - -He held this and fastened on his belt and gun again, buttoning his -pockets so as not to lose his ammunition. The end of the branch was a -bushy fan of small twigs and leaves. He could pull it down into the -mud, and the green wood was tough and strong; but there was a big -chance, when he bore any weight upon it, of the limb tearing off at the -trunk. - -However, swarming up this branch seemed the only way of escape from -the smothering mud which already was as high as his knees. Its suction -was terrific, too. When he flung himself forward on the branch he could -scarcely drag his boots out of the mire. - -But he fought on desperately, dragging up first one booted foot and -then the other, and, although the limb cracked and he lay almost flat -in the mud at first, he finally wormed his way up the branch to its -bigger part. There he straddled it and waited to get his breath, and to -scrape off some of the mud. - -“A little more,” he puffed, “and I’d have gone down in that, and nobody -would have been the wiser. Ah!” - -He halted in his speech and stared down into the mud. An idea had -smitten him, and he turned it over and over in his mind while he worked -his way along the limb and descended to the foot of the tree. - -He returned as quickly as possible to the edge of the swamp, and was -contented thereafter to follow the trail of the redskins direct. No -more short cuts! He found in time that his early suspicions had been -correct. The trail led to the head of the gorge, and he was bound to -believe that the murderers were some of Oak Heart’s Sioux. - -“Boyd Bennett will learn of the hold-up inside of twenty-four hours--if -not sooner. It’s up to me to hide that money where he won’t be able to -find it.” - -With this decision uppermost in his mind, he put into practise the idea -that had been suggested to him as he sat on the tree branch. Returning -to the temporary hiding-place of the money, he carried the chest to the -edge of the swamp, endeavoring to leave as little trail as possible as -he went. He had brought his lariat with him, and when he reached one -of the most treacherous-looking pools of mud, he fastened the lariat -about the box and lowered it into the depths. The quagmire sucked the -box out of sight almost instantly. - -Then Cody tied the end of the lariat to a tree-root under the surface -of the muck, and so effectually disposed of the treasure where -nobody but himself--or some person whom he guided--could find it. He -returned to the scene of the hold-up and prepared to get away with the -driverless stage instantly. - -He placed the dead man inside the stage, tied Chief to one of the -leaders, and, mounting to the box, drove hurriedly along the trail. - -Being alone, he could not drive the horses and guard the treasure, too; -so he had hidden it, intending to bring back a file of troopers from -the fort later and pick it up. - -He had not driven two miles along the trail when, loud and threatening, -rose a voice from the rocks beside the road, which uttered these -significant words: - -“Live or die--yours the choice! Up with your hands there!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. THE BANDITS OF THE OVERLAND TRAIL. - - -It was Buffalo Bill’s choice to live just then, so he drew rein. He -knew from whom the command came, too, just as well as he knew that -resistance would be useless. - -“Up with your hands, or die! Come, take your choice, Buffalo Bill!” - -The threatening words were repeated, as Buffalo Bill had simply reined -the horses to a halt and still grasped the lines. He saw at a glance -that bandits had sprung to the heads of his leaders, while he was -covered by the revolver in the hand of Boyd Bennett himself. With no -change of expression the scout said: - -“As you seem to hold trumps in this game, Bennett, up go my hands.” - -He gave the reins a turn around the lantern, and Buffalo Bill coolly -raised his hands above his head to the apparent relief of the outlaws -at the horses’ heads, for they seemed to have feared that, after all, -he might resist. They knew that, if he had chosen to die fighting, some -of them would have bitten the dust first. - -“You have acted wisely, Buffalo Bill, and I am glad to see that even -you can be cowed when you’re in a tight place,” laughed Boyd Bennett. - -“We won’t discuss that part of the proposition,” said Cody coolly. “I’m -anxious to get on, so don’t detain me with philosophical remarks.” - -“Ah--indeed! In a hurry, are you?” - -“I am, Bennett; in a mighty hurry.” - -“Well, wait a bit. Go slowly. You’ve got something on that stage I -want--though I didn’t expect to see you driving it.” - -“No?” - -“But you make as good a driver as any--and you give up just as easy,” -and Boyd Bennett laughed again. - -“Well, what is it you want?” - -“The gold-box you carry.” - -“You’ve got me, old man,” said Buffalo Bill easily. “Guess again.” - -“Don’t play with me, Cody, or I’ll have your life.” - -“What’s the use of shooting me if you’re not going to make anything out -of it?” demanded the scout calmly. - -“I am determined to have that paymaster’s chest.” - -“Oh, sho! _that’s_ your game, is it?” - -“It is.” - -“And you think I’ve got it?” - -“I _know_ it’s on this stage-coach.” - -“Come, now, what’ll you bet?” drawled Cody easily. - -“What are you waiting for, Cody?” demanded the outlaw angrily. “I know -you’ve got it. Shell out!” - -“You know a lot, Bennett.” - -“I know the gold is there.” - -“You’re mistaken.” - -“I am not. I had a friend who saw it put on board. You’ve got it, and I -intend to possess it.” - -“Go ahead and possess,” drawled the scout. - -“Don’t you trifle with me, Cody! I know you wouldn’t have been put up -to drive this old hearse if the soldiers’ money was not aboard.” - -“Say! you know a whole lot, Bennett. D’ye mind if I smoke?” - -“Keep your hands up!” roared Bennett; “or I’ll puncture you!” - -“Thanks! You needn’t be so gruff about it. Didn’t know tobacco smoke -was so offensive to you.” - -“Hand down that box before I count three, or you’re a dead man!” -commanded the robber with deadly significance. - -“You keep well posted, Bennett; but you’re behind time on this run.” - -“What do you mean?” asked the startled road-agent, beginning to -suspect that Buffalo Bill’s ease of manner masked some high card in the -game. - -“The coach has already been robbed.” - -“You lie!” - -Buffalo Bill’s brows met in a sudden frown. - -“You’ve got the drop on me, Bennett, or you’d never question my word -aloud.” - -“You _do_ lie.” - -“Open the coach door and look for yourself.” - -“Not for Joe! I’m no spring chicken, Cody,” laughed the outlaw. “Set a -trap for us, have you? Men! fire through that coach--low down.” - -Half a dozen or more rifles blazed away. The bullets shattered the -sashes of the coach doors and went through and through the vehicle. - -“Scared at nothing, are you?” taunted Buffalo Bill. “If I’d come up -behind you on a dark night and hollered ‘Boo!’ I suppose you’d all run.” - -“Men! if he moves, kill him!” commanded the exasperated Bennett, and he -stepped forward and flung open the coach door. - -Even Boyd Bennett started at what he beheld there. - -“The devil! what does this mean, Cody?” - -“Injuns.” - -“How did you escape?” - -“Wasn’t with the coach.” - -“And the treasure-box?” - -“Look for yourself.” - -“The Indians got it?” - -“Whether they did or did not, you lose the game, Bennett,” said Buffalo -Bill, laughing with an appearance of heartiness which he did not feel. - -“I don’t believe they got it!” cried Bennett, in rage. - -“Well, you can run along and ask ’em. They’re not over a dozen miles -away, I reckon.” - -The countenance of Boyd Bennett grew black with passion, and for a -moment he was silent, while into his eyes crept an expression of -devilish intent. Then he spoke, and his words hissed from a throat hot -with passion: - -“Buffalo Bill, you have sealed your doom by this act!” - -“Say! I’ve heard talk like that before, Bennett.” - -“Mine are no idle words.” - -“Well, go on with the dance,” quoth the scout coolly. - -“Here!” commanded the bandit chief, “two of you men get up on the box -and bind him.” - -He was obeyed at once, as far as the climbing to the box went, although -the fellows approached the scout gingerly enough. Buffalo Bill sat -smiling, with his hands still raised above his head. Suddenly, as -the men were about to seize him, and their bodies in some measure -intervened between his own and the rifles and pistol pointed at the -scout, the latter seized both with iron grip. - -Giving his war-whoop, the scout leaped up, hurled one of the -road-agents to the ground, and with the other in his arms leaped from -the box of the coach. As they alighted, Buffalo Bill drew a revolver, -and was throwing it forward to fire at the outlaw chief, when the -weapon was knocked from his hand by a blow from behind, and several of -the bandits threw themselves upon him. - -“For your lives, do not kill him!” shouted Bennett, springing forward -to join in the fight for the mastery of the scout. - -Borne down by the weight of numbers, Buffalo Bill was unable to break -from his foes, and he was soon securely bound, hand and foot. Then the -bandits turned to their chief for further orders. The expression of -fiendish cruelty upon Bennett’s face showed that he had formed some -diabolical plot to avenge himself upon his old-time foe. He believed -that Buffalo Bill had thwarted him in his desire to get the government -money; and, anyway, there was an old score between them, and Bennett -proposed to square the account to date! - -“Now drag him up to that box again,” ordered the bandit leader, and -with some effort they accomplished it. - -“Lash him there!” was the next command, and the scout was securely tied -to the seat. - -“Now throw the reins loosely over the foot-board!” - -This order was likewise obeyed, Buffalo Bill the while looking calmly -on, evidently anticipating the crime his enemy intended, yet uttering -no word. He would not plead for his life of the miserable cur who now -had him in his power. - -Having executed their work, by lashing Buffalo Bill with lariats firmly -to the box seat and his feet to the foot-board, the outlaws turned to -their cruel captain for further orders. It was at this moment that -Buffalo Bill took occasion to speak; but his voice was calm and his -manner unshaken: - -“Hold on, Bennett, before you go too far!” - -The bandits’ chief turned with a wicked smile, and asked: - -“With what do you threaten me, Bill Cody?” - -“The worst fate that ever met mortal man, if you dare commit the deed -you have in view,” was the bold reply. - -“Dead men tell no tales!” - -“Ah, but they do! It is only the fool that says ‘It is all over!’ when -his enemy is dead by his hand. It is not over. It has only begun! My -fate will become known; a hundred border men will not rest till they -learn who committed this deed; and then a thousand men will not rest -till vengeance is satisfied!” - -“Bah! Your friends might be bad men to meet, I’ve no doubt--if they -could prove anything.” - -“They’ll prove enough. Your fate will be worse than mine, Boyd Bennett.” - -“You seem to be cock-sure of what I’m going to treat you to?” said -Bennett. - -“I am.” - -“Well, what is it?” - -“You propose to lead the horses to yonder fork of the trail, turn them -loose, and start them down Breakneck Hill.” - -“Right! Right, by thunder!” roared the road-agent, slapping his thigh -and laughing. “You are a mighty good guesser, Buffalo Bill. That is -exactly what I shall do.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. A FRIEND IN NEED. - - -If Buffalo Bill’s face paled he showed no other mark of fear. He knew -Boyd Bennett, and had every reason to believe that the man hated him -desperately enough to carry out his awful threat. - -It was no bluff on the outlaw’s part to frighten him into giving up the -secret of the hidden government money. To a man like Bennett, whose -temper was ungovernable, revenge was worth more than treasure. He did -not even ask the scout where he had hidden the treasure-box. - -“I haven’t forgotten, my handsome plainsman, that once you captured me -and sent me to the guard-house. I swore to be revenged upon you then.” - -“You deserved what you got--you dirty deserter!” exclaimed Buffalo Bill. - -The outlaw leader shrugged his shoulders and turned to his men. - -“All ready?” - -“He’s hard and fast, captain.” - -“Unfasten that splendid horse he was riding. I need just such an animal -in my business.” - -They untied Chief from the leaders. - -“Buffalo Bill, straight for the Breakneck you go. And if these horses -don’t carry you down fast enough to smash this old coach to atoms and -break your cursed neck, I’ll give up this business and turn parson!” - -“You’ll never have time to repent of your sins and turn parson, -Bennett,” said the scout. - -“Meaning I’ll die with my boots on?” asked the outlaw lightly. - -“Meaning you’ll be hung,” returned Buffalo Bill. - -“Don’t you put too much confidence in _that_, old man,” said Bennett. -“At least, you won’t be to my hanging.” - -“There’s many a slip, you know,” said the scout tauntingly. - -“I presume you hope to be rescued even now, do you not?” cried Bennett. - -But Buffalo Bill did not expect that. He had taunted the man, hoping to -inspire him with such ungovernable fury that he would shoot him quickly -and so save him the awful ride to death. Even the boldest man might -shrink from that journey down Breakneck Hill! - -“No, no, old man! You are mine this time. I tell you that you, the -horses, and the old hearse, shall all go to the devil together. Here, -boys! lead the horses to yonder fork of the roads and there turn them -loose!” - -The command was obeyed. Whether the other outlaws desired Buffalo -Bill’s death as their leader did, he had such a hold upon them that not -one objected to the mode of vengeance to be wreaked upon the scout. -The horses were led to the brink of the steep hill. It had once been -the stage-road; but a landslide, and various heavy rains, had made it -impracticable. It was almost as steep as the side of a house in places, -and the roadway was full of boulders and stumps, while the gulleys made -by heavy rains cut through it in many spots. A careful pack-animal -might pick its way from top to bottom safely; but no vehicle could -exist in a passage down Breakneck Hill. - -The hill was not a continuous decline. It pitched sharply at first; -then there was nearly a quarter of a mile of easy going along a plateau -until there came the final and impassable descent into the valley. - -“Now, Buffalo Bill, your life ends here!” cried Bennett savagely. - -“All right, Bennett! And the boys won’t forget how I died,” was the -reckless response. - -“Turn ’em loose!” shouted the bandit leader. - -The men at the bits sprang aside. The horses, having stood so long, and -“smelling their oats” ahead of them, were eager to be off. With a great -tug the coach started, the harness clattering about the horses’ heels -almost immediately as the coach pitched over the rise. This, and the -shouts and yells of the outlaws, frightened the poor brutes. They felt -no restraining hand on the lines; there was no foot on the brake. The -coach was coming down behind them with all its weight. - -Therefore the horses leaped away, frightened beyond reason. The old -coach bumped and swayed. The rough, steep pitch was not long, but it -looked as though the coach would not arrive at the bottom of this first -incline without being smashed. - -Down it thundered, the wheels bumping, the body swaying, and the bound -figure, on the seat unable to retard it in the least. Behind thundered -the big white horse, for, breaking away from its captors, Chief -intended to follow his master to the death! - -Not far away from the scene of the hold-up of the stage-coach by the -outlaws, and near the time that the coach and horses were released upon -this dangerous dash down Breakneck Hill, a horseman was crossing a -table-land, one side of which was formed by the steep wall of the bluff -down the face of which the old stage-road led. - -Though alone upon the table-land, far in the rear other horsemen were -visible upon his trail. At first glance one might have thought that it -was a chase, the man in front being pursued by the score or so of men -behind him; but a second scrutiny would have shown that it was merely -the difference in horse-flesh and human endurance that caused the long -space to separate the leader and his followers. - -The lone horseman was dressed in a cavalry fatigue uniform with pants -tucked in boots, a slouch-hat pinned up with a pair of crossed sabers, -and a gold cord encircling the hat, while upon the shoulders of his -jacket were straps showing his rank to be that of a first lieutenant in -the United States Army. - -His face was stern for so young a man, but there were humorous lines -about his smoothly shaven lips, and fun danced in the corners of his -eyes. Despite the hard brown of his countenance, that must have begun -to be tanned by the Western sun and wind at an early age, there was a -kindly appearance about the young lieutenant. - -He was armed with a cavalry sword and a pair of service pistols. One -gauntleted hand rested on his sword-hilt as his horse galloped along. -He was several miles ahead of his men, who were now scarcely more than -black specks against the horizon. - -“Kinder risky to ride so far ahead, I suppose,” he was muttering. “Bill -would tell me that. By thunder! if I’m attacked on this plateau I can -fight--or run--I hope. There’s little cover hereabouts for either -Indians or road-agents. And the latter gentry don’t usually care to -tackle Uncle Sam’s cavalry.” - -Suddenly the silence about him was shattered by distant yells and -several rifle-shots. He glanced back. Nothing was happening to his men. -The sound came from ahead. Again he heard shouts and shots, and after -that the ring of horses’ hoofs and the rumble of heavy wheels. - -“By thunder! a hold-up!” he gasped. “And those weren’t Indian yells. -The stage-coach, I’ll bet! Yet the coach wouldn’t take the old road -yonder. Why! It couldn’t come that way! It would be surely wrecked.” - -Yet, although the shouts and rifle-shots died away, the sound of the -wheels and the hammering of the horses’ hoofs increased. Some heavy -vehicle, drawn by several horses, was coming down the Breakneck Hill -road! - -The lone horseman, who had halted at the first sound, now set spurs to -his mount again. He headed directly across the plateau. The stage-road -was just below the brink of the precipitous slant not many rods away, -and toward this place the lieutenant hurried. - -“It _is_ the stage!” he cried. “The miscreants have turned it down -the old road. There’s a level bit below here for some rods; but if it -crosses that and goes down the other descent--well! God help them if -there is man, woman, or child aboard!” - -He reached the brink of the steep descent to the level stretch of the -old road. Down the first dip was tearing six frightened steeds with the -old stage-coach swaying and bounding behind them. And in the rear a -riderless white horse was racing after the coach! - -That horse the lieutenant recognized. - -“That’s Cody’s mount--it is, by thunder! What’s it doing here? And -where’s Bill?” - -There was not another horse like Chief on the frontier; but the stage -was too far away for the young man to recognize the figure swaying on -the coach seat. - -“They’re running away, and the driver’s lost his nerve!” exclaimed the -cavalryman. - -Then he raised his voice, shouting in trumpet tones: - -“Put on your brake! drag hard on your lines, man, or you are lost!” - -The six horses, keeping their feet almost miraculously, bounded out -upon the level stretch. They did not hold back in the least. They -were maddened with fear now, and were headed straight for the second -descent. On _that_ hill they would quickly come to grief. No power -could save them. - -Again the astonished cavalryman yelled his warning to the man on the -driver’s seat of the coach. His words seemed to reach the man’s ears. -He made no move to seize the lines or retard the mad course of the -horses, but in clarion tones came back the answer: - -“I am bound! I cannot stop them! Shoot!” - -Perhaps the involuntary passenger on the doomed stage-coach meant for -the young man to shoot _him_ and so let him escape a more awful death. -But no such intention had the lieutenant. The coach was coming toward -him rapidly, and he obtained a clearer view of the bound man. - -“Buffalo Bill, by the nine gods of war!” he shouted suddenly, -recognizing his friend. “What in Heaven’s name does this mean?” - -There was nobody to answer the query; but he saw that the man was -indeed bound to his seat, and that the reins were loosely swinging, -bound to the lantern. The brake was not on at all! - -At this discovery the lieutenant sank his spurs into the flanks of -his thoroughbred, and, with a wild snort of pain and anger, the horse -leaped down the sharp declivity toward the piece of rough, but level -roadway, over which the coach must come. - -Yet half-way down the incline the lieutenant was smitten with a sudden -thought, and he pulled hard on the bit. The thoroughbred lay back on -his haunches and slid. The rider seized one of his guns and cocked the -weapon. - -“Now, Dick Danforth, prove your fame as a dead shot,” he muttered. “For -if ever true marksmanship was needed, it is now to save yonder brave -man from death!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. THE RACE WITH DEATH. - - -The young officer’s face was stern, yet calm. No nerves had he, and, -although so much depended upon his work of the next few moments, he was -certainly cool. His eyes only flashed, showing the excitement that bore -him up. - -He glanced at the pistol to see that all was right. Straight along the -level the maddened horses came, the coach swaying behind them like a -ship in a heavy sea. And behind it came Chief as though he hoped to do -something for his imperiled master. - -Dick Danforth was above the road, and, as he had pulled back his horse, -the creature was fairly sliding down the steep incline, laying back on -its haunches and bracing its forefeet to retard its progress. - -Buffalo Bill could do nothing to help himself. Even had he been able to -seize the reins at this moment and slam on the brake, he could not have -brought the wild horses to a halt before the damage was done. It all -depended upon Dick Danforth. - -Far up the hill the keen eye of the officer descried a band of -horsemen. They wore no uniforms, were not in buckskin, and were not -Indians. He understood who they were at once. He knew that Buffalo Bill -had been sent to his doom by the bandits of the overland trail. - -“But, by thunder! we’ll fool ’em!” muttered the young officer. - -Almost instantly his finger touched the trigger of the pistol, and the -flash and report followed. With perfect presence of mind he had made -his calculations. Did he kill one of the leaders it would throw the -other horses upon him, and the stage would be wrecked after all, and -Buffalo Bill doubtless killed. - -Did he kill one of the wheel-horses instead it would act as a drag on -the others, and still be borne along at a slackening speed, until its -mate could be brought down. This he had aimed to do and--he succeeded! - -With the crack of the first shot the off-wheeler dropped, the stage -swayed forward sideways, and then was dragged on, with the dead horse, -yet at a slackened pace. - -With the second shot the other wheel-horse stumbled, staggered, -half-fell, regained its feet again, and finally went down heavily. -Again the coach swayed badly; but the stout pole was kept up by the -pressure of the draft of four horses upon it, and the heavy breast -chains and traces held the two dead animals firmly attached to it, both -acting as a powerful drag upon the others, and retarding their speed to -a slow gallop. - -Dick Danforth let his mount out, came down the remainder of the run -with a rush, and on the level reached the leader’s heads. He seized -the bridle of the nearest horse and dragged him to one side, almost -throwing him. The horse broke step and pulled its mate down. In a -minute all four were brought up standing--and not an instant too soon, -for the brink of the second and more perilous part of the hill was -right before them! - -The horses were still in a nervous state; but Dick Danforth could -trust his own mount. He placed the horse he rode in front of the -leaders, leaped from the saddle, and left the bridle-reins hanging -over his horse’s head. While they remained thus nothing less than an -earthquake, or a volcanic eruption, would make the horse move out of -his tracks--and the coach-animals could not pass him. - -“Quick, Danforth! As you are alone you’d best get out of here quick. -Here come my foes!” cried Buffalo Bill, glancing back. - -Boyd Bennett and his men, all mounted now, were picking their way -down the hill, intent upon overtaking Buffalo Bill again and his lone -rescuer. But Dick Danforth was not the man to fly and leave a comrade -in peril. His escort was as yet a long way off, he knew; Buffalo Bill -was bound too tightly for quick release, and could not aid in beating -back the bandits. - -Danforth ran directly toward the coach, nevertheless. Along came Chief -at an easy lope, and he caught the horse. He saw that Cody’s loaded -pistols were in the holsters. He snatched them out, and climbed quickly -up to the box seat. - -By then the bandits had begun to fire. But, without replying, and while -the lead whistled about their heads like hail, the lieutenant slashed -the cords which held Buffalo Bill’s hands in limbo. - -“Grab these and let the sons-of-guns have ’em, Cody!” yelled the -excited officer, thrusting his own pistols into the scout’s hands. - -Then he flung himself forward upon his face along the coach top, and, -dragging his own guns from his boots, into the tops of which he had -dropped them, he began to blaze away at Boyd Bennett and his gang with -such good success that almost instantly the leader was wounded and -another man was dropped out of his saddle. Buffalo Bill began to fire -rapidly, too, being able to twist the upper part of his body about and -take aim. - -With two such dead shots against the robbers, the latter had little -stomach for the battle. Besides, the scoundrels saw Danforth’s hat, and -one yelled: - -“Look out, boys! the troopers are on us!” - -And already the thunder of the squadron of cavalry on the plateau above -reached their ears. Their leader having disappeared in such a hurry, -the cavalrymen had come up rapidly, and now heard the firing of the -guns below. - -“Hold, men! fly for your lives!” shouted the voice of Boyd Bennett. - -He wheeled and larruped his horse up the hill. Before the troopers -reached the brink of the bluff above the coach, the robbers were out of -sight. - -“You’re all right, old man!” yelled Danforth, in huge delight, smiting -Cody on the back. - -“Thanks to you, Dick.” - -“Who was your particular friend yonder--the fellow with the mustache -and the black hair?” - -“Boyd Bennett.” - -“By the nine gods of war! Too bad I didn’t settle his hash instead of -just stinging him.” - -“Too bad, indeed, Dick.” - -“Are you hurt?” - -“No. But you might cut my other ropes. I’d like to get off this blamed -old ramshackle thing before she starts again. Those horses are still -nervous.” - -“Right you are, Bill!” cried the lieutenant, and while his men -hurriedly made their way down the hill leading their mounts--and -passing wondering remarks at the trail left on the hillside by the -lieutenant’s horse--Danforth finished cutting Cody free. - -While Cody related his adventure with the coach, the lieutenant’s -men dragged out the dead horses and reharnessed the others. The dead -soldiers and driver brought forth angry ejaculations from the troopers. -Danforth and his men were out on scouting duty, and when the lieutenant -heard of the hidden treasure-chest, he undertook the duty of getting it -and bearing it and the stage-coach on to Fort Advance. - -“You don’t need all your men for that, Dick,” the scout said. “Half -your escort can take the coach and the treasure in. I’ve a long score -to even up with Boyd Bennett, and I’m going to hit his trail right now. -I have my horse and my weapons, and with you and a file of your men -we ought to be able to handle the scoundrels if we have the luck to -overtake them.” - -“I’m agreeable, Cody,” declared the reckless lieutenant. “You haven’t -any scruples about my shooting these road-agents if we come up with -them?” - -“What do you mean, lieutenant?” asked Cody curiously. “What’s the -burn?” - -“Why, you seemed to object to my potting that Injun gal, White -Antelope.” - -The scout’s face clouded, and he shook his head. - -“Don’t jest over that, Dick.” - -“Pshaw! I’m not jesting. I spotted her only this morning--and stayed my -hand. Otherwise she would be walking behind my chariot.” - -“White Antelope out this way?” exclaimed Cody wonderingly. - -“She sure was.” - -“Then there’s something afoot among the Sioux. We must look into this.” - -“But first the road-agents?” - -“Yes. First we’ll serve Boyd Bennett.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. DANFORTH’S HAND IS STAYED AGAIN. - - -It was decided, however, that the entire troop would return with the -stage-coach to the scene of the original hold-up. Although Bennett had -been driven off so successfully by the bluecoats, Buffalo Bill feared -that he might meet up with the scalping party that had killed the -paymaster and his guard, and take his gang over to this spot to search -for the pay-chest that he was so sure his old enemy, the scout, had -hidden. - -“We might have the luck to catch him on the ground. If not, we’ll pick -up his trail as soon as we see a part of your men off with the coach -and the treasure,” said Cody. - -The four horses drew the empty stage up the hill with little -difficulty, and, surrounded by the troop of cavalry, it rattled back -along the trail to the gruesome spot where Cody had first seen it. -There Danforth set his men afoot, and at several points of vantage, to -watch the road and the valley behind the ridge, while he and the scout -went down into the swamp for the treasure-chest. - -They had one of the troopers follow them at a distance of a few rods. -Their numbers were so few, and they were so scattered, that Danforth -took every precaution against being ambushed. The day was waning, and -they were obliged to hurry if they would fish out the chest and then -pick up the trail of the outlaw gang before night. And Danforth was -quite as eager as the scout to do this last. - -When they got into the wood which masked the swampy ground they alarmed -a big caribou, which started slowly in the very direction they were -taking. - -“That doesn’t look much as though there were either reds or whites -lurking near,” muttered Cody. - -“By Jove, Bill! I want a shot at that fellow,” exclaimed Danforth -eagerly. - -“He’s not going fast. Perhaps you can bring him down.” - -“I’m going to try. There, he’s stopped to feed again. He’s a cheeky old -cuss.” - -“What you want him for? Your party is well provisioned.” - -“The colonel will be glad of a haunch of caribou venison. He’s fond of -it, and the flesh is good now.” - -“All right, Dick. Take my gun. It’s better than yours.” - -The eager young lieutenant seized the weapon and began creeping through -the brush in the direction of the caribou’s flight. Cody came behind, -not much interested in the game, having his mind more fixed upon the -overtaking of Boyd Bennett. The hunt promised to be a brief one, -however. - -Fortunately the running buck had not diverted far from the straightaway -course to the hiding-place of the treasure-box; otherwise Cody might -have more strenuously objected. In a few minutes the two men came to a -glade well dotted with trees, yet free for the most part of brush so -that they could see some distance. - -“Wait! isn’t that him, Bill?” whispered the young lieutenant. - -“Your eyesight is good, Dick. Where?” asked the scout. - -“Yonder. Beyond that low brush-clump.” - -“Ah!” - -“That’s sure him, Bill. Yes, sir! he’s facing this way. You can see his -black breast and fore legs. Down, Bill! don’t show yourself,” whispered -Danforth eagerly. - -“Wait a moment. Better be sure, Dick,” muttered the scout, stooping and -peering under the sharp of his hand toward the spot indicated. - -“Gad! he’ll get away. Let me plug him.” - -The light was so uncertain that, old and keen-eyed hunter that he was, -Cody was not at all sure it was the caribou they saw. - -“Don’t make a mistake, Dick,” he murmured. - -“What mistake? The mistake of letting the critter git away?” cried the -young man, exasperated. - -“Many a man has been shot from overeagerness in the chase,” said the -scout warningly. - -“Why, that’s no man!” - -“A big buck standing head on in the brush like this one, looks just -like a man in black clothes--don’t you see?” - -“It _does_ look like a man,” admitted Danforth. “I’ll remember that, -Bill. But we know well enough that _this_ is a caribou.” - -“Do we?” - -“Of course! Confound you, Bill----” - -Suddenly a sharp whistle issued from the scout’s lips. Dick Danforth -swore out loud and jerked his gun to his shoulder. But the scout -grabbed his arm. - -“There’s your buck, Dick!” the older man exclaimed. - -In a flash the figure beyond the glade moved and came into better view -for an instant. It was not a deer at all, but a man--a gigantic figure, -dressed in some rough black garment, and he was in view of the two -friends for but a few seconds. Then he darted behind a tree. - -“It’s a bear!” gasped Danforth. “I might have plugged him, anyway.” - -“Get out! That’s no bear. It’s a man.” - -“One of that gang?” whispered Danforth, suddenly more cautious. - -“I--don’t--know----” - -“Better have let me shot him, anyway,” grumbled the lieutenant. - -“You bloodthirsty young savage! Be still.” - -Suddenly the figure beyond the glade rushed from behind the tree and -glided swiftly away through the timber. As he went he uttered a most -eery scream, his voice floating back to them as he disappeared in the -rapidly darkening forest. - -“Well! what do you think of that?” gasped Danforth. - -“Why, the man must be crazy!” exclaimed the scout. “That wasn’t Bennett -or any of his crowd.” - -“Nor a redskin.” - -“Of course, it wasn’t a red. And a madman----” - -“I’ve got it!” exclaimed the lieutenant suddenly. “That was the Mad -Hunter.” - -“Pshaw! do you believe there is such a person?” - -“One of our old sergeants says he met him, and that the madman took a -pot-shot at him,” declared the lieutenant. - -“Well. I’ve heard of him myself.” - -“And that chap was a big man, all right.” - -“A giant.” - -“And as crazy as a bedbug,” added Danforth decidedly. - -“Don’t know how crazy they are; but this chap certainly acted as though -he was a good subject for restraint. Ugh! did you ever hear such a -yell?” - -“I know you stopped me from making a very pretty shot, Bill,” laughed -the youngster. “That’s the second time. The next time I’ll be tempted -to turn my gun on you, old man.” - -Cody became grave again the instant he was reminded of how Danforth had -come near to shooting White Antelope, but he made no rejoinder. They -hurried back to the edge of the swamp, and, leaving the cavalryman to -watch, the scout and the lieutenant soon found the root to which Cody -had tied the lariat, and, with some little difficulty, dragged the -submerged box into view. There was a handle upon each end, and between -them the two friends carried the chest back to the stage-coach. They -loaded it aboard, one of the troopers tied his horse behind and took -the reins, and four rode before and behind the coach as guard. Just as -dusk fell the paymaster’s chest resumed its journey to Fort Advance, -with the dead bodies of its former unfortunate guardians. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. A DOUBLE CAPTURE. - - -Lieutenant Danforth and the bulk of his squad attended Buffalo Bill -on his search for the gang of outlaws. As soon as the coach was well -on its way, they rode to the spot where Boyd Bennett and his men had -left the trail, and, despite the fact that it was rapidly growing dark, -they picked up the hoofmarks of the renegades’ horses and followed them -rapidly for some miles. - -Although the sky was clear and there was a long evening, the party of -trailers could not keep on for long. They got well into the hills; but -the tracks of the outlaw gang showed that Bennett had kept on at a -swift pace, and it was utterly useless for the troop to wear out their -own mounts and possibly miss the trail itself after dark. - -“It’s a long chase, as a stern chase always is, Dick,” said the scout. -“We might as well make up our minds to that, first as last.” - -“So I suppose, Bill.” - -“But as long as we’re once on the scoundrel’s trail, I’ll stick to it -to the end,” said Cody grimly. “Better rest up the men and horses and -make an early start.” - -“Right you are. How’s yonder place for a camp?” - -“In among those rocks--yes. We can set sentinels on the top of them. -Nobody can approach us then.” - -“All right. Too bad I didn’t drop that caribou. A little fresh meat -would have been agreeable.” - -“No smoke, boy. Can’t afford to make a fire. We’re not only following -some pretty shrewd white men, but we’re in the Injun country.” - -“Thunder!” - -“Cold fodder to-night,” said the scout firmly. - -“Well. My orderly always packs a small spirit-lamp. He can make shift -to get us all a cup of coffee,” said Danforth, and he proceeded to give -the necessary orders, and the troop was soon bivouacked for the night. - -The horses, well hobbled, grazed within bowshot of the camp, and a -sentinel placed so as to overlook them where they were on the plain. -No wily enemy might approach them without the watcher, if he be -sharp-eyed, seeing the marauder. Yet Buffalo Bill did not altogether -trust to the watchfulness of the troopers. - -He was in need of rest, and he rolled up in his blanket and left -Danforth to smoke his pipe alone, early in the evening. But when the -midnight watch turned out the old scout arose like a specter, spoke to -the corporal in charge, and stole out of the camp. Knowing the avarice -of Boyd Bennett and suspecting that of his men, he felt sure that they -would not give up so easily the chance of finding and appropriating -the pay-chest which Captain Hinkley had lost his life to defend. - -In the first blush of the attack by the troopers, the outlaws had -broken and fled. But they would recover their nerve. They might be -joined by some of Oak Heart’s braves, with whom Cody knew Bennett -fraternized. They might even hear the full particulars of the Indians’ -hold-up of the stage, and be more confident than ever of the fact that -Cody had hidden the treasure. - -The scout believed that, as he and Danforth had moved so quickly, -the coach with its present guard would get through in safety to Fort -Advance. It was probably there by this time, in fact. But Bennett -and his men might come back to see what was really being done by the -troopers, and they would be sure to fall upon the bivouac. Therefore, -the scout was on the alert. - -He made a complete circuit of the camp, but out of sight and gunshot of -the sentinels. He did not care to furnish a target for his own friends. -Having agreed with the corporal on a signal, he would not come in -without sounding it, and so warning the bluecoats of his return. - -However, he found no sign of an enemy, although he spent an hour and -a half in creeping about the vicinity. And this very fact amazed and -somewhat troubled him. He could not imagine Bennett under ordinary -circumstances flying from an enemy without sending back a scout to -learn if the trail was not being followed. Cody was dissatisfied. He -feared that the reason he had not discovered such a scout was because -it was some person more wily than himself! - -No white man could be that. Ordinarily Buffalo Bill would pitch his own -cunning against a redskin’s, too; but in this case, if there was an -Indian creeping about the camp, he would have the advantage over the -Border King. He might have crawled to the summit of some hill and from -that vantage overlook the encampment of Uncle Sam’s troops. - -Having encircled the encampment, Buffalo Bill was undecided whether -to return to the bivouac--his blanket beckoned him--or to once more -make the circle. Suddenly he heard Chief whinny loudly. There was some -activity among the horses; but the scout heard the sentinel’s voice -and knew that the mob of animals would not stampede. But his own mount -screamed again--angrily. - -“By thunder!” muttered the Border King. “That means one thing, and one -thing only. Chief smells a redskin--or more than one!” - -Yet he did not start down into the encampment to arouse the men. The -horses quieted down, and there was no further warning from the big -white horse. The scout, however, glided out upon the plain, taking -advantage of the shadow of every bush and boulder, and so stood beside -the soldier watching the herd. He came so suddenly that the man was -startled and grunted: - -“Holy Jo, Cody! You give me a start.” - -“See what an Injun might do to you.” - -“Not much. I’d smell the prowling devils,” said the trooper confidently. - -“What was the matter with my horse?” - -“That white fellow?” - -“Yes.” - -“Dunno. Just squealed.” - -Cody thought to himself: “Well, your smelling powers are not equal to -Chief’s. _He_ certainly got the taint of redskin on the air.” - -Aloud the scout asked: - -“Which way was the horse headed when he squealed--did you notice?” - -“Just about as he is now. What’s the matter?” - -“Humph! didn’t know but the horse was sick,” replied Cody dryly, and he -walked through the herd till he stood beside Chief. - -“So, boy! what’s the matter?” he said soothingly, smoothing the horse’s -muzzle. - -Chief whinnied softly; his fright was passed. Suddenly the sentinel, -who had idly followed Cody’s movements with his glance, became aware of -the fact that the scout had disappeared! It was not a dark night, and -the plain was open; but the scout was gone as completely as though he -had been suddenly wiped out of existence! - -“Well, I’ll be switched!” grunted the surprised trooper, stepping -forward, and then stopping again. “I could have swore that feller stood -by his hoss a minute ago.” - -And he was right on that point, of course. But Buffalo Bill had slipped -the lariat from his saddle-bow and suddenly dropped into the grass at -his horse’s feet. Chief began to crop the grass again, and paid no -attention while his master crept away from the herd. Cody knew that the -light breeze had brought but a single whiff of Indian to the horse’s -nostrils. The redskin could not be far away. - -He crept across the plain and finally reached rising ground, where -clumps of brush and an occasional tree offered shelter. He had been -over this ground before, but he knew that some prowling enemy had been -here more recently. He remained almost flat upon the ground and gazed -all about him, seeking to see the silhouette of any lurking figure -against the sky. - -And in this he was successful. At first he overlooked it, believing -it to be a tree. Then he saw it move slightly, and finally made out -the body of a tall man standing beside a sapling, some distance up the -hill. Eagerly the scout crawled up the slope, and finally gained a -point above and beyond the stationary figure. - -Before he could accomplish more, however, the figure he had watched -so carefully suddenly stepped away from the tree. He heard a guttural -voice grunt the single syllable: - -“Ugh!” - -For an instant Cody feared his own presence had been discovered. Then -he saw what had drawn the ejaculation from the redskin. A second figure -had appeared on the hillside. Cody lay behind a boulder and watched the -two men approach each other. There was a rapid interchange of guttural -observations in the Sioux tongue. Two scouts were reporting to each -other what they had discovered about the bivouac and the numbers of the -pony soldiers there encamped. - -For all he knew there might be a big party of reds within call. He -scarcely believed so, considering how the reds hate to travel by night; -but the presence of these scouts suggested, at least, that Boyd Bennett -had influence enough over the tribesmen to send these two back to do -his dirty work. - -However, the scout was minded to make a bold play. - -He rose up softly from behind the boulder. The Indians’ backs were -half-turned to him, and their heads were very close together while they -whispered softly. Cody poised himself, and, judging his distance, began -to circle his rope--which he had brought with him on the chance of -tying up a prisoner--carefully. - -Swish! - -The serpentine loop hurtled over the heads of the redskins, -and--dropped! There were two startled screams, both of which were -choked off instantly. - -The scout flung himself backward and drew the horsehair noose taut. It -had caught one Indian around the neck and over the shoulders, and the -other had but one hand free. The first jerk yanked both off their feet -and held them together with such firmness that they could not rise or -stretch the loop. They were like one enraged animal, struggling and -lashing out upon the ground! - -Buffalo Bill ran in, wound the slack of the line about their writhing -bodies and about their legs. In a couple of minutes they were so mixed -up with that rope that it was hard to tell which Indian was which! - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. THE CAVE IN THE MOUNTAIN. - - -Now, despite the excitement of the moment, Cody noticed one fact that -delighted him. The two entangled Indians did not cry out. After the -first involuntary grunt, neither uttered a yell of rage or despair, -and this proved a point in the scout’s favor. There were no other -redskins near at hand! - -Had there been, a war-whoop from the struggling scamps would have been -quite in order. But as they were evidently scouting with their main -party at some distance, they were mighty careful about raising a racket -and so bringing the soldiers up the hill to the aid of their unknown -enemy. As for the latter, Buffalo Bill, he was not in the habit of -singing out for help--not even when the odds were greater against him -than upon this occasion. - -Having yanked the fellows back upon the ground twice, and pulling the -lariat so taut that one Indian’s throat was almost cut, he taught the -prisoners that he was master. He then, as shown, entangled their feet -and legs, and so held them triced like a bale of hay. - -Being sure of handling them now, he came close, lashed the end of his -lariat, and removed their knives and tomahawks. They had dropped their -guns at the moment of the attack, and these the scout gathered up, too. - -Having made sure of the prisoners single-handed, the Border King walked -composedly down toward the camp. The sentinel near the horses saw him -coming and challenged: - -“Who goes there?” - -“It’s me, old man.” - -“Ah! I thought ’twas you, Cody. Where’d you go to back there a spell? -All of a sudden I lost you.” - -“Why, I walked out to capture a couple of reds that were hanging -about.” - -“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the man. “That’s a good one. I ain’t heard a -thing to-night, have you?” - -“My horse did.” - -“What?” - -“Chief heard, or smelled, reds. And I’ve got ’em tied up out yonder,” -said Buffalo Bill coolly. “Call your corporal and have ’em brought in.” - -“What’s that, Bill?” gasped the trooper. - -“Call the corporal.” - -“You don’t mean to say you’ve captured an Indian since you left me?” - -“Two.” - -“No!” - -“I tell you I have,” said Cody, with some exasperation. “Here are their -arms. Get a move on you!” The surprised and half-doubting trooper made -so much noise arousing his immediate officer that the lieutenant was -awakened, too. He came down with the corporal and two men and went out -with Cody to bring in the reds. It was a fact that none of the soldiers -really believed Cody had captured two redskins until they saw the -captives writhing on the ground. - -“And I wouldn’t have had ’em much longer if you fellows had stopped to -chin any more. They’re most free,” said Cody. - -“Bill, you’re a wonder,” declared Dick Danforth. - -“Thanks. Bring ’em in. Let’s see who the scamps are.” - -This was done, the fire was renewed, and those of the troopers who -had been aroused gathered around in a respectful circle to hear their -lieutenant and the scout put the two bucks through their catechism. - -That they belonged to Oak Heart’s tribe was easy to learn; but beyond -that the two young redskins were very non-committal. They had come -scouting about the soldier camp for Death Killer, the new medicine -chief of the Sioux; little else could the whites learn. - -“Who the deuce is this Death Killer, Bill?” demanded Lieutenant -Danforth. - -“I’ve heard some whispers of him; but who he is I haven’t learned,” -said Cody. - -“Was he with the bunch that Oak Heart brought up against Fort Advance?” - -“No.” - -“That’s odd, isn’t it?” - -“These medicine chiefs are mighty scarey of their safety. They never -take many risks, you bet!” - -“So Death Killer stayed at home and let his children fight the battle -alone, eh?” remarked the lieutenant. - -“Why, as to that, I believe the Sioux didn’t have this wonderful new -chief at that time.” - -“Is that so?” - -“I met an Arapahoe, a friend of mine, who told me something about the -medicine chief that Oak Heart had got. The Sioux believe that the next -time they buck up against the whites, the medicine of this Death Killer -will bring them the victory.” - -This was said aside so that the two young Indians could not understand. - -“What’ll we do with these fellows, Bill?” asked the young officer. - -“Thunder! We don’t want any prisoners.” - -“You mean to shoot them?” - -“What’s the use? It will only mean bringing the whole tribe about our -ears like a swarm of bees. While we’re hunting Bennett we don’t want -the Sioux onto us, too.” - -“You wouldn’t advise turning them loose?” - -“Well, do you know a better way of getting rid of them?” - -Danforth shook his head slowly. - -“They certainly would be white elephants on our hands if we tried to -hold them,” he admitted. - -“Kick ’em out,” advised the scout. - -“They’ll go back and report.” - -“What can they report? That they found a bunch of troopers here camping -on the trail of the white outlaws.” - -“But suppose Bennett is hand and glove with the reds as you think?” - -“Then we must run that risk. Here! let me talk with these young bucks -alone,” suggested Cody. - -The examination of the reds had been accomplished in English and by -aid of the sign language. Now the scout spoke to them in their own -tongue. He did not expect to win their confidence; but since they had -discovered that no other than Pa-e-has-ka had so easily overcome them, -they felt better in their minds. - -Finally Cody unfastened them, filled their pouches with food, gave them -back their weapons, and advised them to go back to their lodges. - -“Let this medicine chief, Death Killer, come himself to learn our -numbers and our intentions,” said the scout significantly. “Let him -learn about us by his magic. If he is so great a medicine-man why does -he not know these things by his magic power? Go, brothers; you have -your lives at the hand of the Long Hair.” - -The two young reds departed with unmoved countenances. If they felt -gratitude they would not be likely to show it in the expression of -their faces. That would be against Indian nature. - -The camp being pretty thoroughly aroused now, and daybreak being near, -the lieutenant ordered breakfast prepared. Buffalo Bill did not object -to a fire being made now. Not only had their encampment been discovered -by the reds; but the morning was so misty that the smoke would not rise -high, anyway. - -They went on after the meal, finding the trail of the outlaws difficult -of following in some places, for it was apparent that an attempt had -been made to cloud the trace. By mid-forenoon, however, they were deep -in the hills, in a wild and gloomy country, and where every mile was -perilous. They might be ambushed by the foe in almost any cut, and -Cody kept the command back while he investigated every particularly -ugly-looking defile. What report the two released Indians might make to -their people had much to do with the safety of the expedition, too. For -all the whites knew, the Sioux might be gathering to fall upon them! - -Not a soul did they see on the trail; but they found the place where -Boyd Bennett and his men had spent the night; and they noted marks -which assured them that the outlaws had lit out that morning hurriedly. -Evidently the approach of the troopers was feared by the renegades. - -Before night, however, Cody called a halt in the forward movement. -They were in the midst of peaks, and tall, chimneylike rocks where the -timber was sparse and vegetation of any other kind becoming thin. -Shelter was not easily obtained, and the trail had to be guessed at -many times, the way was so rocky. - -“I don’t like the look of this territory, Dick,” said the scout. - -“Those fellows can’t be far ahead of us,” declared the eager lieutenant. - -“I’m not so sure of that. They plainly know the way.” - -“Well, they haven’t succeeded in fooling us much yet.” - -“That may be; but they may fool us badly in the end.” - -“Don’t croak, Bill; that isn’t like you.” - -“I tell you, boy, we’re perhaps putting our necks into a noose. I’ve -seen several smokes this afternoon. Now, if the Injuns join in with -Boyd Bennett, and make common cause with him--well, where’ll we be?” - -“Here, or hereabout,” grunted Danforth. - -“And we’ll stay here, too! I vote we make an end of this quick.” - -“Why, Bill, I thought you were so eager to follow Bennett up?” - -“So I am. But I’m not as eager for meeting my finish as you seem to be.” - -“Pshaw! you’re not afraid for yourself, Bill. I know you,” cried -Danforth. - -“I’ve got no right to run you into peril.” - -“Forget me!” - -“And you’ve no right to lead your troop into a pocket. What do you -suppose your ‘kern’ will say?” - -“Oh, shucks! I hate to give this up.” - -“So do I, son. But we’ve got to.” - -“You mean to start right back now?” - -“You’re the doctor. I’m not in command,” said Cody. - -“Hang it all, Bill! you are virtually in command, and you know it.” - -“Well, you want me to advise?” - -“Of course.” - -“Then I say we’d better hunt a place to stop the night, and then light -out for a more healthy country in the morning. I begin to feel that -we’re being watched.” - -“You _feel_ so?” - -“Sounds silly, doesn’t it, eh? But it’s so. And intuition has stood me -in good stead before. There are foes near. We want to get shelter and -prepare to receive them properly.” - -Thus advised, Dick Danforth ordered his men to dismount, and they led -their horses up into the rocky gorge Cody had chosen as a retreat. It -would have been well for Danforth if he always so easily listened to -the admonition of his elders and the better informed. - -Just inside the gorge was a yawning cavern in the mountainside. -Evidently Cody knew of this retreat, even had he never been over the -ground before. He led his big white horse with satisfaction into the -dusky interior. - -“Hold on, Bill! The critters can’t feed in there,” Danforth objected, -bringing his own animal to a stop. - -“All right. We’ll have to cut brush for ’em to pick over. There’s no -safe feeding ground outside.” - -“But, hang it! how do we know who or what may be in that hole?” - -“Chief says there are no Injuns here, that’s sure!” retorted the scout, -laughing. - -“But it may be a grizzly’s lair, or a cougar’s.” - -“Nope. Old Chief would have made remarks about it. Come on, lieutenant.” - -“Oh, I’m not afraid, if that’s what you mean!” grunted Dick Danforth, -and with a nod to his file-leader, he followed the scout into the maw -of the darksome cave. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. THE NIGHT PROWLERS. - - -The frontiersmen--those who were Buffalo Bill’s associates--mapped the -mountains and plains of the West long before Uncle Sam’s exploration -parties ever penetrated the wilderness. Cody had never been to this -hole in the mountainside before, yet he knew all about it. Hunters and -trappers--and some early gold-seekers--had told him of its existence. -It had been considered “bad medicine” by the Indians who inhabited -this section of the country before the Sioux had flowed over into the -land, and Oak Heart’s people themselves kept away from it. The scout -was pretty sure that they had a sufficiently strong fortress here to -withstand any ordinary attack. - -Besides, there was spring water in the cave, and, as he showed Danforth -very quickly, something better still. As they advanced under the arched -roof of the cavern, light appeared ahead. - -“There’s another opening,” said Danforth. - -“Looks like it.” - -“Why, they can get at us from two directions, Bill!” - -“Can they?” - -“You’re blamed cool about it.” - -“Might as well be cool as hot. We have got to take it as it comes.” - -The light grew apace. - -“What kind of a place is this, anyway?” cried the lieutenant. - -“Come along, sir!” - -“But the horses----” - -“Bring the horses along, too. I reckon I haven’t mistaken the place. -Here we are!” - -As he spoke they came out into a roughly circular basin, surrounded -completely by steep--aye, unscalable--rocks, but well grown to grass -and bushes at the bottom. It was a veritable little pocket in the heart -of the mountain. There was no escape from it, and no getting into it, -excepting through the cave. - -Chief kicked up his heels, snorted joyfully, and broke away from Cody’s -detaining hand. The other horses followed, and the whole herd set to -cropping the sweet grass in equine delight. - -“Well, sir! This beats my time!” exclaimed Danforth. - -“Guess we can stand a bit of a siege here, if necessary, eh?” queried -Cody. - -“That we could.” - -Fire-wood was cut and brought into the cave and the meal started. Cody -was not content to remain for long inactive, however. He slept while -the meal was being prepared. After he had eaten, however, he left the -camp, and in the gloaming made his way out and down into the valley -from which they had retired, on the lookout for the enemy. - -The worst of it was, he did not exactly know whether their white or red -foes would be upon them first. The Sioux might attack--for they were -now well into the Indian country--or Boyd Bennett and his gang might -come back at them. If the latter, the troopers could handle the outlaws -easily. But a horde of savages might give the troops a mighty pretty -brush up here in the hills, so far away from reenforcements and a base -of supplies. - -The scout was careful to leave no trace himself, and when he reached -the spot where the troopers had turned aside from the outlaw’s trail, -he hid and watched, and waited, to see what or who might “turn up.” -That it was about time for either the outlaws or the Indians to show -their hand Cody was sure. - -His judgment was good in this case, too. He had not been lying in wait -an hour when he saw two mounted figures coming along the valley toward -his station. Dark as it was down here, he could make out their outlines -sufficiently to know that one was an Indian and the other was a white -man. They came to the point where the troopers had diverged from Boyd -Bennett’s trail, and there halted to whisper together. - -From where he lay in the rocks, Cody could see the fire blazing in the -mouth of the cave up in the gorge. He knew the men below him could see -it, too. Writhing down the hill, like a serpent between the boulders, -the scout reached a point where he could overhear something of what the -Indian and the white man said. - -“Return and bring them to this place. The hour must be no later than -midnight,” the white man was saying in a commanding manner. - -“It shall be as my brother says,” the redskin muttered. - -“My men will advance and draw their first fire--perhaps get them out of -the cave. You say there is no chance of getting in from the rear?” - -“No Sioux would venture, if it were possible. That cavern was the abode -of a great spirit at one time.” - -“Ha! Very well. Do as I have bid you. You and your braves hold back if -you must. But if we draw the badgers, we can count upon you to pitch -in?” - -“It is as my brother says.” - -“All right! Off with you. I await my men here.” - -The redskin twitched his pony’s head about, and rode softly away. -After standing a moment in the path, the white man’s horse was turned -out upon a bit of sward, and Cody knew that the fellow dismounted. -He evidently proposed to remain near and watch the cave until -reenforcements arrived. - -And Cody knew the scoundrel. He had recognized the voice, and likewise -by the fact that he held his left arm stiffly bound to his side, the -scout knew that it was Boyd Bennett himself. Dick Danforth had indeed -“stung” the robber. The bone of his left arm had been broken, and he -could barely hold the reins with that hand. - -Buffalo Bill was greatly tempted. Here was a chance for him to take his -old enemy, single-handed. And did naught but personal vengeance enter -into the affair, he would have made the attempt. But there was a brave -opportunity of rounding up more of the gang, despite their affiliation -with the redskins, and Cody resisted the temptation. - -He made his way back to the cave, found most of the troopers already -peacefully asleep, and Danforth anxiously awaiting his return. - -“Well?” demanded the young lieutenant. - -“We’re going to have visitors about midnight.” - -“How’s that?” - -“Mr. Bennett and his gang will make the attack; a set of thieving reds -will stand off to pitch in if the whites can’t handle us.” - -“Gee, Cody! how d’you know all that?” - -Buffalo Bill told him. - -“Why didn’t you shoot the bloody thieves?” - -“And lose the chance of rounding up more of them?” - -“They’ll be too many for us, I fear,” said Danforth, although without -displaying any particular fear of such an outcome. - -“They will certainly outnumber us--reds and all.” - -“Nice prospect.” - -“But forewarned is forearmed, eh?” - -“Right you are, Bill! We have the advantage of knowing that they are -coming, whereas they will labor under the disadvantage of believing we -are unsuspicious.” - -“Yes.” - -“But hived up in this place----” - -“We haven’t got to stay hived up,” interrupted the scout. “And we don’t -want to.” - -“You’ve got a plan, Bill?” - -“I have.” - -“State it, old man. You know well enough you don’t have to stand on -ceremony with me.” - -“This fire can be seen from below. Let it die down. Don’t let any fuel -be flung on for some time. When it’s at the lowest we can lead our -horses out without being seen.” - -“Give up our shelter, Bill? And with a horde of redskins coming?” - -“Sure. Let them attack an empty cave--but one that doesn’t look empty. -The last man to leave can fling a pile of fuel on the fire and then -slip away before it burns up brightly. So we’ll have ’em attacking an -empty fortress while we are out here among the rocks ready to play heck -with ’em!” - -“I’m not afraid of the outlaws,” said Danforth slowly. “But the -redskins----” - -“Won’t come too near the cave; it’s bad medicine, as I told you.” - -“But when they see that we’re outside----” - -“Wait! We’ll lead the horses away along the trail we came over, and -leave them in charge of one man. Then, when it gets too hot for us--if -the reds pitch in--we’ll decamp. The reds won’t be too near, however. I -know ’em. An Injun is as full of superstition as an egg is of meat.” - -“Your plan looks good, Bill.” - -“All right. Stop that fellow--quick! He’ll spoil it all.” - -Danforth turned to see one of the guards advancing toward the fire with -an armful of fuel. The lieutenant ordered him to desist and instructed -his subordinate to let the fire die down. Then he and Cody rolled up in -their blankets for an hour’s sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. MORE THAN THEY BARGAINED FOR. - - -When the lieutenant and scout were awakened, according to order, the -camp became at once an exceedingly lively though quiet place. The men -had their instructions in a low tone from Danforth. They led the horses -into the cave from the rear, and, the fire being now merely a bed of -glowing coals, the shadows of neither man nor beast were pricked out by -the light from the fire. - -Cody had slipped out and beaten the rocks and brush on the hillside -before the mouth of the cavern. He found no lurking spy, but he went -far enough to hear Boyd Bennett’s horse stamping in the valley. The -outlaw was still there awaiting the coming of his men and of his -redskin allies. - -The scout hurried back and led the way with Chief, warning the troopers -to smother any desire on their mounts’ part to whinny if they smelt the -strange horse in the valley. The scout had picked out a path around -the swell of the mountain, between the rocks and ledges, and, although -it was a roundabout way, it was sod-covered for most of the distance, -and they were enabled to lead their mounts away without an appreciable -sound. Like a file of shadows they passed around the mountain and down -into the lowlands. There the horses were tethered and left in the care -of a single soldier. The others hurried back to positions near the -mouth of the cave, to await the expected attack of the outlaws. - -Divided as their forces had been, by sending the stage and treasure -on to Fort Advance, Danforth’s squad now numbered less than the gang -of outlaws. And, in addition, Boyd Bennett would have at his back a -party of bloodthirsty savages. It was a ticklish position, and none -understood that better than the Border King, Buffalo Bill. - -Strategy was the scout’s best card under these circumstances. He knew -the quality of the gang whom Boyd Bennett had gathered about him. They -were ignorant, superstitious scoundrels, and, therefore, he ventured to -play upon their fears as well as to lay a close ambush for them. - -To approach the mouth of the cave in which the fire now burned brightly -necessitated the foe advancing up a sidehill into the mouth of the -gulch under the shelter merely of low brush and boulders, with here and -there a stunted tree, the roots of which had found fixture between the -rocks. Higher up the mountain, and upon both sides of the gulch, were -thicker forest. - -Under Cody’s advice Danforth placed his men upon the side of the -gulch opposite the cavern’s mouth, and outside the gulch itself, all -positions selected being easy of access to the trail down which they -had led their horses so cautiously. A more withering fire could have -been arranged by placing the troopers upon both sides of the gorge; a -cross-fire is always more galling and confusing to an enemy. But, then, -there remained the danger of the reds rushing to the assistance of Boyd -Bennett and his gang, and so those soldiers above the cave might be cut -off from escape. Whatever happened, the mêlée was bound to be a sharp -and quick one; it would be all over in a few moments. - -Just outside the mouth of the gulch, and in advance of the line of -hidden troopers, was a rather larger tree than most upon the lower -hillside, and it had a low crotch from which sprang three branches. -Cody saw that to approach the cavern’s entrance, the attacking force -would be pretty sure to come close under this tree. Seeing this, he -evolved--with the help of the corporal--a scheme which later added much -to the excitement of the battle and came near to utterly routing the -outlaw gang. - -There was little time for preparation, however; already the hour grew -close to midnight. Cody crept into the cave, showed himself in the -firelight, threw on more wood, and then crept out again, so as to -assure the watching Bennett below that the place was still occupied. -Then the scout went down into the valley and watched and listened until -his keen ear assured him that several ponies were being ridden rapidly -toward the hiding-place of the bandit leader. - -How many were coming--whether the reds were with the whites--Buffalo -Bill did not know. Nor did he consider it well to wait to learn. That -the attack would be made at once, he was sure. Boyd Bennett was not the -most patient man in the world, and he had waited here long for his men -to appear. - -Cody found the lieutenant, and snuggled down beside him behind a -brush-clump. - -“By the nine gods of war, Bill! I thought you’d never come,” muttered -Danforth. “I got as nervous as an old maid with her first beau, fearing -that you wouldn’t get here in time to holler. I can imitate some -critters--thanks to you and Jack Omohondreau: but when it comes to -murdering the night air with the scream of a wildcat----” - -“Sh!” breathed Cody. “They’re coming.” - -Danforth became quiet. They were placed so that the entire sweep of -the side-hill was before them. Several of the troopers were nearer the -cave; several were behind the station of the lieutenant and the scout. -All had their instructions regarding the withholding of their fire -until a prearranged instant. - -Soon Danforth beheld several flitting shadows below. A number of -men were coming up the rocky slope; they had spread out and were -approaching the cavern’s mouth without any regard to military -formation. Several, however, were coming close to the forked tree which -Cody had previously noted. That stood some yards in front, and a little -below, where he lay with his friend, the lieutenant. - -“All right, Bill!” whispered Danforth. - -“Wait till I give the word,” breathed the scout. “Let some of them -pass. We want every shot to count.” - -A few moments more they waited. Several figures passed on up the hill, -dodging from rock to rock, but all converging toward the mouth of the -cave where the fire now glowed dully. That they were the bandits, and -not the redskins, Cody was sure. Suddenly he saw two of the prowlers -approaching the forked tree. He nudged Danforth sharply. - -The two outlaws in question were almost under the branching limbs of -the tree when they heard what sounded like the scratching of claws on -the rough bark. Both looked up, and beheld an uncertain but bulky -figure lying along one branch. A sharp snarl seemed to come from it, -and the two bandits sprang away. - -“Curse you!” exclaimed the voice of Bennett, low but deadly in its -temper. “What’s the matter?” - -Two or three of the bandits ran together. They thought some attack had -been made upon them. - -“What is it?” repeated several in shrill whispers. - -“A cougar!” - -“A wildcat!” - -“Get back to your stations!” commanded Bennett. “Do you want to spoil -the whole thing? Such cursed foolishness over a blamed tomcat----” - -He had approached the tree, and suddenly the animal on the limb seemed -to gather itself for a spring, and there sounded upon the night air the -shrill, blood-curdling yell of the dreaded panther! - -“Look out, Boyd! He’s goin’ ter jump!” exclaimed one fellow. - -Several of the others stepped warily back and raised their guns. Above -on the hillside--this had been prearranged by Cody--one of the troopers -shouted: - -“Who goes there?” - -“Curse my body and bones!” growled Bennett. “The game is spoiled! -They’ve heard us.” - -The supposed panther screamed again, and then the body in the tree was -hurled out into the air. Involuntarily every outlaw in sight took a -pot-shot at the flying body. The mountainside reechoed with the reports -of half a dozen guns, and the flashes of the same revealed to the -ambushed party just where the bandits stood. - -The log of wood, dressed in a blanket, representing the panther, and -jerked out of the tree by Cody’s lariat, fell to the ground riddled -by the bullets of the outlaws. But instantly Danforth leaped up and -shouted to his men: - -“Now, my bullies! Give it to them!” - -The troopers fired a broadside. Four of the robbers dropped under the -fire, and two more ran away screaming. Cody had picked out Bennett, and -intended to wound or kill him; but the wily scoundrel seemed to fear -some game just as the dummy was yanked by Danforth from the tree. He -leaped away and dodged behind a boulder before the first shot from the -party in ambush was fired. - -As the echoes of the first round from the troopers died away Boyd -Bennett raised an ear-splitting yell of defiance. It was a war-whoop -that the redskins in the rear evidently understood. They answered from -the valley, and, although the soldiers had succeeded in placing so many -of the bandits hors de combat at their first fire, Danforth whistled -almost instantly for his men to retire. - -“Did you wing Bennett, Cody?” asked the young lieutenant. - -“No. The scaly rascal left his men to bear the brunt of the trouble, -and he’s under shelter half-way down the hill.” - -“Can’t we get him?” - -“With those reds tearing up to his aid?” - -“Oh, by thunder, Bill! I hoped to either kill the scoundrel or bring -him in.” - -“So did I.” - -“But we can’t risk staying here longer.” - -“You’re right there, Dick. Come on. The men have gone.” - -The scout and the lieutenant followed their men down the hill. And none -too soon, for the redskins soon found that their white brethren had -been outwitted by the soldiers, and they came tearing along the valley -trail to try and head the refugees off. - -They were not successful in that, however. Every trooper came in, -they mounted at the command, and with fresh horses under them soon -outdistanced all pursuit. - -“It’s getting too lively for us,” said Buffalo Bill, in disgust. “We -can’t chance it with such a small force. I hate to give it up; but we -must.” - -“We’ll keep on if you say the word, scout,” said Danforth. - -“You’d ride straight into the jaws of hell if you thought there’d be a -fight, Dick,” said Cody. “But discretion is the better part of valor in -this case.” - -“I hate to give Bennett up,” grumbled the younger man. - -“So do I. But it can’t be helped.” - -“When I get back to Resistence I’m going to ask Colonel Royal to give -me a roving commission to hunt the scoundrel down.” - -Neither of them realized at the time what the putting of this decision -into practise would amount to in the end. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. CHASED BY THE FLAMES. - - -The welcome that greeted the Border King upon his return to Fort -Advance was proof of his popularity, and of the admiration the garrison -held him in. That his coolness and wisdom had saved the paymaster’s -money-box from capture by the bandits, and so made it unnecessary for -the boys in blue to endure another long wait for their pay, added not a -little to their feeling for the scout. - -The troopers had told the story in full. Captain Hinkley and his guard -had been buried, and the coach-driver, as well. The soldiers had a -most revengeful feeling toward Boyd Bennett and his outlaw band, and -Danforth went back to Resistence with his troop, threatening slaughter -for the road-agents if he could catch them. - -The activities of the Indians, however, disturbed Buffalo Bill and the -commander of Fort Advance more than the work of the outlaw, at just -this time. The Border King, with Texas Jack, set out on a mission soon -after his return to the fort. Ten days later Lieutenant Danforth, with -a squadron of men, was allowed to make an attempt to bring in Boyd -Bennett by the commandant of Post Resistence. - -Buffalo Bill was still away on his scouting expedition and did not know -of this. He was deep in the Indian country, and had found nothing of -real significance regarding any concerted movement among the Sioux, -although there was plenty of excitement. Little bands of warriors were -going back and forth, from encampment to encampment; but nothing was -being accomplished by the redskins. - -“What does it look like to you, old man?” queried the Border King of -his partner. “Are we barking up the wrong tree?” - -“Dunno,” replied Texas Jack, pursing up his lips and looking more -serious than usual. “There may be a coon in the crotch; but we -certainly haven’t shook him down.” - -“How does all this running back and forth from teepee to teepee strike -you?” - -“Looks like the reds was given more tuh society than us’al, Buffler. -But, Great Scott! you can’t never tell what’s in a red’s mind when he’s -planning some game.” - -“There is surely no outbreak planned for the immediate future, eh?” - -“No. These runners aren’t gathering the tribe. I reckon Oak Heart got -his belly full and won’t trouble us for some time.” - -“But this new medicine-man they’ve got?” - -“Humph! Death Killer, eh? Nice name that! I’d like a squint at him.” - -“Me, too.” - -“Wonder if we couldn’t sneak over to Oak Heart’s town and take this -Death Killer into camp?” - -“Kidnap him?” - -“Yep.” - -“You’re a cool one, Jack, my boy. What’ll the reds be doing meanwhile?” - -“That’s all that stops me--that question,” replied Texas, with a grin. - -This conversation took place beside a running brook, in the heart of -a great forest many miles from Fort Advance, where our story first -opened. The wind soughed through the tree tops and brought scurrying -to earth the dying leaves which proclaimed the fast approach of King -Winter. Suddenly Cody rose upon his feet and keenly snuffed the air. - -“What’s th’ matter, Bill? What d’yer scent?” - -“I’ve been smelling it for an hour, Jack.” - -“What is it?” - -“Smoke.” - -“Huh! here’s wood burning at your feet.” - -“No, no!” exclaimed the other. “This breeze is rising and is blowing -more steadily than it did. And it brings the smoke to us. Look up -through the tree tops. D’ye see how hazy it’s grown?” - -“Umph-ah!” - -“Nothing to fool over, Jack. It’s a big fire.” - -“D’yer believe so, Bill?” - -“I do, indeed,” said the anxious scout. - -Texas Jack cast his eyes about the forest aisles reflectively. He knew -as well as his companion the peril attending a forest fire; but he was -naturally of a more volatile character, and the discovery made less -impression upon him at first. - -“We’d better make a break, hadn’t we, Bill?” he asked finally. - -“Just think a bit, Jack,” the other replied. “Where’ll we go? Do you -realize that this crick is the biggest body of water in a circle of -forty miles?” - -“If my hoss kin make Black River, yours kin, I reckon.” - -“True enough. But the wind is blowing directly from Black River. That’s -where the fire is, old man. The nearest water of any size is Bendigo -Lake, and the going will be thundering hard on the horses.” - -Texas Jack leaped up and exclaimed: - -“Hark! what’s that?” - -A crashing in the underbrush had startled both men. Some distance away -there burst into the glade a fine herd of deer, all running madly. They -swept across the scouts’ line of vision and disappeared in another -clump of brush, keenly alive to peril in their rear. - -“They’ve come a power of a ways in the last half-hour, Jack,” said -Buffalo Bill. - -“Right you are, Buffler. Guess we’d better light out. Ha! there goes a -grayback.” - -A lone wolf slunk through the underbrush, gave the two men a sharp -look, and then loped away in the same direction as that followed by the -deer. But he was not running the deer--oh, no, indeed! - -Soon other animals began to drift past the camp of the scouts. The two -packed their war-bags, caught their mounts, and prepared to leave the -vicinity in short order. By that time, although the evening was closing -in, the sky was a mass of ruddy, drifting haze. The fire was advancing -with terrific speed, yet it was still so far away that the smoke -floated high above the tree tops, and they heard no sound. - -“Reckon we kin make it, Bill,” said Texas Jack, as they pricked their -mounts along the forest path. - -Buffalo Bill was not so sanguine, however. The fire was coming down -upon them with terrific speed, for instead of deepening the evening -brightened all about them as they rode. The odor of burning wood was -now quite pungent, and past them in mad flight went all manner of small -animals, while now and then the startled “woof! woof!” of a bear was -heard in the brush as he, too, lumbered along. - -The paths of the forest were not cleared for riding. Deer and other -animals, searching drinking-places and salt-licks, first made these -traces through the wilderness. The red man followed, following the -spoor of the game. And so the paths became “runways,” sometimes worn -knee-deep and only wide enough for a single person to pass. Such paths -were of little use to horsemen. - -Where the forest was open or clear of underbrush, the two scouts could -travel with some rapidity; but in the thick, junglelike scrub, it was -even necessary at times to get down and lead their horses. This delayed -them, and before long the smoke wraiths began to drift past them and -the distant roaring of the flames was perceptible. - -Had the men given the horses their heads the animals would have become -panic-stricken like the other dumb beasts, and they would have dashed -through the forest at a much better pace; but Buffalo Bill and Texas -Jack would have been swept from the saddles, and, perhaps, killed. It -began to look, indeed, as though both horses and men could get along -better and faster alone. Texas remarked upon this fact. - -“I know it, Jack--I know it,” said Cody. “But I don’t want to lose -Chief. And then, we can’t carry all our plunder and make any time at -all.” - -“Life’s sweeter to me than either hoss or rifle,” declared Texas, -laughing. - -“Me, too; but it may be a week before we catch the brutes.” - -“I vote we let ’em go. It’s getting derned hard to manage them, anyway, -Buffler.” - -“So it is. Keep your grub, Texas.” - -“Betcher!” - -Both men were off their mounts in a hurry. They left their magazine -guns in the saddle scabbards, and their holster pistols as well. If the -Indians or any ne’er-do-well whites found the horses after the fire, -they would make quite a haul. - -Jack’s horse plunged away, snorting to be free, and was quickly out of -sight; but Chief seemed uncertain whether to leave his master or not. -The scouts did not delay an instant, but started off at a sharp run -through the forest, with their packs on their backs. They could dodge -under the low branches and burst through the brush-clumps, or avoid -them altogether, with much more facility than before. - -Chief ran whinnying after them. Suddenly out of the yellow haze above -the tree tops a blazing ball of leaves or such light flotsam, floated -down. It fell between the white horse and the two men, and Chief -snorted and leaped aside. Fortunately the firebrand went out without -igniting any of the leaves or twigs which rustled so dryly under foot, -but the flame evidently spoiled Chief’s desire to keep with the men. He -kicked up his heels and dashed away in the same direction as his mate. - -Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack noted this brand, but they said nothing, -only increasing their speed. There was vast danger from these flying -balls of fire. The wind continued to rise, and soon the conflagration -would be leaping ahead rods at a time! It would ignite in dozens of -places at once. - -As they ran together, Texas Jack glanced into his comrade’s serious -face, and a grin overspread his own. - -“Say, Buffler,” he said, “I didn’t sleep none too warm last night. -Reckon we’ll be more comfortable to-night, eh?” - -Cody had to smile at that. - -“You reckless devil, you! You’d joke in sight of the fires of Tophet.” - -At the moment a great burst of flame roared up into the sky from the -summit of a little hill behind them, and both men glanced back. The -banner of fire streamed clear across the sky. - -“Gee, Bill! Tophet couldn’t look hotter than that,” declared Texas Jack. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. THE TELLTALE CROW. - - -For the most part, however, the scouts saved their breath and spoke -but little. They were straining every effort to reach Bendigo Lake, -the only body of water of sufficient size to offer protection from the -conflagration. Every creek and pond hole in the neighborhood, which -either of them knew about, was low now, and none were big enough to -promise safety. In Bendigo Lake was a long, narrow island, wooded to -be sure; but the lake was so wide that the scouts believed the flames -would not leap from the shore to the island. - -“At any rate, it’s our best play, Buffler. No doubt of that,” observed -Texas Jack. - -“Right you are, Texas,” panted the other. “Pick up your feet!” - -“That fire’s certainly racing to overtake us.” - -“Ha! What’s that?” muttered Cody, suddenly turning to look up a small -slope which was more heavily wooded than the lowland through which they -were passing. - -There had been a movement in the brush. The wind did not affect the -leaves and branches down here; it was only the tree tops that swayed -and sang in the breeze. - -“A deer, eh?” panted Jack. - -“There!” - -Uttering the yell, Buffalo Bill seized his friend by the neck and flung -him suddenly forward upon his face. He fell himself as well, and at -the very instant there was a flash in the bushes on the side-hill, an -explosion sounded, and the zip-zip of the bullet cut the air over their -heads. - -Both scouts rolled aside, found covert, and sprang into position, -revolvers in hand. Cody emptied one pistol as rapidly as possible into -the brush-clump from which the treacherous shot had been fired. - -“No use, Bill! There he goes!” yelled Texas Jack. - -Off at one side they saw a huge figure pass rapidly out of sight. It -looked like a bear running on its hind legs--were such a thing possible. - -“Of all the bloody-minded scoundrels!” said Texas Jack, as the two -scouts set forth again, in the same direction as that taken by the -person who had fired at them--which was likewise toward the lake, “that -fellow takes the bun.” - -“Who was he? The smoke was in my eyes, and I couldn’t tell whether he -was white or red.” - -“He was white, all right--or, so I have always heard,” declared Texas -Jack. - -“By thunder! you don’t mean to say you know the scoundrel?” - -“Not personally acquainted with him--no,” laughed Jack. - -“What then?” - -“I’ve heard tell of him a good deal the past dozen years.” - -“Who is he?” - -“The Mad Hunter.” - -“Get out!” - -“That’s who it was, Buffler.” - -“Why should the fool fire at us?” - -“He’d just as soon shoot a white man as a red.” - -“He’s a devil.” - -“That he is.” - -“Why, I believe I saved his life the other day when I was out with Dick -Danforth.” - -“What for?” - -Cody told him of how the young lieutenant had come near to shooting a -gigantic man for a caribou, and how the being had run away yelling into -the forest. - -“That’s him. Crazy as they make them.” - -“He must be crazy if he would stop to shoot men down when such a fire -as that yonder is on his track as well as theirs.” - -“I reckon an insane person don’t act logically.” - -“He’s worse than the dumb beasts,” said Cody. “Look at that rabbit -running almost between your legs, Jack. Aw! don’t step on him!” - -“I ain’t--dern his hide!” exclaimed Texas Jack, making a flying leap -over the bunny. - -“He’s scared stiff. Some of the deer have run close enough to us to be -touched. Even a bear will behave when there’s a forest fire. But this -crazy bedlam is ready to shoot inoffensive men when death of the most -awful kind is threatening him.” - -“That’s why he’s crazy, I reckon,” said Texas Jack. “Come on, Buffler; -this way.” - -The light of the fire now made the forest about them as light almost as -day, but the radiance flickered, and the shadows danced in a blinding -fashion. The scouts could not see as clearly as usual. Within a mile -of the spot where they had been attacked by the Mad Hunter a second -shot was fired at them--this time from directly ahead. Fortunately, the -bullet went wild. - -“He’s got a single-shot, old-fashioned rifle,” declared Texas Jack. - -“That’s what is saving our lives,” returned his comrade. - -“He’s ahead of us--between us and the lake.” - -“We’ve got to try to capture him, then,” declared Cody firmly. “No use -mincing matters. The fire is bad enough, but he is more dangerous.” - -“Reckon you’re right, Buffler,” grunted Texas Jack. - -The scouts separated, running several rods apart, so that the Mad -Hunter might not be able to get them both in a line. And, if that -were possible, they increased their pace. They heard the man crashing -through the brush ahead, but they did not obtain another glimpse of -him. And so phenomenal was his speed that soon he was out of ear-shot. -Besides, the roaring of the flames and the crashing of falling trees -interfered with their tracking of the madman by his footsteps. - -Their enemy ran as no human being ever ran before, for he got far -enough ahead to load his old-fashioned gun and again await their -coming. This time he took a shot at Texas Jack and sent that worthy’s -hat spinning into the air. - -“Confound his hide!” roared the scout. “Pepper him, Bill!” - -But with a scream of rage the madman was off through the illuminated -forest once more, and Cody’s shots did not overtake him. Besides, the -light was so uncertain that the scout did not waste but two balls in -the attempt to bring down the foe. - -“He’ll git one of us yet,” cried Texas Jack. - -“We’ll keep as close to him as possible. He mustn’t have a chance to -reload!” - -But it was like chasing a will-o’-the-wisp. The madman was off like -the wind, shrieking his defiance. They could not keep him in sight, -although the fire now was illuminating the forest far ahead of them. - -The roaring of the flames drowned the scouts’ shouts to each other, -too; and the heat puffed upon their backs as though somebody had -suddenly swung open the door of an enormous furnace. - -Suddenly Cody saw his friend throw up his hand, and knew that he -shouted rather than heard the sound of his voice. Jack turned at a -sharp angle, too, and Buffalo Bill followed suit. In a moment a glint -of steel-blue water ahead invigorated Cody as well as his comrade. Lake -Bendigo was at hand! - -In fifteen minutes they were on the shore. The water was a blessed -relief to their eyes when they plunged their faces into it. In the rear -the fire roared mightily, and the smoke now began to drift down upon -them with smothering thickness. - -“We’d better take off our clothes and swim for the island, heh?” -queried Jack. - -“Yes. There’s a bunch of driftwood that will make some kind of a raft. -We’ll use it to transport our clothing and guns.” - -They stripped swiftly and were about to step into the water and push -off the rude raft piled with their possessions when: - -Ping! - -The bullet buried itself in a tree trunk right beside Buffalo Bill’s -head. - -“Holy Christmas!” exclaimed Texas Jack. - -“That devil has got ahead of us,” declared Cody. “That bullet came from -the island.” - -“Why, he’s got us between two fires!” exclaimed Texas, bound to joke -under any and all circumstances. - -For an instant the scouts were nonplused. They had involuntarily taken -trees, but the heat from the rear was already unpleasant to their bare -bodies. - -“We can’t stay here,” muttered Cody. “I shall go around the lake a -ways, Texas, and try to swim over without being seen. You show yourself -here. Better still, push off the raft and keep behind it and submerged -as much as possible. Make for the island, but go slowly.” - -“You bet I’ll make for the island. I think I’d rather take cold lead -than hot flames. Ouch!” - -“Meanwhile I’ll try to sneak over and get to the madman’s rear.” - -“Bare-handed?” - -“How else, man?” cried Cody. “I must be prepared to swim under water -a part of the way. It must be cunning to match his cunning or we are -lost, Jack!” - -Texas Jack realized that this was so, and he made no further objection. -Cody glided away through the shadowy forest, and Jack pushed off -the raft and dodged another bullet. He was soon floundering in the -cold water, pushing the raft before him, but by no means enamored of -his position. The fire was behind and would devour him shortly if -he returned to the shore. Every few moments a bullet sped from the -madman’s hiding-place on the island and “plunked” into the raft, or -into the water close beside the swimmer. - -Meanwhile Cody scurried along the shore, but suddenly found himself -cut off by a tongue of the fire that had got ahead of the main -conflagration and was already burning fiercely at the very verge of the -lake. Traveling through the brush in his bare skin was not pleasant -at best, so the scout tried sneaking into the water behind the little -point of land which chanced to hide the island. - -Cold as the water was, it was a blessed relief from the heat and smoke -of the forest. As he struck out from the shore, blazing embers showered -about him, hissing and smoking as they struck the water. The smoke -rolled down upon the lake and now and then completely blinded him, and -must certainly have hidden his head from the observation of anybody -on the island. Cody was delighted with the apparent success of his -scheme, and struck out strongly for the little patch of wooded soil in -which he hoped, with Texas Jack, to find safety. That it was held in -possession by a madman did not matter. It was the single refuge offered -the scouts, and if the madman would not share it peacefully, he must be -put out of the way. - -These were Cody’s thoughts as he swam across the intervening space. He -finally came to the sloping shore, so that he could stand upright and -wade in with his head and shoulders out of water. He had gone so far -around the island that he believed that the madman, watching Texas Jack -and his raft, would not see his own approach. - -And he did almost reach the shore unmolested. Suddenly, out of a dark -hemlock at the extreme point of the island, there sprang a big crow, -which, with raucous cry, flew over the scout and circled about him -threateningly. The crow’s nest was evidently in that tree, and the -coming of this strange maritime animal, who walked erect like a man, -but wore no clothes, troubled the crow’s mind. - -The bird squawked like a hen with its head caught between two -fence-palings. Cody made a dash for the shore, hoping to get under -cover and so cease to disturb the telltale crow. - -But as he was about to step out on dry land a gigantic figure suddenly -sprang through the brush at the water’s edge and appeared over him in -a most threatening attitude. Above his head the man held a great rock, -which he poised to fling upon the unarmed scout. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. THE MASSACRE. - - -Why the madman had not sought to shoot him Buffalo Bill did not ask -at the moment. The fact that he was at such a disadvantage was enough -to fill his mind with forebodings. The rock was poised in the giant’s -hands just over his head, and, as the scout was more than knee-deep -in the water, it seemed impossible for him to successfully dodge the -missile if it were flung. - -The madman stood in the shadow, and Cody could not see his face. All -he saw was that the man looked like a great, wet bear. He had swum or -waded across to the island with all his clothes on. He evidently knew -Bendigo Lake and its surroundings better than either of the scouts, and -had found a shallow path across from the mainland. - -For several seconds the scout and the giant faced each other. Buffalo -Bill’s muscles grew tense. He would try leaping upon the fellow, at any -rate, although the possibility of his dodging the rock looked exceeding -small. - -And then there suddenly flashed into his mind such a simple dodge for -getting the best of his foe that the scout hesitated to use it. It -seemed so exceedingly simple and childish. But the moments were flying, -and the Mad Hunter was on the point of flinging the rock down upon him -with terrific force. - -Cody stood so that his hands just touched the water. He hollowed his -palms, swung both arms back, and suddenly scooped up the water and -flung it in a blinding sheet of spray into the maniac’s face. - -Again and again he splashed the water over the fellow. The Mad Hunter -uttered a howl of rage, and, as Cody threw himself to one side, still -splashing the water, the rock was thrown. But the scout had destroyed -the maniac’s aim and escaped the missile altogether. - -Cody could not land, however. The best he could do was to plunge back -into the deeper water and there dive and remain swimming under the -surface until he had placed the island between himself and the fire. -Here the trees threw black shadows, although the whole northern sky was -red as blood, and the flames danced wildly upon the tree tops on the -mainland. - -The Mad Hunter had disappeared, yet the scout did not know whether -he had gone back to watch Texas Jack and the raft or was lurking in -the shadow, waiting to spy upon him again. Meanwhile he was becoming -thoroughly chilled, and feared to remain out beyond his depth, for a -cramp might take him, and he could never struggle ashore then. - -Carefully he waded shoreward once more, watching the shadows beneath -the trees, fearing to see the bulk of the maniac burst out of the brush -and attack him again. There were several frightened creatures on the -island, but they cowered and were dumb. All the scout could hear was -the lapping of the water and the crackling of the conflagration on the -mainland. - -The fire was eating through the forest very rapidly. It had reached the -shore and was passing swiftly around the entire lake. Cody and Texas -Jack could not return to the mainland now under any circumstances. It -was the island or drowning for them! - -And Cody feared that his brave comrade had already succumbed to the -cold water, or mayhap to a bullet from the maniac’s rifle. The fire as -it ate around the lake began to illuminate this side of the island, -too, and he feared that he would soon be a shining mark for the Mad -Hunter. - -He kept his body under water and crept in toward the shore, his head -only showing. He knew that he was taking his life in his hands, but the -water was chilling him to the bone. - -Suddenly there was a great shouting on the other shore of the island, -and following it came the pop of a pistol several times. Cody leaped -ashore, and, despite the rough way and the thorns and brush which tore -his body, he dashed across the narrow bit of land. He knew Texas Jack -had landed and might need his help. - -As he ran, however, he suddenly came full tilt against a great, hairy -object that was blundering through the brush. Over went the scout, and -with an angry “Woof!” the bear darted aside, and a moment later he -heard a splash in the lake, and knew that the creature had found the -presence of mankind on the island more fear-inspiring than the fire on -the mainland. - -When Cody picked himself up he beheld the half-clothed figure of Texas -Jack standing over him. - -“By the piper that played before Pharaoh!” ejaculated Texas. “What’s -the matter with you, Buffler? Come an’ git your clo’es--or do you fancy -parading around yere in your birthday suit?” - -“What--what was that?” demanded the scout. - -“A bear. I fell over him myself and drove him off.” - -“I thought for a minute it was the madman.” - -“Oh, he’s gone,” said Texas Jack. “He ran out of ammunition, I reckon, -and he took to the water, clo’es and all. There’s a shallow place -yonder. We can wade ashore that way, too, when the fire burns out.” - -“He pretty near had me,” said Cody, and related his adventure as he -shakingly got into his clothing. - -Texas Jack built a fire for them to dry and get warm by, and meanwhile -explained that, finding he could not keep the scouts off the island, -the Mad Hunter had departed for the mainland, approaching that part -where the fire had come nearest to burning itself out. - -“It’s dangerous to go over there yet,” said Buffalo Bill. - -“You can bet it is. But he reckoned he’d rather go than meet us closer -to. The old scoundrel! I’ve heard of his tricks and deviltry, but I -never happened to run up against him before.” - -“I hope I never will again,” said Cody devoutly. - -But he was doomed to meet the Mad Hunter again, and to learn that about -him that caused the Border King much sorrow of spirit. - -The scouts remained on the island during the night, and late the next -day started out to find their mounts. There was a swamp several miles -away, and, knowing well the keen instinct of their horses, the scouts -went to it, and in less than twenty-four hours found both Chief and the -other, much mud-bespattered, but in good condition. And their arms, -though somewhat rusted, were safe. - -The forest fire had burned over a large tract of country, had driven -away the game, and had cleared the territory of Indians. So the scouts -separated to follow the trails of different bands of reds and spot -their new villages. Their duty was to find and report upon every new -encampment of the redskins, that the department might keep tabs on the -movements of the savages. - -Cody kept his eyes open for traces of the bandits, but during the -following week learned nothing of the movements of Boyd Bennett and his -gang. - -He was thinking of going to a certain rendezvous where he expected to -join Texas Jack, when he came suddenly upon a spectacle in a little -valley that brought him up standing. So appalling--and unexpected--was -the scene that it seemed for the moment as though his heart stopped -beating! - -Over a score of figures in blue lay in the little cup-shaped coulée, -where they had fallen battling for life! - -There they lay, partly stripped of their uniforms in some cases, robbed -of their weapons, and lying amid their foes, hideous, painted savages, -whom their red companions, in their haste to fly from the fearful -scene, had not borne off to burial. Yet they had found time to tear the -scalp-lock from the head of each white man. - -They lay in no order. The battle had been of the fiercest, and hand to -hand. Here a trooper; there another--a redskin, an officer, a chief, -a caparisoned steed, an Indian pony--all dead they lay and huddled -together by the riverside in the tiny valley. - -Upon this scene Buffalo Bill came suddenly, just as the sun was about -to drop below the western hills. The sight shocked and sickened him. -Man of iron heart and steel nerves that he was, the sight made him reel -in his saddle. He reined in his good horse, until it rose upon its -haunches, and covered his eyes with one gauntleted hand as though to -shut out the awful sight. - -An instant only did the scout show this weakness; then he scrutinized -the red field which had flashed like some horrid vision on his sight. - -White-faced as the dead, with eyes which scrutinized each form and -feature of the white men, the scout counted the slain. Gradually his -own orbs flashed with the fires of rage, and his lips became livid and -quivering. - -Suddenly, with a stifled cry, he leaped from his horse’s back and -strode to one figure that lay stark at one side. It was in contact with -a heap of slain on a knoll at the foot of a rock. - -Here the end had evidently come. This spot was plainly the last act of -the fearful drama. Here the curtain of doom had fallen upon the remnant -of the gallant band, to rise no more for them in this life! - -A groan issued from the scout’s lips, and he bowed his head in grief. -There, with face upturned, lying in an attitude that showed he had died -fighting to the last, lay Lieutenant Dick Danforth! - -The boy’s left hand grasped the barrel of an empty revolver; he had -used it as a club at close quarters. The right held his sword-hilt, the -blade buried in the body of a painted chief, whose death was probably -the last act of the dying leader of the slaughtered troops. - -About him lay the foe, piled in heaps. Dick Danforth had sold his life -at a dear price, indeed. And the fiends had run without scalping him! - -“Danforth dead!” murmured the scout. “It cannot be possible.” - -Yet it was true; he saw it plainly before he touched the already -stiffening body. Merely by some freak of circumstances the young man -had not been scalped. - -“Devils’ work this!” muttered the scout. He glanced again over the -field. There were many points that had at first escaped his attention. -For instance, there were shod horses lying dead that had never been -ridden by either cavalrymen or Indian! - -“Aye, Indians did the deed, but there is a paleface hand behind it, -and I mean to ferret out the fiend who inspired it,” said Buffalo Bill. - -He dropped upon his knees again and felt of Danforth’s body. There, in -a voice quivering with sorrow and passion, he exclaimed: - -“Aye! here beside the body of the man whom I loved--who saved me from -death--I swear revenge on the instigator of this crime!” - -In his deep feeling he spoke these words aloud. A sound smote upon -his ear. He sprang to his feet with a cry and turned as a harsh voice -pealed out behind him: - -“And _I_ swear, Buffalo Bill, that you shall never keep the oath your -lips have just uttered!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. “THE DEATH KILLER.” - - -Buffalo Bill had believed himself alone with the dead on this field of -blood, and the voice fell like a knell upon his ear. For the moment he -was half-unmanned. Then he wheeled completely to face the speaker. - -He knew then that he had an old and deadly foe to deal with. His -discovery, however, brought the scout to himself. He recovered his -presence of mind, and in a tone that was reckless in its defiance, he -cried: - -“So we meet again, do we, Bennett? And you think you hold the trumps -once more?” - -“I do--and likewise a revolver at your head, Cody!” declared the -bandit. “Drop your rifle!” - -The scout obeyed. The pistol in Bennett’s hand was a well-timed -argument. To all appearances the man was an Indian chief, for he was -bedecked with feathers, his face was hideously painted, and he wore the -full attire of a redskin, from moccasins to war-bonnet. - -At his back, with rifles and arrows likewise covering the scout, were a -score of braves who had, with the stealthy tread of panthers, followed -their leader to the spot where Buffalo Bill had mourned over the bodies -of the slain white men. Cody knew well that he was at the mercy of a -merciless foe. - -“You know me, do you, Cody?” said the bandit. - -“Oh, I know you--even if you’ve turned squaw-man,” said Cody bitterly. -“I recognize your black heart under the paint and feathers.” - -“Have a care, scout, for every word of insult you heap upon me shall -increase your torture at the stake.” - -“I see you’ve got it all mapped out for my finish,” said Cody. - -“You will not escape me this time, Buffalo Bill!” declared the bandit -chief exultingly. - -“Don’t be too sure.” - -“Nay. It is settled. You are in my power. There can be no rescue here. -_There_ lies the one who cheated my vengeance before. He has paid the -price.” - -“True. And _his_ death must be paid for,” muttered the scout. - -“But not by you, Cody.” - -“Wait!” was the enigmatical word of the Border King, his eyes flashing -the hate he felt for his sneering captor. - -“Do not tempt me too far, you dog!” exclaimed Bennett. “Remember you -pay for all this when you come to die.” - -“Aye; when I _do_ come to die! But I am one who believes that while -there is life there is still hope, you accursed renegade!” - -“That belief will not benefit you now, Cody. You are a dead man -already.” - -“I’m the liveliest dead man _you_ ever saw!” - -The renegade looked as though he was about to shoot the scout in his -tracks; but he caught sight of the smile that curled Cody’s lips, and, -not understanding it, refrained. Indeed, he looked all about, somewhat -nervously, to try to discover the meaning of the scout’s expression. - -“You must have help at hand, or you would not be so defiant, Buffalo -Bill.” - -“That may be,” said the scout non-committingly. - -“At least, these will not help you,” said Boyd Bennett, with a horrible -smile, pointing to the stark figures in the valley. - -“Not one left to tell the story--no prisoners?” queried Cody -sorrowfully, forgetting for the moment his own peril. - -“No, no! Chief Oak Heart wanted no prisoners from Danforth’s band. -I told the chief that Danforth and his men were come to take him -captive--that they had sworn to do it! Ha! ha! That was rich, eh? So -every man of them died.” - -“And he came for _you_,” said Cody bitterly. - -“Aye; and met the death he deserved; but a more merciful death than -_you_ will meet, scout. I do not need to stir up the red men’s rage -against _you_. They will receive you with great joy at Oak Heart’s -encampment.” - -“And you fought with these savages?” cried Cody. - -“I did. And killed as they killed--without mercy.” - -“You do not fear to admit your crimes.” - -“Why should I? For am I not speaking to one who will soon be dead? Bah! -you can no longer frighten me, Buffalo Bill!” - -“Yes, it looks as though I was near my finish; I do not deny it,” -said Cody quietly. “But tell me one thing, Boyd Bennett. Did you kill -Lieutenant Danforth yourself?” - -“I am sorry to say I did not. There was a good deal of hot work -right here. But Red Knife claims the honor of having delivered the -finishing-stroke. We were returning to take the scalp-lock----” - -“By Heaven, man! you shall not do it!” roared Cody, starting forward. - -But a dozen rifles clicked, and he knew that he was helpless. He fell -back again. Bennett laughed. - -“Chief Oak Heart refused to allow any of his braves to scalp Danforth -because he had fought so boldly.” - -“God bless the old red sinner for that!” murmured the much wrought-upon -scout. - -Bennett laughed again. - -“But I am Death Killer, the medicine-chief, and I have come back myself -to take the scalp-lock from the head of the man against whom I swore -revenge.” - -“Boyd Bennett! accursed though you be, with a heart blacker than the -foulest redskin can boast of, you would not do this wrong!” cried -Buffalo Bill, in horror. - -“Watch me, scout.” - -“You shall not do it!” - -“You are mistaken; I shall. I came back with Red Knife and a few of -the braves to point me out the place where Danforth fell. On the way -we saw you arrive, and we dogged your steps to the very corpse of your -friend. - -“Ha, Cody! this is sweet--this revenge. My kind have cast me off. Well, -then! I cast the white men off! I spit upon them! I slay them! And now -I scalp my enemy!” - -Bennett had worked himself into a species of frenzy. He sprang forward -now, dropping his revolver, knife in hand, to carry out his threat. - -“Never shall you do this crime--not if this is my last act on earth!” -shouted the scout. - -As he spoke he suddenly jerked a revolver from his belt, threw it -forward, and fired pointblank at Boyd Bennett, all with the quickness -of a flash of light! - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. THE WHITE ANTELOPE INTERFERES. - - -So rapid and unexpected was this movement of Buffalo Bill, in drawing -his revolver and firing it, that not one of the warriors who stood -behind the renegade chief--some with arrows already fitted to their -bows, and others with rifles covering the scout--had time to fire. - -Yet, swift as he had been, one eye was quick enough to send an arrow -upon its errand. The shaft struck the outstretched arm of the scout -just as his finger pulled the trigger of his weapon, and the shock -destroyed his aim. - -Having made this daring move, however, and believing that death must -follow the deed, Buffalo Bill dropped his left hand upon his second -pistol, determined to press the fight, kill Bennett, and die as had the -brave man at his feet--fighting to the last! - -Maddened with rage and thirsting for the life of his foe, Boyd Bennett -shouted to his warriors to rush upon the scout and take him alive that -he might end his career by cruel torture. But suddenly a slender form -darted before the red braves, and, with arrow set in readiness to let -fly, the White Antelope thrust herself between the white man and the -reds who would have seized him. - -“Let the Sioux braves hold their hands. The White Antelope commands it!” - -Like one man the reds halted, and even the renegade shrank back a step, -gazing in fear and wonder on the apparition of the beautiful girl. - -Buffalo Bill, too, gazed upon the chief’s daughter in amazement. He -knew now that the arrow he drew from the wound in his right forearm had -been driven home by the girl; yet now she stood between him and his -foes. - -Her attitude evidently astonished Bennett as much as it did Cody -himself, for the renegade cried: - -“Why has the White Antelope become the friend of the slayer of her -people? The man she shelters is Pa-e-has-ka, the Long Hair.” - -“The arrow of the White Antelope brings blood from the arm of -Pa-e-has-ka. Is that the way in which a Sioux shows friendship?” asked -the young girl scornfully. - -“Then the White Antelope yields the paleface foe to the medicine chief -of her tribe?” - -“No!” was the decided response. - -“What would you do?” demanded the renegade angrily. - -“I will deliver Pa-e-has-ka to the great chief, my father, Oak Heart.” - -“The White Antelope is no warrior,” sneered the renegade. “Are there -not braves enough loyal to Oak Heart to carry out his will upon this -paleface?” - -“The White Antelope may be no warrior,” said the girl; “but she has -just saved the life of the Death Killer.” - -At this Buffalo Bill laughed aloud, for the shot was a good one, and -his seeming indifference to his peril caused the daughter of the chief -to turn her eyes upon him. She scanned the scout from head to foot. -What was in her thoughts he could not guess; but, suddenly, deciding -upon a course of action, she stepped boldly to the side of Buffalo -Bill, and touched with tender fingers the wounded arm which he had -bared. - -“If the Long Hair has ointment for the wound, it would be better to -bind it,” she said to him. - -Buffalo Bill opened his pouch, and the girl found the salve and -bandages he always carried. Meanwhile, the scout sucked the wound to -remove any foreign matter that might have been driven into it by the -arrowhead. Then the Indian maiden bound up the hurt while the renegade -looked on sullenly. - -“Why is the Long Hair here--so near the village of the Sioux?” she -asked Buffalo Bill, when this act of kindness was performed. - -“I chanced upon the place. I saw the dead. Here lies my friend--the -young man whom I loved as a son,” said the scout, pointing to the body -of Danforth. “He and his men have been all slain by the Sioux.” - -“They were enemies,” said the girl simply. - -“But they had not come out to disturb the red men.” - -“Why were they here?” - -“To find and take prisoner that villain yonder!” exclaimed Buffalo -Bill, scowling at Boyd Bennett in his war-paint and feathers. “That man -who is neither white nor red, but a squaw-man! He had committed crimes -against the white man’s law and should be punished by that law.” - -“My father heard that the palefaces were coming to seize him.” - -“Another lie of that renegade!” exclaimed the scout. “And while I -mourned over the body of this young man, the villain came upon me, -returning, as he declares, to tear the scalp from the head of the white -chief whom he was not brave enough himself to kill!” - -The girl seemed to understand. She glanced from the body of Danforth to -the rage-inflamed face of Boyd Bennett. - -“Is it from this dead white chief’s head the Killer would take the -scalp?” she asked haughtily. - -“Aye; and I _will_ have it!” cried Bennett. - -“Did the young paleface fall by thy hand, Death Killer?” demanded the -maiden, with all the dignity of a judge. - -“It matters not. Forget not, oh, White Antelope, that I am the medicine -chief of the Sioux----” - -“And see that the Death Killer forget not that _I_ am the daughter of -Oak Heart!” she interrupted. - -“I acknowledge that fact,” sneered Boyd Bennett. “But the White -Antelope has no control over the acts of the Death Killer.” - -“Did the paleface fall to your prowess?” she demanded again, looking -the renegade sternly in the eye. - -An Indian stepped forward. He carried a blood-stained war-club in one -hand. In a deep guttural he said: - -“The white chief’s scalp should be Red Knife’s; he brought him low at -last with a blow of his club. But the great chief, Oak Heart, forbade -that we take the scalp of so brave a warrior.” - -“Then why does the Death Killer wish to do that which is forbidden by -my father?” cried the girl quickly. - -“Is it the White Antelope’s place to question the medicine chief of her -tribe?” demanded the painted white man, with haughty demeanor. “The -scalp of the dead bluecoat is my prize!” - -Buffalo Bill saw indecision in the Indian maiden’s face. He knew how -superstitious the redskins were regarding the mysterious powers claimed -by all medicine chiefs. In some way--by some manner of fake magic--Boyd -Bennett had roused the superstitious reverence of the Sioux, and -Buffalo Bill did not know how greatly the chief’s daughter might be -tainted by this feeling of reverence for the villainous renegade. - -“Let not this crime be done, White Antelope,” he said in her ear. -“Remember what Pa-e-has-ka told you in the cañon, when he had you in -his power. He knows much. He was once your mother’s trusted friend. And -he warns you now--as you hope for peace of soul and body--not to allow -the dead young man to be so treated by your people.” - -The girl turned upon him suddenly, with wide-open eyes. - -“What does Long Hair mean? What is this dead paleface to her?” - -“That Long Hair may not tell thee, oh, White Antelope. Trust him----” - -“Trust a paleface!” - -“Trust one who has given you back to your father when he might have -taken your life, or held you prisoner.” - -“Aye, Long Hair, thou didst that. It is true.” - -“And believe me,” the scout said, more earnestly still, in English, not -wishing the other Indians to understand; “this dead paleface whom even -the great chief Oak Heart admired for his bravery, is more to the White -Antelope than she knows. The time will come when I can explain all to -you, girl--but not now!” - -“What’s that?” demanded Boyd Bennett, stepping forward. “What’s this -foolishness you are telling the girl?” - -But the White Antelope haughtily waved him back. - -“Let the Death Killer stand away. The chief’s daughter can care for -herself. And let not one of these dead palefaces be further disturbed. -It is my will!” - -The waiting Indians grunted agreement. They were willing enough to obey -the beautiful princess. The White Antelope turned again to Buffalo Bill: - -“Where are the paleface brothers of Pa-e-has-ka?” - -Buffalo Bill pointed in the direction from which he had come. - -“Far away.” - -“The White Antelope is his foe, and the foe of his people; but she -wishes not to see the wolves and the vultures tear the bodies of brave -men for food. The Sioux have come to remove their dead. Let Pa-e-has-ka -go bring his brother warriors to remove the paleface slain.” - -At that Boyd Bennett uttered an oath and sprang forward. - -“Not that, girl! You’re crazy!” - -“We’ll see who wears the breeches in this family, Boyd Bennett!” -laughed the scout. - -“You shall not leave this spot alive, Bill Cody!” - -“Oh, shucks! Don’t speak so harshly,” gibed the scout. - -The girl raised her hand. Without looking at the renegade, she said to -Buffalo Bill: - -“But Pa-e-has-ka must make the White Antelope a promise.” - -“All right. What is it?” - -“The White Antelope came from the great chief Oak Heart, who told her -to seek the paleface warriors and tell them where to find their dead. -He bids them to come here and remove their slain in peace, and not to -follow on the track of his people. Will Pa-e-has-ka tell the big chief -the words of Oak Heart?” - -“I will.” - -“Then Pa-e-has-ka must promise to return and yield himself to the -Sioux.” - -She looked Buffalo Bill straight in the eye as she stated her -condition, and he saw that she meant exactly what she said; but he -asked: - -“Does the White Antelope mean that I am to give myself up to the red -warriors after I have guided the bluecoats here?” - -“She has spoken.” - -“And this is the promise she wishes Pa-e-has-ka to make?” - -The Indian girl nodded. - -“Why should Pa-e-has-ka return?” - -“He is the captive of the medicine chief, Death Killer, now; but White -Antelope lets him go free that the paleface braves lie not unburied, -and that the other white warriors take heed not to follow upon the -trail of the Sioux. Will Pa-e-has-ka promise?” - -Buffalo Bill was silent for a moment. If he refused he knew that her -protection would cease. If he agreed to her condition he must keep his -word, be the end what it might. And that end looked to the scout much -like an ironwood stake, a hot fire, and a bunch of naked red devils -dancing a two-step about him while he slowly crisped to a cinder! - -There was a loophole. He made a mental reservation that, after bearing -the tidings of the massacre to the fort, and delivering Oak Heart’s -warning, he would return to the Sioux encampment--but with a force -behind him that would surprise the redskins! - -“I agree,” he said finally. - -“Trust not the fox-tongue of the Long Hair!” cried Boyd Bennett -violently. “He will not keep his pledge.” - -“The paleface is the foe of my people, but his tongue is straight,” -declared the Indian maiden, with confidence. - -Buffalo Bill began secretly to weaken on that “mental reservation.” - -“But he will come with a force at his back and burn the Indian -village,” cried the renegade. - -Buffalo Bill had to give the fellow credit for having divined his -purpose; but the girl turned scornfully from the squaw-man. - -“Pa-e-has-ka is not two-faced. He is not a turncoat,” she said -sneeringly. “The White Antelope will believe that the Long Hair will -return alone.” - -Buffalo Bill at that completely abandoned the “mental reservation” -clause. - -“Bet your life he will!” he exclaimed. “I’ll come back as I promise, -girl.” - -“Then let Pa-e-has-ka go.” - -But as she spoke the command, Boyd Bennett once more sprang forward. He -covered the scout with his rifle and cried: - -“I am the medicine chief of the Sioux, and I say the paleface dog shall -not go!” - -Then in English he declared: - -“Your hour has come, Buffalo Bill. You die here and now!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. A GIRL’S WORD. - - -The instant the renegade uttered the threat, Buffalo Bill placed -himself upon guard by drawing his revolvers and covering the scoundrel. -His wounded arm was sore, but the nerves had recovered from the shock -of the arrow-wound, and he could hold his gun steadily enough. The -renegade was so near at best that the scout could not miss him! - -But the scout did not shoot. The White Antelope with flashing eyes, -sprang to the front, and she, too, aimed her arrow at Boyd Bennett. - -The warriors--or the bulk of them, at least--were surprised by Buffalo -Bill’s action, and their several weapons were in line for the scout’s -heart before they noted the White Antelope’s action. Then several of -them dropped their guns, and their facial expression was as foolish as -it was possible for so stoical a set of faces to be! - -For a moment the tableau continued. A sudden motion might have -precipitated a bloody, though brief, conflict. Buffalo Bill, though -pale, was stern and determined, his eyes riveted upon the face of Boyd -Bennett. He felt that the girl was friendly to him, and he knew her -influence among the Sioux. - -“Why do you not bring that finger to the trigger of your rifle, -Bennett?” he asked sneeringly. “It won’t go off otherwise.” - -The girl looked at the warriors and commanded quickly: - -“Let the braves of Oak Heart turn their weapons from the heart of -Pa-e-has-ka, the paleface chief.” - -To the delight of Buffalo Bill, the command was instantly obeyed. Much -as they might have feared the power of the medicine chief, Oak Heart -was greater, and his daughter was here as his representative. - -That Boyd Bennett was nonplused by this move was plain. His face fell, -and he lowered his own rifle. But the scowl of deadly hatred which he -bestowed on the white man threatened vengeance at some future date. - -“I reckon the redskins are trumps, old man, and the girl holds a full -hand of them!” laughed Buffalo Bill. - -“It is your time to laugh now, Cody. But mine will come,” gritted the -renegade. - -“Oh, I can’t expect to laugh always, Bennett; but,” and the scout -changed his speech to the Sioux dialect, that all the warriors might -understand; “let the renegade paleface meet me now in personal combat, -and settle the matter at once. Long Hair does not fear a fair fight -with the mighty Death Killer!” he added sneeringly. - -The nods and grunts of the warriors showed that they approved of this -proposal. Although they could not quite agree with the White Antelope’s -friendliness with Buffalo Bill, they saw that he was a brave man--as, -indeed, they knew well before--and a duel to the death seemed to their -savage minds the only way to properly decide the controversy between -their medicine chief and the scout. They looked at Bennett expectantly. - -But the renegade was not desirous of meeting Buffalo Bill with any -weapon he might name! He knew the scout’s prowess too well. His desire -was to see the scout writhing in the embrace of the flames, or standing -bound as a target for the hatchet-marksmen of the Indian tribe with -which he was affiliated. - -He dared not seem to refuse the challenge, however, for he would then -lose completely his influence with Oak Heart’s braves. But suddenly he -caught sight of the Indian maiden’s face, and that he read like an open -book! - -“The enemy of the Sioux has spoken well. We will fight!” exclaimed Boyd -Bennett promptly, but with a crafty smile wreathing his lips. - -“The White Antelope says ‘No!’” exclaimed the Indian girl, facing the -renegade. - -As he was so sure she would veto the proposition, the wily Bennett was -eager to urge the duel. - -“Why does the daughter of the great chief interfere? She says that -Pa-e-has-ka is not her friend, and yet she shields him.” - -Buffalo Bill had to chuckle over this. He couldn’t help it. He saw -through the whole game of Bennett’s, and it amused him. - -“No, the Long Hair shall not fight the medicine chief,” declared the -girl earnestly. - -“And why not?” demanded Bennett, with continued haughtiness. - -“Because if they fought, the white man would wear the medicine chief’s -scalp at his belt,” declared the young girl. “The white man shall go -his way, bring his brothers to bury the paleface dead, and then deliver -himself to Oak Heart, as he has promised.” - -“And you can make up your mind, Boyd Bennett, that she says one very -true thing,” declared Buffalo Bill. “Whenever we _do_ fight, you’ll go -under! Mark that! I’ll run you down yet and nail your scalp to the wall -of Fort Advance as a warning to all horse-thieves, stage-robbers, and -deserters!” - -The White Antelope spoke quickly before the wrathful Bennett could -reply to this challenge: - -“Let the paleface go to his big chief. There is his horse. Yonder is -his weapon. Mount, Pa-e-has-ka, and away!” - -“Aye, girl,” said Cody, in English; “but what will happen to this poor -young man if I go, leaving that brute here? He will tear the scalp -from Danforth’s head as soon as my back, and yours, are turned.” - -“That he shall not!” exclaimed the White Antelope. - -“You do not know his treachery,” said Buffalo Bill, who knew that the -very deed was in Bennett’s mind. - -“I have told the white man that the brave young chief shall not be -mistreated.” - -“Your word on it, girl?” - -“The White Antelope has spoken. She will guard the body of the young -white chief herself until Pa-e-has-ka’s return.” - -“Good!” exclaimed Buffalo Bill. “And, my girl, you’ll never be sorry -for this mercy shown the corpse of that poor young man.” - -The girl looked at him strangely. - -“The Long Hair will return, as he has promised, to the village of Oak -Heart?” - -“I’ll keep my word; do you keep yours,” said the scout. - -“Pa-e-has-ka’s tongue is straight?” - -“As sure as I live, I’ll come back, girl!” declared the scout earnestly. - -The next instant he mounted Chief unmolested, having picked up his -rifle, settled himself in the saddle, seized the reins, and dashed -away. As he mounted the ridge he looked back. The reds were busy -separating their own slain from the dead soldiers. The tall figure -of the medicine chief was stalking angrily from the scene. White -Antelope was down on her knees by the body of Dick Danforth, the dead -lieutenant. With a dumb ache at his heart, and little thought for his -own coming peril, Buffalo Bill went over the rise and spurred away for -Fort Advance. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. THE MAD HUNTER. - - -In the valley a cavalry command was encamped, some hours after -the battle in which Lieutenant Dick Danforth and his men had been -overwhelmed by Oak Heart’s ambuscade. - -It was just sunset, but twilight among the mountains is sometimes four -hours long--a man might see to read fine print at nine o’clock. - -The command had ridden hard and were a-wearied, so the party had -bivouacked early, the guide reporting that the ridge before them -afforded no good camping-ground. The horses were soon lariated out, and -scores of camp-fires were kindled along the banks of the stream, while -the cheerful rattle of dishes and the smell of cooking sharpened the -appetites of the troopers. - -Leaving his servant to prepare his frugal meal, the commander of the -soldiers strode up the hillside toward the summit of the ridge, the -better to view the valley and its boundaries while daylight lingered. - -“Be careful, captain, for I look for Injuns hereabouts,” called the -guide, who was Texas Jack. - -“All right, Jack. I’ll signal if I see any signs of the red scamps,” -returned the fearless officer, as he strode on up the ascent. - -Once or twice he turned to enjoy the scene of beauty spreading below -him--the lovely valley, the winding stream, the picturesque bivouac of -the troopers, and the distant blue hills, on which the light was fading -rapidly. At length he reached the point from which he could view a -part of the country through which the morrow’s trail would lead them. - -Below him, on that side of the ridge, all was shadow now, for the ridge -shut off the last glow of the golden western sky; but the summits of -the hills and ridges were still bathed in the departing sun’s radiance. -The scene so impressed him that, quite unconsciously, the officer spoke -aloud: - -“No wonder that poor Lo loves this land so well that he’s willing to -fight for it. It is a pity it must ever be settled, and cut up into -farms and homesteads--and possibly, town lots! The life of the free -savage is the best, after all!” - -“Well said, captain! But I’ve got the drop on you!” - -The officer started as the voice fell upon his ears, and, dropping his -hand upon his sword-hilt, turned to face the speaker. Before him, and -not six paces distant, having just stepped from a dense thicket, was an -apparition which, at first sight, the officer scarce realized was human! - -And yet, no other shape was near, and from the lips of the strange -being that confronted him had fallen the threatening words he had heard. - -“Who and what are you?” cried the officer sternly, his eyes beholding a -being of gigantic size, clad in the skins of beasts, so that at first -sight he appeared more like a grizzly bear reared upon its hind legs! - -About the waist of the giant was a red fox-skin belt, in which were -slung two revolvers and a large knife; upon his head was a panther-skin -cap, the tail hanging down the man’s back, and on his feet were -moccasins of black bearskin. Hair black as night fell to his waist; -beard of the same hue matted and unkempt; and a dark, haggard face, -out of which glittered the wildest eyes it had ever been the officer’s -fortune to see. - -To finish this terrifying picture, the strange being held a rifle at -his shoulder, and that rifle was aimed now at the military officer’s -heart! - -“You ask who and what I am?” repeated the creature, in a deep voice. - -“I do,” said the soldier, measuring him with the eye of a hawk. - -He had instantly seen that he was in the presence of a maniac--a person -utterly irresponsible for his acts. Whether he was to be cajoled out -of his present murderous condition of mind, the soldier did not know. -But he was watching for some wavering of the rifle which might tell him -that the fellow was off his guard, and that there might be a chance to -spring under his guard and seize him. - -“You are a bold man to question me, captain!” said the giant sternly. - -“I know it; but I’ve an overpowering curiosity to find out,” and the -captain dropped his hand carelessly upon the butt of the pistol he -carried at his hip. - -“Hands up!” exclaimed the fellow, seeing the movement. “Hands up, or -you are a dead man!” - -Hoping that he might yet parley with the maniac, the officer obeyed. It -were better, perhaps, had he drawn his gun and risked a shot. The giant -looked at him with wicked, glowing eyes. - -“I will tell you who I am, officer,” he whispered hoarsely. “I am a -_madman_!” - -The last word he fairly shrieked; yet not for a second did he forget -his victim, nor did his hand tremble. The rifle still transfixed the -helpless officer. - -But the officer was a kindly man, and although he believed himself in -peril of his life still, the brave man ever has pity for those touched -in the head. He said quietly: - -“My poor man, lower your weapon and come with me down to yonder camp. -Those are Uncle Sam’s troops down there. They will take care of you.” - -“Ha!” cried the maniac furiously. “I need no one to care for me. I can -care for myself. You’d much better be thinking of help for yourself, -captain.” - -“Well, then I’ll go along and look for that help,” said the officer -easily. - -“Don’t move!” - -“But, my dear fellow----” - -“Hold! Address no words of kindness to me, for they are thrown away -upon one whose duty it is to slay.” - -“But it surely isn’t your duty to kill _me_!” - -“Aye--you, too.” - -“But what have I done to you?” - -“It matters not. Mankind has done enough to me. I am appointed to slay, -and slay I will!” - -“It’s nice to know your duty so clearly,” said the officer easily. “But -aren’t you liable to make a mistake?” - -“No! Never a mistake. Once I might have made a mistake. That was when I -believed I was called of God to kill the redskins only. I know better -now.” - -“Well!” murmured the officer, hoping to catch the madman off his guard, -if only for a moment. - -“I saw the error of my ways,” cried the madman. “I beheld my sins. I -had neglected the full measure of my duty.” - -“So killing redskins didn’t satisfy you, eh?” - -“Why should I kill the savages alone? I saw white men quite as -brutal--aye, more brutal--than the red. I saw them commit the same -atrocities. I saw white rangers rip the scalps from the head of their -dead foes; I saw the soldiers storm the Indian encampments and kill -the squaws and the papoose at the breast! Aye! how much better are the -whites than the red men?” - -“And having seen all this bloody warfare, you wish to add to the sum -total of horror by killing everybody you come across, do you, old -fellow?” - -“You are all alike to me. I kill. That is the way I obtain ammunition -and arms. The arms and cartridges you carry are mine!” - -“Oh, I’ll give them to you right now, if you want them,” exclaimed the -captain eagerly. “You won’t have to kill me to get them. Really, it -isn’t necessary. I’ll do the polite and hand them over.” - -To himself he thought: - -“And I’ll hand you something that will do you a lot of good the first -chance I get!” - -But the madman was not to be fooled so easily. - -“Nay, nay! Your bullets would not fly true for me were you alive,” -declared the giant. “I am the Mad Hunter. Have you heard of me?” - -“I have heard of such a character,” admitted the captain. - -“I am he, and if you know of me you must know that I show mercy to -none--not even to one wearing the uniform you do. No, no! I spare -neither my own race--for I was white once, before I became like the -beasts that perish--nor the redskin. All fall before me.” - -The man spoke with intensity; yet not a motion gave the officer hope -of his chance to spring on him. The man’s nerves were of steel; he -held the rifle as though it and his own body were of stone; yet the -glittering eyes showed his victim that if he dropped his hands a bullet -would end his career on the instant. - -“But, you know, _I_ haven’t harmed you, my poor man,” said the officer. - -“All mankind are my foes,” said the Mad Hunter, in his strong monotone, -and without moving. “Come! the night draws near, and I have yet to -travel many miles to my cave in the mountains.” - -“Don’t let me detain you, old man,” said the officer. “Won’t it do just -as well another day?” - -“Come! prepare to die. If you have prayers to say, repeat them quickly. -It is growing dark.” - -Now, the officer didn’t care how dark it got before the madman fired. -Indeed, he would have been glad if it suddenly became pitch-dark--so -dark that he might dodge away and escape the sinister weapon which held -its “bead” on his breast. He gave up all hope of “talking the fellow -out of it.” The madman meant to kill him, and unless some miracle -averted the fate, he would very quickly be a dead man! - -The madman was a giant in build and strength. He remembered now having -heard the scouts tell many strange stories of the Mad Hunter about the -camp-fire. For years he had been tracking about the Rockies, appearing -unexpectedly in first one locality and then another; sometimes -committing atrocious murders of inoffensive people. But usually his -presence was noted by the scouts by the dead bodies of Indians, -their bodies mutilated by a cross gashed with the madman’s knife over -their hearts. He put this insignia upon every redskin he killed, so -that even the savages--who feared him as some spirit and altogether -supernatural--knew who to lay the death of their friends to when the -Mad Hunter was about. - -Whether the giant had a habit of marking his white victims in the -same way, the captain did not know; but it was a suggestion that did -not tranquilize his nerves. To cope with the giant he knew would be -impossible. He was a tall and strong man himself; but the maniac could -have handled three men like the officer with ease. A movement toward -his revolver or sword would be a signal for his death. Yet the officer -could not stand here helplessly and allow the maniac to shoot him down! - -In full view below him were the camp-fires of his men. The valley had -grown dark now, but surely they could see him clearly standing here on -the summit of the ridge. His body must loom big against the sky-line. -Yet it was plain they did not see the giant with him. - -_He_ stood in the shadow of the thicket where he had hidden at the -officer’s approach. It was behind him, and made him invisible to the -men in the valley. To call for aid would bring the end more quickly. So -he waited in silence, hoping against hope that some mad freak of the -maniac’s mind and humor might work for his salvation. - -If the Mad Hunter kept his word, the officer had but a few minutes to -live. He looked all about the vicinity, hoping he might see some chance -of help. It was a desperate--a really hopeless thought. Who or what -could save him now? - -Suddenly his eyes became fixed upon the spur of a hill that jutted out -across a shallow valley. The lingering rays of the sun touched the -hill-spur redly. It seemed much nearer to him than it really was, and -along its brink came a horse and rider! - -The officer gasped; then held his breath, and did not change the mask -of his face. He had learned long since to hide emotion; but this was a -terrible situation, and he had almost lost his nerve. - -The horseman had evidently been about to descend into the valley, -when his glance fell upon the two men standing like statues upon the -opposite ridge. _He_ could see the giant huntsman, if the soldiers in -the other valley could not. He saw at once the attitude of both men and -understood. He drew rein, and the officer at the same moment recognized -him. Unconsciously his lips parted, and the name of the rider came from -the officer in a quick gasp: - -“Buffalo Bill!” - -The keen ear of the mad hercules caught the name, and, turning like -a panther at bay, he saw the scout on the distant spur. As he moved, -the officer’s hands dropped, and he seized the revolver from his belt. -Throwing it forward, he pulled the trigger as the madman wheeled again -toward him. - -But the hammer fell without exploding the cartridge. The madman laughed -aloud. - -“No, no!” he shouted. “The bullet is not cast that will kill the Mad -Hunter! The cartridge is not made that will injure me!” - -The officer found his pistol-hammer jammed. He could not cock the -weapon again. With a wild shriek the maniac dropped his rifle, and, -drawing his knife, flung himself at his victim, intending evidently to -kill him with those slashes across the breast which usually marked his -dead. - -But in that awful moment the doomed man’s eyes turned upon the distant -spur, and he beheld the rifle rise to the horseman’s shoulder. -Desperate as was the chance, Buffalo Bill intending risking a shot to -save him. He flung himself backward, as the madman came on, leaving the -field clear for the scout to fire. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. BUFFALO BILL’S GREAT SHOT. - - -In that instant, as he was falling backward upon the ground, knowing -that if the huge madman reached him before Buffalo Bill’s bullet -reached its mark he would be a dead man, a clear perception of the -great mistake he had made flashed through the captain’s mind. He -remembered that that morning when cleaning his revolver he had noticed -something wrong with the hammer, and had put it aside, unloaded, to -attend to later in the day. But as he started from the camp that -evening to walk up the hill, and Texas Jack had called his warning to -him, he had picked up the weapon and thrust it into his belt without -looking at it. - -Had he not made this error he would have shot the Mad Hunter dead -in that instant when the giant turned his head to look across the -little valley. As he went backward, the officer flung away his useless -revolver and clutched at his sword. But he could not get it from its -scabbard in time. It was but half-drawn when he landed upon his back -with a shock that almost deprived him of his senses! - -Fearful, indeed, were the chances against the officer. He was -absolutely helpless then, and like a tiger-cat the madman had sprung -at his falling body. He actually was in the air with the blade of his -knife poised to thrust downward into the officer’s breast when the -latter heard the crack of Buffalo Bill’s rifle on the other hillside. - -The keen eye of the scout on horseback had noted every move of the game -on the ridge. He recognized the officer, and he guessed who the other -man must be when he saw his threatening attitude. It was a long shot, -and there was danger at first of his hitting the captain instead of his -foe. - -But when the former flung himself backward the scout dared fire. And -he pulled the trigger just in the nick of time. The maniac was already -plunging forward to knife the supine soldier when the bullet sped on -its mission. - -With a scream the madman pitched forward, over-leaping his victim, and -falling on his face upon the ground, the knife being plunged hilt deep -into the soft earth! A red streak showed across his scalp where the -bullet had grazed the man’s crown. - -“Bravo, bravo, Buffalo Bill! I owe my life to him--and Heaven knows -I was never in closer quarters with death!” cried the officer, as he -leaped up and drew his sword to further defend himself. - -But the huge form lay still. The Mad Hunter lay unconscious. Therefore, -turning to the opposite hill, he waved his hat, which he had picked -up, to the horseman who was now spurring down into the valley. An -answering yell from Buffalo Bill showed that he saw the officer was -safe. - -The rifle-shot and the shout of the Border King was unheard down there -in the bigger valley; all this tragic happening had been in sight of -the camp of the troopers, yet had chanced to go unnoticed. It was the -scout who had come upon the scene in the nick of time, and who again -had proved himself a hero. - -With rapid bounds the scout urged his big white charger up the hill, -from the shadows below to the twilight of the ridge summit. Finally he -pulled up, threw himself from the saddle, and the officer caught his -gauntleted hand. - -“God bless you, Cody!” - -“Captain Ed. Keyes!” - -“Always in the right place at the right time, scout. Another minute, -and that old madman would have sent me on my long journey, and no -mistake!” - -“I came blamed near being in the wrong place, captain,” said Cody -seriously. “That was a long shot. I was taking great chances, and if -you hadn’t flung yourself backward I should have scarcely risked firing -at all.” - -Then he turned to view the prostrate form of the madman, and said: - -“It’s that crazy fellow they talk about, isn’t it?” - -“So he said. He seemed to be proud of his reputation.” - -“The Mad Hunter!” - -“Yes. And mad he certainly is--poor fellow. I suppose he’s not to be -blamed for what he can’t help. But he’s better dead than at large. Ugh! -Another moment, and he’d had his devil’s cross slashed on my breast, I -fancy.” - -“You had a narrow squeak, sir.” - -“I certainly did. Is he dead?” - -Buffalo Bill was stooping over the giant. He turned him over so that -his face was visible in the half-light. - -“_That_ shot oughtn’t to have killed him,” muttered the scout, noting -the course of his bullet. - -“It certainly couldn’t have hurt his brain any more than it _was_ -queered. He’s breathing, isn’t he?” - -But Buffalo Bill did not immediately reply. He had suddenly fallen -silent, and when Captain Keyes looked at the scout in surprise he -saw that his eyes were fixed with a most strange expression upon the -unconscious madman’s face. - -“What’s the matter, Cody?” the officer asked. - -The scout still made no reply. It is doubtful if he heard his superior -officer. He seemed devouring the features of the unconscious man. - -Little of the face could be seen for the matted beard and hair. Yet -the angles of the cheek-bones and jaw were easily traced; likewise, -the penthouse brows and deeply sunken eyes. The nose was prominent--a -handsome nose, with its point thin and flexible, and the nostrils well -marked. - -“No--no,” murmured the scout at last. “I never could have seen him -before--never!” - -“What’s the matter with you, Cody?” - -Buffalo Bill looked up at him, and wet his lips before speaking. - -“I--I thought I saw a ghost, Captain Keyes--a ghost! My God! and it’s -no wonder, with my mind full of the horror I _have_ seen already this -evening. It--it was Danforth--he’s got into my mind, and I can’t -forget him.” - -“Dick Danforth--Lieutenant Danforth?” - -“Aye--the poor boy himself.” - -“What under the sun has Dick got to do with this madman?” - -“Oh--nothing! nothing!” exclaimed Cody, leaping up. “But I have to -report a very terrible thing, captain.” - -“Not about Dick Danforth?” - -“It is, sir. Lieutenant Danforth is dead--dead with all his men!” - -“No!” - -“It is the awful truth, sir.” - -“I cannot believe it, Cody. You are beside yourself. You look strange, -man!” - -“Aye, and you would look strange yourself had you seen what _I_ have -seen, Captain Keyes.” - -“Tell me!” - -“I was on my way to Fort Advance with the news when I happened to see -you--as I supposed, facing a grizzly bear over on this ridge.” - -“He was worse than a grizzly,” said Keyes, with a glance at the giant. -“But give me the particulars----” - -“Boyd Bennett has joined the Sioux, betrayed Danforth and his men into -a trap, and the whole party were wiped out.” - -“My God, Cody!” - -“It is so. I saw them. I was captured by Bennett, indeed. It was within -a few miles of Oak Heart’s big village.” - -“Ha! And did you see the wily old scoundrel himself?” - -“Oak Heart?” - -“Yes.” - -“No; but I saw a representative of the chief;” and he repeated the -story of his coming upon the field of carnage and his adventure with -Bennett and the White Antelope, while Keyes hurried him down the -hillside toward the troopers’ camp. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. THE BORDER KING’S PLEDGE. - - -With him Captain Keyes had over a hundred cavalrymen, a company of -mounted infantry, and two mountain howitzers, numbering, with the -artillerymen and scouts, nearly two hundred men--a strong flying -column, that could move rapidly and stand off a big force of Indians. -They were then encamped not twenty miles from the main village of the -Sioux, and not much more than half that distance from the coulée where -Danforth’s squadron had been overcome. - -The coming of Buffalo Bill, although it had been most timely for -Captain Keyes, and had undoubtedly saved his life, cast a mantle of -gloom over the encampment. Although the men had been warned to turn in -early, because of the work before them on the morrow, they stood or sat -around the camp-fires until late, discussing the terrible intelligence -the scout had brought. - -And at the officers’ quarters, Buffalo Bill had to relate the story all -over again to an eager band of listeners. All had known Dick Danforth, -and his death was greatly deplored. - -As soon as he could get away, and had eaten a bit of supper, Cody -sought out his faithful partner, Jack Omohondreau. - -“Jack, old man, did you ever see the Wild Huntsman?” - -“What! this fellow who come pretty near bowling over the captain--the -Mad Hunter?” - -“Yes.” - -“Never. But I’ve seen his spoor--and I’ve seen his work.” - -“Meaning his dead?” - -“Yep. Two redskins. He didn’t do a thing but hash them up. Ugh!” - -“I don’t think I killed him up there. Will you get a couple of torches, -and bring two other fellows you can trust, and help me make a search -for him?” - -“Lord! Want to put the finishing touch on him--eh?” - -“No. I must bring him down here and have the surgeon give him what care -he can.” - -“Whew! You’d best roll him over a precipice by mistake.” - -“The man is mad.” - -“Well, then, he isn’t missing much, if he cashes in.” - -“But perhaps he can be cured.” - -“Well, are you going to tackle the cure?” - -“I want to see if he’s dead first,” said Cody non-committingly. “Go -find your men--and don’t forget the torches, Jack.” - -Texas Jack found both, and the four men searched the ridge -thoroughly--or as thoroughly as they could by torchlight; but the -gigantic madman was not there. He might have crawled into some hole to -hide; anyway, they had to give it up for the night. - -As they returned to camp they found an orderly searching industriously -for Buffalo Bill. - -“Captain Keyes’ compliments, sir, and will you come to his tent at -once?” - -The scout complied with his request. Keyes had his despatch-box open, -and was undoubtedly just inditing his report of the day’s work, and of -the intelligence the scout had brought him, to his commander at Fort -Advance. He motioned the scout to a camp-stool. - -“Sit down, Cody. I want to talk with you.” - -Buffalo Bill obeyed. - -“We have deeded to divide the command. I shall go myself with the first -division on to the place where our poor brave fellows lie, and attend -to the burial of their bodies. The rest of my party will form a reserve -squad with the howitzers--in case of treachery.” - -“There will be no treachery, Captain Keyes. I know Oak Heart.” - -“But you say that deserter, Bennett, has influence in the tribe.” - -“Not enough to make the old chief break his word.” - -“Best to be sure, anyway. Now, there’s a point I wish to discuss with -you. I know your confounded quixotism, Cody. You certainly don’t -propose to keep your promise to that squaw and go alone to the Indian -encampment?” - -“I do mean just that, sir.” - -At this the officer rose to his feet and spoke vigorously. - -“Cody, you sha’n’t do it! By the nine gods of war! it’s foolish--it’s -insane!” - -“I have promised.” - -“But I forbid you!” - -“I can’t help that, sir; but if you will think a moment, you will see -that it is quite out of your jurisdiction. I was the reds’ prisoner. -They did not have to let me go at all. My life is hostage to them yet. -They have trusted me--and, God knows, enough white men have lied to -them.” - -“Then I’ll attack their camp, small as my force is.” - -“You will compass my death sure enough if you do,” said the scout, -shaking his head. - -“But, Cody, of all white men alive, _you_ are the one they most wish to -see _dead_!” - -“So be it.” - -“Be reasonable.” - -“They desire to make my closer acquaintance, and I intend to give them -the chance,” said Buffalo Bill, smiling. - -“Never, Cody!” - -“But I----” - -“I’ll hear no ‘buts,’ scouts. If you persist in such a foolish -intention I’ll put you in the guard-house and keep you under arrest -until you come to your senses.” - -“I’m afraid I’ll grow gray in the guard-house, then,” laughed Buffalo -Bill, who knew that his friend did not mean this. - -“But you were forced to make the promise to save your life. Therefore, -the promise was given under durance and cannot hold.” - -“The redskins have few lawyers,” said Cody, with a smile. “That -sophistry would not appeal to them.” - -“It’s sure death!” - -“I’m not so sure of that. However, I must go to Oak Heart’s camp. I may -risk my life, but I hope to accomplish a purpose that I have in mind.” - -The officer saw that the scout was determined, and that his will could -not be shaken. - -“It seems like being a party to your murder to let you go, scout,” said -Captain Keyes gloomily. “And you saved my life, too!” - -“Let us hope for the best, sir,” said the scout quietly, as he bowed -himself out of the officer’s tent. - -Before dawn Buffalo Bill and a squad of men sent by Captain Keyes went -to the ridge to hunt the live--or dead--body of the Mad Hunter. In an -hour, and just before the column was ready to start, the squad returned -without Cody. - -“Where is the scout, sergeant?” asked Captain Keyes. - -“He left us upon the ridge, sir,” said the man, saluting. - -“Left you?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“And where did he go?” - -“He struck a trail, sir, and said he would be off on it.” - -“What sort of trail?” - -“The Mad Hunter’s trail. We could not find the man, but Mr. Cody saw -where he had walked away, and he started in pursuit.” - -“He’s gone farther than that!” exclaimed Captain Keyes, shaking his -head. “What say, Texas Jack?” - -Omohondreau, who knew of Buffalo Bill’s promise to the White Antelope, -nodded. - -“He’s gone to the Injun camp,” said the brother scout, “and it’s a -toss-up if it isn’t ‘good-by, Bill Cody!’ for good and all!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. TRACKING THE MAD HUNTER. - - -After a night of uneasy repose, in which the thoughts engendered by his -first sight of the Mad Hunter’s face had ridden him like a nightmare, -Buffalo Bill was determined to make a thorough search for the maniac. -Had he not believed the evening before that the man was likely to -remain unconscious until roused by the efforts of the surgeon, he would -have begged Captain Keyes to let him stay by the maniac until help -could come. He was deeply disappointed when he and Jack Omohondreau -could not find the giant. - -In the morning he had searched patiently, struck the trail of the -madman, and, as the sergeant reported, had started at once to follow -and run the maniac down. He had brought his horse, and having left the -soldiers, he mounted Chief and followed the big footprints of the wild -man at a round trot for some distance. - -How seriously the man was wounded, Cody did not know; but his quarry -did not seem to try to hide his trail. Straight along the ridge it led, -then down into the little valley the scout had ridden across the night -before, and so up the range of hills on the other side. Something about -the walking of the big man puzzled the scout greatly, and suddenly -Buffalo Bill spurred his horse to the summit of a high hill, that he -might take a survey of the country over which it seemed the madman -might pass. - -The soldiers were under way now, and, first of all, Cody saw them -traversing a defile at one side, up which they had come from the -bivouac of the past night. A steep bluff towered beside them where -they were then marching as Buffalo Bill came out upon the back-bone of -the range. - -The course he had taken in following the madman’s trail had brought -the scout out ahead of the marching column. But it was not upon them -that his gaze became fastened. Instead, a single moving object upon the -summit of the bluff in the shadow of which the soldiers marched held -his attention. This object was more than a mile ahead of the soldiery, -and would never be noticed from the valley below. - -In an instant Buffalo Bill divined the identity of the moving object, -and the nature of the work which engaged its attention. The ridge of -land on which he stood was unbroken to the bluff itself. He set spurs -to Chief and raced along the highlands, knowing that he would not -likely be seen by the soldiers, and therefore must do alone what he -could to avert the catastrophe which he saw imminent. - -Thwarted the night before when he sought the life of Captain Keyes, the -Mad Hunter was trying to compass a worse crime. The moving form Buffalo -Bill knew to be the maniac, and he saw that he was gathering huge rocks -into a pile, which he proposed to push over upon the soldiers as they -passed below the bluff! - -It was a fiendish plan, and well worthy of the man’s insane cunning. -Buffalo Bill spurred on, and came to a place not many yards behind the -Mad Hunter without the latter’s being aware of his presence, so intent -was he in the work. - -Leaving his horse and rifle, the scout, with soft tread and every sense -alert, crept up behind the busy lunatic. He saw that the Mad Hunter -had put aside his own arms, the better to toil at his horrid trap. -With a single shot from his revolver the scout might have dropped the -maniac dead, and so relieved the world of a dangerous creature--a being -neither man nor brute. But the scout did not wish to hurt the giant. - -Finally, without being discovered, the scout stood within twenty feet -of the Mad Hunter. His eyes were as fierce as a wolf’s, his hands -opened and shut with nervous clutches, and his lips moved continuously -as he whispered to himself. Yet something familiar in the contour of -the poor creature’s face held Cody spellbound. He was moved as he had -been the night before when he had first looked upon the features of the -wild man. - -Nearer and nearer drew the column of soldiers, for through a gap in the -edge of the bluff Cody could mark their progress. Captain Keyes and his -officers, and Texas Jack, rode ahead. The madman prepared to tip his -monument of rocks over upon their devoted heads! - -Suddenly the Mad Hunter picked up a great stone--one that the scout was -sure no two ordinary men could lift--and, picking his victim on the -plain below, was about to fling it down. Cody quickly dashed across -the intervening space, and, revolver in hand, tapped the madman on the -shoulder. - -With a sudden inspiration the scout shouted into the man’s ear a name -he had not spoken himself for a dozen years--the name of a man who, -until the night before, he had believed long since dead. - -The Mad Hunter turned in a flash. He dropped the rock. He stared at the -scout with wondering gaze. His eyes grew somber as the light of insane -rage died out of them. He whispered at last: - -“Who--who calls me by that name? Speak!” - -Trembling violently, he gazed upon the scout with some shadow of reason -struggling to dawn in his expression. It was elusive--fleeting--yet the -scout knew that he had touched a chord of memory that shook the man to -the foundation of his being. - -“Who speaks that name after all these years?” cried the madman again. - -“I am Bill Cody--Cody, your old pal. Cody, the man you knew on the Rio -Grande!” exclaimed the scout, his own voice shaking, for the discovery -he had made passed the bounds of reason. - -The strange being shook his head slowly. - -“No. You may be whom you say; but the man you spoke of first is -dead--dead--a long time dead!” - -Buffalo Bill, however, was gaining confidence in his discovery all the -time. - -“You’re the man! I know you are. Think, man! Send back your memory to -those old times. Remember the work we did together. Remember--remember -your wife--your child----” - -With a shriek like nothing human, with a face that changed in a flash -to that of a demoniac, the Mad Hunter hurled himself, bare-handed, at -the scout’s throat. - -“Fiend! Fiend from the pit!” he yelled. “You have come to torment me -and taunt me! Ah! for long have I escaped your taunts; but now you have -returned!” - -His heartrending cry almost unmanned the scout. He saw that he had -touched the wrong chord with the madman. Reminded of the loss of his -wife and child, the victim of this awful fate had been thrown into a -paroxysm of rage. - -For an instant Buffalo Bill hesitated. That hesitation came near -to costing him his life. The maniac was upon him and seized his -pistol-hand before he could make up his mind to fire at his old friend. -The madman’s other hand tightened on the scout’s throat. They swayed -upon the edge of the precipice. - -Seconds dragged like hours in that struggle. Buffalo Bill had met more -than his match in this wild being. Suddenly he heard a cry below: - -“Hold, Cody! for God’s sake, hold!” - -It was Captain Keyes’ voice. It inspired the sinking scout to make one -final and desperate effort. He half-tore him self free of the giant’s -clutch. - -“Steady! Texas Jack has got the drop on him!” yelled the voice of Keyes -again. - -Instantly there came the sharp crack of a rifle. The maniac jumped -slightly, and his awful grip loosened. The scout tore himself -completely away, spattered by the maniac’s blood. - -The latter whirled about, back to the brink of the bluff, clutched -helplessly at the air with his great hands, and pitched down the -declivity. He was dead before he struck the bottom--a heap of broken -bones and bruised flesh! - -Texas Jack mounted the cliff to see if the scout was all right. He -found Cody wiping the blood from his face, and very grave of look. - -“Had to shoot him, old man. ’Twas you or him, yuh know,” said the -brother scout. - -“I know it, Jack. I can only thank you. But I am sorry--bitterly sorry. -I knew that man when he was a right good fellow. Ask Captain Keyes to -give him decent burial, and to mark the grave--mark it with the letter -‘D.’” - -With these words Cody shook hands with his pard and hastened away to -where Chief was quietly feeding. In a moment he was riding hard away -from the spot where the terrible tragedy had taken place. - -Captain Keyes complied with Cody’s request, but was sorry that the -scout had evidently gone on his mission of death--for the officer could -look at the visit to the Indian encampment in no other light. - -He had divided his force, as he said he should, and the vanguard -went on to the coulée and buried the dead. All the redskins had been -removed, and the place was deserted of the living. But when they came -to search for Dick Danforth’s body, intending to remove it to the fort -with them, it was not to be found. The brave lieutenant, for whose -scalp Buffalo Bill had pleaded with White Antelope, had disappeared -from the field of battle. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. RED KNIFE LOSES HIS “MEDICINE.” - - -At the time the fire burst out in the great forest and Buffalo Bill, -the Border King, and his partner, Texas Jack, were chased by the -flames, a young buck of Oak Heart’s tribe of Utah Sioux was likewise -in the path of the flames. He had been out after a bear, because his -father, an old brave now toothless and unable to follow in the chase, -had expressed a desire for bear paws, roasted. - -The government of Indian society is strictly patriarchal. The father -of a family demands, and is accorded, the greatest respect. Besides, it -is a trait of Indian character to care for and respect the aged. The -aged men of the tribe usually mold its opinions in both peace and war. - -Besides, Red Knife, as this young buck was named, was not a married -man. He was what the whites would have called “an old bach.” He had no -teepee of his own, but it was a notorious fact that he cast longing -glances toward White Antelope, the cherished daughter of Oak Heart -and the flower of the Sioux maidens. He had gone hunting for the bear -because his father was fond of bear paws, but with the claws, and -others in his possession, he hoped to make a cunning necklace that -would be acceptable to the chief’s daughter. - -Red Knife had lately become of moment in the tribe. It had been his -hand that had finally felled the chief of the pony soldiers who were -killed in the coulée, and whom Death Killer had tried to scalp. Red -Knife hoped in time to become so important that the White Antelope -would really look at him with favor, instead of ignoring him altogether. - -The buck had obtained a single shot at his bearship, wounding him with -a barbed arrow, and had driven him into a thicket toward the close of -the day. Suddenly the smoke that had been hanging over the hilltops for -hours swooped down upon the Indian and his quarry, and following the -smoke came the fire--a deluge of flame! - -The bear suddenly lost his fear of the redskin, and the latter lost his -desire to take bear paws to his teepee. - -The crackling of the flames as they leaped down the wooded side-hills -into the valley warned both hunter and hunted that there was no time -to lose. The bear burst out of the thicket, the arrow still sticking -in his rump, and waddled off for running water at a great pace. The -Indian had chased the beast into unfamiliar territory, and now he took -advantage of his prey’s instinct. He followed the bear. - -Through brush and bramble, over rocky way and swampy land, the bear and -the man raced. At times they were almost side by side, and neither paid -the least attention to the other. Lighter and swifter creatures passed -the two like the wind; the bear and the redskin plugged along doggedly, -as though running for a wager. - -They were not in the neighborhood of Bendigo Lake, so they did not -meet up with either the two scouts or with the Mad Hunter. It was a -stream which the bear, back in his little brain, knew would be running -full even at this dry season. They reached it barely in time to save -themselves from being withered by the flames. The bear’s fur was indeed -smoking. - -He plunged over the bank into the deep, dark pool. Red Knife went after -bruin, landing squarely on the bear’s back, eliciting only the notice -of a grunt from the beast as he sank to the bottom of the pool and let -the flames roar overhead. - -The redskin stayed below the surface as long as he could, too. He could -feel the bear beside him all the time. He might have flung himself upon -the beast with his knife and killed him. It were better had he done so. - -But at the time Red Knife was too perturbed to think of killing his -companion in misery. When the redskin came up to breathe, the fiery -brands showered upon him so thickly that he was glad to sink again. It -was some time before it was safe for him to squat, with his head out of -water. - -And there were the redskin and the bear, both on their haunches, with -their noses stuck out of the pool like two bullfrogs. As the heat grew -less intense and the brands stopped falling, the bear and the man began -eying each other with less favor. Each recovered from his panic and -began to remember that they were deadly enemies. - -The bear growled and shifted his position to a distance from the red; -the latter got out his knife--the only weapon he had saved--and in -moments when he was not dodging flying fire planned what he would do -should bruin take it into his head to attack. - -This deep pool in the brook was no proper arena for a -bear-fight--especially when the human antagonist had simply a knife. -Red Knife thought some of sinking to the bottom of the pool again -and making the attack himself by trying to drive his blade into some -vulnerable part of the beast. - -But the difficulty of using his knife with any surety, or putting any -force behind the blow under water, detained him from trying this. -Besides, the bear, if killed or badly injured, would sink and might -pinion the redskin to the bottom of the brook. - -Therefore, as soon as he could see at all through the rolling smoke, -and the worst of the flames had passed, leaving a thicket or dead tree -only blazing in its wake here and there, the redskin made up his mind -that he would better trust to the dry ground. His moccasins were -well-nigh torn from his feet by his furious race through the forest, -and his meager clothing in general had been seriously torn. There was -little to shield him from the fire if he came forth, but the water of -the brook was ice-cold, and hardy as the Red Knife was its chill had -now set his teeth to playing like castanets. - -The bear whined with the cold, too, but the next moment he growled as -Red Knife made a movement toward him. If the beast once got a hold with -his front paws on the redskin he would disembowel him with the great -claws of his hind feet. Red Knife shrank farther away from the bear’s -vicinity. - -At this bruin plucked up courage. He growled again, came down off his -haunches, and began to swim across the pool toward the Indian. The -latter saw that it was his move--and the only place for him to move -to was out of the water. So he backed into the shallower part of the -stream and toward a part of the bank that was comparatively clear of -fire. - -The heat and smoke were still almost blistering. To leave the water was -a cross indeed. But the bear continued to advance, and Red Knife did -not consider that he wished to come immediately to close quarters with -the brute. - -As he backed out of the stream the heat of a near-by blazing thicket -warmed him more than comfortably. The chill was driven out of his body, -and his teeth stopped chattering. Fearful as he was of the fire--all -wild beasts hate it--the bear found the increasing warmth grateful, -too. He scrambled out upon the bank, too, and actually squatted down in -the heat of the bonfire to dry himself. - -Red Knife looked about him as well as he could for the drifting smoke, -and picked out the apparently safest path from the spot. Had he been -contented to decamp without stirring up the bear, he would have been -all right. But an Indian loves to tell of his prowess around the -camp-fire, and so far there had been very little in this adventure to -suggest a tale of self-glorification. - -Therefore the buck determined to have those bear paws for his father -and the claws for the necklace, after all! - -He hunted out a big stone, pried it out of the smoking ground with -his knife, and, picking it up, poised it carefully for a cast. With a -sudden grunt of anger, the bear rose up. He seemed to smell trouble in -the air. His movement rather spoiled Red Knife’s aim, or else the buck -was nervous. The stone, thrown with terrific force, just glanced from -bruin’s hard skull! - -With a roar the bear sprang at the foolish red man. He came all glaring -eyes, froth-dripping fangs, and unsheathed claws--a sight to drive the -barb of terror into the bravest heart! - -The redskin found himself walled in by fire behind. He leaped for the -pool again, but the bear reached him with one paw first. The stroke -ripped his hunting-shirt and leggings fairly from his body. Nothing but -shreds of the garments were left and hung upon him--along with shreds -of his torn flesh! - -The redskin yelled and leaped into the water. The bear growled and -plunged after him. As he came up Red Knife saw the great body of the -beast going down, and he struck at it with his blade again and again. -The sharp steel was buried in the body of the brute at each stroke, -but all about the shoulders--a part not at all vital. - -Again and again Red Knife struck before the bear came to the surface, -but, although the blood flowed until the agitated pool was dyed red, -the bear came up as strong and as ugly as ever. - -Red Knife threw himself backward and escaped the first plunging blows -of the bear. He reached shallow water and leaped ashore, being more -agile in this than his bearship. But in doing so he chanced to slip and -turn his ankle. The pain was very great for a moment, and the Indian -fell to the ground, giving the bear a chance to almost overtake him. - -Instantly, however, the red turned and struck at his bearship before -the latter could seize him with its great, slobbering jaws. An attack -always puts a bear on the defensive. He squatted back on his haunches, -ready to either hug his enemy or to strike at him with his great -forearms, which swung like flails! - -Red Knife clambered to his feet, but he could not run. The bear would -overtake him now in a short race. He poised himself on one foot, -holding his dripping blade before him, and, believing himself come to -the end of his time, the stoical Indian began to chant the death-song. - -The growling of the bear almost drowned this cry of the Indian. The -latter advanced to embrace death, yet determined to sell his last -breath dearly. - -The flaillike arms of the bear swung to and fro; he champed his -teeth and roared. The Indian flung himself with the desperation of a -berserker upon the animal, striking again and again with his keen blade. - -Two awful raking blows the bear got in himself. It stripped the last -rag from the Indian’s body, and broke the string of the amulet he wore -about his neck, as well. They clinched like two men wrestling, and so -rolled into the pool. - -Splash! they went under the surface. Bubbles and gore rose to the -agitated top of the water. - -Then one of the contestants floated up, struggled a bit, secured a -footing, and slowly walked ashore. It was the Indian. It was Red Knife, -as naked as when he was born. He sank upon the bank of the stream, the -conqueror in a good fight. But he had no joy in his heart. Instead, he -was filled with gloom. In the struggle and the last plunge in the pool -he had lost his medicine-bag! - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. THE SEARCH FOR NEW MEDICINE. - - -When a young brave comes to man’s estate his initiation into the -religion of his tribe is a great matter. Heretofore he has had no real -name. He has been called by several names, perhaps, but they have been -those given him by his parents, and are perhaps only the pet names of -childhood. Now he is a man and gets the name which in war and on the -hunt he is hopeful of making great and long-remembered by the tribe. - -Red Knife belonged to the family of the Crow. The signification of that -family was painted upon his father’s wigwam, as it would be upon his -own when he set up a domicile for himself. - -So the medicine-man had put into a bag the dried entrails of a crow, -its hard, black claws, and some of its feathers, with various other -charms against evil. The young man had watched all night upon a -lonely hill, fasting, to guard his shield and arms, as well as the -new medicine, from those spirits that are ever warring against human -beings--according to the Indian code--and had in other ways proved -himself worthy of being a brave in the councils of the Sioux. - -The bag, which had been fastened about Red Knife’s neck, was as -precious to the Indian as his soul! Having lost it, he had lost caste -and all else that an Indian holds of value. He would be considered -apostate from the faith of his fathers; all that he had done heretofore -in war and the chase would be held as nothing. He would be outcast from -his kind, having lost his medicine, unless he could by some wonderful -performance, or by some mysterious chance, find and appropriate a new -medicine. - -There are just so many medicines in the world, according to the Indian -belief; there is one for each man. Having lost his medicine, it could -not be replaced by the medicine chief or by any other ordinary means. -He could not kill an enemy and take _his_ medicine for his own; for as -soon as a man is dead the virtue of his medicine accompanies him on the -journey to the happy hunting-grounds. - -No man would be so foolish as to sell his medicine at any price. With -his last breath he will fight for that amulet. Red Knife was undone -indeed as he sat there beside the bloody pool. All the manhood had -gone out of him. His hard fight and his many wounds seemed as nothing -to him now. He was bereft of his choicest possession and could not be -comforted. - -Yet a desire to be with his kind, to see the faces of his tribesmen -again, drove the young man finally from his position. The fire had gone -from the forest, and it was midday of the second day before he rose to -his feet. The decomposing gases in the body of the bear had brought it -to the surface. Red Knife hobbled down, cut off the paws and strung -them about his neck, flayed the carcass, cut off some flesh for his own -consumption, found a flint-stone, and with the back of his knife struck -off sparks which lit a fire, and after eating and renewing his strength -he wrapped himself in the gory robe and started for Oak Heart’s village. - -This encampment had been well out of the line of the forest fire and -had not been disturbed by it. Red Knife reached it in the night and -came to his father’s lodge. But he did not venture within. He was -pariah--outcast--the lowest of the low. - -His mother gave him food in the morning, but his father sent back the -bear’s paws. It was soon known that Red Knife had lost his medicine, -and the head of the Crow family could not accept food at his hand. Of -course, Red Knife knew it would be useless to make the bear claws into -a necklace for the White Antelope. She would look at him less now than -before. Besides, the White Antelope remained in her lodge, with one old -woman, her nurse, most of the time. There was something very mysterious -about the movements of the daughter of the chief. - -This did not interest Red Knife much at the time, however. He was past -thinking of women. His own people looked at him askance. Nobody spoke -to him; he was welcome in no lodge, and the very clothing which his -mother flung him seemed begrudged. All Indians must harden their hearts -against a being so cursed of the Great Spirit that he had lost his -medicine! - -He could enter no council of his tribe; he had no voice in the general -affairs; he could join in none of the sports. All that he had done -before was forgotten. Even that he had brought low the white chief who -had led the pony soldiers to the battle in the coulée counted nothing -for Red Knife now. He was outcast. - -Red Knife could not stand for this long. An Indian does not make way -with himself. A suicide wanders forever between this life and that to -come, and is never at rest. But Red Knife was nearly desperate enough -to resort to this awful finish. - -At least he determined to go out from among his people and never to -return until he had found a new medicine and obtained a new name for -himself--in other words, until he could demand the respect of his -family and of his tribe. - -Now he crept out of the encampment, and from a high hill muttered his -farewell address to his home and his people. He would not be Red Knife -when he returned--if he returned at all. All the encampment knew that, -but only one figure stood by his father’s lodge to watch him go. He -knew that was his mother, but it was beneath him to notice a squaw! - -Now this young buck had set forth on a search as great as that for the -Golden Fleece or the Holy Grail of old! Had the tribe a Homer, some -great saga might have been written regarding the labor Red Knife had -set himself. - -To go forth and kill an enemy and take his medicine was a simple -matter. But the medicine of another would surely bring bad luck to the -scion of the family of Crow. And to find a man with two medicines--ah! -that were a well-nigh impossible task! And, when found, would such a -fortunate person be willing to give up his extra medicine? To fight for -it might end in the death of the first possessor, and then would the -virtue go from the medicine and it become a curse to Red Knife. - -The young man left his village and journeyed aimlessly for two days -through the mountains. So unnoticing was he that finally he came to a -place where he did not know his way out. He was not so far from Oak -Heart’s village, but its direction he did not know for sure. And this -valley in which he found himself seemed an uninhabited place. - -Many of the braves were out on hunting bent, but Red Knife had not -seen any of them for twenty-four hours. Nor had he beheld a white man -until, coming down to drink at the edge of the stream which watered -this valley, he suddenly saw a figure in buckskin sitting upon a great, -white horse on the opposite side of the stream. In the fading light -of the evening the being looked gigantic to the red man--who was in -a state of mind to see ghosts or anything else eerie! The strange -figure was that of a white man. He had hair flowing to his shoulders, -and he sat his horse with folded arms, staring off into the distance, -evidently wrapped in deep thought. - -The wind was with the brave, and the horse even did not notice his -presence. Red Knife might have crossed the stream and leaped upon the -unsuspicious white man. Yet his mind was not upon killing, and when he -finally recognized the stranger as the far-famed Pa-e-has-ka or Long -Hair he feared and would not, single-handed, have attempted the man’s -death. - -Seldom might Buffalo Bill have been so easily caught napping. But he -had seen no trace of Indians in the valley; he had ridden through it to -this spot, and now his mind had reverted to his deep sorrow regarding -Dick Danforth’s death, and he thought of nothing else. - -He roused at last from his reverie with a sigh, and glanced about him. -His vision fell upon the figure of the young brave standing, likewise -with folded arms, upon the edge of the stream. He could not repress a -start of surprise at the appearance. - -“How!” grunted Red Knife. - -“How!” repeated the scout, in English. - -Then in the Sioux dialect he said: - -“Is it peace, brother?” - -“It is peace.” - -The scout had seen that the young buck was not panoplied for war, and -now he dismounted and came to his side of the stream. - -“You are one of Oak Heart’s people?” Cody asked. - -“I _was_ Red Knife, of the Sioux.” - -The scout overlooked the emphasis on the “was” for the moment. His -attention was particularly stung by the name the brave gave. - -“‘Red Knife!’” he repeated. - -The brave bowed and was silent. - -“It was you who killed the white chief of the pony soldiers?” gasped -Cody. - -Red Knife nodded again. - -The scout fiercely gripped the rifle he carried. In his heart he felt -like shooting the brave down where he stood. But he repressed this -momentary feeling and said: - -“I have sworn vengeance against all who had to do with the death of -that young man. He was as my son. Will Red Knife fight Pa-e-has-ka? Let -him choose his own weapons and come against me that I may kill him in -fair fight.” - -“I heard of your oath over the dead body of the brave white chief,” -said Red Knife. “Pa-e-has-ka is a great chief himself. Red Knife is no -match for him. But Red Knife now has no name and is of no people. Would -Pa-e-has-ka fight with such a one?” - -“What’s the matter?” demanded Cody, in English, suddenly seeing that -the young man was in a despondent mood. - -“I am an outcast from my people.” - -“What’s all that for? I should think the bloody devils would have -rejoiced over your killing of poor Danforth,” muttered the scout. - -“Let me tell Pa-e-has-ka the tale,” began Red Knife oratorically. “The -Sioux did indeed rejoice over the death of the young white chief. Red -Knife was then a great warrior. But since misery has come upon him.” - -“And serve him right!” muttered Cody. - -With many a flourish of flowery phrase, the buck went on to recount his -fight with the bear and the loss of his medicine-bag. He displayed the -half-healed wounds made by the bear, and Cody saw that the story was -true. Knowing well how great a matter this loss was to the Indian, the -scout could not help but feeling some pity for him. - -Besides, Red Knife had only followed out his savage instincts and code -of honor in killing Danforth. And putting aside his personal desire -for vengeance, Buffalo Bill saw that he might make use of the young -brave. It was not against the ordinary bucks who had been in the fight -that the scout felt hatred. Boyd Bennett had lied to Oak Heart, made -him believe that Danforth’s expedition was after the old chief, and had -led and planned the attack upon the soldiers and brought about their -massacre. - -It was the renegade--he who called himself Death Killer, medicine chief -of the Sioux--whom Buffalo Bill wished to get! - -Buffalo Bill had taken many desperate chances in his life. From the -time when, as a younker of eleven years, he had hired out to the -freighter at Leavenworth to do a man’s work for a man’s pay, and became -a messenger riding between the long freight-trains on the overland -trail, he had faced death in many forms and on many occasions. But in -determining to go to the Sioux encampment to keep his tryst with White -Antelope, he seemed to be passing the limit of reckless daring! - -Yet he believed that he had a chance for life. He would risk it, at -least. - -For some days he had scouted about Oak Heart’s encampment, and he had -learned that something very strange was going on in that neighborhood. -He saw in this meeting with the outcast Red Knife a chance to gain a -more intimate knowledge of matters in the encampment before venturing -himself in the lion’s mouth. - -“Let Red Knife join Pa-e-has-ka upon this side of the brook,” the scout -said, at last. “There shall be a truce between them. Pa-e-has-ka will -share his meat with Red Knife; Red Knife shall smoke and sleep beside -Pa-e-has-ka’s fire.” - -If the young brave was astonished at this sudden proffer of friendship, -he showed nothing of the kind in his face. He did not even hesitate. He -crossed the brook straightly and helped prepare the camp in silence. - -The fact was the young Indian had put himself in the hands of the -spirits. He believed he was being led. Perhaps this white man had a -good medicine which Red Knife might fairly obtain and so become a -person of consequence in his tribe again. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. THE MAGIC CUP. - - -First of all, Cody desired to question the Sioux warrior, and as he -prepared a hearty meal he proceeded to draw Red Knife out. - -“When did my brother leave the village of his people?” - -“It is a night and two days.” - -“Is Oak Heart inclined to peace?” - -“Oak Heart awaits the coming of the Long Hair, as he promised White -Antelope.” - -“Very true,” said Cody calmly. “But there is one near Oak Heart who -would keep the Long Hair from fulfilling his promise.” - -“A warrior?” - -“The renegade white, whom you call Death Killer.” - -“Ah! Death Killer is a great magician,” declared Red Knife, looking as -though he meant it. - -“He is a wicked white. He is throwing dirt in the faces of my red -brothers. They do not know him.” - -“His medicine is wonderful.” - -“Yet he could not make new medicine for the Red Knife?” suggested Cody -slyly. - -“Ah! who could do that?” demanded the brave gloomily. - -“I have heard of its being done,” said the scout, and then, before the -red man could ask a question, he proceeded: “Death Killer has ringed -the camp with his own braves. They lay in wait for Pa-e-has-ka. Is it -not so?” - -At this Red Knife showed that he was surprised. - -“This is bad. This is not known to Oak Heart. Is it so, Long Hair?” - -“The Sioux know that Long Hair is not two-tongued,” declared Cody. -“This is so. I suspected it, and I have found them watching. Is not -Death Killer much from the camp?” - -“He is.” - -“He goes from watcher to watcher to see that all are in their places. -If Long Hair goes straight to the camp of Oak Heart, he will be killed.” - -Red Knife shrugged his shoulders and fell silent. Cody saw that, -although the young brave considered it none of his business--it was a -fight between Long Hair and Death Killer--he did not approve of the -latter’s methods. And the scout was convinced, too, that the bulk of -the Indians--and Oak Heart himself--knew naught of the trick to which -Boyd Bennett had resorted. - -Cody had not been foolish enough to ride straight toward Oak Heart’s -village when he rode away from the spot where the Mad Hunter had been -killed. He had seen in Boyd Bennett’s face, when he had gone free under -his promise to the chief’s daughter, that the scoundrel would do all -in his power to keep the scout from fulfilling his agreement. Although -in going to the Indian village Cody would be taking his life in his -hand, still by _not_ appearing there he would lose honor among the reds -themselves. - -It would be said among the Utah Sioux, and from them spread to the -Utes, Arapahoes, and others, that Pa-e-has-ka was afraid to keep his -promise. And from the time he first journeyed across the plains Buffalo -Bill had kept his agreements in every particular with the red man, -friend or foe alike. He was one of the few white men “without guile.” -He said what he meant, and meant what he said, and he was considered -single-tongued by all, though he was up to every craftiness that his -enemies might try upon him. - -Cody now wished to undermine the popularity of Boyd Bennett among Oak -Heart’s braves. Even if he got through the medicine chief’s guards -and reached the council-lodge of the Sioux, he would have to face the -influence of the renegade, and that might overcome him to the extent of -his life’s sacrifice. The scout was not the man to go blindly into a -trap. - -Death Killer, as he called himself, was playing the traitor. Cody -wished to convince Red Knife of this fact and send him back to the -encampment to spread the tale against Death Killer. To this end he used -the cunning which he had long cultivated in his association with the -redskins. - -He well knew the regard in which the Indian holds his medicine-bag. If -he could restore to Red Knife his medicine, or, rather, supply him -with a new amulet that would make him a man and a citizen again, the -scout could command his good offices to almost any extent. - -But the scout said nothing further that night. He let his observations -regarding the renegade Bennett sink into the red man’s mind. In the -morning he fed him bountifully again. When he had finished, Red Knife -showed that he had digested Cody’s remarks well, and was in some -measure grateful for the entertainment shown him. - -“The Long Hair is my brother. He has warmed me and fed me. If the Long -Hair really desires to appear before Oak Heart and the old men of the -tribe, as he has promised, Red Knife may show him a way.” - -“Ah!” exclaimed the scout. “Some way that Death Killer is not guarding -with his braves, eh?” - -“It may be.” - -“In which direction is it?” - -“The Long Hair knows the direction of the encampment, perhaps? Red -Knife, wandering in broken spirit, has lost his way.” - -“Oh, you want to know the direction of the place?” - -“It is so. The lodges of his people will not receive Red Knife, but he -may point them out, by a secret way, to the Long Hair.” - -“Humph! Let’s see the direction,” muttered Cody, and drew from under -his shirt a small compass in a brass cup which was hung about his neck -by a strong cord. - -The Indian’s eyes suddenly glistened. Here was the great white’s -chief’s medicine, and Red Knife was greatly interested in medicines -just then! He peered closely at the cup which Cody held in his hand. -The latter noticed the brave’s eagerness, and he knew instinctively -what was passing through the red’s mind. - -Therefore the scout made a great show of consulting the compass, -holding it in his hand while the little needle waggled cheerfully -to his movements, pointing ever to the north. Finally Red Knife -spoke--breathlessly: - -“Does the magic cup speak to Long Hair? If so, its voice is very low. -Does it tell where lies the lodges of my people?” - -“It does not speak. But it answers the question,” declared Cody gravely. - -“A marvelous magic!” exclaimed Red Knife. “The white chief worships the -spirit of the cup?” - -“This is a great medicine, Red Knife,” said Cody seriously. “Now mark! -We wish to know how to travel to reach the lodges of your people. Long -Hair knows that we are south and west of the village. We look into the -cup.” - -He thrust the compass under the Indian’s nose, and Red Knife had hard -work to keep from jumping back. - -“Look! See the finger which moves?” - -“Ugh! It is magic!” muttered the young brave. - -“That finger points ever to the cold land--to the lands from which -winter comes. Always to the north it points. Therefore, so standing -and facing the north, my right hand points to the sunrise, my left to -the sunset,” suiting the action to his words. “Behind me is the south. -Therefore, by facing the sunrise and bearing off somewhat to the north -of that, we approach the village of Chief Oak Heart.” - -“Ugh! It is wonder-work, indeed!” exclaimed Red Knife. “It is a great -medicine.” - -“It is a great and good medicine. No brave in Red Knife’s tribe has a -medicine like this.” - -“There are no two medicines alike in this world,” grunted the brave -philosophically. - -Cody went to the bag strapped to Chief’s saddle, unbuckled a pocket, -and brought out a small packet tied in wash-leather and oilskin. When -he was in Denver he had made a purchase for a brother scout, but so -far had not run up against the man to give it to him. He came back -to the fire, squatted down beside Red Knife, and unwrapped the exact -counterpart of his own “magic cup,” only this was brighter and unused. - -“Waugh!” ejaculated the Indian, starting back. - -“You see, here is another of the magic cups. I have long had two -medicines,” said Buffalo Bill, drawing slightly on his imagination. -“They are good medicines. They have brought me good luck and made me -successful in the chase, and in war. The Red Knife has no medicine. -What would he do for the possession of this?” and the scout held out -the compass temptingly. - -Red Knife could barely restrain himself now. His cheeks actually -flushed, and his eyes glistened. - -“The Red Knife is a man!” he cried. “He will fight the Long Hair for -the good medicine.” - -“Nay. The Long Hair cannot battle at once with he whom he has fed. The -Red Knife and the Long Hair are brothers. The Long Hair will give his -red brother the magic cup,” and he thrust the compass into the brave’s -willing hand. - -“In return,” Cody pursued, “Red Knife will take the tale of Death -Killer’s treachery into Oak Heart’s village. Come! Long Hair will show -his brother the medicine chief’s braves lurking for the scalp of Long -Hair. It is a true tale. Red Knife will tell Oak Heart himself.” - -“Waugh! Death Killer is a mighty chief,” said Red Knife hesitatingly. - -“And this is a mighty medicine,” suggested the wily scout. - -The Indian rose up suddenly and thrust the compass into the breast of -his shirt. He had evidently made up his mind. - -“It is well,” he said shortly. “Let Long Hair show this truth to me.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. THE TRAITOR. - - -Buffalo Bill was too wise to take Chief too near the Indian encampment. -The wise white horse could take care of himself in ordinary -emergencies, but he would be rather in the way up in the mountains, and -the scout left him in a well-grassed valley, while he and Red Knife -went on toward the Indian village. - -Chief Oak Heart had established himself in a place not easy of -access by the pony soldiers, and he had a great contempt for the -“walk-a-heaps.” The Sioux are great riders, seldom walking where a pony -can carry them, and are contemptuous of all people who do not likewise -ride. - -Red Knife had left his village afoot. It was a mark of his humility and -his desperate straits. The route back to the encampment was so rough -that ponies would have been of little use to either the red man or the -scout. They were all day in climbing the mountain and finding a pass -through to the other side of the ridge. They came out about dark in -sight of the valley where the village lay. Its lights were visible to -them from the mountainside. They retired to a cave that Red Knife knew -of, however, and built their own fire, out of sight. - -Red Knife was mightily pleased with his new medicine. He was eager -to get down to his people and show its virtues to them. But he had -promised two things to the scout. One was to point out a secret trail -down into Oak Heart’s camp; the other to spread among the braves -the fact of Death Killer’s treachery--providing Cody proved to his -satisfaction that the medicine chief _was_ treacherous. - -Before daybreak Buffalo Bill awoke his red ally, and they stole out of -the cave like shadows. The Border King had marked well the stations of -the various braves who were under the medicine chief’s control. They -were set at every entrance to the valley by which the scout might have -penetrated to the encampment. - -At least, such had been the case upon his previous visit, and they -were not long at the search before spotting one of these sentinels. -At least, he was one of Death Killer’s particular friends, and he was -apparently watching a pass through the hills. - -The scout and Red Knife approached quite near to him, but Cody would -not let his companion speak to the sentinel. - -“Wait! Let us see if there are more, as I have told my red brother,” he -observed, and they went on to another path. Sure enough, there, grimly -camped beside the way, was a second brave, likewise one of those who -associated more closely with Boyd Bennett, the renegade. Again they -went on, going cautiously now, for it was past sunrise, and found a -third watchman. - -These plainly were not sentinels placed to guard particularly the -camp itself. Those were much nearer the village. These red men were -stationed thusly for a particular purpose. - -“Is my red brother satisfied that the Long Hair spoke truly?” asked the -scout of the young brave. - -“Pa-e-has-ka is of single tongue. He does not lie. But Red Knife will -first go to Chief Oak Heart and ask him if, by his instruction, these -men were sent to bar the way to the lodges of the Sioux. If the great -chief knows naught of it, then must Death Killer explain.” - -“Tell Oak Heart to remove these guards and Long Hair will appear before -him as he promised the White Antelope,” said Cody seriously. - -Red Knife solemnly shook hands with him. Although the young brave had, -by his own confession, killed Dick Danforth, the scout had been forced -to make use of him. Now he gave him a word of warning: - -“Although Red Knife is now Long Hair’s friend, and Long Hair has given -him of his own strong medicine that Red Knife might be a man among his -people, there is still a feud between them. It was Red Knife’s hand -that killed the young white chief, whom Long Hair loved. When next we -meet let Red Knife beware.” - -“It is just,” admitted the Indian solemnly. “Let us go.” - -He led Cody then to the hidden path which would enable the scout to -pass all of Death Killer’s sentinels and, indeed, most of the guards -of the village, and so ride almost into the encampment itself without -being seen. Then, without a word further, the young brave turned his -face toward his father’s lodge. - -Buffalo Bill sat down and smoked his pipe while he watched him along -the trail into the valley. He could watch Red Knife for a long distance -before the young man came out upon the bluff which overlooked the -valley where the encampment lay. Until that time he could not be seen -from below. - -Suddenly Buffalo Bill saw a figure among the rocks near the path which -Red Knife was following. It was of another Indian, but the scout could -not see the man’s face--not even with the aid of his field-glasses. Red -Knife seemed totally unconscious of the other’s presence until suddenly -the stranger leaped before him and stood in his path. - -“Hello!” muttered Cody. “What’s all this?” - -It was evident that the two redskins conversed excitedly. What they -said, of course, the scout could not even guess. Indians are usually so -self-repressed that the scout could not judge at this distance whether -they spoke angrily or in the most pleasant way together. - -It seemed, however, as though the strange redskin tried to urge Red -Knife to wait, but the young brave was determined to go on down into -the valley. At last he seemed almost to break away from the other and -push on toward the edge of the bluff. Cody knew that neither of the -actors in the drama below could be seen from the village. - -Red Knife was determined, and left the one who had accosted him. The -latter shrank back and watched him for a moment. Then suddenly Cody -saw him gather himself, jerk the tomahawk from his belt, and swing the -weapon high in the air! - -Cody caught himself from crying out, but he _did_ leap up as the fatal -blow fell. The strange Indian cast himself upon Red Knife’s back -and clove the unconscious red man’s skull with a mighty blow of the -hatchet. Red Knife went down in a heap! - -Cody pulled himself together and, through the glass, watched the -traitor stoop over the fallen man, strip the scalp from his head, and -then dart away among the rocks. Steeped in guilt as he was, the scout -knew the villain would not remain near the scene of his atrocious act. -Therefore he risked going down to the place himself. - -Poor Red Knife was truly disposed of. The hatchet had killed him -instantly. And all the hopes Cody had based upon his good offices were -dissipated at once. - -The scout stood there for some time and communed with himself. Should -he risk going on into the village now? Or should he await some -favorable opportunity of undermining Boyd Bennett’s power before -putting himself within the bandit’s grasp? - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. WHITE ANTELOPE’S PERIL. - - -There was much disturbance in the encampment about this time, as -Buffalo Bill had seen when making his observations from the high peaks -about the valley. The Indians ran to and fro like ants, and runners -frequently went out, or came in by the northern roads. This meant -surely that Oak Heart was communicating with the other chiefs, and -the scout feared that, stirred up by Boyd Bennett in his character of -medicine chief, the Sioux leader was preparing for another attack like -that on Fort Advance. - -Rumors ran rife among the Indians regarding the movements of the -bluecoats, and the numbers of them who had come to bury the dead whites -after the recent ambush in which Oak Heart himself had taken part. The -old chief, believing that Lieutenant Danforth was coming to attack his -encampment, had taken part in this sanguinary struggle himself. - -Now certain warriors brought strange rumors into the village. It was -said that Pa-e-has-ka was on the war-path, too. And that he was leading -the whites to the encampment. So spoke the Death Killer, the white -medicine chief of the Sioux, who was gaining great influence with the -young men of the tribe. - -“Pa-e-has-ka is my foe,” he said bitterly, “and I sought to bring him -captive here, or to slay him with his friend; but the White Antelope -freed him, and sent him back to his people to carry Oak Heart’s -warning. What has been done? Do not the white men come in force into -the Indian country? - -“The White Antelope turned a panther loose upon the trail of my red -brothers. And he told her that he would return and come a prisoner -again into Oak Heart’s village, and to his lodge. Has he come?” - -“No!” answered many voices. - -“But the warriors come in and tell how Pa-e-has-ka has killed their -comrades, scalped their brothers, and laughed at them for squaws. Will -the Sioux braves let the paleface dog longer kick dirt in their faces? -Is he not now near their village, and yet no warrior brings in his -scalp, because he is under the protection of the White Antelope?” - -A murmur arose from the old men about the council circle. - -“Let my medicine braves seek his trail and bring him alive into the -presence of the great chief, and the Death Killer will show him -how the Pa-e-has-ka will weep like a squaw when he is bound to the -torture-stake.” - -This speech of the renegade excited the Indians to frenzy. There was no -longer any possibility of restraining the young men. A hundred warriors -took the trail with the avowed intention of bringing in the Long Hair. - -When Red Knife was found dead upon the bluff overlooking the camp there -was considerable wonder expressed. The unfortunate scion of the Crow -family had lost caste, it was true, but why he should have been killed -by the supposedly lurking white man--the Red Knife had gone from the -camp unarmed--even the redskins themselves could not understand. As the -murders increased Bennett grew louder in his objurgations against Long -Hair. - -From the hour of his disappointment upon the gory field where Danforth -and his band had met their doom, the renegade had thirsted for revenge -upon the scout. He had secretly despatched a noted warrior to meet and -kill Buffalo Bill on his return; but having not again seen or heard of -this brave, Bennett feared that he had come to grief at the hands of -the old Indian fighter. - -The medicine chief did not wish Buffalo Bill to really appear before -Oak Heart and the old chiefs of the tribe. He was not at all sure what -the outcome of such a venture might be. Indians admire bravery and -boldness above all other virtues, and Bennett feared the dashing scout -might influence the tribe against _him_, too. - -For defending the scout and permitting him to go free upon his pledge -to return, the renegade had not forgiven the White Antelope. Yet he -knew the influence she held in the tribe, that upon account of her -having been born with yellow hair, and growing up far more beautiful -than any maiden of the Sioux, she was regarded as a favored child of -the Great Spirit, and that should he cross her will he might lose the -power he had gained over the tribesmen. - -He had hoped, too, to win the Indian maiden for his lodge, when he -first became familiar with the tribe; but she had treated his advances -with disdain, and this was a second reason why he felt revengeful -toward her. To get any redskin to aid him in a plot against White -Antelope, he knew would be impossible; yet he did not despair of either -conquering the proud girl, or getting rid of her altogether. At least, -he desired to keep her away from the camp and the council if Buffalo -Bill were brought in; otherwise, she might disturb all his plans and -aid in the release of the white man. - -Therefore the medicine chief watched the teepee of the white queen -keenly. When he saw her mount her pony and gallop out of the village, -and past the guards which encircled it, Boyd Bennett followed secretly. -White Antelope, accustomed to going where and how she pleased, and -having unbounded confidence in her own prowess, rode to the top of a -ridge some distance from the encampment. - -The young brave who sentineled this high strip of ground was much in -love with the beautiful daughter of the chief, and with her before -his eyes he forgot all else. So wrapped was the young man in the -contemplation of the girl that he forgot his duty. A form suddenly -bounded from behind a rock near-by, an iron hand gripped the youth’s -throat and bore him backward out of sight, and the long knife in the -murderer’s hand struck home--to the heart. - -It was over instantly. No sound--only a gasp, and the death-rattle in -the brave’s throat. Then, with the knife, the murderer made a quick -incision in a rough circle in the scalp, about the size of a dollar, -and with his teeth tore off the dead warrior’s scalp-lock. - -Seated there by the side of his victim the slayer looked upon him with -real pleasure, while he muttered in a sinister tone: - -“More blood! Ah! I love it! This shall be another death laid to the -wiles of Buffalo Bill. Now for the White Antelope, and then---- - -“There she comes! Now to catch her as she passes!” - -He crouched behind his rocky shelter as he spoke, while the White -Antelope, seemingly somewhat despondent, came riding slowly back toward -the village. In truth, she had ridden to see if she could spy the -coming of the Long Hair, who had promised to return. That strange man -had gained a wonderful hold upon her mind. And, beside, she had a great -secret to impart to him. - -Suddenly the girl uttered a cry of alarm and tried to wheel her pony to -dash away, for to her side had sprung the form of Boyd Bennett. But his -rough hand effectually shut off her scream, he seized her in his arms, -and, dragging her from the frightened pony’s back, he darted down a -defile, unseen by any of the Indian guards. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX. A CRY FOR HELP. - - -In a large cavern penetrating a pile of rocks, rising to an elevation -that commanded a view of the Indian village, sat Buffalo Bill. He had a -strong field-glass, and for two days he had been studying the camp, and -all that went in or came out of it. - -He had seen many things which led him to know that Boyd Bennett was as -two-faced with his Indian friends as he had been with the whites. This -murder was not the first the medicine chief had done. - -“Well, I’ll never get them down finer than I have them now,” he was -saying thoughtfully. “I wish I had Texas here to send back word to -Captain Keyes. A knowledge of the exact situation of the village and -just how many warriors old Oak Heart has might be of inestimable value -later--if I don’t get away again!” - -The great scout intended to go into the village and boldly face the -renegade. He had hoped by lingering about the place in secret to catch -the medicine chief unawares, and so put him out of the way before -delivering himself to the tribe. For it was Boyd Bennett alone whom the -scout feared. He had a secret possession which he believed might save -him from death at the hands of the Sioux, providing Bennett was not -there to use his influence as medicine chief against him. - -As he came to this final desperate decision, however, Buffalo Bill saw -the renegade come into view among the rocks, and in his arms he carried -the struggling figure of the White Antelope. Catching sight of the -scout, the girl shrieked in English: - -“Long Hair! Save me! save me!” - -The renegade turned his bloodshot eyes upon the scout. He shrieked with -ungovernable fury at him and gibbered: - -“Raise your hand, Buffalo Bill, and I will kill her!” - -Buffalo Bill raised his rifle and sighted pointblank at his old -foe. But the scoundrel held the girl before his own body, besides -threatening her with his upraised knife. At another time--or given -another person than the White Antelope--the scout would have risked one -of his wonderful shots and perhaps brought the bandit chief down before -he could have done his captive harm. He hesitated, however, for he had -great reason for desiring to save the girl’s life. The fluctuation of -a hair’s breadth in his aim might put the rifle-ball into her body -instead of Boyd Bennett’s. - -Therefore the scout, with a groan, dropped his gun. The girl shrieked -again, and in a moment Bennett leaped behind a boulder and fled along a -secret path, entirely hidden from the scout’s station. - -Buffalo Bill heard the girl’s heartrending shrieks as she was carried -swiftly into the hills. They appealed to him strongly, and, quickly -girding himself for the chase, he followed on the trail of the abductor. - -The object of the bandit’s mad act Buffalo Bill did not realize. -Bennett’s bloodthirsty killing of the sentinel--and formerly of Red -Knife--seemed to point to the fact that the man’s brain was turned. Why -he had fled now from the encampment with the chief’s daughter was a -deep mystery, unless he was indeed mad. - -The scout’s mind, however, was given up mainly to planning for the -release of the girl and the overcoming of her captor. Boyd Bennett -seemed to be alone in this abduction plot, and the scout felt rejoiced -that at last it seemed he was to meet the fellow with something like an -equal chance. - -The principal thing now was to not give Bennett start enough to hide -in the rocks. Buffalo Bill could hear the scrambling of the man with -the girl in his arms, although for some time he could not see him. -Not until they rounded the spur of the mountain and arrived upon the -farther slope did the scout obtain a glimpse of the object of his -pursuit. - -Then, to his bitter disappointment, he beheld Boyd Bennett, still -lugging the girl, running down the hill toward a thicket, near which -was tethered a horse, saddled and bridled! As he ran the renegade--now -a traitor both to the reds and the whites--uttered a shrill “coee!” and -immediately a horseman appeared from behind the thicket. It was one of -the outlaw’s old gang, Buffalo Bill made no doubt, and he had been here -in waiting, with the extra horse for his chief and the girl. - -White Antelope no longer struggled in the fiend’s arms. Buffalo Bill -knew that she had fainted and lay limply across Bennett’s saddle as he -put her up and mounted in such haste. But the scout was too far away -now for a shot. The two villains started their horses down the slope -and were quickly out of sight, and all this without a single redskin -being aroused! - -Plainly Bennett had planned this coup with great cunning. He had placed -his own braves in positions to bar Buffalo Bill from the valley where -the camp lay, but had allowed one of Oak Heart’s braves to bar one -exit. That brave Cody had seen the scoundrel kill and scalp, so leaving -a plain path into the encampment if the scout wished to go that way. - -But two strong desires led the scout upon a different trail. His -interest in White Antelope was no small interest. Happenings of late -had really increased it, indeed. And Boyd Bennett must be run down! - -Afoot as he was, the scout hurried after the two outlaws and their -fair-haired captive, for by keeping doggedly at it a man may run down a -horse. Providing the outlaws had no fresh horses and their destination -was far away, Cody felt confident that he would overtake them even -though he continued afoot. - -But chance favored him. Bennett and his companions followed a trace -through the mountains which passed within a few miles of the valley in -which Buffalo Bill had left Chief, his big white horse. The scout left -the trail long enough to obtain his mount, which, having fed well and -being rested, was as eager for the trail as his master. - -Back to the bandit’s trail the scout rode, and the white stallion flung -mile after mile of the rocky way beneath his feet. Bennett and his -companion had not tried to disguise their trail. Evidently they felt -either sure of no pursuit, or considered themselves a match for Buffalo -Bill. Bennett probably did not think that the Indians themselves would -miss White Antelope until the trail was stale and he would be too far -away with the girl to be overtaken. - -The pursuer came upon the place where the trio had camped at noon. They -had boldly built a fire and cooked food, and Cody even found the marks -of the girl’s moccasins in the soft ground beside the trail. Perhaps -she had shrewdly stepped there when her captors were not looking, -hoping that their trail was being followed. At another place she had -torn some beadwork from her garments and flung it on the ground. - -“She’s a sharp girl, all right,” said Cody to himself. “And if she has -confidence in my following and saving her, I swear it shall not be -misplaced!” - -Before night, however, the scout received a shock which made him almost -despair. The trail he was following came down into a great valley -through the middle of which flowed a broad river. On the river’s bank -the hoof-marks of Bennett’s mount and his companion’s were joined by -those of a dozen other horses! - -“They’ve been caught, by thunder!” was Cody’s first thought. - -Then he saw that this supposition was entirely wrong, and his heart -sank. These were not unshod Indian ponies. Nor could they be a party -of peaceful travelers who had joined Bennett and his friend. It was -the rest of the gang. The outlaws had here joined their leader, and, -instead of following two scoundrels, the scout was up against the -entire gang--and single-handed! - -Then did he wish that he had sought out a part of Captain Keyes’ -command and brought them on this hunt for the bandit leader and -his helpless captive. He shuddered to think of what might be White -Antelope’s fate among these ruffians. He could not go back now for -help; and yet, if he overtook the gang, what could he, a man alone, do -toward getting the girl free? - -Yet Buffalo Bill, the Border King, had spent years of his life in -taking chances. He had been up against as serious odds before, and had -come out on top. He did not hesitate for a single instant, but crossed -the river at the ford, and followed the hoof-prints of the gang up the -opposite bank of the river. - -If they were making for their rendezvous, well and good. He would at -least learn one--perhaps the principal--hiding-place of the gang, and -later could bring a party to overwhelm them. Meantime, he would trust -to luck and a merciful Providence to assist him in obtaining White -Antelope’s release unharmed from the villainous crew. - - - - -CHAPTER XL. THE FREIGHT-TRAIN. - - -The sun was sinking like a great globe of fire, seemingly at the very -foot of the broad valley which, from its head, spread forth miles upon -square miles of verdant lawn, crimson and yellow groves, the leaves of -which blushed before the cold finger-touch of winter interspersed with -patches of hemlock and spruce, now, as ever, green. Through the valley -flowed a broad river, joined here by several mountain brooks which -tumbled down from the heights on either hand to swell the main current, -which entered the vale from the mouth of the broad cañon on the north. -A deeply rutted wagon trail came out of the cañon as well as the river. -For miles this trace wound along the riverside, hemmed in by gigantic -cliffs on the tops of which the bighorn sheep looked like specks to the -traveler below, and which were so high and so close together in places -that it was twilight at noon in the bottom of the gorge! - -Indeed, back in the cañon it was already night when the sun was but -setting out here in the valley. Therefore the “mule-skinners” cracked -their blacksnakes and shouted many objurgations to their patient -animals, desiring to reach the open and make camp outside the cañon -before darkness finally settled upon the valley. The creaking of the -wagon wheels and the cracking of the whips, with the voices of the -mule-skinners, made music a mile up the cañon. - -It was a heavy wagon-train. First rode the captain on a gray mare with -a bell on her neck. With her tethered near the wagons the mules could -be turned loose at night; they would never desert the camp as long as -the gray mare remained faithful. - -The wagons of the train were linked together--five or six great, -lumbering, canvas-topped vehicles, with eight or ten span of mules -hauling on each section. There were three of these sections in the -train, six men to a section, the captain, and the cook who rode -behind on another saddle-horse, leading a pack-animal which bore the -cook-tent and some of the camp equipment. - -When the captain reached the mouth of the cañon and beheld the -pleasant, sunlit valley he turned and uttered a loud “coee! coee!” -which brought the cook and his packhorse trotting forward. The valley -looked perfectly safe to the captain of the train, and he selected an -indenture in the river-bank where the cook and he set up the tent, -and, as fast as the wagons came up, they deployed off the trail so as -to make a horseshoe figure around the camping-place, the open part of -which was toward the river. - -This precaution was always taken whether they saw Indian signs or not. -And at night rifles were issued to the men and a strong guard mounted. -Each man “packed” a couple of guns at his waist all day, anyway. - -The selection of this low piece of ground as the camp was not wise, -however. An enemy could ride to the edge of the low, sloping bluff -which surrounded it on three sides and pop bullets over the wagon tops -into the enclosure, shooting from one side those who strove to guard -the other line of the camp. - -For days, however, the party had seen no signs of redskins. Small -scalping-parties would fight shy of the wagon-train; for twenty -well-armed whites were bound to be respected by the Arabs of the -plains, especially as the train crew was sure to be armed with the -quickfiring guns which the Indians so feared. - -After the sun set the evening was short, for it was late fall now. -The air grew chill; in the midst of the camp the men built a rousing -fire, aside from that over which the cook pottered, and around this -they gathered and told stories, cracked rude jokes, or basked silently -in the warmth of the flames, resting from the toil of the day. So -unconscious were they of aught but their immediate surroundings that -they did not see several horsemen who topped the nearest rise to the -west, and overlooking the camp. - -It was now deep dusk, but the horsemen were silhouetted against the -sky-line so plainly that had any of the freighters chanced to glance -that way they must have seen the figures. Only for a moment were they -in view, however. The leader of the group spoke sharply, but in a low -tone, to his mates, and all pulled their horses about and disappeared -quickly beyond the ridge. - -Later, and afoot, two of the party came again to the summit of the -ridge and reconnoitered. The freighters’ camp lay calmly under the -starry sky, the fires burning briskly, the mules champing the grass of -the plain contentedly, occasionally a laugh or a sharp word echoing -across the valley between the calls of the night-birds. - -The wind wandered down from the heights and shook the canvas covers -of the wagons as though trying to arouse the men to the danger that -threatened them. Coyotes whined in the distance, sniffing the herd, but -too cowardly to advance until on the morrow the freight-train should -have passed on. _Then_ they would come boldly in and fight over the -scraps remaining. And, perhaps, there would be greater booty for the -scavengers of the plains to fight over! - -The men scouting about the freighters’ camp numbered the unconscious -men and noted their arms and how the camp was arranged. There was a -high river-bank. The captain of the train had ordered the arrangement -of the wagons partly because he was eager to obtain water; but there -was a high bank to the river here, and a narrow beach below it. Men -afoot could creep down this bank and, sheltered from the camp, approach -it and attack from the riverside. Even a sentinel stationed on the very -verge of the bank would be little likely to apprehend the coming of -such an attacking force, unless he chanced to be expecting it. - -The captain of the train set one of his watchmen on the bank above the -river, however, and to keep warm the rifleman walked back and forth, -pacing a beat some twenty yards long. This would have been all very -well had the crew believed there was a particle of danger threatening -the camp. But so confident were they of peace that they did not even -drive the mules down from the higher ground where they were feeding. A -party of a dozen reds--if they could have loosed the gray mare--might -have made off with the entire herd. - -There was a shelter tent for each six men, while the cook and the -captain shared the fourth canvas. At ten o’clock, under a black-velvet -sky pricked out with the brilliant but distant stars, the camp was as -quiet as the grave--that is, providing one could imagine some of the -occupants of the grave sleeping their long sleep “loudly.” Aside from -these snores, however, and the champing of the horses and mules, there -was little sound to break the silence. There was a sentinel pacing a -short beat on the inland side of the camp; but, it being cold when -the wind swooped down and flapped the loose canvas, he got in behind -the chain of wagons and was not so much use as a guard. Along the -river-bank paced the other sentinel, whistling under his breath, and -staring off across the black, smoothly flowing water, in which the -stars were mirrored. - -Wide-awake as he was, this second guard heard nothing when a single -figure slipped down the river-bank beyond the camp and toward the -cañon’s entrance, and in a stooping posture sneaked along toward him. -This figure lay low upon the shore when the guard walked that way. When -the guard turned the prowler arose again and kept just behind him, but -below the bank, until both reached about the middle of the beat the -sentinel was following. - -Then, softly as a cat, without as much as scratching a button or -rattling the rifle in his hand or the guns in his belt, the stranger -darted up the bank, and, stooping low, hurried to the smaller tent -in which slept the captain of the train and the cook. Evidently the -stranger had picked this tent out before dark, and shrewdly guessed who -occupied it. Lifting the flap softly, he crept in and lowered it before -the guard on the river-bank turned. The other guard was standing facing -the opposite way and saw nothing. - -Once in the darkness of the tent, the stranger coolly squatted on his -haunches, laid down his rifle, and drawing out a match-safe, scratched -a lucifer and held it up so that the sputtering flame might cast some -radiance over the interior of the tent. - -The pungent odor of the sulfur got in the nose of one of the sleepers, -and he sneezed. He sneezed a second time and sat up suddenly, blinking -his eyes in surprise at the figure squatting inside the tent. This -was an utter stranger to him--a man with long hair, a military hat, -buckskin coat, and riding breeches and boots. And he was armed like -a pirate--belt stuck full of guns and with a big bowie. He smiled -cheerfully at the amazed and sleepy individual, however. - -“Hello!” he said. “Which one of you is the captain?” - -“Heh?” murmured the startled one. - -“Who’s the boss?” - -“I--I’m the cook.” - -“Then the other feller is the boss?” - -“I--I reckon so. Say, Billings!” and he suddenly punched the other man -in the ribs. “Wake up! We’re surrounded!” - -“Shut up, you fool!” exclaimed the visitor, slapping his palm suddenly -over the second man’s mouth, for it opened to emit a yell before his -eyes were fairly ajar. “It’s all right. What did you want to startle -him for?” - -“Who the devil are you?” demanded the cook. - -“And how’d you git here?” cried the other man. - -“I’m Cody, and I belong just now to the command at Fort Advance. You’re -in about as dangerous a position as a score of men can be and get out -of it alive, and I’ve sneaked into your camp to help you.” - -“Injuns!” groaned the cook, turning pale. - -“There ain’t a red within forty miles,” declared Buffalo Bill, for he -it was. - -“Then what’s the matter?” sputtered the captain of the freight crew. -“I’ve set guards over the camp. We’re all right.” - -“Your guards are a lot of use, ain’t they?” sneered the scout. “They’re -out there walking up and down like two wooden men; but they didn’t see -me get by.” - -“But, for Heaven’s sake what is the matter?” - -“You’ve got worse than Injuns after you.” - -“What can that be?” - -“Boyd Bennett’s gang of hold-up men.” - -“Git out! Bennett’s left the country.” - -“He’s j’ined an Injun tribe,” added the cook. “Become a squaw man.” - -“Well, he’s out yonder with about a dozen of the p’izenest ruffians -that it’s ever been my fate to run up against,” declared Buffalo Bill. -“And from what I could overhear lying out there on my belly in the -grass, they’re pretty near ready to stampede you!” - -“Oh, Lord!” groaned the cook. - -But the captain of the crew was no coward. He was awake now, and he -leaped up, ready to fight for his own life and help to defend the lives -of his mates and the valuable property entrusted to him. - -“Mr. Cody, you take command,” he urged instantly. “You are a better man -than any one in this entire party--that I’ll swear to. I have shown my -incompetency already by placing my guards so carelessly that you could -creep into my very sleeping tent without being apprehended.” - -“Many a man has made the mistake of being too confident when there were -no signs of trouble,” said Buffalo Bill. “But you had no knowledge of -these outlaws being near you, of course. Although, it was quite by -chance that they did not blunder into your midst, I fancy. There are -fewer of them than there are of your men; but if they had caught you -with your pants down it would have been ‘Good-by John!’ for you all. -This is as bloody-minded a gang of cut-throats as infest this Western -country.” - -“So I have heard said of Bennett and his men. But I thought they had -left the Overland Trail.” - -“They are not on the old lay just at present,” Cody explained. “In -fact, I am following them for an entirely different reason. And if we -have the luck to beat the devils, I’d be thankful for any help you -could give me toward capturing the whole gang and rescuing a prisoner -they hold.” - -“A prisoner?” - -“Aye, and a girl--God help her!” - -“Great heavens! a woman in the hands of those ruffians?” - -“Yes.” - -“Who is she?” - -“White Antelope, the daughter of old Oak Heart, the Sioux chieftain.” - -“Oh, thunder! a squaw!” exclaimed the captain of the train crew in -disgust. - -“She’s just as precious to the old redskin as the daughter of a white -man is to him, I s’pose,” said the scout sternly. “Besides, her release -means a great deal to me--and to Major Baldwin of Fort Advance--and, -perhaps, to the entire white settlers of this part of the country.” - -“Well, well! I can’t afford to quarrel with you over a red squaw,” said -the other lightly. “You help us, and we’ll help you.” - -“I am here for the purpose of helping you,” said the Border King, with -some stiffness of manner, for the other’s tone had jarred upon him. - - - - -CHAPTER XLI. “ON GUARD!” - - -“First of all,” said the captain of the freighters, “I want you to take -command, Cody, as I said.” - -“No, no!” the scout hastened to reply. “I would not take that upon -myself.” - -“I insist.” - -“No. I must be free myself to act in this other matter I speak of. If -I see a chance to run off the girl while you fellows are handling the -outlaws, I must do so.” - -“And leave us for a redskin?” - -“That is it,” returned Cody seriously. “My duty is first to her at this -time.” - -“But that is nonsense, man! People of a blood should stick together. -Let the red squaw go.” - -“She’s got white blood in her better than either yours or mine, sir!” -snapped the scout. - -“Oh! she’s a half-breed?” - -“She is. But I am not here to discuss White Antelope. Time is passing. -I will advise you to the best of my ability in this fight; but I cannot -accept the responsibility of command.” - -“All I can do, then, is to rouse up the other boys and make ready to -receive boarders.” - -“But there is more than one way of doing that,” said Cody, with a smile -which the other did not see in the dark tent. - -“Heh?” - -“No use in rousing out the other men in a way to show the outlaws you -are expecting them.” - -“Oh, shucks! are they watching us already?” - -“They sure are. All I feared in making my way to your tent was their -sharp eyes. I knew what your guards would be.” - -“You don’t have a very high opinion of us mule-skinners, then?” said -the captain, rather sharply. - -“I have a very poor opinion indeed of men who will be careless on this -trail,” said Buffalo Bill sternly. “Recklessness is never bravery.” - -“Huh!” grunted the other. - -“Cook, you creep out at the rear and speak to the sentinel at the back -of the camp. Keep close to the ground and tell him to have a care. -Let him step across and speak to the guard by the river--casually, -remember.” - -“All right, sir,” said the cook, recognizing the tone of authority. - -“Then you creep over to the farther tent and awaken the boys carefully. -The captain here had better attend to the other two. Go on your hands -and knees, boys! And don’t startle anybody. Have they got arms with -’em, or are they in the wagons?” - -“Oh, they’ve got their rifles. I’m not quite a fool,” said the captain. - -“Glad to hear that,” the scout returned, and did not stop to explain -whether he was rejoiced to hear that the men were properly armed, or -that the captain was not an entire ignoramus! - -It was too serious a situation for the man to take open offense, -however. He, as well as the cook, did Cody’s bidding without further -remark. They crept from tent to tent, keeping well in the shadow, -while the first guard, warned by the cook, went across and warned the -man pacing the beat by the river. - -Buffalo Bill was pretty confident that the outlaws would wait until the -sentinels were changed at midnight before attacking. That was the best -time for such a movement, for the new guards would be sleepy, and the -other men would have just settled into heavier sleep. - -When the gang had been awakened the captain reported to the scout. Thus -far none of the boys had come out of the three larger tents, and they -were warned to keep under cover until they received the word. - -“You don’t want to have your mules stampeded far,” said the scout. -“When the sentinels are changed, let one of those coming off duty step -out and lead in your bell-mare, and hobble her inside the line of the -wagons. Then you’ll be sure of her, and, even if the long-ears do run -away, they’ll come back again, come daybreak.” - -The cook’s fire was already out, and Cody warned them to let the other -one burn down as low as it would. The more shadowy the camp was the -better the freighters could move about without attracting the notice of -any watching outlaws. - -Cody remained in the little tent with the flap pinned back, and -the cook and the captain came to him and reported their missions -accomplished. Midnight came--it was not a long wait--and the sentinels -went to the tents and appeared to awaken those who were to relieve -them. Cody had particularly instructed the man who was to go to the -river-bank. One of the others brought in the gray mare. The camp -settled down to apparent quietude and peace again. - -“Now, boys, to your places,” whispered the scout to the cook and the -captain. “Signal your men, captain; be ready to fling on the fire a -heap of that light stuff yonder when you hear me hoot, cook! All right!” - -The captain crept out once more and scratched with his finger-nail upon -the canvas of each tent. At that the freighters began to wriggle out -from under the canvas and crawl on their bellies to shelter beneath the -wagons. Cody knew that the first fire of the outlaws would be aimed at -the tents. Boyd Bennett and his villains would expect to thus kill or -seriously wound several of the sleeping freighters and throw the others -into utter confusion. - -Buffalo Bill remained no longer in the small tent himself. He crept -down to the river-bank, and he and the sentinel saw each other. Cody -expected a part of the attacking party would approach in the way he had -come to the camp, only from the other direction. - -And this was a good guess. The outlaws--or several of them--dismounted -and came along under the bank. In fact, so sure were they of catching -the encampment asleep, that the scout heard their footsteps. They did -not take proper care in disguising them. - -“Now, mister!” Buffalo Bill exclaimed, under his breath to the sentinel -near him. - -Instantly this man dropped down in the grass, the other guard fell -flat, there was a sudden pounding of horse’ hoofs down the ridge from -the south and west. Then: - -Bang! bang! bang! - -A volley of rifle-shots tore through the tents inside the wagon-line. -Instantly the shrill yell of Buffalo Bill, the Border King, answered -the shots defiantly. The sound had often struck terror to the hearts of -his red foes, and it was not unknown to Boyd Bennett and his comrades. - -“That hell-cat, Cody, is here!” screamed Bennett. - -The cook flung the light brush on the fire. It blazed up almost -immediately, giving the men under the wagons a chance to see any of the -outlaws that might venture into the camp. But none of them reached the -inner circle. As those afoot sprang up the bank from the riverside, -Cody and the man with him shot them down, or drove them shrieking with -fear out of rifle-shot. - -Pandemonium reigned for a few minutes, however. Although Boyd Bennett -yelled his warning, the gang did not give over the fight so easily. -They poured round after round of bullets into the camp; but at first -they did not realize that they were being answered from beneath the -wagons rather than from the tents. - -Several of their ponies were shot down. Although the mules were -stampeded for a ways, the ruffians could make no good use of this fact. -Instead of catching the camp unawares, they were themselves ambushed, -thanks to the Border King! - -“Escape, men! We are undone!” shrieked Boyd Bennett, at last. - -He had seen four of his men fall never to rise again, and two others -had lost their mounts and had to spend precious moments in catching two -of their dead comrades’ horses. Back the decimated party fled over the -ridge. - -The freighters poured in volley after volley upon the retreating -outlaws. But the captain would not let them mount such horses and mules -as they could catch and follow the crew. In this he got square with -Buffalo Bill for the scout’s sharp words. - -In the height of the fight, after seeing that the freight crew were -more than a match for the outlaws, Buffalo Bill had slipped down under -the river-bank and had run at his best pace toward the spot where the -outlaws had been encamped earlier in the evening. There he had seen -White Antelope tied to a sapling so that she could not escape while -her captors tried their nefarious scheme of robbing and murdering the -freight-train crew. - -Believing that Bennett would leave nobody to guard the girl, the scout -was bent upon reaching the place first and releasing her. - -And this much he did accomplish: he reached the place first. But almost -as soon as he had recognized Buffalo Bill’s yell, Boyd Bennett spurred -back toward the bound girl. He feared the scout would do exactly the -thing he was attempting. Knowing that Cody must have followed them -here for the express purpose of saving White Antelope, he feared the -shrewdness of his enemy. - -Cody found the spot. A camp-fire burned low, but revealed the girl -writhing in her bonds at one side. The scout bounded to her side just -as the thunder of Bennett’s horse sounded down the hill. - -“All right, White Antelope! ’Tis I--the Long Hair!” whispered the -scout. “My horse is not far away. I will save you---- The devil!” - -The scout broke off with a savage exclamation. He had hoped to slash -through the girl’s bonds and carry her to his horse, which he had left -in a thicket not far away. But for once in his life the scout had made -a terrible oversight! - -Chief had picked up a small pebble in his hoof late that afternoon, and -Buffalo Bill had got down and pried it out with the point of his bowie. -He had stuck the knife into a sheath which hung to his saddle-bow, and -had forgotten it until this very instant. He had nothing with which to -cut the girl’s bonds. - -Already the chief of the bandits was almost upon him. Boyd Bennett rode -down the hill yelling like a fiend. - -“Fly!” murmured the girl. “They will kill you.” - -“Curse it! I am foiled for the time. But, remember, White Antelope, -I am near you and will release you yet, and serve your enemy as he -deserves!” - -With these words the scout dropped to all fours, and, as stealthily and -silently as a wolf, crept away in the darkness. - - - - -CHAPTER XLII. THE AVENGER. - - -The gang of outlaws had been depleted by five. One had fallen on the -river-bank, and four others had either been killed or so badly wounded -that they fell captive to the freighters on the side of the ridge. -There were but eight who gathered about the spot where White Antelope -was left tied, when the fight was over. - -And they feared pursuit and a worse thrashing than they had already -endured. They clamored to be led away from the place, and Boyd -Bennett, gnashing his teeth in impotent rage, was forced to agree. - -Every man of them had a fear of Buffalo Bill, the Border King. How he -could have gotten ahead of them, and been in the teamsters’ encampment -when they made their attack, added to the superstitious veneration in -which the outlaws had begun to hold the great scout. Heretofore they -had held Boyd Bennett as a better man than Cody; but now they began to -doubt. - -Besides, several of them did not approve of his bearing away the Indian -girl from her village. While Bennett had posed as the medicine chief -of the Sioux, they were all sure of being treated well by the savages. -Some of them had taken Indian wives and were living in ease and -plenty--the lazy, irresponsible existence of the “squaw-man.” - -Boyd Bennett’s unhappy attachment for the chief’s daughter had brought -the gang together again, and old-time loyalty had caused them to answer -his command. But they now believed that they had lost more than they -should gain. All the Sioux would be down upon them, and so they would -be at enmity with every man they met in the forest and on the plain, -both red and white! - -White Antelope showed plainly that she would never yield to Boyd -Bennett’s demand and espouse him. While he was with the Indians and -wielding so much influence as Death Killer, the medicine-man, she had -spurned his advances. Much more did she hold him in contempt now. - -And Boyd Bennett, too, was acting very strangely. Evil ways and evil -desires were turning the man’s brain. He acted without judgment. Now -he unloosed White Antelope, caught her up to his saddle, and rode away -with his men without as much as looking for traces of Buffalo Bill in -the vicinity, or learning if in reality the freighters were inclined to -follow up their advantage and push the attack. - -They swam the river and made for another exit from the valley. But -their horses were pretty well done up, and they could get only a spurt -of speed out of them now and then. Besides, Boyd Bennett’s own mount -refused after a time to carry double. This necessitated one of the -other ruffians carrying White Antelope before him on his saddle. - -The chance afforded the chief villain an escape from certain death. The -party were aiming to leave the valley by the way the broadening river -flowed; but they were some distance from the river’s side. Through the -uncertain light of early morning they did not see a tireless white -horse carrying its rider down the opposite bank until they reached a -ford, through which the stallion splashed to the side of the stream on -which the bandits rode. - -It was the avenger on the villain’s trail; but they did not suspect -that again Buffalo Bill had ridden ahead of them. Chief was tireless. - -The scout ensconced the horse behind a thicket, and wormed his way out -into the open where he could draw bead on anybody passing along the -river trail. It was a long shot, but the scout had succeeded in making -more ticklish ones in times past. - -By and by the band of tired horsemen loped along the trail. The light -was too uncertain for Cody to distinguish one man from the other; but -he saw one riding ahead and carrying the girl before him, and he -believed it must be Bennett. He did not think the fellow would let the -White Antelope out of his own bloody hands. - -Therefore he took sight--deadly sight--at this man, and shot him -through the head! - -A yell rose from the bandits as the rifle exploded and the man pitched -off his mount. It was answered by Buffalo Bill’s eery war-whoop. The -seven remaining bandits knew who had fired the fatal shot. - -But, although the immediate captor of the girl had fallen, she had no -time to urge the pony to one side and thus escape. Buffalo Bill saw -his mistake in a moment. With a wild yell Boyd Bennett spurred to the -side of the horse which White Antelope sat, and threatened her with -drawn bowie as the whole cavalcade shot down the river trail and put -a brush-clump between them and the scout’s rifle. When they appeared -again they were out of rifle-shot. - -“Seven of them left,” muttered Buffalo Bill. “I thought I had that -devil that time. But let him wait--let him wait!” - -He mounted Chief once more and rode for a time in the wake of the -bandits. But, fearing that some of them might slip off their horses and -lay in wait for him, he turned aside into the hilly country and so saw -the refugees only occasionally from the summits of certain hills which -he climbed. He kept them from resting, however, during the forenoon. By -midday the desperadoes’ ponies were completely worn out. - -Had they not been so fearful of the scout the seven men might have -shown fight. They were equally well armed with Buffalo Bill, and some -of them were good shots. But Boyd Bennett thought only of escape with -the girl, and his mates were in a blue funk, anyway. - -They came at noon to a deserted Indian encampment. It was a -hunting-camp, the braves evidently being out in the hills after game -and having left nobody but the squaws on guard. The squaws had gone -into the bush after late berries. Therefore, there was none to balk the -bandits. - -There were no ponies, or the men would have left their fagged mounts -and stolen those of the red men. But in the river lay two good-sized -canoes. Abandoning their ponies the outlaws seized these boats, forced -White Antelope into the leading one with Boyd Bennett and two others, -and the four remaining men entering the other boat, both were pushed -off and paddled down the stream. - -Cody beheld this move from a hilltop, and immediately rode down to -the river. Had he crossed the paths of any of the Indians--they were -not Sioux, but he knew the tribe--he might have obtained their help. -Alone, however, he came to the river-bank. The canoes were far out in -the stream and going down rapidly with the current and the force of the -paddles. The scout saw the White Antelope on her knees in the forward -boat, her arms stretched out to him. Her mute gesture for help spurred -him on to a desperate attempt! - -Chief had come far now without much rest, but he was able to make one -more spurt. Down the river path the scout thundered, racing to catch -up with the canoes. There was a high bluff across the river, offering -no landing-place. On this side the bank was low. Even if the canoes -were paddled near the opposite shore, the scout’s rifle would carry a -deadly ball that distance. In coming near, and into sight, however, he -gave the bandits a chance to try their marksmanship upon him. - -But this risk the brave scout took. For the White Antelope’s sake he -was venturing his life. - -He forced Chief to top speed until the brave old horse came out upon a -cleared space just ahead of the two canoes. The bandits began to pop -at him with their rifles; but shooting from a sitting position in a -trumpery little canoe was no easy job. - -Both craft were overloaded, anyway. Two men were supposed to be the -full complement of the cargo of each. So the craft rode low, and the -least movement might tip them over. One man in the forward boat, and -two in the latter, turned their attention to the scout and his white -horse; but their bullets flew wide of the mark. - -The scout, however, paid no more attention to the whistling lead than -he would have to so many buzzing flies. He dismounted from Chief, and, -standing out deliberately on the river-bank, raised his rifle and took -aim at the leading paddler in the rear boat. He did not shoot at those -with White Antelope in the other canoe. First he would reduce the -numbers of the gang. - -Crack! - -The heavy rifle spoke no louder than a pistol across the flat surface -of the water. With a yell the man dropped his paddle, turned a face all -gory upon the scout, and then pitched out of the canoe! - -Strangely enough he did not tip over the vessel. Another caught up his -paddle. They tried to urge the craft to the foot of the steep bluff. -But now the current had caught the light canoe in a fierce grip, and to -swerve it was not easy. - -Crack! - -Just as a second man was drawing bead as well as he could upon the -undaunted scout, the rifle dropped from his hands, and he fell backward -into the bottom of the canoe. The craft dipped dangerously and all but -went over. As it righted the scout fired a third time. Plunk the ball -went through and through the body of the canoe! - -The water began to run in at both holes, and the canoe sank. One of the -remaining men, in complete panic, threw himself overboard and swam for -the shore. The other continued to paddle desperately. - -A double report sounded. The rifleman in the forward boat had stood up -and taken a better aim at the scout. The latter’s shoulder was plowed -just under the skin by the ball. But Cody’s own bullet sped straight to -the desperate paddler in the second canoe, and the man fell sideways, -shot through the lungs; the canoe tipped completely, and man and canoe -went to the bottom together. - -Meanwhile, the fourth man in that boat had reached the strand. It was a -narrow beach and offered no shelter for him. He scrambled up the steep -bluff like a crab making for its hole. But when he was half-way up, and -his body against the yellow sand made an excellent target, the scout’s -gun spoke again. - -Sprawled out, and screaming, the fellow fell all the way back to the -shore, and there, squirming with the agony of the wound which was in a -vital part, he rolled into the river, and the black current swept him -swiftly down-stream. - -He passed the first canoe that had been retarding, while the rifleman -tried a second particular shot at the scout. The drowning man yelled -for help. He even snatched at the gunwale of the canoe as he was swept -by. - -Instantly Boyd Bennett seized a pistol from his belt and deliberately -shot the drowning man through the head. Perhaps, if the latter had -seized the canoe, he would have overturned it and sacrificed the four -other lives; yet it was a desperately cruel act! - -Meanwhile Cody had leaped aside, escaping the second shot of the -rifleman in the remaining canoe; and then, before the man could sit -down and the canoe could shoot ahead, he dropped him cleanly with a -ball through the heart! - -In five minutes the bloody battle was over. But two of the bandits were -left alive. The other five had sunk to the bottom of the river, while -the remaining two, and the White Antelope, were being carried swiftly -down the stream, and by a current now so powerful that they could not -steer to the bank on either side. Just below were the worst series of -rapids on the entire river! - - - - -CHAPTER XLIII. MAN TO MAN AT LAST. - - -Buffalo Bill knew the peril which threatened the two bandits and the -girl quite as soon as they knew it themselves. But he was handicapped a -bit now by his wound, which bled profusely. He had to wait to bind it -up roughly, so that the blood would stop flowing, before he could pay -much attention to the endangered trio in the canoe. - -Ere then the craft was swiftly speeding down the river, going almost as -fast as an ordinary horse could trot. Buffalo Bill whistled Chief to -him, sprang into the saddle, and galloped down the trail. It was some -minutes before he overtook the boat. - -There was no danger then of anybody aboard it shooting at him. Boyd -Bennett in the stern and his last comrade in the bow were having all -they could handle in steering the craft. Rocks and snags began to crop -up in the current, and they were now tossed this way, then that, while -the foaming water boiled almost into the frail craft! - -Buffalo Bill, intent on saving White Antelope’s life at any cost, -unslung his lariat and made ready to cast the endangered men an end if -the canoe came near enough to the shore. For the sake of assisting the -girl he would have given up his vengeance on the outlaws. - -However, when he cast the rope, although it fell across the boat, Boyd -Bennett, with a scream of rage, threw it off. - -“You madman!” yelled his companion, glancing over his shoulder. - -“Mind your paddle!” roared Bennett. - -“My God! I’ll take help from anybody,” cried the other. - -Cody coiled his rope to swing it again, this time intending to aim -ahead of the canoe so that the other man could catch it. But Bennett -saw his intention, and he drew in his paddle, grabbed his pistol, and -presented it at his comrade’s back. White Antelope was lying down in -the canoe, knowing that this was the safest place for her. - -“You touch that rope!” shrieked the bandit leader, as the lariat -whistled through the air again, “and I’ll send you to Hades!” - -The man glanced fearfully over his shoulder at the words, and saw the -threatening pistol. - -“Look out!” shouted Buffalo Bill, for his cast had been true, and the -coil of the lasso was circling just over the man. - -The fellow was too scared of the pistol to watch the loop, and it -settled fairly over his head. With a shriek he tried then to get out -of it, but it was too late. The canoe darted suddenly into a cross -current, shooting off from the shore, and the rope was pulled taut. - -Buffalo Bill could not have released the rope from his saddle-bow in -time to save the unfortunate outlaw, nor could he force Chief nearer -the water. The noose was about the man’s neck, and with an awful jerk -the rope literally snatched him out of the canoe! - -Had the girl not been lying down at the moment his body would have -carried her likewise into the river. It was by mere chance that the -canoe did not overturn; but it righted and sailed on with its freight -of two. The other outlaw was dead before Buffalo Bill could drag him -ashore. His neck had been broken. - -The scout’s interest lay, however, in the fate of the two remaining in -the canoe. He cast the dead man loose and spurred hard down the path, -trying to keep up with the frail canoe now shooting the rapids. - -It was a perilous journey; yet Boyd Bennett, ruffian though he was, -exercised the greatest ingenuity in managing the canoe. The scout -could not but admire this in the fellow. - -It seemed impossible, however, that the canoe and its living freight -could get through the rapids intact. The water boiled madly about the -craft. It was flung hither and yon, and at times it was so racked by -the opposing forces of the current that Buffalo Bill, on the bank, -could hear the wood crack. - -Boyd Bennett’s glaring eyes did not turn toward his enemy throughout -all this trial. He watched each black-ribbed rock or floating snag -against which his craft might be hurled. Nor did he speak a word to the -girl lying in the bottom of the canoe. - -She knew as well as he that any movement on her part would add to their -danger, and, although she might now leap overboard--she was free--it -would mean certain death. So freedom tantalized her. She could only -escape at the peril of her life! - -She saw Boyd Bennett’s glowing eyes occasionally cast upon her a -basilisklike glance. There was madness in them, she knew. The brave -girl, used as she was to battle and the chase, shrank from this -terrible foe. And she was helpless! - -The canoe swung around rocks, which she thought surely they must -hit; it just escaped collision with logs and drift-stuff in the most -marvelous manner, and all the time Boyd Bennett sat holding the paddle -as a steering-oar, his black eyes glaring out of his death’s-head face, -impassive, yet all alive to the dangers of the run. - -Spray broke over the side of the canoe and drenched the girl. The craft -seemed to fairly throb and jump with the motion of the water. - -Once an eddy seized them. Despite all Bennett could do the canoe shot -into this whirlpool, and they made several rapid revolutions before the -man saw his way out, and thrust the canoe between two ragged jaws of -rock, and so escaped! - -On and on fled the boat, while Buffalo Bill urged his mount along the -river path. He could barely keep up with it. Each moment he expected to -see it overturned, and both passengers tumbled into the raging current. - -At last the more quiet river below the rapids came into view. Here the -stream widened and the current quickly became sluggish. In the midst -of the stream was a wooded island, its sharp upper end, consisting of -an outcropping ledge, dividing the river into two channels just at the -foot of the white water. - -The canoe, as it shot out of the smother of spray, chanced to take the -channel nearest to the bank on which Cody urged his horse. This was an -oversight on Bennett’s part, but he had been too anxious to get out of -the rapids at all to attend to where the canoe finally went. - -Cody saw his chance, and, although Chief was well winded now, he yelled -with delight. He saw what appeared to be the finish of the race--and in -his favor. - -“I’ve got you now, Boyd Bennett!” he shouted. - -The bandit at last turned his eyes upon him, and then glanced around. -He saw Cody’s meaning. The canoe was drifting so near the scout that -the latter could either shoot, or rope him. And the long island forbade -his getting away. - -But the villain was not yet to his last card. His mind was keenly -alive to the situation, and he lost no points in the game. - -“Not yet, Bill Cody--not yet!” he shrieked, and with a single thrust of -his paddle, turned the canoe’s nose toward the island. - -“Hold, or I fire!” cried the scout, raising his weapon and drawing bead -upon the bandit. - -Boyd Bennett drove the canoe into the rocky ledge which masked the end -of the island. Like paper the frail craft tore apart, and both he and -the girl were flung into the stream. - -Buffalo Bill’s bullet flew wide of its mark that time! White Antelope -was in as much danger as the bandit--perhaps more--for the scout did -not know whether the girl could swim or not, and the current was still -quite swift and the water deep. - -But White Antelope soon showed what she could do in the river. Cold -as the water was, the instant she came to the surface and saw Boyd -Bennett’s arms stretched out for her, she threw herself backward and -dove again to the bottom of the river! With a yell the bandit flung -himself after her, and again just missed the scout’s bullet. The -scoundrel seemed to bear a charmed life. Buffalo Bill was unable to hit -him. Although they were man to man at last, it was a question still who -would come out winner in the game. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIV. THE FIGHT TO GAIN THE ISLAND. - - -White Antelope sank to the bottom of the river; then, unlike ordinary -swimmers, she did not move in a straight line, but shot off at a sharp -angle, and endeavored to make the shore where Cody was, while still -under water. But Boyd Bennett was quite as cunning. He cut across her -path, and, as the girl came shooting in a long slant to the surface of -the river, he reached and caught her by the shoulder. - -White Antelope screamed and sought to wrench herself away. Cody had -flung aside his rifle and urged Chief down into the stream. The -white horse was already belly deep in the flood, picking his way -intelligently, while his master, rope in hand, prepared to fling the -loop to the Indian maiden. - -But before Cody could make the cast, Bennett had grabbed the girl and -thrust her under the surface again. White Antelope went down gurgling, -and the cruel hand of the bandit chief held her fast. With an oath -the scout seized a revolver and aimed at the black, sleek head of the -scoundrel. - -“Hold your fire, Bill Cody!” cried the bandit again. “Hold your fire, -or I’ll drown this girl--as sure as you live, I will! She’s mine, and, -by Heaven, you sha’n’t take her from me--unless it’s her dead body!” - -“You devil, you!” roared the scout. “You are drowning her!” - -“I surely will if you don’t put up your gun!” - -“Let her up!” - -“Put away your gun!” - -The scout was obliged to do so. If he shot the scoundrel the latter -might sink, his clutch still upon the White Antelope, and neither of -them rise again until the breath had left both their bodies! - -Boyd Bennett saw the scout put the gun back into his belt. He then -dragged the girl up by her long, golden hair, and with her in his -arms--she was now totally unconscious--he struck out with his free hand -for the island. The scout seemed helpless. There was nothing he could -do to stop the foe or free the girl. The situation stumped Buffalo Bill -completely! - -All the scout could do was to wait, hand on gun, for some chance to aid -his cause. While Bennett struggled in the river with the girl he dared -not fire for two reasons. One, already stated, was that he feared the -man would sink with his burden and both be drowned; the other was that -he feared his pistol-ball might wound the girl as well as Bennett. - -And now it was not altogether sure that the scoundrel could make the -shore of the island. He was weaker than he had been, and the burden of -the girl bore him down. There was a current set off from the island on -this side, and he had this to fight. And fight he did--with a bravery -which Cody could but admire. He breasted the current, and fought inch -by inch the downward drag of the river. It was too much for him, -however. - -Suddenly the bandit almost lost his hold upon the girl. Cody believed -he was about to give her up and save himself, and he prepared to force -Chief into the deeper current and so swim out for her. He swung his -lariat again, too, that it might be ready for emergency. But, although -Bennett was carried down-stream and the shore of the island was -rapidly receding from him, he still clung to the Indian maid. - -“Look out for the rope, Boyd Bennett! Catch it!” sang out the scout, -believing that now the fellow would certainly rather save his life and -lose the girl than lose both his own and her lives. But a sputtering -shriek came back from the maniac: - -“Fling your rope if you dare, Bill Cody! I’ll kill her if you do--mark -that!” - -“Don’t be a fool, man. You can’t save her and yourself.” - -“Then we’ll both drown,” returned Boyd Bennett, with the determination -of a still fearless man. - -“I’ll give you your freedom!” roared Cody, at desperate straits now. - -“I’ll not take it of you. If I die she goes with me--ah!” - -A sudden eddy seized the man and swung him toward the island. He had -evidently stored some remaining energy, and this he now put forth. He -seemed fairly to leap forward in the water which was over his head near -the bank. But he caught at a drooping tree-branch and held on. - -Now, could Cody only have reached him, Boyd Bennett would have been -at his mercy. But only for an instant did the weakness overpower him. -He swung in shoreward, his feet found footing on a ledge of rock, and -in another minute he clambered up out of the water, and, with the -unfortunate girl still hanging limply over his shoulder, passed out of -the scout’s sight! - -The island was well wooded. It contained about half an acre and was -long and narrow. It was so long that from the bank to which Cody had -again turned his mount, he could not see whether the bandit found some -immediate way of leaving it, and so reaching the farther shore of the -river, or not. - -There was no time to waste for Buffalo Bill, therefore. He must press -after the man and the girl, giving the former no time to recover his -strength, and, perhaps, make his escape from the island. - -But Chief could not help his master across the deep water to the -ledgy island. Nor could Buffalo Bill make it encumbered by his heavy -accouterments. That was not to be considered for a moment! - -He dismounted and let Chief go free. The old horse had done his share -well, and as soon as he was relieved of the saddle and bridle, he lay -down and rolled as though to get the cramps out of his body. The water -of the river was ice-cold. - -It even made Cody shrink when he contemplated it. His only way of -reaching the island was by swimming, and against that current, and -with the chill evening coming on, the scout might well hesitate. But -not for long. What must be done would better be done quickly, and the -Border King was well inured to exposure and cold. He threw aside his -ammunition-belt and his weapons. His coat, waistcoat, and outer shirt -went likewise. Off came his riding-boots, and then in his undergarment, -and with his bowie between his teeth, he plunged into the flood and -essayed the venture. - -Whether he was being watched from the island by his enemy, Cody did not -know. But this was the only way he saw to get at Boyd Bennett and the -girl. He was matching his life against the bandit’s now, in the last -desperate act of the series which had followed the abduction of White -Antelope early the day before. - - - - -CHAPTER XLV. WAR TO THE KNIFE. - - -And, indeed, Boyd Bennett was almost at his last gasp when he dragged -himself ashore and put the nearest clump of brush between him and the -water, thus hiding his future movements from the sharp eyes of the -Border King. There the man fell upon the meager sward that clothed -this part of the island, and lay, gasping like a great fish just out -of its element, almost helpless with exhaustion. The White Antelope, -had she recovered consciousness and power of action during those first -few minutes, might easily have escaped from her captor. But she had -come nearer being drowned than was at all pleasant. She lay so still -and white where Bennett had flung her upon the ground, that even he, -hardened villain that he was, feared his usage of her delicate body had -been too much for the spirit that inhabited it, and that the breath was -already sped from the girl. - -But not for some minutes did Bennett think thus. He could barely -recover his own breath at first. He was chilled through and through -by the icy water. His clothing clung to him like lead. He had lost -most of his weapons during his struggle in the river; but his bowie -and a pistol remained--the latter, of course, useless in its present -condition. His ammunition was saturated, too. He had but his knife to -depend on, was he attacked. - -And at that thought the bandit chief started to life! Attacked, indeed! -There was a relentless enemy on his trail. He, too, knew that it had -come to the final trial of strength between he and the Border King. His -death, or William F. Cody’s, must mark this island as a tragic spot -forever. - -The great scout, he knew, would never give up while life remained -in his body. As for Bennett himself, he was pushed now to the last -extremity. He was bereft of all his associates. He had seen them killed -one by one, by fate, or by the relentless arm of Buffalo Bill. He -had lost caste with the Sioux, over whom he had obtained so great an -influence during the past few months. And all for what? For this White -Antelope--a half-breed girl--a woman who hated him, and who considered -herself, though of mixed blood, too good for him. - -He gnashed his teeth in rage as he thought of this, and his rage -somewhat aroused him. He crawled to the girl and shook her. Her body -was limp--and oh, so cold! It well-nigh frightened Bennett to touch -her. Could it be that she was already dead? - -He tore open the doeskin blouse that draped the upper part of her -person and bared her bosom. His hand sought her heart and felt a timid -flutter there. She was still alive! - -Yet, how to warm that spark of life into full flame? He had nothing -in which to wrap her; his own clothing was saturated. But in his -hunting-shirt he carried a carefully stoppered bottle, and in this -receptacle were several sulfur matches. These were as precious as gold -to him now. He crept about the little plateau of the island, gathering -twigs and dry branches and rubbish. This light stuff he heaped in a -pile, and then, before he dared light the pyre, he found and broke up -larger wood and made ready a roaring heap which, a few moments after he -touched his match to it, blazed several feet into the air. - -The sun was going down, and this bonfire warded off the coming chill -of night. He basked in the heat himself, feeling grateful for every -leaping, scorching flame. He dragged the girl within the radiance of -the fire and chafed her hands and her forehead, and removed her torn -moccasins and held her small, beautifully formed feet to the fire. -These ministrations he performed with some little tenderness; but, -although the girl sighed and her lips parted, and her chilled body -seemed to respond to the warmth of the fire, she did not open her eyes. - -Suddenly Boyd Bennett started to his feet with an exclamation of rage. -He had entirely forgotten something during these minutes. What was -Buffalo Bill about? - -He ran through the bushes and appeared upon the edge of the river -looking toward the side where Cody had been. There was the big white -horse, divested of saddle and bridle, cropping the grass on the bank. -There, too, Bennett saw most of Cody’s clothes and accouterments--a -neat pile of them. But where was the man himself? - -The bandit was inspired instantly with fear that he had overlooked his -enemy too long. Had he been given time to cross to the island? - -And where else could Cody be? For what other reason would he have -removed his clothing and arms? - -“The devil is swimming the river!” muttered the bandit. - -The sun was setting, and it was already growing dusky on this side -of the island. Boyd Bennett cast his keen glance over the troubled -surface of the water, seeking the bold swimmer. He was not aware that -at the moment he parted the bushes to step out on the shore, Cody, in -midstream, had seen him, and had sunk beneath the surface, leaving -scarcely a ripple to show where he had gone down. - -And once in the depths the scout had swum as strongly as he could for -the island. The current swept him downward, and he was some yards below -Boyd Bennett’s position when he finally had to come up for air. His -head bobbed above the surface as sleek as a seal’s or an otter’s--and -looking much like that of the latter animal. Only to get a breath did -the scout remain at the surface, then he sank beneath again. - -Although Bennett did not actually see his head, he caught the ripples -on the surface as Cody went down. He saw that there was no eddy there, -and he suspected instantly what had caused the disturbance on the -water. With an oath he ran along the edge of the island until he came -opposite the spot. - -In a minute Cody came up again for air. With a yell Bennett sighted -him. The scout was this time much nearer the shore--and he was much -nearer his last gasp than before, too! Crossing the river he had found -all the task promised from the other side. It was not only a long swim, -but it was an arduous swim. - -“I’ve got you now, Bill Cody!” roared the bandit, shaking his fists -above his head in an abandonment of rage. “I’ve got you now!” - -Had Buffalo Bill had breath to do so he might have told him that -the river had a bigger mortgage on him. The current was pulling him -down-stream with a power that taxed his utmost strength to counteract. - -“You’re my meat!” bawled Bennett. “Let me get my hands on you, you -hell-hound!” - -Cody bore all this in silence. He was struggling to gain a foothold -near the shore. Once his feet found bottom, but then the current tore -him away and he had to fight to get back. Bennett ran along the shore -and stood over him, his face aflame, his eyes blazing like coals, his -lips fairly frothing. - -Cody finally made the shallow again and stood upon his feet. That was -a blessed relief! He was head and shoulders out of the water, and now -he took the knife from between his teeth and held it clutched firmly in -his right hand. - -“I’ve got you!” bawled Bennett, fairly dancing up and down on the -shore. “Come ashore and I’ll have your scalp! I’ll cut your heart out! -I’ll slice you into cat’s meat! And if you don’t come ashore the river -will get you. Ha! ha! ha! Bill Cody is between the devil and the deep -sea this time!” - -And the scout thought that this was a pretty true statement of the -case. For, if ever there was a fiend incarnate, it was Bennett at this -juncture. And the river was as wicked and dangerous as the sea could -possibly be. The scout was indeed between two perils--and neither would -give him a chance for his life. - -The moment he waded within striking distance Bennett would attack him. -And the river dragged at him continually. - -But, at least, the scout could parley. He had breath enough to say: - -“Boyd Bennett, you and I have many an old score to settle. Give me -footing on that bank. You have your knife; I have mine. Let us try -conclusions fairly.” - -“What! Give you a chance to play some scurvy trick on me--when I’ve got -you dead to rights?” cried Bennett, and laughed long and loudly. - -Cody edged a step nearer to the shore. - -“Be a man!” urged the scout. “You’re as good as I am.” - -“I’m better--curse you!” - -Cody gained another foot. - -“Let us try conclusions, blade to blade. Give me a show, man!” - -“It’s war to the knife, and the knife to the hilt between us--that’s -true, Bill Cody!” gritted out the man. “But you shall not be given a -chance. I’ll kill you in cold blood--or see you drown in this river. -Mark ye that!” - -Cody crept a few inches nearer. - -“Come! You are rested. You’ve got your strength back. I’m chilled to -the bone. But don’t kill me as you would a dog, Bennett!” urged the -wily scout. - -“A dog you are, and a dog’s death you shall die!” - -Cody stooped a little now so as to appear still to be in deep water. -But he had gained considerable. The fellow’s rage and excitement made -him overlook this cunning. - -“A chance; just a foothold on the bank--for God’s sake!” cried Cody. - -“Not much; I won’t! You die where you are--or drown!” - -Boyd Bennett stooped, and holding his own bowie with grim clutch, made -a pass at the scout. The latter dodged--and made another foot. - -“Give me a show!” cried the man in the water, apparently at his last -gasp. - -“No, no! I’ll have your life--and now!” - -Again the bandit made a thrust. At the moment Cody flung his body -forward, and his left hand clutched a tree-branch which overhung the -river. At last he had a stable hold upon terra firma. With a shout -he dragged himself in toward the bank, and, in turn, lunged at his -antagonist. So unexpected was the blow that he came near catching -Bennett in a vital spot. As it was, the point of the scout’s bowie slit -his enemy’s sleeve from wrist to elbow and brought the blood beneath! - -“You devil!” yelled Bennett, leaping back, smarting with pain. - -It was just the chance Cody wished. He bounded out upon the rocky -shore. His own war-cry resounded through the island. All his weakness -dropped from him like a garment. At last he was before his foe, and -they were evenly matched--man to man and blade to blade! - -“Guard yourself, you scoundrel!” cried Buffalo Bill, the Border King. -“It is war to the knife, and the knife to the hilt, as you yourself -have said. Your life or mine--which is the better man! One of us, Boyd -Bennett, shall never leave this spot alive!” - - - - -CHAPTER XLVI. AND THE KNIFE TO THE HILT. - - -All the time Buffalo Bill had been standing in the shallow water -parleying with his enemy, he had been regaining his breath and his -strength, both sadly depleted by his swim across the river. Now he had -leaped ashore almost as fresh and strong as Bennett himself. - -His leaping ashore had quite startled the bandit; but he did not give -back after his first cry of surprise and pain. He, too, was armed with -a bowie. They were indeed equal, and the bandit was no physical coward. - -Colonel James Bowie, of Texas, invented a terrible weapon of defense -and offense when he gave the world the heavy hunting-knife which bears -his name. It is a long, slightly curved blade, having a razor-sharp -two-edged point and a heavy back. It is fitted with a handle and -guard, and is always carried in a sheath. It can be thrown with great -precision by the old-time “knife-fighter”; but it is at close quarters -that the true wickedness of the weapon comes to light. - -In a fight with these knives death must surely result--many times to -both antagonists; surely to one. One stroke does it; there is no need -of a second if the first really gets home. A strong blow would sever a -man’s head from his body! - -Both the scout and Boyd Bennett were familiar with the use of the -great knife. Facing each other, left foot forward, stooping slightly, -they circled about each other like two cocks looking for a chance to -strike. The men’s eyes were fastened upon each other, like the eyes of -pugilists. In the expanding and contracting of the eyeball they saw the -intent of their antagonist to make a move. - -Crouching, the two shifted about on the rocks. The ground was not good -for such cautious work; but one did not know it better than the other. -It was as fair to Bennett as to the scout. - -Both men feinted, but did not come to close quarters. They began to -breathe heavily, not so much from exhaustion as from excitement. The -wind hissed between their locked teeth. Their eyes were like those -of mad beasts. Their bare feet shifted on the rocks with a shuffling -sound, but otherwise they were noiseless in their tigerlike movements. - -Suddenly, with a shriek like a wildcat, Boyd Bennett leaped at his foe. -He thought he saw an opening. This was what the scout intended, and -he gave back just a little. But before Bennett was upon him the other -glided to one side and struck sharply at the man. The blades clashed -and sparks flew from the steel. At the same moment the men clutched -each other by the left wrist, and at last the issue was really joined! - -There they stood panting, foot to foot and breast to breast, their -fingers locked about each other’s wrists like steel bands, the -knife-blades “slithering” against each other, every muscle in their -bodies as tense as steel wires. The pressure of blade against blade was -all that kept the men apart. If one gave an atom in an endeavor to stab -his foe, he would open his own breast to the knife. This was a foregone -conclusion. The pressure of knife against knife seemed a frail -barrier; but that was all that lay between the two men and sudden and -awful death! - -The man who made the first reckless move, or the one whose bodily -forces first gave before the strain, was the one who ran the greatest -peril. To the cool man, the brave man, the man with iron nerve and an -undaunted patience--to him would come victory! - -Knowing this, Buffalo Bill took the only advantage that remained to -him. His own mind was calm, his brain steady, his vision unclouded by -hot rage. _His_ emotion was a sort of cold fury, as deadly as the steel -blade, the handle of which he clutched. At last he had his enemy before -him--within his grasp--face to face and steel to steel! - -And so he taunted him, knowing that Bennett’s brain and heart were -already afire with hatred. - -“You’ve no girl now to conquer, Boyd Bennett!” the scout hissed. -“You’re not robbing the cradle now. Look out! Another mistake like that -and I’ll have you!” - -“Curse you, you’re a dead man already!” cried the bandit. - -“I’m as good as a dozen dead ones. Don’t fool yourself. Ah!” - -“Not yet!” - -“But almost--almost, my boy! I’ll get you the next time. My brave Death -Killer--medicine chief of the Sioux! Ah-ha, you villain! You’ve played -_that_ game to the end, too.” - -Bennett fairly gnashed his teeth and put forth furious endeavors to -break down his antagonist’s guard. - -“Save your breath, man,” said Cody, knowing that his advice would have -exactly a contrary effect upon Bennett. “I’m only playing with you yet.” - -“It’s the worst game _you_ ever played, Bill Cody!” - -Cody thought so himself, but he smiled back into the other’s eyes, and -the man’s rage grew. - -“I’ll get you yet!” roared Bennett. - -“But not that way,” muttered the scout. “Ah! _Now_ we have it!” - -With a sudden turn of his wrist he almost brought Bennett to his knees. -Both men clung so tightly to each other’s left wrists, however, that -little advantage was to be gained by sudden twists. It was the steady -pressure of steel against steel that would finally gain the day. One -arm must be stronger than the other--one foot more skilful--one eye -more true. - -“This is a bad end for you, Boyd Bennett!” began Cody again. - -He was scarcely panting himself; but the other was breathing hard, -gnashing his teeth, rolling his eyes, like a veritable madman. He -screamed with rage at this remark of the scout’s, and the froth flew -from his lips. If ever a man was mad, Boyd Bennett was that person. - -“And all for what?” quoth the scout. “What did you make by it? The girl -would have nothing to do with you. Had you remained in Oak Heart’s camp -you might have finished me. But _not_ that way!” guarding himself from -a furious lunge of the other’s knife. - -“No, no, my boy! You made a grave error. Back there you had some power. -You might have had the upper hand over me. Now _I_ have it!” - -“Not yet!” roared Bennett. - -“Oh, yes, I have! I’m only playing with you, I tell you. When I am -ready I’ll put you where the dogs won’t bite you! Ah! how’s that?” - -Boyd had made a furious lunge; and his hand had slipped on Cody’s -wrist. Quick as lightning the scout slipped aside, broke from the -death-grapple, and slit the point of his knife up Bennett’s upper arm, -making a deep, ugly wound. The blood fairly spurted from the severed -artery. It was then but a matter of a few minutes before Bennett would -be helpless, unless he managed to finish Cody first. - -They circled about each other again, watchful as cats. Once or twice -they tried to grapple, but it amounted to nothing. Bennett’s wound was -troubling him sorely. The blood was running in a stream from the point -of his elbow. - -“Say your prayers--if you have any to say, you scoundrel!” exclaimed -the scout sternly. “For you pay for your murders and atrocities here -and now! If you have killed that poor girl by your brutal treatment, -you pay for it in short order.” - -Bennett leaped in at him. The scout gave back a bit, and suddenly his -foot slipped on a wet slab of rock. He fell to one knee. With a yell of -delight, the wounded bandit flung himself upon him. - -It was not the scout’s finish, however. Cody had a wealth of reserve -force yet. He flung himself forward to meet Bennett’s charge, caught -his left wrist and the weight of the man’s body upon his left shoulder. -The scoundrel’s stroke overreached, and the pit of his stomach came in -heavy contact with his antagonist’s shoulder-bone. - -That antagonist rose up suddenly and pitched Bennett clear over him. -The man landed on his head and shoulders, but, as though made of India -rubber, he bounded to his feet and faced Cody again. - -He was panting for breath, his face was covered with blood, and -altogether he was a most terrible looking object. He had no intention -of giving up the fight, however. With a yell, he flung himself once -more at Cody--but this time wildly. - -“’Tis the end at last, Boyd Bennett!” sang out the clarion voice of the -Border King. - -The villain knew it. His eyes rolled, his teeth chattered, his mouth -was agape as he reentered the fray. Their left hands were locked again, -and the knives clashed. Steadily Cody forced his man back, back, -back--until a tree-trunk kept him from going farther. From a crouching -position the two men gradually stood erect. The pressure of Buffalo -Bill’s bowie against that of his antagonist became a force that the -latter could not meet. His arm went slowly back until the elbow struck -sharply against the tree-trunk. - -With an awful scream of rage and deadly fear the fellow’s fingers -relaxed upon the handle of his bowie. The blade clattered to the -ground. He clutched feebly at Cody’s throat, and then---- - -It was indeed the knife to the hilt! Boyd Bennett slipped to the ground -and lay there, dead! - - - - -CHAPTER XLVII. THE CONQUEROR. - - -Buffalo Bill turned his eyes from the bleeding corpse of his enemy, -staggered to a near-by boulder, and dropped upon it to rest. His own -strength was far spent. Besides, the wound he had received in his -shoulder, aggravated by his long, cold swim and the violent exertions -of the past few minutes, had broken out bleeding afresh. Boyd Bennett -would never know how near he came to being victor himself in this awful -battle! - -As for the consequence, he dropped upon the rock, exhausted and ill. -The hardiest and most seasoned veteran comes to the end of his tether -at last, and for thirty-six hours Cody had been riding hard, and -fighting hard, and swimming hard--and all without bite or sup! There -had been no time for the preparation of food when he left his cave in -the mountain to follow Boyd Bennett and the White Antelope, and since -that time he had neither dared shoot game nor had he seen the time to -cook and eat. - -And that which fairly quenched his spirit now was the thought that he -seemed to have taken all this hard labor upon his shoulders for naught. -True, his old-time enemy was finally dead. Boyd Bennett, the outlaw of -the Overland Trail, the Death Killer of the Utah Sioux, would never -again trouble mortal man--unless his spirit came back to haunt the -scenes of his bloody deeds. - -But Buffalo Bill had not put forth all this effort merely to best this -old-time foe. First of all, he desired to save the White Antelope, but -he seemed to have failed in this. Boyd Bennett had plainly carried his -threat into execution. He had actually drowned the unfortunate girl. -It had been that thought, more than any other, that had nerved Buffalo -Bill to drive the steel home into Bennett’s heart! - -“All gone now--the last of the three!” muttered the scout, passing -his hand across his shaking lips. “And such horrible deaths for all! -Death by the bullet and the fall from the cliff. Death by the war-club -and tomahawk. And now death by the river--and the hands of a cursed -villain. Horrible! horrible!” - -These enigmatical remarks, uttered aloud, drowned a rustling in the -bushes behind him. Suddenly a light hand fell upon his shoulder. The -scout did not start--his nerves were too steady. But he glanced at the -small, brown hand, and then looked up along the arm, turning his head -until he looked full into the face of the White Antelope. There his -gaze hung, while his lips remained speechless for the moment. - -“Pa-e-has-ka has killed his enemy and mine. This makes the White -Antelope and Long Hair friends.” - -She held out her hand to him, and the scout took it, still in a daze. - -“By holy!” he muttered. “I sure thought she was dead.” - -“What is it my white brother mutters?” - -“I reckoned you were drowned, White Antelope,” repeated Cody. - -“Nay. I held my breath under the water. But that wicked man came near -to drowning me.” - -“I should say he did!” - -“Then he would have revived me; but I remained as though unconscious, -for I feared him.” - -“You’ll have need to fear him no more.” - -“Ah! it was a good fight! I watched. The Long Hair is indeed a great -chief.” - -Cody shuddered and glanced away. He did not like to think of the -daughter of Oak Heart’s white wife viewing with satisfaction such a -terrible battle as that which had just cursed this spot. - -“The Long Hair is cold. Let him come to the fire yonder and dry his -body and rest.” - -“I don’t care if I do. I feel like I was frozen clear to my marrow. -You’ve got a fire, have you?” - -“Death Killer made it to dry us by. Now you shall have it,” she said. - -The scout basked for some minutes in the heat of the fire, which White -Antelope heaped with fresh fuel. But he could not remain inactive for -long. His perturbed mind, relieved by the discovery of the girl’s -safety, instantly fixed upon other worriments. - -Her absence from the encampment of the Sioux would have long since been -noted. Oak Heart would be troubled by her absence. And they were a long -way from the valley in which the Indian village lay. - -Besides, they were marooned on this island in the middle of the -river. The canoe was wrecked, and Cody shrank from making that long -swim to the mainland again. Besides, he doubted the girl’s ability to -accomplish such a task. - -There was nothing to eat on this island, however, and food they must -have before long. At least, the scout felt the need of it. - -So he rose up very quickly from his reclining posture and went to the -side of the island which faced the river-bank from which he had swum. -It was already twilight, but he glanced sharply up and down the bank -for some wandering party that might help them. The Indians might be -searching for their canoes; he could not expect any of the freighters -to come down so far as this, for the main trail turned off some miles -above. - -But not a soul appeared. The only living object on the river-bank which -he saw was Chief, quietly grazing. - -“Then our hope lies in you, faithful old horse!” cried Cody, and he -uttered a shrill whistle. - -The white horse raised his head, whinnied, and trotted down to the -water’s edge. Buffalo Bill gave the call which he used when he desired -Chief to come to him. The dumb brute understood, but he pawed the -gravel at the river’s edge and seemed to hesitate. The distance across -was wide, and the sullen current was strong. He had already been in it -and had been almost swept away. - -Buffalo Bill repeated his call. The horse threw up his head, neighed -intelligently, and trotted down the riverside to the lower end of -the island. There the current was not so swift. Without hesitation, -this time, the noble horse plunged into the flood and swam with head -high, and occasionally neighing at his master, toward the island. -Being untrammeled by saddle or bridle, the creature handled himself -remarkably well in the current, and forged ahead without being swept -much out of his course by the stream. - -When he came near the shore, however, Buffalo Bill was forced to rush -in, cling to Chief’s mane, and guide the horse to land. There the -brute climbed out and shook himself like a great dog. - -“Ah! the white chief has control over even the ponies,” said the Indian -maid, in admiration. - -“And lucky he does,” muttered Buffalo Bill to himself. “Without old -Chief we’d be roosting here till kingdom come!” - -But he had to give the horse time to breathe before setting him at the -current again. It was no easy pull across. Finally he led the white -horse down into the water and gave the girl a boost upon his back, -where she straddled him, clinging to his thick mane. - -“Let him have his head,” Buffalo Bill commanded. “He won’t need any -guidance, but will bring us both safe ashore.” - -He urged Chief into the deep water, and swam by his side himself, -resting a hand now and then on the beast’s shoulder, and encouraging -him with his voice. Tired as they both were, man and beast found the -pull tremendous. They were carried some distance down the river, but -that did not so much matter. Only the water chilled Cody to the bone, -and he had visions of rheumatism, that fell disease that lays hold upon -the woodsman early in life because of exposure and privation. - -It was somewhat of a battle to reach the shore, but they accomplished a -landing at last, and White Antelope leaped down from Chief’s back and -patted him. - -“A brave horse, and worthy of carrying a brave man like Long Hair,” she -declared. - -“Give him a night’s rest,” said Cody, “and he’ll carry us both back to -your father’s village.” - -“The Long Hair was going there to redeem his pledge to me when I -chanced to spy him?” queried White Antelope. - -“I certainly was snooping about, looking for a chance to get through -Bennett’s line of guards.” - -“But you had been killing and scalping Oak Heart’s braves?” - -“Not a one. I was there waiting for a chance to keep my promise to -you,” said Buffalo Bill emphatically. “This renegade white was the -fellow who was quietly knocking your young men in the head and scalping -them. He was as bloodthirsty a wretch as ever went unhung. He’s dead -now, thanks be!” - -“Then Oak Heart will receive you with more friendliness,” said the girl. - -“I dunno how friendly he’ll feel,” muttered Cody. “But I’ll take you -back safe in the morning.” - -They hastened to build a rousing camp-fire, and as soon as his -undergarments were dry the scout put on his outer clothing and -accouterments. Then with his rifle he stole away to a place where he -had noted the marks of many creatures that had come down to drink, and -there, just as the moon rose, found a doe with her fawn and shot the -youngster. So they had a much needed late supper of roast kid. After -which Cody insisted that the girl sleep. - -As for himself, he sat up the livelong night, or paced the river-bank -to keep awake. Just before daybreak he awoke the girl, and while she -cooked breakfast he obtained an hour’s repose. - -As they started from the river’s brink to ride ’cross country toward -the range in which Oak Heart’s camp was situated, White Antelope said: - -“My father’s braves will be out searching for me, mayhap. If they see -White Antelope in the charge of a white man, they may try to shoot him. -They may believe you were he who stole me away.” - -“I’d been thinking of that,” said Cody reflectively. “I don’t want to -get popped over for the wrong man, that’s sure. I reckon I’ll have to -change my appearance a little.” - -“How will the white chief do that?” she demanded, over his shoulder. -She was riding behind him on the saddle. - -“We’ll see when we come to that cave I’ve been staying in. I reckon -I’ve got something there that may help me out. And I believe we shall -be able to reach it without being molested.” - -Chief bore them tirelessly all that day and far into the night. When -they halted and built their fire they were within a few hours’ ride of -the cave in the mountain from which Cody had overlooked Oak Heart’s -camp. Seventy-two hours before he had left it to chase Boyd Bennett -and rescue the Indian maiden. Much had happened since then both to the -scout and in the Indian encampment. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVIII. THE PLEDGE KEPT. - - -There was much excitement in the village of the Sioux. The white queen, -the idolized daughter of Oak Heart, had ridden away from her teepee and -had not returned. Then came the discovery of the death of the young -brave on the ridge, and the deed was set down to the credit of the -hated Long Hair. - -These mysterious murders that had been committed so near the encampment -had wrought upon the tribesmen greatly. It seemed as though Long Hair -possessed some supernatural power. He flitted, seemingly, from place to -place without being seen, and killed the Sioux almost in the confines -of the encampment. - -While the chiefs were in council a horse was seen approaching from -a mountain defile, down over the ridge, where the young brave had -been found stabbed to the heart. Upon the back of the horse were two -persons, one of them apparently a great chief in full war-dress; the -other was White Antelope herself. - -The strange chief rode directly down into the village, not deigning to -more than grunt a salutation to the guards, and the girl refused to -make any explanation, either. Straight to the council-lodge the chief -rode, and, there dismounting, the two entered, the young girl leading -the way. - -The Indian is stoical and Spartan, but Oak Heart was fond of his -remaining child. He was moved now by her unexpected recovery, and -as she ran to him he allowed her to take and hold his hand. The old -men nodded, too, for they believed that the White Antelope was “good -medicine.” The strange chief, however, they did not know, and they eyed -him with suspicion as well as curiosity. Finally the White Antelope -arose and stepped into the circle, and there made her voice heard by -all in the lodge. - -“The Sioux are a wise people; their chiefs are wise; their old men are -wise, but sometimes even the wise are mistaken. They make mistakes. -They welcome into their tribe one who stung and bit like the viper -warmed in the bosom. Such a viper has been warmed in the bosom of the -Utah Sioux!” - -The old men grunted and looked at each other. Some glanced covertly at -the place where the medicine chief, Death Killer, should have sat. He -was not present. - -“This one came with a false tale to my father, the great chief, Oak -Heart, and told a tale which sent the Sioux on the war-path. They fell -upon the palefaces and killed them. The palefaces were not searching -for the Sioux village; they were searching for a wicked paleface to -punish him. Ah! he was two-tongued--and his tongue was sharp as a knife. - -“The White Antelope speaks the truth to you. This traitor was in the -councils of the Sioux, but with his own hand he was murdering our young -men. See! The still, red scalp of Po-ca-his-ta, torn from his head by -the traitor this very day. And this--as other--murders he would have -had the Sioux believe were done by Long Hair, the paleface scout. - -“Long Hair was sent to tell his big chief of my father’s warning, and -to bring people to bury the dead. Long Hair said he would return. Long -Hair is of a straight tongue. He is here!” - -Instantly the strange chief standing so motionless in their presence -threw the war-bonnet aside and dropped the corner of the blanket which -muffled his face. Buffalo Bill stood revealed. A deep murmur ran around -the lodge, and it was half of surprise, half of admiration for the bold -paleface who had redeemed his word to the White Antelope. Fearlessly -the scout stood before his redskin foes, his eyes fixed upon the face -of Oak Heart. - -“It is well,” said the old Sioux. “The Long Hair’s life was forfeit -when he was held by Death Killer. He has gone to his people; he has -returned as he said. Now he must die.” - -But Buffalo Bill never changed color. White Antelope started forward, -her richly tinted face paling. It was a moment before she controlled -herself and stood calmly to speak as an Indian should. - -“Let the White Antelope speak!” said Oak Heart quietly. - -The girl, in rapid, burning words, related her capture by Boyd Bennett -and his death at the hands of the scout. The treachery of the renegade -was proved. Buffalo Bill had been the medicine chief’s prisoner. Why -should the Sioux hold the captive of a creature so dishonored? - -Her plea evidently made some impression, but all eyes turned upon Oak -Heart, and at length the old chief spoke. - -“The Long Hair is a mighty paleface chief. He has trailed the red man -to his village, and his belt is heavy with the scalps of my braves. He -came here under the war-bonnet of a Cheyenne chief, and has saved the -White Antelope from death. - -“But the Long Hair has long been a foe to the Sioux. It was he who -brought help to the white soldiers in the fort when we would have -beaten them. It was he who took them ammunition. It was he who stole -our ponies. - -“The Long Hair has ofttimes looked on death. He is not afraid of death. -He must show my warriors how a brave man can die.” - -For the first time since entering the lodge, Buffalo Bill spoke: - -“It is true, Oak Heart, that I have been your foe, and the foe of -your people of late. It was not always so. When the Sioux would dwell -at peace with the paleface, were content to live and hunt in these -mountains and not fall upon and kill the white soldiers, Long Hair was -their friend. - -“When the Wise Woman lived and her wisdom guided the tribe, the Sioux -remained at peace with the paleface. But now worse councils prevail -among you, and your young men go out to battle and are slain. And what -do you gain? The palefaces are as numberless as the leaves of the -forest. When you kill one, two come in his place; where you kill two, -a dozen appear. Take the word of one who has smoked in your lodges and -heard wisdom from your old men. The Long Hair tells you to bury the -hatchet and smoke the peace-pipe with the white chiefs. Then shall you -have content and your bellies be filled, and your young men shall grow -up and be great hunters and your young squaws live to bear children. - -“Long Hair has spoken. If the Sioux kill me, it is but one white man -dead. But how many will strike the trail of the Sioux to avenge my -death? The Sioux have already lost many braves. Let them be content; -blood enough has been spilled. Is it not so? - -“Remember, too, oh, Oak Heart, how Long Hair has sat in your lodge and -talked with you and the Wise Woman before the Great Spirit took her. -Here!” he drew from his hunting-shirt a sacred tomahawk pipe with a -broken edge. “Here is the pledge given to Long-Hair long ago by the -Wise Woman, and by Oak Heart. Then was Oak Heart’s mind single; he -was not full of wiles and thoughts of evil against the white men and -against Long Hair. This was the pledge that Long Hair and the Sioux -should never be at enmity. And has the enmity been of Long Hair’s -seeking? Nay! The red men started to slay. The Long Hair must go with -his people. Has he done wrong? - -“See! Must Pa-e-has-ka die?” and he held up the trophy again. - -A deathlike silence had fallen upon the lodge. The old chief was -greatly moved, and for an Indian--especially a councilor--to show -emotion is a disgrace. Perhaps, too, his mind was filled with thoughts -of the Wise Woman, of whom Buffalo Bill had spoken so feelingly. - -Years before, when Oak Heart was a much younger man, the tribe had -raided far to the south, by the waters of a great river. They had come -upon a ranchman and his family, killed him, flung his body into the -river, and taken his wife, a beautiful white squaw, captive. None but -the son of the ranchman--a mere child--escaped. He had been found and -cared for after the massacre by Buffalo Bill. - -The white squaw’s brain had been turned by the horror of that time. -She wandered about the encampment in a dazed state. The Indians have -a great awe of those who are insane, believing that the finger of the -Great Spirit has touched them. She was cared for tenderly and brought -north with the tribe. - -She was a skilful woman with herbs and simples. She nursed the wounded -warriors; she helped the women in travail; she cared for the children -and the young squaws. She was much beloved. Her influence, even before -her mind cleared, became one for great good in the tribe. - -Slowly she grew normal once more. Years had passed. Instead of golden -tresses, her hair was as white as the snow upon the mountain peaks. Yet -she was still a young woman and good to look upon. Oak Heart loved her. -He had treated her with the utmost respect and kindness. She had lived -so long among the redskins that she had lost all distaste for them, -and had imbibed many of their religious beliefs. She was unutterably -opposed to the warring of the tribe with the whites, however. - -Her husband and children were dead--and the past was dead. She espoused -Oak Heart so as to retain her influence over him and over the tribe, -for the good of the whites. It was after that that Buffalo Bill met the -Wise Woman and knew who she was. But he had never told her that her son -was alive, for fear that the knowledge would do the poor woman more -harm than good. Also, she had a child by Oak Heart--the White Antelope. -But she died when the girl was small. - -Possibly thoughts of the dead woman moved the old chief. Besides, the -peace-pipe was a sacred pledge. He suddenly rose, threw around him his -blanket, and, standing in the midst of the lodge, spoke impressively: - -“The Pa-e-has-ka is a friend to Oak Heart. When the hatchet shall be -buried between the red men and the palefaces, they shall be brothers -again. But now the palefaces are on the trail of my people; so let the -Pa-e-has-ka hasten from us and join his own tribe. Not one of my braves -shall follow him. Oak Heart has spoken.” - -There were murmurs about the lodge, but no chief at the moment put -his objections in words. Buffalo Bill found the White Antelope’s hand -seeking his own. She acted more like a modest and timid white girl than -ever before. - -“Let the white chief come with me,” she whispered. “I have something to -show him.” - -The amazed scout went with her out of the grand lodge and was taken to -her own teepee. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIX. CONCLUSION. - - -The wondering Indians allowed the White Antelope and Long Hair to pass. -Inside the teepee an old woman kept watch and guard. A figure lay upon -a heap of furs. It moved as the scout entered, raised on its elbow, and -a weak voice exclaimed: - -“By the nine gods of war! Thanks be it’s you, Cody! I thought you’d -never come, though this dear girl here swore you would, as you had -promised her.” - -To see one whom we believe dead--aye, have seen lying stark on the -field of battle and believe to have been buried there--rise up suddenly -and confront us is indeed a shock. Buffalo Bill fell back a step, -exclaiming: - -“Dick Danforth!” - -“’Tis I, old faithful! Thanks to this girl--who is the whitest Injun -God ever made--I am alive, the sole survivor of my unfortunate party.” - -“Dick, I saw you lying on the field of battle,” declared the scout, -taking his hand. “How came you here?” - -“She brought me back to life. She found there was life in me. I had -got a terrible crack on the head. She and the old woman brought me -here, and I have been hidden in this teepee ever since. I’m a whole lot -better now, Cody. I believe I could ride a horse.” - -“And the White Antelope has cared for you?” cried the scout. - -“She has, indeed.” Then the young man whispered: “Isn’t she beautiful? -And how glad I am, old man, that you stayed my hand that day when I -would have murdered her!” - -“Ho, ho!” muttered the scout. “Sets the wind in that quarter? I must -tell you two young people something before more mischief be done.” - -He seized the girl’s hand and drew her forward to the side of -Danforth’s couch. - -“White Antelope,” he said in English, “do you remember that I told you -once I knew your mother?” - -She nodded, watching him with bright eyes. - -“She was a lovely woman. She was a white woman. It was true she was -Oak Heart’s wife, but she had been espoused before by a good and great -white man. He was killed by Oak Heart’s people, and for a time your -mother was stricken by the mercy of the Great Spirit with forgetfulness. - -“When she came to herself she believed that her husband and her son -were dead. She became Oak Heart’s squaw. But her son was not dead. I -had saved him from the Indians, and he lived to grow up----” - -Danforth raised himself up with a great cry. - -“You do not mean it! It is impossible!” he cried. “This girl----?” - -“Is your sister. White Antelope, this young man is your elder -brother--and a mighty fine fellow you’ll find him. Your mother was the -finest woman I ever knew, and _your_ father, Dick--God help him!--was -once the finest fellow in the world!” - -The scout choked and was silent. He was thinking of that awful, -convulsed face of the Mad Hunter as he fell backward from the summit of -the bluff, with Texas Jack’s bullet in his brain! - -“He--he is my brother?” murmured the girl, her eyes shining. - -“That’s what he is,” said the scout, recovering himself and speaking -heartily. - -She went to Danforth and put both her hands in his. The young fellow -suddenly pulled her down to him and kissed her on the lips. - -“That’s the way _white_ brothers and sisters greet each other,” he -said, with a weak laugh. “When can you get us away from this camp, -Cody?” - -That was a question easier to be asked than answered. But the -excitement over the letting of Cody himself go free aided them in their -attempt. The chiefs were murmuring against the decision of Oak Heart. -The old man was fighting for his supremacy as head chief of the tribe. -He could not even see the White Antelope, and shut her out of his lodge. - -This piqued the wayward girl. She was the more ready to go with her -new-found brother, as he was ill and needed her. But she only agreed -to go with him to Fort Resistence and then directly return. But Dick -Danforth said confidently: - -“Let me once get her away from the influence of these bloody redskins, -and I’ll wean her away from them. I know what will please a young girl -like her. I’ll take her to San Francisco, Bill. Thanks to you, I’ve -some property of my own left of my poor father’s estate. And isn’t she -a beauty! Won’t she make ’em sit up and take notice at the Bay?” - -Under cover of the night the scout and the Indian maid helped the -wounded Danforth upon a horse, and the three wended their way from -the encampment. They were not followed--or, at least, were not -overtaken--until they reached Captain Keyes’ command. Then they were -hurried on under an escort to Resistence. White Antelope made no -objection to going, her brother was so weak and needed her so much. - -Indeed, the wily young fellow remained an invalid so long that his -sister became half-reconciled to civilized clothing and to white people -before they took the long journey to San Francisco, where Dick went to -spend the furlough allowed him by the department. - - * * * * * - -The scene changes once more to Fort Advance, some days after that on -which Buffalo Bill, the Border King, had set out on his dangerous -mission to the village of the Sioux. It is a little past sunrise, and a -horseman is descried taking the trail from the cañon toward the fort. -He is mounted on a great white charger that comes like the wind. - -The rider looks pale and jaded, and his buckskin attire has seen hard -usage. But he is recognized by the sentinel over the gate, and his cry -is repeated about the fort: - -“Here comes Buffalo Bill, the King of the Border!” - -Waving his battered hat in response to the shout, Buffalo Bill rides -straight to the open gate, enters, and dismounts before Major Baldwin’s -door. An orderly seizes his bridle-rein, and the major comes forth and -grasps the scout’s hand with the words: - -“Thanks be to God for seeing you again alive, Cody! When Keyes told me -you were safe, I felt like ordering a feast to celebrate the occasion. -And they say the Sioux are ready for peace?” - -“I believe they are. Oak Heart has pretty much lost his grip on the -tribe, and is an outcast. But the new powers-that-be have seen the -fallacy of trying issues again with us.” - -“We certainly believed you dead one while, Cody.” - -“And it was a close shave not to be this time, sir.” - -“You have won out as usual, Bill, with flying colors.” - -“Yes, Major Baldwin. I went to Oak Heart’s village with the firm -determination to get Boyd Bennett if it cost me my life. That scoundrel -had been a thorn in my side too long. I got him. He’s dead. He’ll do no -more harm _this_ side of the Great Divide!” - -“A good piece of work, Cody. And I understand that old maniac, the Mad -Hunter, who attacked Keyes, is dead, too?” - -“That is so. But I am sorry for _his_ end. I tell you in confidence, -major, that the man was Dick Danforth’s father--though I never -suspected it until I saw his face close to. The Indians were supposed -to have cracked him on the head and flung him into the river years ago. -The crack on the head was sure enough. But he wasn’t drowned. His end -has come now, poor fellow.” - -“And Dick wonderfully saved!” - -“He is, indeed--and has found a sister.” - -“Ah, Cody! That was a joker you kept up your sleeve a long time,” said -the major. - -“True. I knew the boy’s hatred for all savages. I did not know about -his poor mother and this girl until I had really instilled some of the -boy’s hatred into his mind myself. I feared for him to know the truth. -Yet I wanted to save her from the savages. Providence performed what I -could not.” - -“True.... But those scalp-locks, Cody?” asked Major Baldwin, pointing -to the string of ghastly trophies hanging from the scout’s belt. - -“Oh, those are the roofs of the braves who tried to raise my hair. I -intended to have a rope made of them to hang Boyd Bennett with, but -I’ll have them made into a bridle for you, instead, major.” - -“All right, scout. Thank you for the gift. And now you are free. Report -to me in full when you have rested,” and with another hand-clasp the -major let him go. - -Many other hands were waiting to clasp that of the Border King. It was -some time before he could break away and find Texas Jack in the scouts’ -quarters. - -But times of rest were few and far between for these hardy men of the -frontier. One tribe of red men were scarcely subjugated for the time -when another would rise up to kill and slay. It was not long before -Buffalo Bill was performing more daring deeds to add to his fame upon -the border. - -THE END. - - * * * * * - -Say, Boys! - -How’d you like to own your own bronc’? How’d you like to be an expert -at lassoing and branding? How’d you like to ride the rolling prairies -in search of lost stock, and perhaps have an adventure or two with -certain bad men who did not like you because you were on the side of -law and order? How would you like it? - -Well, we all cannot go west and be cowboys, but we sure can pay 15 -cents for the stories in the _Western Story Library_, and find a good, -comfortable spot, and immediately imagine ourselves riding with Ted -Strong and his broncho boys, sharing their adventures, their hardships -and pleasures. - -Ted Strong and his pals are lovable fellows--every one of them, and you -will do well to make comrades of them. - -Ask your dealer to show you a copy of the _Western Story Library_. - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - 79 Seventh Avenue New York City - - * * * * * - -WESTERN STORIES ABOUT BUFFALO BILL - -Price, Fifteen Cents - -Red-blooded Adventure Stories for Men - -There is no more romantic character in American history than William -F. Cody, or as he was internationally known, Buffalo Bill. He, with -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, Wild Bill Hickok, General Custer, and a few -other adventurous spirits, laid the foundation of our great West. - -There is no more brilliant page in American history than the winning of -the West. Never did pioneers live more thrilling lives, so rife with -adventure and brave deeds as the old scouts and plainsmen. Foremost -among these stands the imposing figure of Buffalo Bill. - -All of the books in this list are intensely interesting. They were -written by the close friend and companion of Buffalo Bill--Colonel -Prentiss Ingraham. They depict actual adventures which this pair of -hard-hitting comrades experienced, while the story of these adventures -is interwoven with fiction; historically the books are correct. - -_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1--Buffalo Bill, the Border King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 2--Buffalo Bill’s Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 3--Buffalo Bill’s Bravery By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 4--Buffalo Bill’s Trump Card By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 5--Buffalo Bill’s Pledge By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 6--Buffalo Bill’s Vengeance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 7--Buffalo Bill’s Iron Grip By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 8--Buffalo Bill’s Capture By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 9--Buffalo Bill’s Danger Line By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 10--Buffalo Bill’s Comrades By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 11--Buffalo Bill’s Reckoning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 12--Buffalo Bill’s Warning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 13--Buffalo Bill at Bay By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 14--Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Pards By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 15--Buffalo Bill’s Brand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 16--Buffalo Bill’s Honor By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 17--Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 18--Buffalo Bill’s Fight With Fire By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 19--Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 20--Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 21--Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 22--Buffalo Bill’s Trackers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 23--Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 24--Buffalo Bill, Ambassador By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 25--Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 26--Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 27--Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 28--Buffalo Bill Against Odds By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 29--Buffalo Bill’s Hot Chase By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 30--Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Ally By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 31--Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Trove By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 32--Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Foes By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 33--Buffalo Bill’s Crack Shot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 34--Buffalo Bill’s Close Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 35--Buffalo Bill’s Double Surprise By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 36--Buffalo Bill’s Ambush By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 37--Buffalo Bill’s Outlaw Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 38--Buffalo Bill’s Border Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 39--Buffalo Bill’s Bid for Fame By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 40--Buffalo Bill’s Triumph By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 41--Buffalo Bill’s Spy Trailer By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 42--Buffalo Bill’s Death Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 43--Buffalo Bill’s Body Guard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 44--Buffalo Bill’s Still Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 45--Buffalo Bill and the Doomed Dozen By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 46--Buffalo Bill’s Prairie Scout By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 47--Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Guide By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 48--Buffalo Bill’s Bonanza By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 49--Buffalo Bill’s Swoop By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 50--Buffalo Bill and the Gold King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 51--Buffalo Bill, Deadshot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 52--Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravos By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 53--Buffalo Bill’s Big Four By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 54--Buffalo Bill’s One-armed Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 55--Buffalo Bill’s Race for Life By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 56--Buffalo Bill’s Return By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 57--Buffalo Bill’s Conquest By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 58--Buffalo Bill to the Rescue By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 59--Buffalo Bill’s Beautiful Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 60--Buffalo Bill’s Perilous Task By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 61--Buffalo Bill’s Queer Find By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 62--Buffalo Bill’s Blind Lead By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 63--Buffalo Bill’s Resolution By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 64--Buffalo Bill, the Avenger By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 65--Buffalo Bill’s Pledged Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 66--Buffalo Bill’s Weird Warning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 67--Buffalo Bill’s Wild Ride By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 68--Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Stampede By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 69--Buffalo Bill’s Mine Mystery By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 70--Buffalo Bill’s Gold Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 71--Buffalo Bill’s Daring Dash By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 72--Buffalo Bill on Hand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 73--Buffalo Bill’s Alliance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 74--Buffalo Bill’s Relentless Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 75--Buffalo Bill’s Midnight Ride By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 76--Buffalo Bill’s Chivalry By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 77--Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 78--Buffalo Bill’s Private War By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 79--Buffalo Bill’s Diamond Mine By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 80--Buffalo Bill’s Big Contract By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 81--Buffalo Bill’s Woman Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 82--Buffalo Bill’s Ruse By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 83--Buffalo Bill’s Pursuit By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 84--Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Gold By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 85--Buffalo Bill in Mid-air By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 86--Buffalo Bill’s Queer Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 87--Buffalo Bill’s Verdict By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 88--Buffalo Bill’s Ordeal By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 89--Buffalo Bill’s Camp Fires By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 90--Buffalo Bill’s Iron Nerve By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 91--Buffalo Bill’s Rival By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 92--Buffalo Bill’s Lone Hand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 93--Buffalo Bill’s Sacrifice By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 94--Buffalo Bill’s Thunderbolt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 95--Buffalo Bill’s Black Fortune By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 96--Buffalo Bill’s Wild Work By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 97--Buffalo Bill’s Yellow Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 98--Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Train By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 99--Buffalo Bill’s Bowie Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 100--Buffalo Bill’s Mystery Man By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 101--Buffalo Bill’s Bold Play By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 102--Buffalo Bill: Peacemaker By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 103--Buffalo Bill’s Big Surprise By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 104--Buffalo Bill’s Barricade By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 105--Buffalo Bill’s Test By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 106--Buffalo Bill’s Powwow By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 107--Buffalo Bill’s Stern Justice By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 108--Buffalo Bill’s Mysterious Friend By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 109--Buffalo Bill and the Boomers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 110--Buffalo Bill’s Panther Fight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 111--Buffalo Bill and the Overland Mail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 112--Buffalo Bill on the Deadwood Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 113--Buffalo Bill in Apache Land By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 114--Buffalo Bill’s Blindfold Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 115--Buffalo Bill and the Lone Camper By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 116--Buffalo Bill’s Merry War By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 117--Buffalo Bill’s Star Play By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 118--Buffalo Bill’s War Cry By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 119--Buffalo Bill on Black Panther’s Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 120--Buffalo Bill’s Slim Chance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 121--Buffalo Bill Besieged By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 122--Buffalo Bill’s Bandit Round-up By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 123--Buffalo Bill’s Surprise Party By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 124--Buffalo Bill’s Lightning Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 125--Buffalo Bill in Mexico By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 126--Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 127--Buffalo Bill’s Tireless Chase By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 128--Buffalo Bill’s Boy Bugler By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 129--Buffalo Bill’s Sure Guess By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 130--Buffalo Bill’s Record Jump By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 131--Buffalo Bill in the Land of Dread By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 132--Buffalo Bill’s Tangled Clue By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 133--Buffalo Bill’s Wolf Skin By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - * * * * * - - _Adventure Stories_ - _Detective Stories_ - _Western Stories_ - _Love Stories_ - _Sea Stories_ - -All classes of fiction are to be found among the Street & Smith novels. -Our line contains reading matter for every one, irrespective of age or -preference. - -The person who has only a moderate sum to spend on reading matter will -find this line a veritable gold mine. - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION, - 79 Seventh Avenue, - New York, N. Y. - - * * * * * - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Punctuation has been made consistent. - -Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in -the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have -been corrected. - -The following changes were made: - -p. 17: when assumed for unintelligible word (volunteer when you were) - -p. 34: means assumed for unintelligible word (wonderful means of) - -p. 69: wise scout assumed for unintelligible words (the wise scout had) - -p. 77: to assumed for unintelligible word (blow to Oak) - -p. 120: done assumed for unintelligible word (was done. It) - -p. 120: officer assumed for unintelligible word (the officer descried) - -p. 226: flung assumed for unintelligible word (mother flung him) - -p. 228: unintelligible word(s) deleted (he feared and) - -p. 292: a assumed for unintelligible word (seemed a frail) - -p. 306: can assumed for unintelligible word (man can die) - -p. 314: Dick assumed for unintelligible word (And Dick wonderfully) - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Buffalo Bill, the Border King, by -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL, THE BORDER KING *** - -***** This file should be named 62638-0.txt or 62638-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/6/3/62638/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - |