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diff --git a/old/63176-0.txt b/old/63176-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8aaf143..0000000 --- a/old/63176-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12324 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Buffalo Bill's Girl Pard, by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Buffalo Bill's Girl Pard - Dauntless Dell's Daring - -Author: Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -Release Date: September 11, 2020 [EBook #63176] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL'S GIRL PARD *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Susan Carr and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard - - OR, - - DAUNTLESS DELL’S DARING - - BY - - Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - - Author of the celebrated “Buffalo Bill” stories published in the - BORDER STORIES. For other titles see catalogue. - - [Illustration: (Colophon)] - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - - - - +---------------------------------+ - | | - | Copyright, 1908 | - | By STREET & SMITH | - | ----- | - | Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard | - | | - | | - +---------------------------------+ - - - (Printed in the United States of America) - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian. - - - - - CONTENTS - - PAGE - IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY 1 - I. A DASTARDLY PLOT. 5 - II. FOUL PLAY. 18 - III. A QUEER CASE. 25 - IV. AT THE “EL RIO.” 38 - V. LITTLE CAYUSE ON THE WAR-PATH. 51 - VI. THE OLD SHAFT. 63 - VII. LAYING PLANS. 76 - VIII. THE ATTACK. 83 - IX. WORSTING THE RED THIEVES. 90 - X. THE WINNING HAND. 103 - XI. DELL, OF THE “DOUBLE D.” 109 - XII. TREACHERY DISCLOSED. 121 - XIII. THE NOTE AND THE ARROW. 128 - XIV. THE SCOUT’S LETTER. 135 - XV. LITTLE CAYUSE CAUGHT. 153 - XVI. THE RESCUE OF CAYUSE. 160 - XVII. BANKS AND HENDRICKS. 173 - XVIII. THE ISLAND. 187 - XIX. SENDING AWAY THE BUCKBOARD. 200 - XX. ALARMING NEWS. 211 - XXI. MESSENGERS TO BONITA. 218 - XXII. “’PACHES ARE UP!” 224 - XXIII. BUFFALO BILL’S VOW. 243 - XXIV. OFF FOR TONIO PASS. 256 - XXV. MODERN WITCHCRAFT. 263 - XXVI. THE AWAKENING. 269 - XXVII. LOCOED APACHES. 286 - XXVIII. THE CAVE NEAR THE PASS. 293 - XXIX. PARTING WITH THE GIRL PARD. 306 - - - - - IN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM F. CODY - - (BUFFALO BILL). - - -It is now some generations since Josh Billings, Ned Buntline, and -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, intimate friends of Colonel William F. -Cody, used to forgather in the office of Francis S. Smith, then -proprietor of the _New York Weekly_. It was a dingy little office on -Rose Street, New York, but the breath of the great outdoors stirred -there when these old-timers got together. As a result of these -conversations, Colonel Ingraham and Ned Buntline began to write of -the adventures of Buffalo Bill for Street & Smith. - -Colonel Cody was born in Scott County, Iowa, February 26, 1846. -Before he had reached his teens, his father, Isaac Cody, with his -mother and two sisters, migrated to Kansas, which at that time was -little more than a wilderness. - -When the elder Cody was killed shortly afterward in the Kansas -“Border War,” young Bill assumed the difficult rôle of family -breadwinner. During 1860, and until the outbreak of the Civil War, -Cody lived the arduous life of a pony-express rider. Cody volunteered -his services as government scout and guide and served throughout -the Civil War with Generals McNeil and A. J. Smith. He was a -distinguished member of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry. - -During the Civil War, while riding through the streets of St. Louis, -Cody rescued a frightened schoolgirl from a band of annoyers. In true -romantic style, Cody and Louisa Federci, the girl, were married March -6, 1866. - -In 1867 Cody was employed to furnish a specified amount of buffalo -meat to the construction men at work on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. -It was in this period that he received the sobriquet “Buffalo Bill.” - -In 1868 and for four years thereafter Colonel Cody served as scout -and guide in campaigns against the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. It was -General Sheridan who conferred on Cody the honor of chief of scouts -of the command. - -After completing a period of service in the Nebraska legislature, -Cody joined the Fifth Cavalry in 1876, and was again appointed chief -of scouts. - -Colonel Cody’s fame had reached the East long before, and a great -many New Yorkers went out to see him and join in his buffalo hunts, -including such men as August Belmont, James Gordon Bennett, Anson -Stager, and J. G. Heckscher. In entertaining these visitors at Fort -McPherson, Cody was accustomed to arrange wild-West exhibitions. In -return his friends invited him to visit New York. It was upon seeing -his first play in the metropolis that Cody conceived the idea of -going into the show business. - -Assisted by Ned Buntline, novelist, and Colonel Ingraham, he started -his “Wild West” show, which later developed and expanded into “A -Congress of the Rough Riders of the World,” first presented at Omaha, -Nebraska. In time it became a familiar yearly entertainment in the -great cities of this country and Europe. Many famous personages -attended the performances, and became his warm friends, including Mr. -Gladstone, the Marquis of Lome, King Edward, Queen Victoria, and the -Prince of Wales, now King of England. - -At the outbreak of the Sioux, in 1890 and 1891, Colonel Cody served -at the head of the Nebraska National Guard. In 1895 Cody took up the -development of Wyoming Valley by introducing irrigation. Not long -afterward he became judge advocate general of the Wyoming National -Guard. - -Colonel Cody (Buffalo Bill) died in Denver, Colorado, on January -10, 1917. His legacy to a grateful world was a large share in -the development of the West, and a multitude of achievements in -horsemanship, marksmanship, and endurance that will live for ages. -His life will continue to be a leading example of the manliness, -courage, and devotion to duty that belonged to a picturesque phase -of American life now passed, like the great patriot whose career it -typified, into the Great Beyond. - - - - - BUFFALO BILL’S GIRL PARD. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - A DASTARDLY PLOT. - - -Nate Bernritter, or “Bern,” as he was usually called when not -referred to as “the old man,” was in an unpleasant frame of mind. - -He was superintendent in charge of the mining, milling and cyaniding -at the Three-ply Gold-mine, but the cares of his official position -could not wholly have accounted for the perplexed frown on his brow, -the hunted look in his eyes, or the fierce, spasmodic clenching and -unclenching of his big, brown hands. - -Pacing the narrow confines of his office and chewing savagely on an -unlighted cigar, he muttered to himself, over and over again, his -voice a husky and hopeless whisper: - -“We’re at the end of our rope; McGowan has taken the one step that -will put the kibosh on us. Had we better duck out of here between two -days and get across the Mexican border, or stay and try and brazen -the matter out?” - -He stopped before a window. Leaning against the wall, he looked out -dejectedly. - -The “plant” of the Three-ply lay below him, in the bottom of the -scarred and blistered valley. - -Off to the right was the bunk-house and chuck-shanty. Several rods -below the bunk-house was the ten-stamp mill, throbbing with the roar -of the great stamps pounding out the gold. To the left of the mill -were rows of big wooden tanks, where the mill “tailings” were treated -with cyanid of potassium; and to the left of the tanks again, was the -little adobe laboratory where the man--Jacobs by name--who had charge -of the cyaniding, made his tests and did the assaying, refined mill, -and cyanid bullion, and ran it into molds. - -Teamsters were hauling ore to the mill, miners were coming and -going between the shaft-house and the blacksmith-shop, Mexicans -were hovering over the tops of the cyanid-tanks, dumping into them -wheelbarrow-loads of “tailings,” and everywhere was a scene of the -utmost activity. - -Bernritter’s moody eyes took no account of all the bustle and energy -which spelled success for the Three-ply plant and prosperity for its -owner, Patrick McGowan. Bernritter’s unofficial affairs were in a -tangle, and his everlasting ruin seemed imminent. - -When men betray an employer’s trust and do evil and dishonest things, -they must expect to have an uneasy conscience. But it was more than -an uneasy conscience that troubled Bernritter: His fears told him -that he was face to face with exposure and punishment, unless he made -some move for his own safety. - -As he stared absently through the window, a buxom girl of twenty -strolled into his range of vision. Her sleeves were rolled up, she -wore an apron, and her course was taking her from the laboratory by -the tanks toward the chuck-shanty. - -Her name was Frieda Schlagel. As might be suspected by the name, and -further guessed from her appearance, she was German. Frieda and her -mother did the cooking for the camp. - -It was not the girl, however, who claimed Bernritter’s attention, but -a man--likewise a German--who was walking beside her and awkwardly -playing the gallant. - -The man was a comical specimen for a lover. He looked like a fall -pippin balanced on a couple of toothpicks. An “Old Country” cap -rested on the back of his head, there was a long pipe in his teeth, -and he wore a California poppy in his buttonhole. - -As he walked, he tried to take the girl’s hand, and more than once -attempted to put his arm about her ample waist. The girl, laughing -the while, slapped her suitor’s face and, finally, knocked the pipe -out of his mouth. - -There was humor in the situation, had Bernritter been in a mood -to see it. But he was not. From the _herr_ and the _fraulein_ the -super’s eyes wandered to the laboratory, near which was secured a -horse, saddled, bridled, and with saddle-bags in place. - -The horse was fresh from the corral. Bernritter knew it belonged to -the Dutchman, and that the Dutchman was about to leave camp, and was -taking his farewell of Frieda. - -A glimmer shot into the super’s eye as a treacherous plan formed -itself in his brain. Alert and resourceful at once, he stepped to the -office door, called a passing Mexican, and told him to send Jacobs to -the office immediately. - -When Jacobs--a slender man with a hint of Jewish origin in his -face--entered the office, a moment later, he found Bernritter smoking -his cigar and sitting in front of his desk. - -“You sent for me?” queried Jacobs, with an odd, furtive glance of the -eyes. - -“I did, Jacobs,” answered Bernritter. “Shut the door, pull a chair -close up, and sit down.” - -Jacobs, plainly nervous, obeyed the super’s orders. - -“What’s wrong?” he asked. - -“You know, I suppose, that McGowan is determined to find out what -becomes of the bullion he has been losing.” - -“It is but natural,” returned Jacobs, drumming on the chair-arms with -his fingers. - -Significant glances passed between himself and Bernritter. - -“You’re running out a bar of cyanid bullion this morning, aren’t -you?” queried Bernritter. - -“Yes,” answered Jacobs, wondering why the super had so abruptly -mentioned the cyanid bullion. - -“Is the bar out of the mold? Is it cool enough to handle?” - -“It is. Why?” - -“I’ll tell you in a moment. Just now there is a bit of quick work for -you to do. I am expecting McGowan back from Phœnix at any moment, and -I am expecting that Dutchman, who has been in camp for the last few -days, to pull out as soon as he can break away from Frieda. What I -want you to do, Jacobs, is _to take that bar of cyanid bullion and -put it in the Dutchman’s saddle-bags_!” - -Jacobs sprang up excitedly. - -“Why----” he began, but was impatiently interrupted by Bernritter. - -“Put the bar of bullion in the saddle-bags, and don’t let any one see -you. Then come back here and I’ll explain.” - -Jacobs’ face was now reflecting some of the alarm and fear which had -been shown in the super’s. He hesitated a moment, then turned, left -the office, and hastened back to the laboratory. - -He was back in less than five minutes. - -“It is done, Bern,” he announced, in a low voice. - -Bernritter looked toward the chuck-shanty. The Dutchman, all -unsuspicious of the treachery just done him, was still talking with -Frieda at the chuck-shanty door. - -Bernritter drew a long breath of relief. - -“Do you know why McGowan went to Phœnix, Jacobs?” he asked. - -“No.” - -“Well, the man called Buffalo Bill is in Phœnix. Buffalo Bill is an -Indian-fighter. McGowan suspects that an organized gang of Apaches, -in some manner, is looting the Three-ply of its bullion. He is going -to ask Buffalo Bill to help him locate the red thieves, and capture -them.” - -“But this Buffalo Bill is employed by the government,” said Jacobs, -his brown face growing pale. “He would not leave his government work -to help McGowan on a job that manifestly belongs to the sheriff of -the county.” - -“You can’t tell, any more than I can, what Buffalo Bill will do!” -said Bernritter sharply. “The governor is a friend of McGowan’s, and -Buffalo Bill is a friend of the governor’s. If the governor asks -Buffalo Bill to do this for McGowan, the chances are that Buffalo -Bill will get on the job. If he _does_----” - -Bernritter ground his teeth. - -“What--if he does?” came from Jacobs. - -“It’s all day with you and me, Jacobs,” finished Bernritter; “we -should have to make a getaway at once, and get over into Sonora. I -don’t want to leave here until we make our big clean-up. Then we can -clear out with plenty of gold.” - -Jacobs fell back in his chair and breathed hard. - -“What about the Dutchman?” he asked. - -“His name is Schnitzenhauser, isn’t it?” - -“Something like that.” - -Bernritter took another look through the window. The Dutchman, -whistling blithely, had left the chuck-shanty. Every once in a -while he would turn around to wave his cap and throw a kiss to the -plump-faced Frieda, who stood in the door. - -Bernritter watched until Schnitzenhauser reached his horse, untied -the animal from the post, and climbed into the saddle. Frieda, by -that time, had vanished from the door. - -“There he goes,” muttered Bernritter. “Jacobs, we must plan to get -the Dutchman suspected! That will carry suspicions away from us--at -least, until the redskins help us make our big clean-up. _Then_ we’ll -pull out with all the gold our horses can carry.” - -“A good plan,” returned Jacobs, casting a wary, guilty glance around -the office. “But how is it to be done?” - -“Listen,” said Bernritter, leaning close to his confederate and -sinking his voice to a whisper. - -With their heads together, the two scoundrels plotted together for -several minutes; then, hearing a heavy step on the walk outside the -door, they drew apart suddenly. - -The door opened, and a tall, thin man with a gray mustache, booted, -spurred, and covered with the dust of a long ride, pushed into the -office. - -“How are ye, lads?” cried the newcomer heartily, dropping into a -chair. “Just in from Phœnix, and just sent my horse to the corral. -How’s everything been going at the mine since I left?” - -“All right, McGowan,” answered Bernritter. “Jacobs just came to -report that he has a five-pound bar from the cyanid clean-up.” - -“Well, for Heaven’s sake, Jacobs, take care of it,” said McGowan. - -“I’ll try to, sir,” smiled Jacobs, masking as well as he could the -evil in his heart. - -He left immediately. - -“What luck in Phœnix, McGowan?” asked the super, with great show of -interest. - -“No luck at all, at all,” grumbled McGowan. “Buffalo Bill won’t help -us. He says it’s a job for the sheriff, and that he has other fish to -fry.” - -Although secretly delighted, Bernritter’s face contrived to express -disappointment. - -“Did you go to the sheriff?” he asked. - -“Fiend take the sheriff!” growled McGowan. “Hasn’t he been out here -and tried? What did he accomplish? Not a thing! The sheriff’s no -good. If he attempts----” - -The door was abruptly hurled open, and Jacobs showed himself. He -looked wild and excited. - -“The bullion!” he gasped; “the bar----” He could hardly talk, and -gripped at the edge of the super’s desk to hold himself upright. - -Bernritter, apparently astounded, rose to his feet. McGowan leaped -at Jacobs and grabbed him by the shoulder. - -“What’s the matter?” demanded the super. - -“Speak out!” cried McGowan. “This ain’t a time to hang fire. What’s -the matter with the bullion?” - -“It’s gone!” groaned Jacobs, dropping down in a chair beside the desk. - -The superintendent and the cyanid expert were playing a game and -playing it well. - -“Gone!” shouted McGowan. “You don’t mean to tell me that some more of -my good bullion has been lifted?” - -“It--it was in the laboratory,” answered Jacobs, “and--and it isn’t -there now.” - -“By the powers! Bernritter, what do you think of this?” - -McGowan whirled on the super. - -“Why didn’t you take care of that bullion, Jacobs?” demanded -Bernritter. - -“I did take care of it. I had just turned the bar out of the mold -when you sent for me. I cooled it off and put it in the safe. When I -went back to the laboratory, just now, the safe was open and the bar -had disappeared.” - -“It must have been some of the greasers who are filling the tanks,” -hazarded McGowan. - -“It couldn’t have been,” protested Jacobs. “The foreman told me, not -more than a minute ago, that not one of them had left the work. They -were all under his eyes.” - -“It may have been the foreman himself,” suggested Bernritter. - -“What!” scoffed McGowan; “Andy O’Connell? Not on your life! I’d stake -all I’ve got on Andy, Jacobs,” and McGowan’s eyes glittered as he -wheeled on the cyanid expert, “it’s up to you to explain this.” - -“Do you think for a minute,” cried Jacobs, “that I’d----” - -“I said it is up to you to explain. What I think hasn’t anything to -do with it. Did you turn off the combination of the safe when you -left the laboratory?” - -“I--I think not,” was the hesitating response. - -“Fact is, McGowan,” put in Bernritter, “I sent for Jacobs in a hurry. -I was figuring out the returns of the cyanid-plant, and I needed the -weight and fineness of that bar to complete my figures.” - -“That’s no excuse,” stormed McGowan. “Jacobs should have turned the -knob on that bar before ever he left the office.” - -“By George!” - -Bernritter gave a jump, as though an idea had just flickered through -his brain. - -“Well?” demanded McGowan. - -“That Dutchman! He had hitched his horse down by the laboratory, and -he was up at the kitchen with Frieda when Jacobs came here. While -Jacobs and I were talking, he went down to the laboratory and rode -away. Perhaps----” - -“That Dutchman seemed honest enough to me,” demurred McGowan. “He has -been hanging out here for several days, but we began to miss gold -long before he came.” - -“At the mill, yes,” said Bernritter, “but this is the first bullion -that has gotten away from the cyanid-plant.” - -“Well, I don’t believe that Dutchman had anything to do with it.” - -“His horse was hitched by the laboratory,” persisted Bernritter. -“It would have been possible for him to go into the office and take -advantage of Jacobs’ absence to lift the bar.” - -“He was snooping around the laboratory all day yesterday,” spoke up -Jacobs. - -“Getting the lay of things, I’ll bet something handsome,” averred -Bernritter. “Did he ask you anything about the cyanid clean-up, -Jacobs?” - -“Come to think of it,” answered Jacobs, “I believe he did.” - -“I thought he was too much interested in Frieda to pay attention to -any one, or anything, else around this camp,” remarked McGowan. - -“More than likely,” suggested the super, “his fancy for Frieda was -only a blind. It’s possible that he has had an eye on the cyanid -bullion ever since he struck the Three-ply.” - -“Faith,” said McGowan, “I can size a man up pretty well, and if that -Dutchman is crooked I’ll be a mightily surprised man.” - -“You say, Mr. McGowan,” said Jacobs, “that it is up to me to explain. -Well, if that Dutchman doesn’t know anything about the bar, I can’t -explain. In justice to me, sir, you ought to overhaul him on the -trail, and find out whether he knows anything about the gold.” - -McGowan was thoughtful for a moment. - -“There’s reason in that, Jacobs,” he answered. “I’ll wrong no man, if -I can help it, with unjust suspicions; but, as between you and the -Dutchman, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Go to the corral -and get three horses.” - -A gleam of triumph darted into Bernritter’s eye, and was telegraphed -to Jacobs, as the latter left the office. - -McGowan stepped to the door and made a trumpet of his hands. - -“Frieda!” he shouted. - -The girl appeared in the door of the chuck-shanty, and McGowan -motioned for her to come to the office. - -An order from the “boss” was to be obeyed instantly, at all -times, and Frieda hurried across the intervening stretch and came -breathlessly into the room where the two men were sitting. - -“Vat id iss, Misder McGowan?” asked Frieda. - -“I’d like to have you tell me what you know about the Dutchman, -Schnitzenhauser, who seems to have been tied to your apron-strings -during the last few days?” - -“Ach, he iss a fine chentleman, I bed you!” declared Frieda. - -“I presume so,” said McGowan dryly. “Bedad, it looks like he’d made -something of an impression on you.” - -“Impression, iss id? Vell, meppy; only I don’d tell him dot.” - -Frieda blushed, and snickered, and then grew very much confused, -dropped her eyes, and pulled the edge of her apron through her plump -fingers. - -“Where did he come from?” asked McGowan. - -“He say dot he come from Yuma,” was the stifled response. - -“Yuma!” muttered Bernritter. “Why, they have a penitentiary at Yuma. -Possibly the Dutchman broke away from there and----” - -Frieda lifted her head quick enough, at that. Her eyes snapped, and -she stamped her foot. - -“You t’ink he vas a chailpird, huh?” she cried fiercely. “Vell, you -haf some more t’inks coming. He iss a chentleman, I tell you.” - -“His full name is----” began McGowan, then stopped inquiringly. - -“Villum von Schnitzenhauser,” cried the girl, throwing back her -shoulders proudly, “und he iss a baron ven he iss at home in der -Faterland.” She folded her arms. “_Now_, I bed you,” she said, -with an angry flash at the super, “you von’t say dot he iss some -chailpirds! A baron! Ha! Baron von Schnitzenhauser, und a pedder man -as you, Nade Pernritter.” - -“Baron!” sneered the super. “Bosh! That makes me think more than ever -that he’s crooked.” He turned to McGowan. “The Dutchman wouldn’t tell -the girl such a yarn as that if he was straight.” - -“Look, vonce,” cried Frieda. “He von py his pravery der orter oof der -Plack Eagle, und he showed id to me. So!” - -“Probably his order of the Black Eagle was a tin tobacco-tag,” came -sarcastically from the super. “Frieda wouldn’t know the difference.” - -“Iss dot so?” returned Frieda scornfully. “I don’d vas so pig a fool -as I look, den. No man can fool me, und you can’t fool me, neider. I -vill tell you someding else.” - -“What?” asked McGowan. - -“Der baron iss a pard oof Buffalo Pill’s!” - -The girl’s pride grew to towering dimensions when she said this. Her -chin went up in the air and her blue eyes gleamed like a pair of -diamonds. - -Bernritter looked startled, for a moment, then smiled disdainfully. - -“Another yarn, McGowan,” said he. - -“An interesting yarn, anyhow,” answered McGowan. “Why hasn’t he said -something about being a pard of Buffalo Bill’s to the rest of us?” - -“He say dot he stop in dis camp shust pecause oof me,” blushed -Frieda, “und he don’d tell nopody else der segret oof his being pards -mit Puffalo Pill.” - -At that moment Jacobs arrived with the horses. - -“That will do, Frieda,” said McGowan. “I hope, for your sake, that -the Dutchman is all he represented himself to be.” - -McGowan and Bernritter went out and climbed into their waiting -saddles. - -“Which way did the fellow go, I wonder?” muttered the super. - -“He took the Phœnix trail,” said McGowan. “I passed him on the road.” - -The three horses were put to the gallop and the mine-owner and his -assistants dashed out of the camp. - -Frieda watched them until they disappeared, and then went back to the -chuck-shanty with something like alarm in her eyes. - -“Dere iss somet’ing oop,” she murmured, “und I hope dot nodding goes -wrong mit Villum.” - -The plot was thickening, however, and “Villum” was booked for -considerable trouble. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - FOUL PLAY. - - -The reader, perhaps, will have recognized the baron from the -description of him already given, and will know at once that he told -Frieda the truth when he said he was a pard of Buffalo Bill’s. - -The baron had been sojourning at Yuma--not in the penitentiary, as -Bernritter insinuated--but in one of the town’s best hotels. - -He had received a telegram saying that the scout would be in Phœnix -at a certain time, and he had started for Phœnix. After several days -of leisurely travel, halting betimes at ranches and settlements, Fate -directed the German to the Three-ply Mine. - -It was the baron’s intention to halt at the Three-ply merely long -enough to water his horse and himself, and inquire his most direct -road to his destination. But Frieda came out to give him his -directions, and the baron’s heart began to pound like a trip-hammer. - -Instead of asking which way he ought to go, the baron inquired if he -could stay in the camp for a day or two, paying good money for his -accommodation. _Frau_ Schlagel, Frieda’s mother, kept all such money -as her own perquisite, and the doughty baron was made welcome. - -He stayed four days, and hung about the chuck-shanty nearly the -entire time. - -The baron wanted Frieda to become Mrs. Von Schnitzenhauser. Frieda -declined the honor, but she did it in such a way as to give the baron -grounds for hope. - -At any rate, the baron went off whistling “Die Wacht am Rhein,” and -so pleased was he with himself, and so wrapped up in his future -prospects, that he did not notice the unusual sagging of one of his -saddle-bags. - -The baron rode slowly. He wanted to commune with himself, and a -slow pace made it easier--likewise it made it easier for McGowan, -Bernritter, and Jacobs to catch up with him. - -“I vill meed Puffalo Pill in Phœnix,” thought the baron, “und I vill -tell him how id vas. I haf peen a flying Dutchman long enough, und if -Frieda vill haf me for vorse or pedder, den I vill kevit dis roaming -pitzness und seddle down. I vill ged a leedle golt-mine somevere und -dig goldt for a lifing, und Frieda vill take care oof der house for -me, und eferyt’ing vill be schust so fine as I can’t tell. Py shinks, -but I’m a lucky Dutchman!” - -Just then the baron heard some one yelling at him from behind. He -drew rein, and turned in his saddle. - -“Himmelplitzen!” he muttered. “Dose fellers haf come from der -Dree-ply Mine. Vone iss McGowan, who iss a pooty goot feller; und -dere iss der suberintendent, who iss not so goot a feller, und -Chacops, who iss vorse. Vat iss id dey vant oof me?” - -While the baron sat his horse and waited, he had a foolish thought -that made his heart skip a couple of beats. - -“Vat oof Frieda has sent dem afder me to say dot she vill haf me, -afder all?” the baron fondly asked himself. “Dot’s id, I ped you! -Ach, py shimineddy, vat a luck id iss! Oof dere is anypody any blace -any habbier dan vat I am, den I don’d know where!” - -McGowan, Bernritter, and Jacobs came alongside the baron, and stood -their horses in a triangle around him. Bernritter and Jacobs had each -a hand pushed suggestively under his coat, but the baron was feeling -so good with himself that he did not notice these ominous movements. - -“How you vas, chentlemen?” cried the baron. “Vy you shace afder me -like dot, hey? Meppy,” and here he gave a good-natured laugh, “you -t’ink I chumped my poard-pill?” - -“No,” said McGowan, “we don’t think you jumped your board-bill.” - -“Meppy you t’ink I shtole someding?” went on the baron, shaking with -mirth. - -McGowan cast a startled look at Bernritter and Jacobs. That word -“stole” was an unfortunate thing for the baron. - -“Well,” said McGowan shortly, “did you?” - -“Yah,” haw-hawed the baron, “you bed you I shtole someding. I shtole -der heart oof dot pooty leedle Frieda, und I don’d gif id pack, -neider.” - -“Did you take anything else?” went on McGowan, his eye on the -overweighted saddle-bag. - -“Vell,” jested the baron, “I took my departure. Dot’s aboudt all.” - -“What’s the matter with that saddle-bag of yours?” - -The baron looked down at the bag. - -“Py shinks,” he exclaimed, “id looks heafy, don’d id? I didn’t haf -nodding heavy like dot in id. Der _frau_ must haf put in a loaf oof -pread ven I vasn’t looking. Vell, oof she dit, id’s my pread, anyvay. -Dit you pring me some messaches from Frieda, Misder McGowan?” - -“No.” - -“Und you don’d vant to dell me someding?” - -“No.” - -“Den vy der tickens you shtop me like dot? Clear oudt oof der vay und -I vill rite on.” - -The baron had had time, by now, to observe the peculiar actions of -the men from the Three-ply. As he finished speaking he tried to spur -his horse ahead. - -Jacobs, however, blocked the forward movement by grabbing the -bit-rings of the baron’s horse. - -“You vill ged me madt in a minid,” said the baron. “Led go oof dot -horse, or I vill gif you a piece oof my mind mit my fist. I don’d -like dot ugly face oof yours, Chacops, und I vill put some marks all -ofer id oof you don’t ged avay.” - -The baron hauled back his right arm. Another moment and he found -Bernritter glaring at him over the muzzle of a revolver. - -“No rough-house work, Dutchy,” said Bernritter. - -The baron was taken aback. But only for as long as it takes to bat an -eye. - -“Two can play at dot game!” he cried, and dropped his hand toward his -belt. - -“Do you want me to shoot?” snarled Bernritter. - -“Easy, there, Schnitzenhauser,” spoke up McGowan; “I’ll have no -shooting or rough work, but I want to see what you have in your -saddle-bag.” - -After the way the three men had come at him, the baron would not have -shown the inside of his saddle-bags for a farm. - -“I do vat I blease mit vat’s mine!” he shouted. “You attend to my -pitzness altogedder too mooch to suidt me, und dot’s all aboudt id. -I’m der pard oof Puffalo Pill, undt olt Nick Nomat, und dis iss a -free gountry, und I’ll do vat I vant, und nodding more.” - -The baron, justly indignant, was only making matters worse for -himself by refusing to reveal the contents of the bag. - -Suddenly something happened. The baron was the cause of it. His fist -shot out--not at Jacobs, but at the wrist of Bernritter’s pistol-hand. - -The six-shooter was jarred from the super’s fingers into the dust of -the trail. - -_Thwack!_ - -Before Bernritter had recovered from the daze caused by the baron’s -first blow, the baron’s knuckles fell a second time--now on the -super’s left ear. - -Bernritter was knocked off his horse as clean as though he had been -dropped by a rifle-bullet. - -With the second blow, the baron jabbed the irons into his horse. The -animal gave a mad leap forward, directly against Jacobs’ horse. - -The collision was tremendous. - -Jacobs’ horse went to the knees, and Jacobs himself turned a -half-somersault out of his saddle, landing on his head and shoulders, -heels in the air. - -This was doing pretty well for the baron. He might have got away -from the Three-ply men if McGowan hadn’t taken a hand in the set-to. -Reaching out swiftly, the mine-owner twined his hands in the baron’s -collar and dragged him off his horse; then, falling on him where -he lay on the ground, McGowan held the luckless Dutchman in that -position. - -“Look into the saddle-bag, Bern,” cried McGowan. - -The super, whose head was still ringing from the effects of the blow -on the ear, had regained his feet and was saying things. - -Watched by McGowan, he unbuckled the straps of the saddle-bag, pushed -in his hand, and drew out--the bar of yellow bullion. - -“Ah!” cried McGowan, his voice like the snap of a whip, “the fellow’s -a scoundrel, after all!” - -“You might have known that, McGowan,” scowled Bernritter, “from the -fight he put up to keep us from looking into the saddle-bag.” - -“A rope, Jacobs!” ordered McGowan. “Bedad, we’re headed for Phœnix, -and we’ll keep right on to the town and land this thief in the -lock-up.” - -The baron, dazed by the sight of the yellow bar, was unable to say a -word. He did not protest, or disavow any evil intentions, for he was -so dumfounded he could not speak. His silence, of course, looked like -a tacit confession of guilt. - -The whole cut-and-dried affair had worked out to the baron’s -disadvantage and to the benefit of the scheming scoundrels, -Bernritter and Jacobs. - -They had shifted the responsibility of the theft of the cyanid -bullion to the Dutchman: And might not McGowan think that he was in -league with the red bullion thieves who were believed to be back of -the other thefts of bullion? - -The sharpest criminals are short-sighted as to one or two details, -in even their cleverest trickery. Bernritter had overlooked the fact -that _possibly_ the Dutchman might be a pard of Buffalo Bill’s; and, -if this should prove to be the case, then nothing could keep Buffalo -Bill from getting into the game. - -The baron, properly roped, was tied to his horse and led on across -the desert in the direction of Phœnix. - -He was still silent, but he was doing a lot of thinking. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - A QUEER CASE. - - -“What’s ther feller’s name, Buffler?” - -“Patrick McGowan.” - -“Sounds like er bit o’ th’ brogue.” - -“Not much of the brogue about McGowan. He’s Irish, all right, but not -so you could notice it. A fine man, take him by and large, Nick, but -he ran out the wrong trail when he came to me.” - -“What fer sort of a trail was et, Buffler?” - -“Going it blind on a hunt for red bullion thieves.” - -“Waugh! Sounds kinder good ter me.” - -“But it’s sheriff’s work, Nick; plain sleuthing, and nothing in sight -for a strong arm. The sheriff gets paid for doing that sort of thing -in this county.” - -“But reds! From ther way yer mouth went off, Buffler, I opined an -Injun er two was tangled up in this hyar bag o’ tricks.” - -“McGowan has had three dreams to that effect and stands ready to bet -his life that redskins are helping to do him out of his bullion.” - -The king of scouts laughed. Dreams and omens, when taken seriously, -always struck at the comical side of his matter-of-fact mind. - -He and his trapper pard were lounging out the afternoon on the -veranda of their hotel, in Phœnix. They were just in from a trying -piece of work at Gray Buzzard’s Gulch, and were taking the two or -three days of rest which they felt themselves entitled to. - -The scout had had his interview with McGowan in the early morning, -and immediately afterward the disappointed mine-owner had left for -his home camp. - -When Buffalo Bill mentioned “dreams,” old Nomad proceeded to take a -consuming interest in McGowan’s business. The trapper believed in -dreams, and in evil spirits which he called “whiskizoos,” and he was -ready to bet his scalp that there were such things as spooks. - -The scout’s reference to dreams likewise aroused the deep interest of -another of his pards, who had been squatting on the veranda floor at -a little distance, nodding in the warm sun. - -This was the Piute boy, Little Cayuse. - -Getting up from his sitting posture, Cayuse crossed the veranda and -settled down nearer the scout’s chair, where he would not miss a word -of whatever else might be said. - -Buffalo Bill passed his eyes from Cayuse to Nomad and gave a grim -smile. - -“It’s a queer case,” said he. - -“Tell us erbout et, Buffler,” said Nomad. - -“I’m not intending to mix up in it, mind you. We are going from here -direct to Fort Apache, and report for duty to the colonel commanding.” - -“Waal, tell us erbout McGowan an’ his dreams, anyways.” - -“It’s this way, pards,” went on the scout, lighting a fresh cigar -and tilting back comfortably against the wall behind him. “Patrick -McGowan owns the Three-ply Mine, mill, and cyanid-plant, over in the -Phœnix mountains.” The scout waved one hand toward the distant blue -uplifts, visible from the veranda. “For a long time, now, McGowan -has been losing gold. The ore, just before it is fed to the stamps, -assays one hundred dollars to the ton; when the tailings come off -the mill-plates they assay six dollars to the ton. That leaves a -difference of ninety-four dollars a ton which McGowan’s plates ought -to catch for him; but they don’t. His mill clean-ups bring in an -average of only forty-four dollars a ton. The question is, what -becomes of the remaining fifty dollars a ton? It’s a conundrum that’s -bothering the life out of McGowan. - -“They put through ten tons of ore every twenty-four hours at the -Three-ply. That means that McGowan is losing five hundred dollars a -day in some mysterious manner. And this has now been going on for two -weeks, causing him a loss of seven thousand dollars, so far.” - -“Some of his millmen aire workin’ er hocus-pocus on him,” suggested -Nomad. - -“McGowan swears that his millmen are straight. He has camped in the -mill night and day and is ready to make oath that there’s nothing -crooked in the mill.” - -“Whar do ther dreams come in?” - -“Well,” and the scout smiled incredulously as he spoke, “McGowan -says that he dreamed, one night, he saw an Apache crawling among the -cyanid-tanks. When the Apache came out into the moonlight he held -up something that looked to McGowan like a bar of bullion. The next -moment the Apache was whiffed out among the shadows. McGowan dreamed -the same thing the next night, and the night after that. And for this -reason,” laughed the scout, “McGowan believes that thieving redskins -are mixed up in the thieving.” - -“Waugh!” grunted Nomad. “Et sounds reasonable.” - -“Bosh!” said the scout. - -“Speakin’ pussonly,” pursued old Nomad, “I’d like ter dip inter ther -puzzle, jest ter prove whether er not a bunch o’ reds aire really -foolin’ with McGowan’s gold.” - -“Go out and dip in,” advised the scout. “When you get through, come -on to Fort Apache. You’ll find me there, if I’m not away on business.” - -Nomad looked startled. - -“Nary, pard,” said he, with emphasis. “Ye don’t find me tanglin’ up -with any job in which Buffler ain’t consarned.” - -“Then,” returned the scout, “this bunch of warriors will hike for -Fort Apache about dew-fall.” - -“Ain’t ye goin’ ter wait fer ther baron ter show up?” - -“The baron has had three days to show up. Evidently he has taken a -cross-trail of some kind, and we’re not going to wait for him. If we -should happen to----” - -“Beg yer pardon, Buffalo Bill, but I’d like a word with ye.” - -The scout dropped his chair down on the veranda with a thump, and -looked around. - -Hawkins, a deputy sheriff, had come out on the veranda and was -walking in the scout’s direction. - -“Howdy, Hawkins,” said the scout. “What can I do for you?” - -“The sher’f would like ter see ye at his office in the jail. Can ye -come right over?” - -“On the jump. What’s the business about?” - -“About the McGowan bullion robberies.” - -The scout was already on his feet, but at that he hesitated. - -“I told McGowan,” said he, “that I hadn’t time to bother with that -matter.” - -“I know, an’ it ain’t expected ye’ll bother with it. All you’re -wanted fer is ter establish the identity o’ one o’ the thieves that -has jest been brought in.” - -“A red thief?” - -“No, a white ’un.” - -“I don’t know why the sheriff thinks I can identity the thief.” - -“Ther feller claims ter be a pard o’ your’n.” - -“My pards are not drawn from that class.” - -“That’s what we all reckoned, but the feller insists that you come -over an’ see him.” - -“I’ll go, of course,” said the scout, “but I haven’t the least idea -I’ll be able to establish the thief’s identity. He’s bluffing, for -some reason or other.” - -The scout followed the deputy into the hotel, down the stairs, and -out upon the street. Nomad and Little Cayuse trailed along behind. - -Across the street was Court-house Square. The little party crossed -the square, passed along a graveled walk bordered with oleanders and -overhung with the branches of pepper-trees, and presently reached the -court-house steps. - -The sheriff’s office was in the front of the building. - -As the scout and his friends entered the office they beheld a -little group of men consisting of Rising, the sheriff, McGowan, the -mine-owner, and two other white men, all grouped about some one who -was sitting in a chair. - -“Hello, Cody,” called Rising, stepping forward and grasping the -scout’s hand. - -“What have you got me over here for, Rising?” queried Buffalo Bill. -“You haven’t any idea that I’m on intimate terms with a bullion -thief, have you?” - -“I’m the one that bothered you, Buffalo Bill,” put in McGowan. “It’s -the thief himself that asked us to send for you. He says he’s one of -your pards. What we want to do now is to prove him a liar as well as -a thief.” - -“Puffalo Pill!” came a wail of distress from a corner chair. “Look at -here, vonce!” - -At the sound of this familiar voice, Buffalo muttered an exclamation -and whirled around. - -The baron was sitting in the corner chair, a picture of rage and -injured innocence. As he spoke, he had lifted up his hands, showing -the ugly manacles about his wrists. - -“Schnitzenhauser!” cried the scout. - -“Ole Weenerwurst hisself!” exclaimed Nomad; “ther ’riginal Hot -Termale hisself, decorated with er pair o’ come-erlongs! Waugh!” - -“Ugh!” growled Little Cayuse; “heap shame!” - -Without another word, Buffalo Bill walked over to the baron and -caught his manacled hands in a cordial and reassuring grip. - -“What does this mean?” the scout demanded, turning and looking at -Rising and McGowan with a glittering eye. “This man is my pard. He -has told you the truth.” - -“But he’s a thief,” protested McGowan. - -“He can’t be!” declared the scout. - -“He was caught with the goods on. Why can’t he be?” - -“_Because he’s Buffalo Bill’s pard!_” - -Buffalo Bill’s words made an impression. There was no doubt on that -score. - -“Now ye’re torkin’, Buffler!” seconded Nomad. “Before an ombray kin -trot with Pard Buffler he has ter show what he is. Schnitz, thar, hes -done thet same. He’s a whole man, game as a hornet, an’ consequently -he kain’t be er thief.” - -“Wuh!” agreed Little Cayuse. - -“Facts are facts, Buffalo Bill,” said McGowan. - -“Sometimes facts only _seem_ to be facts,” answered Buffalo Bill, -pulling up a chair beside the baron’s and sitting down. “So far as -the truth is concerned, you might just as well have those bracelets -on me, as on the baron. Tell me about this.” - -McGowan pushed forward his superintendent and his cyanid expert, -presenting them each in turn to the scout. Both Bernritter and Jacobs -were in a tremor of apprehension, for there was that in the scout’s -keen, calculating eye which seemed to probe deep into their guilty -minds. - -McGowan, following the introductions of his assistants, went into -the matter of the cyanid bullion at length. The bar was produced in -evidence. - -“Lastly,” finished McGowan, “your pard’s actions virtually admitted -his guilt.” - -“How so?” asked the scout. - -“Why, he refused to let us examine the inside of his saddle-bags, and -tried to fight us off.” - -“So far from proving his guilt,” declared the scout, “it goes to show -his innocence. Knowing he had done nothing unlawful he denied your -right to question his integrity. Any man of spirit would have fought -against a dishonoring search of his person or his saddle-bags.” - -“How did the gold get in there, then?” - -“Somebody put it in.” - -“And that somebody,” spoke up Bernritter, with a swagger, “was the -Dutchman.” - -“Did you see my pard put the bar into his saddle-bag, Bernritter?” -demanded the scout, his eyes narrowing to mere slits as he measured -the superintendent. - -“Why, no.” - -“Then don’t air your ignorance. Have I heard the whole of this, -McGowan?” the scout inquired, turning to the mine-owner. - -“Yes, you’ve got our side of it,” was the reply. “If you want to -question your pard----” - -“I don’t,” promptly. “I know the baron too well to offer him an -insult. You might dismiss your two men, McGowan,” the scout added, -“and we’ll smoke a talk and see where we land.” - -“Go back to the Three-ply, Bern, you and Jacobs,” said McGowan, in a -kindly tone. “We can’t leave the plant to run itself, you know. I’ll -be along some time to-night.” - -Bernritter and Jacobs left the office. The scout, as soon as the door -closed, started up from his chair and beckoned Nomad and Cayuse apart. - -“Trail those two men secretly,” he ordered, “no matter where they go. -Watch every move they make.” - -“Ye’re goin’ ter help McGowan?” asked Nomad eagerly. - -“That remains to be seen. However, it will make no difference with -you. Do your trailing.” - -“Whar’ll we report?” - -“You’ll find me somewhere when you’re ready to report.” - -“Keno.” - -Again the door opened and closed, this time with Nomad and Little -Cayuse on the other side of it. - -The scout returned to his chair. - -“Now that your Dutch pard’s safety is concerned, Buffalo Bill,” said -McGowan, “I suppose that you’ll hook-up with me and help run down -those red bullion thieves?” - -“My pard’s safety must not enter into the question,” returned Buffalo -Bill. “He’s the victim of foul play, and his liberty ought not to be -imperiled for a moment.” - -“You bank heavy on your pards!” - -“I never let a man into the inner circle until I know I can bank -heavy on him. I’ll admit, McGowan, that since my talk with you this -morning, I am more inclined to give you my aid than I was before.” - -McGowan began to expand, and to congratulate himself. - -“Faith, it’s your strong arm we need,” said he. “It’s a hefty fist -you have, Buffalo Bill, and a sharp mind back of it.” - -“Thanks,” said the scout dryly. “If I did not bank a little on you, -McGowan, I might suspect that this was a put-up job, of which you -were fully cognizant.” - -“How do you mean?” flared McGowan. - -“Why, in order to secure my aid, you might have been tempted to -implicate my Dutch pard.” - -McGowan’s “Irish” was up in a moment. - -“If you think that----” he began angrily, but the scout smiled and -stretched out a hand soothingly. - -“I don’t,” said he. “I’ve only seen you twice, but I’m willing to -bank on your integrity. You’re the sort of a man I’d like to help.” - -McGowan was entirely pacified. The king of scouts had a winning way -with him, when he so desired, and that way was now much in evidence. - -“I’d think it an honor,” said McGowan, “to have Buffalo Bill help me.” - -“I’ll do it, on one consideration only.” - -“And that is?” - -“That you consent to let the sheriff take those irons off my pard’s -wrists. In other words, he must be a free man before I hook-up with -you.” - -“That’s hardly according to Hoyle,” demurred McGowan, visibly worried. - -“It’s according to Buffalo Bill. You have my proposition. Take it or -leave it.” - -“Why, if your pard is left in this jail and brought to trial, you’ll -have to work for me in order to prove his innocence, won’t you?” - -“I’ll not work for you, McGowan, but I’ll work for him. You’d find -that to be vastly different.” - -“You’d better do as the scout says, McGowan,” put in Rising. “If -he’s going to help you, you’d better let him do it in his own way. -Catching a man with the goods on doesn’t always prove him a thief.” - -“I don’t know who to suspect,” said McGowan, “if we don’t suspect the -Dutchman.” - -“I do,” said the scout. - -“Who?” demanded McGowan. - -“Never mind that. What’s your last word?” - -McGowan debated the matter with himself for a moment. Then, finally, -“Take off the darbies,” he said to Rising. - -The manacles were removed, and Rising shook hands with the baron. - -“I haf peen imbosed ubon,” said the baron, “und I feel schust like -some hornets mit a shtinger oudt. Puffalo Pill iss my pard, und der -pest feller vat efer vore shoe-ledder; he shtands py me, you bed you, -aber I feel so madt I vant to fighdt.” - -“Get over it,” said McGowan crustily. “You’re free. What more do you -want?” - -“I vant dot imbression dot I’m guildy all der same remofed from your -mindt,” scowled the baron. “Dot’s vot I vant!” - -“Then find the man that put that gold-brick in your saddle-bag.” - -“We’ll do it, McGowan,” spoke up the scout. “Give us a little time.” - -“Will you go out to supper with me, Buffalo Bill?” queried the -mine-owner. - -“I have other business on hand, just now, McGowan.” - -“Anyhow, you’ll ride with me back to the Three-ply this evening?” - -“I’m afraid I’ll have to pass that up, too.” - -“But if you’re going to hook-up with me----” - -“You’ll hear from me and my pards, all right, and probably when -you least expect it. Go back to your diggings, McGowan, and be -comfortable in your mind. Take things easy, and let things drift as -usual.” - -“All right, Buffalo Bill, if you want matters that way. But I’m -depending on you.” - -“Then show that you have confidence in me, McGowan, by heeding -instructions.” - -McGowan, with a wave of the hand to those in the sheriff’s office, -left the room, and the court-house. A few moments later, Buffalo Bill -and the baron also left. - -“You’ve made a fool of yourself, baron,” said the scout, as soon as -he and the Dutchman were out of the court-house. - -“How’s dot?” asked the bewildered baron. - -“A pair of blue eyes have got you locoed. They held you in that -Three-ply camp until the real thieves got you implicated in the -bullion robberies.” - -“Vell, I like dot Frieda pedder as any girl vat I efer saw. Dot’s -right.” - -The scout laughed. - -“Vat’s to be done now, Puffalo Pill?” - -“We’ll have supper, and then we’ll ride out and camp in the vicinity -of the Three-ply Mine. We can learn more by playing this game on the -strict q. t. than by going about it openly.” - -“I’ll bed you dot feller, Pernridder, und dot odder feller, Chacops, -knows more as dey vants to----” - -“Stow it, baron! You don’t want to throw any suspicions on men who -are possibly innocent. Developments will prove who are guilty, and -who are not. We’ll let events speak for themselves.” - -In the hotel office the clerk halted Buffalo Bill and handed him a -letter. - -The letter was addressed in an unfamiliar hand, and the postmark -showed it had passed through the Phœnix post-office at 4 P. M. It was -then only half-past 5. The enclosed sheet bore the following: - - “BUFFALO BILL: If you know when you’re well off, you’ll leave this - bullion business at the Three-ply strictly alone. Attend to your - own affairs. This is the sheriff’s business, anyway. A word to the - wise is sufficient. Talk is cheap, and writing is fully as cheap as - talk, but don’t pass up this warning if you value your scalp. - - “ONE OF THE THIEVES.” - -The scout allowed the baron to spell out this warlike communication. - -“We have the robbers scared,” remarked the scout. “Whenever a -criminal tries to frighten an officer off his trail with such a -letter, he proves that he’s losing his nerve. What time did you and -McGowan and the other two reach Phœnix, baron?” - -“Aboudt haluf-bast dree.” - -“Did you stop anywhere on the way to the sheriff’s office?” - -“Ve shtopped at der bost-office. Pernridder vent in und asked for -der Dree-bly mail.” The baron, putting two and two together, in his -logy German way, began to grow excited. “Py shiminy! Dot sgoundrel, -Pernridder, must haf mailed dot ledder ven he----” - -“Not so fast, baron,” warned the scout. “You’re getting ahead of -developments. This is only a small piece of circumstantial evidence, -and not half so convincing as finding a bar of stolen bullion in a -man’s saddle-bags.” - -The baron grew quiet and pensive. After supper he and the scout -mounted their horses and, with several days’ rations at their -saddle-cantles, rode out through the “Five Points,” then along -Grand Avenue, and so into the Black Cañon trail on their way to the -Three-ply. - -They had not been gone half an hour when Nick Nomad came charging -into the hotel with important news. His news was of vital import, and -his disappointment was great when he discovered that the scout and -the baron had left. - -Bernritter and Jacobs, intent on making a big “clean-up” and a safe -getaway, were drawing upon all their resources to foil Buffalo Bill -and his pards. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - AT THE “EL RIO.” - - -When the trapper and the little Piute left the sheriff’s office they -were expecting immediate saddle-work; but in this Nomad, at least, -was disappointed. - -Halting among the oleanders that bordered the gravel-walk leading -from the court-house steps to the street, the trapper and the redskin -saw their men in animated conversation on the corner by the hotel. - -“They don’t appear ter like ther way things aire goin’, Cayuse,” said -the trapper. - -“Ugh!” said Cayuse, who thought much and said little. - -“Anyways, they appears ter hev made up their minds ter somethin’,” -went on the trapper, a moment later. “Jacobs is goin’ off down ther -street, an Bernritter is goin’ inter ther hotel. Bernritter fer you, -son, an’ I’ll shadder Jacobs.” - -“Wuh!” - -On reaching the edge of the square, Cayuse crossed in the direction -of the hotel, while Nomad turned to the right and sauntered along on -the side of the street opposite the one where Jacobs was walking. - -Jacobs walked two blocks and turned in at a gambling and -drinking-resort which a gold sign proclaimed to be the “El Rio.” - -Thereupon Nomad crossed over and entered the El Rio himself. - -It was too early for the gamblers. The El Rio was almost deserted. - -A bar ran along one side of the mirrored and tinseled room, and -along the other side were arranged roulette-tables, faro lay-outs, -poker-tables, and other gambling paraphernalia. - -Toward the rear, the big room merged into a three-foot corridor, on -either side of which doors opened into private gambling-rooms. - -Nomad entered the front door of the “chance” establishment just in -time to see Jacobs entering a private room. It was the first room on -the left, off the rear corridor. A low-browed, villainous-looking man -entered the room with Jacobs. - -The door closed. The trapper sauntered over to the bar and bought a -cigar. Then he walked back, announced his desire for a retired place, -and was shown by an attendant into the first room on the _right_. - -“Forty-rod,” said he to the waiter; “a stiff glass o’ et.” - -The waiter brought the “forty-rod,” received his pay, and a generous -tip, and retired. - -Nomad had no intention of beclouding his faculties with the contents -of the glass, so he left it untasted. - -Pulling off his boots, the moment he was alone, he took them under -one arm and passed noiselessly to the door of the room. With a soft -hand he turned the knob and drew the door slightly ajar. - -No one in the front part of the El Rio was paying any attention -to the rear of the establishment. As the old trapper waited and -listened, he heard a mumble of low voices coming from the room across -the corridor. - -Closing the door from the outside as noiselessly as he had opened -it, Nomad crossed the aisle. His stockinged feet made scarcely a -sound. - -Laying a quick, deft hand on the knob of the door next that through -which Jacobs and his companion had passed, he pushed it ajar and -stepped in. He drew a quick breath when he found the room was already -occupied. - -A man, far gone in liquor, was lying across a table, breathing -heavily. - -Nomad wanted to be in that particular room, because only a thin board -partition separated him from Jacobs and the man with whom Jacobs was -talking. The drunken man, Nomad decided after a second’s observation, -was too much under the “influence” to prove anything of an obstacle; -so the trapper made up his mind to occupy the room with him. - -Closing the door as noiselessly as he had opened it, Nomad ran his -eye over the board partition. - -The partition was of flooring boards and painted white. The boards -had warped considerably, but not enough to make any cracks. - -The old man was disappointed. He wanted to “star” himself, in this -queer case of McGowan’s, and felt that if he could hear something of -what was being said, in the next room, the result would amply repay -him for his time and trouble. Jacobs had been ordered by his employer -to return to the Three-ply. He had not returned. The very fact that -he had not was suspicious in itself. - -Nomad had reasoned this all out; and he knew when Buffalo Bill told -him and Cayuse to shadow Bernritter and Jacobs that the scout thought -the actions of the two men open to question. - -While the trapper stood in the room surveying the board partition, -the mumble from the other side of it came tantalisingly to his ears. -The sound was louder than when he had heard it across the corridor, -but it was still impossible to distinguish words. - -The snoring of the drunken man interfered with the sounds, and Nomad -was ripe for some desperate move which might have spoiled everything, -when his eye lit upon a knot in one of the boards of the partition. - -The knot was about two feet above the floor, and was so warped from -the board that it looked as though it might be easily removed. With -hope mounting high, old Nomad drew a knife from his belt and sank to -his knees. - -Timing his prying with the long and regularly recurring snores of -the drunken man, Nomad got out the knot with his knife-point; then, -lowering his head, and stopping one ear with his finger to keep out -the snores, he was pleased to find that the talk of Jacobs and the -other man could be plainly heard. - -“You understand that part of it, Bascomb?” Jacobs was saying. - -“Sure,” answered the man referred to as Bascomb. “I kin send a couple -o’ light-fingered lads ter attend ter the hotel end. Now fer the rest -o’ it.” - -“Buffalo Bill will certainly take hold and help McGowan.” - -“It was a bad move o’ your’n, gittin’ Buffler Bill’s pard mixed up -with that thar gold-brick.” - -“That was Bern’s idea, but I guess he understands now the move was -bad. Buffalo Bill will go to the mine by the Black Cañon trail--it’s -the most direct route, and whenever he goes any place, I understand -it’s the beeline and a keen jump fer him.” - -“Us fellers are up agin’ it, all right, now that the scout has took -holt. He’s the wust kind of a propersition ter flash on a lot er -grafters. What’s fer me to do? I’ll skin the deck both ways ter do -all I kin, Buffler Bill er no Buffler Bill.” - -“The mill clean-up comes to-morrow. That’s where we’re to make our -big winning and skip out. Bern says to hang Buffalo Bill up to-morrow -so that he can’t interfere, and we’ll be able to do our work and make -a getaway.” - -“I’m ter help hang the scout up, hey?” - -“You’re to do it. As soon as you attend to the hotel part of it, make -for the hills as fast as you can go, round up your reds, and lay for -the scout in some convenient place on the Black Cañon trail. When you -capture him, leave him in the hands of enough reds to keep him, then -come on to the Three-ply and stand ready to help in running off the -loot from the clean-up.” - -“Suppose Buffler Bill rides out ter the Three-ply with McGowan?” - -“Then nail the two of them. It will be so much the better for us.” - -“It’s a scheme fer yer life, Jacobs! Count on me. But s’posin’ -Buffler Bill has already left fer the mine?” - -“He won’t start before supper--at least, I don’t think he will. If he -does, we stand a chance to lose out, that’s all. You’ll have to run -your chances.” - -“Is that all?” - -“Yes; and I can’t waste any more time here. McGowan told Bernritter -and me to go right back to the mine; Bern’s gone, and I must follow -as soon as I can.” - -“If McGowan finds out ye didn’t go with him----” - -“Bern will take care of that, in case McGowan makes any remarks. -He’ll offer an excuse by saying he had me stay a while in Phœnix to -talk with our powder-men about the last lot of high-explosives. Hike -out, now, and do your work. I’ll leave after a while myself. Make -sure you’re not shadowed, Bascomb, and don’t let any grass grow under -your feet. Bern told me to say that everything depends on you, and if -we get away with forty-odd thousand in bullion, you’ll be handsomely -remembered.” - -“Which I ort ter be. Waal, _adios_ fer now.” - -Nomad put back the knot carefully and got to his feet. He was -astounded by what he had heard. - -Here, at the very start-off, was evidence of the plot against the -baron, as well as evidence of a greater plot against the clean-up -which was to be made on the following day at the Three-ply Mine! - -And Buffalo Bill was to be ambushed along the Black Cañon trail! - -Nomad exulted to think that he had acquired information which, -properly used, would break this far-reaching combination of bullion -thieves. - -But what, he asked himself, did Jacobs and Bascomb mean in their -references to underhand work at the hotel? - -That part of it had escaped Nomad. He felt that he had overheard -enough, however, and was not disposed to find any fault because a -little of the conversation had got away from him. - -A few minutes after Bascomb left, Nomad heard the door of the next -room open and close. This was Jacobs, going out. - -The trapper pulled on his boots, took a final look at the drunken -man--who had not stirred since his privacy had been intruded -upon--and also went out. - -Jacobs must have passed quickly through the front of the El Rio when -he left the small room. Nomad could not see him, and hurried out -through the front door to the sidewalk. There he caught a vanishing -glimpse of his man around a corner. - -Still trailing, he followed until he saw Jacobs enter the gate of a -corral. This was not the corral where the scout and his pards kept -their own horses, and Nomad had no business in the place, and no -reasonable excuse for calling there. - -While he stood watching for Jacobs to reappear, the bell of the -court-house clock tolled the hour of seven. Nomad was surprised. Time -had passed quickly for him since he and Cayuse had parted in front of -the Court-house Square. - -On the last peal of the bell, Jacobs rode out of the corral and -headed east along Washington Street. - -“Hyar’s whar our trails fork fer a spell, you pizen whelp,” muttered -Nomad. “I got ter find Buffler, an’ tell him er few things thet’ll -open his eyes some. But we’ll meet-up with each other ag’in, Jacobs, -ye kin gamble er blue stack on thet. Go ahead with ther preparations -fer yer ‘clean-up.’ While ye’re a-doin’ of et, Buffler an’ me’ll be -plannin’ er leetle clean-up of our own. What er rum game this hyar -is, anyways! Bernritter an’ Jacobs plannin’ ter beat McGowan out o’ -more-n forty thousand in bullion! Oh, no! I reckon I didn’t find out -er thing in thet El Rio place.” - -Nomad pointed in the direction of the hotel, swinging along at a -swift stride. - -“An’ thar’s Injuns mixed up in et, too, jest as McGowan dreamt et,” -said the trapper to himself. “I wonder what Pard Buffler’ll say -ter thet? You kin bet yer moccasins thar’s a hull lot in dreams, -spacially ef ye dreams ther same thing three times, hand-runnin’.” - -Nomad turned into the hotel and peered around the lobby for the -scout. The scout was not in evidence, and neither was Little Cayuse. - -The Piute boy, Nomad thought, was probably well away toward -Three-ply, on the track of Bernritter; but Buffalo Bill---- Could -it be that _he_ also had pulled out, in company with McGowan? This -notion gave the old trapper something of a jolt. - -Walking over to the counter, he put an inquiry to the clerk. - -“Buffalo Bill, Mr. Nomad?” returned the clerk, lifting his eyebrows. -“Why, he went away from here half an hour ago. He rode off with a -queer-looking character that I took to be a Dutchman.” - -The trapper gulped wildly, and a chill of apprehension shot through -him. - -“Any idee whar Buffler went?” he asked. - -“Not the slightest.” - -Nomad turned thoughtfully away. - -There could be little doubt but that Buffalo Bill had started for the -Three-ply Mine. He had also secured the release of the baron and had -taken him along. - -What was to be done? Just one thing--ride after the scout and the -baron and overtake them before they dropped into Bascomb’s ambush. - -Nomad started on a rush for the hotel door. At the entrance he -paused, suddenly remembering that his spurs were in his room. - -It would take him a few minutes to get the spurs, but it would be -time well spent. - -“Say, pard,” said he, pausing at the counter for an instant on his -way to the stairs, “call up Nickerson’s corral, will ye, an’ tell -Nickerson ter git ole Nomad’s hoss under saddle, _muy pronto_. I’m in -a tearin’ hurry, an’ ef ye’ll do thet much fer me, I’ll be obliged.” - -“Certainly, Mr. Nomad,” answered the clerk. “Glad to do it.” - -Nomad raced on up the stairs, pulling his key out of his pocket as he -went. Unlocking the door, he flung it open and raced into the room. -He did not shut the door behind him, as he had no time for any extra -or unnecessary frills. - -His spurs were hanging from a hook in the closet, along with his -war-bag. The war-bag would not be needed; and he jerked down the -spurs, unbuckled the straps that held them together, and hurried to -the window. - -Here, where the light was better, he threw up his foot on a chair and -deftly affixed one of the spurs. Putting up the other foot, he began -adjusting the second spur. - -He remembered putting the end of the strap through the buckle and -beginning to pull. Following that, memories of every kind grew hazy -and mixed. - -Something landed on his head, from behind. It was a terrific blow, -and the trapper lurched forward, overturned the chair, and still -further injured his head by bringing it into contact with the sharp -edge of the window-casing. - -Then it seemed to Nomad that he dropped, and then that he was -floating around in the air. Little gleams danced before his eyes, -resembling varicolored fire-balls, like those which are thrown by -Roman candles. Then night engulfed the fire-balls, and a dead -silence intervened--a silence of complete oblivion. - -Nomad opened his eyes in the dark. The first thing he heard was the -court-house bell. - -One, two, three---- He counted the strokes. There were nine of them. -Nine o’clock! Suffering catamounts! What had happened to him since -seven? - -Then, as his mind once more became active, he began to piece together -his experiences. While he was putting on that second spur, some one -must have crowded in on him through the open door and struck him from -behind. - -Foul play, of course! But by whom? Who could have done it if not some -one of the Bernritter and Jacobs outfit? - -Then Nomad recalled what Bascomb had said to Jacobs regarding the -“hotel end” of their plotting. Was he, Nomad, the object of the hotel -plot? - -Nomad knew that he could not have been the direct object, for Jacobs -and Bascomb, during their talk in the El Rio, had not known that he -was on Jacobs’ trail. - -And yet, somehow, the trapper was sure that he had dropped into -Bascomb’s work in the hotel. Bascomb’s light-fingered men may not -have meant to get Nomad at the start-off, but they had got him, -nevertheless. - -The trapper’s hands and feet were bound with towels, and there was a -towel tied over his mouth. - -Where was he? He moved his feet around, and in this way discovered -that he was in cramped quarters. - -The air was suffocating. Undoubtedly the miscreants who had treated -him to this surprise had dragged him into the closet. - -Meanwhile, Buffalo Bill and the baron had been traveling along the -Black Cañon trail straight into the ambushed Apaches whom Bascomb was -to have in readiness. - -Nomad groaned at the thought. - -What good would all the information he had gained at the El Rio do -him now? He was powerless to save Buffalo Bill! - -After his first spasm of chagrin and disappointment, Nomad fell to -thinking more calmly. - -He recalled that Bascomb was merely to capture and hold the scout, -thus keeping him away from the Three-ply Mine until the white and red -thieves could accomplish their daring robbery of the mill bullion. - -Those who had placed Nomad in his uncomfortable position probably did -not know what the old trapper had discovered at the El Rio. - -The robbery planned to take place at the Three-ply would, no doubt, -still be attempted on the following day. - -Nomad’s work lay clearly before him: He must effect his escape as -soon as possible, do something for Buffalo Bill if he needed anything -done, and then, together, they would take what steps the scout deemed -necessary for saving the Three-ply bullion. - -This line of action fired the trapper with a determination to get -effectively busy. - -With the sweat pouring off him, and his breath coming from behind the -towel-gag in gasps, he fought with the bonds at his wrists. - -A twisted towel is not nearly so effective as a rope when used for -binding the hands of a powerful man like Nomad. - -He got his hands free, but a deep _boom_ of the court-house bell -marked the half-hour before he had succeeded. - -To get the gag from his mouth and free his feet took him only a -moment; then he staggered erect, groped for the door-knob, and reeled -out of the closet and into the room. - -He was drenched with sweat, and there was a sound in his ears as of -the buzzing of a swarm of bees. That blow on the head was responsible -for the buzzing. And what mattered it? Nomad was free! The trail to -the Three-ply lay before him. - -Fumbling for a match, he lighted a gas-jet. The room seemed in order. -The chair by the window was overturned, and a spur lay near it, but, -aside from that, everything was in place. - -The hall door was closed. Nomad pulled at it, and found it locked. -The key, he discovered, was sticking in the lock on the outside. - -“What did thet pizen, light-fingered man blow in hyar fer, ef et -wasn’t ter do me up an’ put me in ther closet?” thought Nomad. “Ain’t -nothin’ in ther room been teched. Arter usin’ them towels on me, ther -feller went out an’ turned ther key on ther outside. Waugh, but thet -was er bump!” and the old man felt of the lump on the back of his -head. - -He had no time, however, to waste on himself. Pushing on the bell for -the call-boy, he picked up the spur, righted the chair, and finished -the operation he had begun something like two hours and a half before. - -By then, “front” was rapping to find out what was wanted. - -“Unlock ther door,” said Nomad. - -The key grated, the door opened, and the astonished boy showed -himself. - -“Say,” said he, “how did ye happen t’ lock yerself in the room an’ -leave yer key on the outside?” - -“Never mind thet,” snorted Nomad. “I didn’t happen ter, an’ thet’s -all ye need ter know.” - -He put on his hat, pushed the boy out, relocked the door, and handed -him the key. - -“Take that down ter ther man behind ther counter,” said he; “I ain’t -got time ter stop.” - -Then, with spurs jingling at his heels, he raced down the stairs -three steps at a time, and dashed out of the hotel. - -At the corral he found his horse ready and waiting. - -“Thought ye wanted the animile in a hurry?” remarked Nickerson. “He’s -been standin’ thar fer the better part o’ two hours.” - -“I was delayed gittin’ hyar,” answered Nomad, leaping into the -saddle. “See how quick ye kin tell me ther way ter ther Three-ply -Mine, Nickerson.” - -Nickerson used up a dozen words, and when he had done, the old -trapper dug in with the irons and shot through the corral-gate. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - LITTLE CAYUSE ON THE WAR-PATH. - - -The Piute boy had an easy time of it, compared with the strenuous -experience fate had marked out for old Nomad. - -Bernritter did not linger long in the hotel. When he came out he made -directly for the corral, to which Jacobs was later followed by the -trapper. - -Little Cayuse, shadowing along on the super’s trail, knew at once -that the man he was watching must have gone to the corral for his -horse. - -The boy, therefore, made rapidly for Nickerson’s, and got his bridle -and riding-blanket on his pinto cayuse. - -“Take um Black Cañon trail to Three-ply Mine?” he queried, of one of -Nickerson’s men. - -“Thet’s ther way ye go, ef ye go direct,” answered the man. - -Little Cayuse galloped to the Five Points, and then along the dusty -thoroughfare known as Grand Avenue. His sharp eyes were always -straight ahead, keenly scrutinizing the road for some sign of -Bernritter. - -The boy was several miles down the Black Cañon trail before he -glimpsed the man he was looking for. Although Cayuse could see only -Bernritter’s back, yet the form of the man, and the clothes he wore, -were indelibly impressed upon the little Indian’s mind, and he knew -he could not be mistaken. - -From that point he followed slowly and cautiously, keeping his -distance and hugging the trail-side, and the cottonwood-trees. - -Yet Bernritter did not seem to have the least idea he was being -followed. Not once, so far as Cayuse could discover, did he look back. - -Quite probably Bernritter was deep in his nefarious plans for the -next day, and had no time to watch his back trail. Be that as it -might, Cayuse found the trailing easy; and it grew easier when the -sun went down and the evening shadows began to lengthen. - -At sunset Bernritter had crossed the Arizona canal, eighteen miles -out of Phœnix. From there on the trail led across several miles of -flat desert, and directly into the scarred and cactus-covered hills. - -The twilight favored the boy while crossing the level ground, and -when they drew into the hill valleys he needed no favoring of any -sort. - -The Indian instinct, born in him, made him as wary as a fox, and as -quick and certain in his movements as a wildcat. - -Cutting pieces from his riding-blanket, he tied them about his -pinto’s hoofs, thus muffling the noise of his own travel, and -bringing out distinctly the ringing fall of the hoofs ahead. - -His trailing, through the gloomy gullies, was almost entirely by ear -alone. Whether Bernritter was galloping, or trotting, or walking he -knew at any moment, and he kept a distance that gave the hoof-beats -in the lead the same volume of sound. - -Suddenly he heard the hoof-strokes come to a halt. On the instant -Little Cayuse drew rein and backed silently into a cranny of the -hills. - -Was Bernritter coming back to see whether he was being followed? - -He did not show himself, however; nor did the hoofs of his horse -resume their clatter. - -Cayuse dismounted and slipped forward along the gully to investigate. - -Before he had gone far he heard voices, one voice Bernritter’s, and -the other unmistakably that of an Indian. - -The Piute had no love for the Apaches, and a thrill shot through him -as he realized that this redskin with whom the superintendent was -talking must be one of the hated people. - -Then Cayuse had another thought: Why was Bernritter talking with an -Apache--holding with him a pow-wow that had already lasted several -minutes? - -Little Cayuse crawled closer, slipping through the loose stones like -a snake. - -When he paused again, he was as near the two men as he dared to go. -One was an Apache, and the boy was not slow to realize that his -danger was greater than if he had been lying in the vicinity of two -white men. - -From his last position Cayuse was able to see the dark form of -the horse, and the upright figures of the men. While he watched, -Bernritter turned to his horse and thrust his foot into the stirrup. - -“You _sabe_, eh?” Cayuse heard Bernritter ask the Apache. “Round up -the warriors and wait for word from Bascomb. You’ll hear from him in -two, three hour, mebbyso.” - -“Me _sabe_,” grunted the Indian. - -Bernritter, without speaking further, rode on up the gully. The -Apache, whisking up the gully-bank like an antelope, vanished over -the rim. - -Little Cayuse returned to his waiting pinto, kicked the pony with his -heels, and rode on after Bernritter. - -When he caught the tinkling sound of the hoofs ahead, he slowed his -pace with a grunt of satisfaction. - -Then, from the beaded medicine-pouch that swung from his belt, he -took some yellow pigment, dabbed one of his fingers into it, and ran -a wavering line up and down either side of his face. - -This was Cayuse’s war-paint. He put it on, now that he knew he was to -take the war-path against foes of his own color. - -White men like Bernritter and Jacobs were not worth the trouble of -dipping into his medicine-bag. Besides, Cayuse’s grievance against -them was not yet well defined. - -Pa-e-has-ka had set him on Bernritter’s trail, but that was all. -Recent developments had given a fresh twist to the course of events. -Who was Bascomb? And why was the Apache to round up more warriors? - -Little Cayuse did not like the prospect. - -As he followed along after Bernritter, he became suddenly aware that -the hoofs in the lead were being drowned out by a steadily increasing -roar. - -The mill-stamps! Ah! At last they were coming close to the Three-ply -Mine. - -The gully the two were following suddenly opened out into a wide -valley. - -At the entrance to the valley Cayuse drew rein; then, dismounting, he -sat down on a boulder and watched Bernritter ride down into the camp -and lose himself among the twinkling lights in mill, bunk-house, and -chuck-shanty. - -For a long time the boy sat there, watching the trailing plume of -smoke from the mill, and listening to the clamor of the stamps. - -Suddenly he was startled. Another horseman galloped past him. Cayuse -and his pinto were a little to one side of the trail, and somewhat in -the shadow. Fortunately they had not been seen. - -The man was Jacobs. In spite of the darkness, the boy instinctively -recognized the galloping horseman. - -If the man was Jacobs, then Nomad must be somewhere near. - -Eagerly the Piute waited, straining his eyes back along the gully. - -But no Nomad appeared. Had Wolf-killer lost the trail? It was not -like him to do that, for Wolf-killer could follow a trail like an -Indian. - -Mounting his pinto, Little Cayuse retraced his course through the -gully. - -When he had reached a place where the drumming of the stamps sounded -low in his ears, the echoes were taken up by more hoof-beats. Cayuse -drew aside, and McGowan, owner of the mine, swung past. - -The boy had thought, at first, that it might be Nomad and only his -native caution had kept him from giving a shout from the trail-side. -A moment later he had recognized McGowan as instinctively as he had -recognized Jacobs. - -He recalled that McGowan had told Jacobs to return to the mine with -Bernritter, and both to go at once. And here Jacobs had preceded his -employer into the camp by only a few minutes! - -The boy plagued himself with questions in an attempt to account for -this, and for Bernritter’s meeting and talking with the Apache. - -Above these things, which mightily puzzled the Piute, was the more -important question as to what had become of old Nomad. - -Still riding and hoping, Cayuse drew well away from the croon of the -stamps. - -Then he heard a sound, far in the distance, that sent a chill to his -heart. - -The sound was a pistol-shot! - -Just the one report, and no more. Cayuse listened breathlessly, but -only deep and ominous silence followed the faint but incisive note of -the six-shooter. - -The boy’s fears leaped to Nomad. He had met with treachery, of some -sort, on the trail! - -Setting the pinto to a rapid gait, the Piute rode like the wind along -the gully, the pony, with his muffled hoofs, carrying him onward like -a darting shadow. - -All roads, that night, seemed to lead to the Three-ply Mine. At least -it seemed so to Little Cayuse. - -And, for the young Indian, the way seemed wrapped in profound and -forbidding mystery. - -As he made in the direction of the pistol-shot, he believed he had a -clue to at least part of the puzzle. - -Bernritter had told the Apache to round up more warriors and wait for -Bascomb. This had been done; and Wolf-killer, galloping along the -trail after Jacobs, had fallen into a snare laid by Bascomb and the -Apaches. - -This is what the boy thought, but he was soon to be undeceived. A -snare had been laid, but not for Nomad. - -A few minutes of swift riding brought Little Cayuse into a zone where -a sixth sense told him of danger. - -Turning from the gully into a small defile that broke through its -left-hand bank, he halted, secured the pinto to a white-thorn bush, -and carried out his further investigations on foot. - -Proceeding onward along the gully, keeping in the shadow and dodging -from boulder to boulder, Cayuse presently came upon a scene that made -him congratulate himself that he had not plumped into it full tilt on -his pinto. - -At the point where the scene unrolled before the boy’s eyes the gully -widened, and the starlight sifted brightly downward and dispelled -much of the gloom. - -He saw two horses quite near him. They were riderless, had been roped -together, and the riata tethering them had been wrapped about a stone. - -Beyond the horses were many Apaches; just how many the boy could not -tell, but certainly there were a dozen, at the least. - -The Apaches were working over some objects lying on the ground, and a -white man was moving about among them, hurrying them about their work -with gruff oaths. - -Presently the Apaches started up the eastern bank of the gully in two -groups, each group apparently carrying a burden. - -What those burdens were Cayuse could guess. - -Without doubt they were the men who had ridden the two horses that -now stood bound together and secured to the stone. - -Up and up the steep slope toiled the Apaches, the white man swearing -and urging them on. In a little while the whole villainous crew -disappeared over the top of the gully-bank, each group still carrying -its helpless burden. - -Cayuse ran to the horses. He felt them over with his hands; felt of -their legs, their heads, and, lastly, groped his fingers over the -saddles. - -One horse he could not recognize, either by sight or touch. The -other, unless his reasoning deceived him, belonged to Pa-e-has-ka! - -Pa-e-has-ka! The Piute caught his breath. - -Was Buffalo Bill one of the prisoners just captured by the white man -and the Apaches? - -It was a startling thing for Cayuse to come looking for Nomad and -find Buffalo Bill. - -That was not a time for useless thought, however, but for action. - -Hurrying to the eastern wall of the gully, Cayuse climbed the slope. -Its top gave him an outlook over a small, flat plain, stretching -eastward and lying distinctly under the starlight. - -The Indians and the white man were carrying their prisoners across -the level ground toward a little hill of stones. A black opening -yawned in the top of the stone hill, and Cayuse knew it to be an old, -and probably abandoned, mine. - -The boy dared not go farther, and he knelt where he was and continued -to watch. Owing to the distance, he could trace the movements of the -white man and the Apaches but indistinctly; yet he saw enough to -convince him that the two prisoners were being lowered down into the -old mine. - -The white man and his red helpers clambered up the ore-dump, hovered -together there for several minutes, all busily engaged, and then came -back down the ragged little hill. And on their return Cayuse could -see that they were carrying no one. - -Facing about, the boy scrambled back into the gully, untied the -riata that tethered the two horses to the stone, jumped into the -saddle of Buffalo Bill’s mount, and galloped toward the place where -he had left his pinto, with the other of the two horses in tow. - -This move was characteristic of Little Cayuse. The white man and the -Apaches were Buffalo Bill’s enemies, and Cayuse considered them his. -It is always the proper thing to get away from an enemy everything -you can. On this principle, partly, Cayuse was taking the horses. -Then, again, he was looking forward to the time when Buffalo Bill and -the man with him should be taken out of the old mine and need their -mounts. - -On reaching the defile where he had left his pinto, Cayuse pulled the -pinto’s thong from the thorn-bush, changed his seat to the pony’s -back, and raced up the defile, leading the animals picked up in the -gully. - -The boy was now in his element. He understood very well that the -white man and the Apaches would miss the horses, and would imagine -that they had broken away. Search would be made for the missing -animals, but Cayuse would make it his business to see that the search -was not successful. - -If the Apaches caught him, Cayuse knew that a bullet or a knife would -settle his earthly account. - -But the Piute was not intending to let himself be caught. He was an -Indian no less than the Apaches, and fully as able to take care of -himself. - -The defile the boy was following led out onto the flat desert. - -Leading his horses, he circled to the south over the plain, found a -place where he could descend into the gully, and was just crossing -to the western wall, when a rider spurred out from behind a pile of -rocks and laid his horse lengthwise across his path. - -A revolver gleamed feebly in the starlight, leveled straight at the -Piute’s breast. - -“Ugh!” grunted Little Cayuse. - -“Waugh, ye pizen varmint!” growled a voice. “Whar ye goin’ with them -cabyos?” - -“Wolf-killer!” muttered Little Cayuse. - -“Snarlin’ hyeners ef et ain’t Cayuse? Waal, blazes ter blazes an’ all -hands round! Say, I thort ye was told ter foller Bernritter?” - -“All same,” answered Cayuse. “You no follow Jacobs, huh?” - -“I’m follerin’ him now. But look hyar, son, what ye doin’ with them -two hosses? One of ’em looks like Buffler’s, blamed ef et don’t.” - -“Wuh! All same Pa-e-has-ka. We no stay here. Heap Apache right ahead. -Cayuse steal um cayuses from Apaches.” - -“What’s thet ye’re tellin’? Apaches loose in this part o’ ther range? -I reckons, Cayuse, ye must be shy a few, ain’t ye?” - -Nomad was himself keeping a sharp lookout for redskins. In fact, when -he saw Little Cayuse coming over the eastern wall of the gully with -the two led horses, he had felt sure that he was one of Bascomb’s -Apaches, and had screened himself behind the rock-pile. - -The question he had put to the boy was for the purpose of making -certain the Piute had made no mistake. - -“Heap Apache,” insisted Cayuse; “one white man.” - -“Jumpin’ tarantelers!” breathed the trapper, “I was gittin’ warmer’n -I thort. Ye’ve got Buffler’s hoss, an’ ther baron’s. Aire ye meanin’ -ter tell me thet Buffler an’ ther baron hev been captered?” - -“Wuh! Me see um take Pa-e-has-ka and Dutch brave and put um in old -mine.” - -“Ole mine? What ole mine?” - -“Him little way from here; not far. We get out of gully, so Apaches -no find us when they come looking for horses. _Sabe?_” - -“I’m savvyin’ like er house afire. But tell me fust off ef Buffler -was hurt?” - -“No can tell, Wolf-killer. Him carried to old mine; and Dutch brave, -him carried to old mine, too.” - -“Ain’t this er piece o’ thunderin’ mean luck for ye?” grumbled the -old trapper. “Thar was me, knowin’ all erbout this hyar trap in ther -hills, layin’ in ther closet o’ thet hotel like er trapped rat, an’ -not able ter do er thing ter keep Buffler from runnin’ inter thet -ambush. Things sartinly does turn out all-fired queer sometimes.” - -While the old man was spluttering, he and Cayuse were climbing up the -steep slope, each with one of the led horses. - -They reached the top, went a little way down on the other side, and -then dismounted to watch for some sign of the Apaches. - -But no Apaches showed themselves. - -While they were waiting, Cayuse told of his trailing, of the way -Jacobs and McGowan had passed him, of his search for Nomad, of his -hearing the pistol-shot, discovering the two horses, and watching the -white man and the Indians carry Buffalo Bill and the baron to the old -mine. He finished with an account of how he had taken the two animals -and rode off with them. - -Cayuse never wasted words. His recital was terse yet graphic, and -Nomad listened with profound admiration for the little Piute’s pluck -and resourcefulness. - -“Ye’ve done well, Cayuse,” said Nomad, when the boy had finished. -“From what ye say, Buffler an’ Schnitz aire in some ole mine-shaft -whar this hyar Bascomb fixes ter keep ’em pris’ners all durin’ -ter-morrer. But you an’ me’ll fool Bascomb an’ his reds, Cayuse. -Jest as soon as we’re shore the Apaches hev given up lookin’ fer the -missin’ cabyos, we’ll make headway to’rds thet ole mine an’ snake -Buffler an’ ther baron out o’ et quick.” - -“Wuh!” said Little Cayuse. - -For half an hour longer they watched the gully, and as the Apaches -failed to appear, they reasoned that the redskins had given up the -horses and had gone away about their own business, whatever that -might be. - -“I reckon we kin hike out now, Cayuse,” said Nomad, “an’ feel purty -safe about Bascomb an’ his Injuns. Straddle yer pinto, boy, an’ lead -ther way ter this hyar ole mine. Ye don’t reckon any o’ Bascomb’s -reds aire watchin’ et, do ye?” - -“All come away,” answered Cayuse. “Me see um.” - -“Kerect. Mount an’ ride, Cayuse, an’ we’ll soon put Pard Buffler -inter ther game ag’in.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE OLD SHAFT. - - -The Black Cañon trail, up to the point where the road to Castle -Creek Cañon broke away from it, was familiar ground to the king of -scouts. He and Nomad had had some exciting experiences in this part -of the country--experiences which impress land-marks and topography -indelibly upon a man’s mind. - -Therefore, although the scout and the baron traversed the Three-ply -road during the earlier half of the night, the scout’s knowledge, -added to that acquired by the baron, was sufficient to keep them on -the right course. - -As the scout had stated, it was his intention to camp out somewhere -in the vicinity of the Three-ply Mine, prosecuting his work of -apprehending the bullion thieves, unknown even to McGowan. - -The Black Cañon trail was to be followed until they were hard upon -the Three-ply camp; then they would break from it and establish -themselves in some favorable locality where water could be had, and -where they would yet be in touch with the mine. - -As to what he intended to do, the scout’s plans were rather vague, -but he was hoping for good results from the work of Nomad and Cayuse. - -If the trapper and the little Piute trailed Bernritter and Jacobs -according to instructions, they would sooner or later arrive at the -Three-ply camp. When they arrived there, the scout felt sure he would -have little difficulty in getting into communication with them. -Undoubtedly Nomad and Cayuse would themselves be hunting quarters -among the neighboring hills, as it was part of their instructions to -keep their surveillance of the super and the cyanid expert a secret. - -Completely oblivious of the Apaches, gathered under the leadership of -Bascomb, Buffalo Bill and the baron dropped easily into the trap they -had spread. - -The blow was struck swiftly, suddenly, and effectively. Not a sound -heralded it. - -From each side of the gully half a dozen noosed riatas leaped out -from the rocks. - -The scout and the baron saw the flying nooses. One or two might have -been dodged, but there was no getting away from twelve of them. - -Buffalo Bill had barely time to jerk a revolver clear and fire in -the direction of the rocks at the gully-side. The next moment he was -roped and dragged bodily out of the saddle. - -The noose had slipped part way down his body before it tightened, and -when it closed on him it pinned his arms to his sides and rendered -him helpless. - -He struggled to the best of his ability, but a swarm of redskins -dropped down on him and fairly smothered him by force of numbers. - -Among the red faces bending over him he saw a white one. While the -Apaches held him, the white man laid a handkerchief over the scout’s -face. - -The handkerchief was saturated with chloroform, and it was impossible -for the scout to get away from the sense-destroying fumes of the drug. - -Unconsciousness followed; and when the period of lethargy was finally -broken, the scout sat up and stared about him into pitch-black night. - -The drug, in clearing out of his faculties, had left a nausea in his -stomach. From somewhere in the darkness the baron was groaning in the -depths of a similar misery. - -“Baron!” called the scout. - -“Puffalo Pill!” gulped the baron. “Gootness me! I t’ought meppy you -vas deadt. I peen pooty near deadt meinseluf. Ach, vat a trouple in -mein inside. Ach! I hope dot I don’d haf to live mooch longer und -suffer like vat I am.” - -“Nonsense, baron! You were drugged, just as I was. You’ll feel better -when you get over the effects.” - -“Vell, meppy. I vish Frieda vas here to do somet’ing for me.” - -“Don’t waste any time thinking of Frieda. We have other things to -command our attention. Are you tied?” - -“No, I don’d vas tied.” - -“Neither am I: That’s something, at all events. Strange those -scoundrels left us the use of our hands. I can’t understand what they -mean by making such a play as this.” - -“Id vas mighdy sutten.” - -“Sudden! It came like lightning out of a clear sky.” - -“Who dit id?” - -“Apaches; but there was one white man among them.” - -“Vy dit dey dit id?” groaned the baron. - -“Give it up,” answered the scout. “It must be that this has something -to do with those bullion robberies at the Three-ply.” - -“Vell, meppy. I can’t undershtand nodding aboudt id, only I haf sooch -a sickness. Ach, ach! Oof I don’d ged vell, id vill be some hardt -plows for Frieda, I bed you.” - -Rising dizzily to his feet, the scout began groping about him. He -touched a steep, jagged wall on every side save one. He looked up and -saw a circular patch of sky, glimmering with stars; then the truth -dawned upon him. - -“We’re in an old mine, baron,” he announced. - -“Yah? Iss dere any vay to ged oudt?” - -The scout’s distress was rapidly passing. With every minute he was -getting better, and feeling more like himself. - -His belt and guns had been taken from him, and his money and watch -were missing from his pockets; but his matches had been left, and he -was able to make a brief survey of the shaft. - -As nearly as he could judge, it was some thirty feet from the bottom -of the shaft to the top. The walls were straight up and down, so that -scaling them without a rope, or ladders, was an impossibility. - -Oft at one side of the shaft a level had been run. The baron was -sitting in front of the black opening, and the scout peered over his -head into the dark. - -“It’s an abandoned mine, all right,” averred the scout. - -“I vish dot ve couldt apandon id,” said the baron. “I mighdt schust -as vell be in chail as in a blace like dis. Und id vas all so sutten! -Vy, Puffalo Pill, I didn’t haf no shance to do any shooding mit my -guns, or any fighding mit my fists. Two ropes tropped ofer my headt, -my horse vent righht oudt from unter me, und dere I vas, mit Inchuns -piled t’ree deep on top. Und den dot shmell!” - -“Come, come, baron,” adjured the scout, “brace up! Those Apaches have -stowed us away here for safe-keeping, but they have left us the use -of our hands and feet, and perhaps we won’t have to stay here, after -all. Pull yourself together and we’ll see where that level will take -us.” - -“Meppy id vill take us oudt oof dis hole!” exclaimed the baron, -getting up. - -“No such good luck as that. Those reds and that white scoundrel must -have known about this place before they dropped us into it. I’m -obliged to them for not doing us any injury. No matter what happens -to you in this life, baron, there’s always something to be thankful -for.” - -It was an odd adventure. In all the scout’s experience with Indians, -he had never before known them to fall back on a drug when they -wished to put an enemy “out of the running.” More than likely it -was their white leader who had furnished the drug, however, and had -planned to use it. - -“Vell,” said the baron, “I t’ink ve can feel t’ankful dot ve’re -alife, even oof ve don’d got no guns left, und no vay oof gedding -oudt oof dis hole. Meppy, Puffalo Pill, dose fellers vas going to -leaf us down here undil ve shtarve to deat’!” - -“Starve to death!” scoffed the scout. “We’ll not do that while -there’s no more than thirty feet of shaft keeping us from the surface -of the ground. There’s a way to get out of here, and we’ll find it. -How are you feeling now?” - -“Pedder. Der pain ain’d so pad like id vas. I t’ink I vill live long -enough to shtarve to deat’, anyvay.” - -“Come on after me,” said the scout, “and let’s see what we can make -out of the level.” - -He entered the darkness of the drift, scratching matches as he -proceeded. Twenty feet measured the length of the level, and the -scout brought up short against a wall of virgin rock. - -“Nothing much here, baron,” said he. “The men who located this -property drifted twenty feet off the shaft to find the lead. They -didn’t find it, and so gave up.” - -“I haf found somet’ing,” said the baron. “Look here, vonce.” - -The scout retraced his way a few feet to where the baron was -standing. On the floor of the level, directly in front of the baron, -was something that looked like a pile of silver balls. Each ball was -about the size of a man’s fist, and there must have been more than a -hundred of them. - -The scout picked up one of the balls, examined it a moment, and then -dropped it in amazement. - -“Vat’s der madder, Puffalo Pill?” queried the baron, in some -excitement. “Meppy dis iss a silfer-mine, hey?” - -The match flickered out in the scout’s fingers, and the baron heard a -low laugh. - -“Vat for you laugh like dot?” demanded the baron. “Meppy ve can take -dot silfer avay, und sell him und make some money. Oof dere iss money -enough for me to ged marrit on, all vat habbened mit me I vill call -a goot t’ing. Dose Inchuns dropped us indo a silfer-mine; und der -choke’s on dem, hey?” - -“Baron,” said the scout, “this isn’t a silver-mine.” - -“Ain’d dose palls silfer?” - -“No, they’re gold.” - -“Goldt? _Himmelplitzen!_ I t’ought goldt vas yellow. Dose palls are -_vite_.” - -“They’re gold, nevertheless, baron,” said the scout; “yellow gold -covered with quicksilver. That is a pile of amalgam--gold and -quicksilver as it comes from the plates of a stamp-mill.” - -“Py chimineddy! Iss dot some oof McGowan’s lost goldt, Puffalo Pill?” - -“I’ll bet my pile it is. Those redskins have dropped us into the -place where the bullion thieves have been caching their loot.” - -“Und id don’d pelong to us, but to McGowan!” - -“It’s McGowan’s gold, all right, baron.” Once more a laugh broke from -the scout’s lips. “We’d never have found it if that white villain and -those Apaches hadn’t----” - -A whistle echoed down the shaft and drifted in along the level to -where the scout and the baron were standing, near the pile of amalgam. - -“Vat id iss?” whispered the baron, taking a tense grip on the scout’s -arm. “Meppy der Inchuns haf gome pack to put us oudt oof der vay.” - -But the baron was wrong in this conclusion. While he and the scout -stood there, trying to puzzle out the cause of that whistle, a voice -came to their ears. - -“Buffler! Aire ye thar, ole pard?” - -“Nomad!” cried the scout, starting for the shaft. - -“Py shinks oof id ain’d!” added the baron, with a whoop of joy. - -“Thet’s yerself, is et, Buffler?” called the old trapper, from the -top of the shaft. - -“Sure, Nick,” replied the scout, looking upward to where two heads -were framed darkly against the background of sky. “Who’s that with -you?” - -“Cayuse.” - -“Great Scott! I can’t understand this at all.” - -“Jest wait till we git ye out o’ thar an’ we’ll spring a shore enough -surprise-party on ye. Aire ye all right?” - -“As well as ever.” - -“An’ Schnitz--hes he got any bones broke?” - -“Nod dot I know anyt’ing aboudt,” the baron answered for himself. - -“Hooray! I was thinkin’ mebbyso ther reds had damaged ye some when -they sprang their leetle trap. I’m goin’ ter throw down the end of -er rope. Lay holt o’ et, you two, an’ we’ll snake ye out with one o’ -ther hosses.” - -The scout and the baron stepped back into the drift until the end of -the rope had come swishing down; then they went out and laid firm -hold of it. - -“All ready, Nick!” shouted Buffalo Bill. - -“Gee-haw with thet pesky cabyo, Cayuse,” called Nomad to the Piute -boy; “git him a-goin’, son, an’ stop ther minit I sing out.” - -The rope tightened, then straightened out under the weight of the -scout and the baron. Up and up they went at a smart clip until they -reached the mouth of the shaft. At a quick command from the trapper, -Cayuse stopped the horse; then Buffalo Bill and the baron climbed out -on top of the old ore-dump. - -“Howlin’ painters,” jubilated Nomad, grabbing his pard’s hand, “but -et’s good ter see ye, Buffler, an’ ter know ye pulled out o’ thet -trap without so much as moultin’ er feather.” - -“Weren’t there any Apaches on guard around here?” inquired the scout, -sitting down on the rocks. - -“Nary. I reckon ther reds thort they had ye bottled up fer keeps down -thar, an’ thet thar wasn’t no way fer ye ter git out without help. -’Course,” laughed Nomad, “they didn’t opine noways thet ye was goin’ -ter git help.” - -“I can’t understand that play of theirs at all. They snagged the -baron and me with riatas, dumped us out of our saddles, drugged us, -and then lowered us into that old shaft. If they had wanted to put us -out of the way, why didn’t they use their guns, or their knives? It -isn’t like a pack of reds to go to all that extra trouble.” - -“Thar was a white man with ’em, wasn’t thar?” - -“Yes.” - -“Waal, them Injuns was bein’ bossed by ther white man. All ther pesky -white varmint wanted ter do was ter hang ye up, hard an’ fast, durin’ -ter-morrer.” - -“Why was that?” - -“They hev a mill clean-up at ther Three-ply ter-morrer, an’ -Bernritter an’ Jacobs an’ them reds aire plannin’ ter git away with -more’n forty thousand in bullion.” - -The scout stared at the old man in astonishment. - -“Where did you get next to all that, Nick?” he asked. - -“By doin’ what ye told me ter do an’ follerin’ Jacobs.” - -“This is important. Give me the whole of it.” - -The trapper went into details, leaving out nothing that had the -slightest bearing on the peculiar situation. - -Little Cayuse likewise added his testimony, explaining how he had -discovered that the scout and the baron had been lowered into the old -shaft. - -“So far,” applauded the scout, “this little drama has been a two-star -performance, with Nomad and Cayuse occupying the center of the -stage. Nick, you and Cayuse have done mighty well. By acting on this -information you two have collected, we’ll be able to run out this -trail of McGowan’s in short order. - -“Bascomb and the redskins, unless I misread the signs are going -to storm the Three-ply camp to-morrow, after the amalgam has been -scraped off the mill-plates, and make ’way with it. - -“I have suspected Bernritter and Jacobs ever since I saw them in -the sheriff’s office. What do you think of them for a pair of -contemptible, scheming scoundrels? McGowan has all the confidence in -the world in Bernritter, and the super has taken advantage of that -confidence to rob his employer systematically. - -“I know, now, just as well as I know I am sitting here, that those -rascals contrived to put that bar into the baron’s saddle-bag, -solely for the purpose of bringing our Dutch pard under suspicion -and sidetracking McGowan’s distrust until the mill clean-up could be -stolen and rushed away. - -“We’ll nip this pretty plot in the bud, but we shall have to go about -it carefully. Bascomb and his Indians think the baron and I are holed -up in that shaft. We’ll let them continue to think so, and will so -mask our movements that they will not know we’re at large until we -show ourselves to frustrate their designs on the Three-ply gold. Give -me a saddle-blanket, one of you fellows.” - -Nomad was puzzled by this request, but he immediately loosened his -saddle-cinches and drew out the blanket. Then the scout dropped the -riata into the shaft once more and let himself down. - -He was down a short time, when he called out to be drawn to the -surface again. - -He came up with the saddle-blanket secured at the corners, and a -heavy weight in it. - -“What ye got thar, Buffler?” asked the curious trapper. - -“About thirty pounds of amalgam, at a rough guess,” was the answer. - -“Amalgam!” cried the startled Nomad. - -Then the scout explained, and when the truth dawned on the trapper he -chuckled mightily. - -“Et wasn’t er good thing for them varmints ter put ye down thar with -thet Three-ply loot,” said he. “Didn’t ther ijuts know better, er was -they jest takin’ er chance ye wouldn’t find et?” - -“They were taking the chance that we couldn’t get out if we did -find it,” answered the scout, “and it was Little Cayuse’s work that -enabled us to fool them. The baron and I will stow the stuff in our -war-bags, and then we’ll ride.” - -“Whar’ll we ride ter, Buffler?” - -“To some place near the Three-ply camp.” - -The amalgam was quickly stowed in the war-bags, Nomad replaced his -saddle-blanket, and the little party mounted. - -Cayuse and Nomad took the lead to the gully. This was followed almost -to the point where it entered the valley, and there the horsemen -spurred out of it, crossed two or three low hills, and rounded up in -a small arroyo. During the entire journey from the old shaft nothing -had been seen of Bascomb or any of his Indians. - -“Whar d’ye reckon ther reds aire, Buffler?” asked Nomad. - -“They are probably lying low and waiting for their work to-morrow,” -was the reply. - -The scout turned to the baron. - -“Where does McGowan sleep, baron?” he inquired. - -“In a leedle room off der office,” answered the baron. - -“Where do Bernritter and Jacobs sleep?” - -“Pernritter shleeps by der bunk-house, und Chacops shleeps in der -laporadory glose to der cyanit-danks.” - -“Good. Cayuse, you and the baron come up this hill with me. Nomad, -keep your eye on the horses.” - -The scout, followed by the Dutchman and the little Piute, gained -the crest of the hill. The camp lay below them, with all lights -extinguished save those in the mill. The stamps were still pounding -away, powdering ore and releasing gold which Bernritter, Jacobs, and -their gang were planning to get away with on the following day. - -“Where’s the office, baron?” went on the scout. “Point it out to me.” - -“Dere,” said the baron, stretching out his hand. “Id iss dot leedle -puilding oop der site oof der hill.” - -The office, being of whitewashed adobe, stood out plainly against the -dark slope of the hill. - -“You see it, Cayuse?” asked the scout. - -“Wuh!” said the boy. - -“I want you to go down there, Cayuse, and wake up McGowan. Do this -quietly, so that no one in the camp finds out about it. Tell McGowan -that Buffalo Bill wants to see him at once. Then bring him here.” - -“Wuh.” - -Without waiting for further words, Little Cayuse slipped down the -descent, while the scout and the baron turned back to the place where -Nomad was watching the horses. - -“Vell,” remarked the baron, “I couldt haf done dot schust so vell as -Cayuse.” - -“I’m afraid not, baron. You would probably have had to stop and say -how do you do to Frieda. Until we take care of these bullion thieves -you must forget all about the girl.” - -“I can’t do dot. She iss a leedle sunpeam, I tell you for sure. Dere -iss only vone girl in dis vorldt for me, und dot’s Frieda. Somedime, -pefore long, meppy, Frieda vill be _Frau_ von Schnitzenhauser. Ach, -vat a habbiness!” - -“Waugh!” grunted Nomad. “Ther baron hes been chewin’ loco-weed. -Wimmen gits ombrays inter trouble, an’ ef et hadn’t been fer thet -thar Frieda ther baron wouldn’t hev rode away from ther Three-ply -with thet bar o’ cyanid bullion.” - -“I don’d care aboudt dot,” averred the baron stoutly. “Frieda is -vort’ anyt’ing vat habbens to me.” - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - LAYING PLANS. - - -Little Cayuse was entirely successful in his errand to the Three-ply -camp. It was not long before he returned to the scout, bringing -McGowan with him. - -“Faith,” said McGowan, sizing up the scout and his pards in the faint -light, “I wasn’t expecting this.” - -“I told you,” laughed the scout, “that you would probably hear from -us when you least expected to.” - -“You were right in that, Buffalo Bill. But why don’t you and your -pards come down to the camp? I can make you comfortable there, -and----” - -“It won’t do,” interrupted the scout. “We don’t want any of your men -to know that we’re anywhere near the camp.” - -“Why is that?” - -“Because the bullion thieves are planning to get away with your -clean-up to-morrow, and we can back-cap them to better advantage if -they don’t know we’re anywhere around.” - -“What!” gasped McGowan. “You must be mistaken, Buffalo Bill.” - -“You’re going to have a mill clean-up to-morrow, aren’t you, McGowan?” - -“Yes. As soon as the night-shift knocks off work in the mill we’ll -hang up the stamps and the day-shift will begin the clean-up.” - -“How long will it take?” - -“By two o’clock the amalgam ought to be ready for retorting, but it -will probably be day after to-morrow before Jacobs gets the bullion -refined and run into bars.” - -“What do you do with the amalgam?” - -“It is kept in the mill until it is ready for Jacobs; then it is -taken over to the laboratory by the tanks and Jacobs gets to work on -it.” - -“It will be taken to the laboratory about two o’clock?” - -“Yes.” - -“Who’s with Jacobs while he’s refining and running out the bullion?” - -“I am, usually, and so is Bernritter.” - -“You will be with him to-morrow?” - -“Yes.” - -“Armed?” - -“Of course. But why all this questioning?” - -“I want to collect information for our work to-morrow, that’s all. -Shortly after two o’clock, McGowan, you may look for an attack on the -laboratory.” - -McGowan started. - -“An attack? From whom?” - -“From a gang of stray Apaches led by a white scoundrel named Bascomb; -and from Bernritter and Jacobs.” - -“An attack from Bernritter? You’re wide of your trail, Cody. -Bernritter is loyalty itself. There’s not a dishonest hair in -Bernritter’s head.” - -“You’re mistaken. Bernritter is a contemptible scoundrel.” - -“I’ll not believe it.” - -“He’ll prove it to you. Do as I say and you’ll see him caught -red-handed to-morrow.” - -McGowan seemed dazed. For a moment he was silent. - -“Then Indians are mixed up in this?” he asked finally. - -“Yes. There are a dozen or more of them. They intend to swoop down -on the Three-ply to-morrow afternoon, steal the amalgam from that -clean-up, stand off any of your miners and millmen who show fight, -and escape into Mexico.” - -“I’m willing to take your word about the intended robbery, but I -can’t think that Bernritter has anything to do with it. Why, man, -that fellow has worked for me five years. He’s--he’s engaged to marry -my daughter, Annie, who is away visiting in ’Frisco. I can’t think -he’d do me dirt like that!” - -“It’s hard, I know,” said the scout, in a kindly tone, “to have your -confidence betrayed by a man like Bernritter. Still, the facts are -sometimes brutal, McGowan. It is far and away better for you to find -out what sort of a fellow Bernritter is now than after his marriage -to your daughter.” - -McGowan, greatly shaken, bowed his head thoughtfully. - -“The night is wearing to a close,” went on the scout briskly, “and we -must have our plans all laid before morning. How many men have you in -the camp on whom you can absolutely rely?” - -“I thought I could rely on all of them,” was the slow answer, “with -the possible exception of Jacobs. The cyanid expert has only been -here for a few months, and I never liked him. He’s a good workman, -however, and I’ve kept him solely for that reason.” - -“How many men are on the night-shift in the mine?” - -“Eleven.” - -“They will be in the bunk-house to-morrow afternoon?” - -“Yes.” - -“How many are on the day-shift in the mill?” - -“A batteryman, two amalgamators, and an engineer. The engineer and -the batteryman will help the amalgamators make the clean-up, since -the fires will be banked and the stamps hung up.” - -“Then there will be four in the mill?” - -“Yes.” - -“How many Mexicans are working about the cyanid-tanks?” - -“Six. Their foreman is a white man, Andy O’Connell--as game and -honest a man as ever walked.” - -“Can you depend on all the men who are to be in the bunk-house, in -the mill, and around the tanks to-morrow afternoon?” - -“I don’t know about the Mexicans, but I can bank on the rest.” - -“Then here is what you must do: Contrive in some way to have the -men in the bunk-house and in the mill armed with six-shooters. Arm -O’Connell, too, but don’t arm the Mexicans. Do this at noon, and -don’t let either Bernritter or Jacobs know that you do it.” - -“That will take a lot of guns, Buffalo Bill, and I haven’t so many. -Most of the men, however, have weapons of their own.” - -“If you can’t arm all of them with guns, arm them with iron drills, -axes, picks--anything that comes handiest. My Dutch pard and I would -also like a six-shooter apiece--we had the misfortune to be stripped -of our own hardware. Is there any place, near the laboratory and the -cyanid-tanks, where you could hide Nomad and the baron and me?” - -“There’s an old powder-house at the rear of the laboratory,” said -McGowan. “It isn’t used for storing high-explosives any more, and -you might hang out in there.” - -“At noon,” proceeded the scout, “when you arm your men tell your -mill-engineer to keep a lookout in the direction of the cyanid-tanks. -The moment he sees a man there waving a handkerchief, tell him to -blow the whistle as long as he can. That will be the signal for your -men to get busy. I presume there will be steam enough in the boiler -for that?” - -“Yes. The mill starts up again when the night-shift goes on. I’ll -tell the engineer. Nevertheless, this may be a case of all cry and no -wool, Buffalo Bill.” - -“I hope it will prove to be, but I am positive it will not. Will you -carry out instructions, McGowan?” - -“Certainly! I’d be a fool if I didn’t. I can’t afford to lose -forty thousand dollars’ worth of bullion. But you’re wrong about -Bernritter.” - -“Why, Bernritter has been stealing you blind for the last two weeks!” - -“Can you prove that?” - -“I wouldn’t make such an assertion if I couldn’t prove it. Didn’t you -tell me that you and Bernritter have been in the mill almost every -night since you have been missing gold?” - -“Yes.” - -“And that you watched the body of the mill while Bernritter kept -behind the battery-boxes?” - -“That was the way of it.” - -“Nomad,” said the scout, “dump those war-bags here, in front of -McGowan.” - -The war-bags were brought and emptied of their contents. - -“Amalgam!” cried McGowan, starting back with one of the silver balls -in his hand. - -“Exactly,” returned the scout; “amalgam taken from the Three-ply -Mine. It was stored in an abandoned shaft, not far from here and -close to the Black Cañon trail.” - -“But--but how was it taken?” gulped McGowan. - -The scout took from under his coat two sets of copper wires. From -each set of wires dangled flat pieces of copper. - -“You see these contrivances?” the scout asked, striking a match to -afford McGowan a better view of the wires and the dangling pieces -of copper. “Bernritter strung those in the battery-boxes, and the -copper pieces captured all your best gold before it ever reached -the mill-plates. At the proper time the wires were removed from the -boxes, replaced with others, and the amalgam cleaned from the copper -pieces at Bernritter’s leisure, or at Jacobs’. The stolen amalgam was -then conveyed to that old shaft and stored away until it could be -marketed. I found those wires,” the scout added, “under the pile of -amalgam balls, in the deserted shaft.” - -McGowan was thunderstruck at the case made out by Buffalo Bill. Then, -as he realized how audaciously he had been robbed, his anger began to -mount. - -“By thunder,” he cried, smiting his hands fiercely together, “I’ll -have the scalps of the men who did this, no matter who they are! -Buffalo Bill, you have done great work! In one night you have -unraveled a mystery that has bothered the life out of me for two -weeks. I’ll remember you for this.” - -“You’ll have to thank my two pards, Nick Nomad and Little Cayuse,” -said the scout, “for what has been accomplished. They have done the -bulk of the work so far. But,” he broke off abruptly, pointing to -the glimmer of dawn in the east, “morning is coming, and Nomad, the -baron, and I must get into that powder-house. Cayuse,” and the scout -turned to the boy, “you will take charge of the horses. We can’t -take them into the camp, for Bernritter or Jacobs would see them, -and suspect something. Keep them out here in the hills. We’ll help -you carry the amalgam to the camp, McGowan,” he finished, facing the -mine-owner, “and when you get it there, see that you stow it away -where Bernritter won’t see it.” - -The amalgam was put back into the war-bags. The scout took one sack -of rations from his horse, told Cayuse to use the other sack for -himself, and then the scout, Nomad, and the baron climbed the hill -with McGowan and descended into the still quiet camp. - -Buffalo Bill’s plans had been cleverly laid. If nothing went wrong -with them, there would be hot times at the Three-ply during the day -to come. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE ATTACK. - - -The powder-house backed up against the rear wall of the laboratory. -It was small, constructed of stone, and was considerably dilapidated -through disuse. In earlier days it had answered very well as a -storing-place for high-explosives, but that was when the Three-ply -Mine was young, and had not expanded to its present dimensions. Now, -owing to the mine’s growth, the old powder-house was altogether too -close to the scene of operations for safety, and another storeroom -had been built farther up the hillside. - -Very quietly Buffalo Bill, Nomad, and the baron took up their -quarters in the ruinous structure, swung the battered old door into -place, and seated themselves on the pounded-clay floor. - -The scout and the baron had each a six-shooter, which had been given -to them by McGowan, together with a supply of cartridges. - -By the time they were safely ensconced in their hiding-place, the sun -was on the rise and the camp was astir. - -Peering through the chinks in the stone wall, the baron could look -at the chuck-shanty, and could see Frieda bobbing out and in while -making ready the miners’ breakfast. - -“Ach, sooch a fine girl vat id iss!” he wheezed, with both hands on -his heart. - -“Fergit et!” growled Nomad. “Ye’ve got somethin’ else ter think -erbout now, baron.” - -“I can’t t’ink oof nodding but Frieda!” - -“Ye ort ter hev said so afore we come inter camp; then we could have -left ye with Cayuse an’ ther hosses.” - -“Nod on your life, Nomat!” murmured the baron vehemently. “I vant to -blay efen mit dot Pernritter und dot Chacops, who gold-bricked me und -almost got me in chail. Oof id hadn’t peen for Puffalo Pill I vould -haf peen in der chail dis minid, und dot vould haf fixed me for keeps -mit Frieda. She vouldn’t like some fellers ven he vas in der lock-up.” - -The baron, gazing soulfully through the crack in the wall, continued -to watch for stray glimpses of Frieda. - -“Thet Bernritter, Buffler,” said Nomad to the scout, “come purty -nigh hevin’ things his own way hyar. He had got McGowan’s darter ter -agree ter marry him, an’ then he went on bunkoin’ her daddy out o’ -ther funds ter live on. What er fool ther super is! Ef he’d a-played -honest, he would prob’ly hev married ther gal; an’ then, sooner er -later, he’d hev got all the old man’s money.” - -“He’s an out-and-out rascal, Nick,” said the scout; “no two ways -about that. But maybe McGowan is misinformed. Perhaps Bernritter’s -suit for the girl’s hand was only a blind to give him a better -‘stand-in’ with her father. That’s the only way I can account for it.” - -Suddenly the mill-whistle blew a long blast. As soon as the echoes of -the whistle died away, the roar of the stamps ceased abruptly, and an -unnatural silence pervaded the valley. - -The day-shift men could be seen running out of the bunk-house and the -night-shift men, grouped about a water-trough, began washing the -grime from their faces preparatory to breakfast. - -The men skylarked among themselves like a lot of schoolboys. - -Once more the whistle blew, and there was a general movement in the -direction of the chuck-shanty. - -“I vish,” sighed the baron, “dot I vas going in dere mit der rest.” - -Half an hour later another shrill blast called the day-shift in mine -and mill to their work, and the tired men of the night-shift came -out of the chuck-shanty and made for the bunk-house. The Mexicans -proceeded to their pick-and-shovel and wheelbarrow work about the -tanks, and Jacobs could be heard moving around in the laboratory. - -With Jacobs astir so close at hand conversation between those in the -old powder-house could not be indulged in. - -The hours dragged slowly. The mill was the heart of the camp, and it -was strange how lifeless the place seemed while the mill was out of -commission. - -Occasionally Bernritter showed himself between the mill, where the -clean-up was going forward, and the office. Once he met Jacobs in the -open, and the two exchanged words. The scout and the trapper, peering -out from their place of concealment, noticed that both men seemed -furtive and apprehensive. When they separated, Jacobs skulked back to -his laboratory like a man who was fearful of what was to come. - -The pards in the old powder-house munched their rations calmly. -They were there for “business,” and their one desire was to get the -business over as swiftly as possible. - -A blast of the mill-siren told them that noon had come. Again was -there a flocking in the direction of the bunk-house, but there were -not so many men at dinner as there had been at breakfast. All the -miners and millmen on the day-shift had carried their dinners into -mine and mill with them. - -As the miners on the night-shift loitered back toward the bunk-house, -McGowan, with a bundle under his arm wrapped in canvas, followed them. - -“There, Nick,” whispered the scout in the trapper’s ear, “McGowan -is going to arm the miners and tell them to be on the lookout for -trouble.” - -“Wonder ef he has posted ther millmen yet?” returned Nomad. - -“If he hasn’t, he will. McGowan is mad clear through. When I showed -him that stolen amalgam I expected it would swing him around to our -side with a whole heart. That’s just what it did. I wouldn’t stand in -Bernritter’s shoes for all the gold in these hills.” - -Some time later the pards could hear men coming into the laboratory -and going out again. They were not in a position to see what was -going on in the direction of the mill, as the laboratory shut off -their view, but they gathered that the clean-up had been finished, -and that the amalgam was being brought into the laboratory for Jacobs -to “retort” and run down into bar-bullion. - -The movement of men from mill to laboratory ceased. At about the -same time Bernritter and McGowan left the office and made for the -laboratory. - -As they drew close to the building, McGowan passed on ahead and -Bernritter dropped behind. The alert pards could see the super cast -an upward look at one of the hills that rimmed in the valley; and, -as he looked, he waved his hand. - -Swerving his eyes to the hilltop, Buffalo Bill caught sight of a -white man’s head and shoulders just vanishing downward. - -“That was a signal!” whispered the scout. “The thieves are making -ready for the attack.” - -“Hadn’t ve pedder ged oudt und ged pizzy?” champed the impatient -baron. - -“No,” answered the scout sharply. “Don’t make a move till I give you -the word. I’ll tell you what to do then, _and you do it.”_ - -McGowan and Bernritter could be heard entering the laboratory. An -instant after their heavy footfalls had sounded on the plank floor of -the small house there came sounds of a quick scramble, a sharp cry, -and a heavy fall. - -Nomad leaped instinctively. - -“Wait!” breathed the scout. “Wait for the attack!” - -“But ther villains hev downed McGowan, Buffler!” gasped Nomad. - -“Undoubtedly; but they won’t add murder to their crime, if they can -help it. McGowan is safe enough, for the present. I reckon that will -open his eyes as to Bernritter’s character!” - -A tall man could be seen hurrying around the old powder-house toward -the laboratory door. That was Andy O’Connell. He had heard the -scuffle and the cry, and was not waiting for the mill-whistle to call -him to the counter-attack. - -O’Connell, however, did not reach the laboratory door. Suddenly he -paused and whirled about, jerking a revolver from his pocket as he -did so. - -At the foot of the hill, where Buffalo Bill had seen the -disappearing head and shoulders of Bascomb, was a pack of armed -Apaches, rushing like wolves in the direction of the laboratory -building. A white man was in the lead, springing over the ground with -long leaps. - -“Nomad,” said the scout, starting up, “you and the baron will get -into the laboratory building and prevent the amalgam from being -taken. _Now!_” - -The door was flung open and the three pards rushed out. The trapper -and the baron, bent only on carrying out orders, paid no attention to -O’Connell or the onrushing Bascomb and his Apaches. Their business -was to get into the laboratory--and they went at it. - -O’Connell, whirling around and seeing the three issue from -the powder-house, made up his mind that they were part of the -attacking-force, and had been concealed in the powder-house for no -good. - -He raised his revolver and would have sent a bullet after Nomad had -the scout not grabbed his arm and threw it upward. - -“I’m Buffalo Bill!” cried the scout; “those men are my pards! We’re -helping McGowan. Get into the laboratory and help stand off those red -scoundrels. Quick!” - -Without waiting for more, Buffalo Bill dashed around the end of the -laboratory and rushed for the cyanid-tanks. - -Rushing up an incline that led to a plank toe-path along the rim of -the tanks, the scout pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and waved -it. - -The engineer, faithful to instructions, was on the watch. The instant -the handkerchief began to wave, the mill-whistle took up its wild -clamor and sent ominous echoes through the camp. - -The men poured out of the bunk-house and out of the mill. - -Up to that moment not a shot had been fired, but the mill-whistle was -followed by a chorus of yells from the white defenders and a burst of -fierce whoops from the attacking reds. - -A revolver cracked; then the popping broke suddenly into a -fusillade--and the fight for the Three-ply bullion was on. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - WORSTING THE RED THIEVES. - - -Bascomb and his Apaches were almost at the laboratory before the -mill-whistle sent out its warning peal. They saw the men rushing -from the bunk-house and the mill in answer to the signal, and they -realized at once that their attack was no surprise. For a second they -halted, on the verge of a panic. - -Bascomb saw Buffalo Bill, whom he had put down in the old shaft -during the night, and whom he believed to be safely out of the -way. The sight of the scout naturally astounded the ruffian; then, -apparently realizing that his failure to take the camp by surprise -was due to Buffalo Bill, Bascomb’s rage rushed through him and found -vent in a wild oath. - -“Come on!” he yelled to the redskins. “Kill the long-haired warrior! -A hundred _pesos_ ter the buck that does fer Buffler Bill!” - -If Bascomb failed to get the gold, he was determined to play even -with the man who had caused the failure. - -It had been the scout’s intention, as soon as he had given the signal -to the engineer, to join the men from the bunk-house and lead them in -the battle with the reds. - -He now found this plan impracticable. - -Acting under Bascomb’s instructions, the fleet-footed Apaches turned -the corner of the laboratory and rushed at the tanks. - -Not all of them reached the tanks, for Bascomb was obliged to divide -his party so as to take care of the force coming from the mill. Much -as Bascomb himself desired to come into battle with the scout, he -found that he was barred from doing so by a flank movement of the -millmen. - -He used his revolver, and one of the millmen dropped. Before he could -use the weapon a second time, a bullet through the arm caused his -revolver to fall from his hand. - -Swearing luridly, Bascomb jerked at his second revolver with his left -hand. While he was about it, the remaining three millmen rushed him, -and he was compelled to retreat in the direction of the piles of -tailings clustered about the rear of the mill. - -While this was going forward, Buffalo Bill, on the plank-walk at the -rim of the tanks, was having the fight of his life. - -The Apaches had begun the battle with a rain of bullets. The scout, -anticipating the volley, had dropped flat on the planks, and the -bullets had passed over him. - -But the redskins misinterpreted the scout’s move, and thought he had -been hit, and had fallen. Lusty yells of exultation broke from them, -and two of the nearest warriors raced up the plank incline to get the -coveted scalp. - -They did not get the scalp, however. The scout had more use for it -than they had. - -Regaining his feet like lightning, he pulled the trigger. A futile -_snap_ followed. Again and again the trigger fell, and the cylinder -revolved, but not a cartridge in the weapon responded to the scout’s -will. - -Buffalo Bill was amazed. He had carefully examined the weapon when -McGowan gave it to him and the cartridges had appeared to be all -right. - -With the two armed Indians rushing toward him, and others crawling up -the incline, the scout’s situation was a desperate one. But he was -equal to it. - -Crouching forward, he met the first Apache with a jump and a -sledge-hammer blow. The redskin crumpled like a man of straw and -dropped face downward over the toe-path. - -The second Indian the scout gathered up in his mighty arms as he -would have caught a venomous dog. The Indian was a powerful man, and -he succeeded in fighting loose, but only for a second. Again the -scout was upon him. - -Grabbing the redskin, Buffalo Bill lifted his writhing form in both -hands and cast him into the tank near which the battle was taking -place. - -Never was the scout’s strong arm more in evidence than it was then. - -A third Indian was creeping toward him. He darted at the warrior like -a fury, they came to hand-grips, and in the resulting struggle both -tumbled from the toe-path between two of the tanks. - -The Indian had a knife in his hand; but in the wrestling-match, the -point had been turned toward the Indian’s own breast. In the heavy -fall from the plank-walk, the knife was driven to the hilt, and the -redskin straightened out with the rattle in his throat. - -The scout raced out from among the tanks, to find that the men from -the bunk-house and the mill had joined forces and were in hot pursuit -of Bascomb and the remnant of his red followers. - -Buffalo Bill did not join in the pursuit, but made directly for the -laboratory. - -There he found a broken window, an overturned assayer’s furnace, two -bags loaded with amalgam, and two wounded men. - -One of the wounded men was the baron; the other was Jacobs. - -McGowan, white and weak, sat in a chair by a table, taking a swig -from a flask. Old Nomad stood grimly over the bags of amalgam. - -“Well!” exclaimed the scout; “it looks as though there had been -doings here, too.” - -“Thar has, Buffler,” answered Nomad. “When ther baron an’ me blew in -hyar, McGowan lay in a corner, knocked as senseless as I was, back at -ther Phœnix hotel. Bernritter an’ Jacobs put up er fight, an’ ther -baron got tickled in ther ribs with er bullet, an’ Jacobs got tickled -in ther shoulder.” - -“Where’s Bernritter?” - -“He went out by way o’ ther window, and never stopped ter put et up. -I couldn’t chase arter him, kase I was ther on’y man left ter purtect -ther gold. I hopes some ’un lays ther pizen whelp by ther heels.” - -“So do I!” came from McGowan. “The infernal scoundrel!” - -“You think he’s a scoundrel now, do you, McGowan?” queried the scout, -turning on the mine-owner. - -McGowan brought his fist down on the table with all the strength he -could muster. - -“I know it!” he declared. - -“What happened to you in here?” - -“Why, I came with Bernritter to superintend the retorting, and the -running of the gold into bars. I was ahead of Bernritter when we -came into the room, and I had barely got inside the door when he -jumped me from behind. - -“The impetus of his body carried me down. I gave out a yell--just -one--and then the scoundrel hit me with the butt of his revolver. -That’s all, so far as I’m concerned. When I came to, matters were -just as you see them now! And to think,” cried McGowan, “that that -was the man I have trusted for all these years! The man who is -engaged to marry my girl, Annie! I wish we could hang him!” - -From this it will appear that the mine-owner’s eyes had been -thoroughly opened. - -“What was the matter with that revolver you gave me, McGowan?” went -on the scout. - -“Matter with it?” demanded McGowan. “Why, nothing. It was one of my -own weapons--an arm that I have depended on a dozen times, and it has -never failed me. That was the reason I gave it to you.” - -“Well, it failed _me_. Look at it.” - -The mine-owner took the revolver from the scout, “broke” it, and -looked at the cartridges. - -There were six of them, all apparently ready for use. - -“Fire it,” said the scout. - -McGowan pointed it at the ceiling and pulled the trigger. Only the -_click_ of the hammer sounded. He tried five times more; then, -with an imprecation, “broke” the piece again, took out one of the -cartridges, and twisted out its lead cap. - -There was no powder in the shell! - -“Tampered with!” growled McGowan. - -“That’s the size of it,” returned the scout. - -McGowan drew the mate to the firearm from his pocket and tried -to fire that. The result was the same as in the case of the other -revolver. - -“Bernritter must have done this!” declared McGowan. - -“Did you leave the weapons where he could get at them?” - -“They usually hung from a belt on a nail in my room. As my room is -off the office, it was easy for Bernritter to get at the guns and -fix ’em. Oh, the depth of that villain’s trickery! He laid his wires -well, and he would have won out against me, Buffalo Bill, if it -hadn’t been for you and your pards.” - -“Such a man,” commented the scout, “deserves the worst that can -happen to him.” - -Nomad was kneeling beside the baron, binding up his injury with a -piece of sacking. - -“Is it a bad wound, Nick?” the scout asked solicitously. - -“Scratch, thet’s all,” said Nomad. - -“How’s Jacobs’ wound?” - -“That’s worse, but not so bad thet et’ll keep him from goin’ ter ther -penitentiary.” - -McGowan got up and walked over to the baron. - -“How do you feel, Schnitzenhauser?” he asked. - -“Pedder as I mighdt oof id vas a whole lot vorse,” said the baron, -sitting up. - -“Are you able to walk?” - -“I don’d t’ink I vas.” - -“If you were able to walk,” went on McGowan, “I would have you go to -the chuck-shanty and tell Frieda I wanted her to take care of you. -But, as you can’t navigate----” - -The baron was on his feet in a flash. - -“Oh, vell, meppy I could walk so far as der chuck-shandy,” said he -eagerly. - -“Go on, then,” said McGowan, with a wink at Buffalo Bill. - -The baron went, and he was quite brisk about it, too. - -“Let’s go out, Buffalo Bill,” suggested McGowan, “and see what our -casualties are. I hope none of my boys have been badly injured.” - -Together the scout and the mine-owner left the laboratory, Nomad -staying behind to look after Jacobs and the amalgam. - -The first man the scout and the mine-owner saw as they emerged from -the office was Andy O’Connell. - -“Are yez all roight, McGowan?” asked O’Connell. - -“Barring a blow on the head that still makes me feel a little dizzy,” -answered McGowan. “Were you one of those who chased after the -thieves?” - -“I was that, but sorry a wan av th’ blackguards did we catch. They -had horses waitin’ beyant th’ hill, an’ they was on thim an’ away -befure we could git to our own mounts. Th’ white scoundrel that led -th’ attack was hurted--annyway, his arm was tied up in a bit av -cloth. He lit out jist a-smokin’. Bernritter was close behind him. -Whyever did Bern break through th’ window an’ chase aff wid th’ -villains?” - -“Because he was mixed up with them, Andy.” - -“What! Bern wan av th’ thaves?” - -“He was--and the worst one. Jacobs was also implicated, but he’s -wounded and back there in the office.” - -“Well, glory be! Av that ain’t news I niver heard any!” - -“How many of our men were hurt, Andy? Do you know?” - -“Chislett, the mill-engineer, got a bullet through th’ thigh av him, -and Harkness, av th’ night-shift, got a bit av a scratch in th’ -shoulder. Besides them, we’ve picked up three dead Injuns.” - -“Where are Chislett and Harkness?” - -“In th’ mill.” - -The scout and the mine-owner pushed on to the mill and found the -wounded men in the engine-room, sitting up in a couple of chairs and -being attended to by the amalgamators. - -They were not seriously hurt. - -“Lucky for us, Mr. McGowan,” said Chislett, “that we had warning of -the attack. But for that there’d been a lot of us caught napping, and -the reds wouldn’t been the only ones to cash in.” - -“You lads stood by me finely,” said McGowan, “and I’ll not forget it. -Harry,” he added to one of the amalgamators, “get on the best horse -in the corral and ride to Phœnix. Tell Rising to come out here, and -have him bring a doctor.” - -The amalgamater started forthwith for the corral. The men of the -day-shift in the mine had got wind of the fighting and had flocked up -into the shaft-house. McGowan met them, told them the trouble was all -over, and sent them back to work. - -The men from the bunk-house, who had gone in pursuit of Bascomb, -Bernritter, and the redskins, had all straggled back, and were -talking over the exciting events in front of the blacksmith-shop. - -Buffalo Bill and McGowan went back to the laboratory. There they -found that Nomad had made Jacobs comfortable in his bed, in a small -room off the workroom. Jacobs was pale and there was an apprehensive -look in his eyes when he saw McGowan. - -The mine-owner drew up a chair by the head of the bed. - -“Did you or Bernritter put that bar of bullion in the Dutchman’s -saddle-bag, Jacobs?” he asked. - -“I put it in,” said Jacobs. “Bernritter told me to.” - -“Why was that done?” - -“Bernritter was afraid Buffalo Bill would come out here with you and -look into the gold-robberies. He wanted to shift suspicion onto some -one else until this job of to-day was pulled off.” - -“I see. Bernritter didn’t want Buffalo Bill to help probe the -Three-ply robberies, eh?” - -“No. He knew the king of scouts wouldn’t be long in finding just how -things stood.” - -“Well, you and Bernritter took just the right course to get Buffalo -Bill interested out here.” - -“I can see that, now. But when we put the bar in the Dutchman’s -saddle-bag we didn’t know he was a pard of Buffalo Bill’s.” - -“That’s the way things go wrong for men like you and -Bernritter--sometimes,” put in the scout. - -“This stealing has been going on for the past two weeks, has it?” -pursued McGowan, anxious to take full advantage of Jacobs’ talkative -mood. - -“Yes.” - -“You and Bernritter were tapping the battery-boxes right along, eh?” - -Jacobs looked surprised. - -“How did you find that out?” he asked. - -“Buffalo Bill found it out. Bascomb put the scout and his Dutch pard -into an abandoned shaft, last night, and they found a pile of amalgam -in it.” - -“Bascomb made a fool of himself!” muttered Jacobs. “He knew the -amalgam was there, but I guess he thought we had hidden it.” - -“Who put the wires in the battery-boxes?” - -“Bernritter did that--while you and he were watching the mill for -thieves.” Jacobs laughed cynically. “Oh, Bern’s a rum one, I’m -telling you. He never intended to marry your daughter, Mr. McGowan. -He’s a married man already--he told me so. All he wanted to do was to -get himself solid with you so he could make a big clean-up and get -away.” - -McGowan clenched his hands fiercely and a blaze of savage anger -crossed his face. - -“I’d like to see the scoundrel hung!” he muttered. “What’s more, I’d -like to spring the trap myself, or pull at the rope that lynches him. -He’s not fit to live!” - -“Who’s this man Bascomb, Jacobs?” asked the scout. - -“I don’t know much about Bascomb,” replied Jacobs, “except that he -and Bern are pals. Bascomb has a hold on a bunch of renegade Apaches, -and he rounded them up to put through this deal here to-day. I won’t -be sure, but I _think_ that Bascomb suggested all this gold-robbery -business to Bernritter, and has been telling him how to pull it off.” - -“Bernritter was a willing tool--there’s not a particle of doubt about -that,” interjected McGowan. - -“Does Bascomb stay in Phœnix?” asked the scout. - -“He doesn’t make it a rule to stay anywhere for very long. I have my -suspicions that he’s a badly wanted man.” - -“He’ll be badly wanted now, if he wasn’t before,” scowled McGowan. - -“Bernritter told you to meet Bascomb in Phœnix, did he?” went on the -scout. - -Jacobs opened his eyes pretty wide at this. - -“How did you know that?” he asked. - -“My old pard, Nomad, found it out. When you and Bernritter left the -sheriff’s office I had you followed.” - -“Does your pard know what sort of a talk I had with Bascomb?” asked -Jacobs, alarmed. - -“Yes.” - -“He found out enough to put us next to the work you contemplated, out -here. That is how we were able to back-cap you like we did.” - -“You and your pards must be regular fiends!” murmured Jacobs. - -“Rather a left-handed compliment, I call that,” said the scout. -“Didn’t you know my pard, Nomad, was trailing you, Jacobs?” - -“I should say not!” - -“How did it happen that some one got the best of him in our room at -the Phœnix hotel, bound and gagged him with towels, and left him a -prisoner in a closet?” - -“I didn’t know anything about that. Bascomb, before he rode out into -the hills, was to have a couple of men call at your hotel and keep an -eye on you or any of your pards who happened to be there. I suppose -those men must have roughed things up for Nomad. But I didn’t hear -about it.” - -“Nomad said Bascomb called the men ‘light-fingered.’ Didn’t -Bernritter want them to go through our baggage?” - -“I don’t know. Bern didn’t say anything to me about it.” - -“Did Bernritter tamper with my guns?” asked McGowan. - -“Yes. He said that if you ever got a line on him about the first -thing you’d do would be to shoot--and ask for an explanation -afterward.” - -“Well, I _am_ rather swift when my mad is up.” - -“So Bernritter fixed your guns. Now, Mr. McGowan, I’ve told you all -I know. I have been Bernritter’s tool all through this business. He -got me my job here, and he swore that if I didn’t help him in his -thieving he’d have me discharged. On account of all that, sir, I’m -hoping you’ll be easy with me.” - -“Oh, yes, I’ll be easy with you!” growled McGowan. “You’ll not be -hung, I reckon, but you will go over the road, all right.” - -“You haven’t lost any gold----” - -“It was not through you that I saved any of it.” - -“I didn’t know but that you might, when everything was considered, -let me go. I’ll get right out, and this part of the country will -never see me again.” - -“You’ll get right out just as soon as you’re able to move; and you’ll -go with Rising, the sheriff. And you’ll leave this part of the -country, all right, when you take that little trip to Yuma.” - -“Hyar’s a pard o’ your’n, Buffler!” sung out Nomad, from the other -room. - -The scout stepped out of the bedroom and found Little Cayuse. The boy -had erased the war-paint from his face, for he had reached the end of -his war-trail. - -“Cayuse all right, Pa-e-has-ka,” said the boy. - -“I knew they would be when I told you to take care of them. Where did -you put the animals?” - -“All same camp corral.” - -“That’s all right.” - -The boy edged closer to the scout. - -“Me done good work, mebbyso?” he went on. - -The scout looked at him in surprise. It was not like Little Cayuse to -claim credit, or try to get some one to pat him on the back. - -“You have done fine work, Cayuse,” said the scout heartily. - -“Mebbyso you let Cayuse take scalps of Apaches?” pleaded the boy. - -The scout started. Every once in a while the boy’s Indian nature -would crop up, just as it did in this request for the scalps of the -slain Apaches. - -“You want those scalps pretty bad, do you?” the scout asked. - -“Wuh!” said Cayuse, with glimmering eyes. - -“You like um Pa-e-has-ka?” - -“Wuh!” - -“You can take those scalps, Cayuse, if you want to,” went on the -scout, “but the moment you do, our trails divide. I’ll have no pard -about me who will do such heathen work. Take your choice.” - -“No take um scalp,” said Cayuse, wheeling silently and striding out -of the room. - -Nomad laughed. - -“Ye might hev knowed how he’d choose, Buffler,” said he. “Why, he -thinks more o’ you than he does o’ his own dad.” - -“His own dad sold him for a quart of whisky and a gun,” said the -scout quietly, “so that isn’t saying much, Nick.” - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE WINNING HAND. - - -In the afternoon Rising drove out in a two-seated buckboard, bringing -Hawkins with him and a doctor. - -He was astounded when told of what had taken place at the Three-ply. - -“Everything seems to happen all in a bunch for you and your pards, -Buffalo Bill,” said he. “It would take a lot of average men a month -to do what you and your outfit have cleaned up on in twenty-four -hours.” - -“A lot of average men wouldn’t have the Cody-luck,” said the scout, -with a smile. - -“I reckon there’s more in that than a person would think.” - -“In that, and in having helpers like Nick Nomad and Little Cayuse.” - -The doctor examined Jacobs and pronounced him well enough to go back -to town with Rising and Hawkins. After dressing Jacobs’ wound, the -doctor performed a like service for Chislett and Harkness, and was -then sent to the chuck-shanty to look after the baron. - -Chislett and Harkness, it was the doctor’s opinion, would soon be as -well as ever. - -McGowan told them they were to receive double pay while they were -laid up, and that they could be laid up as long as they pleased. - -While the doctor was looking after the baron, Rising and Hawkins were -getting particulars and taking descriptions for use in an effort to -apprehend Bernritter, Bascomb, and perhaps some of the Apaches. - -The scout was in front of the laboratory when the doctor came out of -the chuck-shanty and walked in the direction of the mill. The doctor -was wearing a broad grin. - -“How’s that Dutch pard of mine, doctor?” asked the scout. - -“He’s mighty bad off,” answered the doctor. - -“How’s that? Why, I thought his wound----” - -“Oh, his wound’s all right. He can be up and around to-morrow, so far -as his wound is concerned.” - -“Then how is he bad off?” - -“It’s his heart. Bad case of heart-disease. That girl Frieda is the -cause of it.” - -The scout laughed, too. - -“Is it all one-sided, this affair of the baron’s?” the scout asked. - -“From the way Frieda languishes around the baron, I should imagine -not. He wants to see you, Buffalo Bill.” - -“I’ll go with ye, Buffler,” said Nomad, who was standing near. “I got -er big notion one o’ our pards is goin’ ter be cut out o’ our herd, -an’ I’d like to be in at the finish.” - -“So would I,” chipped in McGowan. “We’ll all go up.” - -So it happened that the three of them made their way to the -chuck-shanty, were met by _Frau_ Schlagel, and conducted into the -little bedroom off the kitchen where _Frau_ Schlagel’s Chinese -assistant usually slept. - -But now the baron had usurped the Chinaman’s bed. Beside the bed sat -Frieda, holding the baron’s hand in a life-and-death grip. - -The baron looked mighty happy. - -“Hello, eferypody!” said he. “Frieda und me haf got somet’ing to tell -you. Hey, leedle gum-trop?” and the baron turned a pair of sheep’s -eyes in the girl’s direction. - -“_Macht ruhig!_” blushed Frieda. “You vas sooch a comical feller.” - -“What have you got to tell us, baron?” laughed the scout. - -“Vell, Frieda say dot she vill pecome _Frau_ von Schnitzenhauser ven -I peen vell enough to shtand id.” - -“Oh, ho!” cried the scout. “Then you’re not going to travel with this -outfit any more, eh?” - -“Vell, I don’d can be in doo places ad der same time; und I couldn’t -take Frieda along oof I draveled mit you some more, couldt I?” - -“Not very well,” said the scout. “But what are you going to do to -make a living, baron?” - -“I hafen’t t’ought aboudt dot, yet,” admitted the baron, pulling a -long face. - -“It’s quite an important thing, baron,” said the scout. - -“I can take care oof Frieda some vay, I know dot.” - -“Perhaps,” put in McGowan, “I can help you, baron. I will give you a -job, here at the Three-ply; you can work in the mill and Frieda can -continue to help her mother in the chuck-shanty. Between the two of -you you’ll probably make money enough to buy me out, one of these -days.” - -“Schust a minid, oof you blease,” said the baron. “You t’ought I -shtole dot par oof goldt. Vat you t’ink now, hey?” - -“I know now, baron,” said McGowan, “that you’re an honest Dutchman -and a brave one. You hadn’t anything to do with that bar of gold. -There’s my hand on it. Do you accept my proposition?” - -“Villingly, Misder McGowan!” cried the baron. “You make me so habby -dot I can’t see shdraight. Kiss der chentleman, Frieda.” - -Frieda did so, much to the “chentleman’s” discomfort. And she did not -stop with McGowan, but, in her excitement, kissed Buffalo Bill and -Nomad, as well. - -“Dere, now, dere, now,” cried the baron; “you vas going too far for -my biece oof mindt, Frieda. I don’d like dot. Gif me dree to efen -oop.” - -Frieda gave the baron the “three,” and they were hearty ones; then -the scout and the trapper shook the baron by the hand, wished him -luck, and left him--happy. - -“Thar goes one o’ yer stand-bys, Buffler,” said Nomad. “Ye’ll never -hev ther blunderin’ baron around ye any more.” - -“He was a good fellow,” said the scout, “and he was always loyal.” - -“How could a pard be anythin’ else but loyal ter Buffler Bill?” -demanded Nomad. - -Down by the laboratory the sheriff’s buckboard was drawn up, ready to -make a start for Phœnix. Hawkins was on the rear seat with Jacobs, -and the doctor was on the front seat. Rising was just gathering up -the lines, and had one foot on the hub of a forward wheel. - -“Off for town?” asked the scout. - -“On the jump, Buffalo Bill,” returned Rising. - -“We’ll be after you in less than an hour.” - -“I should think you’d want to hang out here for a week or two and -rest up after your exciting work.” - -“We don’t need much rest, Rising; what we do need we’ll secure in -Phœnix. To-morrow we have to start for Fort Apache.” - -“Well, the work you’ve done here has put a big feather in your cap.” - -The scout smiled. - -“Feather!” snorted Nomad. “Give et ter Leetle Cayuse: He’s the on’y -one in our bunch thet wears feathers.” - -“He’s entitled to one for this Three-ply work, all right enough,” -said the scout. “What are you going to do about capturing Bascomb and -Bernritter, Rising?” - -“To tell the truth, Cody, I don’t believe we can do much of anything. -If those two villains are wise, they’ll not stop until they have -crossed the Mexican line. I’m thinking they’re wise enough for that. -If they are, of course that lets me out.” - -“When I get to Fort Apache I’ll talk to the agent about these red -renegades that are helping Bascomb out in his lawlessness. They ought -to be rounded up and sent back to the reservation.” - -“That will be a help to the forces of law and order in this county, -Buffalo Bill.” - -“Well,” spoke up McGowan, “if five thousand dollars will help any -toward the capture of either Bernritter or Bascomb, I stand ready to -post that amount on each.” - -He turned inquiringly to the scout. - -“It wouldn’t be any incentive to me,” said the scout. - -“I’ll see what can be done about it when I get back to Phœnix, -McGowan,” said Rising. - -“I am going to reimburse Cody and the baron,” went on McGowan, “for -their time and the loss of some of their valuables when they were -roped in the hills and taken to that old shaft.” - -“That’s the least you can do, Mac,” said Rising, climbing into the -buckboard. “Well, _adios_, friends, till we meet again.” - -“_Adios_, gentlemen,” called the scout. - -The sheriff whipped up his horses and the buckboard with its -passengers was soon out of sight in the gully. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - DELL, OF THE “DOUBLE D.” - - -“Waugh! Jest lis’en ter thet, will ye? Ther pizen noise seems ter -come from every which way. Trailin’ tracks ter ther place whar they -goes is er heap easier than trailin’ er noise like thet ter ther -place whar et comes from. Whoa, you gangle-legged ole hide-rack, -y’u! Stand still fer a brace o’ shakes while I tries ter sense ther -location o’ thet distressin’ whoop.” - -The speaker was Nick Nomad. As was quite frequently the case when -Nomad was journeying alone, he was conversing with himself. - -The “gangle-legged old hide-rack” to which he referred was his -horse--a rangy, ranch-bred cayuse, all leather and springs. - -Horse and rider were in a high-walled basin, formed by the opening -out of a gulch through which ran the wagon-trail from McGowan’s mine, -to the town of Phœnix, in Arizona. - -At its widest, the basin would measure probably an eighth of a mile -across. Its bottom was level as a floor and overgrown with mesquit, -greasewood, and thorn. - -Nomad, entering the basin from the gulch on the north, was crossing -to the gulch on the south. He was close to the center of the basin -when he heard a prolonged: - -“Whoo-yah-h-h!” - -The walls of the basin caught up the sound and sent it echoing -and reechoing across the intervening spaces, the result being a -bewildering clamor coming from everywhere at once, and from nowhere -in particular. - -“Sartain shore,” muttered old Nomad, cocking up his ear and puzzling -his brain, “thar’s another human in this hyar place, an’ he ain’t -feelin’ jest right in his mind, someways. But whar is he? Thet’s ther -p’int. Ther noises aire all tangled up, an’ et seems like thar was er -hundred voices callin’. We got ter make er try, anyways, ole hoss. As -er starter, we’ll bushwhack ter ther right.” - -The trapper turned from the wagon-trail and spurred into the -chaparral. “Whoo-e-e!” he shouted, as he forced his way through the -brush. - -The echoes of his call were taken up by another “Whoo-yah-h-h!” from -the unseen man, and the basin fairly roared with voices. - -Nomad forced a passage clear to the basin wall on the right without -locating the person he was seeking. Thereupon he rode some fifty feet -southward, and cut clear across the basin. - -Luck was with him that time, for he came upon a low structure of -cottonwood logs, bolted strongly together at the corners, and with -other logs bolted to the top, the whole forming a sort of cage. - -At one side of the cage was a door of strong, two-inch planks, -fastened to slide up and down in grooves. This door was closed, and -the top edge of it weighted down with a big stone. - -“Waugh!” exclaimed Nomad, pulling up his horse. “Ef et ain’t er -b’ar-trap I’m er Piegan.” - -“Whoop-yah-h-h!” came the howl of distress once more, and there was -not the least doubt about its being inside the trap. - -Nomad slid down from the saddle, dropped to his knees, and peered -between the logs. Then he began to laugh. - -Inside the trap, likewise on his hands and knees, was a caged man. - -The man had fiery red hair, and his broad face was fringed all around -with fiery red whiskers. - -“Divil take yez!” snorted the man in the trap, with a brogue that was -rich and fluent. “A laughin’ matther, is ut? Come insoide a whoile, -like mesilf, an’ see av yez can laugh.” - -“Sufferin’ varmints!” chuckled the trapper. “Et’s an Irish b’ar, -blamed ef et ain’t.” - -“Begorry,” came the response, “Oi’m Irish, an’ proud av bein’ from -th’ ould sod, but it’s no b’ar Oi am. Rub yer eyes, an’ look ag’in. -Did yez iver hear a bear _talk_? G’wan wid yer funnin’.” - -“I’ve seen er b’ar do everythin’ but talk. What’s yer name, my -unforchnit friend?” - -“Golightly.” - -“An’ how did ye come ter git in ther trap?” - -“Och, wurra, Oi didn’t come t’ git in. Oi was on me way t’ Phanix, -an’ was shtopped on th’ road an’ put in.” - -“Whar ye from?” - -“Th’ Three-ply Moine. Oi do be worrukin’ f’r McGowan.” - -“I don’t riccolect seein’ ye at ther Three-ply, Golightly, an’ I’ve -been thar fer two er three days.” - -“Oi’ve seen yersilf there, wid Buffalo Bill an’ th’ little redshkin -yez call Cayuse. Are yez goin’ t’ let me out, or are yez goin’ t’ set -there chinnin’ wid me on me hands an’ knees an’ me back half-broke?” - -“I’m goin’ ter let ye out, pilgrim,” said Nomad, getting up and -walking to the door of the trap. - -Throwing off the stone, he lifted the door, and Golightly rolled out, -with a shout of satisfaction at finding himself free. - -Clenching his fists, he shook them in the air; then, jumping high and -knocking his heels together, he stooped down and patted the earth -with one hand. - -“Yez hear me?” he roared. “Oi can lick th’ blackguards wid me wan -hand tied behind me back!” - -“Ef ye’re able ter do thet, Golightly,” grinned Nomad, “fer why did -ye let ther blackguards put ye in ther b’ar-trap?” - -“Oi was taken by surprise, that’s whoy!” glared Golightly. - -“Tell me erbout et,” returned the old trapper, climbing into his -saddle and hooking one knee about the horn. - -“This is th’ way av ut,” went on Golightly, ramming some tobacco into -the bowl of a short clay pipe and scratchin’ a match on the sole -of his boot. “McGowan is expectin’ av his girrul from ’Frisco th’ -marnin’, an’ it was mesilf he sint t’ Phanix t’ mate her. McGowan -was busy an’ couldn’t go himsilf. Oi got an early shtart wid th’ -buckboard, an’ whin Oi was goin’ through here, a mon wid a mask over -his face--bad cess t’ him f’r th’ blackguard he is!--rode out av th’ -bushes an’ grabbed th’ two horses by th’ bits. - -“Simulchuniously, an’ whoile Oi was arguin’ wid th’ mon t’ let go av -th’ bits, two more wid masks rode out, wan on each soide av me, laid -hold av me collar an’ tipped me aff th’ sate av th’ buckboard. They -had guns, d’ye moind, an’ sorry a thing had Oi but me two fists. What -could Oi do? I ask yez that. Not a thing, says you, but do as yez -was bid. I did that same, an’ was poked into th’ thrap, th’ door was -closed, an’ th’ blackguards wint aff wid th’ buckboard.” - -“Thet was a pizen queer move, Golightly,” remarked Nomad, the humor -of the situation dying out with the serious business that seemed back -of it. - -“Queer, is ut? Oi do be callin’ ut worse than queer. What did they -want iv th’ ould man’s buckboard? An’ what did th’ ould man’s girrul -do whin there was no wan t’ meet her at th’ thrain in Phanix?” - -“Ther ole man’s darter’s name is Annie, ain’t et?” - -“Annie McGowan--ye’ve shtruck ut. She’s been visitin’ in ’Frisco, an’ -was expected home this marnin’. By th’ same token, she was expectin’ -some wan from th’ moine to mate her, an’ that same was what McGowan -tould me t’ do--which Oi didn’t do, account av bein’ penned up in th’ -thrap f’r six mortil hours. Och, wurra, but Oi can’t ondershtand ut -at all!” - -Golightly had not lighted his pipe. He scratched half a dozen -matches on his boot-sole, but each time he became interested in -his explanation, and allowed the match to flicker out between his -fingers. It was a keen expression of his state of mind. - -“I knowed McGowan was expectin’ his darter from ’Frisco,” said Nomad, -“an’ thet he’d sent some ’un ter meet her; but why ye’d be stopped -on er peaceful journey like thet thar, an’ ther buckboard took erway -from ye, is somethin’ I don’t understand. What use hev a lot er men -on hossback fer a buckboard, anyways? An’ why was they masked? A -feller don’t wear a mask onless he wants ter hide his identity; an’ -ef he hides his identity, ye kin bet yer moccasins thar’s somethin’ -onlawful up his sleeve.” - -“Where are yez bound f’r, Nomad?” asked Golightly. - -“Phœnix. Buffler, an’ Leetle Cayuse, an’ me aire startin’ fer Fort -Apache. Leetle Cayuse an’ Buffler will start from ther Three-ply this -arternoon. Hevin’ er piece o’ bizness ter attend ter in Phœnix, I -started on ahead.” - -“What had Oi betther do? Go on t’ Phanix, or back t’ th’ moine?” - -“Ef Miss McGowan was comin’ on ther mornin’ train----” - -“She was that.” - -“Then she reached Phœnix three hours since, an’ prob’ly hes gone -ter ther hotel. Yore cue, Golightly, is ter mosey back ter ther -Three-ply, an’ report what’s happened. Someway, I don’t like ther -looks o’ things. This underhand work may p’int ter some big villainy -er other, an’ McGowan ort ter be informed o’ et as soon as possible.” - -“Oi do be sizin’ av ut up in th’ same way, Nomad; but it’s severeal -moiles back t’ th’ Three-ply, an’ Oi’ll be some toime coverin’ th’ -ground on foot.” - -“Ye’ll not kiver the ground on foot, Golightly, fer I’m goin’ ter -give ye a lift. I’ll erbout-face an’ make front on thet Three-ply -camp, so’st ye kin give McGowan ther nub o’ this diffikilty in short -order. Climb up behind me.” - -Nomad kicked his foot out of one of the stirrups, and Golightly -was just mounting, when a clatter of hoofs reached their ears from -southward. - -The trapper hoisted himself in his saddle and looked across the tops -of the bushes toward the gulch opening at the south side of the basin. - -“Waugh!” he cried, startled; “thar comes er gal on er white pinto, -slashing erlong ter beat four of er kind, with two handy boys in -masks in hot persoot! Take er look, Golightly! Is thet Annie McGowan?” - -“Annie! Jest from ’Frisco in that rig? Niver! That’s Dell, av th’ -Double D Ranch--a fri’nd av Annie McGowan’s.” - -“Whoever she is, Golightly, she needs us, an’ we’ll cut her out o’ -thet bunch in er couple er jerks. Hang on, kase I’m goin’ ter plow -through ther chaparral at top speed.” - -Pointing straight for the wagon-trail, the old trapper made quick use -of his spurs, and the double-burdened horse crashed away on the jump. - -By the time Nomad and Golightly had reached the wagon-trail, Dell -of the Double D was well to the north of the basin. The old trapper -and the Irishman thus came out of the scrub between her and the two -pursuing men. - -Facing about in the trail, old Nomad unloosened “Saucy Susan” and -“Scoldin’ Sairy”--as he called his forty-fours--and the result, as he -afterward expressed it, was “shore comical.” - -The masked pursuers, evidently, were not expecting interference, and -the sudden materializing of the trapper and the Irishman from the -bushes was in the nature of a disagreeable surprise. - -Although their faces were masked, it could easily be seen that they -were ruffians of the border brand--the sort who can be very brave -when there are two of them in pursuit of a woman, but immediately -experience panic when the odds are more nearly equal. - -The bullets fired by the trapper went into the air, and the horses -of the pursuers were stopped so suddenly that the men on their backs -almost went over their heads. - -Frantically the two ruffians whirled about and went slashing along on -the back trail, plying whip and spur for all they were worth. - -To follow them was the last thing Nomad would consider, with his own -horse so heavily burdened. - -“Aire them plug-uglies two o’ ther gang thet put ye in ther -b’ar-trap, Golightly, and run off with ther buckboard?” asked the -trapper. - -“Faith, they look like ut,” answered the Irishman. “They didn’t shtop -t’ tell us whoy they took th’ buckboard.” - -“Nary, they didn’t,” chuckled Nomad. “Mebbyso they’ll send their -explanations by mail. Let’s see what ther young woman has ter tell -us. What did ye say her name was.” - -“Dell av th’ Double D Ranch.” - -“Dell, hey? Ain’t thar nothin’ more to et?” - -“Dauntless, Dell Dauntless, Oi belave, is her full name, but nobody -iver calls her that. F’r ivery wan in these parts she’s Dell--Dell -av’ th’ Double D.” - -Nomad, after watching the two masked men disappear in the gulch, had -turned his horse the other way. - -“Dell Dauntless,” he muttered, his eyes on the girl as she came -riding back on her white cayuse. “Waal, thet’s er great name. Et -somehow tickles my fancy like, an’ appeals ter my imagination. Et -makes Dauntless Dell, when ye turns et front-end to, an’ shore stacks -up ther clear quill. Ther name’s purty, an’ ther gal thet wears et is -ther same. She looks like she was got up ter play ther star part in -‘Ther Cowboy’s Pride,’ er some other mellerdrammer with lots er blue -fire and trembly music. Mebbyso ther name’s er false alarm, an’ thet -war-rig o’ her’n is on’y fer looks.” - -“Arrah, ye’re wrong!” declared Golightly; “they do be sayin’ Dell av -th’ Double D is nervier than any mon in these parts. She can hit a -squirrel in th’ eye as far as she can git a sight av him, an’ she can -shtand aff twinty feet an’ throw th’ p’int av a bowie through anny -pip ye name in a playin’-card.” - -“Waugh! Ye’re gittin’ me plum inter_est_ed; but go lightly, will ye, -ef thet’s yer name. What ye tell me is more’n ary woman kin do.” - -“Yez don’t know Dell av th’ Double D,” muttered Golightly. - -As she came loping easily toward the trapper and the Irishman, -perfect mistress of her horse and her lithe body swaying rhythmically -in the saddle, the girl was certainly a “picture.” Nomad, who cared -little for the sex feminine, felt a mighty stirring of admiration -in his old heart. Certainly, Dell of the Double D appealed to his -admiration for the picturesque. - -The girl could not have been more than nineteen or twenty years -of age, and that she was athletic by training and temperament was -manifest in every graceful move. - -Her blouselike waist was of softest doeskin, fringed and beaded and -secured about her trim waist by a carved Mexican belt, from which -depended an ornate knife-sheath, showing the pearl handle of a bowie; -her short skirt was of buckskin, likewise fringed and beaded; below -the skirt’s edge were laced tan leggings, and below the leggings were -small russet shoes, with silver spurs at the heels. Her hat was a -rakish brown sombrero. - -Her riding gear was decorated with silver trimmings, which dazzlingly -reflected the sun. - -The cayuse, white and pink-nosed, was as smooth as satin. - -“A foine horse she has,” commented Golightly, in a low tone, as the -girl came nearer. - -“Never seen er white bronk thet was wuth his keep,” demurred Nomad. - -“Yez are lookin’ at wan now, thin,” insisted Golightly. “She do be -callin’ av him ‘Silver Heels.’” - -“Silver Heels!” muttered the old trapper. “Et’s er name thet stacks -up fine with Dauntless Dell. Mebbyso thar’s somethin’ back er all -them fine feathers, but I won’t believe et till I’m showed.” - -“Howdy?” called the girl, bringing Silver Heels to a halt. “Whyever -did you push into this chase and scare those two ombrays away?” - -This last question was a startler. Nomad rubbed his chin and silently -turned it over in his mind. - -“Golightly,” the girl went on, “you ought to have known better, even -if that grizzly old warrior in front of you didn’t.” - -Nomad gulped hard on a swear-word. What was the girl trying to get -at, anyhow? - -“Waal, I reckon!” growled the old trapper. “Say, I’ve been a grizzled -warrior fer three times as many y’ars as you’ve been on airth, an’ -I ain’t never yit seen ther time when I wouldn’t interfere with two -masked tinhorns as was er chasin’ er lady.” - -The girl leaned back in her saddle, stared a minute, then gave vent -to a rippling laugh. - -“Glory be, Dell,” said Golightly, “yez hadn’t ought t’ talk like -that. This gint is Buffalo Bill’s pard, ould Nomad.” - -A smile still twitched at the girl’s lips, but there was interest and -gratification in her blue eyes as she held out one gauntleted hand to -the trapper. - -“Shake, old Nomad,” said she. “I’m Dell--Dell Dauntless of the Double -D Ranch. Any fellow who trains with Buffalo Bill must be in the list -of big high boys. You didn’t understand what I was trying to do, -that’s all. But I’ll forgive you. Your intentions were all right, I -reckon.” - -Nomad took the small hand gingerly. - -“What in blazes was ye doin’, miss, ef ye warn’t tryin’ ter git erway -from them thar masked riders?” - -“Well, I was plugging along for the gulch,” said Dell; “the gulch is -rocky and crooked. I was intending to round in under the lee of a -boulder, draw a bead on the two masked men”--she slapped at a brace -of holsters as she spoke, such small holsters that they had, up till -then, escaped the trapper’s eye--“and make them tell me what their -game was.” - -“Their game was ter ketch ye,” averred Nomad. - -“But why? So far as I can tell, I never met the men before.” - -“Them leetle poppers look ter be rale cute,” hazarded Nomad, “but -them fellers is so hardened, I’m afeared yer toy bullets wouldn’t hev -punctured ’em.” - -“They’re sawed-off thirty-eights,” said the girl promptly, jerking -one of the weapons into view. “I can take your sizing, all right, -Nomad. You think I’m too much of a spectacle to make good in a fight. -I’ll admit to you that I don’t like rowdyism. I try to be a lady, -both at home on the ranch and when I’m abroad in the hills. But I -don’t think any the less of a lady because she’s able to take care of -herself. Do you?” - -“Nary, I don’t,” said Nomad. - -“I’m no second edition of Rowdy Kate or Calamity Jane; but when my -father died”--the girl’s voice trembled, and a mist came into her -fine eyes--“and left no one but me to look after mother and take care -of the ranch, it was up to Dell of the Double D to show her hand. In -self-defense I was obliged to learn the ways of the frontier. How -well I have learned them, Nomad, any one in these parts can tell you.” - -Nomad pulled off his hat. - -“Ye’re all right, Miss Dauntless,” said he, “an’ thet shot goes as it -lays.” - -“I’m Dell to my friends,” said the girl, her eyes dancing again, “and -I want to be friends with old Nomad, and with Buffalo Bill, too.” - -“Thar won’t be no sort er trouble erbout thet. But I’d like ter hear -more erbout them fellers thet was chasin’ ye.” - -“They have been dogging my heels ever since I left Phœnix, picking up -my trail about the time I crossed the Arizona canal. I don’t know why -they did this any more than you. As I just said, I was going to make -a play to find out when you came to my”--she laughed--“my rescue.” - -“Waal,” grinned Nomad, “now thet ye’re rescued, ye kin jest trot -erlong home ter ther Double D, an’ Golightly an’ me’ll pike fer ther -Three-ply.” - -“I’m piking for the Three-ply myself,” said Dell. - -“Thet so?” - -“Sure. You see, I have important business with Buffalo Bill.” - -“S’posin’ we ride tergether?” - -“Fine!” - -The girl whirled Silver Heels, clicked her spurs, and both horses -started off on an easy lope. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - TREACHERY DISCLOSED. - - -Nomad’s first impression of Dell of the Double D was undergoing a -change. - -“How do you happen to be so far from the mine without a mount of your -own, Golightly?” the girl inquired, as they traveled. - -“Bedad,” answered the Irishman, “th’ two blackguards that was chasin’ -yerself could have tould yez.” - -He scowled, looked back along the trail, and shook his clenched fist. - -“Here’s mystery,” said Dell, “and it must be serious to get your -Irish up like that. However did those two men who were chasing me -have anything to do with you?” - -“They snaked him off’n er buckboard an’ put him inter a b’ar-trap,” -guffawed Nomad. “He was yellin’ ter git out while I was passin’ -through ther basin, an’ arter a spell o’ lookin’ I managed ter locate -him.” - -“In a bear-trap!” cried Dell. “Did they rob you, Golightly?” - -“Sorry a thing did Oi have about me that was worth th’ takin’,” -answered Golightly, “barrin’ th’ ould man’s team an’ buckboard.” - -“Why did they take that?” - -“Ask me somethin’ aisy.” - -“Were you going to Phœnix?” - -“Oi was. Oi got as far as th’ basin, an’ shpent th’ rest av th’ toime -in that bear-thrap!” - -“Ah!” exclaimed the girl, straightening suddenly in her saddle, while -a look of alarm crossed her face. “Were you going to meet Annie?” - -“Nawthin’ ilse! Now, begorry, Oi’ll bet she’s waitin’ in th’ hotel -wondherin’ where th’ blazes is Golightly.” - -“Were the star-faced cayuses at the pole of the buckboard?” demanded -the girl, a smoldering excitement shining from the depths of her blue -eyes. - -“They were that. A hunnerd an’ sixty dollar team they were, an’ th’ -buckboard was worth a hunnerd more. Och, wurra, but it’s me day f’r -throuble!” - -“What erbout et, Dell?” queried Nomad, his speculative glance on the -girl. “Ye’ve got somethin’ in yer head thet lies er b’arin’ on ther -sitiwation. Out with et. Thar’s er nigger in this hyar wood-pile, an’ -we’re arter locatin’ him.” - -“First off,” answered the girl, her attitude one of alert attention, -“I want to know something about what recently happened at the -Three-ply. The superintendent, Bernritter, and the cyanid expert, -Jacobs, were mixed up in an attempt to steal the bullion from the -mill clean-up, weren’t they? And Buffalo Bill and his pards jumped -in, saved the bullion, stood off an attack of Apaches, and helped in -the capture of Jacobs?” - -“Thet’s erbout ther way o’ et,” returned Nomad. “A white tinhorn -named Bascomb led the Apaches. He an’ Bernritter, an’ most o’ ther -Apaches, got erway. Ther sher’f come out from Phœnix, last night, -an’ took Jacobs back ter town. Buffler, an’ me, an’ Leetle Cayuse -was goin’ ter foller ther sher’f on ther way ter Phœnix, bound fer -Fort Apache, but McGowan asked us ter stay over. I had started ahead -o’ Buffler an’ Cayuse, when I found Golightly in ther trap. I’m now -givin’ him er lift back, ter make his report.” - -“Then at the present time,” said Dell, “this fellow, Bascomb, and -Bernritter, and a few red renegades, are loose in the hills?” - -“Thet’s ther how o’ et. But I don’t reckon they’re loose eround hyar. -Ef I figgers et right, Bascomb an’ Bernritter took er runnin’ start -fer ther Mexican border.” - -“That may be,” continued Dell reflectively; “then, on the other hand, -they may be hiding out in this vicinity, laying their plans to play -even with Buffalo Bill and his pards, and McGowan.” - -“Ye don’t think et was Bascomb an’ Bernritter thet chased you, do ye?” - -“I know Bernritter wasn’t one of the two,” flashed the girl. “No mask -could keep me from knowing _him_. This Bascomb I don’t know anything -about.” - -“I do,” scowled Nomad, “an’ I could tell ther whelp with er without -er mask, as fur as I could see him. He wasn’t one o’ ther two as -chased you, Dell. Now, aside from Jacobs, thar was on’y two whites -with ther Apaches when the Three-ply Mine was set upon. So these -hyar two thet was chasin’ ye, bein’ neither Bascomb ner Bernritter, -couldn’t hev had nothin’ ter do with ther trouble at ther Three-ply. -Golightly says, too, thet ther men who was makin’ arter you was two -o’ ther three thet put him in ther b’ar-trap and hiked out with ther -buckboard. Mebbyso ther third man might hev been Bernritter.” - -“Faith,” spoke up Golightly, who had been intently listening, “Oi’ll -take me oath it wasn’t. Oi know Bernritter some mesilf.” - -“Then,” said Nomad finally, “none of these three trouble-makers had -anythin’ ter do with ther Three-ply business.” - -“They may be in the hire of Bascomb and Bernritter,” said Dell. - -“Le’me tell ye, gal,” averred Nomad, “them two false-alarms aire on -the run, an’ they ain’t goin’ ter stop runnin’ ter hire three pizen -varmints ter do any underhand business eround hyar. Take my word fer -it.” - -“Thin whoy th’ dickens did they take th’ buckboard?” demanded -Golightly. “Answer me that.” - -Dell Dauntless faced about in her saddle. - -“I can tell you,” said she, in a low, tense voice. - -Her manner claimed the fullest attention of Nomad and Golightly. She -was about to tell them something of vital importance--the fact stood -out in her eyes. - -“Don’t hang fire, gal,” urged Nomad. “Our ears aire wide open.” - -“They took the buckboard and horses because the rig is known in -Phœnix as belonging to Mr. McGowan,” said Dell. - -“Waal, what o’ thet? Arter stealin’ ther rig ther scoundrels wouldn’t -drive et inter Phœnix.” - -“That is what they did, nevertheless,” was the girl’s surprising -statement; “what is more, one of them unmasked and drove the rig.” - -“Did ye see et in ther town?” - -“I did. I had to go to Phœnix on ranch business to-day, and, as Annie -McGowan is a friend of mine, and as I knew she was to arrive this -morning, I went to the railroad-station to meet her.” - -“An’ she come?” queried Golightly. - -“She did. I talked with her a few minutes on the station platform.” - -“What did she say because no wan was there t’ meet her an’ bring her -t’ th’ moine? What hotel was she afther shtoppin’ at?” - -“She did not go to any hotel,” returned Dell deliberately. “She was -met by a man who said he came from the mine for that purpose.” - -Golightly nearly fell off the horse. - -Nomad stiffened, and a look of astonishment quivered across his -sun-browned face. - -“Glory be!” gasped Golightly, thunderstruck. - -“I knowed thar was some kind of er hen on,” grunted Nomad. - -“What’s more,” proceeded Dell, “the man who met Annie _had McGowan’s -rig_.” - -“Cut an’ dried game ter git holt o’ ther ole man’s gal,” boomed -Nomad, “thet’s what et was. Did she drive off with thet feller in -ther rig?” - -“Of course she drove off with him, bag and baggage,” answered Dell. -“Why shouldn’t she? He said he came from the mine for her, and that -her father was too busy to come himself. Then, too, don’t forget that -he had the star-faced cayuses and the mine buckboard. Annie knows -that rig as she knows her two hands. Why should she suspect that -anything was wrong? No, no! Those scheming villains laid their plans -too cleverly. Ah, if I had only known that Golightly had been sent -from the mine by Mr. McGowan!” - -Dell clenched her small hands and a look of fiery indignation crossed -her face--indignation not unmixed with self-reproach and righteous -anger. - -“Now,” she resumed, “for the rest of it. I called at the post-office -for mail. They had a letter there for Buffalo Bill, and it was marked -‘urgent.’ The postmaster knew that Buffalo Bill was at the Three-ply -Mine, and that the Double D Ranch was not a great way from the mine. -So he gave me the letter, and asked me to take it to the mining-camp -and deliver it. That is the errand that brought me in this direction. -And it may be that that letter is what those two masked men were -chasing me for, and trying to get. Who knows? It’s a guess, and it -may be a good one.” - -“I’m all scrambled up erbout these hyar doin’s,” mumbled Nomad, -rubbing his chin perplexedly. “Whyever should thet feller want ter -run off with Annie McGowan?” - -“Did you hear,” asked Dell, “that Annie was engaged to be married -to Bernritter? That she engaged herself to him before she went to -’Frisco?” - -“I heerd thet, yes.” - -“I always looked upon Bernritter as a scoundrel,” continued Dell, -“and always doubted his loyally and intentions. Annie doesn’t know -about how Bernritter has been unmasked during the last few days. -So it seems to me that this stealing of the buckboard _may_ have -been engineered by Bernritter, and that the man who met Annie at -the railroad-station _may_ have been executing his treachery on -Bernritter’s behalf.” - -“Why?” - -Dell pulled fiercely at one of her gauntlets. - -“I don’t know,” she said, “but I’m going to find out; what’s more, -after I deliver Buffalo Bill’s letter, I’m going to take the trail -and find Annie and get her back. There’s a villainous plot of some -kind on foot, and I’ll bet something that Bernritter and Bascomb are -back of it.” - -What the girl had said had had a tremendous effect upon Golightly and -Nick Nomad. - -“Let me tell ye, gal,” said the old trapper, “ef things aire like ye -figger out, Buffler Bill an’ his pards’ll also hev er hand in ther -game. Don’t let thet git past yer guard fer a minit.” - -The girl’s face brightened. - -“Do you really think Buffalo Bill will help?” she asked. - -“Thet’s Buffler, fer ye. Arter he hears yer story, take my word for -it, he’ll be as anxious as ye aire ter do somethin’ fer Miss McGowan. -Anyways”--and Nomad waved his hand toward a valley which lay in front -of them and contained the “plant” of the Three-ply Mine, “we’re clost -ter whar Buffler is now, an’ et won’t be long afore he’ll tell ye -hisself what he’ll do.” - -Quickening their pace, the three riders hastened down among the mine -buildings and laid their course direct for the adobe office. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE NOTE AND THE ARROW. - - -“There’s not a particle of doubt, in my own mind, about Bernritter -and Bascomb being somewhere in these Arizona hills, Buffalo Bill.” - -“I won’t dispute the statement, McGowan, although it seems to me they -would be smart enough to look after their own safety. After the way -they were balked in that attempted robbery, they must know that this -section of the country isn’t very healthful for them. I don’t think -you need to worry, McGowan.” - -“I’m not worrying about myself. I’ve looked out for Number One -so long that I feel perfectly qualified to do it successfully. -Nevertheless, I have a feeling--a vague and oppressive premonition, -notion, call it what you will--that something is going wrong. That’s -the reason I asked you to delay your departure from the mine last -night. However, I don’t suppose I can reasonably insist on your -remaining here much longer.” - -“My old pard has been gone for several hours, McGowan, and Cayuse and -I ought to be following him before long. He had business of some sort -to attend to in Phœnix, and because of that he left in advance of us.” - -“At least, Buffalo Bill, you can wait until Golightly gets back with -my daughter. They ought to have got here some time ago, but I suppose -the train was late, and that is what is delaying them.” - -“Oh, well, if you desire it, Cayuse and I will wait until Golightly -gets here with your daughter.” - -The king of scouts and McGowan sat in the shade in front of the adobe -office building. - -McGowan was nervous. This was his natural temperament. The scout, in -judging of his present state of mind, remembered how he had had three -dreams concerning the bullion robberies, and how those dreams had -come true--at least partially. - -“You’re fretting too much over those robberies, McGowan,” admonished -the scout. “Forget them. A man ought to teach himself to forget the -things that wear on his nerves.” - -“It isn’t the trouble here that wears on my nerves, Buffalo Bill; -it’s the fact that Bernritter has proved himself a scoundrel; and the -fact that Annie must be told of his duplicity when she gets here. I -don’t know how the girl will take it. Certainly it will be a cruel -blow for her, and one that will strike her like a bolt from the blue.” - -“When she learns how unworthy Bernritter was of her regard,” said the -scout reassuringly, “she will consider herself fortunate in escaping -an alliance with such a man. She has reason to congratulate herself, -and I believe she will look at it in that way.” - -For the dozenth time McGowan got up, walked to the end of the office, -and looked off along the Black Cañon trail in the direction along -which his daughter and Golightly would come on their way from Phœnix. -But still his anxious eyes failed to see anything of the star-faced -cayuses and the buckboard. He turned back to Buffalo Bill, shaking -his head forebodingly. - -“Faith,” he remarked, with a strained laugh, “I don’t know -what’s the matter with me, but I’m all on edge. If you ever had -premonitions----” - -“I have had,” interrupted the scout, “but I never allowed them -to make me uncomfortable. Life’s too short to spend it borrowing -trouble, or in crossing bridges before you get to them. If I were -you----” - -The scout himself was interrupted. Something hummed through the air -with a shrill _swish-h-h_ that made itself plain in spite of the -throbbing of the mill-stamps; and the swishing sound was finished -with a quick _spat_ against the door of the office. - -Both the scout and the mine-owner turned their eyes quickly to the -door. A long, thin arrow was quivering in the wood, a bit of white -paper, compactly folded, bound to it midway of its length. - -“Ugh! Him Apache arrow!” - -The speaker was Little Cayuse. He had appeared from around the office -as suddenly as had the arrow. - -Buffalo Bill’s quick eye discerned the scrap of paper, and his quick -wit immediately inferred that the arrow had been launched by some one -who was afraid to appear in person in the camp and bring a message. - -“Cayuse!” said he. - -“Wuh!” said Little Cayuse. - -“See if you can locate the Apache who fired that arrow.” - -The boy leaped back, studied the inclination of the shaft, whirled -and swept his eyes over the hills, using the inclination as a clue, -and then started off at a rapid pace. - -“Why do you send him to look for the Apache?” asked McGowan. - -“Because any Apache now loose in the hills is a renegade,” was the -answer, “and may have had a hand in the dastardly work engineered by -Bascomb and Bernritter. That arrow brings a message.” - -“We might first have examined the message, Buffalo Bill, before you -sent Little Cayuse after the Indian.” - -“It would then have been too late. It may be too late now. The Apache -who launched the arrow is undoubtedly making the best use of his legs -to get out of the vicinity.” - -The scout stepped to the arrow and, with an exertion of considerable -strength, pulled its steel point from the wood. Next he untied the -folded paper, dropped the arrow, and began opening out the paper so -he could read it. - -Before he read a word he looked toward McGowan. The mine-owner, -drooping limply in his chair, was shaking like a man in an ague fit. - -“Why, McGowan,” cried the scout, “what ails you?” - -“Nothing but--premonitions,” returned McGowan huskily, making an -attempt to straighten up. “Go on, Buffalo Bill. Read that message. -Something tells me that the lightning is going to strike.” - -The scout read the message first to himself. It ran as follows: - - “MCGOWAN: Your daughter is in our hands, and we have a place where - we can keep her safely, defying you and Buffalo Bill and his pards - to find her. You will never see her again unless you give a written - promise not to proceed against us on account of that attempted - robbery, and unless you leave a five-pound bar of bullion at the - mouth of the deserted shaft three miles north of the Three-ply, - just off the Black Cañon trail. Both the written promise and the - bullion to be left at the deserted shaft at midnight to-night. It - is neck or nothing with us, _and we mean business_. - - “BASCOMB AND BERNRITTER.” - -Buffalo Bill was dumfounded by this message. The first question he -asked himself was whether or not it might be a “bluff.” Then, when -he recalled that McGowan’s daughter was long overdue from Phœnix, he -knew that the fact pointed to the two white scoundrels successfully -accomplishing the stroke mentioned in the note, viz.: the capture, in -some way, of the person of Miss McGowan. - -The scout hesitated to read the message to McGowan. Noting his -hesitation, and auguring dire things from it, McGowan gave a wild cry -and flung himself toward the scout. - -“What is it?” he demanded; “tell me, quick! I can stand anything -better than uncertainty.” - -“Sit down,” said the scout sternly. “Get the whip-hand of yourself, -McGowan, and, if it will be any comfort to you, just remember that -Buffalo Bill and his pards will stand by you, and see you safely out -of the trouble.” - -“You will?” cried McGowan, with an air of intense relief. “I could -ask for nothing more than that, Buffalo Bill. I am calm enough now to -stand anything. Go on with the message.” - -Buffalo Bill read it slowly. McGowan, with set face and nervously -clenching hands, missed not a word. - -So far from being cast down, he threw back his shoulders as though -suddenly relieved from a burden. - -“Now,” he observed, “we have something tangible to go on, some object -at which to point our efforts. Hazy forebodings are unsettling; it -is only when we know the truth, no matter how grievous it is, that -we are able to lay out our work and get busy. With you to help me, -Buffalo Bill, I know that Annie will be rescued from the hands of -those two infamous villains, Bascomb and Bernritter. Already I am -beginning to breathe more freely. But--what are we to do?” - -“That is something to be thought about and carefully planned.” - -“I could make out a written notice that no steps would be taken -against Bascomb and Bernritter, and could leave it, with a five-pound -bar of bullion, at the mouth of the old shaft----” - -“Personally,” cut in the scout, “I prefer to fight the devil with -fire. Bascomb and Bernritter deserve a penitentiary sentence, and I -would not allow their plot to succeed.” - -“But if any harm should come to Annie----” - -“Of course, that is what most concerns you. It is your affair, so do -not let my own sentiments stand in the way of your doing what you -think best.” - -McGowan got up and began pacing the ground in front of the office. -Before he arrived at a conclusion, the scout saw two horses and three -riders descending into the valley from the Black Cañon trail. - -One of the riders was a woman; the other two, mounted on one horse, -consisted of old Nomad and Golightly. - -Old Nomad would not be returning to the Three-ply unless he had -something of importance to communicate; and he would not be bringing -Golightly unless the Irishman also had an important report. - -“McGowan!” called the scout; “come this way.” - -The mine-owner hastened to the scout’s side, and followed the scout’s -pointing finger with his eyes. - -“Why,” muttered McGowan, “it’s Nomad and Golightly! Why is Nomad -coming back? And where’s Golightly’s buckboard and cayuses? Here’s a -puzzle, and no mistake.” - -“It’s a puzzle, then, that soon will be solved,” returned the scout. -“Who’s the girl?” - -“Dell of the Double D,” answered McGowan; “Dell Dauntless, a friend -of Annie’s.” - -The scout, impressed by the girl’s beauty, but somewhat disappointed -by the sight of her showy apparel and accouterments, watched the -party approach. - -Now, at last, he felt sure, they were to get developments worth -while. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE SCOUT’S LETTER. - - -“Golightly!” exclaimed McGowan, when the riders had drawn rein in -front of the office and the Irishman had dismounted, “what does this -mean? Where’s the buckboard and the horses?” - -While Golightly, stamping the ground wrathfully and shaking his -fists, was telling of the theft of the rig and of the bear-trap, -Nomad had been introducing the scout to Dell Dauntless. - -“It’s an honor,” said the girl, leaning down from her saddle and -grasping the scout’s hand firmly, “to meet a veteran of the plains -like Buffalo Bill.” - -“Thank you,” smiled the scout, and turned somewhat abruptly to Nomad. -“Why are you back at the mine, old pard?” he asked. “I thought you -were in Phœnix, by this time, waiting for Cayuse and me.” - -“Would er been, Buffler, of important things hadn’t happened,” said -Nomad. “Wouldn’t expect me ter keep cl’ar o’ ther mine when fireworks -is due ter be set off, would ye? Miss McGowan hes been run away with, -an’ we’re hyar ter tell ye erbout et.” - -“We are already informed on that point, Nick. But how did you happen -to discover it?” - -“Already informed?” repeated Dell. “How, may I ask?” - -Turning back to the girl, the scout silently handed her the message, -at the same time pointing to where the arrow lay on the ground. - -“This was fired into camp with an arrow, eh?” murmured the girl, -passing her eyes swiftly over the communication received from the -scout. - -When she had done with the reading, she laid the note on the horn of -her saddle and brought her gauntleted fist down on it sharply. - -“This proves it!” she declared. - -“Proves what?” queried the scout. - -“Why, the guess I had already made that Bernritter and Bascomb were -back of Dell’s abduction.” - -“Listen to Golightly, Buffalo Bill,” spoke up McGowan. “We’re getting -down to cases in this matter. Go on, Golightly,” he added to the -Irishman, “and tell Buffalo Bill what you have just told me.” - -Golightly, with many “begorrys” and “bedads,” and a wrathful twist -of his brogue, repeated to the scout what he had just told the -mine-owner. - -Dell followed the recital with a narration of her own experiences. - -Thus the method of the abduction was cleared up, and the scout and -McGowan were given clear understanding of all the details. - -Thereupon Dell explained about the letter which she had brought from -Phœnix for Buffalo Bill, and placed it in his hand. - -The scout tore open the envelope and was soon deep in the letter’s -contents. His face expressed surprise and wonder as he read. - -“Here’s something,” said he, folding up the letter and placing it in -his pocket, “something that makes it necessary for me to take the -field against Bascomb, no matter what your decision regarding Bascomb -and Bernritter may be, McGowan.” - -“What is it?” inquired the mine-owner. - -“My letter is from the commandant at Fort Apache, and asks me to use -my utmost endeavors to capture a deserter from the army. The man’s -name is Slocum, but he was last seen in Phœnix, where he was using -the name of Bascomb.” - -“Jumpin’ taranches!” crooned old Nomad. “How these hyar trails o’ -trouble does cross each other, sometimes!” - -“Slocum, otherwise Bascomb,” proceeded the scout, “was a mutinous -soldier. He was under arrest at Fort Apache, some weeks ago, for -insubordination. In some manner he got hold of a revolver, shot his -guard, and took to the hills. From the description of the fellow -contained in the letter, there is no doubt in my mind but that the -rascal with Bernritter is the same man.” - -McGowan looked perturbed. - -“If you have to take the field against Bascomb,” said he, “then it -will be impossible for me to promise him and Bernritter immunity, -and place the writing, with a five-pound bar of bullion, by the old -shaft. Your activity would be construed as a breach of confidence on -my own part. Can’t you put this off, Buffalo Bill, until my daughter -is safely in my hands?” - -Dell Dauntless whirled on McGowan with fiercy eyes. - -“Mr. McGowan!” she cried. “Can it be possible that you are -scared?--and that you intend to carry out the demands of two bluffing -rascals like Bascomb and Bernritter?” - -“I am anxious only for my daughter’s safety.” - -“How do you know that Annie will be returned to you, even if you -should give up what Bascomb and Bernritter demand?” - -“I--I don’t; but I don’t feel like taking any chances.” - -“Tush! Annie McGowan is my best friend, and I would face any danger -for her. I would think of her safety, too, but I wouldn’t fall in -with the schemes of these lawless scoundrels. I shall not return to -the Double D Ranch until Annie is safe at the Three-ply--but you take -my advice and give Buffalo Bill and me a free hand in this matter. -Being Annie’s father, it is only natural that you should be so -worried you can’t get the proper perspective of this business. Leave -it to others. You’ll help, Buffalo Bill?” she asked, facing the scout. - -“Of course,” was the scout’s reply. - -“Nomad said you would,” said the girl. - -“Orders from Fort Apache make it necessary for me to do my best to -capture Bascomb; but, before I had received the orders, I had already -promised McGowan my aid.” - -“What’s the first thing to be done?” queried McGowan anxiously. - -A Chinaman stepped out of the door of the chuck-shanty just then, -and began pounding a gong. A long whistle came from the mill, and -instantly the roar of the stamps ceased. Night-shift miners and -day-shift mill men came running from bunk-house and mill. - -“The first thing,” laughed the scout, “is to eat a good dinner.” - -“I can’t eat,” said McGowan. “Isn’t there something we can do, at -once?” - -“I’m formulating a plan,” the scout answered; “but the time we spend -on our dinner will not be lost, nor affect one iota our chances for -effecting the rescue of your daughter. If you’re in on this deal, -Miss Dauntless,” he added to the girl, “you had better put out that -white pinto while we’re in the chuck-shanty. Do the same with your -horse, Nick,” he finished. - -The horses were taken to the corral, and McGowan, Buffalo Bill, -Nomad, and Dell Dauntless went to the mine-owner’s table in the -dining-room. Golightly joined the miners and mill men at their own -table. - -It was a silent meal that was eaten at McGowan’s table. The -mine-owner, his mind on his daughter, ate little; the scout and the -girl were thoughtful, and Nomad, furtively watching his pard’s face, -held his peace to let his pard’s mind finish its planning. - -“Well?” queried McGowan impatiently, when they had reassembled in -front of the office, “what is your plan, Buffalo Bill?” - -“Write out your agreement to drop proceedings against Bascomb and -Bernritter, McGowan,” returned the scout, “and have ready your -five-pound bar of bullion.” - -“You’re going to fall in with the scoundrelly plan, then?” cried Dell -disappointedly. - -“I am merely going to _seem_ to do so,” the scout answered. “About -eleven o’clock to-night Nomad will take the agreement and the bullion -and go to the deserted shaft. He will place both on the ore-dump; -then he will draw away, hide himself, and see what happens. Whoever -comes for what he leaves, he will follow. In this manner it may be -possible to discover the rendezvous of Bascomb and Bernritter and -their red allies.” - -“My agreement will hold, Buffalo Bill, if I sign it,” said McGowan. - -“_Your_ agreement may hold, but _I_ have made no agreement. Bascomb -is a deserter. As such, your agreement will not be binding upon me. -Then, too, unless your daughter is released, your agreement will not -be binding upon you, McGowan.” - -“I see, I see,” murmured the mine-owner. - -“Meanwhile,” pursued the scout, with an anxious look at the hills, -“I shall go and try to discover what Little Cayuse is doing. Miss -Dauntless, while I’m at the corral making ready, will you go to the -chuck-shanty and get a day’s rations for me?” - -“I’ll get a day’s rations for each of us,” answered Dell, “for I’m -going to ride with you. When you make your own horse ready, Buffalo -Bill, get mine under saddle, too, will you?” - -The scout studied the girl with fresh interest. - -“It is only right to tell you, Miss Dauntless,” said he, “that the -Apaches are probably in the hills with Bascomb and Bernritter; -also three white scoundrels who have joined issue with them. The -danger----” - -“You don’t know me,” laughed the girl. “Will you let me go?” - -“Very well, if you feel that you want to.” - -The scout started for the corral, and Dell hastened toward the -chuck-shanty. It was about two o’clock when they mounted, the girl on -her white cayuse, Silver Heels, and the scout on his big black horse -Bear Paw, and rode over the rim of the valley. - -The inclination of the arrow, as it clung to the office door, had -given Little Cayuse his clue as to the direction from which the -Apache had done his shooting. The scout, no less than the Piute, had -taken note of the arrow’s slant, and his course across the rim of the -valley was in the exact direction taken by Cayuse. - -Just over the rise, the scout and the girl found themselves in a -rocky arroyo. - -“Here’s a clue left by Little Cayuse,” remarked the scout, drawing -rein in the bottom of the arroyo and sliding out of his saddle. “I -felt sure he would leave one. Just a moment, Miss Dauntless.” - -“Dell, if you please,” said the girl, “unless you want me to call you -Mr. Cody. We’re not at all formal out here, as I reckon you know. I’m -Dell to all my friends.” - -“Dell, then,” smiled the scout, kneeling down in front of Little -Cayuse’s clue, which consisted of a heap of white quartz from -a “blow-out” which strewed the arroyo. Six fragments of quartz -were arranged in a pile, and to one side of the pile lay two more -fragments in a line. - -“That,” said the scout, “is the work of my little Piute pard. It -proves that he picked up the trail of the Apache that launched the -arrow, and that he followed him up the arroyo. Those two pieces to -one side of the heap and lying in a line, tell the direction.” - -The scout climbed into his saddle again, and he and the girl -continued up the arroyo. - -“Your little Piute pard must be a wonder,” said Dell. - -“He is,” averred the scout. “He is not only immune from what is -called ‘fear,’ but he has also a clever brain, and never fails to use -it. I did not tell him to leave a clue as to where he had gone, or to -leave a trail for us to follow; yet we have found the clue, and you -can depend on it we will find some sort of a trail.” - -“I’d like to know him,” said Dell. “Having trained with you so long, -he has probably adopted some of your methods. Ah!” she finished, her -eyes on the flinty earth of the arroyo’s bottom, “the Apache was -mounted.” - -“I had already discovered that,” said the scout, “but I’d like to -have you tell me how you know the Apache was mounted. The soil is too -hard for hoof-marks.” - -The girl slipped from her saddle and pointed to a stone. The stone -had been overturned, with the stained part that had been lying next -the earth now uppermost. - -“A horse kicked that stone over,” said she. “No moccasined Indian -ever did it, traveling afoot.” - -“Right,” said the scout; and, like Nomad’s, his first impressions of -the girl began to change. - -“Besides,” smiled the girl, getting back into her saddle, “near that -heap of quartz the mesquit brush had been nibbled by a horse’s teeth.” - -“That’s what proved to me that the Apache left a horse by the bushes -when he climbed up the rise and unloosed the arrow. I see you’re wise -to the trail. There’s a pleasure for me in reading such signs.” - -“For me, too.” - -After a few minutes of steady riding, the arroyo divided itself into -two branches. Well within the right-hand branch were three pieces of -quartz, laid in a line as the other two had been. - -“What would you argue from that, Dell?” queried the scout. - -“Why,” answered the girl, “I should say that Little Cayuse followed -the right-hand fork.” - -“Anything else?” - -“And that the Apache had been joined by another.” - -“Right again. Can you shoot?” - -“A little,” Dell answered diffidently. “I can throw a rope, or a -knife, too--after a fashion. I have had entire charge of the Double D -Ranch ever since my father died, three years ago.” - -Her voice quivered a little, but almost instantly she put her emotion -from her. - -The scout made no answer. Slowly Dell Dauntless was revealing herself -to him as a spirited and capable young woman. - -As they progressed up the right-hand fork of the arroyo, the walls -grew higher and steeper, giving the defile almost the appearance of a -gulch. - -They passed more fragments of quartz, the number having been added to -until, at the last, there were six pieces. - -“There are more Apaches joining the one who shot the arrow,” said -Buffalo Bill, “and----” - -The last word was clipped short by an incisive report, the whistle -of a bullet, a flapping of the brim of Dell’s brown sombrero, and a -little spout of sand between Silver Heels and Bear Paw. - -If Dell Dauntless was startled she did not show it. - -“A poor shot,” she commented, taking off her hat and looking at the -brim. - -“It lacked only an inch of being a murderous shot,” returned Buffalo -Bill. “It came from the top of the right-hand wall, and proves that -the Apaches know what we are about and are trailing us along the rim -of the gulch. They can get at us, and it is impossible for us to get -at them. Let’s see what Silver Heels can do in a pinch.” - -The scout dug in with his irons and Bear Paw flung himself up the -gulch, taking at a leap every bush or boulder that got in his way. - -Dell raced along behind, Silver Heels doing nobly, and displaying -more fire and bottom than the scout had supposed him to have under -his sleek white hide. - -The cayuse, like his rider, was something of a revelation to Buffalo -Bill. - -The wisdom of speed in that forward movement along the gulch was -quickly apparent. - -The crack of firearms began all along the top of the right-hand wall. - -Both walls continued to increase in height and to draw nearer and -nearer together. The sun could not penetrate the depths of the gulch, -and the bottom lay in heavy shadow. - -“So long as the Apaches hide themselves,” said Buffalo Bill, “we -can do nothing to discourage them in this attack they are making. I -am going to try a ruse to draw them down into the gulch, and within -reach of our six-shooters. It is a time-honored ruse, but it will -work nine times out of ten. At the next shot, Dell, I’m going to -tumble out of my saddle. You ride on, as though too frightened to -turn back, and catch Bear Paw. Don’t stop until you reach the darkest -part of the gulch, then round-to under the lee of a boulder, and -watch.” - -“Trust me,” answered the girl. - -The shot for which the scout was waiting was not long in coming. It -cracked out above and gouged into the flinty earth several feet in -advance of Buffalo Bill; nevertheless, he gave a wild cry, dropped -his reins, flung up his hands, and wilted from Bear Paw’s back. - -Apparently his fall was a heavy one; but, really, it was only nicely -calculated to appear so. With hardly a jar, the scout had struck the -ground and straightened out. - -It was all so well done that, for an instant, Dell’s heart flew into -her throat, and she feared that the last bullet really had reached -its mark. She would have drawn rein, in spite of her instructions, -had Buffalo Bill not called softly for her to ride on and catch Bear -Paw. - -As Dell flickered on up the gulch, fierce cries of triumph floated -down from the right-hand wall. Indians on horseback showed themselves -against the sky-line--five of them--and peered downward with hands -shielding their eyes. - -Well in the shadow of the gulch above, Dell captured Bear Paw, -dropped his bridle-reins over her saddle-pommel, and tossed her own -reins over Silver Heels’ head. With the reins in this position, the -white cayuse would stand as though tied to a post. - -Dropping to the ground, the girl crept back down the gulch for a -little way, and watched further developments from behind a boulder. - -The five Apaches, thinking the scout had been slain, were dismounting -and making a hurried descent into the gulch. - -Their descent was a race, for the first man to reach the scout -would secure his scalp. And to secure the scalp of Pa-e-has-ka, the -long-haired chief, was an honor, indeed! - -Slipping, sliding, jumping, the redskins drew nearer and nearer the -bottom of the gulch. One was well in the lead, and Dell, her nerves -aquiver with excitement, watched his dark form come closer and closer -to the scout. - -At last, when the leading Apache was about to make the final jump to -the bottom of the gulch, and was already fingering the hilt of his -scalping-knife, Buffalo Bill regained his feet. - -_Crack, crack, crack!_ rang out his revolvers. - -Two of the Apaches--the one in advance and the other next behind -him--were wounded and dropped into the gulch bottom; but they were -not badly wounded. They were scared far more than hurt, and they at -once took to their heels, one going up the gulch and the other down. - -Instantly a thrill of alarm shot through the scout on the girl’s -account. - -Four Indians were still on the gulch wall, but they were frantically -climbing toward the top again. Leaving them to their own devices, the -scout rushed after the Apache who had gone bounding up the gulch. - -This redskin had a wound in his left arm, but he still clung to the -hilt of the knife. - -Dell saw him coming, covering the ground with great leaps. If he ever -reached the horses, the girl knew that he would make way with one, -or both, of them--and this was something that must not be allowed to -happen. - -Fearlessly the girl sprang out from behind her boulder and planted -herself between the Apache and the horses. - -Undaunted by the sight, the savage kept on, flourishing his knife and -yelling furiously. - -“Shoot!” cried Buffalo Bill. - -He feared to let loose a bullet himself, for he, and the Indian, and -the girl, were in a direct line with each other. Had he fired, and -had the redskin dodged at the exact moment, the bullet might have -struck Dell. - -But there was no need for the scout to use his weapons. - -Hardly had the command to fire left his lips when the gulch took up -the echoes of the girl’s revolver. - -The Apache was caught in the air; and when he fell, he came down -sprawling--wounded a second time, and harmless to do the girl any -injury. - -“Well done!” cried the scout. “Dell Dauntless, you’re a plucky girl.” - -“That wasn’t so much,” Dell answered deprecatingly. “He had only a -knife, and you had already wounded him at that.” - -“His first wound did not interfere very much with his ability to -attack you. I only shot to wound.” - -“That was the way with me.” - -“These Apaches are the tools of Bascomb and Bernritter. They ought to -be rounded up and driven back to their reservation. Why Apache got -such a bad heart?” the scout asked, halting beside the wounded Indian. - -The Apache made no response, other than to try and sink his teeth -into the scout’s leg. The scout stepped back quickly. - -“Look out for him, Buffalo Bill!” exclaimed Dell. “He’s as venomous -as a tiger-cat.” - -Dell’s bullet had struck the Apache in the thigh, making walking -impossible. - -“We can’t bother with him,” said the scout. “There are four more -reds around here, and they’ll probably happen along and take care of -him. We’ll mount and keep on until we find Little Cayuse. I can’t -understand what’s become of the boy. The Apache he was following was -joined by four others; if he still continued to follow the Apaches, -he ought to be somewhere in this vicinity.” - -“I should think,” hazarded Dell, “we ought to have met him before -this.” - -“We ought to, and there must be some good reason why we haven’t. -We’ll try and discover the reason.” - -The darkness of the gulch rendered difficult the task of looking -for the stones Cayuse had been piling at irregular intervals. -Nevertheless, the scout scanned every step of the way carefully, but -without result. - -Meanwhile, as they rode, Dell kept a sharp watch for Indians. She saw -none, so it was evident that the taste the Apaches had had of the -scout’s resourcefulness had been sufficient to discourage them in -their sniping tactics. - -As the scout spurred on, his alarm for Little Cayuse increased. - -“He’s plenty able to take care of himself,” the scout said to the -girl, “but any one, I don’t care how wary and cautious, is apt to be -caught napping, or taken at a disadvantage.” - -“He’s an Indian, and only a boy. It doesn’t seem to me that the -Apaches would be very hard on him even if they did capture him.” - -“He’s a Piute, Dell, and the Piutes and Apaches haven’t any use for -each other. Then, apart from their tribal hostility, I suppose the -Apaches are smarting to play even for what happened at the Three-ply -Mine the other day. They lost a couple of warriors during that fight. -They know Cayuse is a pard of mine, and that it was owing to myself -and my pards that the fight went against them. The fact that Cayuse -is a boy wouldn’t cause the Apaches to have any mercy on him.” - -The gulch walls widened by degrees as they continued on. This allowed -more sunlight to come into the defile and made the surroundings -plainer. - -“The Apaches must have doubled back on their trail,” Dell suggested, -“or else Cayuse never followed them this far.” - -“It’s about an even chance whether the Apaches have doubled back, -or whether something went wrong with Cayuse farther down the gulch. -If we don’t pick up another clue pretty soon, we’ll about face and -double back on our own trail.” - -At that moment the scout’s attention was attracted to another defile -opening into the left wall of the one they were following. - -It was a narrow break in the lavalike crust of the earth, and, -inasmuch as its trend was due east and west, the sun penetrated it to -the bottom. - -It is doubtful whether the scout would have paid much attention to -the defile had the sunlight not rested upon some object which flashed -in his eyes. - -The wide-awake Dell caught the flash as quickly as did the scout. - -“Is that a piece of ore with mica in it, Buffalo Bill?” she queried, -pulling up her horse. - -“It may be,” was the scout’s response. “But we’ll take a look at the -thing and make sure of it before we pass on.” - -Together they rode over to the mouth of the smaller gulch. - -The flashing object was not a piece of iron pyrites, but a short, -double-edged knife. - -With an exclamation, the scout hung down from his saddle and picked -it up. - -On the flat handle was a very crude drawing of a horse, burned into -the horn. - -“This belongs to Cayuse,” said the scout. “That picture on the handle -is the way he signs his name.” - -“Then he lost the knife?” queried the girl. - -“Cayuse never loses anything so long as he is master of his own -actions. I incline to the opinion that the Apaches laid a trap for -him and sprung it about here. The ground shows signs of a struggle. -During the struggle Cayuse’s knife dropped from its sheath, and when -he was carried off his captors failed to see it. There seems to be no -doubt, Dell, but that the boy is in the hands of the Apaches.” - -“Then there must be more Indians than those who attacked us. They -could not have had Cayuse with them while they were following us on -the gulch wall and shooting down.” - -“He may have been with them, or they may have left him somewhere, -or----” - -The scout broke off his words, while his face tightened in sharp -lines. - -“Or?” asked Dell. - -“Or,” the scout finished, in a low tone, “they have already taken -vengeance on him for their defeat at the mine.” - -Thrusting the boy’s knife through his belt, Buffalo Bill dismounted, -and looked carefully over the ground where the struggle resulting in -the boy’s capture had taken place. - -Owing to the nature of the soil, the signs were none too plain--a -misplaced stone here and there and a few indentations which might -have been considered only the natural results of wind and weather but -for the disturbed stones. - -Walking up the smaller defile a little way, the scout saw enough to -convince him that the Apaches, with their prisoner, had ascended the -branch. - -Coming back to the waiting girl, he mounted. - -“The Apaches, after the capture,” he announced, “went up the defile. -They were on foot.” - -“This was a good place for an ambush,” said Dell, turning in her -saddle and looking back as they rode onward. “The Indians could have -hidden behind boulders on both sides of the defile and sprung out on -Little Cayuse as he passed.” - -“It wouldn’t be like the boy to let himself get caught in such a -trap. Still, it’s possible. You can trap a fox if you go about it -right.” - -“I’d like to know who those three white men are who are helping -Bascomb and Bernritter.” - -“Ruffians, I reckon, whom Bascomb managed to pick up. There are -plenty of scoundrels loose in this part of the country who would help -at anything if they got paid for it. The desert is full of white -Arabs, as ready to slit a man’s throat as they are to eat a meal. You -ought to know that, Dell.” - -“I do, of course, and I haven’t any doubt but that it was easy for -Bascomb and Bernritter to find men to help them in their villainy. -Don’t you think, too, that they have spies in the Three-ply camp? -Some one who found out Golightly was to leave, early this morning, to -meet Annie at the Phœnix station?” - -“Possibly. It has not been so very long, however, since Bernritter -was a trusted superintendent at the camp. He must have known when -Miss McGowan was expected. Armed with this knowledge, he and Bascomb -laid their plans to capture the girl. They set their three masked men -to watching the trail for the horses and the buckboard; and, even if -McGowan himself had gone to meet the girl, instead of Golightly, the -plan would have been carried out just as it was.” - -This smaller defile, which the scout and the girl were ascending, had -many angles and turns. - -As the scout finished speaking, they rode around one of the turns -and came upon a sight which brought them to an abrupt halt. - -Horror rose in the girl’s eyes, and a gasp escaped her lips. She -looked at the scout. His face wore an ominous frown. - -Leaping out of the saddle, he hurried forward without a word. - -Dell likewise dismounted and hastened after him. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - LITTLE CAYUSE CAUGHT. - - -The scout’s praise of Little Cayuse was well-deserved. The lad was -brave and quick-witted, and prided himself on being a warrior, on -having won an eagle-feather, and on knowing how to carry out the -orders of Pa-e-has-ka. - -Yet bravery and quick wit are not always sufficient to keep their -possessor from disaster. - -Little Cayuse had been sent to find the Apache who had launched the -arrow. This was entirely owing to the scout’s forethought, and was -done before the contents of the note brought by the arrow had been -read. - -Cayuse had not the least idea why he was to follow the Apache who -had shot the arrow into the office door. He had received his orders -direct from Pa-e-has-ka, however, and that was enough for him. - -As he crossed the rim of the valley in which lay the buildings of the -Three-ply Mine, the roar of the mill-stamps was muffled by the wind, -and his quick ear could distinguish a fall of hoofs from somewhere up -the arroyo. - -To pile his little heap of quartz “float” took him but a few moments, -and then he started along the arroyo at a run. - -If the Apache rode at speed, Cayuse knew that he would not be able to -come anywhere near him. But this did not discourage the boy. He would -run out the trail as far as he could, and when he gave up it would -be because no one else--not even Pa-e-has-ka himself--could have -followed it any farther. - -In his trailing, he had much better luck than he had expected. While -he was dodging on along the arroyo he heard the yelp of a wolf--not -of a real wolf, but an imitation by a human being. - -He was approaching a bend in the arroyo, and this yelp, which was -clearly a signal, caused him to approach the bend with more than -usual caution. - -This was well for him; since presently, from behind a shoulder of -rock, he was able to peer out and see a mounted Apache, waiting for -another who was riding down the arroyo’s bank. - -The Indian Cayuse had been following had a bow and quiver slung at -his back. The bow was still bent, showing that the Apache had not yet -taken the time to unstring it. Aside from the bow and arrows, both -Apaches were likewise armed with rifles. - -They met in the arroyo’s bottom, exchanged a few words, and started -on again. They looked behind them carefully, but they did not see -Cayuse. At that moment the boy was busily engaged laying his quartz -pieces on the ground, not only showing his course, but informing any -one who might follow that the first Apache had been joined by another. - -The Apaches rode at a leisurely gait on into the gulchlike gash into -which the arroyo presently changed. - -At the place where the gulch forked the two halted and one of them -repeated his wolf-yelp. - -A little later the rocky walls reechoed with galloping hoofs, and -three more Apaches showed themselves, and joined the other two. - -The entire party then turned into the right-hand branch of the defile. - -Cayuse continued to follow, noiselessly, swiftly, screening his -passage with all the cunning of a coyote. - -The gloom thickened in the bottom of the gulch. He was glad of it, -for it made his trailing easier. - -The Apaches talked and laughed as they journeyed, entirely oblivious -of the fact that a hated Piute was hanging upon their trail. - -All might have gone well with the boy had he noticed a figure on the -top of the gulch wall, looking down. It was the figure of a white -man, and the white man had under his eyes both the forms of the -mounted Apaches and the trailing Piute. - -The man stared for a space, then drew back. - -Little Cayuse wondered why, when the Apaches arrived opposite the -narrow defile that entered the wall of the gulch, they ceased their -talking and laughing and came to an abrupt halt. - -Of course he could not hear the low voice of the white man, calling -from within the lateral defile. - -One of the Apaches, leaving the rest, spurred into the smaller gash. -And again it was impossible for Cayuse to see that the white man had -appeared and beckoned to the Apache. - -“Fools!” said the white man to the Apache, partly in Spanish and -partly with the hand-talk; “don’t you know that you are being trailed -by the little Piute, Buffalo Bill’s pard? He is behind you, in the -gulch. He must be captured, and this is the way you are to do it: - -“You will ride back to the rest of the Apaches. Then, taking care not -to turn and look down the gulch, you will all ride into this cut. -When well within the cut, four of you will dismount and hide behind -the boulders; the other one will ride forward, leading the four -horses, and get beyond that turn. - -“The Piute will come in. The four who are behind the boulders will -spring out and capture him--_capture_ him, mind, for I want to talk -with the rascally imp before anything else is done with him.” - -The white man hid himself, and the Apache rode back. - -Little Cayuse, his black eyes glimmering like a snake’s, watched the -Apaches trail into the smaller defile. He made after them. - -At the entrance to the defile he listened. From around a turn he -could hear the pattering hoofs of the ponies. - -Swiftly he passed into the smaller defile--and then, almost before -he could realize what had happened--he was set upon from every side, -flung down, and bound at the wrists. - -He struggled, but what availed the struggles of one Piute boy against -four brawny, full-grown Apaches? - -Physically, he was not injured. His chief hurt was to his pride. - -What would Pa-e-has-ka say when he learned what had happened? - -Jerking Cayuse to his feet, two of the bucks caught his bound hands -and pulled him farther along the defile to a place where it ran into -a blind wall, rising high into the air. - -At this place the white man was waiting. - -Who the white man was, Cayuse did not know; but he began to -understand, dimly, that the white man had helped the Apaches entrap -him. - -The white man, stepping angrily up to the boy, drew back the flat of -his hand and struck him in the face. - -Cayuse reeled with the blow, but not a sound came from his lips. - -“You’re Little Cayuse, huh?” demanded the man fiercely. - -“Wuh!” answered the boy, his black eyes darting lightning. - -“Pard of Buffalo Bill’s?” - -Little Cayuse straightened his shoulders and threw back his head -proudly. - -“Wuh! Me all same pard Pa-e-has-ka’s.” - -“Why were you trailin’ the Apaches?” - -Cayuse did not answer. Instead, he looked straight into the eyes of -the white ruffian with studied insolence and defiance. - -The white man pulled a revolver from his belt and pressed it against -the boy’s breast. - -“Answer, or I’ll blow a hole through ye!” he threatened. - -Cayuse did not open his lips. He continued to dare the man with his -eyes, however, even more insolently and defiantly. - -“Blast ye!” raged the man, lowering his revolver and giving the -helpless boy a kick that threw him to the ground. “Ye won’t talk, -huh? Waal, ye needn’t! I know Buffalo Bill sent ye to trail the reds, -an’ I reckon Buffalo Bill will be follerin’ ye, afore long, but that -won’t do _you_ any good.” - -The ruffian turned and growled an order to the Indians. Immediately -the entire five mounted their horses and began climbing to the top of -the wall of the defile. - -Cayuse, breathless from the kick he had received, lay on the ground -and watched. - -In a little while he saw the five Indians on the top of the steep -wall which closed in the end of the defile. One of them lowered a -rope. - -The ruffian thereupon grabbed Cayuse by the shoulders and dragged him -to the foot of the wall. The next moment he had made the swinging -rope fast to the bonds that secured Cayuse’s wrists. - -“Haul away, ’Pachies!” roared the white man, stepping back. - -The pull of the rope drew the boy’s arms above his head, and then he -was lifted up and up the sheer cliff wall. - -“There!” yelled the white man; “make it fast.” - -The rope was secured at the brink of the cliff, and Cayuse, hanging -by his bound hands, was left swinging against the face of the smooth -rock. - -Revolver in hand, the ruffian began to fire at the rock, planting his -bullets all about the swinging boy. - -“Goin’ ter tell me about Buffalo Bill?” he asked. - -Cayuse would not answer. - -The white man swore a fierce oath, threw his left arm in front of his -face, and laid the barrel of his six-shooter across. - -Just as he was about to shoot, he suddenly changed his mind. - -“I won’t do it,” he growled; “that would make it too easy fer you. -Hang there, ye measly Piute! Hang there until yer arms pull out o’ -their sockets, and ye starve an’ die. That’ll teach ye to butt inter -a game of Bascomb’s, I reckon. Hi, there, you!” he shouted, lifting -his gaze to the Apaches on top of the cliff. “I’m goin’ to Squaw -Rock to wait for Hendricks, but you’re to go back along the rim of -the gulch and pick off Buffalo Bill and his pards if they come this -way follerin’ the Piute. Come ter Squaw Rock an’ report ter me if -anythin’ happens. Scatter, now, the five o’ ye, an’ see that ye carry -out orders. If you don’t, look out for Bascomb!” - -In addressing the Apaches now the white man was not using Spanish -or the hand-talk; some among them, presumably, understood English -sufficiently to catch his meaning. - -Leaping to the back of their ponies, the Indians rode away. - -The white man, springing to the path that led to the top of the wall -of the defile, mounted it swiftly. - -In a few minutes Little Cayuse’s captors were all gone, and Little -Cayuse was left swinging helplessly against the bare cliff wall. - -The pull on his arms was frightful. The rope seemed to be tearing -them out of his body. - -But he had said no word about Pa-e-has-ka’s orders, and he was glad. -He had faced death, and was then facing it, because he had been true -to Pa-e-has-ka. - -What if the rope did pull at his arms and torture him? Was Little -Cayuse a squaw that he should whimper and cry with the torture? - -No; Little Cayuse was a warrior. He had won his eagle-feather, and -was entitled to take the place among the braves of the Piutes. - -So he gritted his teeth and hung where the merciless white ruffian -had left him. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - THE RESCUE OF CAYUSE. - - -This was the scene which had brought the fierce frown to Buffalo -Bill’s brow, and the gasp to Dell’s lips and the white to her check. - -Little Cayuse, suspended by the arms against the smooth cliff wall, -swinging and twisting with the rope. - -Was he alive? - -That was the question the scout asked himself as he ran forward -toward the wall of the blind gully, and it was the question Dell -Dauntless put to herself as she followed. - -Cayuse was about ten feet above the ground, his eyes were closed and -his head was drooping forward. - -“Cayuse?” cried the scout, halting close and peering up at the -slender form. - -Instantly the boy opened his eyes and threw back his head. - -“Wuh!” he answered. - -“What fiends those Apaches are!” exclaimed Dell. “They drew him up -there and left him to die!” - -The scout drew his revolver. - -“What are you about to do, Buffalo Bill?” the girl asked. - -“I could cut the rope with two or three bullets,” answered the scout -hesitatingly, “or I could ride up on my horse----” - -“You couldn’t reach him on your horse, or, at least, you wouldn’t be -able to reach the rope. Put up your revolver, Buffalo Bill, and leave -it to me.” - -Dell took a position in front of Cayuse and drew the bowie-knife that -swung at her belt. - -“What can you do with that?” asked the scout. - -“Cut the rope above Cayuse’s hands.” - -The scout started and stared at the girl. - -Such a feat, if successfully accomplished, would be one of the most -remarkable he had ever seen. - -To throw a knife and keep it perpendicular was comparatively easy; -but, in order to sever the rope, Dell would have to throw the blade -so that its edge would meet the rope horizontally. - -“Are you sure you can do it?” went on the scout gravely. - -“I would not try if I were not.” - -“If you made a miss----” - -“I know what would happen if I made a miss, but I shall not. Stand -close enough to catch him when the rope parts, Buffalo Bill.” - -Dell Dauntless was perfectly cool. The scout marveled at her -self-control, and her stony calmness. - -Without removing her gauntlet, she took the knife in her right hand -by the point; then she measured the distance and the height with a -quick eye. - -Once, twice, three times her hand went up in a circle, the pearl -handle of the bowie flashing in the sun. - -“Now!” she murmured. - -There was a second or two in the preparation for the throw, but the -feat itself consumed less than a second. - -“Bravo!” cried Buffalo Bill, as the girl hurled the knife and its -edge bit into the rope above Little Cayuse’s head. - -The rope was not cut cleanly through, but the few strands that were -left parted quickly, and Cayuse shot downward into the scout’s arms. - -Carrying the boy to the horses, Buffalo Bill laid him on the ground. - -Dell took her canteen from the saddle-horn, sank down beside the boy, -and took his head on her knee. - -Her tenderness as she ministered to Cayuse gave the scout a glimpse -of another side of her nature. - -“Poor little chap!” she murmured, pressing the canteen to his lips. -“You had a tough time of it, didn’t you?” - -The water gurgled down the boy’s throat, and his black eyes gazed -into the blue ones above him, then swerved to the scout. - -For a few moments he lay quietly, while the scout removed the rope -from his wrists and the girl removed her gauntlets and chafed his -temples with her soft hands. - -“Ugh!” grunted Little Cayuse suddenly. “White squaw got heap good -heart; but Cayuse no squaw, him warrior.” - -He sat up on the ground and began working his benumbed arms back and -forth between his knees. In spite of his stoicism, he winced, and the -scout saw that one of his shoulders was dislocated. - -“Down on the ground again, Cayuse!” ordered the scout; “on your left -side, boy.” - -Cayuse tumbled over obediently, the scout standing astride his body -and firmly gripping his right arm. - -“Hold him down, Dell,” went on the scout. - -With the girl pushing and the scout pulling, and Cayuse making no -outcry whatever, the shoulder was slipped back into place. - -Cayuse crawled to the wall of the defile and sat up with his back -against it. His bare breast jumped with his hard breathing so that -his necklace of bear-claws and elk-teeth fairly rattled, but a ghost -of a smile flickered about his lips. - -“Heap hard time,” said he. “Me no care. Umph! Me warrior; -Pa-e-has-ka’s pard.” - -“You’re a brave little fellow, that’s what you are!” declared Dell -admiringly. - -Cayuse studied her face attentively. - -“Who you?” he asked. - -“I’m Buffalo Bill’s girl pard,” laughed Dell. “And I’m your pard, -too, Cayuse, if you’ll have me for one.” - -“No like um squaw pard. Squaw make um fire, boil um kettle, sew um -beads on moccasins, no go on war-path with braves.” - -“I’m different from the ordinary run of squaws, Cayuse,” said Dell, -with a humorous side-glance at the scout. - -“You throw um knife heap fine,” observed Cayuse. - -“I can shoot as well as I can throw a knife.” - -“Umph! You make um squaw your pard, Pa-e-has-ka?” - -“Yes,” smiled the scout. - -“Squaw your pard, squaw my pard. Shake um hand.” - -Cayuse lifted his hand--his left one--and the compact was sealed. - -“Now that that formality is over, Cayuse,” said Buffalo Bill, “you -might tell us how you came to be strung up there against the cliff.” - -The boy looked distressed. - -“Cayuse no good. Make um worst break this grass. Let Apaches and -paleface ketch um.” - -“Paleface?” - -“Wuh. One paleface, five Apaches. Paleface make um heap swear, say -Cayuse tell um if Pa-e-has-ka sent um. Cayuse no tell um. Apaches -haul Cayuse up with rope. Ugh.” - -“Was the paleface Bernritter?” - -Cayuse shook his head. - -“Was it Bascomb?” - -Again Cayuse shook his head. - -“There has been underhand work at the mine, Cayuse,” explained -Buffalo Bill. “Bascomb and Bernritter have taken away McGowan’s -daughter, who was coming from ’Frisco, and the arrow that was shot -into camp contained a message. Understand?” - -“Me sabe.” - -“The message was from Bascomb and Bernritter, and stated that if -McGowan would not agree not to prosecute them for their attempt to -get the mine bullion the other day, and would not leave a bar of gold -at the old shaft near the Black Cañon trail, he would never see his -daughter again.” - -The boy fixed his eyes on the scout’s face. - -“Apaches and bad white men got heap black hearts,” said he. “You like -ketch um white man that string me up?” - -“Yes, if we can. He’s probably in this plot with Bascomb and -Bernritter. If we could capture him we might be able to discover -something of importance.” - -“Where Squaw Rock?” asked Cayuse. - -“That’s too many for me,” said the scout. - -“I know where it is,” spoke up Dell. “It’s about two miles and a half -from here.” - -“Paleface go there. Say he meet other paleface name Hendricks at -Squaw Rock. Tell Apaches come Squaw Rock report if they make trouble -for Buffalo Bill. Me hear um say so.” - -“Good!” exclaimed the scout. “That gives us something to work on, -Dell, and we won’t have to go back to the camp and wait for Nomad to -carry that agreement and that bar of bullion to the deserted shaft.” - -“Me go too?” asked Little Cayuse. - -“We’ll have to take you, Cayuse. I wouldn’t let you try to tramp back -to the mine in your present condition.” - -“Ugh, me all right.” - -“Most white boys, with a shoulder like yours, would be in bed, -Cayuse.” - -“Me use um left hand.” - -“All aboard, Dell,” said the scout, getting into his saddle. “If -we’re going to do anything with that ruffian who mistreated Cayuse, -we’ll have to lay him by the heels before the Apaches join him. You -lead the way and set the pace. Cayuse and I will tag along on Bear -Paw.” - -“It’s a rough road,” said the girl, rising to her own saddle; “by -taking an even rougher one we can lop off that extra half mile.” - -“Lop it off,” answered the scout. “I’ll lay a blue stack Bear Paw can -follow wherever Silver Heels can lead.” - -“This way, then,” cried the girl. - -She spurred straight to the side of the defile and started up the -dizzy path which the Apaches had climbed some time before. - -Arizona is full of difficult country for a horseman; but of all the -up-and-down trails the scout ever covered in the saddle, the course -Dell led him on the way to Squaw Rock was one of the worst. - -Not once during the entire trip were the horses on a level. When they -were not standing almost straight up in the air, pawing their way -aloft like mountain-goats, they were inclined downward so far that -the stirrups touched their ears, and the riders had to brace back in -them to keep from sliding over their heads. - -Such a rough passage was hard on Cayuse’s tender shoulder, but he -would have scorned to make the slightest complaint. - -At one place on the devious path there was a cool spring, and here -for a space the riders halted, refreshing themselves and their -sweltering mounts with a drink. - -At one place, too, Dell forced Silver Heels to a jump of half a dozen -feet over a crevasse; and at another place she made a leap downward -over a bluff of twelve feet. Bear Paw and his two riders were always -behind, the scout marveling at Dell’s perfect horsemanship. - -The girl, it was plain, was entirely at home in the saddle. Was there -anything, the scout was asking himself, in which Dell Dauntless did -not excel? - -Throughout the entire journey it was necessary to keep a keen lookout -for enemies, white and red. None were seen, perhaps because none -would dare this almost impossible trail. - -At last, after two hours of sweating labor, Dell pulled Silver Heels -to a halt under the brow of a steep hill. - -“Going to rest and breathe the bronks?” asked the scout. - -“Nary, pard,” answered Dell, with an easy return to the colloquialism -of the West; “we’re close to the end of our trail, and that’s why -we’re rounded up. Squaw Rock is just over the rise. I thought -perhaps you might like to reconnoiter before we shacked down on the -place.” - -“That’s the sensible thing to do, of course. Cayuse will look after -the horses while you and I climb the slope.” - -Leaving the boy below with the mounts, the scout and the girl crawled -up the sun-baked rise to the crest, and peered over. - -What the scout saw was a circular, cactus-covered plain. In the midst -of the plain arose a boulder about the size of a two-story house. - -But it was not the shape of a two-story house. On the contrary, from -the angle at which the scout and the girl viewed it, the boulder -had the contour of a woman’s head and shoulders, with the shoulders -blanketed. - -To all seeming, the rock was the upper part of some gigantic statue, -embedded in the sand from the shoulders down. - -In the shadow of the rock stood a horse, head down and listlessly -panting with the heat. Closer to the base of the rock a man half sat -and half reclined. He was smoking a pipe and gazing out across the -plain. Evidently this was the man they wanted, and he was alone. - -The scout and the girl slipped downward on the slope for a hurried -consultation. - -“The scoundrel is there, all right,” whispered Dell. - -“The question now is to capture him,” returned the scout. “He’s on -the east side of the rock, and we’re to the north of it.” - -“We could rush him,” suggested Dell, “and have him covered before he -could mount and ride away. Even if he did get on his horse, we could -overhaul him.” - -“A better plan, I think,” said the scout, who hesitated to place -Dell in the peril her plan would call for, “would be to take him -by surprise. While he’s mooning down there, and looking across the -desert; I’ll slip down the slope, crawl around the base of the rock, -and have a bead drawn on him before he’ll know there’s any one else -within a mile of him.” - -“If he should hear you getting down the slope he might shake a bullet -out of his gun before you had a chance to fire first.” - -“He’d have to be quick, if he did. However, you can remain here and -keep him covered.” - -“You’re taking all the risk,” demurred the girl. - -“It’s right I should.” - -Without debating the question further, Buffalo Bill regained the top -of the hill, rolled over, and started downward on hands and knees. - -As he crawled, a foot at a time, he kept his eyes on the man at the -foot of the rock. - -The fellow seemed completely absorbed in his reflections. He smoked -languidly, like one half asleep. - -The scout, remembering the brutal treatment accorded Little -Cayuse--and the boy had not told him the half of it--would have been -only too quick to meet the ruffian in a two-gun game. But he wanted -to make a capture, and try persuasion in an attempt to find out -something about Annie McGowan. - -The girl was certainly hidden away somewhere among the hills. -Wherever she was, quite likely Bernritter and Bascomb were, also; -and the scout was not losing sight of the fact that he wanted to get -hands on Bascomb quite as much as he wanted to rescue Miss McGowan. - -Watched by Dell Dauntless, Buffalo Bill succeeded, in due course, in -reaching the base of Squaw Rock without attracting the attention of -the ruffian. - -His task now was to follow the base of the rock around until he came -near the spot where the man was sitting. This was almost directly -under the chin of the profile, and the scout had to get around one of -the shoulders. - -Drawing his revolver, the scout immediately began his flanking -movement, still on all-fours and pushing the weapon ahead of him. - -Just as he was on the point of passing around the edge of the -shoulder, and coming out in plain view of the man, if he happened -to be looking in the right direction, the scout observed peculiar -actions on the part of Dell. - -With head and shoulders above the hill-crest, the girl was waving her -hands and pointing westward. - -The scout could not understand, and the girl, in her excitement, had -risen so far above the ridge that the ruffian might catch sight of -her at any moment. - -As the quickest way to terminate the situation, the scout hurried -on around the rock. Rising to his feet the moment he had the man -squarely in front of him, Buffalo Bill leveled his six-shooter. - -“Hands up, you!” he shouted. - -The ruffian shot into the air as though propelled by some powerful -spring. His pipe went one way and his hat another. Also, his hand -darted at his hip, but a warning bullet from the scout’s forty-four -buzzed past his ear. - -“Hands up, I said!” shouted the scout. “The next bullet I send at you -won’t go so wide.” - -The man turned, at that, and lifted his arms. - -“Who the blazes are you, anyhow?” he snarled. - -“Buffalo Bill is the label I tote. What’s your own mark?” - -“Banks.” - -“Well, Banks, you’re mine. Come this way till I strip off your guns.” - -“What’s the matter with ye?” scowled Banks. “What have I ever done to -you that you make a play like this?” - -“Never you mind that for now. I feel hostile enough to put a bullet -into you, right where you stand, on account of the way you treated my -little Piute pard. Are you coming?” - -“Your hand has the call,” grunted Banks. “Sure I’m coming.” - -He moved toward the scout, but slowly. - -“I reckon I’ll have to plant a little lead around your feet so’st to -make ’em more lively,” remarked Buffalo Bill. “Step off, high, wide, -and handsome. Try it, now, before my patience begins to mill. You’re -slower than molasses in zero weather.” - -The man increased his pace. When he had come within a couple of -yards of the scout, something happened which the scout had not been -expecting. - -“Up with _your_ hands, pilgrim! That’s my pard ye’re a-drawin’ a bead -on.” - -This raucous voice came from behind. A thrill ran through the scout’s -nerves as he began to understand what Dell’s dumb-show meant. - -She had been trying to tell him that another of the ruffians was -coming. - -The man had come, and was now in the scout’s rear. - -Naturally, Buffalo Bill could not look behind him. To have done so -would have been an invitation for the man in front to drop his hands, -pull a revolver, and begin firing. - -“That you, Hendricks?” the scout called, without making a move to -lift his hands, and without taking his eyes off the fellow in front -of him. - -“Sure it’s me,” came the voice, “big as life an’ twicet as onnery. -Did ye hear me when I told ye to put up yer hands?” - -“I heard you,” the scout answered, “and I’m not going to do it. The -click of a trigger in your hands will be my signal to throw lead into -Banks.” - -“I ain’t a-goin’ to have no foolin’,” snorted Hendricks. “If you -want to drop yer guns an’ skin out, well an’ good; Banks an’ me -won’t object. You’ll find it a heap healthier, I reckon, than to try -to make front on the pair of us. We ain’t got no crow to pick with -_you_, and you hadn’t ort to force our hands. Will ye git?” - -“No.” - -“Well, I’m a-goin’ to count three. By the time I finish the count I’m -a-goin’ to turn loose the fireworks, unless you either git or throw -up yer hands. That’s plain enough, ain’t it?” - -“I understand you, but----” - -“_One!_” - -There was a tone in the voice behind that plainly meant business. - -“_Two!_” - -The scout was just planning to jerk his second revolver from his -belt and whirl about so as to cover both Hendricks and Banks, when a -fourth person took a hand in the odd game. - -This was Dell. From the hill-crest she was leveling a revolver at -Hendricks. - -“Drop that gun!” she cried; “drop it quick or you’ll hear from _me_!” - -Buffalo Bill could hear Hendricks swearing to himself at this -unexpected summons. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - BANKS AND HENDRICKS. - - -There was something humorous in the situation, now that Dell had -forced herself into the peculiar combination, and held the key to it, -so to speak. - -Buffalo Bill had covered Banks, Hendricks had covered Buffalo Bill, -and now Dell was looking at Hendricks over a diamond-sight. - -“Who the blazes are ye, up there on the hill?” shouted Hendricks, -seeking to temporize. - -“All you need to know is that I’ve got the drop,” cried Dell sharply. -“You heard what I said about dropping that revolver. I’m not going to -repeat the order.” - -“Ye’re a woman, by ther sound o’ yer voice,” shouted Hendricks, who -did not dare remove his eyes from the scout, any more than the scout -dared take his from Banks, “an’ I reckon ye daren’t shoot at----” - -The thirty-eight spoke, and the report was followed by a ring of lead -against steel. - -Dell’s shot had struck the barrel of Hendricks’ revolver close to the -cylinder, knocking the weapon out of the man’s hand. - -A startled yell broke from Hendricks, followed quickly by the cool -voice of the girl: - -“Disarm your man, Buffalo Bill; I’ve disarmed Hendricks, and he’s not -able to interfere.” - -“Come closer, Banks,” said the scout. “You don’t want to force me to -take your miserable life, do you? This trigger works on a hair.” - -Banks stepped up to within arm’s length of the scout. With his left -hand the scout disarmed Banks, then whirled on Hendricks. - -Dell Dauntless had descended the hill-slope and was standing within -a dozen feet of Hendricks, her revolver leveled, and a look of -determination in her blue eyes. - -“It’s all over but payin’ the bets, ain’t it?” grinned Hendricks -sourly. - -“When a man dances he has to pay the fiddler,” said Buffalo Bill. -“You and Banks will pay with a few years in the ‘pen.’ Take his guns, -Dell,” he added to the girl. - -Dell stepped forward and picked the revolver out of Hendricks’ belt, -and took its mate off the ground. - -“That was a blame’ purty shot,” remarked Hendricks, referring to the -one that had knocked the revolver out of his hand, “’specially when -ye think as how it was a woman done it.” - -“I could have taken your finger along with the revolver, if I had -wanted to,” said Dell. - -“’Bliged ter ye fer not doin’ it. I needs the finger.” - -Hendricks’ horse stood a few yards around the base of the rock. - -“Take both mounts, Dell,” said the scout, “and bring them along -after Banks and Hendricks. Fall in, you fellows,” he added to the -prisoners, “shoulder to shoulder, ahead of me.” - -With Buffalo Bill’s guns staring them in the face, the ruffians could -do nothing less than obey; thereupon the scout marched them over the -top of the hill and down on the other side to the place where Cayuse -was waiting with Bear Paw and Silver Heels. - -The boy’s eyes gleamed like those of an angry panther as he looked at -Banks. - -“Was that the man who had you pulled up at the face of the cliff, -Cayuse?” asked the scout, indicating Banks. - -“Wuh!” snarled Cayuse, his hand groping for his knife. - -“Leave him alone, boy,” said the scout, in a tone of sharp command. -“The law is going to take care of him.” - -“Hendricks, there,” said Dell, “is the man who met Annie McGowan at -the railroad-station in Phœnix.” - -“They were both concerned in the abduction,” returned Buffalo Bill, -“and they can both be sent over the road.” - -“What ye givin’ us?” scowled Banks. “We ain’t done nothin’ we can be -sent up fer.” - -“We have the proof, Banks, and you and Hendricks will go to Yuma just -as surely as the sun rises and sets.” The scout turned to the Piute. -“Go up the hill, Cayuse, and keep watch for Apaches.” - -Hendricks watched Cayuse moodily as he climbed the slope. - -“What ye goin’ ter do with us, Buffalo Bill?” he asked. - -“Take you to Phœnix and turn you over to the sheriff,” said the scout -promptly. “Cover Banks, Dell,” he added, “while I get Hendricks in -shape to travel.” - -Dell was loaded down with the four revolvers taken from Banks and -Hendricks. Kneeling in the sand, she laid the extra weapons beside -her, and drew a bead on Banks. - -“If Banks makes a move to bolt,” instructed the scout, “shoot him. -Get on your horse, Hendricks,” he went on, to the other man. - -“Look here,” demurred Hendricks, “can’t we fix this thing up somehow?” - -“The only way you can fix it up,” snapped the scout, “is by taking -your medicine. Get on your horse, I said!” - -Muttering to himself, Hendricks got astride his mount. Taking the -prisoner’s riata off the horn, the scout bound his wrists at the back -and his feet under the saddle-girths. - -There were several feet of rope left, and this the scout ran up to -the pommel, where he made a half hitch, then on along the horse’s -neck and through one of the bit-rings. From the bit-ring he led the -rope to his own saddle and made it secure at the horn. - -In this manner Hendricks was firmly bound to his horse, and his horse -was firmly secured to Bear Paw. - -Banks was treated in identically the same manner. - -Now, as a matter of fact, the scout had no intention of taking the -two prisoners to Phœnix. What he wanted from them was information, -and he was willing to give them their liberty if they would tell him -what he wanted to know. - -Hendricks and Banks were the kind of men, however, who understand -nothing but the “iron hand.” The scout wanted overtures to come from -them. - -“Get into your saddle, Dell,” said the scout, when both horses ridden -by the prisoners had been made fast to Bear Paw. “If we start now, -we ought to be able to reach Phœnix some time before midnight. The -quicker we get these scoundrels behind the bars, the better.” - -So well was the scout playing up his “bluff” that even Dell was -deceived. - -“Hadn’t we better wait, Buffalo Bill,” she returned, “until after----” - -“We’ll wait for nothing,” he cut in, at the same time telegraphing -her a message with his eyes. “We have a dead open-and-shut on these -two men. Hendricks met Annie McGowan at Phœnix, and Banks and -Hendricks were both mixed up in the theft of the team and buckboard.” - -The girl started toward Silver Heels and the scout placed one foot in -his stirrup. - -“Jest a minit, you Buffalo Bill,” said Hendricks. “Don’t go off half -cocked till ye hear what Banks an’ me hev got ter say.” - -“You haven’t a thing to say that interests me,” Buffalo Bill -answered. “Get up here, Cayuse,” he called. “Sit on the horse with -your back to mine, so you can watch the prisoners as we ride. Give -him one of those revolvers, Dell. He can shoot with his left hand, if -the prisoners make it necessary.” - -While these orders were being carried out, the prisoners, who were -stirrup to stirrup with each other, were exchanging low-spoken words. - -When the cavalcade was ready to start, Cayuse was riding with his -face to the rear, a six-shooter in his left hand, and Dell was behind -the prisoners. Thus watched from front and rear, and bound and -helpless, such a thing as escape was an impossibility. - -“I tell ye ter wait,” cried Hendricks, “afore ye go on any further -with this here pufformance. Takin’ us ter the Phœnix calaboose ain’t -goin’ ter help ye none in locatin’ Annie McGowan.” - -“We’ll find her,” said the scout confidently, “and we’ll find Bascomb -and Bernritter, too.” - -“Ye’ll never find ’em if ye don’t listen ter Banks an’ me.” - -“It’s my opinion,” said the scout, “that Banks and you can lie faster -than a dog can trot.” - -“We’ll make a deal with ye,” proceeded Hendricks, anxious and -desperate. - -“What sort of a deal?” asked the scout casually. “It takes two to -make a bargain.” - -“Right ye are, Buffalo Bill. If ye’ll make a bargain with us, we’ll -keep our side of it.” - -“What sort of a bargain have you to propose?” - -Even yet the scout was not showing much interest, although he was -throbbing with it. - -“Well, Bascomb an’ Bernritter ain’t nothin’ ter Banks an’ me,” went -on Hendricks. “They promised us money if we’d help ’em pull off this -here deal; but they said it was a safe deal, an’ that nothin’ would -happen to us.” Hendricks laughed sardonically. “An’ here,” he added, -“is what happens ter us, fust crack out o’ the box. All in one day we -pull off a penitentiary offense an’ git snagged fer it.” - -“What’s your proposition?” asked the scout impatiently. - -“It’s this: We’ll tell ye where Bascomb and Bernritter are hangin’ -out with the gal, purvidin’ ye turns us loose with our hosses an’ our -hardware an’ gives us time to git out of the kentry.” - -“And maybe you’ll tell the truth and maybe you won’t. I wouldn’t -trust you two as far as I could throw a steer by the tail.” - -“We’ll tell ye the truth,” insisted Banks. “Why, man, ye kin prove -we’ve told ye the truth afore ye let us go.” - -“Probably you want to run us into some trap or other,” reflected the -scout. - -“Nary a trap,” went on Hendricks. “Bein’ with ye, we’d be gittin’ -inter a trap ourselves.” - -“I’ll give you a trial,” said the scout, after a period of reflection. - -The prisoners brightened. - -“How do we know,” said Banks, “ye’ll keep yer word an’ turn us loose -after we tell ye?” - -“You don’t,” returned the scout. “All you’ve got is my word for it. -If I take your word, you’ll have to take mine.” - -“That’s enough fer me, Banks,” said Hendricks. - -“Where’s Miss McGowan?” asked the scout. - -“She, along with Bascomb and Bernritter, is on the island in -Quicksand Lake.” - -“Island in Quicksand Lake!” echoed the scout derisively. - -“There is such a place as Quicksand Lake, Buffalo Bill,” put in Dell, -“and there is an island in the lake. But, so far as I know, no one -has ever been able to reach the island.” - -“Bascomb and Bernritter hev been able ter reach the island,” averred -Hendricks, “an’ I was there myself, jest before I started fer Squaw -Rock to meet Banks. Consarn the luck! If I’d ’a’ stayed on the -island, I wouldn’t be here now.” - -“Do you know the way to Quicksand Lake, Dell?” asked the scout. - -“Yes.” - -“How far is it from here?” - -“Three miles, if we cut across the plain around Squaw Rock.” - -“We’ll go there, and see what we can find. Hendricks and Banks will -go with us. If we learn they are not telling the truth, we’ll take -them on to Phœnix; and if we find they’re up to any treacherous -dodge, we’ll have a bullet for each of them. Ride for Squaw Rock, and -we’ll----” - -A quavering, long-drawn-out whoop reached the ears of the scout and -his pards, coming from over the hill in the direction of the big -boulder. - -“Apaches!” grunted Little Cayuse. - -A gleam of hope shot athwart the faces of the prisoners. - -“Dell,” said the scout, “if either one of the prisoners speaks a -word, use your revolver on him; and if the Apaches make an attack on -us, we’ll put the prisoners in front to receive the first volley; and -if luck goes against us, and the Apaches make a surround, if they get -Hendricks and Banks we’ll see to it that they get them with their -boots on.” - -The gleam of hope faded from the faces of Banks and Hendricks and a -look of concern took its place. - -“Watch them, Dell, you and Cayuse,” finished the scout, leaping to -the ground. - -Crawling up the slope once more, he peered over the top. - -The sun was down and evening was coming on; but, in spite of the -hovering shadows, the scout could see the five Apaches from the gulch. - -Two were wounded. One had a bandage about his thigh and another about -his left arm, and had to be tied to his cayuse in order to stay on -the animal’s back. - -Grouped about the rock, the Indians were evidently waiting for -Banks, whom they had been told to come there and meet. - -Returning back down the slope, the scout got astride his horse. - -“Can we get to Quicksand Lake, Dell,” he asked, “without crossing the -plain in the vicinity of Squaw Rock?” - -“We can, but it is a hard trail and will take us a great deal -longer,” answered Dell. - -“Better a hard trail and more time spent on the trip, than another -set-to with the Apaches. You’d better take the lead, Dell. Cayuse -will watch the prisoners.” - -The girl got around in front and started off along the base of the -hill. - -Realizing the difficulties of traveling when Buffalo Bill had two -prisoners in tow, Dell picked out the easiest trail she could find. - -Even at that the way was difficult enough, in all conscience. - -For the first quarter of a mile of their riding they were careful to -make as little noise as they could; after that, knowing themselves to -be pretty well clear of the five Indians, it was not necessary for -them to be so cautious. - -The path Dell selected was not nearly so rough a one as that which -they had followed to Squaw Rock from the defile, but they had now the -growing darkness to contend with, and this hampered their progress. - -Climbing ascents and sliding down descents, threading tortuous -valleys, and traversing the scarps of sharp ridges, they pursued -their way steadily. - -Buffalo Bill experienced considerable discomfort from the ropes with -which the two led horses were secured to his saddle. One of these -ropes passed on either side of him, and when the led horses came -close together he was caught between the tethers; and occasionally, -when the led horses swerved to one side, he was all but thrown from -Bear Paw’s back. - -He could do nothing else, however, but bear with the discomfort. - -After two hours of saddle-work, the moon came up over the hills, -round and bright. The landscape came out distinctly under its -brilliant beams. - -“How much farther, Dell?” called the scout. - -“We’re almost there,” the girl answered. “This valley, through which -we are now traveling, runs down to the shore of the lake.” - -The valley referred to by Dell was broad and shallow, and it became -broader and more shallow as they followed it, finally giving way to -the flat desert, which sloped in front of them to the edge of a level -of bubbling sand. - -“There’s the lake,” said Dell. - -“Where’s the island?” - -“It’s off to the right, about forty feet from the shore.” - -“It’s a quicksand lake, is it?” - -“Exactly so, Buffalo Bill, and true in every particular to its name. -It is oblong in shape, and measures two hundred yards across its -narrowest, and three hundred yards across its widest, part.” - -“There’s no reef of solid ground between the shore and the island?” - -“Absolutely none. One step off shore and a person would go into the -sands up to his waist. To get out, when once entrapped in the sand, -would be an utter impossibility. The sand sucks a person down and -down, until he is smothered and buried. Quicksand Lake not only -takes a man’s life, but also furnishes him with a grave.” - -“The men we are looking for must have some way of crossing back and -forth,” observed the scout. - -“Then they must have some sort of a drawbridge,” commented the girl, -“for the sands could not be crossed unless a person had something to -walk on.” - -“You and Cayuse stay here and take care of the prisoners and the -horses, Dell, while I investigate.” - -Leaving Bear Paw in charge of Cayuse, Buffalo Bill went down toward -the shore of the strange lake, Dell warning him as he went to be -careful and not step off the bank. - -There was some need of this caution, for the scout found that the -solid earth merged gradually into the bubbling sand, and that one -reckless step might prove a person’s undoing. - -In the moonlight the lake was an odd sight. The sands that composed -it seemed in constant motion, bubbling and rippling from some -underlying force. It was very like the “jumping quicksands” of the -Bad Lands, with which the scout was familiar, only here there were no -gliding hillocks, but minute ridges like small waves. - -No doubt there were springs under the whole extent of the lake, and -the water impregnated the sand and gave it its motion. - -As far as the scout could see, the slope to the quicksands was an -easy one. A dark mass, rising clear of the sands off on the right, -impressed the scout as being the island, and he moved in that -direction. - -He stopped before he came opposite the island, for there was an -object on the bank of the lake which claimed his attention. This -object was a buckboard--McGowan’s buckboard, undoubtedly, and the one -in which Hendricks had spirited Annie McGowan to that rendezvous in -Quicksand Lake. - -This was a bit of proof that Hendricks and Banks had been giving the -scout correct information. - -But where were the star-faced cayuses? Had Bascomb and Bernritter -some means of taking the animals to the island, along with their own -mounts? - -Passing the buckboard, Buffalo Bill continued his investigation. - -As he came abreast of the island, he grew more cautious in his -movements. The short distance which separated the island from the -shore, together with the bright moonlight, would enable those on the -island to see him unless he was wary and careful. - -Creeping onward, several yards from the shore, he finally halted and -crouched in the sand. - -The island was low and small. It appeared to be covered with large -stones, heaped at its center into a sort of breastwork. - -No sounds came from the island, and there was no other evidence that -criminals had taken possession of it as a rendezvous. - -Something nearer the edge of the quicksands captured the scout’s -attention, and he crept down to investigate. - -Close inspection showed the dark blot to be comprised of a dozen kegs -and several boxes. The kegs contained water and the boxes food. - -“This is the food and water supply for those on the island,” -reasoned the scout. “Presumably Hendricks brought the plunder in the -buckboard, and Bascomb and Bernritter have not yet taken it across. -It looks as though they were laying in supplies so as to be in shape -to withstand a possible siege.” - -An idea struck the scout. Crouching under the screen of the kegs, he -turned it over in his mind. - -“About the only way to get at those scoundrels,” he mentally debated, -“will be to starve them out. No charge could be made across the -quicksands, unless an attacking force had the outlaws’ means for -getting across, and a few men behind those rocks on the island could -stand off a besieging force indefinitely. If we could remove these -supplies, and keep Bascomb and Bernritter from----” - -The scout, while he was thinking, was also keeping his eyes over the -top of the kegs. Suddenly he detected a movement among the shadows -that lay under the rocks of the island. Ceasing his reflections, he -leaned across the kegs and watched intently. - -Somebody was doing something; but what? The shadows lay so thick -about the island’s shore that he could not tell. - -Presently he saw a man moving out upon the surface of the treacherous -quicksand. As the man walked, he seemed to be pushing something ahead -of him. - -Curious, and profoundly interested, the scout kept his eyes on the -dark figure. - -Farther and farther the man left the shore of the island behind him, -still pushing a round object in advance of him as he walked. - -How was he able to keep on top of the bubbling sands? What sort of an -object was it that he was pushing? - -The man appeared to be leaving a broad, dark trail behind him. For -some time the scout was mystified. - -The man was laying a course that would bring him to the shore at the -place where the kegs and boxes had been placed. When he had covered -half the distance that separated him from the shore, the scout began -to make discoveries. - -The long, round object the fellow was pushing in front of him had -diminished by half since he had left the island shore. - -Plainly, then, he was leaving part of the object behind him; and it -was equally plain that it was this object which gave him a secure -foothold on the treacherous and shifting sands. - -The scout strained his eyes upon the diminishing roll in front of the -figure. - -He made out long, thin slabs of wood, bound closely together by ropes. - -Ah! The scout had pierced the mystery. - -The thin slabs, bound together by ropes, when unrolled formed a sort -of movable causeway, the length of each slab being sufficient to -resist the soft sands and offer footing and support. - -By that time the man was quite near, and his bundle of slabs had been -almost exhausted. - -The scout had made up his mind as to what he should do. - -Crouching down behind the kegs, he waited, every nerve tense as a -forestay, and every muscle primed for quick action. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - THE ISLAND. - - -The actions of the man had they been planned by the scout himself, -could not have worked out better for the scout’s plans. - -Tired from his work of unrolling the big bundle of slabs, the man -stepped from the causeway and plumped down on one of the kegs, his -back to the scout. - -The man was a stranger to the scout. He was one whom Buffalo Bill had -never seen before. - -Quite likely he had helped Hendricks and Banks in carrying out the -rascally plan for the abduction of Annie McGowan. - -While the man sat on the keg, Buffalo Bill rose softly behind him, -caught him about the throat with both hands, and jerked him backward -to the ground. - -The fellow’s surprise must have been overwhelming, but he had no way -of manifesting it. The compression at his throat rendered any spoken -sound impossible. - -After a moment of limp inaction, however, he began to struggle. Being -a powerfully built man, it was necessary for the scout to get the -whip-hand of him quickly. - -Pulling his right hand from the fellow’s throat, Buffalo Bill dealt -him a heavy blow between the eyes--a blow calculated to do little -damage other than to stun and thus afford leeway for making him -secure. - -The blow was successful in this, for the man ceased his struggles on -the instant, and straightened out with a stifled gasp. - -Working rapidly, the scout pulled a couple of revolvers from the -scoundrel’s belt, then unbuckled the belt and bound it about his -ankles. With a cotton handkerchief taken from his throat he gagged -him, and with his own handkerchief, twisted into a rope, he bound his -hands at his back. - -All this was accomplished by the resourceful scout in hardly more -time than it takes to tell of it. Scarcely was the work done, when a -hail came from the island. - -“What ye doin’, Giles?” called a voice. - -“Restin’,” answered the scout, disguising his voice. - -“What’s the matter? Got a frog in yer throat?” - -“Tired an’ winded, thet’s all,” replied the scout. - -“Waal, hustle up with that plunder. Git it all over here an’ pile it -up on the shore. We’ll take it behind the breastworks ter-morrer, -when we kin have daylight fer it. Don’t fergit ter pull in ther -bridge, an’ roll it up tight when ye do it. Look sharp, now! Them’s -the on’y supplies we got, an’ if ye should drop a box inter the sands -we’d miss ’em mightily. Bring a water-keg first. Our canteens are -purty nigh empty.” - -The scout heard the speaker moving away, and saw his dark form vanish -among the boulders. - -The move the scout had planned was a reckless one. Yet, nevertheless, -he proceeded to carry it out with all his usual determination. - -Picking up one of the kegs, he stepped out on the causeway. The -wooden slabs gave slightly under his feet, but, by moving swiftly, he -did not sink more than an inch on any one of them. - -Swiftly he crossed to the other end of the peculiar bridge and -stepped off upon the rocky shore with his keg. There he set the keg -down and deftly removed the plug from the bung-hole, allowing the -water slowly to trickle out. - -He did not start back across the causeway again. That had not been -his intention. Now that he was on the island, he would take a look -around. - -The little area of rocks, he discovered, was even smaller than he -had calculated it to be from the opposite shore. Fifty steps, he -believed, would have measured its diameter. It was slightly conical -in shape, and seemed to be the peak of a hill pushed up through the -shifting sands. - -On the top was the heap of boulders referred to by the man, who had -called from the island’s shore, as the “breastworks.” - -To penetrate directly into the breastworks would have meant instant -discovery by Bascomb and Bernritter. To avoid this, and yet develop -some information that might later prove useful, the scout began -crawling around the island’s shore on his hands and knees. - -This maneuver presently brought him to the side of the island where -the moonlight lay full upon the rocks. What he saw in the moonlight -gave him a start. - -By a boulder, just below the breastworks, sat a woman. - -Her hands were lying in front of her in her lap, and the scout could -see that they were bound. Her ankles, stretched down the flinty -slope, were also bound. In addition to these cords, a rope was tied -about her waist and passed around the boulder. - -After the first flush of surprise, a fierce anger against the -miscreants who could treat a woman in such a way arose in the scout’s -breast. - -The prisoner, of course, was Annie McGowan. And it was the man -she supposed she was going to marry who had brought upon her this -humiliation and danger! - -Muttering to himself, Buffalo Bill arose softly to his full height -and peered about him. - -From behind the boulder breastwork he heard a sudden mumbling of -voices. - -Bascomb and Bernritter were there! - -If they two were alone on the island with the girl, the daring notion -ran through the scout’s brain that he might be able to effect a -rescue. - -Farther along the moonlit shore he could see clumps of brush and -could hear the trampling of horses. But he could see no other men. - -Whatever he did, the scout realized must be done quickly. - -Giles was supposed to be transporting the supplies from the main -shore to the island; unless those back of the breastworks heard -sounds indicative of such labor, their suspicions would be presently -aroused. - -Dropping to his hands and knees, the scout crept up behind the bound -girl. Her head was bowed and she did not hear his approach. - -To avoid a possible alarm which the girl’s surprise might cause -her to give, and which would effectually block the scout’s game of -rescue, he reached forward and clasped one hand over the girl’s lips. - -She straightened her shoulders suddenly and tried to scream, but the -hand over her mouth stifled the sound. - -“Don’t make any noise,” whispered the scout in the girl’s ear. “I am -a friend, and am going to try and take you from the island. But, if -I succeed, you must not make any noise. Bascomb and Bernritter are -within a few yards of us, and if they heard what I was doing, they -would shoot. Do you understand? I am Buffalo Bill, and I have come -from your father.” - -Whether it was the magical name of “Buffalo Bill,” standing for so -much of chivalry and daring throughout the West, or whether it was -the scout’s mention of her father, the girl became pacified at once, -and apparently plucked up courage and hope. - -The scout removed his hand. - -“Oh, take me away, take me away!” breathed the girl. “I will be -quiet--I will not make a sound--but get me away from this awful place -and these hateful men as quickly as you can.” - -The sorrow and anxiety in the girl’s words went straight to the heart -of the scout. - -Without taking time to reply, he pulled his knife from its sheath and -slashed it through the rope that bound the girl to the boulder, and -then through the bonds that secured her hands and feet. - -Miss McGowan then attempted to stand, but her limbs, benumbed by the -bonds, would not support her weight. - -Seeing how matters stood, the scout bent down and lifted her in his -arms. - -Then, quickly and silently as might be, he started around into the -shadow of the island and stepped out on the causeway. - -He had been obliged to make some noise, and to show himself very -plainly, but his daring work had not aroused the men behind the -breastwork. - -Every step he now took across the slabs brought him and the girl -nearer the shore and safety. - -But it was too much to hope for that he should get across the frail -bridge entirely unseen and undetected. Once more he was hailed -huskily from the bank. - -“Giles!” roared the voice that had spoken before; “what the blazes -are ye kerryin’ off? All that plunder on the bank is to be toted over -here, and not----” - -“The girl!” yelled a second voice front the island. “She’s gone. -Bascomb!” - -A wild oath leaped from the lips of the man who had been yelling at -the scout, under belief that he was Giles. - -_Sping, sping!_ came the vicious reports of a six-shooter. - -The leaden bees buzzed on either side of the scout’s head, and Annie -McGowan’s arms clasped frantically about his neck. - -“It ain’t Giles at all!” whooped Bascomb; “but it’s some other -meddlin’ whelp----” - -“Rush after the fellow!” interrupted the frantic voice of Bernritter. -“All is up with us if he gets away! Stop him! The girl! We must not -let him get away with the girl!” - -By that time the scout had reached the kegs and the boxes. Dropping -the girl down behind them, he crouched at her side and gave vent to a -mocking laugh. - -“You fellows are close to the end of your rope!” he shouted. “It’s -Buffalo Bill that’s calling your game!” - -The scout’s last word faded into the echo of a shot from one of his -forty-fours. - -Bascomb and Bernritter had piled full-tilt out upon the island end of -the causeway, but the scout’s bullet, fanning the air close to their -heads, sent them back pell-mell into the shadow of the rocks. - -“Buffalo Bill!” cried a voice from the direction of the valley. - -“Here we are, Dell!” answered the scout. “If you come this way, be -careful. Bascomb and Bernritter are watching from the island, and -are ready to use their guns.” - -Dell Dauntless, creeping warily along the shore to the pile of kegs -and boxes at the edge of the bubbling sands, came abruptly face to -face with her friend, Annie McGowan. - -“Dell!” screamed the rescued girl tearfully. - -“Annie!” cried Dell, her voice vibrant with the deep surprise that -surged within her. - -For a moment the girls clung in each other’s arms, Miss McGowan -sobbing hysterically. - -“There, there, Annie!” murmured Dell, in a soothing tone. “How do you -happen to be here?” - -“Buffalo Bill came to the island and brought me away,” answered Miss -McGowan. - -“Came to the island!” gasped Dell, dumfounded. “Buffalo Bill, did you -really go to the island and take Annie right out from under the noses -of Bascomb and Bernritter and the other men they had with them?” - -“They had only one other man with them, Dell,” answered the scout, -“and I took care of that fellow before I started for the island. -There he lies, on the sand, within a yard of you.” - -“But how did you do it?” cried the amazed Dell. “Are you a wizard, -that you could cross the quicksands and bring Annie away from the -island?” - -“No,” laughed the scout, “I don’t happen to be a wizard. An -opportunity presented itself, and I took advantage of it. That’s all.” - -“All!” murmured the girl. “Well, I should say it is enough. I can -scarcely believe----” - -Again the scout’s revolvers barked, carrying a leaden warning to -Bascomb and Bernritter who, in desperation, had once more attempted -the causeway. - -The two men on the island gave up their attempt on the shaking -bridge. Retreating to the protecting shadow of the boulders, they -began boring holes in the night with their bullets, seeking to injure -those behind the barricade of kegs and boxes. - -Their efforts in this direction were vain. Slugs plumped into the -barricade, but failed to reach those behind it. - -“It’s a case of the trappers trapped,” exulted the scout. “That trail -of boards is the only way for Bascomb and Bernritter to come from -the island, and one man can lie here, back of this barricade, and -keep them where they are. We’ll have them, and it’s only a matter -of a short time, at that. These kegs contain water, and the boxes -hold provisions; they are all the supplies Bascomb and Bernritter -have--and they are in our hands! Did you ever hear of a situation to -beat it, Dell?” - -“Never!” laughed the girl. “You have turned the tables on the -scoundrels with a vengeance. But how did you ever do it, Buffalo -Bill? Tell me!” - -The scout told her, talking to the girls but keeping his eyes on the -causeway. - -Dell clapped her hands in applause of the scout’s daring and -successful efforts. - -“No wonder they call you king of scouts, Buffalo Bill!” she exclaimed -admiringly. “Not one man in a thousand could have done what you have.” - -“Bosh!” deprecated the scout. “Were these water-kegs and boxes of -provisions brought here in the buckboard, Miss McGowan?” he inquired -of the rescued girl. - -“Yes. The man who drove the buckboard took them aboard at Phœnix.” - -“Did he bring your trunk and hand-baggage?” - -“No, there was no room. My baggage was left at a hotel in Phœnix, -and the man who drove the buckboard said that one of my father’s -freighters would bring them out.” - -“You never suspected that anything was wrong, Annie?” queried Dell. - -“I never suspected a thing, Dell,” replied Annie, “until we turned -off the Black Cañon trail to come here. Then I began to get nervous. -I demanded to be allowed to leave the buckboard, but the man only -laughed at me. I tried to jump, but he caught me and bound my hands -and tied me to the seat of the buckboard. - -“When we got here I saw a man called Bascomb. He took me off the -buckboard and carried me out to the island. And there”--the girl -choked--“there I met--Bernritter!” - -Dell put one arm around her friend’s waist. - -“You know now,” said she, “something I have all along suspected, and -that is that Bernritter is a scoundrel. It is better that you should -have your eyes opened to that fact now, Annie, than later.” - -“I suppose so,” answered Annie, in a tone of grief and sorrow, “but -it is a terrible thing to have your faith destroyed at one blow, as -mine was.” - -“You’ll get over it,” reassured Dell. “Were you kindly treated on the -island?” - -“Yes, although I was bound hand and foot and tied to a big stone. All -day long and most of the night I have been there, Dell,” finished the -girl, with a shiver, “and I had abundant time to think.” - -“And your thoughts were far from pleasant, I’ll warrant. But, never -mind, Annie.” - -“I had such a good time in ’Frisco,” quavered the distressed girl, -“and now to have it end like this!” - -“Oh, well, it might have ended worse.” - -“I want Buffalo Bill to understand that I am grateful for what he has -done----” - -“There, there!” broke in the scout. “Your father, Miss McGowan, is a -good friend of mine, and I am glad fate put it in my power to serve -him and you in this way.” - -“All I want, now, is to get to the mine.” - -“You shall go there just as soon as we can get matters in readiness. -Guard the causeway, Dell, while I talk with our prisoner.” - -Dell took Buffalo Bill’s position behind the foremost kegs and boxes, -her revolvers in her hands. - -The scout, having appropriated Giles’ revolvers, took the bonds from -his limbs. - -“I have nothing particular against you, Giles,” said the scout, -addressing the dazed man, “although you were one of the three who -captured Golightly and put him in the bear-trap and helped Hendricks -get away to Phœnix in McGowan’s buckboard. You are liable in the eyes -of the law, and you could be put through. Hendricks and Banks are -in my hands, but they gave me information concerning the rendezvous -of Bascomb and Bernritter, and, for doing so, I intend to give them -their freedom. You also have a chance to earn your freedom, if you -want to take advantage of it.” - -“What’s the chance?” Giles asked eagerly. - -“Can you go to the island and bring ashore the star-faced cayuses -belonging to McGowan?” - -“Bascomb and Bernritter won’t let me, I reckon.” - -“Bascomb and Bernritter are as good as in the Phœnix jail this -minute. If they make any more trouble it will go all the harder with -them. Go to the island and get the two horses. If the harness is on -the island, see that it is on the horses. Do this, and when I turn -Hendricks and Banks loose you can go with them.” - -“Let me have one o’ my guns,” pleaded Giles. - -“Nary a gun, Giles. You’ll have to do this with your bare hands.” - -“Waal, here goes.” - -Giles sprang to the causeway and started across. A bullet was -launched at him by Bascomb and Bernritter. - -“Let up on that, you fellers!” howled Giles. “It’s me, Giles.” - -“Come ahead, then,” called Bascomb. - -Giles hurried on, and finally vanished in the shadows of the rocks. - -“That will make three on the island,” said Dell, “and probably -Bascomb and Bernritter will be able to give Giles a weapon.” - -“What if they do?” the scout answered. “With some one here to guard -the causeway, half a dozen men would be as secure on that island as -though they were locked in a cell. Giles may get the horses, or he -may not. We’ll see.” - -Sounds of conversation floated across the bubbling sands from -the island, and it was apparent that Giles was telling how the -resourceful scout had accomplished his coup. Presently the voices -died away, and then, a little later, some one could be seen leading -two horses. The horses were in single file, Giles leading the first, -and the one behind tied to its mate in front. - -“They’re letting the horses come without a word of protest,” remarked -the scout, peering warily at the approaching animals. - -“They may be up to some job or other, Buffalo Bill,” warned Dell. - -“They are,” returned the scout grimly. “Bascomb and Bernritter are -each walking on the off-side of one of the horses.” - -The thump of hoofs on the boards, and the snorting of the horses, -drowned the footfalls of Bascomb and Bernritter, but the scout could -see their legs plainly under the horses’ bodies. - -“Stop, Giles!” shouted the scout. - -“Kain’t stop!” answered Giles, in a flutter. “If we stand still the -boards’ll sink under us. We got ter keep movin’. The hosses weighs -more’n what a man does.” - -“I don’t like to see Bascomb and Bernritter coming across with you,” -shouted the scout. “Stand still, for I’m going to shoot.” - -Giles gave vent to a terrified yell, but he halted. The scout fired, -and his bullet, passing under the body of one of the horses, seared -Bascomb’s leg. - -Bascomb yelled and leaped back toward the shore of the island. -Bernritter followed him. - -“Come on, Giles!” ordered the scout, “and come quick. Bascomb,” -he added, addressing the black shore of the island, “if you or -Bernritter do any more shooting, or make any more trouble, it will go -all the harder with you. You’re as good as captured, and you ought to -know it.” - -A defiant shout was returned from the island; but neither Bascomb nor -Bernritter indulged in any more shooting. - -“Leave the horses at the edge of the quicksands, Giles,” commanded -the scout, “and then go back to the island.” - -“But ye said I was ter be free if I got the bronks!” demurred Giles -wrathfully. - -“And I’ll keep my word,” returned the scout; “you’ll go free, along -with Banks and Hendricks, but not until I’m ready to let you. And, -until I _am_ ready, I’d rather have you on the island than here. -Careful, man! I’ve got you covered. Even if Bascomb or Bernritter did -give you a revolver, I’ll put a hole through you before you have a -chance to draw it. Get back to the island, I tell you!” - -Giles, baffled and beaten, let go the bridle of the horse, stepped -upon the causeway, and returned to his former companions. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - SENDING AWAY THE BUCKBOARD. - - -“What are we to do now, Buffalo Bill?” inquired Dell. “We have the -star-faced cayuses, all right. What’s to be done with them?” - -“You left Little Cayuse guarding Banks and Hendricks?” returned the -scout. - -“Yes. When we heard firing in this direction, Cayuse and I thought -that one of us ought to come and investigate. We decided that I -should be the one.” - -“When you came here you passed the buckboard, didn’t you?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, there are the horses, harnessed and ready to be put to the -pole. I suppose you know how to hitch up?” - -“Well, I reckon!” laughed Dell. - -“Then hitch the cayuses to the buckboard and take Annie to the mine. -You’ll not be troubled on the trip. The five Apaches are at Squaw -Rock, and so cannot molest you. You’ll have to drive from here to the -Black Cañon trail, I suppose?” - -“Yes. We can reach the Black Cañon trail easily from this place.” - -“Could you also go by way of that old mining-shaft? Nomad, you know, -was to be there with the letter and the bar of bullion, and I told -him to hide somewhere and then follow the man who came to get the -letter and the gold. You can probably locate Nomad, all right. Do -that, and send him here. Then you can tear up McGowan’s letter, and -let Miss McGowan carry the bullion back to her father.” - -“What letter?” asked Annie McGowan. “And what bullion is this you’re -talking about?” - -“Dell will tell you on the way to the mine, Miss McGowan,” replied -the scout. “As soon as you reach the mine, Dell, have McGowan send a -man to Phœnix after Rising, the sheriff. Tell the messenger to inform -Rising that we have Bascomb and Bernritter trapped, and waiting for -him.” - -“I’ll do it, Buffalo Bill,” said Dell. “You’ll be able to take care -of those fellows on the island, all right?” - -“Easily. There’s nothing to do but to watch sharply and keep hold of -my guns. Get the horses, you and Miss McGowan. Each of you had better -lead one, and walk on this side of the animal. I don’t think Bascomb -and Bernritter will do any more shooting, but it is just as well for -you to be on the safe side.” - -The two girls got up and stepped toward the waiting horses. - -“Where and when will I see you again, Buffalo Bill?” Dell asked. - -“I can’t tell that, Dell, but I hope it will be soon. You’re a brave -girl, and you have been a big help to me in this bit of work.” - -“I haven’t done so much, Buffalo Bill, but my intentions were good. -I’m your pard, am I not?” - -“Certainly!” - -“Thank you. It’s something to be Buffalo Bill’s girl pard. Come on, -Annie.” - -The girls hurried to the horses and each took one by the bridle and -started away in the direction of the buckboard. - -“When you pass Little Cayuse, Dell,” the scout called, “you might -tell him to ride on here with Bear Paw and to bring Banks and -Hendricks along. Until Nomad comes, I’ll feel better to have the boy -with me.” - -“I’ll tell him,” Dell answered. - -The scout watched until the forms of the horses and the girls had -vanished in the dusk. - -All was silent on the island. From appearances, Bascomb and -Bernritter had given up the fight, and were probably behind the -breastwork talking over recent disastrous events with Giles. - -Quick with his weapons as was Buffalo Bill, he would have felt -abundantly able to keep a dozen men bottled up on the island. The -only way Bascomb and Bernritter could possibly escape would be by -rushing across the causeway at top speed, in the hope of gaining the -main shore. With a marksman like the scout guarding the shore-end of -the shaking bridge, such an attempt would have been nothing less than -suicide. - -An hour passed before Little Cayuse came with Bear Paw and the two -horses on which were Banks and Hendricks. Banks and Hendricks had -seen the buckboard go past the valley with Annie McGowan and Dell, so -they knew Buffalo Bill had been successful in rescuing the girl. How -he had done it was more than they could tell, for Dell Dauntless had -not taken time to explain the situation to Little Cayuse. - -“Where’s Bascomb an’ Bernritter?” asked Hendricks. - -“Over there on the island.” - -“What’s become o’ Giles?” - -“Well, Giles stretched that bridge for me, and when he tried to get -away with this plunder I grabbed him and tied him up----” - -“Ye never!” breathed the astounded Banks. - -“And then,” proceeded the scout, “I carried a keg of water across, -rescued Miss McGowan, sent Giles for the horses, and then sent him -back again after he had got the horses over.” - -“The three of ’em’s over thar, hey?” stuttered Hendricks. - -“Yes.” - -“An’ they hevn’t tried ter come across?” - -“Oh, yes, they’ve tried three times; but I’m pretty well barricaded -here, and they’re afraid of my bullets.” - -“Blazes ter blazes an’ kerry one!” breathed Banks. - -“How’s this fer a layout?” muttered Hendricks. “An’ all done by one -man.” - -“Buffalo Bill,” added Banks. “No use tryin’ ter pull off a deal when -he butts inter it. We was lame, Hendricks, in agreein’ ter help -Bascomb an’ Bernritter when we knowed the king of scouts was agin’ -us.” - -“But Bascomb said that hevin’ possession o’ the girl would knock the -scout galley-west, an’ that he couldn’t do a thing.” - -“Waal, what’s he done?” queried Banks satirically. “Here’s us, an’ -where’s Bascomb, an’ Bernritter, an’ Giles? We’re down an’ out, the -hull kit an’ caboodle o’ us.” - -“Nary, Banks,” said Hendricks. “We’ve saved our own bacon onless the -scout goes back on his word. How is it, Buffalo Bill?” - -“I’ll keep my promise to you,” answered the scout, “but I don’t want -to turn you adrift until the sheriff comes.” - -“Sher’f! Is _he_ coming?” - -“He’ll be here to-morrow.” - -“I don’t keer pertic’l’rly erbout meetin’ up with the sher’f, but if -you say ye’ll keep yer word I don’t reckon we got any kick comin’.” - -“It wouldn’t do you any good if you had, Hendricks,” said the scout. - -Untying the feet of the two prisoners, Buffalo Bill let them -dismount; then he bound their ankles again, and they sat upon the -ground, their backs against the boxes of provisions. - -“How are you feeling, Cayuse?” asked the scout. - -“Me all right,” answered the boy, who had had his ears wide open -listening to all the scout had said. - -“How’s your shoulder?” - -“Him fine.” - -“You haven’t had any dinner or supper, Cayuse. Get down from Bear Paw -and untie that bag from the saddle-cantle. It’s full of chuck, and I -reckon we’d both enjoy a dip into it. While we’re eating, Cayuse, you -might help me keep watch of that bridge across the quicksands.” - -Cayuse followed the scout’s instructions, and he and the scout made -a hurried meal off the food brought from the mine, and likewise -supplied Banks and Hendricks with some of it. - -“How did Bascomb and Bernritter happen upon such a place as this for -a rendezvous, Hendricks?” asked Buffalo Bill. - -“Bernritter knowed about it, I was told,” replied Hendricks, “an’ he -put it up ter Bascomb.” - -“Who invented that causeway?” - -“Bernritter. He made it while he was at the mine, Bascomb said, an’ -then brought it down here an’ tried it. It worked ter a charm. Ye -see, ye kin unroll it and walk out from the island; then, when ye’re -ready ter go back ter the island, ye kin roll it up behind ye an’ -take it in. No one kin cross unless them as is on the island wants -’em to.” - -“Very clever,” commented the scout, “but Bascomb and Bernritter -evidently overlooked the fact that it’s a thing that will work both -ways. The quicksand keeps enemies away from them, and, at the same -time, it keeps them away from their enemies.” - -“Waal,” muttered Hendricks, “thar’s a flaw in most schemes, an’ I -ain’t s’prised none ter find er flaw in this ’un o’ Bernritter’s.” - -At this juncture, Little Cayuse started to his feet with a warning, -“Ugh! Lis’en!” - -What the boy heard was a patter of galloping hoofs on the sand. A -moment later a familiar voice boomed out into the night: - -“Buffler! Whar ther tarnation aire ye, anyways? Whoo-ee!” - -“This way, Nick!” shouted the scout. Half a minute later old Nomad -and his horse took form in the moonlight, and galloped up to the -barricade. - -“Waal,” cried old Nomad, “what ther blazes hes been goin’ on, -Buffler? Hyer I’ve been hidin’ out in the chaparral fer three mortil -hours, watchin’ a letter an’ a five-pound bar o’ bullion what I’d -placed, with exceedin’ keer, on the top o’ ther ore-dump at thet ole -minin’-shaft. Then, all ter oncet, erlong comes Dell in a buckboard -with a gal beside her. - -“‘Thet you, Nomad?’ says she. - -“‘Ther same,’ says I, ‘but chase yerself off kase ye’ll skeer erway -ther man I’m expectin’.’ - -“‘The man will not come,’ says she, with er laff. - -“‘Fer why won’t he come?’ I says. - -“‘Fer ther reason,’ she expounds, ‘thet Buffler hes got him erbout es -good as captered.’ - -“‘Now, what d’ye think o’ thet?’ says I. ‘Who’s thet with ye?’ I goes -on. - -“‘This hyar is Annie McGowan,’ says Dell. ‘Annie, Mr. Nomad, Buffler -Bill’s pard.’ - -“‘Wharever did Annie come from?’ I asks. - -“‘Buffler rescued her,’ says Dell. - -“‘Sufferin’ catermounts!’ I says; ‘ain’t nobody been doin’ nothin’ -but Buffler?’ - -“‘Hardly,’ says Dell, then tells me whar ter come, and she an’ the -McGowan gal rides off with the bar o’ gold, tearin’ up McGowan’s -agreement as they goes. - -“So,” finished the trapper, “thet’s why I’m hyar, Buffler, an’ I’m -plumb hungry ter find out what ye done an’ how ye done et. Blaze -erway, won’t ye?” - -The scout “blazed away,” and Nomad was soon in possession of all the -facts. - -He had an admiring word for the scout, and a word of regret because -he had not himself been able to figure in the exciting affair of the -afternoon and night. - -Nick was placed on guard at the end of the causeway, however, and he -was hoping against hope that Bascomb or Bernritter would make a dash, -and offer him a little excitement. But nothing of the kind happened. - -Morning came, and as the light increased the scout got a better view -of the island. Bascomb and Bernritter were not to be seen, and were -probably keeping closely under cover of their stone breastwork. - -A little after noon Rising, the sheriff, came whipping along the -shore from the direction of the trail. - -“Hello, there, Cody!” he shouted. “Here we are again, Hawkins and -I. Some one brought word to us that you had captured Bascomb and -Bernritter.” - -“They’re not exactly captured, but the next thing to it, Rising,” -the scout answered, as the sheriff and his deputy leaped out of the -buckboard. “They’re on the island, out there, and the only way they -can escape is by coming across that patent bridge.” - -“Before we proceed any farther, you’d better tell me about it.” - -Once more the scout sketched the important details of recent events. - -“Well, I’ll be dinged!” muttered Hawkins, the deputy. “It only took -Buffalo Bill a night an’ a day ter git next ter Bernritter’s game fer -robbing the Three-ply an’ ter put ther kibosh on it, an’ only a day -an’ a night ter rescue Annie McGowan an’ git Bascomb an’ Bernritter -up a tree. What’s ther move, Rising? Shall we go across an’ hunt ther -varmints out?” - -“Let’s see if they won’t come ashore without making any trouble,” -said Rising, stepping to the edge of the quicksands. Making a trumpet -of his hands, he yelled: “Hello, out there!” - -Three heads appeared above the boulders of the breastworks. - -“Hello, yerself!” called Bascomb. - -“I’m the sheriff,” explained Rising. “Will you fellows come ashore, -or shall we come after you?” - -“Oh, we won’t make you any more trouble than necessary,” answered -Bernritter. “We’ll come ashore.” - -“That’s sensible. When you get ready to take the bridge, hand your -weapons to Giles and let him come ahead. Do that in plain sight of -us, so we can be sure it’s done.” - -“We’ll have to bring our horses,” said Bernritter. - -“Certainly; but lead them--don’t get on their backs.” - -The three heads vanished from the top of the breastwork and, -presently, Bascomb, Bernritter, and Giles appeared leading their -horses and making for the causeway. - -Just before reaching the bridge Giles forged ahead, and Bascomb and -Bernritter tendered him their revolvers. With the weapons under his -arm, Giles came across the bridge. - -“Drop the guns,” said the scout, “get on your horse and scatter out -of this.” - -“That’s me!” said the gratified Giles, and he was into his saddle -like a flash, and spurring away toward the hills. - -While Bascomb and Bernritter were coming across, Buffalo Bill -released Banks and Hendricks, emptied their six-shooters of -cartridges, and dumped all the shells out of their cartridge-belts. - -“When you release a couple of wolves,” the scout remarked, “it’s a -good plan to draw their fangs. Now, then, Banks and Hendricks, show -us your heels; and remember this, both of you: If your trails ever -again cross mine, you’ll have cause to regret it.” - -“They’ll not cross yours if I’ve got anythin’ ter say erbout it!” -cried Banks. - -“Them’s my sentiments, too!” added Hendricks. - -With that the two villains loped away. - -The scout turned to Bascomb, on whose wrists Hawkins had just slipped -a pair of bracelets. - -“Bascomb, otherwise Slocum,” said the scout, “you’re my prisoner. I -have orders to take you to Fort Apache.” - -Bascomb whirled on the scout like a tiger. - -“Ye’re after me fer desertin’, hey?” he snarled. - -“That’s it.” - -“If I’d knowed that, I’d hev stayed on that island an’ fought ye off -as long as I’d had a ca’tridge fer my guns.” - -“Then you would have done a very foolish thing, and probably have -lost your life.” - -“I’d ruther a heap lose my life than go back ter Fort Apache!” - -“The man you shot there didn’t die,” said the scout, “so you needn’t -worry about the gallows.” He turned to Rising. “Will you hold Bascomb -for me, in Phœnix, till I want him?” he asked. - -“Sure,” replied the sheriff. - -Half an hour later, Rising, Hawkins, Bernritter, and Bascomb were -traveling in the direction of Phœnix, while Buffalo Bill, Nomad, and -Little Cayuse were going the other way, toward the Three-ply Mine. - - * * * * * - -The meeting between Annie McGowan and her father was as happy as it -was unexpected on the mine-owner’s part. - -McGowan could scarcely believe that the scout had really found and -rescued his daughter in the way described to him by Dell and Annie. -It seemed impossible that one man, lone-handed, could accomplish so -much. - -When the scout and his pards arrived at the camp, on the following -afternoon, McGowan and his daughter met them, and both tendered their -deepest thanks. - -“You saved more than forty thousand dollars’ worth of bullion for me, -a few days ago, Buffalo Bill,” observed McGowan, with feeling, “and -now you have rescued my daughter. What can I do for you to show my -gratitude?” - -“Your thanks are more than enough, McGowan,” said the scout kindly. -“I was doing some work for the government, too, you remember, and in -carrying out my duty as government scout, it was surely a pleasure to -find that I could serve you and Miss McGowan as I did. Only”--and the -scout’s eyes twinkled as he said it--“don’t try to keep me here any -longer. When we make our next start for Phœnix, I and my pards want -to get away.” - -“Annie and I were hoping that you would remain with us for a few -days, anyhow,” said McGowan. - -“Impossible,” said the scout. “We must leave here in the morning and -take Bascomb back to Fort Apache.” Then, as he looked around, he -asked: “By the way, what’s become of Dauntless Dell?” - -“She had to go back to the Double D Ranch, Buffalo Bill,” said -McGowan. “When she left, she said she hoped you and your pards would -stay here for a day or two so that she might ride over again and see -you.” - -“Much as I should like to see my girl pard again,” said the scout, -“it will be impossible for us to wait. That girl is a little -brick--one of the bravest and finest young women I ever met.” - -“Shore she is!” cried Nomad. - -“Wuh!” added Little Cayuse, nodding vigorously. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - ALARMING NEWS. - - -Dress parade at Fort Grant! - -Five troops were engaged--all of the gallant Tenth--and the dying -rays of the Arizona sun fell upon waving plumes, flashing sabers, -the shimmering satin bodies of the horses, the fluttering guidons, -offering a sight that stirred the pulses in unison with the strains -of the regimental band. - -At last the troops formed in a long line, and their officers rode -forward on prancing chargers and lifted their sword-points in salute -of the officer in command. - -The sun went down, and the _boom_ of the sunset-gun rattled the -windows of barracks and officers’ row. The band struck up the Star -Spangled Banner. As the inspiring air echoed and reechoed across the -parade-ground, Old Glory came fluttering down from its tall staff, -was caught in the arms of a waiting “non-com,” and transferred to the -guard-house for the night. - -The soldiers trotted away, the dust settled, and the shadows began to -lengthen. Dress parade was over for that day. - -In front of the officers’ quarters children were playing. On the -veranda of Colonel Grayson’s house was a little group of ladies. - -Grayson, the colonel in command of the post, was just climbing the -veranda steps to Mrs. Colonel, in command of the colonel. - -The colonel was hot and dusty, but he slapped his clothes in a -good-natured way and plumped down in an easy chair. - -“What do you think of it, Miss Dauntless?” he asked, his eyes -wandering to one of the group of young women who surrounded his wife. - -“Fine!” cried the girl addressed. “Such a sight makes one proud to -think that he or she is an American. Oh, I wish I were a man! I’d be -a soldier, sure thing.” - -“My dear Dell!” breathed Mrs. Colonel, horrified. “What are you -saying?” - -“Tut, tut!” said the colonel. “Why shouldn’t she wish to be a -soldier? I’m a soldier, and I take it as an honor that such a pretty -American girl should envy me.” - -“You know what I mean, colonel,” cried Mrs. Colonel. “Such a pretty -girl as Dell Dauntless ought to be content with her sex.” - -“Gad, yes!” exclaimed the colonel. “Dell can do more havoc with those -blue eyes of hers than a whole squadron with sabers.” - -“Now it’s my turn to say ‘tut, tut!’” flashed Dell Dauntless, with -a dazzling smile. “I’m the sort of girl that clamors for action, -colonel.” - -She looked off through the clear evening to where some of the -officers and some of the post young ladies were thumping a ball over -a net with rackets. - -“For instance”--and she waved her hand toward the tennis-court--“I -couldn’t be _hired_ to play that.” - -“Don’t blame you,” chuckled the colonel; “I couldn’t be hired to play -it myself.” - -“You’re too fat, dad,” laughed his daughter Mamie. - -“Fat! And I only weigh two hundred. If you can catch a man of my -size, miss, you can be thankful.” - -“There’s going to be a hop to-night,” went on Mrs. Colonel, “and -I’ve been trying to get Dell to say she’ll go.” - -“Dancing is also off my sky-line,” explained Dell calmly. “I didn’t -bring any clothes for that sort of thing, anyhow. Look at me!” and -she stood out in front of the colonel. “I’d be a fright on a ballroom -floor, wouldn’t I?” - -The colonel did look at her, and there was admiration in his eyes. - -Tall, lithe, and fair-haired, the girl was clad in her fringed and -beaded buckskin shirt, knee-length buckskin skirt, tan shoes and -leggings, and a rakish little brown sombrero. - -She wore about her waist the belt with the diminutive -revolver-holsters and a knife-sheath swinging from it. The pearl -handle of a knife showed over the top of the sheath, but the holsters -were empty, Dell having laid aside the six-shooters out of regard for -Mrs. Colonel’s feelings. - -Trave Dauntless, Dell’s father, had been a hard and fast friend of -Colonel Grayson’s. When Trave Dauntless died, the colonel had felt -himself instinctively drawn toward Mrs. Dauntless and Dell. When the -colonel came to Grant, he had expressed a desire for Dell to come and -visit him; and, for that reason, the girl had been at the post for a -few days. - -“’Pon my soul, Dell,” said the colonel, “that costume of yours is -mighty fetching!” - -“Colonel!” rebuked Mrs. Colonel; “how can you talk so? You’re giving -Dell a lot of wrong ideas. Now, if she would only go to the hop -to-night, Mamie would let her take one of her dresses----” - -“And I’d take Dell’s,” spoke up Mamie mischievously. “It’s perfectly -stunning.” - -“These are my working clothes, Mame,” said Dell demurely. “I wear -them all the time at the ranch. When I ride, you see, I ride like a -man, and the short skirt----” - -“Horrors!” gulped Mrs. Colonel. “My dear child, I wish you and your -mother would sell that ranch and come to live with the colonel and -me.” - -“I’d smother,” averred Dell. “I’m so full of action, you see, that -I’ve got to have room--and plenty of it.” - -The colonel laughed delightedly. - -“She’s Trave Dauntless, over and over again,” said he. “It makes my -old heart pound just to hear her talk. By the way,” he added, “I -found out something about you to-day, Dell. One of our ’Pache scouts -was telling me.” - -“What’s that?” queried the girl. - -“Why, you’re a friend of my old comrade, Cody--as gallant and true a -man as ever followed a trail.” - -“I’m more than that, colonel,” returned Dell, with a touch of quiet -pride, “for I’m Buffalo Bill’s girl pard.” - -“Better and better!” cried the colonel, and Mrs. Colonel shook her -shoulders despairingly and retreated into the house. “I understand -that you helped the scout in his fight with renegade Apaches in the -vicinity of the Three-ply Mine, and that you were of considerable -assistance in capturing Slocum, otherwise Bascomb, the murderous -deserter from Fort Apache.” - -“I was with Buffalo Bill and his pards, old Nomad and Little Cayuse, -colonel, but I wasn’t of much real service.” - -“That’s your word for it. I’d like to hear what Cody has to say. -Bascomb, I’m told, was captured on an island in Quicksand Lake, -and a girl, the daughter of the owner of the Three-ply Mine, was -rescued----” - -“By the king of scouts, single-handed!” said Dell, her admiration -fiery and vehement. - -“I’m willing to believe that,” went on the colonel. “A braver man -than Cody never stepped; and his bravery is of the best and most -telling kind, for he always couples head-work with it. I reckon -that’s what makes him so successful. The last I heard of Bascomb he -had been landed in the Phœnix jail, and a guard of troopers from Fort -Apache was going after him. That was several days ago, and I presume -the villainous deserter is safely lodged in the strong room at Apache -by now. Sit down here, Dell, and tell me about it.” - -Dell Dauntless took her place obediently in the chair by the -colonel’s side, and launched into the story. The king of scouts, as -Dell recited the thrilling incidents connected with the deserter’s -capture, received ample eulogy and credit. - -Just as the recital was finished, an orderly hurried up the veranda -steps, drew himself up in front of the colonel and saluted. The hand -that went to his cap held a folded paper. - -“An important message, sir,” announced the orderly, “just wired from -Bowie.” - -“Very well, Bryce,” said the colonel, taking the message; “just wait -a minute.” - -Excusing himself to Dell, Mamie, and the others, the colonel retired -into the house to read his message by the lamplight. - -While the young women were talking and laughing on the veranda, the -colonel’s voice was heard from within: - -“Dell! See here a moment.” - -The girl hastened to answer the call. - -She found Colonel Grayson standing beside a swinging lamp, the -message in his hand and an exceedingly grave look on his face. - -“What--what is wrong?” whispered Dell, her thoughts leaping to her -mother and the Double D Ranch. - -“Don’t be alarmed,” said the colonel. “This news by military -telegraph is to the effect that Geronimo, with a hundred and fifty -bucks, has jumped the reservation at Fort Apache----” - -“I felt sure it would be only a matter of time until Geronimo broke -out again,” said Dell. - -“But that isn’t all,” pursued the colonel, in a low voice. “The -renegades attacked the guard escorting that deserter from Phœnix to -Fort Apache, killed them all, and rescued the deserter!” - -Dell gasped, and fell back, her blue eyes wide and staring in the -lamplight. For an instant she stood thus, speechless and without -movement. - -“Do you understand, Dell?” went on the colonel. “Geronimo and his -renegades have----” - -“I understand,” said the girl, drawing a quick breath and groping her -way to a chair, “but there must be some mistake, there _must_ be.” - -“It is here, plain enough,” and the colonel shook the message. - -“Why,” murmured Dell, “Buffalo Bill, Nomad, and Little Cayuse were -traveling with Bascomb’s escort--and that message says that _all were -killed_.” - -The colonel started forward, and every muscle grew rigid. - -“Good heavens!” he exclaimed, passing one hand dazedly across his -forehead, “can it be that Cody and his pards have reached the end of -their trails? Is it possible that----” - -He did not finish. Without pausing to get his hat he rushed -out of the room, clattered across the veranda and toward the -telegraph-office. - -Dell, in the sitting-room, was gazing listlessly into space, thinking -of the brave and chivalrous scout, the redoubtable old trapper, and -the loyal little Piute, Cayuse. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - MESSENGERS TO BONITA. - - -The mining-camp of Bonita was in Bonita Cañon among the Chiricahua -Mountains, fifty miles to the south of Fort Grant. Sixteen miles from -Bonita lay Fort Bowie. Here, at Bonita, was the military headquarters -in the campaign against the hostiles. - -Grayson tried feverishly to secure further news from Bowie, only -to discover that the telegraph-line had been cut. The message -apprising him of the escape of Geronimo and his renegades, and of the -overwhelming of the deserter’s escort, was the last one, barring a -few details of military operations, to get through. - -Leaving word that he was to be apprised the moment communication with -Bowie was reestablished, the colonel returned to his house. On his -way he stopped at his office and wrote out some despatches. Then, -sending his orderly for Captain Lund, he continued on to his home. - -The young ladies had retired from the porch, and the colonel paced it -impatiently while waiting for Lund. - -When the captain appeared, the colonel acquainted him with the -details of the message just received. - -“The telegraph-wire has been cut between here and Bowie, Lund,” -finished the colonel crisply, “and there are important despatches to -be sent to Bonita.” - -“I understand,” returned the captain. “I should be glad to -volunteer----” - -“You will have your hands full, and so will the rest of us, -guarding the water and protecting settlers in this vicinity. We -know Geronimo, and his habit of striking quick and telling blows in -widely separated places. Our work is mapped out for us, and our five -troops are none too many. Can you suggest a reliable man to carry the -despatches? It is dangerous work, and will take some one able to use -his head as well as his heels.” - -“Sergeant Patterson is the man, colonel,” answered Lund promptly. -“I’ll back him to make his way through any number of Apaches and bob -up smiling at the far end of the trail.” - -“Just the man I would have selected. Have him report to me as soon as -he can get ready.” - -Lund saluted and withdrew. The colonel went into the house. - -“What in the world is the matter?” clamored Mrs. Colonel. “It must be -something mighty important, colonel, to keep you from supper. We’ve -been waiting for you for half an hour.” - -“Business first, supper afterward,” said the colonel. - -“What’s wrong?” - -“Renegade bucks have jumped the reservation at Fort Apache, that’s -all.” - -Mrs. Colonel was all in a twitter in an instant. - -“Not Geronimo?” she fluttered. “Don’t tell me that Geronimo has----” - -“What’s Geronimo but a scoundrelly, skulking red ruffian? He’s no -more to be feared than any other renegade.” - -But the very name of Geronimo carried with it a terror for Mrs. -Colonel. She clasped her hands convulsively and collapsed into a -chair. - -“Let’s get right out of here!” she wailed. “If we don’t, we’ll all -be killed and scalped. Oh, dear! Colonel, aren’t you going to do -something to save your family?” - -“My family is safe enough right here. Where’s Dell?” - -“I haven’t seen her, colonel, since----” - -At that moment Dell came hurriedly into the room. The colonel noticed -that she had her revolvers in her belt-holsters. She was also -carrying a pair of silver spurs. - -“One good thing about me,” said she, “is that I travel light. -Whenever I decide to make a move, I don’t usually have to rustle even -my spurs or my hardware.” - -Seating herself, she began buckling the spurs to her small heels. - -“My goodness, child,” cried Mrs. Colonel, “what are you going to do?” - -“Ride,” answered Dell, bending down and pulling at the spur-straps. - -“Ride!” palpitated Mrs. Colonel, with a wild look at her husband. -“Why, haven’t you heard Geronimo is loose, and that----” - -“That’s why I’m going,” said Dell. - -“You’re mad,” almost screamed Mrs. Colonel. - -“The Double D Ranch isn’t in danger, Dell,” said the colonel. - -“Not with the Double D boys to take care of the cattle and the -ranch-house. I don’t think that for a minute.” - -“Then why are you leaving us?” - -“Because Buffalo Bill and his pards _may_ have escaped, and because, -if they have or have not, they may need me. I told you I was Buffalo -Bill’s girl pard.” - -The colonel started back, astounded. - -“What good can you do Buffalo Bill and his pards?” he demanded. “Cody -is an old Indian-fighter, and so is Nick Nomad. The little Piute, -too, has been in the army, and all that an Apache knows he knows.” - -“Nevertheless, colonel,” said Dell resolutely, “I’m going.” - -“Madness! I’m boss here, and I command you to remain at the post.” - -A steely glint came into Dell’s eyes. - -“You’re boss of the military; but, as for the army, I don’t belong. -I’m my own boss, colonel.” - -The colonel braced himself. - -“You’re the daughter of my old friend, and I shall not allow you to -put yourself in peril.” - -“Peril!” The girl laughed. “Do you think that peril and I are -strangers? If you lived nearer the Double D, you’d find plenty to -tell you that Dell Dauntless knows how to take care of herself.” - -“Be reasonable, can’t you?” stormed the colonel, one eye on Mrs. -Colonel, who was weeping copiously in a handkerchief. - -“You don’t see my duty as I see it, that’s all,” said Dell. “Do you -think I could rest easy a moment after the news received in that -telegram?” - -“I was a fool to tell you anything about it.” - -“You were not, Colonel Grayson. You were just the good, generous -friend to me that you have always been. Don’t make a fuss now,” she -wheedled, pulling her gauntlets from the breast of her buckskin -blouse and swiftly drawing them on. “Remember”--and with gauntleted -hand she slapped at one of the holsters--“I have something to defend -myself with.” - -“Defend fiddlesticks! I’ll not have this folly perpetrated at Grant! -What--what do you intend to do?” - -“My room is over the porch,” explained Dell. “While I was up there, -getting my spurs and my hardware, I overheard your talk with Captain -Lund. Sergeant Patterson is going south to Bonita; I’m going with -Sergeant Patterson.” - -“Not if I can help it, or----” - -A tramp of hoofs was heard in front. - -“Sergeant Patterson, sir,” announced the orderly, in the doorway. - -“Send him in,” answered the colonel gruffly. - -While he was talking with the sergeant, giving him his despatches and -certain other oral directions, Mrs. Colonel had thrown herself across -the exit to prevent the departure of Dell. - -Dell threw her arms about Mrs. Colonel, kissed her, and set her aside -as easily as she would have moved a child. - -“Don’t worry about me, _please_!” and Dell went out. - -A moment later Patterson followed her. - -“Where’s Dell?” demanded the colonel, whirling around. - -“She’s--she’s gone!” answered Mrs. Colonel. - -“Orderly,” champed the colonel, “to the stable, at once. See that -Miss Dauntless, on no account, is allowed to saddle and ride off with -her mount, Silver Heels--the white cayuse--everybody here knows the -animal.” - -“Sorry, sir,” announced the orderly, with a troubled look, “but the -white cayuse was put under saddle at the same time Patterson’s mount -was made ready.” - -“What?” - -“She asked me to have it done, calling out from an up-stairs window a -moment after you and Captain Lund separated.” - -“And you did it! What was done with the horse?” - -“The sergeant brought Silver Heels along when he rode up to the -porch, sir.” - -The colonel rushed to the porch. Silver Heels was nowhere in sight, -and neither was Dell. Patterson was just riding through the stockade -gate. - -“She’s gone, for sure!” growled the colonel. “Orderly, tell Lund and -Hepburn to mount quickly and ride south, to overtake Miss Dauntless, -if they can, and bring her back. Tell them to keep the trail for two -hours, if need be.” - -That night the colonel had little appetite for his supper. There was -much to do, however, and he busied himself about it until eleven -o’clock. By that time, Lund and Hepburn had returned. - -Dell Dauntless was not with them. - -“No luck, colonel,” reported Captain Lund. “Miss Dauntless got away -from us.” - -“She’ll have to go, then,” growled the colonel, tossing his hands. -“Whoever heard of such a madcap?” - -“I’ve been talkin’ with Pecos, the ’Pache scout, colonel,” said Lund, -“and, personally, when a girl can do what she did while with Cody and -his pards down near the Three-ply Mine, I don’t think there need be -much worry on her account.” - -“It doesn’t make any difference whether we need to worry or not,” -went on the colonel; “she’s gone, and she got away from me. What -would her father say if he were alive?” - -“She’s a daring girl--and a pretty one,” and there was a far-away -look in Lund’s eyes as he said it. - -He was a bachelor. - -“Too all-fired daring,” snorted the colonel, “but we’ve got business -on our hands and can’t bother about Dell.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - “’PACHES ARE UP!” - - -Dell Dauntless was not only a daring and pretty young woman, but she -was also a most determined one. She was not obstinate or foolhardy, -as the colonel, perhaps, was tempted to think her. It was merely that -she knew her own resourcefulness much better than did her friends at -the post. - -Skilled in plainscraft and versed in the ways of the wilderness, she -knew well her abilities to get through a hostile country. She asked -no odds of renegades, white or red--simply an even chance in the -broad country. - -Her cayuse, Silver Heels, had had several days of absolute rest at -the post, gorging himself the while on government fodder. He was in -fine fettle, and ready, if necessary, to make the race of his life. - -As Nomad had had the trick of talking to his horse, Nebuchadnezzar, -so Dell had acquired the habit of communing with Silver Heels--not -a rare thing with people when duty leads them in solitary ways with -only a horse for company. - -“The good old colonel is afraid the ’Paches will catch us, Silver,” -said the girl, when they had flung past the sentry at the gate and -laid their course southward, “but he doesn’t know our mettle, does -he?” She laughed softly, but instantly sobered as thoughts of the -king of scouts and his pards flashed into her mind. “It can’t be, -little horse,” she went on, “that Buffalo Bill, and Nomad, and -Cayuse have fallen by the hands of Geronimo. Nothing can make me -believe it; I _won’t_ believe it! - -“We’ll ride to Bonita with the sergeant, but we’ll not stop and -wait for the sergeant, Silver. Oh, no. We’re too clever for _that_. -It would be like the colonel to send somebody after us, so show me -your best pace, and we’ll first distance pursuit before we join the -sergeant. If I’m any judge, he’ll take the direct trail to Beaver -River, for if the ’Paches are anywhere, they’ll be in the country -to the south of the Beaver. We’ll lay for the sergeant at the ford, -pony, and we’ll get to the river just as quick as the nation will let -us.” - -The small spurs jingled, and the white cayuse snorted and plunged -ahead into the starlight. - -Silver Heels was a wonder when it came to the matter of speed. The -ground jumped from under him at a terrific clip, and Dell, leaning -far over the saddle-horn, peered steadily ahead. - -She was not worrying any about the trail behind, for she knew that -her present pace would bid defiance to any pursuers who might be sent -after her. - -Greasewood clumps and mesquit chaparral hurled past her, and she -glimpsed their gloomy tangles as a traveler might view them from the -window of a railroad-coach. - -“You’re the limited express, Silver,” she murmured jestingly, “and -Beaver River is the only place where you can take water. Hustle, boy!” - -And Silver Heels “hustled.” Without let or stay he reeled off the -dizzy miles, seemingly proud to show his speed and mettle. - -In two hours the cayuse carried his rider over the sandy bank of the -Beaver and down into the stream. The river was shallow, and in the -middle of it Silver Heels caught his promised drink--a small one, -however, for a warm horse, who is to stand for some time, has no -business with his fill of water. - -Ascending the opposite bank carefully, Dell left the trail and backed -Silver Heels into a thicket of paloverde. There she dismounted, and, -with reins over one arm, sat down in the warm sand in front of her -horse, waiting for Patterson and watching the ford. - -Coyotes yelped in the hills; at intervals, from somewhere, came -the shrill, humanlike scream of a mountain lion; gray forms of -desert-rats slid across the open stretch in front of her, and the -ungainly form of a Gila monster shambled slowly near, only to puff -himself up and blow when she rolled a stone, and then turn and -shamble off into the thick bushes again. - -None of these things did Dell heed. She was used to such sights and -sounds. Only the crawling form of an Apache would have aroused her -from her position in the sand. - -The slow minutes dragged on, but without bringing the messenger from -Grant. - -She began to fear that, after all, Patterson had not taken the trail -she had followed from Grant. Certainly the sergeant had not been long -in following her from the post. - -If he did not come, she would traverse the country to Bonita alone. -She could do it, and easily, and she was not afraid. But she would -have preferred to travel with Patterson. - -Just as she was on the point of giving up her wait, mounting and -continuing south alone, a fall of galloping hoofs reached her ears -from north of the river. Presently a horseman came into sight, -splashed into the stream, watered his horse, and made for the -southern bank. - -Dell strained her eyes. - -Undoubtedly it was Patterson. The moonlight silvered against his -belt-buckle and struck a gleam from the carbine at his saddle-horn. - -With cautious looks to right and left, the sergeant rode out of the -river and up the bank. - -Dell arose, mounted, and gathered up the reins in one hand. - -The alert sergeant, hearing movements among the low trees, drew to -a halt and unshipped his carbine in a flash. The gun was at his -shoulder and leveled before Dell had showed herself. - -“Don’t shoot, sergeant!” the girl called. - -“What the blazes----” Patterson did not lower the gun, and the words -merely evidenced his complete astonishment. “Who are ye?” - -“Dell Dauntless. I’ve been waiting for you.” - -Thereupon Dell pushed out into the open, and Patterson gave vent to a -low whistle and lowered his gun. - -“Here’s a surprise-party!” he muttered. “You must have come a-smokin’ -to be waiting here like this.” - -“I did. I was afraid the colonel would send some one after me.” - -“That was sure a good guess. He sent two men after ye, but they gave -up and went back. What’re you intendin’ to do, Miss Dauntless?” - -“Ride with you.” - -“By all the rules o’ the game, I reckon I ought to send ye back.” - -“You can’t.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because I won’t go.” - -“That’s you, an’ right spunky, I must say; but look! D’you understand -that we’re in hostile country?” - -“Certainly.” - -“An’ that we’ll have to hike through the bear-grass an’ scrub, -leavin’ the trail to wind along its unfollered way?” - -“Sure I do.” - -“Think ye kin stand it?” - -“If I can’t, sergeant, you can drop me by the wayside.” - -“Drop ye I’ll have to, then, kase I’m kerryin’ despatches that have -got to git through. But I can’t take time to send you back, and I -can’t waste any more chinnin’ here. I’d feel mighty bad if any harm -happened to ye, but my bizness is important. Drop in behind if ye’re -bound to come.” - -Curtly enough--for Patterson was thinking of the important work -before him, and, truth to tell, hated to be bothered with a trailing -“petticoat”--the messenger spurred onward, dropping the loop of his -carbine-strap over the pommel as he went. - -Where the trail entered the scrub he entered it, pointing up a slope -and turning southward again on the crest of a divide. - -For an hour Dell followed, searching with her eyes to right and -left as did Patterson, and listening intently for sounds that might -indicate skulking Apaches. - -Drawing to a halt in a ravine, where thirsty deer had gouged a -water-hole, while the horses were taking a few swallows of water, -Patterson spoke for the first time since leaving the Beaver. - -“I don’t like the white hide o’ that cayuse, an’ that’s a fact.” He -nibbled at the corner of a plug of tobacco as he spoke, and his words -were a bit cut up. “’Paches are up, an’ they could spot the critter a -mile.” - -“Silver Heels is the best cayuse in Arizona, in spite of his color,” -bristled Dell. “I’ll drop so far behind you, sergeant, that, if there -are any ’Paches around, they’ll spot me and give you a chance to keep -on.” - -“I don’t like that, Miss Dauntless, nary _mucho_; but I’m the boy -with despatches, so I can’t act like I would if I didn’t have ’em. -Savvy?” - -“Of course I understand. Your first duty is to get those despatches -through. Never mind me.” - -Patterson jerked his horse’s head out of the water-hole, kicked in -the spurs, and pushed on up the ravine. - -Dell, following by ear alone, allowed him to get well in the lead. - -Another hour slipped past--an hour of scrambling through chaparral, -and through Spanish bayonet and catsclaw, through dungeonlike gullies -and up steep slopes; then followed another hour of passably easy -traveling. - -Dell was still behind, still following the sounds ahead. - -For Patterson to lose her, trained as she was in ways of the trail, -was impossible. - -Disaster was hovering in the vicinity of the two, but it was not -threatening them on account of the white cayuse. - -While Dell, busy with her thoughts, was sweeping the shadowy country -on every side and following the sergeant mechanically, she was -abruptly startled by the husky note of a rifle. A bloodthirsty -yell followed the report; such a yell as only an Apache can give. -Following the yell came the snort of a horse, and a thud of jumping -hoofs. - -Without a moment’s hesitation the daring girl spurred forward, -jerking a revolver from her belt as she rode. - -Patterson was in trouble! If so, he might need her. - -That was her one thought, and she knew not the meaning of the word -fear. - -A dozen leaps of the white cayuse carried the girl to the scene of -the shooting. - -Again an unseen rifle cracked, and a bullet whistled past the girl’s -head. But she gave attention to nothing and to no one save Patterson. - -And if ever a man stood in need of aid, it was the brave sergeant at -that moment. - -Patterson had dropped from his saddle and was lying helpless on his -side. His horse, a few yards away, was standing stock-still, fore -hoofs planted wide apart, head thrown back, and nostrils sniffing the -night air. - -The sergeant, when attacked, had been traversing a “hogback.” The -hogback was bare, and rose out of a thick tangle of brush. In -traversing the rise, the messenger had been prominently in sight -of savage foes lurking in the brush below. Two of these were now -bounding up the side of the hogback. - -Dell saw the two Apaches almost as soon as she had seen the sergeant. -Both Indians carried rifles, but they must have been muzzle-loaders. -Had they been repeating rifles, the girl would probably have paid -with her life for her reckless charge along the hogback. - -Having no time to halt and reload, the Apaches were springing up the -rocky slope, one with a knife in his free hand and the other with a -hatchet. - -Tumbling out of her saddle, Dell rushed to Patterson’s side, jerking -out her revolvers as she ran. - -The Indians were within thirty paces of her when she opened fire. -One fell, throwing up his arms and tipping backward down the slope; -the other--the one with the knife--flung himself behind a boulder. - -Dell understood very well what this meant. Screened by the boulder, -the Apache intended to reload his rifle and then take his time -picking her off with a bullet. - -Without a moment’s hesitation the girl charged the boulder, so that -the Indian had no time to use powder-horn or bullet-pouch. Forced -from cover, he bounded back toward the bushes at the base of the -hogback, zigzagging and ducking to avoid the lead sent after him. - -Whether she hit the redskin or not Dell could not tell, but she -realized that it would be unwise to pursue him any farther. - -Returning hastily to the sergeant, she knelt at his side. - -“How badly are you hurt, sergeant?” she asked. - -“Too badly to go on with the despatches,” he answered, lifting -himself on one elbow and jerking a packet from the breast of his -blouse. “Ye’re a brave ’un, Miss Dauntless. Here, take the despatches -an’ get ’em through.” - -“And leave you?” she answered. “Not I.” - -“Hang it, girl, can’t ye understand? I’ve got a lead plug in my side, -and to take me on will be a bother. Ye can’t do it and land the -despatches in Bonita.” - -“Despatches or no despatches,” answered the girl, “I’ll not leave you -here to be killed.” - -“I tell ye to go on!” growled the sergeant fiercely. - -“And I tell you I won’t until you go with me. If you want me to get -the despatches through, you’ll have to let me help you.” - -Already Dell had opened the sergeant’s blouse. The moonlight was -brilliant, there on top of the hogback, and she folded the trooper’s -cotton handkerchief, laid it over the wound in his right side, then -pulled the army belt up until it compressed the handkerchief and held -it in place. Next she led up the trooper’s horse. - -“I’ll help you to get into the saddle,” said she. - -“It’ll be a tough job,” Patterson groaned; “an’ I doubt if we can -make it.” - -“We _will_ make it.” - -“I can’t keep my saddle after ye get me into it.” - -“Then I’ll tie you there. You’re going with me to Bonita.” - -“There’s more Apaches. We’ll hear from ’em.” - -“All right; if that’s how it pans out, they’d hear from me, too.” - -Dell was strong, in spite of her slender build. Patterson could help -himself but very little, but the girl pulled him upright, got one of -his feet into the stirrup, and then heaved him onto the horse’s back. - -There the sergeant drooped limply, hanging with both hands to the -saddle-horn. - -Hastily unshipping her picket-rope, Dell bound the wounded trooper to -his mount, her deft fingers flying like lightning. - -Then, with Patterson’s carbine in her hands, she leaped swiftly to -the back of Silver Heels, caught the end of the picket-rope, which -she had passed through the bit-rings of the army horse, and started -on. - -Sping, z-z-z-up! - -The Apache’s rifle spoke again, the bullet whistling sibilantly -through the air. - -Dell felt a twitching of her buckskin blouse on the left side. She -had not been hit by the flying slug, but she had had a close call. - -As she turned in the saddle, carbine in her hands and eyes on the -alert for red foes, an arrow sailed toward her, and cut through the -brim of her brown sombrero. - -“Better let me go, girl,” groaned Patterson. “With me out o’ the way -ye can show ’em a clean pair o’ heels.” - -“We’ll pull through together,” returned the girl resolutely, “or go -down together. That’s flat.” - -The next moment she saw three Apaches racing along the top of the -hogback. - -Without taking the trouble to raise the carbine to her shoulder, she -fired from the hip. Her aim was unerring, and the foremost of the -savages careened sideways. - -Another bullet came at her. She heard a ring of lead upon steel, -felt the carbine shiver in her hands, and a shock like that from an -electric battery raced through her arms. - -Again she essayed to pull the trigger of the carbine. The attempt -brought a revelation. The bullet that had struck the carbine had -shattered its mechanism and rendered it useless. - -Again and again she essayed to shoot, but each time she failed. The -two remaining Apaches were leaping toward her, coming up under cover -of the wounded sergeant. - -Flinging aside the carbine, Dell once more fell back on her -revolvers. But to use these smaller arms without hurt to Patterson -was well-nigh impossible. - -The Apaches, who appeared originally to have numbered four, and -undoubtedly were a small detachment from Geronimo’s main band, -had lost two of their number. This fact not only rendered them -murderously vindictive, but exceedingly wary. - -By approaching the girl from the side on which Patterson and his -horse were standing, they could shield themselves. - -The sergeant, unable to make a single defensive move in his weakened -condition, saw the Indians and understood their maneuver. The -situation brought another groan from his lips. - -“I’m liable to prove the death o’ ye,” he muttered. “Cast loose from -me an’ hike! There’s a chance yet.” - -“No!” cried Dell. - -Pulling Silver Heels backward, Dell sought to find an opening for a -shot; but the two Apaches moved forward as she moved back, and thus -frustrated her plans. - -In the midst of the maneuvering, the unexpected happened, taking form -in the crack of a rifle from the bushes below the hogback. - -One of the two remaining Apaches dropped his rifle and staggered. -Again the unseen marksman launched a bullet. This time the second of -the two Apaches stiffened in his tracks for a moment, then crumpled -to his knees. - -The other, without lingering further, whirled about and plunged down -the slope and into the chaparral. - -The astounded Dell strained her eyes toward the point from which the -unexpected shots had come. - -“A friend in need, Patterson!” she cried. - -The sergeant’s head was hanging forward. He heard Dell’s words, and -made a response, but his voice was too low and mumbling for the girl -to understand what he said. - -The Apache on his knees had straightened out along the rocky slope. -An instant later a form came bounding up out of the shadows, paused -at the Apache’s side an instant, then came on to Dell and the -sergeant. - -Dell’s amazement increased as the newcomer came more and more into -the light of the hogback’s crest. - -He was not a white man, but an Indian--a slender, lithely built boy, -bare to the waist, his nether limbs clad in buckskins and moccasins. -An eagle-feather ornamented his scalp-lock, and he carried a small -repeating rifle. - -“Ugh!” he exclaimed, halting close to Dell. “Yellow Hair, -Pa-e-has-ka’s girl-pard!” - -“Little Cayuse!” cried Dell, her surprise and delight throbbing in -her voice. - -A moment more and she was down from her saddle and had caught the -little Piute in a swift embrace. - -Little Cayuse deemed it derogatory to the pride of a warrior to let -himself be betrayed into any show of affection. His feelings the boy -tried strenuously to keep in check at all times. And, as he frowned -upon any display of feelings by himself, he looked askance at it in -others. - -With a grunt he withdrew himself from Dell’s arms. - -“How does it happen I find you here, Cayuse?” went on the overjoyed -Dell. - -The fact that Cayuse _was_ there proved that he, at least, had -escaped the slaughter of Bascomb’s escort; and, from this fact, the -girl argued that Buffalo Bill and Nomad had likewise escaped. - -“No time for powwow,” returned Cayuse gruffly. “Plenty ’Pache in -hills. ’Pache who git away tell um other ’Pache. We ride quick, or -mebbyso we lose um scalp. Where you go, Yellow Hair?” - -“To Bonita.” - -“Who white soldier?” - -“A trouper from Grant with important despatches. He is baldly -wounded. We must take him with us.” - -Cayuse flashed his eyes over the limp trooper. - -“Wuh!” said he. “Yellow Hair wait till Cayuse git um pinto.” - -The boy whirled and darted down the slope and into the brush again. -When he returned he was mounted on a calico cayuse--his own horse, -Navi. - -There were two slain Apaches on the hogback, and between them Little -Cayuse halted Navi, looking from one Indian to the other, and his -hand hesitating about the handle of a scalping-knife that swung from -his belt. - -“Cayuse!” called Dell. - -The boy turned his eyes upon the girl. - -“You know what Pa-e-has-ka told you about taking scalps?” went on the -girl. - -“Wuh!” - -Little Cayuse withdrew his hand hastily from the knife and dug his -heels into Navi’s sides. His Piute nature craved the scalps, for on -one of them he was entitled to a second eagle-feather; but the better -side of his nature had listened to the teachings of the king of -scouts, although profiting by the teachings reluctantly. - -“Come!” said he, taking the lead and crossing the crest of the -hogback. - -Dell, leading Patterson’s mount, followed. Into and through the -chaparral the little Piute led the girl and the helpless trooper, -selecting ground whose flinty soil would leave no trail visible in -the daylight. - -As the boy rode, his eyes glimmered like an owl’s into the -surrounding darkness, and he listened at every step like a coyote. - -Dell yearned to be asking Cayuse questions about Buffalo Bill, and -old Nomad, and the rescue of Bascomb by Geronimo’s bucks, but she -knew that Cayuse just then would not talk. - -It was close on to an hour later that the boy called a halt. They had -reached a water-hole. Probably Cayuse would not have halted even then -had he not discovered that Patterson was in a pitiable condition of -weakness, and that Dell was obliged to ride at his side and support -him with her arm. - -“Ugh!” said Cayuse, slipping from Navi’s back. “Pony-soldier heap bad -hurt. We give um little rest. No like make um stop, but we got to.” - -Patterson was unroped from his saddle and lifted down. - -After he had been stretched out beside the water-hole, Cayuse -unbuckled the belt and pulled aside the blouse and the clothing -beneath. - -Removing the red-soaked handkerchief, he lowered his eyes to within -a few inches of the wound, and examined it as well as the moonlight -would permit. - -Presently he began probing with his fingers--a painful process which -the unconscious trooper could not feel. - -“Him plenty bad hurt, Yellow Hair,” said Cayuse, “but bullet him no -stay in wound. Umph! Me fix um.” - -Going to the edge of the water. Cayuse wrung out the handkerchief; -then, coming back, he bathed the wound. - -From a medicine-bag swinging at his belt he took a brown powder -and sprinkled it plentifully over the wound. Next the medicine-bag -yielded a compactly rolled strip of soft doeskin. The strip was -unrolled and passed completely around Patterson’s body, the ends -brought tightly together and fastened with a long, sharp thorn. The -clothing was then replaced over the wound and a drink from the boy’s -canteen was forced between the sergeant’s lips. - -Complete rest, assisted by the cooling draft, soon caused Patterson’s -wits to return. - -“Where’s the despatches?” were his first words. - -“They’re safe, sergeant,” said Dell reassuringly. - -“I’ve got you to thank for that, Miss Dauntless.” - -“We’ve both got Little Cayuse to thank for it.” - -“Who’s Little Cayuse?” - -“The Indian boy beside you. He is Buffalo Bill’s pard.” - -“Then he must be the clear quill,” muttered Patterson. “Any pard o’ -Buffler Bill’s is ace-high with me. How did he happen to be around -that hogback?” - -“That’s just what I want to know,” said Dell. “From the despatch the -colonel received, I supposed that Buffalo Bill, Nomad, and Cayuse -were with the escort taking Bascomb from Phœnix to Fort Apache. That -despatch said that all the escort had been killed by Geronimo and his -hostiles, but I had a feeling that the murderous work could not have -extended to the scout and his pards.” - -Little Cayuse gave a disgusted grunt and squatted on the ground by -the water-hole, his knees up under his chin and his hands twined -about them. - -“Where’s Pa-e-has-ka, Cayuse?” inquired Dell, impatient because of -the boy’s provoking silence. - -“Mebbyso Bonita,” answered Cayuse. - -“Weren’t you, and Buffalo Bill, and Nomad with the soldiers who were -taking Bascomb to Fort Apache?” - -“We leave Phœnix all same with escort. Pa-e-has-ka meet pony-soldier -from Bowie. Pony-soldier say something to Pa-e-has-ka, and -Pa-e-has-ka go with pony-soldier to Bonita. Wuh.” - -“What about you and Nomad?” - -Cayuse was silent for a space, breathing hard and looking gloomily -around. - -“Wolf-killer and Cayuse go on with escort,” said he finally. “Two -pony-soldiers in escort; two pony-soldiers, Wolf-killer, and -Cayuse--him four _por todos_; five you count Bascomb.” - -Again the boy relapsed into gloomy silence, his hands clenching about -his upraised knees and his black eyes smoldering in the half-light. - -“What happened?” asked Dell. - -“’Paches come,” answered Cayuse fiercely. “’Paches kill um -pony-soldiers, take away Bascomb, make um Wolf-killer prisoner. -Cayuse he _run_!” The boy released his hands, doubled his fist, and -brought it savagely down on the ground. “Cayuse _run_,” he repeated, -as though, by so saving himself, he had stretched the score of -disgrace to the uttermost. - -“That was the proper thing for you to do, Cayuse,” returned Dell. - -“Cayuse warrior,” grunted the boy; “him ought to stand by Nomad until -him die. Cayuse think um Wolf-killer get away, too; but him captured. -Ugh!” - -“Ye’re a queer little imp,” remarked Patterson. “Used to be in the -army, didn’t ye? Bugler ’r somethin’?” - -“Wuh. No like um army; rather stay with Pa-e-has-ka.” - -“Cayuse thinks the world and all of Buffalo Bill, Patterson,” said -Dell. “For Cayuse the sun rises and sets in the king of scouts. It’s -a knack Buffalo Bill has of drawing his pards to him.” - -“Pa-e-has-ka big chief,” said Cayuse curtly; “biggest chief of all -the Yellow Eyes. Him my chief, all same, always. Wuh.” - -“When did the Apaches attack you, Cayuse?” went on Dell. - -“Last sleep.” - -“How many were there?” - -Cayuse lifted both hands, fingers outspread, three times. - -“So many. Mebbyso more.” - -“It’s a wonder you ever got away,” breathed Dell. - -“Me fool um. Piute fool um ’Pache every time.” - -“Where have you been since the fight?” - -“All same scout through hills; find out where um ’Pache take Bascomb.” - -Patterson stirred excitedly. - -“You found that out, did you?” he demanded. - -“All same. Bascomb wounded, no can travel. Me find out where ’Pache -keep um.” - -“Bully!” applauded the sergeant, stifling a groan of pain. “You’re -more kinds of a phenomenon, Little Cayuse, than I know how to -mention.” - -“Ugh!” grunted Cayuse dejectedly. “Me run from ’Paches. What -Pa-e-has-ka say, huh?” - -He cast an appealing look at Dell. - -“Buffalo Bill,” returned the girl warmly, “will say that you did -exactly right.” - -“Mebbyso,” said Cayuse, only half-convinced. - -“Where is Bascomb?” asked the sergeant. - -“Me tell um Pa-e-has-ka at Bonita.” - -“Did you see anything of Geronimo?” - -“Me see um: him with Bascomb.” - -“Better and better!” Patterson turned to Dell. “That means,” he -finished, “that we’ve lost all the time we can at this water-hole. -The quicker Little Cayuse gets to Bonita and delivers his news, the -quicker this raid of Geronimo’s can be nipped in the bud, and Bascomb -recaptured. We’ve got to ride.” - -The sergeant lifted himself to a sitting posture, but almost -immediately fell back with a groan of pain. - -“I’m next to bein’ on the retired-list,” said he gaspingly; “but -for you, Miss Dauntless, I’d be lying, scalped, this minute on that -hogback. It was a lucky thing for me you broke away from the post -like ye did, an’ decided to trail along in my wake. First time I ever -fell down on a job the T. C. set for me!” - -“You haven’t fallen down now,” said Dell. - -“I’d like to know what ye call it!” - -Cayuse was already on his feet, having caught the drift of -Patterson’s remarks relative to a hurried descent upon Bonita. - -With Dell’s aid, the boy succeeded in getting Patterson back into his -saddle and again roping him there. After that he and Dell mounted, -and the journey was continued. - -Steadily onward rode the three through the night and into the coming -dawn. No Apaches appeared to bother them, although the ominous -silences of rock niche and chaparral were on every side as they rode. - -At last they entered Bonita Cañon. - -“We’re gettin’ clost now,” Patterson roused to remark just as the -sun, like a golden pip snapped by the fingers of a Mighty Hand, -leaped upward over the rim of the cañon. - -His words were taken up by the notes of a bugle, coming from around a -turn in the gorge. - -The sergeant’s face brightened. - -“That sound never rang in my ears so fine as it does now!” he -remarked. - -Dell rode alongside of him and pulled the packet from her waist. In -the daylight she could see that it was stained redly. - -“What ye goin’ to do with that?” inquired Patterson. - -“You started with the despatches,” answered Dell, “and you’re going -to deliver them.” - -“That’s your right,” expostulated the sergeant. - -“It’s _your_ right, Sergeant Patterson! You’re a brave man, and -delivering the despatches is your duty.” - -Leaning sidewise in her saddle, Dell thrust the packet into the front -of the trooper’s red-stained blouse. - -Patterson tried to thank her for her thoughtfulness and generosity, -but the words died on his lips and he drooped forward, again fainting -from sheer weariness and loss of blood. - -Dell supported him as she had done before, and thus they rounded the -bend in the cañon and came within sight of the military headquarters -in the field. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - BUFFALO BILL’S VOW. - - -In a log cabin in Bonita, the king of scouts sat in consultation with -Captain Markham. Outside the cabin, in the shade, a reserve force of -Pima scouts were lolling and smoking cigarettes. - -A stir of activity filled the camp. Couriers were coming and going -between Bonita and Bowie, and scouting-parties and squads of troopers -were departing and arriving. - -Buffalo Bill’s face wore a heavy frown. News had come from Fort Bowie -the evening before relative to the escape of Geronimo and his bucks -from the reservation at Apache, and also of the annihilation of -Bascomb’s escort and the rescue of Bascomb. - -The scout, in charge of a picked party, had at once taken the saddle. -The entire night had been spent in the hills, but in spite of every -effort not one of the renegades had been apprehended, and not a -“sign” had been picked up. - -“Of course,” said Captain Markham, as he and the scout sat in the -cabin that morning, “Geronimo will head this way, killing and -stealing and burning a trail toward Mexico. It’s his old game. Once -he gets across the border, Heaven only knows when we’ll catch him.” - -“I’m less concerned about Geronimo,” returned the scout, “than I -am about my two pards, old Nomad and Little Cayuse. Bascomb”--the -scout’s eyes glittered--“has made us plenty of trouble. I’ll have him -back. You hear that, Markham? I’ll never rest until I lay hands on -the scoundrel and land him in the strong room at Fort Apache.” - -“You’ll have a job of it, Cody. Bascomb seems to have curried favor -with the Apaches, and it’s ten to one that he’s with Geronimo this -minute. You know Geronimo--a regular firebrand, and wily as a -side-winder. He’ll crow-hop on every reservation but his own, and all -the while he’s here, there, and everywhere, like the Irishman’s flea. -Now you see him and now you don’t. Next time he’s captured he ought -to be shot.” - -“I’ll get Bascomb!” averred the scout. - -“I suppose your pards are done for?” - -Buffalo Bill got up and walked to the door. What he felt he hid by -turning his back on Markham. For a moment he stood in the doorway -looking out at the Pimas; then he went to a bucket, took a drink from -a gourd dipper, and went back to his chair opposite Markham. His face -was expressionless, except as to the eyes--they flashed like steel. - -“I’ll get Bascomb!” said he, his voice vibrant with resolution. “If -he’s with Geronimo, I’ll take the two of them. As for my pards, game -old Nick and the loyal little Piute, if they’ve crossed the divide, -that runs up a personal debt which I owe the renegades, particularly -Geronimo. - -“You know what it is, I reckon,” he went on, dropping his voice, “to -share the same blanket with a man year in and year out; to scout with -him at your side; to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in more -fights than you can count; to find him at all times a pard to be -depended on for sand and sagacity; and----” He broke off curtly. “I -don’t need to tell you what the loss of Nick Nomad means to me, or -the loss of Little Cayuse.” - -“No,” returned the captain sympathetically, “you don’t need to tell -me, Cody. The fortunes of war are hard on a man sometimes. You say -you’ll get Bascomb, and I hope----” - -An orderly, his clothes dusty with alkali, showed himself in the -doorway and saluted. - -“Come in, Carter,” said Markham. “What’s to pay? Anything new?” - -“One of our Apache scouts has jest come in, sir,” answered the -orderly. “He reports having been captured by Geronimo, quirted and -sent back to Bonita with a message.” - -“Send him in,” ordered Markham. “These Apache scouts,” he added to -Buffalo Bill when the orderly had vanished, “may be depended on, or -they may not. It’s a doubtful point.” - -“When fighting Geronimo,” counseled the scout, “it’s well to look -with suspicion on what an Apache says. Only the Pimas are to be -depended on when fighting Apaches. Pimas have been foes of the -Apaches for a hundred years and more, and never a Pima has raised his -hand against a white.” - -Just here the Apache came in. He wore a pair of blue overalls, -fastened to his waist with a piece of rope. His shoulders were bare. - -Standing silently before Markham and Buffalo Bill for a moment, he -turned slowly and exhibited his back. Great, livid welts crossed and -recrossed the coppery skin. - -“Well!” exclaimed Markham, as the Apache faced about. “So you were -captured by Geronimo, were you, Chico?” - -“_Si_,” snarled the red man. - -“Where?” - -“Blind gully off Tres Alamos Gulch.” - -“Fifteen miles away!” muttered Markham. “When was this?” - -“Last sleep.” - -“When were you released?” - -“Mebbyso, hours, so many.” - -Chico lifted four dirty fingers. - -“How many bucks with Geronimo?” - -Chico thrust both hands into the air ten times. - -“A hundred, eh? He’s got most all of those who jumped the reservation -with him under his wing. Did you learn anything?” - -“No; but Geronimo he send this, with message for Pa-e-has-ka.” - -Chico dipped one hand into the pocket of the overalls and brought out -a pair of rusty steel handcuffs. - -“Thunder!” muttered Markham. “What trick is the sly old scoundrel up -to now? Why did he send those to Buffalo Bill?” - -Laying the handcuffs on the table, Chico groped about in the depths -of his pocket and brought forth a small key, which he laid beside the -iron bracelets. - -“Geronimo say he take um handcuffs from Bascomb, take um key from -dead pony-soldier,” explained Chico. “Geronimo say for Pa-e-has-ka to -take iron bracelets, then bymby Geronimo find Pa-e-has-ka and put um -on him. Geronimo make powwow before he turn Chico loose.” - -The scout laughed grimly. - -“If the old reprobate ever comes near enough to me to put those on,” -said he, “he’ll never live to enjoy the sight of me in the things. -They’re my bracelets, I reckon?” - -“All same. Geronimo send um.” - -Buffalo Bill took up the handcuffs and the key and put them in his -pocket. - -“You _sabe_ Pa-e-has-ka’s pards, Wolf-killer and Little Cayuse?” he -asked. - -“Me _sabe_” - -“Did you see or hear anything of them?” - -Chico shook his head. - -“Probably the party that did the business for Bascomb’s escort -haven’t all joined Geronimo as yet,” suggested Markham. - -“Probably not; although one must have joined, or Geronimo wouldn’t -have the come-alongs.” - -“Are they the same cuffs that were put on Bascomb?” - -“They look like them, but I wouldn’t take my oath that they’re the -same. When the man from Bowie met the escort and asked me to come -here, in view of possible Indian troubles, we hadn’t been long on the -trail to Apache.” - -“I see.” Markham had got up and was buckling on his belt and army -Colts. “Coming with us, Buffalo Bill?” he queried. - -“To the blind gully off Tres Alamos Gulch?” - -“Sure. We’ll make a quick run of it. I don’t hope to find the -scoundrelly renegades there, but we may be able to pick up signs and -give them a run of it between here and the border. They’ll be trying -to head the fugitives off at Fort Huachuca, and there’s a chance--if -luck’s on our side.” - -“Of course I’m coming,” answered the scout. “There’s a chance, as -you say. Let’s make the most of it. You’ll take Chico?” - -“Naturally. If he’s running us into any sort of a trap, he’ll be -along to enjoy it with the rest of us. _Sabe_ the burro, Chico?” - -The Apache nodded sullenly, hunched his shoulders and rubbed his -lacerated back gingerly. - -“He’s straight goods,” muttered Markham, “and I’ll gamble on it.” - -“His back is no proof he’s not talking with two tongues,” returned -the scout. “He’d cut himself up worse than that to help Geronimo, if -he’s at all inclined to be treacherous.” - -Calling Carter, Markham shot orders at him with the rapidity of a -Gatling. A few minutes later and fresh activity was added to the stir -of the camp. The bugle called, and troopers made a run for their -mounts. - -As the scout and the captain were preparing to leave the cabin, the -orderly once more presented himself. - -“Despatches from Grant, sir,” he announced. - -“From Grant, eh?” returned Markham. “Bully! The wire’s cut, and we’ll -be able to find out what Grayson is doing. Bring in the courier, -Carter.” - -“He’s in a faint, sir, and they’re untying him from his horse.” - -“Wounded?” demanded Carter. - -“Badly--brush with the reds, sir. There’s a young woman with him----” - -“Woman!” exclaimed the captain blankly. - -“Yes, sir, and an Indian boy----” - -Buffalo Bill waited for no more, but rushed from the cabin. The -Pimas, attracted by the excitement of fresh arrivals, had left -the shade and were clustered, with several troopers, about three -horses--a pinto, a white cayuse, and a big, raw-boned army mount. -From the latter the wounded courier was being lifted. - -But the scout, for the moment, did not see the courier, his attention -being entirely taken up by the two who had come with the wounded -trooper. - -“Dell!” cried Buffalo Bill, in amazement; “and Little Cayuse! Well, -here’s a bit of luck, anyhow.” - -Dell Dauntless sprang toward the scout and caught him by the hand. - -“It’s mighty good to see you again, pard!” said the girl, her blue -eyes dancing. “Before the military wire to Grant was cut, we got word -that Geronimo and some of his bucks had gone on a raid, that Bascomb, -the deserter, had been rescued, and that the escort with Bascomb had -all been killed. I knew you, and Nomad, and Cayuse were to return to -Fort Apache with Bascomb, and I was afraid that--that----” - -The girl hesitated. - -“That Geronimo had played a trump card and got rid of us, eh?” -finished Buffalo Bill. “I left the escort very soon after we had -quitted Phœnix, being summoned to Bonita on account of prospective -Indian troubles. Cayuse and Nomad stayed with the escort. The same -news that reached you also reached me, and I had begun to do a little -worrying about Nomad and Cayuse myself. But here’s the boy, as -chipper as ever! Do you know anything about Nomad?” - -“No.” - -“Does Cayuse?” - -“He says Nomad was captured--but I’ll let him tell you, Buffalo Bill.” - -“It’s a big surprise to see you, Dell,” the scout went on; -“especially to meet you here at Bonita. Why did you leave Grant?” - -“You couldn’t expect me to stay there after Colonel Grayson had -received that message about Bascomb and the escort, could you?” -queried Dell artlessly. - -Buffalo Bill drew back and stared at her. - -“Why, what could you hope to do?” he asked. - -“I didn’t know exactly; but, when you’ve got a pard in trouble, you -don’t loll around and take things easy, do you? And it isn’t your way -to keep clear of the scene of your pard’s trouble, is it?” - -“Well, there’s a different set of rules governing the actions of a -_girl_ pard,” returned the scout, a twinkle in his eye. - -“Not much there ain’t,” asserted Dell. - -“What’s this?” - -The scout touched the side of her blouse where the Apache bullet had -gouged a rent. - -“That’s where a redskin paid me his compliments,” said Dell. - -“And this?” The scout touched the brim of her hat. - -“Another token of Apache esteem,” went on Dell. “One was made by a -bullet, and the other by an arrow.” - -“Close!” murmured the scout. - -“A miss is as good as a mile,” Dell answered lightly. - -“Not many girls would come through a night trip from Grant, at this -time, with the same coolness you show. You’re a remarkable girl, Dell -Dauntless.” - -“Only different,” smiled Dell. “It’s enough to put me in fine fettle -just to find you alive and hearty at this end of the trail. And we -have Cayuse, too, you see.” - -“What’s the matter with the boy?” asked the scout, gazing -perplexedly at the little Piute. “He might come around and at least -say ‘howdy.’” - -“He feels cut up and out of sorts, Buffalo Bill,” said Dell, with a -soft look at Cayuse. - -“What about?” - -“Ask him.” - -Cayuse did not come near the scout, but hung around Navi, and -apparently gave the scout no more attention than if he had been a -thousand miles away. Nevertheless, not a move of the scout’s escaped -the boy. - -When Buffalo Bill walked toward him, Cayuse turned his back, folded -his arms, and fixed his gaze on the opposite wall of the cañon. - -“What’s the matter, Cayuse?” said the scout, laying a kindly hand on -the lad’s bare shoulder. - -“Ugh! Cayuse free, Nomad prisoner.” - -The Piute never shifted his eyes from the cañon wall. - -“What of that?” proceeded the scout, instantly catching the drift of -the boy’s sentiments. “Better one free than both prisoners. When one -is free he can help to release the other. _Sabe?_” - -“Cayuse run,” breathed the boy; “_run_, all same scared coyote. -Cayuse think Wolf-killer run, too, but not so. Wolf-killer captured.” - -“I was afraid both you and Nomad had fallen, and I am glad to hear -that Nomad is alive, even though a prisoner. Little Cayuse has acted -like a true warrior in getting away and coming to tell me about -Wolf-killer. Pa-e-has-ka thanks Little Cayuse.” - -The boy’s pride, thus oddly humiliated, began to recover. He turned -around face to face with the scout. - -“Pa-e-has-ka think Cayuse did right?” he asked. - -“Sure you did right, Cayuse,” averred the scout heartily “you did -the only thing possible under the circumstances. Don’t be foolish.” - -“Bascomb wounded,” said Cayuse. “Hard for Bascomb to sit cayuse and -ride. Me know where Bascomb taken by ’Paches.” - -“What?” demanded the scout, instantly on the alert. - -The Piute repeated his words. - -“Good! We’ll get Bascomb. Do you know where Nomad was taken?” - -“No see um.” - -“How do you know he wasn’t killed, then? How do you know he was taken -prisoner?” - -“Me come back to place of ambush. Hunt over ground. Find um -pony-soldiers, no find um Wolf-killer.” - -“Ah! What of Geronimo?” - -“Him with Bascomb.” - -“Where?” - -“All same cave by Tonio Pass.” - -“Here’s something to look into at once!” exclaimed the scout. “Come -into the cabin, Cayuse; you, too, Dell.” - -The scout led the way into Markham’s headquarters. - -Patterson had been carried into the cabin and laid in a bunk. While -a doctor was working over him, Markham sat at a table reading the -despatches that had just fallen into his hands. - -“These are important, Cody,” said Markham, looking up. “Grayson tells -me what he intends to do, and what the commander at Apache intends -to do. Troops from both posts will look after the settlers and hem -Geronimo out of the north. Huachuca will guard the south. Somewhere -in between the two lines of troops Geronimo will be dodging--so our -chances to corner him in that blind gully are growing brighter.” - -Markham shoved the despatches together, and locked them in a -despatch-box. - -“How’s the courier, doctor?” he called. - -“He’ll do, captain,” was the answer. “Two weeks in hospital will set -him on his pins again.” - -“I’ll send a man to Bowie for the ambulance, and we’ll have him taken -there as soon as possible. He did a brave thing, and Grayson shall -know about it.” - -A troop of mounted men galloped up to the door. - -“All ready, captain,” called a voice from without. - -“Come on, Cody,” said Markham, pulling on his gloves. - -“Just a second, captain,” returned Buffalo Bill. “I have fresh news -regarding Geronimo, just brought by my two pards. Miss Dauntless, -Captain Markham--Buffalo Bill’s girl pard, Markham, and Buffalo Bill -is sure proud of her. Also Little Cayuse, my Piute pard.” - -Markham vouchsafed Dell a passive glance, which quickly gave place to -one of admiration. He bowed. Then, turning, he caught Cayuse by the -hand. - -“Glad the Indian boy is accounted for, at all events,” said he. -“Sorry I haven’t time to stay and talk, Miss Dauntless, for you’ve -got a story to tell which I’d like to hear. We can’t waste much time, -Cody,” he added to the scout. “That blind gully is fifteen miles off, -and the reds are fliers when they get started. What’s your news?” - -“Cayuse escaped from the ambush the Apaches laid for the Bascomb -escort,” explained Buffalo Bill: “but, after his escape, Cayuse -scouted and followed the Apaches to Tonio Pass. Bascomb is wounded, -he says, and unable to travel. The Indians have him in the pass, and -Geronimo is with them.” - -Markham started. - -“Tonio Pass is dead away from Tres Alamos Gulch,” said he. “Geronimo -can’t be in both places. The boy must be mistaken.” - -“I’d believe him before I would an Apache scout,” returned Buffalo -Bill. - -Markham stood for a moment thinking. - -“Perhaps you have more faith in the Piute than in the Apache,” he -said finally, “but my opinion inclines the other way. Cayuse is only -a boy, and a Piute at that. Likely enough he doesn’t know Geronimo as -well as Chico does.” - -“Cayuse is the lad that gets my gilt, all the same.” - -“I think the Tres Alamos trail the most promising.” - -“Very good,” said the scout calmly. “Merely a matter of divided -opinions.” - -“That’s all. Either of us may have the wrong pig by the ear, but that -remains to be seen. Are you traveling with me?” - -“I’m going to the pass,” said the scout decidedly. - -“Very well. It may not be a bad idea to cover both points. I can’t -spare many men for you, Cody, as I’m taking the bulk of the force -I have left here. A hundred bucks under Geronimo is a gang not to -be sneezed at, and there’ll be brisk work if we come up with them. -However, take Lieutenant Doyle and ten troopers, if you wish----” - -“I’ll go it alone with my pards.” - -“What? A girl and a boy? Think again, Cody.” - -“I don’t need to, captain. If you knew the girl and the boy as well -as I do----” - -“You’ve got a head of your own, and a way of your own about doing -things,” laughed Markham. “Do as you please. You’re welcome to any -Pimas I leave, even if you don’t want the troopers. _Adios_, and good -luck. Hope you find Nomad.” - -Without waiting longer, Markham hurried out of the cabin, flung -himself into the saddle, gave orders relative to sending a courier -after the Bowie ambulance, then galloped away up the cañon at the -head of his troop. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - OFF FOR TONIO PASS. - - -“Tired out, Dell?” asked Buffalo Bill, whirling on the girl as soon -as Markham and his detachment had ridden away. - -“Did you ever know me to be that?” the girl countered. - -“I don’t think any one ever knew you to say so. Go to the cook’s -hang-out and get something to eat, you and Cayuse. Then come back -here and we’ll hold a powwow.” - -“We can hold the powwow first, if you’d rather.” - -“Aren’t you hungry?” - -“Not to hurt.” - -“Well, the horses are. Cayuse can put them out and then join you at -the chuck-shanty.” - -Dell and Cayuse left the cabin. When they had gone, Buffalo Bill -walked over to the bunk where Patterson was lying. The doctor was -sitting at the head of the bunk watching his patient. The sergeant -had opened his eyes, and, as the scout came toward the bunk, kept -them on him. - -“Buffalo Bill?” said Patterson. - -“The same.” - -“I’ve heard a lot about ye, but this is the first time our trails -have ever crossed.” - -“Hope it won’t be the last time. It’s a pleasure to meet up with a -man like you. Sergeant, eh?” he added, his eyes on the diamond of one -of Patterson’s sleeves. - -“Sergeant Patterson.” - -“I reckon you had a hard time getting through with your despatches.” - -“That’s the size of it. Wouldn’t have got through, either, but for -that girl pard of yours. Say, she’s a brick.” - -“She is,” agreed the scout. “What did she do in your case?” - -Patterson went into the matter at length, beginning with the way Dell -scampered off from Fort Grant. Then he followed the recital on down -to the fight, and the way Dell and Little Cayuse had brought him in. - -The doctor interfered, once or twice, to say that Patterson was -talking too much. But Patterson wouldn’t stop until he had finished -all he had in mind. - -“Certainly Dell should have stayed at Grant,” said the scout, “but -fate usually knows best when it takes such matters in hand and -regulates them. If Dell had stayed at the post, you’d be on the -hogback now minus your scalp; and Geronimo would have had Grayson’s -despatches. The wily old red would have given a lot to get hold of -those papers.” - -Buffalo Bill went back to the table and seated himself. Ten minutes -later, Dell and Cayuse reappeared. - -“Sit down now,” said the scout, “and give me the whole of this thing. -You first, Dell, and then Cayuse can open fire.” - -Dell, as might be expected, glossed over her part in the night’s -doings, gave Patterson a lot of credit, and Cayuse considerably more. - -Cayuse began his recital with an account of the disaster to Bascomb’s -escort. - -He told how the escort, expecting no trouble, rode into the Apache -ambush; how a murderous fire opened upon the escort from right and -left; how Nomad, unhurt, turned to flee; and how he--Cayuse--thinking -Nomad would escape, gave attention to his own safety. - -Outmaneuvering the Apaches, Cayuse went on to describe how he -skirmished back toward the scene of the ambush, hoping to find -Nomad; how he examined the slain and scalped soldiers, without being -successful in locating the trapper; how he picked up the trail of -the Apaches and followed them to Tonio Pass, saw the wounded Bascomb -lifted from his horse, and saw Geronimo personally superintending the -work of caring for the white renegade. - -After this Cayuse started for Bonita to report to Buffalo Bill, -crossed the trail of more Apaches, and followed it to the hogback, -where he made such good use of his rifle in helping Dell and the -sergeant. - -“All three of you distinguished yourselves,” said the scout; “you -acted just as Buffalo Bill likes to see his pards act. But, Cayuse, -I should like to know whether you are positive the Indian you saw at -Tonio Pass was Geronimo.” - -“Heap sure,” declared the boy. - -“You know him, do you?” - -“Me see um plenty times when me belong with the army.” - -“Very good. For some time, now, this deserter, Bascomb, has made us -a good deal of trouble. He had a few renegade Apaches with him, you -remember, in the hills around the Three-ply Mine. When we caught the -scoundrel on that island in Quicksand Lake, I was sure we had him at -the end of his rope; and I am about equally sure that Geronimo and -his bucks jumped the reservation in order to get Bascomb away from -the soldiers. If that is the case, then Bascomb is the man for us to -lay hold of. I have started on his trail, and I do not intend to hold -back until he is landed. - -“Naturally, I am more anxious to rescue Nomad than to recapture -Bascomb, but this matter of Nomad’s is a point that puzzles me. If he -was really taken prisoner, as Cayuse thinks, what became of him? He -wasn’t with Bascomb and Geronimo; and, if Geronimo had him, it seems -odd he wouldn’t keep such a prisoner by him. Nomad is a captive the -wily old chief would be proud of.” - -“Mebbyso Geronimo kill um Wolf-killer.” - -This remark of Cayuse’s was a logical deduction, but the scout would -not accept it. - -“No, Cayuse,” said he, “if Geronimo was going to put Nomad out of the -way, he’d have done it there on the scene of the ambush. Geronimo, -however, is sharp enough to understand that Nomad is worth more to -him alive than he would be dead. So we come back to the thing I can’t -understand: If Nomad is a prisoner, where is he? And why wasn’t he -taken to Tonio Pass?” - -A silence of several minutes followed. - -“As I figure the matter,” the scout resumed presently, “it amounts to -this: Geronimo, with all the troopers at Grant, Apache, Bowie, and -Huachuca against him, has none too many warriors. Evidently the chief -thinks a lot of Bascomb, and will take care of him, but the chief -can’t leave very many warriors for that purpose. Probably he will -leave two or three. So, if we ride to Tonio Pass and exercise a fair -amount of caution, we have a good chance of getting hold of Bascomb; -then, with Bascomb once in our hands, perhaps we can force him to -tell us where Nomad was taken. That is our cue. As soon as your -horses are able to take the road we’ll be off for Tonio Pass.” - -“Silver Heels is ready now,” said Dell. “He’s all leather and -whalebone, and never gets tired.” - -“Navi all right, too,” averred Cayuse. - -“It’s not a piece of work, Dell,” said the scout, “in which you ought -to join.” - -Dell threw back her head, and her face reddened. - -“Why not?” she demanded. - -“Don’t make a mistake, little one,” laughed the scout, “for I’m not -cutting you out of this little surprise-party. I’m going to take you -along because I think it’s safer to take you than to leave you. This -camp is badly depleted of troops, and if Geronimo should take it into -his rascally head to come down on Bonita, there’d be a hot fight. For -that reason, in view of possible contingencies, I’d rather take you -with me than leave you here. - -“And then, again,” he said slyly, “if I left you behind, Dell, you -might take the bit in your teeth just as you did at Grant. You -wouldn’t mind the colonel, and perhaps you wouldn’t mind me.” - -“The sergeant must have been saying things,” murmured Dell. - -“He couldn’t find words enough to tell me how much he admires you for -your daring and courage. However, we’ll let that pass. Wait here, -Dell, and Cayuse and I will go for the horses.” - -As the scout and the Indian boy left the cabin, Dell moved over to -where the sergeant was lying. She wanted a last word with him before -she, and the scout, and Cayuse galloped out of Bonita. - -“You know this country, Cayuse?” asked the scout, as he and the -Piute moved through the camp toward the place where the horses were -picketed. - -“Wuh,” said Little Cayuse. - -“You can take us to Tonio Pass without any trouble?” - -“Sure.” - -“In that case, then, I won’t take any of the Pimas as guides. The -smaller our force the more mobile it will be. Our foray is more of a -scouting-expedition than anything else, although we shall be prepared -to take care of double our numbers if we come to a show-down with the -renegades.” - -The horses were saddled, bridled, and watered; canteens were filled, -and a day’s rations were secured at the chuck-shanty. - -Silver Heels and Navi certainly looked fit enough for any kind of a -trail. - -Lieutenant Doyle, second in command now that Markham was away, halted -the scout as he and Cayuse were riding for the headquarters cabin -with Silver Heels in tow. - -“You’d better take a few of the boys with you, Cody,” he advised. - -“You may need all the boys yourself, Doyle,” smiled the scout. - -“Of course Geronimo is the sort of lightning that strikes where and -when least expected,” returned Doyle, “but I don’t think he’ll fool -with the military so close to headquarters. Anyhow, we can spare some -Pimas.” - -“None for me. One Indian is all I’m going to take on this trip,” and -the scout laid a hand on Cayuse’s arm. “My Piute pard is worth a -dozen Pimas.” - -“You’re too old a hand for me to tell you to look out for yourself. -You always do that, I reckon.” - -“If I hadn’t, my scalp would have been hung up in a Sioux lodge years -ago.” - -The scout and the boy rode on, halted at the door of the cabin, and -Dell came out and vaulted lightly into her saddle. - -“Now,” said she, with a sparkle in her eyes, “we’re off for Tonio -Pass.” - -Could the scout have foreseen what was to happen on that venturesome -journey, rather than take Dauntless Dell with him, he would have had -Doyle send her to Bowie under escort. - -But, to quote Catamount Tom, the old hunter, “we can’t be so wise -all the time as we are just some of the time;” so the little party -galloped down the cañon on its way through the hostile country to -Tonio Pass. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - MODERN WITCHCRAFT. - - -Of all the murderous chiefs of the Apaches, including in the list -such demons as Victorio, Nachez, Chato, Loco, and Juh, perhaps none -had given the military authorities more trouble than Geronimo. -Certainly none was more warlike, for at the age of sixteen -Geronimo had become a chief. From that time his raiding began, his -blood-thirsty operations being carried on in Northern Mexico and -Southern New Mexico and Arizona. - -When one side of the border became too hot for him, Geronimo would -slip across to the other, repeating and repeating the maneuver until -finally run to earth and driven to the place where he belonged. -Watching his chances, he would again dig up the hatchet stealthily, -evade the vigilance of his guards, “jump” the reservation and -continue his old tactics. - -That hair-raising cry, “The Apaches are up!” was to be expected -at any moment, and never failed to inspire panic among the white -settlers of the arid lands. - -Among his lesser accomplishments Geronimo was said to be a past -master in the art of manufacturing illegal _tizwin_, a native -beverage, of which there is more fight and deviltry in a single glass -than in a whole barrel of ordinary fire-water. - -Not only was he reported adept in _tizwin_ production, but also it -was said that he had extensive knowledge of poisonous herbs, and of -others with purely narcotic properties--such as those which science -calls of the _datura_ family--indigenous to the soil over which he -roamed. - -How much of all this was true and how much false will probably never -be known; but that a part, at least, was reliable, the weird disaster -which befell the scout and his pards will bear testimony. - -From the northern outlet of Bonita Cañon Little Cayuse led the way -directly westward through a spur of the Chiricahuas. - -Traveling was rough and difficult, and toward nightfall the scout -deemed it essential that they should locate a spring or water-hole -and rest their mounts for a few hours. Silver Heels and Navi, despite -the vaunts of their owners, had begun to show unmistakable traces of -weariness. - -Cayuse’s service with the army had given him a good knowledge of the -topography of that part of the country, and he lead the scout and -Dell toward a spring with which he was well acquainted. - -The spring was in a little valley, hemmed in on all sides by granite -bluffs. - -Before descending into the valley, the scout and his pards made -a careful survey of the spring from a safe distance. Water was a -precious quantity in those parts, and its presence was quite apt to -draw the roving bands of red trouble-makers. - -Careful scouting failed to reveal the presence of any Apaches, and -the three riders picked their way down the valley’s slope and reached -the spring. - -The spring was merely a scant dribble of water from a crevice in one -of the bluffs. Under it, however, a basin-shaped rock formed a pool. -This reservoir had filled, and there was sufficient water for the -horses as well as their riders. - -The riders, naturally, drank first. Buffalo Bill, Dell, and Cayuse -all knelt at the brim and assuaged their thirst at the same time. - -“Queer taste to the water, don’t you think?” remarked Dell. - -The scout had noticed the acrid taste, but supposed that it was -perhaps due to a touch of alkali. - -“Do you remember, Cayuse,” Buffalo Bill asked, as he straightened up -at the brink of the pool, “whether this particular spring always has -this peculiar taste?” - -Cayuse shook his head. - -“Him Arizona spring all kind tastes, all kinds smell,” observed the -boy philosophically. “Better so you drink and be glad what you drink -is _wet_. Huh?” - -“I reckon that about hits it,” laughed the scout, leading up his -horse. - -Bear Paw, the scout’s black charger, nosed about in the pool for -some time, slapping the water with his muscular upper lip. Thirsty -as he was, for several moments the horse refused to drink, but at -last, apparently deciding to make the best of it, took a few sparing -swallows. - -Silver Heels and Navi acted very much in the same way, but cut short -their objections and went to their refreshment much more quickly than -had Bear Paw. - -“The animals don’t like it, either,” commented Dell. - -“I don’t blame them,” said Buffalo Bill, “but water is water in this -region, and, as Cayuse says, if it’s wet, neither man nor beast -should demand more.” - -The horses, freed of their saddles, were roped out in the scant grass -which grew along the overflow from the pool. While they grazed, the -scout and his companions took their first meal off their rations. - -Dell, with a piece of jerked meat in one hand and a cracker in the -other, leaned back against a rock and became exceedingly loquacious. - -“Lawn-tennis!” she exclaimed. “It’s all the go at the post, Nomad--I -mean Buffalo Bill. It’s a great game, for those who like it. They -play it on snow-shoes--I should say overshoes----” She stopped with -a grimacing twist of her pretty face. “What am I trying to say, -anyhow?” she demanded. - -“Pass the ante, Lolita--I mean Dell,” Buffalo Bill returned, and -wondered why he could feel no surprise at the way both he and the -girl were handling their English. - -“I thought you were Buffalo Bill, for a minute,” cried Dell, almost -choking with laughter. - -“So did I,” roared the scout. Then added, quite serious: “I wonder -who’s running this _baille_, anyhow?” - -“That’s one too many for me,” answered Dell. “Who owns the honkatonk? -Where’s the music?” - -Little Cayuse, leaping up suddenly, raised his arms high and held up -his head. He began to mutter, and the muttering gave way to a sort of -crooning song: - - “Tu-wip pu-a tu-wip pu-a - Av-wim-pai-ar-ru-wip pu-a - Tu-ra-gu-ok tu-ra-gu-ok - Kaiv-wa mu-tu-rai-ka-nok.”[1] - - -[1] Piute song, meaning: - - “In that land, in that land, - In that glittering land; - Far away, far away, - The mountain was shaken with pain.” - -The little Piute’s attitude was rapt and ecstatic. His eyes were -raised to the darkening sky, where the stars were already beginning -to shine dimly. But what he meant, or what he was trying to get at, -was altogether more than the scout or the girl could fathom. - -“There’s the music,” said Dell. “That’s Geronimo; he’s furnishing the -music.” - -“Good boy, Geronimo!” cried Buffalo Bill, clapping his hands. “Give -us another! Where’s your fiddle?” - -Little Cayuse dropped his arms and stood scowling at Buffalo Bill and -Dell. - -Suddenly the scout sprang erect and struck his clenched fist against -his forehead. - -“Merciful heavens!” he gasped hoarsely. “Dell! What’s the matter -with you, with me, with Little Cayuse? Let us get the horses and -ride--_ride_, do you hear? This valley is bewitched, bewitched!” - -He ran toward the horses, conscious that he had a lucid interval in -the midst of a horrible, uncanny madness. Midway between the pool and -the horses he stopped, staring. - -Bear Paw was backing slowly around in a circle at the end of his -picket-rope, backing with the methodical rhythm of a trick-horse, -stamping his hoofs as he went. - -Silver Heels appeared to be trying to up-end himself on his fore -feet, while Navi was giving an exhibition of what is technically -known as the “bedpost buck.” - -The scout staggered, dug at his throat and twisted his fingers in his -long hair. What was this sensation that filled him and robbed him of -reason? Even as he tried to fight against it, the last thin barrier -of sense was broken down. He burst into a loud laugh, and whirled -back toward Dell and Little Cayuse. - -He pulled the handcuffs from his pocket and flourished them in the -air. - -Dell came up to him, smiling. She put away the revolver and reached -out her hand. - -“One belongs to me,” she said coaxingly. - -“Certainly,” answered the scout, snapping one of the handcuffs about -his right wrist. “There’s yours, Calamity Jane;” and he snapped the -other cuff about Dell’s left wrist. “It’s a good long way to town, -sis,” he added, in a kindly tone, “and we’d better be moving.” - -Without paying the slightest attention to Little Cayuse or the -horses, Buffalo Bill started to climb the rough valley wall, dragging -Dell with him. - -The secret of the spring--Geronimo’s secret--had wrought its folly in -the usually well-balanced brain of the scout. - -He was going to town, and he was taking his sister with him. Obsessed -with this one idea, which he clung to with all the morbid earnestness -of a man deranged, he went on and on. - -Night deepened, the stars in the Arizona sky brightened against the -velvet vault like so many diamonds. One star guided Buffalo Bill; the -“pointers” in the “Dipper” showed it to him, and he followed as he -would have followed a compass. - -From somewhere, far away, came the wild, shrill chant of the Indian -boy. The chant died out like a lisping of waves on a rocky beach. - -But the scout and his sister went on and on, following the star. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - THE AWAKENING. - - -Buffalo Bill shivered, and opened his eyes. - -“Dell!” he exclaimed; “Cayuse!” - -No answer was returned, and slowly the scout’s faculties began -drifting out of a maze of experiences, trying to eliminate false -impressions and hold to the true. - -First, where was he? - -He was sitting on a stone. Before him was a wagon-trail, crawling -along an eight-foot shelf. - -At the outer edge of the shelf the mountain fell away in a dizzy -precipice; the inner edge was a perpendicular wall, with the stone on -which he was sitting at its foot. - -The last thing he remembered he was in a little valley, close to a -spring. The horses were feeding, and he, and Dell, and Cayuse were -having a meal off their rations. - -But _was_ that the last thing he remembered? - -He tried to lift his hands to his face and brush them across his -eyes. Only one hand obeyed his will--the left one. The right seemed -bound to a weight. Just then he did not investigate the weight, for -he could reason but slowly and deal with only one thing at a time. - -No, the last thing he remembered was seeing Bear Paw moving backward -in a circle at the end of his picket-rope, and Navi and Silver Heels -also acting queerly. - -Just before that Buffalo Bill recalled that he had been acting -queerly himself, and Dell, too, and Cayuse. A flickering -memory of his fight to get back his reason came to him; then -followed--oblivion. - -A moment before, it seemed, they were on the borders of night; now -they were at the edge of day, and the sun was rising over the scarred -uplifts of a region to him unknown. - -He dropped his eyes to his right hand. The wrist was red and swollen. -There was a manacle about it, connected by a bit of chain to a -smaller and more shapely hand. - -Then, for the first time, he realized that Dell was beside him, -leaning wearily back against the cliff wall and sleeping soundly. - -“Dell!” he called, laying his left hand on the girl’s, which was -bound to his right by the handcuff and the length of chain. - -The puzzle of it all defied the scout’s reasoning. He needed help to -unravel the mystery. - -“Dell!” he called again, in a louder tone. - -The girl opened her eyes dreamily. - -“Time to start for Tonio Pass, Buffalo Bill?” she asked. - -Impulsively she started to rise, but felt her hand secured. Settling -back on the rock, her troubled eyes wandered from the handcuffs to -the scout’s face. - -“What has happened?” she asked, bewildered. “What does this mean?” - -“I wish I could tell you,” the scout answered. “I have been racking -my brain over it for several minutes.” - -“Where are we?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“How do we happen to be here?” - -“That’s another poser.” - -For a brief space the two stared at each other in amazement. - -“Who handcuffed us together?” pursued Dell. - -“You’ll have to ask me something easier,” said the scout. “If I -believed in witches, I should say that they had been exceedingly busy -last night.” - -“This--this is awful!” breathed Dell. “Let us think. My brain seems -all in a whirl. If we take a little time to think, perhaps we can -arrive at some solution of the mystery.” - -They took time; and, finally, the scout began to voice the result of -his mental labor. - -“You remember the spring,” said he, “and the peculiar taste of the -water?” - -“Yes, yes!” returned the girl eagerly. - -“That spring must have been drugged with some peculiar loco-weed. I -can remember saying crazy things, and trying to stop myself and talk -sense, shortly after we had taken a drink at the pool.” - -“I can remember something like that, too.” - -“And I can remember the horses acted queerly, and I recall a -desperate but unsuccessful attempt which I made to pull myself -together and keep my wits. Following that, all is a blank until a -little while ago, when I opened my eyes here, on this rock, and found -you beside me.” - -“Where did the handcuffs come from?” - -The scout explained about the Apache scout, and how he had brought -the handcuffs from Geronimo. - -“First thing,” said he, “we’ll remove the cuffs. Can you slip your -hand free?” - -Dell tried, but could not, for her small hand seemed swollen terribly. - -“There’s a key to the cuffs somewhere,” went on the scout. - -He dug into his pockets for the key, but it was gone. - -“Here’s an odd situation, and no mistake,” he said, with a rueful -laugh. “We’ll have to stay manacled together, Dell--for a while, at -least.” - -“Do you think the Apaches drugged the pool?” asked Dell. - -“Who else could it have been if not the Apaches?” - -“But what do they know about drugs?” - -“Geronimo, they say, knows many things the white men do not dream -of. There are herbs growing in this country which are said to have -powerful medicinal properties. Indians, as a rule, are versed in the -use of herbs.” - -“It is all very dark to me,” said the girl helplessly. “If Geronimo -drugged the pool from which we drank, in the valley, why was he not -there to make prisoners of us?” - -“Some of the Apaches may have put on these manacles as we find them; -then, in some manner, we may have eluded the Apaches and got away. -It’s all guesswork, Dell, and one guess is as good as another.” - -“But Cayuse!” exclaimed Dell, taking sudden thought of the little -Piute. “Where can _he_ be?” - -The scout lifted his voice in a loud cry: “Cayuse! Cayuse!” - -Echoes alone answered him, booming out across the dizzy chasm that -lay under the outer edge of the shelf. - -“There’s no telling where he is,” said Dell. “Had we not been -manacled together like this, quite likely we should have become -separated from each other.” - -“True enough. This road, winding around the mountain, appears to be a -military road. Perhaps if we follow it, it will lead us to Bowie.” - -“But our horses!” - -“As for finding our horses, I haven’t the least notion which -way the valley and that drugged pool lies from this place. I -have my six-shooters,” the scout added, looking down at his belt -and holsters; “and, while that is surprising, it is certainly an -agreeable surprise.” - -“I have mine, too,” returned Dell. “We must have retained enough of -our wits to carefully guard our revolvers.” - -“That may have been less a matter of wits than of mere chance. -However, we have them, and----” - -“Buffler!” - -The scout’s body grew rigid. A voice--the familiar voice of Nick -Nomad--had suddenly called the scout’s name. - -“Did you hear it, Dell?” Buffalo Bill muttered. - -“Yes.” - -“I--I thought I might be imagining it; that, perhaps, it might be a -part of the mystery we are trying to unravel.” - -“No imagination about the voice, Buffalo Bill,” reassured the girl. -“It was real enough, and it certainly belonged to Nomad.” - -“Buffler!” cried the voice again. “Injuns--’Paches! Take ter ther -road, an’ hustle.” - -Still in the dark as to where Nomad was, the mention of Apaches -brought the peril of the situation clearly before the scout’s mind. - -“Come, Dell!” said the scout; “we can’t ignore that warning. Nomad is -somewhere, and he is doing his best for us. We’ll go down the trail.” - -Together the two arose from the rock. The next moment they made the -discovery that they were unsteady on their feet--and this at a time -when they needed all their steadiness and strength. - -Reeling back and forth, they started down the trail. - -“Where are you, Nick?” shouted the scout. - -“Go on, Buffler, go on!” roared the voice of the trapper. “I’ll be on -hand when ye need me. But keep ter ther trail! Keep ter ther middle -o’ ther trail! Steady, thar, steady! Look out fer Dell--look out----” - -Dell was on the side nearest the brink of the precipice. As the words -of Nomad, seemingly coming from infinite space, throbbed in the -scout’s ears, he felt a sudden, terrific pull at his right hand. - -A cry came from Dell. - -Another instant and the scout was dragged downward across the trail, -his right arm doubled over the brink, and a tremendous weight pulling -him closer and closer to the chasm. He flung out his left hand, and, -by rare fortune, the arm encircled a tree that grew on the edge of -the precipice. - -He was too dazed for a moment to realize what had happened; and then, -presently, the awful truth broke over him. - -Dell had slipped from the brink of the cliff, and was suspended in -mid-air by the steel cuff and the short length of chain! - -On the strength of the cuffs and the chain hung the girl’s life! - -Buffalo Bill was a powerful man, fibered with nerves of steel and -muscles of iron; and Dell, although she was slender, was compactly -built, and of more than the average weight for a girl of her inches. - -In considering the perilous situation into which the scout and the -girl were thus suddenly plunged, it must be remembered that they had -just emerged from another condition of baffling mystery which had -tried them body and mind. - -It was physical unsteadiness which had caused Dell to slip over the -brink of the precipice while the scout was staggering across the -trail in an attempt to locate the place whence his pard’s voice -proceeded. - -The truth, when it finally dawned on the scout, broke over him like a -thunderclap. - -He could not see Dell, for she was swinging below the brink; and he -knew that she was swinging there by the awful pull on his right wrist -and arm. It seemed to him as though the arm was being gradually drawn -from its socket. - -All that kept him from going over the edge with Dell and dropping to -the depths of the gulch was his hold on the small tree which grew out -of the rock crevices. - -Buffalo Bill’s faculties were all taken up with the predicament that -immediately faced himself and Dell. Suddenly his eyes, close to the -ground, turned up the trail. He saw two painted forms creeping down -relentlessly upon him and the girl. - -Had those redskins, at that moment, stood over the scout with -uplifted knives, he could not have made the slightest move in his own -defense. - -The scout turned his eyes away from the creeping savages with a -stifled groan. Not a sound came from the form that hung below the -brink. What the girl’s thoughts must have been, providing she -retained the full use of her faculties, may readily be imagined. - -The terrific strain was as trying to Dauntless Dell as it was to the -iron muscles of Buffalo Bill. The Indians were coming; and where was -Nomad? - -Buffalo Bill had been so wrapped up in his own life-and-death -struggle at the cliff’s edge that, for a time, he had ceased to think -of Nomad. Abruptly, thoughts of the old trapper darted through the -scout’s brain. - -“Nick!” he shouted, his voice hoarse and muffled by its proximity to -the ground. - -There was no answer from Nomad. After all, it must have been a -dream--the scout’s imagining he had heard his pard’s voice in warning. - -“Buffalo Bill!” - -It was Dell’s voice, floating upward front the chasm. - -“Yes?” the scout gasped. - -“This is hard on you. Why not let go and end it all?” - -“Never! The last ditch and the last breath always for me.” - -“But the Apaches are coming--two of them. I can see them as I swing -out and back. Once they looked over at me, and they acted queerly. It -can only be a matter of a minute or two, at most. Why not cheat them -of their intended prey?” - -“No!” said the scout, his voice little more than a whisper. - -“If I could release myself,” said Dell, “I would. If I were not -hanging here, you could take care of the Indians and save your own -life.” - -Further response from the scout was impossible. His lips moved, but -not a wisp of sound came through them. - -He turned his eyes toward the redskins again. He saw, now, that they -were coming down the trail on all fours, jumping and springing about -on their hands and knees in a most unheard-of manner. Occasionally -they would bump into each other, whereupon they would snarl and snap -their teeth like wolves. - -All at once one of them raised his face upward and yelped like a -coyote. The next moment he leaped over the scout’s sprawled-out form -and went on down the trail. The second Apache followed. - -The scout was too wrought up to think much of this remarkable -exhibition at the time. The principal point was, the Indians had -spared him; and how much longer could he hold out against the -dragging weight? - -The two Apaches wabbled and snapped and snarled until they had -vanished around a turn in the road; then, all at once, Buffalo Bill -became aware of a form kneeling beside him and bending down far over -the brink. - -“Dell!” - -This word, in Nick Nomad’s voice, beat stridently in the scout’s ears. - -“Here,” came Dell’s answer. “What is it, Nomad?” - -“Reach up with yer right arm an’ see ef ye kin grab holt er my hand. -Easy, now. No quick moves, mind, er we’ll hev Buffler rocketin’ out -inter space, and ther two o’ ye drappin’ er mile er two straight down -on ther rocks. Kin ye reach?” - -“Yes--just a second.” - -There was a breathless pause. - -“Bully fer you, Dell!” said Nomad, and took a grip on the scout’s -tree. “Now throw all yer heft in yer right an’ leave ther rest ter -me.” - -Buffalo Bill felt the weight leave his right arm, and his body -buckled under the release like an overstrained girder that has -suddenly snapped. - -His left arm dropped from the tree, and his right still hung at the -brink. Panting like a spent dog, he continued to lie with his face to -the rocks. - -“Hyar ye come!” said Nomad, and foot by foot he pulled Dell over the -edge of the wall. “An’ thet,” he finished, as Dell sank down on the -rocks, “is erbout ther closest call Pard Buffler an’ Dauntless Dell -hev had in many a day. Waugh! I feel like ther strain on me was as -bad as et was on you an’ Buffler. Every minit I thort was shore goin’ -ter be ther next with ye. Et took me some time ter git hyar, an’ I -was almost skeered ter look when I got whar I could see ye when I -struck ther trail. However did et happen, anyways?” - -“I--I was unsteady and could not walk straight,” replied Dell. “I -felt all right in every other way, only my feet would not go where -I wanted them to. Getting too close to the edge, I slipped over, -and----” - -“I seen thet, Dell. What I means is, how did you an’ Buffler come ter -be ironed tergether like thet?” - -“Neither of us know.” - -Nomad stared incredulously. - -“What! Ye don’t know? Howlin’ hyeners, gal, ye don’t mean ter tell me -ye an’ Buffler could git manacled tergether without never knowin’ who -et was done et?” - -“That’s precisely what I do mean to tell you, Nomad,” insisted the -girl. “Queer things happened last night. Buffalo Bill and I know that -much.” - -“_When_ was ye manacled?” pursued the wondering trapper. - -“It was some time after sundown, yesterday.” - -The scout, lifting himself slowly, took a sitting posture beside the -girl. His right wrist was gouged and bleeding, as was also Dell’s. - -“Ye had er plumb tough time, Buffler,” commiserated Nomad, his eyes -on the two wrists and the red-stained manacles. - -“One of the roughest times I ever had, Nick,” returned the scout in a -low tone. - -“I reckoned yer arm would be pulled off’n yer body.” - -“So did I.” - -“If I could have released myself,” cried Dell, “I would have done so.” - -“And lost your life, pard,” said the scout, “while now it has been -saved. We’ll both get over the effects of that experience in due -time. I wonder how long it lasted?” - -“Et couldn’t hev been more’n five minits,” said Nomad. - -“Five minutes! It seemed like five years. Is my hair white, Nick?” - -“Nary, Buffler. Et’s ther same color et allers was. Why don’t ye take -’em off?” and the trapper indicated the handcuffs. - -“Can’t do it without a file.” - -“A key gin’rally op’rates things like them. Who’s got ther key?” - -“I did have it in my pockets, along with the cuffs. Go through my -clothes carefully, Nick, and see if you can find it. I took a look, a -while ago, but I couldn’t do it very well with one hand fastened to -Dell’s.” - -The trapper looked through his pard’s pockets thoroughly, but without -result. - -“I reckon,” observed the scout, “that Dell and I are hooked up to -stay until we get back to Bonita. Do what you can to take care of -that wrist of yours, Dell. See if you can’t get a handkerchief around -the wrist, under the cuff.” - -Dell groped for her handkerchief, and finally found it in the breast -of her blouse. As she jerked it out, a small object flew from it and -dropped on the cliff, within an inch of the edge. The scout gazed at -the object as though fascinated. - -“Thar’s a key now!” cried the trapper. - -“Right, old pard,” said Buffalo Bill; “it’s the key to the handcuffs. -It was in my pocket last night. Will somebody please explain how it -comes to be in Dell’s handkerchief this morning?” - -“More mystery,” murmured Dell. “One more incomprehensible thing to be -added to the night’s list. Some time and somehow I hope we shall be -able to understand all that has happened.” - -“Here, too,” added the scout. - -“Waal,” put in the trapper, “how ther key happened ter git from -Buffler’s pocket inter Dell’s handkercher is er hocus-pocus thet -don’t matter much, seein’ as how ther key is ther main thing, an’ we -got et.” He stooped and recovered the key from the rocks. “Hyar’s -whar I bust this combination an’ git you two separated. Stand up er -minit.” - -The scout and the girl got to their feet, and Nomad unlocked the -old-fashioned iron bracelets. He was about to fling them over the -cliff when Buffalo Bill stopped him, took the cuffs and the key, and -returned them to his pocket. - -“Now,” said the scout, “we’ll hunt up a scrap of shade and try to -understand how you got here, Nick, along with a few other details -that are easier to comprehend than the mysterious things that -happened to Dell and me last night.” - -“Jest er minit, pards, afore we dip inter thet,” said the trapper. - -Bounding off down the trail, he disappeared from sight behind the -turn. - -“Where has he gone?” queried Dell. - -“To look after those two Apaches who came down on us while we were -hung up at the brink,” the scout answered, leading the way to the -stone on which he and the girl had found themselves when their senses -returned. - -“Ah, yes,” mused Dell, seating herself at the scout’s side, “I had -forgotten the Apaches. I saw them while I was swinging over the -cliff. Did Nomad frighten them away?” - -“No. They came down the trail on all fours, acting like a pair of -coyotes. When they reached me, they sprang over and went sniffing and -snarling down the trail. They acted as though they were locoed.” - -Dell started and dropped a hand on the scout’s arm. - -“Can it be----” she began, and suddenly stopped. - -“That they drank from the same pool that played hob with us?” -finished Buffalo Bill. “I shouldn’t wonder, Dell. Nothing else could -have caused a pair of murderous reds to pass me by like they did. I -was utterly helpless to defend myself. One swift blow would have done -the work.” - -“But if Geronimo had doctored that little pool of water, wouldn’t he -have warned his followers to beware of it?” - -“One would naturally think so. We’re only guessing at things now, -and, as I said before, one guess is as good as another.” - -At that moment Nomad returned. - -“Couldn’t find ther pizen whelps,” he announced, dropping down at -Buffalo Bill’s side. “I never set eyes on sich crazy varmints. At -fust I thort they was creepin’ up on you an’ Dell, but they acted so -plumb bughouse, I didn’t know what ter think.” - -“Where were you, Nick, when you called to me?” the scout asked. - -Nomad lifted his eyes and waved a hand toward the top of the cliff. - -“Up thar,” said he. “Up thar, an’ gazin’ down on ye. When I seen Dell -go over, I couldn’t drap ter ther trail without mebbyso breakin’ my -neck, so I had ter hunt fer er place ter come down. When I found ther -place, an’ got down, I was skeered ter look at ther place whar I’d -seen you an’ Dell last. Waugh!” and the old man shook himself. “I was -under somethin’ of er strain, too,” he finished. - -“Did you just happen to find us sitting on this rock here this -morning?” - -“Nary, Buffler. I been follerin’ er mighty devious night trail, I kin -tell ye. I jest happened ter find ye last night.” - -“How?” - -“I was skirmishin’ in ther direction o’ Bonita, intendin’ ter arrive -thar, somehow, ef I didn’t git double-crossed in my calkerlations. -I’d been dodgin’ Apaches ever sence I saved my skelp in thet ambush, -appeasin’ my hunger with mesquit-beans an’ sichlike forage, feedin’ -like er pizen hoss, an’ glad ter git my fodder at thet. - -“When I seen you an’ Dell, I reckoned ye was two more Apaches, kase -et was in er dark gully whar I fust seen ye. I ducked inter ther -bresh, an’, when ye got by, began movin’ down ther gully. But et was -er blind gully, an’, not hevin’ my wings erlong, I couldn’t git out -o’ et without comin’ back ther way I went in. - -“I passed er cave. Ther mouth o’ et looked like a tollable place fer -a fugertive like me ter bunk down fer an hour’s snooze: but, as I was -erbout ter start in an’ investigate, I seen a ’Pache on gyard at ther -entrance, so I says: ‘Excuse me,’ ter myself, an’ moseyed on. - -“T’other end o’ ther blind gully opened inter a gulch. When I hit -ther gulch, I seen you an’ Dell ahead o’ me, an’ at fust glance -I thort ye was ther same two ’Paches I passed in ther gully; then -another look, with ther moonlight shinin’ full on ye, showed me I -was mistook. I seen one o’ ye was er gal, an’ t’other er man, but I -didn’t suspect one was Dell an’ t’other Buffler Bill till I’d come -closter. - -“As soon as I found out I was nigh ter my pards, I give er joysome -yell an’ jumped arter ye; direckly tharafter, I give another yell -thet wasn’t so joysome an’ ducked fer the shelter of er rock. I’m -er Piegan, Buffler, ef you an’ Dell didn’t both open on me with yer -hardware! - -“Was I rattled? Was I dumfoundered? Waal, some. ‘Say, pard,’ I -whoops, ‘et’s me, Nick!’ With thet I showed my shoulders over ther -rock so’st ye an’ Dell could see me in ther moonlight, an’ know I -wasn’t talkin’ with two tongues, even ef ye didn’t reckernize ther -meller trill o’ my bazoo. - -“Then I was rattled some more, kase ye fanned my face with er lead -pill, an’ howled like er Commanche. ‘Don’t ye dare come nigh me!’ sez -you, like thet; ‘don’t ye dare come nigh me,’ you says, knockin’ me -all of a heap. ‘This hyar’s my sister, an’ I’m takin’ her ter town.’ - -“I allowed right off, Buffler, thet ye was madder’n a locoed steer, -but I didn’t see how Dell could be locoed, too. So I whoops ter Dell: -‘Don’t you reckernize old Nomad, gal?’ - -“An’ would ye b’leeve et? Dell larfs right out. ‘Go ’way,’ says she; -‘I’m goin’ ter town with my brother, an’ you ain’t got no call ter -interfere. I’m ther Queen o’ Sheeby, an’ he’s King Bill, brother -Bill. Hands off, er we’ll give ye yer ticket.’ - -“I knowed by thet thet Dell had been grazin’ on ther same crazy weed -that growed on yore range, Buffler. I didn’t dare come up with ye, -an’ I didn’t dare let ye git erway from me, seein’ as how ye might -run onter ’Paches an’ git inter trouble. So I follered.” - -Nomad leaned back against the cliff and drew his sleeve over his wet -forehead. - -“Tork erbout yer night trails,” he went on, “thet was ther wust thing -o’ ther kind I ever went up ag’inst. Think er me, trailin’ two pards -through them gullies an’ uplifts, fearin’ any minit ye’ll turn on me -an’ do me up with er bullet! An’ all ther time, ye onderstand, I was -afraid ye’d plump inter a bunch o’ ’Paches. Ef ye’d done thet, I’d -hev had ter run ter yer rescue, an’ mebbyso got peppered by you as -well as ther reds. Oh, I dunno! I reckons thar’s times when a feller -feels wuss nor he does at others, but ef I ever sees er time I feels -wuss nor I did last night, I wants some ’un ter wake me up an’ tell -me.” - -A slight smile curled about the scout’s lips. There was a humorous -side to the situation, and he saw it. Dell, however, saw the other -side, and she reached out her hand and laid it on Nomad’s big, hairy -paw. - -“Nick,” she said gently, “of course you know that Buffalo Bill and I -hadn’t the least idea what we were doing.” - -Nomad gave the small hand a pat, and grinned a little himself. - -“’Course I knows et, Dell,” said he, “but thet didn’t lighten matters -none fer yore ole pard last night. I had ter keep arter ye, kase -I couldn’t let ye git away. Now an’ ergin ye’d sot down ter rest, -wharupon it was me ter hover in ther background, breathin’ on’y when -necessary an’ imaginin’ every minit Buffler ’u’d find me out. - -“Some time clost ter mornin’ ye give me ther slip. Kain’t onderstand -noways how it was done. You two went inter a short ravine. I didn’t -see ye come out. Waitin’ fer er spell, I trailed keerful through thet -ravine, an’ ye wasn’t thar! No, sir, ye’d vanished _plumb_. - -“From then on I was huntin’ all ways, up an’ down, for’ard an’ back -an’ crossover. Day began ter loom up, ther sun climbed over ther -peaks an’ found me on ther top of thet clift, up thar, lookin’ down -on this trail an’ ther edge o’ another clift. Then”--Nomad heaved a -long breath--“I seen you two a-settin’ on this rock, bound tergether -with them bracelets, torkin’ ter each other. I passed my eyes along -ther trail tryin’ fer a place ter git down. Somehow, you struck me -as hevin’ got yer senses back, an’ I wanted to bust in on ye, an’ -say: ‘Buffler, hyar’s me; take er good look, an’ fer Heaven’s sake -don’t shoot yer ole pard.’ I didn’t see er way down jest then, but -I did see them thar ’Paches a-creepin’ down on ye, as I thort. Then -I tuned up, an’ you two looked every way but ther right ’un. Ye got -up, staggerin’like, an’ I tuned up ergin. Then I seen Dell tumble -off ther clift, an’ I near tumbled off’n thet other clift, up thar, -myself. I scrambled eround fer er place ter git down, an’--an’---- -Waal, thet’s erbout all. Hyar we aire, big as life, an’ we hev come -through things, Buffler, like we never went through afore, an’ like I -hopes we’ll never go through ergin.” - -Once more Nomad pulled his sleeve across his forehead. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - LOCOED APACHES. - - -Sometimes there is more in the telling of a story than there is meat -in it. But there was meat in Nomad’s recital, and, profoundly stirred -as he was, he told it with a simple effectiveness that made Dell and -the scout live over with him his night’s trailing. - -“That’s good, Nick,” remarked the scout, after a brief silence, “as -far as it goes.” - -“Sufferin’ catermounts!” exclaimed Nomad. “Don’t et go fur enough ter -suit ye, Buffler?” - -“It doesn’t go back far enough. How did you get away from that ambush -in which Bascomb’s soldier escort was slain?” - -“Thet’s another kink in ther twist o’ events,” said Nomad gloomily. -“At ther fust fire my hoss was shot down under me. As soon as I could -kick clear o’ ther stirrups I hiked. Thet’s what I done, Buffler. -Never thinkin’ o’ thet leetle pard o’ ours, Cayuse, I hiked like -er express-train plumb out o’ thet smotherin’ batch o’ ’Paches. -Cayuse”--and Nomad’s voice rolled in his throat--“was killed er took -pris’ner, an’ I wasn’t thar ter lend him er hand. I ain’t hardly -fit ter look ye in ther face, Buffler, arter thet. Ther idee o’ me -turnin’ away from er pard! My on’y excuse is thet I was rattled. When -I got cl’ar o’ ther ’Paches, an’ had time ter think, I ricollected -Leetle Cayuse, an’ went back ter whar ther ambush was pulled off. -But I couldn’t find him. From thet I jedged thet Cayuse was took -pris’ner.” - -Here was an odd situation, and no mistake. Both Dell and Buffalo Bill -saw it immediately, and exchanged humorous looks. - -Little Cayuse had blamed himself for not risking death and remaining -in that ambush just to help Nomad, and here was Nomad likewise -blaming himself for not staying to help Cayuse. By a queer process -of reasoning, both Cayuse and Nomad had labored under the impression -that the other had been captured by Geronimo’s men. - -“Cayuse wasn’t captured, Nick,” said Buffalo Bill. “He got away, and -has been finding fault with himself because he didn’t stand by you, -just as you are all gloomed up because you didn’t stand by him. You -think he’s a prisoner, and he thinks you are. Well, well!” - -“An’ ther kid is all right, is he?” said Nomad, in a tone of deep -relief. - -“He is.” - -“Whar is he, Buffler?” - -“He was in the place where Dell and I got locoed. Cayuse got locoed, -too. It was in a little valley, where there was a dribble of water -and a pool. The pool was drugged. All three of us, as well as our -horses, fell victims to the drug.” - -“Whar is this hyar valley, Buffler?” - -“I don’t know. Dell and I didn’t know what we were doing when we left -it; consequently, we can’t find our way back.” - -“Blazes ter blazes an’ all hands ’round!” gulped the old trapper. -“Tork erbout doin’s! Say, ain’t this ther banner play o’ all ther -doin’s thet ever happened?” - -“It is.” - -“Tell me more, Buffler. I’m hungry ter hyer everythin’ that ye kin -remember thet happened to ye.” - -The scout and the girl, between them, relieved the old trapper’s -mind. When they came down to Cayuse’s report about Tonio Pass and the -cave, Nomad pricked up his ears. - -“Thet cave whar I seen ther ’Pache at ther entrance,” cried the old -trapper, “must hev been ther same one Cayuse was tellin’ ye of! An’ -Bascomb is thar, hey?” - -“I don’t know, Nick, whether you’ve got the right place or not,” -returned the scout. “You spoke of a blind gully----” - -“Et’s thar, all right.” - -“Well, by an odd coincidence, then, Tonio Pass has a blind gully as -well as Tres Alamos Gulch. A force from Bonita, under Markham, has -gone to Tres Alamos Gulch in the hope of picking up Geronimo’s trail. -The fact that you found a cave would seem to indicate that you had -found the very place where Cayuse saw Bascomb and Geronimo. How far -is the place from here?” - -“An’ hour’s walk, I reckon.” - -“Could you take us there?” - -“I could, sure; but hadn’t ye better git yer hosses fust, Buffler?” - -“You overlook the fact, Nick, that it is impossible for us to get -our horses until we can locate that valley with the drugged pool. To -do that, we’ll first have to find some one who knows the lay of the -land better than we do. Meanwhile, we can go to this cave in Tonio -Pass and get Bascomb. If there are Apaches in the place, there will -be food and water there, too; and if there is not too strong a force -of Apaches, we can get the whip-hand of them and have the run of the -cave--to say nothing of recapturing Bascomb.” - -“I reckon yore head is level, as per usual, Buffler,” said the old -trapper. “When d’ye want ter start fer this hyar Tonio Pass?” - -“At once. The quicker we start, the quicker we can wind up the -affair with Bascomb and get something to eat and drink. This road, I -suppose, must lead to Bonita or Bowie?” - -“I pass. Et’s er road, an’ thet’s erbout all I knows. Ter git ter -Tonio Pass an’ ther place whar I seen ther cave”--here Nomad got up -and squinted around--“et’ll be necessary ter go down ther road ther -same as how them two ’Paches went. Ef ye’re ready, we’ll lope.” - -The start along the shelf and down the trail was made immediately, -the initial movement carrying the pards toward the turn around which -the two Apaches had vanished a little while before. - -“I been hoofin’ et all night, Buffler,” complained Nomad; “an’ when -a feller gits bow-legged from saddle-work, et’s plumb hard fer him -ter navigate on anythin’ but er hoss. Now, ef we knowed whar thet -thar valley with ther pizened spring was, we could hev things er heap -easier, an’----” - -The trapper broke off his talk with a wild yell. He, and the scout, -and the girl had rounded the turn and had come plump upon a full -dozen Apache warriors. - -No wonder Nomad was startled. The scout and the girl likewise -realized that they were face to face with unforeseen peril. All hands -leaped to revolver-grips. The scout and the girl hesitated, but Nomad -was on the point of pulling both triggers when the scout gripped his -arm sharply. - -“Wait, Nick!” he cautioned. - -“Why ever d’ye want ter wait?” demanded Nomad. “Et’s er wonder ther -pizen whelps hevn’t shot us down afore this.” - -“Watch them! If I’m any judge, the entire outfit is locoed.” - -The Indians were on foot, and in full war-paint. The appearance of -the three whites, against whom they had taken the war-path, did not -appear to cause them the least surprise, or to arouse the slightest -sign of hostility. - -The Apaches began chanting some song of their own, and eleven of them -clasped hands and started dancing around the twelfth, who stood in -the center of the circle. - -“Sort of er ring-eround-a-rosy,” muttered Nomad. - -When they had danced around the central Indian for a minute, there -came a gap in the outer cordon, and the buck who had been in the -center stepped to the edge of the precipice, and hurled first his -rifle, then his bows and arrows, then his scalping-knife and hatchet, -into the chasm. - -Having thus relieved himself of his arms, the buck returned, took his -place among those who were clasping hands in a circle, and another -armed buck got in the center. - -After chanting and circling around the armed buck, the cordon broke -again, and _he_ stepped to the brink and relieved himself of his -weapons. - -This strange proceeding must have been going on for some time, for -the second buck, as the pards could see, was the last one with -weapons. - -When the second buck had stripped himself, he started on a lope up -the trail. - -The scout, the trapper, and the girl, weapons in hand, backed against -the cliff and waited. - -All the other Apaches fell in behind the one recently disarmed, and -trotted after him in single file. - -Arriving opposite the whites, not an Indian paid the slightest -attention to them. With eyes glittering and head-feathers bobbing, -they kept on up the trail until the last one had vanished behind the -jutting rocks. - -Old Nomad almost collapsed. - -“Wouldn’t thet jest nacherly rattle yer spurs?” he said, in an awed -voice. “Whoever heerd of ’Paches actin’ like thet?” - -“They have had a drink from that pool in the valley,” said Buffalo -Bill. “That lot of reds hasn’t the least idea of what’s going on.” - -Nomad flung back his head and gave vent to a roaring laugh. - -“This hyar is plumb comical!” he choked. “How long will ther spell -last, Buffler?” - -“It lasted Dell and me all night,” replied the scout. “How much -longer it will hold the reds depends altogether on how much of the -water they drank, and when they drank it.” - -“Reckon we better hike fer Tonio Pass afore they comes out from under -ther influence,” suggested the trapper; “although I ain’t skeered -none of er passel o’ unarmed reds, so long as I’ve got Saucy Susan -an’ Scoldin’ Sairy in my hands.” - -“Queer, isn’t it, Buffalo Bill?” observed Dell, as she and the scout -trailed after Nomad. - -“It is that,” said the scout. “If Geronimo doctored that pool, he -certainly overplayed his hand.” - -“Ef Geronimo would only take er drink out o’ ther pool hisself,” said -Nomad, “mebbyso he’d walk right inter Camp Bonita er Fort Bowie an’ -ask ther sojers ter put him in ther gyard-house. Thar’s er heap er -strange things in this leetle ole world thet we never know anything -erbout till we finds ’em out. Hey, Buffler?” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - THE CAVE NEAR THE PASS. - - -Tonio Pass was a gap through one spur of the Chiricahuas. Old Nomad -retraced his way to it easily, and on the journey no Apaches, locoed -or otherwise, were encountered. - -Descending into the pass by means of the blind gully, already -mentioned, Nomad brought the scout and the girl to a spur of rocks -which interposed itself between them and the cave. - -“We’ll have to scout and see how many Apaches have been left with -Bascomb,” counseled the scout, during the brief halt behind the spur. -“I don’t believe Geronimo would leave more than two or three, at the -most. With so many troopers in the field against him, the wily old -chief will find himself short-handed in the matter of bucks. Should -there be no more than two or three at the cave, our work of getting -in will be easy.” - -“Want me ter go ahead an’ see how things lie in ther cave?” asked -Nomad. “I’m dryer’n ther desert o’ Sahary an’ plumb anxious ter git -at some water, ef thar’s any thar.” - -“Go ahead, Nick,” said Buffalo Bill. “Dell and I will wait here. If -you get into trouble, a couple of shots will bring us.” - -“Thet’s me,” answered the old trapper, crawling around the edge of -the spur. - -Pausing with the mouth of the cave in sight, Nomad inspected the -surroundings carefully. Evidently there were no redskins on guard -at the entrance, for he got up and hastened noiselessly and swiftly -forward. - -Both the scout and the girl watched the trapper from around the edge -of the boulders. - -The mouth of the tunnel was narrow and high, almost like a gash in -the granite wall. Boulders lay strewn about it, and there was a -chance that some of those boulders screened one or more of the guard -Geronimo had left with Bascomb. - -This latter possibility, however, did not pan out, and Nomad reached -the cavern entrance unmolested. - -Halting there for a moment, he suddenly dashed into the cave, his -aim being to put himself in the darkness of the interior before the -savages could get a shot at him, in case there happened to be any -savages there. - -No shot was fired, and from this Buffalo Bill augured hopefully. - -“Nick doesn’t seem to be having any trouble at all, Dell,” said he to -the girl. “It would be hard luck if Bascomb had been taken away by -the reds.” - -“What would you do in that case, Buffalo Bill?” Dell asked. - -“Find the trail again, and follow it.” - -“Suppose it led you into Mexico?” - -“Then I’d go there. I shall not halt my pursuit of Bascomb until I -have laid the scoundrel by the heels. He has made trouble enough. In -some manner he has wormed himself into the good graces of Geronimo, -and so long as Bascomb is at large he will help the old chief in his -villainy. So far as Geronimo himself is concerned, the military can -take care of him, and I will not mix up in the game; but Bascomb I -intend to get myself. I feel a sort of personal obligation in _his_ -case.” - -“Then you will quit the trail and go away from this part of the -country as soon as you capture Bascomb?” - -There was a touch of sadness in Dell’s voice. - -“Yes; duty, probably, will call Nick and myself to other places, and, -of course, where duty calls we have to go.” - -“Then, I reckon, you’ll be losing your girl pard.” - -“And mighty sorry I’ll be for that. In a fight, or in any sort -of trouble, Dell, I couldn’t ask for a better side partner than -yourself. Ah,” the scout finished, “there’s Nomad again. He has come -out of the cave.” - -Nomad, standing in the entrance to the cave, shouted to his pards -behind the spur. - -“Come on, Buffler, you an’ Dell. I reckon we got hyar too late; thar -ain’t er single red erbout ther place.” - -An exclamation of disappointment escaped the scout’s lips. - -“Tough luck, Dell,” said he, as he started around the spur. “There’s -no telling, now, where this trail of Bascomb’s will lead us, nor how -long it will take to get to the end of it. The fellow, I reckon, was -not so badly wounded in that ambush as Cayuse thought.” - -The scout and the girl were soon at Nomad’s side. - -“How big a cave is it, Nick?” asked the scout. - -“No more’n twenty-five paces one way, Buffler. I walked cl’ar through -ter ther end wall an’ back ergin. Not hevin’ no matches I couldn’t -light up; but ef thar had ben Injuns in ther place, I’d shore hev -heerd from ’em. Got any fire-sticks yerself?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then ye mout scratch a few an’ look ther cut-out over more keerful -than what I did. Mebbyso ther reds left a can o’ water, er a piece o’ -jerked meat behind ’em. I’m hopin’ they did, kase I’m gittin’ dryer -an’ dryer right erlong. I kin stand et ter be hungry--pullin’ up yer -belt a hole’ll fix thet--but when ye’re thirsty, somethin’ takes holt -o’ yer throat fit ter strangle ye.” - -Buffalo Bill, with Dell and Nomad at his heels, entered the cave. It -widened out quickly, a few feet from the entrance. - -Halting well within the opening, the scout struck a match. The glow -of light was feeble, and pierced the gloom for only a few feet in -advance. Holding the light in front of him, he passed on into the -darkness. - -Perhaps he was half-way to the rear wall when a cry from Dell brought -the scout to an abrupt stop. - -“What is it, Dell?” he asked, letting the burned match fall from his -fingers. - -“There’s some one lying on the floor,” said Dell, “off here to the -right.” - -“White man er ’Pache?” spoke up Nomad. - -“I couldn’t see. Come back this way, Buffalo Bill, and strike another -match.” - -The scout followed the suggestion. What was found, a moment later, -startled all of them. - -A man was, indeed, lying on the floor, just as Dell had said, and he -was a white man. His rough clothing was ragged and torn, and there -was a clotted smear on the breast of his faded blue shirt. His head -was thrown back, his arms were flung out stiffly from his shoulders, -and there was a glassy stare--the stare of death--in his eyes. - -“Bascomb!” muttered Nomad. - -“Yes,” said the scout, “it is Bascomb, and he has paid the penalty of -his misdeeds with his life. The wound he received in that ambush was -mortal. Once more, pards, Geronimo has overplayed his hand. It may -be that the chief collected his renegades and left the reservation -for the sole purpose of laying that ambush and taking Bascomb away -from the soldiers; but, in the attempt, Bascomb stopped a bullet. -Instead of rescuing the deserter, Geronimo killed him.” - -“Justice reaches an evil-doer in many ways,” remarked Dell. - -“Right you are, Dell. And it is just as well, I take it, that Bascomb -should fall by the guns of his red allies as to spring a trap in some -Federal prison. He shot a guard when he escaped from Fort Apache, but -the guard was not killed. Bascomb could not have been hung for that; -but, unless I am far wide of my trail, he _could_ have been swung -up for this last bit of treachery. Undoubtedly he had knowledge of -Geronimo’s plans, and, having that, was virtually a confederate and -jointly responsible with Geronimo for the lives of the escort.” - -The scout turned to his trapper pard. - -“Search through the fellow’s pockets, Nick,” said he. “There may be -something of importance there that the military will be glad to get -hold of.” - -Nomad made the search, but did not find a single article of personal -property. - -“Ther ’Paches hev gone through his pockets ahead o’ us,” said Nomad. -“But hyar’s somethin’, Buffler.” - -Nomad picked up a canteen from Bascomb’s side, and shook it. The -canteen was nearly full. There was also a canvas bag within reach of -Bascomb’s hand which was found to contain jerked venison, and a few -corn-cakes. - -“How d’ye account fer ther water an’ ther chuck, Buffler?” -inquired Nomad. “Think ther ’Paches left ’em hyar so’st Bascomb’s -sperrit could hev somethin’ ter live on while goin’ ter ther happy -huntin’-grounds?” - -“No,” reflected the scout. “More than likely, Nick, the Apaches saw -that Bascomb could not live. After stripping him of what few articles -he had upon his person, the reds abandoned him--left him in this hole -in the hill to die alone. The water and food were left beside him to -keep the spark of life in his body as long as possible.” - -“Waal, no loss without some gain,” growled the trapper. “We kin use -ther water and ther grub mighty handy. Hev a drink, Dell?” - -At first the girl drew back from the offered canteen with an -expression of horror on her face; then, shrugging her shoulders and -making a virtue of necessity, she swallowed some of the water. - -“Good girl!” exclaimed the scout. “The water and food are here, -and we might just as well drink and eat as to leave it to the -desert-rats.” - -The scout likewise drank, and Nomad helped himself last. Then, -returning to the daylight in front of the cavern, they parceled out -the jerked venison and the corn-cakes and made a hasty meal. - -“What next, Buffler?” asked Nomad, priming his pipe and borrowing a -match from the scout. “Ef we’re at ther end o’ Bascomb’s trail, I -reckons we’re close ter ther end o’ our own; hey?” - -“Yes,” said Buffalo Bill. “It remains for us to find Little Cayuse -now, and then recover Bear Paw, Silver Heels, and Navi. The horses, I -have no doubt, will be found picketed in the valley, unless they were -interfered with by some of the Apaches who visited the valley and -drank from the pool after we did.” - -“They interfered with ther critters, all right,” averred Nomad. “Did -ye ever hear of an Apache, runnin’ across three good horses with no -one ter watch ’em, thet didn’t git his lead-ropes on _muy pronto_? -Ten ter one, pards, yere mounts aire some’r’s on ther way ter Mexico -with Geronimo--as lost ter ye as ole Kick-an’-Bite-’Em is ter me, -which same I left at ther place o’ ther ambush.” - -“You overlook one thing, Nick,” said the scout. - -“What is et? I’m allers overlookin’ things, Buffler, but what’s ther -pertic’l’r thing in this case o’ ther hosses?” - -“The Apaches were locoed by drinking from the pool,” expounded the -scout. “After they finished drinking, if they did like Dell and -myself, they never once thought of the horses. In my opinion, if we -can get back to that valley pretty soon, we’ll not only find Bear -Paw, Silver Heels, and Navi, but a lot of Indian cayuses as well.” - -“Tally another fer Buffler!” said Nomad. “Ther thing ter be done, -now, is ter find ther valley an’ git ther hosses. Arter thet, -properly mounted, mebbyso we kin diskiver Cayuse. I’m hopin’ thar’s -Injun cayuses in ther valley, too, kase et’s up ter me ter git -another hoss, an’ a ’Pache mustang’ll do till I kin hook up better.” - -“How’ll we go to find the valley, Buffalo Bill?” asked Dell anxiously. - -“Our best course, I think, is to return to that military road,” said -the scout, “and follow it to Bonita, or Bowie, providing it leads -there. In one or other of the two places, we ought to be able to -find some one who will recognize the valley and the spring from our -description, and take us----” - -Buffalo Bill was interrupted. At that moment a clatter of hoofs was -heard along the pass. - -“Whistlin’ whipperwills!” yelled Nomad, jumping to his feet; -“swatties, er I’m er Piegan!” - -“Soldiers!” echoed Dell. - -“Lieutenant Doyle and six troopers from Bonita!” added Buffalo Bill. -“Well, well, pards, here’s luck with all the trimmings.” - -Racing out into the middle of the gap, Buffalo Bill mounted a boulder -and waved his hat vigorously. - -“’Pon my soul if it isn’t Cody!” cried Doyle, as he and his dusty -troopers pulled to a halt. “But how’s this?” the lieutenant added, -with a look at Nomad and Dell. “You left camp with a girl pard and a -Piute pard, Buffalo Bill. You still have your girl pard, but where’s -the Piute? And who’s this other warrior, that’s new to us?” - -“The other warrior,” smiled the scout, “is my old trapper pard, Nick -Nomad.” - -“The deuce you say! Then he wasn’t killed in that ambush that played -havoc with Bascomb’s escort?” - -“Not as anybody knows on,” spoke up Nomad. “I’m feelin’ quite chipper -jest at present.” - -“So I observe,” grinned Doyle. “Where’s the boy, Cody?” - -“We don’t know, Doyle,” said the scout, “but we’re going to ask you -and your men to help us find him. By the way, though, how do you -happen to be here?” - -“Orders,” answered Doyle. - -“From whom?” - -“Captain Markham. He picked up Geronimo’s trail over in that blind -gully in Tres Alamos Gulch, and sent a runner back with a note that I -was to take six men, hike for Tonio Pass and look for Buffalo Bill. -When I found Buffalo Bill I was to report to him that Geronimo and a -part of his Chiricahua renegades are hustling for Mexico, and that -Bascomb, the deserter, is supposed to be with him. A captured Apache -told Captain Markham that the renegades who jumped the reservation -have divided into two parties--one party deserting from Geronimo and -rounding up in Pool Spring Valley. After coming here and looking for -you, we’re to make for Pool Spring and see how the land lies.” - -Several parts of the lieutenant’s communication caught the scout’s -attention. The first thing concerned the deserter. - -“Captain Markham is wrong about Bascomb, Doyle,” averred Buffalo Bill. - -“I learn that Markham got his information pretty straight.” - -“It may seem straight, but it’s mightily tangled, for all that. -Bascomb is in that cave there”--the scout waved a hand toward the -cavern entrance--“and he lies on the floor with his boots on.” - -“Another surprise!” muttered Doyle. “Sure it’s Bascomb?” - -“Yes.” - -Doyle rose in his stirrups and looked back at his handful of troopers. - -“Any of you lads know Bascomb, otherwise Slocum, the deserter from -Fort Apache, by sight?” he demanded. - -“I do,” replied a grizzled trooper. - -“Go into that cave, Smith,” ordered Doyle, “and report whether the -fellow you find there is Bascomb.” - -Smith threw his reins to a comrade, slid down from his saddle, and -rattled into the cave. A minute later he rattled out: - -“It’s him, all right, leftenant,” said Smith. “I could pick him out -from among a thousand.” - -“Dead, is he?” - -“As a smelt.” - -Smith lurched back into his saddle. - -“That’s a job the government has been saved, at all events,” remarked -Doyle. “What can we do for you, Buffalo Bill?” he added. - -“Help us recover our horses,” said the scout. “That’s one thing. -After that, we’d like to have you help us find the Piute.” - -“Where are your horses?” - -“First off, Doyle, let me ask you if you know such a place as this.” - -The scout followed with a lengthy description of the valley and the -spring where the horses had been left. Before he had fairly finished, -Doyle cut him short. - -“Why, man,” cried the lieutenant, “you’re telling me about Pool -Spring Valley, our next port of call.” - -“I had an idea to that effect,” went on Buffalo Bill. “Well, -lieutenant, that is where our mounts were left. I’m hoping they’re -there now. If you can manage to give us a lift that far, perhaps -we’ll have horses of our own during our hunt for Cayuse.” - -“We can fix that, all right.” - -Doyle gave orders which caused two of the troopers to double up on -one horse. - -“There, Miss Dauntless,” said Doyle, “you’re to have that animal all -to yourself. Cody and Nomad will double with any two troopers they -select. Give ’em the saddles, boys,” Doyle added to his men. - -With three horses carrying double burdens, and with Dell riding -alone, the detachment presently took its way out of the pass. - -The scout, and the man at his saddle-cantle, rode stirrup to stirrup -with the lieutenant. While the latter pointed the way, and all eyes -watched sharply for hostiles, the shortest cut to Pool Spring Valley -was pursued, and talking went on apace. - -Buffalo Bill had things to say that opened Doyle’s eyes, and were -passed back and forth among the troopers with deep interest and -curiosity. - -Everything that had happened to the scout and the girl, from the time -they left Bonita to go to Tonio Pass, was gone over carefully. The -drugging of the spring, naturally, was the point that claimed most -attention. - -“That was Geronimo’s work, all right,” averred Doyle. “He’s a foxy -old red, and whenever he plays a card it’s usually a trump.” - -“How did he know we were going to stop at Pool Spring Valley?” -queried the scout. - -“He didn’t.” - -“Then why did he tamper with the water in the pool?” - -“That wasn’t for your benefit, Cody, if I’ve got this thing right. As -I said, a little while back, a few of the reds have broken away from -Geronimo, and I’ll bet the old rascal was properly mad when they did -it. The mutineers were to rendezvous in Pool Spring Valley. What more -natural, then, than that Geronimo should send a trusty warrior with a -bag of dope to fix Pool Spring before the mutineers got there? Say, -I’ll gamble my pile that’s exactly what old Geronimo did. It sounds -just like him. I’m only making a guess, but I flatter myself it’s -next door to the truth.” - -“Waugh!” spoke up the trapper. “I’ll bet et’s ther truth. Them reds -we seen, Buffler--the two thet was coyotin’ along ther trail, an’ -thet other lot thet was tossin’ away their arms--must er been the -mutineers. They was all locoed.” - -“You have made a good guess, lieutenant,” said the scout. “So far as -I am personally concerned, I am perfectly satisfied even if I never -get any other explanation. The pool was ‘fixed’ for the mutineers; -but I and my pards reached the valley in advance of the mutineers and -sampled old Geronimo’s dope and got away before the mutineers came. -They presented themselves later, and drank up all the drug we left.” - -“The way you tell me the dope acts,” said Doyle, highly pleased with -himself because of his theory, “sounds sort of fishy. Don’t mistake -me,” he went on hastily; “I don’t doubt your word, in the least. It’s -only that I never heard of any weed growing around these parts that -would act on man and beast in the way you describe.” - -“I presume there are medicinal herbs that would have such an effect,” -said the scout, “if properly stewed up and mixed with drinking-water. -Something had the effect, anyway, no matter whether it was herbs or -something else.” - -“Of course,” said Doyle. “Anyhow, I and my men will go dry in the -valley, you can bet heavy on that. When we get to the top of this -rise, Cody, you’ll be looking down on the place,” and Doyle waved his -gloved hand to a slope in from of them. - -The moment the scout and the girl had topped the crest, and had -flashed their eyes over the valley, they recognized the scene of -their weird experience. - -“There are horses down there, all right,” observed Doyle; “more than -a dozen of them. But I can’t make out a single human being.” - -“I can see Bear Paw and Navi,” said the scout, much gratified. “They -appear to be in the same place where they were picketed last night.” - -“And there’s Silver Heels!” cried Dell, clapping her hands. “More -luck, Buffalo Bill.” - -“For which,” laughed the scout, “we’re to thank Geronimo.” - -“I reckon, Buffler,” put in Nomad, who had been steadily eying the -group of horses, “that I’ll pick out thet big buckskin. I never seen -a better hoss than thet among these hyar Southwestern Injuns.” - -“Steady, there, boys!” called Doyle, lifting a pair of field-glasses -to his eyes. “I see some one coming this way. He’s taken one of the -horses, a pinto, and he’s galloping in our direction. ’Pon my soul, -Cody, I think it’s---- Here, take the glasses and look for yourself.” - -“I don’t need the glasses, lieutenant,” returned the scout. “I know -who it is. It’s Little Cayuse. He has hung around this valley ever -since last night, knowing full well that we’d come back after our -horses.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - PARTING WITH THE GIRL PARD. - - -The detachment, with Doyle and the scout and his pards in the lead, -rode down to meet Little Cayuse. - -The boy’s eyes were sparkling with excitement and satisfaction as -they roved from the scout to the girl, and from the girl to the -trapper. - -A halt was made when Navi came nose to nose with the leading mounts -of the detachment. - -“How?” called Cayuse, shaking hands with the scout and his pards, and -holding Nomad’s hand rather longer than he did the others. - -“How yerself, ye leetle fistful o’ glory?” demanded Nomad. “You an’ -me, Cayuse, hev got ter git tergether, afore long, an’ beg each -other’s parding. You done me a mean trick, an’ I done you ther same, -although neither o’ us meant et. Everythin’ hes turned out all ter -ther good, howsumever, so I reckons we kin call ther account square, -hey?” - -“Wuh,” answered Cayuse. - -“Where have you been since we separated, boy?” asked the scout, when -they were all riding on together toward the horses. - -“Water heap bad medicine,” said Cayuse. “Me forget heap lots about -last sleep; just begin to remember when sun come up. Me up on hill, -looking down in valley. See heap cayuse, plenty others more than Bear -Paw, Silver Heels, and Navi. No savvy so many cayuses. No see um -Injuns ’round, although plenty sure cayuses Apache cayuses. Me wait -on hill. Then me come down in valley. Pa-e-has-ka come for Bear Paw, -I know. So I stay.” - -“Is that all?” asked the scout. - -“Wuh!” - -Buffalo Bill was a little disappointed, as he had been hoping Cayuse -might be able to throw some light on the Apaches who had come to -the valley and had plainly drunk of the water in the pool. When the -mutineers had visited the place and put out their horses, however, -Cayuse had been under the influence of Geronimo’s drug himself. So it -was not to be supposed that he had discovered anything. - -When the detachment came near enough to give the Indian cayuses a -good sizing, Doyle sat back in his saddle and laughed loudly. - -“Say, but this is a caution!” he cried. - -“How do you mean?” - -“Why, I and my men bag these horses, Cody, see? We take them to -Bonita and keep them there. When the Apaches get over the effects -of the drugged water, they’ll come here to find their mounts--and -they’ll be disappointed. Nothing takes the tuck out of a renegade -like foot-work under a hot sun. Mark what I say, every last one of -this detachment of original reservation-jumpers will flock into Bowie -and give themselves up. Oh, I don’t know! There’s more ways than one -to skin a rabbit.” - -Further satisfaction was awaiting the scout and the girl, for they -discovered their riding-gear close to the place where they had left -it. Although it was quite evident that the gear had been overhauled -by the Apaches, nothing had been taken away. - -“Geronimo’s doctored water got in its work, Dell,” laughed the scout, -“before the Apaches could exercise reason enough to get away with our -horses and their trappings.” - -“Such a cross-play of fortune couldn’t happen more than once in a -thousand times!” declared Dell. - -“In er million, more like,” said Nomad, pawing over a lot of Indian -blankets to get the best one for the buckskin. “I got ter ride -without er saddle,” he went on, “till I git whar I kin buy one. -Some one o’ Geronimo’s bucks prob’ly has my own ridin’-gear by now. -’Course ther reds thet ambushed us stripped ther hoss.” - -“You can wager they did, Nomad,” returned Dell. “It takes an Apache -to tell a good saddle and bridle when he sees them.” - -“An’ et don’t take him long ter seize ’em, nuther, onless ye happen -ter be lookin’.” - -When Bear Paw, Silver Heels, and the buckskin were in readiness, and -while the troopers were collecting the Indian cayuses and stringing -them together, the scout and the lieutenant stood by the pool. - -It had filled to the brim, since the Apaches had paid their visit. - -“Geronimo must have had a powerful lot of dope put in there, Cody,” -said Doyle. “You and your party emptied the pool, didn’t you?” - -“Yes, nearly.” - -“It filled up again in time for the Apaches, and after they left it -has filled up and been running over. Probably there’s enough of the -drug in there now to put us out of balance if we took a drink. If I -didn’t have all these cayuses to look after, I’d be tempted to take a -swig.” - -“You’d be a mighty foolish man if you did,” admonished the scout. -“Better leave such things as this alone.” - -“I guess that’s right,” agreed Doyle, returning to his horse and -mounting. - -As he rode off, Buffalo Bill saw him cast a half-regretful look over -his shoulder at the pool. - -Late that afternoon, the scout and his pards, and the detachment, -rode into Bonita with the horses of the Apaches, and all hands were -able to take their fill of comfort and congratulate themselves on -their success in the work they had set out to accomplish. - - * * * * * - -But little more remains to be told, so far as the wind-up of the -scout’s work, in connection with the deserter, Bascomb, is concerned. - -The man was dead, and was no more to be reckoned with. - -As the scout had already informed Dell, he did not intend to take the -field against Geronimo, as there were plenty to do that. - -Buffalo Bill’s duty called him and Nomad and Little Cayuse to other -parts, and they could not long delay answering the call. - -The military telegraph between Bonita, Bowie, and Grant had been -repaired by the time the scout and his pards regained Bonita, and the -first message sent through by Colonel Grayson asked after Dell. - -Dell herself answered the message. Patterson, in a hospital at Bowie, -sent his report of the trip from Grant to Bonita, and it followed -closely on the heels of Dell’s message to the colonel. After hearing -of the girl’s daring and bravery, the colonel sent another telegram -to Dell, forgiving her for the way she broke out of Fort Grant, and -asking her to come back and finish her visit. - -But Dell did not go back. An opportunity offered for her to accompany -a detachment of troopers bound for Fort Whipple. As this detachment -would pass near the Double D Ranch, Dell decided to go along. - -The parting of the girl with Buffalo Bill, Nomad, and Cayuse was the -occasion of much regret for all. The plucky and daring Dell had won -her way to the hearts of the scout and his pards, and they hated to -lose her. - -“Perhaps,” said Dell, with a little catch in her voice, “we shall -meet up with each other again.” - -“Here’s hopin’, anyways, leetle ’un!” answered Nomad. - -“If you should ever need a lot of husky warriors like us, Dell,” -smiled the scout, “don’t forget to send us a call.” - -“Send um call, Yellow Hair,” put in the Piute boy; “you bet Little -Cayuse come, too.” - -Dell turned away her face and could not answer. The bugle had already -sounded “boots and saddles,” and a few moments later she rode off -down the cañon with the men bound for Whipple. - -“I’ve seen er hull lot er petticoat warriors, Buffler,” remarked -Nomad, following the retreating dust with moody eyes, “but I never -seen one ter match Dauntless Dell, o’ ther Double D.” - -“Nor I,” returned the scout. “She’s Class A among Western girls.” - -“Right you are,” said Doyle, who had drawn near. “Miss Dauntless has -been the hit of the piece that was pulled off here. You’re not going -after Geronimo, Cody, they tell me?” - -“There are enough after him as it is, Doyle.” - -“He’ll give ’em all the slip, mind what I’m telling you. After he -raids around in Mexico until he gets tired, he’ll let the soldiers -take him in and conduct him back to the reservation; then, when he -gets good and ready, he’ll break out again. He has got to have a -certain amount of excitement, every so often, in order to get along -and feel right.” - -“I’d like ter know what he put in thet pool,” said Nomad, firing up -his pipe. “Ther more I think o’ thet loco bizness, ther stranger et -gits.” - -“I don’t suppose anybody will ever find out, Nomad,” said Doyle. -“Geronimo knows a lot of things that he keeps to himself.” - -“Thet loco stuff must be one o’ them thar things, then, leftenant. -Ef ther gov’ment could find out what et is, an’ go round doctorin’ -all ther springs in the hills arter a gang o’ ’Paches break loose, et -wouldn’t be long afore them Injun fad fer jumpin’ ther reservation -would die out.” - -“That sounds well, Nomad,” laughed Doyle, “but I’m afraid the scheme -wouldn’t work, even if we knew the secret of Geronimo’s dope.” - -“Mebby et wouldn’t,” mused Nomad, “but I’d shore like ter try ther -stuff on some ’un.” - - - THE END. - - -No. 78 of the NEW BORDER STORIES, entitled “Buffalo Bill’s Private -War,” takes the reader through a wild series of adventure with -the great scout, in which the hairbreadth escapes are many and -interesting. - - - - - BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD - - ALGER SERIES - - Clean Adventure Stories for Boys - - Price, Fifteen Cents - - _The Most Complete List Published_ - - -The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger -wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best. - -Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His -work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a -quality, the value of which is beyond computation. - -There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being helped -along the road to true Americanism by reading these books which -are so peculiarly American in tone that the reader cannot fail to -absorb some of the spirit of fair play and clean living which is so -characteristically American. - -In this list are included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer upon -whose shoulders the cloak of Horatio Alger has fallen. They are books -of the Alger type, and to a very large extent vie with Mr. Alger’s -books in interest and wholesomeness. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1--Driven From Home By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 2--A Cousin’s Conspiracy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 3--Ned Newton By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 4--Andy Gordon By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 5--Tony, the Tramp By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 6--The Five Hundred Dollar Check By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 7--Helping Himself By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 8--Making His Way By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 9--Try and Trust By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 10--Only an Irish Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 11--Jed, the Poorhouse Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 12--Chester Rand By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 13--Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 14--Joe’s Luck By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 15--From Farm Boy to Senator By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 16--The Young Outlaw By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 17--Jack’s Ward By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 18--Dean Dunham By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 19--In a New World By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 20--Both Sides of the Continent By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 21--The Store Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 22--Brave and Bold By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 23--A New York Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 24--Bob Burton By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 25--The Young Adventurer By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 26--Julius, the Street Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 27--Adrift in New York By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 28--Tom Brace By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 29--Struggling Upward By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 30--The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 31--Tom Tracy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 32--The Young Acrobat By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 33--Bound to Rise By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 34--Hector’s Inheritance By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 35--Do and Dare By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 36--The Tin Box By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 37--Tom, the Bootblack By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 38--Risen from the Ranks By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 39--Shifting for Himself By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 40--Wait and Hope By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 41--Sam’s Chance By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 42--Striving for Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 43--Phil, the Fiddler By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 44--Slow and Sure By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 45--Walter Sherwood’s Probation By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 46--The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 47--The Young Salesman By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 48--Andy Grant’s Pluck By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 49--Facing the World By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 50--Luke Walton By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 51--Strive and Succeed By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 52--From Canal Boy to President By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 53--The Erie Train Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 54--Paul, the Peddler By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 55--The Young Miner By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 56--Charlie Codman’s Cruise By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 57--A Debt of Honor By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 58--The Young Explorer By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 59--Ben’s Nugget By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 60--The Errand Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 61--Frank and Fearless By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 62--Frank Hunter’s Peril By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 63--Adrift in the City By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 64--Tom Thatcher’s Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 65--Tom Turner’s Legacy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 66--Dan, the Newsboy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 67--Digging for Gold By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 68--Lester’s Luck By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 69--In Search of Treasure By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 70--Frank’s Campaign By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 71--Bernard Brook’s Adventures By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 72--Robert Coverdale’s Struggles By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 73--Paul Prescott’s Charge By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 74--Mark Manning’s Mission By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 75--Rupert’s Ambition By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 76--Sink or Swim By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 77--The Backwood’s Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 78--Tom Temple’s Career By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 79--Ben Bruce By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 80--The Young Musician By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 81--The Telegraph Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 82--Work and Win By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 83--The Train Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 84--The Cash Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 85--Herbert Carter’s Legacy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - - - - - 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 - 134--Buffalo Bill’s Twice Four Puzzle By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 135--Buffalo Bill and the Devil Bird By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 136--Buffalo Bill and the Indian’s Mascot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 137--Buffalo Bill Entrapped By Col. Prentiss Ingraham. - 138--Buffalo Bill’s Totem Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 139--Buffalo Bill at Fort Challis By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 140--Buffalo Bill’s Determination By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 141--Buffalo Bill’s Battle Axe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 142--Buffalo Bill’s Game with Fate By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 143--Buffalo Bill’s Comanche Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 144--Buffalo Bill’s Aerial Island By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 145--Buffalo Bill’s Lucky Shot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 146--Buffalo Bill’s Sioux Friends By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 147--Buffalo Bill’s Supreme Test By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 148--Buffalo Bill’s Boldest Strike By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 149--Buffalo Bill and the Red Hand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 150--Buffalo Bill’s Dance with Death By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 151--Buffalo Bill’s Running Fight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 152--Buffalo Bill in Harness By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 153--Buffalo Bill Corralled By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 154--Buffalo Bill’s Waif of the West By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 155--Buffalo Bill’s Wizard Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 156--Buffalo Bill and Hawkeye By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 157--Buffalo Bill and Grizzly Dan By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 158--Buffalo Bill’s Ghost Play By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 159--Buffalo Bill’s Lost Prisoner By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 160--Buffalo Bill and The Klan of Kau By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 161--Buffalo Bill’s Crow Scouts By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 162--Buffalo Bill’s Lassoed Spectre By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 163--Buffalo Bill and the Wanderers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 164--Buffalo Bill and the White Queen By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To Be Published in July, 1923. - - 165--Buffalo Bill’s Yellow Guardian By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 166--Buffalo Bill’s Double “B” Brand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - To Be Published in August, 1923. - - 167--Buffalo Bill’s Dangerous Duty By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 168--Buffalo Bill and the Talking Statue By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - To Be Published in September, 1923. - - 169--Buffalo Bill Between Two Fires By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 170--Buffalo Bill and the Giant Apache By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - To Be Published in October, 1923. - - 171--Buffalo Bill’s Best Bet By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 172--Buffalo Bill’s Blockhouse Siege By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 173--Buffalo Bill’s Fight for Right By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - To Be Published in November, 1923. - - 174--Buffalo Bill’s Sad Tidings By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 175--Buffalo Bill and “Lucky” Benson By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - To Be Published in December, 1923. - - 176--Buffalo Bill Among the Sioux By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 177--Buffalo Bill’s Mystery Box By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - +------------------------------------------------+ - | | - | THE WEST | - | | - | | - | Never, in the history of publishing, have | - | there been so many stories of the West | - | published in book and serial form. These | - | books are even reprinted in England to be | - | read there just as eagerly as they are sought | - | after here. | - | | - | Some of the best Western stories ever | - | written are listed in Buffalo Bill Border | - | Stories a list of which will be found on the | - | pages immediately preceding this. | - | | - | | - +------------------------------------------------+ - - - - - _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 - - The Table of Contents at the beginning of the book was created by - the transcriber. - - Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, - and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. - - Page 2: “A Congress of Rough-riders of the World” changed to “A - Congress of Rough Riders of the World”. - - Page 6: “prosperity for it’s” changed to “prosperity for its”. - - Page 8: “mornning” changed to “morning”. - - Page 16: “cried he girl” changed to “cried the girl”. - - Page 60: Single quote changed to double quote after “Wolf-killer!” - - Page 98: “a pile af amalgam” changed to “a pile of amalgam”. - - Page 114: “or back t’ th’ moine?’” Single quote changed to double - quote. - - Page 116: Period added after “et is ther same”. - - Page 143: “up the righ-hand fork” changed to “up the right-hand fork”. - - Page 163: “moccasions” changed to “moccasins”. - - Page 163: Deleted extra double quote after “ordinary run of squaws,”. - - Page 197: “Bernriter” changed to “Bernritter”. - - Page 213: “yours in mighty fetching!” changed to “yours is mighty - fetching!”. - - Page 245: Removed double quote before “Just here the Apache”. - - Page 247: “but I woudn’t take” changed to “but I wouldn’t take”. - - Page 258: “rife in helping” changed to “rifle in helping”. - - Page 273: Changed single quote to double quote after “agreeable - surprise”. - - Page 282: Removed extra double quote from “you an’ Dell” last. - Waugh!”. - - Page 315: Changed “Wild Bill Hicock” to “Wild Bill Hickok”. - - Ads: Extraneous commas in advertising pages deleted to properly align - table columns in electronic versions. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Buffalo Bill's Girl Pard, by -Colonel Prentiss Ingraham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUFFALO BILL'S GIRL PARD *** - -***** This file should be named 63176-0.txt or 63176-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/1/7/63176/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Susan Carr and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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