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DEVOTED

 

A WEEKLY PUBLICATIOI

 

[

TO BORDER HISTORY

 

 

Issued Weekly. By subscription $2.50 per year. Entered as Second-class Matter at the N. Y. Post Office, by STREET & SMITH, 79-59 Seventh Avenue,

4V. Y. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1906, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.

_ {& = Beware of Wild West imitations of the Buffalo Bill Stories. They are about fictitious characters. The Buféalo
Bill weekly is the only weekly containing the adventures of Buffalo Bill, (Col. W. F. Cody), who is known all.

over the world as the king of scouts.

Ne

No. 281.

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK, September 29, 1906. --

Price Five Cents.

ENGEANCE OF ALKALI PETE.

 

By the author of “BUFFALO BILL.”

CHAPTER 1,
THE TRAP IS SPRUNG.

‘A long-limbed, raw-boned, hatchet-faced man, clad in

ckskin, stood on a flat, open place deep in a cafion of
tte Rockies and complacently stroked his narrow chin,

on which grew a scanty beard of the color of sand.
‘resently he turned his sharp, light-blue eyes toward
fie little stream that flowed through the cafion. The
anks were lined with cottonwood and wild willow, with
uere and there a sycamore. Beyond the opposite bank
yas a shallow, thickly wooded ravine.

“’Pears ter be safe ernuff,” he said to himself, “Up
har no hoss or pony ever put a foot. No one would
link that ther Red Riders of Oso had a camp in that
avine. No one, did I say? Thar’s one man that might
ant us out. One man, an’ he’s a holy terror. I’ll never

vel safe until he is under ground.”

_ Finding a spot where the stream was narrow an
Jording an easy matter, the man crossed, and went up the
favine, Half an hour’s walk brought him to a cove in

'e side of the hill. It had been produced by a landslide,

nd was sheltered on three sides by high, precipitous

valls, ‘The open side faced the ravine.

Around the rough table three men were playing cards.
The newcomer, whose approach had been heralded by
a peculiar whistle, threw himself down on the ground
and waited for the game to come to an end.

Finally the cards were thrust aside, and one of the
men who had been playing said:

“What luck, Dan? Way open?” :

“Ther way is open, Phil, but thar’s something at the
upper end of it that plumb gives me a pain.”

“Soldiers?”

“Yes, but they don’t cut any ice. It’s an hombre
that’s with them that makes me wanter cuss, an’ cuss
hard. Buffalo Bill’s ther man. He waltzed inter camp
yesterday, an’ it’s shore my opinion that he’s arter us.”
_ “What makes ye think so? Ain’t he a-kyugling with
ther soldiers ‘bout half ther time? Ain’t he a gover’-
ment scout? . Yer feet air sitten cold, Dan. Better
watm ’em.”

“Ef ye knew as much about Buffalo Bill as I do ye
would haul in yer horns mighty pronto,’ gruffly replied
the other. “He’s chain lightning on wheels, an’ when he
lands on anything it is with both feet.”

“Do you think he’s suspicious that we are up this
way?” asked another member of the quartet. :

 
 

 

4 age.
| fat, red face, a wide mouth with a short upper lip, and.

 

oo: Dan ine his thin shoulders. “Ef we

ain’t a-bettin’ that he is, we may fall inter ther soup,”

he answered, “It ain’t business ter take any chances
when Buffalo Bill is within a hundred miles.”

The man called Phil, a heavily built ruffian, with a

bulldog face and simlet eyes looking out under shaggy
brows, seemed impressed by the earnest words of “the
newcomer. He Hehe a Ciparctic, took a few puffs,
and then said: :

“The soldiers have come to wait for the treasure-
wagon, that’s certain. An’ we can handle the soldiers
all right. The Injuns’ll manage that end of the game.
But—Buffalo Bill. That's shore a horse of another
color. He mightn’t be wool-pulled. He might take a
notion ter whisper a warnin’ word inter ther year of ther
commander. An’ then ag’in, he might stay by ther
wagon, an’ not foller with ther soldiers when. they waltz
off chasin’ Mountain Eagle an’ his redskin outht. Buf-

fler is a prize package on ther shoot, an’ fer one I don’t

keer ter squint inter ther muzzle of that thar rifle of
hisn if I can do tother thing, you hear me,’

“Ther treasure- wagon ought ter show up along ther
trail in about a week,” remarked Maricopa Dan, “an
a week might be filled plumb full o’ practical doin’s.” -

“They shore might,” assented Phil, with a keen look
at the other’s face.

“Ef I war ter suggest anything wu'th sugegestin’,”
pursued Dan, as he shifted a cud of tobacco from one
_ side of his cheek to the other, “it would be suthin’ in ther
“way of insinooatin’ of a spoke inter Buffalo William’s

wheels. Ef we could ser’ously impair his usefulness, so
ter speak, afore ther wagon hikes this way, it shore
would be nuts fer our scheme.”

‘Now yer oratin’, Dan,” said Phil emphatically. “Drag
yer think-works an’ see if ye can't collar an idee that
we can lick inter shape.” —

Maricopa Dan chewed vigorously for awhile, oe at
last said:

“T been a-thinkin’ that ef Buffler can be Refced out
this way we might drop onter him from ambush, ar’
then -preceed ter “limernate him, from ther face of ther

P year”:

“Think some more,” urged Phil; his gimlet eyes bat-
tine furiously. “Ye air doin’ well, fer a starter. Now,
yer hand’s good ter bet on, but yit it ain’t str ong enuff
ter make it invincible. Draw another keerd an’ see what
ye git’ :

For answer Maricopa Dan said quietly: “I hev got
it as sure as butter is grass. Buffler hev heerd of me,

but he never knowed me ter be mixed up with sich

fellers as you, an’ Jim, an’ Mealy Mouth is. He knows

| Tm a gambler, an’ ther last he seen of me was up in

Deadwood two year ago. That bein’ so, I’m ther boy
ter play a trick onto him. I ean’t play it alone. Vil
hev ter hev three of Mountain Eagle’s braves ter help
me out. Ill not tell Eagle ther hull business, fer he
might git it inter his head that I needed a little toma-
-hawkin’. He hev twenty braves, an’ I reckon he. can

| spare three an’ not miss ’em.’

The speaker chuckled, and Phil. Ladue tried to puzzle
4 out the meaning of his words. Jim and Mealy Mouth,
| the two other members of the eang of outlaws, frowned
| when Maricopa Dan paused to bite off a fresh chew of
tobacco.
_ Jim Hawky was undersized, stocky, and had a

OTHE. ‘BUFF ALO.

They were brothers and only a year apart in ©

BILL STORIES.

an immense Roman nose. He had an ugly: disposition,
and when he smiled and showed his teeth he was flying
a danger signal. When his countenance was in repose.
‘he was harmless, but when ay smile came, look out for
squalls.

Mealy Mouth Hawky de no outward resemblance to
Jim. He was above the medium: height and rather slen-
der in build, His face was womanish, and he had a
small mouth, even teeth, and eyes of violet. He was
something of a dandy, and always presented a much
neater appearance than any of his comrades. On account
of his soft, gentle voice and his affectation he had been
_ given the sobriquet Mealy Mouth. He was utterly with-
out honor, treacherous, cruel, and intensely. selfish.

His given name was Henry, but he was never called
by it.

“If you will te ind enough to come to the point,”
he softly drawled, with his eyes on Maricopa Dan’s face, |

“vou will confer a favor on your esteemed humble serv-
ant, What are you. driving at?’

“When ye know ye’ll find yell hev suthin’ ter ae
‘returned Dan, with another of his chuckles. “I know
ye hev been wantin’ ter git busy fer a week. Flere’s
yer. chance,”

He then proceeded to unfold his scheme for the undo-
ing of Buffalo Bill.

“And while he was talking the king of scouts was con-
vetsing with Lieutenant Mortimer in the latter’s ee
ters some ten miles away.

The camp was located on a hee ridge es
two ravines. Buffalo Bill had been giving advice. ‘The
lieutenant thoughtfully pondered it.

“You are sure,’ the officer said,
tain Eagle that you saw?”

“Sure. He was out of rifle-range, or I might } nave...
had his body: to show you. “But my eyes are good, avd
I made no mistake. He is here in these hills, and the
Red Riders of Oso are with him. That goes without
saying, for Mountain Eagle and his twenty braves have
been operating with Phil Ladue’s gang for months.
what is the natural deduction? The outlaws and the
Indians are waiting for the coming of the treasure-
wagon. Ladue could easily have learned that the wagon,
bound for Fort Hastings with government money for the
soldiers of that post, left Leavenworth ten days ago. |

“And he must also have learned that my command has

at it was i

been detailed to act as escort from this point. Would
he not be a fool, then, to attack the wagon! Pee ore
“With the soldiers alongside of it, yes, But Ladue

is cunning, and he has a cunning assistant, Mealy Mouth
Hawky. My word for it, they have, between them,

cooked up some scheme to get the better of the soldiers.

I wish I knew where the Red Riders are holding out.
if I did we could descend on them before the arrival
of the wagon.

ot have scouted some since we have been here, and
-Tam going out again this afternoon. Like as not Ladue
_has spies watching this camp all the time.”

The king of scouts had been detailed by the general

commanding the district to accompany Lieutenant Mor-
_ timer, and much was expected of him.

Buffalo Bill felt his responsibility, and there was a
shadow on his handsome face as he set forth that after-
noon to prospect the country beyond the camp. |

He followed the hogback to its southern end and then
descended into the hollow at the foot of it.

 

And Ag

Here the .

        

  
  
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

  
 

 
 

     
 
 

   
  

trail followed the stream which flowed through a deep
cafion that ended at the hogback.
After journeying a short distance up the cafion he
caught sight of a slender figure hurrying away from him.
The king of scouts instantly recognized the runner
as Mealy Mouth Hawky. He, then, was the spy sent out
_by Phil Ladue, and he had probably discovered the de-
parture from the camp of the enemy now coming up the
cafion.
Buffalo Bill increased his speed. He did not belfeve
Mealy Mouth suspected that he had been seen. There
{ . was the chance, then, that the outlaw might be followed
@ ___ to the rendezvous of the gang.
Some rocks presently hid the outlaw from view. Ar-
 fiving at them, the king of scouts looked along the trail,
_which for a quarter of a mile could be plainly seen, but

 

\g  _there was no sign of the outlaw.
Ee He had mysteriously disappeared and had left no trace
fy behind.

no purpose. There were no footprints, but there was
an abundance of rocks. Upon and over these the spy

might have made his escape.

_ On one side of the cafion, high, impassable walls arose.

The spy could not have gone up there. On the other side

there were rocks and brush.

After studying the situation for a few moments Buf-
falo Bill concluded that Mealy Mouth Hawky had gone

4 up the bank, and, hidden by the brush, had proceeded far

enough to permit a safe return to the trail. In this
belief the scout continued to follow the trail.

Half an hour’s travel brought him to a pile of boulders
f that formed the northern boundary of a level piece of
a ground about forty feet square. He was out of sight of

‘VB she level place and was about to essay the climb of the
. ae when he heard voices beyond, coming from the
} at.

One of the voices was that of a white man, and it was

@® charged with hoarse, excited supplication.

7 _ “Fer Heaven’s sake!’ it said, “don’t hang me. Put a

™ — bullet inter me an’ hev done with it.”

. An Indian, an Arapahoe, answered in his native

i tongue: “The Great Spirit has spoken. White men’s way

a for white devils.” -

| “Great Spirit nothing!” snarled the white man. “Why

A don’t ye be honest an’ say that ther Red Riders com-

-- Way ~-smanded ye ter hang me?”

Vi There was no reply to this, and the white man went on:

i 6©6- “Ye know Phil Ladue put ye up ter this. Ye know I had
a row with him an’ threatened ter give him an’ his whole

__ thievin’ outfit away an’ ‘that he sent me a-packin’, and at

a "the same time sent ye an’ yer pards arter me ter do me

a up. ‘

_ Buffalo Bill listened no longer. Cautiously he climbed
- up on one of the boulders until he could look over it and
into the flat. What he saw aroused both his indignation
and his combativeness. .

_ At the farther end of the flat stood a white man witha
tiata around his neck. The other end of the rope was in
| the hands of an Indian. This Indian was up a tree di-
if... rectly over the victim, and in the tree were two other

Indians. It was evidently the intention of the redskin
trio to throw the slack end of the rope over a branch,
|» and, when the proper time came, to draw up the man
until he should be suspended between earth and sky.

i. : Buffalo Bill scanned the ground all about the rocks, to

rf

  
  
 

a Ka

      
  
 

   

 

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES. | 3

The time came a moment after the king of scouts
had taken in the scene.

The rope was thrown over a branch and the three
Indians began to pull, and at the same time the victim
let out a screech that could have been heard a mile away. —

‘Then the scout’s rifle spoke. Crack! crack! crack!
and from the tree fell three dead Arapahoes. The first
shot caused the Indians to drop the riata, and when Buf-
falo Bill leaped from the boulder to the ground he found
the white man dancing a jig. Pe a

“Bully for you, old hoss,’ he shouted, in the exuber-
ance of his delight. “You sartinly take the persimmon.”

Buffalo Bill removed the rope from the white man’s
neck, and then said: “I have never met you, but you
answer the description of a gambler who used to hang
out in Deadwood. His name was Maricopa Dan.”

‘An’ that’s shore my handle,” responded the other.
Then he added, with a -heartiness so admirably assumed
that it deceived the scout: “It ain’t easy to mistake you.
Thar’s but one Buffalo Bill, an’ you’re ther man. Put it
there, an’ consider me yer friend fer life.’

The king of scouts shook hands with the deceiver and
then asked an explanation of the scene he had witnessed.

“It's a case 0 git even,’ was the ready reply. “I’m
ashamed ter say it, but for a month I been herdin’ with
Phil Ladue an’ his gang. I never what ye might say
teg larly belonged ter ther measly outfit—I war just
hidin’ in among ’em. Thar’s a card-sharp‘over in Denver
swore ter hev my life fer runnin’ off with a dame he’d
taken a shine to, an’ as my pistol-arm hev been bad fer
six weeks, I concluded to seek some quiet spot an’ git well
afore ‘lowin’ Gunnison Joe ter take a shot at me. As
luck would have it I bumped up agin’ Phil Ladue on
ther road ter Poso Chine, an’, havin’ known him years
ago in Chicago, I war mighty glad ter see him. He said
he war lyin’ low an’ had no use fer policemen an’ Uncle
Sam’s boys, an’ if I wanted ter stay in his camp awhile
he'd be pleased ter hev me.

“I war shore enough pleased, an’ I moseyed along with
him. JI found he was ther captain of a band of outlaws
that had-all been killed off but three. He didn’t ask me
ter jine, an’ I wouldn’t hev j’ined ef he had asked me.
One day we played keerds an’ I’ll be squashed ef Phil
didn’t try ter double-cross me. ‘Tried plain robbery on |
his old friend. What do ye think o’ that?”

The king of scouts smiled at the speaker’s indigna-
tion. As yet no suspicion that Maricopa Dan was telling
him a fairy-tale had entered his mind.

“I riz up onto my hind legs when I spotted the work,
an’ handed Phil one atween tle eyes. Fer five minutes we
had it hot an’ heavy. I shore would have done him up
ef it hadn’t been fer a measly stan’-up-an’-take salts they
call Mealy Mouth Hawky. He lit onto my backbone
an’ held me while Phil put ther kibosh to me.”

“When did this happen?” questioned Buffalo Bill. _

“A week ago. Fer twenty-four hours I war kep’.a
prisoner, an’ then Phil turned me loose an’ told me ter
make quick time in gettin’ out of ther Territory. I war
hoppin’ mad at ther time, an’ I cussed him up hill an’ ~
down dale. I told him I'd bust up his gang ef I had ter
spend ten year a-doin’ of it. He didn’t say anything, but
ther dern pirate acted. He sent them ’Rapahoes arter
me. He’d been collogin’ with Mountain Eagle, an’ it
war easy fer him ter git ther redskins. It war lucky you
came when ye did. In another minute I’d ha’ been a dead
 

| and bruises.

 

co THE BUFFALO.

one. An’ that reminds me. What yer doin’ down this
wa’ 27?
- ay am looking for the rendezvous of the Red Riders of
‘ : Oso. 33

 Lher dickens ye be!
want er tie to.”

ooo te all right, my friend. You know where the
camp is, [ suppose ?”

“T can lead ye to it inside of an hour.
three mile from here.”

“Then take me to it. JI want to locate it, and to-
morrow I'll lead the soldiers to the spot. There is a
troop of cavalry on the Cimarron hogback.”

“Good! an’ we’ll hev work fer ’°em to-morrow, shore
as shootin’.”

In a short time the king of scouts and his guide were
on their way to the outlaw’s camp.

_ They had traveled about three-quarters of an hour,
and were still in the cafion, when Maricopa Dan lowered
his yoice to a whisper.

“We're close to ther place,” he said.
cautious now.’

_ Presently they came to a narrow point of the canon,
| so narrow that to keep to the trail they had to proceed

| single file.

} Upon either side the chappardl erew shicte among the
\_rocks, and Buffalo Bill was looking up the hill and noting
the many fine hidine-places, when a lasso settled about
his neck and he was jerked roughly to the ground.
The next moment he was set upon by a score of Indians
and outlaws.

{ . He could make but a poor resistance on account of the
| pressure of the lasso about his windpipe, but he did the
best he could. At last he was beaten into insensibility.

Then I’m ther huekieberty ye

“Move mighty

CHAPTER IL
BUFFALO BILL IN AL TIGH D. PLACE,

An hour after the attack and capture Buffalo Bill
} Opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground in 4d little
| hollow near the summit of a rocky ridge. About him
| were grouped the four members of the gang commanded

ag by Phil Ladue, and over a dozen Arapahoes.

The king of scouts had been roughly used. His head
ached and “he was sore from more than a score of cuts
_But his brain was clear, and he at once
realized the critical condition in which he was placed. .
_ His eyes swept the faces around him, and then rested
coldly on that of Maricopa Dan.

“You played your cards very well,’ he said.

“T reckon,” was the chuckling reply. “You had started
out to find our camp, an’ ye run acrost three of Mountain
‘Eagle’s braves. If ye hadn’t surprised ‘em, ye never
would ha’ got away with the works. I war out huntin’
‘with my pards an’ some Arapahoes, an’ got thar in time
to settle your hash, Pity. ye slaughtered those Injuns,
though.
ther matter. Says he’s “shore goin’ ter git even.’
"Doesn't he know just what “occurred ? That you de-

_liberately sacrificed the lives of the three braves?”
Maricopa Dan put on an expression of amazement.
“Ye must hev bugs in yer idee factory,” he said. “Moun-
tain Eagle knows what happened, an he ain’t ready. ter
listen ter no romances.’

as Bill did not pursue the subject. He saw that

‘BILL

It ain’t more’n

Mountain . Eagle’s powerful worked ‘up over

oe

STORIES.

‘his words would have no effect upon the inde of the
Indians, who had accepted without question the story of
the crafty and unscrupulous outlaw. In order to carry
out the plan he had arranged he had permitted the killing
of three Arapahoes. ° Why had he done this? Why
had he not so planned the trick that the king of scouts
would have been killed by the gang in ambush: These
questions were answered after the Indians had with-
drawn from the hollow.

Phil Ladue furnished the light that was needed,

“IT could have had you killed without losin? a man,
white or copper-face, but that didn’t suit. You're booked
ter go, all right, but afore we sets ther ball rollin’ that'll
send you ter “kingdom come, we plots ter have some fun
with you. You have been a thorn in our sides fer many
a year, an’ now we've got you we want ter make ther
most of ther gettin’. Say, you’re ther mouse an’ we rep-
ersent the cat. D’ye rope ther idee?”

“And you expect that my death will leave you a clear .
field to the robbery of the treasure- “wagon, do you?”

“That's my expectation, Willidm,” composedly re-
sponded the captain of the outlaws.

“You forget the soldiers. You haven’t men enough
to cope with Mortimer’s force.”

“Won't have ter cope with ’°em. Ther soldiers won't —
be with ther wagon when we swoops down on it.”

“Not on yer hackamore,” put in Maricopa Dag. 7A
part of ‘em will be out huntin’ you, an’ Mountain Eagle
will attack what’s left of ’em arter Pye got in my little.
monkey work, ther kind that walked your log, Buffer,”

“And what is your littl game, if I may ask?’

“Didn't I tell ye? Ill shore lead ‘em into’a trap. Ef
we git Mortimer alive, we'll send you’n him off together.”

The villain would not go into details, but it was evident
from his expression that he had the utmost confidence in
the scheme he had concocted. eed

Buffalo Bill was not informed of the manner of death
that was in store for him. That it was one developed
through devilish ingenuity he made no doubt.

The outlaws drew aside and consulted together, and
alter a time the king of scouts was left alone with Mealy
Mouth Hawky.

Buffalo Bill’s wounds, mainly in the shape of bruises
and cuts, had been carefully and skilfully attended to,
and but for the pressure of the cords about his wrists and
ankles he would have stood stoically the physical suffering
that the brutal attack on him had entailed. :

“T don’t suppose my request will be favorably corfi-”
sidered,” he said to his. guard, “but if you would loosen
these cords a little so as to permit the blood to circulate,
I would like it.”

Mealy Mouth Hawky grinned, and shook his head.

“Afraid of me, are you? Afraid, with that revolver

and that knife of yours, and me, Bae and sore and un-.

armed?” sneered the prisoner. “I am surprised. I al-
ways imagined that you were anything but a coward.”
The outlaw’s face flushed. “I am not a coward,” he ©
replied, “but at the same time | am no fool.”
“Would it make you a fool to do as I have asked?”
“Sure. You're tied up for keeps, and if I should loosen
your cords you might be able to get out of them.”
“How could I with you watching me? Am I such a
terrible proposition that you dare not face me with all the
advantage on your side? Own up, Hawky. You are
afraid of me. You know you are.a weak sister, and that
I am able to stand up against a dozen such whipper-snap-

 
oe Bilt

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES. a .

pers as you are. I said a moment ago that you were no_

coward. That was pure sarcasm. You are packing a
chicken heart. You haven't the courage to fight a flea.
Why, I would not be in your shoes for a million dollars.
I would rather be changed to a coyote. A coyote knows
how to bark. You haven’t spirit enough to snarl. How
did you come to be an outlaw? Probably tried to steal
the lunch from some five-year-old schoolboy, and when
a policeman started after you, your feet made tracks
for the other side of the world and came to a stop when
you struck these hills. Come here and let me look at you.
_ I could blow you over with one breath, but if you'll be
‘good, I won’t hurt you.”

Mealy Mouth Hawky gnashed his teeth as these in-
sulting words fell from the prisonet’s lips. He clenched
his hands in impotent rage. ce

“I’ve a good mind to kill you where you lay,” he hissed.
. “Why don’t you?” was the cool, sneering reply. “Such
_ a proceeding would be quite in keeping with your char-
_ acter. You are a sneak as well as a coward. You dare
not meet your enemy in fair fight. You would steal
on him and stab him in the back. Bah! I am wasting
_ time talking to such poor trash as you represent. If I
were running this Red Rider outfit, | would swap you
for a jackass and then turn the jackass loose.”

» The outlaw arose—he had been sitting on the ground—
and with features convulsed with furious passion walked
to the side of the prostrate king of scouts. His impulse
was to give his enemy a vicious kick, but he restrained
himself, and instead stooped and began to loosen the
cords that bound the prisoner.

Buffalo Bill, on his side with his face turned away
from the outlaw, smiled while the operation was being
_ performed.

Having done what the king of scouts had requested,
Mealy Mouth Hawky walked away a few feet and again
sat down.

He did not speak. He felt that it was Buffalo Bill’s
turn to say something.

“Much obliged,’ said the scout, as he turned over and
fixed his eyes on the scowling countenance of the out-
law. “Of course, you understand that I did not mean all
I said awhile ago. Really, you are not such a bad fel-

fiw aiter all. s

“T am not fishing for compliments,” surlily returned
the outlaw. “I have shown you that I am not afraid of
you. Let it go at that.” He lit a cigarette and began to
smoke, .
“Where have your comrades gone?” questioned Buffalo

“To work a little scheme on Lieutenant Mortimer,

- Maricopa Dan gave you an idea of it.”

“Will it be worked to-day ?”

“If Dan’s brain is worth anything, it will.”
_ Buffalo Bill frowned. The outlaw laughed. “Wouldn’t
_ you like to be on the road to stop the scheme?” he
chuckled. “Oh, wouldn’t you? I am betting that you are

_ not in a very pleasant frame of mind.”
. “Will you kindly take yourself out of my sight for a
little while?’ The words were snapped out, and Mealy
_ Mouth Hawky haw-hawed for answer. Buffalo Bill had
no hope that he would be able to induce the outlaw to go
_ away even for a moment, but he purposely emphasized the
state of mind he was in by rolling over and over on
_ the ground and puncturing the atmosphere with some
_ strong language.

And while engaged in this writhing exercise he made 4

strenuous efforts to further loosen his bonds. The out-
law watched his prisoner with an amused smile. o
“Trying to get loose, are you?” he asked, in a soft,
even voice. “Hope you will succeed. Then I’ll have the —
pleasure of introducing to your attention the bark of this
little bulldog of mine. The boys expect to find you
alive when they return, but I may be obliged to disap-
point them.” |
‘Mealy Mouth Hawky had quite recovered his ordinary

coolness. He now seemed to take a delight in the situa-

tion, but he would have been surprised had he known
that Buffalo Bill had succeeded in releasing one of his
hands. ie

But the hand was not raised. It remained pressed
on the other while the scout waited for the moment when
he might make effective use of it.

On his stomach, with his hands concealed, Buffalo
Bill replied to the last remark of his guard:

“Iam not hunting bullets this afternoon. I am get-
ting wise to the fact that a man on the ragged edge of
death would be a fool not to take advantage of any op-
portunity that promised safety.”

“What are you figuring on?” -regarding the scout
suspiciously.

“On making a deal with Phil Ladue,’ was the quiet
reply. “If 1 will give my word not to bother the gang, to
leave the West for good and all and go back to my old
home in Iowa and stay, I think he would turn me loose,
don’t you?”

“Are you in earnest?” asked Mealy Mouth Hawky
eagerly.

“A man ought to be in earnest when he stands, or
rather lies, in my position, hadn’t he?”
Deceived by the earnestness of the words, the outlaw
said quickly: “I believe Phil would let you go. Your

word counts in these hills.”

This admission was made grudgingly, but it was none
the less sincere. The king of scouts kept a straight face _
while Mealy Mouth Hawky gazed soberly into it. He
was playing a crafty game, and it behooved him to make
each move with caution.

“I have been longing for many months to quit the life
I’ve been leading for the past fifteen years,” he went on. —
“I have put away a little money, and it’s time to think _
of settling down. I know what farming is, and I am
ready to take it up and leave scouting and Indian-fightine
to the youngsters.” _ :

“Tam a farmer myself,” said the outlaw. ae

“That so? Then you'd better pull out and come along
with me.” a

“After what you have said about me?” ;

“That was nothing.” The scout laughed heartily. “IT.
hope you don’t cherish animosity for what a man in my
circumstances would naturally say. Put yourself in my
place, and your offense will take wings.”

The outlaw looked steadily at the smiling prisoner for
some time. More than half-convinced of the truth of
the statement Buffalo Bill had made, he was earnestly —
debating the proposition to become a farmer, when the

king of scouts said familiarly: “Hawky, you have been o

enjoying yourself for some time while I have been a suf- —
fering spectator. I am dying for a smoke,

“Certainly,” was the prompt response. . a
The cigarette was produced, and the outlaw, all thought

 

Couldn't 33)
you put a cigarette between my lips and light it for me?”
 

tT ESL.

   

eo 9 THE BUFFALO

of danger gone for the moment, stepped to Buffalo Bill’s
side, and, stooping, placed the cigarette between the
scout’s lips.

As he did so he met with the surprise of his life. Out
came one of Buffalo Bill’s arms and quickly following it
came the other. They encircled the outlaw’s body in a
sickening squeeze, and Mealy Mouth Hawky was thrown
over on his back with his adversary on top of him. His

arms were enclosed, and he could make no use of them.
Struggle he did, but it was like the struggle of an in-
fant in the arms of its mother,

Soon Buffalo Bill drew out one of his hands and with
it removed his enemy’s revolver and knife. A little cho-
king made Mealy Mouth Hawky for a moment powerless
for harm. The moment was sufficient for the scout’s pur-

_pose. With the knife he cut the cords which held his
ankles.

A few minutes later the positions of the two men were
reversed. Mealy Mouth Hawky lay on the ground, bound
hand and foot, while near him, with limbs free, sat the
king of scouts, smoking a cigarette.

“Mealy Mouth,” said the scout complacently,
a fool. Think so, yourself, don’t you?”

The disgruntled outlaw looked murder, but his lips

did not open.

 -*Tt is now close upon dark,” pursued Buffalo Bill. “As
_| you won't probably tell where I can find the Indians
and outlaws who are preparing to ensnare Lieutenant
| Mortimer, it behooves me to get a move on if I expect to
} come upon them to-night. I'll have to leave you here.
| I would like to take you along with me, so we could
| contiiue our interesting talk on farming, but it can’t be
done. I think you are in a condition for a few hours’
After the lieutenant and I have squared accounts
| with the redskins and the Red Riders, I will come back
for you. So good-by for the present. While I am away
, think of Iowa and the delights of the corn-field.”

| _ Buffalo Bill limbered up as he followed the trail of
| the enemy.

| It was his plan to locate the Indians and outlaws, and
| then push on to the camp of the cavalry and notify the
| lieutenant of his discoveries.

| He had gone but a mile when his quick ear caught the
| sound of approaching footsteps.

“you are

 

Some one was coming along the trail, and the convic-

tion was flashed upon the mind of the scout that the on-
comer was either an Indian or a Red Rider sent back to
see if all were right at the camp.

Concealing himself in the bushes, he waited for a sight
of the enemy.

It was an Arapahoe who came stealing along the trail.

He was a tall, powerfully built fellow with a hideously
painted face.

As he looked, the scout’s eyes glistened. A plan had
come to him. It was feasible, and if luck favored him in
the coming encounter he would try it.

The Arapahoe stopped before he came opposite the
hiding-place of his enemy. He had seen the mark of alien
feet in the trail ahead of him. His alert mind instantly
grasped the truth. The enemy was hidden and near
him. There was a large tree on one side of the path,
and he sprang behind it.
movement, and knew he would find his work more diffi-

cult than he had anticipated.
_ With revolvers ready each waited for a sight of some
ae of the body of the other. Moments passed and

 

BILL STORIES.

Buffalo Bill witnessed the —

   
 

   

neither moved his position. At last the king of scouts
made up his mind to a bold and risky action.
Springing from his place of shelter, he faced the In-
dian and fired. The bullet struck the Arapahoe’s left
arm, breaking the bone near the elbow. The pistol in the
redskin’s right hand was instantly exploded, but the bul-
let missed its mark. Quick as a flash Buffalo Bill seized
the uninjured arm and wrested the revolver from it. A

struggle for life and death followed.

The Arapahoe was a foeman worthy of the science
and strength of the king of scouts. For a moment they
swayed back and forth in a close embrace. Then, as their
feet became interlocked, they fell to the ground, the In-
dian uppermost. But Buffalo Bill was as supple as he
was strong. With a mighty effort he threw his foe over
on the right side, so that he had no use of either arm.

The Arapahoe had at his waist a tomahawk. Buffalo
Bill tried to get possession of it, and in the effort he
slightly relaxed his grasp. Taking instant advantage

of his opportunity, the Indian again became uppermost.

Buffalo Bill now lay on the ground, with the Arapa-
hoe’s knees on his breast. The tomahawk was seized, and,
raising it, the king of scouts might have been brained
if something unlooked for had not happened,

A pistol cracked, and the Arapahoe fell over with a
bullet in his brain.

Buffalo Bill sat up and looked at his rescuer.

“Alkali Pete, by all that’s sweetening !”

The tall, lanky, homely-faced plainsman, partner of
the king of scouts in many a strenuous campaign, stepped
forward, a smoking revolver in his hand,

“Buffer, is it? Waal, I reckoned it mout be a feller
Citizen. of about yer size. Glad ter meet yer” Livin
yerabout?”

With a laugh of joy he seized the right hand of his
old comrade and squeezed it heartily.

 

CHAP TAR lit,
HAND TO HAND.

Never were two men more pleased to meet than Buf-
falo Bill and Alkali Pete.

“Did you drop from the clouds, Pete?” said the king
of scouts, as he gazed affectionately into the face of his
friend. “I have wanted you for days, and when I wanted

you most, behold! there you were.’

“Not hevin’ a balloon an’ bein’ shy on wings, I can’t”
say as I drapped none, Buffler. I shore kem straight
from ther camp.’ 4

“What brought you to the camp?’

“Want, o’ suthin’ ter do. I hearn ye war with ther
troop an’ I smelled a scrap. So on I moseyed from
Laramie, hittin’ ther camp ’bout an hour arter you hed Mt
out ter do some scoutin’,”

“How did you guess I was on this trail?”

“Didn't guess, war told.”

“Told?” looking at the lanky plainsman in astonish-
ment. “Who could have told you?”

_ “A thievin’, hatchet-faced son of a coyote called Mari-

copa Dan. He onlimbered an’ spit out ther hull business.”

Buffalo Bill’s astonishment grew greater. “Where did
you meet the fellow, and how did you get him to talk?”
he eagerly questioned.

Alkali Pete grinned.
do no talkin’ ter me.

“T didn’t meet him an’ he didn’t
Want ter know how it war, I

   

 

 
 

 

THE BUFFALO

reckon. Waal, [ll tell ye. Ef I hed taken your route
arter leavin’ camp I moutn’t hev struck Dan. But I
_ didn’t go your way, an’ so not an hour ago I kem mighty
nigh runnin’ inter a mob of Arapahoes an’ Red Riders.
_ They war comin’ toward me, an’ makin’ no noise. Lucky
I seen ’em in time. I hiked inter ther bushes, expectin’
that they would go by. But they didn’t, an’ that’s
whar I score a big p’int. They squatted down on ther
trail not far from whar I war hid an’ took a rest. Pooty
_ soon Maricopa Dan an’ Phil Ladue—I know ther rap-
scallion—got ter talkin’. Dan allowed as how he could
go ter camp an’ by repersentin’ that he war an escape
from the camp of ther Red Riders, that ye hed rescued
him, an’ that he hed come from you, could induce ther
lieutenant ter send out a detachment of his men ter cap-
_ ture ther outlaw outfit. Ther job is ter be worked ter-
night an’ the soldiers are ter be led inter a trap an’
“massacreed,”’ .

Buffalo Bill heard this statement with visible uneasi-
ness. :

“Pete,” he said quickly, “I should like to hear all your
story, but now is not the time to continue it. We must
hurry on and warn the lieutenant.”

“Hold on, hold on, Buffler. Don’t get excited. Thar’s
no rush. Ther Arapahoe an’ Red Rider outfit is lyin’
low not three miles from here, an’ ther soldiers won’t
leave ther camp until two o’clock in ther mornin’.”

"pune Oo thaty:

“That’s ther plan. Squat down thar an’ hear me out.

‘We shore hev got time. Whilé I whar in ther bushes
ther hull scheme was gone over. Dan is ter go ter ther
camp an’ tell ther lieutenant that ther right time ter ketch
ther gang is just afore daylight. That’s ther time when
they will be sleepin’ ther soundest. See?”

Ves.) Go: on. ;

“Dan is ter put this up as your plan, Buffler. He is
simply actin’ as your agent or messenger.”

“And when is he to go to the camp?”

“He’s gone by this time,”

“Did you wait until the gang had moved on?”

“I shore did. They war ter git in ambush half a mile
on, an’ when they war all settled Dan was ter p’int fer
camp. It’s now “bout seven o’clock. So, ye see, we hev
plenty of time ter git in our work an’ spile Mister Dan’s
little game.”

_ “We may and we may not have time, Pete,” returned

~--« Buffalo Bill soberly. ‘The plan may have been changed.

You don’t know what was said just before Maricopa Dan
started for camp. We mustn’t take any chances, Come
on. Let’s move,’
“ALL right; ye air boss. Anyway, we kin queer that
_ air massacree. Ef we should be too late ter warn ther
lieutenant, we kin take a hand when ther ambushin’ is
goin’ on. Mebbe ef we do, ther ambush won’t pan out
ther way them redskin an’ Red Rider skunks air figurin’.”
_. “If we strike camp too late, how are we going to in-
_ terfere in the ambush scheme?” —s_—>
“We'll know afore we hit camp, ef we do, whether or
not ther time fer ther masacree hev been changed. We’ll
sneak on ther rondyvoo of ther achin’-ter-be massacreers,
an’ mebbe they'll tell us what ther peppergram is.”
“That’s a good idea, Pete, but I think I have a better

| _. one. Before you arrived, and just after I had got a sight
| of the Indian you killed, I had formed the plan of dress-

_ ing myself in that redskin’s togs and going into the camp
_ of the red and white devils. Now that you are here and

  

 

BILL STORIES.

 
  

  
  

     

have given me the lay of the land there is stronger
reason than ever why I should carry out my intention.
Here is what I propose: I will play Arapahoe and enter
the camp of the enemy while you go on and warn the
lieutenant. If he has already started, you may meet him
on the way. By this plan we will make sure that the am-
bush will not pan out as planned.”

“Ye air sartinly good at schemin’, Buffler,” responded
Alkali Pete, “an’ I plays ther hand ye’ve passed ter me.”

Buffalo Bill worked with rapidity. After he had

donned the dead Indian’s garments he proceeded to paint

his face after the manner of the slain Arapahoe. The
pigments were found in a bag hung from the victim’s
neck. After the operation had been finished, the king of

Scouts was so well disguised that Alkali Pete was loud

in his commendation,

An hour later the two scouts were close upon the spot
selected for the ambush. It was a little hollow with
boulders ‘on either side. The trail led through the hollow.
and the Indians and outlaws were to be concealed be-
hind the boulders. When the soldiers entered the hollow
the massacre was to begin.

The scouts parted, Alkali Pete to make his way to —
the camp of the cavalry and Buffalo Bill to go forward to
the hollow.

, The king of scouts counted on the darknéss to greatly
favor his scheme of deception. He could speak the In-
dian language, and he hoped after stating briefly that all
was well at the outlaw’s camp, to keep to himself until the
time should come for him to act. ~ j

As the Indians of America are noted for their taciturn-
ity, the scout did not anticipate any trouble in carrying.
out his role.

He was about to descend into the hollow when the
thought came to him that a signal to announce the ap-
proach of a friend had probably been arranged before
the Arapahoe had left his fellows to go upon his mission.

If a signal had been agreed upon and he should not s

give it, a descent into the hollow might result in instant
death. |
Buffalo Bill paused and wrinkled his brow in anxious
thought.
He was in a most perplexing predicament. a
A stir in the bushes behind him sent him to cover |
with the quickness of lightning. .
Some one was coming, but not along the trail he had
just traversed. Who could it be? Alkali Pete? Possi-
bly. The king of scouts hoped that the oncomer would
prove to be his comrade, though the two had parted not
ten. minutes before.

Presently an Indian stepped into the trail not twenty

feet from Buffalo Bill’s cover. He was breathing heavily
and had evidently been running.

At sight of the redskin the king of scouts guessed the
truth. With the discretion and cunning for which they
were noted, the Arapahoés had sent out two scouts to in-
vestigate matters at the outlaws’ camp. They had not
gone together, but had taken different routes, one—the
Arapahoe slain by Buffalo Bill—taking the regular trail,
the other going along the hill,and through the bushes.
The design was obvious. Jf there should be danger in
either of the two routes, the scout taking the safe one
would be sure to discover it and bring the warning to
the main force commanded by Mountain Eagle and Phil

Dade,
 
  
 
     
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
   
   
   
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
   
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
   
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
    
     

on et
- Buffalo Bill determined that the Indian should never

enter the hollow to tell his startling story.

A struggle at that point would be fraught with the

outlaws and Indians in the hollow quickly to the scene.
_ Therefore there must be no noise. He must silence the
Arapahoe before the redskin’s lips could utter a sound.
The Indian had passed beyond the king of scout’s
hiding-place, and was near the top of the little hill which
descended into'the hollow, when something heavy leaped
upon his back and two hands with fingers of steel were
pressed about his throat.
The Arapahoe went down, borne by the weight of
- The victim could not struggle, so tight was the grip
about his throat. He was as limp as a rag, and when he
was dragged away up the trail to a safe place he could
make no resistance.

stopping position, and then quickly secured the Indian’s
hand and feet. The victim recovered consciousness soon
afterward, and did just what his captor wanted him to do.

was answered. :

The king of scouts drew the captive out of the trail
and then started for the hollow. He had secured the
signal.

| “At the rim of the hollow he repeated the cry which

he had heard. It was again answered. Now, with per-

 

| the hollow was a group of Indians and outlaws. No fires
had been lighted in the place, and there was no moon
shining. Forms only could be distinguished.

A tall Arapahoe wearing. the feathers of a chief was
| the first to speak.

“Why has Nekimwa come alone?” was the question.

Nekimwa, otherwise Buffalo Bill,-had expected this
interrogation and was ready with the answer.

“My brother told Nekimwa to carry this request to
Mountain Eagle. He wishes to stay with Hawky, the
white brother, because Hawky is afraid to be left alone
with the great white warrior who is a prisoner.”

“Afraid, is he?” sneered Phil Ladue.” “What is he
afraid of?”

“Buffalo Bill is strong, strong
burst his bonds.”

,.. “What if he did? Hasn’t Mealy Mouth got a gun,
and. don’t he know how ter use it?”

“Nekimwa cannot answer. He can only say what he
has been told to say.” He folded his arms and hoped
that no more questions would be asked. Mountain Eagle
remained silent for some moments. Then he said:

“Dancing Buck has done right. There should be two
to guard the mighty scout of the Americans.”

“That’s so,” assented Ladue. ‘Good thing, after all,
that Dancing Buck stayed behind. We can’t afford to
miss the show that Buffalo Bill is goin’ ter provide for
us 93 ‘

 

as a giant, and he may

The king of scouts smiled. He was feeling easy in

mind. He had not expected that his explanation of the

absence of the other Indian would be received without
murmurs of disapproval.

_ In the midst of his agreeable reflections an Arapahoe

_ brave spoke words to Mountain Eagle that entirely al-

- tered the complexion of affairs. :

: THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

gravest danger, for any noise would likely bring the

Buffalo Bill’s body, but luckily without dangerous noise, -

The scout removed his fingers from their breath-

He uttered a peculiar cry. A moment passed, and it

fect confidence, he went down the incline, and there in

“Dancing Buck must have eaten of the loco weed to

have said that he wanted to stay away from his brothers,
the braves of Mountain Eagle, while the slaying of the
white soldiers was going on. Did he not say but a few
hours ago that he would dance with joy when the soldiers
reached the hollow, and that while he “killed, killed,
killed,” he would remember that he was wiping out the
score owed by the soldiers who slew his father and made
a slave of his sister?”

This speech was given in Arapahoe, and the translation
is not a literal one. The imagery is omitted.

Mountain Eagle nodded his head. He remembered

. what Dancing Buck had said. But as yet he did not

suspect the truth.

‘Did Dancing Buck want to stay at the camp?” he
asked the false Nekimwa. a

‘Did not Nekimwa say that the wish was Dancing
Buck’s?” as |

“You did, sure,’ put in Phil Ladue. “But what we
want ter git at is ther real reason fer inducin’ Dancin’
Buck ter give up ther chance of playin’ a leadin’ part in
ther massacree. Can you help us out?”

Buffalo Bill had got his cue. “Nekimwa thinks he
knows why Dancing Buck stayed behind. He wants to
take the scalp of Buffalo Bill, and when he has done
that he will come to the hollow, and come in time for
taking part in the massacre.”

“Fe hasn’t forgotten, then, when the little affair is
scheduled to come off?” questioned Ladue.

“No, he is well aware that it will take place about three
o'clock in the morning. He knows that Maricopa Dan
will start the soldiers from the camp at two o'clock.”

“He is, is he?” returned Ladue quickly. “Then who
could have told him? When he left us, when you left us,
the plan was midnight. It was after his departure an’
your’n that the time was changed.”

Mountain Eagle and his braves closed about the king
of scouts. He saw that he had put his foot in it. There
was suspicion in the air. Death stared him in the face

‘unless he could immediately explain how he and Dancing

Buck had learned of the change. In the dead silence that
followed Ladue’s words, Buffalo Bill tried to find a way
out of the terrible dilemma. In vain. The thing could
not be explained except to his undoing. He did not
speak the next words. They came from the lips of
Mountain Eagle. ;

“You are not Nekimwa, you He got no further.
The cornered king of scouts struck out with his right, _
and the chief went down like a log.
out came the scout’s revolvers and he was blazing away,
right and left.

Before there could be effective return fire, he was
out of the hollow and running like a deer.

There was, of course, a pursuit, but in the darkness,
and with his superior knowledge of woodcraft, Buffalo
Bill managed to evade the pursuers. He reached the
camp of the cavalry before midnight.

Hastening to Lieutenant Mortimer’s quarters, he asked
the sentry to announce him.

“Why, he’s gone. Didn’t you know, Mr. Cody?”

“Gone? Where?” asked the bewildered scout.

“Gone to wipe out the Red Riders and Arapahoes.
He took fifty of the boys and left about an hour ago.
Which way did you come?” ie

The king of scouts had come a roundabout way.

 

He

had avoided the trail the better to escape from his pur-
-suers. oe

The next moment” ~

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
 

 

 

 

the trail?”

-of you an’ your whole tribe.

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES. | | ae Oo

“Did Maricopa Dan act as guide?” was his question.
“IT don’t know the fellow’s name, Mr. Cody, but he is
a tall, hatchet-faced, ugly-mouthed, chap, who said he had

been rescued by you.”

“That’s the scoundrel. Which way did they go? By

“They started off that way.
gram,’

Buffalo Bill was about to turn away when something
occurred to him.

. (Oh, by the way,” he said, ‘did Alkali Pete come in
before the lieutenant left?”

“No, I haven’t seen him since he went away. in the
afternoon to look you up.”

In anything but a happy frame ‘of mind Buffalo Bill
started for the trail for the purpose of overtaking the
lieutenant and his men. -The plan of ambush must again
have been changed. Would the Indians and outlaws re-
main in the hollow, and would he be in time to prevent a
massacre if, in spite of his adventure in the hollow, one
had been programed to take place?

I don’t know the pro-

 

GOAPTER:. LV,
THE MISADVENTURE OF ALKALI PETE.

The flight of Buffalo Bill from the hollow was fol-
lowed by groans and curses. Two Indians had been slain
and three more had been wounded. Phil Ladue did the
cursing. He was beside himself with rage, and he let
loose the vials of his passion upon the head of Mountain
Eagle, the chief of the Arapahoes.

“A nice set of braves your men are!’ he hissed. “Two
of ’em, the pick of the outfit, not able ter dodge Buffalo
Bill, much less git away with him. An’ see what he did
a few minutes ago. Wiped out two more an’ spoiled ther
chances ter do business ter-day of three others. I’m sick
I might as well have tied
up with a bunch of cotton-tail rabbits.”

Mountain Eagle knew that Ladue’s bark was worse
than his bite: He had had words with the outlaw leader
before and had scored by answering him in kind. There-
fore he said cuttingly: “If the braves of Mountain Eagle
are rabbits, then the followers of the white bandit are
whining curs. Mealy Mouth Hawky is the right-hand
man of Phil Ladue, and he whines and is afraid because
he is left alone to guard a bound prisoner. His tears

» fall in torrents upon the ground. The water rolls over
_the prisoner, it swells, then rots the bonds, and lo! the
prisoner is free.

Mealy Mouth does not shoot. He is
still crying, perhaps for his mother, who lives far away
among the white people.”

Ladue’s sense of humor was fairly developed. It now

contributed to the cooling of his anger.

“Say no more,” he said, with a laugh. ‘We are in
the same boat, and we’ve got to make the best of what
has happened. And we may hit ther bull’s-eye yet. It's
a safe bet that Buffalo Bill will not run up against ther
soldiers while he i is on his way to ther camp. * Ther way
they are comin’ is off ther main trail, an’ in a direction

_oppersite ter that Buffalo Bill took when he lit out.

Maybe ther Injuns who started after him may salt his
bacon.”

i * % - ** x *
In a short time one of the Arapahoes returned from
the pursuit. He reported that Buffalo Bill had not fled

 

 

 

by the trail, but had turned to the left and was making
a long and wide detour in his effort to reach the camp.
of the cavalry. The Indian had not thought it necessary
to continue the pursuit, as two members of his tribe
had been in advance of him and would follow the dreaded
scout and kill him, if possible. In reply to questions put
to him by Mountain Eagle, he said he had fired twice at
the fugitive, but in the semidarkness had not been able
to take good aim.

_Ladue heard the report with every evidence of satisfac-
tion. Buffalo Bill had gone far to the left cf the ‘trail.
The soldiers, guided by Maricopa Dan, were coming from
the right, and therefore there was little likelihood that
the king of scouts would intercept Lieutenant Mortimer.

“We are all right,” he said to Mountain Eagle:
ambush will go ’cordin’ ter program, an’ Buffalo Bill, if
he gits here at all, will strike ther hollow arter everything
is over. If he does, we will get him.”

The Arapahoe chief was of the same opinion, and in
further speaking of the matter took occasion to throw a
few bouquets at himself. He it was who had insisted
on making a second change in the program for the night. |
Ladue had proposed the plan to have the soldiers leave
the camp at two o’clock in the morning, but Mountain
Eagle, knowing that Buffalo Bill was at the camp, had
urged an earlier time. It was his opinion, and events
showed that it was the right one, that the king of scouts
would likely be out scouting during the evening, and that
the adoption of Ladue’s plan would be attended with great
risk,

“There is risk any way we look at it,’ he said, “but
there will be less of it if we fix the ambuscade for the
earliest possible hour.”

Maricopa Dan coincided with this view, and when he
set out on his mission of treachery it was with the in-
struction to have Lieutenant Mortimer and his force at
the hollow by ten o'clock.

As the services of every Indian and outlaw would be
needed in the bloody work scheduled for the night,a Red
Rider was sent out to bring in Mealy Mouth Hawky, 1f =

that member of the band were still alive. Shortly before
ten o’clock the two Arapahoes who had continued the
pursuit of Buffalo Bill returned with the report that
they had lost track of the scout when within about a mile
of the military camp. They also reported that the sol-
diers were coming, and that Maricopa Dan was guiding
them. 5
The report had séarcely been concluded before Mealy
Mouth Hawky made his appearance. He had little to —
say for himself, and Phil Ladue, noting the soft-spoken
villain’s lowering brow, wisely forbore to taunt him on
his inability to guard a bound and helpless prisoner.
Hawky’s services “would be required very soon, and they
would be valuable, for he was a dead shot. “No,” Ladue
thought, ‘it won’t do to aggravate him, for he might
fight, an’ a rumpus just now would spoil the whole
game,”
Ten o'clock came and found the Indians and Red
Riders properly disposed in their places of concealment. ©
Ten minutes passed, and both Mountain Eagle and
Ladue were wondering what had detained the soldiers,
when an Arapahoe who had been sent out to scout came
in and reported that the soldiers were coming. He had
counted them, and there were twenty-five. Maricopa

Dan was with them, for he had seen the outlaw walking |

by the side of the lieutenant.

 

 

The:

 
 
 
  

THE BUFFALO

Ladue was not pleased at the news. He had counted
on meeting a larger force of soldiers. With more than
half the troop leit behind, the affair of the treasure-
wagon would be beset with difficulties which might not
- be overcome. “Confound it!” he said to himself, “why
- didn’t Dan urge him to bring more men? Well, there
is but one thing ter be done.
twenty-five, an’ then march on ther camp, take ther rest
of ther soldiers by surprise, an’ thus settle ther whole
business.”

Soon was heard the tramp of feet. The fiends in am-
bush waited, finger on trigger, for the moment when the
slaughter could be inaugurated. Suddenly the advance of
the enemy was checked. No more sounds were heard.
Silence reigned in the section contiguous to the hollow.
Phil Ladue waited some moments in surprise mingled
with fear, and ther crept out of his hiding-place and
sought Mountain Eagle, who was concealed among the
rocks on the opposite side of the hollow,

“What is up?’ he whispered to the Indian.

B97

thing’s wrong, as sure as shootin’.

“Some-

have stopped.”

The Indian, a young, lithe member of the tribe, glided
away in the darkness. Five minutes went by and he had
not returned. Ten, fifteen minutes, and still the brave
remained away.

Ladue grew uneasy. He feared that Maricopa Dan’s
plans had miscarried and that the soldiers were softly

the loyalty of the absent outlaw. That quality had

_ been tested many times. Maricopa Dan was far from

being a saint, but he believed there should be honor

even among thieves, and he had always acted up to this
belief.

Soon the thought of Buffalo Bill and his purpose gave

a new and startling explanation of the absence of the

. soldiers and the failure to appear and report of the

Arapahoe sent out to scout. The king of scouts had

of massacre, Maricopa Dan had been made a prisoner,
_and afterward cavalry scouts had killed or captured the
_ Arapahoe,

Another thought drove all the blood from his face.
He had more than an ordinary share of brute courage,
but the situation as he now viewed it made him tremble
with fear. In an agitated whisper he said to Mountain
Eagle: “The tables have been turned. It’s we who are
inatrap. Can’t ye understand what this slip up of Mari-
copa Dan’s means? He started out with ther lieutenant,
and the lieutenant had fifty men. Buffalo Bill butted in
an’ Dan’s game was queered. The force was divided,

an’ now while we are waitin’ here there’s foes in front
of us an’ foes back of us.”
; Mountain Eagle nodded his head. He exhibited
neither fear nor surprise. Ladue went on: “They are
lyin’ low, waitin’ for daylight so they can locate us.
We're in a hole.”
_ “Not yet,” said Mountain Eagle calmly. “The soldiers
may have divided, but there has not been time for one
part of them to get’to our rear. There has been no
noise. That means that the soldiers detailed to cut us
off from the rear have taken a roundabout way to reach a
spot to command the hollow. Now is our chance. We

  

  
    
   

We will wipe out ther

The chief touched one of his braves on the shoulder,
“Go,” he whispered, in Arapahoe, “find out why soldiers

stealing back to camp. Not for a moment did he doubt

come upon the force of cavalry and had exposed the plot

must retreat, and when out of the hollow take to the

brush.”
_ The order was at once. given, and within five minutes
the entire force of Indians and outlaws were stealing
silently away, going in the direction of the camp from
which Buffalo Bill had escaped several hours before.
This action might not have been successful if either
Buffalo Bill or Alkali Pete had been with the soldiers in
front of the hollow. But the king of the scouts had not
yet come up with the soldiers, and Alkali Pete was

guiding the detachment sent to guard the other exit from —

the hollow.

The lanky plainsman had reached the camp of the
cavalry shortly before the time fixed for departure. Mari-
copa Dan had arrived an hour earlier, and his tale had
been accepted as the truth. Lieutenant Mortimer did
not know him, and his statementgwas so plausible that its
genuineness was not doubted. :

The villain was talking to the lieutenant when Alkali
Pete came upon them. Maricopa Dan saw him, and his
hand went to his revolver. The motion was observed by
the officer, and he seized the hand that would have
grasped the weapon, and an instant later Alkali Pete
had the treacherous guide by the throat.

There was a struggle, but Maricopa Dan soon suc-

cumbed to the force of numbers, for there were several _

cavalrymen close at hand. .

After the villain had been bound Alkali Pete told his
story. The lieutenant was amazed. And when there
came to him the realization of what he had escaped he
was profuse in his expressions of gratitude and praise.
“And now,” he added, “we have got them. Buffalo Bill
is with them in the hollow, and when we get near the
place he will doubtless steal away and join us.”

“Buffler will do ther right thing, ye may gamble on
that, leftenant,” said Pete.

As it was probable that Arapahoe scouts would be out —
to watch the movements of the soldiers and announce ©

their approach to the ambushers in the hollow, it was
resolved to make use of Maricopa Dan.

Alkali Pete and the lieutenant had a serious talk with
the outlaw. He was informed that he would be shot dead
instantly if he failed to play the part that would be
assigned to him. He would be permitted to walk by the
side of the lieutenant, with his hands free, so that if
spying eyes should fall upon him there would be no sus-

picion that he was under arrest or was other than the. .-~

guide he had set out to be. 2
Alkali Pete knew the location of the hollow, and would

be the real guide until the soldiers were within a quarter —

of a mile of the place. There the force would be divided,

and the lanky plainsman with twenty-five men would

make a circle and come upon the hollow from the rear.
The plan was to station the two detachments so that
both exits from the place of ambush would be covered,
and then wait for daylight to begin operations.

The march on foot was begun, and at the point indi-

cated, near the hollow, Alkali Pete left the lieutenant, but _

not until he had again put the cords about the wrists and
ankles of Maricopa Dan. He went away with his force

in the belief that Buffalo Bill would be with Mortimer

long before daylight. 2

At his suggestion the lieutenant sent out scouts to
watch the trail leading down into the hollow, and these

scouts, two in number, captured the Arapahoe who had

  

     
    
       
   
    
    
     
        
 
 
    
   
   
   
   
       
     
   
      
   
 
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
   
   
    
   
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
   
   
 
   
    
    

 
  

 

 

   

been detailed to ascertain what had stopped the coming of
the cavalry.

The scouts were with the cavalrymen and were about
to leave on another scouting expedition at the moment
when the Indians and outlaws were stealing away from
the hollow.

Mountain Eagle did not accompany his braves in their
flight through the brush. Once out of the hollow, he
stopped and signed to Ladue. The outlaw leader re-
mained with the Arapahoe until all the others had gone.

_ Then the chief outlined his plan.

“When they find we are gone,” he said, in Arapahoe,
“they will march for your camp. There is nothing else
for them to do. There we will be ready for them. Go
on, make the arrangements, and I will keep an eye on
the movements of the soldiers while you are away.”
Some more talk followed, and then Ladue took to the
brush,

Mountain Eagle had himself become a scout because
he dared not trust the work to any of his braves. He
not only desired to spy on the enemy and to make sure
that the march for the outlaws’ camp would be under-
taken, but he wished, if possible, to meet and capture
the man who had so seriously interfered with his plans.
He believed himself a match for Buffalo Bill, and it had

long been his desire to try warlike conclusions with the

famous Indian-fighter.

It was his opinion that Buffalo Bill was with the
detachment sent out to complete the investment of the

hollow, and it was also his opinion that the king of

scouts would move in advance of his men in order to
prevent surprise.

Like a snake he glided away from the top of the hol-

low, and before many minutes heard the sound he was
listening for.

Over the rocks, at some distance ahead of the soldiers,
a man was cautiously making his way.

Mountain Eagle, crouched behind the stump of a tree,
watched and waited.

The man came nearer.
darkness, was not able at first to recognize him, But
when the man was within a few feet of the stump Moun-
tain Eagle saw that the scout was not Buffalo Bill, but
Alkali Pete.

The discovery operated at first as a pronounced dis-
appointment. The lanky plainsman was almost as much
to be feared as Buffalo Bill, but the Arapahoe had set

er) on ote heart on a meeting with the king of scouts. But the

 

ke

  

 

 

feeling of disappointment passed away as rapidly as it
had come. Another feéling took possession of him, He
saw how the capture of Buffalo Bill’s partner might be
turned to his advantage; might, in fact, make certain the

_ movement he was fiercely desirous should take place.

If he could either kill or capture Alkali Pete—the cap-
ture would be preferable—the soldiers, guided by Buf-
falo Bill, who must be with the other detachment, would
immediately take up the pursuit once the undoing of the

~ lanky plainsman was discovered.

Alkali Pete, without any suspicion of danger, came to
the stump, and was actually placing a hand upon it for a
moment’s rest, when the Indian chief leaped for his
throat. The collision threw the scout backward a few
feet, and, the ground being uneven, he lost his balance
and fell heavily. His head struck a rock, and for half a
minute he was without sense. When his wits returned
there was a gag in his mouth and his arms were bound.

THE BUFFALO

The Arapahoe, in the semi--

  

Crores,

Mountain Eagle was a veritable giant in strength. He
lifted the scout in his arms and bore him away.

Before the expiration of an hour he was at the outlaws’
camp. Phil Ladue was surprised and delighted at the
capture. He immediately fell in with Mountain Eagle’s
ideas. Buffalo Bill would assuredly hurry to the rescue
of his partner. The soldiers would come with him, and a
second ambush meet them.

Mountain Eagle did not think that any move on the
camp would be made before daylight. It would be some
time before word could be got to Lieutenant Mortimer
and Buffalo Bill that Alkali Pete had mysteriously dis-
appeared, and it would take a longer time to complete
the journey to the camp of the outlaws. Plenty of time,
therefore, in which to prepare for the attack which
should be a massacre.

It was not the plan of Mountain Eagle to stay in
camp and then make a stand. He might have urged such
a course had it not been for the knowledge that Buffalo
Bill possessed. The king of scouts had been in the
camp, knew its weak points as well as its strong points,
and would therefore so plan the attack upon it that a
successful defense would be well-nigh impossible.

No, there must be an ambush, and it must be laid _
outside of the catnp, in the flat at the foot of the ravine.
The wild willows which bordered the little stream that
flowed through the cafion, of which the ravine was an
offshoot, would furnish fine hiding-places, and each In-
dian and outlaw would be within easy shooting distance
of the soldiers as they marched upon the cafion on their
way to the ravine.

When daylight came there was no one in the camp, but
down by the stream, concealed by the willows, redskin
and Red Rider with murderous faces waited for the
opportunity to kill. :

Among them lay Alkali Pete, distracted with rage and
despair. He had listened to the talk between Phil La-
due and Mountain Eagle, and he believed with them that
Buffalo Bill would soon come with the soldiers.

And while his thoughts ran in gloomy, despairing chan-
nels, the king of scouts was in the camp of the outlaws,
and doing some thinking of his own.

 

CHAPTER)
THE SURPRISE OF BUFFALO BILL.

Buffalo Bill had not met the cavalrymen, who as in-
fantry were out that night to surround and exterminate
the Red Riders and their allies, the Arapahoes.

After leaving the camp he followed the trail for awhile
and then concluded to leave it, believing that the advance
on the hollow would be made from one side. Which side
he could not determine, though he studied over the
matter for some time. If he could only know from what
point the soldiers had left the trail, he could reach a
sensible conclusion. He had come to the camp from the
left of the hollow, the shorter and the easier way, and he
had not met Lieutenant Mortimer and his men. There-
fore it would be reasonable to conclude that the soldiers
had taken the other way.

But in spite of his leaning toward this theory he took
the side which he had covered in fleeing from the hollow,
and his reasons for so doing were sound ones.
followed on the other side, he might not be able to over-
take the soldiers before they reached the hollow, and he —

 

ifhe |

  
Uo oplace.

{HE BUFFALO

Was consumed with a fierce eagerness to participate in the
fight which must soon take place. But by taking the
“shorter route he might reach the hollow i in time to do his
a

The point where the king of scouts again struck the
trail was just beyond the hollow, and he reached it at

_ the moment the Red Riders and Arapahoes were entering
_ the brush on their hurried flight to the outlaws’ camp.

Quickly seeking cover, he waited until the last of the
mixed band had passed from sight. He did not know
that Mountain Eagle had remained behind, and, therefore,
in the belief that the combined force of redskins and
- outlaws had for some unexplainable reason retreated
from the hollow before the arrival of the soldiers, he
hastened after them. The soldiers could not be far away,
and when the discovery of the flight should be made there
would be no one to tell Lieutenant Mortimer which way
the fugitives had gone. It should, therefore, be his
mission, to follow and locate the stopping-place of the
Indians and outlaws, and then return to Lieutenant Mor-
timer with the information.

The enemy was followed to the camp in the ravine,

and Buffalo Bill had set out to return, when he heard the
- approach of Mountain Eagle, who, burdened with Alkali
Pete, was proceeding slowly up the ravine,

The king of scouts was then not twenty yards from
the outlaws’ camp, and at a point above the cove where
he had had his interesting conversation with Mealy
Mouth Hawky.

Believing that the late comer was a scout who had
been detailed to watch the rear while the retreat was
being made, he did not move from his position, but
waited for the person, outlaw or Indian, to appear in
(the. cave.

His surprise may be imagined when he learned the
truth. His first impulse was to open fire on the band
below him, and then leap down and fight for the rescue
of his comrade.

But a moment’s reflection told him that such a move

would likely prove disastrous. He would be one man
against over a dozen, and in their midst, in that shut-in
hole, would probably be killed even though he might take
the lives of the majority of his enemies. And his failure
would prevent the carrying out of the purpose that had
brought him to the camp. No, it would be the wiser,
the safer plan, to wait, to exercise strategy, and thereby
secure both the release of Alkali Pete and the extermina-
tion of the band.

He would have departed immediately after the arrival

of Mountain Eagle and his captive if he had not desired
to learn the plans of the enemy. He was not surprised
when he was treated to the statement that he was sup-
posed to be with the soldiers, and that it was expected,
as a matter of course, that he would lead the soldiers in
pursuit of the Indians and outlaws, first taking in the
_camp in the ravine, the location of which he had learned.
Neither was he surprised when the plan for the second

- ambush was discussed. But he resolved to stay in the

vicinity until he had learned the exact location of the

_ Lieutenant Mortimer and suggest a ee for the
defeat of the enemy.

up, but in the fight Alkali Pete might be slain.

Then he would hasten down the cafion to. notify -

BILT. STORIES,

It was after daylight before he moved from his posi-
tion. He waited until the band had gone from the cove
and then slid down the bank. He was hungry, and in the

camp were the remains of breakfast. After satisfying
the wants of the inner man he sat down, lighted a pipe, :

_and took further counsel with himself. _
_ He was dissatisfied with the plan he had made while
looking down upon the outlaws’ camp. The ambush
might be prevented and the band of miscreants broken

While
the bullets were pouring into the ranks of the enemy one
of them might strike and kill the lanky plainsman. In

the excitement, the necessity for quick, effective work, it
would be impossible to have carried out instructions given
for the preservation of Alkali Pete’s life.

Buffalo Bill smoked and smoked, and as he smoked he
shook his head.

“No,” he said to himself, at last, “I can’t jeopardize
Pete’s life. He is too good a man, too good a friend of ~
mine. He has saved my life more than once, and at this
stage of the game it is up to me to save his life. Better
let the whole murdering outfit go than let Pete cross
the divide.”

The king of scouts knocked the ashes from his pipe,
and with stern, set countenance went down the ravine.

He did not cross the stream, but cautiously made his
way through the bushes until he had gained a spot not
many rods from the willows where the Indians and
outlaws had stationed themselves.

The stream was narrow and shallow. The scout was
on one side of it, the enemy on the other. Lying flat
on the ground Buffalo Bill crawled toward the water.
There was thick brush on this side, and with this screen
the scout had no fear that his presence would be discov-
ered. Almost at the edge of the water he stopped, and,

looking through the branches of the bushes which bor-
dered the stream, he saw that Alkali Pete was lying in a
small open space near the water. Beyond him, toward
the trail which followed the cafion, were lines of wil-
lows, their branches sweeping the ground and shutting

off all view from the trail.

There was no one within twenty feet of the prisoner,
and he was resting on his side with his eyes turned toward
the, water.

Suddenly was heard the chittering of a squirrel in the
bushes across the stream. None of the Arapahoes or Red
Riders paid any attention to the noise. But Alkali Pete

pricked up his ears, and his eyes, sharp as steel, oe re 4

from the water to the bushes.

The chittering was repeated, and then one of the
branches of the bush behind which Buffalo Bill was con-
cealed was slightly shaken.

The prisoner nodded his head, and then turned over
so that he could look toward the redskins and outlaws.
Mil of them at that moment were clustered ‘about Moun-

te

 
Pie SUPPALO BA Sfonins (00

tain Eagle and Phil Ladue. The details of the pro-
jected massacre were being discussed.
Alkali Pete turned and again faced the water. Again
he nodded his head. A moment later a knife thrown by a
practised hand struck the sand by his side. The prisoner
looked backward to see if the throwing had been ob-
served, No, the backs of the Indians and outlaws were
turned toward the water. Mountain Eagle and Ladue
were sitting down, and their auditors were squatted in
front of them.
Alkali Pete poue forward, and, oe his head,
: caught the handle of the knife between his teeth. Then,
_ raising his wrists, he quickly severed the leathern’ cords
_ that bound them. A glance over his shoulder was reas-
suring. Not one member of the band was looking in his
_ direction. He sat up quickly, and as quickly cut the
cords that held his ankles. |
At that moment the conference under the willows came
to an end. The squatting Indians and outlaws arose.
Alkali Pete reassumed his recumbent position.
Mealy Mouth Hawky strolled over to the prisoner, who
lay on his face with his hands concealed. He had cut the
cords about his ankles, but had not removed them. But
though the soft-spoken outlaw did not see the cut, he ob-
_ served the loose condition of the cords and suspected that
the prisoner had been working at them.
When he spoke, Alkali Pete knew that he was in a tick-
lish situation.
“Been trying to get loose, have you? Well, if I were in
your place I would have done the same thing. But, being
on ve other side of the fence, I will have to spoil your
game” !
He stooped for the purpose of further examining the
cords, when Alkali Pete leaped to his feet. One blow
sent Mealy Mouth Hawky to the ground. The next in-
‘stant the scout was in the water.

_ A dozen pistols were out as he gained the opposite
bank, but before one could be used Buffalo Bill’s rifle
cracked.

~~--s Vhe escaped prisoner was out of the water and in the

bushes, and Buffalo Bill had changed his position before
the firing from the willows began. It was not answered.
Like the wind the two scouts were running down the
_-cafion.
joined the trees were fewer, and the scouts realized that
they would be exposed to the bullets of the enemy if the
pursuit should be immediate. Just before reaching an

4 open place that they must cross in order to continue

_ their journey they stopped a moment and listened.

There was no sound to indicate that a pursuit had
been undertaken. |

“Come on,” said Buffalo Bill. “I understand.”

They crossed the open space, went on, turned into the
trail, proceeded a short distance, and then came to a halt.

ULE ye understand, Buffer,” said Alkali Pete, whose

hev done it!

Beyond the flat where the cafion and the ravine _

: ae
bewilderment was great, “will ye be kind ernuff ter plant
some o’ yer seeds of wisdom inter ther receptive sile of
yer present company’s mind. I shore am plumb gumtfuz-
zled over ther actions of them air pestiferous varmints be-
hind us.”

“They are afraid to pursue, Pete. They think I am in
advance of the soldiers, and that if they pursued they
would run into an ambuscade. Do you catch on?”

“With both feet, Buffler.”

“And how they would howl if they were onto the real
situation of affairs,”

“What do ye mean? -Ain’t ther soldiers near-by?
Didn’t ye come along with ’em?”

“No.” The king of scouts told his story, and Alkali
Pete’s eyes glistened with approbation ane something that
was warmer than gratitude.

“In course,” he said, “I mout ha’ knowed ye would
But it’s too bad, too bad. Ye mout ha’ left
me thar, Buffler, an’ gin ther lieutenant a chanst ter
make a record. Now those murderin’ whelps will shore
git away.”

“Are you sorry that I threw that knife to your” he
said, regarding the lanky plainsman with a smile.

‘“‘No-o, I can’t say I’m sheddin’ many tears over yer
action, And mebbe we can hev some fun with them

‘raskils yet.”

“We may. Now to business. One of us must go on
and find the cavalry boys and guide them up this way.
I hope they are not far“away. The other ought to follow

the band, for I’ll bet at this minute a retreat is going on.”

“Toan me a gun an’ I will hang onter ther rear of
ther enemy.”

“All right, Pete. Take my rifle. I'll get another
when I get to the soldiers. Hold on. ‘ Before 1 go I want
to be sure that the band has not returned to the camp.
Wonder if Mountain Eagle will rig up another ambus-
cade oh.

Alkali Pete did not accompany the king of scouts on

_his. trip. As there was the possibility that the soldiers

might come up the cafion, the lanky plainsman remained
behind so as to notify the lieutenant of the situation of —
affairs.

Buffalo Bill was gone about fifteen minutes.
reached the spot where he had parted from Alkali Pete,
but his comrade was not there to meet him.

Where had he gone, and what had taken him away?
He could not have encountered an enemy, for no shots
had been fired, and there were no signs of a struggle
about the spot.

Greatly puzzled and evia disturbed, the king of
scouts examined the ground about the place where they
had parted, but it was so rocky that he was unable
to tell in which direction his comrade had gone. a

Buffalo Bill’s errand had resulted in the discovery that

the enemy had not gone back to the camp, but had re-

 

He |
THE BUFFALO

treated up the cafion and toward a village of Arapahoes.
There were about one hundred Indians in the village, but
some of them were old men. Probably not more than

seventy-five would be ready for active service in case

the village should be attacked.

“T’ll wait here fifteen minutes,” was Buffalo Bill’s con-
clusion, “and then, if Pete does not show up, I'll go on to
the soldiers and advise a march on the village.”

The fifteen minutes went by and Alkali Pete failed
to appear.

“Perhaps, after all, he has gone on a piece, hoping to
- meet the boys,” said the king of scouts to himself. “He
may have thought that my business would take some
time and that he would have at least an hour to himself.”

Two miles down the cafion Buffalo Bill met the sol-
diers. The fifty were together, and Lieutenant Mortimer
was their head. Me had wondered at the retreat of the
mixed band of redskins and outlaws, and ascribed the ab-
sence of Alkali Pete to that valiant and faithful scout’s
desire to follow and locate the enemy.

Buffalo Bill’s story was received with amazement. The
officer had not seen Pete since the night before.

“Where is Maricopa Dan?’ asked the king of scouts,

as he looked about and failed to see the treacherous

x

guide.

The lieutenant’s face reddened with shame. “He is
not with us,” he said. ‘‘There was some excitement when
we got to the hollow and found no enemy there, and
there was also a little confusion when the two detach-
ments met and we found that our guide, Alkali Pete,
had disappeared. It was at that time that Maricopa Dan.
made his escape. It was quite dark down in the hollow,’
added the officer,
situation.” |

“He went off with his hands tied and without weapons,
T suppose,” said the king of scouts.

“As far as I know, yes.”

‘Buffalo Bill at once coupled the escape of Maricopa
Dan with the disappearance of Alkali Pete. The lanky
plainsman had seen the outlaw and had instantly started
out to capture him.

‘At noon the lieutenant ordered half an Houe's rest.
While lunch was being partaken of a mounted messenger
atrived with a letter of instructions. Lieutenant Morti-
mer was directed to return at once to Fort Doubleday,
on the Platte. There had been a fresh outbreak of the
Sioux, and the assistance of the troop was urgently re-
quired.

“Am I to go, too?” asked Buffalo Bill, a shade of an-
noyance on his handsome face.

“Your name is not mentioned,” replied the lieutenant,
“by which omission I infer that the general wishes you to
remain here until the treasure-wagon has reached a place
of safety.” 3

“Good. I don’t want to shirk any duty, but I would

“and the prisoner took advantage of the —

Bitte STORIES.

hate to leave here without knowing what has become of
my old comrade. And, besides, the treasure-wagon ought
to have some sort of protection. The Indians and out-
laws will certainly attack it, once they learn that the
troop has turned back.”

“Tt’s a pretty big contract for one man,” said the lieu-
tenant, “but I know you will do more than any ten of my
men could do.
village, but I am not my own master. Maybe this Sioux
outbreak can be easily and quickly handled, and perhaps
I may get back here in time to do something.”

Before one o’clock the soldiers were on the return
march, and the king of scouts was pursuing an opposite
direction.

He went to the outlaws’ camp in the faint hope that
Maricopa Dan had fled there and that he had been cap-
tured by Alkali Pete.

But the camp was deserted, and ‘the scout was ine ~

the place when he came face to face with a young woman.

She was just entering the cove from the ravine trail
when the meeting took place. a

The king of scouts was astonished beyond measure, for
the young woman was not mountain-bred. Her sweet, re-
fined face, the tailor-made gown she wore, everything
about her proclaimed her a woman of the city.

But if he was amazed she was terror-stricken. One
glance at his person, and with a wild cry she turned
and fled. ;

“Well, I'll be dashed!’ exclaimed the bewildered In-
dian-fighter. “I have had a few queer experiences in my
time, but this overtops them all.”

He did not have to go far to overtake the fugitive. A
few yards from the cove she stumbled over the protruding
root of a tree and fell full-length upon the ground.

_ She trembled violently as the king of scouts assisted
her to her feet.

‘Why are you afraid of me?” he asked gently.
haps you thought me an outlaw. I am not one. My

name is Cody, and I am in the employ of the eo

Ae

ment.” oe
- The effect of this ton was instantaneous. The

- young woman’s trembling ceased.. Her face flushed with

pleasure.
_ “Oh, you are Buffalo Bill.
ating you with the horrible men from whom I have just
escaped.”
“Where are they?” he quickly asked. “Near here?”
“J__] don’t know. I was a prisoner in a house far up
the cafion, and I escaped early this morning. J must
have been pursued, though I have seen no one for an
hour.
“Didn't you meet a band of. eine Bae outlaws on
your way down the cafion?”
“The band passed me while I was ae behind some

rocks.”

 

I would like to go on and tackle that —

(Pers:

Oh, forgive me for associ-
~~ “able, and the mules were hardy, but not very swift.

_ THE BUFFALO

CHAPTER VI.
A STRANGE SPECTACLE,

Buffalo Bill’s curiosity, strongly expressed in the looks
which he bent upon her, caused the young woman to
smile faintly, “I know you must think it strange that
I should be in these mountains, so far away. fr om Civiliza-
tion. I am not here of my own will, I am the victim of
the vilest treachery.”

“aye you

“One moment,’ said the king of scouts.

breakfasted ?”

“No,” was the answer. “I escaped from the ane
before my guards were stirring.’

“Then your story must be deferred until you have
had some coffee and whatever else we can find here in
the provender line.”

They went to the cove, and Buffalo Bill soon had 2
fire going. In his hurry to get away from the spot he
had not built a fire for himself, and. he now drank his

» share of the coffee after the stimulating beverage had

been prepared.

After the meal the young woman, wah a brighter
countenance and a steadier voice, told her story.

“My name is Edna Lane,” she began, “and my home
is in Kentucky. I was raised in the blue-grass country,

but for the past ten years I have lived in Louisville.

My parents died many years ago, and since my fifteenth -

yeatr—I am twenty-one now—I have supported myself.
I am an artist—at least, 1 call myself one—and I left
Louisville a month ago to go to a large cattle ranch
on the Platte, a ranch owned by my mother’s half-brother.
_ There I expected to find unlimited material for sketches.
I reached Buckhorn in safety, but my uncle was not
there to meet me, as agreed. I waited a few days, and
then hired a mule-driver to take me to the ranch. The
man was recommended by the storekeeper and principal
personage of the place, and one morning we set out over
the plains, ,
“The conveyance was a Gb light a service-
The
driver, an old man, but as tough as leather, assured me
that he would make the ranch inside of forty-eight
hours. At night we camped in the hills. Up to this
time we had seen no Indians, Early in the forenoon of
_ the second day we met a horseman—he must have been
a mountaineer, judging from his clothes and his language
—who said that he had seen my uncle the day before,
and that a severe attack of rheumatism had prevented
the journey to meet me. ‘I was asked ter act in his
place, the man said, ‘but as you seem ter be pervided
with an escort, I reckon I’ll mosey on, fer I have im-
portant business beyond Buckhorn,’ :
ie “In less than an hour after the man left us we were
attacked by a small force of Indians. My driver was

BILL STORIES.

15

killed, but. not until he’ had slain four of the savages.

I expected to be killed as well, but as I lay upon the floor
of the buckboard I heard a wild yell, and, looking up,
saw the Indians riding away, and a white horseman.
rapidly approaching me. When he came up and saw
me he seemed both surprised and pleased. I did not
like his looks, but, on account of the service he had
rendered, I put aside my dislike and readily accepted
the tale he told me. He said he was a government scout
and had been out watching the actions of the Indians
who had just been driven away. ‘They are scouts,’ he
explained, ‘and the main body is over there,’ pointing to
the north.

“T told him who-I was, and he said he would be
pleased to, conduct me to my uncle’s ranch. | As the two

mules had been killed, I was obliged to mount behind

him. My things were packed in an old-fashioned hand-

' bag, and this the scout fastened to the saddle in front

of me. We had to cross a range of mountains to reach
the ranch, and in the afternoon my guide, who had given
his name as Dan Hewter, began to show signs of alarm.
More than once there came the suspicion that he was
not to be trusted, but I dared not give voice to what

I suspected.

“<T'm afeerd we’re in a hole,’ he said, as he reined
up his horse in a hollow between two hills. “Ther Injuns
are comin’ arter us, an’ if we keep on ther trail they'll
sure overhaul us. We got ter fool ’em, that’s all’ I
had nothing to say, but when we left the main trail
and went down a ravine to the south, my suspicion of
deceit was augmented. The man showed alarm only
when he turned his head and looked me in the face. At
other times, when I could catch a side view of his face,
there was upon it an expression of evil complacency.

“We rode southward until night came. Camp was
made, for my guide said his horse needed rest, and, be-
sides, we were in a safe place. During supper he looked
at me in a way that I did not like. He also said things
that increased my fear of him. He snickeringly informed
me that he was unmarried and was looking for a wife.
‘A gal of about your age an’ build would suit me down |
ter ther ground,’ he said. I did not make any reply to
this, but by my expression must have told him how dis-
tasteful his remarks were, for he said no. more for some
time.

“T did not close my eyes that night. I had with me
a small pistol, and I exhibited it when it became time —
for me to retire to the couch of leaves and moss which »
he had provided for me. In the morning he said he —
would take me to the house of an old settler who was —
friendly with the Indians and leave me there until he
had made sure that the way to my uncle’s ranch was
clear of danger.

“A. few hours’ ride brought us to the house, a log

 
6

_ structure, built many years ago by a hunter and trapper. —

_ There I met two other men, one of them a scoundrel of
the first water, as 1 was soon to discover. His name is
» Phil Ladue.”

“I have heard of the gentleman,”
with a peculiar smile.

said Buffalo Bill,

“Then you know that he is the leader of a band of

outlaws who call themselves the Red Riders of Oso.
The log house is one of the retreats of the band. They
have others, but there they keep their animals. It is
off the trail, and cannot be seen from it.” as

“It was from this house that you escaped this morn-
ing, was it?” :

“Yes. I was made a prisoner as soon as I arrived
there. When I was assisted from the horse’s back to
the ground my guide threw off the mask. He chuck-
lingly informed me that he had made a fool of me; that
he did not travel with my uncle’s crowd; that he was
an outlaw, and that he lived with the Arapahoes. He
further stated that my uncle was rich, and that he would
probably pay well for my restoration to liberty.”

“Did Phil Ladue speak to the same purport?’

“Yes, la fact, aiter the first night, he did all the
talking for the band. Two days ago he asked me to
marry him. Of course, I refused, and then he said my
permission would not be necessary. There would be an
Indian ceremony, and he would do all the talking. Later
in the day he informed me that the ceremony would
take place to-day. Yesterday he and the most of the
band were away, and last night I made a determined
effort to escape. It was not until just before daylight
this morning that I was able to get away from the house.
There were two guards, one an old white man, and the
other a drunken Indian. There are two rooms in the
house, and I occupied the rear one. Both the guards
drank heavily last night, and their sleep was so pro-
found that the noise I made in trying to force the door
between the two rooms was not heard. At last I suc-

ceeded in entering the front room. The white man had .

the key to the front door, and, securing it without awa-
king him, I ran down to the trail and followed it until
I reached the flat below.

_ “] was on my way to the flat when I heard the approach
of a body of men. Concealing myself, I waited until they
had passed. When I saw that the leader was Phil. La-
due I knew that my escape would soon be discovered,
and I believed that a pursuit would be quickly under-
taken, There was no hope for me, I thought, if I kept
to the trail, Therefore, I determined to leave it. I
_erossed the stream, saw the trail leading up the ravine,
and followed it, hoping that it would take me over the
mountain and into a section where I might find friends.”

“Ail things considered, your course was a- wise one,”
commented Buffalo Bill, “They won't think of looking

“THE BUFFALO

BILL STORIES.

here for you, for this is one of their camps. And, if — :
you had not come up. here, you would not have met me. —
Not that the meeting insures your safety,” modestly

- added the king of scouts, “but because the company of —

a friend is eminently desirable in the case of a good-
looking young woman pitched from civilization into a-
wild and dangerous wilderness,”’

Edna Lane.smiled. “I do not think of danger,”
said simply, “while you are near me.”

“And there is no present danger,” he replied. “The —
redskins and outlaws will not pursue you. They be-
lieve the soldiers are down here somewhere. They may
send out scouts, they probably will, but by the time dis-
covery is made that the soldiers are ao ee you and
I will be where they can’t reach us.’ ;

“Why are the soldiers not coming?”

Buffalo Bill told her. She asked another question:
“Why are you here?” This was a reminder that caused _
the king of scouts to wrinkle his brow.

hi am shere in ae for a co who mysteriously
disappeared awhile ago.” |

The story of the day’s doings, in which Alkali Pete
conspicuously figured, interested Edna Lane greatly.

“You must not go on with me,” she said, with deter-
mination. “You must continue the search for your
iiend be .

“T should like to do so,” he returned,
safety must first be assured.”

“Mr. Cody,” she replied, with a tightening of her
pretty lips, “I refuse utterly to permit you to change
your program on account of your meeting with me. You
say this place is safe. Let me stay here while a go out
and look for Mr. Allen—Alkali Pete.”

“The cove is safe, now—will be—I think, for some
time. But when the Red Riders learn what course the —
soldiers are taking they will come back here. If I leave
you I may be gone many hours. If 1 should tse much

she —

“but your.

time in my search I might find you gone on my return

to this spot.”

“T need not stay here in the cove when I ee te

enemy coming,’ she said. “Can't I hide up there in the 7 :

rocks?” pointing to the place that had served to conceal — :

the king of scouts early that morning.

“You might—yes.”

“Then I insist that you go at once and leave me te my
own devices. I am armed—lI got back my pistol before
I left the house—and I can take care of myself.’’ ae

Buffalo Bill hesitated. He wanted to discover what _
had become of his comrade; to rescue him should he be
a captive, and yet he did not like to leave this weak
and inexperienced young woman alone in the mountains,
in the stamping-ground of the Arapahoes and outlaws.

bP

_ “You need not hesitate,” she said, with a resoluteness —
that made the king of scouts smile in spite of himself, —

A

 
   

  

“for I have made up my mind to stay here for the pres-
ent.
‘me kicking.”

She. ended with a laugh. Buffalo Bill eed with
her, :

“AM. night,” he responded. | pt let you: aie your
own way. I won’t be gone long, if, as I hope, I shall
find my friend. somewhere near the log house. If he
has oo chasing Maricopa Dan that is where he has

gone.”

  
     
   
    
  
  
    
   
  
   
 
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
 
 

cove and hurried down the ravine.
- On his way to the house he kept out of the tak His
utmost caution as he neared the haunt of the enemy.

But he saw no scouts on his way, and at last arrived
at the mouth of a thickly wooded gulch. A quarter of
a mile up this gulch, so the young woman had informed
him, the log house would be found.

- Fifteen minutes later he looked into a small clearing,
at the farther end of which stood the house. Hidden
amid the undergrowth between the trees he beheld a
strange sight. (oe

Over a dozen Indians and outlaws were gathered in
front of the house, the door of which was closed. The
windows were about five feet from the ground, and
were barred and without panes, From one of the win-
dows, two of the bars having been wrenched off, pro-
truded the upper half of a man’s body. He must have
been held from the inside, for he was waving his arms
and making piteous appeals for help.

 

“Take me out, ye numskulls,” he yelled, . “Bust in
ther door an’ kill ie son of a she wolf who is a-holdin’

   
 

ele aint ehaldey yer,’ answered a thick voice from
the inside. “Go out if ye feel like it.” |

“If ye ain’t a-holdin’ me ye’ve tied my feet,”
the victim. ‘‘’Bout ther same thing, I reckon.”

   
   

‘snapped

  
   

' There was a log lying on the ground near the house.
The man hanging from the window saw it and called
out harshly: “Thar’s a log. ‘Why don’t ye take it up
an’ use it as a batterin’-ram ag’in’ ther door? Goin’ ter
let me stay here all day? Think I’m comfertabel, I sup-
pose? Drat ye, I’d like ter git at some o’ ye. i'd make
ye stop snickerin’ an’ a down ter ae business mighty
pronto. @..

“Shut up!’ said Phil Ladue sony

  
  
    
 
  
  
   

“We know what

   
  

to do.”
“You bet he knows what ter do,” spoke the voice from
the inside. “Shay, old dirt-eater, out thar, ye know what

  

Pll do, too. Ye know that at ther first move agin’ ther
door I'll shore put a bullet inter ther gizzard of ther
winder ornamint. Whoopee! but I’m a-holdin’ ther fort.
1 got plenty o os an’ oa o’ good wey
oe luck ter myself. oo ee

 
    
  
 

THE BUFFALO

If I go away ee will have to ey me, and carry —

‘face there in the window.
After giving Edna careful instructions, he left tie

progress was necessarily slow, for he had to exercise the ~

Petes 7

Mealy Mouth Hawky’s face flushed while the fore-
going words were being uttered. “Better try the log,’
he said to Ladue.
get him.” S

“We've got him now,” was the cold reply. “He can’t
get away, and we can starve him out. If we battered
down the door, we might lose half a dozen men, for that
fellow is a holy terror when it comes ter shootin’.”

“But what are you going to do with old Leather-
It’s a shame to let him
remain where he is.”

“T’ll tell him to slide back into the house.
erface,” he shouted, “back in.
awhile.”

“Back, ye aged maverick, back!” yelled the voice in-
side.

_ As the voice ceased, an Indian entered the clearing. .
He was out of breath from running.

“White a. gone,” he gasped. “Not come back
any more.’ en

He had been sent out to scout, and had fsilowed the
soldiers on the return march until he had learned why
they had been ordered back. He understood and could
speak English, and soon gathered from the talk of the
cavalrymen that the expedition against the outlaws and —
Indians had been abandoned on receipt of orders from
the general commanding the district.

Had he seen Buffalo Bill? The question was asked
by Ladue. No, he had not seen the famous scout, but
presumed he must be in advance of the soldiers,

Say, Leath-
We'll get you out a

“That’s right, that’s where he would be, certainly,”
said Ladue. And, convinced that the man inside of the
house was the only enemy he had to deal with, and that
once this enemy was out of the way the scheme for the
robbery of the treasure-wagon might be carried forward
to success, he turned a smiling countenance on Mountain
Eagle, who for some moments had been sitting on the

‘log with his chin in his hands.

“Come, come, brace up,” he said cheerily to the tide -
chief. “Things are comin’ our way with a rush. Ther

soldiers an’ Buffalo Bill are out of the way, ther gal is . a

- What’

safe in thar, an’ the snoozer with her is our meat.
more would ye have?”

“What’s that "bout ther gal bein’ in hyer ?” asked the
outlaw, hanging from the window. |

“T said she is in thar,” replied Ladue a

“That’s whar ye air plumb off yer cabase.
some time durin’ ther night.”

“What?” Ladue turned pale. “Escaped? How could
she escape with two men guardin’ her iv

She lit Out

“Shay, old stick-in-ther- mud, ye qe: 2 liar by ther oc
watch, ” ‘said the voice inside.

right. She went out, but got skeered an’ kem back. [’m

_ a-protectin’ bee an’ when I gits her out 0’ this she’s goin’
ter marry me.’

  

 

 

“It’s one man and we'll be sure to

 

“Ther gal is hyer, all
ave id not know how to take this speech. ‘The man
inside might be lying. If so, what was his object?
-“Thar’s no gal in ther house, I tell ye,’
Leatherface. “Bust in ther door an’ yell find I’m right.”
_ “Qf course he’s. Tight,” spoke some one from the.
bushes, and quick upon the words Maricopa Dan entered
_ the clearing bearing in his arms the unconscious. joe
of Edna Lane.

‘He was at once besieged with aesiane and after he.

consigned the young woman to the care of two Ara-

pahoes, with instructions to take her to the back of the~ s@ you'd likely git on to Pete’s game an’ pete it.

house and dash some cold water in her face, he con-
descended to speak.

“T’ve had. a devil of a time,’ he said,

in’, Ef I-had been armed I wouldn't ha’ minded it so
“much, but I hadn’t even a toothpick. Waal, this mornin’,

as 1 was hikin’ up this way, I got sight of Alkali Pete,

an’ erbout ther same time he got sight of me. Then

it was a case of hide-an’-seek. I had many a good chance
ter pot him; but my weepon shyness made me let im go_

by. He’s no slouch. on ther trail, an’ 1 had ter act my

cunningest ter git shet of him. Onct he let drive at
~ me, an’ ther bullet tickled my nose.

9

__here is ther gal who played our two guards fer suckers.

© Where did you. fad her: >” asked Meee, Mouth
 Hawky.

“Lyin’ on ther eround an’ onsensible.

ter git away from me,”

CHAPTER VIL.

- THE VENGEANCE OF ALKALI PETE.

All this time the king of scouts was in his covert in

the bushes. He had listened to the conversation between

Ladue, old Leatherface, and the man inside the house

with interest and amusement. He had recognized the
voice: of the man tn the house as that of Alkali Pete,
and he was hoping that the lanky plainsman had in the
room as a prisoner the treacherous guide, Maricopa Dan,
when that disreputable individual made his appearance.

_ The scout’s mind was greatly relieved when the an- |
- wlouncement soon came that the young woman had

recovered consciousness and was sitting up.-

“T am shore glad ter know she’s all right,” remarked
Maricopa Dan to the Indian who brought the news,
“fer I’ve got a half-interest in her, an’ Ladue.an’ me’s
' goin’ ter have a ganle ter decide whether I ails his half,
or he gits mine,’

Ladue puckered his big Oe but made no 0 reply i m-.

: words.
o os did you find the girl? » asked Mealy Mouth

’ persisted old

“an’ I’ve had |
a narrow squeak. I slipped away from the soldiers last.
night, but I did not dare start up this way until morn-_

But here I am, an’.

She’d fell down
a bank an’ hit her bee on a rock, Must ha’ been tryin’

BILL STORIES.

“On. ther flat, Ye see I went up to ther camp an

ther ravine, an’ she must ha’ been hidden about thar

an’ have seen me. But why she should have left her
hidin’ -place—I never would ha’ spotted it—an’ vate
‘ down. to ther flat, gits me.’

“Tt don’t git-me,” said Ladue. “She knew her friend
Alkali Pete was up here, an’ she believed he was recon-
noiterin’, not havin’ any idee that he had got inter ther
house, Well, seein’ you, Dan, she naterly concluded
that you were on your way to ther house, an’ that bein’

SO.
away she hikes ter warn him.”

Buffalo Bill, listening to this: explanation, arrived at
the truth. Edna Lane had started for the log house
to warn the king of scouts, and not Alkali Pete, of ©
whose presence in that region she knew nothing.

He admired her courage, and resolved to rescue eee
or die in the attempt.

The talk in the clearing soon drifted to the matter
of the treasure-wagon. Ladue was of opinion that the
government would provide an escort to take the place
of the troop of cavalry commanded by Lieutenant Mor-
timer. ‘But,’ said he, “it’s a sure gamble that ther
escort will not be a large one. Ther soldiers can’t be
spared. With Buffalo Bill out of ther way we can man-
age ther escort, an’ we'll rig” up an ambush this time
that'll bea peacherino.”

“Say, Alkali Pete shouted from the window, “ye air
shore apt ter git left in this yer chicken-countin’ busi-
ness. Whar do I git off?”

“Will some o’ you fellers kill that Pete,” shrieked
Leatherface. “He’s jabbin’ my leg with a knife.”

The words were hardly out of the outlaw’s mouth

before he was shooting downward. Alkali Pete had

released the old villain’s x See and given him a shove
outward.

Leatherface struck the a head first, and for some
time his mind was a blank. But his skull was thick, .
and when his senses returned he made the air blue ape
his profanity. i

“Ei I had my. way,” he growled, “T would bust that
- door in. Hang me ef I don’t berlieve I could ram that

log through ther door ’thout any help.”

Mealy Mouth Hawky lifted the log. “Ladue,” he said,
in his softest tone, “there’s no sense in delaying matters.
We have got to get that insulting long legs inside, and
I am willing to stand with Leatherface. The two of us

ought to work this log. The rest of the gang can

stand at one side and plug Pete if he shows his head
when we smash in the door.”

A whisky-bottle flew through the window and knocked _
off Ladue’s hat.
‘Hawky. “Smash in the door. Alkali Pete has got ter :
die?

 

 

“Got it,” the outlaw chief yelled to — 2
 

‘THE BUFFALO

Old Leatherface and Mealy Mouth Hawky lifted the
- log and rammed it against the door. The timbers rattled,
but there was no breakage. Ladue gave his assistance
and the log would have struck the door for the second
time, perhaps to shatter it, if Buffalo Bill had not acted.

“I’m coming, Pete,” he shouted, and with revolvers
in hand he sprang into the clearing.

In the surprise and confusion of his bine ap-
pearance he was able to do effective work. Four In-
dians and one outlaw were down before the enemy’s
fire could be directed against him. And when the bullets
did begin to fly he was at the door. *

_. And while he stood there, fighting for his life, the
_ door gave way, and long, bony hands grasped him by
_ the shoulders and drew him inside the house.

When the door was again closed and locked Alkali
_ Pete danced a jig ypon the floor. Strange to say, Buf-
 falo Bill-had escaped without serious wound. His face
was bleeding and fis left arm was paining him. Hur-
riedly binding up the arm, he said: “No bones broken,
_ Pete, so I reckon you can count me a whole man in
the scrimmage that is likely to come.’

_ The lanky plainsman regarded his comrade with a half
_ idiotic smile. He had been drinking heavily from the
spirit supply in the room, and, though he could keep
his feet, his brain was slightly fuddled.

_ “Buffler,” he said, with a series of winks,
takes ther beanery, this yer shebang does.
drink an’ nothin’ ter eat. I’m goin’ ter camp hyer fer
a year. Clap yer peepers onto a bottles. Don’t ye

“envy me?’

“it shore
Plenty ter

The king of scouts was not listening. He was s standing :

fear the window, so that his head could not be seen.

_ Alkali Pete looked at his comrade for a moment, and
then, shaking his head, moved toward the little closet
n a corner where the bottles were. “I wouldn’ t,”’ spoke
Buffalo Bill sharply. “You have had enough. You
mustn't lose your head. There’s nipping times coming.”
_ “All right,” replied the lanky plainsman, with a deep
igh. “But ye don’t know how good it tastes.”

Ignoring the subject, the king of scouts said®rapidly :
‘They are not anxious now to ram the door, but they'll
figure out a way to rout us out. And while they are
sooking up their scheme we must get the young woman
m here. She is at the rear of ue house, and only one
Indian is with her.’

“That thar Injun berlongs ter me,” responded Alkali,

pete, as he wheeled and made for the back door.

_ Buffalo Bill passed him, and, reaching the door, lis-

ened a moment. Suddenly was heard the report of a

jistol. The king of scouts threw open the door and

aw Edna Lane standing on her feet with a smoking

istol in her hand. On the ground, ee in the
onies of death, was an Arapahoe. “Quick!’’ com-
nded the scout. “In. this door!”

BILL STORIES.

The young woman obeyed ane was inside the house
before she could be stopped by the rush of Indians _
and outlaws from the front.

There were savage yells and curses when the body of
the fatally wounded Indian’ was discovered.

But soon Phil Ladue restored order, and brought sav-
age satisfaction to the countenances of his evil associates.

“We'll burn ’em out,” he said. “Ther old shack can
go. It will be easy ter throw up another one. We've
got the three of ‘em in a box, an’ if ther fire fails ter
roast ’em, we'll fill ’em full of holes,”

“The girl, too?” said Mealy Mouth Hawky.

“Yes, ther girl, too. She’s a dangerous proposition.
It will be risky ter keep her. Let ther ransom idee go,
We'll get a big enough take- off from ther ‘treasure- a,
ter satisfy us all.”

Maricopa Dan scowled, but he had the discretion -to
keep his mouth shut. :

Inside the three prisoners—for such they virtually were
—heard the words which pronounced their doom, and
each was affected in a different way. Edna Lane shud-
dered and seemed on the point of fainting. Alkali Pete
straightened up and pointed to the front door. Buffalo
Bill, with flashing eyes, accepted the suggestion implied
in the mute action of his comrade.

They moved toward the door, and were within reach-
ing distance of it when a sudden thought caused the
king of scouts to come to a halt, and place his hand
upon the shoulder of the lanky plainsman.

Pete,” said he, in. a whisper; “we: may. get out of
this trap without making a fight for it. An idea has
occurred to me. This house was built by an old hunter.
When he first occupied.it he had made no deal with the
Indians. They were his enemies, and, naturally, he was :
obliged to make provision against an attack. He could
not hope, in this house, to stand off the redskins, and,
therefore, if he was a man of any ingenuity, he must
have worked out a plan of retreat. And how could he
retreat and make the venture a safe one? In one way,
by running an inclined tunnel from the house to some
point outside, some point which was sheltered and from
which he could have a chance to escape.”

“By gum, Buffler, but I berlieve ye hey popped ther |
bull’s-eye. Ther thing hev been done afore. I knowed
an old trapper over Yellowstone way that——”

“Some other time for that story, Pete,’ interrupted
the king of scouts curtly. “Just now we have got to
hunt for that tunnel. Of course, it begins under the
house, and is reached by a trap-door. Where is that
door ?”

“T have found it,” spoke Edna Lane, who had been
making a search while Buffalo Bill was talking. it is
in front of the partition door,”

The floor was made of split logs, and, looking at the
space in front of the door, Buffalo Bill saw that four

 

19) ised
pool and cross the stream that flowed out of it.

‘(fHE BUFFALO

‘of the floor timbers were in two sections, the shorter ©

about three feet in length, being at the door end.

If the trap was there, as it seemed to be, there was
no ring or other contrivance by which it could be lifted.

“The old chap probably used a hatchet if he didn’t

have a crowbar,’ remarked Buffalo Bill, “Let’s look
about and see if we can ‘t find something that can be used
as a lever.’

The cracks between the sections of flooring were filled
with dirt, and it was Alkali Pete’s opinion that the trap
had never been used by the outlaws. It was also prob-
able that they were not aware of its existence.

In the rear room the king of scouts found a tngey
hatchet sticking in the floor in one corner. With this
he succeeded in prying up the trap-door.

“Just as I thought,” he whispered. “There is a tun-
nel, and—and it’s time we were getting into it.”

Outside was heard the crackling of burning brush.
The move to fire the house had begun.

Down into the tunnel went Buffalo Bill, Alkali Pate
and Edna Lane.

The tunnel was sharply inclined, and was as dark
as Erebus. Buffalo Bill took the lead, and the three

_. pressed on and were pleased to find that the air got

fresher as they proceeded.

After traveling a quarter of a mile they came to the
end. It was masked by a dense growth of wild grape-
vines. Cutting a passage through them the king of
scouts stepped out to find himself on a narrow shelf
of rock covered with a half a foot of soil.
was an irregular -descent to a wide, deep pool which re-
ceived its supply from a waterfall a few yards to He
right of the outlet.

To surmount the hill and reach a point shoe fe, :

waterfall would, the king of scouts thought, bring him
within view of the enemy at the clearing. The other,
and apparently the only feasible, route to the trail was
to go down a narrow path to the left, partly circle the
This
crossing would be an easy matter, for there, a short
distance beyond the pool, was a natural bridge, the ap-
proaches concealed by the thick brush that grew about
them, :

As Buffalo Bill was inspecting his surroundings he
could hear plainly the yells of the Indians a quarter
of a mile above him.

“We must get down to the cafion as quick as we

n,” he said to Edna Lane and Alkali Pete, “for it
won't take long for those fiends to discover that we are
not in the house. And our means of escape will be
guessed, and there will be a pursuit down the trail pad
from both sides of it.”

/ “Ef ye air waitin’ fer my consent ter vamose ye
_ hev it, Buffler,” said Alkali Pete. “P’int ther way, an’
; well come a-runnin’.”

fugitives were soon at the natural bridge.

Maricopa Dan.

_ scrapes.

Below there ~

‘BILL STORIES. ©

The king of scouts went down the path, and the three

Alkali Pete was the first one to put foot upon it. As
he did so he saw emerging from the tunnel the form of |
The outlaw was not looking in the
lanky plainsman’s direction, and, taking advantage of the
fact, Alkali Pete quickly stepped back into the bushes.

From this covert the two scouts could watch the move-
ments of the treacherous guide without themselves anh
seen.

“Til be etarnally golsquizzled ef I wouldn’t like ter
git my fingers abotit that air son o’ Satan,” excitedly
whispered Alkali Pete. “He shore led us into all our
He played you, Buffler, an’ he played ther gal.

Wus’n all; he played me. Hed me chasin’ up ter that

‘log house an’ him a mile down the trail a-pickin’ up

Miss Lane. Wow! but I’m itchin’ ter perform an opera-

tion onto his windpipe.”

Maricopa Dan appeared to be in a quandary. He stood
outside the tunnel, and’would gaze first in one direction,
then in another. Not seeing nor hearing anything, he
started to descend to the bank of the pool, taking the
route which had been pursued by the three fugitives.

“He’s my meat, Buffler,” said the lanky plainsman,
and then, without waiting for a reply, he burst through
the bushes and ran toward the bank of the pool.

Maricopa’ Dan did not see the vengeful scout ‘until
an upward climb to the bank brought him face to face

with his enemy.

Without a word Alkali Pete sprang upon the outlaw
and bore him to the ground. They rolled over and over,
and then down the bank and into the pool.

Buffalo Bill, pistol in hand, staod above the Boge and ©
watched for a chance to shoot.

As the combatants came to the surface after the plunge
the lanky plainsman saw his comrade and guessed what
was contemplated.

“Gimme a chance!” he: shouted. “Don’t shoot onless
ye see I’m gittin’ ther wust of it.” As he spoke his
fingers were about Maricopa Dan’s throat, and the vic-
tim was gquirming like an eel.
appeared beneath the water. The outlaw had twisted _
his legs about the waist of his adversary and with his _
hands was pulling desperately at Pete’s long hair.

These efforts prevented the scout from keeping his —
head above water, but as he went down he did not
loosen the grip on the enemy’s throat.

Maricopa Dan’s strength gave out in a moment, The ©

“squeeze about his windpipe was slowly but surely bring-

ing death to him. His senses were leaving him. In
a moment he would be a corpse, Hold, there was one
chance for him.

He relaxed completely in body, his hands fell to his
sides, his legs dangled loosely, he gave, or tried to give,

a gurgle that should announce his departure from earth, : o

 

 

 

All at once the two dis- ~~
 

“THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES. a ee a

At this § moment he combatants were near the surface ©

of the water, Alkali Pete had regained the use of his
legs, and was kicking to send his body upward, He
noticed the change in the condition of the outlaw, and,
believing that the end had come, he removed his fingers
“from Maricopa Dan's throat and allowed the body to
: sink.
It did sink a few feet, and then up it came. There
was life in it, but not much strength. But there was
intelligence in the evil brain, and with but one thought
the outlaw drew out the knife at his belt, and, as he
came to the surface within three feet of the enemy, whose
head was then turned toward the bank, a gleam of mur-
_derous satisfaction shot from out his bloodshot eyes.
_ He ignored the presence of the enemy on the bank.
What if he had to die in a moment? Death would be
a pleasure after he had killed Alkali Pete.

He was within a foot of the lanky plainsman, and the

|. knife was raised for the fatal thrust when Buffalo Bill

saw him and shouted: “Look out, Pete!’ He would

_ have fired, but the positions of scout and outlaw were

such that the life of his comrade would be endangered
by a shot at that moment.

Alkali Pete turned just as Maricopa Dan struck. The
knife cut the water close to the scout’s neck, and the
next instant the wrist above the hand that held the
_ weapon was grasped and twisted until the knife dropped
_and went to the bottom of the pool.

Two minutes later, Alkali Pete climbed the bank, his
work accomplished.

All this time Edna Lane had remained in the bushes
by the bridge.”

She saw the two scouts coming toward her, and ran out
to meet them. “I have been watching the ground where
the trail must be,” she excitedly said, “and just now I

m certain the head of an Indian showed itself from

ehind a rock over there’—pointing across the bridge.

“We are up against it, I reckon,” said Buffalo Bill.

If it had not been for this Maricopa Dan episode, which

stild not have been avoided, we might have got safely

o the cafion.

nless we sail in and try to cut our way through a

ang that is probably over the bridge wey for us.’

* said Al-
“Then how do they know we're hyer?”.

! “Waitin’ fer us? They shore can’t see us,’
eli. Pete,
“They know how long we have been gone, and those
Indian trailers know that we have not yet reached the
afion. We had but two ways to go. The enemy now
ccupies one. We, therefore, must be on the other, and
other ends in a pocket. Look back and see if you
on’t know it already.”
The lanky plainsman boned back an saw that lofty,
assable walls of rock extended from the bridge some
enty feet, and then curved so as to enclose the small

“Now, our hope of getting Hees is slim

spake ean the bank of the pool, terminating above
the mouth of the tunnel.

CHAPTER VIII.

BETWEEN TWO FIRES.

“Of course I’ve seen that wall afore,” said Alkali
Pete, “but I shore didn’t get onter what it meant for
us. I war thinkin’ that the bridge would carry us onter
ther pocket, an’ put us in a shape ter fight, or run, as
we seen fit. Now, it sorter obtrudes itself ter my limited -
onderstandin’ that we air pocketed. We either hev got

ter camp hyer an’ wait fer that olyer podrider of red-

skin an’ black heart ter come an’ visit us, or we hev
got ter hike back inter ther tunnel. Speakin’ of ther
tunnel, Buffler, how war it that Maricopa Dan was ther
only one that kem through ther hole? An’ how did ther -
measly traitor happen ter do it?”

“T have a theory that will account ‘for his action,”
replied the king of scouts. “He had an interest, an
evil interest, in this young lady here. After the fires
against the log house had been lighted, his interest got
the better of his caution, and, assisted by one of his
associates, he looked through the window. He saw the
open trap-door, for I did not take the trouble to close
it, and, after announcing the fact of our escape, told
Ladue and Mountain Eagle to send out their respective
forces to cut off our retreat while he followed after us
to locate our position. The program was carried out,
and all the outlaws and Indians hurriedly left the clearing.

“An’ now Ladue is probably wonderin’ what hev be-
come of Dan, Mebbe not seein’ us, or findin’ any sign,
they'll wait awhile ter give Dan.a chanst ter report.

Wouldn’t they jump stiff-legged ef they knew that erbout —

this time he’s doin’ his reportin’ ter old Beelzebub.”’

“I think they will wait awhile, Pete. They can’t see
us from where they are. I say they are, for a moment
ago several other Indians joined the one whose head
Miss Lane saw. They must suspect we are over this
way, but there are so many good hiding-places in the
bushes about the pool that they are not likely to move
for the pocket until they get word from Maricopa Dan.”

“How long do you think they will wait, ‘Mr. Cody?”
asked Edna Lane.

“Half an hour, not longer.
upon us by way of the bridge. There is no other route
by which they can reach us. We know by the smoke
and flames over the hill that the log house is burning.
It will, therefore, be impossible for any of the band to
come upon us from the tunnel for several hours, at
least.” oe -

The fugitives were now in the bushes at the end of
the natural bridge, and while Alkali Pete kept an eye
on the land across the bridge, Edna Lane, at Buffalo

And they must advance

Bill’s request, explained her presence at the log house, a
and told why she had killed the Arapahoe. ,. )

 
THE BUFFALO

22.
“A short time after you left me at the cove, Mr.
Cody, I heard some one coming up the trail. As quick
as I could I climbed up the rock and hid myself. The
man was Maricopa Dan. He had come to the cove to
hunt for a weapon. Not finding one, he sat down and

began to talk to himself.
in his references to Mr, Allen here.”

“What did ther skunk say?’ quickly interrogated the
lanky plainsman. :

“T prefer not to repeat his precise words,” replied the
young woman, with a smile and a blush. “They were not
complimentary. He said he would never have a happy
moment until he had put a knife into your heart.”

“An’ ther happy moment never came,” said Alkali
Fete,

“He said, also, that he was going to spoil any game
that threatened to take me away from him; that if my
uncle agreed to pay a ransom for my release, he would
insist that Ladue should go for the money, and that

while Ladue was attending to this business he -would

run away with me. After he had relieved his mind he
got up and started down the ravine. I followed a short
distance, and then attempted a cut-off. My intention.
was to find you, Mr. Cody, and have you stop the villain
before he cowld reach the log house. Unfortunately, I
fell and hurt myself.

“When my senses returned I found myself lying on
the ground behind the log house, and an Arapahoe stand-
ing over me. I spoke to him, and, without answering,
he ran to the front.. In a few minutes he returned. The
time was long enough for me to get my wits together
and determine on a course of action. Rather than go
into that house again I would kill myself.

“The Indian did not know I had a pistol, or he would
not have left me. When he came back it was in my
breast and I had my hand upon it. The Indian gruffly
ordered me to get up. I did so, and then, with a hideous
leer on his ugly face, he reached out to take me in his
arms. He never touched me, and, after I had shot him,
I was about to turn the pistol upon myself when you
opened the back door, Mr. Cody, and called to me.”

“That war callin’ ther turn,’ remarked Alkali Pete,
with a nod of appreciation, “Must ha’ been some sort
o’ thurrypewtic, or hellyographic :

“Telepathic, perhaps you mean,
Edna Lane.

“Tellerpathic, or tellergraphic, or teller ter stopic, one
o’ them things, Waal, that sorter relation must hev
existed atween you two, an’ Buffler, gittin’ ther occult
hunch, pressed ther button, an’ ther second shot war
_ never fired.”

smilingly interrupted

The lanky plainsman, whose eyes for a moment had
been turned away from the bridge and the section beyond
it, now resumed his watch. Suddenly he uttered an

_ in the pool.
He used pretty bad language

BILL STORIES.

ejaculation in which amazement and disgust were min-
gled. “Alive, alive, an’ kickin’ !’

“Who's alive?” asked Buffalo Bill. :

“Ther dern lop-eared reptyle that I shore ae fer dea
Why, Maricopa Dan, in course.’

The king of scouts looked through the bushes and
saw that his comrade spoke truth. The outlaw, for some
time supposed to be dead, was crawling up the bank on
the other side of the pool. He had probably been out
of the water all the time the scouts were talking, and
had heard their voices. “Now he was on his way to
notify his associates in crime.

“That rapscallion hev more lives than a cat,
Alkali Pete.
would hev put any eae human bein’ outer business.
I orter knifed him, an’ that a fact.”

» When within a short distance of the farther end of
the bridge the outlaw rested. It was evident that he was
very weak.

Buffalo Bill could have shot the ne but he hesi-
tated. The report of the pistol would bring the outlaws
and Indians upon them. Jf Edna Lane had not been
with him the prospect of a close and desperate fight
would not have deterred him from putting an end to
the treacherous guide. But with the young woman on
his hands he must use all possible discretion.

And yet, if Maricopa Dan once got a few yards be-
yond the bridge, he would be seen by the Arapahoes and
Red Riders.

“Pete,” the king of scouts whispered, “it won't do to
shoot. We must take another tack. We must strike
for the tunnel. Just as soon as that scoundrel gets be-
yond the bridge we must make the sneak. If we hurry
we may make the hole without being observed. The
house is in ruins by this time, and unless the trap is
filled with hot débris—and the roof was so flimsy that
I don’t think it is—we'll stand a good chance of ects
out and reaching the cafion by a cut-off.”

“I’m with ye, Buffler,’ was all Alkali Pete said.

Watching Maricopa Dan, they presently saw him get

” growled

to his feet and complete the scout of the bank. When ~

he reached level. ground he again rested. While the

“I gin him a chokin’ ther last time that

it Fea

La

three fugitives were anxiously waiting for him to move,

on he turned his head and looked in their direction. Then i
he shook his fist at the clump of bushes that served as ic

their hiding-place.

“Ye dare not shoot, ye cowards!’ he shouted. “Ye

air afraid ther shots would give ye away. Lie low, ye

tadpoles, an’ think ye air cunnin’. In erbout ten min-

utes I’ll be takin’ yer skelps.”

As he started to move on, the two scouts and the
young woman hurried away from the bushes. The voice
of the outlaw must have been heard by his confederates
in crime, and ‘a longer wait would be attended with oe
gravest danger.

 
  

   

But ey were not : Ohne as they fled for the tunnel:
Maricopa Dan did not turn his head a second time,
but walked straight for the vies where his evil | comrades
were in waiting.

Buffalo Bill, Alkali Pete, and Edna Lane were in the

tunnel when blood-curdling ay abieunced that

Maricopa Dan had been seen.

They went quickly along the incline of the dark hole,

) the king of scouts in the lead.

| Suddenly he stopped and listened.

4 = “What is it?” whispered Alkali Pete.
“Some one is meh toward us.
him 2”

"Yes, Lemme go ahead.”
) = “No, you stay here with Miss Lane.”
i —- Buffalo Bill left his companions and glided forward

4 silently. In his right hand was a bowie.

i Soon he stopped, for the sound of the oncomer’s foot-

i . steps could no longer be heard.

“He must have become aware of the fact that we are
» in the tunnel,” thought the scout, “and he is lying low
4 and waiting for us.”
4 —— The situation was a peculiar one. In a dark hole, so
e § dark that the scout could not see a foot beyond him,
4) were two deadly enemies, each waiting for the other to
% come within reaching distance. .
) ~ Who the enemy was Buffalo Bill, of course, did not
|. know, but he inclined to the belief that it was a white
| man, Indians do not like underground work. They
@ never hunt corners where there is the chance to be caught
@ like rats in a trap.
a Five minutes passed, and the silence had not been
} broken. The king of scouts resolved to take the initia-
# tive. Dropping to his hands and knees, he began to
| crawl up the incline. He moved slowly and without noise,
@ and had proceeded about fifteen feet when his hand
1} touched something that made him draw back, as if the
4a _ object were a red-hot coal.

De i. He had touched the hand of a human being, the hand

i of the enemy he was seeking.

 

   
 

ig he drawing back was followed by a spring, but the
spring must have been foreseen, for the hands of the
m scout struck empty air,

Then a knife descended, but as the murderous hand
@ that held it was guided by guess, the blade did not
@ reach the body of Buffalo Bill. It was buried in the
‘W soil between the scout’s arm and side.

Now ensued a struggle that spelled death for one of
@ the combatants. The descent of the knife was followed
; by a thrust from the bowie, which would have at once

 

  
  

i} not encountered a steel plate worn over the breast of
@ Buffalo Bill’s antagonist. The blade broke, and at the
| snap the man with the plate laughed.

  
  
 

   

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

Don’t you hear

@ ended the contest if the sharp point of the weapon had.

“Got ay more knives,”
’em out.” i

‘The king of scouts knew the voice. It belonged to.
Phil Ladue. He did not answer, but proceeded to des-
perate business,

- As the two men were strugg ling, Alkali Pete came
up. He had heard the voice, and knew that the scout.
and outlaw had met,.and that the fight was on.

As it was now safe to do so, he struck a match and
looked at the combatants.

They were rolling over, each striving to gain an ad
vantage. Both were powerful men, but Buffalo Bill was
the taller and the more supple.

“Don’t interfere,” gasped the king of scouts, “for I’m
sure | can manage him.”

he jeeréd. “Ef ye have, trot

Before the match went out the lanky plainsman saw
a knife sticking in the ground. He stooped and took ©
hold of it.

“Want this sticker, Buffler?” he asked.

“No. I have no use for a knife.”

At that moment he was on top of Ladue, holding the
outlaw’s wrists. The sight seemed to please Alkali Pete,
for, when his match was exhausted, he did not light an-
other.

‘But victory had not yet come to the cause of the right.
As the match went out Ladue raised his head and fixed
his teeth in his adversary’s wrist. The action elicited an
exclamation of pain. . : oe

With the other hand Buffalo Bill struck cts between
the eyes. The villain fell back, groaning.

But his collapse was but momentary, and Alkali Pete,
striking another match, and making ready to take a hand,

- saw as fierce a battle as he had ever witnessed.

He had his pistol out, watching for a chance to use
it, when the violent contortions of the combatants ceased,
and Buffalo Bill arose to his feet. Ladue lay dead before
him. oy

“Buffler, ye hev done it, but I war afeered at one
time that ye would need help.”

The king of scouts was squeezing the blood from the
wound in his wrist. Alkali Pete lit a third match, “I’ve
got what ye want,” he said, and from his wallet he pro-
duced a small bottle containing a whitish powder.
“That’s alkali from ther desert, Buffler, an’ warranted

ter beat soda ter a finish. Good fer snake-bite, acid on
‘ther stumjack, or any old thing that’s got pizen in it.

Put some on ther wound, and then wrap ther pall busi-
ness up in yer bandanna.”

Edna Lane came up before the operation was con-
cluded. She saw the dead body of Ladue, for more
matches had been used, and she experienced a sense of
relief even though her face paled at the sight and though
she knew that there were perils yet to be overcome.

After Buffalo Bill had attended to his wound the thitce

  
THE BUFFALO

continued their upward journey. Soon they stood under
the trap. The heat was intense, for. the logs of the
house were still blazing. But no burning timbers had
fallen into the hole, and the scout wondered at the cir-
cumstance. !

“T knows what makes it so clean down hyer,” said
Alkali Pete. “It’s all owing ter ther kind offices of
Maricopa Dan. Ther angelic cuss went down inter ther
tunnel afore ther roof caved in an’ shut ther door arter
him. Phil Ladue seen him do it, so that squint put
Phil wise to ther location of ther trap. When ther roof
fell in and Phil war ready ter git in ther tunnel ter
see what had become of Dan, he cleaned away ther burn-

in’ stuff from ther side of ther house near ther partan

_door an’ so walked safely inter ther hole.”

Buffalo Bill thought the explanation a plausible one,
and, to ascertain if there was, indeed, a clear passage
from the trap to the ground Devore the house, he put
his head out of the opening.

As he did so a bullet grazed his ear.
instantly.

“That’s one,” said a voice from the outside.
Alkali, it’s your turn.
attended to.”

The speaker was Mealy Mouth oe

Buffalo Bill turned a sober face upon his companion.
“I am afraid we have jumped from the frying-pan into
the fire. We are shut in here, and probably by this
time Maricopa Dan and the Indians are at the tunnel
outlet, Well, if we have got to die, we will die hard.”

“Don’t talk o’ dyin’, Buffler,” said Alkali Pete, with
a stout attempt at cheerfulness. “We've got out of tight
places afore. Remember that we've reduced ther force
of ther enemy so that now thar are not more than ten
ter contend with. An’, ef I’ve got it figgered out right,
thars only two Red Riders left, Mealy Mouth an’ Mari-
copa.”

He ducked

le, ~~ Now,
Come up and have your eyes

“T haven't given up the ee by a large aoe.
returned the king of scouts, and he spoke so hopefully
that Edna Lane took courage. “You placed the doleful
construction on the ‘If’ I used. Now, afterthought as-
sures me that our chances are not so black as they might
be. We are going to escape from this hole, and I'll tell
you how we must work it.

“You,. Pete, will stay here with Miss Lane, and I will
go back to the outlet and‘see that no enemy enters. Not
only that, but I will make it my business to hurt any-
body who tries to enter. There will probably be quite
a number who will want to go in the tunnel, and so

there will be a chance for a still further reduction ‘of
the force of the enemy.”

“An’ ef Mealy Mouth, or any of his redskin friends

try ter prospect this end of ther hole, thar’ll be sonethin’
doin’ at ther ‘spot whar I am a-standin’.”

ao! know that, and so L have Se we will come

“Hawky an’

BIL STORIES

out ahead. Don’t expose yourself. Keep a good watch
—you can see the other ae before he eam see you——
and when you shoot

The sentence was not finished. An Indian had crept
up from behind and with a tomahawk would have brained
the speaker had not Edna Lane turned her head in time
to see him. Her pistol was in her hand, and she fired

just as the tomahawk was raised, The bullet enteréd

the redskin’s heart, and he fell to the floor of the tunnel
by the side of the man he had intended to slay.

- Without stopping to say a word, Buffalo Bill ran
down the tunnel. The Indian was probably a scout who
had exceeded his instructions. If no other member of

the band had entered the tunnel, the program of the af

king of scouts might yet be carried out.

Butalo Bill went the whole length of the incline with-
out meeting any one. He cautiously looked through the
hole he had cut inthe vines at the outlet and saw

Maricopa Dan sitting down in front of the clump of,..

brush by the bridge. He was talking, and his auditors
were probably hidden in the bushes.

“They’re caged,” he was saying. ‘Thar air three up
in ther clearin’ an’ six of us down here, not countin’ |
ae Horse, who has gone in ther tunnel. Come out
an’ have some style erbout ye. Thar ain’t no danger
as long as Hee Horse is atween us an’ ther mouth
of ther hole.

-_ There was a consultation in the bushes, and soon an ~
Indian stepped into view. Another, and another came,
until there were five Arapahoes.
not among them.

_ Struck by a sudden thought, the king of scouts. ran
back to the spot where he had left his companions.

CHAPTER Dx.

BUFFALO BILL’S DESPERATE RUSH.

Alkali Pete was standing where his comrade had left / 4

him. A few feet down the incline stood Edna Lane, _
with revolver ready to shoot any enemy coming below ©
her. Had not the light from the open trap revealed —
the well-known form of Buffalo Bill, he might have
received a bullet as he came hurrying up.

“That’s right,” said he to the young woman, “Be on

your guard. Anything 1 new?’ he asked, speaking tO. 3 i

Alkali Pete.

-“T shore knows who’s outside,” was the answer. ay

took a squint a minute ago and I seen Mealy Mouth ;
One of ’em war Mountain

two Injuns.’
Eagle. They Pre squatted on ther ground beyond ther |
fire-line an’ air watchin’ ther trap.” :

“That’s all right. I hope they'll keep the position for ad
some time.” S

With these words Buffalo Bill shouldered ihe dead a
body of the Arapahoe and started down the slope

SAE

 

Mountain Fagle was 7

raat
   

‘What in thunderation air ye up ter?” questioned the
lanky plainsman. :

» Upto snuff, Ivhope.....t Haver t time to explain. You'll
hear from me before long.”

Arrived at the outlet Buffalo Bill eo down his bur-
den and looked through the vines.
| Maricopa Dan were still in a bunch outside the brush
q aes natural bridge.

   
  
 
 
  
  
  
 

He knew the Indian call, and imitated it. Quickly
B ollowing it, and before the answer came, he thrust

 

 

| of the body of the Arapahoe. This was done to assure
| the enemy that the call was a genuine one.
' hibition was short, not more than three seconds, just
| long enough for those outside to catch a glimpse of the
M head of the Arapahoe without having opportunity to
) grasp any suspicious detail. That it was successful the
movement of the group quickly demonstrated.
In the rush for the mouth of the tunnel, Maricopa
y | Dan was leader. In his eagerness to keep his posi-
| tion he made a misstep just as he was close to the vines,
Pand would have fallen down the bank and into the pool
| if he had not caught at the stout body of the largest
o _vine and thereby saved himself.

 

  

| But the action had consequences which rudely inter-
} fered with the program of the king of scouts. The
@) hanging weight of the. outlaw’s body did not uproot the
@ great vine, but it did something that affected a scenic
a anes It jerked the whole network of vines from
Wy the face of the rock, and, as the mass fell forward upon
. ‘the person of Maricopa Dan, covering him completely,
| the mouth of the tunnel became exposed and the ap-
cre Arapahoes looking upward beheld, not the
i} form of one of their nation, but the stalwart figure of
Buffalo Bill, their most dreaded enemy.

His surprise was not as great as theirs, and his re-

: p volvers were cracking before any one of them had time
: to assume the offensive.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

When the return fire was made, the scout was where
no bullet could reach him.

Of the five Arapahoes, who had started for the tunnel,
but two were alive. These two discharged their pistols,
and then beat a retreat.

They ‘were in the brush by the bridge when Buffalo
|Bill cautiously looked out. Quickly he withdrew his
head, for he believed that beneath him under the mass
. ‘of vines lay Maricopa Dan.

_ Lying flat on his stomach he waited for the moment
Wwhen the outlaw should attempt to leave his position.
i His eye was on the vines, and as the moments went by
pand no movement came his face took on a look of dis-
sappointment.

| “Can it be,” he thought, “that the rascal dropped
to the water while I was blazing away?’ _

 
   
   
  
   
   
  
     
  
  
  
    
   
 
 

THE BUFFALO

The Indians and

: oo the opening in the vines the head and a part:

The ex-.

    
   

BILL STORIES, oe

a Eas: cogitations were interrupted by the appearance of

Edna Lane. “We heard a faint noise from this direc-
tion,” she said, “and so I came down to see what was
going on.”

‘“You are a brave woman,” responded Buffalo Bill.

“I thought I. might be of some help,” she responded
simply. “I did not want you to look upon me always
as a drag.”

“You are anything but that, Miss Lane.”
told her what had occurred.

“That man went into the water,” was her comment.”
She stepped to the opening before Buffalo Bill could
prevent her and looked across the pool.

There was a puff.of smoke from a point under the
bridge, and a bullet just missed her head.

With a slight scream she drew back from the opening.

“You shouldn’t have done that,’ said Buffalo Bill

Then he

reprovingly. :
“I know it,” she replied, “and yet I am glad now that
I did it. That shot was fired by Maricopa Dan. He

is under the bridge. He saw a face, and, without wait-
ing to identify it, he nee He would not have shot
if ie had recognized me.’

“No, I don’t believe he would. He expects to hale
you his wife. His courtship hasn’t been strewn with
roses, but he is of a hopeful disposition, and he is far
from giving up the game.’

The king of scouts crawled back a few feet, ay Shee
stood up.

“Those two Indians are not going to leave the brush
until they hear from Mountain Eagle,” said he.
“And Maricopa Dan will go up to the oe and

tell the chief what has occurred down here,” rejoined

Edna Lane,
“He will unless I can prevent him, I am going to
try to do it.”

“You will have to expose yourself.
she entreated.

Don't do that.

“The exposure will not make me a target for bullets,”
he returned. Then he spoke rapidly: “I am going to
play Indian. Go back into the tunnel while I am put-
ting on the togs of this Arapahoe.’

Realizing that it would be useless to protest further,
Edna went back and was soon swallowed up in the
darkness. ‘

Buffalo Bill quickly divested himself of his clothes,
and as quickly donned the garments of the dead Indian.
After the head-dress was on and he had _ hurriedly
smeared his face, he crawled to the opening and then
propelling his body forward quickly allowed it to roll
down the steep bank into the water.

Maricopa Dan, seeing the body roll down the slope,
‘supposed that it had been thrust out of the tunnel by
_ Buffalo Bill.

He was with the two Indians when the

  

 

  
26

_ body struck the water, having just come up to them
. from under the bridge.
_. He saw the body sink and saw it rise to sink again,
and then started to cross the bridge. It was narrow
and without protecting sides, and walking te it a

person could look under it.

The outlaw, with his mind on the body he had seen
shoot into the water, cast his eyes downward, and what
he saw made him nod his head understandingly. The
body was under the bridge and half out of water. The
stream swiftly flowing out of the pool was both narrow
and shallow, and the body borne by the current had
caught between two rocks near the middle of the stream
and was being firmly held there. The head was above
water and rested on the top of one of the rocks.

“That's exactly where I was caught,” said the out-
law to himself, as he regarded the body. “The cur-
rent took me under ther bridge when I was as good as
dead, and ther rocks held me from goin’ further an’
squeezed ther water outer my stomach. An’ thar I
lay until my breath came back an’ I was able ter do
business,”

As the villain continued to look. a saw the Body

twitch and the head slightly raise, but not enough for
him to see the face. Buffalo Bill was too wise to ao
his deception to the danger point.” —
“By ther limpin’ Jonah, that Injun is alive!” the
astonished outlaw exclaimed. ‘Ther duckin’ has re-
vived him. Good! We shore want all ther help we
can git,” |

‘He ran across the bridge and quickly descended to
the shore of the stream.

The body was gone from between the rocks. It lay,
face downward, upon the sand of the shore.
The shoulders were heaving convulsively, and groans

were issting from the throat.

Maricopa Dan stooped and attempted to turn the
body over, but as soon as his hands touched the dis-
guised scout there came a response that paralyzed every
faculty of the treacherous Red Rider.

Buffalo Bill rose up, as if he had been on springs,
and he was sitting on Maricopa Dan’s chest and his
fingers were about the villain’s throat before the victim
could realize what had happened. His resistance was
feeble. He knew he was done for, and that in the hands
of this powerful and determined enemy he would be
as a child.

After the outlaw had been bound and gagged Buffalo
Bill arose and started to cross the stream. At the edge
of the water he stopped and looked toward the mouth
of the tunnel. He saw, dimly, the form of Edna Lane,
and waved his hand to her. Then he leaped from rock
to rock, gained the other side of the stream, and, taking

the left of the bank at the end o the see te
the ascent.

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

“The two Indians in he brush Sond see over the
bridge, but not under it. It was the scout’s design to
come upon them from the side farthest from the pool,
and take them by surprise. Ay

“He teached the top of the bank, and, with his head
eopcealed, looked through the bushes. ‘The Indians were
near the other end of the clump, and were squatted on
the ground with their eyes turned toward the bridge.
They had seen Maricopa Dan leave the bridge to go
down to the water, and ey were wondering why he
did not return,

Buffalo Bill could have shot them where they sat, but

his soul revolted at the thought " anything so cold-

blooded. :

- All at once the Arapahoes began an excited conver-
sation. The scout understood what was said. They had
arrived at the conclusion that the Indian they had seen
roll into the pool was not dead, and that Maricopa Dan
had gone down to rescue him from the water. e

Suddenly, one of the Arapahoes arose and crept toward
the bank where Buffalo Bill lay concealed. He was go-
ing down to the water to ascertain what had delayed
Maricopa Dan. |

The king of scouts hastily retreated, and, finding shel-
ter behind a projection of the arch of the bridge, va
for the Arapahoe to show himself.

Unsuspicious of danger, the Indian started ee the
bank for the water. In a moment he would have seen
the bound form of Maricopa Dan if Buffalo Bill had
not leaped on his back and rolled with him to the shore
below.

Here were many sharp rocks, and the Indian in his

| rapid descent, with the heavy body of the scout on top

of him, struck one of them. The point clove his skull
and punctured the brain, producing instant death.

Relieved at the manner in which one of his two foes
had been despatched, Buffalo Bill again ascended the
bank. He saw the remaining Indian, and, rubbing his
face with dirt, boldly pushed ira ce He
bushes.

The Arapahoe saw him and quickly dumped to his teak!
As the scout, with head bowed, a the Tn-—
dian penetrated the disguise.

mation he raised his revolver. But the shot that was

meant to kill the king of scouts was never fired. An- . . }
other pistol spoke, and the Arapahoe took his departure Te

for the happy hunting-grounds, — *

The victory on the pool-end of the tunnel was com-
plete. Buffalo Bill’s ruse had worked to a charm. The
two Indians were dead, and ee Dan was a pris-
oner. :

In a satisfied frame of mind me king of scouts re-

turned to the captive, and bore him in his strong arms
to the mouth of the tunnel.

‘Edna Lane met him with sparkling eyes.

ae Abe ‘

 

With a guttural excla- »
  

  

  

  

39

saw such a man,” said she, in enthusiastic appreciation.
t After this | shall never oppose anything that you sug-
f gest.”
; Luck favored me a whole lot,” he replied.

_“T wish I had your nerve,” she returned. There was
admiration in her look. Buffalo Bill smiled at her, and
then got down to business.

    
   
     
   
  
 

: Dae’ ?” he asked, ,
(@ 86 “Give your orders, and I will obey them,”
i sponded, with firm lips.

  

she re-

-“There are but three enemies left,” said he, “Mealy
Mouth Hawky, Mountain Eagle, and an Arapahoe brave.
_They are all up in the clearing. It is my plan to sur-
prise them. I shall take Alkali Pete, and we will go

o out of this tunnel, over the bridge, and up the hill
; oO. the clearing. While we are away I wish you to
|temain here and keep, guard over this interesting scoun-
'drel at my feet. He’s powerless for harm, for I have

ied him for keeps. But don’t leave him for a minute.
‘Keep your eyes on He all the time, and shoot him
if necessity should arise.’

“You will find him here when you return,” she said,
and there was no mistaking the expression of her face.
“I am sure of it,’ he responded, and then hurried
‘through the tunnel to have his talk with Alkali Pete.
The lanky plainsman listened to the story of the do-
ngs at the outlet and beyond it with many nods of the
ead. e
“Ye air ther boss, Buffler,” he said. “TI allers main-
ained it, an’ I allers will maintain it. Ther jig is shore
p fer ther tail-end of ther amalgermated bunch of thiev-
ry an’ murder that set out ter do business in these yer
ills contrary ter there statoots in sich cases made an’
ervided. Come on, I’m sp’ilin’ ter do suthin’ if only
er show that I warn’t made ter play ther statoot act
r blush onseen like a rose in a cabbage-patch.”’
Twenty minutes later the two scouts were looking into
he clearing. Mealy Mouth Hawky and the two In-
jans were sitting as guards over the entrance to the
unnel.
Mealy Mouth Hawky was speaking when the scouts
me within hearing distance.

“T’ve got an idea, chief,” he was saying, “that if

tked out will give us a chance to mass our forces

d make it easier for us to rout out the enemy. We
cover the entrance to the tunnel and then go down
‘the outlet and play a safe game. I am willing to
_the hole in front of us. There is no danger, for if
head should pop out, one of you can shoot it. First,
put in a lot of burned timbers, after that rocks,
es, ashes, and earth. I'll chuck in so much stuff
‘tramp it down so hard that it will take a mighty
‘time to burst out of it.” _

You may do it,’ responded Mountain Eagle,

66

    

and

 

  

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

“Do you think you can run the tunnel for a little

dian left the clearing.

  

27s :

 

‘when the work is done I will leave you to guard the

clearing.” J

Mealy Mouth Hawky frowned at this, but in a mo-
ment his face cleared.

“All right,” he said.
will be a pudding.”

The scouts looked at each other and smiled.
program suited them perfectly.

For an hour Mealy Mouth Hawky worked. Toward
the conclusion of his labors he was assisted - by the
Indians.

The tunnel closed, Mountain Eagle and the other In-
The scouts saw them coming,
and quickly changed their hiding-place.

Concealed behind a boulder on one ‘side of the trail
they waited in fierce expectancy.

The Indians reached the boulder, were about to pass
it when two large stones, thrown by hands of experi-
ence, stopped their progress. Each stone struck a head
and produced a fall. The skull of Mountain Eagle’s
brave was crushed, and the chief himself was stunned.

“My stone war a leetle larger an’ a leetle shafper
than yourn, Buffler,” remarked Alkali Pete, as he looked
at the dead body of the brave he had killed. ‘‘How-
sumever, I ain’t a-kickin’ none, fer ef anybody ever
desarved death it’s this yer redskin. Thar wasn’t a
good p’int about him. While I war waitin’ in ther
tunnel fer suthin’ ter happen, I heard this yer ’Rappy-
hoe say that when I war killed he war goin’ ter cut
out my liver an’ eat it raw. Ye would, would ye?”
giving the body a kick. “Waal, whar ye’ve gone, ye
won't hev raw things ter play with. Everythin’ will
be hot, an’ ye’ll be ther hottest propersition in ther devil’s
outht | i

Buffalo Bill, after binding the unconscious Mountain
Eagle, sat down and lighted a cigarette. Alkali Pete
produced a cob, and the scouts smoked a few minutes
without a word being uttered.

“I like easy jobs, and that one

The?

“What do you say to having some fun with Mealy
Mouth before we close in on him?” said the king of
scouts, after awhile.

“T’m shore agreeable, Buffler. He’s a mean little cuss,
an’ as thar’s a hull lot comin’ ter him we outer give him —
ab we Cane a.) |

“IT am somewhat of a ventriloquist,” continued Buffalo
Bill, “and with the a business we ought to |
make a little entertainment.”

Five minutes later, Mealy Mouth Hawky, sitting on
the ground near the smoldering ruins of the log house,
heard these words:

“Somebody git ter me quick!”

The voice was weak and seemed to issue from the
tunnel,

_ The outlaw jumped to his feet, fear and amazement
in his countenance.

 

 

   
Ye

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES. _

There came another call. It was charged with mortal |

Veron: &
“Buffalo Bill is comin’.
Help!” oe |
Mealy Mouth Hawky started to leave the clearing
when from one side.came an Arapahoe yell. It was
quickly succeeded by a similar yell from the other side.

He’s goin’ ter kill me. Help!

The now thoroughly bewildered outlaw stood still,

not knowing which way to turn.
Suddenly, Buffalo Bill and Alkali Pete stepped into
the clearing. :

“Hands up!” commanded the king of scouts.

The outlaw gazed at the muzzles of the two revolvers,
each charged with sudden death, and his hands went up.

“Vou ate the last,’ said the king of scouts. “Your
little game has been knocked into a cocked hat.”

“All killed?” asked the prisoner faintly.

“All but three, and they are prisoners. You are one
of the three. The gallows waits for Maricopa Dan,
Mountain Eagle, and Mealy Mouth Hawky.” |

The outlaw’s head sank to his breast. He said no
more.

)

That night the captors and captives camped in the —
-eafion, and the next day reached the camp which the
troop of cavalry had recently vacated. .

Edna Lane was escorted to the ranch of

day.
After a trial, all three were sentenced to be hanged.

Mountain Eagle might have escaped death if the evi-
dence had not shown his complicity in the plot to rob

the treasure-wagon.
Many times since the adventures in the Arapahoe
country has Buffalo Bill been a welcome guest at the
home of Edna Lane, in Louisville.

She is still unmarried, and is devoted to her art.

her uncle,
and then Buffalo Bill took his prisoners to Fort Double- _

One

pe

of her famous pictures has for a foreground a pool in —

the Rockies. A part of the background shows one of —

the arches of a natural bridge.
THE END. ~

Next week’s issue, No, 282, is entitled “Buffalo Bill’s

Camp Fires; or, “The Bad Man of Snake River Cross-_

ing.”

 

 

 

ABOUT THE EARLY
NUMBERS OF THE

 

published in book form up to the time of writing.

\

 

MEDAL LIBRARY
No.
1s0—Frank Merriwell’s Schooldays.

aE receive hundreds of letters every week from readers asking if we can supply the early numbers of Tip Top
containing Frank’s adventures. In every case we are obliged to reply that numbers f to 300 are entirely out of
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was No. 150 entitled ‘Frank Merriwell’s Schooldays.’? We give herewith a complete list of all stories that have been
We will be glad to send a fine colored catalogue of the Medal
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The first book to appear

 

MEDAL LIBRARY
No.

271—Frank Merriwell’s Chase.

 

 

167—Frank Merriwell’s Chums.
178—Frank Merriwell’s Foes.
184—Frank Merriwell’s Trip West.
1890—Frank Merriwell Down South,
193—Frank Merriwell’s Bravery.
197—Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour,
201—Frank Merriwell in Europe.
208—Frank Merriwell at Yale.
209—Frank Merriwell’s Sports Afield.
213—Frank Merriwell’s Races.
217—Frank Merriwell’s Bicycle Tour.
225—Frank Merriwell’s Courage.
2290—Frank Merriwell’s Daring.
233—Frank Merriwell’s Athletes.
237—Frank Merriwell’s Skill.
240—Frank Merriwell’s Champions,
244——Frank Merriwell’s Return to Yale.
247—Frank Merriwell’s Secret.
251—Frank -Merriwell’s Danger. ’

276—Frank Merriwell in Maine.
280—Frank Merriwell’s Struggle.
284—Frank Merriwell’s First Job.
288—Frank Merriwell’s Opportunity.
292—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Luck.
206—Frank Merriwell’s Protégé.
300—Frank Merriwell on the Road.

~  304——Frank Merriwell’s Own Company.

- 308—Frank Merriwell’s Fame.

312—Frank Merriwell’s College Chums.
316—Frank Merriwell’s Problem.
320—Frank Merriwell’s Fortune.
324—Frank Merriwell’s New Comedian.
328—Frank Merriwell’s Prosperity.
332—Frank Merriwell’s Stage Hit.
336—Frank Merriwell’s Great Scheme.
340—Frank Merriwell in England.
344—Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards.
348—Frank Merriwell’s Duel.
382—Frank Merriwell’s Double Shot.

 

254—Frank Merriwell’s Loyalty.

356—Frank Merriwell’s Baseball Victories.

 

258—Frank Merriwell in Camp.
262—Frank Merriwell’s Vacation.
207—Frank Merriwell’s Cruise.

 

 

 

The Price of the Merriwelt Books

 

 

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256—Buffalo Bill On a Desert Trail; or, The Mystery of
the Mojave.
257—Buffalo Bill’s: Rio Cea Feud; or, The Giant of
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258—Buffalo Bill in Tight Doane or, The Ruse of

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a alo Bill’s Daring Rescue; or,
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260—Buffalo Bill at the Torture Stake; or, A Close Call
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26%—Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Train;, or, The Doom of
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262—Buffalo Bill Among the Blackfeet; or, The Wizard
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263—Buffalo Bill’s Border Beagles; or, ee Trail of
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pa Patlalo Bill and the Bandits in Black; or, The Wild
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5—Buffalo Bill and the Indian Tiger; or, The Leap
: for Life.
66—Buffalo Bill on the Deadwood Trail; or, Cat-Eye,
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In by Navajos.
68—Buffalo Bill and Billy the Kid; or, The peed
of Apache ey

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269—Buffalo Bill and the Robber Ranch King; or, The
: White Tarantula of Texas.

270—Buffalo Bill in the Land of Wonders; os, The Mad «

Chief of the Madocs.

271—Buffalo Bill and the Traitor Soldier; or, Fair Inez,
the Pearl of the Post.

272—Buffalo Bill’s Dusky Trailers; or, The Bandits at
Bay.

i Hagelo Bill’s Diamond Mine;
of the Plains.

274—Buffalo Bill and the Pawnee Serpent; or, The Ven- \ \
detta of Death.

275—-Buffalo Bill’s Scarlet Hand; or, The Accusing
Blood Stain. —

276—Buffalo Bill Running the Gantlet; or, The Wolves.
otthe Emigrant Trails}

277-Buffalo Bill’s Leap in the Dark; or, The Oateast._
of Santibell. oa

278—Buffalo Bill’s Daring Plunge ; or, The Grisly Ghost ;
of Mahoe.

oe Bill’s Desperate Mission; or, The Round-

up in Hidden Valley.

e801 Bad ln Bill’s, Ghost Raid; ; or, Hot Times ae Bubble
Pricking. .

281—Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Guides or, The Vengeance

of Alkali Pete.
or, The Bad Man ate

or, The Bedouins

282—Buffalo Bills @amp- fires;
Snake River Crossing.

 

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107—-King of the Wild West's Brand ; or, How Stella
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109—King of the Wild West’s Booty; or, Stella Finds
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110—King of the Wild West’s Success; or, Stella and the
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111—King of the Wild West’s Daring; or, Stella’s Great
Lariat Throw.
112—King of the Wild West’s Key; or, Stella in the
Hidden Vault.
113—King of the Wild West’s Tene
in the Death Cavern.
114—King of the Wild West’s Strength; ot, Stella on
° the Cattle Ranch.
» 115—King of the Wild West’s Danger; or; Stella among
the Hopis.
16—King of the Wild West’s Gulch Diggings; -or,
: Stella’s Star Role.

: or, Stella

THE LATEST

 

TITLES:

117—King of the Wild West’s Metor tet
Fosdick’s Peril.

118—King of the Wild West’s Duty; or, Stella Cast
Away in the Wilderness.

119—King of the Wild West’s Wild-Goose Band; or,
Stella’s Long Flight.

120—King of the Wild West’s Galleon; or, Stella’s
Spanish Treasure.

ting, of the Wild West’s Fire Fight; or, Stella in
the Burning Forest.

122—King of the Wild West’s Bluff; or, How Stella —
Saved the Day. '

123—King of the Wild West’s Nerve; or, Stella in the 4
Saddle.

or, Stella

: 124—Kine of the Wild West’s Helping Hand 7 or, Stella,” !

the Girl Range-rider.

125—King of the Wild West’s Buckskin Guide; or,
Stella at the Grand Round-up. : a

126—King of the Wild West’s Strategy; or, Stella’s
Trick Pony.

127—-King of the Wild West's Tangled Trail; or, The:
Disappearance of Stella.

128—King of the Wild West’s Long Ride; or, Stella ~

Lost.on the Red Mesa. .
129—King of the Wild West’s Phantom; or, Stella in
Danger, oe

 

 

ee

= ms
sure

>
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Wanstauls copies of BUFFALO BILL oF
‘BRAVE AND BOLD: Nos.c.)cscc0see see

Pp Ee copies of TIP TOP
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ve &. & DIAMOND DICK

NOS. inc ewn es ECU Cs vee eeoesseaceaueeacne
NOS oe: oO ee ee ines
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BRAC. ci san esas ncvacvsrrsnwsosescesss snes nowees Street and No..........---eeee ha

i cmenuasasernusaccunsneraseeusenanvcuuaescomncccucs 190 : -
NOG ce ceicuee tcl

“ ROUGH RIDER

 

 
 

 

JssvED EVERY WEDNESDAY.

BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS

 

- There are a Lapee number of boys to whom stories about the same

characters, week after week, become monotonous.

It was to suit these

fellows that we published Brave anp Born,

Each story is full 30,000 words in length and is complete in itself,
aving no connection with any that went before or will come after.

Don't miss these.

PRICE

FIVE CENTS PER COPY .

ye

©

For sale by all newsdealers, or sent, by the publishers to any address upon receipt of price in money or postage stamps

 

 

HERE ARE THE LATEST TITLES:

» 165—The Lost Captain; or, Skipper Jabez Coffin’s Cruise to the
: Open Polar Sea. By Capt. Frederick Whittaker.
66—Never Say Die; or, The Clear-Grit Detective Trail. By
Herbert Bellwood.
67—Nature’s Gentleman; or, The Voyage of the “Saucy Kate.”
By Matt Royal.
'168—The Magican tail. OF" Adventures in the Dark Continent.
By Lawrence White, Jr.
169—The Border Scouts; or, California Joe’s War Trail. By
Captain Frederick Whittaker.
f 170—Secret Service Sam; or, A Detective in the Gold Mines.
a By Herbert Bellwood.
171—Double- Bar Ranch; or, The Man from Kansas.
tenant A. K. Sims.
72—Under Many Suns; or, Gordon Keith’s Longest Chase. By
Lawrence White, Ir.

By Lien-

73-—-Moonlight Morgan; or, The Hunt for the “Hold-Up” Man.°

Ve aes Conde.
tke Cin Rancher; or, Nobby Nat, the Tenderfoot of Lone
Siar By. Herbert Bellwood.
75—Ilhe Panther Tamer; or, Mystery of Dead Man’s Trace. By
Scout Jack Ford, -
6—On Terror Island; or, The Plot to Hold Up. the World. By
Maurice Douglas.
—At the Double X Ranch; or, A Mix-Up with the Cowboys.
By Captain Hal Hazleton.
S—The Lone Range Rider; or, Among the Rustlers of the Bad
Lands. By Herbert. Bellwood.
Q—Warbling William; or, The eens Detective of Rocket
Range. By Lieutendht A. K. Sims.
so—Engine No. 13; or, The Youngest Driver on the Line. By
Engineer James Fisk.

 

181—The Lost Chief; or, Gordon Keith’s Adventures Among
the Redskins. By Lawrence White, Jr.

182—South-Paw Steve; or, The Medford Boys and Their Rivals,
By Richard Field.

183—The Man of Fire; or, Iron Fern, of Rocket Gulch. By
Herbert Bellwood.

184—On Sampan and Junk; or, Gordon Keith Adrift in China.
By Lawrence White, Jr

ee Dice Hardy’s School Scrapes: or, The Rivals of No, 2%:
By Robert Reid.

186—Cowboy Steve; or, The Bond of Blood. By Herbert Bell-
wood,

187—-Chip. Conway's White Clue; or, Trailing the Diamand
Lifters.: By Inspector Robert Barnes.

188—Tracked Across Europe; or, The Clue of the Moving
Pictures. By Lawrence White, Jr.

~189—Cool Colorado; or, A Cowboy's Fight for Fortune. By

Albert W. Aiken.

190—Captain Mystery; or, The Brave Girl of Boulder Bar. By
Herbert Bellwood.

t91—Silver Sallie; or, The Three Queer Pards of Poker Pocket.
By 3, €.¢ Cowdrick,

192—The Ranch Raiders; or, Secret of the Golden Dagger. By.
Capt. Hal Hazelton.

193—A. Baptism of Fire; or, At the’ Front With the Japs. By

» Mark Darran: aa

194—The Border Nomad; or, a Stokes’ Double Deal. By
Herbert Bellwood.

195—Mark Mallory’s Struggle; or, Friends and Foes At West’
Pomt., By Lieut: Fred Garrison, U S. A.”

196A Strange Clue; or, The Sharks and Sharps. oF New. York,

By James Fisk.

 

 

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out and fill in the following order blank and send it to us with the price of the books you want and we will pend thee to you by return ae

OSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY.
rR ET & SMITH, Publishers, 79 Seventh Avenue, New York City.

}

SOSCeuSeRtvdnBer @vevceace wveensecea as

Gentlemen :—Enclosed find............ cents for which please send. m6:

-copies of TIP TOP
66 66 NICK CARTER
SF “ DIAMOND DICK

INOS Cece vt cee eo wwe se ES w ees aces seek
INGa eg cn seen EUs aa oe SS Seek

pi saeees copies of BUFFALO BILL

BN OS ete ee ee ae .
oe deeseceemecenasccceedeucenaccae useeesewes Street and Novnweee ahaa canoe swaes savenderrese «opus ONT poet ogo voepescewsus DiatOcaseucces sec vescsdeunmea. Ou

‘Nos... cece nee etses Da seowsussedesbieescosose
. “BRAVE AND BOLD Nos........... MVC SoG GuN ch Ac uae Oe sokoae
ROUGH RIDER | (3 Nos. siete

 
 

 

 

 

ISSUED EVERY THURSDAY.

BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS

 

Diamond Dick aod his son, Bertie, are true men of the Westel!

plains.

They are noble-hearted fellows who don't impose on the weaker

man and who don’t let anyone else do it if they can help it.
You ought to read how they clean up a mining camp of the dis.
honest gamblers and other toughs who usually prey on the uneducated,

miners.

PRICE FIVE CENTS

| For sale by all newsdealers, or sent, by the publishers to any address upon receipt of price in money or postage stampe |

PER COPY

 

HERE ARE THE

- 493—Diamond Dick’s Master-Hand; or, The Battle of
the Green-Eyed Demon.

494—Diamond Dick in the Breakers; or, The Life-

_ Savers of Vancouver.
495—Diamond Dick’s Lucky Ace; or, Turning the Trump
in a Hard Game.

496—Diamond Dick’s Death Chase; or, Running a
Weasel to Earth.

497—Diamond Dick’s Vampire Trail; or,

Horseman of Thunder Mountain.

498—Diamond Dick On the Dead Line; or, A Close Call
Among the Utes.

499—Diamond Dick's Lost Trail; or, A Queer Hunt in
Oregon.

500—Diamond Dick’s Midnight Duel; or, The Girl Ban-
dit of Powder River.

501—Diamond Dick On His Nerve; or, The Oath of the
Inner Circle.

x02—Diamond Dick At the Wheel; or, A Race With
Death on the Mississippi.

503—Diamond Dick’s Show-Down; or, Calling a Bad
Man’s Bluff.

504—Diamond Dick’s Strange Guest; or, The Outlaw
Marksman of Arkansas.

The Mad

: 50s—Diamond Dick’s Hit and Miss; or, The Man With

Six Notches On His Gun,

  

 

ra

LATEST TITLES: |

506—Diamond Dick’s Fight For a Girl; or, The Tender }
foot of Bellair Gulch.

oe emond Dick’s Underground Trail; or, The Yel \
low Demon of the Sierras.

508—Diamond Dick’s Cross-Counter; or, A Big Batild a
for the Belt.

509—Diamond Dick’s Good Right Hand; or, A Dall
Plot in Chinatown. 1

510—Diamond Dick’s Bravery; or, The Three Amazons
of the Mojave.

511—Diamond Dick’s Double Trail; or, The Apparitii 1 J

2 or-the Big. d res.

512—Diamond Dick in the Saddle; or, The Secret of td
Steel Glove.

513—-Diamond Dick’s Greatest Peril; or, The Seal
Hobo of Death Valley.

514—Diamond Dick’s Outlaw Duel; or
buster of the Pecos.

515—Diamond Dick’s Mystic Mark; or, The Handker
chief Man’s Vendetta. i

516—Diamond Dick’s Race Riot; or, A Hot Brush i
Mexico.

517—Diamond Dick’s Ghostly Round- “up; or, Lhe Pha
tom Steer of K-Bar-6,

518—Diamond Dick’s Big Drive; or, ee ‘The

Down in a Blizzard. .

   
  
   
    

, The Bronw7

   
  
   
   
  
  
   

 

 

 

Cut out and fill in the followin
POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY.

STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79 Seventh Avenue, New York City. |

Gentlemen :—Enclosed find..........-- cents for which please send me:
pe copies of TIP TOP NOR oer Ue ae A a en copies of BUFFALO BILL NOS... ..--e--neneen- nner nnennc as a
ye as 6 “NICK CARTER NOR eos ea Sa a are bo Cae yee “BRAVE AND BOLD No8..........-----------------=-
peels “DIAMOND DICK =— NOB... 5. esses ee eeceeeeeceneeeceennenne Peeeteene | “ROUGH RIDER  —Noos.......-...-----.----- 2

  

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order blank and ¢ nd it to us with the price of the books you want and we will oer them to you by return

  
 
  

eee ARMA RMA ERT ERAAARANAS ERMAN RASH ABB ARN SAS

   
    
   

    

 
eI RETA AES OLB GRROLA TIN ANTRAL ee. ae fae aI ASANO ten Aa RLS IE BUSS I Sa LISTS REN LESTE OO eG SAT EM.

POEs Aa eat ct i

 
THE FAVORITE LIST

OF FIVE-CENT LIBRARIES

 

 

 

BUFFALO BILL STORIES

Buffalo Bill is the hero of a thousand exciting adventures among
the Redskins. These are given to our boys only in the BUFFALO
BitL Stories. They are bound to interest and please you.

 

 

 

 

MIGHT AND MAIN| NICK CARTER an

These are stories of the adven- We know, boys, that there is
tures of boys who succeeded in | no need of introducing to you
climbing the ladder of fame by | Nicholas Carter, the greatest
honest effort. No more inter- | sleuth that ever lived. Every
esting tales can be imagined. | number containing the adven-
Each number is at least one-third | tures of Nick Carter has a peculiar,
longer than the ordinary five- | but delightful, power of fascina-
cent library. . tion.

 

BRAVE AND BOLD ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY |

Every boy who prefers variety Ted Strong was appointed dep-
|in his reading matter, ought to | uty marshal by accident, but he
be a reader of Brave and Bald. | resolves to use his authority and

All these were written by authors ne ae (anal OF Ses ue!
bullies. He does it in sucha slick
who are past masters in the art

: : Z way that everyone calls him
of telling boys’ stories. Every | “King of the Wild West” and he
tale is complete in itself. certainly deserves. his title.

 

 

The. demand for stirring stories The adventures of a poor waif [
C6
of Western adventure is /admir- | Whose only name is ‘Bowery

ably filled by this library. Every Billy.”’ Billy is the true product

: of the streets of New York. No
Up-toadate boy ought to team juet boy can read the tales of his trials
how law and order are estab-

ae without imbibing some of that
lished and maintained on our | resource and courage that makes
Western plains by Diamond Dick, | the character of this homeless boy
Bertie, and Handsome Harry. stand out so prominently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE TIP TOP WEEKLY

Boys, Frank Merriwell has opened a school of physical devel-
opment. He has gathered all of his old-time comrades about him
and their adventures are wonderfully interesting. These are cer-
tainly the best tales of athletic adventure.