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98 WILLIAM STREET, N. Y., June 30, 1880.

 

 Bronze Jack;
 The California Thoroughbred;
0

E The Lost City of the Basaltlc Buttes.

A Strange Story of 9. Desperate Adventure after
Fortune in the Weird, Wild Apache Land.

BY ALBERT W. AIKEN,
armor: on “THE FRESH or FRISCO," “om
LAND KIT,” “ROCKY MOUNTAIN non,”
ETC., n'rc.

CHAPTER I.

BIG WALNUT CAMP.

RICH in gold and silver trrasures is the wild,
romantic Arizonian land, the marvelous coun-
try, as it is aptly named. Away back to the old
Spanish time the waters of the Gila were com-
monly believed to flow over golden sands, and
although time 1118 :n a measzure dissipated some
of the romance of the great golden stores, on
careful examination has amply roven t at
there was a. grant deal of truth in t 0 early be
1 e ‘ regarding the vast mineral deposits.

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Of Arizona, in the days of ’51 we write, when,
attracted by the great gold discoveries on the
Pacific slope, desperate, determined men be an
to invade the fastnesses of the region washed
'by the Gila’s stream and its tributaries, with
pick and shove], intent u n wresting the gold-
en treasures from their idling-place amid the
Wild ravines and the sandy valleys, erst sacred
to the tread of the wild, red warrior.

And these adventuring prospectors really took
their lives in their hands when they dared the
I‘L'tngurs of the wild region over which for so
many years the painted, feather-garnished red
braves lorded Without restraint, for it was a
constant struggle between the two races, from
the time that they first came in contact.

No mean antagonists the red Apache war-
riors as the mas rs of the Mexican land long
ago discovered to their cost. Even in the days
0 Cortez, the hardy Spanish conqueror, when,
with his mail-clad handful of doughty adven-
turers, he fou ht his way from the coast, and at
last succeeds in making himself the master of
the land, the monkish men who came with the
robber band (for Cortez’s expedition was noth-

better), and who acted as the historians of
the bold, desp rate enterprise, when, with re-
markable candor, detailing the tty acts of
cruelty, the terrible thirst for go (1, as well as
’ the valiant deeds of the adventurers, relate in
their chronicles how the Spaniards overrun all
Mexico. but were checked on the north by wild
and barbarian tribes, against whose power oven
the conquering S amards could not prevail.

And these wil tribes Were the ancestors of
the present race of horse-Indians, the Apaches,
COmanches, and other kindred tribes, then,
as now, bold fightin -men.

Many writers err in thinking that these tribes
once inhabited Mexico, coming from the south,
and were forced northward by better men.

Better men than these red warriors never yet
breathed the air of earth.

In my mind there exists no doubt that these
masters of the prairie came from the north, the
descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel, who
wandered away into the wilderness.

Between the horse-Indians and the Arabs of
the Eastern deserts, there is such a strong re-
semblance in manners and customs, that the
careful observer can hardly doubt that the two
have a common origin.

Soon the red chiefs had learned that these
bearded white men who used with e an] skill
the shovel and the rifle, were a quite d' erent set
of. customers to deal with from the yellow-
skinned Mexicans whose territorial line they
had been arrogant y pushing back for years.

Some rich strikes had been made by the pros-

parties, and one in particular near the
\ ogo on mountain ran 9 had 'ven rise to
quitcatown on the Clear ork of t 9 Rio Verde,

or San Francisco river, as it is most commonly
‘ med.

tor

Big Walnut Camp, the town had been named,
owing to the first cabin, a shanty saloon, of
course, having been erected under the shade of
a large walnut tree which stood on the east bank
of the stream.

,The; diggings near were rich; so the town
grew «space and bein an outlying post quite
ncnrtc the territory 0 aimed b the cele rated
Apache chief, Man a Colors 0, chief of the
Colorado river Apac es, soon excited the espe-
cial enmity of the red warriors.

ntations having been made to the pro-
m‘authorities that the town was in danger of
overwhelmed by an Indian attack, a de-
tachment of soldiers were sent to build a small
fort on the river’s bank, and by holding it as a
post, in a measure overawe the red-

movement was a successful one, and u
to , time of which we write, the savages, a -
though terribliincensed at the proximity of the

p, ad not attem ted to attack it.

A." town, Big Walnut Lamp did not differ
materially from the rest of the mining~bur
There was the usual number of “ hotels,” t :0
ma y of which looked more carefully after
th customers’ liquid refreshment than‘any-
thing else, a dance-h or two, four or five
gambling-places, and two or three general stores.

For a new camp Big Walnut was quite a busy
little place; the miners were doing well and
money circulated briskly.

It was at the close of a sultry J une day that
"take up the thread of our story.

'1' ' ht was coming on apnea, and the
miners were bemning to flock into the town.

So relentless
by the Apaches that as yet few men cared to
1! their lives by dwellin outside the
town, althou since the advent o the troops a

. hollow sort 0 a peace had been patched up with

the ruthless red braves, and for quite a time
the red chiefs had refrained from active, open
violence. i
There was very little doubt, though, in the
minds of the miners that if the “ red devils,” as
comm-an tehrined that hegmn backs,
mnghtany ngew temana a van go,
the melt certainly would take his scalp if they

And, with this belief then so fixed in the
ninth o! the Big Walnut Campitec, therefore

been the hostility exhibited

 

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Bronze Jack. v

their wonder. was-much excited when a small
party of adventurers, five in number, new-
comers, pitched their camp :1 good half-mile to
the north of the town, in a little bend of the
river.

It seemed foolhardy in the extreme, and a
couple of careful souls took it upon themselves
to warn the strangers of their danger.

The caution was politely reCeived, but the
campers—just five in the party splendid speci-
mens of muscular manhood all of them, and
superbly armed—replied that they presumed
they had Indian—fighting before them, and that,
therefore, the quicker they got their hand in
the better!

The curiosity of the miners being excited,
they inquired as to the object sought by the
new-comers, and the strangers at once candidly
replied that they were iutsearch of gold and pro-
posed )ushing straight into the very heart of
the In ian country.

Much wonder was excited in the town when
the Bi Walnut men returned and related the
particu are of their interview with the stran-
gers.

It was mere madness to attempt such a thing,
as one old fellow remarked, a veteran in the

l :

“Manga Colorado and his ’Paches wouldn’t
make more’n a mouthful out of sich a leetle
crowd!”

Mantra Colorado was the cat chief of the
Colorado river Apaches and is domain took in
all the country washed by both the big and lit-
tle Colorado streams.

And following close on the heels of the miners
the chief of the adventuring band came into the
town and inquired concerning a guide to the
up r re 'ons.

Kit w en the miners found out that the
strangers designed going as far as the region of
the Basaltic Buttes, they shook their heads; no
man in the town knew aught of that wild land;
but one old veteran, inspired b a luck
thought, advised the stranger to see the abo e
of the Red Gold-Hunters, saying that one of
them mi ht guide him if any one could.

And w on in curiosity the man asked rticu-
lars regarding the persons designate by so
stran an appellation, he was briefly informed
that he Red Gold-Hunters consisted of three
men, half-breeds, who led a wild and solitary
life, “no better than the ought to be, some
folks think,” the man adde , “but I reckon that
that is all talk, for no harm has ever been
traced to their door yit. They’re all 50m hunt-
ers and old-finders an" kin smell game, or a
rich ‘lea ,’ a mile 0 .”

Receivinrr instructions how to find the dwell-
ing-place of these strange denizens of the wilder-
ness, the stranger dc arted.

Strai ht up the river he went, crossed it at
the for as 10 had been directed, being well
mounted upon a powerful 2:13! horse, and just
above the crossin recogni the spot which
had been descri to him.

In fact, any one with eyes could not very
well have missed it, for in a steep clay bank a.
door appeared. a wooden portal leading to a
cave Within. Over the door a horseshoe was
nailed for luck. '

The stranger, dismounting, knocked loudly at
the door, and a voice from within at once bade
hi8 enter. h d h d

pening t e oor t ere up are a
about three feet wide, six feet  and ve fag:
long, widening at the further en into a vaulted
chamber, curiously tunneled out of the clay
bank.

A candle was burning upon a rude table
which was placed inthe center of the apart-
ment, and near the table, swinging lazily in a
hammock smokin a cigarette, was a tawny
youth, evidently w th much Indian blood in his
veins, and extremely eifeminatc in his appear-
ance.

The stranger looked at the occupant of the
cave, considerably amazed, for this was not at
all the kind of man that be e ted to seal

ELI am in search of the Red old-Hunters,” he
an

“ You’ve come to the right place,” the youth
re lied, languidly. “ l’m one of them.”

‘Youare young.

“ But I'm he chief of the band, nevertheless;
John Mustang by name.”

CHAPTER II.
rim RED GOLD-sum
“Joan Musnne, eh?” replied the stranger;
" well, then, you’re the ve man I want, 31.
though you’re’not at all the sort of fellow I ex-
see

“A giant 'would suit t1you better, perhaps!”
the hunter retorted, wi a very perceptible

sneer.
“ Well, no, not that exactly; but all look
Snore like a girl than a man fitted for perate

“Try me and you will find that lam no girl.”

“ I want a guide.” said the other bluntly. ‘

“A guide, chi That is not my business; I’m
no i e.”

‘ was told in the towu that you were well
a uaintcd with the upper country.”

‘ What upper country?" There was nothing

 

L _.

insolent in the words but there was, decidedly,
in the manner.

“ The country about the Basaltic Buttes."

The Red Gold-Hunter sat bolt upright lll the
hammock and glared at the stranger 101' a mo—
ment in evident amazement.

“The Basaltic Buttes!” he exclaimed; “and
what do you want there?”

“ What business is that of yours?” the straw
ger answered, imperiously. “ Since you are no
guide, to use your own Words, it can't matter to
you what 1 want there.”

The other looked at the bold speaker in mi
dent anger and now for the first time the stran-
ger had a good view of the cave-man.

As we have said, he was slenderly built, wo-
manish in form and feature and yet withal as
supple as a willow and as strong as steel. He
was evidently a half—breed, his ace was long,
the cheek-bones prominent, sure sign of the In-
dian_ blood; he wore his hair quite long after the
fashion of the red-skins, and was arrayed in a
full buck-skin hunting—suit, handsomely orna-
mented.

Despite his youth and slender appearance, he
betrayed the master in every movement, and
one used to being obeyed, too.

“ You are a ho d speaker, sir!” the half-breed
exclaimed, with a scowl; “I take it that you
are a stranger in these parts.”

“Quite correct.”

“And I reckon that you don’t know much
about the men who are generally called the

' Red Gold-Hunters?”

“ Not much,” replied the other, laconically.

“There are three of us John Mustang, the
chief, that’s myself—the Arizonian dead-shot;
Pedro Cobeza, the Strangler, so called because
in a quarrel he once took a man by the throat
and ueezed him read for a funeral; Michael
Salta o, the Knife—t us termed because no
man that ever trod this land has been able to
stand up before him in single fl ht with that
weapon and live to tell of it. e three are as
one; when we put our mark on a man he is as
good as dead and buried.”

The stranger burst into a scomful laugh; the
boost amused him.

“What do you mean—why do you In h?‘
the leader of the band demanded, in evi ent
anger.

“ i am amused at your description, that is
all; you Spanish-Mexican-Iuiian bravos are re-
nowned for one thing.”

“ And what is that?"

“ Talk,” replied the other, terse] .

Only with an effort could the f-brccd re.
strain the rage he felt.
“ And how do you call oumlf?” he asked.

giack—” replied the ot er, and then he hesiv

ta

“ Jack—Jack what?”

“Anything you like,” responded the other,
coolly; “it’s of no conse memo to me.”

“Well then, Senor Jac , you seek something
in {she qpuntry of the Basaltic Butter—gold,

r a .
pe“ lipistc likely."

“ on will not find what youJeek and you
will lose your life in the bargain.”

:: gig)! do you riaeally think so?”

i you ever ear of an a Colorado

“ The Apache chief? Yes.”g r,

“ The Basaltic Buttes are in his country.”

“Then myself and friends will have to fight
Mango. Color ado,” the (ther replied, Quietly, as
though to'confront the rent red chief was one
of the easxest things in t 9 world.

“ Oh, you are mad; you do not know of what
you speak! Manga olorado can bring five
thousand warriors into the field!”

“ Yes, when he can promise the five thousand
Blunder enough to pay them for their trouble

at not before.” '

“ Well, the Apaches stand
then, too, I and my brothers ave a claim upon
that country. We are on friendly terms with
the old Apache chief, and he permits us to seek
for gold amid the mountains.

“ presume that we shall have to fight you
and our brothers, then?”

“ es, we shall be obliged to wipe
and as he uttered the speech the or pulled
at his ci ette in the most careless manner.

“ Or e so we shall be obliged tcwipe ou out "
the stranger reJomed, uite ascool as t other.
algae align” a xilttlia1 doubt about these

.01) owunt'teo r.
tomggdlg I pentlon ic pe

“ True, there is. a doubt, but all the advan‘
tages are on our side; we are acquainted with
the countr while you and your 00111118013118
arenot. e shall wait our chance and Ctnle
down on you in some spot where it will be im-
fimsible for you to make a succelsful resistance.

at, even supposing that you escape us—nup
posing that you escape Marga Colorado and his
warriors and succeed in reaching the neigh-
borhood of the Basaltic Buttes, then you will
encounter a fee against whom all earthly
weapons are useless.’

“ And who ma this foe be!”

“ The spirits o the dead warrior! of the an-
cient tribes who haunt the button," replied the
other, in a low and solemn tone.

“ 0h, now you are putting it on too thick 1"

your way; and

on out,"

.4.”

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“ When you see you will believe i”

“ Yes, when I see, but what will I see?”

“ The si fires of the Incrent warriors play-
ing at nig t along the crags of the buttes; and
on a clear night when the moon shines bright
you will see their gigantic forms standing out
in dark relief against the sky.”

“ A mirage fit only to frighten children l”

“ Oh, wait! Do not believe me! Ask the men
in the town yonder! They will tell you—and
you should believe them for they are your coun-

men—thut no bold adventurer ever pene—
trated into the country of the Basaltic Buttes
and returned alive to tell of it. In the mad
thirst for gold which drives you North Amer—
icans crazy, parties have been made up to ex-
plore this unknown region, but disaster and
death have always followed. Unseen foes have
struck at them, gigantic rocks have come hurt-
li down upon their heads from the ragged
figs above—rocks too big for mortal hands to
move; their camp at night has been disturbed
b strange noises; unearthly beings have stalk-

in among their sleeping forms despite the
watchfulness of tho picket—guard. You may
talk as you please, you are a stranger—a green-
horn in this region, and therefore you laugh at
a danger which you are unable to comprehend,
but if you ever are bold enough to penetrate
into the Basaltic Buttes country, and return
.alive totell of it, you will know a great deal
.more than you do now.”

“No doubt,” replied the other' “that goes
without saying, as the French have it; the
longer a man lives the more he knows. But I’m
wasting time with you since you do not care
to ide me.”

‘ Not for all the wealth that is in the buttes
would I risk my life there!” the half-breed ex-
elaim emphatically.

“ An our ntle companions, tho Strangler
.and the 'fe ’the stranger asked “are they
full as great cowards as yourself 7'” .

The eyes of the half-breed sparkled With rage.

“ By the Big Bell of Our Iadypf Durangol”
he retorted, fiercely “when I strike you one of
these days, you ' find out whether I am a
coward or not 1” _

“ You strike me, you whip&er-sna per I” cried
the other, in contempt. “ by, you dared

to be angry I’d take you between my thumb and
flu and break on in two l”

’ 0 thin lips o the Mexican drew back and
he showed his teeth like a dog when provoked
to anger. _

“ not trouble yourself to rush to death; it
will come to you soon enough,” he said, in low,
vicious tones.

“And from your hands?" the stranger asked,

.ln contempt.

"Perhaps!"

“ Take  waggions, coma outside, and we
cansettle t ow! hatetobekept influx,”
and the stranger patted his pistol- sig-
nificantly.

This coolness nettled the half-breed, who was
never before talked to in this manner. .

“What weapons do you prefer?” he asked,
swin ing his feet out of the hammock.

“ h, that is immateria ” the other replied,
with a very polite bow; “ leave the chorce of
weapons to on.” g

The Red ld-Hunter regarded the speaker
intently for a moment, rage written in every
feature, and then, with a great effort, be con-
trolled himself.

“ after all,” he said, casting his eyes upward,
as if he was addressin some one in the roof of
the cave, “ why shoul I take the trouble to kill
this man? Let him go; the spirits of the Basal-
tic Buttes will do the work without my aid.”

“A wise conclusion!” su ted the stranger,
sarcastically: “ and now rkye, {gm younfi

ackana : when you know me bet r you wi
dtha Iamnotamanto betrifledwith, and
the first time I meet on in ublic, I’ll put such
an insult upon on t at fig t me you must, if

you have b , not water in our veins!” and
with the threat the man deparzed.
CHAPTER. III.
a BARGAIN.

Tn nci hotel, saloon, fining-house—
for allpgreoptvlere com ' one—of Bi
Walnut Camp. was call the United States.
stood close to the bank of the river opposite the
fort which frowned down upon the town.

At nine o’clock on the evening of the day of
the interview between the stran r and the
chief of the Red Gold-Hunters, in e bar-room
of the hotel, close I? on open window, sat a
gentleman who is estinod to play quite a
prominent part in our story. He was a man of
and] resence, command figure, and al-

ong (linseed roughly, like I e rector the
adventurers of the town, it was plain from his
manner that be was a man somewhat superior
to the others who filled the apartment.

This man was Bernard DinWiddie—Captain
Dinwiddio of the United States army, com-
mander of the post known as Fort Bragg, as
2.1:] elliptic encampment upon the hillside was

The tain evident] courted concealment,
for he dotted his un form for a rough suit,
had pulled a wall-worn slouch hat down over

 

his 3 s, was sitting in an obscure corner and
was mg to look as much like a miner as pos-
sible.

“Yes; allIhavotodo is to report to head-
quarters that I have examined into these out-
, and that I am convinced John Mustang

He was evidently on the look-out for some , ha” nothing to do with them; that will settle

one, as he kc t a close watch upon the passers- ; it

by through t e window.

At length his scrutiny was rewarded, for a
big brawn fellow, all wrapped up in a blanket
like an In ian, came slouching past and nodded
slightly to the captain as he went by the win-
(low.

Dinwiddie at once left the saloon by the rear
door and followed the man.

The other proceeded straight on through the
town, 1n()klll
he had passe the lighted up part and arrived
at a place vailed by the darkness of the night;
then he halted for the captain to come up.

It was not a Ver ' dark night, and there was
mnple light for t e two to see each other’s
faces.

The remains of a log-cabin which had been
destroyed by fire was near at hand, and the
captain motioned the other to be seated.

he hint was adopted, and as he squatted
down upon an old log he’suifered the blanket to
drop from around his $180!).

It was no wonder t t he looked like an In-
dian, for he was one. A brawny red chief,
short in stature, but built like a giant. All the
horse-Indians look like Samsons when seated,
but when they arise they ,present the peculiar
ap ance of six—foot bodies on two-foot legs.

his comes from their habit of almost living
on horseback from early childhood, whereby
the lower limbs are dwarfed.

A man well in years was the savage—a tough,
muscular old warrior, with a mobile, expressive
face wherein high dignity and low cunning were
strangely blended.

No common man was this old warrior, evi-
dentli, and an old mountain-man used to
A - e-land an its inhabitants would at once,
Without hesitation, have recognized the chief,
for it was the great fighting-man of the wild re-
ion from whence came the Gila river, Manga
olorado, or, to translate the name, Red Blan-
et.

The captain sat down opposite to the chief,
agile for a few moments the two surveyed each
0 r.

The savage was the first to break silence.

“ My white brother sent for me, and I am
here ” he said.

“ am much obliged,” the omcer replied. " I
sent you word that I wished to see you on ur-
gent business, and as it was a private matter
entirely between you and me I did not care to
have any one know that we had a conference,
therefore I took these tgil'iecautions to revent
any one from knowin t we have me ”

“Itisgood' the chief didashe was bid."

“ To come then at once to business,” the cap-
tain sai briskl . “ You know John Mustang,
chief of e Gold-Hunters?” .

The chief'looked at the 0flcer fora moment
in silencibefore he replied. It was plain, de-
spite all is savage reserve, that he was aston-
ished at the uestion.

“'Yes meb e I know him.”

“ Well, I have a disagreeable task to perform
in re rd to that indiVidual.”

5| ow?"

“ The Government wants him.”

The chief looked puzzled.

“There are some cases of murder and ra inc
on the border laid at John Mustang’s door.

“ What is that to me?”

“ You are his father—are you not?”

_ For 6 moment the chief was astounded, and
he plainly revealed it in his face, but these red
heathen have a wonderful control over their
features, and the savage soon succeeded in calm-
ing down his face into its usual statue—like im-
mobility ain.

“ Oh, no, ’ he said; “Mustang John no son of
mine.”

“ Well, I was informed that he was.”

“Who told you!” asked the chief, quickly.
“Aha! that is my secret” re lied the ca
tain, laughin ; he feltsure that t 6 Red Gol -
Emma was son of the chief, despite his de-

A peculiar weaknem Mag-nu Colorado . had
had for white wives, as many a poor Mexican
girl, torn from her home and friends to become
the victim and slave of the red brute, had dis-
covered to her sorrow, and the captain believed
that the {01m half-breed was the issue of one
of these 0 nuptials.

“ Well, s’pose he my son, what then?”

“ I have orders to arrest him, at any cost.”

The old chief showed his white, fang-like
teeth for a moment.

“S’pose be my son, he go to A
and laugh at the power of the w its chief,” he
replied, grimly.

‘Yes, buti he fools around the settlements
as he is doing now, I am liable tolay him by the
heels at any time. ’ ’

“ Why do on tell me this!” _

“ Because ,I want 179 make a bargain with

you. .
“. With moi” asked the chief, in surprise, and

as he spoke he looked mflciously at the of-
cor.

k

V the matter?’

neither to the right nor left, until [
‘- was the control that the savage had over his

he. country

 

“ And why do you trouble your head about
The savage was suspicious.

“Oh, I have an object, of course,” the cap—
i'Llll replied, frankly; “You have a very hand—
:cmc daughter, Chito, and I have taken a fancy
{0 her; I’ve no squaw and I don’t mind taking
ier.’

Fora few minutes the chief hesitated to re-
ply, and it was evident that he was debating
the matter over in his mind, but so complete

features that for the life of him the captain was
unable to decide whether the proposal was
agreeable or not.

Then suddenly the save spoke:

“It is good! Chito lorado shall be the
white chief's squaw.”

“But will she consent?” asked Dinwiddie,
anxiously.

“She must or die!” This was settling the
matter in true savage style.

“It is a bargain, then' let the girl come in to
me and I will see that John Mustang comes to
no harm.” The officer arose as he spoke.

“ When shall she come?”

“Whenever you please, but the sooner the
better.”

“She is u in the canyons now; it will take
time to reac her.”

“No hurry, but give me notice before she

comes so that I may have a lodge pre for
her. e bargain is understood, then ’

H Ya.”

“ Will you come up to the fort and have some
whisky?”

The chief smacked his lips; as much as he
hated the whites he did not disdain theirflre-
water.

“ Soon I will come.”

“All riglit; I will be ready for you. Until
then ood- y; ’ ded h

“ -by, ’ respon t e sav , gravel .

The officer strode away and figmy hadyhis
tall form disappeared in the loom when, out
from under one of the 10 e a snake, wrig-
gled a lithe, dark form. are had been a he
toner to the interview.

The new-comer seated himself upon the very
same spot that the omcer had occupied.

The wily Indian had mistrusted the captain
and had arranged it so that the interview could
be overheard. '

If Dinwiddie could have seen the face of the
eavesdropper he would have been much amused,
for the man who had listened under the log way
John Mustanlg. .

“ You see told you that the white chief had
some weighty purpose in view when he sum-
moned me to these lodges,” said the old chief in
the Indian tongue.

“And Chm), must she o and dwell in the
lod e of this white chief ?” t e other questioned.

‘ or a time, yes.” 7

“ And why?”

The old brave glanced around him cautiously
before he replied.

“ What keeps the Apaches from driving the
white men out of this valley?" ‘

“ The fort upon the hillside armed with the

b' .

1g‘gfiito will go to that fort; she will make a
fool of the white brave, and some night when
there is no moon and all is as dark as the river
when it flows through the big canyons, she will
open the door to the red braves and they will
take the scalps of the blue-coated warriors, and
then afterward drive thesc digging white men
from the Apache land forever!

It was a deep-laid scheme; the savage had
been brooding over the matter for sometime.
trying to form some plan by means of which
access could be gained to the fort, and now ac—
cident had befriended him.

“There is a beautiful white squaw in thn
fort,” the oung man sai and the old‘braw .
licked his ips as he listen .

“ It is good; the Wigwam of Man Colando
grolds no, white squaw there new; era is room ‘

or one.

“There are five ld-hunters cam d can?
the townwho talioofgoing to tngual c

Buttes.”
“The Apaches will ve their bodies toflie
-way there,” the old

c

wolves before the are
chief responded, rcely.

CHAPTER IV.
A more lawman-m.

“ I’m the dancing hear of the San Juan!” mm;
a hoarse voice pealing out loud on the clear
mountain air. ‘ I’m the tiger-cat of the Rio
Pecos—the shark—mouth gar o the big Colorado.

“ Afiei- I am, as you may diskiver,

the way from Roaring river."

An’ my name is Paddy Mack, the milk-man,
whoo—whoo—whoopl Set ’em u againl” ' r
A giant in a dirty red shirt, ancing down
the main street oftho town in the moat comic}
and ludicrous wa , and howling at the 170pr
his lungs, and $110132 his antics attractul
quitoaapwd, yotall bystanders mwisa

 

.~_..

. 4

t

 

enough to keep out of the we of the giant, for
it was plain that he was on m hief bent, for he
was armed to the teeth. A big knife, thrust
through the belt of untanned lea!

swung in holsters at his side—no to weapons,
but tools for real work where a man slife might
hang upon the soreness of his aim, and the ex-
cellence of his shooting-irons.

And no mere frontier bully, either, was the
owner of this equipment, as was plainly appar-
ent at a glance, but a true mountain-man fresh

from the perils and dan ers of the almost track- ,
‘ dry—goods boxes and even awning- osts were at

less wilderness, where t e flerce wild beast, and
Equal] fierce red warrior roamed as lords of
is so .

The stranger—for Big Walnut Camp had i
never seen his face before—had but just come to 1
town; he was rolling in wealth, for he had dis- E

played a bag full of nu gets, when, in the most
rcnerous manner, in r. e first saloon which he

struck, he invited all the boys to take some-
thing at his expense. He was a. stranger to the
Camp, and the whisky. like a good Samaritan,
took 11m in.

The mountaineer had “ sampled "many a
flask of corn—'uice in his time, but as he remark-
ed afterwar , for ligéiad lightning, Big Walnut
bu -juice raked the rd.

9 had “ filled up” speedil , and had one on
the war-path just as soon as 0 had got is car-
go on board.

To go on the war-path in the border towns, in
the time of which we write, meant that the
festive soul who panted for “fun ” took up a 110-.
sition in the center of the main street, proclaim-
ed that he was “chief,” and dared one and all
to dispute his title.

Generally the challenger did not have long to
wait, for here was always sure to

“h climbed ” he chief, just for the fun of the
1: ing.

But on this occasion the size of the man, as
well as the plainl ap rent fact that he was an
old mountain b er, eterred the crowd.

80 up and down the street he strutted, no one
daring to say him nay.

“ , come out hyer some of you grinnin’
cheesy-cats, and lemme tan your hides for you!”
he howled, cutting that intricate figure known
as the pigeon-wing high in the air as he spoke.
“ Hyer am, all of me the blue monkey of
Taco! the stri pig of uyamssl the double-
j’inted, knock- need elephant of the Mogollon
range. For the love of human goodnem will
some critter with a soul in his bosom come out
andfeeiofme onced‘est grip me and seeif I
am made of glam or eet- ron?”

Some one snickered outright at this idea, and
the giant made a charge on the scofi'ers, who
scattered in xfinick order, but a man coming out
of the gene store near by, entirelyi norant
of the scene that was transpiring outsi , came
full tilt into the blf boaster’s c utches, who at
once set up a yell o delight.

The new-comer’s arms were full of bundles,
articles which he had ust purchased, and as he
had all he could do to old on to them, he could-
n’t very well show ht, and so allowed the
other to drag him into he center of the street.

He was a well-built muscular fellow, and al-
th h not near the size of the giant yet looked
as if could give him a pretty g usele.

“ Hold on; what are you about?” the man
exclaimed, in e ulation.

“ Drop our p under, stran

once or the love of
wled.

“ Let go of me, on drunken fool l” the man
cried, in a rage. ‘ I’ve got some eggs here, and
if you smash em, I’ll be apt to get wrathy.”

‘ Wrathyl" yelled the big man, delighted,
-“that is jest what I want. I’m sp’iling for a
leetle fun—not much, you know, but jest a lee-
tie, jest to keep my blood stirring. Lemme see
them eggs!" and with the word the giant got
his big gw on the eggs and crushed them.

Now lose eggs warranted fresh, and worth
a quarter of a ollar apiece, is no joke; so the
stranger was as good as his word and immedi-

attélvy got wrathy.
it wonderful quickness and power he
shook himself loose from the rasp of the giant,
drop all his bundles excep the one contain-
ing t e shattered e gs, and with that he smacked
the big fellow ful in the face, plastering the
broken eggs over his e es, nose and mouth, so
that the man resen such a ridiculous ap-
ance that he crowd roared themselves dou—

le with laughter.

r, and grip me
ness!” the giant

The challenger was astonished and bewildered 1

by the sudden and unexpected attack.
He commenced to paw the sticky mass from

his besmeared visage, and his adversary, quick ‘

to improve the chance, seized him by the collar,
whee ed him around, and before the moun-
taineer could comprehend this new mode of at-
tack, he booted him down the street with half a
dozen good, hearty kicks.

As a bystander remarked: “Every time he
hoofed him he jest raised  about a foot, you
bet!

The crowd fairly bowled with delight; it was
the best kind of a circus Big Walnut Camp ever ,

hadsecn.

 

erthat girded 1
in his stalwart waist, two heavy revolvers, '

I breath; this excellent farce might
1 only the prelude to a terrible tr

some 
other hold 3 irit around who “waded in ” and ‘

strange
2 Indian’s.

 

Brenze Jack-

 

“ Go in, lemons!” yelled one.

“What’s the price of shoe-leather!” asked a
second.
“ Ain’t you glad you came to town?” sung out
a third.
But, after the laugh, the crowd held their
rove to be
y, for the
muscular stranger did not lack for weapons,
and after bootng the giant so vi orously, he
placed himself on the defensive wit his hands

‘ on his revolvers.

Then the crowd began to scatter; doorways,

a premium, for two to one the t man hit
when the fight began would be some innocent
spectator.

But, when the big man did turn, wiping the
stick stuff from his face and beard, in a dazed,

bewi dered sort of way, instead of instantly ,1

whi ping out his revolvers and opening fire, he

at is arms akimbo and looked fixedly with a

ace full of astonishment at his nimble foe.

“Dum my cats!” he cried, “if I ever heered
of sich a way of fighting afore! Say, ou don’t

've a man no show for his money! lamed if

don’t think that you got swindled on that air
hen-fruit, too, for one of ’em smells worse nor
a pole-cat. Say, who are you, anyway i”

“What is it your business?” demanded the
other. ‘

“ Wa-al I didn’t quite catch your name when
you intr uced yourself to me jest now. You
see, I’m awfullyebashful on fust acquaintance.
Who may you ’i S it out yer handle, stran-
g5? that is if you ain t got no call to be afraid
o t.’

“ That is my business and none of yours,” the
stranger retorted. “ And since on are so eager
to know my handle, why jest me J ack,‘tbat
will do as good as anything.”

“ Jack what?” the big fellow demanded.
“Thar’s a heap of Jacks in this b er world.
I’ve knowed a Jack Rabbit, a Jac —wa—al, I
don’t want to offend anybody, so we’ll say a
John Donkey.”

“ Been introduced to ourself, old man, hav’n’t
you?" exclaimed one o the crowd.

But the giant paid no attention to the inter-
ruption.

‘ No, sir-eel Jack won’t do. I want somethin
afore or after Jack l” and then, for the firs
time, he caught a cod full view of the face of
his antagonist, an saw that the features of the
r were bronzed nearly as k as an
“I’ll ive oua handle!” he cried,
abruptlyfi‘one t t fi ou to a '1‘, too. Bronze
Jack ere you are 0 (1 man!”

The crowd echoed t e name.

“ Bronze Jack I”

Well, it certainly did fit the stranger.

“And now, Mr. Bronze Jack, if ou’ll have
the kindness to step up tothe ca ’3 ofiice
and settle,” the giant continued, “ want you
and this hull town to understand that I never
was raised  to have shoe-leather used u
upon mel I m fit for somethin a bees sigh
better I reckon, and if I ain’t I i go an carry
will to the hogs. Now then, I’m your man
angewefiyou choose to call the game; what
it i ominate your we’pons, knives or pis-
tols, but no fists, as I reckon that on know a
heagIsight more at that game than do.”

“ ou are drunk, man, and it would be sim-
ply murder for me, in full possession of my

to encounter you.”

The mountain-man fairly leaped up two feet
in the air and cracked his heels together after
the old Virginia fashion.

“ Drunk or sober!” he cried, “I’m an man’s
mutton. Look hyer!” He tore the o d som-
brero from his head and sent it whirling up into
the air, then as it reached its altitude and quiv-
ered for a moment preparatory to coming down,
with a dexterous throw he slung his heavy
knife up after it, and the int went clean
throu h the hat crown. “T at’s the mark of
{Big B” 1 Williams, and that’s the kind of rooster

am!

 

CHAPTER IV.
AN UNEXPECTED rmnnumon. .

THE announcement of Williams’s name excxt-
ed immediate attention. Not a man was there
in the crowd but was well acquainted with the
old scent and trapper by reputation.

Of all the wild men who have ever trumped
the lonely trail of the pioneer over the _vast
prairies of the Far West. Big Bill Williams
stands out pro-eminent. One of the first and
one of the greatest of the earl explorers, the
name of this celebrated scout m l remam while
grass grows and water runs.

Even Bronze Jack seemed interested although
to all outward seeming he was one oi the cold,
quiet men who possess such wonderful control
over themselves as to seem most impadve
when most excited.

“ Drunk, am I!” shouted the old scout, as the
battered hat came tumbling down to the earth
with the knife sticking throu h the crown.
“ Mebbe I am drunk! 1’] allow t at I have been
flllin m self up with fire-water, but what of
that ever yet was old Bill Williams so over.
come by conversation-juice that he couldn’t
keep his end of the pot a-b’iling! Show me a

 

 

man in the crowd that can drive a ten-inch
knife through a hat up in the air as clean asI
did est now; and with a pistol I reckon that I
wont take a back seat for an man on top of
this hyer earth! Throw up a ollar, some one
of you boyees, and see the old man split a bullet-
on it!” and with the word, out came one of the
scout’s heavy revolvers.

The crowd had commenced to ther around
the two a 'n, but the instant Véillliams whip
ped out t e tool they scattered instanter for
they all expected that the other would follow
suit. and that the ball would begin.

But Bronze Jack never moved; he stood con-
fronting the other, watching his motions but
never making a sign.

“ Come, oung man, come! My we'pon is
out: why on’t you pull and go for me!" the
scout demanded.

“ Oh, no; you’re a dead-shot, and now that I,
know who you are, I’m not going to quarrel
with you.”

"‘ 22nd ain’t you a dead-shot, tco‘l” asked the
gian .

“ Oh, I can hit the side of a house if it ain’t
too far 03‘,” the other answered, a slight smile
playin upon his face.

‘ Ge out! You are t ing to lay rootson
the old man! Any man hat can tanother
as scientifically as you did me jest now, must.
know how to handle his we’pons; it’s a nat’ral
impossibility for him not to know. You’re a
boss, you air. I say it, and I reckon that I
ought tokn0w, if an man does. I’m posted in
this region, I am! by, I lived hyer afore any
of you boys was hatched. Yes, sir-ee. I came
h er so ong ago that PM be blamed if I ain’t
c can forgotten the year, but it was a might
long time ago. Why, boys, when I first struc
into the leetle valley, the mountains out yon~
der,” and the speaker waved his hand toward
the distant spurs of the Mogollon chain, “ them
air mountains war’n’t half as big as they air
now, and as for that leetle one yonder,” and he

ointed to the nearest peak, due north. “wh

har wasn’t nothing but a hole in the round

whar that stands now. Oh, I’ve lived 0. es of'
years I tell you. Come! is it fight or not ’ho
cried in conclusion.

“ at, as far as I am concerned,” the other
replied, firmly.

‘But you booted me—and it hurt, too, el-
thou h I allere reckoned that I had a hide like
a rh -no-serious l" protested the old scout, in an:
injured sort of way.

‘ Blame yourse f ; you mashed my eggs and
assaulted me without rhy me or reason,” the other
replied. “ I took you to be a drunken vagatond
and administered such chastise-meat ass men of
that kind deserved for attempting to pick a
quarrel with a aceful man, an utter .stran er
to him, but if had had the sli htest suspic n
that my antagonist was Big B lWillismI, el-,
lowin whisky to make a 100! of him, why, I
won] lhe’ve kept out of the affair if it had been
possib e.

“Say, boot me ag’in stranger!” cried Wil-
liams, pathetically. “ me ag’in, stranger
for the love of Heaven, boot me eg’inl It dion
hurt half so much as it does to have you talk to
me in this b or way. I reckon that I have
made a ’tame fool of in self. and that I ought;
to be kicked clean out o the Camp; but it was
your fire-water h er. I have sampled consider.
able in my time, ut this hyer is jtst old cam-
phene every time. I axes your pardon, stren-
g r and we’ll cry quits if to be as that air is.
satisfactory to youz” and Williams extended.
his huge paw as e spoke.

Jack grasped it heartily.

“Oh, it’s all ri ht, and if you feel an way
sore about the boo ing, you are at liberty use
up some shoe-leather or me I”.

“ No sir-eel But, I say, rsrdner, to Put it to
you mildly, draw it lighter next time.’

The crowd seeing that the fun was over, he
gan to depart, and two men coming down the

> street, in avoiding the straggleis who were so.

ceeding uphcame face to face with Big Bill ‘il~

] heme and reuse Jack.
A c of astonishment burst from the lips: of
the ol scout as he gazed upon the features of

one of the men who, Indian fashion, had a lig
blanket wrapped around him, although the eve-
nin was qu to warm.

T e man, who was a stalwart-built fellow al-
though low in stature, started as he can-e face
to face With the old scout and saw that he was
recornizcd.

“ For the love of goodness, if this hyer ain’t
what I ve 31st been sp’iling for, for many a long
day!” the old nountain-man exclaimed fiercely.
“ Oh, you copper-colored snake! didn’t I tell you
the inst time that I ever ste’d you up in the
mountains, the time would come when I would
meet you face to face and have a chance for to
give you a piece of my mind without risking my
sculp by doing itl’

The loud tone in which the old scout

. ke et-
tracted the attention of

the P888011- y. and

l imagining that another scene was at hand they
; began to form a circle around the old mountain-

man and the two unknown who would have

avoided the interview had itsbeen Fible.
“Oh, you old dirty. cop \er-coored Di.ng

you!” and old Bill shook his rawny fist in, oh;

‘ . “an”. ,— ,

uni-«wot w < <

« .l. «may thu-qrm. .e

. . w. u ask“ “I MA...“ V,

P

.4-

...o'“. my...

u
'5
i

 

m M-.. a... M
~ e, N...WW. ..
I

 

 

‘- wJ—uSmtmlr‘. - ‘

 

exclaimed the red—skin, drawing 11

I

Bronze Jack.

5

 

 

“Poi/of the short man, who attored a snort of
‘1"! ' {TL

“ Stand back, you drunken ruman!” cried the
other one of the two, drawing a pistol; but be-
fore he could raise the hammer Bronze Jack had

.him “covered” with one of his revolvers. He

had recognized the speaker on the instant and
was lad of a chance to get at him.

“ old on, my young friend!” he exclaimed;
“ don’t ou attempt to feel with that plaything
or I sh l be obliged to drop you just where you
stand!”

In sullen ra John Mustang—for it was, in-
deed. the chic of the Red (loll -Hunters in per—
son—glared at the cool speaker, who had him at
a disadvantage.

“ Strip off your blanket, you ’tarnel red snake,
and let all these gentlemen look at yo and see
jest what sort of a p’isoned critter you are. any-
way l” the old scout cried, and with the word he
plucked the blanket from the shoulders of the
man, and falling, it revealed a person in full In-
dian rig.

The citizens gazed upon him in astonishment,
and they recognized at once that this Indian was
no common bravo.

“Don’t you know him, fellow—citizens?” \Vil—
liams yelled. “This hyer is the ’tarnel critter
that claiin': to lord it over all this hver country.
The last time that I see’d him he had me foul
and fast in his big village on the great Colorado,
and they were a-going to roast mc, j .‘st to make
fun for the squaws and their niggcr babies, but
I know a trio; worth two of that, andl gi’n ’cm
leg-bail. I told this heathen buck then that my
turn would come, and so it has, and new it’s his

lace to face the music. Take a look at
im, fellow-citizens: this is the bloodiest tiger
of them all—Manga Colorado !”

A solemn hush e1
all peered eagerly at the Indian in order to as-
sure themselves that the brave really was the
grout chief of the Apache nation.

Quite a number in the throng were well _ac-
qu.:iiited with the sava , than whom the whites
had no bitterer foe; an new, pressing forward,
they were enabled to get a cod View of both his
face and form. Sure enoug —before them stood
the chief of the Colorado river Apaches, old
Man Colorado, a name swelling With terrible
signi canoe, since it was reported that he had
receivod the appellation, not because he were a
red blanket, but because the blanket, originally
white, had been stained crimson with the blood
of his foes; nor was it an secret that the chief
had nly boasted that or every ounce of gold
the w ite men d out of historritory he would
have an ounce of lood!

“Come! I’m the meat-ax to do you justice!”
the old scout exclaimed, lustil . “ I’m the man
thatoan lthe red hide o of you, and let
folks see t at you ain’t anything but clear wolf
underneath. Out with our we’pons and come
for me, for the love of seven!”

 

CHAPTER VI.
A nonnns snarsnr or m mu.

No braver man than the old Apache chief, but
he did not evinco the least intention of accept-
ing the rude challenge of old Bill Williams.

he A ache, like the tiger, always tries to
lea in t e dark, and take his fee by surprise,
an when his attempt is baffled, he t inks there
is no disgrace in taking to his heels and decamp—
ing as as his legs can carry him. But
corner he son of the wilderness, and he will
fight as desperately as any beast.

I “ The white man is crazy with fire-water!”
his blanket
around his massive form again wit true savage
dignity. " Let him go to his lodge and sleep of!
the drink, and then he will think wice before he
dares the rage of the Apache chief who has
taken more scalps than the white man has fin-
gers and toes.”

“ That’s jest it! that‘s the p’int!" cried the
scout, vociferouslv. “ That’s what I‘m gitting
.arter! It’s ’cos of them sculps that l’m anxious
to clean you out, you saffron-colored imp of
darkness! An’ how did you take them, you no-
nouled, pi n-toed, flat—footed, knock-kneed son
of a. pra' e rattlesnake?"

The chief now glared with features distorted
Wlth rage, but made no answer.

“ Oh, you’rea heap of a big warrior, you air i”
Williams continued, “ when you’ve got your
red imps round yer and yer air ’bout ten to one,
but when it comes to a fair fight, man to man,
and we’pon to We’pon, Wu ain’t anxious for it.
You boast of scn'pd 3y, you never took a
scalp in your life in a f r fight! No, sir-eel
You allers jump onto your game ten to one and
nary sf ht does the poor pilgrim ever git for his
mono Talk ’bout sculps! Wh . you ain’t got
none cept women’s and children s! Wah! Your
1 at home in the mountains isall hung round
wit scul , ain’t it?" "

“ It is!‘ cried the old warrior, fiercely; “white

I men’s seal !"

Many a arded face in the crowd grew dark,
and man a brawny hand clutched a Weapon.
“You lie, you ’tarnel red skunk!” cried the

mountain-man prompt] ; “ nary a man’s scqu
have you t;’ all gals'vand boys'; but, as for
Baal-n owyouasightinmywigwamthat

 

1 upon the crowd and they 5

 

will make you open lyour eyes and sw’ar till
your teeth drop out. ve t a bushel of ’Pache
ears! nice fat ears that I s iced ofl ’Pacbe heads
arter salivating the owners; get ’em nailed up
on the walls for pin-cushions! But you’re the
meat that I’ve been a-hungering arter for ever
so lon ! You’re my mutton, and now I’m for
you! ain’t forgot the time when you had me
foul u ) in your village in the mountains. There
was fl ty of you red im ag’in’ me if thar was

and you were a-gwine to roast me, for tho ll' -
of the thing, jest to make sport for your squzw .~.
and your young devils, but I’m part eel whar l
ain’t alligator or grizzly b’ar, and I sli pod outen
your fingers; but now the day of rec oning has
arrived; so wcl off your blanket and lemme
whale you! t’s your sculp or mine this time.”

Of all men in this world Big Bill Williams
was most noted and fcared by the wild red
brave; the strange manner of the scout, his ut-
ter contempt for danger, his wild, reckless feats
made him inscrutable to the simple-minded sava-

es. At times, indecd, the bi! mountain—man
'd not as if he was a little txmdhed in the upper
story; and so, although taunted and dared, the
Apache chief hesitated to accept the challenge.

“ Mebbe you think you won’t have fair play!”
Williams continued, finding that the other hesi-
tated, “but you will. I’m a stranger in this
hyer town—neversct foot in it ‘til ’hout an hour
ago. You’ll get a heap sight more fair play
than a white pilgrim would up in your region
from the bucks.”

“ You shall have fair play, I'll v: Inch for that!”
Bronze Jack exclaimed “ and if this side—part-
nor of yours is agreea 19,” and he nodded to
Mustang John, “ he and I can have a set-to just
to make the thin r interesting.”

The young ha f-breed scowled, but the by-
standers, by their looks, plainly expressed their
ap robation.

be red chief, though, was not to be bullied
into an encounter, so he drew himself up in
scorn.

“ The white man talks big now,” he said, “ be-
cause he knows that Mange Colorado is not up—
on the war-path. The Apaches have smoked
the iEe of peace with the pale—faces—”

“B , yes!” the old chap interrupted, with a
snort of contempt, “you’re a heap ful
when the odds are ag’in’ you, but I rec on that
if you and your bucks caught me up in the wil-
derness you would be mig ty apt to go for me
tooth and nail, peace or no peace!”

“The chief is here under a safeguard, and

on will have to answer to the military authori-
ies for this attack l” the half-breed cried, an-

gril , to the scout.

“ kes alive! You don’t say so!” retorted
Williams, 3: pretelijidtfd amazemeilithd“ And who
may you , you 'tt e co r-co o popinja ,
that on stick your lippixiieto this hyer mattgr
that on’t consarn you at all?"

“ My name is John Mustang!”

“ Oh, I’ve heered tell on you! You’re one of
the Red Gold-Hunters Injun spies, boss-thieves
and scalywags ginerally !’

The face of the young man grew fairly livid
with passion, but he was hel less to avenge the
insult, for Bronze Jack held im fairly covered,
and he felt sure that the sli htest attempt to
grail}; his weapons would in surely prove his

eat .

“ Oh, we have been fooligg ’bout this job long
enough!” the old scout cri , apparently 5 il-
ing for a fight, and with this word hedrew ck
his hand and gave the Indian chief a violent
buffet full in the face —a powerful blow, al-
though delivered with the back of his open hand,
and the old chief staggered back a yard or
more.

The insult was quite enough; never before in
all his life had Manga Colorado had such an af-
front ut upon him.

Wit a wild, fierce cry of rage he plucked the
long, keen-edged scalping-knife out of his gir-
dle; the old mountain-man, disdainin the use of
his firearms, whipped out his knife t e moment
he saw the savage grasp at his, and a bloody
fray, which most surely would have ended in
the death of one or both of the contestants,
seemed certain, when a new-comer, who, at the
instant, just reached the scene, mounted on a
beautiful spotted mustang, a true “calico”
horse, sp the steed right through the
crowd, and in between the two angry men, thus
most ‘eflectually preventing them from coming
to t er.

g‘eMake way—make way!” the rider cried
imperiously, as the mustang plunged into the
crowd.

A clear, deep voice, strong and sweet as the
tones of a silver bell and one, the like of whose
music seldom trembled on the breezy mountain

am

Little wonder that the crowd gave we ; little
wcnder that the cure ed savage, goad almost
to madness by the a rent put upon him, and
the big mountain—man, a very giant among
scouts, burning with the remembrance of the
wron of a dozen years, and panting for the
life-b 00d of his savage foe—little wonder they
both should hold off t eir hands at the stede
abrupt command of the rider.

That rider was a woman:

 

Cleo tra Dinwiddie, the sister of Captain
Dinwi die, the commander of the

A most is creature in eed she was,
strikingly like her brother in a ance, fully
as tall as he with the same jetr k hair, pecu-

liar white face and proud, aristocratic cast of
features, far better-looking as a woman then he
was as a man, for that appearance which

, seemed weak and efleminate in him, suited her
_ _ : exactly.
one—’round me, thicker n ’skeeters in a 5“ INF", '

.‘- proud, sensuous beauty, haughty as a queen.

willed as the ancient Ey tian princ<ss
m. . a name she bore; in brief, e was another
Sci-pint of the Nile come again to earth, a crea-
ture fitted to make men mad, and 3 et as cold as
ice without, although hearing within her veins
all the lava fire of the hot-blooded Virginian
race from which she came.

It was a very striking tableau, indeed, when
she spurred her fler ' spotted mustang, which
she managed with in ite grace, in between the
two men, who. knife in hand, Were about to
spring upon each other with the fury of tigers.

“'ith uplifted whip and imperious face she
commanded obedience, and 1 ie two foemen.
glarin upon her, held off their hands.

Big Til Williams in utter astonishment, for
he hadn‘t the least idea who she was, and the
savage chief in eager, gloating admiration, for
this was the white squaw upon whom he had
fixed his covetous eyes, and in regard to whom
he was scheming so shrewdly.

How strangely fate works sometimes!

Here was proud, beautiful Miss Dinwiddie
interfering to rotect the man who coolly con-
templated deing her a most fearful wrong.
Little doubt, too, that her interposition saved
the life of the Apache chief, for big and mus-
cular as he was, old Bill Williams was bigger
and more muscular still, and repmt said that
that man’s foot had never trodden Western soil
who could hold his ovm with the old scout in a
knife encounter; but, even it' the chief had suc-
ceeded in conquerin the scout, it is safe to say
that some other hand would have avenged him.

“ Throw down your knives!” she cried. “And

on, stragger, are you not ashamed to attack
his frien y chief?”

 

CHAPTER VII.
a woman’s WILL.

F03 a moment the old scout was pulled; he
was not used to talking to women, and least of
all to any such magnificent creature as this
peerles heaut of the spotted mustang. With
a man Big B Williams was never at a loss for
words: in fact, he was rather noted. in the
mountain region, for being posessed of an un-
common long tongue, for the scouts, as a gene-
’il-‘a‘l ruliei, are in exgfiediiligly  set 053 men.

esotary'ves e ea,otentimes '
the hermit in the gilderness for wags 3’33
Weeks together, no man near, save the savage
red—skin, who would soon have made short work
of the intruding white, if the savage chief could
have succeeded in getting his clutches upon the
bold brave fellow who had taken his 1' e in his
hen and dared the perils of the trackles land.

“Why, marm, I—that is to m "—darn my
cats! this hyer mean clum of a re buck ought
to be clean wiped out! t would really be do-
ing a service to this hyer country l”

The old mountain-man was not the only one
impressed by the splendid appearance of the
beautiful gir

The eyes of Bronze Jack dilated widely as he
gazed upon her, evident admiration written
11 n his face; much had this cool and hard
a venturer seen of life, but in all his expul-
cnce, from the time when he had trod gay
Broadway— eat Gotham’s magnificent artery
-—through a1 his wanderings to the Californian
shore, had he ever set eyes upon .a finer specimen
of womankind. '

Dame Nature, surely, in forming the peerlm

Cklitippatra had worked with all her craft ind
s .
But, beautiful as was the girl, and sudden and
unexpected as was her appearance, at it did
not produce the same effect upon e young
man as upon the old scout.

He was not at all confused, and at once pro-
ceeded to explain matters.

“Miss, you don’t know what you are talking
about!” he exclaimed. “This Indian is the
bloogilfst red butcher that ever trod the soil of
cart ’

“And even if thatbe true, is it an reason
why be here, alone and helpless, shoul be as-
saulted and murdered?" the girl re ed, 1%
edly. It was plain, from the way in whic sue
loo ed at the young man, that she was amused
and had detected in him somethin diflerent
from the men who generally peope frontier
towns.

_ “ A_ fair and uar’ fight, menu, as Pm a liv-
ing sinner!” exc aimed the old scout, earnest]
“ hhyou don’t know this old heathen bu 1
Oh! e’s a tiger-cat, I tell you! but I’m the ve
he—crittcr that kin ull his claws in .‘pFlb of h
teeth! He’s the ol he-b’ar of the Colorado, but
’m the grinning blue-tailed monks of One.
Grande, and I kin swallow him, fea ‘ blen-
ket and all!"
“Th!” it. exactly. min.” the young, man

~'....-»-, ., ..

~,.-.. 3 -.

'.¥"_‘.. . ' L15

7 . T3,.)—
4

Bronze ack.

 

hastened to so. . “ It i i a fair fight, and Heaven

defend the rig t. If the situation was chan ed
—if my friend here was in the village of his
chief, alone, single-handed do en su pose that
he would be shown any fair play? 0 you for
a single instant suppose that an savage warrior
would dare him to fair fight Oh, no! T hey
would pile on him, ten to one; even the boys
and the squaws would assail-him, but we are
riving this red heathen an extremely fair deal.

y rtner has challenged him to single fight;
chal enged him ff r cause, not for more mischief,
or for an idle wrong, but because he has suffered
deadly wrong at he hands of this red tiger;
fl‘ld now that he is called to an account who
has a right to say that he shall not peril his life
in the issue?” and as Bronze Jack made the di-
rect accusation he pointed his forefinger straight
at the warrior.

The speech made a deep impression u n the
crowd, and murmurs of ‘That’s so!” “ rue as
preaching!” “You bet!” resoundcd. Even the

proud Cleopatra was impressed although she
strove to conceal the fact. But s e was stron -
willed and used to having her own way; in fee ,
a complete spoiled beauty, and the opposition of
the cool young man, who talked with all the elo-

uence of a paid advocate, annoyed her, par-
ticularl y so because he was superior to the com-
mon run of men.

“ It must not be!’ she exclaimed; “ it would
'be nothing but sheer murder to force the chief
to fl ht, even though he does receive fair lay !”

“ h , marm, he’s jest sp’iling for a ightl”

elled t e scout, anxiously. He was afraid that
is rey Would escape him.

“ 0, me no want to fi ht,” s eke out the old
warrior, instantly. He did not intend thatthcro
should be any misunderstanding on this int.

“ 'Whv should the great chief of the pache
nation fight the white man’s scout?”

And from the tone of contempt in which this
geech was uttered it was rlain that the Indian

d not consider that the old scout was his equal

at all.

This “ r’iled ” Big Bill Williams at once.

“I’m a gentleman, I am, you mud-colored son
of a rattlesnake!” and he shook his huge fist
fiercely at the savage. “I’m your super-supe-
rior any time and any way that you want to
take me! Do. you hear that, you p’isencd
ground-hog’s andfatherl There don’t a man
walk on two egs, nor on four, on top of this
hyer footstool that I ain’t equal to, and I don’t
keer a copper cent what his color is, white, red
black. or yeller or mixed, a little of one an
some of the t’other! You don’t dar’ tofight me!
You’re skeered clean out of your skin, you bull-
headed rhi-no—serious!”

“ White man talk—~Injun laugh, bah!” and
the old chief folded his blanket around him with
an air of dignity almost undescribable.

The old scout was exas rated by this speech
and action almost be on endurance.

“For the love of eaven, marm!” he ,
“will on have the kindness to take our leetle

t hoes out of the wa , sothat kin chaw

t is critter up? It won’t ke me more’n two
minutes, and I’m willing to bet a pile of skins as
big as one of those mountains yonder that I
won’t leave nothing of him arter I get through
but a good-sized grease-spot l”

Again the savage grasped his knife and pre-
ared for war, but, With an imperious gesture,
he lady waved the old scout back.

“ No no!” she cried, “ this quarrel must not

any further. This chief is here, under
Elie protection of our flag—there is a treaty of
peace between us and his tribe, and that treaty
must not be violated.”

“ A heap si ht this red skunk would care
’troxit any trea y, or any of his tribe either, if
they ran foul of a solitaig white man up round
his head-quarters!” Big ill Williams growled.
" His scalp would be in danger, I tell yerl”

And many a murmured assent went up from
the crowd, too, at the s h, for few were there
amen the listeners Wio did not full believe
that illiams had stated nothing but e truth.

“ That is no excuse for us!” the lady respond-
ed, instantly, firm in her to save the
Indian from the attack. “ e must teach these
savage men to keep faith by keeping it sacred! y
ourselves. Yield compliance, sir to my Wishes;
if you are a true man, you will not do other-
wise' put up your knife, and trouble this red
chief no more.”

Williams hesitated; it was plain that, eager
as he was to uare of]? the old account he owed
the Apache c ief, the interference of the lady
caused him to aner in his purpose.

“ Consarn it, marm, you ain’t really got no
calladto interfere in this hyer matter,’ he mat.
ter .

“ Miss, you should retire!” Bronze Jack de-
clared, b0 dly; “ my friend is quite right; it is
no concern of yours.”

“ I am the sister of the commander of this
post!” Cleopatra exclaimed, proudly, her cheeks
reddening, with anger at the plain speaking of
the other.

“ This'town is not a post,” the young man re-

lied, firmly yet litely. “ This isnBi Walnut
Sump, and you er fort upon the hills do is put

- there to guard us a ainst the Indians, not to
Werawe and force be , will of the men who

 

made the town. If you were the commander
of the post in person you would have no right to
interfere in this matter.

“ Ve‘ll see about that!” cried a clear, arro-
gant voice, and a squad of soldiers, armed with
muskets and headed by Ca tain Dinwiddie,
came at the “ double-quick ” into the center of
the crowd.

This was a surprise indeed, for not a soul in
the throng had noted the approach of the troops.

CHAPTER VIII.
A BOLD DEFIANCE.

Wm: a sudden rush the soldiers pierced the
crowd and surrounded the Indian, thus hemming
him with a ring of steel.

Mange. understood well enough that the sol-
diers came as friends not as foes. It was a dex—
terous movement, extremely Well performed;
but, great was the dis ust of the giant scout, and
he openly expressed t e feeling which the inter—
ference excited.

“ lVa-al, darn my cats!” he ejaculated; “ hyer
have I been a tramp up and down for nigh onto
forty years right on the f roniicr and this is the
first time that I ever heerd toll on the sodgers
interfering in a private quarrel.”

“Or anybody else!” cried Bronze Jack. He
was nettled, not only at the interference of the.
officer, but at the tone in which the other had
spoken when he made his a pearance on the
scene of action. “ I thou ht t at the troops had
been placed in the valley the Government to

)rotect the settlers from ese red wolves, but
instead of that I find that they are being used
to rotect one of the red butchers from being
cal ed to an account by a man whom he has
wron ed.”

“ on are a bold speaker, sir, and a somewhat
rash one l" Dinwiddie retorted, not at all pleased
at the hardihood of the stranger.

“ Not a bit of it!” and Jack faced the officer,
undauntcdly. “I am neither bold nor rash; I
on! s k in mind and there is no law against
it, is t ere, r. Soldierman?”

“Look here, my bold friend, you had better
kee your tongue between your teeth or it may
cos ou dear!” Dinwiddie warned, in a rage.

“ b, will it? \Vell, strange as it may appear
to you, I am not at all afraid of that.”

“‘ That’s the talk!” the old scout cried, em-
phatically. “ What air we, anyway, free-born
American citizens, or dogs to be walked over by
the furst gentl’man in uniform that happens to
run across us. I reckon that our forefathers
fit, bled and died in vainif such a thing is to be.”

An angry murmur went up on the air from
the lips o the crowd at the conclusion of Bill
lVilliams’s protest. The interference of the
military was not relished at all by the miners.
Their blood was up for vengeance upon Manga
Colorado, right or wrong.

“ Who are you, anyway?” demanded Din-
widdie.

“ Who am I!” yelled the old mountain-man,
apparentl vastly astonished. “Wa-al, if this
don’t jes rake my pile now, every time!
Hyer’s a sod r-man who don’t know me! Why,
I’m one of t e old 0 al settlers I am! I’ve
been the chief cook an bottle-washer of these
hyer diggin’s for an age of snakes! This old red
buck knows me—mi hty few of the red devils,
old or young, but ave scra my acquaint—
ance in the last ten years an a good many of
’em are sorry that they did, too. Who am I?
Ask the big crick of the N orth-west yonder that
I furst diskivered and that bars my name.
Thar’s a good-sized bit of a hill not many miles
from this hyer camp, that they call Big Bill
Williams’s mountain!”

“Oh, you are Big Bill Williams, then l” Din-
widdie exclaimed, gazing with curiosity upon
the renowned scout.

“ That’s what they call me when I’m to hum
and the latch-string hangs out.”

“And who may Jymt be!” the officer asked,
turning to Bronze ack.

“‘Oh. I’m nothing—a plain nobody, that is
all,” was J uck’s indifferent reply.

“Bronze Jack. my rdner!” Williams an-
nounced. “ and a man t iat’s safe to tie to any-
where or an how.”

“ Well, illiams, now in regard to this mat-
ter,” Dinwiddie expostulated. “You are too
old a scout—too experienced a mountain-man
not to know that faith must be kept With the
Indians or else that blazes would be to pay all
along the frontier. This chief has come into
town toconfer with me under a solemn safe—
guard, and to violate that safcvconduct, or to
allow it to be violated, would be to set every
red-skin on the border at once upon the war-
trail. This must not be, and I ask you as a man
of sense to give'up this quarrel and allow the
Indian to depart unmolested. Hereafter, in the
open country, you can settle with the chief if

on should choose to do so, but withm the 11m-
its of this camp it must not be.” .

Dinwiddie had taken exactly the right way
to talk to the old mountain man, for the scout
was too well acquainted with the Indians and
the condition of affairs along the frontier not to
know that the officer was right in the View that
he held. /

“ Wa-al, kurnel, I s’ e that you air ’bout
right in ward to this yer pesky affair,” he ad-

5 ~._‘.~i-" ’

 

v

 

 

initted. reluctant! , “ but Itell you it goes a ’

the rain—e. heap Zg’in’ the grain to let this pig;

Ea 3 go, now that I’ve got my hookers onto
to.

“ Come into my country I” exclaimed Mange
Colorado, swelling up loftily, “and you shall
have all the fight you want.’

“ Ah, but you red heathen never give a man a
fair show.” and the old scout gave a shake of the
head. “ You allers chowe the battle-ground,
allers contrive to pile in ten to one; but mebbe I
will give you a leetle shake—up afore the summer
is over.”

Jack, seeing how the aflair was tending, con-
tented himself with kmping quiet. It was not
his quarrel anyway, and since Williams was
willing to or" quits he saw no reason why he
should llitt Here.

The "irl had watched Jack with an eagle eye;
she hm expected him to insist upon carryin out
the quarrel, and with that inconsistency w ich
is not strange to woman, was disappointed that
116 ) iclded.

“ You have adopted a wise course,” she said,
addressing hcr conversation to the youn man,
“ but I am sor? that my words had no in uence
over you. and t at it required force to makeyou
comply.”

Jack only laughed.

“ Oh, it was not my quarrel at all,” he replied.
“ I only backed up my friend here, that is all.
Since he is content to cry quits, why I can have
nothing to say.”

The girl tossed her head with a disdainful air;
it was plain that the man angered her. She
turned 10 the savage.

“Chief, when you return to your tribe Itrust
you will tell them that there are some of the

)fll(‘-f&(‘(‘§ n he keep faith with their red
rollmrs”

“ Munga Colorado will not for et, and in his
heart he will alwa) s rcnumber t ewords of the
white lily,” and, as the Indian spoke he fixed his
glittering, bead-like black eyes upon her, an ex.

ression u on his face that instantly filled the

cart of t e proud, beautiful girl With intense
oathing for there was no mistaking the evident
admiration of the savage. ‘

She wheeled her horse around, and Without
another look at Jack, who was on the watch to
catch her eye, for he \i as anxious to know
whether she was angry with him or not, rode
slowly away. .

The Indian watched the l as she rode ed
with an expression upon is face that fairly
made the blood of Bronze Jack boil as he hap-
pened to catch 81' ht of it. No wonder, for the

can man right v calculated that the wily.
brute? sava e chief meant harm to the girl.

“She sh thank me for her life some day "he
muttered, between his teeth, “ for this 0 civil.
lain will leave no stone unturned to get her int/t
his wer.”

“ hen I can consider this affair as settled,n
Dinwiddie said, addressing Williams.

“ Yes, sir-cc, hoes-fly !” the scout responded.
“ As far as Big Walnut Camp is consumed, I’m
clean shut of this darned painted snake, but li’
I ever catch him on the rarie—”

“ Colorado Wil take 'our scalp and
put it to dry in the smoke of his Wigwam to h,
warnin to all other white men to avoid the
Apache and l” the old chief exclaimed, finishing
the sentence.

“ You be durnedl” Williams cried, in con--
tempt. “I’ll have your hide one of these days
and tan it for moccasins!”

The officer saw at once that he must put a stop
to this idle talk or the chances were that the
quarrel would be renewed again.

“ Come, chief, I will conduct (you to your
horses and see you safely beyon our limits.
Forward!” he said.

The soldiers started, the Apache chief in their
midst, as proud and arrogant as then h b.
owned the town, and in truth be thought edid.

“ ive my love to your 5 news, Mangal ”
Wil iams shouted, “ for I’ll m ewidows out of
some of ’em afore long!"

(‘HA PTER IX.
A GUIDE AT LAM.

Wrrn the dggarture of the indian the excite-
ment ceased; 1g “ alnut Camp had had enough
for one night.

Although the timely arrival of the soldiers
had deprived the llllll( rs of the pleasure w hich
the had unmounted enjoying at the expense of
their ancwnt foe, great Man a Colorado, yet
the two men who had so bold y dared the red-
skins were heroes none the less.

Like the majority of frontier towns, the Camp
knew only one way of extending hospitality.

“Strangers, you air both on on hefty men!”
one old gray-headed miner exc aimed, taking it
upon himself to be spokesman for the rest, “and
we men of Big Walnut are proud to see you in
our town; what will on drink!”

Rather needless t 5 question, for th h all
the bar-keepers in the town alwa s putlif yet
when the thirsty stranger asked w at they had
the re. 1y, almost invariably, was “rye,” an
“hour n,” nno it was a remarkable fact, that
whether the driner chose the first or the last:
one bottle always did service.

BigBiu Williams had already ” sampled ” at?

 

 

 

 

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. tellers were who
high, andthe littg fellcrs wereas bread as they I
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,_ ___ __._ ‘ ' .

the fire—water that he cared to try in Big Wal-
Lut Cam , and he did not hesitate to say so;
Bronze ack also attempted to excuse himself,
but the crowd would not take “ no ” for an an-
swer; and so despite their protests, the two
men were ob toaccept the hospitality of the
miners, but they tore themselves awa as soon
as the could, and strolled down the reet.

“ here are you bound?” Jack asked, after
they had got out of ear-shot of the crowd.

‘ Nowhar’s in particklar,” the old scout an-
swered. “ You see, I’ve 'lst got in from a trip
up in the mountains and ’m my own man now
until I pick up anot er jo .” _

“ You are a scout, by professmnl"

“ Yes, and trapper, and guide, and old-hunt~
er; thar ain’t any kind of life in t ese hyer
mountains that I can’t handle.”

“ You’re the very man I want. I am the cap-
tain of an expedition desivumlto penetrate right
into the very heart if the Apache country,”
Jack announced.

“ The Apache land, eh? Wa-al, I know it—
know it like a book. Thar ain’t hardly a squar’
inch of it that I ain’t tramped over.”

“ Just what I thought, and that is the reason
I said you were the very man I want. Will you
join my party as guide?” _

“Stranger, I reckon I Will l” was the hearty
rejoinder. “ The fact is, you're jist the kmd of
man to tie to; but whar air you going, and what
is the progra nme?” _ '

“ Do you know the old ruined Yuma City, by
the Colorado?”

“Do I know it? Wa-al, now, you can jist bet
your bottom dollar on that. Manyr a time I
scouted ’round that strange old pile, but I tell
you what it is, Jack, my boyee, any party that
goes into the Yuma country has got to pro-

ared to fight old Man a Colorado and his

aches. tooth and nail. a red bucks air kinder
superstitious ’bout that old Yuma town; they’ve
kinder got an idea, you know, that it’s haunted
land—the teway to the Happy Hunting
Ground, an it rilcs them awful for to have any
pale-faces foolin around thar." _ .

“ Haven’t the ndiaus 0t an idea that it is a
rich mining country, an. that if the whites onco
find it out, the scent of gold will attiact them
there in such numbers that it will be impossible
for the reds to hold the land against them i” Jack
asked

“ Wa—al, thar may be something in that, but
it’s a sure enough fact that bucks obelieVe that
the lace is haunted, and thar ain’t man of the
hca ens as would be willing to do muc scout-
ing ’round the old Yuma town arter nightfall. ”

‘ And what do you think about the matter,
Williams?” Jack queried. “ Have you any faith

Bronze Jack.

'7

 

he was just loony enough to my that if he found
two or three bones hewould be able to tell jest
how b' the man was, and a heap more sich
trash. a-aJ, stranger, when I eee’d the mon-
strous b' devils a-marchin ’round on top of
the old City, I jist come to t e opinion that the
old Dutch cuss wasn’t uite so badly crackedas
be up to be, and t e old Yuma chaps that
built the bi city were all a lot of giants, and
thatI was a- ookiug at their spooks.

As the old scout finished, he detected the in-
credulous look on the face of the other.

“ Oh! I know that it’s a. tough yarn! If I
hadn’t ’a’ see’d it with my own two lookin e 68,
I would have hoo-hooed at it myself as as
anybody; but, strau er, as I’m a living and
breathing man, I tel you it is a sure enough
fact and I’m willing to take my oath to it on a
stack of Bibles as big as a meeting-house!”

There was no mistaking the fact that be fully
believed every word that he said.

But Bronze Jack was most decidedly a
“doubting Thomas.”

“ A man’s eyes are not always to be trusted,”
he observed. “I’ve seen the mirage on the
desert represent a troop of horsemen of gigan-
tic size, and sometimes the horsemen ride upon
their heads with their horses’ feet 11 in the air,
and although m eyes witnessed this sight, 'et
I know very wel that it was an optical i u-
sion.”

“’Taiu’t no mirage that I sce‘dl” Williams
persisted, sluhbornl .

“ Well, partner, propose to find out exactly
what this thiiwis!” Bronze Jack declarel. "I‘m
on the track 0 a rich old deposit right close to
the old Yuma city, i not in the very city it-
self. and I’m oinv there though the devils were
thicker than easm a half-brecd’s hut. Now,
then, will you go along as guide? You can
name your own salary, or go along on shares,
as the rent of us are going. I’ve heard this
story about the ghorts of the Yuma town be-
fore, and I reckon there is some trick about the
matter. In fact I’m much more afraid of
Manga Colorado and his ’Paches than I am of
the ghosts of Yuma city. Now, what do you
. my? \Vill you go along?”

“You bet!” cried t e old scout, instantly.
I “ I’m your man, and I’m willing to go cahoots
I in tho pluud. r.”
v And so Jack 0t his guide, and a better one
| all Arizona con .1 not produce.
i Au 1 while this conversation was taking place,
i a no less important one was going on elsewhere.
After the soldiers escorted the old Apache
chief be and the limits of the town, they re-
, turned the arrison. The halt-breed chief,
i John Mustang, ollowed hard 11 )on their heels,

 

in the yarn?” 1, and took advantage of a favors le opportunity
‘EWa-al I don’t ’xactly know " was the [ toaccost the captain.
thou htful reply. “I ain’t muc afraid of I “Can I have a word with you on important
'3, or any sich thin but I’ll own up that busi 1” he asked.
an air some things ’bout t old shebang that “ rtainly;” and Dinwiddle, fall! back
Idon’t understand. I was scouting in toward was

thar one ni ht; the ‘Paches had been running
into me ri'r it hard, and I had taken to the tim

ber along he river for safety, and all of a_ sud-
den, justas the darkness grew retty thick, I
came in sight of the old town. he ’Paches had
been yelping at my heels pretty livel but jist
as soon as I got within sight of the ol town, the
yowllng sto ped At the time I reckoned that
hey had go tired, and concluded to 've tie
thin up as a badjob, but I found on , arter-
wargs, hat they were afeard to come any nearer
to the-did ruins for fear some of the spooks
might bble ’em Wee-ah asthe yellin had
sto I reckon I might as well stay the
ti bor wharI was till the moon come up, so
that I could see whar I was going—for I wasn‘t
then—for
fear that I ght run into a nest of t e red hor-
nets somewhar, ’cosI knew they were thicker
’round me than ’skeeters in a swamp. Wa—al as
Iwas a-sayln’, I jist snog led in the timber like
a pesky big snake, and w en the moon come up,
and I got need to slide out, I happened jist by
accident, you ow, to look up at t e to of the
old Yuma tower, an'l, dog my cats! ef didn’t
again ,sight up thar that made my ha’r stand on
, e l’

A peculiar look upon bronze Jack’s face re-
vealed that he did not share in the superstitious
fear of the other.

“ What was the sight 1” he asked.

“ Wa-al, as nearas I could make out—for Itell
you, stranger, I didn’t stepto get more than
one good squat" look at ’em afore I made tracks
like all -tha_.r war a lot of devil}, big
31: liitgeh jest a-waltzmg ’round on top lie

c .

“Devils, eh?” I

“Y sir-eel” cried Bill Williams, emphat-
ically; ‘big devils and little devils, and the big

pars, too! nine and ten feet

.—a feller that was just crazy about all sorts of
rocks, and went ’round cracking at them With a
hammer and a muttering a lot of gibberish that
I couldn‘t make head nor tail orb—get oil a arn
’bout how, a long time , men used to a
good deal bigger than air now—reg’lar

giants, for sure—and he allowed as how he ax- :
Docted

to find one of their bones some day; and

l

out of hearing of his men, signified that
ready to listen.

Briefl ,then, the half-breed told of the de-
sign of rouse Jack to make an attempt to dis-
cover golden treasure in the Yuma countr ,
and, in strict confidence, he informed the 0%-
cor that be, John Mustang, knew pretty nearly
the location of the treasure, and sug ested that
if, by any means, he could prevent t e expedi-
tion movmg for a week or so, in the interim, he,
Dinwiddie, could send a. force and seize the
mine.

The ofllcer, poor and proud, needed money
badl , and at once juoienped to the suggestion;
besi es, he already ha Bronze Jack, and was
not sorry to balk his plans.

“Ohl can manage that easily enou h,” be
assumed; “I will attend to it the first t ' g in
the morning; I’ll hold them here for a week,
at the least.

 

CHAPTER X.
TEE CHALLENGE.

Beam JACK conducted the old mountain-
man to where his ex dition was encamped be—
yondthe town and ere introduced him to his
associates.

Powerful, hardy fellows indeed were the ad-
venturers. One might search all the Western
land over, from the swift current of the beauti-

Willamette to the tropical waters of the
Mexican Gulf and not find better material for
such an enterprise as they had entered upon.

The readers of the “ Fresh of Frisco,” will be
apt to remember the three, who, as the Wolves
9‘ Tejon, played quite prominent parts in that

9[Fliertllwe tilt: h 11 I si th

e ‘ree can ve tte nee 6
time when, led on by th‘3dboldr'll‘resh of Frisco,
daring Jackson Blake they had bearded the
red-bearded ulcalde in his town of Tejon Camp
and rudely handled him and his bold fighting-
men.

Black Jim Placer was still the some huge-
bearded, good-natured giant: S nish Pete still
were his sombrero cooked over El: left e e and
strutted along as bravely as in the ol days
when a thousand broad acres of the best land in
. all Lower California called him master; Colo-
! nel Bill still talked with his Yankee twang,

“ calculated” shrewdly, and seemed more like
a down—east schoolmer than ever.

I

 

 

Old Big Bill Williams was no stranger by
reputation to these men, although none of them
had met him before but they received him with
all honors. And the old scout, keen judge of
men, instant] concluded that the party was
composed of t 6 right material, and that if any
men could netrate into Apache land, baflie
old Mange. Iorado and solve the mystery (f
the haunted Yuma city, these were the spirits
to rform the feat.

ith the rising of the sun, the next morning,
the little cam was astir, breakfast \\ as pie-
pared, dispatc ed, and then the adventurers got
read for the start. No useless baggage incum-
ber them; each man had his horse, his arms
and ammunition, with a little dried meat and
parched corn for food; his skill as a woodman
must provide the rest.

As they prepared to depart, forth from the
town came a troop of horse, and the sun glit.
tering upgn their arms and accouterments re-
vealed t t they were soldiers.

The adventurers paused for a moment in their
preparations to glance at the advancin horse~
men, but not one of the rt had any i that
the troop had aught to 0 With them.

The soldiers came straight up to the little '

camp.

There were eighteen men in the rty, besides
the corpora] an the captain, for inwiddie in
person commanded the troop.

As the troo came close to the adventurers,
in obedience o a. command of their oflicer, they

deployed in skirmishing-line, and coming to a ‘

halt leveled their weapons.

The adventurers, however, were too well used
to fields of war whereon life was lost and honor
won, to allow the troops to take them at a dis-
advantage; and the moment the soldiers de-
ployed into line, as though actuated by a com-
mon impulse, each one all ped nimbly behind
his horse and using the b0( y of the horse as a
bulwark, leveled his rifle over the bad: of the
steed

It was really a pretty picture, although ter?

ribly su gestive of hi and carnage to come.

Twen y to five four to one, and yet the ad-
vanta e was not decidedly with the troopers de-
spite t e odds. The five resolute men ambushed
behind their horses, armed with the best wea-
gns, madean attack a dangerous experiment

try, as Dinwiddie Well knew.

He had thought to take them by surpriae,\_a.nd
secure them before they had a chance to spring
to their arms, but now that he saw them, firm
inbattlearray, hedid not career dare to use

orce.

“ Throw down your arms and surrender!” he
exclaimed, y.

“ Oh, 1101” Bronze Jack ded, his 
aimeddirectl attheheartoft eoflloer. “ on
just comman your men to fit up their wea-
ponsauddrawoff,orelseI ‘
make a vacancy in the United States army and
give our lieutenant a chance for promotion.”

“ ti” said Dinwiddie amazed, “ do you
dare attempt to resist the United States
forces?” ‘

“ Yes, the United States forces or any other
forces when they inter fere in my business,” Jack
replied, boldly. “ By what right do you at-
tem t to arrest my party 1"

e officer, in his arr ce, felt very strongly
tempted to rep] that was by the “right. of
mig t,” but as e game was not
was too soon to boast,” headop ami

“I understand that you and yourputyane
about to proceed into Apache lan ” .

“ That is quite correct.”

“ There is a treaty of peace now between
Mung: Colorado and the United States Gavel-n.
men

Jack laughed, contempmously.

“ A treaty that Mange Colorado will
scrupulously when he is in the white men’s
towns and threatened by their guns, but some-
thing that he and his tube will forget all about
if they can catch any of ther white brothers
alone in the wilderness.”

“ That is mere opinion l” Dinwiddie retorted,
impatiently; “ so far the old chief has lived up
to the tree .” g

“ Well, w t has that to do with as!” .

“ You are about to enter the domain of the
Apaches with arms in our s.” ‘

‘We’d pesky soon ose our to if we
went without ’em, treaty or no treaty,” growled

‘ And I consider that it is my duty to prevent
you from going ” Dinwiddie continued, paying
no attention to t e interruption.

“ Well, I may be prejudicedu n this subject,
but I think this is a pretty high- anded Sioceed-
in l” Bronze Jack exclaimed, his eyes shing,
in
of w ich you speak, it seems to me it opens
Amhe land to the ‘whifiwl‘ mené’ith

our gom arms in
hands in sea.th of id

, particularly after last
night’s trouble wi

the old chief, will be airs
to will take the war-path W
you. .

n
“ Well, that's our lookout.”
“Xouyylbringonageneral Indian war!“

' l

beobliged to ‘

yet it '

ntly. “ If the Indians respect this treat , »
your , ‘

to h and the chances area hundred.
mil?

\“

‘ .

.i.

  

 

8‘ ]

 Emcee. Jack?

 

 

 

“I doubt it! Besides, Mange. Colorado would ]

attack the frontier towns tomorrow if he
thought that he was strong enough. You can’t
tell me anything about this old snake of a chief!
He is a rascal of the deepest dye without the
slightest particle of honesty.”

“That has nothing to do with it! Will you
give up this expedition?”

“Give up the expedition!” yelled old Bill in
astonishment and indignation. “ \Vhy, kurncl,
for the love of goodness! what do you take us
for? Air we children for tobe sent off home 'cos
our leetle game don’t please your high-mighti-
ness?”

“ No, sir! I will not give up my expedition,
and don’t acknowledge that you have any right;
to interfere in the matter at all. “'e are frm
American citizens going about our lawful busi-
ness, and no man in the world has the power to
call us to account!”

“That’s so! Let tho eagle scream!” supple-
mented the old scout.

“If you do not lay down your arms I shall
order my men to open fire 1” Dinwiddie cried.

“ I should be very sorry, sir, to have you do
that, for my men here are all dead-shots, and
the chances are just about ten to one that we
can whip your force, although you do outnum-
ber us. But, captain, let’s come right down to
‘ bed-rock’ in this matter. You have some so-
cret motive in this attempt to stop me; I reckon
that there ain’t any love lost between us, but
neither my men here, nor your men there have
anything to do with the case. Let us fig t our
quarrel out ourselves without embroiling an-
other soul. You have revolvers; so have I. You
throw away your sword and I’ll cast down my
rifle. I’ll mount my horse and meet ou in
single fight. If on conquer me, well an good;
my expedition s all not start; but if the chance
oazictory is mine, then your men must draw
0 .

“ A duel?”

“ Yes; and which you must not refuse unless
you fear to meet me!”

—-_—

CHAPTER XI.
THE nosrmn ENCOUNTER.

IT was a bold dcfianco and the officer saw no
way of avoiding the encounter even if he had
desired so to do.

In the wild regions of the West where eve
man is a law unto himself, a challenge to batt 9
cannot very well be evaded without the loss of
social re :tige. v

To t e mind of these wild adventuring souls
who far from the haunts of civilization, seek
for fortune in the land of the savage beast and
the sometimes ually savage red-skin, the
man who will not ht when there is 00d rea-
son so to do, is regarded in the same lig t as the
mortal who will not drink: heaven may have
some use for such weak-spirited human but man
has not!

And then, too, the captain thought that there
was reall more show for him in the single en-
counter t ion if he brou ht on a regular skir-
mish, for as matters 3 the adventurers had
most decided! y the best of the situatimi.

Making :1 Virtue then of necessity Dinwiddie
decided to accept the challenge.

“ Although it is hardly the thing for a man of
m rank to embroil himself in a private quar-
re , yet on this occasion, since you put so bold a
face upon the matter, I can’t resist the tempta-
tion to give you a. lesson,” the captain remark—

ed.

“And at the same time he prepared to take
one,” Bronze Jack responded, as cool as a eu-
number.

The captain knit his brows; the bravado of
the other annoyed him.

lrrepressihle Big Bill Willians on this occa-
sion found it impossible to keep uict.

“ Bay, d0n’t one of you good- ooking soldier-
men want to try a taste of my meat? I never

. could bear to stand and see fun goin on since I

was hatched without having a paw n the pie!”
he exclaimed. “ Come out, some one of you,
an"! lemme have a back at you 'est for greens !’

But not a trooper evinced t ie slightest in-
clination to accept the invitation. They now
know the man too well!

The old scout was greatly disappointed and
disgusted that none of the soldiers ad any idea
of aoceptin his defiance.

“ It does at all!” he muttered tohimself; “ a
man kin ginerally pick up a fight in this world
if he is really hankering arter it, but ’pears to
me as if the ind of men in this hyer country
had kinder changed late] y.”

“ I aha/ready, sir, whenever you are 1” Bronze
J rick announced, "' but let us have a clear under-
standing. Our single encounter is to decide the
question whether our party goes or stays?”

“ Yes, that is the understanding.” '

.“Order your men then to put up their arms
and mine will do the same. ”

That was at once done.

Then Bronze Jack cast aside his rifle, took a

' 1003: at his revolvers, and leaped into the saddle.

Upon his part the officer unbuckled his saber and
gave it to his orderly, examined carefully his

 

pistols and then signified that he was ready for
he encounter.

“ Suppose we ride of! a con la of hundred
yards, turn, and then be free to re?” the bronze

, man sugg

d.
“ Very well, I’m agreeable.”
Dinwiddie had very little apprehension in re-
gard to the issue of t 16 encounter, for he lacked

K neither courage nor skill; in fact he rather prided

himself upon his skill as 3. rev! Iver-shot, and
many a time had boasted that his superior with
the pistol he had never ye-t encountered.

Of course be presumed that hisnntugonist was
also a prctt good shot or else he “ ould not have
dared to ris a battle, but he felt peril ctly satis-
fied that he was more than his match.

The two gnlloped off, while the adventurers
and the troops watched them with breatth
eaveriiess.

0th were well mounted, the steed of the ad-
vcnturer, though, being a little the best, for,
knowing that in the ml‘ilous entcrln'ise in which
he was engaged, his hie might often depend up-
on the goodness of the beast he lussti'ode, Jack
had selected his horse with the eye of a master.

And Jack was the first to turn, and then per-
ceiving that his antagonist was not in readiness
for him, he reined in his animal.

The captain wheeled, and, like the other,
halted for a moment. and then, drawing his re-
Volver, cocking it with cool deliberation, he set
his horse in motion, at a slow trot. His anta-
gonist did the same, but each reserving his fire.

The captain was going to try his favorite
game to wait till he got Within dead] distance,
and then with a sudden snap-shot en all.

But the adventurer knew a trick worth two
of that, as the soldier soon discovered.

“Twenty more feet, and I’ll settle this fel—
low,” the captain muttered, but before the
twenty feet were COVered—just as if his antago-
nist had penetrated his desi , there came a

j sudden flash, 3. report, a hiss o a ball, and then

 

a sharp cry came from the officer, while his
revolver dropped from his hand.

It was trul a marvelous shot, for without
aim, Bronze ack had put a bullet though the
ri ht arm of the soldier.

ot a serious wound, although painful, but
quite sufficient to deprive the emcer of the use
of that am.

A bitter curse came from Dinwiddie’s lips;
for the first time he began to realize that he was
encountering no common foe.

The lookers-on were amazed, for it was about
the finest shot an of them ever had seen, and

as for old Bill W i liams, he was dumbfounded. '

“ Dog my cats!” he muttered; “ why this man
don’t have to take aim! Darn me, if I ever
see’d such a thing before!”

After discharging the shot, Jack halted his
horse as if to observe the effect.

The captain had also come to a standstill; he

: attempted to raise his am, but found that the

 

member was useless.

“ I’m not satisfied!” he cried, harshly, fairly
boiling with rage. “ I demand an exchange of
shots. I am not willing that the affair should
be decided by accident!” ,

“ No accident, sir,” the victor re lied; " I hit
youexactl where I intended. hear you no
malice an do not seek for your life, although
you have troubled yourself to interfere in my
affairs, which do not concern you in the least.
Understand, sir, I have spared your life; I could

i as easily have put the ball through your heart

or iyour head as through your arm, had I been
so nclined."

“I do not believe it!” Dinwiddie exclaimed,
angrily. “The result of the shot was only ac-
cident, that was all.”

“ Well, if you insist upon a further trial, per-
haps I may able to convince you that your
idea is not correct,” was the significant rep! ,
as with his left hand the captain plucked t 9
other revolver from its holster.

“ Going to use 'our left hand, eh?"

“Yes, sir! and 've you fair warning that
Iican”use the left (I nearly as well as the

ht.
115‘ So can I,” nded the adventurer, at
once shifting his pistol from one hand to the
other. “Oh, I scorn to take any advantage of
you! That is not the kind of man I am.”

All gazed with astonishment upon this strange
scone, and even the officer shOWc-d amazement
at the action, for in the wild life of the border
an advantage once gained is very rarely given

1: .

pAnd now, with their weapons in their left
hands, the focmen faced each other; not a
hundred yards of space separated them.

The captain was deadly pale, for he was suf-
fering terribly from the Wound which he had
received, and the loss of blood was beginning to
fell upon him.

“ Are you ready?” the soldier demanded.

“ Read l” was the prompst response.

Dinwi die put spurs to h horse and galloped
toward his antagonist, ralsir‘ifinhis pistol as he
did so and taking deliberate .

Jack, on the contrary, never stirred but, firm
II a statue, or one of the giant cliffs that frown
down upon the western canyons, wanted the

 

onset. ,
' The captain delayed  fire to make as-mr-

ance doubly sure—an act fatal to his sucoeu,
for,_before be deemed it wise to pull trigger,
again the sharp report of the plainsman’s revol-
ver, and a ain the bullet cut its way through
the flesh o the soldier’s arm—the left arm this
time, and the pistol which be grasped so firm]
dropped from is fin ers as though it had su' -
denly become red-hog.

This was a more marvelous shot than the
other, by all odds.

The captain, weakened by loss of blood, w ith
a sullen groan dropped forward, fainting, upon
the pommel of his saddle. The fight was over
as far as he was concerned.

CHAPTER XII.
in run INDIAN COUNTRY.

UPON seeing their captain reel and fall for-
ward some of the mildiersmushed up; and not
a moment too soon, for, just as they reached
him, his stren th entirely deserted him, and (he
would have allcn helpless to the ground but
for their supporting arms.

“To horse, boys!” cried Jack, and in obe-
dience to the command all of the adventurers
vaulted into the saddle. “ I suppose, gentlemen,
you will all bear witness that this was a fair

ght and the victory is honestly mine.”

“Oh, yes,” the. Corporal replied, “it was all
fair and nimve-hourd," and the rest of the troop—
ers nodded assent.

“I could have killed your lender if I had
chosen so to (10,”Juck r-rntinuui, “but I did not
seek his life, and I hear no nznlicc. nltlxou h
he has chosen to mix himself up in my affalrs
which do not concern him at nil. He has merely
fainted from loss of blood; bind up his uounds,
and stop the flow, and in a day or two he will be
well again, for neither hurt can be serious. Ac-
cording to the agreement myself and men are
now free to de t. You have no objection?”

“Not the slightest,” responded the corporal,
"and as far as I am concerned,” he added,

blunt y, “I’m mighty glad to get rid of ycu.
I’m not hankering to put my spoon in your
son .’

And in this his comrades decidedliy agreed
with him, as their faces plainly showct .

“Take care of ourself then; we’ll see you
aaain some day ' old Manga Colorado don’t
ta 6 our scalps up in the Apache land!”

Then the adventurers rode ofl', striking into
the northern trail that led directly to the hunt-
in g-grounds of the red chiefs.

The soldiers watched them ride off with won-
der, but shook their heads gravely.

“ Them chaps will make it warm for old Red
Blanket!” one of the troopers averred, and the
rest were of the same opinion.

The five dare-devils pushed forward at a brisk
pace, for both men and beasts were fresh and
many a mile they covered before the drew
rein. At high noon the halted by the side of a
mountain stream, full orty miles to the north-
ward of Big Walnut Camp, and piepared to ic-
fresh themselves. They had gone at their best
speed, for, as Jack had explained to Williams as
he rode along, he had an idea that some subtile
influence was at work to endeavor to detain
them by throwing such obstacles in their we.
as won d be apt to make their journey both di .
ticult and dangerous.

And as the part drew rein by the streamlet
Jack had juxt flnis led unfolding his ideas upon
this )oint to the old scout.

“ on can depend upon it,” he said, “ the
captain had some urgent reason for attempting
to ston the advance of our party, for that he
cared two straws whether we became involved
in a fight with the Apaches or not I do not be
lieve. In fact, the way affairs look, the Chances
apparently are ten to one that the bucks will
wi us out.”

‘ Wa?l,t§1ntregard 1;? that 811;; I would rather
)inm a1 oasma t an a bi .”
Villains said, shrewd] inn” 3 we

“That is czactly what I think, and that is the
reason why  selected so few men. IV ith a

small party like ours We may be able to slip in
tothe Apache land without the knowled e of
the reds, and that Would be a most decid ad.
vantage for us!”

The old scout who was staring intently!»-
fore at the .northern horizon, smiled quietly just
at this point, and Jack, who seemed to have
eyes for everything, at once detected it.

“ \\ hat’s the matter?” he asked, briefly.

“The ’Paches know that we air hyer,” Wil-
liams answered.

“So soon! The red-skins are well served,
gilt-n, ,"for certainly we stole a march upon

em.

With his hmwny forefinger the old scout di-
recu-d Jack’s attention to a thin, faint column

of smoke curling up on the air from the side of v

a distant hill.

“ What do you make of that air, eh i”

“ A camp-fire of some prospecting adventurers
like curse ves, or else a signal given by some
red gimme! warning the Indians of our ap-
proa . ‘

“ That’s ’zactly what I make it, and if I ain't

I

 

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1'
r
\

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

H... __.- . 7

d

I
wrong in ten minutes you’ll see another one,”
Williams declared. ?

And he was right: within the time specified
another thin column of smoke did arise on the
air, a little north-west of the other. .

“ It is plain then that our advance is known.” ;

“ Yes, Sir-e0, and the chances are big that
we’ll have the reds down on top of us.”

Bronze Jack remained silent for a few min- 5
ates in deep thought, and then he spoke:

“Through yonder gap the direct trail to the
old Yuma town runs, ’and as he spoke he point-
ed northward where there was a. plainly per-
ceptible depression in the mountain range, and
near which the smoke column arcse.

“ True as shootiii’l” Williams admitted.

“ And the Apach on the watch, and warn-
ed of our purpose, wi l surmise that we intend .
to pass through the gap.”

“Oh, not a doubt ’bout that!” the old scout
decided; “ and them leetle smoke signals, which
air jest as clear as print to the red heathen,
says, we’ve got the white men; come and go
for ’em l”

“ Suppose we remain here until night sets in,
and t en, instead of taking the direct trail
north, strike of? to the eastward, make a wide
d’tour, and come into the Yuma. region from
the north-east?”

“ While they air a-watehing for us from the
south?”

" Exactl l”

“ It will do!” cried the old mountain-man,
smacking his knee emphatically with the flat of
his hand. “It’s jest the ver ' trick for to pull
the wool over their eyes. They’ll wait for us
until they get tired, and then mebbe come outen
hyer for to see what has become of us.”

“ And they will find no trace of us, for we’ll

0 down the bed of the stream for a mile or

we, where our horses’ hoofs Will leave no mark ‘
and then, when we take to the land again we'll 1
muffle their feet so as to obscure the trail.”

It was really a capital idea, and when it was
made known to the rest of the band they unan- ;
imously agreed that the plan must surely suc-
coed.

The promptness with which the knowledge of
their advance was communicated to the Apaches
amazed Jack, and he puzzled his brains much
over the matter.

“ Can it be,” he asked Williams, “ that there
is a secret understanding between the red-skins
and some one in the town of Big Walnut?"

“ No doubt 'bout it at all,” the old scout ad-
mitted. “ Why, the chances are ’bout tcn toone
that that tawny—colored half-breed, Mustang
John, ashe calls himself, the chief of the
GoldJiuntcrs, and this old ’Pache buck are in
cahoots ther.”

“ Yes, in that way the savage might have been
'm 1 Ian i J k

b to the wh oh no had formed
the  b 1the side of the little stream
in the shades o nirht melted mountain into
prairie, and caused al visible objects to mume
strange, wild outlines.

Once again the e )edition went on. They fol-
lowed the stream, t e horses walking in its bed
for over a mile; and then, taking advantage of
a. favorable slpot, eme ed from the water, first .
mufling wit strips 0 blanket the boots of the
steeds so that the trail would “ blinded. ”

There was no moon: and t e stars afforded
the only light, but, guided by Williams, who
seemed to have the cat-like faculty of seein in ,
the dark, the part pushed rapidly on, emf by
midn ht, by whic time the moon was up clear
and fu , they had reached the wooded count
through which ran the we era of the Litt e
Colorado.

There they halted for the rest of the night and
wont into cam , if the scanty preparation which
they made con (1 be so dignified.

But d to the fatigue of the journey, Bronze
Jack coal not sleep?

From the nature of the country, being wild,
wooded and rising here and there into lofty hills,
the adventurer was  of the idea that
b scouting northward to the summit of one o
t esc hills, :1 view of the “ promised land,” the
far-famed Yuma country, might be obtained;
so, to ' the sentinel, Colonel Bill, whose turn
it was watch, of his idea, be cast his rifle in
the hollow of his arm and wandered 0! up the
ravine.

The moon afforded ample light for the trip.
some two miles Jack had gone from the camp,
when, in turning an abrupt corner of the rocky
formation, he came upon a sudden and fearful

n ht.

gRight in the middle of the way crouched a
moustrous grizzly bear, and before him, extend-
ed at full len th uplon the ground, either dead,
or hel less t rou fear, was a young Indian
girl 0 wonderfn beauty, as the adventurer
plainly distinguished on the instant.

 

CHAPTER XIII.
run nucnn shown».

1 weapons; this tyrant of the woods and rocks

' gazed down upon the prostrate

 

To meet the 'm king beast of the Rocky
Imam:  not particularly pleasant at
my time, even thou b one may be mounted ‘
unonagood horse, an armed With the bestof

l

 Bronze-lack. ‘ 

‘ 9

/

 

encountered in a plain where there is plenty of
sea-room, is pretty apt to have matters his own
way, but how much worse to come suddenly

.upon the fierce creature in a narrow, rocky

ravine—to get within a dozen yards of him be-

5 fore the discoveryis made that his royal high-

ness is to the fore!

And this was Bronze Jack’s redicament, ex-

. actly. To attempt to escape by i ht was clear] '

hopeless, for the great mountain )or is a “1110 i
better runner than a man, anl Jack kn:-w ‘d e l
enough that he would be overtaken and pulled
down before he had gone a hundred yards, it he
should undertake to play that game. True, the
adventurer was Well-armed, and well able to

use his arms too, but very few men are there in ‘

this world who can 1v izis‘ that they had met the
great northern bear in a single fight and lived
to tell of it.

The adventurer, though. was in for a fight, ‘

despite the terrible lllltlll‘e of the foe; all the
manly instincts that dwelt within his breast—

and the plaiiisinan was one of nature’s noble— 1
men, it one ever cXistcd—told him that he must

attempt to snatch the Indian girl from the
)owcr of the brute, whether she was alive or
end.

Small time was there for thought—little space
for decision, for with a growl which displayed
aset of fangs fearful to look upon, the brute
stepped over the prostrate form of the girl and
came waddling with its peculiar, uncertain
gait toward the white man.

His revolvers were out iiia moment: this was

1 one of the times whena man’s life defillllt’d upon

the goodness of his weapons; a miss e now was

almost fatal.

Rirrid as a statue Jack waited for the attack. :

Sma useof firing until he was certain that

‘ deadly execution would be done.

One vulnerable point only of the bear did he

, know;the eye—the gleaming, bloodthirsty orbs ,
, of sight, but he thought that if the brute rose

upon his hind legs, as the beast generally did
w ien closing in, possibly at such a close range

he might be able to reach the heart, despite the ‘

toughness of its skin.

ithiii about six i'eet the brute came, evident- i

ly gigilexed h the bearin of the opponent who
so 1 1y 8 his groun and then, with an—
other fieree growl, he reared up on hishind legs.
The critical moment had come.
Jack o ned fire at once. A hell he at

through t 9 left eye of the beast with his rig t- '

hand revolver, and the bullet of the left pierCed
the breast, tearing its we to the heart.

With a moan of pain,
pression, the monster sprung upon his enemy, de-
signing to rend and tear, but the engines of death
had reached its vitals and the onslau ht merely
crushed Jack to the earth. He di not fully
realize how far gone the brute was, and believ-
ing that a desperate struggle was at hand he
fired two more shots; but the hear was even
then in the agonies of death, and soon gave up
the ghost.

Bronze Jack arose to his feet, his clothing
stained with the blood of the bear and as be
ing of the
woods he understood that a triumph had been
vouchsafed to him that fortune seldom grants
to the hardith borderinan or most daring hun-

ter.

In single fight he had overcome and slain the
most terrible wild beast that dwells in the west-
frn “villiétlilernestiz.th The girllhag iéemained motion-

ess r0 estrugg e u u n rceivin
that the willie was not dehd butpghepevictor i:
the contest she sprung eagerlyto her feet.

Jack un erstood at once the meaning of this;
with allthe craft of her race, the maid, upon eu-
countering the bear, had flung hersel down
upon the earth as if dead, for the king of the
forest is no jackal to prey u n others’ leav-
ings; be either kills the prey himself or leaves it
in disgust.

The white man now had a good, fair view of
the face of the Indian girl and was astonished
at the resemblance that the face here to the fea-

of some one he had seen before and

yet for the life of him, he could not recall the ,

person nor the place.

Great was the amazement of the maiden when
she looked upon the white man and saw that he
was unhurt; she could hardly believe her eyes;

et there was no doubt about the matter; the

r was dead, the pale-face had killed him and
yet had not been even scratched in the encoun-

rl

The Indian girl was toll, superbly built. well
armed, and as she stood azing with wondering
eyes, Bronze Jack thong t he had never meta
more ma ificent creature. She was even a
finer spec men of womaukind than the statel
sister of the commander of the post of Big Wei:
nut Cam . although, as Jack now mentally
compar the two, he thought it would be no
giasy job to decide which of them was the supe-

or.
“The white chief is unhurt?” she asked.

“ I believe so." he replied. and now that she 5

had spoken here was another puzzle: the voice, a
rich and melodious one, was not strange to him,
although he was sure that he had never met the
girl b fire. :

l “The white chief has cause to boast that he
 has overcome the mountain king ” she said,
mung to the prostrate form of the great
I .
l “ He came pretty near making a meal of
i on.”
E y ” I saw him coming down the ravine, and I
knew that I could not escape him by flight,” she
said “and so I pretended to be dead, for the
big ar will not touch the dead. But' what is
the white man doing in the Apache land? Does
he not know that the red chiefs will take his
see] if they find him l”

“ on are an Apache?” he
and more convinced that he
fore.

‘- XYeS.,7

“ What band .3”

“ Colorado river Apaches.”

“ The band of Mange Colorado?”

“ Yes: do you know Mange Colorado!”

“ Oh, yes; I had the pleasure of meeting him
once.” v

“ He is my father. ”

“ Your father!” cried Jack. in amazement.

“ Yes; my name is CiliiO Colorado.”

“ I have heard of you,” and Jack looked upon
. the rirl with double interest.

“ {lion have saved me, perhaps, from the great

uestioned, more
ad met her he-

bear,” she said, “ for as you came u he was
tryin his claws upon me, and if the lood had
how he might have eaten me.”

“The brute bad taste: he could not have had
it more charming morsel!” J nick exclaimed, gal-
antl .

ThZ girl received the compliment with an ill
grace, for she frowned and cast a disdainful
look upon him.

“Make me no soft speech; I am no foolish

new.

“You say that you are Mange. Colorado’s
daughter?” the adventurer observed, a sudden.
thou ht occurring to him.

u es.”

“ Was your mother an Indian woman 1"

“Why do you ask?” she demand imperi-
ouslfi, and with a suspicious glance at is face.

“ ecause your face is stran eh familiar to
me, and i thought perhaps that had either met
you before—and I do not remember so doin —-
or else that on were related to some one t at
I knew. Jo Mustang is your brother, I sup—

?’
“ John Mustang!” exclaimed the girl. an ex—
pression of amazement upon her face, which, if
it was not genuine, was extremely well as-

-; sumed.
most human in its ex— I

“Yes: you know him do you not—the chief
of the band known as the Red Gold-Hunters, a
half-breed?"

brother and the girl regarded the adventurer
with evident suspicion.

“ Because you hear such a great resemblance
to him; your face is much more like his then it
is like your father’s.”

“ You have saved my life i” returned thegirl,
abruptly, asif with intent to change the con-
versation. “ Chito Colorado has a grateful
heart and she would.serve on.”

“Much obliged, and the chances are that I
shall need aid before I get through with m

resent expedition,” the young man obseer

y. 

“ Give it up then, and retrace your steps."

“Oh, no; not until I have accomplished my
pay," was the adventurer’s firm response.

“ on will surely meet death at my father’s
hands!"

“ I hope not' I trust that you will use your
infiuencc to induce your father to permit me to
puisuc my guest in peace.”

“No no!’ cried! egirl, hurriedl , “itisnot
tobe ought of fora momint. T e tones of
all our ancestors would turn in their guns if
, the Apaches allowed the white men to boldly
march throu h the land of the red-men without
a struggle. on must retreatl Be warned be-
fore it is too late. I will guide you.”

“It is impossible!" he rnswered, with de-
cision; “as well might you hope to turn the
('olcrado from its course. Go to your father
and leer him word from me ti at my party is
v ell-armed; all determined men; no plunder to
be won by conquering us, but lives can be last
in the attcn pt."

“ Foolish nan!” cried the girl, im fuously',
“you me already in the snare! {can have
saved me and by so doin sacrificed yonnelfl
See! the red-men surroun you!”

And it was even so, as Jack discovered at
glance around him; plumed heads were peepi 3
up from behind the mks, dusky faces glaring
out from between the pines.

 

 

CHAPTER XIV.
conxmn.

Jacx’s weapons were out in an instant. but a
second glance told him that resistance was hope-
less, for the red—skins were around him in cm-
‘ whelmi numbers. -

:— The ventumr understood at once how this
i had come about.
‘ The warned by their ssnflncls. dint

 

“Whynshould you think that this man is my ‘

 

 

 

\

 

 

 

Bronze Jack. 1

 

the invading pale-faces had cunningly changed
. their line of march, had at once sent out strong
g. scoutin arties to discover what had become of
‘i‘ the bol co, and one of these parties following
the line of tho ravine, had thus come upon him.

They had him fairly, and how to escape he
knew not, but his first thought was for his coni-
pa‘iions. If the Apaches kept on down the
ravine. the ' mo t surely would stumble upon 1‘s,»

 

  

 camp. A '1 11‘“; risk he must warn Williams and
the i'."'5‘ "‘  iftcr i‘iti‘; il‘r' atone l.

l'i'ii'i (L' i  Broz‘z" J‘l'“: to iliiiilf war. t)

act, 2:11:19 (.Ef'l ho discli'ir'ml if; l‘CanVcV‘,: in

t, the air. crying out as ho (ii! so:
: ’ “ Don‘t shoot! I surrender!"
ii.- The girl was not deceived by the movement if
' tho rrst were.

"Your friends are near at hand and you hope

_ to warn them!” she cried. quickly, in his ear.

, “Oh, no; merely showing your folks that I
 am not going to give battle,”ho replied, as care-
ll‘ x lessly as though he stood not within the very
 shadow of death.

The red skins came rapidly forward and sur-
 rounded the pair. Great was the astonishment
"l of tho brows when they looked upon the mon-

k Sti‘Oll-i carcass of the mountain beast and real-
ized that he had come to his death by the hands
i of the pile-face in single fight, and right glad

~ were they, one and all, that they had come upon
', the daring stranger in such overwhelming force

,1 as to prec ude the idea of a conflict.

, Briefly the Indian girl explained to the war-
»l‘ riors what had occurred.

’ ‘ ~ “ Wah!” exclaimed the old chief, who was in
v " charge of the party, gazing with great admira-
' tion at the bold lIltl'llll'T. “the pale-face is a
l' eat warrior, but he is in the Apache land, and
. a must go with us to Manga Colorado, that ho
ol; ‘ , ma tell what he seeks.”

 ack understood the Apache languafle, al-
iif . though not able to 5 milk it very fluentlyfiiut he
‘ con) make him <el understood, and so he at
-'1 once said that he hadn’t under the circum-
 stances, the slightest objection to an interview
 with the great red chief.

' The red-skins,in their dealings with the whites
are not much given to conversation; so the old

 7 warrior just nodded, gave some directions in a
{1- low tone to his braves, and the party started,
it; . first taking the precaution to deprive the pris-

:1 ’ oner of his weapons.

Jack had 9 outed that he would be sent un-
der guard to t e Apache town, while the rest of
 toe party went on in search of his companions,
‘fe but the old chief had far too hi h an opinion of
 r the capture which he had been ucky enough to

' make to risk this.

, A man who in single fight could slay the eat
',_.} \ mountain hear was not to be trusted to the eep-
' , ing of two or three braves like a common war-
 ’ . rior. Besides,he ha I s wed Chito Colorado from
 .1 atel'rible death—the Apache flow0r, who was

I like the apple of his eye to the old red brave
,ii ' who lorded it ovor the Colorado river Apaches,
 and the wil y brave in command of the war-
33' {party was quite curious to see how old Mange.
E. , ‘ lorado Would resolve the stranger.
' ~' \ I In duetime the Indians and their prisoner
 ~ reached the village of Mange.
,a The Indian town was situated in a leasant
, valley on the south side of the Little olorado
,yl' ‘ river, some twent miles above the location
“,1: . where the Basaltic uttes upreared their rocky
ai‘ heads.

The prisoner was placed in a large wigwam
for the camp was buried in slumber, and the old
, brave in charge of the war~pirty did not think
:4 _ it wise to disturb the sleep of the chief.

tive, so no chance was there for escape, and Jack

, , Four good men were assigned to guard the cap- ‘

 

as the place of torture for the unfortunate foe,
ha less enough to fall alive into the hands of the
re( tigers.

In front of this stake, and some twenty feet 3
distant from it, a rude throne, covered with ;
biiil‘alo, bear and wolf skins, had been con-j
siructed for Mango. Colorado’s special benefit, ’
811‘] on it the old chief sat wh--n the prisoner '
was brought forth. Around this throne stood

5 the. p iintcd Apache warriors, the very flower of

 

i p

 

 

: l! the il';litiiig-incn of the great nation' behind
'.'. a circle of warri as, at a respectful distance,
.‘jifiiioed t‘r; of 1 men of the tribe, the
sup .i' . and the c :‘7 lrcn, cach and all anxious
to; axe upoi the vainuit white brave a: ho had,
single-handed, won the right to wear the ucck- ,
lace of bear’s claws and teeth—~—an ornament
that precious few dusky braves can boast of.

Bronze Jack came samitering along in the ,
midst of his guards with his light and springy
ste . He was too old a gambler—had too often
ris {ed his all upon the turn of a card or the un-
certain hazard of the (lie, when to lose meant i
almost certain death—to feel at all alarmed at ’
his present pesition, ‘

The Indians conducted him to the gayly-
painted stake, placed his back against it, and
then the chief of the party, in grandil ueut ,
tones, bade him look upon the great head 0 the ;
Colorado A inches, Mange. Colorado.

The old c iief fixed his dark and glittering
eyes 11 n the prisoner, and a smile of exulta- ‘
tion 11 hted up his dusky features. He recog-
nized him at once. This pale-face was the com- ‘

anion of the old mountain-man, Bi r Bill W’il- I
iams, who had daredto put such a pu lic affront ,
upon him in the open streets of the white men's i
Village, and the cheek of the brawny warrior 5
tingled even now, as though once a sin it felt I
the imprint of the old scout’s muscular fingers.

Vengeance was in his rasp, though much
sooner than he expected or ioped.

Jack nodded to the chief in the most careless
manner.

Manga Colorado noted this and frowned; the
bearing of the man pleased him not. He ex-
ected to see a pale face, uivering lips and
trembling limbs, not the rec ess brava o of a
contgiering hero.

“ 0 you know where you are, white man?” .
the old chief demanded, speaking the English
both plainly and fluently.

“In an Apache village, I presume,” Bronze
Jack answered.

“ In the village of Mange. Colorado, the great
war-chief of the Apache nation i" cried the red
man swellin out with conscious pride.

“ Ch, yes recognized yoi,” the prisoner re-
}pined. “I had the )leasuie of scein you in
ig Walnut Camp, i' you I'( ircinber, t e night
when you had the lectle difliculty with my
pardner, Big Bill Williams, the old scout.”

This bold reminder of the alIray irritated the
old chief fearfully.

He rose to his feet and swore roundly.

“ Uuramb I!” he hissed through his clenched
teeth; “if I had that pale-face here new I would
drink his blood!”

“Oh, he knows a trick worth two of that,”
the white replied' “ he’s going to skin you alive
and take your hide to tan for moccasins the very
first time he gets his clutches on you 1”

Was this madness or the desperation of de-
spair that impelled the captive thus to handy
words with the Apache chief?

      
 

 

CHAPTER XV.
MANGA nxrmms.

TEE chief grew fairly purplekin tgtzifggesgzilth ,
9911 g P-

 

 

I rage; he clutched at the ong, l
r , smiled 'mly as he notice! the precautions lug-knife which was thrust, sheathless, through;
' _ on, at, with true Western hardihood, he the belt of untanned leather which ' ed in his 
ill ’ I stretched himself out, making himself as com- brawn waist, and took a. step or we toward ‘
V r . ’ fortableaspossible under the Circumstances, and the prisoner; for a moment all the lockers-0n
Ef‘ . soon was wrapped in slumber’s balmy chain. held their breath, for they fully expected to see
,7: v Th'e Indian camp was wide awake early in the the old chief step forward and lunge his knife
1: , - morning. and soon the news spread through it in the breast of the darin Spea er.
 that an important white risoner had been cap- Two steps Mange. Co orado took and then
i , tured and agapin crew of braves, s uawsand halted—and the prisoner, bold, reckless auda-
  children surroun ed the Wigwam w ich held cious man, the ruling instinct strong in this
9'_  ‘ the Prisoner. hour of peril. quietly muttered to himaelf:
 ' The story 0' the white man’s daring fight With “ I’ll take five to one that he don't knife me!”
5;, < thegreat mountain bear and his vistoryoverthe And the fooihardy sport would have won,
‘l ‘ brute had been told, and the simple savages won- too, for, after a moment’s hesitation the 01d
,’ _ dared what manner of man was this who dared chief subdued his anger. He had reasons
1’.“ l *0 encnmte!‘ 3110b i’erll- for not rushing, by a single hasty b ow to take
it ' A substantial breakfast was rovi'ied for the the life of the captive. He was not the only
 ' x ‘ riSOTler. and he was informed t iat after he had white man in the Apache land; he had com-
«l is stched it. he would be conducted before the anions, and in regard to those companions he,
ii 01 :1th Chief. 1 rings Colorado, had use for the prisoner.
, ‘ The adventurer e ressed himself as being sides, too, a single blow producing instant ,
1'» perfectly satisfied ntt is. and falling upon the ‘ death was mercy indeed compared to the mo-
s coarse viands provided, dispatched them with ' merits of torture which it was the custom of the
 , great gusto. red-men to inflict upon their prisoners. . i
;.‘. I The Indians watched him with amazement; , Oh no! not evan to satisfy the arger which i
'- knowing that he was doomed to certain death ' swelled in his heart, would he rob hisflpepple of a
_ and that it was impossible he could be ignorant the pleasure of looking upon the su er
7;". ' Of the fact. they wondered at his indifferent be- one of their hated foes. lr
' . havior. With a deep, gutturai exclamation the old g
,, ' The Apaches had repade themselves to as— chief shoved the knife hack in his belt, and turn-
1 I tonish and awe the 1d heart of their daring ; ing, strode back to his throne.
ii on. tlve. 1' “Many aslip between the en and the li , i
if“ \ ght in the center at the village stood the ; ands miss is as good as a mile " laughed t e
23’, i ’ stout stake around which the Indian es and x prisoner.
5i q . dances usually took place, and which served ' “ Let the white man look well to his tongue
i, -‘ x ‘ '

    

\

4

A
p‘ . ~f r. \

7 common as the
, as bigas the roe s that fill the canyons of t

! threatened in the white village,
: when the Apaches surround a pale-face
‘ Apache ion .

or it may cost him his life!” the Apache ex-
claimed.

“ Chief, I never yet learned how to put a
bridle on my tongue, and it is rather late in the
day for me to try to do it,” answered Jack, not
in the least abas ed.

The old warrior scowled; to be thus bearded
in the presence of all his tribe was not pleasant,
but he restrained his fierce passion for the mo-
ment.

“ \Vhat brings the white man to Apache
land?" he demanded, im )eriously.

“ ( loldi" answered Jae '.

Again the chief frowned, and this time the
look appeared on every dusky face around.

The Wnite man’s thirst for gold had despoiled
the ludian of his land, and the blunt avowal

. that it was the shining metal that had lured him

into the wilderness made the hearts of all the
lisicners swell with rage.

“ The pale-face’s hunt for gold will cost him
his life!" cried the old chief.

" Maybe so! Nothing venture, nothing won,”
observed Jack, placidly.

“ There is no gold in Apache land! It is all a
lie that says that there is!” continued the war-
rioi', vehemently.

“ Perhaps so, but I’ve heard differently.”

“And if there was gold here—it it was as
bbles in the river—-in lumps

e

Colorado, it Would not refit the white men,
for the Apache chiefs wit 1 fire and steel stand
in the way and while the red‘mcu live the
white men s all not com:- todig and dwell in
the land that the Great Spirit gave to the red
warriors!”

To which outburst of the old chief a. strong
guttural assent escaped the mouths of the listen—

‘ ers.

“ The white man did not come alone to
Apache lam ” the ( ld warrior continued
" where are his ('cnipriinciis?”

“ I cannot tell, chief, but I think it is extreme.
ly robable that some of your braves will be
obi}; to discover them before long.”

Considering that the Apaches had six difi’er—
ent trailing parties the supposition of the cap-
tive was not unreasonable.

“ Oh, we shall find them i" the chief exclaim~
ed, abruptly, “and when we do find them my
white brother must 0 to them and bear a me.-
sage from the men 0 Apache land.”

Certainly, with a great deal of pleasure ”
Jack replied, and for the first time he began to
think that he saw a way to get out of his rather
un leasant position.

He will tell his brothers that to the Apache
chiefs the Apache land belongs-that it is their
country and that no white men are allowed to
set foot in it.” .

“ Yes; but, chief i" cried Jack, nbru tly “I
don’t exactly understand this: I thoug t t ere
was a treaty of peace between the white settlers
and the Apaches?”

The chief nodded, gravely. Just as if he
cared anything for a treaty, ie, the red lumber,
who never was known to keep his word to eii her
friend or foe when he could make anything by
breaking it!

“ If there is a treaty of peace, then—if no war
exists between the Apache nation and the white
iettlers, why have not- my party the right to
march freely. without molestation, through this
territory, and why did your warriors make me
their prisoner? and, although I care not to boast
of my deeds, I had just saved one of your cople
from a terrible death; your daughter, Chile, I
Lelieve.” ,

“The chief is a mighty warrior,” responded
old Colorado, with a gracnnus nod; “if he is the
fee of the Apache nation 138 will work the red.
men much harm, therefore must Manga Colors-
do stifle in his bosom the icelin s of a father
aid remcml er only tltat he is the chief of the
Colorado river Apaches. As a father, Mangn
Colorado thanks you for savin the life of his
child- as the chic ' of his pie e must forget
that he ever had a dung iter, and destroy you
as a dangerous (mnly to his race.”

This was a very neat way of puttin it, and,
as Bruise Jack saw at orcc, an extreme y simple
scheme to solve the riddle; as a father he thank
ed,‘1§lt sshtzrprlertbe stlruckl

‘ ut t 98 y—t e treat or ace w
in Big Walnut Cam saved  iriprii the 
geance of Bill “1' iamsi” t e adventurer or
claimed.

“ The Apache village, by the Little Colorado,

is not the mud-cam of th old-d‘ no th
Be- ’ Clear Fork of the I! 91'6 mg? n .

. _ I i0 San rancisco," the old
chief replied, with a great deal of dignity.
‘ You mean that circumstances alters cases!”

suggested Jack, who comprehended at one.

whatfhe old rascal was drivin at, and he saw
how Justly he had been rated v Big Bill Wil-
hams, when he had declared that there was

ings of j neither truth. honesty, nor justice in-the breast

of the savage.
The chief gmvely inclined his head ' it was an

ugly case to e lain anywa , and he ri ht]
considered tinich ’ y g I

be fewer words said the better.
“ The treaty is good when Man a Colorado h

at not good
the

... __A, _._._——s"‘

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bronze Jack. : A

 

 

 

“ brother speaks with a. straight tongue!”
the clef chief confessed, with a grin.

“I am to go tomymen—goodl Whatam I
to say to them?” The adventurer was bent upon
mak the wily savage show his hand. _

“ e them that they have all forfeited their
lives by coming into my country, but that I do
not desire their blood, although to take their
scalps, surrounded as they will be by my war-
riors, ,were as easy as the turning over of my
hand ’

The prisoner made a. wry face. .

“ Big Bill Williams and the rest, who are hke
him, may have a different opinion on that
point,” he observed. “ For every scalp of that
party that you win, count a dozen of your best
warriors lostl”

In this sort of a “ blufl ” game Jack was fully
as as his master. _

be sava es scowled, and the old_ chief came
very near 5 ing into a rage again, but by a
great effort 6 restrained himself.

“Talk is talk, and words are empty as the
wind!” he cried,contemptuously. “ The Apaches
can afford to lose a hundred braves to every
scalp and never miss them. But you will go to
these madnien who dare the Indians’ rage; you
will an to them that Mango. Colorado gives
them t eir lives, but they must lay down their
arms, give up their ammunition,their tools, their
horses, everything that they have, and then, in
pity for their defenseless condition, the Apache
chief with his warriors will escort them within
sight of the smoke of the white men’s fires, and
dismiss them unharmed, upon their solemn pro-
miss never to come again into the Apache land.
Is it 00d, my brother?” And the old Villain
looked anxiously into the face of the white man
as he put the question. .

Despite the peril of his position, Bronze Jack
burst into a loud and scornful Laugh, much to
the amazement of the red-skins.

“ Is it good?” be repeated; “ oh yes! very

ood for you, for, the moment they lay down
gheir arms. you can butcher them in cold blood
without riskl”

CHAPTER XVI.
JOHN IUB‘I'ANG mm.

Tim adventurer had guessed the idea of the
Indian exactly; Manga Colorado had reasoned
shrewdly in regard to the matter. Big Bill
Williams was one of the party; the Apaches
knew the old mountain-man wel enough. They
had had a taste of his quality on more than one
occasion. and they felt sure that if the rest of
the adventurers were modeled after him, the
scalps of the white men would not be easily

 

n.

Adeep and subtle reasoner is the red-man,
untutored savage though he may be. No braver
men than the red A be warriors walk the
earth; on many occasions, that the border-land
still remembers with horror, the had amply

roven that they held life as ligh ly as the tur-
baned fighting-men of the East, whose belief it
is that death is but a. happy passport _to the
glories of another land, far surpassing the dull,
cold earth in every respect, and that the man
who in battle falls is far more lucky than the
soldier who escapes the carnage. But it is the
creed of the red-men never to risk life wantonlfvl
and without an object; reven sometimes w'
answer, but the painted wamors always fight
better when there is a prospect of rich spOils to
be gained; a few horses, a wagon-load or two of
plunder will excite the feather-garnished chiefs
to won one deeds of valor; but  the attack
is frustrated, and theddtest‘ipetdI victims piove t3
bestro eno hto eeni eirpro ryan
their  tlhg red-men hold it no sf: to take
to their eels and run like so many rabbits,
frightened by the dog’s app . .

And on this present occasion .the amountof

lunder possessed by the invading white-skins

e Indians did not deem sufliment to warrant
a blood fight, if it could be won without,
altho at any cost, they were determined in
the en to either kill the dari adventurers or
drive them from the Apache d; but if, by
trick and device—by fair words and false oaths
—the whites ciuld be induced to surrender, and
so fall an easy prey, wh ' so much the better,
and to the minds of the paches it was a. per-
fectly fair trick.

Great was the wrath, then, of old Mange and
his br was, when the captive white man pene-
trated the scheme so quickly; but the chief at-
tem ited to brazen it out.

“ not my brother believe the word .of
the great king of Apacbelanril” the old warrior
demanded, andiloquently. “ Is not the faith
of Manga lorado g00d? Will not the White
men behave that when he says if the white men
lay down their arms and giVe up their goods
they shall go free, he speaks With a straight
tongue?” I

“No, sir l” responded Bronze Jack, deCidedl y;
“the white man would not believe you. althou b
you swore by everything that themen of tie
Apache land held sacred. They think that you
are a fraud, Manga, and, between on and me,
I think that they are about right in uldmg that
men. If you want scalps, you must win

inopenflght. You may be able to trick

‘ \

 

 

 

the Government and the. soldiers, but not the. said  evidentlya little uzzled to guess

In
The wrath of the old chief flamed forth at this
bold speech, and he shook his brawny fist furi-
ousl at the prisoner.
“ have you and your scalp, at any rate 1” he
cried. “ Pre re to sing your death-song, dog
of a white-skin, for soOn your blood will flow;

'old mountain-men who know you from A to the purpose of the yputh. “

.
l
l
.

Apache chief

is not unreasonable.

“The man ismy foe, and by my hand alone
must he die ” the young man repeated.

The old chief nodded assent.

“ It was my will that he should suffer thetor»
ture so that the Apaches might grow fat upon
his suffering: but if my brother claims him,

the squaws and children shall hew you piece~ ; Mange Colorado will not dispute the claim,
meal, and when in the agonies of death’s tor- i although the nation will be much disappointed.

ments you cry for mercy, the Apaches will
lau h in your face and spit upon you!”

ot a whit terrified was the captive at the
rage of the old chief, but he faced him, un-
undauntedly.

“You old red butcher!” he exclaimed; “ cow—
ardly A che dog-squaw—warrior, you are only
fit to ru e over women and children! If I were
only free, with my bare hands would I be will-
ing to encounter you or the best warrior of
your cowardly tribe, race of .curs that you

1’

arel
This bold defiance so provoked the rage of the
Indians that one of the young braves could not
restrain himself, and he sprung forward witn a
yell with the intention of striking the bold white
man in the face . but although Jack’s hands were
bound, his feet were not, and as the savage came
near in his blind rush he saluted him with a.
powerful kick that doubled the red—skin agailn
the most summary manner, and losing his -
ance the brave tumbled to the ground in the
most undignified manner, rolling around, bowl-
in with pain.
is bold deed roduced an instant uproar;
knives flashed in t e air, firearms were leveled,

l

l
l

l

and the mat Indian war-clubs upraised; in;

fact, the
been worth a moment’s purchase had not the

of the prisoner would not have .;

01d chief interfered to protect the captive; not j

from an sentiment of humanity, though but
because e believed that he had netra the

risoner’s design and took a maiifdous pleasure
n bafl‘ling it. He believed that the risoner
wished, by provoking the anger of the ches,
to escape from the fearful torture to w 'ch he
was doomed.

“ Hold off your hands 1” the old warrior yelled,
at the top of his sonorous voice. ‘ A single blow
is not enough to avenge the insults which this
bold white man has ut upon the great Apache
nation this day. Le us not by a single stroke
deprive ourselves of the pleasure of see' him
die by inchesl Bind him to the stake i”

This time Bronze J ack resisted to the extent
of his powers, kicking ' ht and left with all the

uickness and vigor 0 an enraged mule, but
nall the task was accomplished.

“ ow let the squaws and children repare,”
ccmmanded Mange. “ Make the w ite man
bowl with pain so that we may laugh with glee.

Let the s rt begin!”
But t spo the Apache village was not
destined to see that day or just as the rabble

advanced, delighted at t e chance, into the little
open utuare rode a solita horseman—a man
below t e medium size, his rose a strange mix-
ture of Indian, Mexican and plainsman; he sat
his horse with that ease and grace which can
ggn‘ligélcome from being born as it were to the

e.

He spurred the mustang which he bestrode at
once into the o n space which intervened be-
tween the rabb e and the torture-stake and so
stayed their advance.

‘ I seek a word with Mange Colorado!” he
cried, reining in his horse in front of the pris-
oner.

The new-comer was John Mustang, the chief
of the Red Gold-Hunters.

The old Apache chief scowled; it was plain
that he did not like the interference of the young

man.

“ Mange. Colorado is here; what is wanted 1”
he demanded.

“ The life of the prisonerl” replied the other,
boldly; “ it belongs to me.”

There was a general murmur of disapproval at
this: not without a strug le would the Apaches
seetheir prey torn li-om t em.

“ It may not bel This pa] face is the captive
of the Apache nation!” the o d chief declared.

“And to whom are you indebted for the in-
formation which led to his capture 1” the young
Gold-Hunter cried. “Who gave you warning
when they left the white settlement? Who
tracked them into the hills and kindled the sig-
nal-smoke that you might have warning?”

“ The Apaches do not complain," the old war-
rior returned; “the young chief acted like a
true friend, but he must not hope to step in be-
tween the red-men and their prey; this le-
face is doomed. and not for one of his ittle
fingers would Mange Colorado allow him to es-

ca .’

Be This man’s life belongs to me 1” persisted the
other; “ if it had not been, for me he never
would have fallen into our power. He is my
{gei’and no other hand ut mine must take his
I e

The Apaches rather brightened up at this. for,
in truth, they cared very little how the captive
died so long as he was put out of the way in
their presence.

“ Let my brother explainwhat he wants,”

 

My brother shall deal the death-blow with his
own hand.”
beThe lip of John Mustang curled in con-

m t.

“ scorn to strike an unarmed man!” be ex-
claimed. “ Give him back his weapo furnish
him with a. horse, and I will meet him in single
 if he conquers me then he can go

The faces of the throng lighted u ; this seem-v
ed to promise a rare show, but theo d chief pon—
dered over the matter for a moment. The ro-
position was not a reeable to him, and be ad
no sympathy at al With the chivalric spirit of
the young Gold-Hunter which had prompted
the offer, but he was pretty well a uainted
with the individual who ca led himse by so-
odd a title, and he, better rhaps than any one
else in the world, knew ow hard it was to
turn that nartgl from his wav.

And the Re Gold-Hunterhad a hold, too, on
the old chief—-a hold which he could not deny-
and thus, despite his objections, he was forced
to consent.

“ My brother has always kept faith with the
Apaches, and they now can do no less with
him,” Mange. said, gracefully, making a virtue
of necessity. “ It shall be as my brother wishes.
Bring the white man’s arms and a borsel”

“ And yr 11, sir?” demanded the young man,
turning to the captive, “ are you willing to ac-
cept the conditions?”

“ Stranger, I’m agreeable to accept almost
anything new,” Jack replied, a quiet smile of
confidence upon his bronrcd features.

 

CHAPTER XVII.
sires on NOTHING.

Tn]: A che chief did not feel the confidence
in to the result of the stair which in—
spi the breast of the young Gold-Hunter.

A wily and sagacious man was Manger—really
a great man, considering the limited op r-
tunities which he had enjoyed, and had be ad
in early life the advantages of civilization—had
he been born to rule over a European kin -
dom, there is no doubt whatever that he woufii
have written his name high u
timeh f tored th f
oaosto untu savagu,in epsgeso
history helivesasoneofthegreatestlndisnsof
them all.

The white captive had made a doe im-

reasion upon him. More quiet than B

ill Williams clan of men, a self-reliant fe ‘ .

low, with no bravado at all about him, he had
impressed the chief as bei the most danger-
ous white man whom he ever seen.

John Mustang was no stranger to him. As
well as any man living the old chief knew how

skillful the young Gold-Hunter was with all I

kinds of weapons-how reckless of life, how

brave in will; still, he fared for the result ofz‘

the coming contest, at with that W he»
lief in fatali so cgmmon alike to red
American In an and the tnrhaned warriors of
the desert, although he felt sure that John
Mustang would not prove the conqueror in the
1ciliming tight, yet he took no steps to prevent

a contest. . ,.

If the Red Gold-Hunter was to fail, it was his
“ kismet," and could not be helped; but, in re- "
gard to the white-skin going free according to
the agreement, if he succeeded in obtaining the

victory in the approaching struggle, the old“ ,

chief had his ideas about that
If the adventurer fell by the hand of the Red

Gold-Hunter, well and good; but if the plains- ‘ "

man, on.the contrary, suceeeded in killing his
anta must, then Mange. was determined that
the  should finish him at once u n the
spot, espite the terms of the fight; antimthere-
fore, while the preparations were going for—
ward for the duel, the old chief secretly in—

strut-ted a chosen band of picked a lilting-men ,

in regard to what they should do a a certain
na . ‘

Vith skill and care the A che chief chose a
spot for the fight, well sui to his pu .

A short, half-mile down the stream mm the

t where the Apache village was located the,
b ads of the river rose high on either side-

It was a good hundred feet, sheer do
straight as the wall of a tower by skill
masons laid. from the edge of the blufl to the
surface of the Little Colorado below.

On the surface of the bluff was an open
plateau of table-land, as level as a race-track,
about a mile across.

This was the spot that the Arache chief se~
looted '

\Be drranged his warriors, all armed—his on

mguawsmdehfldrqmamthw—hs‘ ‘

I I ‘

on the scroll of “
As it is, wild, ignoran barbarian. ruler '

/~;I. / ..

.
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, .s\ 7
We
4,  .

\i.

as

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.7:_«:‘v_~:;v_;,_ __ . ,:.-.f:-‘-»j‘   _. ,._:'.j

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s ' {afiwc‘ '.w.~,...“,,c.... .

W w——-.«<w‘M-.-m-~..  .

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1?.

semicircle, on the edge of the plateau stretch-
ing: from the river to tho river again. ‘

bus the scene of the fight was all hemmed in
by a line of savages, the river side alone ex-
cepted, but the deep gulf which there existed
wasan impassable barrier except to a bird of
the air or some desperate wild beast.

At one end of the plateau the Red Gold
Hunter stood by his horse; at the other the
captive was placed.

he conditions of the fight Were simple en-

\ ough. Each conibotunt was armed with rifle,

revolver and knife; at a given signal, by Man ra

Colorado displayed, they were to vault into t o

saddle, or advance on foot at their own option
and open battle.

With almost breathless eagerness, their lips
drawn apart, displaying their whitc, ions-like
teeth, the Apaches lUOlu‘rl upon the sun“, :.nx—
ions for the strife to begin.

The combatants, cool and self-possessed, wait
ed for the word.

The old chief was apparently the most nerv-
ous man upon the field. His face was dark, the
features rigid, and he hesitated to give the sig-
nal for the fight to begin. If he had been sure
that the contest Would have ended with the
death of the intruding white man how gladly
would he have signaled for the scene of blood to
begin! but in his heart of hearts he feared for
the life of the Red Gold-Hunter.

All eyes were upon him, though; it was too
late to attempt to alter affairs now; and so, at
last he «gave the signal.

Prompt to the word John Mustang vaulted
into the saddle. Prompt to the Word the ad-
venturer leveled his rifle across the back of his
mustang and in the most easy and careless
manner possible fired, apparently never trou-
bling himself in the least to take aim.

The shot was a deadly one, though, for the
"ball entering through the breast of the mustang
cut his heart in twain, and with a wild pitch
forWard the beast went down, stone dead.

John Mustang was taken utter! by surprise.
an it was only by the aid of the exterity that
comes like a second nature to the rider used
from boyhood to the back of a horse that he
was enabled to avoid being pitched headlong
over his horse’s head, so unexpected was the
downfall of the beast.

A loud “ Wah i” went round the circle as they
beheld the marvelous feat. The Apaches had
semsome pretty things in the way of marks-
manship in their time, but this was the most
marvelous shot they had ever witnessed.

Accident! ‘ It must accident, the braves
nmttered among themsel es; it was quite clear
to them that such wonderful skill was not with-
in the compass of a human’s powers.

» But the old chief did not agree with the rest.

His face was sterner and darker than ever, and

.. his eyes had a loomy look. He nothing doubt-

' educw, attert is display, that he should soon

look upon the death-agonies of the Red Gold
Hunter.

And the old chief clutched his rifle still firmer,
resolved to offer up the rash intruder an instant
sacrifice the moment the deed was done.

For a moment the young man stood like one
stunned and glared upon his foe—confused by
the shot. ‘

And then Jack cast his useless rifle aside,
.drew his revolver, and stepping out in front of
his mustang seemed in bravado to invite the fire
of his foe, disdaining the shelter of the horse.

Nettled by the bold defiance, John Mustang
'brou ht his rifle to the shoulder and t0ok carc—
ful a m at the exposed body of his foe, but the
adventurer never flinched 1n the least.

The lockers-on, like men spellbound, fairly
held their breath until the sus )enso was broken
by the sha crack of the ri e, and simultane-
ously with he report the pale-face dropped to
the ground. not hurt, for the bullet had no time
to reach him unless it traveled with the speed of
the lightning, and man, with all his ingenuity,
has not been able to invent a gunpowder effec—
tive enough for that, yet.

It was a cunning device of Jack to save him-
self, and well was it for him, too, that he had
tried the dodge, for the riflebullet of the hall'-
breed most sure! would have ended his career
there and then i he had not rncticed the trick,
so true was the aim of the ot er.

, Half the spectators at first believed that the
white~skin was slain, but they were soon con—
vinced ol' the contrary, for, as nimbly as a
dancing-master, Jack rose to his feet, leaped
upon the back of the mustan , and, istol in
hand, charged down full upon t 9 half- reed.

' John Mustang could do nothing but stand his
ground and try to disable his foe as he came
closing in.

, Straight as an arrow Jack advanced, and
when he got within range the half-breed fired.

An excellent shot was John Mustang, and his
aim was well taken, but on this occasion he
seemed to have a demon for a foe rather than a
man, for at the vé instant that he fired, the
adventurer pulled h s horse up sharply, the ani-
mal reared, and the ball which otherwise most
surely would have settled Bronze Jack, so far
a this world is concerned, tore a ragged flesh-
wound in the mustang’s shoulder.

' It was the Red Gol «Hunter’s last chance, for,

/ , 4

’ /

 

 

/

.Broiize Jacky

 

on the instant, before the fore feet of the
touched the ground again, the white
ggain a. careless snap-shot, apparently at ran-

om.

With a groan the Red Gold-Hunter threw up
his'hand and then fell forward on his face.

The fight was done: Bronze Jack had won an
easy victory.

And then, in rage and despair, the old chief ‘

gave the signal.
“ Kill him! Down with the pale—face!”

\Vith the resistless force of the wild mountain 

torrent the red—skins rushed forward, brandish-
in%their weapons.

eath stared Jack in the face, but he was ‘

e ual to the situation.
Vith a wild shout he forced his pony to the

edge of the bluff, and the affrightcd animal, ,

)rodded by the knife of the plainsman, leaped
into the gulf.
It was a fearfully daring deed!

 

CHAPTER XVIII.
THE PURSUIT.

Tm: howl that went up on the air from the
throats of the A aches was a terrible one, for
never were men in this world more astonished.

They thought that they held the victorious
plainsman securely in their power, and surely
none but a desperate madman impatient of life
and seeking for death, would

the chances seemed a hundred to one that no
mortal could make the leap and ever live to tell
0 it.

With loud outcriu they rushed to the edge of

phe bluff and looked down into the stream be-
ow. ,

The mustan , evidently disabled, and terribly
wounded by t 0 fall, was struggling in the cuiu
rent, but the rider was nowhere to be seen.

Either he had perished outright, killed by the
shock of the fall,'or else had escaped unhurt and
had taken advantage of some projecting rock
or clump of bushes to find concealment.

Mange. Coiorado was bursting with rage; he
had been corn letely outwittcd; he thought he

had arranged t e trapso carefully that, in event :
to be the victor, he 
easily finish him. for v

of the white man proving
and his red braves couh
he had not calculated that in any case a. mortal
would dare the leap ever the bluff.

The chief was prompt in action; the pale-face
was either living or dead. In tire former case,

he might be recaptured by a prompt and active ‘
BLUSUW; in the latter, his body at least would ’

found, and so Mange. at once directed that a.
search should be begun.
It was about a half a mile round from the
open plateau to the bed of the stream, either up
or down the river, and in order to make assur-

ties one up and t e other down the stream.
lie did not go in person, but remained to pay

Gold-Hunter

to the skill of the plainsman.

It was with a heavy heart that Mange 0010- f
rado a proached the spot where the figure of V‘

the ha f-breed lay extended on the ground.

The face of the old rufflanly, brutal chief was
deep in sadness; any one who had known the
old red butcher in the hour of his triumph,
when, gloating with victory, he swore destruc~
tion to all his foes, whether they were red or

white, would never have recognized the man as '

the same.

Indeed, one would have almost fancied that a
tear stood in the fierce, dark eye, as he glanced
d0wn upon the prostrate form.

“ Why did youthful rashness tem t fate by on-
deavoring to cope with him, and, b ind fool that
1am! why did allow this bright star to rush
madly on to death l”

“ It was his fate,” murmured the old medicine— ‘

man of the tribe, in the ear of the chief, for he
had silentl followed in the footsteps of the
other.
cannot resist the summons. ”

“Take him up and hear him to m Wigwam.”
Mango commanded. “This is a b ack day for

the Apache nation, and our women must weep ‘

and wail, for a warrior’s heart is stilled at last. ’

The braves advanced slowly to obe the com-
mand, but as they stooped and laid t eir hands
upon the prostrate form, amazement appeared
upon their faces.

The body was fully warm: the heart beat;
life was not at extinct!

With that can instinct, peculiar to the rela-
tion which he bore tothe disconitited half-breed,
the old chief guessed the truth at once. ,

“ lie is only stunned i” he cried in joy. “ Glo-

be to the Great Spirit that he is not dead!

e will live!” .

And even with the words, as though their im- I

rt had reached the ears of the stricken one,

9 moved, opened his eyes, gazed vacantly

around him for a few moments and rose to asit-

ting ure, carrying".r his hands to his head as

though he felt pain therc. He was still dazed
by the shock which he had received.

“Where are you \.'Cllli(lGll?” questioned the

, v
\ ,1 ,

u i-
K33 b

, his brawn

“ \ 'hen the Great Spirit calls, mortals

3 elliégg, whose keen eyes could not detect trace of
"‘ The ball struck me in the head,” the half—
' breed answered, slowlv; and the examination
developed a most wonderful thing. The pistol-
: ball of the adventurer had just creased the
head, and a faint red line betrayed the course
which it had taken; otherwise the youth was
unhurt!

The red-men looked at each other in wonder.

‘ “'as this accident, or another marvelous shut
—the course of the ball directed with a z-hjlli'ul
aim?

But this idea was at once dismissed, for what
reason had the plainsmzm to wish tOb'pai'che
life of the man who sought to take his? None
in the world, of course, and therefore it was evi-
dent that the peculiar shot was only accidents].

The first question the Red Gold-Hunter asked
When he. got upon his feet was in regard to his
antagonist, and great was his ustonisldncnt
when informed of the daring leap.

And he was annoyed also, that the Apache
chief had not kept his word with the white man,
and openly rcmonstrat d.

“ He was to have free assage if be conquered
me!” he exclaimed. “ by was be driven to

lea l”
thy should the Apaches keep faith

P
“ VVah!

‘ with a dog of a white man!” the old chief ex-
, claimed, contemptuously.

have dared the ‘
fearful leap over the edge of the bluff into the ‘
stream below, for, to the. minds of tho savages, ‘

“The red-man s word should be his bond!”

“ With the red-men, yes; with the white dogs,
no!” And to do Man a Colorado full justice it
must be said from tie commencement to the
end of his career he lived up tohis motto re.-
ligiously.

'he young man saw that it was useless to
handy words with the old chief upon this point
so he held. his peace.

And now that his mind was freed from anxi-
ety, the Apache leader prepared to go in search
of the companions of the bold white man, first
waiting, however until the two parties whom
he had dispatched in search of the fugitive had
returned. '

The search had been a fruitless one; no trace
of the adventurer could they discover, either
alive or dead. »

The warriors had thoroughly explored the
valley of the stream. The escape seemed almost
unaccountable: and yet, when Manga came to

: consider the matter he saw that, as the fugi
‘ tive had a straight road

ht down the stream
while from the nature of t e ground the pursu
ing' arties had been obliged to make a consld
crab e detour, it was not impossible that be hot
succeeded in escaping from the valley befon
the Indian scoutin parties struck the stream,
and then, too, on t e op ite bank, a short dis
tance down, the high luffs fell away and a
broken, irregular country succeeded, affording

. ample concealment. If the plainsman had reach-
ance doubly surehthe chief dispatched two par- ‘

ed this wooded region concealment was eas .
Reluctantly then the old chief abandone the

f pursuit and be u to pre re for the expedition
thalastsad rites to the remains of the young ‘
who had fallen such an easy victim ;
' ; the party was about to start. the young mold-

against the res of the w ite band.
And when all preparations were made and

Hunter, who seemed strangely moody and de-
gected since his recovery from the shock which
e had received, announced that he should not

gc; fwith the expedition but would go off by him-
se .

“ You think that‘ you can discover v here the
white devil lurks?” the old chief questiom d.

“Perhaps,” responded the other, evasively.
“Do not seek him!” exclaimed Manga, la) ing
red paw upon the shoulder of tlm
other. “ batman is bad medicine! do not ill. ck
him unless {(03 have a dozen good stout warriors

c .

; at your ba
“This white man isa devil!” he murmured. ‘

“I do not fear,” declared the Red Gold.
Hunter, sullcnly.

“ Be warned v my words,” continued the old
chief. “ l have lived many years in this world.
The”. are some men who are fatal to all that
cross their path; it is no use; step out of their

wa '.” v .

J And yet, you go to hunt down this man and
his: com lanionsl”

“ Am how many warriors do 1 take with me?"
asked the. Apache chief. pointing to the swam,
ready for the war-path. We are twenty—Jul.” ,
to one. if they are wise they will surrende‘i'
when they see our force.”

The young man shook his head.

“Such men as Big Bill Williams do not sur-
render,” warned the young half breed.

“It is cod: we will kill them all!” the chief
replied, uriously.

“The will die hard.”

“‘ so oes the big bear, but the hunters make
it their prey, nevertheless.”

Selecting a horse the Red Gold-Hunter mount.
ed and rode away, while the old chief guard
after him with anxious eyes. 4

“His head is not right,”he muttered; “the
shock was too much for him. If he goes to look

‘ the pale-face he goes to his death, for the second
‘ time the bullet will not graze his skull. No man
, has such luck twice in the world 1” and after

this sage reflection the old butcher put himself
at the head of his warriors and started forth
u n the warrpath which was intended to rt!
t 0 Apache land of its white invaders. I

 

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CHAPTER XIX.
A. STRONG POSITION. ‘

AND while these stirring events had been
taking place Big Bill Williams and the rest had
not been idle.

The report of the shots fired by Bronze Jack
upon encountering the bear had come plainly to
their ears, for in the mountain region the air is
so pure that sounds travel clear and far, par-
ticular] by night.

The rst shots put the adventurers on the
alert, for they knew well that Jack would not
use firearms except to save himself from dcadl y

peril, and then, when the second one came to
their ears, discharged by Jack, as the render
probably will remember, when the Apaches
made their appearance in force, they at once
concluded that there was danger ahead, and
that as the old scout sagely remarked:

“ boys, it’s ’bout time that we wasn’t hyer.”

None were surprised by this suddcn stamped—
ing, for they had been expecting to run afoul of
the red-skins ever since they understood that
the smoke signals had given warning of their
ap roach.

01' was the old scout a blind leader of the
blind in this emern'ency. He knew every foot
of the trackless wi derness as well as any red-
skin of them all, for he had hunted and trapped
IOVel‘ nearl every square mile of it from the

unction o ‘ the Big and Little Colorados to the
flu river and its effluents on the south.

And the old scout, too, upon calmly survey-
ing the situation saw the folly of attempting to
dodge the Apaches.

“No, sir-eel" he exclaimed; “ that dodge
won’t work! T hey air arter us as thick as fleas
in the wool of a Frenchman’s dorg; and I don’t
keer how snug we hide they air bound to swell
up out in time. It’s fight now, you bet; and red-
hot, too, and since we’ve got to fight ’em, why,
we wantth get a good place to do that air thing

up 5 .

And old Bill Williams was equal to the situa-
tion; he knew a spot where he and his compan-
ions could intrench themselves, and as long as
their ammunition and provisions held out could
.bid defiance to the entire Apache nation.

Onlya short distance from the Basaltic Buttes
the Little Colorado made an abrupt bend, curv-
ing around so as to form a regular horse-shoe,
lnclo.=ing about a. hundred acres of ground—the
distance across the points of the shoe being not
over three or four hundred yards.

The interior of this Space was broken, irre-
gular and, with clumps of bushes here and
there, ut along the space where a line could be
drawn from river to river it was all clear and
open like the plain beyond.

Al better spot to serve their turn the hand of
man could not have devised.

Around the horse—shoe the stream swept
broad and deep—too deep to be fordable, and
the banks on the other side were low and almost
destitute of vegetation, offering no places of
concealment.

So, to tie horse-shoe bend the old scout at once
conducted his party, and he waxed jolly as he
«explained to them the advantages of the loca-

tion.

“ ch’ll have a moon all this week, too, so that
"the red nigger; won’t be able to sneak onto us
in the dark. We’ve got victuals enough to last
us some time, and the river is full of fish, so we
.can’tbe starved out easy; and thar over yon-
der, is the old ruined Yuma town whar we cal-
culate the gold is 1”

And, sure enough. the ruins of the ancient
city could be easily distinguished as they loom-
ed 11 black against the sky.

A ter they had carefully examined their

uartcrs and made all needful preparation for
. efense and guard, the adventurers betook
themselves to slumber, feeling sure that they
would not be troubled by the red foe before
morning.

And in this they calculated shrewdly, for,.as
the reader knows, the red-men were so occupied
by the duel between the Red Gold-Hunter and
the white adventurer and the stirring events
which succeeded that affair, that they had no
.time for aught else.

But when Mango Colorado, at the head of the
warriors, took the war-path, it was not long be-
fore the keen trackers who receded the war-
party, got u n the trail of t )8 whites, particu-

arly as the atter had not taken the least pains
to di uise it.

Am so it came about that by high noon the
Apaches appeared in force by the horse-shoe
bend of! the Little Colorado.

The whites were skillfully concealed in the
bushes so that no sign of their presence could be
discovered; but the Apache chief nothin
doubted that the men he sou ht were conceal
within the bend, and althoug he saw that the

ition was a strong one, yet he could hardly

 'ng himself to beheVe that the strangers would 3

 

be able to offer successful resistance, so terribly ,

were they outnumbered.

True he knew that the whites probably would 1
make a desperate resistance, but be trusted to a ;

mud rush to overwhelm and crush them.

But, true to his usual licy, he wanted a
“‘ talk ” fl trusting by faifwords and smooth
promise to mduce the whites to lay down their

arms so that his red braves could butcher them
Without danger.

So Manga sent a warrior forward, with a flag
of truce.

\Vith great parade the brave laid down his
arms upon the plain, took his flag of truce and
advanced toward the timberwhercin the whites
were resumed to be concealed.

Wi hams—who at times could be fully as
savage as any red devil of them all—at first
pro osod to shoot down the bearer of the flag:
wit tout mercy, as, he averred, the Apaches had
done manya time, which was only too true:
but the rest overruled him.

“ No, no, we ain't heathen!" Colonel Bill ob—
servul. " Let’s gi‘n ’em afair Christian fight for
their money. If they do act like dogs, us be.—
causo they don’t know any better, but we
do.”

“Oh, yes, let ’em spit out what they’ve got
to say; besides, we mav be able to get some in-
formation in regard to Bronze J ack,” Black Jim
Placer suggested.

“\\'0 will play fair!" Spanish Pete exclaim-
ed. “ Let ’em talk first and then we’ll give
them all the fight they want.”

It seems reall incredible, but here were four
men surroundet b at lcasta hundred Apaches,
and et the £0 t perfectly sure that they
would, be able to give the reds a successful
fight, but they Were old mountain or plaiusmen,
all of, them, and well used to battling with the
savage foe.

Williams was appointed spokesman; so, rising
from the shelter of the bush where he had lain
concealed, much to the surprise of the savage
envoy, who had no idea that the whites were so
near he accosted the brave:

“ finwd’y, red buck!” he cried out. “What
you want, eh ?”

The sudden appearance of W'illiams’s stal-
wart figure, armed to the teeth and a. cooked
revolver in his hand, rather disconcerted the
sava e.

“ ome, spit it out ye ’tnrnal red heathen 1”
Williams continued; ‘spit it out or I’ll drill a
hole right through vou, you dirty son of a cop-
per—colored jackrabbitl’

The eyes of the Indian flashed fire and he
plainly showed his rage at the contemptuous
appellation of the old scout.

‘I come from Man Colorado,” he respond-
ed. “The chief of t 9 Apache land is a
when he sees his country invaded by the w 'te
men. He has sent me to tell you to go back to
yotir oy’vn homes or the red-men will take your
sea 8.

“IOh, W0 kin o, kin we, soot free?”

“Yes, if you ay down your arms and sur-
render the Apaches will conduct you to your

own lodges.” .
“Oh, you p’ison-cat!” elled William in
contemp ., “and do you t ink that any w 'te

men with two ins of sense would lay down
their arms at saga Colorado's t and
trust to his word? Why, I wouldn trust a
bob-tailed cur with the old Apache thief 1 Go
back to your chat and tell him the white men
are not children; we know Mange. Colorado of
old, and we wouldn’t trust him as far as we
could spit.”

“ Your chief has surrendered.”

“Brin him out and let us see him i” It was
quite pla n that the old scout doubted the state-
ment of the red-man.

“It is impossible,” the Indian rejoined.
“Your chief was surrounded b our warriors;
we could have taken his scalp a unde times,
but we made him the same offer that Manga
Colorado has proffered to you. ”

“ And he accepted, of course!" the old ranger
suggested. “ He laid down his arms, eat hum-
ble pie and swore by the ever-living sun that he
would never set foot in the Apache land, ag’in,
he 1”

ZYes; your chief did so agree,” the savage
replied, falling into the tra , impressed with
the belief that ho had succee ed in fooling the
white-skin.

“ You air a copper-colored, band dogged
liar!” Big Bill Wil iams shouted, “an if you
ar’n’t out of hyer inside of two minutes I’ll make
a hole in your skin big enough to drive a four-
hoss mule-team through—d’ye hear?”

The Apache glared in rage, but from Wil-
liams‘s face he understood that the old scout
was in deadly earnest.

“If the white men wish war they can have
it, red-hot!" the brave exclaimed, with savage
dignity, and then he turned upon his heel and
strode away.

 

CHAPTER XX.
was. To run KNIFE.

TH]: envoy returned to his chief and reported
the result of his conference with the invaders.
and Manga Colorado then well understood that
if he hungered after their scalps he must go and
take theml

And this was no easy job. although his forces
did outnumber the whites twenty to one. Well

 

posted and protected by the. timber, the Apache
chief did not doubt that such old mountain-men ,
as these whom he had to encounter would sell
their lives dearly: so a council of war was
called and the expression was unanimous that a

I

held rushwas the last ex icnt to be tried;
but when the red-skins reso ved themselves into
acommittee on “ways and means.” no one of
them all could hit upon a feasible plan to
storm or turn the strOng position occupied by
the whites.

Old Bill Williams’s head had been “level,’
when he had chosen his defensive position.
Upon three sides the river formed a natural
protection, and as the current of the Little
Colorado at this point was broad, strong and
decp, it could not be f'orded. while to attempt
to cross the stream by swimming exposed to
the deadly fire of the sure-sighted n10untain~
men was not to be thought of.

And the night, too—the dark and dismal
night which had so often served the bloody
[llli oses of the painted fiends since the history
of t )6 border began, the night Would not serve
their turn now, for the moon, round as the
shield of the Indian warrior, rose early, and its
light go ve aid and comfort to the adventuring
white-skim.

The Indian braves were in a quandary; a.
dozen plans were proposed and rejected, and at
last, reluctantly, the Apaches came to the con~
clusion that nothing buta bold and desperate
attack would serve their turn. _

At any cost the whites must be dislodged
from their position, and since there was no
other way lives must be lost so that sculps
mioht be won.

This decision arrived at, the chiefs at once
pre ed for the fight.

T eir favorite mode of attack would not serve
them in this instance: there could be no creep-
ing in with the tiger’s wily art upon the foe—-
no hiding in ambush until almost within arm’s-
length and then a sudden dash and a bloody
fight at close quarters. v

On the contrary, there was an 0 cu, treelees,
brushless plain a thousand feet wi e, almost as
smooth as the palm of a man’s hand, without
cover enou h to hide a jack-rabbit, and this
plain must cromed in full face of the white
man‘s fire, yet with true savage stoicism the
pre ed for the attack. What matteredd
so ong as they fell like warriors with their
faces to the foo, sure of a quick plumage to the
blessed realms of the Happy Hunting-groundsl

And while the savages were preparing for
the desperate enterprise, on their part the
whites were no less active.

“They’re coming for us, boys!” admonished
the old scout, as he noticed the red-skins at the
close of their war-council stealing through the
edge of the timber. “ Durn my cats! if I don’t
believe that theyeair going to charge right at
us! They must r’iled worse than a mountain

crick arter- a thunder-storm for to do that, for it '

ain’t savage tactics, nohow you kin fix it, for to
stand up and fight like men.”

“It is their only chance,” Spanish Pete ob-
served, ro ' a cigarette dextrously between
his fingers: “ hey cannotattack us in any other
way and they trust to their numbers to over~
whelm us in one desperate rush.”

“Lemme see!” observed Williams, thou ht-
fully. “ We must make every shot tell, an we
mustn’t all fire together for if the red devils
ever git into this patch of timber, and catch us
with our revolvers empty, we’re one ’coons,
for sure. NOW, hyer’s four rifles.‘ reckon I’m
‘bout as good a rifle-shot as the average, and I
s’pose you chaps kin each salivate your man?"

The others nodded assent to this.

“Wool, the moment the im break cover,
we’ll open on ’em with the ri es, then all you
boys toss ’em to me, and I‘ll reload while you
go for ’em with your revolvers; by the tune
you’ve emptied your weapons I’ll havethe rifles
ready ag’ia, and while I‘m blazing away with
my tools, mebbe you’ll have time to reload.
Anyway, we’re good for ’bout eleven shots
apiece, and out of eleven we ought to be sure of
ten, at the least, and if we kin down thirty or
forty of the reds in crossing the o ni , I reck-
on t at the rest will fight shyo us, or these
bucks are no better fighters than good solid
white men, and I bet you that sich a’rece tion
would make the bett troops in the world Sick.”

“ Look out! they’re coming 1” Colonel Bill ei-

claimed; his keen eyes had detected a movew

ment in the Indian line.

Manga Colorado had leaped out from behind
the shelter of a ine tree into the open lain and
raised the Apac e war-cry, asasigna for the
onset! :

“I’ll take the old buck!" Big Bill Williams
announced; and the scout was as as his
word, for hardly had the war-shout urst from
the lips of the c ief, when the crack of the old
mountain-man’s long rifle resoundod on the air»
Manga‘s about of defiance changed into a bowl;
he stumbled forward, and then dropped heavily
to the and. .

Old ' 1 Williams had “plugged” him.

The Apaches had all sprung into the 0pm:
plain, but the fall of t eir esder instantly
checked the advance. As they halted, three
more rifle-shots cracked upon the air; three
more men went dawn, two of thrm stone-dad,
the other bad] wounded.

The fatal e ect of the white men's are seemed
to madden them; loud cries of rage came peg]...
ing from their threats, and with branduhed

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weapons they again dashed onwardt, Soon telfiy
were within revolver range, when a most (1 -
1y fire was 0 ned upon them.

Every bul et seemed to reach its mark; war-
rior after warrior went down, and nearly every
one was either killed outright or wounded—so
deliberately the whites handled their weapons.
Not a shot seemed to be wasted.

It was notin human nature, be the man red or
white, to charge onward in the face of such a
fire, to certain death. The attacking line came
to a. halt; the warriors dischar _'ed an irregular,
harmless voile ' then breaking in disorder, those
who could, flc back to the shelter of the timber.

The old scout was in his glory. “Oh, you
mud-colored heathen!” ho vellcd, “don't show
us the flat of your grea sy backs, but come up
and face us! come up and take your gruel like
men! We ain’t half salivated you yet!”

But the Apaches were too sick for more such
‘ ‘ grucl.” Twenty odd of the best warriors of
the nation were eitherlying dead upon the field,
or groaned there in terrible agony, disabled.

It was the bloodiest lesson that old Mange.
Colorado and his Apaches had ever received,
and they cursed the hour in which the white
men came into the Indian land.

CHAPTER XXI.
'rna ESCAPE.

THE defeat of the Apaches was complete, but
they did not have to mourn the loss of their
great chief. as they had expected.

. Tte wound of Mango. Colorado was a slight
one, although, half stunned by the shock, he had
stumbled and fallen.

TWO of the bravos lifted and carried him to
the friendly shelter of the timber, and by the
time the attack had ended and the Indians
came, in sullen dismay, back to the shelter of
the woods, the old ( hiof had recovered his
sense-z

Great was his 1‘ 0 when he learned how the
fight had gone, an be SWUX‘O a fearful oath that
he would have the scalps of the white men if he
had to call upon every warrior in the tribe to
take the war-path.

“We’ll draw alias of fire around them!” he
declared; “we’ll hem them in and hold them
until they starve to death, or butt their heads
against our swiping-knives in endeavoring to
escape.”

Prompt toast, he di etched messengers for
reénforcements. The w ites would not attem t

'toesca before ni htfall, and by that time o

_ knew t at he woul have men enough to com—
pletely surround them so that it would be im—
possible for them to break through the Indian
line.

And while the Apaches lay nursing their
wounds and muttering threats against the pale-
faces, upon the opgosite bank of the stream ap
peared a solitary gure.

A cry of rage went up from the throats of
the ol chief and his band, for it was Bronze

Jack indeed!

The manner in which he had eluded pursuit
was easy enough.

After his daring leap for liberty from the
summit of the cliff, he had thrown himself from
the back of the mustang after reaching the
water, and plunging beneath the tide, swam up-
stream, being most expert in this art.

As luck would have it, when he came up to
Take breath it was in the midst of a lot of drift-
wood and other rubbish which had collected in
a bend of the stream and now afforded ample
concealment. The water was shoal so that he
could touch bottom; so he remained quiet until
the searching parties passed him, no one of the
mans dreaming of looking for the fugitive in

-h a. place.

After the Indians had passed all he had to do
was to go up the stream, and when the blufl's
ended, t e wooded banks of the river afforded
am lo concealment.

ack had followed the stream closely for he

reasoned that, after his escape, the lndians
,would turn their attention to his companions,
and he knew that Williams would keep to the
riigler and get as near the old Yuma. town as pos—
s e.

The sound of the battle, which had come dis.
tinctly to his cars as ho wended his way up the
stream, indicated the exact position occupied
by the whites. I

He had arrived in time to witness the dis-
com ture of the red men and saw them retreat
to the timber, but hesitated to advance for some
time, meditating upon the best means of join-
in his companions.

it last he decided that to swim the stream
was the most feasible plan as ho Was beyond
reach of the Indian lire.

 

* Loud cries of rage came from the sava es as

they Luueld him advance boldly to the go of
the stream and plunge into the water, and they
rose from their coverts in the bushes and gas-
ticulated violently, but did not attempt any
hostile. movement: they had far too much re-
spect for the death-dealing rifles of the white
men to again face them, if they could help it.

, Old Bill Williams sprung to his feet, and
,doubling up his huge fist shook it in menace at
the red foe.

“ Come on. oonaarn your ugly pictures!” he

‘I/

' .-s 7' ”

 

I

 3.51.. 

 

 

howled: “come on and take another dish of
soup! We’re the boyees that kin salivate you,
tooth and toenail l” ‘

But the Apaches refused to accept the lite
invitation' so Jack swam the river and Joined
his comrades without molestation.

Gladly the band greeted their redoubtable
leader; and in response to their questions he re-
lated what had befallen him since he bad part-
ed from them apd all listened in rapt atten-

tron.

“ And, boys, I tell you what it is, we’re in a
pesky scrape l’ he added, in conclusion.

“ That's a fact!” the old scout assented.

“ I had no idea when We started in on this ex-

dition that we wr re going to stir up such a

ornet’s-ncst, but the fat is the Apaches look
upon the region of the old Yuma town as sacred
ground and they are determined to prevent us
from going there if it lies in their power.
Through this John Mustang, the Red Gold-
Hunter chief, they have learned of our purpose
and know what our design is as well a}- we do
ourscIVes; and now the question is, are we strong
enough to fight our way through and g4 t into
the old ruin in spite of Mango. Colorado and his
A iachcs'l”
he adventurers looked at each other gravely.
The had beaten the Apaches in a good, fair
fight, lint to leave tlie shelter of their position
and force a. passe go through the opposing host—
ah! that was quite another thing. In fact, as
the old SCr‘llt remarked, “ it was a. mule of a
dlirei'l‘rit Ooh I.”

" And, boys,“ continued Jack, “ the Apaches
ar’n’t going to be COllhtllt with the thrashing
they have rcc=-ived. I saw messengers depart
from them just now; they go after refinforco-
mcnis, you may 1 e surc. and although, so far,
we have the host of it, 3 ct if old Mango. brings
five or six hundred warriors into the field, as
he can, the chances are that in the end he will
havo our scalps. ”

“ Wa al, on tain. I reckon that the quicker
we git out of t is the healthier it will be for us,”
Uld Bill concluded.

“Yes; the quicker we pull up stakes and get
out the better!” Jack assented. “I hate to
give up the expedition, but I've only got one
son] and I don't care to lose that for all tho
{:0} 1  the old Yuma town or in all the Apache
am .

“And now the question atom the meeting i s,
 are we going to puckachee‘r” put in Old

“ The same way that I got in—to swim for it.
If we are careful We can stcal a march on the
varmints yonder, but of course thcy will be af-
ter us the moment they see what we are u to,
and then it will be a running fight clean rom
here to Big Walnut Camp.”

“I know the country like a book, and I
reckon that I kin pilot you thar, ’Paches or no
’Pachesl” Williams declared, confidently.

“Well, let’s be about it at once, for if m
guess is right we’ve no time to lose; a {res
swarm of red-skins will soon come to join their
brothers.” ‘

Skillfully the movement was rformed, and
the savages had not the slig rtest suspicion
that the whites intended to retreat until they
plunged into the stream; but when they saw
the whites in the water, strildng out for the
other shore, they rushed for the stream, but by
the time the reached the bank the adventurers
had gained t e opposite shore. and halting they
deliberately opened fire at the red-men, who
Were ca ring like so many monkeys at the
edge of t e water.

he Apaches at once broke for cover again,
and the whites, taking advantage of the panic
ran at the top of their speed toward the wil
and broken country which lay to the south-
west.
And when the red—skins saw the whites dis-
appear in the timber, they plucked up heart to
cross the river and follow; not rashly, but with
ca" 6 and caution for they had learned to respect
the prowess of the foe.

Mange Colorado smiled, grimly.

“Before nightfall I will cage these ale-
faces!” he said. “ and then my people shall ave
a. feast they will remember.”

CHAPTER XXII.
'rrrrn MESSENGER.

THE Old red Crlicl‘, to 10 pg good as his word,
dispatched a messenger to the Indian village to
hurry up the rei‘n-forcemcnts while he himself,
at the head of his braves, followed hard upon
the track of the fugitives.

But the Apaches had to dcal with a man fullv
as cunning as themselves, for the old scout took
command of the party by Jack’s request, the
adventurer knowing that Williams in this line
stood second to no man on earth.

It was diamond cut diamond in this flight
and pursuit, but despite of Williams’s skill the
Apaches press'cd tho fugitiws close and finally,
at night, the pursuit became so hot that the
whites were forced "to take refuge in a little
island of timber that stood in the midst of a
small mirie through which run the head-wa-
ters or Rio Verde, or San Francigo river.

I
l

: situation.

 

l

Hw'

pletely ran-rounded this little clump of timber,
and now feltl re of their prey. '

_ Man a 11 ed significantly to the chief war-
nors w o surrounded him as they crouched in
the tall rairie rass.

“Did not tel you?” he exclaimed. “ Before‘
another moon comes up the Apaches will have
the seal 3 of all these white devils!”

Theo d warrior did not intend to make any
offensrve movement. It was his policy to lie in
ambush until hunger and thirst should force the
white-. kins to break through his line. He was
playin a waiting game this time.

But t re adventurers knew what was the true

“ I tell you what it is, boyeesl” iVilliams ex~
claimed, “something has got to be did. Ifwe
stay hyer long enough this old heathen is bound
to gobble us up. we ain’t far from Big Walnut
Camp now, and if you air all agreeable I’ll jest
try to slip through these imps and go fur the
camp.”

“ 0 you think you can raise the miners to
come to our assistanccfi" Bronze Jack asked,
thoughtfully.

“ To thunder with the miners !” the old scout
exclaimed; “what do I want with them? Ain’t
the sodg ers there i”

“Ah, but do you think they will trouble them-
selves about us?”

“ W by not? We ain’t in the ’Pacbe land now,
and the heathen ain’t got no call to take our
skulps anyway! Oh, the sodgers will come,
sure enough."

J nck rather doubted this, for he had a shrewd
suspicion that in the captain of the post he had
a. bitter enemy, but he know that Williams
would leave no stone unturned to bring assist—
ance, and he felt pretty certain that he could
get as:istance from the miners if the troops
w0uld not come.

The plan for Williarns’s escape was uiclrly
arranged. The adventurers, headed by rtme
Jack, made a dash to the south, as though they
intended to cut through the Indian line. In hot
haste the Apaches gathered for the fight, anti-
cipating that the pale—faces really intended to
break away; and taking advantage of the faint
the old scout stole or]? to the northward, making
his way serpent-like through He tall grass
without exciting the attention of the red war-
rrors.

After a brief skirmish the whites fell back
again to the shelter of the timber; and the red—
skins, glorying over what seemed to them
like a victory, again drew their lines around
the prairie is and, little thinking that the had
been the victim of a successful ruse, an
one of the most daring of the adventurers had
succeeded in escapin .

Bronze Jack and illiams in consultation had
closely calculated the time.
least twenty hours for the scout to reach Big
Walnut Camp and return with the troops, to
that relief could not be expected before the next

night.

A siege of that length the adventurers could
stand well enough. They had a small supply of
food and their flasks were filled with water.
Four and twenty hours they could hold out, but.
not much longer.

There was very little doubt that the old
Apache chief_ was too well satisfied with the
fighting abilities of the (‘or'ralcd men to again
expose his men by a dash on the whites, and
would leave it for hunger and thirst to force
the adventurers to shun On their strong position
and attack him in his.

W'illiams, circling around until he pot in the
rear of the Indians, struck (if to the south,
and, guided by the stars, headed straight for
13' Walnut Camp.

a due time he arrived in the mining town,
and his appearance there created a. great deal
of excitement: the citizens crowd: (1 around
him, anxious to know what had become of the
rest of the party.

“ Shct up in a prairie island like a bird into a

cage,” was Williams’s startling but truthful re--

ply. “ and that’s what I‘m hyer for. I sneaked
through the varmints and now I’m arter the
sod ers for to go for the red bucks.”

T ,8 old scout roceeded directly to the fort
upon the hillsi e and demanded an audience
wiIth the claptain. ‘ ]

)inwidr ie receive! ris caller unmciougly
eno h, but listened atu'ntchl umi -
folde( his errand. y l 1‘9 ‘1”

“No, sir!” the officer exclaimed, decidedly,

after the scout had finished; “you’ve come to;

the wrong shop after assistance. Not a Iran
Will I send. I told you in advance that X011 hfid
no business to go intothe Apache land, and that
you took 3 r or lives in your hands if you Went.
You Would not listen to me, but infilsttd upon
50mg. although I absolute] usad force to en-

eavor to restrain you. nd now that you
have got yourself into a bobble with your own
rashness, you had better find some way to at
out without coming whining to me. I won’t 'ft
a fin er to aid on!”

“ nd you’l let my pardners to skulpod by
those thieving Apache ucks of Mange Colony
do?” the old mountainuman demanded, in rage.

“ Yes, it will serve ’rm ri ht!” Dinwiddi’a re-

}‘he Indians aprcgging out in a circle corn- plied, testib'. “Why did t ey go into the In.~

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It would take at.

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dian land? They haveno one to blame in the
matter but themselves”

“And you ain’t gwme to order out your
sod ers and go for these red devils?"

“gNan' time!” res nded the officer, tersely.

“ Wa-al, then, 9.! I’ve got to say is, if the
United States is played out, the uicker peeple
find it out the better I” and the ol ranger turn~
ed 11 n his heel to depart.

“ hen your pardners, as you call them, feel
the knives of the Apaches at their throats, per-
haps they will regret that they did not heed my
warning and refrain from this wild-goose—chase
into Apache land." .

“Now don’t you count our chickens afore
they are hatchedl” the ol mountain-man ex-
claimed, turning suddenly upon the other.
“ My pardners ain’t skulped and dead and
buried yet! Thar’sa heap of chance for their
lives; you and our sodgers ain’t the only men
that thar is in t is hyer country. Thar’sa heap
of ood, right honest men in Big Walnut Camp,
an I reckon that when I march out into the
street, lift up my voice and how], thar will be
more volunteers a-willing to foller my lead and
strike for the mountains than you kin shake a
stick at in a month of Sundays. ’

Dinwiddie started to his feet; he had not an-
tici ated this movement. , _

“31111101” he cried; “ that’s your game, is it?”

“ You kin jest bet all the rocks that you have

t onto that!” Williams replied, triumphantly.

“ Well, sir, I shall have to block that game!”
the captain exclaimed decidedly. “ I cannot

rmit an armed 0 'tion to invade the In-
~ ian country. I shall interfere to prevent it
with all the force at my command."

The old scout laughed in derision.

“ Why, see hyer, cap'n, you won’t attempt to
do no si ch foolish thing as that, will on? The
very boysin the street: would laug at you!
Hyer’s some good, honest white men penned up
for slaughter b a pack of savages, and you
think that you 'n keep asswtance from gein
to ’eml Wa-al, sir, it can’t be did, as you w
vdiskiver afore you are six hours older. Jest
come along with me down into the town and see
how I‘ll wake the boyees up.”

The officer made no rep , but watched the
old scout in angr , sullen si once.

In truth know ng the temper of the miners
as he did, he understood that it would be use.
less to attempt to interfere, unless he had force
enough and was willing to risk a itched battle.

Williams was boiling over wit rage: he ne-
ver had a very eat respect for the commander

of the post, an the officer’s indifference to the
Keri! 0 his comrades excited his supreme con-
. m t.

“ he darned ramrod-backed mutton-head!”
he ejaculated, in wrath. “For two cents I’d
jest mash him flatter nor a cake!”

The scout was right at he door which led
from the quarters into the o 11 air as he ut-
tered the exclamation, and e was somewhat
surprised as a firm grasp was laid upon his
arm.

' CHAPTER XXIII.
unaxrncrso AID.

Wmsus turned quickly: he resumed that
it was Dinwiddie; he thought t t the officer
had followed him and Overheard his rather un~
complimentary ex ression.

But. as he turn , to his astonishment he came
face to fate with a woman, although he never
would have guessed from the firm pressure upon
his arm that it was not a man’s muscular hand
that griped him.

“ Do nothing rash l" exclaimed the lady, who
was no other than the beautiful sister of the
commander of the pos ; “your friends shall be
saved l”

“ That is eat what I reckon or else my name
ain’t Big B' Williams!” the old scout replied,
stoutly. ' I .

“ Do not attemptto invoke the aid of the citi-
zens,” she continued.

“And why not, mm .1” Williams demanded.
“Whar else on to of this hyer broad earth am
I to raise a crow l”

“ 15y brother, Captain Dinwiddie, will aid
you. _

“ Blessed ef he talked that air way jest now i”
the scout blurted out.

“I know him better than you do,” the lady
responded significantly. “ He will go to the as»
sistance of your friends with all the force that
is needed.”

Williams stared; he was incredulous, although
1311i: hli‘ilanner of the speaker carried conviction
W t.

“Waal, marm, I hope that you know what
you sir talking about, and that everything is
Jest as you say, but from what he  to me it,
r’allé seemed as if it was jest old ie to him to
g ,‘Y,’ pardners slaughtered by t ese pesky rod

‘ You cannot always tell by what men. say,”
she replied, quickly. “ My brother is irritable,
and he has no reason to like either you or your
companions, nevertheleu, he will come to their
rescue. How many men are required!”

9‘ Not less than twenty-five, and if they fotch
along one of the light mountain guns it will be

 

useful, for the reds hate a shell Worse than they
do ’ison.”

‘ You shall have twenty-five men and the
gun 1” Miss Dinwiddie exclaimed, promptly.

“ When 3” The old scout was still du ious.

“ To—night at ei ht o’clock.”

Williams shook is head.

“ Time is mighty valuable to men situated
like my pardners air,” he observed, Slowly.

“ They can hold out until midnight!”

“ Yes, I reckon that they kin.”

“Four hours’ ride will bring the troops to the
scene of action?”

“ Yes, if they are well-mounted.”

“ They shall have the best horses in the gar-
rison l”

“ And midnight is a mighty good hour, too,
to go for the reds,” the old scout remarked, re-
fiectively).

“ The oom of the gun and the screech of the
hurtling shell will make them think that a le-
gion of demons have broken loose u n them!”

“That’s so, marm. that’s so!” cri the scout,
astonished at the energy of the lady.

“ You will act as guide?"

“ es, marm.”

“Wait on the outskirts of the camp on the
northern trail, and promptly at eight the de-
tachment shall join you.”

“ All right, marm: I’ll do just as ou,say, for
I reckon that I kin trust you, alt ough your
brother made me as mad as all get-out.’

“At ei ht, remember, and a word of caution
—say notlliing in the town in regard to the ex-

'tion, for these Apaches have allies in every
rontier camp. No rumor must reach them of
the expedition or else the surprise may be de-
feated."

“ Oh, I kin keep my ’tater-trap shet, marm;
you never find an old mountain-man like I am
much 'ven to blabbin .”

f‘A 'eu then, and 0 not fear to place im—
licit trust in me.” And then the lady retraoed
er steps along the passa way, leaving the

scout in a state of considera e bewilderment.

“ Durn in cats! if that gal ain’ta screamerl”
he muttere , as he emerged into the sunlight.
“ A regular snorter and no mistake. and I
{ecko’i’i that she will live up to her word, every

ime.

In order to avoid questioning the scout did
not descend into the town but betook himself
to the far-oi! hillside, where, under the shelter
of a convenient clump of pines he coiled himself
up dog-fashion, and in ten minutes was fast
asleep. He hadlived so long in the wilderness that
he had got into the Indian habit of making the
most of a favorable op rtunity to snatch either
rest or refreshment. d not until the sun was
low in the heavens did he awake. He had made
up for lost time, and like a giant refreshed with
wine he was ready for new deeds of daring. 'r

The mouth first glance was to the west, and
as he noted that the shades of evening-tide were
lowering over the land, his spirits mac. His
im tient soul was eager for action.

om the scanty stores which he had with
him he made a hearty meal, washing the repeat
down with water that gushed from the rivulet
at his feet, and by the time he had finished twi-
light had set in. Never to mortal man was the
coming on of night more welcome. His soul
thirsted for the fray, and already, in his mind’s-
eye, he saw the arrogant red-skins fleeing in die—
may from the charge of the troops, their flight
accelerated by the eath-dealiug shell.

At the period of which we Write the Apaches
and kindred tribes had had very little experi-
ence of artille , and in an action with the red
bucks in the Wild mountain region a single light
gun was worth at least a hundred men.

Williams betook himself to the outskirts of
the town, circlingaround it so as to avoid en-
countering any anxious soul that might seek to
question him, and squatted down by the trail
leading northward.

From the position that he occupied, which
was on higher ground than the town, he com-
manded a view of the camp, and anxiously he
watched for the ap cc of the troops. He
had the most pe ect faith that they would
come for, although he had been slow to yield to
belie , yet now that he had done so not a par-
ticle of distrust was in his mind. _

The shades of night grew darker and darker,
and at last completely covered in the earth.

All that the scout could distinguish of the
town was the lights glimmering from the win-
dows of the cabins beneath him in the valley.

“ It must be pesky near onto eight,” he mut-
tered, and then, even as the words escaped his
li his keen ears, rendered wonderfull acute
bgathe school which for years he given
them, distilgu' ed the sound of the short trot
of bones, amid which the jingle of weapons
could be heard. .

“It’s them, for sure i” he cried, rising in glee.

The guess was not wrong, for soon a troop of
horsemen appeared, about thirt in number: an
officer rode at the head; by is aide a spare
horse and in the rear of the pa was one of
the famous mountain guns, a ight-metaled
piece, mounted, not upon a carriage, but um
the back of a mule, so that no ma ter how
the road, wherever a horseman could go the gun
could go also.

“Blamed if it ain’t the cap’n 2” Williams mut-
tered, for he at once, despite the darkness, re—
cognized the slight figure of the commander of
the garrison.

He had felt no doubt in regard to the troops
coming, for the manner of the girl had duly im—
pressed him, but he had not believed that Din~
widdie in person would lead the expedition.

“I reckon that the gray mare is the best hoes
of this team,” was the muttered reflection as the
trenp rode up.

The ofiicer nodded stifliy, and \Villiams re-
turned the salutation in the same 5 irit, for, as
he would have expressed it. if he ad put his
thoughts into words, he didn’t give a curse for
any man-jack that was hatched. Then the cm-
cer pointed to the spare horse, and the scout un-
derstood that this signified that the beast was
for him.

He was not an rised at the other not speak»
ing, for of course 6 understood, after what had
occurred, that the captain did not feel in the
best of humor in regard to him.

himself at the head of the party, and the troop
rode on.

For quite a distance the trail was an excellent
one, and the expedition pushed on at a good
pace; and then, when the country began to
grow rougher and more broken, the moon came
up so as to afford am le light.

Just about midnig t the party came to the
edge of the prairie in whose center the island
was situated where the adventurers had taken
refuge.

So carefully and cautiousl had Williams
conducted the advance, that, t ough the t
ers were within a short quarter of a mile of t
Indian line, the Apaches had no idea that any
mortals except themselves and their destined
pulley were an here in the neighborhood.

e plan 0 the attack was quickly 

“ Open fire with the gun; throw three or our
shells at them and then charge like a lot of
devils!” exclaimed the old scout, graphically.

illiams knew that the shel bursting in
their midst would demoralize the Indians, and
that when the charge was made, the chances
were almost ten to one that the Apaches would
believe themselves surrounded and entrapped,
and that they would break for their wild airs
in all directions. And the scout know, too, that
at the first signal of assistance being near, the
beleaguered adventurers would do their part to
annoy the savages.

All was pre red, and at the signal the gun
(eigened fire—t e mule upon which it was mount-

bracing himself like a rock, splendidly train-
ed, to await the recoil.

Away went the shell, screeching through the
air, and so well had the scout posted the gun-
ner that the messenger of deat burst right in
the midst of the Indian line, killing a couple of
braves and badly wounding six or eight more.

Never was a toe more astonished ordisma
The A did not wait for a second
but took to their heels in wild disorder, with
loud shouts of terror.

Williams understood at once that the field
was won.

“Go for ’em, boys!” he yelled; “charge, or
we won’t get no show for our money 1”

CHAPTER XXIV.
A chargeth Atzroo'smwmscfli 'th ' good!
an e pers i wi 11
will. The Indians, taken by ' 513ml“-
ised b the fire of the field-pimpin
that hey were about to be slaughtered a

flight could hardly be termed a retreat. for they
fled at the top of their speed, each man for him
self, and all with one idea uppermost in their
mgilids, to get away from their 00 as fast as pos-
si a.

It was an almost bloodless victory, after the
damage done by the shell, for the troopers never
git near enoug to the fleeing savages to harm

em. .

The siege'raised. the rescued men came from
the prairie island, and eagerly greeted their pre—
servers.

At such a time, and . after such a deed, re-
membrance of the dimculty which he had had
with the captain lingered not in the mind of
such am as Bronze Jack; so he at once Ip-
proached the officer, who sat upon his horse,
waiting for the return of the troopers, who had
scattered somewhat in the

“ ptain, there has been had blood between
usl” the plainsman exclaimed; “ t, afterthis
night’s work let the past he forgOI ten. You
have rendered my comrades and myself aser»
vice that 1 will not soon forget, and if atan '
time I can return the favor, rest assured that
shall jump ea y to the task.”

not very clear, and as the officer wra‘slrpartly in
theshadecastbythetieesof thep ' salami,
and his hat was pulled low down over his eyes,
l the expression upon his face could not be plain-
l ly discerned.

. The horseman looked around- none of the solo

 

idiers were near, all being grouped by thoother .

side of the tree-clump in conversation with the
‘ men whom they had rescued.

Williams vaulted at once into the saddle, put -

wholesale, retreated in confusion. In fact, their >

rl
Despite the fins of the moon, the night was '

my s... semi. ~

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16-_

 

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The leader of the troopers, looking Bronze
Jack straight in the face, lifted up the hat which
shaded the features.

In 3 lie of the almost complete command that
the venturer had over himself, a. low cry of
surprise escaped from him as he need upon the
features thus plainly revealed toIiim

Indeed it was a strange m uerade.

'l'he r'der was the superb C e0 atra Dinwid—
dio, disguised in her brother’s uni orm.

‘ Do not betrayr mel” she cried, with n can-
tiouing gesture. “It was to save your life that
I risked this bold attempt. My brother is mad
with rage against you, and, :1 though it tears
my heart to say it. yet it is the truth and should
be spoken: he Would hnve permitted yourself
and comrades to be slaughtered here without
raising a. finger to prewnt it. I know my
brother well; when his mind is once fixed upon
apurposo nothing ('2 u alter it, no matter how
wrong the idea may be. I knr-w that argument
woul be wasted upon him, and so i took ad-
vantage of his slight illness. I am his doctor,
and when I gave him his eveningr potion, I sub-
stituted a sleeping draught. It took effect, and
[improved the opportunityto disguise myself
in his uniform, am order out the squad. The
very ,boldness of tho attempt insured its suc-
cess.‘

“ Well, miss, all I can say is, I sincerely hope
the time may come when l w ill be able to show
you how truly grateful I am hr the service
you h'ivo done me, and until that hour does
come I must be content to remain your debtor.”

“ I)» not speak of it, sir,” she replied, quickly.
“I have acted only as a Christian should act,
for it is our duty in this world to aid our fellow—
creatures.”

The a preach of the rest of the party at this
momen put a stop to the conversation.

“Hyer, take my boss, Jack!” Williams ex—
claimed; “dumed if I hadn’t ruther hoof it to
the town i”

The leader of the adventurers would have do-
clined, but the old scout Would not take no for
an answer and so at last Jack accepted the
mount, and the party started at once upon thi-
homeward march.

The disguised lady and the adventurer rode in
the van; the troo rs followed after, and the
adventurers broug t u the rear.

“Tell me.” said the ad , with all a woman’s
curiosity, as the rode ong “what did you
seek in this wil land? Sure y, it was a bold
adventure for you to attempt, with your little
party, to penetrate into the very heart of the
A he country.”

riefly, then, the adventurer explained to
her the quest that he was on, related to her the
wild legend of the golden treasure which lay
buried in the old Yuma town.

“And will you again attempt to find the
gold?” she asked.

“No; I have failed, and failed utterly. The
Indians regard the s t as sacred and and
will fight tothe deat to preserve t from the
poilut ng tread of the hated white man. I had
no idea of the deep feeling with which the re-

rded it, nor the bitterness with which §hey

ht against invasion. The attempt is a hope-
less one, and it is but rank folly to follow a

losing some.”

“An is it simply because the Apaches are
resolved not to 0.!
their territory that such a fierce attack has been
made upon your party?” '

“Thatia he principal reason I presume, al-
though I am somewhat puzzled at one thing.”

“ nd what is that?” she asked, betraying a
strange interest in the fortunes of the adven-
turer. ‘

“From some source, to me unknown, the In-
dians were warned of my expedition and were
on the watch for us from the beginning. The
moment we entered the Apache land the smoke
signal of dan er ascended from the hill-top. In
fact, I doubt f we took a. step after we crossed
the border without it being known to the
Apache chief, Mange Colorado. My expedition
is afailure; and now it remains for me to dis-
cover the secret foe who helped to make it so.”

The irl was silent, but if she had chosen she
could lave told the adventurer there existed
not upon the earth a bitterer foe to him than the
man whose uniform she wore.

. After quite along pause the lad spoke:
/ “ You will remain in Big alnut Camp,
then 1”

“ Yes, until I discover what I seek.”

“A giggle request I have to make you!" she
excl-um abruptly.

“It shall be granted. lady, if it is in my pow-
er ” he replied, instantly.

‘ ‘My brother—”

“I understand,” and a cloud came over his
face as he spoke; “but I fear that what you
seek it will be impossible for me to grant. if I
am attacked I must strike back; I cannot tanne-
ly submit.”

“Oh, no, I do not expect that; it is not in hu-
man nature; but avoid trouble if you can.”

“You may rest assured that I will not cock

1)

And with this the lad was content; the ad-
venturer could not prom so more.

Night was gone and morning breaking fresh

ow the whites totrespass upon A

 

.",_/ ‘77:"

Bronze Jack.

and clear when the party arrived at the mining
town.

No one was astir though, as the soldiers and
the adventurers came, in the dusk of the mom-
iug, through the silent street.

“ Here we part,” said the disguised lady, giv-
ing her hand to the man whom she had rescued
from so much danger and in such a strange
way; “ remember your promise l”

‘ I shall not forget.”

The troopers rode ofl’ toward the fort, while
the plainsnien begnnto butter at the door of one
of the shanty hotels, with the intent of invoking
the hespitnhtics of the best.

So far the trick had succeeded to perfection;
not one of the soldiers suspected the deception
that had bet-n put upon them, but, us the light
begun to strengthen, the lady thought it wise
to avoid tho chance of recognition, although
there was such a wonderful likeness between
herself and the man she represented that Ivliil
was not much danger of the trick being 4150c-.-
cred as long as the gloom lasted.

She turned ovvr the squad to V
gulloped on ahead.

At the fort she dismoun' g, resigned her
horse to the care of the orde .ij and entered the
quarters occupied by her brother and herself.

Cautiously opening the door of the captain’s
apartment she pee )od in. She thought to find
the captain still s eeping' but she was wrong.
He was up, dressed, and .t once came forward
to meet her.

Perceiving that do. ction was unavoidable
she advanced into t’... room, closing the door
carefully behind he! .

Dinwiddie’s surprise at beholding his sister
thus strangely disguised was great. For a mo-
ment be stored at her and then his amazement
i'ound vent in v, ords:

“ What is the meaning of this masquerade?”
he cried.

Cleopatra was a bold, brave girl and not at
all ashame l of what she had done; so she an-
swered, instantly, without hesitation:

“ I have been re resenting you, brother, for a
short, time, and ave taken command of the
posi.’

Of course, as the captain hadn’t the slightest
suspicion of the daring (iced which she had per-
formed he was utterly in the dark as to her
meaning.

“ You have been representing me and have
taken command of. the post?” he exclaimed.

“ Yes, and, as the commander of the post, I
called out a squad of men and went to the as-
sistance of the gold-seekers who were besieged
by the A hes.

Diuwi die fairly gasped for breath as he
realised the full meaning of her words.

“ It is not possible i” he cried.
“ Oh, but it is!” she replied. “I overheard
our conversation with the old scout, Wil-
iams, and I determined that the gold-seekers
should be rescued from their peril, so I waited
until you fell asleep, then I donned your uni-
form and called out the men. No one sus t-
ed the trick and the result was I attack the
Apaches and scattered them like a tornado i”

corporal and

 

CHAPTER XXV.
an EXPLANATION.

memmz’s rage was unbounded; for a few
moments his anger chokc’i his utterance, but at
last he found himself able to ak.

“How dare you?” he exc aimed, hoarsely;
“how dare you attempt such a thing! Have
you no shame?”

“Shame!” and Cleopatra flushed crimson to
the very temples as she uttered the word.

“Yes, shame. Suppose any of the soldiers
had discovered you I’

" I risked that and was not afraid of it!” the
girl replied, proudly. “ You, in a fit of petty
anger, refused to do your duty and go to the
rescue of your brothers, attacked by these ruth-
less rpd-men. I simply performed that duty for

on.7
y “ And wherefore did you go?" he demanded,
hotly. “You had some strong motiVe for this
unwomanly artion! Are you in love with this
cutthroat blnokguard I”

Again the face of the girl flushed as red as

re.

“ You forget yourself!” she exclaimed, proud-
ly, turning upon her heel to depart: “ you forget
to whom you are 1-: veaking.”

“ By Heaven! on forgotyourself when you
allowed this wild idea to carry you away. It
you had been detected in this dis ise, my mor-
tiflcation would have surpassed a l words.” n

“ And my mortiflcation surpasmed all words.
she retorted, “when I overheard ou refuse to
aid the old-seekers. I would not ave believed
that sue a thin could be possible if I had not
the testimony o my own cars.” I

“You are blind or you would see that this
man is my deadly foel’

“ Friend or foe, it was our dutvto stand by
him when attacked by he red-skins!” she ro-
mrted.

“ It is useless to talk to you; you have a wo-
man’s foolish ideas upon this subject, but I ho
that you will hover perform such an act of to y
will"

1

 

“If over another such occasion comes, and
the reasons for my action are as strong as the
were this time, I shall most assuredly do as -
have done!” and with this declaration the girl
swe )t proudly from the room.

e captain allowed her to depart withor
venturing a word; he knew his sister of old, an.
understood that when she thought she was iv,
the right, she had a will of iron, whic’, could
neither be bent nor broken.

Dinwiddie had risen early for 1.0 no”, gone to
sleep at dusk, and for some our: (10 was forced
to remain inactive; but as soon a“. the garrison
got astir he proceeded to cautiously mcei'tain
what was thought of ‘3": night expedition which
had resulted so "necessi’ull ', and to his complete
astonislnne-z; he found t lat no one had the
slicrhte". suspicion that any one but himself had
lo we party.

“ She carried it out bravely enough," he mut—
tered. as he left the mess-table, after being; con—
gratulated b his brother-officers upon the suc~
cessful expedition.

Dinwid ’e strolled outsideof the fort and cast
his eyes carefully to the north-west.

As he had expected, a little column of smoke
was curling up on the air from a point in the
hills about a mile from the fort. It was, be
well understood, the signal that Mange. Colora-
do was there and that he wanted a talk.

“ He must have been terribly astonished and
enraged when the troops struck him last nigh t,"
Dinwiddie muttered, as be mounted into the
saddle. “I wonder that the old rascal dares to
come in so near the fort this morning: he is so
full of tre ichery himself that he enerally looks
for it in others, and after last nig t’s adventure
he has good rea30n to doubt me.’

Ten minutes’ gallop brought the captain to
the little clump of timber from the cones of
which the smoke ascended.

As Dinwiddie expected, the old chief was
there, and moody and savage enough he glared
at the officer as he dismounted.

The old rascal had suffered in the skirmish,
or, to s ak more correct] , not exactlv in the
skinnis , but in the head ong flight that suc~
ceeded the successlul attack.

The A ' ches had been so panic-stricken that
they b not heeded which way they ran and
turned not aside for bush or brier, and the old
Apache, who in the flight had become entangled
in a wild bramble-patch, had scratched his mas-
sive face severely, so that he looked as if he had
been having a fierce battle with a wild-cat.’

“ How i” exclaimed Mange, sulkily, as the of~
flcer came up to him.

“ That was an unfortunate aflair last night,”
Dinwiddie hastened to say.

“Dam I" cried the old chief, thus terser ex-
pressing his opinion regarding the skirmish.

“I was ill, and went to sleep at sundown, and
the party started unknown to me and without
my orders.”

The old chief looked at the soldier suspicious-
ly; it was plain that he was not quite an .

“It is the truth, Mange, I asmre you!” Din-
widdie exclaimed. “I knew noth ng of the
matter at all until this morning when the sol.
diers returned You should have faith in me,
What reason have I to attack you at the ve
moment when you held my foes—the men
hate—in your grasp, and were about to crush
them and so save me the trouble 1”

The savage nodded; this seemed correct, and
he began to believe that the other was speaking
the truth. If he had happened to have seen the
disguised woman, it won have been a different
matter, for then nothing in‘this world would
have convinced him that it was not the captain;
but the A ache had not waited to at a. sight of
their foes ut had fled at the to 0 their speed
the moment the char 9 was ma e.

Finding that the .c ief was disposed to listen
to reason the captain explained thatihe scout
had craved assistance, and owing to his illness
(the captain’s) the force had been dispatched
without consultation with him. His sister’s
part in the affair he kept to himself.

Mange professed himself satisfied with the
explanation. .

“ And now, chief that you are satisfied I
have acted fair and honest in the matter. When
are? yep! some t0 gimpkwfmr agreement wizb
me 1011 may co or our (la  -
Chito?” t y “J‘m’

"Squaws are s ran e creatures so im "
the Apache reinarkedfgcvasively. met es,

The omcer knitted his brows; be fancied that

the red-skin was going to back out or his bar-
am.
wé‘Spmetime". they say don’t like and no ton

“She is not coming then!"

“ 0 , yes, she come ”

_ “What do you mean, them-by what you have
Just said?”

“ She come, but she no come to stay unless she
like,” the old chief declared.

“ Oh, certainly; that is understood 1” Din.
widdie exclaimed“ uite relieved by the assur-
ance. “Of course 1 Chito takesit into her head
not to like me after she has made my ac uaiut.
ance, and wishes to return to her people, shun
not place any obstacles in her way. I fancv,
though, that I shall be able to make mm

I

 

 

 

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agreeable to the girl. and that I can succeed in
inducing her to accept my protection.”

“ Yeu will make her your squaw i" asked the
old chief, suspiciously.

“ Oh yes ”

“Just the same as though she was (white
woman 2”

“ Exactly the same. ”

“It is good!” exclaimed the Apache. with a

at of satisfaction. “ Chito is the very flow-

er of the Apache nation. If you should wrong
her there is nota red brave in our land that
would not take the war-path against you.”

“Have no fear on that score, chief,” replied
Dinwiddic, confidently. “ I have taken a great

 

despite the stolid reserve which was so great a
trait of the Indian character, a look of alarm
cre t over his face. These armed and hostile-
looging white men meant mischief, and he knew
that he really deserved no mercy after the sav-
age manner in which he had attacked the white
a venturers in the wilderness.

“ Hyer he is, by the eternal hockey!” Big Bill
Williams elled, as he faced the savage, menac-
in 1y. “ yer’s the head devil of the ’Pache
tri the bow-legged, lantern-jawed red thief
that bosses the Colorado country! You had
your chance yesterday. but to—oay I reckon
that we hold the winning kccrds!”

By this time Dinwiddie had recovered from

fancy to the (girl, although I have not seen her ! his amazement, and had formed a plan of ac-

over half a ozen times, and she is the only
woman that I have ever seen, red or white, that
I would care to make my squaw.”

The captain was apparently honest in his de-
claration, and he strove by every means in his
power to appear so; but, in truth, Dinwiddic
was a deep and wily schemer. He had an idea
that there were some wonderfully rich mines in
the Apache land, for every little While some red
brave, when under the influence of the potent
fire-water, would brag of the great golden stores
that lay hid in the wild mountain ravines, and
hint mysteriously that the wild sons of the wil—
derness could easily lead their white brothers
to certain spots where, in an hour, a man could
pick up golden nuggets enough to make him
rich for a lifetime, were it not for the great,
unwritten law of the red-men which forbade the
action.

The officer, in common with nearly all the
miners, held that there was something more in
these yarns than mere idle talk, for on many
occasions the braves had brought into the town
small nug ets of virgin gold which they had
traded off gor various things.

Dinwiddie‘s idea was simple enough; he in-
tended to marry the Indian ' l—marry her af—
ter the Indian fashion, whic was all that the
simple children of nature thought to be neces-
sary: then, through her aid, to learn where
these secret mines were in the mountains, get
hold of enough gold to make him rich for life;
then, good -by to an army career and to the
western frontier forever!

Manga appeared to be perfectly satisfied with
the assurance, and turned upon is heel as if to
depart, when there was an unexpected rush of
some ten men u n the scene.

Bronze Jack eaded the party; behind him

"came the old mountain-man, Big Bill Williams;

after Williams the rest of the adventurers,
while a few of the leading miners of the town
brought up the rear.

And it was plain that they all meant “ busi-
ness. ’

CHAPTER XXVI.
nssoa’s PLEDGE.

Born the officer and the Indian were taken
entirely by sur rise, for the new-comers had ad-
vanced so cautiously that neither one of the two
had any idea that they were near until they
came around the clump of pines.

Bronze Jack had had his suspicions in regard
to Dinwiddie. He believed that there was some
secret understanding between the officer and the
old Apache chief, and suspected that, sooner or
later, the Indian would come to the fort to com-
plain of the treatment he had received at the
hands of the soldiers.

So the adventurer arranged to have a close
watch ke it upon the fort and its inmates.

The little curlin smoke which had arisen on
the hillside, and w liCll had served to signal Din-
widdie that Manga desired to  him, had not
escaped the eyes of the old scout, to whom Jack
bad confided his suspicions, and he, with his

cat knowledge of the Indian ways, at once
£111de to the conclusion that some red chief
upon the hillside desired a “talk” with some
one in the town.

i

 

 

IVilliams at once warned Jack in regard to g

the smoke, and he immediately saw how ex-
tremel y probable it was that the old scout‘s idea
was correct. ,

The expedition of the adventurers had ex-

cited a great deal of talk in the town, and the -'

miners, universally, \vcrn bitter in their ex res-
sions regarding the old Apache butcher an
red gang.

Bronze Jack had done his best to encourage
this feeling, for he had an idea that in the near
future he should need the assistance of the
miners.

The plans of the adventurer had been well

his ‘

laid- one of his band kept constant watch upon ,'
the ort, and so careful was the watch, that the :

yer moment the captain uitted the fort and
ma e toward the hi Isidc, r e watcher at once
hurried to communicate the news to his chief.

3 the least bit of use to us.

tion.

“ ' V'hat do you mean by this, gentlemen 1!" he
exclaimed. “ What do on mean by rushing
upon us in this most deci cdly hostile manneri"

And. indeed, hostile enough was the appear-
ance of the new-comers, for each and every
man grasped a weapon, and from the way in
which they glared at the old Indian chief it was

uite plain that they longed to try them upon
t 0 person of the savage.

“ Tain’t you, cap’n.” one of the miners re-
plied, an old veteran, one of the original fort -
niners, by the name of Perkins, and generale
called Judge Perkins, for he had gray hair, a
long gray beard, and a most decidedly judicial
aspect. “ No, sir-ee, ’tain‘t you! It‘s this
heathen red buck what is our mutton 3"

“ This is the great Apache chief, Mange Colo-
rado!” exclaimed Dinwiddie, with a majestic
wave of his hand.

But the others were not at all impressed by
the declaration.

“ ()h, we know him-know him like a book,"
the judge answered. “ He’s the big rest devil
of them all, and now that we’ve got im here,
foul, we kinder calculate that we’re going to
have satisfaction out of him.”

“He is here under my protection!” the cap-
tain cried, sternlv. He resented the manner of
the speaker, and was envleavoring to impress
him with his own omcial dignity.

“Wa-al, now, cap'n, I don’t mean no disre-
spect to you. but that sort of thing is layed
out. When this red buck catches us Whigs men
away from the town, he goes for our ha’r all he
knows how, and as it’sa poor rule that won’t
work both ways, we kinder think now that
we’ve got him prowling around our ranches, we
ought to put it to him, red-hot!”

“ There is a treaty of peace with his tribe
now, you know!” the officer warned.

“Treaty be durnedl” Williams cried, em-
phatically. “ Wliar was the treaty when this
old buck and his ’isoned red skunks hunted us
down along the olorado, like as if we were so
manv 'ack-rabbits?”

” ite man was in the Indian land; he no
business to come there.”

“The blazes I hain’t!” Williams retorted, in
wrath, “ and is it put down in black and white
in this hyer treaty that you talk about that a
decent white man sha’n’t show his nose out of
this hyer town without giving a painted ’Pache
a chance at his top-knot?”

“ it was understood that the Indians were not
to be molested in their country,” Dinwiddie ex—
plained.

“And who in thunder war molesting ’em?”
the old scout growled. “Molest, blazes! The
boot was on t‘other leg. It was we, good, solid
white men, who were molested. They went for
our scams, red-hot, and now we want satisfac-
tion. ’ . ,

“ Yes, that is exact] what we want,” Bronze
Jack chimed in. “' his red butcher and his
men have had everything their own way too
long. W'hat does he or his tribe care for a
treaty? No white man’s scalp is safe if the
Apaches catch him away from the shelter of the
settlement. Those Indians are free to Come and
go in our towns without hindrance; why should
we not have the same privilege in their lands,
so long as we do not interfere with them?”

“ The Apache land belongs to the red—men
and the pale-faces must not come there!” cri
the old chief fiercely. Despite the danger of
his position ie could not restrain the rage he
felt at the idea of the whites entering the Indian
country.

“ We will i” yelled Williams, in a rage, shak-
ing his fist threateningly at the chief. “\Ve’ll
go in when we like and come out when we
please, in spite of you and your dirty red dogs!”

"The fact is. capt’in,” said the old miner,
soberly, “we think that this hyer thing has

one on in the way it has ’bout long enough.

his hyer treaty that you talk about ain’t been
The reds get all the

- advantages and we get nothing. It ain’t a fair

Jack then proceeded to rouse the citizens. He 1
had spoken to a few of the leading men of the 3

town. being careful, however, not to. reveal the
full extent of his suspicions. and so it was that
the interview

between Dinwiddie and the'

A che chief was so rudely and unexpectedly I

in ,rruptcd.
A dark frown gathered upon the brow of the

l

shake, no way you kin fix it.” _

“ The treaty ain’t worth the pa 1' that it is
written on 1” Jack exclaimed; " at, as far as
that 088, there is an easy way to settle the mat-
ter. ere is had blood between myself and this
Apac'he‘chief; he has hunted me and my part
just as if we were so many wild beasts, and
want satisfaction. I don’t ask odds of any man!
Let him step out and draw his weapon; I will

captain as the new-comers cameso sudden] up- do the same; there are plenty here to see fair

on the scene, : ad as for the old Indian chic tain,

play. If he can scat me, we and good; I will

 

 

be notified, and I guess the rest will be, to let
him go in peace to his native wilds again. If
my own boldness and skill can avenge m
wrongs, I’m above asking any one else to do
for me."

“Asfairasfair kin bel” Williams declared,
and from the expression u n the faces of the
others it was plain that t ey agreed with the
old scout.

But, this offer did not suit Man Colorado at
all; he had already had a taste of ronze Jack’s
skill, and, to use the Westernism, he was not
“hankering” after an more.

And yet the old c 'ef in his way, was as
brave a man as ever put foot to cart , but ac-

' cording to his ideas, to face the adventurer,

when he felt almost certain that he would meet
death at his hands, was the hight of folly.

Dinwiddie came to the rescue of the lndian.

“ I cannot permit this affair to go on, unless
the chief insists, and if I were he I should not,
for I should not feel called upon as the ruler of
a great nation to encounter in single fight the
first adventurer that obese to attempt to draw
me into a quarrel.”

“Chief no fight now." Mange. said, with a.
great deal of dignity. “ l’ight some other time,
mavbe, in Apache land.”

“Yes, on your own dunghill, consarn ye!”
the old scout grOWled, in contempt.

“See hyer. capt’n, it seems to me that this
chief ain’t willing to do the. fair thing at all!”
the judge retested. “ “'e'vc got him foul now
and kin ta k to him, but if we let him go with-
out makin'r him give us some pledge as security
that he will behave himself, why, jest as soon
as he gets back to his red heathens again, he’ll
be u to his old tricks.”

“ Vhat pledge—what security?”

“ Me know—me ivepledge!” hastily respond-
ed the Indian, his face ighting up, for his quick
wits had devised a plan of esmpe.

All looked at the savage in astonishment, for
not one of the part had any idea oi the kind of
pled e that ho wou d be able to give.

“ ome !” he said, speaking in the deep Apache
ton ue.

ere was a rustling in the bushes, and then
from the center of a little clump of pines step—
ped an Indian girl.

“ This is my dau htcr." said the old chief,
“ Chito Colorado; will leave her with my
white brothers as a pledge that I will honestly
keep the treaty and not war upon the pale-
faces.” 

Manga had played a tram card, for what
better securit could he give hisown child,
the flower of ' tribe?

 

CHAPTER XXVII.
an vnxracrsn vrsrroa.

TEE miners were satisfied; Jack saw that the
Indian had outwitted him; what better pledge
of his d faith could the chief give than his
own c ildl

The artful savage, uick to perceive the im-
pression which he ha made, at once hastened
to improve the advantage which he had gained.

“ anga Colorado is the great chief of the
A 'hes.” he said, with true savage dignity.
“ is word is like unto his ,eople: the red
braves listen to the comman s of their chief
and they obey; but there are young men in the
tribe— oung warriors who burn to distinguish
themse ves on the war-path. The chief tells
them that they must not war with their white
brothers—that the pipe of peace has been
smoked, and a great treaty of peace and amity
signed. Thev promise to be good; they swear
that they will hunt the buffalo and leave t‘vo
white men alone, but when these wild you):
warriors go to hunt, right in the Indian lar
they find the white men. The smoke of their
camp-fires scares the game away; my young
men 8 hearts grow big with wrath; they forget
the words of counsel that I give; they are blind
-—drunk with rage. Thcv stiike the white men
and strike them hard. it is not Manga Colo—
rado’s fault. Let my white brothers keep to
their own country and the rul-men will never
do them harm. I want peace—my nation
wants peace. I do not come to my white bro-
thers with a lie in my mouth; no! peace is in
my heart—peace and gomlm‘ill, and when I
freely yieldaifl) my daughh r as a hostage for
myself and my tribe can any one ask for
more?"

The savage was a natural-born orator; and
apart from the supreme skill with which the
speech was delivered the matter which it con-,
tained was well calculated to carry conviction,
although there was not a man acquainted with
the old red rascal who could not, if he had taken
the trouble to remember, have recalled a dozen
instances in his dealings with the whites since
their advent into the wilderness drained by
the Bigh and Little Colorados and the Gila,’
where t e Apache chief had protested as cam-
estlv and sworn as fluently. Ind yet never kept
faith at all.

But in this life mankind is always to believe
that which they Wish to believe and so the
false coin of the red chief was ta en for gcod
metal and the miners believed him vlwn he
swore by all that he held sacred that nonici ha

 

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18

nor his wild young man would raise hand

ainst the white men. '

he chiefhad at out of the bobble in which
the skill of the pfainaman had involved him in
an extxmely c ever manner.
Din ddie saw that Manga had produced the
result at which he had aimed and he hastened
to clinch the matter. '

“ I accept the pledge that you offer, Manga,”

he remarked, “although i do not real] see the
necessity of it, for I feel perfectlysure hat you
will keep faith with us. You may rest assured
that while your daughter remains with me she
shall be treated with the utmost care.”
Everty eye was turned u on the Indian girl.
With owncast eyes an modest mien she
stood the very icture of submission, and yet
if report spoke rue, never yet did prairie wild
or rugged woodland hold a more untamable
tiger-cat than this same Chito Colorado, sole
child of the red-handed. ruthless Manga.

“Your daughter is content to remain with
us!” the ofiicer continued. A useless question,
for the very presence of the girl was proof of
the fact.

h Bic girl spoke not but simply inclined her

e .

One and all had watched her curiously, for in
truth the girl was wondrously fair to look
upon, although it was the wild, picturesquc
beauty of the wilderness—the beauty of the
skpotted snake or the tawny panthth‘, the jungle

ng.
“ Are the white chiefssatisfied and may I de-

art'!” the old red warrior asked, folding his
lanket around his muscular form with an al-
most indescribable air of di nity.

“:Quite satisfied!” Diuwi die hastened to ex-

1m.

“ Oh, yes, it’s all correct,” the judge added.

The savage fixed his glittering eyes upon
Bronze Jack’s face, and there was a bit of quiet
triumph apparent in the look.

“ You’ve succeeded in getting out this time,
Mange, but look out for the next,” the adven-
turer cautioned.

The Indian raised his hand and shook his
dusk fore-finger at the plainsman:

“ nce Manga Colorado held you prisoner in
the Apache village; you escaped. Take care
next time or you will lose our seal 1”

And with the threat t 0 red Cl.in stalked
awaIy.

“ ollow me and I will see that you are safe-
ly cared for ” the officer said to the girl.

She bowed her head submissively and 0 ed.

As the miners afterward remarked, i she
was a tiger-cat, as everybody said, she showed
less signs of it than any woman that had ever
come into Big Walnut Cam .

The townsmen followed a ter the officer and
the girl and the adventurers brought up the
rear, Williams growling his discontent, at the
way in which matters had been arranged, at a
great rate.

“Darn the luck, I say!” he muttered. “We
had the old red buck foul, and it’s a durned
shame that he managed to creep out. It’s my
belief that he and the capt’n are in cahoots to-

er.

1 “Yes, it does look like it,” Bronze Jack re-
marked; “but the cal thin for in to doisto
keep on the watch an wait or another chance
to catch the Apache butcher tripping.”

“ I only want a. sin 10 chance at himl” Will-
iams exclaimed, vin ctivel ,sla ping his brew-
ny hand, as he spoke, signi cant y, on the buck-
horn handle of is hunting-knife.

“Patience! our turn will come,” Jack re-
joined.

“ My old country proverb says that it is a
long lane that has no end," Spanish Pete ob-
served.

These refiections mi ht be consolin , but there
was no mistakin the act that, for t e present,
the savage had t e best of it, and had succeed-
ed in escapin from the tight place in which he
had found imself, in an extremely skillful
manner.

When he arrived at the outskirts of the town,
with a dignified wave of his hand the officer
bade his companions adieu, and with the girl
started for the fort. ‘

“Ireckon that we’ve got old Mange. where
his hair is short, this time 1” the judge remarked,
with a chuckle. “ He won’t be apt to take the
war-path against us, or to allow his young
bucks to do it. while we hold his daughter safe
in our hands.”

The adventurers looked at each other but said
nothing, although not one of them agreed with

er.
ack had selected comfortable quarters since
he had made up his mind that he would have to
“hang out ” at Big Walnut Camp for some lit-
tle time.
Therehappened to be a good-sized shanty vn-
cant just on the outskirts of the Camp. by 'It‘go
a
party who had built the shunt had deported to
seek the‘r fortunes elsewhere, saving the house
in pledge for some little hills which one of the
saloomkeepers had unwiser allowed them to
ran 11 .
Jan had made a “dicker” with the saloon-
haeper; and so came into possession of the shan-

 

thonze Jack. I

tz, which was just big enough to accommodate
t e adventurers nicely.

The first thing that the plainsman did, after
arriving at the head-quarters, was to put the
watch upon the fort again. The device had suc—
ceedod so well the first time, that he felt inclined
to try it a. second.

The day passed slowly away, and nothing of
moment occurred. After supper was over, the
band sat outside of the shanty, smoked their
pipes, told yarn upon yarn as they watched the
sun go down behind the big eaks which inter-
vened between the valley, w erein the mining-
camp stmd, and the great Pacific ocean, within
whose glassy bosom the orb of day seemed to
find rest.

Twill ht faded into darkness; the stars came
out one y one, as also did the little li hts which
shone throu h the small windows of t e miners’

«cabins. Ant then the moon came slowly up, a

great red ball of fine at first, but fading slowly
into its natural aspect.

All the adventurers had their pockets well-
lined; as a consequence, when the sound of
revelry and mirth came up from the jolly
miners congregated in the center of the town,
where the saloons were thick, our heroes natural-
l)y wished to take a hand in the fun, Bronze

ack alone excepted. He declined his comrades’
invitation to accompany them, and said that he
preferred solitude and his own thoughts to the
jollity of the saloons, and the wild excitement
of the gaming-table.

So the rest eparted and left the adventurer to
his own devices.

Jack had 5 tread a blanket on the ground, and
was extend at full length, in the shadow of
the shanty, with his head resting on a log, lazil '
puffing a cigarettc, which he had rolled up wit
all the dexterity of a Mexican dandy.

The plainsman had given himself up to reflec-
tion, and his thoughts were not particularly
pleasant ones.

So far, his expedition had been most signall
unsuccessful; in his endeavor to reach the hi( —
don treasures which were sup (1 to be con-
cealed in the old Yuma. town, the A aches had
beaten him at every turn, and Jac was wise
enough to understand that there was not a sin-
gle c anca of success so long as the savages re-
mained hostile.

Situated, as were the old ruins, ri ht in the
very heart of the Apache land, it was ut utter
(011 to believe that the treasure could be wrest-
cd mm the red-skins without being backed by
a force large enough to conquer a province.

Open de ance had failed- some cunning, se-
cret scheme might succeed if he could only
think of one.

Footsteps approaching interrupted J ack’s
meditations. nstantly he laid his hand upon
his revolver: in this wild land each new-comer
was more likely to rove a foe than a friend.

Good cause had t e adventurer to prepare for
strife, for, as the stranger approached, Jack
)lainly distinguished the face an figure of J ohn

Iustang, chief of the Red Gold-Hunters!

CHAPTER XXVIII.
Tm: CHALLENGE.

Team: was no mistaking the well-known fi -
are, and Jack at once sat bolt upright, wit
drawn revolver.

The adventurer was considerably astonished
at beholding the chief of the Red Gold-Hunters;
not that he had thought that the youth was
dead, for he knew better, but he had not ex-
pected to come in contact with him quite so
soon, and in fact he was much sur rised, that
after what had transpired, Mustang ohn should
seek another interview with him, for such was
Elainily' the purpose of the dark-skinned half-

ree< .

“Halt!” cried Jack, as the other steadil ad-
vanced, levelin his revolver at Mustang ohn
as he spoke, though the Gold-Hunter chief
manifested no hostile sign.

In obedience to the stern command, and the
voice of the adventurer plainly betrayed that
he was not to be trified with, the new-comer
came to a stand-still. He was within twenty
feet of Jack. and the adventurer could distin

nish his features quite plainly, thanks to the

ight afforded by the moon.

A sullcn look was upon the face of the half-
broed, and a peculiar baleful light shot from big
e '03.

5“ Why do you bid me halt?” he asked; “I
am not threatening you in any we .”

“What do you \\ anti” re her the adven-
turer, ans“ cring one question )y asking anoth-
er, and comin at Once to the pomt.

“ A talk wit you.” .

“ Well, you can easily be gratified if that is
all you want.”

“But it is not all I want—I seek your life!”
cried the half-breed, fiercely.

“ Exactl ; so I supposed; and that is the rea-
son why think that on had better not ap-
proach too near to me: at, ar’n’t ou satisfied,
after the taste that you have alreat y had of m
qualityl Take cure, my bold young brick;
am not over and above patient. I have spared

on once when I held your life in the very hol-
Kyw of my hand. I may not be so merciful a
wCOnd timc.” :

 

 

i
I ) .Jr‘

“You spared m lifel” cried Mustng John,
in a tone in whic anger and contempt were
sin-usizgely blended. ‘

“ es, I spared your life,” repeated the ad-
venturer, firmly. “ It was at my mercy, and I
spared it. It would have been just as easy for
me to have sent the ball crashing through incur
brain or tearing through your heart, as to ve
merely creased your head with it, as I did.”

“An accident!” persisted the half - breed.
“You could not do it again though your very
life depended u n itl”

Bronze Jack aughed.

“ Keep out of my path, young man or 1 may
be under the disagreeable necessity of convinc-
ing on that with the revolver i can play more
trio 3 than one.”

“Listen!” cried Mustang John, in a voice
hoarse with suppressed passion, and, despite
the menacing revolver of the other, he came a
few steps nearer; “one of us must die! It is
not possible that both of us can live and breathe
this mountain air in peace; wide as is this prai-
rie wilderness it is not big enough for both of us
to exist in it.”

Again the adventurer laughed as be close]
regarded the passion-convulsed face of the hal -
breed, but he did not drop the muzzle of the re-
volver, but still kept it at the level ready for
use.
“If that is really the case, if what you say is
the truth, why then the quicker you pick out
your cofiiu and prepare to get into it the better,
for I tell you rankly, I’ve no idea of dying
vet for there is a ood deal of work before me
in this world that want to accom lish.”

“Fortune favored you the last time we met,
but you may not be so lucky the next !”

“ ortune had nothing whatever to do with
it!” Bronze Jack exclaimed, bluntly. “It was
my su )erior skill which gave me the advantage,
and t at selfsame skill will serve me just as
well when next we stand opposed in deadly
strife.”

“ And that will be before we part this night!”
the half-breed cried, evidently boiling over, as
it were, with anger.

The adventurer knitted his br0ws, and he

gazed curiously at the dark face of the Gold- ‘

Hunter, now so resolute in its expression.

“Well, really you puzzle mel” he excla‘imedg
after quite a long pause. “ What on earth havt
I ever done to you that you should seek my life
with such a dead] hatred!”

“ Never mind hat! That is my affair: the

uarrel between us can onlybc settled by the
death of one or both of us.”

“ Oh, I shall have to kill you, I see that,” and
Bronze J ack rose slowly to his feet as he made
the remark, which he uttered in the most care
less manner.

The Red Gold-Hunter chief was nettled by
the tone. ,

“Take carc !” he warned; “ look well to your-
self this time, for I am hungry for your
blood 1” _

“ Well a willful man must have his own
waykand since you are determined I won’t balk

on

‘1‘] Now, and on this spot l” demanded Mustang

0 n.

“It is as good as any; use the weapons we
have?”

“ Yes
knives.’

Bronze Jack laughed—that peculiar mocking
lau h which grated on the ear.

“ e’ll never come to knives, my buck,” he
said, “unless another miracle is vouchsafed
you, and I reckon miracles don’t work worth a
cent, nowadays.”

“Oh, we can t ‘11 better after it is over!” the
half-breed replied, too full of fury to be at all
intimidated. “ But, perhaps I am too uick for
you—perm? there is some one in t e camp
yonder-in lg Walnut—whom you would like
to say a parting word to, in case the chance of
war goes against you i”

A quiet smile was upon the adventurer’s face
as he replied: . _

“ Not a soul in Big Walnut Camp that I care
to sa a word to, whether I live or die.”

“Ignot in Big Walnut Camp then in the ton
upon the hillside that overlooks the town?" per-
sisted the half—breed.

“ ‘Vhy should on think so?”

“ Oh, my ears lave not been worthless during
the past. four and twenty hours. 1 know of the
great risk that the bountiful white girl ran to
rescue Von and your mcmout of the snare in
which Man a Colorado and his Apaches held you
and your to lowers. I overheard a conversation
between the ca tain and his sister in which
bluntly charg her with being infatuated wiltlfi
you; and it is the truth, too, or else she never
would have donned her brother’s uniform and
pcrsonated him in orderto rosette you from the
certain death that awaited you.”

During this speech alight broke in upon the
mind of the adventurer; all at once he compre-
hended the reason why Mustang John sou ht
his life so eagerly. The half-breed fancied t at
the superb Cleopatra meiddie loved him, and
for that priceless boon, the love of such a we-
man, he must pay dear—that is, if, Mustang
John was skillful enough to carry out the pup

our revolvers first, and then our

’

-.‘ .1—

7

.-..___._..-._.._..- , ..

"Ms? ‘

 

.2” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______..... _._—_-__._—a._~———_

 

 

‘Bronze Jack.

 

pose he had in view but the adventurerdoubted
this, most thorough y.

“ n, this isi e talk!” he exclaimed, impa-
tientl . “ Neither you nor I have aughtto do
with hat lady. You fight me because you hate
me, and I fight you because youare eaten up by
a rash, overweenin confidence, that needs re-
striction. You see my life, but I do not seek

o for it is of no value to me. I do not
hitglrh to kill on, but to teach you a lesson
which you wil remember toyour dyhifiilg day.”

Both tone and words irritated the -breed
almost to madness.

“I do not ask for an mercy—for any con-
sideration at 'our ban 5, and Igive you fair
warning toloo well to yourself, for Iwill bring
you so close to death, that even if . its col
arms do not clasp you, their blighting influence
you shall feel even to the marrow of your bones.

his woman loves you, but that love shall never
bring you one single moment of bliss; you are
doomed to fall by in hand in this flghtto-night;
I am sure of it as t iough I now saw you lying
still and motionless before me!"

“ These sure things are the very deuce to bet
on sometimes,” Jack observed, in the most
matter-of-fact way in the world, much to the
rage of the other, who could not at all com re-
bend the wonderful calmness of the man. “ ‘ve
lost a heap of money in my time betting on sure
things, and that is the reason why I don’t take
any stock in this leetle game of yours,” Jack
continued.

The contrast between the two was really
wonderful. Red Gold-Hunter was fairly wild
with passion—trembled with excitement; the
adventurer, on the contrary, was as cool as a
block of ice and as calm as a marble statue.

“Come! come! we lose time!” the half-breed
cried.

“ Hold on a moment," Jack exclaimed, “ you
have been kind enough to explain your pro-

ramme to me, sonow, just listen tomine.. I
s all not take your life, although itvnll be mme
to take the very moment we face each other in
the field, but I‘m going toput a mark upon you,
so that in the dim an uncertain future I shall
be able to recognize you, no matter how much
your features may alter, nor how cunning and
slaborate the dis ise which you may assume
md after that is one since you seem to be wild
md bent on mischief, shall ‘ crease’ your head
again and so disable on i”

Astrangelook—ha f wonder, half fear, passed
rapidly over the face of the half-breed as Jack
explained his plan. It was as if the Red Gold
Hunter had asked himself, if it was likely that
the other could carry out his idea, and had re-
ceived Insurance that he could; but speedily
Mustang John was himself again.

“Are you ready?" he demanded; “if so, at
once It? business, and Heaven have mercy on our

 

CHAPTER XXIX.
JACK mrs ms woan.

“ SINCE you are so anxious to begin, to it at
once, then! ’ the adventurer exclaimed. “ March
of! with you, and when you are ready, turn, and
I will understand that it is the signal for the
fun to begin.”

The half-breed contracted his brows and hesi-

tated.

“ Well, what’s the matter now 2” Jack asked;
“ you were in a terrible hurry, a moment ago,
but on don’t seem so anxious.”

" Vhat assurance have I that, when I turn
my back, you will not fire at me?” the Red
Gold-Hunter demanded. .

Jack could not help laughing.

“ What a suspicious mortal you are!” he
cried. “What assurance have you now that I
will not ‘plug’ on without mg you any
chance for your ife? My revo ver s out and
at the level—e. self-cooker, too, only requiring a
single all to raise the hammer and dispatch
the be . Why your life has been comp etely
at my mercy ever since you came Within fifty
feet of me.’

“ It is not so!” John Mustang declared, fierce-

ly. “It is all she, this boasted skill; you are
not a. medicine-man to be able to tell With ex-
act certainty the mark which you Will hit
eve time you fire your weapon. ’
“ y noble young half-und-half, before you
get through with me you will find that I am the
biggest medicine-man with the istol that ever
was 5003 up in these diggings. Rth, you have
already hat a proof of my skill and you ought
to be satisfied. ’

“ An wident! Y'Oli‘t‘annot do it again—it is
not oesible,” averrcd the Red Gold-Hunter,

“ ’dlike tobet you a trifle that within the
next ten minutes vou Wlll change your mind in
regard to that,” the adventurer replied; “that
is, unless I have scared you already and you
back out of the fight.”

“I will never give up until either
are odd in death! ’ the other persisted

“Well, I don’t intend that you shall

!

on or I
otly.
kill me

‘ and I haven’t. the sli htest intention of kill-

ing you,” Jack rote “ And since you have
,forced this quarrel on me I intend to have a lit-
tle sport at your expense. As I told you, I am
going to mark you —mark you so that \vhenany

. one scs you thcy'w11l be able to know you

1 .

l

 

1?.

 

 

again, no matter how you may disguise your- l harm unless you come closer 1” Bronze Jack tin-'-

self 1”

swered. “ This fight isall a farce as long as you

The face of the half-breed presented a curious remain at that distance, and the moment you

study just at this moment; doubt rage and fear
were stran ely blended, but with a violent ef-
fort John llfustang roused himself for the fight.

“ We have talked enough!” he cried: “ now
for work 1” And with the word he turn"d upon ,
his heel and walked away. !

“It is fated that I must set my mark 11 n 
this strange com und of humanity,” ack ,
muttered to himse f, as the other marched off, i
“and, since fate wills it, why should I seek to l
evade the responsibility?
can”understand why things should be as they
are.

The adventurer loosened the other revolver
from the strap that held it to the belt and drew
it forth.

No need to examine “the tools:” they were
both in perfect order and were always kept so,
for, woe to the unlucky plainsman who suffer-
ed himself to be taken at a disadvantage with
his tools out of order, and no man knew this
better than Bronze Jack.

A good two hundred ards the Red Gold-
Hunter went and then e turned about and
faced his antagonist. From his belt he drew
his revolvers, and clutchng one in each hand,
first raising the hammers, came slowly toward
the pluinsman.

Bronze Jack had stepped forth from the
shadow of the log shanty, and standing right
where the broad beams of the silver moon could
fall fullu on him, awaited the near approach of
his foe. is hands he carried low down, at the
level of his waist, and altogether he appeared so
cool and unconcerned that a looker-on, unac-
quainted with the events that had reviously
transpired, would never have taken Jim to be
one of the principals of a fight which was to be
fought out to the bitter end.

John Mustang came slowly on, a grave ex-
pression upon his face and evidently fully
away o of the difficult nature of the task which
he had taken upon himself, but from the stern
look in his eyes, and the determined com-
pression of his mouth, it was plain that he
was resolved to carry out the matter to the
end]. Even death itself had no terrors for his
sou .

The adventurer stood as motionless as a
statue until Mustan John got within about one
hundred yards of  , and”then, quick as a.
flash 11 went Bronze J ack’s left arm as a rest,
and he Beveled the revolver which he held in his
ri ht hand over the lef t arm.

he suddenness of the unexpected movement
took the half-breed by surprise, and knowing
the deadly skill of the adventurer with the re-
volver be naturally imagined that Bronze Jack
was taking sure aim at him, and that, if he al-
lowed him time, his death was certain; there-
fore, in order to disconcert his foe, he took
rapid aim and fired at J aek, first with the right-
hand revolver and then with the other.

As was only natural under the circumstances,
both shots went wide of the mark, and Bronze
Jack refraining from firing, but still taking
aim, laughed loudly in utter scorn.

“Oho! ’ he cried; “if you cannot do better
than that, there won’t be much chance for you
in this little affair. Two shots already wasted!
Look out when I commence, for I promise you
that I won‘t waste many!”

The Red Gold-Hunter had come to an abrupt
halt upon beholding the unfortunate result of
his attempt. His eyes sparkled with rage.

“ Do you bear a charmed life?” he shouted, an
accent of d it in his tone. “ Is vour ‘ medi-
cine’ so gran that you cannot be killed?”

“Not yyou nor by any of your kith and
kin be they red or white!” Jack replied, taunt-cl

mfizl’e shall see!” the half-breed exclaimed, in
desperation, and he leveled his right-hand wea-
pon with careful deliberation full at the heart
of his adversary; but Bronze Jack, knowing
that not one marksman out of a thousand was
worth anythiu with the revolver at the dis-
tance of three undred feet, \' hich was about
the space that separated the two, again laughed
tauntineg and bade his foe blaze away.

M ng John obeyed the command, and
again 0 carefully-aimed bullet went wide of
the man at whom it was directed.

“\Vhy don‘t you fire?” cried the half-breed,
in anng disgust: “are you only playing with
my lifc?”

1‘ You ar too far off,” Jack restpondcd, quiet-
ly . “ I c myself a very king 0 the reVolver,
and 'ct I should hesitate to bet much old-dust
that I could hit you at this distance. Iy game
is to let you waste all your shots popping away
at me, and then, when your revo ver is empty,
and you are practically disarmed and at my
mercy, I “ ill go for you.”

The half—breed ound his teeth together in
rage as he listen to this cool explanation of
the intentions of the adventurer and that
Bronze Jack had spoken frankly he did not
doubt for an instant.

“Oh, I must kill you !” he hissed, in his hot

 

angel-man anger not unmixed with the despera-
tion of despair.

“Come on, them! You’ll nevar be able to

get  easy range I’ll let you know byopen.
in e!
ow this was decidedly cool, and it exas-

perated the half—breed to the highest degree.

Mustang John remained motionless for a mo-
ment or two; his breath came thick and hard
and then, all of a sudden, yielding to the wild
piassiion which surged through his veins, he cried
a on :

“ Death to one of us!” and dashed forward at

But, hang me if I l the top of his speed.

Bronze Jack awaited the onset as coolly as

though he was a man of brorze, rather than a
reckless, desperate fellow; but he was shrewdly
calculating the distance, and when the half-
breed ot airly within range there came a lit—
tle p of white smoke from the muzzle of the
revolver, followed by a sharp report.
A’rain the wondrous skill of the man stood
his (friend, for, with a cry of pain, John Mus-
tang halted and clapped his hand to the side of
his head.

He was hit!

The blood was streamin from his ear. True
to his word, Bronze Jack ad marked him by
sending a bullet through the lobe!

“ I reckon that you won’t get rid of that sign
of mine in a hurry l" the adventurer cried.

With a cry of despair the half-breed leveled
his revolver at the plainsman, but before he
could pull the trigger the pistol of the white
spoke again. >

A duel with such a man, by any ordinary an-
tagonist, was like a greenhorn playing cards
with aprofessional sharper; there was not one
chance in ten thousand for his success.

With a bowl Mustang John threw up his
hands and tumblcd iorward on his face.

The plainsnmn had “creased” him, exactly
as he had said he would.

then the half-breed woke to consciousness,
which, after some little time, he did, he was
alone. The adventurer had disdained to profit
by his victory.

CHAPTER XXX.

WHITE AND RED.

Arum the interview between the Apache
gig?! and the settlers in which the wily Indian
pleasant position in which be had been placed
in such a dexterous manner, Ca tain Dinwiddie
escorted the Indian girl to the ort and at once
proceeded to introduce her to his sister, under
whose are he intended to place the girl while
she remained at the fort.

Chito Colorado was no stranger by reputa-
tion to the white lady, and it was with consid—
erable curiosity that Cleopatra surveyed the
famousA che Flower.

The In ian girl, with her blanket tightly
wrapped around her head, after the sava e
fashion, and her eyes bent modestly to e
ground endured the inspection with true In»
dianc mness.

The white lady appeared puzzled at the re-
sult of her scrutiny. Although tolier knowl-
edge, she had never seen the Indian irl before,
vet her features seemed strangely amiliar to

er.

Dinwiddie, who was not 'cularl observ—
ing by nature, never noticed the  ression
pr: duced upon his sister by the face 0 the In—
dian girl.

In brief terms he introduced the maid and ex-
plained the reason for her presence in the fort.

“ This is Chito, delighter of the great chief of
the Apaches, Man olorado,” he said. “ She

 

will be our guest or a while and dwell here in ’

the fort under our protection. Her father has
lately made a treaty of peace with us, but the
settlers doubted that he would be able to re-
strain the young men of his tribe from acts of
violence, so the chief gave up his daughter to
my care as a hostage for his good intentions.
You must see, Cleopatra, that she is made com-
fortable while she remains with us.”
. ‘f Certainly; I will attend to her wants; but,
it is strange the impression that has taken
session of me. I think I have seen Miss
beIf)ore.”d

inwi die, surprised, looked in uiringl at
the Indian girl. but she shook her hind. y

“ Chito no see white sguaw before," she said
speaking very thick, an with a most decided.
lndian intonation.

“ I am sure that I have seen you somewhere
beforel” Cleopatra persisted, surveying the girl
With a puzzled expression upon her face, “and
very rrcently too. ’

A in the girl shook her head.

f‘ on are mistaken ” Dinwiddie declared,
“ It is not Mble, for knew that Miss Chito
hereI  not been near the camp Since your an
riva .

W omen-like, Cleopatra was not codvinoed,
but as she was not able to state when and where
she had encountered the girl, She held her peace.

“ Mv sister will see that you do not want for
anything,” the officer continued. “ You will be
able to make room for lxct', Clef-pairs 2'”

"Oh, yes: this room is at her service,” and

’to

l

to escape from the extremely un~ "

    

vyw....,.w < .
~vn-‘u AOPA .

2O

“2:; ..;_T.' .  i
thogirl opened a door which l"-I into an spar.-
ment situated next to her own.

“ Chito’s heart is full of gratitude to her white
friends,” said the Indian 'rl, at once roceed-
ing to take possession of t 0 room an closing
the door after her.

Cleopatra immediately advanced to her
brother and laid her hand imprsssively upon
his arm.

“ Brother!” she exclaimed, “this girl is dan-
gerous!” Her tone was low, but her manner
full of nervous anxiety as she made the declara-
tion.

Dinwiddie looked at her in surprise.

“ Why, Cleopatra, what do you “108.11! \Vhat
idea have you got into your bond?“

“ This irl means mischief! I can read it in her
eyes.” he lad was terribly in earnest, but
Dinwiddio onl aughed.

“What foolish ideas you women do become
possessed of l” he exclaimed. “ \tht on earth

as rejudiced you against the girl?”

“ Pam not prcjudiced against her. She means
evil; I am sure of it, and she is no stranger to
lie, eithcr; I have seen her before, I am posi-
tive, although I cannot tell where, nor recall
the circumstances under which Wc mct."

“ This is all an idle fancy I" Dinwidliicreplied,
impatiently. “I do not think it DOSSlllle that
vou have ever met the girl before; she says
that you have not, and these Indians have long
memories and keen recollection of faces.”

“ But she may have some object in her de-
niall”

“ What object?” the brother demanded more
and more impatient. “Cleopatra, I really be-
lieve that you are taking leave of your senses.
This outrageous exploit of yours in disguising
yourself in my uniform and leading the troops
to the rescue of this despei'ado, who calls him-
self Bronze Jack, is somethinv that is utterly
impossible for me to understam . and now comes
this mad idea of yours in regard to this Indian
girl. As for the first affair the more I reflect
upon the matter the more it appears to me that
you must be fascinated by that dare-devil ad-
venturer to run such a risk for him.”

The lady flushed crimson to her very temples
and angry indignation flashed from her superb

e es.
y“You forget yourself, Bernard Dinwiddiel”
she exclaimed, hotly; “ you forget to whom you
are speaking! It was to save your reputation
from the b ackening stain of cowardice, that I
ventured, as few women would dare to venture,
even for the man they love! You. the com-
mander of this post, for ot your duty! You
allowed the a peal for be p to reach our ears
and coldly re used to lend the aid the helpless
men, surrounded by brutal savages, thirsting for
their blood, eagerly called for l”

"M actions be upon my own head!” here-
tortedi’ “ I do not ask you, nor any one else to
sit in judgment upon me. his on r see or
after gold is no friend of mine, and know full
wellt at he will do all in his war to injure
me; therefore, if he had met is fate at the
hands of the Apaches, it would have been all
the better for me.”

The girl looked at the man in ill-disguised con-

tem t.

“ Bernard Dinwiddie, I nevere ted to list-
entosucu words from yourlips!" s eexclaimed.

“ The truth should be spoken at all times!” he
retortedl “ But, enough of this! I am tired of
oandying words with you, nor do I think that
[am required to explain my actions for your
satisfaction. It is enough that I know what I

'am about.” And with this declaration, deliv-

ered in an extremely offensive manner, the ofil-
cer quitted the apartment.

Cleopatra was amazed; she knew that her
brother was weak in some res ts, and gras — 1
ing in others, but she had no i on that he co d
be so steadfast in the wrong.

Hardly bad the door closed behind the cap-
tain, when the Indian girl came into the room,
and Cleopatra at once guessed that she had

I listened and overheard the conversation.

Chito came straight up to the white lady and
looked her steadily in the eye.

There was open menace in the savage maid’s
manner, and Cleopatra at once resented it.

“ Bronze Jack is the white squaw’s lover, eh?”
Chito exclaimed, in an exa rating tone.

“ What is that to you?” leopatra demanded,
indignantly. “ What is it our business wheth-
er I have one lover or fifty ”

“Chito not care if you ave five hundred lov.
ers, so that not one of the five hundred be
Bronze Jack l”

There was no mistakin the meaning of this
2e h, and thg white y understood at once

a motive the. animated the girl.

" 80, Bronze Jack is your lover, oh!" the
queried.

“The great white chief once saved the Apache
girl from the claws and teeth of the angry
mountain bear, and she belongs to him, when-
ever he chooses to claim her. ”

. “ And if he doem’tchoose to claim on at all!"
the white girl suggested. in asarcut tone.

The 0 es 25th: ndian l, blacks: jet beads,

D

and s a preached. stop
WHOM e.
“WhiloChi Colorado vestbowhltochiof

 

 

10:17.30 Jack.

Eshall never choose any other squawl” she

 

cried.

“Oh! He must choose you or death!” and
the ' l‘s lip curled as she uttered the s h.

“ es; the Apache girl or death!” hito re-
plied firmly.

“ You ought to explain your position to him,
so that he will understand what is before him l”
Cleo atra exclaimed, in scorn.

“ hito talks to you! She tells you what is
in her mind. You tr to take the _white chief
from her Beware! ‘hito will str'ke a knife to
your heart, as readily as to open and shut her

and, if on cross her path!“

The w iite lady (lid not recoil at all at this
threat, for she was made of sterner stuff than
the majority of womenkind.

“Two words to that!" she answered, defiant-
lly. “ I am no child to be frightened by threats.

care not for this man of whom you speak, but
this I do say, if I cared for him, neither you
nor all the rest of your Apache nation could
make me give him 11 .>. And, as to yonrthreats,
perha s the day will come when you will learn
that can handle :1 Weapon as well as you!"
And, with this defiance, Cleopatra swept proud-
ly from the apartment.

The Indian girl remained motionless for a
moment, gazing after her in anger; then, sud-
denly recovering the use of her tongue, she
crie( :

“You must die-die by m hand, for the
squaw of Bronze Jack you sh 1 never be!”

Chito retired to her own apartment, and
shortly afterward the captain called upon her.

He made a proposition, and waited for her an-
swer.

“ To-morrow night, when the moon is straight
ovedr the fort, come to me and I will speak!” she
sai .

 

CHAPTER XXXI.
PREPARING FOR 'rnn FBAY.

NEARLY four-and-twenty hours from the time
when the adventurin plainsman had so dex-
trousl ended the due between himself and the
Red ld-Hunter half-breed by “creasin ”
the angry youth with a revolver ball and s-
abling him just as if he had been a wild mus-
tang too speedy to be outfooted by a common
steed—nearly four-and—twent hours and the
big, red moon was rising slow y in the heavens,
shining like a ball of fire.

Luna, with her calm, mild gaze, beamed down
alike on the mining camp, on the little stockade
fort, perched upon the hillside, on the placid
waters of the ‘ Clear Fork," and on the unin-
habited wilderness that belted in the white set-
tlement.

Rarely was it that the old round moon light-
ed up the path or shone down upon the faces of
many men at such an hour.

In the town and within the precincts of the
fort there was evidence enou h of human life,
but on the lone] hillsides, Without the bound-
aries of Bi W nut Camp, with the exception
of now an then a stray wanderer straggling
into the town along some one of the narrow
trails that led into the mountain gulches thro h
the rents in the hilly chain that encircled t e
town, the orb of nig t shone not on the face of
a mortal.

But at the hour of which we write, before
the night was fairly old—before the moon was
fairly up, one of the glensto the north of the
mining settlement, fair] swarmed with men.

Not white men—no onest miners, no keen
Jew traders, nor the uniformed boys of Uncle
Sam. but a host of dusky red braves, the sons of
the wilderness, richly tricked out in all the
savage finery dear to the heart of the red war—
rior.

Two hundred warriors at least were in the
little valley, through which ran a clear moun-
tain stream that, cutting its way through the
foot-hills below, went to swoll the waters of the
river by whose side the white men had built
their town and perched their fort.

Apaches all, these dusky fighting-men, the
Colorado river band old Mango Colorado’s
picked warriors. An every man, too, that the
tribe could muster was in the field, and on mis-
chief bent.

One ted in the Indian fashions could have
told this at a glance, for each and every red-skin
was aily decked with war-paint, nearly all
make to the waist, and all on foot, and this
signified that the expedition was a secret one,
and that a surprise was intended.

Everything had been arranged in the most
careful manner. The dusky braves lolled upon
the grass in carele case, but sentinels were

on every side—outlying pickets, whose
duty it was to guard agains a surprise, al-
thou h apart from the chance of some belated
wa arer journe ng to the tows, stumbling
mpg: the party, t ere was little danger of inter-

rugtion.
y a little clum of pines on one side of the
vane sat the 01 chic , Mango Colorado, sur-
roun ed by a circle of noted warriors.
The Indians were eagerly surve ing the moon
and evident] calculating he fiig t of time.
Itwupl n that the were expecting some
one or something. and the time for the ar-
rival bad plot.

 

Suddenly there rose on the air, coming from
the north-east, the mournful hoot of an owl.

The faces of the dusky warriors instantly
b ' htened up;

‘ ah, it time!" axclaimed the old chief.
“For wild horses they have taken much time
on the march.”

And then, in a few minutes, gliding into the
little valle , like so many spectcrs, with 1101's: -
less steps, mm the shelter of the wooded hills.
to the north, came a file of red braves.

Each and every man was armed to the to: 'h
—cach and every man were the gay war-pair,
that told of blood and slaughter.

The new-comers numbered about ahnrdrcd
men, all told, the Wild Horse band of AliucL. s
from the great plains to the north-east.

The chief saluted Mange. and reported that 1-")
had a hundred warriors with him.

“ Let your braves rest,” said the old chief;
“ there are two more bands to come yet. "

And within twenty minutes the owl-cries rir
ing in melancholy discord on the air from H .-
east and from the west announced the arrival of
the other detachments.

Some ei hty men in one, a hundred odd in the
other, so t at the total force new subject to old
Manga‘s commands amounted to about five
hundred men.

A small army, and great indeed must to the
promise of the prize that had attracted to many
of the dusky braves together, for no ordinary
raid would have answered.

And the prize that the old A ache chief had
held forth as a baitwhen he ha craved the as-
sistance of his kindred bands was indeed a rich
one, being no less than the plunder of Big Wal-
nut Camp.

A mig ty man of war was the old Apache
chicf although nothin'r but a hurt arian, and
total y unread in the 'books that treat of the
science of destruction. He had formedadec
and cunning lan whereby he thought he coul
surprise the ort, butcher the troops, and then
turn his attention to the mining town.

Big Walnut Camp had been as a thorn in the
sides of the Indians ever since its establishment
and although at first the Apaches had believed
it would be only a temporary affair, and that,
after the gold deposits of the creek had been ex-
hausted—which they had believed would not
take long—the intruding white men would then

pull up stakes and go elsewhere; but the gold ‘

deposits had roved richer and more extensive
than the Indians had calculated upon; some rich
leads had been struck, too, in the neigboring
gulches, and instead of the town dwindling
away, as they had confidently expected, to their
dismay they saw it was growin larger and
larger, and the establishment of fhe fort upon
the hillside capped the climax, so to speak.

Mange. Colorado bad pondered ion and
thoughtful] over the circumstance an after
weig ty de iberation had made up his mind to
exterminate the settlement, no matter how
great the cost.

The intimacy which had spru up between
himself and the commander of t 9 fort, owing
to Dinwiddie’s insane desire to learn of the In-
dians something of their secret mines in the
mountains—from the first settlement of Arizona
tradition has reported that there were extremely
rich mines in the mountains, known only to the
savages, and that if any one could succeed in
getting an Indian to conduct him to one of
these treasure lodes, a man might curry away a
fortune in his pockets in pure nuggets—and also
from the reckless passion which he had for the
chief’s daughter, the fair tigress, Chito, old
Mange. determined to turn to his advantage.

So far all had worked well; he had succeeded
in installing his daughter within the fort, and
knowing her as he did, the old chief understood
that there was nota warrior in his tribe who
could be of more serv1ce to him inside the fort
than his quick-witted, desperate-hearted Chito.

All was regressing smoothly: the warriors
had arriv read for action, ve hundred of
the best braves bat the westei n wilderness
could boast! There were not over two hundred
men in the town and fort combined, so that thq
Indians were more than two to one: besides,
Manga calculated the advantage of the surprise,
planning the attack as he had to take place in
the “ dead waste and middle of the night.”

Higher and higher rose the moon: more and
more earnest grew the watch of the chief as
the time for action drew near.

“When the ‘fsilver queen of night” hung di«
recltl‘v over their heads, Mange, rising. gave the
we to advance.

As a soldier, the Indian warrior is unoxcellcd;
no troops the world has ever seen can compare
With the red-men on the march, for celerity of
action.

Like a hu black serpent the line wound
down the va ey and thrtllilfig the narrow defile
gmll‘ttiw, which led to the h do just above the

o

Noiseless as so many ghosts, newly sprung
from untimely ves—no clash of weapons, no
careless footfal to betray the advance—the In-
dian line stole onward, taking advantage of ev~
ery little clum of timber to scram their ap.
proach from o rvation.

Wonderful

to relate, the five hundred m

o

 

43m,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

concealed their approach as completely as
though the entire force did not number a dozen.

The midnight hour was at hand. Hardl a
light shone from the sleeping town of Big al-
nut Cam down in the valley, below the ort.

Even t e fortified post seemed wrapped in
slumber; no sentinel ced along by the stock-
ade wall, keeping viggnt watch for the red 106,
now so near.

The garrison appeared to be open to attack.

W'hcn he arrived within five hundred paces of
the ob'ective point, Mange halted his force and
bade t em deploy so as to completely surround
the fort, and then gave orders that at the old
Indian signal, the owl hoot, each Warrior should
advance and scale the wall. . .

Everything was so quiet the suspicmus old
savage was inclined to suspect that something
had ha pened to betray his design, and that the
white-s {ins were pro to give him a warm
reception.

It was too late to retreat, now; there was
nothing left but to carry out the plan although
disaster followed.

Mange, at the head of a donen of his best men
stole up to the gate. It 0 ned, suddenly, ans
as the chief reached it, an the uniform of ap-
tain Dinwiddie met his astonished eyes.

CHAPTER XXXII.
a STRANGE WOOING.

JUST about the time that the old red chief
Mange Colorado was mustering his chosen. men
in the little valley ad 'acent to the mining
camp, preparator to a escent upon the town,
Captain Bernard inwiddie sat in his quarters,
his feet elevated upon a table, lollingback in his
chair in an extreme] comfortable wa ,  en-
;oying the flavor o a remarkably e cigar,

or the captain was decidedly epicurcan in his

Dinwiddie felt at peace with himself and all
the world, for the prospect before him was an
sxt remel pleasant one.

Chito, he Apache Flower a most beautiful
r de its her masculine Iook, was safely in

n s, aplidgeofgoodfaith onthe partof
the old ludiau chieftain. .

The officer, with that iar odd fanc that
at times seizes upon the t and wisest 0 man-
kind when a woman is concerned, had taken a
strangelikingto the girl. He wanted her for
his squaw; he, the elegant, carefully educated
mflemabg,‘ desired to poses the wild, savage

che uty.

And then, too, apart from his fanciful pae-
Iion for the girl, the captain had another object
in view. By birth Dinwiddie came of an old
Virginian famil , one of the line that, in the old
time, reigned fie princes over ten thousand
broad acres, whgoggent money like water and
who gave little to the future, and it was
this careless unthrift on the rt of his father
that had reduced the good ol Dinwxddic family
to almost absolute poverty.

0f the old line only the brother and sister re-
mained, but their ancestral estate was so cov-
ered by mortgages that it was doubtful, should
the creditors press their claims, if there would
beanythin left after their just demands and
the opp ve legal expenses were satisfied.

One absorbing desire, then, had the again—
a desire which welt with him both by y and
night, and which, as years rolled on, grow
stronger and stron , and that was to accumu-
late money enoug not only to pay of! the
famil debts, but to assume aldposition in the
work! such as the head of the 0 house of Din-
widdie had always occupied.

Of course t: e outlook for the accomplishment
of the purpose was not brilliant. The captain
man edtolive upon his omcml pay and that
was . Cleopatra was no burden to him or
else he would have found it extremely difficult
to get on at all. She, luckily, had a  in-
come sufficient for her support, the ft of a
deceased uncle who had not made “ duc s " and
adrfikes” of his money like all the rest of his

mi y.

Dinwiddie knew well enough that unless he
managed by such lucky chance to stumble upon
a. fortune his wishes could never be realised.

But, since he had been stationed in the West-
ern wilderness, he had seen so many men b
lucky strokes of fortune at a slug e
bound from povan to we th, that he began
to believe there mig t be a chance for him.

The stories of the hidden mines of the Apaches
had made a deep impression upon him, and he
firmly believed that there was some foundation
for thetales, and thiswaspne reason wh he was
so anxious to gut posmuion of the In inn girl.
Once she was ’s squaw he felt satisfied that he
could persuade her to reveal to him the secrets
of her tribe.

And Dinwiddie, pulling,r awayst his cigar in
dreamy meditation, waiting impatiently for
the time to come when he should cell upon the
savage beauty, like many another cal
man ut his t noughts into words:

“ 0 old chief thinks that it would be a
thing for him,” he muttered, “and of course the
girl knows what is in store for her or else she
would not have come. Mange is a cool and
cunning old rascal, but smart as he is, I tlunk
that in this matter I will get the best of the bar-

a

 

 

gildronze" ack.

21

 

 

gain. For six months or so I can stand the gig-l
e

well enough, and during that time I’m not
men I think I am if I don’t worm the secret of
some one of these hidden gold mines out of her,
and when I once get my fingers on the gold, why
then, the irl can 0 to the deuce as soon as she
leases. t won’t difficult to get rid of her.
ce let me find myself rich, then this wild
Western land won’t hold me lonlii,l nor the ser—
vice of Uncle Sam. I suppose t at Cleopatra
will kick up a. deuce of a row when I take 11
with this rl, but I can’t help that. That litt e
episode of crs in regard to the Gold-Hunter will
he a t, thou h, to keep her more uict than she
won d have con. I can’t very we I explain my
plans to her, for she has some very peculiar no-
ions about honesty—keeping faith and making
good her word. VVht-n the game is won,
though. I reckon that she will bring herself to
share in the spoils unless she takes it into her
head to mar this Bronze Jack, although I
hardly think t at she will go as far that.”
The captain came to the end of his cigar and

his meditations at the same time; so, flinging ,

the remains of the “weed” away he rose and
ap roached the window.

he moon hung high in the heavens right
over his head. The time for the interview had
come.

“ Now for my wooing!” he exclaimed. “ By
George! if any one had told me a year ago that,
within twelve months, I would be suin at the
feet of a she red-skin, entreating her to come
my squaw, I would have lau bed the idea to
scorn; but there’s no telling, in ' world, what
we may come to. ”

Dinwiddie threw his cloak around him, ad-
justed his hat and stepped forth into the open

air.

80 bright the moon that all was as lightas
by day. The sentinel without the stockade
wall was pacing with measured steps up and
down his beat before the gateway of the fort,
and the shining end of his bayonet, leaming
silver in the moonlight, could be plainI' y distin-
guished above the top of the wall.

Nota sound was in the air, except the mea-
sureéi tramp of the soldier keeping watch and
war '

The sounds of mirth and revelry which, ear~
lier in the night, had come from the lively deni-
zens of the mining camp. were absent now. The
midnight hour he ng close at hand the town was
wra in slumber’s chain.

“ ow for my beauty l” the captain murmur-
ed, as he advanced toward the door of the girl’s
apartment, through the curtained window of
which shone a dim light, thus lainly revealing
that the A he Flower wai for the coming
of her 1 and master. “ This night makes
her mine,” he continued, “and then for the se-
cret of these hidden gold deposits, the beacon-
light that lured Bronze Jack and his adventur-

are upon their dangerous wa .”
Agvaatlzlng to the door the captain tapped up-
on i so

The girfwas apparently the watch, for
the door was opened almos immediately and
the tall form of the Indian girl mm.

“ Do not fear, Chito, it is I!” widdie said,
cautiously.

“ Oh, I am not afraid; the heart of Chito, the
daughter of the wild Apache race, knows not
what it is to feel the taint of fear. ”

“ It is the time that you appointed.”

The Indian maid cast her eyes u ward; the
moon indeed did hang directly over eir heads.

“ Enter and Chito will mm replied the
girl stepping back from the th old so that he
con (1 enter.

The heart of the officer beat high with ex~
ultation- the moment of his triumph seemed
near at nd.

He glanced around him; not a soul of the gar—
rison seemed to be stirriwnfi save the sentinel
paiiilng his lonely beat hout the Stockade
wa

A single glance and then Dinwiddie, with the
stealthy tread of the night-prowler, rather than
the proud step of a successful lover, stole into
giggdapartment, closing the door carefully be-

There was a strange look upon the face of the
Indian girl as she noticed his cautious glance
before he entered, but, as he turned his head
toward her again the look vanished, and the
calm stolid expression reappeared.

“ hy does the rent white chief look around
him as thou h he cared that he was watched?”
she asked. ‘ is be afraid that some one will see
him come into the room of the woman who is
to be his squaw l”

“Oh, no!” replied the captain seating him-
self in a chair, and giving himselfupto a mira-
tion for the stately beauty of the red maiden,
for she was beautiful despite her masculine ap-

rance. “But, no one knows, as yet, ou

ow, that you are to be my s uaw, an of
course if any one saw me coming n here at this
hour it would be apt to excite wonder. To-
morrow, when I introduce on to my men as
my uaw, why, it will be right."

‘ Chito is satisfied,” answered the girl. in her
quiet. impassive way, “but she thou ht that,
maybe the white chief was ashamed 0 her, and
it made her hU'Jl‘ll sad."

 

The words were plaintive enough, but there
wasn’t the least bit of it in her tone.

“Oh, no] I am proud of you, Chito!” he ex-
claimed. “ It is not every white chief that can
win the daughter of great Manga Colorado for
his new. ut you are satisfiedto come and
dwe in my Wigwam? Your father did not
force you to this step?”

The girl drew herself up proudly, and a flash
of 1i ht came from her dar eyes.

“ e man lives not, red or white, Man
Colorado or the greatest chief of the A c e
nation, who can compel Chito Colorado 0 en-
{leg the Wigwam of a chief whom she did not

' e!

A regular tiger-cat, thou ht the oflccr, and
in his soul he laughed whenie reflected what a
tool he intendcd to make of this proud, savage
maiden to serve his Own ambitious ends.

“ You come, then, of your own free will i”

“ Yes, else Chito would not have come at all i”

“ ,And you are content to give yourself to
me? ’

“ Take me! You are my chief l” and the girl
cast down her dark eyes.

Dinwiddie rose, and with a single impulsive
movement folded her to his heart, and the next
moment a hollow groan escaped from his lips.

 

CHAPTER XXXIII.
A BLOODY nun.

LITan wonder that the hollow groan—tho
cry of mortal agpny—was forced from the
quivering lips of t e captain. Even as he fold-
ed the girl to his heart, encircling the superb
form in his strong arms with a steady, de-
liberate hand and wondrous skill, as she
pressed her lips to his, she dealt him a ter-
rible blow in the back right at the spine with a
razor-edged knife which she plucked from her
girdle even as she embraced him.

The blow was mortal and the stricken man
never ke word after he received it.

A ho ow , and that was all!

The life eb fast away, and almost before
his clinging lips had parted from her own, the
fell destroyer, grim death, had claimed his

pre .
She held a lifelem form within her arms.
The plotter had been caught in his own trap:
not for him was the warlike A ache maid—not
for him the hidden secrets of a golden stores
lairfiedinthe deep recesses of thewildApachs
His race was run—his career ended; he had
fallen, not like a soldier should fall—in open
lorious fight, amid the red heat of battle, but
0 a craven cur by a woman’s hand.
With dexti ous movement, and a face as stolid
as though her hand had not fall murder com—
mitted, the girl laid the lifeless form upon the

floor and th Mnfi'ilh cautious ste to
the door, shgnipened and pooped cutp'Bho
wasafraid th someratlesauneasy slower
might have been awakened by the last despair»
ingfiof her victim.

o nehadfavoredherth h,forallwith-
in the Camp 3]

t soundly, an the {agonizing
groan of thedea stricken man had on upon
no cars except her own.

With a self-satisfied look upon her dusky
face,she closed the doorsndreturnedtoher
victim.

She removed his uniform and adjusted it upon
her own person, cast his cloak over shoul-
ders and pulled his hat down over her eyezhand
although in stature not so tall as the car
when she had so artfully slafiyct she was a
fair counterfeit of him, and cly to deceive
eXcept on near inspection.

And, thus attired, step ing forth from the
house with the hold, swinging step of a man, it
worlilld have been a kmobsergr  who. in
me adisguise' ,wou ave n etorecog-
nine the A be Flower, Chito Colorado.

This w' d demon was not satisfied with the
blood that she had already shed but craved for
more: but, as she halted by the door, as though
to reflect upon the next step to be taken, a sud-
den thought occurred to her. The captain of
the had succumbed to her keen stroke, but
she ad ne lected to secure the ory trophy of
victory so earto the heart of t e savage: the
“ scalp)” of Dinwiddie was still in its place!

Wit firm purpose she retraced her steps, en-
tered the room, secured the scalp of the maii
whom she had sent so suddenly and without
warning to his lon home, and then, inflexible
as the very angel 0 death itself, she proceeded
to carry out the plan for which she had deemed
it necemary to d sguise herself in the unilorm
of the dead officer.

_ She strolled across the parade-ground, k
mg a careful watch to see if she was ohserve ,
but she was not; she opened the. gate of the
stockade, takin advantage of the sentinei‘s ab
sence at the enfof his bait, and reclining care—
lessly against the side of the portal, waited for
the senth return.

The soldier had seen the gate open and the
captain, as he mippored, a pear; and so excel—
lent wns the asumption 0 this female demon,
aided as it was by the shadow cast bv the
stockade wall, that the sentinel was compleme
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against the door-post.

As the soldier came marching back the sup-

, posed ofllcer beckoned for him to approach.

I The man, believin that the other had some
communication to eliver, came up instantly.
and when within a yard or so of the gate halt-
ed and saluted.

This was the opportunity which the disguised
red—skin sought.

Still in her hand was the keen-edged knife,
yet rocking in the blood of the slain iuwiddie,

and, as the sentinel, totally devoid of all sus- ‘
icion, halted before her, with a bound like the '

ungry tiger leaping at his prey she sprung
upon him.

The razor-edged knife glittcred for a. moment
in the moonlight and then was driven up to the
hilt in‘ the breast of the soldier, who, taken en-
tirely by surprise, had no chance to oii’er re—
sistancc to the deadly stroke.

So skillfully delivered was the blow, so deter-
mined the stroke, so great the muscular force
that impelled the knife that the keen steel sap-
ped the life of the hapless sentry at once.

He staggered back with a cry of anguish.

“Oh, my God!" he exclaimed, dropping his
gun and throwing up his arms in an agony of

n.

Fearing lest the stricken man should give an
alarm, and so arouse the sleeping garrison, with
an angry bound the red-skin followed up the ad-
vantage which she had so deftl won.

A dozen times at least she rove the bloody
knife clear up to the hilt in the breast of the un-
fortunate man, each stab large and deadly
enough to let out a life.

The sentry stumbled backward, im lied by
the fierce attack, fell, and then expir without

a roan.
Town by his side knelt the red-skin, and with
er ears she listened. She feared lest the
no of the struggle might have awakened some
one within the garrison.

But on this fatal ni ht it seemed as if some
dark, malignant ange -some demon, hot with
the desire for slaughter—watched over the
bloody enterprise, for the last despairing cry of
the death-stricken man did not alarm the sound
sleepers of the fort.

A few minutes Chito remained in her watch.
ful attitude, and then, satisfied that there was
no cause for fear, she roceeded to dcxtrously
:25! the scalp of the so dier to that of the cap-

n.

Then raisin the bleeding witnem of her
bloody work 6 6 carried it around the angle of
the wall and concealed it in the tall rass. This
deed performed, she stationedherse just inside
the gate in anticipation of .the approach of
Mange Colorado and his warriors.

And so it happened that, when the Apaches
stole u to the gate of the stockade they were
astonis at t e appearance of what seemed
to them to be the commander of the garrison.

Mange. was prompt to act, and his 1011 knife
flashed up into the air ready to strike t e sol-
dicr down.

But the girl at once checked the stroke.

“ It is I—Chitol" she exclaimed, cautiously.

A at of admiration came from the lips of
the old Apache, and the. surrounding warriors
re-echoed it.

“ And the captain?” Mange. questioned.

For answer the demon-hke girl held up the

ry scalp that she had torn from the head of
go slain officer.

The old chief clutched it erly and surve -
ed it with a glance of pride. a recognized t e
shining locks which had once adorned the hand-
some head of the dashin captain, for Dinwiddie

had always been somet ing of a dandyin re-
gard to his nal up rance.

“Wahl tis good M a exclaimed, in a
tone which plainly indica that he was re-
markabl well pleased at the way in which
matters adgone. “Chito no squaw.” he con-
tinued, aVely addressing his warriors—“ a

t’ch cf—as great as any in the Apache na-

on. ,

And the warriors solemnly shook their heads
'as much as to say that they full coincided in
the o iuion promulgated by the o d brave.

' Wi a proud gesture the girl swung open the
to

8‘“ Enter l” she exclaimed; “ the white men are
at your mercy!”

,1 ‘ And the white squaw?" the old red butcher
asked, eagerly, as the stole through the portal;
“ the white uaw w lore is she?”

“ Yonder; will show you.”

“Death to all!” Manga exclaimed, cautiously
to his warriors as they stole into the fort;
“death to all! Slay and more not, excepting
til): vivhite squaw; she is for owigwam of your
c e i
h And so the word was passed throughout the

out.

“ Death to all but the white squawl"

And to have given her to the cruel slaughter
would have been a mercy rather than a re her
for the dreadful fate to which the old ' f had
deomed her.

Cleo atra Dinwiddie~the bright, beautiful,
refin Cleopatra, the Iqaaw of the brutal,
greasy, blood-stained old savage, his soul weightn

ed that it was Captain Din'widdie who leaned

 

 

 

ed down by a hundred vile deeds, each one worse
than the other!

Wonderfully successful had been the lans of
the savages up to this int. If the o d chief
himself had had the entire directing of events,
he could not have arranged matters more to his
satisfaction than they had been; but now, for
the first time, he was to meet a check.

The door of the girl’s quarters was carefully '

locked. With all the natural fear of women,
Cleopatra stoutl y guarded the door of her apart-
uicnt.

Mango tried the door carefully and as can-
tiously as the ni;-;ht-prowli-r on the search for ‘
prey, but the door opened not: then the old 1
chief put his broad shoulder to it and endeaVor- '
ed to force it Open, with violence and yet with-
out noisc. l

But the door was stoutly framed, and thon'zh i
it creaked under the pressure yet it yielded

not.

The chief hesitated; it would not do to burst i
in the door, for by so doing the sleeper would be
most surei y awakened. The surprise must come .
all together.

The attack was soon arranged. Chito, with
a couple of brawny braves, was to burst in the :
door of the girl’s apartment at the same moment i
that Manga and the rest sprung like tigers upon
the unsuspecting sleeping soldiery.

CHAPTER XXXIV.
rm: ATTACK.

THE particulars were soon arranged. The In-
dians scattered themselves around the fort,
ready for the signal to dommencc the slaughter.

Within five minutes’ time old Mange. waved
his hand and then, high on the air rung the re—
vengeful war-cry of the Apache warriors.

Into the quarters of the soldiers they burst
and commenced a ferocious attack upon the
sleeping men.

80 complete was the surprise that the soldiers,
s ringing in alarm from their beds, the next in-
8 nt fel beneath the Weapons of the savage fee,
but even this complete slau hter took time. and
some few of the men ha an opportunity to
grasp their weapons, and those who did so,

ravely gave fight; but it was a hgfclcss strug-
gle, and, although it cost the red- ins some of
their best warriors, it was soon 0 ded.

But the Indians had not succeeded to the ex-
tent which the had anticipated They had
hoped to slang tor the soldiers without alarm-
ing the town, so that they could also surprise
the miners in their beds, but this, from the way
in which matters went, was rendered impossible.
Some of the soldiers had clutched t cir fire-
arms, and some brisk shooting had taken place

uite enou h to alarm the town below in the
vale : and hen, too, by one of these strange
acci ents which sometimes happen and no one
can tell how or why they occur, the quarters
took tire, and bein composed of light inflam-
mable stuff, burnt risk] , despite the efforts of
the Indians to extinguis 1 them. Not that the
red-skins cared two straws about the buildings,
but they did for the plunder which they con-
tained, and sorely angry were the Apache.
when they saw the devouring flames lick up the
booty winch they had intended to carry off to
their mountain homes.

A complete success had been the surprise of
the soldiers, but Chito had not succeeded so well
in her task. At the Si ai given by old Mange.
the warriors who had cen ctailcd to assist her
in capturing the girl, put their shoulders to the
door and attempted to burst it in, but the door
was a stout one. and for a minute or two resist-
ed their efforts, but, finally, it yielded,  as it
rave way with a crash, torn from the hinges,
into the apartment rushed the savages.

The irl was not there.
She ad been alarmed b the attack and the
had. offered

stubborn resistance that t 0 door
had 'ven her time to escape.

;‘ ah! sheis gone!" cried one of the chief-
ta us.

But Chito’s quick eyes noted that the bed was
all in disorderas though it had been occu icd
and the slee r had been suddenly roused rom
slumber, on then a door at the other end of the
room ca ht her eyes.

She rus ed to it! It was locked and the key
upon the outside. The truth flashed u 11 her
at once. The girl, mused from her alum rs b
the attem t to force the door, had at once real-
ized that anger was at hand, and had improved
the opportunity to escape that the resistance of
the door had offered; and so calm and deliber-
ate had been her movements that she had lock-
:d the door, through which she hm! fled, after

er.

In obedience to Chito’s command the braves
forced the door.

As the red-skins had suspected, it led into the
o n air, and, right close at hand was amall
3 ed wherein the spotted mustang was kept,
and as the reds came through the door out from
the shed rode Cleopatra.

She had cast a water-proof cloak over her
night-robes, had had time to bridle and saddle
her horse, and now, with a revolver in each
hand, she was about to make a bold dash to es-
cape from the terrible trap in which the inmates

 

 

cf the garrison had been caught. *

\

The warriors who had accompanied Chito
sprunglforward to endeavor to detain the 'rl,
but C ito stood still with staring eyes. is

respect of the girl’s escape seemed to turn her
into stone, so bitter was the hate she here to the
white beauty.

With a steady and determined hand Cleopatra
fi', ed at {the red warriors who endeavored to in—
LL‘AUUl v lUl‘.

in sportive moments the girl had practiced
with the rCVolvcr, so that she had become quite
an excellent shot, and the skill stood her friend
DOW.

Two quick, snap Shots she fired, and each time
the bullet found its billet in the flesh of a red
warrior.

Down went the red—skins stricken nearto death
by the girl's firm hand.

The way was 0198 r for her escape, for the red
skins Were all bus with the fighting soldicry,
and not a dusky )rnve barred the way to the
open gate of the stockade.

With firm—set lips and resolute purpose Cleo-
patra rode for the gate at the best speed of the
spotted beast.

Another minute and she would have passed
through the portal, sale for the present from all
danger, and this fact seemed to waken Chito
from her abstraction.

With desperate, bloodthirsty resolve she
plucked a revolver from her belt and leveling it
at the fleein g girl flred.

Cleopatra was right at the gate as the shot

came.
Deadly, indeed was the aim for the 'rl
with a wild shriek, toppled over backward,€nd

the
soun
the

tted mustan , terribly alarmed by the

of the bi y conflict, passed through
ate riderless.
ith a gloomy face Chito advanced to where
the girl lay rostrate on the ground—her face
upturned to t e uiet, peaceful moon that seemed
in wonder to 100 down upon this dreadful scene
of mortal carnage.

The girl was dead—the ball had reached he:
heart and cut it in twain. Her long hair
simpl arranged in a single braid, attrac
Chito s attention. She stooped and with a
single slash of her keen knife severed it.

‘ When I meet him, I will show this as a
trophy!” she muttered to herself, as she rose to
her feet. “No lon er will she dispute with me
for his love i" A than she took another look
at the face of the dead girl, as calm and ce-
ful as tho h she was sleeping quietly Eleahcr
bed, lnstca of usthalzioggpassed through the
mortal agon t at  es and accompanist
the gassage t rough ath’s dark door.

“ he is very beautiful, but she never carried
the heart in her bosom that I bear in mine.
She was never fitted to be his squaw, while I
am. It is not possible that he likes her better
than he does me: but if he did,” she continued
defiantly, “what matters it now? She is dea
andI live! He either becomes my chief or I
will kill him as I have killed her and her pale
faced brother—the vulture that aspired to mate
with the eagle.”

By this time the conflict was about over, and
the names, gaining ground, luridly illuminated
the scene.

Chito turned away from her victim and a
preached the group of Apaches wherein the o
chief stood.

Manga was busily engaged in giving orders.
He intended to instantly attack the mining-
camp, notwithstandin that the inhabitants had
been alarmed by the ght in the fort and were
naturally on the alert.

“The girl-the white squaw—whero is she?"
the old chief demanded, instantly.

“Yonder,” and Chito pointed to the motion-
less mass upon the round by the gate.

The chief’s eyes ashed wrth rage.

“ She is hurt!” he cried.

d “ane,” responded Chito, bluntly; “she is
cad!

The rage of old Mango. knew no bounds, and
for a moment he Swore most fluently in A che,
Spanish and English. One language did not
contain “cuss” words enough to do justice to
his feelings. .

The i listened in silence, gloomy and ab-

strac .

At last, his anger in some little measure eased
b the explosion, he turned to Chito for an ex.
p anation.

“How comes it that she is dead—who killed
her?” he demanded.

“ I did,” the girl re lied, mstan' ti .

Again the rage of t 0 old chief, tans abruptly
cheated of his prey—deprived of the beautiful
white squaw after which his soul hungered—-
 forth; he raised his hand as though in-
tending to strike the 'rl to his feet, but, saw.
age brutal monster as e was there was a look
in the dark eyes of Chito, who faced him no-
dauntedly, that eta ed his hand.

And well it was or Manga that he refrained
from striking thegirl, for in the present 408
Ecratc mood of Ohio’s soul she was not in th-

umor to take a blow from any one, and it the
old chief had not slain her with the stroke, 51 a
moat ly would have used a weapon upon
him in return.

“Youare womb—too eager for blood!” he

 

 

 

 

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cried. “Do you not kn0w that I had marked that
girl for my squaw. I would rather that the great
white chief h mself had escaped than for her to
fail.”

“She would have escaped otherwise,“ Chito ex-
plained. “ She managed to got to her horse, struck
down two warriors by pistol-shots, and would have
escaped had I not fired at her. You can see that she
fell right in the doorway.“

“ Better that she had escaped,“ the old chief grunt-
cd, unable to conquer his disappointment. “She
Would haw gone direct to the town, and I will take
that, too, before another moon rises!"

The chief spoke, confidently enough, but it was not
such a sure thing as he thought, although the In-
dians did outnumber the miners fivs to one; but the
Big Walnut mcu, warned of the savages‘ pur )ose,
were on the‘alert, and knowin that naught butt eath
or a hideous captivity awaitc them in the event of a
savage triumph were preparing to sell their lives as
dearly as masible.

Clearly llanga Colorado had no light task before
him when he marshaled his warriors to attack Big
Walnut Camp.

 

CHAPTER XXXV.
rm: ATTACK 0N 'rrra cm.

Tar. slaughter of the unfortunate troopers, so com-
pletely taken by surprise, had only 'ust whetted the
appetites of the red warriors, and t ey thirsted for
more blood, therefore the announcement of the old
chief that he would immediately iroceed watth
the town was received with genera rejoicing.

But it was no light task that the savage braves
had undertaken, as they speedily discovered, al-
though fiushed with their easy triumph over the gar-
rison, they rushed to the assault of the town brlmful
of confidence. .

But now they were not placed in opfiosition to men
hastily roused from hea slumber, r y—arrned—for.
in fact, many of the sol iers were armed only with
Nature‘s weapons, not having time to grasp steel or

ll.

Til? miners in the town who, asa general rule, 316 t
with their weapons ri ht at their sides,alarmod by t e
fight within the fort, ad ample time to prepare for
the fray, and there wasn‘t a man in the Camp who
gdn't understand the magnitude of the impending

nger.

Manga Colorado had often boasted that some time
he would come down from his mountain home and
take the scalps of all the e-face mud-diggers, as
he contem tuousiy term the miners; and now the

ache ch 8! was about to be as good as hrs word.
onderfuliy succesqu had the red chief been, too,
in his surprise of the fort, as the miners saw, for
they understood, when the behold the Indians in
on of the post, an could not discover any
pigrils (if8 soldiers, that all the troops had fallen
at e . -

In an emergency like this such men as Bronze

Jack and the old scout, Big Bill Williams, naturally
came to the front.
The miners instinctively looked upon the two as
be: more capable of directing their movements in
the impending fight than any other two men that
Big Walnut Camp could boast.

t the first as the miners came rushing in hot
haste from their shanties their first impulse was to
hurry to the assistance of the troops, but Jack and
Williams objected. .

“It's no use, boys!" the adventurer exclaimed.
“They're done for, and I doubt if there is a single
man of them alive now. The Indians have managed
to surprise them; as you can plainly see, the reds
are in complete ssession o the fort. Heaven
knows I feel as about it as any man can, and I
would do anything in reason to save the poor fel-
lows, if there are any of them left, which I doubt but
the attempt would be only madness. We shoul fall
an easy prey to the red devils. They have a regular
army, seven or eight hundred warriors at the least 3"

The night was so light that the miners could easily
distinguish the dancin yelling savages clustered

the fort, and g‘lfll‘ numbers appeared so

at t at it seemed as if Bronze Jack had underes-

imated the fore and that from a thousand to fit-
teen hundred red- us were upon the hillside.

“Thicker‘n fieas in a Greaser's blanket, boys!"
Big Bill Williams yelled. “No use of our gwine for
them; they‘ll come for us, soon enough !“

“ And we can whip them, too!“ Bronze Jack cried,
in a most decided tone. “Whip them bad, no mat-
ter if old Mango has got two thousand warriors at
his back, if you’ll only be guided by me. We must
stick to our shantles, and p ug the reds as they dash
at them." _

“Thar never was no Injun that lived yet that was
worth a cent in tacklinga man in a house!" Williams

rotested. “ We’ll flax 'em, boys, and send ‘em

owlin’ like imps of sin!“

This resolute talk put new life into the miners;
but not much time was allowed for deliberation, for
the Indian chief as soon as possible led his followers

‘ to the attack and sack of the town.

he blazing buildings of the fort were throwing
their flames Igh in the niras tho h ambitious to
outshine the light of the moon as oi Mango led his
warriors down the hillside.

With all the and flamenco: of the mountain
torrent, leaping down its rocky bed, the Indians
came.

Not a white man could the see—not a sound as-
cended from the town; t 6 names cracked and
roared; the savages yelled, but not: a single cry on-
swrelrgdfltihe defiance. to ch. 1d

once was so com o ntfi the o
red-skin believed all in go townt'hnd 52:1 in con-
‘sternation.

But, from this dream he was destined to berudely
awakened. 6.

The savages came rushing into the town, and then.
high on the air, rose the vorce of the old scout:

‘ Give 'cm bitma, boys!"

At once the settlers opened fire. From eve
house came a sheet of flames, and in the center of
every little lurid puff was a death-dealing ball

It was a terrible fire and did terrible execution;
red-skin after red-skin drop in his tracks: the
as all of defiance whic was pealing from the
thrgnutlc snged into the hollow groan that tells of

mo pain.
The Apaches were caught in strap. and do perato
and infuriated by the slaughter. they endeavored to

 

’ Bronze Jack.

1 2

Ci?

 

break 0 .en the doors of some of the shanties so as
to get a the inmates, but the miners were prepared
for this move. Doors and windows were all care-
fully barricaded, and the only result of the bold
movement was to increase the slaugh‘er.

Chief after chief went down, either killed outright
or badly disabled

If the Indians had been white men they Would
have fought on, trusting to their overw reiming
numbers to at last give them the victory. but they
were not white men and could not be he (1 together
it? one body as white men could and would have

een.

By the time thirty or forty men were, down the

Apaches ruade up their minds that they had had ‘

about enough of this sort of thing, and so, picking
up their dead and wounded, they decamped as fast
as they could go, greatly to the joy of the miners,
who could hardly believe that they had succeeded in
so easily repulsing the Indians’ attack.

But, now that the deed was accomplished, their
spirits rose again, and it was with the greatest dim-
cultv that their two lenders, Bronze Jack and Big

Bill Williams, could restrain them from rushing forth ‘

to pursue the Apaches in their retreat.

“Steady, men, stead 1“ Jack had cried, as the Q

men came rushing out nto the street, blazing away
at the flying foe, who were retreating as fast as their
legs could carry them. “ Don’t get beyond the
shelter of the town or you Will regret it. e have
beaten them off, but we are no match for them in
the open country. There’s altogether too many of
them for us."

“ That's thar leetle game now!“ Williams ex-
claimed. “ They want to git us to foller ‘enr up and
then they‘ll turn round and salivate us. 0h, l tell

you, boys, I know these red bucks for all that they ;

are worth 1"
And the old scout was right; this was Mango Coi-

f orado‘s scheme exactly: but, thanks to the adven-

 

turer and the old scout the cunningly-devised
scheme did not succeed. he whites stuck close to
the shelter of the shantiesz and began to prepare for
another attack, for they did not believe that Mange
would rest satisfied wit the beating he had received
and tamer give uh)1 the plunder and sculpt; which
seemed fairly with his grasp.

CHAPTER XXXVI.
JOHN as non.

GAINING the hillside again. and gle‘tting fairly be-
yond ran 7 e of the miners’ fire, old anga began to
make a d sposition of his forces which soon convinced
the miners that the old red heathen by no means
dos aired of bagging the whole of them.

first m0vement was to surround Big Walnut
Camp with a line of warriors, thus cutting on the
settl-‘rs‘ escape.

“ He has failed in the attack, so he is going to try
what a siege will do." the adventurer observed, up-
on beholding the movement.

“Wa-ai, we‘ve all right if we‘re got grub enough
in the Cam to hold out until the heathens get tired
or somcb. y comes to our assistance," was old Wil-
liams‘s o inion.

The ners who overheard the remark, shook
their heads. Big Walnut Camp was not over and
above well supplied, as it happened, 'ust at that
time. True, 3 wagon-train from the ower towns
with provisions was overdue, and might be expected
to arrive at any time, but, as the Indians surel
would capture the train the moment it appeared,
that chance was cutoff.

Jack asked Williams quietly from what quarter
he s cc and the old scout answered
from be lower posts on the Gila, where quite a force
was stationed, but, as the adventurer reminded the
scout, it would be u for a messenger to pass
the Indian line and warn the posts of the danger to
which Big Walnut Camp was expoaed, before any
assistance could be expected from them.

The messenger might succeed in Ill ping through
the savage line; in fact, Big Bill Wi ams declared
that he could do it and not half try, but, whether he
could reach the Gila posts and return with the
troops, before starvation would play the mischief
with l«gage besieged men was a question not easily an-
swe .

And while the whites were puzzling their brains
over their situation, the red-skins were no less
bothered in regard to theirs. ~

They had the town surrounded by a ring of steel
which it was madness to think that the palcfaces
could break through, but, while they;I most cer-
tainly could keep the miners from gett g out, they,
on their own part, were equally certain of keeping
them from gettin in.

And it was no 10 e to feed five hundred wanders in
such a country—or to speak more correctly, to feed
four hundred and fifty, for about fifty men had al-
read been disabled in the fight. The miners bad
lo since driven the game away from the vicinity
of he town. and their dams and tunnels in the
riveer depqpulated the stream of its fish. The

usrtorrnaster s department of a sav arm
oesn't amount to much: for two or three ays so
a force might manage to get on, but longer than
that the commissary arrangement would be most
decidedly at fault,

The problem then, in brief, was: could the town
be taken within three or four days, and, if not,
cgnld be hold his followers together longer than
t at?

Man and the rincipal chief debated over this
dimcu t matter un ii the sun commenced to rise in
the eastern skies, and the conclusion the snv
warriors came to was to attack thevil eag n,
not with an impetuous rush as before, but y a. slow
approach, the moment nightfall set in, taking ad-
vantage of every caver they could find, and by at-
tacking at all lots they be to confuse the
miners and was en the force 0 the defense.

And then the Red Gold-Hunter, who had sat silent
and moody during the discussion, saying never a
word, begged to suggest a plan.

The plan of John Mustang was an extremely sim-
ple one and soon explained. He proposed to go
to the miners under the mtoction of a of
truce and ask for a talk. 3. no doubt, woul be
ted. Then he would represent to them the

th

 

mm. danger of their tion—tell them that
the Apaches had sworn w dreadful oaths never
to leave the town while a single white man ro-

within it; but that, in consideration or

 

their brave defense and with a view tosparethe
useless shedding of blood—for that the paches
would certainly conquer in the end there was no
doubt, when the extent of numbers corn red with
the miners was considered—if the pale- aces chose
to give up the fight, (and of what use to wgge war
when death was the only prize to be gain, ?) the
A inches would permit them to depart and take
what they could of their worldly goods with them.

The old red rascals nodded their heads at each
other in afpprobation. Instinctiyoiv they guessed the
scheme 0 the other. but Manga. who always wanted
everything made clear. questioned the half-breed
further:

“ They leave the camp; what then 3’"

“ It is many miles before they will roach a white
village, and in the mountains, or on the prairie,
“'lllllt is to prevent the red-men from taking their
sea ps?“

A grunt of approval came from thelips of the
grave warriors. This scheme suited them exact! .
No disgrace to lie to a foe and trick him to his dent ,
but a great fool the foe to be so tricked.

So, when the sun was well up Mustang John
mounted his horse, which he ha procured, and
with a new of white cloth on a little stick he rode
down t e hillside.

Bronze Jack, a cocked rifle in his hand and with
his revolvers loosened in their holsters, came forth
to meet him.

The two came together at a point just about half-
way between the town and the Indian line.

“ Oh, it is you, is it?“ Jack remarked, as he came
up to the horseman.

“ I want a talk!“

“ Go ahead."

“The A(paches have you in a trap.“

“ Why on‘t they spri it, then i"

“ There is nothin but oath before you."

“ What else is be ore on man?"

“ But this death is certa 1); when the Indiansnguin
close in upon you, not a man wi l escape to tell the
tale of how died the men of Big Walnut Camp i‘

“ Do you rely more on your words than on
weapons that you come with these brags?" ack
exclaimed, scornfully.

“The Apache chief, Mango Colorado bears no ill-
will to the men who dig; it is the blue-coats, the
men who fight whom he hates. He has killed them all
up there,“ and the er waved his hand toward
the smoldering ruins of the fort.

“All?” questioned the adventurer, a dark look
upon his bronzed face, and as he spoke his eyes
were fixed upon a handsome tress, evidently from a
worfian's head, that dangled from the speaker‘s
gm 9.

“ Alli" Mustang John replied, and a savage smile
lighted up the handsome face. “ I understand she
is dead, too. This came from her head," and the
speaker lifted up the ion silken locks, once the
pride of Cleo atra Dinwiddie as he spo .

“ And you illed her?“ Jaclr spoke with such or n-
straint that it was plain he labored under deep emo-

tron.

“ Yes, I killed her—I killed her on your account,
do you understand?“

“You areadernon in human shape!" the adven-
turer exclaimed, violently, “and it would be but
Heaven‘s justice were I now to send you to our
long home!“ and in his an excitement at
brought the rifle up and love! t full at the breast
of the half-breed.

Must John never stirred, although the Apaches
upon the inside, who were watching the interview,

our

were agitated.
JThe f-reedfairlysmiledinthefnceofBronu
so

1:.
“fire!” he said, softl ; “this is the third time that
I have sought death a your hands and each and
every time you have refused me the n."

“ ho, no! ‘ the adventurer cried, lowering the
Lnuzgle of the gun; “ your blood must not be on my

on ."

" I killed the white squaw because she loved you;
I killed the white captain, because he dared to
dream of making Chito Colorado his squaw, a if the
eagle would mate with the vulture!"

‘ Enough! You make me sick at hear-ti What
wan’lt'hyomfl t A h hief if b

“ e grea e c says, t e pale-faces
throw down the r arms they are free to depart.

:: entailck, that he mgy mgrder uisnat his case!"

your arm t en, epart peace.‘

“ Never! He wo d mail us on the road!"

“ Listen, then: though death comes to all the rat,
to you I bring life!"

CHAPTER XXXVII.
m tarmac-nan nvm.

Brion: JACK looked at the eaker m ornament.
It wasplnin that he mistrust him. ‘

“You bring life to me?" he sai slowly.

“ Yes; den h to all the rest, but ife to you."

“ I do not understand how that can be. '

“ Your companions are doomed.“

“Perhaps, and perhaps not,“ answered the adven-

turer.

on it is certain. Hangs Colorado has
sworn b t bones of all his fathers never to leave
this spoz until he has taken the white men‘s scalp.
and burnt their dwellings to the ground."

“I reckon we willhea tto have a few words to
say about that, before t e chief carries outhis ro-
gramme t" and Bronze Jock slapped the butt 0 bk
rifle significantly. “We thrashed you red-sldns out
of t e town pretty quickly when you tried it on, and
what we have done, we can do "

“ ngs Colorado will clin to {Ion—will surround
you with a wall of steel and fire t rough which you
cannot hope to break; one by one your men
will go down. and then when the time comes, in a
lastgrand attack. he will exterminate the rest."

“ ou red-skins may believe that, but we white
men do not," the adventurer answered decided .
“We‘ve got force enough to hold you at boy on
announce comes, and it will come in time."

“ Will the birds of the air be your m

I to
tell your fu~oirbrotbers that the A hes ho you
with ngripoofiron?" asked the breed,

* '0 will find enough,

messengorl and w
sendtbemwhenweou-otodoog" an“
“musty.

   
 

. _._.‘.4...,.—7v.‘~'

v. V. - e-‘~“‘e-gl


flew

 
 
  

Bronze Jack.

 

s..§.1_:..._._ 1.. ‘ '4 _ .. _.

that death is so near!"
6‘ o v

“ But it is, and I wish to save you'"

“ For such a bloodthirsty animal as on have
shown ourself to be, you are wouderfu y merci-
ful!" t e adventurer exclaimed, in stinging con-

tem t.

“ fierciful to you, and to you alon" 3" replied John
Mustang, earnestly. “Do {on s -e this horse? His
botte: treads not he soil 0 earth; h" is as fleet as
the wind; the Indian lineto the westward is badly
guarded; I will dismount and approach you as if to
shake hands and depart; you can improve the op-
portunity to strike me down; I will pretend to be
stunned; ou cans ring II on the hack of the horse;
one bold ash and lfe am liberty is before you.“

Bronze Jack surveyed the spcakerin Wonder.

" You have some tra ) concealed in Ihis odor,“ he
said, at last. Ho bill a great distrust of the half-
breed.

“Upon my soul I have n05!" John Mustang cried
in an earnest voice. “No matter wlmtl am to all
the rest of the world—no lilttt‘of’i' iI' mi: soul is steeped
in blood, to you I am a lru» l'riv-ud. here is no trap
in my offer! It is liberty and life that I place before

ou ‘

Truth was in the voice of the speaker, if ever
truth dwelt in the tones of a human.

Bronze Jack shook his head.

“ You will not go?“ John Mustang cried. his voice
trornxbling.

to O I

“ You will stay here and die~die b the hand of a
red warrior who will tear your scalp rom your head
and ban it up to dry, as a trophy of triumph, in the
smoke 0 his Wigwam?"

“ I am not So certain about that as you appear to
be," J ack responded, dryly. “ I do not agree with
you that the victory of the Apaches is a foregone
conclusion. I think that we can easily hold our own

ainst you, and both old Mange and his warriors
wdl soon tire of a game wherein they find that they
can win nothing but death."

“But before the Apaches give up the fight they
will make one last, des )crute effort. ‘ _

“ Oh, yes, there’s no oubt in In ' mind about that."

“And in that fight, and it wi be a bloody one,
you may perish."

“ That may be—tbere is no telling; I do not bear a
charmed life, and when my time comes I shall most
certainlyebe obliged to step up to the captain‘s omce
dud sett .“

“ But I now ofler you a chance to escape the
danger!“ the half-breed urged, with persist-

once.

“And I laugh at the idea!“ the adventurer cried,
impulsively. “ What do you take me for? If there
were a drop of blood in mvflns cowardly enough to

laid to such a step, I'd 9 my knife and let it out.

be men in yonder town look upon me as a leader.
It was under my directions that we beat back your
red devils in the last attack. Do you think that for
the paltry sake of esca ling from the peril now
threatening them, I won] turn my back and fly like
a craven? No, sir! you don‘t know our man when
you make such a proposal to me. place is with
yonder men in yonder town, until 0 thing lade-
clded. With them I‘ll fight you and your red heathen,
and we’ll either flax you out and send you all how!-
ing back to the wilderness from whence you came,
or else die in our tracks as befits good men and true.‘

“It is m cos—it is madness!" John Mustannlf
erlcd an exprmsiou of pain upon his face. The h -
b seemed to be terribly in earnestin this matter,
andif it was all a trick and he was only shammiug
after he was carrying out the artifice with most
wonder at skill.

“Be it madam or not, that‘s mylgame, and I in-
tendtopla it for all it is worth!‘ rouse Jack re-

‘ , in a ne of uiet rosoluaion. .
“It is your flna answer?“ the half-brood asked,
athegng up the reins of his horse and preparing to
r
Y - and you might talk from now until dooms-
day on you would get no other.“

‘ Whether we ever meet again or not, you will
believe that I have acted honestly in this matter—
thnt I have tried to save you from the danger that
threatens to the best of my ability r" The voice of
tbs“ or was strangely low and sweet, almost

a

no in its tones.
" Yes, I do believe on wish to save me,” the ad-
venturer answered, ng his keen gaze upon the
speaker with such a strange, earnest look that the
him-breed”: eyes sunk beneath the scrutiny.

“Three times have I given you life,“ continued
Jack, “ and now I really believe you wish to return

the favor.“
“It is so—lt is the truth! I swear it by all that I
Mustang John cried,

hold sacred in this worldl"

earnestly. “ But you may not fall in the light; it
may be your fate to fall a captive into the hands of
the red-men; and if such should be the case, will you
then take life from my hands?“

"Youwill not believe me, then, when I tell you

andbo

 

“Yes, most decidedly,“ Bronze Jack replied at 4‘

once.
into Manga‘s hands, and you of or me a chance to

“If the fortune of war rives me a prisoner 
,I timber without suffering much loss.

escape, you may rest assured that I will accept the ‘

‘

olfcr.‘

“ If the light goes against you then—if you see that '

the Apaches are certain to win, and that nothing but
captivity or death is left for pH, do not wanan
throw away your life, but yield yoJr-urlf prisoner to
the red-men. '1‘th will not norm you If you sur-
render, for they wi glory in Mlll'll a puns us yourself
to take back in triumph to .heir viii Irv. And once
yo I are there-once you are in tin Apache strong-
noid in the mountains, trust Io me to save you, al-
though you are guarded nighlraud day by eyes that
l.;:-‘CI' sleep, and by a vigilance that never tires! Un-
ti: then, God save you, Bronze Jack!“

The speaker wheeled his horse and was off like the
wind, evidently overcome by emotion.

The adventurer looked a ter Lilo half-breed for a
moment, motionless and silent, and then he spoke:

“. h, Nature,wonderful mistress! Wllocananalyze
thv work 1"

Jack returned slowly to the Camp, while John
.‘J I'stang rode at full spew toward llw spot where
1-“ *snid (-hlef Manga, and a score of tlw priuci Ial
 .rn‘ol‘s of the tribe waited to learn Lin: rcuuit of he
l..‘I I". low.

I. - ‘.pusheshaxlwntchod the proceeding closely,

 

1

..__.‘..

 

sion from what they saw that the attempt to lead the
white-skins into a tra had failed, and therefore they
were fully prepared or Mustang J ohn‘s relation.

“He is not only a great warrior, but a cunning
one,“ old Mange. Colorado observed, gravely, after
the half-breed had finished. “We must expect to
lose much blood and many warriors before we can
h0g9. to conquer those white men."

ostilltics at once began. The Indians crept up
as near to the town as they could, blazing away
whenever they caught a glimpse of a miner and the
whites returned the Compliment. ,

The day pasxed slowly without much damage to
either side. Night came on, and, as the darkness
thickened, Mange. gathered his men for another des-
perate attack.

But, as the red-skins be an to creep in upon their
prey an event occurred t lat threw their line into
complete confusion.

WIth 'clls, denmnlike in their nature a party of
mountct white men came charging through the 1
Apache line:

 

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Tm; TRUTH AT LAST.

TWEXTY or thirty well-mounted, well-armed horse-
men, and the way they came down u )on the In-
dians was a caution] aking the A - Ies entirely
by surprise they cut a wide Ira in t e line of steel .
and fire that t 6 old chief h drawn around the
town. It was gllain that the new—comers, alanned
by the sound 0 the firing had taken pains to dis-
cover thc exact state of airs fore making lheir
presence known, and the Apaches, never dreaming
of a fire in their rear, had not taken any precautions
against asurprise; and so they had faJlen easy vic-
tims to the terrible chafie.

Like a whirlwind, bee ng death in its career, the
horsemen had swooped down upon the red-skins;
at point-blank range they had emptied their revol-
vers at the sav e foe, for they had 1 ed their v
advance so cautiously that the Indians 11 no idea
of their presence until the death-dealing charge was
made, and the horsemen were on them, raining bul-
lets thick as hall-stones.

Seized with a anic the Apaches fled in terror from
the track of the omemen and gathered on the .hill
by the ruins of the fort.

Not knowing what had happened, but understand-
i that a serious fight was going on, Mango. had
(filed in his warriors and hastened toward the scene
of conflict, but, u n meeti the panic-stricken
warriors, and learn ng from t Iem that, instead of
the white men of the besieged town endeavoring to
break out, it was a lar e arty of strange horsemen
attempting to force t e way in, the old chief be-

came cautlous.

The ng chiefs, too, wonderful overestimated
the num r of the newcomers. Fi ty at least they
declared, and some said nearer a hundred, and
Manga came to the conclusion that it must be quite
a large force, for in the charge theyhadslainadmcn
warriors

In hot haste, then, and sorely troubled in regard to
the future Mange withdraw to the hillside and dis-
posed his forces either to fight or fly as events might
warrant.

Re‘énforced by the new-comers neither Bronze
Jack nor Big Bill Williams hesitated to give battle,
even ainst what was apparent! overwhelming
odds. ut the adventurer believ in l. bold game,
and the old Indian scout had fought red-skins long
enough, and knew enough of their tactics, to know
that no matter how rent their numbers they rarely
would stand to face brunt of a well-directed atr
tack. There were enough horses in the town to
mount some forty of the mine and with the new-
comers, Jack could boast of a orce that exceeded
sixty men, well-armed and don rate ii hters all.

No time was wasted; the w tea uI erstood tint
the successful charge must have material! demor-
allzcd the red and so the moment 0 moon

t up high enough to afford light for the attempt,

cck gave the word to move.

At a brisk trot the force rode out of the town, and
as they ascended the hillside which was only a
gentle slope and did not impede the movements of
thehliiorses, they deployed in adouble line in skilmiah

as on.

Deceived by the double line, and believing th at
there were more behind the first two files, the
Apaches were greatly at fault in regard to the num-
ber of the foe. They fell at once into the belief that
the attacking force was near! as great as their own,
and therefore after Indian i ea, having no stomach ;
for risking atgicght upon anything like equal terms,
the conten themselves with firing a scattering
vol 0 as the horsemen came (lashing up the ascent,
and on as the whites o ned fire in return, they
took to their heels and fi , each man for himself—
Indian fashion again—as fast as the could.

The Apaches scammed away a most lusty
manner, and as the goround in the rear of the fort,
descending a little where it met the timber line,
was broken and uneven, and therefore impeded the
horsemen, the Indians succeeded ln reaching the

 

The only mounted man in the Ihrong was the half-
bres-d, John Mustang: and the fleet steed upon which
be relied for safctv proved his ruin, although. truly
it might be userihcd to the work of his own hand
rather than to H'l' fault of the horse.

Some thieving Indian, anxious for plunder, had
taken the body of the dead girl, Cleopatra, and con-
cealed it back of some bushes in the l‘t‘fll‘Ul’ the fort,
so that he might slri ) it of its valuables at his lei-
sure, and the steed o the half-breed, guided by the
rider directly for the body, not knowing it was tin-re
w.th that instinctive horror that id horses have 0
dead bodies, with u snort of four, iluuggrvd \‘ir-len‘ly ‘
to one side at the sight of the dead Woman. and, dos-
pite Mllslllll'; .lolm's skill as a rider, urnuontml hm.

But. as the half—breed pitched forward ("'1' ‘l..‘
horse‘s shoulder, in held (£281, to the Him", as . .':¢-.
frightened nnimnl l.il.'li(‘(l, him, so that for l. I. I i- n-. ‘
he was ill‘éilllll‘d.

Mmm-nlm'unnt were then hoursatonwtimvr'. I‘: '.
so It was in this (’llSt‘. for brfore the half-brood uni 1
recover the useof his h'g stiffened by the amount».-
kick, one of the miners was down upon him. and
With a well-aimed revolver-ball stretched him bleed—

lnfiupon the round. 
1'0an ~ wuflghtbehindtbomanandhad

 

I
ing keen observers had come to theconclu- ‘
l
l
l

Ito make herself

‘ 77 an.
‘ 78 Tue Mvs'rsmocs SPY. BY A. M. Gralnger.. .. 10¢

‘ 93 UAl'l'AlN DICK TALBOT. A!

cried out to him to refrain from firing, and to the
half-breed to surrender.

“ Too late Cap; I had to plug the leetle cuss!“ and
then the fel ow rode on, having once drawn blood,
ea ,r for more.

ack dismounted and knelt by the side of the
stricken one.

“ Air—give me air—I stifle! I die!" murmured the

_ half-breed, in a hollow voice.

With a sin le movement of his muscular hand
Jack tore the muting-shirt open at the breast, and
then, all at once, the secret of the Red Gold-Hunter
was revealed:

Mustang John was a woman ,' .

As the reader has robabl guessed the half—
breed leader of the Re Gold- unters an the beau-
tiful, though masculineappearing Indian girl. Chito,
daughter of Mange Cowrado, were one and the
same.

The tigrcss was dying.

She unclosed ln-r eyes and gazed far the last time
u on the fare of the man whom she had fancied

ter her own savage fashion.

She had fought against the passion with all the
strength of her sav e nature; she had endeavored
elieve that she hated the
strange white man, and with all her power she had
sought his life, but now, in her last agony, she ac—

' knowledged the truth.

“ Chito dies," she murmured, faintly; “ no squaw;
die—die like warrior."

And this was the last word that the girl uttered;
she closed her eyes, drew a long breath, and all was
over.

The return of the victorious horsemen awoke
Bronze Jack to earth! things once more.

Complete had been he victory of the whites; the
Indians, though thoroughly thrashed, had not cut
fered severely, thanks to the promptitude of their
retreat.

Decent burial was given to the remains of those
who had fallen in the fight, and a courier immedi-
ately dispatched to cnrr to the outer world the
knowledge of the events t at had taken place in the
vicinity of Big Walnut Camp.

But the new-comers—who were they who had
dashed so fortunately to the masons?

Twenty carefully selected men, the best that the
town of Tejon Camp could boast, led by the adven-
turing woman, Barbara of Buenaventura, whom the
readers of the tale known as the “ Fresh of Frisco "
will sure! remember.

It was t e heiress of old Michael Scott, the cattle
king who had dispatched Bronze Jack. or to give
him s own name, Jackson Blake, in search of the
secret mine in the old Yuma vallety.

But, after he had gone, her min mlsgnve her; bad
dreams troubled ler slumber at night; and in her
visions she saw him here surrounded b a thousand
perils, and calling upon her to come to is aid.

There was enough of the old Scotch blood in her
veins to make her believe that in some all ht degree
she , the gift of second-sight. an: she could
not elp yielding credence to her dream, so sh.
organized the expedition and had arrived at a most
opportune moment.

‘ But I have failed,“ Jack cd. “I cannot
win the mine without an arm a my back!"

“What care I for the mine " she replied, impetu
ously. “I have old enough, and I lack yourcou -
ac! and aid in Te on Camp. Come with me, my lord
and master!"

Was it in human nature to refuse? and besides,
our hero truly loved the lady.

And so the great A pacin- expedition ended and to
this day no man has found the hidden In no. No
doubt that it exists, although the spirits that were
said to haunt the old Yuma city have away.
TOur (gale isb ld;tour “m3 hetmuthl-Jgf

e n am,uto some venurest
beigll him & the Mohave valley we may write anon

 

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A new mm ovary «on we“.

llcudlc’l Dunc Library is for sale by all
vanlcalex‘s. ten cents per 1'0] -y, or sent by mail n"
rem-lpt of twelvl- «I‘Hls "ill'll. lil'lAlllJ‘: IS‘ 9591.314,
Publishers. RH “'illinm Stu-rt. New York

92 BUFFALO BILL.

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