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THE

SILVER BULLET;

AUTHOR OF
193. Bos Brant, Patriot AnD Spy. 205.
196. Tue BusHWACKER’s DAUGHTER. 207.
199. Crazy’ Dan. : 209.
201. Oty Bru Woopworts. : 211.
203. Trug BLUE. 213.

OR,

THE BACKWOODS SOMNAMBULIST.

BY EDWARD WILLETT,

215. Kare Sarr.

NEW YORK:

FRANK STARR & CO, FKUBLISHERS,
41 Platt Street.

Tar Loyan SPEcTER.
THe Op Fiaa.

THe Swamp Scour.
Tue Corron THrEr,
Tue Vickspure Spy.

 
   

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the

sear 186%, by Smvciam Tovusgy, Publishers’ Agent, in the Clerk’s Office ¢ the Diswia?,
Court of the United States for the Southern District of New You

 
THE SILVER BULLET.

 

CHAPTER I.
No Money.

Tu autumn and winter of 1849-50 were
uite inclement on the great plains of the
est, a8 was proved by the numbers of emi-
grants that pressed on, at that season, through
the almost untraveled wilderness, toward
the newly-discovered gold regions of Califor-
nia. Hundreds, if not thousands of them,
lost their lives by fatigue, hunger, and other
hardships, -or by the hands of the hostile
Indians who swarmed upon the various
routes. All the principal trails leading to
the Pacific were marked by the bleaching
bones of men and animals.

The distress and loss of life were caused,
ina great degree, by the carelessness and
improvidence of the emigrants themselves.
In their wild and feverish haste to reach the
land of promise, they seemed to think that
wishing themselves there would place them
there, as if they possessed the famous travel-
ing carpet of the Arabian Nights. Many of
them neglected the most ordinary precau-
tions and the most necessary preparations,
starting out on the rough and perilous jour-
ney of thousands of miles, with insufficient
means of conueyance, a scanty supply of

roper provisions and clothing, and a great
ack of the most common camp utensils and
tools. They commenced their journeys,
also, at the worst season of the year, and
then displayed their improvidence by using
the stock of provisions that they carried with
them, before they were fairly out of the set-
tlements, instead of purchasing while they
could doso. ‘The consequence was that they
literally died in droves, and the roads to El
Dorado may truly be said to have been
marked with blood.

Such was not the case with a party which
the reader is invited to accompany during a
portion of their journey, for Simon Sturdi-
vant, who was the captain and chief man of
the company, was not one of the careless or
improvident sort. His two large Concord
wagons, one drawn by six mules, and the
other by eight oxen, had been well filled
with such provisions as would pack the
closest, keep the best, and go the farthest,
together with such tools and miscellaneous

 

articles as might be needed for repairs or
other purposes. The supply of provisions
had not been trenched upon until it was ab-
solutely necessary to use them, and then the
larder had been eked out by game, and the
necessaries had been so economically used
that there was no possibility of waste.

The party had chosen, also, the extreme
southern route, upon a great portion of
which the grass was green during the entire
winter, and their animals were in good con-
dition, notwithstanding the season at which
they had set out, and the distance they had
traveled. Starting from Mississippi, they
had ascended the Ked River to Shreveport,
from which point they had struck the trail
at Preston, on the ‘exas border. They had
passed through the untamed wilderness of
northern Texas, fording the great rivers
near their sources, had crossea the elevated
and rolling prarie lands and the great Llano
Estacado, or Staked Plain, had halted a
short time at El Paso, whence they had
turned toward the north, and found them-
selves among the mountains, near ‘he head-
waters of the Gila River, the greater portion
of their journey accomplished.

Simon Sturdivant, the leader of the party,
had passed the meridian of life, being
between fifty and sixty years old; but
he still was hale, strong, and active, with

ood sight, good hearing, and good teeth.
‘ormerly a prosperous planter, he had been,
as he expressed it, “‘lawed out” of his pro-
perty, and had invested the greater part of
what was Jeft to him in an outfit for Califor-
nia. He was a cool, cautious, shrewd, cal-
culating man, with a kind heart, but with
an eye always to the main chance. His
great desire in life, since the loss of his pro-
perty, was to marry his daughter to a rich
man.

Next in importance to old Simon (in his
own belief, at least,) was Mark Collier, a red-
haired and freckle-faced young man of thir-
ty, who boasted of being rich, and made
some show of wealth, which he proposed to
increase by investments in California. He
was attentive to his personal appearance,
bestowing great care upon his dress, even in
the wilderness, and made pretensions to the
hand of Nellie Sturdivant, which pretensions

 
 

 

 

& THE SILVER BULLET.

were encouraged by her father and laughed
at by herself.

Next may be mentioned Wayne Winston,
a young Mississippian, who had passed his
majority by a few years. Having been left
an orphan, and a poor orphan, at an early
age, he had employed the better part of his
life in seeking adventure and fortune on the
prairies and inthe mountains. He had found
the adventure, though the fortune had kept
out of his sight, aud had acquired, among
the hunters and trappers, a reputation for
courage and skill that was rather beyond his
years. He was well-formed and manly,
though somewhat slight of figure, but his
fine features wore a dreamy, melancholy
expression, that did not accord with his
bronzed complexion and his hunter’s attire.
He, also, sought the hand of Nellie Sturdi-
vant, and it was evident that she favored his
3uit, but her father sternly frowned upon
this young hunter’s pretensions, meeting all
arguments and entreaties with his unanswer-
able objection—‘ no money, and no head
for getting any.” Wayne Winston could
only hope that he might find in California
the fortune he had thus far sought in vain.

The rest of the males may be briefly men-
tioned. Dick Starr, generally known as
“ Star,” was a rough but honest hunter and

uide, who had spent his life in the Far

Vest, and who wished, when he had reach-
ed middle age, to sift what he considered his
share of the golden sands of California. Ben
Sturdivant, asort of grand-nephew, or sec-
ond cousin of Simon Sturdivant’s, was a
young man of great size, great strength,
great capacity for solid provisions, great
good humor, and great stupidity. He had
accompanied the expedition because Simon
Sturdivant told him to do so, and that was
all he knew or cared to know about it. He
was called “ Big Ben,” and he looked with
admiring, wistiul eyes upon Nellie Sturdi-
vant, having sense enough to know that
anything more than admiration on his part
would not be acceptable to her. The other
man was Deerfoot, a young and ambitious
Delaware Indian, who had attached himself
to the person of Wayne Winston, for whom
he had a great affection.

The only female in the party was Nellie
Sturdivant. She was a handsome, bright-
eyed, shrewd, merry brunette of nineteen,
possessing a will of her own, but accustom-
ed to obedience to her father. The most
salient points in her character were her be-
lief that Nellie Sturdivant was able to take
care of herself, and her rather capricious
love for Wayne Winston.

The train had camped for the night at the
foot of a mountain range, the passage
through which was by anarrow and ascend-
ing ravine or canon. Down the canon leap-
ed and sang a sparkling little brook, fed by
springs in the mountain, and around the
camp, to the manifest delight of the mules
and cattle, the early bunch grass was sprout-
ing greenly. At the right rose a lofty and

almost perpendicular cliff, by the side of

which the mighty oxen and the large Con-

 

cord wagons seemed 'windled almost to
nothing. On the left w is another mountain,
equally rugged, but not so inaccessible, and
the entrance to the ravine was skirted,
on each side, by a heavy growth of timber.
Beyond, in the distant west, could be seen
the shadowy tops of still loftier mountains,
usually white and gleaming, but tinted with
all the colors of the prism in the rays of the
setting sun.

The camp had been duly “struck,” by
theside of the brook; the oxen, mules and
horses were grazing at their leisure, watched
by Big Ben; Nellie was preparing supper;
the Delaware was up the brook, trying to
catch some fish; and Simon Sturdivant
Wayne Winston, and Dick Starr were seated
on stones near the camp. They had been
conversing earnestly; and Sturdivant, as if
to settle the question, and put an end to
further argument, slapped his knee with his
hand, and exclaimed :

“'There’s no use in talking about it any
more, Wayne Winston. You've got no
noney, and no head for getting any. You
have been your own master for years, and
you are worth no more than when you com-
menced.”

“That is true enough, Mr. Sturdivant,” an-
swered Winston, “but you must admit that
I have lost nothing.”

“You have lost no money, because you
had none to lose, but you have lost years—
valuable years of your life—that ought to
have been usefully and profitably employed.”

“Are you sure that it would be so much
better for Nellie to marry a rich man than
a poor man ?”

“Of course I am; I am sure of every thin
Isay. Are not riches better than povert
I think they are, particularly for women folks.
My child has been well raised; she has
always had whatever she has wanted, and I
don’t mean that she shall be,stinted, though
J have been lawed out of my property. Iam
able to take care of her while I live, and it
will go hard if I don’t leave her a good sum
when I die. She don’t need to marry, but
if she does, I mean that she shall marry a
rich man, and there’s no use in any poor fel-
low saying a word to me about her. I like
you, Wayne Winston, and I liked your father
and mother before you, but you’ve got no
money, and no head for getting it.”

“'Thar’s lots of gold in Californy, if all ac-
counts is true, and I reckon Wayne stands as
good a chance to git his share as any other
man,” suggested “ Star.”

““T was never called lazy,” said the young
man ; ““my arms are strong, and I don’t
think I am lacking in sense. It seems to me
that hard work and a good will are bound to
win, if fortune favors me at all.”

“J's not all in that,” replied Simon, shak-
ing his head. ‘The race is not always to
the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Ive
known plenty of men who have worked like
mules all their lives, slaving from daylight
till dark the year through, and never getting
a dollar ahead; while others would never,
crook their fingers without making money

 
 

by it There’sa great deal in good luck, but
there's more in knack and nature. Some
folks kave no knack for getting money, and
sometimes the want of knack runs in fami-
lies, as it has in yours, Wayne Winston. It’s
worse than hereditary consumption, to my
way of thinking. In California pretty women
are scarce, and I reckon my Nelly is not
much behind the best of them in good looks.
Many a fine young fellow, I don’t doubt,
who has made his pile, will jump at the
chance of getting her for a wife.”

“You speak of her, Mr. Sturdivant, as if
you were carrying her to market.”

“Suppose I do. All girls have to be car-
ried to market, or go themselves, and the
best stock ought to be made to bring the
highest price. There’s no use in being
mealy-mouthed about it, for it’s a fact, all
the world over.”

“Do you make no allowance for love?
Would you wish your daughter to marry a
man whom she could not love ?”

“There ought to be love iu the marriage,
of course, but love without money is worse
than money without love, to my notion.”

“Why do you want to look further?”
asked Star, with a sly smile. “ Thar’s Mr.
Collier, 1 man among us, who totes a good-
sized pile, as I understand. He ain’t much
fur purty, but his gold mought put a shine
to him.” . -*

“What has become of him ?”

“Tseed him take his razor and lookin’
glass, a while ago, and go off to shave and
fix himself up afore supper.”

A contemptuous sneer curled the lips of
Winston, and Sturdivant looked vexed.

“ He is rich, if he has got dandified ways,”
said the latter, ‘and if he takes a fancy to
Nellie, I see no reason why I should put a
straw in his way.”

“Are you sure that he is as rich as he
claims to be ?”

“I know that he carries a good pile, and
that makes me willing to believe him when
he says that he has more, for I know the
meaning of Scripture when it says: ‘To him
that hath shall be given, and from him that
Aath not shall be taken even that he hath. ”

“Do you know how he got his money ?”

“IT know what you mean, Wayne Win-
sson, and I think you ought to be ashamed
of yourself, to try to cast suspicion on Collier
because you are jealous and envious of him.
I suppose he came by his money honestly,
and I know he has it.”

“I don’t mean to cast any suspicion on
him. Itseems to me that Ihave met bim
somewhere before, but I can't recall the time
or place.”

“TL rekon it’s hardly worth your while to
try, Wa ne, and you ought not to be so—.

hats hat? A shot, by thunder !”

COLLIER’S SCARE.

 

  

CHAPTER II.

A Silver Bullet.

Simon STuRDIVANT’s exclamation was
caused by the sharp report of a rifle, that
seemed to have been fired from the neighbor-
ing thicket or hillside, and by a bullet that
struck and flattened against the stone on
which he sat. At the instant, Winston
seized his rifle, leaped across the brook, and
hastened toward the timber. Star was about
to follow him, when he perceived that the
Delaware had dropped his fishing line, and
was moving in the same direction.

Then Mark Collier, yelling “ Indians! In-
dians !” at the top of his voice, came run-
ning toward them, with his razor in one
hand and his looking-glass in another, and
with half his face covered with lather. Star
fairly roared with laughter at the ridiculous
sight, while Sturdivant muttered some harsh
words that indicated vexation and some-
thing more.

“What do you mean, you ornary var-
mint,” exclaimed the hunter, ‘ by comin’
into camp yellin’ and screamin’ like a crazy
loon? Do you want to rouse all the red
devils in the mountains? Darned ef I know
which side of your face is the whitest, the
side whar it’s been shaved, or the side whar
it’s lathered, fur you look e’enamost scar’d
to death.”

“TI guess it would make you look a little
pale, to find yourself surrounded by twenty
or thirty painted savages, when you had no
weapon to defend yourself with.’

“Draw it mild, my beauty. Climb down
on that count a leetle. Call it two or three,
by way of takin’ a slant at the truth. I
reckon it wouldn’t need more’n one of ’em
to surround you.”

“Do you allow a gentleman of your party
to be spoken to in that way, Mr. Sturdivant?
I am not accustomed to such rough language
and manners.”

“J have nothing to do with Star’s tongue,
Mr. Collier. It is his own property, and he
wags it as he pleases. We are all free and
equal here, and the best man is first in the
backwoo@s or on the trail. I advise you to
wash your face, or finish your shaving, for
you do cut a queer figure.”

Collier turned away, looking rather sheep-
ish, and Sturdivant and Dick Star, with the
assistance of Big Ben, proceeded to drive in
the animals that were grazing near the brook.
They set about this task coolly and deliber-
ately, as if there was no danger, and in a
short time all the oxen, mules and horses
were safely corralled and picketed near the
wagons, After assuring Nellie that there
was no fear of an attack, they returned to
the brook, and took their seats on the stones,
waiting for the report of the two scouts, upon
whom they knew they could place implicit
reliance,

It was not long before Winston and the
Delaware came sauntering back, with their
rifles on their shoulders.

“ What do you make of it ?” asked Star.
“Tndians,” replied Winston,

 

  
 

 

 

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16

*Momanche, or what ?”

“ Apache, I think; the Delaware knows
them better than I do.”

“ What do you say, Deerfoot ?”

“ Avache.”

“Them mean varmints! How many ?”

“Two, I reckon; didn’t see more sign,”
answered Deerfoot, who then went up the
brook, got his fish, and carried them to the
camp.

“Jt will stand us in hand to set a good
watch to-night, Mr. Sturdivant,” continued
Star. “Youd hey killed yourself with
laughin’, Wayne, if you’d seen how Collier
came runnin’ aad yellin’ to us, half shaved,
with his razor and bit of glass in his hands,
when he heard the shot.”

Winston smiled, and picked up the flat-
tened bullet that had fallen on the ground
beside the stone.

“This is a queer bullet, and I am inclined
to think it is not lead,” said he, as he handed
the ragged bit of metal to Sturdivant.

“Tt hasn’t the look or the feel of lead.
Perhaps it is pewter,” answered the leader,
passing the object to Star.

“Tt ain’t blue enough or dull enough fur
Jead, but I’d like to know whar the bloody
red-skins kin git pewter,” remarked the hun-
ter. “ What do you think about it, Wayne?”

“T should say that it is silver, but Mr.
Sturdivant would tell me that I have no
head for such matters.”

The bullet was then more carefully ex-
amined, being rubbed, bit and cut, and the
three men came to the same conclusion.

“Tvs silver, as sure as I’m a mortal sin-
ner |”

“You are right, Wayne; I do verily be-
lieve it is silver.”

“T was sure it was silver.”

“The wretched savages !” exclaimed Stur-
divant. “To think of their throwing away
the precious metal in such a wasteful man-
ner |”

“J wish they would throw us a few tons,
if they have the article to spare,” said Wayne.

“They wouldn’t be so free with it, onless
they had a large stock on hand,” remarked
Star. ‘I reckon thar’s some of the painted
devils who hev purty big-sized piles of thar’
own, and p’raps you mought find a husband
among ’em for Miss Nellie.”

Simon Sturdivant shot a fierce glance at the
audacious speaker, but he could not with-
stand the merry twinkle of Star’s eye, and
his anger subsided in a langh.

“ Perhaps,” said he, “ you think that even
an Apache would be better than Mr. Collier.”

“Pm sartin that an Apache wouldn’t git
scared so easy. I reckon our grub is ready,
Cup’n, and T feel as ef I'd like to taste some
of those fish that I saw Deerfoot haulin’ out
of the brook.”

Sturdivant put the flattened bullet in his
pocket, thus proving that he had a better
“head for getting money” than his com-
panions, and all went to the camp, where
they found their supper ready, smoking hot,
and presided over by Nellie Sturdivant,
whose smiling face wore an unusually merry

 

THE SILVER BULLET.

expression, and who seemed to find it diffi.
cult to repress her laughter.

“What on earth is the matter with you
Nellie?” asked her father, as she spilt part
of his coffee on the ground. “ You seem to
be as full of laugh as an egg is of meat.”

“Tt’s nothing, father, but you would have
laughed if you could have seen it,” answered
Nellie, as another outburst caused her to
spill some of the hot coffee on his hand.

“You are giving me nothing to laugh at
now, girl!” he roured, shaking and blowing
his hand. “If you have any thing funny to
tell us, Nellie, set down the coffee, and let it
out. Where is Mr. Collier?”

“Ts about him, father,” said the girl,
suffering a merry peal of laughter to escape
from her rosy lips. “A little while after
that shot was fired, he came to me, with one
side of his face shaved, and the other side
covered with the lather.”

“We saw him, Miss Nellie,” interrupted
Star, “and we ‘lowed it was hard to tell
which side of his'face was the whitest.”

“Ho, ho, ho!” roared Big Ben, who was
ordered by Stardivant to hold his tongue,
and wait till the Jaugh came in.

“He told me,” continued Nellie, “that he
had been chased by Indians, and that he had
fallen down and broken his looking-glass.
He asked me to lend him mine, ane f told
him that I had none to lend him.”

“ But you had one, my child.”

“Do you suppose I was going to let the
supper spoil, to hunt for a looking-glass?
Besides,” she added, with a toss of her head,
“T use it so seldom, that I would hardly
know where to look for it. And then—”

Another spasmodic burst of laughter com-
pelled her to desist, until she could recover
from it.

“And then, father, he asked me to give
him one of my tin pans, that I had scoured
and rubbed until it was so bright that you
could see your face in it. I gave him the
pan, and he marched off to finish his shav-
ing. Hush-sh! here he comes.”

Mark Collier approached, eyed the supper
wistfully, looked at the merry faces of the
group with surprise, and handed to Nellie a
small and bright tin pan.

“How—did you—make out with it—Mr.
— Collier?” wikied the girl, as she received
the utensil.

She put her apron to her mouth, to con-
ceal her laughter, but it was irrepressible,
and it burst forth in a loud and joyous ex-
plosion Her laughter was contagious, and
the men joined in right merrily, while Collier
stood apart and surveyed them with looks
expressive of astonishn. ent and disgust.

“Really, gentlemen, you surprise me,”
said the discomforted dandy. “Here we
are, surrounded by savages, and 7 you are
laughing as if you had not had a narrow
escape with your lives. I desire to know
whether I am the object of your mirth.”

“ Ho, ho, ho!” laughed Big Ben. “ Reckon
you'd better quit shavin’ till you git out of
ihe woods. How does a tin pan stand ye
fur a lookin’-glass ?”

 

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“This is positively insulting, and I will
have satisfaction.”

“Sit down, then, Mr. Collier, and satisfy
yourself,” said Simon Sturdivant. “ Nothing
is so satisfying asa good supper. These fish
are some that Deerfoot caught in the brook,
and you will find them delicious. Nobody
means to insult you, man, but we can all
guess what a queer figure you cut when you
came for the tin pan.”

This provided a fresh burst of laughter,
but Collier was hungry, and the hot supper
was a temptation too strong to be resisted.
He suillenly sat down, and proved that his
scare had not taken away his appetite. The
meal was discussed in silence, with the excep-
tion of an occasional sally at the expense of
Collier, some subdued “snickering,” which
was caused by Nellie, who surreptitiously
held the tin pan before her face, and imitated
the motion of a man shaving.

“'To tell you the truth,” said Sturdivant,
when Collier once more protested against
being laughed at, ‘‘ Ladvise you not to shave
any more until you reach the settlements,
for these Indians are mighty close shooters,
and they want no better mark than a white
face. Let your hair grow, man, and it may
save your head.”

As it was certain that there were hostile
Indians in the vicinity, and, as nothing was
known of their numbers or intentions, a good
— was set over the little camp that night.

ick Starr and the Delaware took the first
watch, and Simon Sturdivant, who was to
keep the second watch with Wayne Winston,
“turned in” at an early hour. Mark Collier
sought oblivion of his mortification in sleep,
leaving Wayne a fair opportunity for an in-
terview with Nellie, an advantage of which
he was not slow to avail himself, and the
two conversed as they stood or walked
met near the wagons, under the moon-

ight.

“T have had a fair understanding with
your father, Nellie,’ said Wayne, “and the
upshot of it is that I have no chance of
gaining you, unless, by some impossible
stroke of fortune, I should happen to become
a#rich man. It is the same old story; he
tells me, as he always has, that I have no
money and no head for getting any, and that
there is no use in talking about it. I know
that he is inflexible on this point, and I sup-
pose that his word is law with you.”

“It is certain I will not disobey him,
Wayne. He has always been a kind father
to me, and I love and respect him. I witl
aever marry a man whom I can not love,
neither will I marry against my fagper’s will.
Isee no hope, Wayne, except that you may
get rich.”

“And that, I fear, is hopeless, for I begin
to believe, as your father has so often told
me, that Ihave no head for getting money.
It was so with my father; he was not ab
to make money, nor even to keep what he
had, and the curse, if it is a curse, has dis-
eended upon me. Of what use are the strong
arm and the honest heart, when their pos-
Sessor can be placed below some mean and

NELLIE AND WAYNE.

  

11

 

cowardly fool, who has contrived to scrape
together gold enough to make a show in the
eyes of men! It is too bad, Nellie, and it
makes me wish that money had never been
invented.”

“Don’t be so bitter, Wayne, and do be
more hopeful and cheerful. You ought to
be too much of a man to give up so easily.
Go straight ahead, and work, and watch your
chances. Forget some of your unworldly
notions about generosity, and your absurd
fear of being thought mean or stingy. Never
give up what you have once gained, as you
gave up that bit of silver to my father this
evening.”

“Did you notice that? It was a mere
nothing.”

“Many a little makes a mickle, as the
Scotch say. You would have done the same
thing if it had been more, and that is just
what makes my father say that you have no
head for getting money. Save your littles,
or let me save them for you, and get in the
habit of giving away nothing, and you will
soon see how much better he will like you.”

“Tt is a hard task, but I believe you are
right, and I will try. I begin to feel mean
and avaricious already, and think I could
grip a shilling as hard as any Jew.”

“There is no reason why you should feel
mean, when a only resolve to take care of
your own. Here is something that ought to
give you better feelings. It is the bag that
you asked me to make for you, to keep your
mother’s Testament in.”

“Thank you, Nellie.
girl in the world, and I mean to be rich, for

could not bear to lose you. This book
Will now be doubly dear to me, for it will
always remind me of my mother and you.
I shall wear it as a talisman, and I have no
doubt that it will shield me from all harm.”

“God grant that it may! You had better
get some sleep now, for your watch com-
mences at midnight, and I have no doubt
that there will be work enough for you to-
morrow.”

“Good-night, Nellie.”

“ Good-night, Wayne, and may God send
you pleasant and hopeful dreams !”

Winston placed his book in the breast-
pocket of his hunting-shirt, and sought his
blanket by the camp-fir>, while Nellie Stur-
divant went to the wagon in which she was
accustomed to pass the night.

You are the best

 

CHAPTER IIL.
Another |

Tue camp was not disturbed during the
night, and all its inmates were aroused at
dawn, to pertake of a hasty breakfast, 80
that the train might have an early start, and
es pass through the canon and the most
di ad part of the mountain range before
night.

‘The cattle were watered, and were allow- _
ed to graze until the train was ready to move,

 

while Simon Sturdivant and his assistants

 

  

  
 

 

    

12

made all the preparations for the day’s jour-
ney, and Nellie got ready the breakfast.
The meal was placed on the “ table” of green
grass, before Mark Collier had finished the
adornment of his outer man, and he had
hardly ceased to pay attention to his inner
individual by the time the oxen and mules
were hitciued up, and all was ready for the
start.

A comfortable pluce had been Jeft in one
of the wagons, for the accommodation of
Nellie. She generally preferred to ride her
own horse, but, as they were then in the vi-
einity of hostile and predatory Indians, her
father compelled her to keep within the shel-
ter of the wagon. Mark Collier threw out
some strong hints, expressive of a desire to
share her place of concealment, but all were
too obtuse to notice them, and he was snub-
bed in quite a contemptuous manner by Star.

“ Look a-here, mister,” said the plain-spo-
ken hunter, “ ef you're fur sneakin’ and git-
tin out of harm’s way, you kin run under
the wagon, like as I’ve seen dogs do in the
settlements; but as fur crawlin’ inside of
that kiver and botherin’ Miss Nellie, it’s cl’ar
ag’inst the rules of this party, and thar’s no
use talkin’ about it, as the cap’n says. I’m
keen to bet my rifle that the gal herself had
ruther be ridin’ her hoss, than cooped up
thar’, and a man, ef he’s anythin’ of a man,
kain’t do less, specially when thar’s better
men lookin’ out fur him whar’ the danger
raally is.”

This rough “setting down” put a stop to
Collier’s hints, but he persisted in riding as
close to the carriage as he could, under the
pretext of protecting Nellie.

“Protect her, indeed!’ muttered Star.
“ Set a suckin’ calf to protect an eagie !”

As there was really danger to be appre-
hended, it was arranged that Wayne Win-
ston and the Delaware should precede the
train, as scouts, with orders to fall back on
the main body and report, if they should
eome in contact with Indians.

This duty was far more pleasing to both
than accompanying the slow movements of
the train, and they set out with alacrity,
Deerfoot entering the woods that skirted the
left of the trail, and Winston scouting among
the heights that frowned on the right.

Wayne was rejoiced to find himself on
the hills, where his strength, agility, and
knowledge of woodcraft could be made
available, and where he considered himself
a match for any white man or Indian. He
sealed the hights, keeping a watchful look-
out on every side, and endeavoring to cover
his movements, so that he could see without
being seen. He did not attempt to climb
the mountains that rose, cliff over cliff, and
peak beyond peak, stretching away in wild
sublimity toward the north, but contented
himself with reaching a sort of elevated
plateau, where he could be near the trail,
and in a position to give warnin® or assist-
ance in case of danger.

Here be found himself in a zugged and

‘broken region, the principal features of which

were stupendous precipices, impassable and

 

THE SILVER BULLET.

almost unfathomable ravines, and a jumbled-
up collection of jagged and misshapen rocks,
that seemed to have been thrown together
by some mighty convulsion of nature. Oc
casionally he would mount to the summit
of some tall cliff, from which he could look
back on the train as it slowly labored up the
rough ascent of the gorge. He gazed most
intently at the wagon in which he knew that
Nellie Sturdivant was housed, and the
thought that he was protecting her, com-
bined with her hopeful words, and the clear,
free air of the mountains, made him feel an
exhilaration and buoyancy of spirits to
which he had lately been a stranger.

He saw no Indians, and no “sign” of any,
and he concluded that the two who had been
on the track of the train the previous even-
ing must have been alone, or that their sup-
porters, if they had any, confined their ope-
rations to the other side of the canon, but he
was destined to learn that his sagacity was
for once at fault.

Some time after the sun had passed the
meridian, he was descending a cliff, from
the summit of which he had been reconnoi-
tering. The descent was quite difficult,
obliging him to pay more attention to his
foothold than to surrounding objects, and,
while he was thus engaged, a shot was fired
from a hight above him.

He knew that he was struck, and that was
all he knew, for he fell back, and rolled
down to the foot of the cliff, where he lay
insensible for some time.

When he came to himself, Deerfoot was
bending over him, wetting his face and
moistening his lips with water from a can-
teen.

“No kill yet, Wayne—no hurt,” said the
Delaware, with a glad smile on his bronzed
face, as he opened the young man’s hunting-
shirt and placed his hand upon his heart.

“Thank you, Deerfoot; Iam glad enough
to hear that. What does it mean? How
did it happen? I heard a shot, and I knew
that Iwas knocked over, and that I fell to
the bottom of that pile of rock. I was hit,
of course, but I see no blood,and I am alive
and able to sit up. Perhaps it was a spent
ball’

“Deerfoot heard the shot; knew ’twasn’t
Monge rifle; thought you killed, and came
quick.”

“Where could the shot have been fired
from? Did you see any one?”

“See nobody—hear nobody—find no sign.
Come, now, brudder Wayne, you must git
back to the trail.”

“J am afraid I can’t climb down that hill,
Deerfoot.” I feel hurt all over.”

“ Mighty bad tumble, that. Deerfoot will
help you, and find easy way.”

With much difficulty the young man arose,
and leaned on the shoulder of the faithful
Indian, who carried both the rifles. Wayne
was, as he had said, hurt all over, and was
thankful for the assistance of his friend,
without which he could not have made much
] ‘ogress,

He soon reached the foot of the gorge, by *

 

 
 

A STRANGE COINCIDENCE.

the “ easy way ” that the Delaware had dis-
covered, and sat down upon a log in the
shade.

“ T shall not need you any more, Deerfoot,”
said he, “and you had better continue your
scout, for it is certain that the Apaches are
around us. The train will soon come along,
and then I will send some one out to help
you. You may leave me my rifle.”

The Delaware, to whom a request of
Wayne’s was equivalent to a command, did
as he was told and was soon lost in the
thicket that bordered the rayine.

Winston waited until he was somewhat
rested, when he rose and walked slowly
down the canon. It was not long before he
came in sight of the train, and he was im-
mediately espied by Sturdivant and Star, who
rode forward to meet him.

“What is the matter, Wayne ?” asked the
leader. “ Have youseen any Indians? Are
you hurt? We thought we heard a shot.”

‘‘T have not seen any Indians, but I have
felt one. I was shot at and hit, and then I
fell down a hill. I suppose I would have
lost my scalp if Deerfoot had not found me.”

“ Where are you wounded, my boy ?”

“T have no wound; I think I must have
been struck by a spent ball. I am pretty
badly bruised though, and am not fit for
duty just now. I told Deerfoot to continue
his scout, and I want one of you to go out
and take my place.”

‘*Star will go, and you had better get into
the wagon with Nellie and rest. I reckon
the a can find room for you.”

“"Spect I'd better keep my eyes peeled,”
said Star, as he dismounted. “When an
Injun can shoot at Wayne Winston without
the boy seein’ him, thar’ must be some mighty
smart red-skins scootin’ about.”

Wayne gladly accepted the offer of Simon
Sturdivant, as he was really unable to walk
or ride, and as a seat by the side of Nellie
could not be otherwise than pleasant. The
arrangement was by no means agrecable to
Mark Collier, who frowned upon the young
man as if he would like to annihilate him,
and who could not refrain from expressing
his disapprobation.

“Don't believe the fellow is hurt at. ail,”
he muttered. ‘“ He is only shamming Abra-
ham.”

“I wonder where Collier picked up that
thieves’ phrase,” thought Wayne, as he was
assisted into the wagon.

He was kindly received by Nellie, who
had prepared a comfortable place for him,
and he almost forgot his pain when he round
himself reclining on blankets and pillows,
with her smiling face to gaze ut.

Nellie dressed some ugly euts upon his

head and arms, and he assured her that he;

had no other hurts except bruises, which
cane required a little time and rest for their
ure.

“But you were hit by a bullet, and you
must be wounded somewhere,” she said.

‘T suppose it was a spent ball, for it only
knocke me off my balance.”

“If it struck you hard enough to knock

 

18

you down, it ought to have made a scar; but
you say that there is nothing of the kind.
Ah! I knew you could not deceive met
Here is the bullet-hole in the breast of your
hunting-shirt.” »

“T have not tried to deceive you, Neilie.
I assure you that I had not seen that hole.
The ball must have hit against the book in
my pocket.”

Vole hastily took out the book, and saw,
in the muslin bag that she had given to him
the night betore, a hole similar to that in the
hunting-shirt. As she removed the bag and
opened the book, a bullet fell out of it and
rolled upon Wayne’s blanket.

“The book has saved your life,” she said,
impressively, as she showed him the muti-
lated Jeaves of the sacred volume.

“Tt is true, and I thank God for this great
mercy. I said that I would wear the book
as a talisman, and such it has proved to be.
Put it back in the pocket, Nellie, for it may
saye my life again,”

While she was replacing the volume,
Wayne picked up the bullet, and an excla-
mation of surprise broke from his lips.

“Look at this, Nellie! Look!” he said,
eagerly holding it out. “ You remember
the silver bullet that I picked up last even-
ing.’

% Yes; the one that you let father put in
his pocket.”

‘* Here is another, but this is hardly bat-
tered or flattened at all. Look at it.”

“JT believe it is silver,” said Nellie, as she
carefully examined the bullet and polished
it.

“T know it is silver. It has been shot out
of a smooth-bore gun, for there are no rifle-
creases in it.”

““And see, Wayne, here is a strange stamp
upon it, as if made with a seal. It is the
impression of a heart, with a dagger thrust
through it. How funny !”

Wayne looked at the bullet, and passed
his hand across his forehead, as if in thought

“A heart with a dagger through it.” he
muttered. “It is strange indeed. Hand me
the book again, Nellie!’

She gave him the Testament, and he open-
ed it at the fly-leaf, on which was written
his mother’s maiden name, “ Mary Bartley,”
and under it was the faint impression of a
stamp, similar to that on the bullet. Wayne
and Nellie gazed at each other with an ex-
pression of wonder mingled with awe.

“T suppose it is only a coincidence,” said
the young man, “ but it is a very strange one,
It is probable that the Indians steal the silver
from the Mexicans, and that they have no
lead for bullets ; but I never heard of putting
a stamp on such missiles.”

“They have powder, and there is no rea-
son why they should not have lead. It is
possible that they find the silver in the moun-
tains, and that they do not know the value
of it. This may yet prove a godsend to

ou.

“You havea clear head, Nellie, and you
may be right, but we will talk about it at
another time. I wish you would call your
 

 

 

14

father, if you can make him hear. I want
to speak to him about our camping-place to-
night.”

“You must promise that you will say no-
thing to him about the silver bullet.”

“Twill promise any thing you wish. Call
him now, forl think we have nearly reached
the head of the canon.”

 

CHAPTER IV.
Golden-Locks.

WuHen Simon Sturdivant rode up to the
wagon, Wayne Winston explained that his
object in summoning him was to advise him
to camp for the night as soon as he should
reach a suitable place, and not to press on
further during the short period of daylight
that was left. He had been able, from the
summit of the peak which he had climb-
ed, to perceive that the difficulties of the
pass were by no means ended by reaching
the head of the canon, and that a long stretch
of mountainous district lay before them, ev-
ery foot of which should be traveled on]
by daylight. For this reason he judged it
best to “strike camp ” early, at some conve-
nient place on the high ground, and to re-
commence the journey in the morning.
Dick Starr, who soon returned from his
scout, was of the same opinion, as he had
seen Indian “sign” in abundance, and con-
sidered it prudent to select a defensible situ-
ation for the camp.

Simon Sturdivant was compelled to ac-
knowledge the force of their arguments, and
reluctantly consented to halt the train at the
first convenient stopping-place above the
head of the gorge. After he rode forward
with the hunter, Nellie and Wayne resumed
their conversation.

“Why did you make me promise to say
nothing to your father about the silver bul-
let ?” asked the young man.

“ Because it is uscless to mention it, as we
have sufficient excitement already, and be-
cause, Wayne, my father is greedy. He is a
kind man, an honest man, and a good father,
but he is greedy after gold and silver. He
would ask too many questions, and perhaps
it might lead us all into trouble—I don’t
know what sort of trouble, and I am very
foolish, no doubt, but I am afraid, and think
we had better say nothing about it.”

“You are never foolish, Nellie, and Iam
sure there must be some cause for your ap-
prehensions, although neither of us may be
able to see it. There is an instinct that
sometimes tells us what we ought to do and
what to leave undone, much better than we
could determine by any process of reason-
ing. It is certain that it will do us no harm
to keep the secret.”

“Thank you, Wayne. There is another
thought that has been troubling me. I was
sure that I had seen something like that
stamp on the bullet and in the Testament
before, and I have been bothering my brain
to think where I had seen it. I now remem-

 

THE SILVER BULLET

ber. Mark Collier wears a ring, set with a
single ruby, in which is cut the same device,
a heart with a dagger through it.”

“ Are you sure of that, Nellie? We have
good reason to be astonished, indeed! It
can not be possible that Collier fred the
shot.”

‘Of course not. He has hardly left the
side of this wagon all day. Besides, he is
not a man to throw away silver when he
can use lead.”

“And it is not at all likely that he has
stamped any silver bullets that have found
their way into the hands of the Indians.”

“ Quite unlikely.”

“Tt must be merely a coincidence, like the
stamp in the Testament. Both are strange
coincidences. Taking them together, they
are exceedingly strange.”

“T never heard of any thing stranger; but
it is useless for us to talk and endeavor to
pry into the mystery. Let us hope that it
is providential, and that it may be for your
good. God moves in a mysterious way, as
the hymn-book tells us, and it may be that
there is a providence behind this, the work-
ings of which we could not comprehend,
even if we were able to see them.”

“How well you talk, Nellie, smoothing
over all difficulties, and showing the bright
side of every thing! I wish I could always
have such a kind and good counselor.”

“Perhaps your wish may yet be granted,
Wayne, and perhaps you will then wish you
were rid of her. Let us take care of the
silver bullet now. If you will make a nice
hole in it with your knife, I will tie it around
your neck with a string, and you must wear
it until it brings you good luck.”

This idea pleased Wayne, and after pa-
tient labor he succeeded in drilling a neat
hole in the silver bullet, through which Nel-
lie passed a small but strong cord of hair,
and fastened it about his neck.

“Tt is my own hair, Wayne,” said she,
‘ and I trust that it will last as long as my
ove.’

Wayne kissed her dimpled hand, and
would probably have kissed it again, if he
had not been interrupted by the harsh voice
of Mark Collier, who lifted the canvas cover
of the wagon, and showed his freckled face
at the opening.

“J think you must be getting well, young
man,” said he, “ judging rom your free-and-
easy actions. You had better be climbing
out of that wagon now, for Mr, Sturdivant
has called a halt, and he wants you.”

“ He has not sent you to say so, you inso-
lent puppy!” exclaimed Wayne; but Nellie
laid her hand on his arm, and the intruder
prudently went away.

The trarn had halted while Nellie was ty-
ing the chain, and Winston, assisted out of
the wagon by Big Ben, walked forward to
examine the location. His bruises did not
prove troublesome to him, after the rest that
he ng enjoyed, although he limped pretty
badly.

The place selected for the camp was on
the crest of a steep and inaccessible bluff,
 

 

  

and a broad ravine formed a sufficient de-
fense on the right, facing from the bluff.
The other two sides were undefended, and
sloped down to the rough and broken plateau
over which the trail had led.

Wayne considered the selection an excel-
lent one, and had only one objection to it,
that there was no water to be had in the
vicinity.

“True enough,” answered Sturdivant,
“but, we can do no better. We might go
further and fare worse. We filled all our
casks at the brook this morning, and Star
thinks that we can spare a good supply for
the cattle, and then have enough to last us
until we reach the Ojo de Maria, a short dis-
tance down the range. By the way, Winston,
Mr. Collier tells me that you haye been kiss-
ing my daughter.”

Wayne blushed, and acknowledged that
= had kissed the hand that had dressed his
hurts.

“Durned fool ef he wouldn’t !” exclaimed
Star. “Hyar’s a child that would like a
chance to kiss her hand; ay, and her rosy
lips, too, and I don’t keer who knows it.
Whar’s the cussed sneak who’s been tellin’
tales out of school ?”

“Told your tongue, and don’t mind him,
Star, for no harm is done,” said Sturdivant,
with a quizzical smile. ‘‘There’s no better
girl in the world than my Nellie, and she
knows what’s what as well as anybody.”

“'That’s as true a word as you ever spoke,
cap’n, but we’ye no business to be wastin’
wind in words jest now. It’s ten chances to
one that the red-skins will be pitchin’ into
us to-night, and it stands us in hand to be
makin’ ready fur ’em.”

All went to work upon this suggestion,
though Collier grumbled at being pressed
into the service, and protested that he was a
gentleman, to whom the idea of labor was
repugnant. The cattle were watered, and
were allowed to graze until nightfall, when
they were got into the ravine, with con-
siderable difficulty, and left to solace them-
selves with such tender twigs and tree-tops
as they could find. In the meantime, the
two wagons had been ranged on the unde-
fended sides of the camp, and a barricade
had been formed of the bulkiest articles of
baggage and provisions, eked out by stones
that were rolled up from below. In the
meantime, also, Nellie had prepared a good,
hot supper, with plenty of coffee, which was
eo received by the wearied men.

‘hey kiew that the Indians would have no
difficulty in finding their camp, and were
not afraid, consequently, of attracting atten-
tion by their fire. i

After supper they produced pipes and to-
bacco, the indispensable solace of the pioneer.
When the pipes were emptied, they took
their posts at the barricade, and awaited the
attack,

The attack was made, but the cool and
Cautious men in the camp had prepared for
it, and were ready to meet it as nonchalantly
as if it was one of the common occurrences of
life. The Indians crawled up silently, under

THE ATTACK.

 

 

18

 

cover of the boulders and broken rocks that
thickly strewed the plateau, and it was soon
discovered that they were well armed, for
they poured in upon the camp a close fire,
with rifles and muskets, as well as with bows
and arrows. They were met by a fire that
was fully as close, and far more deadly, for
there could be no surer shots than Simon
Sturdivant, Dick Star, Winston and the
Delaware, while his skill with the rifle was
the only thing, besides his honesty, on which
Big Ben could pride himself. They were
aided, also, by the moonlight, which ren-
dered every motion of the Indians visible,
whenever they dared to stir from behind
their cover.

Simon Sturdivant, as he stepped back to a
wagon to get some bullets, was surprised to
see his daughter kneeling behind the bar-
ricade, with a rifle in her hand.

“What are you doing here, Nellie?” he
asked,

“T only wanted to see whether I had for.
got how to shoot, sir.”

“ Whose rifle is that ?”

“Mr. Collier’s, I believe.”

"Where is he?” c
‘ Lying down here, sir. I suppose he is
tired.’

Sturdivant looked, and saw the man of
money stretched upon the ground, with a
blanket over his head. He spoke to him,
but there was no reply. He shook him, but
there was no responsive motion. He felt his
pulse, and perceived that it beat rapidly
enough.

“He is not dead,” said Sturdivant, “but
he must haye been stunned, for he seems to
be senseless.”

“Tf they’ve- knocked the sense out of him,
they must be good shots, fur they had a
mighty small mark to aim at,” remarked
Star. ‘Watch that red-skin sneakin’ up
yonder, cap’n.”

“Get you back to your wagon, Nellie, and
leave men’s work to men,” said Sturdi-
vant, as he drew a bead on the skulking
Indian.

The Apaches were not long in learning
that they could make little progress in at-
tacking a camp that was so well fortified
and defended. After losing a few warriors,
they retreated as silently as they came, car-
rying off their killed and wounded. When

eerfoot had scouted about the plateau, and
had ascertained that all their foes had left,
the white men wiped out their rifles, and
laid down to sleep, leaving only Dick Star
to watch the camp. Mark Collier was
roused from his couch behind the barricade,
and the true cause of his trouble—a palpable
case of cowardice—was made apparent and
duly commented upon.

They i well, after the fatigues of their
labor and fighting, but were awake as usual,
at dawn—all except Winston, who seemed
to oversleep himself most unaccountably.
Nellie Sturdivant, who was tripping merrily
about the camp, as gay as a lark, noticed
him as he lay wrapped in his blanket, and
stooped down to arouse him. As she did so,

  

   
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

16

  

she saw something that caused her to start
and shake him vigorousty.

“Wake up, Wayne!” she exclaimed, in
‘ow but earnest tones. ‘“ Wake up quickly,
and follow me! Come to the wagon, before
om, one sees you!”

‘ully aroused by her voice, Wayne rose
and followed her to the wagon, where his
astonishment was great, as he saw the amaz-
ed, almost frightened expression of her
countenance.

“Wayne Winston,” she said, quickly but
solemnly, “‘your hair is actually powdered
with gold dust. Bend down your head, and
let me comb it out.”

No sooner said than done. He passively
and mechanicaly submitted, and in a few
monients she held out her hand, which was
filled with shining scales and dust of gold.

“Tt is surely gold,” said Wayne; “ but
how came it there? What does it mean?”

“How should I know? I missed one of
my pans this morning, and where do you
think I found it? Under your blanket, when
I awoke you!”

“Tt is unaccountable. Somebody must
have put it there, for I have not touched it.”

“ Perhaps it is the work of the fairies, or of
some better and greater power. I half be-
lieve it is all because of the Silver Bullet,
Wayne. I told you to wear it until it brought
you luck, and the luck has commenced to
come already.”

“JT am afraid that you are talking non-
sense.”

“Ts this nonsense?” askea Nelly, holding
out her hand, filled with the dust. ‘“ Let us
not be too particular in inquiring where our
gold came from, when we know that it is

old, and when we can keep it. See, Wayne,
will put the dust in this bag, and will take
care of it myself.”

“ Wait, Nellie,” stammered Winston, as he
put his hand in a pocket of his hunting-
shirt. ‘‘Good heaven! here is more!”

As he spoke, he pulled out his hand, and
it was filled with scales of gold, among which
were several nuggets of good size. Nellie,
whose delight even surpassed her astonish-
ment, put the gold in the bag, into which he
also emptied the contents of his pocket, pro-
ducing as much as another large handful.

“T will lock it up in my box, Wayne,”
said the excited girl, as she hid the kag in
the wagon. “If it is fairy gold, there will
be nothing left but leaves and sticks to-mor-
row morning. If it is not, let us hope that
you may wake up again with our hair and
pocket full. Hush! here comes father.”

“What are you two caucusing about?”
said the deep tones of Simon Sturdivant.

“About gold, father,” answered Nellie,
with a merry laugh.

“Tam glad that you have found sucha
good subject. The next best thing to speak
of is breakfast. What have you to say
about that, my girl?”

“Tt is all ready, and waiting for you, sir.”

 

 

 

THE SILVER BULLET

CHAPTER V.
Visions and Realities.

AFTER breakfast, the cattle were brought
up from the ravine, and the train was again
put in motion, it having first been ascer-
tained that the Apaches had disappeared
from the vicinity.

The trail was found to be very rough and
difficult as it descended the mountain range,
and the distance was greater than Dick Starr
had supposed, so that it was quite late in the
afternoon when they reached the Ojo de
Maria, or Mary’s Eye, a green and shady
spot at the foot of a ravine, where there was
a spring that might be called one of the
sources of the Gila River. The water was
clear, cold and sweet, bubbling up from a
pebbly bottom, and forming a minature
lake, that was fringed with grass and small
bushes.

Here the cattle were watered, and were
allowed to graze on the fresh and sweet
grass, while supper was prepared for the
travellers, to whom it was very acceptable,
as they had made no noon halt. As it was
not considerea expedient to pass the night
at the spring, on account of the indefensible
nature of the position, the water-casks were
filled, and the train was removed to an ad-
joining bluff, where the camp was carefully
located, and partially fortified, as it had been
the night before.

Again the hardy pioneers kept watch for
the defense of their lives and property, and
again they were molested by their ili and
cautious enemies. The attack, however, was
by no means a formidable one, being rather
in the nature of an attempt to discover some
weak defenses, by which the camp could be
entered or the cattle stampeded. A few
shots were fired by the outlying warriors,
who soon learned that they could effect
nothing without too great loss of life, and
the affair was terminated, no one being in-
jured on either side.

Dick Starr and the Delaware being left on
guard, Wayne Winston laid down with the
others to sleep, at the close of the skirmish.
Again he overslept himself, and again he
was aroused by the musical voice of Nellie
Sturdivant.

“T see no gold dust on your hair this
morning,” she said, in a disappointed tone,
as he unrolled himself from his blanket.

“Of course, then, there is none,” replied
Wayne, “for your bright eyes could not have
failed to discover it.”

“Have you lost the talisman ?”

“The precious bullet and the more pre-
cious chain are both safe. Have you missed
your pan again, Nellie?”

“T have missed nothing.”

“] suppose we must have been dreaming
yesterday morning. Indeed, I have had so
many strange dreams of late, that I hardly
know whether lam awake or asleep. Our
gold, if we had any, must have been fairy
gold, and it has turned to leaves and sticks
by this time, no doubt.” 4

“It has done nothing of the kind !”

 
 

 

 

 

 

THE GOLDEN DREAM. 1?

emphatically replied Nellie. “The first
thing I did this morning was to examine the
dag that I had locked up in my box, and
the gold was all there, just as it had been
lett.’

“Perhaps you looked at it too early, be-
fore the fairy hour had arrived, and the
transformation has occurred since that
time.”

“Tt must have occurred after sunrise,
then ; but am afraid you are making fun
of me, Wayne. Come to the wagon, and see
for yourself.”

The young man accompanied her to the
wagon, where she unlocked her box in which
the gold had been placed the previous morn-
ing. A glance was enough to enable them
to see that the deposit had not been lessened,
in quantity or weight. It was all there—
dust, scales and nuggets—leaying the fortu-
nate possessors of the treasure no more room
for doubt,

“What have you to say now ?” triumph-
antly asked Nellie. “ Will you try to make
fun of me again, sir?”

“Tt is very strange, and I can only wish
that the same good fortune had happened
to us again.”

‘TI suppose it could not happen, without
the aid of the pan. The pan appears to have
some mysterious connection with thé trea-
sure, and it has not been interfered with, for
here it is, hanging on a wagon hoop, just
where I put it last evening.”

Nellie took down the utensil to show to
her lover; but, as she did so, something
within it attracted her attention, and she
gazed at it earnestly.

“ Assure as I live, this pan has been used!”
she exclaimed. “Look, Wayne! It is not
dry, and there are specks of sand adhering
to the tin, and among them I see shining
particles, like gold dust !”

An examination by Wayne confirmed her
opinion, but he dubiously asked her whether
the article had been washed before it was
put away.

“Of course it was,” indignantly replied
Nellie. “Do you suppose that I am such a
poor housekeeper as to put away my dishes
without taking proper care of them? It
was as clean and as bright as a new silver
dollar, when I hung it there last nigift.”

“Tt is evident, then, that the pan has been
used, or that it has taken a midnight excur-
sion on its own account. Perhaps,” con-
tinued Wayne, laughing at the absurdity of
the thought, “it has come home filled with
gold, and has emptied its contents into my
pockets.”

_Hlis laugh was quickly changed to an
ejaculation of surprise, as he thrust his hand
mto the pocket of his hunting-shirt, and
drew it ont, filled with yellow particles of
virgin gold. This operation was again
repeated, and again, while Nellie’ eagerly
and carefully held out the bag, until the
contents of the pocket were exlrausted.

ot only was the quality of gold nearly
double that which had been previously
obtained, but the scales were larger, and

 

the nuggets were more plentiful and more
perfect.

“J must tell you,” said Wayne, when the
bag of treasure had been we locked up,
“of a strange dream that I have had—of
two dreams, in fact. To the first I would
have given no thought—perhaps I would
not have recalled it—if it had not been fol-
lowed by a second, and if both had not been
connected with the gold that we have found
in my hair and my pockets. I now remem-
ber them both, very vividly, and there will
be no harm in telling them, although I sup-
pose that they are only coincidences.”

“If the coincidences are as strange ag
those that were connected with the silver
bullet, they are well worth hearing. I am
somewhat of a believer in dreams, Wayne,
and perhaps I may be able to interpret’
yours.”

“Night before last, Nellie, after we had
had that little trouble with the Apaches, I
wrapped myself in my blanket, and laid
down to rest. Not even the thought of you,
or the strange occurrence of the silver bullet,
or any plans and wishes for fortune, could
keep me awake, for I was very tired, and
I suppose I must have fallen asleep very
soon.

“JT dreamed that I was called, and that I
arose in the night and followed the voice.
I did not know whether the moon was still
shining, or whether the night was dark, and
had no means of telling in what direction I
went. I only followed the voice, and walked
a long distance, it seemed, until I found my-
self by a little brook, at the bottom of a
narrow canon. The moon was beaming
right down into the canon, and I could see,
quite plainly, bits of gold among the silver
sand that edged the brook.

“Just then I noticed, that I held in my
a tin pan, and it occurred to me that I had
heard how miners are accustomed to wash
the earth, in order to get the gold. I scooped
up a few handfuls of the shining sand, and
put it into the pan. Filling the pan with
water, I stirred the mixture with my hand,
suffering the muddy water to pour out over
the edge, until I could see the gold glisten-
ing at the bottom, almost free of sand. I
was su overjoyed, that I thrust my hands
into the yellow dust and threw it on my
head. Then I scooped up more of the sand,
and washed it with feverish eagerness, until
I thought that I was again called away,
when I arose and followed the voice again,
and that, I believe, was the end of the
dream.”

“ And when you awoke in the morning,”
suggested Nellie, “ your hair was full of gold
dust, and your pocket was lined with it, and
the pan was lying by your side. There must
be something more than a coincidence in all
that. What was your dream last night?”

“The same as the other, except that I did

| not travel so far, as it seemed, and that the

brook was larger, and that the gold was
more plentiful, and that I carefully laid away
the pan somewhere.” ,

“That is precisely what you did. Answer

 
 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18

me truly, Wayne Winston; have you ever
walked in your sleep ?”

The young man put his hand to his head,
and looked troubled.

“T think that I have,” he reluctantly re-
dlied. “I have heard that I was in the
tabit of walking in my sleep when I was
quite young, but I never believed it until
now.

“ But now you can not help believing it,
Wayne, nor can I, and it troubles me more
than I can tell you. It must be put a stop
to, for it is fearfully dangerous. I have read
of men in that state, who have been known
to walk upon the steep roofs and the eaves
of lofty buildings, without falling, but it
makes me shudder even to think that you
should do such a thing. I have been too
anxious for you to get money, Wayne, as if
all the gold in the world could repay me for
the loss of your life. You must be tied, or
must be watched at night, for I can not bear
to think of your being so exposed in this
dangerous region, where we are surrounded
by enemies, and where the rugged moun-
tains are infested with beasts of prey and
venomous serpents.”

“Tf it is true that I have walked in my
sleep, it is strange that I have met none of the
Indians who have lately been molesting us.”

“It is no more strange than the fact that
you have escaped many other dangers. It
may be that a special Providence watches
over those who are so unfortunate as to be
sleep-walkers, but it is not safe to put our
trust in such a possibility.”

“It is also strange that I should have gone
so directly to a place where gold was to be
found, for I have never had any experience
in mining, and know nothing of the indica-
tions that tell us where to look for the pre-
cious metals.”

“Tt is strange, Wayne, as a great many
other things are strange and unaccountable
in this world. There are mysteries that will
never be cleared up while we live, and this
may be one of them. Let us not mention
the subject to anybody, but keep this un-
pleasant knowledge to ourselves.”

“ But, Neilie, if there is really so much
old among these mountains—gold that is to
e had merely for the trouble of picking it
up, why should we not tell your father and
the rest, so that we may join together and
get rich by mining ?”

“Tam sure that it would not be for the
best to do so.. I feel that it would lead us
allinto trouble. You know that father would
claim and get the largest share, and then—
if he should become a rich man—he would
have higher views for his daughter than he
has now. Our party is too small for such
an undertaking, and our provisions would
not hold out, and it would not be long before
the savages would deprive us of our scalps
and our gold. Besides, Wayne, can you
gune us to the place where the gold is to be
ound, or do you really know nothing more
about it than we do”

The young man was obliged to admit
that he had not the least idea of the direc-

 

THE SILYER BULLET.

tion or the distance to be traveled to reach
the gold. .

“You see that it is useless to talk about
such a plan, and we had better try to forget
it,” continued Nellie. “I will take care of
the gold that is in the bag, and will pray
that you may receive no more in that man-
ner. I hear father calling me, and I suppose
he is anxious to have his breakfast and start
the train.”

Breakfast was soon dispatched, and the
party were again in motion down the rough
descent of the mountain range.

 

CHAPTER VIL
The Apaches see a Spirit.

Wuerer, and how did Wayne Winston
get his gold?

That is a question concerning which we
do not propose to make any mystery, and it
may as well be answered here,

A short time after the failure of the first
attempt upon the camp of the white men, a
number of the attacking party of the Indians
were gathered together near the edge of a
narrow but deep gulch, not far from the
fortified camp that they had been beseiging.

The only passage across the gulch was by
means of a fallen tree, which reached from
one rocky side of the chasm to the other,
which could easily be thrown off into the
gulf, and the approach to which was com-
manded by their rifles.

The savages were standing or lying near
the brink of the chasm, and were grouped
around one who seemed to have authority
among them, for they listened to his words
very attentively, and all were silent when he
spoke.

This man, who wore the insignia of a
chief, was known among them as Black
Peter, a name that had probably been given
him because his face was marked with bluish-
black blotches. as if gunpowder had been
burned upon it. He was of venerable and
comanding appearance, notwithstanding his
disfigurement, and his long gray hair fell
down on his shoulders, in a very different
style from that in fashion among his com-
panions. The group of halfnaked and
painted Indians, scattered about among the
rocks and bushes, with that venerable figure
in their midst, and with their various weapons
in their hands or within reach, was wild and
picturesque enough in the bright moonlight,
to fascinate the attention of any artist who
would be so daring as to venture within
view of it.

“You now see that you were wrong, my
children,” said Black Peter, as he stretched
out his arm and pointed across the ravine.
“Three warriors have been slain, and we
have gained nothing. The white men are
sleeping, and they have no fear of us.”

There was no response to this statement.
except some half-audible grunts, and the old
man continued. ;

“Those white men are not Mexicans.

 
SLEEP-WALKING. 19

They do not run away when they hear the
war-cry of the Apaches, leaving their women
and children and their cattle and horses.
Those men are Americans, who do not know
what fear is. They are hunters and moun-
tain men, who are at home on the hills and
the plains, and whose rifles never miss their
aim. They are poor; they have nothing
that we want, except a few lean cattle and
their blankets and guns and a little meat.
Why should you throw away your lives for
nothing? Would you send a boy into the
den of a grizzly, that you might get the
bear’s claws, to hang up in your lodge? The
grizzly would save his claws, and the boy
would not return to the lodge.”

As no one disputed this self-evident fact,
Black Peter waved his hand and resumed
his oracular remarks. ;

“ZT shot one of those men. I shot’ at him
with a good gun and with a silver bullet.
The bullet struck him in the breast—the shot
could not have been a better one—but he
did not die; he arose and walked away, and
he has fought us this night. Why should
we attack such men, and why should our
warriors be slain, when we can gain nothing
by it? We may follow them, and lie in
wait upon their trail, and fall upon them in
some narrow canon, but we are fools to fight
them when they are in their camps.”

The chief was interrupted by guttural ex-
clamations, and several of the warriors seized
their weapons, while others pointed at a
figure that was advancing toward them, on
the other side of the ravine.

The figure was that of a white man, who
was fully dressed in hunter’s attire, except
that he wore no hat, and his dark hair
streamed out with the night breezes ; his face,
plainly visible in the moonlight, was very
pale; his eyes were open, but seemed to be
sightless, or fixed on vacancy ; and his hands,
one of which held a tin pan, were stretched
out before him, as if he was feeling his way
in the dark. He was unarmed, and appeared
to be entirely unconscious of the presence of
the savages, as he noisclessly picked his way
over and among the rough rocks.

Black Peter waved his hand, and his fol-
lowers laid down their weapons and were
silent,

“it is the man I shot,” whispered the
chief. “I killed him, and that is his spirit !”

Ib awe-struck silence the Indians looked
at Black Peter, and then at the advancing
white wan. They believed that the chief
had really killed a man with his silver bul-
let, and that the spirit of the slain was before
them. It seemed impossible that any living
creature could move so lightly and airily,
uppearing to float above the earth, rather
than lo walk upon it. They showed’ no
symptoms of fear, as they fixed their strain-
Ing eyes On the apparition, but their swarthy
Countenances expressed their reverence for
the Supernatural,

The white man reached the ravine, but
id not pause. He stepped upon the graveled
and slender trunk that formed the bridge,
touching none of the branches that Lad been

 

left to serve as supports, without which not
an Indian in the group would have ventured
the passage, and walked steadily and swiftly
across the ravine. He looked neither to the
right nor to the left, neither at the bright
stars aboye him, nor at the awful gulf be-
low him, but his eyes were still fixed on
vacancy, and his arms were stretched out
before him, as if he was feeling his way in
the darkness.

When he was fairly across, he walked
right in among the wondering Indians, step-
ping over the prostrate forms of some of
them, just as he stepped over the stones in
his path, and passing on without showing
any further consciousness of their presence.

The savages covered their eyes with their
hands as the apparition fleeted by—all ex-
cept Black Peter, who stared steadily at it,
until it disappeared behind a clump of stunt-
ed trees. He then arose from his sitting
posture, motioned to his companions to re-
main where they were, and stealthily fol-
lowed the trail of the retreating figure.

He soon caught sight of it again, as it

moved swiftly among tie rocks, and he con-
tinued his pursuit, keeping at a little distance
behind the object of his curiosity.
. Suddenly it was lost to his view, as if it
had vanished in the air or melted into the
ground. The chief hastened onward, to dis-
cover the cause of this strange disappearance,
but soon drew back in alarm, for he found
himself on the very brink of a deep gulch,
which he did not perceive until he had nearly
fallen into it.

Crawling on his hands and knees, he
cautiously looked over the ledge of the
abyss, and saw. that it was about fifty feet
deep, that its jagged sides were almost per-
pendicular, and that there was a little brook
at the bottom, which shone like a silver rib-
bon in the moonlight.

As he continued to gaze, the figure that he
had been pursuing emerged from the shadow
of the cliff beneath him, knelt down beside
the brook, filled the pan with earth and
water, and commenced to stir and shake it
vigorously. The chief was so startled that
his head became dizzy, for he was sure that
no mortal could successfully undertake the
precipitous descent that the apparition must
have made. There it was, however, at the
bottom of the ravine, stirring aud washing
the sand asif its existence depended on com-
pleting an allotted task in the shortest pos-
sible time.

Black Peter waited, looking over the edge
of the rayiue, and watching We motions of
the figure, until it finished its toil and again
disappeared in the shadow of the cliff. Soon
he saw it emerge from the abyss, as if it had
climbed wp the steep wall of rock, and re-
sume its swift and ghostlike walk. On it
went, with its glassy eyes, its pale and ex-
pressionless features, and its outstretched
hands, pursuing exactly the same route b
which it had come. The chief again fol-
lowed it, until it reached the group of In-
dians, walked swiftly across the slender
bridge with the same light and airy tread,
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and went toward the camp of the white
men.

“Tt is a spirit,” said Black Peter, answer-
ing the questioning looks of his companions.
Then he sat down, and covered his face with
his hands, as if buried in profound thought.

 

CHAPTER VII.
Ghost and Ghost-Seers.

Wayne Winston—for he was the appa-
rition that had bewildered the Indians and
excited their awe—returned to the camp,
wrapped himself in his blanket, and laid
down to finish his sleep, without being no-
are even by the watchful eyes of Dick

tar.

The young man had been much troubled
by the positive declarations of Simon Stur-
divant concerning the impossibility of his
union with Nellie, for whom his love was
daily increasing. He had been excited, also,
by er cheerful and hopeful words, and elated
with the thought that he might, in the land
of gold, gain riches enough to mollify the
stubborn will of her father. Then came the
mysterious occurrence of the silver bullet,
which she had hung about his neck as a tal-
isman that was to bring him good fortune,
and which he regarded more superstitiously
than he would have liked to acknowledge.

As he bi ooded over these things, his body
being still weak from the effects of his fall,
his mind acquired a morbid tendency, and
all his thoughts and reflections were tinged
with a desire for gold. A yellow mist swam
before his eyes, and when he laid down to
rest the moon scemed like a nugget of gold,
and the countless stars were particles of
golden dust. This idea, or desire for gold,
had become so fixed in his mind, that it in-
fluenced his actions while he slept. He arose
in « dream, as he had stated to Nellie, and
foliowed the dream-voice as it led him to the
side of the brook in the canon and thence
back to the camp.

On his next sleep-walking expedition, he
started from a point several miles farther to
the westward, down the slope of the moun-
tain range, and he came to the brook, as it
appeared to him in his dream, where the
stream was larger and the gold was more
plentiful. On this occasion he did not en-
counter any Indians, as the greater part of
them, after their demonstration against Stur-
divant’s camp, had gone down to their tem-
Barety village, where their horses were kept.

lack Peter, who was not entirely satisfied
of the spiritual nature of the apparition of
the previous night, but who was unable to
account for it on any other theory, had con-
cealed himself near the mountain canon,
where he waited for its return, but was des-
tined to be disappointed, for it did not again
appear in that direction.

Dick Starr and the Delaware, who had
been left to guard the camp, were unusually
wakeful aad watchful that night, as the for-
mer was not well satisfied with its defenses

 

THE SILVER BULLET.

and the location in which it had been pitched ;
but even they failed to perceive the depart-
ure of Winston, and supposed that he was
peacefully sleeping.

It lacked but an hour or so of daylight,

when they were seated together, on an eleva-
tion from which they could overlook the
camp and its approaches. To beguile the
tedium of the watch, they were conversing
of their exploits and experiences as hunters
and guides. One thing led to another, and
from an argument concerning the best
method of fastening packs on a horse or a
mule, they were drawn into a discussion of
ghosts and apparitions, in which both were
believers.

‘““Reckon you won’t believe me, Deerfoot,”
said Dick, ‘“ when I tell you that I once seed
the ghost of a grizzly; but it’s a fact, and
ef you don’t believe it, you'd better not say
so, cause this child don’t take a notion to
that kind of talk. I was camped up on the
Cimarron, late in the spring, along with old
Bill Williams, an Irishman called Lant Gilli-
way, and one of you Delawar’s. We had a
right smart lot of hosses, which we war
takin’ into the settlements, whar we ‘lowed to
git a good pile fur ’em. As I was ridin’
about on the prairie alone, lookin’ for a
chance to shoot some fresh meat, I caught
sight of a big she-grizzly with one cub. I
made fur the critter, and sent a ball into her
shoulder, when she gave a yell and set off as
fast as her four legs could carry her, leavin’
the pup behind, for it couldn’t begin to keep
up with her. I loaded ag’in and put after
her, and give her another dose, but the
cowardly cuss didn’t show fight, but got to
the timber wha’ she crawled into a hole in
the rocks, and I marked the place.

“T rode back, picked up the pup and car-
ried it into camp, and then Lant and I went
out, though old Bill Williams told us we had
better not, to find the bar. The critter was
thar’ in the hole sate enough and purty tol-
’able sick, I reckon, but it was onhandy to git
at her, so we lowed to smoke ler out. We
made two or three good smudges, but every
time the tarnation crittur sneaked up to the
mouth of the hole and put out the fire with
her paws. At last Lant got his Irish up, and
he went into thecave with a light, and shot
the grizzly through the head as she sot thar’
a-eryin’. We skinned her and cut out some
nice steaks, which we carried to the camp
with the hide. Then we had a big feed and
all went to sleep, as we war too full of b’ar-
meat to keep our eyes open.

“Reckon I hadn’t slept long when I was
woke by a strange noise. I looked up and I
seed that same grizzly sittin’ on her haunches
near our fire, holdin’ up her paws, and beg-
gin’ fur that pup of hern.”

“Ugh! Nodder grizzly, I guess,” ejaculat-
ed the Delaware.

“ Be keerful what you're sayin’, Deerfoot.
I tell you twas that same cussed grizzly.
Lant Gilliway seed her as well as I did, and
we both ‘lowed it meant bad luck, and we
wished we'd follered old Bill’s advice. In
course I couldn’t hold onto the pup after that,

 

aban ate

 

 

 
 

 

 

“in camp.”

pcr nt

DICK STARR DUMBFOUNDED. 21

a0 I let it loose, and then the old grizzly ran |
vf, {nm tae mornin’ we found that the crittur |
had toox away her hide, which we had hung

up in the camp, and that she had carried off
about a dozen of our best hosses, out of spite,

Lreekon.”

“See any Injun sign ‘bout thar?” asked
the Delaware.

“Don’t you be hintin’ bout Injuns and
their tricks, and misdoubtin’ what I’m tell-
in’ you, Deerfvot, fur I seed the crittur with
my own eyes, and I know it was the ghost of
that grizzly. Next day the red-skins war
around us, thicker’n bees, and we hada hard
fight and we lost most of our hosses, and
Lant Gilliway got wiped out and 1 came?
migbty nigh takin’ my last look at daylight.
Bill Williams ‘lowed that all our trouble
came of interferin’ with that grizzly, and our
Delawar’ said the crittur was a medicine
bar, and I know it was.”

“ Deerfoot knows a bigger story than that,
but can’t tell it well, like Wayne Winston
can. I go git him and make him tell.”

“Be in a hurry, then, red-skin, fur it’s
kinder Jonesome out hyar.”

The Delaware hastened to the camp, but
soon returned, withas much ustonishment in

his countenance as his stoical nature would |.

allow him to express,

“What's the matter now?” asked Dick
Star.

“Gone—Wayne’s gone away !”

“That’s mighty queer; I don’t see how
he could have slipped out of the camp, on-
beknown to us. Did you look well, Deer-
foot ?” 3

“Looked plenty well. Blanket thar, and
hat thar, but Wayne gone—Wayne nowhar

“ What in thunder does the boy mean by
sneakin’ off in that way? Ef he was goin’
on a scout he might have said suthin’ to us,
Whavt’s that yonder, Deerfoot? Do you see
it? Itisa man coming toward us—a white
man, too; as sure as shootin’, Deerfoot, it is
Wayne Winston himsell!”

“Yes, itis Wayne,” answered Deerfoot.

“What is the matter with hin? How
strange he looks; I will hail him.”

“Sh-sh-sh !” hissed the Delaware, as he

clapped his hand upon his companions
mouth and seized his arm. ‘ Don’t speak !”
he whispered. “ Git down and look at him,
but say nothing.”
7 Dick Starr would have refrained from ad-
dressing Winston, even if Deerfoot had not
interfered, for he seemed almost paralyzed
4s he gazed at the advancing figure, and
Mis tongue refused to give utterance to
speech.

Wayne came on as he had approached the
Indians the night before, hatless, with fixed
and glassy eyes, and with arms outstretched
as if feeling his way in the dark. His fuce
was deathly pale and expressionless, and he
moved like one who treads on air. Noiseless-
ly he passed by the two watchers, and went
toward the camp, while Dick Starr shud-
dered and shrank back as he came near
them.

41 2

 

“The poor boy has been rubbed out and
that thar is his ghost,” gasped the hunter.

“Not rub out yit; I see him so atore.
Come and look,” answered Deertoot.

Star arose and accompanied the Delaware
with doubtful and trembling steps. to the
camp, where they saw Wayne Winstonas he
went from one of the wagons to his blanket
in which he wrapped himself again. They
stepped up to the place where he was lying,
and his breathing immediately convinced
them that he was not only alive, but was
sleeping.

“ What does it mean, Deerfoot?” asked
Star, when he had satisfied himself concern-
ing Wayne's corporeal presence. “I ’lowed
it was his ghost, and I must give in that I
was kinder skeered, though I am never aleard
of any livin’ man. What is the matter with
him ?” °

“I see him so’afore, on the great plains of
thenorth. He sleeps hard, and the Great Spirit
takes him up whilehe sleeps and carries him
off—way off—Deerfoot don’t know whar,
and he comes back jist so, like dead man.
Old Sioux Injun tell me ’twas big medicine
sleep and it mought kill him to wake
him.” j

“Ts suthin’ orful, Deerfoot, and thar ought
to be a stop put to it. Pve hearn tell of folks
walkin’ in their sleep and L’low it’s a danger-
ous thing todo. Reckon we'd better see him
about it when he wakes up, and speak to
Cap'n Sturdivant.” _

“No say one word, Dick; mought make
much bad. Leave Deerfoot alone, he know
what to do. Not say one word to Cap’n
Sturdivant or anybody.”

“Tin agreed to that, Deerfoot, if you
really think it’s best. As youve seed him
ee you ought to know  suthin’ about
it,

So it was settled between the two wit-
nesses that nothing should be said concern-
ing Winston’s nocturnal escapade, except by
the Delaware, who was to mention it in his
own way, and the young man had no suspi-
cion of his somnambulic exploits until he re-
lated his remarkable dreams to Nellie Sturdi-
vant.

Wayne Winston was inclined to be moody
and thoughtful during the day, but he had
not much time to devote to his own reflecticns,
his faculties and energies being constantly
called into exercise by the annoyances of the
Indians, whose presence, in considerable
force, was discovered soon after the com-
mencement of the morning’s march. The
same cause prevented the Delaware from
speaking to him about his sleep-walking,
and that subject was deferred until a more
convenient opportunity should offer, Deer-
foot resolving, in the meantime, to watch his
friend, with the view of putting a stop to his
nightly excursions.

‘he Apaches began to be troublesome to
the party shortly afier they had broken up
their camp on the bluff. They swarmed in
such numbers oneach side of the difficult
trail, that the travelers were compelled to
fight their way through, and their progress,
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

a2 THE SILVER BULLET,

in consequence, was very slow. Nellie was
obliged to keep under the cover of her wagon,
and Big Ben, with some assistance trom
Mark Collier, took care of the teams, while
Simon Sturdivant with Way.ae Winston, and
Dick Starr with the Delaware, formed flank-
ing parties on the right and left of the route,
watching the movements of the Indians, and
compelling them to keep at a respectful dis-
tance. A number of shots were exchanged
in the course of this tedious travel, but there
was no casualty on the side of the whites, ex-
cept the loss of one of their oxen, which they
immediately butchered with commendable
forethought, and saved the best parts for
fresh meat.

Thus they worked their toilsome way }.

down the mountain range, until night over-
took them, and they were compelled to en-
eamp, . Another day’s journey, if their path
should be unimpeded, would bring them
down into the pleasant valley of the river,
which they were so anxious to reach. They
could see, before the sun set, the stream
winding through long reaches of abundant
grass, and they sighed as they prepared their
camp among the rocky ledges of the moun-
tain, where there was neither grass or water.

 

CHAPTER VIIL
Capture of the Scout.

No attack was made upon the camp that
night, although the travelers knew that they
were surrounded by enemies who were ready
to take advantage of any opportunity that
might offer to do them a mischief. Simon
Sturdivant and Wayne Winston kept a good
watch while the others slept. ‘The conge-
a was that there was no more gold

ust in the young man’s pocket the next
morning, and Nellie came to the sage con-
clusion that he could not walk in his sleep,
as long as he kept awake. From the fact
that he had not kept awake during the two
previous nights, the deduction was plain,
she thought, that he had then been walking
in his sleep. As for Mark Collier, he had
become almost a nonentity since the party
had reached a situation of reul difficulty and
danger. He was hardly noticed by any one,
except at meal times, and he seemed, to use
a homely expression, like a cat in.a strange
garret.

Early in the morning Dick Starr and the
Delaware set out on a reconnoitering expe-
dition, and returned with sad intelligence,
reporting that the trail was blockaded, a
short distance below, by the Apaches, who
had fortitied a narrow pass, about which
they were gathered in such force that it
would be impossible to go through without
having a fight and losing their teams. There
might be unother trail, by which the pass
could be avoided and the plain could be
reached, but Star was obliged to confess that
he knew. of none, and the others were igno-
rant of the route.

A council of war was held, to consult

 

concerning this new development, and at.
agreed that they werein avery unpleasant
predicament. ‘They were so far outnumber-
ed by the Apaches, that it was not safe to,
attempt to fight, unless the advantage of po-
sition were all on their side. To attempt to
force their way through the pass, against an
overwhelming force on ground of their own
choosing, would be a piece of foolhardiness
that could only be justified by the most des-
perate SRSSERCY It was possible that they
might be able to dislodge their enemies by a
surprise movement in their rear, but it would
be a hazardous experiment, and would prob-
ably involve the loss of their teams and other
property.

The difficulty was increased by the fact
that there-was no water, and scarcely any
forage at or near the camp. The water-casks
had been filled at the Ojo de Maria, but the
supply was not sufficient to lust man and
beast two days. It was evident, therefore,
that they could not long remain where they
were. Their further progress down the
mountain was barred by the Indians, and the
only chance to procure water and forage was
by returning to the Ojo de Maria; but that
would be a retrograde movement, and they
would not be really any better off, as the
Apaches would still ke waitiug patiently for
their prey to drop into their hands.

In this emergency, Wayne Winston pro-
posed that he and Dick Stair should make a
careful recconnoissance. They might suc-
ceed in discovering, he thought, either some

other passage down the mountain, or a place’

where they could procure water and forage,
Without the necessity of going back to the
Ojo de Maria. This was agreed to, as no-
thing else could be done at the time, and the
party were compelled to content themselves
with a distant view of the valley, which
they had hoped to reach several days before.

The two scouts accordingly set out, Dick
Starr going ina southwesterly direction, and
Winston starting toward the northwest. For
the present, we will follow the movements
of the latter. :

In the first place he reconnoitered in the
vicinity of the pass which had been reported
as blockaded up, a task which he was en-
abled to accomplish without detection, as he
was surpassed by few in his knowledge of
forest tactics and the wiles and artifices of
the Indians. He found the narrow way
completely obstructed by a barricade of trees
and stones, behind which, and in the adjoin-
ing thickets, the Apaches were concealed,
lying in wait for the expected train.

_ Haying satisfied himself on this point, and
haying come to the conciusion that the sava-

ges could only be dislodged by an attack m

the rear of their barricade, he turned toward
the north, skirting the edge of the mountain
range, and seeking for grass and water. In
vain he exhausted all the expedients known
in forest life by which the presence of the
precious element may be detected ; he sought
in ravines and low places, noticed where the
treetops wore the greenest tinge, ewatched
the tracks of animals and the flight of birds,

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to see whether they verged toward any one
common centre, and sounded possible locali-
ties with the ramrod of his rifle. His searca
was in vain, and he ascended a cliff, in a de-
spairing state of mind, to gain a good view
of the surrounding country, when he saw a
sight that filled his heart with hope and
thankfulness.

Several miles beyond and below him,
near a grove of tall trees, and by the river
that his own party was so anxious to reach,
he perceived a number of little dots on the
rolling plain, which an inexperienced person
would not have noticed, but which at once
attracted the attention of the practised
hunter.

The air was clear, and Wayne's sight was
as strong and far-reaching as an “eagle’s, so
that he was soon able to determine, with a
good degree of aecuracy, what the objects
were. He knew them te be several large
covered wagons, with the necessary comple-
ment of cattle and horses, and he could not
doubt that they were accompanied by a con-
siderable body of men. As a matter of
course, they must be white men, who would
be able and willing to rescue his friends
and himself from their unpleasant posi-
tion.

Wayne’s determination was immediately
made and carried into effect. He climbed
down the cliff, hastened to descend the
mountain, and soon found himself, after a
difficult and toilsome task, safe on the plain
at the foot of the formidable range.. He
would have been well pleased if his horse
had been there, ready to mount, but it would
have been impossible for the animal to tread
the route by which he had come, and he
was obliged to trust to his own feet.

Slaking his thirst in the clear, runnin
water of the stream, he arose refreshed, an
started off at a jog-trot pace, or “lope,”
which he had acquired from the Indians—a
sort of long stride, half walk and half run,
which may be kept up for a long time with-
out fatigue. Within an hour he reached his
destination, which proved to be the camp
and train of a small party of United States
infantry, who were on their way to relieve
the garrison of a frentier-fort.

e had no difficulty in securing a reception
and in making himself known to them, af-
ter which he told his errand, and described
the situation of Simon Sturdivant and his

party, hemned up in the mountain range by
the Apaches, ns

The officer in command of the detach- |

ment promised to bring succor to the block-
aded Americans as qatekty as possible, but
was unable to say how soon he coul 0,

   

as several of his men who had been sent on
an expedition, were supposed to have lost
their way, and he was oblig await the

return of the m er whom he had
to search for them. ‘ite advised Wepdt ai
the meantime, to return to his friends, and
tell them to strengthen their position and
hold it a little longer, until the troops could
come to their rescue. = |

Greatly encouraged by this good news,

in | lyin | i i
‘sought for water in the ravines and crevices

 

23

and refreshed with food and drink, the young
man set out, in a cheerful mood, to return to
the mountain-camp. But he was not des-
tined to go back as easily as he had come,
and it is necessary to refer to some previous
occurrences, in order to understand how he
happened to get into trouble.

Black Peter, the Apache, had been much
excited by the apparition he had seen after
the night attack upon the camp of the emi-
grants, although he had not allowed his
companions to perceive his curiosity, and
had said nothing to them about the strange
scene that he had witnessed at the brook-side.
He was in doubt whether the night-walker
was really a spirit or a living man, and the
operations with the pan, the sand and the
water, were a complete mystery to him, to
unravel which he puzzled his brain to no
purpose.

As has been stated, he devoted the next
night to watching the ravine into which the
apparition had descended, but he learned
nothing by the vigil, as Winston did not
again make his appearance at that place, but
struck the stream considerably lower down.
Not satisfied with this failure, he hung upon
the track of the party the next day with the
warriors, and crept up within view of their
camp at night, by which means he was en-
abled to see Winston as he scouted in the
hills and kept guard by the wagons at night.
This was sufficient to convince any one that
the young man was alive and no ghost, un-
less he had a “double,” but Black Peter had
seen nothing that could enlighten him con-
cerning the events of the former night, and
he was determined to continue his investiga-
tion of the matter.

Believing that the emigrants could be
blockaded and kept among the hills, until
they might be captured or starved into a
surrender, he directed the Apaches to place
obstructions in the narrow pass by which
alone the descent of the mountain could be
made, and to occupy it with the greater part
of their force, assuring them that they would
be well rewarded for their patience after a
while.

As for himself, he kept a close and con-
tinued watch upon the camp of the white
men, assisted by a few young warriors, his
great object being, although he would have
sacrificed his scalp sooner than acknowledge
it, to satisfy his intense curiosity, by getting
possession of the person of Wayne Winston,
in order to extort from him the secret of his
nocturnal wandering and mysterious ac-

_ His opportunity soon presented itself. He
‘saw Winston when he left the camp for the

purpose of reconnoitering, and followed on
fis trail with the silence of a serpent and the
caution of a beaver. He followed him as he
crept around the wat places of the out-

Indians, followed him as he vainly

along the mountain-side, and followed him
until he climbed up the cliff, when he
watched him as he descended and hastened
down to the plain. He might easily have

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

94

killed him, but that would not have satisfied
his curiosity.

But when Black Peter saw the young man
speeding across the plain, and caught sight
of the soldiers’ train in the distance, he
rightly guessed what his object was, and re-
rretted that he had suffered him to escape.

Le waited, however, until he saw Winston
returning, when he summoned a few of the
young warriors, whom he placed in am-
bush, instructing them to capture the white
man, without doing him any injury, if pos-
sible.

Wayne Winston used his limbs to good
purpose as he returned from his visit to the
soldiers, aud reached the foot of the moun-
tain in less time than it had taken him to
cross in the other direction, In his haste to
convey to his friends in the camp the glad
tidings that white men were at hand and
willing to succor them, he neglected the
usual and proper precautions of a scout, and
the consequence was, that he had scarcely
arrived at the cliff from which he had start-
ed, when several stalwart Apaches arose
from their hiding places, and threw them-
selves upon him.

Taken entirely unawares, and being almost
breathless after his exertions, he was unable
to use a weapon, or to make any but a feeble
resistance, and was soon overpowered and
securely bound, in which condition he was
brought to Black Peter, who had not person-
ally taken any part in the capture.

When the chief had satisfied himself that
Winston was really the man he wanted, he
ordered the warriors to follow with their
captive, and led the way to the village, feel-
ing that he had not only gained possession
of the object of his curiosity, but had pre-
vented the emigrants from learning that
there were other white men in the vicinity.

CHAPTER IX.
Awakened.

Tum temporary village of the Indians was
located in a pleasant valley, which entered
the mountainous range, like a bay, for the

distance of about half a mile. It was a
beautiful, secluded spot, well watered, with
an abundance of fine timberand good grass.
Here were their lodges, formed of long poles
covered with hides; here were their women
and children, and dogs; above all, here were
their splendid horses, the pride and reliance
of the wild warriors.

‘Wayne Winston was taken to one of the
pea lodges, where his arms were un-

ound, and the young warriors went out,
leaving him alone with the chief.

Black Peter took aseut, and motioned to
his prisoner to do the same, and proceeded
to interrogate him, in very good Eng,ish.
Wayne had not spoken since his capture,
because he knew very well into whose hands
he had fallen, what sort of a fate he might
expect, and how useless it would be to at.

 

THE SILVER BULLET.

tempt to expostulate with his captors or te
ask them any questions; but he soon found
use for his tongue in answering and parrying
the interrogations of the old Apache.

The inquiry took quite a wide range, and
the chief sought information ona great many
points. To some of his questions Wayne
answered plainly and truthfully; of other
matters he professed ignorance; and on
other points his answers were as evasive as
it was politic to make them. He was asked
how many men there were in the emigrant
train, and what sort of men they were; who
the white woman was, and whether she was
handsome; by what route they had come,
and what their object was in traveling west-
ward; how they were supplied with pro-
visions, ammunition, and other necessaries
for the journey ; whether any of them had —
been wounded in the skirmishes, and if they
had met with any other losses; whether
they knew that the pass on their trail was
blockaded, and how they expected to reach
the plain; who the white men were whom
he had visited that day, and how many of
them there were, and where they proposed
to go, and what to do.

He answered some of the questions by
stating that the emigrants were numerous
and powertul enough to protect themselves,
and that any doubts about their being able
to break the blockade would soon be solved
by a party of United States soldiers, who
were camped on the plain, and who intend-
ed to set out to punish the Apaches imme-
diately.

When Black Peter had exhausted his in-
quiries, he came to the point on which he
really desired to get information,

“Are you alive, or are you a dead man?”
he suddenly asked. ‘

“What do you mean?” replied Winston,
with a stare of astonishment.

“Are you really living, or are you one of
those whom the Great Spirit permits to walk
and breathe, and talk, after) the life has left
them ?”

“T believe that lam alive. I have never
had any particular reason to suppose myself
a spirit.”

“But you were shot, and you ought to be
dead.”

“JT was shot, itis true, but it was a spent
ball that struck me, and I was not killed,
though hurta little. Your warriors ought
to know that Iam alive, forl have proved
it with my rifle.”

“ Three nights ago you left your camp, you
crossed wu deep canon, on a small tree, over
which none of our warriors could have
walked, and you came to where the red men
were lying on the ground. No one but a
spirit could have done that.”

Wayne's face flushed quickly, and he
stared wildly at the speaker, for the night
mentioned was the night preceding the
morning when Nellie Sturdivant had dis-
covered the gold dust.

“How do you know that?” he eagerly
asked. “ Where did I go? What did I
do ?”

 
 

BLACK

“T know it because I saw you, and you
were seen by others; you crossed the canon,
and you passed through the warriors, and
wert on. I told them that you were a
spirit, and they were afraid, and hid their
faces.”

“But where did I go? What did I do?”
again asked Wayne, who had listened to the
recital with an intense and tremulous in-
terest.

“T followed you alone until you came to
another deep canon, where I lost you for a
while, end then I saw you at the bottom of
the canon by the side of a little brook. I
thought that none but a spirit could have got
down there. You walked as if you saw
nothing, and you passed among the warriors
without fear, though you were unarmed.
What did it mean? Why did you go there?
What are you ?”

“Can you tell me what I did in the
canon ?”

The chief then described the process of
gathering the sand and washing it. °

“ My dream was a reality! It must have
been, then, that I found the gold !”

This exclamation escaped unintentionally
from the lips of the young man, in his sur-
prise; but it seemed to let ina new light
upon the mind of Black Peter, who caught
it up instantly.

“ What gold ?” he asked.
with a straight tongue?
gold?”

A moment’s reflection convinced Wayne
that it would be good policy to make a clean
breast of it to this apparently friendly In-
dian, whose influence, if he could be in-
duced to exert it, might save his life and per-
haps restore him to liberty, and he proceeded
to do so, He explained that he was subject
to sleep-walking, so as to suit the com-
prehension of his listener, told him how he
had twice discovered gold in his pockets
when he awoke in the morning, and related
the two dreams that had preceded the dis-
coveries. The chief succeeded, by dint of
questions, in drawing from him an account
of the causes that had led to his late som-
nambulism, including his love for Nellie
Sturdivant, and asked him whether he could
find the second spot at which he had dug
the gold; but Wayne had to confess his igno-
rance of cither location.

Black Peter expressed himself’ satisfied
with the explanation, and treated the young
man more like a guest than a prisoner, caus-
ing a good supper to be brought to him, and
telling him that he might sleep in his own
lodge, and that he should not be bound,
although he must, be carefully guarded.
Wayne accepted this as a good result of his
policy in “ making a clean breast of it,” and
concluded that he had only to bide his time
2nd watch his chance, in order to secure his
escape.

It was true that the old chief had a plan
of his own in view, which he proceeded to
carry out that night. As soon as Wayne

“Do you speak
Have you found

was asleep, he placed a shallow wooden
bowl by his side, gave some directions to the

 

PETER. 25

warriors who were on guard, and then laid
down in the lodge to sleep.

About midnight Wayne arose, took the
bowl, and walked out of the lodge, leaving

his hat. As soon as he had gone, one of the
warriors awoke Black Peter, who also sal-
lied out of the lodge, and followed the white
man as stealthily as the bee-hunter pursues
the insect which, laden with honey, flies in
a direct line to its home.

Wayne walked swiftly and silently as he
had previously done, with fixed eyes and out-
stretched hands. He went to the head of the
valley and then followed the course of the
stream up a narrow ravine, until he came to
a place where the sand by the brook-side had
been disturbed and trampled upon. Here he
stopped, set down his bowl], filled it with the
sandy dirt and with water, and proceeded to
shake and stir the mixture briskly, allowing
the muddy water to run over the side of the
dish.

Black Peter watched him until the first
handful was washed and the shining parti-
cles of gold were picked out. Then he sud-
denly seized the sleep-walker by the arm,
and shook him vigorously. Wayne started,
opened his eyes, stared wildly about for a
moment, threw up his hands, and fell back
on the ground in asort of stupor or dead
faint.

The chief looked at the prostrate man with
an expression of intense interest, knelt down
by his side, unbuttoned his hunting-shirt and
) placed his hand upon his heart; as he did so
he felf something hard, and drew out the sil-
ver bullet that Nellie Sturdivant had hung
on her lover's neck. At this bullet and
at the stamp that was impressed upon it, he
gazed in astonishment.

He looked again and produced Wayne’s
Testament. As he took it out from the mus-
lin bag he saw the liole that had been made
by the bullet and his astonishment in-
creased.

He opened the book on the fly-Jeaf on
which was written the name of Wayne’s
mother, “ Mary Bartley.” Under it was a
stamp, similar to that on the bullet, and under
the stamp was the name of the present
owner, “ Wayne Winston.”

As he looked at this page Black Peter ap-
peared to be greatly agitated, but he svon
closed the book, pressed his lips to the cover,
and replaced it in the young man’s pocket;
then he brought some water from the brook
which he sprinkled freely in Wayne's face
and rubbed his hands vigorously. The sleep-
walker soon opened his eyes, sat up and look-
ed around.

“What isthe matter?” he asked. “‘ How
did I come here? What does this mean?”

Before Black Peter could explain, he com-
prebended the situation of affairs, and was
wide-awake in an instant.

The chief then produced, from under his
bianket, a wooden bow] similar to that which
Wayne had brought, knelt down by the
brook and commencd to wash the earth,
motioning to his prisoner tu follow his ex-
ainple.

 

 
 

 

 

 

26

Although Wayne did not relish the idea of
digging gold for another, and although he
considered it possible to make his escape, he
thought it the best policy to obey, and the
two men worked hard for more than an hour,
hy which time they had accumulated a con-
siderable quantity of the dust. Then the
chief put all the gold that had been collected
into adeerskin bag and led his prisoner back
to the village, scarcely a word being spoken
by either,

After a few hours’ sleep, and after partak-
ing of some refreshment, the red man and
the white man, as if by tacit consent, again
went up the valley and resumed their task.
They worked hard and steadily, in silence
and alone, until the day was nearly spent, by
which time they had collected such an
amount of goldassurprised them both. They
had worked their way further down the
stream, where they found the precious dust
much more plentiful, and they had advanced
so much in the science of mining that they
dug up the light soil to the stratum of clay
beneath it, in which they found many splen-
did nuggets, rapidly increasing the weight
of their pile.

All their gains, as soon as separated from
the earth, were transferred to the deerskin
bag of Black Peter, which was so well filled
that it was not a very easy load to carry.
Wayne Winston eyed that receptacle quite
wistfully, thinking what a fine addition it
would make to the small stoek in the posses-
sion of Nellie Sturdivant, and he began to
think seriously of laying violent bands on
the treasure and trying to make his escape.
It would be easy to overpower the old chief,
and although the hills might be full of In-
dians, he believed that it would be possible
for him te reach Sturdivant’s camp in safety,
even when encumbered with the bag of gold ;
but an inexplainable feeling caused him to
hesitate, and while he was mentally debating
the subject, the current of his thoughts
was entirely changed by a new develop-
ment.

Both men were quite tired, and they sat
on the ground to rest, with the gold between
them.

“Do you want that stuff, white man?”
asked Black Peter, pointing to the bag of

Ose.
en Pil not pretend to deny that I would be
very glad to have it,” answered Winston.
“If I had that pile, and a few more piles like
it, and if I wasa free man, I might marry
the girl I spoke of.”

“ Why don’t you kill me, and take the gold
and run away ?”

“T don’t know, red-skin. I might do it, it
seems, easily enough, and I confess that I
have thought of it; but, when I had almost
made up my mind to do it, it seemed as if
the girl stood before me, and forbid it.”

“Ugh! Good girl! Perhaps she now
thinks that you have been killed, and she
will forget you, and will marry some other
man.”

“T can’t believe that; her heart is too true,
and she loves me too well, to forget me so

 

 

THE SILVER BULLET.

easily ; but I am afraid that she will be
greatly troubled about me.”

“Do you want to go and see her, to telt
her that you are alive, to tell her that you
are safe—to tell her that you are digging
gold?”

“ Of course I want her to know that I am
alive, and I don’t know why I have stayed
here so long.”

“Would you tell no one else abcut the
gold 2?”

“No one but her.”

“Would you promise to come back to me
and be my prisoner ?”

“T would,” answered Wayne, after some
hesitation.

“Are you speaking to me with a straight
tongue? Will you promise truly to come
back ?”

“T will; on my honor as a white man, a
gentleman and a hunter, I promise.”

“ Go, then; but be sure that you return fo-
night. Take this stuff with you, and give it
to the maiden. I will show you the nearest
way to the camp of the white man.”

So saying, Black Peter pushed the bag of
gold toward his companion, arose and walk-
ed up the canon. :

Wayne Winston, too much astonished to
speak, picked up the treasure, and followed
the chief.

They went to the head of the gulch, climb-
ed up the steep ascent. and emerged on the
rocky side of the mountain, when the chief
stopped, and pointed in a southeasterly di-
rection.

“There lies your camp,” said he. “You
may go in safety, but do not fail to return
to-night.”

Overjoyed as much as he was astonished,
the young man set out at a good pace, and in
the course of an hour, came in sight of the
bluff on which the camp was located, when he
concealed the bag of gold under his hunting-

shirt, and went forward to meet his friends,

CHAPTER X.
A Return and a Rescue.

Tumre was trouble in the camp of the.
emigrants when Wayne Winston did not re- °
turn from his scouting expedition. Dick
Starr got back in time for dinner, but he had
no good news to report, as his had been a
bootless quest. He, as well as Wayne, had
examined the pass, and had found it com-
pletely blockaded and guarded by a strong
force of Indians. He had then sought for
another trail, but had fourid no place of de-
scent where the wagons and cattle could be
got down the mountain. He had looked for
water, but had not been able to discover ary,
nearer than their last camping-place, the
Ojo de Maria. ‘

As the emigrants might as well be captur-
ed or killed by the Indians, as to lose their
wagons and. cattle, without which they
would not be able to make any progress, o%

 

 

 

 

 
A GLAD SURPRISE.

eyen to support life, they could derive no
consolation from the statements of Star, and
their only reliance was on the hope that
Wayne Winston might have made some
more yaluable discovery His failure to re-
turn to the camp, therefore, increased their
perplexity, and largely added to their troub-
es.

The day wore away, and the night came
on, but no Winston came with it. As the
darkness settled down upon the camp, the
gloom of its inmates became greater, and
there was no one to say a pleasant word, ex-
cept Mark Collier, who was so manifestly
please at the non-appearance of Wayne,
that he was snubbed on all sides, and was
compelled to subside into his own society,
whereupon he occupied himself with imag-
ining how he would be revenged on his
rough associates for their slights, when they
should all reach a civilized country once
more.

The night passed, and the morning
broke, but nothing was seen of the lost scout.
There could be no doubt that he had been
either killed or captured by the savages, for he
would certainly have returned to the camp,
ander cover of the night, however he might
have been beset, if he had been alive and free.
He was greatly missed, for his death or cap-
ture involved not only his own fate, but the
loss, to his friends, of an experienced back-
woodsman and a sure shot, whose value at
a crisis could not be overestimated.

The scarcity of water soon became an im-

portant consideration, and, as both Sturdi-
vant and Dick Starr were stubbornly opposed
to going back to their last camp, it became
necessary to take some steps to supply the

the deficiency. When it had been well
ascertained that the Apaches did not in-
tend to molest them where they were, but
only to keep them blockaded until they
should be forced to surrender, the cattle were
driven into a ravine where scanty forage
could be obtained, and were left there in
charge of Big Ben. It was then agreed
that an expedition should be sent to the
Ojo de Maria, for the purpose of procuring
water. :

Water-casks were well lashed upon three
mules, one on each side of an animal, and
Dick Star set out with the train, leaving
Sturdivant and the Delaware to guard the
camp.

The messenger returned in the afternoon,
haying accomplished his object without mo-
lestation. He hoped that he might find Win-
ston at the camp-on his return, but was dis-
appointed, as nothing had occurred to raise
the cloud of gloom that had settled on the
emigrants.

The supply of water was a relief to men
and: beasts, and a good supper made all a
aittle more cheerful, but their sadness re-
turned when they thought of the realities of
the morrow. It was certain that they could
not remain much longer in their present po-
sition, and it was equally certain that they
did’ not know how to extricate themselves
from it. The only chance was to make a

 

27

bold dash, and try to fight their way through
their foes; but, as Sturdivant said, there
was Nellie in the way, and their force was
weakened by the loss of one of their best
men. Under such circumstances, they could
only wait, and hope that the morning
might show them a way out of their diffi-
culties.

No one had been more troubled than Nel-
lie Sturdivant at the continued absence of her
lover. She was well aware of his courage
and skill, but she also knew what circum-
stances might arise to render both of no avail,
and when aday and a night had passed with-
out bringing him back, she began to grieve
for him as dead. Although convinced that he
would be able to extricate himself from al-
most any position of peril, she was afraid
that he had been overtaken by night, and
had fallen asleep, in which condition he had
walked forth in a dream, as he had already
done on two occasions, and had thus fallen
into the hands of the savages.

The horrible uncertainty was worse than
actual knowledge of his death would have
been, but the noble girl bore up bravely, and
tried to cheer the spirits of the rest, when she
needed strength and consolation more than
any of them. Only on one occasion did she
show the real depth of her feeling, and that
te when she was annoyed by Mark Col-

ier.

That self-sufficient individual, not appre-
ciating the real danger of the position in
which the party was placed, and regarding
only his selfish interests, was disposed to re-
joice over the disappearance of Wayne
Winston, because he hoped, now that his
formidable rival was out of the way, to
prosper in his wooing, aided by the good
wishes of Simon Sturdivant. Nellie knew,
also, that Collier would be importunate in
pressing his suit, when he believed that
‘Winston was no longer an obstacle, and that
her father would be always ready to press
her to accept his offer, and that knowledge
increased her aversion to her unwelcome
suitor.

She bore with his propositions, insinua-
tions and other annoyances, until her pa-
tience gave way, and her high spirit asserted
itself, when she burst out upon him in a tor-
rent of contemptuous reproach, by which
her red-haired tormentor was overwhelmed
and swept away, as dry grass is gathered up
and “‘seut whirling” by a tempest eon the
plains. She concluded by declaring that he
was a cowardly dog, unfit to breathe in the
presence of brave men and women, and that
Wayne Winston’s little finger was ten times
worth his whole body, after which she gave
yent to a flood of tears, under cover of which
Collier judiciously retreated.

But the cloud of gloom was soon to be
lifted, and the trouble was soon to have an
end. As Nellie was seated near one of the
wagons, at sunset, mournfully thinking of her
lost lover, she was surprised by a joyful ex:
clamation from Dick Starr, who rushed out
of the camp, and quickly returned, leading
by the hand Wayne Winston !

a

 
 

 

28

Yes, it was himself—there was no mistak- | less and bloodthirsty men.

ing that manly form, and that handsome,
melancholy face, but he seemed more serious
than usual, and the smile with which he
grected Nellie was tinged with sadness. All
except Collier hastened to welcome him.

“Here you are, man alive!’ exclamed
Simon Sturdivant, “ and right glad are we to
see you again. We were afraid that you
had been rubbed out, or that yon had been
made prisoner, at least. What has kept you
away irom us so long ?”

“T have been made prisoner,” answered
Wayne, ‘and I ama prisoner yet, under a
sacred obligation to return to my captors to-
night.”

He then, in answer to their wondering
questions, proceeded to relate how he had
vainly searched for water, and had at last
discovered the train of the soldiers parked in
the valley beyond the mountain range ; how
he had gone thither, had been well received,
and had obtained a promise from the com-
mander that succor should be sent to his
friends ; how he had hastened to bring back
the good news; and how he had been cap-
tured, on his return, by the Apaches, and
taken to their village. He had only been

paroled for a short time, he said, in order
that he might visit Neilie, and he desired an
interview with her alone, after which he
would be obliged to bid them all farewell
again. .

His reasonable request for an interview
with Nellie was readily granted by her father,

who first wished to know why the suecor
had not sooner been sent, and when it might
be expected.

Wayne explained that the commander had
been obliged to await the return of some of
his men who were supposed to have lost
their way, but that he would certainly send
thena aid as soon as possible, and they might
hope to be relieved at any time.

The young nian then walked aside with
Nellie, to whom he gave a detailed and accu-
rate account of his adventures, including the
discovery of his sleep-walking by the Apache
chief, and his subsequent gold-digging opera-
tions.

Nellie listened with astonishment, mixed
with some incredulity, and she could hardly
believe the latter part of his narration, until
he put in her hands the heavy bag of gold,
which was almost as much as she could lift.
When she opened it, and saw the amount of
the shining treasure, she laughed aloud in
her joy, but her pleasure was as quickly
changed to grief, when she reflected on the
situation of her lover, who was still a
prisoner, and whose fate was as yet uncer-
tain.

“Tam almost afraid to touch it, Wayne,”
she said, ‘fur it seems to me, somehow, like
the price of your life. Is it really true that
you must go back, and be subject to those
savages, Who will, perhaps, slay or torture

ou?” j
me I have promised to return, Nellie.”

“Do not keep such apromise! Is a prom-
ise to be regarded, that is made to such law

, :

 

THE SILVER BULLET.

They have no
honor or truth, and should expect none from
others, You would only be sacrificing your-
self and me, for 1 could not live if you were
dead.”

“Tt is hard, Nellie, but it must be done,
and even you have no right to ask me to
break my promise. I have given my word,
and my word is as sacred when passed to
the poorest. and meanest man living, as if it
was pledged to the President of the United
States. Besides, the chief has treated me so
well, that I almost feel a sort of affection for
him, and I am inclined to believe that he
does not intend to do me any sttious
harm.”

“Why, then, does he not release you?
Why keep you in bondage, away from those
you love, and away from me, Wayne ?”

“Perhaps he believes that I have some
supernatural faculty for discovering gold,
and he wishes to use my power to serve his
own purposes.” ; ;

“If he does, he will make you a slave, and
will never let you go. Stay with me, Wayne,
or I shall lose you forever.”

“T hope and believe that vou will not,” an-
swered the young man, deeply moved. “If
your apprehensions do not prove unfounded,

trust that I will be able to free myself from
the power of the savages, and to rejoin you.
At present, I know that my honor obliges
me to keep the promise that I have made.” ~

Thus the interview terminated. Winston
said farewell to his fellow-travelers, hoping
that they would soon be enabled to proceed.
safely on their journey, and promising to.
overtake them ‘if he couid escape from the
clutches of the Apaches. He then left the
camp, and Nellie retired to her wagon,
where she wept in secret. “

The next morning Dick Star went out.
early to reconnoiter, and soon returned with
the pleasing intelligence that there was a
great commotion among the Indians who
were blockading the pass, and that he had-
ascended a peak, from which he had seen a
body of men moving over the plain toward
the mountain. ‘ :

As there could be no doubt that these were
their expected friends, a council of war was
called, to determine whether they should
aid in the attack upon the position of the
Apaches, when it was discovered that Deer-
foot was missing. Deprived of two such val-»
uable men as Winston and the Delaware, it
was out of the question for the small party
to undertake the offensive, and they could
only wait patiently for the promised relief.
wondering what had become of their copper-
colored ally.

Before noon they heard the first shots fired
by the soldiers, and then Dick Starr, whose
ardor could no longer be restrained, rushed
out of camp, and went. down the trail to
“take a hand.” He soon returned, with the
commander and advanced guard of the
troops, and reported that the Indians, at-
tacked in the rear, had fled in all directions,
and that the soldiers were removing the ob-

structions in the pass, “

 
DEERFOOT ON THE WATCH>

Simon Sturdivant welcomed the deliver-
ers most heartily, and set before them the
best that he had in the camp. He then lost
no time in getting the train down into the
valley, where the party was pleasantly en-
camped, by evening, near the bank of the
river. When these matters were attended
to, and all things were made safe, he com-
menced to think about recovering his two
lost companions.

CHAPTER XI.
Two Captures.

Iv has been stated that Deerfoot, the Del-
aware, was missing from the camp, the
morning after the visit of Wayne Winston.
He had listened to the young man’s state-
ment of his capture, and of the terms on
which he had been permitted to see his
friends. The Delaware,“ untutored ” though
he was, well understood and appreciated the
principie of honor that bound his friend to
go back and deliver himself up to his captors
as he had promised to do, for truth and re-
spect to pledged words were nowhere more
religiously regarded than among the scat-
tered descendants of the Lenni Lenape. But
Deerfoot also knew, that after the captive
had delivered himself up, there was no breach
of honor in his attempting to escape, or in
receiving assistance from his friends.

“Therefore the dusky guide, who loved
Wayne Winston as a brother, and looked
up to him asa superior being, Getermined to
make an effort to save the life and liberty of
his friend. He was but one man, it was true,
but a great deal might be done by one man,
when his heart was in the cause, and when
his whole life lad been spent in deeds of
daring and forest finesse.

He mentioned bis intention to no one, but
watched Wayne as he left the camp, and
silently stole out after him in the night.
The moon had not yet risen, and he was
obliged to waik at no great distance behind
the young man, in order to keep him in
sight, but he moved so cautiously and stealth-
ily, that he had no fear of being discovered.
His object was, to learn the location of the
camp of ‘the Apaches, and to see where and
how Wayne was kept as a prisoner.

_He had not gone far, when he saw two
Indians, who bad evidently been sent out to
watch the white man, rise up from scrubby
thickets, and from behind rocks, and follow
Winston. They, also, kept at a distance,
and Deerfoot was obliged to regulate his
speed and his motions by theirs,

Noiwithstanding these advantages, he fol-
lowed the captive, over the rocky side of the
mountain, and down the steep descent of the
canon, to the valley in which the Indian
village was situated. He saw Wayne walk
down to the village, while his followers dis-
appeared, and saw him received by an
Indian, who took him by the hand and led
him into one of the lodges.

The Delaware then concealed himself in

 

29

the timber and thick bushes that skirted the
sides of the valley, and made the best possible
use of his eyes, but he saw nothing more
that interested him. He waited until all was
quiet within the village, and then laid down
upon the ground to sleep.

He was awake before daylight, and he
crept as near to the lodge as he dared, and
watched for some indication of the presence
of his friend. It was hardly dawn, and the
village was still quiet, as if buried in sleep,
when he saw Wayne come out of a lodge,
accompanied by a venerable warrior in the
guise of a chief, and the old man and the
young one walked up the valley, as if they
were two friends taking a morning stroll.

Deerfoot followed them, as they went to
the head of the valley, and thence up the
narrow canon, until they stopped by the side
of the stream, and both, knecling down on
the sand, produced from some hiding place
two shallow wooden bowls, into which they
commenced to put earth that they digged
up, and to wash it with water from the
brook. Fi

He watched them, from the concealment
of a fallen tree, and wondered as he watched,
for this was a mystery that he was unable
to comprehend. They did not seem to be
enemies, or to act as prisoner and captor;
on the contrary, there was the most perfect
accord between them, and they were con-
versing, while they worked, as amicably as
old acquaintances.

The Delaware crept up closer, in order
that he might have a better chance to solve
the mystery, and he soon thought that he
he had discovered the cause of their friend-
ship, for Winston, while scooping up the
earth that he had loosened with a wooden
implement, picked something out of the
mass, and held it up. As he did so, the first
rays of the newly-risen sun fell upon it,
lighting it up with a yellow gieam, and both
the diggers uttered exclamations of surprise
and delight. Well they might, for it was a
Jarge nugvet of virgin gold!

The Delaware well knew what it was,
and he easily perceived the tie that had
bound together those two men, so. dis-
similar by birth, education, habits, and pre-
sent situation. But he saw that the nugget
was dropped into a pouch that was held open
by the Indian, and he could not conceive
why his “ brudder Wayne” should be will-
ing to remain there so quietly, digging gold
for another man, when he might easily break
his companion’s head and walk off with the
property. Unwilling to puzzle his brain
about the matter any more, he determined
to find out what it meant, and he reasoned
in this wise:

“ Reckon that Injun friend to Wayne. If
Injun friend to Wayne, then friend to Deer-
foot, too. If enemy to Wayne, then Wayne
and Deerfoot kill him quick.”

Having thus concluded, he arose from be-
hind the fallen tree, and stepped out in view
of the diggers. The chief immediately saw
him, started up, and seized the rifle that he
had brought with him, but Wayne Winston

 
 

 

   

   

30

laid a hand on his arm, and spoke a few
words, that. seemed to quiet him, for he laid
down the weapon, and again began to wash
the earth in his wooden bowl.

Wayne stepped across the brook, and ad-
vanced to Deerfoot, whom he took by the
hand and brought to his companion, with
an unceremonious backwoods introduction.
The old chief seemed to be entirely too much
absorbed in his occupation to inquire whether
the new-comer was a friend or an enemy,
and only asked how he could work, as they
had but two bowls.

“J will find work for him,” answered
Wayne. “He can use my pan, and you
may show him how to do it, while I dig up
the earth and hunt for new places.”

This point being satisfactorily arranged,
the Delaware went to work, and soon be-
came a proficient in washing dirt, and
separating the gold, and Wayne made him-
self useful by “prospecting” on each side
of the brook, finding richer spots to work,
and occasionally turning up large nuggets.

So the work went on, hardly a word being
spoken, except when Wayne announced anew
discovery, until late in the afternoon, when
there could be heard the distant murmurs
of a commotion in the village below. The
chief, who, as the reader has doubtless dis-
covered, was Black Peter, went down in the
valley to ascertain the cause of the disturb-
ance, telling his companions to remain where
they were, and did not return until night-
‘all.

“Soldiers have come,” he said, “and my
people have run away. Your people can
now go where they please Come, we have
dug enough gold to-day, and we are very
tired.”

So saying, he picked up the bag of gold,
and led the way to the village, followed by
‘Winston and the Belauware. Throwing his
own mantle over Deerfoot, he led both into
his own lodge, and laid down to sleep with
them.

There was another, beside the Delaware,
who had watched Wayne Winstou’s move-
ments when he returned to the camp of the
emigrants, and that other was Mark Collier.
Although he was of a cowardly disposition,
and unwilling to expose his person in actual
combat, he was not wanting in that sort of
strategy and low cunning that is by some
denominated “ cuteness.” More than all, he
was always anxious to get money easily, and
was as much in love with Nellie Sturdivant
as he was capable of being in love with any-

body.

He had happened to overhear a portion
of the conversation between Nellie and her
lover, after Wayne’s second sleep-walking
excursion, and he had not only formed his
own idea concerning the somnambulism, but
he had heard of the gold, and had seen it as
Wayne took it from his pocket. This was
enough to excite both his curiosity and his
cupidity, but he had kept his own counsel,
resolving to take advantage of what he
_ learned, when an opportunity should
offer.

 

SHE SILVER BULLET.

He had watched Wayne, to see whether
he would take another nocturnal journey in
search of gold, intending, in that event, to
follow him, and ascertain where the precious
metal was to be found, for he thought that
he could go scatheless in such a quest, as
well as another man. But he was disap-
pointed, as Wayne did not make another
sleep-walking trip.

hen Winston had his interview with
Nellie alone, on his return to the camp as a
prisoner on parole, Collier crept under the
wagon, and listened to their conversation.
He thus learned the particulars connected
with the young man’s disappearauce, and
became acquainted with the location of the
Apache camp and of the rich gold-diggings
that had been discovered.

His time had not yet come, but he had
good reason to believe that Sturdivant’s
party would soon be relieved from their dif-
ficulty, and he waited, with a fair degree of
patience. After the Apaches were attacked
and dispersed by the United States troops,
he accompanied the train until it was camped
in the valley, where he ate his supper, and
went to sleep with the rest. At about mid-
night, however, he quietly arose, took his
rifle, and slipped out of the camp, shaping
his course toward the mouatain range.

He had a good idea of the location of the
Apache camp, and he knew, from Wayne
Winston’s description, how he should go
from the camp to the head of the valley, and
thence up the canon. It was not his inten-
tion to dig for the gold in such a dangerous
neighborhood, but he wished, in the language
of land-speculators, to ‘locate the. claim,”
and make it available at some futile time.
Although his natural timidity had by no
means left him, it was cast in the shade, for
the time, by his avarice, and he was, in fact,
too inexperienced in pioneer life and the
nature of the red-man, to have a proper
conception of the danger to which he was
exposed himself.

After wandering about for a while among
the rocks, ravines and thickets, he came to
the conclusion that he had lost his way, and
that he would be unable to find it without
the aid of daylight. Therefore he laid down,
under the shadow and shelter of some dwarf
trees, and was soon so sound asleep that he
forgot his avarice and all other earthly
matters. '

Mark Collier was unaccustomed to back-
woods life, and had not been in the habit of
rising early. When he went to sleep, he did
not expect to arise until he was called to his
breakfast—a practice which may be allowable
for dwellers in cities, but which will hardly

| prove satisfactory in a wild country, and in

the neighborhood of Apache Indians. The.
consequence of Mark Collier’s indulgence
was, that the sun was several hours high
when he awoke, and he only opened his eyes
to see three half-naked and painted savages
sitting near him, and regarding him as com-
placently as a butcher may be supposed to
regard a calf that he is about to slaugh-
ter.

 

 
 

 

 

 

BLACK PETER’S

At the first movement he made they
pounced upon him, tied his arms tightly be-
hind his back, in spite of his cries, threats
and entreaties, and drove him down into the
valley, where he had no difficulty in finding
the Indian village that he had been looking
for.

He was taken into a lodge, where his legs
were bound, and he was left, with a guard at
the lodge-opening, to his own unpleasant
reflections.

 

CHAPTER XII.
Black Peter Speaks.

Wayne Winston slept well the night
after the Delaware had joined him in the
gulch, because he was very tired, his con-
science was Clear, his mind was easier than
it had been, and his discoveries of gold dur-
ing the day had been more than he would
have considered possible. To be sure he did
not know what would become of the gold,
or what, for that matter, would become of
himself, and he wondered and puzzled his
head about both points, but they did not
hinder him from sleeping.

Deerfoot slept well, also. He was satisfied
that he had discovered Wayne, that he had
found him well and well treated, and that
Sturdivant with his party had escaped from
their enemies. As regarded the digging and
its results he felt no interest in it, except so
far as it pleased Wayne and as Wayne direct-
ed him to work. He knew that he ought,
as a Delaware, to be slaughtered by the
Apaches; but he knew, also, that Wayne,
as a white man, was qnite as likely to be
slaughtered ; yet they were both alive and
both well treated. There was something
strange about it all that he could not explain,
and did not endeavor to explain; it was
sufficient for him that his “ brudder Wayne”
was satisfied, and Deerfoot slept well.

Early in the morning, before dawn, Black
Peter led them forth again, each with a shal-
low wooden bowl. Again they went to the
head of the valley, and thence up the canon
where they again stupped at the side of the
brook and recommenced the laborious but
pleasant process of separating the gold from
she sand.

Their accumulation of gold-dust and nug-
gets the day before had been something
really wonderful, equaling some of the lucky
hits of the richest placers of California.
They had then obtained more than double
the quantity that Winston and Black Peter
had previously collected. On this day, how-
ever, the supply ran short; it seemed that
they had exhausted the best “ diggings,” and
they found even poorer “prospecting” as they
ascended the stream to the place at which
Wayne at first washed the earth when he
was in a state of somnambulism.

They kept at work, nevertheless, the labor
of the three men producing a good pile of
gold, and they did not cease their exertions
until after noon, when Black Peter invited

 

them to be seated and partake of a lunch-

REVELATIONS. a

eon of pemmican and parched corn,
which he had brought from the village.
Nothing loth, they complied, and after the
luncheon was finished they lighted their
pipes, and seemed in no hurry to recom-
mence their work, for they were rather tired
of such “ dry diggings” after the rich crops
of scales and nuggets which they had so
easily plucked from the earth.

As very few words had been spoken dur-
ing the day, Wayne and the Delaware were
considerably surprised when Black Peter
spoke, and uttered the following unexpected
syllables :

“ Wayne Winston !”

“What!” exclaimed Wayne, starting up
in astonishment. “What do you mean?
How did you learn my name?”

“T learned it from your mother’s Testa-
ment, which you carry in your breast pocket.
That book has twice saved your life, Wayne
Winston—saved it from me—from your
mother’s brother.”

“T don’t understand you,” said Wayne,

who was now completely bewildered.
“Why do you call yourself my mother’s
brother?”

“Because I am your dead mother’s brother,
my boy—the brother whom she loved more
than any other man in the world except her
husband. When I saw her name and yours
in that book, and saw the stamp that I had
imprinted there many years ago, I knew that
you were my sister’s son, because I looked at
you then and saw her hair, her eyes, and the
melancholy but sweet expression of her
face. It was I who shet you with the silver
bullet that is hanging on your neck—a bul-
let on which I had impressed the stamp of
my seal ring ; I had chosen one of my silver
builets—one of my stamped bullets—that
day, because I wished to kill. You would
have been killed if you had not been pro-
tected by your mother’s Testament. When
you were captured and brought into the vil-
lage, and when I had talked with you, I
thought that I could use you and make you
find gold for me, and that I would kill you
when I was done with you, but your moth-
er’s Testament saved you again.”

“But how are you here?” asked Wayne.
“Why is it that | have never seen you be-
fore? What are you doing among these
savages, who seem to look up to you as a
chief?” ;

“They look up to me as the weak look up
to the strong, as the ignorant look up to those
who are wiser than they. I have made my-
self what I am here and among these people;
they are satisfied with the result, and so am
I. I will tell you, Wayne Winston, how I
came here. I, Peter Bartley, your mother’s
brother, was an accomplished and trusted
clerk, years ago, in a large cotton house in
Vicksburg. Once I was sent to New Orleans
to collett a heavy amount of money that was
due to our firm. I collected it and started
to return to Vicksburg on a fine steamer.
While on the boat, I fell in with a pleasant-
spoken, agreeable stranger, with whom I soon
became friendly. I drank with him several
82

times, and he proposed a game of cards with
some of his friends. I assented, although I
was no zambler,and the game commenced.
it was continued until I was ruined. The
cursed liquor kept circulating, and, I know
not how it was, I was stripped not only ofall
my money and personal property, but of
nearly all the money that I had collected in
New Orleans for the firm. Of course I
could not face my employers and my friends
after such a robbery, and I left the boat at
the next landing, which was at the mouth of
Red River. Thence I went to Shreveport,
and trom there I worked my way to Texas,
and at last became connected with the
Apaches, among whom my superior knowl-
edge and some actions that they have called
very courageous, have given me prominence.
Ihave become so wedded to this life that I feel
no desire to return to my old associations,
even if I could do so with an unblemished
name. I live in the hope of meeting that in-
fernal scoundrel, that villiinous gambler,
who caused my ruin. I believe that I shall

et meet him; if I do I will know him
instantly, and he will be punished in this
world, whether he receives hisreward in the
next or not.”

Wayne Winston hung his head and wept,
for he remembered his mother and how
lovingly she had always spoken of her only
brother.

“ You told me your story, Wayne Winston,
the story of your love and your troubic¢,” con-
tinued Peter Bartley. “ You said that you

wanted gold, in order to gain your love, and

you showed where it could be found. TI re-
solved to help you, and I have doneso. I
can do nomore. Ihave dug gold and wash-
ed it, far from this range. I have about five
thousand dollars’ worth of the yellow stuff,
which is yours, for I do not want it. Add-
ed.to what you have, it will make a good
sum to commence business with in Cali-
fornia. Ihave also a Mexican grant of a
large and valuable tract of land in California,
which I have transferred to you. Here it is;
you need not be afraid that there is any
thing irregular or inaccurate about it, for it
is a valid grant, and I have legally transfer-
red it. It only remained to insert your name
in a blank, which I have done, Take it,
Wayne, and may it be more valuable to you
than it ever could be to me.
want, Humaco ?”«

‘T'his question was addressed to an Indian
who came running up the canon, and he
said that a prisoner had been taken, and
that Black Peter was wanted at the village
to examine him.

“Come with me,” said the chief, and
Wayne Winston and the Delaware followed
the chief in silence to the village. Peter
Bartley seated himself wpon a flat stone, and
the two prisoners, who were treated as guests,
were placed by his side. Then the prisoner
was ordered to be produced, and the almost
inanimate form of Mark Collier was brought
before them, supported by two Indians. As

-goon as Black Peter saw the captive, he
arose, and darted toward him. —

What do you.

 

THE SILVER BULLET.

“This is he! shouted the chief, turning
to Wayne, with a savage glance of triumph,
“This is the infernal scoundrel, the villain-
ous gambler who caused my ruin, and now
he shall be punished for his crime. I knew
that I should yet meet him, and now the
time has come !”

Collier appeared to recognize the old man,
for he shrieked and struggled, and called up-
on Winston and the Delaware for help.
Wayne endeavored to interpose, and to
speak to the infuriated chief, but both he and
Deerfoot were carried away and placed un-
der guard in a lodge. They only saw two
lines of savages formed, all armed with tom-
ahawks, knives and clubs, and they knew
that the victim could not run through the two
Imes and live. There was a great uproar
for a few minutes, and then yells of triumph
which followed told them that the tragedy
was over.

In a short time Black Peter came into the
lodge where they were, with several deer-
skin bags filled with gold-dust. These he
gave to Wayne and the Delaware, pointed
them down the valley, and told them to go
their way.

“Say nothing but good-by,” said he, “I
bid my sister’s son good-by.”

He then covered his face with bis mantle,
and turned from them, while Wayne and the
Delaware silently and slowly walked away.

CHAPTER XIII.
Conclusion.

Smon Sturprvant and the remnant of
his party passed a comfortable night, if not
a pleasant one, in their camp in the valley,
and the absence of Mark Collier was not
noticed until he was called to breakfast, and
could not be found, although search was
made for him in every direction.

Here was another perplexity, which, added
to the others, increased the anxiety of Stur-
divant and his companions. They knew
what caused the absence of Wayne Winston,
and it was equally plain to them that the
Delaware had set out for the purpose of res-
cuing his friend. With the tenacity peculiar
to his people, he would persevere in his en-
deavor as long as there was a possibility ou
success, and they could not expect to see
him until he had accomplished his object, or
had failen into the hands of the captors of
his friend. The absence of Mark Collier, al-
though of less importance to the emigrants,
was more unaccountable, and they puzzled
themselves about it in vain, for they were
aware of his lack of courage, and could im-
agine no motive sufficiently strong to induce
him to leave their protection in such a dan-
gerous locality.

Simon Sturdivant, therefore, began to
think about looking after the lost members
of his party. To this end, he had an- inter-
view with the commander of the United
States soldiers, to whom he stated the case,

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE HAPPY END. 38

and asked his assistance. The officer prom-
ised te do what he could, but advised Stur-
divant to first discover the place of rendez-
yous of the Indians, and learn whether the
missing men were still in the vicinity. If
they were, he was willing to attempt the res-
cue, or to negotiate with the Apaches for
their release.

Acting on this advice, Sturdivant resorted
to Dick Starr, who readily agreed to go ona
scout, to ascertain the particulars that Cap-
tain Ward desired to know. It was toward
evening when he set out, intending to leave
his horse near the foot of the mountain, and
pursue his search under cover of the night.

After an absence of a few hours, he re-
turned in triumph, bringing Winston and
the Delaware, whom he encountered when
they had left the Indian village and were
seeking their friends.

They were joyfully received by their
friends, and explanations ensued, Wayne re-
lating as much as he thought proper of what
had occurred to him during his absence. He
was then asked if he had seen Mark Collier,
or knew what had become of him.

“ He is dead,” briefly answered the young
man.

“Wayne Winston, have you killed him ?”
exclaimed Simon Sturdivant, fixing his eyes
suspiciousy on the speaker. “Has your
bpm and envy led you to commit mur-

er?

“Murdered him!” indignantly answered
Wayne. “Is it possible that you can sus-
pect me of such a crime? On the contrary,
I tried to save his life. I have never felt
jealous or envious of him, although I admit
that I did not like him. If you accuse me
of being concerned in his death, I must tell
you how it really occurred.”

He then detailed the circumstances con-
nected with the discovery of his relationship
to Black Peter, the Apache chief, and told
how his uncle had been victimized by a
gambler on a Mississippi steamboat, against
whom he had sworn vengeance. He related
the capture of Mark Collier. in whom Black
Peter had recognized the scoundrel who had
ruined him and driven him to the wild life
that he was leading. With regard to the
manner of Collier’s death, he could only say
that he supposed he had been compelled to
run the gauntlet, and had been hacked and
clubbed until he perished.

This account was corroborated by Deer-
foot, and Sturdivant could not help believing
it. He remembered Peter Bartley, when he
was a rising young man, universally respect-
ed, and he felt that the punishment inflicted
upon the wretch who had ruined him was
nothing more than justice demanded.

The effects of Mark Collier, including an
amount of money much smaller than he had
been supposed to possess, were taken in
charge by Simon Sturdivant, whose plain
reasoning was that somebody must keep
them, or they would be lost, and that. he was
somebody.

Wayne Winston had not mentioned his
gold-digging operations, in the account of

 

his captivity, and he had particular y enjom-
ed it upon the Delaware to say nothmg
about them. To Nellie Sturdivant, how-
ever, he was more communicative, for he
gave her minute details of every thing that
had occurred, and delighted her by placing
in her possession the heavy bags of gold that
he had received from his uncle.

When his statement was finished, Nellie
asked him whether he had learned anything
about the ring that Collier wore, the inscrip-
tion on which corresponded to the stamp on
the silver bullet and in the Bible.

“That ring,” answered Wayne, “ once be-
longed to my mother, and it was the last ar-
ticle that the gambler won from my uncle.
It was the ring that proved to Peter Bartley
that he was not mistaken in his victim.”

All things being satisfactorily arranged,
the train was started the next morning, ané
the emigrants traveled, the greater part of
the remaining distance, in the company of
the detachment of soldiers. Thus they
reached the land of gold without any further
peril or annoyance. and lost no time in pre-
paring to reap their share of the valuable
harvest.

Before Wayne Winston left for the dig-
gings, he took Mr. Sturdivant aside, and had
a little private conversation with him.

“T understood you to tell me,” he said,
“That I must not ask you for Nellie until I
can show you ten thousand dollars of my
own money.”

“You are right; I considered that a prop-
er sum to commence with, and I should not
wish my daughter's husband to have iess.”

“When I have that amount, I suppose
that I may have Nellie.”

“Certainly, if you get it within a reason-
able time. I have always liked you, Wayne,
dnd my only objection to you has been your
lack of money.”

“J have not as much as ten thousand dol-
lars now, but I am sure that I will be worth
that amount within six months, if you will
wait so long.”

“Six months! You must be crazy, boy!

How do you expect to get so much money
within six months ?”

“Thave about seven thousand to begin
with.”

“Seven thousand dollars! How did you
come by it?”

“Honestly, Tassure you. Will you wait 2”

“J will, and I wish you good-fortune.”

“ Good-by, then, until I come for Neilie.”

Wayne’s good-luck followed him to the
diggings, and stayed with him. The silver
bullet really appeared to be the talisman that
Nellie had called it, for everything prospered
with him. Before the end of the proposed
six months, he was the owner of quite a lit-
tle fortune, and he lost no time in claiming
his promised bride. After the marriage, he
made investigations concerning the land-
grant his uncle had given him, and found
he had a valid title toa fine estate in the
valley of the Sacramento. Here he built a
house, and settled down with his wife and
her father, for Simon Sturdivant had not

 

 

 
 

34 THE SILVER BULLET.

succeeded in his speculations, and was glad | people assert that he once arose in his sleep,

of a chance to lead the life of a farmer.

and gave the baby some paregoric, without

Deerfoot, the Delaware, soon becoming | knowing that he had done so. If this was

tired of civilized life, sadly bid his “ brudder
Wayne” farewell, and went back to the
plains. Dick Starr, also, got disgusted with
the land of gold, and returned to his old
pursuits. Ben Sturdivant continued to be
“Big Ben” and nothing more.

 ovae Winston’s wile asserts that he has
never been troubled by somnambulism since
he was married, although some malicious

true, how did those malicious people find it
out?

In after years, an old and broken-down
man, with a very dark complexion, was an
inmate of Wayne Winston’s house. He was
generally called Uncle Peter, and he regard-
ed the Silver Bullet that hung in the parlor
with as much veneration as any of the rest
the family.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

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