A WEEKLY PUBLICATION

Issued Weekly. By Subscription $2.50 per year. Entered as Second Class Matter at New York Post Office by STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Ave.. NV. Y.

No, 224 | Price, Five Cents.

 

 

aD
©
©
Ose
N
Og
BB

 

 
sc soecaminn oe 2 ee a PRS OL SRNR i DEPRES pas 9 alga Sis

 

   

3
4 seramesmseneterss Set eee RIO EET TTT,

 
bo Aebe teres

 

RN PT DINARS OO Eco

crs, nce Scans in

 

Pee cinacionccabsn Rta ; i

Fp ip ls ig A AAOOUA bes acpi ali ss ena arate ea

 

 

 

  

A WEEKLY PUBLICATION
DEVOTED TO BORDER HISTORY

 

 

 

 

dssued Weekly. By Subscription $2.50 ber year, Entered as Second-class Matter at the N. Y. Post Office, by STREET & SMITH, 79-8 Seventh Avenue,

NV. ¥. Lutered according to Act of Congress in the year 105, wn the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.

[35> Beware of Wild West imitations of the Buffafo Bill Stories. They are about fictitious characters. The Buffalo
Bill weekly is the only weekly containing the adventures of Buffalo Bill, (Col. W. F. Cody), who is known ali

over the world as the king of scouts.

No. 224.

   

 

| Figl

NEW YORK, August 26,

 

 

1905. Price Five Cents.

  

 

im

 

By the author of “BUFFALO BILL.”

 

|
|

CHAPTER 1.
TROUBLE AT THE POSADA.

 

“I never did cotton on to this durned Greaser coun-
try, but this shack’s about the worst we ever ran. up
against, .2 reckon.”

The speaker was “Wild Bill” Hickok, and the man to
|'whom he spoke was his tried and trusty friend, Buffalo
Bill, king of scouts.

They were riding side by side through the single, any
|Street of San Isidro, a wretched, little, Mexican village,
| Just over the border line formed by the Rio Grande be-
‘tween Mexico and Texas.

Their inseparable companion, old Nick Wharton, rode
a pace or two behind them, casting contemptuous glances
from side to side at the Mexicans who reclined lazily in
‘the shade cast by their tumble-down adobe huts,
| The old trapper had a greater contempt and dislike for

“Greasers” than he had even for Indians—and that was,
indeed, saying much.

<i

' guess well have to make the best of it,”

“The place doesn’t look as if it would be particularly
pleasant to stop in, but the horses are pretty tired, and I
remarked Buf-

falo Bill, looking disconsolately at the outside of the soli-
try posada, or tavern, in the village—a wretched saloon
at which the vilest brands of those favorite Mexican
drinks, mezcal and aguadiente, were sold.

“Gosh all rattlers!” Nick Wharton exclaimed, breaking

his disgusted silence for the first time since he had en-

tered the village. “Ifi'thet shanty ain’t the fav’rite hang-
out of all the cutthroats of this yer noble metroppylis, you
kin call me a durned redskin!”
“Well, here goes! We've got to make the best of it.”
With these words, Buffalo Bill swung himself from
the saddle, took his horse round to a stable behind the

posada, and saw that it was properly attended to by a

ragged, barefooted half-breed, and then walked into the

tavern itself.
His example was ae not at all cheerfully, by ie

 
 

no choice.
were badly in need of rest

A : THE RUPPALO

two friends.
the hope of getting better quarters somewhere else, but,
as the king of the scouts had pointed out, they had really
Their horses had ridden far that day, and

Several tough-looking Mexicans and half-breeds were
sitting beside tables in the dirty, lime-washed room which
served as the ‘only accommodation for the guests of the
place, with the exception of three or four bedrooms in
which, as Nick Wharton remarked after he saw them, he
would be sorry to ask a decent pig to sleep.

“We'll roll up in our. blankets and sleep on the clean
grass outside,” said Buffalo Bill. “Meanwhile, we may
as well see if they can give us as to eat: Im pretty
nigh famished.”

“Guess you won't feel so hungry when you see the
grub!” observed old Nick, sardonically.

The three scouts sat down at the only unoccupied table
in the room, and called the keeper of the tavern—a tall,
lean, villainous-looking Mexican.

“What can you give us to eat?” Cody asked him, in
Spanish. Duce : : hy

“Het tamales, chili con carne, olla podrida—every-
thing : responded the man. “This is a first-class hotel,
sefior, :
Mirst-class thieves’ den, I should say,” muttered Wild
Bill to the border king, speaking in English. ‘Do you
see the way they're all eying us, Cody? I'd bet my
bottom dollar they're wondering how much money we've
got in our belts, and whether it’s worth risking a, bullet
fon ea
“It looks that way,” Buffalo Bill agreed, “and this
rascal here is the worst of the bunch, T’ll wager.”

“Bring us some tamales and -coffee,” he added, turning

_ to the waiting tavern keeper.

As he said this, he drew his revolver out es his belt
in an apparently casual manner, polished the barrel on the
sleeve of his hunting jacket, and “broke” it.at the breech,
to see that every chamber was loaded.
_ The tavern keeper looked at it with deep interest.

“The sefior has a fine gun there,” he said.

“Yes—and it shoots straight,” Cody replied, looking

him squarely in the eyes,

The Mexican tried to meet the gaze, but he could not
do so. Stammering an apology, he dropped his eyes and
hastened from the room, saying that he would bring the
tamales in a moment. he

This little byplay was not lost on the other men in
the room. They ceased to stare at the Americans, and
talked across the tables with one another, in low under-
tones. :

“T like the look of this place less aa less,” said. Buffalo
Bull to his companions. “We must keep our eyes open
and cur guns handy, or we shall run a pretty good chance
of having our throats cut. Listen! — What was that: Pe

They. would. have preferred to ride on, in

 

PILE STORIES.

. “I didn’t hear anything,” said Wild Bill.
“I fancied I heard a man groan. The sound came from
behind that door—the one through which the tavern
keeper went. Ha! There it is again!” —
This time the sound was unmistakable. It was a muf-
fled groan—very low and weak, but none the less audible

_to men with such a keen sense of hearing as the three

scouts.

“There’s a man behind there,” whispered Buffalo Bill
to his two friends. “That groan sounded as if he was
gagged, and had managed to force the. gag partly out.
There’s villainy here. We’ll see what’s behind that door.”

At this moment the tavern keeper entered with the
meal which the scouts had ordered. Cody noticed that
he did not open the door far, and that he closed it quickly
behind him.

As the man set the tamales down on the table, Buffalo
Bill asked him: :

“Who is behind that door?”

The Mexican looked at him i in affected eed

“Nobody, sefior, except the cook.”

“You lie, you scoundrel! I heard a man groan! ”

As Cody said this, the groan was repeated, so loudly.
this time that everybody in the room could hear it
ue aly.

“Ah, that sound, sefior! It is “my son, who is sick of a
fever,” said the keeper of the posada, turning pale. .

“Out of the way, fellow! Let us see him!”
Buffalo Bill rose up quickly from the table, and strode

past the man before he realized his intention.

The Mexican caught him by the shoulder and tried to
pull him back, but the border king turned swiftly and
struck him a stinging blow in the face. . :

He reeled, but recovered almost instantly, whipped a
stiletto from his belt, and stabbed, with vicious swiftness,
at the border king’s breast.

The blow would have ended Cody’s et career there
and then had he not been expecting it.

He caught the man’s wrist as it was descending with

his right hand, and with his left struck another blow, |

which, catching his victim on the point of the jaw, sent. .
him to the floor—clean knocked out.

In another moment Buffalo Bill, not halting even to
look at his prostrate adversary, had lifted the latch and
strode through the doorway into the mysterious room
from which the groans had come.

Pandemonium followed.

When the Mexicans saw what was happening, they
rose with one accord from the table at which they were
sitting, drew their knives, and made a combined attack
on the Americans. :

So swift had Buffalo Bill’s movements been that he
was in the inner room before the Mexicans moved ; but
Wild Bill and Nick Wharton were there to meet them—

 

 

 
 

eae

 

 

 

they could not move.

 

Toe BUPPALO

§ and only too glad of the chance of a fight with men

whom they disliked so much,

The first of the scoundrels who rushed in to the attack
was sent sprawling on the floor by a terrible blow of
the old trapper’s fist.

“Come on, gol-durn ye! The next man gets a bullet!”
yelled Nick, drawing his revolver.

The Mexicans could not understand the words, but
they understood the tone and the savage gleam in Whar-
ton’s eye well enough. They hesitated to rush in.

“Don’t shoot unless you have to, Nick!” cried Wild
Bill. “We don’t want to get into any trouble with the
Mexican authorities.”

As he said this, he picked up the heavy oe at which
they had been sitting and held it aloft in his huge arms.

_ The Mexicans, summoning up courage, made a sudden

Ra at him.

When they were within two or three paces, he flung the
table straight into their midst. It stopped the rush, bear-
ing the three leading rascals to the ground, where two

of them were pinned down by the weight of the table,

badly hurt.

All this had happened in a few seconds. The door
opened, and Cody came out, supporting with his right
arm a tall, handsome Mexican, whose face was deathly
pale and whose clothes were covered with blood.

At the sight of this man, the bandits—for such, indeed,
they were—yelled with fury not unmixed with fear.
They had been detected in a crime which would be heav-
ily punished if it came to the ears of the authorities.

. For their own Nee they must kill the prying Amer-

icans.
They rushed forward, like a pack of hungry wolves,
intent on murder.

The scouts could no longer think of sparing them. It

was a fight for life now.

- Dropping the Mexican whom he was assisting, Buffalo
Bill drew his gun and dropped two of the men at their
first rush.

Wharton and Hickok pumped lead from their re-

volvers..as fast as they could pull the trigger, and the

“Mexicans fell over on the floor like ninepins in every

direction.

Two of them, ay slightly . wounded, fled out of the
door of the posada, shrieking with terror.

They dashed up the one street of the town, dodged
into an adobe hut and out of the back door, and so made
good their escape, for the scouts had other things to
attend to than pursuing them.

_ Bit the test of their a eSip comrades lay upon the
floor. They were either dead or so badly wounded that
The three scouts had umpc. in 1 spite of the num-
bers of their ruffianly foes.
Six of the Mexicans had been shot dead, two had their

DIED STORIES. © 3

limbs broken by the table flung by Wild Bill, ae had
bad bullet wounds, and the keeper of the posada was still
unconscious from the terrible wound dealt him by Cody.

The room looked like a shambles.

Buffalo Bill had not escaped from the desperate mélée
entirely unscathed. He had been wounded by a knife
slash 6n the arm. Nick Wharton had been stabbed in
the shoulder, but, luckily, neither wound was of a serious
nature.

Before he attended to his own injury, the chivalrous
knight of the plains turned his attention to his fallen
enemies.

He bound up their wounds, and eased their pains as
well as he could, bringing them water and making them
comfortable. In response, they gave him glances of the
deadliest hatred.

When he had done all he could for them, he bound up
Nick Wharton’s shoulder, although the tough, old trapper
protested that the stab was a mere scratch, and then he
turned to the man whom he had rescued from the inner
room. :

He saw that he had managed to stagger to his feet and
sit down by one of the tables.

“Water!” he gasped. “Water and food, for the love
of Heaven! I am starved!”

Buffalo Bill brought him food and drink on the run,
and then waited patiently for his story until he had as-

suaged his very evident hunger and thirst.
be

 

CHAPTER II.
THE KIDNAPING OF SARASTA.

The border king watched the Mexican narrowly, with-
out seeming to do so. He saw that he was a man of
good breeding and position. His face was clean-cut and
handsome, his bearing lofty and commanding. Appar-
ently, he was a descendant of one of the old Castilian
families which are still to be found in Mexico.

His clothes, although torn, besmeared with dirt and
blood-stained, were of good quality, and they suggested
that he was a ranchero, the owner of a large hacienda.
There is no country in which clothes mark the man more
than Mexico. .

As soon as the man had satisfied his hunger and began
to talk, Buffalo Bill found that his guess as to his station
in lite was a correct one.

“What will you think of me, sefior?” he began.
will think that 1 am most discourteous, and—what is
erateful.. But, truly, I was famished and
parched with thirst. Those rascally bandits have given
me nothing to eat or drink for two days. Their object
was to torture me a they forced me to send for the
money fora ransom.’

“How did they come to ‘capture you 2” Buffalo Bill
asked, as the man paused.

“You

               

 

 
  

THE BUPPALO

“T was riding fron my tanch to the-town of Coahuila,
to transact some business,” said the ranchero. “I had a
large bag of gold with me. It was the price that I had
been paid for some stock I had sold. These rascals
must have got wind of the fact that I was going to bank
it. They waylaid me in a canyon, shot my horse before
I was aware they were lying in ambush, and made me
their prisoner. Por Dios! but I sent two of them to
their account first!”

The Mexican’s eyes flashed as he said this, OF the
border king mentally concluded that he would be a pretty
good man in a fight—an opinion that was afterward to be
confirmed.

“They found the bag of gold,/of course,” the ranchero
went on, “and then some of them wanted to kill me in
revenge for the death of the two men I had shot with
my revolver. -But the chief of the band would not permit
it. He knew that I was a man of some wealth, and he
wanted to keep me, in the hope of getting a big ransom.
I was equally determined not to give it, for I would not
satisfy the wretches. The result was that I was kept in
captivity for more than two weeks. ‘They carried me
with them for hundreds of miles, bound upon the back of
a horse, with my eyes tied.

“At last they brought me to this wretched village. The
keeper of the posada was in league with them, and the

leader of the band turned me over to his custody, as he.

had to go off with most of the gang on some other
business. ,
“Two days I was kent bound and caged, in that
» kitchen. They gave me not a single drop of food or
water, for they hoped to break down my résolution, and
make me send a letter to my son to direct him to pay
_ the money they asked for my ransom. But 1 would not
do it. I would rather have died.”
Buffalo Bill and his friends looked at the man with ad-
miration. This was the kind of spirit they liked to see.
“What is the name of this place?” the ranchero asked
them, after a brief pause, for he had been taken through

it with his eyes blindfolded, and had not the slightest idea _

where he was. ,
Buffalo Bill told him.

“Carajo!” he exclaimed. “Then I am more than two
hundred and fifty miles from home.
poor Clara! They will think I am dead!”

“Do you know if there was any pursuit of the brigands
after you were captured?” Buffalo Bill asked.

“Yes, I think there was,’
brightening somewhat.
hurry,

said the Mexican, his face
“The scoundrels were in a great
and from a few words they let drop I suspect
that they were being followed. Perhaps some of my
vaqueros found the place where | was captured. If so,
the marks on the eround would show them plainly enough
what had happened, and they would be quick in following
the trail of the outlaws. Yes, that must be so: Pray

My poor wife! My.

BILL SlORTES,
Heaven it is, for then my wife and children will” not
despair.

“But I have not € yet told you my name, sefiors;” pro-
ceeded the Mexican, with a courteous bow. - “Juan Sa-
rasta is your debtor for life. He will never forget the
heroism you showed in rescuing him from a slow death
by torture!”

“T have heard of you, Sefior Sarasta,’’ said Buffalo
Bill, who recognized the name as that of one of the
greatest ranchers and richest men in Mexico. “We are
glad to have had the good fortune to strike this place
just in time to rescue you. My name is William F. Cody,
and these are my friends, Hickok and Wharton, Amer-
ican scouts, like myself.”

“Ha! You are the famous Buffalo Bill! You say
that you have heard of me, but who is there, even in

Mexico, that has not heard of your great deeds? I. .

might have guessed who you were by the way you ee
those rascals.”

“Talking of them,” Sad Buffalo Bill, eager ‘to change
the subject from his own deeds to something else, “we
ought to get to the nearest town without delay and send
a doctor to look after them. They need it ey badly,
poor devils!”

“They have got no more than they deserved,” said
Sarasta, “but you are right.
and I am ready to ride as soon as you say the word.”

“Then we will go at once,” the border king decided.

The four men, after making the wounded men as com-
fortable as they could and binding the tavern keeper, who
showed signs of returning consciousness, went to the
stable. The scouts saddled their horses, for the half-
breed stableman had fled when he heard the firing, and
Sarasta picked out an animal which had belonged to one
of the outlaws.

It was now long past sunset. They rode until nearly
midnight, and then reached the town of Miranda.

Sarasta woke up the prefect, and told his story.

The official was all eagerness to help, for the capture
of the famous ranchero had created a sensation through-
out that part of Mexico, and the prefects of all the towns
round about had been ordered by the governor of the
province to be on the lookout for him.

“T will send a couple of doctors to the village at once,”
said the prefect. “But I will also send a file of soldiers.
The scoundrels shall be lodged in jail as soon as they are
well enough.”

“That is good!” Sarasta exclaimed, with satisfaction.
“But the archvillain, the chief of his gang, and most of
his confederates, are still at large.”

/ They are probably in the mountains,” the prefect ob-

served. “Well, give them rope enough, and they will
hang themselves! We will run them down sooner or
later.” a eee

I feel fit for anything now, —

~o

 

 

 
 

1
) “The sooner you do it, the better I shall be pleased,”
Sarasta said.

“We will try to get on their trail without any delay,
sefior,”
a great man in Mexico, a man influential with the gov-
ernment, and, therefore, the officialawas anxious to keep
in his.good graces.

“By the way, Sefior Sarasta,”’ he added, “in the excite-
ment of your coming, I forgot to mention one thing that
you will be glad to know. Your son, Jose, is now in this
| town, with several of your vaqueros. ‘They were follow-
(ing the trail of the bandits who captured you, but they
lost it near this. place. - The poor boy is nearly frantic
with anxiety. You had better hasten to him.”

The prefect called a peon to guide the ranchero to the
tavern at which his son was staying, and Sarasta at once
‘) set gff for it, the three scouts accompanying him.

The meeting between father and son was an affecting
one.

ge

Sarasta was a man of middle age, and his son was a
fine young fellow of about twenty-two. He loved his
father dearly, and had been driven nearly mad with grief
at his failure to track down the scoundrels who had kid-
naped him.

When Sarasta told him that he owed hie ‘Hife to the
three Americans, Jose clasped them warmly by the hands,
and declared that they were his friends for life.

“Kafoozlin’ line of pretty talk these Mexicans hand
out ter a feller!” old Nick Wharton growled to Buffalo
Bill, but not loud enough to be heard by the others.
Rough diamond as he was, the old trapper never cared to
hurt another man’s feelings.

“Tt may seem a bit exaggerated, but it comes from their
hearts,” said the border king.

| There was proof of the truth of this remark next
| moment.

“You must come back with us to the ranch, Col. Cody,”
said the ranchero, turning to Buffalo Bill. “We.can show
you and your friends some good hunting around there.
| The Indians—we have plenty of them near by—are quiet
yust-at-ypvesent, so I’m afraid you won't have any of the
sport you are fondest of—the stirring sport of war.”

The Mexican urged his invitation so. heartily that Cody
could not but accept for himself and his comrades. In
after days he was, indeed, glad that he did so, for it made
it possible for him to render Sarasta a service even
greater than the saving of his own life.

The three scouts had come to Mexico with the idea
of doing some prospecting,

first.

Early next morning they started, the vagueros who had

come with Jose accompanying them. ‘

ot only hope we meet the rest of that bandit gang

 

THE BUBFAL ©

the prefect hastened to assure him. Sarasta was ~

by making

but they had no objection to
spending a holiday of a week or two on Sarasta’s ranch.

“BILL STORIES. 5
when we are going through: the hills,’ Sarasta said, as
he bade good-by e the prefect. “We would give a good
account of them, with this little force.”

 

CHAP PBR. Ill.
BARASTA’S RANCH.

During the journey on the first day, Buffalo Bill rode
by the side of young Jose, who told him something about
his. father’s ranch, which at that time—in the seventies—
was, perhaps, the most famous in Mexico.

“It is_a lovely spot,’’-said the youth. “Far up a valley,
running into the heart of the mountains. Father is a wise
man. When he established his hacienda there, he began
a treaty with the Indians of that part. He .
agreed to give them a lot of blankets and other goods if
they would take an oath not to interfere with him in any
way.”

“The redskins sometimes prove faithless in ‘such bar-
gains,’ observed Pulalo Bill.

“Yes, that is so,’ said the young Megenn “but this
has turned out to be an exception to the rule. I believe
my father has not lost a single head of cattle since he
made this treaty with the Indians.”

“Your hacienda is a very large one, is it not?” Cody
asked.

“Yes. My father has made it one of the largest in
Mexico,” Jose replied. “It is so large that we only sell
the tallow and hides of the cattle. The meat is, prac-
tically of no value, for we cannot find a market for it.
The bullocks are killed on the hacienda, and the daily
consumption is large, for my father has more than fifty
peons and vaqueros in his employ. - But, as he kills from
eighteen to;twenty thousand animals a year, you can
imagine that a great deal of the meat goes to waste. We

give a lot of it to the Indians round about, and it helps

to keep them in a good humor.”

“T should think that your wealth would tempt them,”
said Buffalo Bill, who knew redskin nature as thoroughly
as any other white man.

“The Indians near by get all they want, and they
would help us against more remote tribes,” said the young
man.

“Where is your anes S piace? * the king of the scouts
asked.

“A few miles irom the Colorado ‘River—about tw
hundred miles from here.”’ ,

“That must be near the Apache villages : But falo Bill
remarked.

“Yes, it is; but they have-neyer troubled us.’

“Has your father made any as with them?”
Nee oH

Buffalo Bill said nothing further, but, from his knowl-
edge oi the Apaches, he thought that the ranehera had
been rather unwise.

 
  

“That is a fine horse ie ate. oe : a said, to change

the subject. :

“We breed some good animals on the hacienda,” the
young Mexican answered, with a gratified smile. “We
don’t care about having more than are necessary, for a
good horse is a temptation that an Indian can hardly
withstand. They don't care so much about cattle, for up
in the mountains, where they live, feed would be scarce
for them. Besides, they have no difficulty in getting
meat. Deer and bear are plentiful, and at times they
go down into the great plains on the other side of the
Rockies and kill as many buffaloes as they please, jerk the
meat, and bring it up to their villages.

“As a matter of fact, we never refuse half a dozen or
a dozen cattle to any party of Indians who come down
from the hills and ask for them. It keeps us on good
terms with them, and practically costs us nothing. They
don’t take the hides, for they prefer deerskin for their
hunting shirts and leggins. Bullock hide is too heavy for
those. For lariats and heel ropes, they use buffalo hide,
which is stronger and tougher. So, practically, you see,
it is only the value of the fat we lose, and that is a
trifle.”

“Is the country settled around your hacienda?’
falo Bill asked. .

“No,” was the reply. “For the last fifty miles or so,
we shall come across no settlements until we reach our
own place. The country is supposed to be too much
open to Indian forays, though we suffer less than they
do on the other side of the Colorado River, where the
Apaches roam.

é Bate

“It is fortunate for us that the tribe in our neighbor-
hood is a small one, and far less warlike than many of
its neighbors. The goods and cattle which the chiefs re-
ceive from us make them comparatively rich,’ ‘and so they
have shown no signs of enmity.

“On the contrary, we have promised en that, if they
are attacked by any of their savage neighbors, and come
down to us, we will assist them. The hacienda is strongly
built, and we have a supply of arms sufficient for all our
men, so that we could resist any ordinary attack. That
has as much to do with their friendship, I suppose, as the
gifts we make them.” ere

“Tt must be a large valley to be capable of sustaining
so large a herd as your father’s,” said Cody.

“Yes; the valley forms a basin some ten miles wide
and twenty miles long, There are many rivulets running
down from the hills, and the grass is plentiful and good.
. Our herds amount to about fiity thousand head, and we
do not let them exceed that number. We do not use the
upper part of the valley. By our agreement with the
Indians, that is to be left untouched as a hunting ground
for them.” i

That night the par Hae stayed at a hacienda belonging to

THE: BUPR ALO BILE

this way, and they may be waiting for us.

STORIES.

a friend of Sarasta’s, where they were Be ee )

tained.

Next evening they camped in the open. As soon as
the horses were unsaddled, the men scattered to col-
lect dry brushwood, and slices from the venison of a deer

Buffalo Bill had shot during the afternoon were soon }

skewered on ramrode and cooking over the fire.

They had made over sixty miles in two days journey.
They had not been following any beaten track, for the
men had made the journey seo often that no path was
needed.

In the morning they began to peceue the lower slopes
of the mountains, whose crests rose some thirty miles
ahead of them, although in the clear air they did not seem
to be more than a third of that distance.

That night Sarasta ordered that a watch should be

boats precaution that had not been taken before.
“Now that we are getting up into the hills,” he said to
Buffalo. Bill, ““we run some danger of being attacked by
roving bands of redskins, or by the white outlaws, who
are ¢ven more dangerous. The very band that captured
me is likely to be in this vicinity, for it is their usual
ground of operations. They could not know the road we
would take, but they would know we would have to pass
I do not sup-
pose the head of the band has given up all hopes of ex-
torting the ransom, and he will have learned of, my res-
cue from the men who escaped from the posada, To-

motrow’s journey will be a lonely and dangerous one,

through a desolate country, and we shall have to be very
much on our guard.”

PCH bee LV
THE FIGHT IN THE PASS.

The night passed quietly, and the party were in the
saddle early next morning, for the day’s ride was to be
a long one.

After riding for thirty miles, Sarasta called a halt for
half an hour. The horses were watered, and the men
ate some of the food they had cooked overnight. They

were now far up on the hillside, and following™™ 1égutar |

track.

“Another hour’s sharp climbing, and we shall be on
the summit of the pass,” said Sarasta. “Look well to
your rifles and pistols. If we are not attacked before we

reach the top, I shall be inclined: to admit. that I was-

wrong, and that we have nothing more to fear.”

He gave the same advice to his vaqueros. It had not

been really needed for the American scouts, who were

ready at all times to fight — enemy at a second 's

- notice.

“Do you expect an soe master?” one ot the Mex-
icans asked. “I have not heard of any bands being on

the road lately, but, of course, this bit of road is their

BN

   

 

 

 
   

eC

/ them an easy mark.
_ to aim at you until you are pretty nearly abreast of them,

 

favorite lurking place, as all the traffic of the countryside
comes down this way.”

“Tl don’t know that I expect to be attacked, Lopez,”
Sarasta replied, “but I have reason to think that it may
be possible. If we are ambushed, dismount at once,

take cover behind the rocks, and fight them in their own

way. Ifthe road were good enough, I sh@uld say gallop

on, but it is too steep and too rough for that.”

Buffalo Bill soon found that his friend had not exag-
gerated the difficulty of the pass.

On both sides the hills sloped very steeply, and were
covered with bowlders. The track in the middle of the

_favine was barely wide enough for two horses to ride

abreast. Soon it was necessary to go in single file.

“I will go first,” said Buffalo Bill to Sarasta. “If
there should be fellows hiding among those rocks, it will
be you they are after; and, riding first, you would give
If I am first, they won’t be able

and can return their. fire.” “
“I don’t like that. It puts you in too much danger,”
said the Mexican. But Buffalo Bill pushed his horse in

_ front before he could prevent him.

Both men had now unslung their rifles from their
shoulders, and were carrying them in readiness for in-

stant use, as were the men who followed behind them.

“Keep. your eyes on the rocks!” Sarasta said to the
vaquero immediately behind him. “Pass the word that
the man who sees the least movement must shout. Then
you Sy all throw yourselves from your. horses and take
cover.

It was, however, no easy matter to distinguish a man’s
head among the masses of rock and bowlders through

which, in many places, brushwood and small trees had

sprung up.
Although all of the’ men kept scanning the hillside
minutely, nothing suspicious was seen or heard, until sud-

denly a shot was fired from a spot some ae feet up the

rocks on the left-hand side.

Buffalo Bill instantly swung himself to the ground,
gave a sharp slap on his horse’s quarters, and ensconced
himselé behind a rock, while the animal, relieved of the
weight of its rider, made its way rapidly along the path.

The first shot was quickly followed by half a dozen
others.

They came from both sides of the ravine, and a ball,
striking the rock close to Cody’s head, showed him that
his position was no more safe there than it would have
been on horseback.

He, therefore, made a rush upward, and took up a
position between two rocks, which covered him on either
side. Then he took advantage of some bushes, and
crawled several yards further along until he came to a
spot where he could lie in shelter and yet obtain a view
through the bushes both above and below him.

“and they would only pick you off, one by one.

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES. 7:

“Are you all right, Sarasta ?’’she shouted.

The answer came from the rocks on the other side...

“Yes! A bail killed my horse, but I’m not hurt. ~ oo.
pez is killed, poor devil!”

For some time shots were fired at intervals,

_ Sarasta shouted to his vaqueros not to use their pistols.
Those were their only weapons, for they were not armed
with rifles.

“You would have no chance of hitting them,” he said,
Lie quiet
for the present, and keep your shots till they come to
close quarters.” .

“Sarasta,” called Buffalo Bill to him, “you watch the
rocks above me, and I will watch those above you!
Mark, if you can, where a shot is fired. Then lie with
your rifle pointed at it until the fellow stands up to fire
again—and then let him have it!”

Four shots were fired almost together from Buffalo
Bill’s side, the bandits aiming in the direction from which
the voice had come. But the king of the scouts had

_ foreseen this, and was well covered when he spoke.

Presently he saw a puff of smoke shoot out from the —

side of a large rock.
and watched intently:

He brought his rifle to bear on it,

. Three minutes later a head appeared cautiously round
the rock, then a shoulder appeared, and a rifle was pointed
toward the spot behind which he had first sheltered.

He fired. ‘There was a sharp scream, and the rifle
went clattering down, exploding as it fell.

The moment he had fired, Buffalo Bill drew back into
the shelter of the stone.

Two other shots rang out, and the balls cut up and
scattered the small pebbles on which he had been lying.
He was able to observe, however, the position of one of
his assailants.

While he was reloading, he heard the crack of Sarasta’s
rifle, followed speedily by that of Wild Bill, and 2 moment
later by old Nick Wharton’s weapon. The two scouts
had been riding in the rear of the party, but, when the
fight started, they crept. up to the front as speedily as
they could without dangerously exposing themseives.

The shots were not without effect. Screams of agony

told that some of the enemy had been hit, and wounded

more or less seriously.

“They'll soon get tired of the game, a we ce it up
like this,’ Buffalo Bill cried, encouragingly, to the others.

The distances: were so short that it was hard for even

a bad shot to miss, if he once got a good chance to aim.

at his enemy. . For this reason, both parties were very
careful not to expose themselves more than was neces-
sary.

Presently another bullet struck the rock close to Buf-
falo Bill. It had been fired some paces from the stone
he was watching. He saw that his assailants were mov-

 
 

og : THE BUFFALO

ing from cover to, cover, screened by the bushes, pre-
cisely as he had been. doing himself.

“He’s done for!” one of the men on the other side of
the ravine cried.

“Carajo! It is time!” another voice fsponded from
the rocks opposite. “He was the worst of the party.
Now, go down and attack the others. We have not yet
got the man we want. Remember, he is to be captured,

if possible !”

“You had better come and show us the way, capitano!”
another man said, roughly. “We did not bargain for this
sort of thing! You said it would all be settled with one
volley.”

“So it would have been, you fools, if you had shot
straight! Caramba! How was I to know that you would
all miss at such an easy range? A child of ten could
have fired straighter! But come! 1 am ready to lead
the way. You over there make a rush when we do.”

While this man, who was clearly the leader of the
band, was speaking, Buffalo Bill carefully noted his
position.

It was behind a large bowlder, some fifteen yards up
the hill, and Cody saw that, in order to join the men who
had been firing, the speaker would have to pass an open
space between that and some other large masses of rock.
He laid his sights on that particular spot.

The speaker was evidently confident that the king of
the scouts had been: killed, and that, therefore, there was
no danger of a shot being fired at him while he moved
to join the others. By the position he occupied, he was
screened from the fire of all the men save Buffalo Bill.

He appeared half a minute later. He was oe
and held a pistol in each hand.

The moment his body appeared in the line of fe.
Cody pressed the trigger, and the man rolled over like a
log. .

A cry of dismay burst: from the men on the hillside
above the border king. They had been watching for the
leader to join his companions and give the signal for a
rush. 2

“T’ve shot the captain of the gang, Sarasta!” Cod
p ga § yy
sang out.

“Well done, Seftor Americano!” cried the Mexican.

"They will think of nothing now but saving their.

12? i

wretched skins!

The parties on the opposit e sides of the ravine now
shouted to one another. Some of them urged their com-
panions to make a rush, but most were against this.

“Why in the name of all the saints should we throw
away our lives?” one of them cried. “Some of them have
rifles, and they all have pistols. Even if we got the best
of it, half of us would be shot down first. They would

_ shoot us down directly we showed ourselves, and most of
us would die before we could finish them.”
There was a silence for some few minutes

, which sug-

 

  

Bre SPOR LES.

gested that there was a general feeling among the bandits
that the man’s arguments were oe Then the same
speaker went on again: —

“Caballeros, we have been cruelly misled by the man
whom you shot—our captain! We are poor men, and we
have been led into this! Several of 1s have been killed
and others wounded. We now beg your mercy Pe

As he ceased, there was a general cry of “Mercy!
mercy!’ from all the bandits.

“You dogs!” Sarasta shouted back. “If it were not
that the whole of your skins are not worth as much as a
single drop of the honest blood of the men with me, |
would not move from here until I had put an end to the
last of you!

“However, you have had a lesson. Now, come down,
one at a time, into the road. When you get there, drop
your pistols and knives to the ground, and then go down
the hill. As soon as one man has got clear out of sight,
let another man come down—but not before. Don’t try
to play us any tricks, or we will shoot you down without
scruple, like the dogs that you are! How many of you
are there:

“Six, sefior,” said the man who had first offered to
surrender, now speaking in a most submissive tone.
“Seven, besides the captain, have been shot. Three of us
are wounded, but I think they can all walk.”

“They had better!” said Sarasta, grimly; “for there is
nobody in my party who is going to help them! Look
here! J shall see every one of your faces plainly as you
come down. When you have thrown down your arms,
you must stand and face this rock, so that I can have a
good look at you. I warn you not to meet me again in
the settlements, where I can put the rurales on your
track! If ever I find you again, you shall pay for this
business with your lives! lf you value your skins, you
will leave this part of Mexico without delay.”

Thoroughly cowed by the bold bearing of the high-
spitited rvanchero, the ruffans agreed to follow his
counsel. : ae

One by one, the six men came down, placed their

weapons on the ground, turned to the rock where Sarasta

was lying, and then went down the pass without 4 word
being uttered.

When the last had gone, Sarasta stepped down into the
road, and was at once joined by Buffalo Bill, who had
kept his rifle pointed at each man as he reached the
road, in case he should intend treachery _ against the
Mexican.

Two of the vaqueros also stepped out, as well as Wild
Bill and Nick Wharton. -

“Where is Pedro?’ Sarasta asked one of his men.
“He is dead, sefior,”

was the reply: “He was shot

through the body, but had just strength enough left to
throw himself in among the rocks.

T heard him groan-

  
HE BU PE ALS

  

_ing at first, but he was soon silent. I oe see him from
_where I lay, and he has not moved since.’

ee “See if he is dead, Sancho, This is a bad business.”
We { The man returned in a minute, after carefully exam-
ed | ining the body of his oe
' “He is quite dead, sefior.’
y! | “Where is that man you shot, Col. Cody? Toe us see
i if he is really the leader of the band that made me a
Ot jf prisoner the other day.” - -
a | Buffalo Bill led the way to the spot, followed by the
I ib others. Sarasta glanced at the dead man.

| “Tt is as I thought,” he said. “He is the man. Well,
| there is one arch-scoundrel less in Mexico!”

' One of the vagueros, bending over the body, lifted a
| heavy, canvas bag from the dead man’s sash.

He handed it to his master.

' Opening it, Sarasta saw that it was full of gold pieces.
: There were more than a hundred of them.

} “This money probably came from some poor devil
' whom he made pay a ransom,” said Sarasta, turning to
|. Buffalo Bill. “I won’t touch it.”

i “Neither will I,” Buffalo Bill remarked;
iF quite sure my friends won't, either.”

| The. vaqueros were of the same mind. One of them,
| voicing the feeling of the rest, said he would look upon
the gold as blood money if he took it.

“The best thing we can do is to divide it between the
| widows of Pedro and Lopez,’ Sarasta decided. “Of
course, I shall give them a home on the ranch, and a pen-
sion, for the men died in fighting my battle. But the
money will be useful to them, also.”

“What shall we do with the bodies, sefior?’”’ one of the
» men asked.

“Fetch some big stones and pile on top of them. It is
the only way. The ground is too hard to dig graves.
They will rest as well there as anywhere else, and the
» wolves and vultures will not be able to get at them.”
An hour’s labor, and the work was finished. Buffalo
| Bill assisted the men, but Sarasta did not offer to do so.
» The reason was soon disclosed, for he turned suddenly
) pale and faint, and would have sunk to the ground had
not the border king caught him in his arms.

Vand. ani

 

 

“You are wounded, Sarasta’”’. he said.

“Yes,” the man answered, faintly. “I have a bullet in
my shoulder. Another fellow fired the instant I shot his
comrade. Luckily, he hit my shoulder instead of my
head. I did not want to speak of it till the fight was over,
for these vaqueros sometimes go all to pieces if their
leader is hurt.”

While he was speaking, Buffalo Bill, taking a sash
from one of the men, made a sling for the arm, and
washed and beund up the wound.

The horses were out of sight, but the men were not
anxious on that score. They knew that they would find
them a few hundred yards up the pass. They — were trained

ik SA SL ean cas als lc ee ss cial gh atte ertatbe at atl LP te aU TAMU RRC NMA ie OD eat gc a

BILL STORIES. | | g.

not to go on without riders, and, when their first alarm
at the firing ceased, they would halt.

As soon as the cairns of stones over the dead men were
finished, the pious Mexicans cut down a couple of sap-
lings and made two rude crosses, which they placed
above their fallen comrades. Then they all proceeded
up the pass, and soon came upon the horses, as they had
expected.

Mounting, they continued on their way, and reached’ a
small settlement just as the sun was setting.

 

CHAPTER. V.
THE HACIENDA ATTACKED.

Sarasta’s wound was attended to by an old woman in
the settlement who was skilled in surgery.

“There is one comfort in being wounded in this coun-
try, the vanchero remarked to. Buffalo Bill. “You can’t
go into the smallest village without finding half a dozen
people capable of dressing wounds. Fights are so com-
mon, especially knife fights, that very little is thought of
them unless oe gets killed. Small wounds hardly
count.”

“But this one of yours is not a small one, by any means.
Won't it prevent you from riding for a day or two?’

“Not a bit of it!” said the plucky Mexican. “We had
intended to stop here to-morrow to give a rest to the
horses, but the next day we will push on. My wife and
daughter will be anxious to learn what has become of me.

“Happily, we shall not have to be on our guard against
danger any longer, for the risk of fallmg in with maraud-
ing redskins is too slight to worry about. Our next
day’s ride will be an easy one, across a cultivated country.
Then we will have a long day and a half of mountain
work again.”

The passes which they now had to traverse before
reaching Sarasta’s ranch astonished even the three scouts,
used though they were to the sublime scenery: of the
Rockies.

Sometimes they were traveling up ravines so deep and
rugged that it was almost twilight below, while at other
times they wound along on natural ledges on the face of
precipices where the stumble of a horse would mean cer-
tain death to animal and rider. Luckily, all the horses
were sute-footed as mules. Higher and higher they
wound up the mountains, until, crossing a narrow shoul-
der of bare rock, they looked down upon the broad valley
owned by Sarasta.

“Do you see’ that white speck in front of the dark ,

patch of trees?” said the ranchero-to the Americans.
“That is the hacienda. As the crow flies, I don’t suppose
it is more than seven or eight miles off, but by the way
we have to go it is five times that distance. If we are
there by this time to-morrow, we ought to be satisfied.”

When they started next morning, Sarasta sent one of

 

 
   

10

the vagueros ahead, on the swiftest horse, to tell his wife

that he would arrive in a few hours. He himself had to
ride slowly, for his wound had been hurting him a good
deal i in the past two days.

- The last ten miles were performed siva canter, — ihe
horses seemed as glad as their riders to be on level
eround again, and they were well aware that they were
approaching home, where they could look forward to a
‘good rest. a

The party were within three miles of the hacienda,
when they saw two mounted figures riding to meet them.

“They are my wife and daughter,” said Sarasta. “I
thought they ae lose no time in starting after Antonio
arrived with the news that I was close at hand.”

Soon Buflalo Bill was bowing over his saddle to a
beautiful. Spanish lady and her handsome daughter, a
young girl of about eighteen. The latter was a perfect
type of Castilian beauty—-her features perfectly molded
and her form a model of grace, The three scouts locked
at her with warm admiration, for she was one of the
most beautiful women they had ever seen.

 

“This is Sefior Cody,” said the ranchero, introducing
Buffalo Bill to the ladies. “He is the famous American
scout of whom we have heard so much even in this dis-
tant place. I owe my life to him and his friends.”

The Mexican told his wife and daughter in detail what
the scouts had done for him, and they were warm in their
eratitude and admiration.

Buffalo Bill modestly disclaimed any credit, and said
they had been more than repaid by the hospitality so an
erously extended to them.

“You must not leaye us lor a long tine, ald. the
Sefiora Sarasta. “I know that you are great hunters.
We can show you some good sport here. You will not
have the exciting life to which you are used on the great
plains of the West, but we will try and see that the time
you spend here is not dull.”

“We cannot complain of having had no excitement so
far, said the king of the scouts, smiling. “We had a
fight with a gang of brigands in a-pass coming HP that
was pretty stiff while it lasted.” _ :

‘The sefiora was a brave woman, well ied to all the

hardships and perils of life im that wild country. Even

her husband’s wound did not frighten her, once she was
convinced that it was not serious. She was sorrowful at
the news of the deaths of the two peons, whose wives she
knew, but that was soon forgotten in the joy of getting

-her husband and son back safely, after Boule ee

so many perils.

The time that followed on the hacienda was one of the
pleasantest that Buifalo Bill and his two companions had.

ever spent. They went on hunting expeditions with the
vaqueros and the friendly Indians in the neighborhood,

_ helped in the work of the hacienda, and broke in a large

THE BUEPARO BILL STORES

xs

number of bronchos fer Sarasta. Their skill in the latter
business won the warmest admiration of the Mexicans.

About two weeks after their arrival, Sarasta came to |
Buffalo Bill and told him that he had received a mes-
sage that made it necessary for him to go at once to a
settlement about a hundred and fifty miles distant on
business. He wouid take his son with him, and also Wild
Bill and Nick Wharton, who both wanted to see as much
of the country round about as they could.

“I would like oe to come with me, too, Sefior Cady.”
said the ranchero, “but 1 must leave some man on the
hacienda whom I can absolutely trust. That man is your-
self, and I would be deeply indebted to you if you will
keep things running until I get back. My waqueros are
good men of their sort, but they meed some one over
them, for there is not one among them who can com-

and the others.”

Buen Bill willingly undertook the charge, little.
guessing how serious, and even tragic, it would Dye
to be. :

Next day the ranchero and his son rode off, accompa-
nied by six well-armed horsemen and the two American
SCOUTS

Two days after the others had started, Buffalo Bill
saw one of the friendly Indians talking to Antonio, one
of the head vaqueros, and, as soon as the latter saw him,
he left the Indian and came up to him.

“This Indian, who is one of the chiefs of our tribe,
sefior, tells me that there is a report that the Indians on
the other side of the river are preparing for an expe-
dition.

“Tt is supposed that it is against another tribe, erther
east. They have not raided on this side of the river for
many vears, but he thought that it was as well to let us
know that they are at present in an unsettled state.

“He says that he shall have some of his warriors down
near the river, and that he will let us know further as
soon as he has any certain news.”

“Ts there anything to be done, do you think, Antonio?”
“No, sefior; there are frequently wars going on be-

tween the Indians to,the east, but we have-never, had any oe

trouble with them since we came here.

“If our Indians thought that there was any danger,

they would very soon be flocking down here, for they

have always been promised that they should be supplied
with firearms, were anything of the sort to happen, and
they know that, with the aid of our oe they could
beat.off any number of oppressive redskins.”’

“T have no doubt that we could defend ourselves, An- .
tonio,”’ said Buffalo Bill. “However, you see that in
DonSarasta’s absence I have a very heavy responsibility,
and I think that it would be as well to take some pre-
caution.

“Will you ask the chief to send down a dozen of his

warriors? They shall be paid in powder and in blankets,

 

 

   

 

 
iter

.
to
es-
ia
on
ild
ich

 

i whatever is the usual sum.
" themselves round the hacienda, to keep guard at night.

{ there would be time to get you all in from the huts.

 

» more comfortable
| the other side of the river belong to?’

 

 

TAB BORE ALO

I want them to establish

‘7 don’t mean that they shall stay close to the house,
but scout down toward the river, so that, in case of alarm,
How
many sleep there ?”’

“There are about thirty of us who look after the herds
in the lower parts of the valley, and eight or ten peons
who work in the garden round the house.”

“Well, that force, with the half dozen servants in the
house, would be able to hold the hacienda against almost

/* any number of Indians, and you could all be here in ten
minutes from the alarm being given.”

“Very well, sefior; I will tell the chief.”
‘He talked for a few minutes with the Indian.
“He will send twelve of his braves down to-morrow,”

| he said, when he rejoined Buffalo Bill.

“Very well, let him. do. so, ‘for I shall certaigly feel
then. What tribe do these Indians on

“They are a branch of the Tejunas, who are them-
selves a branch of the Apaches. The headquarters of the

tribe lie on the east side of Arizona, between the Gila

River and the Little Colorado.

“They are just as bad.as the Apaches themselves, and
both of them are scourges to the northern districts of
Mexico.” | ;

“What are our Indians?” :

“They are a branch of the Genigush Indians. They
live among the hills between Iron Bluff, sixty miles be-
low us, and those hills you see as many miles up.

“A good many of them hunt during the season on the
other side, as far as Aquarius Mountains, in what iS
known as the Mohave country; but they never go further
south that side than the River Santemaria, for the Te-

- Junas would be down upon them if they caught them in

what they consider their own country,”

“T wish the sefior was back,” Buffalo Bill said, ear-
nestly, “though I dare say it is all right, and that, as the
Indians haven’t made a raid across here for many years,
they will not do so now. How would they get across the

om tiv ORR. ey

“They would swim across, sefior. These Indians think
nothing of swimming a wide river. When one of them
wants to do it, he stmply slips off his horse, and either
puts his hands on its back, or more generally holds on
by its tail?

“Have these fellows guns?”

“A great many of them have; they capture them from
the Mexicans, or in peaceable times trade skins or their
blankets or their Indian trumpery for them.

“It is against the law to sell guns to the Indians, but
most Mexicans will make a bargain, if they have the
chance, without the slightest regard to any law.”

“How is it that the Mexican Government does not try

Biles lOR ES. | 11

to get rid of these Indians? I see by the map that the
frontier line is a long way north of the Gila.”

“Yes, sefior, they may put the line where they like; but
there is not a white man for a couple of hundred miles
north of the Gila, except on the Santa Fé River, and even
there the whites are never safe from the Apaches and
Navajos:

“Why, it would want an army of twenty thousand men
to venture among the mountains north of the Gila, and
they would all die of starvation petore they ever caught

sight jof an Apache.

“NO, senor, unless there is an earthquake, and the
whole region swallowed up, I don’t see any good chance
of getting the better of the red rascals.’

After entering the house, Buffalo Bill said nothing of
the news which he had heard. It seemed that there was
no real ground for alarm at present, and yet he could
not but feel uneasy.

The next morning he rode down: ‘to the river, where
a number of peons were engaged in loading rafts with
hides and tallow. He had told Donna Sarasta that he
should be down there all oe as he wanted to get the
work pushed on.

He had been there but two hours, when Antonio rode
up at a headlong gallop.

“What is it, Antonio?’ Buffalo Bill exclaimed. for it
was evident from the man’s appearance that his errand
was one of extreme importance.

“The hacienda has been attacked by Indians, sefior! I
was with the herd, two miles this side of it, when I heard
some shots fired.

“T galloped to see what was the matter, but when I
got within a quarter of a mile I saw that the Indians
were swarming round the place. A dozen started in pur-
suit of me, brt they did not follow me far.”

CHAPTER ail
THE FIGHT ON THE RAFTS.

Buffalo Bill stood for a moment as one thunderstruck.

“But how can they have got, there, Antonio?” he asked.

“They must have come by what is called the little gap.
You know it, sefior, that valley that runs off from the
other, nearly abreast of the hacienda.

“Following that, and crossing a shoulder, you come
down on the river some ten miles higher up. They must
have crossed there by swimming in the night.”

“But the chief said he had scouts there.”

“They could hardly watch thirty aitles of the tiver;
senor; besides, the redskins would have sent over two or
three swimmers to silence anyoné they found near the
place where they were to cross.” :

By this time a dozen other vaqueros, who had been
warned by Antonio as he came down, joined them.

 
- that there is 1 not

 

CON TS
12 Pos

UPPrALO
“We must ride for the hacienda at ore ” Buffalo Bill
gaid, leaping into the’ ‘Saddle. ~~

“No tse, sefior, nd use. I should say there must be
four or five hund ard of the redskins, and we may be sure
a soul alive now at the hacienda or at the
huts arounc : i

“They \ vi i. here in’a short time; of that there is no
doubt. Probably half will come-down the valley, and hal

vill go up. We must ride for it, sefior, follow the river
noe till we are past t the hills; there 1s not a moment to
be lost.” | . i. 4

The peons who had gathered round gave a cry of de-

nee can go, if you like, Antonio; [see we can do
nothing ‘at present, but I will not leave the place,” said

uffalo Bill.

“What will you do, then, sefior?”

“We will take the rafts and pole them across the river.
There are no signs of Indians ‘there, atid it is not likely
there Will be now.”

Then he turned to the eons.

“You have heard what I said. Get to the rafts at once;
there is not a moment to be lost. Look at that he a gal-
loping “wildly; you may be sure that the redskins are
after them.” :

“The sefior’s advice is good,’ Antonio said, “and there
not a moment to be a “Get on board, all of you, com-
rades. Lie your bridles to the rafts.’

All hurled Homie 6 onto the raits; the ropes that
held them to the shore were cut, and the peons, putting
out the poles, pushed off into the stream.

The rafts were already heavily laden; by far the
ereater portion of the cargo having been placed: on board.

Most of the vagueros had their rifles slung across their
as they had heard from Antonio wha ab tbe
taken

i

w

snoulders
friendly ane had said, and’ had, on starting out,
their guns with them. ~

“One can never tell what will happen,’ Antonio had
remarked. “It is always well to be on the sate ‘side.’

Although the peous exerted themselves to the utmost,
the rafts moved but slowly, and they were but seventy
or eighty yards from the shore, when a lar

Indians rode down to thé bank, and at once opened fire:

tG take their os s on the other side of the piles of hide,

and, using these as a breastwork, those having guns at

once returned the indians’ fire.
Five or six of the redskins fell, and the plunging of

showed that these were also wounded.

, who seemed to be in command, \ i
hand and shouted to ey followers, who were evident y
ir horses into ee river, when But
ok a co ain a

about to urge thei

  

oO
Bh
5
1
—~
ja
ae
or
Q
oa
tS
pea
Se
o
rt
ra
oO
tae
sd
Cs
oO.
9
(Qs
m3
rs
Oi
oS
‘ant
ye
tae
an
or
5
La
w
oO

6

_ fOr you.

ge band of,

As they approached, Buffalo Bill shouted to all the men’
1

Vill ony take to the water, Anite ” Buffalo Bill

BILL. STORIES.

  

asked the vaquero, who had chosen a place on the raft
near him. ye, a

“I do not think so, sefior; it is not in tern rae to
run such a risk as that, We should shoot down numbers
of them before they reached us, and they would have a
tough job then, for the peons would fight desperately with
their long knives. It is no easy matter to climb out of the
water onto a raft with two or three desperate men. waiting
This band are Apaches, senor ; they have ae
dently joined the Tejunas in a big raid.”

The Indians for a few minutes continued their fire,
but, aS those on the rafts only showed their heads when
they stood up to return it, and every bullet told in the
crowded mass, the Indians sullenly rode off.

The peons hen resumed their poles, and in ten min-
utes reached the opposite shore. _

Buffalo Bill sat down as soon as he had seen the horses
landed, .with a feeling of despair in his heart. In the
hurried arrangements for the safety of those with him,
he had scarcely had time to think.

Now that there was nothing pressing to do, the full
horrer of the situation was felt, and the thought of Donna
Sarasta and of Clara being murdered altogether over-

_ powered him, a and his cheeks were moistened with tears.

What would the sefior and his son say on their return?
They had left him in charge, and, although he could
ao be said to be to blame, yet he might, perhaps, have

ken greater precautions.

Hi e a not have relied upon the Indian scouts, he
felt, but have kept at least enough of the men up at the
house to ce a serious defense.

Antonio, who was at the head of one of the parties in
charge of a herd, came up to him presently. :

“Well, sefor, ‘tis no use grieving, and, assuredly, if
anyone is to blame, it is I rather than you, for I assured
you that there was no immediate danger. I shall tell the
senior so when he comes.

“Had he been here, he would, I feel sure, have waited
for further news before regarding the matter as serious.
Now, sefior, Dee do you Te to do next’. You are
our leader.

“The first thing to do is to go to the hacienda. s.

dark, and to find out what has happened there. How
long do you think that the Indians will remain in the
valley ?” 5 |
“Some days, I should say, sefor. They will, no doubt.
kill a number of cattle, and jerk the meat. Then they will
drive off as many ‘cattle as they think they can take with
them, and probably slay the rest out of pure wantonness.”
“The first and great point is to find out whether all at
the hacienda have been killed.”
““Vhat you may be sure of, sefior; but, stell, it is right
that we should know. There may be one exception, al-
thou ah Ff can hardly hope for it?”

“How do you mean, Antonio?”

 

 
 

 

M
i

» could ask questions or find out annns as to what has

 

 

Toh
ce

SEA Mae AT

ao DU

“T mean, sefior, is it the sefiorita may have been spared
or a worse fate—I mean, may have been carried off by

‘them. The Indians, while sparing no one else oe or
“young, nearly always carry off the young women.’

“Merciful heavens!’ Buffalo Bill exclaimed, stepping
' | back, as if he had been struck. ‘You are probably right !

' A thousand times better had she been murdered by her

_ mother’s side! It is maddening to sit here and be able
} to do nothing, not even tobe able to find out if this dread-
' ‘ful thing is true. How many men have we with guns?”
| “Thirteen besides myself and you, sefior.”

' “Those who have no rifles will be useless. They had
_ better go down with the rafts as soon as it becomes
dark,” !

“Yes, sefior, that would be best. The Indians are sure
to swim across to-night, and the four rafts would do well
_to push off as soon as they can no longer be seen from
Bthe other side. The four head men, who will go down
' with them, are all here.”

f “Call them up.”

'| The four white men came to him.

“As soon as it is dark,” he said, “you must push off;

"do not make the slightest noise. When you get out in
“the middle of the stream, let the current take you down,
only using the poles when it is absolutely necessary to
_ keep you from approaching either bank,

_ “The twelve vagueros who have not guns had better go
_ with you; that will give three to each raft. We will

  
 
 

  

f
iy

 

kill this afternoon for food. Have you fishing lines?’

_ “Yes, sefior, we always carry them with us, and we

_ have spears, and can fish by torchlight.”

“Good! Then you will be able to manage very well.

: The vaqueros and what peons you do not require, must

_ be landed as soon as you have passed the mountains.
“They had better strike up to Monterey, and wait

there for orders, I will give money to one of them to

 

ie

i buy: a horse there, and ride with the news to Don

| Sarasta.”

, . . CHAPTER. Vil
| HOW. SANCHO ESCAPED.

When all the arrangements had been made for the de-
parture of the raft, Buffalo Bill said to Antonio:
“Do you think that it will be absolutely impossible to
approach the hacienda by daylight?” |
: “It could not be done, sefior; and, indeed, I don’t see
1 that any good could come of it; for even if we could
| get in unobserved, there would be none of whom we

ib

taken place. :
| . “It is just possible that, in the confusion of the attack,
| some of the peons employed in the house, the stables, or
the huts, may have escaped and hidden themselves.

"pick out thirteen of the best horses; the others you must.

Bp ceteine th tote anh nore

SESE Ye oy A aE CE ei alin ae ah Ge EN ER

73

are

fhe Indians are good searchers, but just at first they
would be anxious to make their success as complete as

Sen te TE TL TET

possible; and doubtless a large party rode up the valley

at once, while the others started down it.

“It was important that they should surprise the men
with the various herds before they could gather together,
for even if twenty or thirty could have gathered, they
would have made a hard fight of it before they lost their
scalps.

“Therefore, any who escaped in the attack on the house
may have hidden themselves from the first search, and
we may possibly come across them at night. They ‘would
assuredly never leave their hiding place until darkness
had fallen.

“T have some hopes of Sancho, that old vaquero whom
you know. If anyone has got out sate, he has. He
had a good deal cf experience in Indian fighting some
ffeay years ago, when he was further east, and is sure
to have had his wits about him, He was at our hut
when I came away this morning.

“As you know, he got hurt by a young bull in the yard
ten days since. He was nearly well again; but you said
he had better lie quiet for another day or two. I fancy

_ that he was the only. man there except the peons, for it

c is a busy time,

* “At the first war whoop he heard he would make for
shelter, for he would know that it was no use tryin to
fight the whole tribe.

“There is a thick patch of brush twenty or thirty ya
from the huts. I expect that he would make for that
straight. ‘There is a tank in the middle that was used at
one time, but the water was always muddy, and the mas-
ter had a fresh one made handy to the huts,.and since
then the path to the old tank has been overgrown, and
no one ever goes there.

“Tf Sancho is alive, he is lying in that pond under the
bushes that droop over it all round.”

rds

29

“He would not be. able to give us any information as
to what was done in the house?” said Buffalo Bill,

“No, sefior; but he could be of great assistance to us
if we follow the redskins... He is up to all their ways,
and is a good shot with the rifle, At any rate, if we
go. down to the house, I should like to try and find him.
We have been comrades a good many years now,”

“Certainly, Antonio, you shall see if you can find him.
He is a good fellow, and, as you say, would be of great

assistance to us. “Do you think that we could make a cir-
cuit and come down on the river again two or three miles
higher up, and cross there and get anywhere near the
house f |

“We might do it, senor; but as we cannot get near
enough to do any. good, | think we should be wrong to
move from here. .You may be sure that there are some
of the redskins hiding on the opposite bank keeping a
sharp lookout for us. .

0 ha ernment epee ee ci ea ene ig ig ep de pn

 

wi

 
PAE BOE ALO

 

14

“Tf any of us were to ride away, one of them would
carry the news at ‘once, and they would be on the lookout
for us.. If we all stay here till it is dark, they will sup-
pose that we have all gone down with the rafts.

“That will be good for the rafts, too, for the Indians
would be unlikely to attack them, believing that there
were some fifteen or twenty men with guns on them;
and, in the next place, they will think that they are clear
of us altogether, and be less cautious than they might
be if they were to,suppose that we were still cea
in their neighborhood. Y

“You are right, Antonio, and’ I will try and be pa-
tent.”

As soon as it was dark the little party of fifteen men
started in grim determination and silence, moving as
noiselessly as possible.

They rode two miles up the river to a point, when
Antonio said they were opposite to a path by which they
could keep along at the foot of the hills until in a line with
the hacienda. | |

“You don’t think that there is any danger of there
being any redskins on the further side ?”

“Not the slightest, sefor. Long before this they will
have their fires lighted and be. gorging themselves with
meat. They know how small our force was, and will
never dream of our venturing back i in their midst.”

As they rode into the river they slipped off their horses
when the latter began to swim, holding an with one hand,
and with the other keeping their. euns, pistols and am-
munition above the water. The river at this point was
some two hundred yards wide, and flowing with a quiet
current. |

In a few minutes they were across.
covered the path, and, following its ar rode in | single
file for an hour.

Then they reached a spot where there was an open-
ing among the trees, and Antonio said that they were
abreast of the hacienda, which was some four miles away.
The building itself was not visible, but the number of
fires which blazed round it was a ey indication of

its position.

At various other points up and down the valley fires

also blazed, but there were none much nearer their side .

‘of the valley than those round the acienda.

“Do you mean to go with me, sefior | ay Antonio | asked,’

“Certainly I mean to go. How had it best be done ?“

 

BILL STORIES.

Antonio secon dis-

 

“I should say that we had better ride to within.two }

miles. It would not be safe to go with so large a party

nearer than that. Then. we will take one of the others
with us to hold our horses, and, going at a foot pace, we
might get within half a mile of the house without their
hearing us.

“There will be a good deal.of movement in i valley.
The cattle will be restless, having been chased all day, and
the herds broken up, so I think that we,can reckon on

getting pretty close.

We had better
You see, the Indians are thick

“Then we will go forward on foot.
make for the huts first.
round the house. I don’t think there is any chance of
“anyone being saved there, because that would be the first

point of attack.

“Tf we do not find Sancho, possibly we may come upon
one or two of the peons, who would be likely enough to
make for the same shelter.
the stable.

If not, we can try round

“Still, I am afraid there is no chance. of hearing what
has happened at the house.
is killed, or a prisoner.

“Tf there is no other way, we must get near an Indian,
and secure him. I will then dress up in his clothes, and
see if I can get into the house. As there are two tribes
engaged, one would have more chance of passing unsus-
pected ainong them than if they all knew each person-

ally.

“At any rate, it must be risked. I know the ways of

these Indians pretty well, and might pass muster.”
- When they had dismounted, Antonio said:

Ve had better leave our jackets and sombreros here.
Their outline would show on the darkest night that we

were not Indians.”

Before leaving the raft, Buffalo Bill had obtained frons- i

one of the head men a pair of. Mexican fringed leggins;
and now, with a dark blanket-thrown over his shoulder,
he might, at a short distance, be easily mistaken for an
Indian.
He had already left his riding boots behind him, and
had obtained a pair of moccasins from one of the peons.
“T will lead the way sefior, as 1 know every foot of the
ground,’ Antonio said, quietly.
: Moving along noiselessly, they came down ‘upon he

huts of the wikis workmen of the hacienda.

I mean, whether the sefiorita

 

As there

 
- ASAT TD REARS STILT ELT

THE BURPEALO

   
 

were no fires burning there, they had» but. slicht fear of
4 encountering any of the Indians.

Each, however, carried a long knife, ready for instant
They had left their rifles and pistols behind them,

© for if & were necessary to fight, the combat must be a

> action.

silent one.

They crossed to the clump of bushes of which Antonio
had spoken. ‘

~. Lhey made for the spot swiftly, and, when they reached
it, the vaquero called Sancho’s name softly several times.

For some time there was no response, and then there

was a slight rustle in the bushes. ‘\

 

' “Antonio, is that you?’’ a voice said, in a low whisper.
_@ “Yes, it is 1”

_ “Ts anyone with you?”

“The American sefior.”’

: le A* weather-beaten, old vaquero crawled out of the
| | bushes, followed by two peons who had taken refuge

" there. a
7 “T thought you would be here. I knew you would

_ | make for this place as soon as you saw it was useless to
i ”
hight,

hand.

said Antonio, grasping his friend warmly by the

“T was afraid you had been killed and scalped with

d)

the rest, Antonio,’ said Sancho.

“What has happened, sefior?” asked the old man, turn-
ing to Buffalo Bill.
[ heard a sudden yell.

SS

“While I was eating my breakfast,

PAIGE

I knew at once that it was the

SE eS

Apache war whoop. The saints know I heard it often
enough in the old days, when I used to fight the red-
' skins. By the din they made, I knew there was a big
| owar party, and that it was no good to.think of fighting.

[ caught up my weapons and fled.

 

“Of course, I made straight for the bush. These two

beons were having breakfast with me, and they were

hi

We
“
_
f
%
i
:

tick enough to follow me, you may depend. We found

 
    
  
  
  
   
    
   

1 good place to hide in under the bushes, and we were
‘ompletely hidden. But we had some anxious moments,

‘ou may depend upon it!

“We heard the shrieks of some of the peous, as they
| vere slaughtered and scalped. Presently the noise died

way, and we were never troubled in our hiding place

ntil you came.

had

so sud-

“I don’t think the Indians suspected that anyone

vot away. They made no search. They attacked

enly that they might naturally suppose the surprise was

-omplete.”

  

Bilt SioRlzs >

 

Sancho told his story in a low whisper, keeping a ecre-

‘tise
ful lookout as’ he spoke’ for any si¢ns of the Indians.
“What about the sefiorita?’ Buffalo Bill asked.

want to know whether she was killed or captured.”

“We

‘leh
Eney

“From what I know of the Apaches, I do not think

would kill her, in any event,”

a.

the old vaguero replie

“You know them well, too, sefior. Don’t you agree
with me?”

“Yes,” Buffalo Bill admitted.

“But, better even than that, I think it is very. likely
they have not captured her.” ue

“How is that?” Buffalo Bill cried, under

his eyes shining with eagerness.

his breath,
“I saw the seficrita ride away about half an hour be-

fore the Indians made their attack. She was taking: a

basket of food and medicines to the two old Indians—
the man and his wife—up the valley. You know tliem,

sehor? She was always good.to them, for they are helo-
less in“their old age.
“When the redskins rode into te valley, she must heave

been coming home.

(Ca

I expect shé saw them in time, an

 

fled. Her horse is a good one, It would beat any of their
poniés.”
“Thank God!” exclaimed Buffalo Bill,

“Then there is a chante that she is safe.”

fervently,
The three men scouted around the house, but they
found, to their grief, that all the rest had been slain... No
prisoners had been taken by the redskins.
There was no longer any further use in staying around
the hacienda. It was dangerous to do so, for many of

the redskins were still in the neighborhood.

Toward the close of the night the three men returned
to meet the other vaqueros, who had their horses..

“We had better eo. to the Indian hut you speke of,
Sancho, and there we may pick up the trail of the seno-
tita,’ Buffalo Bill said. “The first thing for

obviously, is to try and find her, by re or by crook,

us to do,

though I don’t suppose it will be by any means an easy
job;

The others agreed, and they set off at a good pace,
grim resolution in each man’s heart.

CHAPTER ‘VIII.

SURPRISING “Pini. NPAC ECHS

But few words were spoken until the party arrived at

a spot where the TOW ji near ihe

valley began to nar

   

 

NPP AR OR AR Re aR INR A

 

      
16 THE BUFFALO

boundary of the ranch. They were now considerably

beyond the Indian fires.

“There is no fear of our Hee with any of the
; redskins now,” Sancho grunted. “They know well enough
that our Indians would not venture to attack them, and
that there are no other enemies near. A quarter of a
mile, and we shall me at the wigwam where the sefiorita

went this morning.”

“We will stop there for a moment,” said Buffalo Bill,
gloomily, “It is not very likely, perhaps, that we shall
find anything that will give us useful information, but, at
any rate, the horses may have a short rest there as well as

anywhere else.” :

They had come fifteen miles now at a smart pace.

The men all dismounted. One of them struck a light
with his flint and steel, and lit the end of a short coil of
cord that had been soaked in saltpeter, and waved it round
his head until it burst into a flame. a

As they expected, they found the two icdy Indians,
man and woman, lying dead. Both had been tomahawked
and then scalped. On the ground lay a broken medicine
bottle and a portion of some soft pudding.

“That does not tell us much,” said Buffalo Bill.

Sancho made no answer, but looked sharply round the
-- wigwam. :

“The basket is not a ” he said.
was pretty full.”

“Tl noticed that it

“T suppose the redskins took it, Sancho.”

“They would not bother about a basket. It is the last
thing they would think of taking. My idea is that the
sefiorita came back here.

She would, to
begin with, if she rode at full speed, have distanced the
_ Apaches, who would not be able to get through the herd,

a expect she came to warn the Indians.

which must have been between them and her when she

first saw them.’ Of course, the two old Indians knew

that there was no escape for them, and made no effort to
avoid their fate.

“I expect they had only taken that pudding and medi-
It

seems to me possible enough that the sefiorita may have
caught it up and ridden off with it,

cine out of the basket, and all that was in it is gone.

knowing that she had
a long ride before her, and that, too, through a country

| where there are no posadas.”

"~~ ‘I hope, indeed, that it may be so, Sancho, for I have
* been wondering what she would do if she were lost in

 

BILL STORIES.

these mountains. What would she be likely to have put
in the basket?”

“T handed it to her, sefior, when she had mounted.
There were two bottles of milk, a bottle of wine and a
pile of cakes. There were a few other things, but I did

not notice what they were.”

It
would be a great comfort to know that she had enough

“T can only hope that your idea is correct, Sancho.

provisions to last her for two or three days.”

“T expect you will find that it is so, sefior. The sefiorita
is quick-witted and cool. I saw her once, when a dozen
bulls stampeded, as we were trying to drive them into the
yard. She was sitting on her horse, a short distance
from the gate, and was just in their line.

“She didn’t try to dash aside across their path, as many
would have done, but turned and started keeping her
horse in at first, and then letting out gradually and edging
off out of their line, and she came -cantering back and
laughing as she joined her father, who was looking pale
as death at the danger she had been in.

“T have very little doubt that it has been as I said.
She galloped at first at full speed; then, when she got
near this hut, she saw that she was well ahead of the
redskins.

“She rode up here, jumped off to warn the Indians,
and, when she found they would not go, she took the
basket, knowing the things could be of no use to them,
and might be worth a hundred times their weight in gold
to her.

“Maybe the old Indian may have suggested it to her.
At any rate, I feel sure she took them.” :

“Well, we will ride steadily on. We can do no good
here. Is there any place where she could have left the
valley ?”’ .

“Not beyond this, sefior—at least, I know of mone; but.
as I told you, we know very little of the valley beyond
this point. Certainly she could have known of no path.
No doubt she went straight on.

“Knowing how well she was mounted, she would feel
sure that the redskins could not overtake her, and I ex-
pect she did not press her horse much, but contented her-
self with keeping out of rifle shot. '

“I don’t know whether she knew of the al across
the river, but she would naturally plunge in at the point
“where the track comes down on it, and would, no doubt,
be surprised at. finding that the horse was able to cross

without swimming.”

SS

 

 
 

 

Tap ROBE AIO

“She would not be able to turn after she had crossed
and come down on the opposite bank?”

“No, sefior; that would not be possible. There are
high mountains there, and the river at some places runs
through deep gorges.”

“Tow far do you thing the Apaches would follow?”
“7 think that they would keep on for some distance

beyond the river. When they found at last that they had

no chance of catching her, they might turn and come back

and cross the river and camp on this’ side.

“By that time their horses would be done; for, you
f see, they most likely had a long ride yesterday—maybe
| they were traveling all night—and, of course, it gave the
: sefiorita an immense advantage that her horse was fresh,
while theirs had, anyhow, a great deal taken out of them.

“I should recommend that we should halt as soon as
it becomes light, in some clump of trees, and wait for
them as they come back. We are pretty well matched
in numbers, and, with the advantage of a surprise, we
ought to be able to wipe them out altogether.

“We might go as far as we can up the valley to the
point where it becomes a mere ravine before daylight
breaks, and our horses will be all the better for a rest

for a few hours. They will have gone over forty miles

since they left the river, and we may, probably, have a ,

very long journey to do again to-morrow.

“There is no saying how far the sefiorita may have
She would not have known whether the redskins
might not follow all night, and I should think that she
would keep on till daybreak, though, of course, she would

gone.

only go at a walk.”

“It is difficult to say what she is most likely to do,”
said Buffalo Bill.

“Tt is, indeed, sefior. If I myself were in her place, I
would be puzzled. I should reckon that all in the valley
badd been’ wiped out. The redskins would assuredly first
make a rush for the hacienda, because it was most im-
portant that they should carry that before the men could
rally round it and make a defense. : :

“I should reckon that the redskins would remain there
for four or five days before they had jerked as much
meat as they could carry, and that, when they started, a
party would like enough be placed in ambush to catch me
as I came back.

“T should know that it was next to hopeless to try and
-firid my way down, across: such mountains as there were
ahead, through which, so far as I know, there ‘are no
tracks, and | am not sure that I should push on, in hopes

BILL STORIES. Ly

of reaching the Moquis, who are peaceful Indians, as I
have heard, with their villages perched-on, the top of
hilis, and having flocks and herds, and being in all ways
different from all the other tribes, except the Zunis.

“The redskins say that these people were here before
them, and that they really belong to the tribes of Central
Mexico, and came from there long before the white man
ever set foot in America. a

“From there one could travel north, strike the Santa
Fé trail, and possibly make one’s way through safely,
though the Navajos are pretty nearly as bad there as the
Apaches are here. »

‘Whether the sefiorita has ever heard of the Moquis, I
cannot say; but, if she finds that she is on a trail, she will
follow it, thinking anything better than going back and
falling into the hands of the Apaches.”

“Are there any other tribes she would have to pass
through on the way?”

“T think not.
even redskins could not pick up a living. As far as I
have heard, the track from the ford leads through a series
It is not the bed. of a
river, and, therefore, there are not likely to be any vil-
lages. I should say that there would be forests on the

It is a great mountain track, where
of passes between lofty hills.

lower slopes, and we are sure to meet with enough game —

They now proceeded at a walk, for the trees in most
to keep us.” 7) |
places grew thickly, and the ground here and there was
broken by bowlders that had rolled down from the hill-
side. |

At last they came to a point where the valley was
but a hundred yards wide. Here they halted, took off
their horses’ bridles, to allow them to pick up what grass
there “was, and threw themselves down, most of them
being asleep in a few minutes.

Buffalo Bill took a seat by the trunk of a tree. He had
no inclination for sleep. His thoughts were busy with
the girl—alone in these mountains, with an unknown
country before her, and a band of these relentless sav-
ages, who might, for aught she knew, be still pressing
after her. eee

It was difficult to conceive a more terrible situation !.
She might lose the trail, which was sure to be a faintly
marked one, and in some places indistinguishable, save to
an eye accustomed to tracking.

If so, her fate was sealed. | |
- She must wander about till she died of hunger or thirst.

It was maddening to be waiting there, even for an

 
 

ce

 

ANS

>

18 | |). THE BURFALO BILL STORIES.

a Oe: : Sacer Fie ee yr
hour or two, and to know that she was alone, yet what , “Now, let us waste no time,” Buffalo Bill said? “T,

could he do but think ? minutes must do for our breakfast; then we will be off | . i
As soon as daylight broke, Sancho on four of the °

‘men back to hunt for game. If they did not come upon : a : |

something in the course of three-quarters of an hour, they “CHAPTER Ds.

Wee tO ree 7 | , FOLLOWING THE TRAIL,

_ They had been gone, however, but half that time when Fiebeily, none of the party had been seriously so

the crack of a rifle was heard, and ten minutes later they the fight, and the wounds of those who had been slight

rode back, bringing with them a stag they had shot.

injured were soon bandaged. The joints hanging abo:
Already a fire had been lighted a hundred yards further 2

the fire were quickly taken down, cut into slices ai:

back from the camping ground. Antonio had collected _ grilled. They were being eaten, when four India

some, pet tect iy wood 10) he pinparr, stepped from among the trees, one of them being, e\

“There will be no smoke to speak of,” he said to Buf- dently, a chief.

falo Bill; “and, what little there.is, will make its way ;
: : : e “You are breaking the rules,’ he said to Buffalo Bi
out through the leaves. It is unlikely in the extreme :
ee ae ce ., whom he recognized as the leader of the party. “Vi
that the Indians will notice it, and, if they do, they will :
oo oo. shall lay a complaint before the great master of the h.
think that it is a fire made by one of our Indians. : eee
oS cienda. You must not shoot game in our territory.

A couple of the hunters at once set about skinning and ‘

cutting up the carcass. They were to go on cooking it Butfalo Bill did not answer, but Antonio, who :

until a signal was made to. them that the Indians were ther language tainly, sephed.

approaching, “Have you not heard the news?”

The horses had now bec: collected, and the men dis- ““We have heard no news,” the chief said. ‘We hea:
posed themselves’ behind trunks of trees, each with his a gun fired when we were hunting two miles down tl:
horse a few yards behind him, all the animals being well valley. We came to see what it was. Then we heai ©
trained to stand still when the reins were thrown over many guns, and, not knowing what it could be, hid ovy
their heads. In front of them was a clear space some “horses and came on.”
thirty yards across. “Then you do not know that there are three or fou

After half an hour’s anxious waiting, Buffalo Bill, who hundred Apaches and Tejunas in the valley below—thi:'
was lying with his ear to the ground, raised his hand as_ the hacienda has been attacked, all within it killed, ar

a signal that he could hear the Indians coming. that the herds have been destroyed? So far as we knov .
The men from the fire ran up and took their places we alone have escaped.”
with the rest. The rifles were thrown forward in readi- The Indians uttered deep exclamations of surprise.
ness. All could now hear the dull tread of the horses, — “What was the firing just now?” the chief asked.
with an occasional sharper sound as hoofs fell upon the “If you. go on a hundred yards further up, you wi.
rock, _ find the dead bodies of twenty Apache braves. They hav:
As the Apaches rode out from the wood, their leader been riding in pursuit of Donna Clara,’ the daughter Gs k |
suddenly checked his horse, with a warning cry, but it the sefior, who was, fortunately, at your end of the valle)
was too late. having gone there with food and medicine for the ol.
Buffalo Bill’s well-planned ambush was successful. © Indian of your we who was too ill to leave with the res
Sixteen rifles flashed out, and half the Apaches fell. a fortnight since.’
Before the others could recover from their surprise at -“T saw her often, then,” fhe chief ie “and this long
this unexpected attack, the vaqgueros charged down upon haired chief’—and he motioned to Buffalo Bill—*he was
them. ay, often in our camp, and the girl visited our wigwam ant
Hopelessly outnumbered as they were, the Apaches gave many little presents to our women. Did she escap
fought desperately, but the combat was short. then)
7 he pistols of Buffalo Bill and Sancho were used with “She did, but where she is we know not. We are goin

deadly effect, and in..a couple of minutes the fight was in search of her. If you and your warriors will go witl
over, and the last Indian had fallen. (29 us, we shall be glad. for your eyes are better ee ours

 

 
 

 

oe THE BUFFALO BILL STORES. 19

ate oe follow the footmarks of her horse where i

should see nothing.” :
“Teczuma and one of his warriors will go,” the chief
said. “The other two must go and carry the news to

our people, and, though they are not strong enough to

fight so large a force, yet they will not be idle, and many

of the Apaches and ae will lose their scalps before
they cross the river again.”

He spoke a few words to the three men, who ae once
— left, and in ten minutes one returned with two horses.

The chief had already eaten two slices of deer’s flesh,
and he mounted and rode on with the others, while his
follower waited for a minute to eat the es tat had al-
ready been cooked for him.

Sancho had chosen the horse that had been ridden by
the Apache chief, and, without stopping, they rode on
until they were, a few minutes later, IGaee by the other
Indian.

They now auiched on rapidly, ascended the ravines,
and, on reaching the top, Buffalo Bill saw, with satisfac-
tion, that the high hills on both sides, bordered with trees,
had, in fact, a pass between them, and that Clara must
have, therefore, kept on straight.

The chief, with his follower, rode on a little ahead of
the others, Buffalo Bill, with Antonio and Sancho, fol-
lowing closely behind him. :

Once or twice the chief pointed down to marks on the
_ rocks, with the remark, “A shod horse.”

_ “That is all right,” Buffalo Bill said. $*{he Indians G
not shoe their horses, so we may be sure that it was the
sefiorita.”’

The path soon began to descend again, and in an hour
from the time of starting they emerged from the pass
within a hundred yards of the river, and, the eround be-
ing soft here, a well-marked track was visible. | |
a ae Made by our people,” the chief said, turning round.
“They often cross this ford to hunt on the other side.
There are large forests there, two hours tide away—
eood hunting ground. Apache not come there. Hills too
big to cross,” .

Beyond the river the track was for some time perfectly

distinct, but it presently became fainter. However, it
was plain enough to the eyes of Buffalo Bill.
. The road, after passing over a rocky plateau, dipped
suddenly down intc a deep valley running up from the
river and extending as far as one could see almost due
east among the hills. The track they were following
turned to the right at the foot of the hill. -

For ne it was clearly defined, then gradually became
fainter as the Indians who had followed it turned off in |
The footprints of the shod horse con-
tinued straight up the valley, until, ten miles from the
point:at which they had entered it, they turned off to
thevett (4

“It has been going at a walk for some miles,’ Buffalo
Bill said,

saw her footprints many times.

search of game.

“and the girl has been walking beside it. I
We shall find that she
halted for the night at the little stream in the middle of
the valley. It must have been getting dark when she
arrived here. She is a good horsewoman, and had a good
horse under her, for it is nearly eighty miles from here to
the hacienda.”

By the stream, indeed, they found the place where
Clara had slept.

horse had cropped the grass by the edge of the stream,

The Indian pointed to spots where the

and where it had at last lain down near its mistress, who

had, as a few crumbs showed, eaten some of the cakes.

“I wonder we don’t see one of the bottles,” Buffalo
Bill remarked.

Antonio translated his remarks to the chief, who said:
fill bottle with water:

We halt here; cannot follow trail further ;

“Girl wise ; not know how far

stream come.

soon come dark.”

This was evident to them all; men and horses alike
They lit a fire, and sat round it for a short
time. All were encouraged by the success so far, and

even the fact that they were supperless did not affect

needed rest.

them seriously.
“Teczuma and Wolf go out and ne game in the morn-

ing,” the chief said, confidently. “Plenty of game here.”

.. Long before the others were awake, indeed, the chief

and his follower were: moving. Just as daylight broke,
the latter ran into camp.
“Come 1" he said;
valley!
The men were on their feet the instant Antonio trans-

“Bring gun; grizzly coanne down |

~Teczuma watch him!”

lated the Indian’s words, and followed the Indian on foot.

“Was the bear too much for the two Indians?’ Buf-
falo Bill asked Sancho.

“If they had been alone, they would have fought it;
but the chief was right in sending for us. It was like
enough that they might both have got mauled, and that”
would have been a bad thing for us all.” :

Presently the Indian stopped. It was still twilight

‘under the trees, but they could make out a ae gray

form advancing toward them.

 
 

THE BUFEPALO

  

When within twenty. yards, it scented danger, and
stopped, with an angry growl. Almost at the same mo-
reent a rifle flashed out behind a tree near its flank.

With a furious growl, it turned, exposing its flank to
the watchers. Buffalo Bill had warned five of these not
to fire,

The other ten rifles were fired simultaneously, and the
bear rolled over and over. It scrambled to its feet again,
however, and stood rocking itself, but was evidently

wounded to death.

The other five men ran forward together, and, when

three yards distant, poured in their fire, and the bear
fell dead. | |

The vaqueros lost no time in skinning it. A portion of
the flesh was carried to the “ cut up into strips, and
at once cooked.

As soon as the meal was finished, the rest of the meat
was cut off and divided between the party, who then
mounted and rode on, the two Indians again leading the

way.

 

CHAPTER xX,
CLARA GAR TU RED 7

Three days later the party stood:on the brow of a
steep bluff, looking down upon the Colorado Chiquita
‘River. :

It had been a weary journey. It was evident that the
girl had, after the’ second day’s riding, allowed the horse
to go its own way, trusting, perhaps, to its instinct to
make for some habitation, should there be any in the
“Tegion. |

There had been no difficulty in following its footsteps
until the third day, when they were passing over a stony
plateau. Here even the keen sight of the Indians some-
times failed them, and hours were lost in picking up the
trail. :

There was no water to be met with here, and the In-
dians agreed that the horse was going slowly and weakly,
and the girl for the most part walking beside it, as they
pointed out by a crushed blade of grass or flattened nee
by the side of the horse’s track.

Later in the day the trail was straighter, one We chief
said, confidently :

ile Hes smells water; the river cannot ae many :

miles away.” 7
Tt was an hour after starting, on se ibd morning,
that they reached the bluff opposite to them.

*

to drink; then she lay down here;

the two chief vaqueros came up to him.

BilLb as ORES.

For a distance of a couple of miles rose a steep island
of basalt, some hundreds of feet above the plain round it,
and on the summit a large village could be seen.

“Moquis,” the Indian said, pointing to it. :

“Then she may have got there in safety!” exclaimed
Buffalo Bill.

The chief shook his head.

“Horse not able to swim river; must stop a day to eat
grass. There horse!” and he pointed to an animal seven

or eight hundred feet below them.

“That is its color, sure enough!” Antonio exclaimed;
“but I don’t see the sefiorita.”

“She may be asleep,” Buffalo Bill suggested.

“Likely enough, sefior ; we shall soon see.”

Dismounting, they made their way down the steep de-
scent. Then all leaped into their saddles and galloped
forward to the edge of the stream, a quarter of a mile
away. , : ie

The mare, which evidently scented that the newcomers
were not Indians, cantered to meet them, with a whinny
of pleasure.

There were no signs of the girl, and all dismounted to
search among the low bushes for her, Buffalo Bill ee

calling her name.

Presently the Indian, who with his follower Hee Bored
along the bank, called them.

“She slept here yesterday,” he said; and the level grass
close to a shrubstestified to the truth of the exclamation.
The two Indians looked serious.

eWhatiseit, chiet? |

“Indians,” he said. ‘White girl come down to river
then Indians come
along—you see footprints on soft earth of bank—they
catch her when asleep and carry her off. Teczuma and

the Wolf have looked; no marks of little feet; four frst
deeper marks then when they come along. Indians carry
her off.”

“Perhaps they have taken her along the river to some
ford and carried her up to their village.”

“Soon see,’ ’ and he and the Wolf moved along the

bank, the others following at a short distance, having
first taken off their horses’ bridles, allowing them to take

a good drink, and turned them loose to feed.
“Small men, 4 the chief said, when Buffalo Bill, with
“Short: steps ;

“got spears and bows.”

eee a mile further the bluffs apeacicd the river ae

 

 

 
 

 

Te BUBPALO

“pordered it with a perpendicular cliff, which had, doubt-
less, -been caused by the face of the hill being eaten away
by the river countless ages before. The stream was here
some thirty yards from the foot of, the cliff,

More and more puzzled at the direction in which Clara
had been carried, the trackers followed.

‘They had gone a hundred yards along the foot of the
cliff, when a great stone came bounding down from above,
striking the ground a few yards in front of the Indians,
who leaped back. |

Almost instantly a shrill voice shouted from above, and,
looking up, they saw a number of natives on a ledge a
hundred feet above them, with bows bent threateningly.

“Back, all of you!” Buffalo Bill shouted. “Their ar-
rows may be poisoned !” .
Seeing, however, that the party retreated in haste, the

Indians did not shoot. When a short distance away, a

council was held, and all returned to their horses, mounted _

and swam-the river.
the cliff,

Three or four openings were seen on the level of the
ledge on which the Indians were posted, and Buffalo

Then they rode along for a view of

Bill was astonished to notice that above these the cliff,
which was here quite perpendicular, was covered with
strange sculptures, some of which still retained the color
with which they had in times past been painted.

Sancho
“T have heard of them; they were here long before

“They are the old people, the cave dwellers,”
said.
the Moquis were here. :

“They were a people dwelling in caves. There are
hundreds of caves in some places. They have always
kept themselves apart, and never make friends with the
Moquis.

“In the early times with the ead there were
missionaries among the Moquis, but they could never do
- ieee ‘among the cave people, who are, they say, idol-
ators, and offer human sacrifices.”

“How do the people live?” Buffalo Bill asked.

= hey fish, and steal animals from the Moquis when
they get a chance, and they dwell in such inaccessible
caves that, once there, they are safe from pursuit.

“If you like, sefior, I will go up to the Moquis village,

and try and find out something about them. I don’t know

the Mogquis language, but I understand something of the
sign language, which is understood by all Indians, and I
dare say that I shall be able to learn something about
these people.”

Buffalo Bill dismounted as the vaquero ade off, and,

   

BILL STORIES,

zy

bidding Ae do the same, told the men to take their
horses a quarter of a mile away and there to dismount _
and cook a meal.

“Now, Antonio,” he said, “we have to see how this
place can be climbed,”

Antonio shook his head.

“T should say that it was altogether impossible, sefior.
You see, there is a zigzag path cut in the face of the cliff
up to that ledge. In some places the rock is cut away
altogether, and then they have got laddergf which they
would, no doubt, draw up at once if they were attacked ;
you see, the lower ones have already been pulled up.

“Like enough sentries are posted at each of those breaks
when they are threatened with an attack. Besides, the
chances are that, if they thought there were any risks of
our getting up, they would kill the sefiorita.”

“T see all that, Antonio, and I have no thought of mak-
ing my way up by the steps; the question is, could the
cliff be climbed elsewhere? The other end of the ledge

would be the best point to get up at, for any watch that is

kept would certainly be where the steps come down.”
Antonio shook his head again.
“Unless one could fly, sefior, there would be no way

of getting up there.”

“T don’t know that,” Buffalo Bill said, shortly; “wait

till I have had a good look at it.” ~

 

CHAPTER XI.
CODY’S GREAT CLIMB.

Lying on the ground, with his chin resting on his
hands, Cody gazed intently at the cliff, observing even the
most trifling projections, the tiny ledges that here and
there ran along the face.

“It would be a difficult job, and a dangerous one,” he
murmured, “but I am not sure that it cannot be managed.
At any rate, I shall try. Now, do you go back to the
others. I shall want two poles, say fifteen feet long, and
some hooks which I can make from ramrods. .

“Do you see just in the middle of that ledge where
the large, square entrance is, the cliff bulges out? And I
should say the ledge is twenty feet wide; that is lucky,
for, if there are sentries on the steps, they would not be
able to see beyond that point.

“Tf they could, I should not have much chance of get-
When 1
get to the top—that is, if 1 do get there—I shall lower

ting up, for it will be a bright, moonlight night.

down a rope.

 
 

é

  

22

 

“You can fasten the lariats together; they would hold
the weight of a dozen men. The lightest and most active
of you must come up first; when two. or three are up,
we can haul the rest up easily enough.

I shall be here another half hour,

at least; | must see exactly the best way to climb, calcu-

“Now, you can go.

late the number of feet along each of those little ledges
to a point where I can reach the one above with my hook,
and get the whole thing well in my mind.”.

Antonio went away, shaking his head. To him the
feat seemed so impossible that he thought that it was
nothing short of madness to attempt it.

Such was the opinion of the rest of the vaqueros, when,
on arriving at the ae he told them ae Buffalo Bill
_ proposed doing.
> Therr leader, however, when he joined them, had a
look of confidence on his face.

“I am more convinced than ever that it can be done,”
he said, when the meal of bear’s flesh had been eaten.

He lit his pipe and began to smoke quietly.

The chief came up and spoke to him.

“What does he say, Antonio?” Ae
“He says that you are a brave man, sefior, but that no
man could do what you are talking of, and that you will
throw away your life.” 7

“Tell him [ will wager my horse against his that I shall

succeed, and you shall be witness to the transaction in .

case I don’t come back again.”’

The chief nodded eravely when the offer was made to
him. Indians of all tribes are much given to wagering,
and, as the horse Buffalo Bill was riding was a far better
one than his own, the redskin regarded the matter rather
‘as a legacy than a wager.

An hour later Sancho came down, accompanied by sev-

eral of the Moquis Indians, leading four sheep as a pres-

ent, and followed by women carrying pans of milk, bas-
kets of eggs and cakes of various descriptions, Sancho
presented the chiefs to Buffalo Bill.

“They are quite friendly, sefior. They hate the cave
dwellers, who are constantly robbing them, and who com-
pel them to keep guard over the animals at night. I can
: ho bid.me tell you ae

it is impossible to reach the caves.’

understand them pretty well.

Buffalo Bill shook hands with the chicks: and asked. .

Sancho to explain by signs that ‘he was a (hu age
for their presents.. “ :

“Tell them, Sancho, that I am, going to ry and scale
the. cliff to-night.”

Ph

 

, THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

“You are going to scale the cliff?” the vaquero said,
incredulously. : :

“T did not say that I was going to scale it, but that I
was going to try; and I hope that I shall succeed. Will
you ask if the cave dwellers poison their arrows ?”

“I have already asked them that, sefior, but they said,
‘No. The cattle have often been wounded by them, but,
unless the wound is otherwise a mortal one, they recover.”

“That is-very satisfactory,’ Buffalo Bill responded,
“for I own I have more fear of being hit by a poisoned
arrow than I have of scaling the cliff.”

“The chief says that, if you will go up to their village,
he will place a house at your disposal, senor.”

“Tell him that I am much obliged, and that to-morrow
I may accept the invitation. Our horses will require
three or four days rest before starting back, and I can

hardly hope that the sefiorita will be fit to travel for a good |

deal longer than that.”

Although they had but just eaten a meal, the vaqueros

were perfectly ready to begin another. A number of eggs
were roasted in the ashes and washed down by long

draughts of milk.

The chiefs then left them, but a number of the villagers
came down and watched the proceedings of the strangers
with great interest. a

Buffalo Bill at once proceeded to carry out his plan of
bending the ramrods. A hot spot in the fire was selected,
and two of the vaqueros increased the intensity of the
heat by fanning it with their sombreros.

Three others went down to the river and brought up a

large, flat bowlder and two or three smaller ones; and,

‘using the latge one as an anvil, the ends of the hooks
were hammered into sharp, broad, chisel-shaped blades.
Sancho had explained tothe chiefs that two poles some

fifteen feet lone

8)

‘brought down, the ramrods were securely bound to them

with strips of wetted hide. Other strips were, by Buf-
falo Bill’s directions, bound round the pole so as to form

projections a foot apart.

“That will greatly assist me in climbing,” he said. “I.

don’t say I could not manage without, but they will make
it very much easier,”

“In order to lull the cave dwellers into security, the camp.

was shifted in the afternoon to the foot of the Moquis
hill, and there Cody gave his men instructions as to
operations.
“We will cross the river on the horses, a mile above the
/

 

hehe Oy eee 4
were required, and, when these were

 

WwW
la
of

be
of

pel
bot

wh
‘mu

6

 
 

1p
iS

he

ia

cave,” he said; ‘we must use them, or we could not keep

lariat,

 

THE BUFFALO

our rifles and pistols dry. You must all remove your
boots as soon as you dismount; and we will now tear up
two or three blankets, and twist strips round the barrels
of the guns, so that, should they strike against the rocks,
no sound will be made. You had better do the same with
the barrels of your pistols.” ‘

Then he chose the lightest of the vaqueros to follow
him. Another lightweight was to be third, Antonio was
to follow him, and then Sancho; and the order in which
all the others were to go was arranged.

Lariats were securely knotted together, and the knots
tied with strips of hide, to prevent the possibility of their
slipping.

The men carried out his orders, but it was evident from
their manner that they had not the slightest hope that his
attempt would be successful.:

An hour after sunset they started. It was two days

after full moon, and they, therefore, had as many hours
to reach the foot of the cliff before the moon rose.

An hour was sufficient to traverse the distance, and
they, therefore, rested for a time, after darkness set in,
before starting, swam the river, and, after removing their
boots, made their way noiselessly along, keepitig some dis-
tance from the river bank until they reached the spot
where the cliff rose perpendicularly.

_ Then, keeping close to its foot, they pressed on until

they arrived at the spot Buffalo Bill had fixed upon,

Then all lay down among the bowlders close to the
rock wall, and remained there until the moon rose.

There had been several discussions as to the best way
to get the lariat up, as it was agreed that, whether carried
in a coil over the shoulder or wound round the body, it
would hamper the climber’s movements.

«ne“question was finally solved by Buffalo Bill taking

"a coil of thie hide, which, while little thicker than string,

was amply strong enough to support the weight of the
Four or five bullets had been sewn up in a piece
of skin and attached to one end.

2 strap was fastened to each pole, so that these could
be slung behind him,.thus permitting him the free use
of both hands where it was needful to use them.

“The saints watch over you, sefior!’ Antonio whis-
pered, gravely, to Buffalo Bill as he prepared to start, and
both he and Sancho gave Cody a silent grip of the hand,
while the Indian chief laid his hand on his shoulder, and
muttered:

“Ugh, heap brave!’

a eee EC CAPE TO

BILL STORIES. 23

For a short distance the ascent was comparatively easy.
Then he arrived at the first of the ledges he had noticed.

It was some ten inches wide only, but, keeping his face
to the wall and using his hands to grip the most trifling
ifreoularity, or to get a hold in small crevices, he made
his way along until he arrived at a projection which
barred further progress.

Slipping one of the slings from his shoulder, he reached
up until the hook caught the next ledge, and obtained
a good hold there. He then climbed the pole until his
fingers got a grip of the ledge, when he Ha himself
up to it.

It was some fifteen inches wide here, and without diffi-
culty he obtained a footing, again slung the pole on his
hod. and went. on.

The ledge narrowed rapidly, and he was now at one
of the points which appeared to him the most difficult,
for from where he had been lying the ledge seemed al-
most to cease, while the next above it was also so narrow
that he knew that he could not obtain standing room
upon it.

As he approached the narrow path, he took the poles,
one in each hand, and obtained a grip of the upper ledge.
He now made his way along on tiptoe, having his weight
almost entirely on the poles, shifting them alternately.
Without the poles, it would have been impossible for him
to have passed, as the ledge in some places was only eight
inches wide.

At the end of some thirty feet it again widened, and
the next forty or fifty feet upward were comparatively »
easy, for the rock sloped to some extent inward, and
there were many fissures in which he was enabled to get a
firm grip with his fingers.

Then came several difficult places, but he was confi-
dent now in the hold the hooks had on the rocks, and,
always working with great caution and using sometimes
his hands, sometimes the poles, he reached the top in half
an hour after starting.

He then threw himself down on the platform, which
was entirely deserted, and lay well-nigh exhausted for
five minutes; then he unwound the coil of leather thong
and threw the weighted end over. :

‘He knew that he had allowed ample length, and drew
it in until he felt a slight strain; then came three jerks.

The party below had hold ef the thong; two more
jerks told that they had fastened the end of the lariat to
it; in a couple of minutes it was in his hands.

There was a parapet some eighteen inches high along
& :

 
 

le
the edge of the platform, intended, doubtless, to prevent
the children from falling over.

Seeing no place to which he could fasten the lariat, he
tied it round the middle of the two poles, laid these on
“the ground close to the parapet, put his feet upon them,
and then leaned over.

Two pulls of the lariat told him that the next man was
tied on, and he began at once to haul upon it.
. the weight much less than he had expected; not only
was the vaquero short and wiry, but he was using both
his hands and feet with such effect that in five minutes
he stood beside Buffalo Bill.

The work went on quickly now; one after another, the
men were pulled up, and in less than ag hour all were
assembled on the platform, where, save three engaged in
pulling their comrades up, they had lain down as soon as
they reached it.

Cody had been glad to relinquich ie work to others,
for his hands were cut and bleeding. He had crawled
along, keeping by the wall of rock until he reached the
point where the bulge or bend in the face of the cliff en-
abled him 1 to see to the other end of the platform.

To his st surprise, not a soul was visible, but, peering over
the parapet, he saw four figures standing as sentinels at
the points where there were breaks in the path, and the
moonlight enabled him to make out that the ladders had
been pulled up and laid beside them.

He could hear a confused hum of voices from the prin-

cipal cave, but, though most anxious to know what was.

going on there, he dared not venture further until all the
men were up, as anyone coming out of the cave would
at once see him. He, therefore, rejoined the others.

Each man, as he came up, gave him a silent grip of |

the hand, and the Indian chief muttered something which
Sancho whispered meant, ‘Heap great brave.”

As soon as the last man was up, they moved silently
forward. Every man knew the part that he had to play.

Sancho, with three others, crept forward on their hands
and knees, under shelter of the parapet, to the other end
of the platform, where they were to await the signal, the
others halting at the front of the main entrance to the

cave. e

_ CHAPTER XII.
dHE RESCUE OF CLARA.

Hoe a sight met their, eyes that filled them ae

horror. ;
®

He found

 

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

The entrance opened into a wide hall, which was
At the further end was a

hideous idol, carved from a solid rock.

lighted by a dozen torches.

In front of this was a sort of altar, upon which lay a
figure, which they at once recognized as that of Clara.

Beside her stood two men; naked to the waist, with
their bodies painted with strange figures.

They had knives in their hands, and, a them-
selves to and fro, were uttering some sort. of prayer or
incantation.

“You take the foley to the left, Antonio.
the other.”

T will take

The shots rang out together ; the distance was but six-
teen or seventeen yards, and, without»a cry, the two —
priests, or executioners, fell dead.

A terrible yell of astonishment and dismay broke from

the crowd, but, before they could recover from their SUT iG

ptise, the vagueros and the two Indians, headed by Buf
falo Bill, burst their way through them.

Cody had given strict orders that there was to be no
general firing, as men, women and children were likely
to be mixed up together; but as he entered he caught the
sound of four rifles outside, and knew that the sentries
had been disposed of.

The border king caught up the girl, who was evidently
insensible, threw her over his shoulder, and, surrounded
by his men, made his way outside the cave. Here he
handed her over to Antonio, who was a very powerfully
built man, and the latter, without a word, started for the
steps.

“Now, my men,” Cody shouted, as, with cries of fury,
the Indians followed them, “we may deal with the blood-
thirsty men, but don’t touch the women Y ro
The fight was short. oe oo

Half the Indians were shot down as they poured onto
the platforms; the others, however, maddened by the loss
of their expected victim and the capture of their strong-

hold, fought desperately to the end, the Mexicans Heine

_ the butt end of their rifles, while the savages fought ‘with

knives,

After the fight was over, the cave was thoroughly
cocked. “Many of the women had fallen, for they had
joined in the fight as fiercely as the men, and in the dark-

ness and confusion it was impossible to distinguish them

apart.

 

 

 
  

(Bos

wm

O22 Se OO eS

_ bottom again.

 

 

The rest, with the children, were forced to descend the
steps. The ladders had been replaced by Sancho and his
party, who, having finished their work, had run off at
once to bring up the horses, : |
Clara was still unconscious when they returned. Cody
mounted, and Antonio handed her to him. Sancho and
two of the men accompanied him, while the rest, in charge
of the captives, followed more slowly.
_ Fires were blazing high at the Moquis’ village, and it

was evident that the attack had been eagerly watched,

and that the firing on the platform had shown that the
cave had been taken, for on the still, night air came the
sound of horns, drums and loud shouting.

The border king at once urged his horse into the water,
his companions swimming by their horses close to him,
so as to render assistance, if necessary; but the distance
was short, and it was not long before the horse felt the
The sudden chill of the water had roused
the girl from her faint. :

“Where am I?” she murmured, sadly.

“You are safe in my arms,” Cody said; “we have got
you out of the hands of those wretches. All danger is
over): z :

“Is it you, Col. Cody?” she asked, faintly: “or am. |
dreaming ?”

“Tt is I, sure enough,” he said. “I followed you, with
Antonio and Sancho and thirteen other vagueros. We
were joined by the Genigush chief, Teczuma, and one of
his tribe, who. have been invaluable in following your
track.” | ; /
The girl murmured her thanks, and then lay silent for
a time. ;

“Where are we going now?’ she asked, presently.

. Lo the Moquis’ village, where you will be most kindly »
~ received, ‘and where we shall stay till you have got your

strength again.”

“Zona, my gallant Zona—my mare—is she safe ?”

- “Yes; she seemed pretty nearly recovered from her
fatigue when we found her this morning, and will be
ready to carry you back again.”

As they approached the hill, they saw a number of
people coming down:the zigzag path with torches, who
welcomed Buffalo Bill on his arrival with loud cries of
triumph.

The horses could go no further, as the path, like that
up to the caverns, was at several points cut away, the
breaks being in the daytime filled with long planks.

Rn 7h rae ora RaW ae ES Se

TOE BUPPALO

BILL STORIES. 25

As the girl was altogether unable to walk, some of the
boys ran up the hill, and in a quarter of an hour returned
with poles, with which a litter was speedily improvised.

In this she was laid, and four Moquis carried her up the
hill, Cody walking beside ‘her.

The whole of the villagers were assembled on the top
of the hill, shouting and dancing with joy at the de-
struction of their enemy’s stronghold, for Sancho had al-
ready made the chiefs aware that the men had been killed
and the women and the children were being brought in

as prisoners.

The Moquis’ houses surprised the border king, as they

had neither windows nor doors on the ground floor, and ~

entrance was only obtainable by a ladder to the upper
story.

Clara was here handed over to the care of the principal
women of the village. Half an hour later the rest of the
party came up with the prisoners. These were, for the

time, confined in one of the houses, two armed Moquis

keeping guard over them.

The women would, Sancho explained to’ Buffalo Bill,
be used as servants and to fetch water from the springs
at the foot of the hill. The children would probably be
adopted into the tribe.

It was ten days before Clara was strong enough for
them to think of starting. She had for twenty-four hours
been in a high fever, but the care lavished upon her,
coupled with her fine constitution, speedily brought her
through, and two days later she was able to see Cody.

“Tell me all that has happened,” she said. “I feel sure
that my mother was killed, for the valley was full of In-
dians, and I know that there were but few men at home.”

“T am afraid that there is no doubt about that,” the
knight of the plains said, gently. “We may be thankful,

Clara, that your father and brother were both away, or ©

they, too, might have fallen.”

Then he related briefly how those by the river had
been saved, how they had learned from Sancho that she
had been away at the end of the valley, and how they had
started in chase; and then, in a few words, how he had
scaled the cliff, had assisted his followers up, and had ar-
rived just in time:

“T will tell you about my journey another time,’ she
said. “I do not like to think of the last part of it—how
we were both worn out, Zona and I, and, if we had not
come down upon the river, we should both have died., I
took a long drink, and then fell down and went to sleep.

 
    

26 THE BUFFALO

“T was awakened by being lifted up, and found that 1
was being carried by two Indians, and that others were all
round me. I was too weak even to struggle, but I re-
member being carried up a very steep path on the face of

the cliff.

“As soon as I was laid down, I went to sleep, and I.

suppose slept all night. In the morning they gave me
food and water, but left me alone till it was dark again;
then they led me into a large cave, lit up by torches, with
a horrible idol at the end. :

“They laid me down on a great stone in front of it, and
two men, with knives, came beside me. Then, I suppose,
I fainted, and I remember nothing more till 1 woke up,
feeling strangely cold, as we were swimming across that
Trivers:

Almost the whole of the inhabitants of the village paid

a visit to the cave on the morning after the fight, and,

when shown the rope still hanging by which the party
had been drawn up, could at first hardly believe Sancho
and the two Indians, who assured them that Cody had
climbed up there unaided.

After Clara’s illness had taken a turn, and there was no
longer cause for anxiety about her, Buffalo Bill was
greatly interested in the Moquis’ village.

He was taken into one of the underground rooms that
served as temples, and was horrified at finding that hun-
dreds of rattlesnakes and other venomous serpents were
kept there, and still more astonished when he saw the
priests handle them carelessly, and take them in their
mouths. He could not believe that they had not been
rendered harmless until shown that they still retained
their poison fangs.

He was told that once a year there was a great festival,

in which all the men of the village took part, and alll i

performed dances, holding the snakes in their mouths.

The villagers endeavored to show their thankfulness at
the destruction of their enemies by profuse hospitality to
their guests, and the latter thoroughly enjoyed their stay.

On starting on the return journey, Clara rode with
Buffalo Bill, the two vaqueros and the Indian chief to the
foot of the cliff, and was shown the spot where Cody had
climbed up. After looking at it for some time, she sud-
denly burst into tears.

“Tt is dreadful to think of your going up there,” she
said. “I should never have forgiven myself if you had

‘been killed when risking your life in that way to save

29

me. e-

ILL STORIES.

CHAPTER XIII.
PUNISHING THE REDSKINS.

Several days later the party met Sarasta at a settle-
ment called Potosi. With the ranchero were his son,
Wild Bill, Nick Wharton, several vaqueros and a com-
pany of Mexican rurales—troops well used to fighting the
Indians and never loath to do so.

Sarasta had received the bad news sent to him by Buf-
falo Bill, and he was furious with the coe for venge-
ance on the redskins. ho

He greeted his daughter with joy, for he had given
up all hope of seeing her again. His gratitude to the
border king knew no bounds,

Cody deprecated it, saving that he felt that he ought
to have taken better measures to safeguard the hacienda
against an Indian attack.

“You blame yourself without cause, my friend,” said
“All that a man could be ex-
pected to do you did. If I had been there myself, I should

the Mexican, warmly.

have done exactly the same as you did. Such an attack
could not have been guarded against—but it can be
avenged !” he added, grimly.

An expedition of about two hundred men, vaqueros
and rurales, was got together within a few days, and it
pushed its way into the country of the Tejunas and
Apaches, Every man burned to have revenge for the
insolent and daring raid which had cost Sarasta so

dearly.

By common consent, Buffalo Bill was rade the feeder
of the expedition, and he laid his plan of campaign so
well that he evaded all the traps and ambushes of the
redskins and stormed three of their villages, one after
the other, inflicting considerable loss on the enemy, while
his own force sustained little. :

At last he drove the combined war parties we re Te! \
junas and the Apaches into a range of mountains, from
which they sent down messengers to beg for peace.

Sarasta was furious at the idea, for he thought of his
dead wife, and had no mercy in his heart for any red-

“skin,

“It is what they always do when they get into a tight
corner,” he said. “They will bury the hatchet for a while,
and laugh secretly at us for being so foolish as to spare
them; and then, when they think they can catch us nap-
ping, they will make another raid, and take some more
scalps. No! I am for war to the knife—war to the

bitter end!” - :

am,

 

 

 
 

 

The Bore ARO

“And.so am I,” said Buffalo. Bill... “Now is the time

to teach them a thorough lesson which will never be

forgotten by the two tribes. They deserve no mercy at
our hands, for their raid was absolutely unprovoked.”

“As fur me, if yer want my ‘pinion, I say thet bullets
are the only mercy I’d ever hand out ter a passel o’ mur-
derin’ redskins!’ growled old Nick Wharton.

This was the common opinion, and the messengers who
had come to treat for peace were sent back with the reply
that the war must go on to the bitter end.

Buffalo Bill and his two American comrades spent the
following day in scouting round the base of the range and
reconnoitering the position which the Indians had taken

“up.

4

Willd

It was a strong one, on a plateau more than a thousand

feet above the level of the plain. This plateau could only

‘be approached by two narrow mountain paths, and both

of them were blocked by rocks and bowlders by the In-
dians, and, of course, carefully guarded and garrisoned.

As for the strength of the foe, Buffalo Bill estimated
it at about three hundred braves. Many of the two
tribes had been slain in the attacks on the villages, and

‘others had fled from the country to take shelter with

These warriors who were left were the
They
outnumbered the party under Cody’s command, but. they

distant tribes.
bravest and most resolute of the white men’s foes.

were not so well armed, and, like most Indians, were not
particularly good shots with the rifle.

Nevertheless, when he considered the strength of the ©

position they had taken up, Cody had some misgivings as
to the outcome of the fight.
He took comfort, however, in the thought that his little

army was a formidable one, All the men had fought

. against Indians before at some time or another, and had

become good shot. and fearless fighters through their
frontier life.

Wisely, the border king decided not to attempt an at-
tack by night.

the assault were very rugged, and they might well be

The tracks by which they must advance to

ambushed and annihilated.

The Indians, he knew, woula expect him to make a
night attack, and he always believed in the virtue of do-
ing the unexpected thing when fighting redskins.
Camp fires were seen blazing up on the mountain dur-

ing the night, but no attack was made upon the camp by

the Indians.

Soon after dawn, however, a small party of braves,
rode down into the plain to

not more than thirty strong,

 

 

PILL STORIES

makes a reconnoissance and see whether there was any
chance of catching the white men napping. They were,
of course, supported by the main body of their comrades,
close behind, and the camp would have been rushed, had
the sentries shown the least lack of vigilance.

But Buffalo Bill and his two scout friends had not
closed their eyes all night. They had gone the rounds,
again and again, seeing that the men on guard were doing
their duty, and they were now on the watch.

-As soon as the Indians came within range, fire was

opened on them, and three of the braves tumbled from

their saddles.

The rest promptly turned and fled, but Buffalo Bill
rode out against them, with several men at his back, and
shot down a dozen more before they got back to their
comrades up the trail by which they had descended.

The border king and his companions pushed the pur-
suit, and there was some desultory fighting along the
trail, but the Indians retreated rapidly to their fortified
position, and Buffalo Bill wisely did not pursue them
until he collected all his force for the purpose.

He posted thirty men, under command of Wild Bill,
to guard one of the two trails, and shoot down any red-
skins who sought to escape by it. With the rest of the
Mexicans, he advanced to the attack up the other trail.

_ Before they had gone half a mile, the Indians opened
a sharp fusillade from elevated positions and barricades
of big bowlders which they had erected to bar his path.

Several men of the attacking force soon fell, dead or
wounded, and Buffalo Bill realized that he had not by

any means overestimated the difficulty of the task he had

undertaken.

Calling Nick Wharton and Sarasta to his side, he ad-
vanced to the van of the attack—none foo soon, for the
men were showing signs of wavering in face of the ter-
rible fire that was being poured into them.

Two or three of the best among the vaqueros, led by |

Sancho, came to his assistance, and others followed. They
poured such a hot and accurate fire into the Indians’ po-
sitions that the redskins fled back. Driven from barri-
cade to.barricade, until-at last they got to the plateau on
which they intended to make their last stand.

It had been a hot fight all the way up.

Many of the Mexicans had fallen, and, of those who
“chased the Indians up to the top, many were wounded.
Buffalo Bill himself had sustained a flesh wound in the
left arm, but, he was still as dauntless and active as

CVen.

2).

   

7

 
   

28 THE: BUPIEALO
He led two charges up the steep path against the strong
but both times the

Mexicans, though fighting heroically, were driven back,

barricade erected by the Indians,

with heavy loss.

A third time the border king rallied them, and led them
forward.

“Now is the time, boys!” he yelled, “We must do it
this time, or perish in the attempt!’

Waving his rifle above his head to spur them on, he
rushed from the cover he had taken behind some rocks
and ran swiftly up the path that had been dyed red with
the blood of many of his gallant comrades. :

Sarasta and Nick Wharton, both of whom had been
slightly wounded, were close at his heels, and the rest of
In face of the
great example set by Buffalo Bill, no man with a drop

the brave Mexicans did not lag behind.

of red blood in his veins could do other than follow.

Fast and thick flew the bullets of .the redskins, but the
king of the scouts seemed to bear a charmed life.

One bullet whizzed through his hair, and another tore
a hole in the top of his sombrero, but he was unhurt. :

It was but a few seconds before he reached the barri-
cade behind which his foes were sheltered.

Placing one hand upon it, and holding his deadly re-
volver in the other, he vaulted over it as Tently @ as a boy.
jumping a stile.

It seemed as if he was tired of life, and wished to throw
it away. None would have imagined that he could come
unscathed through such awful peril.

When he descended on the other side of the barricade,
it was in the midst of scores of infuriated redskins.

But for the surprise which his daring caused them,
making them hold their hands for a second or two, he
must inevitably have perished.

As it was, they paused but for a brief moment, and
then dashed in to attack him from all sides.

Cody shot down the two who were nearest to him, ad
by that time old Nick Wharton was over the barricade
and standing back to back with him.

For a few seconds they had a hot time of it, and then
the Mexicans swarmed over and engaged in a desperate
hand-to-hand fight with the redskins.

Both sides knew that it was a fight to the death. Quar? »
ter was neither asked nor expected. Loo»

The combat was furious and bloody beyond description.

week in this library.

Bil SPORTS.

  

Buffalo Bill, in the thick of the fighting, came face to
face with the head chief of the Apaches, 2 eiant nearly
seven feet tall and strong and active in proportion.

The chief knew him for the leader of the whites —the

man who had made possible that terrible defeat that his

tribe was suffering. -

With a yell of savage defiance, he flung himself upon
the king of the scouts, with his tomahawk uplifted in his
hand. |

Buffalo Bill seized his arm, and, with a sudden and
mighty effort, bent it over with such terrible force that
the elbow bone snapped.

The Apache chieftain sank to the ground, groaning
with pain, and a moment later his brains were blown out |
by a bullet fifed by one of the vaqueros.

By this time the fight was nearly over.

Most of the Indians had been slain. The survivors,
darting away down the trail by which the white men had
not come, were met by Wild Bill’s party.. Only a mere
handful managed to escape, to take the news of their ter-
rible defeat back to their ruined villages.

The raid had been heavily avenged.

Thereafter the Tejunas and the Apaches showed no’
disposition to attack the whites for many years to come.

Sarasta rebuilt his hacienda, and his daughter Clara

married a high official of the Mexican Government, and

went to live in the City of Mexico. The experiences she

had been through had made her reluctant to live any

longer on the frontier, exposed to the attacks of redskins.

The ranchero begged Buffalo Bill and his two com-
rades to stay with him permanently, offering them shares
in the ranch. But they felt that they could not settle
down in one place, tempting though the offer was, and
they returned to the great plains of the West in search

of new adventures.
THE END.

“A rattling good Indian story will be published next
Tt is called “Buffalo Bill’s Red
It tells

Enemy; or, The Wizard of the Comanches.”

about one of the most remarkable men who ever held

sway over an Indian-tribe. The story of Buffalo Bill’s
dealings with him, and how the border king eventually
vot the better of him, in spite of great ‘odds, will make ex-
cellent reading for boys who like true tales of the free,

open-air life of the great West. No. 225, out next week.

(Ss> Beware of Wild West imitations of the Buffalo Bill Stories. They are about fictitious characters. The Buffalo
Bill weekly is the only weekly containing the adventures of Buifalo Bill, (Col. We F. a who is known all
over the world as the ming of scouts, SS

 

 

ee N i Lan

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23—Ted Strong’s Indian Trap; or, Matching
Craft with Craft.
24—Ted Strong’s Signal; or, Racing with Death.
25—Ted Strong's Stamp Mill; or, The Woman
in Black.
26—Ted Strong’s Recruit; or, A. Hidden Foe.
27—Ted Strong’s Discovery ; ot, The Rival
Miners.
28—Ted Strong’s Chase; or, The Young Rough
‘Riders on the Trail.
29—Ted Strong’s Enemy; or, An Uninvited
Guest.
30—Ted Strong’s Triumph; or, The End of the
Contest.
31—Ted Strong in Nebraska; or, The ia to
Fremont.
32—Ted Strong in Kansas City; or, The Last of
the Herd.
33-7 The Rough Riders in Missouri; or, In the
Hands of His Enemy.
34—The Young Rough Riders in St. Louis: or,
The League of the Camorra.
35—The Young Rough Riders in Indiana; or,
The Vengeance of the Camorra.
36—The Young Rough Riders in Chicago; or,
Bud Morgan’ s Day Off.
37—The Young Rough Riders in Kansas; or,
The Trail of the Outlaw..,

- 38—The Young Rough Riders in the Rockies; or,

Fighting in Mid Air.

39—The Young Rough Rider’s Foray; or, The
Mad Horse of Raven Hill.

40—The Young Rough Rider’s Fight to the
Death; or, The Mad Hermit of Bear’s
Hole

41—The Young Rough Rider’s Indian Trail; or,
Okanaga, the Cheyenne.

42—The Young Rough Rider’s Double; or, Un-
masking a Sham.

43—The Young Rough Rider’s Vendetta ; or, The

, House of the Sorceress.
-W—Ted Strong in Old Mexico; or, The Haunted
Hacienda.
45—The Young Rough Rider in- Galiicenia: Of;
The Owls of San Pablo.

46—The Young Rough Rider’s Silver. Mine; or,

The Texas Giant.
47—The Young Rough Rider’s Wildest Ride; or,
_ Cleaning e a Whole Town,

63—Ted Strong’s Treasure Hunt; or,

 

  

48—The Young: Rough Rider’s Girl Guide; or,
The Maid of the Mountains.

49—The Young Rough Rider’s Handicap; or,
Fighting the Mormon Kidnapers.

50—The Young Rough Rider’s Daring Climb;
or, The Treasure of Copper Crag.

Bi Fhe Young Rough Rider’s Bitterest Foe; or,

The Challenge of Capt. Nemo.

52—The Young Rough Rider's Great Play; or,
The Mad Ally of a Villain

53 ihe Young Rough Rider Trapped : or, A
Villain’s Desperate Play.

54—The Young Rough Rider's: Still-Hunt; or,
The Mystery of Dead Man’s Pass.

55—The Young Rough Rider’s Close Call; or,
The Girl From Denver.

50—The Young Rough Rider’s Close Call; or,
Life Against Life.

57—The Young Rough Rider’s Silent Foe; or,
The Hermit of Satan’s Gulch. /

58—The Young Rough Rider’s River Route; or,
A Fight Against Great Odds.

59—The Young Rough Rider’s Investment; or,
A Bargain With a Ghost.

60—The Young Rough Rider’s Pledge; or, The
Hermit of Hidden Haunt.

. 61—The Young Rough Rider’s Aérial Voyage;

or, The Stranded Circus.

62—Ted Strong’s Nebraska Ranch; or, The Fra-
cas at Fullerton.

The
Demons of Coahuila.

64—Ted Strong’s Terrible Test; or, Joining a
Secret Clan.

65—The Young Rough Riders in Shakerag
Canyon; or, Routing the Rustlers of the
Big Horn.

66—Ted Srone s Secret Service; or, The Aa ystie

Letter.

67—Ted Strong’s Decisive Tactics; or, The Man
with the Evil Eye.

68—Ted Strong’s Troublesome Neighbors; or,

<The: feud inj fexas,

69—Ted Strong’s Dusky Friend; or, The Gypsy
Girl’s Warning.

a Young Rough Riders in Panama: of,
An Unpremeditated Voyage.

71—Ted Strong’s Fearless Stand; or, The Young
Rough Riders in Arizona.

 

 

 

 

All of the above numbers always on hand.

If you cannot get them from your

newsdealer, five cents per cepy will bring them to you by mail, postpaid.

STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Ave., NEW YORK

;

ae

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Containin g& the Most Unique and Fascinating
Tales of Western Romance oe

 

 

419—Diamond Dick’s Specter; or, The Phantom
> that Won Out.
420—-Diamond Dick’s Pay Car; or, Foiling the
Hatchet- -Boys.
421—Diamond Dick in Grubstake; or, How the
Trappers Were Trapped.

422—Diamond Dick and the Bond Thieves; or,

Handsome Harry’ s Barrel of Trouble.
423—Diamond ‘Dick, Jr.’s, Mid-Air Battle;

The Death Trail of feline hae

Strikes.
424—Diamond Dick, Jr., and the Black- Hands;
| or, On the Trail of the Freebooters.
425—Diamond Dick’s Lone Hand; or, A Game
of Tag at the Tin Cup Ranch.
426—Diamond Dick, Jr., and the “Knock Down”
Men; or, A Mix-Up at Forty Miles an
Hour.
427—Diamond Dick, Jr.’s, Switch-off; or, A
; Close Shave at Razor Gap.
428—Diamond Dick’s Christmas Gift; or, A Full
House at Pocomo.
429—Diamond Dick Among the Mail Bags; or,
A Round with the Postal Grafters.
430—Handsome Harry’s Hard Fight; or, The
Queer Mystery of the Five Ace Gang.
431—Handsome Harry on the Wolf’s Trail: or,
The Train Robber’s Ambush.

432—Handsome Harry’s Strangle Hold; or, The

Pretty Demon of the Rockies.
433—Handsome Harry’s Quickest Shot; or,
Drawing the Sting from a Gila.

434—Handsome Harry’s Trump Card; or, The

Bad Man from Texas.
435—-Handsome Harry’s Lightning Stroke; or,
The Mutineers of Misery Gulch.
436—Handsome Harry’s Fierce Game; or, The
Moonshiner’s Oath.
437—Handsome Harry in Chinatown; or, The
Highbinders’ Crimson Compact.
438—Handsome Harry in the Bad Lands; or, A:
Fight-for Life in the Bandit Belt.
439—Diamond Dick, Jr.’s, Castle in the Air: or,
The Deadly Duel with Riatas.

440—Diamond Dick, Jr., and the Fire Bugs; or,

The Ten-Strike at Lallakoo.

 

pa Hct Harry’s Iron Hand; or, Solving |
....a Great Diamond Mystery. :
442—Handsome Harry’s Treasure Hunt; or,
Three Old Tramps from Tough Luck.
443—Handsome Harry’s Steel Trap; or, A Run-
ning Fight in the Rockies.

' 444—Handsome Harry with a Hard Crowd; or,

A Blow-up on the Mississippi.

445—Handsome Harry’s Big Round-up; or, The
Beauty of Chimney Butte.

446—Handsome Harry in the Big Range; or,
Hey, Rube, in Arizona.

447—Diamond Dick’s Ghostly Trail; or, The
Phantom Engine of Pueblo.

448—Diamond Dick’s Boy Hunt; or, The Kid-
napers of the Sierras.

449—Diamond Dick’s Sure Th Gry lhe
Broncho Buster’s Last Ride.

450—Diamond Dick’s Fight for Honor; or, The
Wizard Gambler.

451—-Diamond Dick Afloat; or, The Pirates of
the Pacific. :

452—Diamond Dick’s Steeple Chase; or, The
Leap That Won the Race.

453—Diamond Dick’s Deadly Peril; or, A Fight
for Life in the Rapids.

454—Diamond Dick’s Black Hazard; or, The
Feud at Roaring Water.

455—Diamond Dick’s Darkest Trail; or, The Se-

- eret of the Haunted Mine.

456—Diamond Dick’s Desperate Dash: or, A

Rough Ride through Montana.

3 467-Diamond Dick’s Secret Foe; or, Nightwolf,

the Red Terror.
458—Diamond Dick’s Center Shot ; or, A Hoo-
rah at the Golden Gate.
459-—Diamond Dick’s Blind Lead; or, The ‘Rus-

tlers of Sandy Gulch. ee re

460—Diamond Diek’s Cool Thrust: or, The Trail
ol The Silent Three.” ©

461—Diamond Dick’s Swiftest hoe or, Won by.
the Pony Express.

| _462—Diamond Dick in the Desert; or, The Shot-

Gun Messenger from F argo.
463—-Diamond Dick’s Deadliest Foe; or, A Fight
with a oe Angel: |

 

 

 

All of the above numbers alweue on hand.

Tf you ‘cannot get them SOLA your

newsdealer, five cents per copy will bring them to you by mail, postpaid.

_ STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 7 79- 89 ) Seventh Ave. NEW YORK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE BEST DETECTIVE STORIES IN THE WORLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

_- 406—The Captain of the Vampire; or, Smugglers
: < of the Deep ea.
407—A Bank President’s Plot; or, Three Vil-
lains of a Stripe.
408—The Master Criminal; or, With the Devil
in His. Eye.
409—The Carruthers Puzzle; or, Nick Carter’s
Best Disguise.
410—Inez, the Mysterious; or, The Master Crim-
inal’s Mascot. |
411—The Criminal Queen’s Oath; or, The Dif-
ference Between Two.
412—The Point of a Dagger; or, The Criminal
Queen’s Madness.
413—Doctor Quartz, the Second; or, The Great
Freight Car Mystery.

414—Doctor Quartz, the Second, at a Or,

Man of Iron Nerve.

_ 415—The Great Hotel Murders; or, Doctor
Quartz’s Quick Move.

416-—Zanoni, the Woman Wizard; or, The Ward
of Doctor Quartz.

417—The Woman Wizard’s Hate; or, A Danger-
ous Foe.

418—The Prison Demon; or, The Ghost of Dr.
Quartz.

419—Nick Carter and the Hangman’s Noose; or,

. Dr. Quartz on Earth Again. .

420—Dr. Quartz’s Last Play; or, A Hand with a
Royal Flush.

421—Zanoni, the Transfigured; or, Nick Car-
ter’s Phantom Mascot.

422-—By Command of the Czar; or, Nick Car-

ter’s Boldest Defiance.

423—The Conspiracy of an Empire; or, Nick Car- _

ter’s Bravest Act.

424—A Queen of Vengeance; or, Nick Carter’s

. Beautiful Nemesis.

425—Daring Dan, the Human Mystery; or, Nick

“ , Carter’s Smoothest Foe.

bee. Dan Derrington’s Double; or, Nick Carter’s
Terrible Test.

427—-The Great Gold Swindle; or, The Little
Giant’s Masterpiece.

| 428—An East River Mystery; or, Nick Carter’s

Daring Leap.
gc Phantom Highwayman; or, Nick Car-
ter’s Slender Clew.

 

430—A Million Dollar Hold Up; or, Nick Car-

ter’s Richest Client.

431—Nick Carter and the Man With the Crooked
Mind.

432—Nick Carter’s Convict Enemy; or, The
Power that Makes Men Tremble.

433—The Pirate of the Sound; or, Nick Car-
ter’s Midnight Swim.

434—The Cruise of the Shadow; or, Nick Car-
ter’s Ocean Chase.

1a Prince of Impostors; or, Nick Carter’s
Clever Foil.

ee the Mystery of John Dashwood; or, Nick

. Carter and the Wharf Secret.

437—Following a Blind Trail; or, The Detect-
ive’s Best Guess.

438—The Crime of the Potomac; or, The Telltale

Finger Marks.

439—In the Shadow of Death; or, Nick Carter’s
Saving Hand.

440—The Fear-Haunted Broker; or, Nick

Carter’s Great Lone-Handed Battle. .

441—The Greenhouse Tragedy; or, The Stab
Wound in the Dark.

442—A Clever Grab; or, Nick Carter’s Worst
Worry.

443—The Mystery of the Front Room; or, Nick
Carter’s Marvelous Work.

444—The Crime of Union Square; or, Nick
Carter’s Ten Deductions.

445—A Millionaire Criminal; or, Nick Gee
Great Enigma.

De Be Broadway Cross; or, The Little Giant’s
Day of Fate.

447—The Princess Possess; or, Nick Carter’s
Beautiful Foe.

448—The Quexel Tragedy; or, Nick Carter’s
Midnight Message.

449—The Curse of the Quexels; or, The Ghost of
a Murdered Beauty.

450—Missing: a Sack of Gold; or, The Express
Office Mystery...

4s1—The Great Cathedral Mystery; or, Nick

Carter’s. Complicated Case.

452—A Play for a Million; or, Nick Carter’s
Beautiful Adversary.

ais athe Pear-Shaped Diamonds; or, Nick Car-
ter’s Most Delicate Task.

 

 

All of the above numbers always on hand. if you cannot get them from your
newsdealer, five cents per copy will _bring them to you by mail, postpaid.

SET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Ave., NEW YORK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

  

Containing the Most Thrilling Adventures of the Celebrated

Government Scout “BUFFALO BILL’ (Hon. William F. Cody)

 

 

 

180—Buffalo Bill’s Blindfold Duel; or, The
Death Feud in Arizona,

181—Buffalo Bill’s Mexican Feud; or, The Ban-
dits of Sonora.

182—Buffalo Bill’s Still Hunt; or, The Masked
Men of Santa Fé.

183—-Buffalo Bill’s Fiercest Fight; or, The Cap-
tive of the Apaches.

184—Buffalo Bill’s Navajo Ally; or, The War
with the Cave Dwellers.

185—Buffalo Bill’s Best Shot; or, Saving Uncle

Sam’s Troopers.

186—Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard; or, The Mystery
of the Blindfold Club.

187—-Buffalo Bill’s Eagle Eye; or, The Battle of
the Staked Plains.

188—Buffalo Bill's Arizona Alliance; or, Nav-

: ajos Against Apaches.

 189—Buffalo Bill’s Mexican Adventure; or, The

: White Indians of Yucatan.

190—Buffalo Bill After the Bandits; or, Chasing

‘the Wyoming Bank Robbers.

191—Buffalo Bill’s Red Trailer ; or, The Hole-in- - |

the-Wall Outlaws of Wyoming.
192—Buffalo Bill in the Hole-in-the-Wall;
Fighting the Wyoming Bank Ronee
193—Buffalo Bill and the Bandit in Armor; or,
‘The Mysterious Horseman of the Moun-
tains.

$04 Pufialo Bill and the Masked Mystery; or, -

The Wild Riders of the Wilderness. .

‘195—Buffalo Bill in the Valley of Death; or, The

Masked Brotherhood.

196—Buffalo Bill in the Land of Fire; or, Nick
Nomad, the Mountain Wanderer.

197—Buffalo Bill in the Den of Snakes; or, The
Search for a Ton of Gold.

198—Buffalo Bill’s Nebraskan Quest; or, The
Secret Brotherhood of the Platte.

199—Buffalo Bill and the Hounds of the Hills;
or, The Traitor Trooper.

200—Buffalo Bill’s Young Partner; or, The Out-
law Queen’s Cipher Message.

201—Buffalo Bill’s Great Search; or, Bagging
Bad Birds in Wyoming.

202—Buffalo Bill and the Boy in Blue; or, The
Ghost Dancers of eee Bad Lands.

 

203—Buffalo Bill’s Long Chase; or, Nervy
Frank’s Leap for Life.

204-—Buffalo Bill’s Mine Mystery; or, Conquer-
ing the Brotherhood of the Crimson
Cross.

205—Bufialo Bill’s Strategic Tactics; or, Trail-
ing the Terrible Thirty-nine.

206—Buffalo Bill’s Big Jack Pot; or, A Game
for a Lite.

207—Buffalo Bill’s Last Bullet; or, Solving the
Mystery of Robber’s Rock.

208—Buffalo Bill’s Deadliest Peril; or, The Pur-
suit of Black Barnett, the Outlaw.

209—Buffalo Bill’s Great Knife. Duel; or, The
White Queen of the Sioux.

210—Buffalo Bill’s Blind Lead; or, The Treasure

of the Commander.
211—Buffalo Bill’s Sacrifice; or, For a Woman’s
Sake.

212—Buffalo Bill’s ’Frisco Feud; or, California

Joe to the Rescue.
al 3—Buffalo Bill’s Diamond Hunt; or, The King
of Bonanza Gulch.

214—Boffalo Bill’s Avenging Hand; or, Lariat.

Larry’s Last Throw.

_ 215—Buffalo Bill’s Mormon Quarrel; or, At War

with the Danites.

216—Buffalo Bill’s Deadshot Pard; or, , The Evil

Spirit of the Plains.
217—Buffalo Bill’s Cheyenne Comrades; or, The
Brand of the Death Brotherhood.
218—Buffalo Bill’s Fiery Trail; or, Lone Bear’s
Paleface Pard:;. -

219—Buffalo Bill’s Sioux Foes; or, The Noecne

of Big Elk.

220—Buffalo Bill s Cold Trail; or, The Medicine
Woman of the Apaches,

221—Buffalo Bill’s Iron Fist; or, The Tiger of
the Kiowas.

222—Buffalo Bill’s Race with Fire; or, Sice

His Enemies,
223—Buffalo Bill’s Florida Foes, or, Hunting
Down the Seminoles.

224-——Buffalo Bill’s Grim Climb; or, Fighting In-

/  dians in Mexico.
225—Buffalo Bill’s Red Enemy; or, The Wizard
of the Comanches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the above numbers always on hand. If you cannot get chem fom your
newsdealer, five cents per cop will bring them toe you by mail, postpaid.

STREET & SMITH, Publishers, ? 9-89 Seventh aoe NEW YORK )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
a en ne

 

 

 
 

 

 

}
é
f
'
i
i : {
3 i
: & i
ns
pr
¢
a’ i
Ys
&
s te
y
q i
Iorasmseee sceneries

6.

 

 
 

 

sla pda aepani ala cagund asliial noises Dells chu Mautner
. i > a z y =a
{

— Tales of the Western Border |

The

5 uffalo Bill Stories|

HE upbuilding of the West was due to a large extent
to the brave scouts and pioneers who fought the
Redskins, using their own tactics, and who taught the:
savages such a severe lesson that the settlers were destined
to remain unmolested.

2 2:8

, Foremost among these brave scouts stands Colonel
William F. Cody, or as he is better known, Buffalo Bill.

He is the hero of a thousand adventures on the plains.
These are given to our boys only in the Buffalo Bill
Stories. They are bound to interest and please you.

Xess

Beware of wild West imitations of the Buffalo Bill
Stories. They are about fictitious characters. The Library —
containing the Buffalo Bill Stories is the only weekly per-
mitted to recount the adventures of Buffalo Bill, who is.
known all over the world as ‘‘The King of Scouts.”

Price, 5 Cents

For Sale by all Newsdealers, or sent, post-
paid, upon receipt of price by the Publishers

| STREET & SMITH, 79 to 89 Seventh Avenue, NEW YORK

eer Ss gee ides ; se
== ner LEER Se ’
ee sit