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DEVOTED T0 BORDER LIFE

 

 

Copyright, 1911, dy STREET & SMITH,

Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the N. VY. Post Office, by STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Ave., N.Y.

O. G. Smith and G. C. Smith, Proprietors, ®

 

TERMS TO BUFFALO BILL STORIES MAIL SUBSCRIBERS.
(Postage Free.)
Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each.

 

 

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No. 541. NEW YORK, September 23, 1911. Price Five Cents.

 

a

Buffalo Bill and the Prairie Corsairs;

OR,

PAWNEE BILL’S RED RAZZLE-DAZZLE.

™

 

By the author of “BUFFALO BILL.”

 

CHAPTER
A DESPERATE BAND.

“That bunch of mesquite must be the place, Pard
Bill, but call me a greaser if I like the looks of it. This
whole layout, from the moment that half-breed tucked
into your hand the letterywhich asked you to drift
hitherward through the onneks until here we are,

~ has an offish twist to me.”

The speaker was Pawnee Bill. —

By his side rode the great scout, Buffalo Bill, quietly
alert and keen of eye. Round them were the open
plains, a silver moon was in the sky, and dead ahead
was a patch of black—the mesquite grove which jhad

: evoked the remark of Pawnee.

The moonlight glittered on the rifle barrels of ‘the

- pair, on the gold-mounted hafts of the Price knives in

the belt of Pawnee Bill, and struck silvery glints from
the big, roweled spurs and the shining bridles of the
horses.

The wide-brimmed ate hats, the similarity of dress
and accouterments; the ease with which they sat their

horses, rendeted the scouts remarkably alike in, out-

ward appearance, though Buffalo Bill was the larger
and older.

“Still,” Pawnee Bill went on, “you couldn’ t do other-
wise than come.’

Mentally he ran over the wording of the short let-
ter which had been responsible for this moonlight jour-
néy ; it had stuck well in his memory:

“BUFFALQ BILL: I am running a great risk in get+
ting this letter to you by the hand of this half-breed.
I have given him his dinner, and a silver dollar to pay
him for taking it. If I could trust him thoroughly I
would write down what I can say only to you now.
But if you will come to the first mesquite grove beyond
the Black Rock, somewhere about four o’clock in the
morning, I will be there and will tell you what I am
afraid to write. It is about the Comanches.. If you
want to save lives you had better come. I can’t say
more now. Burn this. And do not let anybody know
you have received it. BETTINA CUTLIFF.”’

The half-breed was a worthless, drunken, hanger-on
of the border towns. Shambling into the settler’s

 
Rese ener tee creme ren cemcreceenntaes eh Tree SAT Mer Ame IHN NTT ver ey

   

2 THE BUFFALO
house, which was ternporarily occupied by the scouts,
he had turned over the letter, and asked for another
dollar and a drink of whisky. -

He asserted that he didn’t know who the woman was
who gave him the letter, and he had not been able to

read it, though he admitted Je had tried. The shack -

where it had been given to him, he said, was Cale Cut-
liff’s.

The scouts felt that they. were taking risks in ac-
cepting this invitation; yet they had set out.

“Rack there is the Black Rock,” said Pawnee. “So
this must be the mesquite—about as lonesome a place
as could be picked out for a meeting. The young
woman certainly must have her courage with her, if
she is out here now.”

. “I met that girl at Brashear’s, three days ago, €X- |

plained the scout, “and she seemed to be a-modest and
truthful girl. It struck me then that it was a great pity
‘she had such a scoundrel for her father.”

“The Brashears didn’t tell you anything about her,
I believe?”

“They merely said, as she turned to go: ‘That is
Calé Cutliff’s girl.’ I suppose because they knew \I
didn’t think much of Cutliff they didn’t say more.”

“All-round thief, deadbeat, and scoundrel—Cut-
liff is.” ‘ .

“He is a-road agent, too, if reports arent wrong.
I think he gave shelter to some rogues | chased out
this way from Albuquerque, about a year ago. Since

we have been in this section I’ve been trying to get a

line on him.’
Pawnee nodded knowingly.
“That is what makes me a bit afraid, necarnis, that
we may be right now riding into a trap. You see, if
Cale Cutliff is the ruffian we think he is, and he has
learned that you have been making inquiries about
him, it might throw the notion into him that the best

af

thing for his safety would be to see you decently.

planted.. So he might have had that letter sent in by

39

the girl to draw us out here. :

“Well, we'll soon know about that, Lillie”.

They set their horses—Bear Paw and Chick-Chick

—into an easy canter, and drove straight upon the
mesquite.

As they did this, the two scouts swung from side to

side, exaggerating very materially the natural motion
of horsemen, so that if unfriendly bullets came wing-
ing out at them they would not present easy targets:
Each drew a revolver, but did not raise it. .

No rifle cracked in the grove, and, swinging round
in front of it, still alert and suspicious, Buffalo Bill

called «” : ao she
In answer a slim young woman appeared, coming at

a quick walk from the farther side,”
‘“TTello! Here she is,’ said Pawnee.

- A well-trained: cow pony; following her, came i

WAGWa 8 | eee ere sn

Lifting their hats, they rode to meet her.

nto

“T was afraid you wouldn’t come,” she said, as she

stood before them. .. 1

   

Iii RR a aA a ATA an

BILD STORIES.

Pawnee Bill's keen eyes flashed over her comprehen- .
sively. He had never met her before, and he found |
++ hard to believe he beheld the daughter of such a man

as Cale Cutliff. Perhaps the silvery moonlight added
to her attractiveness. et
“T received your note, Miss Cutliff,’” Cody explained.

“This is my friend, Major Lillie, who consented. to.
accompany me. I think there was nothing in the note

which forbade me to bring some one.”

The girl darted toward Pawnee Bill-a glance that
was as keen and comprehensive as the one he had

bestowed on her.
“Vou met no one—saw no one, as you came along?”
she asked anxiously. a
“Not a soul,’ replied Pawnee.
as isolated a spot as one could find in the Panhandle.”
“That is why I chose it. It is off from the settlers’
trail. And my safety demanded that no one should
know of this meeting. I was really afraid to send that

word by the half-breed, but I had no other messenger.”

Her pony had come up behind her.

Pawnee and Buffalo Bill slid out of their saddles.

“You spoke of Comanches,” said the scout. “‘Roll-
ing River's band is still out somewhere. But recently
the redskins seemed to have been in hiding. ‘Troopers
have been looking for them, without being able to lo-
cate them. My friend Lillie and I also intended to take
a hand in that work to-morrow. Our idea was that
perhaps you have some knowledge of where Rolling
River and his redskins may be found.” me

“No,” she said, “I know nothing about the Co-
manches. If it had been that I should have ridden over
to Brashears’ place and told you myself whatever I
knew. It is about Mr. Cutliff that I wanted to tell
you.” i , |

Her voice dropped, and she glanced around as if she
feared she might see him near.

When she continued, they discovered that her voice
trembled and that she was on the verge of tears or
hysteria. oS

“T must tell you quickly and get away; for [ dare
not think what would happen if it was known that |
was here. Iam afraid I was suspected, and followed.
Yet I don’t see how that could have been.”

. She hesitated. ;

“T don’t like to tell you; for it seems terrible for me
to do it. But I overheard him and some men plot-
ting things the other night. To-night they were to
meet at. the wash in Bear Creek Fork. You know
where that is. They came to the house, a dozen of
them or more, and he rode off with them. As soon
as they were gone | got my pony and came here. -

“T mentioned the Comanches because this thing is
connected with them, and, also, for the reason that
if the letter fell into other hands I tould explain that
I was trying to send some warning to you about the
Indians. Those men are going to play Comanches.”

“How is that?” said the scout, startled. =

“They intend to disguise themselves as Comanches,
and raid around, taking advantage of the ‘fact that

Vv

“This seems to be

 

 

 

 

 
 

= with him.

 

 

 

  

@

the Comanches are known still to be out and hostile.
They will rob and do things of that ‘kind.. But the
_ thing that troubles me most, and made me determined
to see you, is that they intend to-morrow. to strike
what is called the Ohio settlement, below here.”

Her voice choked.

“Phe principal man there is a man named Hinton.

They hate him for a number of reasons, and have

sworn to kill him. That is what is intended. In ad-

~ dition to this, the gang wants to rob the people there. —

So they intend to sack the settlement, and lay it to
the Comanches. Mr. Cutliff will surely kill Hinton.
Besides that he intends to carry away Hinton’s daugh-
ter, Molly, as further revenge. Oh, it’s a horrible plot,
Mr. Cody!
though I know I shall be killed myself if it gets out
that I did it. I didn’t.know what else to do, and——”

Her voice broke, and she came to a stop.

“To-morrow!” exclaimed the scout. . “That means
to-day, for the time is nearly morning.” }

“It’s a terrible plot, necarnis,’ said Pawnee Bill:
‘“Tt is simply too dreadful to think about,” declared
the girl.

She glanced at the moon.

“About what time is it?” she asked. —

“About three o'clock,” replied the scout.

“What I want to say now is, that after the meeting
at the Bear Creek Fork wash, he is to return to the
house. I’ve got to get back there before he arrives.”

“Those men will be with him?” asked-the scout.

“No; they're to stay out there—in the wash, or
around thefte. He is coming. in to see Nat Martin,
who was to come to the house early in the morning.
I think he is hoping to get Martin to go into this thing
And now I must ride right back.’

“You ought to have an escort; and, if it is agree-
vable, I shall be glad to ride to the house with you,’
Cody said.

The suggestion seemed to terrify Der,

“No, no!” she protested. “Tf you should be seen
with me, I dare not think of what would happen.”

“T could drop back, and permit you to go*on alone
when we neared the house,’ Cody urged.

“T wouldn’t dare to,’ she answered. “If they should
see me they would kill me.”

“You have run a great-risk in coming out here,”
said Pawtee. ‘No one knows where the Comanches
are; and, as you have yourself shown, this country is
“right now harboring some mighty bad citizens. You
teally ought to have an escort.” 2

“Oh, I couldn’t con$ent to it!
afraid to return alone. If I had been afraid I shouldn’t
have dared to come. I must return alone.”

She seemed to fear they would insist unduly, or
even force their company on her. Stepping back to the
side of her pony, she was about to mount, when Buffalo
Bill went to her assistance.
“Permit me,” he said.

He aided her to her saddle.
she cried, pulling her pony round.

“Good-by,”

 

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

I had to get word to you about it, al?

And, truly, ’m not.

i ¥

I ride fast I can get home before daylight. If any
one should get there ahead of me, I'll say I’ve been

‘out for a canter.” ‘

She drew rein agaif. | :
“There is one thing more,” she added. “One of the »
members of the band thinks he is a poet and a scholar,

and he has given them a name; I’m not sure that. I

know the meaning of it, but it is the Corsairs of the
rairies. I heard them talking about it.”

She pulled round again.

“Good-by, ” she repeated; ‘‘and, whatever you do,
don’t let it be known that I sent you word, or met
you here. Remember that.”

“We'll not forget it,’ answered Buffalo Bill.
are a brave girl! Ne

“Perhaps,” she said; “but I don’t see any bravery
in doing what you simply have got to do. I had to
do this.”

She lashed the cow pony with the little quirt that

“You

‘was looped to her wrist and dashed away in the bright

moonlight.

 

CHAPTER II.
THE PARDS SEPARATE.

“Two things have got to be done without delay, Pard
Lillie,’ said Buffalo Bill, as they watched the girl
fading away in the moonlight; “and there are only
two men to do them.” ;

“You're usually equal to any dozen things yourself,
necarnis; yet I think I can guess what it is you mean.”

“No doubt you can. One of us must ride to the
Ohio settlement at top speed and give warning. The —
other must ride to Cutliff’s house and arrest him.”

Pawnee Bill took out a couple of cigars while con-
sidering this. He passed one over to his core non,
and struck a match to light the other.

“T’m game for either,” he replied.
we might both go to Cutliff’s.

“Tf we had time,
He’s a bad customer ;

and Nat Martin, who likely will be there with him,

is one of the toughest men on the Texas border. Be-
sides,” he added reflectively, “there's a mighty big
chance that the whole band of corsairs will be there
with Cutliff. One man is going to have his hands
more than full, if it turns out that way.”

“T’ll ride to Cutliff’s,’ said Buffalo Bill.

“IT was going to suggest,’ said Pawnee, “that a
pleasure jaunt like that, on this balmy morning, would
just suit Little Willy, and I was on the point of asking
your permission to go. I was wondering, however,
whether we couldn’ t work it in some way so that we

-could both go.”

“It’s a two hours’ ee or more, to Cutliff’s;
and it takes us right away fgom the Ohio settlement. f

“What fools those settlers were for pitching their
homes in that place and for sticking to them after the
Comanches began their raiding,” growled Pawnee.

“Yes, they were foolish. The thing I’m afraid of,
and which seems to ae for haste, is the probability

  
 

 

THE BUFFALO

that the men will be scattered out at work, or away
from their homes. They must be got together as
quickly as possible, so that they can make a defense,
if I should fail to make good in that attempt at Cut-
liff’s.”” : ,
“Your idea is?”
“To arrest Cutliff, take him into town, and put him

in jail. Ill bring against him a general charge of
highway robbery; for I think he had a hand in that
stage holdup last week at the Dry Branch. > [fT can
do it, that will prevent him from getting back. to his
band, and will keep the scoundrels waiting for him.
As soon as I’ve landed him in jail, Pll get together
all the good gun men I can, ride to that wash, and
there muss up the soil with them. That’s my plan. In
the meantime, you can spread the warning down at
the Ohio settlement.” |

Pawnee studied the red end of his cigar.

“Time is flying, and we ought to be doing the same,”
he muttered. ‘Still, you must give that girl time to
get home well ahead of you, so that suspicion won't be
directed against her.”

“When you spread the news in the Ohio settlement,”
said the scout, “you can say that the information you
bring was brought to us by an Indian; or tell anything
else you like, to explain how you chanced to get hold
OL st.”

Sure. +}

“What it meant for that girl to come here to-night
neither of'us can realize.”

“Right-o! But I’m frankly worried, necarnis, for
you see, I’m afraid you'll meet trouble. I'd like to be
with you.” :

“You're afraid I may fall into a trap?” -

“Not so far as that girl is concerned. But the
plains are open, as you approach Cutliff’s. The moon
will still be up; so that even if you get there before
daylight, your advance can be seen; for, as I remem-
ber the place, there isn’t any cover. You can bet that
a man like Cutliff would build his house where he
could see whatever was coming at him! If he sus-
pected you—and he’s almost sure to—he’d down you,
as you rode up, with a rifle bullet.”

“And if Nat Martin is there with him,” answered
Buffalo Bill, “there would be another rifle ready for
you, if you were with me. Besides, the Ohio settle-
ment must be put on its guard.”

“All right, if you say so. They've got to have warn-
ing. But it’s a mighty pity that we haven't Nomad and
Cayuse, or the baron, or some one else with us.”

“It is too late to think about that now.”

The scout snapped open his watch and looked at the
time.

“I’m going to start,” he said. “Tl not crowd Bear
Paw, and will give Miss Cutliff time to get ahead of
me. But I'd like to be on the way.”

Cody held out his hand.

“Don’t worry about me, Pard Lillie,” he laughed.
“T’ll come through this all right.”

BILL STORIES.

Pawnee Bill wrung the hand of the noted scout.
“I’m sorry we have to separate, he said; “but, as

there is nothing else to do, I'll obey orders. Look out

99

 

for yourself, however. Somehow

He turned to his horse, Chick-Chick.

“T was going to make the foolish remark that I have
premonitions of trouble,” he muttered. ~ “But I*re-
fuse to harbor such fancies. Leave that to Nomad and
Little Cayuse. We don't believe in whiskizoos, Pard
Bill. Of course you'll do that job up right and land
Cutliff and Martin in jail. So, luck go with you!”

But when they had separated, and Pawnee Bill had
turned Chick-Chick southward, the fear that had sud-
denly troubled him returned with increased force.

“Tf he could have seen into the future he would have
been even more disturbed, both for himself and for
his noted pard. ‘ :

“Chick-Chick,” he said, to his horse, “there goes
the whitest pard on this hemisphere. We'll put this

little errand through in as short order as we can, then

we'll drift back to Cutliff’s at double quick, and see
how everything has turned out. Of course, we'll find
that Cutliff has been bagged, and that the neat little
plan of those Corsairs of the Prairies has had a spoke
stuck in its wheel.” .

The apprehension that filled Pawnee Bill seemed to
be communicated to Chick-Chick. Stretching out his
handsome neck, he let the level lands slide under his
shining heels like a swiftly flowing river.

The dawn broke a little after four o'clock, and the
moon became a pallid boat adrift in the morning sky.
Then the red rays shot upward in the east where the
sun was climbing.

_ Chick-Chick held on steadily until the sun was well
up. Then he sighted an object far ahead, at the same
time that his rider did, and came to a halt, with ears
thrown forward. He was adrip with sweat, yet he was

not breathing as heavily as might have been antici-
pated. ;

Shading his eyes with his hand, Pawnee Bill looked
at the object.

“A man,” he said, “and he dropped down in the little
valley of rosin weeds; but whether the fellow was red
or white I couldn't tell. Which was it, Chick-Chick ?”

Chiek-Chick walked on, his ears twitching, his eyes

fixed on the swale where the distant figure had dis-
appeared.

“Tf it,is a red, or one of those corsairs, he could
wing us from that spot—eh, Chick-Chick?” |

Pawnee unslung his rifle, saw that the magazine was
filled, and placed the weapon across the saddle before
him. This done, he loosened the revolvers in his belt.

“We'll sheer off to the right a bit, Chick-Chick,”
he said, swinging his body over. “Perhaps we can get
a look into that place without too much risk. I sup-

pose that Pard Cody is either landing his men about
now, or is facing lead. But we’re not going to think
about that, are we? We've
right now.”

got our own fish to fry

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

her—'less’n you is meanin’ Fanny.

+ Aiora an

district.

ar Pe Ee sci aetna ni oi at
OTN RADAR MM Okina vot ae a

THE BUFFALO

Chnh rie Th,
‘OLD DICKIE AND THE COMANCHES.

Cutting off the pink bloom of a cactus, Professor
Dickson, of Chicago, scraped away the spines with his

knife, and contemplated it lovingly.

A few yards distant an undersized negro, busying
himself with the evening meal, bent over a small camp
fire built in a narrow trench.” Still farther off three
horses grazed at the ends of long picket ropes that
were fastened to iron picket pins driven into the

ground. ‘

The setting for this scene was the great plain of
the Texas Panhandle—a treeless expanse of short
grass, broken here and there by scanty groves of mes-
quite resembling straggling, scraggy peach orchards.

Heaped in a mound of heterogeneous materials by
the camp-fire were the contents of packs, with saddles

and bridles, and a pile of shining new tinware.

The darky was chopping open a can of peaches with
a hatchet when old Dickie, known to the scholastic
world as Professor Lindley Murray Dickson, came
over to the fire with the pink cactus bloom in his hand.

“You are, I hope, interested in flora and fauna,”
he said.

The darky looked up, hatchet in hand, blinking in
the streaming sunshine.

“You know what I mean?” old Dickie added.

OS, Salat

“Ah! you are interested. That’s

“You mean dat yalleh gal, Flora, what waits on de
table at de Hotel Metropole. Yas, sah; ; I is consid’ble
int’rested in dat gal. What puzzles me, dough, is I
didn’t know you was ’quainted wid her.”

Professor Dickson pulled the thick glasses down on
his long nose and stared at the darky.

‘Dat yuther gal, Fauna, I,reckoms I doan’ know
I knows a Fanny

39

 

 

what wuks fuh
“Julius Cesar Jones, what are you talking about?”

the professor? demanded.

“Same thing what you is—bout dem gals name

9)

PNMot at all!”

The darky put down the hatchet.
spilling out on the ground.

“Ef you ain’t meanin’ dem, professuh, what is you
meanin’?”

Old Dickie sat down by the camp fire with a sigh.

“Julius, you observe this cactus blossom?’

“Yas; sah.”

“When I say flora, lam not speaking of any girl of
your acquaintance.”

- “Some yuther gal. Yas, sah.”

“T am not speaking of any girl, but of the flowers
pertaining to a certain district. Likewise, when I use
the word fauna I mean the animals of a particular
Flora is a flower sn

“Yas, sah! Flora is de chiefest blossom in dat Chi-

The peaches were

 

cago bouquet.”

 

BILL: STORING.

“Julius,” protested the benevolent professor, his
cheeks a becoming pink, ‘‘so long as you persist in mis-
understanding me, we will postpone this discussion.
Pray notice that the peaches in that can are spilling
on the ground.”

He lifted the cactus bloom to his nose, while the
undersized darky scrambled to save the peaches.

Having sniffed at the blossom a while, the pro-
fessor stuck it in his buttonhole, and regarded the
darky, who had returned to his work over the fire. -

“We are now. in a delightful country,” said the pro-
fessor. “The high altitude and pure air, the enchant-
ing vistas of the day, and the rapture of the starlit
nights, incline me to linger here. Yet we must push
on westward toward the Wagon Mound hills, where
we go to explore what I believe to be the remains of
one of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. I have your
attention, Julius?’

“Yas, sah,” answered the darky, lifting a slice of
bacon out of the frying pan on the end of a fork, and
contemplating it. “Dis yah poke meat is mighty slow
in tuhnin’ brown, professuh.”

“When I came through here before, I was with
Colonel Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill. We at

that time were engaged in the work of capturing young

buffaloes for the nucleus of a domestic herd, so. that
the noble race might not perish utterly from the face
of the earth. You get my meaning, Julius?”

‘Oh, yas, saht”

“We had some remarkable adventures at that time.
It was supposed that this entire region was as safe
as the streets of Chicago.”

“Ki-yi! Sometimes when you go out in dem Chi-
cago streets you doan’ know whetheh you. is goin’ tuh
come back livin’ or dead. ,, One time w'en I was down
by de ole Haymarket

“Some ree-markable Hea went on old
Dickie. “The Comanches were supposed to be rapidly
approaching a state of civilization which rendered them

 

perfectly innocuous; the uplifting influences of mis-—

Sionaries and schools were thought to be stbjugating
their savage and inherited racial instincts, and grafting
in the place of them many of those refinements and
cultural influences which, by the slow processes of evo-
lution, have become the inheritance of the Anglo-
Saxon. You get my meaning, Julius?’

“Yas, sah!’ replied the darky, peering again at the
bacon strips, and stirring them round in the frying pan.

“But we were mistaken. The Comanches -
“Dem is Injuns, professuh?”’

 

“Yes, Indians, Julius—constituting the remnant of

a powerful tribe of wild horsemen formerly inhabit-
ing all this region—the true representatives on this
hemisphere of the Bedouins of the Old World. As I
said, we found that we were mistaken in thinking they

were all that we believed them to be, for a number of —

them left their reservation, on stolen horses, and came
through here, and we were attacked by them. I was
myself captured and came near being killed, and 5

 

  

         
   

     
 

THE BUFFALO

Julius Cesar Jones stood up, aoe mouth dropped
open.

“When did dat happen?” -

“No more than two months ago, Julius. Right off
there a few miles was our camp when that attack was
made by ‘those Indians. We——”

“An’ you didn’t tell me nuffin’ “bout dat when you
hired me tuh come down hyuh wid you! Fo’ de love
uh

 

“Sit down, Julius.”

“Say, I’m resignin’ dis position uh bates cook right
now. ~ Yas, sah: «Nou doa’ git me tuh Stay in no
country wha’ Injuns is r’arin’ round dat a-way.”’

“But that was two months ago, Julius. I didn’t men-
tion this circumstance when I pe you, fearing »
that you might be inclined «

“Tis. I’se inclined tuh git out an hyuh.”

“The Indians were followed by Colonel Cody’s small
party, «and by troopers under Captain Duval—fol-
lowed into the Wagon Mound hills, where they took
refuge in a strange cave room, which is supposed to
be a part of one of those Seven Cities of Cibola, for
which the old Spaniards hunted when they came into
that region from Mexico some three hundred years
ago. It has been visited, and a monograph has been
published on the subject. I have it in one of the packs,
and will take pleasure in showing it to you.
survey was hastily done, and I made up my mind to re-
visit the place, and explore it thoroughly, in the hope
that some new ethnological light may be thrown
Where are you going, Julius?’
“Tis goin’ tuh git up dem horses.
ketch :

“Come back here, Julius, and finish cooking that
meat. I command you.”

The negro came back reluctantly and sat down by
the fire, but with his eyes roving round.

“T want to explain to you now, so that all uneasi-
ness may be banished from your mind, Julius, that we
are in no danger, even if it should be true, as I was
informed at Camp Supply, that the Comanches, who
then began raiding, have not been forced back upon
their reservation. The reason is that when the Co-
.manches held me a captive they gained the absurd idea
that I was a man of unsound mind. It is known that

Indians! believe people who are insane are guarded by
spirits, and to kill such would be to bring punishment
on the slayers. Therefore, they freed me, and even
drove me out of their camp. And though I was sev-
eral times afterward in great danger, to all appear-
ances, they refused to harm me. Bear in mind, Julius,
that the Comanches think I am crazy, and therefore
you and——”

Julius was still staring wildly round.

“Fuh de love uh Mike,” he muttered, “I believes
- you is, too!”

“Therefore, they will not harm me.’
“Dat’s all right fo’ you! But what about ner .
“You are my servant. Don’t you see, Julius?”

 

 

No Injuns doan’t

 

 

But the “

BILL STORIES.

“T sees dat I’se a dead niggeh, if dem Injuns comes
rarin’ frough hyuh.”

“Not at all, Julius. 1 will protect you.”

The darky’s face suddenly became a dirty ash color,
and he rose with shaking knees.

“Say, he whispered, “did. dem Foie war
feathehs?”’

“Feathers and paint, Julius.
baric decoration .
“Well, if I ain’t th’owin’ fits wid my eyes, I seen
one uh dem Injuns in dem bushes dis ve’y minute.’

Old Dickie twisted round and looked at the mesquite.

“Another proof of the power of imagination in pro-
jecting and making visible objects whose only existence
1s 99

A savage love of bar-

 

 

“Wow! Dah I seen ’im:ag’in!”

Professor Dickson arose, pulled his thick. glasses
again down on his long nose, and stared at the mes-
quite. )

“I observe nothing, Julius.”

“T doan’ now, neitheh. But des when I said it dem
feathehs come up in sight ag’in.”

“Imagination, Julius, is “ ‘

“Dat wan't no come-agination, professuh; ‘no, sah!
I seen feathehs!”

“Perhaps, if anything, you beheld the tail of a wild
turkey. I am not sure that this well-known gallina-
ceous bird exists in this section, buf——” .

“No, saht I knows turkey, and I knows chicken!
But dat

An Indian, horribly painted and feathered, stepped
out of the mesquite. Behind him came another and
another, until! a dozen had appeared. Lances, with
feathers fluttering on the shafts, seemed to be their
principal weapons, yet they had guns _and revolvers,
hatchets and knives.

The yell that struggled to the negro’s lips died in
a gurgle, as his popping eyes took in this startling
sight. He would have broken inte- flight, but the
strength had gone out of his legs. As for old Dickie,
after the first shock of surprise, he seented not feazed
in the least. His face flushed a little and his eyes
brightened. Then he stepped out to meet the Indians,
who were advancing rapidly.

“Julius,” he said, “no harm shall come to you. Those
are the Comanches of whom I spoke—at least, some of
them. They will remember me without a doubt. They
will not harm me. And I shall see that’ they do not
harm you. Fix your eyes on me, Julius; advance De-
hind me with as much circumspection as you can, and
all will be well.”

Julius wanted to hurl his body in the other direc-
tion, but he lacked the power to do so. So he only

 

 

stared and gurgled, while the doughty professor strode
forth in confidence to meet the red warriors. _

Apparently, this somemhat astonished them;:
they came to a halt.

Old Dickie lifted his hand, extending it palm out-
ward.

“This is the peace sign, Julius, and it is known as

and

 

 

 
 

 

ayard: oc?

THE BUFFALO

such by all Indians,” he explained. ‘You will observe
that it has brought them to a halt.” Bet

Julius Caesar Jones was still by the fire, unable to
move; but the professor thought the darky was right

- behind him:

“Peace be unto you!” he cried, wiggling his hand.

The feathered redskins were staring.

“I have'doubtless met some of you before,” went
on the professor; “but the manner in which you spread
paint over your faces renders recognition extremely
difficult and a
~ A lance shot from the hand of the foremost Indian

 

andwhistled by the professor’s face, struck the ground, .

and skipped on in the direction of the darky.

That was too much for Julius. That scudding lance
coming at him as if it meant to bite his shins brought
him out of his half-dead-and-alive condition, and, with

a yell freezing on his trembling lips, he started to run.

A number of the Comanches bounded off in pursuit
of the scared negro.

The others stared at old Dickie and shook their

lances.

“Peace be with you!’ he faltered.
frightened my servant, but——’”

Another lance flashed at him.

The shining blade passed over his head, but the
shaft, dipping downward, gave him a rap that brought
him to the ground.

Then the Comanches leaped on him, and he was a
prisoner. )

- Within fifteen minutes the terrified and panting
negro was brought in, and thrown down by Dickie’s
side.

© Sh!" said Dickie, whose head was still whirling
from the blow of the lance shaft. ‘There is nothing
to be frightened about, Julius. On that previous occa-
sion of which I informed you they were very ungen-
tlemanly at first, but in the end-———”

“Doan’ talk tuh me, professuh,” moaned the darky.
“T’se a dead niggeh,”

“You have

CHAPTER IV.
A TIMELY DISCOVERY.

The figure attracting the attention of Pawnee Bill
and Chick-Chick, that had ducked out of sight in the
rosin-weed swale, bobbed into view when horse and
rider drew near.

“Qld Dickie!” gasped Pawnee.

Professor Lindley Murray Dickson, being near-

sighted, did not at once recognize the horseman; but,

seeing that a white man had appeared, he came for-

“Hello!” called Pawnee. “In the name of all that’s

‘wonderful, how do you happen to be here, professor ?”

Old Dickie stared through his thick glasses.
Why, ‘pon my soul, if it isn’t Major Lillie! This
is ree-markably fortunate. Major Lillie, I am exceed-

ingly glad to meet you.”

es

 

 

 

BILL STORIES. | 7

“I confess that I am astounded to meet you; 1
thought you were in Chicago.”

“Major Lillie, in these days of rapid travel it does
not take long to get out of Chicago. But conversation
lags superfluous on the stage, in a time like this. Is
Colonel Cody with you?’

“I parted from him shortly before daylight this
morning.”

“Ah, would he were with you! You will recall,
Major Lillie, our exceedingly strange adventures in the
Wagon Mound hills. I wanted to see again that cave
toom and the ruins we thought might be the remains
of one of the cities of Cibola.. So I came down here.
and was making my way westward; having with me
only a negro servant and three horses. Last evening
we were in camp off there somewhere.” He swung his
hand half round the circle of the horizon. ‘The air
was delicious, and But time presses, so I must
omit details. Suffice it to say, that we were attacked
in camp by a band of Comanches——”

“Comanches! :

“Very true, Major Lillie. Professor Flathead, in
his noted work, maintains that the Comanches are
nearly civilized; but we know better, Little—cve know
better! Yes, sir, we were attacked in our camp, and
both my servant and myself were made prisoners.
The Comanches went into camp on the open plains,
that night. This morning another band joined them.
With this second band were a number who recognized
me. You will remember that when I was their pris-
oner on a previous occasion they gained the absurd
notion that I was insane, and drove me away. . They
repeated that this morning, after that other band came

 

in. But they did not release my negro servant, Julius

Czesar Jones; on the contrary, they took-him off, bound
to an Indian pony. It broke my heart to see him go.”
“How long ago was this?’ Pawnee asked abruptly.

“Not more than an hour ago, Major Lillie.”

“You are sure they were Comanches, and not merely
white men painted and dressed to look like Co-
manches ?”’

“They were undoubtedly Comanches.”

“As you have previously seen those redskins at close
quarters you ought to be able to know. Which way
did they go?” 3

“In that direction,” explained the professor, swing-
ing his hand in an arc that took in half the western
horizon.

“It’s too bad about your servant,” said Pawnee re-
flectively. “I'd like to take their trail. But right now,
professor, I’m on a mission that admits of no delay.
Information has reached Cody and myself that a band
of scoundrelly white men, painted and dressed as
Comanches, will attack the Ohio settlement to-day, and
I am riding to give the settlers warning.”

He cast a glance over the tired little man.

“You are in no condition to go on toward the set-
tlements that lie to the north, or I should urge that you
hasten to Cody with the news you have given to me,” _
Pawnee. added. ' : ‘

 

 
 

 

Pe een ti pe tm lS tn ppd Sh tn lt tment

THE BUFFALO

“Observe my CONNOR invited old Dickie pathet-
ically.

“You look played out, and you shall have a seat be-
hind me on Chick-Chick.”’

“T am not accustomed to the use of slang, Major
Lillie; yet I should say that I am worse than played
out; 4d am a dead: beat.”

Pawnee laughed as he slid from the saddle and pre-
pared to hoist old Dickie to a seat on the strong back
of Chick-Chick.

“We'll get to the Ohio settlement and spread the
news; and there, possibly, you can organize a band of
men tO pursue the Comanches who have your negro
servant. As for me, I shall have to ride back as fast
as I came, for I think it likely I shall be needed.”

“If you intend to,go over my route, said the pro-
fessor, when he was ‘astride, behind the saddle, “care-
fully observe that it will be wise for you to keep rather
far to the right of that weedy patch you see off there.”

“Why?” asked Pawnee, as ‘ie swung into the saddle.

“Because Comanches are there.”

“Vou said they went west.”

“T am sure that one did not; and where there is
one there may be many. In my meanderings I came
close by that place, though if I had known an Indian
was concealed in it I should have avoided it as the
plague.”

“You saw the eee ey

“T heard him shout.”

Pawnee prodded Chick-Chick into action.

“That was queer! Perhaps the Indian called to
you.” y ‘ f

“He shouted Pa-e-has-ka. It was a strange thing,
for that is the name by which Buffalo Bill

“Pa-e-has-ka!’’ Pawnee Bill gasped.

“Strange, was it not, that this Indian voice I heard
should have called that name? Why, what

Pawnee kicked Chick-Chick into a quick gallop.

“Wh-why—wh-wh-what—" old Dickie stam-
mered.

“‘Pa-e-has-ka!” Pawnee Bill was repeating; “that’s
queer !”

 

 

 

He drove Chick-Chick at wild speed straight toward

the point which Professor Dickson had warned him
to avoid.

When nearly within rifle shot of the weedy space
he drew rein; then they sat listening.

Suddenly Pawnee Bill bugled through his hands:

“Ai-o!”

The answer came instantly, out of the weeds:

NES VW

“Little Cayuse!” shouted Pawnee, and drove Chick-
-Chick on again, not stopping to answer the battery of
questions rae ‘the De was firing at the back
of his head.

_ As they approached the weedy spot the riders came
ona pitiful sight. “A young Indian lay flat on his back,
his legs and arms roped to wooden stakes driven into
the ground. His eyes were blood-shot and a bloody

froth flecked his lips.e

ar

 

BILL. STORIES.

Pawnee Bill leaped from the saddle, and drew his
knife as his feet struck the ground. The next instant
the knife was cutting the ropes.

“Little Cayuse!” he gasped.
pen?”

“Muy malo!’ the Piute wailed. “Comanches!”

_ Pawnee quickly produced a water bottle and put it
to the Piute’s lips.

“We'll hear particulars when you're better able to
talk; but I can guess them.”

“Tt is the young Indian follower of Buffalo Bill!”
exclaimed old Dickie, in amazement. “This is most
astonishing. I thought he was a Comanche hiding
here” :

“So you went right by.”

It was on the point of Pawnee’s tongue to express
blame; but he remembered that the professor was not
wise in ways of the plains, so could not be expected to
do other than he had done.

The water bottle worked wonders for Little Cayuse.

In a minute or two he was able to sit up, and to tell a
reasonably connected story.
- He had been out scouting, hoping to locate Rolling
River’s Comanches. He located them, just as they lo-
cated him; and he had fallen into their hands. Then,
in their cruel fashion, they had pegged him out on his
back on the ground, and had left him there to die.

To leave the Piute where he had been found was
not to be thought of. Nor could Professor Dickson
be abandoned. The Piute’s condition kept Pawnee
there for more than an hour, and when he went on,
with the Piute and the Professor on Chick-Chick, he
walked, or, rather, ran beside the horse much of the
time.

The delay thus caused was serious.

Pawnee Bill realized that, and ‘ugduly blamed him-
self, before the Ohio settlement was sighted, for smoke
banners in the air proclaimed fires, and he feared that
some of the houges had been burned.

“How did his hap-

 

CHAPTER va
THE RAIDED SETTLEMENT.

Pawnee Bill had failed to reach the Ohio settlement
in time to prevent a terrible outrage. The settlers’
houses, a dozen in number, strung along the banks of a
series of storm washes dignified by the name of Wil-
low Creek, had been attacked an hour or so after day-
break, the houses set on fire, several men killed, and

one young woman, Molly Hinton, carried away.

Several of the houses had been saved by heroic fire
fighting on the part of the settlers, after the attacking
party had disappeared.

Yet it was a sad Scene. that Pawnee beheld when he
reached the place.

Hinton, whose daughter had Seen carried off, was
among the killed.

The unfortunate girl’s mother was in a state ah col-
lapse in one of the houses, where she was attended by

ah aaa ak a a

 

:
bi

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

      

several women. All the men, except those who had
ridden off to spread the news and summon help, were
fighting the fires.

Two of them came forward when they saw Pawnee
and those with him.

“It was the work of Indians,” they poe “We
think the fellows were Comanches.”

Pawnee Bill had reason to suspect that the deed had
not been done by Indians; yet, to be quite certain, he
asked a few questions.

“They came suddenly,” explained the man. “Most
of us were at breakfast, and so were in the houses, and
did not observe the approach of the redskins. They
rode first to Hinton’s house, which stands farthest out.
When. Hinton come to the door, hearin’ them, they shot
him, and he fell dead across the door sill. Then the
red devils rushed into the house and dragged out his
daughter Molly. Mrs: Hinton didn’t see that, though,
for when Hinton fell dead she fainted. We've had a
terrible time with her since, and I dunno if she is going
to live through it.

“I was at the breakfast table when I heard the shot.

When I ran out they began shootin’ at me, and I
dodged back into the house again. Two other men ran
in with me, and we began to shoot at the Indians
through the ‘windows.

“There was a good deal of shootin’ going on, and
_a fot of noise. The Comanches was howlin’ like wild
men all the time. ‘That and the shootin’ and the
screamin’ of the women and children, was something
the like of which I hope I'll never hear again.

“But the whole thing was over in ten minutes. They
took whatever they wanted out of the houses that
wasn’t defended, shot down the men who was bold
enough to go into the street, and then they set fice to
the buildings. After that they rode away, takin’ Hin-
ton’s girl. I saw her as they went. She was on the
back of a horse, and an Indian was holdin’ her. I
heard her scream, and then, I think, she fainted, too.

“It’s likely they have killed her before this. We
don’t know what todo, but are doin’ the thing we see
first—which right now is trying to put out the fires
and save what houses we can. But, as for me, I’ve
got enough of this country ; and my house, if it stands
when this is over, can be had by whoever wants it.
I’m done. This was said to be a peaceful country, or
I’d never been down here.”

It is hardly necessary to say that this account of
the settler was not given without many questions and
comments from the lips of old Dickie. —

Cayuse slipped from the back of Chick-Chick and
walked slowly about the houses, stopping now and then
to scan the pony tracks of the ‘raiders.

“The attacking party had on a lot of paint and
feathers ?”? asked Pawnee, of the settler.

“Vards of feathers, and paint enough to cover a
house. --That’s ihe Indian style, it seems.”

“Those men,” said Pawnee, “may have been Co-
manches, but I hardly. think they were.
seen them, I’m not able to say.» But I think it my

THE BUFFALO

 

Not having

 

BILE SSTORELS.

duty to report that we were warned a few hours ago
that a band of white ruffians of the border intended to
paint and feather themselves as Comanches and at-
tack this place. The report came to Colonel Cody.
I set out to give you warning, but I failed to get here
in time.
lays. How much I am troubled by my failure I shall
not try to say.”

Little Cayuse came up at an Indian trot.

“Anything to report, Cayuse?’ asked Pawnee.

“Shod horse,” said the Piute.

“Anything else?’

“Comanche moccasin, but no Comanche.”

“Item number one, tending to prove they were not
Comanches,’ muttered Pawnee. “Show me that moc-
casin track.”

Little Cayuse turned about and led the scout to the
nearest-dooryard. The grass had been worn away, and
the soil was sandy and loose. Stopping beside the
door, halfway to the first window, the Piute pointed to
the ground,

“From the door a man walked to the window, ’.com-
mented Pawnee, reading the tracks. “He wore moc-
casins, but he toed out very markedly; and no Indian,
who is not deformed, ever does that. I think he was

moving from the door to the window to look into the

house.’

“Ai,” assented the Piute.
Injun sign.”

‘T've had a few lessons in that’ art, Cayuse,” said
Pawnee, as he looked about for more signs.

Professor Dickson, with spectacles drawn to the end
of his nose, had followed, and peered at the ground
over the tops of the glasses.

-“T see nothing,’ he said. ‘Neither do I understand
what is meant by ‘reading sign.’ ”

“Pawnee heap good read

-“Time presses, or I might try to make the whole :

thing clear to you,” said Pawnee.

He turned to the settlers.

“Put out the fires if you can, where good can be
done by it. And send your best rider, on your fastest
horse, to Camp Supply, to report this to the cavalry
commander there. Some troopers are out, I think,
under Captain Duval, but I can’t tell you right where
they are.’ .

He stopped.

~ What isut, Cayuse:
ute was ready to speak again.

“Trail_twelve caballos—gone west,” said the Piute.

“Td like to follow that trail,” went.on Pawnee,
speaking to the settlers. “It ought to be-followed, and
at once; but a-strong force would be needed. You men
should stay right here, to protect your families, in case
‘real Comanches come. These white men who have
played: this seurvy and murderous game are not likely
to strike here. again.”

“And the girl?” queried one of the men.

“She is going to be rescued, if she lives.
can promise that.
communicate with Colonel Cody. He will take the

I think £

w

I might have done it but for unavoidable de-

he asked, seeing that the Pi-

I shall have to ride right back and

  

   
ee THE BUFFALO

trail of these scoundrels, with such men as he can
gather. That’s the best that can be done now.”

A man had brought a pony from a stable and was
getting ready to mount. Acting on. Pawnee’s advice,
he was about to set forth for Camp Supply. —

“Could you let me have a horse for my Indian?’
Pawnee asked. | :

‘‘That’s the only horse left that we can catch. He
was out there on pasture. He ran when the men
raided, and they didn’t get him; the others they drove
off with them. Out there in that little valley are three,
but they’re half wild, and we can’t get near them.”

“T'll get one of them, if you can let me have the use
of him for my Indian,” said Pawnee. “I want to send
him off as a messenger.”

“You're welcome to one, or all of them.”

Detaching the lariat that swung at his saddle, Paw-
nee gave it to the Piute.

“Catch one of those horses,” he directed. “Then
ride to connect with Nomad and the baron. They're
at Harroun’s old hunting camp, on the Dry Fork—or
were there yesterday. Come with them to Brashears’
as soon as you can. If you find neither Cody nor me
there, follow our trail. Move pronto.”

The Piute took the lariat and started at a run to-
ward the grazing ponies. 9

‘He'll never be able to get near them,” said one of
the watching men.

“Wait and see,’ replied Pawnee.

When he had approached close enough to attract the
suspicious attention of the half-wild ponies, Little
Cayuse disappeared in the grass.

Pawnee gave him no heed after that, but one of the
settlers watched the point where he had vanished.

“We'll see if there is anything we can do for the
people in the houses, professor,’ said Pawnee. “The
houses still on fire are beyond help, I think.”

Entering the house where the women were, Paw-
nee tendered his liquor flask, saying he would leave it,
as, perhaps, they could make use of its contents. He
tried to impress the distracted mother with the belief

that her daughter would surely be rescued, and that

soon.

“T can promise that Buffalo Bill will take this up,”
he went on, ‘‘and a better man for the search isn’t to be’
found between the two oceans. Your daughter will be
‘brought back to you, Mrs. Hinton.”

When Pawnee came out, the Piute was bringing up
one of the ponies.

“How did he do it?” Pawnee inquired of the man
who had stood watching. .

“Why, he dropped out of sight, and was gone so
long I wanted to go out and see what'd happened to
him; then, when he did get up he was close to the
ponies, and had the noose of that rope round the neck

of one of them. As he threw the pony, the others ran
Oi

ett would be an easy guess, then,” said Pawnee,
“that he crawled up to the ponies through the grass.

BILL) STORIES.

The grass is heavier out there than here, and there
are some weed patches.” Ce
Pawnee borrowed a bridle for the pony. That was

all the Piute wanted, as he was used to bareback rid-

ing.
Paros old hunting camp on the Dry Fork,”
Pawnee repeated, as the Piute was ready to start.
“Took out for Comanches, red and white. Give all
suspicious-looking places a wide berth. And put the
pony through.”

“Ai,” said the Piute.

He shook the bridle rein, gave a yell, and the star-
tled pony leaped away. o

“Now, professor,” said Pawnee, “we'll again get
on the back of Chick-Chick, unless you prefer to stay
here. This would be a good place for you, don’t you
think?”

The professor had been turning that over in his
hand.

“Comfort is a thing to be sought,” he said, “when
deeds of derring-do are not to be performed. I should
like to remain here; and it may be that you, and par-
ticularly your horse, Major Lillie, would prefer |
should do so; but I remember the terrified look in the
eyes of my servant, Julius Cesar Jones. That look
calls to me, and I have decided to go with you. Stren-

uous effort, my dear Lillie, is demanded. Besides, I-

am persuaded that the Comanches think me crazy, and
will not harm me; which is an advantage I may be able
to use.”

“Those white men who are playing Comanches may
not be so easy, professor,’ Pawnee urged.

“Nevertheless, | am resolved to go with you, unless
you absolutely forbid me to do so. I can play crazy,
for the benefit of the Comanches, if it becomes neces-
sary. There are, | know, people unkind enough to
think that, in order to do that, all I have to do is to act
in my natural manner, but——”

Pawnee interrupted by calling Chick-Chick.

A moment or so later he and the professor rode
away, leaving the troubled men and women and the
smoking ruins behind them.

 

CHAPTER? Vi
BUFFALO BILL TRAPPED.

es sun was up when Buffalo Bill came to Cale Cut-
iff’s,

As Pawnee Bill had said, the house set well out on
the flat plains, so that to approach it without discov-
ery would have been difficult, in the daytime. Some
distance back of it a few willows flourished by the
bank of a small stream. oe

There were no other buildings, except a shedlike
stable; and the house itself was only a make-shift, of
boards and cottonwood poles, erected there not long
before. a

Cutliff had come from Albuquerque; had settled in
one of the new Panhandle colonies; then had moved

 

 

 

 

 

a ce Se

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

THE BUFFALO
out to this forbidding region, when the colonists made
it plain that they wanted him in their midst no longer.
- He had a notorious reputation, Aside from that,
and the fact that he was suspected of a number of
crimes, Buffalo Bill knew nothing about him, and
that he had such a daughter as Bettina Cutliff had
come to the scout as a surprise.

Cutliff's apparently was deserted when the scout ap-
proached it.

_ But when he drew rein, some distance off, and sat
looking at the house, the front door opened. —

“Ah! the girl herself!” he said, and urged Bear Paw
forward. “I judge that Cutliff has not got back from
that meetin’ at the wash.”

The girl who had come to the door, observing him,
beckoned to him; and he kicked Bear Paw into a
quicker pace.

“Perhaps,” thought the scout, “she has some added
information, which she wishes to give me before her
father appears.’

Dropping from the back of Bear Paw before the
door, he drew down the reins, letting them swing from
the bits, so that Bear Paw would not stray.

The girl stood in the doorway, smiling.

“Come in, : she said,

Your father i is not at home yet?” he inquired.

“No,” she answered, “he hasn't come yet. Come
it
When the scout stepped into the house he was
astounded to find two men there—Cale Cuthff and Nat

Martin. On the right side of the door was Cutliff, an
the other side was Martin Eath had a revolver cover
ing him.

“Glad to see ye!” Cutliff laughed.

The scout sprang backward, to get outside, when
the girl threw herself against the door and closed it
behind him, thus imprisoning him in the room.

“Set down,’ commanded Martin. ‘You're said
ter be tur’ble quick on’ the trigger; but, if ye try to
. draw, down ye go, and no foolin’.”

Buffalo Bill was as quick a man as ever was known
with the revolver. But not even he could have got out
a weapon, when thus taken by surprise, before those
triggers could have been pulled.

He did not’sit down, however.

Instead he looked at the girl; who had retreated to
the other side of the room, after closing and locking
the door. She had abstracted the key, and clutched it
now in her hand.

“This seems to have been a trick of yours,
“and I admit that I was/not prepared for it.”

“Ruther cute trick, dropping that bolt behind ye,”
chuckled Cutliff.

“T think this young woman understands my mean-
ing,” said the scout.

He was trying to find a loophole which would let
him out of his exceedingly dangerous situation, but he
saw none. ;

On the point of bitterly accusing the girl of ce
ery, he restrained the impulse. It might be, he thought,

*-he ad

   

‘it,’ be ordered.

 

   

Piel SO LOR Raa Li

thatshe was playing a difficult role. She had said that
if her father knew what she had done he would kill
her. Perh@ps he had returned before she expected
him, and she had been forced to do as she did now
through fear of him.

“We're thankin’ ye, ” said, Cutlift: “fer comin to tis;
savin’ us the trouble 0’ goin’ to you. I reckon you ain't
expectin’ that we’re goin’ to let ye git away, now that
you're hyer?”’ :

“T hadn’t thought

Again the scout checked himself.

“Pull out that gun, on this side o’ ye,” commanded
Cutliff. “Keerful how ye handle it, Chuck it on the.
floor. Ti-you try to lift it otherwise, Pll prompt drill
ye. Tm meanin’ jest what I say.’

Buffalo Bill dropped his hand to. the revolver.

He drew it, quick as a flash, and was turning it, when
Cuthiff’s revolver spoke, and the scout tumbled to the
floor. ~
An oath ripped from the lips of the scoundrel who
had shot him.

“He wouldn’t play fair, and he got it!”

“You've killed him,” cried the girl.

“Right-o !”

Nat Martin remained in his place, with revolver
pointed at the fallen scout.

“T ain't takin’ no chantes with the like o’ him,” he
said; “so I’m hunkerin’ hyer, while you go through
him, Cale; and if he tries tricks, he gits my lead,
too.”

Cutliff, eying the form on the floor, got up, with
his fevolver still ready.

“Nobody can afford to take chances with the like
o him,’ he repeated. “That's why I shot,”

He stooped over-the scout. The girl, coming for-
ward, did the same.

“You shot him’ in the top. of the head,’ she said,
“and the blood’s running all down over his face and
through his hair. Ugh! r

She drew out the revolver still remaining in the
scout’s belt and passed it to Cutliff ; then she unfastened

the belt and passed that over also. ‘The other revolver
Cutliff picked off the floor.

“Go through his pockets, Betty, while ye’re about

“A man like him ought to kerry

 

money.’
She went through them with nimble fingers ch
tossed the contents on the floor.
“A pocketknife, “pipe, and tobaeco, some tose
change, and—here’s his pocketbook,” she said.
he opened. it eagerly, and pulled out some crum-
pled bills.
“Only eighteen dollars,” she went on, when she had
counted them. “And this loose change is only thirty-
five cents.”

“Gimme the bills, and keep the change,’ directed
Cutliff.

He turned to Martin.

“We'll divvy on this, Nat,” he explained. “It ll be

all right for the girl to have the change?”

   

ote toot nny hy DBR a ead ag

 
 

ip no more.

12 | . THE BUFFALO

“Sure, it’s all right,’ Martin grunted. “Better look
and see if that was a knockout bullet he got, or the
other kind. I reckon a man like Bill Cody will be
about as hard to kill as they make ’em.’’

Cutliff looked at the wound.

“Tt cut through his hat, and took a slice out o’ the
top of his head,” he said. “He ain't goin’ to wake
Well, there shore won’t be much tear-
sheddin’ among a lot o’ the boys on this border.”

“Still,” said Martin soberly, “there’s goin’ to be a
lot of it among the other kind, and a big row is goin’ to
be made about it, too. The United States Government
is goin’ to investigate, when a man like him gits lead
slung into him.”

“If the United States Government hears about it,”
laughed Cutliff. “That’s what you meant, Nat.”

~“Cody’s been too big a windstorm to have his passin’

go unnoticed,” remarked Martin.

“T reckon you're fergittin’ the Comanches,” said
Cutliff.” “Cody’s been rammin’ round on these plains
tryin’ to git a line on old Rollin’ River’s Comanches.
The redskins located him, and wiped him out. That’s
the way it’s goin’ to be reported.”

“Who by?” asked Martin.

“It's goin’ to be a natcheral inference,’ answered
Cutliff, as he tucked the bills into his pocket. “When

- a man is out after Injuns, and don’t come back, and

no reli’ble reports ever come in about him, it’s to be
considered that the Injuns got him.”

“You bury this body round hyer anywhar,” said
Martin, “and you bet the grave will be found. There’s

_ Pawnee Bill, and them other pards of Bill Cody’s to

be taken inter consideration. They’re keener than
hotnd dawgs, and they'll be hard to fool. For my
part, ’'m sorry you had to down him.”

The girl was moving about the room, taking from
various places a few articles, which she threw into a
small bag, as if preparing for a journey.

“We're goin’ to git our hosses and ride to the wash
right off,’ said Cutliff. “Before we go we're goin’
to ride round this house a few times and leave a lot of
pony tracks.. Our animiles air Injun ponies, without
shoes on ’em, and the smartest spy that ever squinted
at a hoof markjain’t goin’ to be able to say that Injuns
was not ridin’ °em. Then we're goin’ to set fire to this
shack and let it burn down, with this hyer body o’ Bill
Cody in it. Maybe you'll tell me how, then, the gov-
efnment, or the troopers, aire goin’ to tell what’s be-
come of Bill Cody?”

He turned to the girl.

“Go out and git them ponies from the willers,” he

commanded. “Step spry. We're goin’ to ram into that

southerly breeze in less’n ten minutes now.”
The girl unlocked and opened the door, and disap-
peared. | :
“Thar goes the cutest gal in the Panhandle,” mut-
tered Nat Martin. ©
“You can bet she’s smart,” assented Cutliff approv-
ingly. — .
_ While the girl was gone for the ponies, Cale Cutliff

Nich Paha a nk me le
Dona rt y 2 At

BILE STORIES,

collected blankets, bedding, and other articles and made
them into a bundle for the back of a horse.

‘Here they are,’ they heard the girl call, and im-
mediately afterward the sounds of trampling ponies
reached their ears.

‘Anything you want from ’mongst the duds in
hyer?” Cutliff asked Martin.

“There’s a sawed-off shotgun over in the corner that
might come handy,” said Martin.

“Take it. You'll find some shells by it on the shelf,”

Martin dropped the shotgun shells into his pockets
and, took the gun.

From the back room Cutliff dragged a can of kero-
sene containing a number of gallons. Part df the con-
tents he poured on the door and the floor in front of
it, and the rest he turned on the floor at a corner of
the house, and on the wall outside.

Then the men closed and locked the door.

“Nobody in sight, I spose?” said Cutliff.

“Nobody,” replied Martin, who was lashing on the
packs and bundles.

“I tried to catch Cody’s caballo, but I can’t get near
it,” the girl reported.

Cutliff piled dry grass over the kerosene on the out-
side of the house.

“Ride the ponies round a bit, Injun fashion,” he or-
dered. - \

Martin swung to the back of one of the ponies. He
and the girl then did various evolutions with the ponies
—galloped them round and round the house, and came
back before the door.

‘We ought to let off some pistols and a few Injun
yells,” laughed Martin, “jest to make it seem kind o’
natcheral.”’

Martin tried, then, to capture Bear Paw, and failed.

“Oh, Jet him alone!” exclaimed the girl; “you can’t
catch him!”

“Hyer goes,” said Cutliff, and stuck a lighted match
inthe dryicrass,: 3 3

A tongue of flame ran through the grass, communi-
cated to the kerosene, shot upward in a bright blaze
along the wall, and began to leap merrily.

Cale Cutliff took the pony the girl was holding for
him and mounted to the deep saddle.

“Now for the wash,” he went on. “We want to git
well out from this before it’s goin’ good; so if anybody
sees it and comes along they won’t have any evidence
against us. If the report gits out that Cody was shot
and killed in my house, which ’tain’t likely, we can say
that I wasn’t there at the time, and that Comanches
done at.” \

“If we could leave some other sign, besides them
pony tracks,” suggested Martin.

Cutliff pulled out a few eagle feathers,

“Hyer aire some of the kind the boys is usin’ ; how’'ll
they do?”

He threw them in the grass—some before the door,
others farther out.

_ “In their haste to git away after settin’ fire’ to: this
house the Comanches drapped off a few feathers,’’ he

AIRS Sar AN A ed tN to we gt eats mee

 

ew

 

 
      

 

  

 

   

a

said, with a chuckle. ‘‘That’ll sound all right, in the
story. We can report that Injuns burned this house,
and say nothin’ about Cody. And you bet that will be
all that will ever be known.”

The fire was eating toward the roof, and already a
part of the wall on that side was a mass of flame.

Cutliff pulled his pony round.

“We'll ride first in the direction of Black Rock, and
hit that Injun trail, made a week or two ago; then we
can swing over toward Bear Fork wash. Hyer we

als

They galloped away, the girl between the two horse-
men, Martin leading the pack pony.

Bear Paw had galloped off and stood sniffing the air
suspiciously as they departed.

 

CHAPTER VII.
A CLOSE CALL,

The door was no more than closed when Buffalo Bill
stirred and opened his eyes. Then he put his hand to
his head, and tried to sit up.

A red mist was swimming before him, yet he knew
what had happened to him and where he was.-

“The treachery of that girl!” he muttered.

Leaning heavily against the wall, he felt gingerly
of the wound on the top of’ his head.

“T guess I’m not easy to kill,” he thought, ‘for that

would have finished some men ; and they believed it had
finished me.’

The skin had been cut open. That and the fact that
the blood had flowed into the thick hair and matted it
had made it seem, to the hasty and superficial examina-
tion of Cale Cutliff, that the top of Ge ScOUE s head
had been torn out.

The wound would have so disabled most men that
they would have been incapable of action for days. Yet
the scout had returned to consciousness while the scoun-
drels’and the girl were still in the room, and had over-
heard some of their talk.

The treachery of the girl was the thing that bewil-
dered him. He would have staked his life on her hon-
esty; yet she apparently had been used as a decoy to
draw him to the house, that he might be murdered
there, or, after he had appeared, she had been so afraid
of Cutliff that she had played a part to deceive him and
save herself from punishment.

Buffalo Bill preferred to believe this last was the
truth. He could not find it in his heart to accept the
other theory.

Hearing the fire raging aad the ponies galloping
away, the famous scout raised himself up with the
utmost difficulty, crawled painfully to the nearest win-
dow, and looked out.

“There they go,” he said bitterly; ‘
with them!’

Peering through the panes he saw the fire leaping
against. the house, near the corner. The roar told
him it was gaining headway rapidly.

‘and the girl is

BiLL STORIES.

THE BUFFALO

“his head a strip torn from the lining of his coat.

 

Le

He tried the door, but it had been locked. The win-
dow to which he had pulled himself was also fastened
securely,

“Pawnee will not have his ride to the Ohio settle-
ment for nothing,’ he muttered. “Still, Cutliff in-
tends to play Comanche. Well, if I ever get out of
this I'll know what sort of a gang I’m up against.
And that girl

He drew himself slowly ¢ over to the other window, :
and found that fastened.

Looking round, he saw the bed in the corner of the.
room. |

In his weakened condition the famous scout found
some trouble in pulling the bed to pieces; but at last
he accomplished it, and began to batter at the door
with one of the bed rails,

The door was of stout material—apparently Cutliff
had expected he might some time he called on to de-
fend himself behind it.

The aroused energy of the scout, stimulated by the
roaring of the fire, so increased his temporary strength
that he succeeded in battering out one of the heavy
panels. At on he was able to crawl through to the
outside.

The fire was now burning furiously, and Cody
saw the house was doomed. He realized with a shud-
der that if he had remained long unconscious he would
have been burned to death inside of the building.

Bear Paw, holding aloof, and viewing the fire, came
prancing up ‘with anxious snorts when he held Buffalo
Bill. He whinnied his pleased recognition.

When Buffalo Bill tried to climb into the saddle he
almost failed, his head was so dizzy.

He had been stripped of everything save his cloth-
ing. But on. Bear Paw’s saddle was still his rifle.

Clinging to the stirrup leather, Cody urged the horse
to the willows, BSY a quarter of a mile from the
shack.

The creek here was a series of water ai some
dry, others containing a little water.

Getting down to one that contained water, the scout
washed his wound as well as he could and tied around
Over
this he put his hat, which he had brought out of the

 

‘house with him.

The water made him feel better. He drank of it,
and permitted Bear Paw to drink, after coaxing the
animal down to the bottom of the hole.

He was pleased to see that this put him and the
horse below the level of the surrounding country and
out of sight of any one chancing along. Still, it was
not a good hiding place as a horseman, seeing the wil-
lows, might be tempted to ride there in search of water.
But it was the best the scout could do.

His strength was spent. So he lay on the ground be-

side the water hole, with Bear Paw keeping guard cee

by him,
When his ead was not tba dizzy, or did not ache

- too much, he tried to reach some satisfactory conclu-

 

 
  

 

THE BUFFALO

14

sion about the girl; but he always failed, owing to his
desire to consider her acts in a favorable light.

The shack burned to the ground, without drawing
any one to investigate the fire. The situation was _re-
mote from any inhabited place, and no doubt the blaze
went unobserved.

But smoke was still rising from the ruins, when,
about mid-afternoon, two*horsemen came galloping
that way.

The scout was lying in the hollow by the willows,
and the sounds of thudding hoofs reached him through
the ground, as his ear lay pressed against it. iS

When he looked up he saw that Bear Paw also had
caught the sound and was listening.

“What is it, Bear Paw?” he asked.

Bear Paw’s ears twitched, and he seemed about to
whinny. \

“Better not do that,” muttered the scout, and jerked
the lariat, which was about the horse’s neck. “It
might not be wise, you know.”

Crawling up the bank the scout peered out through
the willows.

What he saw almost choked him with delight.

“Nomad and Little Cayuse!’ he said. “Bear Paw,
friends are here; do you hear that? Friends are
here!”

Bear Paw had caught a whiff that seemed to fell
him he knew the approaching horses, and his loud
whinny shrilled out of the hollow.

When the lariat was freed the horse began to scram-
ble up the bank. The scout caught the stirrup leather
as the animal passed him, and was drawn out at Bear
Paw’s side.

Standing by Bear Paw, still clinging to the leather,
he swung his hat and sent forth a feeble cry.

Nomad’s familiar roar came back in response, and,
following it, the wild yell of the Piute.

“Friends, Bear Paw!’ the scout laughed weakly.

Once more Bear Paw sent his shrilb whinny over the
plains.

1 CHAPTER VII.
WITH THE WHITE COMANCHES,

Julius Cesar Jones was certainly having adventures
and experiences to burn, since leaving his familiar
haunts in Chicago.

At a time when he felt perfectly secure, he had been
captured by Comanches, together with his employer,
Professor Dickson.

Dickson had been released that night, when the
Comanches discovered that he was the “crazy man”
who had troubled them and brought them ill luck two
months or so before. | x

The negro was held until the next day; when he,
- too, was released, and his departure from that vicinity
was stimulated by the prodding of a lance point and
furious threats were howled at him in an outlandish
tongue.

 

  

BILL STORIES.

The only reason that Julius Cesar didn’t fly,-then,
was because he had not been furnished with wings.
He ran as fast as he could, and as long.

For the next day or so the darky lived as-close to
nature as any idedlist could desire. His food was
grass and grasshoppers, with a few cactus.pears for
dessert and drink. His couch was the earth, and his
coverlet the sky.

He had only the dimmest idea of where he was.
Where he was going he did not know, but he was on
his way. To be alone in that expanse of plains terri-
fied him.

Then, as he struggled on in his blind fashion, a
group of painted horsemen careered toward him over
the level land.

“Injuns!’’ was his shriek.

Again he ran. -

But the horsemen readily overtook him, the noose of
a rope pulled him down. Again he was a prisoner.

These painted creatures could talk “white language,”
but that did not help the situation of Julius Cesar
Jones, except that it gave him an opportunity to beg
for his release, which was laughed at.

“Whar was you goin’?” one of the “Indians” de-
manded.

When Julius answered “Chicago,”
other outburst of hilarity.

“Did ye think you was on the right trail?” he was
asked.

Julius didn’t know what a trail was, but he made
shift to give another answer, which was apparently as
amusing. In fact, these redskins were inclined to laugh
at everything. ae

They had a number of led animals which were
loaded with loot, consisting chiefly of blankets and
household goods; and they talked of killing and burn-
ing in a way that made his flesh prickle. Julius Cesar
had once paid a good dollar for a hair tonic, warranted
to take the kinks out of a negro’s hair, but that’ wasn’t
in it as a hair straightener with the talk he now was
compelled to listen to—talk of slaughter and rob-
beries, revenge and gory fights.

The next morning, when Julius was doing the cook-
ing at the command of-one of these men, a number
of other redskins joined them.

Among them was a woman. |

~“Tnjun women is wuss’n Injun men, Thas been told,”
said Julius to himself, as he glanced toward her.

He saw her slide from her pony, and he knew that

she was young by the ease of her movements and the
slenderness of her figure.

“Injun all the same,” muttered Julius.

It did not please him, therefore, when he heard one
of the men saying that they had “saved up the nigger”
so that he could be Miss Betty’s servant.

: The woman came over to the cooking fire to inspect
him, and stood looking at him. 2

“What's your name?”’ she said.
The negro rolled his eyes round at her.

there was an-
o

 

 

 

 
 

THE BUFFALO

“Mah name is Julius Casar Jones,’ he answered
gravely.

It brought a laugh. a

Her face was painted a reddish hue, with funny
little stripes of blue curving across her cheeks and over
her forehead.
dress of feathers that was undeniably becoming. Her
jacket and the skirt of her dress were of tanned skins,
ornamented with fringes of the same material and with
glass beads woven in intricate designs, together with
little rosettes and triangles of dyed porcupine quills
and the quills ‘of birds’ feathers. “

Altogether ‘She made a striking figure, as she stood
before the negro and laughed at the name he had given.
She began to look at him more closely, as if his fea-
tures interested her. :

A lithe young man, with a tread like a panther, saun-
tered over to her side. He was painted and feathered,
wore a blanket that dropped back from his shoulders,
and had on his head a cowboy hat.

“That name is too much of a mouthful,” he said.
“You'll have to call him Jule; that’s short for Julius.”

She flashed him a look that showed her white teeth,
and laughed again. ee

“According to that,” she said, “your name of Bill
must be short for Billious.”

Julius Ceesar stared from one to the other, and was
undeniably puzzled.

“Is you-all Injuns?” he queried.

“Shore thing, Julius,’ replied the man.
look it?”

“You looks it; yas, sah, you looks it; but you-all
don’t talk it.” i

“That’s because we are educated Indians,” laughed
the girl. “I suppose you hadn't heard about that. We
used to be at the Comanche mission school, where
they taught us a lot of stuff that we didn’t want to
know, and left out a lot that we did, and that’s how it
happened we can talk English. You're a negro, yet
vou talk English.” 7 :

“Me? Kase I was bawn in de Noonited States.” |

“Wow! shouted the man.

“Don’t we

that the Comanche reservation is over in Germany.”
“Stop your fooling, Bill Overton,” said the girl; “I
want to get acquainted with my servant.”
“Yas’m,” said Julius, turning to her.
“Where are you from?” she questioned. :
“Um f'um Chicago,” Julius answered proudly.
This interested her. : | -
“Chicago!” she exclaimed, again looking at him
closely. ‘Where did you live in Chicago?”
“Latest time, I wukked in a rest’raunt on Dearborn.
Street? os, ‘ |
Fhen she astonished him:
“Was it Waverly’s restaurant?”
“Sho’s you is bawn, it was,” he cried. “Huccome
you to know ‘bout dat place?’ .

 

 

Instead of a hat she wore a head-

“Ain't that enough to
make you swaller your tongue? Julius Cesar thinks’

     

Bie STORIES ioe
“I took dinner there once, when a lot of the Co-
manches were on their way to Washington. You don’t
remember about that?” rent a
a Deed Udon tus i. ol ae
You never saw any Indians in Chicago.” She and.
the young man were laughing again, now. Julius could
not tell why. aS

“Deed I didn’t. -Dah ain’t no Injuns eveh in Chi-
cago, as I knows of.”

“Well, I was there, Julius, and I saw you. Now,
tell me just how you happened to be down here?”

The negro gave the desired information.

This seemed to turn the tables; her amazement she
could not disguise.

“Professor Dickson!’ she cried. a

“Yas’m; but he practiced un-deception.on me, dat’s
what he did. He nevah tol’ me dat Injuns was down
heah, or I’d never come wid him.”

“You don’t seem to like Indians, Jule,” said. the
man, beginning to roll.a cigarette in his painted fin-
gers. ! ,
"Yas, sah, I likes “em,” said Julius, hedging for
safety ; “but—dey don’t like me.”

“Well, 'm going to like you,” said the girl. “You're
going to wait on me, you know. We'll get along fine.
You're cooking now. When you get through, come to
me for orders.”

She linked her arm in that of young Overton, and
they walked away together. She was talking to the
young man, in apparent excitément.

Julius stood eying them, and cast glances at the
others in camp. The band numbered nearly twenty,
and for barbarous coloring they outdid even the real
Goinanchee, 2) 027,

“Ef I does mah wuk quick,” thought Julius, “dat
gal will maybe treat me right. But dis idee o’ wukkin’
for Injuns doan’t appeal to my sens’bilities: no, sah.
Mighty queer Injuns, too. Dey talk de langwidge
good as I does. Dem yuther ones what I met wid
couldn’t talk it at all. Yas, sah; dat’s mighty queer.”

Before Julius had finished at the cooking fire an-
other band of painted riders appeared.

“Mo” Injuns comin’,’ muttered Julius.

seem to be no,other kin’ uh people out heah.’’

There was also a girl with'this party. But she was
not painted and feathered. She was’ dressed plainly,
and apparently she had recently been crying.

_ Julius nearly dropped his frying pan when he saw
her and discovered that she was white.

“Dat gal’s a pris’neh, same as me’’ he muttered,
sizing up the situation accurately.

He’ saw the girl who wore the paint and feathers
go up to this girl and begin to question her. ‘Also, he
saw the samesyoung man join the feathered beauty

r Doan +

‘again and take part in the conversation.

Julius had forgotten his work, when he was recalled
to it by a sharp command from one of the men. |

“Git onto. your job, you triflin’ nigger,’ was shouted

 

 
 
 
  

 
   

  
    
 
 
  
 
 
   
   
  
    
  
  

   
  
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
   
   
  
  
 
 
   
   
  
   
   
 
  
  
 
     
  
  
  
   
   

ia
ie

 

 

 

%

16 THE BUFFALO

at him. “We ain’t goin’ to have no Mexican mafana
bizness round here, and we're gittin’ hungry.”

“Yas, sah,” said Julius, turning to his fire.
wasn't meanin’ no ha’m.”

Ah

 

CHAPTER SIX.
A LIVELY Figur.

When Julius looked up again it was because his at-
tention was strongly attracted by an undeniable stir in
the camp. Men were moving about hurriedly; there
was a hasty gathering of weapons, some loud com-

_ Mmands, and several men dashed out of the camp to-

ward the grazing horses.
The negro stared round to ascertain the Occasion.
‘Mo’ Injuns comin’,” he said. “Seems lack dah is
enough uh ’em out heah now, ’dout any mo’ comin’,”
A band of horsemen had broken int view far out

- on the plains and were riding rapidly toward the camp.

Though so far off, Julius could see the glint of their
lances, which proved to him that they were Indians.
Still, he had hardly observed that the Indians who held
him had very few lances; their arms were chiefly
rifles and revolvers.

The excitement_in the camp, and some of the words

_he caught, caused Julius to suspend work and give

more attention to the situation. He saw that a‘number
of saddles had been thrown into a circle on the ground,
and that the men in the camp were working hurriedly
with knives and hatchets, heaping a line of earth
against this circle of leather.

A command was bawled to him,

“Come hyar, nigger, and help with this!”

Julius jumped to obey; for he had a healthy fear of
these men:

A hatchet and knife were given to him. -

“Dig like a gopher,” he was ordered: “and pile the
dirt against them saddles; we’re goin’ to have a hot
fight in about another minute.”

“Who is yo’ goin’ tuh fight?” he asked, puzzled.
An oath was flung at him; and Julius began to dig

hurriedly, helping a number of men who were heap-
ing up a defensive mound.

As the horsemen came nearer, the ponies that had
been driven in from the grazing ground were huddled
at the side of the camp; some of them were roped and
thrown; and an attempt was made to pile earth up
against their bodies.

Before this furious work was half finished wild
yells came floating over the plains from the coming
horsemen.

The two girls, with a number of the men, were now
inside the circle of saddles and heaped earth.. The one
wearing feathers and paint had produced a short car-/
bine and was loading it. The other crouched on the
ground, unheeded by any one.

Julius was kept outside digging, until rifle bullets

BILL STORIES.

began to spurt sand from the ground less than a dozen
yards from him, when he was commanded to come in-
side. He was by that time terribly frightened and
shaking like a leaf; yet his curiosity was not subdued.

“Huccome it dat you-all’s is goin’ tuh fight wid dem
otheh Injuns?’’ he asked.

“Shet up, and take this pistol! And you'd better do
some shootin’, too, or there will be a woolly scalp
hangin’ in a Comanche lodge mighty soon. Hyar they
come, boys; now give it to em!”

The Comanches were beginning their familiar tac-
tics of riding round the enemy and firing™as they rode,
keeping their bodies well concealed behind their ponies.

A gust of lead swept against the earth heaped out-
side the circle of saddles. One of the ponies was
struck; and, struggling to its feet, it stampeded and
darted away.

“My hawse is gone,” cried one of the men, as he
took aim at the wild riders. ‘“Hyar’s hopin’ that I git

_ the man that donext.”

After that, for a while, Julius Cesar Jones hardly
knew what was happening. The circling horsemen
rode round and round, howling like demons, while they
sent in bullets and arrows as fast as they could.

The defenders of the hastily made defenses returned
the fire, cursing and yelling. A half dozen ponies were
killed. ‘Ropes thrown over their necks and legs en-
abled the men to pull them round so that the bodies
offered some protection.

T'wo of the defenders were shot, one being killed in-
stantly, the other being only wounded,

Now and then Julius pulled the trigger of his re-
volver, because some one yelled him an order to do

it; but always he shut his eyes, and did not see what
he shot at. >

The girl wearing the paint and feathers fought by
the side of the men, loading and firing her carbine,
then dropping back, as they did, after each shot.

How long this carnival of yells and shooting went
on Julius could not tell—it seemed a very long time;
but, finally, after a wild dash, in which two Indians
were dropped from their ponies, the attacking party

drew off, and rode wildly away, taking their dead and
wounded with them.

As soon as the Comanches were gone, the disguised ~

outlaws who had been attacked tried to take stock of
their losses.

“One man dead and three hurt,” Julius heard some
one growling; “and half the caballos gone. But we
gave old Rollin’ River a taste of our quality, you bet!”

“He won't try it ag’in,”’ declared another.

“I believe that last one that tumbled was the chief
himself,” said a third, ee

The hope was voiced unanimously that this was so.

One of the wounded men, who had a cut on the
head, where a bullet had raked him, was pulled into
the 'middlé of the-circle: then water froin 4 “canteen
was poured on his head, and his wound was washed.

al

 

 

 

 

teredirarth-stlnn tires abrinh Si

 

 

 

 

Ph ea a Ain hea ional en cies Bal

  
  
 

 

 

 

 

 

THE BUFFALO

Julius, staring-eyed, saw the paint come away, and
beheld the face of a white man.

“In de name uh Mike!” he gasped, letting it slip
before he realized what he was doing.

One of the men looked round at him.

“What's the matter with Mike?” was asked.

“Why, dat’s a white man!’

‘Oh, at-19 1 Well, I hadn’t teal it.
me.

Julius Lee round, staring at the other “Indians.”
Then his gaze fell on the girl who had claimed him as a
servant. She had taken a water bottle and was wash-
ing powder stains from her hands;.and Julius saw
the red paint coming away.

When he-had stared a while, the truth began to sift
into his slow intellect. He looked round again.

Then he crawled over to the side of the girl.

Glad ye told

“That was a hot fight, Julius,” she said, flashing him,

a glance. “I didn’t see you doing no heroic work,
though. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Ifa
man won’t fight for his life, what kind of a man is he?”

“Ah dunno,” said Julius ; “but I knows what kind uh

eg

a woman you is; you is a white woman!

She turned again, and laughed in his face.

“How strange!’’ she said.

“Strange enough tuh me,” said the negro. ‘What
is de meanin’ uh dis heah, anyhow? Is all dese heah
men white men what. is painted?”

“Youll have to find out,” she replied.

“T’se beginnin’ tuh s’pect dat it’s sholy so,” he
breathed, staring about. “You is white folks, painted,
and wid feathehs. What’s de reason?”

“Oh, cat’sfoot!’”’ she cried. “‘Julius, you are a fool.”

“Dis mek me think ‘bout what you said uh Chicago
—'bout seein’ me in dat rest’raunt. I’se beginnin’ to
‘stand dat now. You used to live in Chicago, Tse
guessin’; so dat’s huccome you seen me dah?”

She stopped, looked at her hand, from which she had
removed the paint; then she glanced up at him.

“You're so good a guesser that you'd make a for-
tune teller. I not only saw you in that restaurant,
but I used to work there myself. I was there the week
you came, and then I-went away.”

Julius Cesar’s méuth gave a good imitation of the
Mammoth Cave.

“Fo’ de love uh
“That sounds strange, don’t it?” she snapped at
him, :)

For a moment the negro was speechless.

“Say, whd was you, when you wukked in dat res-
t'raunt?”? he demanded, when he could get his breath.

“You don’t recollect Betty?”

His eyes opened so widely that they showed eral
circles of white. —

“Betty Coston?” he exclaimed.

“Sure thing, Julius.”

_“Fo’ de love uh Mike!”

39

 

- diers.

BILL STORINS. + , lie

CT Pai OS,
A AUS TED CAM PB.

That the Comanches had made their attack and
had been defeated pleased Cale Cutliff, theugh he
raged against them after the fight, because of the- loss
of men and ponies he had sustzined.

Julius Cesar Jones heard him talking with Nat
Martin about it that night. Julius Cesar had been
so sure, at first, that these painted men were Indians
that he could not get used to the shift in his mental
view. So it: still astonished him to hear them talking

“white man’s talk.”

He was fastening down some iron picket pins, used
to stay the ropes of the tent that had been erected for
his new mistress, Betty; yet he found time to turn a
listening ear in the direction of the speakers, who sat
apart, near the tent, conversing in low tones, except
when a burst of rage shattered Cutliff’s caution and
pitched his voice to a high key.

“Waal,” he heard Martin remark, “old Rollin’ River
ain't goin’ to make that tackle ag’in in no hurry!’

“He shore sloshed up to high-water mark that-time,
and hereafter he'll be contented to stay within banks,”
said Cutliff. “But, as it had to come, I’m tarnal glad .
it’s over with, an’ that we ain’t no wuss hurt than we
aires

“Too bad. though, to have to plant one of our men
so soon atter settin’ out!”

Cutliff considered this, as he smoked his pipe.

“It’s in the game, Nat,” he said. ‘When the cards
run aginst a man that-away, it can’t be helped. We

didn’t expect to hit no easy ae when we went

into this, ye know.”

“I hope things will come our way now purty rapid.”

“Thar ain’t nothin’ to hender us goin’ right along
in the line we marked out, so fur’s I see now. Rollin’
River has gotsall he wants, an’ won't be likely to trouble
us no more. And Bill Cody, and that shack 0’ mine,
went up in smoke together. So that ’liminates him.
As for the men that was follerin’ Cody, we don’t need
to trouble about them overmuch.”

He smoked, and thumbed his pipe.

“T been thinkin’,” he said, “that it would bera payin’
raid, if we could drift east’rd and hit one of them trail-
wagon outfits carryin’ stuff down to Camp Supply
fer the pony soldiers. Onct in so often trail wagons
nose out from Dodge and go down to Supply. Gin-
‘rally they kerry abundance o’ grub, with amminition
and the like for the troopers. And onct a month, so
I’ve heerd, they carry down money to pay the sol-
If we could round up one o’ them, now!”

“Des reg’lar highway robbers!” muttered Julius,
listening.

Nat Martin chuckled over the picture that had been

conjured for him by Cale Cutliff.

“That'd be great, Cale! If we could do that while
Duval’s pony soldiers aire out this a-way huntin’ fer -

 

 
 

 

hes
wi
an
+d

 

ec THE BUFFALO

Rollin’ River, and make ’em think that it was Rollin’

River's braves what done it, it'd be as neat a trick as
could be turned.”

“Y" see,” said Cutliff thoughtfully, “we has got to
make sothe big hauls, and make ’em quick. That Ohio
settlement didn't pan out as much as I thought, though
we finished that scoundrel Hinton, and fetched away
his gal. It didn’t pan out in money, is what I mean.
If we could make four or five heavy strikes while
Rollin’ River is out of the reservation, and lay it onto
his redskins, we could then scatter, after divvying, and
be well heeled. Two hundred and odd miles north o’
hyer is the Santa Fe Railroad. Them express carts
carry lots of gold from the mines, I’m told.. S’pose
we could hit one o’ them express trains. Say we took
up some rails and rolled it into the ditch; then went
through the express stuff, and held up the passengers?
We could corral a lot of loot.’

“As Injuns?” ;

“Shore. Why not?”

“Oh, I’m game to try it,” said Martin. “We could
pile the train in the ditch and collect the stuff, all right.
But I dunno if we could make anybody believe that
redskins done it, for work o’ that sort ain't the kind
that reds ever tackle. -Reds want. scalps, an’ likker,
an’ pris’ners; but they don’t keer a hoot fer vallyble
express packages, not knowin’ anything about ’em.”

“S'pose we was painted Comanche style, and yelled
like Comanches, and slung Injun English at the ex-
press messengers an’ the passengers?”

“’Twould make a sensation in the newspapers, any-
how,” admitted Martin.

“And we'd have the boodle. If we scattered, who’d
be able to say who done it, even if it wasn’t quite be-
lieved that ‘twas Rollin’ River’s red crowd ?”

“I'm game to try it,” Martin repeated.

“Queer thing dat gal Betty is wid men like dese
heah!” breathed the listening negro. “As fo’ me, I’se
wishin’ I was under de ’lectric lights o” Chicago.”

He glanced around, beyond’ the boundaries of ‘the
camp, where darkness reigned supreme. But a bright
moon was in the sky. Except for the moonlight, the
camp would have been as dark as seemed the mesquite
plains beyond it.

“Out dah is Injuns,”’ mused the darky, ‘“‘an’ in heah
is wuss dan Injuns—white men painted an’ feathehed,
talkin’ o’ train robberies an’ killin’ men! Hit’s be-
ginnin’ tuh look like it would been money in mah
pocket ef I had nevah been bawn.” |

A mongrel dog, belonging to Cutliff, that had been
nosin’ round near the negro, suddenly straightened
up, thrust out its nose, then made a dash out of the
camp. ! oa |
“Dat dawg done «smell somethin’ s'picious,”’. mut-
tered the negro. ce

Out beyond the camp, the dog gave tongue.

Cutliff and Martin stopped talking, and came to

their feet, 3
“I got to shoot that fool pup, I reckon,” said Cut-
liff, “or he’ll give away the location of the camp.”

 

 

 

 

BILL STORIES.

“What's he barkin’ at?”
 “Dikelya rabbit.” Be Gay

The dog ceased barking, gave a yelp, and. came
scurrying back into the camp with its tail tucked be-
tween its legs. .

“No dawg don’t skeer that-away at jest a rabbit,”
said Martin. “He seen somethin’ that he didn’t like.
You don’t reckon them Comanches has turned back
an’ aire tryin’ to crawl in on us?”

It was a suggestion that prompted an investiga-
tion.

Cutliff gave a few words of command to the men
who had grouped around him and Martin. Then he
took his rifle, and, with Martin, left the camp.

Julius Caesar Jones peered into the darkness that
had swallowed them, until he heard himself called by
the girl.

“What did that mean, Julius?” she asked, coniing
out of the tent.

“Doan’t ask me, Miss Betty,” said Julius, “’kase I
don’t know. Somethin’ done skeered de dawg.”

The girl stood by him in. the moonlight, looking
off in the course taken by Cutliff and Martin. A few
paces distant a number of the painted men of the
camp stood in a group, also looking and listening.

A painful silence of five minutes or more was broken
suddenly by the crashing report of a rifle, which was
followed by a suppressed screain, and the sounds of
men wildly running,

The running men were the two who had gone
out to investigate. They were breathless when they
gained the camp,

“We seen somethin’ we didn’t understand, and shot
at it,’ said Martin evasively, when-some of the men
hurled questions at him.

Cale Cutliff turned into the tent that had been set
up for Betty. tae

“I want to see you,” he said huskily, “and you'd
better have Bill Overton. come in, too. Come in,
Martin.” De

Overton came, summoned from the crowd by the
girl. He went with her to the tent, and joined Cutliff
and Martin. ,
~ “I got to have some kind -¢’ light,” said Cutliff.

Betty brought him a candle from a box stolen from
the Ohio settlement. :

“If Comanches are out there, though,” she urged,
“it'd be best not to light it, wouldn’t it?” °

Without answering, Cutliff struck a match and
lighted the candle. He set it on the ground before
him, where it lit up the circle of faces, and looked
round. ele :

Ftenhe spoke to the gir see 6

“You seen Bill Cody dead, didn’t ye?’ he demanded
uneasily, Gia ae Wega ts ea een

“Of course she did!” said Martin. |

“I'm askin’ her, not you!” snapped Cutliff,

“Of course I saw him dead,” she declared. Dees

“Waal, what do ye think ©’ this, then? And I’m
asking the same of Overton. You saw how that

aN

 

 
 

 

 

THE BUFFALO

dawg acted! We went out there, and sneaked round,
and we seen the thing that had skeered the dawg.
And ’twas Bill Cody's ghost!”

Her face became ashen.

“His ghost!” she whispered.

“That's foolishness!” said Overton.

“That's what I thought, an’ it’s what Martin said
when we sighted it. The moon is shinin’ out there,
jest the same as in hyer, and we c’d see purty well.
And that’s what we seen. We seen Bill Cody’s ghost
—if he is dead!

“Martin got shaky,” Cutliff went on, “and tried to
draw his gun; and then I ups and pumps lead at the
thing—jest to make sure.” _

“And you didn’t hit it—him?” demanded the girl.

“Hit—nothin’! It jest stood thar in the moonlight,
though I know I sent.a bullet right through it. And
then :
“And then?” said the girl.

‘Waal, then Martin he give a yelp,.he was that
skeered, and we flew.”

“We shore didn’t do no long tarryin’ gittin’ back
to camp,’ Martin admitted.

“T wanted to tell you iff hyer, ‘thout the men hearin’
it,” Cutliff explained, “to see what you'd say about it.”

“All rot an’ foolishness,” retorted Overton. ' “If
you saw anything, except somethin’ you jest imagined,
it was Cody himself.” ,

“But how could that be?” demanded Cutliff. “You
wasn’t with us at the shack, so you can’t understand
it so well; but I shot Cody down thar—put a bullet
right through the top of his head; and we left him
layin’ dead. Then, when we come away, we set the

 

shack on fire, and left it all in flames. Cody was layin’

dead inside it, and it burned down with him in there.
So how coyld he be-out here now, and alive?”

“He wasn’t dead, and he wasn’t burned up in that
shack,” said Overton.

“But, Bill, I saw him dead myself,” said the girl;
“and I saw the shaek burning when we rode away.
There is no doubt about that, Bill.”

“Some o’ his pards come along and got him out of
the fire, and then they-cured him up; that’s my guess,”
growled Overton. “‘You ought to stayed until you
seen the shack burn down on top of him. If you had

done that, I’d be ready to believe now—that your im- —

aginations had played you a trick. I reckon I got to
believe that, anyhow.” :

Some of the men outside, bitten by /curidsity, had
come to the tent entrance.

“What was that ye shot at outside the camp?” was
asked.

“We didn’t know what it was,” Cutliff answered;
“but it looked like a man. So you fellers better stand
guard mighty clost to-night.”

“We don’t want them Comanches jumpin’ in on us
ag’in,” Martin added. :

“We heard one 0’ you yelp out, and we was figgerin’

that maybe ’twas a wolf snapped at ye, after you'd

wourided it.”

 

BILL-STORIES- -~ a ae

“?Twa'n’t no wolf,” replied Cutliff, hesitating how
to answer. “It looked like a man, but we didn’t bring
it down.”

“°Twas me that yelped,” added Martin, “’cause I
stepped on a stone, and it flipped up an’ swatted me in
the face. I was a fool fer doin’ that.’’

The men went away, and the group in the tent con-

tinued to discuss the question of whether it was a

ghost that had been seen or a real live Buffalo Bill.

All talk of striking Santa Fe trains and trail wagons
bound for Camp Supply was temporarily forgotten.

“Tf that was Cody,” said Overton, as soon as the
curious men were gone from the tent entrance, “then
you got to git this gang out o’ sight, and lay low a
while. I wouldn’t say that, if you an’ Martin wasn’t
plum’ skeered into foolishness. Skeered men cant
fight, and they can’t lead; so I’m makin’ bold to sug-
gest that.”

He saw that Cutliff did not like this talk, but went
on
“We could break trail, and hole up at Moggin’s,
and we could stay there a month, if we wanted to.
I’m. advismy, it.”

“Vour advice wasn’t invited,’ snarled Cutliff.

“Oh, all right,” said Overton. “Just consider that
I didn’t say it.” *

He got up and went out of the tent.

Julius Cesar Jones, peeking and prying outside, saw
him come out, and saw the girl follow him.

They passed on without observing him.

“That’s all rot,” the negro heard Overton declare.
“It’s a funny thing that you'd fall to nonsense like
that; Nobody that knows anything believes in ghosts
nowadays; if they seen anything but a shadder, it was
Bill Cody himself, you het.”

“But I saw him dead, I tell you!” the girl insisted.

Julius Cesar Jones sank down, shivering, but still
listened. s :

“T think we’d better go away together right now,”
urged the girl. “We mean to, you know, later; and
now there will be no more of anything. Cutliff and
Martin are scared blue, and that ends it. So I think
the sooner we get out the better all round. Besides
there’s——”’

They were walking on, and the rest of the sen-
tence was lost to the attentive ears of the darky.

“Ghosts!” exclaimed Julius, standing up suddenly.
“Is dis camp ha’nted, too? Fo’ de love uh Mike!”

22

 

 

CHAPTER XI.
A JEALOUS WOMAN.

Moggins’ Hole, to which the camp was hastily.

shifted in the night, was reached over hard ground,
with ponies whose hoofs were muffled in strips o
blanketing. ; :
The painted outlaws, after breaking camp, had scat-
tered wide, making almost as many trails as. there

were ponies; then they had united at Moggins’. __

adie

 
  

Pa SSE SST R ae ET

 

 

 

 

he
i
|
a
(

 

 

Julius Cesar Jones had accompanied Betty and Bill
Overton, the negro being compelled to run beside their
ponies, threatened with being shot if he lagged or
dropped behind.

When the party reached the spot chosen for tem-
porary concealment, the darky was not in good condi-
tion for observing anything closely.

The next morning, when he looked round, he dis-
covered that Moggins’ Hole was a sink of large area
in the open plains. Apparently the bottom had

dropped out there, or a section of the ground had

slid downward, and left this big, irregular hole.

If the negro could have taken a look out of the
hole, which was not permitted, he would have seen
that the short grass came close up to the hole, and a
dozen yards away from it the break in the level land
was not visible.

At a time when the country was not well explored
a place like that might have gone unknown for a num-
ber of years. This was relied on as being a fact by
the outlaws. Nat Martin had discovered it a year or
so before, and he was sure that its existence was
unknown even to the Comanches. He had almost
ridden into it, or even he would not have known it
was there. Afterward, he had discussed its discovery
with a friend of his named Moggins’, who claimed to
have discovered it previously; and he had called it,
then, Moggins’ Hole. His knowledge he had imparted
to Cutliff, and Cutliff had told Overton and the others
of the band.

Overton was well pleased with the spot, and was |

gratified that his advice had been taken, even if it
had been rudely received by Cale Cutliff. r

Julius Cesar Jones, always close by the side of
Betty, had chances to pick gp information, and he
heard much of the foregoing, in a conversation. be-
tween the girl and Overton.

The undersized negro was not very bright ‘men-
tally, but he had a sort of cunning that often served
him well, and his curiosity, combined with his fears,
made him a good listener! _

One thing soon caught his attention. This was
that Miss Betty had become jealous of Overton and
Molly Hinton. -

“Wheneveh two women gits tuh makin’ eyes bofe
at de same man dah is sho comin’ an up-splosion,” he
commented, as he went about his work, watching and
listening. “Dat Misteh Overton is a mighty ‘good-
looker, and dat Hinton gal is anotheh. Miss Betty
Coston, f'um Chicago, is a-goin’ tuh be cut out. Now,
yo’ watch what I tells ye!”

Molly Hinton had dried-her eyes. Grief, and her
situation, troubled her as much as ever; but she had
begun to play a game. She was a country girl; but
she Was shrewd, and she had her full share of beauty.

It had not taken her long to learn that her captors
were not Comanches, but white men, led by a man who
had harbored a grudge against her father.

Then, when she saw Betty and discovered Betty’s
position in the camp of the outlaws, she saw, at the

THE BUFFALO

BIL STORIES...

same time, that the girl was in love with the tall,
supple, young fellow, Bill Overton.

She put aside her tears, then, and her game began.
She deliberately began to court the favor of Bill
Overton. Overton, being flattered, and a susceptible
young fellow, her course was made easy.

“Yas, sah,” muttered Julius, shaking his kinky head
solemnly, while he swept out the space assigned to
Betty and threw occasional glances in the direction of
the spot occupied by Molly Hinton, “dat yutheh gal
is done a-goin’ tuh win out.”

Molly Hinton’s hopes ran along two lines. She
thought it possible that if she made Betty very jealous,
Betty would induce Cale Cutliff to send her adrift;
and, though she feared the Comanche-haunted plains,
she preferred to risk herself on them to remaining
where she was.

Her other line of hope was that Overton might

become infatuated with her, and be willing to slip out

of the camp with her and take her to some place of
safety. This was the stronger of the two; and_ it
seemed to her that she might work this plan to a suc-
cessful conclusion.

“It seems strange to me, Mr. Overton,” Molly was
saying, as the darky flourished his grass broom some
distance off and watched covertly, ‘that you are with
men like these. You have such an intelligent face, and
you-are of a higher order than any of them.” ©

“T reckon I’m about like the rest,’-he declared,
flushing. |

“Tm going to refuse to believe it,” she assured him,
with a look that touched him.

What other things’she said to Overton during that
day do not call for enumeration, but she knew that
she was gaining his interest and flattering him into ad-
miration.

Of that last, Miss Betty was also fully aware. She
was, in truth, soon boiling with a jealousy which she
tried hard to conceal from Overton. :

There was little scouting during the day; but there
was never a minute when a guard did not have his
head at the edge of the pit and was not looking off
across the plains. :

Cutliff and Martin, in the light of day, were getting
over their ludicrous fears, and were beginning to think
that they had suffered from some sort of singular
hallucination, for they were still unwilling to believe
that Buffalo Bill was not dead.

All day long not a thing moved on the plains,

_ which lay like a sea round Moggins’ Hole,

When night came again, Miss Betty was in a state
of troubled mind, hesitating between two opinions.
Her wild rage against Molly Hinton made her wish to
slay her in the night. |

She thought of that rather seriously. She had cas
her lot with outlaws, and thereby had become. one;
and murder, to an outlaw, is not to be considered a
serious thing.

Still, she did shrink from it: and she feared the

consequences to herself if she tried and failed; or

 

 

 
 

THE BUFFALO

even if she succeeded and it became ktiown that the
deed was hers.

There was another plan, and she lay awake hour
after hour thinking it over. This was to release
Molly Hinton and let her escape. With Molly gone,
Bill Overton might be won back readily to his first
allegiance. ~

“Why did Cale Cutliff ever bring her here?” she
moaned. ‘That man was a fool! He brought her, he
says, for revenge; but what does that amount to, even
to him, when her father is dead—the man he hated?”

Midnight had long passed before she had made up
her mind as to what she would do, The guards were
asleep, it seemed—everything was so quiet.

With a knife concealed in the sleeve of her dress,

she crept across the Open space to the spot where lay
Molly Hinton, wrapped in blankets and apparently
asleep.

Betty was sure that no-one observed her. But
when she,crept up to the girl, who appeared to be
sleeping, the latter spoke to her, without lifting her
head out of the blankets.

“I saw you coming,’ she said, “and I hoped you
were coming to help me.”

_ If Betty had cherished another thought it was
swept away. This was the thing to be done, she saw.

“I'd like to,” she whispered, “if I thought it could
be done.”

She slipped down by the side of the recumbent girl.

“Tf I only dared to!” she repeated.

“T have’ thought it all out,” said Molly Hinton.
“Right over there is a dark spot where the moonlight
doesn’t strike the wall of the hole. My feet are not
tied, but my hands are; they feared to trust me, after
it got dark. Perhaps they thought I might try to
get away. If these cords were off my hands, I know
I could climb up the wall at that point. And if you
will cut the cords i ¢

“Tl do it,” replied the other girl, her voice trem-
bling. ‘All I ask is that you don’t do a thing until
I get back into my tent. Will you promise thats

“You, are so good!”

“You'll promise that?”

 

“Of course. And, even if I’m caught trying to climb_

out, I'll never tell that you helped me.”

Trembling, Betty pulled open the blankets, felt for

the cords, and severed them.
“Don’t move,” she whispered, “until I’m in the tent ;
and then—be careful.’ :
Tucking the knife into her sleeve, Betty began. to

 ctawl away. It did not occur to her to wonder how

she would be able to explain the cut cords if the at-

} tempt failed and she was accused. She was jubilant

_ —and frightened. Also, strange to say, she had at
_ that moment a feeling that she was doing something

} commendable in trying to free Molly Hinton.

7 _—s She was no more than halfway to her tent, when
9 the blankets moved, and Molly Hinton, creeping out
_ of them, began her effort to reach the wall.

 

 

BILL STORIES. ae e

Looking back, Betty saw Molly gain the shadows.
“She’s going,” she whispered, “and no one sees
her!’ S ; y
The sounds of footsteps brought Julius Cesar Jones
out of a troubled dream, in which wild Comanches
were trying to boil him in a vat of oil, He had been
lying asleep close by the tent entrance. ;

He saw Betty in the moonlight, caught a glimpse
of Molly Hinton sliding into the darkness, then he
beheld Cale Cutliff, who had come up suddenly,

Betty screamed as Cutliff’s heavy hand fell on her

shoulder.

“I been watchin’ you!” he snarled.

His voice rose, in command, to the guards on the
wall:
¢ “Stop that girl over there!”

Instantly the camp in the deep hole began to boil
with confusion. Men sprang from their -blankets,
guards called to each other, and running feet thudded
heavily.

Cutliff’s clutch tightened on Betty’s shoulder.

“You come with me!” he ordered.

As she tried to fight him off, he slapped her face.

The negro lifted his head cautiously.

“Fo’ de love uh Mike!” he gasped.

Dragging Betty across the moonlit space, Cale Cut- :

liff brought her over against the wall where he last had
seen Molly Hinton. Men were scrambling about there,
bellowing ‘questions and answers; but Molly Hinton
was not to be seen.

“Did she get up the wall?’ Cutliff demanded.

“I didn’t see her, if she did,” replied the guard
who was stationed on that side.

“Search the camp,” commanded Cutliff,

It was done hurriedly.

Molly Hinton was gone,

“What’s the meaning of this?” demanded Bill Over-
ton, when he discovered that Cutliff was holding Betty,
and that she was sobbing hysterically,

“She released that girl,’ said Cutliff. “I been
watchin’ her to-day, and I laid awake and watched to-
night. I didn’t say nothin’, but I was sort 0’ lookin’
fer this. I caught her jest after she had done it.
She’s got the knife now that she cut the cords with;
and, if you go over whar Moll Hinton was sleepin’,
like’s not you'll find the cut cords. I don’t allow no

a 9e

works like that in a camp I’m bossin’.

Some of the men ran officiously to the blankets be-
tween which Molly Hinton had been sleeping. There
they found the cut cords. ee oi

“Well, what you goin’ to do about it?” demanded
Overton. “That ain't no proof.”

“What am I goin” to do about it?” roared Cutliff.
“I’m goin’ to send Bet out with t’other one—that’s
what I’m intendin’. The Comanches aire out there,
and she has sent the other girl to run into ’em; and
she can go, too.” s

At the mention of the Comanches, Betty screamed

_and began to beg to be released.

 

 

 
   
 

 

Oa

“Out you go!” yelled Cutliff, wild with rage. “Ti
the Comanches find you, all right, s’ fur’s I’m con-
cerned. No traitor stays round in this camp we
I’m bossin’ it.”

“Let upl\ growied"Ovetton: =
» “Who’s boss hyer?” shouted Cutliff.

“You are! but I'll have to object to that, you know.”

With a cry of rage, Cale Cutliff swung about, and
a blow of his big fist dropped Overton to the ground.

“Now, out ye go!” he repeated, seizing the girl
again. “Out ye go! And if there’s another man hyer
thinks I ain’t capable managin’ a case like this, now’s
the time fer him to speak up. Out ye go!’

Roughly he propelled her up the sloping bank. _

Julius Caesar Jones had come to his feet, and was

staring at Cutliff and the girl as Cutliff forced her to»
the top of the hole and pushed her out on the plains.

“Fo’ de. love uh Mike!” he gasped. ‘Dah she goes,
too; an’ if ‘twasn’t fo’ dem Injuns ['d wish it was
me!”

CHAPTER XIi
ANXTOUS FRIENDS.

Having found Buffalo Bill wounded, old Nomad
and Little Cayuse, in their ministrations, were better
for the purpose than any pair of sawbones that ever
flourished college diplomas. Whatever old Nomad
didn’t know about healing a wound of that kind, Lit-
tle Cayuse did, and, between them, they soon had the
scout comfortable.

- But it was two days before he again felt able to
take the warpath. .

In the meantime Pawnee Bill had trailed them up,
and, with Professor Dickson, had joined them, bring-
ing the story of the Den and looting of the Ohio
settlement.

The baron still was missing. Little Cayuse had not
been able to find him, though he had found Nomad.

“Ther baron, like’s not, has met up wi’ some Dutch
settler some’eres,’ Nomad said. . “Allus when thet
happens, ther talkfest what follers takes er week. Ef
thet ain’t ther way of et, he’s tracked out fer yer
latest stampin’ ground, an’ didn’t thar connect with
ye. He warn’t with me at Harroun’s.” »

“T’m pinning my faith to Schnitz’s proverbial luck,”
declared Pawnee Bill.
bright as a new dollar.”

Returning from one of his frequent scouting trips,
Little Cayuse reported the fight between the outlaws
and the Comanches under Rolling River.

Having struck the outlaw trail, the Piute had been
{ lowing it on foot when he saw the Comanches. By
drepping into a hollow, he had succeeded in escaping
‘heir attention, though they had passed within half
a mile of him. Then_he saw them attack the outlaw
camp, witnessed the spectacular fight, and the defeat
and retreat of Rolling River’s band.

Dickie:

“He'll turn up sooner or later,

   

Nes ae Sh aera Se BP ag Rs aa ST

THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

After that, he hit the back trail, and returned as
fast as he could with the news to Buffalo Bill.

“Mucho fine fight!” he declared, with enthusiasm.

“Whar aire the Comanches now 2’ asked Nomad.

“Go that way pronto,” said the Piute, pointing.

“An’ them white men that aire playin’ Comanche?’

Little Cayuse replied that up to the time of his de-
parture they had not shifted their location.

“Me show um you where,” he said, his. black eyes
glittering with excitement. They make um rodeo
—saddle all round, and dirt, so high!”

He measured with his hands, and tried to describe
the hasty entrenchments thrown up by the outlaws.

“T reckon, Buffler,”’ said Nomad, “as ye ain't yit
quite up ter high C, me and ther Piute had better rustle
out thet way an’ take another look round. We can
mebbyso anyhow find out ef thet Hinton gal is helt by
7em.”

Darkness was close at hand.

Without replying to this offer, Buffalo Bill ques-
tioned the Piute as to the distance.

“We'll all move over that way,” Cody said, “and

then Pil try to get a look-in on that camp myself. We

may find a way of getting that girl out of their hands,’

“That includes me, Colonel Cody?” asked old
“You can’t think of leaving me behind, when
dangers so threaten? I have no horse,.and I am no
horseman, but a

“Til take you under my wing, Dickie,’ Pawnee vol-
unteered. ae

“Major Lillie, you are a gentleman. I confess that
recent turn of events have greatly bewildered me. I
came down here expecting peace, and am plunged into
war. Professor Flathead’s statements about the Paw-
nees have been proved false in every particular, and
while | am 5

“Purfessor,”’ said Nomad, “Buffler is talkin’ !’

“We will have something to eat first, and then we
will move, and be well on our way by dark,” the scout
ordered.

Cayuse this time rode Navi, hee the start was
made; and loped quietly ahead, guiding through the
night with unerring certainty.

‘The late-rising moon was in the sky, and moon-
light’ flooded the. plains when the Piute drew: rein and
pointed out the spot where the outlaw camp was lo-
cated.

Buffalo Bill. and Pawnee eae set forth to-
gether.

Slipping on alone, when thé camp was. close at
hand, Buffalo Bill was suddenly charged by Cale Cut-
liff's mongrel dog. He gave it a kick, and sent it
yelping back into the camp.

Standing quite still in the moonlight, the scout, it
will be recalled, was seen, and fired on, when Cutliff
and Martin stole out of the camp to ascertain what had
scared the dog.

The bullet passed close to the scout’s face and went
on its whistling way. The scout’s. revolver was in

 

 

“

De ee ene eit mit RA Sa ee atest its

 

 

 
  

THE BUFFALO

 

his hand, and he would have returned the shot if at
the instant he had not discovered that he had fright-
ened the scoundrels into believing him a ghost.

So he merely backed away, with his eyes fixed
on them, ready for a shot if they thought of trying
another; and saw them turn and scamper for the
camp.

Nomad was up in the air, ready to fight a thousand
men, or charge-a dozen camps, so wild was he, when
Buffalo Bill and Pawnee made their quiet return.

“Waugh!” he panted. “Who done thet shootin’ ?”

“One of the men of the camp shot at a ghost—so
he thought.”

“At er ghost?

“At my ghost!
rascal Martin. I didn’t see them clearly.”

He explained fully, concluding with:

“The camp is roused now; so it would be foolish for
us to try to do anything rash.”

“And Wwe dont know whether the Hinton girl is
there or not,” said. Pawnee Bill; “though I’m reason-
ably sure that she is.”

“When the camp has had time to cool down, we'll
slip up to it again, and, if we can find out anything
| about the girl, perhaps we can plan a rescue,” said

Buffalo Biull) /

But while they waited for the camp to quiet down
and fall asleep, they discovered that the outlaws were
moving.

Frightened, Cale Cutliff had decided to take the
advice of Bill Overton and seek the security of Mog-
gins’ Hole.

When it was known that the outlaws were breaking
camp and preparing to depart, Buffalo Bill moved his
little force as near to them as possible, intending to
hang at their rear through the night.

But. Cutliff’s plan; which scattered his party, baffled
this.

It was not possible for the scout’s small force to
scatter in the same way, and the deceptive moonlight

 

Waugh!”

 

there had been men enough to try it.

When morning came, the trail of the outlaws had
been lost.

ee

CHAPTER XIII.
Pre: BARON 3S PERIL.

The question of. what had become of Baron von
Schnitzenhauser was answered when the scout’s force
was trying to pick up the lost trail of Cutliff's painted
tuffians.

§ While riding across country to connect with Buf-
| falo- Bill, the baron Had fallen foul of a small party of
Rolling River's Comanches.

Every white man was an enemy to them since they
q had taken’ to the red war trail, particularly so since
q their defeat at the hands of the outlaws, and when

BL Stone, oe

So it was either Cutliff or that.

probably would have defeated such an effort, even if-

jlization is

& , 23
they saw the baron jogging along on his big mule, they
charged him...

The baron tried to run away, and failed. He tried
to defend himself, and failed again; then he surren-
dered. | :

‘““Yoost be kind to der mooel,’”’ he begged; “‘dot iss
all I am asking oof you. As for meinselluf, Iam
nodt oxbecting notting, so I know I vond’t gidt idt,.”

The baron anticipated torture, but not in the form
in which it was promptly administered.

Instead of pegging him out on the ground, as they —
had done to Cayuse, they buried him in it up to his
neck. Then they danced round him, howling and
jeering. ee
~ While so pleasurably absorbed in this that they had
forgotten everything else, they were sighted by Buf-
falo Bill’s party. a ce

In the quick charge that followed, Chick-Chick and
Bear Paw carried Pawnee and Buffalo Bill upon the
scene well ahead of the other members of the scout’s
little company.

Seeing’ themselves: outnumbered, the Comanches
scampered for their ponies, Pawnee’s rope hooked one
of them round the ankle and brought the red torturer
tumbling to the ground. But the redskin freed his
ankle, and got away.

The baron was found buried to his neck when Buf-
falo Bill and Pawnee dashed’in and scattered his tor-
mentors.

Nomad and Cayuse unslung their rifles and gave
the Comanche horsemen a flying salute that helped
them to gain speed as they flew for safety.

‘“Ernough o’ ther red devils ter make a good fight,
ef we hadn’t busted in on ‘em while they was too occy-

‘pied,’ growled Nomad, as he sent. his final shot.

When he and Little Cayuse, with the professor, who
was riding with Nomad on Hide-rack, arrived at the
scene of the baron’s entombment, they found the two
scouts busily engaged with knives and hatchets in
excavating him. Off at one side, scarcely disturbed
by all that had taken place, the baron’s beloved mule
grazed placidly.

“Der baron’s luckiness he haf failed him,” said
Schnitzenhauser, who was exhausted by his painful ex-
perience; for his ordeal had been not only hair-raising
and nerve-trying, but the pressure of the earth on his
chest had nearly stopped his breath.

“How can you say it, Schnitz?” cried Pawnee Bill.
“Now, if we hadn't appeared, and they had slain
you- .

“Dhen I vouldn’t peen saying notting.”

Professor Dickson dismounted from the back of old
Hide-rack and regarded the half-buried, German with
starting eyes. :

“Tt is inconceivable!” he cried excitedly. ‘“Profes- —
sor Flathead’s work on the Comanches, in which he
states that they are rapidly progressing toward civ-

 

 

 
 

 

24 : ~~” THE. BUFFALO

“Ye're right,’ said Nomad, who seemed to delight
in breaking into the professor’s long sentences; “‘ole
Flathead didn’t have no brains higher up than~his
years, ‘cordin’ ter ther things you ‘has been quotin’
from him. Anyhow, ,what most -purfessors knows
erbout Injuns could be put inter a book thet«would re-
kwire a maggieflyin’ glass ter see et.’

“Tot Toofer mooel,” said the baron, much subdued,
“dhey ditn’t hurt him, eenyhow. Easy, poys. Vhen
you lift me, tond’t pull me into twice!”

The Comanches who had done the cruel work were
now followed at once. The baron needed care and
time in which to recover from his exhausting ordeal.

“Dhey took mein bipe,” he moaned; “budt oof I
couldt haf der usefulness oof anodder vun.”

With his back against Toofer’s saddle leather, he
smoked, got back his breath, and told his experiences.
Also, he listened to the recital of incidents of which
he had not heard.

The wound under the scout’s hat had not been ob-
served by him.

“T tought dot some oof der tan hadt,been vashed
oudt oof your vace,” he said; “budt, Himmel, I ditn’t

%,

tream oof dot!”

It was afternoon before the attempt to pick up the
scattered trail of the outlaws was resumed. ‘And as
it was so plain that the outlaws had scattered that the
scout divided his force, also, in order that the ground
might be more rapidly covered.

GHAPTER XIV.
PLANNING THE RAZZLE-DAZZLE.

In this search for the outlaw trail, there fell: to
Pawnee Bill and Little Cayuse an experience which had
far-reaching consequences.

They found a trail of three unshod ponies, and,
while following it, they-came in sight of a mounted
Indian engaged in holding at bay the riders of the
three ponies, who at first. sight seemed to be .Co-
manches.

The Piute’s keen eyes enabled him to interpret the
situation, at a glance.

VROW River,” he said, “fight um tinhorns.”

"Deserted Jéricho!” cried Pawnee, striking his heels
into the flanks of Chick-Chick. “T believe you’re Tigh,
Cayuse... Those three riders are painted white men.’

“Other one Roll’ River,” declared the Pinte; ae
um heap good fight.”

 

BOE STORIES.

Chick-Chick and Navi bore their riders straight at
the scene of the unequal combat.

Evidently the painted outlaws had been trying to
capture Rolling River. But, seeing the approach of
the two horsemen, they changed their tactics, and now
tried to slay him.

He was retreating, and defending himself with his
lance, managing his pony solely by knee pressure. —
Now a revolver flashed in the hand of one of the ruf-
flans,

As it dropped ‘down and its lead went singing at the
Comanche chief, Rolling River flung himself to the
other side of his pony and was not hit. —

The Piute jerked Navi to a standstill, and, as the
outlaw’s revolver came down again for a second shot,
the carbine of the Piute barked, and the outlaw lurched
heavily over and dropped to the ground.

The war whoop of the Piute sounded as he drove
Navi on again, his carbine swinging in his hand.
“And there go

y

“You got him,” cried Pawnee Bill.

the others!”

Dropping their attack on the Comanche chief, the
two outlaws remaining had pulled their ponies round,
and were galloping away.

Navi was slowed again, and again the tarbine of
the Piute barked; but this time without effect.

Chief Rolling River seemed about to retreat for
safety in another direction. But he was stayed by the

sight of the dead outlaw and the thought that the

men who had slain his enemy could ‘not be his foe.
So he maintained his ground, but with lance lifted
and his manner anxious, as Pawnee Bill and Little
Cayuse came riding up to him.

“How!’’ Pawnee cried to hint.

“How!” replied the chief, his keen, black eyes dart-
ing questioning glances.

“You are Rolling River?”

A

“Then we ought to be friends, and unite against
the white men who are roaming round painted like

Comanches and doing oe that are oo avainst
the Comanches.”

Rolling River did not understand all of this, so
Pawnee shifted to the Pawnee tongue, of which he
was a master, and Rolling River comprehended. him.
Pawnee Bill swung from the back of Chick-Chick,
careless of the lance of the chief, who was near én6ugh
to use it on him, and ‘ooked at Me outlaw” ee had |
been dropped by the Piute’s carbine, 5 ek tT

 

 
 

 

THE BUFFALO

“White man!” said Pawnee.

Taking his water bottle, he threw water on:the hand
of the man, and washed off the Indianlike paint.

“Rolling River is a brave chief,” said Pawnee, ‘“‘and
he does not like to have mean white tiien playing Co-
manche like that.” ‘

The chief glanced at the dead outlaw, then looked
at. the two who were hurrying away. His glance
came back, and he stared fixedly at Pawnee Bill.

“Where Pa-e-has-ka?” he inquired.

“I was with him not long ago. We have been try-
ing to find the hole where the painted white men have
hidden themselves. When we find them, we will kill
them? |

The eyes of the chief brightened;
of a kind he liked to hear.

“The painted white men,” said Pawnee, “burned the
_ white man’s tepees, killed and wounded several of the
settlers, and carried off a young white woman. They
have made other white people think that it was done
by Rolling River and his Comanches.”

“Pa-e-has-ka is following the trail of Rolling
Rivers

“He is following the trail of the white men who
are pretending to be Comanches; he is not following

the trail of Rolling River.’*

“My brother speaks with the straight tongue”
asked the chief.

Pawnee Bill declared emphatically that he spoke
only the truth.

“Can we not be friends?” he asked. “Pa-e-has-ka
has not men enough to fight the painted white men; he
q needs the help of the Comanches. Will not my Co-
| manche brother smoke the peace pipe while we will talk
this over?” *

this was talk

Rolling River hesitated. Then he slipped from the

back of his pony.
“The white man and the strange Indian saved the
} 'ife of Rolling River,” he said. “I will hear what the
q white man says.”
“Good!” cried Pawnee.
He threw down his rifle, cast his revolvers and his
@ knives after it, and tossed there also his cartridge belt.
_ At the same time he ordered Little Cayuse to lay down
his arms, and to retire a short distance.
Rolling River put his lance on top of the heap of
® “capons, and with.it his hatchet and knife—all the
| - Weapons he had at the time.
Then’ -he- ptoduced his pipe, of elaborately carved

m ‘tone, having a long stem, and a handful of tobacco. |

 

 

 

BIUL” STORIES,

“We will smoke the peace pipe,” he said gravely,
as he dropped to a squatting attitude before the seated
scout.

“It is well,” said Pawnee. ‘We have been enemies,

but now we will be friends.”’

“We will be friends—perhaps,” qualified the chief.

Gravely filling the big pipe bowl, he tamped the to-
bacco down with his thumb.

Pawnee Bill, in the act of offering a match with
which to light it, recalled in time that this might not
be an acceptable present. In that he was wise. For
a peace smoke is a solemn thing, hedged about with
ceremonies.

When he had tamped his tobacco, Rolling River
produced from his blanket flint, steel, and punk. He
lighted the punk by striking sparks into it with the
flint and steel, and applied the burning punk to the to-
bacco.

Drawing careiuih, he got the tobacco alight. Hav-
ing done that, he passed the pipe to Pawnee Bill, who
took a slow pull at it. @

Afterward, Rolling River nufied smoke to the four
points of the compass. He did not know it, but, in

doing so, he was making the sign of the cross, as it

was taught to the Western Indians long before by the
old Jesuit Fathers. :
_ Pawnee Bill smoked again, and blew whiffs to the
four points of the compass.

“Let my white brother speak now®. said Rolling
River.

“It is my hope that we can be friends.”

“My white brother remembers why the Comanches
with me left the reservation?”

“I remember 4t.”

“Does he remember it well? -We are young men,
and we had been taught to believe that the white men
were our friends, and that it would be well to walk in
the white man’s road. Our medicine man and chief,

swift Wind, went to Washington, to talk with the

Great Father about this. While there, he was taken
ill, so that he died. When he died his spirit egtered
into a small box, and has remained in it ever since.
Being dead, he cannot get out of the box; but he can
talk out of it. You have seen that box, and have heard
him speak—you and Pa-e-has-ka.”
Pawnee Bill knew that the small box was a phono-
graph that Swift Wind had talked into shortly before
he died; and had counseled the Comanches not to fol-
low the white man’s road, but to take the warpath

a

 
 

 

BGT Y rp ee ot Nae aR ae TSE GAT Gon ae Nee oA

26

 

again, if they did not forever want to be the slaves
of white men.* :

It was not the policy of Pawnee Bill to dispute, at
this time, this idea of the chief, so he bowed his head
in assent when the chief reminded him that he had
heard Swift Wind speak from the depths of the box.

“Whenever the spirit of Swift Wind speaks to us,
which is often,” said the chief, “he says the same thing
—we must take to the war trail; and we cannot dis-
obey the voice of a spirit—the spirit of a great chief
and medicine man. So, if my white brother means to
ask the Comanches to return to the reservation, it can-
not be; the peace pipe has been eoken in vain, and
henceforth we are again enemies.’

“T ask nothing except that you will help Pa-e- hace ka
to destroy the white men who are doing these things
while painted as Comanches.”

“And after that?”

“Pa-e-has-ka will answer that question. But we can
be friends—Pa-e-has-ka’s men and Rolling River’s
watriors—until that has been done.”

“My brother does not know where the painted white
men are?”’

@

“We lost their trail, and have been trying to. find
it. We do not know where they are. But it may
be that Rolling River knows.”

“Not since the time of the fight, until to-day, has
Rolling River seen any of the painted white snakes.”

“You say well, when you call them ‘snakes.’ Will
my Comanche brother join with Pa-e-has-ka in ae
ing their burrow and destroying them?”

Rolling River pondered this.

“It will be safe for the braves of Rolling River
to do this,” Pawnee urged. “In numbers they are
more than Pa-e-has-ka’s men.”

The chief still pondered.

Finally he picked up his pipe.

“Until the painted white snakes have been de-
stroyed,” he said, “I will be Pa-e-has-ka’s friend.”

“Good !”

“After that,” added Rolling R Rive: ‘our trails must
part. What we do as Comanches we are willing to
have told about us. But what the painted white snakes
do in the name of Comanches—we do not like that.
We will join with Pa-e-has-ka and strike them hard.”

“Good!”

The chief sucked his pipe into life again, blew

 

*See last vere, issue, No. 540:

“Buffalo Bill ad fee Red
_Bedouins,”. A a

THE BUFFALO

    

BILL STORIES.

smoke to the points of the compass, then ee it to
Pawnee, ‘for him to do the same.

“It is good,” he’ said, rising when the pipe came
back to him. “I will go to my Comanches. When the
sun sinks, we will meet Pa-e-has-ka’s men at the water
hole in the Canadian, out there!”

His lean finger pointed.

“It is well,” said Pawnee, rising.

He extended his hand, and the chief took it.

With a glance at the dead outlaw on the ground,
the chief turned about and called to his pony.

When the animal came to him, he took his weapons,
mounted, and galloped away, with a flourish of his
lance at parting.

Little Cayuse watched his going, with a troubled
face.

“You don’t trust him?” asked Pawnee.

“Me no like um Comanche.”

“It's seldom that you ee any redskin who isn’t a
Piute,’ laughed Pawnee, “so your objection can't
count. What shall-we do with this body? I hate to
leave it here, yet we've got to hurry.”

“Wolf git um,” answered the Piute nonchalantly.

“TI don’t like to think of that. we Il come back and
give it decent burial to-morrow.’

“To-morrow mebbyso déad—if trust Roll’ Ree
grunted the Piute.

He swung to the back of Navi, as. Pawnee Bill
climbed into Chick-Chick’s saddle.

The chief was already nearly a quarter of a mile
away, and the two outlaws had become mere specks
on the horizon.

“Where?” queried the Piute.

“We go now to meet Pa-e-has-ka. If we can een
the Comanches against those outlaws, Cayuse, it will
be a regular red dazzle-dazzle.”

 

CHAPTER Xv.
A PZ dee Ten GPS Robes

Pawnee Bill and the Piute found all of Buffalo Bill’s
men returned and in ap with the exception of Hie
baron.

The lost trail of the Sritlaws had not been found.

a the baron’s luck will hold this time,’ : said
Pawnee, “and he will stumble on it.” He Be)

. “Ef ‘et don’t hold no better than et did thet last |
time,’ remarked the old borderman, “he's: mg ter 17 |
be a dead Dutchman.” a

But within half-an hour, and while. the secs! S. patty

4

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    
  
  
 

THE BUFFALO

was getting ready to set out for the water hole on
the Canadian to meet the Comanches, Schnitzenhauser
came roaring in with glee, with a young woman
mounted behind on Toofer.

“T findt her making dracks round on der brairie,
unt not going anyvhares,” said the baron.

Driven out of the outlaw camp, Betty had wandered
on until she encountered the baron. She had not seen
Molly Hinton.

She began to tell her story as soon as she was off

the back of Toofer. oe

“She haf oxblained der whole pitzness to me—
Schnitzenhauser,” said the baron. “Unt I am seeing
dot oof I had been her I-vouldt haf been also. She
couldn’t hellup idt.”

That was the girl’s plea.

“Cutliff drove me out of the camp—turned me
adrift in the night, when he knew that Comanches
were roaming round. That shows how he regarded
me. And the reason was that I didn’t favor every-
thing he did. I had to pretend to at times, to save
myself from abuse, and because I feared for my very
lifes?

She was still comely—in her. feathered headdress
and quilled clothing—even with the paint on her face.

“Tf you can give me water,” she said, “I’ll wash this
paint off. How I hate it!”

They gave her water, and then listened attentively
| to her story.

“You could find that place where they are hiding?”
said Pawnee Bill.

Buffalo Bill said little; he was studying the girl.

“Yes, I can,” she said: “and I’ll do it. The man I
met, who brought me here, says I was lost; but I
wasn't. Only the land is so flat, and there is so much
of it, that I was down-spirited. The place is Mog-
gins’ Hole.”

“Never heerd 0’ et,’”’ said Nomad.

“Cutliff and the men call it that,” she said. “It’s
§ 2 large, deep hole right in tHe prairie. It’s so big
they have their ponies in it, and there is grass and
_ water down there. Though it was night, IT took no-
tice of the way I was going, and I can guide you to
it And Tl do it, if you'll furnish me a horse. I'd
like to get even with Cale Cutliff.”

“He is your father?” asked Buffalo Bill.
| “That’s what you think—but he isn’t. He is my
uncle and a grand scoundrel. I want to get even
~ with him.”

“When I appeared at his house, you said not a

‘)

eT Ce cS a ET TT Sod ROE ES STG as aI E RT TA, ee py Treat AOR Spat pualgoos ssi a SERB mae
7 Deion ee SAO tet gg th Ge ee Peco re NOR ae PCa ee ee DE CD Ree ran Perr ce ze Wits

tar ae eee THR

 

.,

BILL STORIES. 27

word to let me know that Cutliff and Martin were
inside, ready for me,” Cody said. “How about that?”
“I was afraid to say a word,” she declared.
“You did not even give me’a sign; you might have

done that.”

“T was afraid to,” she urged.

“And, after I was shot down—when I came to my-
self somewhat—I heard you talking with them, and it
seemed to me that you joined in with everything they
said. And you rode away with them.”

“I was so afraid that I didn’t dare let on that I
wasn't’ pleased with everything they did.”

“Is Molly Hinton in their camp?” uF ee

“‘She’—the girl heSitated—“she isn’t.”

“Not in their camp?”

“They turned her out of it, just ae they did me,
a little while before. I thought I’d see her after I
was out, but I didn’t.”

“That's bad,” said the scout, noting the flush that
showed on her face when she had removed the Indian
paint bs on

“It’s queer,” remarked Pawnee, ‘“‘that after they
had carried her off, they would expel her from the
camp.”

“Tt was because she had begun to make trouble,”
said the girl. “Some of the young men were going
daffy over her, and were about to fight over her.
That’s why Cutliff made her leave the camp.”

“Perhaps they were about to fight over you, too,?’
said the scout. “Does that happen to be the case?”

The red glow deepened in her cheeks.

“Tt might have been so—to some extent,” she said.
“I think likely that was part of the reason. But Cut-_
liff didn’t like it because I didn’t stand up for every-
thing he did. ‘ He got mad, and I had to go.”

Professor Lindley Murray Dickson, who had been
regarding her attentively after the removal of the In-
dian paint, now broke in.,

“It seems to me that I have seen you somewhere,”
he said, peering at her over his glasses. @

She laughed in confusion. x

“I think it’s likely,” she acknowledged. “I worked
in your family in Chicago once.”

“What is that?’ he asked, coming nearer.

“T worked in your family in Chicago once.”

“Not in——” | fo

“Yes, in. Chicago,: ,

“Can it be possible?” : :

“T remember you very well, professor. And your

 
  

 

 

 

SSoEe

eceeeeneerer=:

SSI PEAS

Sr eh De ECR RS FIR

a treacherous part was not well founded.

THE BUFFALO

28

 
 

wife—I remember her. Oh, I shall never forget your
wife!” :
“Can—it—be—possible ?”
“You were pretty nearsighted then, professor—just
as you are now. I guess you don’t recognize me.”’
“Your face—er—looks familiar.”
“I’m Betty Coston, professor !’’

“B-e-t-t-y C-o-s-t-o-n!’’

“That's right—Betty Coston. They’ ve got your col- |

ored servant in that outlaw camp—Julius Czesar
Jones.”

“Is——it—possible P
think ?”

“Yes; that’s why ’m out here. I had to go some-
where, or work as a servant, or ina department store,
so I came out here and ae my delightful uncle,
Cale Cutliff.”

Pawnee Bill glanced at the sun. ve

“We were getting ready to ride to the water hole
on the Canadian when you came in,” he remarked;

“and if we are to meet the Comanches there before
sunset I think we ought to be going.”

He glanced at Buffalo Bill.

The latter rose and gave the oak

“We have a pack horse now,” he said to the girl,
“and can furnish you with a mount. We'll drop the
pack here, and pick it up later, if we come this Way.
As Lillie says, we must be going if we are to be on
time in meeting Rolling River’s Indians.”

You were—er—an orphan, I

“Some o’ them Injuns maybe found ther outlaw
trail,” said Nomad.

“Tf they haven't,” Betty said, “I can lead you to
Moggins’ Hole.”

She mounted the horse which Little Cayuse brought
up for her, and rode off with the scout’ s party for the
water hole on the Canadian.

CHAPTER -X Vi.
AT THE WATER HOLE.

Little Cayuse’s fear that Rolling River would play
In truth,
when an Indian gives his word under the “cross” sign
of the peace pipe he usually can be relied on to keep it.

Rolling River and his Comanches were at the Ca-
nadian water hole when Buffalo Bill’s party reached
that point. Bunched together on the bank of the lit-
tle stream, astride their wiry ponies, the feathered
ornaments on their lance poles fluttering like pen-

 

PILL STORIES.

nons in the breeze, the plumes of their war bonnets
and headdresses tossing, their scanty clothing glit-
tering with quills and beads, their painted limbs gleam-
ing barbarically in the red light of the declining sun,
they presented a group which, for sheer picturesque-
ness and savage beauty, one would have been willing
to go far to see.

Rolling River detached himself from the war party
when the white men appeared. He rode forth at a
gallop, his lance reversed to show that his intentions
were peaceful, his blanket and the plumes of his war
bonnet snapping in the wind.. Not only was he fan-
tastically painted himself, but his pony was streaked
with ochre and vermillion, and in its mane and tail,
as well as on the lance shaft of its rider, strings of
feathers fluttered like bunches of highly colored tas-
sels.

Rolling River swung his pony round in front of
the white party, and Buffalo Bill spurred forth to join
him.

“How!” cried the chief, as they met.

“How?”

“It is Pa-e-has-ka?”

“Iam Pa-e-has-k4.”’

The chief motioned to the ground, and flung him-
self from the back of his pony. . The scout joined him.

Then followed a peace smoke and a talk, with the

_ party of white men grouped off at one side and the

Comanches grouped on the other.

Professor Lindley Murray Dickson, inspecting the
“smoke talk” over the tops of his spectacles, was so
impressed that he-begged pencil and paper of Pawnee
Bill, and, sitting down, began to scribble notes furi-
ously. .

“Pa-e-has-ka does not know where the painted white
snakes are hiding?’’ asked Rolling River.

“He does not know; but in his party is a girl who
came from them, and offers to show where they are.”

He had to explain about that, so that the chief. could
understand it.

“She has told us where to look for the burrow of
the painted snakes,” explained the scout, “and, with
the permission of the great chief, I will send forth
two of my men, to see if she has spoken the truth.”

“Pa-e-has-ka does not trust her?”

“He. fears to trust one who has. been with. the
painted snakes, even though she is a woman and her
words are fair.”’

“Tt is well,” the chief grunted. “I would never.

 
THE BUFFALO

trust the word of a squaw, when it comes to battle.
She should be in her husband’s lodge.”

“Rolling*River is willing that I should send out
two men to spy and see if her words are true?”

“Ai. Rolling River also will send two of his braves.
Pa-e-has-ka will tell me where the burrow of the
painted white snakes is said to be, and I will tell the
braves that I shall send. They will go off to the
right and Pa-e-has-ka’s two men off to. the left, and
we shall see who gets back first with the news.”

“It is well,” assented the scout. ‘‘When we know
that the burrow is there, and the painted white snakes
are in it, we will strike.”

“We will destroy them forever!” said the chief.

The scout told him where the burrow was, as he
had been told, by the girl.

They smoked again.

Then Rolling River rode off to join his Comanches;
and Buffalo Bill returned to his waiting party.

“Nomad and Cayuse are to start at once, on foot,
to see if the outlaws are still in Moggins’ Hole,” he
said. “The Comanches are to send two warriors,
also,”

He elaborated the instructions, and saw the border-
man and the Piute depart.

From the Comanches two braves detached them-
selves and went away in the other direction.

“This is interesting,” the professor purred. “I am
arriving at an-ambition to write a monograph on the
Comanches that shall correct the grievous. errors to
be found in the work of Professor Flathead. It seems
to me e

His sentence hung in the*air, when he discovered
that no one was listening to him.

Buffalo Billand Pawnee Bill had drawn apart and
were conferring in low tones. The other members
of the party were looking at the Comanches.

“I judge that you don’t trust that young lady, ne-
carnis,” Pawhee Bill declared.

“How can I, after that experience at Cutliff’s
shack?” muttered the scout. “And her manner has
been evasive, since she joined us.”

“Rvasive and contradictory; I have noticed that.” —

“Just so. If she really has told us the truth, and
is willing to guide us to the hiding place of the out-
laws, it is because she is now feeling revengeful against
Cutliff. Otherwise, she is working in Cutliff’s in-
terest and intends to lead us into a trap. We'll make
no’ move until we have reports from Nomad and
Cayuse. They'll be able to find that place, if she has
spoken the truth about it.”

 

&

 

AL A ORT tetra ss ELIE AMA TITTLE RPE BE IEEE YR LEN MEU OO EES

 
   

BILL STORIES. 29

“Unless,” corrected Pawnee, “she got turned about
in the night, and so lost her bearing. That might be,
you know.” | “

Cayuse returned first, without Nomad. He was
hardly in the camp when the two Comanches appeared,
with reports for Rolling River.

“Cayuse go one way, Nomad ’nother way; but me
find it,” he reported. .

“You found the spot where the outlaws are en-
camped?’’ asked the scout. “And they are there?”

“Ai! Big hole in ground. But no way git up.
Me see um guard, and hear caballo make noise in
hole.”

Rolling River came out midway between the two
parties.

Buffalo Bill rode to meet him.

The Comanche spies had returned with reports
duplicating that of Little Cayuse. They had seen a
guard, and had heard sounds; but, owing to the fact
that the land lying round Moggins’ Hole was so level
and treeless, they had not been able to get near with-
out exposing themselves.

Little Cayuse had added to his report a recommen-
dation that the Comanches and Pa-e-has-ka’s men
should advance as far as they could without danger of
discovery, then wait until some time after nightfall,
and charge. ;

The scout questioned Rolling River, to learn if
the’ Comanche scouts had offered similar recommen-
dations; and learned that they had done so.

While Buffalo Bill was still conferring with the
Comanche chief, a stir announced the approach of
some one. :

The scout, shading his eyes with his hand, saw that
old Nomad had coine in sight, and that two persons
were with him. One of these was a woman.

“When, my scout arrives and reports, then we may
know more,” said Buffalo Bill. “We may be able to
strike soon at the painted white snakes.”’

He retreated to his company, and the chief walked
gravely toward his waiting Comanches.

’ As Nomad drew nearer later, it was apparent .that
he was driving the man before him, which indicated
that the man was a prisoner. he «

The scout, who was making use of his field glasses,
now suddenly lowered them, and a little exclamation
fell from his lips. :

He passed the glasses to Pawnee Bill.

“Take a good look at that woman,” he said.
 

30. THE BURFALO
Pawnee gave a little start, and whirled round and
stared at the girl who was with the scout's party.
The reason for this, and for the somewhat excited
manner of Buffalo Bill and Pawnee, became apparent
when the old borderman arrived.

The woman with him was the counterpart of Betty,

except as to her clothing, which was a quiet brown,
without ornamentation, and suggested civilization
rather than savagery.

The man with Nomad was a lithe young fellow, with
Indian paint on his face and hands, and on his head
a cowboy hat. ‘It was plain, however, that he was
not an Indian.

The man was Bill Overton, who had deserted Cut-

liff after the latter had knocked him down and ex-

pelled Betty from the camp. He had been making
a search for Betty, when Nomad, lying in the weeds,
had quietly roped him, and then had tied him and
brought him in as a prisoner.

Before Buffalo Bill or anyone could fully under-
stand the singular revelation made by the coming of
the counterpart of Betty, that young woman was tak-
ing affairs into her own slender hands.

She bustled up to Nomad, asked him a question,
drove a knife at him when he began to denounce her,
then ripped from Overton’s wrists the strands of repe
with which the borderman had bound him.

“Run!” she cried.

She gave Overton a push that coe him, then she
followed him, keeping close behind him.

“Shoot a woman!” she shouted. “It would be like
you!”

Overton did not let the grass grow under his feet.
If the sudden change in his condition bewildered him,
he did not permit it to hamper him. The girl run-
ning behind him was protecting him from bullets,
knowing that the white men in the party of Buffalo
Bill would not risk shooting at Overton so long as*she
thus screened him. |

But Nomad yelped like a wolf, and started in pur-
suit. Cayuse also started. A here was a sudden hub-
bub of movement.

“Let them go!” shouted Buffalo Bill, after an instant
of hesitation,

“That’s one of Cutliff’s men,’ objected Pawnee,

“and if he gets a start he can get back to Cutliff and
tell what he has seenvhere.”

“He and the girl are on “foot,” said the scout.

But*they were not on foot long. The girl directed

Overton to run to one of the horses—the one she had

ridden that afternoon; and-the pursuit having stopped -

% .
e

rs aon ais me ss 2 sR rf NS TE

. Nyaa hb: SPR Rt Rh gm a Ns ie alin ee st atv Parten, r v ~ oa [senate abet tes boo <item nat ne
— SRT rence eee ae Saath ee ise ae Sa AM AS aR rs et ie

 

BILL STORIES.

at the scout’s order, before it could be resumed they
were cutting the horse loose and were mounting.

Little Cayuse lowered his rifle, as if to take a shot
at the man.

“No,” said the scout.
situation; let them go.”

“Waal, Buffer,” protested Nomad, “they'll git back
to Cutliff, and then this hyar red razzle-dazzle that
Pawnee has been plannin’ is all off.”

“T think they’ll net return to Cutliff.”

“Why won't they?”

“Because the girl knows we soon will have Cutliff's
crowd on the run, and she is angered against Cutliff.
She released that young scamp who is now with her,
taking the risk she did, because she cared enough for. ,
him to put her life in IeGBAE Ey ae she thought his |
was in danger. So

“Waugh!” Nomad bellowed.
ward thet sinkhole.” a

“No; they have turned in the other direction.”

Bill Overton, with the girl seated on the horse be-
hind him, was hammering the beast with his heels,
and had turned its head toward the east —directly away
from Moggins’ Hole.

Buffalo Bill turned back, with a smile on his pale
face.

“Now we'll hear what this other young lady has
to say,’ he said.

“T think I understand that —

 

They ain't. goin’ to-

 

CHAPTER XVIL
THE RED RAZZLE-DAZZLE,

The explanations of the girl who had come into-
the camp with Nomad were simple, and her manner
was convincing.

She was Bettina Coston, but she had used the name
of Cutliff while she resided with Cutliff, who was her
uncle. Betty Coston was her twin sister. In looks
they were as alike as two peas, but in character they
differed very markedly.

Betty Coston: had fallen in with Cutliff’s thievish
and murderous plans, but Bettina had been horrified,
and in the end she had sent that note to Buffalo Bill,
and had met him, to warn him of the attack that was
planned ae the Ohio settlement.

“Dear me,” cried Professor Dickson, “how stupid —
I am, to be sure! J knew that Betty Coston had. =
sister ; she told me so, when she was a servant itt my :
Carnie” |

“Did she say,” said Pawnee Bill, “that her sister so

 

ae a

2 FN here
RB area aes Seek co ice ts ETT a Rl ae Te,

 
 

 

  

THE BUFFALO

resembled her they couldn't be told apart. by stran-
gers?” ee

“No, she didn't say anything about that; but she
said she had a sister. And why didn’t I think of that
before? Dear me, how stupid I am!”

her sister with Bill Overton. The fugitive pair were
still in sight, but were rapidly disappearing.

“Tf I could have a talk with her,” she said, “I think
I could induce her to stay with me; I should try it.
Still eo a :

“She didn’t fall in with your ideas when you were
at Cutliff’s?” said the scout.

“No.”

“Then she would not be likely to do so now.”

He began to question Bettina again.

“T didn’t return to Cutliff’s, after I left you that
night out béyond Black Rock, because I was afraid
to. I rode to a friend’s—Mr. Marlatt’s. But he had
gone away with his family. I stayed there two days,
waiting for him to return; and when he didn’t I set
out on my pony, intending to reach some settlement.
I was simply wandering, when

 

Then I became lost.
Mr. Nomad found me.”

She was half starved, too, they discovered, when
they offered her food.

Darkness had come quickly, after the disappeararice
of the*sun.

The scout, being now reasonably sure that Cutliff
and his painted band of outlaws would be found in or
near Moggins’ Hole, had a talk with Pawnee Bill, and
then another with Rolling River.

An hour after dark Comanches and white men set
out over the plains for Moggins’ Hole.

When they had arrived within a mile of the place
their horses and the Comanche ponies were left be-
hind, hobbled to prevent them from straying.

“When we make the attack, Miss Coston,” said Buf-
falo Bill, “you are to remain behind.”

“T have a revolver, and I shall try to defend myself
if any one troubles me,’ the young woman replied.
“But can you trust those Comanches, Colonel Cody?
They. are terrible-looking creatures, and I’ve noticed
that they have been doing a good deal of quiet talking
among themselves in the past hour. Really, [’m afraid
of them.”

“T_ am trusting them,” said the scout, “until this
thing has been put through. After that—look out ”

Pawnee Bill came up while the scout was speaking
to the girl.

“Now for the red razzle-dazzle,” he said, his tones

31

BILL STORIES.

showing a quiver of suppressed excitement. “This is
the greatest scheme ever, necarnis—to throw the real
Comanches upon the fake ones. If Cutliff has an
idea that we are near, he isn’t much afraid of us—for

. | _he knows he outnumbers us; but he will never antici-
Bettina Coston was much exercised by the flight of ©

pate that we could unite with Rolling: River’s braves
and make a combined charge. We're going to win out
this time.” .

Little Cayuse and a Comanche brave were sent to
spy out Moggins’ Hole.

They were gone nearly an hour. When they re-
turned, Little Cayuse made a brief report.

The outlaws were in the hole, and were nervous.
Apparently they had sighted the Comanches; or some
scout of theirs might have seen the combined force. _

As the same report was made by the Comanche
scout to Rolling River, the Comanches were ready and
eager to advance on the outlaws.

When the combined force had gained a point within
a hundred yards or so of the hole, a rifle cracked there,
and a yell arose.

The guard, aroused or suspicious, had fired a shot
to stir up the outlaws. :

“Charge them!’ came the command of the scout.

“Give ‘em the razzle-dazzle!” cried Pawnee Bill.

The wild yells of the Comanches arose.

Mingling with them sounded the yells of the white
men, as the dashing charge was made.

Cutliff’s force was driven out of Moggins’ Hole.
Cutliff and Martin were among the killed. And the
Prairie Corsairs were scattered to the four winds.

Julius Cesar Jones was found in
and he rejoined Professor Dickson.

the outlaw camp,

The next day Molly. Hinton was found wandering
on the plains by Buffalo Bill, and was brought into
camp, to be restored later, unharmed, to her mother.

THE END.

“Buffalo Bill's Searlet Pick-up; or, Pawnee Bill’s
Comanche Capture,” is the title of the story which
will appear in the next issue of this weekly—to be
out on September 30th. In this will be vividly de-
scribed further adyentures of Buffalo Bill and his
pards in the Comanche country. Again Rolling River
and his band take the trail, and in the course of the
quickly moving succession of incidents which follow
this outbreak, the twin Coston sisters play conspicuous
parts. It's a story of warfare, hidden treasure, and

intrigue—a story that no reader will find it possible to
lay aside until it is finished.

  
 

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The best detective stories on earth.
covers. Thirty-two big pages. Price, 5 cents.

738—A ft Within a Plot; or, Nick Carter Foils a Master
ogue.
oA ne ane Accomplice; or, Nick Carter Finds an Unusual
ew

740—A Mysterious Robber; or, Nick Carter’s Counterplot.
'741—The Green Scarab; or, Nick Carter’s Beautiful Mystery.
ce Strangest Case on Record; or, Nick Carter’s Guessing
ontest.
743—A Shot in the Dark; or, Nick Carter’s Midnight Adventure.
744—The Seven Schemers; or, Nick Carter Foils a Splendid Plot.
745—The Hidden Crime; or, Nick Carter’s Telephone Clew. :
746—The Secret Entrance; or, Nick Carter and the Child
Stealers. 5;
747—The Cavern Mystery; or, Nick Carter’s Puzzle of the
Leather Bag, oe
748—The Disappearing Fortune; or, Nick Carter’s Fish Line Clew.
| 749—A Voice from the Past; or, Nick Carter’s Phonograph Trap.
750—The Search for Xonia; or, Nick Carter’s International Case.
751—The Crime of a Century; or, Nick Carter and the Chief of
Conspirators.

 

Nick Carter’s exploits are read the world over. High art colored

752—The Spider’s Web; or, Nick ‘Carter’s Coney Island Case.

-753—The Man With a Crutch; or, Nick Carter on the Trail of

eo) Dickie Diucie:
754—The Rajah’s Regalia; or, Nick Carter and the Fallon ‘Twins.
755—saved from Death; or, Nick Carter’s Setvice.
750—The Man Inside; or, Nick Carter’s Final Move.
757—Out for Vengeance; or, Nick Carter and the Mystic Mes-

sage.
758—The Foiscie of Exili; or, Nick Carter on Death’s’ Trail.
759—The Antique Vial; or, Nick Carter’s Curious Mystery.
760—The House of Slumber; or, Nick Carter’s Work of a Day.
761—A Double Identity; or, Nick Carter and the Inspector.
762—"The Mocker’s” Stratagem; or, Nick Carter’s Smartest Ad-

versary.
763—The Man that Came Back; or, Nick Carter’s Finish Fight.
764—The Tracks in the Snow; or, Nick Carter’s Strange Clew.
765—The Babbington Case; or, Nick Carter’s Puzzling Question.
766—Masters of Millions; or, Nick Carter’s Prophetic Statement.
767—The Blue Stain; or, Nick Carter’s Misleading Clews.

For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price,

STREET & SMITH,

5 cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by

Publishers, 78-89, Seventh Avenue, New York

 

IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS

of our Weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be
obtained from this office direct. Fill out the following Order Blank and send it te

.Us with the price of the Weeklies you want and we will send them to you.by return mail. POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY,

 

(STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City.

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Dear Sirs: Enclosed please find........e.seeeceeseeees..€ents for which send mes

TIP TOP WEEKLY,
NICK CARTER WEEKLY, “

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There is no need of our telling American readers how interesting the stories of the adventures
of Buffalo Bill, as scout and plainsman, really are. These stories have been read exclusively in this
weekly for many years, and are voted to be masterpieces dealing with Western adventure.

Buffalo Bill is more popular to-day than he ever was, and, consequently, everybody ought to
know all there is to know about him. In no manner can you become so thoroughly acquainted with
the actual habits and life of this great man, as by reading the BUFFALO BILL STORIES.

f ( : “ - 5

We give herewith a list of all of the back numbers in print. You can have your news-dealer
order them or they will be sent direct by the publishers to any address upon receipt of the price in
money or postage stamps.
305—Buffalo Bill and the Barge Bandits.. 5 | 394—Buffalo Bill’s Hurricane Hustle..... 5 |469—Buffalo Bill and the Hatchet Boys.. 5
306—Buffalo Bill, the Desert Hotspur.... 5|395—Buffalo Bill’s Star Play......+.-.-- 5 | 470—Buffalo Bill and the Mining Shark.. 5
308—Buffalo Bill’s Whirlwind Chase...... 5] 396—Buffalo Bill’s Bluff................ 5 | 471—-Buffalo Bill and the Cattle Barons... 5
309—Buffalo Bill’s Red Retribution....... 5|397—Buffalo Bill’s Trackers............. 5 | 472—-Buftalo Bill’s Mong oOddse. wis coe... 5
312—Buffalo Bill’s Death Jump.......... 5 | 398—Buffalo Bill’s Dutch Pard.......... 5 | 473—Buffalo Bill, the Peacemaker....... 5
314—Buffalo Bill in the Jaws of Death.... 5] 899—Buffalo Bill and the Bravo......... 5 | 474—-Buffalo Bill’s Promise to Pa eens 5
315—Buffalo Bill’s Aztec Runners....... - 5} 400—Buffalo Bill and the Quaker........ 5 |475—Buffalo Bill’s Diamond Hitch....... 5
316—Buffalo Bill’s Dance with Death..... 5 | 401—Buffalo Bill’s Package of Death..... 5 | 476—Buffalo Bill and the Wheel of Fate. 5
319—Buffalo Bill’s Mazeppa Ride..... --. 5 |402—Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Cache....... 5 | 477—-Buffalo Bill and the Pool of Mystery 5
321—Buffalo Bill’s Gypsy Band...........5{|403—Buffalo Bill’s Private War......... 5 | 478—Buffalo Bill and the Deserter....... 5
324—Buffalo Bill’s Gold Hunters......... 5 | 404—-Buffalo Bill and the Trouble Hunter. 5 | 479—Buffalo Bill’s Island in the Air...... 5
325—Buffalo Bill in Old Mexico.......... 5 | 405—Buffalo Bill and the Rope Wizard... 5 | 481—Buffalo Bill’s Ultimatum........... 5
326—Buffalo Bill’s Message from the Dead 5 | 406—Buffalo Bill’s Fiesta............. os 0) 1.492——bulralo Bill's Neste ce 6 ieee eee »
327—Buffalo Bill and the Wolf-master.... 5 | 407—Buffalo Bill Among the Cheyennes.. 5 | 483—Buffalo Bill and the Ponca Raiders. 5
328—Buffalo Bill’s Flying Wonder........ 5} 408—Buffalo Bill Besieged.............. - 5| 484—Buffalo Bill’s Boldest Stroke....... 5
329—Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Gold.......... 5] 409—Buffalo Bill and the Red Hand..... 5 | 485—Buftalo Bill’s nd mm ay siete cers ons SekenaD.
330—Buffalo Bill’s Outlaw Trail......... 5 | 410—Buffalo Bill’s Tree-trunk Drift...... 5 | 486—Buffalo Bill’s Blockade........... So)
331—Buffalo Bill and the Indian Queen... 5 | 411—Buffalo Bill and the Specter........ 5 | 487—Buffalo Bill and the Gilded Clique... 5
332—Buffalo Bill and the Mad Marauder.. 5 | 412—Buffalo Bill and the Red Feathers.. 5 | 488—Buffalo Bill and Perdita Reyes..... 5
333—Buffalo Bill’s Ice Barricade......... 5 | 413—Buffalo Bill’s King Stroke.......... 5 | 489—Buffalo Bill and the Boomers....... 5
334—Buffalo Bill.and the Robber Hlk..... 5|414—Buffalo Bill, the Desert Cyclonenco.: 5 | 490—Buffalo Bill Calls.a Halt....... Gi Oo
335—Buffalo Bill’s Ghost Dance.......-.. 5 | 415—Buffalo Bill’s Cumbres Scouts....... 5) | 492——Buttalo Bills (0. Keo eee see
336—Buffalo Bill’s Peace-pipe...... -- 5| 416—Buffalo Bill and the Man-wolf...... 5 | 4983—Buffalo Bill at Cafion Diablo....... 5
337—Buffalo Bill’s Red Nemesis.......... 5 | 417—Buffalo Bill and His Winged Pard... 5 |494—Buffalo Bill’s Transfer............. 5
338—Bulfalo Bill’s Enchanted Mesa...... 5|418—Buffalo Bill at Babylon Bar........ 5 | 495—Buffalo Bill and the Red Horse Hunt-
339—Buffalo Bill in the Desert of Death.. 5 | 419—Buffalo Bill’s Long Arm..... ave, iets eaeeD CLS? vistoueney eoneteletaes iavcviacn une waeneier a coats 5
340—Buffalo Bill’s Pay Streak......... -. 5|421—Buffalo Bill's Steel Arm Pard....... 5 | 496—Buffalo Bill’s Dangerous Duty...... 5
341—Buffalo Bill on Detached Duty...... 5 | 422—-Buffalo Bill’s Aztec Guide.......... 5 | 497—Buffalo Bill and the Chief's Daughter 5
342—Buffalo Bill’s Arm Mystery......... 5]|423—-Buffalo Bill and Little Firefly...... 5 | 498—Buffalo Bill at Tinaja Wells........ 5
343—Buffalo Bill’s Surprise Party....... 5] 424—Buffalo Bill in the Aztec City....... 5 |499—Buffalo Bill and the Men of Mendon. 5
344—Buffalo Bill’s Great Ride..... eeeee. 5 | 425—Buffalo Bill’s Balloon Escape....... 5 | 500—Buffalo Bill at Rainbow’s End...... 5
345—Butralo Bills Water rail... ..2.. -- 5] 426—Buffalo Bill and the Guerrillas...... 5 | 501—Buffalo Bill and the Russian Plot... 5
346—Buffalo Bill’s Ordeal of Fire........ 5 | 427—Buffalo Bill’s Border War.......... 5 | 202—Buffalo, Bill’s Red Triangle... ...... 5
348—Buffalo Bill’s Casket of Pearls..... 5 | 428—Buffalo Bill’s Mexican Mix-up....... 5 | 503—Buffalo Bill’s Royal Flush.......... 5
3849—Buffalo Bill’s Sky Pilot..... eoeeeee 9 | 429—Buffalo Bill and the Gamecock...... 5 | 004——Buttalo Bills Pramp) Bard... 2... 5
350—Buffalo Bill’s “Totem”..:.... +eee+. 5| 430—Buffalo Bill and the Cheyenne Raiders 5 | 505—Buffalo Bill on the Upper Missouri.. 5
351—Buffalo Bill’s Flat-boat Drift....... 5|431—Buffalo Bill’s Whirlwind Finish..... 5 | 506—Buffalo Bill’s Crow Scouts........ eo
352—Buffalo Bill on Deck...... Mi slevelieisuele 5 | 432—Buffalo Bill’s Santa Fe Secret...... 5 | 507——Buitalo Bills Opium) Case... 25... 5
353—Buffalo Bill and the Broncho Buster. 5 |433—Buffalo Bill and the Taos Terror.... 5 | 508—Buffalo Bill's Witchcraft...... ie ie
354—Buffalo Bill’s Great Round-up....... 9 | 434—Buffalo Bill’s Bracelet of Gold...... 5 | 509—Buffalo Bill’s Mountain Foes........ 5
355—Buffalo Bill’s Pledge......... ++++-. 9|435—Buffalo Bill and the Border Baron.. 5 | 510—Buffalo Bill’s Battle Cry........... 5
356—Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Pard......... © | 436—Buffalo Bill at Salt River Ranch.... 5 | 511—Buffalo Bill’s Fight for the Right... 5
357—Buffalo Bill and the Emigrants..... 5 | 437—Buffalo Bill’s Panhandle Man-hunt.. 5 | 512—Buffalo Bilis sBanpecuees ates a tee. 5
358—Buffalo Bill Among the Pueblos..... 5 | 438—Buffalo Bill at Blossom Range...... 5 | 518—Buffalo Bill and the Red Renegade.. 5
359—Buffalo Bill’s Four-footed Pards..... 5 | 439—Buffalo Bill and Juniper Joe....... 5 | 514—-Buffalo Bill and the Apache Kid.... 5
360—Buffalo: Bill’s Protégé......... ----- 5] 440—Buffalo Bill’s Final Scoop.......... 5 | 515—Buffalo Bill at the Copper Barriers. 5
362—Buffalo Bill’s Pick-up.............. 5| 441—Buffalo Bill at Clearwater.......... 5 | 516—Buffalo Bill’s Pacific Power........ 5
363—Buffalo Bill’s Quest............. --. 5|442—Buffalo Bill’s Winning Hand..... ... 5|517—Buffalo Bill and Chief Hawkchee.... 5
364—Buffalo Bill’s Waif of the Plains.... 5|443—Buffalo Bill’s Cinch Claim.......... 5 | 518—Buffalo Bill and the Indian Girl.... 5
366—Buffalo Bill Among the Mormons.... 5 | 444—Buffalo Bill’s Comrades....... .---. 5 | 519—Buffalo Bill Across the Rio Grande.. 5
367—Buffalo Bill’s Assistance............ 5|445—Buffalo Bill in the Bad Lands....... 5|520—Buffalo Bill and the Headless Horse-
368—Buffalo Bill’s Rattlesnake Trail..... 5 | 446—Buffalo Bill and the Boy Bugler..... Slee MAN ww eee ee ee eee teers eee eee 5
369—Buffalo Bill and the Slave-dealers... 5] 447—Buffalo Bill and the Heathen Chinee. 5 | 521—Buffalo Bill’s Clean Sweep......... 5
3(0-_Buftalo Bills Strona Agm: 225026 - 5|448—Buffalo Bill and the Chink War..... 5 | 0222—Buffalo Bills Handful of Pearls.... 5
371—Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard..... seeeee- 5 | 449—Buffalo Bill’s Chinese Chase........ 5)| 220-—Bulfalo Bills Bueblo Hoes. 2%. 735. 5
372—Buffalo Bill’s Iron Bracelets........ 5] 450—Buffalo Bill’s Secret Message....... 5 24 Buitalo Bill's; Macs Notemes ans... 5
374—Buffalo Bill’s Jade Amulet......... 5|451—-Buffalo Bill and the Horde of Her- 525—Buffalo Bill and the Pawnee Prophet 5
375—Buffalo Bill’s Magic Lariat......... 5] MILO SE ae et eat Shane ney wean: 526—Buffalo Bill and Old Wanderoo...... 5
377—Buffalo Bill’s Bridge of Fire........ 5] 452—Buffalo Bill’s Lonesome Trail....... 502i buitalo Bilis Menny Weal se... aes 5
378—Buffalo Bill’s Bowie..... ieee ccc sO L459 butalocBills, Quarry. 6008 ..4 ss 5 | 028-_Buitalo Bill and Grizzly Dan... 2. 5
(9 _Buiralo Bills wey -suredios a). eles: 5 | 454—Buffalo Bill in Deadwood........... 5 | 929—Buffalo Bill at Mone Tree Gap... ... 5
350, Bbuialo Bilis: Mines sees cn us eo. 5 | 455—Buffalo Bill’s First Aid............ 5 /930—buitalo Bilis) Mrail of Meath... .... 5
Jol BuialoeBulls, Clean-up... .0 7 oa 5 | 456—Buffalo Bill and Old Moonlight..... 5 | 9381—Buffalo Bill at Cimaroon Bar....... 5
Sol Uialo, Balls Usenet eh ee 5 | 457—Buffalo Bill Repaid................ 5 | 532—Buffalo Bill and the Sluice Robber... 5
383 Buffalo sill Overboard... ..0 4). s- 5 | 458—Buffalo Bill’s Throwback........... 5 | 933—Buffalo Bill on Lost River.......... °
Boe Uiralo BillismRing iy te we eon 5 , 459—Buffalo Bill’s “Sight Unseen”....... 5 | 534—Buffalo Bill’s Thunderbolt.......... 5
385—Buffalo Bill's Big Contract......... 5: |'460-—Buttalo Bills New “Rard:.. 7) 2s... § | 535—Buffalo Bill’s Sioux Circus......,... 5
386—Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane..... 5 | 461—Buffalo Bill’s ‘“‘Winged Victory”..... 5 | 936—buiralo bills) Sioux: Mackle i: i... 5
35(-_Butralo Bills Wid) Pard i: 008) 6) 5 | 462—Buffalo Bill’s Pieces-of-eight........ 5 | 537—Buffalo Bill and the Talking Statue.. 5
388—Buffalo Bill’s Desperate Plight...... 5 | 463—Buffalo Bill and the Hight Vaqueros. 5 { 538—Buffalo Bill’s Medicine Trail........ 5
389—Buffalo Bill’s Fearless Stand........ 5 | 464—Buffalo Bill’s Unlucky Siesta....... 5 | 539—Buffalo Bill and the Knife Wizard... 5
390—Buffalo Bill and the Yelping Crew... 5| 465—Buffalo Bill’s Apache Clue. .... .... 5|540—Buffalo Bill and the Red Bedouins.. 5
391—Buffalo Bill’s Guiding Hand........ 5 | 466—Buffalo Bill and the Apache Totem.. 5 | 541—Buffalo Bill and the Prairie Corsairs 5
392—Buffalo Bill’s Queer Quest.......... 5 | 467-—Buffalo Bill’s Golden Wonder....... 5 | 542—Buffalo Bill’s Scarlet Pick-up....... 5
.893—Buffalo Bill’s Prize “Get-away”..... 5! 468—Buffalo Bill’s Fiesta Night......... 5! 543—Buffalo Bill’s Mental Magic......... 5

d _ If you want any back numbers of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained direct
from this office. Postage-stamps taken the same as money.
STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS, 79-89 SEVENTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY

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