TOS

ye

) |

say
‘ aif

rr
7

| tec

il | i")

Se

fe “ll

arn my

il, | —

Iq tae

di)
l »> |
a mn

i:

a i

NEW YORK,

STREET S SMITH,
PUBLISHERS.

a

»,

  

Breiner trrrinrcstt) SL Litas SULELe Sia iii rn Sestak atelisriees Hiatt mas sae aaas sseEEE : 2 Haas

 

nn

 

 

 

: mee = ice | E clestiinslGiiesniest® 5000204
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

ae

 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

_A WEEKLY PUBLICKTI |

 

   

 

DEVOTED TO BORDER UE

—— Weekly. By subscription $2.50 per year. Entered as Second-class Matter at the N. V. Post Office, by STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Ave., N.Y.
Copyright, 1911, dy STREET & SMITH.

 

 

No. 508.

NEW YORK, February 4, tg1!.

Price Five Cents,

Buffalo Bill’s Witchcraft:

OR,

PAWNEE BILL AND THE SNAKE AZTECS.

 

By the author of “BUFFALO BILL.”

 

CHAPTER 1,
WILD BILL.

When Wild Bill Hickok galloped into the town of
Tinijas, word had come that Baron von Schnitzenhauser
was in serious trouble there. On the way in he had
“looked for a dark-cheeked, dark-eyed young woman,
Donna Isabel, who had delivered that word, and had not
found her.

The pistol king drew-rein in front of the leading hotel
of the place kept by a man known as Tinijas John.
Throwing the reins to a Mexican boy he strode with
clinking spurs into the hotel barroom.

His question, to Tinijas John, who was behind the bar,
was purposely a bold one:

“Can you tell me if oo: is a Chink joss house in this
town a

as John surveyed the man before him; ran his

eyes from the clinking silver spurs to the braided velvet

jacket, then to the Stetson topping the well-shaped head
‘and long hair. En route, it may be mentioned, he did
not fail to note the handsome revolvers on the hips of
ihe stranger, nor the gold-mounted bowie knife in its
sheath. In his estimation, Wild Bill, whom he had never
met before, was something of a dandy.

   

But though up to that moment he had never set eyes on
Wild Bill, Tinijas John was not caught napping. He

“knew instinctively that this handsome borderman was one

of Buffalo Bill’s party.
_ “Wherever there is a lot of Chinks,” he said, “there is
likely to be a joss house, to be shore; but I ain’t
never heard of one here in Tinijas. What made you
ask ?”

“T’m interested in such things,” said Wild Bill, leaning
carelessly against the bar. ‘A Chink is sure a queer

animal, As Bret Harte maintained, ‘the heathen Chinee~
is peculiar.” By the way,” his eyes flicked round the
room, “since I’m here, I’lleask another question: Have

you happened to see a butterball of a Dutchman, tod-
dling“along on very thin legs? A man in your position
bumps up against about every odd sample of humanity
that straggles into the town, and if you’ve ever seen that
Dutchman, you couldn’t miss remembering it.”

A queer look flitted across the face of the hotelkeeper,
which was not lost on the keen-eyed man who was watch-

ing him.

“T haven’t seen your Dutch friend,” he declared; yet, -
as he pulled down a bottle, his hands shook. “What will
you have?” he invited.

  
 

“Nothing; this is not my day. Just one more inquiry:
Tell me-how I can reach the Casino?”

Tinijas John shot him another sharp look.

“Turn the corner below, and keep going. You can’t
miss it. Walk five minutes; then look for a big sign, with
the name on it; that'll be it. But it’s too early for the
show.”

Wild Bill threw a coin on the bar.

“To pay you for your trouble,” he said, and went out.

“That will stir up the animals,” was his thought.
“Now for the Casino.” |

Throwing a glance over his shoulder as he walked on,

he saw that Tinijas John had run to the window of the

barroom on that side, and was looking out at him.

At the Casino he asked for the manager.

“It’s about an actress,” he a when the doorkeeper
hesitated.

The manager, an alert young fellow in loud clothes,
came down.

“Something I can do for you?” he said.

“Take me up into one of your back rooms,” Wild

ill requested. “I'd like to have a talk with you there.”

“Something important?
believe ?”

“You are shy one actress, I think,”

“I am, and it’s a queer thing; if you know anything
about her, I’m willing to talk with you.”

“We'll discuss that in the back room.”

Up a stairway the manager led, and conducted Hickok
to one of the small wine rooms lying back of the Casino
stage. The place, at that hour, was deserted. |

“We can talk quiet enough here,” remarked the man-
ager, as he flung open a door. “Just step in there.”

The room was small; and scantily furnished; it had but
a few chairs, some lamps, and a small wine table in the
middle of the floor. Wild Bill dropped into one of the
chairs,

“Did you see a fat Dutchman come up here a couple of
nights ago?” he inquired. “If you did, he’s a friend of
mine; and he’s missing, too, like your actress.’”’ He
smiled. “Perhaps it’s an elopement, The actress I’m
thinking about was called Donna Isabel; she is very
dark—Spanish and Indian, I believe; I understood she
had an act here—dancing and singing.”

“She hasn’t shown up for two nights,” was the answer,
“and I don’t understand it; she was my best card. About
the Dutchman, I haven’t seen him.”

‘Ele came here, and I have reason to think he dropped
out of sight here.”

“T’m sure I don’t know anything about it. He might
have been robbed and slugged. ‘Tinijas is a tough place.”

“You haven’t been here long?” .

“Less than a month, I hire the Casino of Tinijas John,
the owner; he’s the proprietor of the hotel up the street,
But about that woman?”

  

 

THE BURP ALO

_calmly,

You mentioned an actress, I.

BILL. STORIES.

“She was out in the country, a mile or so from here,

’ and she brought word that the Dutchman, whom she had

met here, had got. into trouble; it was in one of these
small rooms. So,” he looked the manager straight in the
face, “I thought I’d come right to headquarters and
make my inquiries about him, But I can see that you
don’t know anything.” |

“Not a thing.”

“T believe you; you're honest, but you've fallen in with
a bad crowd.” Wild Bill cocked an tar at one of the
partitions. “I was followed to this point,’ he said
“and the fellow who followed me is now hid-
ing in the room next to this. He was sent by Tinijas
John. I'll bet that I’m right. Will you go me?”

A light step sounded in the adjoining room; Hickok’s

words had been heard, as he had meant them to be, and.

the eavesdropper was getting away.

Making a jump, Wild Bill rushed to the door of the
room, but found it locked. When he had smashed
against it, and broken the lock, he saw that the room was
empty; but the spy had gone so hurriedly that he had
not been given time to close the door by which he had
fled.

“See you later,” Wild Bill flung at the astounded man-

ager, and flickered through the second door in hot pur-

suit,

But when he gained the street below, ‘where he thought
the man ought to be seen, no man running was in sight;
and the men he did see there showed no such interest as
might have been expected if the fleeing rascal had dashed
past them.

“Round number ‘one; but I think I drew blood.”

Wild Bill backed against a wall, where he quietly

lighted a cigar, and began to watch the street,

3

CHAPTER Tf,
FOLLOWING THE CHINK RAT,

A characteristic quality of Wild Bill Hickok was reck-
lessness, Having undertaken to find the baron, he had
gone about it in a manner to bring speedy results, with-
out considering the danger it might toss him into,

Buffalo Bill and his friends had come to Tinijas to run
down a band of opium smugglers, with whom Tinijas
John was connected. It was a moral certainty that the
Chinamen in the place were mixed up in the smuggling.
And the baron had been seen last, in an unconscious con-
dition, in one of the wine rooms at the Casino.’ This news
had been brought to Buffalo Bill by the Casino dancing
girl, Donna Isabel; her motive being hatred of a man
named Granger, who, though sheriff of the county, was
one of the smuggler leaders.

The reader will be able to see now why Wild Bill had

 

    
   

     
  
   
  
   

   
   
    
   
   
  
     
   
   
   
  
  
  
  
    
    
   
  
 
 

  

ie

 
 

 

 

2

an elephant.

_ heart.

THE BUFFALO

made his bold play. Some member of the opium-smug-
gling’ gang had fallen afoul of the German. Hence Tini-
jas John would be sure to put spies at the heels of the
man who had come seeking information.

It was Wild Bill’s idea to spot the spies, and follow

them. This he expected would lead to immediate de-

velopments, and pefhaps to the baron himself.

At the end of five minutes Wild Bill's watching seemed
about to be rewarded. A door opened in a wall on the
other side of the street, as if moved by hidden springs,
and a blue-bloused Chinaman, appearing suddenly, dived
into it and out of sight.

Wild Bill smoked placidly at his cigar, and stared at

“the door, which remained open.

“Chink spells opium—probably.

(»?

instance, it spells rat!

No, by gorry, in this
Flis eyes rounded. “And what

a rat! ry *

A rat as big as a flour barrel had come sliding into
view behind the wall, went “sliding past the open door,
and disappeared.

“Now, I can look for a cat; and it ought to be as bie as
If I didn’t lace better I might think I had
7em, and had ’em bad. If old Nomad was~here, he’d
call this® whiskizoos.” °

As nothing more happened, and the door remained

open, Wild Bill concluded to investigate the giant rat.

- “This is Chink business, all right,” he thought, as he
moved toward the door, “and if I follow the Chinks I
may get right into the heart of the opium mystery, and
strike hands with the baron. There is some sort of
neo pots going on back there, andes’d like to know
what it is.’

On reaching the door and looking through ie saw the
rat again. He was given a better view of it, and dis-
covered that it was mounted on wheels, with a rope end
passing through a ring in its nose, by which it was pulled
along. But he did not see the men who were pulling
it; the rope reached on into the darkness of a narrow
passage, its farther end invisible.

Wild Bill began to follow the rat; but he did not come

up with it at once; it began to move more rapidly, as if
it knew that it was being pursued. :

At length it whisked, through a doorway, and was
gone, the door whipping into place on swinging hinges
behind it.

Pushng the door open, Wild Bill found himself unex-
pectedly confronted by a peculiar scene. The rat had
stopped in the middle of a small room hung round with
Chinese curtains and lighted by Chinese lanterns. The

- scurrying heels of vanishing Chinamen twinkled at the

opposite side of the room, and vanished behind one of
the curtains. A Chinese drum thumped, like a jumping

to devour it. ~

Wild Bill’s curiosity got the better of his discretion.

Then from one side of the room a dragon crawled, _
. with red, distended mouth, advancing upon the rat as if

BIER STORIES... ‘ 3

Wild Bill shifted his cigar, rabies his nose, aye
scratched his chin. ;

‘“No, I ain’t dreaming, I’m not suffering from any de-
lirium tremenjus, and I don’t believe in whiskizoos, even
if Nomad does. So, what I am seeing I’m seeing; but,
by gorry, it’s a funny go! Maybe if little Willy keeps
still enough, he will see something worth while. My
guess is that this is one of the first acts in a Chinese
drama, or perhaps some rite in Chinese freemasonry.
Lay on, Macduff!”

But nothing happened.

The dragon had come to a stop close by the rat. It was
made of Chinese paper, wonderfully colored. It had
been given a push, apparently, strong enough to send it
into the centre of the room. But the men who had
pushed it did not appear.

When ten minutes had passed, with nothing doing,
dae
walked out into the queer room, and up to the big rat and
the dragon. Then he saw that the rat had a door in its
back, set-like the hatch of a ship.

Shifting his cigar again, he regarded the rat curiously.

“In Troy, I believe, a wooden horse came in, and it
was filled with enemies. That wasn’t Troy, New York, -
of course; everybody is friendly there! If there is any-
thing in this rat, under that hatch, it may be opium.”

He slipped the hasp.

It was as if he had signaled, for the hidden drum
boomed, the door in the back of the rat flew open, and
a Chinaman, rising like a jack-in-the-box, pitched at the
daring white man. At the same moment, doors con-
cealed by the curtained walls flew inward,.and a mob of
Chinamen were flung into the room pell-mell, and came
dashing upon him.

Wild Bill dropped a hand to one of his revolvers as ‘
the jack-in-the-box Chinaman clutched at his throat, but
he was knocked over, and he and the Chinaman rolled on»
the floor together.

Under any ordinary conditions Wild Bill Hickok was
the equal of any three men that might have been pitted’ .
against him, and he could be expected to take care of
twice as many Chinamen; but when the Chinamen num-

bered nearly a score the odds were too great,

He realized this, stopped his resistance, and lay pant-
ing on the floor, with Chinamen clinging to him as the
Liliputs clung to Gulliver.

“Let up,” he growled, not at all pleased with himself.
“T’m a fool, and I know it; but, by gorry, you don’t need
to kill me for. it; the ice is full of fools, and the fool
killer is asleep! Let up!’

Some of them still clung to him—a half dozen in num-
ber; the others ringed round him, and shot questions at
him in a bewildering sort of pidgin English. :

Wild Bill freed himself with a threshing flounce, and
backed against the wall, though he had not yet been able

 
 

 

v THE BUFFALO

tq get on his feet. He discovered that his revolvers and
his knife were gone, which was no doubt a good thing,
as he might have tried to use them, and certainly that
‘would have brought his death. i

“Don’t all talk at once,’ he grumbled. “I can’t under-
stand you—see? If there’s any one here who can speak
decent English, now is his chance to demonstrate it and
cover himself with glory.”

They ceased their chatter, that they might hear him.

“As I said,” he explained, “I’m a fool; nobody knows
that better than I do now. I butted in here, where I had
no business to come. You were having a bit of Chink
freemasonry is my guess; or perhaps something in the
‘line of Chinese drama. It’s queer stuff—Chinese drama.
That made you mad. I suppose the fellow who was hid
in the rat was billed to hop out at the psychological mo-
ment and put a few crimps in the tail of the dragon;
things like that happen in a Chinese play, I’m told. If
so, and I interfered at the wrong moment, I beg your
pardon.”

“Who you’ name?’ was shot at him.

The hidden drum thumped, and the Chinese looked at
each other; two of them started hastily from the room.

“If I told you my name,” said Wild Bill, “you wouldn't
know it. When I’m called right, it’s J. B. Hickok; but
generally it is Wild Bill; sometimes it’s thé pistol king.
But for you, I reckon, any other Bill would sound as
sweet.”

“Why you come?” was next demanded.

“T’ve told you already—lI came because the fool killer
was havin’ his noonday siesta; but, to make it piainer,
I came because I saw a door open, and that ve rat whisk
by in a way to make me want to, follow Le

“Dool open?”

That apparently startled them;
away, as if he went to close it.

“A Chinaman came in here, through that door, from
the street out there, and left the door open; then the
rat came along, and | followed the rat. Sabe?’

“Me sabe,” said the spokesman, but he did not say it
kindly.

“So, if it’s all the same to you, I'll take my hat, which
I see over there, and my weapons, and Ill bid you goed-
by.”

His air was as bland as it could be, after his rough
treatment, but he did not get the consent he fad asked
for, and he had not expected that he would get it.

one of them jumped

The hidden drum sounded again.

Wild Bill knew now that it sounded signals. The
Chinamen started and looked round, as if this drum-
beat astonished them; then, without more ado, they flung
themselves on the man before them, and, beating down
his resistance by the very force of numbers, they made
him a prisoner.

“It began as a farce, and seems to be ending as a

   

BILL STORIES.

tragedy,’ Wild Bill grumbled,

there, burning the tail of your rat;

‘throw a fit or two, and make trouble.for me.

          

as he. sat crouching
against the wall, his hands and feet bound.

He looked into the glaring eyes of the Chinamen, who
surrounded him.

‘Then his nonchalant air returned.

“Oh, it’s all right; have your way. I see my cigar over
with your permis-
sion, if you'll give it to me, I'd like to finish it.”

CHAPTER Alt,
THE CAPTURE OF DONNA ISABEL.

The thin-faced, white-eyed man stood looking at
Donna Isabel. He had entered her room at the hotel kept
by Tinijas John, while she was throwing her belongings
into a trunk in preparation for leaving the town. His
manner was threatening, and when he drew a revolver
on her the girl’s dark cheeks blanched.

“It won’t do you no sort of good to put up a holler,”
he said brutally. “The winder is down and fastened,
and if you should holler, and bring any one, it tAvould only
be Tinijas John.”

“What do you want?” she gasped.

“That's better,’ he said, relieved. “I was afeared you’d
Might as
well take it cool, you see.” |

He edged carefully to-a chair, and lowered himself
into it, keeping her covered with the revolver, while his
whitish eyes searched her face.

“But,’ she stammered, “I—I thought—you were a
prisoner.”

He coughed out a hard laugh.

“That's What Buffalo Bill thought, and the rest o’ that
gang; but, y’ see, I ain't; not now. They had me, and
they had Granger with your help; an’ they was already
figgerin’ us on the way to the Yuma penitentiary; but |
reckon we ain’t goin’ to see it this trip.”

“You escaped?” she gasped.

“No, not exactly. They was bringin’ us into town.
You know how it was; Granger and me, and Wilson, and
some more, got trapped, out at the Chink mine, while
we was tryin’ to trap Cody’s crowd. Granger’s deal
would ’a’ gone through all right, too, if’t hadn’t been for
you; and Buffalo Bill’s crowd would be now fe ‘out
deader’n ‘nails by that mine. You got word to ’em, and
they turned the trick on us. It was kinda low-down busi-
ness on your part.”

Her pallor became more pronounced,

“Granger thinks it was, and I reckon he won't forget
it. That's why lm here. But you asked how we got
away. Well, some of the Boys from the town done it.
They jumped in on Cody’s gang as we was bein’ brought

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  

 

- worse when you git there.

Big

in, and took us away frum ’em.
Wilson was killed, and some of Cody’s men.’

“Who shesaid. * - :

“None o’ the main guys, I’m sorry to say. Some of

the Chinks they was bringin’ along with us was also

killed. It was a hot fight while it lasted. The bodies was
brought in a while ago, Chinks and all.’ And to-night, by
the light o’ the moon, there’s goin’ to be a high old
Chink funeral, out on the hill above the town.”
“Where is Granger?’ she asked.
“T dunno, but if I did I wouldn’t tell you.
need to know is, that I’m workin’ on his orders.

All you
Yours

threw him down,” he added harshly, “threw down the -

whole Bang, and you can’t expect iat you won't suffer
fon i.

She started to rise from her knees by the trunk, where
his revolver had held her; but when she saw it point-

ing straight at her bosom, and caught the wicked gleam

of his whitish eyes, her courage failed, and she sank
back. ee
“Better not,” he advised.
‘Wh-what are you going to do with me?” she gasped.
“Personal,” he vouched, “I ain’t goin’ to do nothin’ to
hurt ye, if you're willin’ to obey orders and keep quiet.
Otherwise 4
tees
“Otherwise—you git this. V’ve got my orders.
to go with me, and keep still.”

 

Her voice choked.
-You’re

“And you will take me to Granger.”

“Mebbeso, -I dunno, but not straight to him, any-
how. First, you’re goin’ into the Chink ee pen,
You know where it is—up behind the idol room.’

The chilling fear that swept through her made her teeth
chatter. .

“Ves, I know,’ he said, “it skeers you. It’s where

- they put the Chinks they’re goin’ to bowstring; but

you needn’t be afraid of that. Granger is goin’ to take
you back to the Snake Aztecs, o turn you over to

them.”

_ The color came Rack into her face.
“That won’t be so bad, eh?”
closely. “Well, accordin’ to Granger, it'll be a heap sight
| Aire you ready to go with me
now, without any female high strikes?”
“See here,” she said, in a pleading tone, her voice
trembling. ‘‘This is rather a poor return, don’t you

think, for the favor I did you?”

He glanced at his left shoulder, and stretched out his
left arm; he had difficulty in using the arm.

“Tt might be,’ he admitted, “under some conditions.”
“and |

“Pawnee Bill had captured you,’ she reminded,

had Me tied hand and foot, in Granger’s shanty; and | °

Wy
he said, observing her

a
' THE BUFFALO BILL STORIES. | ¥
There was a nasty fight ;

cut the cords and let you go free. I think you owe me
something for that.” * ao em

* “Not now,” he grunted. ‘“Y’ see, what you done after-
ward cancels all that; anyway, I got to do wat the gang
says, and you threw the gang down; I ain’t responsible
for that, and I got to obey orders.”

“Does Tinijas John know of this?” she asked.

“Tinijas John?’ He snorted. “He knows I’m in this
room right now, and he’s waitin’ to help me, if | tip him
the word; but Tinijas, y’ see, don’t want to show his
hand open if he can help it. Tinijas allus works under-
ground; he’s the mole gopher of this outfit.”

“I suppose I'll have to go with you,” she said.
I’d like to know just what I’m to expect.”

His sinister laugh sounded.

“You'll have company. You’ve seen the critter they
call Wild Bill? Well, he’s to be with you.”

“One of Buffalo Bill’s men!”

“Ves, he’s goin’ along; he’s waitin’ for you now in that
room I mentioned.”

His face shriveled into what he considered a merry
smile,

“‘He’s one o’ these hyer smart guys. You reck’lect that
Buffalo Bill’s Dutchman got into trouble; he was cap-
tured, accidental, by the Chinamen; and they railroaded
him out to the mine, without knowi in’ it, in a wooden case ©
that I reckon they thought held tea. Not knowin’ that,
but knowin’ from you that the Dutchman was in trouble,

“But

Cody fired his friend Wild Bill into Tinijas here, to find

out what had happened to the fool. That's where Wild
Bill fell down. He got into a room where some of the
mystery work of the Chinks was gdin’ on; and they
found him there, and nailed him. And now he is in that
room; and he'll make the trip with you. So, as I said,
you're goin’ to have company.”

“Does Buffalo Bill know that?’’ she queried.

“T dunno; but I think not.”

“Because, if he doés, it spells trouble for you,”
declared, “and for Granger.
doesn’t see that.”

she
Granger is_a fool if he

“T reckon not—when we get Wild Bill out where the
Snake Aztecs can toy with him; they ain’t gentle, you
know.”

He arose, still clutching the revolver.

“T don’t see no use in playin’ up to you what ain’t so,”
he said. “The question is now, aire you goin’ quiet, or
do I have to call in Tinijas John?”

From the tray of her trunk she took a purse, and drew,
out of it a diamond ring.

“This is yours, Hawkins,” she said, “if you'll fall down
on this job; it’s worth five hundred dollars, and it will
bring three hundred in any pawnshop. Take it, and let

 

*For a full account of the incidents mentioned and many

others, see last week’s issue, “Buffalo Bill’s Opium Case.”

 
  

“ae

   

6

me slip out by the back way ; then report to the scoundrels
who sent you that I was gone when you got here.”

He shifted uneasily, eying the shining ring.

“T couldn’t do it,’ he said, ‘“‘f’r, y’ see, Tinijas knows
I'm hyer, an’ he knows that you aire hyer; it'd be my
finish.”

“Then,” she added, “take the ring, and let me jump
past you; you can fire off your revolver, and miss me,
and tell them that I got away.”

“TI look at the ring,” he said.

She tossed it to him.

In catching it, he dropped the revolver into his lap,
using his right hand, as his left arm was stiff and sore
from the wound received when Pawnee Bill flung his
knife into it.

The woman made a jump for the deor as the revolver
was lowered.

But she did not reach it; he thrust out his foot, and
she came sprawling to the floor.

“IT expected that trick,” he snarled, catching up the
revolver again. ‘You lay there quiet, or I'll put a bullet
through yer head,”

He had the ring now in his left hand, and after eying
it thrust it into his pocket.

“Tl jes’ keep it,” he said.

“You villain!” she screamed at him.

“Compliments like them don’t break no bones,” he
urged. “If cusses could make a man black and blue, I’ve
had enough flung at me by Granger an’ others to turn
me into a blue nigger; so, y’ see, | don’t-mind.”

“You are a yjllain,” she panted, in her impotent fury;

“you have no more gratitude than a es of wood, or you
would remember the favor I did you.”

Oh, Lotemembers it/7 Ne. admitted ;
is that ain't goin’ to do you no good.”

“the only trouble

He shuffled past her, and made sure that the door was
locked. :

“Tt oe smash that winder and pitch out into the
Beret)
won’t try that. Now, hold out yer hands.”

You're going to tie me?” she gasped.

“Frum that break you méde, I reckon I got to; I can ‘baw

Hold ’em out.”
“Tl call for help.”.

Her scream arose, angry and frightened, but it was
stopped by the fingers of the white-eyed man clutching
her by the throat.

She fought him tigerishly with her nails, and struggled
to free herself. But her strength was not great enough;
he forced her against \the wall, choked her- until she
gasped for breath, and while she was half unconscious
he slipped cords round her wrists and knotted them with
quick dexterity.

Having ces that he thrust a Pt chic! gag into

afford to take chances.

“T retuse, ’ she said.

he said, “you'll only break yer fool neck ; so you

, ‘THE Shoes on BILL STORIES. an

 

 

&

i *
her mouth, and fastened it there by tying the ends of the
handkerchief behind her head.

She was now almost in a fainting condition, so was ren-
dered helpless. ° :

“Will you walk,” he snarled at her,
kerry you?” —

She mumbled a furious answer.

“Oh, all right, Vl kerry you. au I'll hammer you on
the head if you try to kick up a row.’

He caught her in his strong arms and staggered out of
the room. As,he did so a face peeped at him over a ban-
ister.

“It’s all right, Tinijas,’ he whispered. “I reckon thar
ain’t goin’ to be no further trouble. You jes’ watch fer
the B. B. crowd out by the front. They shacked into
town an hour ago, b’ilin’ over with excitement, and they'll

make gun play, if they know what’s goin’ on. You got to

blind ’em, if you can.”
The face of Tinijas John slipped back out of sight; his
caution was so great that he did not even speak.

_ @

CHAPTERAV:.
BUFFALO BILL’S SEARCH,

On his return to ‘iniios Buffalo Bill’s chagrin and
irritation were greater than words can fitly express. In
the moment of a noteworthy victory he had lost its fruits.

Jim Granger, treacherou¢ sheriff of Conejos County,
arrested for being a oe the opium smugglers, was
free again. So was his chief lieutenant, Sim Hawkins,

known as White-eyed Hawkins, one of the greatesttr ras-.

cals of the border.

_ Granger had requested Buffalo Bill to come to his aid
in running down the opium smugglers. That kad been a
blind, to cover up Granger’s own wickedness. He had
tried to steer the scout’s party into a Chinese mining
building, or in front of it, where they could be slaugh-
tered; it having been his intention, then, to claim that cer-
tain desperado Chinese had done the killing. The plan
had been turned against him; he had fallen into his own
trap.

But as he and his fellow prisoners were being con-
veyed to Tinijas, a strong force of his friends had dashed
in on horseback, put up a stiff fight, and he and Haw-
kins had been rescued. -

A fearful toll had been paid by the rescuing parey

five of their men were dead. Several Chinamen, held as

prisoners by Buffalo Bill’s party, had also fallen. And
Buffalo Bill had lost three men; though fortunately not
one of the three were his Heredia friends.

The king of scouts had two bullet holes through his
hat, to remind him of the fight;

“burned” spot on his shoulder, where a bullet had passed ;

*

“or have I got to -

old Nomad had a’.

   

 

 
 

 

 

 

  

THE GUPRALO

and Little Cayuse had lost his eagle feather, which was a
great grief to him, and gave him a nervous fear of the
future.
had Schnitzenhauser.

“It’s too bad, necarnis,” said Pawnee Bill, “but, you
see, though we have lost Granger, we have struck a blow
that will halt this opium smuggling. Granger is foot
free, and he'll get out ef the country, and so will Haw-
kins, and all that crowd. The bad then of Tinijas will go
into hiding. You can bet, necarnis, that the widespread
smuggling along this border has been given its knock-
out.”

“You're kind, Gordon, to want to make it easy for me;
I can see how you feel about it,’ Buffalo Bill answered.
“But you're too generous.” [ ought to have had a
stronger force.’

“You expected to rely on Granger’ s force, you know,”

“Ah, that is where I blame myself; I relied on Granger
too long, and he turned out to be a scoundrel.”

“He was the sheriff, and it was his business to direct
_ you; so, if he went wrong, that puts no sort of blame on
you,’ Pawnee Bill urged,

Buffalo Bill smiled.

“You're like Hickok, Gordon, too generous by half,
when you come to estimate your friends.”

“Speakin’ o’ Hickok,” broke in old Nomad, “I admits

thet, sence this hyer ruction, I ain’t been easy in my

mind. He went inter Tinijas ter see what had happéned.
ter ther baron, and ther baron is hyer wi’ us, right side
up; and Wild. Bill, we don’t know whar he is.”

“Tn the town, of course,” assured Pawnee Bill.

“In trouble, too, mebbeso ; otherwise, et looks like he’d
have come back. Thet town is a bald hornets’ nest right
now, you can bet, ‘count o’ what has happened; an’ whar
thar’s trouble afoot, yer know Wild Bill EHEROR | jes’ cain’t
keep outer et.” \ e

“Don’t worry, old Diamond,” said Pawnee Bill. “You
can be sure that Wild Bill knows how to take care of
himself,”

The few prisoners they still held, nearly all Chinamen,
were being herd-driven in the trail ahead of them. The
dead Chinamen and dead white men had been sent on,
strapped to the backs of ponies, with another party. With
that party had gone the woman, Donna Isabek’ Buffalo
Bill and those still with him had delayed at the mine to
search it for opium, of which a few cases had been
~ found. :

Night was at hand as they entered Tinijas, and it was
at once seen that the place was seething with excitement.
Granger had many friends; besides, the ramifications of
the smuggling fraternity were of unknown extent. A
crowd gathered, and made angry demonstrations. But
Buffalo Bill’s party pushed straight on toward the centre
of the town, brushing the angry men aside with scant
ceremony. |

-

-

 

  

Pawnee Bill had escaped unscratched, and so |

they entered it,

some vine, vot I haf to bay for,

  

BILL STORIES. : 7

A Chinese laundry received the bodies of the dead
Chinamen, an array of excited Chinks having gathered
there for the purpose. The bodies of the white men
were turned over to an undertaker.

Buffalo Bill and his companions turned back to Tinijas
John’s, after surrendering their prisoners to the town
authorities. Ostensibly this movement upon ‘Tinijas
John’s was because it was the best hotel in the town;
the real reason was they knew that Tinijas’ John was one
of the smugglers, though no proof on that point was then
obtainable, outside of the word of Donna Isabel.

Tinijas John received them courteously; he was too
shrewd to do otherwise. And they were given the best
rooms and the best service the house afforded. ;

“Wald Bill Hickok didn’t call on you to-day?” Buf-
falo Bill inquired, as he put his name*on the register.

“Tf he did,” said Tinijas John cautiously, matching wits
with this keen-brained man, ‘I didn’t know it was him;
people comes and goes all the time hyer, to be sure; so he
might ’a’ drifted in and drifted out again. His name ain't
on that register.”

- Yet something in the words and:in the manner die
man informed Buffalo Bill at once that Tinijas John had

‘seen Wild Bill.

After supper Buffalo Bill and his friends went down
into the street, which was filled with armed men. Who
was friend and who was foe could not be determined.

‘Baron von Schnitzenhauser, who turned ee at the hotel,

“was now the guide,

“Fairst,? he said, ‘

_The performance in the Casino was beginning when
But instead of seeking seats they fol-
lowed the baron to the wine rooms at the rear i the
HOUS@ ek ce

“Tdt iss here,” said the baron, stopping before the door
of one of the rooms, “vare I haf der peginnings oof my
sdrange inexberiences. J come py dhis room in, mit der
vomans; idt dss py her special inwidation; unt she order
Vhen I trink idt, 1
tond’t know notting afdhervards; unt | vake oop in a Shi-
nese joss house, vot musdt pe somevheres near.”

‘ve vill go py dee) Camis “a

Buffalo Bill sent for the manager of the Casino, and »
asked if he knew where the. joss house was to be found.

“In the other building, across the street,’ he said.
“There is a door in the wall—you can see it from this .
window; when you get through that you are to look for
an underground passage, I’ve never been there, but I
have heard that much. If you can hit on that passage ©
it will lead you to the joss house.” f

They went down, and found the door, which they
forced; but they could not locate the underground pas-
sage. Some frightened Chinamen whom they encoun-
tered professed entire ignorance of it, and of course lied;
but, for the time, Buffalo Bill was baffled. One thing,

&

     

  

  
    

e

8 THE BUFFALO

however, they learned: the Chinese were making g prepara-
tions for a hasty burial of their countrymen who had been
killed in the fight.
Returning to Tinijas John’s, Buffalo Bill inquired for
Donna Isabel.
“She's gone,

a9

said the proprietor.

oo She arrived here not more than two hours
ago,” the scout informed him.

“That's right, Cody,’ said Tinijas John easily, “put
she packed her trunk and lit‘out; I don’t know where she
went. All I know is ee she went up to her room, and |
haven't seen her since.’

“As there has been no stage out this afternoon, she
can’t i left the town. I think Td like a look at that
room.’ 4

Pawnee Bill went with the scout and Tinijas John up-
stairs to the room which Tinijas John said had been used
by Donna Isabel. It was unoccupied.

“You can see that she ain’t here, Cody,” said Tinijas f

John, leading the way in. He threw a glance round the
empty room. “She lit out, as I told ye.”

“And took her trunk ?”

“Sure thing; a wagon came to the hotel door and got
rh

Buffalo Bill pulled open the door of the little stoye
and looked into it. It held a number of cigar stubs and
half-burned matches, together with some old envelopes.

Fishing some of these out, the scout turned to Tinijas »

John. {

“This envelope bears the name of J. B. Martin,” he
remarked quietly. ‘‘Perhaps Donna Isabel was mas-
querading as a man; that would account, too, for the
cigars smoked here. You can see that the smoking was
done to-day.” ¢

Tinijas John stared and fell back.

“That’s funny,” he said ; “I didn’ t know that the woman
“smoked.”

Buffalo Bill cast the things back into the stove.

“T am sure she didn’t,” he said. ‘

Out of the room they went, with Tinijas John; then into
the street, leaving Tinijas John itt the barroom.

“That was a lie he told, of course, necarnis,’
Pawnee Bill. og

Said

“Yes, he took us to the wrong room. The woman may
be in the house this minute. But it is Wild Bill that we
are searching for.”

Though some of the ruffians in the gee would have
been only too glad of an opportunity to ‘do up” the
scouts, they were afraid to make the tackle openly. They
trailed behind, muttering threats, as Buffalo Bill and
Pawnee Bill took their way along. »

Old Nomad had been sent™to the livery stables, as it
had been discovered that Wild Bill’s horse was in one
of them. After that he was to make a search for the
Mexican boy who had brought the horse in.

a

~ dot I dit, he iss in der Chink joss house,” he averred.

BILL STORIES.

Little Cayuse had been sent off to watch proceedings
at the Chink funerals for which the Chinamen were mak-
ing such elaborate preparations. So only the baron re-
mained.

“Oof Hickok iss meedting mit dér same inexberiences
Cit
I knowed vare idt iss, budt,’’ he finished, with ‘a flourish,
“T tond’t, so vot iss der usefulness?”

As they could not*find Wild Bill, could not locate the
‘Chinese joss house, and had failed to discover Donna
Isabel, the trio repaired at length to a side street close by
the Chinese part of the town, and remained in waiting,
to see what they could see of the Chinese funerals, and
get a report from Little Cayuse.

Nomad was still absent, trying to locate thd Mexican
boy.

e

 Piearaes cmgeseac!

CrAP UR. Y,
LITTLE CAYUSE’S DISCOVERY.

Two or three hours later, Little Cayuse appeared be-
fore them in a state of bewildered excitement.

They had themselves, missed seeing the Chinese funeral
cortége wind out of the town in the moonlight for the
cemetery hill where the Chinese dead of Tinijas were
laid to rest. Nomad had called them away, thinking he
was on the trail of the Mexican boy, but he had been

 mistaken—the boy they found and questioned a noth-

ing, and they lost much time.

They were inthe side street again, with Nomad. where
the young Piute had been told to come to them, and he
appeared there. He had a new eagle feather in ‘his hair,

_and his eyes were shining. Also, he kad what he con-

sidered a startling story.
Meet um bad Injun,’ he explained, touching the eagle

| feather proudly.

“And you took away his eagle feather,” said the scout.
“He was a bad oe because he had an eagle Hg
and you had none.’

__ “Mebbeso me like um have eagle feather,” the Piute
admitted.

Then he changed his mind aout telling how he got: the
eagle feather.

“You see um box of dead Chinee?” he demanded.

“The Chinese in their ‘coffins? No, we weren’t here
when the procession started.”

“Me see ut.’ :

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Up on hill,” said Little Cayuse.
um hill is?”

“You know where

You were

“Yes, where the Chin&e cemetery. is.
there?”

“Me foller um Chinee, on caballo. But me no sabe
somet’ing.” ~

e

 

 

 

 

 
    

  
  
 

 

 

 

  
 
 

 

THE BUFFALO

“There was something about it you didn’t understand?”
“Wuh!”’

“How was it? Tell us about it.” -

“What um Pa-e-has-ka say, when box be two go on
trail?”

“Say. ‘that over again.”

Little Cayuse repeated it.

~“Two of the coffins were not deposited in graves in
the cemetery, but were taken out on the trail?”

“Wah !? .

What trail?

Little Cayuse swung his hand in the direction of it.

“On the trail leading south. Well, what happened
then?”

“Um buried.” :

“The two coffins were buried out by the trail?”

“Wuh! One on top. All same cache!” He swung
his hand round, as if smoothing down a mound; then
stamped his foot on the ground.

“That’s plain enough—eh, Gordon?. Two of the coffins
were #aken out along the trail and buried, one on top of
the other; then the pee was smoothed over, like a
cache
=a tars shore suthin’ ee erbout thet, oe ” Nomad

| declared.

The thought that came into the mind of the king of
scouts was startling enough to make him giddy.

“Tt couldn’t have been possible .

“Tl finish et fer ye,’ said Nomad.

 

“Votrre thinkity :

What if them coffins held Wild Bill and ther young

woman ?
cemetery.”

“IT won't think that—it’s foolish.”

“Yet it’s a queer thing; necarnis, as Nomad says,’’ de-
clared Pawnee Bill.

“Der kveerest dot I haf Hens yit,” said Schnitzen-
hauser.” “Dhis. iss a kveer town, unt a Chink iss a kveer
pitzness, I pedt you; budt Vildt Pill—himmelblitzer, oof
idt couldt have peen him!”.

The Chinks <wouldn’t bury ’em in their own

“You saw the two coffins buried there,” said Buffalo
Bill, turning again to the Piute. “Then what?’

“Me take um caballo and come find Pa-e-has-ka.”

“You rode back to report it. You weren’t seen by the
Chinamen, I hope?”

Little Cayuse shook his head. * eo

“No, Pa-e-has-ka.”

“Yer ¢an bet on ther Injun ter make a sneak of et,
when et’s needed,” praised Nomad. “But this makes me
oneasier than a boy with tight boots. I’m votin’ thet we
tack out and investergates. But I ain’t goin’ ter believe
thet Wild Bill has been wiped out.” __

“Now, about the eagle feather?” said Buffalo Bill.

The Piute touched his head ornament proudly.

“Me see um Injun,” he explained; “me not know who

BILL STORIES, ™

    

2

  

—strange Injun; him no Piute, no Pawnee, no Apache.
Injun come up by Chinee; speak by Chinee ; then take ’um
caballo, and ride pronto.”

A satisfied smile crackled across his face.

“Injun have um eagle feather—me no have um eagle
feather.” He dropped a brown hand-to the long lariat of
horsehair that hung at his belt. “So—me get um eagle
feather.”

“Waugh!” gulped Nomad. “Yer don’t mean et? Yer
pitched yer rope at him, and. pulled ther eagle feather
right outer his ha’r?”’

“Wuhl’ The Piute’s face cracked in a smile again.
“Me rope um eagle feather.” -

Buffalo Bill smiled, too.

“Gordon,” he remarked, “he seems to have you going;
that’s a feat which would test even your great skill with
the riata.” ic

“Tnjun think him see whiskizaos,” explained the young
Piute. He doubled over with laughter. “He no see um
Piute—no see um Piute caballo; no see anything, No
know what it is take um eagle feather ; think um mebbeso
whiskizoos. Wuh!”

“Skeered him inter fits,” said Nomad; “and I s’pose he
went down thet trail on his hoss like a streak er chain
lightning.”

ie

vike aun idee light’n’
holle®.”
gone.”

; no look back; give um
He waved his hands ae “Phen tm

He pulled the eagle feather out of his Jong black hair
and exhibited it. .

“Take a look at it,” said Pawnee Bill, with a start of
surprise: “If you know what tribe that indicates, ne-
carnis, you're ahead of me.” ; f

The feather had been dyed; it had a red te, then a
streak of blue, with the body of the feather black. Paw-
nee Bill and old Nomad, with the scout, examined it
closely by the light of the street lamp.

“Unless it’s just an individual notion, that marking tells
of’a tribe I’m not acquainted with,” Buffalo Bill admitted.

“Little Cayuse,’ he said, “guide us to the place where
those two Chinese coffins were buried.”

Little Cayuse tucked the feather back in his hair, and
ran to get his horse.

The other horses, with Rclnea mayer s mule, Gere i in
a livery stable, near the one in which Wild Bill’s ‘animal
had been located. Some warning instinct made Buffalo —
Bill now decide to take it along.

“We can use it as a pack animal, in case of need,’ he
said. “If Hickok is still in the Pewn, and; requires
another, he can get a horse out of the stable.”

6eé

diekok ain’t in the town,” grumbled Nomad;
bettin’ big money he’s in one er them coffins.”

“Tam

But he was voicing his fear, rather than his belief.

 
    
   

 
4

3 @ THE BUFFALO

CHAPTER VI.
A BIT OF MYSTERY.

The full moon was high in the sky when the Piute
brought them to the “cache,” as he insisted on calling the
place where the coffins had been buried by the Chinese.

The couble grave, if it was one, had been deftly con-
cealed; first by trampling the earth level with the sur-
face of the ground, then by scattering grass, leaves, and
old boughs over the spot in a manner to give it a natu-
ral appearance. When these were scraped aside, the
fresh soil was revealed. -

Old Nomad looked down at the yellow earth with a
shiver.

“I don’t. like et,” he admitted. “This hyer ain’t no
Chink graveyard, an’ them two coffins warn’t buried hyer
without a good reason. Ef et should shore prove thet
Wild Bill is under this bit o’ oe T’m plum cert’in ter
lose what little sense I’ve got, an’ kill ’steen dozen o’ them
yaller-bellied Chinamien ; I oe I ain’t goin’ter be able
ter. help ¢t.’

Buffalo Bill had-no comment to make, as he took the
spade that had been brought and gouged it into the earth.
The question of what the double grave held had been
threshed out in all.its bearings on the way. Nothing was
left but to find out if any of their many guesses were
right.

Buffalo Bill went down, rapidly and skillfully; the
ground, freshly placed, was light and easily handled, after
the first foot of trodden earth had been cast out. ,

In a little while Pawnee Bill replaced him, insisting
on doing his-share of the work, and Pawnee. Bill was
wielding the spade when the point of it toughed the first
box.

He paused and looked down; the sound of the spade
striking the box had been heard by all. After an instant
of hesitation he resumed digging.

When the box was uncovered, it was seen that the
Piute had not been mistaken in thinking it a Chinese cof-
fin; it was in the shape of the Chinese caskets for the
dead, and was covered with Chinese letters.

“T haf heardt oof findting goldt, hid mit a blace like _

dot,” hopefully suggested the baron, down on his knees
and looking in. “Idt vouldt pe a goodt vay, to keeb
somepodty from obening der grave vot idt iss subbosed
to pe? Oddervise, oof I am making anodder guess, der
Chimeezers haf puried some Chinks a vot haf diedt oof
der blague, or der smallbox.”
_“Weangh! Ther smallpox!” gurgled Nomad, jumping
Lack. “I hadn't €onsidered thet as a likelihood.”
“T think,” said Pawnee Bill, looking up, “that there
gas been no smallpox, or other contagion, in the town.”
“So far as ve know,”
know eferyt’ing, nodt vhen idt is der Chineezers.”

 

- bottom of the excavation.

added the baron, “budt ve tond’t |
confessed.

BILL. SFORIES,

Buffalo Bill dropped into the grave alongside, and he
and Pawnee Bill hoisted an end of the coffin.

“It seems to be empty,” he said, astonished.

“Embty! Dhen idt iss not a goldt gache.”’

The box was pulled out of the hole.

Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill came out Mist it; and
Pawnee Bill pried off the lid with the point of the spade.

The box was empty.

“Vot?” gasped the baron, staring down into the box in
the moonlight. ‘“Vot iss der meanness oof dot?”

“You tell me, baron,” said old Nomad, who was might-
ily relieved. “But,” he added, looking into the “grave,”
“mebbeso thar’s suthin’ in ther other’ box.”

Catching the spade out of the hand of Pawnee Bill, he
sprang into the hole in his impatience, and began to
throw out the dirt, working feverishly. Almost immedi-
ately he uncovered the second box.

When the earth had been removed from the top, and
the box was drawn out and opened, it, too, was seen to
be empty.

“Vote?” the baron howled again.
ness oof dhis pitzness?”

“Waal, thet’s what I want ter know myself,” said
Nomad. “Why did ther Chinks take the trouble ter
bring. two empty boxes out hyer an’ bury ’°em? Thet is
ther work o’ crazy men, an’ I never yit seen er Chink
what was crazy, though I’ve met up with a few thet was
mighty big fools.”

Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill looked at the empty boxes
in puzzled wonder. Little Cayuse was frightened; this
had an air of that mystery which always frightened him.
He was wishing he had not said anything about the buried
boxes. In his fear he toyed with his new eagle feather,
wondering if it was not bad medicine, and if he oughtn’t
throw it away. *

“Maype, py shinks,” guessed the baron,

“Vot iss der foolish-

“somedings iss

puriedt under der poxes !”’

He let himself down into the hole, called for the spade,
and. began to gopher away, sinking the hole deeper:

“Idt iss beating my dime,” he confessed, when the
spade struck ground so hard that he knew he was at the
“Here iss a hole, mit two
coffins in idt, unt nottings else. Vildt Pill iss nodt here,
der missing vomans she iss nodt here, unt der goldt he iss
not here; aber I am nodt treaming, I am as

ow, baron,” Nomad interrupted, “yer ain’t seein’
things ; thar ain’t nothin’ ter see, except two Chink cof-
fins a ‘a hole in ther ground.’ This is makin’ me plum
crazy.” Me

The baron crawled out of the hole, with Nomad’s
assistance ; he, too, was dazed.

“I can make somedings oof idt—not, ” he said to Buf-
falo Bill.

“We are all in the same boat, baron,” the king of scouts
“I don’t know what it means. It might pay,

 

 

 
  

 

baron, shaking his puzzled head.
' pitzness, I pedt you.”

formed them.

 

though, to set a watch here after we have restored every-

thing to its former condition, and see what happens.”
“That’s right,’ Pawnee Bill agreed. ‘There is a hole

in the ladder, of course, though I can’t discover it; these

coffins weren’t brought out here and buried without any

_ reason whatever.”

“Vedt I tond’t know me apowet dot,” ‘avowed the
ew Chink 18 a kyeer

“We'll set a watch, and see,’ said the king of scouts.

&

. | CHAPTER ‘VII.

1 EEN BV ED (Cae. U Ere

Leaving Nomad, Little Cayuse, and the baron to fill in

the hole and watch beside it, Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill

returned to the town.

It seemed reasonably certain that if Hickok had not
fallen into serious trouble he was still in Tinijas, making
a quiet search for the baron; as he did not know that the
baron had been found at the Chink mine, where he had

been taken as a prisoner, and was now at liberty.

Also, they believed that Granger had made for Tinijas,
after his escape, and was in hiding there. Besides, they

wanted to locate the woman, who had dropped out of .

sight in a manner that suggested evil work.

But they made no progress. The streets were not so
filled with people. Tinijas John was still behind his
bar, silent and crafty. And the Casino ote segs was
in full blast.

They spent the night in ice ineffectual search, and

returned to the closed-in “grave” shortly after daybreak,

where ‘they found Nomad and the German crouched in
the bushes, with the horses in concealment some distance
off. ces :

‘Nothin’ doin’,’ Nomad reported.

“Kvieter as a grafeyard,” the baron added; “ve haf
vatched der hole der whole nighdt t’rough, unt seen not-
ting. Nomat has peen dot caudious he vould nodt efen
ledt me schmoke mine pipe.”

“We discovered nothing in the town,” the scout in-
“Wild Bill has simply Soe out cs
sight. Where is the Piute?”

“Projeckin’ round out along the trail,” said Nomad.
“He struck out on his caballo soon’s it was light ernough
ter see. I’m lookin’ for him back now any minute. I’m
plum-worried about Hickok.”

While they were getting breakfast, the rat-a-tat of the

99

Piute’s pony returning was heard. Little Cayuse came

in sight at a dead run,
“Ther critter thinks thet he has es onter suthin’,’

said Nomad, starting up.
When the Piute drew in a by them he td and held.

THE BUFFALO’

‘gins to look as if he was taken along as a prisoner.

BILL STORIES. : oi

out a small piece of velvet cloth, which they recognized
at once.

“Out of Wild -Bill’s coat,” said Buffalo Bill, Cae
it out of the Piute’s hand. “Where did you pick this up, °
Little Cayuse?”

“By um trail,” said the young Indian, his black eyes
shining.

“T don’t like the look of this, necarnis,” said Pawnee
Bill gravely, “though I am glad the Piute found it.
What do you make of it?”

The bit of velvet was a small, irregular triangle.

- “Was it hanging on a bush?’ Buffalo Bill asked.

“By um trail,” the Piute repeated.

“On the ground, by the trail; then it wasn’t torn out
by a bush, nor anything like that.”

Nomad ran to get his horse, and returned in a minute |

a9

“or so, mounted. ‘»

“T’m goin’ ter take a look at ther place whar thet was
found,” he explained. “Mebbeso thar is suthin’ more ter
be picked up thar.”

The others followed him, more slowly, ae the Piute
accompanied him, to show him where the velvet had been
found. /

‘When all had arrived at the spot, Nomad was down in
the trail on his hands and knees, inspecting some hoof-

prints of ponies.

“Been a wheen of caballos gone along hyer airly las’
night,” he declared, “toes a-p’intin’ toward ther south.
Looky hyar.”

He indicated the tracks.

' Buffalo Bill flung out of his ae and joined A old
trapper.

“Yotrre right,” he said,

“An’ right hyar is whar ther Piute picked up ther piece
o cloth. Puttin’ two an’ two tergether, how does et figger

OuUbE

ee ae Bill was with this party, he must have been
a-prisoner,’ said the scout.

“Perhaps he was following them,”
Bill.

‘Buffalo Bill stood up and looked at his pard.

“Would he have set out on a trail like this,

| suggested Pawneg,

Gordon,

without leaving.some word for us?”

_ “Tt doesn’t seem so, does it?’ Pawnee Bill admitted.
“He would have tried to keep in touch with you. It be-
That
would explain why we can’t locate him, nor hear from
bina ie

“But who done et?” said Nomad, scratching his griz-
zled head. “War et ther Chinks thet made the false grave —
back thar ?” :

Light dawned ode on the king of scouts.

“Listen,” he said. “I have been -struck with an idea.
Maybe it is foolish, but it grows on me. Two coffins
were brought out, and buried back there, with nothing in

 
 

12 THE BUFFALO

 

‘ §
But might there not have been something in them
If so, isn’t it

them.
when they were brought out of the town?
just possible that they were buried there empty simply to
conceal them, after whatever was in them had been taken
out?”

Old Nomad ee like a wolf.

“Waugh! Waugh-h! I ketch yer idee. Ther things
thet war in ‘em war Wild ‘Bill, and mebbe thet woman !
Waugh!”

‘“Himmelblitzen!” gasped the German. “Vot a headt
you haf got, Cody. 1am bedtting you ar-re righdt; yaw,
dot iss idt! Vuildt Pill vos proughdt oudt here py der
coffin in, unt afdher dot he vos taken der coffin oudt.
Idt iss a skinch.”

“If that is so,” said Pawnee Bill thoughtfully, “then
he must have been unconscious.”

“Unt der voman she was inkinscious, also-o,” the baron
added.

“It would seem so; but he was ne unconscious when
he arrived at this point in the trail,” Buffalo Bill reasoned.
“This piece of cloth from his coat proves it. He tore it
out, and pone it here, hoping we would ‘find it, and
understand it.”

Little nae had straddled his pony and cantered back

to the “grave.” He was seen to circle round it, his head
bent low, his pony on the jump. Hae righted himself,
he let out an Indian yelp.

“All same caballo track here, Pa-e-has-ka,’ he an-
nounced, when they came up to him. “You see um?”

He pointed outa track similar to one that had been
observed in the trail—a track that had a nick in one side,
showing that the pony making it had its hoof broken.

The ground round the “grave” was now gone over as
with a fine-tooth comb. Buffalo Bill dismounted, and,
with eyes close to the soil, examined it inch by inch. The
others aided in the work.

‘At the end of five minutes there was no sort of doubt

remaining that the ponies whose tracks were visible in.

the trail had been also at this point.

Buffalo Bill voiced the inevitable Sonelasian |

“It begins to seem that Wild Bill was brought out of
the town in one of those boxes. We can’ take it for

granted that he had been rendered unconscious, or it”

never would have happened... Here he was taken out of the
box, restored to consciousness, and put on the back of a

pony. If the woman was in the other box, the same can

be said of her. No doubt he was tied to the pony, and
his hands were tied, perhaps behind his back.”

The king of scouts drew from a pocket the triangular
piece of velvet.

“This is a smooth piece,” he said. “With no seams,
nor ornamentation; probably it came out of the back of
his coat. It was night when the ponies passed down the
trail. Our friend Wild Bill is clever. So, my guess is
that he succeeded in tearing that out of the back of his

BILL STORIES.

coat, even though his hands were tied, and let it ; drop i in
the trail, without attracting atention.”

“Tdt iss a skinch!” the baron bubbled.

“Your reasoning seems to be good, necarnis,” Pawnee
Bill admitted.

“Der schmugglers haf got him,” the baron sputtered.
“Iss idt not a reasoning enough? Idt iss Granger, unt—
unt der Chinks.”

“T opine ther baron is shootin ’straight,” agreed No-
mad. ‘Granger and the Tinijas Chinks would have et
in fer him, o’ coursefjan’ ef they've got him “4

“Tdt iss for rewenge.”

“Yes, I allow thet’s it; theyll have fun wi’ him—they’ll
torture him up some, jes’ ter show how they hate him, an’
how mean they air; thet is,” he added, with a long breath,
“ef we let ‘em!’

“Unt der voman also-o.”’

“T reckon,” said Nomad, “they’re hatin’ her wuss’n they
aire any of us; I hate ter think erbout et, ef she’s a pris-
‘ner, in a Chink crowd,”

“But—where can they be going?’ Pawnee Bill peed

“Dot iss for us to findt oudt,” said the baron. “Who-
efer vos going py dhis blace vos sure leafing der town.
Dot vouldt pe Granger. Oof he stayed py der town in,
he vouldt be exbosed to cabttre ag’in; unt so he iss gidt
him oudt kvick. And der Chinks vot iss in der schmug-
gling pitzness der same vay; dhey vouldt git oudt, But
varefer idt iss dot dhey ar-re going, tond’t ask me.”

“Thet’s ter be found out,” said Nomad... ‘‘Maybe thar’s
a Chink hidin’ place out in the hills, an’ they're headin’
Ret ey.

 

It was agreed that this seemed likely.

“Take the trail,” Buffalo Bill ordered, speaking to Lit-
tle Cayuse; “we will be right at your heels.”

: nee
CHAPTER: VII
THE BARON GETS A SURPRISE.

Following the pony tracks took them down the southern
trail, to the Mexican border, which they reached that

night; then beyond it, the next morning, in the direction »

of the Silverstone Mountains.

Two discoveries, that first day, indicated that they were
in the wake of Wild Bill. One was a gold button,
pounced on by Nomad, who picked it out of the dirt.
There could be no doubt that it was from Wild Bill’s
velvet jacket. The other was one of Wild Bill’s silver
spurs, found by the king of scouts at the noon resting
place of the band they were following.

There was, of course, a possibility that these had been
dropped as “blinds,” for the purpose of luring the pur-
suers farther and still farther from Tinijas. In that

      
   
    
  
   
   
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

=

ee

   
  
  
  
    
     

ae

"

   

fe a as ee
 

 

 

THE BUFFALO

event it seemed a certainty that Wild Bill was held as a
prisoner somewhere; if he had not beert killed; otherwise,
these objects would hardly have been:in possession of the
pony riders.

About noon of the second day an Indian was sighted,
in the Silverstone foothills. As he dropped out of view
almost as soon as seen, Little Cayuse and Nomad were
sent forward on foot to locate him.

The old trapper went in one direction, the Piute in
another, to get the Indian between them. Then Nomad
saw him again, crouching behind a ledge, where he was
trying to get sight of the white men in the trail.

In spite of the fact that in some ways his years were
beginning to tell against him, old Nomad still had eyes
as keen as an eagle’s. Making a tube of his hands, to cut

out the sun glare, he looked the redskin over critically.

“Little Cayuse’s find, to be shore,’ he grunted, with
satisfaction; “which ther same is shown by ther fact thet
he ain’t w’arin’ ary eagle feather. Little Cayues hez
got et.”

He began to study how he could “rake him in.”

Creeping forward, he got a bunch of mesquite between
himself and the Indian, which enabled him to cover half
_ the intervening distance at fair speed. ;

After passing the mesquite, there was little else than
scattered boulders crowned with cacti to aid his conceal-
ment.

Yet in Work of this kind old Nomad was so clever -

that he still made good progress. Only once did the In-

dian look round, so absorbed was he in watching the

white men in the trail; but Nomad sank as lightly to the
ground as a falling feather, and passed unnoticed.

Having succeeded in getting behind a cactus-fringed

boulder within half a dozen yards of the redskin, the |

old borderman rose boldly to his feet, and advanced.

It was then that the Indian heard him. Spinning round
on his naked heels, and seeing the white man near, he
was so astonished that he had not time to get out the
knife that was slung at his waist in a belt of rawhide be-
fore Nomad was on him.

“Er, waugh-h!”

It was like the snarl of an animal, as the borderman
launched himself; the next instant his fingers were tight-
ening round the copper-colored throat of the scantily-
attired aborigine. :

“Lay still thar,’ commanded Nomad, flinging: the
wheezing Indian to the ground; then he covered him with
a revolver. ae you don’t cut up no tricks, I ain’t goin’
‘ter shoot voce

The redskin rolled into a crouching position beside the
rock, and held up his hands.

“Yer air a wise red,’ Nomad commented. “Yer aire
some skeeredy.an’ I cain’ blame ye; but I’m plum thet
inoffensive, when things goes my way, thet you needn't

Li

   

BILL STORIES. © fees

Jes’ hold out yer hands tell I ornaments ‘em wi’ this
hyer han’some rope.’

He took the lariat slung at his side, and bound the
hands and feet of the Indian. Then he showed himself on
top of the rock, and waved his battered hat.

“Yes, thet brings ’em!’’ he chuckled.

The party in the trail struck into a gallop as soon as
they saw him, and came up the slope at a rattling gait,
the trained and hardened horses and ponies climbing like
goats. Toofer brought up the rear, mightily belabored
by the baron.

From the other direction Little Cayuse bobbed in sight,
chagrined by the fact that Nomad had made the captyre.
He arrived at the top of the rise almost as soon as the
others. f

“Wuh!” he exploded then, staring at the discomfited .
redskin, “Me got um feather.”

A scowl passed over the face of the captured Indian
when he. saw his eagle feather in the black braids of
the Piute.

“He'll knife ye fer et, too,’ Nomad warned, “ef he gets
ther chance. You'll haf ter look out fer him.”

With the Indian in their midst, the party squatted
round, while Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, and old Nomad
began to catechize him, using all the Indian tongues of
which they had knowledge. ?

Little Cayuse took a hand in the linguistic seance, but
with no better results.

“Vhy tond’t you dry him mit English?’ demanded the
baron, and fired a broadside of what he considered to be
that language. ‘

It struck through to the redskin’s understanding—that
was evident; but it did more—it brought a response that
was little less than startling.

“Sprechen Sie Deutsch?’ the Indian yelled.

The baron jumped as if a knife had been run into him.

“Ja wohl’? he shouted back.

“Waugh!” Nomad squalled, in his amazement.

ye :

Dutch Injun!’

Sldt iss drue.””
Then he yelled a question in his native tongue.
“Tch bin Amerikaner,’ said the redskin.

shrilled the baron.

The Indian unwound: more of the language of the
baron’s fatherland, to the baron’s panting astonishment.

“Lieber Gott!” gasped the baron.

“Amerikaner,” “Ja, gewiss.”

“Tdt iss beadt me,” he said, turning to his companions. -
“Te tond’t know enough Cherman so dot idt iss hurting
him, but he iss claiming dot he iss an American, pecause
he lifs on der American site oof der Mexican line; unt
dot he is a friendliness, Vot iss a surbrising to me iss,

he is saying dot vun dime he iss been lifing mit a Cher-

man, unt got dose moudhfuls oof Cherman vords oof
him; vhich idt iss.a lie, I bedt you. No Cherman oof
sensidiveness is efer lif mit an Inchun willage.”

  
   

 
14 THE BUFFALO

 

“Go ahead,” said Buffalo Bill, laughing; “ask him some
more questions.”
The baron complied, prodding away with more Ger-

man inquiries. When the Indian failed to catch the mean-
ing, the baron shifted to his English; and, after a fashion,
by shifting back and forth, he made himself understood.

“Tdt iss a funny sdory,” he declared, “vot he iss dell-
ing me, unt I pedt you idt iss some lies.” |

“Enlighten us, baron,’ Pawnee Bill urged; “don’t, be
so selfish as to keep all the interesting things to your-
self.” |

“In der fairst blace, idt iss a lie dot he sbeaks Cher-
man; he is know a few vords, unt murders der resdt oof
idt Y’

amusement, “he shore deserves credit fer thet, Baron—
ef he murders et; et’s a language thet could be spared
without tears, ef he should kill et dead.” ,
“Ach! Fool!” the baron sputtered. “Idt iss der lank-
vitch oof indelligence—oof scholars; unt uniwersidies;
unt you-—” His indignation choked his stream of
declamation. Nomad dropped back, chuckling.
“Waste your breath on the Indian,” Buffalo Bill urged,
“and tell us his story.”
“Idt iss,some lies,”

said the baron; “‘budt here idt iss.

He iss clarming dot dere iss nodt far off a Inchun cidy—

a vonderful cidy, mit sdone valls; unt in idt many In-
chuns, unt meppe some vhite mens, unt Chinks. Unt he
says dot der Chinks vhich ve haf peen following haf gone
to dhis blace. But—ve cannot findt idt.”

“Why does a say we can't find it?’ Pawnee Bill
queried.

The baron bec his shoulders.

“IT am nodt knowing dot; he aind’t tell me.”

“Ask him if. there was a white man, prisoner, with
the party that passed along here,” suggested Buffalo Bill.

The baron shot the query at the Indian.

“Ach! Yaw; he says der vos a man unt a voman.”

“Then we are on the right track! Ask him some more
questions.”

The baron ee questions ina oe at the crouching
redskin.
~“Oof he could dalk petter Cherman I could findt me
oudt a goodt deal more,” he grumbled;
him somet’ings he say dot I tondt sbeak der lankvich vell,
Tink oof idt! Dit you efer heardt der likes oof dot?
Me!” He hammered his breast. “Me, a natif Cherman,
unt not sbeak der lankvich mit a niceness; ach, lieber
Gott, idt make me vandt to keel him. Sooch a insuldt.”

“But what does he a ?” Buffalo Bill demanded.

“Tam delling you.”

“But his story—about this oy and ie prisoners! 2” :

“Von t'ing—he says ve cannodt findt idt, pecause he vill
nodt show us; oof ve cudt-him indo sissage meadt, he vill

BILL STORIES.

     

“Waal,” Nomad drawled, his lips wrinkling with

“but vhen I ask=

#
sdill not show idt. Vot you tink oof dot? Himmelblit-
zen, he is a impudent.”

7 We can. find it,” ae the scout, “by sticking to the
trail of those ponies.”

“He haf oxblained apowet how dot iss.
ean findt; but dot iss all.’

Nomad drew-out his knife and ran his finger along the

Der bonies ve

» keen edge, eying the redskin.

“T reckon,’ he said, “I could skeer him into droppin’
out all ther knowlidge he is harborin’.”
If the trapper had such ideas, he knew the king of

scouts would not permit even important information to

be extracted by torture, and the smile on Nomad’s"’face
showed that he really did not mean it.

When the baron had exhausted his ingenuity, and
gained no further information worth the effort, the In-
dian, still bound, was hoisted to the back of the led ani-
mal, which, by the way, was W ild Bill’s ae brought
along for emergencies.

Then the task of following the poly tracks was again
pushed.

But at the end of an hour it came to an inglorious halt;
the tracks were lost utterly, on a sheet of lava which
extended over many acres—a sea of black glass pitted
with air holes.~ *

At the end of another hour the ponies were jocated in
a tocky glen, where there was grass and water, beyond
the lava belt. But as for finding the tracks of the riders,

after that, it was not accomplished.

The baron was still fuming when the mid-afternoon

cainp was made; it hurt his national pride, that an Indian
should have been found who knew even a few German
words. _
' “Der vhite man he haf learnt uff vos nodt a Cherman,”
he declared; “idt vos a vhite man vot vas a sure Ameri-
can, unt vos drying to gidt a credit for himself py sbeak-
ing dot lie. Ach!”

Even when he had loaded his big pipe and sought con-

solation by the nicotine route he could not stop his audi-
ble grumbling.

CHAPTER IX.
CLEVE) Ry AheR AVP Pp ay Ds:

That same afternoon, the white-eyed villain known as
Sim Hawkins, topping a hill many miles from Tinijas,
espied an Indian sitting in comtemplative silence some
distance ay

“Waal,” he grunted, dropping into the easy onecrs
“luck is swingin’ my way; thar’s a Snake Toltec sun-
baskin’ like a lizard, jest when I’m plumb lost.”

The Indian figure was wrapped in the familiar black-
and-white-striped blankets used by the Snake Toltecs.
His face was turned in the other direction,

   

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

iW
ee
Ai
ay
Wa
Me

i

i
YA)

 

  

 

 

    
    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

whi Migeta basis ee
peepee eer ee cae eed ete radu walla ulsaa racine apap ce eled ea eine eine tank Lacs dices coe a aa

THE BUFFALO

Fearing that if frightened the Indian would scud out
of sight like a scared rabbit, White- -eyed Hawkins ap-
proached him with unusual care. Then he called softly.

“Asleep or drunk,” he grumbled, on getting no an-
swer, and he made another advance. —

Finally he walked straight up to the blanketed redskin.

“Hello!” he called. “I’m a friend, y’ know; got turned
about out hyer, an’ don’t jest know whar I am; so -

The Indian turned round.

“Huh!” he said.

Hawkins gave an astonishing jump backward, so great
was his amazement.

“Buffalo Bill’s Piute!” he gasped, “when by rights he
ought to be more’n a hundred miles from here!”

He was about to draw his revolver; but a number of
dark objects, that he had supposed to be stones half
buried in the sand, wriggled and sat up, and he discovered
that they were men, with weapons in their hands—the
weapons pointing straight at him.

Gurgling his fright, he looked from face to face, and
saw before him Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, old Nomad,
and Baron von Schnitzenhauser.

The flatter first broke the silence.

“Idt iss a bity dot I haf to shoodt you; budt I am going
to do idt, oof you tond’t kvick holdt oop your handts.”’

Hawkins’ hands went above his head with surprising
alacrity. ‘

“Throw your weapons on the ground,” Buffalo Bill
commanded.

Hawkins took his hands down long enough to comply,
unloading a miscellaneous collection of deadly hardware,
then shot them above his head again.

“l'm not fool enough not to

 

‘Taceanents he. said}
know it.”

Nomad rolled out of his sandy bed and began to col-
lect the weapons.

“Yer must er been expectin’ ter do some fightin’,” he
remarked grimly, “by ther looks; two undergrown can-
non, an’ er littler one; wi’ two hog-stickers, an’ cartridges
ernough ter supply er military company.”

He raked them together, and put them behind him.

Hawkins had collapsed against a stone, unnerved by
what had happened.

“Where are the Chinese and the Indians?” Buffalo Bill
questioned.

Hawkins tried to look blank.

“For two days,” said the scout, “we've followed a trail,
which we took up near Tinijas; and it has led us here,
then played out. We've been waiting for some one to
come along who could tell us what became of it; you're

_ the first white man we've seen.”

“Your bein’ hyar is some surprisin’, too,” said Hawkins,

pulling his wits and his courage together by a superhuman

effort. Waal, ['m bound

é

“And you laid a trap fer me.

 

Bi STORIES T5

to admit it was a good one. [ni wonderin’ whar you got

the blanket; that’s all” :
tie looked at Little Cayuse’s head feather.
“You've killed a red somewheres, I s’pose, an’ that

BACCOUNTS Ter Jk.

99

_ “Ther red, which we didn’t kill, is right off thar,” said
Nomad. “We'll show him ter yer when et’s needed.
Ther thing fer yer ter do is ter answer Cody’s questions
—not ter ask any.” :

“Our capture of the Indian, and other
marked Buffalo Bill, “has given us some information,
and you are to add to it. We know that a man anda
woman were taken as prisoners out of the town of Tini-
jas and brought over this trail. They were brought in
boxes, or Chinese coffins, a mile or more this side of the
town; there the boxes were buried, empty.. Since uncoy-
ering the boxes we have found certain ‘sign’ in the trail,
which makes us believe that the man who is a prisoner
is Wild Bill. We are merely guessing ae! s woman
is Donna Isabel; she is missing.’

White-eyed Tague paled; still his nerve did not de-
sert him.

“T don’t know a thing about that,” he said.

‘We think you do, and we think, also, that you will
admit it. The Indian we captured says there is an In-
dian city near here—a city walled with stone, which would
indicate that it is Aztec, or Toltec, or else built by a
northern branch of the Mayas of Yucatan. Tell us about
that,” the king of scouts commanded.

. Hawkins hesitated. ‘,.
“Wha at do I git fer this?” he demanded abfuptly.
“Better treatment than you could otherwise expect.
© Vhaad aint enough, he asserted.

"NOE:

“That don’t do me any good. Maybe I might know
somethin’, if you fellers would let me go.”

“We can’t know if it. is of any value,”
Bill, “until we hear it.”

- Hawkins cast him a malignant look; he had not for-
gotten, and would never forget, that Pawnee Bill had
once flung the knife into his shoulder. Some day, he
thought, he would avenge that.

“What about that Indian city, first?” Buffalo Bill co-
manded. —

Hawkins turned this over in his mind.

“Waal, I can’t find it,” he declared.

“You mean, you don’t want to find it—for us:

“No; 1 can’t find tt for myseli. That's straight. I
was lookin’ fer it when I saw that Snake Aztec blanket,
and

“Snake Aztec! I guess you know something, and you
will tell it.” <a

Buffalo Bill, seated on the stone by which the Piute
had squatted, drew out a revolver. Hawkins’ face paled —
again when he saw it. 5

things,” re-

said Pawnee

2)?

 

 
 

16 : THE BUFFALO

“You know me, and you know what I am here for.
You are one of the opium smugglers, and we came here
to get them; we captured you, and “then your friends
jumped in, and you escaped. But you will not escape this
time unless you loosen up with what knowledge you have
about the Chink smugglers, about this Snake Aztec city,
and about our friend, Wild Bill.”

Though his tones were quiet, they had a certain firm-
ness and ring that made Hawkins quake in his boots.

_ “PI willin’ to tell what little I know,” he said; “but—if
I do, you'll let me go?”

“You'll tell what you know, and you are going to tell
it to us right now.”

The revolver bore full on his breast.

“T never like td. threaten a man, Hawkins,” said the
scout, “but a murdering scoundrel and liar like you
doesn’t deserve any consideration. Now, speak up.”

Hawkins sucked in his breath.

“Waal, I'll tell what I know. After that you'll let me
go, Cody?”

“Begin at the beginning.”

They ringed him in, and their faces were not kindly;

_ the courage he had plucked together went to pieces sud-
denly, like a rope of sand.

© tell everything, Cody,” he whined, “‘and I meant to
from the first. It happened—the beginnin’ of it—back in
Tinijas. The Chinks captured Wild Bill, and stored him
away in a room back of the joss; it’s a prison room,
where they put Chinks that aire to git the bowstring.

_ “After that, when night had come, and she was hustlin’
ter go away, I went into Donna Isabel’s room at the

‘ hotel, and told her she’d got to go along of me. She

didn’t want to, and made a fuss; but she went. And I

tuck her to that room. .

“As I said, it was night then. Granger was there, and
some 0’ the others. They had sneaked into the town, but
was arrangin’ to go out of it ag’in as quick a$ they could,
fer we had word that your crowd was there, lookin’ for
him.

“Of course,” he licked his lips again—they seemed hot

and dry—“Granger knowed that no place whar you could |

git at him easy would be safe, so it was planned that we’d
all git out, and hit for the Snake Aztecs; they’re our
friends. The Chinks was to help us, under cover of the
funeral. ?

“So Granger and me, we crawled into a couple of the

_ Chink coffins, and they tuck us out to the Chink ceme-
tery: not to plant us, but so’s we e’d slide out of the town
eaay,

“Waugh!” Nomad gulped.
hold Wild Bill an’——

“Did y’ think’ it?” said Bae
woman was taken out by a back entrance, while the
funeral was goin’ on, tied, and gagged, and at one of the

“Then them coffins didn’t

Nad Butend the

 

Bi STORES:

It was

livery stables they was loaded onto some hosses.
easy, by stickin’ to the back streets., I didn’t see it—I was
in a Chink coffin; but when we was all in the trail,
straightenin’ out for the long trip, I found it out.

“The coffins was buried by the trail, so’s nobody would
guess what had been done; I reckon nobody ever. would
outside of your crowd!”

His comment passed unanswered.
“One of the Snake Aztecs had been hangin’ round the

~ town, in a dirty blanket, pertendin’ that he was a Mojave;

he was to guide us, which he did. You have got him now,
I jedge. Everything went along well enough. But you
was after us, of course, as I know now.”

His whitish eyes roved from face to face.

“Then—we was tuck into the Snake Aztec city; after
the ponies was corraled in a sink hole in the hills some-
whar round hyer. We was brought up to a bluff; then
a basket was let down, and, two or three at a time, we
was h’isted. And that’s how we got in.

“There’s a door, though; this mornin’ I was let out by
that door, and was told by Granger to pike out along
the trail, and to come back in a hurry if I saw anything.
Our Injun guide was already out, lookin’ round. I piked;
then, not seein’ anything, I tried to go back. But-thar’s
where I fell down; I couldn’t find the gate ag’in, ner the
blamed old wall; couldn’t find anything.”

“Waugh!?’ Nomad rumbled. “You're lyin’.”’

“Honest I ain't,’ the unhappy wretch protested. “I
knowed that when I come to that you wouldn’t believe
‘it, but if Cody should shoot me dead, I’d have ter stand
tOr ies.

“And you say,” said the scout, “that Wild Bill and
the woman are now in the Snake Aztec town?” ©

“They was, anyway; I don’t know about now.”

“How long ago was that?”

“I was set out by way 0’ the gate this mornin’; I cal’ Bie
they was in the town then.”

“How many white men are in the town?”

“Half a dozen er more.”

“Iss vun oof dhem a Cherman?” the baron demanded
uneasily.

“I’m shore I don’t know; wasn ‘t no Dutchman in our
crowd.”

“I knowed idt; dose Inchun iss a liar.”

“I think you’ve spoken the truth, Hawkins,” said the
scout, “and you ‘ll not regret it. We'll try to make it
easier for you, in the end. But you will have to help us.
You have seen that wall, and you would know it see
Besides, we have our Srralce Aztec prisoner, and we're
likely to get some valuable help from him.”

The others fired questions at White-eyed Hawkins.

“The town,” he said, answering one from Pawnee Bill,
“has got laid-up rock walls on one side. On the other
sides it is natural rock, which was the thing that tumbled
me. out of the saddle. You can see a dozen natural rock

 
 

Se Ni NRO a

Pemte ear ee oe

THE BUFFALO

walls right from this spot, and there’s plenty more; but I
can’t tell if any one of ‘em hides the town.”

“Wild Bill hedn’t been hurt in any way, a reckon 2”
Nomad asked, his keen eyes flashing.

“No,” said: Hawkins. “They threatened some, but he
would jest laugh at ‘em, and it went at that,”

“Thet’s Wild Bill; a recklesser critter never lived. Et

will be plum healthy, though, fer ther hull b’ilin’, ef they -

don’t harm him,”
“Unt der vomans also-o,” the baron added.
Buffalo Bill looked at the declining sun.

‘We'll not be able to do much this evening,” he said.

“Tt is now so late. But we'll begin early in the morn-

ing.”

The baron was still exploring the face of the prisoner.

“Idt iss a kvestion,” he said; “aber dhere iss no Cher~
man py dot Inchun town in, how can an Inchun learn to
sprechen Sie Deutsch? Dot iss vot make me a buzzle-
mendt.”

But he got no enlightenment.

“There is another point or two on which I think you
can give us information,” said Buffalo Bill. “Do you
know why Wild Bill and Donna Isabel were pane away
by Granger’s crowd?” -

“They had it in for the woman,” White-eyed Hawkins
confessed with some bitterness. “Her mother was a
Snake Aztec: I think her father was a Spaniard, or
mebbe a Mexican. Anyway, her home had once been
with that tribe, and for a long time. Of course, you don’t
know, I reckon, that the Snake Aztecs air mixed up in
that opium smuggling; but it’s so. The opium is brought
into the Gulf of Californy by vessels runnin’ from Chiny
and the Sandwich Islands. It’s unloaded at some little
ports along there; then these Snake Aztec runners put it
in bundles, on their heads, and bring it inland and up to
the Mexican line; ginerally into their town.’ Frum there

it is sent out to Tinijas, and to other places, where it/

is handled by Granger’s crowd. So you can see that the

_ Snake Aztecs ain’t goin’ to like anybody that has throwed

‘em down; that’s the way Granger figgered it. And he

took the woman back to ’em, so that they could settle with —

her?
“Which means that he expects the Indians to torture
her for what she has done.”
White- -eyed Hawkins squirmed a little at that.
‘“Mebbe not, Cody, but he thought the old squaws

would make it interestin’ fer her.”

“I didn’t think Granger was as bad as that!’

‘Hawkins tried to soften his statement.

“About Wild Bill now?” the king of scouts demanded.
“Did they expect the Indians to torture him?’

“Waugh !” Nomad growled; it oo much like the
“Wool? of-a bear, “Ei they does

“No,” said Hawkins promptly. “He had a different

 

Se eT eee

BILE STORIES. | 17

plan about him. Granger didn’t know but mebbe you .
would foller; he was shore you would if you could strike
the trail. And Well, he’s a bit afeared 0’ ye, Cody,
and that’s a fact.”

“Et shows his sense,” said Nomad. ‘He'd better be!”

“So,” went on Hawkins, “he thought he’d jest take
Wild Bill along; and then if you crowded him, oe he'd
have somethin’ with which to hold you off, y’ under-
stand?” .

“You might make it plainer.”

“He could hold ye off, by threatenin’ to kill Wild Pa
and then mebbe save his own hide by teleasin’ him to ye.”

SL sect)

‘“Thar’s one thing oe Granger,”
allus lookin’ out fer his own hide.”

“Et’ll be plum as full of holes as an old sieve before
he gits through this campaign, I’m thinkin’,’ Nomad
threatened. “Ef he thinks he can toy wi’ Wild Bill, an’
not hev°ter pay fer et, his thinkin’ machine is geared
wrong.”

“T can see now that he was a fool,’ admitted Hawkins,
speaking to the king of scouts; “you're goin’ to git him,
Cody. He ought to know it. I know it now well enough.
So—— :

He hesitated.

“Well, Pll be fair with ye,” he added. “T’ll do what I
can fer ye now, and if I knowed where that village was,
an’ that gate, I’d p’int ’em out; I shore would. If I do
the fair thing now, you won’t forni it, when settling day
comes, you won't forgit it, Cody ?”

His tone had changed to a whining appeal.

“T think we can find the town, with the help of our ©
Snake Aztec prisoner,’ the scout informed him. “But
what help you give, if you play fair from this on, will not
be counted against you; of that you may be assured.”

“T know you're a straight man, Cody,’ Hawkins
whined. “And [ll do what I kin.”

He looked up, ns words from the lips of Pawnce
Bill.

“What's that?” he asked,

“T was just quoting an old rhyme,” said Pawnee Bill.
“It seems appropriate. It runs like this—you may have
heard it: : :

 

said Hawkins, “he’s

“When the devilgvas sick,

The devil a priest would be;
When the devil was well,

The devil a priest was he.”

CHAPTER xX. .
A
IN THE HOME OF THE SNAKE AZTECS.

Fear of the revolvers of Buffalo Bill and his friends
induced the Snake: Aztec prisoner the next morning to
offer to guide the party to his village.

 
 

18 | HE BULEPALO

But on discovering that the approach was over a naked
lava plain that could not hide a rabbit, Buffalo Bill and
his companions halted when they came in sight of the
black obsidian walls, and decided to wait for the friendly
shadows of another night.

Their fears for the safety of Wild Bill and Donna
Isabel made this necessary delay peculiarly trying. How-
ever, they bore it as philosophically as they could, and
spent the day in concealment, making all possible plans
and preparations, and securing such further information
as they could from the Indian and White-eyed Hawkins.

Lhe additional information was little enough. One
noteworthy disclosure was that the gate mentioned by
Hawkins was not on that side; instead, there was a crazy
ladder, which was nothing: more than footholds cut in
the precipitous face of the cliff, giving access to the town.

As soon as darkness had fallen the entire party moved
with great caution to the foot of the cliffs. There were
still no indications of an Indian town: in fact, there had
been no signs of life, animal or haeaae

Here Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill prepared to make
the ascent. The others were to remain in their places
with the prisoners ; but prepared to render what aid they
could, if they discovered that aid was needed,

“Ef yer pistol goes off, er we hears yer whoop,” said
Nomad, “you'll find me and ther baron, likewise Little
Cayuse, swarmin’ up to yer some swift.”

Having clung to his penitential attitude, Hawkins had
informed them that there were at least two hundred

Indians in the place, nearly a third of them warriors; the
others being women and children, and that they were
fanatical beyond belief.

According to Hawkins, the town was a sacred place,
and it was considered impregnable. For these reasons, if
the invaders were seen and captured, they could expect
annihilation. :

“I ain’t tryin’ to skeer ye, Cody,” he urged. “I’m
simply tryin’ now to give'ye a fair deal. You got to look
out.” ; o

It was no easy thing to scale the cliff. Clinging with
hands and feet to the small holes provided for the pur-
pose, the king of scouts and his close friend went up

‘slowly. *

Drawing themselves carefully over when they had
gained the top, they saw, in a cuplike valley, or depres-
sion in the hills, a town that seemed half Indian and
half Mexican. There was a heterogeneous collection of
houses, which appeared to have been pitched down in
their places, there was so little semblance of streets. The
houses were mere huts and hovels of mud, with the ex-
ception of some much larger near the centre. ‘These were
supposed to be the teniple and the houses of the priests,
for they had been told the Snake Aztecs had an elaborate
religious system. One of the houses, they thought, might

 

_who piped shrilly on an instrument of reeds,

BILL STORIES,

be a prison, where Wild Bill and the woman were held, if
they still lived. i ‘

The fear that the daring borderman and Donna Isabel
had lost their lives was not cheering, so it was thrust aside
as fast as it presented.

There were lights in the town, but no great illumina-
tion. It seemed that some of the lights were from fires
in the houses, though a few burned in the narrow pas-
sages.

Pawnee Bill turned his head and looked at his fr iend.

“Well, Pard Bill?” he queried.

“The houses face toward the centre of the town,” said
the scout; “so, it seems to me, our play is to keep in their
rear all we can, and advance on the larger buildings as
we find opportunity.”

“You are right, necarnis.”
belt. “Now 1 am ready.”

As they slipped down into the midst of the mud houses
they passed close by a guard whose duty seemed to be to
watch the wall on that side. In the rear of the houses
the shadows gave them shelter. Here they hastened on
as fast as safety permitted, knowing that the moon would
rise soon, when their danger would be increased.

Having worked their way by much crawling and short
runs to the centre of the town, they lay for a time in the
shadows of one of the larger buildings, while they dis-
cussed their next procedure.

The thump of an Indian drum broke.on the silence.
As if by magic Indians swarmed in the cramped pas-
sages before the houses, and moved on the largest build-
ing. Falling into line, they were led by a medicine man,
They passed
close by the concealed scouts, who were thus able\to de-
termine their number approximately.

‘About fifty warriors, I judge,’ Buffalo Bill whispered.

The Indians, revealed by lights that flared in their
ranks, were togged out barbarically, in paint and feath-
ers, with many brass rings on arms and legs. They kept
jerky time to the music of the reeds. Now and then yells
arose, wild and. wolflike.

Pawnee Bill tightened his

The big building was evidently a temple. A door
opened in it, to receive them, and they passed within, Be-
hind the warriors came a swarm of women and children,
their talk a shrill scream. They, too, vanished into the
building,

“Now what, Pard Bill?” Pawnee Bill asked,

“We're going inside, if it can be done.”

“Tt seems that it will be difficult, necarnis; but Tai fol-
lowing your lead, you know.”

“This way, then.”

Buffalo Bill squirmed aside, and after a short crawl
found an Indian house that had been emptied of its
occupants. A stone fireplace in the middle of the room

had a fire burning in it, which gave out light enough to
see Er

     

 

 

 

 

 
Ue

 

THE: BUFFALO

There was but one door, and apparently no window;
yet Buffalo Bill boldly invaded the house, trusting to the
confusion round the large building to conceal his move-
ments.

Pawnee Bill slid along at his heels as quietly, nd came
into the house right behind him. If he had not already
known what it was aa Bill hoped to accomplish here,
he now saw. _

The king of scouts took a blanket from a cot by the
wall, pitched it to Pawnee Bill, and appropriated another
for himself.

“They're of good size fortunately,” he weed
“Now, if we can find headdresses, or feathers.”

They found both on the walls.

When they emerged from the Indian housé, having
borrowed these belongings, they could not have been told
from Snake Aztecs a dozen yards away. ‘Lhe blankets
were striped in the Snake Aztec fashion, and the head-
dresses bore feathers of red, blue, and black, like the
one captured by Little Cayuse.

Skirting the rear of thebig building, they came to a
queer embankment. When they had crawled to the top,
they saw that it stretched ae in the form of a ser-
pent.

“T’m beginning to understand the name of these peo-
ple,” said the scout: “They must be serpent-worshiping
Aztecs.” ,

Continuing along the back of the earthen snake, they
rounded the farther end of the building, and by a half
circuit came back toward the entrance in front.

A few Indians were still passing in, hurrying as if
they knew they were belated. Within the temple sounded
the thumping of the drum, the piping of the reeds, and an
occasional howl.

“It’s a risky thing, Gordon, that we’re undertaking,”
said the scout, “and nothing may come of it.”

“Still, we must see it through, necarnis; we've got to
find out where Wild Bill is, you know.”

“Tf we are detected we'll make a jump for this door,” /

Buffalo Bill advised, “and get out the best way we can.”

Stalking in boldly, as if they belonged there, tr usting
to their blankets and headdresses, the great scout and
his friend got inside, and looked about.

The large room was closely packed with Indians; the
drum and reeds at the front, near a stone throne, with
the warriors close upon it, and nearer the door the women
and children. A priest, or medicine man, in a wonderful
headdress of horns and feathers, was powwowing away
in a tongue that neither of the watching white men un-
derstood.

In the midst of his, excited talk and exclamations
sounded off at one side.

“Deserted Jericho!” whispered Pawnee Bill. “What
has broken loose over there?’

. As if in answer, the voice of a woman reached them,

ae
-—

BILL STORIES, © “197

half drowned in a babble of Indian words—the voice,
unmistakably, of Donna Isabel. |

“Shades of Unk-te-hee,” Pawnee Bill ae “You
recognize that voice, Pard Bill?”

“Donna Isabel.”

“Yes; but throwing Indian lingo. I think I'd like to
know the meaning of it. From the sounds, I don’t think
she is having a happy time.”

They became quite oa of this when they heard
the heavy voice of Jim Granger breaking in. He was
mixing English words with Indian ones, and was ne
ugly accusations against ‘the woman.

The scouts moved in the direction of the wrangle, and
came to a stone passage, leading to a door. Behind the
door was a room, which held the speakers.

They had no more tharr done this when an Indian came .
up behind them hurriedly. They let him pass, and he
went into the room without a second glance at them.
He left the door slightly ajar, perhaps without intention,
and the words from the room reached eo more dis-
tinctly.

It became apparent that Granger was accusing Donna
Isabel, before an Indian council, of treachery to the
Snake Aztecs.

There was a clamor against her when he had spoken ;
then her voice rose’in defense. But they could not tell
what she said. But forthe explanations which had been.
received from their Indian captive, they would have been
quite in the dark as to what it meant.

The conference became a violent dispute, then it broke
up in a quarrel, and, the door flying open, the scouts beat
a quick retreat, with the Indians who had been in there
streaming along behind thenx

From the small room the quarrel between Granger and
his supporters and Donna Isabel was transferred to the
larger room. Weapons were drawn, and a battle in the
temple seemed imminent.

Ringed round by a few adherents, the woman backed
into a corner. She had donned Indian dress, which be-
came her, and she seemed a very princess defying her
foes. But they overwhelmed her; the crowd in the tem-
ple surgéd upon her like a tide, vandal a door back of her
gave under the pressure, and friend and foe went rolling
out through it. \

The temple room was nearly deserted, but it would not
be so long, and the scouts got out of it while they had
this opportunity. ‘

In the shadow by the temple walls they talked of what
they had seen and heard.

Si0

ers on bringing hee here as his prisoner,” said
the scout, ‘expected to have the tribe turn against her,
and slay her, or torture her; but she has found a few
friends, and they’e trying to stand by her.”

“T think you are right, necarnis,’ Pawnee Bill agreed ;

 
 

20 : THE BUFFALO

“but the question is, has she got friends enough: It
didn't look it. If she hasn’t, it will go hard with her.
But perhaps we can lend a hand.”

They had not located Wild Bill.

CHAPTER XI.
WILD BILL IN. PRISON.

Wild Bill Hickok lacked his usual joviality, as he sat
in his prison pen, and reflected on his condition. He
was blaming himself unduly for what happened, when
the door of the room opened, and Donna Isabel came in.

He was astonished to see her. there, behind her, in the
passage, visible through the half-open door, stood a num-
ber of Indian guards, armed with knives and copper-
headed lances.

The door closing on her, she spoke.

“You didn’t expect to see me?”

He had arisen, with his usual courtesy.

“T didn’t,’ he said, “for I thought you were as much
a prisoner here as 1 am. Will you take this stool? It’s
not much of a seat, but it’s'the best I have to offer.”

But she did not sit down. 4

“T haven’t had a pleasant time,’ she informed him:
“You guessed that. Granger thought he could turn the.
Snake Aztecs against me; he has failed. But I’m not
yet safe; he has a lot of ends and they'll still give me
trouble. But now that I’m here, and have triumphed so
far. I intend to stand by my guns.”

“Good!” he cried. “I admire your pluck.’

“T’ve been considering what I can do for you,’ she
said. “Of course, you can’t stay here—and live; but
I confess that right now I don’t know how I can get you
out of this prison, and out of the town.”

“If those bloody guards weren't right out there, Id risk
getting out,’ he said.

“If you passed those guards, you i couiine get out of
the town; the streets are full of Indians. Even if you
were out of the town, they'd follow you, and run you
down in the hills. No; some other plan must be worked
out. You will have to give me time for that.”

“T don’t want you to run risks for me,” he urged.

“I told you that we should have to help each other,”

she reminded; “when we had our talk, as we were being

brought here. I feared, then, that Granger would be too
strong for me here, and if that had happened, as he
planned it, I should have been helpless. I came now only
to let you: know that for the time, at least, I have de-
feated him. He denounced me before the council, and
wanted to have me tortured; he said I had betrayed the
Snake Aztecs, when I had really only betrayd him, if that
harsh word can be used to describe what I did. He made

 

BILL STORIES.

some of\the Indians believe him, and they are with him
against me; but my mother’s brother came to my help.
Fortunately, he had influence and many friends. That
saved me. Otherwise,” she shuddered, “I should be in
the torture chamber right now.”

“Tf we can get out together

“T shall see that you g ao out; but as for myself, I dan’ t
know that I want to go.”

This was surprising.

“Vou see,” she explained, “my mother’s mother was
Queen of the Snake Aztecs; my own mother would have
been queen after her if she had not fallen in love with a
white man, my father, and abandoned the tribe. My
older sister became queen then. But now she is dead.
Since her death there has been no queen, and the sor-
cerer, Nekambo, has been ruler.”

 

> said Wild Bill.

“Ves, and my bitter enemy now, for he fears me—

“That's the big medicine man,’

he fears that I may become queen, when his power would

decrease and fade away. The Snake Aztecs take kindly
to a queen, and my mother’s brother has been trying to
work up a sentiment for me. But just now Nekambo is
able to hold his position. But,” she added, with a fiery
flash of her dark eyes, “I doubt if he will keep it long.”

“Tf he does keep it,” said Wild Bill, “you are going to
have a lot of trouble, and my name will be—Mud.”

Donna Isabel shrugged her shapely shoulders. ~

“I shall do the best I can.’ I know that it is now a life-
and-death fight; but I think I shall win. Until I do

That is what you mean.”

 

“Tam to stay here.

esr

“Id like to take part in the mélée; inactivity, in a prison
pen, never appealed to me. It’s not the proper role for
Wild Bill, I might crack a few heads, if you'd arrange it
so that I could get into the next fight, which I can see you
think is right ahead of you. Don’t you think you had
better give me the chance?” oe |

There was a wild clamor beyond the door, and the
dancing legs of the warriors there indicated some fresh
excitement.

“1 can’t tall longer,” said Donna Isabel, backing to the
door. “Remember that Vll help you—if I live.”

She threw the last at him, and jumped out into the.

stone corridor.
Wild Bill would have followed, in spite of her desire

that he should not, if the door had not banged in his
face.

He heard a heavy bolt click, as he threw himself against
the door. Then he heard a wild outcry. He hammered
at the door wrathfully.

But the confused sounds and yells faded out of the
corridor, and he was left in the prison to nurse his dis-
appointment.

 
 

 

THE BUFFALO
CHAPTER XIT.

DARING PARDS,

Donna Isabel knew that she had the battle of her life
before her when the door of the prison rumbled, and she
saw close by her if the corridor her uncle, Itlac, with a

number of warriors forming his-bodyguard, and beyond

them a mass of unfriendly Indians, yelling and brandish-
ing their weapons. :

Itlac spoke sharply to her.

“You would bring death to all of us,” he said. “Have
you no sense, that you talk with the white stranger, in
this time of trouble?” -

He thrust a slender spear into her hands.

“Take it, for we shall have to fight,” he said, “and
follow me!” ‘

He lifted his spear and shield, the latter of horsehide
stretched over a circular frame of wood, and at the head
of his men charged boldly on the yelling mass at the end
of the corridor.

Donna Isabel ran close behind him. For the moment
she was as much Indian as any warrior there. Her
white training fell away, leaving the savage heart of this
wild beauty bare. She shrieked in unison with the war-
riors of her mother’s brother, and whenma brave stretched
out an arm to stay her she spitted him with the spear.

Nekari#50’S men, composed of the ignorant rabble, fell
back before the onslaught of the better-trained braves,
and Itlac’s force gained the door of the temple.

Making a stand with their backs against the stone door,
Itlac’s men met here a second onslaught, which they re-
pulsed, and with a countercharge swept the adherents of
the medicine man out of the building.

When it was over Itlac stood panting beside the wild-
eyed young half-breed, his face clotted with gore from
a wound on his crown, while round him gathered the war-
riors who were trying to uphold his show of authority
against the old priest.

Donna Isabel looked up at him as he towered beside
her, her eyes showing admiration. Her veins were on
fire; she was an Indian of the Indians, at that moment,
ready to yield obedience to this man, or even worship him.

Suddenly, as her pulses leaped, she laughed, harshly.

“Ts it a time for laughter?” he demanded, with a frown.
“Is it not rather a time for prayers to the god of the
Snake Aztecs? Or did you laugh because you think the
victory is won?” ’

She had laughed bitterly because of a memory of her-
self in the dancing hall of the Casino. She had been
white then, in her sympathies and view point, so that the
applause she had always received had seemed sweet.
Now it looked pitiful, childish, unworthy. For was she
not, by right of birth, queen of the Snake Aztecs‘ Round
her were fighting warriors; not the thin-blooded, white-

BILL STORIES. 21

livered crowd of perspiring white men, whose applause
she now scorned.

Glancing at her, as she drew herself proudly erect be-
side him, Itlac had an inspiration. She was queen of the
Snake Aztecs—a point for which he was fighting; but
she did not look it, except for the striped blanket cast
round her slender figure.

“It will not do,” he said, speaking his thought aloud.
“A queen should be clothed as a queen. They are in
there—the clothing your sister wore; put them on.”

She hesitated. 7

“What?” he cried.
Then a

But she had turned and fled for the room.

She found the garments in a moth-eaten chest, and
drawing them out she arrayed herself hurriedly in
them.

“You will not play the queen?

 

When she appeared again in the midst of the panting
and excited warriors, she was regal, from the Indian
standpoint. Their eyes kindled at sight of her, and their
yells arose. §

But there were answering yells, beyond the door of
the sanctuary ; the braves of the medicine men were mass-
ing there again for a charge on Itlac’s party.

Donna Isabel’s fiery Indian uncle did not wait for the
attack to materialize; he gave back yell for yell, then led
his warriors in a rush for the door.

Through it they rolled, stabbing with lances and knives,
yelling and screaming like so many fanatical devils.

Donna Isabel started to follow them, then thought bet-
ter of it. But she stepped close up to the door, and lis-
tened to the clamor outside. Beginning to fear that all
was lost, her hopes were revived by a sudden change in
the character of the yelling. Itlac came stumbling back
into the room, a number of his braves at his heels.

“They have fled,” he said; “praise to the god of the
Snake Aztecs!’ -

But even he could not understand it; all he knew was
that, at a moment when he began to feel that the fight
was going against him, the opposing force strangely lost
its courage, and fell away in a jangling and quarreling
rabble, then broke in wild retreat.

“The victory is ours,” he said. “The god of the Snake
Aztecs fought for us, and with us.”

“Perhaps the priest is dead,” she said.

Whether Nekambo was dead or living could not at once
be determined. But since she had assumed the position
of queen of the Snake Aztecs, by donning the queenly
garments, the importance of performing the duties of the
part was not to be questioned.

Pressing this duty upon her, Itlac brought into the
room an ebonylike box. Having cleared out the war-
riors, he swung a kettle over a tripod, built a quick fire,

 
22 THE BUPEALO

filled the kettle with water and sprinkled it with an
odorous liquid, then departed, following the warriors.

Donna Isabel waited until he had gone, then took up
her task. She was priestess, as well as’ queen, and she
knew her role. More, she believed in it. So that as she
set about her task her manner became as solemn and
grave as if she were conducting a funeral.

While the fire burned fiercely and the water in the
_ kettle began to bubble and send forth clouds of steam, she
opened: the black: box brought in by ‘[tlac.: lt held’ a
dozen small snakes, rolled together in a knot. Disen-
tangling them, she. took them out one by one, caressing
them and crooning to them.

If one proved unsubmissive and angry, she struck it on
the head with a small black reed, like a bamboo, threw it
harshly back into the box, and showered it with the liquid
which Itlac had brought in the bottle. The odor, or the
liquid, had a numbing effect apparently, for after that the
reptile seemed submissive enough.

Finally, dropping the snakes into the box close by the
fire, she turned to the contents of the kettle. She threw in
leaves and herbs, and stirred the mess round and round.
While doing this she wailed out an Indian chant.

How long she engaged in this she did not know; the
ceremony had a hypnotizing effect, so that she lost knowl-
edge of the passage of time; but she was aroused by a
word in English.

Looking up, she was\amazed to see ne before her
two well-known figures—Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill.

It was a shock; she had believed they were in Tinijas,
or far away; that they could be in the town of the Snake
Aztecs, and within that sanctuary, seemed unbelievable.
She stared at them stupidly, until she remembered that
this was profanation—white men were not admitted to
that sacred place.

It aroused her to wrath.

Plucking a serpent from the fire—for that is what she
seemed to do—she hurled it at them.

pack:
teries?”’

‘she cried. “How dare you ‘invade the mys-

Buffalo Bill sprang aside, and the serpent, missing him,
fell on the floor, where it coiled like a flash and struck at
his boots, He kicked it unceremoniously against the
wall.

“How dare you?” she gasped, her features convulsed.
“How dare you?”

“What nonsense is this?” he demanded, for he was not -
“We came here, at the risk of our a to help -

pleased.
you, Donna Isabel.”

“But—but—you are in ie temple; the wieced. Geaals
It is pollution. Besides,” she gasped, “how did you get
here—how did you get in?”

“One question at a time,”
“You see that we are here, and that means, of course,

- open and forgotten,

said the king, of scouts.

 

BILL: STORIES:

that we got in. -If you will be sensible, and put down
that kine ‘she had caught up another—‘‘we will talk
with you.”

She dropped the squirming thing into the black box;
then she fell, rather than sat down, on the stone behind
her, and stared at the white men.

“Speak!” she commanded.

“Tt will take but a few words, Donna Isabel,” he said,
“to.tell all there is to.tell. We followed the-trail of the

‘Chinese and white men from Tinijas, because we were

sure that you and Wild Bill had been carried away by
them. An.hour ago, after reaching the base of the obsi-
dian bluffs, we climbed into the town, my pard and I;
then we worked our way toward the largest buildings.
There has been a lot of penny among the Indians—in
this big building, and outside.”

She nodded.
“Yes; I know. I have taken part in it.”
“We mixed with the Indians, and ~ 2

 

“And you were not discovered?”

“We took care to guard against that, you see; we
secured blankets and headdresses out of one of the
houses, and wore them; and so, in the excitement, we
missed discovery.

“As I was going to say, we were close by. that door
when the fighting Degen a ywhile ago, and we.captured the
big medicine man.’

“What?” she cried, starting up.

_ “We think he is the chief medicine man; he was the
leader of the party that was trying to get in. He turned,
to avoid the charge made by the Indians who swarmed
out, and as he did so he tripped over my foot—I had
stuck it out in front of him; and ae he fell I sat down
on his head.”

. “You—you—what

 

She could not articulate clearly, so Bret was her
amazement.

“The other Indians,” the scout went on, “did not see
their leader fall, and did not know what had become of
him, though he was squirming under me like a lizard,
and that started a panic. They broke apart and ran yell-
ing, with those that had rushed out on them in hot pur-
suit.

“Then we got in here—by the door, which had been left
We dragged old What’s-his-name in
with us and closed the door, for we expected the In-
dians to get their wits in a little while and swarm back.
The old fellow is back there now, with our blankets and
head feathers, tied and gagged,”

“Old Nekambo ?”
“Well, we don’t know what his name is.”
“It is impossible!” she gasped.

“We heard you crooning away over here—though we;

@

te,

 
  

THE BUFFALO

didn’t know it was you—and when we came on to inves-
tigate” ee
“And committed sacrilege !’’

“When we committed sacrilege,’ he amended, “you
threw the snake at us. Apparently you had been boiling
it in that kettle, yet it was alive.”

It seemed to her that he laughed.

She was a crumpled heap of bewilderment as thei king
of scouts finished.

 

7

CHAPTER XIiIL
BUFFALO BILL’S WITCHCRAFT,

The old medicine man lay in a heap close by the stone
door, and beside him were the blankets and headdresses
cast aside by the scouts when they discovered that the
crooning woman, was Donna Isabel, the half-breed danc-
ing girl of the Tinijas Casino.

The girl would not believe until she had seen him there
with her own eyes, and had heard again the story of his
capture. Even then she was terrified, as his baleful

_glance fell on her. In spite of her white blood, she had

strong Indian superstition. ©

“If this is discovered!” she cried.

“We can guess that if it is there will be some angry
Indians,” the scout admitted. “But his capture helped
your friends, and we expected that it would help us when
we made it. We still hope so. We intend to hold him,
for our own protection and as a hostage for Wild Bill.”

“He ig near,” she said.

“Good!” Pawnee Bill cried. “Just show us where he
is; then we are ready to fight our way out.”

They; were interrupted by Indian voices outside; a
clamor Was rising again, showing, as they thought, that
some of the medicine men’s followers were regaming
their courage.

“T don’t think we have any time to lose, Donna Isabel,”
said the king of séouts.. “If you will pilot us to the place
where Wild Bill is heldMwe'll try to get at him.”

She held up her hand..

“Listen! It is Itlac, calling to me.”

“Who is he?” asked Pawnee Bill. _

“My uncle—my mother’s brother; the one man in this
place who can save us. I was engaged in the Snake Aztec
mysteries, at his command, when you interrupted ; I must
go on with them,”

Fighting began again out by the door.

“It’s Our time, necarnis, while they’re at that,” Pawnee
Bill urged. He turned to the girl. “Just show us where
our friend Wild Bill is, please; we haven’t time to wait.

“You must wait,’ she said, and ran from the room.

When they tried to follow her, the door through which
she had vanished held them back.

The fighting still continued outside. Anxious to get
out, they went round the room, looking for a door they

could force; but the dogrs were of stone, solidly fas-

‘tened,

While they were engaged in this fruitless search, the
girl reappeared, springing into the room without warn-
ing. She bore a robe. :

“Nekambo’s men are gaining,” she said, panting the
words. “They say he is in here, a prisoner, and they are
coming in to find him; my uncle is down, wounded, and

7: y

   

ba is 4 Ve ee mee
aed i Fk .

BILL STORIES. zs
the fight goes against him. I fear it is because you in-
vaded the temple; the snake god avenges such things.”

“Your white blood and education ought to tell you,” .
said Buffalo Bill, “that is foolishness. But what is the
purpose of the robe?”

“T have thought of something. -Over there is Nekambo,
bound and helpless, but as soon as his friends are in here
they will find and release him. He must be taken to an-
other place. Then-——-then—you are to play Nekambo.”

The scout was astounded, so daring was the sugges-
tion. ’

“I think you can,” the girl urged. “You are wonder-
fully wise; you have done many things more difficult.
And I will help. You can wear his headdress and robes,
and over all this sacred robe, which he wears only when
engaged in the mysteries. I will crouch behind the frre,
walk a blanket over me, so that I will not be seen. And
I will speak—I will speak for Nekambo. It is the only
thing that can save us now. ‘Quick; the stone door will
be forced soon.” ;

Furious blows were being rained on it.

Under her directions, Buffalo Bill and his pard worked
now like beavers. They dragged the bound medicine man
into a small room which she showed them, and left him
there with the door locked on him. Close by the door, as
an additional precaution, Pawnee Bill took his station.
He was armed with a lance, also with his revolvers, and
the filched’ Indian blanket and headdress covered him.
His face was smeared with paint,

Though serious work, what followed was like comedy.

When the stone door yielded and swung round, and the
followers of the medicine man leaped in, they beheld
Nekambo, as they thought, stooped above the sacred fire.
The sight stopped them. The pretended medicine man
passed his hands through the steam from the kettle; then
he began apparently to pluck serpents out of the fire.
One by one he tossed them aloft, caught them, and threw
them down. The thick steam aided the deception; from
the door it seemed to the watchers that he threw them
into the kettle.

From a bottle he poured over his hands a liquid, which .
burst into flame, and his flaming hands, swinging through
the air, waved the Indians into silence.

It was cheap trickery, bu® it held them spellbound.

Then aparently the medicine man spoke. The voice
came from the girl, under the blanket behind the fire; but
she gave it a hoarse croak, and the Indians thought the
man was speaking.

“The snake god caught me out of the midst of the
fighting,” said the voice, “and brought me into this place,
where I was shown that what I did was wrong. It is
useless to fight against the will of the snake god. His
will is that the girl you have seen shall be queen of the
Snake Aztecs, her word a law unto you; it is her right
by inheritance. I shall. contend against her no Yonger,
and it is my wish that you-shall not do so. I have sinned,
and for that I am going into retirement a while. Now,
leave me.”’

The harmless liquid, a phosphorous compound, did its
duty again; the flaming hands of the scout, dyed to an
Indian red, waved the Indians out of the temple.

In bewilderment they retreated beyond the broken door.
The disguised scout frightened them still further by fol-
lowing them; then he-closed the door as well as he could, -
and swung a blanket across it.

“Now show us where Wild Bill is,” he commanded.

 
24 THE BUFFALO

CHAPTER LV,

WILD BILL AND THE QUEEN,

His prison door opening quietly, Wild Bill saw before
him Donna Isabel in her queenly robes, her dark cheeks
aflame. As he started up she turned with a quick motion
and locked the door.

“It is for your safety,”

she explained. “If I failed to

fasten the door you would throw yourself out there and

be killed.”
Wild Bill’s eyes snapped.

“T could take away that key, and let myself out,” ke

said.

“But you won’t; you are a gentleman, and would not
attack me. when I am risking everything to protect and
help you.”

“That’s right,” he said. “You're safe enough. There
has been a lot of wild-cat fighting. Tell me about it.
And give me some hope, can’t you, that I’m to get out
of this pen before long! I suppose it means pone
that dress you’fe wearing?”

He pushed out for her the stool he had been occupying,
and sat down on the tiny cot of skins that lay against the
wall as she took a seat.

“Tell me all about it,” he urged.

ae you. could get out,’ she said, not replying to his
question, “you would go away at once?”

“Tt wouldn’t take me long to shake the dust of this
hamlet,’ he confessed.

“And you would leave me here?” she’ protested.

“No, of course not; we’re in the same boat. You're as
much a prisoner as re am, in certain respects. Wed try
to get out together.”

“But if I remained?’

“You wouldn’t—you wouldn’t want to. Why should

you think of that? You were brought here by Granger, on

and you're in the midst of enemies—though you've got
friends, too, of course.’

She searched his face with a ‘shining eyes, and the
flame in her cheeks deepened.

“T think,” she said, “that I shall want to stay, even if
I can go away ; the medicine man is out of the way for a
time, and | have become—what do you think?”

“T shall think you have become crazy if you choose to
stay,’ he asserted bluntly.

“Queen—queen of the Snake Aztecs!” she cried.
“that is what I have become!”

“Then your side has won? It’s what your Indian garb
means; I ought to have guessed it.”

“Tt is going to win; there can be no doubt of it, I
think, since Nekamabo is out of the way, and since ss

She was about to speak of Buffalo pil and Pawnee
Bill, but she stopped.

“Suppose,” he said, “that your side wins, and that you
stay here; suppose that you are queen of this village?
What does it amount to? You are a white woman—in
your training; and this is no life for you.” .

“It might be,” she said. “It could be made very

happy.”

“How?” i

“You are stupid, and I did not think it.” The flame in
her cheeks was now that of anger. “But perhaps you
think of me as you do because I am half Indian!”

“She threw the locks and stepped into the corridor, and

 

’ long.”

 

BILL (STORIES:

though he might, by a rush, have snatched away the key,
there were warriors out in the corridor; and he was trust-
ing that she knew what was best for him at the time.

A flash of understanding came to Wild Bill as he stared.
at the door after her angry departure.

“Heavens!” he said. “Did she mean that, I wonder?”
He got up and walked uneasily round the limited _space.
“I believe that is just what she meant, and because I
didn’t see it she called me stupid. Ha! What would
Buffalo Bill think of that?”

He sat down again, a smile curling his lips.

“Ha! Husband of the Indian queen! That would be
a role for you, Wild Bill! She is queen here, and she
wants to stay here; she is half Indian, and she. thinks
she will like it to rule over these fanatical and cruel red-
skins. And she thinks I ought to like it—to play king
consort. By gorry, this is a new situation—a queen
pitching herself at my head, and inviting me to share the
royal throne. .Wild Bill, you ought to ae flattered.”

He laughed softly.

There was a rumble of talk in the corridor. ‘Once he
thought he heard the voice of a white man, and concluded
it was the voice of Jim Granger.

Then Donna Isabel reappeared, coming in as softly and
quickly as before.

“Tf I promise you protection with the Indians out
there,” she questioned, “will you promise me that you will
not leave this town until I consent ?”

_He gave her a sharp look.

“Ts there any hidden meaning back of-that ?” he asked.

“You distrust me?”

“Certainly not; but I wondered if the ee covered
more than I got hold of.”

He noted that her dark cheeks were still sachets also,
he could not fail te observe that she was an uncommonly
attractive woman in that barbaric robe.

“Do I have your promise?” she queried.
ing of your welfare, you know.
to try to leave the town.”

“Ah, all right,” he said ligh
warriors are, and I make the p
of this hole;

8

“T am think-
It isn’t time yet for you

“Show me where your
mise. , | want to get out
it’s enough to kill a man to stay in here

She drew the door open behind her.

“You have given your word,” she said.
take you to the warriors.”

He followed her into the corridor, light of foot. It
seemed the first step toward his release. The warriors
fell away before them as she led on. Foremost in their
midst was Itlac, her mother’s brother, now the chief man
in the village. His profusion of eagle feathers gave
notice of that fact.

But when Wild Bill-had gained the end of the corri-
dor and saw into the room beyond he stopped short, sharp

“Now I will

- surprise and bewilderment, as well as delight, te in

his face.

For there stood Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill. They
were unharmed in the midst of Itlac’s warriors, whose
attitude-was ene
“By gorry, pards,”’

Wild Bill began, almost too Sue
for words,

“this is the neatest surprise of the season !

You seem to be masters of the situation here, -and |
thought you a hundred miles away.’

They swarmed upon him, exclaiming their ‘delight,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

THE BUFFAM) BILL STORIES.

while Itlac’s Indians stood by with stolid demeanor.
Itlac glanced at the new queen, then came forward, pro-
ducing a pair of revolvers_and a belt filled with éart-
ridges. Wild Bill recognized them as his own. He had
been deprived of them in Tinijas. He clutched them
with joy. The pistol king, his favorite weapon in his
hand, feared no man.

“You will not forget your promise,” said Donna Isabel.

Wild Bill flushed; then, without’a word, he strapped
the cartridge belt round his supple. waist. \:

“You will need your pistols,’ Buffalo Bill infofmmed
him, in the midst of the explanations that began to fly
back and forth. “We Have achieved a temporary vic-
tory. The girl has been announced as the queen, but
she has not been accepted as such by all the people, and
there is likely to be more fighting. But luckily we’ve
got the leader of the @ther side out of the way for a
time.” ge:

“Explain, Pard Cody,” said Wild Bill.

) “My head is
buzzing round like a top.

I’ve heard your words, but I

don’t understand. It has been too much of a jolt for me.

to see you and Pawnee Bill in here.”

There was a running fire of explanations, mixed with
questions and exclamations, at the end of which Wild
Bill had a better grasp of the situation.

“IT want to lay my hands on Granger,” Buffalo Bill
announced. ‘“He’s the leader of the other side now, since
the medicine man dropped out of sight. But if we can’t
we'll try to get out of here, now that you are with us
and the girl is safe.”

Wild Bill seemed confused.

“By gorry,” he said, “I’d like to jump right out of
here, but, you see, I gave Donna Isabel.a promise; when
she let me out of that prison pen I told her that I
wouldn't try to get away from the town without her con-
sent. And”’—he laughed—‘“I’m fool enough to be afraid
now that she won’t be in a hurry to consent. That seems
silly to you, of course, but I’ll explain it some time, if I
can,” :

“T guess the time for talking has passed, and the time
for fighting has come,” declared Buffalo Bill, turning
toward the outer door of the temple. “‘Listen to that!”

Wild yells had arisen out there. Mingled with them
was the voice of Jim Granger, as if in command.

But Buffalo Bill and his pards were not slow in discov-
ering that some.of the yells came from the iron throats
of old Nomad, the peed; and Little Cayuse.

Se EeEERImnEeeenial

CHAPTER XV.
Ra BN eS NG PER R hides 3

\

Old Nick Nomad and his companions, condemned to
wait outside the walls of the town while Buffalo Bill and
Pawnee Bill entered it, suffered much mental discomfort.

They heard the sounds of fighting, and the clamorous
yells, yet they listened in vain for any sound from their
daring pards.

“Still, wi’ them continooal fireworks pervadin’ the air,
I ain’t no ways restin’ easy,” Nomad confided to the
baron. “Buffler an’ Pawnee Bill mebbe hev got knocked
on ther head, an’ then they couldnt tip us no word ter
come into the rescooin’ bizness. I’ve half a mind ter
_ Swarm up thet wall an’ take a look, anyhow.”

 

ee

ae ;

is

“T vouldt go you,’ grunted the baron, sucking some
degree of satisfaction out of his pipe. “I vouldt go you, ©
oof I toughdt I could gedt me a skvint adt anodder .
Cherman Inchun. Dot iss a pitzness vot haf me buz-
zled yidt!”

“Waal, thet don’t worry me none,’ Nomad retorted.
“Ef an Injun has got sense ernough ter l’arn English,
I reckon he’d have sense ernough ter arn Dytch, give
him a teacher. Dutch ain’t much ofa language, anyhow,
so anybody’d orter:be able ter pick et up easy.”

~“Ach! You insoolt me. Cherman—I am nodt sbeak-
ing apoudt low Deutsch—iss der lankvitch oof der indel-
lectualidy ; oof a man haf nodt indellectualidy he.iss nodt
aple to learn idt; so idt iss nodt like English, vot any vool
can learn; idt iss a

“Waal, I ain’t carin’ what it is, baron. Ther question
troublin’ me is: shall we swarm up this wall an’ see what’s
doin’ ?” : :

“Der brisoners!” the baron objected. :

“Hang the prisoners! It’s what I’d like to do, too,”
ef I had rope ernough ter spare. But they’re tiéd snug,
an’-I allow theyll stay hyer.” He turned to the Piute.
“What does yer make o’ thet yellin’, Little Cayuse?”

“Injun heap mad,” said the Piute. :

"Yes, [reckon ; they're fightin’ mad.
I got ter take a peek, no matter.
stay behind.”

But when the old trapper began to climb the wall, he
found he had company; both the baron and Little Cayuse
were climbing right at his heels.

On reaching the top of the wall, they drew themselves
over, and saw, as their friends had done some time be-
fore, the village of mud huts lying in the depression below
them. ‘The rising moon gave them a good view of the
town.

“Ther row seems ter be centrin’ round them big houses
down in ther middle, baron,’ Nomad whispered. |

“Ve aind’t seein’ so mooch more here as ve vos a vhile
ago,’ grumbled Schnitzenhauser. “I am pedtting dot
Puffalo Pill unt Pawnee Pill haf peen gabtured dose
Inchuns py, also-o. Couldt I haf a schmoke here—I sub-
bose so? J am so tired idt vouldt resdt me. Yiminy, dot
vos some climbings !’’

“Smoke, an’ be hanged to ye; maybe: it'll help ye to
keep yer mouth shet! What does yer make out, Little
Cayuse, is goin’ on down thar ?”’

Instead of answering, the Indian youth began to crawl
down, the slope in the direction of the houses.

“Ther way ter find out is ter investergate—heh? Waal,
yer right, I guess, so I’m follerim ye. Come along, baron
—ef ye can keep still.”

The baron groaned, stuck his lighted match in the sand,
to put it out, and followed his companions. :

They were halfway to the temple before anything hap-
pened to trouble them. Then a dog rushed out of a mud
hut and flew at the Piute. _

Little Cayuse, who was crawling along like a lizard,
rolled to one side; his knife glimmered, and the dog,
dropping over with a yelp, began to kick and thresh
about.

“Sarved him right, an’ ’twas the on’y thing ye could
do,” said Nomad; “but et means we’ve got ter move on
in a hurry. aS /

They had not gone on twenty yards when an Indian

 

I allow, baron,
Go along with me, er

 
 

26 THE BUBBALO

discovered the dead dog, and raised an outcry. Before
they had covered another twenty yards there were a

dozen Indians round the dog, and a terrible hub-bub was ©

rising. :
Nomad rose to his feet and drew his knife. Little
Cayuse also started up.
“Come er-climbin’, baron,’ Nomad ordered. “Them

reds aire movin’ this way, an’ we've got ter run fer et.

Maybe we can play hide and seek with ‘em in ther shad-

ders o thet biggest house ; anyway, we'll hev ter make er

iy:

The baron climbed to his feet, and the trio set off at a
rapid gait, taking little pains now to conceal their move-
ments. Behind them rose a long howl of anger, and
soon pattering feet informed them that they were being
pursued.

Throwing back his head as he ran, old Nomad gave
utterance to his war howl, knowing that if Buffalo Bill
heard it he could not fail to recognize it; yet it seemed a
reckless thing to do.

_ Having gained the nearest walls of the temple, Little
Cayuse and Nomad ran on round them, and soon struck
the serpent mound, up which they scrambled. The baron

followed hard at their heels.

“Er-waugh!’? Nomad howled again.

He pitched down the opposite slope of the mound, into
the thick shadows, and ran on, between the serpent
mound and the wall of the temple, his companions sprint-
ing with equal speed.

Over the mound, and in sharp purstit, came the
aroused redskins who had seen the slain dog. .

Nomad yelped again, rolling out the peculiar note like
the woof of a bear. Then he received an answer. It was
the wolf howl of Buffalo Bill, which in times of danger
he had heard on so many mountain slopes, and it came
from a point ahead of him.

“Waugh! Buffler!” the old trapper screeched.
luyer!”

“‘Idt iss Cody!’ panted the baron.

‘‘Pa-e-has-ka,” said Little Cayuse.

How that wolf howl roused them .

“Glee-ory; yes, et’s him. Hyer in ther midst er the
heathen, too, which I plumb expected, ef he warn’t dead.”

He became aware that Indians had. appeared round
the end of the temple he was approaching; he saw them
swing out there, in the moonlight. Shifting his knife to
his left hand, he drew one of his big revolvers.

Then he stopped.

“Halle-

“Reds ter the left of us, reds ter the right of us;

Reds right in front 0’ us; likewise behind us!

An’ mebby them redskins, bercause they’ ve cot sight of.us,
Air thinkin’ fer sure, thet they’re goin’ ter wind us!”

“Glee-ory!
make et.
baron ?”

“They ar’re caming.”

“Pooty fast, eh?”

He lifted his war cry again, and moved on.

But he stopped when he came near the Indians at the
end of the big building, for, though Buffalo Bill’s cry had
sounded there, he was too wary an old fox to run head-
long into the midst of enemies.

Then he heard Pawnee Bill:

How clost aire them red niggers back thar,

ey

Thet’s poitry, an’ I didn’t know I could:

 

@iit STORIES. . | eg

“Come on, old Diamond; friends are here!”

“Halleluyer!” Nomad yelled.

“Ach, idt iss a bleasantness to hear dot woice,
baron panted,

Without more ado they sprinted ahead, and in another
minute were in the midst of the Indians, and saw. their
friends—Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, and Wild Bill,

“Der dhree Pills! tr cried the baron.

“Correct, baron,” Wild Bill flung at him.
pills for those reds out there to swallow.”

“Thar’s about er million more comin’ behint us,

Wethe

“Too many

2

said

Nomad. “But—shake, ole pard. We come er-huntin’
fer yer, an’ we've found yer. Ye cain’t git lost frum
Buffler. Is et fight now, er run some more?”

The warriors who were with the three Bills were
Itlac’s; their present feeling one of friendliness, through
the influence of Donna Isabek But enemies were in
front, under command of a young chief, a friend of the
medicine man, and with them were Granger and thé white
men and Chinamen who acknowledged his leadership. In
addition, the Indians who had pursued the baron and
his companions were coming up rapidly, howling like
wolves, and had to be reckoned with. :

These two companies of foes placed Itlac’s men and

- our friends between fires ; it seemed, therefore, the part of

wisdom to make a quick retreat into the temple. Its door
was but a few yards off, and Buffalo Bill led the way.

“We'll talk, when we get inside,’ he said. ‘Come
along, everybody!”

When the temple threshold had been passed Donna Isa-
bel was to be seen, in her Indian robes, hovering over the
sacred fire. She looked up and frowned; she was so
much of an Indian in her feelings that she disliked the
intrusion of the white men.

- But when she saw Itlac’s warriors, and Itlac himself,
following, her manner changed,

OL suppose it is necessary,’ she said to the king of
scouts; “yet I have been afraid—very much afraid—
since you tampered with the mysteries, and played witch-
eratt.’” bo.

“What nonsense!” he sai *

With the help of his friends, he was ae and barr-
ing the broken stone door; against it arrows were already
rattling futilely,

“Religion is never nonsense,” she opposed.
‘Well, if you feel that way,” he said more mildly, “ we
will not i heense it: We are safe, in here—for the time.”

“But how we're to git out is stumpin’ me,’ Nomad’
declared.

“The thing that is stumping me is ve you are hd
said the scout.

The trapper scratched his grizzled head, ee
this a rebuke.

“Waal, yer see, Buffler,” he explained, “we jest couldn’t
remain out thar, not knowin’ what was happenin’; thar
war so much wolf howlin’, an’ band music, an’ shootin’
up of things, thet we plumb bergun ter believe you had
gone under, so we ‘was obleeged ter come. Then Little
Cayuse thar, he must go an’ run his knife inter a pesky
Injun dog thet charged him, and we had ter kite. Waugh !
I reckon our topknots would soon be dryin’ in one o’ these
hyar mud houses ef you had been reely snuffed out. Ye

see, I’m apologizin’ dutiful an’ Pionr, an’ I hope ye
won't hold et ag’in us.’

The scout laughed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
% . was not easily frightened.

 

THE BUF FALO

“You're all Peck old Dig nond. ” Pawnee Bill told the
old trapper.

“Budt der kvestion dot iss dtroupling me,’ ’ said the
baron, “iss, Haf you seen anodder Cherman Inchun 2”

When the door had been seeured, Buffalo Bill saw that
Donna Isabel had returned to the fire, and was feeding it
so industriously that the cloud of steam from the hissing
kettle almost concealed her.

CHAPTER XVI
UNEXPECTED RELIEF,

It was not to be expected;that Nekambo’s friends and
Granger’s men would not try to dislodge Buffalo Bill’s
party from the temple. What they considered its dese-
cration roused the Indians outside to a state of fury, so
that they did not hesitate to ram the door with beams of
wood, in spite of the danger.

When it fell at length, Granger was seen leading the

| force there; but he paid for his desperation, for he
_- dropped under the revolver fire which drove the Indians
back.
_ The door was made fast again, and for a long time
_ there was no further disturbance. Then a number of
Indians, gaining the roof, tore away slabs of stone and
beams of wood, and rained down a shower of sticks and
stones. ly

But it was easy to avoid thieby standing ‘close against
the walls. And so long as no harm was done, Buffalo
Bill would not permit any one to fire at the Snake Aztecs
on the roof.
fy Hor. an hour. or more, while this continued intermit-

) tently, the white men in the temple considered ways and

» means, looking to an escape from the temple and the
| town. /
| Near the end of this period they heard a dull sound
somewhere, like the fall of a stone or of a heavy body,
but as similar sounds had been heard frequently they
gave this no attention.

But when Donna Isabel, who now and then flitted out
of the room nervously, only to return in the same man-
ner, announced that Nekambo was gone from his close-at-
hand prison, and they discovered that he had climbed to
a high window slit and had wriggled through it, they
thought they understood; he had, they believed, leaped
down from the, window to the ground outside.

This apparently put even a more serious face on the
situation. Donna Isabel was thrown into a panic of fear
by the discovery, and even stolid Itlac manifested great
uneasiness.

“You see, the girl wailed to Buffalo Bill, “they will
learn now that the mystery witchcraft, which they thought
was his, was not his—that you were wearing his robes
while he lay tied up out there, and that will enrage them
beyond measure. I had a feeling all the while that it
was wrong to do it; that the Aztec snake god would
punish us for it. And now you see what has happened.”

“They will find getting in here quite as hard a job with
Nekambo as without him,’ said the king of scouts, who

Still, he wished it had not apo reere ted the
escape ‘of the old medicine man. It would make their own
contemplated, escape from the temple and the town doubly
difficult apparently.

“0

trust Injuns.

BILL STORIES. 27

To their astonishment, however, no assault on the stone
door followed. For some time the Indians outside had
been comparatively quiet, and this condition continued.

- It was broken at the end of half an hour by an un-
earthly wailing.

The girl started up from the fire when she heard it.

“Some one is dead!” she said impressively.

“Waugh!” Nomad gurgled. “Granger i is dead—I seen
him fall, and I reckon thar aire others.”

“But some one of importance,” she added.
dian of importance.” c

“Thet young chief thet was leadin’ may hev got et;
*twouldn’t s’prise me. He war right in ther front, wi’
Granger, an’ jest as reckless. Et’s injun nature ter ‘kick
up a hullabaloo when a chief falls.”

She nodded an affirmative.

“I think you must be right; the young chief was killed
in that last charge on the door.”

“Sarved him right, ef he was,’ Nomad grumbled.
“We ain’t askin’ nothin’ but ter be let out o ’hyar with
our friends; we ain’t pinin ’to hurt nobody ef we ain't
pushed, *Twar they’re fault thet Wild Bill was brought
hyar.”

The wailing continued.

At the end of another half hour some one hammered
on the stone door of the temple. HN

“Shall we open it?’ Pawnee Bill asked, when the ham-
mering continued. Ae

Itlac seemed inclined to do so; he was anxious to get
out and learn what the wailing, ifdicated.

“Et’s mebbeso er trick,” Nomad objected. “Yer cain’t
Thar ain’t no believin’ how treacherous
they kin be sometimes. I ricklict onct, thet one called
ter me in a bunch er bresh, sayin’ that he was sick an’
dyin’, an’ wouldn’t I come an’ git him some warter.
When I went, like a fool, he had a dozen with him, and
they jumped me. I’m kerryin’ scars yit frum ther ‘fight
I made, an’ ef Buffler hedn’t come ter my rescoo ther
critters would er roasted me over a slow fire ; they war
preparin’ to do et when Buffler cut in on ’em an’ spiled
their fun.”

When the tapping on the stone door went on, Itlac, as
well as Buffalo Bill, suggested that Donna Isabel should

“Some In-

_ speak to the Indian there.

She stepped close up to the door.

“We hear you,’ she said, addressing him in his own
tongue, which she used as readily as English. “We will
listen to what you have to say: But we are prepared for
treachery.”

There was a tremendous stir among Itlac’s warriors
when the answer came.

She whirled in flaming excitement and translated it:
“Nekambo is dead! .

Itlac jumped teuthe door, and began a furious conversa-
tion with the Indian outside. Then he turned and ad-
dressed his warriors.

Again Donna Isabel translated for the benefit of the
white men.

~ “He was found dead at the foot of the wall out there.
They do-not understand it,” she added, “but I think when
he jumped down from that high window the fall killed
him. They think he was killed by the snake god; he was
supposed by them to have all power, yet he permitted the
desecration of the temple, and they say that the anger
of the. oS god was shown against him by the fact that

av
#

 
    

a8 THE BUFFALO
when he last celebrated the mysteries here his voice was
changed, so that it croaked like the voice of a lizard, and
now the snake god has destroyed him.”

 Itlac was still chattering with the Indian outside, while
some of his men moved to the stone door to open it:

“Granger is dead, they say,” she continued,
kambo is dead; so they are willing to accept me as queen
of the Snake Aztecs!” Her voice rose in her excitement.
“But they demand that the white men shall be expelled
from the temple, which they are eA ee by their pres-
ence.’

““*T would be hard,” Nomad Seimbted under his breath,

“ter desecrate a hole like this, I reckon; but Injuns aire
—waal, they're Injuns; only some aire more foolish than
others; these hyer aire ther wust.”

“That bodes us no good?’ Buffalo Bill asked her,
“They will jump on us as soon as we are out of this
place ?”

She took Itlac’s position, and fired questions at the
spokesman outside.

“No,” she said, turning to the king of scouts, “they

declare that if you are willing to go out peacefully, they

will not trouble you.”

“T wouldn’t trust reds like them, not ’z fur as I could
sling a steer by ther tail,’ Nomad ‘growled. Yer cain
b’lieve ‘em, Buffler.”

But Buffalo Bill thought otherwise, and he was backed
in his belief by Hickok and Pawnee Bill.

Itlac’s warriors were straining at the door to slide it
open, and the white men did not try to interfere.

When the stone door had been swung aside, a large
body of Snake Aztecs was seen before it, and though they
were armed, Ser manner was anxious, ‘rather than war-
like. a
With their weapons ready for instant use, the white
men passed outside, after Itlac had guaranteed them pro-
tection. And they were not disturbed.

CHAPTER: XV 1,
CONCLUSION.

The moon was high in the sky, and its white light,
flooding the cuplike depression which held the town of
the Snake Aztecs, gave a silvery glory to the mud huts,
and made the temple seem more mysterious than ever in
the eyes of the Indians.

A hush had fallen on the town; the powerful snake god

was angry. Under that anger Nekambo had fallen, and
direful things were predicted if the desecrating white men
from Tinijas did not leave with all speed.

Buffalo Bill wanted'to see the body of Jim Granger
before departing. He was taken to the spot where, it
was said, the body could be seen; but the body of the
treacherous sheriff of Conejos County was not there.

The scout was momentarily angered, suspecting trick-
ery; but when he saw that the Indians were amazed he
began to think that some of Granger’s friends had taken
the body away, or that Granger had not been killed, but
only wounded, and had taken himself away.

Not a Chinaman was to be found except the few who
had been slain in the fighting ; the others had crawled into
holes somewhere, and the oa would not rout them
out.

“and Ne-.

 

BILL STORIES.

a guess the only prisoner we'll be able to take back
to Tinijas,’ remarked the king of scouts, “‘will be White-
eyed Hawkins.”

“Ef he is thar whar we left him,” Nomad added.

As the scout and his companions passed down toward
the one easily accessible gate, escorted by Itlac’s warriors,
Donna Isabel appeared.

It was as they had anticipated—she had made up her

mind to remain. But she no longer claimed that a bind-
ing promise forced Wild Bill Hickok to do the same;
she had become ashamed of that, perhaps, as she did not
now even refer to it, though she saw that he was ready to
depart with the others.

“T know that I shall not be able to make you understand
how it is—how I feel about it,” she urged, ‘“‘but it is not
wholly because I am an Indian that I want to stay here,
nor entirely for the reason that they have made me their
‘queen; it will be a better life for me. As a girl singing
and dancing in places like the Casino there was no future
before me; soon I should be too old even for that. Here
d shall reign. Ts it not better than dancing and singing in
the Casino?’

She extended her hand, and Buffalo Bill took it; she
was still in her Indian robes, and in the white moonlight
she looked indeed queenly, i in a barbaric fashion.

“1 think you are right,’ he said simply. “But,” he
added, ‘“‘don’t let the Snake Aztec superstitions get the
better of you; that is where your danger lies now. You
may be able to do them good—these Indians; I am sure
of it, if you try.” *e:

“Good- -by,’ she said. “I may never see you again.”

She said farewell to them, one by one; not even Little
Cayuse was omitted.

“T am Indian, too,” she said to him. ‘There are some
good Indians that are not dead—you are one of them.”

“Thet ain't no lie,’ Nomad approved, as the Piute
shrank back, abashed by this attention.

“Der kvestion iss,” said the baron, when she took his
hand, “how can a Inchun py dhis willage in, learn to sbeak
Cherman, vhich iss a lankvich oof indellecdtualidy : rae

put eb out, baron,” Nomad grumbled.

“The reason, ’ she said, “it is simple: There was a
German missionary here once who tried to convert these
Indians, and they killed him.”

“Ach! Himmelblitzen. Vot a fool he vos, * eried the
baron.

They passed out by the stone gate, close-herded by
Itlac’s braves, and in the bright moonlight went down the
slope beyond the heavy walls.

They took but one prisoner back with them; that was
White-eyed Hawkins. The “German Indian’ they re-
leased.

But Wild Bill had been rescued, and that was victory
and satisfaction enough.

THE END.
“Buffalo Bill’s Mountain Foes ; or, Pawnee Bill and
the White Queen’s Vengeance,” is the story for the next
issue. It tells of the strange and exciting climax of the
Bills’ hunt for the opium smugglers on the Mexican bor-
der. The smugglers, finding themselves almost. tun to
earth, play their last card, and it comes very near being
a trump. The story is literally a detective story, Indian
story, and two or three other kinds of stories, all rolled
into one. Be sure you get it. Out next week.

ae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

THE BUFFALO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK February 4, 1911.

 

 

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

BO monshs (2... tee ee eeu chs GHG. | ONG YORr asc cslats Leaweves Le $2.50/
fic (A TOTES OU ees cele u Wee wine e's mice 85c, 2 COPICH ONO VAR. veecca sce css 4.00
G MONGHS Wien ceacae see eile he $1.25 1 Copy tWO YCaTS........seen0e 4,00

How to Send Money—By post-office .or express money order,
registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own risk if sent
by currency, coin, or postage stamps in ordinary letter.

Receipts—Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper

change of number on your label. If not correct you have not been properly .

: - eredited, and should let us know at once.

STREET & SMITH, Publishers,

Ormonp G. Situ,
79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City.

Georce C. SmirH, LP roprietors.

 

 

aN

A SCHEME THAT FAILED.

Walter Gray, a clerk in the Central Bank, walked leisurely’

| toward the station one evening, his mind evidently preoccu-
| pied. He was speedily recalled to a sense of his surround-
_ ings when, crossing a narrow street, he felt a swift wrench
_ upon his watch chain. . ;

_ “Hullo, you young scamp!” he exclaimed sharply. “What
F are you up to?” o

The “young scamp” did not wait to explain, but, having
failed in his object, took to his heels with all the nimbleness
of a goat. Unfortunately for him, however, he was not
| nearly so sure-footed; his toe stubbed against the opposite
| curb, and down he came an awkward cropper. Before he
| could scramble up Walter had him by the scruff of the neck.
|  Writhe and wriggle as he might, he could not shake off that
| sinewy grip. —

| “You've done me; I’m blown,” he gasped at length, aban-
_ doning the attempt. “You’d never have collared me if I
hadn’t fell over these ‘ere busted boots of mine.”

The brogues in question were certainly never made for the
feet. they now partly covered. They. were undeniably
“busted,” and “busted” badly.

_ “Well,” said the lad sullenly, “why don’t yer call a per-
liceman to me? I s’pose that’s the next move? There’s one
a-comin’ round the corner—shall I whistle him up for yer?”

“That’s, precisely what you’ deserve,’ returned Walter,
smiling in spite of himself.

“Oh, I don’t care. I done time afore to-day, I have. Any-
ways, they don’t starve yer in prison, like they do out. Now,
shall I whistle ?”

Walter glanced at the arab’s pinched and prematurely
aged face—a face that told its own tale of past privations—
and his heart softened within him. After a moment’s hesi-
tation he plunged one hand into his pocket and brought out
a habe dollars hoy

“Here you are,” said he, releasing his hold. “Go and get
something to eat. Only don’t try these tricks on again;
they’re sure to land you in trouble.” ey

“Ah, you’re one of the best sort, you are, sir.” The boy
a upon the coin for luck. “I wish I could do anything

or. a? Fe

‘“That’s enough; now cut!” :

And the ragged urchin “cut” accordingly. :

A month or so after this display of magnanimity—‘“a de-
liberate encouragement of crime,’ his friends termed it—

 

J

ff

 

BILL STORIES. : 29

Walter was called into the board roont of the bank, where-

the manager and two of the principal clerks were dealing
with the morning’s correspondence.

“Ah,. Mr. Gray,” said the manager, looking up from his
papers, “you are acquainted with the district around Besford,
] believe? Mr. Grayson has written to ask that the jewels

which he deposited for safe-keeping in our hands may be

sent down to his residence to-day. His wife, I understand,
wishes to wear them during certain festivities to be held
there. Owing to the illness of poor Jones, who on former
occasions has conveyed the valuables to and from the bank,

I thought, perhaps, you would kindly undertake the duty in.

his stead.”

Walter readily acquiesced, flattered at being intrusted with
So important a mission.

An hour’s run-by railway brought him to Besford, the
nearest railway station to Mr. Grayson’s residence, and
about two miles distant therefrom. Contrary to what he
had been led to expect, there was neither servant nor con-
veyance waiting for him at the station, and while Walter
was standing in some doubt as to the course he had better
adopt, a young fellow in cycling dress came hurrying across
the station yard toward him. Walter at once recognized the
newcomer as Henry Usher, 2 nephew of Mr. Grayson:

“I say, you're from, the bank, aren’t you?” exclaimed
young Usher eagerly. “I almost missed you; I’d an idea
the train wasn’t due for half an hour yet. But what’s. be-
come of Mr. Jones; I thought he would bring the things,

was itstatin

Walter explained how it was that he had taken the place
of Mr. Jones for the nonce.

“That's very awkward, you know,” Usher added, rubbing

his chin perplexedly. “I suppose it’s no use my volunteering
to take the articles up to the house for you? No, no; of
course not. Your instructions are to give them into the
hands of my uncle. Quite right, too. Well, you see, when
I said I would meet Mr. Jones at the station, I expected to
meet Mr. Jones. So 1 rode over on my tandem bicycle,

knowing that he wouldn’t mind occupying the other saddle |

back. But perhaps you ride a bike yourself?”

Walter laughingly responded that most people did nowa-
days, and that for his part he would be glad of the chance
to stretch his legs.

“Then it’s not so bad, after all,” said Usher, recovering his
spirits. “The machine’s just outside the gate, and I’ve got
some trousers clips handy.”

A few minutes later they were spinning along the high-’

way—Walter’s cowhide bag, containing the japanned jewel
case, slung from the lamp hook in front. He, himself, being
the lighter of the two, took the foremost seat. ee

For over a mile they kept to the highway; afterward turn-
ing into a lane, flanked with hedges and overhung by the
trees of Besford Woods. Here, on account of the rutty
nature of the ground, they had perforce to reduce speed
somewhat. Since quitting the main road they had not met a

soul;. and they were considerably startled, therefore, in ~

rounding a curve in the lane, to find three sinister-looking
men planted directly in their path.

“The neighborhood swarms with tramps and blackguards,”
said Usher. “One is never safe from molestation even in
the public roads, and this crew look as if they mean ugly
work. Wed better clap on pace and rush through them.”

But when the riders drew abreast of the trio, a handful of
sand and turf struck Walter full in the eyes. Blinded by

the dust and grit, in intense pain, the cyclists drove up the ©

bank and into the hedge, where the machine collapsed under
them.

Two of the assailants flung themselves upon Walter, who,
struggling in utter darkness, was quickly overpowered,
gagged, and bound by the cords with which the scoundrels
had provided themselves. The first object his smarting
eyes perceived was young Usher-——secured in a like fashion
by the third ruffian. -

%

Ll

“ta,

 
 

»

30 THE BUFFALO
c x : 66 Find

“Lug ’em into the wood,” said one of the gang. “We'll
finish that job first, an’ then we'll see what’s in the bag.
Ha, here comes Luke; he deserves his share; he’s kept a
good lookout.” A lad, in whom Walter identified the
would-be pickpocket of a month ago, ran up at this junc-
ture. “Here, Luke, shove this bicycle out o’ sight behind the
bushes, an’ help us with these young swells. Their mothers
won't see ’em home to tea to-night, I reckon.”

The captives were dragged through the brushwood into
the thickest part of the wood, where Usher was fastened
to a slim pine tree. : :

“Best keep ’em apart, so if one gets loose—which isn’t
likely, I guess—he’ll have a hunt for it afore he finds the
other,” suggested the man who had previously spoken. ‘Just
run through their pockets first, Luke; you’re a smart hand at
that.” ~

A few hundred yards farther on Walter was also roped
firmly to a sapling, and left alone with his thoughts. Assur-
edly these were none of the sweetest. The gems were gone!
And here was he, their trusted custodian, unable to budge
hand or foot, helpless as a trussed chicken.

Night, too, was beginning to fall, and Walter wondered
how many hours might elapse—how many days, even—be-
fore any one chanced to come near that sequestered spot.
As he was without any means of attracting attention, it was
clearly possible that any one might pass within a dozen yards
of the place and yet never, see him. The more he pondered
his situation, the more hopeless and gloomy did its aspect
appear.

As near as he could judge, he had been about two hours

‘in this unenviable position, his limbs fast growing numb,

when he heard the snap of a twig close at hand. Again
came the sound, and Luke crept stealthily out from the
undergrowth, <

“They're just a-goin’ to the station to catch the train,” he
said, in a whisper. “I said I’d call as we passed to see as
how yer was still fixed up safe, so we needn’t be feared.”

Walter rolled his eyes; it was about all he could do.
“Yer done the straight thing by me once,’ Luke added,
“so now we're quits. Leastways, we shall be when I’ve cut
these ropes. But afore I do that, you’ve got to promise as
yer won't set the coppers on our track for three hours yet.

Then they can catch us if they can. My pals has been good

  

pals to me, and I’m not a-meanin’ to leave ’em without a
chance. Will yer promise faithful?”

Having no option, Walter agreed to the conditions by
nodding his head. A moment later:he and his tongue were
both free.

“But the jewels!” he cried anxiously. “What has become
of them? Can't you manage to get them from 4
} “Jew'ls—what jew’ls is them?” rejoined Luke quickly.
‘Yer, don’t mean as there was any diamonds in that ’ere bag,

 

do yer? If on’y Blobs an’ Mike had knowed that, yer might

bet your bottom dollar they wouldn’t have handed ’em Over
so sharp. Jew’ls, was they?” a

“Handed them over?” repeated Walter: confusedly.

“Course they did—soft as yer like. Don’t you see, sir, it
was all a regular blind—a put-up job. That other young
gent planned it, an’ offered us ten dollars apiece to work it
off for him. Bless yer, his eyes didn’t catch none o ’the sand
we threw, nor he wasn’t really tied up to that tree. That
was part of the fake. And now it’s him as has walked off
with the bag an’ all i

At this point, in response to a distant whistle, Luke darted
away among the trees.

‘True to the pledge exacted from him, Walter did not at-
tempt to quit the wood before the threé hours’ grace had
expired; then he made the best of his way to Mr. Grayson’s
house. Usher had sglso apparently but just arrived, for
Walter, on being showitinto the library, found him in the
middle of a graphic description of the assault and robbery,
to the details of which his uncle was listening aghast.

 

BILL STORIES.

“That such outrages should be possible!” cried Mr. Gray-
son, with emphasis. . “It’s disgraceful—scandalous! Yes,
Mr. Gray, this is a bad business. The jewels all gone—every
one! And who is to bear the loss? The bank must be re-
sponsible—I will have legal opinion on that ie

“TI hardly think it will be necessary,” interrupted Walter:
quietly. “LI think your nephew can prevent any question of
that kind arising, if he pleases.”

“What's that?” exclaimed Usher, his color changing.

Mr. Grayson looked searchingly at the speaker, whose
perurbation grew excessive under the bold, shrewd gaze.
Unconsciously, perhaps, though the action was significant,
Usher involuntarily passed his hand over the pocket of his ©
jacket.

“What I mean is this,” returned Walter, noting the hasty
movement, “that the whole affair was under your direction, ©
that it was all a plot to possess yourselfef the valuables. I
mean that the jewels, taken out of the case, are even now
in your pocket.”

“A lie—a confounded lie!” cried Usher, white to the lips.

“Be careful, Henry,’ Mr. Grayson put in sternly. “Your
face betrays you. Besides, I haven’t forgotten that money-
lender’s threat the other day. More disreputable debts, I

 

suppose? No doubt Mr. Gray can substantiate his accusa-
tions by calling witnesses whom you would not probably care
10: Sée.”* ;

Indeed, for all the real culprit knew to the contrary, his
accomplices might have been in waiting below, as willing
now to denounce as they had before been to aid him.

Incoherently mumbling something about “duns and gam-
bling bets,” young Usher drew the loose trinkets one by one
from his pocket; then, dropping into the nearest chair, he
bent his head in despair.

“Pray leave usynow, Mr. Gray,” murmured Mr. Grayson
brokenly. “I would spare you a painful scene. Here is the
receipt for the jewels. I will at once give the servants
orders to see to your comfort until you are quite ready to be
driven back to the station. Sad as this trouble is, but for
you it might have been infinitely worse. I can only say—
thank you.”

A NARROW ESCAPE.

Whistling cheerily, his skates swinging at the end of their
straps, like unwieldy pendulums, Phil Elliott trudged briskly
across the fields to the main road. Lightly he vaulted over
the gate, nigh dropping upon the toes of a tall, swart-
skinned man, who, standing near the hedge, was gazing this
way and that, in evident perplexity.

“I beg your pardon,” exclaimed Phil. “It, was careless
of me iG

“No damage done, young sare,” returned the stranger, in
foreign accents. “I think I lose my route, It is for Mistare
Elliott—Maxfield Lodge. Perhaps you show to me, eh?”

“Certainly,” replied Phil readily. “The house is a good
three miles from here by road; there’s a short cut by the
lane yonder, and the railroad footbridge, which wiil
But I’m going that way myself.”

“Ha! that is so? We will together, then, is it not?”

Phil at once agreed to act as pilot, although he could not
help wondering what engagement his father could possibly
have with this saturnine-looking foreigner. In some degrees
his curiosity was gratified during the next quarter of an hour,
for his companion clearly felt in the humof to be loquacious.

“It is many years that I would have come to America,” he
began, “but I have not money till lately. Then I come at
once to settle mon affaire with Mistare Elliott. He will have
forget, perhaps; but I ever pay what I owe. Ma foi, yes—
I pay!”

“If it’s about business, you might have saved yourself the
trouble by calling at the offices in Lanerston. The town is
two miles farther back; you must have passed through it on
your way here. The manager would have receipted e

 

 

 

 
v

THE BURR ALO

  
    
  
  
   
  
  
   
   
  
 
    
 
 

» “Oh, I call there first. But it is.one debt of honor, and I
would see Mistare Elliott only, We Corsiecans do not arrange
natters like mine with servants. Pah, no! That is not the
nethod of Anton Fieschi !” : | :
_ And Fieschi, as he called himself, chuckled softly in his
hroat, a dark shadow falling for a moment across his cadav-
srous visage. A creepy shiver came over Phil as he noted
he ugly look, which, nevertheless, served to quicken his in-
erest in the speaker. : a
“You come from Corsica?’ he putin as Fieschi paused.
hat’s where they used to have those feuds, isn’t it—regular
amily shindies for revenge? Life must.have been exciting
MHhere at one time!” . ee
my «6 Ha! the vendetta is not as it was,” returned Fieschi, his
Wblack eyes kindling. “But it yet breathes—it yet lives—it
W@eyyet nerves the hand to strike! And why must it not? It is
@aright—it is just. If a man kill your father—shot him dead,
pop !—would you let him go free? Even if one says it was
f-defense, would you believe that?”
‘My father would never injure any man unless it were to
protect his own life,” cried Phil, catching something of
Wieschi’s fervor. “No, | wouldn’t believe it! [’d—I’d——’
| “And if you was young when it happen—young as you are
pnow—would you not recollect it all your days? Would you
mot dream of the time when you might give back the blow?”
| ‘TI should think so—rather,” replied Phil valiantly. “Why,
nf any one hurt my father, I’d risk my neck twenty times over
Wyto be even with the fellow—that I would!”
«6 Bravo—bravo! That is the vendetta—that is the ven-
Meecdetta! If the man flee away, you would search for him over
Methe world. Years might go by, many years, but you would
Pwait and long for la revanche. At last you would meet him
We—ha! and kill him! If he had brothers, you kill them! If
Wchildren—kill—kill |” ;
Wy «Phil recoiled'a step as he glanced at the malevolent fea-
@etures of the man. Was this merely a piece of acting, or was
the fellow really possessed by the rage he displayed?
m Phil asked himself this question just as they reached the
stootbridge spanning the railroad, and the probable answer
fto it rushed into his mind with all the shock of a new and
orrible discovery. Dimly he recalled a story he had once
eard his father’s friends talk about. It was that his father,
pwhile on his travels, long years ago, had been attacked by
hieves near some lonely village or other, and had only
scaped assassination by making effective use of his pistols.
ild it be that he had actually killed a man, and that the
ead man’s son, now grown to manhood, had at length found
leans to come to the United States intent on vengeance?
Was that son Anton Fieschi?
| In the middle of the bridge Phil stopped abruptly. His face
jhad turned pale, yet he did not flinch from the task he had
iset himself. .
| “Here, I say, what do you want with my father? I refuse
to go another step with you, and I shall tell him-——~”
| “Your father!” ejaculated Fieschi. “Mistare Elliott is your
ie tather ?”
7m «Certainly he is. My name’s Philip Elliott.”
_ The Corsican, with a gleeful cry, suddenly reached out and
seized the boy by the collar, bearing him back against the
low parapet of the iron structure.
“His son, is it?’ he eried savagely.
our If he have brothers, if he have children—kill—till |”
Half strangled, Phil strove desperately to free himself.
7) The skates still dangled from his wrists, and, grasping them
in his hand, he hurled them with all his force at his assail-
@rant’s head. The blow was an ill-judged one, serving as it
im) did only to heighten the Corsican’s fury,
“You little wolf!” roared he as the headlights of a freight
train twinkled through thé dusk at a bend in the railroad
below them. “You will have no more chance to bite! You
go over! And down—down!’”’

@ Phil's struggles, like his cries for help, were of no avail.
@ Vieschi’s muscular arms swung him to the narrow coping of.

  
 
 
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
  
  

 

 

 

 
 

 
  
 

 

 

BILL STORIES.

“What was I tell to ~

 
 
  

CE a eR NOE i te eal eR
SE TTT TTR an TS pee ”

the bridge, and held him there. The rumble of the oncoming
train grew louder; there came a cloud of sulphurous smoke:
from the engine, a harsh laugh from Fieschi, and Phil felt
himself falling—falling, to be torn and mangled among the
wheels of the heavy-laden trucks!

That day Mr. Elliott had spent at home. He had not been.
well of late, and really there was no reason why he should
exert himself if he did not feel so inclined. The house was
connected by telephone with the offices at Lanerston, and
should his advice be needed upon any point, nothing could
be easier than to ask and obtain it. Toward night, then, just
after the lampghad been lighted in the study, the footman
entered to announce that a man below wished to speak to
his master.

“Who is it, Baxter?’ inquired Mr. Elliott. “What name
did he give?”

“He said Fisher, sir, but he talks like a furriner. I didn’é
ask him in,”

“Oh, show him into the anteroom. I'll see him as soon as
I’ve finished writing this letter.” ;

But before the letter was wholly written, the whir of the
telephone bell drew Mr. Elliott to the farther end of the
room. .

“Hello, Dundas; is that you?”

“No, sit. It is 1—Inspector Kersley. I want to warn you
against a man’ who, I am informed, intends to present him-
self and seek an interview with you at your house—a spite-
ful Corsican named Fieschi.” - aly
_“Fieschi!” repeated Mr. Elliott, aghast. “It can’t be! No,
no; of course not.” Again speaking into the instrument, he
added hurriedly: “What is there to caution me about?”

“The man has been heard to threaten your life, and he has
already made a dastardly attempt on that of your son Philip.
fle threw the lad over the footbridge as a train was pass-
ing. Luckily Philip tumbled into the tender behind the en-
gine, and when the train arrived at Lanerston his injuries —
were found to be very slight.” )

“Great powers! What an infernal scoundrel!”

Meanwhile Fieschi was impatiently awaiting the appear-
ance of his victim in the room below. He had come to Amer-
ica with his heart bent upon murder, and he meant to work
his will even if his own life paid forfeit. He had resolved
upon daring and desperate methods which could not—which
should not—fail him! i,

“Hark! He comes at last!” muttered he, a muffled tread
sounding in the hall outside.

Drawing a stiletto from his breast, he posted himself on
one side of the doorway in readiness to strike. But the foot-
fall echoed along the corridor, gradually dying away in the’ —
distance.

With a snarl of disappointment, Fieschi took to pacing the
flo6r agitatedly, the black scowl deepening upon his face.
Suddenly he halted and glanced sharply back toward the
closed door. A slight creaking noise arose in that quarter.
Sliding across the room, the Corsican stealthily seized the
doorknob and turned it. The lock had been shot upon him!

Instantly he darted over to the window, whence he espied |
the footman and the gardener, both armed with stout eudgels,
stationed on the lawn beneath. Near them stood the owner
of the house, looking intently toward three horsemen, who
were rapidly galloping in the direction of the house.

“So that must be he!” eried Fieschi, now thoroughly alive
to the fact that his treacherous schemes had somehow come
to light.’ “They think to hold me in a trap. Ho, the fools!”

Thrusting up the window sash, he scrambled out upon the
sill and sprang to the ground. With uplifted knife he rushed
toward Philip’s father, who in all likelihood would have fared

badly had not the gardener with a deft lunge of his cudgel

struck the weapon out of the Corsican’s grasp. All three
immediately flung themselves upon him, his frenzied struggles
only ceasing when. the police officers, dashing up, snapped
the handcuffs on his wrists.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most oa stories of Westérn adventure.
Buffalo Bill. High art colored covers.

496—Buffalo Bill’s (Dangerous Duty; or, Pawnee Bill and the
White Stallion. a
497—Buffalo Bill and the Chief’s Daughter; or, Three Bills in a

Triple Bill.
48—Bufialo Bill at Tinaja Wells; or, Pawnee Bill’s Target
Practice. &
nee Sutele Bill and the Men of Mendon; or, Pawnee Bill’s
eputy.
500—Buffalo Bil at Rainbow’s End; or, Pawnee Bill and the
a Pot of Gold.
bor—Buffalo Bill and the Russian Plot; or, Pawnee’ Bill and the
Grand Duke.

Thirty-two big pages.

 

 

BILL STORIES

The only weekly containing the oo of the famous

Price, 5 cents.

502—-Buffalo*Bill’s Re@{riangle; or, ‘Pathe Bill and the’ ‘Sign
of the ‘Three.
ee Bill’s [Royal Flush; or, Pawnee#Bill and the Five
ukes.
eo ae Bill’s Tramp Pard; or, Pawnee Bill and the Sachem
Saginaw.
505—Buffalo te on the Upper Missouri; or, Pawnee Bill’s

Pick-u

506—Buffalo Bill's Crow Scouts; or, Pawnee Bill ane the
Absarokes,

507—Buffalo Bill’s Opium Case; or, Pawnee Bill and the
Sheriff's Frame-up.

 

BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY

All kinds of stories that boys like.
covers. Thirty-two big pages. Price, 5 cents.

412—From Bootblack to Grandee; or, Charles Manton and
Montezuma’s Treasure. By John R. Douglas.

413—The Stolen Portrait Mystery; or, Bowery Billy in Bohemia.
By John R. Conway.

414—Three Speeds to Victory; or, Motoring for” the Borden
Cup. By Stanley R. Matthews.

415—The Young Magician; or, Conjuring to Fame and Fortune.
By John Le Douglas.

416—The Panhandlers of Essex Street; or, ees Billy on the
Warpath. By John R, Conway. ae

The biggest and best nickel’s worth ever offered. High art colored

417—Motoring in the Depths; or, Raiding the Rebels in a Sub-
marine. By Stanley R. Matthews.
ial deg apres ihe Barrel; or, The Cherokee Boom, By John
ouglas.

419—The Trolley Transfer Grafters; or, Bowery Billy’s Counter-
feit Chase. By John R. Conway.

420—The Sons of the Rising Sun;.or, The Submarine and the
Japanese Spies. By Stanley ‘R. Matthews.

ao Fame, and Fortune; or, Making a Name for Him-
self. By John L. Douglas.

 

TIP TOP

The most popular publication for boys.
this weekly. High art colored covers.

759—Dick Merriwell’s Understanding; or, The Man Who Was
Hounded.,

760—Dick Merriwell, Tutor; or, The Fellow Who Gave Up
Football.

761—Dick Merriwell’s Quandary ; or, The Mysteries of the De-
serted Farmhouse.

. 762—Dick Merriwell on the Boards; or, Fighting the Theatrical |

Syndicate.

-763—Dick Merriwell, Peacemaker; or, The Split in the Varsity.

764—Frank Merriwell’s Sway; or, The Boy Who Was Pampered.

765—Frank Merriwell’s Comprehension; or, The Making of
Vincent Schuyler.

 

WEEKLY

The adventures of Frank and Dick Merriwell. can be had only in
Thirty-two pages.

rice, 5 cents.

766—Frank Merriwell’s Young Acrobat; or, The Boy from the
Sawdust Ring.
767—Frank Mean Tact; or, The Taming of Garth Tennant,
Ce Merriwell’s Unknown; or, The Mysterious James
rown.
769—Frank Merriwell’s Acuteness; or, The Search for a Name.
770—Frank Merriwell’s Young Canadian; or, The Victory of

Defeat.

771—Frank Merriwell’s Coward; or, The Awakening of Sam
Shrubb.

772—Frank Merriwell’s Perplexity; or, The Mystery of the Blue
Diamond.

4

For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on reeeipt of price,
5 cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by

STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York’

 

 

IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS

us with the price of the Weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail.

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 to
POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY.

 

STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City.

Dear Sirs: Enclosed please find....cccccesecceseses
TIP TOP WEEKLY, NOS ese icc eee keer
NICK CARTER WEEKLY, ees rane
DIAMOND DICK WEEKLY, “‘

Name........-

Dee eoeeeevvece 190

eyo cents for which ‘send mes
BUFFALO BILL STORIES, Nos.................s0feceecsccees

BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY,“ ......... SS ee

eseceeeegoeaeeeeeoe es ees eeeone +SETECE..coccnccrccccensveccoccvces Git Pabensebeceuucebeusess sveecensMeMie -. 166.) 1058

 
 

 

 

 

 

@)

 
 
 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

BUFFALO BILL STORIES

 

 

ISSUED EVERY TUESDAY

BEAUTIFUL COLORED

COVERS

 

 

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.

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

the actual habits and life of this great man, as by reading the BUFFALO BILL STORIES.
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.

We give herewith a list of all of the back numbers in print.

245—Buffalo
250—Buffalo
252—Buffalo
253—-Buffalo
254—Buffalo
256—Buffalo
258—Buffalo
267—Buffalo
272—Butffalo
273—Buftalo
74—Buffalo
75—Buffalo
278—Buftalo
_ 288—Buffalo
285—Buffalo
287—Buffalo
288—Buffalo
292—Buffalo
293—Buffalo
298—Buffalo
299—Buffalo
305—Buffalo
306—Buftalo
808—Buffalo
309—Buftalo
812—Buffalo
314—Buffalo
3815—Buffalo
3816—Buffalo
319—Buffalo
321—Buffalo
3824—Buffalo
325—Buftalo
326—Buffalo
327—Buffalo
328—Buffalo
329-—Buffalo
3830—Buffalo
331—Buftfalo
332—Buffalo
333—Buffalo
334—Buftalo
335—Buffalo
336—Buffalo
337—Buffalo
338—Buffalo
3839—Buffalo
340—Buffalo
341—Buffalo
342— Buffalo
343—Buffalo
344—Buffalo
345—Buffalo
346—Buffalo
348—Buffalo
349—Buffalo
350—Buffalo
351—Buffalo
352—Buffalo
353—Burffalo
354—Buffalo
355—Buffalo
356—Buffalo
357—Buffalo
358—Buffalo
359—Buffalo
360—Buffalo
362—Buffalo
363—Buffalo
364—Buffalo
366—Buffalo
367—Buffalo
368—Buffalo

BTS Osh QUAELY. 7. sis acc Sek

5

Brill ona Wons Unt... os ss 5

Bill and che Redskin Wizard

5

Bill’s Bold Challenge....... 5

Bill’s Shawnee Stampede....
Billsonsa: Desert “Trail... -:.

5
5

Bill in Rieht Quarters)... 5

Bill in the Canyon of Death.

S

Bills Dusky Trailers....... 5
Bill’s Diamond Mine........ 5

Bill and the Pawnee Serpent
Bill’s Scarlet Hand

Bills: Daring une ss. :
Bill U pra Stumpicc. 6... s:.
Bill’s Master-stroke.........
Bill and the Brazos Terror...
Bill’s Dance of Death

Bill’s Medicine-lodge........ 5

PIU UA OMEN 2 scene iienab eis oe
IBS Black }MaAgles. os oe

Bill’s Desperate Dozen...... 5

Bill and the Barge Bandits.

Bill, the Desert Hotspur.... 5
Bill’s Whirlwind Chase..... 5
Bill’s Red Retribution...... 5
Bis Death “Pump .:. 6.2 es. 5
Bill in the Jaws of Death.... Z

Bills Aztee Runners......
Bill’s Dance with Death.....

Bills Mazeppa Ride........ D

DIES: Coy PSY. bands. ck. ayo toe
Bills Gold Hunters... os... ..

Bill in Old: Mexico... 0.06.5. 5

Bill’s Message from the Dead

Bill and the Wolf-master...: 5
Bill’s Flying Wonder....... 5

Bills Hadden Gold .2.0 os 6./.
Bale Olu eral. tess.
Bill and the Indian Queen...
Bill and tLe Mad Marauder..
IBIS Ree sBarrtcade... cc. ss
Bill and the Robber Elk.....
‘Biuls Ghost: Dance... > 5.
Bills: sPeace-pipe «2... ss Sees
BUS Red: (Nemesis 2°. o...2%.
Bil’s Enchanted Mesa......
Bill in the Desert of Death..
Bus bay Streak (sae oe
Bill on Detached Duty......
Bill’s Arm Mysterv........
Bulls surprise Party... 6.60.
Bris Great RiGee. its as
Balls Water. rab eons oo sae
Bills: OrdealcOke wires)... oe
Bills: Casket of Pearls: . 2.5
Bill’s i
Bill’s m’

Billiss Mlat-boat wDritt. onic...
BUT Om eDeCke cen ee a. ae
Bill and the Bronco Buster...
Bill’s Great Round-up......
Bills: Pledges sos Se
Bills. Cowboy Pard.... 223...
Bill and the Hmigrants......
Bill Among the Pueblos.....
Bills Four-footed Pards....
IBIS SPVOue se os ie eG os ae ee
BUS Pick wp cs othe CoG

Bulls Quests cove ci. eee d

Bill’s Waif of the Plains....
Bill Among the Mormons...
Bills Assistance. o. 6% 65.2. Res
Bill’s Rattlesnake Trail.....

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
)
5
5
5
5

 

369—Buffalo
370-—Buffalo
3871—Buffalo
372—Buffalo
374—Buffalo
375—Buftalo
377—Buftalo
378—Buffalo
379—Buftalo
380—Buffalo
881—Buffalo
382—Buffalo
383—Buffalo
384—Buffalo
385—Buffalo
386—Buffalo
387—Buffalo
388—Buffalo
3889—Buffalo
390—Buftfalo
391—Buffalo
392—Buffalo
393—Buffalo
394—Buffalo
395—Buffalo
396—Buffalo
397—Buffalo
398—Buffalo
899—Buffalo
400—Buffalo
401—Buffalo
402—Buffalo
403—Buffalo
404—Buffalo
405—Buffalo
406—Buffalo
407—Buffalo
408—Buffalo
409—Buffalo
410—Buffalo
411—-Buffalo
412—Buffalo
413—Buffalo
414—Buffalo
415—Buffalo
416—Buffalo
417—Buffalo
418—Buffalo
419—Buffalo
421—Buffalo
422—Buffalo
423—Buffalo
424—Buffalo
425—Buftalo
426—Buffalo
427—Buftalo
428—Buffalo
429—Buffalo
430—Buffalo
431—Buffalo
432—Buffalo
433—Buffalo
434—Buffalo
435—Buffalo
436—Buffalo
437—Buffalo
438—Buffalo
439—Buffalo
440—Buffalo
441—-Buffalo
442—Buffalo
443—Buffalo
444—Buffalo

Bill and the Slave-Dealers... 5
Bills Strong. Arm cas ea ate... 5
BW Girl sPandccnce ees secs 5
Bills iron. Bracelets. sc:07...0%
Bills Jade “Amulet. 25...
BilkisoMagic Lariat... 0.3... i
Bills Bridge of Hire...) 00...
TBUHIGSE IS OWG 45). aoc bie oitevs cate o corls
BES: “PaAy-SELreak, occ). sys. ees
Me MEeSe MMIII E so elicre/ ois a oaccoe tone ste :
Bill’s

Bill’s

Bill Overboard... cutee ware
IBIS RING adore canieie on uekerereles
Bulsiepie Contract. ..3.......
Bill and Calamity Jane.....
Bill’s Kid Pard

Bill’s Desperate Plight......
Bill’s Fearless Stand....... :
Bill and the Yelping Crew...
Bill’s Guiding Hand

Bills: Queer “Ques ti.ccsde aes
Bills Prize’ “Getaway’’.....
Bill’s Hurricane Hustle.....
BITS Stare layis crt. tees 5
Bills Blairs.

BP SUP TRACKeRS cers. os ciate sec
Bulls sO ULCh Mbands. sos. cece.
Bile ang. tne. BLaviOw. . .e
Bill and’ the Quaker .3...'.23°.
Bills Package of Death.....
Bill’s Treasure Cache.......
BMPS se rivia te Weal. cic nese t
Bill and the Trouble Hunter. |!
Bill and the Rope Wizard...
US HMCSTA as Giorgos otra io tew ate 5
Bill Among the Cheyennes...
IBIS OSTC SOC. istecersteceuete accross «rs a
Bill and the Red Hand......
Bike | Pree-tnunk: (Orit ys. ch.
Bill and the Specter........
Bill and the Red Feathers...
Bill’s King Stroke.......... 5
Bill, the Desert Cyclone.....
Bill’s Cumbres Scouts....... 5
Bill and the Man-wolf......
Bill and His Winged Pard... &
Bill at-Babylon Bars... - 5
Billss ong GAT: lt ss cee ss
Bills Steel Arm Pardo
Bulle Aztec: Guide! wes eos)...
Bill and Little Firefly.......
Bill in the Aztee City... .-...
Bill’s Balloon Hsecape........ 5
Bill and the Guerrillas......
Bills “Border Wars <a. sc...
Bill’s Mexican Mix-up.......
Bill and the Gamecock......
Bill and the Cheyenne Raiders
Bill’s Whirlwind Finish..... 5
Bil’s Santa Fe Secret......
Bill and the Taos Terror....
Bill’s Bracelet of Gold.......
Bill and the Border Baron...
Bill at Salt River Ranch....
Bill’s Panhandle Man-hunt..
Bill at Blossom Range...... 5
Bill and Juniper Joe........
Bilis Hina Scoops... <3. - 5
Bitleat .Cleatw alec coro 5 3+ 5
Bill’s Winning Hand........ 5
Bilese Cinch: Claim. wi... 5
Bills Comragdesees 5 ee SD

 

445—Buffalo
446—Buffalo
447—Buftalo
448—Buffalo
449—Buffalo
450—Buffalo
451—Buffalo

Bill in the Bad Lands......
Bill and the Boy Bugler....
Bill and the Heathen Chinee.
Bill and the Chink War..
Bills Chinese: Chasey <2 2.05%
Bill’s Secret Message.......
Bill and the ELorde of Her-

mosa

452—Buffalo
453—Buffalo
454—Buffalo
455—Buffalo
456—Buffalo
457—Buffalo
458—Buffalo
459—Buffalo
460—Buffalo
461—Buffalo
462—Buffalo
463—Buffalo
464—Buffalo
465—Buffalo
466—Buffalo
467—Buffalo
468—Buffalo
469—Buffalo
470—Buffalo
471—Buffalo
472—Buffalo
473—Buttalo
474—Buffalo
475—Buffalo
476—Bufralo
477—Buffalo
478—Buffalo
479—Buffalo
480—Buffalo
481—Buffalo
482—Buffalo
483—Buffalo
484—Buffalo
485—Buffalo
486—Buffalo
487—Buftfalo
488—Buffalo
489—Buffalo
490—Buffalo
491—Buffalo
492—Buffalo
493—Buffalo
494—Buffalo
495—Buffalo
ers
496—Buffalo
497—Buffalo
498—Buffalo
499—Buffalo
500—Buffalo
501—Buffalo
502—Buffalo
503—Buffalo
504—Buffalo
505—Buffalo
506—Buffalo
507—Buffalo
508—Buffalo
509—Buffalo
510—Buffalo
511—-Buffalo

Bill’s Lonesome Trail.......
SEE Ss QI eya eee oot scar o/s Go ¥s0'6) =
Billsin: Deadwood. 2.7... 3)...
Bi Se Its SATO es) oe ets oo he
Bill and Old Moonlight......
Bill Repaid

Bill’s* Paro w bates ...ic veges.
Bill’s “Sight Unseen’’.......
Bills: New: Pardis ssi ae
Bill’s ‘‘Winged Victory’”.....
Bill’s Pieces-of-Hight........
Bill and the Hight Vaqueros
Bill’seUnlucky Siesta. s.. 2c.
Bills Apache OMe. 5 iiss or. i5 ies
Bill and the Apache Totem..
Bill’s Golden Wonder.......
Bills Besta Nights. si. cc Seces
Bill and the Hatchet Boys...
Bill and the Mining Shark...
Bill and the Cattle Barons...
Bus uones Odds sic. site
Bill, the Peacemaker.......
Bilks Promise. to cPay. 3 ss...
Bits Diamonds Hitch. ...'i.0
Bill and the Wheel of Fate..
Bill and the Pool of Mystery
Bill and the Deserter.......
Bill’s Island in the Air......
Bitke Town Marshal soi. 8
BES 2 Were BUI Bese cis ets
Bills Test

HOM OMAOUON CLOT SLOT OUT OUT OL OT OTOTOLOTOUOUOA

9

These stories have been read exclusively in this

you become so thoroughly acquainted with

CUSTOLOUOUON

Or

SOvOlt OUOVOT

OvOTSOr Cl

Bill and the Ponca Raiders. . D

Bill’s Boldest Stroke
Bill’s Enigma
Bill’s Blockade ...

5
Bill and the Gilded Clique.. 5

Bill-and Perdita Reyes......
Bill and the Boomers.......
Ball (Calis ete Pie itie. 25.920 a5. ae
Bill and the Ke-week Totem.
Bill SU Oe soe Sek eas
Bill at.Ganon Diablo. is. ce.
Bills.“ Dramsrers sisi cine. oe.
Bill and the Red Horse Hunt-

Bill’s Dangerous Duty.......
Bill and the Chief’s Daughter
Bil at Pinaja Wells...
Bill and the Men of Mendon.
Bill at Rainbow’s Hnd.......
Bill and the Russian Plot....
Bis Red Triangle........-
Bill’s Royal Flush..........
Bills ramp. Pard’ 2.73.22. 3%
Bill on the Upper Missouri. .
Bill’s Crow Scouts

Bill’s Opium Case

Bale Su Wate ena tics 56s wee es

Bill’’s Mountain Foes........ :

Bulls Battle: Crys: (2.8. oe
Bill’s Fight for the Right...

OCLOLOTONONONO

OW OT OLOVOUOT OF OF

LOU OU OT

NO

o

CLOT OT OL

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