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Aii of the above are soltable for 8prin«r and Somnter^ W«»iP, *h©y are r«anarkal>le valae, and alronld intc eve»y pturcli»ser of wool I>ress Oood«. OI^TVl^RQ DV MAT! A'(>*n«nypnt;crf'Ut«ot jitrywrnrcciii^ l\l^£if\0 Ol lUiilij OMirftel ana piv>mi>t Attcution. JA1NKS WeOilCillY A CO., Broadway and Hth Street, New York, / :..v:::.:::PK,lCfiv FIVE CBaf^^s^-^^ i:U'f^Tyr ym teaowa thw, no brighter fns finds ite way Into psint than tliAt wiii< is te'Vo «!«» to all aewapapara, credited to TiB-Brra. "BvfKfy oTi^b (wiib one ex>e that exception he will do hinuielf « favor if ho iwvoBfe fl* , *i^ ia a copy c^ the Paper, any week ; or if ho invcisfc unc MH>t »tte3i»ion. i OO., Mew York. JPaper. > piint than that ^ i. is equal t'> tlM> ' rhfc, and wholesot favor if ho iuvfflrt^ftvl invest tmo <»Bt * mail ft H!vnii»!e «v !i: <'l •u> Sttfeftir -tj^mk ~-^Ui!mS£ mm I ( LOTELL LIB RAM r ADVERTISER. WareroomSf 138 Mfth Ave., K. Y. MANUFACTURERS OP 36,000 rrnis in USE. HARDMAH WITH JUST PRiOE WE CLAIM WC CLAIM WE CLAIM WE CLAIM WE CLAIM ,» that it ib the only Piano in the wnrM whidi has an iron key fnuue snppuri {hat it is the only Piano in Ihe tn^Id with a patent harp-<9(op attachment./ that it is the only fiist-class Piano sold at an honest prio& that for purity of tone and phonome&o al durability it cannot be exoelled. that it is the onfy Piano which im- proves after two or three years' use^ and retains its full power and tone. i^ LOVMLL LIBEdUr ADVERTISER. POND'S fUefottSerofHtiaM'- B^SU, I)IABSH(SA, STIH9S, SOBS SE204X, S7ES, FSEI, XHTTLAK* HATIONS AXTB HEKOB- BEA&28 or AU. Slinks. Ustd Inlernally and ExternaHy. POND'S IjEtRAOT OOm 76 Sth A««.i IMW York. EXTRftei CAC tlON.— 8«!e (h»< t3»« WordB "PONMS KXTri»A«T»» are Mown In eacb botUc, Sw«lo«ea in a baflP^«l- orcd irrapper, banr- Ins o«p Iaud«cnpo trad«-mHr k— none other la ffennln«« atM everywhere. Prioe> SOc.i 01« Sl«75. POSIO'S BXTRAOT CO., 70 Mh Ave., New York. GOOD SEHSE CORDED SPaII?; BeaatifnUy made of BEST MATERIALS throughout THOUSANDS NOW IN USE. er-Be sore yonr Coraet la 8t«mp«a "Oood 8ens«." ITT Ali AGES-Tafaate to Adoltt. ««/rf tj UADINe RETAILEHS emrywhtrg, ^MP FOB OlKODiaS. fimB BS08, iiAiWMTBittB»^ 34 1 Broadway, New York. I iN XABSHAIX FIELD & CO., CHICAGO, WMm\s W«»l«ro Htm "S*A*^i«-AVitr"..yw. mmmemmsmsmf^^d LovELL's Household Library, Thlt »rimlrafale series of Popular Books it priated on beaviet and lu^r paper thw otiwr ctMi^ Mci«a, and ia iab»tui(iaUy bound ia an Mtnobve eovM> The following have been iuned io date. The beat worka of new fiotloo will be add^ as rapidly ai they appear. 1 A Wi(dc«a Girt, by H. 0. Hay .86 S l^eMocnuiwone, byCoUina 25 S Moths, by Oidda. M 4 Sewage Case of Dr. Jekyll, by B. h. Stevenson : and FauBt S8 5 P^c's Bad Boy and tus Fa, by Geo. « Ame Byre, bj Charlotte ih^t« ... .86 T Peok^anghlner by Geo. W. Peck. .M 8 Adam Bade, by George Baiot . . . . .ss • BIU Vs* ud Boomerang, by BUI HmHtaieell 8» le WbatWffl the World Say ?... 85 U Ume Ktin Clab, by M. Quad 88 !• She, by H. Blder Haggard £6 U Dora fhome, by B. M. Clay 85 M WleKi>.M8,by JE. Qaboriao 85 UPhTUiB, by The Ducheae 86 U lAdyVaiwarUi'D DiamondK, end The tbmnted Chamber, by The Duchesa.Sfi IT A House »«y, Mul A Rainy June. byOalda. S3 » Srtlta Diamonds, by B. M. Oay 88 » H« Mother's Stn. by B. M. Clay. . . .88 M Other Peopled Money, by Gabonan.8S M AIrr Falrr lilian. by The Doob«s8..8S 88 In Pert! nt Hm LUe, by GaborlM....86 93 Tbe Old Mam'seUe's georer, by B. A. MarMtt .\...^....^...86 M The Oullur River and The New Mag- daioiu bv Wittle Collins. 86 «S JohnRtiUMc byMlssMulook 86 M Marjwle, byB. M. Clay . .........85 tr lAdyAndl^s 8ecre..!>y Draddon. «5 m Pew's Fob, :»y George W. Pec*. . ...86 n Tboma and Otutge Blu laouu, by B. It caajr. ... 85 MBastl^mns. t^ Mrs. Wood 86 SI KtnKSonrrequer, by Lever ......... .85 40 Called Back and Dark Xteys, by Hugh Conway 88 4T Endymlon. by BenJanUn DteraeU.. . ,95 48 CUttlbel's Ijove Story, by B.M ClBy.»5 m mra lian, tg am Nye 86 SBDawii, byH.B«erH9«»Md » 01 Shadow of aSln. and Wedded and PMted, by B. M. Claj- 98 B9 WeeWUe, by IBoaa N. Carey 98 IS The Dead Beurt^ byColUua 86 54 Cottdt oflHoute Cristo, hs i)ajata..M SB ^ue Wandering Jew, by Sue 69 5« The Mysterka of Paris, by Bae 88 ST Mlddlsnukrch. by George Bitot.. ...80 S8 Sootttsh CiUefi^ by Jane Porta',....30 69 tlDd«- Two Plage, by Oaida. so «0 David Coppei«eid, by Diekens so 51 Monslenr Le«o0 Jew, bfSae M r Parts, hySae ao r George Bitot. .....80 b; Jane Poita'.....ao », b,TOalda W Id, bj Dickens «0 , by Oabortau ..80 Ii.I).BUiokniQre...M ryWardBeeobwoB M IIS Under tlw Be*. 1^7 85 orUl In 80 Tk^t, by to ;e, by Busiieil £5 ' Dlckcna ..is i>y Shirley SmlHi.... 88 kin, by Uatreard.. .88 !r, by Frank Barr^.t« ig Gtass, by F. C. IS !,byG. M. Fenn....M by Wm. Blaok W londK, by Q. M. Feim.S5 WlUson 88 i. BartauHSoukl ...88 by La^ Uargaret 86 r. li. Meade 88 tia Daogditer, by tbe itniao(ttln|!tifaM."98 , by_Tbe Ooidieaa. . , .88 IT Flonitoe W«rdan.85 'b]r1%eI>acbeMi....S8 Pi^end, Pbeian Q«o.W.Pw*. 85 i^lctory , by Banie ... 88 urea oi Laoy Hmttli, ]ll ..... 85 ir of " Addie's'Hne- 88 Ur wbo Saved tbe m Piatt ...85 sfLt^ Stnrgti. 85 rSoeieqr Man .88 Mr». Henry Wood, sstLynne". ... ....8S »te. by RoBBeU 88 »JIB8.byPliaupa,.. S5 I Uoaa, by HastganJ.SG SKIfl, by NoMey. , . 2S e, bT Hawloy 8m&rt.85 d. by B. t. Steven- BetwrM, ttyii. C. 88 1)7 Mrs. Aiexan^r, .W B9i, Mam York. ImOVEELUB i^bbamt. COMPLETE CATALOGUE BY AUTHORS. tiOT«u>'i IdMUBX BOW oontniiw Ow oomideta writiDSi of HMMt at tba b«Rt ttaa/int •Bthoa, muM aa Dtokaoa, Thadmay, MM, Oarlyls, Btukin, Beott, Iiytton, Blaidt, at«k, eto. ■m^ «iimba ii L. .i^d in BMit ItiBo farm, and ihe Inw mu be found laigar, and tiba paper better, than iaanr aMwt obaap tUm poMbditd. jromr w. imvmlsm voaiPAinr. p. O. B«K isn. M KaHl lA V«a«y IMrMt, Hew Yoi*t. Hvtm, — Whrre no nnmben are Rtren the rolamen are pnUttihed in " Unnro'* Ubiai; " only, Uu pablloation of which wrlea la oisotinaed by the pnbllaben ol " I.oveU'« Ubnu^." BT AiriHOB OF " ADDIE*8 HOT- BAVD " UW Jeuia SO Addie-* Huibuui 90 $M An Alsonqnln Maiden W BT KAX ABKLEB •96 BaadomShotB SO •86 .80 Blbow Boom BT OVSTAVX Am&BD S63 The Adventnren G87 The Trail-HuDta* 678 Pearlof the Andea.. 1011 Pirate* of the Prairies.... 1091 ThaTrapp«r'« Daoffhter loss TSieTlg«r Sliijfr , 1045 Trappera of Aikauaaa , 1069 Border Rlfiwi JO loss The Freebooiera 10 1069 The White Scalper. ,..10 1«ne« IB BtorieK for Parents 16 S«<»l-Tlme and_Harr«e( 16 wora»ior iiie wise. ...13 Btorte* for YonnK Uotwekaapen. . . .16 I lovkll's library. Tfi AVTEOB or "atADBOOVi " Plot and Ckiuiiturpkit 90 BT £SWIH ABBOXJ) 430 Ttta Light of Axis .........90 4Ba Pwrlnof thii Faith 15 473 IndUuSuneof B(»ga..<., 10 BY KDWABD AYSLIBO low An Americtii Journey 80 BY W. B. AYTOtJH Kl Lafiotthb BoottixtiOavalien SB BY AOAX BASBA7 1V6 Ooagfinof 16 BY SIB SAMUEL BAXKB SOO OMtnpbTthaSM 90 327 HtflewuiHonndlnOeylon 90 93a BlgbtTeus*WkUd«rli)|{inOeyloii..90 BY C. IT. BAIBSTIXB 881 APsirDevfoB 90 40B Ute of J. a Btain* 90 BY B. M. BAIXABTS:*! 918 TheBedEtlc 90 890 The Fire BrigHde 90 9f» Sritnit the Bold .....^...90 841 DMpDowo 90 BY 8. BABDrO-OOITU) (n UttlcTa'peony 10 \pak Bed Bplder ...90 BY A. E. BAB& Tie iMUt at the IlAcAlllsten 10 BY VBABX BABBBTT MM The anwt HeRpn 90 ' litO Ueutemmt BarnkbM 90 BYOlOfeAj; IIIDDI.BTOB BAYHB 460 OalMld 90 BY A0OV8T BEBXI. Yl8 Wonun 80 BY UBS. LEBOZ BXU. Not to be Won 90 Wife or Steve 90 BY HBS. E. WaatXS. BEBJAXIN 748 OnrRomim Pelnoo 90 1077 Jim, the I'armn 9U BY A. BENBDIO 470 Vlo M BY X. BEBOEB 901 Obu-lee Aucbeeter 90 BY W. BEB660B 77 mUme 48 BY H. BSBHAXB Locked Out 10 BY B. BBBTKET 888 Tbe aorgeuitn Lesiiar. ...80 B7 WALTXB BBfUTT 18 Thej Were Married 18 10» Let KothlDg Yon T-jaa^.. 19 957 All in A Qiuden Fitlr 90 3«!B When the Ship Oomea Home 10 884 Dorothy Fcnrtlw 90 6911 Self or Bearer 10 H49 The World Went Very W«U Thaa . .90 847 ThaHolvaoae 10 1009 To CaU Her Mine .80 UOU Katharine Besina 90 1169 In I^uk at Laat . .....,,.. .....,.JU BY M. BBTEAX-EBWABDS 9OT Dicarmed 16 868 xliePIowerot Doom 10 1005 Sajrt of Kin 90 BY BroBBSTJXBBS B70BH80V 8 The Happy Boy 10 4 Ame 10 BY 1n> Uilt XiULOX An Adventure In Thule, etc 10 A Princess of Thule SO ADauKbterotHeth. 90 BhaodonBeUa 90 Haoleod of Dars ...tO Tolanda 10 Strange Ad venturea of a Phaeton, . . 90 White Wings 90 Snnriiie, 9 Parta, eaoh IB Uadcap Violet 90 Ktlmeny 90 Thut BeiiutlTnl Wretoh .....90 Oiacn PasturM, eto 80 In Bilk Attire 10 The Three Feather*. 90 Lafiy Silverdale's Streetheart 10 aiie Four UaoNlool* 10 Mr. Pixlstratug Brown, M.P 10 Oliver Qddnnith 10 Honaroh of Mincing Laua ..90 Judith Bbnkeapeare 80 Wise Women of Invaraaa , .10 White Heather , 80 BabinaZoubra ..80 BY B. D. BLAOKMOXX 861 Loma Doone, Fart I 801 Lorna Doone, Part n «3« Maid of SkPT 80 «S5 Cnuluok Nowell, Part 1 90 956 Oradock Nowell, Part II 90 9B1 Springhaven SO 1084 Mary Anerley 90 loas Alice Lorraine 90 1036 Orlstowell ..90 mV C!«ra Vaoghan 80 1038 Cripps the Currier 90 1089 Iloinarkable History of Sir Iboe. Upmore 90 1O40 Bremn; or, My FaUiet'B Sin 90 BY iUXIE D. BLAKB iOfl Womon'R Pl«i« Today 607 Fettered for Lite 40 4e 89 65 0.3 186 149 148 163 178 1»0 189 184 188 913 916 917 918 99S 3S9 4.16 684 678 }68 « ■M, BY M. BlOtrVf Two Wedding Binga 90 ;3iUa3MK3na£ Qssa^.^^ iSiMiSSi^L M. •mtm LOVELIi's LIBBaKY. led W I irMomj.. 19 Fiur.... » iooiea Home 10 SO , 10 1 Very W«ll '«!«»..« 10 • a UC-m>WAKDf ..no ..80 -JO taom. .16 .10 .SO xnsBTosjrsov 10 IB AMB2JL0X nThnle,etc 10 Mte SO letb fiO „ SO I. M ...i M 4U«a of • 'Ptiattoa, . . SO SO i,eMh. Wretoh. eto .... Men I'uSwaethcart.. Iloola Brown, VLP... .16 .SO .SO .to .SO th. D*na Prennt » MO T!lM DiamoDd NwsUm* ; anf Wm- ^mn ao •as Oh«rtl«n 90 sue Sartur Renu-tna SO ei4 Bariy Kingiiot Norway M SaO J«wi Paul Fricdrich Richtn Id 6tt OoaUii&and Mtoorilanaeua gaaayn. . . lu BS5 Ufeof Hayne. 16 tm Vf«»«J»and NoralU IB B41 H ^..jft, iiad Hom-WaniUp. 90 546 Sis lot UiaTlmw IB 660 Qnuiaii l«iteratnn ...IB Wf Portoalta of John Knox,.... 16 671 Count Oaitnaalro, eto IB 67D Fredorlek tbe Oreat, Vol. I SO tm " " •• YoLII. SO 601 « " •• ToLUL lU «io " " " ToJ. rr 90 •19 '• " •' Vol. V SO 661 " " " TAyt 90 698 " " " Vol. VII 90 e«8 " " " voLVur 90 6.30 IJfaof John StorUnt 30 6)1S Latter- Day Pamphlet*. 90 686 Life of SchlUor 90 6t8 OliTCT CromwalL Vol. 1 98 646 " " Vol. It « 648 " " Vol UL SB 6M OHaraMariatiea mid other Banaya... 16 666 Corn LasrBhymaaand other Bawya. 16 96B BalUia the OovaoaBtar and other la- say" 1» 661 Dr. KrAnolaasdat)MrBnqrB...,...15 1088 WUhelot ICaiatar'a Appnntiaedlp, 9PartR.a»oli ....90 1090 WUhelm Msieto'* Trarela 90 BT''OAVXin)UH" ttt Oarandlih Oaid BBMyR. 16 BT CXBTABT« •IT BanQninta 10 BT L. W. OFAHFirBT li9 BonibonLmea 90 BT YicTOB osxBBinuacas •49 Bamnel Brohl & Oo. 90 BT XBS. C. OLAXXX More Tme Thau Truthful SO BT BBT. JAS. FBSBK&B CLABX 167 Antl-Slaveiy Days SO BT OBISTABEL B. OOUBIBOB 1088 A Near Relation 90 BT H. T. OOLBBIBO'S 696 FDcoa ao BT B. COI-'JIBSIX A Double Marriage 90 . BT BBBTRA M. dlAY 188 HerHother'aSin. 90 9TT Dora Thome. SO 987 BevoQd Pardon SO 490 A Brolum WeddtUK-Blnc 90 6 ilt Kapentad atTiainM. 488 SnnaUne and Roaw. :...„.., M ♦.16 The Ecurl-a Atonement ;,,. 9 ■IT4 A Waman'aTemptr.don... ..10 476 Love Worlre Wooden.. 90 668 Fah- but Falaa 10 6ttS Uftween Two Rlna .\..10 «E1 At War with HeraaB 15 600 HUda lo 6h» Her Uaityrdom 90 0»9 I.ord Lynn'n Choloe , 10 fi94 The Bhadow of a Bin 10 6U5 Wedded and Parted 10 TOO InCnptd'aMet W 701 Lady Damer'* Beoiei .It 718 AQltded Sin M 7!0 Between Two LovM ;90 797 For Anci.het'a Sin , 90 760 Bomanoe of a Yonng Olil 90 793 A Queen Amongat Women. 10 788 AGoIdenDawn IQ 789 Like no Other LoTe W 740 A Bitter Atonement ..90 744 Bvelyn'a VoUy 90 769 Set In DlamoBde 90 764 A Fair MystfTT |n 8U0 Thome and nui Tlliiiiiini lO 801 Romance of a Blaek Veil HJ 803 Lo.a'8 Warfare 10 804 MAdoUn"* iMm 90 806 From Out the Oloom ;^..90 807 Which I«Ted Him Beat 10 eoe A True Magdalen 99 808 The Hoof a Lifetime 96 810 Prince Oharlie'a QoBghter. 10 811 A Ckildan Heart M 819 Wife in Name Only 90 816 A Woman's Brror SO 806 Uarjorie 90 099 AWilfal Maid ...90 «n Lady Oaatlamaice'i Diroraa 90 9» Claribel'a Lcve Story ..90 838 Thrown on the World 90 998 Under a Shadow 90 9K A JJtrugKle for a Elng 90 9(9 Hllaty'a Foliy 90 886 AHauntedLife 90 S64 A Woman'* Lore Story 90 808 AWoman'sWar SO 984 'Twixt Smile and Tear. 90 966 Lady Dl-tna'a Pride 96 886 Bene of Lynn 90 988 Uarjorie'* Fate . .90 888 Sweat Oymbdine 90 1007 Badearaed by Lova 90 1019 The Squire* Darling 10 1013 The Ityetory of ColJe FeU 90 1romiBe 10 1061 An Dniiatural Bondage 10 1064 The Dnke's Secret 90 Diana'* DUolpUne 90 Golden date ...90 Hie Wife'* Judgment 90 AGnldingStar .90 A Roue in Thorn* ...90 A Thorn in Her Heait 96 A Nanielefm Secret. 90 AMadLovo .....9(1 "tov^M'i^mmr. imant ....SO iptndOB ,. ..M Oder* SO 10 ■» 10 nail 19 .......10 SO (rilM 10 • 8ln , 10 fted 10 » •oni SB )VM .SO in SO 'oongOiii SO Mt Wom«i. 10 r. 10 «»e JO mntt ..SO W I SO .nsQ BtoaMuai, 10 llaATcU 10 10 r 80 Hoom ;...S0 limBMt 10 m SO fctline SO iDatuditar. 10 t... » )ttly SO or. .....SO SO .... ...SO In*'! DlTonM SO Story ..SO World SO w SO tBloc SO ..^ ....".....SO SO reBtory SO af ..........SO udTe«. SO Wde..... SO SB I SO iw SO A*e SO arllng ...10 (CoUlaFell 90 og Horn 10 Idol 10 10 W......T. 10 l»e .10 BoDdoga .....10 jret .....SO Ine 90 80 gment 80 p ■» ttm •••!? rH««it 86 oret. 80 SO IT MAMS. OOIXUn Ijoni Vsnci imn'ii Daughter W Th« l-rottleat Womsn In Vumw . . .80 BT WIIKIS 0OLLUI8 8 The M<>on»tonc, Parti 10 t Th« Moonstone, Purtll »{ M The Hew Magdal«i ..«) W H««rt«nd8tieno« JU 418 "IBayNo" f} 437 TalMi of Two Idle Apprentloea IS tea Th« Gbort'n Toooh }0 «8« My Lady** Money j» 788 7'^i BWJ Qealua J" 889 liieGnmyBlTer "< 957 The Dead Secret » ySC The Qoeon of He«rt« jJJ 1008 The Hauntod Hotel '» 1170 The Legacy of Cain w BY HUGH OOHWikY Called Bnok 18 Dark D«y» •• J* OMTWion'a Gift vjS PanlVargaa: aKyitaiy 10 A Family Affair JO Btoryof a Boalptnr , »« SBngK and Altow*. w A Cardinal Bin.... "j LWlngorDead SO Somebody's Story -JO BoundbyaS^ell .......•.....»« All In One "J ADaadMan'a Fao* W BY jr. MaiMORB COOFXB ThelAstcf thoMohloana «) 499 409 019 617 4V<» ear C79 71S 745 760 «68 8 B3 S66 878 441 483 467 471 484 48S 491 fiOl &0« bis B17 S19 BS4 f87 mi sm (M8 6.18 658 »9 5ta 670 676 887 •01 6I» ThoSpy. SO The Pathfinder * Homeward Bound »{ HomeaaFonnd •■*{ The Decrriayer |" ao .80 478 604 «18 61 tt ThePr^rie The Pionaer TbeTwoAdmbata. The Watw-WltoU. TheBedBOTcr Si ' 646 ThePBot — .-. 2s Wing and Wine J" Wyandotte J" HeideninKMr , g TheHeadaaun ...........w The BiaTO • j" Wonel Lincoln. ..^... Jj Weptof Wtohton-WI*.. JO Afloat and Aahore »{ Mile« Wallinaford - *; TheMou...in9. .SO Mnniede* COaatBe..... JO Tb«ae»I4on» JO TheOf»ter , • Jj Oak Opening! t J" Batanatoe j" TbeOhaln-Besrar.... J" Ways of thoKoBS 2! Ptscantion *" BedtWna jg AukTier 80 BY e. H. W- COOi lOtV Tfee Trae Solatka of th« Labor QuenlioB BY MXMMXUa OOXKWAUIS 409 AdriftwithaV ^*rM» * BYTHS^U'TSTMI" The World Between Theiu JO A PaMlon Flower ,...»» BY eBO&OIAltA M. CUtJX 1000 A Daughter of the People... W BY yATtAMK AtrOUSTE CaiYBB Flemaoge " BY B. OBUWIOJ. 8S0 Grandfather Uokuhlngle SO BY B. X. OBOKBB Pretty Mil* NcvUlo »• BY KAY OBOKICBIIH Goblin Gold H BY 8. 0. (nnuuB&LAirB The BabW'a Spell W BYXBS.I>AUI Fair and False JJ Behind the Sliver Veil , . . . W BY B. S. DAVA JB. Two Tears before th Mm* M BY SAHYl Saote'a Vision of Hall, ttxgtiarf, andParadiae SB BY TLOBA A. DABUXO Un. Darling's War I*tt«« ,10 BY 70YCB BABBXUii Winifred Power ..*9 BY AXFSOSSB DAVDZT Tattaii* of Tanaooo ,. JO Sktaoto so Jiy;^ *W The rjit?'* Oood-for-Mothtag « ThfflNabr* -SB Bbo ••••• " BY BXV. 0. H. DAVHi, WK 488 KywlB London ••■■ BY YABIHA Ai^HB DAVM 1186 An Iriah Kn^ht rtt t*.«19ai C'-nlury.SB BY THE IMSAK OF 81. TAOL'S 481 UfeotSpenser BY G. SBBASS m A Bheep In WoITa Clothing SO John Bnll'a Mtafortunee 10 BY BSV. 0. F. DSBM8, DJ>. 704 BTolution BY BAHUX. JiXKBt 498 BdJlnBon OnidOB ••*' BY A. D'sinraBY 84B seo 816 .80 10 SO The Two Orphsh* .S8 tho Wife's Sacrifice ........ . - ^ * ** liOVKLL'a LIBRARY. BT THOi. mt VfTOtCXf W The Bp«nlRh Nun 10 lOTO Oonf< .loiis ot »n Rnellab Opiam Satei to BYOAfiL DETLEV W Irms ; or, The tonel; Manor SO BT ooAajja mcsxn 10 011»«TTwtat. « 88 A Tal« of Two Cltica 90 TS CliiltckwlakPftpeni,SI>ut«,oiu>b.....aO 140 Th6 OrMft on the Hearth 10 144 Oia Onriodtj Shop, 8 Part*, tmatx.. .15 IfiO Bunabjr BodKO. S l'a^l^ each 16 196 I>ftv{dOopt)eifleld,3I>aad Son, 3 PartK, each M S&i hUtie Donrit, S Parts, e«oh. *) Sas Our Motnal rrienit, » Pnrta, each. . . U m Kichalaa NtcUebjr, 3 Farta, Mch. ...X %S4 rict ircufrom ItiOjr 16 WT TheBoyatMuKby 10 844 Bleak IToaie. 3 Part^ eaoh *P 846 Bketchei ot the Youih; ConpSac. . . .10 801 Ma»t«r Humphrey's (Hock 10 867 The Hauntxi Bouae, ato 10 XiO The Mudfbv Fapen, ato ..10 Sra Sketehea by Ikw. .90 974 A Chrlst^maii Carol, etc. IS 8BS Uiiconiraeroial Trr.teller. 80 n6 Bomebodv'a I.^iKri*ge, tto. 10 893 Ths! Hottle of Liff . etc 10 Wt Mystery of Kdwln Drood 90 398 aeprinteil Haaaa 90 808 No Thonraghfaro 15 tei Tnlea ol Two Idle Appnntloea. 10 BZHJAJnN DISBABLTS WOBKI I^thair .,80 The ITonnR DutHi «» Tanored : or, The Kew Oniaad*. . . .90 MiriamAlroy 90 Hon riettn Tempi* 30 Conlngaby 90 8yk>a ; or. The Two MsHoaa SO Venrtia ..90 Sndymlon 90 Coobii'lna Fleming.....^ 90 Vivian Gray, Part I. 90 Vivian Grey, Part 11 90 The Bias ot lakandor and Other Tales . 90 Jjod BeMMisadd's I^e and C<»rre- apocd&nos 10 BT WHXIAM SOS»>V A Ghclce of Cbanoa 90 BV f B07. DOWBXH 404 Hfeof Southey 10 BT EDKtnni SOWKXT n96 A Honwj of Fears 90 InOnoTown... 90 m mvsn a dkswsy «l «i;h » Corao . . . «S Vomm.,. M BT 7. 9V Beifl6VOHXH*' eSPorUa ■. 90 Tfl Molly Bawn 90 78 PhyUis 90 86 Honloa 10 80 Urs, Qeolfiwr 90 99 Airy Fairy LUJan 90 19e.i:«ys, Lord Beresfotd 90 189 Koonshbie and Uaigosritria 10 ISt Faith and Unfaltb .90 188 Beauty's Daaghten 80 8S4 Ronmoyne ,. ..90 461 Doiis 90 477 A Week in Xillaraey 10 SaO In Durance Vile 10 618 DicU's Swcethaait ; or, " Ttadar Dolorek '.' 90 6» A Maiden all Forlorn 10 6%i A Pa>«ive Grime 10 781 t^tdy LrHnksGiero 90 78S A Ifontkl 8tm«gie M 7Jr The Hanuted Ohambsf 10 798 Her "Week's Aransement....... 10 809 lAdy Talworth'B Dtamoada 90 1066 A Modem Oirce 90 107a Ihe Dnohesa ,.90 USOMarrel 90 BT LOBB mniTxaia 95 Letters from High latitudes. M BT ALXXAHSBB DUMAS 761 lic-antof K<«teOrtstO,F>rtL 10 761 Coaiitol Monte C!Tisto,Itetl]:..... 90 778 The Three GnardinsMii.. 90 786 Tx^entgr Teara Attar ....M 884 TheSonof UimtoCristo, Paitl....90 mi The8onofMonteOri.sto,P«itU...90 885 Monte Oristo and His Wife 90 891 Countess of Monte Cristo, Fart I. . .90 891 Countess of Monte Oristo, Fait U...90 9m BeanTanoTPde 90 BT ALBXAHOBX DITKAS, JB. 099 OamiUe |0 Annette 90 BT KosTTv jmKirAxa For Better. For Worse 90 Sweet aa a Boss W AKELU B. BDWAIOm' WOBXt Barbwa'a History... 90 MtssCarew .: 90 My Brother's Wife .....5M Hand and-GIove SO ^ irniOih'a UBBART. OXTDIV ,, H tomosxt Poor . IB oc. Th« Orioa o« *ir ...» ?iokii.":.".";. nd irtuiM. ,;. . :;:S ...» M Duel . to teoUT*. . M Dvomui" . m K ....t. ...,..., N :::.::::::::::.-2 D . M «*)«! ...» UugamHn>.... Ith •::8 '^ t«« ^•s tntj ..JO in lit: or, ••OTmte" M rioni 10 10 « 10 te . H ..10 iaemant ..10 iDlMBoada . M , 10 m DQFTBxnr jhLatitudM...... . W ..M ..M ..M ..Ml .» .M .« .10 .M ..M .ao .M .so .ao tB .10 .to (MM, Put L... t3Cri»to, Pwrtl.. ke Oristo, Part II. 1 Hln Wife ta OiiBto, Itet U. mxwAxa Vutwa 7ABIWW0XI r ., f> .so IT MB! . AinriZ KSWAXOS AOirtooOirl SO Jet ; Her Face or Her PotoM 10 A AiHTDOm RepenUnae.... SO A I'oint of H<..ior 90 Oogiit We to VUit Hot » Leah: A Womtsot nuddgaM. M bieT.OTeU «0 k BliM StoeWnil ......10 Sr^sn Fielding •••W A VsKOtX'" 10 The Dark Uouae , 10 BT OCTAVX BBtmXXT 41 A Uarrlage In High Lite 90 967 RoBUQCe of a Poor Toung Man .... 10 Led Astray, adapted by Halan M. LewU 20 eXBALDXBX IXBHIBO'S WCBK8 Falaa ,., 10 A Stnlaeii Orlme SB ]>oU Dale*a Vortuna 90 Who W»« the Heir J 10 Only aOirl'a ^.ore 10 Oounteas Isabel .,.,....10 HowHaWonHer 90 BiinHbtne and Ooom 90 A Si«tn:*a Baarifloa .v.. 90 ATegnriUeSaorel.. .,„,.. ...» Blares of the Bloff., 10 Bntrappod ,.., SO lS,OOdlleward 10 Wild Margaret W LAUBA 3. FOBJTS WOBXB EremlMEaiil ..........90 Kleotra 90 For Honor's flaka ., SO Daisy DaiToll .....10 BT OBXTBTOX KOSX llBt Oalr a ComI Oirl ^.K In the Old PalAiao ...M BT KB8. 70XBXSTXB 780 Fair Women m-"... •••> 818 Ono« Again T,.. ..» 848 My I^ and Ujr ti«dy. ..90 844 Dak>rM .„.,.. .;...« 8B0 HyBaro.... .90 359 Vhra , .....10 880 Omnia Tanltea '....10 8B1 Diann Oarew 90 Fiow/MynqnuitaJMBea,. 90 8«8 Rhona 10 864 ItoyandVtoto ;....... » 886 Jnne 90 Sm MIsBou 90 an A Xutuig Man's raD«jr ...,..^,£1 MM horShl/n LIBRARY, n «> IT finSDBIOH. BABOV HI LA MOTTS rooatnt m IJnmne 10 BY THOMAB ffOWUB WO UfcolL' ke 10 BYFBAirCESQA Vn Th* S(oi7 of Id* 10 BY X. s. tMAMonxnai Sl» ARmlQnMD 10 83« UoUbu Bell* 10 BY AusBT riAim'nt us AnwltJie do Uoutv ,...!■ BY L. VIKOIXIA nU»OB im xrfom ...» BY J. A. TMmiim Btf UteofBanjru 10 BY BKIUt OABOXUC 114 ICtUMimr l4«ooq, ai>krtii,MMh W lie Th* Lcro«i«« Ohm 80 l»i Oth« P»oi)to't Koney »<> 188 iDPorilofHliUte ^ laS ThaOlhlod OJIqiw W iwmyntwry of OrolTH SO l«n Promiw of UmtUc* 10 aw FitaNo. 113 ...10 11)8 The Little OK Han of tU Batt- goollea to 1118 The Uonnt'e MUUonii. Put I. W Part U SO IIM Tlw 81»VB» of P»ri«, P»rt r 80 " •' " Fartll 80 BY fiXiniT OE0B8B S8 TrognmMaa PVHK^ tO SnO LMulQoMUon 10 «« SocialProWflou 80 ?90 Propaity Id Land 15 BY CHARLES QXBBOI •» The Golden Shaft 80 AiDoret .., SO ABiSm, A. 0tBB8' WOXXB Irene , SO The Waif of the Stonn 80 The Forced Marriage SO A Blighted Life ....80 A Orttel Wooaa 80 Her FRlher'»Sin .80 B7 THEOSOSS Qftt Pntl^llte BaUMr .....80 BY W. 8. OILBSBT The Mikado and ether OpotM 80 BY WXKOBA GrUJUS Ont SO Stella, the 8tar ....SO "Q«nenUirtmi7" 80 BY J. Vr. YOir QOETHS 841 Qoethe'e FeuKt. SO *ej QoetM'a Piwras 90 1^ WUhelm Hunter's AptaMiMawMp, , SP»rt»,Bah 80 AXHABXI. OKAY'S W0BZ8 What Love will Do 10 Terribly Tempted ,. 19 ISt^XLYir GBAY'S W0BX8 A Voiiian'a Fitult 10 Aal'ate Would Have It 80 BY WXSSX 0B3VILLS 1001 Frankley 80 BY SBVBY GXETILIJI WUdOata ....80 BY KBS. OBEY Theyifrt M BY OBOZL OBUmiB Vhitory Deane lO BY AXTHVB OBrniTBOl No. 80... tt THE BBOTHESS OBOOC Valry Tatos lUustratad. 10 BY lAVBEHOS OBOXLimo loss The Uo-operativo Communwealth. .80 BY&VniBVEEl UtUe Jewell ft BY iixuT. 7. w. emmisos 440 Ulatory oCthsI^OfimiiB 1$ BY F. W. SACXLABIHIB Vorliidden Fmlt 10 BY EKHST HAXOXXI. India and Oejrloc 80 BY E. BraS& HAOOABO _ 018 King Solomon'* Mine* 89 84B She ...80 870 The WUkOi'* Hwd ......80 90O Jem ,80 941 Dawn , SO lose AUad Qtuttermain. 80 1100 Tale of Three Lions... ,10 SY A. EaXOVT KAXI The story (rf OhlDMe Oordon 10 BY mWmo aA£STY i;>AliMOoB(tuian.... .JH •m •m 891 flO« w m TT auuuB M V. MeoL M 10 » eosi '«'' x N 11 •» 19 U T'SWOKXI i»»«it.;.".'.".'.'.'.'.'.';S KBvau » M OUT tt Mumxa 10 BBOTITHS 10 saaxnoc ~« ao OBOHLinro Commonwcmlth, 89 vnaa tt ■ Qvwsiaon aionH jj 80 n ** *9 90 SO ......„.,» •..•... ao -.• m 10 TKAX] I Gordon )0 •■i": r . ,., 90 The DivorofNl wife 90 Blind KtoM*! CriiM 90 Wrontwl 90 m OXOBOX BAUX Wneplng Perry 90 BT THOMAS HABST 48 TwoonkTowar 90 INT RuniBntlo Adrentnra* of • MOk- m»ld 10 749 Tho Mayor of CMterbrtda* 90 OM The Woodlnnd*!* 90 V64 Far from the Maddlns Onnrd 90 BT KABIOV BABLAKD lOT HoaMkoeplng and HoinemitkiiV" .16 BT JOSS K^^USON ABB K. 414 Ov«r Uw Bummer 8a« 90 BT 3. B. HABWOOD 900 (Am FkbB, both FUr 90 BTJOaElPVHATTCT 7 Clytlo SO IW OrtuALndab 90 1117 The Al I . V Mnrder 90 The Oroat World i..90 BT NATBAKIieL EAWTHOBBB arO Twice ToW TAlee 90 97^ Qnndfather'« Chair 90 BT XAXT OEOIL HAT -HWnnderthoWra .10 MM The ArtmM Votto 90 600 OI£ KnMlaton'a lIaiM7 90 7W AWlokedOlrt 10 071 Nari Ii0T» Ta«t. . ;»,.^.,.. 90 W» Tlio Bqntre'd Legacy 90 OTS Dorothy's Vontare...,. ...,,.,.... 90 »74 My First Offer Ifl 075 Back to the Old Haute 10 07« For Her Dear 8a5w 90 877 Hidden Perils 90 1178 Victor and VaDqni«}iad........u,..90 1099 Brc-nda Torke „.. 10 ST JOB. fXUOIA BiltAVS im Puemt 80 BT DAVID J. HILL, LL.D. 683 Prlnoiplat aad FaUaoiaa of ikwUi- bim !• BT M. L. aOLBBOOK, ]|J». aw MyKiane o( thu UrHin . XB8. oAiBxi. Eoxrt wvoun The Ix>*«'t OrMd 90 AateraUhtaa 90 BUU. H. 0. HOVFKAB'S WOBX0 A TreaobarcMW Woomui 90 MmrrMI iV Out Mayor, A Harrwt of Thorn* . , ; , V ....*'.... W liBaghinc Rym ...........99 Married at Midnteht ,..,t,.,f..-^ lioat to the World 90 lior* ComiHcr* f'rida ,,,',,.,. 90 A MI«i»W" Woman 90 A Slftxr'* Vengoauoe .„.„,, .. 90 Leah'H Mluaka.......,,^..,....... 10 A Tom-Boy *,.......; iO Broken Vuwa 90 BT XBS. M. A. HOLKBt Woman against Woman , A Wouian'o VenKuunoe . . BT FAXTOV HOOD Ufa of Orom-vell IK BT THOMAS HOOD Poema 709 7« 7S Oil 14 970 B84 11 BT nOHB HOPXniS Twlxt Love and Duty 90 BT AKABITXA M. EOnmnOB Ufa's Fitful Ferer 90 W0BK8 BT TEZ ADTHOB OT "HIBWBDDXO'WilX" His Wedded Wife 90 AOraatMWake 10 A Fktal Dower Bartwra BT HOBBT AKD WXXMS as Ufe of Marion , BY BOBBRT HOtmiH The Tricks of thu Greeks BT ADAH M. HOWABS Against Her Win.., ,.i 90 TheOhlldWife 10 A WoriiAn'8 AtonMuats .....90 Iren« OrayV T.egw)y... 90 Sundered Hearts ., 90 DOnWy Wronged ..... .W UneteNed'B Cabin ^..'^..U.90 A Blighted Home ,.....i^„,.iO A Mnlher's :tf{iiitak» 90 A Haunted Life ......90 A Despemte WoUaS ;« 90 Little Nana 90 ByUotml Consent........ ...90 Little Msdelino 90 Uttle Sunshino , 10 BT MAXEB HDWLJlBB pH>a'aOwcdM... .....80 LOVTSLVs LIBMAttY. tr BT XDV4XD HOVlJUrS 1*9 ao«uU Solattoiu, Purt I 19 lii •' " Purtll W •m " " pwtui 10 J« •* " Pwnr., 10 m - " p«rtv 10 T?4 " " PkrtTI 10 TW " " rut-nt 10 ]S " fturtVIU 10 2» '■ :•' pMtix 10 22 " " piutx 10 TW " " »MtXI 10 ns " " Putxit 10 IT romr w. hoti, tut. BOB BtodiM in Oiril B«niM U BT TROXAII HV&ESI 61 TomBrown'iiSehool Dua M 180 Tom Brown at Oxford, P>irta,MMb.U BT TICTOB ETOO 7M Im Mia^rablaa, Part I tO 784 " " Panil SO TO4 " " Partni 10 BT sTAiTLET mnmxw 130 Tha Bpoop«nd;kr Papen M BTX.H.EaZTOX ■M LUBofBoott to BT PBOV. BnrziST BOO UfaofHuma 10 BT COL. FBSITTIM IHOBAEAM Tht Rival Oou»ln« ao BT WASHiHOTov xxvure l*f TheBkatoh Book .. 186 Talaa ot a Travsllar 00 let) Ufa and Vov*K«a of Oolamlnau PartT 77m Idfe and Vovafisa of Oobunbtia, Partn SO SM Ibbotaford and Nawatwd Ai>b«T. . .10 Oai KnkkorlKicker Hlrtory of Waw YorttOO 1M9 The Crayon Paiwr* W 9B» ThsAlbambra 16 t78 Oonqn«at of Onunda 90 178 Oouqueat of 8'ialo. ..tO SSI BraoriMteaU^ 90 ISO BalDMimaL M SOO Aatoria. M 801 Spnnkh VoTHgei 00 806 A Tour on the Prairtea 10 806 Lireof Mahom>>t,»iit»tn BoTioevllla 90 314 Muorls:. Ohroniolca W 8SI Woii'ert's Riw.t and JUaceUanlaf ... .10 e. E B. JAMZ8' WOSXB AgtMaSorel SO Dunley 90 BTHAS&IST7AT 17 The Dark Oolleen 90 BT EDWABD JBHKIITS Tha Secret of Her Life SO BT BVELTN K. JOHHBCH Taogle* 0nr«v«l9d 90 BTMinnK.}0iiji3aN M lUa i a hia M BTKAUBIOXJOXAI W4 A. Modam Uldaa 90 BT HBB. XMMA OAJU \MX JOM A Twrible Orinw 90 _ BT WHH KBATI nt Poama M BT BDWAXa KBUOM 111 Lalmr and Oapltal 1$ BT OKACX SXmrBBT 100 Dunallao, S I'arta, Mc-h IB BT JOKir T. ZEirirBDT 6T Hurae-Shoe Rubin>on, a Txiui, aacdi.ll IT CHA&LX8 SIHOIUT SO ThaiCarmlU 90 •4 Hypatl.^. J p«rt«, a«& U BT HCHXT KmCUUET 790 Auatin Hlot (f 798 The Uw^m and Boitoaa 90 781 IraichtDnOonrt 90 780 OaoKrar Hamljrn 80 BTW.H.O.XIKOST0V 9M PatOT th« Whalat m ass tfarkSoaworth « it» Kound the World ^.........11 885 n>« Young Poraatati ....90 387 SaltWatar 9Q 888 Tha Uidabipniiui 90 BT F. KIBjiT 4M TbeOoMan Itoe(£«eA8t%m 10 I 10 w M XXATI M ixBixom 1 m smrssT HMoh IS KunrasT laon, 9 Pm-u, «udi.l| I KINOBLBT ••• •• w* U • M Boitooi 10 m m nvonov :::.::::::::::8 ...>... ..» ::::::::::::::8 IWLAHO ..10 pooriE ' M-."%, so ao • m » 10 Ired Soap*. 10 rH-AJlAXS idling to S&IIXVA M I una ..- » IPntii,vwdi SO 1,1 Parte, eMll..ie OTLIBBn » 10 tOVELL'8 LIBRARY. TIO BT x. w. tovonuow Hip«»tS« 5 Ootra-Mtr W Puaou f ....H BY tAMirXt MTU Tb«H BY BIB JOHN LtTBBOCX IIM The rioiwurM of Lifii 80 BT HXBBT W. VSOt m OWtonFl^yoe « BT HZRBT C. LVXXBI JoU u>d FlMhua 10 BT BBHA ITAIX KAIfht»Bmnt. M BT B. LTHV LTHTOH lone flu r V iO m m BT ' U LTTTOB ;l Tb* Oninln^ Jao* 10 11 L«IUi 10 n Brnent IfeltrsTcn W m Tha Hknatad nana* ...10 4S &llc« : A Bequal to BiiMit MaUm- Tcn , • W nS A StmnK* Beory W nu iMt Dayiof FompaU.... *0 81 Zanonl tO (M Ni'Khl HDil Uocnlac, t Parta, aaoh. .18 117 Paul OlHtotd «) lit Ladyof I^ona .10 IM Money IP )ft3 UinhftUaii , ^ iC IflO Rirnzl, S Parta, aaoh. 16 nil l'elh»ra , *0 tl)4 Eiig«ne Aram W ta Tfteni'ownwl *» MO Kenein Chimngly *) US What WUI Ha Do witb At 9 Parta, wiota M til Devrreux •" SnO The Caxton*, I Farta, aaoh. IS itM r.iicretis » 255 I^Diof the Baron*, aParia,aa illda •••••!? Oat o( HIa BadmUBB. W Her Worhi avanrt a U* 80 80S 804 900 •« M4 MB M« 1M7 MH »4« 800 OM fna OOS •IN vn DM tm 80S Open 80 Had Dumareaq 80 Fighting the Air JO Peeretaand Player JO Driven to Bay t w The Oonfe**ion* of Oerald b»ooiirt..80 BTCMABTUr Th* Riuaian* at the Gate* ot Herat..lO BT UBS. HBBBXBT XABTOT For a nream's Bake 80 Araor Vinolt 80 BT HABBIBT HABTOTBAV 858 Talea ot the Frenoh Barolntloo. IS 8M Ixmra and Lngger W tut Barkelay the Banker JO aw HomaaAbroad « •■* Tor each and For AU 11^ HlUandVaUey « TheOharined Baa ••••!5 Life In the WUkia M Sower* not Beapoa..^. 10 400 Qlen of the Echoes. , 19 OWXH KABBTOKft WOBIB Beanty'* Marrln«o JO A Dark Marriage Mom , JO Voret »--d Huiii)and W tn 879 888 n LOVELLS LiBKARV. tm m BTEELXBT 1U7HIS8 MB ajm'iAoqaittal.... ..10 «M» Oomiln' Thro' the »» SO 10« Sam'«8we8tb«uiv..i > 90 J.048 Story of ofllii ., SO 1049 Cherry Ripe SO lOSti M; Lad; Oreen BlMvea 90 Found Oat SO B7 A. MATeaST 4» DiUceofKandoi SO to The Two DucheHM SO BT W. t. WULYO W TbaBtcber SO BY 0. MAXWELL A litory of Tlire« Sisten SO BY LOUZSB KoOABTHY G»brieUe W BY J. H. MeOABTHY Hi Aa OctUne of Irlih Hlrtory 10 BY JVSTIir XoCABTBY, ILP. IRS ICaid of Athoos SO BY T. L. XEAOB How It All Came Botmd JH BY OWDir XBBXDITK ttaoito SO BY PAVL MEBBITT DMghteni of Eve SO XBS. ALBZ. KaVXZGH KUXEB'S W0BX8 A I>t«ad<^I TemptKMon SO 3*8 Briile of tho Tomb SO An Old Mnn's Darling 90 Queenle'a Terrible Secret SO Jaqnellns j^ Utae OoMen'e Dnintbter ! SO The Bc« »nd the Uly SO OouBtem Vara 20 Bonnie T>nn, SO Gay Ksumore'i Wife SO BYJOfiiriULTOir 888 Pwadliw tort so IB9S PoeoM 85 BY WILLIAM mVTO WT Idfocf Deloe ifl The Cmok of Doom isO BY MBS. MOLESWOBTH VnS Marrying and GlTing in Marri*g«..10 BY SVSAinrA MOOBIB iOmt Ckioffrey Monoton SO 10)8 Flora Lyndeay SO 1074 BongliinKittn theBoh...., .SO ]07« tifo in the Backwoodi SO lOeS LUe in the Clearing* ..SO BY f HOXAI mO&SM «1« lAUaBookh SO 48T PoemR 40 BY JOHK MOBLBT 0t UbofBnrin I8 BYJ.UKOB&UOM 888 Ufeotaibbon JO BY BBWABi) H. MOTT 189 Pike County Folks M BY ALAll MVIB 81S Golden OitlB SO BY LOnxaA MUKLBAOfi 1000 Frederick the Orcat sud his Court. .80 1014 The Danghterof BnBiupnn 80 1054 Goethe and BohlUnr 80 1001 Qneett HorteiuK SO BYMAXMtTLLEB ISO ladJa: WhatCau It Teach 17tf....l0 BY MISS MDfLOOX 83 JohnHfelifax 30 43B Mi«8 Tommy 18 781 King Arthur .10 Toimg Ui-*. Jardine , SO Two MttrrinKes SO BY DAVID CHBISTIS MVBBAY 197 By the Gate ol the Be» 18 788 Cynic Pnrtiin* 10 1116 One Traveller BetamR SO The Way of the World 90 HalnbowOold 90 . Fir»t FcnoD Singalsr 90 Heart! 90 A LtflB'ii Atonement 90 Val Straoge . . . . 90 Aunt Bachel , 10 BY F. MYBBS 410 Ufa a{ Wordmrorth JO 684 BY nOXBHCE VBELT Hand-Book for the Kitohen BY KEY. B. H. HEWTOff 88 Ught and Wrong Vam of the Bible . . 98 BY JOHH HICHin. BIT Ute of Byron..... IQ BY JAMES B. mOHOU^ M.B. 875 SctoHM at Home 90 BY MILTOBT mmLBS ThePhoenlz ....,80 BY W. B. VOBBU 108 NoNewThlng 90 BOi That Terrible Mm 10 TTO My Friend Jitn ....10 BY GHBISTOFBXE irOBTH tn Nootea Ambroriante SB BY W. X. M. KOTLXY Vm From the other Side M BYWlr CBBIBir O'Haia's ltfissii,a SO BY NAITHIX P. O'SOHOOHini Unfairly Won ....90 BT ALICE O'HAHLOK A Diamond in the Bough iB .v40!B*4«'»'^ Bi ITli w- EM. ncUnes. 1. "I THE RED RIVER HALF-BREED. .SS-^> UNGER Bnmiing, md Maohinea. 1 \KTEiD. \m YORK. >9.) CHAPTER I. THt CRIST or THE CONTtNENfr Wb stand on the lofiiest pe&k of tb« Big Wind River Mountains, that highest and longest chain o! the Northern Rocides, a chaos of granite fifteen thounand feet towa-d» the finnament from the sea. .. Around 'tis the lesser pinnaciei hold up heads as fantastic in shape as an Indian's plumed for battle, and, below a Httle, diamonds of ice deck the snowy ermine of the colossai giant's robe. Far beneath, the mosses are grown upon \>j sparse grasses, and thejr by scrub cve^reens, gradually displaced in the descent to the warm alcoved valleys by taller and taller pines, sprnce, larch, and cedar. But the ancient oceanwash here shows lines alone of the constant west and south-west winds, which never bring a seed or grain into this calm frigidity. In the placid afternoon, the beats are audible of the wings of the king oi the air, t'mt proud eagle which Milton chose as the finest emblem of the American people who, in their vigorous youth, had lit their eyes in the unclouded sun- beuus; and the sonnf of the Arctic bluebird, startled by the unwonted squeaking of the dry ice powder intermixed with ground fossils and granite, as horses in the uneven line of a new and breakneck trail cn-nch antediluvian shells to atoms as they follow a daring man up the heights alo g chasms of ten thousand fe«t, from toe western accUvity to the actual summit-divide, not two yards wide, it was Novtm'fver, a time when the almost impossible crossing was alone in the power of man, since in the thaws of summer the ravines are choke full of reaistle» mzXtx, And, later, the snowstorms are overwhelming. The guide of the little train stood on the monstrous pedertal, firm and anblenching i.3 a statue, and contemplated with an impasaoned but unflinching eye the sublime spectacle four hundred miles in diameter. Like the jags of a nr> the dark blue ether, that the sound of the auroral Ughts dancing seems th'«*^^«ff(ff«i*-*,«V..l*fl" ea^n asm EHHtaa 1 ouri, C'leyetins) and In insatiate rocks :ovisions necessary in these uninhabited wilds, with the hunters, servants, and guards of the party-leader. The second snow- ship Carrie'' the more valuable property and the " new hands," who could not be trusted r/i the semi-wild dogs; under the steersman, it was commanded by the secret y of the chief. This gentleman was in the foremost conveyance with his daughter and the most "reliable " men. He was an ImporUnt man, as this escort, nearly tilirty strong, abundantly manifested. Sir Archie Maclan was a retired shipping merchant, enriched by the Eastern tea and silk trade. He was chairman of a land purchase company that con- templated founding a city on the line of the British Pacific Railway. H<> never invested his money on hearsay, and he would not ask his tritnds to do so either. Hence, having volunteered to go and investigate, at his own expense, the shareholders had voted him thanks and unanimously approved. . He was a widower, and took with him the sole object of his affection ia his daughter. Miss Ulla Maclan was one of those fair Northern beauties, bom typ«s of "Norma," though the black-haired and swart-complexioned Italians do their most to mar our proper conception of that ideal of the drutde.ss. At the officers' ball a^ ^ sbec, and the Mayor and Council ball in Montreal, »he i>a4 carried away the palm'i for grace, amiability and loveliness. Ofttimes dreamy and somewhat- superstitiou?, Ulla had insisted upon not being left behind when her father prepared to push west for the Red River. As she was indomitable, he compromised as usual when they disputed. He put off the original project till spring; and, in the meanwhile, assented to her wish to see something of the marvels which were currently reported of the Yellow- stone Basin. By the greatest good luck, an Indian was at Fort Sailor Kf jealousy at being consignol to tl«s oth«r sai! ig-sledgff, remiote from the charming gir!._ Bsft Jbe."., h*d he exhaled ahy plaint, who would have listened to him~ a nw Old Country oporia- tdkn, Who carried his rifle sluii^ acrost) bis thottiders wbeo tM went gunning ? HI mmm m The Red River HalJ-Breed.- Tbere was one drawback to the full enjoyment of the Reet co^irfu thft im- mensie and oppres^iive silence. All the deer were stripping the trees of bark and moss in secret coverts ; even thft Arctic fox kept secluded ' li'nd the tops of tr<.-<.'s buried in the :inosledges to a .hollow, where th«y could light a fire unobserved, tliey greedily leasied on 'ho provisions, with the addi- tional dainty of one of the dags roaited for '• fresh meat ! " In the morning they descended into the chasm where the Indian ^ide had ^ so deliberately wrecked the "cunoes-that-slide-on-the-snow." None of the taUes had survived the descent as fur as they could be found id the snow. They «Nire smothered, or the cold liad killed them in the long ni^ht. Over the whites the Indian. aa to ■■-fM% cours''! I tlie inn- trees of bark and nd the tops of Indians. Th« But the illim- hurried the two i:k the rudest with It. Visions of hot Few obstacles y and warned bis line at lengfth re- lift^" that in an r of a forest which aintly smile too. r a curious monot- ;ed off in the warm t a funojr song I I ow, wbo had never !S. Au gitttt cam- i I • " >p. Fifty different p out of the snow iteersman, Already ing the snow-ptain he first sledge was , >ur men leaped out it saok in the sno« doe-sledges began :y air. Upon thc$« irrows with almost falive of the party rcUxcd their mur- ', where ilicy could t(MU, with (headdi- e Indian guide had )w," None of the in the snow. They It. Over the whites Jut .It was different jt only were they a d the tribe.^w *•>(» incing to S"* hurlrf dislocated, m lu to Fabe Piht. fall on him, and had half torn off hiii scalp when deith had fastened his icy grip on him. The Joy of the victors was thus damped. They sang over their martyr -hero, and, bestowing on his corpse the prises he would have won if aliv«, gaye him ft chief's burial. " He was a great man, knd Ahntmeke* (the Tliunderbolt) gives up his own torophy, the English gun, to adorn his last sleeping-place. May the fear, inspiring Crow nation never know the son who would not do as much t9 lead a prey into their grasp. Ahnemekee salutes thee 1 " They had riggml up a kind of bed with crosspieces in the united apex of fern pines. These were within reach of the men on the snow at present. When the thaws came, the dead Crow, laid upon this platform, would be forty feet in the air. About him wa.s laid and hung his share of the spoil due to bis long and patient plotting. In times of distress, the funereal offerings to any Indian of mark may b« at symboliral and worthless, intrinsically, as the cut paper of the Chinese. But when valuables can be afforded, they themselves are left with the dead, aiid dogs and horses are sacrificed. On the completion of this mournful ceremony the Crows departed, sure that t^ey had made a clean sweep of the party, so skilfully and daringly decoyed to thrir doom by the pretended Chippeway Not till the steahng up ot' the whitened wolves proved they had long since left the ivind untainted with their ct'our did the rubbish-heap of a large decayed tree move as if a gigantic I' ole were in operaUon, and the apprehensive face of Miss Maclan showed iis.-lf. Apparently she alone had escaped the butchery following the hurling of the lar^e >ledges over into the snowy giilt. Spilt out, like all the. other occupants of the vehicle except two or thiee, n-iien it "turned turtle " in its leap, the sail had chanced to embosom her in its fuids as the clrcularly-risintj column of cold air from below caught it and mo- mc' tarilv swelled it out. By this accident the swiftness was lessened. Never. thel(>ss.',the sail was soon snatched from her and rent to shreds, whilst sha Ian Ird on the touchwood of the storm-felled cedar. When she recovered consciousness it was night. She fancied she heard ft *voi,:«! calling, but that mav have been pure fancy. On the height abova she could hear onlv too plainW the ghoulish meniment of the Indians over their earatise and the moans of some wretch being tortured to add a xest to their regale. All she had heard trf the redskin's merciless treatment of women c«p« tives impressed her. Shr crept still more deeply into the cavity of the rotten tre', and waited with litt'o hope. Not a sound to cheer her in her neighbcur> hood. Absorbed in prayers, to drive away the poignant anxiety for her fath'W, she did not feel the-intense cold. As for that, she was well earbed in superb {ur», the double clothing which Canadian ladies bad chosen for her with their *xo»rience, when she an.iounced her resolve to accompany her father. • When dawn camd, her fears were harrowing. Around and even over hef h«aa [ft hrr ambush, the ravenous foe scampered and scuttled like the beasts of rapine and carnage they were. They probed the snow and every cleft of the rocks to secure the hairy trophies from the hiUappoiniment. On the olher hand, the spoil of the sledges was embarrassing in its quantity for the band. She dared not peep out ; she dri'aded that the feehi»^ blue thread of cnn- dcnsed breath from l.er nook would betray her. She did not see, therciore. lO The Red. River Half-Breed, that, unable to bear away mare than a tenth of the plunder, the res' was hidden under the precipice. At last cai ? time when hunger drove her'forth. The desolation and stillness in thiii iow were overwhelming. The snow was trampled and pulled about by the searchers. Dead bodie.5, gashed and unlimbed, strew ' the late virffin-white expanse, amid the broken boxes and disrupted cases. UlU shuddered to tread among these hideous corpses, where it was impos- sible for her to recognise her late ccnpanioiis. To find her father was a vain Idea. She took a smashed tin (d mea. and some chocolate, and at* ferociously. On high, the stars glittered with a cold brighthess, which revealed they S4W her misery and erief, but offered no consolation. On the edge of thie precipice, gorged wolves, that had devoured the voyageurs up there, were iasily contemplating the solitary form with motion in the w/eck, and among the human remains of the expedition so gay and gallant fifty hours before. Her ungovernable appetite appeased, and her thirst far from quenched bf sucking a snowball, she mournfully reflected on her plight. A child of luxury, it was more a nightmare than reality that she could be here, in the North-Western desert, the great mass of the Rocky Mountains looming up beyond, impressive, insurmountable, and on the other three points, a thousand miles of snow i and she a young girl, alone I A company of sappers and miners would have had a week's work in the iron- boitnd joil under the snow to inter this mangled dibris of mortality. For h«r to attempt the pious dutv was a mockery. Neverti jless, when the moon ro.se, a frenzied impulse to veil the poor oreatures, with at least a little shrouding snow, would have set her in action. But at the first step towards the nearest corpse, with its trunk bristling with iUTOWs, and its eyeless sockets appealing to the Creator against the barbarous JWtrt^, Utla stopped short. She was fascinated by the spectacle presented at the junction of protruding pines where the deceptive Indian guide reposed upon the platform. The moon- inundated it with tremulous beams. Suddenly she was sure that the body was animated. So do the vampires spring to life when the moon bathes them in radiance. Certainly the figure sat up cautiously ; ;he pale tiice wa« sven visible ■, with a stMuly hand some of the trophies which adorned the monument were tmlumged from the branches— the kniie of Sanriy Ferguson, the English rifle and cartridge-container of her father, divers appurtenances which had been left to equip the departing spirit ior the happy hunting-ground " over the range " yonder. Thus armed, the ghastly phantom leaped down, and threatened to march upon the horrified obsoiver. Already three wolves, descending the face of the bluff, sniffed danger. As the spectre proceeded, rhe largest squatted, and emitted a lugubrious howl. Alt the others echoed it. For some minutes the ffcqne was filled with this bio<"l-curdling concert, loud enough to have Cwnkened still more dead. But Ulla did not hear the infernal chorus any longer. On beholding the course of the appalling apparition to be aimed indubitably at her, the convic- tion was too strorig for her over-tasked nerves. She murmured a prayer, and Itemed to flee frantically; but the snow was treacherous, and she slid down in a soft gap, where the feathery particles closed over her head. Perfectly un'.'onsciobs, jlie did not hear the supposed Indian halt almost a^ the edge of the sealed-up cavity whictt concealed her Iroio even Usi eii^pttlj questioning eyes. le res' was hidden be desolation and ampled «nd pulled strew ' the late cases, lere it was impos- father was a vain ocolate, and at« ich revealed th^ J the edge of thie up there, were wireck, and among hours before. rem quenched bf that she could be Rocky Mountains other three points, ■ work in the iron- lortality. For her to veil the poor set her in action, utik bristling with ainst the barbaroua etionof tfonn. protruding The moos' do the vampires ainly the figure sat hand some of the the branches— the e-container of her te departing spirit reotened to march ing the face of the rest squatted, and some minutes the enough to have On beholding the at her, the convic- jred a prayer, and she slicl down in a lian halt almost a^ a even hiu eagerly The MouHtttineers* SttKg Catin, 11 " What a terrible tragedy," he exclaimed, with the deepest emotion, in English. It was the secretary of Sir Archie. " All torn to pieces by those odious villains I" he continued. " On the dead they vented their spite ; on the goods they have inflicted all the wanton damage possible, so that they might not benefit even some starving traveller who came into this Pit ol Abomination. That generous old gentleman, these brave, patient, devoted, cheerful huntereatsrs; the lips wer« red, but almost con- cealed in a moustache and beard, trimmed rately, yet welt kept, of a warm flaxen striped with silver ; this tint also gleamed in his long locks from under a blue fox-skin cap. Erect, something like a Mars who inclined towards Apollo rather than Hercules, sturdy, firm, energetic, any beholder knew that he :itood before an exceptional nian, full of goodness, courage, and simple belief in man being I'l merely inspired an/mo/. Id ' cjitttn'* dress'' ho would ha\. k^.-med confined; hence, his hunting costume suited him far better. It vnis — from the fur cap mentioned to the mocassins fortiAed with rawhide soles — composed of a leather frock, caught-in at the wai:it to support hu small-arms by its oelt, fringed with its own buckskin ; a red flaonel shin, with a black silk neckerchief carelessly fastened by a diamond pin of California gold such as an ingenious miner himself may shape ; the leggings were also of biickskm, tringi-d Tike the frock, and similarly so "worked up in grease" as to hhvo lost the tendency to stretch in the wet which plays the mischief with leather garments. Balancing a sword-bayonet on one hip, not unlike a machete, hung a h:itchet, whilst his six-shooters were of a size thnt promised damage at a tongish range. His gun was peculiar. It was a " yager," -or short rifle of the old United States diagoons, sending a large ball ; he had had it converted into a breechloader, a " fourteen shoot, with the availability to reserve the store and load at the muzzle with any particular charge independently. The stock was fortified with home-made raw-hide band:). Thanks to long and continual practice, knowing how \o humour al! " her leeile peculiarities," as he would affectionately say, the rifle was used by him afoot or on horse, off-handed or in a rest, with loi\g and calculated aim t at a snap-!e went, always alone, to slay the pick at leisure. Quaint, hearty, " whole-souled," " Old Bill " Williams had not an enemy, spite of this " certainty," and even the hunters who tried to follow him and discover the soiirces of his fortune, would turn away laughingly when, at some mountain pass, where one man could keep back a multittide, they would abruptly run up against Williams' trusty rifle, and henr him challenge. " D'ye h'ar, now, bovs I go 'way from fooling with the old mossback when |w has his shooting-iron loaded— it may hurt some o' ye ; mind that, boys I " Nevertheless, at Ust, Bill Williams failed to come to ,St. Louis or Santa F6 with the well-known pack ; and, as year after year passed, the old hunters would sadly shake their frosting brows and feelingly mutter, "Old Billy's gone up, sure I 'tell 'ee for a true thing, they've rubbed out the o|d marksman. See I h'yar goes for a sign on my stock ; I've a bullet for the nigger that sent him under, mind that I " At length the mountains yielded up the mystery in part. Bill Wiltiaias' squaw, penetrating snow-fil'ed gorges where, arsuredly, no woman had ever stepped, came into a glade where a skeleton of a horae gleamed yellow like old alabaster in the icy crust. In a snow-bank, half fallen open like a split nut, was vi&ible a kind ot human figure, mummified by dry cold. It was the veteran trapper. He was in the position of a hunter awaiting a prowling foe ambushed in the shrub, his rifle in advance, his shrunken face still leaning out eagerly. In t^e leather shirt and breast, almost as tanned with sun and wind, was a bullet's wound ; the squaw could even chisel it out of the frozen flesh, where blood had long since ceased to flow. 1 hat was the only clue to the tracker and slayer of the trapper, ard that was the single token and heritage which altered the entire couise of young Williams' life. School and cities saw him no more; he took to the wilds, and lived on the war-path as far as the still unpunished murderer of his father was concerned. He was rich, like Jim Ridge, for they had penetrated the very " mother- pocket " of the Rocky Mountains' gold-store ; but he, no more than his pure- white partner, would renounce the existence of peril, but also of independence. Suddenlv a deep " Hugh I " of attention from Cherokee Bill attracted the white man s ear. " What ? " said he, peering around, but seeing nothing to .-ilarm him ; not bad the animals, usually acute observers, perceived anything even novel. " A solitary man," answered Bill, who spoke good English, of cour.<«. Ri^ge shook his head, not in doubt of his comrade's ability, but in self-blame. On tho highlands, nothing but long habit endows one with the power to eulat^ distances exactly. RArefactioo gives the atmosphere a clearness whioh •MBit to brittc tb* horicoa to haiid— th« wf ht ts wtfi idtd iviefixnfiy, U'1 m^wwa of flhadofr* in vaat vall*ya look like mtrm tptclu in the cxpanMn of light, ao that the apace between the standpoint and • dietant object i« usually mistaken. There ar^ alio fnntastic effects fron) the vapour being fruxAn or •xpanded, and preaeatiag apparently solid formi, where, in fact, unsubslAu* tiality rei^s. " I am going for him," proceeded Cherokee Bill ; " after all, it's no od4«— we ate ' to hontel ' " with a imile at his own imitation of the Yankee tw»ng. Wrapping his gun in his buffalo robes, taken off his pony, the half-breed sHd down tlie declivity at the side of the " road," ao to flatter >t, and scrambling along an icy torrent of lovely blue water, suddenly sprang in under the cascade from an arching rock and disappeared. Ridge did not even glance siter him : besides, he hsd arrived, indeed. He suddenly took the bell-mare hy the bridLs, and swerved her into an apparently impenL'trable thicket — a " wioU-slash," where the mase of dead-wood was increased by the prostration of many tough evergreens, blown dor/n by nn irreiiislible tornado. But there had been traced here a kind of way, throtigh which the pack-animals insinuated themselvea with the surenest of a cat, bruahing off nothing of their loads. As for the two horses, they were more familiar with the strange path, and threaded its sinuosities like dogs tunnelling under the walls 'fa meat smokehoi'se. It is probable they scented their sttble,- and knew rest and food would shortly reward them for terrible toil and tribula- tion. Having pierced the tunnel of vegetation, there w.vs one of stone, still moie curious. It was an almost regular tube, in black lavastone, fr>-.r feet wide, sevCn or eight in height, stuooth as glass mostly. Invisible fissureii, however, must have supplied sweet air, for it was not hard breathing i.-^ all the extent, nearer three quarters of a mile than a half on the straight. No human hand had fashioned it ; one must presume that, in the days when Vulcan swayed over Neptune on the earth, a torrent of lava was rushing down the steeps, when, suddenly, an immense snowfall smothered the fiery river and chilled it into a casine of stone around a still molten interior. That inner flow had contiuued, and left the tubular crust intact. The ground was a fine sand, heavy with iron, so that it did not rise far. At the end of this channel a star suddenly gl ^ed, welcome in the complete dark- ness, into which, a!«suredly, (he bravest o. en would have hesitated to follow a foe. It was the outer air again, filling a banin, rock-engirt to a great height. In this lonely spot there was not a scrap of moss, not one blade of grass, and no shrub, however hardy. The calcined '• blossom-rock " wore a yellow hue, streaked with red and black; but here and there rose separate boulders of Qi'artz, disintegrated by time and rain and whirling winds, which danced these Titanic blocks like thistles, and squeezed out those dull misshapen lumps. Those lumps were gold, however; this was a '" mother-source"— -one of these nests of Fortune for which the confirmed gold- seeker quits home, family, wealth itself in other mines that content the less ravenous. Ridge traversed this placer — no pltasurt to him, lonely Man of the Mountain— with a foot as reck- less as those of the s'r'ng of animals. The night was coming. He hurried them on into a secoi !*» - f - blue sky, where the brilliant stars seemed all of a sudden to be strewr ( . those ftw moments the sua h4.d gone down, and darkness come. Ridge laid asido »is gun, and started a Ore, already laid, \% % r^Hxty of tb* Tlu Ham whs ram right into Uroii^iw, ioieftnit«ly, aaout of a rude but hearty meal several of 'he delicacies brought in the train from Oragon. He was calmly smoking, . xlining at great easa, with the air of on« who felt he had earned the repose, '■? ted by tha sweet murmur of underground streams, pouring out of anoiant glaciers. The approach of footstsps maUe him glance roand. The steps he knew to be Cherokee Bill's ; to it was their being heavier than usual that alone ro«ied him. The half-breed was carrying a m^a over h larly as regarded apparel. Hardly suited for mountaineering at their best, his clothes were sorry rags, which an attempt at mending with bark fibre and row hide had even rendered more lamentable. A horse-hiir lasso, of remarkable fineness and strength, was wcund round and round him with a care which a Chinese would have envied. A handful of moss was the gag which nearly choked him, but his eyes were more full of rage than wipplication, and they seemed to burn with enhanced indignation when he found the ladiao was concert with a white hunter. Young Bill Williams flung his captive down on some dry rushes. And, laying^ aside nis gun and the stranger's, which was broken, be sat dowu at the fire. " It was a coyote," he remarked, scornfully. " But the Cherokee did not give him even time to yelp." " Ah I '* said Ridge, " 1 wonder you did not shoot him th9r. Thar will always be pl^anty of that game on the prairie for the greenhorn hunter, I opine. It is all very well our discovering this country, but we don't want any raw Easteni fellows, with Bo.3ton dressing-, discoverinix «i .''' Bill made no com- ment. He had pulled the -ouscd bears' p :;ws ov«r to him, poured out some c-offet — from which the full aroma was extracted by a sudden chill at the height of its boiling with cold water — and w^!> thus beginmng hi^ x.eal. The silence that fell was broken owiy by the champmjr of the two men as they repaid themselves for the travail since Monday. Each had n brandy flask, and thmr auppUea include'i spirits, but lutuher drank a.iyv'.hing but the sweet, pura i6 The Red Rwtr Hnlf-Breed. wattT of the snow torrent. Ridge was naturally ahstcmioos, tV.e half-Cherokefl sobei- from having seun the mischief wrought his mother's race by the fire-water. After the meal, the two smoked, and the white man faintly whistled a Hwly tune. Neither gave heed to the prisoner, who had ample leisure to ga*e on th« strange resort into which he had been unceremoniously conveyed. The firelight illumitiated the grotto; several jjaps were outlets or storehonstn ; bales of furs, bundles of army and trade gT oprietors, Messrs. Ridge iind Williams, and here he is dumped down." The man was hardly able to stand when unbound. He w'ped his mOMth with the tattered sleeve of His old army overcoat, shook himself, and reeled tound toward the fire, whither the Half-breed had given him a gentle push. " We don't often mett & white man away here," sa^d Ridge, sitting up like a jttdim. " Let me have e. good long look." ITie firelight fell full upon him. Already, whilst waitinf, the stranger had fortified himself : he wa;? cold, calm, save for his lips curling in a mocking smi-e, though he very well saw that his confrontcrs were his judges, and, pos- aibly, executioners, if thejr determined on death. He was a man about fivts and forty, rather tali, with legs "split up so at'' as to be as good a walker almost as Ridge himself. He was the more gaunt from Tcceni privations. His " waatber-skin " seernr»d newly assuined, and, swn in the town, he would have been taken for a schoolmaster of the Indian Reserfitio'tt or <■. trader s bookkeeper, '' Vou are a white, an American, from the Eastern Slates "said RfdgtKMter •S'SiKaii eed. emtoos, t^s half-Cherokee her's race by the fire-water. faintly whistled a lU'cljr nple leisure to gue on the ily conveyed. rere outlets or storehoitses ; s of pcnrder, pigs of i^^td, nets, simple cookine uten- is that they wou! J form a to this inmost hold. At ler, it seemed the den ot « hief 9 " inquired Ridge, !a Chinnook dialect, though adian-French, as well a* two friends imparted stiU ch.aitd Spanish' AmericaD, tim. Ee the trail, and he must tell nts, it doesn't look aa if he w:th a quiet fleeting smile, ty the way, that's a beauty- captive wa:< compoied of d undoing the bonds, roll- iraddenly a movement of a ifle to bear on it. I was just old hard, or you're a dead :e our bullets kiss in mid-air, I ball whistled upon the top lit there at the stock, which rise, I sprang on uim, took itake I worth a wjW pony !— rapped my robe round his le Rocky Mountain House, le is dumped down." He w'ped his mouth with himself, and reeled round im a gentle push, ivd Ridge, sitting up like a - waitinf, the stranger had lips curling in a tnockitig I were his judges, and, poa- ih tegs "split up so M'' a* e was the more gaunt from y assumed, and, «*«n in the of the Indian Re^ n St»tcs"sald Mi The Man whitlr^'ii WiYit^uf^fe: a ccuple of mrrut-a. " Yon are not a hjnter or tnappcr, a gentteman spoits- miUJ, or a squawman. What brings you out here up m the- mountiins ? " •' You are a white, an American of the«e Western States,' returned the other, quietly, " whense ycur right to pull me about and (juestion me ? If this Indian^ is on ae land oJ his forefathers, I will pay him tribute as far M in my power'. As for you, why stop my wandering? Have I nought to run against yon f Have I done anything more than essay to dtfend my life when a tircarm waa levelled at my breast? State anything th^t gives you a light to dec! with a citizen oi the U»iited States in the United State? V" " These are big \vords,'" replied Ridge, puzzled whether to be angry or amused, though there was no doubt that Cherokee Bill felt the first sentiment ; " but I am not erchanging Fourth of July speeches with you, but askiag questions." " To answer ? 'Spose I don't choose f " " You'll b3 made to. 1 guess," rejo'r.ed the mountaineer, hotly. "You mean you two will cut aiy thioat in this den, nr hang me in my own lassa i The Utter \s'\\\ serve me right, aa I took it at the cost of a. life from the redskin irho hurled nic off my horse with the same. Well, suppose you da kill me, wilS you know more about me than you do now? " "What! kiled an Indian for the rope?" said Ridge, turning to the Ch«wokee. "What breed?" " ComancI.e I " said the latter, examining the lasso critically. " The lafso is of Comanche make," went on the mountain man, severely fi owning agaiu. " And V\\ swear your cheek has never been buwit south of the Platte." ''That's so. It was a ' foot Indian ' who tried to kill me. I boast no know- ledge of these gentry. That's one of his shoes. The other I wore to death nn these cursed fiirty hills." ' Crow I " cried the Hali-breed, with a glance at Che moccasin. " Mountain Crow I wid a war>stioe I " " Th» Crows ' cut,* " repeated Ridge, biting his lips. " You see, we are get* ling information, though you are so ■rtiagy. Come, cs yccr ne>va leads off so gowl, continue it. Who arc you, I s»y ? "and what f your business where few of us who are regular trappers venture ? '• "A tirapper?''^ " An :ionest trapper I What did you l«he us forf — rdsbors wid mnrderer ?". •aid tl' i hunter, indignantly, " V ell, I kind o' don't know," rejoined the stranger, with a signifir.int glai» .' at Cherokee Bi.'l, whose savigo eyes wert not reaasnring lik? the othei's,. " N'^ name is no value out here, four thousand miles from my folks, I feM} but if ycu are a regular trapper — -" "1 am called the Oid Mai> of tha Mcuaitain," said Ridge, sadly rather Ihao proudly. ' i am 4bout the last of th(; old gvAto — I fear one of tha oldest mt-'*. 1 am Jim Ridge. That's tho .mg man'd best companion out here, tiiat'3 called the Yager — wme njwme p >n "ne, t'r , ':j tha bearing of it j the Yager of tho Yellowstone. Wlien I hit. .ier.1, f.int' old iimcs I the sort of men we gtt ntiw dop't grade up with the br,., r. t' rt passed up to 1850. They donl hunt nfl they butcher. They doslt t'-xi> --they surround and jlaughler. TJiey" dealing out a beaver lake V'iti': .1. divine; bell, next! I wonder i Yfff^ Old Man, the Y.ager of the Y*ii 'wstontis," hie 'eocated, a Ht.'ie piqi^Mi V « fame failing or. a dead car — " i'l^n or wh.":»», they ail know thi« chilct," The strangir seemed easier ; .)«;, unfort-unately, the ghost of a stn.'k i wan features was assumed to bts impudenco- x8 Thf Red River •'Answer, then," iwnt o« R'dw, testily, "for ! don't »^,-t iiotMoSyour blooJ on my knife, though it is itching to ht in at yoor ribs." " Nonsense. Yoa are neither h»«ity nof biowlthirttj', >,r. Ridg<». Om question from aae first, if you |>ic»,ie ' Old I'm w«ved bis hand di<|^:«div at *hts poiit^ sddrew, and tb« ♦'Mistering." " I just want to know if yon know Mr. SJrisher, of VarinaP** " Do 1 know ' Trading Jake ? ' Muchly ; and f.ver so long. TbMb \n)m» am for him," pointing to a stack against the walls " Then I have a meseage for you, Mr. Ridge," vent on the prisoner, relieved entirely. "A letter?" " The letter is lost ; I ate it up when a gung of Digger Indians piayed the Joke of making in« excliaage a good outfit for these rags. Luckily, fhey thought it was a talisman, and that to cook nte and eat me with that medicitte paper ir my gullet was an error, and so I got away, together with my ^na* But I know the ntents, and tlrey are important, Mr. Brashor said.'* -^ '' Fire away I " said Ridge, more and more thawed out towards tte 3^ :»k-^, " But first, some proof I am not being deceived.*' L -" ^,1^-! Hang the man \ " laughed Jim, amused at being .ui unknown U. VfSfW ^ in this world. " Show him mv bnmd on those packs, Bill." "'J. Ridge' "—hero t welV' said the captive, " this is the ^ff'^ / .i^rufi 'The man they call CcpUtin Kidd and a g»:i^ of border troubUjy aVti &■: . town with tools, stores, and fire arms galore, and I want the Old it.an of tiHl'>: Mountain to know that they are bot be b^tec, is not what a simple traveller frotn the Atlantic seaboani approvefi of." " Stranger," said R'tJge, sitting down on a btiffalo skull a*ool covered luKuriously -yith furs which a Russian grand duchess might give her earrings to possesJ, " this is our home round here by all the rights the first discoverer and the constant defender nay claim. My companytto was not to know witli what inientions you were making yourself a neighbour. You may think yourself iucl^ that his shot did net pierce your brain or heart, atid that he did sot u« ibs slip-knot of your lariat tn deco-ate the nearest larch with you. It ii aeoeataiy that our mountiun fort situuld be kept hid from everybody. Geatleswn.Iin mi. The Man- who ran right into Trmhle. I» t 3w>,"t noil* of your >, 2r.r. Iti^. One B$ i^drets, and tlw ing. Tios* k«le8 aw [he pnsoiKST, relieved w Indians played the rags. Luckily, they le with that inediciiMt. gether with my ""' ishar said." towards' tte % -^k^-^i nltno*iv<:^ M''i0- ■'•■ li." *' V" Bi' a the cctr\'i",.sflA-i ^ BT troubles «t»« »": - W It the Old K-an of tB* cer in the Yellowstone ' and trapper until Mf. ■. Well, stranger, you sarve your own secre^ ir brviises, and iire and y sur appetite ceJh *hat diin, and the two e»ed per, which iwprese».ted Yob need fe.jr n{Ahi^ ta be a |^. aci^M» nieaA ipitality," retorted tK* »» a reviver, for, thoMfi you. But the way trw ing a welcome at hint), the floor like a roll ©f A the Atlantic seaboard lo skull stool covarad ight give her earrings So the first discoverer and not to know witii what may think yourself lucky il--«. L- .tlJ "it^ v^tasik ifctn* - ith yon. It ii aeoessaty yhody. GentleBMH.,ffl» Mr. B«M&e» do not know 5t. .ir. Tell roe four name, »^«* t]f J"'' «« «" rvn-Uv^, ^- as sr yo« have rested you ma/ equip yourself and go your wav. W^ can tmt tt* jour being led out, hoodwinkid asyouwerebroogftt, toma.nt^ our secret. So much l^ do for Trading Juke's messenger. Anything else, ^ Thl*ex-Brisonw was surprised at so much confidence.andthe promsae to flace him on a feif footing for the task upon his shoulders. , .» . ^ j t n «* "You win do thi., «h .'" crie*lhe>ith frank joy ; " a good nfle .nMead of that broken m«*et. food and powder clothes against ttas«arcb. -3 aOr? "Jim Ridge never yet bto)i»fbia word," remarkwl the Cherokee, fotthe fc^st time rctenting in his suspiciSa so as to addresr his late captive. ^« My n-mlgoes fc^ n'cAhipg, t»nt I will iell you nw mission out hew. andjhy voar ih *ill pui oie uader a ffsat ohUgatK^n. Besidea. you have the expenence WbtoKI ladi^ W who Soaows httt that yens oonuMnU on myatory aaay fie .« '^&> vonrseK at tome, th«n,» said th« old monniaicew, i^ljawntly; « there'* a pip-! for you, tew, and the i.'ght is only oegan. We » sstidoq* have com^ny, el, Bill P that acoupk of no«r8 for a stovyteller will be a r^l teeat. Stranger, ms listen, if the grub has put you in pretty good shape again. _ " One moment," demurreri t^e ether ; " you talk cd the need to p>a.t4 this olace from spies. Now, 1 can't compliment yon on your vigilance and pnideneje whea you squat hers in the broad firelight wHIi the cawwa g^ng <^n yonder— an indJan boy t»uld rJddie us with arrows." " n^ou dont mind getting up and coming to th« c^ing, yon shall see ttiat —bat not so near «he brink~the crust is shaky. See, how wadny 1 detach a chunk. Don't !r 1 forward. Look for'.h~jt is a clear nigtit. „ .\,. It was serer. and lovely. The tjtais shone unveiled, and that was all in tfea deep indifc. '-.aek, where, ben«aih, the desp -rooted pin-a could b« heard slowly swayiag, nj* seen, Hfcc a field of grain in a acphyr. " I «HW rsotiiing." «' Ko trees, no rocks P" •' No. Nothing but sta-;*.*' , / . _^ #_ »i. ^ ^ "Yon .would see nothing but stars rf yo« were to step afttr that stone. Harkl" Jim tr-indled the ro«ky lump out of Ow cave; Imt not the £un^^ »«»»dpr echo betokened tJjat it touched bottom er ai.ywhere. ^. „ ^ , pv^rve us I" ejaculate4 the gueat, resdbng, " tw the Botfomle* ntgh," iinswered th« monnteiiieer, langhiag; "chat's fallen five y ' .feftt. This io not a precipice sheer down, but a peak hollowed out--« I* t mrjm'- »t*« Injins say a devil'- jump. Strsnger, on this side, we shaU f'S-^l^^^ Now for your tale ! Stir up the fire brij^y, BiU,'' ''X '|§HB[k,^la>'l- and horrid atory, gentlemen." 1 m ,»o n^ H^d Bimr tI qtienclv a thirst for fortune which he shared with New Englanders, dcpartisd with my, a stripling, around the Cape to California. Oui' sliip wan rather better tb4u those rotten tatw which uitscrupulous men fitted out as ' sopetb cHvpcr5,' and we outstripped many vessels that had anticipated ouy start. You must recall something of the sensation due to the startling discovery of gold In t*i« eMmne West. Even the fables of old whalers who visrted the Partfic Co.i r«:move c ^oh other with steel and lead,whil].t the few females, ^e vilest of their sex, freely employed poison. Luckily, tiicsc demons slew one another, aiid left nu after-crop of fiends and furies 10 blight *he Golden State. •* Father and I htd no experience in gold-seeking, and he saw that tQoney enough awaited an active, acute man, in supplying the returned miners with' table delicacies. Me was used to fishing, trapping, and gunning, nad so we set to killing bears — ^any quantity on the Sierra Nevada 'sputs' then— «nd fishing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin. We built a ranchc en the banks of the former stream, in a lonely spot, and only went |o town to sell game atid procure ammunlt'.on and otjier storea. ' One Saturday my father went on this duty, whilst I amused myself with Bght myself hff>py to escape so easily ,- and almost made me lose my prize. How- ever, as this wound stung me in pride as well as flesh — for 1 daresay, gen. tlemen, you know how a grizzly's claws leave a smart 1 " (the two liunters nodded animatedly)—*' I pressed Oft, after a circuit, at the tail of my first • meat.' I overtook It at dark, had to kill it-— It wa* so stubborn— dressed it, and carried away the paws and choice meat in the hide. The sun was down, and »ny load was too heavy for ro»j to show much spoed, though I Jsclieved my father would be impatiently awaitii^g me. Th» lAite SiiUii Stoty, SI d the hatf-!»reed, " f relate to home even is them. I remember, and went West, and to my boyish efits, M » fi'om the crowded es, an ancle of rnin« 6b, and I used to b« east when he shotrft^ Ut the year 1 850 my his pfOTound grief as Enplanders, departed ship waa rather bett«r as ' soperb cRppcrs,' ow start. You ma»t icovcry of gold fn t*i« ;ed the Pacific Coji^t, With indescribablci owards a tract hardiy ers in hmnan form, as itepped ashore into a >und; men sought l» lies, the vilest of (h^ir one another, and left te. 1 he saw that money returned miners with gunning, nai so we la 'spms' then— >and I ranche en the ban)i!^ )wn to s«ll game and amused myself with ive, as a hotel Itcepof atety, a huae gritsiy : of which I thought ose my prize. How- — for I daresay, gen« I " (the tare l)ut;tera . the tail of my firjt ituhborn — dressed it, The sun was down, hough I jaeiieved my " It was n!n« dic when I sightsd tii« landhe. Tha squally wind presaged a tempest. As no light shone at the window, I concluded my father, who must have got back, had gone to bed, weary of waiting. I pulU^ up the latch, entered, flune down the game, and was making for th» hearth, to get a flara-i^, when I heard a faint voice close by falter— " ' Is that you, Sam ? ' My father's voice > The tOM sent a shiver all over me till the blood ran cold from my heart. " ' Oh, tjiat yon had come an hoar sooner i ' be. sighed. " In an instant I had a blaze oc the hearth with a handful of beafs' grease upon the embers. " There lay the old nan, '.laving triad to crawi ta his coach. His face was livid ; two wounds were on his breast— one of a firearm, one of a knife ; and he was scalped a* well. The blood from these n^tected wounds painted him thidrly and hideously. I fell on my lenses beside Mm, and tried, though vainly, to stannch those dreadful hurts. " * It's no use, boy,' said ho; ' nothing can fence off death. I th-,nk Heaven I was atfowed to linger till you came. Now, dash away your te^^4, «u)d listen to me like a man. In half-an-hour I shall be no more ; t^ that will do if you mean to sec justice done me.' " " He had started for San Francisco at one, so M t» be home early enough to have a good meal against my leiun. if I were out. He soon got through his business, and was going to leave, when he met a native Californian acqunintanoe — a gamhusinOt ot confirmed gold-hunter — a man he liked very well. To have a friendly glass at leisure, they dropped into the net est public restort, the gamblers' and revetkiTs' hotel, called the ' Polka * salooa. The place was crammed with drinkers taking their morning 'eye-openers,' or desperadoes relating *h«r night's •xpioits, or rai3creant9»hatolitng frceb schemes. Several kept < crnising ' round utj father and his f'iend. " Botl .vere objects of mure general interest than either, perhaps, beliced : the Californian was suspected to have found more than one gold vein worth tapping ; and m'y father, as a hunter, was likewise thought to have blundered upon the natural treasuries of the mountains in his pursuit of b'ar. To both, schemes had been proposed by blacklegs, and both had repulsed them — the Spaniard with pride, and my father with some cutting jest or pure casi^essness. Both had made enemies thereby. " Three of these enemies now buued round their table, One was a french- man, known as ' Lottery Paul,' because he had drawn the passengsr's ticket of a Parisian ' drtw,' to enable the chosen subscriber to go free to San Francisco. He was ' little bilious wretch, low and sneering, a sort of lynx and fox in cambinatioi). His partners Were a huge Englieh convict from Gibraltar, and called ' Quarry Dick,' and a Mexican, who haii (leesi«itthot and another srtabbed him ; and, either from rage at having been bafHed, or to carry out their assumption of the Indifin character, they scalped hiift. He had the fortitude to pretend to be dead as he suffered this outrage. In the encounter he had snatched away the scapular^ worn by one ruffian, .'aid open the cheek of another, and wounded a third tn the side. The latter nnight escape me; but I had a clue to the others. Then, urging me to bring these murderers to justice, my father expired, the storm overwhelming his latest prayer and blessing. "I buried him under the hearth^one, and fired the.ranche over his head, determined that no one should dwell in the hou-se where his blood had mingled with the murderers'. I went to San Francisco, but those three bandits were laid wp from the effects of the struggle, or in mere te-ror of me, for the authorities were not yet in power to punish even the notoriously criminal. I continued tha search without discouragement, b«Sing rather a pertinacious man, tiil, one day, -my Mexican friend, as he had been my father's, warned me thr.*4 was in error i these three roen were now hunting me, having transferred their enmity ftom my iather to my head ; and, in fact, it was a wonder 1 had not yet falbn a victim in one (i{ their vicious circles whece 1 had penetrated. Being on my guard from this'out, our warfare continued long without result. At last, I heard they had separated, and gone who knows where — over the mountains, on the sea, up in the mines P Besides, th» Mexican had opened his house to me,, a favour not often accorded f 011 American by one who reckoned us invaders and heretics and no blessing to »ff^e country ; and he had a fair daughter whom, in short, I wedded. I allowed ^' i'ih of vcng4»ance to rest, and the hatred of my foes seemed in the same way ii*r- 1>;! «hol»*d. " One summer, a French gcintleman, who said he was on a scientific expedition, offered n^ remarkably handsome terms to be his guide to Oregon, i did not care to leave my wife, but my father-in-law was interested in the steamer line to the Columbia River, and 1 accepted the mission. However, a little over a week gave Monsieur all he wanted of roughing it ifi the sierras, and he said he had changed his mind, and wanted to back out. I made no difficulty, of course, amd we took the back track merrily. When we left, and he handed me a forfeit, I said, kindly enough : " I hope you will find Madame and the family all well at borne I " and yet some presentiment made me take it as ironical. " Within two weeks I returned to my pueblo. The forewarning was sound : my faiher-in-law's hacienda was devastated^ and the farmbuildings reduced to ashes ; under that black heap my fathur-in-law, laj wife and children were indistiaguishably consumed." As he got these words out by an effort, the .spf.aker covered his face with kts hands, and sobbed rather fiercely than mournfully. His two hearers remained quiet, fastening their eyes on the strong man in resentment, with irre- pressible pity. " This time they had overfilled my cup of woe," he resumed, lifting his head« and showing burning, tearless eyes. " I would not leave the punishment of their slaughter to the sworn minister of justice, but avenge my fourfold wrongs in person to the uttermost. ' ' I took .1 horse and galloped to Snn Francisco, where I sought the French consul. He knew nothing of the pretended scientific explorers that was a sham ; ha was one of the gang! But he was really a newcomer, and had no skill in hiding his tracks. I was on them without any repose. They led rtte by nightfall to a lone~ranche, where the roll of the sea,came softly, aad minified with the whinnying cf two horses picketted by the door, which weicommi aiiSB. •**atw«iYi' t-j^ Sie^> a,! knife At last, on« aviiig been baffled, 9r ey scalped hitfi. He this outrage. In the ine rufSan, Jftid open !. . Vhe latter might g me to bring these rwhelmiog his latest anche over his head, lis blood had mingled three bandits were laid ne, for the authorities inal. I continued the js mau, till, one day, je thr».t4 was in error t their enmity fiom my !t ialbn a victim in one ny guard from thisout, rd they had separated, sea, up in the mines? i)ur not often accorded ca and no blessing to , I wedded. I allowed «emed in the same way a scientific expedition, :o Oregon. I did not d in the steamer line to ver, a little over a week IS, and he said he had [iffic'ilty, of course, and landed me a forfeit, 1 1 the family all well at ironical. irewarninjf was sotind: nibuiWings reduced to ^ife and cbilf^jcen were • covered his face with lly. His two beaters B reseBtraent, with irn- mmed, lifting h!s hesid, iave the punishment of ige my fourfold wrongs re I sought the French : explorers that was a newcomer, and had no r repose. They led ihe ame softly, and minj|ted 5 which weicomcU tuH^e. 1 rode him in at that doo* which I carried off the hinges. Two men were on stools at a dying fire, chuckling and drinUng. On«^ was Mataraas, the othtsi' the Frenchman who had engaged me as guide. They sprang up in amazement. I flew at tli«n with a tigerish yell. No doubt fury increased my foices, for in ten minutes I had trampled on* down «nd lassoed the other. Both ia ' h«t[ries9 under my knife. '"Mister Frenchy,' said I, 'how much were you paid beyond the sim yott gave me for guidance to lure me aside whilst your employens burnt my house and killed all those dear tc me f ' " " ' What, what!' " said he, ' is this the practical \dka yoa i^^ayed, Monsieur X Matamasf " The Mexican said not a word ; his teeth were chattering with the general tremor. As the Frenchman Saw I was merciless, end knew he was ia my power, he told roe the whole tale of how he had heen hired in an hour ef starvation to decoy me away from my home. He hai! no hand in the extreme consequences, and i iet him go with the warning that I might not be so lenient if ever we met again. Whilst he rode away like mad, I returned to M^Mnn.«, whose hand I tied, open, on a plank, and I said .- " ' Well named as 'the killer,' tell me al! about this plot, or I shall cutyoirt^ joint by joint I ' and, though you shudder at the thou^t, sir," he iucerjected f __ Rid^, while Cherokee Bill greedily listened, " ! should have done it; but »f the third of his finger being severed, the coward tainted, and, oa coming to, as I sawed a', another articulation, he whined the complete coiifession. ili.> was the scap'ilary which my father had inextricably erasped in the deaih ' scrim- mage.' If I had regretted my cruelty, the list rf nis crimes would hav»; st«e!ed me anew, Worse than I suspected remained to' tell, for his two accomplcea had not only fled with the valuables of my father-in-law, but with the heut- treasures of mine, which I had til! then believed buried beside tbuir niotlier t my son and my daughter, at present fifteen and seventeen were abducted by these villains, and are now slaves to them and their kinc in some rocbeis' ranche of the plains or whiskey-mill shanty in these mountains. Never can I rest, you see, till they are rescued from these chains of vice, and their pci^w- cutors £e«i the turkey-buazards like Matamas did himself. - " Now, in telling you that a band of gold hunters are on their way hither, and that I have recently crossed Indian trails, I hav i Served you, Hdp sne, now, my friends, with your practical counselr-how can I sooneat overtake ttowe men ? " . . . , . There was a loi^ silence. Bill ai.d Ridge conferred m the sign langnftge M if their thoughts were too full of action to be diluted into verbiage. " One question ?" s&id the trapper. " In »J5 your stoiy you have manifesteA the greatest heed not to mentten oames except i {6«nty bosow, S»fn I Come to sfiy heart, where I h»4 clean given up dreams of havinf; n luvin^ head pOtowrd! H«*Ten knows this wai a wish long gnawing at n>y bonits! We'll chip in torether. Doirt't yoo carry any heavinttss at yoar heart now. Yoor interests are mne. I am not a yourig chicken, but I am game, and with this new spirit, I feel thar's a lot o* living in me yet I We rtart oa rhis ni»»n hunt to|«thef, Thar's my hand, Sam I " " And iMre is mine ! " added the Cherokee. " The 01<) Man and nw always hold together like burri," he continued, in a kind of apologetic tone. '• And if ibis ain't the moft rewwrksbla fact I ever situok, then I doat WHnt my brtsak* faiit in the morning." Thereapon was sealed between the trio a compact that would bring about Strang* events, bidden qnder the veil of the future, so that the most imsginative conld not foresee the incidents, far more sorprising than this meeting of hiitdred, »iA at all «i uncommon event in the West, where congregate the ouimbers of the Eastern families, so wondronslj disrupted and attracted Wast. Ridge—stilt to use that name—and his nephew were evoking home memories, when suddenly the latter felt a touch on the shoulder. Cherokee Bill was aKtking the sign for silenee, and pointing oat of the cave opening. There jtras a novel sound, indeed, hi thci stilly night air : meslc as from a ssraphic choir, for a srore of women's voices were singing a byma at a distiutce which Um limpidity of the air materially diminiriiedi "Cone, tell the brokitd sphU That veinly sighs for rest There is a honte in glory, • A homt for ever blest ; StiU aound the go»>el trumpet O'er hill and roIHng sea, From chah)3 of siii sad blackn£M, To set the oiptive free I" " Saivts in the M " murmared Jim Ridge, tntoals^ed. " I never heard the likes hereabouts. It carries me away back fifty year', when I waa a boy in the church t But what are white women doing here f I aoa staggered. And turriag up like that, too. That's first-riass bait for Crows. The angels nnat ha' taken a fancy to them, or they are cracked to sing at top tt the v'ice, an' redskins on the loose. What do you make of it, Bill F " "S«el» The hunter stand forth, A yeiloKV light appeaeed as a. Kniog to a cold fog over a vale. " Ah, a powerfaS camp t No Crsw-men wilt attack tbait in a harry — those 6o^a entnt to be tui«nty to one, and, then, somebody has to tcicfc them on to it. Things are bound to be interesting, but, I judge, we can wait till moraing^ At least, that's my way. I am ready to drop, myself." " And I," said Pilditt o" living in hand, Sam I * Man and me always logetic tone. " And loa't want my break. irt would briwgj about Ihe most itn»ginative han this meeting of trhem congregate the and attracted West. king home memories, Cherokee Bill Wks opening. shr : mwic as (mm a « hy«iB at a ^staace i(*loais>.dl. "I neror ty yi»r', when I wsa a re P I ana staggered, r Crows. The angels ing at top of tae vnoe, ?•• a^nlogto a ctMfog iwt in a hurry— those to kick them on to it. wait till moraing^ At ilmly. ts, th« tw« white men id to which the body wise, made a kind of em wbo bad aow tho CHAPTER VI. Iir Hosnta Hards. Whcm UHa Madan came to her sensns she found herself !n darkness, houng and spry I She's 'mazingly lovely !" he exclaimed again iu an audible aside to his feliowi, amused at his playing the g^lant. " I »5 The Red River Half-Bfeed. hain't se«n no sech sinco I iru an inch high and an hour n'df^ tempts a lone h'..iter not to ' bach ' it any more, bnt go into pflrdnership. SWtt * prime fur.' Ves, miw, you tan come alonj; o' us — you're the kind to b-i welcome anywhar* without a cent! how it will ahorten tip the ride, a 'grecabie gal like you I jerusha I we shall go back fulUbanded on the queen o' hearts I" " Are you captain of some party, sir?" " Why, not to-day, miss. We 'iect our cap'cn, and I did not treat the boys well enough to head the polls. But I am chief of the scouts ; yes, that's my rank. However, it's a coosideirable show of white men. The cap's a mntte- man, and you'll be as safe as in the Mint as soon as the captain «e3 you. The others exchanged a merry look. "A large party?" she repeated. "Was that your singing I haard in th« night, or was that a dream I" " Well, no, miss, you never heard anjr singing in our camp. Stop a bit, when I went oii my guard thar was some singing out of Quarry Dick, because they had sneaked away his pillow, which it was a wbiskey-bottk— ik> offieooai:- ttaM 1 No, no singing." " It sounded like church-music — a hymn." "Church moosic? You must 'a been on the dream, sartin sure. 'Sid*.% thar are Injins squandiin' round hyar, a right few, say a leeile less than a thousand ton, over an' above the band you mentioaed. This is a hard season for ths redskin, and he's coma up here to warm himself at the Fire Hole, I reckon. The only singer we hev is one young lady about your age, and she only sings to herself in Mexican lingo." "A young lady," repeated Ulla, so newhat reassured. "At least, I see, you Stfc not friends of the savages." " No ; we are our own friends I" returned the old roan, grinning aga^n, " and, individooally, our friends is in our belt,'' slapping his piitol and bis knife (IB he spoke, " And will your captain help rne to learn the fate of my poor father, and the you'll little feet getting over this crust.' It's not many miles, but the milestones are pnsky far apart in this country." " I would prefer to walk." "That's downright onposable. Sol Garrod hyar*? got fi foot lik« an army cartridge box lid ; but even he would mire himself to the kneM." "So! Garrods foot can take care of itself, and you sit down with your opinions, unless you want to appreciate the beauties of it in kicki'i; 1" growled the subject of the criticism. " When a gentleman talks about kicking," r«tu,.ied the second man, hitherto content to ogie the girl in silence, ' he is to know that ' Niobraska Pete ' is the champion kicker of the wide, wild West, and hyr •'« my «"> 'n the corr»' — — " " Close up I " thundered the eldest of the three, so very jjarrulous himself, bnt not willing for the ''.herr to entertain »He '• 'irtunate girl with th«r eloquence j " you have a mouth like a set beaver-trap i What's lie drift of this stupid row? It's no -^ stringing it out, I tell " ?1 We've enou(?h to take the back track upon, ',/har' do 'ee think you are ? Haven't we better things to do than go popping p:stoU off when the rocks swaim witli redskins who have made a raise? " and, aathe pair Ci^ntinued to glower at each other, their bai^v^s on their weapons, he went on: " Mu^st L knock you both down to lam yoa manners f Don't you see we must cage this frightened bird, and then clult up ■1 4] Th Hasiilt Hands. 57 our o'dl pnrdnership. She'it r re the kind to bi the ride, a 'greeabia queen o' hearts I" 1 not treat the boys nuts ; y«», that's my The cap's a oetitle- tain «esjrou." png I bwrd in th« camp. Stop a bit, uarry Dick, because •bottle— no offence, lartin sure. 'Side.% leelle less than a IS is a hard season : at the Fire Hole, I It your age, and she At least, I see, you an, grinning again, piitol and bis kaife poor father, and the Msacre 9" ike yours. If you'll ty of your little feet »tones are pnsky far !* foot like aa army nees." sit down with your I kickii.i;l" growled second man, hitherto iobraska Pete ' is the V 'n the cort»' — —" y garrulous himself, nate girl with their hat's Jte drift of this e enough to take the e better things to do redskins who have ch otJier, their bat^us i\ down to l^m you rd, and theodutt up some of the boys to see what the reds have left worth picking at the wreei I'.ie sporting swell f Girterally these green ' galootd ' yield up rich, and those i wreCif 0' zed idiots leave the best e tive, I shafi wash my hands of it, as she was a-dolnj; when we surprised her ; and I advise you to do the same for your sweet conscience I " " You talk like an Injin orator, Mr. Cormick," said Sol Garrod i " if e- r wo are pot in the wrong box— ha, ha I — 1 shall let you conduct my defence ! " " Come on, Miss," said Niobraska Pete ; " in the meantime, them's the two wust-eddicated brutes in the band, and no average specimen idiots ! " They had three horses in hiding, and the 'capture' was lifted upon one behind Cormick, whom she was obliged to enda^tp, spite of her loathing, to save herself from falling. They rattkd off at a guud pace as long as the isoil was bare and stony,, They soon had to traverse one of those narrow vales between a couple of rocky " divides," which are commonly halved themselves by a more or less broad ribbon of water, and which terminate in a basin, a series of steps, or a " cut-off." The riders were about to scramble down the ravine which yawned, in this case, to appal less venturesome cavaliers, when Cormick ordered a pulling-up. " 1 want to look a-head, that's all," he said ; " maybe, it's a fool-feeling; but we have been trotting along a leetle too smoothly fur Injin country, and too much quiet I reckon suspicious." " Some joke o' your'n, to let our coffee and com cakes git cold I " sneered Ptete. " Say what ycu tiket but let's have one of you scout up that hole." " Very good, Cormick," said Garrod, tranquilly ; " it s my turn. I'll htiag you bacic the nigger's top-feat her I " "With his hair, too, my boy; but caution ; caution never costs too much, and it's a wise man that wakes up to-morrow morning, as the Spanish say." "Oh, dry up, Cormick," tried Sol, impatiently reining-in, after starting. " Do vou nJlly t.iink the red devils would browse so near our camp t" " ^f(>t 1, my lad ; only I repeat, yon cannut poke the biuhes with too mttch prudence." Garrod scrutinised the speaker's surly and scowling countenance with a puzzled expression ; but he must have been encouraged, for he pushed his horse onwards and down, with a snatdf of a negro dtti-.'e tune bummed between his teeth, and a chew of tobacco. ^ " He's pretty much a daring chap," said Pete, with a mocking glaoca at hb companion as they slowly proceeded, " Ay, ay, he does nOt go to market to sell courage with an emp'y basket," replied the chief scout, with a dubious grin ; " but I prefer his sitowing the leaJd to this child." Meanwhile Garrod had been spurred by tbe tatter's air and tone into taking the precautions indispensable on ground ta» tak lav* •een m^thing to make a flying tqiiirrei chatter I We might iMve ^i eamp by this, where a darned good breakfaat ia about ready. Haag the old acarad crow I " Perfectly reassured, bat >HII gmmbling, Solomoi.— without the wisdom of Ma namesake — laid his rifU. across his saddle-bow, nnd slowly bagan to ratrace hie steps. But haritr had he gone fifty strides, when hia horie*! ears were tnm- bliiig, and the animal pointed, like a. dog, at the head of tn Indian, smeared with red clay and covered with feathen, which arose in th>; thicket, instantly a rude rope of ba>k f.bre was cist over the horseman's hea and he ^an pulled, half •strangled, out of the saddle, and dadied on the groumJ -i the partly-tnnwed (nad and snow. '1 his done, a man leaped at the horse, and secured it before it could turn away ; when, no doubt, it would have npioded the gnn amiast tha trees in its flight. The aasai'ant was only a red man in look* — it waa Sir Ardiie M'.clan's secretary. Thus far had he wandered, when he perceived from tha wiiidtrap, where he was bewildered, the chief object of his search. One glance at the ruiSans, who afK^ed to befriend her, had enlightened him on their s'.anding. Mr. Ranald Dearborn wai no fool, if he had not enjoyed prolonged aeqnain- tance with this region. The love ^;r- woodcraft haa enlisted him under the rich Scotchman's biinuer, almost aa niuc'i M hia great, though sodden, admita> tion for his daughter. For adventure, he had certainly a strong bitter taste at the out- ind what immediately ensued bid fair to m wurthy that sample in peril. Ensconced by the path, La had aciznl an excellent nonler rthrow Mr. Qarrod. CHAPTER VJL ««KBOiiitn WLL nMti»vntti9. firiLi upon the youAi^ fin^ishman were (he rags which ha^i been takeii from the dead Indian for the need of warmth. These b« wat gliMl to cast off, don- ning in their stead, as a shade less repulsive, the outer garments Of the senaetess scout. He dragged him out of the av« H kava ^( camp Hamg thn old scared ottt tilt wisdom o( Ms r bMao to r^nice his n-se's eara were tma- afl Indian, smeared he tliicket. Icstantly , and he 'tras pulled, n the partiy-tnawed \iX secured it More it the gun aniast the klnt—it was Skt Archie •eiwrceired from the I MMCh. One glance j^bteaed him on their ed prolongsd aicqaain* rtlisted him ander the tough Mdden, admira- ; the ou> peril. nomer nd what rthro«r I YaA been tekM from gliid to cart off, d(w- jrmeats Of tbe seoselow ^na and, iilied with his have a single-haaded (b tbe ixiaaat awaiting 1 Gart-od's report. Thty I td to a Ml half w*7 dow* the abtujpt slope. As soon as he b>iheld the ,., Ramrfd wived Sol's cap to beckon them to ooia* on. The distance between, the gioe..i in thn Jr^ie, and the welUreiri'-rinbered garments and horse, sttlReed to destroy wxpicioa ia aay bat Cormiclc. " Thar vou are," said Pete, latigning ii. ttlief, though be could not' descry the features of the horseman ; " ar^i Sol l>ecko&iug us on— h« haac't beea no time scouting tbo cbsinnel." " He's b««i mndk too quick," objected Cormick, itulki 7. " Well, aren't you coming on f What's the matter f Does your tayutt kick .nt so little an added load aa the young gal r TeU '•• what, I'll h« pMwi t* have the charge of her 1 " The old ranger iriiootc bis boad dubiously. •• Are Tou sure that's Sol i " " Am t oare of my being in my boots f WhiU new 'ikaeter's bit y«»M " 'Seexis to this old man Hitit Garrod balks up fawger in tbe saddle.'' " Si) he will after the breakfast wc are all sp'iling for. Let out your po M f" — doc/t ycu see he is waving bis band that all's clear f" " Why don't he come Back aH Oka way, theu f " " Be.cause he's no such ass ss to want double trouble. You'd tire out a Salt Lake Saint, Cormid:, yon would I Carefulness is the first thing to put in your bag when you come out on the plaini, but you don't want to havo carf .neas as pepper mmi salt mnd sugar in ail your messes, atom, noon and night ; and Thanksgiving, and New Year's, atul Independence Day I Why, oW father, you're fc' "ing skeered o' your sbadder— which it ar' no Beauty 00 the snow, by thunder I Here, I've had my full measure of this hanging bade from breakfast, and if youfreese thar, I folter the thaw and let Sol carry me into camp." " Go on, tbiMi I " replied Cormi«;k. '* I tell 'uethar's sooae t? 'ment awake afoi us this morning! and that's tK>t Sol Garrod drawinv irto a trap. He's a bad egg, but he wasn't made to tbrow at a paiiner's You'll see, you'll see I " " Eggs or no eegs, I »m going on I follow at your own pace ! But mind I if you C'ailop off with the yovng gal, in whose ransovs I faavs my ahara as the fellow-finder, ft! report you to Captain Kidd— «od you'll not ba mla this side o' the Jordan." In very open order they resumed the march. Hieeavsr - naied on wny as th«v started, stride for stride. *^ Look St that I " cried Cormick. triumpbaatiy { " SM bii ride awajr." " Why should he not ride on ie front of us, and keep tiic way dear f M* know's the picket's duty — a dragoon oesener, anyh»."w, he'd ought to." Still wrangling, they penetrated the defile, wliero N^tbraska Pete taunted his elder to press on. At a third of the course, nothing }(b.*ified Cormick's appre- hen*ions. " So! has got out of the vay «]tov;ether now, tiiongh," be ren.:soaring -SBgles, whose white heads seemed frosted - Ad pr«sfnted to the sun to be frwd of the ciiill. Expectation "f.-ighed a? poicnantly upon the unfortunate girl as on the old border fiifR.-in. 3nse.i«biv yielding to tne i'mxti to battle anxiety with even fu'ile action, he was slowly pushing on his V.vtx when a peculiar sound at last in adv/ihce caused him to check it. W'.tbin n fe^ seconds, the horse of Nio" br«uilai Pet« came back to its companion, with no thought but refuge from some itartiing horror. Pete had not raised an alarm; ccuseqwntly that smear of blood on the mane denoted trAthnht^i Vien unhorsed by a deathblow. Nor did Soi, nor his mysterious personator, nppoar, and Cotsnick felt assured that he , i»r>i" icjft alone, an.i that foes were pl»n«ed between him and the camp, of whidi ?lra08t inhaled the s.wory fumes. Tht- situation was maddening. ■ yoi arc bad luck," he snwled at the girl, wi^h the superstition of the low of white men, vho soon equal the rc'anj, as if to warrant hit, reHer'aon, & iribratiDg yfil of ^limph biin.t forth so dearly as to seem «t their «ib<>wft^~e. wnr-whoop of ' w>'ich Comjick had never hsird tlie like. It wa« so provocatory in tone that, irresistibly, at least a kuudred savege c<'.»> ituswered it inquinngly from alt p&rts of tn.i r^ivine *raver»e,f by the buidils. ''Why, \t's a nest of thfro?;" groantid ihe old scoundrel, aghast, and only raechatticaliy rfestraiifng his plunging ^.eed. In the lull which foltowed-— ^infuT by conkrasi with that hideous cbuaour— a hortittijaci da'ibed into the ^Inn and faced tiie parai/aed sco'it. Xha iias WW* of So' Ganodj but at the cry of " Oli, Mr. Dearl?3rB ; you t h«lp T' from 'lis ,.ed he, " hot. I kno* why he never ■ ^'fiih «Ae mmt %sd a^9«.jr whito only before bim, I'ei Hid Ret Dou'i you fear, though, ' he f lays any tricks on rs in company." snowy crust ceased to 'isbing of the branctiea itnbc&tns and sprinsinij the birds puiie louth ies, whose white be&ds he cliiU. ?.w. glr) as on the old ttie anxiety with even peculiar sound at last ■onds, the horse of Nio" ht but refuge frotn some equtntly that &mear of i a. deathblow. Nor did ck (cit assured that he and the camp, of which I maddening. i superstition of the \om Dcics. " It has coat two .ri. you i.n that horse, and you try to ' ptrt co* i m the way that we have 'o/Ah »s, much money as ilating on wliat anybody vjd to make it sEdle up feci JOTT^ alarming taint headgftsr was detached, niitting a scream like a the nrst opening, and net" mtittered CornaJck. ^lesr ' coops' on Soi anci on, & vlbratitig y^X tk jibows*-a. vrnT'whoop ol ^revocatory in tone th4\t, a U inquiringly from ait Mdrel, «ghast, am] tsxA^ that hideous claajoar— paralysei* scout. Xh« 11, Mr. Bearffsrat^oul IS relieved o^ any am» back " , he me&fimA i\ of his homtcldi! wquiiwB*^, and W« «»n^ wA tii«v»«Mii4- l»d i»«t«h«J from the burial-place were levelled at each other. . ., j „ r. ft "Don't fiwl" rpi-ijledUlla, though not .n fenr for herself, and Don t fire !" cried a louder and m.in!y voice, as an additional ]!>ersocage for th« group leaped down from a rock and fell besii ,e the restless horse. j- , u j How it reared at this unannounced apjjarition I Fhat reanag disturbed Cormick's aim, Anas?-d abovu Dearborn's head, that pf the latter buned itself in his gr^in. aftrir scarring the horses neck. The new. comer seized the brijle, and shook off the wounded man, wbllit HMUd "ladly received the h»l.'-swooning l*dy. '• What the thunder did you fire for ?" demanded be, imgnly. ,, . . . The vc g people starecl «.t him ih surprise. He spoke perfect F.n^Hah, out, we kr>«, OeeroScee Bill as perfectly resembled a full-biooded Indian wnca animated with ferocity. Besides, his bufiaic robe was tucked up into his belt to leave his legs free, and a ruddy si'alp dangled in a tjck of it. „~ «, " A dog of a Cmw I" he explained, seeing that it caui-.ht their eyes. «« B beg no more powder and ball at the Agency to shoot the two-legjf{ed bumio in 'Store '-clothes, that the wise style a/rrtA from thv States." • ■ Perplexed by this singular speech, so unl:ke either an Indian's or a white man'sT ih» yoiiug people h&d immediately turned their offended eyes aloof. Ulla must have believed she was saved on ascertaining that Dearborts had never relaxed his endeavonni to come up with her and her captors. She lauRhed and sobbel hysterically like or.e fcrok«ed from a nightmare and cxcLisively delightei^ ; it was but a play of fancy. Alas I th«re waa to ue ancthor waking, and that not long delayefj. ...,,.. , i.L , . SuddiBly the Cherokee's^ us-iA was Ir.id u^n the SngUshaun's al|iM2]di;r, *"'• 8ptK», sir I that horse must hive cantered into the ^Id-seekers' iaaq^ they are already in the ravine " '"^ •' Cold-seekers f" .. ,_.„,„.„. ,. .„ " Robbers, thieves, atsd all th«t !" exp'atned Bill Wilha:n«, hwtily. is BO safety for you that way. On the other hand, tliere are t«e Ck»w» -«-four- score at least. J have be«n cwnting their noses, so nca. that I couhl haw killed more than that one decently." "Oh, what must w» do?" ejaculated Miss Macl.n ^ » " The lady auks you what'll we best do ?" repeated the halif-brfted sarcastically, eyeing the young man as if to " value him up.' •• Cut our way through them I" hu 1 lady, I " 1 dare 1" said Dlla simply. But Dearborn shuddered at the Idea, ,, . . « '• Take he.-, mwi ! I wiil tn;i*t you," »a?d he, " straagtr thuugh you ai». in ali senses of the wort! ; and leave me to detain them from pa instaat punwit,"- " Oh, they liave their own roasting pieces to spit,'" said Bill. , " Vkhat ii your advice, sir ? Your tone is that A a comtnaaeJer here, ) Ulla. retarding the Cherokee steadily as he bow himself nobly erect a*id una f«B

f the situ&tior ar.gi,it, " lir in the hands of these roW>ers you will run no risk for tljc pSoSeat, whilM 1 guarantee this man's safety ii «« but t««ch a ccwiun yointoo t!»»ft horses." "VJ&^iMWvitaar^w ;^>r^^*^*---^" ii'ed Ritisr HalfSmd. " I flf«, And nimftStrii tlw la% into ifa* powetoi i^m^Uihin m^ i tio sucTi " Coward, when I want you to run the douhia gauntlet of Indtast attd des> peradr/«» I 1 dt^nt se« t)fhkt sha could d«ipis<» you foe. Hark ! they coine om both aides — stealthily, but 1 hear thcHi ! The voong woman canniot a-»t« w« ail t» b* mtmeiif cnmoled Vf, er til to be auv^dP" • ' '' Go !-* 3»d Uiia ! *' who wiU mw vm U yum smthmt^ te a voice incnt 5jk Z)«Aii>dtn'9 «sr alone. But the Cherokee overheard her, «n'' ' ttantly subjoisod 3 *' Yca're the queien>tr«iup ! f ha7» .viewed to heifk yv9tt ta this stnttt bftcauK y^ ate white, and your enet.iiea are dogs ! But nov*, Mitiie soul of my fathers ! 8ii|i^aed to be chasing the phantoiG butfaU) in f' lial Kftkn which those utountain-tops support~I swear to saveyoa from .^eUi)Ai eteir, or my honea shall swing in the hangraan's loop i" " I hfcar yoo, beli«ve you, and I thank ^11 f eacla'.nwJ Miss Madan, forcing a smrtc throiigh tecrs. " but our enemies come! Hasten away, in Heaver.V name I Dearixtni, w* tSielll atlMt agMn andar that hts«v»>, or wttfiin 'M goldem gates 1" She threw i.im a Vtss wklb a {HrdMneaof^yfolcen, and bouadad atmjr in ti>« direction of the ;^in, crying i • > *' Do not shoot I It is only a woman I I aHrfendec i" At the same time Cherokee Bill leaped on the free horse onvr the tail 051, i fjttdienfi, and catching the other reins, plunged inlothe thicket, bidding the. Hn^ishinan bend low to elude thorns and missiles, and heedless of his reproaches, la Hieif rapid o^^rse, it seemed t© the latter ^»*t he saw groups and pairs <•£ srappHng men plying clubs and knives, but no repoits of firssarms cracked the icicies oS tlie bougV^s^ Eacfc (x>ntMiiag Mi)? siowMJl a respectful ditii|^ to bringing on a rcguiav engagement. *• What's your hotse good for still ?" queried the Half-breed io « whiter. *• Five or sJx wicistas more at this headlong pace," " We arct aeAring an ambtish, through whkb ve BUMi. dwiM «w o no lass t1»an I ^o, and we shall be wwe l" " With heavei! my aid, I shall do more \" The H ^U'-btAcd found a broad way by a ailfadeof lm9wJe«^> and faultkaa app]i«a^ ■*. " To tht right — wheel to the rightl'* vi fac«s that gdnacd with flaming eyes like a wall before him. Few vntn. except with a lon^i; spear, can steadily receive eavairy. Only one Indian r«taily awaited the fingtish youth on his i\pp(OMh ; hit) laaee "napped in in the hwrse'a chest. It im on him, enclosing tarn between the forelegs. Dearborn was dismounted ; bnt Bill was before hkn^ on the ground, steadied, hvm as he rose, put a revolver In his hand, and bade bin) fire " low said fast," T^ey had passed through the ami:iCtscade at the ci>st of the two korpeff, and ♦^he ten shots they poured forth enabM^henii to havs astart in their retreat or 'oot. They were speedily to a hollow ol the rtxky >itluR'«, where no sane Indian would tc^ow a« armed loe. Tiie groi.nd wes wauy, naw aiingied with dry snow as hafd,aiNd at random ro»e mtedtw of atonti of varied dimooaions, among' which tim hatf-lndian tcapper serenisiy .breaded bU way. At tha foot of a nearly ^8 oieQ f Iho sad of Indiass a»4 des* [ark! they come ow le4 itp, ei »U to be » this st«aU bfteauae 5 soul of my fathers ! Kftkn which those ^ snnr, or my he« lbs Mada», forcing a ftvtray, m Hisavesi's or within its gc^ea souadsd *v&f in t&« M o««r the tail n$», thicket, biddinf,' the- ess of his reproaches, "topps and B»irs ff irrarms cradfced the respectful dirii^ to ed in a wbl*|K!r. mve 4Mir «n^. Po nJewgjWhd {au]tk«8 >t:}]r, «.'( half-a-doxen the «ttddenSy4umBd gun i» hta freiwy at wall before hira, cavaJry. Ooiy owe bit) {«•£« "napped in tween the forelegs, be ground, steadied. ire "low and fast." two korpeff, and "-he their retro»t or 'oot. i sane Indian would sa with dry snow as isiuns, among' which km foot of a nearly iOhmikm Mfl Re0fm(i.ng>. 33 •. ■■''* •»# perpendicular tn«)ui!». a the;/w«ne bfWight to a stan«istJU. The fece Seem«id smooth a» if polJs ^ed at first glance, but there taa a ledge, or corniw, as Alpine climbers C8.1U„aloB2i,„iA " I sra now why a w^MM eovA not Uit accompanied «s m our flight, satd ^*Noryo« don't quite," replied: Lill, dm*, aa he led the young njan slowly upwards on this narrow footway. No quadrupe<5 could have mounted, for th^ men had to proceed with their backs to the wall, or face to it. m the case of the incxperiencfJd Engiishman. (He feared vertigo if he looked out or dowr on the abysa.) At last the Jedge ended abruptly. But, about breast h»gH, the granite was cracked horizontaify, just wide enough for one's finger to be hid m it. "Watch me," said Bil!, calmly. » If yon do not think you can follow me in such 8 spider's way, ding where you *re till ! bang a fr.end and a lasso that we tT,a> 8win,» you over h«re. It was necessarythat ws should leave no traU those dogs dartTpursue," he added apologeticaHy. ., . . ^ , , . ,, ^ , "Go on,'' said Rftnald, who felt bis blood hoil with the detemiination to sliow this strange hybrid that he had, at least the bravery of the white race, if net tb« athletic craft of tl?e aborigin.js. . . ' . ^ . . , m . .i* Thus adjured, the Cherokee inserted his hands in the prolonged cwincc, la* his body hang at the end of his arms witii no other hold, and gradaalty work«d himself along some twenty feet. . . The watcher suffered more than he wHJi the Snspense. After a Penod seeming immeasurable, the way was clearj the rock was untenanted save by th« young man, and he might have believrid he was abandoned in this horrific site by a dekding demon. Ha bolted up •, a thousand leet of granite framed bowing out to fa!! and eotonib him j he looked outward—miles of ether Jirter- vencd ftctwiast l.im and ths tops of gigantic trees; he looked down, )ust for aa itistant's fraction, and felt iiis heart shrink ; he was some three tfeoiisand feet over a cup of fro^ren water — a lake diminished thus by the space. " Come I" said the Cherokee's voice, designedly emotionles* Siat h© Wight not afFect the young man in any way. . . , , . . The tatter breathed a prayer to live for the sake of the bt;reaved daughter of his patron, and steadily swung himself over the chasm by his eight fingers Bfone ; the thumbs seemed useless; ths cliff fell away insensibly beneath Wm, so that his feet failed to touch. It was the dream of a man-fly acted out, Finally, the e.id of the crack was attained. Here the climbsr without an afe?!4tant was a doomed man, imlcss h-a could retreat as became — almost a.n im. IWMibiUty. But, on this occasion, Cherokee Bill was wailing, with the loop of ft ei^tittieffaaianced rope In his hand; which he !o«M!red over ^he young man anc' drew UP so as to engirdle bim. More than his pair of arms were not noeded, coasifif fiiig the Siits of the boulder which weighed the farther end of the cord j hut, none the laiss, two other men w«rc hauliug on it. In li few niinut«i« tise yoonff Kik^ stood on the threshold et the cavern of the Old Ui^ijvmp- This wa^ the ORvy other way in. » > . ,. With 9i e;>rdia5 »«ve Of the hand, Cherokee Bill pre«tttt«d m f ro%e to JJbs the Yagi^r fusd Mr. Fildltch. " A rtcruSt," soivl lie, laconically, "and .4 me.' We are going to have som« rare tussles, right soon and rlt^ht here ; but this M«Vti o' ours will keep up his end o* the board, loii dorft Jou f6i^ Who sajfa 80 1" ■»9''«?'-^.?»'1SW?^ w 34 The Red Sker Haif- Breed. CHAPTER Vni. THB aOU>-SKABa>U. Ths Cherokee and h!s 3roung friend had barely vanished from the defile betote some twenty roen rushed in upon Miss Maclan. They had left her in a growing trepidation lest she had committed a ^teat blunder in not sharing their flight. The new comers were ou horse and afoot. In thb rugged way, expert (ootmcn could keep pace with the riders. The principal was a tall, thin man, about fifty, rathe.' bowed t!..»n straight ) his tawny hair fell in locks thickly upoH his shoulders in the style of the adopters of the Indian fashion ; his face was blood- less in the third part not hidden by a red beard; as a guard against snow* bUndness, he wore green goggles, which gave hina the air of a student or pro> lessor on a mc^t guileless scientiBc enterprise. Spite of this, h. nounceablc names. Its rows of barrels, two deep, could bp fireJ simultaneausly, and a light, strong, broad-wheeled carriage allowed it to be quickly shifted »••» position, it defended the onlv breach in r barricade of pickets. But it was evident the gold seekera were iairly well content to entrust their surely to theu? rifles and strong arms. €aptain Kidd responded carelessly to the questions of the men la caaip, waved them to stand back, and proceeded towards the rooks of the raviV.^. Soon he stopped, alighted, and offered to assist Miss Maclan down from a horse which a rider had resigned to her. She made no answer to liis speech of wel- come, more or less satirical, and eluifed his hand by leaping lightly to the ground. He turned pale, frowned, and ccleds "Take her to the -enyorita. They are proud cats alike, and tell Donna Rosario that you brmg her a companion or a »ilave — 1 care not which she make* of her." " But, sir I " interrupted Miss Maclan, more alarmed at bemg thrown into the power of a woman than heretofore, "you must know that I asi the daughter of Sir Archie Maclan I that he — " " Oh, the frontier bar-rooms are full of such sirs 1 " he rephed, brutally. " I care not who you are, since you would not be civiL, Know that h««« yu .^re lil^ one of those tent poles— 80methin| I can snap ajunder and toast » 'i ■» e with. Take her away! Three, men lost because of her. I am Aat » ixAion ! an;ed in the hoUMfCf tnttiml i^e loose '^nes, and soughed among the ice-coaiuJ boutih*. >ted Into « cut-off I le sioie tlMW thdur K Old Mfttt flf tlM »y «f his negatS»«» I near that h««nt ol of dartdevite h*»« doing." underrate Old Jtm. all tha prairie and esert of the Apache er he will have the js whites as a rule, to the trcasares of shall (all into our than of Caoa^ians, 4 thoh«aw,«eW«i. other gang* rimost a glut- It will be a 11 be lucky to dodge. Rocidfi*— ahove the ush down upon the weatherpfoof. W« MMyCHttM the loose 7%e Rsd Rher Hal/'Sreeds. 5? Their first find w*» the lodifement o! the Grow Indians. For over twenty hours these had remained in a fireless camp in a gulch eastward, livtng; on " cold bites," so as iiot to betr»y theBtsolven, and seading out do scouts tiU the recent snow should be hardened. At half-past five in the morning, Cherokee Bill had heard a murmnr Iti this camp, like that of the bees in swarming, and thus it was pointed out. The two crept as near as thfy dared. They oould diMiagaish the forms of the more prominent leaders as they drilled their followers, twd could tecogoiae the bead* chief. It w«a Ahnemekee—noled, though 3rcwB|r. He was boM, vtAn oi h's good looks and long hair, and very rapacions. His people Mteemed him a hero ; but the frontiersmen set hira down as one of the biggest thieves in creation— which, Sy the way, is much the same thing, .^hnemekee made a speech to feis tpoop, rather at length, and w'th a confident bearing. The two beholders conjectured, from the gestures, that he was planning an attack on a grand scale The sub- chiefs, having also addressed their bands, a war whistle sounded the onler to depart, and all the warriors left the rarnip, except a strong guard over their lew hor»es. Being Mountain Crows, they were aocusttrmed to ftgbt on foot. The two hunters had no more to learn there ; but, by following tl>e first party, whose trail they came upon, they soon judget! whither they all converged ; and •'Unning on in advance, by a wide circuit to the same point, they discovered an encampment, and thereby the cause of the hymns in the midnight. At first sight, it looked 'like « caravan of emigrants. There were carts, w«g9;«ns, horses, oxen, mules,and even sheep, calves, and pigs. The guardians of this valuabk; train, so far up in the mountains, were nearly a hundred in number. There were many women, about the same age, but few or no children i and, coming to examine ctosely, while the men were all of: an age, also, tl'cir dark tint was quite contrary to the complexion of their charges. The con- veyances sitowed a variety of constriKtion and brands, which showed to the acute scoots that it was no legitimate grouping, but rathar a conglomeration of spoil from a faid on the edge of civilisation. " It will be dog ( iting dog," observed the Yager j " for here is the target of ' the Thunderbolt.' What do you make them out to be P " " Red River Half-breeds," answered Bill—" £ob Rufys, sure as a gun. The Crows will have a tough dinner to tackle if they trouble th«m t " " Bob Ruly " is a burlesque pronur.ciation of Bois BtuUy or " burnt wood ; " that is to say, men of the colour of the red of a fircstick h«l;we«n the black end and the unflred portion. U is applied to the Half-breeds of Canada, French and Indian, who refused to accept their transference under the Anglo-French treatj of 1763 to the Enrfish flag, and withdrew to the west. Thtsir realm of retire- ment, called the Red River Territory, or Manitoba, is geograpbieal'y in the British Dominion ; but they flourished there in freedom till the deveiofanerit of Canada, aisd the project of a North Pacific Railway compelled the Canadian Government to etrforce their submission. At this time, it was supposed that the Bois Brulfo would maintain their indepo/idencc, if more or less helped by American adventurers, until the inte-vention of the United States would confirm it, preliminary to their absorption into the Gre?t RepubliCi No one foresaw that the British troops, undci Sir Garnet Wolseley, would quickly supppwa the rebels, and that the United States Civil War would dtract the Washington stetramen's attention elsew!** re. The Bois Bruits, through their Indian Wood, are friendly with many North- on pleasant terms with the white rovers. C S8 The RM Rum HafJ.JBrred. " Tell 'ee what, chief/' said Ridee, after prolonged obsenrattor " thej^ a hand of villains there I Bither they have been robbing, or they are consi^rnees of plunder. If it were not for those poor wotAen, whom anyone can tell are prifioners, I should cheer the Crows on to 'em ! " * Yes ; Ahnemf-lcee h a inurderouu thief — he thinks nothing of killing woraeo ^and babes — a bad Indian, Jim ! He must not be let hafe his way here!" *' We must hold a ' medicine council,' " continued the Old Man of the Moun* tain ; " so back to our f riendd I " They had to take their return route with more caution than In coming, since , the Crows were no doubt at hand. But their intimate knowledge of the ground enabled them to avoid any contact. Thanks to tha detour they traced, and to the infinite pains with which they scanned every square yard of the scene, they pfu'ceived that a em ill party had come to a halt in the rocks. These were not Biackfeet; and they thought at the first that they might be the Crows, of whose presence Filditch's moccasin bad given an intimation. In any case, they crept up to the shallow dug-out den m the side of a shale and sand* stone clifF, and, when the faces were distinguishable, rose oat of the cover, and boldly went forward, waving their open right hands in tc^en of p«accf;M intentions. Indeed, the group of seven men was friendly. Two more wore collec tin g wood for a fire, luckily for them :iOt yet burning. It was the remnant of Sir Archie Maclan's hapless expedition. Usually, a meeting-place at a distance is^greed upon by a tr»«p ia order that, after dispersal by an attack, the rally may be made for a reprisal or to affording a strong front in retreat. This precaution had not been taken by the I^tiglish gentleman's heterogenous c.^pany. Still, by some natural law prevcuiing in the wilderness, the few who escaped the savages had come together. Lanie, weaponless, imperferdy clothed, driven to eat icots painfully •cratched out of the frosen soil, tiiey regarded the two trappers as almost superhuman, glowing, as they we;.e, with health, and formidably armed, and xjuitc at home in the desolation. At their first words— -thanlcr to Ranald's account of the disastei^o-tiie new- 'cnmers knew with whom they had to deal. These were, save one (a Surcee Indian), the ac?*pb hunter*. Though the Hudson's Bay Company men are instructed to show no corbiiality towards free trappers in actual practice, they usually hobnob when tucy meet. Here, as Jim Ridge at once promised them supplies if they would accompany him to a.cmthe, the fraternisation was speedily pciftct, and whir. Cherokee Bill, bound to the mountain-home to bring back Ki>ige's nephptv and Mr. Dearborn, left the rejoicing fugitives, they were tonsting the Old Yager in tradi-.tg-whisky, and vowing to follow him to the edjjfe of the Fi rehole Basin, and then over. Two hours afterwards, the Cherokee returned with the whites, and the: rec>!ption of Ranald was hilarious by his comrades, now equipped and cr.imnied to repletion. Whilst these lost ones "found in every comfort," as they said, were still reoompensing themselves for their sufferings in the unconstrained mode of the desert, the chiefs of this now redoubtable bao^ conferred on the plan of action. Filditch was alone his own master, and placed himself at his relative's orders ; Cherokee Bill judged that the " old hoss knew best ;" Ranald, freelv appointed leader of the Scotch contingent, offered their servicer M blindly, and Jim had only to debate with himself. " Gentlemen," said he, " that either the Crows or the Bob Rulys should slaughter one another in u. fight is uo item for t»; bock. But those white J are consignees of iyon« can telt are g of killing women way here!" Man of the Moun* in coming, »ince . edge of tlic ground they traced, and to 1 of the scene, they These were not be the Crows, of ion. In any case, a shale and Band* le out of the cover, n token of peaccfu. tore were collecting ition. by a trto^ in order for a reprisal or to not been taken by f some natural Uw savages had come b eat I cots painfully trappers as almo^ nidabiy armed, and ! disaster— the n«w- save one (a Surce« y Company men are actual practice, they once promised them iiisation was speediiv •home to bring back ugitives, they were o follow him to the the whites, and th« now equipped and » every comfort," as ir sufferings io the (w redoubtable ban^ elf at his relative't lew best ;" Ranald, ed their services en ic Bob Rulys shmdd k. But those white Tki^ Rid River ffalf'Jirmls. 39 women are Innocent creature*, wives, and sisters, I daresay, of poor settler^t, who are now lamenting their unknown fate. We are^ot numerous enough to match either band now, bui when they thin one another out with a general shoot, one vigorous charge might place the captives in our h nds. When we so charge Qilfwill look to the horses ; and once we can ride olT, I answer for a safe haven for the whole cahoot (cohort) in a niiSt in the mountains. Woe to any that follow us, for I am conceited on not letting Tom, Sick, r.od Harry collect on my front door-step. Is that a good notion, hrothers F' " It will do." " Then look to your guns, whet your knives, and all be ready to march," In half an hour the start was made, the men being 8lk>wed to finish their ^ipes as they proceeded in single file. Down "iloping ground, Ritlge led them mto a valley, where an unseen river gurgled like a pond of sunfish. A beaver dam had intercepted this flow, but the beaver mea/'ow was one sheet of per- fectly unruffled ice, under which the running water could be seen by the bubbles at the air-holes. Like so many schoolboys, the men, with a start down the bank, shot themselves across this expanse to the wood of tender trees among the .stvmps cut by the industrious natural engineer. Hera . Cherokee Bill took the head of the Indian file. For twenty minutes the st;~ing of men advanced in absolute quiet, forberring to snap a dry twig, dislc^ge a stono, or crush the . tck.-crust. Bill guided them so skilfully that they were always well sheltered, till tinally tbey came out into a hodge-podge of boulders in a sand black and fine as gunpowder, resembling the remains of bones and vegetables in a giant's stew-kettle out of which he had drained the broth. It occupied the centre of the end of the beuver-mesdow, and protected the rivulet channel. It was the halting post, and a more miscalable and defensible position it were difRcuit to select. Under them in front the level ground extended where the Bois BruMs' caravan had been drawn through, hmdrances which any b'jl western wagoners would deem insurmountable. The hunters were shielded on all sides, and invisible. On the white patches of snow they descried the unsuspecting red men leisurely nearing the palisades of the Canadians to take up position for the storming. The stockade showed that the Half-breeds intended no move, and as Indians almost never attack in darkness, th« liUie force on observation placidly lay down to await their cue to intervene. Streaks of fog and a dull greyish yellow cloud bank closed in the setting svn. In the night the wolves called to one another, and seemed, in their language, to exchange information on the movements of so many men in the solitude, and laughed at the prospect of carnage on the morrow. When the moon shone wan and cold, it not only was t.-)«»ned with a livid snow ring, but was accompanied by four "dogs," or weird ini::fes of its pate self, which made the superstitious fed men shudder. As for the' tfhites, hardy as the Scotch-American Ijccomes, they luxuriated under the blankets and furs which Jim Ridge had generously offered, and mocked at the glac'al cl^, the morning frost. A few showers of fine ice; rather than snow, fell i ' look-outs of the mountain men's '" fort," of the Crows and of the Cans suffering with the feverish wakeful sleepiness to which soldiers, hunters are subjected at the worst stage in the darkest and colde dawn. At length stripes of pallid gold and blue announced a sunless but a snow-owl sahjtcd it, and that was a sneering, mebwcfcoly on the gusty breeie, laden with sket, ice, and sand; The twiligift was of a milky opai hue, which tioacctttfaSed istA seamen hi56S E?! 40 Tfu Rtd River Half-Breed, htyer, while the Rfowtd-uf clMred up and allowed A tolerably extended view. It Kcemed an ominous pair over the threatened camps. Suddenly a vivid glare reddened fhe plain. A war- Jrum thundcrad, and tb* Crow war-whoop furiously resounded. '" ijinanekee'ii war-whivtle piped bi» burfi oa with pietcing notati CHAPTER X VRK STORM-KIIIO. Ow the several slgnah, the mottntaim>en »aw the Crowf spriii; up ewn fTPin coverts where thoy had not suspected them to lurk. They shot^k off the snow like so many feathers off a shot bird, as well a* their robin, which would en> cumber thetr onset. Immediately (ireanna of oil sorts, for the red men are rarely .irmed uniformly, oegvt and kept up the aharp CMttinuous crackle of a firing; at wi'l. " Thar she biases 1 " said Cherokee Bill, with a ferocious grin. Besides their bullets, tlin Crows liad flung Greballs and fire-tipped arrows upon the waggons, and had followed them in at the openings of tl»o interlocked carts. But they had no timid emiff^rants to deal with, whatever they might have thought. Quite otherwise, for the Bois Brul^ were on the alert, emploiring all defentiive measures in their fuU knowledge available in that site. Tneir firinfr was only done whon they pushed the Indians with the muxzles, and it was dead or wounded whom they thus blew back witiwut the barrier. This repulse did not dishearten the marauders. They cams on again W boldly, but' with more method. Some carried bunches of resinous twigs smeared with eik fat, and using them first as shietd)^ by which to reach the waggon wheels, dropped them between them and Sredthem before retiring, Tiie r-wn. At one gap at forty ol the savages clambered in, and plied knives and httchets to reach th« horses, Trhich they hoped to stampede, and so augment the confusion, whiUt relieving the owners of the power to depart speedily. Their whoops were already impreawd with the ton* of victory. The main body of the Red Kiver Haif-brecds surrounded a largA tent which nndoubtedly cor.t.-iiaod their valuables, including the captive women, whose psalms had been hcurd by the inoontain-men. The rest of tho HalZ-breeds resisted the rush towards the cattle. All at once several Indians were seen setting upon a young Canadian, who had a k^ under one arm, which he d^ended with a woodman s axe. ' " Whtskyl whisky! the fire-water; hat ha!" cried theae savages, laugh' ing and yelling in his face under the very axe which menac^ ipring' up even ffim r shook off tSie snow s, which would en- *! radsldos was hoiribly scattered, white the Sola VSru!..'ience of bonrhouni' i /ho hear the beast gnashing his tusks. Ail but lUdge seemed thus chufing to take a share in the sanguinary game. Th^only controlled their warlike instincts till the bursting of the gunpowder keg K>rced them to applaud the Canadian victin. TlMnv without a word, they bounded from among the rocks and rushed mercrlrss blows on their unresisting fonr " Fire into tke brown of thetn I " roared Ridge, fahoos at fbn sc«iw, OOt unknown to him, which he imagined. At the back of the Crows, then, through the smuke and a Urn idly-faliing Ankfis of spotless snow, a dozen shots resounded, and at least ten of them pitched head-first towards the Canadians, whose balls whizsed over theffl and Krewcd fieath among tbrii surprised companions. Tak>n between two firet*, the Cr.wsfolt they had lost the d7.y. The Bois Bra'fis, without wasting time in seeking whence were their timely deliverers, shouted '' Vii>» la Cat%adienne ! " snd bravely took the offenaive. But, casting aside their empty guns, the Crows scattered thr- -igh the camp, and tried to aeramb'le out nf the environment with even more alacrity than they had shown in entering. Shot down ; y the unknown foe and cat to pieces by the reanimated Half-breeo»— it was a " na." Weaponles-, sitripped almost naked for the action, debarred from speedinfr to the spi wi.t^re their garments were stored, Hie Indians must have been slaughtered to a man on the frigid waste had nett thetr uantic appcab tothe patron of their tribe seemed to have obtained an Inlervention. That srorm which had been two days breeding, -ind was unrnistakalily threatened over night, ilew over the mountain cretit and burst on the tablelands with unmeasured violence. It was the " bilzsard," to which East Indian 'Cjrciones, V/«st Indian tornadoes, and what Siirope calls tempests, are aephyis to fat. a baby's bicw. One of those cataclj'sms which befall poor earth as if defined to dw Ufoy it, aiig rage ife ttse desert so fnriotnly that the aspect of the .*«r- a'iil ii 4* Tht AW Riv^ HalJ'Brtei* whole inxX for thoumadt upon thouMod^ of mile* is often trensfott.icct in a few "iHMtrt. The wind ckine out o( gorges like a compacted bolt, and bisalt waa pierced like putty, the eddies, or " •cfew-wifld," uprooted hoarv pinrs and wallx«l away wit), them in the diitanre. The snow and hail clouds were com- praesed to the tree and Kill tope, and condenited the lower atnnospher^ so that breathing; was difficult, and cattle slopped in frantic fli((ht as if a colossnl hand w&ie laid on their backs. The snow felt in balled-up masses, aiid ligkt •bsoiutelv disappeared so Im as any ability to fix its source existed. All the eye could perceive was a variaiion in the density of the seams of gloom. As for hearing, any one of the portentous sounds must have deafened— the roar of the wind, the crash of the dethroned peaks, the ripping of the trees, the rush of tbr; Avalanches of miow, sand, and rocks. The liHiianah&d scattered over the plain, trembling and moaning their prayers indiscriminately to the Great Good Spirit and the Little Bad One. On thev fled, tmmpH^ig on birds and beasts, whose life-long lairs >.i)d nests were wrecked, and 'vhich grovelled flat in agony of apprehension. Most dreadful of all, now and thc'i a fugitive was bailed up in a thick gust, and the packing flakes around hiiTi lapidly gathering .additional layers, he was soon thrown down, and thence forth, the core of a rolling hill spun on for leagues over the tablelands. Ridge had time to raise the cry, " With me, on our only chance, buy* ! " end by a mirac!', biindly, yet surely, led the b£ d back to their late post, however precarious was that refuse, fttained over new and terrible obstacles in the thick snow. The lately smooth^as-glass beaver meadow lake was rough with stones that had Hmnshed the mirror ; the subterranean stream, vastly swollen, rose up like an entombed snake, bursting the suiface and splashed about impetuously for outlets which continual changes of the rocky bairriers offered and withi' ew. Ks the tnrrent rose to the hunters, the snow massively came down. But they were hardened bordcrmen, and tar from Luting even justifiable awe paralyse tt.eir courage, nrched their backn against the piercing north wind, and listened to judge by its sinister voice where would open an escape from the enwrapping danger. Fortunately, the very violence of these Rocky Mountain snow-storms lesMt their duration, and they calm down more tepidly than they break out — suddenly and without a warning lull. This the adventurers knew, except Filditch and Ranald alone, perhaps, and though Ihey were knee deep in icy water and ntcre snow men, they dwelt statuesque without a murmur. During three hours they huddled up, clinging to each oU:^'. merely shifting, so that every noi^ and then the more exposM should be .eplaced by the be sheltered — a living bulwark, that built ana unbuilt itself for its own protectic " Hurrah, boys I " shouted the Yager, as the wind died away sharply, " v, have weathered it. Old Rocky is somt, though, whfui he pitches snowballs I The snow flakes were soft at last, and not intern ingled with icy atoms tl cut the cheek, ay, ^nd even the leather of their dress, like a san^lnst. Scmjd that ceased, ana they could view the di'eadf ul medley of the devastated countrjft. All the landmarks were removed, and the new- ones were frightfully fantastic. Trees were stripped into logs, and flung upon the bluff.s, and boulders were perched in the crotches of dismantled trunks. The grove where the hunters had been ambushed among the stumps, to succour the Half-breeds' captives, no longer existed even to the roots. No sound arose where no breathine creatons remained, rcur feet deep the scow and sit t spre&.i as a hi- ' ■ihroud over the level ground. ^ The survivors waited an honr for the frothv torr' ..s, ey ^.i.r': -■;-., K> mmm the /rr 'iff,' Hint. 43 trensforrawl In a f«r jolt, and bi»alt »»M ed h«ary pines and ail clouds were com- atnumpheri ao that u il a colossal band p masses, aiid ligkt ce existed. All the earns of gloom. As I deafencnl — the roti^ ng of tb« trees, th» noaninff their prajren Bad One. On they d nests w«« wrecked^. dieadiul of all, n< jHckii'g flakes arous nn down, and then ) tablelands. only chance, boys ! " c to their late post, i terrible obstaclea in mgh with stones that swollen, rose up like bout impetuously for ffered and »ithf ew. me dowc. But they tifiable awe paralyse th wind, and listened from the enwrappin" 1 anow-ttonns lessc i break out— sudden except Filditch n icy water and i »tfc^', merely shifti«„._, e .eplaced by the best or i«8 own protectio sA away sharply, " wa pitches snowballs I '' d with icy atoms that te a sandblast. Soon l>e devastated country. e frightfully faittastsc. ffs, and boulders were where the hunters had M-breeds' captives, no no breathinf creature « a »-' 'i^roud coatd ford H by offerin|f so an^lar riwistance, all supporting the up-streian leader against the still raging current. Then, rigging up temporary snow-shoes out of fragments of eldef and their ragged robes, they Iwgan to glide owr the fresh floor, hsrdly ftrm enough yet to support even their restless skimming. They Were five hours reaching a place of refige near the secluded Ci.ve whicn Ridge did not wish to make of public .knowledge. Cf the Crows and the Bois Hrul^s there was not n trace. Sttdi n stomi could have made one huge snowball of wanons snd eettle, and tmndled it irrwiatiblj down the steppes into the gulliea ^ the Bad Unde ol MontMuu CHAPTER X!. TBK IKKBSISTIBLI BAIT. The hand trf gold.grabberi«, whose prisoner Miss Maclan had bec(Mne, had mA the snowstorm supinely. They had, besides, obeyed their prudent leader »qr remaining buried in its protective mantle until the 'j The negro dived under a flap of canvas with a terrified face, as mncn atrawt ol his threat as of his master, thus evading a tin platei that was wantonly sHtnmed after him, and might have cut his head. ' ^ , ^ ^i. "Sit to it; gentlemen," said Kidd, rubbing hi* hands, and dont let the good tilings get cold." . . ^. t rw .« They had not waited for this apology for grat» to begin the meal iiRe so BUiny cvftivora. For about a quarter oi an hour no «»e uttered a word. .AK .:'\ ' Thr m mm Os^^^d, ."■-^ ^^., >'.'' «s<«pt " Pass the mustard,'' '' Don't let tfaat bottk ff* ¥> ^^P Ihart" «iut lift ou. whilst '* Drud^'A " was kept on the trot. H? was onl/ &lMut eighteen, we r«peit ; bnt he «^petved elder ffev beie;; tl^i« large ii»'t'\'* joints, muscular, and especially from thi« n.iolution on his nac]^; >M>an',jiuUi'Ce ; he was »allow, and hb restiess eyes dark. H« s eei n ed & prey to incurable ^nelancholy. Though he was too crafty to let hJs true »•"»!- meats be cxpoi^ed, it «as dear that he served these ruffians with inw? 1 <^e^ug- 3«nce, not 3)' always ^poke in a scomfid and threatetiifig toMt ; "hty ewefe stnc^k him ani kiclred hi.-n, .< one &«in^ the captain, upon vhich ull four iaugited. ** Yo3, It's hlceoc h wiit wosh tjte slate of fMme lA VK'r unpaid scores i« oar-room^ I COtitd tell yoa «f! But care killed a cat; f'll h«ve none of that in my ttnnMer. There's only one thing krpt tm awake last night, and that yi4» not tkc thought of the Jtorm." *' What, my friend Corfey }o«f " inrouQ:ht in alone knows ; but I vm sure iSttif knew we were ' nc good settlers,* to h.ive laid our representatives low. 1 am reserving the questioning of thai girl til! our more important ' talk' is over. Light your pipes, gentlemen, if you are done polishing your eyeteeth, aad let us hrTd the council." There's one thing sure,*" {Aservtd the Preachfnan, "the nftore I took oh this forsaken country, through smoke or wit!) a char eye, whither the Cap. has brou^ US, the mors !in»l> f wih I had it weM behind me. It'n enough to make a man wish he was a gri«I" ; nothing else can thrive hero.'' " €o«a, come, Frcnchy," -smonstr.-ited the leader, " we are uomore dc^i^'ed than you. It is not here I mean to lay out Kiddville ' but there is n« other way to the port whereto I stepr." ** Fort ! more like sllssK water ; Hsete"" n«t an ounce jrf anvtkln? w<>rth a man's stooping to pick lip over all the tracks we've crossed, "the fr^crt is, the hajoners round Varini have 'stuffed' yow wltK yarns of the wonderland whkh g«ts farther away the nearer yctt come to Uf <^ifasam about tut «aliey m» i'&i^'i 1 i* i'.^'£^^ti:y.y. . '.* ''3^y\': :, i- «ved cldor How belsg thA tvisolution on his » dark. He se«nied k ty to let his true s^^M- ns with inw?' 1 rtfug- illed him with dis^t^t, ; liktf eveii strnc'-i. him These were " Quarry Mr. Filditch has made intance ia about to b« Mk that summed up the i approvingly, owi> over nicely. Old hrottgh r> far," said bis im, you bet!" (aid his on ' 4»,'^ coa{:Iaded>j re catching it abont vh*» lid scores i« bar-roomk ve none of th»t in iT.y sight, and that W4S not un, wlio seemed *<> fe«l rine, otherwise earmjie^ f North -West America"* nalieiixius, alort, quidr t» and defiant speech. Tho n and tite most ti-Tctiess B tilt narrow ways." 1 knows; but I im ««r» f pepreseotatives low. I important ' t4lk ' is over, your eyeteeth, B»i 1st us 1, "the more I look en ye, whither the Cap. has hind me. It'n enough to hrive hero." w« (tra QO mora detigli'e^ \>v% tfatnt til lift «Mii«r wa,^ M» o^ anvtlklnsr W«wth a •rcssed. the fn-H is, t of the 'Vvinderi lid wh* inuaon about tite w 45 coverod wSth surCaoa gM i I k»o« wiiat gr^l-heaxvts earth is, haviag been in Californv in the good dd years ! " with > amack of the Hps. " This volcanic t.act is burnt out. Aay •^oeUl has 1 ing «>-ice melted and run away miles belo»v. Either you have swailowed the old trap^r's dniniien moHtbings W gospel, or you have let Corky Joe here gtt you la a coil i the bigger li«s he'tciiv, the mov» v«i! Uhs hiai, I k«ii«v« I i wouldn't fiMpar bis lay -ou."^ <«« *n» .' You hear *' Ym kftep my name out of i|f i " (.ri«t 44w MKldsRl aiiuded ta, «ritb an unfriendly tone. " I'll kick you out of it if yoc hacd t4t MLrufi I am aot io be bhiffed off by yott, ugly face ! ThM ii a free couatry, uin^ it f and "ay opiktioa is that you fawn on the chief to have the longest pull ai hist bottle of s«l««t brai»iy t " Scarcely were the words spoken before the Wolverine r«&cht keM- -on going ahead, we should not be where .vnow.itorms rage. Why, yoK knew m down south, but;!, the Wolv ue -vas r.o acquaintance of youin a tnontb befoi«« you ^athei;ed tW^| gang; ni Ht on that for a fact ! " "Ikat'fe o, Paul," returned the leader, dieMttHy. ^ " Whynoteren have gone throi^b the Mormon eouiftrf f Vfk all knowthis? are ' temperance folk ' ; but, bless yoa ! it's aext door to a teetotel t that one drinks tiw best tarantula>iuice," ** That's true !' said Dick, "I daresay," replied the chief iMn^, "ttiat { have gone a (rfSfiMilttrf my •.**y, jut you ottght to know that 1 was bound to i«save no ' pointer ' on my path as to my trae ain». Tbinps were getting too hot for us on Ike "yHder— we arM«t. What do you think of our scrape ?" he demanded of Corky joe. ''. Abort as bad ks they make 'em," was the ttnha^tating answer. " What's your opinion, Dicif f" The EngliiJi es-convict shook his head sulkily. ' " It's a beast of a country," he grumbled. ' There's «tw« iaomMh $n an hour hen than would fill St. James' Pavk f«»«^«Mfet ft wiH '<*e almosta treat »> baa roast at a redskin's tsrturs Sr«." " I concur," added Lottery Paul, laughing. " All right, Quarryman, w» an o of a pair, and I'll rtick to )ou whsn you sny «j must claw out of this trap." «^* MHllliBI 46 7%e Med Ekier mif'Bni&. der ^re — the traelr irdcr. At Santa F6 I earn bled with a trapper, whose jacket was bright with ditjitond batons, stones that he found in a marTclloiis garuen where the Itfirries were turned to petrifaction as ;hey grew ; the choke-cherries were rubies^ l.hs blufi berrie-i tuiquoises, the pigeon-berries garnets, the Indian piaars (lawless crystal. He had collected a pouchful in half an hour, for which a ' w at St. i'eiar's ^aye him eight hundred dollars a^ they were turned over t« m ia tteroBgh. "Did you ever meet 'Oregon 01,'* in your nutliag about? He's a iijNor' wester who has traversed this region more than most j he never wants for jM, and Kfi hardly takes a ;rap out with him, and often brings l>ack tite powder itarted with. And Marcellin's Clioctaw Boy, and Hopeful Ed., and Sinimios fh«; Knifer, aU famili».r with the Yellowstone River to its uppermost forks. They have iin»jd their pockets without bandiinj' the spade, on surface flakes aikms. And Jim Ridge, the father of tho Old Birds ot the Sierras— with his «tippsi all that for 7 Provisioning themselvM for staking-out all the be.$t spots „.lo an ftiirilfrous region — the mother-iand of the gold and silver of which mere i.jl|l«ihin$s go down thither by driblets ) Those mountaineers are leagued with bn Ynger, and. they have found an enormouslysrirh hole in the Yellow^ne Bash), There's enough to make each of us twenty times, ay, fifty times a mil- lionaire, find thos<^ dozen hunters -selfishly sl,and us oSl Gio your way, if yoo are bent on it, witliout any dollars from me, I will persevere, though I am left ^alonp, in strivine to »Test this secret from that wew. I tell ycu, boys, I have piad onough (if a nard life with the prospect of v^.^iking off a mule's back till a rope I'ound irty neck brings me to a short slop, I w«nt, with the worst kind of want, to go see Europe with a big dtaft on the Bank ot England, and have sottte .OS these Eye-talian j/irincelings biaitk my toota before I die in 'tm." Th*n, seeing that he had kindled his haarers with cupidity, he concluded t * 'Axi Tub Tkgasusk oe ttAHLH io Hum sur'ais. Si 'Wr'^^swte BttiU 47 ptain. " We are all re new to this wiW 16 deuced mouhteio jold mine is a fraud. B many a better man ig as a house awaits ; coast." rder i^re — the tractb mine doe* not show having escorted you Parinan's eJoouence. ing his brow with an ise parts — very well. on whose threshotd eer into it from afar ; hazard, and all their bt palpable evidences lose jacket was bTight >us garden where the s-cherriea were r ubie«, Indian pears gawless , for which a J " ** turned over to ow in iag about? He's a t ; he never wants for rings back the powder etui Ed., and Stwimins 1 its uppermost forks. ^«, on surface flakes the Sierras— with his h a deep atid sudden t the way they bay the up into the highlands. f-ovA all the best spots (d silver of which mews leers are leaeiued with lie in the Yeliowstone s, ay, fifty times a mil- Go your Way, if you evere, though I am idt I tell you, bows, I ha'/e off a mule's back till a with the worst kind of ingland, and have some He in \m" idity, he concluded<^^ « sertijs. " Who 5oT^ geld gsioKj, comes abng with Mr. Pirate King ! " " I catch on," ened Joe, as if inspirited. .•».„# "They do say,thoV, thai the Yellowstone V»«ey is haunted-sptnts of Injin deVils guard Utel.icalcttlabie treasures, spit hot ^ison at th« .nvad^r, smWerhiia in scalding mud, shower rocks uDon him from all bl^«s-so if you are afraid of wh*t haS«'l d,,i,ntkd Old Jim anS his band. «hy. '«f *« »«_f "^ 1°^ to have the firei chaa • rise ' on you when we meet in Nevada City, me and Joe n^^xThSrT^^^ ^th whisky, good hotel g«b, a»rf gold and diamond, nnd^yo? scrafiug She g.itt«r for tb^ lime^ swept out of the stores ! , If "^ to« if i Jten days wt aje «** kne.. deep in golden sands, m a vale where eternal '^'^ZL'trL'T.^fZT:::^r:S'^t^lx^ Uke fanned coals, the EnlSm^rpa«tK4ily «nd ground his tU with a buH-dog's anticipatory *■ " We are on a ^*« 89ft tWoff now," pursued the captain, clinching the nail Which LTadTivThS^. ^^-'^h'^^r.^ri^ ' r^r^Jt dH vei9> of bad hick has fined «ut to a h»ir, and that fortune is going to do a """"An right," said 9Iok, *fter a gl««ce at the Frenchman, who nodded, " we'll ^"ThS'a'tttrlnk round. Toe. pick me out four or five fellows who can use snowshoes without laying tliemselves up with the ^J'* ^<^« t'^^"!« '^ '''« ''^P^!^,'^ be, and wh^« he also hoped to surprise Jim Ridge '" ««» P"^"^" ^f^^*' His e«thnsi«tic promises and the effect of the liquors restored the recalcitrant ^ir^ftirt^foSrhrscouts retumed.pleadln^hat his snowj^ wem unable to help him over a snow-coated cUn.ga, or W swamp:jr stretch T^.^ he would have sunk and been smothered. But, in the captains ear he wSe^d a communication which set that worthy to reflection. At vhe end of Tt, he Sed Lottery Paul to take the rackets a..d go of! ««vestigatinr m a Srtaki direction, ordered Joe to keep good guard over the camp, and took 0kk with biwi 00 an exploration of his own. , „ .. . ^„„„.^.- Installed withoift any hostile spies at his elbow as provisional commander, r*rte- Joe smiled to himself, and muttering : '' N.>th.ng could have lK«n better kSV«^ *» t^"*"'" **« f«^<=^ded towards tl» rocks, where Drudge was jjteRdiog on guard over a naj^terious doorway. The Med Mmr M^U-. CHAPTER XII. VMBC* Tm MAtJC Wrbn Cwtny Joe luidl atmoit ccmm up bo^dte Otta^ge, tlte !at*«r «cch»nfe(I a knowing jjlance with him, and, drawing « aheeJ; g girl 1 it WM pi^c Miw Maclan, tr-tking up with a prolorged rest for her exhaustiot , in a hammock of gras«M:loth, hung low, another girl, younger aod .slighter, with ft tnjly American complexion and contour, geotly was fJwinging. She was wall within her ttens ; a. sweet ar.t' lofty type of beauty i;5«;ll« as Raphael and Murillo painted in their most tnspir^o moments^ Her large black eyes seemed to reflect thoughts oftanercf heavon tiian (A aajth ; her transpar^^i skia, fine ax saim, showed the blMs net.w^>rk of rho delicate w>ias, and o£?ered a violent contrast to black hair ir^ thick nud loi>^ tresses. Her irresistibk cbann vua heighteood by the peitn»aent aftd(««M whtch cohered her Unea*nsats and «om> pelted (»'iiy. &hn smiled faintly on beholding DradgQ, a^id imde him w«lGoiqie in a tuneful voice a£ she gay« bim her iitde iiaad. " But I ought to scold you, f risn^" a^« s«id, "for coming too ofteo. If th»t bateful manj whose very slave I am, should catch you here, wl&ore ^ u could jfind r caccose to be, ill would befai! you." '' That's so, senyorita," the youth replied, lightly ^oough, "but yon need BOi be alarmed about me this time. My oni) djmger is that /ou will think me intrusive. Captain Kidd h»,8 left the camp, and the depth of tbe snow makes goln^' so slow, that J should not wonder it he made a long stay of jtt' Thay hftvr 'oen having another jangle, all iit my hearing, for," he went on, with a bitter smile, " they reckon me as an idiot, and go on an if noFKidy were by." " Poor Leon I " she sighed, kindly. " Don't be sorry about that, s«njorita," he hastened to proceed, " Ut that'V my safeguard. Otherwise I cotild not watch over you as ov«r a sist* c. Tho hour is nigh for me to piovs my devotion, rocthifti::^.''' ♦' I ■!>tty well know that I can count o.'i Loon with entire trtist, U not*WiCi!«i««, ■■'-.■■-v>T ,"■ ■--"' .X/nffcr the tfash 49 e !at*er ©jtchiwgei a ilia uide from the ,e canvas Ml behind ftU««)'« plac«r ered over with tree -metically roof it >n. tag t», which diftised '\t« tow teats were all ^ttk A couch of the i 1 k wm p«or Miss at. wimger and sSighter, » rj«dnging She was f^Hch as VAf^ael aod ge black oycs seemed 'r&nspar(a)t skiu, fine and oSered a. violent ■resistihie ch&rm w%^ Unea'neats and eom- id i>ade hijn w«lcoKpe Mg too often. U th%t lere, vc&ore J u couid h, "but yoo need not it /ou will think me th of the snow makoi sag stay of it*,' They r," he went on, with a : nof»ody were by." :o proce^ixi, " fcr that's as over a aiat* c. Th« our hop^ thesitCiJ' ,, ,_ _ „ _, your impl-xaUe hatred for this wretch who Misfortune unites ns. But I must own t^ at, knowing holds us in his powe., 1 am often troso »^ cause, afrajil th.it jyou wifl burst out into some impruden'» that will destroy jrou and leave me without a friend in the world. Unless," ihe addetj, with a "gftince «t the sleeper, whom their sulidued tones did not aifect, " this is a new friend whcflrt heaven has accordeu me in my distress." " Rathfft a spy whwn the odious captain thinks to plant tn your coofidence," retmned Leon, with jealousy and doubt. *' Coining irom the captain, I would not take an angel as a beirig of light." "You ara wrong there. We have not exchaneed a^.^ wor^, Leon, f-jt airatdv we are sisters. Thirirkl she has lost a father laiVy, and has been huntci. ?.v Indians I Poor ajrl} ber fate is at least as dnsad.'ul as mint, and her hei..it^nmaih Mill i)t«^il>& W« can trust her, though I hava not told heralL" " Tell her nothing superfluous," he cried. " The slave must ht ean^ng pr>d prudsnt, or he will n«vsr have the chance to obtain his freedom. Haay a trmo, though, ! have let go the chance to obtain it alone." « " You were right 1 for whet would have become of a boy fifee you in these deserts in a storm such as shook the earth last night f You would b»; a mite ! " {..eon the Drudgf smiled djsdainfuily,»Q4 ^ ^ale face was set in ar/ expression of energetic will, "That is not the fearthat held me.WMiyortbi," he replied. " I am yotmg,but Indian boys go on the war-path at my age. I have broken in horses that gteat men about this camp have bhiank from "backing, and can back a mule or fiie a shot to the ceil '; with any of them, hut for my double oath, 1 should havabeen aioije— -yes, bu. ire* on the prairie, long before this !" " Explain ! for you speak beyond my comprehension." " Scnyorita, I made a vow to be revenp-d on this horde of viliainotis men, and not to fly save with you. You have not been spared s« long but for some fiendish end which a man of honour iss*issi!S''' wh**" naturaL I^awflMi'iiiJMyh>'>>esUc da^ v-scg^ being devou]^«l by Ibe'praifie 'iW-' WSfeed. wol\r«s wbea abandpned at a camp P He joins them, fn»k« with th*», (Wd howls more loudly than they! it Corkey Joe resembled a mis ,onary, h© would stand preUy conspicuous out from our gang of Border ^Mirors. It is oy putting on their stylo that he has hoodwinked them." .,...( " oil, if I could be suru that you are not cheated, and that this tnght ot a inan is truly what you aay I " i. »_ • «. i.: •' I say so straight. The Carcajieu may or may pot be a bewty, but bis look is only skin deep anyhow. Ill aniwer for hla feuthfuioesa with my owa baad. I know what he is worth." V *' No, l' cannot, senyorita," ^le' interrupted sharply. " I premised to keep the sectmt. No more, beyond his being your most devoted." " Now, Leon, do not fill me up with a belief of Which thersmoral would be besirt-breaking '" "Nofearofthi enyoiital" " Very jvell j apite of the repulsion he causes, 1 will be polite to mm, kind—! will even speak to him " "Why nut at once P" " Oh, not at once I" , . ,. . , -. •' I say that is best, for It's a first-rate chance, the captain and the chiefs being out of the camp, and Joe the ruling spirit. Do you consent to receiva '• But I would rather— that is, a little preparation. JjA me consult nrfth tfeis young lady." " ft is not her secret ! Do jon waver P do you recoil r , " No I" she cried, at the taunt, with a duscisive tone, which itartled and thrilled him ; " let hir.i come I go, brtng him, Loon !" " Ha waits yonder, as the &etc goldseekers' leader had not mWJiiied his aspect or apparel, and yeS there W9S a change which euclttd an cxciarna- tion of surprise from the girl. His step was firm, his usa.iHy^ 3ter« and spiteful face beaming with p^ty and frankness. The featares that had orijfinaawS invincible repulsion were still there, but, with the morose and mock-ng eapres- slon, had varished all foundation for distnist and diead. He stepped foS«»aKO and saluted her respectfully. She glanced towards the sleeper. " Let her rtspose," he observed, with even more sympathy in his eyes oi «old tteel blue ; " she will nesd her strength restored for what we all flv»y hziMS to tjass through." . , „ . "No doubt," she sis'hed. Fixing a clear gsute on the max she smiled fftintly, and promptly f eld out her hand, saying, " HfAveo bless yt»M, unsii*. pei:ted friend, for beii g alone in this host at beartfess mm, U> iake tom> interest in a poor orphan 1" ^ i. j "SenyoriU," answend Joe, in Spanush- American, which ttWigue she hao used, " I hav«i only joinci this bad set at the peril of my life, i.n puraiianoe Of my duty, incidental to which come* in the rescue of jkn/' " Leon told me so." " tTien he snake the tnith." The brief sibnce wau tucokiin by I fM Bmii\ful Ptkener't Wkni, Jt a rai onary, he r Terrors. It Is by M thU fri|^t of a ! « bemty, but Ws iness with my ow» cmJsedto keep the tbetsmo^ai woaW )tsufi and iht cWefa 4 consent to receivs me consult tx^th <*^ whicb Jtartled and •' i ««a tJmost worry, tliougii, that you havw wntwed to apeak to «■.©» ^s said ; " the captain i« feo Jealous a ^ant, that anything makes me tresnble. Still, your voice inspires a confidence ol which I was very much m want, and, notwithstanding your not enjjaginf appearance—" for the sun^mc a»«med to have left Lieutenant Joe's countenance again, so that he glowered unpNwantly m evef— "something witli«nd to set Jirt ler had not modified eUelted an exclama- 1,13 usually steif and res that had originaiBa i and tnock'ntf expres- He stepped fosxraxa thy in his eyet o? cold at we all «ft»J haw to fthc ina,i, glite stnaeS ,ven bless you, ansa*. tt Men, w» ^^ soiaf» which t«iwif;«.« -she/lm^ ny U£e,i.o piifsiatwew CHAPTER XIIL TUK BBAUtirUL raSSOKXB'S FRtSMD. !m qnick, clear tones, the double-flaying licuUinaat of the pr^rie pirate rwswned hi» speech. . ,* . - » i,.^ ^ « •' A full «Htplanation aboat me would lead us tfar, so come to the essential point," »»id he. "To begin with, when you wa it to ask Or «ll ma 9c«wthi'«, let Drudije knoiir it. He w compk-toly devoied to you." » And as we must Iwk ahead, it being likely thut Captain KSdd may fee hi a whim orior gsjod reasons foibi4 you visitors, heire i* a Itttle scroll »n Spanish, williwto Is raikda Table of .Second Sight Signals, used by confurois. The aueetiona are innocent aitd commonplace enough, but they stand for phrases of meanimg. You can address me thus direct on tiie tmtm, and tkot » soul lian smsper* we are carrying on a correspondsnce." ** r» soon have that by heart, senjor,^' she exclaiimed. 'And teach this young friend the same. The captam will have his woi* Ctit cut with.tvro wom'.a leagued against him and a spy in the garrison, I p'-omiiaevou. "MeverthisleBS, you mus, bear In miiid that patience a»d stratagem will alone hr;c*g us success. Keep up your beariiJi! of dislike to me, in otixt »t.a'i .i.4».. are: secrellv in tie." iiin.te,r-il 5» Tiu Hcd " Understandiiu^ all the importanue of that advie*, I shall conform to it," " Captiin Kiddis aty, tad at tlw faiatast hint of oar teUtions, It would b« all over with me." " I shail oLoy you in all ways, lenyor, and you shall be aatisfied with your pupil," she said, gently, but firmly. '' One question -. what is Captain Kidd's behaviour towards you ? " "So, so; his is an overbearing character of scif-will, and he is inscnvblo^o sentiment ) often days pats without his thinking to throw a word, gooil, bad or indifferent towards me ; but I must honestly confers that he never forgets the respect due to my sex, ago, and education. However impulsive, absurdly freakish, and even passioaate ha night bc'*too, many a daughter is less ill- treated than me his prisoner." " Ifs a comfort to learn that there, is one bright tpot in that dark heart. My plans as regards him depend on the information I heap up. So tell mc I you ever knew the captain before he aiole you away from your boarding- school at New Orleans, kept by the Misses Featherley ? " " I really cannot answer jrou with a certainty, cenyor. Still, there is now and tiieti a tone of his voice, and even a look of his eyes (which I remarked tn l>« very strong to require spectacles) not .\ltogethe'r new to me. I may b« deceiving myself as to that, but I am pretty sure that he it disguised morti or less." " If h» ««n> known to jrou In your earliest year*, where would that be 7 " "Why, senyoi, as I speak Spanish and English as if Ibcy w«rd born In me, having only had to acquire French at New Orleans, I have always believed what was told me, that my father was an English merchant, who married a Mexican lady, and that I lost both of them by an Indian attack." " Who introduced you at that fichool, where the terms were high, I have heard sayf" " It was, indeed, a fashionable seminary. I was an orphan, true, but soin« near kinsman was taking care of my future." "Who was this?" " I never saw him, and his steward only once. I cannot ev'^n describe him, but an elder schoolmate pictured him as a middle-aged man, stout and strong, not particularly tall, stern and dark, with a shiftiti!.^ eye and rough skin." " And his name ? " "This major. d«nw was called Mathias Coi-v!no. One of the M>< Featherleys told me that he had became an independent gentientan, and itv in New York in great style." " Do you suppose that in the husk of Captain Ki !d (Maid abide this 9an» Mathias Coi-vino, senyoritaP** " I have not the skill to say so, but when the captain is aagry, I am rvmindc^d « to me. I may b« It disguised morti 0( would that bo?" cy wora born in «>•• ave always belicvca ant, who married a ttack." ■ were high, I have >han, true, but »oiim. t ev^n describe him, lan, stout and stroDgr id rough skia." One of tfce '^'' gentllmnaii, and liv raid abide this flftn» ■agry, I am reminded Well, whatev-ir iHw in tim* I shall have sly. «nd lapiitog into e 1 k-.nsfolk ? " ftssed away during a iF^nr ^iK^ibM Lewis." Tkt Btm^l PHtmHT*a Ptiend. S3 " Lewis 1" "But you most not despair, senyoriia. Mark this, whatever mishap your brother ran, you have been watched by at least one friend of your father's, aad had the villam who abducted you from your home attempted to suppress you by murder, an avenger, if not a defender, would have appeared by your side in the New Mexican gentleman named Don Gregorio Feralta." " I know him, the grey-headed gentleman who spoke to me when the school waa out on proaMnade. H« told me he was my friend. Where is he f pray tell me." " The accomplices of your abductor tried to hill him to prevent Captain Kidd being followed. His woi: h', howevek, was serious without being mortal. I will warcaat tk«t, a« Sflon as iie could fork a steed, he set out OQ the pursuit of you.'" Oh, then you hope he will overtake us .' " " He or another will be at our side soon," answered the false lientenant, ambiguously. " You are not trifling with me J" " I am not that kind of Wolverine," answered Master Corfcey Toe with a forced laugh. " I say Don Gregorio, spite of his age, is on our track, because he loved vour father. Your tather is also a-ioot, and, at last accouois, hoped to enlist in bis aid some mountain trappers. They are not sordid men— often have they been known to lay aside a whole season's harvest of incredible toil to rescue a roan or woman of their colour from the red men, or to flock ta the border when the cry of aa Indian outbreak commanded all gun-bearers to fill a loophole in tlie forts. But thi'; troop which surrcumds us is bent oa a mission hostile to the first explorers of this region, and its stores of fiery spirit and ammunition are intended to be sold to the Indian^, clean counter to the laws of the United States and British Dominion, and t>- the regulations of the fur trade companies. So Captain Kidd's organisation is doomed 1 aad you moat be saved when it is cmsfaed." " Haxfe I, indeed, friends in this repeating my call to them." " Your. mils f» " I havti been talking to them whilst we w > conversing here.* " I do not understand, senyor." " On tfiese imnfense wastes, the voice is insignificant, but the clear air allows the vision to travel far. Not only is there one general code of signals by fire at night and smoke by day, but the trappers^ who are now independent since the ruin of the American fur companies, tetain in use the alphabet they employed. Sin«e th<; captain left me control of the camp, I have had the fires placed as I chose, and their position as the columns of smoke ascend hat telegraphed for miles atxiund that one of their allieav— I— ia herein wan* <>t assistance. Not » soul suspects it, but already I ractiue in using snow-shoes, for he was & horseman of southern plains life; and the inevitable pain at the inst»> (orced him to reach the higher land of the vallf^ -divide or crest, and trudge ^n with the rackets at his back. Here the wind had left but an inch or two of saoW ; and he Wiilked for a couple of hours without noteworthy inconventeace. Fii»liy, he came within half-a-milo of the Red River Half-bretds' ill-fated encampment. When " Quarry Dick " preceded hira there, he found the Canadians still d'gging out the wagons, and binding up their wounds and frost-bites,' He was much surprised at seeing so many women aad, girla j and, at the first .words arely Js to punish » laveft meal off fny idyatwork. Thrw f right now. ■^^'ho tiler in these part*, tAchment to — to my tMt by tb« diategu«, ho presumed it meet •folly onthea'fonpt ed who had dragged glee. "VlTifct did I s!" ikced, as he reflected joyous hope o( yours singular events may >t the oldest trapper or impudent that he ■tone Valley, as this ight have been the nourishing of the th a very short stem, >ne »u8pected what a 1%? (knpO' .IS iited from the English- eared Kidd had not an oil southern plains reach the higher land eta at his back. Here walked for a couple of me within half»a-mile d tiie Canadians still J front-bites. He was ind, at the first words addressed to him, wa» still (utther iil!«< i itoni; nent. i~ .>i going on to the place wlMKe — whether he knew n or not—the BotaRv Bay convict h«a prepanxl an enviable leccption, his catotain chose an eievatefl knoU, cut ■;orm lung sticks with his batchci-iuiiie, laia them upou the snow, and acrom on* another in ^rata, so as to ti'>m a platform, and idndled a fire upon fhis green, wood, a tolerably familiar act '-i the winter. '>ooa the flam* sprn^ig up, hot enough to roast a buffalo whol ; but he threw .> couple of handifula ol atinl:- wood upon it to cause a blai k pillar o{ smoke. On spying this token that his leader was at hand, the "Sydney Duck' ren in»d in the Bois Bnil&i' camp as a host ige, acrording to usage, tiiourh thr precaution would have been waived, and their captain cime forth to confabulata with the other commaoder. Gliding along over the snow with the CanediAna* expertiiL.'Sson what are national footwear to them, the Half>brM4 speedily h^ilcd the man quietly seated at his fire. " Who comes ? " uhallenged the latter, cocidng his rifle, for form's s?' " Dagard, the Bois Brule^one of the leaders o* the Red River Poyerb 1" " I am the loadi. : of a large band of gold-hunters," was the reply, " Glad ^" see you ; come on." Captain Dagard was one of those independent spirits, who would alway* ^n la conili'St with the *<>wn authorities in civili ation ; and also, in th« wilda, did pretty much as he pieaiied, and executed, with delightful nonctutlance, matiy an uojusiifiable deed. His mixed blood mide him now hate th>' wbii'^i — now scorn the retis — ^but all the time resist gc «mment In general, and the British Coloaial ono in particular. It is to bebcine in mind, too, that never were two nirire inc(>ngruoti!i elements in one countrv than the Scotch and the Prencli settlers ot Canada — the one sober, steady, strict Puritans ; the other volatile, indolent tor periods out of proportion to their fits of activity, and staunch upholders of the feasts of the Church. Unprejudiced beholders cai not n« any difference in the tri .tment by (be rulers of either people ; but slill the French Canadians, and principally these Half-breeds, never cease complaining that they do not enjoy tihe saoM prlvUeges a.i the conqitercr racB. Kidd and the Manitoban sat down by one another. "You might as well have come on Into my camp," saidi I'Embai- i- r. reproachfully, " though we >je a littk upset by the storm. Ybe moment 1 1 from your adherent— a stout fellow, eh P though a bit of a brute I — that _ were so kind as to help me when the Crows were in our midst, you could be sure yot were as my brother I" " Yes, of course," stammered Kidd, at a loss to understand the allusion. " 1 — I came in — m the nick, didn't ! ? " " Like a mir-icle I /e thought we were gone under, sure, when you poured io that volley, and Wiadi- the Crows take the beck track. By all that's blue ! yoa gave them such a share that we have seen not a feather of them since I That is ' one kind thing for which we are ail grat^ul. Now, is it in our power to repay you ? " " That depends." " You are prospecting \ is otrr local knowledj^s aciy use to yoi. >•** ia freely yours, captain." . ■ " I can say neither ja nor no noiv, for my comrades must be consulted. We are going into the Yeliowstone Basin after gold — — " "Ha, hai" laughed Dagard; "another dive into the famous Northern E! Dorado, wheio the w • paved with gold and silver, and the Ash-ponds are boiling Water ^iiea«e ou^ uraws xiuipoissan dAvrii ready cooked 1 " 5<5 The Red Rwer Haff-BrtetL " Do yrm not b«liev« K It Kke\y f qaeried Kidd. eartwttlT. " A« you My, nciihar ye* nr^r no. Wp gave the ' ffrehoia ' • iriue berth, for we Are not «t home in sulphur mar-ihea, soda l»k«a, and burning pits, liks that of the bad pliicc. If there be gold there, though " " I promise you that," returned Kidd, confidently ; " at) points to It. Will you join us— sharing and sharing^ alike~-if my men agree *o the union > There U Mough and to S|)are for all of us. Beiiides, blood heing !out with you," br-];an the gold-hunter, contemptuously. " You are off the track. These are valuables, not encumbrances," rejoined Dagard, tartly. " In two words, they are the captives of the Dahcotahs, taken away fiom their bvnit cabins in recent raids, and they were placed in my ch irge so that the Indian agents mieht discover no traces of them. Thus I have secured the friendship of the Sioux, and if the English come tu attack our little Red Wver Republic, they will find us reinforcedliy plenty o' fighting- men ! " " And,'* proceeded Kidd, with a chuckle, *' if the redcoats defeat you and Sou t»ke flight back into Uncle Sam's territory, you can obtain his protection y a handine over of the captives whom you charitably snatched from the wigwam. Well conceived. Captain Dneard I " Well conceived, Captain Daga Well or ill. conceived, it is not mv inventioa." •' Well, anyway, no fool thrught of it." '• That's where you are .wrong. It's the idea of a lutberly man of min*, Dave Steelder, ' Daft Dave.' He's an innocent, as we Bretons say, an idiot, if you prefer the word." "Oh, Daft Dave!" exclaimed Kidd, with a sparkle Of the eye under hb snow-go ;les. "Do lu know him f* " I met him at the Humboldt Wash-up when the flume burst and carted away his hut and savings. They say that drove him stupid. That was in 1869, or so, but others mak' out he was ctanky before." " If he is an acquaintance u( yours, perhaps you would like to see him. Shall I whistle him ovoots uavti us all at the gold mines. I have oftfn )>een taken for another ! " concluded Kidd, wi'.h a wink. •" How unfortunate I " said I'F.mbarrasseur, droUy laughing. " Then, I should not advise you to run against Dave. He's apt to tear when he's mad. Still, hiit strength makes him useful about a camp, though he's not hrig-St, and though he's not trusted on guard, he throws out valntht'* hintt now and .again, as these dullards do. But this is wind-work, mere talk. What have you come over to propose i" '^^^^ifiif^ J- -^^-"-•■""""■^' -"' A» IngmUmi Mrt/duc^m. $1 lole ' K wiue berth, for ming pita, lika that of II points to Jt. Will ♦o the union ? There I ipilt n( the Indians, rftriikc above all their command \i disabled etveauOD. I lay that over twentjr-fiw» adarer children " j ; iHth you," bf-jan i\0 :ambrances," rsjoined the Dahcotahs, taken y were plaf>'d in my ces of them. Thus I figlish come to attack i by plenty o' fighting. Icoats defeat you and I obtain his protection >ly snatched from the lulberly man of min*, tretons say, an idiot, if , boasts tiiat he regaUtea this ehnin 6t the sierras.* " His friends the trappers lynch a horse thief nowaiid tiMa,aodstoGtoSbaod any one robbing caches, but that's sound trapper law." ''If he and his friends block our entrance into the Yellowstone ' I^k,* what would yon do?" " Oh, when there's a roan between ma and what my eaopty pocket gape* tor, either he or I go under t " " You're the true colour," ejaculated Kidd, using a goId>m!ner's phrase, and not, . -; . Thi Red River Baif-Bncd. .grottiH}. B'il nothing was Tisibla to accentnate his fears, a^id, spying th fan- tastic block of b>vastonR ir> question, he biistencd to conrr'^tulate Dick on tlie splendid lie by which the gold-seekers were given the c.«uit of javing the Bois Bruits. As he expected, the Englishman, not having his own sause to move alowly, waj already at the tryst. At oil events, a figure in all point* resi»!^ bear that he has killed aad liyedl —bear's steak for supper ! Ha, "la ! ' Indeed, with their peculiar long paws, nothing snore rcMmbU'. a nam, «tcepting cousin mon'«2y, than uncle bear, slim with wintering. On a nearer approF.'ih, any doubt about Dick's '.aentity with the form calm'jf Wnitg on the rifle was iropo< sibte. Nevertheless, the sileiicc ar\d the immioility ttt \h« bandit appalled the other, and *he hanging figure, drumming "vith its heels on the npright atone as the spir.uin^and unspinning of its cor J of support OMrillated It, increased in ghastl'uess and its likeness to homo rather than ursa. Pausing again anew, he let hiirself be attracted to understand the puzxie, and, as Dick made no movemen', W less a reply to his now frenzird appeal, be darted madly to the butte where the lavastone rose !ike a monument. Th«M ^e czplanatio.i was ample. Some merr.jloss hand hid olatfl the Englishman, beheaded him. and fljiyedf bim, with the sicin of the neck only left intact, and after suspending the bo4y li'ite an artist's icorcki along the pillar, stuffed tba human hide out with snow so that not a wrinkle showed. The cold had froie.i this effigy into 'he semblana? of a marble statue. Whilst Ihe captain gazed horr. He read wiih redoubled apprehension i -, known as ' the Sydney Dock,' ' Sydney Dick,' and ' the Convict,' escaped from Australian prisons, murderer of Califomiaa miners, of Don Gregcrio Peralta, and of his daughter, Mrs Filditcfai tried, found guilty, and i»ecuted by Uu, " Thb Mew of tki Moontajji. " tlettds off! T nls Is the bu2itard'» b«it, do you hear P »* Then the drawing of a rifle and cros- A knives, and the fur-trade marku of Jim lUdge, Cherokee Bill, and the nasBf S. G..*"''!ditch," firmly graven. At the end of reading this weird death-scnte.cc, which was i wa nin^ too, Ciotain Kiddutteieil a terrible execration, and clutching his rifle and knife, »s if he expected! the wild ju^ticeers to spring out ipon bim f tax aroand the monolith, darted frenziedly hum- the unhallowed emiii»nce. But he had no purruers, and rsflecttar came to him a|( tti fan* consritulate Dick on the c.euit of , savin;; the Bois g his own cause to move re in all point* resfiipblin^ though he was pascied 'o cu abnonnaS flesh ooluur, le grottsd as H buog to n Ad, who had stopped with htfail that is giving me a he has killed and Bayed I more re»■e, and a noble good- huinoar tos, the only anintartkat dances Ir. sheer love of amusement, and his gambols at a " bears' party " are the dro'k.st sight a hunter ever knows. It is true few have looked on and lived to tell. The Rocky Mountains are the home of the reiitablegrizxly, anrl the frequency of h'l apparition among the mines oi the Sierra Nevada won th-; title of the Gtics^ Bear State for California. Captain Kidd recovertd frjm the recent shock that had unhing««d him before a danger t^hat required coolness to temper bravery. Ho shook h» h«A^ Mkf) a Nemouiidland coming out of the water, and growled. " This lumbering fool has smelt the camp, and has put himself exactly in my way oack. I wbh he had given those Caoadiaiia a visit where there are plenty of dead bodies." He carefully examined his rifle, slipped in a second bullet in a gnas^ ViiA, and reijumed his march, but with extreme caution. The Jifiiculty xM not to stuQible ot\ his foe, who, with razor-sm -p claws six or seven inches long, would make a man look as if he had gone th- ough rv " system of saws " ic a miK. He had proceede i some five hundred yards, so as to nearly get out of thn taagie- wood of deciduous trees, distorted and stunted by the cold winds, when a pro- longed cavernous grumbling, arising not far from him, sent an icy shive:' ail through !»=m. He stopped fjliort, bent forward, and took a wary look. Before attainmg a clearing, there was a narrow canyon to crrss. profoundly cleft between two perpendicular sides, two yards deep and twenty paos long. Aboui a third of the way ur this channel, leisure!) iprawling on the snow, i.i which h'? was partly embc-'ded on account of his gre <♦ Weight, a grizzly was licking hisi fore paws and i>rooothini>' pine burrs out of ]ils iiursih coat. Suddenly, the animal winked its !litie w-j,' eyes, pricked its snub ears VF and, witnout glancing round or -'i|(««f^|. lister, set to sniffing. Its subtle scenting (acuity Bad been aroused i»|- itJ'-n#? unwonted and consequently disquieting emanation. Nevertheless, ■•- fao t °'.I^hti% the captain, it was rxot he to v'uom tit" bear was paying any he " Good luck to Me si'.v in the idr that saves mel " ho thought. " The creji tore never imagines .hat a man is treadin* on his tail. Tts a opiendid fur coat but I am not hunting griuiy iust ai pr^s^fit, tbank you ! I dws't can fer ««y on my toast I " Hence, he wwt takinr a b.-ickward seep and Idofei.ig abotst hiiJi to t / tc; manage « circuit to avoid the encounter, wheu he heard 'vhat seemed an cho, only a little more ro, of the bca.-'s growl. It came from iehlt^d him, and w.!S so angrily intoa^i duw he was niost surprised 60 »«• * t-r'^'id K.riaily, op lutiiit ihy-Br^ea. '.'*>\i ?.»■'■>: flw m«te «l the %al^'. To be the sti riefie«r) of vrWci I'he fecond a wimoirer, was ■• life was &\\ the *:'iittftg l»«Nt«&l tiitu, its head towered ia Us Ok those expe» r ock betwma twe ^fstnr bi^tkdorea i^ ew vict?nis nr.rraye the Sncideats. agonist was ctTtrnn ^o arrive at him by i*i > -rinf; sc«fit, and, nean.!- aa w;!^ t* thu lar/^r beast, 'i • in and run for his course wh5dS his fright counselled, so be lifted his gun, Irvelled it :«teadily at tli« griaily's eye, |»rtly vei!.-d by its shaggy foretair, and pi-lled tile trieger Unfortunately, whether the piece had been tampefed with, Vf the snow had eaten away tKt< barrel, the charge b'jng fire, and the ppoiliar Wid frishtfnl'y loud detontt'ion betokened that the itarrel had burst. Without t^irtg woiinded, '.he raptain pitched forward hea< foremost into the snow, frotn ■iot meetinff ihe recoil which he had nerved liimstif to resist. Both bears howled t gethef, rattled their claws and gnashed their teeth, and, wfth a loud snarling, bound?c* towards the hapless captain. Mechanically, he drew his ' i-ife, but. or sdrambling to his feet, eaperienced a ttax so inexpressibly appalling ti;at he tor^t bii def:ennination to resist to the inevitabie death, aad leaped awiiy in a maa scamper. Accustomed to riding, he was not n, f^poA pedestrian ; his winter garments w«re unsuitable, and he was no longer blessed with youth. Besides, to get over snch ragged ground, ard t inong tough, thorny, scrubby conifera, was impossible Ibr one in blind haste He could tell by their breatiiin<( that the two bears were nearing him, bound for bound. Hehsd lost his kni'e,an() his revolver having been turn out of his belt by a briar too, he was absolutely at the mercy^— an unknown element— of his wotsueti. He dared not turn his head ; in hunters' phra»'K>l<>"»'. be ts\t them rufHe his hair with their bieatfa ; and, in truth, Old Ephrain-, his spouse were not a dozen steps off. His own hair stood up, spite of a perspiration, for he ftl* that he was irremediably lost. In twoor three minui^.., •ov feen tampered with, ire, and the pectiiiar lad burst. Without into the snow, from hed their teeth, and, n. Mechanically, he itax so inexpressibly inevitable death, aad his winter garments Besides, to get over lifera, was impossible at the two bears were » revoWer having been mercy — an unknown hunters' phra*?ol<»-*. th, Old Ephraiar, THORN CF ROSES. f*%as going On seven o'clock when the unhappy Captain o! the Gold-seefcw nxtd his deliverer, as be emphatically termed him, reached the former's ciinip. The weather kept cold, and the frost was biting. The cloudless sky of a clear night was lavishly sprinkled with the brightest stars. Lieutenant Carcajieu was on the point of sending out seme scouts to find the captain and missing men as he reappeared. He was warmly gree^^d. Not that his fellows doated upon him ; but, being like seamen navicatiog an un- known sea, they would have been in a quandary if he had eloped. After thanking them, the leader gave an account of his adventure, upon which the congratu. iations broke forth afresh for one who had escaped two grizzlies. Three or four men, as they were fully equipped, were directed to go out and bring in tKs remains of the English convict. " By the way, where's the Frenchman?" enquired Kidd, though d< irous i« riven the tetri6*U^ hey held in thdr uths belonging' to ance to those of necessary know- h h.td compisteljr }re skilled hunter. rods wh'ch had at one another. HtaiK Squflchfr," tern that Mr. R. Beatl" t the Gold-seek«ni the (ormer's camp, idless slf^ of a cleur e scouts to find the rmly greeted. Not navigating an on- >ed. After thanking hich the congratu^ ^riiizltes. Three or at and bring in ths though d< Irous o£ surprise. "Though ing with h'ar." ely. " I?oubIe the •rati --n of which he he tent. Wearied, iT sign of "friend I" ditiona! was set for Soon he |»ve the rnade manifest, for llcsario. She came on har face, andl ^ interest in. the This catition woflsa ejuSckly maatertK!, that It waa Invisible by the time sho haJ taken a seat prepared for her belween the two men. Dearbors Lad gazed at her with no other »tose I act tyrannicaliy over you." '* 1 beg pardon, Mr. Kidd," intervtipted Dearborn, playing osreieasty with hll imife, " as everybody has his hands li*!l in minding his own business, I nH>ke it a rti'.' Mver to go ouv of my way supposing things. At the same time, this foreign language before a guest is not what I was educated to call the correct etiquette. Besidt-s, if you must disoass family matters vfitfc this young lady, whom I take to b^ your'daughter, would it not be t>etter to put that by tilt we are through the meal ? " " Oh, I thought you knew Spanish, " returned the captain, smoothir. *' The lady is not my daughter, but my ward — a far- removed relative — but I love her as if she v ~>Te my own child ; and there is nothing that depends on me tb«t should not be hers to satisfy her in any way." The ^\t\ smiled mockingly. The laptain never stored a muscle as he w«Bt-' on thus: " I was merely observing, my pet— ^«»r»'rf8 iVi»>'tf— that I never shontd l«»*#i invited a complete irtranger hitheiw-^jne I have only known a few hours — to " our guest but for bis having rendered me one of those servicer utterij' ani able. In plain Etiglish, he has saved my life" <* Delighted t» hear it," rejoined the yomg lady, nibbHng lit tiw biscuit. " It is only too true," took up the htinter, laughing, " that, witho^ wuf^ vaunt, my interpolation in your trialogue with the gri«zly bears alone pre* vented the last repartee bdng rather fatal than otherwise to yow." " Ugh ! the bare idea nsakes me shudder I " said the captain, with nt ten*" tion to jest. " I am all over goose-ficsh now I " " Did this gentleman really save you froan the monsters? " queried she, «{N parently at length interested in the conversation. " Save is i,ke word 1 " ejaculated the bandit chief. " I was under the very clows, between the terth of tlie horrible beesta, So shake again, Mi. Dear- born," he added, with a fine tragi-comic offering of his band. " We are brothers light on till death do us part! ! am not much given to speechtfyingr but f have a rare memory for ^>od aad evil deeds done me, and as 1 live, you may ask anything of mine, and halvcn we go in it, thoegh 'tli ray gold placer in the —-— well yondtr I " "(Mind, I'm booking that offer, eaptain." said the young man, with an Eogltsh* tnan's hearty jovialily ; " I am not a r.An to iorget easily, either, and ! am ft grcac fellow' Jbr taking p«oj»ie at their word. S^, though I am for claiwing Kothing jofit now, do you see, I should not wonder if some day ' remind yott 3t jourpledps, £e h«!o yo>i««lf readv to nicet the demand, and tash up." " There is no reminder sit«ded in my case," said the captain, rather coidqr and praadly. " You will hod me reksiy t« act up t« my piedgefn," Jam mmm "Therefore, I shall ao>t 4wel! od that poiat. L«t uf thangis thesubject. You . wrr« Istughinz at me as a fo«il>M«ty son of fcMtuae vrho renuwH:^ old Ciwnii^ luxwrias, ana penetratts the AuKsricwi wiKlerness, qmise by himself," he Haid, with a stress meant far the auditre^s to mark tlie pltniso ; " hiX, what the pfaguu briofs you into desolstion P You bav« not the look of a merciaant. You would not na^gta antd bicker with McsiKS. 1,0 4t Qo^ at ^t* Yaakeas piajr^'ulljr cm tiM noble son oi the forest." " Quite s<>, I am not he« to trad*. Oh, dear, no I I am |ust jogging abu j." " But whither f I do aoi want to ;,<« ru4«; but whera there ar* ••:> roadi, it should imagine ona's route led nowliera.* " The proof that your inquiry is> not impertinent is shown ia my fndy answtsrti^ you. My coursa is pubJic property. On Um border, vnetyotkts frnows fhat my mates and I Are goine to the gold fields." " Oh, altar R^'id," rapeated the other with well-faigas'1 surprise " 0\ m* the nmge into Caiiforina ? In that case, if there's any reliance in maps — th )ngii wban maps are made by geographers at a desk ten thousand miles off, I hava not too much faith in maps myself— well, you are askew 1 Granting you tha fiodiog of & pass in the Roclues, you will be three weeks reac.^iug the eastern slope of the Nevada Range, atvd if you go that way and can climb the Oregonian Heigtits, you will be throe is getting down to Portland. EitSier way, you will have se heavy and (ati ^ a ' j«£t' that I ivandar very much that you tak« a delicate young lady with you." " What you say may be very true, sir j bul, to begin with, do ■ot *^\m aiwy with the wrong notion. This young lady would not be in my comfiany — I may better say, oae of my company— if it were aot absolutely her wish and will." "Oh, now I cur! back into my shell," said the Englishman, with a sardonic smile, " I cannot say I am amazed at the fair young lady's diitermination. Your American girls have already a name in Sutopa for darmg, dsvotioa, constancy, and — caprices." " I be^ your parrion, sir," broke in the young lady, looking at him fixedly, " foir intervenmg in your coaversidion unbcsought, but you should b« fuUy iotorm^l •a one point, Mr. Dearborn — i believe you arc so lianied — " " Rana'4 Dfiarborn, at your service." " Wtfll, Mr. Ranald Drarbom, I do oiit deaervfi your eulogy isi a«y measure. Captain Kidd lies, and very well knows tb^ he lies, when he aasests that I wish to accompany him is his journey. I am here, i« his cora|>any— as he puts it— in s^ite of myself, ag unst nsy will, because i have been shamefully torn from ail Uie semblance ol i.ome that I had, and dragged tbe«ca I know not whither. I am no relative of his, not his ward, but his slave I " " Senyorita I " began the captain violently, on recovering bis tongue. " bo you dare deny itl " she cried, energetically, lookiiig him in the eyM. " It is high time the truth came out 1 and that everybody knew of what j-ou are capable, and what my position is 1 I thank Heaven you tove at last brought a strauger to my hearing, not your hang-dog confederates. Too well, senyor, you reliad on my scorn and acquiescence when you bad the impudence to utter thme words. I will not allow my weakness to bring me in as your accomplice ! Mr. Dearborn," she continueo, taroing abruptly to the hunter^ " this man has !i«d i he has cowardly abducted me tor reasons unknown, and he inteads to laaw mj dead body so far &otn ciinlieation that it will aevar rise in fadgment 0i' this woiki against hW." " Have a care, young kdf," said tte eaptaSn, moedi^ **l taat teJ; y^a run jfl:m> far in this style — " ''One moment, captaia," broke in Dsafborn, sternly, " questiona ftM ^raised m^^vn sm m Tkem ^f Masts. 65 thtt&iibject. Vou uncos oM Ciwniry i:mself," h« "aid. ^t wiis.t the plaguu Uaot. You would pisjrlully cait the St jogging aloiiy." I ara «o roadi, t own in my fr««ly bordeff overyono >riae. "Owthe in maiw— th )agh miles off, I hav« Granting yoa the ckiug the eastern inbthe Oregonian Bitfier way, you inch that you talc* do aot run amy ' comfiany — I may wish and will." I, with a sardonic iimination. Your :votioa, constancy, it him fixedly, "for .fae4i% ia&nned r » any measBtc. asseirts that I wish f-tMbe puts it— "wfuHy torn from toow aot whither, 8 tongue, him in the eyes. r- of what you «|« > at last brougiit a roo well, senyor, npudence to utter yotur accomplice ( r, "this man has nd he intends to tise in jndgment CtOit le* y^a run >stion& are raised But I am obiig o observe that ; which do not comis into roy province. But I am _ or anybody else— !lia> got to behave like a i^ntienun when a kdy la preiieot- " But, sir, if-" " I know no ifs or buts, sir, for none but a coward and a blackguard woeio threaten a defenceless woman. You brought her here as the ornament to the supper table, so it's your own fault. I warn you once for all that, before me, you will have to treat the young lady with all the rcipect due to her aire snd sex, or else we shiill have to settle the punctilio of etiquette with pistol or icnife ! and I doubt if you will be lucky enough to have any on^ burst in between yoa and mo as I did between yon and the priMlies." " Good gracious, sir," the captain hastened to fenly, the last turn of tho defiant speech making him cease to bite his Up» till the blood ran, " I am very sorry this awkward incident occnxrid — very ! Nothing of tho kind did ever take place ; and 4 f hall take the greatest heed it does not repeat itself," he went on, with a look of evil augury aside at the girl, who was wringing her hands and tapping the ground with her feet. " 1 allow that I let myself ramble farther than I ought. To show you how much I regret having displeased the y&Wtgi lady, I beg I»er to overlook the offence, and bear me no grudge." Ro»8i tossed ber head diadainiully. " That's Riore like," said the English hunter, lightly | " since yoa apologifWii. I haven't • word to say o" " Yes ; I am thoroughly vexed, hst wa drop the hot but dying coals of db* sentiott. thenfore, an4 '-— what »«rc wc uUdng about when they ftev out of the fire f" *' I don't kitiow now." " Oh, senyor, you were observing tkat it looked as If my present rwrte for th* gold- fields would bring m* out in the Sacramenti/ Valley, or at Vancouver's. Are you sure P " " Well, I am no retide-t ; but, coining down from the North, few sgSA ot gold-bearing tracts met n.y vmble vision." " Did you come i.hrough the Yellowstone Basin f" Inquired the captain, " What the Canadisas called the ' Infernal Regions,' and the tr^opcrr tM ' Fire-holes?' Well, not what you can call through. I did— *8 I do when a big band of Indians cross my trail—! skirted it. They say it is the devil's own home on earth ; and 1 have uu wish, prematurely, to soak [n a sulphur bath ! " " Mr. Dearborn, are you the man to render me still a further service f " •' I want to know, you kncfw," said the EogiJshnmn, humoroualy. "Diablo! r>u are in no hurry to contract youraxtlf into a harfain, Mnyor ; * commented "Ut. Kidd, with A bitter grin. " Being a foreigner " " It's prudent. I wish I had always been hS slow to plunge at your agei TtnU me, where were you going wban we met * " "Southerly: I came to hunt. But the prneitce of lodiiiina jsoakes dba f«tir that a solitary man would bu hunted here." " If you Iwve no disinclination to remain with a force around you al vrhick no Indian lances will tilt," said Capl.ain Kirf'^, proudly, " I €&!■. offer you some- thiug — a way to utilise your mcentl/'gained knowledge in skirting the Yciiow stone Basin ; guide us inside it I " " Why, what the ■ " «'G.>idl that's the 'the I •" "Gold there >" Tile pfairie rovGr leaned f fyyitrrxi'A i-c^lf . ! both elbows on th« board, and RtUAg his g>owiag eyes OB thu Engiis.imiia, spukii earoeBtty as follows. m The Red River Half- Breed. CHAPTER XVII. BfiW "frbi;,;m PAUt" QOT HURt. " I AM qafte sore," said lUdd, " that the stones told to frighten outsiders from the district, which lies thereaway, are invented by the reds and by the few whites who have explored it, for the same end — to keep ite metallic treasures, perchance those of precious stones ; besides, here we shall perish in Ihe storms. That horrid one nearly laid us out stiff; I want to escape them. Within that charmed valley volcanoes maintain the temperature of spring; grass is eternal for cattle ; the unfro«en ground can be broken up ; the water always runs for gold- washing 1 i say, guide m into that natural garden ; and in two weeks, should no gold be found, you can depart. You shall name your terms ; and, with the (foods and dollars, go your way. If we find gold, you shall have your lot as ft cnetnber of the band— reduced by losses, so that the shares tte not unreasonably matiy— as guide, and as the leader's partner I " " Yon are very frank. You do not anderstand that an English gentleman does not let money influence him " " Bah, bah 1 a 'hidalgo, ay, a grandee of old Spain goes gold banting and never dreams of a reproach to his blue blood, for the royal n. al ennobles Its seekers. That apart, if yon are here for adventure, I foresee that you will have no lack of that— more muotard than beorTO-Wi gnnris*;," " That will be cajpslal, for 1 expect a Httle reinforcement to come to." p 'al ennobles iresee that you will ds money, there !• >e the freest in the The captain bim> escapes. He gives ; he leaves at any lim or gt> on to th« re tiredf or hungry, om ? U I were not , as if wavering, " I ut oS kindness, and Hjrk, and not leave [ of the Enchanted rognes, n " Orders received for a Fourth of July oration 1 " " Well, where are you hurt, to begin with ? " " All over — a bullet through the right arm, another grazed on ribs, the small of my back caught a rap from the butt end of a rifle, and I offer a complete collection of scratches and bruises from a drop iato a aoow-pittwbare a fire had melted it twenty feet — " " My fire," ejaculated the captain. " Oh, have I to thank you for that trick I My spirit must be pretty tightly boxed up in my body, after all, not to have been bounced out. However, it looks as if I should get round after a bit, and then somd>ody will aak who exploded a giant-cartridge next door to his blanket." f' Who P ''^ " The man that served me so. Do you fancy I have been taking mygelf by the throat and levelling the snow with me I " " If you go on with such a rigmarole, we shall understand very little." " That's so, captain. To put it short — you sent me out on the scout. That's admitted P — gooa. I spread myself to no purpose; not a trace oq the snow where e/en a witch- wolf must have left some print. It got to be after sua, darkening, end my vvulfish giiawinj under my belt set me campwards, a Uttte y w ol ai oi ai m y< wi an 'j g>> to lik •1 asi ia| th yt sed in wa swi bal Hoif "Virmfk Paid" got Hurt €9 , to rwenl that thqr ciablipg « otaa'tt ■ h-fire. >ttery Pan', throwiikg m; "don't you www » reply to that, after a aoured your usually Much obliged for an tiar le for the fire of a your ownway— if WB act." n before I tell you f 1 ong the bottle, or 111 iraged at the obstinaqr. 3 laugh mingling with I flaalc with a grin <* I of a sseut'a out»t w aaed nw ribs, the smalt ad I oifer a complete ow-^t, where a fire had must be pretty tightly need out. However, it somebody will ask who been taking myself by itand very little." ut on the scout. That s »t a trace oq the snow It got to be after aun, me eampwards, a iit*te cardcim I am nUr, id, for •omGbi>dy h^vd ate, and I heitfil* a nai^y thnateatog voice chaliMge me with a ' Who gow there f ' " " 'Twas a man," cri«d Captain Kidd, " Unless the praisie dogs talk English," r«joia«ii the Parisian, laughing through a grimace of pain. " ' It's a fri«nd,' 1 answered, getting mv gun round to have first shot. ' Where from f Here was a chance to get in aonw big lie ; but i thought a white man would b« best bump«d oft by « boast of oar tum-ont. ' From the Montwia GoldhuntersI We're two hundrwd stroi^, mA twenty miles yonder.' ' I am no frier.d of neoMndrela of your Udooy,' saM this p»rti• your taip U oa ! ' ' How long ttoce you staked out this territory,' said itching a giimp«e of the muxsie of his piece. 'I am not goi«g to quit tiil you show me your papers,' and I pulled the tri^^r. But Itw worst of it is, that when I couM spy his gun, h« saw miite, and we fired together, with the shade of preference to the stranger. That's about while I felt the ball throueh my arm, and my gun had to drop. I had it up quick in my other hand, and ttaped on the shooter. But another bullet came oa m« in trie side, from th* flash, and I was stretched on my back instantly. That feilow rushed right up to me, and held me down with his foot till i had received this sp«ecfe i 'Yott have your dose. The otten wilt now get theses i add, if it is a littJe stow ooaaing, it will be kept hot I'" " The man said that ? " cried Kidd. " Clearly. That made mc suppose, cap'n, that some of your acquaintances are hovering round, and will stir )rou up yet." " Go on,'' muttered the bandit chief, frowning, and becoming thoughtful. " So did he— go on I I tried to get out my knife to learn how thick his leg- gins were, when he turned mc over and set to kicking me as if he was bound to wear his boots out in the shortest possible time. 1 was rolled over and over like a log towards the river, and he yelling out the most abusive language. ' Take that, thief I and that, piraro ! and that, toUur de trappes ! and that, assassin I ' There were enotieh and to spare for ten apiece to all you rascals in the n I came to my senses, and f climbed out mighty rapid for fear either b'ar or Injin would drop in on nie. Somehow 1 crawled in the pruper direction, afeared to raise a woo-ao for Dick ; and at last the boys hit upon me. Good boys, though ' have swore some at 'em. They deserve ttaeir quenchers, and, old man, I'll take the balance In that flask." He was given more drink; spirits is the panacea of such men. "So," said Kidd, "you were enable to fuWI my charge, and haee brought back BO infonnatien beyond this attack on youf " " 1 saw nobody but that one man. If he who sent the second shot had joined in that "booting,' the boys wouhi have only picked up a pancaite." " This ta painfully strangel " " Oh, I think it strangely painful t " " What kind of man was your assmilant f " " That's the puszle," replied the railbg Parisiafl. " By the voice, « white man. But I did not see hfim. It was so dark, and he was on me liiw a tiger t and then he kept me rolling over and over, so that I had not one fair pesp at his nose. I shall only know him again by the length of his foot and tbe tone of his veioe." " If that's all, bah ! we'll iake care of him, mates." D IMAGE EV/ TEST TARGI 1.0 I.I 1.25 Sciences Corporation i ii inni w imnMiLj 4 I ...1 I I iwjw i n >in iii i m i Mii.iiinuiii ii nuiii HWiwiwwwwiiiww IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) i / o ^ ^ 1 1.0 I.I 1.25 1^ 1^ 112.2 40 12.0 1.8 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREIT WEBSTER, N.Y. M5S0 (716) S72-4503 '^ >a; ^ '4^ ^ CIHM/iCMH Microfiche Series. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Insti MH CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. roreproductions / Inttitut canadien da microraproductions hiatoriquas '..»..,i i U...i!U..L-ftHI I 70 The Red River Half-Breed. After the ei:citeinMft of his tetiin|r the mi&adveature, French Paul was rfutl «nd lifeless ; then he raved with pain, for he had not a dollar's breadth of his body without a bruise. Yet he bore the dressing and araintiog with crude kerosene oil aad snake juice with fortitude. Next begging a drink, and "freezing" to the bottle, he went to sleep drunk. His last words were: "Don't you fret, boys — any of you that I ow« money to. I shall come up smiling ; for him that's horned to be hanged won't be kicked to death nohow." Meanwhile Captain Kidd strayed into his tent very thoughtfully after having enjoined Corky Joe to exercise the utmost vigilance. : For years upon years this desperado had struggled against society, and sported with all laws and regulations ; but now he vaw the horizon circle in upon him. He could not drive away the foreboding that the hour of a terrible punishment was approaching. All night long he walked up and down in the tent, revolving the most fantastic projects. A few minutes befo/e sunrise, a man coughed at the tent-opening in that warning way customary where nten sleop with weapons in the hand, and might, if abruptly awakened, put a bullet mechanically in the innocent arouser, I'he cloth was lilted and a man appeared, whom Captain Kidd greeted with joy. It was Dearborn. . ;,.. E.«,,rj,»s At least here waa a follower who punctually kept Us mtd. ' \ ' '-ri-': ^ -^t '"■ "j 1. , %, < CHAPTER XVIII. ftOSARIO BleiNS TO HOP*. The Captain went up to the hunter quickly, and briskljr extending his band, bade him welcome. But the other was so bid and a man appeared, vord. 'fStvi ... jif ' kly extending his hand, his short meerschaum . simply thanked him. mation soon stirred the >e bad spot. In a coupl« Dearborn scouting in th* the other women were ivered with a waterproof {uns quite ready on tkfir er on the country, so to nent. The roads, if they ild beasts going to water, id to be slow. Now and Lse might bA, and hewed ited. In five hours, oot ikosttrh iegins to thpe. 11 The halting-place chosen was in a rather broad open land in the thick of a cedar and pmey wood, through which brawled a torrent having accessible banks only in one spot. A little on one side, a tent was hastily run up for Donna Rosario. Th** other women were strictly, even cruelly severely guarded, and kept from speaking together, still less to the adventurer, as much as possible. Since the Englishman's introduction into the camp, Miss Mactan had cheered up wonderfully. No nods or rebukes constrained her from displaying her telief, and soon she set-to singing. In a brief space she became the licensed songstress of the band, for the rudest Americans have a f ndness for n)usic. She was so likexl after this, that thj men would have rebellea if she had been silenced by the Captain, or Corky Joe, though, to tell the truth, these snijiled patronizingly on her efforts. Ulla had conceived a genu?.-.; 'Section for Rosario, if only bec9usc she was so sad and pale. On her part, the Southerner was touched by 'ler delicate attentions, and it was a great consolation for her to meet with a loving soul and tender heart, to say nothing of a vigorous intelligence. Once the ice was broken, they became inseparable. Kidd marked this connection with pleasure; he favoured it rather than fettered it. He had been vexed by iiis captive's pining I'A'ay, and hoped that 'the different temperament of the Scotch young lady ^/ould exert a powerful influence on tha Spaniard's mind, and act healthily on her reflections. The halt had hardly been cried before the scout looked close to his gun. "In two hours we must be off again," he remarked ; " this is no spot to make a prolonged stay in. One good thing Is, that the weather is clearing up, and the ground will be good for travelling. We must do our best whilst things are on our side." "Excellent advice!" coincided the leader; "but how about dinner with us?" / " No, no," returned the other, shaking his head ; " your salt horse and boiled beans do not go down with me. I am not tired, and I am not hungry. S« I prefer to sweep the country and try to find a bit of game to tickle my palate." " A gcod idea again," said the captain, laughing. " You are the first scout 1 ever came across who had no appetite. Well, good luck 1" " Many thanks," replied the other, with one of th '>se smiles which the Spanish call half sour grapes, half tiweet figs, to which he . temed addicted for Kidd's benefit. He strode away rapidly, and was speedily lost to view. " A queer character," observed the adventurer ; " but they are all queer the farther up north one gets ! However, we ntust take men as we find them. He seems true and faithful, and that's the main thing. Besides, where'shis interest in betraying me f What a fool I am I Is there not always something to be gained by betraying a man like me ? Tut, tut I am I going daft like Davo Steelder, or, rather," he weat on with a cunning smile, " crazy in the real vein. It hss come to this, that lately I am worrying myself into a fever." At this point up came Corl^ Joe. " Oh, here you are, eh ? How's that wretch Paul getting on ?" " Paul's as lucky as an Injin doctor ["answered the lieutenant, laughing. "He hardly fe«ls the knocking about. He hrals up like a man who never soaked in whisl^. When I left him he was packing away cold beef like an Injin warrior after a fast, and drinking like the Great American Dessrt when the rum cask is staved. He's going to get round it, don't you fret," " I reckoned he would 1" *' II! be fair to him, beside9~-li« doot want no nurslAg ; h« WLAts to buckle to hi* work right off." " No, no, stop that. Compel him to rest a day or two, wiiich wiU make hhn more useful and bother us less.** " Oh, I say, cap. ! I'v* put extra senlinels out all round." " You did quite Hght ; though there's nothing scarey, we had better be on our guard. Those Red River Half-breeds are no more to be trusted than the pure- bred red men ; and I v. iah they were both drowned In the nearest salt poo) I But hurry up to dinner; I feel as shnrp aa a meat-saw freshly filed! " " That's me ! " added " Corky Joe," promptly as an echo. Long before the men were through their meal, voraciously though they ate, the two young ladies, who met in the wilderness from such opposite directions, had finished theirs— of which they had made but a modcery. " Something unusual is about us, senyorita," said Miss Maclan to Rosario, with an arch look. " There is a gay expression on your features, to which they are not habituated. Sorely, now, something r>.w is at haad; I \u^ you are going to tell me ? " " How curious we are i " returned the South tnttt, smiling. " Do not judge me wrongfully, iadoUnt «^«ature I It is not iiiquisitiveoess that moves me, but friendship." " I am well aware of that, darling ; so I shall not make yo« langubh. I am going to tell you everything." " That is nice ; and I do love you In the same frank way. But wait a bit, until I make sure that we have no ea/esdroppers. It is a sensiUe thing to be prudent hereabouts, with persons handy who make no scrapie^ about likening ! " She set up a song to express unconcern, and went out of the tent for a short absence. When she reappeared, she laid her finger on her lips to impress caution, and sat down close beside her, so that they could converse in whispers. " Do you mean they are watching us P" queried Donna Rosario. ** We are always watched," was th« B&swer; " but this tioie jnon "harply tlitn ever I " ^ - "I wonder why J" "I cannot say." .*. , . " But cnnnot you guess, as the Yankees do f r , » . "No; nor even suppose. What do you think ol tMsf—lhew are atatt'.m posted all around the camp t " " That's not strange, silly I That ii done every time they stop." " i daresay, senyorita ; but " *" Why, that's to Ireep the Indians off — not to keep us in I " ' " But why are they put everywhere except jurt behind this tent t " j^ "What dfo you say?" "''You can See for yourself, Rosario!" :-^-- - -^^ .. ^ -' V.' ■ ■ -■ -« . ♦* What do you C(>nclude from this arr<»ngemB«t#* ' " To my mind, for some hidden reason, they want to fill as with &n. idea on which we should be gulled into acting. I am certain of this — that Lieutenant Joe placed the men on the watch himself, it is some trick, in spite, of that wretch, who hates you worse than the captain I " " You are out of your wits, dear 1 " responded the Mexican, hutghiag. " Yonr reasoning is all askew I " ^ Mtich obliged 1 Does not the Lieutenant plague you all he can ? " The dark girl approached hef lips te ths other's quick ear, aiid geal^ Weathed — " Joe is our friend — our only friend I " he WLAts to buckle wiiich wiU mako hkn had better be on our mated than the pure- M nearest salt pool I htyfiksdi" o. usiy though thejr ate, :h opposite directions, "■y- o Maclan to Rosano, eatures, to which they band ; 1 h<^ jwu are "8- . ... i* not iMquiaitiveiMM Be jwk knjiuish. I am way. But wait a bit, a sensiWo thing to be iplci about listening ! " of the tent for a short m her lips to impress i converse in whispers, a Rosario. his time mora •tutrply IsN-there are se^rles ey stop." in I" thisteotr" fill OS with UL idea «• f this — that Lieutenant trick, in spit«, o£ that dean, iaugrhing. "Y««r ailhecanr" quidE «ar, and. {^atljr RosanU H'hf^ Hop*. 7S "Eh?" exclaimed Mim Kdclan, unable to betieve she had heard aright, as she fastened a frightened look on the speaker ; " the Ueateaant «ur friend— you are jesting I " -^ " I repeat that he is our most devoted friend ; I more than know it— I hold the proof of it." " Oh, dear mc t " ejaculated UUa, in almost comic surprise, it was so extreme. "Yes," went on Roaario, "when I was left by myself, he came to met profiting by Captain Kidd's absence. He made hii> true character kaown to me, and pledged entire devotion. He said that he v.'a3 in the caravan to guard and save me. After recommending me to be as wise as possible, he hit me the most undeniable proof of his ^ood faith, proof that would turn terribly against him if he were to betray me instead of serving me. What do you think of that f » "Oh, that explains your having been so strange and excited when J came back to you," cried Miss Maclan, clapping her hant'^ incautiously. " 1 under- stand now. But why did you not let me know before K This was unkind, as I was so uneasy about you." " Don't bear me any ill-will, for I was distraught with sudden gladness." " What an amazing thing. That Joe fellow is very ugly," eaid Miss Maclan, merrily ; " but I shall try to love him now ! " ^ " Now it is you who are excited, girl. Calm yourself, lest we be overheard. " No, no, there is nothing to fear, at least, in the immediate present. Ob, dear Rosario, what a blessing this is for ;^du, and perhaps for me, for I am to keep by you, am I not ? What a mercy it will be to fUt through the ^p of that nasty Captain Kidd, a gallows-bird, who never even blinks behind hia fpectacles." '•Yes, yes, no parting between us, dear Ulla. We will remain frieitda always. Columbia and Caledonia for ever. Hip, hip, hur— — " But she did not conclude her burlesque cheering. The two girls wew la one another's arms, weeping tears of hope and joyfulness, when % sharp, yet low hiss pierced the silence, and made Donna Rosario prick up her ears. She came from a climate where abounded reptiles making such a sound. Presently, a spent revolver cartridge shell was neatly cast so as to roll in under the tcrt e.^ge, almost to the girls' fc:t. Miss Maclan picked up the cylinder, being tiie nearer and the more courageous. A paper was curled up in it, and slightly protruded. She pulled it out with trembling iingers. It opened, and she saw ft was addressed to her. She rapidly ran her eyes ovet it, and tk«n slowly and thankfully read it aloud. These were the contents ; — " Dear Miss Maclan, — All obstacles are overcome, an that I have beaa more than happy enough to discover your whereabouts, for i -vn even close to you. I am on the watch, so hope 1 I may even succeed in ^ting spee<^h with you. Much to say. Ranald Dbakborn.' There was a p<»tscript, wishing her hope and courage, and bidding her burn the note. •' That must come from a friend, no doubt ?" observed Rosario, slyly. " Oh, indeed," replied the Scotch girl, suppressing a xigh, " a very dear, leal friend, in whose promises I can place complete trust." " Why, things ^o better and better. I should not wonde;: if »• were freed before a great while." " Heaven grant it." " Don't you forget what was told you.* "What?" mmmm^mm ii |i 2%f Med Riier Ha{f'Bree,i. " Tb > buroing the paper, g;potie. It is important, | rather agre*." " M ust it be dest royea ? " " Decidedly, my dear ; w^re the captain to find a Hite of it, you and yotir -friend would be tost. Dearborn is the name of the new guide, who >ead Mr. Kidd a lesson in behaviour to a lady. He known as ot>r friend, too, and a correspondent, w»« would be separated." " Very well, then, I shall not hesitate. It's a painfd sacrifice, for, somehow, that message seems written with a consoling angel's feather." She began to tear the paper with an unsteady hand. But at that same instsnt *. heavy foot was heard at th*? door. Ulla dropped the writing. But before it was half way to the ground, the Southerner had caught it, and snatching some tobacco, shredded, s*r friend, too, and a icrifice, for, 8om«how, er." ut at that same instant riting. But before it t, and snatching some oiled back with a good h?" inqiired Captain •ss you little rare for," 1 such obliged to Obqr i very odious to you If me that 1 am trying of anybody round here an physical, sir. t iii nied as long as 1 aiifi setting eyes on you Of liness, " whither would js for ? My child, you "would go— shot by an nk pit, or wild beasts' let you incur any such ?ith your hun)anif)[( sifj iscuss fruitless subjects, atber to inform me of 9u would not waste it scornful fun, tl»at her I minute. " Have you your reception was m me lor." • leave, of course ? " said ivhons Kidd affected to rant. " t am in such a a smoke, that I really ijadyl" lanner of an American ; into the very face of their persecutor the smoke of the letter which conveyed a vexation to hiiu. So much satisfaction was in tbi« unsuspected revenge bdore the only person able to measure it, t(;at Rosariu felt even a little less sjjiteful towards the cnaa who for once was her victim. As he had not the ghost of a suspicion, the mute conference of the ^'irlt had no meaning in his eyes, but he did notice with relief that the American girl looked less angry. " Senyorita," he said, " a serious motive impels me here. I can put it shortly. This morning we started off with the intention of turning our backs on the cheerless wilds and striking for quarters rather more hospitable." " So far, sir, I do not hear anything much to interest rae," " I am coming to it. I hired a new guide, whom I presented to yoa— that Mr, Dearborn." " Well I " she inquired loudly, to keep attention on her and away from Miss Mtclan, who cculd not help colouring iX the uan>e. "What a tfaia cold Bagiishman to mef " "Of no account to yon, very likely, miss! but he's everything to me. The worthy young fellow saved my life, as I told you. Over and above my gratitude, there's any amount of confidence ! have in him." " Go on ; go on, sir. If you will bore me with your private business, I^et lae hear all and be done with itv I suppose there's nothing to spur you oo ; and my time belongs to you if to anyone." " There you are, joking me again, scnyorita. Still, I am not talking at random, and I would not go into these particulars if tbey could be omitted." " Have your own way, f tell you, captain. You w»!re saying that you enter- tained great confidence in your new guide, who had saved your precious life. You see I remember what you said." " So you do. V/ell, senyorita, this g^ide promises to save us three day^t' march and to take us in one day into a region almost temperate.'' " A very good thing for you I But you will again allow my remark that it does not concern me." " But you have a vast interest i«x,it ! You shall see for yourself too. It was the guide himself who suggested my coming to you." " This is getting extremely interesting at last f " " Yes, while we were on the move this morning." " More and more interesting," (the "aid seriously, whilst Miss Maclan leaned forward eagerly, " The guide said to me, then," went on the captain, smiling, " ' I can, if ^u like, avoid the long way round and drop you in foiir-and-twenty hours into mild weather ; but I must not hide from you that it is by a breakneck road, so dangerous that the bravest men .lever go through without an attack of ague. TJere's only two ways of doing it, on foot or on horseback. Your band is lumbered up with women and children. Reflect bow you are going to get them along.' My answer to this was, ' There's no need to fret about the women and girls, as they are frontier bi-ed and know how to rough it. There is only one person whose safety is important to me, and I do not care to endanger her in a risly path. That person is the Spanish donna.' ' If |he is enough of a rider to stick to a horse, I warrant we'll get her through,' said he to that. ' Can't you ask her anyway ' Then we shsdl know whethe- we are in a fix or not.' So I said I would see about it ; and here I am, senyorita, come to disturb you." " If one is to go by ycur story, it was more you than the guide that led to your coming." " To t^i the troth, my head is contused, a&d I Ao not carry a cleat mranoty "^''M'Sl5!tWBiT".Wh/»'ssi';*V'.H.'f.'Si«3ae»»#»i> itsi«K?a»wiKj»i Ae(f River IJaif-hreeO. of the exnct phrtses employed. But this does not matter much <. ne iray or the other. The main point is to know, senjorita, if yuu can riHe well enough to xtay in tho laddle in a bad bridtu-path." " Either I am very dull, or you have left out put of your argument, aenyor, though of importance." " Ab I I know what you ar« alluding to. You meaa, what ia to become of the baggage P " " Yes, senyor capitain ; you may •v«ii say ' plunder.' It's a popular word, which well coven ytmr belongings." Kidd laughed at the jest. Things were coming round nicely, after all. " The wagons and loads are going to follow on, under sate guard, by the next best road. They will conne up three or four days after me in our nook." " Oh, now I understand the whole matter clearly, and nothing can be simpler." " Well, what is your answer, voung lady f " " Captain," was the sad repl^, " the life you believe so valuabla is a very mean thing to me. I attach tittle wei^t 'o it, so any road is the same as another. Iwill go along with you any way." " I !>eg your pardon, senyorita, Mt either yoa don't or you won't understand. You are not answering me at all." " No, captain f I thought I was I Yon asked nne if I would go lidth j^Mlis anew path, and i say yes. That's straight rnough." i ;Ki " Yes. You mean you would trust to your horse t" She remained silent, finishing the cigarette. " 1 Qause for a positivo reply." " Well, I will give you the frank reply that yon require," she said, with an effort. " I am not only so poor a horsewoman that I should be afraid to trust to a horse, but 1 am so ignorant as to be afraid to tnist myself on one. I never was in the saddle in my life, liut was not sven among my ' extras ' at the boarding-school." "That will do, snnyorita. I am going." •• W hat do you decide 1> " '*To push on in the oriorlnal coune. It's longer, but it's less basardoua." Ho made his bow and departed. CHAPTER XIX, THK NESr or TRAITOM. '* DlAB me, Rosa," exclaimed Miss Maclan, the tent being cleared once more, " I thought all you Soi|them Americans rode horses like centaurs. At least, you know my meaning though the simile is bad." Rosario gave her a hug. " Eb, deriing ! " she whispered ; and added "ith a fiae smile, " At {^resent I do not know how to ride." " But I should have thought " v^Yo»areaotgoodat the kind e£ tUnkiag wasted out here» basiel The m ff&it nt^rtXtirrit. 77 much iM tmyorthe t nH« well etiough io >ur argument, senyor, what ia to become of It's a popular word, nicely, after all. er safe guard, by the ter me in our nook." and nothing can be ■o raluable is a T«ry road is the same as you won't understand. I would go with yoii in aire," she saM, with «it ould be afraid to trust lysielf on one, I never ong nay ' extras ' at the t's less hasardoua." sing cleared once more, ike centaurs. At least, ise smile, " At present out btxvtf lassie! The guide spoken by .be captain is devoted to us, eh f Ym ; well, then, if he got that idiot ot h .aptain Kidd to put these questions to me, it ia be c ause be wanted no for an answer. Do jrou colnpreh<^nd now ? " " Better than ever. Oh, you are keen, Rosario I They will not cheat you easily 1 " " Alas, dear, it is misfortune's grindstone that shaqtens wits. When even girls are constantly surrounded by tricks and stratagems, tlie senses wear clear and bright. Cunning and dissimulation arc the mve's sole weapons. We can only bffRt our enemies with skill and finesse." When the starting-time came Captain Kidd's bngie sounded it, and gave orders for the movement. The guide had not come back from his hunt, but as he had left precise directions, the leader showed no tokens of batag crossed by that absence, and took the lead himself. It was a most painful journey. Out of the snow-lined woods issued a black damp frost, which cut to the bone even the thickest-wrapped. A few large snow.fl^kee were spun out of tree tops and wandered about. The semblance of a road was dreiidfully cut up and flanked by deep ^hasms, which required the utmost heedfulness on the part of the teamster lest tHe vehicles and pack-animals were thrown down and over. They seemed to V aoy. If '♦ \,^i* on me, It is gnvted beforelMnd," Kidd, who was (Mcoming accustomad to Dearborn's " little whims." " I only ask oae thing, that there shall be none but men at the beard." " A ' stag-party ? ' But what do you say that for f " " That's not easy to erplain. But the fact is, I haven't come out into the wildernesa to hear women squrak, and see them mince about and play »\\ those niminy-piminy lures and graces that city people think are agreeable. I have no wish to say a word contrary to the respect 1 hold for the young Southern lady in your charge ; but, by Jove I I'll confess that I prefer the woU- scaring faggot here to sitting at table over af^insf the fair sex." " Oh, good," replied the captain, who knew that for every seven young men whom a homicide, debt, loss at gambling, love of wild life, etc., drove into the desert, there were six whose first love affair turned out disastrously ; bethought he pnrceived at last the true cause of the youth's reserved mood and pecu- liarities. " You'll not be bothered with her, particularly as ws are going to talk about her, and could uoi well do that if she were by, or her Scotch attendant either," "Attendant?" " Yes, I've nicked oat the womaa we rescued to be her compaolon. It cboers her up. She was moping a little." . j " Things being so, captain, I am your man." In five minutes, the captain, Joe, and the Englishman were sapping together t?'th hearty xppetite. When this was a trine allayed by the first counM-, Kidd brought the conversation round upon Donna Rosario, by reason of hft-; having stopped the choice of the ihort cut. " VVomcn are always a bothei," remarked the young misanthrope with !. sneer. " Witi; no intention to offend you, I would not mind betting a trifle tltat the young lady can ride as well as you or I." " She says the other thing," returned the host, thoughtful ol a suddbi.. " Out of the spirit of contradiction, that's all." " It's very certain," interposed Joe, '* if she was educated at New Orleans, that she must be a rare exception to the troops of schoolgirls who go out riding on the Shell Road." " It's all pure contradiction," resumed Dearborn; "who can tsy a thing i black to a woman without her saying it is white ? " " Or grey, at least," added the lieutenant, sagely. " That's why,'J continued the youngest man, " I have sworn oflF woman's society. Though the best woman in creation came out here, I should send her back to the nearest railway station 1 I'll never cumlier myself up with the b«^^gel They're a bad bargaia, though they come with a million iu the Funds I " '* Whe " exclaimed Joe, laughing, " our guide does not strike me as a very passionate adorer of the sex." " N no, don't put me down as either hating or liking them," went on the hunter , write me as indifferent. My father was a man of g^eat good sense ; an oracle in his county. He used to say that the modern woman ia like the grand piano : it looks useful, but it takes up too much room, and is always the way. You cannot use the wires for a gridiron, the top is badly shaped far i. billiard table, and the legs are so hard, you cannot chop them up in a suddfi emergency for heating shaving water. And when she is musical, the neigh- bours move out and leave the last quarter's rent owing. 1 agree with my de old dad." The othets laughed. •m{." n* n ,a granted beforehind," ttid ■ " Uuie whims." jut men *t the bc«rd." r T " , ^ I haven't cotno out into the » minc« »bout and pUy »U people think are »greeable. •pact i hold for the young OHtew that I prefer the woU- the fair sex." it for every teven young men wild life, etc., drove into the I out disastrously; bethought I's reserved mood and pecu- ticularly as we are going to she wumMi,*" •**' o— ..V 111 to be her compan'.on. It shman were supping together allayed by the first cOurw-, na Rosario, by reason of her e voung misanthrope with t. d not mind betting a trifle that thoughtful oi a suddei-. ras educated at New Orleans, ps of schoolgirls who go out ora; "who can ssya thing is ?" , " I have sworn off woman s came out here, I should send irer cuml)er myself up with the y come with a million in the ie does not strike me as * very I or liking them," went on the as a man of great good sense ; the modern woman is like the I much room, and is always in m, the top is badly shaped for a not chop them up in a suddrn rhen she is musical, the ne«gh- t owing. I a^ec with my dear " The taA part of It -il !•, fhflt w« mw* p«w th«e lovt days we might h«ve saved in this dreary solitude," remarfceil «h« eapta' " Still, you might take the short cut," observed Jo». " I don't see how." " Well, my principle is, that the few muet give in U> the manr. Sound democratic maxim. Donna Ronario says she cannot ride. Nover mind whether she can or not, truly ; but tbait does not bind us down from taking the cutoff. Not a bit of it." " I wish you would expUin," said Kidd, testily. " What would you do in my place, man full of dodges 1^ " " One thing— the easiest thing in the world," t«iponded the Carcajieu, pU^Ing with his knife on a bone. " I would pick out an old sure-foot mule— we've several rare good ones — I'd put a side-saddle on, well filled 'ith a bag of leaves, rugs b*nnkets, and such fixings, so the lady should no. get cold, and fasten her in." 'J' Not a bad notion. What do you think, gnid^ ? " "^Dearborn laughed in the face of Joe. "And when the mule slips, your har' -bound lad) i sausage mMt in the gulf below. 'JTfaey ran eig*^t h< " Bah I that's nothing. Apparently, you do not Vr -w what a mule is— a cat for clinging to the roughnesses, a fly for wnlkiof a fqnt ^th perpeo''' r," " Oh, if you think the mul( can scraunble a! -" " A mule can go where we daren't." " Then I will share in your iieuter...nt'» si4g?«»t» i..' said Deiabam, exchangi>.g a sec.ct glance of intelligence with joe. "That's Sne, theni To-morrow we nilt strik^ t M si. "ght Une you proposed, guide. Are your ikornj *ullP T». 4.-]^ ' i# la t ^__Yellow8tene V*lWl" wovH he dashed tu en under the eyes of the leader, who owae out to the tent month ostensibiyto finish his ci?ar. After bidding one another good night bliifBy, hunter and gold-seeker parted. The Englishman leaped over the barricade and gli(.ed into the shadows. As Joe retraced his steps, he saw the captain disappearing in the tent, where the loose flap fell and hid him. The second officer had a green bough shelter run up for him against a rock. Thither he proceeded and insinuated himself within ; but, despite the cold, he left the wagon tailboard, which might flatteringly be styled the door, on one side. He would not have a fire, and showed no light. He pulled out a horsehtir-covered trunk, sat on it, folded hir. arms, and appe&red to await being frozen stiff. Not only, though, had all semblance of drowsJoess quitted his featores, bat, judging by his eyes, he was as wide awake as ever ; these were directed on the captain's tent. Its opening end that of his shed faced, so thai he could spy into it, protected himself by the complete darkness in which he was lodged. Kidd kept a lamp burning for quite half an hour. Joe tried his best to* 3ee what he was doing, but that wa>i not possible. Nevertheless, he persevered in studying the tent which contained so many mysteries for him. At length, the attraction of curiosity was so strong as to become irresistible. He left his H'-at, and, stealing forth, scanned the scene without. Deep stillness reigned over the daikened camp, for a fine, cold rain had lowered tbe fires. Rolled up in their blankets, the gold-grabbers had packed into- shelter and slumbered soundly. The watches themselves, with only their noses and eyes exposed, were shirunk up iato the best covering the b'isbes and palissades afforded against the wet. But the light still glittered in the captain's tent^ The Carcajieu would hold back no more. And yet he knew that when the chief retired for the night, he blow ^ himself in so that it was impossible to get at him without his leave or know- ledge. As for peering and prying, no one had tried what would lead to discovery. Besides, what could the cnritnis make of it : the tent was double ; there was full three inches space between the outer jacket and inner canvas, a precaution taken along with others for serious reasons, to the end that, when the captain did shut himself up, he could be delivered of d«ly constraint and be himself unfettered. Such were the more ot le» plausible suppositions to which Corky Joe bad arrived since he formed part of the expedition. He had often sought without success to discover this puzzling mystery. But his repeated failures, far from calming his curiosity, by proving the uselessness of his abortive attempts, so pricked him on, that he determined at any cost to tear the heart out of the enigma. The present occasion struck him as so favourable, that he made up ills mind to try again, whatever the consequences, if he rar into a trap. Sharp as was Kidd, Joe reckoned himself to be on a par with him. At least, he rarely acted without forethought, sound, though not long, periiaps. He was patient, preparing in advance the msans for carrying out his plans. He had never yet been taken in an unguarded moment. Whenever he had failed, he set down the loss to chance, fate, or wh.-.tever name it g™** by. Since too long a time had the faithless lieutenant been planning out to learn What went on in the -raptain's snuggery when he was closeted in for him not to have a better result, because he profited by previous mischances. Matters stood jas follows this time — ■'.■mm TheU %uerin'ner. 8i at* we5' that they were »ni mouth ostensibly to lunter and gold-seeker ie and glii.ed into the tain disappearing in tt>e I up for him against a If within; but, despite flatteringly be styled ^e showad no light. He I hir, arms, and appeared quitted bis featnrea, bat, »ese were directed on the ftd, so that be could spy whirh he was lodged. ir. Joe tried his best to* evertheless, he persevered s for htm. At length, the I irresistible. He left his for a fine, cold rain had ^Id-grabbers had packed !r3 themselves, wiih only to the bolt cowring the for the night, he bloc ^ »ithout his leave or know- ried what would lead to ; it : the tent was double ; acket and inner canvas, a ins, to the end that, when 1 of daily constraint and be i to which Corky Joe had had often sought without repeated failures, far from his abortive attempts, so tear the heart out of the vourable, that he made up he rar into a trap. a par with him. At least, h not long, perhaps. He frying out his plans. He Whenever he had failed, lue it anrx by- been planning out to learn closeted in for him not to mischances. _ Eveiy time th« train Matted tb« ISetttenant took the advance with a «!ozen jiicked men. NiJt only did they scout and roughly clear a nod, but they pushed on to the oight-(Wimping ground. There they chopped btuhes and trees, built fires V i even lit them to warm the ground and drive away vermiiii as all smoll game ia called, and put up the tents for Donna Rosario, the women, and the leader. These they carried on led mut^, the cloth wrapped roimd their tools and eatables, so that part of the load was exhausted on the way and at the end of the journey. When the main body came up, it moved into position already traced, and complettd the entrenchment with the wagons and loads. A few shanties were knocked together, and that waa all. If the pickets had much of a start, they did so much work whilst waiting, that the rest often did not havo '^3 delcy half an hour before meals. The first act of the chief was to see if his tent waa pitched to stUt. tf |i6t, he would have the site fhifted, and overlook this being done in person ^ this vraa of irare occurrence, but it had happened. Though, in the beglRningi his men had been curious about the tent, two months' futi„'ue had Dtunted the feeling, Bendes, what interest had tired men, wet and muddy with fording, in puzzling out matters of h5" value to them P— to say iiothing of Kidd, notabJy " sudden with his pistol." being always on the lookout. Beside^, as he had often reflected, he was sure enough of the relatively devoted nature of the pri '>cipals of his band. If he had to do with mere inquisitiveness his reasoning would have been correct. Even Paul Pry will get fagged out in the end, but it was not such a pattry nature th.it was pitted against him. The Carcajieu had potent grounds for persevering in unviarthing his secret. Therefore, he would never stop till that secret lay under his feet, or he was stretched dead upon it. The captain was ignorant of this, and conld not even dream of it. He never once thought of doubting Joe, and conjecturing that he was undermining him like a mole. Surrouuding circumstances also forced him to bestow on his second as much trust as lay in so wary a character. On pushing ahead to the can-ping place, Joe had set his pioneers to use. their axes upon the brushwood, whilst he examined the land. The position was intelHfently selected by Dearborn, healthy and easy to defend. It was an opening " park," in the midst of a thick wood climbing the ab'. upt foothills of the Rockies. On the right, an uncracked block of stone roKe up sheer to an incalculable height, and forefended any ai>.ick from that quarter. Like the broken arch of a natural istone bridge, a huge rock, hollowed out by water in ancient days, covered about a third of the clearing, *>* the height of a score yards. On the left the mountain sides, well wooded, gently sloped down. The Carcajiea" scanned the rocka alludM to. Hurled from the tacuntair. crest y^ some horrible catacly»n, they had crashed together chaotically, an(' cheating moss and shrubs seemed to havower of deepening or lightening in shade as emotions affected the owner ; oftet. they were veiled almost entirely, and then again tiiey shot out lightning glances of unwonted magnetical force. His nose was saaight, and yet a little 4»c.-ved at the tip, with tremulous nostrils. Tho ruddy, sensu..! mouth -.vas »T«T-large, with sound testh. The cheek-bones stood out a trifle, and there was the cleft of a wound, o -, perhaps, a congenital hare split on the square chin. As the aesthetic rule runs out West, this was a hanasome man. But after even only a few minuses' view, one would shrirk with ter/or, there was such a stamp of tigerish ferocity in the deep fine wrinkles of the bsow, the restlessne^i of the gajce, the flutter of the nostrils, as though scenting carnage, and 'he cruelly mocking smile playing oa the lips. His face was clean shaven, we say — "shaved under" for a week, as bart)>ers word it, so that every line and trait could be traced, and by them, by the olive complexion, and by the contour, the name of Harry Brown, much too Anglo- Saxon, applied by Corky Joe, seemed vtiry unbefitting. He was rather of Mexican-Spanish and Indian race. Whatever he was, and whatever joe had mentioned in relation to him, this was no vulgar rogue. He still was an enigma whose veil was not entirely •tripped away because one of his alituet was known. Several minutes passed during which the forger went on with his work, which seemed mere amus> inent, with all the tranquillity of a nobleman in his study, well aware that nobody durst disturb him. It would have been difficult for his retreat to have been intruded upon without bis ieave, so well cl<»)ed in was it. The J3esl 1$^ay to Learn ii to Iax^ mtd Littm. 85 as of an astr»ni>jncr ify the strange wrath and cavern formed rer twenty yard* from 1 w?J a flock mattrcR", > at the back, tru.ks ween a battle-Ian' en nore filled with papers lupplied wiih secret irays carried it on his was a receptacle fur dcd on proofs against mU Joe could hereby le a man, seated on a nemos of business, or ty in every finger th;it mitating notes oi hand traders in anticipation n Kidd save in stature, ,g slighter— he seemed case of actors who are scrupulously extracted. t he might still be ten I, but pressed in at tite e, rolled in ample curli its. Under thick hrow«, lent, the pupils having ions affected the owner ; they shot out lightning laaight, and yet a little dy, sensuJ mouth -vas i out a trifle, and there split on the square chin, ndsome man. But after ten or, there was such a he biuw, the restless«»e^s BBting carnage, and t^e r " for a week, as barbers nd by them, by the olive Brown, much too Anglo- ing. He was rather of in relation to him, this >se veil was not entirely t on with his work, wWch a nobleman in his study, have been difficult for his , so well closed in wat »t. Besides, he had a brace of rtvolvers near to jrlVea lesson to any Imjprudent person who presented himself unannounced. Anally, the stranger piisned the papers away from him, laid down the pen more carefully, with that respect which the high-class artisan has for his tools, rested his elbow on the table and his cheek in his hand, and yielded to deep meditation. The attentive observer could read nothing on the visage, as smoothly cold as marble. Over a dozen times the false lieutenant ' t tempted to " settle" this man by putting a bullet into his brain, an easy m..aer ; but e?ch time his prompting was checked by a higher force, like that which causes a police officer to take bis man alive, though fhe reward is the name for the body in any condition. The man was not his property. He belonged to society, unto which he would have to render up accounts of his crimes ; society alone had a right to Wy him and make an example of him. For all but a quarter of an hour the musing man dwelt motionlessly staring into vacancy. It was a mute dialogue with himself. At the end he flung up his head sharply, sprang to his feet, and stalked to and fro in the narrow walk, his hands behind his back, and his head hanging. When be stopped, he was at the table anew. He actively busied himself in packing up the notes and papers in the toilet-case, closed it with a secret spring, and put it under his pillow. Like men who have no confidants, he talkra in a low voice to himself whilst so occupied. It wa» rather mumbling than even muttering; but Lieutenant Carcajieu's " good day for hearing " was come. He overheard prettv well all. Two singular things : not only did the voice differ from Captain Kidd's in tone and accents, but the man, thought to be English, spoke fluent Spanish. " Curay / " he exclaimed, " that infernal Corky Joe was lucky this time ; It is long since I have had a solid house where I could feel comfortable and, mainly, safe. This confounded dibguise began to choke me like a corset on the Fat Woman in the Show ; Richard actually yearned to be himself again I By St. Antonio I what a jolly thii^ it is not to have to play a part. Even for an hour it is a luxury to be able to stretch one's legs mentally and bodily. But, pshaw I still a few more days and we shall be at ease if this providential guide is to be depended on 1 He's a capital blade, a little blunt, like all English, quaint, novel, but the right stuff. I can't tell why, but I feel warm toward* him.'* The lieutenant could not help smiling at this confession. " Besides, he saved mv life," went on the other, " there's somethioK in that. It is true that if he had kno •r who i was, he would hava let the tears chew me up, more than likely. UVh i it gives iBe creeping all over again to remember that fix. However, iwas saved to live many a day yet in and out of the cover of Cap^'in Kidd. Kidd I ha, ha I there's one who never suspected he would be useful after his death, when our partnership was suddenly cleft a.<)und«r by an insertion of my k: e in his jugular as he was sleeping with liquor. But what's the sense of bringing his memory up ? He's out of the battle of life ; the secret is buried out of mortal ken." As he spoke he performed his metamorphosis, the arraying himself in the ?heil, so to say, of Captain Kidd. He dressed and " made up " «> artistically, that Joe himself, who was no mean actor, could not help admiring. The disguise was complete, nothing being omitted to aid illusion. The transformation was executed quickly too. " A rainy night, ugh ! " muttered the re-become Captain ([idd. " But prudence is the mother of security, at: J you don't catch me lying dovn without going the rounds of my camp ! " As the speaker began to brpa;; down the rampart which fended the dof^rwdy, the iieuieiiuiit abandoned bis peephole. He crawled back as he had come. i6 Tht! M^ Rkp- Half-Smd. slipped forth from the openinfTi made his painful way throuc;h the tho;nbr.'k« and came out into the clear ground. Convincinj/ him'elf that .lobody wag on the look-ouc for him, he went over to the tent of Donna Rosar'o, Leon's blanicet was in a heap by the door. He wrapped it around him, leaving his pistol arm free, like a Highlander in his plaid, and lay down, feigning to sleep. He had not been thus placed ten minutes before the tent doorway f!ap was lifted, and outstepped the captain with the bottle lantern. The latter went the rounds conscientiously, rousing more than one drowsy sentinel with a swing of the lantern or a boot smartly applied. As the men ffTowled he chuckled, and so worked himself up into a good humour like a bull-dog who had had several successful scuffles. His promenade brought him round to Rosario's tent, but just as he wis drawing back his leg to awaken the presumedly sleeping figure, there was the ku-klux of a large revolver going on full cock, and, w''V">ut taking the trouble to rise, Joe challenged : " No tricks on travuileis. Who are you with a light, and so free with your bootf" " A friend, a friend I Hold hard," the leader hastened to cry. '' Here is oae who keeps a good guard." " The chiefl " ejaculated the other, pretending surprise. " You bet. And," here he lowered the lantern over the man, sitting up nonchalantly, but with the revolver ready, "it's Corky Joe." " Same man, cap." " But how do I find you here when Foxfaca wi*s set o»er this tent t " " Oh, that's all right, chief. ' Want to kn. •■ ? " " Go on, I'm listening." *' Why, that young ass, the Drudge, sent to give Lotteiy Paul a rob down *lth tl.e camphorated spirits, as you prescribed " «• Quite right, I did." he forgot the keg." " Then I understand the rest," returned the gold-seeker, l?nghing, " Foxface naught the Frenchman's complaint, and both took the remedy internally?" "You've hit it, old man, they never left what would wet a fly's eya in the htf, the conseouences are, that they are drunk as David's sow, and snoring away. Bijt as I knew you wanted this tor.t well looked after, women being fine aa needles, i u>k,~ up my station rtere *ill relief comes." " You are a trump, Joe, and did the proper thing. I am sorry it is so Warned cold and damp— I am frozen like a snow wolf myself, and have a fit of sleep oji roe. Try to keep your eyes open till you are relieved, and with tlat good teight, lieutenant." " Oh, I am not sleepy now, boss. Out in the open I git wide awake. Rest ea^y, any way," he said, dropping down again in that favourite attitude r'. the veteran frontiersman, who knows that the prowling Indian M\ scare./ resist the temptation to shoot an arrow at the sentry who U visible upright. Kidd went into his tent, and the light was put out there. This marking, the lieutenant rose a little and whistled p^rt of a tune in a low tone. The Drudge crawled up to him around the lady's tent, finishing the air. "Take my place here in your own blanket, and let me have the signal if a .ything new happens." So saying, the lieutenant vanished within the tent of Donna Rosario. 87 t)uRli the thojubrrlw f that aobody was on lar'-g, Leon's blanket leaving his pistol arm ig to sleep, eat doorway flap was lore than one drowsy applied. As the men into a good humour [is promenade brought back his leg to awaken a large revolver going challenged ; , and so tree with your 1 to cry. " Here ii oae er the man, sitting up [oe." ver this tent »" Lottery Paul a nxb down Iter, !?'ig'hing, " Foxface emedy internally F" I wet a fly's eye in the David's sow, and snoring after, women being fine am sorry it is so Warned and have a fit of sleep on ed, and with tlat good . I git wide awake. Rest t favourite attitude r'. the r Indian *ill scarce resist 'visible upright, here. This marking, the aiowtone. The Drudge e air. . .^ let me have the signal il >f Donna Rosario. CHAPTER XXII. till lATB Vnnott TO TRB LADItt. ILK Lieutenant Joe was so boldly spying upon j.is superior and maatftu^ to get a look at him, notwithstanding his precautions to preserve his incognito, there were other important events happening in and about Donna Rosario'a tent full worthy of recoid. Aftisr Captain Kidd left them the prisoner had held a long conversation with her fellow-captive Ulla. They arranged that the latter should not for once go and bo coafineu for the night with the late prizes of the Half-breeds, but keap with the Southerner, whether the captiiin approved or not. Rosario was a great deal more agitated than ' He Scotch girl, though it was a question of receiving a. call from Ranald Dearborn. They were both ignorant ,-it what hour he would come, and whether be could get back into xhe encampment secretly. But aa it was a promiae, Ulla assured her friend that he would not be easily impeded. With the help of Lton, the girls lined the tent with rugs, furs, and mats, so that the doubly thickening the wall not only increased the warmth, which was no inconvenience, but prevented the le;ut ray of light filtering. This would have betrayed that Rosario was awake, and not asleep, for the camp curlew was set at ten o'clock at the farthest. That was one of the points Kida nuuia when he went round before going to sleep himself. The silver hanging-lamp was mufBed in g.^ize round its reflecting shade so as to diminish the gleam, the while it added a mysterious gresn tint to the soft twilight. Very little more than a pleasant glow arose from the bra2ierj rrhich burnt pine knots, difoising an agreeable odour. At length drudge was sent away. The two girls sat on cushions, like the beauties of the harem, too anxious to chat to pass the tima away, and glancing ever and anon at a French clock on a stand. On this evening, as we know. Captain i'lidd received the sentries and ierreted about, but he came across ;-one breaking bis orders. Dor.nii Popario's habita- tion, along with the rest, appeared to be plunged in utter darkness. As no doubt his captive reposed, the leader rubbf;d his hands gladly, and went to shut himself in his tent, so that Old Nick could not get at him, as the men playfully said. . We Hiow by the foregoini; chapter how the %,arcaji«n> had made a mock of his contrivances. Afer quitting the lieutenant, Drodge, with the passive obedience he showed, and the cunning he well concealed under seeming stupidity, began carryiag out the or-ler received. It was then about half after ten. It was a black night, the fine rain never ceased to tall, and, whisked under the natural vault by a rising wind, appeared to come from all quarters at once. There was no evading it ; but Leon seemed quite heedless, though it must have pierced his insumcient garments. He stole away like an eel along the rocky edge, crossing the whole cantp longwise till he attained the spot where the platform ende^l d the cliff formed an unfathomable gulf where darkness deepened* He sto short, and looked well about him to make sura h« was aioiHb -■•finr- -iiw S8 Tha K'd Rlifer Haff-Breed. i Whether alone or no^ neither he nor another coold 9e« any cb]eet fiidugh at touching distAnce. Reasoning that any watcher would, therefore, be {>erplexed to perceive him, the youth swiftly unwound a leather rrpe from about his middle. A ciant pine leaned out f roa the precipice. Tu this he fastened one end of the lasso ; coilincf the slack up clear for runningr out in one hand, hs attached the loop nrouna a good-oixtd atoae muffled with grass, which even frost had not killed in a cranny. He leaned over the ^If, at>d imitated with rant peiiection th« Inquiring and rather mockingly intoned iiits of the whip-tnake culling for a mate. Anv listener would h»v< iaiaginod that th« reptile Don jiian, drowned out of his hole by the icv rain, was seeking with equal relish to taunt a rival or a lady- love to Imive Its burrow and respond to his challenge or advancus.- After having r«p<»n»<-it is He who did It all !" re- sponded the youth, " I beg your pardon, yott have said the proper thing. It mnkes a fellow retigioasly inclined to be in such straits and miraculously pulled through tltero. Lead on, Leon, it i:: kite — but fira«>let us undo the lasso, and ttfface the marks of iny ooming up and over." " Are you not going back this way f *' Dear, no ; much obliged. In that little climb I nearly broke my neck a hundred times, aho:t measure t Besides, it is not the getting out of the camp that will worry me. Make haste — the young ladies must be just dying from uneasinesEi." Drudge unloosed thr lasso and coiled it round him in a few minutes. " Ready, sir ?" he said. " Show me the way. I am not able to get aboat— I cannot see at all.' " You need not fear, I know th* road very well by this time." " Where is Joe ?" •' Don't know— want to see him ?" " Well, I should like to speak with him." " Quien inht .'• — who knows but we may run up against him " Rather ngninst him than a stranper. I feel like a hovtsebreaker somehow I suppose it is the night timr, for our mo cried oat. But chance ord ea well as clarnbering 1 over the edge oa solid He who did it all!" re- hing. It w:^kti a Wlow dculously pulled through lo the lasso, and efface the 1 neariy broke my neck he getting out of the camp s must be just dying faom in a few minutes. -1 cannot see at all.' tliis time." alnstWm?" . a housebreaker somehow ; 1— evm holv ! ',' »ot a sound i " ^1 " ! am as mute as a statue." , Leon led the Englishman by the bop In the same direction he had taken to come. Dearborn stared aad listened, but seemed to be th« blmd man in the game for all he perceived. On the other hand, the Drudge knew his path instinctively. In daylight he could hardly have sfone more straight. After the still blundeiii'g march had continued some lea minutes, the leader halted. " Here «."e are 1 " he whispered. ' " Near the ladies' tent P " inquired the other. " Withia a step or two of Donna Roswio's tent i yes. Wow, tb« rest Is year affair." ' " 1 suppose it is. But dhat can I do ? I have never been further in than the ute, my boy— where am I to find you ia case I should require you F " " Right here, sir, whera we are standing. Must I not keep a k>ok out for vour retrrat ? " " So you mutt. Yen are right every time. I hardly know what I am about m saying or doing. The mere thought of sp<«kiDg with the yOung lady freely unhingrs me so that I— I fluctuate like a door in the wind." ''Be a roan, sir; remember that on what you arrange in this interview is risted, not only yowr life, of which I do not know the value, but those of the two young ladies, one of which is as precious to me, sir, as the other, I daresay, to you." ' '• V^ touch my very heart, boy I— the idea terrifies me I but still it gives me the pluck which was oosing out at my fingers' ends. I feel up to the mark again. Come what may, I .^hail behave like a man, I believe. On again." " Come «»>, but, mote than before, siltntly I Hush, hush ! " They penftrated the mariuee, the thick curtain, made heavier by the rain, falling behind them with a dull sound so sinister as to make them shuddsr. So does a pall flap on the bier in a sepulchral vault. For over hatf-an-hour the two giris had not exchanged a syllable. The wkiu and strokes of th«r ♦imo'piece bestirred them at last. " Eleven," muttered Doona Rosario, impatiently and mournfully. " Oh your friend will never come," * " Stop, stop ; he is here I " ejaculated UIU, rising, arrf restraining her deep joy from lotid expression. The pretended guide stood in the doorway, holding up the screen, and con. templating the two lovely creatures, whose fate might be determined by his mission, with as much bve f«- one as pity for the other. After his Preat ex- citemei t and the strain on his nerven, he was pale. His right hand came round upon his heart to compres.s its throbbings ; but his eyes flashed brightly with bravery, and his manly face was covered with gladness. His gaze centred on Miss Maclan, and approaching the cushion which she quitted, he seemed about to fall on bis knees, thankful that they were met again. Rosario drew herself away into the coiner, smiling and thoughtful at thw knightly reverence. " I am afraid this captivity is chafing upon you," he said, clear-sighted as a lover 13 to the least trace of sorrow on beloved features. 'l ^l ^ tnie,"^die answered softly, " but my misfortunes have but begun, -hsn.rathcro. what this poor )oui)g lady must have endured for a year, all alone in misery with not one to share her burden ; friendless, in a strange, 90 Tk4 R*d Rimr fh(f-Jiretd, dMoUta nrion, for from ^1 that maku!) living tweet. SheSiAs to believe that ibe is absoiutelv iKnored." " No more than you has ut looking away from the person he addressed. "Alas, sir, this bein^ true," observed the Spanish girl gently, "at least, grant that it is so much misfortune that makes me unjuit. It makes anyone hard, though with the best of tempers. I daresay I am wilful, petulant. Oh, I am I and all that — but luok at my having to keep up the struggle ail the time with misfortune. And I am only a girl too — a child, they say in the Nortti, whose early years were passed in joyous, happy peace, surrounded by dear schoolmates, very kind to me. ^Vhen the storm anexpectedly burst upon me, 1 felt as if I should never outlive it." " Don't talk so, dear," cried Miss Maclan, with that proneness of distressed females to forget the tangible danger in order to condole over a sentimental grievance, which, in th': rase, simply maddened the male bystander. " Your sorrows are well nigh at an end, I feel assured. You are going to save her, MB you not, Mr. Df .trborn ; snd I love you, Rosie, I love you very much." " I am easier,'* tfaid the Meaican girl, " ever since this gentleman came into the camp ; but still, you rnust not be too oonfident I The men you are matched with are very wicked ones, and there are ever so many of them too." " Well, my friends count up to a good number. I have not started on this errand without knowing what may be my support. Our friends are brave and strong, and having their promise to help, I could be confident. To say nothing of the remains of your father's company, Miss Macian, there is one man, the leader of the trappers — " " You mean Mr. Ridge," exclaimed Rosario, sharply. " Yes ; they call him the Yager of the Yellowstone. He's an American*-" " That's the one I If he is on your side, you need aiot much fear." " So you know himf " " So does Ulla there, from my talking to her about him as a devo^nd friend of my family. With that man on the lookout to save me, togr' with his companion, the Cherokee, Mr. Williams, I do look up. again v, vbe hope that I shall be rescued from this wretch, the Captain." " Weil, things stand thus. Before morning 1 expect to see Ridge, and to concert with him on hurrying on the time for the removal of all you ladies from this camp." " Heaven hears you I I pmy it will help you." " It is pa'isiblo we may nnd assistance among Kidd's men too." " Have a care, sir I all I have seen are very hangdog fellows," and Ulla shuddered. " I know that. Be sure that I shill make no friends without the greatest prudence. I only trust, too, so far the Captain's right>hand man." " Oh, you mean Joe P " broke in Rosario, joyfully. " He worked this round so that we are in communion. He suggested my seeing you too. I do not know how he managed it, but he has levelled off obstacles. Besides, he brought me into relations with a young fellow, almost a boy, who has been most useful to me, I assure you. Without his helping hand, I could not have gained this place." " Ah I you allude to poor Drudge now," said the two girls, with the same affectionate pity. " That's the boy. But allow me to ask you, Donna, if you haveiuid a long knowledge of them?" " Ever since I quitted the borders in charge o£ these hiffiam^** mi ;h»{ifts to b«liev« that ted Dearborn, tltoogh giri gently, "«t least, nt. It makM anyone wilful, petulant. Oh, le struggle all the time :hey say in the North, e, surrounded by dear «ctedly burst upon me, roneness ol distressed >le over a sentimental ale bystander. " Your re going to tvn bar, e you very much." s gentleman came into le men you are matched if them too." tve not started on this r friends are brave and fident. To say nothing there is one man, the He's an American^" t much fear." lim as a devo^ftd friend > me, togf' with his ip. again w he hope rt to see Ridge, and to moval of all you ladies men too." jdog fellows," and Ulla ids without the greatest hand man." nion. He suggested my , but he has levelled off a young fellow, almost a ithout his helping hand, I two girls, with th« same I, if you haveiiad a long efufiiata." Mt'Cah'^Piritmr to the iLaSes. i* " Wcli, what a yoar opinion of them ; yow <»ld-drawn Minion of them, as they sayr you will readily understand that 1 am too much of a strange* to this part of the world, and such queer uncommon peraoas as I oMMt, to judge quickly." " They bewilder me too," added Miss Madan. " They both have done me great services. They say they are devoted to you, Donna Rosario, but as nothing proves to me yet that this devotion is not auumed, I fear to be cheated, and even that 1 am cheated in tnistin|; them so far. Nothing more closely resembles a good servant than a hypocritical one, .tnd between ourselves, 1 must own tl.at Corky Joe has no winning countenance, better ones have hung a man." The girls laughed, Rosoiio the heartier. ' Poor Toe I " she exclaimed, " his face is not a good pauport, but he Is not to bhme tor that." " I do not blame him tor that, certainly," returned tha Englishman, ".and I do not s.iy that is sufficient grounds for mistrusting him." " You would m.-ike a mist.ake in ihat case, Senyor Dearborn," said the Mexican, becoming serious. " He's a Cue fellow, and I placa my confidence In him." " W-at do yon think, Miss Maclan ?" " 1 agree with my friend ; she has the proof in her hands that the Carcajleu stays near her to help her in cose of dire need." " Yes, but how and why f Do you mean to say ho is placed near yoo by someone ? " "By thnt Mr. Ridge, perhaps P" suggested Miss Maclan. " ITiat may be," answered Rosario, contemplatively. " Ridge is an extraordinary man," said Ranald, thoughtful himself. «' He has a wonderful influence over the white trappers and hunters, wild Indians, and these Red River Half-brteds, who hate the Canadians and Ai) aricans alike, and yet respect him. They tell me that important quarrels have been decided by his plam word, and never any murmuring from the party who lost." " Btrt to return to the lieutenant," said Ulla. " Yes," took up her friend, " of his true faithfalness I have ample ei^dence. It is a secret which I have promised to keep. Please do not doubt him any more." " Here's another mystery ! They talk of the plain, straight men of the wild frontier life, and, on the contrary, every other man seems to be a hero- of romance or of the Newgate Calendar. This Joe makes me uneasy, like the gentleman, spruce, trim, quiet, with a sharp eye, whom one sees as a boy about one's father's house, and whom' one imagines fearfully to be a detective to arrest the butler for stealing spoons ; or a sheriffs officer to arrest papa, and who turns out to be a picture dealer come to see if the smoky old picture, so long oar target for puff-balls, in the library is a geruine Snyders or not. It is clear for me that your lieutenant wears a mask, and no pretty one either 1" " Perhaps the better to suif the faces around us, air," replied Ulla, forcing* laugh. " These are white men's, but, really, the red Indian's, painted for war, is not more intolerable !" " Dios mio !" interjected Rosario, " what's the odds ! Are we not aJl other than what we saem here ? Is not every one of us wearing a mask from Captain Kidd down?" " In his case, it has slipped aside a minute," broke in a deep Toicei The girts started tisck in alarm. ya The Rtd m»er HalJ-BrteH. F " Vvliu'B Aat f t;H«d lUnald, taming roand, and putting hla ..^aiMl to lti« belt, noiM too nwlftljr If there had been dttnger. It wks the subject of their former converMtion, the Citrmjiea " i mean to say," continued he, tn a cold, stern voice, more au ' horitatlve than they had ever heard before, " that though jrour ditrulM! and mv oivn (till praaerve our identity, it is no longer so with our gtKxT Captain KIm. I iuMre •ucceeded in having an onimpeded look at his phii." "Can it be true f " ejaculated Rosario, clasping her hands. > " You have succeeded V repeated Ranald. ** •' Yes ; thank* to the clue you placed for me. Thank you '^ery much." ^ " So yon ha»«: fairly viewed him ?" ''$ "Yes- face to face— free from paint and feather— for upwards of half !•• hour, withoiit *i'n having the faintuat warrant for imagining that I had him under the lens." " Ah I that^ why you announced yourself in that rather theatrical manner you nse out here f " " I'heatrical, eh • Well, if vou mean tragic, you are right, sir. By the way, you were worried' about who p(aced me on guard over this young lady ? I heard that uio. Nothing to apologise for. Well; it is not over the young lady that I am placed, and it is not Jim Ridee that orders me hf.m and there. I am attached to Captain Kidd, ladies, and Mr. Guide," said Joe. with an ominous smile, " and it is Uncle Sam that set me on him. That is all I CMnby. As for listening to your tnlk, I did it because of a powerful interest. .It is only then I do play the spy, I hope." " It does not matter a bit, sir 1" cried Rosario, in her impulsive way. " This time, as a lister ' vou have heiitl good of yourself — but I shall never have done praising you , but go On and t:ll \xi about that dr^dful man!" " 1 cair.c for thrt, end I waste no time, for it is valuable. To be brief — the commander of these scoundrels, r. ;itivig: Uimself Kidd, is not Kidd at all, but a vounger man— lookinj; thirty, but may M more. He's dark enough to be taken tor an Indian or Mexican. He's a handsomij man for those that like the King of the Gambler's type. I know that under the name of ' Hank,' which ii Harry, Brown, rather notorious down South, he has been outlawed by the Government. Folks laugh at the District Courts, but as their warrant com. mands the military to lend hand for an arrest, I guess Mr. Brown thought i judicious to leavo civilization. But even that name may not be his ongina one, or really h'!>. It may conceal something blacker in the past. For one may not Hank Brown be Corvino, or Corioelio Bustameote, whose portis you traced, senyorita ?" " fi.% you spoke the same idea struck me, I do not know why. The more think it over, the more solid the impression becomes. Besides, this Comelii Bustamante was the bounHe.i friend of Don Miguel Tadeo de Castel Leon." " ifis agent in the shameful scheme to which you fell a victim," added th lieutenant quickly ; " but where is Don Miguel, then, the infernal iiend wh wrought out the plot f How is it he has contrived to eet away without leavin any traces f It is important to learn that. Well, well, *hi» is not interestin to you," he continued, looking over to Ulla and Ranald, who were not engrosse in this turn of the co'Mrersation. " We shall discover him, too, Heaven nelpin us ! I have a clue that satisfies me, and sooner or later the whole skain mu ' be in my gi^p. Ladies, have faith in me and in lim Ridge ; both, on our side are going to see this game out, or our bones shall whiten the mouutaios." "Mr. Joe, I have entire faith in you," "Andii" Irrf4, J f^imi l^kr. 93 and pMttiag Ua '•And to kn the CarcAJiw mice, more auhoritttlwo than good CapUin Kidd. I liav« ; her hands. Thank you "«ry much." ther— for upwards of half an- or imagining that I had him a rathenheatrical manner you ou ar« right, sir. By the way, over this young lady t I h^rd s not over the young lady that srs me her« and there. I am e," said Joe, with an ominous That is all I c)wr«iy. As for srful interest. It ii only then I !n h«r impulsive way. " This lurself— but I shall never have hat dreadful man!" t is valuibla. To be brief— *he Kidd, is not Kidd at all. but a He's dark enough to be taken an for those that like the King he name of ' Hank,' which is he has been outlawed by the arts, but as their warrant corn- ;, I guess Mr. Brown thougrht it name may not be his original blacker in the past. For one, lio Bustamente, whose portrait Jo not know why. The more I Komes. Besides, this Cornelio guel Tadeo de Castel Leon." It you fell a victim," added the el, then, the 'nfernal fiend who ived to get away without leaving iTell, well, this is not interesting I Ranald, who were not engrossed iscover him, too, Heaven helping er or later the whole skein must n Jim Ridge; both, on our sides, lail whiten the mouutains." •• I, too ! " In his hands th« lieuUa^nt preaaed the three held out Jta him with Ike mm* since' ity, Rosano's trarmeit with gratitade. Thank you ail. But time is tip t Say good bye, Mr. OearlMmi, aad (oUow me close." " Arrn't we to know my more ? " " Nothing to tell," returned Joe, bluntly. " Mr. Dewrbofa, §m ninutet to talw your leave of the ladies. In your place, I should wuit tea I " he ad«tod, gallHntiy. Lu. kity, Utia was not a wf> akiing. and into whatever danger hw friead waa about to plunge, she would not indulge in any dwoMBattoa 3t LITTER. LsAvmc the amisft)1e Captain Kidd for the time being, but pnmilsiog not io he slow in returning to him, we hasten to Old Nick's Jump, where we left a character as important and far more agreeable. After having carried out their project in favour of the white women and their captors, Uie hunters deemed it wise to remain sheltered in the cavern. It was not from any likelihood of the Crow Indians making ir>pri»als; it was clear enough that they had not recognized them, and had not lately been trying to trace tbem, 1 he reason of their " lajiring low," {,»., lying perdu, was more powerful J Jim Ridge had to wait for intelligence before he would strike out. The only persons excepted from this embarj^o were FiWitch and Cherokee Uill, thanks to which exception Lottery Paul received the drubbing that gave him " fiunny bones all over." These two were outlyers to the rest, beatin|r the bushes beyond the Justp-jcf inceasantiy. 94 The Rid Riv«r Half-Breed. i'6: In their exp'oration, \htf found out that thay had not helped honest emigrants but tho Half-breeds, and that the women were- more likely to be their captives than their wives and children. They had been carried elmost too far in their tow for humankind, and the border law that colour must defend its own colour. It is only fair to the Yager to admit that, even on learning that he had defende(^. mongrels, be was not Surry. H had been so lung quiet It was to coalesce with u.ieasy. Still, he let no He was not »he man to nont i>orteniJed. Whilst had met«]y mechanically bow, he stopped, without review. Wnen the last ilse had an eye on him, iry regular t/ianfi'e. Into i scratched a ledke in the ; for grubs. He Kept the the Tittle shelf, where it retted almost invisible, unless to an experienced eye, and that, too, looMne' fo>' it. After having executed thii; operation on all three trees, we say, the yeUow- stone Yager made a heap of all the moss and debris at the foot of the one which was apex to the trio. Leading up to this cone, scattered over with leaves, he placed lines cf s'lones, to .<«ay nothing of other arrangements of pebbles which, though to all seeming in disorder, undoubtedly conveyed a nieaning, for he went over them, and, like a printer correcting his types, modified them savpulously. Having once moie scrutinised the neighbourhood, to ht certain he had no spy on him, he took uplkis rifle and strode off, merrily whistling to hima^to overtake his comrades, who had not slackened their gait for him. As remarked, Bill the Cherokee and Filditch had ^one out scouting at day. break. Ridge had given them partieul.it- instructions, and perhaps was thinking of them when he accomplislred t' >: enigmatical work described. It was presumably a signal message. The Y^iger was much too serious a man to lose his time rn jokes. When he rejoined his men he said never a word on his doings, and no one questioned him ; they do no^Nquestion " the old man " of ii party when out on the warpath with a variety of deaths at hand. All the afternoon they marched on without anything Rotable happening except that a couple of bucks were killed, but shot with arrows, So that no Botse was made. About five p.m., a little after sunset, the band arri\^ where the halt for Uie night was decided. *' It was on the edge of a rather wide clearing, as generally is the ease, to prevent a s'irprise and attack urrder cover. 4^vai'.'ng them, seated near a fire only just kindled, Filditch was pufiing at a ci^r'. The ChTokee Half-breed was not visible. Old Jur. put no quositions conceruir' and mountain tops to get his bearings, and trurn stPMO li^iray, w'th wide opening of his long legs like one who knew thoroughly what \yt,wm about, and how the country was superficially formed. iiii* ijtipiw was only an hour U>ng. /rtir^ lit stixpped at a rock overhanging a waterfall. f ■Mil iiilf tj»a( his weapons were in gen deluJed and rushed to see a mate. But no owi— Jfterely a wir* il«l*>g'ud from the shadows scarcely twenty paces from the old moun- tnjrifti-f. 'tlf- wan came on With extraordinary confidence, keeping his gna t :;iy ti>)i<{'f.bly ready, ajcd smoking a pipe with its cover off. " Ob, vli'ii* young fellows t " muttered tb-i Yager, with a low laugh; "they w'ljj^ji ItJSf I. in.tbin', and it's no use talking u 'e-i, and, a ^.the sa me time, this is a awif trtwnl.iHg oimS among 'em." The Red Bitter Ha//-Breed. CHAPTBR XXIV. TBI TAQIR'S " TKKATT TAtK " WITH OUK HEtO. , in ft tarn mbtttea the two met, and eordtatir gripped hands. ' ' " WellP" demanded Jim, curtly. " An hour after you and your company marched by, so the Cherolue said, I met him. He was puxzline out something of a Chinese puzzle which you left for his wits. He told me that I should meet you here, and the time." " les' 80. Why didn't he come along ? " "Really, I do not know, Mr. Rid?e," answered Ranald, smiling, foritwcsoor amateur woodman; " I wll add, if you will allow it, that you probably know better than I do. All he saia was that you had given him something to do that would oblige him to turn back." " That's so, too. I was afeard he would not understand my ' collar of wam- pmn,' my forest letter," said Ridge, " Oh, don't you cherish any alarm on that head. It struck me that Lilians road your forest letter, as you sttyie it, as easily as I should a page in a bobk — • with this advantage, tliat he cuuid do it in the dark with his lingers if need be. You are wonderful with your devicas I But h^.e I am : deal with me as you see fit" " I want to hear you first," saiJ Ridge. " We are quite alune here. You have seen the young lady, tovfards whom I think you feel tendwly, and have brushed up against Captain Kidd, the old pirate I Say your say about them," The young Englishman retiected a while, and not till then did he reply, in a vcHce still unsteady with emotion, " If I were facing any other man than one whom I esteem as the King of the Wilderness: if I supposedyou had any other sentiments in your heart than those which ^11, white, red and yellow, acknowledge to he worthy, I should speak out thus — 1 am a rich man in Englanl, and will give you half tny property for your imes t imaMe help to free that poor young lady," He fixed an anxious gaze on the hunter. " Well, 1 ain't that style of man," said the tatter ; "and seeing you are fadnf mfe, what do you say P " " To you, Jim Kidge," went on the young lover, with tears in his eyes, " I have to say this— lea really in anguish, and my heart is aching with app/e- heMioa. Those wouien surrounded by merciless reprobates — 'tis a horrJbie situation. Counting that iad Leon the Drudge as a man, he and the Carcaiieu and myself are a mere mouthful among the o^res. Except yourself and friends and the kernel of Sir Archie's ill-fRted expedition, these wilds 8u with a repeater !" " 1 s'luli take care not to rouse his mistrust," answered Ranald, with a smile of confidence. 99 The Med Miver HaiJ-Breed. > Heaven i )arc«s-b •tamer eo into rho, seeing th« I the cam so eaailj every day, offers to pertoiiu the critters the tirst day ne tans aick. However, youth will be Ijoaa^ful. in any case, rely on :ne. ' That American girl is the daugiiterof my brother's son. And ^.nother belief of mine is all out of the tie if that poor young lad is not her br.,;Ker Lewis. This depends, per- haps, On finding out who their gaoler is — ttiis Kidd, in reality. Soon the means of identifying the children will be at hand if the father's loving eyes are bafSed. There are more friends and allies yet to he seen by you. An old friend of my nephew Filditch is due right here, and right now. His name is Don Gregorio, Peralta, Lewis's uncle. From him, through a trader, come the 'pointers' that have set me against Captain Kidd. I allow that, so far, he haa thrown me out, but I take a heap of beating, and tben I am not cou- quered. But he has even bigger enemies than this child. Into his ver}) camp, travelling along with his crowd from the very jump-off, is oa« of his foes, fir. He must have been in communication with you first off. He has been signalling to us all over the mountain, from smok« and fires, ^d played with the axe on trees." " You allude to the Carcajieu." " Ay, the Wolverine. You can *go to sleep In his blanket.' You mast put full confidence in him, for, otherwise, he might upset your plans without intend- ing it in performing his special duty.'l. " There's no fear about that, joe and I have no secrets for one another." •' So much the slicker 1 Now, we are full forty strong. Before this gang reaches the Yellowstone Valley, we shall be nearly a hundred, for the trappers are rallying." " We are certain to succeed I " exclaimed the Englishman, gleefully, " Certainty is a brittle twig. But ' our cause it is just,' as the song says, and we are going to do our utmost. Ou- 'jneraies are the more to be dreaded as ' gold or a ^rave ' is a motto that pulls them far. They are not the first band, though about the bigg(!st, that have started for the Wonderland. So far we bave driven them back, or Nature's scared them ; but that cannot be etarnal. It is >v ^ more than a coup'ie of days that I found out that the leader of these banditu is the notorious Captain Kidd. He is far down in my book for being the brother of one Miguel Tadeo, a scoundrel who has dropped through some- where, though tlie frontier is alive with inquiries afttr him. Kidd is a pesti- lence, but Don Miguel is the black plague itself I He is overflowing with spite Against his brother man. If he is hanging around me, why, I haven't seen a trace yet, a<'d that's bitter on an old trailhunter that's consulted by guides with' a big reputation. So be prudent, young sir, for you are in the hornets' nest. Kidd will kill you straight, on the faintest doubt, without any challenge. Other hostiles abound, keep before you as a fact : the Indians, and those Canadian Half-breeds. Their chief, Dagard, is a queer mut of good white and bad Injin, and a crime no more burdens his conscience than the last drink he took. Add that all the stray pirates of the prairie, hoia th>-'», gold-diggers, robbers, and skulks ginerally will flock to Kidd the moment he has an advantage over ua which promises him undisputed passage into the Enchanted Valley. You see the scales are pulled down agin us I " I even have an idee that there's a secret agreement between Kidd, which Includes Don Miguel, and this Dagard. 1 met more'n once down in Montana, and even farther south, the Half-breed Margottet, now the lieutenant of these fried River Rovers. Thar's some big scheme hatching in the Nor'- West, for tl»e Injins have knocked under to the railroad on the plains as Big Bad Uedicine; but cherish bopea, among the Apaches jiway South and Qp here 21IIJ.IIIIHI1II Th^ 1 ►■*i "'Aeaty Tiilh" with mt Hero. the lic,>tainergointo i tbe first day he fallt 1 Me. That AnjeriMm ef of mine is all out of , This depends, per- in reality. Soon the liber's loving eyes are seen by you. An eld ght now. His name rough a trader, come I allow that, so (ar, i then I am not coa- . Into his very cam^, ff, is t>a« of his foeat rst off. He has been fires, ^d played with nk^' Yoa m«9t P* c plans without intend- a for one anoiiher." ag. Before this gang adred, for the trappew «an, gleefully, ,' as the song says, «n(l lore to be dreaded as are not the first band, inderland. So far we ;hat cannot be etarnal. hat the leader of these 1 in my book for being dropped through some- him. Kidd is a pesti- I overflowing with spite why, I haven't seen A insulted by guides with . •e in the hornets' nest, it any challenge. Other s, and those Canadian od white and bad Injin, ist drintc he toolc. Add id^diggers, robbers, and an advantage over us anted Valley. You see t between Kidd, which once down in Montana, the lieutenant of these [ in the Nor- West, for the plains as Big Bad ay ^uth and tip ber« Owarda the Queen's cowntry. Ever since the Stouz wers driven over ti.e border, the Hatf-bveer!/) have been s? ucy. Wall, you are do'sbiy, trebly warped, young sir, and must abide by the conseqacnces. " Do all I can, I caanut pieice Kidd's game. Something in his proceedings upsets my calculations. If he were r^ot so notorious during such a long time in the West, I should imagine him — but that's all nonsense I Anyhow, sir, mi'id that fotgeCfulness, rai^nness. blindness- they'll ruin, no — well, wofse than that, they'll destroy all those girls and women. There are young men who love as strongly as yen, whose sweeth'arU are in that band; wthers who sorrow like my nephew, whose da'ters are there cooped up. But I am glad to know you, sir ! We have had gilt-edged Englishmen out here that brought servants from London, things in the shape ol men, but who my-lorded thers and your-gracr-' them, and disgraced themselves ! —they thought money wou'd buy every m<; thing even here I No, sir, I am ofltering you my fife, and Cherokee Bill _-, and a score more, but not for cash I You have a manly nature, tb fit's enough ; that kind comes among tbts wantonly fur hide ii'ii-;' ^-Et;fcr:iri^v Jf^ hear from Cktfrohn BUI. 101 ouW he ptiMled to" ■ up-leistood it per. rith the infonnatioo kt and awoke an old lerokee Bill had atffl biteace. > winter h«nt," In ** lie imptiitant from the g a belter price at the IS come mto the gttat railway pioneer* and restrictions. Ttic up- o long as every arrow the contact of enemies, ly as a solilier advanc- er eictjjtionat circum- Perfioaal interest, tiid wither as fast, it is irae t but on 'heir ruins real settlers tiock, and towns p.re speedily laid out. Deer will not abide sheep, it is well known, and so the Iridiast Imuc the farmer and grazier only a point less fiercely than these buffalo butchers. As for the moral : the Indians say that tiie land was their fathers', or that of the strong hand. When they uphold the latter doctrine, the pioneers plead for the Government troops tn take them at th«r word, or let them wipe the varmxnt out. • Closing this necessary digression sharply, we proceed with our taSe. The diverb aborigines assembled for Uie great wiiitek hunt had never been •» annoyed before as by the almost simultaneous intrusion of Sir Archie Madan's sledgin; party from Canada, the Half-breeds from Bed River td 0» North, and Captain Kidd's gold-grabbers from the Sauth. The Crows had fleshed their arrows the first in the Scotch party, and tfts news had swiftly crossed the wastes of " a heap of scalps and plunder" being obtained. The mock Chippeway guide had become a hero of legend. The attack on the Half- bieeds, though a repulse, was also ooatmended, and Ahaeaickee bad added laarab to his wreath. Whilst this news was still fresh, an Indian camp was eatsbUshed on the faank of Bear River, an affluent of Red River which does not alwav feed it, being sometimes " lost " in a sink-tole on the way wtten the waters fall low. Bean le, it* figure b pair ted, on a Usuuser, exiieriely revered, and K^uarUeil by an utd warrior^ the counierp* to our eiiai|giiu Over 4iiU above Ibis public token is another one, only known tu uie up)M:r ctasis «>i *' men u( the medicine," being a i^ranj pass-sign, prafticalty universal. VVe bawe only vj add that the good sense which tempers tlie BuperBiiiiun of the Noith Anacncau savage »Ui>ws him, when hungry, tu hunt, kill, and eat the animal u{ bis (cvwrenee, tbuuirh, truly, he always apologises by way ot grace to the victim. But tbe super-sacrvd emblem would be respected in any emergency. Lactcily, this is clioscii among such uncommon, even extinct, or, peibaps, fabulous creatures, cbiu it would be exempt from maltreatment m any case. Tbe tribe of Red Knife were coa\inced that the grizdy bear was their great grandfaiher, and so always came to Bear River as a hunting home. At sunrise of a fine day of dying September, the Piegans wne ratlter lazily attending to the moruiug Lxbours, the more disguMtedly •• these am usually turned over lo tlie women. Ti'.s camp, intelligently placed on the water side, and otherwise dtfended by a double row of stakes, presented the untidy u!>pcct uf such places — *' and «melt m>, |>ali t" War ponies, held by ropes to pegs, munched climbing peas. At the dooi of his tent. Red Knife — squatted at a kn. — was ti^aling himself with & ticluie-breakldst smoke. His eyes were half closed like a cat's. Two sub-chiefs aftKHl by liira with the same seeming inattention. After the horses bad had their fill, itsey were taketi tn the watering-place, whereupon the mt» might eat. So gue3 the tJue lot tiie wai- horses : much like Atab rule. Soon the cbief was given his meat, simply enoagh ooroposer Indian cum ha»ty-puuding, made Htvuuiy with bear's fat and flavoured with nicsifpcwd<.r and a. dash of rocksalt. It was tite hageslo, or crier, who was also the butler. When he had dished up, the commander kuidly invited his lieutenants to ff^mt by him a:id help hitu out with the repast. They nirdded, laid by their pipeA, and all three wtnt (o work without uttering a word. A £uiopean might nut ha^e lelisbcd the spread, even washed down wiiU poor whisky and the i-jy wa'xr, but an Iciiian la not fastidious. When he has fotjd, he eats gluttoiiuasly, ab&oibmg *a incredible quantity, for it is ciluuettc to rcfu.se nothing and leave no aumbs. On the Other hand, probably consuhng theii stomachs iu privation by memory of poat teabts and ||>|ri'spects of more, our. red brothers support themselves with great forucuds. h'.vtwithstaiidiug the quantity before tlio.-n, tlie chiefs did not prutuag the nie»l, U'hich was over iu fifteen minutes oi su. I'tie crier came up ftoai wiMuc tic vt-js watching and liasded Uie lighted piuc. The other warriors, having lini!>ned breaking (heir fast, rollet! (hntiselves up in their wraps awl went olf lu a doM by tbe hies. Such sleeping, cwitig, during, hunting, and fighting forms their lit'«». For two guoit hums all but lite thice leaders seemed reposing, and they never shifted their positions. At about eleven o'clock the galley of several horses was audible at & distance. The crier rose and hastuied to llie entrance of the palisadoed camp. Coming up swdily, be peiceived three Indians mounted. Thirywere aimed for wt.1, juid by the foxtails on tiielr leggings and by the ney eagle feather i»iuck upiigbt over the left ear, one could conclude they vrere chiefs. They reined in when they arritred at the enclosure of pikes. The principal, as was siMwn by |iis keeping s ?hadc in advance of the utheis, lifted hia right (laiio open, the palm outwards. the four Angers kept together, and tlie thumb bent in. The hagesto made tbe same sign, and, going up nearer, saluted the new comers respei^fuliy enoagh, eiaA *n % M ft^tt hear from Cliej^bfe £UL 101 ef"^ autuol animal a baiuact, cxuec-iely ur eiiwjgiii- Ovtrr 4iiU ercia9iB«({''menof »ht Wo haw« only w ■vJ'l iith Aiaericatt savage [ hU tewrence, HiouijU, But tite sujjcf-sacrwl [hi« is ciioscii among ut», cbiU it woulU be beat wsis their great home uis ww« rather Ja*ily [tcM atK uKudtly turned lierwiae Jtfended by • — •• and smell xo, |>ah l" IS. At the dooi o{ his wilh a Ijeloie-breakidbt jiefa «o«» by liiro with ir fill, iltey were takcu w i Uie eue lot ttie ""^VfL txfi of still fitah meaS,' huatiny, •»>' IniUan tuiu X with in*at-|KiM»lt» and al«o the butler. When ints to g^iiat l>y him asid lipcn, and aJl three wtiit lave lelished the spreaa, , but ail iBilian la not ab&oibmg ma incredible laumbs. On the Wiser cniory ot paat SeasU and great forutudc. id not protiug «he meal, : up lioiu mbctt be wus ,f, rollttl thnmselviM «»|i in sleeping, esBiHg, Uoiing, reposing, and they never as audibk «t ft dlMance. ed cami>. !d. Tht-y wetc aimed few mtf eagle feather «iudc cfii. They reintil in i^he* was shown by his kccpiMg jpen, the palm oiKwards, lie hagcBto made the 8an« ^(uliy enough, ajod *a S. low, meMured voice, inquired their business. Bdag answered, he saluted again, and returneit into the camp ^)»i^h his information. Red Knifr listenetf to the story In an unco.->cerned manner, but he srdeKdr tn« visitors to be &hown to him. At the sound of the horses the warriors had awakened. The oatermost went to take the horses from the guesU who alighted. These then were ushered up to tho trio of commanders, who eyed them coldly. The other three were in ftghuuff dress, bat were not painted in accordance. ' •' My brothers ate welcome," remarked Red Knife. " Ahneroekee being a great Chief in his nation, he shall take his place beside his brother the Piegan, and smok« the peace-pipe." Ahnemekee, for it was the Crow chief, bowed pleaaedly at the compliment squatted down, and took the pipe. For a while the calumet went the round. Etiquette directs that the guests must speak first and may not bs questioned. The pipe ended with Ahnemekee, who knocked out the ashes on his nail and offered them ceremoniously to the ear;h whence the tobacco bad come, and thereupon, bending toward ReJ Knife with a wimiing smile, wished him plenty of buffiUo and success in killing bear. With the same bland smile, Red Knife returned the compliment. " Unluckily," added he, " game is scarce. The wilderness is getting swamprd with 'the hatted men' — (Indians ar« *elf-dist»iiguished as batless)— the fMither- bea.ds get only their leavings." " Ye?," returned the Crow, emboldened at no allusion being made to the old..*ime enmity between the Crows and the Biackfcet nation, " nat only do the l^ng Knives capture the game as if it grew for them alone, but the axe and the plough lessen the domains of oar fathers. Soon will we be crowded J gainst the rocks, and there shjil! we die in saow and ice for want of food. My heart aches to think of the miseries awai ig the 0'nishiniba--a\\ Indians. As I submit, it seems to me my bkJOd is weakened with water, that the marrow in my bones is swamp mad, that my eyes ate dimmed as one looking through the glass peepholes in the stone cabins. I have gon"! into setlusion for eight days and there asked, asked, asked if the just Great Spirit has really allowed the pate faces to do what they like with what wc deemed our very own." " My brother is a wise warriOT," «aid the Piegan, sonowfally. " The speech ftwa his straight tongue chimes in with the Voice that speaks to me in my medita- tion. Spea' on, speak on, Ahnemekee— I hear not a Crow Indian, but one trf the whole red s !.■ — it b a frienUi/ ear that drinks in his wtwds." •' Right ! the chain of brotherhood still endures, and tboagh time has cankered it, it is strong under the rust When Yohemah brought our fathers from the Zyi of the sky, O, glorious Sun, that warms the red man and conserves his meat, tncn the Wacondah showed them the woods, lakes, streams, and prairies, and bade hioi 'Take, all Is thine!' The warrior bowed to the Guide, and tharjked Him, Thwe was no white men then, they bad not come over the Alieghanies u> be our tormentors, our robbers, our stayers, with the fire in great guns. But the red men fell out with one another, and would isot see thcK was room for all. The Great Spirit brought the pale faces hither to perplat thtm and punish them. Soon dki they scatter them, setting the Blackftet-Sloux against the Mountain Blackfwt, tho Crows against the Bloods. But still, the rcdskir** h&vi learnt the new kind of warfare. We have horses and weapons. All the rouie-of-flight of the Slous through the Veltowstouc was strewn with ttic eai-kh of the arras they couW not carryt and CfQWi and Blackfest have da" them up, Rnd have been buying powder and ball with iheit furs. ''•Ha hour of revenge has come, tejtber— I speak it ! Wliy should we not ali 4 104 n« Rtd Botr HaySned, pMfit by it ? Anrt if we must wrangle nnd clapperclaw among": curscltcs, Ui it be orer the spoil of the dead whires,' said he, subdy. " Hunting I For m week yna have laid here entpiy.handed, whilst I have pillaged a train and armed my men finely. It is true we have come off second best in an encounter with anolhei band of intruders, but it was the anoW'Storm that dr'>ve os off. Let us uitNe and overwhelm these Northerners, and then crush out the prairie pirates from the i;old minea. What does my l>rother thinli of my words .' I'here ftie no more to come." '* My brother speaks to the point, Ms words fall on mine ear as sweetly as the tagWi MTeam, swoopin{e^ upon its prey in its mate's hearing^. The Picg^aa braves Are not here to run buffa'io and follow deer. They are (gathered to drive the geld-seeliersintogfraves. Bat what can so small a f«rce do, however bold and cunning i It is a chief who asks this. Let his brother aitSvYer." " Red Knife is wise, thouijh his hsir is t>laek. It is his wisdom that b Qref. .Mmemrkee will gc to the Bloods, the Small Robes, the Blacfcfeet, and the Oacotaha. They will <*t>y against the paleface robbers and butchers. The hiitchet wilt be baried tta agsiin:,L the red men on ail aides, but the buitdle of reeds, one for each tribe, will be hurled within tlv white men's camps. In four suns after this, hundreds of red wani^is ./i!! gladly greet Red Knife at Elk's Lean, at the fifth hoar of the night." <■ II it be not contrary te the will of the Mastw of Life, the Knife- pointed>with» Blood will be at tl'c Elk's Leap." It was as mut^ of an aec^anoe as the Crow had antidpatrd. He row, and . vras euorted to his horse by the sachem, whose companions wers ainilaily polite to the other Crows. The camp buezH with a deltaic over the visit and the pledee, but vras settling down to fresh calm when, about an ht>ur aftct Ahuemekce^ .iitappearaDoe, an eveitt oQcaned stUl mofe stirring. CHAPTER XXVL THB ALL-POWiarOL IIISLSII. A LOUD noise was beard in the sVirt of the woodland, of which the outer brush caffie gently down to the opening of the vale, where tl)c Piegans weic kxlged. As the anund came nearer it assumed the dimensioiis of a downright torault. Besides the dattcr of hoofs, there was tht banging of heavy articles against tiie saplings, which t^ang back angrily, the squealing of mules, aud many raodom shots of pistols and rifles. The latter made the Indians the more disquieted, as dtie screen of bonghs long hid the cause. . At Red Knife's order ^ laa ^h their anns to the debnoes, whilst some got their tkGHT.tea ready at a secret omiet, in ease, this l>eiag an auack, ti^ might mah round dowik upon their camp and pay them back in their own coiii. Two young men were sent out as scouts, but they had hardly left beiiHC a whole Stiiag of persoos >)« distance and the dust that sprang up from the alkali stretches sroung ttie scrub outcids ifae forest prevented particulars being defined of his tribe, or even lus naiioa. He was followed by a girl in a sort of pannier scat on a large Aset mule. A mantle envelope I her, but the wind flapped it back, so that her sex was discernible a* far as her attire and her mode cf tiding revealed. Behind her, separated by such ▼nried spaces as the diffl rences in tlieir speed under InirJens apportioned, six or eight beasts of burden r;.'«hcd. As in their mad course through 'he woods their packs had been kn'Xked abou", pulled partly off, slewed to one side or under the bellies, or even trailing after by the lashings, every now and then one would be brought tu a sudden stop, or hurled into a natural pit-hole half full of dr,ca.yed leaves and nteitiug snow. The squalUngs would redouble at these disasters. After tl)< se fugitives upwards of a dozen horsemen came racing. Some waved laiiats, or snapped whips, to cow the runaways into a pause, or to swerve from bti dly following the leaders { some were uaing their guns at the foremost of this quevr procession. But, though they stopped to take aim, they were not so expert or fortunate as he. Ttie pursuers were Red River Half-hreeds. The pack animals did luM clear the woo I; the scrub was more entangling than the large growth, and they, at all events, were captuied as they struggled after tltcir harness was ciuglit. The tw > fugitives, on deboucliing upon the open ground, were in extreme peril. They had the river to cross under fiie. Neveithelcss, they did not seem discouraged. At least, the dark-complexioned man drove the !abed his heels into the flanks of the mare, which leaped in a beautiful curvu into (he river. In tlie leap he uttere«ed. At the announoemeBt mt into the camp unarmed.* AM reaiatance was useless. One oolitary l^aK-brecd was le(t in charge of the Ave horses and hia comrades' arms on the river brink. All he could do, if the Mhtrs were ticacherously murdereiii was make a breastwork of the quadiupcda and fire away lo hi^ last shot, and iticn he slain. Red Knife and his lieutenants rec.ived the crestfallen Canadians cootteeusly, and conducted them s'ilenily to the council lire, The^ the Piegans sat (town and invited their guests to do likewise. During the long silence that ensued the entrapped ones looked well about them. The two fu^iiives had shaken themselves reasonably dry, exchangeil their wet outer gorme-its (or dry one» and were warming themselvea at the piicRls' holy fire in tlie medicine lodge, wlietc the totem-pole waa (landing ■sntry, aoto ttay, over the tribal aik wkhin. " Why have the palefaces come into my camp ? " inquired the Piegan at length, in • stem vtiice. "What is the iKwa f or %i»t Thete is no couitnuit tie between the palefaces and the Blackfer* ' The tone, like the qi vn, was not amicable. Moreover, the hunters had iKticed that tlie pipe had iiut been uleroil them, so that they kuew they wetc bciog treated as enemirs, not as mrte Miangerscvcn. The tcailer uf the Hnl Ki»er Malf-breciU waa their capt^ himself. He was •upportetl by David Sieelder, to whom Kidd '.las alluded aa an undesirable -actjuaihtaiice, wiiiitt Margottct was guaidutg ttie hoiacs aitd wcaiKHis aa one in a '" mo«l trostworlhy and ticklish |K:st. Steetdcf was a »tudt, neiculean fellow, with flaming ,e>i hair and beard, though his eyes were daik. But they so squinted, and Hhified their point o( view so frequently, that most would not have renimkud this inoirnpatibility. He alone 'round on the led nticn with the bile curiuMty of one whose bi^tin waa cimsested nlny. 1 4 was too learned in Indian ways luit to appicdate the hostility of the ' _^^,>'i(ifr, dot he was teailcss, cunning, ana accdMuraed to meet emeigeoctes ^irW^'' .^'' ;hing. h e walketi into the Picgan camp to sit at the council fire," he said, firmly,' V^^-' ,.'01 in a lequesi that my icu broUici* aie nur In Chinook that h« wM • inlets. U fur hU rrqaeat. n the akjr 10 many mhtutn g^lM on perotivinx whjr th« If; out of the srcret gate, had numted meti and the laa«o«d like crnba in a net," all eyca dealing with, they had to ere conNummated, he waved y- nto the camp unarmed.'* ■4 was left in charge of the r>k. All he couM do, if the tvrork of th« quadi upcda and Canadian! couiteeuiljr, awl Regans sat down and invited tx that ensued the entrapped haken themselves reasonably ml were warming themselves the iGtem.pole was landing uired the Piegan at length, in I no coiumoii tie between the Moreover, the hunters had Lt they knew they were betug !ir captain himseif. He was atiujed as an undesirable acs aihl weapons as one in a ^ ted hair and beard, though lifted their point ol view so I inoumpatibility. He alone lie wliosa biain was constated appreciate the hostility of tha stunted to meet emergencies council fire," he said, Armly/ not the hxAa (o throw aMide anything taUl before them,*' It OH Da^itd, wht> placed no T^r'n-.r ,ful Emtlem, 107 waniors, and m claim jostle, wli< tMith whairvarr in ItWR;. "TNv ar« fkralrie tew wiinf ringed, is tn grt it." The chieNi bowe'^i it was (iatialnf to be taken for arbUratcrs, and, besMeSi tiM prairie and .Tnountain arbitrator is entitled to t£ke payment oat o' «!ie property in dispute. &« rEntbarfasaeur cnii'.inued as jauntily as if he felt secure now. ''IhavTMUK . aoonfidi'iice in my red brother that I hnv« put asideall toa tooth' pick to cnimc rig* r m among ye. Besides, there's no blood frud between the Half* breeda of Manitoba and the BUckfevt nation that ever I heard of. Tin hatchet never -vas used against cither in the other's hand. Why, then, stKiald I want to sit down vxiiih the knife in my girdle, as you carry yours i If I liar) bean yonr fbe— • wtiy, i ha«B a good crowd left after a hot brush with the Crows tliat would have been endroi^ rubbed out but for -the blizzard breaking up the evening's amusement t but I haviuii'i come in any force. I knew perfectly well that 1 was meeting frWmds. There vwas a silence. The Indians were clearly aware that ttte Catuidian bad been a tau^yh bone lor Ahnemekee, and that the rctnaiiKler of his troop was nog despicablk;. They had not Winchester rifles such as that wliich so rapidly disposed of lik't' am owner's pursuers, and hoped no such rare fortune. "Thiis'is the poiiu," concluded Dagard, wi.h an angry glance rt the girl and bev dshntHm at the sacred fire of the sanctuaryt " my naen and I, on the open grountlV Oaptirwil that white woman and some stampeded animals that followed her mule ; wbeniiD cnt this renegade Hall^.breed, on a mare that called away her mnk^ and assay went the wliole outfit, heker>skelter. A stampede is fair enough — but not tteaahery. Either this Half-btred stands up for one colour or the ether — red or whkei, H h*iuints with the red, why, > -n red. Ttie Red River Half-breeds never yet beid for #« King George's, or the Yankees. And he should have let my prizes alone. Or, if he is a friend to the whites, either those gold-seekers or the mountain irapper>:. he is uur foe. I claim the girl, I claim the mongrel whom no race owns. My brujItiDr sliatl decide. That's my say." All eyes were turned towards the fugitive, who was now carelessly leaning a^ainse the xotcm.pole. The girl trembled with col<; ; he was steady us the f taff !t»rl.'. TUr sachem beckoned him ibither, and (!arted ' suspicious glance on hitn, inas- mnota as, HaK-btoed for Half-bleed, there waj nothing to vary the seniles betwaem (bcra. " There is an accusation, brother.. What is the defence ?" he asked. The other smiled scornfully, bw making an effort over himself, he answered railingly, " la the land of my forefathers the mocking-bird was often heard, but I little thought to hear its deceitful voice hereabouts. To what tribe does this patchwork man helosyf that he dares class roc with such as he ? i am a Sagamore I But look kt bis tIk'tTi — is it white, is it red, is it even yellow? Car he name his fhther among reei> renowned in battle i Can he name his mother ? Some white thief; kicked nut of Use frontier whisky-r'wm, and some squaw who bangs round the ports, these were his priigeniturs, and they shrank from ownin;^' him I By what right does he raise his vcice in a council of dog-soldisis, eldersi, hallowed men who have beer*, iiiitiatted in tl)tr inner circle m secrets handed down from days when, from the White Ridgi fonder to the Blue Ridge (ihe Alleghanies) there, noiw but pure reti met; trod tlie Vtar-pa'S, and f ,hcd and hunted. Because he commands a string cf curi. My os^4ion is the ghon of what it was, bat we tsiiv. whip the Red River mcnjgrels any (£ay! We ":e the CherokeesI I am a first-chief among th«^iM. ,iAJ jfo8 The Btd Mier Hair-Breed. And only the high>clau Cbetolcee, the very hapired ones Chur a iagea, or *' fire< " filkd," arc po tattooed. If by chance any foolish or wicked youn«r man attempted e«en a rude imita'ion, the elder* woyld corub the marks oat of hi?: skin with green corn juice to the very qu)Ck« and then he raig^ht think he bad ffot off lightly for the MCrilege. The sun is an. emblem understood Mtd respected almost all over the two Americas. "A Son ol the Sacied Fire! " cr > 1 the chiefs, Ljw^rijr with rcve.cnce. •'Cherokee Bill, the mate of Jim Kidgfc the mounriin man," sneered Dagard. '* Yes, I am the Cherokee. My father was made a chief of rhe nation before me. li ever I conae to the stake, «md I am bled to the last drop in my body, nothing will have Issoed iiut red blood t Well, 1 am tboasands of miles from the home and graves of my fathers— am I among brothers nr fo«a? " Red Knife rose and '^>wed to the speaker, answering t " We have heard none but a Cherokee speak. The place of the Sagamore -is in mf stead. Lm him command at the council fire, and all thiu hete snrround os will obey bim to the letter. Wisdom is in the Sun of Fire, and the Grea'. Syirii loves him. To no one need he give an account cf his doings." With a dignity that struck all beholders, the Cherokee sat in th« place Red Knife vacat->d, and lifting his hand to entreat silence, said gravely-^ "I (hank my broclier for not having required any explanation from me; but my tongue is not forked, and my honour eiacu uiy Piegis* soi» being judges between this Canadian and me. The young woman whom you soc yonder was the captive of the grold-seekers, commanded by Captain Kidd, whose nauiie smells bad in the nose of honest Indians on the border. She escaped en the mule, ana fell across the path of these Red Rivor Rovers. Yes, she would have been ti.cir fair capture if they weie independent. But that's nut so. Thsy are allied with Captain Kidd, and this detachment was going to join him v'hen they met the fugitiw. Being one ami the same, any enemy had the right to cut in and cue out tbe prise. 1 did so. Who is In the right P He?" " No 1 " r«asponded the unanimous voi«. •' Will lie even deny my stateraenl?" Dagard, insolently enough and impudeuiy, too, ctmataering be had no w«apon&, yt&A chatting with his ttiree adherents. " He cannot deny." " Your conduct is r^ht. Tha tiaitors are (heae Red Ritar Hal{>brced dogs, for aUying- thems^Sves with a bandit who respeas neithei red nor white, andthe^i cumes to a red skin c i cup and asks help and favour as being a ted man himself." "Goi" said Cherokee Bill, with acorn so wichcring that the Indians did dm xi^ti the four scalps thus rejected, and Dagar't felt no joy at the deliverance, '• $bQald your feet take root here, you will be trees cut down for tlie night fire I The girl is free 1 Until you cross that stream, you are neither foe nor friend, merely dogs kkked out of camp i Co, it is a chief that speaks." llic Embarrasseur seemed too much embarroased himself this time to even lift hia head. Stccldcr squinted horriMy as lie shrunk past the Ctierakee. The tour Canadians hasteneii to join the Ueuteiwnt, impatiently holding the horses, and, nwunti.ig rapidly, they rushed over the river. The Piegan party had contcnieii tiMmsch-es with e: amining tht pack animals, the dead -ml wounded, under titdtis Id some way sigimlled to them by the snn-flash code. Thr >rialf-bTeedi put ibr' «nHMi4ed on the beasts of burden aad doki&iUy icturoed to their csisp. If a dajrea, or *' fii»- aang man attempted hit skill with g^een ot off lightly for the vtt the two Amecicas. reveicnce. ' siieered Dagard. rhe nation before me. in my body, nothing from the home and f the Sasfamore-is in hete surround us wilt the Grea'. S)>sod some anaie^ lest his catching «old should spoil itisroice, Th*! way things had eorae about was thus :-— Ws know that It was arranged that Donna Rosario should be pat in t^ | ot a riding mule, so that the party of gold seeicers might trawl by * straiglt mad. Mcan^Thile, Filditch and Williams were hovering about them as ckiself^ they dared, cautiously exchanging brief confidence with Joe and Dearborn up # ttw otitioai moment. Then the Spanish gitt was to be aided by tlie two frkaas of Ridge. "nie phn was so simple and infaUibbi, that »he girl gieef uily pOc^>tc« it. Soon a&er the itaeond d&y's start in this order, wltilst the nauloms jrst fr«sh, Filditch and his companion v^rang on two outriders aad palk 1 thtm to t.,e ground. Unfortunately. Fcxface, whom the Ca'.ifonaan had thrown, was up again hkft lighming and eosuMbered Ae other as he was trying to kHoant in the warm 8ad(il|»^ The re«uU was, that Bill was on hot ^eback aad tiding alona at the point in the f where he could take Uosariu's mule by '>t. bridle. It is true Filditch kicked tne man away, but the delay was tuat He wa «iMnpelied to plunge into the woods at the sid^ of the ravine where this ^tseuixed, or be the target for twenty rifle shots. , ; ^ X>uring th)."» the Chcrv;''«e had e .sac'tted his project. Thanks to his whoop, «^^ set the attina^fc eurvetiug, and the increase in the confusion due to Joe, Leon,:.' Ronald, no one doiitd s«£ an cfitctoal ehot at the abductor of the young girl as (i| mo dived in Rt a g»p in :hc uml^wcad. .' . But there was too much of a i/(cod thing. Rosario'a mule was not alone" •tiraction mwards the coquctttsh it»fe which the Chcroke* had stolen. A nnvd of the animals eet up a cry at iIms mar/s w5,inny, and for a raommt the Ham? tbieateaed t) be gaii-ral. To be fcslt without a bo-rf ur sr them in the wild wtai^ Is the worst twe known to men like Kidd's coroawid. They flew to vrork with superhuiaan activity, dafing, and itreng«l>, and secured most of the frenzii animalr. Sti'!, a doeen i»d tailad o!T after BUI anJ the girl, veiy deeply to j disg'int. P> Che tttf, oouW be beguiled lato a steep path, wlieie,! dragging K wri>.> into n irithws, the rest world hwl thsmselves by and be irretui fiy Htjc, ag V < i. calctilatioDS were opart by the Hai^-biiwis or. their way » tern with iti.id tt U;e fixed plase. Bill sa< i'Kin'M'y in time totakeanc, ^oarsa, P>i ig^ard atni a law «< die betief mci.»;-sl atartsd d! 9S.fr the «ra«giing line,*. * b l*ey at t:noe cut off twoorttu^»« >8ndm«»i. But the other* frissheced ap at Iv-wg s» li«rri«d, an i the kiAd ol mil-i haiit coat.nued huttja (ha» c«e;. Tik- thiuidor ^ the adieu coursers I TO fhi Rtd amtiawttty renikvled the Ch«rrkee (hat titvm ' uuiridtkn aiiil tlriowu ott !» trroat! a irat-lc. " Are you biave ? " mquiKil U- ot titt girl, ^, ,i««!t"'i ».y your mcasurt.*' ul'i replied 5 "bui tbireS ooe ti.Injj atirei, I would sound kiU luyscU diaii \f'.l ^gaA.. i'tta ttiose ru£Sariniun on this ? What ought the rcbe(s thicaien to invade t)ic holy ground ot (he Basin of Fire.' '* Without replying in woids, the Cherokee iiioked about him. In one ap6t a <^>ilhy scam clo|^ping oat was soaked with blood from the butcheted game. He p/xpttt^t to the wiiite earth on one side of ih'^'red stacn, and then scratched the tiiit ,kntfr, He U)o\ up a handful of the soft dust and slowly let it fall through his open fingers. "Tins dust is the Indians, uncemcnied l»y their bk)od{ they are graiuo »i r lltlid's btea(h ctmld spin into the itver. United by bkiod, a block is ior(n«4" < r^^^t^^ Viift the «lge oi a kniie. Do my brothers- comprehend ? '• '*** ' •^"■f'^3|™ ♦' 1 do," answered Ked Knife. "The Raven of the Cherokee counsela -'.V.i^4,ji;^| t>;ic. Before now we have done thesam:, and waged war. Perhaps, 'w(*aK!iitgs and traitors falkn away, a great and lasting victory wc oUrS. But out enemimj are powerful as they are. What it dit white 'lunters unite with these Canadians and tiie Mm of Montana? " " V'ou need nut fear that. Oil and water do not blend." " But the Old Man of the Mountain, the (rieml of thet Cherokee, would h« j-^ oome to the uid tS ihe- Pies^ant.? " asked the chief, subtly.. -^ "■ But the white tiapper l» alone — —■'* began B'tl. '! i " M«t may be alone at this iiour, but my spies spvak of ;he lonetrappersoemwrf /^ng (tf fu\n him . Doer not the Cherokee kuuw — bis mocaMtns have crossed ttot; ' /a4;e8 of theirs?" m--- "'■t {omtein M.&» is HeHn/oned. lU [-re nw easily to !»<•• by »h« nud g^allfp. [biii. ttM.Te'»ooe ti.Ing iaf>»' power," Jtid, pulsing a sheatiri Id. " You may wain |j|NKi8ibk fur yuu." •taried, gained like a d « bntoe of be««y ter. You siiall have Down wwit the men if ?ini ar.d ihe tonj, •7 an»* U-..S v^joa the :'^ *.«(,: 1, Fertile ■«*•• .teciplation from afar> . ck tiMi doer, so ih« bid riiiory. V> .at is my len dMt siiine roMjers him. In une spot a butchered game. He ieti scratched the saft sriliied chalk, haruetied up a handful of the ey are crainn >' ocfc is formedl r tee ODunsda ■ -■ •''^•^•ik£i' Perhaps,'! ' M-i't^^-'^' (c white i. . J , 1... ,a'' lerokee, Bs era ppers cms v£<>ld hfka liif 00 seoets from his brother. The {rappers arc cnaowag, that'4 a fact." '* To what end i Wilt he guide (he gold.seehers into the Encha&ted VnUegr, W^fre the holy Src ra^es, wlttoh m^' father has drank." "No. Jsm Ridge loves ite Yellowstone— he does not want a whole fubtoiUt af sccurim^s to be poured into i's lovely gUdes and peaceful parts, where the far/n&< ■tome aj> and lick your hands." 1 " Ati I does the old V^ger wish the help of the Piegans to keep off tb? white* ? ia hh Chektikee mate sent to ask that help? " rame from the Red KnVi, i» Aantajw^ »otce. - . .f "Lot', no," responded Bill, coldly. "On the other ht-nd, the old mnn ne>x; it^sed help !o an courcd by i.'im— more than fed, mark yoa ; clothed in fttte fur, tuidl g^ren » gun ant, powder &,nd ball, with tt?<: promise only undeT^cood that he sho-'iti ^ot use thern on Any of Jim's colour. But never has he craved any return Icr w'liat he haj done. Tliat's his style, chief. What the R«v«n says is dictated by the friendly spiric i.i bis very bones, with which his mother tempered tttem. He has no mission from anyone. But siiii, if to drive away these gold-thirsty dogs, ay, and to crush tlitint, ttic Picgans want the wrapper's itelp, who enteruins no kindly iCec!ingha have made their mark, set about things unthlnkiogty, and with no conception of th<:ir extent. The Picgans do not ask in thia fashion, being men of war. The chief, subs^ief, captains, and big braves of the nation have resolrred to say this t The Cherokee chief iovei his brothers, the Blackfeet, Hi:^ heart is red, and prompts- hira to speak g(x>d counsel, and that counsel lias been debated on. It is true the Old Man of the Mountain has punished trap-robbers and ravagera of the ecchft, ai.d tl;at he has given shot for siuu whcu fined .■sn. But if he has shed bIoc of both foe and frinsd of i >urs, and say an more about it. On the other hand, th^^] '^agerhas helped many a naked, starved, gnnles^ Indian about the Yellowstone, and ^e higisland atope. He has defended the Encttanted Valley, and never b&s h»< ^ered men to gaide his white brethren within its hounds of fire and steam smoke. He is (Ucne, yet he does not nised nelp. But we do. Never in-. memory, or or', the tainted books >.eyss a.<< their guest, elain-i a service of liiin : t^g^ chiefs desire to see the Yag^r of the Yellovvstone. Did they know wlwr to ''''' hiK9, they wo'iid go forth iu their best clothes to grrct him ; but the Mo>ivitainMi t h>!ntei* — he disguises liis trail niiatly, ai.d his fon Is an unUis'^uietable at the Gherokeo chief knows where his friend abides, and lie will go u> hire, satfji »r\y, 'Old Man of ttw Mountain, your sons the Pi/^ant have a i rigSK orj tfe<5?j tteiut, a akin over timreyee — Utey beaeedt your help, wiwh the wondrooe gon ~ ■M *%1«*am'r«M!Bi!#p;t;T./,;.f;ji\ : 12 the lu'd m>fr TTalf^l \ i! sends .leath so fat at^d »3 enK. Come ta tteir waid tsalnsi tfetdi tjremia^ nrbo ate years ; comi quick ; k\ your pnsenoe console and make foy d^M; All grid! dttt eats up thrir heart.'" Bill did not in the feintest believe in the more than temporary sincerity of the speaker, but he spoke so fectinglf , that be jjoined in the murmur of applause which hailed the final words. " The saying of my brotiier, the renowned of the Piegsnt, rinf gv; »:tly in my (jar," returned the Cherokee Half-breed. " What the Pieg^ns wish, the Raven vrill do this ni^t. Away ^oes tlie cloud un my brother's beaitl Leavi^tr the youog paleface girl in his brother's keep, the Raven will fly. I have spoketi aU tb«t is in nvt. '' The youngf paleface maiden is not here, wc we only a sister of the Piegans," answered Red Knife, nobly. " She i« in the sltadow of the tctero-pole of the tribe, her heoti is pitbwed on the ark of tht HUckfctt Pie^ans. No danj^er shall befall her, though the Cherokee chief stayed .\wny till the moon and stars fell out of the sky, and the sun burnt itself to a dead c<->bl and dropped also into the lakes I " An hour afterwards, at dusk. Bill Williams rode out of the camp, conlidenily. As we know something ot the singular telegraphin^if and telephoning which the old trapper and hi. comrade employed to correspond rre than in a cockboat in a chopping sea. She was glad to have hct enfevered forehead kissed by the o1 morning breeze. She came out over to the twdTprindpals, and saluted them with a grateful but still rueful smite. Red tCuife, with that innate delicate grace comn her enemies, as she should rxs,tt fall again hito their hands. "Thank you, chief," she re}oined; "bat,** she added, vrith a brightening iye of deep proud .Ittrrmination, " If, in spite of your povrerf ul ptotaction, those ruffians had suc-xedcd i» seizing me again, they would have c«rri«d away merely the dead. I would have sUin icysel* rather ihan have yielded." With a significant gesture, sttc flung asidi: the hem of a Mexican blanket, l,howing the knife in her waisitband. " Tis a b'ave girl," remarked Ked Rnilc, smiling dubiously, iut be had his own ideas about usin^ a dagger on himself before he had struck out all he could | "but the steijl was useless, my dvn bdng under tSie Ruaid of the 8£uiri6 finibkim, and n»( warriiii 3 Would have fnUstht to the lasi shot for her," Ab, in uur uthu ludiiui stories, wc Mxm w hate ; - irtrayed ihefMreainn'ntt !tl)r in my s wish, the Raven will hsauig the ycuag have spokeu aU ttiat lister of the Fiegans," tem-pftle of the tribe, ) dan)i^r shall befall stars fell out of the nto the lakes I " amp, confidenlly. As g which the old trapper ot describe how again A little before sunriiic, Kjiiie was awake, aa4 tomary greeting. •"An? 1 to be deaf to ieves? Not wheo the , then I shall be in the my father for having B veloome." ip of Donna Rosario's t she was in complete the dainty girl with awaike by excMsive ts, and the pain from : pannier she had been She v?aB glad to have She came oot over to rueful smite. to all men who live dly asked how she had hing to fear from her irtth a brightening 2ye rotection, those ruffians away merely the dead. of a Mexican blanket, sly, fur he had his own out 3.1! h« could ; " but le Ssjjt <1 Embimi, and lyed ihdMreatmtnt ot Heed, 1 13 white women in a diflfertnt light, ^w b«g to say In this digression that there i» really no contradiction in sense. The southern ?n'nmtcd with pleasure. A horseman was seen to be cleaiing a piney mrood at the estrcmr limit of the liorieon, and gallop in a bee lire towuds them. He was alooib At a glanoe he waa lecognised as Jim Bidgt. CHAPTER XXVIIL DRAWINO TO A HIAB. Rbd Kmn blew Isb war whistle loudly. This was the cue for forty men to Sfnlngf on their ponies. The chief took the lead and all tote away like fiends over the lesrei grotind. Tliay sotm " fanned out " there, brandishing tJieir guns ovtrtMr hentb, twsing up war clubs and citching tlicni when all but tnuching the ground, jugfli.'!^ with their knives and pistols, all without drawing rein ; executing, in fact, circus feats, after the manner of the Arabs, who employ this same nicthud, or Jantnsia, to greet a celebrity. On his part, the trapper was riding a steed without any liainr<)9i whatever — one that he had caught astray from the unfortunate HAit'btet'd detocti- meot that " banked up" against the Cherokee. Except for the lasso vriildi U.ui ensnared i^ ami wnich serveil as a halter, it -.unstratlon what it really was — a strong manifestation of thr regard he was tteld in, and their joy at his venturing by himself in their midst. Red Knife and the others now fell in as an escort, and so accompanied him to the encampment, where the tedious ceremony of reception had (o be gone through. The Grand Monai ch, in ail his glories, was thm more punctilious than the Indians in their reiined etiquette. The whole performances, as Bill termed them to Donna Rosario, were bound to last an hour, and they protracted them to half as much again. Old Ridgre supported them like a king to the manner bom. No such trifle was going to hinder him from his puipose. Whilst the waniors continued their rejoicings, the chiefs went into the medicine lodge, and more solemnly received Ridge there, the Cherokee being his sponsor. The Old Yager was in a predicament. The rednnen wanted him to oo-operate with them in a league of the Indian!^ against the whites east, south, and north ( but as this would have been treachery, or at least apostasy, they had to lessen their desires gradually during a long discussion. As Jim said, he pared the proposition flown till it came to a smaller head I The Yellowstone Basin was to tie defended vn all comem. On his side, Jim promised that none of the trappers, hunters, !ch Canadians, and whoever might rally to him should enter the Fire4)o)e Region. Kidd, the iialF-breeds of Red River, and any scoundrds who flocked (O them as the redskins adianced and swept the country, were to be destroyed, " You will have all the fighting you hunger for," remarked Jim drily, " with these tascals, without wanting to go on ard injure the Bttons, ct King George's men." As the pact was clear for the morrow, and the savages do not look forward beyond a day, the utmost good feeling remained. Runners were sent out, and during the evening representatives ca' L^ from the iiuntiiig parties allied to the Piegiuis. There were chiefs of tl.e Small Robes, Dlackfcet proper, Blackfeet-Sioux, which linked the league witli the Daticotahs and cout^terbalanced the Crows, in case Ahnea.ekee objected to the new and uanow Knangrment, and some Rovers. These summed up as one hundred atid fifty war men. 'i°he Yager counted theit\ and re;»gnised the elders among them with relief and gladness. He had resolved to crush out Kidd and his crew to the last man. He had contemplated the march of events with secret satisfacuon, having prepared many of them ; and the gieat progress made in a few days was enormously gratifying. A little while before he and his nephew and Cherokee Bill stood against huge odds. Now they were commanding an army. If the reds were not perfect matches to the gold grabbets, they were quite so to the Manitobans, and the Scotch Canadians and Americans foim>.-d a reserve, or backbone, which ensured success. Now the intruders were being enveloped in a net of which the meshes were self- plaiting themselves all around them. When the fowler pulled the string, the g^me would be inextricably caught. At a final council hdd at night the concord was perfected. Saying; nothlnff of hostilities against the border settlers, Montana miners, railroad surveyors, and pioneer*, north, the objeaive point of the allied Teds, with Jim Ridge as mere coi)n!!cJor anti volunteer ptiirate, was to be Elk'ii Leap, where Captain Kidd, rdnfnroed by the French Canadians, was tending to enuar ttae Yellowstone Pork. ling & linu abreast ig, b\u then aloiost »kil>, Mil thek poor Makade «*»« ar^ the proposition sin was to be ddended the uappers, hunters, i emer the FireJiole ndrds who flocked to be destroyed. J im drily, "with thes« King George's men." I do not look forwani Lves ca» ~ -ro"" »*" of the Small Robes, to the Dalicotahs and ) the new and nanow hundred and fifty war among them wUh relief I crew to the last man, action, having piepared days was enormously Bill stood against huge were not perfect matches id the Scotch CanadiaM 1 success. th the mesdies were sett- led the suing, the gati« ted. Saying nothlngr of railiuad sutveyois, and th Jim Ridg« as njew 1 where Capt*to K.M, U VeUow»ua»e Park. Draim«g to a mad. "i feimers and riders went out fo collect scouts and strayers. Messengers were Selected to throw a sheaf of arrows, a knife, and a bag of powder and balls into ^thc cimp of Captain Kidd and tliat of the Rcil Rvor Rovers if sepatate. 'ft»» fimai'-pdie, forty feet tiigh, was set up at the Pii^yan c. mp, for the war thjoai "51^*pciformtd round it. Jim Ridge did not join in 'he opertng, hut the ClMpr^ curtly remarking that *' it would do him good," s(iipf>i'a, and paraded, and ^^Qfl among the dancers. The cut of his batcUet on the pule was a tic with R* . iII^aH for height of the bound and clcannesi of the chop. At the daw.i, the d. putlea' hurried to their camps to mursbal iluiir btav« and conduct tlwm to the rendezvous. It is to be noied that the Red Indians spriin; sharply from their laziness of peace- times into the strain of warfare. They become other men. Metamorphosed euiiicly, they endure with unflinching stoicism the greatest fatigue and longest privations. The very men who were ridiculous sloths and gluttons will never gnoMi at having no sight of food fiMr two, three, or even four oays, or even at having no water. Then they are granite and siop for nothing, and are not surprised at any disaster. Colli, heat, sun or rain, snow or bail, these are sitenti) mocked at Hence the secret fnundatiofl of t^ir rapid movements, the fury of their auack, and ihcit Hin" conquerable energy in battle, After the final talk, Ridge had a short ooitversation with William*, iik."<'w*:<*te1y after which the latter !efj the camp. Tlie white trnp|ier had, we have remarked, kept bin^self out of the savage demnnstratioii, sitting at a watch-fire without even dozing off. A white man with an army of reds is like a chemist experimenting with an explosive of which all the qualities have yet to be tested. la some ua* expected manner the whole may hoist the engineer himself About an hour after sunrise the Cherokee returned. Me was accompanied by two white hunters. They were to be the guards of Donna RosEirio, who, though she made a wry face about it, as if she pert> Tially vnshixl to assist in the deliverance of Miss Maclan, consented reluctantly to . 'ing lodged in one of Jim Ridge's mountain refuges. •' Poor girl," murmured he, as she departed, "what a blessing that she has no idea that I am her kinsman, a»«l that bsr father hsi perhaps k>st his Ufie in helping Bill to wrest her from that villain." He was very thoughtful, and 'lis chat with his comrades was more brief and tn shorter phrases than ever. If he was idle in his moodiness, howevel, Ihe Cherokee reiloubleo his activity in scouting. Ttiere was already one screw loose in the mai:hinery ; the Crows had lost connec- tion with the Piegans. Their disappearance was perplexing, ominotis even. Tine Picgans were completely pus^.ted. And all Ridge surmised was that someh tw Atinemekee had icamt, or strongly supposed, that mjt Kidd, but &» B&Mtot^ Men had interfered with his descent on the Red River Half-breedo. Red Knife, though, soon offered his opinion tfant the Crows titate cowards, and had skulked away from the prospective battlefield. Apart from this defectkm, all went on merrily enough fir six days, when the concentration was perfected. Each day the border ruffians and Canadiaiis v.erc kept under view, and camp for camp invisibly opposed each Uher. it is true the mixed bloods and the whites had their scouts and outlyers busy, biit they tovttid nothing to alarm. The tmppers and Black&et seemed to be swallowed up ir. ii^c mountain gorges. The temperature became tnilder. The infltuence of the liot water ^rings of the Yellowstone certainly affected the air. in four days or so, toilsornelv as the adven* timers broke their way through the pattiless wtlds, they would hau the pcomlstxi golden land. But one evening Cherokee Bill, tis director of all (he k»cts, repsitOd diat tbeie it6 The Etd JHoer SulJ^Brted, mte mora ingrtdienu for the tte«r. Instead of finiUng Ahmmekee'ii band in the eastward, his spies h»d descried evidences of a strong force oi whites. And in the NortJuwest also another body of whites were perceivnl. This news very much disquieted Jim Ridg^e, and deepened hb thonghtf'ilnes*. According to the Jlag to which ttiey held alte^^anoe, the new-comers might exert a preponderating influence on what was to become a veritable war. Hesiiatioii would be fatal. It was imperative to have done with present opposing elements as quickly as possible, or have a double force to contest. It is soundest reason in the wilderness to believe enemies approach, and, anyway, white men would rather combine with those of their complexion than the redskins. This was strictly lugrical, but, as often happens in practical lifie, that itself made k wrong; but the Yager oouM not suspect this. Atvrays in his feas was that of the lovely enclosed country of the Yellowstone becoming the prey lo land-iaiders and freebooters. He warded off intruders from that garden like tlic dragon of iMitiqtK fable. CIIAPI'ER XXIX. OM THS IVS or TBI ATTACK. CHiKoxn Biu. was ill at ease as tejfatda the new OMnert, and, whilst oth« H»uts left the main body to discover what was the force approaching from the north, he took the almost opposite direction. But when a scout goes out thus " on hi* own hook," he makes sure of his way back being clear. A scout mml return wi'h news, that is his ruling motto. Besides, the Half-breed on the scouting path was very prudent. His Uoe led him iixtasa a trail to Old Nick's Cut-ofT, (uid there lie scrutinised the ground. In a few minutes be frowitcd and stot^ied lower. He had perceived, scarcely rooie than discernible though, die mark of a human foot, invisible for other eyes. He gave some seconds' concentrated examination ta it, for it was not an Indian's tread, nor a white man's in soft heeiless shoes, but that of the wearer of pegged boots, such as are common on the border. They are too heavy aiid require too much repara- tion in dry weather to suit uie hunters ; they adopt the ted^ina' lighter and plettfaater footgear, as do the Canadian Half-breeds, There was no dcubt that one of Captain Kidd's crew bad beeoi here, and recently. Whence he came last and whither be was gc^ng now were the questions. That ^i>> was a spy of the gold-grabbers was clear to Bill. Still, ounfirmauoii was fair from easy, Exoe^t nvei a few square feet wh«f e a shallow rock basin had preserved moist soil, there was nothing but hard stone and dry rocks. The Cherokee chid was not disheartened for ^ill that, being rather too experienced in desert tricks. This solitary footprint was on the skirt of the woodland, the toe puinling thither. " He's altogether too blamed cunning," muttered he, with an inward chuckle. "This might scoop in a white man, but not even half an Injin." He drooled to th t gr jund, and lying thereon like a geographer intentljr invead- guiiiig m. erabbcdly written map, f ■ .plonrf every Inch of the soiL After" a ' v^hye hecitt^bt sight, a couple at ytuUs distant from ^ footmadc^in the i On the Ei'r rf the Attack. m the »hitcs. And in »he h^ thonghtfulnest. men might exeit a iJe war. Hesltatiow ■ posing eletnenis At lundest rcASon in th« : unen wouU rather life, that itself made is f«a < w:u that o{ prey lu lanU«, at goes out thus " on Jk acoat must return I on the iicottting path :k's Cut-off, (uut there mcaved, scarcely mote s for other eyes. He dot an Indian's ttead, arer of pegged boots, quire too much repara- ' lighter and pleavaiUer bad been here, and DW were the questions. Still, confirmation was ock basin had preserved !. The Cherokee chief in desert tricks, ne toe pointing thither, th an inward dtudtle. in." rapher intently investl- M soil. After a long footmarii— in tirt iam« direction — of a k»g thin scntch, made evidently by n iron ifistrument whfch had lightly slid along. That brought ffvtia a smik, and he wtnt back whence he cJtme. A huge old cedar rose at 'he wood burder, and flung out protective boughs, so , titat one waved maiesticaliy above the tone footstep. He looked up at it Witbout seeing anything out of the common. He dhook his head and fell a-thinking. Theo, . g^ing all arouud the tree, he picked ont the best side fur climbing, where weather bad made it lUgged, and was at the first branch in two or three minutes. There he stopped (o have a kiok around. His lips curled in irilent satisfaction. He crawk-d aloDg the bough like a panther going to drop on a hwu, and readied a place where a cord had chafed half a ring on the round. He cnuld go down again— the mystery was sohred. One or more men had gone through the woods, monkey fashion, in the trees, and when at the edge had wound a rope, probably a lasso, to the bough by which to . lower themscTveii to the ground, uking heed to iand with their toea towards the course they had folkiwed. Once afoot, the/ had used an ironshod staff to execute a riant's stride off the damp place under di? sheltering tree upon tbe bard, dry atoiss. Hencv th<; metallic line noticed by the hunter. 'Ahat they were and what their number little worried him. The main point was ttuu he could find them readily. They might conceal themselves temporarily amongst tbe chaos of boulders, but escape was out ol tlie question I Qeyond was ait immensely deep abyss, of whksh the aidvcmurers were doubtless ignotant. Ttiey had entered into a no-thotoughfare. After overhauling his rifle, the hunter citpt and glided among the latge stones, ' looking in ail directions, and stopping now ard anon to listen avidly. He came to I, a spot where the whole of the roc >y sea was comprehended in one view. A sttaitge sight was oiTeted him, whkh filled him with a kind of admiring surprise. Two men had managed to throw a lasso over a jutting crag right over a largH ftwiye .jf' vine as window to the Grotto. One bad wound tlie rope ab«>t his middle, ■ and with )itrfectly alarming boldness, was dangling over the fathomless abyss d the Cat>off with the hope to pry into the (»vity. At the nick when Bill Willianis caught sight of this, tbe au^endet! man was about climbitig up, and with the help of his comrade, was hastening to land on a ledge. The Kaveo of the Cherokees allowed him to just get a footing, and whilst he was uncoiling the cord from his waist, Bill aimed at the second man and ict the lead fly. It took hi^n fair in the bosom, so that he leapei up in the air tiemendoubly, and fell over into the gulf with an almost endless but more and men faint acieatn of agony. Bringing another cauridge into readiness for an Immediate shot, the Ha]f.bt«ed ttroit steadily towards the second bandit, who trembled all over in the gtraMit dread at his approach, " My poor brother is shaky with too modi weariness,^ letBartcad be, wfwn nearer. " It must be as near hard work as ever you tried to hang \ty the airdle on a rope— and highly risky, too, for the string might snap, and tbtrc's no telting how deep you might drop.'' The man &tared at him as though not understanding As bitter fcst. It was BUI who laughed. «' After such a job, you twgbt to hsive a rest," he went on. " Don't yoo fiet — you'll have pknty of rest before I get through with you." Whilst uttering tiiis promise he had disurraed the prisoner of tlie weapons which be toswd ovw tbe precipice i then he sxxA the lasso to bind the man„who could not think of resistance on ;hat perilous shelf, all with a skill and dexterity that an Eon^iean hangt^aa might cnvj-. As sow as be was pinfaned so that lb shudder ?-jftwE»fls*!S»'?««awi»j»^«ai-^.*Kiijf/'; ' tr » The Hgd Mver m(f-Brttd. ■« w. 8 almost an im^iowibilitjr, Bill eaffired him so thMC hit brpat^ini; was confined to the nostiils, Indian mtxie, and shaulderinj; him .ilce a bate of fur*, h- carried htm tr a cleft in the Mone wlience h> could see nmhin^. and dropped him down \^ithin. " It's nigti as cl{ Kttled his object, he matched forward in ili" Indian style, as the crow flies, all the more reoommendable, as path there was none. This plan has the ad- vantage of considerably abridging the road ; bnt in a brolcen mountainous land most people would rather be excused. It lequires steel muscles and uncommon vigour, and the craft to employ them properly ; no fear of giddiness— the gilts of the mountain- sheep, inshoit. Without appearing to give a second thought to the narrow squeaks he had, turning angles in mid-air n t-rely to reach cornices goats would have evaded, the Cherokej weiit steadfastly on and in, though each fresh hindrance seemed leas surmounUble •han the easiest before. n the whole he moved rapidly, fo that in three half-hours he had gone what -ntist have talcen anybody else three or, may be, four full ones. About elm-cn, he bounded down on a broadish clearing, where an eitrrmelv trans- jmrent rivulet tan shallowly, with a melodious murmur, over pebbles wherr Califomian 4ia mc . is and agates glowed in all colours, between banks edged with lilies and other ^ aquatic plants. His piercing eye explored the scene tlH he was satisfied with the profound stillness. He collected deaxi wood ii^a pile .-; little off from the streamlet, and lit a fire. When it hadtalien gor ! hold, lie due up some edible roots, which he had found bv the leaves as well as If they were labelled, and put them in the ashes to toast. On a large bed of hot coals be laid some strips of deermeat, and lighting his pipe, sat down tor a quiet Kmoke — hn Mr. Fllditch. " .lust in time," said Bill Wllliains, wavtiig his hands hospitably in a kin--' of welcoming grace over the edibles, " tlioigh you nae not predsd/ tise man or men 1 expected." " Well, I hop* he is not dying ol hunger, as I am," answered the Yankee-Call* fomian, dropping down joyfully in front of his friend. " We have been pushing on with such forced marches that we don't know what eating, sitting still, means l" " We 1" qaculated the hunttr, with what was. great astonishment Cor' him. l^itigr was oonfifMd fur-, \:t carried hina mm down within. nf the joyote» won't ttting in tome sleep long deep you aie the. landMape, and, sliion, he returned to seemed to be fully spoil \\U slumlier," fact the nauseatinjT 1 style, at the crow lis plan has rhe ad- untainous land most I uncommon vijour, {irts of the mountaio- leaks he had, turning evaded, th« Cherokee ed Icsi surmounUble at in three haUs(ed, as you will ser" From the lone, Fiiditch did not ptess; he knew that Bill was not commanicative nntrJi's lie ploaseot haste as soon as yr.ur band la re- cruiieil. Go, frtch 'cm up smart !" FdUiich had " gobbled " his share of the unexpected repast. He felt ever so much better physically from that, and morally because he was assisted out of his dilemma as an inexpcrwnced pilot by the profiiENxl guidance of the Cherokee. He darted away in a deligi ted spirit. la the meantime, Bill fin'shed Itis pipe, mottered ti me remark on the Mexicana wanting to pick their way for the horses' sakes, and Iciaiuely gaihi.'je i foci, of which he niade a number of fires. There was great glee among the four or _ f-5* score Mexicans wlio rode into the. break in the wooded and rocky land at «)lt*' brilliant token of welcome. In another moment, old Gregorio Peialta, alighting with a briskness hardly anticipated froiw bis silver beard, shnok hands with Bill Williams cordially. Several of the.ie Southerners knew Bill by sight, and nearly all by hearsay. It was Hail fellow, well met 1 and the camp ^ernied in a festival. Don Gregorio had b«xn partly dispossessed of his prrjudice against afl whose blood was intermixed, by Mr. Filditcii's glowing account of Bill Williams' e«ccllewe». Heat once ca;t prejudices aloof, and felt j^'cnuine sympathy and admiration as be undcistucd hiir. better. He had pictured all reds to be savages fond d rapine and strong diink, with no clear notion on g'lod and evilj essentially devotee' to a bcitish life, and only human in externals. In bii^-^ ferocious bipeds incapable of generous lentiiiients. The sigVrt of the Cherokee, more then ever an Indian since h« wM on the war \:.\h, »o calm, fond of iiis ci;nirMdes, handsome t f his kind^ able, loyal, and mine, his tiatursl gifts added tn, not enlianced, by his college training — tbeae aspects made him Viclieve that the Raven was an exceiition to all the race hitherto seen by him. As time passed over ihe meals, Don Gregi'tio learnt iliat the new guide was very f human, with the same passions, virtues, and vicm as otherc of the great hun-'an [family. " • ' The rest being over, the ootuirn formed anew, directed by the jniied-blood hunter, who ' handled " them like a ship at sea with the deep-water pilot a\ the helm. The night made do difference to him, and he pressed them on. Af' -" two halta, he brought ihem to a point whence all was plain ri in :. It was lie, perhapii that this reinforcement should be kei«> a secret, from the gold-gt .u paitic^lu-* , ISO n« Jttd Shtr S*ff^Br«ed. Such a borir ^ cavalry wa< ianUoaUc for » flml chargot or to paxMM the fagtilfW ■itet a defeat Don Gregorio impetlently ezpreaaed ibe we ufik^d Indiana the aouttaani plalni. In the U aapariiiea into smoothncM. Evcr (aat your boraea might HI ami aaelgna yoor phua •tfcr to ace youi g^and- Md lUB a boraa. We will aoe of shelter and brings bar wnilst FiUlitch ecboed tba ner along to show Jim." ' to eelKX a hone aniong the went with (hem to see hia •rkh the gkdaiHnc newa. ides the mmalttioua emotion* ncontrolability at his tbrixa finding ^old, Admteling that }uld be each man for hiraaeif. d determinedly set off on a R'>sari;>. He had expressly Lt youth had slipped away aa f was unsettled. As for Joe, id the departure of Dearborn e guide bad shown hisa the I enemie* we loae the built of jice few whom I 'sm govern, an hotel tot •ummei nurists^ wkh ^. ilcheat go> t mine in om winc>oeIlar, right ihcfe in tb* heart trf the YellMr* stone*'* Leon had not rm e away with tb* Frtrxiliman, hot the taaei'* depaitnr* «nMi direetly the cauae of K\' The Diudgr, angered at being divided tmn the Carcajien, tta* onl' awaitiiig an uppoftunity to leave the eapiain. A* payment Iff hia Umg vnremui rated sen ices, tie took a horse from Foxfaoe and anna and e<|Bl|>ni*ni, passing ilie outpoatt with the trutt. .seeming plea that he waa sent on a spedal mission by the leader. " It's stock him up high," mMtered the outer guard. "The boy ia qnit* haiMtooma allnf atuddeni" In (act, Leon was transformed, p««j*i((r',-s. In rartloHiar. l?or over- rarked, " >?orn-out," " Tiiii-t| feoMo t WOlhein srenortUljr, l>r. Plero.^'fl IPnyorlto "~n«j,-. i •ttnisUiogTO'itcjRt thir Viooii, ■ lualk'd 08 an ui brfnsf (jor- ^iUU j>,titoratlvo * -nil-- pn;iiu>U:>>. ^tion ni:d aeslmH x-J, oun « lauaea, weakuMw o; .,, .,, indlgt*- ton, bioaOiMr and > ions < if nits. iHginfirvino, ' Piiv. iik> I»rc«crTpt; n" is U!. • mall !' and ia tu valuable in Bil&y- lag rf-nd etJbduitjtr nervnue cxclBnbUHy, tJ"!rlt«WUty,i'XhiUir.i ion. orngtrntin" hyu- {«rift,8pasuiN an-.' ^j-. r-- cv- ,,./,,„,„■ ,,.vi . ,., tho ■I ■• 'and fll^'Ull rtnn, Wr^'," { vonditlon. 1 I Itf. ■■ II MI.IJJJ ; :\ i.i> uwi . '. • i ind siii'ill !(ixu! (!i ) . i rixrtratl\« illU'V^ mlfc ' ivw cuvog Iilvrr, KldiM-y rw >4adi r-aa. Thfir combiutui u^ wj t, I'Km i ia)istP, UHl *fc<4Uii!^i «T.ti« "« women -1. nutfralBlr* Vfistn. fii r wMch he poti' us, assuci « Skii, Ja reulJty, toiiMj fi'iiuiixl liy Bu ouffcrinff, f -Miuiaip M"ge biUs M-f mwTi'. ttenft fete t" > by n-a*)!* I ' »I. 1 00i15<'i ' I m''>t'' lin\i l.yd 1 1111'- >jnly mod" fist.-,, a»d. k'