Old Shadow Shot — page 31: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

IN A TIGHT PLACE, trigger, an’ they might touch the shootin’- iron off.” : The forest Apollo made a sign to Darcy, who leaned forward and clutched Violet's arm. “ A change of masters, my gal,” he said ; and he added, in a whisper: “You may thank your lucky stars that Cap'n Rough opened his mouth when he did.” But the girl shrank from the outlaw, tear- ing her arm from his grip and forcing her horse back. « “No, no! I will not go to that man out there and leave my young friend with Cap- tain Dave.” “Well, how are you goin’ to help yourself, my little catamount?” cried Darcy, roughly, as the rest of the band iaughed audibly at his momentary discomfiture. “If I say go, goyoushall! All the powers that are cannot prevent it. Go, I say, and by the’stars, my bird, ‘go’ it is!” The heutenant pressed forward with out- stretched hand. His eyes were fastened on Violet. : _ “No resistin’! Dve wrung necks as purty as yourn. Come, come, my dove!” The words were lost on the forest girl, for, with the quickness of thought, she drove her horse towards the leutenant and tore a pistol from his belt. The suddenness of this startling action appalled every spectator. The Indians looked on with gutturals of surprise, and oaths shot from the throats of the white outlaws. She reached Nightingale Nat’s side in the twinkling of an eye and grasped his bridle- rein. ‘Stand back!” she cried, levelling the pistol at the maddened men, who looked with the eyes of wolves upon her. “Do not lift a hand. VU drop the first one who dces !” She turned quickly and spoke sharply to the horse that bore the boy, The next moment they were off. “Great Cesar!” ejaculated the man who sat in the shadows. “I never thought the girl had such grit an’ judgment as that. They will not follow! Captain Dave has fainted in the swingin’-bed. I will catch the fugitives. I’m in luck, fur I can shoot the boy when I come up, an’ have the gal all to myself.” Captain Rough lowered his rifle and gathered up the reins. He saw the outlaws flock around the hammock into whose depths Captain Dave had fallen back with a groan. He knew that their solicitude for his welfare “weuld oecupy them for some time. He re- solved to follow the young fugitives. Wheeling abruptly about, he was sur- prised to find his own bridle-rein in the grip 29 of a dark figure that darted from the dense shadow of a tree. The steed, frightened by the SpPATIOR, shied to the left. “Who are you?” Rough demanded, as his quick hand darted to a pistol. “Shadow-Shot, at your sarvice!” was the reply. “We've been huntin’ you, cap’n. You war goin’ after the leetle ones, eh? That gal played a sharp trick on Cap’n Dave, didn’t she? No cussin’, my bird, fur I git narvous-like when I hear such words, an’ my finger’s on the trigger now.” Rough’s hand crept reluctantly from his belt. He saw himself a captive in the hands of the death-shot of the Wisconsin woods. “Come, Jack, fetch up the horses!” From the right a man approached. sat astride of one horse and led another. “Tt’s Jack Gustin—one of your men,” Shadow-Shot said, glancing at the captain, into whose eyes a gleam of hope suddenly sprang. “Jack!” he cried, putting forth his hand. “Why, I thought they killed you when they feli like wolves upon the train. Shake, old boy ; gwe’'ve always been friends.”’ With a curious smile on his face, the ranger grasped his captain’s hand; but the shake had not that cordiality which char- acterises the meeting of bosom friends, “You must submit to a bit o’ tyin’, cap’n,’ the gaunt hunter said, producing a piece of rope. “Itis jest for security’s sake. After a while we may turn you loose an’ dismiss you with our blessin’ !” Rough did not resist while Shafw-Shot secured him to the horse, and bound his arms to his side. ‘Now we're off,” he said, springing upon the horse which Gustin had brought up. ‘The leetle ones will not go far afore they stop to take their bearings. How much did you say the gal is worth, cap’n? I heerd you talkin’ to yourself a while back. How much ?—fifty thousand, eh?” Rough did not reply. “Mute as an oyster,” and the heavy hand of the speaker fell upon the captain's shoulder. “Look here, I mean business. There isn’t any law in these parts ; but thar’s a certain amount of justice that strikes on- common hard. Do you want it to strike you, Cap'n Rough? I want my questions an- swered. Business is business. When the time comes Ill be the death of you if you don’t answer the questions which I will ask.” The awful determination revealed in the He rough voice of the speaker sent a pallor of fri¢ht across the villain’s face. “When the time comes!” repeated Shadow-Shot. “It may come afore mornin’. Prepare to open your mouth.” | No other word was spoken, for the three COMNMICE IOOL<SS (EO)