Old Shadow Shot — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

rf 4 companied by # malicious chuckle that sounded like the chatter of wolfish teeth. “But, Cap'n Dave, you can’t hear the song now.” “No; it grew still suddenly, just as if Captain Rough had put his hand over the singer's mouth. The train is just ahead of us now.” “Sartain, cap’n?” “Certainly I am.” Then the last speaker turned to the dark figures behind him. “Get ready!” he said, in a tone of com- mand. ‘A rich prize is jogging slowly over the trail, and we'll strike it near the place where we struck Collyer’s party.” “Great Cesar! cap’n, I wish you hedn’t said a word about that affair,” said the man called Rafe, as his hand fell on Captain Dave’s arm. “Pshaw! you'll get out of your ghostly notions before you die, old boy,” the brigand said, with a sneer. “I never think of that little brush, and never trouble myself about the things that frighten you. Let me teil you, Rafe, and I say it in a low tone, for I don’t want the rest of the boys to hear.” The bandit lowered his voice as he leaned towards the dark-faced man. ‘* Well, out with it, cap’n!” “T am ashamed of you; indeed, I am, Rafe. I don’t want to tell gou so before the boys. I tell you that nobody. escaped from Collyer’s train!” “Nobody, cap’n?” ejaculated the bandit, opening his eyes with incredulity. ‘“ What about the gal?” “Oh, there wasn’t a girl in the train!” said the leader, with a forced smile. “Are you going to harp about it all your life? I was there, and when I say there was no girl in the train, why, there wasn’t. That settles 13,7" “Mebbe it does, and mebbe it doesn’t,” wlurted the unconvinced Vultute; “mebbe I wasn’t there that night, or p’raps I went into the muss with my eyes shut, an’ didn’t open ’em until it was over.” : The captain of the forest scourges bit his “Tt is no use!” he said, straightening up in a pet of chagrin. “ You’re bound to have your own way, and have it and be hanged.” “Not so fast, Cap’n Dave,” and the speaker's eyes shot a malicious gleam at his leader. “Dye been your right bower fur five years right in these woods, and when I say thet there was a gal with Collyer’s train een we struck it, why, there was—that’s all!’ There was no reply to this, and the next mcment the freebooter’s hand gathered up ULD SHADOW-SHOT. the reins as he turned to the main body of his force. “ Ready!” he said. “ Now, let us be off. It is a richer prize than Collyer’s train was. It must be ours before morning.” There was a quick gathering of reins, and the spot where the outlaws had halted was soon deserted. The two brigands who were exchanging some high words when the strange forest song reached their captain’s ears separated without a word; but their looks told that they would resume the quarrel at the first opportunity. It was evident to the man who rode at the head of the party that the train was not far away. Let us look at him as he appeared in the twilight of that eventful day. He was a veritable frontier Apollo. Though in the neighbourhood of his thir- tieth year, he looked like a man of twenty- three or four. A proud and shapely head sat regally on broad and massive shoulders. The dark eyebrows overarched a pair of deep, gleaming orbs, which could appear as soft as the eyes of a gazelle at their pos- sessor’s bidding. His hair, black as the lustrous eyes, was closely-cropped, and the lips, at once sensual and firm, were more than half hidden by a heavy yet silken mou- stache. The body, revealed by the close- fitting suit of grey, with no ornament save a Mexican-like capote, was faultless from chin to boots, and the hand that held the rein seemed fitted for the counting-house rather than for the handling of pistol and gun. A wide-brimmed hat set on his head in devil-may-care style completed the bandit’s appearance. His white followers were similarly but not so well clad, and the Indians wore leggings, and, with one or two exceptions, a coarse buekskin jacket or hunting-frock. This was the band dreaded by adyen- turers and miners en route to the inexhaust- ible copper mines of Lake Superior. Pushing through the woods, with the young outlaw slightly in the rear, the cayal- cade moved with much caution. Rifles resting carelessly across the ponimels of saddles obtained by some night a:tack upiona tich train, were grasped by as determined hands as ever wielded the deadly weapon. Captain Dave did not speak to Rafe Arm- strong, who rode at his side. “ Hist !” Instantly every rein was tightened, and the bandits looked eagerly forward. The oaths of men and the whips cracking over the heads of the plodding oxen were falling distinctly upon their ears. The position of the train was now cisely ; eas CORMCEOOOKS2 CO Pd atw »