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:. “on his perilous mission, in order to get an idea
'--- of what the man was like who: would with his
.. © quaint’ humor and thrilling deeds give life-~ and
-°-dash to any story of border life. In some way
.. Roaring Ralph had given mortal offense to a
- “gang of cut-throat greasers who had gained a
~~. name on the border that made them the terror
--. -of.every honest man. He had few friends in the
‘old. Mexican town, for the season had not opened
'--~ for the influx of trappers-from the north.
“These men: did not. know Roaring Ralph, as he
- was rather new in those regions, but it was not
-* long before they found out to their cost that it
would have been better to have invited a lion into
their’midst than he. A plot was laid to entrap
the ranger, and Roaring Ralph fell into it. He
walked into the cabin he was occupying one night.
and struck a light.. As he ignited the rude candle
he heard the door slammed shut, and then real-
ized that his house was occupied by some eight of
‘the ugliest desperadoes the sun ever shone upon.
They full expected that when he found himself
gazing upon. this circle of deadly foes Roaring
Ralph would tremblingly plead for his life and
‘ “their amazement may be imagined when the
ranger drew his revolver and began deadly work
in earnest... s
A description of that terrible fight. it: would be
‘difficult indeed to give. Roaring Ralph emptied
‘his revolver, and then. with his bowie fought like
a veritable fiend. Eight to one is. fearful-odds,
and his victory all the more remarkable.
silence brooded over the cabin of death, and some
' Americans ventured to break the-door down it
“was a terrible spectacle that presented itself to
their*gaze. The entire greaser band of. villains
had been wiped out, and the author of this won-
-derful.feat, cut and bleeding from..every pore, .
it seemed, lay behind a: breastwork of human
~" - bodies, too weak to rise, but wtih his rifle, which
he had: managed to secure in some way, aimed
at the door, and had the newcomers presented the
-appearance: of. greasers,one of. them at. least.
- would have paid: for,his rashness with his life:
= They took the.reckless ranger and¥ared for him
tenderly until‘he.was able to go about, but Roar-
ing Ralph had to leave Santa Fe, for every unhung
villain‘ in-the vicinity tried to assassinate: him
after his marvelous slaughter. coe 3
_*> This, then, was the terrible man. who- followed
after E] Coyote, bound‘on a mission of daring,
for he felt in prime condition for ‘some such feat
--\as:-his Santa Fe job. The action of the guerrillas
. ‘had: aroused the lion nature of the old ranger,
-;and_ he only desired to find himself among them,
. “and brought at bay, to show what he could do in
--- the way.of fighting. He felt as if he held wolf-
; “blood in his veins, which required excitement, or
-« he should' go mad. The guerrilla led him faith-
- . fully on through the chaparral, and as they ad-
» ‘vanced the aspect grew wilder. Rocks began to
'. appear; and these increased in size until one could
‘easily believe himself in the region where. the
- gods played at ninepins and. used these mighty
boulders for balls. Knowing that he was ap-
proaching danger, Roaring Ralph nerved himself
-for the ordeal. At last the guerilla came to a
‘halt, and, pointing to a black orifice that looked
. like. the inclined plane ofa mining shaft, de-
clared it to be the entrance to the den. As tho
_ ranger peered in he received a sudden fierce push,
THE PEARL PRINCE
When,
seemed bubbling over.
13
and like a cannon-ball shot down the black chute
for some yards, suddenly plunging out into the
midst of Red Carlos and his. savage followers,
and landing upon a rude table around which the
guerrillas were seated, some drinking and others
playing cards. It was a sublime tableau.
CHAPTER IX.—The Death Trap. *
Hercules, the shark-slayer, had expected_some
treachery on the part of the Pearl Prince. In the
neighborhood, because of his wealth, and the fact
that they knew nothing of his past life, the people
at least respected the owner of the stone house.
There were a few, of course, who suspicioned that
all was not right with the Pearl Prince, but all
the foundation they had for their thoughts was
that old saying to the effect that any man who
lives as if he had never had a past, must have
something to conceal. The shark-slayer had cause
enough to hate the Pearl Prince, for years before
his sister, whom he had almost worshiped, had
mysteriously vanished, and he had searched far
and wide for the villain who had abducted her,
but without_success. Of late circumstances had
arisen that placed him upon the right track, and
with. almost ‘lightning rapidity he had run_ his
quarry to.the ground. This was surely enough
to make himvhate the Pearl Prince with the venom
ofa rattlesnake that had. geen aroused in its
mountain retreat, but the discovery in regard to
Captain Morton was the last. straw that. had
broken the camel’s back, and he could no longer
contain, within himself the .vials of wrath. that
He had long known the
Pearl Prince, having.once been in his employ.
-. The shark-slayer had gone into the pearl. busi-
ness for himself, and ‘his luck had been extraordi-
nary, for he knew. just where the best deposits ~:
were. As the sharks were very numerous at these
points, other divers had been deterred from work
ing there, but he laughed the danger to scorn, .
and thought no more of battling with the mon-
sters of the deep than he did of pulling up basket ©
after basket of the best pearl oysters. Knowing
the Pearl Prince so well then, he felt sure he
would attempt to pollute their truce by some act
of treachery. Therefore, he had kept his eyes
fastened upon the other’s hands, and had the
man attempted to draw a revolver again, Her- .
cules would have been at his throat-like a pan- -
ther. It chanced, however, that the Pearl Prince
was too shrewd for this. He had more ways than
one of ‘disposing of an enemy bold enough to in-
vade his house. - The shark-slayer, feeling himself
going. down,. naturally made an effort to clasp
something as a-drowning man will attempt to
bear himself up on a straw; but the velocity of
his descent was. too great, and he vanished
through the opening. : .
He went down with incredible swiftness. How °
far he fell the shark-slayer knew not,. but his
outstretched hands came in contact with an iron -
bar, and he held. on wwith the despair of grim
death. ~ Looking up he saw the open trap and the -
face of his hated enemy outlined against “the. -
white ceiling. Then the words of. the Pearl. .
Prince came to his ears: : mea
“So perish the enemies of the Pearl Prince.” -