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.,. Ralph promptly picked it up, waited for the
“rolling pair to perform one more revolution, and
\ then, as the Indian came upon top, the boy coolly
puta leaden ball through his copper-colored body,
and thus put a sudden end to this lively little un-
pleasantness. mo,
And just as Pomp untangled himself from the
entwining limbs of his tough Indian foe, his ears
caught the sound of many hoofs beating the
ains. ee
\ P He looked away to the west and beheld James
-. ‘Yan Dorn and his newly acquired command bear-
© ing down rapidly upon him. :
’ He snatched the ‘pistol from the hands of the
exeited boy. .
. Fierce yells rang out, and from the other side
tents, and to the number of a dozen dashed fleet-
ly towards him and the boy. - .
Pomp was in his glory, for the plucky little
darkey really loved. the excitement of danger,
and was alweys delighted with a big rumpus
that afforded him full scope to use his wonderful
skill in shooting. : yoo
- He had four shots left.. me
The knife he plucked from the breast of the In-
dian he‘had struck down so cleverly, and placed
the reeking blade in his belt. .
_.*Run for the grove,” he said to Ralph in a
commanding tone that started the boy off ata
~ steady trot for the trees, and then the darkey
furned ito the mounted reds.
~ Down went the warrior who was riding beside
Black Arrow, falling headlong to the earth.
But, before he had fallen, Tomp had turned on
his heel and swiftly fired at the foremost man of
the party on foot as they dashed outiof their tents.
a Without a cry the doomed redskin fell stone
ead. .
Pomp didn’t wait to see the effect of his shot,
for he never doubted the accuracy of his aim, and
when the savage fell into tho arms of.one of his
comrades the little darkey dead-shot wheeled
again and let drive at the mounted gang.
Down dropped Black Arrow with’a ball _be-
tween his shoulders, and had not James Van
* Dorn caught him by the arm and hauled him. up
on the saddle he would surely have toppled
eadlong to the ground. ’ .
And then, like lightning, Pomp turned on. his
heel once more and banged away with his re-
“maining charge,bringing downfhis gameas usual,
This bang-bang and Kill-kil sort of thing did
not please the reds. : : 2!
They grew somewhat-shy,of this wonderful
marksman, whose aim always meant danger if
notdeath.. > , .
‘Halt!’ erled Van Dorn, ‘That black cuss
must be the devil.” : es
. His party pulled up, and Black. Arrow, bleed-
ing profusely and dying fast, was placed upon
© grass. . :
: Tho leader of the Indians who had so valiantly
rushed down upon Pomp from their tents wit:
the charitable intention of gobbling him up alive,
a were convinced that it was rather dangerous for
them to advancé against this terrible marksman,
and therefore they pulled up with great dispatch,
and vénted their chagrin in loud yells.
“Hope you'll yell yer darned heads of!” cried
Pomp. ‘Don't yer fool wid the court-house no
more, honeys. I’m dar every time. Yes, I is,
and don’t yer go fo’ to forget dat ax nudder,
When dis chile o’ darkness sot out to sling his-
self, den yer must look out for de har % fly, by
gum me
.And..then, with a ‘loud yell of derision and
scorn, the ebony wonder bounded away to the
grove. , . . Ci .
Ralph Radcliffe had been so frightened by the
yells of redskins that he made very rapid time
or that. grove, and was soon safe among the
mewbers of the much exeited prospecting partys
who regarded the. fighting darkey’s wonderful
exploits with wide-open eyes. .
» Pomp made for the grove ata rato of speed that
would have bothered anything but’a race-horse
to compete with, and with one of his victorious
yells bounded fairly into the shelter of the
‘ens, : 1
“Ker flow dar!” cried Pomp. ‘Didn't dis yar
colored gemmen jes’ sling hisself fo’ bout free
minutes? I guess. Gorra mighty, but dem dar
Injuns mus’ had awful pain in dere heads when
dey took dem ar pills. G’way, chile; don’t yer
git courtin’ wid der fool-house.” . ,
You're a tearer,” said one of the men, I'll
bet that there isn’t your match anywhere around
the country for shooting with a revolver.”
“Yes, dar am,” said Fomp. *“Dar’s one man
fn dis yar benighted lan’ what kin take de shine
out obdis yar colored pusson, but I guess he’s de
only chile what'll car to swap shots with littl
comp,” ;
. “Who is he?”
the Indians began pouring out from their little | pa
pS FRANK READE AND ‘HIS STEAM HORSE. a
“Tell us his name?” they cried. a
‘Yer knows him well ’nough,” returned the
little nig. “ He’s de toughest little cuss in dis
yar western lan’, an’ he taught Pomp how to
andle a ’volver. De little screamer what I re-
fers to am called Little Gilmore. *Spose yourn
heard’ o’ de cuss?” ‘
_ ‘Heard of him! Rather, Who had not heard
of Little Gilmore, the most expert hand at the
revolver in the West—the man who had freed ‘a
Navajoe city from four immense bears that had
roved a terror to the superstitious inhabitants
or years. Of course they had heard of him; and
when they knew that Pomp was his pupil, they
did not marvel so much at his remarkable skill.
Black Arrow died, and then Van Dorn and his
rty encamped alongside of the other: reds,
only waiting for night to fall to crawl down upon
the few inmates of the grove, ly ,
“ForI must have that boy,” grimly said the
villain to himself, as he stowed away his portion
of antelope steak; ‘‘and when he’s in my hands
again, I’lltake care not to tolet him get away
again. Guess pay one of these reds to'slit his
little throat for him.’
Meantime, in the grove, they-had eaten their
supper and drank their whisky and water, and
then they posted themselves in positions to
guard against surprise, . pl.
Pomp searched through his clothes, found the
rocket he had placed there, attached it to a stick,
and sent it up, and, as the reader knows, it was
seen by the driver of the Steam Man and those
with him, and a moment later a distant whistle
told the darkey that his signal. had been seen,
and that the man was coming tohis rescue. _
\.
\
CHAPTER XXII.
a. THE BATTLE AT THE GROVE. _
As the answering whistle came faintly to the
ears of the little darkey, he thought he saw a
shadowy form moving in the grass some few feet
away. ' Lot :
: ie grasped his knife and dropped silently to
the ground. . . .
He was now on aline with the object, and
could see it better. . se
It was a top-knotted Indian, ascout inall prob-
ability, who was crawling upon the grove.
“High golly!” muttered the darkey, “if dat
ar chap .am eomin’ fo’ information, dis chile
guess he won’t carry de.news to Mary. Not
much. Guess I kin uw’most jump down his
froat.” . Lo .
He waited until the Indian crawled a few feet
further in towards him, and then he coiled him-
self up like some queer snake. ‘
» He undoubled himself with a sudden jerk, and
flew swiftly through the thin air, alighting di-
rectly on top of the redskin’s shoulders,
“‘Whoop!” yelled the red, giving utterance toa
eall for aid..: * .
“Dat am yer last yawp,” cried Pomp; and with
a quick blow he drove the heavy knife nearly
through the poor scout’s heart. woe
Without another sound the redskin fell. back-
wards. poet oa yy
A chorus of yells rang out not more than ahun-
dred yards away, telling very plainly that the en-
emy hovered close upor the trail of the scout he
had killed. .
That darkey didn’t lose any time in getting back
to the trees, and it was well that he did so, for
the next moment the enemy came dewn in a
grand rush, evidently with the idea of carrying
all before them by the force of their assault.) -
However, the prospecting party were well se-
cured, were in the deep shadows and could see a
little distance out on the level plain, and, like-
wise, Were well pre ared-to receive them.
“Fire!” yelled Pomp, and his own favorite
weapon, the long-range Colt, spoke out as he gave
the command, - . ot
A series of shots rang out, and almost at the
same instant a succession of very painful yolls
to.d that the bullets found many a living mark.
But the rush was too impetuous even for a vol-
ley to check, and the next moment the Indians
piled into the grove. oS : ee
Tho prospectors met.them bravely, and it was
lucky for. them that the darkness of the night was
in their favor, for, greatly outnumbered as they
were, they must have inevitably been gobbled up
by their savage foes. . . a
A hand-to-hand fight in the dark is always a
terrible thing, - 1 oN
One is as apt to strike a deadly blow ata friend
as ata foe, . . . -
It is diMcult to’ fight, even at arm’s length, in
the gloom, and this causes foes to grapple, mak-
ing the contesta deadly one. . Q
Ralph Radcliffe was not old enough nor large
enough ‘to contend with any of the enemy, and
therefore got out of the way of danger by burying
himself ina cluster.of bushes, .
The thundering sound, of mighty feet wera
heard on the hard roadway of the plains, a bright
light, steady and brilliant, suddenly shot up, a
ringing cheer from four throats, mingled with a
clear whistle, and then the Steam Man and the
four brave fellows it brought to the rescue, dashed
swiftly up to the grove. vos
The man came to a sudden halt about. ten fect
from the trees, and, with Harry Hale at their
head, the four rough customers leaped from the
wagon to the ground. .
“Hurrah!” they yelled, and leaped like tigers
into the thickest of the fight, the spot where
Pomp was slashing left and right, dealing telling
blows with his long, heavy knife. ae
The cetective came upon the redskins likea
miniature tornado, and his path was marked
with the bodies of the fallen slain. a
.An immense redskin, a, giant in ‘size and
strength, and armed with a heavy war-club, a
terrible Wonpon in the hands of a powerful man,
leaped swiftly upon Hale. 7
he detective turned savagely upon his gigan-
tic foe, and swung his heavy bowie-knife full at
the Indian’s broad bosom, and with such good
aim that it went in like a bolt. ©
But the Indian was not checked by the blow.
Onward, with upraised club, he came. .
Hale dodged swiftly, but the blow was made
too quickly for him, and he got a terrible clip on
the top of the head that stretched him out.
As he fell to. the ground his big enemy also
dropped, - :
The red giant fell forward, and as he reached
the ground the hilt of the knife was fairly forced
through his body.
With a deep groan and a gasping cry he ex-
pired. .
The bright chemical blaze-streaming up from
the wagon of the Steam Man shed its brilliant
glow far around, and the grove and its surround-
ings were well lit up. ,
A villainous-looking half-breed, a ‘tall, well-
built fellow, crawled up to the wagon while the
fight was going on, and after a moment’s search
succeeded in finding Pomp’s banjo. *
He dashed swiftly away to the cluster of tents
with this, and after placing it in a safe spot. grab-
bed up along war-club and rushed back to the
scene of the battle. . .
He made straight for Pomp, a .
He was wise, this half-preed, for he knew
better than to hit a darkey on the head, even
with such a ponderous club as he grasped. .
Ho dashed upon the little nig, and made a clip
2°
+
m.
Pomp saw the blow coming, and very naturally
sup ed that it was intended for his head.
at’s just where he was mistaken, and where
tho half-breed exhibited a great amount of knowl-
e : _ ot
ge.
The heavy club hummed through the air and
descended fairly across the darkey’s shins,
Down dropped Pomp, as though he had come
slap up against a big locomotive, .
That’s a mighty sure thing on almost any col-
ored individual. ‘ .
As soon as he fell, the half-breed made a few
rapid blows with the club, and rapidly cleared‘ a
space,
Then ho bent down, picked up the little nig,
and ran off with him, before anything could be
done to prevent his departure, __
The battle was still raging fiercely, but the ad-
dition of the four slap-dash Indian fighters had
made so much difference that the redskins
did not care to continue the affair in the wide-
spreading light from the wagon.
veral signal yells rang out, and a shout from
the lips of James Van Dorn was also: heard, and
then the enemy beata rapid tetreat to their tents,
leaving the dead and dying of thetr combined
Parties on the fleld.. ° |
In ‘common with the fracas at the Pass, the
battle was over; but the victory was not with
either side. :
When search was made for friends on the fleld,
Harry Hale was picked up and, after a time,
brought back to life; but h¢ kad*an awful head-
Nhe yg ON oy
ache, :
Charley Gorse was unharmed, but his other two
comrades were slightly cut up, and many of the
prospectors were either dead or wounded.
After searching carefully among the bodies for
ten minutes, and shouting vainly, it was deter-
mined that tne little.nig was not to be found in
that vicinity, and then they cried out, as Frank
and Dwight had called out, for the jolly Irish. |
man: : .
“Where is Pomp??? |
«CHAPTER XXIIT. .
_ A HIGH OLD TIME,
Tne night bas passed away, and the brighs
morrow has come.