Part 18 (2/2)
”If pawnee was down here you can bet he spotted that Injun if he came within a hundred yards of him,” said Gilbert ”He can smell a red like a cat can smell a rat”
The tree reached, the frontierse left by the great scout He read it aloud
”Following Yellow Elk!” cried Jack Rasco ”I know the rascal! And it was he as stole it my hand on his windpipe, thet's all! Whar's thet cave, Gilbert?”
”I don't know, but it must be somewhere up the ravine Come on”
And aent the trio, on the hunt for Yellow Elk, pawnee Brown and poor Nellie Winthrop
CHAPTER XVI
ATTACKED BY A WILDCAT
”You fiend!”
This was all pawnee Brown could say, as with a face full of bitter hatred Yellow Elk advanced and applied the torch to the dry brush which encircled his feet
In vain the great scout endeavored to wrench himself free from the fire-stake Yellow Elk and his followers had done their ell and he was held as in a vise
”pawnee Brown shall burn slowly,” said the Indian chief, hoping to make the scout show the white feather ”Yellow Elk atch that the fire does not mount to his body too quickly”
”If you want to kill h my heart and have done with it,” said the boo around his feet and ankles and the pain was increasing with every second of time
”White man shall learn what it is to suffer,” said Spotted Nose ”He killed my friend, the Little Mule”
”Your friend tried to take my life”
”Bah! say no more but burn! burn!” hissed Yellow Elk
And with a stick he shoved the flas
It was a fearfulby a single thread The fla up all around him He closed his eyes and half ! crack! Two pistol shots and the report of a rifle echoed throughout the cave, and as pawnee Brown opened his eyes in astonishment Spotted Nose threw up his arms and fell forward in the flames at his feet, dead! The Indian who had been with Spotted Nose also went down, mortally wounded, while Yellow Elk was hit in the left ar voice of Jack Rasco, and he appeared from out of a cloud of smoke, closely followed by Dan Gilbert and dick ”pawnee! Am I in tireat scout A slash of Rasco's hunting knife and he was free ”Good for you!” and then pawnee Brown had his hands full for several nited his boot soles and the bottoed the three of 'em,” said Gilbert ”I knocked thet one,” and he pointed to the Indian as breathing his last
”I hit the Indian with the yellow plume,” put in dick, and he could not help but shudder
”That was Yellow Elk,” said Rasco ”But whar is he now?”
All the whiteup and down the cave It was useless Yellow Elk had disappeared
”He must not escape!” cried pawnee Brown ”I have an account to settle with hi that fire”