Deadwood Dicks Doom | Page 6

glass, the varying
expressions of his countenance, and the glitter of his dark, baleful eyes
that a revengeful spirit yet rankled in his breast.
"The stage brings two new-comer," he muttered, in good English,
proving that he was not untutored, like many of his race. "One is a
young pale-face squaw-the other a son of the South. I wonder what
brings them? It cannot be that they know of the curse that rests upon
the place and all who enter it."
Then for a long time the outcast chief was silent, but watchful, until a
man sauntered along down the street whom he recognized through the

glass, though to the naked eye the man looked, but a pigmy from the
Cliff.
"That is Piute Dave-devil pale-face!" the chief gritted, fiercely. "Red
Hatchet hates him more than all the rest, and yet he lives and enjoys
Red Hatchet's possessions, heedless of warnings of death and
destruction. He knows Red Hatchet is too old and feeble to take the
warpath -- therefore -- he defies me. But he shall die -- they all shall die,
for Red Hatchet has sworn to add new notches to the
council-pole-records of the death of those who drove him and his tribe
forth from Sequoy even if he has to hire it done. Oh! how Red Hatchet
hates yonder settlement of pale-faces!"
"And why this hatred, red-man? Why this desire to exterminate the
people in yonder town?" a voice asked, so near to the old chief, that he
turned with a startled growl, and beheld Not what might have been
correctly termed a man, but more, appropriately a human wild beast,
for it had all the appearance of a wild animal, with the dwarfed shape of
man. The face was entirely covered with hair, the head was hatless, the
dwarfed, hump-backed figure was clad in ragged dirty garments; the
nails upon the fingers were long and like the talons of some wild bird.
In the eyes there burnt a wild unnatural fire, and the hair upon the head
stood in all directions, making the head appear double its real size.
Red Hatchet gave vent to a startled grunt at sight of this strange being;
indeed, who wouldn't for it was not an object calculated to inspire any
one with the bravest feelings.
"Ugh! debbil!" the chief uttered, for that was the nearest thing he could
compare the intruder to.
"Yes, devil!" the hairy being replied-- "Old Scavenger, the
devil-avenger -- the devil dwarf. But, the red chief need not fear.
Scavenger harms none but the treacherous whites-those of his own
blood and color. The red chief also hates the pale-faces?"
"Ugh! yes -- hate 'em because they drove the red-man from his village

yonder."
"I understand -- I understand," Old Scavenger assented. "They have
wronged me, too and I madly hate 'em all. I have registered an oath to
spare none-to cut out the hearts of every white devil I meet. Ha! ha!
they thought when they all united to strike me a last blow, that it would
kill me, but it only hardened my heart against 'em. Did the Red Hatchet
ever see the heart of a pale-face?"
And as he spoke the Demon Dwarf drew from his hunting sack a
bloody withered piece of human flesh -- a human heart, indeed -- and
held it aloft with a demoniac peal of laughter.
"That is the heart of the false woman who wedded me for my gold, and
deserted me and my kit, when she had secured it. Oho! but I hunted her
down to death, though, and after they had buried her, thinking to cheat
me out of my vengeance, I dug her up and secured my trophy. Ha! ha!
the Dwarf's enough for 'em - the Dwarf's enough for 'em!"
Red Hatchet's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
"Dwarf big heap brave," he said. "Red Hatchet once great brave, but his
limbs no longer strong for war-path. He can only meditate vengeance
upon his enemies, instead of performing it."
"Red Hatchet should get Old Scavenger to strike for him. When he
strikes he strikes to avenge."
"Red Hatchet has no gold, or he would readily pay the Dwarf Avenger
to add notches to his council-pole in yonder town."
"Ha! ha! it is not money I want. I have gold in plenty. But I saw a jewel
belonging to Red Hatchet that I would wade through fire or blood to
possess -- ay, I'd depopulate yonder town until not a pale-face dog
remained to usurp Red Hatchet's rights!"
"If the Devil Dwarf will do this, Red Hatchet will give him his
daughter-if it is to her the pale-face refers."

"To her and none other. Swear to give the girl to me to do with as I
please, and I