Leather-Clad Tales of Adventure and Romance, No. 38 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

IN THE SUNK LANDS. 13. swamps ris up. Whole plantations went down ; the old Mississippi boomed in an’ filled “em up, an’ there she stands to this day, kivered with heavy timber, bogs an’ ‘casional patches o’ firm land. People who lost their land, an’ all they had with hit, was so destertute that the Government made a ‘propriation an’ deeded ‘em new land fur what they lost. No one lives in the swamps but a lot o’ trappers an’ hun- ters, who make their livin’ trappin’ fur skins. I know a right smart lot o’ them. Each one holds his claim by an unwritten law,’ an’ his rifle, an’ any feller as tries to jump hit, or trap hit *thout permission, runs a powtul good chance o’ gettin’ a bullet in his maw!” | I looked at Bob, and he looked at me. Already the conversation had a ring of excitement. ‘‘ Are there any claims left?” I ventured to ask. ‘“T don’t reckon you-uns could find a likely one, ‘thout runnin ag’in someo’ them, or agin somebody as purtends to be one o them, fur there’s a heapin’ big lot 0’ scoundrels down there ; but ve gota shanty "[GcOmilchboo .“S (E(0)