Rocky Mountain Sam — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 101 against the balloon-car, in spite of the summary and effect- ive manner in which it surged among them. Firefoot dashed hither and thither, with desperate bravery, urging, aiding, animating all the presiding spirit of revenge and carnage, and utterly regardless of the thick- flying arrows and bullets. -**Now is the time to get rid of this Air Phantom for- ever!” he cried, spurring recklessly toward the tossing car, knife in hand, to cut it loose. ‘‘Horward, my braves! blood for blood?!” - **No, you don’t, Bob Scarlet!” cried Rocky Mountain Sam, whirling his crowbar over his head as if it were a reed and bringing it down with a will. But the bar, as its intended victim swerved aside, only struck the side of the car and bounded out of its wielder’s grip with a ringing clang. ‘he renegade pressed forward with a triumphant shout, his waving knife was already upon the ropes, when suddenly the clenched fist of the young hunter caught him a terrific blow between the eyes, and sent him reeling back into his saddle. The balloon was once more free, and two or three sand- bags hurled overboard by the professor, served to swing the car again above the dusky heacs. Almost simultaneously with the movement Sam hurled his lariat, catching an In- dian by the leg and jerking him from his pony into the air, while old Max, with equal success, cast a grapnel, slipping another under the chin and swinging him aloft. Then, as the balloon careered fitfully to and fro, the bodies of the unfortunates were whirled about the heads of ~ their companions, mauling and bruising them, and, of course, soon knocking the breath out of the suspended forms. : But the savages were now goaded to madness by the ter- rible losses they had received, and—flinging their supersti- tions to the winds, and again reanimated by the voice of their leader—a score of sinewy hands seized the dangling ropes, and the next instant the car was upon the ground, almost under the horses’ feet, and its occupants, sorely be- set upon every side, were struggling not merely for the safety of the balloon, but for dear life. «Gyeat Heaven!” exclaimed Lieutenant Dutton, leaning upon his sword, faint and pale from the loss of blood, ‘‘if- the balloon is destroyed or captured, we are lost,” GEomichboo (ele)