Rocky Mountain Sam — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 109 *““Mebbe so, cap, but I sleep fast. But I see what’s up,” —casting his eyes to the heavens—‘‘we’re bound to have a storm.” “What do you think of it?” asked the young man, anxiously. ; ‘‘Lots of wind, and thunder, an’ lightnin’, but nary rain,” was the reply, after a careful scrutiny of the heavens. “It’s gittin’ darker’n a wolf’s den; but we must put out that ere camp-fire, an’ git in the hosses among the rocks.” ‘Do you think they will attack again to-night?” “Like enough; they couldn’t have a better night fur ib: only it’s better fur us than fur them, I calkerlate.” ‘‘But how can the balloon come to our assistance during a tempest?” “Oh, bless yer royal heart, cap! ole Max don’t keer fur storms. He kinder glories in ’em, he does.” ‘“‘But some of our men,” said Dutton, hesitatingly, for he was about to mention the greatest trial he had been gsub- jected to since the fight, ‘‘some of them seem to have lost spirits, and—and propose to retreat under cover of the night, without haying accomplished the object of our ex- pedition.” | | “What! cut an’ run?” thundered the hunter; “cut an’ run an’ leave the lettle gal, the Prairie Blossom, to shift fur herself?” ‘Yes; and though I tell them that if we only hold out for twelve hours longer we are sure to have a detachment from Fort Benton, they still 2 ‘““Who dares to think of retreat?” interrupted Big Horn, in a voice of thunder, and turning upon the rest of the de- _ voted band with flashingeyes. ‘I, fur my part, am here to go in and win, or bust!” There was no reply to this withering challenge, nor was there thereafter heard any further talk about retreat. The fires were put out, the horses gathered in, and after posting the necessary sentinels, they lay down upon their - arms; but scarcely to sleep. The storm put that out of the question. For hours and hours the hurricane blew with unabated fury, and though there was no rain, the lightning flashed, the thunder rolled and burst in almost a continual peal, and in the intervals between the more terrific crashes they could hear the echoing fall of the great. trees in the canons and gorges, } Gomichboo (ele) ( are ay Oe “* = -— we