Rocky Mountain Sam — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 113 through the obstruction on his powerful horse, whence a score or more braves followed him. | Of course the foremost of these assailants were ruthlessly shot down, horse and rider, but as they fell their bodies and the blankets combined, served to render the way less difficult for the passage of those behind; and slowly, little by little, and in the teeth of the galling fire, which they could return to little advantage, fought their way up to the original barricade. Again the gallant band seemed pushed to the wall, and in spite of Big Horn’s desperate valor, of the hercism of all, their hopes still lower and lower ebbed, and some of them were already beginning to club their guns, when the thunder-storm broke forth anew. The electric illumination of the heavens sank lower along the northern horizon verge, overhead, and elsewhere, the sky was inky black, and — tremendous peals shook the solid earth beneath their feet, as if in scornful mockery of the feebleness of man’s engines of war. | Suddenly there was one awfnl crash, the inky curtain directly overhead was rent in twain, anda spectacle was afforded which caused all the combatants to pause upon their arms. It was the balloon, the Wind Specter, descending through the cloud-rack, ringed and wreathed with electric fire. The cloud-gap closed again, but the balloon seemed to be still luridly ‘Nnaunated: and was sweeping down with a strange and spiral motion, which none of the beholders had ever witnessed in it before. And now from every side of the wind-borne car a quick and glittering radiance broke. It seemed surrounded by revolving wheels of sparkling fire that threw broad myriads of gleaming jets and powdery fire showers, that gaveit a most weird and unearthly, and at the same time, a magnificent appearance. ‘““Booglebooby! Booglebooby!” screamed many of the Indians, reeling back, while others resumed the fight only in a spiritless, mechanical way, until their leader dashed among them, and reinspirited them with cheering shouts. “Keep a good heart, friends,” cried Lieutenant Dutton, waving his sword. ‘‘You see our balloon friends have not forgotten us.” | “But, cap, what is them fire-wheels *bout the old gas- Gomicbooks col mn |