Rocky Mountain Sam — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. ea the narrow strip between the mountain wall and the stream was still blocked up by an excited horde striving to force their way out upon the open plain, he directed the large body immediately surrounding him to follow, and at once plunged into Miry Fork and began toswim his horse across. he savages followed him, though rather timidly, and by the time he had reached the opposite shore, the whole surface of thestream was covered with their dusky figures, standing out with weird distinctness in the many hued radiance that fell around them, and making rather slow progress, for the victorious hunters continued to pepper them from the bank, and their ponies—poor swimmers at the best—had already had their powers severely taxed. “Quick, Sam!’ exclaimed the professor in the car above; “roll over that barrei of coal-oil and bust out that bung. We'll make it still hotter for some of these vermin before they get out of that stream.” Sam at once rolled out a barrel of petroleam—which old Max had taken care to provide himself with—over the hole inthe bottom of the car, and had the bung out’ in a jiffy, the oil rushing and spurting out in a stream as thick as a man’s wrist; and in a few minutes the surface. of Miry Fork, a few yards above where the crossing was being made, was covered with the tawdy-colored quid, which was speedily ignited by two or three shots from roman candles. The fire spread with the rapidity of thought; the whole surface blazed from bank to bank, and the doomed Indians, looking up the stream, suddenly faced a torrent of liquid fire, sweeping down upon them with frightful rapidity. ' It would beuseless to describe the screams and shrieks of horror and despair that swelled upon the night. Hven the renegade, secure as he was, with a few others upon the far- ther bank, lost his presence of mind, and, springing from his saddle, raved up and down, stamping upon the ground, ‘covering his face with his hands, and sobbing like a child. Upward of two-score of the Indians were overwhelmed in that burning wave. The cries of the scorched and frenzied ponies were even more dreadful to hear than the agonized shrieks of their riders; but their sufferings were soon over. - It was simply a succession of piercing yells, stifled snorts, a wild throwing up of hands, as horse and rider, one by one disappeared in the sea of fire, and their bodies were whirled » down in the rushing tide, GComichboo co