Rocky Mountain Sam — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

, ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM, 149 horse paddock and have a fresh lot of animals driven up. Then we can plan the pursuit at once.” ‘The heutenant had to acknowledge the sense of this, but he almost broke down, as he turned and clutched the old man’s hand. The chaplain will be here to-morrow,” he muttered. ““We —were—then—to—have—heen—married/ Oh! my friend, how can I bear it?” | *‘Don’t break down, or I shall too,” said the old man, and as he took him by the arm and led him gently toward the house, he gave the necessary orders, and in a moment several men were dashing away to the paddock for fresh horses. | ‘“‘Wait a moment, sir,” said Sam to the colonel; ‘‘here come the two men who were out of the race. Better hear what they have to say.” The competitor whose horse had gone lame appeared above the hill, accompanied by the other whose horse had been reported as having an arrow sticking in his neck, the latter being supported in his saddle by his companion as though very weak or wounded. They waited impatiently until they came up. “Tt was areolar ambush,” said ome of the men, jumping from his horse, and assisting his comrade to dismount. “Jimmy, jist pull that arrow out of the brute’s neck—or may be you’ll have to break it off; I don’t think he’s hurt much; but poor Ralph here’s got an ugly slash in the shoulder an’ has lost a heap of blood.” — “T ain’t so weak but I can tell my story,” said the wounded man, who was very white as he leaned heavily on his comrade’s arm.. ‘There ,ain’t much to tell after all. - Dennis was the first man behind the ladies an’ I was the second and last—the lieutenant and Jack havin’ given up the race. A minute arter the ladies went out of sight aroun’ the base of Sugar Loaf, I thought I heard a squeal, but didn’t think nothin’, ’cause they was both laughin’ an’ cryin’ out during the hull race, an’ Dennis, the soldier was clus to their heels on the big piebald. But soon’s I turned the peak asight met me made my heart rise up in my gullet. Firefut an’ the Injuns had been skulkin’ among the rocks, an’ had pounced out jist in the-nick o’ time. They had grabbed Miss Mollie an’ Fayaway—the fust had fainted, I think, but the little squaw was a kickin’ an’ squirmin’ an’ GComicboo cS GOr