Rocky Mountain Sam — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

158 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. to the peak of a stiff coonskin cap, which was tightly se- cured upon his head by a band under the chin; and stiffly jutting out all around his head—after the manner of a bull-dog’s spiked collar—were six more shorter-bladed knives, the hilts or butts of which were stoutly secured to the broad, heavy band of the cap..'he armament was com- ipleted by each hand grasping a seven-shooting navy re- volver. i ‘Now, purfessor,” said Big Horn, coolly, ‘‘jest fasten the butt of the umbrill to the middle of my back, an’ let me ‘spread my wings. In course I kin cut the rope betwixt me an’ the umbrill when I git to the ground by jist twistin’ aroun’ my mug, an’ sawin’ away with these frog-stickers hitched on to my cap.” They fastened the parachute to his back, as directed, and Sam and ‘T'eddy helped him slowly over the side of the car, the professor, in the meantime, engineering the great para- chute, which when closed, was about twenty feet long. The fight was still being kept up ina desultory way below, but both sides were evidently chiefly concerned in. the strange preparations that were going on in the balloon, which stood utterly motionless above their heads. ‘The In- dians especially—there were about two hundred in all— were hopelessly mystified, for though nearly all of them had seen the balloon—or Booglebooby—before, the parachute was anew wonder that was to dawn upon their awe-stricken gaze; and even the hunters and soldiers were somewhat puz- zled when they saw the figure of a man being assisted over the side of the car, and no preparations being apparent for the descent of the balloon itself. ‘It cannot be possible that one of them intends to descend, | by means of the parachute, single-handed!” muttered Lieu- tenant Dutton, with his field-glass. at his eyes. “It would be madness—he would be torn to pieces the instant he touched the earth. Ha!” | This exclamation—echoed. by a general shout from all around him and by aroar from the Indians on the outer plain—was called forth by Big Horn suddenly dropping from the balloon. . | At first he shot right downward like a bolt; but then the folds suddenly expanded themselves like the wings of a monstrous bird, checking the fall of the body underneath, m comicbooks co