Rocky Mountain Sam — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 161. The others gathered around him, and looked upon him with mingled respect and awe. . “Wall, cap, I reckon I did the best I knowed how,” said the hunter of the period, with supreme modesty. ‘‘But it did look a leetle dusty aroun’ thar,eh? You must give me a chance fur a leetle wind afore I light out among ’em agin, you know.” “Of course, my dearfellow. ‘There’sno hurry, you know, ‘because I fancy we caneasily keep them at bay from this ‘position. By Jove! here they come again, in full force; ‘and they must have had a reinforcement within the last twenty minutes. Jewillikens! just look at the Indians.” They were coming over the plain in rapid and irregular array, like a vast cloud; and it was evident at a glance that they had, indeed, received a reinforcement of fifty or sixty more warriors. The hunters and troopers, dismounting and placing their horses farther back among the rocks, took their positions behind the rocky wall and dauntlessly awaited the attack. Big Horn was still seated upon the rock upon which he had sunk at the first, breathing heavily. ‘Give it to em hot and heavy, cap,” he gasped. “Ill git my wind agin purty soon.” CHAPTER XXIII. THRILLING ADVENTURES. The Indians came on in serried array until within about four hundred yards of the position occupied by the whites— who kept up a galling fire from their breech-loaders from the moment they came in range—where they made a gene- ral halt, and about one-half their number began to dis- mount. By a preconcerted signal, all the Indians on foot made a grand rush at the top of their speed, regardless of the death- shots that decimated their ranks at every step of the way; and, almost before the whites appreciated the altered situa- tion, they were engaged in a desperate hand-to-hand fight at the very brink of their little stronghold. But at this time Big Horn got upon his feet. TEMA : : Gomichoo S} (ele)