Rocky Mountain Sam — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

10 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. was turned in the direction indicated by the pointing hand, and abject terror and dismay at once took possession of all, except the beardless youth at the stake. The speck above the mountains had enlarged to asym- metrical sphere, pear-shaped and beautiful, which momently swelled in its proportions as it swept onward and downward with incredible rapidity. To the civilized eye and mind, it was nothing more.than a balloon; to the vision and conception of the Indian, it was the ‘‘Booglebooby,” the terrible Wind-Specter of the Blackfeet tribe—a vision which had more than once, ere this, appalled them by its phantom-like careerings through - the atmosphere. “Holy smoke! it’s the White Hermit, with his devil’s gas- bag!’ cried Rube Tenyck, who was quite as ignorant as his red comrades of the real nature of the phenomenon, and now fell upon his knees in an agony of fear. The Indians were affected in different ways, but nearly all were too much paralyzed with superstitious terror to think of flight. They huddled together in terrified groups, moan- ing, chattering, and shivering as with the ague; while all eyes were directed to the swiftly approaching “monster, now comparatively near at hand, while the ominous word, “‘Booglebooby!” ‘‘Booglebooby!” wasconstantly repeated by terror-shaken lips. Over the basket which depended from the neck of the © balloon, and which had a broad, fan-like apparatus at one side, probably intended for steering purposes, was leaning the figure of a white-haired, white-bearded old man, clothed in white, whose locks streamed in the wind as he wildly gazed below. As the mighty sphere came surging near the ground, he cast out an anchor, which took firm hold of the long grass and bushes, and, while the balloon. flaunted and eddied to and fro and over head, with a great crackling sound, the basket came scraping along the ground, and brought up in the very midst of the horrified horde. To lean over the edge of the car or basket, knife in hand, and sever the captive’s bonds, was the work of but a moment with its white-haired occupant. ; “J Jump in, Sam! Jump in! there’s not a moment to ose.” ; comicboo S) m (ae)