Rocky Mountain Sam — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

182 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. and bellowing for mercy, while his captor laughed merrily over his head. ; “Throw out a bag or two, professor, and we'll give him a good dance upon the air before we draw him in,” said Sam, making fast the lariat to the side of the car; while the balloon bounded up with renewed buoyancy as the-old aeronaut relieved her of a few hundred weight of ballast. In a moment or two they had reached an altitude of overa mile. “Hooray, Sam!” cried old Max, giving the steering ap- paratus a turn or two, ‘‘we’ve struck the right current, an’ will be in camp in less than an hour and a half.” But Sam was leaning over the side of the car, chiefly oc- cupied in lecturing the individual who dangled below. ‘“‘-You’re a nice young man with a glass eye and copper bugle, aren’t you, Rube Tenyck?” said he, in his softest and blandest accents. ‘‘What have you got to say for yourself, anyway?” : ‘You orter be ashamed 0’ persecutin’ a innocent screamer so rantankerous as you do all the time,” whined the rascal at the end of the rope. ‘Ashamed! So I am; I feel myself blushing all over, and could almost weep,” said our hero, in a sniffling tone. ‘Still, Pll try to bear up.” | “Sam,” called up the voice from below, ‘‘whatever you intend doing with me for Heaven’s sake, haul me up into the car. It’s horrible to be hung out here over this infernal depth. Ugh?’. ‘‘Bear a hand, professor, and let’s have pity on him just so far,” said Sam; and presently by their united efforts, Rube Tenyck was drawn into thecar, where, after being deprived of his weapons, the lariat was removed, and his arms were free. | | In half an hour the camp came in sight and there was great excitement as the balloon touched the earth. After the captive was duly placed under guard, Lieutenant Dut- ton said. “IT see you have a valuable prisoner, Sam. When shall we hang him?” ) | “Well, that depends,” said Sam. Rube had been placed under guard out of hearing. ‘‘He expects to be hanged, that’s certain; but if hecan tell us just where to lay our hands m com books.c hae 4 ge ORS ae