Rocky Mountain Sam — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

14. ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. of remarkably ancient and philosophic cut, for that region, made of buckskin that had been bleached to a whiteness as pure as that of driven snow. He must have been very old. Perhaps he carried weapons somewhere concealed in his loose outer garment—a very unique affair, which looked like an astrologer’s conjuring robe more than anything else; but none were visible, and he wore upon his head a comical affair, much like an ordinary fool’s cap, or an old-fashioned candle-extinguisher. ‘How did you discover the fix I was in, Max?” asked Sam. “By my telescope, my son,” was the sage reply. ‘I climbed to my observatory this morning to get something which I had left there last night during my usual study of the stars, and just thought I would take a sweep of the world below for diversion. Of my two balloons, this, the smaller, in addition to being nearest my most active gas- supply, happened to be fully equipped with ballast, steering apparatus, meteorological instruments, and other supplies, I ran down from the observatory, commenced the inflation at once, and being very successful—the gas happening to arise through the fissures very strongly at the time—was soon in the air, with a fine westerly current. You know the rest.” “Yes; and, by Jove! I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” cried the young hunter, seizing his hand with glis-_ tening eyes. ‘‘You’re a brick! and if you’re ever in a tight spot with Injin, or grizzly, or tiger-cat, you know you can count on Rocky Mountain Sam.” ‘It grows colder; we must almost have reached the cur- rent,’ said the aeronaut, rising, and consulting a battered barometer and thermometer that dangled above the middle of the basket. ‘‘Yes,” he added; ‘‘barometer 29.485, ther- mometer 18 degrees. We have now reached an altitude considerably over three miles—nearly a mile higher than the summit of Fremont’s Peak, which is 13,570 feet; and in a few moments will be in the west-flowing current. My son, stand by this throttle-valve while I take the helm.” Sam seized the cord indicated, while Max grasped a crank connected with the fan-like windmill of a concern dangling outside the car, and began to turn it with great rapidity toward the right. The fans swiftly revolved, making a great whirring sound as they did so, and the air-ship seemed ‘Si m Eomicboo (Elo)