Rocky Mountain Sam — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

7F. ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 25 Beaver Creek; Injuns swarmin’ all along the road like maggots in a cheese; at Beaver had to cut an’ run; twenty after me, “n Firefoot in their lead; lost pony agin ’n tuk to the brush. Got to Silver City; miners all skeered ’n packin’ up traps; Colonel Chapman fortifyin’ an’ drillin’ his men fur a brush; swears he’ll never run; he’s a brick; wouldn’t wait fur a mount, but struck out on shanks; here I am. Put it thar, pard,” again thrusting out his hand to Sam; _ “putit thar, I say, fur ’ve come fur you.” ‘Hor me?” said Sam, in surprise. ‘<Sartain, pard.” — | Big Horn explained at length why it was necessary that he should have Sam’s assistance in his proposed scoutin expedition among the Blackfeet. Sam had been his supe in the earlier part of his career, and was considered the only man whom Big Horn had any real affection for, and they had been comrades upon many a desperate hunt and chase. “All right,” said Sam, quietly; ‘“‘but you know from what l’ve already told you that I’m bunged up and need rest.” “By crimminy!” an’ don’t this rooster want it *bout ’s much as yourself? We'll roost here till to-morror, an’ then make a bee line through the Blackfeet country to my cabin on Grizzly Bear Lake. Perfessor, you must hev yer gas- bags ready, old buck.” “During your entire journey I shall be hovering over your heads, I shall gather ye even as a hen does her little chickens under her wings,” said the mad aeronaut, with philosophical calmness. ‘‘In the meantime both of you know’ where to turn in for a snooze. Tm going down here to look at my gas works. Come with me, Fayaway, I may want you to help a bit.” - So while Sam and Big Horn went to another apartment of the cabin to sleep off their heavy fatigue, the White Hermit set out down the valley, accompanied by the little Indian maiden. They soon crossed the barren, debatable ground, and came upon the edge of the volcanic region,.in the center of which the great geyser, or mud volcano, frothed, and hissed, and fumed, and spouted up its tremendous column of mud and water, with occasionally huge rocks as big as_a hogs- head, to the height of two hundred and fifty feet, while from countless narrow fissures in the hard baked ground Gomichboo €o