Rocky Mountain Sam — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 61 ‘‘T was at first going to propose,” said the old man, not in the least offended, ‘‘that we seek some solitary place, cast anchor in a tree-top, and pass the night in the car; but, aside from the possibility of a storm arising during our slumber, and tearing our balloon to ribbons, there remains the objection that the gas in the bag would be so far ex- hausted ten or twelve hours hence as to render it doubtful whether it could buoy us over the mountains again. So I think it advisable to sail fifty miles farther, over the moun- tains there to the northwest, where there is another canon — affording a plentiful supply of carbureted hydrogen gas, and where we can pass an uninterrupted night, and replenish the balloon in the morning. Bear a hand now, and chuck over some ballast. There’s been a darned sight too much gab and too little work during the past ten minutes.” Sam proceeded to heave over some of the sacks, grum- bling, in the meantime, that most of the ‘‘gab” complained of had been performed by the professor himself. In about three-quarters of an hour they had sailed over the mountains and landed on the canon indicated, the dis- agreeable smell of whose rising gases long before they ap- proached it had testified to the truth of the aeronauts state- ment concerning its chemical properties. But the sun had not yet altogether disappeared behind the peaks wuen they settled down in adelightful little green spot at the upper end of the valley. A pleasant little brook of pure, sweet water bubbled through its center. Fayaway had soon another appetizing meal of broiled venison ready, and here they prepared to pass the night, after securely anchoring the balloon. ‘‘What’s in that box?” asked Sam, giving a certain box a kick as he was tossing the blankets and other wraps out of the car! | ‘‘Them’s fireworks and other traps I thought we might find use for,” replied the White Hermit. ‘Theyre some of the few relics of my past renown, when all the’ scientific world was at my feet. Ah! I distinctly remember one occa- sion, when I was crossing the icy barriers of the great Ant-_ arctic Ocean——” | But Sam at this moment appeared to descry a bear in the distance, and ran off, so that the poor professor’s wonderful story still remained, per force, in an unfinished condition. Gomichboo €o