Rocky Mountain Sam — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

64 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. volume of mud, water, and stones which were hurled up to a height of fully fonr hundred feet, the accumulating de- posits forming a mound around the aperture about ten feet high, which was, of course, momently growing in height and extent. The discharge of mud and water appeared to be unattended by noise, but the appearance in the fountain of rocks and stones was attended simultaneously, or directly preceded, by the underground rumbling, occasioned by a perceptible tremor of the earth all around the crater. “There!” ejaculated the professor, taking off his candle- snuffer of a cap, and making a grand flourish to the ele- ments at large: “behold great Nature in her agonizing throes. Is it not glorious—superb?” “Tl reckon it is,” observed Sam, ‘‘only I don’t think it fair to intrude upon the old girl’s privacy in such delicate moments. let us all slope and give her full swing—all to herself. This ground’s a little too shaky for comfort, I say.” As for little Fayaway, thoroughly frightened, she clung to her protector and began to cry. ‘'"here’s no danger,” remarked old Max, calmly, ‘‘for the voleanic forces have found vent and expenditure in this eruption. Had it not been for that, however, we should probably have all been destroyed in a terrible convulsion. Ha! there goes one of the panthers I was speaking of,” he added, pointing to the edge of a thickly-wooded spur only a few yards away, along which a dark object appeared to be skulking. : Sam drew a bead at once, and fired. The shot was fol- lowed by a yell of pain, then all was silent as before, except the churning, pumping sound made by the volcano. ‘“‘Load again before you advance!” cried Max, as Sam, with his blood thoroughly aroused, drew knife and revolver, preparatory to running up. ‘“‘I tell you there’s a regular nest of *em over there.” : Sam quickly reloaded; he carried a splendid breech-loader; the professor also drew his pistol, and together they cautiously approached the belt of timber. A pair of wild, fiery eyes were seen rolling about in the semi-gloom of the thicket like globes of red-hot coals, and our hero at once took aim between them and fired. Another yell, and this time the wounded animal—a female panther of vast proportions—leaped out of the cover fol- lowed by two cubs about half-grown. comicbooks co nm