Rocky Mountain Sam — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

78 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. ‘Has another volcaner busted or a sutler’s gin-mill broken » loose?” ‘‘Neither,” replied the professor, quickly recovering his philosophical composure, which he seldom permitted to de- sert him for any great length of time; ‘‘only there is Fire- foot and his whole band riding toward the mountains at the top of their speed.” | ‘No!’ cried Sam, springing to his feet—his dinner over -from that instant—and to theside of thecar. ‘‘Holy smoke! I believe you’re right. ‘There must be fifty on ‘em alto- gether, an’ see the flutter of a petticoat in the van.” «And, moreover, they see us—observe their renewed haste and the extravagance of their gestures.” | “Of course, all we have to do is to swoop down an’ scoop 7em up.” “T don’t know about that,” said the professor, thought- fully. ‘‘You see, Firefoot hardly shares in the general su- perstition concerning the Wind-Specter, and two or three bullet-holes through our old gas-bag might play the duse with us!” : ‘Strange I never thought of that afore,” observed Sam. ‘Why, weve been at their mercy atany time if they'd only had the pluck to shoot.” | ‘‘Hardly so much at their mercy as you fancy,” said old Max. ‘‘You see this balloon is made a good deal after the manner of an old-fashioned bed-quilt; that is, the cloth is carefully sewed up into small squares and diamonds, so that even if it were to receive a bullet hole it could not rip for a space of more than afew inches, which would still leave us time to drift a considerable distance out of danger, even after being disabled. However, we'll sail up and see what canbe done. ‘There’s one satisfaction, at any rate. Wewon’t be compelled to retrace our flight, for there’s another gas-works existing somewhere up here to the north.” As they drew nearer over the heads of the mounted bands and cautiously descended closer to the earth, the greatest excitement prevailed in the savage ranks. They could see them riding hither and thither, as if thoroughly alarmed, while Firefoot dashed among them, gesticulating angrily, and probably striving to overcome their terrors, while pretty soon they could plainly distinguish the form of Miss Chap- man, She was riding agray pony, and now and then looked comicbooks co Nn