Rocky Mountain Sam — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

J ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 81 ‘Ha! you would, would you?” he exclaimed, at the same time twirling up his crowbar, and bringing it down with tremendous force. he renegade swerved aside and avoided the blow, but it crushed in his pony’s skull, felling him to the earth, and ~ for the moment at least foiling its rider’s design. But the car was still down among the rearing horses, the strength of its valiant defenders was fast failing, and the gas was slowly escaping through the bullet and arrow-holes in ~ the sphere. The frightfully unequal contest could not last much longer, it was very plain. ‘I'he magnet, Sam, the magnet! it is our last hope!’ gasped the professor, staggering back exhausted. Sam fired a farewell shot from his breech-loader, clove an Indian’s skull with a hatchet, picked up the magnet, and swept it out among the crowd like a broom. The effect was so wonderful and instantaneous as to sur- prise the defenders of the car almost as much as the enemy. Guns, knives, and pistols flew from the dusky hands that.’ held them with aseries of sharp clangs, adhering to the load- stone as if soldered there. The ponies trembled with fright as the metallic buckles and mountings on their bridles be-. gan to jerk in thesame direction, causing them to choke and snort as they pulled the other way; and one luckless warrior, who wore a necklace of heavy iron beads, found. himself suddenly fastened to the magnet with a strength of adhesion from which the sudden breaking of the string upon which the beads were strung alone released him. Even Firefoot’s pistol flew from his belt, and he only retained his hunting- knife by grasping it with all his strength and backing out of the terrible influence. The savages were utterly appalled, and those who had. not fallen upon their faces in superstitious horror, took to their heels, yelling and shrieking as if all the furies of pan- demonium were in their wake. Even their leader—who, notwithstanding his generaily fair education, knew but little of magnetic science, and who certainly had never be- fore encountered a loadstone of such extraordinary power— lost his presence of mind temporarily, and seemed be- . wildered. i «he ballast, Sam! out with it!” cried the professor, sinking upon a seat almost utterly worn out. As Sam and the girl threw out the sand-bags, again the i GComichboo cS (ele)