The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

112 THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. —_ low us, and thus delay them, even if we do not throw them completely off the scent.’’ Esther saw at once the wisdom of the plan, and so gave up arguing the question with him. Buta they passed along she asked about her father ant sister, and also about Ryan and Dan. These inqul- ries he answered to the best of his ability, going so far as to give a very clear description of the spot where the two partners were awaiting them. He had no especial reason for so doing, but it proved to be one of the most fortunate circumstances of his life; for the details had scarcely left his lips when a series of incidents occurred which came near putting an end to all their plans. Robinson and his fair charge were just ascending over a little knoll of limestone, beyond which the same formation existed for a full mile, and then .- came to a sudden end upon the brink of a shallow rivulet. : The guide chanced, when near the brow of the shght eminence, to glance down into the valley which stretched along a few hundred yards away, and almost directly parallel with the course they were following. His eye swept up and down the narrow depression, and then came to a sudden halt. .He started vio- lently, and then fell flat upon the ground, motioning Esther to follow suit. She lost no time in doing so, because she had learned to place implicit conftdence in him. . After lying for a moment, Robinson raised his head, and peered cautiously about him. His gaze was met by three or four figures, moving noise- lessly along over the trail lately traversed by him- self, leading from the camp to the spot where he had fs ested | comicbool (S.com. ;