The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. | 113 found Esther. He had little difficulty in recognizing Dick Hatfield and a number of the Bloodsuckers. Their errand he divined at once. They were searching for Esther Harper. Their leader had dismounted from his horse, and was leading the animal by his bridle, while the rest of his companions followed on behind at a slow space. Robinson’s rifle came to his shoulder in an a iv “» a * » _ 7 » A » — > fer, # p ' a > rae La eo ¥, “t 4 , 7 es * a instant, and covered his dusky skinned enemy. Hatred flashed from his eyes, and he looked as if bound to take revenge for his past grievances. But just in time he checked himself. He could not hope to conquer the whole’ number, and to thus ex- pose the whereabouts of himself and Esther would be madness. Yet something must be done, and that at once. He had not much time to lose. The pursuers would follow the old trail along to the point where the sec- ond one branched off, and there would be but a few moments of intervening time before they would be on the spot where the fugitives now stood. _ Resist- ance against such odds would be worse than useless, He must pit his strategy against the superior physi- cal force of his enemies. Robinson looked about him. By the merest chance his eyes fell upon the upright trunk of a huge tree. Near the roots was a large fissure, which suggested the presence of a roomy cavity above. Glancing again in the direction taken by the Bloodsuckers, he saw that they had disappeared around a point of wooded land. Spring- ing to his feet, he directed Esther to enter the open- ing at the foot of the tree. - ‘When those fiends are gone,’’ he added, “‘come out and make the best of your way around to where Ryan and Sycamore Dan are even now awaiting my Ecomicboo ‘S (ele)