The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

36 THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. could he do without weapons? No; he would carry them to land with him, or else accompany them to a resting-place in the farthest depths of the river. They were his best friends, and it was with a feeling of loyal pride that he determined not to forsake them even for an instant. | The cold now began to influence him. His sinews orew stiff, and his limbs commenced to feel numb. The long strokes of his strong arms became shorter at each successive effort, and an awful chill crept through his frame. He could feel it, first at the ex- tremities and then converging toward the central parts of his body. Slowly, gradually it approached, seeming to freeze his very vitals with its damp, clammy touch. : | His muscles grew powerless, and his strokes-more feeble as he struggled vainly against the awful sen- sation spreading over him. Was it death? In the innermost recesses of his heart he almost feared it was. But he never once thought of despair. He would struggle against fate as long as he could, and then—— Well, whatthen? He had looked into the eyes of the grim monster before, and he could do it again without flinching. If he must end his life there, it should never be said that he gave up to his destiny without a manly effort to save himself. But the moment was fast coming when he could no longer carry on the unequal contest. His limbs refused their office, and he could not control them. Slowly his feet sank toward the bottom. His hands fell helplessly to his sides. He threw his head back, and drew a long, deep breath, which he thought was to be the last. Then with his blanched face pointing to heaven, and the icy chill enveloping his heart, he began to sink, (ele) Eomicbooks