The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

82 THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. black-hearted thief ye kin draw.a bead on. Ah! here they come! le? —_— SS OC” CHAPTER VIII. THE DEFEAT, As the attacking party approached, the thump, thump, thump of their horses’ feet sounded like the approach of a cavalry regiment. —_- To the men lying there awaiting the onslaught, it seemed like an age of weary, anxious waiting. With guns to their shoulders and ready cocked the defensive hunters watched for the instant when their foes should have approached so close that every shot would have its” effect. Their scheme was to allow the robbers to come almost fairly upon them before they opened fire, thus taking their enemies -completely-by surprise, as they in turn had hoped to take them. Louder and louder sounded the hoof-strokes upon the hard ground, as the robbers came first within rifle range, then closer, until they could have been picked off with pistol balls, and finally so near thata stone thrown from the hand would easily have reached them. By this time every hunter was half erect, resting upon one knee, and glancing along the shining barrel of his tried and trusty gun. Kivery nerve was strained to its utmost -tension ; every finger was ready to press the spring which would send a leaden messenger of death upon their mission. Why did not Ryan give the signal? Not a man in the party but asked the question mentally, half in impatience. The Bloodsuckers drew nearer and nearer, and yet there was no sign ~ comicbooks..