Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

Bravo! Buckskin. 169 prairie, the familiar scene, and, above all, the con- sciousness that with every jump of his horse he was shortening the distance between himself and Sunset Ranch—the goal of his hopes. All these things combined to arouse his spirits until he found himself with hand in the air, shouting a defiance to those eager pursuers thundering in his rear. It was the answer of the undismayed white man to the challenge of the untutored Mr. Lo. The buckskin horse was doing nobly, and even the best of his pursuers did not seem to gain percepti- bly, so that it was, after all, pretty much a question of endurance. Had the Sioux hunters thought it worth while to toss aside the plunder with which their ponies were fairly well laden, they might have made better progress. Doubtless they had experienced too many vicissi- tudes of fortune in securing this generous supply of meat to dream of sacrificing it for a miserable pale- face cow puncher, who had in some mysterious man- ner gained the good will of their old chief. As he hustled along in this fashion, Cuthbert kept a keen lookout ahead. There was always a chance of his falling in with some freighter caravan, bound for the new mines. How welcome a sight to him would be the familiar string of creaking white-topped wagons, drawn by mules, and the rough “mule skinner” on the seat, cracking his long, writhing blacksnake whip; for, among these pioneers of the Black Hills trail, he would assuredly find shelter and safety. Alas! look as he might whenever an opportunity presented itself, he could not catch even the faintest glimpse of such a welcome sight. One thing pleased him. His pursuers were gradually dropping out of the race as their ponies fell behind. COMGIOO S C©