Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 196: what you’re looking at

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

184 The Gray-Coated Pirate. Then the other was taken to camp to serve as the evening meal. It was a very jolly party that feasted around the camp-fire that night. Cuthbert many times looked upon the merry com- pany and tears would come unbidden into his eyes when he remembered the lonesome evenings spent in the Sioux village, with just such a picture dancing before his mental vision. Sometimes it seemed so much like a dream that ,he could hardly believe in his good fortune, and felt compelled to pinch himself in order to make certain that he had not imagined it all, and would awaken to keen disappointment, to find himself once more among the lodges of Standing Elk’s village. The boys were quite jolly. They sang comic songs and rattled off jokes be- tween Munchausen yarns. It does not take a great deal to make your prairie ‘cowboy supremely happy; care sits lightly on his brow, for he leaves all of that to his employer—the ranch owner. With him, sufficient unto: the day is the evil thereof, and, having enough food for the present, he takes little heed of the morrow, since that will be to-day when it comes. Nevertheless, they were not wholly reckless; nor. did they forget that, strictly speaking, they were in an enemy's country. There were certain precautions to be taken in or- der to guard against a sudden surprise and a stam- _ pede of their stock. The horses were put in a rope corral, besides be- ing watched. A guard would be on duty from sunset to sunrise, and if the pursuing Sioux managed to come upon the scene and get the better of them they would de- serve Success. conniclooolkks.conn