Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 245: what you’re looking at

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

The Raid on the Bad Lands. 233 “A grizzly, no doubt. Shall we get out?” asked Karl, not relishing the prospect. In his mind a fight with old Ephraim at close quarters was bad enough in the daytime, when there were chances to operate his gun successfully; but the same engagement in the darkness of an un- known cavern—why, it made his flesh creep to even think of it. ““Mebbe can find hole out; mebbe not. Think best fight,” came the reply. It was the ambitious soul of a warrior, eager to win fresh laurels, that spoke. No doubt, Little Buckshot was always ready, after the manner of his kind, to accept considerable chances in an affair of this sort, having as an incen- tive the great glory that would be his portion could he but secure a necklace of grizzly bear claws with which to adorn his person. Such a coveted trophy is worn by but few, and stamps the owner as a renowned hunter, utterly fearless in the chase, and worthy of all honor among his fellows. Karl was free to confess that had he been given his choice he would much rather have decamped, and allowed the growling beast full liberty to oc- cupy his den. Even a wet jacket might not be so bad when compared to torn, lacerated flesh in a des- perate conflict with this most terrible “old man of the mountains.” But there was the Indian, quite undaunted, and actually welcoming the threatening danger as though it fulfilled a dream in which he had indulged. No true cowboy could allow a redskin to outdo him in daring; he would never respect himself again if this occurred. So, crushing this desire to give Eph. a wide berth, and leave him undisputed monarch of the cave, he cComiclooks C©