Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

A Dakota Blizzard. 75 Again did the wolf rise up, again came that vibrat- ing “twang” like the snapping of a violin string, and, inside of a few minutes, that bull had also dropped to the earth. Cuthbert clutched his companion’s arm. “Tell me what it means—there is surely magic in it somewhere?” he whispered. “Not at all—only a miserable Sioux brave,” said Karl, bitterly. Cuthbert had an inspiration. “The seeming wolf ” he gasped. “That skin hides an Indian—that’s how a redskin brings down buffalo; and he must be a dandy with bow and arrow, for I can count seven dead ones from here.” “A bow—then that snap was the bow-string when he let fly?” “Jest so, and now he’s after another—see how he crawls through the grass.” “But surely he has enough now with eight on the © ground.” “That’s where youre all off. If he could kill a. thousand he’d do it for the tongues alone, and let the rest go. No, you can gamble that unless some- thing happens every one in the herd will fall, and there are "bout thirteen left now.” Cuthbert’s heart sank. “Can’t we do something?” he suggested. “There may be no need; they begin to grow un- easy even now, and I think he’ll only get one or two more before they break away.” “Shall we get our horses and be ready for a chase ?” Karl looked steadily around as if to decide upon the course the animals would take when once they started off. “Yes, some. I reckon we'll be in the hunt yet, but keep an eye out for the red thieves. They may comiclooks C©