Yellowstone Jack: Trappers of the Enchanted Ground — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

(10 — * — “Treckon Fatty Smith ’d grin now, ef he could on’y see how we make our words good—though Ais skelp was wuth a dozen sech pelts es these!” “ Carrat! you big varmints don’t give -a little man fair show—you take all the fun, like boys!” grumbled the little Mexican, Chavez. ‘“ Better Inck noxt time, babby. Thar wasn’t time fer drawin’ lots. But see— ‘Litt thar ha’r, while I go see ef all’s right wi? a “ Ge-thunder ! look yender !”’ muttered Brindle Joe, pointing across the valley, his deeply-bronzed and _ grotescuely- ireckled face, from which his nom de nigece derived, turning a shade lighter. _“'he—the spint!” breathed Yellow- stone, in a tone of awe. Upon a slender point of rock that jutted out from the face of the almost perpendicular chff, stood a fairy-like figure, clearly outlined against the erey rocks, The figure of a woman, or rather Lhat of a girl, just budding into woman- hood. Her features could not be dis- tinguished clearly, though the awe- stricken trappers could see that her skin was was dusky, olive tinted, her hatr, floating | free in the light breeze, was jetty black. ier garb was plain, unornamented, even rude, seemingly compcsed of skins with the hair stili on, her arms bare to the shoulder. In one hand she held a white bow; the other was just plucking an arrow from the quiver ather back. Then the bow was bent until the feathered shaft fairly brushed her ear, and when the string relaxed, the missile hurtled through the air, quivering deep in the «round several yards behind the trappers, a3 she uttered, in a clear, musical voice, speaking the Kainna-Blackfoot dialect: “T have warned you—beware !” | “Thars somethin’ fastened on the arrer-head,’ whispered Brindle Joe, whose eyes were like a hawk’s. Yellowstone Jack, closely followed by lis comrades, ran to the spot where the arrow had fallen, and as the young trapper pulled it from its earthen sheath, ing detected a strip of buck-skin wound round the shait. Unloosening this, he eagerly gazed upon the small, curious svmbols portrayed in red upon the white skin. Then the puzzled trapper turned to Rrin tie Fue hat worthy was ataring in) Pye ssaubhed ssudevoxeut, pointing | YELLOWSTONE JAOK. je ivy “as? at u : 7 i, toward the cliff. The figure had vanh- — ished. ae “Tknowed ’twas a spook; reckon we'd — better puckaches, afore wuss comes on it,” he muttered, hoarsely. | “Yonder comes the boys; mebbe — they’ve see’d it, too.” o\s ae As Yellowstone Jack spoke, the other — two trappers came up the valley, their — faces wearing a strange, uneasy expres= sion, It was plain that they too had ~ seen the spimt, and knew not how to — account for it. ina “D’y’ see the thing go?” faltered — Hoosier, glancing nervously around, as though ee to behold the " mysterious being suddenly reappear at — his elbow. wy “No; how was it?” Yellowstone — asked. : eae Sh “Jest nat’ally riz an’ flew up to the top thar—an’ you kin see, @ mountain goat couldn’t find toe-holt whar sho ~ went,” uneasily replied the Hoosier. — “ She just made a few signs, like she ~ wanted to do somethin’ an’ then faded ' away like smoke,” | LY ‘{ reckon she wanted us to mind what she says on this bit o’ hide—look atit. — Mebbe you kin make somethin’ out o’ it.’ | I eain’t.” ; a he “Tt’s Vritinr—I know that much,”, — slowly replied Heely Hank. ‘“Tve ker-. ried more’n ope bit o’ sech lke, what; | Se Sam slung off, when we war skrim-, — magin’ wi the Greasers fer Texas. But I cain’t read sech sign, it’s a blind trail — to me.” ine “My old man was powerful on them | things, but somehow I never was nogre’t shakes at it,” feebly muttered Hoosier. _ “if "twas beaver now, or red-skin— — but never mind. Ili keep it anyhow. Don’t reckon it kin hurt a feller, ef 6 did come from a sperit. I don’t reckon — | J ’ ‘7 i? sne means us any bad, or she’d ’a’ sent — this arrer aleetle closter. It’s Blackfoot, — though—them ain’t gen’ally the kind we mountain men call fri’nds.” ta ‘““Reckon she meant we'd better puck- achee !” | “You kin make tracks fer the Brigade, jest ’s soon’s ye feel a mind, Brindle Joe, — but thzs beaver don’t go ontel he kin see both eends o’ the trail. Boyee, you | hear me! I’m goin’ to find out what that critter meant—what she wanta,and _ whe she is, Uf it takes my last ante, — Yellowstone Jack sais it—which ig » eGomicbook