Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 133 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 133: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 117: Running Prose from "Hornbuckle's Secret" This is a page of running prose text from what appears to be a serialized Victorian penny dreadful. The narrative concerns Tom, a captive, and Unaka, a Cherokee ally who uses phosphorescent "fox-fire" to frighten Tory pickets and enable escape. Hornbuckle confesses that Tom was kidnapped to punish Major Anderson for conscripting mountain Tories. The dialogue reveals Hornbuckle's resentment: he and other mountaineers deserted the military, were hunted with rewards offered, and hid in an old Indian graveyard. The text mixes standard English narration with heavily dialectical mountain speech.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HORNBUCKLE’S SECRET 117 ‘Listen! I ’d sworn to let nobody know I was alive.” “Yegge ginaluiha. Tikinaluiha.” (“They are tying thee and me. They shall tie us together.’’) And now whiteskin learned that redskin had been play- ing on the supernatural fears of the Tory pickets. : “Old fellow, that fire ghost made me want to run like a eer!” Unaka had rubbed “fox-fire”’ from a decayed log over his naked body until the phosphorescent shine covered him like a skin. If the Tories could be frightened from this quarter of the mountain, the way would be open for escape. “If you ain't a foxy Cherokee!’ How had he reached Hornbuckle’s cabin unmolested? Knifed the big wild boar of the Blue Ridge, skinned it, covered himself with the hide, and so crawled on hands and knees by night under the guns of the outlaws. Tom wrung the brave hand. Unaka pointed to the setting moon. “We go.” How hard for Tom to tell him he’d sworn not to try to escape! The Cherokee clucked, “‘No heap lie.” But heaviness fell upon both. And now Hornbuckle confessed! Tom had been kid- napped at Egger’s instance; and to satisfy Hornbuckle’s savage hatred for Major Anderson, who had determinedly conscripted the Tory mountaineers. ‘ Able-bodied men ought to go into the army,” said Tom sternly. “We-uns-es hain’t Rebels,’ came back a whisper. “Ever fight for the King?”’ bitterly. “Never fout fer nobody. Never aimed ter fight fer no- body. Deserted. That’s hit! Me en’ er right smart mo’. Got back ter the mounting, too.” “Go on.” “Then ye daddy offered a reward fer ‘ Buck Hornbuckle, deserter,’ en’ fer the balance. Sont er full description of ev’ry man ter Charlottesville. Been hunted en’ hounded roun’ fer er year — we-uns-es is. Inrollin’ officers made hit so hot fer me I used ter hide in thur Ole Injun Graveyard. Many’s thur night I’ve laid out in the sage, en’ hyurd the CORNICLIOO® SS (C©) im