The Yankee Champion — page 184: what you’re looking at

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

THE YANKEE CHAMPION, WW Luke seemed pleased with the idea, and soon the boat was run up on the sand. ‘“‘T declare, I must bail her out,’’ said Luke, as he — gazed into the bottom of the boat, which was nearly a third full of water. ‘“‘It would be more agreeable, certainly; but what will you do it with?”’ returned Walter, noticing that there was no dipper on board. “Oh, that’s easy enough. Ill run up and strip off a piece of birch bark. It'll be just the thing.”’ “Then I’ll stay by the boat while you go.”’ ‘“There’s no need of that; she’ll be safe enough. I sha’n’t be gone but a minute.’’ As Soper spoke he started up the bank and soon disappeared; but Walter remained by the boat, half through inclination, and half through a sort of instinctive prompting that had no palpable mani- festation. Not long had Luke been gone—not over three min- utes—when the young man was startled by the loud report of a pistol. and in an instant more a second’ report broke upon his ear. He hesitated a moment, and then he darted up the bank. He could see by the bending of the bushes where Luke had gone, and he pushed his way in the same direction, and ere long he heard a noise, as though of a fierce struggle, accompanied by the rustling of dry leaves. Snatching a pistol from his pocket he hastened on, and upon reaching the spot from whence the sound proceeded, he found Luke Soper upon the ground, and with him, clutched in a powerful embrace, was a man whom Nixon at once recognized as Silas Ryan. There was blood upon their bodies, and they had evidently both been wounded. They were CS co EComIchboo m