Beadle's Dime Novels No. 138: Tim, the Scout — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

10 | TIM, THE SCOUT. : for they have gained it by bravery on many a. bloody field. Tim Whalen, the scout, had fought over every inch of ground, under Harrison, had penetrated into the Indian villages and heard the counsels of the enemy. Ue knew that Tecumseh had sworn to root out the name of American from the Indian country, and with the Prophet, his brother, went from village to village, inciting the savages to war. And while Tecum- seh won them by his eloquence, the Prophet won by his subtle lies and prophesies of coming doom to the hated American race. No Indian plot was more deeply laid than this, and if it failed in the execution, it was on account of the surprising celerity of the movements of our armies. Harrison, who knew Indians, filled the country with his scouts. The traders, who were in the Indian country, were employed. by him to furnish intelligence; and Tecumseh’s plans were open as the day. before the sagacious General. Among others, Tim Whalen was especially busy, and was, even now, on an im- portant mission. The chief trouble was, how to cross and yet keep his arms in fighting condition. Besides, he had all an_ Irishman’s dread of getting “ wetted.” In his many scouts through the country, he had left .canoes—generally rough “ dugouts”— along the various rivers, and had come to this place, certain of finding one he had left; but, it was gone, and he belabor- ed the Indians, in no measured terms, with sounding Irish epithets, which none but Irish lips could utter. - Satisfied that it was gone, he raised his coonskin cap to scratch his frowzy head, and take a comical survey of the ex- panse of water between him and the other.shore. Go over he must, even at the expense of a wetting. That was de- cided. He looked about, and at Jength found a log likely to suit his purpose—a broad, comfortable-looking pine stick, about ten feet long and two feet in diameter, In a knot of its limbs he fastened his rifle, shot-pouch and flask, and — straddling the big stick, with a stout splinter of pine for a paddle, he pushed out into the stream, paddling gravely along, stopping now and then to listen to the sounds upon the ‘bank. A deer came down to the river-side to drink, but, catching sight of the “ float,’ bounded up the bank and dis- appeared in the bushes. conniclooolks. conn