Beadle's Dime Novels No. 142: The Sagamore of Saco — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

36 THE SILENT HUNTER. have walked. But they are not onan i the ke not deceive ‘ ° ot. e morning we W find their trail.’’ . ‘*] suppose you are about right,” said Hi ay. “and ong re bound to wait. But this is a hot- tish place for a camp, I conclude, Custa. My scalp kind of crawls at the idea of sleeping here.” The Silent Hunter made a sign for them to follow him. They clearly understood by his manner that he had a better place to show them, and they had already, by his directions, entered the bed of the river in an upward direction, and were fifty feet from the fire, when he clutched them both vio- lently, and imposed solemn silence by a gesture which was not to be mistaken. The gloom had now settled on forest and plain, the song of birds, the gobble of the turkey, the ery of the sandhill crane had ceased, and naught was heard save the low whispering of the trees, as their heads met and kissed, and that pf 2g song of nature, a kind of low, hushed, broken chord of some Eolian harp, that often at- companies in vast solitudes the setting of the hot sun—the fall of night being felt almost as well as But a step was in the forest—a step advancing stealthily, itis true, but with some little waut of cau- tion at times, as if the benighted — were sure of finding frie round the fire which he in the distance; for urposely roused it from its dying state and inade it blaze on high. Then a dark form appearey on the edge of the circle of light, the very extreme edge, peering slowl around, listening with the ear o astartied deer. Something made dart back to seek cover, but it was too late. Simultaneous swift He bounded on high, gave _ & wild yell, and then fell flat near the fire. Harrod, who had done this deed, went quietly back, finished the unfortunate wretch, and then came to join his com- panions, who conversed in inaud- ible whispers relative to the con- duct of Harrod, which was clearly that of a man who had bound him- self down to a mission of revenge. In another instant he was by their side, and passing them, led up the stream toward what the two hunters well knew as the Devil’s Gully. They had implicit reliance on the woodcraft of their huge and fearless companion, who knew every turning in the forest; but still they had so often, duri panther and deer bunts, visit the spot, that they could not un- derstand how he was about to use that place for the purposes of con- cealment. : In about ten minutes the water began to rush swiftly by, the banks. came nearer and nearer, they were wading far above their knees, and then they stood at the mouth of the Devil’s Gully. The night was dark, but, their eyes now growing accustomed to e gloom, they could distinguish the principal! features of the scence. The banks of the river were now suddenly Pk psig upward to a hight of fifty feet, about half the way up precipitous rock, with a bush desperately clinging here and there, the other half a shelving mixture of earth and stone dottc< with trees and shrubs. Below, iu the depths of the gully, all was dark ; even the silvery thread of water, that in the day, when the sun dived down to cool its rays in the gS caverns of the night, might be seen rupn swittly pe could now only be heard, rumbling, rushing, dashing by like the waters of a sluice. Harvey could not restrain an exclamation. “This is almi a!” h Shoy don’t beat said. “I guess "t beat this in the island.” ‘* Come,” ry rans Custa. Harrod had ppeared, Comiclooolks.comn