Beadle's Dime Novels No. 208: The Ocean Outlaw — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

50 THE OCEAN OUTLAW. as econ as it could have heen expected. The party lantel in fine spirits; and, finding their horses saf+ they pil the oll fisherman for his trouble, and prepired to conti- nue their journey—but now a question arose as to how be prisoner should be transported the rest of the wav. ‘‘Let him stow himself away astern of me,” sil | Sunp- son, who was once more seated on his mule, “I guess this long-eared animal can make along with two of us, and maybe she will sail better with more ballast.” Rollins obeyed, and was assiste! to his seat; but no sooner did the creature feel the additional weig'it. than, with a loud snort, she dashe! oF down a steep deelivi‘y, with a velocity that put it entirely out of the rider's power either to cheek or guile her in the least. ‘**TIold on.to the critter's tail, you blooly thief, or yoa will be slidin’ off for'red,” shouied Sinpson, who, with his arms round the mule’s neck, was en leavoring to pre- vent a collision between himse!f acd mother earts. Bit at that moment, as if with the design of getting ri! of her load, the creature stopped so sullenly, that both the mea shot forward over ils head, and remained half-buried ia the drifting sand. The old salt scrambled wp and grasped the prisoner firmly, who was about taking advantage of the accident to make his escape, and sung out to his companions: ‘*Bear a hand here, shipmates, my craft has fetched up, and all hands are overboard,” “What's the matter?’ exclaimed Howwarl, when he reached the scene of disaster, “aud what are you quing there in the sand, Sampson ?”’ ‘* That blasted brute pitched me overboard, and alnast broke my neck; and I hope never to sce blue water again {I steer her the rest of the way to town, s0 ye may just h that bloody pirate onto her deck, an. if she capsizes d breaks jis neck it won't do any harm; but, as for me, shall fuot it, for 1 want to get back alive.” Finding that the old sailor was resolute in his determl- nation of walking, in prefercnve to trusting himself on the mule agaiu, Howard gave orders to sceure the prisoner to conmJclbooks.conm