Beadle's Dime Novels No. 213: Squatter Dick — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

_An alligator had scented the: prey, and making its arrowy rush while the attention of the fugitives was directed to. their pursuers, had torn the girl from the arms of her lover. . One crunch of its massive jaws, and the deed was done. : With a wild how); Zach. plunged after the reptile, intent only upon revenge, when he. was. quickly surrounded ‘by his pursuers. So fierce was, his struggles, that one of the men, whom he had slightly injured, dealt him a fearful blow with a saber, that rendered the work of binding him easy.. When life returned, he appeared to be. crazy, na due course of time the ghastly wound cicatrized, and he resumed his labor as a field-hand. For some offense he was sentenced to the lash, and for a day he lay as if dead. Then, rising up in his frenzy, he brained the guard with his own musket, sought and killed the overseer, and then fled to the swamps. The search that followed this tragedy was long and thorough, but with insane cunning he contrived to elude all snares and baffle all attempts to capture him, until, as time went on, it was belicved that he was dead. There were wild tales narrated among the plantation slaves of the appearance of “ Crazy Zach.’s ghost,’ and many things Were missing. generally just after these visits. In fact, he had lived upon what he could steal from that and the neighboring with the game he shot or snared in the swamp. Such, in brief, was the history of the being who now held Ada a captive, and knowing well his wild, ferocious nature, and that his brain was undoubiedly crazed, it, is no wonder. that Ada was alarmed for her safety. But this latter trait gave her a clue by which she determined to act, hoping thus to escape from his power. “ Surely, Zach., you have not forgotten. how kind I used to be to you when you were seks: Didn’t I send you nice things to eat and Crink ?” | “Dat so, but den so you sae arter. _Didn’ t Marse Sol- lars—your "fader—didn’t be haye me tied.up.an’ w "ipped Ail I's most dend 2” “ No, Zach.,” said Ada, y nen it no sin to tell a white lie, under the circumstances, “ he didn’t know any thing about it until it was all over. Jamison did ahah without — be- « cause he was mad at you.” gat h comicbooks.con