Red Belt, the Tuscarora — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE WATCH. I9 _ of life, and could sleep in the woods in the rain, in the snow, "or in the cabin—in the mountains, on the plains, in the block- _ house—anywhere, wherever slumber overtook him. Nor had old Sampson now forgotten the startling events of ‘the night, nor the imperiled position of his friend Roydon Howe. " “Keep a watch,” he said to Red belt, opening his eyes after @ moment; “ you're younger and fresher than IL. Call me if any thing happens.” _ “Sleep on, great warrior; Red Belt will guard your slum- bers as he would those of the sleeping Mis-kwa,” and the young Indian took his rifle and arose to his feet. He trimmed the fire so that while it still retained its warmth and glow, yet > it did not send forth to such a degree its tell-tale sparkle. Then Feasting another look at the old hunter, the young warrior _ spoke kindly to the dog, who immediately got up and followed E him. Then, up and down the oozy bank trod the young : brave, his moccasin giving forth no sound, his eyes glancing about him in every direction, his ears open to the faintest _ noise. : The night grew on, and the rising wind sung mournfully through the dense foliage of the primeval forest. The water Tippled by ; and as it felt the increasing force of the mighty _ wind, it broke on the muddy shore with a monotonous, mourn- ' fal cadence, Anon the scream of some startled bird awoke the silence of the mournfully-crooning forest, and then the | ~ far-off how! of a panther on his midnight rounds for prey, | broke on his ear. And then the canoe, feeling the gentle undulations of the _ Sweeping current, rolled and rode softly, as it receded, and = tame again, to the elastic bending of the bough, to which it E = . “Up and down the muddy bank walked the young Indian, —— steady and erect—his rifle in the hollow of his ee ges as ever roving keenly about him. But gradually hig 7 steps grew slower, his pace unsteady, and then, creeping out to the extreme end of the point, where he could get an ex- tended view up and down the river behind him, he halted, _ Placing his back agaiust a stunted dwarf tree, he gazed out pve: the broad river, then down toward the dark line whigipas comicbooks.cor