Red Belt, the Tuscarora — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

86 . “ RED BELT, THE TUSCARORA. at that. The fellow always had bad luck, and I was not too mean or too proud to help him. We were both young then— far younger than now—for what I am telling you happened in old Gov. Dinwiddie’s time. Well, well, boys, far up in the valley stood, in those days, a block-house, and a few cabins around it. "Tis a smart settlement now. It so happened once, that on returning from the woods with our peltry, we stopped over night at the block-house. Bad luck for more than one of us; and worse luck it will be yet for one/ But I must hurry on. . . There was a shooting-match the day after we arrived, and a handsome hunting-shirt, worked by a settler’s daughter—a pretty-faced, blue-eyed girl—was the prize offered. Now I didn’t care a button about that shirt; but when I heard so much bragging going on around me, I thought I would let Whistling Dick speak for himself. But 1 said nothing till the shooting was over. And—and—this compan- on of mine—llast him! had beat all the rest. WhenI step- ped out with Whistling Dick, he eyed me spitefully; but I paid no heed to him, not thinking there was harm in him. Well, of course, as Whistling Dick couldn't fail when pointed right, 1 won. I got the shirt; alas! ‘tis long, long since gone. Well, the next morning this—this villain was not to be found; he and his peltry had both disappeared. 1 thought strange of it, you may know; but it didn’t take me long to find out what was the matter. The fellow was a mean dog any way, and I should have found it out before. He had left me to work my way all alone, with my heavy pack, to the settle- ments. But I laughed at his spleen. . . WhenI reached Williamsburg,” the old man paused, and his face was wrinkled with a frown darker than ever. But he proceeded: “ When I reached the town, I had hardly set foot in it, when I was seized by a half-dozen of the Governor’s guards—who were in wait for me—and hurried away to the guard-house, To all of my questions I received no answer but this: that I had spoken disrespectfully of Governor Dinwiddie, and _ treasona- bly of my sovereign. I demanded my accuser’s name; they would not tell me. . . The next morning, oh, God,! I—I was taken out, and publicly scourged—receiving on my bare back forty Jashes !” The old hunter stopped ; his form was writhing, and his comicbooks.c om -t