Beadle's Dime Novels No. 231: The Texan Trailer — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

16 THE TEXAN TRAILER. dexterity upon the part of Crockett, who leaped and danced about the room like an acrobat on exhibition. Finding himself in a corner, the hunter was forced to dart so close to the bear that its descending paw grazed his back and tore off a few strips from his hunting-shirt, and a twinge or two of pain, reminded him of what was in store for him, if the brute once got him in his embrace. Again the knife sunk deeply into the body of the bear, being driven this time from the back, and sent in with such vigor, that it produced a sensible effect ypon the aging mon- - ster. But such a mass of vitality was not easily destroyed, and for the time the bear was more furious than ever. Crockett was kept so continually dodging and leaping about, that he found it utterly impossible to get in another blow; and as he circled around the room, he was in imminent peril of being thrown down by some of the articles of furniture that were continually in his way. Moving thus, too, he caught glimpse of a pair of eyes, peer- ing down from the stairs, while the fair owner held a rifle in her hands as if awaiting the opportunity to use it. “Shall I shoot ?” she finally asked, in a suppressed voice, as he passed near her. “When you're sartin of plugging him,” replied Crockett, never once removing his eyes from the glowing orbs of the beast. It was plain that if the hunter was going to escape with his life, something must be done to weaken the bear, that was pressing him so close that a collision could not be postponed much longer. Any man who has ever met Colonel Davy Crockett knows that when fairly aroused he had a fearful temper, and was reckless in what he did. His blood was now fairly up, and he determined that he had retreated about long enough. “Confound you!” he muttered, as he steadied bimself against the side of the wall, preparatory to making his charge, “do you think I am afeard of you ?” And then uttering a yell, such as he bad heard escape the throsts of the Creek Indians at the massacre of Fort Mimms. he bounded toward his foe. - Commclbooks.conn