Beadle's Dime Novels No. 231: The Texan Trailer — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

oe CHAPTER VY. we A SLIP OF THE MEMORY. CotoneL Crockett was also equally thoughtful. He felt _ that a mistake had been made through his agency, and that the gravest consequences might be the result. “Them b’ars have always got me into trouble,’ he mut- tered, impatiently. “I s’pose if I git into a fight with a greaser and a bar comes along, I'll leave him and put for the bar.” He had easily found the trail of the brute, and kept it without trouble. The way back seemed much longer than when he was pursuing the beast with so much zeal; but he traveled very fast, and reached the open prairie before the sun had set. In one hand he carried his long, reliable rifle, and over the other was hung the huge shaggy hide of the black bear. Its size and character made it too valuable for him to leave until it could become dried, and so he took it to make sure of having so valuable an article. Reaching the edge of the prairie, he found that his mustang had managed to disenguge his bridle and was cropping the grass near at hand. Crockett was on the point of emerging from the woods, when his quick eye detected something out upon the plain. Scareely a half-mile distant, and almost precisely upon the spot where he had left his companions to pursue their buf- faloes, he saw fully a hundred mounted Comanche Indians. “ By hokey-pokey !” muttered the hunter, as he stood and watched the sight, “ that means business, sure enough !” The band of red-skins seemed to be holding a sort of coun- cil. They were gathered in a large circle, the bea:'s of their horses pointed inward, while a dozen or two on foot stood in the center, apparently debating together upon some proposed scheme, while their devoted followers were waiting unti! their jeaders were ready to give their orders. t cComichooksscom