Beadle's Dime Novels No. 316: Hurricane Bill — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

~~ ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE. 39 the border—in Kansas, Texas, and, particularly, the Indian Territory—unless one wished to go under with his boots on. Of the two methods of arranging such little differences as might chance to arise between friends, a “ rough-and-tumble ” was far more popular than knife-play er revolver practice, because the argument was more protracted, affording the epi- curean spectator ample. time to digest the more. brilliant points; while, as Long Ben Hackett told me in ’67—“ T’other way’s over too durned quick. Three times now, hev I bin whar Hurricane Bill laid out bis man, but, though I looked all I knowed how, durned ef he wasn’t so lightnin’ thet it was all over afore I knowed who he was pepperin’!” But I diz ress. Hurricane Bill now gave the Apaches a specimen of his rough-and-tumble science, not a little to their discomfiture. Just as they made the frantic rush, the scout had emptied his revolvers, and thrust them hastily into his breast to draw his bowie. But then his foot slipping in a pool of blood, he fell heavily, beneath half a dozen Apaches. The shock was severe, butsUurricane Bill did not stop. to ask whether any bones were broken. Putiing his utmost strength into play, he rose half-erect, lifting the tangled lump of Apaches, and getting both feet well beneath his body. Then, ho!—though the effort seemed about to tear the mem- bers from their sockets—be wrenched his arms free. The Apaches were trying to use their weapons, but their very haste and blind rage proved the scout’s preservation. The strokes and thrusts were wiidly delivered, and half were intercepted by clashing with some other weapon. The other blows were oftener received by copper-skins than white, though hot blood trickled from more than one wound upon Hurricane Bill’s body. But in the intense excitement he scarce knew that he was touched—most assuredly he was not weakened. His arms free, Hurricane Bill shot out pis hard fists in swiftly-repeated blows, with a careless disregard of conse- quences, flattening noses, loosening teeth and making crogs- eyed Indians, whose optics had heretofore been as straight- forward as their owners’ consciences had been crooked. ,, Confused and bewildered by these—to them—novel tac- 316 2 Conicloooks.comnn