Beadle's Dime Novels No. 316: Hurricane Bill — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

12 HURRICANE BILL. many accounts of the reckless daring and wonderful skill of the Texan scouts who had wrought their forces so much in- jury during the war recently ended. Truly, they formed a notable contrast to the diminutive, almost effeminate Mexicans, “ Hurricane Bill, of the Cherokee Nation ”—as he himself - would insist upon having his tithe recorded—(and, reader, I am describing a man who is yet living, whose name and deeds are well known to thousands of western men, particu- larly those living in south-western Kansas and the Indian Territory) was a model of masculine strength and symmetry. Considerably over six feet in hight, he seemed light-built in proportion ; but the broad shoulders, deep chest, round body and small waist, the swelling hips, long thighs and small feet, were in admirable symmetry. It was all bone and muscle; active as a deer, supple as a panther, Hurricane Bill was nearly as strong as a buffalo bull. His complexion was al- most dazzlipgly fair, upon which the torrid sun seemed to make no impression, His hair was yellow, falling in curling locks over his shoulders; his eyes a deep, bright blue; a long mustache shaded bis lip; a small imperial upon the chin, His garb—all of buck-skin, save for the blue flanvel shirt and gray felt hat—was plain and unornamented. A brace of Colt’s revolvers, heavy size, a bowie-knife with a twelve-inch blade and a short, lurge-bored rifle completed bis arms. Mustang Sam* was several inches shorter, yet no less per- fectly proportioned. Unlike Hurricane Bill, he was a perfect type of the “ frontier dandy ”—in dress, at ‘least. A. wine-colored jacket of fine, cloth, ornamented with -but- tons of gold coin and tiny silver bells; a vest of similar ma- terial, over a shirt-bosom of scarlet silk curiously embroidered with thread of gold and white silk—doubtless wrought by the fingers of leve—cut low.at the throat; trowsers of dark- blue broad-cloth, slashed from the knees downward, laced with a golden cord, thickly studded with bells and Spanish coins; short boots of curiously stamped Cordovan leather covered his feet, armed with the cruel looking Mexican spurs, Upcn his bead was a sort of skull-cap or turban, worked with beads and stained quills. From beneath this the jetty black *See Beadle's Dime Novel 301. comicbooks.conn