Beadle's Dime Novels No. 38: The Wrong Man — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

favo IN TROUBLE. 4? ‘ punch a hole through the bottom of the boats pasaing ovar them.” “There you're right, ‘Square; cnere’s no knowing about them snags. To-day you may have a good landing-place, ane to-morrow the whole bottom may be covered up with them cussed snags. More’n once I’ve had the boat ’m on snagged so quick that it dropped to the bottom, and I had to swim for life, without stopping to see whether I was dressed or not. But a sawyer is the worst.” _ “IT was not aware of that.” “Yes, a Mississippi sawyer is the worst by a long sight You see, a tree comes floating down ; one end gets stuck in the bottom, and the other end p'ints upward, to punch the boats coming along. I remember one night we tied to, at Natchez-under-the-hill, and unfastened a little afore daylight, and swung out into the stream. We'd gone about a mile, when I went down in the cabin to take a nap. I'd just flung myself on a hammock, and had got my eyelids to feeling rather heavy, when whirr, sklip, shspang bang—up come the bottom of the boat, with an awful rush of muddy water, and I scrambled out of the cabin in a hurry, the water follering me up like a race-horse. I made a spring out into the yaller river, and after swimming a few rods looked back. All that was seen was that cussed sawyer lifting its bushy head out of the water, ready for the next boat that might come along.” “Were you the only one on the boat ?” “No; there was two besides myself—Ed Drake and Tom Maggod; but they were used to such things, and, being on deck when the boat struck, they got to shore afore I did. But it strikes me, Square, that darkey is a good while sad- dling your horse.” . “ Just what I was thinking. I say—” “ What the deuce is up?” interrupted the horseman. The voice of Cato was heard at this moment inside of the barn, yelling at the top of his voice : ; “ Whoa, now, Roan; what ye "bout dar? [ll teach you how to ’sult a gemman! Take dat, you nigger!” Then followed the sound of blows, and kicks, and squeals, “ Jt’s Mi. Cato dat has you in hand; dat’s what I'm tryin’ to conmclooolks.comnn