The Land Claim — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

MAY MORNING. 17 “ Nonsense! a tempest in a teapot,” said Squire, with an laugh. “Tt Sa hans over by dinner-time; he didn’t eat much breakfast, and hunger is a potent agent to bring an eriemy to terms,” philosopbized Doc. “ Well, good-by, boys, for I must be off to camp.” The young surveyor rose, shouldered his kit, and stood in the doorway. “Take care of yourself, Doc. Don’t let Ed do any cooking until he gets over his pet, or he might poison us, in good earnest ;” saying which, the young man turned his face toward the western prairie, whistling gayly as he went. “ Flag’s a good fellow,” said Doc, thoughtfully ; “long may he wave!” * CHAPTER III. THE TRAGEDY IN THE TIMBER. THE beauty of this late May morning seemed to have called abroad every thing animate. _ Birds sung merrily from the neighboring woodland—the sly and graceful prairie-wolf leaped noiselessly through the grass within a few rods of the passer-by—great, fat, lazy and harmless snakes lay coiled up in pairs on the sunniest banks, and already small yellow butterflies fluttered around the wild pinks, larkspurs and Henry Edwards and Frederick Allen, the Doc and Squire of the foregoing chapter, could not restrain their pleasure as they trod buoyantly along the way to their claim. Their path lay along a ridge of the bluffs which divides the prairie from the timber land; on one side an ocean of green land billows; on the other a sloping forest, going down, down, for a mile of irregular descent, until it came to the banks of the mighty Missouri, glimpses of which could be seen here and there, through long green vistas, made by ravines traversing the bluffs in a downward direction to the river. The sky had that beautiful azure hue which denotes a pure atmosphere ; the sun shone brilliantly; and to the two young men who ConmmicloookSaeomn