Beadle's Dime Novels No. 96: Little Moccasin — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

40 LITTLE MOCCASIN. “Halloo! where now ?” said the major. “After game,” said Fletcher —“ good-by till we meet again !—here, Tiger, here !—this way, Snapper !”—grasping his rifle and arranging his bullet-pouch. And off he started, followed by both dogs, Fletcher leading the way, and Gage following, as if both had set in for a long day’s work, leaving their companions all silent, and looking at one another as if each were unwilling to speak first. Among them was one whose look of troubled curiosity grew deeper and deeper every moment. At one time he seemed to be on the point of following them, for he gathered up his blanket and drew the belt about his waist with uncommon strength ; and, while looking out of the open door, and following with his eyes the pair who had just left them, he reached up his hand for a rifle hanging just over his bed, and then stopped suddenly, and seated himself in a far corner, as if he had given up the idea. It was a wearisome iaddide and Fletcher and Gage held on their way, hour after hour, without a word of conversation, till Fletcher suddenly stopped—listened—looked at the cap on his rifle, and then called in the dogs and made them lie down in the snow by signs they were evidently accus- tomed to. “What is it ?” said Gage—“ what do you hear ?”. “T don’t know—hush—that seems to be the yelping of a dog!” And so thought the dogs, for they pricked up their ears, and threw up tbeir noses, and grew very uneasy. © They were just passing a dark and very deep gorge, over whiclr @ pine-tree had fallen, making a natural bridge of more than a hundred feet in length. _ After a few moments, they heard a tremendous clattering, and; before they had time to consult eran it seemed to be almost upon them. Fletcher seized Gage by the arm, and whispered: “ Keep cool—reserve your fire—let me have the first pop! and, if I don’t fetch him, do you! let fly just back of the fore-shoul- der.” “Ay, ay!” said Gage. ““ Ah, liere he comes !—now for it!—stand fast, and after he gets on the bridge, where he can’t turn, we'll show ourselves, connicloooks.com