Beadle's Dime Novels No. 96: Little Moccasin — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

%4 LITTLE MOCCASIN. On entering, he found the remains of a pitch-knot and brush-fire smoldering on the rude hearth; and in looking about—nothing but a blanket and a spruce bed—a broken bench—and a pile of dry cedar branches and juniper, to show that he had not found his way into the den of a wild beast. Having piled on a quantity of the dry brush-wood, and seated himself upon the broken bench, with lis eye upon the door—the only opening—he began to reason with himself anew about the strange business he had entered upon. Could it be possible that the creature Gage had seen hugged to the heart of the Old Forester, was the same little child whose footprints they had been following like sleuth-hounds ? and if so—could this dreary, desolate place be her habitation ? Would she abide in such a lair alone—“ all, all alone ”?—and yet there were no signs of companionship; not even the traces of a dog to be found in the lodge, nor about the door. Peradventure, she had been gone so long that all -traces would be covered up by the snow; and yet, there was the fire—a fire of brush-wood, which kindles and flashes like powder, and could not possibly last long, to show that who- ever built that fire, could not be very far away. And then he thought of the ‘Iroquois chief—and the screams—and the rifle-shot, and the war-whoop—till his blood thrilled with a mysterious terror; and then a sbadow—the shadow of a man—shot over the snow just outside the door. Springing to his feet, he waited for the intruder, with his hand upon the lock of his rifle, ready for instant service. “ Falloo !—who goes there !” he shouted. “ A friend!’ answered a voice, that he knew to be Gage’s. “God be praised!” cried he, “that I haye found you at last, |” “ At last !—what do you mean ?” “ Well—you must know thatI followed after you in less than halfan hour,” “And why? Had we any thing to fear from the major?” “Not so far as I know—but I came after you because Charley found your pocket-compass in the closet, and after it began to snow so furiously, I saw at once that if you had not something to guide you, the chances were that you would turn up anywhere at last, but in the neighborhood of the connicloooks.comn