Beadle's Dime Novels No. 96: Little Moccasin — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

THE PLAN OF OPERATIONS. 91 of the possibilities, if but one of the whole party should escape the first fire—she lying bound and helpless with the exasper- ated savage standing oyer her—perhaps with a lifted toma- hawk or a scalping-knife, his blood ran cold. “*Catch a weasel asleep!’ you say, my friends; but I say, catch an, Indian asleep! and yet, I have caught these very fele lows asleep once; and may again; for Indians, after all, can not live without sleeping.” | “ Leave the business to me,” continued the major, “and I will undertake to separate them, so that we may all have a chance. If I should not be able to draw off more than one, you must leave him to me, while you manage the others.” “ But if the one you draw off should happen to be the Mo- hawk chief,” said Gage, “ what then 2” ‘Well, then, he must take his chance. But I have an idea that he would be the Jast—the very last—to leave the lodge ; and you would think so, too, if you had seen his eyes and the expression of his terrible cor utenance, not an hour ago, as he sat watching the poor child, with no fis that she was awake, or that she was watching hi hands clasped over her eyes ~IfI should manage to lure him away, you must follow him, if you please, Captain Gage, and I want you to drop him the first chance you. get—and then, - back to poor Lily-pad. Outepwise, I may have to take ih in hand.” i Gage made. no reply ; but he breathed a little harder, and as he thought of “dropping” a foe, wi hout giving him a chance, he shudder ed. It seemed so coward) Ys at first ; but he soon got over the repugnance and the mis, iving, and thought only of.the prize. Was it not a wager of death? and a wager, too, with a foe incapable of consideration or forbearance, who would glory in surprising and tomahawking and eealning all three of them ? “All fair -and proper,” said Fletcher; | “but what am I to do ?” % Keep as near the Mohawk chief as you possibly can, and the moment you catch him alone, put a ball through his head.” . “With all my et major; but if I shouldn’t happen to catch him alone ?” COMMCEIOOKS COM through her fingers, with her.