Beadle's Dime Novels No. 97: The Doomed Hunter — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

« A STRIKE FOR LIBERTY. 47 active. To sit and watch a motionless figure, hour in and hour out, with no motion or sound to stir the mind of the watcher, is one of the severest forms of this severe task. Thus it was that, though the Indian struggled strongly with the drowsiness which visited his lids, they would close, almost in spite of him. Momentarily the feeling gained ground, and just at the time when Ralph ceased his motions, and began to watch for indications of temporary forgetfulness upon the part of his guard, the latter’s grasp upon his gun relaxed, and the barrel slipped from his fingers. Quickly he grasped for it, but another hand had been quicker, and already the wea- pon was in the possession of Ralph. As one sprung to his feet, the other did the same. Ralph swung the gun through the air, and endeavored to strike the Indian, but the latter rushed forward and grappled the white around the body, feeling confusedly for his knife. The mus- ket fell upon the floor, the stock being broken from the barrel by the concussion. ‘Then commenced a desperate struggle for the savage’s knife, the only weapon in the cabin. Their strugolé was necessarily confined to narrow limits. Directly behind Ralph was the couch, behind the Indian the block upon which he had been sitting. The question seemed to be which could push the other backward, and thus gain the fall. Brace and push was at once the order of the strug- gle, and in the tussle which followed, neither had a hand to lend for the knife. In such a conflict few men could stand against Ralph Ril- ley, and though fighting for life, the Indian was not one of those few. Gradually his bracing position was lost, his limbs touched the block, and the struggle was ended. He had not even time to utter the cry which trembled upon his lips, ere Ralph had caught him by the tliroat, and both came to the ground, the white uppermost. That iron grip was not relaxéd till all struggles and tre- mors on the Indian’s part ceased, and then but slowly, as Ralph feared deception. He need have entertained no doubts. No human being could have lived without breathing for that length of time. Satisfied that all was over, the victor un- buckled his adversary’s belt, and strapped it about. himself, "% ~ “ Comichbooks,,com