Beadle's Frontier Series #25: Indian Jim—A Tale of the Minnesota Massacre — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

‘INDIAN JIM. mot. At such a time as this, when fugitives are fleeing in every direction, there is too much work at hand for. the Savages to seek it. What I most fear is, that a party may encamp in the woods, and discover them, or they may be- come alarmed and attempt to flee.” Distance upon the prairie is as deceptive as. upon the ocean, and the approach of-our friends to the grove of woods, seemed so tardy and snail-like, that Brainerd frequently lost patience, and resolved to put his horse to a full run.. The prudent counsels of Christian Jim, how- ever, prevailed, and he carefully husbanded the strength of his animal. Three separate “signs” were distinguished, but they were at such a distance as to excite little apprehension. Our friends were given a foretaste of what was in store . for them, in case they were captured, by the sights which occasionally greeted them. The ghastly, swollen corpses - . of animals and men, disfigured by all manner of mutilation —infants torn limb from limb, and females so brutally torn and outraged, as to be too revolting for description— all these caused them to shudder to their very souls, and to tremble for the safety of those loved ones who were so anxiously awaiting their coming. The artist, with a pertinacity that was remarkable, if not foolish, animadverted at such times upon the cruelty of wandering, vagabond Indians, and lamented that the gen- uine American aborigine was not engaged in the war, The continued monotonous gallop over the prairie, appeared to drive the anxiety from his mind; for, when they had gained a position that afforded an extensive view of the . landscape, he expressed a wish to transfer it to paper. = A sharp rebuke from Brainerd served to recall him to his _ senses. _ The sun was sinking in c ike horizon, when whey came so close to the grove, as to drop their horses to.a walk, in _ order to give their guide an opportunity to. reconnoiter. it, _ to ascertain whether there were any evidences of other persons than those they were seeking, being there. . _ The Sioux’s feet had barely touched ground, and. he had cast but one searching glance toward the grove, when he ; : _ gave utterance to a suppressed exclamation of, surprise. | In answer to the inquiry of Brainerd, he pointed above (E@) Eomicbooks