Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 105 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

Oo ce rs te ete ne + nena ee OS ee ee ee ee -_—- =—-—-- blaze, and lookin’ pleased as possible over it. He showed his white teeth, and giv’ ‘a vrowl which sent Jake flyin’ out of the hut, an’ down the bank to ther ice; then he looked back and saw thet the ‘b’ar didn’t | foller him, and, after a while, he sneaked back to ther hut, an’ thar the grizzly sot, lookin’ inter the fire, an’ feelin’ as much at home as ef he hed been in his cave. It med’ Jake mad to see him sit thar’, and he ’van to call him all the names he could lay his tongue, to. Grizzly looked up, when he heard his voice, an’ growled ag’in, but showed no signs of getting tired of his snug quarters. “ Jest think of it. The poor nigger out in the cold, with his teeth chatterin’, and that blamed b’ar settin’ on his ha’nches an’ en- joyin’ the fire! After c while, the old fel- low made up his mind that it would be a good plan to make a meal of Jake, so he came lumberin’ out of the door an’ chased him. “ Boys, you hey’ never seen a grizzly, and you don’t know how he kinrun. Jake was goin’ for his life, but, for all that, the b’ar gained on him every step. But he got toa supling, clum’ it, an’ left Mr, B’ar gnashing his teeth at the bottom. “ For a while he amused himself by rear- ing on his hind-legs and lookin’ up at Jake, who, thinkin’ he were safe enough, laughed, and begun to call him names ag’in. After a While he laid down under the tree, an’ put his muzzle on his paws, and looked up at him, as much as to say, “ All right, Jake —you won't come down. Suit yourself as to time, for J can wait. “’Tain’t necessary fer me to tell yer Jake didn’t like ‘Aat. He begun to find, too, af- ter half an hour, thet ’twan’t pleasant roost- in’? on a limb in cold December weather, and a warm fire shinin’ out upon the snow from the door of the hut. Things begun to look blue enough. He looked at the b’ar, and begun to caleulate his chances in a fight; then he looked at the long teeth an’ sharp claws, and dassent try it. “The tree was a hemlock, an’ long limbs reached out an’ almost touched the ground. His gun were a-standin’ in the door. Ef he e’u’'d only git it, he would risk his life for a shot. at his inimy. “Tt seemed to grow colder, and his blood were like ice. Was yer ever nearly froze? Well, I hes been, an’ I know’tain’t pleasant. Jake didn’t like it, neither. “Bymeby he ’gin to holler. He thort he might make me hear, ef I were not too fur away; but, Lord! I were miles away, among the hills, an’ couldn’t @ heard him, anyhow, fer I hed followed a deer out of range; but he hollered till he was hoarse, and his legs felt like iron rods. After a while he got up, and begun to climb up an’ down the tree. Thet was a good idea, an’ pretty soon he was warm as toast, an’ his blood begun flowin’ ag’in. “ All this time the b’ar never stirred, and Jake kept callin’ of him names. ‘ Yon ole nip! he said, ‘you’s afraid, you is; you’s afraid, you is; you dassent go ’way an’ let me get rifle Lemme get gun once, me fixie you, ole fool! T’ink yer smart, don’t yer? Well, yer ain’t. Yer ain't half so smart as yer cracked up to be; nothin’ but ld Rube, the Hunter. . ! a lean old grizzly, with a black face, long as my arm, I dar’s you to take a stump! Go out by dat stump an’ wait till I come. That's the sort of talk he gev’ the b’ar; but the old fellow never minded it at all, but jest laid still an’ looked at him with eyes | twinklin’. “ Strange things happen sometimes. The b’ar got up, aftera while, an’ began to snort, jest as they will when they’re mad, Jake knew somethin’ were comin’; what it were he couldn’t tell; but the b’ar was afeard. “ Pretty soon he heard a crawlin’ sound, and the b’ar got up on his hind-feet to look. The sound kem’ nearer, and then one of the biggest painters you ever laid eyes on jumped up on the limb, close to the nig- ger. Thet were worse then the b’ar, Jake thort, but he hoped the Jld fellow wouldn’t see him, so he jest laid still and scarcely breathed. The painter were lookin’ at the b’ar, and didn’t notice Jake at all, who was shakin’ fit to take the tree down. Bymeby the painter gev’ a yell thet med’ the old darkey jump about three feet frum the limb. The painter had tackled the b’arn Jake knew thet were his time, and when the painter dropped onto the b’ar, he tumbled outer the tree, and went inter the hut fly- in’. This time he shut the door and piled logs against it, an’ then looked out at the fight. “ Boys, thar’ ain’t nothin’ like it in natu’. I saw sich a fight once, and it fairly med’ my ha’r stand on end, Sich yellin’, sich scratchin’, sich fightin’! Every oncet in a while the painter ’ud fly up inter the tree, like a bird, an’ the old grizzly ’ud stand up on his hind-legs, an’ wait fur him. Then they’d close, and the ha’r and blood would fly for about a minnit,when they would break away, and try it over. “Fire and blood. Thet is the way it looked to Jake. The snow were red for yards around, an’ they were both growing weak. After a while the old b’ar got him in his fore-paws, and begun to work his hind ones as ef he were workin’ a tread-mill. At the same time, the painter’s teeth met in his throat. They stood locked in this way fer some time, an’ then both kem’ to the snow with a crash. Jake fired one or two shots at ’em, ter mek’ sure thet they were gone up, an’ then kem out. The inside of that painter was taken out as neat as you ever cleaned a trout, an’ the windpipe ov the b’ar was bitten clean in two. ’Tain’t no wonder they was played out. Jake put a couple of balls inter them, to make sure, and then dragged them into the hut. I kem’ back without any meat, an’ Jake showed me his b’ar-meat, but he didn’t take pride in it, an’ told me he never was so scar’t in his born days. Do you see the track of Charlie’s horse on that side, my lad ?” “ Yes,” replied Dolf, “ here it is,” “Good. These fellows leave a broad trail. Have yer any brandy in that can- teen, Willie? I’m dry after talkin’.” Willie handed him the flask, and he took a hearty pull and then bent his eyes on the trail. “ How fur we shill hev’ to ride is plain, now. They’re makin’ straight fer Powder river. Meton’s town is about three miles em eee 11 — —- ee rea from thet, an’ probably the easiest place te hide near in the whole Crow kentry, I ain't afeard but we kin take them out ov thet village. Don't let’s be in a_hurry. They’re jest about three hours ahead of us now, an’ we needn’t to hurry ourselves, Twon’t do to get too near, you know. [Tm hungry ; how is it with you?” They halted, built a fire, and prepared a meal from some jerked venison in the possession of Rube. It was not a very good repast, but they were hungry, and did not care to fire their rifles, as sound is borne te such a distance on the plains. But, Rube would not starve in the midst of plenty, and so he took his rifle, and went out to try for game, taking Dolf with him. Upon second thought, he left his rifle, and carried a long bow which Willie had purchased at Leav- enworth, for what purpose it was hard to tell. . “Tm goin’ to teach you how to stalk deer, my lad,” said he. “TI didn’t take the rifle, fer we’re done with thet now until we hey’ our friends with us. But, we must hev’ meat, an’ I hev’ a notion thet buck- tails ain’t very fur off. It’s jest the country fer them, an’ we will hev’ one or two,” The land through which they were pass- ing was rolling, and covered with a growth of low trees. Ruve led the way with quick strides, for he did not like to leave Willie too long alone. That individual, with praiseworthy caution, led tne animals into a thicket, fastened them to separate trees, and then laid down for a rest, from which he was awakened by the return of the hunting party, bearing a doe between them on a pole. Rube had stalked him on the moun- tain and brought him down with an arrow. A pretty fawn followed Dolf like a dog, while he looked down compassionately upon her. They prepared and finished another meal at once, regardless of the fact that they had just dined. This done, as night was coming on, they laid down to rest upon the trail The fawn lay down by Dolf’s side, and laid her head upon his hand. He was up ~ next morning before the rest, and at work very busily. By this time all were fully awake ; they found that he had been making up some cakes from a little flour he had carried in a package so far, and was feeding the fawn. | “ Isn’t she pretty ?” he said. _“ Poor lit- tle thing; I hate to leave her.” They mounted and rode off, but to their surprise the fawn trotted along by their horses’ sides, fnd would not leave them. “Poor critter,’ “aid Rube. “It’s nat’ral thet she should want some one to take care on her, seein’ thet we've killed her mother, Tain’t often they take to murderers so well, though.” And so the fawn kept up with them, looking up from time to time into Dolf’s face, and watching his every motion with her luminous eyes. They rode again all day, and when they laid down to rest, the fawn again went to him, and laid her head upon his arm while he slept. Eomicboo ee ee eee