Beadle's New Dime Novels: The Specter Chief — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

14 THE PHANTOM CHIEF. his arms folled, a fur-cap hanging carelessly from one hand. His hair, which bore the impress of many winters, fell thickly about his temples, and heightened the effect of an exterior otherwise striking. His eyes were fixed upon the shore, and an expression of sober thought seemed to point to subjects very different from those which occupied the boisterous group in his vicinity, whose merriment, even when loudest, apparently failed to change the course ef his reflections.. By his side was a personage whose laughing eye and occasional exclamations showed that he, at least, share| in the mirth of the honr. Well-propor- tioned, of a height rather above the medium, and exhibit- ing the-carriage of one used to civilize companionships, he stood with one hand in the belt of his hunting-shirt, and with the other he made from time to time sundry en- couraging gesticulations toward one or another of the. in- dividuals before him. He was evidently rather un:ler than over thirty years of age; and while his features were free from the ruggedness.of the ordinary woodsman, they yet bore traces of exposure and manly exercise. The conversation, whatever it had been, was soon li- ‘verted by some graver suggestion than had been ventured before our attention was directed to the group, and the in- creasing earnestness.of the speakers manifested that the tide of feeling was running into a deeper channel. ‘* Bill Thompson, if you think that raseal Connolly was doing nothing with his lordship up at Pitt, then you've 29 more eyes than—than—Old Grumbler here, who fires at every tree out of six for a red-skin, and when he ‘comes across the raal thing, can’t tell Bie ome ee trader.”> | _ The worthy whose viewsl powers had thus unceremo- niously been drawn into a simile, raised himself from his elbow, and was preparing to make a serious demonstra- tion: when Thompson caught him by the collar, and with an air of yexntion said: . » **Why, you go off half-cocked, Unele Tim—let the fel- low alone, can’t you? Here's the twentieth time you've mcomichooks: dn