Beadle's New Dime Novels, No. 49 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

i THE PERILS OF ‘THE PRAIRIE, | 2 * “Not the péraroes, my lad,” replied the hunter; “ green grass won’t burn, you know.” aif, xii “Tt may be the old fog,” as you old hunters’ call it—last year’s grass that was not burnt off.” 3 ? “Thar mought be sich a thing. Howsumever; we must tramp from this, as our first duty; we mought be needed. As ter Josish and the darky, we'll look arter’em when the ‘weemin and children are seen to.” “ Then, for Heaven’s sake let’s be off,” said Harwood, seiz- ing his rifle and bounding away. With his eyes fixed upon the light before: him, the young man pressed forward so fast that Thornpath could scarcely keep ‘pace with him. Their course lay through a heavy forest, and as the moon by this time was below the tree-tops, it was so dark that they could scarcely see an arm’s length before them. They were compelled to use great caution, for more than once their practiced ears caught the sound of soft, cat-like footsteps, which they knew was made by skulking red-skins, who, in al! probability, were dogging their footsteps, watching for an op- portunity to bury a tomahawk in their brain. ; Our two friends at length came to the banks of a large creek known as the Black Channel, so called from the black- ness of its waters and the gloomy forest through which it threaded jts way. And, too, it resembled more an. artificial ‘watercourse than a natural creek, for its banks were high, even and perpendicular. Swollen by a recent freshet, this stream proved to be a bar- rier to the progress of the two men. There were no means by which they could cross it without swimming. This they had about concluded to do, when suddenly there rose up around them a score of dusky forms, like evil spirits conjured up from the earth. ~ | “ Ingins, Frank !” exclaimed the old woodman ; “ run fut yer life, boy !” The Trailer turned, and, uttering a defiant yell, dashed through the circle of savages, knocking one of their number headlong to the earth, and made good his escape in the double gloom Of the night and forest. Frank was Jess fortunate, In Attempting to follow his companion's example, he stumbled COmicbooks;com :