Beadle's New Dime Novels, No. 49 — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

THE PERILS OF THE PRAIRIE. 83 &m ant-hill, and almost falling to the ground, strained its leg tevercly. “ Oh, Mabel! Mabel!” exclaimed Nora, “ poor Eagle has burt himself!” eg heavens! then our escape is impossible,” replied 1. “ With me, it is; but you, Mabel, can go and Ill do the dest I can.” “No, no Nora. I will never leave you behind—never / What is your fute shall be mine.” “Then we must try some other way to escape while the timber conceals us from the savages’ view ; for, see—Enagle is getting so lame that I can scarcely sit upon him.” “But what shall we do, Nora ?” “ Conceal ourselves in the bushes and allow our animals to go on. Perhaps they may run a long ways before the In- dians discover they are riderless, and in this way we may elude them—here.” As she spoke she drew rein beneath the boughs of a low scrubby oak whose foliage was almost a dense mat—exclud- ing every ray of light. “In this tree let us hide, Mabel; we can climb into it from the backs of our animals and leave no mark nor trace of our hiding-place.” “ How very thoughtful you are, Nora,” said Mabel, riding her horse beneath the tree. With all care, and without the least difficulty, the fugitives climbed from the backs of their animals into the low branches, and then stooping, Nora gave the animals a cut with a sticr that sent them flying through the woods with renewed strength —Eagle seeming to have suddenly recovered from his lame- ness. Scarcely had the maidens seated themselves comfortably among the dark branches, when Red Hand made his appear- auce. He was riding on a slow gallop, and leaning forward and to one side—his eyes fixed upon the hoof-prints of the fugitives’ horses. On beneath the tree—on through the woods be dashed, his savages following close at his heels, “Thank Heaven! we ate safe for awhile, at least,” sighed Comichooksicomy