Bonny Jean, and A Severe Threat — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

80 : BONNY JEAN. out an instant’s cessation ; and by the time that the river-bank was reached, and the spot where the vigilantes proposed tossing him in to his speedy destruction, Philip had gnawed the rope nearly in twain, except for a tiny fiber, which no one noticed. They arrived at the place at last; there was a short delay, and then the ringleaders in the atrocity lifted Philip in their arms, and, with a fiendish shout, cast him into the shining river. A sudden sensation among the alligators, a few BPRS and Philip Randall sank out of sight. - Fora short time the vigilantes remained sitting upon their horses, watching with eager eyes for the reappearance of their victim ; but, strange, incredible as it seemed, they saw no trace of aA ‘“Cussed if ever Z heered o’ such a thing !” ejaculated Cooper, uneasily. ‘‘ He never came up no more! Wal, boys’ —turning to the others as he spoke—‘‘ we kin tell the cap'n that he’s done gone, anyhow, for we throwed him in, didn’t we?” ‘‘ We did that !” responded Rousseau, shaking his grizzly head emphatically; ‘‘but, then, thar’s the question—the nat’ral ques- tion—zwhar ws he P” As there was no way of finding an answer to this problem, the vigilantes decided to give it up, and agreeing to report to the captain Philip's certain fate, and claim the promised reward which Gabriel Black had offered for ‘‘ making away” with Philip Randall, they finally turned their horses’ heads and rode off. They had hardly disappeared when Phil Randall’s head appeared above the surface of the water, a few rods distant from the shore. City chap as he was, Philip could not be beaten, or scarcely equaled in the art of swimming. He had gone down below the surface like a fish, and there he had remained until his hated enemies were gone. Now, as he arose once more, his teeth went to work at the threads which still remained between him and possible freedom. He gnawed furiously at it, keeping himself afloat ‘meanwhile, and lo! one arm was freed at last. 177 (ete) “EomIcbooks