Detective Bob Bridger — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. 153 “Steady your light, so that I can fix the dog,” said Bridger, ‘and look sharp for the stairs, they’re greased.” Perceiving that the sleuth hounds had discovered the grease on the stair-way the two Jews suddenly loosed — their grasp on the dog’s chain, and, quick as thought, leveled their pistols, and fired. At the instant the Scotch detective had descended two steps on the stair-way, and Bridger leaned over the balus- ter at his rear, waiting to get a good shot at the dog, with- out endangering the lives of the Jews. The aim of the men was fair, for crash came a bullet through the Scotch detective’s dark lantern, shattering the glass, putting out the light, and knocking it from his hand. A responsive shriek sounded from Annette’s chamber. The bloodthirsty mastiff came bounding up the camarisen And all was black darkness. CHAPTER XXXVII. THE BATTLE ON THE STAIR-WAY. “ At them, Kaiser! de tiefs! loafers! at them, good dog, Kaiser !” cried Moses Muggins. The sleuth-hounds had crouched low, fearing that the Jews would repeat their fire. But they did not. _ They feared that the flashes of their pistols would betray them to the aim of their antagonists, and that their bul- lets might strike their dog. They felt that in the darkness, and on the slippery stair way they could rely on Kaiser to do the rest. The blood-thirsty brute needed not the urging of his mas- ter. With a deep-toned bay the eager beast came bounding up the stair-way toward the crouching detectives. In the black darkness they felt that they were toa de- _ gree defenseless against the brute, and believed that they would be torn by his fangs. But even as the huge mastiff’s hot breath fanned the Scotch detective’s cheek, and the dog’s jaws widened with a yelp of victory to seize his throat, the bay of the fierce brute suddenly ceased. The next moment the plunge and fall of a heavy boy sounded upon the greased stair way beneath. GEomilecboo cS (ele)