José — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

a 174 JOSE. sorry,” the freighter replied, dubiously; “and yet I am not to blame for it. When that red-skinned Mormon seized Jose—you saw the occurrence—and no one came to his assistance—Jose, who after many a day of secret sorrow had turned up again— I felt I scarce can tell you how. I know that I shot at the red brute in the first moment of my excite- ment; after that I thought my legs would give way under me, and when the infernal outfit came down upon us, I thought the whole world was swaying and dancing about me. All I remember is that I crawled out from under a wagon to avoid being defenselessly slaughtered; that after that I fell into a ravine with just presence of mind enough to think of my rifle that lay beside me. After a while I crawled along the opening until I reached the river, where I sat down to wonder if I was still the same old Dutch Bill, who is known all over Utah, Cali- fornia and Santa Fe, and who has four times before stood face to face with the Indians. I reckon that if I hadn’t been too badly beaten up I’d returned to what was left of the caravan; but it wasn’t long before I heard a howling in the distance, such as I have heard only once before in my life, but which I shall never, never forget; and then I felt sure I couldn’t save anything but my own miserable skin. Had I cut my way through, I’d have had no scruples about sitting here the present moment—and yet I can only heap abuse on the wretched bones that will desert a man when he needs them most. Call me what you like,” he continued, drawing his hat over his face; “I did the best I could. The boy must be accountable fur it all. Afterward I crept up along the shore till I got to this place, where I concluded to await the coming of night so as not to Eomichbooks (E(0)