José — page 267: what you’re looking at

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

260 JOSE. plowed its way through the surging mass, a passage was formed, through which four white riders, headed by a giant figure, were making their way. “Into ’em men, lively, or they’ll crack your heads like rats in a trap!” the foremost cried, bran- dishing his clubbed rifle. “Here’s a way open; let ’°em have it now, all around, and then straight at ’em! Ready! Fire!” The sudden appearance of Bob and his three com- panions acted like a charm upon the distressed whites. The guns rung out with promptness, as if he it was who alone hada right to obe- dience in that moment of suspense. McGregor, whose momentary feeling of undetermination ap- peared to have required nothing save impulse such as it had received, had wheeled the horse of a man standing next to him about and cried: “The lady between us! If we get through, you ride away with her.” 7 He had barely finished speaking when through the rolling powder smoke Bob was heard to exclaim in a sonorous tone, “Follow me!” And as if in- spired with sudden confidence, the little band hurled itself upon the surprised redskins, pressing on ata point below. Here the rifle volley had caused sad havoc among the assailants, and as Bob, with the roar of a lion, came tearing on, firmly seated upon the back of his powerful charger, knocking four or five lances that were pointed at his breast, high up in the air with a single stroke of his improvised club, his horse at one bound Jeaping into the very midst of the confused mass and opening a wide breach for those following, a panic seemed sud- denly to have taken possession of the Indians, for they scattered to all sides, bent on evading the Eomichooks sco m