On the Trail of Geronimo — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE TRAIL OF GERONIMO. 35 span, and then came the stage. The animals hav- ing control of their own movements, were able to make the short turn necessary to save them, but the case was far different with the cumbersome stage. ‘The swing of the steeds was so short that, although the vehicle did not turn over, it slipped sideways toward the cliff, and two wheels went over. If there ever was a time for leaping, it was at that second, and none could have known it better than Lieutenant Whitcomb. But he was still hopeful that the four horses would be able to drag back the stage from its appalling position, and pos- sibly they might have done so, had it gone no fur- ther, and had the fastenings proved sufficiently strong. But the result was disastrous in both respects. The vehicle lurched still further, and, at the moment the four steeds began struggling to pre- vent themselves from following, the wagon tongue snapped off like a pipe stem, the traces broke as though they were yarn, while the released animals struck up the highway at a more furious gate than before. “The confounded fool!” muttered Buck Bragg, CoOnniclooo (C(O) mM