The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

70 THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. — could see that the evidence of Ryan and Dan would fall against him. He reflected that he was far from being a favorite with the hunters, and it needed no second thought to tell him that they would not be- lieve a word he might say. There seemed to be but one chance for liberty—that was to make a straight dash to where his horse was tethered, mount, and fly. It was a desperate thought, but nothing short of desperation could save him. He knew it, and resolved to make the attempt. With a loud curse, and an almost inconceivably quick movement, he bounded toward Ryan, draw- ing his bowie as he came. But, agile and muscular as he was, he had made a_-late start, for the ever- watchful eyes of the detective had divined his pur- pose as soon as it had been formed. Sycamore Dan was nothing if not quick, and his motions, though few, were as rapid as a flash of lightning. Dick Hatfield had not taken two steps when the. detective’s long right arm straightened out with the swiftness of a bolt from the cross-bow, and his bony knuckles caught the fugitive squarely between the eyes. The sound of that terrific blow was sickening. It was like the dull thud of a huge club in the hands of a strong man falling upon the ribs of some poor beast of burden. The blow would have felled an ox. ~ As it was, Hatfield was fairly -lifted from the ground, and then fell a senseless mass of flesh at the feet of the surrounding crowd. The stunning effect of the stroke was so thorough that, after an instant of tremulous qian, the body stiffened out as rigid as death. . Fire and brimstun!’’ exclaimed Ryan, “how did ye do thet? Why, Go-lier hisself couldn’t hev hit >