A Silver Brand — page 185: what you’re looking at

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

ef ad A SILVER BRAND. ea He was still ata loss to know. who the man could be. His face was in the shade, and abroad hat was thrust — down low upon his forehead, hiding the features, had they been turned toward the light. ° | ‘ Nat wished that his trusty pistol had been a little nearer his own hand, but it was lying on’ the little stand beyond him. He was, however, between it and this unknown prowler, and made sure that he could spring up and seize his arm, if the man attempted to possess himself of the - weapon. He seemed, however, to have no such intention. Like one familiar with the place, either by personal knowledge, or by some instruction of another, the figure crept stealth- ily to the corner where the taxidermist’s rough, common- looking and bulky writing-desk was resting. His hand passed around it slowly and carefully, the next instant it was raised and lifted-to the brawny shoulder, and the exit - passage began in the same noiseless manner. Softly slid- ing from the bed Nat made a rush for the pistol, and then bounded into the middle of the room, shouting: ° “ Hold! there has been enough of this. Put that down and stand where you are, or you are a dead man.” A fierce oath in a stifled voice was his only answer. Nat fired promptly, but the man dashed out and flung the door behind him. Seizing the rifle that always-loaded leaned in that particular .corner of the room, Nat tore after him, keeping him well in sight, but not gaining upon the little distance which divided them. Twice he raised the rifle to his shoulder, but lowered it, fearing to waste the shot which might be needed at acloser encounter, and which was scarcely likely to speed to its flying mark in the midst of that drooping shrubbery and the tall, encircling rocks. The clumsy writing-desk must have been an annoying impediment to the man’sAlight, but he held on to it reso- lutely, and he kept the advantage in distance which he had originally gained. But Nat, grating his teeth together, ' golaced himself, knowing thatas he neared the water’s edge there would be fewer intervening objects to screen a mark from his trusty rifle. Did this last idea occur to the flying thief? He turned suddenly, darted in a zig-zag line, seemed to leap over arock, and disappeared from view. Nat bounded forward and followed suit. He landed in a thick-matted growth of prickly thistles. Below was these the dark figure was swiftly darting. Seeing the great danger of losing sight of his crafty, unknown foe, — aa comicboo _ another irregular ledge of high, jagged rocks, and between “S com —