Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

Sunset Ranch. 257 of one who refuses to consider the idea of giving up the ship, no matter how dark and dreary the prospect may appear. One alternative remained, such as a prairie man always keeps in reserve. They must, at the last, drop into the best harbor that came handy and turn upon their hot-footed pursuers. Perhaps when a little lead came rattling in their midst, the eager desparadoes might change their minds about a sudden assault, and haul off for re- pairs. Thus the two boys would be in a position to hold them at bay, in the hope of the arrival of Mr. Kelly’s men on the scene. The flight was resumed. Little Buckshot had also guessed the true state of affairs by this time, and yet he gave no evidence of such a thing as alarm; Indians have always in- herited stoicism that glories in danger and even physical suffering, so that they go to the stake with a song on their lips and defiant words for their ene- mies. And he was the son of a chief! The horses were urged on as swiftly as the na- ture of the ground permitted. Again and again the Sioux boy glanced back over his shoulder, since Karl was too busily occupied in looking ahead in order that they might avoid the roughest route. Little Buckshot was a picture, though he knew it not, clinging to the back of a flying pony, his long, coarse, black hair plucked from its confinement and streaming wildly in the breeze created by his own rapid passage, his bronzed arms and clear-cut feat- ures looking as though cut out of brown marble. In terse sentences he reported what he saw to his companion, but it brought little encouragement, for cComiclooks C©