THE HORSE AND THE RIDER.
It wanted an hour or two of sunset on a lovely evening in the latter
part of September, when a single horseman might have been seen making
his way to the westward, across the high dry prairie land, which lies
between the upper portion of the river Nueces and the Bravo del Norte.
He was a small, spare man, of no great personal power, but of a figure
which gave promise of great agility and capability of enduring fatigue,
the most remarkable feature of which was the extraordinary length of
his arms.
His countenance, without being in the least degree handsome, was
pleasing and expressive.
A short, heavy English rifle, carrying a ball of twelve to the pound,
was slung by a black leather belt across his shoulder, the braided
strap which supported his large buffalo-horn powder flask and bullet
pouch of otter skin crossing it on his breast. From a leather girdle,
which was buckled about his waist, he had hung a long, straight,
two-edged sword in a steel scabbard with a silver basket hilt on the
left side, which was counterbalanced by a long, broad-bladed hunting
knife with a buck-horn hilt, resting upon his right hip. There were
holsters at the bow of his large Mexican saddle, containing a pair of
fine duelling pistols with ten inch barrels; and in addition to these,
there was suspended from the pummel a formidable hatchet with a bright
steel head and a spike at the back, like an Indian tomahawk, but in all
respects a more ponderous and superior instrument.
On the croupe of his horse, and attached to the cantle of the saddle,
he carried a small valise of untanned leather, with a superb Mexican
blanket of blue and scarlet strapped upon it, and a large leathern
bottle with a horn drinking-cup swinging from it on one side; while to
the other was fastened a portion of the loin of a fat buck, which had
fallen in the course of the morning by the rifle of the traveller.
The horse which carried this well-appointed rider was a dark-brown
thorough-bred.
At length, when the sun was no longer above three times the width of
his own disc from the level line of the lowest plain, he set his spurs
to his horse, and put him from the high slashing trot which he had
hitherto maintained, into a long slinging gallop, which carried him
over the ground at the rate of some sixteen miles the hour.
After he had ridden at this rate for thirty or forty minutes, he
reached the brow of one of the low rolling waves of earth, which
constitute the surface of the prairie, and thence saw the land falling
away in a long gentle slope for some six miles toward the west, at
which distance it was bounded by a long continuous line of hills,
whose range seemed interminable. At the base of this range appeared
a dense line, looking sombre enough at that distance, but which the
experienced eye of the horseman well knew indicated a heavy growth of
timber--perhaps a deep forest, and, within its shadowy depths, a wide
and never-failing stream.
A short half-hour brought them to the forest just as the sun was
setting.
Through this wild paradise the mighty river rolled its pellucid waves,
rapid, and deep, and strong, and as transparent as the purest crystal.
Galloping his horse joyously over the rich green turf, the traveller
soon reached the river, at a spot where it was bordered by a little
beach or margin of pure white sand, as firm, and almost as hard as
marble; and springing into the cool clear water till it laved the
heaving flanks of his charger he suffered it to drink long and deep of
the pure beverage, which had not touched its thirsty lips since the
early morning.
This duty done, he returned to the shore, and, selecting an oak tree
about two feet in girth, around which the grass grew unusually tall
and luxuriant, tied his companion to its stem by the lasso, or cord of
plaited hide which was coiled at his saddle-bow.
Then, after polishing his accoutrements, as if for parade, he hung
his rifle and his broad-sword from the fork of a stunted oak tree,
collecting some dry leaves and branches, and, striking a light from
the ready flint and steel, soon had a clear bright fire glancing and
flashing in a sheltered nook surrounded on all sides but one, that
where his horse was tethered, by a dense and impenetrable thicket of
bays, prickly pear and holly.
Within a few minutes, half a dozen twigs, fixed in the ground about
the blazing fire, supported as many steaks of fat venison, each with a
biscuit under it imbibing the delicious gravy, and a second with salt
and pepper, all of which unusual dainties were supplied from the small
valise of the provident and epicurean frontiers-man.
While his supper was cooking thus, and sending forth rich and unwonted
odours through the forest, our traveller had prepared his simple couch,
spreading his handsome poncho on the deep herbage, with his saddle
arranged for his pillow.
If, however, he had hoped to enjoy his coming meal and his night's
repose without interruption, he had reckoned without his host; for, at
the same instant in which his charger ceased from feeding, snuffed the
air eagerly, and uttered a low whining; the traveller started to his
feet and listened anxiously for a moment, although there were so sounds
which could have been distinguished by any human ear unsharpened by the
necessities and habits of a woodman's life.
Satisfied apparently that something was at hand which might mean
mischief, he quietly took up his pistols and thrust them into his
girdle, reached down his rifle from the branch on which it hung,
loosened his wood-knife in its scabbard, and passed the handle of the
hatchet through a loop in his sword-belt, so that the head rested in
a sort of fold or pocket in the leather, evidently prepared for its
reception, and the haft lay close on his left thigh.
These preparations made silently, promptly, yet deliberately, he
stooped and laid his ear to the ground; nor did he raise himself to his
full height for several minutes.
"Two, four, six, eight," he muttered to himself at intervals. "Yes,
there are eight of them."
Again he laid his ear to the ground and listened.
"Yes, there are eight of them, sure enough," he again muttered; and
then, after a pause, he added: "But two of them are mules, I think; and
they are coming right down hitherward."
Then he looked to his rifle lock, and cocked his piece.
"Unless they turn aside when they reach the timber, they will be on
me in five minutes; and if they know the forest, they will not turn,
that's certain; for here's the only place where you can find hard
bottom to ride in and out of the old Bravo, for ten miles up and down."
He paused from his soliloquy, listened again, and then a smile crept
across his intelligent face.
"Bah!" he said, "I have been disquieting myself for nothing--they are
dragoon horses; I can tell their managed pace; though, what the devil
brings dragoons hither, the devil himself best knows."
Then he hung up his arms as before, again removed saddle and bridle
from his horse, threw down his pistols and his hatchet on the grass,
and, instead of concealing himself in ambush, unarmed, except his
wood-knife, stepped quite at his ease forth from the cover of his
thicket, and strode boldly forward to meet the new-comers.
He had not advanced above a hundred yards from the spot where his horse
was tethered and his fire burning, before he discovered the little band
of travellers just entering the belt of timber, at not above a hundred
yards distance from the point where he himself had ridden into it from
the open prairie.
That, however, which instantly caught the eye of the rover, was the
form of a female--and a female, evidently, of the superior classes,
forming one of the party, which, beside herself, consisted, as he saw
at half a glance, of an officer and four privates of dragoons, or
mounted riflemen.
"Precious lads, truly, these," he muttered through his teeth, "to
be travelling the prairies, and not see my trail at a short hundred
yards. By Jove! I believe they will cross it without notice. However,
I'll give them a fright anyhow--so here goes," and with the words, he
clapped his hand to his mouth, and uttered a long-drawn Indian yell,
which made the arches of the forest echo and re-echo its cadences, till
it died quavering in the far distance.
The rifles of the little party were cocked in an instant, and two or
three were instinctively cast up, and levelled in the direction whence
the sound proceeded.
But the woodman did not wait for any further demonstrations of
hostility, but stepped calmly forth from his covert, calling out, as he
did so, in a loud, clear voice:
"Whither, and whence, friends, so carelessly this bright evening?"
But ere his words were half out of his lips, he was interrupted by the
sharp crack of a rifle, discharged at him within twenty paces, the
ball of which sang past his head, perhaps at a foot's distance. But,
entirely unmoved by the assault or by the peril he had run, he finished
his sentence quietly, and then added:
"A miserably bad shot that, my lad; and a most unsoldierly act to fire
a shot at all, without waiting orders. Do not you say so, lieutenant?"
"You are very much to blame yourself, fellow; first, for yelling in
that wild fashion, for the purpose of creating an alarm, and then for
approaching a command so rashly. Who are you, fellow, speak?"
"Fellow! fellow!" replied the other, half soliloquizing, "and a
command, hey! command, truly; a couple of camaudus, or one of Jack
Hays' men would make an end of such a command, before it had seen where
to throw away one bullet."
"Well, sir, and who are you, then, I pray?"
"Pierre Delacroix, at your service."
"What! he who is commonly known as Pierre--"
"The Partisan, lieutenant," interrupted the other, quietly. "Yes, I
am the man, and my horse, Emperor, of whom you have heard, since you
have heard of me, is down in the brake yonder; and, what is the better
thing just now, there is a good fire burning, and some venison steaks
ready by this time, if they be not over done, and a flask of good
sherry wine and some cool water; and if you and your fair lady will
share the supper of the Partisan, I shall be happy to think that I am
pardoned for the slight alarm I gave you; and after supper, we will
hear what has brought you hither, and what I can do to serve you. Is it
a bargain?"
"Surely it is; and very thankful shall we be for your hospitality,
and yet more for your advice. This is the famous soldier, Julia," he
continued turning to the lady who accompanied him, "of whom you have
heard so much, and whom we had hoped to meet at San Antonio."
No more words were spoken until they reached the spot which Delacroix
had selected for his bivouac; but, as they did so, an exclamation of
pleasure burst from Julia's lips at the romantic beauty of the scene.
The travellers immediately dismounted.
Now, as Julia stood erect before the Partisan, with the clear light
of the blazing wood-fire falling full on her face, and revealing all
the charms of a figure, tall as the tallest of her sex, voluptuous
and fully rounded, yet slight withal, and delicate and slender as the
fairest ideal of a poet's dream, he thought that he had never looked
upon anything so perfectly and femininely lovely.
For some moments he stood gazing at her, mute, and positively
breathless with admiration; then, suddenly recollecting himself, he
called to the nearest of the dragoons, bidding him lead the lady's
horse down to the river, and water him; and then conducted her
respectfully to the place where he had spread his poncho on the grass,
and with the aid of that and his large saddle, arranged for her an
extemporaneous arm-chair near the fire, which the fresh coolness of the
woods rendered not wholly needless, even at that season; while the thin
smoke that rose from the wood embers, kept the mosquitoes at a distance.
Meanwhile, some of the dragoons applied themselves to clean the
horses and accoutrements, while others unloaded the pack mules, and
unbuckling the bags and cases which they carried, produced camp-kettles
and canteens, and a small India-rubber tent and camp-bed, which was
speedily set up and prepared in the methodical manner of the old
soldier, and promised better accommodation for the lady.
"My cooking is ready, lady, such as it is," said the Partisan, "and
I fancy you have the Spartan sauce, which even makes the black broth
palatable."
Julia started a little at the classical allusion, and cast a quick
glance toward her young husband, whose attention had been fixed on
another portion of the roving soldier's speech, and said quickly,
repeating the Partisan's word:
"Lady! Indeed I have been strangely remiss and discourteous, Major
Delacroix. In the first hurry of our introduction, I forgot to name
ourselves to you, though Yankee like; yet, I assure you, I am not a
Yankee; I by no means forgot to exhort from you all that I wished to
know. I should have imagined, Jule, that you would have found tongue
enough by this time to make yourself known to Major Delacroix, but
since it seems you have not done so, better late than never. Allow
me, Major Delacroix, to present you to Mrs. Arthur Gordon, six weeks
ago Miss Julia Forester, of New Orleans; and that done, to call your
attention to my very humble and unworthy self, Arthur Gordon, First
Lieutenant of the Second Dragoons."
When Arthur Gordon pronounced the words, Julia Forester, he started
forward, and exclaimed:
"What--what! it cannot be--the daughter of my best and oldest friend,
Colonel John Forester? I recollect his wife's name, whom I never saw,
was Julia."
Julia Gordon blushed crimson as he spoke, and then in an instant turned
as pale as ashes.
"My mother!" she gasped out, with a great exertion of the will
compelling herself to speak at all. "My poor mother, I never saw her
either, at least not within my recollection. Yes, Major Delacroix, I
am Colonel John Forester's wild and wilful daughter. God bless him,"
she continued, a big tear swelling to her eye, "as he deserves a better
child."
"Not so, not so, young lady. I am certain that it is not so. A brighter
or more beautiful, he could not have, and it will be hard to convince
me he could have a better, Lieutenant Gordon, allow me to shake your
hand, and congratulate you; your father-in-law, and your sweet lady's
father, was, I may say, to me more than a father; for, when Nature
robbed me of both my parents, he supplied both their places. God bless
John Forester, and all who love and honour him."
So thoroughly was the Partisan engrossed by his own warm and generous
feelings, that he did not perceive at all, what would at any other time
have been sufficiently apparent to a man of his keen and intuitive
sagacity, that there was something of evident discomposure in the
manner of the young officer as he spoke to him of his father-in-law.
The green carpet of the meadow was spread with their simple fair, and
the Partisan did the honours of his camp with a singular blending of
the frontiers-man's bluntness, and the easy manners of the gentleman
and soldier.
There was, however, an inexplicable gloom hanging over the little
party, and scarcely was the frugal meal ended before, on the pretext
of weariness, the lady retired to her tent, and the husband went away
for a few minutes, as he said, to inspect his sentries, while Pierre
Delacroix filled his Indian pipe with kinnekinnink, and, stretching
himself at full length on his blanket, in the warmth of the fire,
rested his head on his elbow, and mused more deeply than he had
done for many a year, rolling out all the time great volumes of the
odoriferous smoke of that Indian mixture, which he had learned to
prefer to the Havana.