The Silent Rifleman! A tale of the Texan prairies

aspect of rich prairie land, for the most part nearly level, but now very rich

anopying a little pool, the well-head of as clear a streamlet as ever was the haunt of Greci

was over, the

on the prairie. I see a flock of buzzards yonder, whose motives I

is back; renewed the copper caps, loosened his wood-knife in its sheath, and walked off unaccompanied toward the spot in the plain above which a flight of the black vultures, commonl

departing figure, and her face wore a very though

n of deep feeling. "A very singular, and very noble character.

lia," replied Frank Gordon, half laughing, half

"Do you know that they say jealous husbands make false wives? an

of a fat buck, which he had shot during his reconnaisance, wrapped in his own hide, and

dly that he walked into the very midst of

y, and bathed everything for miles and miles around in soft lustre-the stars rose and set-and the first grey ray of morning was just begin

to the horses, lads. Strike the tent like lightning

is orders in an instant, as regarded the horses; Gordon himself struck the tent

de swept by the mouth of the gorge, so near that the travellers could see their shaven and plumed scalps, their easy martial seats on their wild horses, and their long

e that one of their number-Pierre, the Partisan-was missing, and that the sergeant

-wounds in his bosom, his throat cut from ear to ear, the cords sever

charger had vanished, and the Par

le while they gazed in each other's faces, mute and white with surprise, if not with t

abundance; and water and forage for the horses, and we can keep this pass against all the Indians in the universe, so long as our ammunition lasts-and we can fire five h

spoken one word since the first alarm, but had behaved with the cool, passi

is brave horse would surely have outstripped them, and in his flight he wo

!" said the quick-witted girl-"God's name be