The Silent Rifleman! A tale of the Texan prairies

we can. I and my fellows will lay poor Sergeant Davis in the earth, which, if it be not

a little hollow in the rich soil of the moist basin, hard by the streamlet's bed, and in it, wrapped in his watch-cloak, with his pl

ounting a steep hill, surveyed the c

aimed in a full, ma

ere-come forth and greet him.

little tent with a warm flush on her soft cheeks and a bright light in her clear blue eye, and a fleet step, and an o

faltered as she spoke, as if she were on the point of burs

, bowing almost to the saddle bow, "too glad, I am afraid; for y

estness; "I knew that you would die a thousand deaths before you would desert me-before you wou

quietly; "as for dying a thousand deaths, I cannot say for that, but certainly s

d at once that she had struck and fascinated the wild Partisan at first sight, and though she would not for the universe have intentionally cause

ndeed, to a younger man than I, and to one alienated from the hopes, the wishes, the delights of civilized society. But let us go in to your tent,"

mixture of tobacco, applied himself for a few minutes to smoking silently, Gordon following his example, and

bout to start, it were, perhaps, as w

the old soldier's face. "I thought that had been determined long ag

delusive-the thing is a sheer impossibility. We are in the midst of out-laying parties of re

turn?" ask

lly impo

ied the young husband, actually trembling with

y, even if we had not a lady with us. I could, myself, run the gauntlet thither, and arrive in safety, though even that is d

concealme

tly, nor yet ve

it be

with safety-else

will you s

or Walker, or McCulloch, or Gillespie's rangers. They are on the scout almost all the time, either in the van or rear of the a

don, earnestly. "But what has led you so com

h my own eyes, or heard wit

may that h

untethered Emperor as quickly as I could, and out in pursuit of him. For all the speed I could make, he had got full a half mile away on the open prairie before I was in the saddle; but I cared little enough for that, seeing that in a five miles' race, I knew well enough that I could make up such a gap as that, and overhaul him, too

strange,"

the open ground right down upon our runaway. He felt that he was lost, I think, as soon as he saw them, for he made but a very sorry race of it, wheeling and turning to and fro, as if he knew not whither to fly, and the consequence was that they ran him down in less than ten minutes, and that within less than a hundred yards of th

overing both her eyes with her fai

lady," said the

pped from before her eyes into her lap at the first wor

of the wretched devil escaped my ears, and the smell of his roa

aimed Julia, wildly catching him by th

t have died

wing what she said. "Not to have done so, is not like the m

nd, springing to his feet. "Be silen

ing very slowly, and with an inexpre

uld pay me for it with ingratitude. Who ever served or loved a woman and met with other g

one or two big tears, the first he had she

y by that murderer's deed, who has dearly rued it. The rest with the tent and pontoon must be abandoned, and the mules that bore them must be sla

you about to lead us?" i

lead you. If not, you will not follow me at all, for if it be my

ilderment, and was sensible of the error she had committed, "you are o

uch a one as you, do what you will with him. I am disappoin

catching his hand in both her own, "you must-you must forgive me. I knew n

ave nothing, unless it be," he added, with a low sigh, "my own folly. But a truce to this, we have ind

her hands and blushing crimson with the violence of her ow

ieutenant, and you, madam, to make your preparations for a ride

he little tent immediately in order to give his directions, while the Partisan lifted his rifle from the gro

cast eyes and a strange expression, half sad, half passionate on her beautif

sionately, "what have I done that

at her in blank astoni

aye, more than all. Oh, God! oh, God! I shall g

pare me? You know what I mean, lady-all women know their power, and, I suppose, all abuse it. But as I have endeavoured to serve you truly, as I intend to do to the end-as I am resolved to die for you-will you spare me, I say? Spare me my self-respect, my consciousness of right

ed in his own while he spoke, away from him contemptuo

had been sitting, buried her face in the fur, and wept bitterly, as might be seen from the

ry, long hours within its guarded precincts. But when he did return, he had fully mastered his composure, for he now fully understood his own feelings, and perceiv

th the pack-saddle of the poor predestined mule, and stood, seemingly conscious of hi

uick gesture of his hand, gave the signal; and

med, cheerfully. "To hor

he brown charger's demipique, and, without setting his

to Arthur, who communicated them in turn to on

ed at once," and rode at an easy gait out

which now beset her, would be too much for her powers of endurance. Yet, while she thought thus, another item was added-it was the

have fallen from her seat had not her husband thrown his powerful

hich we were compelled to shoot, as we could not bring them with us

nto a paroxysm of tears; "more blood!

young soldier, sharply and bitterly, "before you marr

they are, ind

e that his words reached the ears of the Partisan, who instantly reined back hi

sider what she has borne, what sh

raising her mild, soft eyes to meet his. "I

oh, by no levity or petulance of ours, let us call down His anger on our heads. But, I assure you, it is no gloomy place, no fearful or dark abiding-place, that I hope to conduct you, but to a sort

ielding, womanlike to the immediate impulse, she cried: "What!

rown, I think, upon her hospitality, and as it may beguile the tediousn

eager to atone for his late petulance, and to diver

Delacroix, laughing. "You see I quot

y, which I know-every pass, glen, and pond, and rivulet of it-as if it were my own garden. All th

imes I would join this or that band of rangers, when on some actual service which p

ral to the chief of the band, which will not name, nor otherwise designate, except as being ever the mos

we now are bound. When suddenly, as I rode along, following the track of the horse hoofs, which I could easily distinguish in the mossy greensward, and judging by many certain indications that I could not now be far behind them, though I heard nothing to denote the

great fear fell upon me. How could it be that I should be so close to the rancho and the band, of which I was in pursuit, yet closer, but unseen, unheard and unsuspected. I knew that not a moment must be lost. That even now the rangers must be stealing with read

by actual inspection although the distance, as the bird flies from the spot, where I first heard the music, to the rancho whence it proceeded, is but a short mile, th

use, breathless and awful as the lull that precedes the burst of a thunderstorm; and then a long loud shout burst out on all sides, and the quick running rattle of a hundred rifle-shots fired in quick succession. God! what a shriek succeeded! And then the clash of blades, and the blasphemies and yells of the charging Texans, and the deep oaths and dying groans of th

I spurred my horse the faster, and at last, issuing from the forest, came upon such a scen

as of unusually large dimensions, consisting of many buildings,

, followed by a shout and the clashing of

wn and luxuriant flowerbeds I drove my charger recklessly. I came up. I was yet in time! It was a small, low building of two rooms only, the inmost of which

desperately defended. It was fortunate for those within it that the Texans had discovered it from the court-yard, with which it communicated o

eived that it was the band of whom I was in pursuit, and that they were forcing their way into the building, in despite of all opposition. Still it was evident to me, by the silence which prevailed in the inner room-opposite to the casements of which I

tween my teeth, I drove the frail jalousies asunder with one blow of my foot, and stood the next moment in the scene of terror. And God of mercy! what a scene that was! Should I

male. Yet this spot was already the abode of death-

a discoloured spot, and the blood which had flowed from the back of his head and deluged all the cambric pillow-covers, showed plainly that he had fallen by the unnerring missile of a Texan rifle. I learned afterward that he wa

nt before I entered, by a chance bullet; for she still breathed a little, although life was fast ebbing from her veins in spite of the efforts of the loveliest girl my eyes had then looked upon, who knelt beside her, seemingly unaware of the fierce uproar which was raging, neare

ing, fell headlong on the floor upon his back, his left hand, which still grasped the yet smoking pistol, striking the ground within a few inches of the feet of that fair girl. She started at the dreadful interruption, and, for the first time becoming aware of my presence, utt

toward us, looked around quickly, and as he did so received a sharp wound in the breast from a Texan knife. The murderous weapon was raised to repeat the blow, when I sei

the intoxication of heated passions and unbridled license had added the intoxication of w

at they were all captains there alike, and would take no command from any, coupled to an ins

eemed positively to flash fire-his white cheek gleamed with a red unnatural hectic-and he actually gnashed his teeth with rage. 'Rascals! Dogs! Mutineers!' he shouted. 'Do you dare to resist an officer? Down with them, Pierre; down with the dogs! Spare them no longer! Give them the steel,' and suiting the action to the word, as

that fair, pale girl is, with the sole exception of her brother, who was the wounded youth

r impatiently to the late discussion-"her brother!-what

d spurs to his heel, took lance and lasso, backed his best horse, and never since has given quarter to a man who spe

now, or how engag

he is Padre Taranta's right hand man. He is the m

lling that you are leading me?

against all the force of Mexico, until such time as we can bri