The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-19 00:00:00

MUSTY AND THE ALLIGATOR.

About ten o'clock I rode through a prairie which ran
down to the Mustang, which here an insignificant stream
flowed between high banks over loose pebbles, and was only
deep at isolated spots. The prairie was covered with clumps
of tall cactus and sunfhwerr, and I was riding between
some of them when a large stog got up before me and
stopped a little way ahead, I turned Cz it half round and
shot the stag, which fell, but got up again and ran off to the
Mustang. As I saw that it was very sick, I sent Trusty
after it, who soon disappeared with it in a thicket, and I
had scarcely reloaded when I heard his hoarse bark and re
cognised by its tone that he was occupied with something
else than the stag. I went up the wood as fast as Czar
could carry me, leapt off and ran through the bushes to the
bank where I heard Trusty's void. A mortal terror as-
sailed me on seeing Trusty in shallow water near a deep
spot, with his left hind login the jaw of an alligator, whose
skull he was smashing with his teeth, though this did not
make it open its clenched teeth. I sprank at one bound into
the river, in order to prevent the horrible brute from reach-
ing deep water, to which it was retreating, and was only a
few feet from it. I sprang on the beast's back, held it be-
tween my knees tightly, and lifted it into the shallow water,
while it lashed its tail madly. I now pulled out a revolver,
held it against the hinge of the jawbone, and fired one
bullet after the other till the bones were splintered and the
lower j Aw, fell off, liberating Trusty from his arrest. I
examined him and found that his leg bone was not in
jure'l, though the flesh had suffered severely ; at the same
time he was losing much blood and appeared to be enduring
great pain. The stag lay close to the scene of contest, so I
drew it ashore and cut off the haunches ; then I fetched
Czlr, bound one cf them on either side of saddle, packed
a lot of bushes on the lot and spread my blanket over them,
on which I raised Tiusty, after I had bound up his wounds
as well as I could with wet pocket handkerchiefs.

Of a more melancholy interest is the following

MR KREGER'S FITE,

The sun had just risen over the horizon when we mounted
and rode over the plain, after taking, with the help of the
compass, the nearest direction to the forest rising in the blue
distance above the wide prairie. According to my calcula-
tion, it was about ten miles off. The prairie was very flat,
and only a few mosquito trees grew on it here and there,
which sufficed to estimate distances, for that is a difficult
job without such marks. I told Kreger it would be better
for us to push on, now the road was good, for a feeling of
anxiety involuntarily oppressed me on this broad plain,
whore we could be so easily observed from the woods that
formed a semicircle round it. I spoke to Czar every now
'and then, and we had nearly reached the middle of the
prairie when my horse gave a start, and tried to break into
a gallop. I attempted to pacify him, but he soon began
snorting, and could not be held in.

I had examined the prairie on either side of us, and when
I looked behind, to my horror I saw a band of Indians
coming after us at full speed, in front of a cloud of dust.
My next glance was at the forest ahead of us, to calculate
how far it still was, and then my eyes fell in terror on the
mule at my side. The band of Indians consisted of at least
a hundred, and hence must belong to a powerful tribe, pos-
sessing the best horses and weapons. I turned deadly cold
when I looked at Kreger, who as yet had no idea of our
peril, and was carelessly whistling. I made the utmost
efforts to remain quiet, or at lea t to appear so, in order not
terrify my companion, and begged him to urge on his
mule, while I loosed the rein of my snorting stood, and
allbwed it make a few forward bounds. Whether Kreger
noticed a change in my countenance or voice I do not
know, but he looked round, and noticing the approaching
savages, with the ejaculation, " Great heavens, Indians I"
he drove his enormous spurs into his mule's flanks, and
pulled his bridle so tight, that the excessively sh,,rp bit
lacerated the wretched Lizzy's mouth. Kreger had turned
deadly pale. He looked wildly around him, and showered
blows with his whip on Lizzy's hind quarters. At his
first movements I foresaw what would happen, and tried to
make him understand that if he let go the reins Lizzy
would be sure to follow Czar, and we should be able to
reach the forest, where the Indians could not hurt ue. Ile
did not hear—he did not see. A picture of horror, he
stared fixedly before him, and Lizzy, putting her head be-
tween her legs, began kicking cut behind. The danger
grew every minute, tor the yell of the cannibal horde, borne
un the bre( zo, was already echoing in our cars. I rode uh
to Kreger and tried to drag the reins out his hand ; but it
was of no use ; no prayers, no remonstrances, reachol his
ear, It was almost impossible for mo to hold Cz ►r in any
longer, far at one moment ho reared, at another bounded
onward.

The Indians during this time had drawn so near that I
could hear their several voices, and distinguish the bright
colours with which their faces were painted, Our Lie was in
the greatest dancer. My horse was terribly excited, and any
blip en his part would infallibly entail my death. Oneo
more I shouted to Kreger to be reasonable, and lel go the
reins, but be did net hear me. Minutes pressed. I
Czar go, and flew like the wind away from the hapless man,
who was left to his fate, and my staying longer would be of
avail. I quieted my horse, and looked back at my unfor..
tunate ccmpanion. The horde was now close behind him ;
in a second a dense cloud of dust surrounded him and the
savages, while one yell of triumph,whose cause I could guess
only too well, reached my ears. I pressed closer to Cz.tr,
patted his neck, and away we flew like light. I looked round
again; a dense mob of Redskins was after me, and by their
inhuman yells they gave me to understand that I was to be
their victim also.

The illtiBtrations of thin book fit 6 very spirit 0, 'I he

subjects are, of course, taken from some of the 731°5:
exciting adventures, such as that of "Trusty avu
the Alligator," above alluded to, 44 A Fight with
Grizzly Bears," "Face to Face," the visa risheil3a
the Sportsman and a Leaping Panther, "BUaftilees
Crossing a River," " The Indian Camp,
Jaguar Disturbed at Breakfast," and some other°.
Having said which, we need hardly add that the
Back woodsman is a man of adventure, and his ho°
is fall of attraction.

The Autographic Mirror. L'Autographe Cos9l°4

polite. Lithographed by Vincent Brown. .
It is only upon its being bound up into a resPleu
.
dent volume like this initial volume of Tac.eimtjes
that we are enabled at last to realise the marvellee.i
interest of " The Autographic Mirror," or, as lt,l
more aptly called, according to is French title,
L' Autograph° Cosnopolite, as a substantive p lib 1,
cation. So enthralling a table book we cannot re'
call to our remembrance. The "curiosity" of 11.'1l
a collection, is as a something wholly unprecedented And, looking at it purely as a curiosity, we
far, quite confidently assert, according to the °
lF
English " bull," that none but itself can be its Fate
rallel, that it is only to be matched by its itnmedls
successor "Volume the volume now in course °f
periodical issue. In its serial form, it is unwieldl;
beesbargain. for that reason somewhat unsightly int
bargain. But, now that a sufficiency of it has i
published to admit of its imugurative volume bet by
bound up independently, it assumes its place; 0,
right of merit as well as of excellence, as a caeca
tion of autographs worthy of a place upon
,6,
library shelves or upon our drawing-room te,bs,
Sovereigns, Statesmen, Warriors, avinets,
torians, Lawyers, have—among a multitude,"
other and miscellaneous celebrities—contributeu.a
with their own hands, it may fairly be said, to tb";
wonderfully diversified pages. Here are rt flectl;
of the veritable holographs of Literary, Seiatl,,,l
Artistic, and Theatrical Notabilities of vern
countries and of divers generations. litio
together with these facsimiles of the ilettio,
handwriting of world famous men and wraflets
most of them dead and gone, though many of the,
still happily in the land of the living, there el'
scattered up and down this volume at deliglatfei,,
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accuracy from original drawings—here introde.c;
by way of illustration. As many as nine carp
tures by Thackeray ! As many as seven by IPri
landson ! D'Orsay'a sketch (from the life) of 14/s°'
Byron—John Leech's pencilling of An 00e.
dog by Sir David Wilkie! Besides all will°o
we have here presented to our view, in amongst Id
letterpress, vivid portraitures of Shalespere!
Goethe, of Stonewall Jackson, and of that greets
ro
of all the soldiers of the American war, Gerie.4,
Robert Lee, the Confederate Commander-in-Cht.ef
As to the contents of the goodly volume 1111:1,
notice, when we come to examine it merely as 8
lection of autographs, we might readily fill a cole7l
or two with a simple definition of the ecntrestitlbi
characteristics of the various contributions lowtos
initial volume of L'Autographe Cosmopolite. tqh
Rev, Sydney Smith's scrambling note to Dear
Louis Philippe's large-handed expressi°l36,l
sympathy to the Duc de Montmorency-Ithese le
off the collection by filling up the first Pa°,4
Balwer Lytton and Charles Dickens—Fechter 11.4
Edmund Kean—Leblache and Griei—Victor 111/°Ol
and Leigh Hunt—Cardinal Antonelli and l'°,ll
Pius IX.—Sir Walter Scott and Sir 1)'/.i
Brewster—B. Disraeli and Lord PalmersOtil
Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn—Orators and Vole
Kings and Musicians, Novelists and
sophers are here clustered together in enthrei'lo
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their faces as reflected in this Mirror,we can there.
behold the shadowy "counterfeit presentmentl,o
the handwriting of each—that handwriting °``.tr
Is so conceived by some, and hardly, as it eeere'io,
us, extravagantly conceived, to be marvellousllblt
dicative of the character of the writer—a verl,lllo
realisation of his distinctive idiosyncracy.
gather the volume is as elegant and attractic-or,
gift-book as ccu'd reaeonably have been hoped
n.V3
even in this age of elegant and attractive gift-bc'hie
—and one that, happily, makes its very seasnealii
appearance just now—immediately before the 11°01,
day time and the long winter evenings of Chriet°3o
when works of this kind, that is to say, gift-b°e°
of an unusual character, are the most acceptah'''