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

TdUSTY 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 sunflowers, and I was riding between
some of them when a large stag got up before me and
stopped a little way ahead, I turned Czar 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 disappared with it in a thicket, and I
had scarcely reloaded when I hoard 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 voice. A mortal terror as-
sailed me on seeing Trusty in shallow water near a deep
spot, with his left hind leg in 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 lashedits 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 jaw, fell off, Merating Trusty from his arrest. I
examined him and found that hib leg bone was not in-
jure-1, 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, co I
drew it ashore and cut off the haunches ; then I fetched
Czar, bound one of them on either side of saddle, packed
a lot of bushes on the lot and spread my blanket over them,
on which I raised Trusty, 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 FATE,

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 hero 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,
where 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 u 3 at full speed, in front of a cloud of dust.
➢ly 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 least 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 steed, and
allowed 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 l"
he drove his enormous spurs into his mule's flanks, and
pulled his bridle so tight, that the excessively sharp 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
ivould be sure to follow Czar, and we should be able to
reach the forest, where the Indians could not hurt us. lie
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 out behind. The danger
grew every minute, for the yell of the cannibal horde, borne
on the breeze, was already echoing in our ears. I rode up
to Kreger and ti ied to drag the reins out his hand ; but it
was of no use ; no prayers, no remonstrances, reachei his
ear, It was almost impossible for me to hold Czar in any
longer, for at one moment ho reared, at another bounded
onward,

The Indians during this time had drawn so near that I
cuuld hear their several voices, and distinguish the bright
colours with which their faces were painted. Our life was in
the greatest danger. My horse was terribly excited, and any
slip on his part would infallibly entail my death. Once
more I shouted to Kreger to be reasonable, and let go the
reins, but ho did not hear we. Minutes pressed. I let.
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.
tuuate 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 ceuld guess
only too well, reached my ears. I pressed closer to Czar,
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 illustrations of this book are very epirited. The

subjects are, of course, taken from some of the 13306,
exciting adventures, such es that of "Trusty e"
the Alligator," above alluded to, " A Fight with
Grizzly Bears," "Face to Face," the vis-a iisbeing
the Sportsman and a Leaping Panther, u Buffaloes
Crossing a River," " The Indian Camp," dile
Jaguar Disturbed at Breakfast," and some others'
Having said which, we need hardly add that the
Back goodsman is a man of adventure, and his boot
is full of attraction.

The Autographic Mirror. L'Autographe 00°4

polite. Lithographed by Vincent Brown.
It is only upon its being bound up into a resple°
dent volume like this initial volume of Fac
that we are enabled at last to realise the marvellot!
interest of " The Autographic Mirror," or, as it Is
more aptly called, according to is French title'
L'Autographe Cosmopolite, as a substantive Pub''.
cation. So enthralling a table book we cannot 110
call to our remembrance. The " curiosity" of it, a,
a collection, is as a something wholly unprecedented'
And, looking at it purely as a curiosity, we ma9'lo
far, quite confidently assert, according to the o',d
English " bull," that none but itself can be its Pa;
rallel, that it is only to be matched by its immethatc
successor "Volume II.," the volume now in course ch
periodical issue. In its serial form, it is unwieldy;
and for that reason somewhat unsightly into th
bargain. But, now that a sufficiency of it has be,cll„,
published to admit of its inaugurative volume bovs
bound up independently, it assumes its placer 17/,
right of merit as well as of excellence, as a coin
tion of autographs worthy of a place upon 0°
library shelves or upon our drawing-room table
Sovereigns, Statesmen, Warriors, Divines, 1-11 sf
torians, Lawyers, have—among a multitude
other and miscellaneous celebrities—contributed'
with their own hands, it may fairly be said, to We°
wonderfully diversified pages. Here are reflection°
of the veritable holographs of Literary, ScienOs
Artistic, and Theatrical Notabilities of vericela
countries and of divers generations. lint
together with these facsimiles of the 80
handwriting of world famous men and won°
most of them dead and gone, though many of then:
still happily in the land of the living, there et
scattered up and down this volume at delightful
if
intervals—copies made with exquisita
accuracy from original drawings—here introduce,
by way of illustration. As many as nine cart°,
tures by Thackeray ! A.s many as seven by B°leiti
landson ! D'Orsay's sketch (from the life) of Mr
"...•
Byron—John Leech's pencilling of " An Oss;
dog by Sir David Wilkie ! Besides all Wl3l°h;
we have here presented to our view, in amongst t'„(
letterpress, vivid portraitures of Slaaksperef
Goethe, of Stonewall Jackson, and of that greatest
of all the soldiers of the American war, Gaer6l
Robert Lee, the Confederate Commander•in-Chief'
As to the contents of the goodly volume uvet
notice, when we come to examine it merely as a cco
lection of autographs, we might readily fill a 010,
or two with a simple definition of the centrastie:
characteristics of the various contributions to etilbs
initial volume of L'Autographe Cosmopolite. .10
Rev. Sydney Smith's scrambling note to Dear Oof
—, Louis Philippe's large-handed expression 4
sympathy to the Due de Montmorency—these In6e,
off the collection by filling up the first Pagi
Bulwer Lytton and Charles Dickens—Fechter n°o
Edmund Kean—Lablache and Grisi—Victor
and Leigh Hunt—Cardinal Antonelli and F°l:4,
Pius IX.—Sir Walter Scott and Sir 1)°,..
Brewster—B. Disraeli and Lord Palmerstoe,
Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn—Orators and Vetir'
Kings and Musicians, Novelists and r°1:1
4
sophers are here clustered together in enthrelll"oo
confusion. And if we cannot actually look uPio
their faces as reflected in this Mirror,we can there,of
behold the shadowy " counterfeit presentment ,0
the handwriting of each—that handwriting Nvbi to
is so conceived by some, and hardly, as it seerns.
us, extravagantly conceived, to be marvellously o
dicative of the character of the writer—a veotelitod
realisation of his distinctive idiosyncracy• A
gether the volume is as elegant and attraoticia,
gift-book as cculd reasonably have been hoped AA
even in this age of elegant and attractive gift•b%ie
—and one that, happily, makes its very seaeonEwt.,
appearance just now—immediately before the )o'lo
day time and the long winter evenings of Christi:n°/0'
when works of this kind, that is to say, gift-b°°
of an uiusual character, are the most acceptable'