The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-28 00:00:00

JULY 28. 1851.

as like the bitter anger which the superior feels to-
wards his resisting interior—the lord to his rebellious
serf—the master to his lashed slave, who has turned and
struck him! It was thus the hunters telt.
" I glanced along their line. I never saw faces with
such expressions as I saw there and then. Their lips were
white, and drawn tightly over their teeth. Their cheeks
were set and colourless, and their eyes, protrudirg for-
ward, seemed glued in their sockets! There was no
motion to be detected in the features of any, save the
twitching of angry muscles. Their right hands were
buried in the bosoms of their hall•open shirts—each, I
knew, grasping a weapon—and they appeared not to sit,
but to crouch forward like panthers quivering upon the
spring!
" There was a long interval of silence upon both sides.
"It was broken by a cry from without—the scream of
the war-eagle!
"We should not have noticed this—knowing that
these birds were common in the Mimbreie and one might
have flown over the ravine—but we thought, or fancied,
that it had made an impression on our adversaries.
They were men not apt to show any sudden emotion;
but it appeared to us that, all at once, their glances grew
bolder and more triumphant! Could it Lava been a
signal?
"We listened for a moment. The scream was re-
peated; and although it was exactly after the manner of
a bird well known to us—the white-headed eagle—we
sat with unsatisfied and fearful apprehensions.
" The young chief—he in the huzzar dress—was upon
his feet. lie had been the most turbulent and exacting
of our opponents. He was a man of most villanous and
licentious character—so Rube had told us-but, never-
theless, holding great power among the braves. It was
he who had spoken in refusal of Seguin's offer; and he
was now about to assign his reasons. We knew them
without that.
"' Why,' said he, looking at Sequin as he spoke,' why
is it that the white chief is so desirous of choosing
among our captives? Is it that he wishes to get back
the yellow-haired maiden?'
" He paused a moment, as if for a reply; but Seguin
made none.
"' If the white chief believes our Queen to be his
daughter, weuld he not wish that her sister should be
her companion, and return with her to our land?'
" Again he paused; but as before, Seguin remained
silent.
" The speaker proceeded.
"' Why not let the yellow-haired maiden return with
us, and become my wife? Who am I, that ask this?
A chief of the Navajoes, the descendants of the great
Mocteruma— the son of their King!'
" The savage looked around him with a vaunting air,
as he uttered these words.
" Who is she,' he continued, that lam thus begging
for a bride? The daughter of one who is not even re-
spected among his own people! the daughter of a culatta
" I looked at Seguin. I saw his form dilating. I saw
the big veins swelling along his throat. I saw the wild
expression I had once before noticed gathering in his
eyes. I knew that the crisis was near.
" Again the eagle screamed!
" But no!' proceeded the savage, seeming to draw
new boldness from the signal; I will beg no more. I
love the white maiden. She must be mine! and this
very night she shall sleep—'
"He never finished the sentence. Seguin's bullet had
sped, piercing the centre of his forehead. I caught a
glimpse of the red round hole, with the circle of blue
powder; and the victim fell forward on his face!
" All together we sprang to our feet. As one man
rose hunters and Indians. As if from one throat pealed
the double shout of defiance; and, as if by one hand,
knives, pistols, and tomahawks were drawn together.
The next moment we closed and battled!
" Oh! it was a fearful strife, as the pistols cracked,
the long knives glittered, and the tomahawks swept the
air—a fearful, fearful strife!
"You would suppose that the first shock should have
prostrated both ranks. It was not so. The early blows
of a struggle like this are wild, and well parried; and
human life is hard to take. What were the lives of men
like these?

" A few fell. Some recoiled from the collision,
wounded and bleeding, but still to battle again. Some
fought hand to hand; while several pairs had clutched,
and were striving to fling each other in the desperate
wrestle of death!
"Some rushed for the door, intending to fight outside.
A few got out, but the crowd pressed against it—the
door closed—dead bodies fell behind it—we fought in
darkness!

"We had light enough for our purpose. The pistols
flashed at quick intervals, displaying the horrid picture.
The light gleamed upon fiend-like faces—upon red and
waving weapons—upon prostrate forms of men—upon
others struggling in every attitude of deadly conflict!
" The yells of the Indians, and the not less savage
shouts of their white:foemen, had continued from the first;
but the voices grew hoarser, and the shouts were
changed to groans, and oaths, and short, earnest excla-
mations. At intervals we heard the quick percussions
of blows, and the dull sodden sound of falling bodies.
"The room became filled with:smoke, and dust, and
choking sulphur; and the combatants were half stifled
as they fought!

"At the 'first break of the battle I had drawn my
revolver, and fired it in the faces of the closing foemen.
I had fired shot after shot—some at random, others di-
rected upon a victim. I had not counted the reports,
until the cock " checking " on the steel nipple, told me I
had gone the round of the six chambers.
"'Phis had occupied but as many seconds of time.
Mechanically I stuck the empty weapon behind my belt;
and guided by an impulse, made for the door. Before
I could reach it, it was closed; and I saw that to get out
was impossible!
" I turned to search for an antagonist. I was not
long in finding one. By the flash of a pistol, I saw oue
of the Indians rushing upon me with an upraised
hatchet. Up to this time something had hindered me
from drawing my knife. It was now too late; and,
holding out my arms to catch the blow, I duckd my
head towards the savage.
" I felt the keen edge cutting the flesh as it glanced
along my shoulder. I was but slightly wounded. He
had missed his aim from my stooping so suddenly; but
the impetus brought our bodies together, and the next
moment we grappled!
" We stumbled over a heap of rock, and for some mo-
ments
struggled together upon the ground—neither
able to use his weapon. Again we rose, still locked in
the angry embrace—again we were falling with terrible
force. Something caught us in our descent. It shook.
It gave way with a crashing sound; and we fell head-
long into the broad and brilliant light!
" I was dazzled and blinded. I heard behind me a
strange rumbling, like the noise made by falling timbers!
But fheeded nut that. I was too busy to speculate upon
causes.

" The sudden shock had separated us; and both rose
at the same instant—again to grapple, and again to come
together to the earth. We twisted, and wriggled over
the ground, among the weeds and thorny cacti. I was
every minute growing weaker, while the sinewy savage
—used to such combats—seemed to be gaining fresh
nerve and breath. Thrice he had thrown me under; but
each time I had clutched his right arm, and prevented
the decending blow. I had succeeded in drawing my
knife as we fell through the wall; but my arm was also
held fast, and I was unable to use it.
" As we came to the ground for the fourth time, my
antagonist fell under me. A cry of agony passed from
his lips,—his head toggled,' over among the weeds—
and he lay in my arms without struggling!
"I felt his grasp gradually relaxing. I looked in his
face. His eyes were glassy and torted. Blood was gurg-
ling through his teeth. I saw that he was dead!
" To my astonishment I saw this, for I knew I had not
struck him as yet. I was just drawing my arm from
under him to do so, when I noticed that he ceased to
resist. But the knife now caught my eye. It was red—
blade and haft—and so was the hand that clasped it!
"As we fell I had held it, accidentally, point upwards.
My antagonist had fallen upon the blade.
" I now thought of my betrothed, and entwining my-
self from the lithe and nerveless limbs of the savage, I
rose to my feet. The ranche was in flames!
" The roof had fallen in upon the brazero; and the dry
shingles had caaught the blaze. Men were crawling out
from the burning ruin; but not to run away. No! under
its licking flames, amidst the hot smoke, they still
battled—fierce, and foaming, and frenzied!"
Besides this most appalling incident of bloodshed—
an incident all the more terrible, seeing that it is
founded upon an actual occurrence—we encounter in
these three volumes a multiplicity of others no less
thrilling in their character. Such incidents, for ex-
ample, as Haller's ride upon a buffalo, as his slowly
sinking in a quicksand, as his perilous situation dur-
ing the fight at the Fandango, as his dangling over
the precipice in a state of delirium, as the detention
for " three days in the trap," as the buffalo " sur-
rond " a really ghastly display of adroitness on the
part of the Red-skins, as the tremendous battle in the
Canon, as the fight upon the cliff, and the last des-
perate escape of the hero from the valley of the Na-
vajoes. For ourselves, we must acknowledge, that a
book of more truly; absorbing interest has not for a
considerable time fallen in our way, and through it
for a great entertainment, therefore, we are indebted
to the recounter of these romantic adventures. Tbey
yield promise, we conceive, of large success to Captain
Mayne Reid as a novelist.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge, attended by Major the Hon. James
Macdonald, honoured the performances at her Majesty's
Theatre on Saturday evening with his presence. Amongst
the fashionable company present in the theatre were his
Grace the Duke of Wellington, the Duke and Duchess of
Cleveland and Lady Augusta Paulett, the Duchess of
Beaufort, his Excellency the Russian Minister and the
Baroness Brunnow, his Excellency the Swedish Minister,
the Marquis and Marchioness of Ailesbury, the Marquis
of Clanricarde, the Marquis of Ely, the Earl and Countess
of Chesterfield, the Earl and Countess of Jersey and
Lady Clementina Villiers, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl
and Countess of Malmesbury and the Ladies Ilermione
and Ulrica St. Maur, the Earl and Countess of Glengall
and Lady Margaret Butler, the Earl of Westmoreland,
the Earl of Munster, the Earl of Bective, and the Countess
of Harbourough. The Queen's box was occupied by Lady
Bateman, the Hon. Misses Hanbury, Colonel and Mrs. Bou-
verie, and party. There were also present Viscount Cran-
bourne, Lord Seymour, the Prince Troubetskoi, the Count
and Countess de Morelia, Lady Pigott, Lady Vincent, Lord
and Lady Foley, Lord George Paget, Lady Cranwortla,
Count Graben, Lady Eden, Lady Emily de Burgh, Sir
Ralph and Lady Howard, General the Hon. H. Cavendish,
Mr. C. Greville, Sir Thomas and Lady Barrett Lennard,
Sir Seymour Sadler, Colonel Wildman, Mr. Montague Gore,
M.P., Colonel Freestun, M.P., and Mrs. Lockyer Freestun,
11Ir. C. W. Packe, M P., and Mrs. Packe Reading, Mr. and I
Mrs. W. H. Palmer, Mr. C. Palmer, Miss Coroline Bellow,
Mr. G. Hayter, M.P., Mr. Bancroft Davis, Mr. H. Bar-
ing, M.P., Mr. Bernal Osborne, M.P., Mr. C. B. Baldwin,
Erizakior Arthur, Mr., Mo., and Miss Ewing icc•

SOYER'S SYMPOSIUM.
A most interesting as well as elegant entertainment
took place at Gore house, on Saturday last. A committee
was recently formed in Paris, under the auspices of M.
Emile do Girardin, for the purpose of defraying the ex-
penses of fifteen of the most approved French ouvriers to
London to inspect the productions of industrial skill
collected within the Crystal Palace; and to these intelli-
gent gentlemen M. Suer extended his hospitality on
that day. Several English guests were likewise invited
by the Amphitryon to meet these visitors from the
Parisian to the English metropolis. Of the recherche
nature of the dinner suffice it to say that M. Soyer
evinced his highest talents on the occasion. The only
drawback was the absence of M. de Girardin, who was to
have occupied the chair, but was compelled to depart
for Paris in the morning. A letter from that emi-
nent journalist to M. Soyer was read in the
course of the evening, expressive of the profound
regret which he experienced from this unavoidable ab-
sence. The presidential post was very ably sustained
by Mr. Henry Vincent, who took the chair precisely at
six o'cicek. After dinner the loving cup went round, a
ceremonial which seemed equally to surprise and delight
the foreign guests.
The CHAIRMAN then propoFed " Her Majesty the
Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Albert," observ-
ing that although never disposed to pay flattery to great
personages, he felt bound to say that the domestic virtues
and encouragement of the arts evinced by that illustrious
pair had justly endeared them to the affections of all
classes.

Drunk with three times three and repeated cheers, in
which " Messieurs les etrangers enthusiastically par-
ticipated.
The CHAIRMAN next gave the toast of the evening,
which he prefaced by an address in the French lan-
guage, in which he highly eulogised the exertions of the
Peace Congress, and concluded by saying that next to
the efficacy of Christianity in promoting the happiness
of men came the spirit of national fraternity—the noblest
example of which was to be found in the alliance and
sympathy of France and England—" Aux ouvriers de la
France."
The VICE-PRESIDENT, M. Larchet (President des
ouvriers), acknowledged the toast, and gave " Les tra-
vailleurs Francais aux travailleurs Anglais."
" The union of the people of the North and South"
was next proposed by M. POTONIE, commercant de Paris,
who spoke as follows :
" Ce vcz n, travailleurs Francais, trona° deja un echo
favorable dana l'enthousiasme qui none anima depuis les
quelq' jours que vous etes a Londres. Et en effet quels
peuples voisins, mieux que l'Angleterre et La France,
seraient capable de s'estimer et de se comprendre non
par en depit, mais en vertu de leurs nuances diverses ?
L'Angleterre representant la civilization du nord, la
France representant la civilization du midi ; ici, le ter-
rain plus special des efforts, chez nous le terrain
plus special des jouissances. L'Angleterre sons
son climat brumeux, sous la pression de la necessite,
cette premiere institutrice des hommes, et avec cette
perseverance qui accumule les capitaux, arrivant a des
resultats gigantesques ; la France, assis sur teas vigno-
bles, donnant libre carr.6re a l'imagination de ses ouv-
riers et de ses artistes, et accumulant les produits de gout
qui sont aussi l'un des besoins be l'existence humaine—
a cheque nation, Messieurs, son Genie et as nuance. Et
de meme que le peintre, pour composer son chef d'oeuvre,
harmonise sur sa toile toutes ses teintes, de meme la pro-
vidence a besoin de nuances humaines,et des oppositions
meme trancb 6es, pour devel opper les progres de la civilisa-
tion. Il eat certain que le Francais, soldat sous l'empire, a
eu de la peiae a ployer sa petulante activite sousn les exi-
gences sedentaires de 'lndustrie: on a quelquefois songe,
mais cela n'est pas possible, a renvoyer aux travaux de
l'agriculture certaines ambitions, qui sont pourtant raison-
nables. Esperous que notre Republique et ses hommes d'etat
future ouvriront Icette ambition Cr autres votes, et nous
permettront, I nous aussi, de devenir commerciants et
par consequent marine, ij l'exemple de nos vigoureux
voisins. Le commerce honorable, travailleurs de l'ln-
dustrie Parisienne! ouvrira des debouches I vos pro-
duits, des que certains de nos haute barons •voudront
bien ne plus nous entrainer par des prohibitions inter-
nationales. Malgr6 cat egoisme le siecle marche a
1' union par la democratie, et l'Exposition Universelle,
c'est l'aurore du Bien-etre universel!—(Bravo.) Buvons,
Messieurs, a 1' union des peuples du Nord et du midi,
et specialement de l'Angleterre et de la France.
This sentiment was duly honoured amidst vehement
applause.
The CHAIRMAN next rose to propose " The health of
M. Emile de Girardin, whose absence on the presen
happy occasion was so sensibly felt.
In this tribute of respect to M. de Girardin, all pre•
sent, English as well as French, participated with equal
ardour.

M. LARCIIET, amidst shouts of applause, demanded
the honour of a bumper for their esteemed host—a cit
i-
zen of the two great nations of Europe, celebrated and
revered amongst men of taste in both countries.
This tribute to the excellences of M. Soyer was paid
with the accompaniment of nine times three, and when
the cheering had subsided, he expressed himself to the
following effect:—
Mes chers compatriotes! Je ne saurais vous exprimer
combien je suis flatt6 de l'honneur que vous venez do
me faire en eue portant un toast. Je vous en remercie
de toute mon ame. L'occasion qui nous rassemble au-
jourdhui sur le sold& l'autique Albion, nous la devons a
l'ami hint Cre des peuples industrieux, au Prince Albert.—
' (Bravo.) Et pour votre visit au Symposium, je la dois
un digne personnage, l'ami des arts, des sciences, de
l'industrie, de l'ouvrier, et sourtout des pauvres. C'est
l'homme du dix-nctivicme circle, M. le Comte D'Orsay,
qui m' a chargé aujourdhui de vouz recevoir chez moi,
COLOMO it aurait desii ele faire lui n erne. .Maligt que
j'ai su conserver autant que possible les reminiscences do
cet amiable personnage, qui avant moi, habitait cette
demeure, ii ne me reste qu'un regret, c'est son absence.
Ainsi, vueillrz done, Messieurs, vous joindre it moi en
remplissant vos coupes, et porter uno sant6e a l'homme
qui nous est si cher—au Comte d'Orsay !
The health of that accomplished nobleman, thus feli-
citously proposed, was drunk with lively demonstrations
of esteem.

M. PIERRE VINCARD (Secretaire des delegues des tra-
vailleurs Francais) next gave " Aux hommes du congres
de la paix, et aux dames Anglaises."
The CHAIRMAN responded to this toast, and proposed
the health of Mr. Fox (of the celebrated firm of Fox
and Henderson) which was received with immense ap-
plause.
Mr. Fox returned thanks in very happy terms. He
accorded the highest praise to the many noble specimens
of French industry and taste in the Crystal Palace, and
expressed his conviction that the Exhibition would be a
great instrument in the promotion of the peace of the
world, a sentiment which obtained the coraial assent of
the meeting.
The last toast proposed, was the health of Mr. Vincent,
the Chairman, which was cordially honoured, and very
eloquently acknowledged. The company then adjourned
to partake of coffee on tho balcony, whence they enjoyed
the beautiful coup d ail of the brilliant illumination of the
grounds. The ph asures of the latter portion of the evening
were considerably enhanced by the vocal contributions
of a party of genuine Spanish minstrels in picturesque
costume. The loader of the troupe, who accompanied
himself on the guitar, excited a perfect furore by the ex-
traordinary animation which characterised his singing.
Shortly after eleven o'clock the guests, after partak-
ing of a stirrup-cup, bid adieu to their courteous host,
whose attentions had been unremitting throughout the
evening.

Altogether, the entertainment was of a delight-
ful character, and in the production of it M. Soyer gave
the highest satisfaction to his countrymen, and to all who
had the pleasure of being present.