The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-07-23
,r, as low, calm voice remarked in his

Villain, you play strong hand a
many different games, but here stand
one who can beat you at all of them ?
He turned, met the glance of thost
keen blue eyes SO preternaturally bright
and shuddered. But he Immediately re-
gained his presence of mind, for he wa,
no coward, and then he frowned till hi.
shaggy brows met like the coil of a ser
pent, and demanded sternly,
"Beggar, who are you, to banter a gen
tleman thus rudelyr
81 am James Bowie, of Texas, " the
other answered with a ringing laugh
"and you are John La6tte, a natural SOL
Of the old pirate'
The gambler reeled in his chair as i
he had been struck with a thunderbolt
but recovered again from the shock of a
moment, and asked in a firm tone,
What game do you wish with me p
Poker first, and pistols afterwards il
you play foul l'' replied Bowie.
Very well, )" rejoined the other, and
they took their seats at the table.
For time, the success seemed about
equally balanced, the gain and loss being
alternate. At last the gambler ventured
one of his skillful manDuvres in dealing.
Bowie smiled strangely as his quick eye
| detected the trick. He said nothing.
| however, but looked at his hand and bet
five thousand dollars. stalking the money
in ten large bills. The gambler went five
thousand dollars higher, which resulted
IN "call - Bowie held d" four lacks >
but, with his habituaI, fendish chuckle.
his antagonist showed -four queens" ex-
claiming as he did So
"By Heavens the pile is mine !''
Not yet !" shouted Bowie, as, with
both hands he raked the heap of notes,
TO the tune Of 800, 900, into his own
pocket.
Choking, and purple with rage and
shame, the gambler roared-
ITO the hurricane deck, and let pis-
tolls be trumps this turn p'
GOOD as gold!" replied Bowie-and
the two hastily ascended the stairs, and
assumed their seperate positions-the
gambler over the stern and Bowie over
the prov.
AT this Instant the sun was just rising
IN cloudless sky. Nature looked SUBJ
lime-a bride worthy of her Almighty
husband and God. The woods and wa
ters appeared as part of one divine
picture, and the boundless blue of heav,
en- for its back ground. The broad bo-
somed river rolled away like an immense
sheet OF FURNISHED silver, speckled here
and there with the flash of golden bub-
les; shining fishes gamboled in the spark
ling wave, and all the bright birds
those sweet singers, whose lifeis dream,
and that dream only music chaunted
their wild anthem to the new day; while
the two duellsts, the most deadly ever
known 10 the Southwest, stood with
cooked pistols, eye to eye, and their fn>
gers fixed on the hair triggers, prepared
and waiting TO be slain.
| am ready. You give the word, I"
cried Bowie, IN his clear, ringing voice,
and with that inseperable smile of strange
meaning on his lips.
II am ready. Fire 7" shouted the
gambler, in tones murderous as death.
The two pistols roared simultaneous
IT, Bowie did not move, though he
had barely escaped with his life, for the
bullet of his foe had cut away one of
the golden locks of his yellow hair.
The gambler was shot through the
heart, and, dropping on the brink of the
deck, had almost tumbled into the river.
lie was buried by the squatters at the
next wood yard And thus pershed
justly natural son of the great pirate
Lafitte.
There never was jury empanneled
in the West who would have brought in
verdict against any man for killing him,
and more especially under the crcum,
stances. because public opinion pro,
nounced that he ought to be killed. "
And such were the desperadoes that
Bowie commonly exterminated.
The generous victor Immediately pro.
ceeded 10 the ladies' cabin and restored
the winnings ofthe gambler to the young
merchant and his beautiful wife, who
both received the boon as a gift from
heaven, with as much gratitude and Joy.
If we should write a volume concern.
ing the exploits Of James Bowie, hi:
character could not be rendered more
transparent than il is revealed in the
foregoing anecdote. He was always the
same; the friend of the feeble, the pro-
tector Of the oppressed, and the sworn
enemy of tyrants. lie was brave with
out fear, and generous beyond precedent