Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1854-05-11

"What arower going to do!' l de
manded of he; Colonel.
Draw lois which of us two shaI
leap into the ravine."
1t~was in fact the sole means of re
) solving the difficulty. ''There ar,
neverthelssS.some precautions to take, ;
f said the,> Celena. He who shall b,
condemned.by the lot shall retire back
wards. 1t will be but feeble chanc,
for escape for him, admit; but in short
, it is a chance, and especially one in favol
of the winner
'YoHcIing not to life, them" Icried
! out, terrified at the sGngJroid with
: which this proposition was put to me.
II clisg to life more than yourself. -
| sharply replied the Colonel, ''for have
, mortalsSDurage to avenge. But the
tiRSist Slipping away. Are you ready
to proceed to draw the last lottery al
which one of us will ever assist"
How were we to proceed to this draw
ing by lot? By means of the wet
finger, like infants, or by head and tail,
like the school boys? Both ways were
impracticable Our hands imprudently
stretched out over the heads of our
frightened horses, might cause them to
give fatal start Should we toss up a
piece of coin, the night was too dark fol
us to distinguish which side fell up
wards. The Colonel bethought himself
on an expedient of which / never should
have demanded.
"Listen to me, Captain" said the
Colonel to whom l had communicated
my perplexities; "I have another way.
isThe terror which our horses feel makes
them draw every moment burning
breath. The first of us two whose
horse shall neigh -.
"Wins!' hastily exclaimed.
"Not so-shall be the loser. l know
you are a countryman and as such you
can do whatever you please with your
horse. AS to myself, who but last year
wore a gown of theological student,
l fear your equestrian prowess. You
may be able to make your horse neigh
to hinder him from doing so is very
different matter. f....
We waited in deep and ANXIOUS silence
until the voice of one of our horses
should break forth. The silence lasted
for moment-for an age! 1t was my
horse who neighed first. The Colonel
gave no external manifestations of his
Joy, but no doubt he thanked God to the
very bottom of his soul.
''You will allow me minute to make
my peace with heaven?" l said to the
Colonel, with faltering voice.
"WiIl FIVE minutes be sufficient"
at WILL" l replied. The Colonel
pulled out his watch. addressed to-
wards the heavens, brilliant with stars,
which thought was looking up to for
the last time, an intense and burning
prayer.
at is time" said the Colonel.
answered nothing, and with firm
hand gathered up the bride of my
horse, and drew it with my fingers,
which were agitated by nervous tre-
NOR. IN
"Yet one moment more" said l to
the Colonel, "for | have need of all my
GOODNESS to carry into execution the fear
full maneuver which am about to COM
mence." U<t TIEt YEr r
Granted" replied Gardino.
Ny education, as / have told you, had
been in the country. Ny childhood,
and part of my earlier youth, had al
most been passed on horseback. may
say, without flattering myself, that if
there was any one in the world capable
of executing this equestrian fete, it was
myself. rallied myself with an almost
supernatural effort, and succeeded in
recovering my entire self-possession in
the very face of death. Takeit at.the
worst, had already brayed it; too often
I to be any longer alarmed at it From
that instant, dared to hope afresh.
:. As soon as Day horse felt, for the first
Ftime since my rencontre with the, cCol.
the bit COMPRISING his mouth, ISper-
ceired that he trembled beneath me. /
strengthened myself firmly on my stir
rups, to make the terrified animal un-
derstand that his master no longer
trembled, l held him up with the bride
on the hams, as every good horseman
does in dangerous passage, and, with
the bride, the body, and the spur to-
gether, succeeded in backing him few
PAGES. His head was already greater
distance from that of the horse of the
Colonel, who encouraged me all he
could with his voice. This done, 1 let
the poor trembling brute, who obeyed
me in spite of his terror, repose for a
few moments, and then recommended
the same vancouver. All of sudden,
l felt his legs give way under me. A
horrible shudder ran through my whole
frame. / closed my eyes as if about to
roll TO the bottom of the abyss, and 1
gave to my body violent impulse on
the side next the hacienda, the surface
of which offered not single projection,
not a single turf of weeds TO check my
descent. This sudden movement, joined
to the desperate struggles of my horse,
was the salvation of my life. He had
sprung up again on his legs, which
seemed ready to fall from under him SO
desperately didI feel them tremble, 80
had succeeded in reaching between
the brink of the precipice and the wall
r Il l. = e . Il