St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1856-10-16

piled fresh supply of timber upon it
near where his trusty dogs lay, and
where Sorcerer, in the favorite fashion
of the bush-horse, slept as he stood.
The morning was hushed and breath.
less. Instead of that bracing chill,
with which the Australian lodger out
of doors generally wakes up, Robert
Patterson found the perspiration stand
ing thick on his face, and he felt a
strange longing for breath of fresh
air. But motion there was none, ex-
cept in the little creek which trickled
with fresh and inviting aspect at a
few yards from him. He arose, and
stripping, plunged into the deepest
spot Of it that he could find and thus
refreshed, re-kindled his fire, and made
his solitary breakfast. But all around
him hung, as it were, a death-like heav-
mess. Not a bough nor blade of
grass was moved by the air. The
trees stood inanimately moody aid
sullen. He cast his eyes through the
| gloomy shadow beneath them, and a
sultry, suffocating density seemed to
charge the atmosphere. The sky
above him was dimmed by grey
haze.
"There is something in the wind to-
day, old fellow" he said, addressing
his horse in his usual way for he had
long looked on him as companion,
and firmly believed that he understood
all that he said to him. There is
something in the wind yet, where is
the wind 2"
The perspiration streamed from him
with the mere exertion of saddling his
horse, and, as he mounted him to rouse
up his cattle, horse, dogs, and cattle,
manifested a listlessness that only an
extraordinary condition of the atmos.
phere could produce. If you had seen
the tall, handsome young man seated
on his tall and noble horse, you would
have felt that they were together
formed for any exploit Of strength and
speed. But the whole troop-cattle,
man, and horse-went slowly and so
berly along, as if they were oppressed
by a great fatigue or the extreme ex-
haustion of famine.
The forest closed in upon them
again, they proceeded along narrow
track, flanked on each side by tall and
densely-growing trees /; the creeping
vines making of the whole forest one
intricate, impenetrable scene. All was
hushed as at midnight. No bird emil
vened the solitude by its cries, and
they had left the little stream. Sud-
denly there came puff of air but it
was like the air from the jaws of a
furnace, hot, dry, whitening in it's very
touch. The young settler looked quick.
ly in the direction from which it came
and instantly shouted to the cattle be-
fore him, in wild, abrupt, startling
shout, swung aloft the stock-whip
which he held in his hand, and brough,
it down with the report of pistol,
and it cut like knife, on the ear Of
the huge bullock just before him. The
stock-whip, with a handle about hall
yard long and thong three yards long
Of plated bullock-hide, is a terrible
instrument in the hand Of practiced
stockman. It's sound is the note OF
terror to the cattle, it is like the re.
port of blunderbuss, and the stock
man at full gallop will hit any giver
spot on the beast that he is within
reach of, and cut the piece clean away
through the thickest hide that bull o.
bison ever wore. He will strike fly
on piece Of mud at full speed, and
take away the skin with him, making
the rosy blood spring into the wind
and the astonished animal dart for
ward as if mad. ST.
Loud and louder, wilder and more
fiercely shouted the squatter, and dash
ed his horse over fallen trees through
crashing thickets, first on one side o
the road, and then on the other
Crack, crack, Went the stinging, slash
ing whip loud was the bark Of dogs
and the mob of cattle rushed toward.
at headlong speed The young mar
gazed upward and through the onl,
narrow opening of the forest saw
/ strange volumes Of smoke rolling south
ward, Hotter, hotter, stronger ant
more steadily came the wind. He sud
denly checked his horse, and listening
grew pale at the sound which reached
him, 1t was low deep roar, as Of