The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-09

his offending was, that he could never see any
living thing stir-bird, beast, or reptile-with.
ont frightening, hurting, or killing it. Herman
might spend hours in stealing unawares upon q
herd of shy wild animals-sheep, goats, or ante
lopes-and just a. one or two of them had been
obliging enough to group themselves prettily,
and his portfolio had been softly and stealthily
opened, that neither sight nor sound might give
the slightest intimation to the shy, coy dar-
lings, that they were sitting for their pictures,
out would leap the dark imp into the midst Of
them, shouting and clapping his hands-or,
worse still, out would leap an arrow from his
unseen bow, to lay the fairest sobbing and
bleeding upon the grass, and sweep her sisters
away, as if on the wings of the wind. This
was intolerable; and 80 Herman told Mr..
Grubbe; and 30 Mr.. Grubbe told Weahwash.
tsy and so Weahwashtay told Whattaraskle
but not to much purpose. While she scolded
him at one end of the lodge, he was out at the
other; and before he had done, he had very
nearly got himself into a very serious predica-
ment, and Herman too.
The latter, determined to make very seri.
Gus impression upon Whattaraskle's mind, and,
if possible, to enjoy one afternoons ramble
and sketching in peace, had, with the mourn.
full concurrence of Weahwashtay, and amidst
a chorus of approving laughter from the other
mobiles, forcibly elected that offending youth
from his tent, while he held high coffee feast
there one evening. Ga the following day, he
L. kou n ubola Of po of tap0
colored beads, of inexpressible beauty and ines
Unable value, if he would bring him the flower
of certain plant, which Herman bad his rea.
sons for supposing to be out of blossom. Fail.
ing to find it earlier, he was to continue his
solitary search till sunset, when, If he did 80,
the beads we're to be his at all events. II, on
the other hand, he let Herman hear or see
anything of him before that time, without his
flower, he was to forfeit his reward. These
conditions agreed upon, Herman waited only
to see the STRIPPING set off with zeal and speed
up the mountains, and to deposit the beads in
the hands of Mr.. Grubbe, to be given, if earned,
in his absence, before he set off himself in
another direction, with speed scarcely less, and
zeal even greater. Climbing diagonally, and
then going horizontally, he found q satisfactory
spot half way up his mountain, with dizzy
precipice below, and snow rooted summit
above, reminding him psthetically of wedding
cake, and just above that, one CLASSY icy peak,
looking loftily down over it through an up and
down foored gorge, tapestried, where it opened
near him, with green quivering pine beughs.
The day, the lights, the shadows, the clouds
overhead, the mists underneath, the silence,
the solitude, the scene, we're all perfect. He
placed his portfolio on q raised tablet of blscl
rock, that looked like the unintelligible tomb.
stone OF DEAD ages, aud himself on another, aud
sketched, and gazed, aud dreamed, he knew
not how long.
All at once, there was rushing and crashing
in the gorge. A slight dark form was darling
towards him with every sinew strained. 1t was
that of the ubiquitous Whattaraskle; and behind
it for an instant appeared rampant, shaggy,
fur-clad figure surmounted by, as it seemed to
Herman's remarkably far sight, positively
demoniac face. 1t stopped out of sight, sp
peared again much nearer, stood up once more
on its hind legs, full seven or eight feet high,
as if to take an observation, and again came
scrambling and tumbling on, on all-fours. II
was the gigantic Caleb" as some of his ia
miliar acquaintance call grizzly bear. The
little fugitive, no doubt, must needs have beer
boarding him in his headquarters. The preci
pice was below. He could not run much further
without running from the jaws of one death
into those of another. His strength was al
most spent. His speed was slackening; his
adversary's increasing. He was in fair way
to get Immediately precisely what he deserved
but still it Was not pleasant to see his poor
mouth foaming, and his tongue and eyes start,
ing from his sharpened face, after that fashion
and thus it happened that, the next time the
justly incensed Caleb tilted himself back or
his hindlegs, with his bristly muzzle all snarl,
and white teeth, and eyes full of mischief, be
saw close before him, not q young Indians back,
but the front of a young white man, with his fee,
firmly planted in portfolio, two teeth as white
as Caleb's own COMPRISING his bristly under
lip, eyes that sparkled as if the bad example o.
Caleb's had been too much for them, and the}
meant mischief, too, and, aimed precisely al
Caleb's red, steaming, open, mouth, q rife thai
instantly went off with q crack, whiz, and {.
bullet, which must have affected Caleb's brair
very seriously, If he had not Just at the right mo
ment shaken his head disapprovingly at it, as i
he had thoroughly studied the whole subject OF
dueling, and really could not consent to give i
his countensnce. Paving the smoke out of hi,
red eyes, he came on again; and the rife wa,
unloaded, the knife too short, the solitud,
around, the precipice below, and death, in tn,
shape of Caleb, staring Herman in the face,
when, ION the very verge of fate" his gooe
genius reminding him of his rufianly accom-
piishments, he threw himself into O scientifi,
attitude, clutched his rife with both hands. anf
encompsssed himself with a whirring whirl O
passes, in hopes of soaring the monster swayll
caleb d'd not appear at all dismayed, but, on
the contrary, rather gratifed, and approached
to embrace him, when, to his chsgrin and AZ,
Constituent he received broken paw. BE
stopped to mouth, fondle, and condole with it,
just long enough for Herman to dart twenty
PAGES backwards, and up into q stunted half
naked 6r-tree, rooted in the thin, slanting soil,
six feet or Whereabouts above the brink of the
precipice. Whattaraskle was already perched
in il, and, unconscious of anything but terror,
tried to push Herman off; but smart rap on
the knuckles, from the rife which the latter still
held fast, warned him that he might trespass
too far upon his forbearance. Driving him
higher into the tree on the safe side, and
taking up his own position on the lower branch,
which ran off horizontally at the height OF
about eighteen feet, Herman began in all haste