Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-12-09

that instant / dared to hope afresh.
AS soon as my horse felt, for tho
first time since my encounter with
the Colonel, the bit COMPRISING
his mouth, ! perceieved that he
trembled beneath me. strength.
ened myself firmly on the stirrnps,
TO make the terrified animal under.
stand that his master no longer
trembled. held him up with the
bride and names, as every good
horseman does in a dangerous pas
sage, and with the bride, the body
and the spur together, succeeded
in backing him few PAGES. His
head was already farther from that
of the horse OF the Colonel, who
encouraged me all he could with
voice.
This done, let the poor, trembl-
ing brute, who obeyed me in spite
of terror, repose for few moments,
and then recommended the same
maneuver. Suddenly I felt his
hind 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 l gave to my body .
sndden impulse on the side next to
the hacienda, the surface Of which
offered not single projection, not
tuft of weeds to check my de-
scent. This sudden movement, ad.
ded to the desperate struggles Of
the horse, was the salvation of my
life. He had sprung up again on
his legs, which seemed ready to fall
from under him, so desperate did I
feel them tremble.
l had succeeded in reaching, be-
tween the brink of the precipce
and the wall Of the building, q spot
some five inches broader. A few
more would have enabled me to
turn him around; but to attempt
it here would have been fatal, and
l dared not venture. I sought to
resume my backward progress step
by step. Twice the horse threw
himself on his hind legs, and fell
down on the same spot. It was in
vain to urge him anew, either with
voice, bride or spur; the animal
obstinately refused to take single
step in the rear. Nevertheless, I
did not feel my courage exhausted,
for / had no desire to die. One
last, solitary chance of safety sud-
denly appeared to me, like fash
of light, and I resolved to employ
it. Through the fastening Of my
boot, and in reached of my hand,
was placed sharp and keen knife
which drew forth from its sheath.
With my left hand I began caress-
ing the name of my horse, all the
while letting him hear my voice.
The poor animal replied to my
caresses by plaintive neighing;
then, not to alarm him, my hand
followed little by little, the curve
of his nervous neck, and finally
rested upon the spot where the last
Of the vertebra united itself with
the Uranium. The horse trembled,
but calmed him with my voice.
When / felt his very life, so to
speak, palpitate in his brain be-
meath my fingers, I leaned over
toward the wall, let my feet slip
from the stirrips, and with one
vigorous blow I buried the pointed
blade of my knife into the seat Of
the vital principal. The animal
fell rs If thunder-struclx, without
a single motion and, for myself,
my knee almost as high as my chin.
/ found myself a horseback across
n corpse ! was saved ! utter
ed triumphant cry, which was
responded to by the colonel. and
which the abyss reechocd with q
hollow sound as II it felt that its
prey had escaped it. / quilted the
saddle. sat down between the wall
aud the hody Of my horse, and
vigorously pushed With ny fscs