American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-11-07
VOL. NXIV.

should break forth The silence lasted
| tor minute, for an agcl 1t was my
horse who neighed first. The Colonel
gave no external manifestation of his
JOY; but, no doubt, he thanked God to
the very bottom of his heart.
You will allow me minute to make
| my peace with Heaven" said l with Il
failing voice.
49, Will five minutes be sufficient"
THE Colonel pulled out his watch.
| addressed toward the heavens, brilliant
with stars, which thought l was look
ing to for the last time, with an intense
and burning prayer.
1t is time said the Colonel.
Il answered nothing, and with a firm
hand gathered up the bride of my horse
and drew it within my fingers, which
were agitated with a nervous tremor.
60 ct one moment more l said to the
Colonel, for l have need of all my cool
ness to carry into execution the fearful
vancouver which i am about to COM
mence.'
Granted replied Garduro.
" My education had been in the coun-
try. My childhood, and part of my ear
liest youth, had almost been passed on
horseback Imay say, without flattering
myself, that if there was anyone in the
world capable of executing difficult
"a
with almost supernatural effort, and sue
cecded in recovering self-possession in
the very face of death. Taking it at the
worst, had already braved it too often
to be any longer alarmed at it. From
that instant dared to hope afresh. AS
soon as my horse felt, for the first time
since my encounter with the Colonel, the
bit COMPRISING his mouth, l perceived
that he trembled beneath me. strength
al
make the terrified animal understand
that his master no longer trembled. |
held him up with the bride and the
hams, as every good horseman does in a
dangerous passage, and with the bride,
the body and the spur together, succeeded
in backing him few PAGES. His head
was already further from that of the
horse of the Colonel, who encouraged
me all he could with his voice
This DONE l let the poor trembling
brute, who obeyed me in spite of terror,
repose for few moments, and then re-
commenced the same maneuver. After
a sudden l felt his hind legs give
way under me. A horrible shudder
ran through my whole frame. l
closed my eyes as if about to
roll to the bottom of the abyss, and
l gave to my body IA sudden impulse on
the side next to the hacienda, the sur
face of which offered not single pro-
lection, not tuft 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 did feel them tremble.
81 had succeeded in reaching, between
the brink of the precipice and the wall
of the building, a spot some five inches
broader. A few more would have ena-
bled me to turn him around; but to at
tempt it here would have been fatal, and
l dared not venture. l sought to re-
sumo my backward progress step by
step. Twice the horse threw himself on
his hind legs, and fell down on the same
spot. 1t was in vain to urge him anew,
either with voice, bride or spur; the
animal Obstinately refused to take IA sin
gle step in the rear. Nevertheless l did
not feel my courage exhausted, for / had
no desire to die. One last, solitary
chance of safety suddenly appeared to
me, like flash of light, and resolved
to employ 1t. Through the fastening of
my boot, and in reach of my hand, was
placed a sharp and keen knife, which
drew forth from its sheath With nv
left hand began caressing the name of
my horse, all the while letting him hear
my voice.
1.-The poor animal replied to my caresses
by plaintive neighing; then, not to
alarm him, my hand followed, by little
and little, the curve of his nervous neck
and finally rested upon the spot where
the last of the vertebre united itself
with the Uranium. The horse trembled,
but Gained him with my voice. When
felt his very life, SO to speak, palpitate
in his brain beneath my fingers, | leaned
over toward the wall, my feet gently slip
from the stirrups, and with one vigorous
blow buried the pointed blade of my
knife into the seat of the vital principle.
The animal fell as if thunder-struck,
without single m )tion; and, for myself,
my knees almost as high as my chin, l
found myself a-horseback across IA
corpse! l was saved, / uttered tri-
umphant cry, which was responded to by
the Colonel, and which the abyss re
echoed with II hollow sound as if it felt
that its prey had escaped it. / quilted
the saddle, sat down between the wall
and the body Of my horse, and vigorously
pushed with my feet against the carcass
of the wrctched animal, which rolled
down into the abyss. l then arose and
cleared at Il few bounds the distance
which separated the place where / was
from the plain; and, under the irrcsisti-
BILE reaction of the terror which | had
long represscd, / sank into IA swoon upon
the ground"