Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1874-11-06

al cling to life more than yourself,
sharply replied the Colonel, for have a
mortal outrage to avenge.. But,the time
is fast slipping away. Are you ready to
proceed to draw the last lottery at which
one of us will ever exist? -
GLOW were we to proceed to this
drawing by lot? By means of the wet
fingers, like the schoolboys? This way
was impracticable. Our hands imprudent-
ly stretched over the heads of our fright
ened horses might give them fatal
start Should we toss up piece of coin,
the night was too dark to enable us to
distinguish which side fell upward. The
Colonel bethought him of an expedient
of which Ishould never have dreamed
"' Listen to me, Captain said the
Colonel, to whom I had communicated
my perplexities. Il have another way.
The terror which our horses feel makes
them draw every moment burning
breath. The first of us two whose horse
shall neigh
"Winsw I exclaimed, hastily.
"Not so; shall be loser; l know that
you are countryman, and, as such, can
do whatever you please with your horse.
AS to myself, who but last year wore the
gown of theological student, | fear
your equestrian prowess. You may be
able to make your horse neigh; to hinder
him from doing SO is very different
matter" ..'
We waited in deep and anxious silence
until the voice of one of our horses
should break forth. The silence lasted
for minute, for an age! 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 a
failing voice.
"' 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.
"'It is time, said the Colonel
"I answered nothing, and with firm
hand gathered up the bride of my horse
and drew it within my fingers, which
were agitated with nervous Cremor.
"t Yet one moment more,' | said to the
Colonel, for | have need of all my cool
ness to carry into execution the fearful
maneuver which I am about to COM
mence.'
Granted,' replied Garduro.
I" NV 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 tlattering
myself, that if there was anyone in the
world capable of executing difficult
equestrian feat it was myself. | rallied
with almost supernatural effort, and sue
ceeded in recovering self-possession "a
the very face of death. Taking it st the
worst, | had already braved it. 40 01ten
to be any longer alarmed 10 IT. FROM
that instant dared to nope atresh. AS
soon as nv horse EoIt, for the first time
since NV encoanter with the Colonel, the
hit comnrossfng his mouth, | perceived
that he 5rembled beneath me. Istrength-
enoa myself firmly on my stirrups, to
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, let the poor, trembling
brute, who obeyed me in spite of terror,
repose for few moments, and then re-
commenced the same maneuver. After
sudden / 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
gave to my body a 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 l feel them tremble.
"I 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
/ dared not venture. / 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 sim
gle step in the rear. Nevertheless | 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 sharp and keen knife, which ]
drew forth from its sheath With my
left hand began caressing the name of
my horse, all the while letting him hear
my voice.
"The poor animal replied to my caresses
! by a 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 vertebr9 united itself
with the cranlum The horse trembled,
but calmed 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 I buried the pointed blade of my
knife into the seat of the vital principle
The animal fell as if thunder-struck
without single m otion; and, for myself
my knees almost as high as my chin,
found myself a-horseback across q
corpse! I was saved! / uttered tri
umphant cry, which was responded to by
the Colonel, and which the abyss re
echoed with hollow sound as if it fell
that its prey had escaped it.. | quilted
the saddle, sat down between the wal
and the body of my horse, and vigorously
pushed with my feet against the carcas:
!, of the, wretched animal, which rolled
down into the abyss. then arose an(
cleared at few bounds the distance
which separated the place where was
from the plain; and, under the iresisti