The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-03-26


90 L am the Capt. Castanos.'
"Our acquaintance was of long stand
ing and, but for mutual agitation, we
should have no need to exchange our
names. The Colonel had left us two
days since, at the head of a detachment,
which we supposed to be either prisoners
or cut off, for he had not been seen to re-
turn to camp.
"'Well, Colonel, exclaimed, + am
sorry that you are not Spaniard, for
you perceive that one of us must yield
the pathway to the other.
"Our horses had the brides on their
necks, and l put my hands TO the holster
of my saddle to draw out my pistols.
90 / see so plainly, said the Colonel,
with alarming coolness, that ! should
already have blown ont the brains of
your horse, but for the fear lest mine, in
a moment of terror, should precipitate
me, with yourself, to the bottom OF the
abyss.
q remarked, in fact, that the Colonel
already held his pistols in his hands We
both maintained almost profound silence.
Our horses felt the danger like ourselves,
and remained as immovable as if their
feet were nailed to the ground. My ex-
element had entirely subsided.
What are we going to doE j de-
manded of the Colonel.
Draw lots to see which Of the two
shall leap into the ravine.'
1t was, in truth, the sole means of
solving the difficulty.
"'There are nevertheless, some pre-
cautions to take, said the Colonel. He
who shall be condemned 10y the lot shall
retire backward. 1t will be but feeble
chance of escape for him, | admit ; but,
in short, there is chance, and especially
in favor of the winner
You cling not to life = / cried out,
terrified at the sang froid with which this
proposition was made to me.
cling to life more than yourself,
sharply replied the Colonel, for l 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
How were we to proceed to this
drawing by lot-by means OF the wet
finger, like infants, or by head and tail,
like the schoolboys! Both ways were
impracticable. Our hands imprudently
stretched out over the heads of our
frightened horses might give them a
fatal start. Should We toss mp piece
of coin, the night was too dark to enable
us to distinguish which side fell upward.
The Colonel bethought him Of an ex-
pedient OF which 1 never should have
dreamed.
90 Listen to me, Captain said the
%, ,,.h 4 lo. ao( (,1
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
Wins exclaimed hastily.
"'Not so-shall be loser. | know
that you are a 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
difficult matter.
eve waited in deep and anxious
silence until the voice of one of our
horses should break forth. The silence
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 a minute to make
my peace with heaven! said !, with a
falling voice.
'Will five minutes be sufficient
"The Colonel pulled out his watch.
/ addressed toward the heavens, brill
liant with stars which / thought l was
looking to for the last time, an intense
burning prayer.
It's time, said the Colonel.
answered nothing, and, with firm
hand, gathered up the bride of my
horse, and drew it within my fingers,
which were agitated with q nervous
tremor.
yet one moment more, / said to
the Colonel, for / have need of all my
GOODNESS to carry into execution the fear
full maneuver which l am about TO com
mence.
Granted, replied Garduto.
"My education had been in the coun-
try. My childhood, and part of my
earliest youth, had almost been passed
on horseback. may say, without fat
tering myself, that if there was any one
in the world capable of executing diff
cult equestrian feat, it was myself.
rallied myself with almost a supernatural
effort, and succeeded in recovering my
entire 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
l dared to hope afresh.
GAS soon as my horse felt-for the
first time since my rencounter with the
Colonel-the bit compressing his mouth,
/ perceived that he trembled beneath
me. 1 strengthened myself firmly on
my stirrup to make the terrified animal
understand that his master no longer
trembled. / held him with bride and
the hams, as every good horseman does
in a dangerous passage, and, with the
bride, the body and the spur together,
succeed in backing him a few PAGES.
His head was already further from that
of the horse of the Colonel, who en-
couraged me all he could with his voice.
This done, / let the poor, trembling
brute, who obeyed me, in spite of his
terror, repose for a few moments, and