Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-01-20

/ had heard of him as | passed through
Texas. and often heard of his daring ex-
ploits among Mexicans and in the town
of Victoria, where had resided a month,
he had been resident long before he
/ commenced his wild and lawless career.
/ Mustang Grey stepped upon the broad
/ stone where the strange child stood
! previously in her statuesque pose, sank
upon one knee, and bowed his head to
receive a cooling draught from the round
gourd in the hands of the brave girl.
She stopped forward, end her curls
fell down to his lips. l thought /
heard an audible whisper but, when he
arose to his feet, his face was calm and
hers wore the same look of passionless
quietude.
"Now, my little viper, are you salts
fed? If You thoroughly knew the man
! you would have given him poison in
stead of water" growled Haskell, as he
took the gourd.
There was only spasmodic twitch OF
the girls face, and flush Of her gray
eyes, and she was again in that i'm
penetrable repose from which she could
not easily be started.
The sun had entirely disappeared from
I view, and the verge of the western sky
was enameled with mellow tints, and i'll
the east shadows were gathering, max
ing somber and phantom-like shapes,
heralds of approaching night
"Mount, Grey, we must to camp, }"
said Haskell, as he roughly assisted the
| bound man into saddle. stranger, !"
speaking to me, twill you camp with
us? The more the merrier."
| [ gave my assent, as | was glad of
their company, and rode along with the
Texans and their prisoner. One mile
from the old mission, on the route to
Mexico, we camped in basin-like re-
treat, in the center of which was small
! lake Of clear water.
| Dismounting, our horses were stripped
of their saddles, brides and saddle
blankets, watered and securely staked on
the margin Of the lake, where the grass
was nutritious and plentiful then our
arrangements were made for an evenings S
repast That through with, We spread
our blankets and prepared for repose.
Mustang Grey's arms and legs were
securely bound, he submitting without n
murmm. His blanket was spread and
his saddle arranged so as to give him a
rude resting place for his head; then he
was left to himself and his gloomy
thoughts until morning should call his
captors to the saddle.
AS we gathered around the camp fire
many were the stories told of the daring
and outrageous acts of Mustang Grey
and his numerous escapes from even un-
| l.. L. l,xr1 Ecll
asleep, until the Texans were deep i'll re-
pose, and the camp fire had sunk into
white embers and served as a sentinel to
our quiet camp.
The events of the day had impressed
me strangely, and [ pictured to myself
the kneeling figure of the strong, tall
desperate, and the 1.-THE, graceful form
of the strange girl, as she gave him a
cooling draught to wet his parched lips
and tongue.
The canopy of heaven was studded
with stars. No light from the moon
paled their liquid gleamings, and the
milky way, wherein clustered myriads OF
these unseen celestial torches, belted the
torrid and frigid zones in its magical
folds.
Could the prisoner, this man of strange
deeds, be asleep? I looked toward him,
and as an ember fell from its living pin
nacle, lighting up momentarily the face
of Grey, l saw that his eyes were moi
closed. From that moment | banished
sleep, and my sympathies went with this
strange being, knowing that the Texans
who were his captors, would execute hin
without authority of law.
was 50 close to him that by looking
at his reclining form intently for a shor
space of time, 1 could almost see the out
!, lines of his face.
The hour of midnight had passed, an(
Ursa Major was below the verge of the
northern sky, when I saw something tina
, resembled creeping form. Its move
, ments were slow, and soon it was almos
, at the side of the prisoner. There was
/ momentary pause; another ember fell
, and 1 recognized the PROSTATE form o
the girl of the stone mission. She crep
closer, when her head touched the fac,
/ of Grey, and there was q sound as if lip
touched in fervent kiss. Then o knit
, CLEANED, and [ heard the thongs tina
bound the captive snap as the ligament
= separated
He was as free as air. Another hasl
2 from the almost dead embers, and | say
two brawny arms twined round the necl
3 of the strange girl, whose head wa,
nestled in the desperado's bosom. Onl,
a moment, and he stood buckling a bel
$ containing pistol and knife around hi,
r waist. He lifted his saddle and blanket,
: from the ground, and soon the tall out
g law and the strange girl faded in tn
L darkness that enveloped the camp.
Morning, sober and staid, came on
: and one by one the Texans arose fror
their blankets, and as they stretche
!, their drowsy limbs they mechanical
/ looked for Grey.
a He had fled.
/ They swore loud and deep. and eal
loped to the mission and aroused it
sleeping inmates; but they could give n
t information in relation to the outlaw
i Next they visited the abode of the gil
d of the mission. Her room was entered
s but it was found empty.
!. "We must give up the search" sal
s Haskell; "the little tigress turned hin
loose. lie is armed and will fight like
: demon; besides, he is many miles on hi
e way to the Nueces. This is bad work fo
: u.s." The latter sentence he muttered i,
G low tones, as if dreading the future.
. The rangers left me at the mission. an,
y one month from the night of Mustan,
u Grey's escape | was again in Victoria OF