The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-01-11
Ter" said Haskell. "a he turned away.

|
his hand, and her metallic voice shrek
| ed out /:
| s'He shall have water
Haskell was startled, and wild shout
OF laughter broke from the throats OF
his companions. The laughter was loud
| and long and the girl stood before them
as one inspired with the ferocity of q
tigress.
The prisoner remained unmoved, his
arms still pinionod.
| Course the little catamount," mutter-
ed Haskell. ''Give it to him, and give
plenty-enough to last him to San Pa
trichio. We Will hang him as soon as
we reach that place. He is Mustang
Grey p
s'Mustang Grey !" was re-echoed by
those gathered around, as he was known
as the most desperate man that ranged
from the Rio Grande to the Gaudalope.
L 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 I had resided month
| he had been resident long before he
commenced his Iawless career.
Mustang Grey stepped upon the broad
stone where the strange child had stood
previously in her statuesque pose, sank
upon one knee, and bowed his head to
receive cooling draught from the round
L :.
| She stopped forward and her curls fell
| down 10 his lips. [ thought I heard an
audible whisper bat when he arose his
| face was calm and hers wore the same
| looksof passionless quietude.
''Now, ny little viper, are you salts
fed IL 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 a spasmodic twitch of
| the girls face, and fash of her grey
eyes, and she was again in that impene-
trable repose from which she could not
easily be startled.
The sun had entirely disappeared
from view, and the verge of the western
sky was enameled with mellow tints, and
in the east shadows were gathering,
making sombre and phantomHke shapes
heralds of approaching night.
''Mount, Grey, we must to camp"
said Haskell, as he roughly assisted the
bound manssinto the saddle. 'sStranger,"
speaking to me, ''wiH you camp with
us The more the merrier"
I gave my assent, as was glad Of their
company, and rode along with the Tex
ans and their prisoner. One mile from
| the old mission, on the route TO Mexico,
we canped in basin-like retreat, in the
centre of which was a 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 we're made for an ev-
! ening's repast. That through with, we
spread our blankets and prepared for
| repOse.
Mustang Grey's arms and legs were
securely bound he submitted without
a murmllr. 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 till morning should call bis
ca aptors to the saddle.
As we gathered around the campfire
many were the stories told of the daring
| and outrageous acts of Mustang Grey,
and his numerous escapes from even I'M
der the rope. Soon one by one fell
asleep, until the Texans were deep in
repose, and the campfire had sunk into
white embers, and served as a sentinel
to our quiet camp.
The events Of the day had impressed
me strangely, and I 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. Could there have been more
pathos or truer refinement than in this
| scene ? And as he drank the invigorat-
| ing liquid that God has given alike to all
who inhabit the earth, he bowed his
knee upon the cross. It was an accident
that he stood upon the cross, and neces-
sity that caused him to bend his knee
that perhaps never bent at command of
living man.
The canopy of heaven was studded
with stars. No light from the moon pal
ed their liquid gleanaings, and the milky
way, wherein clustered myriads of these
unseen celestial torches, belted the tor
rid and frigid zones in its magical folds.
Gould the prisoner, this man ofstrange
deeds, be asleep, while above him were
all these beauties of nature, the deep
mysteries of which science could not
solve 3? I looked toward him, and as an
ember fell from its living pinnacle,
lighting up momentarily the face OF
Grey, saw that his eyes were not clos
ed. From that moment I hanished
sleep, and my sympathies went with this
strange being, knowing that the Texans,
who were his captors, would execute him
without authority Of law.
was so close to him that by looking
at his reclining form intently for short
space OF time, [ could almost see the out.
lines of his face.