The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-30

played not less singular skill IN man
aging their steeds.
1t was very evident that they had all
at one time been occupied in some trade
which had not been without its cares
and worries before coming TO establish
themselves in this lost corner OF Ge0r-
gia as grocer or as saddler, as uealer
in costumes or as undertaken. with the
exception of the Colonel and the whole
caravan was chewing tobacco. / could
see the regular motion Of the jaws and
the barrels of the rihes-cach of them
carried one-shining quite close 10 the
faces. stirred with this automatic move
ment. Eight dogs. rather small In
height and undistinguishable to a novice
from the commonest hunting dog, went
on ahead of us, around us, to right, 10
left, shifting the air, hesitating, running,
taking UP again the scent or losing It,
The storm had ceased on the proceed
ing evening, and the morning, AFTER SO
many days of torrentlike rain. was MADE
lovely by humid. brilliant luminosity.
Although the forest roads passed
through a sandy country which had al
ready swallowed up almost all the rain.
there had fallen so much that the low
lying portions were still full. The tiniest
of the water courses which descended
toward the neighboring river had over
flowed, and we had almost constantly
to clear some brook transformed into d
pond, In which our horses Ddtneu CioSc
up to the chest.
Almost continually also we had to
leap over trunks which strewed the
road In the great forests OF Georgia
and of Florida the negroes are accus-
toned to draw the resin from the pitcn
pines by notching them. The notcn
they cut is so deep that a wind storm
of ever so small force is quite sufncient
to break the tree. and a verltable
tempest had been unclaimed upon all
the region during the last two days.
1.-The negroes call these fallen. trees
hurricanes said the Colonel in expla-
nation of this newly felled mass. an ex-
PLANTATION which. however did not ac-
count for the old. for this rotting in the
soil of innumerable Stumps, between
which grew rich, thick vegetation con-
sisting of tiny palms, showing them
selves bravely or lying crushed 10 the
earth. Out of this carpet of large nat
leaves sprang great honeysuckles ana
flowers such as / had admired the other
afternoon. a pellmell mixture of pink
and white, pink that was so fresh and
a white that was so delicate. Colossal
yellow jasmines were interlaced in the
trees Violets as large as pansies
peeped out among the grass. The Dark
ing of the dogs, who were now folloW-
ing the trail. commenced to fill this
spring landscape with a clamor that was
exceedingly fantastic to me.
Not being charged with the civic du-
ties whose trace I could see printed
upon the faces of the horSemen, VINO
were now walking their steeds, tneir
brides twisted round their wrists, their
ewes wide open and their rifles In their
hands. / had time to dream, and / was
oppressed with the thought that the ar
dent appeal of those ferocious animals
was being listened to with terror by
seven or eight unfortunates croucned
motionless in the woods. or perhaps
crushing in their furious course similar
flowers to those which surrounded me;
casting the branches to one side with
frenzied arms: GREATNESS with fear and
painting with fatigue.
At this moment the pack, which had
again been hesitating. took off along
cross road with such fury that they
were soon lost to our view. The Colonel
halted us all. He listened for a few mo-
ments with the close attention OF an old
warrior accustomed to interpret distant
sounds.
'The dogs have stopped" he said at
last "They have got one OF them. We
had better spread ourselves out fam
like in order to surround them and the
man."
Acting upon his instructions, the little
troop disappeared in a few seconds
among the trees. I saw the 'horsemen,
one after another, drive deeper into the
gloom, the DrlOleS ndnSlDS llcc IoW dhu
the rifles ready for use The snrewd.
intelligent horses appeared to have a
genuine instinct to go in the right direc-
ton. The horsemen had merely to press
with one of the large wooden stirrups,
decorated with leather, in which the
foot was fixed in the Mexican manner,
and the knowing animal turned. pass
ing, with sure and firm tread, through
the pools of water and crossing the
obstacles formed by large fallen trees,
which were on every hand. without
even brushing them with the hoof. The
Colonel and / remained alone. We be-
gan to advance in the direction whence
came the barking. We had not ridden
in this way more than two hundred
yards before we had to slacken our
pace. The river. one of these little
water courses almost without name Of
which hundreds flow in that region, and
which are about as big as the Adige
or the Pc, had overlooked it's banks. Its
muddy waters flooded the portion Of the
forest where we were now marching.
The Colonel went on in front of me.
81 know the route a little" he said,
''and there's less chance of me letting
my horse break it's legs in some hole
/ could see him about neck in ad-
vance of me. his body so supple, not
withstanding his age. upon his rather
heavy steed. Now and again he would
turn and stoop as though to gather in
one of his ears the full Significance of
the disturbance coming from the place
toward which we were riding. / could
see his profile at such times, resolute,
serious profile. but wearing an express
sion of sadness that i was beginning to
read both by the light of the hotel keep
ers indiscretions and by that given. me
by his own character. At that very mo-
ment, engaged in doing his duty as a
good citizen in hunting down brigand,
he xxrif1
same brigand, just as he was when in
his service, mere boy, almost child.
The contrast was too great between the
day that he had DISCHARGED Seymour
from his house after first escapade
and the present time, when he was con-
Quoting troop charged with the duty
of tracking his old servant, now an
abominable malefactor, through these
inundated woods. With the idea of re-
sponsibility proper to the old Puritan,
it was impossible that the Colonel should
not contrast these two episodes, i'm
possible that he should not say to him
self, II might perhaps have averted
this destiny if had been less severe"
/ could read the cares of a troubled
conscience upon that strong physiog-
nomy, side by side with the natural ten
sion of the soldier lying in ambush. All
at once this double expression on the
martial visage became more intense.
The Colonel again stopped his horse, his
hands again gripped his rifle, which he
placed to his shoulder with a terrible
slowness. / stopped almost to the neck