The Silent Rifleman! A tale of the Texan prairies Read online

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  Punctuation errors have been repaired by the transcriber.

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  The following changes have been made by the transcriber:

  steal replaced with steel trongs replaced with strong ordours replaced with odours delated replaced with dilated nigh replaced with neigh

  JACKSON'S NOVELS.

  THE SILENT RIFLEMAN!

  A TALE OF THE TEXAN PRAIRIES.

  CHAPTER I.

  THE HORSE AND THE RIDER.

  It wanted an hour or two of sunset on a lovely evening in the latterpart of September, when a single horseman might have been seen makinghis way to the westward, across the high dry prairie land, which liesbetween the upper portion of the river Nueces and the Bravo del Norte.

  He was a small, spare man, of no great personal power, but of a figurewhich gave promise of great agility and capability of enduring fatigue,the most remarkable feature of which was the extraordinary length ofhis arms.

  His countenance, without being in the least degree handsome, waspleasing and expressive.

  A short, heavy English rifle, carrying a ball of twelve to the pound,was slung by a black leather belt across his shoulder, the braidedstrap which supported his large buffalo-horn powder flask and bulletpouch of otter skin crossing it on his breast. From a leather girdle,which was buckled about his waist, he had hung a long, straight,two-edged sword in a steel scabbard with a silver basket hilt on theleft side, which was counterbalanced by a long, broad-bladed huntingknife with a buck-horn hilt, resting upon his right hip. There wereholsters at the bow of his large Mexican saddle, containing a pair offine duelling pistols with ten inch barrels; and in addition to these,there was suspended from the pummel a formidable hatchet with a brightsteel head and a spike at the back, like an Indian tomahawk, but in allrespects a more ponderous and superior instrument.

  On the croupe of his horse, and attached to the cantle of the saddle,he carried a small valise of untanned leather, with a superb Mexicanblanket of blue and scarlet strapped upon it, and a large leathernbottle with a horn drinking-cup swinging from it on one side; while tothe other was fastened a portion of the loin of a fat buck, which hadfallen in the course of the morning by the rifle of the traveller.

  The horse which carried this well-appointed rider was a dark-brownthorough-bred.

  At length, when the sun was no longer above three times the width ofhis own disc from the level line of the lowest plain, he set his spursto his horse, and put him from the high slashing trot which he hadhitherto maintained, into a long slinging gallop, which carried himover the ground at the rate of some sixteen miles the hour.

  After he had ridden at this rate for thirty or forty minutes, hereached the brow of one of the low rolling waves of earth, whichconstitute the surface of the prairie, and thence saw the land fallingaway in a long gentle slope for some six miles toward the west, atwhich distance it was bounded by a long continuous line of hills,whose range seemed interminable. At the base of this range appeareda dense line, looking sombre enough at that distance, but which theexperienced eye of the horseman well knew indicated a heavy growth oftimber--perhaps a deep forest, and, within its shadowy depths, a wideand never-failing stream.

  A short half-hour brought them to the forest just as the sun wassetting.

  Through this wild paradise the mighty river rolled its pellucid waves,rapid, and deep, and strong, and as transparent as the purest crystal.

  Galloping his horse joyously over the rich green turf, the travellersoon reached the river, at a spot where it was bordered by a littlebeach or margin of pure white sand, as firm, and almost as hard asmarble; and springing into the cool clear water till it laved theheaving flanks of his charger he suffered it to drink long and deep ofthe pure beverage, which had not touched its thirsty lips since theearly morning.

  This duty done, he returned to the shore, and, selecting an oak treeabout two feet in girth, around which the grass grew unusually talland luxuriant, tied his companion to its stem by the lasso, or cord ofplaited hide which was coiled at his saddle-bow.

  Then, after polishing his accoutrements, as if for parade, he hunghis rifle and his broad-sword from the fork of a stunted oak tree,collecting some dry leaves and branches, and, striking a light fromthe ready flint and steel, soon had a clear bright fire glancing andflashing in a sheltered nook surrounded on all sides but one, thatwhere his horse was tethered, by a dense and impenetrable thicket ofbays, prickly pear and holly.

  Within a few minutes, half a dozen twigs, fixed in the ground aboutthe blazing fire, supported as many steaks of fat venison, each with abiscuit under it imbibing the delicious gravy, and a second with saltand pepper, all of which unusual dainties were supplied from the smallvalise of the provident and epicurean frontiers-man.

  While his supper was cooking thus, and sending forth rich and unwontedodours through the forest, our traveller had prepared his simple couch,spreading his handsome poncho on the deep herbage, with his saddlearranged for his pillow.

  If, however, he had hoped to enjoy his coming meal and his night'srepose without interruption, he had reckoned without his host; for, atthe same instant in which his charger ceased from feeding, snuffed theair eagerly, and uttered a low whining; the traveller started to hisfeet and listened anxiously for a moment, although there were so soundswhich could have been distinguished by any human ear unsharpened by thenecessities and habits of a woodman's life.

  Satisfied apparently that something was at hand which might meanmischief, he quietly took up his pistols and thrust them into hisgirdle, reached down his rifle from the branch on which it hung,loosened his wood-knife in its scabbard, and passed the handle of thehatchet through a loop in his sword-belt, so that the head rested ina sort of fold or pocket in the leather, evidently prepared for itsreception, and the haft lay close on his left thigh.

  These preparations made silently, promptly, yet deliberately, hestooped and laid his ear to the ground; nor did he raise himself to hisfull height for several minutes.

  "Two, four, six, eight," he muttered to himself at intervals. "Yes,there are eight of them."

  Again he laid his ear to the ground and listened.

  "Yes, there are eight of them, sure enough," he again muttered; andthen, after a pause, he added: "But two of them are mules, I think; andthey are coming right down hitherward."

  Then he looked to his rifle lock, and cocked his piece.

  "Unless they turn aside when they reach the timber, they will be onme in five minutes; and if they know the forest, they will not turn,that's certain; for here's the only place where you can find hardbottom to ride in and out of the old Bravo, for ten miles up and down."

  He paused from his soliloquy, listened again, and then a smile creptacross his intelligent face.

  "Bah!" he said, "I have been disquieting myself for nothing--they aredragoon horses; I can tell their managed pace; though, what the devilbrings dragoons hither, the devil himself best knows."

  Then he hung up his arms as before, again removed saddle and bridlefrom his horse, threw down his pistols and his hatchet on the grass,and, instead of concealing himself in ambush, unarmed, except hiswood-knife, stepped quite at his ease forth from the cover of histhicket, and strode boldly forward to meet the new-comers.

  He had not advanced above a hundred yards from the sp
ot where his horsewas tethered and his fire burning, before he discovered the little bandof travellers just entering the belt of timber, at not above a hundredyards distance from the point where he himself had ridden into it fromthe open prairie.

  That, however, which instantly caught the eye of the rover, was theform of a female--and a female, evidently, of the superior classes,forming one of the party, which, beside herself, consisted, as he sawat half a glance, of an officer and four privates of dragoons, ormounted riflemen.

  "Precious lads, truly, these," he muttered through his teeth, "tobe travelling the prairies, and not see my trail at a short hundredyards. By Jove! I believe they will cross it without notice. However,I'll give them a fright anyhow--so here goes," and with the words, heclapped his hand to his mouth, and uttered a long-drawn Indian yell,which made the arches of the forest echo and re-echo its cadences, tillit died quavering in the far distance.

  The rifles of the little party were cocked in an instant, and two orthree were instinctively cast up, and levelled in the direction whencethe sound proceeded.

  But the woodman did not wait for any further demonstrations ofhostility, but stepped calmly forth from his covert, calling out, as hedid so, in a loud, clear voice:

  "Whither, and whence, friends, so carelessly this bright evening?"

  But ere his words were half out of his lips, he was interrupted by thesharp crack of a rifle, discharged at him within twenty paces, theball of which sang past his head, perhaps at a foot's distance. But,entirely unmoved by the assault or by the peril he had run, he finishedhis sentence quietly, and then added:

  "A miserably bad shot that, my lad; and a most unsoldierly act to firea shot at all, without waiting orders. Do not you say so, lieutenant?"

  "You are very much to blame yourself, fellow; first, for yelling inthat wild fashion, for the purpose of creating an alarm, and then forapproaching a command so rashly. Who are you, fellow, speak?"

  "Fellow! fellow!" replied the other, half soliloquizing, "and acommand, hey! command, truly; a couple of camaudus, or one of JackHays' men would make an end of such a command, before it had seen whereto throw away one bullet."

  "Well, sir, and who are you, then, I pray?"

  "Pierre Delacroix, at your service."

  "What! he who is commonly known as Pierre--"

  "The Partisan, lieutenant," interrupted the other, quietly. "Yes, Iam the man, and my horse, Emperor, of whom you have heard, since youhave heard of me, is down in the brake yonder; and, what is the betterthing just now, there is a good fire burning, and some venison steaksready by this time, if they be not over done, and a flask of goodsherry wine and some cool water; and if you and your fair lady willshare the supper of the Partisan, I shall be happy to think that I ampardoned for the slight alarm I gave you; and after supper, we willhear what has brought you hither, and what I can do to serve you. Is ita bargain?"

  "Surely it is; and very thankful shall we be for your hospitality,and yet more for your advice. This is the famous soldier, Julia," hecontinued turning to the lady who accompanied him, "of whom you haveheard so much, and whom we had hoped to meet at San Antonio."

  No more words were spoken until they reached the spot which Delacroixhad selected for his bivouac; but, as they did so, an exclamation ofpleasure burst from Julia's lips at the romantic beauty of the scene.

  The travellers immediately dismounted.

  Now, as Julia stood erect before the Partisan, with the clear lightof the blazing wood-fire falling full on her face, and revealing allthe charms of a figure, tall as the tallest of her sex, voluptuousand fully rounded, yet slight withal, and delicate and slender as thefairest ideal of a poet's dream, he thought that he had never lookedupon anything so perfectly and femininely lovely.

  For some moments he stood gazing at her, mute, and positivelybreathless with admiration; then, suddenly recollecting himself, hecalled to the nearest of the dragoons, bidding him lead the lady'shorse down to the river, and water him; and then conducted herrespectfully to the place where he had spread his poncho on the grass,and with the aid of that and his large saddle, arranged for her anextemporaneous arm-chair near the fire, which the fresh coolness of thewoods rendered not wholly needless, even at that season; while the thinsmoke that rose from the wood embers, kept the mosquitoes at a distance.

  Meanwhile, some of the dragoons applied themselves to clean thehorses and accoutrements, while others unloaded the pack mules, andunbuckling the bags and cases which they carried, produced camp-kettlesand canteens, and a small India-rubber tent and camp-bed, which wasspeedily set up and prepared in the methodical manner of the oldsoldier, and promised better accommodation for the lady.

  "My cooking is ready, lady, such as it is," said the Partisan, "andI fancy you have the Spartan sauce, which even makes the black brothpalatable."

  Julia started a little at the classical allusion, and cast a quickglance toward her young husband, whose attention had been fixed onanother portion of the roving soldier's speech, and said quickly,repeating the Partisan's word:

  "Lady! Indeed I have been strangely remiss and discourteous, MajorDelacroix. In the first hurry of our introduction, I forgot to nameourselves to you, though Yankee like; yet, I assure you, I am not aYankee; I by no means forgot to exhort from you all that I wished toknow. I should have imagined, Jule, that you would have found tongueenough by this time to make yourself known to Major Delacroix, butsince it seems you have not done so, better late than never. Allowme, Major Delacroix, to present you to Mrs. Arthur Gordon, six weeksago Miss Julia Forester, of New Orleans; and that done, to call yourattention to my very humble and unworthy self, Arthur Gordon, FirstLieutenant of the Second Dragoons."

  When Arthur Gordon pronounced the words, Julia Forester, he startedforward, and exclaimed:

  "What--what! it cannot be--the daughter of my best and oldest friend,Colonel John Forester? I recollect his wife's name, whom I never saw,was Julia."

  Julia Gordon blushed crimson as he spoke, and then in an instant turnedas pale as ashes.

  "My mother!" she gasped out, with a great exertion of the willcompelling herself to speak at all. "My poor mother, I never saw hereither, at least not within my recollection. Yes, Major Delacroix, Iam Colonel John Forester's wild and wilful daughter. God bless him,"she continued, a big tear swelling to her eye, "as he deserves a betterchild."

  "Not so, not so, young lady. I am certain that it is not so. A brighteror more beautiful, he could not have, and it will be hard to convinceme he could have a better, Lieutenant Gordon, allow me to shake yourhand, and congratulate you; your father-in-law, and your sweet lady'sfather, was, I may say, to me more than a father; for, when Naturerobbed me of both my parents, he supplied both their places. God blessJohn Forester, and all who love and honour him."

  So thoroughly was the Partisan engrossed by his own warm and generousfeelings, that he did not perceive at all, what would at any other timehave been sufficiently apparent to a man of his keen and intuitivesagacity, that there was something of evident discomposure in themanner of the young officer as he spoke to him of his father-in-law.

  The green carpet of the meadow was spread with their simple fair, andthe Partisan did the honours of his camp with a singular blending ofthe frontiers-man's bluntness, and the easy manners of the gentlemanand soldier.

  There was, however, an inexplicable gloom hanging over the littleparty, and scarcely was the frugal meal ended before, on the pretextof weariness, the lady retired to her tent, and the husband went awayfor a few minutes, as he said, to inspect his sentries, while PierreDelacroix filled his Indian pipe with kinnekinnink, and, stretchinghimself at full length on his blanket, in the warmth of the fire,rested his head on his elbow, and mused more deeply than he haddone for many a year, rolling out all the time great volumes of theodoriferous smoke of that Indian mixture, which he had learned toprefer to the Havana.