The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 210: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘ ee tures, without for a moment giving heed to what might or might not be going on in Europe, which they had long left far behind. Story-telling was the order of every evening; and as the old count had travelled much in all parts of the globe, his anecdotes were listened to with great delight by all, but particularly by Fatty and But- tons, who were ‘“‘ dying,” so they said, to get to Mexico, and have a shake with the Indians on the broad prairies. ‘Ah, stop till you get there—perhaps you may sing a different song, my young friend Fatty,” said the old count, laughing, “J shall keep a journal of all I see,” said Frank, “and send it to England, in order that my old schoolmates and companions may see all we are doing,” “An excellent plan,” said the count, ‘1 wish that I had done so many years ago, when, as a lad, I travelled through Mexico and the great West.” ‘Were you ever in Mexico, then, count !”’ asked one and another. ‘Of course I was. When I was a youth, [had a row with a fellow student—a brute he was. We fought a duel. I killed him, and had to go on my travels for a few months, to get out of the way.” ‘You have been up all the great rivers, then?” “Yes, and on the immense inland lakes also. I have fought with the Indians, and against them, sometimes, and I don’t know any one who has seen more ups and downs with them on the grand prairies than Ihave done. But the Indians are a very treacherous lot of devils; the ‘redskins,’ as they are called, can be perfect fiends when they choose. I almost lost my life through the treachery of a maniac Indian woman, once.” ‘‘Indeed! how? Let us hear the story, count,” said all the boys, in a chorus. ‘Well, I don’t mind; but you must understand I did not find out she was a maniac until after the adventure, as you will see:— ‘On my return from the Upper Mississippi, where I had been out hunting for months, I found myself obliged to cross one of the wild prairics which, in that portion of the United States, vary the appear- ance of the country. ‘My knapsack, my gun, and my dog were all that I had for company and baggage, “But, although well booted, I moved slowly along, attracted by the brilliancy of the flowers and the gambols of the fawns around their dams, to all appearance as thoughtless of danger as I felt myself. ““My march was of long duration. I saw the sun sinking beneath the horizon long before I could perceive any appearance of woodland, and nothing in the shape of man had I met with that day. “The track which I followed was only an old Indian trail, and, as darkness overshaded the prairies, I felt some desire to reach at least a copse jn which I might lie down to rest. “The night-hawks were skimming around me, attracted by the buzzing wings of the beetles, which form their food. ‘And the distant howling of wolves gave me some hope that I should soon arrive at the skirts of some woodland, : _“T did so, and almost at the same instant a fire- light attracting my eye, I moved towards it full of confidence, “It proceeded from the camp of some wandering Indians. I was not mistaken, “I discovered by the glare that it was from the hearth of a small ruined log cabin, and that a tall THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. ie eGmendis figure passed and re-passed between it and me, as if busily €ngaged in household arrangements, “T reached the spot, and presenting myself at the door, asked the tall figure, which proved to be a woman, if I might take shelter under her roof for the night. “ Her voice was gruff, and her attire was negli- gently thrown about her. She looked wild, savage, and like a maniac. ‘She answered in the affirmative. ‘‘T walked in, took a wooden stool, and quietly seated myself by the fire. “The next object that attracted my attention was a finely-formed Indian, resting his head between his hands, with his elbows on his knees, “He moved not. ‘“‘He apparently breathed not. “ Accustomed to the habits of the Indians, and knowing that they pay little attention to the approach of civilized strangers, I addressed him in French—a language not unfrequently known in some degree to people in that neighbourhood. “He raised his head, pointed to one of his eyes with his finger, and gave a significant glance with the other. ‘“‘ His face was covered with blood. “The fact was that an hour before this, as he was in the act of discharging an arrow at a racoon on the top of a tree, the arrow had split upon the cord, and sprung back with such violence into his right eye as to destroy it for ever. . “Feeling hungry, I inquired what sort of fare I might expect. *‘Such a thing as a bed was not to be seen, but many untanned buffalo hides lay piled in a corner. “TI drew a fine time-piece from my breast, and told the woman that it was late, and that I was fatigued. ‘She had espied my watch, the richness of which seemed to operate upon her feelings with electric quickness. ‘She told me that there was plenty of venison and buffalo meat, and that on removing the ashes I should find a cake, ‘“But my watch had taken her fancy, and her curiosity had to be gratified by an immediate sight of it. “IT took off the gold chain that secured it from around my neck, and presented it to her, She was all ecstacy, spoke of its beauty, and asked me its value, and put the chain around her brawny neck, saying how happy the possession of such a watch would make her. ‘“Thoughtless, and, as I fancied, in such a retired spot, quite secure, I paid little attention to her talk or her movements. ‘‘T helped my dog to a good supper of venison, and satisfied my own demands of hunger. “The Indian rose from his seat as if in extreme suffering, ‘* He passed and re-passed me several times. ‘He once pinched me so violently on my side, that the pain nearly brought forth an exclamation of anger. ‘‘T looked at him. “His eye met mine, ‘‘ But his look was so forbidding, that it struck a chill into the more nervous part of my system. ‘He again seated himself and drew his butcher- like knife from its greasy scabbard and examined ep ol: as I would a razor, I suspected it was ull. ‘He replaced it, and taking his tomahawk from his back, filled his pipe with tobacco, and sent Eomilchoo <SriGO)