232 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



saddle, and with another right and left brought 

 down a couple of the leading horses, which, how- 

 ever, scarcely checked the rush, for they evidently 

 thought that we must now fall into their hands. 

 I therefore exchanged my unloaded rifle for the 

 six-shooter carried by Fritz, and prepared to exe- 

 cute my former manoeuvre, by pretending to be 

 wounded, and, pulling up my horse, I flung myself 

 full length on the ground, which caused a yell of 

 intense satisfaction to burst from a knot of the 

 leading pursuers. Their triumph, however, was of 

 short duration, for as they rushed up to immolate 

 me I raised myself on my elbow, and coolly gave 

 them the contents of my six barrels at boni-jwrfant, 

 which emptied as many saddles, and turned their 

 shrieks of rage into cries of despair. With a de- 

 risive shout of scorn, and a peculiar if not graceful 

 action, intimating contempt, I jumped on my horse, 

 and in a few moments was again cantering along- 

 side of my friend. 



The ground now became very broken ; and my 

 companion's horse, thoroughly blown, put his foot 

 in a hole and fell heavily, rolling over his rider 



