THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 319 



supply of its cooling craters. Returning -with equal difficulty, 

 I found the fever even gaining in violence. It was certainly an 

 awful sight : this stern, heroic woman helplessly tossed in blinded 

 struggles by the side of that calm and gray picture of death, 

 which, unmoved by it all, breathed on like one in a sweet sleep. 

 I could only reduce the fever gradually, for my strength was 

 not sufficient to lift her, and for hours I sat beside her, sooth- 

 ing, as well as I was able, her convulsions, by constant appli- 

 cations of cold water. It was, or seemed at least, a weary 

 time before I gained any ground, and my wound broke out 

 afresh from the excessive fatigue; besides, I was fainting 

 with hunger and horror combined. At last I thought I might 

 venture to leave her awhile, as she grew more composed, and 

 I sought some food. I took a portion of our small supply 

 and rekindled the coals of the smouldering fire, but the bleed- 

 ing seemed to increase, and I was compelled to attend to my 

 wounds before I could cook the flesh. I stopped the flow of 

 blood, and was eating sparingly of the spare meal, when I 

 suddenly became aware of the fact that I was the keeper of a 

 maniac ! 



Hearing a sudden noise behind me, I looked around. The 

 woman, with flushed face and glittering eyes, was rapidly 

 endeavoring to disengage her butcher knife from the sheath 

 where it hung on the belt of her bullet pouch, which I had 

 taken off and suspended on its usual hook of buck's horn. 

 She was muttering rapidly, "I will do it myself! yes! yes! 

 I will do it myself ! The wretches did not finish their work ! 

 They did not know how hard it was for a god to die ! He is not 

 dead he suffers ! It shall not be ! They sent their blood- 

 hounds to murder a true Christ ! He who came to redeem them ! 

 They struck at him in wrath ! They did not finish their wor k 

 but I will do it ! and go with him !" 



The knife was in her hand, and she was darting across the 

 room towards the unconscious man, when I, who had risen 

 in the meantime, seized her suddenly, and with a shriek as 



