THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 821 
have had close work of it, my boy! We finished the business 
for them, though,—only three got off?” 
“Glad of it,—but help that woman,—she has fainted.” 
“Great God !—a woman here,—and in that dress ?” 
He sprang forward to the bed-and looked at her! 
“Tt is so,—as I am alive. Boys,”—turning to the negroes 
who stood at the door, rolling up the whites of their eyes in 
wonder and awe,—“run, boys, and get some water,—you 
saw the spring out there as we came?” then turning to me, 
with a broad expression of amazement, he asked :— 
“Who can these people be? Did they drop from the clouds? 
She’s wounded! Did she fight too?” 
“Indeed, she did,—she did the most of it!” 
“But what are they doing here with all this droll trump- 
ery? Did she faint from loss of blood? Is she badly hurt? 
This old man looks as if he were dead?” So he ran on, and 
without waiting for answer, and turning, stepped hastily to 
the door, and shouted at the top of his voice:— 
“You Tom !—Scip !—Jim !—come along with that water! 
Here v:e these poor people dying, and you lazy vagabonds 
you—..i, cre you are!” and the three negroes rushed for- 
ward 0 the deor of the room, bearing each a brimming gourd 
in one }:.nd and his rifle in the other. The foremost stam- 
mered out :— 
“Heerd you, Massa,—was comin’ fast as we could,—but 
Jim say be war afraid ob dem cu’rus folks and dem cunjura- 
tion wheels thar,—he was ’bout to slope, an I cotch he.” 
“Hang Jim and his conjurations !—give me the gourd, you 
rascal !”’ 
“Da ho am, Massa!” while Jim, thrusting his own gourd 
from behind, into the hand of Tom, did “slope” out, sure 
enough, ro!ling his big eyes behind him as if he expected to 
see some horrid witch in pursuit. 
“Here’s Jim’s, too!—nigger, fool! He afeard! Here, 
21 
