The Canadian Brothers (Volume II) or The Prophecy Fulfilled

rald's nature; but since they had last parted, a new channel had been opened to his feelings, and the deep and mysterious grief in which

nt an injury before it could well be said to have been offered, had moreover given place to a self-command, the

the plain they had so recently traversed, prepared to dispose of them for the night, Gerald had by this time become too experienced in the mode of travelling through an American wilderness, not to understand that he who expects to find a companion in his horse in the morning, must duly secure him with the tether at night. Following, therefore, the example of the Aid-de-Camp, he applied himself, amid the still peltin

o give him, in the course of the next day's journey, some little history of the man which would fully explain his motives. With this request Jackson unhesitatingly promised compliance, adding, good humouredly, that he was not sorry to pledge himself to any thing that would thaw his companion's tongue into sociability, and render himself, for the first time since their departure, a listener. Before entering the hut Gerald further observed in a whisper, that the b

nees, and his face buried in his large palms), kept his eyes fixed upon the fire, as if with a sullen determination neither to speak nor suffer himself to be questioned. But the Aid-de-Camp was by no means disposed to humour him in his fancy. The idea of passing some eight or ten consecutive hours in company with two fellow beings, without calling into full play the bump of loquacity, with which nature had largely endowed him, was, in his view, little better than the evil from which his perseverance had just enabled him to escape. Making himself perfectly at home, he unbuckled the wet blan

e chairs of yours are so curst heavy, there's no h

" returned the settler; "the chairs is quite good

l life of yours don't much improve your temper. Why, as I am a true Tennessee man, bred and born, I never set eyes upon such a crab apple in all my life-you

it don't consarn you whether I look sour or sweet-what you want is

the tongue of his host in motion, he had a fair chance of keeping it so. "I must trouble you f

mile of irony, "as how a man who had served a campaign agin the Ingins and another agin the Br

mage up a crust or two, for hung beef is devilish tight work f

a corn patch for twenty mile round about this. Bread ne

h infinite drollery; but though you may

ISH to have no friends

id-de-Camp, "but what do you live on t

that as a relish

of one of his pistols. The settler at the same moment quitted his seat, and stretching his tall and muscular form to its utmost height, burst into a laugh that sounded more like that of some wild beast than a human bein

his purpose of concealment, without exciting a suspicion of his design; and, as the alteration in his dress was calculated to deceive into a belief of his being an American, he had been enabled to observe the settler without much fear of recognition in return. A great change had taken place in the manner of Desborough. Ferocious he still was, but it was a ferocity, wholly unmixed with the cunni

, yet keeping it before him as though not quite safe in the presence of this self-confessed anthropophagos; "you surely don't mean to say

ler. "Besides I don't eat the United States subje

thering courage with his curiosity, and advancing

, and applying his shoulder to the top of the ope

resembled in appearance the upper part of a human arm. "If you're fond of a relish," he pursued with a fi

vancing cautiously to the table, and turning over the shrivelled mass with th

killin' and dryin'. Purty naturist you mus

ide, now that he had obtained the conviction that it was not the flesh of a white man. "Well, I

ne to pick after this, and then I'm off. But why don't you take your seat at the fire. There's nothin' so out of the way

a good many lopped off, as you say, and in a devil of a stew, but not exactly eaten. However be so good as to ret

to please you. But tarnation, while you're eatin'

large clasp knife from a pocket beneath his coarse hunting frock, proceeded to help himself to several thin

his host fastening with a degree of fury on his unnatural food, than, sick and full of loathing, his stomach rejected further aliment, and he was compelled to desist. During all this time Grantham, who, although

t in annoying his visitor. "I reckon that's rather unsavory stuff you've got there, that you can't eat it without bread. I say yo

s chest, and his affectation o

iew to distract attention from his companion. "You seem to have no liquor in the house, and I take

the common beverage in most parts of America. This, all powerful as it was, he drained off as though it had been water, a

at the same moment the nearly emptied canteen from his hands. "I take it, that's not handsome. As I'm a true Tennessee man, bred and born, it aint at all hospitable to empty off a pint of raw liquor at a spell, and ha

he had swallowed, and when his lungs had again recovered their play, a

de you a free offer of my food, and it war'nt no fault of mine if you did'nt choose to tak

e, twixt your lips, I hope it may do the cockles of your heart good; that's all. But lets hear how you came by them pieces of nigger's flesh, and how it is you've taken it into your he

y saw a pistol within three inches of each of'em. 'Ugh,' says they, as if they did'nt know well whether to take it as a joke or not. 'Yes, 'ugh' and be damn'd to you,' say's I: you may go and 'ugh' in hell next-and with that snap went the triggers, and into their curst carcasses went the balls. The one I killed outright but t'other the Delaweer chief, was by a sudden shift only slightly wounded, and he sprung on his feet and out with his knife. But I had a knife too, and all a disappinted father's rage to boot, so at it we' went closin' and strikin' with our knives like two fierce fiends of the forest. It was noble sport sure-LY. At last the Delaweer fell over the bleedin' body of his warrior and I top of him. As he fell the knife dropt from his hand and he could'nt reach it no how, while I still gripped mine fast. 'Ugh,' he muttered agin, as if askin' to know what I meant to do next. 'Ugh,' and be damn'd to you once more, say's I-and the pint of my long knife was soon buried in his black heart. Then, when I see them both dead I eat my own meal at their fire, for I was tarnation hungry, and while I was eatin' a thought came across me that it would be good fun to make smoked meat of the varmint, so when I had tucked it in purty considerably, what with hominy and dried bear's meat, moi

the Aid-de-Camp, drawing back his chair and resting the palms of his hand

ald was soon made sensible of the disproportion of physical strength thus suddenly brought into the struggle, and as the savage laugh of the settler, as his fingers wound themselves closer and closer within the clustering hair, proclaimed his advantage, he felt that his only chance of saving the threatened eye was by having recourse to some sudden and desperate attempt to free himself from the gripe of his opponent. Summoning all his strengt

blazing fire fell upon the blade, it had once caught the unassailed eye of the officer, and was the next moment clutched in his grasp. He raised it with a determination, inspired by the agony he endured, at once to liberate himself and to avenge his father's murder, but the idea that there was something assassin-like in the act as suddenly arrested him, and ere he had time to obey a fresh impulse of his agony, the knife wa

ntention of Gerald was formed, the Aid-de-Camp had not had time to interpose himself in any way between the enraged combatants. His first action had been to strike away the murderous knife with the heavy butt of one of h

l of aught but the gratification of his vengeance. Rolling rapidly over to the point where the knife had fallen he secured it in his left hand, and then, leaping nimbly to his feet, gathered himself into a

why he'll answer for it later, but I can't let you murder my prisoner in that flumgustious manner. I'm responsible for him to the United

rne by the violence of the collision, fell heavily backwards upon the rude floor, and in his fall the pistol went off lodging the ball in the sinewy calf of Desborough's leg. Stung with acute animal pain, the whole rage of the latter was now diverted from Gerald to the Aid-de-Camp, on whom (assuming the wound to have been intentional) he threw himself with the fury of a tiger, grappling as he closed with him at his throat. But the sailor in his turn now came to the rescue of his companion, and the scene for some time, as the whole party struggled together upon the floor in the broad red glare of t

ngeance which the enraged settler uttered upon all who bore the name of Grantham; and with these were mingled lamentations for his son, scarcely less revolting in their import than the curses themselves. Nor was the turbulence of the enraged man confined to mere excitement of language. His large and muscular form struggled in every direction, to free himself from the cords that secured him to the logs, and finding these too firmly bound to adm

sleeping Desborough, one hand reposing upon his chest, the other holding the knife already alluded to, while every feature of his face was kindled into loathing and abhorrence of his prostrate and sleeping enemy. Startled by the expression he read there, and with the occurrences

lf to his full height, while a crimson flush of indignation su

for me to speak; but your quarrel last night-your fix just now- that knife,-Liftenant Grantham," and he pointed to the blade which still remained in the grasp of the accused. "Surely these things speak for themsel

t, might justify the suspicion, horrible as it is, in one who had known more of me than yourself; but was assassination even

ftenant," retorted the Aid-de- Camp. "You were both ready enough to go at it last night,

o thwart him in his diabolical purpose. As you have said, however, the past night has effected a change in my feelings towards the man, and dea

r the man just now with that knife, if it was not to harm him? And as for your counte

tain Jackson, that I had no intention to injure yon sleeping villain. On the word of an officer and a gentleman, and by

, much affected. "A man that could fight so wickedly in the field would never find heart, I reckon, to stick an enemy in t

left their horses, "if any man ever had reason to act so as to merit the imputation of being such, I have. In t

azement. "A pretty fix I've got into, to be sure. Here's one man accuses another of murdering his son, an

d the sailor coolly, yet painedly; and h

"don't be offended. I've no doubt the thing's as you say, but you must make allowance for my ideas, never too much of the brightes

t that you should doubt my word, or attach any thing to the assertion of that man beyond the mere ravings

sake and mine; but we will leave it till we get once more upon the road and in sight of a tavern, for its

d incapable of aiding himself. Wretch as the settler was, Gerald could not reconcile to himself the thought of his being left to perish thus miserably, and he entreated the Aid-de-Camp to enter and divide the cords. But Jackson declared this to be impolitic, urging as a powerful reason for declining, the probability of his having fire arms in the hut, with which (if released,) he might follow and overtake them in their route, and sacrifice one or the other to his vengeance-an object w

rface, and he kicked and stamped with a fury that proclaimed the bitter tempest raging in his soul. When the Aid-de-Camp had again mounted, his shrieks and execrations became piercing, and for many minutes after

kfort, the capital of Kentucky, which was their ultimate destination. To mine host Gerald was introduced by his escort with the formality usual on such occasions in America, and with the earnest recom