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Show 322 IUCHAHD II UUDIH. her; and then it apJlC:trccl to me iu Iangungc wl1icl• was dispar. nging. 'I'hings were beginning to fit thcmsch·cs strangely together before my eyes; aud when the parson left me, to retire to his berth, I was soon lost in a wilderness of musing. "\Vo soon reached and landed at Columbus-a wild-looking and scattered settlement, at that time, of some tllirty families, within a milo of the 'l'ombcckbe. "\V c }JrOccodcd boldly to the tavern- our parson leading the way; and never was prayer more earnest and seemingly unaffected than that which )10 put up at the supper-table that night. lie paid lliTI}Jly for l1 is bacon and greens by his cloqueucc. llc tendered no other form of pay-nor, indeed, did any seem to be {lcr:.ircd. The next morning it was arranged between us that we should a11 meet at a spot a little aboYC tho ford at Coal-Fire creeka distance of some thirty miles from Columbus, and on the direct route to 'l'nscaloosa. llut here a difllculty lay in my w;~y which had Leen a source of annoyance to me for tho three days past. I had no horse, and had declared to Foster my almost absolute want of money. To proceed on my mission, it was necessary to procure one, and, if possible, a good one; and how to do this while Foster stayed, was a disquieting consideration. But he was too intent upon securing his new associate, and not less intent upon his old business, to sufrcr tl1is to remain a dilli· culty long. "You must buy a horse in ColumLus, "\Villiams (that wns the name I had set out with from l\Iobile); yon can not get on without one. As you have no money, I must }Jclp you, :md you can repay me after you have struek your first suecessful blow. Here are a couple of hundred dollars-bills of tLe bauk of Mobilecounterfeit, it is true, but good here as the bank itself'. '!'here's au old fellow here- old General Cockc-that has several nngs; you can possibly get one from him that will do you good service, and not cost you so much, neither. Go to llim at once and get your creature: you'll find me to-morrow 1100n at the creek, just as I teJJ you. Set up a psalm-tunc, if you can, even as yon reach the creek, and you'll hear some psalmody in retnrn that will Uo your heart good." He left me, followed by Haller, and I took a short mode for getting rid of the counterfeit bills he gave me. I destroyed THE TOO CONSCIENTIOUS BROTHER. 323 them in my fire tl1at night, and, taking the necessary sum from my own treasury, I proceeded to procure my horse, which I found no difficulty in doing, and at a. moderate 1nice, thougl1 General c.ocke had none to sell. I bought from another })erson, w!Jom I d1d not know. Being so fnr ready, I took a careful examination of my pistols, procured me an extra knife of large size in Columbus, :~.nd commending myself to Providence with a prayer mentally uttered, as earnest as any which I ever made either before or since, I set off for the place of meeting, which I reacl1ed about sunset. 1'hough nothing of a psalm-singer, I yet endeavored to avail myself of the suggestion of Foster, and :tecordingly set up a monotonous stave, after the whining fashion of tlJc methodists of that region; and was rmswcred with a fuJI burst of the s:nne sort of melody, of unsuqJassa.ble volume, proving the lungs of the faithful whom I sougl1t to be of the most undiscnsctl complexion. I was immedintcly joined by l.,oster and three other }Jersons, among whom I felt a spontaneous movement of jJlcasure in my bosom as I recognised the features of 1\I ntthew Webber_ But it was the pleasure of the hunter, \Yho, having his rifle lifted, discovers tl1e wolf at tho entrance of the den. It relieved me ftom many apprehensions to find tlJHt '"" ebber, though looking at me with some ntteution, did so without seeming to recognise me. rrhis wns an earnest of success in my pur suit which cheered me not a little in my onward progress. " ' e entered their hiding-place together, where, in a leafy COYer that might have been used by innumerable tribes of bears and foxes befOre, we found our sup}lCr and a toleraLle lodgment for the night. '!'here we slept, though uot till some l10urs had bee.n spent in conversation touching a thouslmd plans of villany, winch astounded me to bear, but to which I was compelled not ?nly to give heed, but satisfaction. But little of their dialogue Interested me in my pursuit. To some parts of it, however, I lent an car of excited attention. 1Vebber spoke of Eberly; and though I could not understand much of the matter he referred to, yet there was an instinct in my mind tiJat made me ncrvo_us while the cliscuosion continued, and melancholy long af~er 1t ';as over. To me wus the task to be assigned of pul·sutug th1s young man, of spying into his conduct, and reporting |
