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Show 184 ltiCI-IAIW HUIIJJJS. nnd dusky, wns yet distinct before J1itn . At the outlet the sunshine lny, like a protecting spirit, in waiting to receive him; nnd the sigl tt so cheered him, that lw half tmucd about upon his horse, and while he stayed not his progress, he shook his unemployed arm in triumph nt his enemies. Anot her bound brought him out of the dim valley through which he had rid den; and when he was most sure of his escape, and when his pursuers began to meditate their return from tltc llOpolcss chase, a sudden shot was heard from the woods above, and in the same instant, YVcbbcr, who was iu the advance, saw the unhappy youth bound completely out of his smldle, and fall hel plessly, like a stone, upon the ground, while his horse passed from llll· der him, and, under the impulse of sudden fright, continued ou h is course with a more headlong speed than ever . The event which arrested for ever the progress of the fugi· tivc, at once stopped the pursuit as suddenly. '¥ cbber called 011e of h is companions to l1is side: a sallow and small person, with a keen black eye, and a visage distinguished by dogged resolution, and practised cunning. "Barret," said the 0110 rufilan to the other, "we must see wl10 it is that volunteers to be our striker. lie has a ready hand, and should be one of us, if he be not so already. It may be Eberly. It is high time he should have left Grafton's, where the wonder is he should have trifled so long. T here's something wr011g about that bus iness; but no matter now. We must sec to this. Should the fellow that tumbled the cl~ttp not be one of us, you must make him one. \Ve have him on our own terms. Pursue l1im though he takes you into Georgia. Away, now; sweep clean round tho blind, and come on his back - he will keep close when 110 sees us two coming out in front-and when you have got h is tra il, como back for an instant to get your instruc· tions. Be off, now; we will sec to the carrion." ' Vhen Webber and l1is remaini11g companion reached the body, it was already stiff. In the warm morning of youth-in the flush of hopc - witl1 a. heart ns true, and a form as noble, as ever bounded with love and courage-my friend, my almost brother, was shot down by a concealed ruffian, to whom he bad never offered wrong! 'Vhat a finish to his day ! VVhat a sudden night fO l' so fair a morning! NARROW ESCAPE. 185 CHAPTER XXVI. NARROW ESC,\PE. "VillAin, I know thou com'st lo nn11·iler me." ~I AJti.OWE.-E'dtcard tile Second. UATTIIT~W 'VEnBlm was no trificr. Though represented by his comrades, as we have seen it. n prc..-ious dia logue, as unwil· ling to shed blood, it mny Le added that his unwillingness did not arise from any scruples of humanity, which are nlways nn· necessary to the profession of the outlaw. He was governed entirely by a selfish policy, which calmly deliberated upon its work of evil, and chose that course which seemed to promise the greatest return of profit with the greatest security. 'l'o avoid bloodshed wns simply to avoid one great agent of dctec· t ion. Hence his forbcnrancc . To tho moral of the matter, none could have been more thoroughly indifferent. VVe beheld him giving instructions to an associate the moment that VV illiam Carrington fell by an unknown hand, to pursue the murderer, not with a view to h is punishment, bnt with a desire to secure a. prompt associate. It was not the wish of the frntcrnity of robbers, herding on the Choctn.w frontier, that anybody should take up the t rade in that region, of which they desired the mo· nopoly . VY hen tho fellow, thus instructed, had gone, Webber, with his remaining associates, at once proceeded to examino the body, which was lifeless wh en they reached it. T hey wasted no time in id le wonder, and gave but a single glance at the wound, which they saw was inflicted by a rifle-bullet; then lifting the inanimate form into tho wood, they rifled it of the large sum of money which Carrington had concealed in l1is bosom, and taking it into a little crC'v ice in the h ill·side, wh ich could not hide it, they threw it down iudiffcrently, trusting to |