Richards' weekly gazette. (Athens, Ga.) 1849-1850, July 28, 1849, Image 1

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Richards' weekly gazette., July 28, 1849, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text*'” ‘ “ i M-,1, -J i:![; vo. u.. NO.. mwmmi mm i jiw to Lmm tee mts iso semis, mo to mmm* mr&mmm. \M ■;~ rid I For Richards’ Weekly Gazette. f SONNETS. ; by MISS MARY E. I.EE. cladsomi! health ! hast Hunt liu bright smile ■ left, whom sickness hath so harshly wrung 1 hope, to speak me not bereft all that makes the inner spirit young ! my life’s sky forever on its face, seldom by joy's blessed sunbeam ) iven 1 ■ the rich Sommer flowers for me no grace 1 ■ihmv no freshness in the breeze of 1 leaven 1 for my sad lot, if it must he ■|{ health, that angel, robed in earthly guise, heeds my cry of agony— longer turns on mo her radiant eyes, maies by, with light, elastic tread, of one perchance soon to be numbered ■ with tho dead. ■v ’ despondent thought! 1 will not yield gift ofbeing to this blank despair; eaeh gushing fount of feeling seal’d ■ the sweet influence of joy’s wholesome air. God wills it so, and though l.ilo's cup ■ fllkal with bitter sorrow to the brim, weary days of anguish may make up little remnant us existence dim : ’neath this crushing grief, my buoyant ■■ mind itself cramp'd and fetter’d and confin’d, ved to weak repining, my tired heart aye, even ycarncth to depart; by prayer, I’ll bow me to llis power, that lie will grant me strength to wait t-jB the fitting liour. ■ high soul! struggle through tliy dny of ill! shall the tangled web unravell'd be, ■ :l these dnrksome trials, that now fill ■:> woof of Info’s slight tissue, in the free Ijlicrfeet light of God's eternity, lull change to hues of splendor, till thou own, ng upon the pad, ’twas good for thco i be afflicted.—Therefore, make no moan, Huger heat against thy prison bar— t though close pout amid Garth's gloomy night, to those cloudless heavens, where star on star, lulled by faith, shall cheer thy trembling sense, ‘cii through Death's black pull, with lustre bright fvll blaze the centre-sun of God’s omnipotence. For Richards’ Weekly Gazette. ,OST AND FOUND: OR THE ROBBER’S CAVE. BY FLOIUO. CHAPTER 111. I'eJcft James Mauray, as lie was about ft out for New Orleans. We will now >w his course, and see what adventures net with, lie finished his business at Orescent city much sooner than he had pcled, and set out on his return. At city of New Madrid, in the South ern part of Missouri, he fell in with a pany of hunters, who were on the eve tarting upon an excursion into the prai > for the purpose of hunting the buffa- All of them were not hunters by vo on: several were respectable gentlc , and, being acquainted with Mauray, ’ solicited him to become one of their }'■ James had settled his affairs in v Orleans so much sooner than he ex it'd, that he readily promised contpli- B w >th their wishes. The company was posed of a dozen persons, all of whom \pated the keenest enjoyment during \ Their design was to take a cir- to Independence. to make the reader ac- M\W\ each of the individuals com- Vnc party. Only two or three rc- Xuirticular notice. He who seemed ct as guide and commander of the par tvas a large man possessing, apparent :reat strength. The first glance showed to be a veteran hunter. His face wore ‘Ppearance of quiet confidence in him and his own resources, that iuslantly Bed in those under his charge a firm re- liance in him. Most ot the others were daring spirits, who sought amusement wherever it could be found, and danger on ly gave greater zest to their enjoyment. They were well skilled in wood-craft, and were acquainted with the most suitable times and modes for taking game. Each bore a rifle, which, with the unerring aim of its owner, never failed to send home its ball. In the skill, coolness and courage of these persons, rested the hope of preser vation, in case a band of Indians chanced to encounter them—an event by no means improbable. It was a very pleasant morning, in the beginning of December, when the whole party took their departure from New Ma drid. The person, whom we have before mentioned, was called, by those who were most familiar with him, Mac—Mcllvain. He bestrode a fine, large beast, evidently of great speed and bottom. Near him, rode James Mauray and several other gen tlemen. Behind these followed the re mainder of the company, observing no par ticular order. One of these we must no tice: he was a finely-formed half-Indian, of a quick, restless mien—whose dark eye shot forth defiance to all around, indicating the independent character of its owner. Much mischief lurked beneath his unset tled movements, as did genuine bravery within those unblcnching eyes. He was mounted upon a freshly-caught mustang, an animal every whit as fiery and impa- 1 tient as its master. He had been chris tened John, and was a general iavorite. His age was about twenty-one. Unlike most of the olhers, he carried a small rifle. The course taken by Mac, at first, was due west. Gradually, he veered towards the north, until their line of march became northwest. The first two days, nothing of interest occurred—but, on the third, a cou ple of deer were slain, which greatly ex cited the ambition of each member of the party. On the fourth day, they arrived at the prairies, upon which the buffalo is found. Upon the ground were evident signs of their late presence, in the entire j want of herbage and numerous hoof-prints. ■ All, now, was eager excitement. Every j rifle was cleaned and put in excellent or der. Some were packing the utensils and . baggage in the smallest possible space, and j others were filling their powder-horns, and counting their halls. Mac, alone, was cal in and inactive; he made no prepara tions, for the simple reason that he had none to make; he was always ready for any emergency, lie smiled at John s rest lessness, and said : “He needs it—he needs it. Constant; bodily exertion is required by a mind like j his, as a kind of counterpoise. His activi ty must have vent, some way; and I like ‘ to see it so, for, in a skirmish, lie will j prove the bravest and most daring of the j whole party, and will perform deeds of 1 such fearful hazard, that we shall all be | put to shame. Vet, he will be cool in bat- j tie, and a dangerous opponent.” As soon as the preparations were over, j the hunt began in earnest. It was noon, however, before the sight of a buffalo blessed their vision. At that hour, their exertions were rewarded by the sight of a large herd. Mac at once began to exer cise his supremacy. He ordered John to make a circuit of two miles, and attack the herd upon the opposite side. The impa tient fellow was off in a twinkling, with his men not far behind him. Two other divisions were sent to make attacks upon each side. Mac himself, accompanied by Mauray, rode slowly towards the assem blage of fierce-looking animals. James began to get excited, as they approached their intended victims, lie wished to push on at once. “ Keep cool, or you will not kill any thing,’’ said Mac. “ How can 1 keep cool, with such noble game as that within rifle-shot ? Mark that bull : is he not a noble fellow ? Let us fire, and then charge.” “ Better keep cool until we get well within range.” “We Ami better make the attack first, and drive them towards John, before he lias time to drive them over us. Now, drop your bridle, and singleout your quar ry—that bull is mine.” The whole party now discharged their pieces, and instantly loaded again, uttering loud cries. Mac heard something near them fall heavily to the earth. He looked around, and saw a man extended upon the ground, where his horse, frightened by the general discharge, had rather unceremo niously thrown him. Mac smiled, and said : “It must be owned that a gentle horse is preferable, in hunting.” Before the report of their rifles had ceased to resound, James, and those with him, heard the sound of guns, both on the right and left, followed by great shoutings. The startled buffalos dashed off in the di rection of John and his company. Their weight caused the ground to shake —their bellowings rumbled like thunder —their shaggy manes and glaring eyes, together with the whooping, shouting, and firing of the horsemen, formed a scene of the wild est excitement. Fears were entertained that John and his companions might get trampled to death beneath the overwhelm ing force of such a mighty mass. But not so. All, except John, had wheeled their horses, and got out of harm’s way, but he took the same course as the herd. His swift little mustang soon began to leave his pursuers behind, but this was not his rider’s object. That was to get in the midst of the herd ; so, chocking his horse, John made him slacken bis speed, and, in reality, soon found himself in the midst of that dark, roaring, moving mass, dashing along at a furious rate. He did not seem once to think of danger, hut discharged his rifle at one of the foremost animals, and loaded again with singular dexterity, shouting all the while in the madness of his excitement. Others were also busy. Riding at full speed along side of an af frighted beast, a huntsman would fire his rifle, aiming just behind the shoulders, and then reload, without stopping or holding his reins. Several were now in the midst of the fleeing animals, and among the rest was Mac. At every report of his rifle, a buffalo would plunge heavily to the ground. For nearly an hour was the chase kept up, when a few notes from Mac's horn re called the various huntsmen. Many dy ing and dead animals lay scattered upon the ground, over which they had passed. AH now collected together to rest them- 1 selves, and give their panting horses time to breathe. John’s mustang was ve-Uin<t with perspiration, yet it seemed as fiery as ever. Each told his exploits, and none received more praise Ilian John, who sat surveying the field, perfectly indifferent to the remarks made upon his conduct. The choicest portions were now cut from each car-ass, for so many were killed, that it precluded the necessity of taking much from each one. By the time this was finished, night be gan to cast her dusky mantle o’er the earth, and warned them to prepare for darkness. An encampment was made near a stream, at the edge of a wood—fires were kindled, and the horses turned loose to take care of themselves; in fact, every preparation was made for a grand carou sal. Those experienced in the matter, vol unteered their services as cooks. It was not a great while before a repast of smok ing rump-steaks, and large pieces of bread, was spread upon the grass—a repast ca pable of tempting persons having appetites less keen than those now about to partake of it. “ We have had fine sport,” said Mac to James. “ Exceedingly so; I never before saw any thing equal to it.” “It is very exciting, particularly to those who make their first essay. But a skir mish with Indians is quite another matter. ’Tis man against man, then, and every one has to be on his guard. There must be no trifling, or one may chance to find a ball through his head before he is aware of it, an event by no means desiiable, in my opinion.” Have you any fears that we may en counter savages ?” “ I can hardly say that I have—at least. I hope we shall not. But 1 know the Ca manches, and other tribes, are now roaming all over the country, slaying the buffalo; so you see a meeting is not improbable. A small number we need not fear, but a large band would certainly attack and, perhaps, overcome us. Our horses and guns would prove an incentive sufficient to set them against us.” “ I hope we may meet them, and be at tacked,” John exclaimed. “Don’t tempt Providence, young man; for I assure you it will be a serious busi ness, if we do. Consider what a small company we compose, and how much they may outnumber us—say fifty or a hun dred to twelve.” “Well, we can drive them off, for all that,” answered the impatient fellow ; “let them only attack us, and we will sweep them away like we did the buffalos, this afternoon.” “Yes, perhaps kill a dozen or so, and then, instead of driving them before us, like affrighted beasts, we shall find our selves in ‘ kingdom come,’ without a cov ering to our heads. 1 have been in more than one battle with them, and know bet ter than you how full of risk such a ren contre would prove.” Mac now related some of his startling adventures, such as were calculated to check the too ardent spirits of the young men of the party ; for these, were raised to such a pitch, that several even wished they might have a chance to avoid death as narrowly as possible in a combat with | Indians, provided, always, that they did. escape. Several gentlemen of the party had joined themselves together, and put all their little luxuries, more suited to civili zed life, together. Among these was James, who had foreseen the want of cos ■ fee, ready ground, sugar, cheese, crack-! ers, &c. These invited Mac to be of their I mess, as it were, and so formed a very ; pleasant, sociable little company. Con versation, interspersed with numerous an ecdotes, enlivened the meal. But let us hasten on to events of greater importance. For a week or more, the hunt continued j with various success. When they were nearly two day’s journey from Independ ence, they espied, at a great distance, what; they knew to be a very large herd of bus- j falos, anil determined to have some rare j sport, as their hunt was so near over. All at once, Mac commanded a halt, and, ri sing in his stirrups, cast a long and anx-! ious look at the distant and confused as- j semblage of living animals. “ Your wish lias come to pass, John. 1 1 see Indians, and in numbers sufficiently j large to make us tremble for our very safe ty, should thev perceive us; but this we may prevent.” Although every one had strained his eyes to the utmost, when he first beheld j the herd, yet no one, except Mac, had re-; cognized any human beings, so great is | the difference between practised and un practised eyes. The place where our par ty stood was a slight eminence, from i which they could gradually perceive the j Indians lobe driving their name toward* 1 the place where they stood. Mac’s face grew dark, as he saw them approaching so fast. However, a thick wood upon his right promised an advantageous shelter. The Indians, when first seen, were two or three miles off; they were now one mile distant, but were so intent upon their oc cupation, as not to notice the vicinity of white men. Mac caused the entire band to conceal themselves in the wood, where they were secure from the eyes of the In dians, (whom ho knew to be Cainanches,) and from being run over by the buffalos. Soon, the rushing and stamping of many feet was heard. At length, the front ranks of the immense body appeared in sight, rushing along as though mad with terror, for about fifty Indians were behind them, yelling and whooping like so many fiends. For a few moments, there was a sound as of the roaring of mighty waters, deep, ter rible, deafening. Suddenly it ceased, for they had passed. In their rear followed their tormentors. A large Indian would dash up to the side of some unlucky ani mal, and, with incredible strength, drive an arrow entirely through his body, and then, giving vent to his feelings in a loud, swelling shout of triumph, would prepare to perform the same feat again. If undis turbed, the Cainanches might have passed the concealed whites without noticing them ; but, as they were flying by like a whirlwind, a single shot was heard from lire wood, and a horse and rider plunged to the ground. The rider fortunately escaped uninjured. This entirely diverted the sav ages from their pursuit, ami they began in stantly to ride around in all directions, to gain some knowledge of the unexpected circumstances. At length, discovering the position of the while hunters, they began to reconnoitre in their own peculiar man ner, sweeping by at full speed, taking good care not to venture too close. 1 Every one blamed John for his indiscre tion, but h; held his conduct in an entirely different light. To him, it appeared alto gether a matter of course —a line of con duct to him so natural, as to lie necessari ly followed under existing circumstances. He had, by this lime, reloaded his piece, and was standing by the side of Mac, qui etly observing the actions of the savages. After such an unequivocal demonstration of hosl'litjes, it could not be expected that the Indians wished to parley. They ap peared to be holding a consultation con cerning the best mode of action. Thus far, they were ignorant of the strength of those concealed, and therefore acted very warily. Fortunate was it for the hunters, that they were thus ignorant—otherwise, by a sudden rush, in the height of their excitement and ipdignation, they might have easily swept the wood. The leader of the whites well knew this, and endea vored to keep up the illusion. Hats were placed on bushes—cloaks and coats hung up so as to be partially seen —the horses were scattered about, and the real men moved here and there, to give themselves the appearance of a larger number. An indistinctness pervaded the whole, which completely misled the red-skins, and gave the pale-faces time to think and arrange their plans. Mac wished to keep them in check until night, and then move off, if it was found possible. He had immediately, upon their being discovered, sent a couple of persons to search for a place which might be more easily defended than their present position. The men soon returned, and brought word that they had found pre cisely the plare wanted. It was a small hillock, with a dense giowthupon its sum mit, of a circular form. Many large trees also lifted their heads in this appropriate place. On all sides of it was an open space, about fifty yards in width. The di ameter of the thicket, itself, was about thirty yards, and a limpid spring flowed from beneath a large oak. Beyond the open space mentioned above, the dark for est hid every thing from view, except in one direction—the northwest. Here, there was an opening which extended out into the prairie. After a short delay, Mac de termined to move to this place, before the Camanches had time to reach it by making a circuit, lest, doing so, they might jirevent his occupying it. The movement was made very expeditiously, and the Indians left to finish their consultations undisturb ed. As Mac expected to take quiet pos session of the knoll, what was his surprise, on issuing into the open space, to hear two shots fired from its cover, and perceive two Indians dart out into the open space, and flee across, taking the direction of the prai rie through the opening in the forest. Hardly had they appeared into view, when John’s rowels sunk deej) into his horse's flanks, and he started like a flash in pur suit. “Such madness and rank folly T never witnessed, until now,” said Mac, as he fol lowed John with his eyes; “a hundred to one, we never see him again. He might have known that it was only a trick of these devils. ’Tis nothing but an ambus cade, and the dare-devil has run into it like—like—botheration. Look—it is as I expected,” added he, as two other Caman cbes darted from the same cover in pursuit of John. He was perfectly cool and self-possessed. Failing to reach those in front, because they turned suddenly to the left, and sought the scene of consultation, he now found that he was swiftly pursued ; so, keeping a straight course, he gave therein to his mettlesome animal. Swift as followed the pursuers, swifter fled the pursued, and thus all three disappeared in the distance. At the command of their leader, the whole company of hunters made a uisfi for the knoll, and actually drove half a dozen red skins from its shades, before they bad re covered from the deep attention they were giving to the rapid events just stated.— They delivered one scattering volley upon the assailants, as they made the attack, and fled. Only one shot took effect: it uierced the brain of a white man, who tumbled from his horse to the ground. Mac gave up John as lost, and set in stantly about concealing every horse and man, so as to be invisible to their numer ous foes. Well did he know that, in less than a half an bour, liis place of retreat would he surrounded by enemies raging for blood. And so it happened: before thirty minutes had passed, dusky forms were seen within the shades of the forest, on all sides of the hillock, gliding hither and thither. The horses of the concealed whites had been placed in the centre of the thicket: the men, themselves, were scattered along its edge, in ten different places. An at tack from the Indians was now about to be made ; this was evident, from the cries uttered ami repeated, in every direction, by the Camanches. They were, a* yet, ig norant of the exact number of whites, for those who had seen them rather magnified their force than otherwise. Shots now be gan to be fired from all quarters. The en gagement was opened by the Camanches, and entered into with spirit by their adver saries. ('.real was the joy of our entrapped hunters, when they found that their antag onists only possessed ten or a dozen guns, though the others were armed with bows and arrows, nearly as deadly'. The firing continued until dark. None of that small band of whites were injured : of the red men, it was impossible to tell whether any were killed or not. When silence again spread itself over the scene, Mac sought James, and addressed him; “Well, what do you think of it, now ?” “ That we are in a very precarious situ ation. What do you intend doing V’ “ Nothing, just now, unless it is to eat supper, for they will not trouble us during the niirht. While we supposed them en gaged in deep consultation, this afiernoon, they xvere only waiting the issue of their own plans: they had sent all their rifle men to attack us behind, before we were aware of it. This we defeated by moving ourselves. John’s rash course, which ap jieared at first so reprehensible, may have been, and indeed was, the very means of saving us. As for him, he is certainly dead to ns, if not to every one else; and, for ourselves, I see not the least chance of a final escape. These savages will remain here lighting us, caged as we are, until all of us are slain, worn out, or deprived of ammunition. There is also a strong prob ability of their overwhelming us by a sud den rush, being so superior in numbers If they do this at all, it will be as day breaks in the morning, for they will then suppose us buried in sleep. For this at tack, I shall provide. We must sell our lives as dear as possible, for vve cannot hope to heat them off, nor can vve escape by night. Fvcn now. you can perceive ; the impossibility of that. Do you not see 1 they aio kindling tiros all mound us, and will sup and dance aronnd them in pure contempt for our numbers?” ft was as Mac said ; large fires were kindled in the forest, and the savages, dan cing and whooping around them, exulted over their anticipated spoils. Mac caused his men to cleanse their guns, eat a hear ty though cold supper, and lie down to ob tain as much rest as possible. So much did they rely on his judgment, that every one did as he desired, except James. He preferred to remain on guard, and watch with Mac. The two conversed much du ring the long hours of that dreary night.— James gave his companion a history of his life—his engagement with Marie—his deep love for her—and an account of his future plans, provided they escaped. They can vassed, again and again, various plans for avoiding death: fainter each time grew their hopes. It appeared to James a cruel destiny, to be compelled to surrender all his bright prospects, and be slain in the wilderness, by savages. Being a sincere Christian, he determined to acquiesce to the . decrees of Providence, however inscruta ble they might appear. It was nearly an hour before the dawn, when Mac aroused the now refreshed hunt ers, and, enjoining the strictest silence up on them, bade them prepare to receive the attack of the Camanches. “ For,” said he, “ supposing us either worn out with watching, or buried in sleep, they will make a terrible onslaught at the , first approach of light. If, contrary to ! Iheir expectations, we give them a decided check, it might discourage them. - ’ There were now ten fighting men : these were placed in the most advantageous po i siiions for viewing the assault. The ut most stillness reigned. As the first grey streaks were seen in the East, the hearts of that forlorn band throbbed convulsively with anxious expectation ; and, when the darkness gave way to dusky dawn, there arose on all sides of that devoted few the i terrible war-whoop of the savages. Utter ing the most furious yells, the Indians rushed forth from their cover, discharged their guns and arrows, and were preparing 1 to rush forward, when the simultaneous : crack of ten rifles sealed the death-warrant ;of as many of their number. During the ! confusion created by this occurrence, and [ their carrying oil’ the dead, the whites had 1 time to reload. The sharp sound of their , rifles was again heard, and the maddened savages rushed recklessly across the open ! space, into the thick underbrush of the ’ knoll. Yell upon yell arose on every j side: through and through those bushes i dashed the infuriated demons. Tile star tled horses broke loose from their fasten ings, and fled in the utmost terror: the savage rushed against every dark body, | only to meet his brother savage. A fero i cious looking Mexican, who was of their | company, plunged his long knife into eve -1 ry dark looking bush with demoniac fierce ; ness. No where could a white man be found. Amidst this confusion, a shrill, long continued, wavering whoop was heard, far above all other tumults. The quick tramp of many horses, urged to full speed, fell upon the ears of the astounded Indians. At this moment, John dashed into the arena, followed by thirty horsemen armed to the teeth. Over and through the copse they whirled, cutting and shooting the dark forms of the now terror-stricken savages, with the most remorseless energy. In a few moments, not an unhurt red-skiu was to be seen. A loud sh.out of joy at their triumph arose from the deep throats of those strange men : twice and thrice was it repeated, until the welkin rung again, and tho echoes answered it far and near; The dying sounds were taken up and roh tinued, apparently from the clouds, as heartily as ten voices were capable of re peating them, and. at the same time, ten forms dropped from as many trees, and James Mauray found himself in the em brace of his friend, Herbert Montague. As soon as the consequent uproar and con gratulations had ceased, the number of slain was counted. Near thirty savages were found dead or disabled; among the rest, the Spaniard, before mentioned, wa.s found lying wounded, in a very thick place. A young man, appearing to be his son, was bending over him and soothing him. “Miserccordia, iniserecordia, Misseni ores, por le amor dc Dios! - ’ he eagerly exclaimed, iu the Spanish language, when James approached, accompanied by Her bert and Mac. The man’s wound, which was in the leg, was attended to as well ass could be done under existing circumstan ces. As the young Mexican offered no re sistance, he was suffered to go at large, and kept his position by his father's side, and waited upon him constantly. Mutual explanations now took place. The rescued persons learnt that John had continued his flight, with the intention of reaching Independence, and returning with aid; but, during the night, he came upon an cncamjiment, which turned out to be Herbert Montague, returning from Santa Fe. As soon as Herbert learnt the posi tion of his friend, he selected twenty-nine of his men, and set out to fescue him. Mac now related how “ he had managed his plans.” In a simple narrative style, he said: “We waited impatiently the approach of day. At the first glimmerings of light, eaeh of us ascended a thick tree, choosing such as gave a fair view into the open space beneath. We bad made an agree ment to count twelve deliberately, at the time the Inilians appeared, and then fire so as to kill. The light was so dim, the smoke of our rifles could not be easily seen, and yet it was not dark enough to show the blaze. So, when they entered the thicket, they found no one. We had hidden poor Ben carefully in a hollow log, the evening before. Thpy would have found us in time, had not your opportune arrival put an end to the search. But what shall we do with this fellow ?” said he, pointing to the Mexican. “Carry him with us, of course, - ’ an \ swered Herbert, “and cure him.” ! “ Poor Ben,” begun Mac again, “I sup i pose we shall be obliged to bury him here, j for we couldn't easily carry him to Inde j peodence.” So “Ben'’ was encased in a hollow log I ° ■ tor a coffin, and carefully buried, to pre , vent his remains from being discovered and mutilated by the Indians. Joyfully, they : s't out for Herbert's encampment, and from tlicncc proceeded to Independence. Upon their arrival there, James and his friend made immediate preparations for I'itring for St. Louis. The parting be : tween James and Mac was very affecting, as they had become endeared to eacli oth er during their short acquaintance. At 1 length they started, taking the Mexican I and his son with them, according to their j leqnest. CHAPTER IV. A deep gorge between lofty mountains—* a headlong torrent rushing furiously in* to a gulf beneath—a winding road, rnggeil cliffs and frightful chasms —no sound, save the ceaseless roar of- that iinjietuous tor rent—not a breath of air Stirring—not an unnatural sound disturbs the repose of those dark mountains, as they raise their lofty heads to the sky—and such a sky! The god of the day, as he bids farewell to the world, casts his most resplendent beams over its surface t creating such a sight as is rarely seen by ino'rlal_ eyes. There are pictured the waves of the sea in living col ors, and having a radiated appcarancei At the farthest distance from the common centre, the heavens have a light purple ap pearance ; this gradually glides into a beautiful pink color, and then becomes of the brightest crimson, casting a ruddy light over the whole earth; and, as the eye turns to the glorious orb itself, it meets the clouds fringed with the most vivid gold, and at length finds a brightness of such dazzling intensity, that it is obliged to bo withdrawn. Over the whole there ;s ca-t such a mellow fleeciness, that the beholder cannot doubt that he is viewing ono of fair j Italia’s most gorgeous sunsets. This is tho scene into which the reader is now introduced. But hark! another sound begins to fall upon the ear, unlike 1 the dashing of water ’Tis the. rumbling ‘of wheels; a vehicle of a shining yellow 1 cplor rises into view ; it is drawn by four