Another volley of shot rang in the ears of the youth, as he passed the
impediment, and he felt himself wounded in the side. The wound gave him
little concern at the moment, for, under the excitement of the strife,
he felt not even its smart; and, turning himself upon the saddle, he
drew one of his own weapons from its case, and discharging it, by way of
taunt, in the faces of the outlaws, laughed loud with the exulting
spirit of youth at the successful result of an adventure due entirely to
his own perfect coolness, and to the warm courage which had been his
predominating feature from childhood.
The incident just narrated had dispersed a crowd of gloomy reflections,
so that the darkness which now overspread the scene, coupled as it was
with the cheerlessness of prospect before him, had but little influence
upon his spirits. Still, ignorant of his course, and beginning to be
enfeebled by the loss of blood, he moderated his speed, and left it to
the animal to choose his own course.
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