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160 transcribe it faithfully, and hand it down to a devout and admiring posterity. Few and short were the words we spoke. The Doctor, with countenance grave and stern, refilled the magazine of his rifle with cartridges, and borrowed Lloyd's revolver. When I make my appearance upon the boards in the great character of "William Tell," I shall recall to mind the attitude and expression of the Doctor at that moment; and with such a model have never a fear but that the gods in the gallery will bestow their applause until the roof rings again. Lloyd took up a position immediately in rear of the Doctor, with his teeth firm set, and his double-barreled No. 8 stub-and-twist grasped pretty firmly in both hands. For myself, I determined that, come what might, I would not see the poor horses victimized for our folly, and I would stay by them, and get them out of danger as quickly at their legs could carry them, on the first appearance of the infuriated grizzly. One of the most prominent features of my character has ever been a certain watchful forethought, which would have made me invaluable as the commander of an army. Had I commanded at Bull Run—but then, I did not command at Bull Run, and the history of that unfortunate affair has already been written!

As I was proceeding to mount and ride off with the horses, I chanced to look at the bear track, where it crossed the soft bit of grassy ground on the side of the hog-back, opposite where Manuel had pointed it out in the hard, rocky soil; and with the bluntness of an impulsive and ingenuous nature, thoughtlessly re-