Suddenly the Little Red-Head, whose blood was now up, as he had tasted battle, sprang to his feet as the shrieks of some poor Mexican women, who were being dragged into hateful and hideous captivity, were wafted to his ears

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Boys, I can't stand this! Let's drive these scoundrels back to their own mountains!"

The words were scarcely spoken, when every man jumped to his feet as by one electric impulse, and sprang for his rifle amidst cries of approval.

"We can whip the whole!"

"That's you, Captain! We're your boys! We'll fan 'em out, the filthy thieves, if they were a thousand."

"Hurrah for our Captain! He's some in a briar-patch!"

"We'll teach these dirty copper-heads to come into Baha while Rangers own it! Whoop! whoop! Hurrah, boys! One more glass before we part, to get our horses!" said Captain Red, as he filled his to the brim. The rest followed suit, and in another moment, amidst the sounds of social uproar, these men separated to get their horses to ride on one of the maddest dare-devil chases ever ridden by men before.

It took them but a little while to mount, for a Ranger's horse is always ready at a moment's warning, as well as his arms, and with one wild whoop, which made the terrified Mexicans tremble and slink closer in their corners, they dashed out of town at full speed in the pursuit.

When they emerged from the streets of the town, and its thin straggling suburb of dobey huts, they came abruptly upon the broad plain of the prairie, which, after a short distance, became gradually dotted, at wide intervals, with small islands of timber, called "motts." They saw, to their no small surprise, only a single predatory party, such as we have spoken of; and this seemed to have just issued from the town, and to be encumbered with plunder and prisoners. The hurried supposition was, that the other parties, who had so lately been in sight, must have crossed the San Antonio River above, and be entering the town on the other side.

Be that as it may, had it been one party, or the whole body of the enemy, it would have been all the same to the Rangers-so they dashed at the one in view, and, come what might, they meant to overhaul this one at any rate.

The race soon became exciting-since, as the flying party were evidently encumbered heavily, the Americans gained rapidly upon them, and were beginning to yell, in anticipated triumph, when they reached the larger motts, which are several miles out from the town. Here the fugitives were suddenly joined by another party, which glided out from behind one of them, and seemed to take a portion of the embarrassing burdens upon themselves-by which movement the pace of the first was wonderfully accelerated.

The sight of this accession only increased the enthusiasm of the Americans, who urged the race with yet greater eagerness; for the Indians were just about three to one now, and that would afford

them some sport. The distance between the two parties was now considerably increased, for these Indians have a wonderful faculty of getting work out of their tough mountain horses-so much so, indeed, that they usually escape from American horsemen, even when the latter are better mounted.

When the chase had continued for several miles, the Comanches either really were, or appeared to be, losing ground. Their horses flagged in speed considerably, and when this was noticed, Little RedHead bent forward in his saddle, and, yelling like a madman, lashed his horse until the blood flew at each whacking blow, and with the hoarse cry:

"They're ours! Come on!"

Darted ahead. His party, as much excited as himself, responded until the welkin fairly rang again with their fierce cries. On! on! sweeps the clattering race, hurled headlong over the shaking plain, now beginning to change its character, which, heretofore, had been only diversified by "motts" of timber, scattered promiscuously over the surface; but now they were approaching a long line of thick timber, fenced along its edges by a low chaparral of dense and thorny growth, which was utterly impenetrable to horses, and which the naked Comanches would rather die than attempt to ride through, if they could.

This the Rangers well knew, and they had almost held their breaths as they watched-bending over their horses' heads, with parted lips and straining eyes, to see whether the Indians would head in that direction, where they were as secure as if they had run them against a stone wall. The moment it became certain that this was the direction, there was a universal burst of jeering laughter, rendered savagely hysterical by the excited passions of these wild

men.

"Ha! ha! We've got you now!" was almost hissed, in a smothered voice, from between the set teeth of Little Red-Head, as they closed rapidly upon the flying savages, who, exhibiting every sign of terror, began to look back, and drop articles of plunder.

"Ha! peeling-disgorging-are you? I'll disgorge you!"muttered the leader, as he looked to his rifle, which lay across the saddle before him

"Let out another link, boys!"

He shouted in a deep tone, as they neared the wood, and were now within rifle shot. The eager men were beginning to handle their rifles

"Hold on! Keep your horses to the work! Time enough when we're among them! They can't escape!" was the prompt command. At this moment the Indians reached the timber, and, one after another, their dark forms disappeared within its seemingly impenetrable bosom-like a great black serpent, gliding into its shadowy den. To describe the yell of infuriated astonishment-the blank, pale look of surprise, which the Rangers exchanged during one brief instant of uncertainty, would be impossible. But the stern leader shouted quickly

"On boys! if they're going below, we'll follow them!"

The men cheered, and they swept after them beneath the wood. One short minute beneath the shadows-a little time of darkened, breath less speed, and they burst into the sunlight of the prairie beyond. Their eyes were dazzled! Their senses stunned! It was but for an instant. The harsh and stunning howl that greeted them to this dazzling light, they had heard before-those dusky, hideous forms, rush upon them from every side-but they had seen their long lances and feathered crowns shake and toss in fight before-and though they came like a torrent closing round them, these brave men were not unnerved!

The ring of their rifles rose in deadly lullaby over the triumphingly howls of successful strategy-recoiling the overwhelming waves in silence for a moment, while the smoke arose-but then the recoil was stayed by the tremendous rush from the circles without-for they were in the very middle of a camp-or rather ambush-of three hundred Comanches, and only those nearest could reach them, of course, but then this rush drove on those before upon them, trampling the bodies of their own slain that had fallen by the first fire, and in spite of the terrible execution done by the pistols of the Rangers, the roaring tide rushed on. The Comanches were wild with ferocious exultation for here they had, at last, entrapped their formidable and most audacious foe, the Little Red-Head, whose fiery scalp was worth the feathered coronet of a chief to any one of them. Terribly these barbaric billows swayed and rolled before the murderous fire of fifteen hemmed in and desperate men.

The pistols soon became useless. Recoil after recoil of the Indians had been driven in, yet the relentless thirst for vengeance and that fiery scalp grew more and more unappeasable; and though lance grated against lance in the bodies of Ranger after Ranger, and arrows flew like hail, still this strange and furious fight went on. The Rangers had drawn their heavy bowie-knives, and laid about them with desperate strength, clipping off the lance-heads like carrot-tops, as they were frequently crossed above them in the wild tumultuous struggle.

It was a volcanic chaos of fringed buckskins-breech-clouts-streaming

feathers-rifles-lances-pistols-arrows-horses--oaths-knives -death-groans-screams-yells and whoops, boiling and tumbling beneath the smiling sun of God's own blessed, gentle spring.

Ah, it was horrible enough!

It would seem as if this presumptuous squad should have been borne down at once, and utterly exterminated by this tremendous pressure-but it should be kept in view, that the Comanches had at that time little knowledge of fire-arms beyond the effects from which they had suffered, or been witnesses of, and therefore greatly amplified them, and indeed held them in a sort of superstitious awe.

Be this as it may, perhaps the world never witnessed-on a small scale, to be sure-a more remarkable instance of an agile, fierce, relentless struggle, than this between these few men and the comparative host by whom they were surrounded. Think of it!-fifteen to three hundred !—taken by surprise, too!

There was one young man in this doomed party who had acted wildly since they set off on this fatal chase. He it was who had whispered hurriedly in the ear of Little Red-Head something that caused his sudden and unexpected proposition to follow the Comanches. He had been one of those who came out in the party with the lieutenant whom I have mentioned as my informant. His real name had not been given. He had been the most eager and rash of the Rangers, and had fought with almost superhuman fierceness. Since the moment of their falling into this ambush, his object had seemed to have been to cut his way through the overwhelming mass in the direction of a group of warriors that took no part in what was going on, but were evidently in charge of the prisoners. He had even taken the lead of his captain, and by his frantic efforts had succeeded in carving a bloody lane through the Indians to this point. They had evidently been impressed with a sort of panic by his incredible fury, and gave way before a desperation which seemed to bear a charmed life. Now was the time to escape, if ever!

But his eager eye had sought for one form among the prisoners. There were but three. The glance was quick as lightning, but seemed to be sufficient.

"Oh God! she is not here!"

He rather shrieked these words than spoke them. He turned ashy pale, and without a word more, or a single groan, pitched forward over the head of his horse among the trampling hoofs. Little Red-Head was at his side when he thus fell without a wound, for, strangely enough, he had as yet entirely escaped. With a strange, sorrowful cry, he reined in his horse, and the last that was seen of Little Red-Head, twenty lances were meeting through his unresisting body; and as the two young men who escaped burst free upon the open ground again, and made off, bleeding with many wounds, the demoniac yells of triumph from the Comanches, echoed horribly in their ears. There was little attempt made to overtake them, and they got in safe the lieutenant, with the loss of the finger and thumb of one hand, together with half a dozen body wounds, and his friend reeling in the saddle from the loss of blood from as many more.

Thus ended this horrible and strange affair, which, perhaps, has hardly a parallel in any annals. But not the least singular part of it was revealed afterwards.

From papers discovered among the effects of Little Red-Head, it appeared that this young man was Mark Catesby, and that Red was his natural brother-an illegitimate son of old Catesby!

A paper of instructions with regard to Mark was found, too, containing the mysterious signature, "Regulus," and which was worded in the imperious language of entire despotism. What became of the young girl Juliet we may yet hear. That she was snatched up on the street and carried off by the Comanches, is all we can say at present.

LIBRAR

OF THE

UNIVERSITY

OF

ART. III.-INSURANCE OF CHARACTER.

WHILE Our Insurance Companies are daily taking risks against fire, life, and the dangers of the sea, there is still one important branch of the business heretofore overlooked in this country, which would ma terially contribute both to their own profits and the advancement of the industrial interests of the people. We mean that of affording security ship on the bonds of applicants for public offices, banks, &c., or any situation of responsibility, or the extension of the present system of Insurance, so as to embrace the character as well as the life of the insured party.

The advantages of such companies are twofold, the benefit resulting not being confined to the party more immediately interested. Relief is at once afforded to many liberal-hearted friends, who have experienced the inconvenience of being often called upon to assume for others, who become candidates for office, a heavy weight of pecuniary responsibility. Here is, of itself, no small inducement to such unlucky wights to become members of an Association of the kind, and thereby diminish their own personal liabilities. The individual insured, by paying a premium for the benefit, is saved either the unpleasant condition of dependence and indebtedness, to which the boon which he is compelled to ask gratuitously from an individual invariably subjects him, or else the humiliating mortification of a refusal. The insurer, instead of becoming individually in danger of suffering from his agency in the matter, throws his annual contribution into the general fund, and shares with a hundred others, not the risk of loss, but the certainty of a handsome dividend. To illustrate what may appear to some an extravagant conclusion, let us suppose for a moment, that every bank officer, (to say nothing of officers in various grades and departments of labor, who are required to give security for the faithful discharge of their duties,) instead of having been compelled to incur obligations to individual friends, had been in the habit of paying to an Insurance Company, annually, a per centage on the amount of security ship, for which those individuals have been hitherto nominally liable. What a large amount of revenue might have been accumulated to add to the funds of the Company; and what an immense disproportion would this be to the losses incurred, (if any of consequence have been incurred during the last ten or fif teen years.)-Losses by fire, shipwreck, and other casualties, are not only frequent, but absolutely certain and inevitable in the common course of nature. Our banks and corporations, on the contrary, exhibit little or no evidence of the danger to be apprehended from responsibility for the character of their officers. Individual securityship (admitting, of course, some occasional exceptions) has been so far in a great measure nominal. Indeed, so great is the disproportion between the amount of security required in many instances, and the largest possible amount for which the officer can ever become a defaulter, (admitting him to be the very quintessence of knavery!) that the apparent responsibility is, to a great extent, nominal, and