on-skin,
which his struggles had almost buried in his flesh. A single touch of the
steel, rewarded by such a yell of transport as was never before heard
in those savage retreats, sufficed to sever the bond; and Stackpole,
leaping on the earth, began to testify his joy in modes as novel as they
were frantic. His first act was to fling his arms round the neck of his
steed, which he hugged and kissed with the most rapturous affection,
doubtless in requital of the docility it had shown when docility was so
necessary to its rider's life; his second, to leap half a dozen times
into the air, feeling his neck all the time, and uttering the most
singular and vociferous cries, as if to make double trial of the
condition of his windpipe; his third, to bawl aloud, directing the
important question to the soldier, "How many days has it been since they
hanged me? War it to-day, or yesterday, or the day before? or war it a
whole year ago? for may I be next hung to the horn of a buffalo, instead
of the limb of a beech tree, if I didn't feel as if I had been squeaking
thar ever since the beginning of creation! Cock-a-doodle-doo! him that
ar'nt born to be hanged, won't be hanged, no-how!" Then running to Edith,
who sat watching his proceedings with silent amazement, he flung himself
on his knees, seized the hem of her riding-habit, which he kissed with
the fervour of an adorer, exclaiming with a vehement sincerity, that made
the whole action still more strangely ludicrous, "Oh! you splendiferous
creatur'! you angeliferous anngel! here am I, Ralph Stackpole the
Screamer, that can whip all Kentucky, white, black, mixed, and Injun; and
I'm the man to go with you to the ends of the 'arth, to fight, die, work,
beg, and steal bosses for you! I am, and you may make a little dog of me;
you may, or a niggur, or a boss, or a door-post, or a back-log, or a
dinner,--'tarnal death to me, but you may _eat_ me! I'm the man to feel a
favour, partickelarly when it comes to helping me out of a halter; and so
jist say the word who I shall lick, to begin on; for I'm your slave jist
as much as that niggur, to go with you, as I said afore, to the ends of
the 'arth, and the length of Kentucky over?"

"Away with you, you scoundrel and jackanapes," said Roland, for to this
ardent expression of gratitude Edith was herself too much frightened to
reply.

"Strannger!" cried the offended horse-thief, "you cut the tug, and you
cut the halter; and so, though you did it