ocks of hair exposed by the blow of the
sabre, which had carried off a huge slice of his hat, without doing other
mischief, while his right brandished a rifle, which he handled as if
about to repay the favour with interest. But the same flash that revealed
his visage to the astonished soldier, disclosed also Roland's features to
him, and he fairly yelled with joy at the sight. "'Tarnal death to me!"
he roared, first leaping into the air and cracking' his heels together,
then snatching at Roland's hand, which he clutched and twisted with the
gripe of a bear, and then cracking his heels together again, "'tarnal
death to me, sodger, but I know'd it war _you_ war in a squabblification!
I heard the cracking and the squeaking; "'Tarnal death to me!' says I,
'thar's Injuns!' And then I thought, and says I, '"Tarnal death to me,
who are they after?' and then, 'tarnal death to me, it came over me like
a strick of lightning, and says I, 'Tarnal death to me, but its
anngelliferous madam that helped me out of the halter!' Strannger!" he
roared, executing another demivolte, "h'yar am I, come to do
anngelliferous madam's fighting ag'in all critturs human and inhuman,
Christian and Injun, white, red, black, and party-coloured. Show me
anngelliferous madam, and then show me the abbregynes; and if you ever
seed fighting, 'tarnal death to me, but you'll say it war only the
squabbling of seed-ticks and blue-bottle flies! I say, sodger, show me
anngelliferous madam: you cut the halter, and you cut the tug; but it war
madam the anngel that set you on: wharfo', I'm her dog and her niggur
from now to etarnity, and I'm come to fight for her, and lick her enemies
till you shall see nothing left of 'em but ha'rs and nails!"

Of these expressions, uttered with extreme volubility and the most
extravagant gestures, Roland took no notice; his astonishment at the
horse-thief's appearance was giving way to new thoughts and hopes, and he
eagerly demanded of Ralph how he had got there.

"In the dug-out,"[9] said Ralph; "found her floating among the bushes,
ax'd me out a flopper[10] with my tom-axe in no time, jumped in,
thought of anngelliferous madam, and came down the falls like a cob in a
corn-van--ar'n't I the leaping trout of the waters? Strannger, I don't
want to sw'ar; but I reckon if there ar'n't hell up thar among the big
stones, thar's hell no other whar all about Salt River! But I say,
sodger, I came here not to talk nor cavort[11], but to sh