"We Must Walk Him About," Said Dunmore, "It Is The Only Chance, And Painful
As It Is, I Must Have It Done.
Remember, I'm responsible for the boy, and
no means must be left untried."
I had withdrawn a little from the group, and as I stood some distance off,
outside the circle of light thrown by the fire, I could not help thinking
what a scene for the painter's brush was here presented. The dark outline
of the lofty gums looked black and forbidding as funeral plumes, against
the leaden sky. The rugged range starting up in the rear, cast a
threatening gloom over the little valley in which we were encamped, and the
distant thunder of a falling torrent could, with little effort, be
interpreted as a dull voice of warning from the mountain. The fitful glare
of the fire, now sinking, now rising as a fresh brand was added, threw a
ruddy glare over the actors in this strange scene; showing the hopeless
face of the poor patient, the undemonstrative countenances of his sable
companions, and the anxious air apparent in the white men, more
particularly in Dunmore, as he knelt over his follower, and tried to
inspirit a little hope by dwelling on the chances of recovery. The
fantastic dresses, and the wildness of the spot, all combined to add a
weird aspect to the group; and recalled forcibly to the mind those scenes
of Pyrenean robber-life, so faithfully portrayed by the magic pencil of
Salvator Rosa.
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