Lik Ah sed, it were jest me 'n Aphrodite, n we waz jest kinda shamblin along takin our time, 'caue th gentleman who tole me 'bout th landin a couple miles upriver sed thet th next steamer wazn't due ta git thar 'til 11:00 clock and it waz jest 9:37. So we waz in no kinda hurry.
We shoulda been though, cause what do ah stumble into when ah round th next bend, but th three 'river rats' ah'd spotted earlier. what happens in next three minuites took less time than it takes to set it down on paper.
They are lined up across the road frum the levee to the ditch there ain't no way to git around them. The smallest one, the one with the old flint longrifle has his mount facing the ditchside o the road with that wicked old flint lock athwart the saddle an pointed toward me, the same with the ugly boy with the double gun. The ole man with the 'Jeff Davis' beard has a Lemat restin across his leg.
My mind is racing a mile a minuite! "Thank providence I forgot ta slip th loop back over the hammer o mah revolver, what to do can't retreat, then I remember what ole Marse Robert said in one of his classes " When in doubt, do the unexpected." So I did, I let out the ole Rebel Yell, drew mah gun, gave Aphrodite a touch o the spur, n ran straight at them!
Wal let me tell y'u they waz one surprised set o highwaymen, I fired one shot above their heds as I spurred Aphrodite into a hard gallop.
They scattered lik a bunch o leaves would scatter in a gust o strong wind, Th ole man tried to raise his Lemat but Ah was on him before he got the gun level, Aphrodite barreled inta his horse's broadside throwing them into the path o the ugly boy with the double gun. The young 'un with the flint lock tried to turn the gun but it waz so long 'n unwieldy that he durn near unseated hisself tryin git the gun ta bear. By this time I was well beyond them and goin hell fer leather fer that steamboat landin! By Jing that waz sum kinda fun! By the time them 'river Rats got their horses turned Ah waz close to a quarter mile ahead of them, but still had to get to the steamboat landin I was hoping that there would be other people there that might scare off my pursuers.
Rounding another bend in the road I had a fleeting thought o crossin the levee but the footing on the batture would be at best uneven so decided to stay on the road. Just then something snapped by me with a low whine, them rats were limberin up their irons Now how's a feller gonea shoot a flint longrifle from the back o a runnin hoss an hope to hit something is beyond my comprehension, I jest touched Aphrodite with my spurs and she streched out her legs soon the River Rats were so far behind that they could never hope to catch me before I reached the landing, I could see their dust but it wasn't getting any closer. I slowed Aphrodite to a slow canter and rounding the next curve saw the river boat landing and a few citizens sitting, standing or just milling around waiting for steamer to come upriver. We still had more than an hour wait.
"Now, there sits a pretty little thing" I said to myself, looking at a petit woman with honeybrown hair sitting off by herself, "Think I'll seek an introduction---
As Ah walked up behind her, two men who had been trying to get her attention scuddled away Thank God Henry" she said, " I thought you would never get here in time for the boat" I looked at her quizzically as I rounded the bench whar she was sitting, removed my hat an made the most caviler bow Ah knew, my hat sweepin th ground at her feet an th toe o mah right boot pointed in her direction leg staright out an body bent properly at the waist.
"Ah'm sorry Angel Ah pronounced it ANNGhell, but Ah couldn't git away any sooner, you know Ma'mere she has to check everything twice at the least.
Well let me tell you, she looked at me with her beautiful brown eyes flecked with gold/green glints of light deep in the pupil and smiled.
Her teeth were not perfect but they were clean, the color of eggshell. She nodded moved a little to the left so that I might sit indecating that she had no objection to my bold move.
After Ah had seated mahself next to her she leaned in my direction and whispered, "Thank you Henry is it?" Ah nodded, "Those two 'gentlemen' over there, have been annoying me." She said gentlemen, like someone would say 'cottonmouth'
I looked in the direction she indicated and there stood two 'river rats' slouch hats pulled so low that all you could see were their chins.
"Not to worry ma'am, now thet 'Henry" is here Ah don't think they'll bother you anymore."
She laughed then, a clear bell of a laugh that chimed in my ear and rang in my heart. I was, through no fault of my own, in love!
Sorrento waz a full day's travel up river frum where we caught the paddle-wheel travelin slow 'n easy on th river, stoppin here 'n thar a small towns and lonesum landins. Angelique, that's her real name, asked how did I know her name, rememberin thet ah had called her Angel when Ah hed so boldly introduced mahself. Ah looked at her, so pretty in her pale green traveling clothes and thet rich brown bonnet set so jauntly on her hed, smilled, shrugged and answered, "Why, ma'am, when Ah saw y'u, Ah saw an angel, an not knowin yer name, Ah jest figgured thet 'Angel ' would be appropraite.
She blushed a little at the complement. "You're not from here are you?"
"Wal, ma'am ta tell the truth" Ah waz born 'n raised here by th river, spent mah formative years on Poppa's plantation, went ta West Point but didn't graduate thogh due ta th late 'unplesentness,' headed west afterward by way o Cape Horn, debarked at Guadalajara, headed north 'n ended up in Texas. Ah waz mistaken fer a outlaw by a pack o Texas Ranges out huntin Comanches, an rather than be shot ta peices by a pack o jittery lawdogs Ah surrendered an went with 'em peaceable.