and  died.  But  pride  was  aroused  and  I  kept  on,  soon  over
lapping  thirty  or  forty  miles  a  day  with  less  and  less  tax
on  the  powers  of  nature.  Later  on  I  told  the  dear  old  gentle
man,  whom  I  have  since  regarded  as  one  of  the  brainiest  of
his  profession,  and  despite  his  rough  speech  and  at  times
uncouth  mannerism,  one  of  the  best  of  men,  that  nothing  but
that  prediction  kept  me  in  the  saddle  with  face  to  the  setting
sun,  and  thus  saved  a  life  of  but  little  intrinsic  value.  To
the  end  of  his,  we  were  friends  and  cronies  whenever  chance
brought  us  together.  Perhaps  identity  of  political  faith  had
something  to  do  with  cementing  the  tie.  Though  born  and
reared  in  the  heart  of  'New  England,  it  was  not  in  him  to
espouse  the  political  opinions  of  that  dogmatic  section.  He
had  well-matured  convictions  of  his  own  in  diametrical  clash
to  his  immediate  surroundings.  'States-rights  and  Strict-
Construction'  was  the  shibboleth  of  his  creed;  Jefferson  and
Calhoun  its  exponents.
