Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1828-08-05

ANOTHER INSTANCE OF THE PowER OF
IMAGINATION. A Mr.. D---was great
deer hunter. He had learned his dog to
trail the game a few yards ahead of him
slowly, till, within sight, he should be able
to reach it with his rifle. A very large
Buck had made his appearance in the neigh
bourhood, and excited great emulation
among the rival hunters, who should kill
him. One morning very early Mr.. d. rous-
ed him from his lair, and his dog was placed
on his trail. He had not gone far before he
got shot at the noble animal, but it was not
fatal. The deer fed. The dog was made
to follow slowly again, until a second shot
might be more successful. They followed
to large creek which the deer had crossed
the dog refused to follow. The master
urged, but the dog still refused to take the
water. The master became irritated and
seized the dog to throw him in, when he
bit his master on the arm. The master was
unable to account for such conduct in an an
imal, who had heretofore required restraint
rather than excitement in the discharge Of
his duties. At last it flashed across his mind,
that the animal was going mad, and his fear
of the water was convincing proof to his
imagination. Levelling his rifle, he instant
ly blew ont the brains of poor Tray, and
made all haste home with the terrible intel
ligence that his dog had gone mad and bit
him. The fame of our old teacher soon car
ried the half distracted man to his residence.
He heard the tale, soothed the excited feel
ings of his patient, and assured him that
there was no immediate danger. Not be-
lieving it case of the bite of rabid animal,
he invented several plans to allay the pres
ent fears of Mr.. D, telling him, among
other things, that he need not fear the least
danger, if he should pass the 9th day after
the bite and that the disease rarely manifest
ed itself sooner. About week before this
period had elapsed, Mr.. D. began to be
very uneasy and resistless. The nearer the
day approached, symptoms of great men
tai anxiety showed themselves more fire.
quently till on the Goth day, the man
was in state of infurate madness. His
eye glanced with maniacal quickness, from
object TO object, and his whole counte-
nance expressed the passions off demon. He
shuddered at the sight of water, gnashed his
teeth, and rolling his projecting eye-balls,
presented less the appearance of human
being than an accused inhabitant escaped
from the regions of Tophit. He had, how
ever, short lucid intervals, when reason
seemed to resume her empire over him. He
would then beg his friends to keep away
from him, for he did not know what he might
do. At these times he would swallow water
in large quantities, to quench his raging
thirst, but every swallow was accompanied
with convulsive motion. His physician
was sent for, but being from home, it was
several hours before he visited him. When
he arrived there was crowd round the house
and in the door--all begged him not to enter,
as the patient was an infuriate mad-man.-
But he disregarded his personal safety and
entered. The man was walking with q
brisk step across his room backwards and
forwards, rolling his eyes, crashing his teeth,
and when the violence of the paroxysm was
little abated, would coil himself up in the
corner of the room like dog, and lie still
for moment. He recognized his physi-
clan, whom he begged not to come near him
as he could not answer for his conduct. In
one of his lucid moments, the Doctor pour
ing out, as he supposed, nearly an ounce of
laudanum, persuaded Mr.. D. to swallow
it, which he did convulsively. In an hour
he was in sound sleep, with stentorous
breathing, from which he awoke the second
day in his perfect mind, and killed many a
fine buck acknowledgement Courier.
THE TAR AND THE WHALE, The follow
ing curious anecdote, told by the captain of
a whale ship which was at Valparaiso,
shows of what mistaken fortitude the hardy
sons of Neptune are possessed, and what in
diffnro1ra fbou avinoo ,,pdo, +t,o