The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-03-26
From tho New York Spirit Of tho Times
A Snake.bil lriShman.
AN ORIGINAL TENNESSEE HUNTING
INCIDENT.

"grand, magoifque, pretty good dee
hunt cane offa few weeks since in TIT
mountains of Morgan County, Tennessee
The party-made up OF the best material
consisted OF judge. J. M. W
J. A., and some two or three veter
nm hunters, ripe for sport and full of fun
AS object is not TO give detailed &C
count ofthe hunt, but only one of its in
cidents, shall contcn, myself with mere
~ saying. that after four days hunt, thu
three gentlemen named, returned with q
pair OF hams and diverse specimens o
smaller fry. J. A. killed foe buck a
one hundred and sixty yards, off hand
shooting at the head and hitting it. Judge
A--(an ardent sportsman and SPLEEN
did rife shot, )also killed ii at "long taw'
But truce to this, and now for the Incl
dent.
AS every day has its night and every
rose its thorn. SO this mirlbful party had its
"pest" in the shape OF a raw .boned loqua-
cous lrisbman, wh", rninvite5. had quar-
tered himself in the camp, boarding and
lodging al the expense of the crowd, and
conirivng in countless ways to render
himself nuisance when-awake, and when
asleep accomplishing the same praise
worthy end without any contrlvance at Ill
it being natural gift; and used by the
professor with mos, tormenting effect
The man snored-and hop he snored, will
presently appear;sufice to say,a more un-
mitigated nuisance was never abated in a
more summary manner.
Nha., loorno Cd b., b;o
and behavior that he was afraid of snakes
generally and "OId Snakes' in particular;
indeed, think the sequel warrants the
bold asseriIon that he would have given
long odds in favor oil Stock Creek goug.
ing, rather thar face an eighteen inch
moccasin with "bels on his TAIL" as he
termed fatles. The man had heard some
fearful snake yarns or tales since his Ieav
ing the sod;" this was evident from the
morbid dread, yes, horror, he felt of the
craving tribe. Well, with the @ leen Of
Sheba, he might truly say she half had
not bsen told him" after nights expert,
ence at hunters camp 10 Tennessee.
Ga the secocd night of his intrusion, he
m1de himself more than usually welcome.
''get!ing, sir, somewhat, sir, shot p as
Tom Murry said, when an ounce of lead
took up its lodgings in the "fork' OF his
breeches, thinking I'll lead cam no doubt,
tina. it had more room there than in the
powder bed of an old brass boring iron.
He told long, dry yarns,al having more
or less remote bearing on his own prov.
ess or skill, and more than once inSiuua-
ted desire TO make a demonstration, by
having the use of The skull of any t'i!n'le-
man" present, aud 'Two fut lhoru, fur
lsl mint !"
Well, all This was very pleasant, ami
have no doubs perfectly satisfactory, so far
as he individually was concerned: but with
his hearers it was quite differen, thing;
ye! sill they endured it. "Blt the cup of
patience was nearly full, and that night il
overlooked bearing off on its boiling
current, the cause of the arise, to regions
far away and unknown.
After he had weaTied himself with his
''blather," and showed symptoms of turn.
ing ia, Jim A----:old him a few yarns
bearing on the much dreaded snake sub
ject, and dwell particularly on their size,
variety. and amiable temper in those parts,
diIating at length upon their apparent So
cial disposition, assumed only with fell in
tent TO those whose nearer Acquaintance
they sought. This evidently did moi sit
well on the excited stomach of this pugna :
cious "sprig of shilaIeh," as was mani
tested by the furtive and uneasy glances
he ever and anon cast al his blanket and
"focation." But bedtime came, and af-
ter reconoitering his sleeping ground. he
proceeded to count his beads and the chan
ees OF being 'snake-bt" before day; then
Sucking in" his blanket, and wishing
phe sowIs ov all snakes, in these parts 10
purlhcular," 10 n country where, 10 say
the very least, they would have but slim
chance for INDUCING in their natural tots
pidly. he fell asleep.
And now the storm be gan. His snor>
ing grew fast and furious-long and loud,
occasionly sort of half snort, half grunr,
terminated with ''spakes, by jabbers, blast
their sow!s Ugh! ugh!" when there
came the variation, or chorus, in shape
of a grind of his teeth, that threatened 10
drive them through his jaw or crush them
TO powder. BY way of variety, he would
hold his breath few seconds, and then
snore again; and such snoring my stars
that could describe it 1t was sort OF
cross between the breathing of an astb.
matte elephant aud the braying of super
animated donkey, whose will lasted longer
than his wind. Well, it thus continued
with the regularity of the whip pur- Wills
cry, until about half an hour before dav.
break, when J M w.. Dim w. we'll saw
whose stock of patience had long ago evan.
Grated, unroled himself from his blanket,
saying, in his usual quie. way, "Humph
I'll Stop that Internal concert, or start the
maker Of it, sec if don't !" He then
Il