Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-05-31


in upon your ears, and he sngsyo night
ingale song hoping to share the titbits you
will leave. The flavor arising from the fri
ed bacon sharpens his appetite, until his
notes become shrill and near When dark
ness hovers DER, his snuffing and growing
becomes nearer. The guns being wet,
printing out, and no sentinel shot to be
heard, then comes reflection. cob what
a fool was to leave home and suffer here I;
nothing TO shelter me from the northwestern
blast of an April's shivering rain, sleet, and
hail, and all the imps of the evil one come
TO sing psalm tunes over my distress and
misery. / wish had stayed at home, as
dad and mamma said--ploughed the old
fields, learned good trade and been con-
tented when / was well off, instead of COM
ing on this wild goose chase However,
a fellow may as well be hung for an old
sheep as lamb; my fist is in and this is
only beginning, aud it is said that a bad
beginning makes good ending'-so here
goes, through thick or thin, thunder, light
ming, or rain. But stop, where in the name
OF sense have those internal brutes run to
in this storm They've got started back
and all creation can't get that thunder storm
out ofthem until they reach the settlements /;
and tust here among these wild varments-
snakes, lizards, wolves, and the Lord knows
what-these women, children and wagons
must stay until they are brought back &C.
Wilkins, how they run! Old Zerubabel
couldn't catch them"
How are you, stranger! Whose com.
pany is this !''
Captain Pushalter's"
see you are in a bad fix there-your
wagons in that gully half buried in water |!
Where's your stock 2"
&C All run off last night in tina, storm. like
the devil was after them. | never see horn
ed horses run SO before in my born days,
and the mules took after them, and it was
raining SO awful hard we could not see. But
such stampede and Gathering of hoofs of
four legged animals; it fairly shook the
yearth, 1t did I"
Don't you know what started them 2"
NO, thought it was the thunder and
lightnin', or the cursed wolves, that ept up
such an internal barking, it scared the chill
dren into fits'
Fudge man. It's no wolves, but some
rowing bands of Lpans and Camanche In
dlans, who are all over the plain; for our
boys saw them in the distance lust before
the storm, and they run off our bes, horses
and mules; but our cattle were so tied they
couldn't run. We lost at least fifty horses
and mules last night, and Pm out in search
Tor them, while others have gone in differ
ent directions on the same errand. Did
you see any come this way last night?"
| J,,J. :.
was so dark"
How far ahead is your company Z"
About ten miles on small branch"
How many do you number ~
"Ffty."
Who commands ?"
Captain Knowsall."
Good bye Pm opH,
"Hat's Oaoat and the rivers risin'."
Nancy Oh, Nancy tell your dad ia
come here. The child is mighty powerful
sick and Pm afeard it will die"
Whats the matter, old womanr"
-" Matter enough. This baby's going to
die, rally believe"
ooh, just hush up; give it drop O.
whiskey, and it'll git WE'LL"
And there's Molly, what picked up a
lizard, thinking it was bird, and it bit her
hand SO orful hard that it has swelled clean
to the shoulder. And Jim says there's
snakes all round here, for he seen them
crawlin' under the blanket Jest little Bit
ago. l'll tell you, old man, we'll all die
here, or be eat up by the varmints. Iwisl
we had stayed back, and let this gold 90 to
old scratch. Hadn't we better turn back
before we all die!
Well, believe can do well enough
anywhere in Eenoys' or Misery but
how's a Teller to git back Here we're
three hundred miles from ST. Joseph, all the
oxen gone; wagon broke down, and no one
to lend us team-and too poor to buy il
we could'
Old Womdn.-I believe | can walk. i
you'll only try to git back. We can pack
all that's worth takin' IN that old lame steer
and let the wolves have the rest; for to &C
ahead-we can't
OM !Van.--Agreed by hockey; 'nougl
said. Hurra for the settlements 70,
don't catch this child again with your hum
bug EEK.