The Arkansas banner., 1849-11-27
From the N. Y. Spirit of the TimesI Dick AeCoyS Sketches Of his Neishhers.
UP THE TALLA PoosA, Qi Oct 'l

aquatic diVeFeont concluded te take the river ; miles abote, and descend to the sShoe,F and therefore employed old crony of mine, Dick Alc. Coy. to take me down in . canoe. Dick lives on the bank. aud hss al the qualifications of an otser for river explorations
 For some miles above the batlls ground. the river is a succession Of shallOws, broken every mile og two by lovely patches of smooth, still water gene- rally bedecked with green islet or two, aFon nd which the trout love to play. The banks are gene rally large, irregular hills that look If lhey were struggiing to pitch themselves, with their huge pnes into the stream; but once In while, you kud strip of aIluvia in cultivation beautiful and fertile decivy, shaded by magnificent peplars, ! beech trees, and walnut. Now and thea yoa msy see the cabin of a squsttef stuck 10 the side of hH like discharged tobacco quid against waIls bui generally. the Tsllspoosa rstaihs the wiid prs- | tine features of tho days when the CFeek huated on its banks, disported himself upon its waters. 4 little way out from the river. either side, | among the 'hoows' formed by little creeks and small streams, live people, half agricaitura, half piscatoria-a sinewy, yeow-headed, whiskey -lov ing set Those south of the river are the inhabi- tsnts of 'Possum Trot, while those tho north are the citizens of 'furPentine. Dick Mccoy is 'Possum Trotter fishing fellow, fshy In his sio- res but always au fat in regard to matters of set clement gossip.
 Seated a clap board, little aft of the centre of the boat, and facing Dick, was amused for several hours with his conversation, threaded the ia- iricate passages of the shoals, whizzing Sv and barely touching ugly rock, and Row spinning round in littis whirlpool, like a teetotum. The skill Of my Palinarus, however, seemed equal to any emergency and we alternately twisted and tumbled along at the rate of two miles aud half an hour.
 l As we came into small, deep sheet of water. Dick pointed with his paddle to a smoke among the trees, the 'TuTpentiue' side of the river, and marked. "Thar's whar our lazy man iives-Seaborn Brown
 "Ah Is he lazy much1"
 Powerfully
 1 As howf'
 "Onct he went cat hunting, and he was so lazy | he 'ciuded he wouldn't So he laid down In the sand close to the edge of the rver and pat his gun down by his side. with the butt close to the water | IL come to rain like the devil, and l seen him l from toter side, thot he asleep, aud kollered 10 him. Ses I, it's raiDin' like h--l Seab and why don't you git up7 Ses he, hollerin' back, I'm wet any how, and thars no use After little the river begun to rise about five feet an hour; and hollers to him sgin; ses l. Seabcrn the rivers rsia' on to your gun; the butts half way In the water now! Ses he, hOlIerin back. the water sin't a-gwne to hurt the wood part l waited few minutes, aud sung Ont-Se.born. you re half under water yourself, and your gun-lock is in the river. Ses he, Il never koches cold, and thar's load in the gun, and, besides, she needs wasain' out And square, continued Dick, "tbe last seen of him that day, he tuck flask out ef his pocket. as ke lsy, drinkt, kecht some water in the flask. and drnkt sgin, he Lay and then tF0e his bsck, this way like, to keep ths siUer out e As moEtA sRd nose .''
 Amused at D,cks snecdole of his lazy neighbor, solicited some information about the occupant of | . cabin neary in tho water, on the 'Possum Trot eide At the very door of the dwelling commenced . hsh trap dam; and sn the trap stood staiwsr, fellow iM red flannel shirt, and Pantaloohs that were merely breeches-the legs being tOra of en- tirey. "Who's that1'' I asked.
 "Wai, till we pass him. and I'll tell you'' 1 We tumbled onwards few yards.
 "That's Jim Ed'srds; he iopes cal fsA. some 1 Veu, he does! Don't do nothin' but ketch 'em. Some of the boys says he's got smy all over, Ike unto a cat-dont know about that alt know Is, he ketcht in the seine that weighed oves forty pounds There a aaoceas'R tuk cut Of 1t longer than my arm. Nobody wouldn't have it. then, but Jim. As We goiu' home, Jim tetin' the fish. ses Jim, you aint gwine 10 eat hat Cat sure-iy! Ses he-'Pshaw! that moccasn warnt Bothin'; noticed it good, and t raYHt yoifsa bI!" Ses Jim, enny man that eat that cat would eat bull frog. And with that he knocked me down, and like to killed me- aud that the reason ddu't want to tell you about him till we'd passed him." As we neared pretty little island, which were house and or acres in cultivation, Thai said Dick, lis Dick Norris settlement guess he won't play korss' sgin in hurry. He claims 'Possam Tro, for his beat, but he'd rather take Tsrpentine
 "What game that he piayed1' asked.
 "0h! playin horse. See. thar was a crowd of boys come down and kamped on TurPeRtias side. to seine. They were but ttle ways from the rver-ieastways their csmp-fre was-shd, between the rive. and IL, is a pretty kno, wbsr the rivers left a pretty bed of saRd big garden spoi and right at it the waters ten foot deep, aud it's about the from the top of the biut 10 the water. A big eyed feller, named Ben Baker, was ct the head of the town crowd. and, they d struck
 camp. Ben and his fellers except enc, Ga lad lks) tuk the seine and went away down the river ishtn and was gone almost ail day, We'll, Dick beins of sharp, spinterlegged, mink-fsce feller, got soms of his boys, and goes in the time. and they drinks all Bena whiskey and most sll his coffee, and up all his bacon meat'sides bein sassy to the boy. Arter a while here comes Ben and his kunnny back, wet and tired, and hungry. The boy told 'em Dock Norris and his crowd had eat and dru lk up everything, and Bens eye shiued like the evening star. swhar's inc f'' axed iicn and then he turned round and seed Dock and his boys thar s'l-fours. squeain and rearia' pasia' kerse, they called it, in that pretty sandy place - Ben went right in amongst 'eED. and ses he, I'll play horse, ioo" and thea he come dawn to his all- folrs and here they had II, round and round, rear
 in, pitchin,' aud eavorting'! Dock was nightly pleased that Ben didut seem mad but biine by Ben got him close to the baak and then, in min ute gethered him by the seat of his brooches and the hair of his head and slung him twesty foot . into the current. About the time Dock ris Ben had another of the crowd harnessed and he throw d him at Dock. Then he pitched another, and so on
 tweli he d thrown 'em sl in. You oughtes "a seen 'em swim to ahs shoals aad take that bee-lins for ? home :.
 "why didn't they turn on hi,n and thrash him r l asked. , "Oh, you see he was great big fellow, weighed two hu ndred. And wss strong ysks of oxsa and you know, squire most of our people is nigh ty pany like, in ihe TTot. We'll, playin horse got 3 broke up after that"
 When the next clearing came isso view Iinquir'
 ed Of Mccoy whose il was.
 "Domf yoa know, squire Aint you uevar ser Q him Why, it's old Bill Walls place. aud he's es,
 sgly msn The whole livin', bresthia' yeth ain
 got the match to his Pessr. Hts messh is spli , every way. and tarned wroDg-side out shd wheI
 he opens il. it's like spreadn otter trap e set it