The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-08-14
a SnalSe-Bit Irishrnan.


A Snake-Bit Irishman.
AN ORIGINAL TENNESSEE HUNTING INciDEuT.
vi AS n ,'Mounsecr' would sny, 'one
gran, mngnifque, pretty good Deer
Hunt came of a few weeks since in The
mountains Of Morgan county, Tenncs.
see. The pariy-mnde up Of the best
maierial-consis,ed Of Judge A., J.
NJ. W, J. A., and some two or
threeYeteran hunters, rife for sport and
full Of fun. AS my obiec, is not 10 give
detailed account Of the hunt. bu, only
one ofits incidents, shall conlen, my
self with merely saying, that after
four days hunt the three gentlemen
named returned with twenty pair Of
hams and divers specimens of smaller
fry. J. A. killed fine buck al l6O
yards off hand, shooting u, the head and
hitting it. Judge A. Gan ardent
sportsman and splendid rifle shot) also
killed at 'long taw.' But truce to this,
and now for The incident.
AS every day hath it's night and every
rose its thorn, SO This mirihful party had
its pest in the shape Of huge raw
boned loquacous lrishman, who, unin-
yited, had quur,ercd himselfin the camp,
boarding and lodging a, the expense Of
the crowd and contriving in countless
ways 10 render himself nuisance when
awake, and when asleep accomplishing
the same praiseworlhy end without anv
conlrivance at ALT being natural
gift, ard used by The possessor with mos,
tormentng effect. The man snored
and ho,c he snorcd, will presently ap-
pear; suffice 10 say, more unmitiga-
ted nuisance was never abated in more
summary manner.
They soon learned by his conversu.
tion and behaviour that he was afraid
ofsnakes generally. and 'ould snakes,
in particular; indeed, | think that the
sequel warrants the bold assertion Tim,
he would have given long odds in favor
OF a Stock Creek gouging, rather than
face an 10 inch moccasin with bells on
his tail as nc termed ra,llcs. The
man had heard some awful snake yarns
or te1es since his 'laving the sod;" this
was evident from The morbid dread. YES,
horror, he felt Of the crawling tribe.
Well, with the Queen ofShe ba he might
truly suy that she half had not been
told him. after nights experience AT
: 3 hunters; camp in Tennessee.
On tho second night of hisA Intrusion
he made himself more than usually un.
welcome, by getting, sir, somewhat, sir,
shot! as Tom Murray said when an
ounce Of lead took up its lodgings in the
fork Of his breeches, thinking lif lead
can) no doubt, That il had more room
there than in the powder bed Of un old
brass boring iron. He told long dry
yarns. all having more or less remote
bearing on his own prowess or skill,
and more than once insinuated desire
10 make demonstration, by having The
use ofthe skull Of 'ony jintlemin pre-
sent, and Two fut thorn, for lis,
minil! Well, oil this was very pleas.
ant, and have no doubt perfectly salts.
factory, so far as he Individually was
concerned, but with his hearers il was
quiie different Thing; yet still they en-.
dured il; but The cup Of patience was
nearly full, and tina, night il overflow
ed, bearing off on its boiling current, the
cause Of the 'risr, TO regions far away
and unknown. After he had wcaried
himself with his 'bla,hcr, and showed
symptoms of turning in, jim A -
told him n fcw yarns bearing on the
much dreaded snake subject, and par
ticulnrly on their size, variety, md
amiablc temper in those parts, dwelling
at length upon their apparent social dis
position, assumed only with fell intent
to those whose nearer acquaintance they
sought. This evidcnlly did moi sit well
on the excited stomach Of this pugnaci-
Gus sprig- g-ofshillalab, as was manifcs.
led by the furivc and uneasy glances
he ever and anon cast at his blanket
and location But bed time came. and
after reconnoiteriDg his sleeping ground
heproceeded 10 count his beads and the
chnnces Of being snake Bit before day,
then 'tncking in his blanket and wish.
ing sthe sowls oy ali snakes in these
perts in purthiculer,' in country where,
to say the very least, they would have
but slim chance for indulging in their
natural ,orpidily, he fell asleep.
And now the storm began. His snor-
ing grew fast and furious, loud and
long; occasionally n sort Of half snort,
half grunt, terminated with snakes, by
Jabers, blast their sowls!' ugh! ugh!'
when there came The variation or Choir
usin the shape Of grind Of his teeth
that threatened TO drive them through
his jaw or crush them to powder; by
way of variety he would hold his breath
fe~ seconds and then snore again, and
such snoring! my stars, that could
spell it! 1t was sort OF cross between
The breathing Of an nsthmatic elephant
and the braying Of superanualed
donkey, whose will lasted longer than
his wind. Well, it thus continued with
The regularity OF the whip-poor.will's
coy until, say half an hour before day
breut hen J. Nj. W., Dim w. we'll
say,) wnose stock Of patience had long
ago eyaporaled, unrolled himself from
his blanket, saying in his usual quiet
way, "EIumph! I'll stop that Internal