The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1851-11-12
he seated himself by the fire and uncork.
ed bottle of porter.
"Come on, Aukley." said |.


| And we set out. We wended our way
through the tangled maze OF bushes AS
best we could; but what with lree-laps.
grapevines. bamboobrers. and the inter
laced brushwood and sapliDgs which the
weight of the roosing birds mad bent and
twisted into jung IL OF ipeXtricable con
fusion, we made but slow progress; it was
dark as a negro's face. and tbe bushes-a
Mexican chaparral, a Mississippi cane
brake, was in the highes, degree pleasant
and commodious to it.
Ernie! where are you!" whispered
Wad in my ear. as we groped along.
Here-mind you don't shoot me. Oh.
lordy. my nose!" exclaimed, as un-
Willingly thrust that member into bunch
of briers.
"Jeminy! my hats gone"
"No less a judgment on you for wear
ing such an outrage on propriety"-an6. .
the words were hardly out of my mouth
before stumbled over root and fell fiat,
and Aukley atop OF me.
"ln the name of goodness, how can a
man see 10 shoot!" said |, as we suffled
to our feet. added. that thought there
was a much better chance of getting shot
myself. Tor heard guns popping all around
me,-sometimes close enough to seq the
flash.
"When you see dense mass, which
looks biacker than the surrounding black
ness, fire into it-that is a tree bent down
with pigeons"
=" can't imagine ANYTHING much blacker
than the surrounding darkness" said |;
"it seems to me much like charcoal mark
on a negro's skin would be; but. by thun-
der. yonder is such mass now. Wad,
come here close to me. will count one.
two, three, and We will both fire together.
Don't, however. discharge both barrels at
once but shoot one after the other. The
second will do more eXeculiop than the
first, Tor then the birds will be swarming
up like bees"
In the fall we had had, Wad andH had
accidently exchanged guns: he had got
my double barrelled gun. and | hi. con.
founded esquipette. | cooked it,
Ready now,-one. two. Mree." pull.
ed the trigger. and it seemed to me that
my doing so had raised hurricane. an
earthquake. and volcanic eruption all al
oLce. ! did not hear the report of either
gun: the termination OF them was lost in
roar like tempest-wave breaking OH a
lee-shore,-a fash of light glared up be-
fore my eyes, gush OF wind struck
my face. and "a violent conclusion sta
we'd me upon the ground, and nearly knock
ed the breath out of me.
IL say. Kerne, we must have killed /
hundred birds that pop! Golly, never
heard such fuss in my life."
"A hundred devils seize you! | don't
know how many birds we have killed but
il came deuced near killing your humble
servant. know,-your Internal blunder.
buss has knocked my shoulder off,"
"IIol ho! ho"
Stop your cackling. and give me
match. I've lost the lantern in the fall"
"tlo! ho! ho!-a ma,ch9-in q minute,
wait, let me feel-in my vest, no; in nv
breeches pocket; no match!-the devil! |
say. Ernie. I've lost them. by Jupiter!!"
Lost 'em. eh! Well, we're in a nice
we!"
Beautiful! But can't we strike a liuht
with our guns"
"We can try"
We tried. but our guns were with per.
,ussion locks, and we had no tow. and af.
er lew abor'ive attempts We gave it up.
"What shall we do!"
"Do? Go back to the camp, OF course
Come on"
(Which way are you goingl" asked
Wad; this is not the way; you are going
light backwards"
''Pooh! Do you think | am fool,
inow this is the way we came"
"Stuf'! don't you know better than that!
onder's the way.-l see it as plain as
bike. staff-and that is the way am 60.
ng.'
81 am going this way. Good bye"
''Stop,-we must not separate. IN tell
vou what let's do. You have got turned ,
Iround, as common occurrence"
You. you mean" ,,...
mo, you,-we.l, one OF us. no matter
which; we are both equally convinced that
he other is wrong, and our opinions. are
Numerically opposite; don't think either
II them is worth much, so let's take hold
# each others hands. and waltz round for
few times, and ten chances to one, ,ha,
ve will both agree"
Thinks !. i know il will turn his, so thai
le can I tell 'tother from which,; but IN
,eep the bearing in mind, so that | cant
e confused; no doubt he thought the same
i, me. and around we went, high foot, 10 I
ne tune of Polly Hopkins, until we both /
an over bush and ell down. S
When we rose, by a chance. we actually |
lid agree 10 hair; and, well pleased with !
his novel mode OF reconciIing error. we {
tarted olf,-we groped and stumbled. and f
am afraid, blasphemed. Aukley did, |
inow, for an hour or two, and found no /,
'gress from the labyrinth, and became i
more and more bewllered every minute. I