Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-05-08
DEACON SMITHS BULL.

Ten thousand tongues are praising.
-----zo.--
DEACON SMITHS HULL.
OR MIKE FINK IN A TIGHT PLACE.
Mike Fink, a notorious Buckeye hun
ter, was contemporary with the celebrated
Davy Crockett, and his equal in all things
appertaining 10 human prowess. 1t was
even said that the animals in his neighbnr-
hood knew the crack Of his rifle. ant!
would take totheir secret hiding places on
the first in,imation iha, Mike was about.
Yet strange, though true, he was bu, little
known beyond his immediate settlement.
When ue knew him he was an old man,
the blasts Of seventy winters had silvered
DER his head and taken the elasticity from
his limbs; yet in the whole Of his life was
Mike never worsted, excep, on one oc-
casion. Touse his own language, he new
er gin in, used up, TO anything that travel
ed on two legs or four but once.
That once, we want said Bill Slasher
az some dozen Of us sat in the bar room
OF the old tavern in the settlement.
Gin it TO us, now Mlke-you've prom
ised long enough, and you're old now, and
needn't care continued Bill.
Right, right! Bill said Mike, but we
will open with licker all round, fu>t it'll
kind o save my feelin's. recon-
Thar, that's good. Better than t'o,her
barrel if an, thing!'
We'll, boys commenced Mike, syou
may talk O your scrimages, tight places
and sich like, and subtract 'em altogether
in one all-mighty big 'un, and they han,
no more to be compared to the one war
in. than dead kitten to an old she bari
I've iout all kinds o varmints, from an In
gin down TO ra,,lesnak.! and never was
wili'n tn qni, fust, but this once, and twas
with Bull.
You see, boys, it was an awful hot tlav
in August, and war niga runnin' off in
TO pure ie. when war ihinkin. tha, din
in the creek mout save me. Well, thar
was mighty nice place in old Deacon
Smiths medder for that particular hizzi
ness. So went down amongst The bush
es to unharness. | jist hauled The old red
shirt over my head, and war thinkin' how
scrumptions f.ller OF my size would feel
a walierin' round in that ar water. and was
jest bout goin' in, when / seed the old
Deacon's Bull maxim B-line TO whar
| stood.
i kuow'd the old cuss, for he'd skar d
more people than all the parsons o the
settlement and cum mighty near kiln
a few. Thinks !, Mike your in rather a
tight place-ge. your fix ms on, or he be
a drivin them big horns o. his in yer bow
els afore that time! Well you'll hev to
try The old varmint naked l reck n.
The bull war on one side o. the creek
and | on t'o,her. and the way he made the
sile flv for while, as if he war digein'
my grave, war dis,ressin!
Come on ye belerin old heathin, sal /
l, and don't be s,andin thar for as the
old Deacon says o the devil, yer not come
ly TO look on
This kind O. reach'd his undersiandin,
and made him more wishious, for he hoof-
ed little like, and made drive. And as
don't like TO stand in any body's way, ] gin
plenty o sea-room! So he kind o passed
5y me and come out on ,'other side !; and,
as the captain OF the Mud Swamp Rang
ers would say, bout face for mother
charge
Though war ready for i'm this time.
he cum mighty nigh runnin' foul O. me!
So made up my mind the mex, time he
went out he wouldn't he alone. So when
he passed | grarpIed his tail, and he pull.
ed me out on the 'si!e' and as soon as we
were both a top Of the bank old brindle
stopp'd and war about c,,,nmin round acin
when | begin pull'n ,'oiher way.
well reck IN this kind O. riled him,
for he fust stood stock still and looked al
me Tor spell, and then commenced paw
in and bellerin, and the way he made his
hind gear!n play in the air, war beautiful.
But it warn no use, he couldn't tech
me, 50 he kind o stopped to get wind for
snthin deviish as jedged by the way he
star ed! By this time, had made up my
mind 10 stick to his tail as long as it stuck
10 his backbone! didn't like to holler
for help, nn,her, kase it was agin my prin-
ciples, and the deacon had preachin at his
house, and it wa'rt far off nuther.
i know'd IL he hern the noise, the hull
congregation would cum down; and as |
war mt married man and had kind o
hankerin arter gal that war thar, didn't
feel as il would like 10 be seed in that ar
predicament.
so says l, you old sarpant do your Gus
sedest! And so he did for he drug me
over every briar and stump in the field
until war sweat:n and bleedin like ia,
bear with a pack O honns at his heels
And my name si'nt Mike Fink, il the ole
critters tail and l didn't blow ont some.
times dead level with the varmint's back
so yon may kalkelate we made good
time. Bimeby he slackened little, and
then had him for spell, for jist drap.
ped behind stump and thar snnhbed the
criiter! Now says l, you'll pull up this
ere white oak-break yer tail! or jes'
hold on bit till ! blow!
We'll while / war settin thar, an ides
struek me that I had better be a Rettir