Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-08-11

5'1'zsEC Ell7TTT --5iz- 7-7I77 : ~ II -
,s'.so sia. lo GGEiYstsBoa a. iliari1ai
-. -. -. :. aisE,la besaaa 4
the new way !, Of wildness. Oh, how / have
cursed that mule.
l1,.'y .'y = Gay when hatless and bare
packed nave reached eamp at niebt fall
after long and tedious maseh tl,,,S,,s.,,
hot sunny aday, has his bray come ,,,,o,,
me like new screw of torture 10 the f,asl,.
He never brayed at such a time but whst
he ran, and he never ran but what the
whole cavaleade followed ut his heels.
and they never followed, but what'he led
them over the bluffest hills, or through
the most miry sloughs, or into the thick
est or thOrniest ehapparal, or amongst the
shorDlest cactus. oh, how have cursed
hat mule. when by him deprived of rest,
and forced for hours to chase the drove
tOibrng them back TO camp. ~ ~ ~
Did we happen TO reach some water
hole in long and dreary .jO,7aade, when
all were nearly famished for drink, his
quick. nostrils would smell the fluid for
miles. and with tail erect, off he went fol-
lowed by every straggler of the herd, and
when he would reach the place-behold
him coming out daubed all over-his ma
jesty had wallOwed in il, and left il all
mud and stirred up miro. Who suffered
do you reckon? Spike. No, not he, for
'' seeming danger from afar'' away he
would scamper, nickering or braying in
cool delight and ecstaey, whilst the herd
er for the nonce was cudgclled, beaten,
and made the recipient of all the party's
cruel spleen. Oh, how Ihave cursed that
mule. r..T....s..i, ,-
Unlucky Sorts, whilst he stood in his
usual attitude in the song, and his tor
mentors were consulting about some
means to arouse him and afford them
amusement, Spike gave out one of his
most alto and stentorian brays, which
drew the attention of the band to him,
and it was unanimously decided to mount
Sorts upon Spike. ..,i5.s
No sooner was the idea seized upon than
was ordered to bring in the drove.
The most agile riders, each selecting
one of the fleetest horses, were mounted
in an instant and in full cry after Spike
For moment, so used was the mule TO
be left unmolestcd, that he paused in
wonder at their maneuYres, seeming 10
think that they must be mistaken in their
pursuit of him but no sooner did the
truth flash upon his muleship, than with
loud snort of defiance, and name and
tail flowing in the wind" off darted
Spike TO the very muddicst part of a
marsh near at >hand. Through went
Spike ,su. TiIb.
Like Ariel on message bent" b..
Not so his pursucrs. Four mired down,
tI,run ,,;NoEoI 1oo1 forovoosk f.o,,,
their chargers, and tho remaining five had
to circle around to cross over. On they
went. 1t was a beautiful scene, those
dashing Indians on their prairie ponies.
On, on they went for mile or two, when
Spike. doubling on his tracks with the
dexterity of a hare, came rushing back
towards the camp, having en- pGSs0m di-
minishcd the number of his pursucrs to
three by showing his heel-taps so snugly
between the eyes OF twO of LliU horses that
their brains and riders reached the ground
in less than no time. But Spike, TO use
jockey word, never cr0ned, when taking
the leap, and in bounding over gully he
so closely grazed sapling whose boughs
had been broken off, that it passed be.
tween his neck and FIVE or six ropes ends
which were dangling from it. Thus his
former transgressions told against him in
the long run, and left him in a fix from
whence there was no way for him toex
tricate himself.
For the first time III eighteen months
Spike was newly roped. The Indians
soon blindfolded him, and brought him
into camp, amidst tho loudest shouts and
hurrahs of the whole band, all of which
seemed like the rumbling of mill to lull
poor Sorts still deeper in his trance. 1t
is no us to say that Indians don't laugh
laugh and shout.
Entranced they surrounded Sorts, on
tranced they placed him on the mule, en-
tranced they tied his feet together, en-
tranced they fastened the end Of the halter
to his neck in front, and thus braccd tight
fore and aft, the handkerchief was reno
we'd from Spikes eyes. and entranced. of
went this modern Mazcppa, with his head
bent intcnuy forward and 70 one side,
with Ills hand TO hiS ear, listening 10 the
imagined lullaby OF his innocent years Of
childhood. Spike pitched, tossed and
reared, then suddenly, with more awful
and hidcOus bray Than ! eyer heard from
even Spike before, he started of through
tho mire, over the gully, up the hill,
beyond the horizon and out Of sight.
a PERsECUTED MAX.-Hamilton Of the
MarvsVille Tribune was travelling in the