Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1854-01-12
The Shinin g Eyes,

maiden who afterwards became hi
wife, is thus narrated by ibis biogra
'pher:
z Young Boone was onf night en-
gagged in a fire hunt wi th q young
friend; the ir course led them to th'
deeply tim mbered bottom which skirt
edthe sire am that wound round Bry
ans pleas ant plantation That tht
reader may have an idea what sort o
a pursuit it was that young Boone
was engaged in, during an event SC
decisive Of his future fortunes, We
pres sent brief sketch Of a night fire
hunt.
1.-TWO persons are indispensable to
it. The horseman that precedes,
bears on his shoulder what is called
a fire pan, full Of blazing pine knots,
which cast a bright fickering glare
through the forest. The seco nd fol-
lows, at some dis stance with his rifle
prepared for acti on. No spectacle is
more impressive than this, Of pairs
Of hunters thus kindling the forest
into glare. The deer reposing
quietly in his thicket, is awakened
by the approach bg cavalcade, and in
stead Of flying # rom the portentious
brilliance, remains stupidity gazing up
on it as if charmed to the spot. The
animal is betrayed to its doom by
the cleaning of its fixed and irno-
cent eyes. This cruel mode Of secur-
ing a fatal shot, is called in the
hunters phrase shining the saes.
"The two you ng men reached the
corner Of the farI Iner's field at an ear
ly hour in the evening. Young
Boone gave the customary signal to
his mounted con pHanion, that prece-
ded him to stop 4n indication that
he had shined tn b Ieyes of a deer
Boone dismounted and fastened his
horse to a tree. Ascertaining that
his rifle was in order, he advanced
cautiously behind a covert of bushes,
to rest the right distance for Shot
"The deer is remarkable for the
beauty Of its eyes when thus shined.
The mild brilliancy of the two orbs
was distinctly visible. Whether
warned by presentment, or arrested
by palpitation and strange feelings
within, at noting a new expression in
the blue and dewy light that CLEANED
in his .eyes, we say not But the
unerring rifle fell and a rustling told
him that the game had fled.
Something whispered him it was
not a deer; and yet the fleet step, as
the game bounded away, might easl-
ly be mistake n for that of the light
footed animal. A second thought
impelled him to pursue the rapidly
retreating game, and he sprang away
in the direction Of the sound, leaving
his companion to occupy himself as
he might. The fugitive had the ad
Of considerable advance
Of him, and apparently . bett er
knowledge of the location of the
place. But the hunter was perfect
in all bis field exercises, and scarcely
less fleet footed than deer, and be
gained rapidly on the object of his
pursuit, which advanced little dis
tance parallel with a high fe nee; and
then turning, with the utmos st accom-
of gymnastics, cleared it
at a leap.
"The hunter, embarrassed with his
lille and various accoutrements, was
driven to the slow and humiliating
expedient Of climbing it. But an
ouilihe of the form Of the fugitive,
fleeing in the direction of the house,
assured him that ne had mistaken
the species of the game. His heart
throbbed from an hundred sensa-
tions, among them an apprehension
of the consequences of what would
have resulted from discharging his
rifle, when he had first shined those
liquid blue eyes.
"The dogs opened on him as
he approached the house, and ad
yised the master of the house that
stranger was approaching. Hav-
ing hushed the dogs, and learned
the name of his yisitant, he intro
duced him to his family as the son
of their neighbor Boone.
Scarce had the fir st words of IN
PRODUCTION been uttered, before the
opposite door opened, and . boy ap-