The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-09-15

! climbed qulelIy upon tne mounu. j mac
hardly drawn my dripping carcass out of the
water wheE heard loud squeal, which
knew to be the whine of my old mare; and
Just at that minute the creature came running
up, and rubbed her nose against my shoulder.
took her halter in my hand, and sliding around
"a little, jumped on her back, for still was
in fear OF the panther, and the mares back
appeared to be the safest place about, and
that wasn't verysafe imagine.
81 now looked all round to see what new
company had got into. The day was just
breaking, ana could distinguish little bet
ter every minute. The top of the mound,
which was above water, was not over half an
acre in size, and it was as clear of timber as
any other part of the prairie; so that could
see every inch of it; and everything on it as
big as a tumbe-bug. J suppose, Stranger,
that you will hardly believe me wien tell
you the concatenation of vermin that was
then and there congregated together Icould
hardly believe my own eyes when beheld
such gathering, and | thought i had got on
board of Noah's Ark. There was--listen,
slranger-first, my old mare and myself, and
| wished both of us anywhere else at the
time--then there was the panther, your old
acquaintdnce-then there were four deer, a
buck and three does. Then came cata-
mount; after him black bear, almost as large
as buffalo. Then there was raccoon, an
opossum and a couple of gray wolves, and
swamp rabbit, d--n the thing-a sinking
skunk. Perhaps, the latter wasn't the most
dangerous vermin on the ground, but it cer-
tainly was the most disagreeable of the whole
lot, for it smet only asan accursed polecat
could smell. 81.
81 have said, stranger, that was nightly
taken by surprise when first saw this curl
Gus claimant Of creatures; but | can tell
you was still more dnmfOundered when
saw their behavior to one another, knowing
their different matt res as | did. There was
the panther lying close up to the deer-its
natural prey; and there were the wolves too;
and the catamount, standing within three
feet of the opossum and the swamp rabbit;
and there were the bear and the cunning old
'coon; and there they all were, no more min
ding one another than if they had spent all
their days together in the same pen. 1t was
the oldest sight ever behed; and it remind
ed me of Il bit Of Scripture my old mother
had often read from book called the Bible,
or some such name-about lion that was
so tame he used to squat down beside a
lamb, without laying claw upon the innoc ent
creature. Well, stranger, as | am saying
the whole party behaved in this very way.
They all appeared down in the mouth, and
badly scared about the water; but for all
that, had my fears that the panther or the
bear-l wasn't afraid of any of the others
might get over their fright after the flood fell
and therefore kept as quiet as any of them
during the whole time | was in their compa-
ny, and staying all the time close by the
mare. But neither bear nor panther showed
any savage propensity the whole of the
next day, nor the night that followed it.
Stranger, it would tire you were to tell
you all the movements that took place
among these creatures during that long day
and night. Not one of them laid tooth or
claw on the other. | was hungry myself,
and would have liked to have taken steak
from the buttocks of one Of the deer, but
dared not do it. | was afraid to break the
peace, which might have lead to general
'shindy' When day broke next morning.
after, that | saw that the food was falling;
and as soon as it was shallow enough' leu
my mare quietly into the water, and climbing
upon her back, took silent leave OF my
companions. The water still took my mare
up to the fanks, so that | knew none OF the
vermin could follow without swimming, and
not one seemed incliaedto try swim. | lstruck
direct for my neighbor's shanty, which could
see about three miles off; and in an hour or
so, was at his door. There did not stay
long but borrowing an extra gun, which he
happened to have, and taking him along with
his own rifle, waded my mare back to the
island.
"We found the game not exactly as had
left it. The fall of the flood had given the
panther, the cat and the wolves courage. The
sw amp rabbit anu the opossom was completely
gone-and all but bits OF the woodland one
of the does better than half devoured. My
neighbor took one side and the other, and
riding close up we surrounded the island.
| plugged the panther at the first shot, and
he did the same for the bear. We next laid
out the catamount and the wolves, and after
that, 'cooney' and then we took our time
about the deer--these latter and bear being the
only valuable things on the island. The
skunk we killed last, as we did not want
the thing to stink US off the place while we
were skinning the deer. After killing the
skunk we mounted and left, of course
loaded with meat and venison. | got my
rifle after all. When the flood went down,
found it near the middle of the prairie, half
buried in the slough
81 saw had built my shanty in the wrong
place; but soon looked out for better
location, and put up another lhad all ready
in the spring, when went back to Missis-
sppi, and brought out Mary and the two
young ones" This ended the squatter's story.
MAELINEss.- .--Learn from the earliest days
to insure your principles against the peril OF
ridicule. You can no more exercise your rea-
son if you live in perfect dread of laughter,
than you can enjoy your life if you live in the
constant terror of death, Ifyou think it right
to differ from the times, and to make point
of morals, do it, however rustic, however an