Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-11-06
Wistellaueous.
From Porter's Spirit.
A THUNDERING CooN-HUNT.

A LAUNDERING COON-HUNT.
It's refreshing to hear OLD Tom tell sto
ries; for, though he gives the same one ovel
a dozen times, lie nercr tells 1t tvtce alike
He let off the following, one morning last
week, to an audience of two persons, one OF
whom has probably heard it more times than
clock will tick on long summers days
and who, consequently, prepared himself fol
q dose as soon as Old Tom commenced
with
"I'm an ole man, my young fren,' but
tell you I've been through power ov coon,
hunts in my time, an I'm jus goin' to tell
yer ov one ov 'em It's as troo as I'm set
tim on this here cheer. Gle was sitting on
a bench at the time.) Mind yer, there air
felers who can't open their heads, bout
huntin' 'speshilly, but what sartain sure out
comes lies. They talk jus as smoove as
welvit; but I know 'em; they may rize pur-
ty airly, but they don't see no sun rise afore
Old Tom does! They don't make no mark
here (and at this lie slapped himself half a
foot below where the heart beats.) They
may hit me in the years, but they don't
tech no heart ov mine, no how. go in for
trooth, do ! and I'm goin' to Civ yer some
this minnit.'i.
As Old Tom got up from the bench at
this "minnit," his wide awake auditor
thought he was going to the whiskey barrel
to get it. But he didn't; he only got up in
order to sit down again.
"As was tellin' on you, Il wunst went on
thuuderin' coon-hunt down by Strikers
Pom 1t want proper time, no how, to hunt
the creeters, bein' as it was the middle ov
summer; but Lishe Proper, he was bent on
KILN coons, an We tother boys waren't no
way slow to follow arter him when he led
off, Lishe, he had couple of the likeliest
hound dogs round them regins-one ov 'em
was the competest dog for luegin' creetcrs
ever seed. Howsumever, We started from
Lishe Proper's one July night ; if l 'disre-
member rightly, the moon was a shinin'
when We sot out, an arter travellin' mare
about two milds, We come onter the lower
eend ov the pon'-Striker's Pon'-an' all
to onst Lishc Proper's hounds struck COON
tracks, an tooned up their pipes like moo
steamers, tell you! had little spaniel
dog long, who tuck artcr coons nat'ral as
beef.bones; an purity soon l heerd him lou
din up too. Says to myself, Tom, there's
big coon thareabouts.' I know'd Jacks
voice, the hull way from tooth to tail, an
he was cryin' bout big one that time
We follered the dogs mare four milds, good
measure, fore we treed that coon. Stitch
trampoosin I never seed the likes ov afore,
nowhere. 1 tored my coat inter rags, and
had no britches on more'n would hcv cover
ed six nuns ole baby; but the coon was
treed shure thing, britches or no britches.-
One of the fellows he struck light, an
purity soon we seed we needed it, COZ thare
was more clouds in the sky than you could
shake sticks at. Tharc we wos, men and
boys, cur an hounds, all rount the foot ov
big white cedar tree, waitin' for sumthin'
to turn up. l never seed no hounds kerry
on like them ere ones of Lishe's they pit
ched rount like eff they ware goin' to jump
thare hides of, yellin' an howlin,' va
observation-disclosures (here Old Tom INDUCED
in prolonged howl, completely arousing
No. 2 of the audience, and causing him to
start up wide awake.) Oh, you're wakin'
up, are ye? That way the hounds sung,
an the boys shouted, an as the freight be-
gun to shine up the tree, some ov' EN- sot to
work frin' away at every mob and bunch as
was to be seen on the tree. There was
big shower ov bark flynn around bout that
time, you may believe. Bimeby seed, way
up on a top-a-mpst branch, Mister Coon ma
king himself as small as small tater just
as I goin' to fire, may be dod-rabbit eff l
didn't see two more coons, on two other
branches, alongside of the fust."
"How much whiskey had you on board
that time, eh ?" asked No. 2.
"Nary drop more'n could kerry jus
we'll ballusted, an goin of it unner easy
sail. I want no ways owlly, an seed them
three coons as plain as I see that COW gra-
zin' over there in the mcdder. Lishe Prop
er an zeke Scutter, they seed 'em at the
same time, an Lishe, he was so aside his
self with sech sight, that he pullt big
bottle right out ov his coat pockit, an we all
took big drinks on the strength ov sich a
VERY blessed sight" At this point Old
Tom got up from the bench and went be-
hind the bar, ostensibly to get a piece Of to-
bacco. Returning he sat down and contin-
ued:
uAll on suddint, Lishe hadn't more'u