Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-06-24
EVENING STAR.
A PREDIcAMENT;
Or, Floating Down the Ohio.


story, that he may amuse fellow when he is
making him she'll outlet us see what you
can do in that way.
"Time enough" said Earth, "when a N
elected but at present must knock about
to see If can pick up vote or two
"The best way to pick up votes, Earth
replied an acquaintance, is to tell a good
story"
"Very well, then, Jack" said Earth, ad-
dressing the last speaker, " make a ring and
give me fair play, and L will tell one, and
whether 1t may be good or bad, I leave you
all to judge 1t shall be the truth; that is, 1t
shall be something which has happened to me
at sometime of my life''
"Then whack away" said Jack, and tell
us of the time that you foated down the
Ohio -
"Well, well" said Earth. bursting into a
loud laugh, 81 will tell that, for had almost
forgot it; but L was in predicament, wasn't
"Tell Us the story and we shall then be
able to judge" said an old hunter, who,
standing near, was leaning on his rifle.
"Then I'm off, old man." said Earth
"Once upon time had taken my old dog
| Jupiter, that you once heard me tell of-old
| Jupe was nice thing-l had taken her long,
| and gone off on bear hunt, had been absent
| two or three weeks, and had ventured very
| far from home. was a venturesome lad in
when alone in the wild woods. had worked
| my way down the fork formed by the empty
| ing of the Cumberland into the Ohio river,
and had worried the bears right badly. I
| had rare sport. Old Jupe was in good humor,
| aud she and were mighty loving, for she had
fought some fights which L can never forget,
| and which made me love her like q new flint,
and she loved me as if L was bacon bone,
| for l helped her out of some Of her difficulties,
when 1t would have been q gone case if /
| hadn't been present. l say difficulties, for 1
| never saw dog so tired as she was / do be-
| lIeve during some of these fights that am
now talking about, saw the bears hug until
| they stretched her out into a long string. Yes,
| have seen 'em squeeze her until she wasn't
| larger than my arm, and at least nine or ten
| feet long you might have wound her up into
| ball, just as you would have done hank Of
yarn
"Then they must have killed her, Earth
| said one of the group.
| You know nothing about it " said Earth
| " don t interrupt me.
| "Old Jupe want Of that breed of dogs at
| all, for when she was stretched out in a string
| or even tangled up into knot, would shoot
the bear, draw her off one side, throw a little
| cold water over her, leave her and 90 to
| butchering. In an hour, and sometimes it
| would take longer, she would begin TO come
together like JOlnted snake, and presently
| she would fetch yelp, and come streaking
| 1t to me, shaped as she ought TO be, showing
| her teeth, and looking as fresh as if she was
| a new-made dog. And then wasn't she Wig
| orous? Yes, who says she wasn't? You
| might have hung a cross cut saw to a swing
| ing limb, and she would have chawed it the
| balance of the day-or have thrown her q
| BEARS head, and she would mt touch the
| meat, but draw all the teeth out merely for
spite.
| "But there was one thing l noticed about
| old Jupe whenever the bears stretched her
| out into a string, she always lost her appetite
| for the remainder of that day. Well, old
Jupe and were down there, and we had
| been doing pretty much what have been
| telling you, when one day the bears spun her
| out rather longer than usual, and she got cut
50 badly that we had to rest during the whole
Of the evening. 1 was sorry for old Jupe,
but did ut care much about having TO stop
myself, for was tired and wanted rest, hav-
| ing seen hard times that week.
| The sun, L suppose, was about an hour
tree, nursing old Jupe, and trying to see if L
| could't set her up on her legs agiH, when she
| raised up her nose and snuffed the air-then
| looked in my face and whined As she did
| this, L saw the hair upon her back begin to
| rise. 1 knew that there was danger in the
| wind, and from what old Jupe had told me
thought the red skins were about. The Ingens
Il
was the fall before Squire Rolfe came out
from the old State, but people had to keep q
| sharp look out, for they would come down
| upon the settlements once in a while, and
they were mighty apt to carry off somebody's
| hair with them.
| "Well, as soon as old Jupe spoke to me I
looked about, and seed FIVE coming right along
in the direction in which L was They were
| loaded, and l knowed at once that they had
been down upon the settlements, and were
| now making their way to the river, that they
might get over and get clear. Although 1
| saw them, knew they hadn't seen me; 50 L
| gathered up my things to start off, without
| tn at old Jupe was so badly cut she couldn't
follow. When was ready, l looked for old
| Jupe-she tried to get up, but couldn tiny
| eyes felt watery, for l hated to leave her, and
| L hadn't a minute to spare. But old Jupe
was sensible dog; yes, as said before, she
| was nice thing for without speaking a word,
she poked her nose under the leaves, as much
| as to say, cover me over, and leave me.
did so, and getting tree between me and the
| Ingens, L streaked it. You ought to have
| seen me run, to know how fast man ought to
move when Injens are after him. Well, arter
streaking it awhile, L thought it would never
| do to 60 off that way, and know nothing about
| 'em, so 1 began to haul in my horns, and
back little l got behind a tree, and kept
sharp lookout; presently L seed them coming
straight toward me; go l buckled off agin,
| and went for some distance like a bear through
| cane-brake, and then stopped and took a
stand. 1 hadn't been there long, before I
seed them coming agin. The reason why
saw them so often was that l kept before
them, knowing that they were making straight
for the river. L watched them narrowly,
looked at 'em with both eyes wide open, and
saw they didn't seem to have any notion of
| me, but were putting it down fast and heavy
| that they might get across 1t was now get
ting dark, and l knew under cover of the
night, as they did not suspect anybody was
near EN-, l could keep close enough to watch
| then without their knowing it, and this de-
| termined to do, thinking that by possibility
something might happen to pay me for my
| trouble.
"You all know never spared an Ingen
| no, there don't breathe one who can say
ever showed him any favor. Well, kept on
l. II