M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1856-05-01
Arkansas Snipe.

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and give those bears particular fits l''
sung out Dory, as the plank of the
steamboat on which we were bound
down the Mississippi, was drawn in
and we left our friend Monroe, one
night last winter, on the wharf-boat at
Napoleon, Arkansas.
In order to find composure and fill
up the vacuum, we adjourned to the
exchange or social Hall of the steam
boat to take a snifter. On entering
the favored region, We were at once
made aware ofthe fact that the Rack
ensackians at Napoleon considered a
fair exchange no robbery;in payment
of our Rowland of q Monroe they had
given us an0liver Of an Arkansian.
He was a beauty, straightas a hicko-
~ sapling, and fully as tough, he
Seemed b. bejust the stuff that red eye
whiskey-barrel hoops are made Of
water-proofat that. lie was already
a firm friend of the barkeeper, having
taken two drinks inside of ninety sc.
conds, and he still wore a thirsty look
in his left eye. We at once asked him
to take another.
Stranger, said he, count mo in
tharp So VIC did, and after drinking
all around, we settled about the stove
with cigars. Conversation soon fell
on bear-hunting, deer-hunting, and
finally was closed up with a descrip-
ton of q mighty big coon hunt,
wherein the Arkansian, according to
his own account, had cut down an
untold number ofcottonwood or pekan
trees, and pitched into a live oak
till he made 6ead wood of it /; and
finally killed, on that one night, one
hundred eoons, whose united weight
he judged to be we'll on to q ton!
After this we knew tile man, but
Dory in whose locks the hay.seed still
cleaned, was moved, in turn, to tell
has tale Of hunting, and dwelt long
and fSrcibly on a certain snipe-shoot-
ing excursion, wherein each gunner
baged his four dozen birds--he drew
it strong, being away from home
and went on saving away about how
the snipe rose and fell, until Racken.
saekiah woke up with tho question
'What are gnipep
'Snipe,' said Dory, ARE the best
game that flies. The kind mean
are called English or Wilson snipe,
and are splendid ! Long legs, long
bills, dusky hue
Stranger, stop thar! I've seen the
critters; know 'em like an old boot
interrupted the Rackensackiau. 'Pve
been down in the Lewsianny swamps-
do you really eat them ere critters at
the northP
Certainly we do said Dory; but
you said you had been down in the
Louisiana swamps-they winter there
l expectP
Winter and Summer both. Thar ar
a few / should think in Arkansaw
Two of my boys was down chopin
wood for the steamer, tother day, and
them ar snipes sung so loud they came
back at night and said thar war a
campmee:in' goin' on down the riv-
er.'
'Singp inquired Dory. That is
singular. At the north, as they rise,
| have heard them utter a low whistle,
bnt never knew they sung before
'SSngP said the Rackensackian, they
sing 50 they make my ha'r stand on
the eend. You really shoot them ar
critters IN to the north 2 Stranger, if
you II come up to my plantation and
shoot off the crop thar, III give you the
best horse You can pick out, and throw
in nigger to take care of him.
Where do you live 2 asked Dory,
IF ever am up your way you'll have
to owe me a horse and a negro
wal, stranger, l live at Powder.
horn Point, Meto Creek, bout thirty
miles from Napoleon, and cuss me il
the man that shoots off them ar birds
for me do mt be my eternal friend-he
will ! Look. hyar, the internal things
pitched into my youngest child artel
it was born, so that its head swelled
up as big as punkin =
pitched into your child 3-swelled
head ?-big as a punkinl Did snipe
do this 2 asked Dory, in great hopes
of having discovered something new.
'Wal, they did. Leastwise what
you call snipe. We call'em mus-kee-
ters p
Grand tableau! Curtain decends to
low music of toddy-sticks, ,and the song
of the Arkansas snipe
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