Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1858-03-26
6un,orons.
ARKINSAw WONDERS.

bars, putty wimmen and big timber
Stranger, I've seeh trees there that would
take man week to walk round 'em.
A fellow started once to walk through
one that was hollow. He didn't take
any vittles with him, and he starved on
the way.
was goin' up the Mississippi once, in
one of them country boats, when we met
big Arkinsaw cypress floating down.
tell you, stranger, it was whopper.
The captain run in his boat long size
and fastened the rope to it. OFF she
started, snortin' aud putin, but didn't
bulge a peg. The captain ripped round
and followed out, sire up below there,
you lubberly rascals." The wheel clat-
tered away, aud the blaze rolled out of
the chimney, but the log was actually
carryin' us down stream.
Directly up comes Teller in red
shirt, and says he, Captain, you are
strainin' the engine nightly" "Cut
loose and let her so then" says the cap
tain. When they cut the ropes, dod
burn me, stranger, if the boat didn't
jump clear outen the water. We run a
little ways, but the engine was rally so
exhausted, that we had just to stop
Nearly day there comes along fine
steamer; we hailed her, get aboard and
there was that same log hitehed along
side. We wooded o that cypress all the
way to Memphis.
Black bars are bigger, pIentier, and
more cunnin' in Arkinsaw, than any
where else The he's have a way of
standin' on thar hind legs maxim a mark
with their paws on the bark of some GER
tain trees, generally sassafras. It's a
kinder rcclnrd they keep, and | 'spose
its great satisfaction to an old he bar
to have the highest mark on the tree. |
war layin' hid one day close to a tree
whar the bars wur in the habit of maxim
their mark, waitin' for one of 'em to cum
along, for | tell you, felt nifty hungry
for bar meat. Directly | heard noise
close to me, ana lookin' around dod burn
me, stranger, if there wasn't small bar
walkin' on his hind legs, with u big
chunk in his arms. / could o shot him
easy, but | was nifty curious to see what
he was goin' to do with that thar chunk.
He carried it right to the tree whar the
marks were, stood it on the end against
il, and then gittin' on top of it, reached
away mp the tree, and made big mark
foot above the highest. He then got
down, moved the chunk away from the
tree, and you never seen such caperin as
he cut up. He looked up at his mark,
and then he would lay down and roll
over the leaves, laughin' outright, Just
like person; no doubt tickled at the
way somebody would be fooled. Thar
was somethin' so human about it that |
actily hadn't the heart to shoot him.
Just to show you how cunnin' bars
are, I'll tell you circumstance happen
cd to me up in Arkinsaw. You see, one
fail, before gathered my corn, l kept
missin' it outer the field, and knew the
bars were takin' it, for | could see thar
tracks. But what seemed nifty curious,
/ never could see whar they eat it-nary
cob nowhar about. One mornn' arly
happened aroun' the field, and thar saw
an old she and two cubs Just come cute,
the patch, walkin' off with their arm.
full o corn. / was now determined L
find out what they did with so much corn
and follered along after 'em without ma
kin any noise. Well, after goin' nearl,
mile, saw EN- stop, and-stranger
what do you think-thar wur pen full
o hogs, and the bars were feedin' 'em
You see, that the hogs wur so poor, o,
account of havin' no mast, that the bar
had actily built rail pen, put hogs i
it. and wur fattenin' EN- with my corn
bod burn me, if it amt lact.-Porter
Shirt.