Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-10-06
Struggle with a Buck.

Auo SeHtieuldH WuO reldCeu W me tllo lOllon-
! ing narrative is man of the strictest veracity
an honorable gentleman. He is also relative
oi'nine, and a personal friend and feel as
sured hat | will by no means wound his feel
ings by laking public his terrible and almost
fatal rencntre with the wild stag of the South
But first leJpe describe to the reader his physl-
cal organization, satahe may know that he is
g man, every inch or~him. X And, in the
first place, will merely remais that at the pc
riod to which refer he was idercd the most
active man in the district AoeSu
consented, after much ler2
race with a Dery fast u
1boasted that he had
9id not believe he -
e1tHef Iii spee2. srfactiVsl
to run with him on equal terms, but Pf0f
to give his antagonist ten PAGES, with tle>0aul- 1
tional odds of lying fat upo,l his lace. Inc
proposition, after much oppc''itlon on the part
OF hls rival "as unfair, ta@ unequal ETC., was
at length received v.SSh contemptuous laughter
The resul t<st the race, however, was that the
littl>>fan was fairly " distanced" " in one hun
1+dfed yards and he never raised his head again
Jas racer). His pride was completely humbled
by one who had never boasted.
And well might our hero be q swift runner
and an active man for | have never seen one
who possessed keener limbs and more perfectly
developed muscles. Like a full-blooded racer,
there was no superfuous flesh about him he
was all bone and muscle--perfectly formed by
God. His nose is Roman his eye, though
kindly blue, is as keen as hawks. In his
younger days he was all energy and twenty.
fve years ago-the period of which wo are now
writing-he held his rifle with a sure hand and
deadly aim. But he never used it in any unholy
warfare. He would have been brave, even ter
rlble, in battle but his spirit was too genial
then, his heart too benevolent now, to entertain
for single moment the deadly spirit of the du-
elist. Having promised thus much, we will let
him tell his adventure in his own words and
though have suppressed his name, many of
his personal friends and old admirers will recog-
nize his portrait
:" 1t was in the latter part of September that
| strolled into the woods one morning. with my
rife on my shoulder, little dreaming that
would meet such noble game so near to my
homestead, but hoping that would tumble a
foxsqurrel from some lofty pine or venerable
old oak. | had not walked more than half a
mile before saw two old bucks with huge ant
lers rising as stately trees from their brows.-
(They did not perceive me, and seemed to be too
intent upon strange occupation to observe sur
rounding objects. crept up within seventy
five yards, and for a while watched their singu-
lar motions, which were too systematic to be
playful. They seemed to be greatly agitated
making the forest ring with their loud snorting
while they ran toward each other from opposite
directions, meeting and passing each other al
most invariably at the same spot. And when
they arrived at this common centre they would
gather up their keen, supple legs Quicker, then
rxng scvefaf feet higher IN the air Z with tneli
heads bowed, and with loud snort of savage
terror, their sharp, razor-like hoofs, pointed
downward, We're planted quick upon some OBJ
ject upon the ground. Then, as quick us light
ming, they would rise into the air again, and
as if Outstanding their strength they would re
gain their starting point, some thirty or forty
yards distant, in opposite directions; ther
wheel about as trained soldiers and again ap
proach each other at II more rapid pace, Leaf
high in the air ut the given point, with u lout
snort drive their hoofs downward, and then re
gam their stations leisurely as before, each one
Occupying the other place alternately.
stood silently watching this strange proceed
ing for several minntes, when, thinking it wa
too good chance to be thrown away, leisurel,
raised my rife, took deliberate aim and free
at one of the noble looking animals-ior the,
were equally splendid in appearance, and had
therefore, no choice to make between them.
selected the one farthest from me, by few
PAGES, because | was, at all events, sure of m,
mark My ball entered Just behind his shoulder
and passed through his heart. lie made on
convulsive bound in the air, and fell heavily t,
the earth; he never reached his goal, for he wa
dead But, strange to say, the remaining bucl
seemed not to hear, or was utterly indifferent tt
the report of nv rifle With nervous haste re
loaded my weapon, and, as usual in such cases
she was badly loaded. have never loaded
weapon before or Since so quickly as then; i
was the work of IA few seconds only. The re
naming buck had wheeled, AMI was on his re
turn charge; he had leaped into the air AM
made his snort just at my hand was upon tn
trigger My sight covered spot near the cen
tire of his forehead just as he made his upwar
bound, and at the sharp crack of the rifle h
fell heavily to the earth, with his knees double
under him, us an OK that has been felled by
blow from an axe welded by strong hand.
Drawing long dirk knife which | usual
carried with me- hastily approached the falle
monarch of our Southern forests, and was SUI
prsed to see mo wound in his forehead. My ba
said aloud, without actually entering his brain
lie died from the effects Of conclusion: for
am very sure no was hit nowhere else. Bu
without pausinE ta make any further reAoctio.
attempted to draw my kniiaa a1e.
that his fat caFuass istxI I.
full and free blood letting
ed one Of his tall antlers, aild1 me-
: made slight incison in his hide, when, horrt
of horrors! the apparently dead buck came
life in a moment, and springing to his feet, wit
l his eyes glaring upon me like two balls of fir
5 and his upper lip trembling with rage, he mae
a fierce lunge at my side, which would ha,
j becn ripped open as with u knife had n,
been as active as II cat; and thank God tn,
He fashioned me thus, for otherwise my Ii
would have been spilled upon the ground tLt
! and there.
,, never gave up my hold upon his horn vii
r my left hand bat IN that first fierce lunge
:, lost my knife, and in attempting to seize ho
of his other horn, tho cnraged animal pierce
my hand clean through with one of the shal
points of his antlers. But did not feel ii
pain then. 1T was now u death~struggle al
God alone knew who should prove Victorious
feared it was all over with me, and | hurried
,ut earnestly commended my soul to the kee
ing of good and II merciful God. Oh! 81
that was an awful time with me---a dark no,
IA fearful struggle for life | seemed to
already passing through tie valley and Il
shadow Of death. The dying man-thc col
demned criminal standing upon the scafold-
i could not realize more certainly his doom than
t then did. And though years have passed ava
! and am getting old when | think of tn
dreadful contest with the enraged stag, m
, heart ceases its throbbings, and my blood almo
freezes in my veins.
We had been thus struggling, foot to foo
and hand to hand, as 1t were, for several mil
utes--I know not how long, for to me it seem'
an age. NV strength was almost exhausted
4 hut | did nj E,nl liLn lottinn nn nv hold an