The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1862-02-06

standing on his head in an inverted atti
tude. and Phil went chucking through the
air like shell from catapult. taking Fred
Hawley's coal l-scuttle cap. IN transitu, and
finally landing in a mudhole in posi-.
tion similar to that which his mule had
previously assumed. The explosion
startled Fred's gallant barb. who, rearing
sp on his hind legs, executed a semi.
somersault forward. which shot his rider
from the saddle. and deposited him atop
OF the PROSTATE Wadloy. who was still
fioundering in the puddle. coming down
on him with considerable vins. to Judge
from the squelching grunt which it elicit
ed therefrom, as Fred's 'noggin' bolted in
to Wadley's breadbasket. after very un.
csremoniocs fashion.
Meantime. Oren Ruter's sorrel was ma.
king demonstrations toward similar eject.
ment. but he succeeded in quashing his
proceedings.
The last thing saw of Seth. after the
conclusion. his charger, with switching
tail and heels inverted, and seth's pan
niers tapping up and down. like wet
shirt on clothes line, was scooting across
the lawn. until splash!-inio the brook
they pitched. head over heels.
The whole thing took place in the short.
est imaginable time. and meanwhile Jim
Davis and l. who vera the only oLes un-
disturbed BY this comical catastrophe,
wers lying back on our saddles in convul.
sions of laughter. 1t turned out that the
peripatetic toadstool was Rob Bradman,
on young filly. with . mealbag, 10 bring
home the birds in. over his shoulders, and
his head surmounted by huge bundle Of
sheets and blankets for our camp bedding.
the whole done out of pure deviment.
The unusual appearance which this style
Of head dress presented. disturbed Mulo's
ideas Of propriety. caused him to shy. and
in SO doing. Phil's cigar was knocked out
Of his mouth; spark from it fell into his
powdsrhorn. which from his usual negli.
gencs happened to be open. and blew it
up. Fortunately for him j. blew out the
head piece behind--it was that which
disconmoded Fred's head gear--and the
force Of the explosion taking backward
direction. he escaped unhurt. On post
n,ortem examination. as Rob called it, it
was found that no bones were broken. Fred
End Phil were extricated from the puddle;
Mulo & Co., issued from their respective
places, not much like lambs from the
washing it is true. but nevertheless in
tclerable plight. The panniers had been
dropped without marring the viands
greatly. though much crashing Of crockry
had ensued. We soon repaired all DANA
ges. had hearty laugh over the whole
frolic. and took a fresh start. 1t was sun.
down when we debouched from tie narrow
road which ran through the dark, deep
forest, into an old field, on the other side
Of which lay the roost, in dense thick
ct OF low trees, such as we have in the
barrens, and extending over about thous-
and acres or more. Looking towards the
horizon. a long. dark. serpentine object.
winding through the air on level with
it. attracted our gaze. The pigeons i
burst in exclamation from our lips. On
they came. in one unbroken column of
about fifty deep. and hundred abreast.
all moving as by one impulse. pouring in
a dark. dense. waving line. creeping.
writhing along the horizon, like lasge
snake. their fight accompanied by low
and awful roar, like the SQUAD OF distant
hurricane.
Fred Hawley who had never been to the
roost in his life. and never saw this long
mysterious army Of birds coming into
camp for the night. WAS of conrse as
tonished out Of measure. and gave express
sion to it in his own peculiar and mpha..
10 way.
The pigeons scour the country during
the day in foragi"g parties of twenty,
fifty. ora hundred. in quest Of acorns,
beechuuts. and other mast. on which they
feed. Though scattered far and wide.
some OF them rove more than hundred
miles of during the day. over the whole
face Of the country; they all instinctively
direct their way towards the common roos,.
ing-Place as evening draws near. l, is
like the gathering Of tho clans, stray-
CLING detaehments. all winging their way
towards the same point. fall in with each
other and unite; their numbers are con.
stantly swelled by now accessions, until.
- they draw neaI the roost. they cons.i-
tute one vast army. disciplined army.
too. for each bird follow. his file. leader
and there is no confusion or interrup,ion