The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1862-02-13
WRITTEN FOR THE PLYMOUTH WEEKLY DEMOCRAT.
THE PIGEON RO0ST.


Now the way 10 manage, said Jim
! Davis. who was an old rooster after we
had kindled fire, picketed our horses,
and made all the necessary preparations
for camping. the way to manage is this:
let two go out at a time, and the rest re-
main in TO watch until they return. SO that
the camp may not be lost or neglected
This was agreed upon, and Jim Davis
and Fred Hawley made the frs, sally, ia.
king with them dark lantern. that after
they fired they might open it and pick up
the birds they had shot: we who remained
! in camp were to sound a horn-sharp and
shrill, SO that it would be distinguished in
the buzz of sounds--every FIVE minutes.
that they might know our Whereabouts,
SO that they might return. After few
minutes promiscuous chatting and joking.
our company resolved itself into an ele-
mentary form. Phil Wadley finding no
one in the humsr fer a game Of euchre,
pulled cat rusty diamond edition of Don
Quixote. aud lighting candle, soon be.
came absorbed therein. Oren and Rob
were playing the devil with a cold chicken
pie. Dick. the black boy, lad nestled his
head in the ashes as near the fire AS he
could get 1t without singing it, and soon
oblitera,ed all remembrance Of this sad
world in comfortable snooze l, with
my feet on Seth's shoulders, nv back
against tree, and cigar in my mouth.
was taking quiet siesla, and phiosoph-
ically scrutinizing the scene. Phil Wad-
ley. with his high. peaked forehead and
sharp nose profiled by the candle, his lips
apart, his eyes fixed intently on his book,
attracte my attention from the ridiculous
caricature which he presented. when .Rop
wounded pigeon dashed right into his
face, splashed him with blood, and put
out his candle. causing Phil to tumble
over with a loud uttered UGH right into
Oren's pie, who in a rage thereat, imme.
diately popped the drumstick he held in
his hand into Wadey's open mouth.
After this. things subsidized into quie,
again. Wadley resumed his studies of the
Knight of La Maucha; Oren and Rob
their studies of the contents of the chick.
en- pie and lita second cigar, AMI re.
sumed my contemplatiohs. with nothing
to disturb tho scene. save and except that
the fur on Dicks piggin caught fire once,
and caused him to sputter head over heels
into mud puddle TO extingush the con-
fagratlon. 10 ensure against second
occurrence of the solt. he carefully envel-
oped his head la blanket he had along,
and resumed his former position A ne.
gro always wraps his head up as warmly
as possible, and sticks it in the ashes, and
lets his feet shift for themselves.
Meantime Harry was esconced under
thick clump of grapevines which embow.
cred a stunted per>immon. and | could
just see the sparkle of his right eye. and
the profile of his phz flickerng in the fire.
light and every few minutes observed it
would be up:urned with quaint express
ion, and his merry eye would twinkle
with unusual lustre. had seen him per.
form this singular evolution two or three
times. and felt curious to know what it
meant - 20 g
joe cried Harry to another darkey in
our company, what the devil are you dri-
wing at?'
Dom what you told me. marster.'
What did tell you. you rascal?'
Didn't you tell me to sound a horn ev-
cry five minutes?' trZ
'Ha! hal hal laughed Harry. Il should
think you had sounded several fa,homs by
this ume,-eh. Joe?'
by the mark, Twain' sung out Joe.
holding up the ticker. which was half
empty. to the light. De Lordyl What is
MaH' screamed he in a sharp kew. dron-
ping the flask, and springng from the log
he was sitting on with an expression of
pain and terror on his countenance as he
c!apped his bands on very unsentimen-
tai part Of his body. Bit by serpent,
By all that's pleasant. For Gods sake,
Marsa Munroe, gi' me that phial of sweet
oil. Phewh cried he, shaking his fin
gers as if they were blistered, and he
jumped right into the fire, which hs scat
tered every way. Hornets and bumbe-
bees, yal!er jackets. and wasps--run. mar
ster, rum It's a yaller jackets nest I've
been sittin in ill I've hatched out the
whole brood. Good mercy, how they
siing!' and he capered and jumped: when
turning his back towards me, | discover.
ed the cause of his catastrophe in pro-
digious wood-beetle sticking to the seat
Of his breeches. About the time tho up
roar had subsidized. the bushes were nusb