Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-10-04
MAJOR ElOLSTER'S LITTLE
.,...,.. . STORY.

Tired with our long tramp after game
for the day had been very warm-wee
threw ourselves upon q bare spot ofground
On the prairie, where low ridge gave
q shelter from tlerays of the declining sun.
Snakes were abundant hereabouts, and
therefore it was that we selected clear
space for our biyouac, lest we might sit
down upon nest of them unawares.
"How bleak and dismal country looks
without trces!" exclaimed one of the
party "Even one solitary tree would be
a comfort now Think how cozily we
could stretch ourselves and smoke our
pipes under the shade Of q spreading
I oak ~
81 used to think q good deal of trees,
dryly remarked Major Holster-a man
who had travelled over most countries of
the world 81 used to love trees, In fact,
continued he; "but somehow lost conf
dence In them long ago. It's very pleas
ant to lie under q tree when you know
what's IN It,; but suppose you dont?"
a. There was vague mystery, If not hor-
ror, In the suggestion thrown out by the
major, and the rest of the party, with one
voice, called upon him to explain.
srsa" Well" began he, II never was abso
lutely freed but once in my life, and here's
the way it happened: had fixed myself
UP for hunting among the high ridges in q
central country of South America, and
T-g there | lived in clover, tell you, for
~ many weeks, game of all sorts being plen-
ty, and the climate, most of the time, very
saubrious and pleasant. One day, tired
of the sport had long been enjoying on
the high grounds, made myself up for
day after the wild ducks, which were very
numerous among the dykes and ponds of
large tract of meadow land that lay just
below where had built my shanty. 1t
rlx irf ha -Uha I OF or o6
on my hunt, alone, and all went very
smoothly with me till near noon, my chief
difficulty being to carry the ducks, with
which my game-bag was soon so stuffed
that was Obliged TO string the next COM
era from my button-holes, and even about
my neck. must have looked much like
one of those itinerant poulterers one some
. times meets with In the cities. ~
q In the ATTITUDES to which | refer, thun-
~gder-storms are sudden and violent. The
air Is perfectly clear and pleasant, and the
sky of an intense blue, when, all at once,
you will see small black cloud rising up
TO the westward, maybe, and, before you
have time to say thunder, the dusky
r. vapor goes surging and spring out on
ua every side, until darkness overspreads
everything and then the lightning seems
to fan your check with its flashing pin
- ions the thunder smashes and crashes
close above and around you, and the rain
comes down, not In drops, as we are ac-
customed to see il in this feeble and I'M
interesting climate, but in great cylinders,
as If the bottoms had come out of the wa
tering- pots overhead, and the article was
coming down with looseness. Well, this
was what happened in q jifty, so to speak,
lust as | was preparing to eat o bit OF
lunch l had brought with me. There was
no use in my turning to run for home
The thing was so sudden that, on looking
toward the ridge, could see the streams
that had lately been mere threads raging
and tumbling down among the rocks II
81 cascades, carrying stones and trees ant
great masses of earth along with them
The high grounds were at least mile
away, and yet | made instinctively to
obs ward them, but had not gone hundred
yards when was aware of water FLASHING
beneath my feet IN way In which 1t ha(
not FLASHED during the mornings tramp
Immediately IL was up to my ankles, ant
s.. / hardly. had made up my mind rs to wha
& I had best do when found the ripples o
it pouring over the tops Of my boots Thu
whole meadow was one great lake In les
than quarter of an hour, with the top
.n, of the tallest reeds fast disappearing be
meath the domineering element Cropping
proudly out of the water, at about on
hundred yards from where l stood, coul
lust distinguish solitary tree, the onl
one to be seen for miles around. For tbi
made, and the water was nearly up
my arm pits when l reached it, 1t was
huge mora tree, the gnarled limbs of whic
's} stood out within reach from the ground, {
that had no difficulty in climbing in'
it; and once there l climbed up into Il
branches above any possible high watt
mark; and, seating myself firmly, in a. C
modious crotch, | pulled my cap over N
r-rrr eyes and resigned myself to fate. TER L.
IL V sThick as the foliage of the tree was,
formed but poor shield against the dri
ing torrent, and 80 wet was I, and chile
that / should certainly have descend
from my perch and struck out for Il
high lands but for two reasons; the first
which was that | cannot swim, and Il
second, that the alligators from theswamr
as | was well aware, go prowliDg aroul
when these sudden freshets take place,
look after such stray creatures as nj
have been washed down from the settl
ments and sent adrift In the flood. IT
rain was abatiug now, and on lookil
. down to see how high up my tree the wal
.--lk had reached, noticed that it was POI
ing In at large knot-hole in the hoilc
trunk, which hole was at distance
s,. about twelve feet from the ground, a
.eaa1k nearly as far below where | was sittil
.s8VThe mora tree, when old, is apt to be b
low not only in the trunk, but in all
principal branches--and nay tree was
exception to the general rule, as you st
see. t38A81&ss = ~
while was looking eagerly, out W
81 ( the waters TO see whether iany reappe
+ | ingtops of reeds might giTe hope t
the flood was Ealing, / felt aIpowerful J
at the breast of my coat-so powerful
fact, that it nearly tugged me out of
seat When had recovered from my
constituent at this, | ventured to IL
down, and there, to my extreme horre
saw an immense serpent, of the boa XII
coiled among the branches few feet be-
5gs me. The reptile had evidently been d
4sh en- by the water from its lodging in
hollow of the tree, and had crawlcd
through one of the numerous knot he
Attracted by the ducks that were attac
with a lerthern thong 10 the upper but
hole of my coat, it had just swallowed
loYermost of them, and was strugg