National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-09-17
4 Night's Ran With WOices.

.
and a shebang, or whiskey house,
dignifed with the title of tavern,
where a half dime would purchase as
much of raw fluid as any strong
man would dare swallow, or a dime
would give him the addition of corn
bread and shake down of straw,
fer it was always presumable that the
guests at this hotel brought their
bed clothes, in the shape of "a good
Mackinaw blanket.
1t was my luck, at about the time
| mention, to be landed ON this
UeareD-t0rSake spot, from the
good steamer julia CbOtean, in the
service of the American Fur Com.
pany-all old st. Louis citizens will
remember her well, as they will re-
member the beautiful lady she was
named after. | was bound for Pral-
rie du Chen, with knick-knacks for
the comfort of both trapper and In
dian.
The breed of hunters and trap.
pers that one then found at the
West, has, think, passed away
the man of iron fame, who knew
, nothing of the meaning of fear, and
! lived almost as near nature as the
, animals he hunted; who made his
= bed wherever the night happend to
S catch him; who had but one love,
his good rifle, and never let that
i away from the length of his arm.
y There were a few of that kind
k with us that would accompany the
G train that was to carry us and Oul
goods TO the station, and that night
e as we sat about the stout fire that
S blazed and roared up the stone
$ chimney of the tavern, the cOnver
y Sation naturally turned on hunting
l scrapes, of which most of the party
o had earned experience. AT last On'
1t of them said to me:
y Il say, Cap (short for captain)
of jim Horne. here, has got a new
e game
he What is it, HorneN asked.
II 'Oh, Git out, Cap'n,' answered
III Horne, squirming about on hi
| bench faint nothin'. Blll's onl,
IN trying to stuff ye.'
Sc why don't ye tell Cap, anyhow
ic says Bill, rather GROSSLY the thing
nat'ral, jim, an, perhaps, he'd lik
.r, to take hand.'
ly | asked Horne again for an eX
PLANTATION, and got it in this wise
ry 'Why, Cap'n, you see Eve got
er little sell on wolves. The pesk
! varmints are so thick abouten han
d. that they acshally come right up t
ol- this very door, sometimes, o'night'
to Their tarnal pclts amt wuth muc
We but when You kin git 'em in hea
W. without much risk, why they're wit
We Suthin'. SO some Of us boys, Will
lat we was a waitcn' for the train to 9
'se ready, .iiSt got upa moonlight e'
OF cursion on 'cm. We git out a spa
We Of putty smart kind of ponies, an
at take that strong sled that's und'
n. the shed yandcr and make a cl
he cross that bit of woods over thai
ri, pointing with his finger weStwar
the with pig in tow
ne, "A pig in tow ] said. What
'or. that p why, we just take a youu
mt, pork ont of Brownson'S stable, al
his and hitch it behind the sled. o
on us drives, tother make the p
md squcal, and the rest shoot. la
In time we lost the pork. a rous
1ol. old cuSS grabbed it right under o
hat noses, and that don't pay, no how
ven There was something original
be this, and thought right away til
to | would like to try 1t, though real
llu. not understanding it. | said 50
ood Horne.
sig DO you think you can stand
lder Cap'n!
rule My pride was up directly.
ven Stand it, said; i guess I'm
IKE able to stand it as Nou are!
'Mebbe so,' drawlcd Horne. W
l ne | don't see any reason we maynt
not ont to night. The moon'll be up
TO about an hour. Guess Brownsoi
iirst let us have pork. Cal'late he
if he knows the Cap'n wants it.
the Yes, ! said; tell him III pay
lher- it,
ight In an hour the moon had ris
such and the sled was mt the door "
here two fine, stout mustangs hltchcd
ions il. The snow was III elegant on
de- harp and crisp, almost like ice,
uliar the route that we were to take
poor a clearing about thirty feet vi
right through the forest for two
was three miles, made by the logger
Sc of getting out timber to run down
listed river The pig was produced, q
ri IN until he was muzzled, showed !
was self an elegant squcaler, so mucl
,~to that | was afraid he would bring
a ~ ob. .pcsky varmin,s,' as Horne ca
way them, on us before the time.
aited Fifteen minutes put is well in
thcn the wood, but the moon shon
amer bright, and the reflection so ST.
,,tcu. on the snow, that we had no u
with difficulty in seeing every object
part at MONDAY. The pig was nm
dear zled, and began to squcal. Our
more Is consisted OF Horne and my
|. col. Bill Waller, the first communi
of the idea to me, Brownson's
,s,,;ro TO make the pig squcal, and u
n ,s"a,o east iron, hall-bIecd, whom we
II hy knew by the name OF Bob. W
,;,nse was TO drive, Horne, myself,
Il, not Bob would do the shooting.
ss and My eyes were everywhere, q
.low- caught sight Of the first wolf.
th the was well in among tletrccs, no