The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-08-13

y
did as directed. laid hold of his
left hind leg, just above the fetlocks, and
hespEaug to his feet
Reader did you ever seize pig by
die hind legl If SO, multiply that pig
BY ten, for every tWitch he gives, count
six; lash big lantern to your head,
fancy yourself standing alone on a
swampy marsh in a dark foggy night
with rife in your left hand, and being
twitched about among the bogs and in
and out Of musk-rat holes, until your
system seems on the point of separation
which shall send you in thousand
infniteEmal parts in all directions, like
fragments Of an exploding buzz wheel,
and you have my appearance and feel
iugs as Was jerked about that night
amid the mire snd marsh-grass, as 1
clUng to the leg Of that deer. Now; !;
whea fasten to anything / always ex-
pect to hold on. This was my deter
minstion when ] put my fingers around
that bucks leg. l have a tremendous
grip. My father had before me. With
hiz lands at twO-inch auger hole in
the head Of barrel l have seen him
clutch now with his right, now with his
left hand, twenty-five house-rats as they
came darting out to escape the stick
with which l was stirring them up, and
dash them to death upon the floor, with
Outgettisga single bite; and every body
knows that rat in full bolt, comes out
of barrel like flash Of lightning. L
fully expect to maintain the family
prestige for grip. l did. I stuck to
fhat deer with ali the power Of my arm
and will. felt it to be sort of per-
sonal contest between him and myself
Nevertheless I was perfectly willing at
any time to let 60. l had undertaken
the job at the request of another, and
was ready to surrender it Instantly upon
demand. ] shouted to Martin to get
out Of that boat mighty quick if hewant-
ed to take his deer home, for /
shouldn't hold on to him much longer.
1t took me about two minutes to deliver
that sentence. 1t was literally jerked
out of me, word by word. Never did
1 labor under greater embarrassment in
expressing myself In the meanwhile
Martin was meeting with difficulty. The
bank of the river was steep, and the
light cedar shell, with only himself in
it, was al out of balance and hard to
manage. It may be that his very strong
desire to get on TO that meadow where
1 was holding his deer for him operated
TO confuse and embarrass his move
meuts. He would propel the boat at
full speed toward the bank, then Jump
for the bow, but his motion forward
would release the boat from the mud,
and when be reached the bow the boat
would be halfway across the river again.
Now Martin is a man of great patience.
He is not BY any means profane per-
son. He had always shown great re-
spect for the cloth. But every body
viii see that his position was a very
trying one. Three several times, as be
afterwards informed me, did he drive
the boat into the bank, and three
several times when be got to the bow,
that boat was in the middle of the river.
At last Martins patience gave way, and
out of the fog came to my ears ejacula-
tons of digust, and such strong eX-
pletives as are found only in choice old
English, and howls of rage and disap-
pointment that none but a guide could
utter in like circumstances. But human
endurance has limit. l was fast reach
ing q condition Of mind when family
pride and transmitted powers of resoIu-
ton fail What did l care for my
fathers exploit with the rats at the two
inch suger-hole! What did the family
grip amount 10 after all ? l was fast los
ing sight of the connection such Vani-
ties sustained me. Twas undergoing a
rapid chSngein many respects-of body
as well as mind when / got hold of that
deeTs leg, / was mentally, full Of pluck
and hope; my hunting coat. of Irish
corduroy, was whole and tightly but
toned. Now, mentally, I was demoral-
lied, every button was gone from the
coat, and the right sleeve hung diseon-
nected from the body Of the garment
The Jack had been jerked from my
head, and lay a rod of in the marsh