Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-11-25


fred. He leaped high over the tops O
the bushes, made few bounds down the
side of the hill, and disappeared.
| III" knew from the way he started that
he was badly wounded-I had seen tbs
same thing too often before to be fooled
by it. Mage wanted to 90, out / scolded
him back, and walked up the ridge to
strike the fellows trail. / heard the
dead limbs snap sharply ahead of me,
and right there, within fifteen yards Of
where stood, was doe, paused as she
mad started to run with the buck--her
uead turned over her left shoulder, as she
stood looking at me or the dog.
Iu an instant l brought my second
barrel to bear on her, aud bazed away,
right at her broadside. She dropped
square 10 her tracks, without lifting a
foot, when my gun cracked. / glanced
at the sky overhead II was getting dark
very fast could neither see nor hear
anything of my foe buck. and concluded
that he might have run far enough to
give nae long chase through the balsam
th ckets, right away from camp. So /
gave him up, and turned to my doe.
"She was fine conditioned animal
as ever saw. Well, we'll, Samuel +
said l to myself, this ant SO very bad,
after all. One nice fat doe like this will
sop many fapjack, and grease several
messes of sweet taters. / wasn't very
long in getting her dressed and in shape
TO pack, but it was 80 dark l couldn't see
the color of the blood on my hands when
got through. '.
/ shouldered my venison and struck
out along the ridge, toward our camping
place Ii was three miles and half
away, up hill every step, aud the nsstiest
sort of balsam thicket to go through,
without the shadow of a trail in any right
direction. Bat yeu see, ! knew that
mountain, every foot of il, as well as you
know the cotton patch out here, my boy.
"Well, we trudged along, Mage and /,
slowly and patiently, up the long, narrow
ridge. He was right at my heels, all the
while. | knew he was there, though il
soon got 80 dark that couldn't see even
the little balsams that brushed my face I;
and as for seeing anything rod of-oh,
halo there's no use of talking of any
such thing. -ar-~
After awhile we ceme to deep ra-
vine that crossed the ridge-it's called
'Skullbone Gap We'd come half a
mile, | reckon, though you'd a swore it
was two miles, with nothing on your back.
The gap had to be crossed, steep as it
was up the sides. But it wasn't very
much, no how. There>wss q laurel to
pass ct the bottom, though, and that was
the worst part of it, on such dark night.
swell, stopped there minute, just
before / got through the laurel, and sat
down bit on.s big log that ! had climbed
over, to get breath little before taking
the upside of the gap. Mage was right
there beside me--that could have sworn
to, for he put up his nose and touched my
hand. Somehow he seemed to be un-
easy, and begun to crowd up against my
legs in q strange sort Of way that /
couldn't understand.
Y "Hslloi old fellowl'' said 1. "You
amt afraid of nothing, be you ?" Ipatted
him on the head, and spoke to him, but
it didn't do any good; he kept backing
in till be got right under my knees, and
there he would stay, trembling like as he
was scared TO death, nearly. | moved my
foot to kick him away, when suddenly /
heard the dead laurels swapping under
the tread of some heavy animal, not over
twenty yards away. "A bear, / said TO
myself Get out of here, yon Mage If
you're going to be such an Internal cow
ard as this, I've got bullet moulded for
you, old boy was mad, and gave the
dog shove that sent him out in a hurry
81 got up to go on, and that minute
heard a sound that took all the strength
out of me as quick as you could bat your
eye. A painter, by aIl that's holyF Il
came over me in fash, like dash OF
ice-water. There the internal beast
stood, right on my trail, not ten yards
behind me, screaming horribly, like an
old woman being murdered by inches.
"Just about that time, with bright
torch, you might have seen one fellows
hair stsndir g right straight up, like TAM
arack poles in hop-yard. Sammy,
Sammy said | to myself, this is rough
on you, old fellow. Three miles from
camp, as dark as stack of black cats, a
bleeding doe on your back, and painters
all around you. II old Sol don't have
all the blanket to himself tonight, it'll
be deuced lucky thing for you,
Sammy, my boy.
"Well, got my legs a'working some
how, though can't tell how, and started |
on up the bill. / never once thought how
steep it wac, or how heavy the doe was
on my back, after l once got started
bless you / had something else to
think about just then. Old Mage |
walked plum up behind me, and tried his
best to keep between my feet Every
little while he'd stop and put up snsrl
aud growl, as savage as though be was
going mad, and / knew that every hair
on bis back pointed straight forward
toward bis ears.
"0h, the old fellow would a mounted
the sassy brute like hssh, if I'd q let |
him, but you bet l didn't want to bring |
on the battle minute sooner than ] \
could help. didn't like that sort of
Iight in The dark. / thought Uf the nine
foot painter the boys killed over on the
Big Laurel, and thought I'd just as lief
he'd keep bis distance that time.
well, on we went, leaving tracks be-
hind us just Bhout as fast Is 9 fellow
roul1 E.-.t fko unu1I