The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-06-27

hide that sacrificed Jaw for fear T mough'
feel bad about H. oeeiu' that my old friend
wasn't nj Oh 20 sleek and glossy a, b. used to
be, | conceived he was ieadin' toieraoe
hard life, and ulcd to persuade him 20 io!el
me home, cypainin' 20 him that We wasted
enough az the cabin to keep him lat TO the
end OF his days. But no; his mind was fixed
his only answer was a mourntul shah" otthe
head ana givia' me n farewell squeeze, 10
trottcd away into the wooas, As ne Wenr, !
thought see him lift his paw to wipe fall
in tear You may laugh, gentlemen, but
there IS more humanity about dumb creturs
than we are awar' Of mostly.
! "For long time after that | was ageard to
| risk shot al % bar, and 20 shun temptation,
| give up carryiu' q gun, and turned my atten-
ton chiefly to hunin' bee trees They were
plenty enough in our mountains, and for con
venicnce | BULL me camp some way OF
| FROM the settlements, and hcwed out a big
trough to hold the honey gathered. Now
| filled my trough from time TO time, but every
night the varmnts come and cleaned me out,
which | knowcd to be bars, seem their
tracks and bcn' Gwa1' ofther likin's. After
losin my labor in this way for some time, /
bethinks me of plan for gIttin' even with
| 'cm. | gifts me a key OF peach brandy, and
savin' very moderate supply for my own
ncedcessitics, | pours the liquor into my
trough, and mixed it pretty thick with hon.
ey. Then | whetted my knife, and retired to
the camp TO watch the effect Of my trap
carried gourd full If the mixture with me,
which was 80 Cussed sweet that can't mind
ANYTHING more that happened until tomOr-
row mornin', when | was Weakened by n he'll
laballOo the like OF which | never heard be-
fore nor since. Clearin' the huSkS out Of my
throat with swig from my jug, | draws my
knife, and creeps on all tours toward the hon.
ey trough, where | see sight which filled
me with establishment and laughter. The
whole place was black with bars wouldn't
| like to risk my eputation-which is ondoubt-
ed-by Stain the number. There mought
have been hundred, more or less Of all ages
and sizes, from an old acknowledgements
to a six.mopths cub, all drunk As Christians.
Now the longer | studied their doin's the
more material they looked j.st as I've seed
civilized humans carryin' on up at Beverly
after an election-day. Sich was the elevatin'
influence Of good liquor on savage brutes,
which appeared to raise em 50 nigh to our
leyel, thatas laid there watchin' for chance
to 90 in begin to feel rs If | was plOtt!D'
murder agin my fellCw-creturs.
"Howsomdever, what | mought have con
cuded don't much signify, for presently an
old sot, happenin' to stagger into the thick,
ct where | was hid, caught sight Of me, and
give yell that fairly lifted the hat Off my
head, and fetched every bar 10 his feet. APP.
pcarantly my time was short; but still CGcU.
latin to stampede 'em, | up with a mighty
shout, sliterin' the old blatherskite that rails
ed the alarm | went in through the brush
like whirlwind. IT was a foolish idee
Peach and honey don't make brutes skecry
no more than it does men, and in less than
two minutes | was smothcrin' under a SOUR
MIN stack of bar meat about the size of dads
cabin. Now, as | wasn't smashed to DEATH
my position mought be rightly considered
for the bodies of the brutes that
lay next to me kivered me agin the teeth and
claws of the outsiders, and bein' well nigh
smothered themselves, they was obliged to
fight outward for fresh air. But il don't sig
Nifty to be telln' how got out of there, for
don't exactly know myself Howsomdever,
when | rose and got my breath, | see the
bars all around me tightin' among them
selves, maxim the fur fly like feathers at Il
goose-pluckin', and quite onmindful Of the
stranger among 'em. mought have cleared
myself then, but my blood was up and I
walked through cm, stabbin' right and left
onmerclful as IA mad wildcat respecting ne-
ther age nor sex Jst then several old felcrs
appeared to git smell of me, and closed in
mighty savage. While / fit in front rascal
ly old squeezer grabbed me round the neck
from behind. / struck backward, feeln' my
knife enter his cussed carcass dozen times :;
but 1t didn't loosen his grip, ana felt my
strength going. At this pint u big bar pok-
ed his head up from behind the honey trough,
rubin his little eyes as If he had jist walked
up. In minute he broke for us.
~ tISnwypv thinta | 'it's time for family
worship. Now lay me down to Sleep
GAS prayed made stab at the big lie,
who stunned the blade, and to my astonsh
ment grabbed the beast in front Of me with
his leit paw sendln' him heels over head ;
then with his right he tore the fellow off my
back was too far gone to ask questions,
but bein' loose once more, | broke for camp,
There barricaded myself in with poles, and
laid pantin' and sippin peach and honey un-
til | fairly come to my strength agin. lttook
me some time longer to git up pluck enough
to venture back toward the battle ground.
Howsomdever, late in the afternoon | did
creep down that way, mighty like sheep
dog at first, but boder when see that every
thing was quiet Around that honey trough
lay twenty two dead bar, young and old.
Gentlemen, | value my reputation too high
to weigh it agin bar meat Geatlemcn,
counted them bodies rs they lay, and you
may think | was mighty proud rs viewed
the ground. Well, mought have been, but
there was one corpse too many there for nay
peace of mind. Over by the honey trough,
jist where my life was saved as thought, by
the miraculous mistake of a drunken old
bar, there lay two bodies, clutched IN death
grip, jist as they had fell fghtin' They were
badly tore, and the leaves all around soaked
and stained; bnt rs | stopped to look closer,
/ felt cold shiver that iroZe clean to my
bones. There was the white paw stiff and
bloody Gentlemen, there lay Rough, my
old playmate"
The rugged hunter drew his sleeve across
his c9cs, reached over for the pitcher, and
turned it bottom upward over his empty
glass.
"Wclb, is hat all?" asked Dick drawing
long breath.
Hits alltht liquor" quoth Rowzcy, with
Il dry wink fthe story there's UT another
pint or two ut your service.