The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-17

4AO WuOlc plaC6 WIS DldCk WIFI OARS, J.
wouldn't like to risk my reputation
which is undoubtedly Stain the
number. There mought have been a
hundred, more or less, of all ages and
sizes, from an old six-hundred-pou
/ to six-months cub, all drunk as Chris
tians. Now the longer studied their
doins' the more material they looked, iist
as I've seed civilized humans carryin'
on up at Beverly after an election-day.
Sich was the elevatin' influences of good
liquor on savage brutes, which appeared
! to raise 'em so nigh to our level. that as
/ laid there watchin' for a chance to 90
| in I begin to feel as If was plottin'
murder against my fellow-creturs.
Howsomedever, what I mought
have concluded don't much signify, for
presently an old sot, happenin' to stag
ger into the thicket where I was hid.
caught sight of me, and give veil that
fairly lifted the hat off my head, and
fetched every bar to his feet. Appar-
emily my time was short but still cal
culatin' to stampede 'em, up with a
mighty shout, slitherin' the old blather-
skite that raised the alarm. I went in
through the brush like whirlwind. It
was a foolish idee. Peach-and- honey
Il "
it does men, and in less than two min
utes was smotherin' under squirmin'
stack of bar meat the size of dads
cabin. Now, as wasn't smashed to
death, my position mought be rightly
considered providential, for the bodies
of the brutes that lay next to me xiv
cred me agin the teeth and claws of the
outsiders, and bein' well-nigh smoth-
cred themselves, they were obliged to
| fight outward for fresh air, But IL
don't signify to be tellin' how got ont
of there, for don't exactly know nv
self. Howsomdever, when / rose and
| got my breath, I see the bars all around
me fghtin' among themselves. maxim
the fur fly like feathers at a goose
pluckin', and quite onmindful of the
stranger among 'em. / mought have
cleared myself then, but my blood was
up, and / walked through 'em, stabbin'
| right and left, onmerciful as a mad
wild cat, respectful neither age nor sex.
Jist then several old fellers appeared to
get smell of me, and closed in mighty
savage. While fit in front, a rascally
old sqneezer grabbed me around the
neck from behind. I struck backward.
feelin' my knife enter his cussed carcass
dozen times but it didn't loosen his
grip, and felt my strength goin'. At
this pint big bar poked his head up
from behind the honey trough, rubin
his little eyes as if he had iist walked
up. In minute he broke for us.
| Rowzey, thinks ], it's time for
family worship. Now Hay me down to
sleep
" AS prayed I made a stab at the
big he, who Stunned the blade, and, to
my establishment, grabbed the beast in
front of me with his left paw, sending
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 l barricaded myself in with poles,
and laid pantin' and sippin' peach and
| honey until l fairly come to my strength
agin'. 1t took me some time longer to
get up pluck enough to venture back to-
ward the battle-ground. Howsomdeyer.
late in the afternoon did creep down
that way, mighty like a sheep dog at
| first, but holder when I see that every-
thing was quiet. Around that honey
trough lay twenty-five dead bar, young
and old. Gentlemen, value nv repu-
tation too high to weigh it agin bar
meat. Gentlemen, I counted them bod
les as they lay, and you may think I
was mighty proud as I viewed the
ground. Well, I mought have been,
but there was one corpse too many
there for my peace of mind. Over by
the honey trough, jist where my life
was saved, as thought, by the miracu-
lous mistake of drunken old bar, there
lay two bodies, clutched in adeath grip,
iist as they had fell fghtin'. They
were badly tore, and the leaves all
around soaked and stained but as I
stopped over to look closer. I felt a
cold shiver that froze clean to nv
bones. There was the white paw, stiff
and bloody. Gentlemen, there lay
Rough, my old playmate"
The rugged hunter drew his sleeve
across his eyes, reached over for the
pitcher, and turned it bottom upward
over his empty glass.
"Well, is that alp" asked Dick.
| drawing long breath.
Hits all the liquor" quoth Row
zey, with dry wink. "Of the story
there's yit another pint or two at your
service"
Well, I went to work savin' nv
meat with heavy heart, and next day
got some fellers up from the settlements
with horses and sleds to help me down
with it. There was SIGH a pile that all
the neighbors gathered in to look and
get share, a ID there was a mighty
guessin' and bettin' on the weight.
Now we had no steelyards nor scales of
any kind but there was old Bill Swan
son, who had got weighed onst when he
was down to the Kanawha Salt-works.
and accordin' to his recollection, which
was good when he staid sober (Which he
never did Willingly, he drawed list two
hundred and eighty, down weight, on
the salt-works scales. Well, we list
laid stout rail acrost a stump, seesaw
fashion, and sot Bill on one eend and
piled bar meat on the other, till we got
his heft-which we did I now disre-
member whether hit was seven or seven
teen times. Howsomdever, mona of us
bein' scholars enough to subtract that
together, we scored the times on a sap
lin, till the school master come along
to cipher it up for US. But everybody
lowed they never see SIGH a pile of
meat in all their Dor. days"
And did you never try that trap
again, Row 3Y?"
"Oh yes; for you see, after old
Rough was dead had no mercy on bars
any more, and sot that trap over and
over. But fooled away my liquor and
honey; for though my bait was took re-
gularly, never see bar nor a bars
track in that neighborhood afterward.
But onst see old Bill Swanson lurkin'
around thar. and havin' my own sus-
picions, left off settin'."
And did you not eat old Rough
with the rest ?" inquired Dick.
Mister" said the mountaineer, with
a gesture of indignant scern, "sich
question is discredit to the Teller that
asks it. Do look like lawyer or a
heather cannibal No sir; / buried
him decent and respectable, with all his
har on him, iist as / W uld Christian
friend, and I tarred his name on
smooth clapboard, and stuck it up at its
head. Ard thar he mought have rested
in peace to this day but some of them
high-scienced fellers from the east come
a-nosin' and scratchin' through that
country, and mistaken the grave for an
Iniin mound, they excawated poor
Rough's bones and sent 'em to Barnum's
institute, at Washington city, where I've
hearn say they stands in glass case, as
the skeleton of celebrated Iniin chief,