The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-10-17
PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES OF AN
OCTOGENARIAN.
BY DR.. GIDEON LINCECUM.
CONTINUED.

My brother Garland and myself went one
night hunting with the pan. We did not
proceed far until we discovered gang of
deer, and they were SO much amazed at
our moving great flambeau that they did
not attempt to escape. We were hunting
with a small rifle that made but little noise
and when my brother had broken two of
their necks the balance were still stepping
around in a perfect amazement. We had
enough.
On the seventh day we came to a little
river with high banks, which we afterward
learned was called Lua Copesa, by the
Choctaws Gold Fire.. We spent nearly
day hunting a place to cross the pretty
stream with the wagons. We could by
cutting deep narrow channel with the
pick that would let the wheels in up to the
hubs, let the wagons down almost any
bank by hand. But we must have slop-
ing bank to get out on, or dig one; we
would hunt a good while for natural slope
rather than dig one. Wesucceeded without
digging at every stream, and after twelve
udSS VI IuC uioSC plCdSdut liibC L CfOi SPoup
in my life, landed on the Tombecbee river.
At many of our camps en- route, the
wolves in great numbers would come near
and regale us with their music. At our
camp near Cold Fire creek, there certainly
must have been half dozen packs of them
around the camp, and they came so near
that we could hear them swapping their
teeth. They frightened our dogs so that
they came and crouched themselves as near
the fire as we would permit them. We
rugged up the pan and tried to get shot
at them, but they wouldn't stand still long
enough for the rifle and our shot guns we're
all boxed up in the wagons. We failed
getting wolf-plenty as they were.
Our last camp on the route was on
beautiful little river, two miles southeast
of Columbus, Miss Nobody dwelt there
then. The name of the little river is
Lookse- ok pullila, in Choctaw. "Lookse'
is terrapin, and ok pullila floating on
the water. 1t was full of blue-winged
teal. They were swarming like wild pig
cons. We didn't shoot them. Oh, that
was delightful camp. In thick cane
brake, near that little river, where the
harsh sounds of obtrusive civilization had
never alarmed the owls or savage beasts
before. Our camp fire, rafting chains,
growing dogs and popping canes disturbed
the wild animals greatly. We heard the
panthers scream, the racoons complain;
~, l.,
and the wolves howled all night. The
teals swarmed and the beavers slapped
their tails delightfully."-.
We had all been raised in the woods,
were all hunters, and the indications pre-
scented that night produced perfect glori-
fication amongst us. We could hardly
wait for day. Ny brother and l slipped off
in the cane at the first peep of day and
were both back with good fat turkey each
before sun up, and we saw hundreds of
them. We made an early start, cut our
road through the cane, made the balance
of the trip-four miles-by 10 o'clock. l,
as usual, led the way, and seeing big
buck with a chair frame on his head, as he
was iiSht III my pain, SoHCluuct W Icb
him down there where he would be handy
to put in the wagon when it came up.
The gun did not fire exactly clear, and not
withstandng l cut his lights, it was an
inch or so too far back. He ran; I knew
he wouldn't 60 far, and set off after him.
In those days but few wounded deer could
get away from me. l saw that his leaps
were lower and shorter. urged my way
more vigorously and in half an hour came
up with him, and he turned to fight; but
he soon found that to be bad business, for
selling him by the horn with my left hand
l soon dispatched him 10y cutting his throat.
After l had prepared him for transporta-
ton, cut my bloody knife in the bark of
an exceedingly large pine, at the root of
which had done the deed, to clean it. A
year and ahalf afterwards when people
came in, and they built a log cabin hotel,
that big pine, with the gashes in its bark
where l cleaned the bloody knife, was
felled to give place for the Eagle sign post.
But the marks of my knife were the first
signs ever made by the white man on that
hill where Columbus, Miss, now stands.
When we reached the Tombecbee river l
selected place four hundred yards above
where my father pitched his tent, on nice
little bluff, with very flush spring gush-
ing from the rocks, at the foot of large
sycamore tree. (Platanus occidentalis. y
Twenty feet above this spring set my
tent and fixed good cleaned up camp long
before night. About sunset my wife said
she heard heavy turkeys flying up to roost
a little distance out there, pointing the
direction. / went away from the noise of
the children and listening, distinctly heard
what | took to be at least forty flying up
and alighting on the trees. Before light in
the morning | was out under those tur-
keys and could distinctly, by lighting them
against the sky, see many turkeys. But
there was one on a low limb, not more than
thirty feet from the ground and supposing
that his reason for sitting SO low was his
weight, took seat near by the side of
tree and waited for daylight. Sure enough
he was very large one. They said they
heard him fall quite distinctly at the camp
His weight when dressed was twenty nine
and ahalf pounds. We looked upon him
as the king turkey then, but we saw many
such before that year was gone.
AS soon as I could get time from hunt
ing, fishing, fowling and exploring the
canebrakes l built me snug cabin, with
stick and clay chimney. This was glori-
Gus. | had the dear one and her two boys
safe from wet and cold; besides, it was
such nice place, on top of dry bluff,
within thirty feet of the river, and right
opposite an island containing three or four
acres of heavy timber, beyond which passed
the largest half of the river. On our side
of the island, the river, though swift run
ming, did not exceed forty feet in width.
Just above my house came in little creek,
and here the bluff widencd off into the hill
country from whence came little creek.
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