The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-02-08


August. but the first shower spoils il again.
The pipe clay is rather stictier rhan glue
Ii morse oT nan gets his hoof in an inch
the easiest way out is to unscrew the foot
and take it off. You can't pull i, out.
that's certain. and if you try ~ cross il
now, your horse II go in leg deep the first
step. That's what | know about the
DEVILS Race Course It's mile and n
half of impassibilty.''
This was defnite, at least If not en-
cotraging. and after debating the matter
in my mind. [ determined to cross the
river and inspect the race course some
miles away--for myself Accordingly. the
next morning | was in the saddle early.
aud steniing away from Greenwood before
ITS citizens were astir, lest they should run
after me, as boys do after all elephant
lhe travelling was reasonably g,tod until
we reached she pipe clay land Here |
saited, and cutting stout stick, went for
ward on foot to inspect the road. Return
ing. sat down by the roadside to reflect
III should attempt the passage knew |
should almost certainly iuSe my horse, and
| possibly myself | knew something of
| pipe clay, and was not deceived by its
| specins look of stability. | realized the
difficulty and the danger of the attempt |
was about to make to the fullest extent
| but determined TO make it in spite of all
| Had | not all eafy come a long way for this
eApieNS pufpDSt! Diu not an insurance
| agents promised land lie bevond this
slough of despoud? Aud would not Major
n CRASH his teeth when he should
learn that had Ueen the first to enter it
! This last wds, L confess, the chief impellinC
| motive. Mounting Broadly. my horse. i
pushed forward cautiously, In "a very few
| minutes his hocfs began to make reports
like that of pistol he withdrew them
| from the glutinous mud. He was sinking
n Hqan at l,;a
magnificent strength still enabled him 10
| lift his feet and 60 forward. lie under
stood the difficulty apparently, and was
| careful to take very shoit steps. When he
| had gone a quarter of a mile, however, he
began 10 show signs of exhaustion. The
! labor was too severe to be borne much
I longer. Presently he stuck fast ami failed
in hIs effort To withdraw his feet. Instant
| ly.l slipped off to relieve him of my weight.
! As sank a little way into the clay, he cx-
/ trJcated himself, aud led him with great
| difficulty toward little log twenty feet in
front of US. Standing upon this to avoid
sinking, | ordered BROADLY to lie down, a
trick had taught him in sport. lie lay
| down at the word, anu lying was able to
| rest. 1Hs little log was slowly sinking
under me, 5ut before it was completely
buried, BROADLY was Gin wind again, and
l went forward as before. Walking and
! leading him. Our progress was very slow
and very exhaust:ng.
When we had gone hundred yards
| further | made use of little clrmo of
| roadside bushes as a foot rest, and gave
| BROADLY another breathing spell on his
side. Our next stage was a long and dis
astrous one. One of my feet became So
| firmly fastened III the clay that ex,licated
| IL only by drawing II oat of the boot which
L was forced to leave there a tribute, |
suppose, TO .hc cloven-hoofed potentate
| upou whose possessions L was trespassing
| When Broadly lay down for the fifth
| time, | discovered that two of his shoes
! had been torn away, while the other TWO
| were so loose as to be serious hindrauce
to his progress. By diut of climbing over
hIm, AID partially supporting myself upon
! his Do1y, managed to remove the remain
| Iug shoes entirely, but as L did SO my hat
blew oft aud dared not go after it.
had begun the passage a. 10 clock,
and at dragged my self out on the furih-
er side, muddy, hatless, with but one boot,
aud utter exhausted. But had Travelled
! the Devils Race Course, and WAS III the
iunged-fcr swamp country full month be-
fore Major y would dream of attempt
| my to peuetTate it. This thought con
soied me as | turned BROADLY lpose to
| browse, aud roll, and resi-. aud stretched
my weary limbs on a friendly log.
knew for myself, nOS, what the race
! course was, aud was fully prepared to ad
mt That, it WAS ''just the worse bit of
road L had ever seen. Both horse aud
man were too tired to go on, aud So
campcd where ! was for the night. The
! next morning repaired damages at a cross
ROAD where blacksmith shop and coun-
Try stoie were both companions. | was a
nero, of course, daring explorer, as soon
as 1t became known that ! had traversed
the Devils Race Course in June. People
nd nf IL,
aud Hooked To the cross roads to see me. |
INSURED "A number Jftiem, but in pursuance
! of my plan, L speedily pushed on to the
| plant alton of Mr.. f. -, the king of he
| swamp-a rich man of fine Intelligence and
ripe culture, an old friend of my fathers.
| whose example and Influence | knew were
all powerful ! arrived at his house Salur-
day evening, and remaiued over Sunday,
| enjoying no little the resttul company of
his excellent wife and Interesting chill
dreu.
| carefully avoided asking him to insure,
contenting myself With seeking his advice
| as To my course in the swamp. This
| brought up the subject of Insurance Satur-
day night, and n answer To his own and
! his wife III crested questions, | explained
| the matter. Sunday was passed quietly,
without reference to any sort of business,
| out Monday morning, when | asked for
my horse, Mr.. = said lie wished me to
! prepare applications for himself and wife
| first. He insured for $l5, 900 and his wife
| for $40, 900, and | received his check on
New Orleans house in payment of the pre-
m'uins lie sugges ed that | might spare
myself the trouble Of a second venture into
the swamp by collecting as | went, and
| agreeing to deliver the policies when they
| should come, hot to the applicants them
selves, but To well known gentleman who
lived "out IN CIVILIZATION and | adopted
the suggestion 1T once.
My hosts example was contagious, and
within 'hfee days had prepared apl,lica-
t'ons Tor every iusurdble man or woman in
the swamp who was able to pay the premi-
um, and my pockei-book had grown cor 1u-
| ient with checks on New Orleans Nv
canvassipg iour ended on the eas ern side
OF the Tallahat.hie, in the country between
that river and the Yalabusha, the two
streams which nniie just above Greenwood
to make the Iazoo. | spent the night
with MIR. T-'s nephew, who applied for
policy as he learned that his uncle had set
the example. The county physicians had