The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-03-28


In the crisp cold night the shivering jay
Cruaks ont OF his dream. Some day, some day.
-Tinsfey's Magazine.
A FIGHT WITH HORNETS.
We had two terrible bugbears to brave
that season, and they were by no means
imaginary ones.
There were six, including myself,
who went TO school together on that
road; AL Cummings and Rike, Elsie
Hanley and Kitty Hall, and a boy
named Sip Mansur. None of us were
more than ten years old, except Kitty
Hall. who may have been eleven or
twelve.
In the country. especially in back
woods districts, boys are not generally
allowed to go to school in the summer
after they are ten or eleven years old.
There is always too much hoeing and
haying to be done on their fathers
farms.
1t was nearly mile down to the red
school-house which stood at the g Cor
ners.n The road ran along the side of
long ridge of pasture land between
pole and brush fences, which were
rather low and poor, and bushes grew
plentifully all along the way.
1t was a road but little Travelled. We
would often scare up partridges be-
tween the very wheel-ruts. or see hares
scudding across it. 1t was wonderful
place for blue-jays. 1t seems to me
now that we never passed without see
ing squad of these noisy birds. Ber-
ries, too, were abundant-strawber
in June, and in July and August, rasp-
berries and blackberries by the bushel.
All, those were pleasant times
trudging home from school, berrying,
bird's-nesting and chasing the red squir-
rels along the fences-or would have
been but for the bugbears.
The first and worst of these was
"Dagon," the second an enormous
nest of great black-banded hornets that
are so common in New England. This
nest hung from low branch of small
white maple, one Of clump which
stood just inside the pasture fence, two
or three rods from the road
When we first saw it in June, it was
not larger than a quart bowl; but it
grew and grew, till by the first of Au-
gust it would have filled ten-quart
bucket. Scores of those great, savage
hornets would swarm out at the least
provocation, even at the sound of our
voices. Young fellows passing had
thrown stones and sticks at the nest,
and made the hornets irritable, and,
indeed, we boys had frequently stoned
it.
First Rike, then Elsie, had been
stung as we passed. The hornets
would dart at us like bullets. If we
came within hundred feet of their
house, we were almost sure to hear a
quick, vengefuI buzz, and feel the long,
poisonous stings of these worst of all
hornets.
Both Rike and Elsie were stung near
the left ear. Within an hour their
faces had swollen almost beyond rec
--e-:A.--- N.Y. - --:.L~..., rim
past the nest at full speed, or else get
over the fence and pass at long dis
lance from it.
But Dagon was the larger and far
more dangerous object of our daily
terrors. Dagon was a three-year-old
Herefordshire bull, belonging to g Old
lack Daniels" as he was called, whose
pasture bordered the road.
Well do remember the great, white
faced monster, his short, thick horns,
surly pink nose, and wicked, red-ringed
eyes. All of this animal, except his
broad. white face, was deep chestnut
red. glossy and sleek as an otter-skin.
He was what stock-fanciers would deem
a beauty, but to us school-children, a
furious beast, lying in wait to rend and
gore us. Never were the followers of
Cadmus in greater fear of the dragon
than we were of Dagon.
Dagon had received his singular
name from Mr.. Merritt, the Free-Will
Baptist Minister. Mr.. Merritt, while
crossing the pasture, had been attacked
by him, and had but narrowly escaped
severe injuries. The reverend gentle
man went gravely to complain to the
bulls owner.
"Mr. Daniels. said he, "your great
Ddgon has assaulted me, and but for
Gods mercy would have trodden me
under his feet"
Old Mr.. Daniels reply was charac-
teristic: "Them as is afeard o. my bull
had better keep out O. my parster.''
But Dagon did not keep in his pas
ture. The low, weak fence offered
little or no obstacle to him. The herd
of cattle which Mr.. Daniels kept there
were often in the road, Dagon with
them. And then with what terror
would we discover his big milk-white
face, or hear his deep bass notes issuing
from cloud of dust, followed by the
sudden outburst of his far-resoundipp
tenori 1t was skulk and run then, and
we made wide detours to avoid giving
Mr.. Bull offense.
Ut course we complained at home.
Something was said number of times
to Mr.. Daniels about the danger of let
ting so vicious an animal run at large.
But none of our folk liked to have
trouble with the old man, who was
known to be grabbed and reyengeful.
As the season advanced, Dagon grew
more and more aggressive and noisy.
II he saw us passing, he would come to |
the fence and follow along beside it as |
we scudded in the road; and if he found |
. place low enough, over he would leap
with roar.
Tn n we had to scramble over the
fence on the lower side of the road, in
= hurry. 1t was wonder he did not
overhaul us, for the fence was
made of brush, and we often stuck in it.
One morning Elsie had particularly
narrow escape. Dagon was in the road.
Some larger boys, passing, had stoned
and enraged him. We came upon him
suddenly in clump of sumac by the
roadside.
"Oh, Dagon! There's Dagonr' Hit
y cried, for. she had first discovered
him.
We turned and fled back up the road.
But the bull had seen us and followed.
With fierce snort.
In her terror, Elsie, incumbered with
ler books and basket, fell and got be-
lind the rest of us, who were already
climbing the fence.
As we tumbled over we saw, to our
,orrOr, that the Infatuated animal was
lose upon her. Screaming with af-
right. she jumped down over q great
ck of old logs on the lower side Of the
oad. DagOn, not daring to leap upon
. uncertain fcothold, stood and|
ooked down upon her, archinQ his
'eck and giving vent to queer, whin-
ng below.
Elsie, crouching between the pile Of
1gs and the fence. burst not stir till +,
ike and Sip, stealing along on the
,wer side Of the fence, pulled away the
ottom brush and dragged her, beneath
be poles, into the field below.