The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-03-04

|
who knew every foot of the swamp, to
meet US with the dogs, in order that I, the
were Ned Poole, Taller, Longheaded
Bob and 1, and it was long years since
two of US had drawn trigger on deer.
1t wac not many minutes before we
heard the distant winding of the drivers
horns, and presently the negroes rode up
on trot, with q fine cry Of ten hounds
following at their heels. Ephraim, the
hero of unnpmbered adventures among
the deer and bears. the alligators and
| garfiah Of the swamp, was mounted on his
famous "Old Brown," whose sole fault as
ariving-horse Was wind which was
not only broken" but comminuted, ma
king his breathing audible as far as he
could be seen on crooked road.
"Now, boys" said I, as they reined up
| and touched their caps, "whoeyer brings
out deer to me to-day will make his
month's allowance of tobacco"
"Dat's for me, den, sure" rema-',ed
Ephrnim. II gotyour deer-tree dnes an
buck-penned up in de Blufore dribe."
ooh, you've always got deer in q pen
somewhere, Ephraim, "eaid, I "but, some
how, nobody ever gets the meat"
"Dat's So" put in old July with q
chuckling laugh. II spec Ephraim done
put be mark in he ear, tie he two foot
togedder so he cant run way. But tell
you, Gem deor gwine walk of on he hind
fooa like a man."
"Berry we'll den," said Ephraim with
decision, 'you listend to wha' say Eff
dere amt mo- meat tid-day dan de ole
Brown kin carry home on he back, it
ill be de shootermans fault, an not my
owr."
'Is there any dcer-sign in the swamp,
July?" asked the doctor, who had Just
ridden up, and who bad killed too many
deer to be interested in such small game.
ooh yes, sab, dere's O able nigger usin'
| bout de Mexican old field"
This was Ju!y's peculiar way of indi-
eating very large gentleman specimen
of the Ursus Americdnus and as he was
q veteran bear hunter, we were all en-
couragcd by the intelligence to hope for
some exciting sport We separated to
take our stands, while "the boys"
(Ephraim was fifty, July ten years older)
rode of to put in the dogs. In the first
drive we met with success sufficient to raise
our spirits to the highest pitch. Ned
Poole had the frat chance, and with one
barrel doubled up as noble buck as
ever rubbed the velvet from pair ef
basket-horns. Tho echo of ,his gnn had
scarcely died away when the cry swept
toward me, and fine old doe felIto my
shot; but recovered, and was caught after
q sharp run oftwo miles, which she made
with n broken foreleg and two buck-shot
in the haunch. Taller bloodied little
peghorn buck, that got away with two
dogs after him, which caught aud ate him
before they were found, gorged and
worthless for the next week. It was de-
cided TO try oid juiy'u bear. and we there
fore called in the dogs and proceeded to
the designated drive. We were standing
along a line of fence which separated an an
old field from the swamp, and the boys
had gone round to close thicket on the
other side of The field. Taller, who was
near-sighted, and had left his glasses at
home, concluded to leave his stand with
out notifying any one, and fall back come
yards from the fence, where he thought
he could see better if deer or bear
should cross. The dogs lost NO time in
trailing, and we knew by the long, eager,
hungry notes, that deer had jumped be-
fore them. One by one the stands were
i passes, and still no shot WAS heard, I
jumped on the fence to watch the beauti-
full chase as the dogs ran by sight over
the open field, the deer bounding high
| above tie sedge, and wondering to whom
he would come out, when The heavy roar
I of Tatler's gun behind me attracted my
attention. It was mysterious shot, for
the deer had passed him quarter of q
mile; no note, of tie horn announced his
success, and no second barrel told of
miss by the first. 1t might be turkey,
however, or possibly wild cat, for no.
body knows what may come out to him
in the swamp: ana % all prospects Of
further speEG were over for that drive, I
mounted my horse and rode leisurely to-
ward his stand. AS | observed him lean
ing over his discharged gun. l called out
jocnlarly, "What missed againl" for
| pretending to believe that he had thrown
away two barrels upon the peg-liorn
| buck.
'No, but I've killed Ephraim's horse, !"
was the calm but astounding reply.
And then for the first time noticed
that Ephraim was standing before me
with the bride in his hand and his sad
die on his head, where negro is apt to
carry anything that he is obliged to
"tote." AS 1 turned in surprise to ask
him for an explanation Of the singular
scene, the faithful fellow burst into tears
and fairly blubbered, like q whipped
school-boy. He was turned of. fifty, and,
apart from the superstitious timidity of
his race, was as brave man as ever
knew t5t he had NOT until nov; fairly & lily
realized the situation, and when The frat
overpowering sense of the danger which
he had escaped came over him, he was
completely unnamed. (Aad, by the
! way, this is o singular illustration Of the
4 cumulative influence of thought upon
our emctionb. once attempted to look
into the barrel of pistol alone in an
upper chamber of an nnoccupied house.
| The weapon exploded riehti1to my face /:
I dodged, smiled, and laid it down with
out being conscious of a trenor. But
when turned moment after and saw
| the bullct-hole in the wall exactly be-
/! hind my head. the idea of lying dead for
weeks in that deserted 6iansion flashed
4 with all its horrors on my mind, and I
sank half fainting into. chair; and yet
| have attended to the details of duty
amid the howls OF Bursting shells as conf
| posedly as now write these lines.) fol-
lowed the direction of Ephfain's silent
/ gaze, and, sure enough, there, Just over
the fence, lay the poor Hold Brown stiff
e: &: sstss.s.i. death Sptlaim mud remained be-
hiEd to mind the back, of the drive in
case the deer should double, and, after
the dogs had got fairly ont of reach, came
! jogging slowly along toward Tattlerss
standf which the latter had so irnprudent-
ysieit. The, near-sighted hunter heard
1.-the cracklinU of the briish f;a deceisfi,I