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

meet us with the dogs, in order that the
anticipated sport might begin. There
were Ned Poole, Taller, Longheaded
Bob and I, and it was long years since
two of US had drawn trigger on deer.
1t was not many minutes before we
heard the distant winding of the drivers
horns, and presently the negroes rode up
on a trot, with fine cry of ten hounds
following at their heels. Ephraim, the
hero of unnumbered adventures among
the deer and bears. the alligators and
garfsh of the swamp, was mounted on MS
famous "Old Brown" whose sole fault as
q driyinc-horse was q 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 l., as they reined up
and touched their caps, "whoever brings
out deer to me to-day will make his
months allowance of tobacco" i.
"Dats for me, den, sure," remarked
Ephraim. "1gotyour deer.tree does an,
buck-penned up in de Blufore dribe."
"Oh, you've always got deer in pen
somewhere, Ephraim," said, I "but, some
how. nobody ever gets the meat"
aDat's so,n put in old July with
chucklinglaugb. T spec Ephraim done
put he mark in he ear, tie he two foot
togedder so he cant run way. But ! tell
you, dem deer gwine walk otf on he nind
foot like man."
aBerry we'll den," said Ephraim with
decision, "you listend to wha' I say: Eff
dere amt mo- meat tid-day dan de ole
Brown kin carry home on he back, it
ill be de shooterman's fault, an not my
own"
"Is there any decr-sign in the swamp,
July9" asked the doctor, who had just
ridden up, and who bad killed too many
deer to be interested in such small game.
"Oh YES, sab, dere's able niger usin'
bout de Mexican old field"
This was July's peculiar way of indi-
eating a very large gentleman specimen
of the Ursus Americdnus and as ne was
veteran bear hunter, we were all en-
couraged by the intelligence to hope for
some exciting sport. We separated to
take our stands, while "tbe boys"
(Ephraim was fifty, July ten years olderl
rode off 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 first chance, and with one
barrel doubled up as noble buck as
ever rubbed the velvet from pair OF
basket-horns. The echo of his gun had
scarcely died away when the cry swept
toward me, and fine old doe fell to my
shot. but recovered, and was caught after
sharp run oftwo miles, which she made
with a broken foreleg and two buck-shot
in the haunch. Taller bloodied a little
peghorn buck, that got away with two
dogs after him, which caught and ate him
before they were found, gorged and
worthless for the next week. 1t was de-
cided to try old July's bear, and we there
fore called in the dogs and proceeded to
the designated drive. We were standing
along line of fence which separated 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 some
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
passed, and still no shot was heard. l
| 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 the sedge, and wondering to whom
he would come out, when the heavy roar
of Tatler's gun behind me attracted my
attention. 1t was mysterious shot, for
the deer had passed him a quarter OF
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; and as all prospects of
further sport were over for that drive, l
mounted my horse and rode leisurely to-
ward his stand. AS / observed him lean
ing over his discharged gun, l called out
iocularly, "What missed again!' for
we had teased him after the first drive by
pretending to believe that he had thrown
away two barrels upon the peg-horn
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 apS to
carry anything that he is obliged to
"tote." As turned in surprise to ask
him for an explanation of the singular
scene, the faithful fellow burst into tears
and fairly blubbered, like whipped
school-boy. He was turned of fifty, and,
apart from the superstitious timidity of
his race, was as brave man as l ever
knew; but he had, not until now fairly
realized the situatiea, and when the first
overpowering sense of the danger which
he had escaped came over him, he was
completely unnamed. (Aud, by the
way, this is singular illustration of the
cumulative influence of thought upon
our emotions. l once attempted to look
into the barrel of pistol alone in an
upper chamber of an unoccupied house.
The weapon exploded right into my face;
lodged, smiled, and laid it down with
out being conscious of tremor. But
when / turned moment after and saw
the bullet-hole in the wall exactly be-
hind my head, the idea of lying dead for
weeks in that deserted mansion flashed
with all its horrors on my mind, and l
sank half fainting into chair; and yet
have attended to the details of duty
amid the howls of bursting shells as COM
posedly as now write these lines. l fol-
lowed the direction of Ephraim.s silent
gaze, and, sure enough, there, just over
the fence, lay the poor "old Brown" stiff
in death. Ephraim had remained be-
hind to mind the back of the drive in
case the deer should double, and, after
the dogs had got fairly out of reach, came
jogging slowly along toward Tattler's
stand, which the latter had so imprudent.
ly left. The near-sighted hunter heard
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