Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1882-03-08
A DROLL Adventure.


We had started at sunrise one morn
ing, with apair of oxen and cart, to
go to Woodstock, TO market. In the cart
we're two shotes and twenty-seven tur-
keys, which had been killed and dressed
the night before. -.
1t was early in November, and I re-
collect that the ruts in the road were
frozen, and that the ice was so thick on
the puddles in the road that it would al
most bear the oxen.
/ was a boy then, end lived in the
"blue- nose" country, as the Province of
New Brunswick is sometimes called.
We had quite large farm, though it
was some distance back in the woods,
and raised large numbers of cattle, pigs
and poultry. Father worked at lumber
ing in the winters, and at the time am
speaking of had already gone up the
Tobique, to build "camp" for gang
of choppers who were to begin work the
Goth of the month. So my brother Ran
som and had the winters wood to cut,
and the marketing to do.
II was sixteen miles from our place to
Woodstock, and for the first three miles
there was only a cart-road. We had
heard that there was to be shooting
match at Woodstock that day. Geese
were to be fred at, at Cd shot. The dis
tance was only fifteen rods, for any sort
Of guns that competitors might bring.
Rsnsc and J, Of course, took our guns:
and Joe Ethridge, neighbor from over
the river, went with us. If we should
get 70 town in time, We meant to try a
few shots at the geese.
We had gone q mile or moro, and
were passing through a second growth
of white birches and some thick clumps
of hemlock that were on each sid, of
the road, when Ranse and / heard the
sharp squeak Of n hedgehog, such rs the
animal often makes in November morn
ings.
Joe, who was walking little ahead of
the cart, on the lookout for partridges,
cried, "Just look at the 'qnill-pigs'
over there across the hollow !"
There was valley on the west side Of
the road. Across it, on the mountain
side, twenty-five or thirty rods off, the
poplsrs grew thick and tall. The leaves
had dropped from their branches, and
in the tops of the poplars'we saw four
hedgehogs gnawing at the bark.
The sun had Just risen, and shone
upon them so that we could see the ami
mails very plainly. -.E 3.
They're fat now," said Joe.
They're as good as geese. Let's git
EN-, and take 'em along in the cart"
We did not dare to leave the team in
the road, for our cattle were yoke OF
"sparked 4-year. old steers. not very
well broken. Turning them partly
round to tree, Ranse chained them to
1t, with spare ox-chain that was in the
cart, through the staple of the yoke.
That done, We took our guns out OF
the cart and ran after Joe, across the
hollow. He had fired at the hedgehogs
before we reached him, and had brought
down one great fellow. The others
were in plain sight In the bare poplar
tops.
Ranso and soon had two more lying
nt our feet in the dry leaves. But the
last one, which Joe now shot, lodged as
1t fell in the crotch of limb, where
1t rclung, being still alive.
just then we heard n tremendous
noise, that came from the place
where we had hitched the steers. The
chain was rafting. aud We could hear
tie cattle thrashing the yoke against
tho tree.
They're breakin' away " exclaimed
Ranse, and he shouted, "Whoa-hush
Nhoahush p
But the noise increased, and we heard
one OF the steers suddenly bawl out,
making queer cultural sound.
Something's biting 'em y cried joe
We each OF us caught mp hedgehog
b, the hind legs, and, without stopping
f'r tie one in the tree, ran toward the
cTt rs fast as We could.
The steers broke loose and were
wheeling round to iun for home with