West-Jersey pioneer., 1884-01-03
MARYLAND GIRLS ON A COON
HUNT.

think of these yer wimmen-folks a
trapesin' bout de woods in de night
time; don't b'leve in no sich foolish
ishness," whispered Uncle Zeke, the
champion coon-hunter of the neigh
borhood. So thought everybody else
except the obdurate young ladies, who
argued as it was more or less a family
party there was no improperly in
such a frolic. The discussion, which
continued for nearly half-hour, was
carried on by an anxious mother, four
young ladies, three young men and old
Zeke, before the large kitchen fire
place, in which big oak logs were burn
ing briskly, sending out a mellow light
that outlined the figures in magnified
shadows and formed some fantastic
pantomines on the opposite walls.
'Why, girls" said the mother, "who
ever heard of young ladies going on
coon-hunt?''
''That's just why we want to 60"
answered the one with brown hair.
"Well, then, if can't persuade you
out of this insanity, suppose you ask
Uncle Zeke's opinion?''
Uncle Zeke had been a silent wit
ness. His private opinion, chronicled
above, had been expressed to the
writer in an undertone. One of the
young ladies-a veritable diplomat
crossed to where the old man was
standing, laid her hand on the shoulder
of his rusty coat, and smiling straight
into his eyes, said:
'.Now, Uncle Zeke, you're not going
to decide against us, are you"
To express it classically, this broke
the old man all up. He backed down
like a coward.
81 guess it won't do no harm for you
to go,' he said. ''But you and the
young men must keep together, and
don't go nowhere only where tell
you"
The party, now numbering ten, got
together, and by half-past 8 O'Clock
had passed through the road gate and
was making for the woods across the
field. The dogs bounded over the
ground yelping joyously. The colored
boys hollered and ran helter skelter,
playing leap frog and getting far in
advance of the others. And all the
time the ladies exclaimed: "Oh, my!
Amt this jollyr' and showered a per-
petual torrent of questions on Uncle
Zeke.
"Where's your gun?' they asked.
1--WE doan't take no guns. There
amt no fun in shootin' coons. We
kills 'em with clubs. You seed the
sticks them young fellers had? Wait
till they git at coon, and you'll purity
soon see how they kin git the best of
him."
Zeke directed the boys to take the
dogs to the fence corner near the
branch road II seed a lot of half
eaten corn and some nibbled chestnuts
round there to-day, and you kin de-
pend upon it dare's coon sumwhar in
the neighborhood."
The whole party met at the fence
corner. The ladies were eager with
excitement to press on with the hunt.
The pine knots which the party carried
were lighted. Three men were dis
tributed among the party. Due advice
was given to avoid muddy places.
Now, go aheadr' shouted Zeke.
forward. A queer torchlight process
sion it makes, the glare of the pine
knots giving lurid hue to the tall,
leafless trees. The dogs bounded for
ward, barking uneasily. while the
darkies cry ''Hi, there!' "Go it, now!"
And on we go. The torch lights our
pathway. Zeke is already in the lead.
We follow after In short time we
see the dogs under a large gum tree,
barking furiously. The excitement |
grows intense. The noise of the dogs,
the hubbub of the boys and the ex-
clamatory furore of the young ladies
combine into small-sized pandemo-
MUM, which would scare an ordinary
coon to death Zeke assumes COM
mand. '"Take care de ladies over
dare, near de clump of cedars; an
keep 'em dare. Don't we come under
de tree, or we might git hurt" The
ladies were promptly removed to the
eserved portion, where they had an
excellent view of the operations. The |
torches indistinctly illuminated the
tree. On one of the topmost boughs
was seen clumpy mass
'Now, jake" stentoriously cried |
Zeke, "climb de tree and shake de
critter outr'
Off goes Jake's coat He springs to
the tree as if attacking a monster
Upward he mounts. He reaches the
branches, pulls himself up and climbs
the tree as if it was a ladder. He