The Sunday herald., 1886-11-14
A LIFE STRUGGLE.
Forty Years In the Great oKefcnokcc


Forty Years In the Great Okefcnokec.
tvaldosta ga, TimesI
Uncle Ben Marlborough, who was guide
for the Okefenolee expedition Of 1875, had
many remarkable adventures during life of
forty years about the great swamp. lie set
tied in that region among the Indians back
In the thirties. He was among the desert
ers who hid In the islands OF the swamp dur
ing the war, and he crossed and recrossed
| the great morass with us in 1875, the first
party Of white men that ever penetrated to
| and through the heart Of the swamp. Often
when we were grouped around campfire
at night-when the day had been dull OF ad-
venture-Uncle Ben would give us OF his large
store Of adventurous stories to while the
time away. He was not a landowner, but
a squatter. Much Of the land about the
swamp, especially that part on the islands,
has never been surveyed and granted or sold 1,
hence perhaps he was not so much to blame
for being a squatter. He never lived long
at one place. In his time he had made the
entire circuit of the swamp almost, never
moving very far at time, but always hug
ging to the swamp, or as near as he could get
to It and keep out Of the mud and bamboos.
At one time he lived in the "Pumpkin
Patch"-a small hammock near the point
where the Suwannee River runs ont Of the
swamp. In fact, I believe the "Pumpkin
Patch" Is In and part Of the "Pocket'-a
peninsula running into the swamp. II Is
said that IL got its name from the fact that
Billy Bowlegs, the Indian chief, grew pum-
kins in that hammock, and that Gen.
Floyd's troops found them growing there dur
ing the Indian war.
Uncle Ben had q small cabin In this place
nd fassv =
few hogs, etc., and several highly priced
dogs, which he found very useful al times.
One day while ont looking after his hogs,
unarmed, his dogs got on hot trail and
were not long in making "tree," and that
not far away. A hunter does not like to
leave his dogs at "tree" or on a ''stand, 4"
and Uncle Ben, thinking fat 'possum or a
nice young coon could be had for the climb.
ing, determined. without much debate, to 90
to his dogs, which were perhaps 100 yards
In the swamp near at hand. He penetrated
the jungle and found the dogs circling
angrily, but cautiously, a group OF small
trees, the tops of which made dense mass
OF limbs and green leaves about thirty feet
above ground. As soon as he saw old Ring,
very large and muscular dog, being half
bull. he knew from his actions, from the
ruffied state Of the hair running down his
usual up. Uncle Ben was without his gun,
and he paused for debate with himself,
and was in the act of beating a retreat, when
a "tiger," az he called 1t, sprang out of the
tree tops with great force and fury at him,
but he was inst little too far off, and the
great cat struck the ground right at old Ring
and they grappled. The other four dogs
were no towards, and, seeing that their leader
was into 1t, they flew to the rescue. Uncle
Ben knew that II he ran the panther could
soon overtake and destroy him after she
fought the dogs off, and having great conf.
dence in the pluck of those devoted animals,
he thought they would naturally fight
harder when he was into 1t with them, and
that II was the better plan for them Che and
the dogs) to make common fight OF it on
the spot. So instead of precipitately fleeing
from the spot, as the writer, and the reader,
too, would have done, Uncle Ben drew his
pocket knife, and, shouting to the dogs, ad-
vanced on the enemy. Ring, as was said
above, was powerful dog, aud although he
had smelt his own blood on many hard
fought battlefield he had never been
whipped, and therefore he faced the music
with grim and logged determination. The
panther fought him off from her throat until
the other dogs began to get in their work on
her rear, but when her attention became
somewhat divided Ring succeeded in fasten.
ing her immense teeth in the brnte's throat.
To use Uncle Ben's own words: "He lock
his jaws and threw the key away"
Uncle Ben kept shouting to the dogs and
inching up with due caution, looking for a
like grip on a vital part, and with the weight
Of the other dogs on her neither parts, the
great cat could not handle herself to the
best advantage, but she was far from being
whipped or lead. The mass of panther and
dogs rolled over and over and beat the
bushes in terrible struggle. She would
throw herself on her back, and endeavor to
bring her hind claws to her throat to tear
Ring away, but the resistance of the weight
Of the other dogs would in part foil her
efforts, but she would succeed in clawing
the sides of the dog, and at every pass would
bring hide and blood. Uncle Ben noticed
that when the brute would make this effort
her tail would flash full length ont from
her at an elevation of four of FIVE feet, and
fearing that Ring would soon perish or fall
powerless at the next thrust, he decided
that II he was to take a hand in the fight
the time had come for resolute action, for If
Ring fell the Jig was up with them all. Put
ting his knife in his teeth. 30 that he could
use both hands, and in an instant seize the
open knife II necessary, he advanced nearer,
and, picking his opportunity, he seized the
brute's tail at the moment she made another
thrust with her claws to clear her throat.
Uncle Ben threw all his weight and power on
the tail, and thus, with the aid of the four
dogs, he would pull back the hind parts of
the animal and prevent further damage to
old Ring from that quarter. Each effort of
the brute in this direction was met with
counter effort, and the see saw process kept
up some time.
The dogs took fresh courage when they saw
their masters hand was in the fight, and
the "tiger" doubled her efforts. It was
desperate struggle indeed. Ring at the
throat, infsxibls, insensible to pain, or
what not-Uncle Ben. powerful man,
swinging like grim death to the "tailhold"-
and the four dogs getting in their work as
best they c0uld-presented picture per-
haps never seen before or since. In the
struggle Uncle Ben was once jerked down,
and the brute's claws made wound ON his
thigh, the signs Of which are to he seen to
day, II that old man is yet in tho land of the
living. That happened when he let one
hand loose to use his knife. Although he
suffered this inhiction, It proved to be the
crisis in the struggle, for he made his lick
and sent the long blade with unerripg force
to the hilt In the beasts side not far from
the region OF thehsart. He evidently struck
an artery, for the blood gushed out and the
animal weakened steadily until he was able
to repeat the blow several times with COM
parative safety, and at last the great cat
lay before him dead. Uncle Ben was faint
and sick and sat down to rest. When he
rose to go three OF his dogs were not able to
follow, and when old Ring, who was one of
the number, looked pleadingly at him and