Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-07-09
BESIEGED BY FLAMES,
Alligators and Moccasins Alto
gether Too Plentiful.

On the south shore of Lake Harney
we came across the camp of solitary
hunter in a clump of stunted cabbage
palms. A small and mildewed "A''
tent pitched on the yellow sand gave
him shelter. His light batteau OF
cypress was hauled up on the shore.
From his talk we soon learned that he
was genuine Florida cracker and an
all-around hunter, preferring alligators
rs game, but not ayerse to deer, bears,
panthcrs or even 'coons, and that he
was familiar with every water course,
lagoon, mound and bluff in the great
St. Johns prairie from Lake Harney to
Lake Washington. As we sat around
the camp fire that evening the glow OF
prairie fire showed family on dense
cloud of smoke that oyerhung the
southern horizon.
Yes" he said, in response to re.
mark of the Doctors, "hit's a mighty
good year for prairie fires. The frost
Killed the prairie grass, and hit stands
there now ten or twelve feet high and
dry as tindcr don't reckon ever
seen worse fire than the one l fell in
with up beyond Little Mud Lake along
about the last Of February.
The Florida cracker knows little Of
the hcightening effect of the figure Of
speech called hyperbole. He is not
skilled in the employment of profanity
for the sake Of emphasis His yarns,
though containingmaterial for the most
spirited recital, are reelcd or slowly
and usually without the least show Of
animation. 1t is impossible TO impart
an idea Of our hunters droning speech
and his disregard of every effect after
which the ordinary story teller strives,
ns he went on TO tell us about the prai-
rie fire,
~ was a-goin' up after gators he
said. "a little way out Of Little Mud
Lake, and about an hour, or maybe an
hour'n a half, seen pretty con-
sid'rablc smoke a-pllin' up to the
s'uth'ard. The wind was in the north,
and hits slow work for fire to eat
hits way up to windward; so l pulled
my boat out of the river into little
lagoon Just big enough to turn her
around in, took cold bite of supper,
rolled up in my blanket, and went to
sleep in the boat. / don't know how
lcng | had been asleep, but some time
In the night was woke up by u roar
in noise. Il put my head out from un-
der the blanket and found the wind
had changed around to s'uth' ard and
was BLOWN n right stiff gale. Hit
| didn't take me long to see that the sky
was all lit up with red glare. | could
hear the crackle of flames pretty con,
sid'rably close up, and says to my
self: 4 reckon the fires a-comin'
this way, and I'd better see about it.
I'd seen a good many prairie fires, but
when l stood up in the boat, / was sor'
o surprised. Hit seemed as If every
thing to the s'uth'ard was a-burnin
up, and the flames was sweepin' nortl
fastcr'n mule could canter.
III looked back toward the north
and saw I'd a-pulled out of the river ;
good deal furder N thought l had
and | saw that, in the strange glar,
that lit up all the little waterways
'twa'n't much use to try to pull baci
into the river ahead of the rushin
flames. The little pond l had run int
was the end Of sort O. pocket, an,
the tall dry grass stood all around !
ten feet high, 'ceptin' the open place
on the side where l come in. Tn
roots of the grass was a-growin' il
water just deep enough to cover 'em
though twas dry time. In we
weather you could pull boat righ
through the tops of the grass, OF. run
steamboat over it. Well, seein' q
how somethin' had got to be don
right off, l showed the skiff into tn
: middle of the pond, stuck down an oa
in the mud, and tied her nose to il
close up. Before I'd got her mad
fast the fire had come so close that tn
/. sparks and cinders was nigh-a-mos
blindin' me, and the wind whirlir
upward with the flame made m
ha'r stand on end. Hit seemed {
if the whole world was a-goin' up i
the flames. Laws you never seen sue
wild sight, and in front of the rusl
in fire, sailin' around in the blood-re
sky, was herrins, marsh hens, blacl
birds, cranes and such, all,a-squakil
and takin' on, and streakin' it throug
the tops of the grass was ducks an
coots. But 'twa'n't no place for me
be standin' and lookin' on; so / sousC
my blanket in the water, got down
the bottom of the boat and cover(
myself all up with the wet blanke
Just before l put my head under ! g
glimpse of good-sized critter,
deer or painter, reckon, goin' by lie
ety-cut, with the flames just catchi
n onto his tail.
d II hadn't been under the blank
more'n second, seems as if, when d
red showed through the blanket, and
could feel the hot air over me. Viii
was thinkin' this was about the WI
= fire I'd ever fell in with in these y
parts, there came tremenjus crash
and swishin', louder even than the ro
End crackle of the flames, and I
water in the shallow little lagoon |
gan to splash and the boat to roc
Whats thisP' says / to myself, a
. then there came tunk agin my be
j that nigh-a-most turned her ov,
Then she was hit on tother side a
, sent spinnin', and the crashin' a
= swishin' in the grass and the splash
l. splashin' and b'ilin' in the water "
n all the time CROWN louder'n loud
BY this time, too, my boat was rock
and bobbin' about, now h'isted Gle
out Of the water and now most sunk
something aoppin' down on the CUR