Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-02

1--WE had enough Of Rather for one
nigHt, old rascal" said |. IL suppose Phi
have to walk IT, as there's nothing else 10
be done that i can see."
Mass Ben you kin do il; me an yours
trab0le jisJ as far many night after pos
sums" You tex de railroad track till
you git to Brown's cross roads, den you
lex de short cut troo de woods; daVll car
ry you pass Bum Chu'ch, and save you
five mile. Den you strike de railroad
track agtn am you'll be in Bowport be-
fore you can turn round" said old August,
to whom the country was as well known
as an open book, and who had performed
the journey scores ~ times himself.
"Well, the sooner | get under way the
better. Here's your Christmas, Dad, and
goodbye 10 youP said l, giving the old
mans hand an afFecJiOnate parting
squeeze.
"Good-bye, boy, tex care OF yourself.
aud come back sOon," was old Augusta
parting salutatlOn, and. taking of my
Overc0at and throwing il over my shout
der, started of 90 my midnight walk.
The prospect before me was a most un-
inviting one. Far of into the gloom
stretched the railroad track. rice fields
with nothing but stubble In them, and in
t-rsected by dirches half full OF water,
extended to the sides of the embankment.
Here and there in the distance, with little
dots OF light coming from tbem, some
nalt-hidden ny the woods, were small
negro houses, but around the track every
thing WAS in darkness. / crossed the lit
tie trestle carefully, which led across the
aforementioned creek, and struck into
brisk walk.
Il there ever is anything calculated to
depress The liveliest spirit, 1t is to take a
walk at midnight when all The world Is
asleep, and you feel as If you are in truth
"lhe Last Man" spoken Of in the poem.
For the few first miles | wnistled and
sang, cneered myself with thoughts OF
Kitty, how sweet she was, aud what
happy man | should be the day | were
able TO ask her the momentOus question
which should decide our fdtes and the an
swer TO which | was t0lerably assured OF.
But finally even these thoughts TAIL, d,
my spirits ebbed and sank into silence.
Tue night, too, was getting darker, the
stars had ceased maHing the attempt to
show themselves, finding the effort use
less. From time to time tue mOon
showed Itself with pale glimmer over
everything, then suddenly plunged be-
hind black cloud, making darkness Wis
IDLE. Now and then | passed a solitary
wayfafer Ike myself gong in the opposite
direction, but l preferred solitude 10
meeting notwithstanding characters
like these on dark night, and in an out
ot-the-way part OF the world like this.
At one or two points | passed a coun-
try negro CHURCH, where tney were hold
Ing watch" meetings aud on the mid
night air the plaIntive notes of hymn
would rise and swell, then die awav
in the distance, leaving me sadder than
before.
But now and then a more eulivening
scene appeared. At the plantation guar
ters" at one pi ace ''cake walk" was be-
ing held. In front OF the open doors of
the negro houses large fire of lightw0od
was burning. Around in a circle marched
the stalwart figures OF the "ladies ami
gentlemen" competing for the prize, two
or three old mammas, smOk ing pipes and
gossiping peacefully, sat in the doorways.
On oen;h near by were ranged the dusky
judges OF the contest, who looked on
WITH great importance. melting out praise
or blame as needed, while tue cake, the
prize Of the contest, reposed in state on a
table at one side.
AT anOtner place the tum-tum of ban
jo and the admiring shouts OF a group of
admiring spectators called attention TO a
dOuble-shutiie that was being danced by
a cOlOred beau. But scenes like these
were few and far between; they passed
away; the settlements became more and
more distant, the track went deeper and
deeper into the woods, leading through
SWampS where it looked as ii the foot OF
mSn never had trod before.
OF all dismal things toe heart Of South
Carolina swamp is hard to be beaten. The
trees, thickly interlaced with vines and
creepers, shrOuded with moss on little
nummocks, with pools of black water be-
tween, grow TO within a few feet of the
embankment. Not a sound is to be heard
save tue cry of some insect, the barking
at foxes and the hoOJing OF owls answer
ing each other. One tapped heavily
against my SHOULDER once. Nv magma
ton travelled back 200 years and peOpled
these gloomy depths with Indians lurk-
ing therein, ready to cut OF any unwarl
pale-tace that happened to stray there.
70 add to my discomfort, it now began
to rain, not heavily, but in adreary pat
ter. calculated 10 chill both body and
soul.
The night wore on, and now began to
near the beginning OF my journeys end.
A lew minutes more would bring me to
Whale Branch Jrestle, after crossing that
| would take the short cut through the
woods past Burnt Church, which, as old
August said, would save me five miles or
so; then | would strike the track again,
and be in BOwpOrt even earlier than
expected, having made good time so far.
Whale Branch, why SO called no one
knows, unless because there are no
whales there, is an arm OF the sea, or
more properly speaking, river, going by
different names IN different parts. At
tins It's narrOwest pOipt, where the rail-
road crossed it when the tide was high
covering the marsh on both sides, tue tres
tie was a mile long. AS | stepped on tue
trestle and ed above aud around me,
il was hard to say which was the black
er the sky above or the long, gloomy ex.
pause Of water stretching below and be-
yond me, the tide now being high. One
false step and l should be precipitated in.
To that black tossing torrent, aud
swept away into black ocean
whenc3, perhaps, not even my
body would ever be rescued Ia
tell the tale. A cry for help would be fu.
tile, for even were any habitation in
81 ht, so strongly was the wind now
blowing that my voice could not have
been beard.
hastily dismissed these thoughts from
my mind, and, ireading as gingeriy as Il
we're stepping on eggs, Gade my way
TILL was in the middle of the trestle
/ What hour OF the night it was ] could
not guess, but | thought IL must be near
daylight, as IL seemed to me TO have
| grown great deal lighter than when |
| irst got on the trestle. turned round t.
see in the direction OF the east, when |
saw a sight tnat seemed TO treezs the
blood In my veins aud 10 make my heart
stand still. For there-a few Yards be.