The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-06-09

luI \ A1eu.
 "Well, here's fust the ole SOW an the present five, that's six. By this time next year the ole sow'll have five more, only countin' the sows, you know, spring pigs, which I'll make six teen; sides the present five I'll each have five, am that's twenty-five, an sixteen-'
 "'Shp said I, holdin' up my finger, for I hearn turkeys a scratchin' in the bresh. Be keerfnl am slip round right easy, an watch 'em close, fur they're flNin' to fly up to roost.'
 ''I slipped round one way and Bill t'other. an shure 'nongh we located lem jest at dark. They flew up in some magnolias and live-oaks what growed right in the slew, an thar they settled. We hunted our way out, an gittin' the right course an the best place to get in the swamp, we siperated for home, a'ter 'greein' to meet bout half & mile fom the swamp next mornin' when the big star rig.
 "All that night dreamt of eatin' fried turkey, billed turkey, stewed turkey, an turkey cooked in all sorts O ways till got holt of chunk of raw turkey what made me sick, am l woke up jest in time to hear the old 'oman say, Git up, Jeems, the chick ems is a-crowin' and the big star is jest riz.'
 "I felt awful bad, fur eat too much the night afore, and it 'casioned me all O them ere bad dreams. But soon lined Bill at the 'p'inted place, an we started to'rds the swamp. At last we struck it, but not adzackly wher we intended to.
 "Here, Bill,' says I, hits down this way
 ""Pears to me like,' sezee, its up this way
 ".No, hit mus be down this way
 "Well, resk your own judgment, but Pm jest as we'll satisfied hits up this way
 "Well, here we wus. Each one could a-swore that he was right, an both wanted to find the right place, an I was afeard Bill 'ud git to the turkey roost an Pa miss it, an Bill wus afeard I'd git to the turkey roost and he'd miss it, an both wus shore we wus right an both was feared we want, an thar we stood!
 "Well, Pm gwine down this way an turned down as said it, an Bill had got bullheaded, an he says, Well, Jim, you may be the oldest, but Pm gwine this way, an resk it.
 "Now hits curious how men git the'r backs up an act the danged yal- ler-hammer sometimes, but they do do it. l went into the swamp wher' 1 s'posed we come out, an' Bill told me stewards that he went in wher' he wus shore we come out, but we'd both got the thing mixed.
 "Well, you orter a'seed me a-slip- pin along through the sparkle berry bushes, an shunnin' the pa'meter leaves, an all the time a-watch'n' keenly fur the turkey roost. A big buck-rabbit hopped across the path and went lickety-split through the bushes, an had got so nervous tell I jumped s ef you'd a-shot me. Last I come to the slough, an thar was what 'peared to be the i-dentikle trees, an I was more cautious than ever.
 "All on a sudden I happened to cast my eye up'ards, an right in the top of dead cypers seed big turkey. Hit was not morn fifty yards off, an I knowed I could hit Jim, an jest scrooched down right easy, awaitin' fur little more light. Bout that time hearn a stick crack over t'other side, am snickered, for I knowed hit wus Bill, am s'posed he wus lost an 'ud pass by the roost; an I knowed he'd have the dry grins when got alter i'm bout it. But the noise stopped, am then the thought struck me that p'r'aps he'd sighted turkey, too, an wuz waitin' fur more light, es same es I wus. Well, sir, I felt awful funny; l cooked my rife, an hearn him do the same, an then I knowed hit wus jest case of dog eat dog an l says to myself, You can't chaw my leg 'thout feelin' my tushes, Bill Spikes an down sot with my rife side of a tree, for a rest, an bead drawed on that 'ere turkey.
 "Hit seemed to me like we sot thar an hour, awaitin' on one another, but I know hit couldn't a ben more'n five minits, wen all on a sudden my finger jerked sorter unexpected like, an 'crack P went my rife, an' at the same time 'bang r went his'n.
 "The turkey futtered timeor two an then came down eend over eend, an at the same time hearn a pow'ful cluckin' and futterin' a little ways down the slough, but I didn't keer much, an I says out loud, sI, Well, l got that n.
 "'Donno whuther you did or no,' says Bill; 'ef you mean the one in the tall cypers beg to say that my gun