Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-06-13

words, "dinumlte dangeruss, written
IN blue chalk on the cover, but as it was,
that inscri ption passed unheedal with all
the warning Of rlst, that it convened
He had heard vaguely Of powerful ex-
plosive called dynamite, but knew moth
ing Of how il appeared or should be
handled. The cylindrical objects before
him he half thought might be some form
Of candy.
Il don see why ole Peg Leg should
be 50 mighty Dartiklar bout this outfit
stuff, he SAID to himself, as. picking
up fake of the substance that had
scaled from one of the pieces, ne put it
IN his mouth and tried it with his
tongue. 1t had swectish taste, and he
set his teeth into it.
If Joe had applied his grinders with
the force and enthusiasm that he would
lave shown in cracking q hickory nut,
there might have been II premature ex-
plosion and my story never has been told;
but he quickly discovered caustic prop
perty in the Substance, and, not liking
the flavor, spit it out He pat the box
on a fiat rock that served as a table.
convinced that he wanted nothing of its
contents
CHANGING to glance up the mountain
side, he saw the boughs shaking in d
scru, oak. At the back of the camp
leaned one Of those old dstyle army rifles,
chiefly formidable to the one who fires
them, known as the ''Long Tom" With
more animation than he had shown at
any former time in the day, Joe seized
the firearm and exclaimed
81 sees yer, and yer my meat; here
goes fur Drilled squirt for dinner, and
started up the mountain side to secure
the game.
The path which he must take to reach
the place where be had seen the squirrel
was steep and roundabout. When, after
hard scramblng over rocks, he came
| near the place where he had seen the
squirrel, that evasive rodent was not to
he found. But, climbing higher and
looking beyond the summit OF the ridge
into {: little mountain park, Joe sDlci q
jack rabbit feeding III an open space.
AS he crcpt toward the creature, follow
ing its upstartings, short runs and up
sittlnSs, in the effort to get chance for
sure shot he saw to tAc windward among
the pine trees across the valley a red
| deer, which caused him to abandon the
rabbit chance at once to pursue the
nobler game.
'IIit's great mornin' fur critters
! astr, said Joe to himself, in high glce
"Who q thunk that trihin squirt I'D q
led up ter deer. n 5har may be sum
thin heap bigger one deer waitin
| fur me-
There was something g a heap bigge
waitin'." Crack, crack, crack came
| the sharp report Of several riieseoH on
his right; there was singing Of bullets
| about him SO close that one passed
through his hat; and there arose a hideou:
/ Yelling outcry, which made his flesh
| nd mo
so much that he nearly tumbled down
| from sheer fright.
The symptoms of returning courag'
and presence Of mind manifested them
selves first in Joe's legs, and with no los
OF time be ran away as fast as he could,
making down the valley toWSrd the foot
hills. 4 shot or two more whistled b,
his ears as some Indians, a half dozen o
so in number, leaped up and started afte
/ him as fleet as deer
If Joe had kept on straight down tn
valley the Indians would soon have over
taken and killed him. Fortunately, b
had good start of them and was luckie
still in his knowledge Of narrow path
stumbled upon during previous hunt
ing xpedition-which followed the bot
tom of fissure leading up the face of
cliff on the side Of the ridge that sepa
rated this mountain park frcm the canon
The opening te this tissure was hidde.
/ hy wild vines. turn in the windin.
valley served to hide his movement from
his pursuers-and as they dashed roun'
the rocky promontory and kept on dowI
the valley, Joe was crawling sidewis
up the narrow cleft, which took him
after much difficult squeezing and climb
irg, 10 rocky nook near the summit {
the ridge SO concealed by evergreens a
to be wholly out OF view Of any one fe