St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-04-02

Ella Dare, in Inter Ocean.
THE INDIAN DEVIL"
A Greatly Feared Denizen OF ths
- Maine WoodA
The Aysterisaa Animal That FILLED tn,
Lsnssrmea with superstitioas Ave
How the Great Cat Was
Ilastsd Down.
l had gone mp north with my Uncle
Washburu to make the round" of tn.
numbering camps or gangs" estab
lished by the firm Of which he was {
member.
Up through the wilderness. . dis
tance Of one hundred and thirty miles
to the ''head of Chesuncock." wher.
there Is . supply depot for the lumber
men. there had lc1A . beaten road
and we had tru d with q double
horse sled. putting the horses tandem
n the track grew more narrow, for i,
was toward the last of January aud the
snow lay from three to four feet deep
all about Us but at the head the
beaten trail terminated and snowshoea
came into requisition.
A spotted line" led OF to the camps
the nearest of which was some twenty
five miles to the westward A spotted
line, perhaps should explain, is made
by first going through the woods, with
. compass to keep the direction, aud
spottinga = tree every few rods with IN
Ak.
After this has been done anyone can
travel by simply following the spots.
In the course of q week we had made
the round Of all the gangs. save two,
which were at work up on the Can
comgomac stream; and after long
march through the ''black growth" we
came out to the lowermost depths OF
these, situated at tho foot of the lake
OF the same name.
Here . queer report came to our ears
from the upper camp located some ten
or twelve miles above. 1t was to the
effect that the men had got scared.
They had seen an 'slndian devil" or
''something."
Now. it would have been no very
strange thing to hear there had been .
row in camp; but to hear that q whole
gang of lumbermen had got frightened
was decidedly sensational
Such was the story. however. And
during the evening the boss" from the
scared camp-evcry gang has its boss
or overseer-came down to get gun.
Firearms. for reasons above limited 1T.
had not been provided at the upper
camp.
Curiosity broke looA. 1t the sight Of
him
"well. we'll. Mr. Murch:" exclaimed
Uncle Wash, s'what's this l hear of
your gang?
Hardly know what TO tell you. sir.
said Murci. Its foolish affair. But
the men have got dreadful bugaboo
started. Fact is, they've been telling
about seeing and hearing something
for more than Q week. I didn't paw
any attention TO it. though. but day
before yesterday they all came running
into camp pell-mell, scared half to
death! Something had jumped at
BILLY O'Nun ont of great sprucer'
what did Is look like?" asked Uncle
Wash.
"Well they tell SO many different
stories, it's Impossible to find out
They all declared il. was an Indian
devil- though what an Indian devil
can be is more than know. I had all
l could do to get them back to their
work. And last night, Is they were
coming in to supper. there was another
scare! Something screeched apd rushed
out from o clump of cedar. Mike Shea
had the back OF his coat all slit to
pieces! He says the creature did it:
but perhaps il was the brush he ran
through. And this morning not one of
them could I got to stir out from the
camp There they stuck. and there
they've been Ill day. I thought I
would come down and get . gun-l
may be able to shoot the creature, If
there really Is anything. ! must get
their courage mp again somehow. You
see, they're not Yaukec&"
''Have you ever seen anything Of
this-creature. yourself?'' asked Uncle
Wash.
Not thing. hut did hear very
singular cry this evening as I was
coming down. Isuppose it was rather
foolish in me, bat stepped along pref
ty fast after that Twas very
and peculiar sort Of . cry"
"Ah. well.' laughed Uncle Wash.
I'VE will go up with you to-morrow.
Perhaps we can find out Whist it Is /"
The next morning. loading mp the
old camp musket as . reinforcement
to our ri1e, We set out 1t Was toward
noon when we came in sight Of the
log camp. A number Of the men were
about the door. and. seeing
us coming, the others came out-there
were twenty-three or twenty-Sour OF
them.
This is fine siRht." cried Uncle
Wash, Is we came mp why aren't
you out 1t work: Do pay you forty
dollars = month "a. lay around this
lamp all day."
The men looked . little foolish. but |
the fluent Billy O'Nun came to the
rescue:
''Sure and indade. and your honor
blame MS Such . murther.
ing haste = lapes from the tops q the
lrees."
What have you seen. anyhow" de-
Uncle Wash.
Seen! An yc may well say that.
Seen i'm. as big - IN OK. an hazard
i'm Shriekr'
II was no use talking with them
hey were in perfect fear. lndccd. it
.as not withest the greatest difsealty