The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-08-01
A PLANTATION HUNT.
Seven Fat Coons Were Captured
After a Weary Tramp.

fruited heavily, and last of all, there
should be light furry of snow to bring
them out into the open and give the
hounds chance. If you care for lit
tie sport, he continued, in his pleasant
southern drawl, there are plenty of
the little pests in the forests of Ingle-
side''
One morning Wood lounged into the
office and proposed an immediate trip
to his home. Nothing loath, hastily
disposed of books and briefs, and turn
ing the key in my office door we two
sailed forth together. All day we trav-
eled through rified corn and cotton
fields, dark, moss-hung swamps and
somber pine forests, for Wood lived al
most in the heart of Effingham county,
and it was evening when we stopped at
the little log station deep in the heart
of the pine lands. A darby, exceeding
ly black and ragged, and wholly unin-
telligible Ito mel as to speech, mounted
on mule and leading two others, were
the only living things in sight
''All right, thisser way" said Wood,
falling quite naturally into the dialect
of the rice fields.
The road to Woods plantation led
partly through somber pine forest
and partly through a sort of marshy
field. 1t was quite dark when we came
in sight of the long, low, wooden build
ing, and the red freight that flashed
through its many windows was a cheer
full sight to the weary traveller.
There was no one in sight to welc ONE
Wood save superannuated old negress,
extremely broad of person and glib of
tongue, who informed us that miss
Ginny and her NAH done gone toe babe,
'kase dey warn't 'speetin' no comp'ny,
let lone gentlemen"
Wood cut her short by ordering her
to produce whatever the house afford
ed in the shape of supper, and led the
way into the room through whose win
dows the freight shone most brightly.
This room was long and low ceiled, its
walls covered almost with pictures
hung in what at first seemed wild con-
fusion-engraving oils and chromos
all finding space and lending peculiar
home-like charm to the room.
Upon the table a long-necked mando-
lin iostled several books of poems and a
few well-worn novels, and long, soft,
white shawl trailed from the back of
the hide bottomed chair in which Wood
ensconced himself, signing me to take
the other at the opposite side of the
wide, open fireplace.
The rank odor of frying bacon soon
pervaded the room and shortly after an
old negro as dried and withered as the
negress was the reverse, entered with
the hastily prepared supper. The
crispy fried bacon strips, the odor OF
which had assaulted our olfactories
some moments before, floating in lit
tie sea of grease, some nicely Drowned
corn pone still bearing the impress Of
old Dinah's three pudgy digits on the
upper crust, and some roasted yams,
with large cups of extremely strong
black coffee, completed the meal
The next day set in dismal and rainy
and as we were not to hunt until the
shades of evening were falling | de-
cided to remain for the present before
the huge fireplace, basking in the
warmth of a royal hickory fire and in
the presence of Miss Regina Wood.
Lovely and languid to degree, this
young woman seemed to have no more
occupation in life save that of swaying
gently to and fro in huge hide-bot-
toned rocker and admiring her own love-
ly rose tinted hands. She passed the time
in neither reading nor stunning on the
piano nor in the tiresome occupation of
fancy work, the manufacture of which
seems to be the delight of SO many
women.
Toward night old 81 began his prep
aration for the hunt, and after supper
we sailed forth. There were neither
gums nor ammunition in the party, but
old 81 carried several fat pine torches,
a sharp, new ak, and each hunter was
armed with stout stick.
Wood, old 81 and myself, together
with two other young rich planters,
made up the party, between whom
there were twenty-five hounds, of every
color and breed, and as We marched
over field and through woods their bay
ing seemed to warn their canine friends
that the fun was up, for hounds from
every direction seemed to gather and
Join the hunt, until it seemed that the
whole woods was alive with their
eager, lean bodies.
We travelled what seemed to me sew
eral miles through bush and briar. The
soles of my boots were polished smooth
as glass from treading on the pine
needles, and / was well-nigh exhausted
before the first game was freed. The
hounds gathered at the base of sturdy
hickory sapling, and such an internal
music as they kept up until we arrived
it was never before my lot to hear
"Dey is freed one. bless Gawdl dey is
freed onei" called out old 81, and rum
ming forward he beat off the dogs and
applied his ak to the tree with quick
resembling strokes. But the old darby
had only his trouble for his pains, for
Just as the tree was about to fall the
little animal sprang to the ground and
scampered into the swamp, the hounds
in full chase at his heels. When freed
again the coon was found to be in
quite large tree, and old 81 hesitated
to attack it with his ak.
Here you, William Washington
Wilkes White" he called to a very
small, ragged and extremely black boy,
who had joined us somewhere on the
road, you shin up dis swee' gum an
git dat 'coon!"
William Washington Wilkes thus adj
monished ran forward and Skinned"
up into the branches, which he began
to sha Ike vigorously. inexperienced in
hunting coon, expected to see the ami
NAL shaken from its perch immediate
ly, but was sadly disappointed, for he
was dislodged only after tedious fight
and took refuge in a smaller tree, which
81 readily felled. No sooner had it
struck the ground when the hounds
hustled in and pomced upon the vic
tim, but were quickly beaten off by the
old negro. The coon already seemed
quite dead, its body apparently crushed
by the strong teeth of the dogs, but to
make sure the old man gave it several
blows with the big end Of the stick, and
tucked him safely away In his sack.
Shortly afterwards the party became
separated, old 81, William Washington
Wilkes and myself remaining together
Onward we marched until becoming
hopelessly involved IN cane brake,
which seemed to me impenetrable, the
old darby paused and observed: Il clar
ter Gawd dunno whicher way ter GO
Kayn't year de dogs an kavn't see de