The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-10-18


where we met the two men we enter
ed labyrinth of fallen timber, which
told me without question that this
was the "Harrican. The trail skirt
ed the timber for about half a mile,
and then it ended in little valley
like cul de sac. Before reaching
this place the fact that it was inhab-
tied was indicated by blue smoke
column that rose straight in the
clearest of amethystine skies. But
this was not the only sign. A poor
Southern white without a number of
yellow ours would be an anomaly.
AS we neared the cluster of little log
cabins, these ours came into evidence.
They were as lean and famished-lOok-
ing as their masters, and appeared to
have as much intelligence, and far
more spirit.
Standing in the door Of the nearest
cabin we saw a lank woman, covered
with one ragged dirty cotton gar
ment, her ashy face and expression
less eyes showing Enthusiastically her
relationship to the men. About her,
in various stages of nudity, were a
number of children, all lank of limb
and wide of girth, all having the same
deathly complexion, but with nothing
suggestive of childhood about them
excepting their size.
The second man, who had up to
this time been as mute as the pro-
verbal clam, pointed his arm at the
woman in the door and called out:
"That's Sal Sal, she's my wife. :"
Regarding this as an introduction,
I raised my hat and dismounted. At
the expense of veracity ventured to
say "You have fine lot of children,
madame" Her thin lips parted, re-
vealing two rows of long, yellow
teeth, and she said, in the same
cracked voice that distinguished the
men:
Eyes, thar's right smart lot of
them, and thar'd be more if they
WASH dead ="
Refusing the mans offer to enter
the hut, which we found to be de-
void of furniture, myself and the
guide staked our horses in patch of
rich grass by the margin of the
stream and then began an investiga-
ton. We found the little settlement
to consist of fifteen huts, few of
which were abandoned, and that the
population, all told, numbered thirty
seven. On the slope back of the huts
patches of sickly corn were growing,
but there was no domestic animal in
sight except our horses. There were
trout in the mountain streams and
wild hogs in the woods, but these
lank, lazy men did not seem to have
energy enough to catch the one or
hunt the other, and / subsequently
found that even the corn would not
have been planted had it not been
for the women.
The guide lit fire to make some
coffee, and while engaged in this
operation a number of children, with
curiosity of which their seniors
seemed devoid, gathered about us
and watched the operation. But this
curiosity was the only indication of
childhood; there was no wondering
comment passed between them; no
burst of laughter came from their
thin, ashy lips They simply stood
and stared at us, like so many pot
bellied manikins or naked and dissi-
pated brownies.
Suddenly / heard cry in tn dis
tance, and saw lean girl of II or IL,
with long, matted HAIR, rushing to-
ward us, while she held extended in
her right hand a bluish-gray sub
stance. Without paying any heed to
us, the girl passed from one to the
other of the children, each of whom
twisted off piece of the clay she