Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-02-11


forcing tine ar,npt from uudcr tbe hanl,
| drove if down stream with mioh+ and
main, not ceasing nv efforts until had
cone several hundred wards and was
sblt ONT ly = hepd in the stream fron
sight Of fine sDlt abandoned II was
taking startling chances of detection nv
some Of the provlcrs aIouo the hank
hut uudouhir,IIv If WAS tine hest thing
to do. and there WAS no means of know
inc if had sucrpadej in my nurnose
Al fine fr.t ,iobt If q f,voriud snot
again ran the boat ashore and steppcd
ont. Tbrr with nv foot I kicked If
adrift. The SLUGGISH current would NOT
carry il far hrfnrp il was observed hrt
the finder would have TO hunt long
while to learn its starting noint and
the fpatiuv body of fine dead honnd
could give httlcorno helm in the search
This cxpcrience had forced mo to oc-
tion which. whatever might be its re-
suit, was Urpfarahle TO remaining idle
under the bank. Using the sun as hest
| could for ouidc. | MINCED into fine
swamp. walking with vioorons stride
and the pnrnose of getting ont of If as
soon as uo,Siblc,
My success was more than | antxi-
pated. As it proved. [ was close to tine
edge of Black Mans swamp, the creek
dcbouching from it and flowing across
the open country at a point within a
quarter of a mile from where emerged
As vet nothing was seen or heard Of
the partv that was hunting 81 indns-
trilusly for me, and | surveyed the
lardsgHpe with an interest that nerhaps
NAV he imagined. 1t seemed TO me [
could not be far from tho nlace where
entered the swomn ON fine nrevions
night. but if was imDossible to identify
a single landmarks I was in one of the
most uuDroductive sections of tbe Mis-
sissinui To NV riabt was a cotton
field, a few bolls like fpcks Of SNOW
showing what remained of fine first
picijnr. and in the distance was sim
liar prosnect. To NV left the fields
rcachiutr AS far as the vision extended
gave no signs of having been cultivated
for wears. On the edge of the horizon
appoared house or. rather = grove of
trees. from which column of smoke
laZilv ascending. disclosed that a dwell
ing was Nesting within their embrace
1t was evident that | had come ont of
the swamp at some point ouite distant
from where [ entered if, for everything
appearcd new.
1t was to be suppOspd that the single
dwelling in sight was near some high
way, toward which | decided to Drpss
debating ON the way whether TO sion at
the residence of the planter, applying
for food and anpeaIiug to that chiyalrv
which is one of the most marked char
actoristics of southerners. SureIv
could convince some one to dissociate
me from the niscreant that had hrouoht
all this trouble. When an ignorant
negro like Pete noted the fact with only
the starlight to aid him, there ought to
be more than one white man with pene-
trating vision.
This. | say. ought to be the fact. hut
nv experience ON the preyi0us evening
warned me that it was unsafe to count
upon it. had stood for part of an hour
face to face with a mob in the glare of
a light that showed NV face and figure
clearly, and vet every one of them ba-
Hevcd me TO he Hank Beyer and that
too. when Bnyer himself was in the
room and one of NV accusers
1t myst be confessed that NV torment.
ing hunger was the deciding factor in
the prohIpm. | determined tO take the
risk and make nv way to the home of
the planter, Announcing myself as the
victim Of a strange continuation Of cir.
cunstances and begginp that if was to
be lvnched | might have the nriyilege
of nprishiug without the additimal
pang of starvation.
From where | stood the ground was
omen until a distance Of several hundred
feet was reached. when a zigzap fence
led in the direction of the house upon
which | had fixed NV homes. Here and
there trees were growing, and in some
nlacps the oras. and weeds attained nm
usual Leicht. These wonId afford mar.
tial concealment should it be necessary
to apppal To ANYTHING of that nature
The ground ar0und me remained wet
and srongv. but the rising slope proved
that dry soil would soon he raacbed
These reflections occunied much less
time than has bnen talIen in the TELLING
Turning NV back ON the swami that
had Lern fine scene of so many stirrinp
exneriences. | strobe in the direction of
the ulantation. little dreaming Of the
still more extraordinary adventures that
aw,ited mo
Tho most pu2yIino footures of +be