The Norfolk weekly news., 1900-10-25
THE NORFOLK NEWS: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1900

IOl WlltD Illt TbbI VI NV fHNf Ih'UI'h
TO fall down upon me Mcbbc IT was
half m hour later when ! opened my
eyes and found myself on my back,
and II seemed as If one side OF my
head had bin Cavcd In. | found my
rifle with the stock broken, and |
could smell bar all around. II didn't
take me long to flggcr out that n bar
had follcrCd me Into the cave and
fetched me whack 'longsidc the head.
In mint | heard him snillin and NOV.
In around outside the cave, and ns I
crawlcd along | found him on guard.
He was lyin down fair in the way, and
| was his prisoner If my rifle had bin
all right, | could hev got rid of him In
short order. but 1t couldn't be fired.
"As the bar heard me movin UP he
showed his teeth and growlcd In n way
to make my h'ar stand up. He didn't
come In after me- but 1t was plain
nun that he wasn't goin to let me out.
I thought II was best to keep still fur
awhile and see If he wouldn't go away,
and. d'yo' know, sub, to the best of my
belief that crittcr went right to sleep.
! couldn't git out without stcppin over
him. and 1t was too risky to try thai.
kept quiet fur two hours, and he new.
or moved Then flung n stone ut
him, and he woke up and growled till
| had n chill.
"Mcbbc YOU say ortcr hcv taken
comfort in that cave, but when found
the afternoon wcarin away and the
bar hangin on was mighty miserable
over 1t. The bars of Tennessee owed
me a powerful grudgc fur the way
had slaughtered them, and who was
to tell what this crittcr proposed to do?
He could finish me Off any time he
wanted to, but he 'pearcd to be playin
another game. Bimcby 1t come dark,
but he didn't move. was hungry and
thirsty, and | knowed the old woman
would be worryin, even though she
was mad. The bar didn't move off,
however and at last | softly crcpt rs
fur away ns | could and went to sleep.
| don't reckon he come nigh me durin
the night, but he might hev Slipped
away fur food or drink. He was thar
all right when daylight broke, and
then | was SO mad and hungry that l
my hands advanced to the mouth of
the cave and yelled fur him to come in
and hcv it out with me. He wouldn't
do It, He growlcd and roarcd and
clawcd, but he wouldn't come in. 1t
was n narrer place to git out, and he
had MI the advantage. | yelled and
whooped and flung stones and called
him names, but he let me tire myself
out. Noon come, and he was still thar
l had another row with him, and If
he'd bin n proper bar he'd hev come
in and showed his grit, but he staid
outside and growled.
Il looked fur the old woman all that
afternoon, but she didn't come. l had
an old shotgun in the house, and |
knowcd that If she come she'd load 1t
with buckshot and bring it along. If
the bar waited fur her. he was Il gon-
er. Night come along ag'in, and l was
bilin over with madness and ready to
eat nails from hunger. Tie only thing
l could do was to sleep, but it was Il
nightmare all through the long dark
hours. | kin tell yo | was mighty
glad to see the daylight ag'in. l went
to look fur the bar, and he was in the
same old place and as cheerful as ever.
We had II jaw, but he wouldn't fight.
l made up my mind to wait about two
hours and then kill or be killed, but
was out of the cave before that time.
The old woman had come huntin fur
me, and she got clus up to that bar
and fired n handful of buckshot into
him befo' he knowed what was up. AS
l crawlcd out of the cave she looked at
me fur mint and then kccrlessly said:
"'Fcars to me I've seen yo' befo.
| Are yo'r name Zcb WhiteT
"That's it, says |.
Generally spoken of as the possum
| hunter of Tenncssee?'
"'Ycs.'
"'Man what has vishuns Of coons
and possums in n caveT
II thought it was vishun.'
eyes, | know, but 1t was mighty
sing'lar that when yo' was hevin n VI
shun of coons and the possums yo'
didn't see nuthin of the bar. Zeb
White, yo' come long home and go to
work on that cabin roof and let vi
shuns and dreams go to pot
IL was glad 'nuff to do so," explained
the old man, with sorrowful smile.
Il tagged along behind her till we
reached home eXpectin she would hev
mo- to say, but she was mighty good
about It, She cooked me the biggest
meal had ever eat, and she let me 60
to bed and sleep fur 20 hours, and all
she said was:
"'Zeb, yere's nails and hammer and
boards, and now yo' hev vishun bout
leaks In the roof of this cabin.'"
NJ. QUAD.