The National tribune., 1900-05-31

"HE STOOD WITH HIS BROAD, TIL
/ Shorty swore savagely, but went with s.
10 arouse the boys, and move to a safer
place. They fixed their eyes on a cedal
grove on the next hill, crossed the creek
and started for it. The trip involved some
risk of being seen, but the risk had to be
| taken.
/ They were none too soon, for the men
getting their drove in the confines of the
lane, urged them forward rapidly, to make
up for lost time. But when they reached
the end of the fences, near the creek, where
the boys had been lying, trouble began
again. Some of the hogs ran into the
creek and lay down, the others began
scattering through the weeds and brush.
10 the rage of the drovers, who stormed anc
swOre with profuSe violence.
ST and Shorty were congratulating them
selves on having started in time, and were
rather chuckfng over the hard time the
drovers We're having, when a tall, slab
sided boar, which Shorty afterward vowed
WAS not Kicker than a weather-board, and
! had legs as long as a race-horSe, took II
| into his porcinc head to make a strike for
| freedom for himself and bunch which
seemed to be his followers and retainers.
| The trail which the squad had made through
! the weeds and brush seemed to catch his
| sharp eyes, and he plunged into il, followed
| by the others. The chief drover presently
noticed the detection, and shouted to one of
! his boys:
"Hyah, Bat. cut aerost the creek thar,
an head off that thar blasted ole heIlion.
| Stir yer stumps, yo' wall-eyed pup, afo' he
done gifts away from yo', an takes them
| thar other hawgs along. Be spry, yo'
| knock-kneed runt, or yoll done lose the
hull passel on 'em"
| The boy started, but the old razor-back
saw the scheme, even before the boy moved
/ ,tif I'll Ef tod
way. He started full speed on the trail
! followed by his companions and the boy
! and q portion of the dogs. 1t took a fast
| horse to outrun a hog of that kind, and the
| boar was evidently the veteran of many
! races, which he had generally won. The
and turned back, but he kept far ahead,
! and following ST and Shorty's trail with
accuracy.
Shorty, who was some distance behind
bringing up the rear, and generally "in
observation, finally noticed this with deep
alarm.
Great .Jehosephat. ST." he shouted, "git
ahead with the boys as fast as you kin,
while | stay, behind and drive this clIssed
buzZard off. He's tollin' 'em right on to
us"
He pulled down dead cedar into the
path, hoping that its thick brush would
prove a stopper. but was mortified to see the
hog Jump 1T as readily as a race-horse would
hurdle.
Shorty ran ahead a little farther, but felt
that the boar was gaining on him. He
came to gully, in which were lot of loose
stones, and began throwing these at the
boar, but, as he explained afterWard
might as well We tried to hit shingle SET
up edgewiSe"
Before Shorty rose a ledge of rocks.
forming an almost perpendicular cliff.
He caught hold OF an overhanging branch
and swung himself to the top, and looked
around for the boar, hoping that this at least
would prove an insurmoIntabIe ohstacIe
He aftcrward claimed that he saw the hog
stick his hoofs into the rock and climb il as
Il cat would a tree. But ST claimed that
Shorty was umduly excited at the time
and exaggerated. At all events, the boar
got on the ledge some way. Shorty sang
out:
Isl, scatter the boys. It's the only hope
You can't outrun him"
But at this moment, when everything
seemed lost, Shorty heard the boss-droyer
sing out from the creek to the boy who
was chasing:
Come back, Bat. Yo' can't ketch him.
Let him go. He's good rddance, any
way. Bring back them that yo've rounded
up. He don't belong ter we'uns. nohow.
We'uns have got more hawgs than we'uns
started with, anyhow"
Damn hog-thieves. anyway" said
Shorty, hot and angry from his long race.
Damn you, too, you old snake-eater and
egg-Sucker,' he continued, addressing
himself to the boar, which seemed to realize
too, that the chase was over and had turned
and was gazing quietly back at the valley
from which he had run, with his broad, thin |
flank turned toward Shorty Take that
to remember me by"
He picked up stone and threw it at him |
with vengeful force. 1t struck the boar's |
side with the sound of a wet drumhead. |
and the animal casting at him a look of |
reproach as not expecting such treatment |
from a fellow fugitive, loped off to seek fresh |
adventures.
Shorty signaled ST. who recalled his |
boys, and hot, Wornout with running and |
with excitement and apprehension, they |
sat down under group of butternut trees !
to rest. While the BOYS were looking
around for places to lie down and sleep. |
Shorty was letting off the raging steam he |
had accumulated, in comprehensive curses |
upon the Southern Confederacy in general. |
the State of Georgia in its entirety, and the |
various kinds of Georgians he had so far |
met, in particular. He was especially |
and gathered up on the way any porkers
that they might find running loose. ST |
was studying their place of refuge and its
surroundings. 1t seemed sufficiently re-
mote and secluded to be safe, and he told
the boys to lie down and get some sleep
He advised Shorty to do the same, while he
stayed awake and watched for a few hours,
when he would call Shorty, and then lie
down himself for nap, preparatory to the
evenings march. When Shorty had COM
pletely exhausted his vocabulary, he went
over and lay, down by Pete, and almost
began to snore
Walking around a little ST was disturbed
by finding that one of the butternuts had
recently had some bark taken off. L