The National tribune., 1900-04-19

| Ssild uaJ Oe DOy MaSSa fotrlcRiand tuch
wild him ter wait on him had come back
wild orders ter Missus ter hab lot OBJ vittles
cooked up and sent out ter him, whar he's
watchin', fer supper fer him, an some oil
dem dat's wild him. Missus hab go
a fire under de wash-biler, an is cookin
a lot OBJ truck. AS dat wufiess Bonypart
hab gone off fishin', hab ter tote de grut
out ter Massa. I'll go erbout sllndown
| Whar is hit dat yo' boys IS laying"
! ST described the island to him.
Yes, done knows all erbout hit. Hits
all right. De hounds s not likely ter fin
yo' dar- Hits whar Brindle Bob goes,
whenever Massa Strickland sets out ter
lick him, an hides ontwell Massa Striek-
land gifts ober his mad. Yo' stay dar
ontwell de sun begins ter sink benin de
| tree-tops, an den walk up in de crick on
tWell yo' cross de big road. Dat'll keepde
hounds fom fin'in' yo' tracks on de big
road. Den yo' come out by dead syca-
more on de right ham, an walk froo de
open woods. not gittin' fur away f'om de
crick, Ontwell yo' come ter a patch o. sweet
gums CROWN close tergedder. Stay in
dem Ontwell hits plum dark, an wait dar
ontwell yo' ha'r whip-po'-will whip free
times. de last time wild a whit-r-r-r, as if
somebody had skeered her. Den yo' walk
right tod de sound, an hit'll be me dat yo'
! fin. Den I'll tell yo' mo, foh I'll hab done
| foun' out whar dey's a-watchin', an how
ter git round dem. Go back now ter yer
| hidin'-place."
| 1t was time that 81 and Shorty returned
for the boys had all awakened, and were in
a state of alarm as TO what had become of
| their leaders, and little Pete, in particular,
was IN a condition of abject despair. The
long afternoon passed away in impatient
contests with the swarms of torturing
| muSketoeS, and in listening to the distant
baying of dogs. ST and Shorty strained
| their ears, with nervous eagerneSS, to catch
| the sounds of these. They would hear for
a little while, and then not, which they
interpreted to mean that the dogs were
coursing around, and back and forward
| Presently the sound seemed more con-
tnuous, and then it was Enthusiastically SO.
Shorty looked at ST with a glance that
showed his certainty that the dogs were
really after them, and had more than once
found their trail.
1--WE kin do nothin' but wait" said ST
in low tone, we're as safe here as we will
be movin'. at least, until near dark. There's
a chance that they I'll lose it again."
The dogs did lose it, but they found it
again soon, and as the sun was beginning
to dip below the tops of the tall pines, it
seemed as if the hounds had certainly
reached the point where they had entered
the creek to come up to the island.
ST and Shorty arose and almost nery-
ously led their boys in single file up the
creek, making as little noise as possible
Hundreds of water-snakes darted through
the water around them. and long serpents
lying in the sun on the bank fell with a
splash into the water, deadly moocasins
glided off through the leaves and brush,
and a thousand forms of repulsive swamp
life. which they scarcely thought of before,
manifested themselves in aStoniShment at
the invasion of their marshy domain.
Poor little Pete was sorely frightened at all
he saw, and clung closely to Shorty's side.
From the break in the skyline ahead,
ST saw that they We're approaching the
crossing of the big road. He motionad to
the others to halt and hide, and moved
noiselessly forward to reconnoiter. 1t was
well that he did so.
A couple of horSemen, carrying shot
guns, and followed by n pack of dogs, had
come down the road, and were splashing
into the water. They had evidently rid
den good distance, and rapidly, for both
horses and dogs stopped to drink lavishly
AS they did so, the men scanned the coun-
try around. 1t seemed to ST that they were
looking directly at the sweet gum sapling
behind which he stood. and they handled
their guns us if to bring them down. He
was so desperate that he cooked his shot
gun, and he heard the click of Shorty's
behind him.
Take the rear one, Shorty" he whis-
pered; III drop the other"
But at that instant the front horse plung
ed, apparently scared at n water-snake,
and his rider swore at him to keep quiet.
Better GIT out o nNan, Bill, said the
rear rider. 81 done seed two or three moe
casins. They're powerful bad in hyah.
| don't want ter lose my hoSS. Haint
got my crap laid by yit."
The men pulled up their horses heads,
and rode on across the swamp. but the
younger dogs, after satisfying their thirst,
seemed to want to explore the morass,
and alarmed the boys a great deal. But
the older dogs seemed to have as much
fear of the moccaSins as their masters,
and trotted ahead, and the younger ones
presently followed them.
ST carefully worked up to the ford, as
sured himself that the men were out of
sight, and no more coming, and motioned
to the rest to come ahead.
1t was growing quite dark when they
reached the dead sycamore and turned
out of the creek onto the dry ground, and
by the time they reached the clump of
sweet gums, ST could only make sure of
their character by feeling the character
iStic ridges of those trees, on the limbs,
and finding quantities of the spiky round
seed-pods on the ground. The night had
come down very black. ST had scarcely
finished his examination, and assured
himself that all his squad had come up.
when he heard among the whip-poor-will
calls one that sounded very natural, and
yet a little different from the rest, and the
third one ended with whir.
He led his squad in the direction of the
sound, which was repeated at intervals,
and presently heard it almost in his ear.
He turned with start, To make out Ben