The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1903-12-31
Training the Pup and Gather.
ing In the Coons.
ENoNDALr, Miss. Dec 10 iona

week. jim had the torches all
ready, and after blowing a few
toots with the horn and livenino
up old Hoodo and the pup, we
lit out for the swamp. After
crossing the creek into a dense
swamp, we turned old Hoodc
aud the pup Joe loose, and jim
said "Look him up, old dog
In a very short time we heard
the old dogs deep ''bow-wow,'
the Purple Ginning in with his
shrill "yep-yep." After trailing
round awhile, they got straight.
ened out, and "bow-wow," yep.
yep" away they went down the
creek, with Jim and Old Bill
thrashing through the bushes at
ter them
Now the coon-hunting frater-
nifty all know that the music
made by a pack of hounds in
full chase after a coon beats any.
thing tor soul stirring under the
sun. Brass bands or string bands
amt to be compared with it.
While listening to those hounds
Old Bill forgets all his trials and
tribulations, and as tor my col
ored pardner Jim--you can just
see happiness ousing out all over
him.
Well, they run him down the
creek about halt a mile, and old
Hoodo's familiar bay, loud and
deep, sounded as the coon freed.
When we reached them, sure
enough, they had him up a big
sweet-gum. As we could get no
answer to our signals for help to
cut the tree down, and as we
knew it would spoil the pup for
ever not to cut the first tree tor
him, at it we went. Fortunately
the tree proved to be hollow, and
when about through | held the
dogs while Jim gave the finish
ing strokes. The pup bit me a
little as it was falling, and /
turned him loose; but he is a
born coon-dog, for he ran along
under the tree as it went down
and just before it hit the ground
he jumped out of the way, and
then was back and onto the coon
before he could wink. 81 would
mt take $500 for that Purple
joe" and at it they went, the
coon growing and squealing and
the fur flying. But old Hoodo
got a "solar plexus" hold or him
and he gave up the ghost. That
Purple Joe just fought him like
an old coon-dog, and l wouldn't
take $4,000 tor my puppie Joe /;
but he sure does know a heap
more about which end of a coon
to take hold OF than he did be-
fore-he has learned that a coon
has a biting end.
Well, jim shouldered the coon
and we started again. If ever
there was a happy negro, that
negro was Jim. He just smiled
all over his face, and the night
being dark and Jim's teeth very
white, every time jim grinned
there would be a little flash OF
lightning.
We had not gone far before
the dogs struck another trail,
but they ran into a drove OF wild
hogs; and Lordy what a row
they raised-a noise like the de-
vii had got loose. The dogs both
tucked their tails and lit out, me
and Jim and the hogs after them.
Jim he climbed a little hickory
sapling, and Old Bill went up a
long, timber sweet gum quicker
than a ten-year old boy. The
dogs run up a STOPPING tree near
by, and those toaming, champing
hogs just kept coming. [ could
hear them coming from up and
down the creek tor half a mile,
and they stood under us-look-
ing up and foaming at the
mouth. And there we were,
freed. 1 had my horn over
my shoulder and, thinking to
get some one to come to our as
sistance, | blew the signal-three
long blasts-treed, freed, freed.
But all the answer | got was the
Growing of cocks at home and
the "hoo, hoo! tn devil are
your" of an owl.
Oh, Lordy! [ began to think
OF what wife said to me before l
started /: "Old man, you are too
old to hunt coons." | was get
ting cold and knew I couldn't
&,