The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-09-12


driver, in making his passage, had been
forced to cut a way through the under
brush. These bushes, withered and dead,
lav strewn beside the wagon ruts, and the
thick, green slime on the stagnant water
bore no trace of recent breaking More
over, we were far from camp and | was
weary
',Well, Amos, | said, ''whoever this
wayfarer maybe. he Is too long gone for
Us to find him ont Let us get home.
Desc wagin ruts gwine dar now, my
companion reioined, and certainly the trail
did angle so sharply that it followed the
/ downward course of the stream and led in
/ the same general direction which we must
/ Of necessity take. Mechanically | went
on. Our cabins were beyond the swamp,
but when opposite them intended to turn
aside. There was no doubt at all in my
mind that some one had been prospecting
/ here for turpcntine pines, and felt glad
/ that. in part at least. had managed to
/ lurc~tall him
Thus we trudged on, in silence ON my
! part. but the tongue Of Amos ran in a
/ stream Of meaningless talk Then, when
we were 50 near our resting place that the
/ glare of the lghtwood Ere reached out to
( n, across the darkness, and We We're where
[ We could see the hutS themselves IKE >had-
/ ows amoug the trees, the negro halted,
cried ont. aud almost let fall his lantern,
I for lust ahead. barring oar path with its
rielc,y f.r,u. was the dim outline Of a
wagon.
( StcaIyin. myself from my momentary
surprise hailed. but ma one answered.
Again and again called, but only echoes
4 came back Ia nlc--cchoeS and the lonely
. hoatin. Of an owl from the depths Of the
/ silent wood. Then. holding his lantern
/ hi.h. Amos advanced and followed him.
suddenly a stencil smotc our nostrlls, The
/ wagon was there--cmTty- and between It's
shaft, were the We, unlried bones Of a
( mule
What doe, this mean g' muttered.
taking the lantern aud booking carefully.
An about us there acre footprints, the
-sui seemed beaten down aud the wheel
marks. no lrH-er in plain continuation Of
f the trail w, had followed, ran here and
lhsrp. A. IL thg sa.on had been hauled and
pashcI about Sc one place. indeed. the
r4t, led into the swamp down TO the water. S
r,i-e. Th, wagon bed too. was marked
with scar, and bruises. a. Ii a hard and
heavy body had been carried there. and
hiu. lu>; bchjgl the rrauua>t wheel was
sbg brass she'll Il an cNrl1.le.l cartridge. |
+ l5y.ci ,hr shell ap and Amos sent TO in
>g-gt the b1rss- at the malc. which seemed
qlie fresh, though 81 course the vul'ures
T hai picked them clean
Fesch me the HGh, Mar Dick
I rallc,l the negro. presently, and when !
had dome So. he turned ginsesly With his
( ..s the bare ,kaIl af the animal Dat
mule l.,ca shot. BE- continued See
lar whar dc bullet vyat
laekel aud saw Q smooth. ruuud hole
,a,t above the line Of ,he ewes
Pos. broken down bea,, said.
. lie was sirel ou,-gouli go 10 further -
and hi. master shot bira 90 end hl- misery
Wha for -uoy;el Amos, sourufully
--..wba far be sha,i jat mule t'raS,
. Oar in de swamp 1n water an cane Nha
F for he ,h.s,t i4t ma]c Mule could ha
r,~ hi~-e'f in dat e.-.j pa-tar an got
rJ-hs gat again las hit was plough
/ ,nulg. ,a5
Perhaps suggested the man vas
la.s starving aud shot hIs mule FOR food.
+ Fish iu dat creek ''' the negro answer
Ell. shortly, Pl>Sam 10 lie swamp
. iat r.1saru al rabbit an econ Man got
he .un How come lat man a perish
7 in
but The night wa. tay spent and the
rr,blrn <cenel Ju~Iyable Out in the
dark. eastern -ky gibbous moon was
ri-ip.. aud iroIa the purlicus Of the swamp
the Wild voices ct night animals called to
each ether aud answered
Painfully We made oar way through
+ the taucl,s ol marsh plants and acr"Ss the
( black oazins water. And Is We climbed
+ the slope on the other side, the haze lifted
suddenly auI the clear moonlight shot
( through she pines and jus; beyond the
GfsfiAttlsaA hsA=r'tA q NlNa "AtANaf'
+ 4 thing tcnuou> set awful, through whose
I -ilyery. trailing garments we could yet see
{ the black tale- Of the farther trees. And
ss the wini >ou.hcd in the over head
Z brauyh,~. ihai no,liing thing beckoued to
I u>
tome = it seemed To- say Come ~
Bat We ftd-Amos hastily. with Shud
I derinss and .roauings, | uncertainty. for
. | was afraid. Vel ashamed to fear. Safe
within my cabin, piled nay fire higher
with rt,inou>. blazing woad, and ere |
+ closed ms eyes in sleep the daylight had
I fully COME
CHAPTER 20.
Wha, difference the broad day makes
I When awoke the morning sun was high
/ in the. heavens, the AK men were At work
on the trees. and volumes of rolling smoke
poured frum the low, black chimney OF
I the still. Oar panic Of the night before
seemed TO me now a trivial and contempt
hle thing. Certainly would recross the
swamp at once and look further into the
matter oi the abandoned wagon, As for
the rhs,t-well, imagination and the want
of sleep can play the mischief with man
/ found Amos tending the still but his
eve, were downeast and heavy.
II amt said nothin, he remarked,
apologetically Nary word is | said
bout what We alls seed las night, but
desc ui.gers Is a talkin' Of sperrits. Dey
say Abe Willyums sees um dey say dat
nigser KANT res, dat he roams bout IN
de night time an dat he holler out in he
sleep. lie seem ter think sump m nudder
after him III jes' git rid . him ef
wuz you
why Amos O. l asked. ''Ab does
his work very well.
..Yas, suh Wal, hits dis Desc
niggers is gettin' skeered, and Ab is a
helppin to skeer EN-. Ef dey had seed
what | had seed, he went on, dey' d be
in de hills right now
"Why, there was nothing there
Amos, | said I'VE just got ratified
that all ~
a.Dat ar wagins dar, reckin, re-
turned the negro, soberly
..YeS. of course. responded. We IL