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vairanit =myna
P0333335“;
THE.SO&S IDEA eb
• ; : •
Theroovas,drssamfOream of life, and, youths
Tbiateisme to pile, If know : pot wh en the thili;
A oreature - n?ade of loveliness andfruth,
Wl,tb forifi c and feature. tranquil ;a sublime s
No angel was it; but a thing half re a 1 ,.• •
A nd. Bondi loved her, as my 'cd's ideal.,, • •
Sheidwelt amid the household gods with me, .
,„
TO give ;11l genial pro,MplingS truth and trace,
The real in their earnestness to see;
TOurbed with the halo beaming from her face ;
511411)011.1114Weak, fond'fanty might beguile,
Abashed. Were withered, by her placid smile::
She Idd me whereall Shapes of beauty dwelt;
She gave to sense a something more than earth,
And when.tny. soul its strange Unquiet felt,
She whisperell peMniac of a higher birthl
And thussnure real grew. her own fair face.:
She ehttngeth not, this oreatuiT of the soul,
. .
bare „
that more earnest, tender is her guise ;
In every mood I feel her calm control,
And oaM the pleading of her heavenward eyes ;
A gentle sadness blended' with the smile
That . thoughtfulness or joy, may well beguile.
She keepeth yet
,her fresh and buoyant grace,
•
Ilitt when intent I look within her eyes,
,iennetiling• nobler day by day I trace,
Like blue that deceetteth in the evening skies
Aiid Otis rewxtling worthier love of int!ie
Ilieti'day her face is growing more diVine.
She-taiight me faith and constancy to know,
Toineekly wait for the appointed one,
Despite the yearning felt for evermore;
While dwells the soul, companionless and lone.
And when ut length content upon me came,
Love and the Soul's Ideal were the same.
anosc. , ./ILtartr„
THE PRAIRIE AND THE SWAMP,
AN ADVENTURE IN LOUIVNA.
' was a Sultry September afternoon in
the yearlS-.—., My friend Carleton and
myself had been three days wandering a.
bout the prairies, and had nearly filled our
:tin [mica and other receptacles with speci
mens of rare and curious plants. But we
had tint escaped paying tile penalty of our
'zeal aa naturalists, in.the shape of a perfect
roastinertim the sun,which bud shot down
its rays during the whole time of our ram
ble, with tin ardor only to be appreciated
In those who have 'visited the tonistanian
prai'rie's. IVh9't made matters worse, our
little store of wine had been early expend
ed; sortie 'raffia, with which we had rep
vlenished our flasks i 'liad also disappeared ;
and the water we met•tVith, besides being
rare, Contained so much vegetable and ani>
tnay matter, 'as lb be undrinkable unless
qualified In some manner. In this dilem=
ma, we came to a halt tinder a clump of
hickory trees, and dispatched Martin, Car
icton's Acadian servant, uptin a voyage of
discovery. . lie had assured us that we
must erelong fall in with Some party of
Americans—or Cochon Yankees, its lie
railed ipeM—whO, in spite of the hatred
borne them by the Acadians and Creoles;
tvere daily becoming more numereus hrthe
country.
After waiting, in anxious eltpectation of
return,fora full hotii,during which
the air seemed to get more and more sultry,
Iny companion began to wat impatient.—
" What can the fellow be about &Fed he.
"Giro a blast on the horn," he added,hand
big . ine the inatrdment ; cannot sound it
Myself, fa - my tongue oleaved to my palate
from the !Mat and drought.'
I put the horn to my mouth, Mlcl . gave n
blast. Brit the trines emitted tie;:a not the
blear echo awukehing ddtindg that cheer arid
Mrengthen the Minter: 'they were dull
and short, its thinigh the air had lost all
elasticity and vitiratmcin. and by hi Weight
brushed hack the sounds into the hoim. It
was a Warning some iniMermitable danger.
We gated afound us; amid satt that oilmere
vote, not'wanting.
The spot Where vve had hailed 'kw/in
tile - edge of one of those pine forests that
extended; alrhost Withoitt intertuption,frorn
the hills of the dote tiolee to the Opelonaa
: thountaimu.arld of a vast prairie, sprinkled
here and there With palmetto fields, clumps
of trees and broad patches of brushwood,
whidi, appeared mere dark special on the
immense extent of plain thatllay before us,
covered with, gram of the brightest greeni
and oolong; as to reach tip to our horses 4
annulders. ,'1"0 the right tars a plantation
0,liallnellos; half X mile wide; and bound
ed. by a sort of creek Or gully; the banks
of which Were 'cOverid with gigantic efr
prele tilde.' Beyond this, , more prairie and
a woo .evergreen oak. ,
~. o theeast, an
kolmetqlilti,thicket of Mapolias; papaivs,
Oakland bean trees:-to themortit, the pine
ur °Auk before itentinned: -''`,:,,
~ ". • .
Such wee.the rich landscape Ste had been
surrounded by x sllioo hoptllpfore.' Bil
'l
lloilit,. o l,i, 19.57king(tirOlidi..40.! fount? . the.
neap-. changed i and , our horizon; became
rei more limited by ruing elcitide of bluish
4:4';',..i, 011 , `;,i4 6 11 iiio
' 00 1 3:0 ug faPidlY
'ro.Ritutvind,q,44,4 : gAch r ix°4 4 lo,oiit
bpap peered , to : Venom°. :1 tit ioke i i. f ib e „tan
10 longer datiled• out *eyeetibent we gazed,
iiiir,l I
0 6 :0-'oo#o 'tiii'itiio like]
..( i , tlitxt. 19Pnc.ilp;044j0":4. 1 i iifi,
51 -
iii*PfeMdivellegf(otnxmOsiglaby,unteaes
'/F'vePOilti Ind *lain vibielri during the ,
liiktyliAtid,i,idilillgtfilnif kildiftlii i illthottO
. v , , ap
-Ifefilii°44CAllignilirliA•ri* 44iri rP,
11 all bli Wiwi ll itehe part 060:prOtie
thdtMmained visible, preSented,thciaivear
ance •of a narrow, mist) valley; 'enclosed,
be tdeen,Ao mighty vatigee•ef trey Mee
the leg, represented: As' "we
gOied, amend .us arid:Weld these ` strange
.ithenonienai ,our eyes ptet, and we read
,eeli(other's :countenanCe that.erobarrass
ment ' which the bravest And • most .light
'hearted are apt to' feel, When hemmed in ,
by perils of which they cannot Conjecture
the nature.
'‘Fire off your guri,"!said kto .Carletom
I,started as I spoke , at the , alteration in my
own voice. The,gun went off, but the re
port was, as it were, stifled by the cow
pressed atmosphere.' It did not even alarm
some water-fowl that were plashing aim
flounderhig—in—the_creek a few hundred
paces from usi ,
.`Look at our horses exclaimed' Carle
ton,- "'They are surely going mad." The
animals were evidently uneasy at some
thing' They pricked up their . eirs, turned
half round, and gazed With startled eye
behind Vieth t . then strained with their
heads and necks in the opposite direction
to the vapot, , snorting, violently, and at last
trying `to break away from the trees - to
which they were tied, A short time pre
viously they had appeared intleh fatigued,.
but now they were all fire and impatience.
" It is impossible to remain- liere,"'said
Carleton.
"' But whither shall we go ?"•
" Wherever our horses choose to take
Us ?"
We untied the animals and sprang upon
them. But scarcely were we in the sad
dle when they started ofr at a pace as frail
tic as if a paek of wolves. had been at their
heels t and taking the direction of the creek
which- ran between the palmetto plantation
and a cypress wood, continued along its
banks at the same wild gallop. As eve ad
ianced the creek began to widen I in place
of palmettos, clumps of marsh reeds, and
rushes showetkhemselves here and there.
An earthly stillness prevailed, only broken
now and then , by the cry 4 of a wild goose;
and even that appeared strange and unnat
ural in its sound. •
" What can be the meaning of this 1"
cried Carleton,. "I am burning with heat,
and yet I have not the slightest moisture
on my skin. ~ A I! these/ signs tire incom
prehensible. Vor God's sake, sound the
horn ugair."
did so, but this time the sound seemed
do IM forced back through the horn, - and to
die away upon my lips. The air was so
hot and parching, that our horses coats,
•vhich a short time previously had been
dripping With sWeat,. were now perfectly
(fry, and the hair plritcred tipon them ; the
IniMals' tongues Itting übt of 'their mouths,
and they see led panting for cooler air.—
" Look yonde' !" cried Carlettin,_ and he
pointed to the line of the horizon; which
had hitherto been of fi.M3l jeadrrxilared ye
[out. h gas now—becotning reddish in
.the sotith-west quarter, and the vapour had
taken the appearance, of smoke. At the
same tithe webeerd a sort of 'distant crack
ling, like a heavy running-fire of Musketry,
and which was repeated at short intervals.
Each time it Woe heard, our horses appear
ed scared and iremblingt
The creek Was getting rapidly Wider,
and the ground an stiminpy that it was
impossible to proceed further, Seeing this
we agreed,td return to the Prarie; and to
try if it were ndt cooler aniong the palmet
tos. But when we came to the place where
we had "crossed the Creek, our horses re-
Wed to take the leap again; and it was
With the greatest difficulty we at length
forced them' over: All this .thrie the red=
nese id the horiimi was getting brighter;
and the atthospherb !totter and drier; the
Smoke had Spread 'over prarie; forest; and
plantations. lite Continued 'retracing our
steps - as•well ad tie could to the spot where
we had halted: ", See theiv," saidbatle
ton ; " not half an hour efict those reeds
Were as fresh and green as if they had just
sprung °et of the earth, and " now look at
them--;Lthe leai.es are haegingduivni; parch-:
ed 'add ended tip by the heat."
. Thtil whole, prairie; the Whole boding
to the southwest, was now one mass ,of
(lenge•smoke; through Which the Min's disc
looked Scarcely brighter than g papal' lturi=.
tern 4 Behind the thick ourtain.Which thug
Concealed evety thing from our view, WO
heard a loud _biasing', like that of 'a,' Multi;
tude of imakem The 6(16163 was stiflin
and, unbearable; our horsed , again tur n ed
panting round, and tore madly,winds the
Creek. On reaching. it •we dismounted;, but
'had the greatest' difficulty tn,prevenCtkein
frOntleaping ititwihe - Water: streaks;
of e(l' 'to our right ,biemate brigkidr and
.brighter; IMO .09.me,d °PIO
dark.. troplf..of, the - ,c3rPrO!tflrcmgi i The
Crackling and hieging,grawlonder, tlieri e v.,,
-bk.: /suddenly Ake '..truth flashed
rig,';ond the i very'sarini. nioinens
Oilletnil
• - !,„
. 1 0 i '' ' 444l/2 ' llo,i fer ' t t
load rustling ifehie'd delt4i4 it P lieig t
,d 1,41!
:hfokes , heatlitieg 'iltrettigttlirthiciet of OP
tight life biAtostrditouttVYdartfed
414*, tiddlo t t t d } j tt q h'e . thief; . 7,hete thtV:
RE
more .than.their ,heada.abov,e the inidace,
ga'zing,4 n's,a!‘"thecgrbimploring our help
and 'compassion.. ,We fancied, we could
see tears , in'the!inior beasts' eyes.:
carfici' tile
.pillars of flame, flickering and-threatening
throughtbe,..,einokcliekiiii,Up all„ befOie
thent , ;- - atidi.att tintee, l 4,gotit of so hot and
blasting a :wind' as 'ffeeinedto dry, the very
marrourin . our bones. The roaring of the
fire Was ', r neoi,,tliitinetly' audible, mingled
with hissing; whistling: sounds; and crak-,
ing noises, as of mighty trees falling. Sod
denly:a bright flame shot up through the
stifling smoke, and immediately afterwards
a sea cif fire burst upon our aching eyeballs.
Tip Whole palmetto field was in flames.
The, heat
~v iat- s u great,-that
,we every
moment' expeted - ID — see onrelothertake
fire. Our horsey dragged us still nearer
to the creek; sprang into the water, and
drew us down • the bank after them. A
nother rustling and, noise in the thicket of
reeds. A. she-bear. with her cubs. at her
'heels, came towards us ; and' at , the
same time a second herd, of dem: '
rushed ,
into the water not twenty yards from where
we were standing.. We 1)(144d : our guns
at the.bears ; they nioved 'off 'towards the
deer, who rentaitted unilisturhed at- their
approach ; and . lihire they stood,. bears and
deer, and not five paces apart, btit taking no
more notice of each other than if they
had been animals of the same species.—
More beaststuint came flocking into the ri
vet. I)eer, wolves,foxes, horses—all came
in croWds to seek shelter in one element .
from the wryer another, Most of them,
howeVer, went futtherup the creek, where
it took a north-easterly direction, and wi
dened into 'a Sort of lake, .11'bose that had
first arrived began to folfavy• the new-corn
ers, and We .did the earner'
StiddenlY the baying of hounds Wa's
heard. hurrah ! there are dogs ; men
must be near," A vollfy from a dozen ri
fles'was the.answer to our explanation.—
The shots were fired not two hundred yardi
from us, yet we sat* nothing of the per
sons who fired them. The wild beasts
around us trenibled and crouched before
this new danger, but did not attempt to
move a step. We ourselves were stand•
ing in the midst'of them up to our waists
in water, " Who goes there?" we shout
ed. Another volley; and this time not one
hundred yards off. tVe' saw the flashes
of the pieces, and lie'ard voices talking in a
dialect compounded of rreneh hnd Indian.
We perceived that we had to do with Ace
thane. A third volley; and the bullets
whistled about Mir ears. It was getting
past a joke. " Halt !" shouted we, "stop
firing till you nee what you are filing at."
There Was a dead silence for a moment,
then a burst of savage laughter. " Fire !
lire I" cried titqi or three voices.
"if you iire," cried " look out far
yourselves, for we shall do the same. Halm
a care What you are abOut:"
" Morblue ! Sacre !" roared hall' a ecot e
of voices, Who is that who dares to give
us orders ? Fire on the dogs !"
" If you do,' we return it."
. •
"Sacie !"'seresinied the.savages,.lhey
are gentlemen from the toivns. Their
speech betrays theni„ Shoot tliem4—the
dpgri, the spies ! What dO they viant in
the prairiel'''.
"Your blood be on Sour own headi,"
cried I. And; with L thc feeling of despe
rate• men; we levelled our guns in the di
rection in WhiCh we had seen the flashes of
the last volley. , 'At idtat moment—" Halt!
What iti here 1" shouted . a'stentotian voice
close to us;
. "Stop firing; or you are dead men,"
cried five or six oilier voices.
" Saiee ce font 'des 4tnericithis,"
intiltered•the Acadians.
" . Monsieur Carleton!" dried a ildiCe.
Here !" replied thy Mend. A boat
shot out of did smokei bettireen Ili and our
atitagonists.leton's Servant was in it.
The next moment we *ere Surrounded by
a'aeore.of Acadiand and ri halt•a-dozen A!
rrteridann.
It appeared that the Acadiane, So Mein
ne they perceived the prairie to be on fire,
had gdt into a boat and deseettded a creek
that; dosed into ihe bhicaf creeiton Which
We fioW,,Were. , The beast ; 'of ihefdiest
and praire, dying to the Water, found diem
seiveri inclosed in the angle formed bY.the
fikM'ireelte,'and ihbir' retreat being cut off
by the fire; they fell an , easy prey to the
,kcadirin4 wild, half savage' fellows ? who
tO
slaughtered theß a profusion &id with
a brutalitrthat excited our disgust, a feel.
leg which the Americans 'seemed to share.
A' Well,'stranger l'f Sold one of the lat
ta'i,,an oii(uuM,,i.;:b,arli4 , ;P, 4 . ( j0,Y, , !i fio
with' them Itesdiand , ot come with its !"
% - ' 44 !Who tire rid 'my"firiehde l a •
4rierids l a ;repeated die taiikeli; ohlik
fog his baadi ; 'flout , friendabips at! , soon
**tided •Prietriltfe . indeed , i We aitft that
,O,''yiii'lftefti. He. minded tilimile . I+iiti
AN,,li.ve4 and l P 1,,,.. ~ ; ~,:,,''
,:, ~,I,''': i ;
i
4:11161164N 'nieriemigendithaPi7i iiiik
init In , Makin/ . 4 iiit x vitien , Ahit himidjetiti
petifoitifiiJie*.fi't;'Wiitrliot,:i. ,,,, :ori+i , .
. 0ti5i.0.0r444 #0:; good 01 lii c o maii)d
debt! 366:" .- ~ - :, 3
iiititiiiiiifi/j , iiNgiji - Aid - 416i iiaiiitt; I,
. . . ,
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;•,,,•„,',1 ., • ' f.:•;,;
eagtVASALTED a tb 44l4 met.taamg aus ae6oo
;reckon?" observed the AmericanAvini,hail
spoken beftire.
...`, • .No, indeed, .my...friend,'..said
• told.
,YOU,' replied' the man
with some degree of pride,'WO ain't your
Mendel but if you cliorise to accept Amer.
scan hospitality„yo,u', Wel:name."
. r • We glanced at the Acadians, who
still firing, 'and dragging the beasts•they
slaughtered into their built and torthashore.
They appeared pertee.t sarages,'and there
was little temptation : to seek, guidance or
assistance at their hands.
'lf it is agreeable to you, we will acorn
pany you,' said Ito the . American, making
a step towards the blot. NYe.were eager
tdbe,ofr, fur the heat and smoke were un
bearable. tie answered neither yes nor
• no ---- Ills — iitrettrimrs . eemed - to4M - taken - up
by the proceedings of the Medians.
'they're.worse thatt Injuns, said he to
a young Man standing by him. ''They
shoot more in an hour than they could eat
in a year, in their tarnation French waste
fulness.'
'l've a notion o' berm' 'em leave ofT,"
replied the young man. • •
'The country's theirs, or their masters'
rejoined the other. , 'I reckon it's no bu
siness .of Ours.".
This dialogue was. carried on with the
grd'atest possible deliberation and under cit . .
cumstances• in which none but a Yankee
would' have thought of wasting time in
words. A 'prairie twenty miles long• and
ten broad and a couple of miles of palmet
to ground, all in n blaze theflames draw
in nearer every minute, and having in some
places, already reached up to the shores of
the creek. On the otherliide a couple dozy
en wild Arcadians ring right and left, with
out caring where or wlioin their bullets,
struck., Carleton and myself, to our
ivaists in water, and the Americans; Cli'af=.
ting together 'as unconcernedly as if they
had beak kitting under the roofs of their
own bluCk houses.
'IJo you live far (hint here?' Said I at last
to the Yankee, rather impatiently.
'sot so far as I sometimes Wish,' an
swered he, with a contemptuous glance at
the Acadians, 'bat far enough to get you
an appetite for your 'sapper, if you
got one already.' And tiking a thin roll
Of tobacco out of his pocket, he bit off a
peice of it, laid his hands on the muzzle o
his rifle, leant his chin upon'his hands, and
seemed to have forgotten all
. about its.
This apathy beeame intolerable to men
in our situation.
'.Nly good man,' said 1, 'will you put
your hospitable offer into execution. and
take" •
I could not continue; for I was literally
suffocated with heat and smoke. The very
water of the creek pas getting kinirtri.
•I've a notion,' said the Yankee, with,
his usual drawl+ and apparently only just
perceiving our distress, 'rve a notion we
had liettektbe rhovin' out o' the way o' the
fire. I4oti, strangers, in with you.' And
he helped Carleton and myself into the
boat too do;n and becanie insensible
from heat and eihatistion.
• •
When we recovered odr emotes, We
friund ritirselVes in the bettoth of the boat,
and the old Yankee elatiding by us with a
bottle•of whiskey ih his hand, which he
invited us to taste. iAre felt better for the
cordial and began to look around us.
Before us lay an apparently interminable
cypr . ess 6.4atilii, behind us a sheet of Water
formed by the junction of the twii creeks;
acid at . present overhung by a mass of
smoke that concealed the horiion from our
view. From time to time there was . a
burst of fl ame that lit tip the ii‘Vaitip, and
Caused the typrees trees to .appear a 9 if
limy grew, oat of out a sea of tire.
'Come,' Etaitl the'pltl Yaiiltee, most
got on. 1t is liear Onset, and we have
far to go:' • .
• viay does kind lia ?'
Across tha cypress swamp, diilese
yard rather go rounii it.'
''.the -shortest road is the best,' said
Carlton.
.qhe slihrtest road ii the hest!' repeated
the Yankee, contemptuously, andluining
to hie.atimpanions. hpoileri. like a true
.Britisher.. Well; he Shall have hill own
vkly . .ritl the More 10 as I. bellete
.it to be
as good cone 'se A 6 othei; jatilei' added
4, turning to ,onts• of. the men; 'you go
fuittioi[dokitn Oroiigh'the Snapping Turtle
sibutilKwe will itois here.' •
'And our hottiedy, •
They .are , s grazing,.. hi,, the rmihei.--;
toolecatit . er.: , -ilife Shall have:
tarn to-night; `iiid. t iti4rlinffeW thy srlaY
one Witherit•aingeing4 hoofil
had roiled waelf cooed or 'twice
ille borders dr the swamp that tit:NC - Tay
herqr'e ,tie 4 but bad always Vcitloidel ect . it im
penetreblef and I • did not underatadd4 as I
ifig 4 t l !nP 7 Or nl Y 'de g th4 i lid ! cdUld
poodiblrtiton it.
cid Were fitly beaten. fiath toad
411kiNgh e k t O r e d J'of the
cid mob. ; f 3
Path or road no you take , It for a
genillirnan's park T the path that
aiaigt tine made;, Arid upon
.tho ttebtovieeclooisti rth;o mut
creepers, rose out of the vast depth
of 4nud that formed theg4inp.
Here's the,path, said he.
,
• Then we'll wait and come-round with
our horses,' I replied. Where shall we
find them?'
As you ,please, s.tranger.
,We shall
qross the swamp: Only, if you can't do
like your ,horses, and- sup off bulrushes,
you are likely to fah for the next twenty
four hours.
'And why so? ',Cirri) is game and wild
fowl forthe shooting.' .
' No doubt there is if you can eat them
raw, like the Injins. Where will you find
within two miles round, a square foot o
dry land to make your fire on ?'
:I'6 say the truth, we , did nnt altogether
like_the_company we' had Olenamongst.
Tliese squatters bore in general but an in-.
different character: • They:.were said to .
fear ticitherGod nor man, 'fa trust entirely
to their 'axe and their rifle, and to be little
acrupulouiin questions of property; in
short, to be scarce less wild and dangerous
than the Indians themselOes.
The Yankee who hiti - hitheno acted as
spokesinan, and who seemed to be in ome
way of other the chief of the party, Mt a a
man apparently near sixty years of age,
upwards of six feet high, thin in person
but With such bone and muscle as Vntlicaled
great Strength in the possessor. His fea
tures were keen and. sharp; hia eye like
falcon's; his bearing and manners bespoke
an exalted 'opinion of himielf, an (at feast
as far as we were concerned) a tolerable
degree of contempt for others. .His dress
consisted of a jacket of -skins, secured
jound the waist by a girdle, t in whien Was
stalt;..-a long knife.; leather . 'breedheti,-.a
straw hat without a brim, and moCasins.
His companion was similarly -accoutred.
'Where is 11I,rtin?' cried Carleton:
'Do you mean' the Acadian lad Who'
brought us to you?'
'The. same.'
The Yankee pointed towards the smoke.
'Yonder, no doubt, 'with his
. countrymen ;
but I reckon their infernal hunt is over. I
hear no more shots.'
'.Then We will ie to him. nnt.where
are our horses I'
'l've a notion,' said one of the yminger
met?, 'the stranger don't rightly know what
he 'vants.. Your horses are grazing half a
mile ott Yon would not have had us
make the poor beasrs win thi-oug the creek
tied to the Stern of the boat? 'l4Ol is
With them.'
'And *hat Will lie do With them ?'
:Joel is going back with the boat, and
when the fire is out he will bring them
round said the elder Yankee: 'You don't
suppose—?' added He left the
senteance unfinished, but a smile 'of scorn
ful meaning flitted over his features,
I looked at Carleton. He nodded.—
'We wig{-go with you,' said I, and trust
entirely to yedr
' YOu do well,' was the brief reply.—
'Joel,' added he, turnitig to one Of the
young men, 'where are the . torches? We
titian want thedi !"
Torches !' exClainied L
The tauken gaVe me a hicik, as much as
to say—You
. must meddle with every
thing. 4 Yes,' replied he; and, if you .
had ten lives,.it would be as much as they
are all worth to enter this swamp without
tarchei.' ed saying he stru'elt fire, and
selecting a couple of pine splinters from
several lying In the boat, he lighted them
doing every thing with such extraordinary
delibetion, and so oddly, that in spite of
iiur unpleasant situation, we•CoUld scarcely
help latitk. Meantime the boat pushed
otTsvirtili two Men in it, leaving Carleton,
nivieff, the' old niaii, and another Amer--
Can, standing the edge of the iitifamii,
me; step by step, and as if you
were treading on. eggs,' said our leader ;
'znd yiiu, Jonathan have an. eye to the
Strangers, and dorir wait till they are up to
their necks in mud to Pick them out of it.'
We did riot feel much comforted by this
'speech, but mustering all our courage; We
strode-on after our plainiipoken guide:
We hid proceeded bill a very slick chi
lane° intd the aware!) before twe fdtind mit
the•uee of the torches. The miuge emcee
trees shot up to the height Of fifty feet;
Andrei} , free from liranchei, Whit+ then
bowever,.spreail out making the treee ap
pear like Otgantic iihibrellas, add co h ering
the vliple miirrase With ad iMpedalrabla
roof, thrOuih which not even ii isuitbeern
'imid find A • Paisage. On lodkind behind
we itivleda). light at the • entrance or the
swamp; AA' at the iliouth• of a Vast eaverd.
The further W e. went the' thicker Became
the'eir; acid at cast, the' efiltivia was so ad
ding add pestilential; thei:ine toieltei burni
tiaif.aild dim, add_ More than • °dee threat . -
cued to go out. : `4,
id • •
Otif 'go e to. him,-
delfi ..•ftenight
lesio.O man sips StrOOli for OW rest of
dayi: _A, oight-Llay, sit, hisir. *child do
if roar pores wore e'er but now
.
Torihs. l ;'driet'Mtl4Toii lol blui,4s thb
• ,c)
Ho werit.rhi , thtitt
- t
illE
au
torchlight on each log or tree truidt, and
trying its solidity with his .Com4tefere-he
trusted his weight upon it—doing all this
with a dexteriit and Speed that proved his
familiarity with• theite• dangerous 'paths.
'Keep close tO,Ste,' said he to is, 'but
make, yourselVes light—as tett M least us
Britishers can make 'theMselveti. Hold
your litei\h, and--ha! what is that log;
Hello, Nathan,' continued he to himself,
'what's come to you man ? • Don't you
know a sixteen foot 'alligator from a tree?'
He had stretched out his foot, but fortu
nately,before setting it down he'Po l kedi4'6 at
hotoirk for a,log with the but of his gun.
The supposed block - of wood gave way a
little, and the old eguatter ) throwing him
self Lack, was within al: ace of pushing
me into the swamp. •
'Ah friend! said he, not in theleast:dis
eoncerted,.'you thought to sacumvent hop
eel folk Stith your deviltry and canning'.' .
'What is the matter?' asked I.
`Not much the matter,'he replied, draw
ing his knife; from his` iheath. 'Only 'an
alligator—there it is again.'
kiid in the place of thelog which had
disappeared, the jaws.of a huge 'tailgate....
gaped before us. I raised my gun to My
shoulder: The Mikes seized my arm:
• 'Don't fire,' whispered he. 'Don't fire
solong, as you can help ii. We ain't alone
here. This will do as well,' he added, as
he stooped demi Mid drove his long knife
into thealig,iator's ey). The monster gave
a frightful howl, and lashed ilicilently with
its tail, besprinkling tit 'Willi the black
my mud of the swaniP.
'Take that!' said the Squatter with a
grim Smile, 'and that, 'and, that,' stabbing
the_brute rePeatedly between the neck 'Still
the iihs, ivhfie - it writhed and snapped
furiously at him. Then wiping his knife,
lie stuck it in his belt,. and looked keenly
and cautiously
.around
'l've a notion there must boa tree'trunk
hereaway; it aint the first time I've follow
ed thiS track. There it is, but a good six
fOot AMI co SaYiMI, he gave a spring
and alighted in safety on the stepping
place.
'Have a care, Mini . c . ri . etl 1. 'There is
Water. I see it glitter.'
'Pim, water! What you call Watei ie
snakes. Collie' on.'
I hesitated and a shudder came over
The leap, as 'regarded distance; .vas a tri
fling one, But it watillifer dti almost bottom
chasrii; full of the foulest mud, on
Which the mocaZ,in snaks, the deadliest of
the American reptiles, were swarming.
ICtime !'
Necessity lent me strength, and pressing
my lett toot firmly against theitig an wide)!
WaS standing, and which wes:ea . Cli Mo
ment sinking with our.weight deeper into
the soft slimy groOnd,'l sprang across.—
Carletim followed me.
'Well done!' cried the-old man. 'Cour.:
age. &id a couple more such leaps, and we
shall be getting over the worst of it.'
'There seems to have been A, sDrt of path
made here,' Said 1 to our guide;
a 'il'ettee interrupted he en a low' tone;
'silence, for your life, till .we are on firm
ground again. Don't mind the snakes,'
added he, aft the torchlight revealed some
• I
enormous ones la y in g ' coiled up on the
moss and dialing erriie to us. 'Follow 'tile
closely.'
' But just as I stretched forward my foot
and was about to place it in the very print
that his had left, the hedious jaw of an al
ligator was suddenly stretched over the
tree-trunk, not Mates from my leg,and
the creature 'snapped at me so suddenly,
that I had but just time to fire my gun in
to his glaterliii lizard-like eye. The mon
ster bounded l*k, uttered a sound between
a bellow anti a. groan, and striking wildly
about_ hint in Oho morns, iiisapPearetE
The Ante'riain looked round when I
fired, and an 'approving smile played about
his mouth as he said something to me
which I did not hear, owing to the infer
nal uVroa l r that now arose on all aides of
us, and at first completely defenad me.
• Thousands, tens of thousiirids of Wills,
and reptiles,alligatomencrataus bull-frogs;
night-owls, herons. 'Whose dwell
ings were in the mud of the swamp. or on
leafy roof, now lifted up their voices;
b'ellovi:lng,' booting; ithiielling and - groan
ing. Bursdrig forth front theobseene re
treat in which they had hitherto lain hi&
'dad, the alligators raised their hedidus
snouts out of the green ooatln '.Of the
swainp, gnaillinitheir teeth and straining
toward while the owls and other birds
circled •round 'tiur heads, flapping and
etrikinglt-their wingc as they passed.
drei4 'ttiir-It i nives, and , endeavored to
defend at legit Oaf head and eyes
eras in vain egulnet the
,tuyiisda of enemies
that surratinded us;.:and the, unequal'com-,
bit , cop Id not: hie t i ; 1 asted
'W
it an;,etiddsnly a, g 4 W11414 1 / 1 :01 r 0 WOCI
mOdiaol,l. l l another.?PO' V,lfeot; t!l ' Vy
oiled i!ere:''Pha443'f°r.
6404 . .4
Ihto :n ,mod;
the>bed , fl *';;lit ldeir t c
A bo,nne*sitinitilii**4;ittlie rein*
briiveldj**rititiiii:4 6 l#4o`o , 4
1.0 'P.- •`' .
*.
ivrimungra
But our torches had Wont' out, and al.
rognd us, was black as pitch':
• 'ln God's mini:3 are you therm ML than?'
asked C.
'What! still alive ?' he replied with a
laugh, 'and the other Brinslierloo TA TAW
ye"we were not alone., . 't'he'se brutes:4e - -
fend themselves if you attack them upon
their own groUnd, and a single shot is cur
ficent to bring the about one's ear.' But
when they ice SPrill're in earnest they soon
get tired, of it, and a cuupte more shots
sent among them generally drive them e=
way again; rot:they are but senselcas squeal=
in' creturs after all.' ' •
While thfi old 'Min was speaking lie
struck lire. and lit one of the torches.
'Luckily 'We have rather better footing
here,' continued he. 'And now' forward
quicklyi-ifor s the- , sun is setond iv'e have
still some way to go, , .
And again he led the march with's skill
and confidence in himself which each mo
ment increased our reliance on lain. Af ,
tar •pro'zee'ding in this manner for .about
half a.l hour, we saw a pale light glirrimer
ing'in the cistance..
'Five minutes more and •eur troubles
are over; hut now is the time to be .eau
don's, for itis on the birders of these curs
td swamps the alligators beet love._ to' lie
In my eagernes to find myself once more
1M dry land, I scarcely heard the Yankee's
words t and as the stepping places were
now near 6ide'ther, I hastened iin, and got
a little in front of the party. Suddenly
felt a : lng on whicy had just placed my
foot, give way untie} , me. I had scarcely
tune ti) call out whey I was up to
the arm-pits in the sWamp, with every
proepect'of sinking still deekr. .
'You will iitiriY On,' said the Old man
with a laugh; and at the Smile time, spring=
ing forward, he caught ine by the hair.--;•
'Take 'Warning fdr the future," added he;
as he helped we out of the mud; 'and look
there ! '
I ilid lonk,and jaw half a dozen alligatori
Writhing and crawling in the tioxious slime
within a few feet of us. I felt a sickening
Sensation; and for a moment I could not
utter a word: the Yanitee produced his
whiskey flask.
'Take a sWalloW of this,' Said he t
ito,better wait till we are out of the swamp.
Stop a little till your heart beats *quieter:
So; you are better now. When you've
made two or three such journeys Willi 'old
Nathan, you'll be quite anuthoi•
Now—forward again.'
A few .minutes late[ we titre nut of the
swamp; and looking over a field of 'Wine=
tos that waved and rustled in the Moon
beams: The air was fresh; and once more
we breathed freely:
'Now then;' said our dram,an4
in half an hour we are tit the Salt Lick.'
• Where I' asked I.
'At the Salt hick; to Shoot a deer or twci
for supper; Hallo ! what is that ?'
•
'A thunderClap.' . -
'A thunderclap You have heard but
few or them in Letiistapa; 1 guess; or you
*mild know the dier'enca lielitixt thunder
and the crack of the backi,:tockliiman's rifles
To be sure, yonder oak Wood has an,al
mighty echo: That's James's rifle—AO
hag shot a stag: There's Another shot.'
time it was evcdently a rifle-shot:
but re-echoed like thunder froni the depths
of the immense forest.
•We must let theiri know that .we're
in whole skins; and not in the Maw bf
alligator,' said the old man, who had been
leaning his rifle, and now fired it off..
In half an hour we Were at the Salt Lick;
where we found our guido'a two Sous busy
disembowelling and cutting up a flue buck
that they had killed;aii oectipation in whialt
they were so engrossed that they ecarco•
seemed to notion our arrival', We sit Au wn;
not a little glad td repose :titer Oil. fatiguee
and dangers *e had Bthrd throtigit. When
hind and fore tfuirteri,breatt dad back, were
all divided in eight style,the
young then Waked at their raiber.
yeti take a bite and a sup hero ?' said' the
lattbh addresiing Carleton rind Myself, 'Or
Will you wait till .we get home . •
'How is there still to got' •
ilott , fait With a grind trotting Noise;
and a better road,, three gharteril of atitioui
- would bririg you there, You may iii*u
it a couple of hOtirs.'- •
`Then ive would ptitter eating Odpiethirit
MS
'Ai you win.'
Without more it , vtda, of lose.of _time, a
haunch tray cut or one of the hind-guar;
tern leaves and,' h i rtutchea b4llaF i trd t
and
,in ono winuto kiln+ ,10 , arhlazing, , brjght
ly. the joint, turning befote , it on a ,wouden
spit.' In half an heft ° the pair was:'eull
lectad, ,rourl.nAtissi hatmelk of >'ent+ion
althOugh eaten .wlttaiuflik:eatt dratj ,
of tlie usuit "ecindiittelits';'eseatlnlt 'loPitt'•
ad ie ni to 1i :' ihd,'`beljkli ' eist`tgir ;
tiategh
^ An Americinoikagablilg
dubiling.4tith mod lip Witit,) tgrthiytedeiti
fight with diggiiti nii iiiiitt-isileti , *thirk. - "Z
"To it pclsiblii`r s- vriOhWirppl7 :
40"'•1:iir
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