The Sumter banner. (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, June 18, 1851, Image 1
* t
- -- k- a r ~~Z&
...- -- - -- - 2.r. t *-r--.--U: - 2 2-- ---- -.-- --.-.--- ----
DEVOTED TO SOUTHERN RIG1; 3k MOCRACY, NEWS, LITERATURE CNCE ND THE T
wiveJ .1. FRA1-c SP -proprictor. - Ott' V 1 ,AT
- t .'-. .-- ----__-_ _----- _ - _ __- - - -- _----_-- --_.---._
VOL- V.SU TUE ERV, S. O. JUNE 18, 1 1.
E 4)so C *' _ I1
ZBIetMIecof Natural Uistor.
From Arthur's Home Gazetto.
AN9CDOTES
Q $l BaIr , ai' . ih and Reptile ;
witk the Poetry and Philosophy
qf their Respective Lives
A and Habits, as Drawn
from Life.
By C. W. WEBBER,
Auiior of "Shot in the Eye," "Old Hicks," &c
* NO[1.
3[y Humuminug Birdq.
VONCLUDED;I.]
The first thing on reaching the
hou, with our captives, was to try
ourtnectar, of the homemade manu
facture, upon the young strangers,
who Istantly paid us the compliment
of recognising its merits in a hearty
-draught, which seemed to set thema
pe~fectly at ease with the world and
'with themselves. They now left the
ne ant'd perched upon our fingers
with the most lovely confidence, and
we saw that they were aotually full
plumed-though I doubt if they had
yet attempted to use their wings
abroad. . They seemed to take the
.Sudden change in their snrroundings
with, a most consummate people-o1
.the-world sort of air-just as if they
had been taught to consider it as un
genteel to look surprised or startled
at anything, or to exhibit more than a
.,ery cool sort of curiosity. We wrere
greatly amused at these aristocratic
-airs, and were ourselves very enrious
to"know what might chance to be the
titles of our noble friends in their own
principality of air. Much as they
anade of thems<.lves, I thought our
;Ruby-throat received them with a
certain degree of hautcur, which was
respondcdto withi the most superci
4 lious inditfereno at n (aast t
-Ath paggt ood brewdiK2 ~A imN
days, howo iier, sufficed to hr. a1 a
V
the city crust of formality, and they
.began to appear most gradually
awa-o of each other's existence. In ,
-a few weeke we hung the cage outC
with open d, rs again-finding that
all the birds were beginning to mope
and look as if they were going to die,
as had been the case with the Ruby
breast several times before. lie had
.always been relieved by letting him
.out ; but, as he instantly disappear
.ed, we. could not discover what the
antidote he sought might be. When
we. opened the cage this time, it was
a bright summer -norning just after
sunrise. What was our surprise to
see'the Ruby-throat, instead of dart
ing away as usual, remain with the
young ones, which had immediately
sought sprays, as if feeling it little
.uncertain what to do with themselves.
Scarlet flew round them; then he
would dart off to a little distance in
Athe garden and suspend himself on
-the wing .forkn. instant, before what
I at first could not perceive to be
anv thing iore than two hare twigs,
then he would return and fly around
,themsagain, as if to show them how
caj it was.
The bold little fellows did not re
quire long persuasion, but were soonl
launched on air again, and in a mo
ment or so were using their wings
tgr all we. could see- with about as
much confidence and ease as Mr.
UIiby-throat. They too commenced
the same manceuvrcs among the
s'hrubbery, and as there were no
owers there, we were sadly puz~zled
think what it was they were dip
ing at so eagerly to the utter neg
d'mect of the many flowers, not one of
which they appeared to notice. We
anoved closer to watch them to better
advantage, and, in doing so, changed
sour relative position to the sun. A t
once the thing was revealed to mec. I
oaught friend Ruby in the very act
of abstracting a small spider, with the
point of his long beak, from the cen
tre of one of those beautiful circular
webs 'of the garden spider, that so
abounds throughout the South. The
:thing was done so daintily that he
dmd niot stir the dewv drops which, now
glittei'ing in the golden sun, revcaled
.the gossamer tracery all diamond
strung1
'Ilah ! we've got your secrect, my
friends ! Hiab ! ha, halt !'
And we clapped anid (lanced in
triumph. Our presence (lid not dis
tur-b thorn in tihoolest, and we watch
edl them catching .spiders for h~alf an
hour. Theys frequently came within
tw4e fddt of bur faces, and, we could
distinictly fr'e' thern pluck the little
0pfaer' froothO senti'o of its wheel
wher it lies, and swallow it entire.
After this we let them out daily, and
ilthough we watched thom closely
ind with the most patient care, we
iever could see them touch the spi
lers again, until the usual interval of
tbout a fortnight had elapsed, when
,hey attacked them again as vigor
>usly as ever-but the foray of one
norning seemed to suffice. We also
)bserved them carefully, to ascertain
whether they ate any other insects
han these spiders-but, although
ye brought them every variety of
Jhe smallest and the most tender that
ve could find, they did not notice
hem at all-but if we would shut
hem up past the time, until they be
,an to look drooping. and then bring
mo of those little spiders along with
)ther small insects, they would snap
ip the spider soon enough, but pay
io attention to the other's. We were
horoughly convinced, after careful
!xperiment upon two families of then,
hat they neither live entirely upon
ho nectar of flowers-as the old nat
tralists supposed-nor upon vario us
mall insects in addition to the nectar,
Ls Mr. Audubon asserts. The fact
s they can no more live beyond a cer
ain timne-about a fortnighit--ipon -
iectar alone, than they can upon air
lone, nor do I believe that life could
o preserved beyond a few days upi'
ii spiders alone. There is anuther
ather curious , observation we made,|I
hat SO ong as the white cup was not i
ry, for so long they did not Condes
end to notice tie thousands of flow- C
rs by which they were surrounded.|.
Ve used to starve them a little sonie i
mes for fun, and then would have to I
ide, for they would make such a i
n ! if we appearerd-flying close to
ur faces, peching gently at our teeth i
nd eves, li gliting on our hair and
t it, or on our shouldersi
ras i i.m~usmrg o aanno~,in. A t
ist they would go awa; 'ith evi.nt
eluctance to the garden, nid tear up
bout half the tlowers they tried, and
arting towards us tie moment wet
ppeared again with the magical
rhite cujp. Such was the spell it ex
reised upon them, that whlien any of
ur friends, who came visiting us,
lesired to see them when they were
uit and perched aniong the trees,
ither of us had only to walk into the
d, and holding up tire white cup
lbove our heads, imitate their own
hiryr to attract their notice, and in
mi instant one after another would
.Omfe dipping down from the branch
s above, and cluster around the rim.
fter a draught, which was alway3
Ie first thinrg, they wonbi sit al'd
lime themiselves. stopinig every
ow and then to ask one ol thile stran
crs with their steady eyes, s.2 lile
Aack dianiwnds
'Who are you, pray ? What'l
fou take ?'
Thecir movements were so Iight
I inig-hik e tha t thou gh theyv wouhll Iet
von get your haind necar einugh fo'r
them to peck it, yet it was hnp1ossile
LCo catch them. They woul let us do
t soimetAnnes, hbnt neVer a stratnger.
Now comes the, to me, tnst inte
DStinig lortion of' this narrative.
Ouir ebiarmiing little farmilyv remain
od with rus on theso pleaisiing termxs
until the middle of Sepatembher, arnd
thein, as they began to exhibit the
usual restlessrness of' migratryv birds,
thre sad question of parting lhad to be
met. What we hadl alreaIdy seen of
them, convinced tme conclursively that
there must have been something of
romance in the story that hiad so on.
chanted inc in the resc51tale~ i ge
of' Port-folio, (luring may fanrcifurll
childhood, and which so roundly as
serted that tire birds had been kept
through two winters ! Now it is
barely possible said conservatory
may have had a due supply of' spi
(ders, for of one thing I anm very sure
--that no Humming irdl could have
been kept alive without them any
miore than gold-fish coul he' kept
alive ini distilled waiter', in which all
tire anirmalcubuh, which constitute their
natural food1, hiad been dlestroyve.
We came, at last, to tire conclusion
that it would be selIlish rind abomriina.
hly cruel of' us to keep the delicate
things with us in tire blustet ing north,
to (lie of pining for' tire scented bow
era oft their far surnry home. We
let them out, and with many teatrs
saw them dart away at once towards
thre south, as if' they felt they hand al
i-eadly tarried too long.
We saw them but for an instant
)n thb air, and our'sweet 1ets were
,,one!
It took us a long time to reconcile
mrselves to the loneliness in whielc
hey loft us, but'our consolation was,
hat' the ndxt spring I should find
nother nest, and - they should be
earlet-throats this time, and we
hould know better how to take care
)f them now, as we knew better how
o find them from experience. Such
L lovely family as we wore going- to
invo ! We made a new and elegant
iouse during the winter leisure in
mnticipation of the new tenants-that
vere to be ! In the meantime, as I
ilways had some half dozen different
cinds of pets-oi hand, we found occu
)mation and amusement in taking care
>f them and occasionally adding to the
tock. This, together with the win
er hunting, trapping, and books,
are swift wings to the hours for ine.
Ninter broke up--sprinTg came with
ts tender wild flowcrs and fickle
miles. Spring in the time for poe
rv--wheii one is yet in the teens
nd I had fallen intoa dreamy mood
a which I was permitting the spring
o go by, without nothing its flight,
dItI I was suddernly roused one
lay morning by a most curious and
mexpected incident.
I had gone into the garden sum
nCr-house with my book as the ex
use, but dreaming as usual, without
Aticing the letters on its jages, when
soft, whir ring noise, close to my
Ice, caused ie to look up. * About 1
ne foot from ie a Ifuimming Bird,
oised so steadily upon the wing that I
.s body seemed perfectly motionless, I
>oked with its bright., knowing eye I
xedly into mine. it did .not move
diebe I lifted my head, and retainig
bis position foir nearly a quarter of a
ainute, with a slow chirp darted out
ud settled on some flowers near V
rim its plumes. I startil nV, wih
l\y whe!e fr. 1 The bird sat st!i.
ran with my utmost speed to th(
ouse, and, catching a glimpso of my
ister, cried out to her, anost besidt
vself with excitement
'Get the white cup ! Get (ur cup
AmIe honey ! some sugar I-here's
lie water !- quick dear ! -uick ! for
eaven's sake !'
'What is the matter with you,
inther ?' exclaimed the (istracted
:hild, endeavoring at the same time
o execute these imultil'arious orders
LI1 at once.
'0, our bird's come back ! I saw
in just now ! Where are the closet
<eys *? ', he's come back to us all
lie wayv from ',outh America-the
ittle darling I thou ght lie couldin't
orget us I,
'Ilkit, brother, you are mad-how
,all you tell it from anlother Illumti
ing liird-I've seen a dozen this
(h :I know- it was one or the
coungI ones -he emine ini :n101 looked
ne in thle e ye ever so lUng .' Do you
tnke has te !'
'Te audxtuire is completed and off
bve run ini trei~ nig eagreses -for
hlis test we knaew~ would decide for
>r aginsliet us. We r-eac-h the Suil
nier-ho~ use-th e umi a ea l white cup is
raiSed be ofore us5, it is st ill sit ting~ onl
hle flower, we give cn e chirpt as of
ald, and without an instant's hiesita
tion1 it darts to the cup, alights uapon
the rim and plunges it's little thirsty
bill up to the v'ery eyes ini that deli
eiouAs cup, and takes the longest,
deepest draiught, I ever saw taken
belbre by one of them; and this coni
vinced~ me that it hand just arrivedl,
iad had c ome st raight, to its old lhome
for food ad love. 3l y sisteir burst
ito) tears and seremins of joyous
laughter, and as to what ridicul'us
capers I might have been guilty of, I
cainnot tell-I only remember the
self' contented and philosophical main
ncr in which the returned pilrim
continued to plumel its storm-rullIed
feathers, uttering nowi~ anid then the
old chirps on the side of that cupI)
wyhicah positioni it conitinuied to retain
unitil we boro him oin it to his newv
h ouse, of which he ass ;med posses
sion with a remnarkably imatter of'
faict, or riaher matter of course, air.
About at week after this, while walk
ing in the garden one mfornaing, I ob
served two 11lumming .ihrds engaged
in c!hasinlg each othier in a veryv coy
aind lovinag mannier. Somethinig in
the tame and confident mannor ofonie
of them made me suspect it was our
hird enmgagedl in making love.
went back for the white cup, and
this time,.oo inn mIani m-me t sl
invincible-for both birds cain with
out hesitation and settled upon the
ruin-tie one which took thelong
and eager draught 4i if peifijng of
fitigue and hunger, proved to te the
feniale that-had just arrived. It was
a little larger than the male, amd
seemed at first somewhat shydr than
he though a few days were sufficient
to make all right as ever between us
again. How wondrous strange and
inconiprellensible it seemed to us:
Lhe acuteness of senses-the strength
3f memnory and aff'ction--th weird
sagacity, in a word---that-could havo
brought these tiny creatures lihck to
is, from so many thousand miles
tway, straight as the arrow ilon the
b)ow. I have never ceased wondei-ing
it that strange incident--but there is
mic yet quite as droll to come. The
ove season had now fully comnmenced
md our birds began to be abj6nt for
seve- al hours together, and '-we ob
served that at thesetimes thef darted
3traight up into the air until they
6vere out of sight before they took
eiir couzse, so that watch as we
night we never could find out which
,vay they went. They also adopted
he saine precaution in returnuinig,
lie they seened to fall perpendicu
arly from the clouds. Thev did.not
ippear any less tame for all this---but,
hough I tried in every possible way
o find out their secret, yet they en
.irelv bafiled me, andrI I am not sure
hat I ever saw their brood- even
hough about thil time wnen they
mnhIit to have been out we used to
iotiec more birds than we.caIld well
tccount for around the whit cup in
Ie cage; yet, as those stra eFs ap
>eared to bie somew hat sh w did
lot press In acquaintaco tas
kothing more than conject n our
naurbs. y father had some men
it work "cgettiwyn u -
I L14 mi lfl"-at i
-alled-on a oAsiderable creek soIme
Lw Imilc off. Onle of them, who
knew of mny passion for the-se birds,
mentioned to me, that le had twice,
while watering his horse at a certain 1
erossing in the woods, observed a
1lumnmin~ ird fly past over the mid
dLe of the channel and up the
stream. This, lie said, was about
live o'clock, both times. This was
enough for tme. I ordered my horse
aw in a f'ew moments was under
whip and spur- -fur it was nearly
that time now-for thi little 1ord. I
reached it a few minutes before five by
brid path. I sat upjoni my horse
until dusk in the middle of the stream,
but no lhuming-bir'd. Next day I
came at noon-staid an iu- wit no
avail. 1 went at four again and
staid until ahlast five, hb it still no
b.ird. I was not discouraged, but as
1 rode slowly home, determined to
chiange lmy tactties~ neixt dlay, ihr I re
mremnbered thatd my im aient horse
hali been pawng inm thtte water all the
time, and this, no doubt. ha.1 alarm
ed the cautious l~irdts, and caused
them to cha'ng'e their wtual course.
N ext da 1 Ihs lioy i ' l iden udera
stmie thick~ overhl ang Lini trtees, whlerie
I couild see andl not beN seen. I dji
nmot see them ott the mmomin g watch.
Inm the afterntioon,. prec~hly at five,
the male ceame h, amnd I had the rat
isfaction of seeing that i: wvas a Ruby-.
throat. I jimled fr-om thae height at
whlich it flew that the nest wtas not
very imr off. Well, to taake a lon g
story short, I camne the niext day and
t0ok my~ staden~m a hundrled and fifty
yards fath em' ump thme streama-saw
theln bor amss at tire, fl'.ing,
th~oughAt, ju-et a little hmea(r; the net(N
I eening I tmoved'' s'.ll1 farther' up1 with
the samte retit T.lhe nu x t 1 dlid
noat mnove S, far-lor hexa was~ a strait
st m etch of th1e eb :anel 1' c unsiderale
lenugthi, amid I coutld econunrand' it w i th
miy eye f-rm where I stol. i]fere
I saw them go' by, oine ai few inutes
aflter thle other; aui iibhsermv ed tat
their flight was now very how; but
af'ter' they had passed mue a shmort dis
tanmce, each of them sahot suddenly
amnd per'pendicularly ump into the air
until I lost sight ol' them. The next
eveintg, it was the sano thuing and
now I was coniviniced that the nest
must he close at hand; that they r'ose
in this~ sudeni mannner ion man~ n ner.
pendicular descent which would baffle
pnrsuir, from all oeinemies.. Iwatched
near this place three-evenings more
-changirigmy positioi only-h little
each ti me--before Ihad the satisfa'e
tion at last of sceine the female come
down like a falling teriolite from the
clouds and drop upon her nest;:I
had thus spent more than a whole
week in this patient pursuit, and.now
that it had been crowned with success
I wheeled my horse and with an in.
describable feeling of both pride and
joy, galloped home with the news to
my sister. I had conquered one of
the stubornest secrets-of nature-not
this time, by accident bat by sicnce
and perseverance. 1 was proud of
it and so was she. At the proper time
I brought the young birds home in
triumph. There were only two though
as in the other inistance, there had
been three eggs.' This curious fact
is common to several families of birds,
and1(1 seems to he a provision nIaninst
accident, though r believe. the third
egg is seldom permitted to hatch.
We hal now two families which
seemed. to get along tagether vcry
amiably. The nmale of the Ruby
throats was easily distinguishable by
the dark feathers on the throat which
marked the )laco where, on next
moulting, that breast-plate of glitter
ing mail shoull appear blazing like a
talisman of carbuncle. We were
greatly distressed that we sihoulal v IaaVe
to run all the risks of their problem
atic return in the following Spring
befbre we should be enabled to solace
our eyes in the enljoymenat of this
coveted pleasure
We now frequently captured old
birds in the library, and never failed
in tainiuag theiii e;tirelv in a few
s At one time, our family con
- rua we land bit, to walk
d ..ad v i v ve them one
-'ut I could iever. consent to trust
mV delicate people in unaccustomed
h.an4S, except inl a sinagle instance,~m
which the fair pleader bewitched me
w% ith eyes so likeu those of the bird,
that I gave her one of the old ones,
and heard to. my sorrow that it died
mn R week.
Our lovely famiily broke up with
the Autunn. One after one, they
disappearel suddenly,and ve were
left alone----alas, this time forever
none of them ever came back!
T11(e WolfI Olsakw.
During the winter of 1844, being
engaged in the not thern part of
M:ane, I had much :isulre to devote
in the wild sports of a new country.
To none of these was I more passion
aely addicted than to skating. -
Th'le deep and seqjuestered lakes of
this State frozen by the intense cold
of northern winter, present a wide
field to the lovers of this pastime. -
Often wo'uld I bind to mya skates and
glide away up the glittering river
and wind each nazy', streandlet that
flowed benaea th its letters oni toward
the pa rent uceana, forgettinig all the
whlilIe timte anid distanie -ini the lutx
uru a m sensa.e of the gliding motion
tinuk ing oft nothinig in the easy l liht
buit rather dreamiing as I looked
tharoughl the transp;arent a:e tut thae
long weeds(l and er'esses that nodded
in thIae cuirren atben,,meath, and seem ed
wrestlingu with the waves ti liet themt
ni'o I wouild follow in the track of~
somte bex o~r otter and run m, skates
al ang the mar k hec had left withl his
dlragrging tail until the trail woul en-.
ter thie woods.- Sometimes these ex
eur-sions were umade by moonlighlt,
andl it was on one of these exceursionus
thiat I land a renieounter, which even
naow, with kind faices around me, I
cannaot recallI wi thutt a nervous look
ing!-over-a 'm-sihlde feeling.
I had left my friend's house one
evening just before dusk, with the
intenitionm of skatinig a short dlistanme
up11 the) noble K ennebehe, wvhaich glided
dliretly before the door. The night
was heauatifully clear. A peerless
moon redeC through an occasional flee
cy cloud, andt~ stars twinkled fronm thme
sky and froum every frost-coveredl tree
tin millions. Your mind would won
der at thle light that came ghisteninig
frm ice andl snow wreath, and in
crusted branches, as thme eye followed
for miles the. broad cleam~ of the
Kennobec, thatlike ajewplcdone
swept between tie Dhighty forests on.
its banks. iAnd yetVall was still.
The cold seemed to haveo frozen"
trees, and everything: living that
moved. Even the: ringing -of my
skates on the ice echoed back from
the Moccasin Hill with a it'artling
clearness, and the prackle of the ice.
as I passed over it in my course,
secned to follow the tide of the river
with lightning speed.
I had gone up the river nearly two
miles, when coming to a small stream
which empties into the lairer, I turn
ed to explore its course. Fir and
hemlock of a centry's growth met
overhead, anid fornied an archway ra
diant with frost work. All was dark
within, but I was young and fearless,
and as I peered. into an unbroken
rorest that reared itself on the bor
ders of the stream, I laughed with
very joyousness; my wild hurra rang
through the silent woods, and I stood
listening to the echo that reverhera
ted again and again, until all was
biushod. I thougzht how often the
[ndian hunter had concealed himself
behind those very .tregs-how- often
his arrow had pierced the d
this very-stream, and his wii'* .
had11 here iang foi his victory.&
Lhen, turnin" from fano
I watched a couple of
that sat in their hood
hiffidn pantnletts an '
:lebating in silent coritaite
>f their own frozen
lering if theyff9f ii A
were a cold O wen Wal
irose,-it sermedto re as
mme from anea h-?holikeo(e
Ad low and Cro itf
maded in oiio wl yL
palled.' N vo rod ii
loise met my ears
and ~aicht a uthruken
L a ch t :1) forelvad with a bound
tCat :ir'! mV skin nm ad I fa'.
relieved that I had to euntc..d wit'h
things earthly, and not of spiritual
nature-mv energies returned, and I
looked around me for some means of
escape. 'The moon shone through
the opening at the mouth of the creek
by which I had entered the forest,
and considering this the best means
>f escape, I darted towards it like an
rrow. 'Twas hardly a hundred
vards distant, and the swallow could
tot excel may desperate flight; yet, as
I turned my head to the shore, I
could see two dark objects dashing
throuigh the underbiush at a -pace
nearly double in speed to my own.
By this great speed, and the short
yells which they occasionally gave, I
knew at once that these were the
much dreaded grey wolf.
Ilhad never met with these ani
mais, bumt from the description given
of them I had but little pleasure in
making their acquaintance. Their
untameablo fiereeniess, and the untir
ing strength which senms, to be part
of theoir nature, rendered them objects
of dread to every benighted traveler.
* With, thir bro n .p w~ hieh ca-n 'ire.
iThe dlevr-hundi a hat.-, the~ huntelAr's fire."'
they purisued~ thet.ir preyv-never
str-aying' front the track of' their vie
tm adas the wveary hunter thinks
le ha~s at last outstripped them, be
finds that they but waited for the
eveninig to seizc their prey, and falls
a prize' to the tir(eless animals.
Tlih ushes that skirted the shore
dlew past with the velocity of lightning
as I passed on in my endeavor to
patss thme opening. Th'le outlet was
nearly gained; one second more and
I would be comparatively safe, wihecn
my pursers atppear-ed on thme bank
dietyabove me, which htere rose to
heheight of ten feet. Tfhcro was
no t iimie for thlou ght, so I bent my
head and dashed madly forward.
Thie wolves sprang, but miscalculat
inig umy speed spr-ang behind, while
their intended prey glided out upon
the river.
Nature turned me homeward.
The light flakes of snow spun from
the iron of my' skates, and I was
someC distanmeo from the pilrsumers,
whten their fierce howl told me I was
still their fugitive. J (did not look
hack, I did nmot feel afraid, sorry, or
glad; one thought of home, of the
bright faces awaiting rmy return of
their tears if they shou~ld nmever see
me, and then~every Energy .of body
and mind was exerted for escape.- I
was perfectly at home upoht-theJ "
Many were the daygeJ
upon my goodskate,nev
at one time they would b6 pAjK_ -
means of safety. Every hal n
an alternate yelp from my fiere
tendants made me bun to e
that they were in close .
Nearer and nearer they V 4
heard their feet pattering
nearer still until I could fee 1,
breath and hear. their imiffii
Every 'erve and muscle in my
was stretched to their utmost tensib
The trees on the shore e
danceO in the uncertait iight ?4
brain turned with my own MO.
speed, yet still they seempd,~1: l
forth their breath with a
horrible, when an involuntaryih
on my part turned irme 014.-o
course. The wolves close befi
and unable to stop, and as .
turn on the'.mboth ie slipedUj
fell, still going on fir bead;
tongues were lolling out,. their
tusks glaring from their, io -0
mouths, their dark, shaggy-b
were fleeced with foai, and as thi
passed me their eyes glared .andh
howled with fury. The thought -
flashed through my mind, that 0 * 4
means I could avoid the; vi.
rning aside whenover - they:
for 'they, by the p66ul1:4orF.
'f their feet, are uiablot9 rW
ek . ept on a sraigj ine.
tely acted upop this4Ou,.
having IregainedAh,'
directly- towards '
newed twenty YaV iW
.they were
ok; when i gd
elgre
olves,
ed onw
edl nu whi a ads at can -~
turnIng. isgepeated twio -
111 on Uz n, IX. 11i
am vsz-ethati the are tu
w c ",am *er my dress as they
sprag t) seizo rae, and their teeth
clashed- together like the Xrid Vdf
fox trap. Had my skates failetb*"f
one instant, had I stopped ona
or caught my foot in a 6'side
ice, the story I am noW elling I*
never have been told. I tho0
the chances over; I know where-e
would fizst take hold of me if I fellI
thought how long it wgld' 'b
I died, and when there wo
search for the body- thdat wl ia.
ready have its tomb: for i ^ hoWfis
man's mind traces all the draid 7
ors of death's picture, only those wNo
have been near the grim onginat ca
tell.
But soon I came opposite the house
and my hounds-I knew their'deepg
voices--roused by the noise, bayed
furiously from the kennels. 'ileard
their chains rattle; how I wished they
would break them, and then I wduld
have protectors that would belye
to the fiercest denizens of thd~ foest
The wolves taking the hint conve 4
by the dogs, stopped in~ thek~p
career, arnd after a moment's consid6
oration, turned and fled.. Iwatcbeda
them until their dusky formsdigp*
peared over a neighboring bil~
Then taking oftf my skates I wended
my way to the house with fcol6g
which may be better imagino4 thsa
described.
But even yet, I never seo~t~~
shoot of ice in the mons ~ *
out thinking of that
and those fearful thingsA lt
me so closely down the frozen1
nebec.
OT lIn the way of theft the fdin
trnys skill. It is frain a 8Sen~~~
paper: -1
Deetams Thef.--We dersta~i 9that
a lady hnd a valuable diamond jinr tlel
from her finger (?). whilst ea soiyeae.~'e
evenings nigo. t She had weornitutside-her
glove, and had danced with asrn tof
persons before she missedijtliu
moust have been extyemeypm.cpi4
with someu "flatte'ring talo" .to haara
the removal of the *ingA~ ..
The follbwvigfrotia the ene
evidence of' female hie '
WeU Done>-Adouthfiial ~ 4
modest bearing, passing along 16
a ble hlaste, was savagely attack
dog, which had set upon het byV
of m:schief-loving bnys.. The qmn
tearing the girl's dress atti " bite
her, when jmiopin g a ato
the quickness of lighta'd
pistol from her bosom,' ~il ho ft
assailant dead upon the Mip6t. tofr-i 4
less toiay.-thatthn boys" aft&~ -witess
this summary disposal ofaheir do,4df& t
ofFer to agaljakitageolt