102 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



me in the edge of the mud like a clown in a circus. 

 Up came Mike as fast as he could ride, and Jackson 

 behind him. 



Mike threw himself from his horse, and while the 

 others were cutting sticks to throw to the ingulfed 

 riders, ran out by quick jumps to the log over which 

 the deer had run, and then cutting off with his knife a 

 grapevine that had climbed a neighboring tree, he 

 wound it around his arm and swung himself out toward 

 Miss Jackson. The first swing did not send him far 

 enough, but putting his foot against the trunk, as his 

 rope oscillated, he swung out to where the young girl 

 lay up to her arm-pits, and rapidly sinking in the sands. 

 He said something in a low voice to her that we could 

 not hear; and putting his hand under her arm began 

 slowly to draw her from her perilous position. When 

 she was entirely above the surface, he swung the vine 

 sufficiently to carry his charge to the root of the tree, 

 from whence it was comparatively easy to reach the 

 shore. I would have given a year of life to get such a 

 look of thanks from a lady I know as the breathless girl 

 gave Mike the ugly scamp ! The Doctor's turn came 

 next, and then the horses, until finally, after two or three 

 hours of hard work, we were all once more in the saddle, 

 and some of us bearing more resemblance to scavengers 

 than gallant hunters under the greenwood tree. 



" S'pose you tink dat white buck is de debbil for true 

 now, hey ?" said Scipio, as he was tightening my girths. 



" No, I don't ; why do you ask ?" 



