1869. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



395 



[Copied by permiseion from AppletorCs Juvenile Annual,'] 

 THE COON HUNT. 



"Father." said Harry Elton, running eagerly 

 into Mr. Elton's study, "can't we have a coon- 

 hunt to-nisht ? Bab says that a coon pets every 

 nicrht into the corn-field, and that a good many of 

 the cornstalks are broken down. If we don't 

 catch hiir.," he says, "half the hills in the held 

 will be destroyed." 



"I have no objections," said Mr. Elton ; "it will 

 be moonlight to-night, and ttiat will be favorable 

 for your sport. So go to Bob and make all your 

 arrangements." 



Harry Elton did not wait for further assent from 

 his father, Init, hastily thanking him, ran at full 

 speed, to tind his brother Frank and tlie negro- 

 man Bob. and to acquaint them of his father's 

 consent to their proposed expedition. Frank and 

 Bob were both delighted at the intelligence, and 

 all three began to make their arrangements and 

 lay their plans for' the capture of the coon. 



At about nine o, clock in the evening Frank and 

 Harry salliid forth, followed by Cresar, the house- 

 dog, and proceeding tirst to liob's cabin, found 

 hiin fast asleep on the bench before his cabin-door, 

 with his tough old coon-dog Bull — who was scarred 

 and torn by many a conflict with coons — stretched 

 on the ground l)y his master's side. Bob and Bull 

 were on their feet in a moment at the approach of 

 Frank and Harry, and in another moment the 

 party set off, Bob first providing himself with an 

 axe. 



The dogs now seemed to understand the object 



of the expedition, and began to manifest their de- 

 light at the sport in view, by barking, capering, 

 and rolling over each other. 



"Down, Ciesar !" cried Harry ; "be quiet." 



"You just be still, now," said Bob to his dog 

 Bull ; "didn't you ever go on coon hunt before ? 

 I guess you have. I guess them ears of yours 

 have felt a coon's teeth afore this ; I reckon so, I 

 do. That old Bull, Mas>a Harry, is the greatest 

 coon-dog in these parts ; he can't be beat treeing 

 a coon, I tell you ; and when he just gets hold of 

 a coon, it aren't no use for the fellow to scratch 

 and fight. Bull just uses him up in no time." 



Bol) was never tired of bracging a'lout the cour- 

 age and sagacity of his dog Bull, and in this way 

 they amused themselves until they reached the 

 cornfields, a^iout a mile distant, in the vicinity of 

 a low, swampy wood. They had scarcely reached 

 this spot before the dogs gave evidence that they 

 had struck the scent of a coon, and in another in- 

 stant the whole party were in full chase. The 

 coon rushed through the rail fence, the dogs at 

 his heels, and in a few leaps had reai hed the cover 

 of the wood ; the dogs pursuing him hard, and 

 Bob, and Harry, and Frank all shouting frantically 

 at him. 



There was no hope for the coon but a tree, and 

 up he scrambled, barely escaping Bull's eager 

 fangs, a tall and straight tulip-tree, that stood near 

 the bank of a small, sluggish stream which coursed 

 through the wood. The dogs, at the foot of the 



