14 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



fire, a well-stored larder, a pine slab table, and the Doctor, half 

 reclining, smoking his pipe, and watching the frying joint, lest 

 Wag should steal it, formed an agreeable picture of contentment 

 in low life, and made one marvel how few are the necessaries in 

 this world essential to happiness. 



Several times we had our privacy intruded upon by our rustic 

 neighbours during our absence, and once in a way that ruffled our 

 good-humour. The camp had been left at early morning as usual, 

 and from the ridgepole of our tent was suspended a sandhill crane, 

 recently killed, and waiting for a cooking. In returning, toward 

 the dusk of the evening, the negroes had separated to drive in the 

 ponies, and the Doctor was leading the van, and talking of his 

 bird, the sandhill crane, which at that season of the year was fat 

 and delicate. The fire had gone almost out as we came up to the 

 tent, but by its light we could see the little matters around in their 

 usual condition. The Doctor laid down his gun against a tree, 

 and, stooping down, walked into the tent. At that instant there 

 was an aspirated growl, Poke was hurled over on his back, amid a 

 cloud of feathers, and a big wild-cat came dashing out over his 

 prostrate body. 



" Oh ! ah ! " sputtered the Doctor. " Catch him ! stop him ! 

 The wretch has eaten my crane ! " 



The dogs yelped; a flying shot was fired, and with two or 

 three rapid bounds the cat leaped up into a huge magnolia tree 

 growing hard by, and with a corkscrew motion was soon lost to 

 sight in the dense foliage that extended far above the level of the 

 surrounding trees. 



On entering the cabin, I found Poke disconsolately sitting on 

 his blanket, with the head and bill of the crane in his hand, the 

 sole relic the cat had left him for his supper. 



It was a pleasant hour in the old woods when our day's travel 

 was ended, we had pitched our tent and drawn up around our 

 gipsy camp while the huge fire flickered and crackled and lit up 

 the green dome of the woods. The tree trunks, for a long distance 

 around, were lighted into rugged distinctness, and behind them 

 remained the wall of shadow. The evening meal was eaten. The 



