70 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



" Golly, Maussa, dat air buck 's a grave-digger ! Da 's de same 

 deer for sartin dat Blossom fired at two year agwine Christmas 

 comin', when his gun bus'. Das de same deer dat ripped up 

 Snorter and Grip, de best dogs in dis county, and now wha 's dat 

 air he 's gone dun dis day ? He run Miss Lou's horse whare we 

 like not see 'im till day o' judgment." 



 Lem, you fool," called out Jackson, "hold your tongue ; you 

 will get all the boys on the place to be as great cowards as you 

 are." 



" I 'se no coward, you knows dat 's well 's anybody, Mars Jack- 

 son. Ef de Lord want a brave man, de Lord gonter call Lem ; but 

 I 'se seen a buck run o' nights in de range, and he feet struck fire, 

 and when I sees dat I comes in, and so 'd you, Mars Jackson." 



" What for gwine contrariwise to de Lord ? " said an old negress, 

 whose white head was obtruding in at the doorway. 



"De Lord send de debil and de debil come. Dare's Mars 

 Wilson's Ebo Jane, a rael little drum-cuss of a nigger woman ; no 

 genouwine religion 'bout her, and jist afore she die dere, by de 

 door dat look toward de piney wood, an old buck — oh, golly, 

 Maussa ! look in at her ! She guv one call and die, and de buck 

 go away on de parf to de woods. I seed dat wid dese yeer eyes, 

 an' it make dis eer hair of mine stan' straight up." 



On looking at the crisp, curling locks alluded to, no surer proof 

 of a miracle was required than the fact that they could be made 

 straight, for they were kinked into little cocoons of yellow white 

 over the big, black face and staring eyes. As this inspired fact 

 was related, the negroes, with their credulous susceptibility, edged 

 closer in the open doorway to be fully within the circle of fire- 

 light, and even Lem had pulled in his legs from the outside of 

 the open window, where he was sitting, and turned his body fire- 

 ward. 



As I looked at the bank of faces at the door, I noticed a feeling 

 of horror dash over their countenances that was singular to behold ; 

 following their dilated eyes, I saw them all fixed on Jumping 

 Lem as he sat in the window, though from my position I could see 

 nothing about him to excite the feeling. Mike kicked my foot, 

 and I saw his eye, with a laugh in the corner of it, turned to where 



