THE "PAINTER" IN THE PIG PEN. 239 



trusted in Providence, when her horse run away till the britchen 

 broke, and then she guv up. 



" Poor fellow, I felt for him ; every time the painter moved, he 

 and the pigs moved too, and they were hazed around that pig-pen 

 in double-quick time, for the painter is a restless brute, and can't 

 abide standin' still. 



"Soon the old woman came back with the axe, and I com- 

 menced cuttin' the peg that held the chain. This riled the painter, 

 and he commenced runnin' round livelier than ever, and away 

 went the pigs, gruntin' and squeakin', and away went the Doctor, 

 runnin' and jumpin' over the dead sow the painter had killed, 

 prayin' away and callin' to me by turns. ' Potter ! quick — be 

 merciful to me — a — a — painter 's comin' — as you hope — to — be — 

 saved — blasted sow — oh, ough— salvation ! " 



" A stroke or two of the axe cut off the plug. ' Stand aside, 

 Marthy,' sez I, as I pulled down the chain and threw open the 

 door. I had my rifle to my shoulder. The first thing that cum 

 out was the Doctor ; he nearly ketched the bullet, for I was just 

 a-pullin' on him when he said somethin' and saved himself ; then 

 came the painter quicker than greased lightning ; as he struck the 

 ground outside after his first jump, I pulled on him. The ball 

 struck him just in the shoulder, breaking one leg ; he fell, but was 

 on his feet again quicker than wink, and every one of them sixteen 

 dogs, pups and all, a-top of him. 



" Phew ! what a tussel ! ' Go it, pups ! ' sez Marthy, holdin' up 

 her light. ' Go it, yaller-backs.' That old woman was clear grit — 

 well, she was. Gone now, poor soul ! " and the frontiersman wiped 

 his eye with the sleeve of his hunting-shirt ; " killed herself larnin' 

 to read. 



" The painter fetched himself up on his hind legs, like a bar, 

 hissin' all the while. One leg hung down — that was the broken 

 one — the t'other one he fetched around among the dogs, and knocked 

 'em over like nine -pins. Old Boz took some of it, and it keeled 

 him up straight, and then Tinker, and Sumter. I seen 'em getting 

 cut awful, and so I walked into the muss with the axe. One clip 

 did the business. It took him just over the ear and druv into the 

 brain, and I got his skin now, — aint it a beauty ? 



