90 GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE. 



none of the heretofore successful hunters had been 

 able to circumvent him. It was evident that this 

 animal was of no ordinary size, as he was dubbed 

 by all with the sobriquet of the big buck, and one 

 regular old leather-stocking, whose opinion was 

 always listened to with the reverence due to an 

 authority, ventured to assert that he believed the 

 bullet would never be molded that would tumble 

 him (the buck) in his tracks. This extraordinary 

 deer had almost escaped my memory, and I was 

 resting over my next morning's pipe, and beginning 

 to fear that my visit was longer than necessary, for 

 there was absolutely nothing to do but eat and 

 sleep, unless the prices of pork, corn, or wheat had 

 possessed an interest; when a man from the tim- 

 ber land arrived with a load of wood, and held the 

 following conversation with the mixer of mint-juleps, 

 cocktails, etc. " Abe, have you e'er a shooting-iron 

 that you can loan this coon ?" 



Abe having replied in the negative, and inquired 

 the reason, was told that the most alfiestest big 

 buck had crossed the road about a mile off, and 

 gone into the Squire's corn.* Quietly going to my 



* Every person in Western America is either Squire or 

 Colonel. 



