THE FIRE HUNTEK. 25 1 



to the store was great, and lie thought it would be 

 no harm to take the mule from the stable, and ride 

 there to make his purchase. Having placed his 

 sack of corn on the mule, and exchanged it for the 

 sugar, he was, on his return home, attracted by 

 a light in a field which lay on the route, and sup- 

 posing no danger, and led by curiosity alone, he 

 rode up to the fence, and was looking toward the 

 light, when he received the shot in his breast, which 

 struck him to the ground. On recovering, he found 



standing over him, and lamenting himself for 



having killed him. He begged his forgiveness : and 

 told him he had mistaken the eyes of the mule for 

 those of a deer ! Toney had begged to be taken 

 home to die, but the fire hunter, selfish to the last, 

 and fearing that his agency in the matter would 

 thus be exposed, had refused to do so, until he had 

 exacted a solemn pledge from him that he would 

 not divulge who had done it. The pledge given, he 

 placed him on the back of the mule, and was thus 

 leading him home, when, startled by the approach 

 of the torch, he suffered the wounded man to fall 

 from the mule, and mounting himself, rode off to 

 escape detection. 



The story of the poor fellow's misfortune was 

 rather gathered from hints and broken sentences, 

 uttered in the intervals of pain, than from any con- 



