18 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



with great rauscular activity. This occurred in his youth- 

 ful days, and shortly after he had been to see a wire- 

 dancer and tumbler perform some of his herculean feats 

 on the slack wire, such as going through the sword ex- 

 ercise, snuffing the candle against the wall with the point 

 of his sword, &c. The boys had procured a bed cord 

 and had it strung from beam to girt of the barn and 

 coming down near the floor in the centre. After taking 

 the stretch well out of it, he learned to walk, as well as 

 to lay down and get up again, while swinging as far as 

 the sides of the barn would allow. This brought several 

 of the little neighbors to the barn to see and participate 

 in the play. On one of these occasions, after quite a 

 number of them had congregated, I walked in with seve- 

 ral friends to see the sport. Jim, being the champion 

 (as he thought) on the slack rope, without much urging, 

 took his father's swingle knife in his hand for a sword, 

 and mounted cavalry, as he called it. After going through 

 many surprising feats, to the delight and surprise of all 

 present, he next came to the sword exercise, w^hich he 

 performed with great dexterity, mimicking him of the 

 circus in many of his evolutions and drolleries, by balanc- 

 ing it on his chin, twirling it on his thumb, &c. Then 

 came the snuffing of the candle, which was only a wisp 

 of straw one of the boys had tucked up in a crack of the 

 door as a substitute. Jim, after brandishing the swingle 

 knife over his head so as to prepare to cut twice with 

 one motion, as he said, walked towards the candle, 

 making one fell swoop of a blow al it, while at the same 

 time the rope flew out from under his feet, laying Jim, 



