ALABAMA. 



135 



the cattle-paths, till he came close to his own house, when 

 his son came out and put the weary bruin out of its misery 

 with a rifle. My father was not an eye-witness of this 

 adventure, which I record with all reserve. 



On August 14 he was, however, personally engaged in 

 a sporting affair, which it may be amusing to read, de- 

 scribed in his own words, in a letter dated the next 

 morning. There had been great complaints of the rob- 

 beries committed on the estate of a neighbouring planter, 

 Major Kendrick, by the opossums, and Philip Gosse was 

 courteously invited to stay at the house and take part in 

 the nocturnal expedition : — 



"About half-past nine we set out, a goodly and 

 "picturesque cavalcade. There was, first, my worthy 

 " host, Major Kendrick, a stout sun-burnt fellow of six 

 "feet two, as erect as a sundial, grizzled a little with 

 " the labours of some sixty years in the backwoods of 

 " Georgia, but still hale and strong, with as keen an eye 

 " for a wild cat or a 'coon as the stalwart nephews by his 

 " side. His attire would be deemed peculiar with you, 

 "though here it is the approved thing. A Panama hat, 

 " made of the leaves of the palmetto, split fine, low in the 

 " crown, and very broad in the flap ; a ■ hunting shirt,' or 

 " frock, of pink-striped gingham, open all down the 

 " front, but girded with a belt of the same ; the neck, 

 " which is wide and open, is bordered with a frill, which 

 " lies upon the shoulders ; loose trousers, of no describ- 

 "able colour, pattern, or material ; short cotton socks, 

 "and stout half-boots, of domestic manufacture. Such 

 "is the costume of our 'king of men,' and all the rest of 

 " us approach as near to it as we may. 



" But who are ' the rest of us ' ? Why, the two strap- 

 " P m g youths who call the planter uncle, Zachariah and 

 " Bill, each emulous of his patron's stature and accom- 



