268 



AUDUBON 



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The water deepened, as did the mire of its bed ; but with 

 a stroke or two I gained the shore. 



Scarcely had I stood erect on the opposite bank, when 

 my dog ran to me, exhibiting marks of terror ; his eyes 

 seeming ready to burst from their sockets, and his mouth 

 grinning with the expression of hatred, while his feelings 

 found vent in a stifled growl. Thinking that all tliis was 

 produced by the scent of a Wolf or Bear, I stooped to take 

 up my gun, when a stentorian voice commanded me to 

 " stand still, or die ! " Such a qui vwe in these woods was 

 as unexpected as it was rare. I instantly raised and cocked 

 my gun ; and although I did not yet perceive the individual 

 who had thus issued so peremptory a mandate, I felt de- 

 termined to combat with him for the free passage of the 

 grounds. Presently a tall, unily built negro emerged from 

 the bushy underwood, where until that moment he must 

 have been crouched, and la a louder voice repeated his 

 injunction. Had I pressed a trigger, his life would have 

 instantly terminated ; but observing that the gun which he 

 aimed at my breast, was a wretched, rusty piece, from 

 which fire could not readily be produced, I felt little fear, 

 and therefore did not judge it necessary to proceed at once 

 to extremities. I laid my gun at my side, tapped my dog 

 quietly, and asked the man what he wanted. 



My forbearance, and the stranger's long habit of f.ub- 

 mission, produced the most powerful effect on his mind. 

 " Master," said he, " I am a runaway ; I might perhaps 

 shoot you down ; but God forbids it, for I feel just now as 

 if I saw him ready to pass his judgment against me for such a 

 foul deed, and I ask mercy at your hands. For God's sake, 

 do not kill me, master ! " " And why," answered I, " have 

 you left your quarters, where certainly you must have fared 

 better than in these unwholesome swamps? " " Master, my 

 story is a short, but a sorrowful one. My camp is close 

 by, and, as I know you cannot reach home this night, if 

 you will follow me there, depend upon my honor you shall 



