THE FLORIDA KID. 



CHARLEY APOPKA. 



XL 



It seemed like ter me soon's I got ter 

 sleep, pa shook me, an' sez, "Git up, son; 

 git up an' help git breakfast." 



It was cold as the dickens an' I shore 

 hated ter crawl outen them warm blankets. 

 I hopped out an' jumped inter my clothes, 

 an' holp pa bake the biscuit an' fry the 

 steaks, an' Mr. Sam tied up old Ring, an' 

 put* 14 catridges in 'is Winchester. We et 

 a snack, an' put a plenty fer our dinner in 

 our bags, an' lit out jest as it was a gittin' 

 light in the East,. 



We went straight ter where we cleaned 

 my deer, an' there was sign a plenty in the 

 wet sand in the bottom of the ditch. Look 

 like all kinds of varmints had been there; 

 but Mr. Sam showed old Ring the painter 

 sign, an' he bristled up mighty fierce an' 

 sorter whined. Mr. Sam mutched 'im a 

 little, an' he switched 'is tail, an' took off 

 through the woods to'rds camp. He went 

 within a quarter of it, an' then circled 

 to'rds the big hammock, an' led into the 

 thickest part of it. Old Ring begun ter 

 git sorter excited when we come to a 

 mighty thick place, where some big trees 

 had fell down, an' we thought maybe the 

 varmint was in there, but he'd hearn us 

 a comin' an had lit out, an' old Ring kep' 

 on through, an' out inter the open woods 

 again. It was sun up by then an' I was 

 glad of it, fer it was cold as the mischief. 



We run through a big bunch of turkeys, 

 but we never shot 'em, fer we weren't after 

 nothin' but painter that day. We kep' a 

 goin an kep' a goin' an run plum out of 

 the country where we'd been huntin' be- 

 fore. Pa said, 



"If he keeps a goin this way we'll have 

 ter quit 'im,. We're ever bit of 10 miles 

 from camp," but the trail begun ter circle 

 'round, an' directly we was goin' to : rds 

 camp again. We jumped 11 deer, an' 3 

 bunches of turkeys, an' no tellin' how many 

 poterges an squirrels. Pa said it 'ud be a 

 good place fer us to come nex' day to git 

 our meat ter carry home. 



Well, sir, that blame varmint come clean 

 back an' went inter the big cypress swamp, 

 a half mile from camp. Mr. Sam said the 

 painter was a gittin' tired, an' I know I 

 was. We entered the swamp erbout half 

 after 2 o'clock. It was dry 'ceptin' in 

 holes, but it was mighty bad travelin', 'cas- 

 ion of the cussed bamboo briers an' vines. 

 Old Ring got way ahead of us, an' we didn't 

 know which way ter go, so we stopped ter 

 rest a minit, an' direckly we hearn 'im 

 bay, way off in the swamp. 



"He's treed, by grannies; he's treed," we 

 all hollered, an' dashed on fast's we could 

 go, fer we had ter be outen there by dark, 

 an' I woulden fool yer.. We had got nearly 

 to 'em when old Ring breaks out a yelpin' 

 like he was runnin' somethin' an went a 

 quarter further before he treed again. 



"Dad burn it all," sez Mr. Sam, "he 

 jumped out an' run when he seen us a 

 comin'." 



Pa said him an' me 'ud circle round, an' 

 come up on the far side of the varmint, 

 an' fer Mr. Sam ter wait till he hollered, 

 and then we'd close up on the gentleman. 

 It took pa 'n me a right smart while ter git 

 around fer the swamp was so thick some- 

 times we had ter crawl under the briers 

 ter keep from havin' our close tore offen 

 us. There was lots of cat squirrels, the 

 gentlest I ever seen. I don't reckon they 

 ever seen a human before. When we was 

 ready pa hollered, an' Mr. Sam 'sponded, 

 an' we moved up to'rds old Ring. When 

 we was in 50 yards of the dog Mr. Sam 

 hollers an' sez : 



"I kin see the ole scounle, an gentlemen 

 he's a whopper." 



We moved to'rds 'im mighty keerful, an' 

 then we seen ole Ring a prancin' about 

 under a big cypress that had fell an lodged 

 in some other trees, an' up in the limbs 

 was the ole varmint, an' he looked like the 

 daddy of all cats. Ever 'casionally he'd 

 growl, like thunder way off. Pa told Mr. 

 Sam ter draw a bead on the burr of 'is 

 ear, an' he'd keep his gun ter use on 'im 

 after he hit the ground. Mr. Sam took 

 a rest on a tree, an' when the rifle crecked 

 the painter give a yowl an' jumped right 

 toward us, an' come a crashin' through 

 the vines 'ithin 20 feet of where we was a 

 standin'. Jest as he hit the ground, pa give 

 'im both bar'ls, full in the face, an' sich a 

 tearin' up of briers I never seen before, 

 an' 'is growlin' was fright'nin' to hear. We 

 stepped back of a cypress, out of 'is way, 

 an' direckly he crawled up on a big log 

 out of the briers. His head was all blood 

 an' he acted like he was blinded. "Give it 

 to 'im in the neck, son, an' stop 'is sufferin," 

 pa said, an' I took a good aim an let 'im 

 have it jest back of 'is head, an' that settled 

 'im.. He rolled offen the log an' kicked a 

 time er 2 an died. 



Mr. Sam had been a holdin' old Ring 

 back ter keep 'im from gittin' tore up, an' 

 when the painter was dead he turned 'im 

 loose, an such another proud dog I never 

 seen. He'd smell of the varmint an' growl 



33 



