A FLORIDA KID ON A CAMP HUNT. 



CHARLEY APOPKA. 

 IX. 



'Way before day nex' mornin' Uncle 

 Dick an' me wuz up an' on our way ter 

 th' turkey roost. Th' day star wuz jest 

 over th' tops uv th' trees, an' hit wuz shore 

 th' brightest I ever seen. I love ter git up 

 soon uv a mornin' when I'm in camps, an' 

 see th' day star a shinin', but when I'm 

 home I aint that way. There wuz a heavy 

 dew on th' grass an' we got wet to our 

 hips, an' hit wuz cold, an' I woulden fool 

 yer. When we got in th' hammock though't 

 wuz dry, 'casion uv th' trees bein' so thick 

 overhead, hit wuz so dark we coulden 

 hardly see our way. An, as we wuz a 

 goin' 'long somethin' jumped out uv a low 

 crooked live oak, an' went a tearin' off 20 

 feet to a kick. I sez "O-o-h-h !" an' Uncle 

 Dick sez, "There goes a dinged ole eater- 

 mount." Hit made chills run down me 

 ter think s'posin' he'd a waited till we 

 got under 'im, an' then dropped onter my 

 neck an' went ter kickin' my close offen 

 me with 'is claws. 



One time, when pa wuz a young man, 

 him an' some other men wuz a cuttin' cord 

 wood in th' fiatwoods, an' had 'em a little 

 camp by a branch, an' they wuz a trail 

 went down th' bank where they got water. 

 One evenin' they come in twix' sundown 

 an' dark, an' one uv 'em grabbed a bucket 

 an' went down th' trail an' direckly they 

 hearn 'im a squallin', "Help, boys, help ; 

 bring yore axs, they's a panter got me." 

 They dashed out ter help 'im, an' th' var- 

 mint tore out when it seen 'em a comin'. 

 Hit wuz a wild cat, an' th' feller sez when 

 he went under a live oak that growed over 

 th' trail, th' drotted critter dropped 

 astraddle uv 'is neck, an' went ter clawin' 

 like hit wuz gittin' paid fer hit. Hit were- 

 n't on a half a minute, but hit scratched 

 'im up scandalous, an' ruint 'is shirt. Pa 

 sez he reckoned th' feller come under hit 

 so sudden th' devilish thing didn't know 

 what else ter do, an' lit on 'im an' went ter 

 fightin'. 



When we begun ter git clost ter where 

 th' turkeys wuz, we went mighty easy, an' 

 I wuz a strainin' my eyes inter th' tree 

 tops an' firs' thing I knowed I hung my 

 foot in a grape vine, an' fell down kerwop, 

 an' made a tnrrible fuss, an' en old turkey 

 sez, "prut," right over our heads. Doggone 

 my cats if I weren't th' excitedest I ever 

 wuz; but I managed fer Uncle Dick not 

 ter know hit. By that time hit wuz a 

 gettin' light in th' East, an' d'reckly we 

 . c een 3 big ole turkeys settin' on a limb, an' 

 by grannies, they looked as big as yearlins 



ter me. Uncle Dick whispers an' sez fer 

 me ter git a good sight on 'em an pull 

 down, an' if I missed 'em he'd try an' git 

 one. But hit wuz so dark till I coulden 

 sight my gun. When I'd look at th' tur- 

 keys I coulden see th' sight, an' when I 

 looked at th' sight I coulden see th' turkeys, 

 so I had ter wait a little. Look like day 

 come th' slowest I ever seen, but d'reckly 

 hit got right, an' I poured hit to 'em with 

 'bout 4 thimblefuls uv turkey shot. My 

 ole gun shore throws them blue pills, and 

 at th' crack 2 uv 'em come a crashin' ter 

 th' dirt, an' a lot more flew down that we 

 hadn't seen. I let out a howl, an' Uncle 

 Dick sez, "Hooraw fer you, Bud, 2 at a 

 drag aint bad !" One uv 'em laid on th' 

 ground an' jest give 'is wings a bat 'casion- 

 ally, but th' biggest one, which wuz a gob- 

 bler, wuz a jumpin' round like a hen with 

 'is head cut off. I wuz afeared hit 'ud git 

 away, so I throwed myself on 'em. Uncle 

 Dick hollered, "Turn 'em loose, he'll tear 

 yore close." But I woulden a loosened 'im 

 if he'd a had teeth like a 'gaitor. I rastled 

 'im in th' leaves till he wuz dead, but he 

 hit me in th' face with 'is wings, an' 

 blooded my nose. Doggone if he weren't 

 th' strongest I ever seen. Well, sir, I wuz 

 shore th' proud boy, an' I woulden fool 

 you. I looked at 'em an' hefted 'em, an' 

 I'd a give a purty if Ma 'n sis could a seen 

 'em, an' a had one ter eat. 



We lit out fer camp, an' it look like th' 

 squir'ls was th' thickes' an' the sassiest I 

 ever seen. Look like they knowed we 

 didn't want 'em that mornin'. When we 

 got ter camp Mr. Sam sez I wuz a hunter 

 from way back. Pa never said much, but 

 I could see he wuz mos' as well tickled 

 as I wuz. They set out fer th' traps 

 d'reckly after we come, an' Uncle Dick an' 

 me went ter cleanin' th' turkeys. We cut 

 up th' least one, an' throwed hit in th' 

 pot, an' stuck fire to hit. an' had 'er a 

 bilin' in less'en no time. I taken th' hearts 

 an' livers an' fried 'em, an' they wuz shore 

 fine. When th' ole turkey began ter git 

 tender, Uncle Dick made up some dough, 

 an' as soon's pa an' Mr. Sam come in 

 sight he put hit in th' pot an' cooked up 

 th' finest mess uv dumplins you ever seen. 

 We taken th' pot offen th' fire, an' set 

 round hit an' helped ourselves, an by 

 gracious, I never seen anythin' any better. 

 The broth wuz jest like gravy, an' you bet 

 hit wuz good. Pa brought back 5 coon 

 hides, an' soon's my dinner got settled, I 

 nailed 'em to trees, an' took down some 



