To speculate on the cunning of these two men became a favorite occupation of Coleman and Bromley when their eyes were worn out with reading. They were sure that every fresh lot of pamphlets had come through the settlement and up the mountain at the bottom of a cask of meal. The old man had no mill or other means of grinding his corn, which he must have cultivated for his cattle, relying upon Josiah for most of his food. Undoubtedly the very keg which the hunters had seen Josiah carrying up by moonlight, and which they believed was filled with whiskey, contained seditious literature enough, if the mountaineers had ever found it, to have put them to the unpleasant necessity of hanging the bearer to the nearest limb. So the soldiers continued to read, to the neglect of every other duty, through the entire month of August, except that Lieutenant Cole man made a brief entry in the diary each morning, and, when they were out of food, Philip laid by his book long enough to grind another sack of the corn. The few ears which had shown themselves on the plantation had been eaten green, and the yellow and shriveled stalks which had escaped the grub at the root, stood in thin, sickly rows. It was an off-year even for the chestnuts. When, in addition to this, it was found in September that the potato-crop had rotted in the ground, the reading was brought to a sudden end, and the soldiers found themselves face to face with a condition which threatened starvation, and that before the winter began. They remembered the beetree, and took up the line where Philip had left it, at the edge of the cliff, only to find that the bees flew on toward some tree in the forest below and beyond the plateau. (To be continued.) A SAILOR'S YARN. A WAGON UP A TREE. BY JOHN A. Lindsey. SOME years ago, with another young man, I took a wagon-ride through the Cumberland Mountains, in southeastern Kentucky. We carried a camping outfit, our guns, and tackle, and meant to eke out our provisions by hunting and fishing. We soon found that we needed a cover for our wagon, and an experienced guide. A farmer at whose house we stayed during the first night supplied both needs, for he made a wagon-top of hickory-saplings and a wagonsheet, and concluded that he would like to join our little party. He knew the country, for he had been one of a band of Confederate guerrillas who fought in that region during the war. We found him an excellent guide and a good story-teller, which made our trip all the pleasanter. He told us many incidents of the exciting struggle between the forces of General Garfield and of Humphrey Marshall, whom Garfield at length drove from the contested ground, saving it to the Union. Under the guidance of the "Squire," as we called him, we drove through the woods, admiring the enormous poplars, oaks, and walnuts, fishing for perch in the brooks, shooting such game as we could find, and between times listening to the Squire's war-stories. At length we arrived one evening at a house near the foot of the mountains, having descended by a splendid road that wound round the side of the mountain on a good grade. Above and below us rose great trees that awakened our admiration by their majestic size and the luxuriant growth of their wide-spread branches. At the house were four young men of from sixteen to twenty-two years of age, who, though they had spent all their lives within fifty miles of a railroad, had never seen one; and, what is stranger, they had never seen a carriage. They were delighted with the springs on our wagon, which seemed to them a marvel of luxury! VOL. XXIV.-117. Early in the evening we went to bed to enjoy the sound sleep the day's exercise in the fresh air brought to us. Glancing out of the window, for it was a bright moonlight night, we saw "the boys" still gathered about the wagon. We were soon lost in a dreamless sleep. 929 About daybreak we were awakened by our host walking into our room and calling us. Turning lazily over, we asked what was wanted. In a hesitating way he said, solemnly: "I have bad news for you." I sleepily asked, "What is it?" He shook his head, and said, in a more solemn voice," It 's too bad to tell!" Startled out of drowsiness, I asked again, "What is it?" "Oh," he said, "it's too bad! I have n't the heart to tell you!" With visions of guerrillas, shootings, and what-not dancing through our heads, we sprang from bed, and, catching him by his arms, demanded together, "Tell us what it is?" His frightened face and shaking form filled us with further fears, till he gasped : "Your wagon 's broke!" "Is that all ? " As we burst into an almost hysterical laugh at the relief his answer gave, his jaw fell, and he stared open-mouthed at our ill-timed merriment. At last we inquired: "Where is the wagon? We were startled by the reply: "In the top of an oak-tree!" Now we stared at him, wondering if he were sane; but to all of our questions he answered only: "It's in the top of an oak-tree!" We dressed, and started out. At the door we passed six or eight young men, who looked uneasy. When we had followed our guide along the mountain-road for about a mile, he pointed upward, and there, in the top of an oak-tree, was our luckless wagon, with the body resting on the wide-spread branches, the wheels standing up in the air, the tires shining brightly in the morning sun! How did it get there? The "boys" had followed us, and it was from them we learned the explanation. They told us that after we had retired, the night before, leaving them still admiring the wagon, they had -- a ride in it. Instantly all were fired with the same desire. From wishing, they proceeded to action. Securing a rope, they dragged the wagon to the top of the mountain; then, with the rope tied to the end of the pole to hold it up, and (as they hoped) to guide the wagon, all climbed in and started down the road. Going slowly at first, they began to go faster and faster as the wagon gained momentum. The well-worn ruts in the road, cut by heavily laden wagons, kept the wheels in place, though the speed grew greater and greater. Down the steep mountainside they were whirled with ever increasing rapidity. Their fears redoubled with the speed; for the top, which to us had been such a comfort, to them was a trap, keeping them from jumping out, as they now longed to do; but the only opening was in front, and it would have been madness to spring in front of the swift-running vehicle. Holding their breath, and chilled with fear, they could but await with dread the end of their perilous ride! It soon came. At a sharp curve in the road stood a large stump on the lower side; this stump caught the end of the pole, shattering the tough hickory to splinters; the wagon was raised at the back, and flew out into the air with the wheels upward. Out over the steep mountain-side it went with its living freight, till a giant oak with spreading arms caught the fallen wagon in its leafy top! "HE POINTED UPWARD, AND THERE, IN THE TOP OF AN OAK-TREE, WAS OUR LUCKLESS WAGON." thought it would be a treat to their friends to see such a miracle of luxury; and so they had gone to different neighbors, the nearest of whom was three miles away, and had brought four more boys of about their own ages, to share in their pleasure. After returning, and fully admiring the wagon, one enthusiastic boy expressed a wish to have The frightened boys, entangled in the cover of the wagon, which was firmly held in place by the stout hickory bows, clutching at whatever came to hand, miraculously escaped serious injury. One had his wrist put out of place, and another sprained his ankle. As soon as they realized where they were, they began to slide, one by one, down the tree. Accustomed to all kinds of climbing, this was to them an easy matter. Reaching the road again, they looked out at the wagon in its queer resting-place, and debated what was to be done next. They concluded to do the manly thing, and bravely returned to the house and told of their adventure. We asked how we were to get the wagon down. The boys were prepared for that, having brought ropes along. They climbed the tree, pulled up the ropes, took off the wheels and lowered them; then, cutting away some branches, they attached the ropes to the body of the wagon, and slowly lowered it to the ground. Nor did they leave us until they had dragged the wagon six miles to a blacksmith's. They saw it repaired, and then gave us a cheer as we turned toward home. "I CARE FOR NOBODY-NO, NOT I!" (A little word-catch.) |