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Entered according to Act of Congress, in June, 1867, by J. W. Burke & Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of Georgin.
Yol. I.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
JACK DOBELL;
Or, A Boy’s Adventures in Texas.
A STORY FOR BOYS.
CHAPTER XVI.
AGAIN ON THE ROAD STOPPED BY A CANE
BRAKE —BEAR SIGNS AN UGLY BED-FEL-
L 0W — T hE CENTIPEDE —TRYING TO CUT
THROUGH THE CANE-BRAKE THE IDEA
ABANDONED —ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR
—HARD TO TELL WHICH WAS THE WORST
FRIGHTENED —COMFORTABLE QUARTERS,
AND A WARM RECEP
TION —TROUBLESOME
FRIENDS GIVING
THEM “THE SLIP ”
—FLACCO.
i with my knap
sack, fi 11 e and
with provis
ions, upon my should
ers, and my tin cup
and butcher kni f e
slung to my belt, I
again took up the line
of march in a north-
easterly direction, across the prairie.
From the number of roads I crossed to
day, I came to the conclusion that I had
got to an older and more thickly settled
portion of the country. Several of these
roads had evidently been recently travel
ed by many persons on horseback, proba
bly, I thought, by marauding parties from
the Mexican army. Towards evening I
came to a dense cane-brake extending
northwestwardly and southeastwardly as
fur as the eye could reach. This I at
tempted to penetrate, but owing to the
thick growth of cane, everywhere matted
together with briars, vines and creeping
MACON, GrA., DECEMBER 7, 1867.
THE WIG, CANE AND HAT.
plants, I found it impossible to make
much headway through it.
By the time I had concluded to aban
don the attempt in despair, night came
on, and I encamped on the margin of a
small lagoon, cut off from the open prairie
by a narrow belt of cane, and other shrub
bery. I quickly had a tire under "way,
(for the locality looked like a very favor
able one for wolves and other “var
mints,”) and filling my cup with water at
the lagoon, I poured into it a handful of
parched coffee, and set it upon the coals.
When it had boiled for a few moments, I
took it off, and settling it by the addition
of a little cold water, I sweetened it to
my taste, and with this, and some of the
provisions I had brought along with me
in my knapsack, I made a hearty supper,
and then laid down to sleep upon a bed
of cane tops, which I cut with my butcher
knife.
I heard no wolves here, but several
times during the night 1 was roused
by the noise occasioned by some large
animal in making its way through the
dense cane-brake. I suppose it was a
bear, for I saw many of their tracks in
the soft mud near the margin of the la
goon.
Whilst lying awake the next morning
upon my “ cane mattrass,” my attention
was drawn to a rustling among the leaves
near my head, and turning them over, I
discovered an ugly reptile about six or
seven inches in length, which from the
description I had had of them I recogniz
ed at once to be a “centipede.” Not
fancying such a bed-fellow, I quickly dis-
They are a most disgusting-looking rep
tile, and are said to be exceedingly poison
ous, but I have never known an instance
of anyone dying from the effects of their
sting.
As soon as I had cooked and eaten my
breakfast, I attacked the cane-brake with
my butcher knife in hand, determined, if
it were possible to do so, to cut my way
through it, I worked faithfully till mid
dav when I calculated I had made about
four hundred yards from my point of
starting. Such slow progress was ex
tremely discouraging, for at that rate my
journey through the cane-brake, if it were
IST o. 23
patched him with a
stick. Th e y some
what resemble the in
sect vulgarly called in
this country the
“thousand- legged
worm,” but are much
[larger, and flatter,
land their legs are not
|so numerous. They
I are of a dark brown
[ upon the back, and
I some are found with
la red head, but the
most of them are of
a uniform color. —
They have a forked
tail, and a long sting
in the end of each, be
sides a smaller sting
upon each foot.—