Burke's weekly for boys and girls. (Macon, Ga.) 1867-1870, February 08, 1868, Page 250, Image 2

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250 Little Eyes and Little Hands. fITTLE eyes. Like the shining bine above, Full of light and love. Full of glee; Telling of a life within, In a world of sin. Born to you and me! * Will they see the golden way, Leading up to day ? And the God to whom we pray. In the skies? Little hands, In the long and weary strife Os a toiling life. Will they win ? Will they early learn to bless? Rescue from distress ? Will they fear to sin ? For the true, the good, the right, Will they bravely fight? Strew along the paths of night Golden sands ? Little feet, Entered on a thorny way; Will it lead to day And renown ? As its rugged steps are trod, Will they climb to God, And a seraph's crown ? Where the loving Saviour goes, Finding friends or foes, Will they follow till life’s close, As is meet ? Little eyes, May they wear an angel’s guise, In the upper skies 1 Little hands, May they, doing God’s commands. Rest in fairer lands ? May these little feet Thee, dear Saviour, run to meet At thy inerey seat; And with joy for sins forgiven, Press to Heaven! Congregationalist. Written for Burke’s Weekly. MAEOONER’S ISLAND; Oil, Dr. Gordon in Search of his Children. BY REV. F. R. GOITI.MNG, Author of the “ Young MaroonerxY CHAPTER XX.— Continued. DISAPPOINTMENT AND RELIEF —INDIAN DE VICE — LATE SUPPER EMBARKATION POOR PROGRESS —LIFE ON THE PRAIRIES WASTE OF LIFE —FIRE ! FIRE ! I LI) CAT'S pan was set upon what Jones called f IHpiU a “ harry-cane* root, fa m ass of earth upturned M a gale with the roots a tree >) beside which Jones also deposited his burden of light wood. Lvjrpf At a slight whistle from their leader, they all levelled their pieces, and at another signal they pulled trigger; then snatching up the light, they ran to see what execution had been done. Wheeler’s buck lay dead in its tracks, having leaped spasmodically upward, then fallen where it stood. Jones’ fell about twenty steps away. Wildcat’s was nowhere to be found, and his disap * Hurricane root. BTJRKE’S WEEKLY, pointment in consequence seemed to be very great. Indeed, his mortification caused him to be almost loquacious. “ I not used to musket,” said he; “ I used to rifle. I kill, though; when day light come, you find mine too, if no wolf here.” And the others kindly encouraged him in this hope. Asa company they had reason to be satisfied with their work, notwithstand ing poor Wildcat’s failure, for there, upon the ground, lay as much venison as their united strength would enable them to carry back to camp, encumbered as they were with guns and other things. Tying the legs of the buck and suspending it upon a pole, Jones and Wildcat lifted it between them, while Wheeler took the other upon his own brawny back. Loaded thus, they were about to start home, when the whole plan was altered in consequence of a pleasant and unex pected discovery made by Wildcat. The pole proving too slender, they were seek ing another, at some distance from the scene of slaughter, when they were sur prised by the sound of a rustling in the bushes, accompanied by a long, deep sigh. Wheeler and Jones looked wistfully at each, but Wildcat, with a joyful “ I said so !” rushed toward the place of the sound, saying to the others “Come see !” Crouch ed in a thicket, lay a half-grown buck, with broken leg and wounded side, just in the act of expiring. They bled it, as they did the others, by severing the blood vessels of the neck. And now, the load being wholly beyond their strength, they resolved to leave the greater part of it till morning, protected from wolves by the usual device. They bent down two strong saplings, and trimming a forked branch at the upper end of each, they in serted it into a hole cut in the abdomen of the two smaller deer and let it flyback to its place. “Now let us travel,” said Wheeler, and soon they were on their way, Wildcat leading the van with his pan of fire, and the two men bearing the large fat buck between them. It was past ten o’clock ere they reach ed camp, and by ordinary rule every man ought to have been in bed and asleep, but their labors that day had been light, and their sympathy with the hunters had kept them awake; in addition to which, the sound of the three guns had raised their expectations, and they were wait ing to see the result of the expedition. It must be confessed, too, that the wakeful ness of some of the men was greatly in creased by a vivid conception of the odor of broiled venison. When the hunters came in, they threw their game upon the ground, leaving to the others the pleasure of skinning and quartering it, and they watched with interest the nice tit-bits which were soon frying upon the coals and the larger and more luscious pieces that were thrust under the embers to roast, after having been enveloped in a thick coating of green leaves. Whether it were that the venison killed that night was uncommonly fat and tender, or whe ther the smoke and ashes of the fire im parted a peculiar flavor, both Dr. Gordon and Tomkins declared that never had venison tasted sweeter. At daybreak four men were detailed to bring in the game left in the woods. There had evidently been some hungry carnivorous visitors at the spot, as was manifest from the disappearance of the offals, which had been thrown upon the ground, but the bodies suspended in the tops of the saplings had been untouched. A rich breakfast of venison steaks, broiled ribs and fried liver awaited their return, and a plentiful supply of the same was prepared also for their midday meal, and by the time they were ready to em bark, the wind and tide were inviting them to go. They made for the northern shore of Char.otte Harbor, which was in full sight, not many miles away, but to wards which their progress was not so rapid or so encouraging as it had been the day before. Hot only was the north ward tendency of the tide impeded by its flow sideways into the harbor, but the raft lay more heavily in the water, being saturated by several days submersion in the briny element, and therefore less buoyant. It began to be certain that either they must work their way to Tam pa by land, or else provide something more manageable than the raft. It was during the laborious voyage of this day that I)r. Gordon, for the purpose of en livening the spirits of the men, said to Wheeler : “You remarked the other night, when our island was afire, that you had witness ed a grand fire-scene of some kind, out West. I, for one, will be glad to hear the particulars of it, and I have no doubt that others of the company will, too.” “ Oh, it was only a fire on the prairies, a common thing enough out there, and a grand thing, too,” the other replied; y it was a small matter in itselt, as eom pared with a trouble that came along with it.” “Indeed!” said Dr. Gordon; “do tell us all about it ?” Wheeler seemed gratified with tin 1 quest, and after a little premising, Aunt on to give the following account: “ I was travelling once as leadci to