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6 GEOtifilH SCENES. Sy Judge Augustus Sa Id Ivin Longstreet. THE GANDER PULLING. In the year 1798 I resided in the city of Augusta, and, upon visiting the market-house one morning in that year, my attention was called to the following notice, stuck upon one of the pillars of the building. “advurtysement. “Thos woo wish to be inform hearof, is hearof notyfide that edwd. Prator will giv a gander pullin, jis this side of harisburg, on Satterday of thes pres ents munth to All woo mout wish to partak tharof. “e Prator, thos wishin to purtak will cum yearly, as the pullin will be gin soon. “c. p.” If I am asked why “jis this side of harisburg’’ was selected for the promised feat instead of the city of Augusta, I answer from conjecture, but with some confidence, because the ground chosen was near the central point between four rival towns, the citizens of all which “mout wish to partak tharof,” namely Augusta, Springfield, Harrisburg, and Campbell ton. Not that each was the rival of all the others, but that the first and the last were competitors, and each of the others backed the pretensions of its nearest neighbor. Harrisburg sided with Campbellton, not because she had any interest in seeing the business of the two states centre upon the bank of the river, nearly opposite to her, but because, like the “Union Democratic Republican Party of Geor gia,” she thought, after the adoption of the federal constitution, that the several towns of the confederacy should no longer be “separated” by the distinction of local party; but that, laying down all former prejudices and jealousies as a sacrifice on the altar of their country, they should become united in a single body, for the main tenance of those principles which they deemed essential to the public welfare. Springfield, on the other hand, es poused the State Rights’ creed. She admitted that, under the federal com pact, she ought to love the sister states very much; but that, under the Social Compact, she ought to love her own state a little more; and she thought the two compacts perfectly reconcilable to each other. Instead of the towns of the several states getting into single bodies to preserve the public welfare, her doctrine was, that they should be kept in separate bodies to preserve the private wel fare. She admitted frankly, that, liv ing, as she always had lived, right amid gullies, vapours, fogs, creeks, and lagoons, she was wholly incapa ble of comprehending that expansive kind of benevolence, which taught her to love people whom she knew noth ing about, as much as her next door neighbors and friends. Until, there fore, she should learn it from the prac tical operation of the Federal Compact, she would stick to the oldfashioned Scotch love, which she understood perfectly, and “go in” for Augusta, live or die, hit or miss, right or wrong. As in the days of Mr. Jefferson, the Springfield doctrine prevailed, Camp bellton was literally nullified; inso much that, ten years ago, there was not a house left to mark the spot where once flourished this active, busy little village. Those who are curious to know where Springfield stood at the time of which I am speaking have only to take their position at the intersection of Broad and Marbury streets, in the city of Augusta, and they will be in the very heart of old Springfield. Sixty steps west, and as many east of this po- sition, will measure the whole length of this Jeffersonian republican village, which never boasted of more than four dwelling houses; and Broad street measures its width, if we exclude kitchens and stables. And, while upon this subject, since it has been pre dicted by a man for whose opinions I entertain the profoundest respect (especially since the prediction), that my writings will be read with increas ed interest a hundred years to come; and as I can see no good reason, if this be true, why they should not be read a thousand years hence with more interest, I will take the liberty of dropping a word here to the cu rious reader of the year 1933. He will certainly wish to know the site of Harrisburg (seeing it is doomed, at no distant period, to share the fate of Springfield) and of Campbellton. Supposing, then, that if the great fire in Augusta, on the 3rd of April, 1829, did not destroy that city nothing will, I select this as a permanent object. In 1798, Campbell street was the western verge of Augusta, a limit to which it had advanced but a few years before, from Jackson street. Thence to Springfield led a large road, now built up on either side, and forming a continuation of Broad street. It was called Campbell’s Gully, from the name of the gentleman through whose possessions and near whose dwelling it wound its way to the river. Fol lowing the direction of Broad street from Springfield westward, 1347 yards, will bring you to Harrisburg, which had nothing to boast of over Spring field but a warehouse for the storage of tobacco, then the staple of Geor gia. Continue the same direction 700 yards, then face to your right hand, and follow your nose directly across Savannah river, and, upon ascending the opposite bank, you will be in the busiest part of Campbellton in 1798. Between Harrisburg and Springfield, and 1143 yards from the latter, there runs a stream which may be perpetual. At the time just mentioned, it flowed between banks twelve or fourteen feet high, and was then called, as it still is, “Hawk’s Gully.” Now, Mr. Prator, like the most suc cessful politician of the present day, was on all sides in a doubtful con test; and, accordingly he laid off his gander pulling ground on the nearest suitable unappropriated spot to the centre point between Springfield and Harrisburg. This was between Har risburg and Hawk’s Gully, to the south of the road, and embraced part of the road, but within 100 yards of Harris burg. When “Satterday of thes presents munth” rolled round, I determined to go to the gander pulling. When I reached the spot, a considerable num ber of persons, of different ages, sex es, sizes, and complexions, had col lected from the rival towns and the country around. But few females were there, however; and those few were from the lowest walks of life. A circular path of about forty yards diameter had already been laid out; over which, from two posts about ten feet apart, streched a rope, the middle of which was directly over the path. The rope hung loosely, so as to allow it, with the weight of a gander attach ed to it, to vibrate in an arch of four or five feet span, and so as to bring the breast of the gander within bare ly easy reach of a man of middle stat ure upon a horse of common size. A hat was now handed to such as wished to enter the list; and they THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. threw into it twenty-five cents each; this sum was the victor’s prize. The devoted gander was now produc ed; and Mr. Prator, having first tied his feet together with a strong cord, proceeded to the neck-greasing. Ab horrent as it may be to all who re spect the tenderer relations of life, Mrs. Prator had actually prepared a gourd of goose-grease for this very purpose. For myself, when I saw Ned dip his hands into the grease, and commence stroking down the feathers from breast to head, my thoughts took a melancholy turn. They dwelt in sadness upon the many conjugal fe licities which had probably been shar ed between the greasess and the grea see. I could see him as he stood by her side, through many a chilly day and cheerless night, when she was warm ing into life the offspring of their mutual loves, and repelled, with chiv alrous spirit, every invasion of the consecrated spot which she had se lected for her incubation. I could see him moving with patriarchal digni ty by the side of his loved one, at the head of a smiling, prattling group, the rich reward of their mutual care, to the luxuries of the meadow or to the recreations of the pool. And now, alas! an extract from the smoking sacrifice of his bosom friend was des ecrated to the unholy purpose of mak ing his neck “a fit object” for Cruel ty to reach “her quick, unerring fing ers at.” Ye friends of the sacred tie! % judge what were my feelings when, in the midst of these reflections, the voice of James Prator thundered on mine ear, “Darn his old dodging soul; brother Ned! grease his neck till a fly can’t light on it!” Ned, having fulfilled his brother Jim’s request as well as he could, attached the victim of his cruelty to the rope, directly over the path. On each sid/3 of the gander was station ed a man, whose office it was to lash forward any horse which might lin ger there for a moment; for, by the. rules of the ring, all pulling was to be done at a brisk canter. The word was now given for the competitors to mount and take then’ places on the ring. Eight appeared; Tall Zubley Zin, mounted upon Sally Spitfire; Arch Perdew, on Hellcat; James Dickson, on Nigger; David Williams, on Gridiron; Fat John Ful ger, on Slouch; Gorham Bostwick, on Gimlet; and Turner Hammond, on ’Possum. “Come, Gentlement,” said Command ant Prator, “fall in. All of you git behind another, sort o’ in a row.” All came into the track very kind ly but Sally Spitfire and Gridiron. The former, as soon as she saw a general movement of horses, took it for granted there was mischief brew ing, and because she could not tell where it lay, she concluded it lay everywhere, and therefore took fright at everything. Gridiron was a grave horse; but a suspicious eye which he cast to the right and left, wherever he moved, showed that “he was wide awake,” and that “nobody better go fooling with him,” as his owner sometimes used to say. He took a sober but rather intense view of things; inso much that, in his contemplations, he passed over the track three times be fore he could be prevailed upon to stop in it. He stopped at last, how ever; and when he was made to un derstand that this was all that was required of him for the present, he surrendered his suspicions at once, with a countenance which seemed to plainly say, “Oh, if this is all you want, I’ve no objection to it.” It was long before Miss Spitfire could be prevailed upon to do the like. “Get another horse, Zube,” said one, “Sal will never do for a gander pull in.” “I won’t,” said Zube. “If she won’t do, I’ll make her do. I want a nag that goes off with a spring; so that, when I get a hold, she’ll cut the neck in two like a steel-trap.” At length Sally was rather flung than coaxed into the track, directly ahead of Gridiron. “Now, gentlemen,” said the master of the ceremonies, “no man’s to make a grab till all’s been once round; and when the first man are got round, then the whole twist and tucking of you grab away as you come under (Look here, Jim Fulger! you better not Stand too close to that gander, I tell you), one after another. Now blaze away!” (the command of an onset of every kind with people of this order). Off they went, Miss Sally delighted for she now thought the whole pa rade would end in nothing more nor less than her favorite amusement, a race. But Gridiron’s visage pronounc ed this the most nonsensical busienss that eyer a horse of sense was engag ed in since the world began. For the first three rounds Zebley was wholly occupied in restraining Sally to her place; but he lost nothing by this, for the gander had escaped un hurt. On completing his third round, Zube reached forth his long arm, grabbed the gander by the neck with a firmness which seemed likely to defy goose-grease, and, at the same instant, he involuntarily gave Sally a sudden check. She raised her head, which before had been kept nearly touching her leader’s hocks, and for the first time saw the gander in the act of descending upon her; at the same moment she received two peal ing lashes from the whippers. The way she now broke for Springfield “is nothing to nobody.” As Zube rushed the road, the whole circus raised a whoop after him. This started about twenty dogs, hounds, curs, and point ers, in full chase of him (for no one moved without his dog in those days). The dogs alarmed some belled cattle, which were grazing on Zube’s path, just as he reached them; these joined him, with tails up and a tremendous rattling. Just beyond these were three tobacco-rollers, at distances of fifty and a hundred yards apart; each of whom gave Zube a terrific whoop, scream, or yell as he passed. He went in and out of Hawk’s Gul ly like a trapball, and was in Spring field “in less than no time.” Here he was encouraged onward by a new recruit of dogs; but they gave up the chase as hopeless before they cleared the village. Just beyond Springfield, what should Sally encounter but a flock of geese! the tribe to which she owed all her misfortunes. She stopp ed, suddenly, and Zube went over her head with the last acquired veloc ity. He was up in a moment and the activity with which he pursued Sally satisfied every spectator that he was unhurt. Gridiron, who had witnessed Miss Sally’s treatment with astonishment and indignation, resolved not to pass between the post until the whole mat ter should be explained to his satisfac tion. He therefore stopped short, and, by very intelligible looks, demanded of the whippers whether, if he passed be tween them, he was to be treated as Miss Sally Spitfire had been. The whippers gave him no satisfaction, and his rider signified, by reiterated thumps of the heel, that he should go through whether he would or not. Os these, however, Gridiron seemed to know nothing. In thq midst of the conference, Gridiron’s eye lit upon the oscillating gander, and every moment’s survey of it begat in him a growing interest, as his slowly rising head, suppressed breath, and projected ears