there was great abundance of pasture for our stock, and uncle had cut plenty of wild grass, the summer before, for all our stock through the coming winter; and we had an excellent log-cabin to live in. This cabin had been the residence of an old hunter, whose name was Augustian Friend, or "Old Teen Friend," as he was called. He had squatted there, to hunt in those beautiful glades and the surrounding mountains; and he had left here to go on the Cheat River, to settle on a new place, where no other hunters would interfere with him. He left a fine potato patch and garden, which we took pos- session of as our own, and no person objected to our claiming the premises.
Here we were in the place I had so long been looking for, with so much anxiety; and I must say that what my uncle had told me as a truth was fully realized; for the country abounded with deer, bears, panthers, wolves, wild cats, catamounts, wild turkeys, foxes, rabbits, phea-
A HUNTER'S LIFE. 21
sants, partridges, wild bees, and in all the streams trout without number.
October being the beginning of the hunting season, my uncle commenced his task of laying in the winter's provi- sions: some days he would hunt for deer, other days for bees; and, as ho was most successful in bee-hunting, he spent more of his time in hunting bees than he did in pursuing the deer. Soon our table was abundantly sup- plied with venison and honey; and the high, fresh tame grass caused our cows to give large quantities of milk, from which aunt, who was a very industrious woman, made plenty of butter; and frequently a fat turkey being added to our table store, we began to think that there was not such a place to be found in all creation.
Things went on well enough until the news came to us that General St. Clair's whole army had been defeated and cut to pieces. This was such frightening news, that aunt was almost ready to leave all, and seek some better place of safety; and indeed I believe uncle too was a little frightened. Be that as it may, he continued but a short time until he took up his march again for the "Blooming Rose." In that neighbourhood there were some thirty or forty families, who were not so easily frightened. Here we continued until the next spring, being 1792; when uncle moved into Monongahela county, in Virginia, to a brother that he had living there. His name was James Spurgin : he was a business man, yet without any educa- tion, but managed his business well, and soon became a wealthy man. Those two married sisters, who were also sisters to my mother.
Here we all lived on the same farm. Uncle James's family consisted of five children, two sons and three daughters, of whom I became dotingly fond; and when our family left theirs, I was sorely afflicted. We did not
22 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF
move more than two miles apart, and I was allowed to visit often. It gave me great joy to meet them, more especially the second daughter, who was about my age. So things continued, until uncle became restless, and, wishing to have another new home, determined to go back to the Blooming Rose again. This was a hard trial for me. I had all my playmates, and, the worst of all, my sweet cousin to leave. I was, as I thought, in a bad way. I had the cows to drive, and I got them in front, and pushed them hard, so that I could give vent to my feel- ings, for I was ashamed to be seen crying in the road. But by and by we arrived at our journey's end. Here I was a stranger to everybody, and of course kept close at home for at least a month or two.
Our nearest neighbour was an Irish family by the name of McMullen. They had five children, viz., Mary, Hugh, Jane, John, and Thomas. The father's name was James McMullen, and his wife's name was Rachel. One day another boy and myself were in the woods near the old man's farm, and our dog gave chase to something, we knew not what, and ran it into a hole in the ground. I sent the boy to McMullen's for the loan of a mattock to dig out our game. We soon had the fellow out, and he was a very large ground hog. He gave our dog at least fifteen minutes' hard fighting, and when the battle ended we went to the house to return the mattock. I sent the boy with it, as I was a stranger, and too bashful to be seen in a strange place. When the boy told that the ground hog was out with me, the three oldest children came to see the animal. Mary was then in her twelfth year, and I was six months older. She was a beautiful girl, and I was struck with her beauty, and soon got a small acquaintance with the family. I was at all times ready and willing to do anything that would please the old people. But soon there was a school to be made up,
A HUNTER'S LIFE. 23
and my uncle signed me for three months, and, to my great pleasure, Mr. McMullen signed Mary and Hugh. This was just as I wished it to be, for they had to pass by our house on their way to and from school. In a short time they came, and off' we went together, all merry and play- ful. All was as it should be for weeks and weeks, while I done everything I could to get into her favor, until the school broke up, for which I was very sorry.
I had learned finely, and Mary had taken every oppor- tunity to assist me in my lessons, for she had been three months at school before the time we commenced together; and when we left school, I could read and write as well as she could. But never did a boy exert himself with more ambition than I did on that occasion, for I was determined to be as fast as herself at all events, and either Mary or I would be at the head of the class almost every night. This caused an intimacy between us that convinced me that my kind attention to her, as well as towards her brother Hugh, had made a very favorable impression on her young heart. I believe that her father had some idea of our friendship getting stronger than he wished to see it, and he took care to keep us at a distance as much as he could; but her mother and all the children were my friends. Mary and myself were at this time about fifteen years old, and had passed many pleasant hours in social pastime, unknown to her father. I would watch his move- ments closely, and, when I knew he would be from home at nights, I would go to see her and the family generally. But I am free to confess that if Mary had not been there, I should have saved myself the trouble of making those visits to the family. This was kept up until I was very nearly found out by her father.
He had gone from home, as I thought, for all night, and I concluded I would see Mary that night once more, and have a chat Off I went, heart in hand, but being?
24 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF
afraid her father would come home unexpectedly, and as I dreaded to be found in her company (my fears were more for her than myself), as I was apprehensive that he would treat her badly, and that would be worse than any punish- ment he could inflict on me. In order to be sure he was not at home, I went to the back window and peeped in, and saw the mother and family quietly sitting at work, but no old man. Taking it for granted he was not there, I was about to turn the corner to the door, when, to my utter confusion, "Bow I wow! wow!" barked a large dog, and "Catch him, Prince" screamed the old man. "Heaven and earth! thunder and storm!" thought I to myself, "what now?" As quick as thought could come, I determined to keep the house between us, until I could make a safe retreat. Behind the house I flew, and seeing a flock of sheep lying at a short distance from me, and, having light clothes on, I fell on my hands and feet, and began to gallop as fast as I could into the flock of sheep, hoping the old man would take me to be one of the flock Off went the sheep, the old man screaming at his dog to catch what he took to be a prowling wolf—the sheep and myself both galloping for good life, until I was completely out of the old man's sight. When I found I had succeeded so well, I said to myself, "Clear once more, by gracious, and nothing to brag of! This shall be the last time I will go behind any person's house to see what is in it. I had better have gone in boldly, when I could have made some excuse for being so late, and got off" like a man. But if I had been discovered, Mary would never have heard the last of it," These reflections past, I wiped the sweat off my face, and fixed up my shirt, which had been rearly all drawn up towards my head, by my shoulders being so much lower than my hips in the galloping scrape; and in heaving and bounding forward to keep up with the 'sheep my linen was all round the middle of my body.
A HUNTER'S LIFE. 25
After getting my clothes straight again, I started
