The Arkansas Banner

While River Bottom.

Jackson county, Arkansas.

Dear L.-For the benign purpose of permitting my facetious friend Orricup to know that I am once more at home in Jacksonport, and that his conclusions about my anxiety for the chase in the river bottoms of this delightful region for manly sport, were not entirely erroneous, I proceed to give you, currente-calamo (as the classical quill-drivers of the day have it,) the result of my first hunt. As old Sol rose from his morning pillow, red in the face, and looking for all the world as if he had just taken his morning bitters, before proceeding on his day's journey, one wind of my silver-mounted horn brought out nine of my pack, whose musical notes of heart thrilling melody were never excelled by the far-famed Grecian Nine themselves. We (that is Boone, Crockett, and old Crowder, with the balance, and myself and shot gun,) hied away to the Park Bottom, my favorite hunting ground, when my three leaders came upon a trail rather cold, though with commendable pertinacity they continued to follow it, and in crossing a bayou, I found it to be that of an old buck, who would not be taken so easily- For he was truly fleet, and swift and cunning; Finally the old fellow bounding from a small cane-brake, gracefully shook his branching antlers by way of mocking salutation, and seemed to say, as did Sir Peter Teazle of his boar, Dr. B. "I leave you behind me," and laying brisket to the blue water, we parted, alas, to meet no more. My dogs ran rapidly but for the want of due exercise for the last two months they were too fat to press him sufficiently hard. Whilst he was swimming through the river, my sad disappointment was metamorphosed into something like a cogitation upon the mutability of a huntsman's fortune, and turning around, I discovered that my whole pack of hounds had run over some 150 yards distance, an Opossum. He was with his usual instinct lying down, with a ghastly grin upon his countenance, pretending to be dead, in order to deceive the dogs, in which he succeeded, for they passed on; but I determined to watch the gentleman's movements. He acted his part well-so admirably indeed that he came near taking in a turkey buzzard hovering above, but as the sequel will prove, the buzzard took him in. The opossum seemed to me to be in some such quandary when attacked by his devouring opponent, as yours seemed when sitting upon the fence undetermined whether to go into the cornfield and eat corn, or go back to the woods and eat acorns, at the time he was surprised and taken prisoner by Col. B., and presented to you for dinner. The buzzard, however, whetted his beak and prepared to make a sumptuous repast upon the seemingly dead 'possum by picking first at his eye--the unfortunate fellow still true to his first conception of safety, nerved himself for the dreadful ordeal, stiffened his joints and gave a sarcastic grin, imagining all the while he was beset by old Crockett. The buzzard picked -the varmint showed his long white tusks, and closed his eye the tighter, which increased the voracity of his hungry opponent-for such he was from the manner in which he set about his morning repast upon the body of the arch old pretender.- Until then I had always actually despised the critters, but henceforward I shall always entertain the highest degree of respect for the indubitable integrity, and most persevering resolution to deceive at the cost of life itself, as exhibited by this hero of his kind. He stuck to it that he was dead-suffered his eyes to be torn out-his entrails riddled in confirmation of his appearance of being nothing more than an old dead 'possum. The vultures, no doubt, had a hearty laugh over this meal, for several had joined in by this time, and plauded themselves upon the idea of a live varmint making no resistance whatever to their operations.

It will not do to doubt this fact-and it shall not be disputed-for I can assure the credulous that's the nature of the varmint. I have been out since morning, and am somewhat fatigued. No buck-no does yet, and now 11 o'clock, a. m. I must go you know where, and so adieu-your health.

B.