of coorse my
rifle.

"I hed finished the shanty all but the chinkin' an' the buildin' o' a
chimbly, when what shed come on but one o' 'm tarnation floods. It wur
at night when it begun to make its appearance. I wur asleep on the
floor o' the shanty, an' the first warnin' I hed o' it wur the feel o'
the water soakin' through my ole blanket. I hed been a-dreamin', an'
thort it wur rainin', an' then agin I thort that I wur bein' drownded in
the Massissippi; but I wan't many seconds awake, till I guessed what it
wur in raality; so I jumped to my feet like a started buck, an' groped
my way to the door.

"A sight that wur when I got thur. I hed chirred a piece o' ground
around the shanty--a kupple o' acres or better--I hed left the stumps a
good three feet high: thur wan't a stump to be seen. My clearin',
stumps an' all, wur under water; an' I could see it shinin' among the
trees all round the shanty.

"Of coorse, my fust thoughts wur about my rifle; an I turned back into
the shanty, an' laid my claws upon that quick enough.

"I next went in search o' my ole mar. She wan't hard to find; for if
ever a critter made a noise, she did. She wur tied to a tree close by
the shanty, an' the way she wur a-squealin' wur a caution to cats. I
found her up to the belly in water, pitchin' an' flounderin' all round
the tree. She hed nothin' on but the rope that she wur hitched by.
Both saddle an' bridle hed been washed away: so I made the rope into a
sort o' halter, an' mounted her bare-backed.

"Jest then I begun to think whur I wur agoin'. The hul country appeared
to be under water: an' the nearest neighbour I hed lived acrosst the
parairy ten miles off. I knew that his shanty sot on high ground, but
how wur I to get thur? It wur night; I mout lose my way, an' ride chuck
into the river.

"When I thort o' ibis, I concluded it mout be better to stay by my own
shanty till mornin'. I could hitch the mar inside to keep her from
bein' floated away; an' for meself, I could climb on the roof.

"While I wur thinkin' on this, I noticed that the water wur a-deepenin',
an' it jest kim into my head, that it ud soon be deep enough to drownd
my ole mar. For meself I wan't frightened. I mout a clomb a tree, an'
stayed thur till the flood fell; but I shed a lost the mar, an' that
critter wur too valleyble to think o' such a sacryfize; so I made up my
mind to chance crossin' the parairy. Thur wan't no time to be wasted--
ne'er a mi