me for 'de shootin;' and the
well-dressed body servant who had roused 'young massa oncommon airly'
for the same purpose; all, white, black, and yellow--and some neither
white, black, nor yellow--were there; scattered over various parts of
the ground, engaged in lounging, playing, drinking, smoking, chewing,
chatting, swearing, wrangling, and looking on at the turkey match.

A live turkey was fastened to an ordinary bean pole, in a remote quarter
of the ground, and when I emerged from the cabin, seven or eight
'natives' had entered for 'a shot.' The payment of a 'bit,' 'cash down,'
to Tom, who officiated as master of ceremonies, secured a chance of
hitting the turkey's head with a rifle bullet at 'long distance.' Any
other 'hit' was considered 'foul,' and passed for nothing. Whoever shot
the mark took the prize, and was expected to 'treat the crowd.' As 'the
crowd' seemed a thirsty one, it struck me that turkey would prove
expensive eating to the fortunate shots; but they were oblivious to
expense, and in a state of mind that unfitted them for close financial
calculations.

Nearly every marksman present had 'carried off his poultry,' and Tom had
already reaped a harvest of dimes from the whiskey drinking. 'Why, bless
ye,' he said to me, 'I should be broke, clean done up, if it warn't fur
the drinks; I haint got more'n a bit, or three fips, fur nary a fowl;
the fust shot allers brings down the bird; they're all cocksure on the
trigger--ary man on 'em kin hit a turkey's eye at a hundred paces.' This
was true; and in such schools were trained the unerring marksmen who are
now 'bringing down' the bravest youth of our country, like fowls at a
turkey match.

A disturbance had broken out on a remote part of the ground, and,
noticing about twenty negro men and women seated on a log near by, I
went in that direction, in hopes of meeting the negro trader. It was a
dog fight. Inside an imaginary ring about ten feet in diameter, two dogs
were clenched in what seemed a life-and-death struggle. One was holding
the other down by the lower jaw, while a man, evidently the owner of the
half-vanquished brute, was trying to separate them. Outside this ring
about twenty other brutes--men, women, and children--were cheering the
combatants, and calling on the meddler to desist. It was strange how the
peacemaker managed to stand up against the volleys of oaths they
showered on him; he did, however, and persisted in his laudable efforts,
till