the settlement we kept a sharp lookout for him. My father rented a farm in the district for pasture, and two of my brothers and I herded the cattle there. The crazy man claimed this farm, or imagined it was his. If he caught us herding there he would make it a sore affair for us. We watched out for him; if we saw him coming we would run for home, and my big brothers or father, would come and drive him away. We had several narrow escapes. We dodged and fled from the sticks and stones he sent flying after us.

One day my second older brother, Stephen, and I were herding in this field. There was a grove on one side of the field; we were play- ing in this. We climbed a tall white birch tree and were having a de- lightful time, swinging to andfro. We were keeping a sharp lookout for the cows and the old crazy man. We could see quite a distance around but could not see through the grove. Everything seemed to be going happily and safely, when, suddenly and to our dismay, the old man popped out of the bush, and before we could jump and run he was beneath the tree. He had us treed. We had no way of escape. He was armed with his big shillalah. He called to us to come down, but we did not dare to do so; we knew if we did we would get the shillalah over our heads. He did not attempt to climb up. We feared he would, although if he had we would have had a better

chance to escape, as we could get down faster than he could. He took

the surest way to catch us: by staying at the foot of the tree and try- ing to frighten us down. My brother told him if he would. go away we would come down, but he would not do that. He had his game too surely trapped to give them any chance of escape. There was no use in us calling for help. We were too far away from houses to be heard. My broher was higher up on the tree than I was. He saw something had to be done, as it was getting late in the evening. He looked for a good place on the ground, where he could jump down. By going out on a limb he could swing off safely. But he knew it would not do to jump and run away and leave me on the tree; that would be death to me. He watched his chance and suddenly jumped to the ground and picked up a stick and faced the crazy man. I ex- pected to see a fierce battle with sticks. If my brother were beaten there was no chance for me to escape. A blow of the old man’s shil-

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