Page:Recollections of My Boyhood.djvu/12

 folks seeing my bloody hands and agonized pose of countenance, came promptly to my assistance, and by carefully withdrawing each talon, as though it had been a thorn in the flesh, succeeded in separating me and my prize. I was told afterwards that they managed to give the bird its freedom without it causing further bloodshed. That ended the sport.

My brothers, Elisha and Warren, the first about four and the second about two years older than I was, and James, a cousin about the age of Warren and myself, were often about the river fishing, wading, wallowing in the mud, and sand, and trying to swim. And yet I think we were often advised and even commanded not to go in swimming, as there was danger of being drowned.

One early spring day, the snow and ice were melting, and a rivulet which poured into the river near the house, was full of roaring and foaming muddy water, of course about as cold as ice itself. But the sun was shining quite warm and we boys were having a jolly time, wading and floundering around in the angry waters. The excitement had thrown us off our guard, and we were taken with a sudden surprise and almost overcome with a feeling of wretchedness when we discovered mother standing on the bank among our clothes, with a long switch in her hand. No threat or punishment or cry of despair was heard above the dashing waters, but every boy, blue and numb as he was with cold, stuck his toes and fingers into the muddy bank and made a dash for his clothes. But I do not think we were much afraid of actual punishment, although fairly caught in an act of disobedience, for I had never known mother to cause a child to suffer pain, however alarming her threats might have been. If she had been stern enough to punish us, as she probably believed she would, surely this was her great opportunity, for we were naked and, being thoroughly wet, could not get into our shirts. My brother Elisha had thrust his head and hands into his shirt, and though he made frantic efforts to get under cover, the garment stuck fast. Mother probably considering him the most responsible party, thought she would make an example of him and actually gave him a swipe across the shoulders with the switch, which made him dance around and redouble his comical efforts to get his shirt on. But the ridiculous and pitiful spectacle