“The bar ’peered s’prised to see me standin’ ready for him in the openin’; for it war currently reported ’mong his brethren that I war either dead, or no use for bar. I thought fust he war skeered; and, Doc, I b’leve he war, till he cotch a sight of my wooden leg, and that toch his pride, for he knew he would be hist outen every she bear’s company, ef he run from a poor, sickly, one-legged cripple, so on he cum, a small river of slobber pourin’ from his mouth, and the blue smoke curlin’ outen his ears. I tuck good aim at his left, and let drive. The ball struck him on the eyebrow, and glanced off, only stunnin’ him for a moment, jes givin’ me time to club my rifle, an’ on he kum, as fierce as old grizzly. As he got in reach, I gin him a lick ’cross the temples, brakin’ the stock in fifty pieces, an’ knockin’ him senseless. I struv to foller up the lick, when, Doc, I war fast—my timber toe had run inter the ground, and I cuddent git out, though I jerked hard enuf almost to bring my thigh out of joint. I stuped to unscrew the infurnal thing, when the bar cum too, and cum at me agen. Vim! I tuck him over the head, and, cochunk, he keeled over. Oh! but I cavorted and pitched. Thar war my wust enemy, watin’ for me to giv him a finisher, an’ _I cuddent_ git at him. I’d cummense unacrewin’ leg—here cum bar—vim—cochunk—he’d fall out of reach—and, Doc, _I cuddent git to him_. I kept workin’ my body round, so as to unscrew the leg, and keep the bar off till I cood ’complish it, when jes as I tuck the last turn, and got loose from the pesky thing, here cum bar, more venimous than ever, and I nude that war death to one out, and comin’ shortly. I let him get close, an’ then cum down, with a perfect tornado on his head, as I thought; but the old villain had learnt the dodge—the barrel jes struck him on the side of the head, and glanst off, slinging itself out of my hands ’bout twenty feet ’mongst the thick cane, and thar I war in a fix sure. Bar but little hurt—no gun—no knife—no dogs—no frens—no chance to climb—_an’ only one leg that cood run_. Doc, I jes cummenst makin’ ’pologies to ole Master, when an idee struck me. Doc, did you ever see a piney woods nigger pullin’ at a sassafras root? or a suckin’ pig in a tater patch arter the big yams? You has! Well, you can ’magin how I jurkt at that wudden leg, for it war the last of pea-time with me, sure, if I didn’t rise ’fore bar did. At last they both cum up, ’bout the same time, and I braced myself for a death struggle. “We fit all round that holler! Fust I’d foller bar, and then bar would chase me! I’d make a lick, he’d fend off, and showin’ a set of teeth that no doctor, ’cept natur, had ever wurkt at, cum tearin’ at me! We both ’gan to git tired, I heard the boys and dogs cumin’, so did bar, and we were both anxshus to bring the thing to a close ’fore they cum up, though I wuddent thought they were intrudin’ ef they had cum up some time afore.