nnit; so I gin the mar a kick or two in the ribs an' started.

"I found the path out to the edge of the parairy easy enough. I hed
blazed it when I fust come to the place; an', as the night wur not a
very dark one, I could see the blazes as I passed atween the trees. My
mar knew the track as well as meself, an' swaltered through at a sharp
rate, for she knew too thur wan't no time to be wasted. In five
minnites we kim out on the edge o' the pairairy, an' jest as I expected,
the hul thing wur kivered with water, an' lookin' like a big pond, I
could see it shinin' clur acrosst to the other side o' the openin'.

"As luck ud hev it, I could jest git a glimp o' the trees on the fur
side o' the parairy. Thur wur a big clump o' cypress, that I could see
plain enough; I knew this wur clost to my neighbour's shanty; so I gin
my critter the switch, an' struck right for it.

"As I left the timmer, the mar wur up to her hips. Of coorse, I
expected a good grist o' heavy wadin'; but I hed no idee that the water
wur a-gwine to git much higher; thur's whur I made my mistake.

"I hedn't got more'n a kupple o' miles out when I diskivered that the
thing wur a-risin' rapidly, for I seed the mar wur a-gettin' deeper an'
deeper.

"'Twan't no use turnin' back now. I ud lose the mar to a dead sartinty,
if I didn't make the high ground; so I spoke to the critter to do her
best, an' kep on. The poor beast didn't need any whippin'--she knew as
well's I did meself thur wur danger, an' she wur a-doin' her darndest,
an' no mistake. Still the water riz, an' kep a-risin', until it come
clur up to her shoulder.

"I begun to git skeart in airnest. We wan't more 'n half acrosst, an' I
seed if it riz much more we ud hav to swim for it. I wan't far astray
about that. The minnit arter it seemed to deepen suddintly, as if thur
wur a hollow in the parairy: I heerd the mar give a loud gouf, an' then
go down, till I wur up to the waist. She riz agin the next minnit, but
I could tell from the smooth ridin' that she wur off o' the bottom. She
wur swimmin', an' no mistake.

"At fust I thort o' headin' her back to the shanty; an' I drew her round
with that intent; but turn her which way I would, I found she could no
longer touch bottom.

"I guess, strengers, I wur in a quandairy about then. I 'gun to think
that both my own an' my mar's time wur come in airnest, for I hed no
idee that the critter could iver swim to the other side, 'specially wi