tures, and legs that reminded one of a carpenter's compass; while his
companion, Sam Switcher, was round-favored, short in limbs and stature,
and fat almost to corpulency--thus forming a contrast to the other of
the most striking kind.

As soon as the laugh at their expense had subsided, Isaac again sang
out: "Squar your hosses' heads thar--get ready, boys--now clippet, and
don't keep us long waiting the bottle! for I reckon as how some on us
is gitting dry. Yehep! yahoa!" and ere the sound of his voice had died
away, down came the switches, accompanied by a terrible yell, and off
went horses and bottle-riders--over stumps, logs and rocks--past trees
and brush, and whatever obstacle might lie in their course--with a speed
that threatened them with death at every moment; while the others
remained quietly seated on their ponies, enjoying the sport, and
sometimes shouting after them such words of encouragement as, "Go it,
Seth!" "Up to him, Sammy!" "Pull up, legs!" "Jump it, fatty!" so long as
the racers were in sight.

This race for the bottle, as it was called, was a peculiar feature for
displaying the horsemanship and hardy recklessness of the early
settlers; as a more dangerous one, to both horse and rider, could not
well be imagined. That the reader may form a clear conception of what it
was in reality--and also to destroy the idea if any such may have been
formed, that it existed only in our imagination--we shall take the
liberty of giving a short extract from the author already quoted. In
speaking of the foregoing, he says:

"The worse the path--the more logs, brush, and deep hollows, the
better--as these obstacles afforded an opportunity for the greater
display of intrepidity and horsemanship. The English fox-chase, in point
of danger to the riders and their horses, is nothing to this race for
the bottle. The start was announced by an Indian yell; when logs, brush,
muddy hollows, hill and glen, were speedily passed by the rival ponies.
The bottle was always filled for the occasion, so that there was no use
for judges; for the first who reached the door was presented with the
prize, with which he returned in triumph to the company. On approaching
them, he announced his victory over his rival by a shrill whoop. At the
head of the troop he gave the bottle first to the groom and his
attendants, and then to each pair in succession to the rear of the line,
giving each a drachm; and then putting the bottle in the bosom