The Hunt- Frank Proffitt (NC) 1924 Brown A
[From: The Brown Collection of NC Folklore, version A. This version is from the Hicks/Harmon line. It comes from Frank Proffitt of Beech Mountain , NC, who was Nathan and Rena Hick's son-in-law and the source of The Kingston Trio's "Tom Dooley." Proffitt learned ballads from both sides of his family. Some of his ballads came from great-aunt Nancy Prather.
R. Matteson 2016]
A. "The Hunt, or, The Cruel Brothers." Secured from Frank Proffitt of Sugar Grove, Watauga county, in August, 1924.
1 One day as she sat silently courting
Her brothers says, 'Come over here.
Your courtship shall be shortly ended;
We'll bring him headlong to his grave.'
2 To begin this bloody murder
A-hunting, hunting they must go;
Along with them for to flatter,
Along with them all for to go.
3 They hunted over hills and lonely mountains
And through some valleys were unknown,
Until they came to a patch of briers,
And there they did him kill and thrown.
4 It was late when they returneth,
Their sister ask for the servant man.
'We lost him in the woods a-hunting
And never more could we him find.'
5 One day as she lay silent, weeping,
Her true love come to her bed and stood.
He was poor and swath [1] and ghostly looking,
All wallered over in gores of blood.
6 'What weeps you here, my pretty fair one?
It's only a folly for you to find.
Your brothers being hard and cruel
In such a place you may me find.'
7 She hunted o'er hills and lonely mountains
And through some valleys were unknown
Until she came to a patch of briers.
And there .she found him killed and thrown.
8 His pretty fair cheeks with blood had dyed,
His lips were salt as any brine.
She kissed him over, over, crying,
'Here lies the bosom friend of mine.'
9 Three days and nights she did stay by him,
All down upon her bended knees;
In the midst of all her grief and sorrow
She uttered forth such words as these:
10 'I didn't entending staying by you
Until my heart was broke with woe.
I feel sharp hunger coming on me
Which will cause me back home to go.'
11 It was late when she returneth,
Her brothers ask her where she'd been.
She said: 'You hard-hearted, deceitful villains,
For him alone you both shall swing,'
12 To get shed of this bloody murder
Out on the sea they both did go;
Out on the sea they both went rowing.
And the sea proved both their graves.
1. The editor is unable to guess what meaning was attached to this word