FARMING AT FOURCHE LE FAVE--A BACKWOODS “FROLIC”--RESIDENCE AT KELFER’S
FARM--SCHOOLS--HUNTING EXCURSION.
The Ohio--Partnership in farming--Fourche Le Fave--Mr.
Kelfer--Congress land--My cooking operations--Pig-killing--Decoys
used in shooting turkeys--Shooting by night--Salt licks--Mosquitoes
and ticks--Dissensions on our farm--A grand “frolic”--Canoe voyage
through the woods--Sickness--Kelfer and his family--Sessions at
Fourche le Fave--Shooting expedition with Slowtrap--Reserve of the
Americans--Adventures of the early settlers with Indians--Raccoon
shooting--Bee-hunting with bait--Tempest--Panther-hunting.
Having received a letter from Rutkin, in Louisiana, with whom I had
passed some pleasant days, inviting me to visit him, and intending to
return to Arkansas to shoot (but to the hills in the west, instead of
the swamps), and having nothing to detain me, I accepted the invitation,
and taking a hearty leave of all friends, I was soon once more on my way
to the south.
The steamer “Artisan,” with cattle, poultry, flour, whiskey, and
passengers, carried me down the beautiful Ohio. It was very cold; and as
we lay at Louisville, taking in more cargo, it began to snow hard. By
the time we had reached the mouth of the Ohio, the snow was eight inches
deep, and continued so as far as Memphis; nor did it entirely disappear
till we had passed Natchez.
The nights were very dark, and the boat landed me seven or eight miles
above the right place, so I had to walk to Rutkin’s, leaving my baggage
at a plantation, and calling for it next day.
Rutkin gave me a cordial reception. He was on the point of selling his
hotel at Pointe Coupée, and removing, with all his family, to Arkansas,
as the climate of Louisiana did not agree with them. Two friends, Haller
and Kean, were to join him, the former with a family.
Early in January we went up the stream in the steamer “Amazon” to the
mouth of the Arkansas, and started from thence by one of the smaller
boats that run from its mouth, through the dark forests, to the western
forts. Our first point was Little Rock, from whence we intended to go to
Fort Smith, on the west frontier, leaving the women and children till a
house was prepared for them.
Rutkin had a capital of about 4,000 dollars, and the others 0,000
amongst them. It was arranged that we should all settle on our tract of
land, and cultivate it together, R. taking a stock of goods for trading,
which was also to be carried on in common, he receiving four per cent.
for his outlay. As the money was at his disposal, he was to a certain
degree our chief, but we were all on good terms with each other.
We heard Fourche le Fave very highly spoken of, and particularly the
land in its neighborhood. We went to look at the place, and were well
received by a settler there, Mr. Kelfer. He rode over the country with
us, showed us every thing that was to be seen, and did all in his power
to make our visit agreeable. We could not see much of the land for snow,
but K. assured us that it was very good, the pasture excellent, and the
shooting also good. K. seemed likely to make a pleasant neighbor, and we
soon came to terms. There were two dwelling-houses, with two fields not
far apart, belonging to an American named Wilson, who was, as usual,
willing to sell. In half an hour the matter was settled, 250 dollars,
Arkansas paper currency, being paid for the whole. There were two other
fields, making altogether about thirteen or fourteen acres of arable
land, fenced in. The house furthest from the river was a very good one.
It has to be noticed that this was Congress land; that is, it belonged
to the United States government, and the first settler on it has a prior
right to purchase it, called in American law “preëmption right.” The
advantages of this system to the settler are as follows: he may settle
on the land and cultivate it as his own, no one having a right to turn
him off, till it has been surveyed and announced for sale in the
Government Gazette. He then has the right of purchasing a quarter
section, or 160 acres, or even as little as forty acres at the rate of a
dollar and a quarter an acre, even though another should bid a larger
sum for it. This right Wilson transferred to us with his “improvements.”
After concluding the purchase, we all came to Little Rock. Rutkin and
Keen went to Louisiana to bring over the families, while Haller and I
bought provisions, and returned to Fourche le Fave. Little Rock was
much increased and improved since I first saw it two years ago, but the
place never pleased me.
Our house being near the river, we required a boat, partly to carry out
goods from Little Rock to the place of destination, thirty miles up the
Arkansas, and forty miles up the Fourche le Fave, and partly to carry us
occasionally across the river. We obtained a very good one for ten
dollars, loaded it with flour, potatoes, coffee, sugar, some carpenter’s
tools, and a puppy that had been given me, and which I meant to break
in, and rowed away in good spirits towards our new home.
We entered the Fourche le Fave on the evening of the second day, hoping
to reach a house, said to be about seven miles up the stream; but we
could not find the smallest spot fit for a human habitation, and landed
on a projecting rock, quite tired, between nine and ten o’clock. As it
had rained all day, this was the only clean spot we could find; and the
stone was so small that we were obliged to rest our feet in the boat, to
keep them out of the water.
Next day it rained harder, and we were very glad to get to a house
before dark, where we were in some measure protected from the tremendous
rain. I say in some measure, because the roof was none of the best, the
rain dropping on my face and neck; luckily, before dark, I had espied an
old cotton umbrella in a corner (no common article in a block-house),
and slept comfortably enough for the rest of the night under its
shelter.
We arrived next evening at Kelfer’s farm, where we were hospitably
received, and reached our place of destination on the day following. The
four naked walls looked dreary enough at first, but we soon made
ourselves comfortable. We had nothing to do but to repair the fences,
and wait till the weather was cold enough to preserve meat, and to buy
and kill pigs for both families for the winter. Soon after our arrival,
I had happened to fall upon the slippery bank of the river, and tore
open my left hand, and afterwards, as I was chopping a plank with my
tomahawk, not being able to hold it properly, it slipped, and I smashed
one of my fingers. Haller tore up one of my shirts to bind the wound,
and as I could now for awhile do nothing else, I attended to the
cooking, which was carried on as follows: first, we had a cask of wheat
flour, of which I made bread for every meal; secondly, corned pork, cut
in thin slices and fried; and lastly, coffee. The sugar was kept in a
paper parcel on a shelf, and each helped himself. At dinner, a glass of
whiskey was substituted for the coffee. After about three weeks, being
in a rage with something, I threw the fryingpan out at the door, whereby
its handle was broken, and it was rendered by no means more convenient
to cook with; then Haller one day made a false step, and stumbled on the
coffee-pot, which, in consequence, had to be stopped with a little paste
every morning. The washing-up I found more disagreeable than the
cooking.
Meantime, my hand had got better. The weather set in very cold, and we
resolved to kill and salt the pigs we had bought, weighing about 200
pounds each. A young American, whom we had engaged to help us, cut down
a large sassafras tree, and hollowed out half a dozen troughs, five for
the meat, and one for the lard.
The neighbors were called in to help, the pigs driven into the
enclosure, shot, stuck, scalded, cleaned, and carried into the house.
Not having any large caldron to scald them, it was done Arkansas
fashion. A cask with the head out was half sunk in the earth, and filled
with cold water, and a large fire was made close by and covered with
stones. When these were hot enough, they were thrown into the water, and
the cask covered with a blanket. The water was soon hot enough for our
purpose: the pig was dipped once or twice in the water, and five or six
pairs of hands soon removed all the bristles. By evening all was
finished, and part of the fat laid aside, out of reach of the dogs, for
making soap. The good people who came to help us, now set-to to drink,
assisted by Haller, so that in the course of an hour and a half, none of
them knew exactly whether he was standing on his head or his feet. As
soon as they were all screwed up, I laid one in each trough, and left
them to repose. Before it came to this, Haller and the young American
had sworn eternal friendship, clasped each other round the neck,
mutually supported each other to prevent their falling on the stupid
staggering ground, till at last they went down like a couple of
flour-sacks. Next day the pigs were cut up, salted, and suspended in the
smoking house. In the evening we went to our next neighbor to borrow a
caldron, to melt down the fat; but when I went to get it, a large
quantity of fat had vanished, not through the dogs, but through wolves,
whose trail I plainly traced through the soft sand near the river, not
fifteen paces from the house; but enough was left for our purpose.
I was now well enough to shoot again, and had good sport with the
turkeys, rising before daybreak, stationing myself near their roost, and
remaining quite still till early dawn, then imitating the voice of the
night-owl. The indignant turkey begins to gobble with great force, and
betrays his whereabouts; by creeping noiselessly near his perch, he may
be easily knocked over before broad daylight. If the day should be too
far advanced for the sportsman to gain upon him unperceived, he must
crouch behind a fallen tree, or other cover, and use a decoy-pipe, made
from the second bone of the hen turkey’s wing, split a little on both
sides. One end of this he applies to his mouth, keeping the other end in
the hollow of his hands. As soon as the cock hears it, he flies down,
gobbling furiously, and struts towards the sound, with his wings
trailing along the ground, his comb and wattles in full bloom, and his
tail spread out. He sometimes will come so near that the sportsman is
obliged to give a short whistle to check him, because it is very
difficult to hit him in the right place with a single ball when his
feathers are all ruffled. On hearing the whistle he pulls up short,
looks round suspiciously, and utters a warning K-t-t-t. Now fire, or
good-by turkey. This sport was so attractive, that I hardly let a
morning pass without bringing home a turkey; but it was long before I
was perfect in my practice, and I lost many a shot by a false note, or
heedless noise.
At the end of two months, Kean arrived early one morning with the news
that Rutkin’s and Haller’s families were in a large flat-bottomed boat,
at the mouth of the Fourche le Fave. Haller took the boat immediately to
join them, leaving Kean with me. Fresh life came with the new arrivals:
Rutkin brought a quantity of wares with him, which were all stowed in a
house we had built for the purpose. They consisted chiefly of coffee,
sugar, salt, powder, lead, cottons, &c., &c., all to be sold for ready
money; but as ready money was one of those things which were very scarce
in Arkansas, a system of barter was opened, and cattle, pigs, horses,
salt meat, butter, poultry, eggs, skins, and smoked venison, were
exchanged for the said articles, and conveyed to Little Rock, to be
again sold or exchanged. This part of the business was intrusted to me.
Rutkin took on some more workmen, and the land was prepared for corn. I
was again passionately fond of shooting, and had capital sport. As my
days were generally occupied, it was carried on at night, as follows:
the handle of a frying-pan is lengthened to about four feet by means of
a narrow board; the pan is filled with kindlers and set alight--then
taking it on your shoulder, and your rifle in your hand, you are ready
for sport. If alone, you must take a store of kindlers to replenish the
fire. For the sake of a better aim, a small crutch is cut in the end of
the wooden handle, to rest the rifle. The fire being kept behind your
head, the eyes of the game will glow like balls of fire: the deer,
accustomed to the frequent fires in the forest, are not alarmed. When
first discovered, if at about 100 paces, the eyes will look like a
single ball, but the two become distinct on a nearer approach, which the
sportsman must make with as little noise as possible, and, if possible,
against the wind. When near enough, he lays his rifle in rest, and aims
between the eyes, or, if he can distinguish the outline of the form, at
the heart; and he is generally sure of his game.
There were numbers of salt-licks in the vicinity of the Fourche le Fave,
which were much visited by deer and cattle. The former generally come in
the night, so that the sportsman may take up a station under a scaffold,
on the top of which a fire is made. Four posts are driven into the
ground, five feet apart, and beams laid across, covered with a layer of
leaves or moss, then a layer of sand or earth, on which the fire is
made. The sportsman sits underneath in impenetrable darkness, yet able
to see for seventy or eighty paces on all sides, and easily kills any
deer approaching the lick.
Many a night I lay in the mild warm air of the forest. Sweet and
refreshing as was the face of nature, all was not repose; mosquitoes and
ticks almost drove me to despair. When the fire was once well alight,
the mosquitoes were attracted by it, and destroyed themselves by
thousands, but the ticks became the more furious. They swarm in the
woods about the end of April, and are a dreadful torment to the
new-comer. The full-grown ticks, about the size of a small shot, are not
the worst, because when they bite they may be caught and killed; but in
July, the seed-ticks, smaller than poppy seeds, cover the bushes by
millions, and I have often almost lost myself under them. Tobacco smoke
is the only safeguard against them, as it kills them at once. The poor
cattle are dreadfully tormented by them, particularly when they get into
their ears. The first cold drives them away, though a few may be found
all through the winter.
Meantime the work of the farm went on, and the maize was planted; but a
change came over the spirit of our society. Rutkin, who had hitherto
been friendly and good-natured, became snappish and domineering, and
once or twice ventured to give me orders in a tone that I did not choose
to bear; but as he had been only a short time in Arkansas, I made
excuses for him, laughed at him, took my gun, and absented myself for
above twenty-four hours. On my return, he was always wise enough to act
as if nothing had happened, and to see that giving orders was of no use.
He had also frequent disputes with Kean. Haller agreed with him best,
because he always flattered him, and coincided with him before his face,
though this was by no means the case behind his back.
One day when I was out shooting, R. attacked K., who was small and
slight. To avenge himself, Kean took down his rifle, and would have shot
Rutkin, had not Haller thrown himself between them. Our friendly
relations were now quite broken up. Kean came over to Haller’s, where I
was living, and we withdrew from the partnership, which was more than R.
had reckoned on, as, knowing the state of our finances, he thought he
had us under his thumb. He did not consider that I had a rifle, that
there was plenty of game in Arkansas, and that there was a river running
to New Orleans, where Kean, who was an excellent accountant, could make
sure of a good situation.
We were soon ready to start. I was to take K.’s things in a canoe to
Little Rock, while he was to follow on horseback. But the 4th of July
approached, on which day a farmer on the Fourche le Fave was going to
give a grand entertainment--or frolic, as it is called--in hopes of
being chosen as a member of the legislature at the next election. We
decided on waiting to be present at it.
These frolics generally take place in Spring. When a farmer calls his
neighbors together to collect and burn all the wood he has cut down, it
is called a “log rolling frolic;” and when the women assemble to sew
together a number of different colored patches, it is called a “quilting
frolic;” and in the evening, there is generally a dance, or a game of
forfeits.
I had hitherto never been present at any of these frolics, for I had
rather avoided the throng of men; but as I was about to return to the
woods, where I should perhaps see nothing of social life for months, I
resolved to see men enjoy themselves for once.
The 4th of July arrived, and at about ten o’clock in the morning I
lounged towards the place of destination, leaving my rifle at home. The
strong attraction of some whortleberries detained me some time on the
road, so that I did not arrive till noon. Here all was in movement; the
whole neighborhood had assembled, and the rough backwoodsmen formed many
strange groups; some in hunting-shirts, like myself; some in woollen
homespun coats--but the greater number without their upper garments.
Several fires were lighted, and cooking was going on in various modes,
while, in a shady place near the house, a group of women were occupied
in boiling a “powerful long coffee.”
The sound of a solitary fiddle had been perceptible at a distance, and
sure enough, when I arrived, I found dancing going on amongst the
younger folk, in one of the wings of the double house. I had never
succeeded in acquiring the dances of my own country, much less the
extraordinary movements of those of America; so I amused myself with
looking on, and watching the arrivals, who thronged in from all ends and
corners of the State. A great number of the young women were light and
graceful figures, and looked very interesting on horseback, their cheeks
flushed with their quick ride. But they seemed as if they were going on
a pilgrimage, instead of coming to a ball,--for each fair dame had a
bundle of tolerable size at her saddle-bow; some of them were already
known to me, and I assisted them to alight.
Meantime a long table was laid out before the house, and surrounded with
chairs, benches, &c.; but as it was impossible for all to find seats at
once, the ladies were accommodated first, and waited upon by the
gentlemen. The dinner consisted of roast beef, roast pork, potatoes,
sweet potatoes, maize bread, cakes, and coffee and milk, and went off
very well. Rutkin had brought a case of wine for the ladies, which was
soon emptied. After dinner, a speech was made to the assembled public,
in honor of the birth-day of the United States, and then dancing
commenced again. Picturesque groups were formed here and there, occupied
in various ways. In one place, a party of strong-built, sun-burnt
figures lounged at full length on the grass, relating their shooting
adventures; further on, two figures, astride a fallen tree, were playing
a game of cards; in another place, a party leaping with a heavy stone in
each hand, to give them more impetus; and a row of big fellows were
taking their siesta under the trees, only moving to avoid the too
intrusive rays of the sun, as he declined towards the west. Kean and I
sauntered about amongst the various groups, and occasionally visited the
ball-room--if the interior of a log-house, about sixteen feet by twenty,
can be so called. The air within was hot, almost to suffocation, but the
sight was at times too pretty, at times too comic to be quickly
deserted. Indeed, most of the girls, beating time with their little feet
in jigs, reels, and hornpipes, were pretty enough to chain to the spot
any worshipper of natural beauty. My attention was soon attracted by an
American;--tall, very thin, and rather weak in the knee-joints;--he was
buttoned up in a dark-blue dress coat, with light-blue seams, and yellow
buttons,--a long roll of tobacco stuck out from one of his pockets
which, in the energy of his jumps, he occasionally kicked with his
heels; to prevent its being damaged, he therefore transferred it to the
breast of his coat: the best of the figure was the cravat, which was so
formed, that his head looked like a cup placed in a very large and deep
saucer; his chin was never in sight, and as he jumped, mouth, nose, and
eyes disappeared behind the black bulwark.
Towards evening I joined in a game of cards. Whiskey bottles passed
round, and many of the party were right merry. Having had enough of
cards, I returned to the dancing, which had undergone some interruption;
but the shrill tones of the violino solo were again heard, as I squeezed
through the crowd at the door, into one of the corners right opposite to
the musician. This functionary was in a rather capricious humor passing
abruptly from the wildest allegro to the most dolorous of the dolefuls,
and then breaking off suddenly to ask me for a quid of tobacco. On my
answering that I had none, he inflicted a couple of rough strokes on his
poor instrument, expressed, in coarse language, a most disagreeable wish
respecting the eyes of all the company, on account of the dryness of his
throat, which had only had the contents of two bottles of whiskey down
it, looked wildly round, began to cry, and fell sobbing on the neck of
the thin man in the blue coat, burying his head in the large cravat. He
was seized by the arms and legs, and unceremoniously carried out.
Dancing, of course, ceased during this little intermezzo, and one of the
party offered to find a sober fiddler; but as the amusement would have
been interrupted too long by waiting for him, a tall lad placed himself
in front of the chimney, turned up his sleeves with the utmost gravity,
bent his knees a little, and began slapping them in time with the palms
of his hands; in two minutes all was going on with as much spirit as
before.
At length the promised musician arrived, not however in the promised
condition; but a connoisseur near me remarked that he would do till
twelve o’clock.
To my astonishment, I observed several of the young ladies in white
dresses, whom I was almost sure I had seen before in dark dresses; but,
as I never paid much attention to such things, I thought I must have
been mistaken. An American, however, told me that I was quite right, and
that most of them had already changed their dresses three times; and, if
I kept a look-out, he continued, I should see that some of them would
change again. This, indeed, was the case. Some changed their dresses
five times between noon and the following morning. It would be as
incorrect to dance for a whole night in the same dress as in Europe to
appear without gloves, which latter articles were thought quite
unnecessary here.
A farmer, who lived about eight miles lower down the Fourche le Fave,
promised me an old canoe to carry K.’s things to Little Rock, and said,
that when I got there I might set it adrift, as it was not worth cutting
up; so I settled to go home with him next morning to bring the canoe
back.
A little after twelve the old American’s prophecy came to pass, and the
second fiddler was carried out and laid on the grass, while a third was
soon found to take his place. By this time I was tired and sleepy, so I
stretched myself under a tree, with my head on an old grindstone, and,
in spite of the hard pillow and squeaking fiddle, I slept soundly till
morning.
When the sun sent his hot rays over the trees into the clearing, dancing
was still going on, and the ground was covered with sleeping figures.
Preparations were soon made for departure. The horses, which had been
tied to the bushes or fence, or driven into an enclosure, and had been
well supplied with maize, were quickly saddled, and troop after troop of
men and women disappeared in the thick green forest. I started with the
farmer and his wife, the indefatigable fiddlestick working away as long
as we were within hearing.
I found the canoe; and the good man was quite right when he said that it
was not worth cutting up. None but a person accustomed to such craft
would have ventured to step into it. It was nothing more than the
roughly hollowed trunk of a tree, about ten feet long by eighteen inches
wide; however, it answered my purpose, and, provided with a light
paddle, I set out on my return, which, though only eight miles by land,
was at least twenty by water.
The sun was just dipping behind the tips of the trees; the air, which
had been oppressively hot all day, was somewhat cooler. I was going
slowly up the stream with long easy strokes of the paddle, under the
shadow of the overhanging willows, when, about 100 paces before me, I
saw four wolves playing together on a bank of gravel, jumping in and out
of the water, and rolling over each other like puppies. They did not see
me, and I paddled silently to the side of the river where they were
playing, ran the canoe on the sand, took the paddle, hardly knowing
exactly what I intended, and crept stealthily along towards the
unsuspecting wolves, a projecting rock hiding me from their sight. But
wolves have a fine scent, and just as I was raising my head cautiously,
they all four sprang into the thicket. I returned disappointed to my
canoe, and continued my voyage. On arriving close to a canebrake, about
100 yards further on, I heard a rustling, and caught hold of the bough
of a tree near me, to keep the canoe as still as possible, when an
immense wolf, as black as pitch, with a white star on his breast, came
out of the canes, apparently with the intention of swimming across to
join his companions. When he caught sight of me, he turned his head from
side to side like a dog. As I remained quite motionless, but with my
eyes steadily fixed on him, he took courage, walked into the water, and
began to swim across about fifteen yards ahead of the canoe. I let him
gain the middle of the stream, which may have been about sixty yards
wide, when I gave the canoe a good shove ahead, and paddling as hard as
I could, I gained fast on the surprised wolf. In the first moment, not
knowing which shore to make for, he turned up stream, giving me thus a
great advantage over him. But he soon found out his mistake, and turned
in his first direction, this time gaining an advantage over me, because
my clumsy craft was not easily turned. He had about twenty yards to
swim, and we both tried hard which should first reach the shore. The
bank was still a few feet distant, when I came alongside of the beast,
which was swimming desperately for its life, and, forgetting the
ticklish nature of my craft, I rose up to give him a blow across the
spine with the sharp edge of the paddle, meaning then to attack him with
my knife, as I was without my rifle. He was close beside me, and looked
up at me as I raised the paddle, when the vile canoe slipped from under
me; I lost my balance, and fell into the water just clear of the wolf,
who touched bottom at the same moment, and at once began shaking
himself. The water was not deep, but I was wet through, and vexed at
seeing my prey escape, just as I had made sure of him. A wolf’s scalp is
valued at three dollars in Arkansas. I had moreover the additional
pleasure of swimming some way down the river after the canoe.
I arrived at Haller’s next day without further adventure, embarked
Kean’s things, taking also all my skins with me, as I could sell them
better at Little Rock than at Fourche le Fave. I gave the canoe to an
old German, who was fond of fishing, and who had to fish himself out of
the water the first time he tried her.
I soon returned to the settlement, and a few days afterwards took leave
of Kean, who, with a promise to write to me, set off on horseback
towards the south. My arrangements were soon made, and on the following
morning I set off up the bank of the river towards the mountains,
intending to shoot all the summer. Kelfer, who had already received us
so hospitably, was kind enough to offer me the loan of a horse for the
summer. I thankfully accepted his kindness, and rode off in good
spirits, not knowing exactly where; but that was always one of the least
of my cares, so that I was only in motion, and I soon found a good place
for sport. I learnt that there was very good shooting ground higher up
the river, near the grave-lick, so called because two Indians were
buried there, who had been killed by a panther. Here I joined an
American, named Hogarth, who lived in the neighborhood, and was a keen
sportsman. After trying the waters of the Fourche le Fave, we went to
the sources of the Washita; but the forests not having been burnt for
many years, were so thickly overgrown with underwood, that it was
impossible to find the deer, or to shoot game enough to live upon.
We had been shooting for about five weeks, when one morning, as we were
riding side by side, I felt all at once giddy and unwell. The evening
before, we had been overtaken by a thunderstorm, and my clothes were
still damp. This attack came on so suddenly, that I had hardly time to
say I was ill, and Hogarth turning round, observed that I was very
pale, when every thing swam before my eyes, and turned black and blue;
and I fell senseless off the horse before Hogarth could lay hold of me.
I recovered my senses in a few minutes, but was so ill that it was with
great difficulty I could mount my horse, and keep myself to the saddle.
We had, however, not far to go to the house of a Mr. Collmar, and I held
on by the mane and pommel, though lolling from side to side like a
drunken man.
The house was nothing more than a shed formed of boards, but the good
people received me very hospitably, and attended me kindly for the two
days that I lay delirious. On the third day I was able to be lifted on
horseback, and we returned over the mountains that divide the left arm
of the Fourche le Fave from the main stream, to Hogarth’s house; he
would not let me move till I was tolerably recovered.
At no great distance from hence, lived an old backwoodsman, named
Slowtrap, with whom I was well acquainted, and who showed so much
kindness and good feeling that I became quite attached to him. Still I
longed for German society; besides, I had kept Kelfer’s horse too long,
and would not abuse his good nature. Therefore, though still unwell, I
rode from Hogarth’s about the end of August, towards Kelfer’s, who not
only received me with kindness, but treated me quite as one of his own
family.
He had been accustomed to a quiet comfortable life in his early days,
having been a clergyman in Germany, but he had shaken off the
superintendent yoke of his native country, exchanging it for the
independent life of a farmer in the American forests, and was happy and
contented in his family circle. His young wife was quite an example of
household virtue: they had four very fine children. He produced almost
every thing that he required, and though in his youth unaccustomed to
hard work, he cultivated his land alone, and was not behind any American
in the use of his axe; his cattle and pigs were among the best in the
place.
When first I arrived I felt very wretched and miserable, but the kind
attentions of Mrs. Kelfer restored me after a time; I managed to help a
little on the farm, and now and then took a turn with my rifle, and shot
a deer or a turkey.
The sessions were held about this time at Fourche le Fave, and several
advocates, some from Little Rock, some from the neighborhood, assembled
at Perryville, and quartered themselves on the farmers. Kelfer received
one, who was a gentlemanly young man, and he (Kelfer) had cases to
settle with some of the bad characters in the vicinity. There was now
bustle enough in the usually quiet place, and the little town of
Perryville, about two miles off, consisting of one little shop, and the
dwelling of the ferryman, who was also postmaster, was the assembling
place of the county.
The shop, which formed one half of the town, belonged to a German, who
was too good a specimen of a certain class of his countrymen to be
passed by without notice. Bockenheim, or as the Americans called him,
Buckingham, must, I should think, have been a manufacturer of birch
brooms, as he showed extraordinary talent for that branch of the fine
arts; but he endeavored to gain his livelihood in the general retail
line, and he drove a pretty good trade in Arkansas, where he had settled
himself by chance, and where the people were forced to deal with him, as
his was at first the only shop. Rutkin, however, interfered with his
business, and at first did him much harm, until his proud domineering
manner drove all his customers away, excepting those who thought to gain
advantage over him. Bockenheim spoke such a jargon that it was
impossible to make out whether he was speaking English, German, or
Indian. A German immigrant would never have understood him, and the
Americans were obliged to guess at his meaning; but for all that, he
managed very well, and as he had gained a good sum by his trade, he
naturally enough ascribed it all to his own wisdom.
The sessions were held in the other half of the town, the postmaster
giving up the half of his house for the purpose, as the court-house was
yet to be built. The judge, who travelled this circuit, had come from
Little Rock with several advocates, and took his place by the chimney in
a cane chair. Two tables were placed together in the middle of the room,
though rather nearer the chimney, round which the advocates and the
clerk of the court took their places. A case of assault was first
brought forward; the jury, who must be householders, were chosen, and
sworn, and placed themselves on a long bench against the wall. The
proceedings were opened by the prosecuting attorney, who directed the
attention of the jury to the various laws enacted against this crime,
and then called his witnesses. He was followed by the advocate for the
defence, who called his witnesses, and concluded with an address to the
jury, in which he did not fail to praise the soundness and acuteness of
their judgment. The prosecuting attorney then rose again, and endeavored
to disparage the statements made on the opposite side, ending with the
remark, that, “in the whole course of his life, he had never known so
flagrant a case.” It was now the judge’s turn, who explained to the jury
the state of the law applicable to the case, and warned them that if
they had any doubts, the law prescribes that the case should be decided
in favor of the defendant. The jury ought now to have withdrawn to
another and distant room; but as, unfortunately, there was no other
room, distant or near, to be had at Perryville, and as the pouring rain
prevented their deliberating in the open air, as at other times, the
horses were turned out of the stable, and the twelve jurymen occupied
their place. The next case was that of a respectable farmer, who was
accused of having shot another’s cow, taken it home, and eaten it. The
case excited considerable interest, as it was stated to have occurred
several years ago, and the penalty was whipping and imprisonment, which
has since been altered. After a long deliberation in the stable, the
jury returned a verdict of “Not guilty.” The sessions lasted several
days, and the crowd dropped off by degrees.
At this time of the year, before the maize is quite ripe, being soft but
no longer milky, while last year’s store is nearly exhausted, the farmer
rubs the grain on a grater, generally made out of an old coffee-pot, in
which holes are punched with a nail, and thus procures a fine damp
flour, containing all the saccharine qualities of the plant, and making
excellent bread. This grating is rather hard work. One day when Kelfer
had grated some maize in front of the house, and the fine bright yellow
flour was heaped up on a clean napkin, a juvenile pig came by, and
playfully seized the corner of the napkin, throwing all the flour into
the dust.
I had received no letter from Kean, but heard that he had joined a young
German in the purchase of a boat, and was gone into Louisiana. I almost
regretted that I had not accompanied them; but my passion for shooting
impelled me in a different direction, and I longed to be in the Ozark
mountains, of which I had heard so much, and which were only 150 miles
off. Week after week passed away, and I was desirous of helping Kelfer
with his approaching harvest. I passed a great part of my time in the
forest with my dog Bearsgrease, the same that I had brought from Little
Rock, and which had grown to a fine powerful animal. I was still
undetermined whether to go north or south, when an old acquaintance
arrived at Kelfer’s to pass the night, and decided the question.
It was old Slowtrap, who had formerly lived near the mouth of Fourche le
Fave, but had since removed higher up, not far from Hogarth’s. He had a
sack full of all sorts of articles, including a half bushel of salt
which he had bought at Little Rock, and carried across his horse. He
afterwards told me that he had transported all his family and goods on
horseback, and then I remembered having once met him riding along with
four chairs and a spinning-wheel. The spinning-wheel having made the
horse shy, he had hung it on a tree, intending to come back for it;
meantime a backwoodsman had set fire to the dry leaves in the
neighborhood, and just as he arrived he saw it, burnt through and
through, fall in two parts into the fire below.
A man will sometimes move with his wife and children, and all his goods,
further into the forest, if the grass about his house gets thin, so that
he would be forced to cultivate a little more maize for his cattle.
Slowtrap spoke much of his father-in-law, who was a keen bear-shooter,
and made me long for the mountains more than ever, by affirming that he
intended to go himself in a few weeks, that I might go with him, and
that he would introduce me to the old gentleman. This drove all thoughts
of the south out of my head, and we settled on marching the following
morning. There is a saying that “short hair is soon brushed;” my baggage
was ready in a few minutes.
I was sorry to part with the Kelfers, who had been so kind to me, and
treated me as one of their family; but I hoped soon to see them again.
The November morning broke cold and disagreeable when I started with my
companion. My baggage was not very heavy; I had on deer-skin leggings,
and moccasins, a light hunting-shirt of summer stuff, secured by a broad
leather belt, bearing my tomahawk on the right, and hunting-knife on the
left side, and a tin cup behind. Spare powder and lead were rolled up in
my blanket, with a small bag of roasted coffee, and a clean shirt; a
powder-horn and a leather shot-pouch completed my equipment. My
companion, though an old sportsman, was not equipped for shooting; but
he was pretty well loaded with other things. As I have already stated,
he formerly lived near the mouth of the Fourche le Fave, but had moved
about fifty miles further west, carrying his kitchen utensils, tools,
bedding, &c., all on horseback, and driving his cattle and pigs before
him to his new home. Difficult as such a move appears, I know of a
family which moved three times in one year.
My old friend cut a glorious figure, as he rode beside me. He was about
six feet tall, and as large boned as a fine figure would allow. A pair
of thoroughly honest eyes looked out of a good-humored, weather-beaten
face, and were in constant motion, giving great animation to the massive
figure. Nobody had ever seen him laugh, but those who are well
acquainted with him say, that a little widening twitch of the mouth, and
a slight closing of the corner of the left eye, are certain evidences of
good-humor; neither had anybody ever seen him go faster than at a quick
walk--he seemed to consider it beneath his dignity to run. A well-worn
black coat, with large pockets and flaps, was thrown over his shoulders,
and, notwithstanding the rough weather, his legs were cased in a pair of
thin, light-colored trowsers, which rumpled up high enough to show a
muscular calf above a short sock; a pair of shoes of his own making
covered his feet, while a hat, of any shape but the original, and that
had been black, covered his head. The articles in one end of his bag
were not heavy enough to balance the salt in the other end; so, to
maintain the equilibrium, he was obliged to lean to the left side, and
as he had a large basket, containing a Muscovy duck, on the right arm,
the horse seemed to be between him and the basket. An unloaded gun,
that he had accepted in payment of a long-standing debt, lay across the
pommel. He kept me constantly amused with his stories, as we jogged
along the county road.
When a county road has to be cut, a director is appointed, who is
authorized to assemble all the male population of the county from the
age of eighteen to forty-five; and these stout sons of the forest soon
make a clearance among the trees, and roll their trunks out of the way.
But holes and other hinderances are left in a state of nature, if there
is the slightest chance that a wagon can pass.
Our road led us near the river, though we seldom saw it, on account of
the canes and rushes through which it flows; moreover, we kept to the
heights as much as possible, for the sake of dry ground. The main course
of the river is from west to east, with very good land on both banks,
forming excellent winter pasture, while the hills, also running east and
west, afford equally good summer pasture amongst the thick pine forests.
It was long since the road had been inspected. Large broken boughs and
fallen trees lay across it, impeding our progress. According to
Slowtrap, this was quite natural. He maintained that a tree never would
fall any other way than across a road, if it could only reach it, just
as a sweet gum tree always fell on a fence, if it stood near enough. We
passed a school as we went along--one of the usual log-houses--but with
a plank inserted between two of the logs to serve for a desk. The more
distant scholars come on horseback, and tie up their horses to the fence
during school hours. Of course they bring their dinners with them.
These forest schools seldom pretend to teach more than reading, writing,
and arithmetic; if they attempt geography, it is confined to that of the
United States. In the swamps I once saw a teacher giving lessons in
writing; some of his scholars were eighteen and twenty years old, yet
could not read what they wrote, but copied the letters as we should copy
hieroglyphics. It was just noon as we passed; at this hour master and
scholars make it a rule to play at ball if the weather will allow, so
that they may return with greater zeal to their spelling. The scholars
whom we saw were nearly all grown up.
Hitherto the weather had been fine; but clouds gathered in the west, and
soon turned to rain. As we were in no great hurry, and as Slowtrap said
that one of his greatest friends lived about half a mile from the road,
we turned to the left, and soon halted before a block-house, whose
chimney smoke indicated a glorious fire within. Old Bahrens, to whom the
house belonged, was not at home, but his two sons, lads fifteen and ten
years of age, gave us a warm reception. We found the room occupied by
three other men, who made room for us, and the fire soon restored warmth
to our half-frozen limbs. Two of the strangers were talking earnestly
about the races, which were shortly to be held in the neighborhood,
while the third seemed to be very tired, for he was fast asleep in his
chair.
As it grew later and later without any signs of supper, and there was no
woman in the house, we all set to work, took maize out of the corn crib,
and began to grind. But what a mill! It was above an hour before we had
flour enough for a tolerable meal; we then moistened it with water, put
it in a flat iron pan, covered it, and set it on the ashes to bake. Milk
and smoked deer-hams formed the remainder of the spread. Having, with
some difficulty, roused our sleeping companion, we commenced upon the
viands, and even our sleepy friend seemed to have banished all other
thoughts in his anxiety to make them disappear with the utmost possible
despatch; but his last mouthful was hardly out of sight, when his eyes
became for a moment fixed, the lids fell, and he was again in a deep
sleep.
The whole party were rather tired, and as there were no spare beds in
the house, S. and I spread our blankets; the boys gave us two more to
cover us, and all five were soon peaceably extended, one beside the
other, in waiting for the next day’s sun.
We were up at daybreak, and, to avoid another grind at the old mill, for
which I had conceived the greatest respect, we started before breakfast.
The horse, having had a good supply of food, was again saddled and
bridled, the bag with salt, &c., laid across, my old comrade climbed up,
I handed him his duck basket and old shooting iron, cast my blanket over
my shoulder, and shaking hands with our two new acquaintances, the third
being still asleep, we went off to the west for the abode of my
companion. The weather had cleared up, and with light heart and light
step we jogged along the well-beaten track; Bearsgrease snuffing the
trails of the deer which had crossed the road in the course of the
night. He stopped at every fresh trail, asking with entreating eyes for
leave to follow it; but we had no notion of shooting just then, and
kept straight on. As the day advanced, our stomachs began to reproach us
for such unfriendly treatment, when, about 200 yards in front, we saw a
gang of wild turkeys running along the road. One word of encouragement
to Bearsgrease, and he seemed to fly rather than run after the
long-legged turkeys, who soon finding that their legs would not save
them, took to their wings, and flew heavily to the nearest trees.
As fast as I could I had followed up the dog, who had singled out a
turkey-cock, and was bounding and barking round the tree in which he had
taken refuge, and whence, with outstretched neck, he was turning his
head first to one side then to the other, intently watching the motions
of Bearsgrease; I was enabled to approach unperceived and knock him
over. Meantime S. had lighted a jolly fire, and we sat rather too long
over our meal, considering, or rather not considering, that we had a bad
bit of road before us, and that the weather began to look threatening.
For half a mile the road led through the “mounds,”--small hills, which
are very frequent in this part of Arkansas, principally on low ground.
There can be no doubt but that they have been formed by the hand of man,
as they are in regular rows, from twenty to forty yards apart, six or
seven feet high, and about twelve feet in diameter. The one in the
middle of a row is always of an oval form, while the others are round.
There are sometimes from twelve to twenty rows, with from ten to twenty
and twenty-five mounds in a row, all at regular distances. I have spoken
with several Americans who had dug into them, in the hope of
discovering treasures; but they only found broken pottery, burnt wood,
and now and then a bone. They are situated in the most fertile soil of
the State, and the Indians know nothing about them.
At length the swamps were behind us. We crossed a small prairie, passed
an old buffalo salt-lick, and arrived at Slowtrap’s dwelling, planted on
a spur of the hills which ran out into the plains. It was in no way
different from the usual log-houses: sixteen feet square, from nine to
ten high, with an enormous fireplace, no window, and a weighted roof;
close by was a field of about seven acres, planted with maize. His wife
and children stood at the door as we arrived, and although I knew that
they were much attached to each other, and lived happily together, and
he had been about three weeks absent, not the least word was exchanged
that could be construed into a greeting. “Take my saddle in,” said S. to
his eldest son, a boy of eight years old, who was leaning on the fence,
looking at us as if we were perfect strangers, in whom he had no
concern. At last, when the horse was cared for, and all things in their
places, S. went into the house, took a seat, and lifted his youngest
child into his lap;--and then he said, “How do you do, all of you?” This
distant reserve of the Americans, so prevalent even in their own
families, often struck cold on my heart, and made me regret my native
land. Man and wife are often as reserved towards each other as two
strangers who meet for the first time, and care not about meeting again.
I have seen Americans leave home to be absent for months, without
shaking hands with their wives, or saying “Good-by,” and it is the same
on their return. I must believe, for the honor of the Americans, that
this reserve is mere custom, and does not proceed from any real want of
affection, as I have seen proofs of deep feeling amongst them, but it
always made a disagreeable impression on me. But still worse was it to
see Germans aping this fashion, as often happened to be my lot.
When quietly seated, I took a survey of the dwelling. In two corners
stood two large beds, covered with good stout quilts of many colors;
between the beds, about four feet from the ground, was a shelf holding a
few more quilts, and the linen of the family, which was not
over-abundant, comprising three or four articles for each person. Under
this shelf were two “gums,” trunks of a hollow tree, about a foot in
diameter, and two and a half or three feet high, with a piece of board
nailed on the bottom. They are applied to all sorts of purposes: I have
seen them used as beehives; these, I subsequently found, were one for
flour and the other for salt. Two wooden hooks over the door supported
my host’s long rifle, with its powder-horn and shot-pouch. A shelf held
some shoemaker’s tools, leather, &c., Gun’s Domestic Medicine, a family
Bible, the Life of Washington, the Life of Marion, Franklin’s Maxims, an
almanac, and a well-worn map of the United States. Various files, awls,
broken knives, and a bullet-mould, were stuck into the crevices of the
logs near the fireplace. On the left of it were two short shelves, with
four plates, two cups, three saucers, some tin pots, and a large
coffee-pot, all as bright and clean as possible. In the corner of the
fireplace was an iron pan with a cover, for baking bread, and two
saucepans, one broken. Several joints of smoked meat hung from the roof,
surrounded by strips of dried pumpkin suspended on poles.
The above-named boy, a girl of ten, a blue-eyed, flaxen-haired,
rosy-cheeked girl of four, diligently munching a bunch of wild grapes,
and the little one on my friend’s lap, formed the family; they all
looked shyly at me, though they had seen me six months before, so that I
was not quite a stranger to them.
We had agreed to set off for the mountains at once--but S. found some
business to detain him at home, so it was put off till the next week,
and I amused myself in the mean time as well as I could; and as I was
acquainted with the country, I took my rifle, and paid a few visits to
old acquaintances, returning to Slowtrap’s on the 12th December, partly
on account of the cold wet weather, and partly to mend my moccasins,
which had suffered severely from the sharp stones of these mountains.
Slowtrap happened to be mending a pair of shoes at the same time. It is
a general practice with the backwoodsmen to make their own shoes, and a
regular shoemaker is a scarce article in this part of the world. As they
are thrown on their own resources from their youth, these Americans are
very skilful in providing for their necessary wants, and are
particularly expert with the axe, which they begin to wield as soon as
their arms are strong enough to lift it. They use it for a variety of
purposes--building houses, laying roofs and floors, forming the chimneys
and doors, the only other tool used being an auger; and nothing amuses
them more than to see the awkwardness of a new comer, when first he
handles an axe. Besides making their own shoes, they understand enough
of tanning to prepare the leather; they make their own ploughs, dig
wells, &c.; for all which operations Europeans require so many different
workmen.
As we sat together before the fire, there was no difficulty in getting
Slowtrap to relate some of his adventures with the Indians in his early
days. In the evening we brought in some pumpkins, and as we cut them
into thin rings to hang on the poles to dry he began to speak in the
following words of the perils he had been exposed to in Kentucky, and
his narrow escapes from the Indians: “Kentucky was at that time a
wilderness, when my father, my uncle, and myself arrived near the
dwelling of Daniel Boone, to look about for a spot that would suit us;
for North Carolina, where we then lived, began to be too populous, and a
man who wanted to shoot a turkey or partridge was tired before he had
walked half an hour, from the number of fences he was obliged to climb
over. I was then just eighteen, as strong as a four-year-old bear, and
was delighted at the thought of meeting the Indians. It was about this
time of the year, and the game we saw made our hearts bound: numbers of
bears, deer, and buffaloes; while the turkeys would hardly get out of
our way. It would tire you to tell you of all the sport we had, for no
country in the world could boast of more game than Kentucky thirty years
ago; but now it is no better there than it was then in North Carolina,
and five years hence, a man who wants to shoot a bear in Arkansas, will
have many a weary mile to tramp. One evening we arrived at the edge of a
cane-brake, and as there was good feeding for the horses, we resolved
to pass the night there. We hobbled the forelegs of the horses with some
bark of the papao tree, and hung a bell round the neck of my uncle’s
mare. Yet, not being sure of escaping the vigilance of the Indians, we
kept watch by turns. Nothing suspicious occurred till about midnight,
when the sound of the bell ceased, which I, having the watch at the
time, thought rather extraordinary, as the horses were not in the habit
of lying down till morning. The dogs also were restless, particularly a
greyheaded bear-hound, who gave a howl when the wind came from the
quarter where the horses had been left. I did not wake the two seniors,
but I passed an anxious night. Towards morning I heard the bell again,
but further off, and more to the right. My father woke about daybreak,
and I told him what had disquieted me. It seemed rather suspicious to
him also, but he thought the horses might perhaps have strayed a little
in search of fresh reeds. As soon as it was broad daylight, he took his
bridle and rifle, and went with ‘Watch,’ the old dog, towards the sound
of the bell, to bring back the horses. My uncle woke in the mean time.
We had set a delicate morsel to broil. I was catching the dripping from
some roasting bear’s meat, in a piece of hollow bark, to baste the
turkey, when my father came back without the horses, and said he had
found infallible traces of Indians near our camp. My uncle wished to
examine the marks; so we shouldered our rifles, and proceeded to the
place where the horses had been feeding the evening before. In one
rather moist place there was a very clear impression of a moccasin, and
one of the savages had inconsiderately stepped on the trunk of a fallen
tree, which being rotten, had yielded to his weight, leaving the mark
of a foot. While examining it, we heard a noise in the canes. In an
instant our rifles were all directed to the spot; but it was only my
horse sticking his head out of the canes, and neighing at sight of us.
My uncle now settled that, as he was best acquainted with the cunning
and tricks of the Indians, he would seek the horses alone, and nothing
we urged could dissuade him from his purpose. He took my father’s
bridle, and my horse, and was soon mounted, slowly and cautiously
following up the trail. Losing sight of him, we went back to the camp to
look after our breakfast, which we had forgotten in the first
excitement. We remained constantly listening for the sound of the bell,
when we heard a shot, and directly afterwards three more in quick
succession. We were up in an instant, started towards the sound, and
soon heard the gallop of a horse, and saw my uncle advancing at full
speed. When he reached us he pulled up short, so that the horse reared.
His eyes were glazed;--he was very pale, reeled in his saddle, and fell
into my arms, which I extended to receive him. It was well for us that
the Indians had not followed him, or we should have fallen an easy prey.
My uncle recovered after a short time, and told us, with failing voice,
that as he was following up the trail, he distinctly heard the bell
again at a little distance, and riding cautiously forward, rather
distrustful of the deep silence, he saw my father’s horse standing by a
fallen tree. He rode up to him, keeping a sharp look-out all round; and
just as he leaned over to take hold of the bell-strap which was round
his neck, an Indian appeared not fifteen paces off, took aim, and
fired; feeling himself hit, he let go the horse, brought forward his
rifle, and fired, when more dark figures appeared right and left. He
turned his horse, and gave him the spurs. He sank fainting to the
ground, and the dark blood flowed out as we opened his clothes. He was
hit in three places, and two of the wounds were mortal. After a few
minutes he raised himself again, gave us each a hand, which we pressed
in silence, drew a deep breath, and fell back a corpse. We buried him on
the spot, and vowed a deep revenge, which we faithfully consummated: a
few nights afterwards, the wolves were tearing the flesh from three
corpses over the fresh grave.”
Having finished his tale, my host sat for some time with his head
leaning on his hand, thinking of times long past. His wife had fallen
asleep: she had probably, heard the tale many times before, and as it
was rather late, we were all glad to retire.
The dogs barked several times during the night, and about an hour and a
half before daylight, they were quite furious; supposing their
excitement to be caused by raccoons, or opossums, we started up, and
took our guns, called the dogs, and went into the piercing cold morning
air, though it was too dark to see one’s hand; my thin deer-skin
moccasins were soon frozen, which by no means added to my agreeable
sensations. The bark of the dogs soon showed that they had chased
something to a tree. As our feet were dreadfully cold, and it was still
too dark to shoot, we lighted a fire, and though the dogs enjoyed its
warmth, they never forgot the object of our being there, keeping their
eyes fixed on the tree, and giving, from time to time, a short
impatient howl. At length a gleam appeared in the east; gradually the
forms of the nearest objects became visible; as the light increased, we
could make out, on one of the upper branches of a tree, a dark spot,
which afterwards was distinctly seen to be a raccoon. S---- raised his
rifle slowly, and took aim; the dogs jumped up, and looked to and fro
from the muzzle of the gun to the dark spot on the tree, giving a slight
whine--the piece became steady--a flash--a sharp report--and the
creature fell dead from the top of the tree. The dogs seized it
instantly, and it cost some trouble to rescue it from their fangs,
before the skin was quite spoiled.
We returned to the house, and rested again till breakfast. After
breakfast I went out to shoot turkeys, which were very numerous; but
when I descended to the lower valley of the river, I found such an
abundance of winter grapes, that I thought no more of my shooting, but
gathering a good quantity, I lay down under a tree to enjoy them. After
lying there about a couple of hours, I was roused by hearing the turkeys
calling; so, hiding myself behind a fallen tree, I used my decoy pipe,
and ten or a dozen stout fellows came strutting along. When they arrived
within about twenty paces I gave a whistle, which brought them to a
stand, and I shot the largest through the head. Satisfied with my prize,
I returned to the house, and found that the grapes had quite spoiled my
dinner.
As the weather turned out fine and warm in the afternoon, we determined
to hunt in the wood for a swarm of wild bees, which we had sought for
in vain about six months before. We took some bait with us, and went to
a spot about half a mile off.
To induce bees to take bait in the fall of the year, the hunter looks
out for a small open space in their neighborhood, and if he cannot find
one he must make a clearance with his knife and tomahawk, stick a branch
upright in the ground, and lay some leaves on it spread with a little
thinned honey. The bees soon discover it, and when they have got as much
of the honey as they can carry, they rise in circles, which become
larger and larger, till they attain a certain height; then they dash off
direct for their own tree, to deposit their store in the general
warehouse. The bee-hunter must take particular notice of the line of
their flight, which requires a good eye, and then carry his bait some
two hundred yards further in that direction, when the bees will soon
flock round it again. If, when loaded, they keep the same course, it is
a sign that the tree is still in that direction, and the bait must be
carried further, until they fly the other way. Then the bee-hunter will
know that he has passed the tree, and that it must be between his
present and his last station, and he is not long in finding it. When he
comes near the tree, and the bees are at work, their unsteady zigzag
flight will betray its proximity.
The first time we moved our bait, the bees flew backward, so we knew we
could not be more than a hundred yards from their tree; but the
approaching night prevented our discovering it. Next morning about ten
o’clock, as it began to get warm, we returned to our hunt, and in less
than half an hour, found the hole where the little laborers were passing
in and out. It was in a nearly decayed, not very large post-oak, a tree
that prefers moist soils, though it also grows on hills. It bears small
and rather sweet acorns; its wood is very durable, and will remain long
in the ground without rotting. I rode hastily back to the house, for we
had taken a horse with us for the chase, and returned with a pail, an
axe, a knife, and a spoon. The tree soon fell under our blows--smoke was
made--the bees stupefied--an opening cut--and a most beautiful sight for
a bee-hunter presented itself, in a number of well-filled cells. We
filled the pail with the best, ate as much as our stomachs would bear,
set the tree on fire, that the bees might not lead us astray in our next
hunt, and returned to the house.
As there were several things to be done about the house, we remained at
home, cut down firewood, and carried it to the house, ground flour in
Slowtrap’s excellent steel mill, and when the evening shadows began to
lengthen fast, we sat by the fire, and the old fellow, rendered
good-humored by the successful bee-hunt, began again with his stories.
In the course of the day, we had seen a man pass by with a smooth-bored
gun, and as such a thing was a rarity in the backwoods, the conversation
turned on this circumstance. He said: “I once had a smooth-bored gun,
called a musket, and not far from the house where we then lived was a
small lake, generally covered with wild fowl. One morning I took the old
thumper, for it kicked tremendously, and lounged towards the lake to
have a shot. I had not gone far along the bank, when I saw through a
gap a number of ducks, swimming quietly on the other side of a thick
bush; a fallen tree stretching out into the lake, seemed to offer a good
bridge to approach them by. When I got to the end of it, and was about
sixty yards from the birds, I raised the heavy old musket to take aim,
but knowing how old kill-devil kicked, I leant as far forward as
possible, with the firm conviction that the recoil would drive me back
on the tree. Three ducks were swimming in a line, and thinking this a
good chance, I pulled the trigger, leaning if possible still further
forward in the act; but it only snapped, the expected recoil failed, and
I fell head over heels into the lake. I had some trouble in getting back
again to the shore, and never saw ducks or musket again.”
The sky seemed to promise a continuance of fine weather, and as there
was no prospect at present of Slowtrap’s visit to the mountains, I
resolved to take a little shooting excursion alone. The shooting on the
north of the river was not so good as on the south, as there were fewer
settlements; so I determined to cross over, and try my luck. A young man
of the name of Curly lived close to the south bank; he was certainly
strongly suspected of horse-stealing, but in other respects was a good
fellow, and a capital sportsman; his little weakness respecting
horse-flesh was a matter of indifference to me--he could not steal any
of mine: so I went to the river and hailed, when he soon brought his
canoe and carried me across.
He was easily persuaded to accompany me for a few days, first requesting
time to prepare some provisions. He lived in a small block-house close
to the river, surrounded by trees, and without an inch of cultivated
land; he subsisted mostly by shooting. He had only lately arrived; his
mother, wife, and sister lived in the house with him. As he had no flour
in store, it was necessary to grind some, but his mill was more like a
mortar than any thing else. Such mills are frequent in Arkansas. A sound
tree is cut off about three feet from the ground, and hollowed by fire,
knife, and chisel till it will hold about as much as a pail; it is made
as smooth as possible, and a logger-head, or pestle of hard wood, is
suspended to a balanced pole, such as is frequently fitted to wells. It
may be imagined that pounding corn in this way is hard work, and as only
a small quantity at a time can be prepared, it has to be done before
every meal; but this is the only resource of all those who are too poor
to buy a steel mill. At last Curly had as much as would serve for two
days, in case we shot nothing. He rolled up in his blanket all the
things he meant to take, hung his tin pot and tomahawk to his belt, and
off we set into the glorious freedom of the forest.
We might have gone about three miles, when we came on the trail of
several deer, though we had seen nothing of the precious creatures
themselves; and as it began to grow dark, and we found ourselves near a
bubbling spring, and a black hawberry bush looked very attractive, we
resolved to camp there, and to begin our sport as early as possible in
the morning. We cast off our blankets, laid down our rifles, and
collected wood for a fire, the night promising to be rather cold. We
soon had a fire of which a volcano need not have been ashamed, and lay
down to repose. Our supper consisted of dried venison, slices of bacon,
maize bread, and coffee--a princely repast for the forest, but we hoped
to have fresh meat on the morrow.
We breakfasted with the first gleam of light, fed the dogs, and related
stories till it was light enough to see the sights on the muzzles of the
rifles; then taking our preconcerted directions, we trod lightly and
cautiously over the dried leaves. A little before sunrise I heard the
crack of Curly’s rifle; a few minutes later a second report, then a
third. I stood still for about a quarter of an hour, in case a
frightened deer should bound past. Nothing moved; I continued my march.
I had not gone far when I saw a majestic buck at a walk. I crept lightly
to a right angle with his course; when about eighty yards off, I gave a
hail: he stopped, and my ball pierced his shoulder; after a few bounds,
he lay struggling in the yellow leaves. Bearsgrease rushed after him,
but finding him already dead, he only licked the wound, and lay quietly
beside him, waiting for his share of the prize. I took the skin and the
two legs, hanging the latter on a tree with the skin over them, cut a
few bits of the rest for Bearsgrease, leaving the remainder for the
wolves and vultures, and continued my march. Soon after I heard a shot,
about a hundred yards off on the other side of a thick jungle, and
proceeded towards the sound. It turned out to be Curly, who had killed a
turkey; he was lying under a tree, and told me, with a mournful visage,
that, having wounded a buck, he was following him over some loose
stones, when he sprained his ankle, and could hardly move, being obliged
to leave the wounded deer to its fate.
As we had traversed the country in a circle, we were not far from our
last night’s camp. I helped him to it as well as I could, and both being
hungry, we roasted the turkey. But Curly had lost all heart for
shooting, and, with the help of a big stick, limped slowly homewards,
where he could lay up his leg to nurse. I could not tear myself away so
soon, and continued my sport alone.
As the sky grew cloudy and threatening, I made a tent of my blanket, and
collected wood enough to defy any quantity of rain that might fall. When
all this was arranged, I went to the tree where I had left my venison
and skin, and to give Bearsgrease another feed from the carcase. But I
was too late; the vultures had left nothing but the bones, and had torn
the skin on the tree, which, however, I was in time to rescue, and
hanging it over my shoulders, with the legs safe in my arms, I returned
to my camp. Having made a good fire, and roasted a slice of meat, the
coffee being all gone, and the bread reduced to one small piece, I fed
my dog, and lay down to repose. About midnight I was awakened by a
formidable thunderstorm. Bearsgrease began to howl dreadfully, and close
behind me an oak burst into flames. Flash followed flash, while the
thunder was incessant; the whole forest seemed to swim in a lake of
fiery brimstone, the rain poured in torrents, and the little stream
swelled to a foaming river. When the storm ceased, silence and darkness
took its place, only disturbed by the rustling of the rain falling
perpendicularly on the leaves. My blanket protected me well; I was
perfectly dry, and soon fast asleep again. Towards morning it cleared
up, and the weather was the most glorious for shooting that could
possibly be imagined. I was on foot by daybreak, and by ten o’clock I
had three deer hanging to the trees. My last night’s repose having been
broken by the storm, and yesterday’s and to-day’s exertions having
fatigued me very much, I threw myself under a tree, and enjoyed a
delightful nap. The sun was near the horizon when I awoke, and there was
hardly time for me to return to camp and collect wood before dark, for
the night threatened to be very cold; but it was bright starlight, and
my blanket was dry,--so I rolled myself comfortably in its folds.
I lay awake till past midnight, giving the reins to my imagination; and
when I fell asleep I dreamed of stretched deerskins, and that
Bearsgrease was chasing an immense buck, when his loud barking and
howling awoke me. I patted him to keep him quiet, and found his hair all
bristling up. I thought wolves must be near us; and listening
attentively, I heard the cautious tread of some heavy beast over the dry
frosty leaves.
I laid some dry fir branches, which were near me, on the fire, to make
it burn up bright, and placed myself between it and the noise of the
footsteps, in order to distinguish the eyes of my untimely visitor, and
shoot him. Three times I caught sight of two glowing balls, and from
their rapid disappearance I was convinced that I had to do with a
panther. He went round and round the fire several times, but never close
enough for me to distinguish his form;--and I passed half an hour with
my rifle at my cheek, in the greatest anxiety, the dog pressing close to
my side, with all his nerves on the stretch, following the tread of the
panther, and giving a fearful howl every time he passed across the wind.
The brute, not possessing courage enough to attack, at length withdrew;
but I remained a good quarter of an hour longer on the watch, till the
dog, persuaded that all was safe, had lain down again, when I followed
his example, wrapped myself in my blanket, and was soon fast asleep.
The morning was bitterly cold; and as I had nothing on my feet but a
pair of thin deer-skin moccasins, not even stockings, I thought of a
plan I had learned from an old sportsman, and bathed my feet in the icy
cold water of the stream, dried them well, and put on my moccasins. My
feet were soon in a glow, and remained warm all the morning.
I started at daylight, and followed the course of the stream downwards;
but the bushes grew thicker and thicker, and I was about returning to
cross the hill to another brook, when I caught sight of a noble stag in
the thicket on my right. I crept quickly and silently round the bush to
cut him off, when suddenly I heard a most heart-rending cry from a deer.
My first impulse was to rush towards the sound, and on the first
movement I made for this purpose, Bearsgrease bounded forwards; but I
thought better of it, and a sharp whistle stopped the dog in his career.
A second fainter whistle brought him to my side; then, hiding behind a
tree, I reflected on what was best to be done.
The shriek certainly came from a deer, and nothing but a panther could
have caused it; for if it had been a wolf, all would not have been
silent again so soon, as a wolf could not have overpowered a deer so
quickly.
Now, I had often heard from Americans how the panther darts on his prey,
kills it in an instant, and, after eating his fill, buries or covers up
the rest for a future meal. I resolved to try and make sure of the
panther, and, if possible, to creep up to him unperceived. I did not
then know how difficult it was to outwit a panther; but this time
fortune favored me.
After waiting about half an hour, I thought I might make the attempt,
and crept lightly and cautiously towards the thicket; the dog, well
knowing my object, crept as silently after me. Just as I gained the edge
of the thicket, and was looking out for the best place to enter it with
the least noise, I heard a light rustling. My heart began to beat
violently; the bush opened, and my eyes encountered the fierce orbs of
the panther. Doubtless, in the first moment of surprise he did not know
exactly what to do; but his surprise did not last long: a panther has a
bad conscience, and justly supposes a foe in every living being not
belonging to his own race; and, crouching down about twenty paces from
me in the yellow grass, he was preparing either to make a spring, or to
hide himself--I could not tell which. But I was not idle; during the
time he stooped, my arm had recovered its steadiness, the rifle cracked,
the animal made one spring upwards, and fell dead to the earth.
Bearsgrease seized him on the instant, and seemed to take exquisite
pleasure in shaking the skin of his deadliest foe; and he cast many a
longing look behind, when, at my command, he followed up the panther’s
trail. We soon came to the place where he had killed the buck, and
covered it with leaves; the skin had been so mauled that it was
useless, but I stripped off the panther’s, and set out on my return to
my camp, deciding to go back to old Slowtrap’s, and to commence my march
to the Ozark mountains as soon as possible.
On arriving at the camp I tied up the skin with strips of bark, and
although I took very little of the venison with me, I had a heavy load.
I reached Curly’s in the evening. As it was nearly dark, I had no fancy
for crossing the river at night, and creeping for half an hour through a
cane-brake, with the chance of getting my eyes poked out; so I remained
with Curly. The house was small, but it contained two large bedsteads,
one table, three chairs, two plates, and one cup; a hole in the wall did
duty for the absent window.
We passed a very pleasant evening. Curly sang well, and gave us a number
of Irish comic songs, till, tired with laughing and the severe exertions
of the day, I rolled myself in my blanket, and laid myself by the fire.
I was up at daybreak, and the river being low, waded through, hastened
to Slowtrap’s, and spread out my skin. Slowtrap was out shooting wild
fowl, which had collected in such numbers on a little river running into
the Fourche le Fave, that I never saw any thing like it; they positively
covered the water, and a good double-barrelled gun might have done
immense havoc, particularly as the steep banks favored the approach to
within thirty yards of the ducks.
Supposing the old fellow not to be far off, I took my rifle, and lounged
down to the brink of the river; not with any intention of shooting, as
my rifle had too large a bore; but I came upon a string of ducks, not
more than fifteen yards off. This was too enticing; I raised the gun,
and off went the golden green head of the largest of them. I reloaded,
fished out my bird, and was turning up the stream, when I heard
Slowtrap’s gun above a mile off, and as I had no intention of walking so
far, I took my duck by the neck and walked home. Where was my home?
Wherever I happened to be--where I had erected a bark shed, or spread my
blanket, or lighted a fire, or where the hospitable roof of a farmer or
backwoodsman received me; though the next morning might find me with all
my goods on my back--no heavy burden--seeking new shooting-ground, and a
new home. What then?--I went home, and commenced mending my old
moccasins once more, though they were almost worn out; and as I had some
tanned deer-skin, I cut out a new pair, for the others would have never
survived a long march.
[Illustration]