BUYS A BOAT AND BECOMES A SAILOR.
A three days' ride brought me to Grimes' ranch where I hoped to strike a
job, but the old gent' informed me that he was full handed--had more men
than he really needed. But he offered me a job cutting cord wood at a
dollar a cord until there should be an opening for me, which he thought
would be when the branding outfit arrived from Jackson county where it
had gone quite a while before.
"Cutting cord wood" sounded tough to me, but I finally agreed to try it
a round or two, for I hated the idea of being "busted." Mr. Grimes was
to advance me about two weeks provisions on "tick," so I concluded I
couldn't lose anything--unless it was a few pounds of muscle and I had
grave doubts about that, for I knew my failing when it came to dabbling
in wood.
Before launching out into the wood business I borrowed a horse and
struck out to hunt up old Satan so that I could ride around and find
easy trees to cut down; I found him about thirty miles from Grimes'
ranch; he was fat and wild; I had to get help to put him in a corral and
when I mounted him he pitched like a wolf. He had forgotten that he had
ever been ridden.
The "wood camp" was three miles from the ranch in a thinly timbered
bottom. I had to camp all by myself, which made it a disagreeable job.
The first day, after locating camp, was spent in building a kind of Jim
Crow shanty out of rotten logs--was saving my muscle to cut cord wood.
Next morning bright and early I mounted Satan and rode around hunting
some easy trees--ones that I thought would cut nicely. I marked about a
dozen and went back to camp, it being noon by that time.
After dinner I lay down to take a nap until evening when it would be
cooler. About five o'clock I rolled up my sleeves and waded into a
small, sickly pin-oak tree and the way chips flew for half an hour was a
caution. I then put in the balance of the evening cording it up--that is
what I had cut. It lacked considerable of being half a cord, but I
filled in a lot of rotten chunks to make it pan out fifty cents worth.
I slept sound that night for I was tired.
Bright and early next morning I shouldered my axe and struck out to
tackle another sickly pin-oak tree. While spitting on my hands and
figuring on how many licks it would take to down the little sapling, I
spied a large coon in a neighboring live-oak. Now catching coons, you
all know by this time was a favorite passtime with me, so dropping the
axe I went for him. By the time I got part of him cooked it was noon;
and after dinner I fell asleep and dreamt happy dreams until after
sundown. After supper I went turkey hunting and killed a fat gobbler.
Thus ended my third day in a wood camp.
I became tired of the cord wood business after two weeks time. It was
too lonesome a work for a boy of my restless disposition. I mounted
Satan one morning after devouring the last speck of grub in camp and
struck out for the ranch. On my arrival there Mr. Grimes asked me how
much wood I had? I told him I thought there was enough to balance my
grub bill. He said all right, he would send a man up there with me next
morning to measure it. I finally informed him that it wasn't in shape
for measuring, with the exception of half a cord that I cut the first
day, as it was scattered over a vast territory, two or three sticks in a
place.
I suppose he balanced my grub bill as he has never presented it yet.
Just then I came across a factory hand, John Collier by name, who had a
boat for sale. He had bought it for a pleasure boat but found he
couldn't support such a useless piece of furniture. He offered it to me
for forty dollars and he had paid one hundred for it. I tried to sell
Satan so as to buy it, but no one would have him as a gift, as they said
they would have to get their lives insured before mounting him.
I wanted the boat, but how to get her I did not know. I finally studied
up a scheme: Mr. Collier wanted to buy a horse in case he sold the boat,
so I began talking horse trade. Nothing but a gentle animal would suit
he said. I then described one to him and asked how much he would take
to-boot if the pony proved to be as I represented? "Ten dollars" said
he; "she pops" continued I. So I started over to Cashe's creek to trade
Horace Yeamans out of an old crippled pony that he couldn't get rid of.
He was a nice looking horse and apparently as sound as a dollar; but on
trotting him around a short while he would become suddenly lame in both
of his front legs.
Before starting to Cashe's creek next morning Mr. Collier told me to try
and get the horse there that night as, in case we made the trade, he and
Mr. Murphy would start next morning on a pleasure trip to Columbia, a
town forty miles east. I assured him that I would be back by dark. You
see, that was a point gained, making the trade after dark.
I succeeded in making the trade with Horace; he gave me "old gray" as he
called him and fourteen dollars in money for my interest in three
different brands of cattle. He afterwards sold the cattle for enough to
buy a whole herd of crippled ponies.
I rode back to Grimes' ranch very slowly so as not to cause old gray to
become lame.
I arrived there about sundown, but remained out in the brush until after
dark.
Mr. Collier, on being notified of my arrival, came out, lantern in hand,
bringing his friend Murphy along to do the judging for him. He confessed
that he was a very poor judge of a spanish pony, not having been long in
America. He was from "Hengland."
After examining old gray all over they both pronounced him a model of
beauty--an honor to the mustang race. You see, he was hog fat, not
having been used for so long.
The trade was sealed that night and next morning Mr. Collier and Murphy,
who already had a pony of his own, started on their forty mile journey.
When within five miles of Elliott's ferry on the Colorado river, which
was fifteen miles from Grimes' old gray gave out entirely, so that poor
Collier had to hoof it to the ferry where he secured another horse.
Now kind reader you no doubt think that a shabby trick. If so, all I can
say is "such is life in the far west."
Now that I was owner of a ship I concluded it policy to have a partner
for company if nothing more, so I persuaded a young factory hand by the
name of Sheiseinhamer or some such name to go in with me in my new
enterprise. He only had ten dollars to invest, therefore I held the
controlling interest.
Our ship was schooner-rigged and would carry about three tons. Her name
was "Great Eastern" but we changed it to "The Blood Hound."
I turned Satan loose to rustle for himself (I afterwards sold him to a
_stranger_ for thirty dollars) and then pulled down the river for
Matagorda Bay, a distance of fifteen miles.
I concluded to go to the Peninsula and buy a load of melons that trip,
as there were none on Tresspalacious.
We struck the Bay just at dark; the water was terribly rough and the
wind was so strong that it made the Blood Hound dip water and slide
along as though it was fun. My young pard, who had never been on salt
water before, having been raised in Saint Louis, turned pale behind the
gills and wanted to turn back when the low streak of land behind us
began to grow dim. But as I owned the controlling interest in the ship,
I told him he would have to grin and bear it. He swore that would be his
last trip and it was. He sold me his interest on the way back for eight
dollars; he lost just two dollars besides his time in the speculation.
Finally we hove in sight of the light house at Salura Pass. Then we were
all right for I could tell just where to head for, although I hadn't
been on the Bay much since leaving there in '67. But I had learned it
thoroughly before then.
It was fifteen miles across the Bay to Fred Vogg's landing, where I had
concluded to land. We arrived there about midnight and next morning
walked up to Mr. Vogg's house, about half a mile for breakfast. The
whole family were glad to see me--for the first time in eight years.
I bought a load of melons delivered at the landing for five cents a
head--or piece I should have said.
The next evening we started back home, and arrived at Grimes' just as
the whistle was tooting for dinner, next day. The whole crowd of factory
hands, there being about seventy-five, made a break for the boat to fill
up on melons. The largest I sold at fifty cents and the smallest at
twenty-five. By night I had sold entirely out and started back after
another load, all by myself this time, with the exception of a dog, a
stray that I had picked up.
I bought my melons at a different place this time, from a Mr. Joe Berge
who lived a few miles above Mr. Vogg. I got them for two and a half
cents a piece, therefore made a better "speck" than before. I struck a
terrible storm on my return trip and came very near swamping.
I made my next trip to Indianola as I had four passengers to take down,
at two dollars and a half a head.
Shortly after landing in Indianola I got two passengers, one of them a
pretty young lady, Miss Ruthie Ward, to take to Sand Point in Lavaca
county, just across the Bay from Indianola.
I remained in Indianola two days "bucking" monte. I left there broke
after paying for a load of melons.