USA > Indiana > Monroe County > The new purchase : or, seven and a half years in the Far West > Part 44
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the echoes ; and away, away, with thrilling hearts, we ever bounded onward and onward and farther and farther into the solemn grandeur of those primitive wilds !
In some two hours the trace, owing to the nature of the ground, became better defined and less interrupted; hence, waxing confi- dent we indulged in a colloquy, self-congratulatory and maybe self-laudatory, thus :
"Well, we're safe after all, Kate, I do believe !- wonder what Ned will say ?- hey?"
To this Kate switched an answer with her magnificent tail, and evinced increased eagerness to be going ahead ; and so with a real "hurraw ! my noble Kate ?- hurraw!" on my part, and an addi- tional snort on hers, we were streaking on at the rate now of seven miles to the hour! And then, in about four hours from the burnt cabin, we caught sight of King's cabin, crowning a mound on the far side of a small stream.
Advancing to bespeak refreshments, I was met at the door by a portly lady, who proved to be that King's wife; and though no queen, was large enough for two queen patterns of the Vic- toria-Albert size.
"Is this Mr. King's, ma'am?"
"Well, I allow so; but my ole man's from home-he's went to a rasin two miles off-"
"You keep public, don't you, Ma'am?"
"Well, I allow so; but King's tuk the bakun with him to the rasin-"
"Ay ?- can't I get something for my nag?"
"Well, I allow so; jist go round to yan crib, and git what cawn you like."
This done, and Kate left to enjoy so much corn as was whole- some, I entered the cabin and our conversation was renewed.
"Well, but Mrs. King, ain't you got nothing at all a hungry fellow can eat?"
"Stranjur-I'm powerful sorry-but we're teetotally out-he tuk every bit of food with him-"
"What's that-up there ?"
"Law, bless you, stranjur! that's a piece of most powerful rusty flitch-tain't fit for a dog to eat-"
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"Oh! ma'am, let's have it-why I can eat your dog himself- I'm so hungry."
"He! ha !- well you ain't proud like the Fakilty bigbugs across thar at Wood'ill, that's sarten. How I do wish King hadn't a tuk the food! But you ain't in arnest about the yaller flitch are you?"
"To be sure !- clap on your skillet, Mrs. King!"
"Well-I do sentimentally wish it was better like. Let's see, here's a handful of meal in the bag arter all-and I'd a got it afore, only I allowed you was proud like. But I see you're none of that 'are sort-'spose I do the meal?"
"Thank you, ma'am! I know you would give me the best if Mr. King hadn't gone to the raising."
The skillet was soon hot; and then received as many slices as could lie in comfort on the bottom. The colour of the dainty had been originally amber, the fat being then semi-transparent, as it was mast fed, i. e. fed on acorns and beech nuts. Time, however, fatal to beauty, had incrusted the flitch with an oxide of wonderful thickness and peculiar dirt colour, and turned its lovely amber transparency into a decided and opaque yellow. Something of the kind I had often seen in cot-days ; when, on being importunate for buckwheat cakes in the kitchen, Betty often threatened my face with "the griddle-greaser !"
Mrs. King had shaken her bag into a large wooden bowl; and the deposit was, one pint of second chop meal, minus half a gill something else, and a few horse hairs; for, bags in attending mill are used as saddles, and pommelled between inexpressibles and perspiring horsebacks. Water then was poured into the com- pound; and the lady after handling the mixture without gloves, produced a handful of good chicken-feed. Then the hissing flitch being hastily turned into a pewter plate with a damaged circumference, the feed was splashed in, like mortar into chinking, to be converted into corn bread. This transmigration over, the bread was associated with the flitch on the cloudy pew- ter, Mrs. King remarking that, "her man had tuk the crokry to the rasin;" and then, after wiping each thumb on her woollen petticoat, she invited me with the formula, "Well-come ! set up."
I was soon seated on my rickety stool at the board, or rather
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boards (as the table was of two such and a piece), and began to flourish my blade,-the knife belonging to that irascible class that had flown off the handle,-and, also, I began to look for its partner, the fork. But that had flown off with the handle, for, said she-"He tuk all thar knives and forks but this poor bit of a thing, and that was left 'cos it had no handle !"-"but, Stranjur," continued she, "jeest lend me that a minit, and I'll git you a fork."
Out, then, darted Mrs. King; and soon returned manufactur- ' ing as she came a fork, and saying thus: "Thar, stranjur, this 'ere I split off a rail, and cut down a sort a so to a pint, 'ill do for a fork better nor your fingers-albeit, I'm powerful sorry for our poor fixins."
"Thank you, ma'am! all the same-you've a kind heart; and that's meat and drink in this world of ours, sometimes."
Yet these and other speeches were continually interrupted by the rapid ingress of lumps of flitch and balls of bread. I regret to record, however, that while I used my fork to pin down the fat till its reduction to mouthfuls, I was compelled to eat, like a - democrat, with my knife! I made, indeed, some amends to a violated good-breeding, by sopping my gravy with bread in my left hand,-like a gentleman eating fish and other things, with a leaky silver fork. Singular! how the extremes of refinement and hoosierism do meet !
DIALOGUE CONTINUED.
"Well, I'm powerful rite down glad you kin eat sich like food ! what mought your name be-if it's no offence !"
"Carlton, ma'am, I live in Woodville-"
"Well-that's what I suspish'nd. Ned Stanley was out here last winter a huntin, and I heerd him tell on you-as how you was a powerful clever feller-albeit a leetle of a big-bug. But I'll take your part arter this-and King shill too."
"Oh! Mrs. King if we were all better acquainted with one another, we'd all think better of our friends and neighbours. But I must be off-what's the damage?"
"Bless me! Mr. Carltin, I don't take nuthin for sich a meal! Put up that puss, if you want to be friends-I'm powerful sorry
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King's away-call here next time, sir, and I allow, you'll git somethin good enough for a white man."
"Thank you! Mrs. King, thank you. Well-please give me directions-I'm not much of a woodsman."
"Well, you're comin on. Howsever you've kim the wust ind of the trace, and wont find no diffikilty till about fifteen miles on at the next settlement, Ike Chuff's-whare you mought foller a cow path-and so you'd better stop thar and axe."
In due time, and after a hard ride of thirty miles from the burnt cabin, we came in sight of Ike Chuff's clearing. As the trace ran plain and broad round the fence and across a small' ravine, I was unwilling to waste time with needless inquiries, and, therefore, followed the line of path with undiminished confidence.
The trace, indeed, narrowed-it once or twice vanished-all that was no novelty ; but at last we seemed to reach the vanishing point, for now, after the last vanish, the path never re-appeared ! In place of the one, however, were seen four! and those running in as many different directions and evidently, like Gay's road-to no places at all! And so, for the neglect of inquiring, Kate and I had been judiciously following a cow-path !
"Why not steer by the sun?"
That is easy enough, my friend, in a country where there is a sun. I had, indeed, seen little of that "Great Shine" all day; and for the last two hours nothing, a rain having then commenced which lasted till our reaching Woodville.
"What did you do then?"
Trusted to Kate to find the way back to Chuff's ;- as we had hardly gone two miles astray-and that she did in fifteen minutes.
"What then?"
You shall hear for yourself-"Hilloo ! the house !"
"Well-hilloo! what's wantin !"
"The trace to Woodville-I missed it just now.'
"Sorter allowed so, when I seed you take the cow-path to the licks-
"Well, my friend, why didn't you hollow to me?"
"'Cos I allowed you mought a ax'd if you ain't a woodsman-
. and if you be, you know'd the way to the licks as well as me."
"Thank you, sir ; will you show me now?"
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"Take the path tother ind of the fence."
Neighbour Chuff's settlement differs, you see, in suavity from King's. Still, the Hoosier's direction was right; and with noth- ing more romantic than our feed in the morning, we arrived pretty much used up to a late dinner in the evening at Woodville-hav- ing done more than forty wilderness miles in about twelve hours! For the whole, however, I was rewarded, when Dr. Sylvan that night called at our house and said with an approving smile :
"Pretty well done! pretty well done! After this I think we may dubb you a backwoodsman."
CHAPTER LVII.
"Ha! ha! ha! D'ye think I did not know you, Ha "
DR. SYLVAN's visit was to announce the favourable reply of Dr. Bloduplex to the letter of the committee. But the people were in a new tumult; and a petition to the next Assembly was circu- lating for signatures, praying that the Trustees be ordered to expel either Clarence or Harwood, or both; and that while Blo- duplex should be elected as President, the professors should be taken each out of different sects. For, reader, the two existing members of the Faculty were both Rats; and Dr. Bloduplex was of the same denomination! This, however, was then' the natural result of circumstances-that sect being twenty-five years since pre-eminent in learning, talent and enterprise. And this I am bound as a true historian to declare, although Dr. Bloduplex and myself do not belong to the same sect !- an impartiality to be re- membered to my credit hereafter.
I perceive we have thoughtlessly given a clue to the sect meant. For when it is found by the reader what sect twenty-five years ago, was pre-eminent in the respects named, my secret so nicely kept is out-he has discovered the Rats! But if such sect cannot be found, then among the fictitious things of this book will, I
1 Learning and talents now are not necessary in teachers; for there are many first-rate teachers without. Owing to the improved era.
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fear, be placed our worthy President, the Rev. Constant Bloduplex.
In this emergency, it occurred, that another petition in aid ap- parently of the other, and yet subversive, by reducing its princi- ples to an absurdity, should be sent to the Legislature, as the proper way for "Hoosier to fight Hoosier." Something must be done, because our magnates at the Capitol would certainly essay something disastrous to the college. Hence, the suggestion meet- ing Dr. Sylvan's approbation, the framing of said petition was committed to Mr. Carlton; when, in a few days the following able paper-(hem)-was submitted, corrected, approved, and adopted by our friends :
"To the Honorable the Representatives of-in General Assem- bly convened at Timberopolis, this petition of the People of Woodville and the New Purchase generally, is respectfully submitted :-
"First, that the existing Faculty of our College be requested to resign before the election of a President, that all denominations may have a fair and equal chance for places :
"Secondly, that, there being nine religious sects in our state, and three of philosophers, viz :- the Deistical, the Atheistical, and the Fanny-wright-dale-owen-istical,-three members of Faculty be annually elected out of each and every of these twelve sects and bodies-each set of three to serve one month, till the year ends, and then to recommence with other sets of three, and so on till the end of time.
"Among many unanswerable reasons for this petition, we urge only four :-
"I. It is the true Anti-federal Democratical and Pure Republi- can course, founded on rotation : for it is useless to assert that all have a right to become Professors, unless it can be shown pos- sible and practicable :
"2. It will promote learning: for, when manifest that every body, in turn, can be Professor, every body will go to studying to get enough to last him at least a month:
'"3. It is said, confidently, by some sectarian leaders, that if they were in, their sects would each send one hundred students to College! Hence, all sects doing the same-as all will when one
-
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does-our College flourishes at once with twelve hundred students ! !
"4. The amazing cheapness of the plan. It will cost nothing, except travelling expenses ! Your petitioners have been repeatedly informed, that no Democratical Republican and patriotic Citizen will charge a dollar for his one month's professional services !- but that all will serve for the honour! and hence our Transmon- tane Commonwealth shall show to the Whole Admiring World, the noble sight of the Greatest, Most Wonderful, Most Powerful Free School System in the Universe !!!!
"This petition, and reasons, are respectfully submitted, and your petitioners-all, at least, that acknowledge a Supreme Being -will ever pray," &c. .
This petition was copied by James Sylvan, the Doctor's nephew ; who, being a talented young man, the paper was generally attri- buted to him. When circulated, it soon had the proper number of signatures-a few signing with a full understanding of its nature, and not a few believing it auxiliary to the other, and already signed by them! These latter thought, if one petition would do good, two would do more.
Sorry am I to say, both Ned and Domore signed both papers ! Yet, afterwards, Ned insisted, with the most awful "busts of his rifle !" that he had signed the first only to please his neighbours! and then ours, to counteract the other's evil tendency !! Ned had a little of the Falstaff in him-and Shakespeare drew from life.
Well, the petition was forwarded about Christmas : and a wag- gish member, who affected to be a very Adams in defence of the right of petition, contrived to present our paper before the ap- pearance of its enemy. And the effect, they say, was such on the risibles of our "grave and reverend seigniors," that Insidias Cut- swell, Esq., who had charge of the other paper, did himself join heartily in the laugh,-(he always laughed if the majority in- dulged)-and never took the true people's-people's petition from his pocket! In justice must it be said, that, while that petition had been drawn up by himself ad hoosierandum, he was secretly glad to have it defeated. Still, he condoled with the signers, by lamenting and condemning "the unhappy state of indecorum at the
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time too prevalent in the House, which rendered it unadvisable to submit grave and important matters to their consideration !"
CHAPTER LVIII.
"In vain, alas! in vain, ye gallant few! From rank to rank your vollied thunder flew !"
Campbell.
never did I hear Such gallant chiding, for, besides the groves, The skies, the fountains, every region near Seem'd all one mutual cry !"
THIS autumn was remarkable for wild pigeons. The mast had failed elsewhere; while with us, the oak, the beech, and all other nut trees, had never borne more abundant crops. The woods, therefore, teemed with hogs, squirrels, and all other nut-crackers, that, like the primitive men of poetry, preferred this acorn-life.
How many swine were slaughtered this fall, I never learned : but, within six weeks, our upper and lower regiments of hunters, and simply by shooting occasionally around their clearings, on counting, at the muster, their squirrel scalps, found the sum more than 30,000 !!
As to pigeons, the first large flocks, attracted no unusual notice: and, yet, were they mere scouting parties from the grand army! For, within a week, that army began to arrive, as though flocks had never before been seen! and all the birds under the whole heavens had been congregated into one company! Had the leaves of our trees all been changed into birds, the number could have been no greater !
With a friend, I stood in an open space in the woods, two miles east of Woodville, from 10 o'clock A. M. to 3 o'clock P. M .- five hours-during which, with scarcely thirty seconds inter- mission, a stream of pigeons, about two hundred yards wide, and averaging two layers, flowed above us, and with the rapidity of thought ! It was an endless hurricane on wings, rushing innoxious, yet with such an uproar as seemed to be prostrating the forests : and the deep reverberating thunder, in the distant wilds, seemed
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to announce the fall of their ponderous and ancient trees! Never had I felt the awe and solemnity of sound thus ; even in beholding the wind-tempest pass over the same wilds, blowing the submissive woods, and bearing onward their wide tops, as if mown off with an angel's scythe !1
It will readily be thought, our hunters and sportsmen were in all places firing away at the living torrent : and yet, with but small loss to the pigeons. Rifles are useless in firing at very distant and flying troops; and we had not more than a dozen Leather-stock- ings in the Purchase, able to single out and kill a bird at a time.
"Why not use shot-guns?" What a question! "Well-but why?" Why, first and foremost, that toy could not be found in twenty houses in the whole Purchase. Secondly, our men could hardly be coaxed to use the thing, both out of contempt, and, what may seem strange, out of a little fear ; for, as Ned said, "the spiteful critter kick'd so powerful." Beside, it is unfavourable to rifle-shooting to acquire the dodge taught by a shot-gun. But, lastly, the pigeons usually flew twenty yards above our trees-and that rendered the Mantons, or any best shot-guns, as efficacious nearly as-a quill and a spice of potato.
However, all the shot-guns and horse-pistols were sought and fixed, so feverish became the excitement, and since there were half-cut backwoodsmen enough, and some degenerate natives to use them. But here was the next difficulty ; powder was plenty, -yet, who had shot? In our store was not a pound; and it was the same almost in the others. Still, a few pounds were ferretted from lurking places, and readily sold at thirty-seven and half cents for a scant pound :- whence was proved, that a pound of lead in shot-shape, is not even as heavy as a pound of feathers !- the air- pump to the contrary notwithstanding.
With immense persuasion, Ned and Domore consented to shoot horse-pistols : but they both utterly refused to fire off "store-shot." And, like some others, they hammered bullets into bars; which were then cut into cubes and triangles, this being "a sort a-shootin
1 There was a place about eight miles east of Bloomington which was known for many years as the "Hurricane," a region of considerable size, consisting of wild undergrowth and second growth where the great trees of the primitive forests had been leveled with the wind.
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bullets, and no inkuridjment to store-keepers to bring out their blasted baby shot !"
In justice to my own manhood, it must be told, I stooped not to the shot concern till after several days' failure in hitting with my rifle, a single bird, at 140 yards, and moving as near like "the greased lightning" as possible: nor then, before the following accident showed there may be danger in firing a rifle as well as a shot-gun. Satisfied that the rifle must be fired now by the doc- trine of chances, and not of "the sights ;" and that the chance with one bullet was a "slim chance," it seemed better to multiply chances, and load with two balls instead of one. And yet the spaces be- tween the flying birds were as plentiful as birds; and, into these spaces the two balls chanced to go when they parted company, or, if they stuck together, it was, after all, but one chance. There- fore, we at last ventured on patching the balls separately; and then, indeed, the effect was considerably different; not, however, upon the pigeons, but at my end of the gun : for, at the flash, I was suddenly driven partly around, and with a tingling in the fingers supporting the barrel, while about me, for several yards, lay the silver mounting and ornaments of my rifle !
"What was the matter?"
The piece had burst; and the stock was shattered up to the spot sustained by my left hand ! and, yet had I received no material injury! On the same day, and from the same cause,-(air inter- cepted between the patched balls)-another rifle burst; and, al- though the owner remained with its butt only in his hand, he too was unharmed midst the scattered fragments of wood and iron. Ned's remark about the accidents, was paradoxical, for he "Bust his rifle, if he allowed a rifle would a-busted no how!"
After this, I descended to the shot-gun. But, while I took my station in the opening already named, and, furnished with two and a half theoretic pounds of different sized shot, fired away till all was expended, I was rewarded with only two pigeons-these being from a small cloud that, by some accident, flew a few yards below the tree-tops, and both killed at one fire.
One evening, shortly after sunset, Ned Stanley brought a re- port into the village, that the pigeons were forming an encamp- ment for the night somewhere to the south-east. And, not long
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after, this was confirmed by Domore, who had surprised an out- post, nestling in the woods within a mile and a half of Woodville.
Had a scout brought intelligence of a hostile Indian band, our town could not have been more effectually roused and speedily armed. And now, verily, shot-guns and shot rose a thousand per cent .- like caterpillars' eggs in the mulberry fever ; and every where some body met any body and every body, legs and all, full tilt in search of the article! Turkeys, sang, coon-skins, ven's'n- hams, and even cash (hoarded to buy land!)-were offered for guns, pistols, and shot !- and, all round, could be seen and heard men and boys hammering, rolling, and cutting shot ! Indeed, many intended to fire this extemporaneous shot out of-rifles! And when hunters, or even semi-hunters, can so demean these-the temptation and excitement must be prodigious !
Some could not procure even rifles ; and these persons, by the aid of Vulcanus Allheart and his boys, had old pistol and gun barrels hastily mounted on rude stocks, to be fired in partnership, one holding the matchlock, and the other "touching her off" with an ignited stick or cigar.
"What was all this stir about?" Why, for a night attack on the Grand Roosting Encampment! For, since the Purchase be- came a purchase, never, in the memory of our oldest and most respectable squatters, had such an occurrence happened, as for the pigeons to roost so near Woodville! Now, some had read in Ornithology, and others had been told by people from Ken- tucky-oh! such wonders about roosts and encampments! how pigeons covered all the branches ; and then perched on one another, till the trees became living pyramids of feathers! And how, then, all tumbled down and killed themselves, till the ground was cov- ered with dead pigeons, oh! as much as two feet !- like quails round the Israelitish camp! Yes! and the pigeons slept so sound, and were so averse to flying in the dark, that you could walk up and gather birds from trees like wild-plums in a prairie! Ay! and the farmers used to camp near a roost, with droves of hogs ; which (after the farmers had barrelled up enough birds for winter), were driven in every morning to be fattened on dead pigeons !
"Did you believe all that, Mr. Carlton?"
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Well-I was but mortal-beside, every body said it would be such a most mighty powerful smart chance to get such a heap of pigeons! I did not, indeed, go as far as some; for I never ex- pected to find them two feet high, already dead, and, maybe, picked and ready for the skillet. Beside, I wanted to go, and "who knows," says I to myself, "if there mightn't be some truth in the account after all." Hence, after five minutes cogitation, I hurried down after Clarence and Harwood-but, mark it, reader, I was met by those learned gentlemen, hastening up to Carlton's store, to consult on the same subject! For these persons, living in the edge of the forest, knew well enough that the pigeons were camp- ing, from the thunderings, like the deep and solemn mutter of an earthquake (although the nearest point of the camp proved nearly three miles distant), and hence, quite as excited and credu- lous as we small fry, they were posting up town to join a party :
"Which way? Which way? neighbours !"
"Coming up to your store,-are you going down to College?"
"I was-did you hear what Domore and Ned say?"
"No-but, hark! don't you hear them?"
"What !- is that the pigeons ?"
"To be sure !- Carlton, won't you go?"
"That's what I was coming down for-"
"That's your sort-agreed. Going to take a gun?"
"No-guess not : all Woodville is out with guns-pistols-rifles -match-locks-and big keys, with touch-holes filed in-let's only take things to carry back birds in."
"Agreed-they say you can pick a barrel under a tree-what shall we take?"
"Bags?"
"Yes-and a long string to tie them by the legs, and carry back on a pole !"
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