Page:The Prairie Flower; Or, Adventures In the Far West.djvu/39



ADVE.NTURES IN THE FAR WEST

I sez afore, I was raised down to Arkan- saw, or tharabouts, and it's nigh on to sixty year now sence I fust tuk a center- shot at daylight, and in course I've forgot all the feelins a fust sight gin me. How- Boniever, that's nothin here nor tother. (I say Will, ef you've got that thar bottle about you, I doesn't mind a taste, jest to grease this her3 bacca augh! Thankee, Will; you're some, you is.)

"Well, strangers, you needn't 'spect I'm agoiu to gin ye my whole hist'ry, case I isn't, and don't know's I could ef I waul ed to, case most on't's forgot. So now I'll jest jump over a cord o' lime, and come down to 'bout four year ago come next Feberry, when it was so all-fired cold, it froze icykels on to the star rays, and stop ped 'era comin down; and the sun froze so he couldn't shine; and the moon didn't git up at all, she didn't; and this here arth was as dark nor a stack o' chowdered nig gers."

Here the Irishman, unable to stand it longer, roared out :

"Howly saints! ye're not spaking truth, now, Misther. Black George?"

"Aint I, though ?" answered the old trapper, gravely, slyly tipping the wink to one of his companions. " D'ye think I'd lie 'bout it? You remember the time, Will?"

"Well I does, hoss," replied Will, with a grin.

' In course ye does, and so does every body that know'd anything 'bout it. I may hev exaggerted a leetle 'bout the stars and them things, but I jest tell ye what was fact and no mistake, and I'll be dog-gone ef I doesn't stake my v'racity on it's being true's preachin!"

Here the old man made a pause.

"Well, well, go on!" cried I.

"Ay, ay!" echoed Huntly.

"Well," said Black George, "a leetle drap more o' that critter jest a taste case the truth makes me so infernal dry, you can't tell. Augh! thankee (return ing th* 1 bottle) feel myself agin now. But let's see, whar was I?"

"You were speaking about the wea ther."

"So I was; that's a fact; I'll be dog gone ef I wasn't! Well, as I's sayin, it got so cold that when you /"browed water (

up in the air, it all froze afore it coutd git down, and acterly had to stay thar, case it froze right on to the atmospheric."

"On to what?"

"The atmospheric."

"What is that?"

"You doesn't know what atmospheric is? Well, I'll be dog-gone ef I'm goin to 'lighten nobody; much's 1 ken do tc understand for myself. But I knows the water froze to that article, for that's what I hearn a schollard call it, and I reckon he knowed a heap any how."

"Well, well, the story," cried I.

"Yes, well, I haint got through tellm how cold it was yit. Not only the water froze to the atmospheric, but the animals as used to run o' nights all quit the busi ness, and you could walk right up to one and pat him han'some; case why his eye-sight was all froze right up tight to his head. Fact 1 I'll be dog-gone ef it wasn't!

"Well, I'd bin out a trappin, and had made a purty good lick at it, and was com in down to Bent's Fort, to make a lounge for the winter leastwise for what was left on't when jest as I crossed Cherry Creek, after having left the So the Platte, I wish I may be smashed, ef I didn't see 'bout a dozen cussed Rapahos (Arrapa- hoes) coming toward me on bosses, as ef old Nick himself was arter 'em. I looked around me, and darned o' a thing could I see but snow and ice and the snow was froze so hard that the bosses' and muleys' feet didn't make no impression on't. I was all alone, boss-back, with three good muleys, all packed han'some, for Jim Da vis him as traveled with me and Andy Forsker, another chap that made our par tyhad gone round another way, jest for fear o' them same painted heathen as was now comin up. But ye see I'd bin bolder nor them, and now I was a-goin to pay for't, sartin; for I seed by thar looks, they was bound to 'raise my hair'* ef I didn't do somethin for my country quicker. 1 looked all around me, and thought I was a gone beaver fast enough. I had a purty good hoss under me, and I knowed he only could save me, and a mighty slim chance he'd have on't at that. Howsom-


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