The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-07-23
COOKING IN THE PRAJRIES

Race nags may he found amono the 'rexasvo,
uhteers. yet the funniest fellow of all is bannv-
lucky chap named Bill Dean, one of Cberal.
'ers spy Company. and said to be one of The hos,
seven mp PLAYERS in all Texas While at Cur.
pns Christi, lot of us were sitiinp ont in tho
'ioop of the Kinney House, early one mornoa
when along came Bill Dean. He did no, Know
single soul IN the crowd, although he knew we ,yere
Ill bound Tor the Ri" Grande yet the fact that tho
regular f"rmali'ies Of an introdnctinn had NJ, hee
rome ihrnngh with did hut prevent him STUNNING
snort IN his walk and accosinp us His sneecb
" harangue or Whatever il may he termed will
ose n"ch In the telling, YET will endpavor To
nut II np"n paper in as good shape as pnssible.
o"' yes SAID he, with a knowing leer of
he eve. " oh yes; all goin' down amnnG the rnb
'ers "n the Rio Grande. are You? Fine lines
y"nW have. over the left Ive heen there mys.Ir
ma done what gnod many of You won't do
,"me back: hut If didn't see material h-l--in
August al thai am teapot Lived eiubt
rays an ore poor hawk and three blackberres
'on'h nj Mi prairie rat ON the whole route In
ave us from starvation. The ninth d,v c,me
aud we struck small streak of qood ]sck-a
horse give out and broke down. plumb ont in ,he
centre OF an open PTaire-not n stick in sipht bio
enough To tickle ratilesnake with 10, a,nns t,li
ing him. Just had time to rave The cr;,,or hr
sh"oiln' him. and that was all, for in three min.
nles longer he'd have died lateral death II
nidh lake ns long In butcher him nor Ia cut IF
some chunks of meat and slick 'em ON our ram.
rods nut the cookin' was another matter. Ipiled
up heap ct prairie grass. for il was hiob and
Dry and sot It on fire; but it flashed Nd like
powder and went out as quick. But"
But. pnt IN one of his hearers. bu, b,y
dId you cook your horse meat after that 2"
How ?"
4" Yes. how %
why. the fire caught the biob GRACE oIoso
ny, and the wind carried the flames streain,
me prairie followed up the fire, holdinc INV
c'"nh q" meat directly over the hottest part of the
maze, and The way II went was caution to any.
thing short of locomotive dnins Onre in , will
a lille furry of wind would come along and Tho
hre would get few yards the start; bn, I'd
"rnsh upon her, lap her with my chunk and then
"ed nave u again nip and tuck You never seed
such hight Tace--it was beantifuI''
Very, we've do dDubt" calculated one of tho
listeners, ln'erruping the mad wag just in season
I" give him little breath :" but did yun c,,k
yonr meat in the end %
- Not bad didn't. | chase that ID fro
mile and half. the amighipst hard rare yo,
ever hPer'ed tell on. and never gave il IN mill
run right plump into a wet marsh there tho f,o
and chunk of horse meat came out eyen-a do,d
heat. especially the meat''
:" But wasn't II cooked ?" put in another of The
listeners" W "'
CopkPd no just crusred over u,uo
You don't cook bruken down b,,se a. -
easily. no how; but when it comes To chasino nm
prairie hTe with chunk orir. dun't know
winch IS toughest, the meat or the lob Yupd
laughed to split yourself to have seen me in that
Tace-to see the fire leave me at timer. and then
10 sec me a brushin' mp on her again, hpmpin'
anu movln myself as though I was runnin' again
so'ne o' those big ten mile an hour Gildersleeyes
", " 'he old States. But Pam guin' over To Jack
fiaynes's to get cocktail and some breakfast
wv see yon all down among the robbers on The Rio
Grande"
And so saying Bill Dean stalked nT. I saw
me CHAP this morning 10 front ola Mexican fopdn.
trying To talk Spanish with Greaser and eudea.
vonng TO convince him that he was " Id
robher." Such is one Of Bill Deans stories--;fI
could only make it as effective on paper as he did
IN The telling, it would draw a laugh from tbose
fond Of The ludIcrous.-.H o Picn,u,u,