The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1846-08-20


prevent the appointment of a committee of
ladies 10 call and examine Mrs. Volkenburg's
jaw.
/, A CHARACTER AT CORPUS CHRISTI in
an amusing letter from Mataromas, Mr..
Kendall, of the New Orleans Picayune, re-
lales the following yarn:
Race nags may be found among the Tex
as volunteers, yet the funniest fellow OF all
is happy go.lucky chap, named Bill Dean,
one of Chevalier's spy company, and said
to be one of the best "seven up" players in
all Texas. While at Corpus Christi, lot
Of US were sitting out in the sioop of the
Kinney House, early one morning, when
long came Bill Dean. He did not know
single soul in the crowd, although he knew
we were all bound for The Rio Grande yet
the fact that the regular formalities Of an in
troduction had not been gone through with,
did not prevent his stopping short in his
walk and accosiing US. His speech, or ha-
rangue, or whatever it may be termed, will
lose much in the telling, yet | will endeavor
10 putt upon paper in as good shape as pos,
sible.
"Oh, yes said he," with knowing lees
of the eye, " oh yes, all goin' down among
the robbers on the Rio Grande, are you?-
Fine times you'll have over the left I've
been there myself and done what good
many of you wont dol come back but if
/ didn't see nateral hill in August, al that,
am teapot. Lived eight days on one
poor hawk and three backberries-could'ni
kill a prairie rat on the whole route to save
us from starvation. The ninth day come,
and we struck small streak of good luck
horse gave out, and broke down plumb out
in the centre Of an open prairie--not a sick
in sight big enough to tickle snake with,
let alone killing him. Just had time 10 save
the cfitter by shootin' him, and that was all,
for in three minutes longer he'd have died i
material death. II didn't take us long 10
butcher him, nor long TO cut off some chunks
of meat and stick 'em on our ranrods but
the cookin' was another matter. piled up
a heap of prairie grass, for it was high and
dry, and sot it ON FIRE I; but ii flashed up like
powder and went out as quick. But
But" put in one of bis hearers, shut
how did you cook your horse meet after
that 2"
:" How %
"Yes, how 2"
"Why, the fire caught the high grass
close by, and the wind carried the flames
streakin' across the prairie. | followed up
the fire, holding my chunk of meat directly
over the hottest part of the blaze, End the
way we went was a caution 10 anything
short oflocomoiive doings. Once in while
a little furry of wind would come along,
and the fire would get few yards the start;
but I'd brush upon her, lap her with my
chunk, and then we'd have again, nip and
tuck. You never seed such tight race
il was beautiful
every, we've no doubt" calculated one
ofthe listeners, inlerrupting the mad wag
jus, in season 10 give him little breath !;
:. but did you cook your meat in the end ,
aNot. bad didn't. chased the Id
fire mile and bali, the almightiest hard
est race you ever heer'd tell on, and never
give ii up until run her right plumb into
wet marsh there The fire and chunk Of
horse meat came out even-a dead heat,
Especially The meat.
!" But wasn't it cooked ," put in another
of the listeners.
Cooked! no Just crusted over lit
tie. You don't cook broken down horse
flesh so easily, no how but when it comes
to chasing up prairie fire with chunk
of it, don't know which is the toughest,
the meat or the job.