Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1846-07-22
THE CULINARY ART In THE PRAIRIRES
81 OF TEXAS. 4E

\
n OF TEXAS.
Race nags may be found among the Texas volun-
teers, yet the funniest fellow of all is happy
lucky chap, named Bill Dean, one oe Chevaers spy
company, and said to be of the best seven up
players in Texas. While at Corpus Christi alot Of
us were sitting out on the stoop of the Kinney Ho-
tel, early one morning, when along 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 ormalites of an introduce
tioa had not been gone through WITH did not prevent
his stopping short and accosting His speech, or
Fharangue, or whatever it may be Called will lose in
telling, yet will endeavor to put it upon paper
good shape possible.
" Oh yes" said he, with knowing wink of the eye,
" on yes all goin' down among the robbers of the
Rio Grande, are you! Fine times you'll have over
the left. Eve been there myself and done what a
good many ofyou won't dol come back but if I
didn't see material h-ll-in August at that am a
teapot. Lived eight days on one poor hawk and
kill prairie rat on the whole
route to us from starvation. The ninth day
come, and we struck small streak of good luck-a
tire of an open praire-not stick in sight big enough
to tickle rattle snake with, let alone killing him.
Just had time to the critter by shootin him. &
that all, for in three minutes longer he'd have d.
ed material death. 1t didn't take us long to butcher
him, nor long to cut off some chunks of meat, and
stick 'em our ramrods but the cookin was anoth-
er matter piled up heap of Prairie grass for it
was high and dry, and sot it on fire but it flashed
up like powder, and went out as quick. But
"But," put in one of his hearers, (" how did you
cook the horse meat after that %
How ~
{" Yes, how e.
"Why, the fire caught the high grass close by, &
the wind carried the fame streakn' across the prai-
RE. ] followed up the fire, holding my chunk of
meat directly the hottest part of the blaze and
the way we went it was caution to any thing short
of locomotive doin's. Once in while 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 it again nip and
tuck. You never seed such tight race it was beau
tifuI"
every, we've no doubt" CALCULATED one of the lis
teners interrupting the mad wag just in season to
give him little breath shut did you cook your
meat in the end %
'Not bad did MT. l chased that Did fire
mile and half the amightiest hardest race you ever
heerd tell on, and never gave it up until run her
right plumb into wet marsh there the fire and the
horse meat came out even dead heat especially the
meat"
" But was mt it cooked, r put in another of the
listeners.
"Cooked no Just crusted over a little. You
don't cook broken down horse flesh very easily, no
how but when it comes to chasing up prairie fire
with chunk, don't know which is the toughest the
meat or the job. You'd have laughed to split your
self to have me th at race-to have seen the
fire leave me at times, and then to have seen me
brushin up to her again, hurryln aud movin' myself
as though was runnn' agin some of those big ten
mile an hour Gildersleeves in the old States But
I'm goin' over to Jack Haynes to get cocktail &
some breakfast-I see you all down among the rob-
bers on the Rio Grande.'
And SO saying Bill Dean staked Off I saw this
chap this morning in front of Mexican fonda, try
ing to talk Spanish with Greaser, and endeavoring
to convince him that he was Odd robber.'-l
Such is one of Bill Deans stories-f could only
make it as effective on paper as he did in the telling,
It would draw laugh from those fond of the ludi-
Orleans Picayune.