Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-08-27
From the St Louis Revcille.
GOOD FOR BUFFALO.
BY JOHN BROWN.


the name of jackson, had given him the chris
tan name of Andrew-a name, in this case,
extremely mai appropos This fellow was
drilled with others and drilled alone. but the
task of instruction seemed almost hopeless
one. Dismounted, if ordered to start with the
left foot, he almost invariably put forth the
right, and it was more than limited that he could
not tell the one from the other.
"And, curse him E" said the sergeant, one
day, out of patience, &c he don't know his legs,
and has not sense enough to mark them %
In the mounted drill he was the same. At
command ''to the right" he was Just as
likely to turn to the wrong as to the right side.
AS to mounting horse according to the man.
ual, he saw no use whatever in that; and pro-
vlded he could climb up by the cantel of the
saddle, was perfectly satisfied
In truth, Jackson was very stupid. He
could hardly be taught to keep his arms and
accoutrements in order, and could never exc
cute the first movement of the sabre exercise
without the most ludicrous blunders, and, if
mounted, danger of cutting off his horses head
or ears.
Altogether, after he had been two years in
service, he was put down by every body as
absolutely ''good for nothing "a worthless
appendage to the corps for he had even been
| tried On various kinds of extra duty, and failed
in all.
The captain had marked Jackson he re-
garded him as an anomaly-not exactly an
idiot, yet seeming SO very near one that the
dividing line was hardly perceptible. He can
never be fit for anything, thought the captain ;
and he medtated thedischarge OF the imprac-
'tcable dot,-az ''nuisance to the service.'
A strict drill officer, the captain required ev-
cry man to do his duty. When Jackson was
on drill, the captains order to march general
| ly ran as follows:
Column forward corporal West, giue
that man kick 10 start him-march
Corporal West, accustomed to this duty,
usually by kick properly dealt, had given
jackson an impetus forward, by the time the
command " march, fell from the captain.
Jackson had, as time flew, been three years
in the company, when march to the prairies
was ordered. In the range of that animal
near the Arkansas, it became an object with
the command to procure a supply of buffalo
meat and every day details of men were made
! for that purpose.
The captain himself, on one occasion, thirst
ing for sport, went out with the hunters
They had been out some three or four hours,
when Jackson, his horse nearly at full speed,
and his carhne unslung, was dashing past the
captain towards herd OF buffalo at some dis
lance across the plain.
Stop, sir, stop % commanded the captain.
Jackson instantly reined up. So far as he
knew how, he had learned to obey-the first
lesson of a soldier The captain was inclined
to be religious, but now he was betrayed by
excitement into the use of naughty language
What the devil are you doing here ~ he
demanded fiercely.
Hunting buffalo, sr.''
{" Hunting buffalo D--nation Who told
V0u to hunt buffalo? What business have
you on the plains %
The sergeant detailed me as a hunter, sir -
The devil he did Well, the sergeants a
ID fool" continued the captain, growing
warmer and worse betrayed. g What can YOU
do here? Do you ever expect to kill a bufa-
10 % he asked, almost with a sheer.
"Fve done so, sir, this morning" replied
the soldier, touching his cap.
What! You've killed a buffalo? Take
care, sir-dont lie to Ene-take care! The
things impossible r'
Indeed, captain, it's true. I've killed
three, and have three months calf tied to
the leg of the last ONE
8" Is it possible %
"Yes, sir; and Id have killed one of those
four just back in the last hollow,if y0u hadn't
rode up and scared them aacayn'
The captain was more than astonshed-he
was thunderstorm. The stupid worthless
soldier, suddenly appeared in new light. His
genius had peeped out-he was Developed,
well, well,' replied the captain, "go a
head-go ahead-kill all you can; I'm glad
you can do it; you're fit for something-pve
discovered thy mere accident; but every man,
| suppose, is made for something-go ahead,
you can earn your rations now, fora few days,
at least-youre good for nothing else; but
you're GOOD FOR BUFFALo!'
CRUELTY OF THE CH1NEsE.-When once
speaking o Chinese of the remuneration
for pilots in England being fixed by Gov
eminent, he gave me a description of the
wreck of Junk, in consequence of the exor-
bitant demands OF the pilots, who, seeing
signs of a coming typhoon, demanded more
than the master of the vessel could make up
his mind to give 1t being at the time nearly
dark, the latter, hoping The typhoon would not
come on before the ensuing day, anchored,
with the intention OF sounding his way into
the river he wished TO enter as soon as it was
light again. The next morning, however, he
was caught in the Storm the junk struck on
a hidden rock, was driven off again, and began
rapidly to fill. The sailors nearly all took to
the water butt. which, loosened from the YES
sci, is the usual refuge in such cases. The
master proposed saving himself on the large
sail, which, being composed of mating, ex-
tending on and supported by number OF
bamboos running across it, is very buoyant,
and for this purpose cut away, as he suppo-
sed, all the ropes which attached it to the yes
sci. Unfortunately, however, he had not
done so completely, and when the junk went
down, he was gradually drawn down with the
sail and drowned. The water-butt went
down also soon after, so that only two or three
men saved themselves by clinging to loose
pieces of timber. Now, most Engshmen, on
telling this story, would feel a little commits
Grafton for the sufferers, and few, if any, would
be excited to laughter by it; but the Chinese
narrator no sooner came to speak of the
drowning, .han he began to laugh, and he was
so particularly tickled BY the manner in which
the master met his death, that the tears ran
from his eyes from excess of merriment, and
he could scarcely get on with the tale. While
this story illustrates the want OF humane feel,
ings on the part of the Chinese, the cause OF
its being related is, however, an instance OF
the candor with which they will admit any
thing in foreign countries to be OF superior
nature, as soon as they perceive it, even tho
it should be the existence of government in,
stitution which they have not. The practice
of mutilating children, and constraining them
to act as beggars, in order to gain livelihood
by taking from them the gifts their forced per-
fr-r1