The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1848-05-24
THE HOG osIERs AND THE HARD;
as SEI


SEl ELL Sis
By MAJOR JOS. ONES, OF PINEy1LLE.
S:3t s yery refreshing in these dayssof
prog ress, afier ratt nover thecountry for
days and nights al the rate Of tweniy: miles
"a; hourin q railroad ca ar--witli yo,,r mouth
fulllof,d dust and smoke, and with doh ever
slastin clatter in your ears that you can't
Ehenr yourself lfthink--to gitinto a good old
fashioned stage coach. Theirs something
Esociable and friendly lin stage coach trav..
ellin, 50 different from the .bustle and con.
fusion of a railroad, whar people are whir.
led along ISLAM hung TO eternal smash,''
[ like they was so many bales and boxes Of
dry-goods and groceries, without so much
as chance of seein whar they're gw;ne,
3orsof takin any interest in their fellow
sufferers. love 10 hear the pop Of the
whip, and the interestf, conversation be.
tween tho driver and his horses; and Hike
the. constant variation inthe motion of The
stage, the rattle over the stones, the still.
ness ofthe dragSthrough tho heavy sands
I the luDgng and pitching into the ruts and
gullies. the slow pull{up the steep hills,
the rush down agin, and the splashin Of
the horses feet, and the wheels inthe wa
ter and mud. And then one has time to
see the country, to count the rails in the
pannels OF the fences and the wimrnin and
children at the doors,-to notice the np.
Pearance of the craps, and the condition of
the stock on the farms, and now and then
10 say a word to the people on the rond
SIDE. All these things are pleasant after
long voyage on the rail road. But what
still more agreeable about stage. coach
traveilin, is that we have opportunity of
maxim the acquaintance ofour fellow pas.
sengers, and Of conversin with 'em, or
studyn their intcrestin traits Of charac
ter, which, from the slrikin contrast they
often present, never fail to amuse if thew
dom interest our minds.
When ] was down South last fall, had
pretty fair specimen Of stage ride from
Warrenton 10 Milledgeville, in Georgia.
The road wasn' the best in the world, and
didn't run through the most in,eres, par,
OF the State, but we'd good team, good
stage, and first rate driver, md the com
Pany Jest about ns good one as could be
Jumped up for sich occasion. Their
was nine of us, besides the driver, and |
don't believe ther ever was crowd of
the same number that presented greater
variety of character. Their was old
gentleman in black, with big round spec.
tacles and gold headed cane, a dandy
gambler, with more gold chains abou, him
than would hang him, old EIardshell
preacher, MS they call 'en, ou, in Georgia,
with the biggest mouth, and the uglicst
Good nj IL
breath smelled strong cnuT of Ticker 10
upset the stage, cross old maid, as ugly
as tar bucket, q butifu! young lady with
apair of the prcttycst brigh, eyes, n drov-
er from lndiany, what was gwine to New
Orleans TO git army contract for beef,
and myself.
For while nobody didn't have much
to say. The young lady put her green
veil over her face and leaned her head
back in the corner; the old maid sot up
strait, and looked as sharp AS steel trap:
the old gentleman drnmmcd his fingers on
his cnne, and looked out Of the windcr;
the circus man tried to look in,crcstin; The
gambler went to sleep; the preacher look
ed solemn, and the hooSler stuck his he'd
out OF the winder to look at the cattle
what we passed evry now and then.
"lhis aint no great stock country" scs
he to the old gentleman with the cane.
"No, 'ssir,' scs the old gentleman
'Ther's very little grazing here, and the
range is pretty much wore out"
Then ther was nothing sed apin for
some time. Bimeby the hosier opened
agin:
"l.'s the d--st place for simmon.
trees and turkey-buzzards ever did sce!''
The old gentleman with the cane didn',
say nothing. md the preacher give a
long groan. The young lady smiled
through her veil, md :he old mud snap.
ped her eyes and looked sideways at tile
speaker.
"Dont make much beef here, I reckon"
ses The hoosier.
"No," ses the old gentleman.
swell, | don't see how in the h---ll
they all manage TO gi, along in country
whar they amt no ranges, and they don,
make no beef man ain't considered
worth cuss in Indnny what hast 90,
his brand on hundred he'd"
"Yours is great beef country, be.
lieve," ses the old gentleman.
"Weil, Sir it, nin't nothing else. A
man that's got sense cnufrto foller his own
cowbeil with US ain't in no danger of star.
v'n.-l'm gwine down to Orleans to see i
cant git contract out Of Uncle Sam to
iced the boys what's been licking then
internal Mexicans SO bad. Ispose you've
seed them cussed lies what's been in the
papers about the lndiupy boys at Bony
Visty."
I've read some accounts Of the battle, y
ses the old gentleman, ''that didn't give a
very ha,tering account Of the conduct oI
some Of our troops"