Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-05-02
DEACON SMITHS BULL.


Mike Fink, notorious Backeye hun.
ter, was contemporary with the celebra.
ted Davy Crockett, and his equal in all
things appertaining TO human prowess.
1t was even said that the animals in his
neighborhood knew the crack of his ri.
fle, and would take to their secret hiding
places on the first intimation that Mike
was about. Yet strange, though true,
he was little known beyond his itnmcdi-
ate 'ssetilemeni." sH 'lah H"af4 z8
When ,os knew him, he was an old
man--the blasts of seventy winters had
silyered Ger his head and taken the elas-
iicity from his limbs; yet in the whole
of his life was Mike never worsted, ex-
cept upon one OCCASION. TO use his
own language, he never "gin in, used up,
to anything thattravellsd on two legs or
four but once. I1l sf aHaa. has ,ga5la.l q
"'Fhat once, we want" said Bill Sla-
sher, as some dozen of us sat in the bar
room of the old tavern in the settlement
"Gin il to us, now, Mike--you've
promised long ENOUGH, and you're old
now, and needn't care,' continued Bill
'Right, right! Bill" said Mike, "but
we'll open with icker all round, fast,
il'll kind q save my feelin's, reckon
"Thar, that's good. Better than TO-
ther barrel if anything !'ii he e s001'is
SWELL, boys" commenced Mike, "you
may talk o. your scrimmages, tight pia-
ces, and sich like, and subtract 'em al
together in one all mighty big 'un, and
they haint no more to be compared to
the one | war in, than dead kitten t0
an old she bar! Pve fout all kinds o.
varmints, from an Ingin down TO a rattle
snake! and never was will'n 10 quit fust,
but this once-and twas with a Bull! fa
"lou see, boys, il was an awful hot
day in August, and | war nigh runnin'
of-into pure ae, when / war thinkin'
that dip in The creek mont save me-
Well, thar was mighty nice place in
old Deacon Smiths medder for that par
tic'lar Dizziness. So went down a.
mong the bushes to unharness. | jist
hauled the old red shirt over my head,
and war thnkiu' how scrumptious a fell
ler OF my size woald feel wallerin'
round in that ar water, andwas jest bout
goin in, when | seed the old Deacon's
Bull maxim a B-line to whar stood.
IL know'd the old cuss, for he'd skar'd
more people than all the parsons o. the
'settlement,' and cum mighty near kiln
few. Thinks l, Mike, you're in rath-
er a tight place--get your fx'ns on, or
he'll he drivin them big horns O. his in
yer bowels afore that time! Well, You'll
hey to try the old varmint naked, Il
reck'n. .@
1.-The bull war on one side o. the
creek and | on t'other, and the way he
made the sle fly for while, as if he
war diggin my grave, war distressn!
"Come on ye bellerin old heathln,
said !, and don't be standin thar; for as
the old Deacon says o. The Devil, syer
not comely to look on.' #aa a',ar=3
"This kind o. reached his understand.
in,'and made him more wishious; for he
hoofed little like, and made drive
And as don't like to stand in any body's
way, lgin him plenty o sea-room! So
he kind o passed by me and come out
on rother side; and,, as the aptaiu of
the Mud smamp Rangers would say,
: 'bou! face for mother CHARGE au a.tal.
'.Though / war ready for i'm this
time, he cum mighty nigh runnin' foul
o. me! So made up my mind the mex,
time he went out he wouldn't be alone.
So when he passed grappled hie tail,
and he pull'd me ont on the 'sile,' and as
soon as we were both a top of the bank
old brindle stopp'd and war about cum.
min round sgin when | begin pull'n to-
iher way. asos
"Well reck'n this kind o. riled him,
for he fust stood stock still and looked at
me for spell, and then commenced paw
III and bellerin, and the way he made his
hind gearin play in the air, war beau
tiful. .&Iah M aAsa taIR
"But il wam't no use, he couldn't
tech me, so he kind o. stopped to get
wind for suthin devilish as iedged by
the way he stared! By this time, had
made up my mind TO stick to his tail as
long as il stuck to his backbone! | didn't
like to holler for help, nu,her, kase il
war agin my principles, and the deacon
had.preachin at his house, and it want
far off nuther. III sft ug Ht,s "a
81 know'd if he bern the noise, the
hull congregation would cum down; and
as warn't married man and had a
kind o. hankerin arier a gal that war thar,
| didn't feel as if would like 10 be seed
in that ar predicament. a a4H 4
$50 says |, you old sarpent do your
cussedest. And SO he did; for he drug
me over every briar and stump in the
field, until war sweatin and bleedin like
fat bear with pack O. hounds at his
heels. And my name amt Mike Fink,
if the ole critters tail and I didn't blow
out sometimes at dead level with the
varmint's back!
$50 you may kakelate we made good
time. Bimeby he slackened little, and
then had him for spell, for jist drap-
ped behind stump and thar snubbed
The critter! Now says |. you'il pull
up this ere white oak-break yer tail!
or Jest hold on bit till blow!
s.Well while war settin thar. an idea