The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-05-13


black jack grove. 1t has been built up since
last August, and is composed of a few likely
looking cabins scattered about throreh the
forest of trees, where they find shelter. We
cnquired for the hotel, and were pointed out
low. clapl1oarlcd double cabin, surrounded
by Il crazy, worm fence. Here my travelling
companion halted and pursued my lonely
way over the rolling prairie again, in the di-
rcc,ion Of the San Antonio road.
! stopped at the house of an old Louisiana
cotton planter the night after leaving Madi-
sonvie, and found him quite character
He told me the Texans were the most dcs-
pcrate people in the world; that it was mad
ness to travel in Texas without pair of six
shooters, and they were to be fired two or
three times week to be sure they were kept
in shooting order: and also that | ran the
greatest danger from the dreaded ''Northcrs,"
in crossing the prairie; it was sheer madness
to attempt it without Pair Of the heaviest
blankets I could procure, and thick over
coat.
| The old fellow 5 attempts upon my fears
served to amusc me, and found him quite
kind, rough, humorous old chap. He had
been turning over and attempting to solve a
problem respecting the number of working
days in year. The best solution he could
arrive at, Of the question, left three days of
the year entirely unaccounted for. lie hunt
ed up a slate and pencil, and gave it to ne to
| cipher out, which did, and removed what
appeared to bea great difficulty in the old
mans light.
Asccrtainng that was from the vicinity
of Baltimore, he was anxious to know wheth-
CT l had brought out drove of negroes.
"Ah, said he" it would be the best Specula-
ton in the world. They would go here like
hot cakes. A likely lad ofcighteen will bring
twelve hundred dollars as quickly as it can be
asked for him. Write to your friends to send
on their niggcrs but to stay in the old States
themselves. Texas is a hard country to live
in; see, we are all shaking with the chlls."
And so they were, but | was not surprised
that it was so, for they lived in the edge of a
wide bottom that was thickly timbcred; and
where deadly masma pcrvadcd the whole
atmosphere.
Leaving This old mans domicil, pushed
on for the San Antonio road, which had left
in going to Madisonvillc, and which reached
again after travelling six miles towards
Wheclock, where arrived the following even
ing As the traveller approaches the Brazos,
he meets with prairics that become more and
more extensive, and finds the water scarce
and bad.
| first met with the famous muskcct grass
in the prairics about Whcclock. This grass
much resembles the kentucky blue grass,
and the celebrated green grass so much pri-
zcd in grazing districts in the Eastern States
Its nutritious qualities are so great, as some
times to produce founder in animals. On the
route to Wheclock saw many large tlocks of
geese, and herds of deer, which were rrmalka-
bly, tame, being in these lonely wilds seldom
molestcd by the death dealing rifle of man.
Large tlocks sheep are pastured Oh the prai
RIGS near Whcclock. They require herds
man or shepherd to constantly attend thcm
and frequently the wolves break in among
the sheep and dcvour several of them Gre
they can be driven away. The tlocks are
driven to town at night, and the herds are
penncd, in order to protect thtm from wolves
and dogs. Sheep are valuable stock in
Texas.
As Ipasscd over the prairics in this section
of the country. the carcasscs of hogs and cat
tie strcwed the way, with focks of carton
crows and buzzards lowering about them
The protracted drought in this Southern
country, which has existed since last june,
(but little rain having fallen since thcn,) had
burned up vegetation so as to bring starvation
upon the stock which roams about the parch-
cd and burnt prairics, like moving skeletons
The prairits and bottoms are baked so hard
by the burning sun that the hogs could find
nothing to subsist upon; and as Texans pro-
vide but little for stock of any kind-cithcr
man or animals-the hog being thrown upon
his own resources, under these circumstan-
ccs: must either ''root or de-" and the for
mer condition being out of the question, the
only solace left for poor porker was the latter.
On the 9th of February left the town of
Whcclock, and was soon outside the settle
ments in its vicinity. After travelling through
an undulating country thinly sprinkled with
black jack and post oak timber, for dis
lance of ten n small miles, reached small
creek called the Little Brazos Here few
settlers have built their rude domcils and
grub out living such as Texas generally af-
tords.
This creek here bounds the Brazos lotions
on the cast and crossing it, the traveller plum
ges at once into the thickest of that far famed
alluvial. The river bottoms are all drapcd
with Spanish moss, which is seen from dis
lance hanging in festoons from the trees, and
lisa harbineor to the traveller after n long
Lonesome ride, of his approach to the haunts
Of rude civilization, which follows the bottoms
that margins the water courses.
| The timber in the Bruzos Eotton, &c NJ n h,t -