Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1854-08-19
A GRAssHoppER Roasr-Amono ,

A CHRISTOPHER RoAsT-Amone the
choice dalicacies with which the Digger In
dams regale themselves during the summer
season is the grasshopper roast Having
been an eye witness to The preparation and
| discussion of one OF their teasts of grasshop-
pers, says the Empire County Argus, we can
describe it ,rulhfully. There are districts in
California, as we'll as portions of the plains
between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky
Mountains: that literally swarm with grass
hoppers, andRin such astonishing numbers
that man cannot place his foot to the
| ground while walking there without crush
ing great numbers To the Indian they are
dellcacy, and are caught and cooked in the
following manner: A piece Of ground is
sought where they most abound in the CEN
ter of which an excavation is made. large
and deep enough to prevent the insect from
dropping out when once in. The entire
party OF Diggers, old and young, male and
female, then surround as much Of the ad,oin-
ing ground as they can, and with each a
green bough i'll hand, whipping and thrash
ing on every side, gradually approach the
center, driving the insects before them in.
countless multltudes, till at last all. or nearly
all, are secured in the pit, Inihe meantime
smaller excavations are made. answering
the purpose of ovens, in which fires are
klndled, and kept up, till the surrounding
earth tor short distance becomes sufficient
~ heated, together with a fat stone large
enough TO cover the oven. The grasshop-
pers are now taken in coarse bags, and after
being thoroughly soaked ia salt water for
lew moments, are emptieG into the oven and
closed in. Ten or fifteen minutes suffice to
roast them, when they are taken out and ca
ten without further preparation, and with
much apparent relish or, as is sometimes
the case, reduced to powder, and made into
soup. And having from curiosity tasted,
not OF the soup,sbut of the roast really, if one
dlvest himself of the idea of eating an insect
as we do an oyster or shrimp, without other
preparation than simple roasting, they
would not be considered very bad eating,
even by more refined creatures than the
Digger Indians.
THINK AGAIN.-It is related that during
the hrst few days of the reign of Queen
Vlctolla, then girl between nineteen and
twenty years of age. some sentences of
court martial were presented for her sigma
ture. One was death for deseriion: soldier
was condemned to be shot, and his death
warrant was presented to the Queen for
her Signature She read it, paused looked
up to the officer, who had laid il before her
and said:
Have you nothing to say in behalf of
''Nohing; he has deserted three times,';a
said the officer
Think again. my lord,a was her reply.
- And" said the gallant veteran, as he
relatedthe circumstances to his friends. flor
il was none other than the Duke Dwelling
ton, sseeing her Majesty so earnest about
it, said, he is certainly a bad soldier, but
there was somebody who spoke as to his
good character and he may be a GOOD man
for aught know to the contrary"
"Oh, thank you thousand times p ex
claimed The youthful Queen, and hastily
writing Pardoned in large letters on the
fatal page, she sent it across the table with
a hand trembling with eageruess and
beautiful emotion.
Now: saysethe Young Peoples Mirror,
what a world Of instruction. goodness and
true philosophy is contained in these two
words, think again Could.we adopt their |
spirit as the rule of our own lives, one and I
all, what happy change would come over
society. In all orr business concerns, in |
our social and moral relations, cur political |
and religious duties, what important results |
might follow, if on many, very many occa-
Sions, we would think again before we
decide upon action.
A PRETTY MAN-The pretty man when
ne walks the street is sure to hold his head |
well up, and If he has whiskers or moustache.