The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-08-25
Texas In the olden Time.

An old inhabitant Of Texas relates the fol-
lowing episode in his experience during the
early days of that State: a, 574
81 He once had occasion to make Journey of
some thirty or forty miles, and his wife having
prepared his provisions, lin case he should have
to camp out,) among which were some nicely
baked saleratus biscuits-she having by some
chance obtained a small supply Of flour, had re-
tained sufficient recollection of the luxuries of
former days to enable her TO "do them up
brown he started very early, and the way
being lonesome, he rode fast for some time
until he emerged into a large prairie, when he
observed some person. on horseback mile or
two ahead He spurred up his horse to over
take the traveller, keeping his eye upon him nll
the time. when he saw him 60 down into the
bottom Of q small creek, at the crossing. He
rode on very quietly, expecting each moment
to see the travellers head appear above the
horizon, until more than sufficient time had
elapsed for him to emerge from the bottom,
when our friend became alarmed, lest the In
dians had shot him with an arrow. So he
steered for crossing u short distance above,
making his way very cautiously, gun in hand.
AS he was crossing the creek, he observed the
travellers horse tied to brush in the bottom,
but as he could see nothing of the owner, he
concluded to "make tracks " as fast as possible,
when, as he rode up the opposite bank, he was
hailed with: .. ....-'.-s.,s..s,.. an r.yi.
Hello, stranger, hold on a few minutes !;
I'm going that way myself directly"
Thereupon our friend stopped, and looking
carefully in the direction of the voice, discov-
cred its owner laying with his feet up the slope
of the bank at an angle Of 40 degrees, while Ills
hnaI w innapcn1 IA fhn o{nn h,+s
phiz being perceptible.
"What the thunder are you doing there p"
inquired our friend. 1873
"Why, I'm soaking my head to get this in
lernal raw-hde cap off; the sun has drawn it
my head ache dreadful
After the stranger had eascd his aching tenl-
pies by the removal of his raw-hide cap, the
two journeyed on for some miles together, when
the traveller branched off, and our friend logged
on solitary and alone until he arrived at his
destination u short time before sundown. Be
ing an old acquaintance, every one was glad to
see him. The children came in, and after
shaking hands with them all he went to his
saddlebags, and taking out some of his biscuits,
gave them oil one apiece; well knowing that it
was seldom they ever saw such luXuries.
After sitting while in the house, in CONVEX
sation with the " old folks,' he heard the chill
dren making considerable noise over something
in the yard, and being seated near the door
where he could look out and observe them, he
turned around to see what they were at One
of the children was between him and the object
of their sport on its moving its position, he
saw that they had one of the biscuits on the
ground, with a coal Of fire on the top crust,
one Of the boys On his knees before it, and the
remainder watching with the most intense ill-
terest for some event which he could not divine
until one of the boys exclaimed:
elbow little harder Jim, blast him he'll
stick his head out directly!"
Our friend tainted. He was aware that bis
cults were an article but seldom seen at that
time, but that halfgrown children should mis-,
take clean, nice, done-brown biscuits for high
land terrapins, was too great shock for his
nerves to withstand. T.