The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-01-24

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cabin adjacent to our claim. Uncle
Bob was a good man to cabin with
always agreeable and pleasant, and will
ing to do his share of the chores incident
TO keeping house He would sweep out,
get in tho firewood, and fry meat, but
would never attempt to bake bread-the
latter feat transcending the range Of his
culinary complishmcnts. AS for my
self, l knew nothing whatever ofthe
science Of cookery, but, unlike Uncle
Bob, ! was not afraid to 'try it lick,
hit or miss" The first week we cabine d
together we used crackers from old
Sax's store in Volcanovillc but, on
Saturday morning. yielding to Uncle
Bob's persuasions, | dcterlL incd to try
to nuke some bread.
We had an old cook stove and tin
reflector in our cabin, but neither Of
these suited exactly. wanted to bake
enough bread in one batch to last us
week, so | selected aud cleaned out an
old Dutch oven of about one bushel
capacity in which to try my experiment,
l mixed enough dough to ELL the oven
level full /; putting into the mass a little
Of everything had ever heard of being
put into brcad-a little salcratus, n
little cream Of tartar, salt, hop juice,
half dozen boiled potatoes, and pro-
baby some other ingredients which | do
not exactly remember now. Filling the
oven with the dough, ! put the lid on
and set it away to rise, and we went opt
to work on the claim, to clean up the
past weeks run When we came in at
noon, OF lifting the lid of the oven 7
perceived that the dough, instead Of
rising as l had expected it to, had sunk
about two inches. Not wishing it to
sink any lower, raised fire and fx.d
it at that point. When the loaf was
cooked enough I turned it out, and a
fac looking lot Of bread it was.
1 Leaving the loaf lying ou the table.
which stood against the window and
through which the sun shone all day
long, VIC shut up the cabin and went
over to Gcer2ctown TO dispose Of some
dust aud get :: square meal or TWO at q
hotel. We did not return to our cabin
till PAST noon on Monday, aud we were
pretty we'll tired out and hungry when
we got there, the truthfulness of which
can be attestcd by any ono who has ever
walked the trail from Georgetown to
Nocunp willie. AS wc neared the house,
Uncle Bob remarked that ''Thank for
tune we had oceans of good bread"
Uncle Bob's frying pan soon commenced
popping and swapping pretty lively, and
| laid the table, and taking common
table knife, [ essayed to cut off some
slices Of bread but imagine my surprise
when on drawing the knife across the
loaf | perceived that it did not even
make n mark on its crust, whilst the
edge Of the knife was curlcd over from
hllt to point Throwing the "cheap
John" knife con,cmptuously aside,
drew from its scabbard very fine Bowie
knife, blade Of Damascus steel, with
solid silver handle, much valued as IL
gift from an absent friend, and went
Tor that loaf of bread The encounter
was short, sharp, and docisive-the
Damascus blade swapping off close to the
handle, and the loaf of bread falling on
the floor, badly MASKING my toes. Eu
ragged beyong endurance, l seized good
Collins axe which lay in a corner Of the
cabin, and dealt the loaf a tremendous
blow. The axe partly glanced on the
loaf, breaking out the steel slick and
SIN 9th, and the loaf rebounding with
terrific violence against the low clap
board roof, knocked hole through it,
and rolled down the hill into the thickc
o. scrubby manzanta bushes which
incd the sidos Of the ra~ine. We did
not to recover that loaf, but next tried
my hand on "slapjacks," which wo could
cut, and did eat.
But the straugest part of the history
Of that loaf OF bread is yet to be told.
In the winter Of 90, just about eight
years after the loaf Of bread disappeared
in the manzanita bushes, two men,
named Fred Haws aud Jim McCusick,
thc latter at present Stnte Senator from
Ill Dorado county, being rather short
Of slonduIicks, were inlormcd by an old
resident of that part ofthe county, that