The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-05-13

Buckeye Company's cabin" Ihelr partners
had quit work and come up from the bar.
They were getting supper, but, tor time, dis
continued the work of frying bacon and baking
slap-iacks to come out and ask }. T. and COM
panion how they came by the big donkey. In
as. few words as possible Jones made them ae-
ouainted with the character of the beast.
When he had finished his account Of the scene
at the livery stable, every man of the Buckeye
Company was firmly convinced that the big
lack could "walk the log'' of Old Nick himself,
but mum was the word. No hint of the fight
ing qualities of the animal was to 60 of the
cabin. Presently Joggles, whose boarding
house was just across the street, espled the
iackass, and came over to where he was being
unpacked. ! 80:
A smile struggled about the corners Of his
mouth as he came. Walking up to the beast
and eying him from stem to stern for time,
Joggles said:
in him ?''
"Well," said Jones, ssI don't know. We
have him on trial. We may buy him. He is
big and strong, and seems nice and quiet-may
be trile lazy"
Joggles, who seemed to be calculating about
how many mouthfuls he would make for Old
Pizen, at last said:
"Well, yes, he seems rather quiet"
Having unpacked the jack, one of the "boys"
gave him slap with strap as much as to
say: ''You are now at liberty, old fellow 60
off and enjoy yourself as you please"
"What' cried Joggles, opening his eyes in
amazement, you amt going to turn that JACK Ok
poke off up to the fiat where Old Pizen is
Then he'll be dead jack as sure as you live !!
box lr,t 10 mi
Pizen."
"Well,I I don't know" said Jones, 'the jack
is a very quiet old fellow, and guess Old
Pizen won't think him worth bothering with
Besides, the chances are that he will stay and
pick about camp-won't fine his way up to the
fat at ALL"
"Well, just as you please" said Joggles, pre-
tending some concern "but you know what
Old Pizen is!'
eyes, know" said Jones, but Pizen is get
ting old. I guess he don't thirst for the fray
as in his younger days. shouldn't wonder,
now, if the old jack were to whip HMM case
they should get together" added Jones, laugh
ing.
"Whatp' cried Joggles, turning red, "that
blamed old jackass whip Pizen! Not much
I'll bet you S100-yes, I'll bet you S2OO-he
can't whip one side of him! Come, nowp p
''The trouble is" said Jones, "that the jack
is in strange place He mig ht not fight
However, he looks as though there might be
some fight in him. If the two ever do get to-
gether, rather think he'll make it warm for
the broncho."
'eYou do, eh ?" said Joggles, "Well, don't
Here, here, now-back up your opinion or take
water. Here's 5000 Pm willin' to jest let
the animals alone-let them find their way to
each other-and I bet this 5000 that when they
do meet, old Pizen whips-that he eats your
iackass up alive! Cole, now, Pixley, here,
shall hold the stakes. See me, see me! come
down. Two hundred goes that Pizen whips
your jack |"
Thus urged, J. P covered the coin in Pix
ley's hand, and once it was done better
pleased man than Joggles was never seen on
the Stanislaus. He thought he had the deadest
thing in the world. The bet made, away ran
Joggles to tell all the "boys" in the camp what
dead thing he had on Jones; always winding
up WITHHOLD Pizen III chaw him up:chaw
him up alive p
The last thing he said to his dodgers that
night, before he went to bed, was: "Knowin'
Pizen as he does, Jones must be goin' crazy.
That jackass will be chawed up-chawed up
alive?"
All the evening the jack remained browsing
about the camp, and the next morning was
still Understanding with head down and eyes
closed dreamily, moving his ears, and lazily
switching his scanty tail Joggles smiled con.
temptuously every time he looked at the old
jack Standing on his porch, as the miners of
the camp passed on their way down to their
claims on the river, Joggles facetiously inquired
whether any of them would like to back ''that
thar ferocious beast against Old Pizen for an
other $2O0?"
At last all the men of the camp were down
on the river at work. About o'clock in the
morning one of the men of the Buckeye Com
pany happened to 60 from the bar up to the
bank of the river for something. A moment
after, grinning gleefuly, he called out to those
below: 'The impatient Joggles is going to
bring on the game. There'll be some fun be-
fore long; I see him startin' the old jack along
and is getting rather keen to see that fight !"
Watching Joggles, he was in the edge of the
timber throwing rocks to urge the jack to move
up streak of open ground that led to the fiat
between the two groves of pines. Presently
he came back and seated himself on his porch,
getting up once in while and stretching his
neck to see if the jack was going in the right
direction. He was dying to have the animals
get together. At last man who had climbed
upon the bank reported that the jack was not
to be seen, and that he had no doubt gone over
the ridge into the fiat.
All was now excitement among the men, and
two or three of them were constantly on the
river bank listening for sounds Of the fray:
Presently they cried out that the battle had
begun. All hands hastened to the top of the
hig gh steep bank, whence was to be had fair
view of the open ground leading up to the
ridge, beyond which lay the fiat where roamcd
the fighting horse. Although half mile dis
tant terrible squealing and braying could be
distinctly heard-cries of rage and pain from
the contending animals A great cloud of red
ds daad i0ed ha M Of sn s b the no1 to rhi I
fro; sometimes appearing to approach quite
near to the crest of the ridge, then again to