The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-11-10
INCIDENT OF WESTERN LIFE.
The Four Bullwhackers of Bitter Creek.
TLock Malone in the Californian.


advanced in life can remember some incl
dent of his early years which he would
really like to forget, something that resulted
from the freshness and vast inexperience of
youth. / remember one which / have spent
good deal of time trying TO forget. Just
before the Union Pacific Railroad reached
the Bitter Greek country l made my first
overland tnp to the Pacific Coast. l staged it
from the then terminus of the Union Pacific
to the Central Pacific, which was pushing
east. The stage broke down on Bitter Creek,
and the passengers had to walkto the next
station. l grew tired of walking before /
reached the station, and coming, late in the
afternoon, to where some teamsters were
camped l concluded to stop with them for
the night. On asking their permission to do
so, they assented so heartily that felt at
home at once. / was young and buoyant,
and just out of college was fond of talk
ing / thought it would be novel and de-
lightful to sleep out with these half savage
ox-drivers, with no shelter but the vaulted,
star-gemmed heavens There were four
teamsters and as many wagons, while thirty
two oxen grazed around in the vicinity. OF
the teamsters, one was giant in stature,
and wore bushy black beard; another was
shorter, but powerfully built, and one
eyed; the third was tall, lank, and
hame-jawed, while the fourth was a
wiry, red-headed man. In my thoughts
pitied them, on account of the hard life
they led, and spoke to them in kind tone,
and endeavored to make my conversation
instructive. plucked flower, and, pulling
it to pieces, mentioned the names of the
parts-pistil. stamens, calyx, and so on
and remarked that it must be indigenous to
the locality, and spoke of the plant being
enogenous, in contradistinction to exogen-
Gus, and that they could see il was not
cryptogamous. In looking at some frag-
ments of rock, my thoughts wandered off
into geology, and among other things /
spoke of the tertiary and carboniferous
periods, and of the pterodactyl, ichthyos-
aurus, and dinotherium. The teamsters
looked at me, then at each other, but made
no response. We squatted down around the
frying-pan to take supper, and as the big
fellow, with his right hand, slapped, or sort
of larroped, a long piece of fried bacon
over piece of bread his left hand, sending
a drop of hot grease into my left eye, he
said to the one-eyed man:
bill, is my copy of Shakespeare in yo'
wagon? | missed it to-day"
"No. My Tennerson and volum' of Italian
poets is in thar-no Shakespeare"
The lank-looking teamster, biting off
piece of bread about the size of saucer,
said to the big man, in voice which came
huskily through the bread:
Jake, did yea ever read the yolum' of
po'ms that 1 WRIT"
NO; but hev often hearn tell on 'em"
eyer mean 'Musin's of an Idle Man."
spoke up the red-headed man, addressing
the poet.
Yes"
"Hev read every line in it dozen times"
said the teamster with the red hair, and as
he sopped four-inch swath, with piece of
bread, across frying-pan, he repeated some
lines.
'Them's they" nodded the poet 1.-THE
Emp'ror of Austry writ me a letter highly
complimentary them po'ms."
They're very techin," added the why
man.
3I took no part in these remarks. Some
how did not feel like joining in.
The wiry man, having somewhat satisfied
his appetite, rolled up piece of bacon rind
into sort of single-barreled opera-glass, and
began to squint through ittoward the north
ern horizon.
what yer doin, Daveg' asked the stout
man.
'Takin' observations on the north star.
tons when | get into Sackrymenter."
''Well, yer needn't ter made that telescope.
/ could er tux yo' observations for yer, bein'
as amt but one eye"
'Git out thar, yer darned old carbonifer-
Gus pterOdactyl," yelled the hame-jawed
driver to an OK that was licking piece of
bacon.
81 give good deal of my time to 'stron-
omy when was in Yoorup," remarked the
tall man.
''Over thar long% asked one.
Good while. Was Minister to Rooshy.
Then l spent some time down to Rome"
"Rome" exclaimed the lank individual
WAS born thar. My father was a sculptor"
Good SCULPTOR"
Eyes"
'Well, one wouldn'ter thought it, to look
at yer"
II never was in Yoorup," remarked the
one-eyed man. when ocypied the cheer
of ancient languages in Harvard College
my health failed. and the fellers that had
me hired wanted me ter go ter Yoorup for
an out, but concluded to come West ter
look-hold up, thar, yer internal ole flea
bitten ichthy 'saurus," he bawled TO an OK
that was chewing wagon-cover.
felt hot and feverish and long way
from home.
'SIsgot ready once ter go ter Rome-wanted
to complete my studies thar, but give it
up said the one called Dave.
what for?'
"They wanted me ter run for GUNNER in
Virginny."
Yer beat emp
Thunder, yes"
''Why didn't yer stay thar?'
''Well, when my job as GUNNER give out
they 'lected me 'Pisco1al Bishop, an hurt
my lungs preachin'. Come West for my
lungs"
Found 'em?'
"Well, I'm improvin'"
/ did not rest we'll that night. As day
came on, and the men began to turn over in
their blankets and yawn, the tall one said:
"Halloo, Bill How yer maxim it?'
''Oh, I'm indigenous"
AN DaveT
I'm indigenous"
AN you, Lanky, you son of "a SCULPTOR"
"Exogenous."
'sHow you feel, Jake?" inquired one of
the three who had responded.
"Cryptogamous, sir croytogamous."
walked out few steps to little stream
to get drink. / felt thirsty, and / ached.
Then i heard voice from the blankets:
Wonder if them burned ole dinother' ums
of ourn are done grazing?
81 guess they've got to the tertiar period"
| walked a little piece on the road, to