The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-10-21
INCIDENT OF WESTERN LIFE.
The Four Bullwhackers of Bitter Creek

| Inc tOur BullWhacKerS OF l31ttor Greer
Perhaps every person who is somewha
advanced in life can remember some il
cident of his early years which he woul
really like to forget-something that re
suited from the freshness and vast inez
perience of youth. I remember on
which have spent good deal of tim
trying to forget. Just before the Unio
Pacific Railroad reached the Bitter Cree
country made my first overland trip t
the Pacific coast. I staged it from th
then terminus of the Union Pacific t.
the Central Pacific, which was pushing
East. The stage broke down on Bite
Creek, and the passengers had to walk tt
the next station. grew tired of walk
ing before I reached the station, ant
coming, late in the afternoon, to where
some teamstcrs were encamped, 1 con
cluded to stop with them for the night
On asking their permission to do so they
asscnted so heartily that 1 felt at home
at once. Life in the West was something
new to me. l was young and buoyant
and just out of college. I was fond o.
talking. l thought it would be novel and
delightful 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
grazcd around in the vicinity. OF the
teamsters, one was giant in stature, and
wore a 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 I pitied
them, on account of the hard life they
led, and spoke to them in a kind tone,
and endeavorcd 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 in.
digenous to the locality, and spoke of the
plant being endogenous, in contradis-
tinction to exogenous, and that they
could see that it was not cryptogamous.
In looking at some fragments of rock,
my thoughts wandered off into geology,
and, among other things, I spoke of the
tertiary and carboniferous periods, and of
the pterodactyl, ichthyosaurus and dino
therium. 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
larruped, long piece Of fried bacon,
over piece of bread in his left hand,
sending drop of hot grease into my left
eye, be said to the one.eyed man:
"Bill, is my copy of Shakespeare in yo'
wagon? l missed it to-day"
"No. My Tennerson and volum' of
the Italian poets is in thar-no Sbak-
speare."
The lank looking teamster, biting off a
piece of bread about the size of a saucer,
said to the big man, in voice which
came huskily through the bread, "Jake,
did yer ever read that vo!um' of po'ms
that I writ ?"
"No, but hev often hearn tell on 'em."
eyer mean 'Musin's of an Idle Man."
spoke up the rcd-headed man, addressing
the poet.
eyes"
"Hev read every line in it dozen
tines" said the teamster with the red
hair; and as he sopped a four.inch swath,
with piece of bread, across frying
pan, be repeated some lines.
"Them's they" nodded the poet. "The
Emp'ror of Austry writ me letter Ugh.
ly complimentin' them po'ms."
"They're very techin'," added the wiry
man.
l took no part in these remarks. Some
how I did not feel like joining in.
The wiry man, having somewhat satis-
fed his appetite, rolled up piece of
bacon rind into sort of single-barreled
opera-glass, and began to squint through
it toward the Northern horizon.
"What yer doin', Dave?" asked the
stout man.
"Takin' observations on the North star.
Want to make some astronomical calki.
lations when get inter Sackrymenter."
"Well, yer needn't ter made that tel'-
scope. 1 could er TUX yo' observations
for yer, bein' as I haint but one eye."
"Git out thar, yer darned old carbon
iferous pterodactyl," yelled the hame-
jawed driver to an OK that was licking q
piece of bacon.
81 give a good deal of my time to
'stronomy when I was in Yoorup," re.
remarked the tall man.
"Gver thar longw asked one.
"Good while. Was minister to Rooshy.
Then I spent some time down to Rome"
"Romep exclaimed the lank individ-
ual. "Nas born thar. My father was a
sculptor"
"Good sculptor?'
eyes"
"Well, one wouldn't er thought it, to
look at yer" u,
"I never was in Yoorup," remarked
the one-eyed man. "NVhen I ocypied
the cheer of ancient languages in Har.
ward College my health failed, and the
fellers that had me hired wanted me ter
go ter Yoorup for an out, but l concluded
to come West ter look-Hold up thar,
yer internal ole fea-bitten ichthy'sau-
rus" he bawled to an OK that was chew
ing wagon-cover.
1 felt hot and fevcrish, and a long way
from home.
II got ready once ter 60 to Rome
wanted to complete my studies thar-but
give it up" said the one called Dave.
'What for?"
"They wanted me ter run for guv'ner
in Virginny."
eyer beat 'em?"
Thunder, yes"
"Why didn't yer stay thar?"
"Well, when my job as guv'ner give
out they 'lected me Episcopal Bishop, an
I hurt my lungs preachin'. Come West
for my lungs"
"Found 'em ?"
"Well, Pm improvin'."
I 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:
"Hello, Bill. How yer maxim t?"
ooh, I'm indigenous"
cam Dave?"
"Tm endogenous."
can you, Lanky, yer son of a sculp
tor ?"