Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-10-14
The Four Bullwhaoters of Bitter Creek

| of his early years which he would really like
to forget, something that resulted from the
| freshness and vast inexperienee Of youth.
remember one which I have spent grea,
| deal Of time trying to forget Just before
| the Union Pacific Railroad reached the Bit.
| ter Creek country, l made my first overland
! trip to the Pacific Coast. I staged it from
| the then terminus of the Union Pacific tc
the Central Pacific, which was pushing east
The stage broke down on Bitter Creek and
the passengers had to walk to the next sta
tion. grew tired of walking before reach
ed the station, and coming late in the after
noon to where some teamsters were camped,
concluded to stop with them for the night.
On asking their permission to do so, they as
sented SO heartily that felt at home at once.
Life in the West was new to me- I was
young and buoyant, and just out of college.
l was fond of talking. I thought it would
be novel and delightful to sleep out with
these half savage ox-drivers, with no shelter
but the Waited, star-gemmed heavens. There
were four teamsters, and as many wagons.
while 80 oxen grazed around in the vicinity.
Ut 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 ham-jawed !;
while the fourth was wiry, red-headed
man. In my thoughts pitied them on ac-
count of the hard life they led, and spoke to
them in kind tone, and endeavored to
make my conversation instructive. l pluck
ed a tfssger, and pulling it to pieces mention
ed the names OF the parts-pistil, stamen,
calyx and so on-and remarked that it must
be indigenous to the locality, and spoke Of
the plant being indigenous, in contradistinc-
10 @1~o4
that it was cryptogamous. In looking at
some fragments Of rock my thoughts wan
dered off into geology, and among other
things 1 spoke of the tertiary and carbonifer-
Gus periods, and of the pterodactyl, ichthyo-
sarus, 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 fell
low with his right hand slapped, or sort Of
larruped, a long piece Of fried bacon over a
piece of bread in 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 Shakspere in yO' wag
on? I missed it to-day"
mo. My Tennerson and volum' Of the
Italian poets is in thar-nO Shakspere.
The lank looking teamster, biting off q
piece of bread about the size of saucer, said
to the big man in voice which came husk-
lily through the bread:
Jake, did you ever read that volum' of
po'ms writ ?"
mo, but hev often hearn tell on 'em."
"Yer mean 'Musin's of an Idle Man,"
spoke up the red-headed man, addressing the
poet.
"Yes"
"Hev read every line in it q dozen times"
said the teamster with the red hair, as he
sopped four-inch swath, with piece of
bread, across frying pan, he repeated sew
erl lines.
"Them's they" nodded the poet. "The
Emp'rOr of Austry writ me letter highly |
them po'ms."
They're very techin'," said the wiry man. |
took no part in the remarks. Somehow |
did not feel like joining in.
The wiry man having somewhat satisfied |
MS appetite rolled up piece Of bacon rind
ntO sort Of fsingle-barreled opera glass and |
began to squint through it toward the north
,rn horizon.
"What yer doin', Dave?" asked the stout
nan.
"Takin' observations on the North Star.
Want to make some astronomical calkilatiOns
when get inter Sackrymenter."
swell, yer needn't ter made that telescope.
could er tux yo' observations for yer, bein'
IS haint but one eye.'
"Git out thar, yer burned old carbOniferous
yelled the ham-jawed driver to
N OK that was licking piece of bacon.
II give good deal of my time to 'stron
my when l was in YOerup," remarked the
all man.
"Over thar long? asked one.
I'LL sc<a Do |
Then / spent some time down ter Rome"
Rome !" exclaimed the lank individual
Was born thar. My father was 8 sculptor"
Good sculptOrF
"Yes."
"Well, one wouldn't eF thought it to look
t yer"
Il never was in Yoorup," remarked the
ne-eyed man. When I ocypied the cheer
( ancient languages in Harvard College my
elth failed, and the fellers that had me hired
wanted me ter 20 ter Yoorup for an out, but
concluded ter come West ter loOk-Hold
ID thar, yer internal ole fea-bitten ichthy-
'aurus," he bawled to an OK that was chew
ng wagon cover.
felt hot and feverish, and long way
rom home.
II got ready once ter 40 ter Rome-wanted
0 complete my studies thar-but give it mp"
aid the one called Dave.
"What for ?"
"They wanted me ter run for Guv'ner in
'irginny."
eyer beat 'em?"
Thunder, yes"
"Why didn't yer stay thar"
well, when my job as Guv'ner give out,
hey 1ected me 'Piscopal Bishop, an hurt
ny lungs preaching. come West for my
lngs."
Found 'em ?"
"Well, I'm improvin'."
| did not rest well that night. As day