San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-12-08

BILE. They took the town by storm
and it was fully a day before their
Arab keepers. could bring then to any
thing like respectable behavior. In
fact, the air OF free America, or possibly
that of Texas alone, so stirred their
sluggish blood that their steps had a
plainly perceptible swagger, and their
humps a more determined outline.
One Of the keepers, presuming on old
friendship at home, undertook to chas-
tise one of the high steppers for some
breach of discipline, when he was
chewed up without the least ceremony
This showed plainly the animus OF the
animals, and led to the remark OF the
cowboy to the red mouthed, hump
backed murderer
"Carambo fyou do as you chews,peo-
ple will be scarce around this rancho
"The hypocritica beasts were after
ward put into service, as intended.
How they worked is more than l can
tell; but doubt much if any OF their
keepers ever returned to their native
land to tell of the wonders they had
seen in America. The camels were
eventually cast loose to look out for
themselves, which they had no difficult
ty in doing successfully in country
where there is more grass to a square
mile than there is in all Arabia and
portions Of Africa thrown in. Some
twelve or fifteen of these ships of the
desert drifted down before successive
northars to the vicinity of Hynes' bay
and made it their stamping ground.
Their original gentleness had not en-
tirely disappeared, and some OF the
most enterprising inhabitants thought
they would put them to good account,
and therefore rugged up pillow harness
and went to work instructing them in
the homely art of running straight
furrow. They did admirably, and just
as the sons of honest toll felicitated
themselves on having procured substl-
tutes for their mustangs, which would
now have good rests between landau
goes-just as they calculated the
bushels of solid long cared corn that
would fill their cribs to overlooking
lust then a camel reached over and
took q plowman in for chew. How
the difficulty arose between them never
appeared, as the camel refused to talk
on the matter, and the relatives of the
deceased were kept too busy for several
days hunting up the scattered remains
to even entertain a surmise.
After this all hands fought shy of the
brutes, and whenever they made their
appearance around would shoot at and
annoy them in every way possible, until
they became entirely vicious. Texas
horses had always dreaded them, and if
caballo was disposed to be ugly or
scary sight of the ungainly beasts de-
veloped the ruling trait to it's fullest ex-
tent. No mustang would face them, and
their appearance near drove was the
signal for O stampede of the widest
kind.
During one of my visits to Powder
Horn I fell in with chap whom L had
formerly known when he was q decent
sort of fellow-rather wild and harum-
scarum, you know--but could tell sto-
ries without number, regular blood
curdlers; and would then switch off into
anecdotes most humorous. He was q
Jolly companion, particularly in a
strange country, and one in which a
fellow was allowed to be friendly even
with murderers without being ut al
suspected OF desire to shoot some
body himself. Crawford did 1 men
ton his name before ?-barring his
large regard for truth, which was Sc
marked that, knowing his unworthi,
ness, he kept as far away from it as
possible; and his propensity for strong
drink, was, as / said before, jolly
companion, and finding him in Powder
Horn in dilapidated condition after 9
prolonged carouse l took him in charge
and carried him to the "Bay" to recruit
He was a war-worn looking specimen
A battered and faded stiff hat, a coat
trousers and antediluvian boots com
pleted his attire. No! L forget-he had
a section of dirty, barred window cur
tain lastly wreathed around his necl
and pinned so as to conceal the absenct