The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-01-04

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Two crotched sticks driven firmly into the |
ground, a ridge.pole laid In the oro,ches,
army blankets stretched over the ridge |
pole ana fastened To the earth slope with
wooden pins, mud chimney NJ one end
and hole tor door al the other, finished
the building.
1T Was ia the afternoon, We had re-
ceiyed our daily rations-about three table.
,poOniuls OF goOkss, or COW peas, and q III.
tie over pint OF corn meal-had cooked
and eaten them, and we're sitting on lhe
ground hlor Of the shesang, our eyes llst'
l,s,ly turned toward u bas-relief upon the
chimney, which was meant 20 represent
human fgufe. Ia moment OF art suthu''
lssm one % as, Kentucky oavA fytnAn,
had fashions 10 when the chimney Was put
M. II would have made at0hacoonlsls ln'
dian split its wooden sides with laughter.
Bu' %. thoughts we're - shallow ~ our
faces.
"Anor q time the Iowa msn spoke;
BOYS. 10 must be- Ihauksg wing day a.
nome, and my ioks sfe JUS through their
dinner. / d1n't believe they cared much
i0r it,
we were silent fora while. was tho
hrsi 10 speak
",WslI boys. we mustn't think shout
acme, or any one there. We all knoW vhat
that means il W. keep 10 M dosth aad
A rLArHlk TIT NAEhCh
want my bones laid iu New York, where
was born. | know We have hud mean
Thanksgiving dinner, aud 10 Oes trulu as
though We had 10 look around DC lo 90
fud something 10 be thankful for, but we
are hlive yet and We may yet ret homo
sfier all. Thanksgiving gone, nut u we
live until Christmas We can have diHncr,
ana won't boz hungry after We have es ca H.
HOW inquired my two oomrade',
eagerly.
I'VE won't ieel much hunrr,tr than Wa
do now " We each put by a spoonful ol meal
aud a spoonful OF gookss every dBy from
now until Christmas, and | think our tay'
ings will make "a dinner that will be saus-
Tying"
p" Alters ,mo discussion as to the relative
strength oi oar appetite and our Wills, 10
was decided 10 lay by our siX spsoptuls OF
food every day, aud agreeing that the
ipQonflis we're no, o be heaped, but even.
| dreamed that night of fessting on ell the
good things in the way of food that had
ever heard OF or eaten The next morning
W. made Two bags OF generous size. Ia the
afternoon when our ran0ns came, we pat
throe spouuHiuls OF CoOkas IN one beg ana
thres spoonsluls Of meal IN the other.
Eytvv suoc tdlng day the bags received
| their portion aud were TEL Of atlrchOnhtely
TO find out how much they contained.
CERisrHAs WuAEisa,
| 1884, after being long waited Tor, came ~
| last. The faint light OF the morning found
US stirring. We had boarded our fuel, saw
ing little every day. 10 was not an easy
[ hing 20 do, for the daily fuel ration OF
ninety men was three sticks OF pune cord
wood of gyorag size. To this supply wa
had added by picking mp every splinter as
large ~ toothpick and every chip as large
as ten-cent piece that we discovered IN
Cur wanderings about the stockade.
. "a. ant Ftf a ahula
own, in addition 20 the usual cooking uten-
sils-quar' bottles nd tiu or shest-iron
pans possessed a gunboat. This wna a
piece OF old roofing tin, uiade into pan
more than foot long and ABOUT six inche'
sids and deep. The corners where the tin
bad been cut on or turned, were soldered
with corn meat. IL was not slightly but
convenient. We had bargained before for
the uss of this gunbost.
The Are was lighted. The gookas had
been soaked the night beiore, and were now
Eut in the eunbont covered with water, aud
ihe gunhnst was set over the IRE upon two
mud bricks made for the occasion. A
watched pot may not boil, but watched
gunhogt did, for three heads bent forward
aud six eyes gazed intently upon the con
tents OF the vessel over the IRE, until the
water Was butbiine and the peas dancing
IN ana ut.AmOus the bubbles.
At short intervals few peas were takon
ont IN spoon Rud allowed 10 cool, ana
pea was tasted by each OF us and judgment
z ven as TO its being done. Finally
we were unanimous in the opinion
that the gookas were cooked enough. Meal
WAS brought forth aud stirred in, and the
puddlng was allowed to remain on the ere
until II had thickenej, so there was danger
oil its being scorched. The peas were dark
skinned, and had given the pudding pur
plsh hue. The gunboot was lifted off and
set on the GROUND 10 cool. While we were
waiting the fire was renewed. Corn meal
saved for the purpose was put in
a pan and thoroughly dried and Drowned.
This corn coffee WAS DIVIDED into three por-
lions, put in three quart kettles, and boiled.
AT last our dinner was ready, The gun.
boat was put on the ground in the eentsr Of
the shebaug, aud We sat around II. TWO OF
us had
SMALL TIN PANS
and one a fiat piece OF sheet.iron for plates.
and each had a spoon. Not one Of as would
have been called a religious man, but We
hesltated, looked at one another, bowed our
heads. and we're still But it was only tor &
moment, and then the ksntuckian volun,
tered TO act as host, aud helped as and
himSelf.
"When that dinner was over the contents
of the gunboat and quart cups had vanished,
and II vas lust noon. After such unusual
exertion We lay down, drew our blankets
over us. and slept. We were awakened near
night bv 8 neighbor, who called us That We
might get our ratious.. After returning to
the shebeng the Iowa man said: 'BoyH, III
think OF that dinner as long az | live. Why,
! amt hungry yet .lNeH I ork SUI
Ernthpra