Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-08-28
SAM.


In the year Is my duties as United
States engineer led me to the little
town of BOgville Upon arriving at
this place found out thai ! would be
obliged to make a journey Of about
thirty miles through the woods on
horseback in order TO reach the spot at
which my survey was TO begin. This
was evidently caused by "A mistake Of
the official who had given me my or
ders, and there vas nothing left for me
TO do except yield myself to my tate
and make the trip a. best | could. Ac-
c~ordingly | hired tle best pony to be
found in BOgviilp which pony. by the
way, was "a pitiaJie a lookiug animal as
it has ever been my misfortune to ride.
However, | resigned myself TO the in
evitable, and the morning after my
arrival at Bogvillc SAW me travelling
slowly through tha woods mounted
upon the pony. wlirh I had named
Lazarus.
The day was excessively hot. and my
steed seemed 10 creep The woods
were thick and black. and the little
road was overgruwu with u~uderbrush.
Trailing vines festoOned the path. and
evinced an irresistible propensity for
catching me under die nose and almost
~unseating me. My temper gradually
got the best of me, and I gave vent TO
it freely. as there was no one within
hearing More and more slowly did
Lazarus move along the path. and l
soon saw that he would be unable to
finish the trip that day. In vain RI
wore at HMM vain / thrashed him
he accepted both with indifference.
About ten of the thirty miles yet re-
manned. and | could plainly see that
Lazarus would lie down in a few min
utes Still l forced him on and we
stil advanced, but slowly.
was just trying 20 reconcile myself
TO the unpleasant thought Of passing
the night in the swamp when I heard a
sound. So unexpected was it that
I refined in Lazarus, and listened
Again heard it, and this time / recog-
nized the source of it. 1t was some one
playing on the banjo. Here a slight
interruption was caused by Lazarus
suddenly lying down. Freeing myself
from the stupid little beast, and giving
him a kick as farewell, l walked in the
direction of the music, which had be-
gun again with redoubled strength. In
a few minutes l came to a sharp turn
in the road, and just then the banjo
performer began singing. / stopped
and listened. The words were those of
an old minstrel song, and the voice was
evidently that Of a negro boy. He only
sung this one verse;
Oh, Sam. you put that banjo down.
Oh, SAM
You good fur nothin lazy houn.
Oh. SAM
Go drive the pigs in out the rain.
Milk the cows for Liza Jane;
Liza's got the hOopin cough.
The old mans drunk in the stable loL
Oh. Saml
The song wound up with a wild -four
ish upon the banjo, and the playing
ceased. Turning the bend in the road
saw the performer. He was. as l ex-
pected, a negro boy, and looked about
years old. he had not seen me
yet and | was able to obtain a good
Of him
He sat upon a rough picket fence,
beneath the spreading branches of an
enormous oak, surrounded by thick,
vines, and looked positively
weird He was bareheaded and bare
and was dressed In a pair Of
and a shirt, the size Of which
suggested the idea that they had been
made for a much larger person. His
lace was almost devoid Of expression,
but his large, black eyes had a strange,
Wild look In them that was IN keeping
bis surroundings. His lean, mus
;ulaF appearance betokened u whose
ife had been passed amid rough
'oUndings. and the rvo grasp of his
that clutehed his banjo indi-
a highly strung temperament
The instrument upon which he had
playing he now held idly in his
land, and l noticed that it was silver
mounted and apparently Of elegant
lnish His hat lay before him upon