The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-02
NAT Itsk AND MS P1RRoD
A Remarkable story OF Remarkable Man
aud Rema rk able Bird.

A Remarkably Story OF Remarkable Mnn
aud "a Remarkable Bird.
Ever hear OF Nat Lask's parrot.?" asked Jim
Gordon OF Little Rock. "Never was sueh re-
markable parrot. don't think. But then. Nat
Lask was somewhat OF remarkable man. He
was an old Arkansas ana Mississippi River
boatman. Ie used to run between Little Rock
and New Orleans In the good old times before
the war. He owned twenty niggers once. and
they all got their freedom Just because Nat
was such a remarkable man. There was a
good many niggers running away about that
time. and making their run for good. Nat gave
II out that he'd like to see any OF his get away.
For every one that got away. he said. he'd SCI
another one free. Less than week after that
one OF Mats best niegers turned up missing,
and he couldn't be found. Over tho border.
sure. The runaway's wife belonged to Nat
"'Suse. said Nat dye know whar Joe isp'
Yes. massa.'
wall then you jes' 60 long an jine him r
80 he he kept his word and set one slave
free because another had succeeded In run.
ming away, and he showed what remarkable
man no was by setting free the wife Of the
fugitive. And Nat Wouldn't take back his
offer either. and his niggers kept running
away. and he kept setting others free to match
'em. until he hand't one left
Don't make no dir nee Nat used to say
Nobody didn' 'blecge me to sot my niGgsrs
free Butts time comm. mahk my wuda
when all yoro niggers II be sot free. an 10
won't have nothin to say bout II. neither
THAT was pretty still talk for Arkansas. two
years before the war, and less remarkable
man than Nat Lask would have been hauled up
short for it. Prophetic Nat was. wasn't her
Somewhat.
Just about tho time the war broke out Nat
was in New Orleans taking on cargo. On the I,
lcvce one day he was passing an old woman Z
who was selling parrots, when one Of the birds
yelled out:
Damn foo!'
THAT fetched Nat up standing. and he asked
the woman which parrot had addressed him in
such familiar tones
HE knows me- said Nat, but swar I
never knowed him!
Nat didn't have to wait for the old woman
to tell him which parrot it was. for the bird
yelled out its com pliments to him again on
the spot. and Nat WAS so tickled with the
parrot that he bought it. He was SO taken up
with his new companion that he paid no at
tention to anything else all the way back on
the trip to Little Rock. When he arrived
there he gave vi his boat.
Coin to quit hoatin he said. It'll take
all my time now on to 'tend to this parrot
And II he didn't quit, right there and then.
l hope to holler! He tied himself up to that
body. Then the war began to stir things up
and one day Nat said:
Thars ROn' ter be hell ter pay round
hyah fore long, an take to the woodsr
He was as good as his word. He took his
gIn ,a ann MS pMrrof went way back into the
that the parrot came Snt strong: Tho woods
nanther. Th..cr.ek held plenty Of wild ducks
md s, geese. Nat trained the parrot to hunt;
cries OF the wild turkey better than the wild
turkey could itself and he never missed get.
time He i"u nd out Ft that =" lost si faWe OF
lawn hidden by it's mother, could summon
it was by a plaintive bIeatine. and the parrot
got onto that blcat only too quick. He imitated
the SO OF the SHtne aus 80 a6
common for Bobby that was the parrots
name-to call rs many as dozen big he Eel.
tnsm "t4qo s nam @ BonSy euH
only do the luack OF a duck or the gable Of q
whole flock ' Of ' ducks or geese So. il
" at to ss hSssi
loose. instas 1t was dozen or SO fowl Jnb-
so fsensF S9a yns 9Ss nsiae
These ducks must have struck good luck
pecs ~ whee they
down near enough Nat MD In the bushes:
:" lobby liked to hunt, Wild turkeys pest. II
there was turkey within hearing Of him. II
ban In It: Bobby became very fiend IN his
Tx %S 'R@t H n hsnpen ss
he s Ths
would MI the woods with language that Nat
wait for The shower Of Of" ilre and brimstone
t hat he felt sure must tie sent down on
Vicious grabs 1T his eyes and face A At these
% WI , times: which luckily were ! rare:
over; Nat knew when that was by the bird
pp b Simply Sslins, Dsms Io0 S'n fhen Nat
e. and start for home B1sSy
Damn tooIH Nat t never iswed back. lie SAID
him at such times, There wasn't ANYTHING
toe Rfd for men who nI missed h H. turkey
out hunting. Bobby would cock his head On
ono e. side can! and say:
II MT would say. No. Bobby would say:
II Nat replied in the negative Bobby would
make the peculiar bleating sound OF the fawn.
aits5 sSsss Bobby would ti say ' deeisivs': gong
" "Turkeyii ducks Or geese deer and h bear
going out after II must OF course be bear. But
he always wanted to know what the hunt was
TO be before no started. He was OF no particu.
lar use in bear hunt.
% les take him long to do the SWARM.
Nat use to say
But Bobby always went out for bear with
the greatest enthusiasm, and once he was Of
actual service. Nat had started q bear, and it
where no man or dog could get. Whether
Bobby saw the bear or not. or whether he had
from Mats shoulder into the swamp, Such a
hair raising collection OF yes and explosives
thing hal eyer heard before. Bobby was evf-
IDENTIFY directing them straight at the bear.
for the frightened animal came tear
ing out of the swamp with u smash
and crash that. Il hurricane couldn't
have made. Nat said the bears eyes hung
out. Its terror was so great Nat downed the
bear with couple Of rifle balls. and out OF the
vii h Boiby yelling and cussino right behind