San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-05

travelin. Findin that my big lead turf
was strong as an OK, 1 used to get on his
back and ride most of the time.
'"iBout this time i noticed that my
little Niger boy was allus a-slippin ont
and packin his blanket. What he was
ND to L couldn't think So.one day got
off my bell turtle, tied the lead rope
bout his neck and told him to go ahead.
/ stopped and stood by the side of the
road while the column moved past. The
ground was so paved with tarrapin that
you couldn't have stuck your finger
down between 'em.
'.At last the rear of the,column APP
preached, and what did see? That little
nigger had spread his blanket out on the
! backs of the 'tarrapin, and eff he wasn't
a-layin thar sound asleep I'm the biggest.
liar i'll the world. | took out my pistol
to shoot him, but refectin that he be-
longed to the -hoodoo doctor, and also
that might kill tarrapin, let him
alone.
soon the sand got worse. For four
days we found no water. All the tar
rapin was pantin like lizards. We was
nearin the Platte river, but / was afeard
of great loss before reachin it. How
ever, we toiled ON and at last seed a
stragglin line of cottonwood trees, and
standin up on the back of my turtle
| waved my hat and cried, 'Hurrah, the
Platter
AT this moment the whole of the, col
umn of tarrapin smelt the water and
stampeded. The king sat off on gal
lop for the river and all the restfollered,
kickin up great cloud of dust. stood
up and pulled on the halter OF my big
turtle, but couldn't turn him an inch.
At last, seein he was goin straight into
the river, l leaped from his back. | was
jist in time, for at the next jump he
went over the bank into ten feet of wa
ter. The whole column of tarrapin fol-
Tered, tumblin off the bank into the
river in solid sheet with a roar like
big milldam.
II could only stand back, look on and
tear my hair. for | seed that as fast as the
tarrapin struck the water they went to
the bottom. OWN to their heavy iron
shoes they couldn't swim lick.
II danced about, swung my hat and
shouted, tryin to head off and save a few
acres of the tarrapin, but to git in front
of em would have been as bad as gittin
before herd of buffalo, so Twas obliged
TO see 'em all leap over the bank.
81 was as good as ruined, but did
| have one laugh surprised out tn me. That
was when the rear of the column came
up and see the little mig stretched on
| his blanket tossed to and fro as by the
waves of the sea. Over he went into
the river and down to the bottom under
a shower of tarrapin.
Zone lone tarrapin stopped on the
| bank instead of jumpin into the water.
Says to myself, m jist ketch you for
luck fstooped to pick him up when
out came a pair of wings and he sailed
away across the river. If hadn't seen
this Internal fyin tarrapin before I'd
have tainted and tumbled into the river.
Il watched the devilish thing and
seed it land near the opposite bank with
! big splash. At the same spot and in
an instant up to the surface comes the
king of tarrapins, with the little darky
on his back. The big turtle blowed
cloud of spray into the air like spoutin
whale, and when it cleared away seed
the ole hoodoo doctor, an ole woman
and my little mig leave the edge of the
water and walk off into little grove of
willer trees.
IL seed then how I'd been hoodooed
and ruined, for I'd put almost my last
cent into the venture. AS ! stood la
mentin on the bank a man on hossback
come up and asked what was the matter
He was a man from the foundry and
one of the blacksmiths that had helped
shoe my tarrapins.
! 81 told the man that I'd lost my
whole four sections of tarrapin; that
bein wild with thirst they had stamped
the bottom, where they would stay on
account of the iron on their feet.
didn't say word about any hoodoo.
THE man asked what I'd take for my
whole drove of tarrapin as they lay at
the bottom Of the river. asked what
he could do with 'em. He said: Iron
is with big price out here. l might
dredge the river and git ne shoes
I. "'What'll you give? says l.
Enough to take you to California
says the Teller.
Its a whack,' says |, and as soon as
had the money in my pocket l cut
stick, bein afeared the blame fool would
hack ont so IN I CANA IN this nack n
woods, and here am yet and poor as
Jobs turkey"
''Did you ever hear how the man came
out who bought your terrapin driver"
asked man of our party known as Col