Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-09-07
NAT LASK'S PARROT.
Story of a Remarkable Man and a
Remarkable Bird.


asked Jim Gordon, of Little Rock
Never was such n remarkable parrot,
don't think But then, Nat LaslS was
somewhat Of remarkable man. lie
was an old Arkansas and Mississippi
river boatsman. lie used TO run be.
tween Little Rock and New Orleans in
the good old times before the war. lie
owned twenty niggers once, and they
all got their freedom just because Nat
was such remarkable man. There
was good many niggers running away
about that time, and making their run
for good. Nat gave IL out that he'd
like TO see any of his get away. For
every one that got away, he said, he'd
set another free. Less than week
after that one of Mats best nicgers
turned up missing, and he couldn't be
found. Over the border, sure. The
runaway's wife belonged to Nat.
"'Suse,' said Nat, dye know whar
Joe Isl?
eyes, massa.'
"'Wall then, you jes go long an Jine
him"
80 he kept his word and set one
slave free because another had sue
ceeded in running away, and he showed
what remarkable man he was by set
ting 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 'cm, until he hadn't one left.
"'Don't make no diff'nce,' Nat used
TO say. Nobody didn' 'bleege me to
set my niggers free.
"Just about the time the war broke
out Nat was in New Orleans taking on
cargo. On the levee one day he was
passing an old woman who was selling
parrots, when one of the birds yelled
out:
damn fool"
THAT fetched Nat up standing, and
ne asked the woman which parrot had
addressed him in such familiar tones
"IIe knows me, said Nat, but swar
never lSnowed him.
NAT didn't have to wait for the old
woman to tell him which parrot IL was
for the bird yelled out its compliments
to him again on the spot, and Nat was
so ticltled with the parrot that he
bought Il. lie 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 up his boat
"'Goin' to quit boatin', he said. Itll
take all my time now on TO tend to this
parrot
"And II he didn't quit, right there
and then, | hope 70 hollcr! lie tied
himself up to that parrot and had no
time for anything or anybody. Then
the war began TO stir things up, and
one day Nat said:
"Thar's goin' ter be the deuce ter pay
round hyah fore long, an take TO the
woodsr
"lle was good as his word. He took
| his gun and his parrot, went way back
into the wilderness along Big Nam
melee creek and put up n snug log
cabin. And it was there that the par
rot came out strong. The woods were
full of game-wild turkey, deer, bear,
panther. The creek held plenty of wild
ducks and geese. Nat trained the par
rot TO hunt. The bird got so he could
give all the calls and cries of the wild
turkey better than the wild turkey
could itself, and he never missed get
ting the right call or cry in at just the
right time. lie found out that n lost
fawn, or fawn hidden by its mother
could summon its mother or some Other
deer quickly 10 where IL was by d
plaintive bleating, and the parrot got
on TO that bleat only too quick. lie inn
itated the unearthly screech of the
panther so ably that Nat used to say II
was nothing out of the common fol
Bobby-that was the parrots name
to call as many as dozen big fellows
around the cabin of an evening and sci
them all 10 fighting at once. Bobby
couldn't only do the quack Of a duck OF
the gable of a goose 10 perfection, but
he could manipulate those cries so thai
you would think he was n whole flocl
OF ducks or geese. So, II there wer,
ducks or geese flying over, it was nc
trick at all for Bobby 10 let himsel
loose just as II it was a dozen or &c
fowl jabbering together, and flyinl
flock, hearing him going on, would say
TO themselves: These ducks must have
struck good luck down there in tn,
creek Let's drop down and get piece
of it, And when they had dropped
down near enough Nat, hid in thu
bushes, would tumble half dozen o.
so before they could get on TO the way
they were fooled
Bobby liked to hunt wild turkey
best. II there was turkey within
hearing of him, IT couldn't resist tina
seductive call of his, and when ii cam
within gunshot and Nat put a ball In It
Bobby became n very fiend in his gloat
ing over its death struggled lie woul,
fly around the poor bird and laugh ant
veil like a demon But II Nat han
pened TO miss the turkey after Bobby
had called it up, then maybe he would
get fits. The parrot would I'll the
woods with language that Nat used u
say made him sit down and wait for the
shower OF FIRE and birthstone that h'
felt sure must be sent down on then
for that birds wicliedness And hc'C
fly at Nat and pull his hair out In
punches, and make vicious grabs at hil
eyes and face. At these unfortunate
times which, luckily, were rare. Ma
used TO lie down on his face and lei