The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-09-18
CHICKEN AND HONEY.
a FORAGING EXPEDITION OF ONE
MAN IN THE WINTER OF 1868.

1T was a wretched night back in
1863 said Uncle Joe.
Uncle JOe's stories of the war were
things 70 be looked forward 10 and re-
rnernbered He had served during the
entire four years as a commissioned Off
Ger and knew whereof he spoke, having
an excellent memory and an inimitabiy
humorous way of telling the adventure
of himself and his men.
1T was in Missouri III the winter e
1868 on a cold raw night that /, the Off
Ger of the day, prepared about midnight
10 make, with half dozen OF the guard,
what is called the grand round, or,
more plainly speaking, the visiting Of
the soldiers doing picket duty at their
different posts. We were ON short ra-
lions, and every man Of us, officer or
private, lOngcd for good, square meal
to brace him up against the raw, damp
GOODNESS of the night. As l was about
TO spring into my saddle n low voice at
my shoulder said:
"'Cap'n, how would a supper of chick
en- and honey taste?'
II swung hastily around and beheld
the speaker. He was fellow called
Lang, one Of our most valuable spies.
and in some respects a mighty clever
fellow, but in-oh, we'll, I'll let it 60
by saying that his moral nature had
never been overdeveloped. He was a
short, thickset man, with twinkling
black eyes and otherwise the most thor
oughIy impassive face L ever looked
into. 1t was said of him that he would
slip into the butternut suit of the rebel
or i'm,
Lees army He was hail fellow well
met with all the men and came back 70
the Union lines possessed of the most
invaluable information. He had expe-
rienced thrilling adventures and was
man of intrepid courage.
'''Cap'n, he repeated as he stood be
side me that cold night, how would
supper of chicken and honey taste:'
. Excellent, Lang, excellent, l re-
piled, thinking of our limited supply
of smoked meat and hard tack. Have
you some?
90 No, but might get some, l reckon,
if looked round a bit, he drawled, laz-
lily kicking up clay with the toe of his
boot 1 saw Immediately that he meant
to go out of camp find farmhouse and
help himself Such things are not III
heard of in the army.
- Nonsense. Lang, said l. You
would be killed sure if you went. The
pickets are on extra sharp lookout to-
night, and it's altogether too dangerous.
You would never come back alive.
with that L sprang into my saddle
and rode away, followed by my men.
1--WE were gone two or three hours,
making the rounds of the pickets, and
a more miserable ride had seldom TAX
en-. was chilled to the bone and hun
CRY and my men likewise. A. 1 rode
back toward camp the glow of ii bonfire
in a remote corner caught my eye, and
/ Immediately turned my weary horse
toward it, Before the cracking heap
sat Lang, calmly frying chicken, while
ut his side reposed a hive of honey. He
looked up and smiled grimly.
- 'Supper's most ready, cap'n, II"
said. touching his apology for Il cap.
Make yourselves to home, gentlemen. :.
a. Lang, said sternly, didn't tel
you not TO go?'
mo, cap'n, he replied rs he con
tinued To cut up the plump fowl III his
hand; YOU didn't say / couldn't go, al
though, if / remember correctly. YOU
didn't exactly advise it ON the score C:
It's usiItstIOuS, bul Il IildH W =
led the life have amt goin TO let =
little thing like that stop him when
he's hungry, and he held toward ME
the plump leg of chicken nicely
Drowned.
Lang mid 1, tell me how you
did it,
No very great matter, he replied,
proceeding with his culinary art. When
Il IL - 70 H..
outpost and finds picket walkin up
and down like he owned the earth, so l
fiops down on my stomach alongside a
fence. Bein dark night, Us it is, Mr..
Picket comes along and don It suspect
that fence so of much as harborin Il
mouse Minute he gets half rod away
over that fence l goes ightninlike
and takes 4 scoot into some woods close
by and then goes about my business
'''Go on, said /, with my mouth full
of chicken and honey.
Lang continued: You see, l know
this country mighty well, so 1 mallcs
tracks for a farmhouse close by where
they keeps plenty of chickens. When
opens the gate to go in, along comes a
dog Well, cap'n, that's the only dog
ever met with that l couldn' either
scare or make IrIeHuS WILL NO, ST,
that dog wouldn't take no stock IN
bluffs, so 1 whips out my revolver and
lays him out. At that up goes 4 Win
dow, and a man begins to yell TO find
out who's there. put your head inside
that window and keep it there, or I'll
knock it off for you, says l. Now
Jim l continues, you just watch
that window, and if the fellow sticks
his head out don't wait to be ceremo-
niouslike, but just fire. I'm goin to
get some chicken and honey" Course
there wasn't 40 Jim along, but that
fellow in the house had TO be kept out
of the way; so, being a dark night !
Just bluffed him about there being more
than just me around You bet he keeps
his head inside, and L goes to the chick
en- house and helps myself to some plump