The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-11-07
LONG JOHN TELLING HIS YARNS.


Nothing pleased the vets of the 99th better
than to get n raw recruit in their midst OF
an evening, as they lay around the warm
fireplace with which each company's quar-
tiers was provided, and post him as to what
he might expect to meet, besides rebs, OF
scouting petitions.
To illustrate the general quality of the
information thus given, the following expe-
rience related by Long John, loyal North
Carolinian who had joined the regiment
| some time before, is recalled. 1t was told
principally to Dumpsie, little man who
had just been mustered in, and had his first
tour of picket duty or scouting yet to enjoy.
The boys had been talking about choice
things to eat--canvas- back ducks, rock cod,
terrapins, and, finally, frogs legs Of these
products of the Rama pipicus Dumpsie had
never seen specimen, and, knowing this,
Long John spoke as follows:
Zone Nv tn very best huntin' grounds
| fur bull frogs is in them Floridy swamps.
They grow thar by milyons, an air fatter'n
bigger nor anywhar else, reckon.
"Y'see they haint got no cold spells thar
& numb 'em up an so they keep on CROWN
and CROWN It'll I've heerd tell how a couple
NV tn hind quarters wuz load fur pack
mueli"
Here some of the boys who were doing
woke up and began to listen intently.
"Pve bin told tibet frog steaks down thar
wuz sold by tn poun', and so wanted ter
git holt nv one, an take his ears back t OF
Moth Car'lini' as spec'min."
"The ears, did you sayP" queried one of
the listeners
"The ears" repeated Long John, dog
gedly. "They's allus tn trophy, ez they
calls it, them Floridy hunters brings back
when they can't pack the hind quarters.
wall, I'd hunted them Everglades for
deer, an killed a good many, sides reed
birds an sech small game on the edges NV
th' swamps; but hadn't yit sighted big
buIlfrog Often nights, when I wuz camp
in out with tn niger swanpers, we'd hear
kind Nv low, grumblin' roar, like bull
beilerin' to hisseIf an them nigs 'ud say,
Oats him, Massa John. OATS de boss bull
frog. But doan yo go TO- him in de dahk.
He'll gobble yo, shuah He's off hungry
an rampageous when he done heller So
"Well, this went on It'll / got desprit like
fur a par nv frogs ears; an so / ulster scout
'rOun' in the swamp good deal alone with
my duck gun. But i didn't hev no luck
It'll one day when l wuz maxim fur camp
through the swamp, iskippn' lively frun
one hummock t. mother, fur night wuz COM
in on.
I'D got clost ter tn solid groun', which
waz iist cross strip nv clear water bout
six foot wide. On 'tother side, up agin tn
bank, wuz what / thought WIZ a big, fiat
} rock, with a kinder lumpy, rounded top.
Twas queer, grimy brown color, an looked
slippy. However, 1 helt my arms up, grab
bin my gun by the middle, an jumped fur it.
81 tell ye', boys, whilst / wuz in the air
saw the rock split open. an when / landed
twas inter the bog-ez / thOught-plumb up
T. my middle, my chest N head comm kerr
. PUNK onter somethin' SOFT sippy, an
alive!
, Great snakes, didn't yell! Why, tn
niggers in tn camp mile away hured me-
, an thought was a catamount screechin'
. "Y' see, tibet bullfrog-fur such twas
l he'd opened his jaws ez / jumped, an | went
ker-slump in twixt 'em. He shet 'em
r round my middle, an could feel him suck
Q in me deeper into his gullet! You bet
0 kicked an yelled, but all the time l wa7
S bein' drawed furder down, an on each side
q NV me his big, bulgy eyes wuz shinin like
4 they WIZ rubbed with phosphorus.
Then / give mother yelp am throweo
Q up my arms still hangn' onter the duck
t gun When / did that I slumped furdel
o down an then brought up with q jerk or
my arms. / knowed in a second jest what
r he'd stopped me. / he'd holt NV thu gun by
a the middle, an tn end NV tn baI1 on ONE
It side an tn stock on tn other wuz restin
/, Gross whar tn two jaws wuz jined together
THAT bullfrog couldn't get me down any
furder, an / couldn't get out cause | hedn'
no holdt fur my feet.
"But KEEP kickin', an all It once the
frog let 20 an awful cough tibet pitched mt
:, out NV him, an landed on my back in tn
" swamp bout 90 foot away. wuz up in I
jiffy an jest stepped back to whar tibet in
sect wuz still coughin' like he'd bust, an
blowed tn top nv of his head to little bit
u with a hundful of duck shot!"
"What made him cough So" askel
e Dumpsey, with his hair standing on end.
n why, y sec," answered Long John
y whilst wuz kickin' in his jaws brace u
?, duck I'd tied to my waist-belt got loose, an
sr when they dropped furder down tn feather
,r tickled his throat SOS he couldn't help cough
1. in an tibet saved my life"
sr by gosh!" exclaimed one of the boys
l. "that was narrow escape! But, say, di
ID y get his ears?"
10 "Y-a-a-s," yawned Long John, AN mad
m q pair of saddle-bags outin 'em!" And h
De climbed into his bunk and was sooD fas
8, asleep.-CAPTAIHrCo. c.
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