The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-12-02
WOOD WAS SCARCE.
HOW THE FREloHTERs ON THE
PLAINS DID THEIR COOKING.

with Him In Small Chunks.
1t was in the days before the rail.
roads had been pushed out through
northwest Nebraska, and supplies were
freighted into the forts and trading
posts in big wagons, pulled sometimes
by eight or ten yoke Of oxen and some
times by one span Of great mules.
II was evening when we overlook the
freighter. We went into camp within
100 yards Of where he stopped. 1t was
almost at the head Of the Elkhorn river,
and the stream, where 1t flowed few
rods from our camp. was hardly more
than yard wide The guide had told
us at the start that we should strike
country where we could find no wood,
and we had brought along small oil
stove. with tin oven and big can of
kerosene. When had watered our
horses and staked them out for the
night, / wandered over to see the
freighter. He had an enormous wagon,
pulled by two giant mules. He had
staked them out and was getting sup
per. II was the first time I had ever
seen IL done by plainsman and staid
TO watch him.
He was an old hand at freighting,
and he knew just how many stops he
would have to make where he could get
no firewood For each one he carr in
his wagon, when he started out ol E,or.
folk, piece of by 8 pine timber ra'
eight inches long. Each piece repr
ed the fire for one meal. he was
ting up one of them when struck i.s
camp.
"'D evenin." he said, without p.
ing up from his work, "prospectiI fer
landf"
"No, hunting" replied.
"Oh," he said, with an intonation
that seemed to convey his feeling that
he knew all about us.
He had split the piece of pine into
little sticks. He gathered handful Of
dry grass and wadded it up into ball
Then he beat down the tall grass and
cleared little spot where he could
make his fire. In the middle of it he
put tho ball Of grass, and over it ho
piled eight or ten little sticks Of pine
1t was ready for the match. From box
at the end Of his wagon he brought out
long handled steel frying pan, a coffee
pot and q tin can that looked as if it
had once held two pounds of tomatoes
or pie apples. Then he brought out
wooden box and set it on the ground. 1t
held part Of his supplies and served rs
table. Out Of it he took some flour and
bacon and little tin can Of coffee. He
got q mill out Of the box and ground his
coffee. He was very particular about his
coffee, he said to me, half apologetically.
He couldn't endure the ready ground
stuff. When he had got that done, he
sliced his bacon. Then he got sheet Of
tin out Of the wagon and stood it up be-
hind tho little pile of sticks. 1t helped
to concentrate the heat by acting rs
reflector.
He put the coffee in the pot, poured
in some water from the bucketful he
had brought from tho river, and set it
down beside the pile of stic:s Then he
arranged the slices of bacon in the fry
ing pan and settled it on top of the pile
Of sticks. Then he lit his fire. In min
ute it was blazing up merrily, and tho
bacon was sizzling in the pan, He pour
ed some -four into the tomato can,
dumped in pinch of salt and some bak-
ing powder and stirred it all up vigor-
ously with spoon. Occasionally he
stopped stirring to turn the bacon. Pres
emily the bacon was done He fshed it
out into tin pie pan with fork, and
into the hot grease he poured the mix
ture Of -four and other things from the
tomato can. That was going to bo "bull-
whackor's bread" or "scrugene
As soon as he took the frying pan Off
the fire he put the coffeepot on, and
when the thick, stiff dough was nicely
smoothed out in the frying pan he prop.
ped it up in front of the fire. where the
reflector would do its best work. Then
out of tho wagon he hauled jug of
sorghum. Three or four more little
sticks Of pine were deftly arranged un.
der tho coffeepot, and by that time the
bread had begun to brown in the pan.
He took the pan by the end OF the long
handle and gave it quick sidewise
twist and a little forward jerk. The
mass Of half baked dough slid ont of the
pan and few up into the air. 1t turned
bottom side up, and he caught il as
deftly as any French cook catching pam
cakes. and propped the unbaked side mp
against tho fire. BY the time it had
baked the coffee was boiling, and the
meal was ready. He drank the coffee,
strong and black. out Of tin cup and
used sorghum for sweetening. Butter
and lard he despised. His sorghum took
the place Of the one and tho bacon
grease served as substitute for the other.
When he took the coffeepot Off the
dre. he put ON little can Of water that
stewed and simmered and presently
boiled over the embers. That was his
dishwater. He had to have il hot to take
the bacon grease out Of his pans. And
when 1t was all done. there were three
or four Of the little pine sticks still left.
! asked him il he did not want pota-