The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-16
A SOUTHERN BARBECUE.

A Northern Travelling Mans DivertinE
Experience In Louisiana.
II was down south last fall" said
the drummer, ficking the ashes
from his cigar and fitting his chair
tc comfortab angle. "Got caught
for week by quarantine in a little
backwoods town in Louisiana, in
The piny woods, as they call it
there, and the things I saw during
that week would fill book. Among
other things I saw barbecue. Ever
been to regular, old fashioned
southern barbecuei Well, have.
upon its native heath and in it's most
primitive state, I guess. Really, 1
think the people sort of got up the
barbecue for MY benefit as a kind Of
public entertainment in my behalf,
killing the fatted calf, as it were, for
the prodigal who could not go home.
appreciated the courtesy, can tell
you, and never missed detail OF it
from start to finish.
"The barbecue was given at what
they called the picnic grounds, a
little grass grown, underbrush clear
ed space at the rise of hill. Prepa-
rations for the affair began the day
before. Among other things a
CREASED pole was erected, and a cou-
pie of old negroes were sent down
the hollow by the spring to dig the
trench for the barbecuing. The
process seemed very simple one.
All there was to it was just a ditch
about Is or 20 feet long, 3 feet deep
and feet wide.
"In the bottom Of this the men COL
lected some pine splinters, kindled a
fire and then fed it with oak and
hickory and ash wood till they had
the ditch half full of glowing Goals.
"This took them well into the
night, you see, and before day they
cut lot of slender oak saplings into
lengths ard laid them at intervals
of eight or ten inches across the
ditch over the fire. Along about
this time the men camo with the
meat. A whole beef they had and
three lnuttons, and when they
spread them out on the green sap
lings over the glowing Goals those
great, brawny, bearded men, with
the light from the pine torches glar-
ing On their faces, looked like race
of cannibals preparing for an orgy.
Call night they staid there, the
good fellows, with forks and spits to
turn the meat, and with great long
handled mops which they dipped in
melted lard and vinegar to baste it.
And maybe you think it wasn't good,
that barbecued meat. Just wait un-
til you taste some. There's nothing
like it.
"But the peoplel Before day they
began to come, covered wagons and
OK carts full Of them-men, women
and children. And the baskets they
brought full Of biscuits and corn
pones and sweet potatoes and Gus
tard pies and cakes! I don't think ]
ever saw so much to eat all at once
in my life. And the watermelons!
Wagon loads of them were putin the
branch to cool. And tubs of sweet
cider big enough to float in!
CATER dinner the fun began.
There were foot races, sack races,
jumping contests, creased pole
climbing and CREASED pig chasing.
"Now, among my acquaintance
was small boy named Tige, or, at
least, SO called; a redhaired, freckled
lad, son of the man I boarded with.
Tige and were good friends, but q
lazier lad never saw, so somehow
was surprised when he appeared
as one of the contestants for prizes.
However, he did not enter either Of
the races nor the jumping contest.
"But when it came to the CREASED,
pole, 10, the freckled Tige led all the
rest! The way that chap stuck to
that slippery sapling was caution,
and when he reached the top mono
cheered louder than I. The samo
way with the creased shoat. Tige
was simply onto the pig and staid
there.
"By right Of being guest and
therefore to be honored it fell to
my lot to award the prizes. Tige
was to receive six bladed pocket
knife and pair of spurs-hardware
in my line, you KNOW" the drum
mer interrupted himself quite un-
consciously, land when the little
scamp came up to get them I caught
wink in his other eye that seemed
sort of suggestive.
"sTell me how you did it, Tige,' I
said when l had given him his prizes
with appropriate remarks.
"'I amt no fool, if do have fits,
he said, still winking.
"'But we are friends, I urged.
CAN is hayin keepins' he asked.
eyes, having is keeping, sure,