The Afro-American advance., 1900-03-31
A Fish and a Bear ]
superior Truthfulpess o. the Man who y
Does Not Tell Fish Stories. y
IS A srER md. !. .nld cnleh. the monn.

~ tain guide, who knows the forest
fastnesseB Of the Cascade range aa no
other man knows them, ~ nin't given
20 tellin' what ain't so and I'd lest aa
soon as not take my afiidayy 10 any
thing have 10 say as IL was on the
witness stand. In fact I'd mite
ruther. fer no matter how honest
man is there is always somebody
around suspiclonin' Of him. What |
tell is reliable and could he wrote right
into a history. But 'tain't every body is
willin' to 20 on record over a so.hclp-
me.
Fer Instance. there was Sam Rog.
ers, that used to be my pardner before
he got rich and killed himself livin'
too high in Frisco. Sam used TO tell
Floridy. lie had niRger feller with
him aud they pulled out In a sallbont
about quarter Of mile from shore
10 ketch mess fer supper They was
busy iishin' and didn't notice Hquall
comm up till u had 'em. and before
they knowed what was happenin' they
was bein' hlowtd out TO sea at the rate
OF about 30 milrs minute er 80. They
tried To git the boat turned round and
GO the other way. but the wind blowed
No they couldn't do n thing but let I,
go and they give up at last and pu.
themselves In the hands uv Providence
The wind blowed a gale till midnight
and wound up by blowing their mnst
and sail away. leaving them ON the
bosom uv the deep, ms Sam used 10 say
nj the mercy - the waves. They laid
down in the little cabin of the boat
and give up fer gone eoon-slina. but
they wnR alive when mornin' come and
clean out Of sight Of land, they didn't
know how fer. They didn't have any
thing 20 eat either, ncr to drink. not
eountin' ON long voyage. and when
they got their senscs ia the mornin'
they was hungry aud dry.
ITO make things wuss. the sun come
out about six ,'ciock and got hotter'n
n red.hot stove lid They drfted
around all day hopln' 10 see some YES.
sel er other, but they didn't. and when
night come they was In u powerful bad
fix that was wuss the next mornin'
Sam said he was going to kill the mig.
ger aud eat him. but he never did like
the dark meat, NO he held OFT awhile
and the nigger thought mebbe they
might keteh fish. The boat was q
ishln' craft with all kinds Of tackle
on board. and the Niger rugged big
hook and line and said melibe he might
catch tarpon. That's what he done.
too, after a long time. and he was big
.I..F a
IL was Job lRndin' him. but Sam said
hesperIte men could do anything when
they tried and Sam aud the niggcr
didn't let that tarpon git away. There
was a little oil stove In the cabbln, and
they went right at the iish Co git
piece OF him NJ soon as they could.
The nigger held the fish on his back
and Sam ripped him open. and when
he did. by gravy, hla knife hit some
thin hard aud Sam give II another rip,
when out dropped black bottle"
The listeners were ON the point OF
making u demonstration.
"No. gents" said Caleb. holding up
his hand for quiet. "lt wasn't liquor.
IL was quart bottle, though, tight
eorked. and Sam had the cork out la
about two winks of cats eye. and II
was full up TO the neck with nice min
eral water. II was cold. too. as the
inside of flsh, and when Sam and
the niggrr seen II they forgot all about
the prejucices Of color and actually
hugged each other. They took Ruot
drink apiece, Sam and the nigEer. right
ont OF the same bottle, and rt some ot
the fish that they cooked then the,
hraced up 60 their situation. feelin'
good deal more clipper, About noon
they took another nip, aud that eyenin'
when they Was about 10 take their last
one. they sighted vessel that come
along aud saved their lives sam al,
WAYS sal he reekoned that the tiSh hal
picked the bottle up somewhere in his
travels and that II had likely bccu
drapped overheard frum some shin or
other sailin' la them waters. Ter /,
wasn't very likely that he'd come and
git Il ont OF a harroom,"
The Listeners applaaded.
"nont do Il, gents" begged Caleb.
Taln't the truth, | don't believe. ner
never did. aud you oughtn't To eneour-
So ~ AAA thAtANWAtA&AAAtNF9a HNAN
my story amt that Kind at all. LIS got
the truth stickin' out all over Il like
pork ON the fretful qaiiiunlne. as thc
poet SAYS. Mine happened on land
where there amt no fish to tehipi \
man. II happened out In the Rockies
when was about 80 years old. Ne and
my brother Jim Was minin' out there
and we had cabin about five miles
from the nearest camp whsrv there
was q store. was over there one day
after few supplies. inciudin' of gal
ION Of coal oil. what you call kairosene
nowadays. As l was coming along
home about two o'clock In the after
noon. a big grizzly bear, that thought
WAS an elephant. come ,umbl'n' cat Of