Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1900-02-08

about miles over range OF low hills
and camped in beautiful bottom on
the North Platte River. Near this
camp there was large city Of mar
mots, or, as they are generally called,
prairie dogs. These queer little ami
mails always live In villages, towns and
cities, and they often make their
homes on dry plain where tits many
miles from water. Now, don't you
think for moment that they can live
without water, for they can do moth"
ing of the kind, but In the center Of
their town they dig well, and no
matter how far down from the surface
the water may be they viii sink their
well straight down to it. With the
earth taken from their holes they
build a little cone shaped mound about
two feet high and in the center the
hole goes straight down many feet
before 1t turns aside. One peculiar
thing about them is that you will often
find rattlesnakes and ground owls liv-
ing peaceably with them In the same
hole.
Now, this ground owl: He is about
the size OF a screech OWLS queer
little fellow himself. He will stand ON
one foot on top Of mound or rock
and look you square in the eye as you
walk around him, twisting his head
around as you 60, and you would nat
urally thiuk, after you had walked
around him half dozen times, that
be must have an India rubber neck or
he would twist his head on. But the
fact is that he does not twist his head
around but onoe and then he whiris 10
back again so quickly that It takes q
keen eye to detect the movement.
Mike Hickman, ajolly old Senegam-
bian, from Bourbon county, KY, was
our chef, and better cook than he
was never walloped pot or held a
frying pan over q camp fire. Old Mike
was quite character and, although q
cripple, he was as strong as bear
and always jolly and good natured.
At one time in his life, when working
ct q saw mill, he badly ruptured his
abdomen and ever after that accident
he had to wear q suroingle eight
inches broad buckled tightly around
his waist to keep bis insides In. At
another time, while chopping wood,
his AZ glanced and cut the upper ten
don of his left foot OF and after that
when he was walking he had to flip
the toe of that foot up at every step
and when his foot came down 1t would
sound like striking a broad board on
the ground.
But old Mike, like thousands of 9TH
er fools, both black and white, had
one bad failing and that was that he
loved whisky better than 3 sucking
babe loves its mothers milk. Mike
had assisted an emigrant in crossing
the river that morning and when they
safely reached the shore the man got
out his jug and gave him drink.
Well, Mike hit that jug at least four
fingers worth and when we got into
camp he was about "three sheets in
the wind" and felt show come you so"
all over.
That afternoon, after / had got my
clothes dry, Mike told me that he
wanted me to 60 and kill some prairie
dogs. "What for7" asked. "Kase,"
said he, 81 amt had any fresh meat
since we left Missouri and Use awful
hungry for some" "Mike," said 1,
ethose dogs are not ct to eat" "Wen,
you just kill some and I'll show you
in de mornin', J" said he. Now, 1t 10 q
well known fact that q donkey cannot
bray without elevRting his tail and it
is just the same with prairie dog, for
every time he barks he has to flip his
tall up. When got out among them
there we're hundreds of them sitting
straight up on the tops of their little
mounds and each one seemed to be
trying his level best to bark the loud
est.
The first one l shot left his brains
scattered around the hole but he went
down to the bottom Of 1t all the same.
After shooting half dozen with the
same result gave IL up and returned
to the camp. When / got back old
Mike, who had been watching me all
the time, said: "You didn't touch 3
dam dog and l don't believe you could
hit barn door forty yards on. Now,
gimme DE-. gun and III show you how
to shoot" So Mike took the rife and
went out to try his luck and lay un-
der the wagon Watching him, l saw
him raise the gun to his face and, tax
ing long, deliberate aim, he fred.
BE then ran up to the hole and looked
down into II, but no dog was in sight,
and he took the ramrod from the gun
and thrust it down into The hole as far
as he could reach, but he could not
touch bottom, go he got up and came
back. "Where is your dog7" said !.
aOh, got him, dat is, pse gwlne to