Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-24
DINED TN CANEBRAKE
COL. CHoPTANK's REMARKABLE
CHRISTMAS ExPERIRaCE

THE most remarkable Christmas dinner
ever ate" said Col Choptank the other
night. was in the canebrakes of the
Yazoo region in Mississippi. The surround
ings were somewhat in contrast with
these. l may add
The colonel glanced around the room.
A bully fire was cracking in the big, old
fashioned irepIace-hicl5ory wood. with
just one little fat pine knot to splutter
and smoke and throw out a resinous in
cense. over the quaint white marble
mantlepiece n colonial mirror reflected
corner of the room where the colonial
black boy--the said boy being now some
thing like sixty-eight years old-was fool
ing over q table OH which a steaming bowl
was throwing out another kind of in
cense. Outside it was anything but story
book Christmas weather, being, i'll fact,
one of those nasty, muggy. chill damp
penetrating nights whlen washington can
sometimes frame up in the winter, ard the
guests looked lougtugy ats that reflection
In the mirror After there had been
something doing. tie colonel went on to say!
II was spending q few weeks with my
old friend, Mai. BeauTeSaid, on his Dig
plantation down in Mississippi He was
a gallant old fellow, a great entertainer
and an an-arOuni charming gentleman.
We had attended all sorts of parties. had
played poker and held r0uts in the big
mansions while Mrs Beauregard was down
In New Orleans with the girls doing their
Christmas buying. A couple of Britishers
came along, with a letter of introduction
from one of the majors London acqualnt-
ances and then we had spell OF hunting.
I used to be quite keen after game myself
In those days, and / suggested to the
Major that he get up a bear hunt out in
the cane brakes The Englishmen were
hot for it and at midnight of Christmas
eve we started, the understanding being
Christmas afternoon. when the New Or
leans boat would land, with the ladies
aboard, and get ready for dinner.
Arrive at Canebrakes.
Soon after daylight we reached the cane
brakes and the party broke up into groups,
with dogs along, and started after the
bears, agreeing TO meet at a certain spot.
My escort was an old darby named Eph,
who had two fine hounds, and l offered him
SO If he would get good, big bear
1t was the temptation of that $40 that was
my undoing.
1.-THE old rascal evidently knew the
Whereabouts of a bear. for he started me
off in opposite rection from the rest
of the party, and in Two hours We were
miles away. We got after a bear and fol-
lowed him until o'clock, when the dogs
lost his trail, and we found ourselves lost
in the canebrake. Eph confessed he had
no idea where We We're. as the country
was all strange to him.
II Immediately took stock of the COM
m!ssary department. Eph had in his gum
ny sack a pone of cornbreaG, about pound
of sliced ham and a tin of sardines. l had
my pocket FASH W tn about half a pint of
bourbon
just then Eph shot wild turkey. We
added 1t to the comm.ssary and started
ahead. 1t was gett ng dark and the dogs
were whining uneasiiy; they smeRed big
game, and We knew there were both PAN
Their and bear in the canebralaes. Just as
night came down crashed out of a
thicket into a small opening by the side of
q dark. sluggish stream A liVa-0qk
tree festooned with funereal gray moss
hung over the pool and there was album
dance of dead boughs around.
Miles From Home.
'Eph said we were on Bayou La Fourche
at least fifteen miles from home, and that
We would have to wait until morning and
follow the stream down to the river In a
few minutes Eph had fine camp fire ago
ing and sat down to rest my weary bones
while the dogs came up and cuddled their
noses on my knee, casting apprehenstve
giances into the canebrake. They evident
~ were wishing they were back home with
a dish Of 'pot-lIcker' and corn bread in
front of them.
Now, 1 suppose you think am going to
tell you that We btoiled that turkey on a
bed of live Goals. holding it on the end of a
stick? Not bit of il. Eph just opened
the bird and cleaned the inside, and then
took Mr.. Turkey, feathers and all, and
wrapped it up in a ball of clay, made at
the bayou edge. This he placed in the fire
and heaped hot Goals and ashes over it I'M
til the whole thing was baked. When the
clay was cracked off the feathers and skin
peeled off, and there we had the sweet
meat of the turkey.
The fat on the ham served for butter
ana with the corn bread We had a meal
that was fit for prince. After your hum
be servant Mr.. Eph and the two hound
dogs got through there wasn't anything
left but the clay and the feathers.
"Eph kept awake all night to have the
fire going. Once panther came down to
the opposite bank of the bayou and stood in
full view of our freight while he called for
his mate. Eph said not to shoot him be-
cause we did not know but the mate was
in the canebrake back Of US. Next morning
by daylight we tramped down the bayou
and got home by dinner time. Eph got his
$40 for cooking that turkey"