The Bozeman courier., 1926-06-04

stantly deepened by the teams ahead,
when trail wagons have to be drop
ped and the strings Of teams doubled
up, dragging chains through the mud.
cursing the rain and snow, and just
when fairly solid ground is gained,
finding an outfit stuck in the mud
hole ahead, and must be helped out
before you can move your own loads
any further.
I have seen twenty-eight mules
hitched to one wagon in vain at
tempt to drag it out of a mud hole,
slight compensation developed when
"Frenchie" exclaimed:
"Git a bucket; git a bucket!"
''What tn hell ye want of a
bucket?"
''Nev' min, git de bucket fore I
drop dis basket! I can't hOl' heem
much lOnger!"
A bucket was produced and
Frenchie dropped the basket careless
| ly on a rock with a crash, instantly
picking it up and draining the liquid
contents into the bucket. It was only
case of two dozen quarts Of Zin-
fandel wine, and the basket was de-
Iivered at it's destination with the
seals unbrOken. The claim for break
age was no part of our worries.
Hard liquors we're often a part of
the freight handled by wagon outfits
in former days and much ingenuity
was exercised by some teamsters to
sample the quality of their cOnsign-
ments. I once received an expert dem
OnstratiOn from Joe Best one evening
as we were camped the first night out
from DrUmmOnd with a load Of mer-
chandise to be delivered to various
mercantile houses in Philipsburg.
'There's a barrel of bonded stuff
on the rear end of my trail wagon, "
said Joe, while was building a fire
preparatory to supper. ''Have you got
a couple of horseshoe nails in your
lpOcket?"
I produced the nails.
"Get a pan"
got a pan and watched Joe insert
the point of the flat nails about hall
an inch apart, in the joint between
two slaves of the barrel, then gently
tap them in with a hammer until the
slaves spread enough to allow a trio
kle of fine quality Bourbon to de
Iscend into the pan. Sufficient for Oul
purpose gained, Joe pulled out the
nails, raped the slaves smartly with
, the hammer and not a trace was lef
of nail marks or leakage.
These lapses from a strict code o
= honesty we're not looked upon will
a great deal of disfavOr even by thu
cOnsignees if it came to their notice
for being usually confined to tn,
goods that cheer, rather than to thu
| necessities Of life, they cOnsOleC
themselves with the fact that the!
eventually got most of the freighter'
wages anyway, and therefore cOulC
3 stand an involuntary treat occasion
r ally. Miscellaneous merchandise o
real value was inviOlate from depre
} datiOn and even broken package
= usually arrived at their destination
l undisturbed.
Pulling discOnsOlately over mudd,
roads, under a chilling June drizzl
r all day, and visions of a soggy bet
t all night on damp ground, there wa
t sense of gloom and personal injUr,
4 that even a warm supper prepared b.
5 the cook under difficulties, could no
u4opS4. 4u6I6 were SIX J6u-Luul5 JSdu
Y in the outfit and we had a cook an
, night herder along. Our loads Wer
mostly salt for the stamp mills AM
s also some machinery for the mine
r and mills.
t After supper my pal for the tim
e being, Mike Tobin, called me on
J., side: Gust, don't say anything, bU
q I got a dandy place for our bed to
= night. See that smOkestack on m