Another little incident showed how the biter may sometimes get bitten himself. Stopping off at Little Rock, Ben fell in with a crowd of sharpers who introduced him to a faro bank where the worst kind of a skin game was dealt. It made no difference what the result over the board might be, the policy of the crowd being to freeze to the money when they had once got it into their possession. The bank was located in the upper room of a hotel, where, presumably, no gambling was allowed. While Ben was engaged in the game, and after he had invested four hundred dollars in chips, one of the sharpers slipped out of the room unperceived, and disguised himself in the uniform of a policeman. Then a mock raid was made upon the bank. The lights were put out, and a general hubbub ensued. The first that Ben knew he was in the hands, as he supposed, of an officer, with the prospect of spending the night in jail. Then he did precisely what the sharpers had counted on his doing—offered two hundred dollars to be set at liberty. The bogus policeman hesitated, said he couldn’t do it; that he would have to lock Ben up; but in the end, of course, took the money. When Ben discovered, as he afterward did, that the whole thing was a put-up job, he probably felt like butting his head against a stone wall just for fun.
After these and other adventures, which space prevents me from recounting, Ben at last reached St. Louis. His intention was to proceed to Hot Springs, but before doing so, he spent some days in St. Louis, stopping at the Planters’ Hotel. He visited a number of his acquaintances in the city, among others Jack Looney and Tom Allen. The latter asked him if he had given up boxing, to which Ben answered that he had. Allen and Hogan drove out together to Mollie M‘Cool’s, opened a number of bottles of champagne, and drank to one another’s health—or rather Allen did most of the drinking, and Ben settled the bill.
Notwithstanding Hogan’s assertion that he had given up boxing, he was as anxious as ever to arrange a match with Allen. He offered Jack Looney fifty dollars if he would bring about such a contest. Here the matter rested for the time being, and after having a high time in St. Louis, Ben pushed on to Hot Springs.
At this famous resort, he remained five weeks, making the money fly in a lively manner. The pleasures of the watering place, however, grew a little monotonous in time, and so Ben determined to visit the Choctaw country, where he would be certain to find novel and exciting adventures. He chose Dublin for his companion on this bold expedition, and the two provided themselves with a peculiar outfit. It consisted of nine gallons of whiskey, twenty pounds of lead, a quantity of powder and guns. These articles were designed as presents for the Indians, and were taken with a view to insuring a friendly reception.
Ben and Dublin traveled over three hundred miles of rough and unfrequented territory, meeting in that distance with only three inhabited houses.
Whatever may be the virtues of the temperance theory, if a man is going to visit the Choctaw nation, he cannot do a wiser thing than take with him a liberal supply of whiskey. Nothing touches the heart of the red man so surely or quickly as fire-water. This our adventurers found. For with their stock of liquor and presents, they were hospitably received, and found themselves quite at home among the red men.
What with fishing and hunting and studying the traits of the Indians, Ben and his companion passed a month quite pleasantly. To a timid man the surroundings would have been a little too uncivilized for comfort; but Hogan took things as easily as though they were in his own home. To give variety to the sort of life which was led there, a couple of rather comely Indian girls honored the visitors with their constant presence.
Some jealous feelings arising between the two tribes, which were encamped together, Hogan and his friend finally deemed it wise to depart. They were accompanied on their return journey for a considerable distance by a number of the braves, and reached Hot Springs in good health and spirits. Ben then made his way back to St. Louis.
On reaching the city, he once more renewed his efforts to bring about a match with Tom Allen. Ignorant of the fact that Looney was hand-in-glove with Allen, he sought the services of the former to aid him in consummating the match. In company with a newspaper man, Looney visited Allen with the professed purpose of negotiating matters. So long as Allen did not suspect that his second visitor was a reporter, he talked with a good deal of freedom. Among other things he said that if the fight with M‘Cool for which he was then in training, should go against him, he would not care to enter into another contest. It would be difficult, he hinted, for him then to obtain backers.
Of course this conversation, falling upon a reporter’s ears, gained more or less publicity, and Allen was particularly anxious to have the matter hushed up.