“There, do you see them boys over there upon the other side of the creek. Now, they are from Ohio. There is no mistaking their native State, for they have all that peculiar look, form and build.
“They are, as a rule, above the medium in height; heavy built, broad shouldered, but bones small and compact, with full faces and almost always with a round head and nose of the snub order.
“Like the New England boys, they are generally industrious and do not fool away much time around among the liquor shops. Now do you see those chaps over there by the mill. Well, their State is near Ohio, yet they are a different class of people. The difference is that when you run afoul of a man of that appearance, you can just bet he is from the State of Illinois. You see that the most of them have strait sandy hair, with whiskers to match, sharp features, and as a general rule wear freckles upon their countenances; but then they are industrious, and good natured. And now” said he, “where do you suppose those boys are from, who are building the log cabin on the point below there? Do you notice their sharp features, coarse, strait black hair and that they are slim built and round shouldered too? Well, them chaps are from New Jersey. Now just observe the difference between them and the two chaps coming up the trail beyond with their mining tools upon their shoulders. Now, there is a type of man different in many respects from all others who come into the mining regions. You notice that they are tall, but heavy built, and walk erect like soldiers on parade. They have sandy hair; ’tis rather long and you notice that ’tis inclined to curl, with chin whiskers and mustache to match. You notice also that they wear a pleasant smile, an indication that they are good natured, and so they are; but if a chap for any reason sees fit to intimate to one of them that he is a prevaricator, he must break the news to him gently, in a kind of a quiet subdued sort of style, from a distance, or from the opposite side of a big stump, for the application of the term ‘liar’ to one of that breed of men, will cause a monstrous bowie-knife to fly from his boot leg, and woe to the man it is aimed at.”
“Yes,” interrupted Tennessee, “that reminds me of a Dutchman up on Bear river, in ’50, who had some trouble with one of those chaps about a mining claim, and he said to one of them ‘you vas told von big lie.’ As the Dutchman saw him reach down for his bowie knife, he started to run, but the knife was too quick for him, and the heavy ivory handle struck him alongside of his head and knocked him down. He saw the flash of the sun upon the polished blade as it came towards him, and when he became conscious, some one asked what was the matter?
“‘Oh, mine gracious,’ he answered; ‘some big flash of dose lightnings shust comes after mit me, und I dinks dot I vas dunder struck.’
“Well those boys are from Mississippi. But few of them however, ever came into the mining regions. They were generous and free hearted, and a fair specimen of American character from that portion of the country.”
Yank resumed by saying that although ’twas often difficult to tell with certainty what State a man was from by his general appearance, yet a Northern man could almost always be distinguished from one who was of Southern birth.
“To illustrate” continued he, “my old pard said, There do you see the boys standing there in front of the cabin? They are rather tall, strait, with short black hair, their complexion rather dark, and you notice that they have no beards; the cheek bones are high too. Now, those boys are from the Blue Grass regions of Kentucky; full of fun, and would rather climb around among the mountains and cañons, with their heavy rifles on their shoulders, than to work at mining in the hot sun.”
It being evident now that Yank had concluded his explanation of the various types of men found in the mining region in early days, old Pike arose to his feet and demanded to know if he meant to insult his native State by passing over it and not noticing it at all.
“Why,” said he, “haint we got no keracter at all down thar?”