Wild Sports in the Far West

by Friedrich Gerstäcker

At the end of two months, Kean arrived early one morning with the news that Rutkin’s and Haller’s families were in a large flat-bottomed boat, at the mouth of the Fourche le Fave. Haller took the boat immediately to join them, leaving Kean with me. Fresh life came with the new arrivals: Rutkin brought a quantity of wares with him, which were all stowed in a house we had built for the purpose. They consisted chiefly of coffee, sugar, salt, powder, lead, cottons, &c., &c., all to be sold for ready money; but as ready money was one of those things which were very scarce in Arkansas, a system of barter was opened, and cattle, pigs, horses, salt meat, butter, poultry, eggs, skins, and smoked venison, were exchanged for the said articles, and conveyed to Little Rock, to be again sold or exchanged. This part of the business was intrusted to me.

Rutkin took on some more workmen, and the land was prepared for corn. I was again passionately fond of shooting, and had capital sport. As my days were generally occupied, it was carried on at night, as follows: the handle of a frying-pan is lengthened to about four feet by means of a narrow board; the pan is filled with kindlers and set alight—then taking it on your shoulder, and your rifle in your hand, you are ready for sport. If alone, you must take a store of kindlers to replenish the fire. For the sake of a better aim, a small crutch is cut in the end of the wooden handle, to rest the rifle. The fire being kept behind your head, the eyes of the game will glow like balls of fire: the deer, accustomed to the frequent fires in the forest, are not alarmed. When first discovered, if at about 100 paces, the eyes will look like a single ball, but the two become distinct on a nearer approach, which the sportsman must make with as little noise as possible, and, if possible, against the wind. When near enough, he lays his rifle in rest, and aims between the eyes, or, if he can distinguish the outline of the form, at the heart; and he is generally sure of his game.

There were numbers of salt-licks in the vicinity of the Fourche le Fave, which were much visited by deer and cattle. The former generally come in the night, so that the sportsman may take up a station under a scaffold, on the top of which a fire is made. Four posts are driven into the ground, five feet apart, and beams laid across, covered with a layer of leaves or moss, then a layer of sand or earth, on which the fire is made. The sportsman sits underneath in impenetrable darkness, yet able to see for seventy or eighty paces on all sides, and easily kills any deer approaching the lick.

Many a night I lay in the mild warm air of the forest. Sweet and refreshing as was the face of nature, all was not repose; mosquitoes and ticks almost drove me to despair. When the fire was once well alight, the mosquitoes were attracted by it, and destroyed themselves by thousands, but the ticks became the more furious. They swarm in the woods about the end of April, and are a dreadful torment to the new-comer. The full-grown ticks, about the size of a small shot, are not the worst, because when they bite they may be caught and killed; but in July, the seed-ticks, smaller than poppy seeds, cover the bushes by millions, and I have often almost lost myself under them. Tobacco smoke is the only safeguard against them, as it kills them at once. The poor cattle are dreadfully tormented by them, particularly when they get into their ears. The first cold drives them away, though a few may be found all through the winter.

Meantime the work of the farm went on, and the maize was planted; but a change came over the spirit of our society. Rutkin, who had hitherto been friendly and good-natured, became snappish and domineering, and once or twice ventured to give me orders in a tone that I did not choose to bear; but as he had been only a short time in Arkansas, I made excuses for him, laughed at him, took my gun, and absented myself for above twenty-four hours. On my return, he was always wise enough to act as if nothing had happened, and to see that giving orders was of no use. He had also frequent disputes with Kean. Haller agreed with him best, because he always flattered him, and coincided with him before his face, though this was by no means the case behind his back.

One day when I was out shooting, R. attacked K., who was small and slight. To avenge himself, Kean took down his rifle, and would have shot Rutkin, had not Haller thrown himself between them. Our friendly relations were now quite broken up. Kean came over to Haller’s, where I was living, and we withdrew from the partnership, which was more than R. had reckoned on, as, knowing the state of our finances, he thought he had us under his thumb. He did not consider that I had a rifle, that there was plenty of game in Arkansas, and that there was a river running to New Orleans, where Kean, who was an excellent accountant, could make sure of a good situation.

We were soon ready to start. I was to take K.’s things in a canoe to Little Rock, while he was to follow on horseback. But the 4th of July approached, on which day a farmer on the Fourche le Fave was going to give a grand entertainment—or frolic, as it is called—in hopes of being chosen as a member of the legislature at the next election. We decided on waiting to be present at it.

These frolics generally take place in Spring. When a farmer calls his neighbors together to collect and burn all the wood he has cut down, it is called a “log rolling frolic;” and when the women assemble to sew together a number of different colored patches, it is called a “quilting frolic;” and in the evening, there is generally a dance, or a game of forfeits.

I had hitherto never been present at any of these frolics, for I had rather avoided the throng of men; but as I was about to return to the woods, where I should perhaps see nothing of social life for months, I resolved to see men enjoy themselves for once.

The 4th of July arrived, and at about ten o’clock in the morning I lounged towards the place of destination, leaving my rifle at home. The strong attraction of some whortleberries detained me some time on the road, so that I did not arrive till noon. Here all was in movement; the whole neighborhood had assembled, and the rough backwoodsmen formed many strange groups; some in hunting-shirts, like myself; some in woollen homespun coats—but the greater number without their upper garments. Several fires were lighted, and cooking was going on in various modes, while, in a shady place near the house, a group of women were occupied in boiling a “powerful long coffee.”