Wild Sports in the Far West

by Friedrich Gerstäcker

The sessions were held in the other half of the town, the postmaster giving up the half of his house for the purpose, as the court-house was yet to be built. The judge, who travelled this circuit, had come from Little Rock with several advocates, and took his place by the chimney in a cane chair. Two tables were placed together in the middle of the room, though rather nearer the chimney, round which the advocates and the clerk of the court took their places. A case of assault was first brought forward; the jury, who must be householders, were chosen, and sworn, and placed themselves on a long bench against the wall. The proceedings were opened by the prosecuting attorney, who directed the attention of the jury to the various laws enacted against this crime, and then called his witnesses. He was followed by the advocate for the defence, who called his witnesses, and concluded with an address to the jury, in which he did not fail to praise the soundness and acuteness of their judgment. The prosecuting attorney then rose again, and endeavored to disparage the statements made on the opposite side, ending with the remark, that, “in the whole course of his life, he had never known so flagrant a case.” It was now the judge’s turn, who explained to the jury the state of the law applicable to the case, and warned them that if they had any doubts, the law prescribes that the case should be decided in favor of the defendant. The jury ought now to have withdrawn to another and distant room; but as, unfortunately, there was no other room, distant or near, to be had at Perryville, and as the pouring rain prevented their deliberating in the open air, as at other times, the horses were turned out of the stable, and the twelve jurymen occupied their place. The next case was that of a respectable farmer, who was accused of having shot another’s cow, taken it home, and eaten it. The case excited considerable interest, as it was stated to have occurred several years ago, and the penalty was whipping and imprisonment, which has since been altered. After a long deliberation in the stable, the jury returned a verdict of “Not guilty.” The sessions lasted several days, and the crowd dropped off by degrees.

At this time of the year, before the maize is quite ripe, being soft but no longer milky, while last year’s store is nearly exhausted, the farmer rubs the grain on a grater, generally made out of an old coffee-pot, in which holes are punched with a nail, and thus procures a fine damp flour, containing all the saccharine qualities of the plant, and making excellent bread. This grating is rather hard work. One day when Kelfer had grated some maize in front of the house, and the fine bright yellow flour was heaped up on a clean napkin, a juvenile pig came by, and playfully seized the corner of the napkin, throwing all the flour into the dust.

I had received no letter from Kean, but heard that he had joined a young German in the purchase of a boat, and was gone into Louisiana. I almost regretted that I had not accompanied them; but my passion for shooting impelled me in a different direction, and I longed to be in the Ozark mountains, of which I had heard so much, and which were only 150 miles off. Week after week passed away, and I was desirous of helping Kelfer with his approaching harvest. I passed a great part of my time in the forest with my dog Bearsgrease, the same that I had brought from Little Rock, and which had grown to a fine powerful animal. I was still undetermined whether to go north or south, when an old acquaintance arrived at Kelfer’s to pass the night, and decided the question.

It was old Slowtrap, who had formerly lived near the mouth of Fourche le Fave, but had since removed higher up, not far from Hogarth’s. He had a sack full of all sorts of articles, including a half bushel of salt which he had bought at Little Rock, and carried across his horse. He afterwards told me that he had transported all his family and goods on horseback, and then I remembered having once met him riding along with four chairs and a spinning-wheel. The spinning-wheel having made the horse shy, he had hung it on a tree, intending to come back for it; meantime a backwoodsman had set fire to the dry leaves in the neighborhood, and just as he arrived he saw it, burnt through and through, fall in two parts into the fire below.

A man will sometimes move with his wife and children, and all his goods, further into the forest, if the grass about his house gets thin, so that he would be forced to cultivate a little more maize for his cattle.

Slowtrap spoke much of his father-in-law, who was a keen bear-shooter, and made me long for the mountains more than ever, by affirming that he intended to go himself in a few weeks, that I might go with him, and that he would introduce me to the old gentleman. This drove all thoughts of the south out of my head, and we settled on marching the following morning. There is a saying that “short hair is soon brushed;” my baggage was ready in a few minutes.

I was sorry to part with the Kelfers, who had been so kind to me, and treated me as one of their family; but I hoped soon to see them again.

The November morning broke cold and disagreeable when I started with my companion. My baggage was not very heavy; I had on deer-skin leggings, and moccasins, a light hunting-shirt of summer stuff, secured by a broad leather belt, bearing my tomahawk on the right, and hunting-knife on the left side, and a tin cup behind. Spare powder and lead were rolled up in my blanket, with a small bag of roasted coffee, and a clean shirt; a powder-horn and a leather shot-pouch completed my equipment. My companion, though an old sportsman, was not equipped for shooting; but he was pretty well loaded with other things. As I have already stated, he formerly lived near the mouth of the Fourche le Fave, but had moved about fifty miles further west, carrying his kitchen utensils, tools, bedding, &c., all on horseback, and driving his cattle and pigs before him to his new home. Difficult as such a move appears, I know of a family which moved three times in one year.

My old friend cut a glorious figure, as he rode beside me. He was about six feet tall, and as large boned as a fine figure would allow. A pair of thoroughly honest eyes looked out of a good-humored, weather-beaten face, and were in constant motion, giving great animation to the massive figure. Nobody had ever seen him laugh, but those who are well acquainted with him say, that a little widening twitch of the mouth, and a slight closing of the corner of the left eye, are certain evidences of good-humor; neither had anybody ever seen him go faster than at a quick walk—he seemed to consider it beneath his dignity to run. A well-worn black coat, with large pockets and flaps, was thrown over his shoulders, and, notwithstanding the rough weather, his legs were cased in a pair of thin, light-colored trowsers, which rumpled up high enough to show a muscular calf above a short sock; a pair of shoes of his own making covered his feet, while a hat, of any shape but the original, and that had been black, covered his head. The articles in one end of his bag were not heavy enough to balance the salt in the other end; so, to maintain the equilibrium, he was obliged to lean to the left side, and as he had a large basket, containing a Muscovy duck, on the right arm, the horse seemed to be between him and the basket. An unloaded gun, that he had accepted in payment of a long-standing debt, lay across the pommel. He kept me constantly amused with his stories, as we jogged along the county road.

When a county road has to be cut, a director is appointed, who is authorized to assemble all the male population of the county from the age of eighteen to forty-five; and these stout sons of the forest soon make a clearance among the trees, and roll their trunks out of the way. But holes and other hinderances are left in a state of nature, if there is the slightest chance that a wagon can pass.