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Show REMINISCENCE OF A FREIGHTER. 45 country and pitched their tepees directly across the road from us. " The chief immediately called to pay his respects and beg a little tobacco, as his ' teeth were very sick.' " It being late to receive, we were not again visited till next morning about ten o'clock, when a large, fine buck came over, very hungry, 'a good friend of the whites,' and would like 'something to eat' We cast around for some little delicacy for him in the way of bacon rinds, wagon grease, etc.-but the larder was empty. We were about to send him away unfed when one of the party thought of a camp kettle containing about a gallon of boiled beans that had soured before we could use them, and which we had forgotten to throw away. "He rustled around and set the spread for the innocent and guileless child of the desert, and by signs and lingo, earnestly cautioned him not to get away with all of them as we intended to warm them over for dinner. The red man had ears but heard not, and stolidly devoured those beans with an appetite of an anaconda. Then offering profuse thanks for the elegant repast, and wiping his mouth on the skirt of his Prince Albert, he withdrew to his tepee with the grace of a Chesterfield. After an hour or so we were aroused from our afternoon nap by a thundering rumpus. For a moment I was uncertain where I was, and what the deuce was going on. There was a terrible commotion at. the Indian camp. The old chief came rushing over and charged us with having poisoned the bean-eater, and said he must have some whisky at once to save his life. We protested that he was not poisoned, that he had been gluttonous and had eaten a gallon of beans. We handed the old man the |
