THE BIG BEAR OF ARKANSAS. 81 



brought my cabin on tlie edge of the river — a great ad- 

 vantage in wet weather, I assure you, as you can now 

 roll a barrel of whiskey into my yard in high water from 

 a boat, as easy as falling off a log. It's a great improve- 

 ment, as toting it by land in a jug, as 1 used to do, eva- 

 porafed it too fast, and it became expensive. 



" Just stop with me, stranger, a month or two, or a 

 year, if you like, and you will appreciate my place. I 

 can give you plenty to eat ; for beside hog and hominy, 

 you can have birar-hani, and brar-sausages, and a mattrass 

 of bearskins to sleep on, and a wildcat-skin, pulled off 

 hull, stuffed with corn-shucks, for a pillow. That bed 

 would put you to sleep if you had the rheumatics in 

 every joint in your body. I call that ar bed, a quietus. 



" Then look at my ' pre-emption ' — the government 

 aint got another like it to dispose of. Such timber, and 

 such bottom land, — why you can't preserve any thing 

 natural you plant in it unless you pick it young, things 

 thar will grow out of shape so quick. 



I once planted in those diggins a few potatoes and 

 beets ; they took a fine start, and after that, an ox team 

 couldn't have kept them from growing. About that time 

 I went off to old Kaintuck on business, and did not hear 

 from them things in three months, when I accidentally 

 stumbled on a fellow who had drapped in at my place, 

 with an idea of buying me out. 



" * How did you like things ? ' said I. 



"* Pretty well,' said he; * the cabin is convenient. 



