44 BREEDING AND REARING OE 



in the canebrake section, and preparing our meals at 

 night, the broiling of our meat would attract the 

 wolves, and we could hear them howl. At that date, 

 deer, bear, turkeys, and all kinds of wild game were 

 plentiful, and are yet in some places. 



While traveling through the rich bottom lands of 

 Arkansas we saw great quantities of mast, such as 

 pecans, acorns of different kinds, switch cane, that 

 would keep stock in good order through the winter 

 and spring seasons. An old native living in the neigh- 

 borhood came to our camp and was regretting his mis- 

 fortunes, saying he had lost a great deal of money 

 while living there. I asked him how it occurred. He 

 said it was because he did not have money to buy 

 hogs to eat the mast that rotted in the swamps. I 

 have seen pretty good pork taken to St. Louis, that 

 had been fattened on mast. 



While trading in Arkansas I met with a Kentuckian 

 who had a herd of improved Durham cattle of one 

 hundred and fifty head, and proposed giving me fifty 

 head of cows that would be fresh to give milk the 

 following spring, for a young stallion and a large 

 sixteen -hand jack I had, and agreed to keep the cattle 

 on the switch cane until April or May following. His 

 rancho was on White river at a place called Peach 

 Orchard Bluff. There were about one hundred acres 

 not subject to overflow. When I went after the cattle 

 there had been a considerable freshet, and we had to 

 take a canoe and go through the woods nine miles to 

 reach the cattle. We built a lot on the bank of the 

 river, collected and assorted the cattle. We had to 

 lariat mine, and draw them on the steamboat by a 

 windlass, which was no small undertaking. They 



