I went first into Heckman county to see what I could do among the people as a candidate. Here they told me that they wanted to move their town nearer to the centre of the county, and I must come out in favour of it. There’s no devil if I knowed what this meant, or how the town was to be moved; and so I kept dark, going on the iden tical same plan that I now find is called “non-committal.” About this time there was a great squirrel hunt on Duck river, which was among my people. They were to hunt two days: then to meet and count the scalps and have a big barbecue and what might be called a tip-top country frolic. The dinner, and a general treat, was all to be paid for by the party having taken the fewest scalps. I joined one side, taking the place of one of the hunters, and got a gun ready for the hunt. I killed a great many squirrels and when we counted scalps, my party was victorious.
The company had every thing to eat and drink that could be furnished in go new a country, and much fun and good humour prevailed. But be fore the regular frolic commenced, I mean the dancing, I was called on to make a speech as a can didate; which was a business I was as ignorant of as an outlandish negro.
A public document I had never seen, nor did I know there were such things, and how to begin I couldn’t tell. I made many apologies and tried to get off, for I know’d I had a man to run against who could speak prime and I know’d, too, that I wa’n’t able to shuffle and cut with him. He was there, and knowing my ignorance as well as I did myself, he also urged me to make a speech. The truth is, he thought my being a candidate was a mere matter of sport and didn’t think, for a mo ment, that he was in any danger from an ignorant backwoods bear hunter. But I found I couldn’t get off and so I determined just to go ahead and leave it to chance what I should say. I got up and told the people I reckoned they know’d what I come for, but if not, I could tell them. I had come for their votes and if they didn’t watch mighty close, I’d get them too. But the worst of all was that I couldn’t tell them any thing about government. I tried to speak about something, and I cared very little what, until I choaked up as bad as if my mouth had been jam’d and cram’d chock full of dry mush. There the people stood, listening all the while, with their eyes, mouths and ears all open, to catch every word I would speak.
At last I told them I was like a fellow I had heard of not long before. He was beating on the head of an empty barrel near the roadside when a traveler, who was passing along, asked him what he was doing that for? The fellow replied that there was some cider in that barrel a few days be fore and he was trying to see if there was any then, but if there was he couldn’t get at it. I told them that there had been a little bit of a speech in me a while ago but I believed I couldn’t get it out. They all roared out in a mighty laugh and I told some other anecdotes, equally amusing to them, believing I had them in a first-rate way, I quit and got down, thanking the people for their atten tion. But I took care to remark that I was as dry as a powder horn and that I thought it was time for us all to wet our whistles a little and so I put off to the liquor stand and was followed by the greater part of the crowd.
I felt certain this was necessary, for I knowed my competitor could open government matters to them as easy as he pleased. He had, however, mighty few left to hear him, as I continued with the crowd, now and then taking a horn and telling good humoured stories till he was done speaking. I found I was good for the votes at the hunt and when we broke up, I went on to the town of Ver non, which was the same they wanted me to move. Here they pressed me again on the subject and I found I could get either party by agreeing with them. But I told them I didn’t know whether it would be right or not and so couldn’t promise either way.
Their court commenced on the next Monday, as the barbacue was on a Saturday, and the candi dates for governor and for Congress, as well as my competitor and myself, all attended.
The thought of having to make a speech made my knees feel mighty weak and set my heart to fluttering almost as bad as my first love scrape with the Quaker’s niece. But as good luck would have it, these big candidates spoke nearly all day and when they quit, the people were worn out with fatigue, which afforded me a good apology for not discussing the government. But I listened mighty close to them and was learning pretty fast about political matters. When they were all done, I got up and told some laughable story and quit. I found I was safe in those parts, and so I went home and didn’t go back again till after the election was over. But to cut this matter short, I was elected, doubling my competitor, and nine votes over.
A short time after this, I was in Pulaski where I met with Colonel Polk, now a member of Con gress from Tennessee. He was at that time a member elected to the Legislature, as well as my self; and in a large company he said to me, “Well, colonel, I suppose we shall have a radical change of the judiciary at the next session of the Legislature.” “Very likely, sir,” says I, and I put out quicker, for I was afraid some one would ask me what the judiciary was; and if I knowed I wish I may be shot. I don’t indeed believe I had ever before heard that there was any such thing in all nature; but still I was not willing that the people there should know how ignorant I was about it.
When the time for meeting of the Legislature arrived, I went on and before I had been there long, I could have told what the judiciary was and what the government was too, and many other things that I had known nothing about before.
About this time I met with a very severe misfortune, which I may be pardoned for naming, as it made a great change in my circumstances and kept me back very much in the world. I had built an extensive grist mill and powder mill, all connected together, and also a large distillery. They had cost me upwards of three thousand dollars, more than I was worth in the world. The first news that I heard after I got to the Legislature was, that my mills were—not blown up sky high, as you would guess by my powder establishment,—but swept away all to smash by a large fresh that came soon after I left home. I had, of course, to stop my distillery, as my grinding was broken up, and indeed, I may say, that the misfortune just made a complete mash of me. I had some likely negroes and a good stock of almost every thing about me and, best of all, I had an honest wife. She didn’t advise me, as is too fashionable, to smuggle up this and that and t’other to go on at home, but she told me, says she, “Just pay up, as long as you have a bit’s worth in the world, and then every body will be satisfied and we will scuffle for more.” This was just such talk as I wanted to hear, for a man’s wife can hold him devlish uneasy, if she begins to scold and fret and perplex him at a time when he has a full load for a railroad car on his mind already.
And so you see, I determined not to break full handed but thought it better to keep a good con science with an empty purse than to get a bad opinion of myself with a full one. I therefore gave up all I had and took a branfire new start.
HAVING returned from the Legislature, I de termined to make another move and so I took my eldest son with me and a young man by the name of Abram Henry and cut out for the Obion. I se lected a spot when I got there where I de termined to settle and the nearest house to it was seven miles, the next nearest was fifteen, and so on to twenty. It was a complete wilder ness and full of Indians who were hunting. Game was plenty of almost every kind, which suited me exactly, as I was always fond of hunting. The house which was nearest me and which, as I have already stated, was seven miles off and on the different side of the Obion river, belonged to a man by the name of Owens and I started to go there. I had taken one horse along to pack our provision and when I got to the water I hob bled him out to graze until I got back, as there was no boat to cross the river in and it was so high that it had overflowed all the bottoms and low country near it.
We now took water like so many beavers, not withstanding it was mighty cold, and waded on. The water would sometimes be up to our necks and at others not so deep but I went, of course, before, and carried a pole with which I would feel along before me to see how deep it was and to guard against falling into a slough, as there was many in our way. When I would come
to one, I would take out my tomahawk and cut a small tree across it and then go ahead again. Fre quently my little son would have to swim, even where myself and the young man could wade, but we worked on till at last we got to the channel of the river which made it about half a mile we had waded from where we took water. I saw a large tree that had fallen into the river from the other side but it didn’t reach across. One stood on the same bank where we were that I thought I could fall so as to reach the other and so at it we went with my tomahawk, cutting away till we got it down and, as good luck would have it, it fell right and made us a way that we could pass.
When we got over this, it was still a sea of water as far as our eyes could reach. We took into it again and went ahead for about a mile, hardly ever seeing a single spot of land, and sometimes very deep. At last we come in sight of land, which was a very pleasing thing and when we got out, we went but a little way be fore we came in sight of the house, which was more pleasing than ever; for we were wet all over and mighty cold. I felt mighty sorry when I would look at my little boy and see him shaking like he had the worst sort of an ague, for there was no time for fever then. As we got near to the house, we saw Mr. Owens and seve ral men that were with him just starting away. They saw us and stop’d but looked much asto nished until we got up to them and I made my self known. The men who were with him were the owners of a boat which was the first that ever went that far up the Obion river, and some hands he had hired to carry it about a hundred miles still further up, by water, tho’ it was only about thirty by land, as the river is very crooked.
They all turned back to the house with me, where I found Mrs. Owens, a fine, friendly old woman; and her kindness to my little boy did me ten times as much good as any thing she could have done for me, if she had tried her best. The old gentleman set out his bottle to us and I concluded that if a horn wasn’t good then, there was no use for its invention. So I swig’d off about a half pint and the young man was by no means bashful in such a case, he took a strong pull at it too. I then gave my boy some and in a little time we felt pretty well. We dried ourselves by the fire and were asked to go on board of the boat that evening. I agreed to do so, but left my son with the old lady, and my self and my young man went to the boat with Mr. Owens and the others. The boat was load ed with whiskey, flour, sugar, coffee, salt, castings, and other articles suitable for the country; and they were to receive five hundred dollars to land the load at M’Lemore’s Bluff, beside the profit they could make on their load. This was merely to show that boats could get up to that point. We stayed all night with them and had a high night of it, as I took steam enough to drive out all the cold that was in me and about three times as much more. In the morning we con cluded to go on with the boat to where a great harricane had crossed the river and blowed all the timber down into it. When we got there, we found the river was falling fast and con cluded we couldn’t get through the timber without more rise so we drop’d down opposite Mr. Owens’ again, where they determined to wait for more water.
The next day it rained rip-roriously and the river rose pretty considerable, but not enough yet. And so I got the boatsmen all to go out with me to where I was going to settle and we slap’d up a cabin in little or no time. I got from the boat four barrels of meal, one of salt, and about ten gallons of whiskey.
To pay for these, I agreed to go with the boat up the river to their landing place. I got also a large middling of bacon and killed a fine deer and left them for my young man and my little boy, who were to stay at my cabin till I got back, which I expected would be in six or seven days. We cut out and moved up to the harricane, where we stop’d for the night. In the morning I started about daylight, intending to kill a deer, as I had no thought they would get the boat through the timber that day. I had gone but a little way be fore I killed a fine buck and started to go back to the boat but on the way I came on the tracks of a large gang of elks and so I took after them. I had followed them only a little distance when I saw them and directly after I saw two large bucks. I shot one down and the other wouldn’t leave him so I loaded my gun and shot him down too. I hung them up and went ahead again after my elks. I pursued on till after the middle of the day be fore I saw them again, but they took the hint before I got in shooting distance and ran off. I still pushed on till late in the evening when I found I was about four miles from where I had left the boat and as hungry as a wolf, for I hadn’t eaten a bite that day.
I started down the edge of the river low grounds, giving out the pursuit of my elks, and hadn’t gone hardly any distance at all before I saw two more bucks, very large fellows too. I took a blizzard at one of them and up he tumbled. The other ran off a few jumps and stop’d and stood there till I loaded again to fire at him. I knock’d his trotters from under him and then I hung them both up. I pushed on again and about sunset I saw three other bucks. I down’d with one of them and the other two ran off. I hung this one up also, having now killed six that day. I then pushed on till I got to the harricane, and at the lower edge of it, about where I expected the boat was. Here I hollered as hard as I could roar, but could get no answer. I fired off my gun and the men on the boat fired one too, but quite contrary to my expectation, they had got through the timber and were about two miles above me. It was now dark and I had to crawl through the fallen timber the best way I could; and if the reader don’t know it was bad enough, I am sure I do. For the vines and briers had grown all through it and so thick that a good fat coon couldn’t much more than get along. I got through at last and went on near to where I had killed my last deer and once more fired off my gun, which was again answered from the boat, which was still a little above me. I moved on as fast as I could, but soon came to water, and not knowing how deep it was, I halted and hollered till they came to me with a skiff. I now got to the boat without further difficulty but the briers had worked on me at such a rate that I felt like I wanted sewing up all over. I took a pretty stiff horn, which soon made me feel much better, but I was so tired that I could hardly work my jaws to eat.
In the morning, myself and a young man started and brought in the first buck I had killed and after breakfast we went and brought in the last one. The boat then started, but we again went and got the two I had killed just as I turned down the river in the evening; and we then pushed on and o’ertook the boat, leaving the other two hanging in the woods, as we had now as much as we wanted.
We got up the river very well, but quite slowly, and we landed on the eleventh day at the place the load was to be delivered at. They here gave me their skiff and myself and a young man by the name of Flavins Harris, who had determined to go and live with me, cut out down the river for my cabin, which we reached safely enough.
We turned in and cleared a field and planted our corn but it was so late in the spring, we had no time to make rails and therefore we put no fence around our field. There was no stock, how ever, nor any thing else to disturb our corn, ex cept the wild varments and the old serpent him self, with a fence to help him, couldn’t keep them out. I made corn enough to do me, and during that spring I killed ten bears and a great abun dance of deer. But in all this time, we saw the face of no white person in that country, except Mr. Owens’ family and a very few passengers who went out there, looking at the country. In dians, though, were still plenty enough. Having laid by my crap, I went home, which was a dis tance of about a hundred and fifty miles and when I got there, I was met by an order to attend a call-session of our Legislature. I attended it and served out my time and then returned and took my family and what little plunder I had, and moved to where I had built my cabin and made my crap.
I gathered my corn and then set out for my Fall’s hunt. This was in the last of October, 1822. I found bear very plenty and, indeed, all sorts of game and wild varments, except buffalo. There was none of them. I hunted on till Christmass, having supplied my family very well all along with wild meat, at which time my powder gave out and I had none either to fire Christmass guns, which is very common in that country, o
r to hunt with. I had a brother-in-law who had now moved out and settled about six miles west of me, on the opposite side of Rutherford’s fork of the Obion river, and he had brought me a keg of powder, but I had never gotten it home. There had just been another of Noah’s freshes and the low grounds were flooded all over with water. I know’d the stream was at least a mile wide which I would have to cross, as the water was from hill to hill, and yet I determined to go on over in some way or other, so as to get my powder. I told this to my wife and she immediately opposed it with all her might. I still insisted, telling her we had no powder for Christmass and, worse than all, we were out of meat. She said we had as well starve as for me to freeze to death or to get drowned, one or the other was certain if I attempted to go.
But I didn’t believe the half of this and so I took my woolen wrappers and a pair of mockasins and put them on and tied up some dry clothes and a pair of shoes and stockings and started. But I didn’t before know how much any body could suffer and not die. This, and some of my other experiments in water, learned me something about it and I therefore relate them.
The snow was about four inches deep when I started and when I got to the water, which was only about a quarter of a mile off, it look’d like an ocean. I put in and waded on till I come to the channel where I crossed that on a high log. I then took water again, having my gun and all my hunting tools along, and waded till I came to a deep slough that was wider than the river itself. I had crossed it often on a log but, behold, when I got there, no log was to be seen. I knowed of an island in the slough and a sapling stood on it close to the side of that log, which was now en tirely under water. I knowed further that the water was about eight or ten feet deep under the log and I judged it to be about three feet deep over it. After studying a little what I should do, I determined to cut a forked sapling, which stood near me, so as to lodge it against the one that stood on the island, in which I succeeded very well. I then cut me a pole and crawled along on my sapling till I got to the one it was lodged against which was about six feet above the water. I then felt about with my pole till I found the log which was just about as deep under the water as I had judged. I then crawled back and got my gun, which I had left at the stump of the sapling I had cut and again made my way to the place of lodgement and then climb’d down the other sap ling so as to get on the log. I then felt my way along with my feet, in the water about waist deep, but it was a mighty ticklish business. However, I got over and by this time I had very little feeling in my feet and legs as I had been all the time in the water, except what time I was crossing the high log over the river, and climbing my lodged sapling.
An Autobiography of Davy Crockett Page 9
