Just Yarnin' Chapter 6: Dog Meat

As they stared into the fire both men simply watched the yellow and orange flames leap into the darkness. Even after all these years, a fire was still something to behold. After a few minutes, and ready for another yarn, Parfleche was first to pipe up.

“Buffler shore shines, but them Injuns shore do take a liking to dog meat. I’ve ate it myself a few times. Once with a group of Sioux up by the Laramie River. We was getting ready to make a big hunt and they was seeking some strong medicine. I’m jist sitting in a lodge with a few of ‘em and they are singing thar Injun songs. Off to one side sits this big white mother dog with some pups climbing around her jist a playin. After some chantin and drumin, one square faced old squaw gets up and snatches one of them pups away from a mother dog. I knowed what she was up to, but that mother dog she just looked at her with them innocent black eyes. That squaw packs that pup outside and it don’t take but a few seconds and I hear a quick bark then nothing.

“I peeks through a hole in the tipi to see jist what she’s up to. Then I seen that squaw waving that pup through the fire. She had kilt it and was now getting the hair off. Don’t no one like eating hair, everybody knows that. After the hair was all burnt off she takes her knife and cuts that little pup into pieces. Then she drops the meat into a kettle boilin’ on the fire. Fore too long she comes in with that kettle just a steaming and sets it down in the center of the lodge.

“I mean to tell you hoss, I seen them Injuns pulling out that meat and I cast my eyes over at that mother dog. Thar she was, just a looking with them big black eyes as innocent as you ever seen. Now I made a life a killin beast, and stayed above ground killin man. I ain’t got no bother killin. But seein that mother dog jist made me stop fer a moment. Something about them eyes just stopped me, you know?”

Solitaire stared across the fire with a curious look in his eye. “Do ya’ mean you was hoping to eat that mother dog instead?”

“No ya dern fool!” Parfleche replied with annoyance. “I seen that mother dog as them Injuns was eatin’ that pup and my heart got plumb sad. Cain’t ya’ see that?”

Solitaire puffed on his pipe as if searching for an answer. “So yer sayin’ you was wishing that mother dog was having some too?”

“Agh!” Parfleche threw his hands up in disgust.

Solitaire’s anger flared up, “Whul I cain’t see no reason fer feelin’ down. You was eatin, them Injuns was eatin, that mother dog was sucklin’ a whole batch of other pups. What’s thar to make a man feel down?”

Parfleche just shook his head in disgust. “ You jist ain’t got no idea Solitaire.”

“I reckon I don’t,” Solitaire crossed his arms and shot a mean look over the fire.

For a few moments the two sat in silence. Then as if nothing had happened, Solitaire spoke up.

“I got me a dog yarn. Ha! Me an’ some boys was travelin’ to a Cheyenne camp hoping to swap fer some hosses. With us was ridin’ a greenhorn. Green as the spring grass he was. As we was ridin the boys start spinnin yarns about Injun life and tellin’ this greenhorn all about it. Warn’t long before they starts in on grub, and warn’t long fore they starts in tellin’ about eatin’ dog. Jist like your yarn.

“This greenhorn, he starts in how he ain’t never been wolfish enough to eat dog meat and how he never would be. See, he ain’t quite got the east wrung out of his hide yet, and ain’t mountain smart. We knowed he was like every other greenhorn and was figurin’ on having some fun with him.  So one old boy, Blackfoot Smith ifn’ I remember right, he starts in on this greenhorn telling him how dog meat is the finest meat you can eat. Course some men did think dog meat was the finest meat, and I imagine Blackfoot Smith was one of them. Anyhow, this old greenhorn tells us he ain’t never gonna taste dog meat and that’s how his stick floats. Smith tells him, ‘boy, I’ll bet you eat dog meat up hare’ an’ you’ll swear it’s the best you ever had in yer’ meatbag.’

“So we keeps ridin’ and make the Cheyenne camp. Hoss trading don’t start fer a few days as usual, so we jist takes to livin Injun fer a spell. We was sittin’ round the fire doin’ some cookin and having a pipe. This greenhorn asks, ‘Hey, boys, what’s on the fire?’

“’Terrapins!’ Smith hollers.

“’Terrapins?’ The greenhorn says. ‘How’s them?’

“Smith gets ta’ chuckling. ‘You know, them hard-shell land terrapin?’ He says, jist needling that greenhorn.

“’Shore.’ Greenhorn says.

“Smith answers back, ‘Well, them squaws go out to the hills and bring them critters in. They cook ‘em in the shell alive or cut ‘em out and roast ‘em in the fire. Ifn’ you ever had terrapin, you knowed they’re darned good! Wagh!’

“So the young greenhorn he cain’t resist this terrapin. He grabs the meat from the fire and gets to fillin’ his meatbag. He shore was wolfish the way he was swallerin’ that grub. After a few bites he starts tellin’ how terrapin shore does shine, maybe outshines buffler he says. Back into the fire he reaches and pulls out some more. Warn’t long and he’d darn near eaten the whole terrapin.

“He’s over thar’ lickin’ his chops and swallerin’ the last of the terrapin and he looks around to see every hoss jist chucklin’. He sort of throws us a look sayin’ he knowed the trail sign warn’t good and wanted in on the game. We all jist grinned and starts a laughin’. ‘What’s so dern funny?’ he asks.

“It’s Blackfoot Smith that answers and says, ‘Well! Hoss! How do you like dog meat?’

“The greenhorn then seen the game and gets the look on his face like a man who had too many swallers of whiskey. He keeps his stomach though and sees the fun. Fore long he reaches back in the fire and grabs the last few bites of dog meat. As he’s eatin he looks at Smith an’ says, ‘I reckon if thar’s any meat that runs can take the shine outta dog I ain’t ate it yet!’”

Author’s Note: Both stories come from actual stories related by men during the first half of the 19th century.

Chapter 7: Bridger’s Glass Mountain