JAMES CAPE
     I'bEBkORN rN yOnDnR2sOUTHEAST TEXAS jND I&mON'TKNOW WHAT MONTH OR DE YEAR
FOR SURE, BUT 'TWAS MORE DAN A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.  MY MAMMY AND PAPPY WAS BORN I
N AFRICA, DATS WHAT DEY'S TOLD ME.  DEY WAS OWNED BY MARSTER BOB HOUSTON AND HIM
 HAD DE RANCH DOWN DERE, WHERE DEY HAVE CATTLE AND HOSSES.
     WHEN I'SE OLD 'NOUGH TO SET ON DE HOSS, DEY LARNED ME TO RIDE, TENDIN' HOSS
ES.  'CAUSE I'SE A GOOD HOSS RIDER, DEY USES ME ALL DE TIME GWINE AFTER HOSSES.
 I GOES WITH DEM TO MEXICO.  WE CROSSES DE RIVER LOTS OF TIMES.  I 'MEMBERS-ONCE
 WHEN WE WAS A DRIVIN' ABOUT TWO HUNDRED HOSSES NORTHWARDS.  DEY WAS A BAD HAILS
TORM COMES INTO DE FACE OF DE HERD AND DAT HERD TURNS AND STARTS DE OTHER WAY.
DERE WAS FIVE OF US RIDERS AND WE HAD TO KEEP DEM HOSSES FROM SCATTERMENT.  I WA
S DE LEADER AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO DIS NIGGER IF MY HOSS STUMBLES?  RIG
HT DERE'S WHERE I'D STILL BE]  MARSTER GIVE ME A NEW SADDLE FOR SAVIN' DE
HOSSES.
     ONE DAY MARSTER BOB COMES TO ME AND SAYS, JIM, HOW YOU LIKE TO JOIN DE
ARMY?  YOU SEE, DE WAR HAD STARTED.  I SAYS TO HIM, WHAT DOES I HAVE TO DO?  AND
 HE SAYS, TEND HOSSES AND RIDE 'EM.  I WAS YOUNG DEN AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE LOT
S OF FUN, SO I SAYS I'D GO.  SO DE FIRST THING I KNOWS I'SE IN DE ARMY AWAY OFF
EAST FROM HERE, SOMEWHERE DIS SIDE OF SAINT LOUIS, AND IN TENNESSEE AND ARKANSAS
 AND OTHER PLACES.  I GOES IN DE ARMY 'STEAD OF DOCTOR CARROLL.
     AFTER I GETS IN DE ARMY, IT WASN'T SO MUCH FUN, 'CAUSE TENDIN' HOSSES AND R
IDIN' WASN'T ALL I DOES.  NO SIR, I HAS TO DO SHOOTIN' AND GET SHOOTED AT]  ONE
TIME WE STOPS DE TRAIN, TA2ES YANKEE MONEY AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS OFF DAT TRAI
N.  DAT WAS WAY UP DE OTHER SIDE OF TENNESSEE.
     yOU'S HEARD OF DE BATTLE OF INDnPnNDnNCE?  DAT'S WHnRE fE&FIGH SFOR THREE
DAYS AND NIGHTS.  I'SE NOT TENDIN' HOSSES DAT TIME.  DEY GIVES ME A RIFLE AND SE
NDS ME UP FRONT FIGHTIN' WHEN WE WASN'T RUNNIN'.  WE DOES A HEAP OF RUNNIN' AND
DAT SUITS DIS NIGGER.  I COULD DO DAT BETTER'N ADVANCE.  WHEN DE ORDER COMES TO
 RETREAT, I'SE ALL READY.
     I GETS SHOT IN DE SHOULDER IN DAT FIGHT AND LOTS OFOOuR2 OLDInSGG  SKILLE
D AND WE LOSES OUR SUPPLY, JUST LEAVES IT AND RUNS.  ANOTHER TIME WE FIGHTS TWO
DAYS AND NIGHTS AND DE YANKEES WAS BAD DAT TIME, TOO, AND WE HAD TO RUN THROUGH
DE RIVER.  I SURE THOUGHT I'SE GWINE GET DROWNED DEN.  DAT'S DE TIME WE TRIES TO
 GET IN SAINT LOUIS, BUT DE YANKEE MANS STOP US.
     I'SE FREE AFTER DE WAR AND GOES BACK TO TEXAS, TO GONZALES COUNTY, AND GETS
 A JOB DOIN' COWBOY WORK FOR MARSTER ROSS HERDIN' CATTLE.  AND RIGHT DnRE'S fHnR
E I'SE LUCKY FOR NOT GETTIN' IN JAIL OR HANGED.  IT WAS DIS WAY:  I'SE IN TOWN A
ND DAT MAN, ROSS, SAYS TO ME, I UNDERSTAND YOU'S A GOOD COWHAND, AND HE HIRES ME
 AND TAKES ME WAY OUT.  NO HOUSE FOR MILES BEFORE WE COMES TO DE RANCH6WI,H&C TT
LE AND I GOES TO WORK.  AFTER I'SE WORKIN' AWHILE, I WONDERS HOW COME DEY BRINGS
 IN SUCH FINE STEERS SO OFTEN AND I SAYS TO MYSELF, MARSTER ROSS MUST HAVE HEA S
 OF MONEY FOR TO BUY ALL DEM STEERS.  DEY PAYS NO ATTENTION TO DE RAISIN' OF CAT
TLE, JUST BRINGS 'EM IN AND DRIVES  DEM WAY.
     ONE TIME MARSTER ROSS AND SIX MENS WAS GONE A WEEK AND6WHnN D(Y& O  SBACK,
 ONE OF 'EM WAS MISSIN'.  DEY HAD NO STEERS DAT TIME AND DEY TALKS ABOUT GETTIN'
 FRUSTERATED AND HOW ONE MAN GETS SHOT.  I SAYS TO MYSELF, WHAT FOR WAS DEY CHAS
ED AND SHOT AT?  DEN I 'MEMBERS MARSTER BOB HOUSTON DONE TOLD ME ABOUT RUSTLERS
 AND HOW DEY'S HANGED WHEN DEY'S CAUGHT, AND I KNOW DEN DAT'S HOW COME ALL DEM F
INE STEERS IS DROVE IN AND OUT ALL DE TIME.  BUT HOW TO GET AWAY, DERE'S DE
PUZZLEMENT.  I NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO AND DERE'S NO HOUSES ANYWHERE NEAR.  I K
EEPS GETTIN' SCARETER, AND EVERY TIME SOMEBODY COMES, I THINKS IT'S DE LAW.  BUT
 MARSTER ROSS DRIVES DE CATTLE NORTH AND I SAYS TO HIM, I'SE A GOOD HAND AT DE D
RIVE.  KIN I GO WITH YOU NEXT TIME YOU GOES NORTH?  AND NOT LONG AFTER DAT WE ST
ARTS AND WE GETS TO KANSAS CITY.  AFTER MARSTER ROSS GETS SHUT OF DE CRITTERS, H
E SAYS, WE'LL REST FOR COUPLE DAYS, DEN STARTS BACK.  I SAYS TO ME,  NO DIS NIGG
ER.
     I SNEAKS AWAY AND WAS SETTIN' ON A BENCH WHEN ALONG COMES A WHITE MAN AND H
E'S TALL, HAD DARK HAIR, AND WAS FINE LOOKIN'.  HE SAYS TO ME, IS YOU A COWHAND?
  SO I TELLS HIM I IS, AND HE SAYS HE WANTS A HAND ON HIS FARM IN MISSOURI AND H
E SAYS: COME WITH ME.  HE TELLS ME HIS NAME WAS JAMES AND TAKES ME TO HIS FARM
 WHERE I TENDS CATTLE AND HOSSES FOR THREE YEARS AND HE PAYS ME WELL.  HE GIe S
ME MORE'N I EARNS.  AFTER THREE YEARS I LEAVES, BUT NOT 'CAUSE I LEARNED HE WAS
OUTLAW, 'CAUSE I LEARNED DAT LONG TIME AFTERWARDS.  I'SE LONESOME FOR TEXAS AND
DAT'S HOW I COMES TO FORT WORTH AND HERE'S WHERE I'SE STAYED EVER SINCE.
     I'SE MARRIED ABOUT FORTY YEARS AGO TO A WOMAN DAT HAD EIGHT CHILLENS.  WE S
EPARATED 'CAUSE DEM CHILLENS CAUSE ARGUMENTS.  I CAN FIGHT ONE, BUT NOT DE ARMY.
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