Shanks and I fell in with the Ranger boats, being yet in our small bark
and much hurled about by the waves, which rolled prodigious.
The Army continued up the Lake and drove the Frenchers out of their
Forts, they not stopping to resist us till we got to Chamblee, where we
staid. But the French in Canada had all surrendered to the British and
the war was over. This ended my service as a Ranger in those parts. I
went back to Vroomans intending to go again into the indian trade, for
now we hoped that the French would no longer be able to stop our
enterprises.
Now my dear son--I will send you this long letter, and will go on
writing of my later life in the Western country and in the War of
Independence, and will send you those letters as soon as I have them
written. I did not do much or occupy a commanding position, but I served
faithfully in what I had to do. For the present God bless you my dear
son.
JOSHUA GOODENOUGH.
CRACKER COWBOYS OF FLORIDA
ONE can thresh the straw of history until he is well worn out, and also
is running some risk of wearing others out who may have to listen, so I
will waive the telling of who the first cowboy was, even if I knew; but
the last one who has come under my observation lives down in Florida,
and the way it happened was this: I was sitting in a "sto' do'," as the
"Crackers" say, waiting for the clerk to load some "number eights," when
my friend said, "Look at the cowboys!" This immediately caught my
interest.
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