“So I was able,” writes Crockett, “to buy a little of the ‘creature,’ to put my friends in a good humor, as well as the other gentlemen, for they all treat in that country; not to get elected, of course, for that would be against the law, but just to make themselves and their friends feel their keeping a little.”

The contest was, as usual, made up of drinking, feasting, and speeches.  Colonel Alexander was an intelligent and worthy man, who had been public surveyor.  General Arnold was a lawyer of very respectable attainments.  Neither of these men considered Crockett a candidate in the slightest degree to be feared.  They only feared each other, and tried to circumvent each other.

On one occasion there was a large gathering, where all three of the candidates were present, and each one was expected to make a speech.  It came Crockett’s lot to speak first.  He knew nothing of Congressional affairs, and had sense enough to be aware that it was not best for him to attempt to speak upon subjects of which he was entirely ignorant.  He made one of his funny speeches, very short and entirely non-committal.  Colonel Alexander followed, endeavoring to grapple with the great questions of tariffs, finance, and internal improvements, which were then agitating the nation.

General Arnold then, in his turn, took the stump, opposing the measures which Colonel Alexander had left.  He seemed entirely to ignore the fact that Crockett was a candidate.  Not the slightest allusion was made to him in his speech.  The nervous temperament predominated in the man, and he was easily annoyed.  While speaking, a large flock of guinea-hens came along, whose peculiar and noisy cry all will remember who have ever heard it.  Arnold was greatly disturbed, and at last requested some one to drive the fowls away.  As soon as he had finished his speech, Crockett again mounted the stump, and ostensibly addressing Arnold, but really addressing the crowd, said, in a loud voice, but very jocosely: 

“Well, General, you are the first man I ever saw that understood the language of fowls.  You had i not the politeness even to allude to me in your speech.  But when my little friends the guinea-hens came up, and began to holler ‘Crockett, Crockett, Crockett,’ you were ungenerous enough to drive them all away.”

This raised such a universal laugh that even Crockett’s opponents feared that he was getting the best of them in winning the favor of the people.  When the day of election came, the popular bear-hunter beat both of his competitors by twenty-seven hundred and forty-seven votes.  Thus David Crockett, unable to read and barely able to sign his name, became a member of Congress, to assist in framing laws for the grandest republic earth has ever known.  He represented a constituency of about one hundred thousand souls.

An intelligent gentleman, travelling in West Tennessee, finding himself within eight miles of Colonel Crockett’s cabin, decided to call upon the man whose name had now become quite renowned.  This was just after Crockett’s election to Congress, but before he had set out for Washington.  There was no road leading to the lonely hut.  He followed a rough and obstructed path or trail, which was indicated only by blazed trees, and which bore no marks of being often travelled.