OHIO--INDIANA--ILLINOIS--MISSOURI.
Lake Erie--Cleveland--Double-beds--March through the
forest--Canton--Cincinnati--Lawrencebourg--A burning
forest--Deserted farm-house--Wet weather and swollen rivers--A
drunken companion--Versailles--Intrepid German
Jews--Vincennes--Fording a river--The prairies of
Illinois--Shooting deer--Salem--An Illinois
settler--Lebanon--Ague--Passage of the Mississippi--St.
Louis--German emigrants--A week’s work in the forest--Lead mines of
Missouri--Courant river, the boundary of Missouri.
About noon the steamer “North America” left for Cleveland, in Ohio
State, and with it my worthy self. There was such a number of passengers
in the steerage, that it was hardly possible to move, and the state of
affairs was made worse by each of the American ladies[B] having a short
pipe in her mouth. Yet worse was coming. Lake Erie, under the influence
of a strong breeze, began to get very rough in its treatment of the
boat; one pipe after another was extinguished, and the visages
lengthened and whitened very suspiciously. I observed this change with
horror, and took refuge in one of the uppermost of three rows of
sleeping berths, to be out of range of shot.
[B] Two Englishmen travelling together in America, on board a steamer,
one of them was thus accosted: “I am the gentleman that cleans
the shoes, and that man (pointing to the other) says, you are to
pay.”--TRANSLATOR.
It was dark when we arrived at Cleveland, and I stood on the shore in
some difficulty, not knowing exactly where to look for shelter, when a
young German, who, by the light of a lantern, recognized me by my
costume for a fellow countryman, asked me if I would like to pass the
night in a German house: on my quickly agreeing to it, he led me to one,
some hundred yards off, where I soon went to bed. The beds in America
are all double, that is to say, so wide as easily to hold three, and
indeed I have sometimes made a fourth. I was shown into this abode of
dreams by a little hump-backed youth, and on my asking if I could sleep
alone there, he replied that perhaps some stranger might come by the
stage-coach. Towards midnight I was disturbed by a noise, and thought to
myself “Oh, oh, here comes the stranger;” and as I was not yet
accustomed to this American fashion, I took the trouble to look up to
see what my bedfellow was like, and had the felicity to see that a negro
as black as pitch was preparing his ebony members to occupy part of my
bed. I moved to the extreme edge, leaving at least two-thirds of the
space to this son of the night. I was at this time but little acquainted
with American habits, and if this had happened to me later, the landlord
would not have had a whole bone in his skin; for it is the greatest
insult to a white man in North America, and more particularly in the
slave states, to place a negro on equal terms with him.
I was up before day, and, according to custom, went out to have a look
at the town. From Cleveland I set off along the canal that goes to
Portsmouth, on the river Ohio, intending to visit my fellow passenger by
the “Constitution,” the apothecary Vogel, at the village of Canton. I
shot several wild-fowl and a few hares as I went along, and found a bed
at a New Englander’s, who gave me a hospitable reception. I was much
amused by a little German maid, who had only lately left her home, and
understood very little English, but as she spoke Low German, they
managed to make out what each party wanted; they had a great regard for
her, as she was very industrious.
It was the 17th of November when I arrived at the agreeable little town
of Canton, situated in the middle of the forest. Some of the buildings
were in very good taste. My friend was not here, and I learned that he
lived in Cincinnati; so I decided on seeking him there, and, having
nothing to detain me in Canton, I set off again the same evening.
Ohio is very extensively cultivated, and the journey through such a
succession of fields was rather monotonous; there was a farm-house to be
seen nearly every half hour, yet here and there was a pretty bit of
forest, as I found rather too soon. About a hundred miles from
Cincinnati I was overtaken one evening by a heavy penetrating rain, and
was soon wet through and through. I was anxious to find shelter, and was
travelling a well-frequented road, when all at once it divided into
three; I chose the most beaten, and pushed on through mud and mire, till
I came to a wood, where all further traces of a road vanished, leaving
me cold and wet in the forest. A fire was out of the question. I was not
inclined to return, as the other roads might also lead to the forest;
so I made my way through the shrubs and bushes, which could not make me
more wet than I was already. I sank down from fatigue at times, but,
after a few moments’ rest, roused myself to fresh efforts. At length,
like a port to a ship in a storm, I saw a light through the branches. I
hastened, as fast as my tired legs would carry me, in that direction,
and soon came to a fence, and shortly afterwards to a farm-house. The
farmer looked at first rather shyly at the dripping wet traveller, who
requested entrance so late in the night; but the customary hospitality
did not let him hesitate long, and a warm fire, with a quickly prepared
supper, considerably refreshed my stiff and weary limbs.
I arrived at Cincinnati, the largest town in Ohio, on the river of that
name, on the 26th of November, without further adventures, and found my
friend the apothecary quite well; the hearty pleasure he expressed on
seeing me was ample reward for the trouble I had taken to find him, and
I passed some happy days in his society. I was much pleased with the
fine town of Cincinnati, the “Queen of the West,” as the Americans call
it. It is the centre of commerce of the West, and owes its rapid rise
and prosperity to its connection by steamers and railroads with the
seaports on the east coast, by canal with Lake Erie and the St.
Lawrence, and by the Ohio and Mississippi with New Orleans. From
Cincinnati I made short shooting excursions into Kentucky, though with
little success, obtaining at most a few hares, and some of the small
American partridges, with now and then a wild duck.
On the 6th of December I bid adieu to the agreeable town of Cincinnati,
and on the same evening arrived at the border of the State, formed by
the little river Miami: I slept there, and crossed over into Indiana on
the following morning. Two miles further I reached the little town of
Lawrencebourg, on the Ohio, and inquired the nearest way to St. Louis; a
question which no one could answer, as they said they never knew of any
one travelling hundreds of miles on foot, when they could go so easily
by the steamers. At last, with much trouble, I learnt something of the
direction, and set off on the journey. I got a good dinner at a farmer’s
in return for a hare I had shot, and passed the night in a solitary
house with some very worthy people.
The 8th of December was a fine day for a walk, and the evening was mild
and agreeable. I was walking on at a good pace, when a farmer told me as
I passed his house that I should find a mill about six or seven miles
further on, where I could pass the night; the sun was already low in the
heavens. I was in the midst of a thick wood when it became dark, and no
mill to be seen; after some time it was somewhat lighter, and I had no
fear of losing my way; moreover, the temperature was very agreeable, and
in case of necessity, I should not have minded camping out, or sleeping
in the forest. At length I saw a light at some distance through the
trees, and the hopes of a warm bed and cup of hot coffee produced a good
effect upon my European system, as yet unweaned from these luxuries. As
I advanced, the lights became brighter and more numerous, and I did not
know what to think. Was it a town, or an Indian camp before me? To put
an end to the uncertainty I hurried on, particularly as my right road
lay in that direction, and soon I stood before a burning forest, blazing
up gloriously in the dark night, making the background still darker, and
giving a ghost-like appearance to the trees on the right and left. This
new scene was too wonderful and imposing for me to hurry past it; so I
sat down on one of the fallen scorched trunks to enjoy the awfully
sublime prospect. I may have remained sitting looking on for about half
an hour, when, about twenty paces from me, a blazing oak fell with a
heavy hollow sound, sending glowing charcoal, burning branches, and
thousands of sparks in all directions. This was rather too near to be
pleasant, so I turned to seek another road through the forest, which
appeared now so much darker than before, on account of the brilliant
light I had just been gazing on.
There seemed to be no end to the forest, and I began to think that the
mill existed only in the good farmer’s imagination, when I heard a sound
of rushing water, and, later, the lowing of a cow. I turned off in the
direction of the sound, first taking the precaution to light a fire,
that I might retrace my steps in case I lost my way. About half a mile
brought me within sight of a dwelling; on coming nearer I discovered a
milldam, and several cows standing about the fence saluted the new comer
with a long-drawn friendly low. I joyfully shook the dust from my feet,
and knocked at the low door: all was as silent as the grave. I knocked
again--nothing moved--no voice called a welcome “come in.” After
knocking three times, I was accustomed to open the door; I pushed this
open in rather ill-humor, and found--a deserted house, with all as still
as death. The stars shone through a hole in the roof, the chimney had
fallen in. It causes a shudder to see a place deserted that you expect
to find occupied by an industrious family: I closed the door, and sprang
over the fence, leaving the building to its mournful solitude.
The fire I had lighted was nearly burnt out, but I found it again, and
followed hastily my former path. After about another hour’s walk, I
heard the bark of a dog, and confiding with a joyful heart in this sure
sign of an approach to a human habitation, I stepped out quickly to the
long-sought mill. Dogs bayed, the wheel clattered, a bright light shone
through all the crevices of the loghouse, and everything showed that I
should soon find shelter for the night;--and in a few minutes I was
comfortably seated in the chimney corner.
My host was a kindly, good-humored man, had lived some years in Indiana,
and was in good circumstances. After a delicious supper, he led me out
of the house, and said, “I will show you a little chap, such as you
never saw before in your life.” He kept his word. Under an inverted tub
was a gray animal, about the size of a cat, but thicker in the body,
with short legs, head and muzzle like a fox, or rather, more like a
colossal rat, with ugly finger-like claws, and a tail about a foot long,
devoid of hair. These creatures are constantly on the look-out for
fowls, and make great havoc amongst the farmers’ poultry. The Americans,
and sometimes the immigrant Germans, eat the flesh and esteem it a
delicacy. The miller made no ceremony with his prisoner, and, after
killing it, he cut off its claws and tail, skinned it, washed it, and
prepared it for cooking, telling me it would serve for a delicate
breakfast; but I could not make up my mind to eat an animal looking so
much like a rat.
It rained hard all night, giving me a sorry prospect for my next day’s
journey; nevertheless, I rose early, and took leave of the miller on
purpose to escape his “delicate breakfast.”
The ground was soft and slippery, and it was not without reason that I
had feared the swelling of the mountain streams; yet, trusting in my
fortune, I went on in good spirits. About ten o’clock it began to rain
again pretty sharply, and about noon I came to a rapid, roaring mountain
stream, which rushed towards the Ohio, carrying some large trees along
with it. Here it was necessary to reflect on what was best to be done,
for though I could have swum across, it would have been extremely
disagreeable, as I had no change of clothing, and the water was
considerably colder than the air. After wandering for some miles up and
down the river in search of means to cross it, night came on, and I was
obliged to camp in the wood. After kindling a good fire, I went to
sleep, lulled by the sound of the water, but waking up now and then,
thinking I might receive a visit from some wild beast.
On the following morning I was early on my legs, and examined the river.
Like all these mountain streams, it had risen rapidly, and fallen as
quickly, having considerably abated in the course of the night. I had
already resolved on trying the passage, when I saw two horsemen coming
down the hill towards me. My difficulties were now at an end; one of
them took me up behind, and I was landed all dry on the other side.
I kept on along the somewhat inclined road, sometimes slipping,
sometimes sinking deep in mud, abusing all American roads and American
weather, when, not very far from the little town of Versailles, I saw a
man with a rifle coming down the hill towards me. He did not seem to be
keeping a very steady course, and when we came nearer, I saw clearly
that I had not made a great mistake in supposing him to be very drunk.
When he came up to me, he winked with his glassy eyes, and shook me
heartily by the hand: so far so good: but when he caught sight of a
bottle I had slung by my side, he made a sudden grasp at it; however, I
was too quick for him, and, like a bear defending her cubs, I wrenched
it out of his hand, and then, with the most imperturbable look in the
world, I said “That is not for you,” and placed it in my pocket. He
yielded to his fate; but, seeing my double-barrelled gun, he wanted to
examine it closer, and to have a shot with it. By this time I had had
enough of it, and would not trust him, so I turned on my heel and
continued my journey. He called out “Stop!” I took no notice; again he
called out, “Stop!” and I distinctly heard him cock his rifle. I turned
instantly, taking my gun from my shoulder, but too late; his ball went
whistling just over my head, and the echo repeated the sharp crack of
his rifle. I now lost all patience, and snatching the whalebone ramrod
out of my gun, I ran after him, caught him by the collar, pulled him
down, and belabored him with the pliant ramrod, till only a few inches
of it were left, he roaring “Mur--der!” “Mur--der!” all the while with
might and main. I must acknowledge that I felt some satisfaction as I
left him lying smarting in the mud.
Towards evening I passed through Versailles, where I procured a new
ramrod. What a piece of irony to call such a place Versailles! but it is
a custom of the Americans to give high-sounding names to their little
settlements. Already in the State of New York, I had passed through
Syracuse, Babylon, Rome, Venice, Alexandria, London, and Paris--villages
of seven or eight houses.
I arrived about the 11th December at Friedmann’s farm. The proprietor
was a German in good circumstances in Indiana: his property, though not
large, was very productive, and his cattle were very fine. He was the
only German settler whom I fell in with in my march through Indiana,
although there are several in that state. The sound of my mother tongue
fell doubly sweet on my ear after so long a privation. I remained to
dinner, and then set off in good spirits, on a road which improved as I
advanced, towards Vincennes on the Wabash.
Towards evening on the 12th, I came to a large, clean-looking house, and
when I went in to ask if I could have a bed, I found two German Jews
sitting comfortably by the fire, who looked at me with astonishment,
and, as it seemed to me, with displeasure. The host was an elderly man,
whose grandfather and grandmother had emigrated from Germany; he spoke
very good German, and was uncommonly friendly, and we chatted away
together the whole evening. The two Israelites had in the mean time been
whispering a great deal together; at length one of them brought his
chair nearer to mine, and began asking several questions, which I
readily answered; amongst others, if I should start early in the
morning, and which way I intended to go? why I carried a gun and hunting
knife? &c. It struck me that they were not very courageous, and I
resolved to have a joke with them: I first asked if they carried on a
good business? what sort of wares they had in their two large packs; if
they had any articles of gold? if they meant to leave early? which road
they intended to take? if they would have far to go through the forest,
before they came to another farm? The Jew anxiously parried all these
questions, while his companion sat by without speaking a word; but when
I asked if they had made much money, they both called out in a scream,
“We have got no money at all;” so that I was obliged to bite my lip to
prevent a burst of laughter.
I was disturbed several times in the night by the squabbling of the
Israelites about the best place in their common bed. On waking up at
early dawn I saw that the birds were flown. When I descended to my host,
the two large packs and the two Jews had disappeared; on my inquiring
after them, he told me that they had started before daylight with as
little noise as possible. I laughed heartily, and told him the whole
history, which tickled him amazingly.
The road from this house was at first pretty good, but it rained hard.
When I came to the flat country in the neighborhood of Vincennes it was
full of pools, and on arriving on the prairie, about a mile from that
town, the whole space between it and me was one sheet of water. Night
coming on, it would have been impossible for me to find my way but for
occasional lights in the town, towards which I directed my steps,
sometimes over my knees in water, and arrived about seven o’clock in
Vincennes, which had not much to boast of as to dryness. The night was
dark as pitch, as I groped my way along the unlighted streets in search
of quarters. A pair of lonely oxen standing in the street looked at me
pathetically, and lowed as I passed close by them. A short distance from
them I found the house I wanted: it belonged to a Pennsylvanian German,
who kept a tavern. I was soon in front of a warm refreshing fire, which,
in my present condition, was what I stood most in need of. As soon as I
was well warmed, I took a survey of the neighborhood. Around me was a
set of regular conventional faces, with American indifference stamped on
the countenances of all the company, who, having finished their meal,
were sitting round the fire, rocking in their chairs, and picking their
teeth. But amongst them I perceived fixed upon me the glances of a pair
of real German looking eyes. I addressed their owner, and found that I
had not been mistaken; he was a German smith and mason, and a very well
educated man for his station. We sat talking together by the fire till
late in the night. In the heat of conversation, he repeated some of his
own poetry, which I listened to patiently, in return for his kind
attempts to amuse me. He had been a long time in America, and had
suffered much, without gaining much experience, being one of those
good-natured souls, who are unwilling to take advantage of others,
though often imposed upon themselves.
It rained in torrents during the night, but cleared up towards morning,
and began to freeze. On going down to the river I met some horsemen, who
had returned from the other side, and declared that it was not possible
to proceed; for not only was the water very deep, but the ice on the
surface was so thick, that it would have cut the horses in breaking
through it. For a moment I was undecided: I could not stay in Vincennes,
because my small supply of money would not admit of great outlay, and I
had yet a considerable distance to travel. I went down to the ferry, but
the ferrymen also strongly advised me to remain at Vincennes, as the
road was quite impassable: however I was obstinate, and crossed the
ferry.
The ground was dry close to the river, but I was stopped by the water
further on. I persisted till noon, trying to find a passage, and upon a
tolerably empty stomach, for I had eaten little more for the last
twenty-four hours than a bit of bread and cheese. Yet I made no
progress, so I resolved to dash at it, and wade through the water to
some houses about two miles off, where the ferrymen had told me I should
find dry ground. At first it was only up to my knees, and my water-proof
boots kept me dry; but it soon became deeper and deeper. I was obliged
to fasten my gamebag on my shoulder, and wade along, sometimes up to the
waist, and sometimes up to the chest in the cold element, all the while
having to break the ice in front of me with the butt of my gun. It took
four hours to do the two miles, and only the conviction that I must
either break through the ice or drown, gave me force to carry out my
resolution. At length I reached a fence, and stepped on dry ground. I
endeavored to climb over in vain; my lower garments and limbs were
frozen too hard. I was obliged to pull down a part of it to make a
passage, and it was not till I had been more than an hour by the fire
that I was thawed enough to be able to move freely.
The continuation of the road was dry, with one short exception; and the
next house that I came to was quite a harbor of refuge for this night,
as I was much in need of rest and refreshment.
I now for the first time saw the wide prairies which extend through
Illinois, and present a dismal prospect in this cold season. The long
waving yellow grass gives a melancholy tint to the picture; the wide
spread straw-colored surface, fringed by a forest in the distant
horizon, depresses the spirits. The frost had set in again, so that at
least I could follow my route with dry feet, and at a good pace. The
first head of large game that I fell in with was a buck, making long
jumps through the high grass, and putting up large flocks of prairie
fowl, which flew to some distance before they settled. In the house
where I passed the night, I gave my gun a thorough cleaning, and put it
in good condition. On the following morning, about eight o’clock, I came
to the Fox river, where I found two houses. To my astonishment, this
also was a town, and called Waterton. A very pretty American woman, who
kept a sort of tavern, set bread and milk with wild honey before me.
She tried hard to persuade me to settle here, and, if possible, induce
other Germans to do so; but my water excursion was still too fresh in my
memory for me to take a fancy to the place, although it appeared to be a
land of milk and honey, for enormous herds of cattle were pasturing in
the prairies, and wild honey was very abundant.
I was so refreshed by my meal, that I went on my way with the springing
step of a sedan-chairman. I had indulged in the agreeable idea of a dry
road, but found myself wofully deceived, for as the little Wabash had
overflowed its banks, I had about two miles to wade through water. The
road lay along rather high ground, and was clear of ice, but there was
plenty of it between the trees on the lower levels. As I approached the
end of the watery path, and could see dry land in front of me, I heard
something rustling through the water, and crashing the ice: I looked
round, and beheld five deer coming towards me with long bounds. I stood
quite still, awaiting their approach with a beating heart; a noble buck
and four does were passing about fifty paces from me. I aimed at the
leader; he made a spring into the air, and fell dead. I had some trouble
to bring my buck to land; for although the American deer are smaller
than the German red deer, yet the one I had shot weighed at least 140
pounds. I cut him up, skinned him, lopped a branch from a tree, made a
bag of the skin with the hair outwards, put the two legs and back into
it, then hanging the rest on a tree for any new comer, I trudged away
with my burden for a couple of miles to the village of Maysville. Here I
sold my prize, and passed the night, starting on the following morning
across a twelve-mile prairie.
A cutting north-wester blew from the great lakes, so that my quickest
pace hardly sufficed to keep me warm. After passing through a small
wood, and surmounting a hill, I came to another little town, called
Salem. On the 21st of December I had another prairie, twenty-two miles
wide, before me: though still very cold, it was good walking over the
hard frozen ground. In the evening I arrived at a farmhouse, where I
passed the night. Just as I came to the house, the farmer was leading
his horse by the bridle into the sitting-room, which I should have taken
for the stable, had I not seen smoke issuing from the chimney. Full of
curiosity, I followed my host into his little dwelling, and here the
riddle was explained. He had been hauling wood, and he had fastened his
horse to a log about eight feet long, to draw it into the house; then he
rolled it to the fire-place, which took up nearly one whole side of the
little block-house, and as he could not conveniently turn the horse on
account of tables, chairs, and beds, he had made an opening on the side
opposite the door, in order to lead him out again. I had shot several
prairie birds in the course of the day, and they afforded us a delicate
supper. They are very numerous in these wide plains, and I have seen
flocks of from 600 to 700 of them. They are about the size of our
domestic fowls, but with a longer neck, and have a tail like a
partridge; their color is an ashy gray. I shot only one gray prairie
wolf; they are much smaller than the black wolves, and very shy.
On the 23rd of December I arrived at Lebanon, a little hamlet on a hill
about twenty miles from St. Louis. My thoughts turned involuntarily to
the gigantic cedars; the highest tree on this mountain of Lebanon was
the tavern sign-post. Next day I had a march of thirty-two miles: as the
usually soft ground was now frozen hard, the route was very rough, and
hurt my feet; yet I pushed on, and in the afternoon arrived in the
valley of the Mississippi, or, as they call it opposite St. Louis, the
“American bottom;” it is considered the most productive land in the
United States. The vegetable mould must be from fifty to sixty feet
deep; but it is low, and in consequence wet, and therefore unhealthy.
During my progress through Illinois I heard constant complaints of ague,
particularly from the Germans; it is very prevalent all the summer, and
even in winter they are not always free from it. The pale countenances
of all, especially of the children, bore too strong evidence that the
complaint was well founded.
At length, after sunset, I arrived on the eastern bank of the
Mississippi, and heard to my great vexation that the river was so full
of ice, that it was utterly impossible to get across. At any rate it was
not to be thought of for this evening, so that I was obliged to pass
another night in Illinois. Very tired with my long journey, I went early
to bed. I was awakened in the night by a fresh arrival, who threw
himself right upon me. I moved a little to one side, while he took up
the middle of the bed; I should have had room enough if the stranger had
not been very restless. Now as I did not like the idea of being
disturbed all the rest of the night, it was necessary to obtain peace in
some way or other; so, drawing myself up like a hedgehog, and planting
my shoulder against his side, and my feet against the wall, before he
could imagine what I was about, I sent him with a sudden jerk into the
middle of the room, and then coolly told him the conditions on which I
would let him come into bed again. As the night was too cold to admit of
his sleeping on the floor, he agreed to all I required, and remained
quiet for the rest of the night.
I was up early the next morning, and heard that a boat was about to try
the passage. We started at nine o’clock, and were six in the boat--two
at each oar, one in the bows to shove away the ice, and one half dead
from fear. With indescribable trouble we succeeded in reaching the
middle of the stream, where the ice had become fixed round a small
island. If we had attempted to row round it we should have been carried
down too far below the town, so we had to get out, and drag the boat
over the rough blocks of ice, and launch her again on the other side;
often we were jammed between immense masses, so that I thought every
moment the boat must be crushed. About noon we gained the opposite
shore, and landed immediately below St. Louis. The difference of time
between Germany and St. Louis is about seven hours, so that while
families at home were enjoying their Christmas festivities around the
brilliantly lighted trees, I was toiling with difficulty through the
waves and large masses of floating ice of the Mississippi. The church
bells were ringing, as, on a bright clear day, I entered this city of a
foreign land. I expected to find letters and money from New York, but to
my no small astonishment I was disappointed. There was now no chance of
any until I arrived at New Orleans; the question was, how was I to get
there? I had not money enough to pay my passage by a steamer, and none
of them would take me as one of the crew; so I resolved to trust to my
legs again. The sale of some game had brought a few dollars, with which
I paid my expenses here, and on the 31st December I set off again alone,
with not very cheering prospects for the commencement of the new year.
At night I lighted a fire, and laid myself under a tree, for I was not
in a humor to seek society; it was past midnight before I fell asleep.
Next morning’s sun brought fresh courage and fresh confidence. In going
southwards from St. Louis, the traveller has no little trouble to find
the right direction among the cross roads that traverse the country, and
I made so many mistakes that it took nearly five days to go fifty miles,
yet without having to pass another night in the forest, as I found a
farm-house every evening, whose owners gave me an hospitable reception.
A great many Germans inhabit this part of the country, particularly
Suabians, living by agriculture, and, when not too far from the town, by
carrying and selling wood, as there is none in the immediate
neighborhood of St. Louis, except some small stunted oaks.
My funds by this time had shrunk down to a single American dollar, whose
superscription, “E pluribus unum,” appeared a bitter sarcasm on my
present circumstances. The third day of my wanderings in Missouri broke
dull and moist through the mist; it began to rain, and the roads became
slippery. About noon I arrived at another cross road, and was
deliberating which to take, when I heard a cock crow not very far off.
The sound was music to my ears at such a moment. I took the path leading
towards it, and soon came to the fence of a little corn-field; upon the
fence sat a curious figure, swinging himself to and fro, and singing in
a low melodious voice some song unknown to me. As he heard my steps he
sprang from the fence, and a poor pale sickly lad stood before me. He
offered me his right hand with a smile, and with his left pushed away
the long lank wet hair from his eyes; he led me quietly to the door and
disappeared. His father, an old farmer, told me that I should find some
German settlements about eight or nine miles further on, and though it
was still raining, I resolved on continuing my journey, and reached the
block-houses of my countrymen before dark.
The weather continuing bad, and I having but little money, I resolved to
accept work if I could find it. Three brothers living here, who seemed
good sort of people, were ready to employ me. We were to agree about the
wages after a week’s trial. The next day saw me sally forth early in the
morning, armed with a heavy hoe, to the unaccustomed work of rooting up
bushes. It made the muscles and sinews of my arms ache and swell, so it
happened very opportunely for me that the following day was the festival
of the Three Kings, and as the honest Germans do no work on that day, I
was very much obliged to the Three Kings for their appearance. But
though they would not work for themselves, we all went, according to the
custom here, to help build a house for a neighbor, who had lately
settled, and for which the logs were already cut and collected.
The week passed by without further incident. I worked very hard, and it
seemed all the harder as it was the first time that I had to work
incessantly. As the brothers offered me no more than eight dollars a
month, I thought that I should find better pay in Little Rock, so took
the two dollars that I had earned, bade them all a hearty farewell, and
went on my way in good spirits.
Next morning I came to the most important lead mines of Missouri, not
far from Farmington, a pretty little town. The lead was laid in great
heaps on both sides of the road, and as it looked very like silver, it
was capable of making a strong impression on any one who possessed a
slightly excitable imagination. As my bullets were getting scarce, I
took a couple of pounds from one of the heaps, in order to cast a few in
the next house that I stopped at. All these mines are private property,
and the workmen carry on their excavations when they please, wherever
they expect to find ore, and are paid according to the quantity they
procure; if they find none, they receive nothing, and many poor fellows
have worked for weeks in vain. Their labors are carried on in the
simplest manner. A workman, or generally two together, come and offer
themselves; a certain space is given, and while one digs, the other
clears out the shaft; sometimes they find a vein of pure lead, in which
case they are very well paid. The whole place is so full of holes, that
it is very dangerous to go about at night. The proprietors have erected
smelting furnaces on the ground between the shafts, where the ore is
cast into pigs, and then it is forwarded to the Mississippi.
I passed the following night in the house of an American family. The
owner had a herd of remarkably fine cattle, as well as a fine breed of
horses. Soon after I was seated in the warm chimney corner, I heard the
gallop of a horse. It stopped at the house, the door opened, and in
stepped a very pretty girl, with her little riding-whip in her hand, and
her color heightened by the sharp ride; she was received by all with a
warm welcome, and seemed to be the betrothed of one of the young men,
near whom she sat, and began to joke.
Passing through Frederickstown, I reached Currant river, the boundary of
Missouri, on the 22nd of January; the water was so clear, that although
it was about fifteen feet deep where I passed, the smallest objects
could be distinctly seen at the bottom.
[Illustration]