CINCINNATI--A FARMER’S LIFE IN THE WOODS.
Scenery around New Orleans--Arrangements of American
steamers--Cincinnati and its reputation--Number of German
inhabitants--Situation of the town--Religious absurdities; the girl
“possessed with a devil”--Dangers of American steam navigation--The
“Mississippi”--Rambles in the woods--Crawfish--Mosquitoes--Picnic
in the woods--Poisonous plants--Residence with a backwoodsman, and
farming operations--Wild honey--Cattle keeping--Turkeys’ eggs--A
Methodist meeting--Attack of ague--Our farming operations.
I found letters and money awaiting me here, which came very opportunely,
as I had expended nearly all I had gained. I now looked out for a
passage to Cincinnati; the steamer “Chillicothe” was to start for that
place at ten the next day. I paid five dollars for 1,500 miles. A
cheaper voyage is almost impossible. We did not start till evening.
On ascending the river from New Orleans, the scenery is quite
enchanting. There is a succession of plantations, with country-houses
embosomed in orange and pomegranate trees, &c., while the regular rows
of negro cottages give a peculiar character to the whole.
The Mississippi steamers are light and sharp, built to make their
passages as quick as possible, and to enrich their owners in five or six
years,--then they may burst or sink. The boilers are in the forepart of
the vessel, the stokers working under them in the open air. They reach
nearly to the centre, some steamers having as many as eight; the
“Chillicothe” had seven. The machinery, also on deck, comes next, and
then a place for steerage-passengers, where there is no want of fresh
air; it is provided with three rows of bed places. Mounting a flight of
steps you find the officers’ cabins forward, and generally a bar for the
sale of various drinks, excepting in the “Temperance” boats. The saloon
is in the centre, having sleeping cabins with glass doors, for
gentlemen, on each side; and near the stern, the most secure place in
case of disaster, is the ladies’ cabin. Some of the boats have a third
story, but most are satisfied with the arrangement described above. The
station for the helmsman is placed high up between the two chimneys,
covered over and glazed, so that he can look out in all directions. The
tiller ropes have lately been made of wire, so that in case of fire, the
vessel might remain under command of the helm till the last moment.
We had a great number of passengers, amongst them a young woman of about
two or three and twenty, who came on board a little below Natchez with a
very young man. The young people seemed to have been only lately
married, to judge by their hugging and kissing. When we arrived at
Louisville, in Kentucky, the steamer had to discharge cargo, and
remained the greater part of the day. I was standing on the bowsprit
watching the proceedings, when an elderly gentleman very well dressed,
accosted me, and, describing the couple, inquired if they were on board.
I replied in the affirmative, and accompanied him to the lower cabin.
The lady was sitting on a trunk and reading; her companion had gone into
the town. I suspected that all was not right, and that the old gentleman
had good reasons for coming; but the quiet unconcerned manner of both
parties soon did away with my suspicions. In the first moment indeed her
color seemed to change slightly, but she rose quietly, laid aside her
book, and offering her hand to the gentleman, said, civilly, “How do you
do, sir?” After a short time they retired into a corner, and spoke very
earnestly together. Meantime, I took no more notice of them, but at
bedtime I was not a little astonished to see the old gentleman take the
husband’s place, while the young man, as pale as death, stood by the
stove heedless of its burning the tails of his coat. The lady was the
wife of the gentleman who came on board at Louisville, and had run away
with the young man. The husband had obtained information, and followed
them, but would hardly have overtaken them, if the vessel had not
stopped to discharge cargo. The cool self-possession exhibited by both
parties, in order to avoid observation, was really astonishing; on his
part, in not giving way to his just displeasure, but remaining composed
and serious; on her part, in allowing no shock or trace of alarm to be
visible, which would have been so natural, when her deeply injured
husband, whom she supposed to be 1,400 miles distant, stood suddenly
before her. They all three left the boat next morning.
On the 20th of February I arrived again at Cincinnati, and was kindly
received by all my old acquaintances after my long absence and
adventures.
Cincinnati, the queen of the West, the El Dorado of the German
emigrant! Ask a German, who is travelling into the interior from one of
the seaports, Where are you going? and the answer will invariably be--to
Cincinnati. And what will he find there? On my arrival every house was
full of people looking out for work, and who would willingly have taken
any wages that were offered them, though only enough to keep body and
soul together. Among others, I met with a man who had written to his
brother to come over to him, as this was the land where roasted pigeons
flew into men’s mouths. And as a proof of it, he referred to himself: a
few years ago he had emigrated without a farthing, and now kept an hotel
and coffee-house. In point of fact, it was true; he had indeed, an hotel
and coffee-house; but what does that mean in America? Every hovel with
one room large enough for five or six double beds, where a dozen people
are fed three times a day for from two-and-a-quarter to two-and-a-half
dollars a week each, is called an hotel. Coffee-house is a name for any
place where two or three bottles are stuck in the window, while the name
of the owner is proudly painted over the door as coffee-house keeper.
The poor German, deceived by these exalted titles, came over to his
brother, and found him, in spite of hotel and coffee-house, in a
miserable condition, and hardly able to maintain himself. Several
similar cases occurred during the time of my residence.
There are a great number of Germans in Cincinnati, particularly in the
upper town across the canal, which, on that account, is often called
Little Germany by the Americans. Unfortunately, my beloved countrymen
are not celebrated for cleanliness and good conduct, and the degree of
estimation in which they are everywhere held does not at all accord with
the accounts I had read in a number of works on America concerning the
way in which they were treated there; and although the well-behaved are
respected there as elsewhere, yet it is painful to hear the word
Dutchman, as the Americans always call us, used as a term of reproach,
even when you yourself are excepted. Everywhere in America, and
particularly in Cincinnati, there are people who, having gained a few
dollars, look down with contempt on their poorer countrymen, and even
join the Americans in abusing them, showing how little they care about
the esteem in which the German is held; these, however, were exceptions,
and I was heartily ashamed of them.
Although the situation of Cincinnati is very healthy, yet it abounds in
doctors and apothecaries. Numbers of the former are Germans; how they
all manage to live is quite a mystery.
I was much amused with some of the religious absurdities which are
carried on at Cincinnati, and in which my countrymen also distinguish
themselves. The Methodists, under the guidance of a Pennsylvanian of the
name of N----h, carry these practices to the greatest excess; on every
Sunday evening they meet to howl, and jump, and beat their breasts, and
then pronounce themselves perfectly happy.
This party supports a paper called the “Christian Apology.” Its
bitterest opponent is the Roman Catholic “Friend of Truth,” which only
discontinues its thunder against the heretical folly of the “Christian
Apology” when it hurls a whole volley of abuse and execration against
the “Friend of Light,” which advocates rational religion, and holds up
the two others to ridicule.
During my present residence, I heard that a German girl was lying sick,
and said to be possessed of a devil, in “Little Germany.” At first I
would not believe that any thing of the sort could occur in the present
day;--but a young Oldenburgher, with whom I had become acquainted,
assured me by all that was holy, that it was so, that he had seen it,
and that having expressed his opinion rather too freely, the bigoted
people, Roman Catholic Alsatians, fell upon him, and drove him out of
the house.
I decided on witnessing the proceedings, and, in company with a friend,
set off one evening to the house in Little Germany. We had no difficulty
in finding our way to the “sick maiden,” for the whole of that part of
the town was full of the _extraordinary circumstance_, as they called
it. It was dark when we entered a little room in a frame house: a lamp
on the chimney-piece was nearly burnt out, the space was almost filled
by about thirty people all on their knees in silent prayer; not a word
was spoken: the lamp flickered, flashed up again, and went out. It
remained perfectly dark, and nothing was audible but the breathing of
those who were repeating their prayers; then a low murmuring, rustling
sound struck the ear, and for some time I did not know what to make of
it. Suddenly a door opened, light streamed into the room, and with it
the murmurs of numerous voices. People came through the doorway, and
those who had been praying on their knees rose up, and moved towards the
light: we followed the stream. An extraordinary sight presented itself:
we entered a tolerably sized room, oppressively hot, and full of people
on their knees, both men and women. It was lighted by two candles on a
table, at which three men were seated, with open books, reading aloud
the Roman Catholic prayer, “Blessed art thou, Maria,” which all the
people repeated after them; when it was ended, they began again.
Although it was only May, the heat was so great from the number of
people that I felt half-boiled; but it seemed much warmer to the poor
creature, who was being made a sacrifice to the demon of absurdity. She
was lying in a wide bed in the corner opposite to the table, and was
said to be seventeen years old; I should have guessed her nearer
thirty-seven. She appeared to be very weak and ailing, and no wonder,
considering that the praying went on night and day without intermission:
her mother leant over her, wiping away from her brow the perspiration
arising from the heat of the room.
It may have been about seven o’clock when we entered this sepulchre of
reason and common sense, and it was ten before we succeeded in making
our way out; and the whole time was occupied with a monotonous
repetition of the same prayer, offered up, as a little Alsatian lightly
whispered to me, “To drive out the devil in order that she may recover.”
The devil in question must certainly have been one of the most obstinate
that ever existed, for had I been in his place, such proceedings would
have driven me out long ago. It was a real luxury to inhale the pure
night air, after escaping from such a pestilential hole. I have never
heard since what became of the poor woman.
As I learned, after a long stay in Cincinnati, that I had been deceived
by those I had trusted in New York, and that not only all my money but
my clothes also were gone, there was nothing left for it but to endeavor
to get work. I had already made a few voyages as sailor and stoker on
board a steamer, which affected my health, and laid me up for several
weeks. Besides, human life did not seem to be particularly safe on board
American steamers, especially on the western waters, disasters
frequently happening through the rashness and carelessness of the
officers in charge; for example, while I was in one of them, the
“Moselle,” a very fast boat, was blown up near Cincinnati, through the
obstinacy of the captain in racing with another boat, and stopping the
safety-valve, by which 130 persons, whose names were on the passengers’
list, lost their lives, besides a number of steerage passengers, whose
names are not inscribed. Thirty carts were employed in carrying their
mutilated remains to the burial-places; for weeks afterwards, bodies
were frequently washed on shore. The force of the steam was so great,
that one man was thrown over to the Kentucky shore, and another came
down, head foremost, through a shingle roof.
In preference to such a life, I sought for work in Cincinnati, and
obtained it at a silversmith’s. Though at first without any knowledge of
the business, I soon acquired it, and was treated by the master and his
family, good kind Americans, as if I had been one of their own
relations. This was the quietest time of my existence. I worked hard and
lived moderately. But this sort of life did not suit me; I longed for
the free woods and nature, and was only detained by the hopes of
acquiring a sufficiency, and then buying a portion of land and settling,
together with the fulfilment of other long-cherished plans. But plans
they remained, and in May I cast off my self-imposed yoke; having
exchanged my shot gun for a double-barrelled rifle, got all my shooting
gear in order, packed up a zither, which I had bought and learnt to play
in Cincinnati, I bade a hearty farewell to all the kind friends I had
made, and set off again with a young German, named Uhl, by the steamer
“Commerce,” to seek fresh adventures and encounter new dangers.
The steamer foamed and hissed through the waves, which rose high upon
her bows, the land receding on both sides, as if impelled by a
magician’s wand. I felt as if new born, and flying to some strange, wild
land. At first starting, the ideas awakened by the passing scenes were
rather confused, but, as we rushed on, they became clearer, and at last
I might have nodded to each gigantic tree that adorned the beautiful
banks of the Ohio, and asked if it did not remember me.
My companion, a young Berliner, with whom I had become acquainted and
struck up a friendship in Cincinnati, and who was as fond of field
sports as myself, did not participate in my feelings, but sat himself
down comfortably with no trifling appetite to a symposium, which he had
provided for himself, in the shape of a smoked tongue, with bread and
whiskey. We had not proceeded far when it grew dark; and, fatigued with
all the labors and excitement of the day, I was soon ensconced on my
soft, warm buffalo skin.
On the 17th May, 1839, we entered the Mississippi, whom I saluted as an
old, long lost, and long wished-for friend; a change in the color shows
where the Ohio joins the “Father of Waters,” for the first is clear and
bright, while the latter is dull and muddy. They run together for some
distance, quite distinct, the Mississippi becoming more and more
intrusive, the other shyly withdrawing, as if vexed that its clear waves
should be contaminated by all the dirt which its companion derives from
the Missouri.
On the 18th, at five in the afternoon, the “Commerce” stopped at
Memphis, in Tennessee. We immediately crossed to the opposite side, and
sprang joyfully ashore in the long-desired Arkansas. We greatly enjoyed
the mild balsamic air that blew towards us from the green forest, after
our four days’ voyage, and we should have enjoyed it still more but for
the load we had to carry. Besides my game-bag, which was filled with all
possible sorts of things, I had a large buffalo skin, and Uhl a heavy
blanket, with our store of powder and ball. But we were fresh and in
good condition, and resolved, although it was already dusk, to commence
our march the same evening, taking advantage of the cool night air, the
mid-day sun of Arkansas being rather too kindly disposed. We walked on
for about five miles in the brightest moonlight, and then lay down to
repose, but were obliged to get up again and make a fire, on account of
the mosquitoes, which were very troublesome.
The next morning found us cheerful and refreshed, and, as hungry as
lions, we started off, in the hope of making a prize of a deer; but a
farmer told us that this was not the right season for them, and we were
glad to enter a house and satiate our appetites with bacon and maize
bread. The information we obtained about the game was not very
encouraging; they all seek shelter in the thickest coppices, or among
the reeds to avoid the flies and mosquitoes, which persecute the poor
creatures incessantly; but we could not now change our plans, so marched
steadfastly on. The farmers were quite right; we did not see any deer,
or any traces of them; a poor partridge, perched on a tree, as is
customary with the American partridges, and looking at us with inquiring
eyes, was our only sport.
In the afternoon the sky became covered with dark clouds, to our great
delight, because it made the air so much cooler. In the evening we saw
the first turkey. He was crossing our path, and stood still when he saw
us: Uhl fired and missed; so our turkey made his bow and departed.
Heavy rain came on with the night, and we were very glad to find an old
deserted house, where at least we could keep ourselves dry. We made a
glorious fire, and the rain holding up for a short time, we washed our
clothes, which soon dried by the blaze we had made. We then broiled the
partridge in the iron spoon that we carried with us for melting lead,
sprinkled it with powder for want of salt, and discussed it under the
mournful feeling of “only one bird for two men.”
The next morning brought with it better weather, and an excessively bad
road, the rain having all but destroyed it; a few miles from our night’s
quarters we came to a house, in which we could at least satisfy our
hunger. As the roads were so bad, we decided on leaving our heavy
articles here for a time while we went in search of game. But game
seemed to have vanished entirely; we traversed the forest in all
directions in vain: we only saw a few turkeys, and these were too shy to
let us come within shot. We took up stations to watch for them in the
night, but without seeing any thing, and returned disappointed and tired
to the house.
Greater misfortune awaited me next day. Continuing our route, we came on
the fresh trail of a bear, and eagerly followed it, but the wood was so
thick and our packs so inconvenient that we were obliged to give it up.
On returning to the path, I was in the act of springing over a pool,
when my foot catching in one of the numerous creepers that cover the
ground, I was thrown, and broke the stock of my rifle, besides cutting
my under lip and loosening some of my teeth: I secured my rifle as well
as I could with my pocket handkerchief, and went on vexed and out of
tune.
About ten o’clock in the morning, the sun began to dart his hot rays
upon us rather more fiercely than we thought agreeable; we resolved to
enter the first house we came to, till the great heat of the day was
passed. It happened to be inhabited by an elderly widow and her sons;
while we were conversing together I observed one of the boys fishing in
a little flowing stream, pulling up prizes as fast as he could. The
lucky fisherman excited my curiosity; I went to see what he was
catching, and could hardly believe my eyes when I found that they were
crawfish. So long was it since I had tasted them, that they made my
mouth water; I soon got my fish-hook to work, and in the course of half
an hour Uhl and I with two of the boys had caught half a pailful. The
old lady looked at us with astonishment as we seized a saucepan, put in
the crawfish with a little salt, filled it up with water, and set it on
the fire; they had always thought them only fit for bait. The crawfish
soon began to show their red noses, and, when done, we set to work on
them. The meal itself was no slight treat, but our enjoyment was much
heightened by watching the countenances of the Americans, expressive
half of merriment, half of disgust, for they had never dreamt that
people could eat such nasty animals with such a zest.
When the trees made long shadows we took a friendly leave of these kind
folks, and set off towards the west. About ten o’clock we came to
Blackfish lake, which we had to cross. There was a house on the bank,
where the ferryman lived; but everybody seemed fast asleep--so we
lighted our fire close to the lake, and, covering ourselves well in our
buffalo skin and blanket, we slept soundly till the morning in spite of
the mosquitoes who were humming furiously above us.
On the 22nd May we were stirring at daybreak; and who would not have
been so, after sleeping in the open air in a southern climate,
surrounded by mosquitoes, which by the first glimmer of light collect
all their forces to attack more ferociously than ever? We roused the
ferryman, who told us of an unexpected swamp, which it would be
impossible for us to get through with such a weight of baggage. I had
heard the word _impossible_ too often, to have much respect for it, it
being frequently applied to things that afterwards were proved to be
very possible; however, a swamp ten miles long did not sound pleasant.
We had to beg hard and pay high for a morsel of bread to quiet our
appetite, the man declaring that he had nothing else for himself.
Blackfish lake is a desolate, melancholy-looking, coffee-colored piece
of water, several miles long, and some hundreds of yards wide, and its
gloom is increased by overhanging cypresses. It is said to be full of
snakes and other reptiles. Arrived on the opposite side, we had not to
look out long for the swamp. It was straight before our eyes. In point
of fact, the whole land we had passed through was very like a swamp, but
hitherto there had been a broad chaussée, running in a direct line
through the State of Arkansas, from east to west, from Memphis, in
Tennessee, to Batesville; but on the west bank of Blackfish lake it was
not yet cut through the forest, nor raised above the swamp. We were now
to enter the recesses of the primeval forest. And what a forest! and
what a journey! A load of from sixty to seventy pounds on our shoulders,
soft mud under our feet, the heat of the sun increasing, the swamp
giving out a hot suffocating air! Such was our enviable position. We had
hardly worked our way for a quarter of a mile through mud and thorns,
when we were obliged to sit down and rest; but rest was also a torment;
there was not a breath of wind to refresh us, and the moment we stopped
millions of mosquitoes attacked us. The water was lukewarm, and we had
to suck it up from pools covered with slime. If we left the regular
path, which was the most muddy, and tried a short cut through the wood,
we were caught at every step by the thorns and creepers, which in many
places were impenetrable. In spite of all, we were not discouraged, but
went on as well as we could, floundering and resting alternately. After
a time, while taking a short repose, we heard the strokes of an axe--a
heavenly sound to our ears. We laid aside our burdens, and Uhl followed
the direction of the sound, to discover what unfortunate child of man
was thinking of settling in such a swamp. He soon came back, and called
to me to take up the packages and come along, for he had found some
charming people; and we both worked our way through the almost
impervious thicket to these strangers.
They were a family from Tennessee, who had halted to dine. The group
consisted of the father, a large, strong built man, upon whom time was
just beginning to set his wrinkles, his wife, also formed on a large
scale, two sons, of fifteen and ten, and three daughters, from twelve to
seven. A horse and pair of oxen were feeding quietly near them, and two
large dogs were hid under the two carts, one of which was for baggage,
the other, rather lighter, for the wife and children. The dogs,
anxiously looking out for their food, advanced as near as their ropes
would allow to the table-cloth, which was spread out on a dry place.
Maize-bread and butter, pork, cheese, and coffee were the ingredients of
the meal; and, after a kindly greeting, and a hearty invitation from the
seniors, we were soon all in our places, in Turkish attitudes, round the
table-cloth. The children had kindled fires all round us, laying on
rotten wood, there being no scarcity of it, so that we were sheltered by
a thick smoke, which these tormenting demons cannot bear. Thus we were
left in tolerable repose.
Uhl and I did not disgrace our German lineage in regard to the
provisions, and after the greater part of them had disappeared, we set
off again on our journey, taking a cordial farewell of our hospitable
friends; and footmarks, of from eighteen inches to two feet deep
impressed in the soft mud, and rapidly filling with water, soon showed
that two pair of German boots had passed that way. At length, when the
sun had descended below the tops of the trees, and was glowing like a
fiery red ball above the horizon, after the greatest exertions, we
approached the termination of our amphibious walk. The forest opened a
little, and we caught sight of a block-house standing on dry ground. We
decided on making a short stay here at all events, to recover from our
fatigue, and to clean and wash our clothes.
On the next morning I awoke with an excessive itching in my face and
right shoulder, and found, to my no slight astonishment, that both parts
were much swelled, and covered with small blisters. An American, who
dwelt a few hundred paces from the house, and who probably came to see
us and pick up any news, soon cleared up the mystery. A great many of
the creepers and shrubs in the swamps have a milk-white sap, which is
poisonous, and it is likely that I may have broken some of them, and my
face and shoulder may have been smeared with this sap. Wet and cold
applications are considered the best cure. I accordingly surrendered
myself to such treatment, first rubbing my face well with pork fat, as
an antidote to the poison. I must have cut a pretty figure with my
swollen, blistered, shining face. Uhl nearly killed himself with
laughing at me.
In the evening, some mule drivers from Texas came in, having pitched
their camp not far from the house. They consisted of three whites, and
two Cherokees. One of the Indians spoke English very well, and I had a
long conversation with him. He had adopted all the habits of the whites,
although he did not seem to have much love for them. I went to bed late,
and dreamed of Indians and buffalo hunts.
All next day I was obliged to remain quiet, on account of my swelled
face, and was rewarded for my patience by being nearly well by the
evening. As the baggage we had hitherto carried was too heavy, we
resolved to leave some of it with these people till we saw what was
likely to become of us. We had neither of us any settled plan. Our
mutual wish had only been freedom and the forest, rightly conjecturing
that all the rest would come of itself.
As on the second day we continued our journey a great deal lighter, and
with renewed strength. After several miles walk we came to a smithy,
where, luckily, I could get my gun repaired, otherwise I should not have
been able to shoot. This smithy was at a Mr. Strong’s plantation, where
the road branches off to Little Rock, and to Batesville. We were
undecided which to take, when we were told that we should find much more
game on the road to Batesville. This settled the point. We waited till
the cool of the evening to resume our march. While the smith was
repairing my gun, the Tennessee man, with his family, arrived from the
marsh. He had been three days and three nights coming the ten miles, and
even now it is a riddle to me how he managed it.
On the evening of the 26th of May, after a rich feast on the quantities
of blackberries which grew by the way, we came to a house belonging to a
man of the name of Saint, and decided on staying there to sleep; we
found a better set of people than we had expected, and engaged in a long
conversation with our host. After supper, to our no small horror we
learnt that unless we could swim twenty-eight miles, further progress
was not to be thought of, as the whole swamp between this and White
river was under water. Uhl and I looked at each other, with long faces,
as much as to say, “quid faciamus nos;” but Saint was good enough to
invite us to stay with him till the swamp had somewhat dried up, which
at least would be about the middle of July; meantime we could go out
shooting, and the game we brought home would well repay him for all our
expenses.
This, of course, was grist to our mill, and we soon made ourselves at
home. On the following morning, almost before we were settled, we went
to the forest with our host, a keen sportsman, to look for bears, taking
seven dogs with us. And what a country he took us to! Swamps and thorns,
creepers, wild vines, fallen trees, half or entirely rotted, deep and
muddy water-courses, bushes so thick that you could hardly stick a knife
into them, and, to complete the enjoyment, clouds of mosquitoes and
gnats, not to mention snakes lying about on the edges of the
water-courses; such is the aboriginal American forest, and in such a
scene we commenced our sport.
After an hour or two, the dogs started a young bear, and followed him in
full cry, but had not gone far when they were stopped by the river
l’Anguille, or, as they call it here, the Langee; neither coaxing nor
threats could induce them to take to the water, and Saint thought that
if one of us swam over, the dogs would follow, and that we should find
the trail again on the other side. Saint _could_ not swim, Uhl _would_
not: so I threw off my clothes, and plunged in. The river, which in
summer is very shallow, and hardly seems to flow, was now much swollen,
and had overflowed its banks. As soon as I had swam some distance, Saint
began to cheer on the dogs, and I soon heard them spring into the water,
one after the other, and follow me. I was swimming slowly with long
strokes, and had reached about the middle of the river, when I heard two
of the dogs close behind me, while Saint was still cheering them on from
the bank, as if to attack a bear. The two near me were barking
furiously, and the thought flashed upon me: suppose they were to seize
me? If only one had attacked me, all the rest would have joined, and as
they were strangers to me, if they had fallen upon me I should have had
no chance: so I began to strike out as hard and as fast as I could to
reach the shore. Exerting myself for my life, I came nearer and nearer
the bank, but the excited dogs swam faster still, and I heard the
snorting of one of them close to me when I felt the ground: in an
instant I and the dogs were both on shore. The danger was over now, and
they began to hunt; but either the bear had followed the stream, and
landed lower down, or the ground was too wet for the scent; in short,
we could not find the trail. We tried our luck at another place, with no
more success, and returned home towards evening quite tired and out of
spirits.
Our hosts to all appearance were very religious people, and we had
prayers every evening. This evening we went early to bed, being all very
tired, so that, as yet, I hardly had time to take much notice of the
people we were to live with. We had to be awakened for breakfast;
afterwards we strolled about the house and fields to realize our
situation. Saint was a man of about forty, with a bright clear eye, and
open brow; you were captivated by him at the very first sight. His wife,
an Irishwoman, treated us very civilly and kindly, and proved to be an
excellent manager. They had no children; but there was another person in
the house, who demands a more particular description. This was a
duodecimo Irish shoemaker, or, as he always insisted--schoolmaster, for
such, by his own account, was his former occupation, though now he made
shoes. Saint had bought a quantity of leather, and the little Irishman
was to work it up, receiving a certain monthly sum. He had red hair, was
pock-marked, stood about five feet, but was stout and strongly built,
and may have been about fifty years old. He spoke unwillingly about his
age, wishing to pass for much younger. Saint, who loved to joke with
him, told us, with a smile, that on Sunday we should see him in his
best, when he would go to pay his court to a young widow in the
neighborhood.
The house was built of logs, roughly cut. It consisted of two ordinary
houses, under one roof, with a passage between them open to north and
south, a nice cool place to eat or sleep in during summer. Like all
block-houses of this sort, it was roofed with rough four-feet planks;
there were no windows, but in each house a good fireplace of clay. A
field of about five acres was in front of the house, planted with Indian
corn, excepting a small portion which was planted with wheat. Southwest
from the house stood the stable, which S. was obliged to build, because
he gave “good accommodation to man and horse;” otherwise it is not much
the custom in Arkansas to trouble one’s self about stables. A place,
called a “lot,” with a high fence, is used for the horses, hollowed
trees serving for mangers. Near at hand was a smaller log-house for the
store of Indian corn, and a couple of hundred paces further was a mill
which S. had built to grind such corn as he wanted for his own use, and
which was worked by one horse.
About a quarter of a mile from the house, through the wood, there was
another field of about five acres, also sown with maize. The river
l’Anguille flowed close in the rear of the house; another small building
at the back of the dwelling was used as a smoking house; near it was a
well about thirty-two feet deep.
We went out shooting and wandering through the woods all day long,
though with little sport. Uhl had had better luck than I, so being
firmly resolved to bring home something, I had been straying in the
forest from daybreak, when at last I saw a deer. Firing too eagerly I
took bad aim, and he fled with long bounds to the thicket; but red marks
on the leaves showed that he was hit. I followed the trail;--but without
a dog it was slow work, and then the increasing darkness convinced me
of the impossibility of finding either the deer or the way back to the
house, being as yet too unacquainted with the country to be able to find
my way by the stars.
I was soon comfortably stretched by a blazing fire, and should have done
very well, but for the stomach, that constant tormentor, who kept
reminding me that he had had no work to do since the morning, except to
consume a few insignificant green sassafras leaves. The night was
beautiful, the stars shining brilliantly, and the weather fortunately
too cool for mosquitoes. I soon slept quietly and comfortably till about
midnight, when I was awakened by the disagreeable howling of the wolves;
it seemed as if they had all assembled to give me a serenade; if so, the
poor beasts had a very ungrateful audience. During the interval, the
sharp roar of a panther was heard rather too close to my lair. Such a
neighbor was by no means desirable or trustworthy; so I fired in the
direction whence I heard the sound, and he flew back again to the
jungle. I now made up my fire afresh, and was soon asleep for the second
time.
When I awoke the sun was peeping through the branches. Shaking my limbs,
which were stiff with cold, I commenced my journey homewards,
endeavoring to shorten the way by thoughts of a good warm breakfast.
S. had for some days talked of cutting down a tree, in which he had
discovered a swarm of wild bees, but something had always happened to
hinder it; however, on the first of June we set off at daybreak on our
long talked of excursion, the party being increased by S.’s
brother-in-law. The two Americans took axes, while Uhl and I carried
pails to hold the honey we expected to find. We proceeded to a little
prairie about three miles off, and soon found the tree, which S. had
discovered and marked. It is a backwoods custom, when any one finds a
tree with wild bees, and has not time or inclination to cut it down at
once, to cut his name, or if he cannot write, as was the case with S.,
to make his mark on it, and if any one else finds the tree and sees the
mark, he goes on his way, leaving it to the first finder.
S.’s tree was a decayed red oak, on the verge of the little prairie. The
two axes, wielded by powerful and skilful arms, soon made the old tree
totter, and then fall with a crash. In the mean time I had lighted a
fire by S.’s directions, laid it on a piece of bark, and covered it with
rotten wood, so that it gave out a thick black smoke. As soon as the
tree was down, I held this under the opening where the bees went in and
out: stupefied by the smoke, they flew high into the air, never
attempting to sting, though several flew about me, and lighted on my
clothes. Our trouble did not go unrewarded; we found a pretty thick
bough full of honey, of which we ate as much as we wished, carrying home
the rest.
S. seemed to be pleased with us, for he asked us to remain with him to
look after his cattle, of which he had about two hundred head running
loose in the woods; we might take our rifles and shoot at the same time.
As this seemed to suit our plans, we took the subject into serious
consideration, and on Monday, June 3rd, made the following compact. We
agreed to undertake the charge of S.’s cattle, to give them salt in the
little prairie from time to time, where a tent was to be pitched for us,
and whither we were frequently to drive them, to accustom them to it. We
were to receive one-third of the produce, namely: every third calf, as
our property. S. bound himself to provide us with pork, flour, coffee,
sugar, and salt; also, as soon as he had time, to build a small house
for us in place of the tent. So far so good; but the final clause was a
jewel, and the Irish schoolmaster who drew up the bond was not a little
vain of his performance. It stated: “Neither of the undersigned parties
is bound by this contract, if any one of them should think that he could
do better elsewhere.” The important document was signed by both parties,
S. making a cross, and then it was carefully secured in S.’s strong box,
the Irishman putting the copy in his pocket, probably to show the widow
this specimen of his abilities. We shouldered our rifles, and trotted
off to reconnoitre our new province.
Uhl and I having separated, I shot a young deer, but as it was too heavy
to carry, I let it lie, and took a direct line towards home, marking the
trees with my tomahawk as I went along. Suddenly a hen turkey flew up;
before I could fire she was lost in the bushes, but right under my feet
lay nine beautiful eggs, in a nest made of dry grass. I sat down to
await the return of the hen, but as she did not choose to make her
appearance, I took up the eggs and carried them home, intending to rear
them; then I went with a horse to pick up my deer.
Having signed the agreement with S., and decided on remaining here some
time, it was necessary to fetch our things, which we had left at
Blackfish lake, and S. kindly offered us one of his horses for the
purpose; but the horses were running wild in the woods, and had to be
caught. Uhl and I set off to catch one, taking different directions; we
searched the whole day without seeing a single trail, and our endeavors
on the following day were just as unfortunate. At first we hunted
together, but afterwards again separated. I went pacing along one of the
paths that cross the wood in all directions, but soon found that it was
only a deer or cow path; I left it, and pushed on in a straight
direction, careless as to the line of country, so that I could only fall
in with a horse; and as to the night, sleeping under the green trees was
more agreeable than in a close room. The idea that I might lose myself
never occurred to me. At length, however, as I advanced, the scenery
assumed a different character to that in S.’s neighborhood. It was no
longer marshy, but the ground was undulating, and I once more saw
fir-trees, which I had lately so much longed for. Contrary to my
expectations, I arrived at a farm before dark, but could obtain no
information about the horses--no one had seen any--and on my asking how
far I was from S.’s farm, I received the agreeable answer, “At least
eleven miles;” rather too far for an evening’s walk--so the good folks
kindly asked me to pass the night with them. I placed my gun and cap in
a corner, and seated myself with them in the mild evening air; we struck
up an agreeable conversation, and I fully expected a very pleasant
evening; but a storm was brewing to disturb its serenity. We had not
long been seated when a tall, ceremonious, respectable looking man,
buttoned to the chin in a long brown coat, arrived. He saluted us rather
solemnly, then seating himself at a short distance, took a little book
from his pocket, turned over the leaves, and, before I suspected any
thing, he thundered out a hymn with a voice that astounded me. Not being
used to such a proceeding, I looked first at one then at the other for
some explanation, but they kept their eyes fixed on the ground, looking
very solemn all the time. The voice of the singer became louder and
louder. The good man seemed to have lost the end of his song; night came
on, and it was rather cold--still he kept on, until at last his voice
failed, and he was obliged to stop. I thought this was all, but more
people arrived, among them some very pretty young women, such as I never
expected to see in the wilderness. The air being cool and damp, we
entered the house, which was set out with benches, and looked like a
school-room. The case was clear--I had stumbled on a Methodist meeting,
and must take the consequences. The singing and praying lasted several
hours, and I was heartily tired of it, as it did not agree with my
habits and feelings.
With the first streaks of red I commenced my journey homewards, and
arrived about noon, to find that Uhl, with more luck than myself, had
already caught a horse.
On the 8th of June I rode off to Blackfish lake swamp, to bring away the
things we had left at Hamilton’s. Just as I entered the house, Mrs.
Hamilton had a robust little fellow in front of her, a stepson, I
believe, about three or four years old, and told him to jump about the
room for a piece of cake she held in her hand. He began to jump, and
looked very comical as he bobbed up and down like a cork. When he
thought he had earned his cake, he came to ask for it, but was put off
with the word “more.” He quietly went back to his place, and recommenced
his exercise, but had lost the cheerful expression of his
countenance--he was doing it as a duty. After dancing for some time
longer, he came again for his cake, in the firm belief that this time he
was sure of it, but a “more yet” made him start. He begged, protested,
cried--all in vain; “more yet,” said his inexorable tormentor, holding
the cake up for him to jump at. Tears ran down the poor little fellow’s
cheeks, and he jumped and jumped, and sobbed, and wiped his eyes with
his sleeve. It was impossible to keep one’s countenance any longer, and
as I cried with laughing, he laughed through his tears. He then received
the cake he had so well danced for, and jumped once more from free will,
out of doors with it.
I packed all things on the horse, and set out on my return the same
evening. On the following morning we began to build our house; we pulled
down an old block-house, standing about three miles from the site we had
chosen, and carted the logs to our prairie, where we could easily
rebuild it. In the backwoods building is a very simple art. In the first
place, small trees of oak, or some other good wood, are felled and cut
to the requisite length. Next comes the foundation: two of the largest
trunks are laid parallel to each other on the ground at the proper
distance, two others are laid across their ends to form the square, and
fitted into each other with notches, which makes the building all the
firmer, and closes the crevices. In this way the walls are run up, but
without any entrance. Ours being an old house rebuilt, the logs all
fitted each other, and door and chimney were already cut, which, in
other cases, has to be done with the axe after the walls are up. The
roof is then laid, and, Swiss fashion, has to be secured with weights,
to prevent its being blown away; but wood being more plentiful here than
stone, heavy poles, called weight-poles, or young trees are used
instead.
Although the heat was oppressive, our work went on rapidly, and we soon
had the house up all but the chimney, which, it being summer, was not so
necessary. Besides, dabbling with moist clay being dirty and
disagreeable work, the chimney is generally left until it is too cold to
do without it. June 10th, we began our fence, so that the cattle might
not walk into the house, and also to secure the calves, that the cows
might come to be milked.
The fences are formed of split logs of black or red oak, or hickory, ten
or eleven feet long, and four or five inches thick, these woods
splitting easily; the fences are laid zigzag, and carried to a height
that no horse, much less a cow, can jump over. This was hard work, and
the heat oppressive; I felt very feverish, and had a severe headache,
but as the work could not go on without me, I would not hang back. On a
sudden every thing began to dance before my eyes, then all was dark, and
I fell fainting to the ground. I soon recovered, and lay for a short
time in the shade of a tree, then continued my work till evening. Next
day S. wanted to get in his wheat, and as I felt quite well again, we
went to help him; I had hardly been half an hour at work, when, in spite
of the burning heat, I felt a peculiar shivering and severe headache,
while my lips and nails turned blue; in short, there was no doubt I had
the ague. I went immediately to bed, and by noon was somewhat better. S.
would not allow me to return to our hut, but insisted on my staying with
them till my recovery, that I might always receive assistance. The fits
returned on the second and third days, making me feel very weak and
weary.
On the third day, a Saturday, at about two in the afternoon, I felt
better, and went to the mill, where S. was at work, meaning to help him
and take a little exercise, when I saw two strangers, a man and a woman,
riding along the road. With horror, I recognized in the countenance of
the man the Methodist preacher who had so tormented me some days before.
It was not without reason that I dreaded a repetition of the scene. He
rode past me with an important and expressive countenance, which seemed
to say: “Here I am again you see, make yourself happy.” Uhl, to whom I
had given a description of the former meeting, tried to slip off with me
to the hut, but we were discovered, and invited to attend. The
difference between this and the former meeting was that we had a sermon,
in the course of which two women in succession jumped about in a
pitiable state of excitement.
About noon next day, the dogs ran round and round the field, always
stopping at one particular place. S. said there must be a fox there. I
hastened to get a shot at him, but without success, till suddenly, by
the barking of the dogs, I knew that Reynard must have come to a stop,
and supposed him to have run to earth; but what was my surprise on
finding him perched on a tree, from which he was seriously contemplating
the furious dogs beneath him! I was so astonished that at first I did
not fire. When I did so, he remained hanging between the two branches
where he had squeezed himself, which was all the better for his skin, as
the dogs would have spoiled it. I afterwards learnt that the foxes here
always climb a tree, when driven to the last, but they can only manage
it with small trees, nor can they get higher than ten or twelve feet; in
the swamps they generally live in the hollows of trees.
On returning to the house I found the little schoolmaster in the height
of his glory. He was dressed all in white;--white trousers, a snow white
shirt and jacket, white neckcloth, a light-colored, almost white, straw
hat, and light tanned shoes, also almost white. To all this garb of
innocence, the red hair, red face, redder nose, and bluish red hands,
offered a striking contrast; he seemed to be well satisfied with
himself, stepped carefully over the fence, and was soon lost, like a
sunbeam, in a dark forest.
On the 20th June we finished our fence. On the 21st we began the floor
of our house, and on the 22nd the grand work was all complete. In the
afternoon we went to S.’s to fetch our things, and towards evening, as
it was very warm, I plunged into the cool stream flowing past the back
of the house, and had to pay for it severely on the following day by a
return of ague. Perhaps a rather too copious indulgence in
blackberries, which abounded here, may have somewhat contributed to this
result. Be the cause what it may, the attacks were repeated, and so
severely that I was confined to the house, when S., his brother-in-law,
and Uhl rode away for a buffalo hunt. I passed two tedious days in bed,
but on the third, feeling better, I took my rifle, and lounged along the
banks of the river, to try and pick up a couple of young wild ducks,
which were just in season. In the course of half an hour I had killed
three, and was on my way home, feeling much fatigued, when immediately
before me, almost under my feet, I perceived a mocassin snake, ready to
attack me, with its head drawn back, and its tongue darting out. These
snakes are very venomous; so jumping back, by no means leisurely, I
seized a long stick, and belabored him with it till he could do no harm.
This deep moist ground is full of venomous snakes; but it is very rarely
that any person is bitten, because they are shy, and always try to
escape when any one approaches.
On my return I found a fresh bear’s trail very near the house. Bruin had
crossed the river since I had passed, but the buffalo hunters had taken
all the dogs; and I was too weak to follow him alone. They returned in
the evening without having seen any buffaloes, though they had crossed
their trail. Uhl had shot a deer or two, which was all their booty.
On the 2nd July we rode off to a farm belonging to a Mr. Dunn, about
eleven miles off, to drive home some cattle that S. had bought. We did
not arrive till dusk, and found Mr. Dunn at home; he was a fat man with
a copper-colored nose, that seemed to do no dishonor to the sign before
his door; and a bottle of whiskey soon glittered on the table. S. drank
no spirits, so only just tasted it once: we did not follow his example,
but drank and laughed and talked till late in the night.
I was much surprised next morning by the view from Dunn’s house. We were
again amongst the hills, the house standing on the eastern spur, which
stretches out towards the swamps like a peninsula. The thick white fog,
through which not a tree was visible, north, south, or east, looked like
the sea, and I was prompted to look out for a sail; the glowing red ball
of the sun as he worked his way through it, cast a roseate hue over all.
As the sun rose higher the fog began to disperse, and the tips of the
highest trees appeared. As the fog vanished, it gave place to a
boundless extent of green, unbroken by any rise, save that on which we
stood. I remained for a long time in silent admiration of the
fascinating sight.
After breakfast we collected our animals, and drove them towards home,
through thorns, creepers, morasses, cane brakes, streams, and woods.
Driving a number of cattle, which have never before been under the hand
of man, is about as hard work as one can imagine, and a man who never
swore in his life would be sure to learn it then. But cattle-driving was
now our business, and we followed it up with a will. After immense
difficulty, we succeeded in bringing them all within the fence in our
prairie, secured them with the lasso, branded them with Saint’s mark,
and left them to themselves till the morning. At dark we spread my
buffalo skin on the ground, covered ourselves with Uhl’s blanket, and
were soon fast asleep.
By this time we began to feel a little more comfortable, having made a
couple of rough benches, and fixed some shelves to hold our things; but
as our utensils were not very numerous, cooking was one of our chief
difficulties. There was, however, no want of food, for Saint supplied so
plentifully.
We kept in all the calves of the new herd, leaving the cows at liberty,
as they never strayed very far from their young. We were also obliged to
confine some of the wildest, but the rest soon accustomed themselves to
the prairie, particularly as we sprinkled salt before them, of which
they are passionately fond. Indeed we gave it to all the cattle every
evening, which kept them from straying far away. In the daytime we
ranged the woods with our rifles.
[Illustration]