LOUISIANA--NEW ORLEANS, AND HOME.
Bayou Sara--German settlers--Jews--Pointe Coupée--My engagement at
the hotel--Levées, or dams, on the banks of the Mississippi--Slave
auction--Treatment of the slaves--Guinea negroes--Alligator
shooting--Flesh of the alligator, and prejudices against it--Habits
of the alligator--Scenes on the Mississippi--New Orleans; variety
of its inhabitants--Coffee-houses--The “Olbers” clears for
Bremen--The mouth of the Mississippi--My
fellow-passengers--Sharks--Sickness and death on board--The English
channel--Bremerhafen--Quarantine--The Lübecker and his unruly
American wife--Fumigation--Arrival at home.
We entered the Mississippi the second day, and soon left the State of
Arkansas far behind us. Of all I had seen in America it was the one
which pleased me most; I may perhaps never see it again, but I shall
never forget the happy days I passed there, where many a true heart
beats under a coarse frock or leather hunting-shirt.
The boat went flying past the green banks, and on the third night, she
set me ashore at Bayou Sara, in Louisiana. It may have been about one
o’clock when I landed with my baggage. The little boat which brought me
from the steamer pushed off, flying back to the smoking Colossus. The
pilot gave the signal to go ahead, and, smoking and clattering, she soon
vanished from my sight.
All was dark in the town, not a single light to be seen. Being quite a
stranger in the place, I rolled myself in my blanket and lay down on the
bank of the river. The night was warm and pleasant, but repose was out
of the question. Millions of mosquitoes were swarming furiously around,
and only left me in peace when I pulled the blanket over my head; but as
that excluded air, and I removed it to breathe, it was a signal for all
the swarm to fall upon me with renewed fury.
At length the first negro bell was heard from the opposite shore, for
the negroes to turn out; soon afterwards a gleam was visible in the
east. My tormentors now attacked me like mad, and it appeared as if all
the mosquitoes in Louisiana had assembled with the intention of sucking
me dry, so as to preserve me as a specimen: I jumped up, and ran about
to baffle the attempt.
Day came at last, and with it some houses were opened; amongst others a
German coffee-house. Leaving my baggage there I strolled about the
place. After lounging about for an hour, I thought it was late enough to
find out Kean, who was clerk in a merchant’s house; I soon found him,
Bayou Sara not being very large, and met with a kind reception.
In the first place I had to change my costume; hunting-shirts and
leggings are excellent things in the forest, but not so well adapted to
a town, nor to the hot sun of Louisiana. Summer articles were not dear,
a number of German Jews having settled in the place, underselling each
other; for a few dollars I obtained a very respectable suit.
Most of the houses of Bayou Sara are built of wood, only three or four
being of brick. It may contain about 800 inhabitants, among whom are
several Germans, who are carpenters, tailors, shoemakers, sugar-bakers,
coffee-house keepers, and a large number of German Jews, who by their
low prices have managed to get the trade in ready-made clothes
completely into their own hands. German shoemakers mustered very strong;
and here I was again struck with a peculiarity which I have remarked
among all the German shoemakers in America, namely the rage they have
for selling gingerbread and sugar-plums, as well as boots and shoes.
In the United States as a matter of course, every person is free to buy
and sell whatever he chooses. Therefore all sorts of wares are to be
found at all the stores. In the smaller towns, apothecaries generally
combine a trade in calicoes and hardware with that of drugs; and when a
German shoemaker opens his shop, you are sure to see some glasses with
parti-colored sugar-plums, and pieces of gingerbread in the little
window, while boots and shoes are dangling on pack-thread above them.
This was not only the case in Bayou Sara, and St. Francisville, a town
of the same size on a hill about a quarter of a mile behind Bayou Sara,
but in all the smaller towns in the United States which I had visited,
and even in some parts of the large town of Cincinnati. It is at all
events a strange medley.
I passed my time very agreeably in the society of Kean, whose employers
were good kind people, until I obtained a remunerative occupation in
Pointe Coupée, a large French settlement extending twenty miles along
the opposite or western bank of the Mississippi; this office consisted
in the management of the hotel formerly kept by Rutkin, and which he had
sold before his departure; the purchaser, however, was weak and in bad
health, and had been mostly confined to his bed, leaving the hotel to
the management of another, who was driving every thing to wreck and
ruin. The purchaser’s brother seeing that it would never do to leave it
in such hands, placed me in the situation on Kean’s recommendation.
Although my present sphere of action was very different from any thing
to which I had hitherto been accustomed, I soon gained an insight into
the business, and went on very well, as I was perfectly independent,
acting on all occasions as I thought best: and I can fairly say that I
soon brought things into better order.
Generally speaking, living in Pointe Coupée was much more agreeable than
in Bayou Sara, as my principal dealings were with the opulent planters
of the vicinity, amongst whom were some very pleasant people; there was
also an Irish advocate living in the hotel, who had a very extensive
practice, and we conceived a mutual friendship for each other: I shall
always look back with hearty pleasure to my acquaintance with Mr.
Beattie.
The little town of the settlement, lying rather higher up the stream on
the opposite side to Bayou Sara, consists of the town-hall, the jail,
the Roman Catholic church, the priest’s house, and the hotel.
As the land beyond the banks of the Mississippi, particularly in
Louisiana, is lower than the river, when the latter is very full the
settlers have been obliged to throw up a dam--levée, as it is
called--which is generally from four to five feet high, but in some
places from eighteen to twenty. It costs immense sums to keep this in
repair, as the river constantly undermines it, and carries off large
masses in its wild muddy waters; moreover, it is incumbent on those
dwelling immediately on the banks to supply the means, while those
living further from the river, whose property is more liable to damage,
do not contribute any thing towards the dam; but last year there was a
discussion on the subject, and it is probable that the system will be
changed.
The principal productions of Pointe Coupée are cotton, Indian Corn, and
sugar-cane. The gardens are filled with oranges, figs, peaches, and
pomegranates, with quantities of all the most beautiful flowers. One
great plague of the planters, in some parts of the settlement, for it
does not extend everywhere, is the coco-grass, somewhat similar to our
couch-grass. The roots extend from twelve to fifteen feet in the ground,
as may be seen when the river tears away a part of the bank. Where it
has once taken hold, it is very difficult to extirpate; it grows so fast
that, when cut down at night, it is again about an inch high in the
morning. It is not very good for cattle, though pigs are extremely fond
of the pods, which have a strong smell and taste of camphor.
Most of the planters are French Creoles; but as several Americans live
here also, the law proceedings are carried on both in French and
English. The jailer is a poor wretched German shoemaker, and any
prisoner that has a mind gives him a cudgelling, and takes his leave.
Several cases of the kind occurred last year.
The system of slavery makes a very disagreeable impression upon those
who are unaccustomed to it; and although I had long dwelt in slave
States, and witnessed the oppressed condition and ill-treatment of the
poor blacks, yet the horrors of the system were never so evident as when
I first attended an auction, where slaves were sold like cattle to the
highest bidder, and the poor creatures stood trembling, following the
bidders with anxious eyes, in order to judge in advance whether they
were to belong to a kind or severe master. It does not happen so often
now as formerly that families are separated, at least mothers and
children, so long as the latter are very young. In large auctions, the
law has the humanity to decree that families are only to be sold
together; but individuals are often sold, and then the most sacred ties
are torn asunder for the sake of a few hundred dollars.
I have witnessed most heart-breaking scenes on such occasions. At the
same time, I must admit that the treatment of slaves is generally better
than it is represented by the Abolitionists and missionaries. It is to
the advantage of the owner to keep his slaves healthy and fit for work,
and not to overtax their strength, as he is bound to support them in
their old age. Their food generally is not worse than that of the poor
man in other lands. Though there are instances of rich planters treating
their slaves most shamefully, there are others where they are treated as
part of the family. In our hotel, we had a cook, chambermaid, and
porter, all slaves, who never had occasion to complain of
ill-treatment. A negro, or descendant of a negro, is not allowed to
quit the place of his abode without a pass from his master, while the
free negro must always have his papers about him. If a slave is found
without a pass, he is imprisoned until his master claims him, and pays
the expenses. Fugitive slaves frequently take refuge in the forests; and
I remember how, in Tennessee, large parties used to go out to surround
them, and recover possession of them. Although the law speaks in strong
language against the importation of fresh negroes, yet I saw several
slaves who had been brought over from Africa, and who were called Guinea
negroes, to distinguish them from those born in America. The education
of the poor blacks is strictly forbidden, for fear they should write
their own passes, and thus escape. They are kept for use and increase
like domestic animals; and yet these United States have this sentence in
their declaration of independence: “that all men are free and equal!”
In the towns the Methodist preachers have driven what little
understanding nature has given them, out of the poor blacks’ heads,
teaching them to jump and shout, to thank God for being afflicted, and
to kiss the rod that chastises them. They kiss it, indeed, but leave the
marks of their teeth behind; and when they dare not openly oppose the
tyranny of the whites, they do so in secret, and many of the hated race
fall by the hand of the oppressed. Examples of this kind are frequent;
and although the punishment which the negro has to expect for raising
his hand against a white is appalling, it does not prevent the deed, but
only makes the doer more cautious.
My present occupation did not allow much time for amusement, though now
and then I got some duck-shooting in winter, when the ducks come in
myriads from the north to this milder climate, where ice is very seldom
seen on the lakes and standing pools, and snow was not seen during the
whole winter. Snipe-shooting commenced early in spring, and I followed
it up with great eagerness. It is a very different affair here from what
it is in Europe; you go out in the evening, and shoot them by
torchlight, when, of course, you must have a very small charge, as they
approach within ten yards, often within five or six. The negro, who is
not allowed to carry a gun without permission from his master, goes out
with a torch, and a small bushy bough of a tree, to knock them down.
There are two sorts, both smaller than ours, and they occur in such
numbers, that in two hours I have often killed from eighteen to twenty.
During the day they remain among the thick reeds and in the marshes, and
in the evening flock to the meadows and cotton fields. They are delicate
eating, and more tender than the European variety. As the weather gets
hotter, they fly off to the north.
The spring in Louisiana is enchantingly beautiful. All the grasses and
flowers springing out of the ground, all the buds and blossoms on the
trees, fill the beholder with rapture: the gray silvery-haired moss
dangling from the trees, giving them such a mournful appearance in
winter, now added to the beauty of the scene; assuming a more lively
color itself, it looked a transparent silvery veil thrown over the
blossoms and fresh green of the leaves. The long slender cypresses shone
to the greatest advantage under such a veil. All sorts of birds are now
to be seen; among them numbers of the mocking-bird, sometimes called the
American nightingale, warble sweetly, especially at night.
As usual in all the plantations in Louisiana, several China-trees stood
before my house, for shade as well as for ornament. One of them was an
old patriarch, whose branches spread far and wide, and which had been
used as a summer-house by the former proprietor, who had had a flight of
stairs built up to it, and fixed a round table, with several seats. In
this tree my hammock was slung between two branches, with a mosquito net
spread over it;--for these amiable little creatures were again beginning
their wicked tricks; and I slept in the warm night wind, among the
blossoms of the tree, which have something of the perfume of the
heliotrope, surrounded by fire-flies, lulled by the notes of the
mocking-bird, and by the rushing sound of the mighty Mississippi,
flowing about twenty paces from the tree.
The heat in May, especially in the middle of the day, was oppressive;
but when the other whites had retired to take their siesta, I went with
my rifle and harpoon to the swamps, at a short distance from the river,
to shoot alligators, which are to be found in incredible numbers, in the
warm standing pools. What dreadful statements have been written about
the formidable nature of these animals, and their fierce attacks on man!
I have always found them gentle, harmless creatures, and was very active
in shooting them. However, as I lost those I had shot, by their swimming
a little way and then sinking, I took a harpoon with a twenty-feet line,
and, going up to the waist in water, I placed myself under one of the
many cypresses standing in the swamps, and awaited their approach, as
they swam about slowly in the glowing mid-day heat, or sunned themselves
on the bank. If one came within twelve or fifteen yards, I was sure of
him. The best sport was when he was a great powerful fellow, and I
pulled one way as he pulled the other. But as standing in the terrible
heat of the sun did not suit me, I resolved to try torchlight,
particularly as many of the Creoles told me that no one had ever
attempted to shoot them by the light of a fire, it being supposed that
the alligator was bolder and more dangerous at night. So, on the next
evening, I went to the place with rifle, fire-pan, harpoon, and
kindlers. The sight from the banks of the swamp was enchanting, and made
me endure even mosquito bites with patience. The dark surface of the
water, the immense cypresses standing in it, their moss waving in the
night wind, the dark surrounding forest, the hooting of the owls, the
melancholy croak of the bull-frog, I had long been accustomed to; but
all in the water was wild commotion, and, when holding the flame behind
me, the shadow of my head was cast upon the flood, hundreds of glowing
eyes shone from all parts of it like balls of red-hot iron. As I had
only one hand free, I could not hold the rifle and harpoon at the same
time; so I fired at the head of the nearest, dropped the rifle, seized
the harpoon, darted it into the animal at the distance of six or seven
yards, and drew it by the line to the bank. I had secured two in this
way, when I saw a pair of larger eyes coming straight towards me; I
fired as before, and darted the harpoon into the wounded animal, as he
turned and showed the white of his belly. At the instant of darting the
harpoon, I was standing close to the edge of the water, with the end of
the line fastened to my right wrist. The alligator had hardly felt the
barbed iron, when he darted off and dived, jerking me into the water
before I had time to hold back. The pan fell out of my hand, and the
fire was extinguished with a loud hiss. The line was too securely
fastened for me to free myself, and I was twice dragged under water
before I felt firm bottom, when, holding back with all my might, I
succeeded in stopping him, he being somewhat exhausted by his exertions
and loss of blood; then pulling slowly and cautiously towards the bank,
gradually increasing the strain, he collected his remaining strength,
and darted off, dragging me head under again; but the water was not more
than four feet deep, and this time I had less trouble in hauling the
weakened animal to the shore.
Wet through and through, and in total darkness, I had fortunately left
my matches, with the split wood, at the foot of a tree. I groped for and
found my pan, and in a few minutes another bright flame rose flickering
to the sky. The large alligator was about ten feet long, and I could
make no use of him; for although the planters use the fat for their
cotton machinery, for which it is well adapted, it was too old to be
eatable; the two first caught were three and four feet long; I cut off
their tails, and carried them home to eat.
Very few of the Creoles, or even the negroes, will eat the flesh of the
alligator, partly because they feel disgust at it, and partly because
they fancy it to be poisonous; but I found it excellent, and never
experienced any bad consequences. It is white and firm, and looks and
tastes like fish, but the tail must be cut off immediately, and the
back-bone taken out, or it acquires the musty smell peculiar to these
animals.
After this, I always took a companion with me, and when one had fired,
the other harpooned, which made the work easier. However fearful the
alligators may be of white men, it is extraordinary how furiously they
will attack negroes and dogs, particularly the latter. I was standing
one afternoon, harpoon in hand, up to the waist in water, and although
plenty of alligators were swimming about, none of them would come close
enough, when, acting on the impulse of the moment, I attempted to
attract them by imitating the bark of a dog;--fifteen or sixteen big
fellows came straight towards me, as soon as they heard it! This was too
much of a good thing: standing so deep in water, I was hardly master of
my movements, and began to step out as fast as possible for the shore,
about a hundred feet distant; I then recommenced my bark, but as I was
fully exposed to view, they were afraid of coming close, though they
kept swimming round at a respectable distance.
The predominant religion in Louisiana is the Roman Catholic, with this
difference in the arrangements, that the priest is chosen by the
congregation, and the bishop has nothing to say in the matter. Some time
since, the people had dismissed their priest, being dissatisfied with
him; but, as he had been invested by the bishop, he maintained that the
bishop alone could remove him, and taking Mr. Beattie for his advocate,
he indicted his flock. Mr. Beattie gained his cause at the half-yearly
sessions, but the parish appealed to the court of the United States at
New Orleans. The priest repaired thither, took a new advocate, and
obtained the following sentence: “That the citizens of Pointe Coupée
might dismiss their priest, if they were dissatisfied with him, and that
neither bishop nor pope could issue commands in the United States.”
It was about the end of June, when I made up my mind to return to
Germany. Kean had been for some time in New Orleans, engaged in
commission business, and I began to feel lonely in Pointe Coupée. I
therefore arranged my affairs, and prevailed on a brother of the
proprietor, who had formerly been in partnership with him, to undertake
the management, now that all was in good order; then, taking a kind
leave of all my good friends, I left Pointe Coupée on the 5th of
July--the same day that I had left Little Rock the year before.
I embarked on board the Steamer “Eclipse” for New Orleans, and dashed
down the swollen stream with the speed of an arrow. The banks of the
Mississippi, in the lower part of Louisiana, offer a most beautiful
panorama of towns and plantations, to the eyes of the passenger flying
past in a steamer; the country-seats of the planters make a splendid
appearance through the orange and pomegranate trees, with the rows of
white cottages for the slaves, like so many villages, besides large
cotton fields and sugar plantations, with gangs of negroes at work,
under the inspection of a white on horseback; troops of mustangs, or
ponies, galloping with flowing manes and tails, small schooners, and
so-called chicken thieves dashing with swelling tails along the shores,
give the whole an animated aspect. At present, however, it did not look
everywhere so agreeable; the river had risen considerably, and in many
places broken through the levée, laying a number of cotton fields and
sugar plantations under water, and giving the landscape a wild and
desolate look.
On the following morning, about nine o’clock, we approached the emporium
of the south, and a multitude of boats, barges, schooners, brigs, and
even ships lying above the town, gave evidence of the busy turmoil of an
immense commercial place. We had about forty head of oxen on board,
which had been brought from St. Louis, to be landed at Lafayette, a
suburb of New Orleans. The steamer was stopped near the shore, and the
oxen and cows bundled overboard to swim to land. This done, the engine
was set going, and passing shipping of all sorts and nations, we landed
about ten o’clock, among about sixty other steamers, on the levée of New
Orleans.
I found Kean immediately, and accompanied him to the hotel where he
lodged, left my things there, and lounged about the town with him,
talking of bygone times. The heat was oppressive, and we were soon
obliged to take shelter in the house to escape the scorching rays of the
sun. In the evening we drove to Lafayette, where several Bremen vessels
were lying, to have a look at them, and inquire their times of
departure. We found two bound for Bremen, but the time of departure
uncertain, and I saw that I should have to remain some time in New
Orleans.
The town had increased very much since my former visit, and was
improved in its appearance. It extends above seven miles along the bank
of the river, where it is interesting to observe all sorts of shipping,
steamers and sailing vessels arriving or departing every hour of the
day. In other respects the town offers nothing noticeable beyond
straight handsome streets, with large clean looking houses, and
tastefully ornamented shops. It is still more interesting to observe the
people, who throng the streets in all, even the hottest, hours of the
day, where every shade between white and black is to be seen. The spot
most attractive to me was the lower market, close to the levée, where
every kind of article to be found in America was for sale. The fruit
stalls looked especially inviting, and so did the fish-stalls, where
great varieties of fish were to be seen. In the midst of all the bustle
and crowding, there are quiet retreats, where a brilliant and colossal
coffee machine stands always on a table, surrounded by chairs, cups, and
plates filled with every kind of bread and cake are at hand; a pretty
looking girl performs the part of Hebe. At all hours of the day and
night, hot coffee, and in many of these places tea and chocolate, are
always ready; and almost every night, when I could not prevail on myself
to retire to the hot, close room without a breath of air, I have walked
about the ever thronged streets, and drank coffee, until fatigue drove
me to bed. At daybreak I was in the market again, among the crowds of
Americans, French, Creoles, English, Germans, Spaniards, Italians,
Negroes, Mulattoes, Mestizoes, Indians, &c., &c., and returned to
breakfast, at which I drank, Creole fashion, red wine iced, instead of
coffee, and then went to bed for a few hours. Kean joined me whenever
his business would permit; and many an hour passed in agreeable
conversation.
At length, after a space of three weeks, the “Olbers” was cleared, and
ready to start. My effects were embarked, leave taken of all my friends,
a most hearty one of Kean, whom I loved as a brother, and who had always
behaved like one, and at ten at night the steamer “Porpoise” made
herself fast alongside, having besides a French brig, three schooners in
tow, and we started like a small fleet down the dark stream. We reached
the mouth of the Mississippi about noon the next day, and anchored. In
all directions thin green reeds were growing out of the water, giving
only a representation of land, the yellow river flowing through them,
and not a foot of solid ground anywhere visible. The Mississippi is here
a river but without any banks, though looking as if still enclosed in
its bed. To my great astonishment, houses were seen above this waste of
reeds and water, with living beings moving about them. As the pilot said
that we must wait till tomorrow for broad daylight and the flood tide,
to cross the bar, and we had nothing to do this afternoon, the captain
took two other passengers and myself to the row of houses, to see if we
could get oysters, or any thing else eatable. After half an hour’s sharp
rowing, we reached a platform resting on piles. A more uninviting place
to live in, I never saw. The water flows under the houses of this
outpost of American felicity, leaving at low-water a loose slimy mud,
which would engulf any one attempting to tread on it, and which swarms
with creeping things innumerable. I recollect an American saying that
Louisiana was not fit for the abode of man, but only for mosquitoes,
bullfrogs, and alligators, and certainly here there seemed to be reason
in his words, for how a human being could be induced to settle in such a
place is still a mystery to me. The inhabitants catch oysters at no
great distance from their houses, sell some of them to the ships, and
carry the rest in their boats to New Orleans, to exchange them for
provisions and necessaries for their families, yes, _families_,--for
women and children were there too. When we arrived, there was not an
oyster left in the place, nor any thing else eatable to be had, and they
told us that they were anxiously looking out for a boat with provisions.
A glass of brandy adulterated with a little vitriol was all that we
procured, and we returned on board, rejoicing to escape the frantic
mosquitoes of the little settlement.
At nine the next morning we weighed anchor, and the “Porpoise,” which,
meantime, had taken some smaller vessels over the bar, now took us in
tow, and with some trouble, dragged us over, the keel scraping
occasionally. She carried us several miles out into the gulf, and then
left us to make our way alone as well as we could, which, as there was
very little wind, was slow work enough; and at length we were quite
becalmed.
My fellow-passengers were, a Hamburgh merchant, an American landholder,
who possessed thousands of acres in Texas, which he wished to dispose
of, (I never knew any one from Texas, who did not possess at least ten
thousand acres of good land;) and a citizen of Lübeck, who had married
in America, and who was taking his wife and his two children to live in
his native country.
July 25th, during a perfect calm, I jumped overboard to bathe in the
crystal waters. A more delightful feeling is hardly to be described than
that of diving, swimming, splashing in the warm waters of the gulf; it
almost seemed impossible to sink, the body being so buoyant in the salt
water. I felt a longing desire to become a dolphin in the transmigration
of souls, and to settle in the gulf of Mexico. I remained in the water
till I was quite tired, and was obliged to lie down. Moreover, sea
bathing never agreed with me, and on the morrow I felt rather unwell. In
New Orleans I was not quite right, but would not take any medicine; now
I thought it was time to do so, and swallowed a dose of tartar emetic I
had had the precaution to bring with me, mixing in it a glass of
Madeira. The dose was rather strong, and its effect excessive; yet I was
better after it.
On the 28th and 29th July, two sharks were caught, and eaten; but I
could not join in the feast, for I was now really ill with a fever, and
sharp pains in the chest, and every movement was attended with great
suffering. There was also cause for disquietude, in five sailors being
taken ill, and their disease assuming an extraordinary character.
One evening as I was lying shaded from the moonbeams, I heard the mate
talking with the American passenger, who was also unwell, and he told
him, in a friendly way, that before we were clear of the gulf, at least
five men would have to be sewn up in sailcloth and dropped overboard;
and among them he named my worthy self. This was rather more than a
joke; after escaping all the dangers and toils of the land, to be
pitched over the side like a dead dog: and I was resolved to prove the
old proverb: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and to get well
again. I took a glass of excellent arrack, and had a quantity of it
rubbed on my chest and shoulders. I fell asleep in a few minutes, and in
the morning I felt lighter and better. By the 1st August I was able to
crawl about, and decidedly improving. On the 3rd, we came in sight of
Cuba, and passed close enough to the shore to make out the palm-trees
and country houses.
The sick sailors were still dangerously ill, and though there was a
medicine chest, yet there was no doctor on board, nor any one who
understood its contents; so there was little hope for the poor fellows.
One died that same evening, another on the 6th, another on the 7th.
There were no stones or weights on board to sink the corpses, and they
swam about the ship, as if they wished to be taken on board again, and
not to be left in this waste of waters. The moon was shining clear, and
we looked long in silence at the melancholy spectacle, not knowing whose
turn might come next.
It was possible that we should be obliged to return to an American port
for men to navigate the ship, for six seamen had deserted at New
Orleans, and one had died, and the captain had replaced them by two
Americans, one Frenchman, and one Italian, altogether too few when we
first started. However, soon after the third corpse was thrown
overboard, a fresh breeze sprang up from the westward, and on the 9th we
entered the Atlantic. The patients improved, and by the 11th all were
well and fit for work.
Leaving the Gulf stream as soon as possible, to avoid the
thunder-storms so frequent there, we had the most beautiful weather in
the world, with a fresh S. W. wind, inspiring cheerfulness and good
spirits. We amused ourselves in the mornings with books or chess, and in
the evenings playing whist with a dummy, the time passing rapidly and
agreeably. Sometimes, by way of a change in our amusements, the American
wife cuffed her Lübeck husband, or threw some household utensil at his
head; sometimes the Texan landholder got drunk, and talked all kinds of
nonsense. Thus there was no awful pause in our entertainments, up to the
time of arriving in the channel on the 1st of September, when a cutter
came alongside, and sold us fresh fish and potatoes, which we enjoyed
very much after all the salt provisions.
It was too thick to see the land, but after dark we made out a
light-house on the coast of England, and afterwards another on that of
Normandy. The next day was still foggy, and the wind against us; later,
a pleasant breeze sprung up from the westward, dispersed the fog,
displaying the chalky cliffs of Albion in all the splendor of the
setting sun;--hundreds of vessels were in sight, while the sea was
almost as smooth as a lake. I mounted aloft to feast my eyes
undisturbed, on old, beloved, long-desired Europe, which seemed to open
her arms with a friendly smile to welcome back the wanderer.
I remained till the darkness hid the prospect from my sight. At midnight
the wind changed again, and we had to beat to windward; as the day was
clear, we could make out people walking at Brighton, and the long rows
of bathing-machines on the beach. We also came close in to Dover, and
then over to Calais, after which we cleared the land, and stood into the
North Sea.
On the 17th September, a pilot came on board, and on the evening of the
18th we were off Bremerhafen, and anchored about a quarter of a mile
from the entrance on account of the ebb. Here, to our great
consternation, the pilot informed us that we should be put in
quarantine, on account of the deaths which had occurred. This was a
woful stop to all our hopes of soon treading on terra firma, and it was
in a very ill humor that I watched the dread flag flying from the
foremast.
On the following morning we moved close to the Hanoverian fort. A boat
with a flag uniting the Hanoverian and Bremen colors, put off and came
alongside, holding on by a boat-hook, and refusing to touch a rope, for
fear of infection. Two carefully enveloped figures sat in the stern; one
of these was a doctor, who made us all look over the ship’s side, that
he might behold and study our physiognomies, and see if they looked at
all suspicious. We were mustered, to show that all were present, and
then he inquired into all the particulars of the deaths. After gaining
all the information he desired, he noted it in a book, and said quite
coolly that he would send a report to Bremen, and that we should hear
again in a few days. Here was precious felicity! We had just time to
call out to the boatmen the names of various articles we wished them to
procure us, such as fresh meat, bread, butter, potatoes, &c. a good sign
how ill we all were--ere the boat pushed off, made sail, and disappeared
in the harbor.
The Lübecker’s American wife, the only woman on board, had in the mean
time had many a dispute with her husband, whom she shamefully tormented;
yet he bore it all with inconceivable patience. She struck him, bit him,
hid his things, or threw them overboard, abused him, and in short,
behaved in a manner that would have exposed her to the roughest
treatment from many others; but her good man bore it all with a “What
can I do?” This was his answer to the advice of everybody on board, all
wishing that she should meet the reward of her infamous conduct; but it
was always, “What can I do? I cannot strike her.” His better half
happened to hear the word strike (schlagen), and although she did not
understand German, she knew what that meant; so springing on him like a
fury, and holding her fist in his face, she told him in unmistakable
terms that if he once attempted to raise his hand to her, she would
plunge a knife between his ribs, and scratch out his eyes. She was a
little frightened by one of the party telling her that if she did not
treat her husband better, he had the right in Germany of selling her to
anybody who would buy her--a statement which I confirmed: this startled
her; but if she had had any reflection, she must easily have known that
no one would buy such a termagant.
She behaved better during the time we were in quarantine, perhaps
feeling that she was alone among foreigners, and would be quite helpless
without her husband.
Ten days passed away, and we only saw the boat when she brought the
letters or provisions; at length one of the party wrote a request to the
principal authorities in Bremerhafen, that the passengers at least, who
had nothing to do with the cargo, might be permitted to land. Contrary
to expectation, the answer was favorable, and next morning a barge, of
blessed memory, came alongside, “in which the passengers and
baggage”--so ran the order--“were to be thoroughly smoked.”
All our baggage was removed to the barge; the contents were unpacked and
spread out, the hatches laid on, a dark powder thrown in, and then
something liquid, and the hold was instantaneously filled with a thick
smoke. As soon as all the goods’ were smoked, the passengers were
required to undergo the same process; and we walked about in this
dreadful smoke for about a quarter of an hour: my lungs did not get rid
of the effects of it for three days after. This ordeal past, we repacked
our clothes, and prepared, after our long absence, to tread once more on
German ground. We waved a last adieu to our good captain, his officers,
and crew, whose conduct could not be too highly praised; and in a few
minutes, with light and joyful hearts, we stepped on the soil of our
native land.
THE END.
Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:
A Racoon=> A Raccoon {pg viii}
unsteady zizgag flight=> unsteady zigzag flight {pg 247}
for the mouutains=> for the mountains {pg 285}
I was indtfferent to=> I was indifferent to {pg 354}
sparng up from=> sprang up from {pg 392}