A Keel-boat Voyage--Description of the Preparations.--Face of the
Country.--Troy.--Lady Washington.--The River
Sport.--Owensborough.--Henderson.
The Ohio still continuing low, and there being no prospect of proceeding
to New Orleans by a steam boat, I resolved to embark on board a keel
boat, in company with several ladies and gentlemen, who were returning
to their plantations and their homes. The preparations in such a case,
are to dispose of horse and gig, where one does not choose going by land
through Nashville, and Natchez. There is not much pleasure to be derived
from a passage on board a keel boat--a machine, fifty feet long and ten
feet broad, shut up on every side; with two doors, two and a half feet
high. It forms a species of wooden prison, containing commonly four
rooms; the first for the steward, the second a dining room, the third a
cabin for gentlemen, and the fourth a ladies' cabin. Each of these
cabins was provided with an iron stove, one of which some days
afterwards was very near sending us all to heaven, in the manner which
the most Catholic king has been pleased to adopt in regard to us
heretics. On the sides were our births, in double rows, six feet in
length and two broad. In former times this manner of travelling was
generally resorted to on the Ohio and Mississippi; the application of
steam, however, has superseded these primitive conveyances, and I hope
to the regret of no one. Our passage to Trinity, 515 miles by water,
including provisions, &c., was twenty-five dollars. We were sure of
meeting there with steam boats. The company consisted of two ladies with
their families, returning to Louisiana; two others were going to
Yellow-banks, with several governesses, nieces, &c.; in all ten ladies,
with eleven gentlemen, considered a happy omen. Amongst the men were
three planters from Louisiana and Mississippi; three merchants, one a
Yankee, the other a Kentuckian, the third a Frenchman; a lawyer, from
Tennessee; two physicians, one from the same state, the other from
Kentucky, with a Kentuckian six and a half feet high. Of these persons
the Kentuckian doctor was the most to be pitied. He was in the last
stage of a pulmonary affection, and expected relief from the mild
climate of Louisiana; but much as we did to alleviate the fate of this
man, whose perpetual cough was as insufferable to us, as the constant
fire he kept up in the stove, and which at last communicated to our
boat, the poor fellow died three days after his arrival at New Orleans.
Four individuals of less note joined the company, consisting of three
slave-drivers, and a Yankee who travelled to make his fortune. We
resigned ourselves to our lot, with as good a grace as we could, the
Frenchman excepted, who found fault with every thing but the dinner,
when he handled his knife and fork with uncommon activity. A captain, a
mate, and a steward, composed the officers, twelve oarmen formed the
crew, and forty slaves, who were to be transported to the states of
Mississippi and Louisiana, were a sort of deck passengers, so that the
whole cargo, inside and out, amounted to ninety persons. As long as the
weather continued fine, the poor negroes had a tolerable lot, but when
afterwards it began to rain, and they continued on a deck seven and a
half feet broad, and forty-two long, without any covering over their
heads, or being able to move, our kitchen being likewise upon deck,
their situation became truly distressing, and one of the infants died
shortly afterwards; another, as I was informed, fell into the
Mississippi above Palmyra settlements.
We took our meals in three divisions; the first consisting of the ladies
and five gentlemen, who were helped by the other six gentlemen;
afterwards the six remaining sat down with the three drivers, and the
Yankee; the latter personages were, however, excused from helping the
ladies. After them came the captain, with his boatmen. Our dinner was
very good, because we took the precaution of making it part of our
agreement that we should purchase such provisions as we thought proper.
Our breakfast at the hour of eight, consisted of pigeons, ducks,
sometimes opossum, roast beef, chickens, pork cakes, coffee and tea.
Our dinner at three o'clock, in the same manner, with the addition of a
haunch of venison or a turkey. Our supper at six, was the same as our
breakfast. To fill up the intervals, we took at eleven a lunch,
consisting of a _doddy_; at nine at night we had a tea party given by
the ladies, and the said ten gentlemen alternately. We started the 7th
of November, at four o'clock in the afternoon, instead of nine in the
morning. The cause of this delay was the alteration which had to be made
in the births; for it appeared that two of the Kentuckians were
considerably longer than the space allotted to them. They were therefore
to be made more _lengthy_ at the expense of the dining rooms. When every
thing was ready we started, heartily tired of this delay. We had taken
the precaution to provide ourselves with powder and shot, in order to
make shooting excursions, having a skiff along side the boat. The
landscape on both banks of the Ohio was still hilly, the shores varying
from bottom lands to moderate hills, thus forming a boundary line
between the interior of Kentucky which lay to our left, and Indiana and
the river lands on our right. The cotton tree is almost the only one
here, with the exception of beeches and sycamores. The first do not
quite attain the height of the sycamore, but still they are seldom less
than 140 feet high. The forests assume a more southern character; the
shrub-grass, thistles and thorns, are stronger, and the vines of an
astonishing size. At several places we were unable to land from the
thickness of the natural hedges which lined the banks, presenting an
impenetrable barrier. Pigeons now appeared in flocks of thousands and
tens of thousands. On the morning of the following day we shot
seventy-five, and in the afternoon seventy, without any difficulty.
Troy, the seat of justice for Crawford county, in Indiana, was the first
place we visited. It has a court-house, a printing-office, and about
sixty houses. The inhabitants seem rather indolent. On our asking for
apples, they demanded ten dollars for half a barrel; the price for a
whole one in Louisville being no more than three dollars. We advised
them to keep their apples, and to plant trees, which would enable them
to raise some for themselves; and to put panes of glass in their
windows, instead of old newspapers. The surrounding country is beautiful
and fertile. Farms, however, become more scarce, and are in a state of
more primitive simplicity. A block cabin not unlike a stable, with as
many holes as there are logs in it, patches of ground planted with
tobacco, sweet potatoes, and some corn, are the sole ornaments of these
back-wood mansions. We purchased, below Troy, half a young bear, at the
rate of five cents per pound. Two others which were skinned, indicated
an abundance of these animals, and more application to the sport than
seems compatible with the proper cultivation of these regions. The
settlers have something of a savage appearance: their features are hard,
and the tone of their voice denotes a violent disposition. Our Frenchman
was bargaining for a turkey, with the farmer's son, an athletic youth.
On being asked three dollars for it, the Frenchman turned round to Mr.
B., saying: "I suppose the Kentuckians take us for fools." "What do you
say, stranger," replied the youth, at the same time laying his heavy
hand across the shoulders of the poor Frenchman, in rather a rough
manner. The latter looked as if thunderstruck, and retired in the true
style of the Great Nation, when they get a sound drubbing. We remarked
on his return, the pains he took to repress his feelings at the
coarseness of the Kentuckians. He was, however, discreet enough to keep
his peace, and he did very well; but his spirit was gone, and he never
afterwards undertook to make a bargain, except with old women, for a pot
of milk, or a dozen of eggs, &c.
Below Lady Washington, or Hanging Rock, as it is called,--a bare
perpendicular rock a hundred feet above the water on the right side of
the river, the mountains, or rather hills, cease by degrees, and are
succeeded by a vast plain on both sides the high banks of the Ohio. We
had here the enjoyment of some sport on the water: a deer was crossing
the river, contracted in this place to about a thousand feet, when it
was discovered by three Kentuckians, who were going to do the same. Our
boat was about half a mile above the spot when we discovered the game.
Four of us leaped into the skiff in order to intercept it. The deer
continued its course towards the Indiana side, and it was easy for us
to intercept its path. As soon as we were near enough, we aimed a blow
at it with our oars, having in the hurry forgotten our guns. The deer
then took the direction of the boat--we followed--the Kentuckians
approached from the other side: full thirty minutes elapsed before these
could come up with the animal and give it a blow. Though its strength
was on the decline, it did not relax its efforts, but advanced again
towards us without our being able to reach it. A second blow on the part
of the Kentuckians, who were more expert in handling their oars, seemed
to stun the noble animal; yet, summoning up its remaining strength, it
went up the stream on the Kentucky side, and reached the shore, but so
exhausted by long swimming and the two blows from the powerful
Kentuckians, that on landing it staggered and fell, without being able
to ascend the high bank. Instantly one of the Kentuckians rushed upon
it, cutting asunder its knee joints. The deer, taking a sudden turn,
made a plunge at the Kentuckian, tearing away part of his trowsers, and
lacerating his leg. So sudden was the last effort of this animal, that
but for the speedy arrival of his companion, who had been assisting the
third Kentuckian in drawing the skiff closer to the shore, it would
infallibly have ripped up its aggressor's bowels. The dirk of the second
Kentuckian ended _the sport_, which had terminated in a rather serious
way. By this time we had also reached the field of battle. "What do you
want, gentlemen?" said the wounded Kentuckian, accosting us with his
poniard in his hand. "Part of the deer, which you know you could not
have got without our assistance?" They first looked at our party of
four, then at our boat, which was already at the distance of a mile and
a half from us. The wounded man seating himself, asked again, "What part
do you choose?" "Half the deer, with the bowels, and tongue for our
ladies." "Have you ladies on board your vessel?" "Yes, sir." Without
uttering a word more, they skinned the venison, cleaned, and divided it.
We stepped aside meanwhile, collected a couple of dollars, and offered
them to the wounded man. He took the money, thanked us, and the other
two carried the venison to our boat. We parted after cordially shaking
hands. There was now an abundance of pigeons, venison, and bear's flesh
on board our boat; the latter, when young, is delicious, having a very
fine flavour, with rather a sweet and luscious taste. We were all
partial to it except the Frenchman, who most likely took us for a
species of these animals. But as thoughts are free, even in the most
despotic countries, he had the privilege of thinking, without daring to
utter a syllable--assuredly the severest punishment upon one of the
Great Nation. On the third day we lost part of our company, as two of
the ladies landed on the Yellow-banks, so called from the yellow colour
of the shores, which formerly gave the name to the county town of Davies
county, now Owensborough. It contains eighty buildings, including a
court-house, a newspaper printing office, and three stores. The
distance hence to Louisville, is 170 miles. From this village, down to
the mouth of the Green river, wild vines grow very luxuriantly, forming
a continued series of hedges. The grapes are used for wine, which is of
a hard taste, but not a bad flavour; if properly attended to they would
certainly yield an excellent produce. We gathered in a few minutes
abundance of grapes, and found them juicy and very good. Near the mouth
of the Green river, and up its banks, are several ponds of bitumen, a
material which is used by the inhabitants for lamp oil. The country
abounds in saltpetre, and saltlicks. On the same side, sixty miles below
Owensborough, is laid out Henderson, the seat of justice for the county
of the same name. It contains 500 inhabitants, 90 dwellings, and a
courthouse. Some of the houses are in tolerable order, but the greatest
part in a shattered condition, and the town has a dirty appearance. The
Ohio forms a bend between Owensborough and Henderson, thus making the
distance by water sixty miles, which by land-travelling would not exceed
twenty. A species of the mistletoe here makes its appearance for the
first time. The trees are covered with bunches of this plant, its
foliage is yellow, the berries milk white, and so viscous as to serve
for bird lime; when falling they adhere to the branches, and strike root
in the bark of the trees.
In the morning of the sixth day we arrived at Miller's Ferry, twenty
miles above the mouth of the Wabash. As the Ohio makes a great bend in
this place, and our navigation was very slow, Messrs. B----, R----, and
myself, determined on taking a tour to Harmony, now Owen's settlement,
fifteen miles distant from the ferry. The guide we took led us through a
rich plain, with settlements scattered over it; the road was excellent,
though a mere path, and we arrived at half-past ten.