"Lands intersected by a narrow frith
Abhor each other. Mountains interposed
Make enemies of nations who had else,
Like kindred drops, been mingled into one."
When the Mexican War broke out, our boat was lying at Pittsburg.
The Government bought a new boat called the _Corvette_, that had
just been built at Brownsville. A cousin of mine was engaged to
pilot her on the Rio Grande. His name was Press Devol. He was a
good pilot on the Ohio, from Cincinnati to Pittsburg, but had never
seen the Rio Grande, except on the map. I thought I would like to
go to war, and to Mexico. My cousin got me the position as barkeeper,
so I quit our boat, and shipped on the _Corvette_, for the war.
Jack McCourtney, of Wheeling, was the owner of the bar.
There was a man aboard, on our way down, who took a great liking
to me. He was well posted on cards, and taught me to "stock a
deck," so I could give a man a big hand; so I was a second time
"fixed for life."
When we got down to New Orleans they took the boat over to Algiers,
took her guards off, and part of her cabin, and we started across
the Gulf; and you bet my hair stood up at times, when those big
swells would go clear over her in a storm. But finally we landed
at Bagdad, and commenced to load her with supplies for the army.
I soon got tired of the Rio Grande, and after cheating all the
soldiers that I could at cards (as there was no one else to rob),
I took a vessel, and came back to New Orleans. When I landed there,
I was very comfortably fixed, as I had about $2,700, and was not
quite seventeen years old. Here I was in a big city, and knew no
one; so I went and got a boarding house, and left all my cash, but
what I might need, in the care of an old gentleman that looked
something like my father. I thought he must be honest, as he looked
like him, and he proved himself so.
I then picked up courage, and said to myself, "I believe that I
will go home." But to pay passage was all foolishness, as I was
such a good hand on a boat, so I shipped on the steamboat _Montgomery_,
Captain Montgomery, and Windy Marshall (as they called him) Mate.
I shipped as second steward, at twenty dollars per month.
The boat was full of people, and the card tables were going ever
night as soon as the supper tables were cleared. We had been out
from New Orleans two days and nights before I picked up a game.
One afternoon in the texas, I beat my man out of $170; and as there
was no "squeal" in those days, I was all right, although they did
not allow any of the crew to play with passengers.
We got to Louisville, where the boat laid up and paid off her crew,
and I came on to Cincinnati.