I got on the steamer _B. L. Hodge_ at Baton Rouge, bound for New
Orleans. It was on a New Year's eve; everybody was feeling jolly,
and I felt somewhat that way myself. There were five tables of
poker going at one time, so I opened up the good old game of monte
for the benefit of a lot of Texas boys that didn't play poker.
They all got around the table and watched me throw. In a short
time my capper came up and wanted me to show him how to play the
game. I showed him, and he wanted to bet a dollar. I told him if
that was all the money he had, he had better keep it. He got as
mad as a wet hen, and told me he had just as much money as I had.
He pulled out a big roll and slashed down $1,000, saying, "I will
bet you I can turn the winner." I said, "You can't bluff me," and
I put up. He turned one of the cards and lost. While I was putting
the money away, he picked up the cards and turned up a corner on
the winner, letting the boys see what he had done; then he said to
me, "Mix them up again," which I did, and he put down a roll,
claiming it to be $500. He turned and won. Then the boys began
to nudge each other and get nervous. The capper then said, "I will
let it all lay, and bet you again." He turned and caught me for
$1,000; and then you should have seen the boys from Texas. There
never was such a cutting of cloths. One fellow pulled off his new
coat and cut the lining nearly all to pieces; another took off his
coat, vest, and shirt, for his money was sewed up in his undershirt;
others had their money down their boot legs tied to a string, so
that they could pull it up when they wanted it. They all wanted
it just then, and they were in the biggest hurry of any suckers I
ever saw. They all put up their pile, except two or three who had
more than the rest. I told them to pick out one boy to turn the
card, so they selected Jim, who was their leader. Jim made a grab
for a sure thing; but when he turned it over, all the boys were
_sure_ they had lost their money. They took it good-naturedly,
and said it was fair. One said I was the greatest man in the world,
and if he could do it as slick as I did he could get all the money
out in their country. I promised that I would come out and see
them, and that they would all be in with me. I did not say just
when I would keep my promise; and as I do not like too many partners,
I have put it off over thirty years, in hopes that some of the boys
would give it up and move out of the country, so if a slick man
did get all of their money he would not have to divide up so often.