A VOYAGE UP THE HUDSON
As four P.M. approached, I took the children to a great glass window in
the cabin, through which we could see the massive machinery.
"Now," said I, "watch the steel giant; he is motionless, but in a
moment or two he will move."
True enough, he appeared to take a long breath of steam, and then
slowly lifted his polished arms, or levers, and the boat that had been
like a part of the wharf began to act as if it were alive and were
waking up.
"Now," I asked, "shall we go to the after-deck and take our last look
at the city, or forward and see the river and whither we are going?"
"Forward! forward!" cried all in chorus.
"That's the difference between youth and age," I thought. "With the
young it is always 'forward.'" But we found that we could not go out on
the forward deck, for the wind would have carried away my light, frail
Mousie, like a feather. Indeed it was whistling a wild tune as we stood
in a small room with glass windows all round. The waves were crowned
with foaming white-caps, and the small craft that had to be out in the
gale were bobbing up and down, as if possessed. On the river was a
strange and lurid light, which seemed to come more from the dashing
water than from the sky, so dark was the latter with skurrying clouds.
Mousie clung timidly to my side, but I reassured her by saying: "See
how steadily, how evenly and boldly, our great craft goes out on the
wide river. In the same way we must go forward, and never be afraid.
These boats run every day after the ice disappears, and they are
managed by men who know what to do in all sorts of weather."
She smiled, but whispered, "I think I'll go back and stay with mamma;"
but she soon found much amusement in looking at passing scenes from the
windows of the warm after-cabin--scenes that were like pictures set in
oval frames.
The other children appeared fascinated by the scene, especially Winnie,
whose bold black eyes flashed with excitement.
"I want to see everything and know everything," she said.
"I wish you to see and know about things like these," I replied, "but
not such things as Melissa Daggett would show you."
"Melissy Daggett, indeed!" cried Winnie. "This beats all her stories.
She tried to tell me the other day about a theatre at which a woman
killed a man--"
"Horrid! I hope you didn't listen?"
"Only long enough to know the man came to life again, and danced in the
next--"
"That will do. I'm not interested in Melissa's vulgar stories. As you
say, this, and all like this, is much better, and will never prevent
you from becoming a lady like mamma."
Winnie's ambition to become a lady promised to be one of my strong
levers in uplifting her character.
I confess that I did not like the looks of the sky or of the
snow-flakes that began to whirl in the air, but the strong steamer
plowed her way rapidly past the city and the villa-crowned shores
beyond. The gloom of the storm and of early coming night was over all,
and from the distant western shores the Palisades frowned dimly through
the obscurity.
My wife came, and after a brief glance shivered and was turning away,
when I said, "You don't like your first glimpse of the country,
Winifred?"
"It will look different next June. The children will take cold here.
Let them come and watch the machinery."
This we all did for a time, and then I took them on excursions about
the enclosed parts of the boat. The lamps were already lighted, and the
piled-up freight stood out in grotesque light and shadow.
Before very long we were standing by one of the furnace rooms, and the
sooty-visaged man threw open the iron doors of the furnace. In the
glare of light that rushed forth everything near stood out almost as
vividly as it would have done in a steady gleam of lightning. The
fireman instantly became a startling silhouette, and the coal that he
shovelled into what was like a flaming mouth of a cavern seemed
sparkling black diamonds. The snow-flakes glimmered as the wind swept
them by the wide-open window, and in the distance were seen the lights
and the dim outline of another boat rushing toward the city. Clang! the
iron doors are shut, and all is obscure again.
"Now the boat has had its supper," said Bobsey. "O dear! I wish I could
have a big hot supper."
The smoking-room door stood open, and we lingered near it for some
moments, attracted first by a picture of a great fat ox, that suggested
grassy meadows, plowing, juicy steaks, and other pleasant things. Then
our attention was drawn to a man, evidently a cattle-dealer, who was
holding forth to others more or less akin to him in their pursuits.
"Yes," he was saying, "people in the country eat a mighty lot of
cow-beef, poor and old at that. I was buying calves out near Shawangunk
Mountains last week, and stopped at a small tavern. They brought me a
steak and I tried to put my knife in it--thought the knife might be
dull, but knew my grinders weren't. Jerusalem! I might have chawed on
that steak till now and made no impression. I called the landlord, and
said, 'See here, stranger, if you serve me old boot-leather for steak
again I'll blow on your house.'--'I vow,' he said, 'it's the best I kin
get in these diggin's. You fellers from the city buy up every likely
critter that's for sale, and we have to take what you leave.' You see,
he hit me right between the horns, for it's about so. Bless your soul,
if I'd took in a lot of cow-beef like that to Steers and Pinkham,
Washington Market, they'd 'a taken my hide off and hung me up 'longside
of my beef."
"Grantin' all that," said another man, "folks in the country would be a
sight better off if they'd eat more cow-beef and less pork. You know
the sayin' about 'out of the frying-pan into the fire'? Well, in some
parts I've travelled they had better get out of the fryin'-pan, no
matter where they fetch up."
We went away laughing, and I said: "Don't you be troubled, Mousie; we
won't go to the frying-pan altogether to find roses for your cheeks.
We'll paint them red with strawberries and raspberries, the color put
on from the inside."
As time passed, the storm increased, and the air became so thick with
driving snow that the boat's speed was slackened. Occasionally we
"slowed up" for some moments. The passengers shook their heads and
remarked, dolefully, "There's no telling when we'll arrive."
I made up my mind that it would be good economy for us all to have a
hearty hot supper, as Bobsey had suggested; and when, at last, the gong
resounded through the boat, we trooped down with the others to the
lower cabin, where there were several long tables, with colored waiters
in attendance. We had not been in these lower regions before, and the
eyes of the children soon wandered from their plates to the berths, or
sleeping-bunks, which lined the sides of the cabin.
"Yes," I replied, in answer to their questions; "it is a big
supper-room now, but by and by it will be a big bedroom, and people
will be tucked away in these berths, just as if they were laid on
shelves, one over the other."
The abundant and delicious supper, in which steaks, not from cow-beef,
were the chief feature, gave each one of us solid comfort and
satisfaction. Bobsey ate until the passengers around him were laughing,
but he, with superb indifference, attended strictly to business.
My wife whispered, "You must all eat enough to last a week, for I
sha'n't have time to cook anything;" and I was much pleased at the good
example which she and Mousie set us.
Both before and after supper I conducted Bobsey to the wash-room, and
he made the people laugh as he stood on a chair and washed his face.
But he was a sturdy little fellow, and only laughed back when a man
said he looked as though he was going to dive into the basin.
Mousie at last began to show signs of fatigue; and learning that it
would be several hours still before we could hope to arrive, so severe
was the storm, I procured the use of a state-room, and soon Bobsey was
snoring in the upper berth, and my invalid girl smiling and talking in
soft tones to her mother in the lower couch. Winnie, Merton, and I
prowled around, spending the time as best we could. Occasionally we
looked through the windows at the bow, and wondered how the pilot could
find his way through the tempest. I confess I had fears lest he might
not do this, and felt that I should be grateful indeed when my little
band was safe on shore. The people in charge of the boat, however, knew
their business.