The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-05-25
ONE OF BANvARD'S STORIES.

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Banvard tells the following good joke of
fooling Mississippi steamboat: He was lay
ing-to, wind-bound, with small trading boat,
at the head of the "chute" of Prophets
island, 'and it being the first of April, his
hands were determined to have lark of
some kind. During the day they had OBJ
served sawyer close in shore, about half a
mile above where the flat" lay. This
sawyer had been constantly bobbing its head
up and down, all day long from this, taking
the hint, they procured some of their old
clothce, and stuffed them with the Spanish
moss, which they drew from a neighboring
tree; then making a paper face and sur
mounting the whole with palmetto hat, they
made quite respectable looking backwoods-
man. After shutdown, near dark, they took
this imitation of humanity up the river to
where this industrious sawyer was working.
CAS- probably many of our readers do not
exactly understand what Mississippi saw
yer is, we will say for their information, that
it is merely loose snag, which is kept in mo-
ton, swinging up and down, by the force of
the current, not Unlike person sawing)-
When opposite the sawyer, they drove two
upright stakes into the earth, and drew the
pantaloons Of the figure over them, so as to
make it stand perpendicular; then tying an
unlighted torch in its hand, and placing a
couple Of empty boxes and keg near, to
give the appearance of plumber" they had
quite a respectable passenger. All things
prepared, they sat down to wait for steam
err 1t was not long before they heard one
escaping round the point, and coming into
the "chute." They then hastily kinded a
fire near by, lit the torch in the figures hand,
conveyed small cord from the hand that
held it, over light limb, out to the snag or
sawyer, and made it fast The motion Of the
snag kept the torch in the figures hand
waving up and down, exactly like person
hailing a steamer. The waggish boatmen
then jumped into their skif,, and pulled off
into the shade Of an adjacent cove, to watch
the result.
Soon the steamer came in sight. The cap
tain, seeing the light, supposed of course, it
was hail: Gas the projectors intended he
should,) at once commenced ringing his bell
to answer, and gave orders to " lay over "
towards where Mr.. Stuffy, as the boatmen
had named him, was busy shaking his torch,
Stop here !" shouted the captain.
Ding-a-ling, went the bell, and the engines
ceased their motion.
"Open the fre-doors !" shouted the eng-
neer, and away streaked the light from the
fiery furnaces, lighting up the surrounding
gloom, and hiss went the escape steam, re-
verberating through the everlasting cotton
wood forests; and there was as much hustle
and noise on board the "Clipper," for that
proved to be her name, as if she was going
to take on twenty cabin passengers.
Stand by the yawl, there p the captain
ordered.
Soon the yawl was off, with two deck
hands pulling, and the mate, as is usual,
standing up in the stern, steering, making for
Mr.. Stutfy.
"Stop shaking your lght-don't you think
we see you?" shouted the mate, from the
yawl.
Get your plumber down under the bank
there, if you want to come aboard" sung out
the captain, from the deck of the steamer,
1" or we will put off again, and leave your
But Stuf1'y heard not. There he stood,
waving up and down the fre-brand he held
in his hand.
"The fellows cross" said the captain.
He's fool" muttered the mate, with an
oath, between his teeth.
No he aint," said one of the hands "but
he is drunk see, he has tumbled down the
bank there"
Just at this moment the yawl was run in
near the shore, and, passing between the
snag under the line attached to the figure, the
line caught under the mates chin, throwing
him back in the boat, at the same time jerking