The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1849-01-06
A VERY PRIVATE LETTER FROM
MAJOR JACK DOWNING TC
PRESIDENT POLK.
Head OF SALT RIVER, DEC. IS, ,4|

aclly as Hold you twould in nv last
despatch few days before the Election.
the earthquakes and harrycancs was aw-
full. Some of our friends was throwed
up sky high, and ha;nt been seen nor
heard OF since; some was swallowed up
IN the ground and buried alive; and ali
OF us was shipwrecked and splashed over
board, and lief, to the marcy Of the wind
and the tide. | was lucky enough to
get straddIe OF plank, and has made
ont to keep my head above wafer !
drfted about while kind of confused
like, and couldn't hardly tell whether |
was on the ocean Or on lake, or where
| was.
Az last noated alonS into river, and
then | concluded of course | was boun
down Niagara, and should have to plunge
head ana ears over the biz fails | SEEM
ed e Ire lioating along down the middle
CT the river, and away off before me and
away behind me could see good many
others going the same way. and away in
close to the shore, On both sides Of the
river, there seemed to he a good many
going the other way-that is, as ]
thought, going up stream. l was kept
along5 in this way til! | come to the
narrOWs. Here the current grew t,ore
rapid, and iloated along very fast; but
I was Sc near the Shore | could see folks
on both sides ana hear EN- speak
Presently met a1an on ore side Of
the river, footing it alcn- the shore, and
towing 4 EttIe boat after him, as I
thought, up stream At inst, by his
sjoor,ns walk and bald head, thought
he was too old man to be dong such
hard kind Of work: but when he came
nearer, seed he had ilxv hair and a
vourg and almost boysh looking face
He went straight ahead, with line over
tiv shoulder, drawing the boat after him
and singing merry kind of a song,
which I couldn't make out, only oEe
vafsc oft, which seemed TO be this:
Life is real, life is earnest:
Things are est what they do seem;
Down Salt River thou retGnest,
o, my Tr b me. It's no dream
When seen who it was | was amaz-
inglv puzzled Ia heard good many
songs that had more truth than poetry in
'em, but this one seemed to have more
poetry than lutk.-Anv how. if this
was really Salt River, that we had tleard
so much tell Of, couldn't seem to make
out how I should be sailing down stream
so fast. and the Tribune man be Juggling
up steam, so hard. This didn't agree with
! the election returns at all. Something
has got twisted round: things is rot Jest
wllat trey seem. While I was bother
ing INV head about ii, looked over on
'tother side OF the river, and there was
another man with line over his shout
der, towing larger and HEAVIER boat up
stream. as thought. He was tail of-
tcer- looking man, witt. large Nhlskers
and stood up straight, and walked strong
as though he did mt care for nobody. lie
too seemed to be singing a very merry
song, All / could hear Of 1t was usl
this varse:
| Old Uncle Sam was jolly cid soul
And Jolly old soul was he:
He called for his pipe, and he called for
his bowl,
And he called for 'Gzylnr and NE.
As he passed by me see the name on
he siarn OF the boat was New York Ccuri--
er and Enquirer. was in great puzzle
ment; these Wing chaps was all Sc merry
and yet, if this was really Salt River, il
seemed to me they was going the wrong
way. acconlin@ 10 the lection, ana couIl
mol tell what 10 make oft. As ! was near
enough TO hal! the Courier man. | though,
! | would cal! 10 him and see i'll could get
any light on the subject. So says L.
'sHulo, Coloueln' He stopped and turn
ed round and answered, HHuIo."
Saws i, II ask your pardon, Colonel bu,
I'm "a stranger IN these parts, and s,ran
ger to you, bu1 known you by your boat
viii YOU 'be so kind as to tell me where
I'm bound to! For I'm kind of lost"
ooh certainly says he, "wilh the erea
'est pleasure my dear sir You are bound
'slraight,up TO the head of Salt river, you
cant miss your way, for them isn't a single
path that turns GU: between here and here :
swell now" says I, Colonel you Or
must be under some strange mistake. Don :
you see I'm floating down on The current
Amt 'the river running down this way,
and carrying me along with it,
AT that he laughed outright and says he
IL see you are nothing but a fresh water
sailor, and don't know anything abou, the
navigation of Salt river"
"Wel, how should l." says I, "fot nev
er was in these waters before"
"WeIl, says he, "Sah rircr runs up
STREAM. ies, bear that in your mind, and
you'll find thai al plain saing.n
'But that can't be possible says you,
NOR I. nor nobody else, ever knewn It riv
Ter 10 run up sream.'
sYou may depend upon IT,, says he,
sSali nver runs up stream; and | suppose
I =, I A