Muscatine journal. [volume] (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185?, 1853-11-25
Ibis-ShOeting I'm Louisiana.

M. BURNETT Is rather entertaining account
Of an adventure in the marshes and bayous
of Louisiana.
The author, who was a naturalist, wanted
some specimens of the scarlet ibis, for
mounting. This is curious and interesting
bird, about three feet in height, with very
long, sabre-shaped bill, and is creature
of the warm climates.
In searcl, of this prize, the adventurous
hero of his own story, sets out alone in a
sklff, without even dog to bear him COM
pany, and proceeds to explore lonely and
deep labarynth of bayous and swamps.
For long time he pushed on without find
ing much to interest him, except a lake full
of ugly-looking alligators. At length he
was rewarded by espying at some distance
on sand bar, number of the objects of
his search. He shot one, landed, and ran
to pick it up; but in his haste forgot to fas-
ten his skif. When he returned, it had
foated of. He was only half mile from
shore, but might rs we'll have been in the
middle of the ocean; for he could not swim,
| and as the lake was in the middle of an in
termnable swamp, it would have avalled
him nothing if he could have reached the
bar to float toad, SO that he could make
no raft.
The unhappy naturalist shouted despe-
rntely But vainly, and then in utter despair
threw down mis- gun and tottcred down be-
side it. He had been in prison; in the
hands of robbers with a cooked carbine at
his head I; lost on the prairie without bush
| or star to guide him &: but this was twenty
times worse than the horrors of all those
situations put together.
| He sank into q stupor, from which he
was slowly aroused towards shutdown by
the blowing and roaring Of hundred ALI
gators, that were crawling all over the
island, some Of them so close to himself that
their shouts almost touched his body. He
sprang to his feet and they plunged into the
water.
Fearful at first, familiarity with the form
of a man made them bolder, and after
awhile he could only, with all his efforts,
! frIghten them enough to induce them to re-
tire few feet from his person, where,
ranged in circle surrounding him, they
looked at him with very uncomfortable
kind Of impudence, lie shot at the reptiles,
and though the shot had no effect on their
tough hides, it served to scare Them
Finally, he succeeded in killing two Of the
monsters, by shooting them in the eye-the
only place bullet will penetrate, except
under the forearm.
During the night he walked out of sleep
into which exhausted nature had sunk in
spite of resistance, and was startled by the
touch of something COLI and hal. stiaed
by a strong, musky odor that filled the
air. He threw out his arms his fingers
rested upon an object slippery and clammy:
it was one Of those monsters-one of gil
gantic size. He had crawled close along
side the unfortunate man and was prepar-
ing to make his attack, being bent in form
of bow, an attitude these creatures as
sumo when about to strike their victim.
The author was just in time to spring aside
and avoid the stroke of the alligator's pow
erful tail, thot the next moment swept the
ground where he had lain.
Finding himself about to starve he eat
his ibis raw, and picked the bones and
afterwards cut steak from an alligator's
tail which he had shot, and dcvoured that.
Finally he inflated the cntrails of an alli-
gator with air, and tying these life preserv-
ers around his body foatel off from the
islet, about noon choosing this time be-
cause the heat of the day is usually occu-
pied by the alligators in lazy sleep. In
half an hour he had the good fortune to
find his boat.
There is probably more poetry than truth
in the above narrative; but ga visit to the
Land Of the Cocoa and Palm,'' in the same
number, is told as if it were meant to be
believed. The most interesting portion of
this article relates to the treatment of
BRAZILIAN SLAVES.
Four negroes will draw loads varying
from half a ton to ton on heavily built
trucks, which are themselves heavy enous h
for any animal below an elephant to draw.
The cofee,carriers carry l60 pounds at
load, to the place of shipment, resting the
bag on the bead and shoulders. The body
is inclined forward, and the pace is trot,
or half run. The average life of coffee
carrier does not exceed ten years. In that
time the work ruptures and kills Them
Most of them are naked from the waist up
ward, and from the knees below; few
have nothing but towel around the loins.
There are coal carriers who carry LOO
pounds of coal in great baskets on their
heads, from the sea vessels to the founda-
ries and forgeries.
The following extract shows an instance
of "man's inhumanity to man, which it is
gratifying to know has no parallel in our
own country:
couple of slaves followed the coal !
carriers, each perspiring under pair of the I
largest-size blacksmith's bellows load
for horse and cart with us. week be-
fore stood to observe eight oxen drag an
ordinary wagon-load of building stone for
the Capuchins up the steep castle Hill it /