New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-08-19
NlJ I. | !. NIB E.REs !.
THRILLING M RATTVE,
RLAsTAToN, BAYoU DE- LkKgE, NEAR Hor4A, i
.55.s Parish Terrehonne Ia. 18th Anr 1asa

THRILLING NARRATIVE.
PLANTATION, BAYOU DE- LARGE. NgAr. Horsfa .j &
Parish Terreb0nne, La, 18th AUg., 1856.
Editors Crescent Thinking that history og 4 re-
cent In search Of pleasure and health to (syards
Gallon Island may interest your readers, siEion a
outline of III fss sF
on Thursday evening after a pleasant ride Of H.
teen falies down the banks Of the ayos Terrebonn
and Black from the Tefrebonne station. through one
OF the richest sections of country in Louisiana, We
MISS L.. fs and raysef) reached the fine plan.
tation of Mr. q, in whose h9spitable mansion we
passed the night Our prepafa ions for or eortenn
plated excursion to GALLON were complete and Tie ey
ming was passed in joyful chat upon tie antcipsted
pleasures 70 be enjoyed at this, the most beautiful Il
the group of islands fronting our Gulf coast. sCsur
fishing tackle was inspected and prononnced com.
plete, and war was formally declared against Tie whole
finny trlberedfsh, trout, sheephead, founder, ETC..
were TO afford Us amusement and grace our table. On
Friday morning (the day dedicated By seanen gene
rally to the demon Of III luck we loaded an immense
Wagon 70 fs utmost capacity with stores
provisions baggage aud bedding, and started the same
Tor the point Of ernbarkation on the Terrebonne
thirty miles distant IN the afternoon our party now
composed Of r. and Mrs. and their three children
Miss L. Mrs b and myself, aceompa by Eve sable
attendants, started IN carriages. The evening was
clear and fine the roads excellent and We rolled along
merry until We reached the plantation and residence
OF Mrs in whose kind charge we left the ladies to
refresh themselves with va and supper, while Mr.
/ Y. ana myself proceeded to Jack Rhodes, the point
| q enbarkatEon to supenntend the loading of our
SAL boat and to provide comfortable quarters for the
ladies.
| we soon fodnd, however; that comfort was out Of
the question: The boat [tte best We could procure
was put thirty feet long and already loaded to lis
utmost with the baggage and stores, 50 IT
was apparent that our party Of thirteen persons, with
Captain Chestnut and son, and two blacks for crew,
seventeen souls in all must be content on deck The
poat cabin three feet four inches wide by five
feet eleven inches long, by three and half feet high
ana was deeked over, but as this cabin was already
fllied and perfect black hoIer at the
pest, the deck had the benefit OF fresh air and was
preferred am thus minute as to the dimensions OF
TINS cabin, for reasons that will become
! apparent as we progress The ladies arrived at u
Z. NJ, ileraldng their approach to this abode Of
mosquitoes and ailigators with song, whose music
rang cherrly through the dark aises among the moss
grown live oaks. Here we encamped until day break
when the cry Of all aboard that's going' ronsed alt
and we were of, down the sluggish and black bayou
4 TeE1ebonne. q
Six miles past the overhanging Iive.oaks, myrtle
bushes and towering expresses brought us to the edge
4 ofTthe (tb the eye) boundless sea marsh, through
whose waving field Of bright green grass wound the
bayou on and on, until lost in the distance. By noon
by alternately sailing, polling and cordetIeng We
reached low shell mound on the bank of the bayou
known as the q TeEaple, some six or seven mile:
4 from the edge Of the woods Here We stopped and
landed to stretch our weary limbs and refresh the in
ner man with lunch. The wind, by this time, had
fresened and hauled so much ahead to prevent o1
4 sailing. Beating to WindWard with a crowded and
! overloaded boat in aishallowand narrow bayou was
7 out OF the question. We determined to await here
until sunset trusting that the wind would lnlI Or be
come favorable so that we might proceed by moon
light. We were, however, disappointed, and made
the best arrangements could for encanpn for ths
night. The afternoon and evening being clear, w
amused ourselves by fishing, and with a bright meor
for the first half Of the night the time passed pleas
anty
1hs was the hrst experience the lives of the fe
i male portion of our party in camp life and sleeping
upon the ground, with the bright moon and stars over
head; but the novelty of the thing aud the beauty O
the night made it pleasant to them. Social chat anG
song made the time pass rapidly; the strong breeze
sweeping over the broad expanse of marsh kept doHT
the mosquitoes and filed the lungs with the fresh an6
pure sea air One by one sleep o'ercame us al
slept, dreaming not oil the near approach Of danger
l aWoke suddenly q dense black cloud covered hal
the sky to the southeast, and was approaching rap
Idly. There was no time to get on board our boat
which was anchored ont in the bayou. We (Mr.
and myse) wished to get the ladies' into the cabiI
out OF the rain, butwe were too late. The squal
struck us hastily covering with blankets and shawl
the ladies who covered together on the ground, W
turned our backs to the storm and to the best of
ability protected them. The rain fell in torrents til
wind hoWlea past us, and thus we remained from 2
to5 A. M when the rain ceased, but not the wind
1t IS needless to say we were drenched and dsconsc
late; but putting the best face we could upon til
matter, with many joke we ate cold breakfast an
conveyed the ladies into the cabin Of our sailboa
The wind, which was now from the northeast, graf
ualy increasing, our boat dragged her anchor unit
she rested against the bank. Whilst the wind was
northeast, We apprehended no danger from the ri
ing OF the water and consequent overflow of I'll
marsh, and therefore remained quietly on board OF
boat though the sea broke her with great fore
every moment. Capt. Chesnut, his son. and all til
negroes remained all day ashore, on the Temple.
About P. NJ. the wind changed suddenly to tf
southeast and commenced to blow with tenfold fore
1t shrieked and howled past us with tremendous fur
The water commenced to rise rapidly: our boz
} foated over on to the bank and dragged her ancho
u which Mr.. G. and myself had BY this time burie
Il into the shell bank Myself and negro man g
upon the anchor to bear it down. but our weight vi
: nothing. Our boat yet rubbed slightly en- the top
the shell bank, and this prevented the full force of IL
strain coming upon the anchor. Something mu
Il be done instantly, for in ten minutes it would be t,
late As the boat ioaed freely as to brir
the whole strain upon her anchor we would be sWe
. resistessy the marsh Slightly to rear,
IL tonght of the stern of the boat perceived sunt
blackberry tree. Gould we get the anchor to til
, tree it might hold. Every man except Lewis
black MANI and myself, try and bear the boat ov
J towards that tree. YOU Lewis, help me carry Il
anchor across the bows of the boat to that tree
u boat drifts faster than carry the anchors
IS grounds ridge of shells-We reach the tree a
Il firmly lash the anchor to it. Thank God far
safe if the tree but holds by its roots. By IL
time the water is over the top Of the Temple, swet
l. ing over it immense logs, as if they were me
81 straws. Isl .I.#+ n y - 9- ,t#t -#
II Here comes the skf (Which had been all day on
d top Of the Temple, bottom up, covering Capt CHI
% nut and son and the negroes) containing the Capita