The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-01-06
STAUNTON. VIRGINIA. THURSDAY JANUARY 6, 1870
A Lively Country.

L
isville Courier Journal is responsible for the
following Tennessee story:
| Ono of the most notable Instructions upon
the upper Tennessee river has been what is
called The Pot" which was peculiarly an
moving because it was only dangerous to nav
igation during high water, when the other
distractions had ceased to exist. The Pot. y
was a whirlpool caused by points Of rocks
jutting out into the river, causing cross cur
rents, and the higher the water the fercer
the whirl. In very high floods nothing could
pass the whirl, and its vortex was large
enough to engulph the largest of the river
boats In ordinary high water, its passage
was very difficult and dangerous, while at
common boating stages fatboat would be
carried round and round by the current, and
steamboat found much trouble in passing
through.
Soma g. using tales are told in reference to
this belly and the troubles of the early
navigatcrs here during the balmy days Of
fatboating. 1t is related of an inexperienced
flatboatman who was going down the river in
those days, that one dark night be saw = log
cabin on the shore, from which proceeded the
sound of music and dancing. Being Of a
jovial disposition, he tied up his beat and
went in to take drink. He was urged to
stop and spend the night, but pleaded an
anxiety to be on his way, though be didn't
mind taking drop or two to cheer him on
his voyage So he united his boat and pzr-
came, as he thought, to another log cabin
where they were having, if possible, a still
more joyful time than at the one where he
had taken drink Q little while before. He
did lot get off this time, as he did not believe
in drinking between drinks, but continued to
journey on for ten minutes or SO more, when
10 another scene of revelry appeared.
Well,a he soliloquized, "this here is a
mighty lively country. believe I'll 60 and
see this frolic."~
AS he entered, he thought he recognized
some faces that he had seen at his last stop
ping place, but as they were SO near together
he thought they had just come over on visit,
so our friend imbibed pretty freely with them
to renewal of friendships, and again pur-
sued his voyage, pleading want Of time, as
before, for his excuse in declining other in
vitations to stop all night.
At regular intervals of ten or fifteen min
utes he passed two or three more log cabins,
whence the inspiring sound Of the fiddle aud
the cheering clink of bottles were borne to
his ears. But he felt too tired to stop again,
and SO remained reclining on his boat in stu
ped amazement; there came to his ears con-
tinually broken snatches Of the Fishers
Hornpipe, Old Dan Tucker, and the Irish
Washcrwoman, and his wondering eyes be-
held at every quarter of mile log cabin,
where the liveliest kind Of frolic was going
on. At length the morning dawned, and he
saw on the shore a cabin whose proprietor
was just going down to the river to wash his
face, looking very much as though he had
been up all night INDUCING in dissipation
Him he hailed:
Hello, stranger! was you on frolic last
night, too 2"
"You'd think it," was the reply.
swell, I'll be dogoned if this aren't the
liveliest country | have ever saw! What
State is this stranger?"
Tennessee, Marion county,"
Tennessee, hey? Marion country! Well,
it are merry IN. Stranger, it just beats
anything ever seed in all my own days. l
was raised up here in Jefferson where they
are some on frolicing, but this here just knocks
the centre out plumb out of that. Why,
stranger, I've been travelling down this river
| all night. l must have come thirty miles, at
| least, and I'll be darned if there wasn't a
cabin every half mile, and the biggest kind
of frolic in every one Of them, whisky, and
fddlin' and dancin' till you couldn't rest
It's just the dogondcst liveliest country ever
| seed !"
BY this time the owner of the cabin had
| finished his ablutions and stood attentively
regarding him.
"Whar did you say you was raised, stran-
ger"
Sup here in Jefferson, on the French
Broad. It's mighty fine country, stranger,
but it can't hold candle to this"
Well, you wasn't made for traveller,
| that's certain Any man thatll quit crowd
like we had there last night, to floating round
and round this cusscd I" Pot" instead of
sticking like man to his whisky and dancin'
can't look to get on much in the world. How
FAR did you say you come last night"
"Thirty miles, if it's foot"
"And how many cabins did you see with
frolics going on"
"Well, there must been hundred, sure
"Now, I will be doggoned Stranger, you
didn't travel half mile last night. The
only cabin you say was this here one of mine.
You came ashore twice, and took some mighty
good oorns of whisky and apple brandy, but
they was not enough to make a man SO drunk
as you must have been to make hundred
cabins outen this un."
A light began to dawn upon the vision Of
the voyager from the French Broad
"Have just been foatin' round and round
here all night?"
"You just have"
"Stranger come board here and take a
drink Of old peach, and then lend hand to
get me out Of this It amt such id
lively country after all"
This was in the old times which will never
come back again, aud the discontinue of
this unlucky 1atboatman can never again be
the fate IF other voyagers on the Tennessee
river.
TRUE GREArNEss.-One element of hui
man greatness consists in the conquest of self
Solomon says that he who achieves this con.
quest is greater than he who takes city. To
@Ia