The Red Cloud chief., 1875-11-18
n r CHUxs.


-
The Carmi Chums wa the name they
went by all along the river. Most other
roustabouts had each a name of his own;
SO had the Carmi Chums, for that mat.
ter, but the men themselves were never
mentioned individually-always collect.
lively. No steamboat Captain who
wanted only q single man ever attempted
to hire half Of the Csrmi Chums at a
time-as easy would it have been to
have hired half of the Siamese Twins.
No steamboat mate who knew them ever
attempted to 'tell off" the Chums into
different watches, and any mate who,
not kno wing them, committed this blum
der, and adhered to il after explanation
was made, was sure to be two men short
Immediately after leaving the steamers
next landing. There seemed nc possible
way Of separating them; they never Tell
out with each other in the natural course
of events; they never fought When
drunk, as other friendly roustabouts
sometimes did, for the Carmi Chums
never got drunk; there sever spfang up
any GOODNESS between them because of
love for the same lady, for they did not
seem to care at all for female Ssociety,
unless they happened to met some old
lady whom one might love as a mother
rather than as a sweetheart. Even pro-
!cssionsl busybodies, from whose pres
cnce roustatouts are not frcer than
church members, were unable to pro-
woke the Carmi Chums even to suspicion,
and those Of them who attempted j: too
persi,tsntly were likely to have q diff
Guilty with the slighter OF the Chums.
This man, who was called Black, because
Of the color Of his hair, was apparently
forty years Of age, Of very ordinary spt
peerance, except when an occasional
fnr,ive, frightened look came into his
face and attracted attention. His CON
panion called Red, because his hair was
of the hue of carrots. and because il
was occasionally necessary to distinguish
him from his friend, seemed of about
the same age and degree Of ordinariness
"a Black, but was rather ~s.outer, more
CHEEKY. aud, TO us the favorite roustu-
bout simiie, held his head closer to the
current. yIe seemed, when Black was
absent minded las he generally was
while off duty. To be the leading spirit
of the couple, and to he tenderly alive
10 all Of his partners needs; but OBJ
serving roustabouts noticed that when
freight was being moved, or wood taken
on board, Black YVES always where he
could keep All eye on his chum, and
when he could demand instant repairs
ton from any wretch who trod upon
Reds toes, or who with a shoulder load
of wood grazed Reds head, or touched
Red with box or barrel.
Next to neighborly wonder as to the
existence of the friendship between the
Chums, roustsbouts with whom the
couple sailed concerned themselves most
with the cause of the bond between
them. Their searches after first causes
were no more successful, however, than
those of the naturalists who are endeav-
oring to assertion who laid the cosmic
egg. They gave out that they came
from Carmi, so, once or twice, when
Captains with whom the Chums were
engaged determined to seek a cargo up
the Wabash, upon which river CaTmi
was located, in4uisitive roustabouts be.
came light hearted. But, alas, for the
vanity of human hopes! when the BOAT
reached Carmi the Chums could not be
found, nor could any inhabitant Of
Carmi identify them by the descriptions
which were given by ~inquiring friends.
At length they became known, in their
objective capacity. as one of the instl.
tutions of the river. Captains knew
them as well as they knew Nstchcz or
ccedcd in this latter named operation,
he would, by inscnslble stages, draw
himself away, and give himself up to
enthusiastic admiration of hs partner,
or, apparently, of his conversational
ability.
THE spring of 1SG? found the Chums
in The crew Of the Bennett. 'the peer.
less floating palace OF the Mississippi"
AS she was called by those newspapers
whose reporters had the freedom Of the
Benefits bar: and the same season SAW
the Bennett staggering down the Mis-
sissiopi with 30 heavy a load of sacked
corn, that the gunwales a~midships were
fairly under water. The river was very
low, SO the Bennett kept carefully in the
channel, but the channel Of the great
muddy ditch which drains half the
Union is as tickle as disappointed lovers
declare women to be, and it has no
more respect for great steamer loads
OF corr than Goliah had for David. A
little Ohio River boat, bound upwards,
had reported the sudden disappearance
If a wood yard a LITTLE way above Mil
liken's Bend, where the channel Rugged
the shore, and With the wood yard there
had disappeared All enormous sycamore
tree, which had for years served as .
tying post for steamers. As live syca.
moYcs are about as disinclined to float
as bIrs of lead are. the Captain and