The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-06-29
BIa hAgn, June 1876.

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readers. can not promise, ID advance
70 interest them or yguFseif, for dis
appointment Il f1ed IN the memory
ullilo qualification Il soon forgotten.
However. il any one has curiosity
enough 70 pernse onr articles il viii
not cost them anything, excepting a
ia'e fale. vIiich few value ut its real
worth.
The first dry. after leaving Lake
/ Charles, we had very pleasant time
the wind blew. the sails auttered, the
schooner flew onward az though ii were
a thing Of life the captain, the sailors.
the passengers, we're ali ia good hu-
mor--smiles played upon their counte-
nances mot on the cuptain'e often), in
tiicating happy thoughts and pleasant
feelings, and these lines came wildly
20 mind, :" A iifo On the ocean wave, "A
home on the rolling deep, but look !
what is all this just ahead? The spy glass
is grasped, and soon the captain calls
out Eleven sci ooners in the canal T. A
change came o er that scene The Inez
Huston was in advance, had been in
this place ten days. and no other vessel
could pass her--the Alice Taylor had
been in five days. Lumber was being
thrown overheard, lumber was being
RATED, men we're waist deep in water
and. mud, lines were carried forward,
and made fast to stakes, and then there
was pulling and tagging TO move the
vessels forward. The mud, the mud,
the blush, black mud, on the ropes, on
the schooners, on the mems feet and
hands, on their clothes-methought Of
. home on the dry land. During the
evening some Of our party tried their
skill at catching crabs along the sides
of the canal. There we're n Roodly num-
Der, but not many caught A person
with "the rheumatics world have
laughsd to have seen our grave old |
captain reach down to take up one, and
suddenly jerk away bis hand, as though
he had felt the coils Of a rattlesnake /;
after all we had taste of the crabs. |
Late in the afternoon, a sqnall came
up, with considerable rain and light
ming. Then There was hurrying to
and fro" to take advantage Of the
strong wind in getting the schoDners
through. After dark the captain and
men came down into thecabin drenched
10 the skin. and / observed, Yon are
as wet as a drowned rat" " just
about, drawled out the captain, in his
ususl dry tones. Here was a small
sample Of sailor-life-the rough life
and hardships Of these ssli.sacrificing
men can not be realized by any one on
abore Give me the plow-handle, the
hatchet, the hammer, anything honor
able on land in preference to a sea-
faring life. How lonely the sailor must
feel, particularly one without mate
Have you never noticed their fondnesB
for pets A cat on board gets the FIRST
haby's attentions, its hair Is smoothed.
its head IL patted and o, the baby
talk, you would think IL the most won
derful cat in the world The same
may be said Of the little dog and if
both are on board, they are trained to
skip and play, dart over tho uncovered
water-cask, and cut ever 80 many antics
10 The great amusement Of all on board
well, man must have something 10
comfort, something to oareas- but /
think wife and baby make the best pets
after al. Don't you
During She squail, schooner Alice
Taylor was struck by iightuing. the top.
mast was shattered, no one injured,
md 70 other damage done the vessel.
The aasts IF vessels are regular light
aing rods, without their safety would
prefer taking my chances On land in q
.hnnder storm, under little, Tow,
ahFubhy bnsh, and II convenient,
leather bed, too.
By the aid 81 the strong wind, the
meg Huston and othera have a. last
made n through.
Bear with ne gentle reader, for I
have ona important matter to place be-
lore yon. The canal cut through tho