The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-10-08

| Bob introduced his business.
"You said last year at our house
that you would let any man who chose
to get up your swamp land use it for
ten years, or something OF that sort"
"Yes, said this: have ten thou
sand acres on the Tallahatchee part of
it was under cultivation before the war,
but it has grown up in cane so that it is
worth almost nothing now to sell, and
! haven't the capital nor the energy at
my time of life to get it up again. 1t
is superb and, capable of yielding
three bales of cotton to the acre, and ii
it was under cultivation again it would
sell for fifty dollars an acre. What l
proposed was to let young Bowling go
there and get up as much as he pleased
of it, cut and sell the wood he chose.
use the land rent free for ten years,
and, at the end OF that time, receive
from me bonus of five dollars an acre
for all the land brought under cultiva-
ton. But what Of it? Bowling didn't
accept the offer"
Bob explained his own purpose to
accept it in a small way. going into the
swamp country, and making what mon
ev he could with his own han;s, for his
friend knew he had no capital.
But, my dear boy" said the gen.
tleman, "a white man can't work in the
swamp, and you have no money to hire
negroes with
did any white man ever try itP''
asked Bob.
mot that ever heard Of"
Besides" said Bob, were not
white men; we're only white boys, and
we won't be very white either, after
we've been at work few months
After a good deal of explanation and
discussion, Major Singer consented to
let the boys try their plan, though he
had no confidence in it.
"pll do this he said "You may
60 into the swamp, cut and sell all the
wood you can to steamboats, when they
come up, and cultivate all the land YOU
choose to grub, without any charge for
rent. I'll give you mule and a cart,
and enough bacon and meal TO last you
for month or two. By that time
you'll be tired of the experiment, and
you can return the mule and cart on
your way home"
Bob asked for the privilege of paying
for the mule and cart out of the pro-
ceeds of mis- first crop, and, laughing,
the Major consented, naming one hun
dred dollars as the price.
Five days later the boys ate their sup
per of bacon and ash-cake on a log on
the banks of the Tallahatchee River. 1t
was lonely, desolate swamp region,
and the log on which they sat was
twelve miles distant from the nearest
human habitatiou. They were tritle
lonely there in the wild woods, but
they had camp fire and courage, and
those go long way.
The next-day they set to work and
built hat to live in, with a rude bunk
for bed. Then Bob 'prospected. "
Much of the land about them had once
been cultivated, and there were no
trees of any considerable size upon the
parts which had been fields; but the
growth of cane and brush-wood was
appalling.
Never mind" said Bob. ut is
only September now, and We'll get a
few acres cleared by spring. Our first
work must be to cut big pile of wood
to sell to the steamboats, when they
come up; if we don't, we can't buy
plows or food for our farming opera
tions."
when will the boats comePn asked
Ned.
Late in the fall or in the winter,
whenever the river gets high enough.
. 1t isn't navigable now, but when ii
+ rises, the steamboats, come up to get
, loads of cotton"
! With brave hearts the boys set to
, work chopping and hauling cord-wood.
, They made very little progress the FIRST
! day, but after they had practced for a
/ few days they became more expert,
! and at the end of week they found by
-. measurement that they could together
; cut and haul about cord Of wood each
n day. One grown man would have ac-
q cOmplshed more than this; but the
boys were satisfied. They had brought
!, a grinds5one and some iron wedges
, with them, and there was no reason tC
doubt that they could maintain then
average of a cord q day. The mule
. kept in good condition on swamp grass
: and young cane.
e Bob laid out, next the river, the little
t field which he hoped to get ready fol
g cultivation, and before attacking the
timber land he took care to cut into
@ cord, wood all the trees in that little
h patch which were big enough for thu
) purpose. Then the young pioneers
6 went into the woodlands little further
up stream, and there m lde rather bet
. ter progress. The fall was unusually
8 dry. No rain fell, and the river 90
4 steadily lower. Meantime the wood
n pile had grown by the last of Novem
4 bert acre than sixty cords enough t
n pay ,le boys we'll for their work when
: ever the steamboats, should come. Blu
when could they come? This question
l. was giving Bob good deal of uneasi