Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-02-15
{ n a Raft.

Two hundred miles below Vicks5urg,
.4eTa liss, or did, n 1857, q little ham
ias upon the western shore OF the Miss-
sslppi known as RufftoRn.
The method Of spelling the name Is
malice aTOrethOught; for when the set
Element was first christened the RATS
EaeL and steamboat hands meant
rough" but a thinner skinned gene
ration sold provisions, and wood, and
ro1r whisky to the travelling public
generally N the year 1857 than when
the name Was first given, and by their
ioTt3 the photography was modified us
! give IL above.
The town consisted of long wood
dock, where steamers occ teionally
camo for fuel, 81 full nalf-dozen Sian
''nCtels, "where I'll the Accommodations
10 be had were sold by the quart from
q Jug, t@O stores, mere traps for the I'M
wary, :. score Of shgunken houses, and
~ay hack, almost TO the bluff, log
ch0ol-b0use.
Fl the year Of which l write, was
Tie teacher IL that log schOol-hOuse, at
50 salary Of seven dollars q month and
boara; .ha bitter, in New England style,
boarding 'rourd
tainE I earned my wages. phat
may Ge ~ i. May, GRAIN it was that
wren spring carnc and the term closed,
tao trustees could have been no better
lielaaG to Day and discharge me Shan
/ #aa 1t being discharged, Had he.
forgotten TO pay me, should have dis
charged myself The fact was | was
Ii.gustcd with Ruff1own and Rufftown
people, aad had determined to voyage
rs Now Orleans. Consequently the
close of my engagement pleased me
hatter than its continuance.
School finished" as the boys had it,
Be Saturday. On Monday I had found
o place as 1aftsm2n upon 4 great raft
bound for the end OF the river. From
Coaching the young idea how TO shoot [
Sac changed to teaching legs how TO
H0at-from laudsman [ had become
3 sailor,
Tn crew were one and all strangers
"a M, .eugh and br2wney Iumbermen
from the Up-cOuutry. | was probably
the only green hand on boarj.
Ter i few Ga,s al W, mt well. could
push VIC oar and boil potatoes, so that l
or cook, buc ] was young and foolish
enough that my hook knowledge, slight
though il was, placed nee above the
Olaer men upon the raft, and / prob.
a0|y showed it. This engcndered
strife.
at first, tbs aoorn which grew IN my
companions breasts showed itself in
looks and sneering words; but as the
asyg and nights passed, and | smoked
mv pipe appalt from the others, and
did p0t join them in their songs ana
dances after the sun went down, g
more open ami hostile spirit betrayed
ilstlf, sod suddenly | was aroused from
my dream o! superiority by the return
of q blow for some sr0rnlnl word which
had cast At one e the raftsmen. |
uareuded myself as best might, and
g&ther Il tier myself now, as [ look
back and gave as many hard knocks a.
I received; bu5 the bad blood was ont
now, and my life became wretched.
For . time / held my own with my
opponents, but when TIE number or
my parsecutor5 grew, as it did, to in
cludG every man "a board from CAP
tain down, | felt that prudence was
tbe better part of valOr AMI [ simply
sought t0 avoid Intercourse or trouble
&c amy kind.
The teachers kinder techy, eh?'
SAID 4 .ua Nicholson to his companion,
as lkay eyed me where I sat, at the
ne3r OF the great raft smoking alone.
ICES kinder techy an high-tored.
Won, spesk TO no one now. What ne
wants is anolhergood thrashing."
These words were spoken loud
aCE2h for me to hear distinctly, hut I
ave no heed.
Yes continued Nicholson, she
needs more lickin' TO make him know
his place. He's like niger, the more
YOU hex EN-, the more"
4 was southern born, and this COM
oarisou was TOO much for me. Quick
rs & Il ,sh | seized & block of wood and
hurled il ri the speaker and felled him
Ia the il Jor of the raft. His Compan-
ion assisted him to rise and walk away
but inst night | slept with my hand
within my bosom upon my knife.
The climax had come. Nicholson
would kill me- now if l was not careful.
ut noon the next day, the friend OF
my enemy spoke to me after dinner,
a,d called me one side. I followed
Nm.
you kncc&ea Zach down yesterday"
II know j." I replied.
II wants satisfaction"
Then let him set 1t" said I, turning
away. enraged.
No, no!' said the other, "don't be s
-, y
Toa't fight hlm he'll strike y8 in the
2arts Ne must fight"
reflected 9 moment. What this
man said was doubtless true. Nicholson
hated me and wished to 90 me injury.
3iy safest course would be 10 have il
ont ag once.
"Wbat does he pEopose?" said 7.
"a duel, with knives"
IahUddeTed. Tue mau meant 10 XIII
NJ, as ! had feared.
But this Nicholson is twice my size.
Ia c}uid seize me and cat my throat
vale [ struggled h0Delessly." return
3D. cit would not be fair fight"
'Ztch has thought Of thar, and pro
poses 20 fight like this: Each mar
shall choose s. log and set it af0at BE-
1inG the raft. Then you shall both
jump into the river and swim for the
legs, each seat yourself upon one, and
So fight"
/ laughed.
"Bat II we fought with knives the logs
might be 2 hundred feet apart, and We
could not do each other much harm. :"
The logs to be fastened together by
iairfv {aat of chcin -