Connecticut western news., 1883-02-21
ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
The ROustabouts Who Handle the CargOes
 of the Boats.


 has a gruff voice and a hickory club. They work on the jump. They move on the run. They are steadily sworn at, and the least sign of insubordination is promptly quelled by the active mate, whom constant practice has made per feet in club exercise.
 These mates are snappy, nervy men. They are often shot at or otherwise in- jured by the negroes; but they always ''get away with the nigger." The cot ton on landing slowed on the boat, the gang blanks are raised by machinery, and, if it is night, the electric lights are turned out, and the tired negroes fall on the cotton bales and are instantly asleep. Two, three, four miles, and then the hoarse whistle of the steamer resounds throughout the damp, heavy air. h. stantly all hands are on their feet, alert and active. If it is night, blaze of light shoots forth from the electric lamps, and all is light as day. The boat swings to the shore; the immense gang blanks are lowered. The instant the plank touches the land column of black men run up it, and before the last man has set his foot on shore the first men are rolling cotton bales down the plank. There is no singing over this work. The work is too arduous to rejoice over. And there, standing over them, is the mate, cursing and nervously swinging his club in suggestive manner not calculated to cause negro to burst into song. The last bale on board, the gang plank rises, and down fall the exhausted roustabouts fast asleep the instant they strike the cotton bales. Oh, how pitied them
 After the steamer leaves Vicksburg on her down trip, no more large quantities of cotton are taken on board, that dis trict belonging under the pooling ar engagements to other boats. The down trip is one of idleness mostly. There are few mail landings, where lean and apparently empty bags are delivered to dirty-looking white men, the postmasters, presumably. And there may be few packages of merchandise or some f'plun- der" belonging to black emigrants to be discharged or shipped; but of work there is none.
 After the last landing above New Or leans has been made, the roustabouts march to the outside of the office to re- ceive the pay due them for the trip. The barkeeper is in the office with his account book. The mate is there with his time book and his club. He calls through the open window, into which many pairs of black eyes inquiringly look, the name of the man on the head of the list and the amount due him. The bar. keeper calls out the sum the man owes him for whisky. That amount is de. ducted from the roustabout' s wages. and the remainder is handed to the mate who counts it to satisfy himself that 1t it correct. Then, glancing at the negro whose outstretched hand is thrust into the office, he drops the broad silver pieces into his palm, generally accom- panying them with a pleasant remark These mates abuse and knock the ne groes about, but they see that justice is done to them, and they allow no other man to abuse their hands. The negro grins in reply, and hastens below deck He chambers over the cotton bales il eager haste to the mess room of the roustabouts, and there he prepares te play "craps," the national game O Africa.
 As the other hands are paid, they, too eagerly chamber over the cotton bales and the game is at once begun. 'Craps' is played with dice. They are shaker in the closed hand, and with swing thu hand is opened and the dice roll along the dirty table. The game, I an ashamed to say, surpasses the menta powers of white men to grasp. I me no white man who understood it, and utterly failed to understand the explana tions of the negroes. This is more hu initiating as "wild nigger," fresh iron an alligator swamp, thoroughly under stands the game, and plays it skillfully The edge of the fiery desire that pos sesses all black roustabouts to gamble i taken off with "craps;" then Spanis] monte and seven-up are indulged in, an, the gambling never ceases until all tn money IS in the pockets of five or six o the most expert gamblers. These mel rush from the boat the instant it touche the wharf at New Orleans and hasten t.
 the lair of the tiger. When they escap from the clutches of that animal, the, are penniless. The men are paid off be fore the boat arrives at New Orleans fo the avowed purpose of having then gamble and lose their money, so tha they will be ready to ship again.
 Smoking is strictly prohibited outsid the cabin on all steamers when they ar loaded with cotton. Pre-eminent in en forcing this rule are the black roust abouts. Stories are told of their throw ing black offenders into the river for thi wrong that endangers the life of ever person on the boat. The negroes drea
 8 fire. I suppose they realize that the
 would have to stand back until all tn white people were rescued, and ths
 their chance of escaping would be yer
 small. I asked the mate if his steame had ever been on fire. He told me it had
 l was curious to know how the black
 behaved in the presence of SO grave
 danger, and inquired. "Well," he re
 piled, ''the last fire broke out in the hold
 caused by some deck passenger smoking
 When the negroes saw the smoke cur
 ing up from the bales, they becam