The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-10-15

for not cutting . canal across the rar.
row isthmus, and thus shortening the
passage.
Just below the Thirteen points was q
plantation that would be noted any.
where as thing of beauty. 1t was de.
signed by the late Judge Bly,, and was
the favorite residence of himself and
family for many years. Every thing
that could charm the eye in architect
ure and horticulture seemed to be there.
and it was the nearest approach to an
earthly paradise of any place l ever be-
held, either in this country or Europe.
1t appeared almost like a dissertation
for such an Eden to be inhabited by
ordinary human beings. Whyit should
have been located in such an out-Of-the-
way place, and amid such surroundings,
is one of the mysteries past divining.
There was no life or activity anywhere
near it, and except the passengers of an
occasional boat, no one outside the
| family and friends to see it. There were
little villages occasionally along the
banks, if collections of half dozen or
SO small houses could be called such.
They were all much after the same
fashion. We had some freight to de-
liver at one of them. but found no one
authorized to receive it. One man was
seen standing listlessly on the landing,
and he said every one else had gone on
a bear hunt. From conversation with
him it appeared that this was no unusual
thing: that the stores were all left open,
and If a customer wanted any thing he
helped himself and entered it on a slate
left upon the counter for that purpose.
In answer to question he said that
theft was of very rare occurrence, and
when any fellow was caught at such
deviltry, quick work was made with
him; the citizens held a meeting and
took it out of his hide with hickories. /
had often heard of Arcadian simplicity,
but this little town furnished the only
instance of it that ever fell under my
notice.
Arkadelphia is situated about seventy
miles above Camden, which is the usual
head of navigation on the Wichita. 1t
can be reached by boats semi-occasiOn-
ally; that is to say, when there are con-
siderable freshets. 1t was one of these
occasions now, and Captain ID. took his
boat up there to get a lot of cotton that
was awaiting cheap transportation. The
land opposite the town was quite high,
nearly on level with the tops of the
steamers chimnevs. and between it and
the river bank was sloping beach
about fifty feet wide. The high land is
level and was covered with a dense
growth of small cane as far as the eye
could see. A canebrake is an object Of
singular interest to spectator who sees
one for the first time, creating an inn
preston of profound solitude. A por-
ton of the caye had been cleared from
the edge of the land, and several tiers
of cotton were piled up theFx To en-
able this to be loaded onto the boat a
staging had to be constructed over sixty
feet long. 1t was made of scantling
and boards, supplemented at the end
next the land by the regular boat-stag-
ing. In hauling up the foremost one Of
these stagings one of the rope-eyes
broke, forming a rugged hook that had
very threatening aspect 10 the I'M
wary. The loading on of the cotton ex-
tended far into the night, and it became
necessary to build fires all along the
banks to light the men at their work,
and the passengers found it very pleas
ant to ramble about in the edge of the
canebrake by the dim light OF the fires.
OF course, they soon began to talk
about what they would do if they should
see bear, and every one was going to
do something very brave and dar-
ing. One big, burly fellow said
if he should come across bear,
he would catch it by the ears
and kick its bowels out. Among the
hands on the boat was an Italian, who
acted as porter, eking out his meager
wages by means of certain entertaining
tricks for the performance, of which he
received small dOnceurs from the pas
sengers. He had been an attache of
various side shows, and was tolerable
jiggler in a small way, and pretty
good ventriloguist in smaller way.
That is, he could initiate the snarling
and swapping of dog at mans heels,
or the caterwauling Of cat in some
ones hat, and various small tricks of
that kind. Hearing the boasts of the
passengers as to what they would do if
they saw a bear. he concluded to have
little sport at their expense, even at
the risk of getting chance shot from a
revolver. Downing a buffalo robe he
slyly made detour from the boat to
the rear of where the cotton was being
handled, and as he drew near COM
menced making jumps. Stimulating as
nearly as possible the Looping of bear
through the brake. The passengers as
well as the boat hands soon got q
glimpse of him. and then such scam
pering took place as has seldom been
seen. every one seeming to forget the
brave things he had promised to do.
The man who was going to take the bear
by the ears was the worst scared of any,
and in his haste to get ON the staging
missed his footing, and would have
gone down the bank but that his cloth
ing caught in the jagged hook before
mentioned and there he hung suspend
ed. uttering the most fearful shrieks.
The hook had torn his flesh little and
he thought himself in the grasp of the
bear. While he was still hanging there
the porter came stalking on board with
the big buffalo robe wrapped around
him. la big injun, and appeared to be
quite curious to learn what the row was
about. He had some trouble to make
his peace with his irate victims, but sue
ceeded in persuading them that it was
entirely unintent:onal on his part and
that he had not the least idea of being
mistaken for bear.
The return passage being without
stoppage, was made much quicker and
when regained New Orleans l
felt that 1 had been amply repaid for