The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-05-15
THE GHOST OF THE "R. E.LeE +"

No more wuks de river,
De mates done made me 90:
Old Jim's done rollin' cotton,
His step is got too slow;
His hand Is weak an trembIin.
His sight is gittin' dim,
De voice dat led yo' chorus
Can sca'cely raise hymn.
Oh boys hits gittin' lonely,
A stoppig' here asho',
To see de 'partin steamers
An heah her whistles blow,
An feel dem tones, like music,
Is voices dat you know
What's tellin' one old rOuster
About de long ago,
Las night hearn de Natchez
A comm down de stream,
An roundin' to de landin';
Hit mout o. been a dream,
But den / hearn de echoes
0 de good ole packets horn
'Mongst de hills o. Mississippi
| Nigh de home whar was born.
An seen de red bluffs kivered
Wild de dark woods at de crown,
An de wavin' fringe O. willows
Whar dar feet was slopin' down:
An away across de river
All de cotton fields laid green,
Kind O. lartin' at us rousters,
Like dey knowed what loadin mean
But hit warn IT upon de Natchez,
Nor it neither were de White,
Dat use' to wuk de river
In dem ole times day an night;
But de good ole boat, God bless her!
She's done lef' de river too,
All, you knows de noble steamer,
Twas de old Lee an de new!
Hit were one to all we rousters,
For our pride was in de name,
An de ole or news no difference
Case de boats was bofe de same,
Oh, we gloried when de solgers
Made dar cannon shake dar town,
An de crowds went out to meet her
At de time she fust come down!
An we gloried when st. Louis
Had been reached in dat great run,
An de Lee was fust to git dar
When de famous race was done.
An in all de way to Vicksburg,
Up, an back to New Orleans,
We was proud to tread her timbers,
Case dey was de river queens.
Now you talks about yo' steamboats,,
But dem times dey warn't but free
'Twere de j. n. White an Natchez,
An de steamer, R. E. Lee:
One is gone, an when her sisters
Come to feel de wracker's hand
Oar will neber be anuder
Gwine to stop her wheels to land.
Does you member dat dark midnight
Jes' above de Cutoff bend,
Nigh de Hard Times packet landin',
When our steamer met her end;
How de fire was redly rollin',
Like hit tried to reach de sky,
An below, de river burnin'
Like de blazes streamin' high?
An you seen dat one man standin',
Frou' de flames, still at de wheel,
An dem faces starin' upward
'Fo' dey sunk beneaf de keel;
An de stream was one great furnace,
An de sky was one great fire,
like de clouds deyselves was burnin'
And de flames KEEP climbin' higher!
)ey mout say we ragged rousters
Ha'nt no feelins in our hyarts;
sut we Farms to love our steamboats,,
An we mons um when we parts:
Veil hit'syears since all dat happened
But, as long as dey mout be,
)ar's few un US ole deck hands
Which kin not forgit de Lee.
was one night at de landin'.
Whar dey USE to make her fast;
m de town was restin' silent,
For de midnight time had passe:
m de current driftin' downward
Seemed to sing some old-time chune
Which hit KEEP de ripples dancin'
Tell dey sparkled neaf de moon.
Whilst my eyes looked up de river, {
Oar saw cloud O. gray, Il
ike puff O. smoke arisin' I
F'om packet far away;
en- de town and masts all faded, c
Like fog was closid' in, s
n beyon' hits misty thickness t
Oar appeared de hill agin. c
dat cloud way up de river,
In de moons pale shinin' light,
'as, above, a smoky pillor, y
Whilst, below; hit turned to white
it becomed movin' steamer, e
Wild de foam waves at her sides,
n de spray behind her wheelhouse. /,
Flying swiftly ON de tide: v
n a hundred cabin windows h
Seemed to glitter with glow n
Ike dey mought be lit by sunlight, s
An hit shined from panes O. snow Il
n her dark an smokin' chimbleys 81