Wichita eagle., 1889-11-03
WOULD NOT. BE PARTED.
INCIDENT OF THE FLOOD IN THE
ALABAMA RIVER IN 1886.

/ without Her MISUNDERSTANDING on tho
| Old Submerged Crib-A Little Colored
Moses Who Only Wanted to Sit Down.
! Negroes frequently exhibit a wonderful de-
/ gree of heroism in times of danger. An in
/ stance of this witnessed in the spring Of
/ 1856, when a freshet in the Alabama river
caused the country on each side to be over
! flowed by water for many miles.
| The negroes on the river plantations were
! the greatest sufferers. Their cabins would
be under water almost before they knew that
danger threatened them, and hundreds of
them were sometimes found huddled together
upon some knoll sufficiently elevated to be
above the water. There they often remained
two or three days and nights bout food,
and exposed to soaking rain. -unately,
the weather was not cold
Many relief expeditions were sent out from
the neighboring towns to rescue them. These
consisted of one or more boats, manned by
expert oarsmen and swimmers, and filed
with cooked provisions, blankets etc. One
day the news came that the negroes on GER
tain plantation had sought refuge upon a
corn crib, around which the water was rapid
ly rising, and so rendering their condition
exceedingly precarious Two boats started
out at once to their assistance In one Of
these went, accompanied by another white
man and negro.
THEY CALLED HIN MOSES"
An amusing occurrence took place not long
after our starting. In the middle Of sub
merged field about 100 yards to our right,
we saw little woolly black head, with
frightened black face beneath it, projecting
from the water. We rowed hastily towards
it and drew out of the muddy water negro
boy about s years old, perfectly naked, and
held him up among US.
Here, Moses" cried one, holding tin cup
with whisky in it to his mouth, there, take
drink"
Take bite of this bread, Moses" cried
another, trying to crowd the bread into his
mouth.
mo; let Moses have some of this fried ba-
con. It'll do him the most good" said the
negro oarsman.
But Moses shook his head and turned aside
from all the offered food.
Use erbleeged to yer rnarsters,n he said,
while his white teeth shone and his eyes
rolled wildly. rse erbleeged to yer, but l
naint sot down in two days, er tryin' to keep
my head out'n de watah an all wants, eff
yer please, is to set down"
He was promptly wrapped in blanket and
set down, where for an hour he sat without
moving, enjoying the perfect rest of his new
position At the end of that time he began
to eat. l draw veil over his performance
in this line. We feared we had rescued him
from a watery grave to kill him with corn
bread and bacon although the negro oars
man insisted that he had never heard OF a
''niggah bein' hurt by too much to eat"
Meeting a returning boat soon after, we put
Moses in it and sent him to town. l never
heard of him again, but presume he survived
both his unusual bath and banquet.
We resumed our journey, and just before
dark sighted the corn crib, upon which mass
of black humanity clustered like a swarm OF
bees A heavy rain was now falling, and
daylight beginning TO tade away, their con-
dition become most distressing, as they sat in
perfect silence watching our approach.
But we did not appreciate their extreme
peril until as the boat struck against the frail
log house, which was in the water to the edges
of the roof, it vidbly shook and tottered The
poor creatures began to Chamber hurriedly
down to the boat
''Stop!" cried. ''The women and children
first"
The men obediently resumed their seats
We took in first the children and then the
women, getting them ali in safely, and were
about to push off, telling the men we would
hurry back for them as quickly as possible
or send the first boat we met, when a very
old woman q noticed she was the last to get
in the boat and had done so reluctantly
seized the corner of the house, and looking
anxiously into my face said;
'Marster, amt you gwine take my ole
mani"
''No, auntie,n answered, ''the boat is too
full now. He must wait till we come back"
"CLINGIN' TO DE ARK"
The words were hardly out of nv mouth
when with a sudden spring she was up and
On the roof again 1t shook as she scrambled
on all tours upon it and took her seat by a
little, withered old black man, whose hand
she seized and held as if she was afraid we
would tear her away from him.
Come, auntie," l cried, this won't do.
We can't leave you here and wa can't wait
any longer on you"
"Go on, marster," she answered. 81 thanks
yer, en- pray de good Lawd TO fetch you all
safe home; but 1 gwine stay hyah wild my ole
man. Ef Simon got TO git drownded, Lyddy
gwlne git drownGed, too. We dun bin to-
gedder too long to part now"
And we had to leave her. after throwing
them some blankets and lot of provisions.
As werowed off in the rain and night high
falsetto voice, tremulous with age came
across the waters from the crib where we left
the almost certainly doomed group in the
blackness of darkness. They dared not have
light, for fear Of setting fire to their fraiI
support. We stopped our oars to listen to the
pong. 1t came clear and distinct First
Lyddy's trembling voice and then chorus
of dozen or more of the deep bass voices Of
the men:
We're clingin' to de ark,
Take US In take US in.
Fur de watah's deep en- dark,
Take US in take us In
Do de flesh is po' en- weak.
Take US IN, take US IN.
IT'S de Lavd we gwinter seek,
Take Us in, take Us In
Den. Lawd. hole out dy han,
Take us In, take us in
Draw de sinnahs TO de Ian,
Take VI in, take US In
We could wait and listen to the weird |
sounds no longer, but struck our oars into the |
water and hurried away.
Most fortunately We came upon a boat |
bent upon the same errand as ourselves. /
which went Immediately 10 the crib and /
saved all of its living freight The crib had /