St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-09-14

BAMA RIVER DURING THE SPRING
OF 1885.
Negroes frequently exhibit wonderful
gree of heroism in times OF danger. An
Stance of this [ witnessed in the spring
1856, when freshet in the Alabama
er, caused the country on each side to
overiowed by water for many miles.
The negroes on the river plantations
Y ere the greatest sufferers Their cabins
ould be under water almost before they
new that danger threatened them, and
$undreds of them were sometimes found
4 uddled together upon some knoll suffi-
$Eiently elevated to be above water. There
+ 5hey often remained two or three days and
Knights without food and exposed to
8soaking rain. Fortunately the weather
Twas not cold.
81 Many relief expeditions were sent out
from the eighboTing towns to rescue them.
sfThese consisted Of one tr more boats,
manned by expert oarsmen and swimmers,
lad filled with cooked provisions, blankets
etc. One day the news came that the
negroes on certain plantation had sought
retrge upon a corn crib, around which the
is5ater was rapidly rising, and so rendering
their condition exceedingly precarious.
Two boats started out at once to their
panied by another white man and q
negro.
An amusing incident took place not long
after our starting, In the middle of a
submerged field, about 100 yards to our
right, ..Je saw little woody 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 years
old, perfectly naked, and held him up
among US.
Here, Moses" cried one, holding tin
cup with whisky in it to his mouth, 'here,
take drink
''Take bite of this bread, Moses" cried
another, trying to crowd the bread into his
mouth.
ssNo; let Moses have some of this fried
bacon It'll do him the most good" said
the negro oarsman.
But Moses shook his head and turned
aside from all the offered food.
ssPse erbleeged to yer, marSters." he
said, while his white teeth shone and his
ewes rolled wildly. else erbleeged to yer,
but hain't sot down in two days, er try in
to keep MY head out'n de watah, an all
wants, eff yer ii.tse, is to sit down
He was promptly wrapped in blanket
and set down, where for an hour he sat
without moving. enjoying the perfect'r
of his new position. At the end of that
time he began to eat. draw g. veil over
his performance in this line. We feared
we had rescued him from q watery grave
to kill him with corn bread and bacon, al
though the negro oarsman insisted that he
had never heard of "niggah bein' hurt
by too much to eat" Meeting a returning
boat soon after, we put Moses in it and
sent him to town. ! never heard OF him
again, but presume he survived both his
unusual bath and banquet.
We resumed our journey, and just be-
fore dark sighted the corn crib, upon which
a mass of black humanity clustered like a
swarm of bees. A heavy rain was now
falling, and daylight beginning to fade
away, their condition become most distress
ing, 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 visibly shook and
tottered. The poor creatures began to
Chamber hurriedly down to the boat.
seStopr | cried. ssThe women and
children first. +"
The men obedient1y resumed their seats.
We took in first the children and then the
woman, getting them all In safely, and
about to push off, telling thsssmen we
would hurry back for them as quickly as
nossible or send the first boat we met,
when very old woman Il 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 :
s.Marster, amt you gwin take my ole
man p
"No. auntie,n answered, s'the boat is
tao full now. He must wait till we come
back.
The words were hardly out of my mou. h
when with 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
# she was afraid we would tear her away
.sCome. auntie, cried, 'sthis won't do,
We can't leave you here, and We can
wait any longer on you, 81
600 on. marster," she answered. i
thanks YOU. en- pray de good Lawd to
fetch YOU ali safe home but gwine stay
hvab wild nv ole man Ef Simon got to
iii drownded ,,Liddy gwine git drownded,
too. We dun bin togedder too long TO
part now -, !
And we had to leave her. after throwing
them some blankets and lot OF provisions.
AS we rode off in the rain ana night
high falsetto voice, tremulous with age,
came across the waters from the crio,
where we left the almost certainly doomed
groun In the blackness of darkness. They
Jared not have light, for fear OF setting
Ara to their frail support. We stopped
our oars to listen to the song. lt came,