The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1890-11-01
send all what you want"

So the next day Tom wrote to til,
house Of Stick-it-On & Co., CT New
| Orleans, foraIl the machinery necessa
ry to build a steamboat of IL certain
size. These worthy gentlemen, whe'
| they received the letter, consulted aud
concluded to telegraph to the firm OF
Tell-it, Grab-all & Co., OF Sleepy
Hollow, as to Old Simon's social
standing; whereupon, after some de.
lay, these worthless answered back
"Send on the order, it is Safe
So, in about month, the boat was
ready to start on its trialtrip to Round
Lake after raft of logs, and | do not
know which was the proudest, the en-
gineer who had built her or the man
who owned her. They named her
LOiseau; and a trim little ris she
was when, with all her crew aboard,
she lay rocking on the placid waters
Of the Teche. Tom turned her bow
end started. She ran splendidly, and
soon left sleepy Hollow far i'll her
wake. The crew consisted Of Old
Simon, Tom and Bob Mason, Auguste
(the pilot), and two negro deck hands.
All went merry as wedding bells until
they were about four days cut. By
this time Tom discovered that they
had not brought enough wood for the
trip; but he kept his discovery to
himself, as he knew Old Simon would
not believe him, for he had said when
they started. "there was enough wood
on that boat for one year"
Thus the matter rested until they
reached the gloomy swamps near
Round Lake. Here they found they
must land and go to cutting cord
wood; but to chop wood without an
axe is rather a difficult task. At last
Bob, Toms fifteen year-old brother,
produced one he had brought along
as fireman to split kindling with. This
axe was rusty and blunt, and the
handle was broken in two; it was, in
deed, a poor dependence to procure
fuel with. However, Tom took it,
and heated it red het TO gef the tenn
per out; then he took a hammer and
beat an edge on it; then he soaked it
In water to temper it back again; and
with the negroes went to work getting
wood: About this time the provis-
ions began to get low. On the Sth'
day they took their dinner without
meat; there was nothing left but lit
tie corn meal and coffee; and, worst of
all, there was scarcely any tobacco
among the men. This was hard on
Old Simon, who began to lose interest
in the enterprise, and went about list
.lessly, like man who has undertaken
more than he can accomplish. How
ever, on the 10th day they raised
steam and crossed "Round Lake"
L'Oiseau cleft the waves like VERT
able bird, and the crews spirits rose,
thinking they would find their raft all
ready for them on the other side.
Alas! for human hopes, not log was
to be seen; and Old Simon said they
must go up Crocodile bayou and get
the timber. He said he had thought
to make the swampers he bought it
from float it down to the mouth of
the bayou. This demoralized the men
pretty badly. Auguste, the pilot, said:
"Mr. Tom, Simon is one old fool. l
know that bayou, it has the current of
the devil, and I have no more cour-
age;;" and the waters that came boil
ing and Kissing out of the mouth of
the Crocodile were enough to appall
Drawer heart. Here L'Oiseau lay at
anchor amid the roaring surf, deliber-
ating what to do. Bob went around
whistling, (some boys will whistle, no
matter what is wrong; and it seemed
to do the men goodsto hear him. AT
last Tom said, eff steam will push
the boat up that current she shall go;
fire up, Bob, let's not give up while we
can try, anyhow"
So L'Oiseau started up the bayou;
and il ever mortal saw a lonely, desc
late spot, it is the immense swamp
which Crocodile bayou separates. On
each hand stretches miles and miles Of
dark, trackless and dismal swamp.
Perhaps no human foot has ever ira
versed them. At other places they
have been the hiding haunts of crimi-
nails from justice; and God pity the
poor wretch who seeks refuge from his
kind in such an abomination of Desc
lation. Methinks their punishment is
enough. Gigantic cypress trees lift
their long, fern-covered branches to
the Skies. while an underground of
dwarfish stumps Of all shapes cover
the murky, soggy soil. Beneath the
towering trees, and surrounded with
desolation, withstarvation staring them
in the face, LOiseau and her faith
full little crew tugged on. 1t last the
raft was reached, and here they found
in a deserted swampers' crib three
gallon jug of sour molassas, and the
remains Of shoulder Of meat. What
a dinner they had that day? But II