Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-10-21
YANKEE COAL.

i -ANlNLL NOtAL.
7 lihow it's a right smart offer,
squire. and five hundred dollars is IL
biz sum of money for Il pilcJ To get
for taking a pair of boats from Pitts
burgh Ia New Orleans: but, don't YOU
see, there's Il heap % risk to run.
amt afcerd o. what the rivers can do,
for I've been down the Ohio and Mis-
Sissipp' times enough to make their
acquaintance pretty we'll, hut fcclin's
arc hot among the people along the
banks % the lower waters, and 'twould
bc as much us Il mans ncck'd be
worth, to he caught with Il broadhorn
OF Yankee coal anywhcrcs bctwiXt
Cairo II the Old Red Church, CThe
place where the %al-boats used to tic
up ut New Orlcans.)
lin we'll aware. Jack Lcathcrs,
that the risk is great replied Squire
Thomas, the owner of the coal. ''l;ut
We have the boats all loaded, and |
want them started, wen though they
don't get farther than the mouth of
the Ohio. so | promise you tive
hundred dollars if you go through to
New Orleans all right, with two
hundred i'm advance. which will be
yours, if Your trip does not extend
beyond Cairo.'
las l sald." returned Jack, who
was one of the oldest pilots ON the
two rivcrs-.sit's Il 'mazin' trmptin'
offer. And if ! car pick up crewo of
square men. here in Pittsburgh, TN
make Il start of it,"
'''Tlal's right, %I.eatllcrS." answered
the skipper. 'aDllcr them $3.50
apiece, one-third in advance"
''Nery we'll. squire, and if any of
the bows are loaling round that's got
the 'i,otiom' i'm 'em TO go with me,
iii b. ready To cast OH at daylight
tU-m 4rrow morning.
Jack Lcathers did moi meet with
ST. much difficulty in picking up IL
crew rs he had anticipated, for, al
though the war clouds of civil strife
had already begun to lower over the
country. the ignorant boatmcn did
not realize the bitter feeling with
which the people of the South were
imbucd, and consequently had not
w ~ W lilSlI ilSt ~ lLiS
pilot, more enlightened, possessed.
..lt's no more than right for me to
tell you. boys, that we're startin' on
what may he the hottest trip that
any of us have eve taken down
stream. SO il there's one among you
that feels scary, he can Jest chuck his
plumber OH the bank am go ashore
right here. For after we swing out
into the Ohio, not a man shall leave
the boats till we get to New Orleans,
unless he's taken 10y officers or sol
Snag and have to swim for IT,"
..Ain't you going down, jack"
asked n of the crew significantly.
II should say I was" was the grim
answer.
.'Iilcn 1 reckon wc-uns have got
as much sand as yo,-uns, so there
amt n need of more talk about it"
Though the reply was given i'm Il
Eriiif, almost Slrly tone. yet the pilot
WAS pleased To receive it, as he knew
THE nature of the material he had to
deal with, and accepted the laconic
rrtort of the rough boatman for what
ii WAS: viz, IL pledge of fidelity.
As the pair Of long. unwieldv coal
loats swung out into the stream and
felt the current OF the river, she WAS
heartily clccrcd 10y the crowd of idle
spectators who were gathered upon
the shore.
II wish we'd waited until night
afnre maxim a start grumbled the
pilot To his assistant, Billy Brown.
..Now the news that Jack feathers,
with ii brcadl,orn of Pittsburg coal,
is headed doxn river, will travel Il
good sight faster'n we will, and W.
may look for trouble even aforc VIC
GIT To Cairo
..Well. my advice is, Jack, not tt
hug that trouble before il come.
aboard" replied the youthful ant
llght-hcarlcd ..sccond," as he gave ;
vigorous sweep with his long steer
iny-oar. as much to emphasize his re
mark as to guide the boat out into
mid-strram.
IL don't propose to. But, dom
you see, while we're up here anon.
the Union folks, if any IL stops ant
asks us what we've got, We can sa.
we've got Yankee coal, and tell TIN
truth. But. when we get down int,
the Mississip', and the other chap
hail us, we can't say we're lOadct
with Scccsh cargo, cause that'd be
lie. and Jack feathers hasn't told
lie since he was a boy"
..Well." replied his companion
styou wouldn't catch Bill Brow
hesitating long between a lie tina
would burn his tongue and the noOs
OF a rope. II l was in charge of thi
b:oadhorn, and any n around her
asked me what I'd got, l should 50
Yankee coal. VI WAS down abou