The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-01-26

morning train; but as soon as we were
out of sight we turned down the Tugalo
and stole a canoe, below the first shoals,
and travelled constantly till we ran our
boat aground on a shOal, and were com
PEELED to abandon it and wade ashore
trusting to our chances to obtain another
craft.
When daylight overlook us we hid out
in the mountains on BraSStOwn Creek-a
| stream noted for its high cascades. Trav-
cling on the river by night or by day, as
best suited our purposes, we hnalIy
reached the head of the canal, seven
miles above Augusta. One day at noon
time we passed through a section OF the
country where large number of Col. Bill
! IhomaS's Indians were quartered-Some
farming, some tending stock, others max
ing baskets, and yet others fishing. All
appeared busy in lazy sort of Indian
way, and most of them had been wounded
IN the rebel service. Being unfit for act
I've DUTIES, they had been sent to this
part of South Carolina to recruit them
selves, and TO raise something to support
the tribe, who were entirely helpless.
They were CherolSees, who have always
lived on the Tuekasege River, and at
Quail itowr, on the Qualla Liver, in North
Carolina. they were the saddest-appear-
ing Indians ever saw, and seemed 10
have lost the last veStiyc of that fiery
independence which characteIizes their
race, and as far as / could discover they
had not been benefited by intercourse
with the white race.
The TugalO is one of the most beauti-
ful streams ever beheld. It's banks are
finely diversified witt, mountain scenery
generally in the distance, while the bot
toms are in the highest state of cultiva-
ton; indeed, some of the finest planta-
ions and best-built mansions in all the
Southern country are on this river. At
.l, 10, al
runs smooth and deep for some distance,
when suddenly it is broken by shoals,
miles and miles in length, the current
roaring and dashing among the rocks
with astonishing velocity, SO that To navi-
gate the surging waves required all the
skill and presence of mind we could mus
ter.
DANGEROUS TRAVELLING.
After the Tugalo makes it's junction
with the Seneca, the stream takes the
name of Savannah; or, as the mountain
GERS call it, the Sav-anaw. Below the
mouth of the Seneca the river rapidly
widenS, and the water assumes yellow
ish or muddy color, and it is full of wild
and dangerous shoals. The bottoms on
either side are wide and well cultivated,
but on account of the fearful freshets
caused by the rising OF the mountain
streams above, there are no houses built
near the rlver-they generally being from
two to three miles back, and sometimes
even farther than that; SO that we seldom
saw anyone save the slaves and their
Overseers, the former being the most alb
iect human beings ] ever saw. Occ;t-
sionally the overseers themselves were
black, and as far as could see they were
equally severe on the laborers with the
white men.
There are no towns at all Immediately
on the Savannah above Augusta. Occa-
sionally we would meet keel-bOa com
ing up TO the plantations after corn for
the rebel army, they being propelled by
poles and manned by negroes-the man
in charge occasionally being a white man;
however, he was as black as a
crow. Almost every boat contained half
a dozen rebel soldiers as a guard, and
these would sometimes hail us as we
passed; but as they could not stop with
out losing deal" with the current, we
would not, for fear Of losing deal with
them, and, therefore, our conversations
were of brief duration. If We happened
to meet on a shoal they had always as
much as they could do TO climb up over
it, and we had all we could do TO keep
from being dashed TO pieces among the
rocks; SO we paid little attention TO each
other.
FEARFUL RAPIDS.
There appeared to be continual falling
OF the river tro3l the mountains to Angus
ta but from there to the coast / believe
that the stream is exceedingly smooth