The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-02-03

| StlCh ID UIulecu uHtll IL ID Ilke UIOULu
and when moistened it is dipped into the
snuff and then put in the mouth and the
snuff rubbed into the gums. l was still
more disgusted on seeing ayolng lady (?)
smoking big black cigar while playing
euchre.
am afraid our party were not re-
garded with very friendly eyes by the
other passengers. One of the New
Workers when visiting the lower deck,
attracted by the notes of violin, over
heard the remark: Here's one of them
damned Yankees. What in hell is he do
! ing down here?" The visit to the reg
ions below" was cut short and was not
! repeated.
| The Alabama river is narrow and very
crooked, but is free from the sandbars
and snags which make navigation on
most of the southern rivers both difficult
and dangerous. The banks are high and
steep, and in some places the cotton
comes down shutes and the deckhands
their cotton hooks to keep them from
going across the deck and overheard.
At one place we were told there were
10, 900 bales of cotton on the bank, worth
$500,
We stopped one night at the foot of a
| bluff to take on cotton. On the bow of
the boat pitch pine burning in iron braz-
iers lighted up the deck and the dark
green foliage of the live oaks with their
streamers of grey moss, which fringed
tt a'bank. 1t was a weird and pictures
que scene One after another the bales
of cotton came rolling down the hillside
in quick succession, followed by the
dusky deck hands glistening with per-
spiration. One of them through neglect
letting bale go overheard, the mate
gave him few blows on the back with
a switch, and although the punishme MT
was not nearly as severe as have seen
schoolmasters give their pupils it almost
sent one lady passenger into Mysteries.
!
pie were seeing the Southern ''institu-
tom slavery as pictured by Mrs
Stowe in "Uncle Toms Cabin"
must not forget to mention our one
distinguished (Dpassenger, who announc-
ed himself as Viscount de Basterd,
who spent most of his time on the hurri-
1oo ~ Nd ,br
Informed US that he should publish book
on his return to France. He said: "Ze
part ven l was on re Miszooree river
will be very amusing. ley ask me to
trink and no like to trink, but zey say
zey shall shoot me if / no trink and no
like to refuse"
The New Workers were introduced at
the bar to ''peach and honey, "a south
ern drink at that time, composed of
strained honey and peach brandy-but
after few interviews gave up the ac-
quaintance.
have no recollection of how we spent
the time on the boat, OF how long we
were all glad when we arrived at Mobile
and found quarters in the Battle House.
then one of the best hotels in the South.
1t was built of granite, and in architec-
ture closely resembled the Revere and
the fremont in Boston and the old Plant
ers Hotel in st. Louis, and think they
must have all been built at about the
same time.
Only one night was spent in Mobile,
and at 8 p. IN. on the day following our
arrival we took passage on the mail boat
Cuba for New Orleans Mobile bay is
Tor was) very shallow and although built
for the trade the Cuba stirred up the
mud for at least half mile after ieav-
ing the wharf. Large vessels cannot
come within mile or two of the city
and lighters are used Tor receiving and
discharging cargoes. There was moth
ing attractive to be seen. The land
visible from the boat was flat, and save
for the clusters of buildings at the
watering places there was nothing to
break the monotony. When we awoke
the next morning the Cuba was laying
at the head of a long pier in Lake Pom
chitraln, and an early train over the
Ponchitrain railroad took US into New
Orleans, a distance of only few miles.
Here we parted with our fellow travel
ers and went to the home of relatives to
spend the winter. c. A. P.