CHAPTER XXH.
TRAVELLING INCOGNITO,
MY idea was, to tarry a while in every town between St. Lotus and
New Orleans. To do this, it would be necessary to go from place to
place by the short packet lines. It was an easy plan to make, and
would have been an easy one to follow, twenty years ago—but not
now. There are wide intervals between boats, these days.
I wanted to begin with the interesting old French settlements of
St. Genevieve and Kaskaslda, sixty miles below St. Louis. There
was only one boat advertised for that section—a Grand Tower packet.
Still, one boat was enongh ; so we went down to look at her. She was
a venerable rack-heap, and a fraud to boot; for she was playing
herself for personal property, whereas the good honest dirt was so
thickly caked all over her that she was righteously taxable as real
estate. There are places in New England where her hurricane deck
would be worth a hundred and fifty dollars an acre. The soil on
her forecastle was quite good—the new crop of wheat was already
springing from the cracks in protected places. The conipanionway
was of a dry sandy character, and would have been well suited for
grapes, with a southern exposure and a little subsoiling. The soil
of the boiler deck was thin and rocky, but good enough for grazing
purposes. A coloured boy was on watch here—nobody else visible.
We gathered from him that this calm craft would go, as advertised,
* if she got her trip; * if she didn't get it, she would wait for it.
* Has she got any of her trip 1'
* Bless you, no, boss. She ain't unloadened, yit. She only come
in *3?g mawnin*/
He was uncertain as to when she might get her trip, but thought