The times were hard: I could obtain no other work than to cut wood, which, with my weak health and unpractised hand, was certainly no trifle; but necessity is a good teacher. I gained half a dollar and food by cutting a cord of wood, eight feet long, four feet high, and four feet deep, at a merchant’s, who had a tract of land and a saw-mill about two miles from the town. Although hard work at first, yet when I got used to it, I found that on an average I could cut and pile a cord a day.
After fourteen days’ hard work, I resolved to go to Cincinnati for my letters, and, above all, to recover my health in its superior climate, then to return and visit the hills. I had cut eighteen cords, and as the man saw that I was poor, sickly, and in a hurry to go away, he cheated me out of two dollars by giving me bad coin, a fact which I discovered on board the “Persian” steamer, on my passage to Cincinnati. I was kindly received by all my old friends, and established myself in a new suit of clothes, for which, however, I had to run in debt.
I looked about for work; every tavern in the place was crammed full of Germans, ready to do any thing for bare food: whole families were in a helpless state. Fine stories had been told them that they could gain a dollar a day for every sort of work, and when they arrived, farmers were paying only five or six dollars a month, and could not employ four fifths of the applicants. I pitied the poor creatures, though no better off myself. I took many a long walk in vain, looking for employment, when Vogel offered me an occupation I should never have thought of myself, viz., making pill-boxes. Vogel thought he would try “Emperor’s Pills,” of which he had the prescription. He was very clever in such matters, but he required little round boxes, resembling the original as imported. We set to work with a will; a carpenter was found to plane the chips, we formed the tops and bottoms with a stamp, and I colored the sides with logwood. The pill-box manufacture was soon in full play, and I made them as if I had done nothing else all my life. But all things must have an end, even the manufacture of pill-boxes, and my genius was again left fallow. Vogel came once more to my assistance, and I became a chocolate maker, gaining a dollar a day by pounding it in an iron mortar.
Shortly afterwards I heard of a dealer in tobacco who was out of pipe-stems. These pipe-stems are made from the reeds or canes growing on the banks of rivers, and other moist places in the Southern States, and as all the rivers had risen very high, he could find no one to venture among the snakes and mosquitoes. This was something more in my way than sitting behind a pestle and mortar.
I bargained with a companion, and, with a few dollars in our pockets to cover the most necessary expenses, we started off for Tennessee, by the “Algonquin.” There were plenty of canes at one of the places where the vessel stopped for wood; I jumped on shore, and the owner of the wood, who dwelt in a small house close at hand, agreed to board and lodge us at two dollars a head per week. We at once landed our baggage, and set to work next morning.
These reeds grow in immense thickets on the banks of the Mississippi; but we only cut the smallest for pipe-stems. They were about the thickness of a large quill just above the root, from four to six feet long, the joints being from eight to sixteen inches. The leaves are green in summer and winter, and serve as fodder for cattle. We stripped off the leaves, and bound the reeds in bundles of 500, which make a good armful, and rather a heavy one when green. We sold them in Cincinnati for two and a half dollars a bundle.
The man on whom we had so summarily quartered ourselves was very civil and obliging, and we were soon good friends. To enliven the long evenings, he luckily happened to have a pack of cards, and a relation of his, who lived at some distance, used to come in and play whist. I often wished that our friends at home could have seen us, so as to have an idea of the difference of a whist party in Germany and one near a cane-brake in Tennessee: ours had at least the advantage of simplicity. A very roughly hewn table was placed in the middle of the room, the seats were chairs or boxes. It happened that the mosquitoes were more formidable here than I ever found them anywhere else; and as it would have been quite impossible to sit still under the constant attacks of these tormentors, an iron pot with glowing charcoal was placed under the table; a negro boy from time to time fed it with rotten wood, in order to keep up a thick smoke, which rose up all round the table, and was by no means beneficial to the eyes.
Instead of wax candles, a long stick was jammed between two of the boards of the floor; pork fat was then cut in long strips, wound round with cotton rags, tied to the stick at a moderate height, and lighted. It burnt rather dim, but gave light enough to show whether the colors were red or black, when the card was not dirtier than usual, and the smoke was not so strong as to draw tears.
We had also great fun in harpooning buffalo-fish, which make for the swamps when the river is high. The land here, at 100 to 150 paces from the river, is lower than the bank; it is covered with water in winter and spring, and dries up in summer, generating fever and disease, besides myriads of mosquitoes and other insects. One afternoon, in the space of two hours and a half, I caught fifteen fish, of which the smallest weighed about ten pounds.
Towards the end of April, having cut 18,000 canes, we hailed the next boat that passed, embarked our cargo, and landed at Cincinnati on the 30th. Our canes were soon sold, and they were still in demand. I had a great mind to make another voyage, but resolved next time to go alone; for though I found my companion very willing to share the gains, he was by no means so ready to share the pains. For the present, however, I preferred staying a short time at Cincinnati and amusing myself.
I happened to fall in with some of my Jewish fellow passengers on board the “Constitution.” Acting on the instructions of their friends and countrymen at New York, they had begun to trade in a small way; all had gained something, and some few had become comparatively rich. They generally begin as peddlers, stopping at every farmhouse, and the farmer is obliged to buy something to get rid of them.
As the rivers were still rising, I made a second trip to the canes. I had paid all my debts, and had something in hand. Towards the end of May, I embarked on board the “Mediator,” with the intention of going further south than before, as the canes there are larger, and I could cut some for fishing rods, from thirty to forty feet long, and 1½ to two inches thick.
What a view presented itself on leaving the Ohio for the Mississippi! Of Cairo, a small town on a point of land in Illinois, nothing was to be seen, except a hotel, a manufactory, and a brick house. In August the water subsided, and the river returned to its bed, leaving a thick layer of sticky mud behind it. The sides were all under water, except some hills on the left bank, but no canes grew there, and it was not till I reached Louisiana, where the “levee” begins, that I found dry land. To avoid being carried to New Orleans, I landed at random, and found myself in a French settlement with numerous plantations close to each other. I learned from a Creole that there was a German settlement further down the river, and thither I directed my steps, to hear something about the country. I fell in with a German planter, and he directed me to a German inn-keeper still further on. I received a cordial welcome from him; he offered me his boat to row over to the opposite bank, where I could cut as many canes as I chose.
Next morning I made a voyage of discovery, and found a beautiful country, but mostly under water, even to the canes, which grow on the highest parts of the marshes; wherever there was a spot of dry land, it swarmed with all sorts of snakes, and the air was thick with mosquitoes. However, here I was, and work I must. I cut down a great number of beautiful fishing-rods, bound them together, and laid them on one of the highest spots, ready to carry across in a larger boat.
I passed some pleasant weeks here, partly in the society of my countrymen, and partly engaged in my work, and at last embarked with my goods, on board the steamer “Independence,” taking cordial leave of my new friends, and particularly of my kind host, who could not be induced to receive any payment. I landed first at Louisville, and disposed of a part of my canes, then took the rest on to Cincinnati, found a ready sale, and was once more free to do as I liked.
The Whigs and Democrats were at this time more than usually violent, abusing each other in the public papers and thrashing each other in the public houses. The Democrats in Cincinnati (and all the Germans were Democrats) had carried a measure for allowing German to be taught in the schools as well as English; but the German scholars hung back from the office of schoolmaster, for fear of the examination they would have to undergo. Under these circumstances, some of my good friends persuaded me to attempt to pass, and take a situation, the salary being from twenty-five to thirty dollars a month. So I resolved to try it, if only for the fun of the thing.
But for this purpose it was necessary to devote some time to study, as my knowledge of English grammar was none of the best, and much of my scholarship had evaporated in the backwoods.
The formidable day at length arrived. The candidates were two Germans besides myself, and three Americans, besides five or six young women for the female schools. I had forwarded notice of my wish to become a candidate towards the end of July, together with a certificate of my moral character from a citizen of the town, which my former employer, the silversmith, was kind enough to give me. I stepped with a light heart into the hall, for I really did not much care whether I passed or not. The examiners were five very respectable looking gentlemen; as the others seemed inclined to hang back, I very gallantly stepped forward. One of the examiners said he should begin with geography, and addressed me as follows: – “Now, Mr. Kresdegger;” “Gerstaecker, sir.” “Oh, excuse me; now, Mr. Kerseker, will you be so kind as to give us the boundaries of Ohio.” “Yes, sir; on the north,” &c. &c. It was all conducted in this courteous manner, and all answered the questions, except one of the Germans. They then began upon Germany, asking me, from what state I came? “From Saxony.” “How is Saxony divided?” “Into five districts.” “What are their names?” To save my life, I could not on the instant remember, but my impudence carried me through. Taking it for granted that my examiner knew no better than myself, especially as he had no book, I answered gravely: “Leipzig, Dresden, Grimma, Meissen, and Oschatz;” with which he was perfectly satisfied, though one of my compatriots was obliged to bite his lips to preserve his gravity. After a little more geography we came to grammar, spelling, arithmetic, and writing; we were then dismissed, and directed to apply on the following Wednesday. On Wednesday we had a fresh examination, rather more tedious than the first, and then we were referred to the 5th August. All passed, excepting one of my countrymen, who remarked that, as they had given him no certificate, he supposed that they had forgotten him.
This affair had detained me longer than I had at first intended, and I now prepared for another cane trip. This time I went no further than Tennessee, a little below my old ground, and lodged with a relation of my former host.
After a few days, some of the neighbors and my host proposed a shooting party to the Tironia, in Arkansas, and as they intended to be only fourteen days absent, I agreed to join them, obtained the loan of a horse and rifle, and was in a few days once again in Arkansas. We remained about a week at the junction of the Tironia with Big Creek, and shot three bears; but the season was the most unfavorable that we could have selected. They were not only very thin, but their skins foxy and useless. While here we happened to fall in with a young man named Woodsworth, who wished to go to my old swamps of Baz de View, and Cash river, to try for buffalo, these marshes being now dry. Nothing could have presented itself more opportunely. My comrades were soon persuaded, and in five days we were in the buffalo feeding grounds.
After three days’ fruitless search, we came upon a herd of sixteen, a cow and a calf in the rear. We all fired at the cow, in hopes of taking the calf alive. The cow fell, after making a few bounds, but to our great annoyance, the wild fat calf threw up his tail, galloped after the rest, and was soon out of sight.
Oh, what a feast we had! Well tanned sole-leather would have been a delicacy in comparison; the marrow was the only part good for any thing. My host and Woodsworth cut the skin lengthwise, in two halves, and each took a half on their horses. We then turned to the north-east, and rode, without entering a house, to Memphis, crossed the Mississippi, and rode home by the left bank. So at last, I had been at a buffalo hunt! and had had hard fagging, little pleasure, and no advantage. Whenever I looked at the skin, I thought of little Magnus, the distiller.
I set to work on the canes again, and by the middle of October had cut about 30,000, shipped them on board the steamer “Buckeye,” and returned to Cincinnati; but this supply overstocked the market there, so I took them to Pittsburg, in Pennsylvania, selling some at the small towns on the Ohio on my way. I drove a good trade with them at Pittsburg, and stayed no longer than was necessary, on account of the coal-dust and smoke. Like Cincinnati, the place was crowded with Germans out of work. On my return to Cincinnati, I lived for some time at my ease.
CHAPTER VIII
FARMING AT FOURCHE LE FAVE – A BACKWOODS “FROLIC” – RESIDENCE AT KELFER’S FARM – SCHOOLS – HUNTING EXCURSION
The Ohio – Partnership in farming – Fourche Le Fave – Mr. Kelfer – Congress land – My cooking operations – Pig-killing – Decoys used in shooting turkeys – Shooting by night – Salt licks – Mosquitoes and ticks – Dissensions on our farm – A grand “frolic” – Canoe voyage through the woods – Sickness – Kelfer and his family – Sessions at Fourche le Fave – Shooting expedition with Slowtrap – Reserve of the Americans – Adventures of the early settlers with Indians – Raccoon shooting – Bee-hunting with bait – Tempest – Panther-hunting.
Having received a letter from Rutkin, in Louisiana, with whom I had passed some pleasant days, inviting me to visit him, and intending to return to Arkansas to shoot (but to the hills in the west, instead of the swamps), and having nothing to detain me, I accepted the invitation, and taking a hearty leave of all friends, I was soon once more on my way to the south.
The steamer “Artisan,” with cattle, poultry, flour, whiskey, and passengers, carried me down the beautiful Ohio. It was very cold; and as we lay at Louisville, taking in more cargo, it began to snow hard. By the time we had reached the mouth of the Ohio, the snow was eight inches deep, and continued so as far as Memphis; nor did it entirely disappear till we had passed Natchez.
The nights were very dark, and the boat landed me seven or eight miles above the right place, so I had to walk to Rutkin’s, leaving my baggage at a plantation, and calling for it next day.
Rutkin gave me a cordial reception. He was on the point of selling his hotel at Pointe Coupée, and removing, with all his family, to Arkansas, as the climate of Louisiana did not agree with them. Two friends, Haller and Kean, were to join him, the former with a family.
Early in January we went up the stream in the steamer “Amazon” to the mouth of the Arkansas, and started from thence by one of the smaller boats that run from its mouth, through the dark forests, to the western forts. Our first point was Little Rock, from whence we intended to go to Fort Smith, on the west frontier, leaving the women and children till a house was prepared for them.
Rutkin had a capital of about 4,000 dollars, and the others 0,000 amongst them. It was arranged that we should all settle on our tract of land, and cultivate it together, R. taking a stock of goods for trading, which was also to be carried on in common, he receiving four per cent. for his outlay. As the money was at his disposal, he was to a certain degree our chief, but we were all on good terms with each other.
We heard Fourche le Fave very highly spoken of, and particularly the land in its neighborhood. We went to look at the place, and were well received by a settler there, Mr. Kelfer. He rode over the country with us, showed us every thing that was to be seen, and did all in his power to make our visit agreeable. We could not see much of the land for snow, but K. assured us that it was very good, the pasture excellent, and the shooting also good. K. seemed likely to make a pleasant neighbor, and we soon came to terms. There were two dwelling-houses, with two fields not far apart, belonging to an American named Wilson, who was, as usual, willing to sell. In half an hour the matter was settled, 250 dollars, Arkansas paper currency, being paid for the whole. There were two other fields, making altogether about thirteen or fourteen acres of arable land, fenced in. The house furthest from the river was a very good one.
It has to be noticed that this was Congress land; that is, it belonged to the United States government, and the first settler on it has a prior right to purchase it, called in American law “preëmption right.” The advantages of this system to the settler are as follows: he may settle on the land and cultivate it as his own, no one having a right to turn him off, till it has been surveyed and announced for sale in the Government Gazette. He then has the right of purchasing a quarter section, or 160 acres, or even as little as forty acres at the rate of a dollar and a quarter an acre, even though another should bid a larger sum for it. This right Wilson transferred to us with his “improvements.”
After concluding the purchase, we all came to Little Rock. Rutkin and Keen went to Louisiana to bring over the families, while Haller and I bought provisions, and returned to Fourche le Fave. Little Rock was much increased and improved since I first saw it two years ago, but the place never pleased me.
Our house being near the river, we required a boat, partly to carry out goods from Little Rock to the place of destination, thirty miles up the Arkansas, and forty miles up the Fourche le Fave, and partly to carry us occasionally across the river. We obtained a very good one for ten dollars, loaded it with flour, potatoes, coffee, sugar, some carpenter’s tools, and a puppy that had been given me, and which I meant to break in, and rowed away in good spirits towards our new home.
We entered the Fourche le Fave on the evening of the second day, hoping to reach a house, said to be about seven miles up the stream; but we could not find the smallest spot fit for a human habitation, and landed on a projecting rock, quite tired, between nine and ten o’clock. As it had rained all day, this was the only clean spot we could find; and the stone was so small that we were obliged to rest our feet in the boat, to keep them out of the water.
Next day it rained harder, and we were very glad to get to a house before dark, where we were in some measure protected from the tremendous rain. I say in some measure, because the roof was none of the best, the rain dropping on my face and neck; luckily, before dark, I had espied an old cotton umbrella in a corner (no common article in a block-house), and slept comfortably enough for the rest of the night under its shelter.
We arrived next evening at Kelfer’s farm, where we were hospitably received, and reached our place of destination on the day following. The four naked walls looked dreary enough at first, but we soon made ourselves comfortable. We had nothing to do but to repair the fences, and wait till the weather was cold enough to preserve meat, and to buy and kill pigs for both families for the winter. Soon after our arrival, I had happened to fall upon the slippery bank of the river, and tore open my left hand, and afterwards, as I was chopping a plank with my tomahawk, not being able to hold it properly, it slipped, and I smashed one of my fingers. Haller tore up one of my shirts to bind the wound, and as I could now for awhile do nothing else, I attended to the cooking, which was carried on as follows: first, we had a cask of wheat flour, of which I made bread for every meal; secondly, corned pork, cut in thin slices and fried; and lastly, coffee. The sugar was kept in a paper parcel on a shelf, and each helped himself. At dinner, a glass of whiskey was substituted for the coffee. After about three weeks, being in a rage with something, I threw the fryingpan out at the door, whereby its handle was broken, and it was rendered by no means more convenient to cook with; then Haller one day made a false step, and stumbled on the coffee-pot, which, in consequence, had to be stopped with a little paste every morning. The washing-up I found more disagreeable than the cooking.
Meantime, my hand had got better. The weather set in very cold, and we resolved to kill and salt the pigs we had bought, weighing about 200 pounds each. A young American, whom we had engaged to help us, cut down a large sassafras tree, and hollowed out half a dozen troughs, five for the meat, and one for the lard.
The neighbors were called in to help, the pigs driven into the enclosure, shot, stuck, scalded, cleaned, and carried into the house. Not having any large caldron to scald them, it was done Arkansas fashion. A cask with the head out was half sunk in the earth, and filled with cold water, and a large fire was made close by and covered with stones. When these were hot enough, they were thrown into the water, and the cask covered with a blanket. The water was soon hot enough for our purpose: the pig was dipped once or twice in the water, and five or six pairs of hands soon removed all the bristles. By evening all was finished, and part of the fat laid aside, out of reach of the dogs, for making soap. The good people who came to help us, now set-to to drink, assisted by Haller, so that in the course of an hour and a half, none of them knew exactly whether he was standing on his head or his feet. As soon as they were all screwed up, I laid one in each trough, and left them to repose. Before it came to this, Haller and the young American had sworn eternal friendship, clasped each other round the neck, mutually supported each other to prevent their falling on the stupid staggering ground, till at last they went down like a couple of flour-sacks. Next day the pigs were cut up, salted, and suspended in the smoking house. In the evening we went to our next neighbor to borrow a caldron, to melt down the fat; but when I went to get it, a large quantity of fat had vanished, not through the dogs, but through wolves, whose trail I plainly traced through the soft sand near the river, not fifteen paces from the house; but enough was left for our purpose.
I was now well enough to shoot again, and had good sport with the turkeys, rising before daybreak, stationing myself near their roost, and remaining quite still till early dawn, then imitating the voice of the night-owl. The indignant turkey begins to gobble with great force, and betrays his whereabouts; by creeping noiselessly near his perch, he may be easily knocked over before broad daylight. If the day should be too far advanced for the sportsman to gain upon him unperceived, he must crouch behind a fallen tree, or other cover, and use a decoy-pipe, made from the second bone of the hen turkey’s wing, split a little on both sides. One end of this he applies to his mouth, keeping the other end in the hollow of his hands. As soon as the cock hears it, he flies down, gobbling furiously, and struts towards the sound, with his wings trailing along the ground, his comb and wattles in full bloom, and his tail spread out. He sometimes will come so near that the sportsman is obliged to give a short whistle to check him, because it is very difficult to hit him in the right place with a single ball when his feathers are all ruffled. On hearing the whistle he pulls up short, looks round suspiciously, and utters a warning K-t-t-t. Now fire, or good-by turkey. This sport was so attractive, that I hardly let a morning pass without bringing home a turkey; but it was long before I was perfect in my practice, and I lost many a shot by a false note, or heedless noise.
At the end of two months, Kean arrived early one morning with the news that Rutkin’s and Haller’s families were in a large flat-bottomed boat, at the mouth of the Fourche le Fave. Haller took the boat immediately to join them, leaving Kean with me. Fresh life came with the new arrivals: Rutkin brought a quantity of wares with him, which were all stowed in a house we had built for the purpose. They consisted chiefly of coffee, sugar, salt, powder, lead, cottons, &c., &c., all to be sold for ready money; but as ready money was one of those things which were very scarce in Arkansas, a system of barter was opened, and cattle, pigs, horses, salt meat, butter, poultry, eggs, skins, and smoked venison, were exchanged for the said articles, and conveyed to Little Rock, to be again sold or exchanged. This part of the business was intrusted to me.
Rutkin took on some more workmen, and the land was prepared for corn. I was again passionately fond of shooting, and had capital sport. As my days were generally occupied, it was carried on at night, as follows: the handle of a frying-pan is lengthened to about four feet by means of a narrow board; the pan is filled with kindlers and set alight – then taking it on your shoulder, and your rifle in your hand, you are ready for sport. If alone, you must take a store of kindlers to replenish the fire. For the sake of a better aim, a small crutch is cut in the end of the wooden handle, to rest the rifle. The fire being kept behind your head, the eyes of the game will glow like balls of fire: the deer, accustomed to the frequent fires in the forest, are not alarmed. When first discovered, if at about 100 paces, the eyes will look like a single ball, but the two become distinct on a nearer approach, which the sportsman must make with as little noise as possible, and, if possible, against the wind. When near enough, he lays his rifle in rest, and aims between the eyes, or, if he can distinguish the outline of the form, at the heart; and he is generally sure of his game.
There were numbers of salt-licks in the vicinity of the Fourche le Fave, which were much visited by deer and cattle. The former generally come in the night, so that the sportsman may take up a station under a scaffold, on the top of which a fire is made. Four posts are driven into the ground, five feet apart, and beams laid across, covered with a layer of leaves or moss, then a layer of sand or earth, on which the fire is made. The sportsman sits underneath in impenetrable darkness, yet able to see for seventy or eighty paces on all sides, and easily kills any deer approaching the lick.
Many a night I lay in the mild warm air of the forest. Sweet and refreshing as was the face of nature, all was not repose; mosquitoes and ticks almost drove me to despair. When the fire was once well alight, the mosquitoes were attracted by it, and destroyed themselves by thousands, but the ticks became the more furious. They swarm in the woods about the end of April, and are a dreadful torment to the new-comer. The full-grown ticks, about the size of a small shot, are not the worst, because when they bite they may be caught and killed; but in July, the seed-ticks, smaller than poppy seeds, cover the bushes by millions, and I have often almost lost myself under them. Tobacco smoke is the only safeguard against them, as it kills them at once. The poor cattle are dreadfully tormented by them, particularly when they get into their ears. The first cold drives them away, though a few may be found all through the winter.
Meantime the work of the farm went on, and the maize was planted; but a change came over the spirit of our society. Rutkin, who had hitherto been friendly and good-natured, became snappish and domineering, and once or twice ventured to give me orders in a tone that I did not choose to bear; but as he had been only a short time in Arkansas, I made excuses for him, laughed at him, took my gun, and absented myself for above twenty-four hours. On my return, he was always wise enough to act as if nothing had happened, and to see that giving orders was of no use. He had also frequent disputes with Kean. Haller agreed with him best, because he always flattered him, and coincided with him before his face, though this was by no means the case behind his back.
One day when I was out shooting, R. attacked K., who was small and slight. To avenge himself, Kean took down his rifle, and would have shot Rutkin, had not Haller thrown himself between them. Our friendly relations were now quite broken up. Kean came over to Haller’s, where I was living, and we withdrew from the partnership, which was more than R. had reckoned on, as, knowing the state of our finances, he thought he had us under his thumb. He did not consider that I had a rifle, that there was plenty of game in Arkansas, and that there was a river running to New Orleans, where Kean, who was an excellent accountant, could make sure of a good situation.
We were soon ready to start. I was to take K.’s things in a canoe to Little Rock, while he was to follow on horseback. But the 4th of July approached, on which day a farmer on the Fourche le Fave was going to give a grand entertainment – or frolic, as it is called – in hopes of being chosen as a member of the legislature at the next election. We decided on waiting to be present at it.