New York to Texas 47 



at that a slight depression of spirits should for an 

 instant assail me? But when a man has said he 

 will do a thing it must be done if life permits, and 

 in an hour we found ourselves by a red hot stove, 

 the men provided with good berths for the place, 

 cheerfulness restored, and after an hour's chat, 

 while listening to the ever increasing gale outside, 

 we parted for the night to wake cold, but with good 

 appetites even for the horrible fare we had, and as 

 young Kearney Rodgers said, as we looked at the 

 continents of coffee-stains, and islands of grease 

 here and there, with lumps of tallow and peaks of 

 frozen butter on our once white table cloth, "Is it 

 not wonderful what hunger will bring us to?" 



Here we found Col. Webb with his wife and 

 son; I was much pleased with the dignified and 

 ladylike appearance of Mrs. Webb; once she had 

 been very beautiful, now she was greatly worn, 

 and had a melancholy expression, under the cir- 

 cumstances more appropriate than any other, for 

 her husband and only son were about to leave her 

 for certainly eighteen months, and perhaps she was 

 parting with them for the last time. We chatted 

 together in rather a forced conversation, until the 

 "General Scott" for New Orleans came by, and 

 then went on board paying eight dollars for each 

 man and five dollars each for Col. Webb's three 

 horses; so much for Cairo, I don't care ever to see 

 it again. 



