I in: r.Kj bear of Arkansas. 73 



Southern juauit r and the podlcr of tinwiirc truni New 

 Eaglaiul — the Northern merchant and the Southern 

 jockey — a venerable bishop, and a desperate gambler — 

 the land speculator, and the honest farmer — professional 

 men of all creeds and characters — Wolvereens, Suckers, 

 Hoosiers, Bucke3-e8, and Corncrackers, beside a "plen- 

 tiful sprinkling " of the half-horse and half-alligator 

 species of men, who are peculiar to " old Mississippi," 

 and who appear to gain a livelihood by simply going up 

 and down the river. In the pursuit of pleasure or busi- 

 ness, I have frequently found myself in such a crowd. 



On one occasion, when in New Orleans, I had occa- 

 sion to take a trip of a few miles up the Mississippi, 

 and I hurried on board the well-known " high-pressure- 

 and-beat-every-thing" steamboat "Invincible,'' just as 

 the last note of the last bell was sounding ; and when 

 the confusion and bustle that is natural to a boat's 

 getting under way had subsided, I discovered that I 

 was associated in as heterogeneous a crowd as was ever 

 got together. A'fnny trip was to be of a few hours' 

 duration only, I made no endeavors to become acquainted 

 with my fallow-passengers, most of whom would be to- 

 gether many days. Instead of this, I took out of my 

 pocket the '' latest^^paperi' and more critically than 

 usual examined its coirtents % my fellow-passengers, at 

 the same time, disposed of themselves in little groups. 

 •^ While I was thus busily employed in reading, and 

 my comMniTons ^ were more busily still employed, iu 



f 



I 



r 



