46 AVILD SPORTS IN THE FAIl WEST. 



trusting to my waterproof boots, I jumped out, seized 

 the large whip, and giving the horses a few sharp cuts, 

 I made them understand that they could if they would. 

 And they did, but in doing so one of them lashed out 

 behind, in the thickest of the red mud, so that I was 

 splashed all over with it, and looked more like a trout 

 than a human being. I crept back, resolving next time 

 not to be quite so obliging. 



At length the captain came round for the fare ; I 

 quietly handed out my four dollars, and was' not a little 

 astounded to learn that an agreement made with a stran- 

 ger at Utica was not binding on the captain, and that I 

 must pay my six dollars like the rest a bit of expe- 

 rience not too dear at two dollars. 



So far we had been very comfortable, having had 

 plenty of room ; but now we took in fifteen more 

 passengers, all for Buffalo. While daylight lasted all 

 went on well enough, but in the evening 1 really 

 could not divine where all the people would be stowed ; 

 yet with the live cargo of the Bremen lighter fresh in 

 my memory, I considered nothing impossible. The 

 sleeping-places in the canal boats consist of long four- 

 cornered frames, which in the evening are hung up 

 along the cabin ; and now that the number of passen- 

 gers had so much increased, we had to be packed in 

 layers. The frames are covered with coarse strong 

 canvas, on which a small mattress was laid ; at least 

 all the pas>engers who came from Utica had that ac- 

 commodation, but now, on account of the number of new 

 arrivals, that luxury had to be dispensed with. I scram- 

 bled into my swinging lied, having first examined the 

 fastenings, leaving the lately-arrived passengers playing 

 at cards. 



