LOUISIANA. 205 



After pafling the rocks at Prudhomme *, there 

 are no others in the MiJJlfippi -, and when there 

 are feveral boats, they are faftened together, 

 and go down with the current day and night. 

 There is only one man at the helm, and one at 

 the head of every boat, to take care of the 

 floating trees. . It is a pleafure to go down this 

 fine river : the fame diftance which, in going 

 up, takes three months and a half, in defcending 

 is performed in ten or twelve days, when the 

 water is high in the river. 



I mud not forget to mention, that on the 

 firft of January, the foldiers come in the morning 

 to wifh their officers a happy new year , who ge- 

 nerally return the civility by a prefent of bran- 

 dy. I was juil encamped on a little ifland about 

 two leagues in circuit, fituated on one of the 

 branches of the Mijfifi-pp^ which I ' was defcend- 

 ing. This ifle was furrounded with very tali 

 trees. A facetious gafcoon foldier, as thofe of 

 this nation generally are, gave his comrades to 



under- 



• Thefe rocks form the ftiores of the MiJJifippi, which are 

 on both fides like walls of five hundred feet high. Formcrly 

 there was the Fort Frudhotmne in this place, fo named from 

 a fel low-traveller of M. de la Salle, who died there, an4 

 occafioned the fort to be called after him 



I 



