ATTACKED BY CHOLERA. 167 



six hundred slaves. Soon after his father died, and he sold the 

 plantation for less than half its value to a Northern man, and 

 now lived an idle life in New Orleans. On the way back from the 

 fair, he complained of feeling a great deal of pain, so I called a 

 cab and took him to the hotel, where I sat with him till near 

 midnight, going to bed then as he said he felt better ; so my 

 astonishment may be imagined when on ringing in the morning 

 to inquire after him, I was told that he had died of cholera 

 about four o'clock and was already buried, as is the law in such 

 cases. We had not heard of cholera being in the city, and now 

 I found that people were dying at the rate of two hundred a 

 day. Two days afterwards I felt the same symptoms myself, 

 and on sending for a doctor I found I was down with the 

 same complaint. In a few hours I was very bad, but the 

 doctor told me, on his leaving me at night, that if I was there 

 in the morning I should do; and this I determined to be if 

 possible, which I have found to be one half the battle. In the 

 morning I was much better, but I was very ill for three weeks, 

 and just when Billy Breeze would have been a great deal of 

 use to me, I found that he was in prison for fighting, leaving 

 the dogs to look after themselves. 



While in the city I was introduced to a number of Con- 

 federate generals, including Beauregard, Jeff Thomson, and 

 Morgan, and one night was taken by them to a fashionable 

 gambling-house, where everything was on a sumptuous scale ; 

 the servants all wearing elaborate liveries, the rooms beautifully 

 furnished, and a first-class supper being served every night at 

 twelve o'clock, free to all who chose to partake of it, when 

 every kind of wine was to be had for the asking. I would 

 not stay for this, as I was not going to play, but my 



