98 THE HIVE OF THE BEE-HUNTER. 
stream, pressing them under by their weight; but let 
some unfortunate child of the genius of Robert Fulton, 
as it passes up stream, be saluted by the visage of one 
of these polite geutry, as it rises ten or more feet in 
the air, and nothing short of irreparable damage, or 
swift destruction ensues: while the cause of all this dis- 
aster, after the concussion, will rise above the ruin as if 
nothing had happened, shake the dripping water from 
its forked limbs, and sink and rise again, rejoicing in its 
strength. 
Other trees become firmly fastened in the bed of the 
river; and their long trunks, shorn of their limbs, pre- 
sent the most formidable objects of navigation. A rock 
itself, sharpened and set by art, could be no more dan- 
gerous than these dread “snags.” Let the bows of the 
strongest vessel come in contact with them, and the con- 
cussion will crush its timbers as if they were paper ; and 
the noble craft will tremble for a moment like a thing 
of life, when suddenly stricken to its vitals, and then 
sink into its grave. 7 
Such are the “cut-offs,” “ rafts,” “sawyers,” and 
“snags,” of the Mississippi; terms significant to the 
minds of the western boatman and hunter, of qualities 
which they apply to themselves, and to their heroes, 
whenever they wish to express themselves strongly ; and 
we presume that the beau-ideal of a political character — 
with them, would be, one who would come at the truth 
by a “ cut-off ’—separate and pile up falsehood for de- 
nn 
