48 SOUTHERN STEAM-BOAT. [CHAP. XXIII. 



of blowing out from the boilers the deposit collected 

 in them, the muddiness of the American rivers would 

 soon clog the machinery. Every stranger who has 

 heard of fatal accidents by the bursting of boilers 

 believes, the first time he hears this tremendous 

 noise, that it is all over with him, and is surprised to 

 see that his companions evince no alarm. Habit 

 soon reconciled us to the sound ; and I was amused 

 afterwards to observe that the wild birds perched on 

 the trees which overhung the river, looked on with 

 indifference while the paddle-wheels were splashing 

 in the water, and the steam-pipes puffing and gasping 

 loud enough to be heard many miles off. 



After we had been on board a great part of the 

 day, we at length got under weigh in the afternoon ; 

 but. what was my surprise when I actually discovered 

 that we were ascending the stream instead of sailing 

 down towards Mobile. On asking the meaning of 

 this proceeding, the mate told me, very coolly, that 

 the captain had just heard of some cotton ready for 

 exportation some miles above Montgomery. To this 

 higher landing we repaired ; but news being sent that 

 a rival steam-boat was making her way up the river, 

 the Amaranth set off down stream in good earnest, 

 moving by aid of her powerful engines and the force 

 of the mid-current with such velocity, that I could 

 readily believe that 800 miles by river was shorter 

 than 100 by land. 



The pilot put into my hands a list of the landings 

 on the Alabama river from AYetumpka to Mobile, 

 no less than 200 of them in a distance of 434 miles. 

 4. small part only of these consisted of bluffs, or 



