e to go, except overboard, and then you lose
your passage. It is, really, a fiery furnace, and, day or night, it is
in vain to seek a cool retreat. As we proceeded up the river, things
became worse. We had not proceeded more than twenty miles, when a
larger steamboat, which had started an hour before us, was discovered
aground on a bar, which, from the low state of the river, she could not
pass. After a parley between the captains, we went alongside and took
out all her passengers, amounting to upward of a hundred, being more
than we were on board of our own vessel. But they behaved like pirates,
and treated us just as if we had been a captured vessel. Dinner was
just ready; they sat down and took possession of it, leaving us to wait
till the table was replenished. A young Englishman had just taken his
seat by me, when a very queer-looking man came up to him and begged that
he would give up his place to a _lady_. Aware of the custom of the
country, he immediately resigned his seat, and went to look for another.
When the lady took her seat by me I involuntarily drew my chair to a
more respectful distance, there being something so particularly
uninviting in her ladyship's appearance. On our arrival at Maysville,
this lady, with her gentleman, told the captain that they were sorry
they had not a cent wherewith to defray the expenses of their passage.
Their luggage had been landed before this declaration was made, but it
was immediately ordered on board again by the captain; and as, of
course, they would not part with their goods and chattels, they remained
on board of the boat. The captain took them to the river about twenty
miles further, and then landed them on the bank, with their luggage, to
find their way back to Maysville how they could. This is the usual
punishment for such trial-practices; but, after all, it is only the
punishment of delay, as they would hail the first boat which came down
the river, make out a piteous tale of ill-treatment, be received on
board, and landed at their destination.

This reminds me of a clever trick played by a Yankee pedlar upon one of
the captains of the steamboats running from New York to Albany on the
Hudson river. The Yankee was fully aware of this custom of putting
people on shore who attempted to gain a passage for nothing, and his
destination was to a place called Poughkeepsie, about halfway between
New York and Albany. He, therefore, waited very quietly until he w