now encased in a thick coating of yellow clay.

Uncle Nathan was a medium-sized man, and preserved as much of nature's
grace as a man can who has labored for five-and-thirty years at the
stubborn soil of New England. His hair was sandy, and his full,
good-natured physiognomy was surrounded by a huge pair of reddish
whiskers.

The superficial, worldly-minded man would have deemed Uncle Nathan's
_principles_ rather too ultra for common, everyday use; but he, good
soul, found no difficulty in applying them to every action he performed.
He was, to use a common phrase, a "professor of religion;" but, less
technically, he was more than a professor, and strove to live out the
spirit of truth and righteousness.

After much difficulty, Uncle Nathan succeeded in effecting a safe
passage to the planking which formed the landing for the boats. After a
glance of vexation at the soiled condition of his boots (Uncle Nathan
was a bachelor!), he commenced his search for an upward-bound steamer,
for he was about to begin his homeward tour. Two columns of dense black
smoke, the hissing noise of escaping steam, and the splashing paddles of
a boat a short distance down the stream, attracted his attention, and
towards her he directed his steps. Approaching near enough to read her
name, he was not a little surprised to find the boat he had seen
advertised to start a week before. Concluding, in his innocence, that
some accident had detained her, he hastened on board. Entering the
cabin, the scene which was there presented did not exactly coincide with
his ideas of neatness or morality. Uncle Nathan had read descriptions of
the magnificence of Mississippi steamers; but the Chalmetta (for this
was the name of the boat) fell far below them. Even the best boats on
the river he considered vastly inferior to the North River and Sound
steamers.

After a hasty survey of the Chalmetta's capability of making him
comfortable for a week or more, he concluded to take passage in her for
Cincinnati, and accordingly he sought for the captain. To his inquiries
for that personage a thin, cadaverous-looking man presented himself, and
drawled out a civil salutation.

"How long afore you start, cap'n?" inquired Uncle Nathan.

"We shall get off in about ten minutes," replied Captain Brawler.
"John," continued he, turning to a waiter near him, with a wink, "tell
the pilot to be all ready, and ring the bell."

"Why, gracious!" said Uncle Nathan, hastily, as