ghtful as our sojourn
had been, even Mrs. Shepard thought it was about time to depart. But I
could not leave with my ancient enemy unforgiven. I went to the clerk
of the court and paid Captain Boomsby's fine. He was released from
confinement, and took the next boat down the river. He had the grace to
take my hand, and say good-by before he went; and that was the last
time I ever saw him.

We had a large crowd on the levee when we left, and we kept our
whistles going till a bend in the river took us out of sight of the
hospitable city where we had enjoyed so much. The water had fallen a
little, but not much. The melting snows of the northern hills had not
yet sent down their full tribute to the Gulf.

We stopped at Natchez and at Vicksburg, and were very handsomely
treated by the people. But the broad river was the greatest study to
us, for we had visited no end of towns and cities on our long voyage.
We were interested in the numerous islands, hundreds of them. When we
looked at some of them from below, the fresh foliage seemed to form a
regular flight of steps. The pilot explained this appearance. The rapid
current was continually wearing away the upstream end of the island,
and depositing its soil on the other end, in which every year new trees
sprang up; and each step denoted a period in the growth of the wood.

It was the first day of May when we reached Cairo, at the mouth of the
Ohio, where the waters of the two rivers seemed to be spread out like
an inland sea or lake. We found an excellent hotel there; but Washburn
and I spent what time we had to spare with our friend West, who had
been for a time a student in Somerset College.

A couple of days more brought us to St. Louis, where we found enough to
interest us for a week. When we were about ready to continue our
voyage, Colonel Shepard came into the pilot-house, where I was seated
with Washburn, and wanted to know how much farther up the river I
intended to go. He had heard me speak of sailing the next morning, and
he thought it was about time for him to leave for New York, by train,
with his family.

CHAPTER XXX.

UP ANOTHER RIVER AND HOME AGAIN.

Colonel Shepard looked somewhat perplexed, for while we were going "Up
the River," not a word had been said about going "Down the River."
Doubtless all our passengers thought the steamers would have to return
by the way they came, and had taken it for granted that this must be
the case. I had a diffe