was given, and at the ribbon we both rushed like a couple
of frenzied bulls. I gave him a glancing blow that skinned his
head for about three inches. The next time there was a crash, a
jar that shook the boat and drew a shriek of terror from the
passengers, for the nigger fell with a dull thud on the deck. He
lay as stiff and cold as a dead man.

"Dat nigger is done gone dead! Dat nigger is no good any more!"
shouted the alarmed roustabouts.

The mate lifted him up, and he began bleeding from the nose, eyes,
and ears. The mate kindly asked him if he wanted to butt any more.
He did not reply, only shook his head sadly and murmured inaudibly,
"No." They applied whisky and water to his head, and at last
removed him into the deck to cool off.

Many years have rolled by, and I have never heard the last of that
butting adventure. The papers wrote it up, and in less than ten
days every planter on the coast had heard of it. The planter who
lost the $175 tells the story to this day; and Bill Patterson, the
mate (he is dead now), used to tell it to every new crew that he
shipped.

Towards night the old nigger came crawling up stairs and said:

"Massa, you have done for this poor nigger, for I must go to the
hospital and get cured up."

I returned him his $10, and for the rest of the trip the passengers
paid for everything I wanted to drink.

IT SHOOK THE CHECKS.

It never pays a man to be too officious and volunteer information
or advice when it is not asked, for he very often makes enemies
and courts a disturbance that he could easily have avoided if he
had simply minded his own business.

Some seven years ago I attended a fair at Cynthiana, Ky., and opened
out a gentleman's game in the Smith Hotel bar-room. There were a
number of sports from Louisville and Cincinnati present, and
everything was moving along lively, and as decorous as a funeral,
when some of the Paris and Louisville boys indulged in a scrimmage
and were arrested. Everybody left the hotel and went to see the
result of the trial. I sat near the judge, and when the evidence
was all in I whispered to him to fine them $10 each. This he did,
and as we were leaving the court-room, I noticed that a big fellow
from Paris, Ky., regarded me with very sour looks.

After supper I opened up my game, and in he came, and going to the
bar-keeper, whispered in a tone of voice loud enough for me to
hear: "I am going to whip that dealer."

Pretty soon