1,000 in the bags, so he jumped them
up on the counter, and said, "It's a go;" and then he stood close
and watched me throw them, until I said "Ready;" then he made a
grab, and turned over the wrong card. If he had been struck by
lightning, he could not have acted more dazed. He dropped into a
chair and lost all control of himself, and I felt a little sorry
for him; but "business is business." So I picked up the bags and
started to go, when the fellow came to his senses and said: "Hold
on; you did not win the bags." I saw he had me on the bags; and
as I knew he had them made for the business, I said to him: "If
you get me something to put the money in, you can have the bags."
He jumped up and ran out; and when he returned with a meal-sack,
he found the barkeeper and his two bags, but not Bush and me. We
had bought some towels of the barkeeper, dumped the silver into
them and lit out, for fear that the little old silver man would
bring back a "cop" to hold us, in place of something to hold the
silver. The little fellow was game, and did not say anything about
his loss. The next time I met him he requested me to say nothing
about the play; and every time we met we would take a drink, and
laugh over the joke. The last time I met my silver friend he was
crippled up with the rheumatism so he could hardly walk, and he
was "dead broke." I gave him $10 (for past favors), and I have
not seen him since; and I expect he is now in his grave, for it
has been many years ago since I won the silver, but not the bags.

THE BLACK DECK-HAND.

Charlie Clark and I left New Orleans one night on the steamer _Duke
of Orleans_. There were ten or twelve rough looking fellows on
board, who did their drinking out of private bottles. Charlie
opened up shop in the cabin, and soon had a great crowd around him.
I saw that the devils had been drinking too much, so I gave Charlie
the wink, and he soon closed up, claiming to be broke. Then we
arranged that I should do the playing, and he would be on the
lookout. I soon got about all the money and some watches out of
the roughs, besides I beat seven or eight of the other passengers.
They all appeared to take it good-naturedly at the time; but it
was not long before their loss, and the bad whisky, began to work
on them. I saw there was going to be trouble, so I made a sneak
for my room, changed my clothes, and then slipped down the back
stairs into the kitchen. I sent word for Clark t