I tell you the
Indian is a brave redskin, and the stag is his; but I'll buy it of
him. Hallo, captain! a dozen bottles of rum into the boat! Howard,
Richards, let me have half a dozen dollars, silver dollars, d'ye hear?
I'll pay the Indian a visit on board his canoe, and thank him as he
ought to be thanked."

No sooner said than done. The captain, however unwilling to lose any
more time, could not resist the impetuosity of the good-natured
scatterbrain, who sprang, dripping wet as he was, into the boat, a
bottle in each hand, and a friendly hurra upon his lips. The Indians
at first seemed alarmed and doubtful as to his intentions; but the
signs and words of peace and encouragement that were given, and
shouted to them from all sides, and above all, the sight of the
bottles, soon removed their fears. In another minute or two we saw
Doughby in their canoe, shaking hands with them, and putting one of
the bottles to his mouth. A little more, and I believe they would all,
men, women, and children, have begun the war-dance in the canoe, so
delighted were they with the magnificent present of the rum and
dollars. As it was, they shook and mauled Doughby till he was fain to
jump back into his boat, and escape as well as he could from their
wild caresses and demonstrative gratitude.

But we have been nearly twelve hours on the water, and the Alexandria
is a noted fast steamer. Our course has lain for some time between
banks covered with gigantic forests of live oak, cotton, bean, and
cypress trees, with here and there a palmetto field, and on the north
shore an occasional plantation, for the most part a mere log-hut, with
a strip of tobacco, cotton, or Indian corn. We have seen numerous
deer, who, on the appearance of our steamer, gallop back into the
woods--swans, cranes, geese, and ducks, wild pigeons, turkeys, and
alligators, are there by thousands. We now enter a broad part of the
river, and are gliding along in front of a wide clearing, some half
mile long, and surrounded by colossal evergreen oaks; a snug-looking
house of greenish-white colour stands in the middle of the plantation,
with orange gardens--that are to be--laid out and enclosed in front of
it; one enormous live oak, that looks as if it had stood there since
the flood, spreading its knotty limbs over the eastern side of the
habitation. The windows on the balconies are open, the Venetian blinds
drawn up, the sinking sun throws its mellow rays over the whole
pe