few white
people--men, women, and children--were lying here and there among the
negroes. Altogether, I learned we had two hundred of these deck
passengers, black and white. A stove, by which they could fry bacon, was
the only furniture provided for them by the boat. They carried with them
their provisions for the voyage, and had their choice of the freight for
beds.

As I came to the bows again, and was about to ascend to the cabin, two
men came down, one of whom I recognized to have been my cot neighbor.
"Where's a bucket?" said he. "By thunder, this fellow was so strong I
could not sleep by him, so I stumped him to come down and wash his
feet." "I am much obliged to you," said I; and I was, very much; the man
had been lying in the cot beneath mine, to which I now returned, and
soon fell asleep.

I awoke about midnight. There was an unusual jar in the boat, and an
evident excitement among people whom I could hear talking on deck. I
rolled out of my cot and stepped out on the gallery. The steamboat
"Kimball" was running head-and-head with us, and so close that one
might have jumped easily from our paddle-box on to her guards. A few
other passengers had turned out besides myself, and most of the waiters
were leaning on the rail of the gallery.

Occasionally a few words of banter passed between them and the waiters
of the "Kimball;" below, the firemen were shouting as they crowded the
furnaces, and some one could be heard cheering them: "Shove her up,
boys! Shove her up! Give her hell!" "She's got to hold a conversation
with us before she gets by, anyhow," said one of the negroes. "Ye har
that ar' whistlin'?" said a white man; "tell ye thar ain't any too much
water in her bilers when ye har that." I laughed silently, but was not
without a slight expectant sensation, which Burke would perhaps have
called sublime. At length the "Kimball" drew slowly ahead, crossed our
bow, and the contest was given up. "De ole lady too heavy," said a
waiter; "if I could pitch a few ton of dat ar freight off her bow, I bet
de 'Kimball' would be askin' her to show de way mighty quick."

[Our traveller missed the experience which in former days made
travel now and then very lively upon the Mississippi,--a blow
up of one or other of the racing boats. A bell was rung to
rouse the cot-sleepers at half-past four, and the rest of the
day was taken up in preparations for and eating the three
meals.]

Every part