." Some twenty or thirty boats lay along a series of wooden
wharves that projected slightly into the river. Some had just arrived
from up-river towns, and were discharging their freight and passengers,
at this season a scanty list. Others, surrounded by a bustling swarm,
were getting up steam; while still others appeared to be abandoned by
both officers and crew--who were no doubt at the time enjoying
themselves in the brilliant cafes and restaurants. Occasionally might
be seen a jauntily-dressed clerk, with blue cottonade trowsers, white
linen coat, costly Panama hat, shirt with cambric ruffles, and diamond
studs. This stylish gentleman would appear for a few minutes by one of
the deserted boats--perhaps transact a little business with some one--
and then hurry off again to his more pleasant haunts in the city.

There were two points upon the Levee where the bustle of active life was
more especially observable. These were the spaces in front of two large
boats. One was that on which I had taken passage. The other, as I
could read upon her wheel-house, was the "Magnolia." The latter was
also upon the eve of starting, as I could tell by the movements of her
people, by the red fires seen in her furnaces, and the hissing of steam,
that every now and then screamed sharply from the direction of her
boilers.

On the Levee directly in front of her "drays" were depositing their last
loads, passengers were hurrying forward hat-box in hand, in fear they
might be too late; trunks, boxes, bags, and barrels were being rudely
pushed or rolled over the staging-planks; the gaily-dressed clerks,
armed with book and pencil, were checking them off; and everything
denoted the intention of a speedy departure. A scene exactly similar
was being enacted in front of the "Belle of the West."

I had not been regarding these movements very long, before I observed
that there was something unusual "in the wind." The boats lay at no
great distance from each other, and their crews, by a slight elevation
of voice, could converse. This they were freely doing; and from some
expressions that reached me, coupled with a certain tone of defiance in
which they were uttered, I could perceive that the "Magnolia" and the
"Belle of the West" were "rival boats." I soon gathered the further
information, that they were about to start at the same time, and that a
"race" was in contemplation!

I knew that this was no unusual occurrence among what are t