deck we carried twenty "wood boys," whose duty was to
cut wood for the furnace, and about thirty black passengers. They
were chiefly soldiers, who had finished their period of service for
the State, with their wives and children. They were crowded on the
top of the hatches into a space fifteen by fifteen feet between our
cabin door and the furnace. Around the combings of the hatches, and
where the scuppers would have been had the _Deliverance_ had
scuppers, the river raced over the deck to a depth of four or five
inches. When the passengers wanted to wash their few clothes or
themselves they carried on their ablutions and laundry work where
they happened to be sitting. But for Anfossi and myself to go from
our cabin to the iron ladder of the bridge it was necessary to wade
both in the water and to make stepping stones of the passengers. I
do not mean that we merely stepped over an occasional arm or leg. I
mean we walked on them. You have seen a football player, in a hurry
to make a touchdown, hurdle without prejudice both friends and foes.
Our progress was like this. But by practice we became so expert that
without even awakening them we could spring lightly from the plump
stomach of a black baby to its mother's shoulder, from there leap to
the father's ribs, and rebound upon the rungs of the ladder.

[Illustration: The _Deliverance_.]

The river marched to the sea at the rate of four to five miles an
hour. The _Deliverance_ could make about nine knots an hour, so we
travelled at the average rate of five miles; but for the greater
part of each day we were tied to a bank while the boys went ashore
and cut enough wood to carry us farther. And we never travelled at
night. Owing to the changing currents, before the sun set we ran
into shore and made fast to a tree. I explained how in America the
river boats used search-lights, and was told that on one boat the
State had experimented with a searchlight, but that particular
searchlight having got out of order the idea of night travelling was
condemned.

Ours was a most lazy progress, but one with the most beautiful
surroundings and filled with entertainment. From our private box we
looked out upon the most wonderful of panoramas. Sometimes we were
closely hemmed in by mountains of light-green grass, except where,
in the hollows, streams tumbled in tiny waterfalls between gigantic
trees hung with strange flowering vines and orchids. Or we would
push into great lakes of s