But a Yankee sea-captain, named Grover, who chanced to be in port with his Boston brig, had the honor of suggesting to them a horse-power of the treadmill type, such as is now so commonly used for thrashing grain and sawing wood, where the weight of the horses, climbing on “lags,” propels the saw, or the “separator.”
At a “smithy” boat which had come down the river, our arksmen had such a horse-power made for them, and placed it low in the keel, amidships. The two paddle-wheels were attached to the topmost axle of the “lags” wheel, up the incline of which two horses walked abreast.
A week or more was occupied in making and adjusting the new gear, and there were many doubts as to its success; but on trial it was found that two horses were able to propel this light keel-boat against the river current at the rate of about four miles an hour. It was necessary, however, to have two spare horses. Four of their horses were reserved for this purpose.
They still had the pet bear, which had come to them so unexpectedly. Captain Royce had supposed that they might fall in with its former owners at New Orleans.
Moses, who still laid claim to the animal, had hopes of trading it for a rifle. But Doctor Buchat had taken a fancy to the bear, and named him “Napoleon,” and Captain Royce wished to give him to the genial Frenchman, who had repeatedly helped them.
Moses demurred to this; and the doctor, perceiving how matters stood with the boy, offered him a pair of antique, silver-mounted dueling pistols for his pet—not a very suitable present for a boy, but the only thing he could give.
The pistols were long-barreled old flintlocks, provided with “hair” triggers, and Moses was much elated. After a discussion, however, he reluctantly consented to give Lewis one of them; and this burning question being at last settled, the two boys set off to take Napoleon to Doctor Buchat’s house, which was on Good-Children Street, beyond the French market.
They confined the bear’s mouth in a strong muzzle and led him by his chain. Wistar Royce went along with them to lend a hand, in case of need, and to carry in a bag two vertebræ of the mastodon, which were overlooked in the hold of the ark when the rest of the skeleton was hauled to the doctor’s house.
Captain Royce had that day given each arksman his share of the proceeds of the voyage; and John Kenton, Clark MacAfee and Merrick also went along with the boys, bent on celebrating the occasion at the “Sure Enuf Hotel,” kept by a tremendously stout pioneer woman, known as “Old Ma’am Colby.” This was a place of common resort for flatboatmen, and was in a locality called “The Swamp,” at the farther end of Girod Street.
But the three boys went on with their bear past the American quarter, and entered the city proper by the Tchoupitoulas gate.