After this, I always took a companion with me, and when one had fired, the other harpooned, which made the work easier. However fearful the alligators may be of white men, it is extraordinary how furiously they will attack negroes and dogs, particularly the latter. I was standing one afternoon, harpoon in hand, up to the waist in water, and although plenty of alligators were swimming about, none of them would come close enough, when, acting on the impulse of the moment, I attempted to attract them by imitating the bark of a dog;—fifteen or sixteen big fellows came straight towards me, as soon as they heard it! This was too much of a good thing: standing so deep in water, I was hardly master of my movements, and began to step out as fast as possible for the shore, about a hundred feet distant; I then recommenced my bark, but as I was fully exposed to view, they were afraid of coming close, though they kept swimming round at a respectable distance.
The predominant religion in Louisiana is the Roman Catholic, with this difference in the arrangements, that the priest is chosen by the congregation, and the bishop has nothing to say in the matter. Some time since, the people had dismissed their priest, being dissatisfied with him; but, as he had been invested by the bishop, he maintained that the bishop alone could remove him, and taking Mr. Beattie for his advocate, he indicted his flock. Mr. Beattie gained his cause at the half-yearly sessions, but the parish appealed to the court of the United States at New Orleans. The priest repaired thither, took a new advocate, and obtained the following sentence: “That the citizens of Pointe Coupée might dismiss their priest, if they were dissatisfied with him, and that neither bishop nor pope could issue commands in the United States.”
It was about the end of June, when I made up my mind to return to Germany. Kean had been for some time in New Orleans, engaged in commission business, and I began to feel lonely in Pointe Coupée. I therefore arranged my affairs, and prevailed on a brother of the proprietor, who had formerly been in partnership with him, to undertake the management, now that all was in good order; then, taking a kind leave of all my good friends, I left Pointe Coupée on the 5th of July—the same day that I had left Little Rock the year before.
I embarked on board the Steamer “Eclipse” for New Orleans, and dashed down the swollen stream with the speed of an arrow. The banks of the Mississippi, in the lower part of Louisiana, offer a most beautiful panorama of towns and plantations, to the eyes of the passenger flying past in a steamer; the country-seats of the planters make a splendid appearance through the orange and pomegranate trees, with the rows of white cottages for the slaves, like so many villages, besides large cotton fields and sugar plantations, with gangs of negroes at work, under the inspection of a white on horseback; troops of mustangs, or ponies, galloping with flowing manes and tails, small schooners, and so-called chicken thieves dashing with swelling tails along the shores, give the whole an animated aspect. At present, however, it did not look everywhere so agreeable; the river had risen considerably, and in many places broken through the levée, laying a number of cotton fields and sugar plantations under water, and giving the landscape a wild and desolate look.
On the following morning, about nine o’clock, we approached the emporium of the south, and a multitude of boats, barges, schooners, brigs, and even ships lying above the town, gave evidence of the busy turmoil of an immense commercial place. We had about forty head of oxen on board, which had been brought from St. Louis, to be landed at Lafayette, a suburb of New Orleans. The steamer was stopped near the shore, and the oxen and cows bundled overboard to swim to land. This done, the engine was set going, and passing shipping of all sorts and nations, we landed about ten o’clock, among about sixty other steamers, on the levée of New Orleans.
I found Kean immediately, and accompanied him to the hotel where he lodged, left my things there, and lounged about the town with him, talking of bygone times. The heat was oppressive, and we were soon obliged to take shelter in the house to escape the scorching rays of the sun. In the evening we drove to Lafayette, where several Bremen vessels were lying, to have a look at them, and inquire their times of departure. We found two bound for Bremen, but the time of departure uncertain, and I saw that I should have to remain some time in New Orleans.
The town had increased very much since my former visit, and was improved in its appearance. It extends above seven miles along the bank of the river, where it is interesting to observe all sorts of shipping, steamers and sailing vessels arriving or departing every hour of the day. In other respects the town offers nothing noticeable beyond straight handsome streets, with large clean looking houses, and tastefully ornamented shops. It is still more interesting to observe the people, who throng the streets in all, even the hottest, hours of the day, where every shade between white and black is to be seen. The spot most attractive to me was the lower market, close to the levée, where every kind of article to be found in America was for sale. The fruit stalls looked especially inviting, and so did the fish-stalls, where great varieties of fish were to be seen. In the midst of all the bustle and crowding, there are quiet retreats, where a brilliant and colossal coffee machine stands always on a table, surrounded by chairs, cups, and plates filled with every kind of bread and cake are at hand; a pretty looking girl performs the part of Hebe. At all hours of the day and night, hot coffee, and in many of these places tea and chocolate, are always ready; and almost every night, when I could not prevail on myself to retire to the hot, close room without a breath of air, I have walked about the ever thronged streets, and drank coffee, until fatigue drove me to bed. At daybreak I was in the market again, among the crowds of Americans, French, Creoles, English, Germans, Spaniards, Italians, Negroes, Mulattoes, Mestizoes, Indians, &c., &c., and returned to breakfast, at which I drank, Creole fashion, red wine iced, instead of coffee, and then went to bed for a few hours. Kean joined me whenever his business would permit; and many an hour passed in agreeable conversation.
At length, after a space of three weeks, the “Olbers” was cleared, and ready to start. My effects were embarked, leave taken of all my friends, a most hearty one of Kean, whom I loved as a brother, and who had always behaved like one, and at ten at night the steamer “Porpoise” made herself fast alongside, having besides a French brig, three schooners in tow, and we started like a small fleet down the dark stream. We reached the mouth of the Mississippi about noon the next day, and anchored. In all directions thin green reeds were growing out of the water, giving only a representation of land, the yellow river flowing through them, and not a foot of solid ground anywhere visible. The Mississippi is here a river but without any banks, though looking as if still enclosed in its bed. To my great astonishment, houses were seen above this waste of reeds and water, with living beings moving about them. As the pilot said that we must wait till tomorrow for broad daylight and the flood tide, to cross the bar, and we had nothing to do this afternoon, the captain took two other passengers and myself to the row of houses, to see if we could get oysters, or any thing else eatable. After half an hour’s sharp rowing, we reached a platform resting on piles. A more uninviting place to live in, I never saw. The water flows under the houses of this outpost of American felicity, leaving at low-water a loose slimy mud, which would engulf any one attempting to tread on it, and which swarms with creeping things innumerable. I recollect an American saying that Louisiana was not fit for the abode of man, but only for mosquitoes, bullfrogs, and alligators, and certainly here there seemed to be reason in his words, for how a human being could be induced to settle in such a place is still a mystery to me. The inhabitants catch oysters at no great distance from their houses, sell some of them to the ships, and carry the rest in their boats to New Orleans, to exchange them for provisions and necessaries for their families, yes, families,—for women and children were there too. When we arrived, there was not an oyster left in the place, nor any thing else eatable to be had, and they told us that they were anxiously looking out for a boat with provisions. A glass of brandy adulterated with a little vitriol was all that we procured, and we returned on board, rejoicing to escape the frantic mosquitoes of the little settlement.
At nine the next morning we weighed anchor, and the “Porpoise,” which, meantime, had taken some smaller vessels over the bar, now took us in tow, and with some trouble, dragged us over, the keel scraping occasionally. She carried us several miles out into the gulf, and then left us to make our way alone as well as we could, which, as there was very little wind, was slow work enough; and at length we were quite becalmed.
My fellow-passengers were, a Hamburgh merchant, an American landholder, who possessed thousands of acres in Texas, which he wished to dispose of, (I never knew any one from Texas, who did not possess at least ten thousand acres of good land;) and a citizen of Lübeck, who had married in America, and who was taking his wife and his two children to live in his native country.