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  THE RESCUE OF THE CASTAWAYS.

  "The rescue occupied considerable time and work." (See page 283.)]

  The Last of the Flatboats

  _A Story of the Mississippi and its interesting family of rivers_

  By

  GEORGE CARY EGGLESTON

  Author of "The Big Brother," "Captain Sam," "The Signal Boys," "The Wreck of the Red Bird," etc., etc.

  BOSTON LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY

  COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY.

  Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A.

  _TO MY LAST-BORN BOY_

  CARY EGGLESTON

  _A brave, manly fellow Who knows how to swim How to catch fish How to handle his boat How to shoot straight with a rifle And how to tell the truth every time_

  I Dedicate

  _This Story about some other Boys of his kind_

  GEORGE CARY EGGLESTON

  _Culross-on-Lake-George_

  Preface

  Vevay, from which "The Last of the Flatboats" starts on its voyage downthe Mississippi, is a beautiful little Indiana town on the Ohio River,about midway between Cincinnati and Louisville. The town and SwitzerlandCounty, of which it is the capital, were settled by a company ofenergetic and thrifty Swiss immigrants, about the year 1805. Theirfamily names are still dominant in the town. I recall the following asfamiliar to me there in my boyhood: Grisard, Thiebaud, Le Clerc,Moreraud, Detraz, Tardy, Malin, Golay, Courvoisseur, Danglade, Bettens,Minnit, Violet, Dufour, Dumont, Duprez, Medary, Schenck, and others ofSwiss origin.

  The name Thiebaud, used in this story, was always pronounced "Kaybo" inVevay. The name Moreraud was called "Murrow."

  The map which accompanies this volume was specially prepared for it byLieut.-Col. Alexander McKenzie of the Corps of Engineers of the UnitedStates Army. To his skill, learning, and courtesy I and my readers areindebted for the careful marking of the practically navigable parts ofthe great river system, and for the calculation of mileage in everycase.

  G. C. E.

  Contents

  Chapter Page

  I. The Rescue of the Pigs 9

  II. How it All Began 17

  III. Captain Phil 27

  IV. A Hurry Call 33

  V. On the Banks of the Wonderful River 40

  VI. The Pilot 47

  VII. Talking 56

  VIII. The Right to the River 62

  IX. What happened at Louisville 71

  X. Jim 77

  XI. The Wonderful River 86

  XII. The Wonderful River's Work 95

  XIII. The Terror of the River 105

  XIV. In the Home of the Earthquakes 118

  XV. In the Chute 131

  XVI. "Talking Business" 147

  XVII. At Anchor 161

  XVIII. At Breakfast 170

  XIX. Scuttle Chatter 179

  XX. At Memphis 190

  XXI. A Wrestle with the River 198

  XXII. In the Fog 209

  XXIII. Through the Crevasse 219

  XXIV. A Little Amateur Surgery 228

  XXV. A Voyage in the Woods 236

  XXVI. The Crew and their Captain 245

  XXVII. A Struggle in the Dark 251

  XXVIII. A Hard-won Victory 261

  XXIX. Rescue 278

  XXX. A Yazoo Afternoon 291

  XXXI. An Offer of Help 304

  XXXII. Publicity 312

  XXXIII. Down "The Coast" 324

  XXXIV. A Talk on Deck 336

  XXXV. Looking Forward 348

  XXXVI. The Last Landing 361

  XXXVII. Red-Letter Days in New Orleans 370

  XXXVIII. "It" 379

  The Last of the Flatboats