基本信息
als were huddled together, waiting for a boat to tow them off. on the right-hand side of the river is turnbull's island, and on it is a large plantation which formerly was pronounced one of the most fertile in the state. the water has hitherto allowed it to go scot-free in usual floods, but now broad sheets of water told only where fields were. the top of the protecting levee could be seen here and there, but nearly all of it was submerged.
the trees have put on a greener foliage since the water has poured in, and the woods look bright and fresh, but this pleasant aspect to the eye is neutralized by the interminable waste of water. we pass mile after mile, and it is nothing but trees standing up to their branches in water. a water-turkey now and again rises and flies ahead into the long avenue of silence. a pirogue sometimes flits from the bushes and crosses the red river on its way out to the mississippi, but the sad-faced paddlers never turn their heads to look at our boat. the puffing of the boat is music in this gloom, which affects one most curiously. it is not the gloom of deep forests or dark caverns, but a peculiar kind of solemn silence and impressive awe that holds one perforce to its recognition. we passed two negro families on a raft tied up in the willows this morning. they were evidently of the well-to-do class, as they had a supply of meal and three or four hogs with them. th
