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Ben arriving, terms were concluded, the boat was unloaded, at once floated into the current, and ready to get down stream, but without any load of consequence. Before leaving, the Totems went aboard, where they enjoyed a good dinner and refreshments with the owner and clerk. While on board the owner had an interchange of opinions with the Totems. Turning to Ben, he said: "I knew something of the Missouri River, but nothing in comparison with what I have learned on this first trip. It don't look much like a river here now; it appears like no more than a string of muddy ponds or little lakes, with a shallow center stream connecting them, where, some places, there is not now over two feet of water. It is all nonsense to talk about carrying much commerce on it, as it runs so low and is frozen up for so many months that there can be no certainty about such business. What is it good for, anyway?" "Well, well," replied Ben, "good fur, sure enough; why it's the best thing in Ameriky fur the boatbuilders, fur no un ever seed it the fust time that he did n't b❜lieve it wuz a river; them and the bilermakers jinin' to git new fellers like you to build boats and bilers and hev 'em repaired arter ev'ry trip, whar they've bin bulgin' thru the sand, reg'lar like, and thumpin' up agin the bars fur a day and nite at a time, and a biler busted. A'most ev'ry trip makes 'em mity tired uv the boat-buildin' and navigatin' business; so down on it that they frekintly sell 'em out fer ferry-boats.

"Ez yer a new man, yer orter know that the main holt iz to git a propriashun frum Congris; fur this the Mizouri iz a long ways ahed uv enything hearn tell uv in these parts, even the big corn-craps, when they 're not drownded out. Ez to onsartanty, there's nothin' ekal to thet thar river. Thar's Jim Tompson, over thar on the line 'tween Cooper an' Saline Counties, one uv the likeliest men all about heer, who mite a bin sheriff uv Cooper, and maybe Saline,

ef he hed node a year ahed which county his farm would be in arter the June rise; en' it makes him look pale en' old like; fer thar's nuthin' more disconsolatin' than to be that nigh onto an office en' not git it. Speakin' uv the river, ef they'd quit wastin' money on dredgin's thet fill up over nite, en' build a strong, high levy, en' narrer down the stream ez fer ez they cud, en' do it well, ef it war only five mile a year, they'd git a river, or a peece uv one, in a few years, thet hed water in it, ez fer ez they banked it up, enyway; but it would be hard on some fellers thet depend reg'lar on 'propriashuns fer a thousand miles up en' down the Big Muddy."

If the patient reader believes that these outlines may be overdrawn, or that farms do not grow larger or smaller or wash away altogether, and change people's property, or wash it out of existence every year, he can examine for himself, for all there ever was of the river is there yet, where he will find the shifting Missouri, doing all or more than has been written, where the appropriations of Congress flow into the sand and float downstream as regularly as farms, towns, and cities, or islands change boundaries and are obliterated in the June rise of the Big Muddy.

CHAPTER XXVII.

HE closure of the river and driving back several bodies

TH

of emigrants somewhat delayed their movements; for

the river, shallow, shifting, and uncertain as it was, had to be used as much as possible. Its traffic was then conducted by as enterprising and persevering a force of river-men as ever pushed commerce along any stream; but it was as idle a piece of folly as ever men attempted, to think that western travel and emigration could be checked by excluding them from three hundred miles of so "sorry" a route, or that it would stop a single determined Yankee from going to Kansas.

Railroad building was going on rapidly all over the West. This piece of Atchison's wretched work was not only a part of his scheming that delayed emigration to Kansas for a few months, but it was a setback for Missouri and her western river towns for a full generation, and lost them the first transcontinental line terminus, which was taken two hundred miles north.

Two lines of railway were then in course of construction across the State, which would soon have been completed, and as certainly secured the benefit designed by building "the highway to India," of Benton, whose ideas and ambition prompted the first undertaking of it. However, Missouri, under her Atchisons, Polks, Claibornes, Jacksons, Greens, and Prices, was "mired down" in their pro-slavery madness, and eschewed statemanship for fellows "who could run a nigger tobacco plantation and make it pay." They overthrew Benton, Phelps, Gratz Brown,

the Halls, the Glovers, Henderson and Frank Blair, throwing aside men of good sense and knowledge of public affairs for pro-slavery zealots "who could lick a nigger and drive the Yanks out of Kansas."

They also threw aside their only opportunity for getting the main thoroughfare of the Nation across the rich and fertile State, with such inviting resources. Among other advantages, it would have held its part of the main line from the Atlantic to the Pacific. But they turned the first main railroad across the continent north into Iowa and Nebraska, among a people friendly to immigration, railroads, bridges, schools, colleges, free institutions, and modern progress.

In the spring of 1856 the Missouri mobs, having closed what part of a navigable stream they had, the more enterprising people of the free States began to open railroads across the State of Iowa. This was no less than disaster, deep and irremediable, well understood from Washington to Westport. In addition, "Jim Lane," who had gone North the fall before to avoid imprisonment, returned with a few organized companies from the free States, emigrating to Kansas, to take their chances in the fight for freedom.

Of all the free State leaders, Lane was the boldest and most daring. For good reasons his forces, being the best organized and equipped, were respected and feared by the "raiders." Lane would not only fight his way out and defend himself and his party anywhere, but would follow up his advantage, pursue his assailants, and punish them with all his power, with superior tact and skill above all the border leaders on both sides. When the Iowa route was opened, and the facility of getting free State emigrants that way became known, the consternation was increased by reports that Lane was coming with an “Emigrant Aid Society" army of thousands. This was partly true; only it was four or five times overcounted; but a real ter

ror to the bandits, considering the kind of guns they carried.

Lane sent forward and brought with him, all arriving in small squads, five or six hundred well-prepared and armed men for the conflict. Although not the five or six thousand reported, nevertheless it was a formidable force, that gave hope and encouragement to the hunted and looted settlers. In addition to their numbers and that they were equipped with "the dreaded Sharpe's rifles," it was well known that they had a leader who would fight and knew how to do it, who would pound away and take advantage of every chance, and pursue the raiders until there were driven back into Missouri, where he intended to follow whenever his force was strong enough.

The free State party, thus re-enforced, began a vigorous warfare on all the pro-slavery bands, and, being much better armed, dispersed a number of them and drove them to their hiding. This led to recruiting and preparations for another invasion. Atchison's paper sounded the assembling as follows: "So sudden and unexpected has been this new attack by the Abolitionists, that the law and order party was unprepared effectually to resist them. To-day the bogus State Government is to assemble at Topeka. The issue is distinctly made up. Either the free State or proslavery party is to have Kansas. Citizens of Platte County, the war is upon you, and at your very doors. Arouse yourselves to speedy vengeance, and rub out the bloody traitors."

This was in August. Shannon had not left, though he had turned over the direction of affairs to Woodson. For some weeks he was expecting to be relieved; but the renewal of energy on the part of the free State men alarmed him. He dreaded the renewed conflict which seemed imminent. General Smith, having newly arrived, partook of his fears. All the Kansas militia, which was

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