~.tč1ave Stoztee	s	.
District No. 5.	.
tiaerburgh County :auan~ Creel
		e:“ iir‘rr.~t,,v 1~t~.r«v~‘
	.	s.a us~~a. J. ~



r3asaěvlfle to Cairo, Illinois on the 3. ~. Rhea. r soon aeciaeo. ‘~o go to ~iro auG. take o ~pinoe on the naaraao, a St. Louis and. Cincinnati paoket :i~1oh orused. from. (~airo to Ulnoinnati. o,,~. th&~t bo~.t I vzorkcd as a roustc.bout for nec~rlythree years.“

	“tzmt aia the roustnthout have to OEoT“ ssk~a o. neighbor tat who hei come into the roo:.i. “The roust—about ib no better than the rx~.te that rules him. if the ~wte le ~ind.iy &izposed~ the roust-about has an ~aey enough life. mi negroes had oiily a fe‘o years of freeOEora ‚an~. resented. onelty. u the mate bec‘~fle too 4noan, a rofliar fight would. follow an& perhaps several rouet-aboute :ou]Ä be hurt before it vins finished.“

	Uncle George saift that f6od was ztl;~c~s plentiful on the boats. Passengers ~ad~ fre ight were crowdeŚ tocether on the decks • At night there would. be singrig and danoing aM f±d4le music. . ~7e rouet-abouts would. got togethe± ant ~hoot oraps, dance or play ocras untIl the call ccne to shuffle freight, then 7e woult (tIl get bus~,‘ suC. the a‘ c voice utning orders ctßd, be h~ar& for
e. long distance.	.	. .

	~irjs~ite of these few pleasures ‚ the life of a roust-about is‘ the life of a dog. : ~ do not resall any unkiMnesses of slcvery days. I was ‘boo young to realize what it wae‘e.fl about, but it ooulŚ never have eq,ualle( the cruelty shown the laborer on the river boats by ‘cruel mates and overseers.“

	Another superstition advanced itself in the story of a bâat1told, ‘byUncle George Arnol&. The story follows: “Then I wasa roust-about on ib~ dolt hi~t Tie Were sailing out from New Orleens ant as soon as we got well out on ‚‘. broid. stream the rats commenced juiiipiiig ?ver board. ‘See these rats‘ sait, ~:~4!iT5rm~,. ‘ns.s boat wilt never make a return~ tp!! ‚ . . . :
	s


~:4 ~!~$‘.,~e~iey‘port ‘:.îo~ ~ ~ ŕrew left tb,e boat but . the mate at‘ ‘fl. OptS
a~k ~ ~	t
~~fl‘~!fl&tU f6ole ant b‘gpt lis to ata. ‚ 5Q, t‘ ftw oX un: stays,t:.to~ 4t~
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