These elevations, built by the aborigines, hundreds
of years ago, are the only points of refuge for miles.
When we arrived we found them crowded with stock,
all of which was thin and hardly able to stand up.
They were mixed together, sheep, hogs, horses, mules,
and cattle. One of these mounds has been used
for many years as the grave-yard, and to-day we saw
attenuated cows lying against the marble tomb-stones,
chewing their cud in contentment, after a meal of
corn furnished by General York. Here, as below,
the remarkable skill of the women and girls in the
management of the smaller pirogues was noticed.
Children were paddling about in these most ticklish
crafts with all the nonchalance of adepts.
General York has put into operation a perfect system
in regard to furnishing relief. He makes a personal
inspection of the place where it is asked, sees what
is necessary to be done, and then, having two boats
chartered, with flats, sends them promptly to the place,
when the cattle are loaded and towed to the pine hills
and uplands of Catahoula. He has made Troy his
headquarters, and to this point boats come for their
supply of feed for cattle. On the opposite side
of Little River, which branches to the left out of
Black, and between it and the Ouachita, is situated
the town of Trinity, which is hourly threatened with
destruction. It is much lower than Troy, and the
water is eight and nine feet deep in the houses.
A strong current sweeps through it, and it is remarkable
that all of its houses have not gone before. The
residents of both Troy and Trinity have been cared
for, yet some of their stock have to be furnished
with food.
As soon as the ‘Susie’ reached Troy, she
was turned over to General York, and placed at his
disposition to carry out the work of relief more rapidly.
Nearly all her supplies were landed on one of the mounds
to lighten her, and she was headed down stream to
relieve those below. At Tom Hooper’s place,
a few miles from Troy, a large flat, with about fifty
head of stock on board, was taken in tow. The
animals were fed, and soon regained some strength.
To-day we go on Little River, where the suffering
is greatest.
DOWN BLACK RIVER
Saturday Evening, March 25.
We started down Black River quite early, under the
direction of General York, to bring out what stock
could be reached. Going down river a flat in
tow was left in a central locality, and from there
men poled her back in the rear of plantations, picking
up the animals wherever found. In the loft of
a gin-house there were seventeen head found, and after
a gangway was built they were led down into the flat
without difficulty. Taking a skiff with the General,
your reporter was pulled up to a little house of two
rooms, in which the water was standing two feet on
the floors. In one of the large rooms were huddled
the horses and cows of the place, while in the other
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Life on the Mississippi from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
