This
predilection for gambling, which is generally carried to great extremes
on board southern boats, was not, however, confined to the cabin, for I
noticed the crew, at every spare interval, sitting about on deck, with
packs of cards, completely absorbed in the game. The negro hands were
particularly addicted to this vice, and a gentleman who was proceeding
in the boat informed me that but a trifle of the earnings of boat-hands
in general was spared from their devotedness to this ruinous practice.
The effect of association with, and the example set by, white men given
to gambling, will account, perhaps, for the habit. This moral pestilence
is in vain prohibited by the state, and is pursued by all classes in the
south with frenzied avidity.
After twice running on shore, and meeting with sundry other stoppages
and minor mishaps, through the mismanagement of the two engineers, we
reached the city of St. Louis, to the gratification of myself and
fellow-passengers. This is a place of considerable extent, although
awkwardly built, and for the most part irregularly laid out.
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