"Miss S. and I clutched hands in a little terror as our small boat
seemed likely to run under the great steamer, but our oarsmen knew their
duty and we were safely put on board of the 'Woodruff.'
"March 25. We stopped at Cairo at eight o'clock this morning. Mr. S.
went on shore and brought newspapers on board. The Cairo paper I do not
think of high order. I saw no mention in it of the detention of the
'Magnolia'!
"March 26. Yesterday we count as a day of events. It began to look sunny
on the banks, especially on the Kentucky side, and Miss S. and I saw
cherry-blossoms. We remembered the eclipse, and Mr. S. having brought
with him a piece of broken glass from one of the windows of the
'Magnolia,' I smoked it over a piece of candle which I had brought from
Room No. 22 of the Planter's House at St. Louis, and we prepared to see
the eclipse.
"I expected to see the moon on at five o'clock and twenty minutes, but
as I had no time I could not tell when to look for it.
"It was not on at that time by my watch, but in ten minutes after was so
far on that I think my time cannot be much wrong.
"It was a little cloudy, so that we saw the sun only 'all flecked with
bars,' and caught sight of the phenomenon at intervals.
"We were at a coal-landing at the time, and not far from Madrid. The
boat stopped so long to take in an immense pile of corn-bags that our
passengers went on shore--such of them as could climb the slippery bank.
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