while he was hastily pulling it out of the wagon, it accidently discharged and the load entered the goods in the vehicle. The bullet went through my blanket (the one you kindly presented me with, the brewer’s green shawl, it has done me good service ever since and I have it yet, I could write a history about it); and made three large holes in the middle. It then sped on through my shirts and trousers into a keg of meat and lodged in a ham. Three of us were walking behind the wagon and we did not notice that a cotton blanket had caught fire, until it was ablaze. Fire! Fire! We will have to get the keg of powder, or this will be the end of our journey. I jumped into the wagon and quickly threw out all the burning clothes, the other boys put the fire out and the powder was saved. We agreed among ourselves that henceforth no one be allowed to place a loaded gun in the wagon but each must carry his weapon on his shoulders.
Mineral Point has 8,000 inhabitants. It is a large, noisy place. Within a circumference of many miles are rich lead mines, a ton of lead (2,000 pounds) is worth, that is the lead ore, from 25 to 35 dollars, depending on the richness of the mineral.
On April 25th, we beheld for the first time the broadest river in eastern America, the Mississippi. A steamboat ferried us across to the other side, into the city of Dubuque, state of Iowa. The Mississippi river is about half an hour’s walking wide. (Note of transcriber: In Francl’s native land the distance between towns and villages is smaller than in the United States, for the country is much more thickly populated. Before the days of railroads, people there customarily walked and some do yet. Thus they measure the distance not by miles but by the time it takes to go from one place to another. This mode, however, is passing in these more modern times.) The water is clear and of a grass color. The large steamboats on the river make a beautiful picture for stranger’s eyes. At this place the river flows between high banks and hills and there is no bottom-land or valley. The houses are scattered over the hills down to the river banks. Dubuque has a population of 16,000 people. I am of the opinion that it is a lively place for business and a good location for a merchant.
We stayed in Dubuque two days and began to suspect our landlord of using double chalk when marking down our accounts. The first day after supper we asked Mr. Benedict (that was his name) how much we owed him. He brought half a sheet of long paper on which he had written items for things we had never seen. His bill amounted to $25.00 while we had figured it at about $6.00. We began to argue with him in a more unceremonious way. Then he left us and went away, returning later with a different bill for $4.78 and said, in English: “I made a mistake in figuring it out. I figured 200 gallons of beer instead of 2 gallons. Just as I was writing down the 2, the ink dropped from my pen and blotted. I was in a hurry, my mind was preoccupied with other work, so I must have rubbed my sleeve over the blot and unluckily added two ciphers to the 2.” “Look here, Mr. Benedict, how about that turkey and the oysters, how did these get into the bill?” “That’s so, that’s so” (and he emitted an oath), “I must have been properly drunk when I entered those charges on my book.” We saw that he was greatly disturbed because we were leaving with a poor opinion of him. He brought 2 bottles of wine, which we drank with much relish. On the following day he was very polite and respectful to us, apologized profusely and begged that we forgive him. We made no mention of this to anyone and pledged each other not to do so and try to forget it. In parting he gave us a number of treats in the way of oyster suppers.
On the 29th, in the afternoon, we set out and travelled five miles further. On April 30th we worked the whole day repairing our wagon. It was coupled too long, but we made it so short that when we were on our way again, I, being a few steps ahead, heard someone “Ho! Ho! Hola! Hola!” I have already mentioned that Frieda stuttered. Well, what is the matter now? We all stood around the wagon, looking at our day’s labor. We had shortened the wagon so much that when it was necessary to make a short turn, the front and hind wheels met and locked together and could not revolve. We labored another whole day and finally left the wagon with the nearest wheelwright for repairs.
Before arriving in Iowa City, one morning it rained. We did not feel like leaving our camp and getting out on the road, so someone suggested that we employ ourselves with moulding leaden bullets, for we would need a large supply of assorted sizes and it was a good time to make them. We moulded different kinds of bullets and used up fifteen pounds of lead. You may believe we did some experimenting with our guns and in that way wasted a pound. or two of ammunition.
At two o’clock in the afternoon, in the heat of the day, we arrived in Iowa City. Unfortunately some of my companions started out ahead, they wanted to get a view of the city before we arrived. When we caught up with them, they imparted the grand news that there was a German brewery there and in their opinion we could buy lager beer therein. “Frieda, turn the wagon around this house here, tie the oxen to a tree, then follow us. Before you go, feed the oxen with Turkish wheat (corn) and give them water.”
Upon entering the room we beheld an old gentleman sitting down and reading a newspaper. He was of small body, stoop-shouldered, very hard of hearing and had a pair of spectacles on his nose. After a while he became sensible of a noise, looked up and saw us. He removed his spectacles and begged us to excuse him, for his hearing was bad, so he had not heard us come in. He was talking in a loud voice, in English, German and God knows what else, all jumbled together, so none of us understood him. “Here, my gentlemen, you can drink the best and I believe the last beer on your way to California.” “What’s that he says?” asks Adolph. “The last beer we can get in the last town to California? Oh ho, my friends, we will have to drink a little more on this account and take a last farewell, for this will be the last beer we will see.”
I proposed that we should leave and find a place where we could stay over night. It was four o’clock in the afternoon when we left the brewery and started for the river. When we came there, we found another obstacle, a ferry. It would cost us 25 cents per pair of oxen to cross. To save this expense, that we might have money to buy more beer, we plunged into the river and with much trouble got across at about six o’clock in the evening. Farther on we found a good camping place for the night, on a small elevation of ground. After supper, in the twilight; we again set out for the brewery, to visit the old gentleman. His guests were assembled, as was their daily habit, with beer for a stimulant. They indulged in a great deal of talk and argument over
