Later we saw Captain "Billy" Jones, a much younger man than Captain Parisot, yet old enough to have known the river in its prime. Captain Jones deserted the river years ago, and is now a golfer with a prosperous banking business on the side. "Captain Parisot was right when he said business on the river was done largely on friendship," said Captain Jones. "Also business used to be turned down for the opposite reason. There was a historic case of that in this town. "Captain Tom Leathers was in the habit of refusing to take freight on the _Natchez_ if he didn't like the shipper or the consignee. For some reason or other he had it in for the firm of Lamkin & Eggleston, wholesale grocers here in Vicksburg, and declined their freight. They sued him in the Circuit Court and got judgment. Leathers carried the case to the Supreme Court, but the verdict was sustained and he had to pay $2500 damages. He was furious. "'What's the use,' he said, 'of being a steamboat captain if you can't tell people to go to hell?'" It is the lamentable fact, and I must face it, and so must you if you intend to read on, that the language of the river was rough. At least ninety-nine out of every hundred river stories are, therefore, not printable in full. Either they must be vitiated by deletions, or interpreted at certain points by blanks and "blanketys." As for me, I prefer the blankety-blanks and I consider that this method of avoiding the complete truth relieves me of all responsibility. And of course, if that is so, it absolves, at the same time, good Captain "Billy" Jones, or any one else who may have happened to tell me the stories. Both Leathers and Cannon were large, powerful men, and they always hated each other. Leathers was never popular, for he was very arrogant, but he had a great reputation for pushing the _Natchez_ through on time. Also, such friends as he did have always stuck by him. Something of the feeling between the two old river characters is revealed in the following story related by Captain Jones: "Ed Snodgrass, who lived in St. Joseph, La., was a friend of both Cannon and Leathers. When the _Natchez_ would arrive at St. Joseph, he would go and give Leathers news about Cannon, and when the _Lee_ came in he would see Cannon and tell him about Leathers. "Well, one time Leathers was laid up with a carbuncle on his back, and brought a doctor up on the boat with him. So, of course, Ed Snodgrass told Cannon about it when he came along. "'A carbuncle, eh?' said Cannon. "'Yes,' said Ed. "'Well,' said Cannon, 'you tell the old blankety-blank-blank that I had a brother--a bigger, stronger man than I am--and he had one o' them things and died in two weeks.' "Soon after that Cannon made a misstep when backing the _Natchez_ out, at Natchez, and fell, breaking his collar bone. Of course Ed Snodgrass gave the news to Leathers when he came along.