“An interesting incident took place just before the departure of the boat in which no less a personage than General Sherman was concerned. Colonel Thomas, Sherman’s Quartermaster, had contracted with W. M. McPherson, as I have said, for all the season’s business up the Missouri River. The _Octavia_ was to leave port on Tuesday, and on the Saturday previous General Smith came on board and said to me, ‘Did I not understand you to say that you had no government freight or troops to transport this year?’ I answered in the affirmative--that McPherson had the contract, and I would not carry for him. ‘Well,’ returned General Smith, ‘I am just from General Sherman, where I went to apply for an escort. I was told by the General that I would not need one, for he was going to send a hundred men by the _Octavia_ to Camp Cook, near the mouth of the Judith River, under Lieutenant Horrigan.’ To confirm his statement he showed me a dispatch that he had just sent to Omaha to have the men all ready, so as not to detain the boat beyond a few minutes. This was a good deal of a surprise to me, as I had had no intimation of such action, and had my boat about full. I told Smith I would go and see Sherman about it, and did so at once. I found the General in his office, and before I could tell him my business he said, ‘I know what you want,’ and he took down his dispatch book to show me that he had taken all precautions not to cause me any delay. ‘But that is not the question, General,’ I said; ‘I cannot take the troops.’ ‘Ah! that alters the case. Haven’t you room?’ I replied that I could probably make room, but understood that this shipment was under the McPherson contract. The General said it was. ‘Well then,’ I said, ‘I will not carry them, for I will not work for McPherson.’ The General asked my reasons. ‘Because McPherson will not pay enough for the work,’ I said. ‘He gets a good price from the government, but the poor steamboat man who does the work gets nothing for it. For example, he gets fifty dollars per man to haul the troops to Camp Cook. He will pay me fifteen and pocket thirty-five, and do no work nor take any risk. I will not work for him on such terms.’ ‘I think you are perfectly right,’ said the General. ‘In your place I would do the same thing. But you will carry the troops up for General Sherman?’ I replied that I would if he would contract with me individually and directly and pay me the McPherson rates. ‘That’s fair,’ said he, and he called in Thomas and told him to draw up a contract. ‘Well,’ said Thomas, ‘this work is for McPherson to do under our contract with him. If you pay La Barge you will also have to pay McPherson.’ Thomas wanted to argue the matter, but Sherman shut him off by saying, ‘It’s no use, Thomas; you just draw up that contract as I tell you to.’ And he did. [Sidenote: CAPTAIN SPEAR SHOT.]