The wanderings and fortunes of some German emigrantsGerstäcker, Friedrich
General
The wanderings and fortunes of some German emigrants
Gerstäcker, Friedrich
Germany -- Emigration and immigration -- Fiction; Immigrants -- Fiction
"But it's true, what business had the fellow to talk about 'Doetsch?'"
"Where can the Committee be?" Schmidt now asked; "and I've seen nothing
of the Oldenburghers either, since we've been aboard."
"Who knows where they've poked themselves to?" grunted the shoemaker,
wrapping himself up more closely in an old mantle with a hundred or so
of capes. "I shall seat myself in a corner and wait till daylight; I'm
tired of standing about." The others followed his example; and soon, in
the wide, and sparingly and weakly lighted lower deck of the great boat,
groups of sleepy passengers sat or lay about in all directions, some
with their heads resting upon their luggage, some alongside of a chest,
and passed the night by no means conveniently, for in addition to their
other discomforts, the cool river air blew in from all sides of the open
boat, feeling anything but beneficial, and awakening lively longings in
the hearts of the travellers for a warm bed.
Day broke at last, and with it the call, "Ashore, ashore!" came to
disturb them from the first slumber, into which, tired with long
watching, and yielding to over-weariness, they had just sunk. The boat
was going alongside the Quay at Albany, and the freight was soon after
got ashore, as the Captain had to return to New York the same morning.
Dr. Normann meanwhile undertook to conduct the ladies to an inn not far
off, whilst the settlers (for this was the name which the society had
now assumed) had enough to do to receive the freight, and get it up to
the somewhat distant railway. The journey was to be continued hence, by
the doctor's advice, by rail as far as Utica, and here the conviction
forced itself upon the settlers that they carried too much luggage with
them, for the carriage by railway was not inconsiderable, and the
constant packing away, and moving backwards and forwards highly
inconvenient and expensive. But the discovery was of no use: the
constant consolation was, "we have brought it so far, and certainly
can't leave it now that we are near the end of our journey."
But the end of their journey was not reached so soon as they expected,
and they had yet many inconveniences to meet before they could hope to
arrive at the spot which was to be the scene of their future labours and
of their domestic repose.
They reached Utica that night. Here the unpacking of all their wares and
utensils took place again, and all had to be got to the canal, where two
boats were lying ready to start immediately for Buffalo.
The unlading and removal in the night formed a very troublesome
business, and the settlers would have grumbled a good deal had not
Pastor Hehrmann, the younger Siebert, and Mr. Herbold, shown themselves
particularly active and attentive on the occasion; but as they lent a
hand everywhere, all was soon got through, and in less than an hour the
horn of the master of the boat blew for departure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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