56: Dezember 1845

shelter offered by the buildings and requested to be put ashore. Soon the small boat put to shore manned by a few sailors, the helmsman, and a leader of the emigrants from the ship that soon again returned, loaded aboard the body of a woman who had died during the night, and with a few other people, steered in another direction to carry out the burial there. When the same returned again the sun had already gone down and it began to grow dark ; therefore, no one else could go ashore because the captain asserted he would weigh anchor very early the next morning in order to bring us to our destination. So everyone had to make themselves comfortable to spend another unpleasant night on the ship. Many sought shelter from the sharp cold and damp air below at the furnace of the steam­boiler in the belief they could warm themselves by the fire. But the fire was allowed to go out, and the people had to feel the unpleasantness of the cold weather there, also, added to that, they became soiled with steam and soot on their clothing as well as on their bodies, for when they came up in the morning they looked like chimney-sweeps. My wife and the girls spent the night in the company with many other women and girls sitting on the floor down in the cabin of the helmsman, I, without sleep, wrapped in my coat, walking around in the dirt produced by the wet weather. As soon as it became light and the captain had risen, he gave the command to take all passengers and their baggage to land because he didn’t trust himself to go through the shallow waters of the Lavaca Bay with his deep-going vessel, into which we would come to the Matagorda Bay to the left side from here, to successfully bring us to our place of destination at lndianpoint. We left the ship of fear with joy and stepped onto the friendly land that, temporarily, was to be our abode for awhile. The place is called Port Caballo, the land across from Tegrospoint. The ground is sandy here, still, sugar cane, corn, melons and sweet potatoes are produced thereon in abundance.

The people who live here, all Americans with their black slaves,