to see what done it, and maybe see a steamboat coughing along up-stream, so far off towards the other side you couldn’t tell nothing about her only whether she was a stern-wheel or side-wheel; then for about an hour there wouldn’t be nothing to hear nor nothing to see — just solid lonesomeness.

Next you’d see a raft sliding by, away off yonder, and maybe a galoot on it chopping, because they’re most always doing it on a raft; you’d see the ax flash and come down — you don’t hear nothing; you see that ax go up again, and by the time it’s above the man’s head then you hear the k’chunk!

— it had took all that time to come over the water. So we would put in the day, lazying around, listening to the stillness.