Inondations

Au printemps 1839, des pluies torrentielles avaient inondé les champs et détruit les récoltes, augurant mal de la situation future à Halcyon (Bassett, VI : 13). 1843 était une bonne année, mais les pluies incessantes retardaient la récolte et le coton, ne s’ouvrant pas avec l’humidité, commençait à pourrir sur pieds : ‘“it may be, unless cotton rises, that we may be pressed to meet our engagements”’ (Bassett, VI : 243). De même en 1844, et malgré une hausse des cours du coton, Jackson écrivit qu’il avait perdu plus de cent vingt balles à cause des pluies continuelles de l’hiver (Huntwell, s.d. : 41). Les inondations étaient catastrophiques pour les bêtes comme pour les hommes. À force de tremper dans l’eau, les pattes et les pieds “cuisaient” et se réduisaient littéralement en bouillie. Le régisseur Parker fit une description saisissante des effets dévastateurs de l’eau :

‘our fences is nearly all washed down we are not able to doe any thing yet the negros feet ar so badly scalded that I cant put them in the water no more then can be helped. My brother done every thing in my absence that could have bin done he had to take our wood boat and run it out in the woods and put the mewls and horses in it and they are still in it and will have to stay in it for some time for as the water leaves it leaves nothing but a quagmire of the most of our stock with every ones will be lost. nearly all of our hogs is lost my brother made a scaffold for them of rails and plank but could not compel them to stay on it they went floating over the plantation as the pleased resting on logs and stumps we dont see but few of them surviveing at this time our horses and mewls look very bad several of them will certainly die there feet are all coming off some of them are not able to stand up at this time there is two hands constantly employed in greaseing dressing and attending to their feet no pains or labor will be spared to save and restore as many as possible. Our cattle is lost for we cant get to them to doe any thing for them they are all scattered to and from through the wood and cane brakes if we could get to them we could doe no good for we could not get them home they wanted sense. All that lives untill the water goes down will be so poor that they will mire where ever they attempt to walk. the distresses here can better be imagined than wrote (Bassett, VI : 308). ’

Le climat mêlait ses effets dévastateurs à une situation très peu propice aux planteurs dans ces années sombres de “panique”.