Paddle to New Orleans

This two-act play is a companion piece to Traders on the Border and takes place during the two-year interval not presented in Traders (1812-1814). This is the years between the beginning and end of the war. The setting is primarily the Mississippi River. Peter and Polly, now married leave Niagara to journey by raft down the Ohio River and into the Mississippi to board a Paddle-wheeler in Natchez. It is a rustic honeymoon since there is no comfortable boat that can carry them down the river. Peter, being a trader, decides that they can profit on the voyage by paddling a raft down the river and trading in the markets they encounter.
An American pacifist, Peter is also apolitical. Polly, however, a British subject, fears recrimination. During the voyage, they examine the drama of the ongoing Indian/American war and realize why the Indians are British allies. In addition, they encounter slave boats taking slaves to market in New Orleans.
There is action and romance involving people they meet, some of whom become part of their company and bring their own dramatizations to the forefront to interweave with the main plot.
When Peter & Polly eventually arrive in Natchez and board their Paddlewheeler, they get a surprise in the form of the woman entertainer on stage that Polly recognizes. The relationship is strained when Polly chastises the woman for her ‘lewd’ performance.
It resumes when Polly and her two friends are hired to perform to pay their fare. Peter on the other hand is busy making deals, the most lucrative and dangerous is to deliver guns to the Americans and bring rum from Jamaica to the soldiers.
After some time on the boat, Mary reveals a family secret to Polly which leaves her flabbergasted. Before things can be resolved, Polly and Peter leave for Jamaica. When they return, Polly is visibly pregnant, and Peter anxious to deliver his rifles to the militia in preparation for the British invasion.
The final act is filled with cannon and musket blasts, played against the loud screams of Polly giving birth. Peter is wounded in the battle and ends up in hospital with Polly and their child and the friend. The play ends with the 1812 overture playing to the climax but stops short and ends on a baby’s high-pitched and loud cry.