A violent and turgid story of the riverman of the Georgia and Florida river roads and of the seaport town, Darian, where the lumbermen congregate, where the logs are sold. Ratliff Hutton was raised by Negroes and labelled with the desplaed ""white igger"" tag; he felt all hands were against him except for Poss, his Negro pal, and Unc Mundy; he grew up tough and hard and bitter and early earned the reputation of ""river rogue"", trouble shooter, fighter, and the ablest raftman of them all. He fought the big companies, first squarely, then crookedly. He steered clear of women until he hitched his wagon to the star of China, madam of the Birdcage, who stood by him even when he married a girl of the social set which ruled the town -- and found, too late, that even that did not bring him the recognition he craved. This is the story of a man who rose to prominence the hard way; it is Caldwellish in its details and tough and hard and raw in spots. But it has a vigor and power -- it is a new background -- and it does for Southern lumbering what River Lady does for the North. Libraries ware.