Shortly after I lay down in the tree shade, and must have fallen asleep almost immediately. I do not know what aroused me, but I immediately sat upright, startled and instantly awake, the first object confronting me being Sam on the crest of the opposite ridge, eagerly beckoning me to join him. The moment he was a.s.sured of my coming, and without so much as uttering a word of explanation, he vanished again into the shadow of the woods.
I crossed the ravine with reckless haste, clambering up the opposite bank, and sixty feet beyond suddenly came into full view of the broad expanse of water. Scarcely had I glimpsed this rolling flood, sparkling under the sun"s rays, when my gaze turned up stream, directed by an excited gesture of the negro. Less than a mile away, its rapidly revolving wheel churning the water into foam in ceaseless battle against the current, was a steamboat. It was not a large craft, and so dingy looking that, even at that distance, it appeared dull gray in color. A number of moving figures were perceptible on the upper deck; two smokestacks belched forth a vast quant.i.ty of black smoke, sweeping in clouds along the water surface, and a large flag flapped conspicuously against the sky. I stared at the apparition, scarcely comprehending the reality of what I beheld.
"Yer bettah stoop down more, sah," Sam urged. "Fer sum o" dem fellars might see yer yit. Ah nebber heerd nuthin", ner saw no smoke till she c.u.m a puffin" "round de end "o dat p"int. Ah cudn"t dare go fer yer then, sah, fer fear dey"d see me, so Ah jus" nat"larly lay down yere, an" watched her go by."
"Is it a government boat?"
"Ah reckon maybe; leastwise thar"s a heap o" sojers aboard her--reg"lars Ah reckon, fer dey"s all in uniform. But everybody aboard wan"t sojers."
"You know the steamer?"
"Yas, sah. Ah"s seed her afore dis down et Saint Louee. She uster run down de ribber--she"s de _John B. Glover_. She ain"t no great shakes ob a boat, sah."
His eyes, which had been eagerly following the movements of the craft, turned and glanced at me.
"Now dey"s goin" fer ter cross over, sah, so"s ter keep de channel. Ah don"t reckon es how none o" dem men kin see back yere no more. Ma.s.sa Kirby he wus aboard dat steamer, sah."
"Kirby! Are you sure about that, Sam?"
""Course Ah"s sure. Didn"t Ah see him just as plain as Ah see you right now? He wus for-rad by de rail, near de pilot house, a watchin"
dis whole sh.o.r.e like a hawk. Dat sure wus Ma.s.sa Kirby all right, but dar wan"t n.o.body else "long wid him."
"But what could he be doing there on a troop boat?"
The negro scratched his head, momentarily puzzled by my question.
"Ah sure don"t know, sah," he admitted. "Only dat"s perzackly who it was. Ah reckon dar ain"t no boat whut won"t take a pa.s.senger, an"
Kirby, he knows ebery captain "long dis ribber. Ah figur" it out "bout dis way, sah; dat n.o.body kin tell yit which way we went--up de ribber, er down de ribber. Long c.u.m de _John B. Glover_, an" Ma.s.sa Kirby he just take a chance, an" goes aboard. De sheriff he goes der odder way, down stream in a rowboat; an" dat"s how dey aims ter sure head us off."
I sat down at the edge of the bluff, convinced that the conclusions of the negro were probably correct. That was undoubtedly about how it had happened. To attempt pursuit up stream with only oars as propelling power, would be senseless, but the pa.s.sage upward of this troop boat afforded Kirby an opportunity he would not be slow to accept. Getting aboard would present no great difficulty, and his probable acquaintance with the captain would make the rest easy.
The steamer by this time was moving diagonally across the river, head toward the other sh.o.r.e, and was already so far away the men on deck were invisible. It was scarcely probable that Kirby would go far northward, but just what course the man would take when once more ash.o.r.e was problematical. Where he might choose to seek for us could not be guessed. Yet the mere fact that he was already above us on the river was in itself a matter for grave consideration. Still, thus far we remained unlocated, and there was less danger in that direction than down stream. Donaldson, angered by the loss of his boat, and the flight of Sam, would surely see to it that no craft slipped past St.
Louis unchallenged. In this respect he was more to be feared than Kirby, with a hundred miles of river to patrol; while, once we attained the Illinois, and made arrangements with Shrunk, the immediate danger would be over. Then I need go no farther--the end of the adventure might be left to others. I looked up--the steamer was a mere smudge on the distant bosom of the river.
CHAPTER XV
THE CABIN OF AMOS SHRUNK
Beyond this pa.s.sing of the _John B. Glover_, the day proved uneventful, although all further desire for sleep deserted me. It was late afternoon before Rene finally emerged from the cabin to learn the news, and I spent most of the time on watch, seated at the edge of the bluff, my eyes searching the surface of the river. While Kirby"s presence up stream, unquestionably increased our peril of capture, this did not cause me as much anxious thought as did the strange disappearance of Free Pete, and the two women. What had become of them during the night? Surely they could never have out-stripped us, with only a pair of oars by which to combat the current, and yet we had obtained no glimpse of them anywhere along that stretch of river.
The knowledge that the steamer which had pa.s.sed us was heavily laden with troops was most encouraging. In itself alone this was abundant proof of the safe delivery of my dispatches, and I was thus relieved to realize that this duty had been performed. My later disappearance was excusable, now that I was convinced the papers intrusted to me had reached the right hands. There might be wonder, and, later, the necessity of explanation, yet no one would suffer from my absence, and I was within the limits of my furlough--the reinforcements for Forts Armstrong and Crawford were already on their way. So, altogether, I faced the task of eluding Kirby with a lighter heart, and renewed confidence. Alone, as I believed him to be, and in that new country on the very verge of civilization, he was hardly an antagonist I needed greatly to fear. Indeed, as man to man, I rather welcomed an encounter.
There is little to record, either of the day or the night. The latter shut down dark, but rainless, although the sky was heavily overcast by clouds. Satisfied that the river was clear as far as eye could reach in every direction, we managed to pole the heavy boat out of its berth in the creek while the twilight yet lingered, the western sky still remaining purple from the lingering sunset as we emerged into the broader stream. The following hours pa.s.sed largely in silence, each of us, no doubt, busied with our own thoughts. Sam made no endeavor to speed his engine, keeping most of the way close to the deeper shadow of the sh.o.r.e, and the machinery ran smoothly, its noise indistinguishable at any distance. Twice we touched bottom, but to no damage other than a slight delay and the labor of poling off into deeper water, while occasionally overhanging limbs of trees, unnoticed in the gloom, struck our faces. By what uncanny skill the negro was able to navigate, how he found his way in safety along that ragged bank, remains a mystery.
To my eyes all about us was black, impenetrable, not even the water reflecting a gleam of light; indeed, so dense was the surrounding gloom that in the deeper shadows I could not even distinguish the figure of the girl seated beside me in the c.o.c.kpit. Yet there was scarcely a break in the steady chug of the engine, or the gentle swish of water alongside.
The clouds broke slightly after midnight, occasionally yielding a glimpse of a star, but the uninhabited sh.o.r.e remained desolate and silent. Day had not broken when we came to the mouth of the Illinois, and turned our bow cautiously up that stream, becoming immediately aware that we had entered new waters. The negro, ignorant of what was before us, soon beached the boat onto a sand bar, and we decided it would be better for us to remain there until dawn. This was not long in coming, the graying sky of the east slowly lighting up the scene, and bringing into view, little by little, our immediate surroundings.
These were lonely and dismal enough, yet revealed nothing to create alarm. A desolate flat of sand extended from either sh.o.r.e back to a high ridge of clay, which was thickly wooded. Slightly higher up the river this ridge approached more closely the bank of the stream, with trees actually overhanging the water, and a rather thick growth of underbrush hiding the ground. The river was muddy, flowing with a swift current, and we could distinguish its course only so far as the first bend, a comparatively short distance away. Nowhere appeared the slightest evidence of life, either on water or land; all was forlorn and dead, a vista of utter desolation. Sam was standing up, his whole attention concentrated on the view up stream.
"Do steamers ever go up this river?" I asked, surprised at the volume of water.
He glanced around at me, as though startled at my voice.
"Yas, sah; putty near eny sorter boat kin. Ah nebber tried it, fer Ma.s.sa Donaldson hed no bus"ness ober in dis kintry, but Ah"s heerd "em talk down ter Saint Louee. Trouble is, sah, we"s got started in de wrong place--dar"s plenty watah t"other side dis yere bar."
"Who told you the best way to find Shrunk?"
His eyes widened and searched my face, evidently still somewhat suspicious of any white man.
"A n.i.g.g.e.r down Saint Louee way, sah. Dey done cotched him, an" brought him back afore he even got ter Beardstown."
"And you believe you can guide us there?"
"Ah sure can, if whut dat n.i.g.g.e.r sed wus correct, sah. Ah done questioned him mighty par"ticlar, an" Ah "members ebery sign whut he giv" me." He grinned broadly. "Ah sorter suspicion"d Ah mought need dat informa"ion."
"All right, then; it is certainly light enough now--let"s push off."
We had taken the sand lightly, and were able to pole the boat into deep water with no great difficulty. I remained crouched at the bow, ready for any emergency, while the engine resumed its chugging, and Sam guided us out toward the swifter current of the stream. The broader river behind us remained veiled in mist, but the gray light was sufficient for our purpose, enabling us to proceed slowly until our craft had rounded the protruding headland, out of sight from below.
Here the main channel cut across to the left bank, and we forced into the deeper shadows of the overhanging woods.
""Tain"t so awful fur from yere, sah," Sam called to me.
"What, the place where we are to land?"
"Yas, sah. It"s de mouth ob a little crick, whut yer nebber see till yer right plum at it. Bettah keep yer eyes open "long dat sh.o.r.e, sah."
The girl, alertly bent forward, was first among us to detect the concealed opening, which was almost completely screened by the over-arching trees, her voice ringing excitedly, as she pointed it out.
Sam was quick to respond, and, almost before I had definitely established the spot, the bow of the boat swerved and we shot in through the leafy screen, the low-hung branches sweeping against our faces and sc.r.a.ping along the sides. It was an eery spot, into which the faint daylight scarcely penetrated, but, nevertheless, revealed itself a secure and convenient harbor. While the stream was not more than twelve feet in width and the water almost motionless, the banks were high and precipitous and the depth amply sufficient. The dim light, only occasionally finding entrance through the trees, barely enabled us to see for a short distance ahead. It looked a veritable cave, and, indeed, all I remember noting in my first hasty glance through the shadows, was the outline of a small boat, moored to a fallen tree. Sam must have perceived this at the same instant, for he ran our craft alongside the half-submerged log and stopped his engine.
I scrambled over, found precarious footing on the wet bank, and made fast.
"So this is the place?" I questioned incredulously, staring about at the dark, silent forest; which still remained in the deep night shade.
"Why, there"s nothing here."
"No, sah; dar certenly don"t "pear fer ter be much," and the negro crept out of the c.o.c.kpit and joined me, ""ceptin" dat boat. Dar ain"t no boat "round yere, les" folks hes bin a ridin" in it, Ah reckon. Dis sure am de spot, all right--an" dar"s got ter be a trail "round yere sumwhar."
Rene remained motionless, her eyes searching the shadows, as though half frightened at finding herself in such dismal surroundings. The girl"s face appeared white and drawn in that twilight. Sam advanced cautiously from off the log to the sh.o.r.e, and began to anxiously scan the ground, beating back and forth through the underbrush. After watching him a moment my gaze settled on the strange boat, and I crept along the log curious to examine it more closely. It had the appearance of being newly built, the paint unscratched, and exhibiting few marks of usage. A single pair of oars lay crossed in the bottom and beside these was an old coat and some ordinary fishing tackle--but nothing to arouse any interest. Without doubt it belonged to Amos Shrunk, and had been left here after the return from some excursion either up or down the river. I was still staring at these things, and speculating about them, when the negro called out from a distance that he had found the path. Rene answered his hail, standing up in the boat, and I hastened back to help her ash.o.r.e.
We had scarcely exchanged words during the entire night, but now she accepted my proffered hand gladly, and with a smile, springing lightly from the deck to the insecure footing of the log.
"I do not intend that you shall leave me behind," she said, glancing about with a shudder. "This is such a horrid place."
"The way before us looks scarcely better," I answered, vainly endeavoring to locate Sam. "Friend Shrunk evidently is not eager for callers. Where is that fellow?"
"Somewhere over in that thicket, I think. At least his voice sounded from there. You discovered nothing in the boat?"
"Only a rag and some fishing tackle. Come; we"ll have to plunge in somewhere."