CHAPTER XXVI.
ON BOARD OF THE WETUMPKA.
The Garbrooks were exceedingly pleasant people. Miss Garbrook, withoutbeing pretty, was a very sensible girl, and our young ladies liked hervery much. The time had apparently come to part when we anchored at theSprings. The young ladies would not consider it; and then came aninvitation for our party to visit Mr. Garbrook's orange plantation onFive-Mile Creek. It was accepted; and the next day Cornwood piloted usup that stream as far as the depth of water would permit, and theGazelle took them the rest of the way. It was a delightful house, witha beautiful garden, and ten acres of orange-trees, all in full blossom,as fragrant as the boudoir of a belle.
We dined on what our host called Florida fare, consisting mainly of aroasted ham and spring chickens, with oranges, cooked and uncooked, inevery conceivable form. We enjoyed the repast and the hospitality ofthe plantation, and regretted that we could not remain as long as ourfriends desired. Then came the question of parting, and again the youngladies protested. Miss Nellie must go with them. Owen at once invitedthe family to go with us up the river. A long discussion followed; andthe Garbrooks decided to go if we would wait till the next morning.This was agreed to; and I sent word to the mate of the Sylvania of thechange in the time of sailing. The ladies remained at the houseovernight, and the gentlemen returned to the steamer in the Gazelle.
At half past six the little steamer brought the ladies and the baggageof the Garbrooks on board. We got under way immediately, and in lessthan half an hour we were standing up the St. Johns. This addition tothe number of our passengers made "a new deal" of the state-rooms andberths in the cabin. I was asked to assign them as I thought proper,and Owen told me not to consider him, for he would go into the forwardcabin if necessary. Colonel Shepard and his wife retained one of thelarge state-rooms, and the other was assigned to Mr. Garbrook and hiswife. The other two state-rooms were of good size, and had a bedsteadthree and a half feet wide in each. One of these was given to MissGarbrook, and Miss Edith and Miss Margie volunteered to occupy theother, declaring that it was quite large enough for both of them. Mr.Tiffany, Gus Shepard, and Owen had each a berth, without disturbingChloe. This arrangement was satisfactory to all the passengers.
The steamer went along at her usual speed of ten miles an hour. Afterbreakfast, Owen and the young ladies took possession of thepilot-house, and the rest of the party were seated under the awning onthe forecastle. These places afforded a view of both sides of theriver, and of the long prospect ahead.
"Tocoi," said the pilot, pointing to the left. "This is the place wherepassengers are landed who go to St. Augustine. A railroad, fifteenmiles in length, takes travellers the rest of the way."
We could see nothing but a few sheds, and Tocoi itself was of noconsequence. The river was just about what we had seen all the way upfrom Jacksonville. At ten o'clock we ran up to the wharf at Pilatka.This is a thriving town of from fifteen hundred to two thousandinhabitants, and, like every other place on the river, is a resort forinvalids from the North. After dinner the party landed and explored thetown, which is not very different from any other Florida towns we hadseen. It had pleasant houses, surrounded with orange gardens.
I directed Washburn to anchor the Sylvania at some distance from thewharf in the river, partly to keep out of the way of steamers arriving,and partly to make sure that Griffin Leeds did not get on board of her.I had seen nothing of him, though I fancied he was in Green CoveSprings while we were there.
The next day was Sunday; all our passengers, and some of the ship'scompany, went to church. On Monday morning we sailed for Welaka,twenty-five miles farther up the river. It is opposite the mouth of theOcklawaha River. The St. Johns was only one-third of a mile wide atthis point, and began to look more like a stream and less like a lake.Colonel Shepard had chartered a small steamer for our trip up theOcklawaha and the upper St. Johns. On Saturday afternoon, Washburn,with Ben Bowman and Dyer Perkins, had started for Jacksonville to bringthe Wetumpka, for that was the name of the craft, up to this point.
She was a nearly new vessel, which the owners had built for an extraboat, but the scarcity of engineers had prevented them from putting heron the route at that time, though they had a couple on their way from anorthern city. Steamboat business was exceedingly brisk at this time ofthe year on the upper rivers, and the owners of the line had severalboats running on them. The Colonel had obtained the Wetumpka only byagreeing to run her himself, and by paying a large price for her, quiteas much as she could have made after paying her expenses, if she hadgone on the line.
I was a little uneasy when I found she was not at Welaka. She did notdraw over two feet of water when not loaded, and I was confident shecould come through with Washburn at the wheel. I had left it to themate of the Sylvania to start with his charge at whatever time bestsuited him. Both Moses Brickland and Ben Bowman had been offered doublethe wages I paid them when we arrived at Jacksonville, and had refusedthe offer. I could think of nothing but the want of an engineer thatwould prevent Washburn from coming through on time.
While I was thinking about it, and worrying a little, I heard some oneon deck say she was coming; and I felt ashamed of myself for doubting,even for a moment, the loyalty of Ben Bowman. I left my room and wentaft. I saw one of those peculiar Florida boats coming around the bendbelow us. I sent for my spy-glass, and soon made out the name of theWetumpka on the pilot-house. In ten minutes more she came alongside theSylvania.
I had not seen the craft I was to command before, and I had no littlecuriosity to look her over. Washburn received me when I went on board,and we shook hands, for we had been separated for nearly two days, alonger time than for months before.
"What makes you so late? I was afraid something had happened to you," Ibegan.
"Are we not on time?" asked the mate. "We were to be here on Mondayforenoon; and it is only eleven o'clock."
"I thought you were to be here in the morning."
"We could not be here very early in the morning without running onSunday, or incurring the risk of running aground in the dark," repliedWashburn with a yawn. "The moon did not rise till one this morning. Weslept on board last night, and left Jacksonville at one. We have kepther going very lively all the time."
"All right; I am entirely satisfied. What sort of a craft is she?" Icontinued.
"She is not such a craft as the Sylvania, but she is all right for ariver boat. She has made very good time," replied Washburn, as heseated himself on the forward deck.
He looked tired, and gaped several times as he was talking to me. Helooked as though he had had a hard time of it.
"I hope you are not sick, Washburn," I said, in commiserating tones.
"Not at all. I slept about four hours last night, and have been at thewheel of the boat ten hours on a stretch. That's all that ails me; andI shall be as good as new when I have had a nap."
"Have you had anything to eat to-day?" I asked, thinking the crew ofthe Wetumpka had been on duty so that they had not had time to get anymeals.
"Plenty to eat. I laid in a stock of cold ham, chickens, and coffee forthe trip."
"You and those who came up with you had better go on board of theSylvania and turn in, while the rest of us transfer the baggage andstores to this boat," I added.
I called Moses, and asked him to take charge of the engine of the riverboat, and sent the three hands from her to their bunks. The curiosityof the passengers and crew of the Sylvania was equal to my own. Theparty from the cabin rushed on board of the Wetumpka as soon as theyfound she was alongside, and we all went into an examination of her.She was a "twin boat:" that is, she had two hulls, like a "catamaran."They were flat-bottomed, so as to draw but little water. On these twohulls were laid a platform, which came to a point at the bow, andprojected some distance forward of the stems of the two boats. On themain deck, no one would suspect that she was composed of two boats.
The paddle-wheel was between the two hulls, and near the stern of thecraft. The engine was on dec
k, and the upper part of the paddle-wheelwas boxed up above the main deck. She had a broad opening on each sideof her lower deck, through which she could receive her wood andfreight. Forward of these doors were the quarters for the crew on oneside, and the kitchen and ice-house on the other.
Above the main deck was the saloon deck, with the pilot-house at theforward end of it. In front of this was a platform on which thepassengers could sit, the pilot looking out over their heads. In thesaloon were eight state-rooms on a side, which were small, but verycomfortably fitted up. At the stern was a pantry and a littlesmoking-room. The saloon was neatly furnished, and I thought ourpassengers could be very comfortable on board of the Wetumpka for acouple of weeks. The steward and his force were busy getting ready fordinner; but I set the deck-hands to moving the baggage of thepassengers at once.
After dinner the stores were removed on board of the river steamer, andby two in the afternoon we were ready to start up the Ocklawaha, whichwas to be the first of the two trips. We towed the Sylvania out intodeep water, anchored her, and left her in charge of Ben Bowman and DyerPerkins, for one engineer and one fireman were sufficient for the trip:Cornwood took the wheel, and we ran into the Ocklawaha. In a few hourswe were in the woods, the trees of which were loaded with trailingmoss, which, however, was no new thing to us, as we had seen it inSavannah, and all the way up the St. Johns. In places the shores weresubmerged, but the channel of the river was clearly defined by theshrubs and masses of vines, many of them covered with flowers ofvarious colors. The water was very clear, and not a breath of airruffled its surface. Everything above it was reflected as in a mirror,and the young ladies were in ecstasies at the beauty of the forest, thevines, and the water.
Occasionally the river widened out into a broad pool, with sandyshores. In one of these we encountered a raft of lumber, on its way toJacksonville. The men on it were wiry, hatchet-faced fellows,good-natured and easy-going. Just before sunset we came to SilverSpring Run, into which the pilot turned the boat. If the water had beenclear before, it was perfectly transparent in this run, or streamflowing from the spring. We could see the fish in the water, sixty feetdown. After dark we moored to a wharf for the night.