III
We left the logs, and walked to Cornwall, and took a sloop down theriver. It was an American boat, bound for Quebec withpipe-staves. It had put in at Cornwall when the storm began. Thecaptain said that the other sections of our raft had passed safely.In the dusk of the early evening a British schooner brought us to.
"Wonder what that means?" said the skipper, straining his eyes inthe dusk,
A small boat, with three officers, came along-side. They climbedaboard, one of them carrying a lantern. They were armed withswords and pistols. We sat in silence around the cockpit. Theyscanned each of us carefully in the light of the lantern. Itstruck me as odd they should look so closely at our hands.
"Wha' d' ye want?" the skipper demanded. "This man," said one ofthem, pointing to D'ri. "He's a British sailor. We arrest him--"
He got no farther. D'ri's hand had gone out like the paw of apainter and sent him across the cockpit. Before I knew what wasup, I saw the lank body of D'ri leaping backward into the river. Iheard a splash and a stroke of his long arms, and then all wasstill. I knew he was swimming under water to get away. Theofficers made for their boat. My blood was up, and I sprang at thelast of them, giving him a hard shove as he was climbing over, sothat he fell on the boat, upsetting it. They had business enoughthen for a little, and began hailing for help. I knew I had done afoolish thing, and ran forward, climbing out upon the bowsprit, andoff with my coat and vest, and dived into the dark water. I swamunder as long as I could hold my breath, and then came up quietly,turning on my back in the quick current, and floating so my faceonly was above water. It had grown dark, and I could see nothingbut the glimmer of the stars above me. My boots were heavy anddragged hard. I was going fast with the swift water, for at firstI had heard a great hubbub on the schooner; but now its voices hadgrown faint. Other sounds were filling my ear.
After dark it is weird business to be swimming in strangewater--the throne of mystery, of a thousand terrors. It is as ifone's grave, full of the blackness of the undiscovered country,were pursuing him and ever yawning beneath his body. And that bigriver is the very tiger of waters, now stealing on pussy-footed,now rushing with cat-like swiftness, hissing and striking withcurrents that have in them mighty sinews. I was now companion ofthose cold-mouthed monsters of the river bottom, many of which Ihad seen. What if one should lay hold on me and drag me under?Then I thought of rapids that might smother me with their spray ordash me to hidden rocks. Often I lifted my ears, marvelling at themany voices of the river. Sometimes I thought I heard a roaringlike that of the Sault, but it was only a ripple growing intofleecy waves that rocked me as in a cradle. The many sounds wereabove, below, and beside me, some weird and hollow and unearthly.I could hear rocks rolling over in their sleep on the bottom, and,when the water was still, a sound like the cropping of lily-padsaway off on the river-margin. The bellowing of a cow terrified meas it boomed over the sounding sheet of water. The river rang likea mighty drum when a peal of far thunder beat upon it. I put outmy hands to take a stroke or two as I lay on my back, and feltsomething floating under water. The feel of it filled me withhorror. I swam faster; it was at my heels. I knew full well whatmy hand had touched--a human head floating face downward: I couldfeel the hair in my fingers. I turned and swam hard, but still itfollowed me. My knees hit upon it, and then my feet. Again andagain I could feel it as I kicked. Its hand seemed to be clutchingmy trousers. I thought I should never get clear of the ghastlything. I remember wondering if it were the body of poor D'ri. Iturned aside, swimming another way, and then I felt it no more.
In the dead of the night I heard suddenly a kind of throbbing inthe breast of the river. It grew to a noisy heart-beat as Ilistened. Again and again I heard it, striking, plashing, like afootfall, and coming nearer. Somehow I got the notion of a giant,like those of whom my mother had told me long ago, striding in thedeep river. I could hear his boots dripping as he lifted them. Igot an odd fear that he would step on me. Then I heard music andlifted my ears above water. It was a voice singing in thedistance,--it must have been a mile off,--and what I had taken fora near footfall shrank away. I knew now it was the beat of oars insome far bay.
A long time after I had ceased to hear it, something touched myshoulder and put me in a panic. Turning over, I got a big mouthfulof water. Then I saw it was a gang of logs passing me, and quicklycaught one. Now, to me the top side of a log was as easy andfamiliar as a rocking-chair. In a moment I was sitting comfortablyon my captive. A bit of rubbish, like that the wind had sown,trailed after the gang of logs, I felt it over, finding a straw hatand a piece of board some three feet long, with which latter Ipaddled vigorously.
It must have been long past midnight when I came to an islandlooming in the dark ahead. I sculled for it, stranding on a rockybeach, and alighted, hauling the log ashore. The moon came out asI stood wringing my trouser legs. I saw the island rose high andnarrow and was thickly wooded. I remember saying something tomyself, when I heard a quick stir in the bushes near me. Lookingup, I saw a tall figure. Then came a familiar voice:--
"Thet you, Ray? Judas Priest!"
I was filled with joy at the sight of D'ri, and put my arms abouthim and lifted him off his feet, and, faith! I know my eyes werewet as my trousers. Then, as we sat down, I told him how I hadtaken to the river.
"Lucky ye done it!" said he. "Jerushy Jane! It is terrible lucky!They 'd 'a' tuk ye sartin. Somebody see thet jack on the back o'my hand, there 'n Cornwall, 'n' put 'em efter me. But I was bound'n' detarmined they 'd never tek me alive, never! Ef I ever dewany fightin', 't ain't a-goin' t' be fer England, nut by a side o'sole-leather. I med up my mind I 'd begin the war right then an'there."
"That fellow never knew what hit him," I remarked. "He did n't getup for half a minute."
"Must 'a' swatted 'im powerful," said D'ri, as he felt hisknuckles. "Gol-dum ther picturs! Go 'n' try t' yank a man rightoff a boat like thet air when they hain' no right t' tech 'im. EfI 'd 'a' hed Ol' Beeswax, some on 'em 'd 'a' got hurt."
"How did you get here?" I inquired.
"Swum," said he. "Could n't go nowheres else. Current fetched mehere. Splits et the head o' the island--boun' ter land ye righthere. Got t' be movin'. They 'll be efter us, mebbe--'s the fustplace they 'd look."
A few logs were stranded on the stony point of the island. Wewithed three others to mine, setting sail with two bits ofdriftwood for paddles. We pulled for the south shore, but thecurrent carried us rapidly down-river. In a bay some two milesbelow we found, to our joy, the two sections of the big raftundergoing repairs. At daybreak D'ri put off in the woods for home.
"Don't like the idee o' goin' int' the British navy," said he. "'Druther chop wood 'n' ketch bears over 'n St. Lawrence County.Good-by, Ray! Tek care o' yerself."
Those were the last words he said to me, and soon I was on the raftagain, floating toward the great city of my dreams. I had a mightyfear the schooner would overhaul us, but saw nothing more of her.I got new clothes in Montreal, presenting myself in good repair.They gave me hearty welcome, those good friends of my mother, and Ispent a full year in the college, although, to be frank, I was nearbeing sent home more than once for fighting and other deviltry.
It was midsummer when I came back again. I travelled up the riverroad, past our island refuge of that dark night; past the sweeping,low-voiced currents that bore me up; past the scene of our wreck inthe whirlwind; past the great gap in the woods, to stand open Godknows how long. I was glad to turn my face to the south shore, forin Canada there was now a cold welcome for most Yankees, and myfists were sore with resenting the bitter taunt. I crossed in aboat from Iroquois, and D'ri had been waiting for me half a day atthe landing. I was never so glad to see a man--never but once.Walking home I saw corn growing where the forest had been--acres ofit.
"D'ri," said I, in amazement, "how did you ever do it? There 'sten years' work here."
"God helped us," said he,
soberly. "The trees went over 'n thewindfall,--slammed 'em down luk tenpins fer a mild er more,--an' wejes' burnt up the rubbish."