The Perils and Adventures of Harry Skipwith by Land and Sea

  CHAPTER THREE.

  THE PURSUIT--THE FIGHT AND VICTORY--WE DISPOSE OF OUR PRISONERS--THEBLACK DWARF--THE CITY OF THEMISTOCLES--WE PART COMPANY--I GO WITH PETERAND READY ABOARD THE WONDROUS HIGHFLIER.

  Happily, I was well accustomed to the use of a paddle; Peter was not. Itherefore told him to lay his down, while I steered the canoe with aslittle noise as possible, inclining towards the opposite bank near whichI fancied the slave-hunters were working their way up the stream.

  The light was increasing,--the voices grew louder. I guessed that theother canoe must be about abreast of us. "A few minutes more, and weshall be free of her," I thought to myself, when I observed that Readywas throwing up his nose and stretching out his neck. I tried by a lowwhisper to tranquillise him. In vain. He ran to the side nearest theother canoe and gave a furious bark. It was immediately responded to byanother dog, and a vehement exchange of fierce growls and barkingsensued.

  "Who goes there?" shouted some one in a surly voice. "Answer, or I'llfire."

  "Don't do that same, friend," I replied in as calm a tone as I couldcommand. "I've just escaped drowning, and I've no fancy to be shot.You haven't heard, then, that the Mighty Go-ahead has gone down, and tothe best of my knowledge every soul has perished, except a boy I pickedup, and two or three people I saw floating down the stream, and who maypossibly have reached the shore in safety."

  "Not very likely that," observed another man, with a savage laugh. "TheMississippi isn't famous for helping people to swim ashore."

  The first speaker now inquired how the accident had happened, and how Ihad escaped. I told him.

  "Then it was daylight when the Mighty Go-ahead went down," remarkedanother man. "What have you been doing with yourself ever since,stranger?"

  I replied that I had spent part of the night up a tree, till, comingdown, I had discovered the canoe in which I had embarked, and was on myway back to New Orleans. By this time I could see the other canoe andthe people in her. There were three of them. Their dog, a largebloodhound, and mine continued to exchange fierce barks and growls, inspite of our mutual endeavours to silence them. This was an advantageto me. It gave me time to consider what I should say. I was veryanxious, not on my own account, but for the sake of Marcus. Stillshould it come to a tussle, in which our antagonists might not have theadvantage of their firearms, I thought very probably Marcus, Peter, andI might come off victorious, and I felt sure that Ready would give someaccount of the other dog. It was, however, more than possible, shouldwe begin to fight, that our canoes would be upset, and that we might allbe drowned together. I did not wish to show the slightest unwillingnessto approach the other canoe, lest I might raise the suspicions of themen in her, so we gradually dropped nearer together. The closer we got,the more furiously did our dogs bark. The other dog seemed scarcelyable to keep himself in the canoe, as he ran backwards and forwards inan ungovernable rage. I was in hopes that the men had finishedquestioning me, and would allow me to proceed. I gave a flourish withmy paddle, and had made a stroke with it which sent the canoe ahead,when one of the men cried out--

  "You don't happen to have seen a darkie, as you came along, stranger,have you?"

  "Not very likely that I should have seen one in the dark. His colourwould not be favourable for that," I replied, evasively.

  "But Sharpfangs smells him, though," exclaimed one of the other men,with a terrible oath. "Seize him!"

  What else was said I scarcely heard. I thought that it was all overwith Marcus, and probably with myself. To attempt escaping a conflictseemed hopeless. Marcus did not stir; but I heard the click of apistol. The other canoe, the bloodhound standing ready for a spring,dashed alongside ours. I had no time for considering how I should act.Still Marcus did not move. As the sides of the two canoes touched, uphe rose with his gleaming dagger in his hand. The furious dog flew athim; but he was prepared, and, striking the brute full in the chest, hehurled it from him overboard, and in another instant a bullet from hispistol had gone through the head of one of the men, who fell backwardinto the stream. Another of the men was lifting his rifle to fire; butthe negro, quick as lightning, sprang on board the canoe, and wrenchingit from him, he cast it into the water.

  On this the man drew a long bowie-knife from his belt; but before hecould strike with it, Marcus had seized him by the wrist, and the twoclosed in a deadly struggle. I had wished not to interfere; but when Isaw the other white man draw his knife, evidently with the intention ofstriking Marcus, I could not resist springing into the canoe, when,grasping his arm, I bore him down to the bottom of it. It is surprisingthat we did not upset the canoe, which was, however, a large and broadone. Peter, with much forethought, before attempting to come to myassistance, lashed the two canoes together. Ready, however, the instantthe man fell, springing into the canoe, seized his left arm, and heldhim down so tightly that he could make no effectual resistance. Hestruggled, however, and endeavoured, as we rolled about in the bottom ofthe canoe, to strike his knife into me. As soon, therefore, as Peterwas at liberty, I told him to try and wrench the knife out of the man'shand. This he did, and then he gave me a piece of rope, which, with hishelp, I passed rapidly round my antagonist's wrists, while I kept himdown by kneeling on his chest, and very nearly squeezing the breath outof his body.

  All this time the canoe was rocking so violently from side to side thatI expected every instant to find myself struggling in the water. Thesame idea probably occurred to my antagonist, and this, as very likelyhe could not swim, paralysed his efforts more than it did mine. At allevents, in a few minutes I found myself the victor, and, leaving Peterand Ready in charge of my conquered foe, I was able to go to theassistance of Marcus, at the other end of the canoe.

  The man with whom he was struggling was little less inferior in strengthto himself, and, had I not been able to help him, the issue might havebeen doubtful. By stepping into our canoe I got at the man's arms, andheld them down, while Marcus, still kneeling on his body, lashed themsecurely together, and prevented him from making any further resistance.

  "You'll not let that damned darkie murder me, stranger?" said the man,in a humbled tone.

  "Do you think the scars of your merciless lash have yet disappeared frommy shoulders?" said the negro, grinding his teeth. "Can you restorethose you tore from me and delivered over to worse than death? Am I toforget the curses, the insults, you have heaped on me?"

  He seized the man and shook him, as a savage dog does an animal he hasconquered. I dreaded that he was about to throw the overseer--for suchI supposed the man to be--into the water.

  "Hold, Marcus!" I exclaimed. "I cannot stand by and allow murder to becommitted. These men are now in our power, and we may dispose of themas may be necessary for our safety; but we must not take their lives."

  "To kill them will be the only safe way of disposing of them," heanswered, in a hoarse voice. "What else but death can such verminexpect at my hands?"

  I was in hopes that he said this to frighten the men, rather than withan intention of murdering them. At the same time I well knew that, evenhad he not killed their companion, he could expect no mercy at theirhands. I remembered, also, that, having participated, as it would becalled, in the crime, though my conscience was free from guilt, I shouldcertainly share the consequences. Probably, if caught, we should bothof us, and very likely Peter and Ready also, be hung up from the nearesttree. How to dispose of our prisoners was therefore the question. Ofcourse the tempter, ever ready to instigate men to do evil, whispered,"Kill them;" and the cowardice in our hearts added, "It will be thesafest course." But I had been taught some maxims, when I was a boy,which I did not forget. They were, "Do right, whatever comes of it;""Never do wrong in the hopes of avoiding a possible evil." AccordinglyI entreated Marcus to refrain from injuring the men, and to come intoour canoe, and talk the matter over.

  Having thrown all the arms overboard, except a rifle which lay loaded atthe bottom of the boat, we stepped back into o
ur canoe, followed byPeter and Ready, and paddled away out of earshot of our prisoners.Marcus suggested various plans for their disposal. Although but a fewminutes had elapsed since I caught the first glimpse of the other canoe,the dawn had increased so much that we could already see the shore oneither hand. Marcus stood up and looked about him.

  "I see where we are," he whispered as he sat down.

  "I have a friend who lives not far off. We will blindfold the eyes ofthe men, and leave them under his charge. He will take good care thatthey do not escape till we have had time to get out of their reach."

  The plan seemed good; so dropping alongside the canoe, we took the men'shandkerchiefs from their pockets and secured them over their eyes. Iobserved that Marcus went to the man whose eyes I had bound, andtightened the handkerchief. The man groaned.

  "Ah! it is not pleasant, but you might be seeing things you should not,if it slipped," said the black, between his teeth. "Be silent; we arenot going to kill you, as you deserve."

  We now took the smaller canoe in tow, and paddled rapidly on. We hadneed of haste, for the steamers and other craft might be moving up anddown the river, and we might be discovered. We crossed to the oppositeor west side of the river, to a spot where a wide stream ran into it.We pulled up a little way, with dark woods on either side of us, till wecame to a small island, on which Marcus ran the canoe on shore. Puttinghis finger to his lips to enjoin silence on Peter and me, he stepped onshore, and disappeared amidst the tangled underwood. I sat watching ourcaptives, and wondering what was to be done with them. One of them wasworking his head about, evidently with the hopes of loosening thehandkerchief. I gave him a touch with the paddle, and Ready, who seemedto consider that he was to keep watch and ward over the vanquished,uttered a fierce growl, which made the man keep perfectly still, thoughhe groaned in his rage and fear. In a short time Marcus returned with acompanion, another negro, but very unlike himself. The new-comer wasshort, and out of all proportion broad; indeed he was a dwarf Hercules,for the appearance of his head and shoulders showed that he possessedimmense muscular power. He soon gave proof of his strength, for,looking into the canoe, he stooped down, and lifting one of the men up,he carried him off on his back, with as much ease as if he had been aninfant. The man shrieked out with pain, for the cords cut his wrists;but the dwarf only uttered a hoarse peal of laughter and walked on, morethan once striking the unfortunate wretch against the trees as hepassed. He soon returned for the other, whom he treated in the sameway. I observed that Marcus removed everything from the larger canoeinto ours. By the time this was done, the dwarf came back again, and,nodding to his companion, lifted the canoe bodily up out of the water,and carried it off on his shoulders among the bushes.

  "Come, it is time that we were away," said Marcus.

  Once more we all three resumed our seats in our canoe. Ready took hisplace in the bow, and away we paddled as before. I could scarcelypersuade myself that the fierce tragedy in which I had just taken a parthad really occurred. All seemed like some dreadful dream. I saidnothing; I could not speak. Marcus was silent. We paddled on out ofthe river, and into the Mississippi, nearly to the middle of it. Therehe looked around him, and then dropped the articles he had taken out ofthe other canoe, one after the other, into the water. The rifle andother heavy things sank; the rest floated down the stream.

  "If they are seen, so much the better," observed Marcus. "It will besupposed that the canoe was upset, and the men were drowned."

  "But surely their lives are safe?" I observed, with some doubt in mytone, for I could not help thinking of the ferocious countenance of theman in whose power we had left them.

  "Safe enough, but not agreeable," he answered. "Ah! if you knew all Ihave suffered from those men, you would own that I have treated themmildly. I spared their lives for your sake, and partly that I did notwish to have more blood on my hands than I have already; and yet, toeffect my purpose, how much deeper may I have to dye them! Every man'shand is against me, and mine must be against every man. Alas, alas!hard is my lot! Oh! stranger, be thankful to Heaven that you have awhite skin and are a free man!"

  He spoke in a tone of the bitterest anguish. I tried to console him.Too true, every man's hand in that country would be against him; notbecause he had killed a fellow-creature, but because he was attemptingto escape from bondage and degradation.

  We continued paddling on for some time without speaking, till we came insight of a collection of log-huts and a landing-place. It was a city,he told me--or at least a city that was to be--with a very fine name--the City of Themistocles, if I recollect rightly.

  "I'll put you on shore there, stranger," he observed. "There is no oneon the quay. They are not early-risers in that place. You can expectno better opportunity of being free of me. There, leap on shore. Saythat a negro, in a canoe, took you off an island to which you had swumwhen the steamer went down, and that after he had landed you here hewent on his way. Be wise; say nothing more. The boy understands me?"

  Peter nodded.

  "Farewell!"

  Marcus put out his hand. I shook it warmly. We exchanged no otherwords. I sprang on shore, followed by Peter and Ready, and the canoeglided away down the stream, and was soon out of sight. We sat down onsome logs piled up ready for the steamers, and Ready, conceiving that hehad for the present done his duty, coiled himself at my feet, and wentto sleep. I was too anxious to do the same, though I leaned backagainst the logs to rest my weary frame. It must be remembered that,since the steamer went down, the only rest I had enjoyed was whilesitting over the fire with Marcus. I had had a fatiguing swim, a runfrom an alligator, a climb up a tree, to the branches of which I had hadto hang on for some hours, a desperate struggle for life, a long paddle,a second fierce conflict, and another paddle, not to speak of theanxiety to which I had all the time been subject. I had not restedlong, when Ready started up and uttered a warning bark, and I saw acouple of men lazily sauntering down from the huts towards the quay, andrubbing their eyes as if just awoke out of sleep.

  "Well, and where do you come from, stranger?" was the very naturalquestion they put to me, and which I willingly answered by telling themof the loss of the _Mighty Go-ahead_, and of most, if not all, of hercrew and passengers.

  "Then that's the shouts we heard last night," observed one of the men tothe other.

  The men, I found, were overseers of some gangs of negroes, a number ofwhom soon appeared, some loaded with bales of merchandise, and otherswith logs of wood. They came stumbling along, laughing and chatteringin spite of their burdens. Several, however, relaxing in their efforts,when their taskmasters' whips descended on their shoulders, howled withpain, but they were very speedily again shouting and talking as merrilyas before. The overseers were evidently not satisfied with my accountof myself. I looked anxiously up the river for the steamer coming downon her passage to New Orleans, but I found that she was not expected foranother hour. I would have tried to obtain some refreshment, but I knewthat if I went to the huts I should be subjected to more inquiries, so Itold my companion that we would wait till we got on board the steamerfor breakfast. While waiting, I gathered from the conversation of theoverseers that Marcus's pursuers had actually touched there on their wayup, and had left a full description of him. I felt thankful that no onehad been about when he put us on shore. As it was, I could not helpfancying that the overseers associated us in some way with him.

  It was a great relief to my mind when I caught sight of the huge steamerafar off, gliding rapidly along over the bosom of the mighty stream, herwhite paint glistening in the beams of the morning sun, and contrastingwith the dark foliage of the trees which lined the bank. The negroesstood marshalled ready with their loads to rush on board. Her tinklingbell gave notice to the engineers to stop. She came alongside the quay.Peter, Ready, and I sprang into her vast interior, among casks andchests and bales, and soon found our way into the saloon above, and onto the platform abaft, where I hoped Ready would
be allowed to remain.Once more the bell tinkled. The huge wheels of the _Wondrous Highflier_began to revolve, and away she glided down the Mississippi.