Prisoners of Chance
CHAPTER XIV
THE MOUTH OF THE ARKANSAS
I do not recall how many leagues we pushed our way up the stream, norcould I name the length of time required for our journey, before wearrived where a large river, bearing a muddier current, led toward thenorth and west. Those were neither days nor miles that imprintedthemselves on memory; they left only vague impressions, as onesometimes beholds objects through the dense haze of early morning. Iremember merely the low, flat line of shore, stretching away to adarker green of the heavy forest behind, and the ever-moving flood ofchangeless water, no sign of life appearing along its surface.
Nor was there any happening within our boat to reflect upon, exceptingthat our new comrade proved himself a stanch man at the oars, thuscommending himself to me, in spite of a choleric temper apt to burstforth over trifles. He and De Noyan would have quarrelled many times aday, only neither comprehended the language of the other. The greatestcause I found for criticism was his interminable prayers, and the bullvoice in which he offered them. I have never made mock of religion,coming of a line of godly ancestors, yet I felt there could be nonecessity for making such noise over it morning, noon, and night. Yetneither entreaty nor threat moved him to desist, so I came to theconclusion that he either considered the Almighty deaf, or else wastotally unconscious of his own lung power. As to his appetite--butthere are things of which one may not justly write, so I content myselfby saying that, all in all, he was not so bad a comrade.
De Noyan kept to his nature, and I liked him none the worse for it,although it is not pleasant to have at your side a gay cavalier onemoment and a peevish woman the next. You never know which may beuppermost. Yet he performed his full share of toil like a man, and,when not curling his long moustachios, or swearing in provincialFrench, was mostly what he should be, a careless soldier of fortune, towhom life appealed more as a play than a stern duty. He was of thatspirit most severely tried by such drudgery, and, looking back upon it,I can only wonder he bore the burden as cheerfully as he did. Beneathhis reckless, grumbling exterior, the metal of the man was not of suchpoor quality.
However continual labor and enforced companionship told upon the rest,Madame retained her sweetness through it all, hushing our lips frommany a sharp retort that had threatened to disrupt our party longbefore this time. She had merely to glance toward us to silence anyrising strife, for no man having a true heart beneath his doublet couldfind spirit to quarrel before the disapproving glance of her dark eyes.It was thus we toiled forward, until one frosty morning our boatarrived where this great stream poured forth from the west, forcing itsreddish, muddy current far out into the wide river against which we hadstruggled so long. Slowly rounding the low, marshy promontory, andbeginning to feel the fierce tug of down-pouring waters against ourbow, I observed the old Puritan suddenly cock up his ears, like somesuspicious watch-dog, twisting his little glittering eyes from side toside, as though the spot looked familiar.
"Do you suspect anything wrong, my pious friend," I questionedcuriously, "that you indulge in such sniffing of the air?"
"'Tis a spot I know well, now it looms fairly into view," he answeredsolemnly, continuing to peer about like one suddenly aroused fromsleep. "It was near here the Philistines made camp as I passed downthe river, but I perceive no signs now of human presence in theneighborhood."
His words startled me, and I began looking anxiously about us. The lowshores consisted of the merest bog, overgrown heavily with stuntedbushes and brown cane, but some distance beyond rose the crest of apine forest, evidencing firmer soil. The opposite side of the streamwas no whit more inviting, except that the marsh appeared less inextent, with a few outcropping rocks visible, one rising sheer from thewater's edge, so crowded with bushes as scarcely to expose the rocksurface to the eye.
"I discover no evidences of life," I answered at last, reassured by mycareful survey. "Nor, for the matter of that, Master Cairnes, can Isee any spot dry enough to camp upon."
"Up the stream a few strokes the Spaniards had camp; not so bad aplace, either, when once reached, although the current will provedifficult to overcome as we turn."
Following his guidance we deflected the boat's head, and, by hard toilat the oars, slowly effected a passage up the swift stream, keeping asclose as possible along the southern shore, until, having compassedsomething like five hundred yards, we found before us a low-lying bank,protected by rushes, dry and thickly carpeted with grass.
"What is the stream?" I questioned, marvelling at the red tinge of thewater.
"The Spaniards named it the Arkansas."
"Oh, ay! I remember, although I passed this way along the other shore.It was here some of La Salle's men made settlement near a hundred yearsago, I 'm told. The stream has trend northward."
"So the Spaniards claimed to my questioning; they knew little of itsupper waters, yet possessed a map placing its source a few leagues fromwhere the Ohio joins the great river. It was yonder they were encampedwhen I was here before."
He pointed toward a ridge of higher ground, where two trees hung likesentinels above the bank. Madame immediately turned the prow that way,and, bending our heads low, we shot beneath their trailing branches,grounding softly on the red clay of the bank. A brief search disclosedremains of camp-fires, testimony to the Puritan's remembrance of thespot. Evidently the place had been frequently occupied, and by sizableparties, yet the marks were all ancient; we discovered no signs thatany one had been there lately.
It was barely daylight, although the sun was above the horizon. A vastbank of cloud hung so dense across the eastern sky as to leave thewhole scene in shadow, making the hour appear much earlier. I felt, aswe searched the camp-fires, a strange uneasiness, for which I could notaccount--it was a premonition of approaching peril. This sense is thegift of many accustomed to border life, and compelled to rely forsafety upon minute signs scarcely observable to the eyes of others. Ihad noticed a broken reed near where we turned into this new stream, sofreshly severed as to show green from sap yet flowing, while the softmud about the base of the big rock bore evidence of having beentramped, although the distance was so great the nature of the marks wasnot discernible. To be sure, native denizens of the forest mightaccount for this, yet the sight aroused suspicion and a determinationto examine more closely, while the fear of prowling enemies made mestrenuous in objecting to the building of any fire with which to cookour morning meal.
The eating came to a conclusion at last, although not withoutgrumbling, in both French and English, at being obliged to subsist oncold fare. By use of threats I succeeded in inducing the Rev. Mr.Cairnes to retire without indulging in his usual devotional exercise.Discovering De Noyan comfortably settled against a tree-trunk, pipe inmouth, already beginning to look sleepy about the eyes, I muttered inhis hearing a word or two regarding a fishing trip into deeper wateralong the opposite shore, and, quietly leaving him to unsuspiciousrepose, slipped down to where our boat was tied beneath the treeshadows. As I bent, loosening the rope, I felt rather than perceivedthe presence of Madame upon the bank above. Turning as she addressedme, I glanced up, holding the untied rope in my hand.
"You fear Spaniards may be near," she said quickly, as if she haddeciphered my hidden thought.
"No, Madame," I replied, scarcely able to conceal astonishment at herpenetration, yet eager to quiet alarm, particularly as I had nooccasion for uneasiness. "I merely feel a curiosity to examine thatodd rock beside the entrance--the one we passed on the right."
"Geoffrey Benteen," she said firmly, stepping down the sloping bankuntil she stood beside me, "there is no occasion for your attemptingdeceit with me. Besides, you are too open-hearted a man to deceive anyone. I have noticed your glances, and interpreted your thoughts, eversince we turned into this stream. I am certain you fear at this momentwe have been beguiled into a trap. Tell me, is this not true?"
Her clear, questioning eyes gazed so directly into my own, and were sohonestly courageous, I up and told her
what I had observed, and where Iwas then bound.
"It is better to trust me," she commented simply, as I ended myrecital. "My eyes have not been altogether idle, although I am noborderer to observe such faint signs. There were several reeds bentlow in the water a hundred yards back; their sides scraped as if alarge boat had been dragged through them. I thought nothing of it,until I observed how intently you were studying each mark left by man.While you are gone yonder, what would you wish me to do?"
I looked at her attentively, noting how heavy her eyes were fromweariness.
"You are too tired to remain on guard, Eloise," I said, forgetting Ishould not use that name, "or I might bid you watch here, and, if anymisfortune befall me, call the others. Besides, if there are enemiesat hand there is no knowing from what direction they may chance uponus. However, all we have observed were probably old marks, or made byroving beasts, and I shall soon return to fling myself on the ground,seeking sleep also. So go and rest those weary eyes, while I scout tosatisfy myself. It is only the doubt of a suspicious man."
"I shall not sleep until your safe return," she replied firmly. "Youshall not go forth thus without one to pray for your safe return. Ibeg you, exercise care."
"Have no fear, Madame, I am no reckless hot-head at such work, andshall continue to guard my life while it remains of value to you andyours. Try to rest at ease, for I will soon return, with a laugh at myfoolish suspicions."
I forced the boat into the swollen stream, and, using one oar as apaddle, silently and swiftly propelled it directly across. Discoveringa spot seemingly fit for travel, I pushed the prow through the longmarsh grass, and stepped ashore. She still stood in the tree shadow ofthe opposite bank, and waving a hand in reassurance, I drew forth mylong rifle from beneath the seat. Advancing silently, I pressedforward into the thick bed of cane, thinking more of Eloise de Noyanthan of the task before me. It proved a hard passage, so extremelydifficult as to call back my mind from foolish day-dreams to savemyself an ugly fall, for the grass under-foot was matted and tangled,interspersed with marshy pools of brackish water, amid whichinnumerable projecting roots spread snares for the feet. The sun, nowwell advanced, gave me the points of the compass, and, holding therifle-stock before my face, I cleared a path through the dense growth,and emerged from the low marsh land upon smooth turf, where some brushfound foothold, yet not so thickly as to impede the walking.
I discovered myself near the bottom of a steep bank, which, curvingwith the line of the shore, extended forward for probably fifty feet,crowned along its ridge with numerous stunted trees. Trusting thus toobtain a firmer foothold and more extended view, I breasted the steepascent and found the summit a narrow plateau, only a few yards inwidth, with a still more extensive morass upon the opposite side, whichstretched away some distance in a desolate sea of cane and droopinggrass. Fortunately it proved easy travelling along the ridge, whichappeared of stone formation, probably having a terminus at the bigrock, toward which I proposed extending my investigation.
I moved forward slowly and with caution, not because I expected to meetenemies in this lonely spot, but rather from an instinct of longfrontier training. I had advanced possibly a hundred yards, when Iapproached a small clump of stunted evergreens, so closely woventogether I could not wedge a passage between. Rounding their outeredge, my footsteps noiseless on ground thickly strewn with their softneedles, I came to a sudden halt within five paces of a man.