The National tribune., 1898-12-29
CHAPTER XLVIII.

O'Neil found that the way was ahard one.
He came To places where the water was
too deep to wade and he had to float on
raft hastily constructed of driitwood.
Twice he did this, and gained the firm
ground on the other side. But il had
consumed much time, and the short
February day was rapidly draw ng to
close. His brave heart sank as he no
iced The shadows OF night closing around
aim. while he was making his way
through a tangled swamp that was still
quite distance from the river. His
shoes, soaked Ia pulp by his long stay in
the water, clogged his feet and impeded
his progress, as did the clinging briars
and the stiff canes through which he had
10 pass.
At last. wearied to the point of exhaus-
ton, he reached the river ard sat down
On log TO rest and think. 1t was dark,
and the prospect enough to apral the
most courageous man. In the windings
and tumirGs lie had been compelled e.
make he had lest his way; he had no
idea where the camp lay, or where the
BOAT was he had started cut To find.
lie had started oct with a vague idea
that he could reach the boat as easily as
Dne CT the others lying along the ether
shore. lie had net thought OF night com
ing Ecto1e be could cross the narrow
tongue of land. Now he could not GO
pack, and il SCENE equally as impossil lie
10 go fOEg ard even II he knew which way
% GO. Before him was the rushing cur
'ent Cf the mighty river, never so Wild or
orblddiDg as il seemed now, as the
sounds Ct its swiriing and teating against
he trees and the Lank came to his ears
u the daTkress. The guard-fires Of the
'ebels on tie opposite side nearly tive
niles avay-lighted up slender strips o
Its sCmier bosom To- show il speeding
away. lie was fearfully weary and
hungry. he had eaten nothing since
breakfast. He was virtually unamed, he
cause the revolver he wore in his telt was
80 waterscaked as to render the car
.ridges useless.
This did not trouble him much, for he
,ad 10 fears Of attack, unless an alliga tor
nade supper of him. The thought o
his fate flashed through his mind. he
Ihivered at the picture of his own corpse
being dragged to some hole by one OF the
lideous creatures, and left there until ii
'otted 10 the proper degree OF "Fa meness"
% be acceptable to his crocodiliian high
3ess's appetite.
At last he saw light on his side of the
liver, mile or so below him. He srrang
Up, and getting as far out on the log as
possible, studied il. TWAS surely that OF
BOAT lying against the bank, and he be-
ievod il TO be that of the Queen OF the
Nest. He started 10 walk down the bank
towards it, his heart beating hich with
anticipation that in a little while were
dashed TO the ground by his coming To
ieep bayou that lay directly across his
path. and cut off all progress in that di-
.ection. lie became fully convinced that
1e could not pass around it, and he re-
turned to the rivers side.
IS he did so he stumbled against some
hing which, as he caught hold oi 1t to
Use lie found was a canoe, that had
lrifted up there at some previous hlgh
water He hunted around, but could find
nothing 10 serve as d paddle, except a
rourd, club-like stick.
With this ne pushed the canoe into the
TatoT and trusted TO the current TO carry
him 10 the vessel below. For little
while he shot along in the desired course,
and five minutes more would have
brought him directly alongside the Queen.
He could hear the Sound OF orders gwen.
ard knew il was the boat he was in
search Of. Suddenly his "dugout
Ehirled about with such velocity as TO
almost upset, and began running out
Ogards tle center Of the river. 1t turned
md another change Of direction took
,lace and il began running back towards
.fe Queen.
O'Neil then realized that his boat had
)een caught in one of those huge ddies
char ict-ri stic of the swift current of the
Mississippi and that his frail craft might
sweep around and around for weeks, or
even months, for all that he could do 10
orce IL out OF the whirl.
He shouted until hoaEse, in the hope of
ittr 4cG y the attention of someone on the
,am, bat the sound OF his voice seemed
drowned by the surging OF the water.
2hen the stars showed him that it was
nidnieht the eddy released him, as I'M
.xpecedIy as it had grasped him, and
sent his canoe spinning out into the main
current, down which il fioated.
Away he went, as fast as a five mile
current could propel his canoe. This was
4 4
i'll the morning, in the hope that dayiirh
gould reveal his condition to the people
On the boat, and bring him rescue. Now
ais fate could not be guessed lie might
DC fioated down the river into the Gulf OF
Mexico; he might be overturned or run
Town by a passing steamer. While de-
batting the probability Of these possibili-
lies his canoe was rapidly carried across
:he river, and O'Neil was horri ed 60 find
&c was swiftly nearing point on which a
Ere revealed the presence Of a rebel
picket. His frantic efforts to manage
steering out farther into the stream with
ans club, reused the guard to attention,
and ne commanded a halt
O'Neii sank down i'm the boat inst in
lime 10 avoid the bullet that whistled over
On his failure 20 answer. The current
carried his canoe almost TO the sentiners
teet. At the sound Of the rife the rebels
comrades sprang up from around the fire
where they had been sleeping. The man
on duty explained that there was a canoe
there with a Yankee spy" or runaway
niger" in it. They ran to the waters
edge, united skiff, and springing in
rowed after O'Neil, no was beating the
water frantically with his club in a vain
Effort 20 urge his canoe on.
As they came alongside, he stood up
night struck out savagely with his
club at the foremost man. He had con
ceived the wild hope that he might over
power those in the skin, get possession OF
it, and make his escape. lie had for
gotten the cranky nature OF his own
craft. As he threw himself with the blow
ut the rebel, the-canoe rolled out from