Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-16

smarting with the stings OF flies and mos
Quitocs.
obed was sitting disconsolate outside the
door. His rifle lay across his knees. He
had heard me tfrashina around among the
bushes thirty minutes before l came in
SIGHT, but thought 1t was ono OF us. as
Inside the cabin the sight was pitiful
Mason lay in his berth, his features
shrunken with fever. and his big black
eyes. enlarged to twice their size, shone
smiled in recognition endeavoring 10 stretch
out his hand l mixed some quinine and
whisky and gave him swallow. The rest
of the sick ones watched my notions fol-
lowing me with their corpse-like eyes as I
moved around the room. To me, accustom-
ed as | was to sickness among the negroes
and mulattoes, the sign of death appeared
to be written upon their cadaverous fea-
lures and in their hollow. sunken eyes The
mulatto, as a rule. is not very hardy, and
these were no exceptions The presence of
white man. Obed said, would help them
more than medicine, as through their
wasted lives they had had no other resource
in case of trouble than massa or nissus
The next day, accompanied by Obed, I
returned to the cache" We took along
four of the strongest fugitives and ] load
ed them with all the stores they could car
ry, and taking small load myself, we re-
turned to camp. The day was hot and
journey rough, but we arrived with our
loads about dark. We now had supplies
sufficient for three weeks, and by the end
of that time, 1 told them, 1 hoped they
would all be strong enough to move toward
the north.
The next afternoon I returned to the
place where Wesner had left me, and found
him waiting for me with the canoe.
CHAPTER xxx.
AT the post Office 1 found letter from
Beatham, written in his peculiar style of
photography, incidentally informing me of
the death of my Sirly-
land, and containing long account of the
White river fight. To us this was convinc-
ing proof that there no clue, however
remote connecting any person In our VI
cinity with the raid, and again 1t as con-
clusvely proved that the route must be
abandoned for the future. Where should
we go? We must leave the swamp, must
get these people north; for, should one of
them be found here, there would be red-hot
times in the Teche country.
Upon this subject we pondered long and
deeply If the poor unfortunates, now in
the swamp, We're back upon the plantations
all would be well; but they We're not. They
We're sick. unable to travel and on our
hands. We felt responsible for their lives,
and we clearly understood If their masters
found them and caught us our responsible
ity would end with short shrift and
long rope, and they would suffer untold
horrors.
We had three alternatives: To let Obed
and Mason take the chances of getting
them through to Cairo: to undertake a new
route and go ourselves, or to go with them
by the old route. Either was fraught with
danger. 1t was not probable that there
would be water enough in the swamps to
float a boat for three months and 1t was
impossible for the fugitives to remain where
they were for that length of time.
AT last Wesner suggested writing to Emit
WHSLE. to inquire If there were any chance
to ship by water. as there were number
OF places around VermilHon bay, and even
on the Atchafalaya, where We thought we
could get through safely, provided there
was vessel to receive US Immediately up-
on arrival
Wesner mailed the letter at New Or
leans, going there for that purpose. 1t
was ten days before he received an answer
There was vessel to be relied upon at
present. There was shipbuilding concern
in East Boston that during the previous
winter had a crew somewhere on the Sabine
river. cutting timber for a vessel frame
He had telegraphed to these parties and
the answer was:
Timber not shipped. but will be as soon
as a vessel can be chartered"
Not satisfied with this, Entwissle had
written that he would visit Boston and see
| what arrangements could be made and
would write us Immediately from there.
Wesner. who had perfect confidence in
| Entwissle. was content to wait. Two days
| later the looked-for letter. postmarked Bos-
| ton, arrived. The frame was for Phdladel-
phia parties, and must be delivered there.
| At present II was piled out on the bank
at the mouth of small creek making into
! the Sabine near the town Of Orange, Tex.