Evening star., 1900-04-21


haps half mile and back again.
Now, gentlemen said L, II have great
curiosity to try the capacity of my boat,
and would like to have a few of You step
in. l will promise not to drown you.
p I held her well up to the bank until fifteen
men and half-grown boys were seated on
her thwarts, then showed her off. She
floated handsomely, with her gunwhales at
least ten inches out.
This was better than I expected We pad
died around for perhaps fifteen minutes,
landed. hauled our boat on the shore, Went
to the hotel for our dinner returned and
started down the river in the canoe, arriv-
ing at New York-yes, at Colsons shop-in
less than four hours.
1 was well satisfied.
CHAPTER v.
It was now about time to expect Wesner
at Cairo. and as I was obliged to remain at
least ten days longer in New York wrote
him to continue his journey to New York.
At the expiration of week George Wes-
ner one evening walked into the Astor
House I was glad enough to see him, as
had already another project in my mind.
and this was to buy q small stock of gem
eral goods and open a store near the Wes-
ner plantation a very good location, and
the store would have tendency to help our
scheme, extend our acquaintance and bring
US into more immediate contact with the
free negroes in our district.
The purchase of these goods took some
what longer than we expected. and it was
the last of November before we were back
in Cairo. Our boats were packed in two
boxes. marked for Bradley's yard, Arkan-
SaS. One box contained both boat frames.
paddles to suit and few other little TOOLS
the whole weighing trifle over $50 pounds
The other contained the canoe covers, and
weighed about 2SO pounds.
Boats and utensils weighed less than 700
pounds. We had several coils of rope rig
ging and bolt rope. and had also provided
ourselves with a small tent of No. 8
duck, simply fly, with no walls or ends
This was similar to one already owned by
me and used when surveying.
1t was about Z o'clock in the forenoon,
December 10. 1855, when l landed at the
wood yard. Standing beside the boxes. 1
watched my partner on the deck of the fast
receding steamer, as she swept down the
muddy river. Then for the first time real
izing sense of the work ! had undertaken
began to stare me in the face.
1t is well known that back some miles
from the Mississippi the waters of the va
rtous streams running into the Red and
Arkansas rivers make a water course al
most parallel to the former river
My idea was to make a path to the wat
ers of the St. Francis on one of its tributa-
rles, carry our canoes through TO the
Streank and from thence open a way down
+ the various creeks and bayous to the Teche
ana there construct a rendezvous as near
our base of operations as convenient
a
little place called Oreola. West of the yard
at a distance of. bout eleven miles, was a
small stream called Baker creek
rms ! had never explored. but under
stood that it flowed into the St Francis
river. Big creek, a tributary of the White
river. was but short distance from the St
Francis, and its head waters We're we'll over
toward that stream Although it was but
eleven miles in a direct line to Baker creek
from our yard, it was perhaps thirteen or
fourteen by any trail which we could make
as we would have to skirt around various
swamps and keep the high land. a straight
ille DelTg impossible account of these
Instructions.
Baker creek is little dried up affair.
very Sluggish. not over two rods wide at
any place. and where We proposed to strike
1t, not even as wide as that In the 1routh
OF the summer there was but little water in
Its channel, in fact, scarce enough to float
d &c canoe; zoe. put at TINS season Of the year We
nad hoped to find three or four feet It
moved most of the way through an impaSS-
anle swamp. and there were no settlements
for twenty miles along its banks, where we
proposed locating our road.
Lower down WAS d cea ring or so. but no
houses or fields within sight of its banks
We therefore had no fear of interrIption or.
dlscovery at this end Of the route, and in
deed II 1t had not been thus. we must have
abandoned the yard as our terminus
From the creek to Bradley's yard was a
dense wilderness, and through this I de-
termlned to make path so plain that mar
leaving the steamer 1t was important for
US to have reliable man at this end of the
route-one whom threats could not intimi-
date. or money buy.
L found such a one in Daniel v Moore. a
native of Mississippi he was afterward a
captain in the confederate army and was
shot at Shiloh, so this narrative cannot in
jure him.
Poor Moore! His parents were on the
steamer l.. Fl. Smith, when her boiler ex-
ploded at Vidalia in 1910. Both were killed
ana left him child. penniless and friend
less. Since then he had roamed the world
and finally engaged with me to take charge
OF my wood yard. where he had been, l be-
lieve, about two years
To him l unfolded my plans, careful not
10 mention Wesners name. | felt sure of
his cooperation, first from his love of ad-
venture, second from his hatred of the
planters, and. lastly. because of the possi-
Die chance to make money which this
scheme promised.
To him We owed in great measure the
success of our work
mad ten men cutting wood-slaves hired
Tor the season, but as they camDed and
worked two miles from the landing they
saw nothing of us.
CTo be continued)