The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-06

"'"iI' Ind Intended 10 reach the little run
around before daylight II You ree0l,en,, ",
only place that offered n safe haven, az the banks
of In. BAYOU we're too llickly settled Tor liz
10 attempt to pass them by daylight
and hm1ging ihe cas-. bank OF tho stream, made
redoublrd e~ycrtions 10 urge NE canoes forward
The bank was dimly outlined and ! could
tell very nearly where we mere ~ NV rreat ioT'
orr canoe ran over the buoy we had placed
below he outlet, and in II few moments we We're
plshinu our way through reeds ana pushes
Of the run-aronnd. | did not Try to 20 iar,
but halted both canoes II few rods from the
bayou and waited for daylight,
The sky had began 10 reddcn IN me Fast
before We moved again. Al SUNRISE we were
a mile no the stream and secure IRON obserya-
ton. The two canoes. were fastened 20 mo
bank and | remained alone WIN ho Wv" nn ohnre
in the captured canoe The boys on Shore
built n little fire and soon the smell OF hot cole.
and fried bacon told me- that they "er" wen
This brunch, YOU will remember was more of a
natural ditch than a stream, and II was not more
than eight feet wide. but unite deep. p'rnap-lour
fee, or more sat in the sufr ,hinti nme WhS,
/ could do with them. Finally, ] drew my re-
volver. Al the sight Of II they turned a ylahr
pigeon blue. and shoGk IKE an Hm"t,m, GG"",ny;
20 shoot you both. | don't really ike TO, do II,
but | know of no other way ! an, gong To
y, ,nG h fres S S1ni so S Saak ' and .e t9' tse vi country
after va. as You would If We let YOU go. SAY.
you chap with the c-Hckcd head, drop your
hand from your skull. VIII ,"h w Il Ion m", ,i,rs
dying. and again, You would upset the canoe
II YOU kicked much
80. massa. let us go Norf. too. Let US go;
Well work for YOU and pay our way ana WI.
stick forever, deed an We viii SIT oeeo"e
will they walled, m...,, ..,
best TO shoot these fellows or take them along
Nose did not know me, and felt rather IN
clined to he frightened himself oGt i'nni,y lie
s,aminsred ont ! WOULDN'T ,itd,a sn r%om EN- rno nthS'h IN
so / concluded not 10 Kill them, mnc'. TO
Their sa,i-faCtlSn o. 'm.'n"r Hue1ilhe eH We're :
| lanman's boys and had been up the bayou reh.
ing, probably for chickens a there were TWO Oh
them IN the canoe, ana no, NE TO ueir'yr AN
man Of "A couple of his hands or rob MN 81
s2,jN, but, having left my conscience a, nome
! certainly could not send them h%ch. II"
| on he whole | would be justified ln committing
the theft therefore ordered them Oh shore
10 get their breakfast
After breakfast. more trouble, Jim, the
Youngest, had , vile al Iauuan's and had told
| and her heart was touched. She followed mo
10 ne boat Only one more JnIt one more we
can crowd her in just lllhR, sup
pose | were her. would Won leave me-
He must leave her, SAID f, Tor kne" enough
about plantation ncgror- 10 hnnW VA, ~
''''i Nv l'F'h't -
/ return
Hlo wr~ i, at Slepheuson,~ she replied,
and cAunol know of her husbands absence,
aud having here n day he could get her
Lacy replied. you and jim must bear
with disappointment this time IT JIM GOES
Tor lJ. Hll" and gel her IA" Nhuir 'Gumly
that ihrv have run away. We ~lhlIl run EfraI
| risk of being caught, aud men Nna' Wo,Iu
become Of vou and the re~t; shall run lu"
canoe into the bayou upset it, and then Mr.
| laHWan Will think ur has losl "a coupe 81 hI@-
gers IN The BAYOU Next Trip ! VIII take
Jlm'S wItc''
She ,ad no more Jim felt bad 10 lh,uk
he wa- 10 be kidnapped. but he was determined
to make the h">i ~ everything ana uiu Il".
max" mn,t delnon.lrnli"h' &c no' 'n,mH
hr was quite hnarihrohen. Ia" 'anu" ! loon
! down 10 the bayou that a't"rnOouu i.d upset irf
and lr' her lOal Ia veil the tai" 10 lH''ntl'
thai he Wa- out Il cOupl" OF nlggeES. reCKuiI
w. may u we'll take our next lhNo!'" lI9,l
! there Ohpd the other one, was ~ year. ON
! He had LETT u wife and two little ONES ten wears
ns%; ~ l" 90 N ,Go 1 at% Haa aT Il" 'I T. was rs
hr whom had padded. talked to Inn ~
ted MP his head ~ a few nInuI"' was
satisfied that he would he my right-hand ,,aA
nnVf Ia lemlel Mason. and IL Il turned oN'
wItnoutth hes" two, J should ha>" had great an
ficult' ia succeeding ,
Masou is AZ New Orleans nov have been
with them for week., and neither oil ihell
suspect whom ] am, To l"nnel gave ire"
raper, az q protection IL a!I,1''o III" ''"
LET'S see wa. Tying up Obcd's bead.
! boleve After | had washed IN th" blood
80 he could eat h+ breakfast, | sem h,ll lp
TO the fire. and after h. had finished Ia" coffee
and bacon talked 10 Inn awhile, lie was
rather rrr,cent AZ first about his pGN' hi" ,hu,,
! finally drew from hlm The faCt That LIE had
attempted 10 rilu away from Kru'ucky. been
caught and hruUGh' bach. whipped nearly
10 death, and 'nallN had killed another negro
set 10 watch him and Lad again escaped but
was reraken and finally sold INTO Louisiana
a. a punishment. tie Wa very anxious TO
get back 10 krntucky, not for any love OF IN"
former home. hut in order that hr iulElt PM
ish his prosecutors. His WIFE wa-atree woman
as we're his children. He had hoard
nothing from them for wear nnd "a feCol.
lactions had about faded from hS MIND but
hc Nas intelligent enough 10 hate n slave.
holder. and Jared nothing for his own M" II
he could iniure linn,
I SAT down aud explained my plan 10 lake
for he had no other altsrna'Iyr. The day Muf"
slowly away, and about 4 p VI We ate our aup;
per, and II, dark left our little camp and moved
slowly NJ the branch. II wqseo'riock and quite
dark, when pushing aside the intervening
bushes. We again entered the bayou ard headed
up the stream. This was To be a night OF ~
irenir caution and care. az W. had thra" plan
iatioIis and one village 10 pas. We must
travel thirty nd.", before We c0uld max" our
next haven. Luck was ours the second nlght.
for We met neither man nor steamer boa,
was what We dreaded most on thu bayou and
II was sunrise before We made our landing
The canoes We're scarcely OUT OF sight when
around he bend above lis shot "A steamer, she
passed 50 near that the swish from her wheels
half-t1lled one Of our canoes A. Il lay close under
the banks. No FIRE that day cold water, hard
bread and raw bacon. The sun vas warm.
however, and We slept and watched by turns
A. dark We were or. Above \ermllliOnvll.e
there was no steamer kept a sharp look
ont for The mouth OF tn" passage thai led 10
the Atchafalaya waters, but passed IL N IN"
dark and had TO lay by III" next day. Thus
one day was lost.
Il dared not put one o' our canvas canoes
on the bayou. 80 v" vaded and t'oundered
down alongside. hunting for the passage, and
As soon as night shut down "" entered it..
and after numerous difficulties and TWO or three
w%e;ting~. were on the upper waters 81 m" NJ
We had made but q mile or two when. round
Ing a short bend in the river. W. almost ran
into a canoe containing four men. They took
no notice Of MS. Probably they had no snspl-
cion OF, meeting runaway mEgers at night On
| the Atchafalaya. held my breath in suspense
as they glided by and my hand clutched the
stock Of my revolver. did not want 'o shoot.
but rs I was uorthward bound, should have
sen. four shots home II interfercd with. They
and in n few seconds they passed INTO the dark
ness.
What are they. Obed. do you think?'
"'Hoss thieves. ] reckon, massa; dey j. power
ful plenty 'roun' de THche DEFY steal canoe
no country. run down forty or fifty miles and
steal boss or mule. den run back again. Oats do
wav dem peoples wOrk, Big lot Oh money
n feller'd get TO tab" en- Sheriff. he after
en-. neber neOer catch EN-. Dem chaps
next DAY some oder body
Il was not particular Hs 10 who they were,
hut If they were horse thieves, we were not
liable to he followed by them. Brad, II II hard
work padding a heavily loaded canoe against
and nv hands wer" blistered so they bled II
was n relief 10 me To know that Obed was good