Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-05

man will think he has lost couple of ne
groes in the bayou. Next trip l will take
Jims wifen
She said no more. Jim felt bad to think
he was to be kidnapped, but he was de-
termined to make the best of everything
and did not make much demonstration.
DO not think he was quite heartbroken
The canoe L took down to the bayou that
afternoon and upset her. and let her float
to tell the tale to Lanman that he was out
couple of negroes. l reckon we may as
well take our next invoice from there.
Obed, the other one, forty years old
He had left wife and two little ones ten
years ago, in Louisville, Ky. He had no
loves to leave behind. He is the DEVILS
own. 1t was he whom padded. l talked
to him as 1 tied up his head In few
minutes l was satisfied that he would be
my right-hand man, next to Lemuel Ma
son, and without these two I should have
had great difficulty in succeeding.
"Obed left at the woodward, and Lem
uel Mason is at New Orleans now. l have
them suspects whom l am. To Lemuel 1
gave free papers as protection If arrest
ed. Him You can trust. He is brave and
cool.
Lets see-I was tying up Obed's head, I
believe. After / had washed off the blood
SO he could eat his breakfast I sent him
up to the fire, and after he had finished his
coffee and bacon talked to him awhile He
was rather reticent at first about his past
life, but / finally drew from him the fact
that he had attempted to run away from
whipped nearly to death and finally had
killed another negro set to watch him and
had again escaped. but was retaken and
finally sold into Louisiana as punish
ment. He was very anxious to get back
to Kentucky, not for any love of his for
mer home, but in order that he might
punish his prosecutors. His wife was
free woman, as were his children He
had heard nothing from them for years.
and old recolections had about faded from
his mind. but he was intelligent enough
to hate a STAKEHOLDER, and cared nothing
for his own life if he could injure him.
Il sat down and explained my plan to
take this party through. He was of course,
willing, for he had no other alternative.
The day wore slowly away, and about 8
pm. we ate our supper, and at dark left
our little camp and moved slowly up the
branch. 1t was 8 O'Clock and quite dark
when, pushing aside the intervening bushes.
we again entered the bayou and headed up
the stream. This was to be night of eX-
IRENE caution and care, as We had three
plantations and one village to pass. We
must travel thirty miles before we could
make our next haven. Luck was ours the
second night for We met neither man nor
steamer-a boat was what we dreaded most
on the bayou-and it was sunrise before We
made our landing. The canoes were scarce
us shot a steamer. She passed SO near
that the swish from her wheels half filled
one of our canoes as it lay close under the
banks. No fire that day-cold water, hard
bread and raw bacon. The sun was warm,
however and we slept and watched by
turns At dark we were off. Above YER
millionville there was no steamer. I kept
a sharp lookout for the mouth of the pas
sage that led to the Atchafalaya waters,
but passed 1t in the dark and had to lay
by the next day. Thus one day was lost
II dared not put one of our canvas canoes
on the BAYOU so We waded and foundered
down alongside, hunting for the passage,
and found it about three miles below
"As soon as night shut down we entered
it, and after numerous difficulties and two
or three wettings were on the upper wa
tiers of the Atchafalaya.
I'VE had made but mile or two when,
rounding a short bend in the river we al
most ran into canoe containing four men.
They took no notice of US. Probably they
had no suspicion of meeting runaway ne
groes at night on the Atchafalaya / held
my breath in suspense as they glided by,
revolver. I did not want to shoot but as 1
four shots home if interfered with. They
seemed as anxious to avoid us as we were
them, and in a few seconds they passed
into the darkness.
What are they, Obed, do you think"
'Hoss thieves, l reckon. massa; dey is
powerful plenty 'roun' de Teche Dey steal
canoe up country, run down forty or fifty
miles and steal boss or mule, den run back
again. OATS de way dem peoples work,
Big lot OBJ mummy feller'd get to take
'em. Sheriff. he after 'em, neber-neber
catch 'em. Dem chaps is too smart for de
sheriff. One day ole man. next day some
oder body
II was not particular as to who they