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

oEdu IL - nara Work paQQllnB u nedFIy
loaded canoe against even a slow current.
was fast getting tired, and my hands
were blistered so they bled. 1t was q relief
to me to know that Obed was good at that
and concluded that my particular forte lay
| In commanding the expedition. and as COM
mander, of course, 1 could not well be en-
gineer. Therefore 1 sat resignedly in the
stern OF the canoe and kept good lookout
BY hard work we made four miles an hour
against the current. At midnight we pulled
up Tor a short time, ate a luncheon and got
well rested. Twelve miles further would
take us to the mouth of chute, the course
| OF which was up the river. AS 1t was too
small Tor steamers and no person had set
tied there, felt safe in attempting to make
the passage by daylight. We must enter
before morning light. however, or go ashore
and lie in the woods all day. We made
every exertion, and before daylight had the
gooo fortune to enter the mouth of the
safe.
:. UNLOAD, boys said I, and we will rest
| and have our breakfast. for here We stay
take US into the bayou again, and then
look for trouble, for you will find plenty of
| danger and scores of steamers
We landed and breakfast was soon I'M
der way. Coffee, fresh fish and bacon,
with few cakes Of pilot bread-it was a
| good. square meal, and ravenously de-
Voured by as hungry a set of runaways as
ever left the sunny south. After breakfast
we lay down and slept soundly until )
O'CLOCK when 1 aroused all hands. Hard
bread and coffee, then off again on our
uncertain journey.
Il had calculated to strike the BAYOU
again about dark. and as 1t was quite wide
at the mouth of the chute we would have
no difficulty. The chances Of any notice
were well in our favor. Usually they had
enough of their own business to attend to
and would not suspect us of being a lot
OF runaways unless news had been spread
MO rr-nr OF fny
Or this there was no great danger unless,
as there is no telegraph in the region, the
news had just reached there. In that in
stance even it would be very unlikely that
we were canoeing our way to Canada, but
II we We're overhauled We could not an
sWer, as the very fact of travelling by
canoe and without baggage in that steam
boat country would be dead giveaway.
Three hundred miles of water journey
lay before us. Six days and nights car
ried us $50 miles, without sign of danger.
A. last became careless, and did not take
the extra precautions needed, and this care
lessness came very near costing US dear,
and running the whole expedition.
'One Sunday night l sitting in the
stern of the canoe. perhaps twenty rods
in advance of the other one. Obed was N
the bow, doing most of the labor. The
night was warm, and very pleasant. and
perhaps 1 got little drowsy myself. 1
Know the rest were, for all hands We're
nodding. 1 took the steering of the canoe
after dark, for by that means 1 was sure
to be awake We were close to the bank,
in fact quite under the overhanging
branches of the trees, when the largest alli-
gator l ever saw raised his head within a
foot of the gunwale of our canoe, and
snapped my paddle with his ponderous jaw.
l was awake enough then. Two of my
passengers screamed, and sprang to the fur
Their side of the canoe. The craft, never
any too stanch, careened to the waters
edge.
Don't move. cried I: for If We over
set you are gator meat, every one of your
In less than minute dozen ugly heads
broke the muddy water, and it seemed
if every alligator in the bayou had gath
cred around the boat. l ordered Lemuel to
close his canoe up quick and he did, but
dared not attempt to transfer for fear of
sinking his canoe Obed. understanding the
situation, kept beating the water with his
paddle to brighten them and keep them at
bay; thus We got our boat ashore, landed
our wet and scared passengers, then bailed
the water out of our drowned craft.
Il can't say that l was frightened, but
afterward thoughtsperhaps 1 might have
been. l did not relish having my career
cut short by an ailigatvr, for 1 wanted to
again see some lively work in the Attaka-
pas country.
This affair consumed an hour, and about
daylight we landed, hauled up our canoes
and prepared to pass another day watching
passing steamers and waiting for night.
"'Twenty-one days from our first embark
ing, without further mishap. we hauled our
canoes ashore at the entrance of little
bayou, in sight of the great Red river. You
recollect when we were that way planning
the route we pushed boldly out. 1t was
different now.
II was too ignorant of the river to make
my debut on it by night, quantities of
driftWoOd were liable to be running at this
stage of the water Next morning, there
fore while yet dark we moved along to
the river, and as daylight approached push
ed our canoes into the swiftly moving cur
rent. AS had anticipated the surface was
thickly sprinkled with drfftwood. This was
with great difficulty avoided. Although do
ing our best. the current carried us a mile
below our starting point and 1t was re-
lief when, without accident, our canoes
were close under the opposite bank of the
river.
"There were so many steamers moving
that l did not feel quite easy, and about
o'clock hearing the threshing of an up
ward-bound one, we ran the canoes into
little cove, where were secure from OBJ |
servaton. Here the banks of the river
were well wooded, the foliage thick and |
overhanging.
THE swift-rolling river eddied and spar
killed. In the bright sunlight as, loaded with |
drift 1t rushed past. From our secure |
place in the cove I closely watched it, and |
reluctantly concluded we must continue |
ly by daylight, the risk from the curiosity |
of people on passing steamers being much |
less than the danger from collision with |
the floating debris and it would not be an |
unusual sight for a couple of canoes to be |
seen padding up the Red river. 1 there |
fore determined to remain here the bal |
ance of the day and the coming night.
LAS this was to be our first all-night rest, |
we made quite an extensive preparation, |
putting up a light frame of poles and |
stretching our tent over 1t as a protection |
from the heavy dew and fog. l was little
wary about fire, but by digging a hole a
few feet deep and making our fire in that |
we had quite lively blaze that could not |
be seen a dozen yards away. Hot coffee, /
fried bacon and catfish, with bareback for |
a relish, made an excellent repast and as |
the epicurean tastes Of my passengers had |
never been very extensively cultivated, they
found no fault. AS for me, l was so con-
hungry that 1 was not particular
and would have relished the food equally
as well had 1t been raw.
After supper we lay down, and in a few
all but myself were asleep. 1 was
too tired and anxious to sleep soundly, and |
perhaps 1 was trifle nervous. I lay think
ing and planning until almost midnight.
From here to the White river was a
long distance. I had become accustomed
to the danger and thought chiefly of the
fatigue.
I'm the morning we were off again. For
ten days we voyaged, sleeping at night and
resting our tired limbs. The strain and
fatigue were very wearing. The women |
and children were mere shadows. Lucy
could walk but a few steps when ashore, |