Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
CHAPTER NJ.

Fellow there was no settlement Tor Il NUM-
her of miles: to the west stretched forest
We built a secure shelter about a mile
from the bayou. and camped. feeling per-
fectly secure. Wild turkeys and deer were
plenty. and the river. not mile away,
sNarmcd with fish. The weather was de-
rentful. and for week we stayed here and
rested. it was a prolonged picnic and
never enjoyed myself more than did that
week. Care | baEished by sheer force of
will. and enjoyed myself with the rest, lis
tening to the plantation stories and songs.
..irad those people think and feel deep
ly: there are brutes among them, yet there
are true hearts and brave.
"AIl things must have an end. and so did
our Acadia We were soon off again on
our t"il-pue passage up the stream. 1t was
ni-nt w! aging for few days. until
We got above the settlements along the
rcute. then again we could try day naviga-
tion.
About sunset June 10 entered the
bayou with our canoes loaded and ready
for the voyage We toied for fifteen days
and at length. the morning of June IL, we
were within ten miles Of the Arkansas,
where We must cross and enter the White
river chute and as l was not very well
Quainted with its navigation. we must per-
force Try it by daylight in the presence Of
the enemy.
Most of the day We spent in dragging
our boats over "A portage between the land
ing place on the bayou and the Arkansas
river This was finally accomplished. al
though it was nearly morning before we
Were Well over. the carry was muddy
and the trail full of roots and fallen trees.
when light enough | went to the bank
to take a look al the river. The water
at fair p!tch and not very muddy. Most
of my anxiety conferred on the White river;
IL ALL.
terruption, but when We came to paddle up
the White river past plantations and settle
ments it looked little hazardous. How
ever, there was no alternative but to try il.
So We lay dormant all day on the banks of
the Arkansas About o'clock pm. We
showed off boldly ana shaped our course for
the mouth of the White river chute. BY
dark We were well down, and at 5 pm.
our canoes We're pushing their noses into
the chute IA little passage from one stream
To- another
I'VE passed the town of White River and
the few plantations scattered along the
bank. and at daylight we had made tN anty
miles of the most dangerous portion and
were camped for the day 4 few miles from
the east bank of the streafS
Il was sound asleep; by the sun It was
near = O'Clock T. m. when a startled eXcla-
Iaation from Lemuel Mason, who vas on
watch, brought ne to my fcet-not twenty
feet from me. rifle in hand, stood two men.
Arkansas was stamped upon their features
and their eyes said shoot. For an instant
my heart almost stopped beating: the next
moment / was Is calm and cool as l am
npw- l realized that We We're in danger. In
q country where runaway negroes were
plenty, 50 Were coon dogs and bloodhounds.
''one Of them spoke: Phil, here's TO-
nanza for u.s.
oh. no. l think not" said /. coming
forward. for these folks have been in NJ
Possession for three weeks
For the first time they noticed I was a
white man. and their countenanceS fell
- No This time. said | IaughiuO
who rlOut you be, now cried Phil,
looking hard at me. I believe you are a
'hzhipnist from I1io and Juggling these
men off to Illinois New York maybe to
Canada. for all l know.
WHO might / be- said l. slowly for 1
knew there was trouble coming, the appear
ance of my amable crowd saying plainly
"a possible, swamp.
There was an air of swamp in their
faces and in their clothes; their very wool
savorcd of the cottonwood and cypress
while nifty days in the wilderness would de-
stf1y any mans Genteel appearance L knew
that airs would not do just there
Perhaps you be from Kansas again
ventured Phil.
ignoring the negroes as Of no account
they both kept their eyes fastened on me
from the moment they perceived L was
white.
Lem and Obed were creeping slowly be-
hind them. The stranger called Phil con-
tinupusly fingered the trigger of his rifle,
with his black eyes never for an instant
wavering from their steady stare as he
watched my motions.
kansas, Kansas" repeated T. SLOWLY
Just here Ohed stumbled. AT the noise
Pills eyes for an instant left NINE he had
lost. l Jerked both revolvers from my belt
and covered them
Hands up. my lads; l have the drop on
you"
Il spoke slowly. but not very loud, but
Colts silent, forcible argument was eff
fective. All four Arkansas paws went into
the air and the rifle dropped from PhiTs
hand as he exclaimed: 'Downed by suck
er. in evident allusion % lny supposed Hi
nOiS origin.
In an instant Lem and Obed were upon
them. and they were securely bound Here
was trouble enough. What should we do
with our capture? II was impossible TO
leave them to starve we did not wish to
commit deliberate murder. and could not
possibly take them with US. Finally l
thought Of the only feasible plan, short of
death, and binding them safely, we carried
them to an old wood yard few miles be-
low and tied them to a tree advising them
to patiently wait a passing steamer, leav-
Ing them with the assurance that one might
b. along the next day. | afterward learned
being liberated. the first steamer taking no
notice Of their cries.
"At dark we again started, bending all
our energies 10 increase the distance be-
tween ourselves and the prisoners At iay-
light next morning We We're at least thirty
five miles up the river and again encamped
''In addition TO snakes coon dogs. blood
mounds, alhgators. swamp mosquitoes mud
and Arkansas pixies, to say nothing of Snei-
der and the Attakapas warriors we here
met another enemy that nearly frightened
the negroes TO death and gave me the chills
for week
The next morning after leaving the pris-
oners we encamped beside the stream
where the banks were high. We dragged
our boats into the woods and. going back a
short distance from the bank. selected our
camping place. About o'clock In the
afternoon there came the most unearthly
yell from the woods back of us-one pro-
longed shrek. rising like the bowling of the
wind through the cordage of a ship, and
dying away like the sobbng of child.
was lying on my back about half asleep
As this unearthly shrek walled through
the trees IL brought me to my feet 1 had
never heard the like before. The negroes
were terrified. They thought the devil had
come to punish them for running away.
whats dat? What dat? Pharo asked