Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-01-12
CHAPTER III.

We left the logs and walked to
Cornwall and took a sloop down the
river 1t was an American boat, bound
for Quebec with pipe-staves. 1t had
put in at Cornwall when the storm be-
san. The captain said that the other
sections Of our raft had passed safely.
In the dusk of the early evening a
British schooner brought us to.
Wonder what that means?" said
the skipper, straining his eyes in the
dusk.
A small boat, with three officers,
came alongside. They climbed aboard,
one of them carrying a lantern. They
were armed with swords and pistols.
We sat in silence around the cockpit
They scanned each Of us carefully in
the light Of the lantern. 1t struck me
as odd they should look so closely at
our hands.
"Wha d ye want?" the skipper de-
manded.
This man" said one of them, point
ing to D'ri. Hes a British sailor. We
arrest him"
He got no farther. D'm's hand had
gone out like the paw of a painter
and sent him across the cockpit Be-
fore | knew what was up, | saw the
lank body OF Dri leaping backward
into the river. ! heard a splash and
a stroke of his long arms, and then
all was still. l knew he was swim
ming under water TO get away. The
officers made for their boat. My blood
was up, and | sprang at the last of
them, giving him hard shove as he
was climbing over, so that he fell on
the boat, Upsctting it. They had bust
ness enough then for a little, and be-
gan hailing for help. | knew | had
done foolish thing, and ran forward,
climbing out upon the bowsprit, and
off with my coat and vest, and dived
into the dark water. | swan under as
long as | could hold my breath, and
then came up quietly, turning on my
back in the quick current, and float
ing so my face only was above water.
1t had grown dark, and | could
see nothing but the glimmer of
the stars above me. My boots
were heavy and dragged hard. | was
going fast with the swift water, for at
first | had heard great hubbub on the
schooner; bat now its voices had grown
faint. Other sounds were filing my
ear.
After dark it is wierd business to be
swimming in strange water--the throne
OF mystery, OF thousand terrors. 1t
is as if ones grave, full Of the black
ness OF the undiscovered country, We're
pursuing him and ever yawning be-
meath his body. And that big river is
the very tiger of waters, now stealing
on pus&y-fOOted, now rushing with cat
like swiftness, Kissing and striking
with currents that have in them
mighty sinews. | was now companion
OF those COld-mouthed monsters of the
the river bottom, many of which /
had seen. What if one should lay hold
on me and drag me under? Then
thought OF the rapids that might
smother me with their spray or dash
me to hidden rocks. Often lifted my
ears, marVelling at the many voices
OF the river Sometimes | thought |
heard roaring like that of the Sault.
but 1t was only ripple growing into
ueecy waves that rocked me as in 4
cradle. The many sounds were above
below, and beside me, some weird and
hollow and unearthIy. | could hear
the rocks rolling over in their sleep
on the bottom, and, when the water
was still, sound like the cropping of
lily-pads away off on the river mar
gin. The believing of COW terri
fed me as it doomed over the sound
ing sheet of water, The river rang
Iike mighty 1rum when a peal of