Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-12-02
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I OF the southern shore before crossing
to the mainland. If the storm should
be very severe, they might possibly
! camp there. trusting the weather to
keep hack any pursuit.
crossed to Bois Blanc all right,
but then squall burst and was
obliged to SO ashore for a few min
utes. Its worst fury was coon over,
and set out again, keeping in the
smooth water under the lee of Bois
Blanc.
There were no more squalls. but
, the wind settled down to steady
gale. was pretty well protected
from It, however, and when an occa-
sional gust reached me it usually
came from behind and was bit OF, a
help. 1 was making good time, but
the batesu. manned by five or six
stout voyageurs. was probably doing
better. wondered IT, they would
dare. to hoist the sail. Suppose they
should be swamped! And suppose
/ should be. swamped, too! Mr..
Crooks. and Mr.. Stewart would, of
course. suppose I had died as a de-
serter and thief!
But there was no stopping now. l
rounded the southwestern point of
the island and started eastward, fol-
lowing the southern shore; and now
my troubles began in earnest: AL
though still sheltered for the most
part from the wind and sea, stray
gusts came from ahead rather than
from behind. 1t had begun to rain,
the stars had disappeared, and I
could see hardly rod ahead. I
crept along very slowly, sometimes
steering by. the wind, sometimes
keeping in the shallow water close
to shore and feeling the bottom with
my paddle. ~-''
After three hours or so, I found
myself becoming tired. and 1 was
drenched with rain from head to
foot. But padded on. right into
great luck. My bow struck some
thing that was neither rock nor sand
nor gravel. My canoe. Slid along the
thing, and put out my hand. 1t
.grasped the stern-post of the bateau.
One end was evidently drawn up on
the shore while the other projected
Into the water, and If l had been a
foot farther from the beach might
have missed it altogether.
stepped ashore and began to ex-
anime the boat very cautiously. Un-
der tarpaulin I found the bale of
furs, bag Of corn and some other
provisions. a mast and sail and
three pairs of heavy oars lay across
thwarts. The men were gone
Where? caught sight of a very
faint gleam of freight among the
trees at some distance. Toward this
I started.
Crawling through the bushes, I
saw tarpaulin stretched on poles
SO as to form a tent. A fire was
burning brightly in front of it, and
1 made out four men lying on the
ground under The tent, while fifth
sat with his back to tree. A gun
lay across his knees and two others
were beside the sleepers. The man
,on guard was Alec Prevanche, from
whom I had taken the jug of rum a
few days earlier. He had another
jug beside him and seemed to have
drawn freely from it. Probably all
fire had been drinking ever since
they left Mackinac.
Two or three times in the next
.half-hour saw Alec give a start and
rub his eyes with his hands, but at
last his head sank down on his
breast. his mouth opened and he
began to snore. I waited a little
longer andI then, very cautiously,
carried the guns one b. one out of
the circle Of freight. Then I took
them down to:the beach and placed
them in the canoe. The axe I'secured
In the same way. From the bateau
I, took the provisions. Then I had
all the little canoe could carry. Push
ing well out from the land. 1 threw
them all overheard. ~
Then 1 went back, TOOK the mast
and sail and all the oars but one,
towed them out till the wind took
hold of them and let them drift
away in the darkness. Mex, trans
ferred the bale of furs to my own
craft, moored the canoe to the stern
of tho hataan with n cord and cnt