Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1919-11-14

Eyes, he won all the Beaucalre
property, including the slaves, in a
poker game, on the river, the night
Beaucaire died.
"Ah done heerd all bout dat, sab.
An yer nebber know'd dis yere girl
afore ct ALP
mo, / never even saw her. /
CHANGED to hear the story and went
to the house to warn them, as no one
else would / was too late, and no
other course was left but to help her
escape. That Is the whole of it."
He asked several other questions,
but at last appeared satisfied, and
after that we discussed the guard duty
of the day, both agreeing 1t would not
be safe for US to permit any possible
pursuit to pass by US up the river I'M
seen. Sam professed himself as I'M
weQried by the nights work and will
ing to stand the first watch. lay
down in the tree shade, and must
have fallen asleep almost Immediately,
| do not know what aroused me- but
l Immediately sat upright, startled
and instantly awake, the first object
confronting me being Sam on the
crest of the opposite ridge, eagerly
reckoning me to Join him. The mo-
ment he was assured Of my coming
and without so much az uttering a
word of explanation, he vanished
into the shadow of the woods,
l crossed the rayine with reckless
haste, clambering up the opposite
bank, and sixty feet beyond suddenly
came into view of the broad e1panse
Of water. Scarcely had gilmpsed this
rolling flood. sparkling under the
suns rays, when my gaze turned up
stream, directed by an excited gesture
of the negro. Less than a mile away,
It's rapidly revolving wheel churning
the water into foam in ceaseless battle
against the current, was a steamboat,
A number Of moving figures were per-
ceptlble on the upper deck. stared
at the apparition, scarcely compre-
hending the reality Of what l beheld,
yer bettah stoOp down more, sab"
Sam urged. Fer sum o. dem fellars
might see yer yet. All nebber heerd
nuthin' ner saw no smoke till she
cum a-nuffin' round de end o dat pint.
All cudnt dare go fer yer then, sab,
FER fear dey'd see me, so All JUS
nat'arly lay down yere an watched
her go by
rs 1t government boatY
"Ah reckon maybe; leastwise thar's
a heap o sojers aboard her-reg'lsrs,
All reckons, fer dey's all in uniform.
But everybody aboard wasn't sojers,
"You know the steamer%
"Yas, sab. Abs seed her face afore
dis down ct st. Louee. She lister run
down de ribber-she's de John B.
Glover. She amt no great shakes OBJ
a boat, sah.'
His eyes, which had been eagerly
following the movements Of the craft.
turned and glanced at me. "Masss
Kirby he wus aboard dat steamer
sah."
kirby! Are you sure about that
SamY"
"Course Abs sure. Didn't All see
him Just rs plain as All see you right
now? He wus forrad by de rail, near
de pilot house, a-watchin' dis whole
shore like a hawk. Dat sure wu'
Massa Kirby all right, but dar want
nobody else Tong wild him."
"But what could he be doing there
on troop boat?"
The negro scratched his head, mo
mentarily puzzled by my question.
"Ah sure don't know. sah,' he adj
mitted. "Only OATS perzackly who II
was. All figure it out bout dis way
sab: dat nobody kin tell ylt which
way we went-up de ribber er down
de ribber. Long cum de John 3
Glover, an lassa Kirby he just take
a chance an goes aboard. De sheriff
he goes der odder way, downstream
in a rowhoat; an dat's how dey aim,
ter sure head us of"
I sat down at the edge OF the blrT
convinced that the conclusions OF the
negro were probably correct. That
was undoubtedly about how 1t hat
happened. To attempt pursuit up
stream with only oars as propelinf
power would be senseless, but the pas
7 sage upward Of this troop boat af
forded Kirby an opportunity he would
not be slow to accept. Getting ABOARD
would present no great difficulty, ant
his probable acquaintance with the
captain would make the rest easy
The steamer by this time was NOV
Ing diagonally across the river, hea(
toward the other shore, and was al
ready so far away the men on decf
we're invisible. 1t was scarcely prob
able that Kirby would go far north
ward, but just what course the MAI
would take when once more ashore
was predetermined. Where he nigh
choose to seek for us could not b.
guessed. Yet the mere fact that h'
was already above us on the river wa
in itself matter for grave consld
grafton. Still thus far we remained
INDICATED, and there was less DANCE
in that direction than downstream
Once we attained the Illinois ant
made arrangements with Shrunk TIN
immediate danger would be over