Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1920-01-27
Copyright b. 10


piled himself to Charlie Webster.s
note, as though 1t had been the Bible.
He read 1t as slowly, indeed, as IL II
had been Sanscrit, and then folded II
and handed 1t back to me without a
word. But there was quite a Young
smile in his old eyes.
The wonderful works of God f.
he said presently. 81 guess, sar. we
shall soon be able to ask him what he
meant by that expression"
Soon the long, dark shore doomed
ahead of US. l had reckoned II ont
about right. But the captain an.
nounced that we were in shoal water.
How many feet?' asked, and a
boy threw out the lead.
sixteen and a half" he said.
go ahead" l called out.
do you want to go aground?" asked
the captain.
For answer I pushed him aside and
took the wheel. 1 had caught the
smallest glimmer, like night light.
floating on the water.
Drop the anchor" I called.
The light inshore was clear and
near at hand, about one hundred yards
away, and there was the big murmur
and commotion of the long breakers
over the dancing shoals. The tide was
running out very fast, and the white
sand coming ever nearer to our eyes
in the moonlight; and Samsons light.
there, was keeping white and steady.
With the thought of my treasure and
the king" so near by 1t was hard
to resist the temptation to plunge In
and follow my heart ashore. But /
managed to control the boyish i'm
pulse, and presently we were all snug,
and some of us snoring below decks,
rocked in the long swells of the shoal
water that cleaned milky like an
animated moonstone under the stars
old Sailor curled up at my feet, just
like old times.
l woke just as dawn was waking
too, very still and MINDLESS; for the
threatening nor'easter had changed its
mind, and the world was as quiet as
though there weren't a human being
in 1t. AS the light grew scanned the
shore to see whether / could detect
the entrance Of the hidden creek; but,
though l swept 1t up and down again
and again, it continued to justify the
kings" boast. There was no sign
of an opening anywhere. Nothing but
straight line of brush, with man.
groves here and there stepping down
in their fantastic way into the water.
And yet we were but hundred yards
from the shore. Certainly BLACK
beard"-if the haunt had really been
his-had known his business; for an
enemy could have sought him all day
along this coast and found no clue
to his hiding place.
But presently, as my eyes kept
on seeking, q figure rose, tall and
black. near the waters edge, a little
TO our left, and shot up a long arm
by way of signal. 1t was Samson; and
evidently the mouth of the creek was
right there in front of us-under our
very noses, so to say-and yet 1t was
impossible to make it out. However
at this signal, l stirred up the still
sleeping crew, and presently we had
the anchors up, and the engine started
at the slowest possible speed.
The tide was beginning to run in,
so we needed very little way on US.
l pointed out Samson to the captain,
and, following the "king's" instruc-
tons, told him to steer straight for
the negro. Samson stood there and
called:
"All right, sar. Keep right on.
You'll see your way in minute"
And. sure enough. when we were
barely fifty feet away from the shore,
and there seemed nothing for it but to