eemingly a well-built road
descending to a lower level in the general direction of the river. The
girl, however, was sufficiently familiar with her surroundings to
advance rapidly even in the dark, and I managed to stumble blindly
along after her at a pace which kept her in sight, comprehending the
urgent need of haste. We crossed the front of the house, but at a
distance enabling us to gain no glimpse of the two men who guarded the
porch, or to even hear their voices. The only evidence of their
presence there still was the dim glow of a pipe. Here we were cautious
enough, slinking past in complete silence, watchful of where we placed
our feet; but once beyond this point of danger I joined her more
closely, and we continued down the sharp decline together side by side,
exchanging a few words in whispers as she attempted to describe to me
briefly the lay of the land about the mouth of the creek and where the
boat probably rested, awaiting the return of its owners.

She made this sufficiently clear, answering my few questions promptly,
so that I easily visioned the scene and felt confident of being able to
safely approach the unsuspecting engineer and overcome any resistance
before he should realize the possibility of attack. I was obliged to
rely upon a guess at the time of night, yet surely it could not be long
after twelve and there must yet remain hours of darkness amply
sufficient for our purpose. With the boat once securely in our
possession, the engineer compelled to serve, for I had no skill in that
line, we could strike out directly for the opposite shore and creep
along in its shadows past the sleeping town at the Landing until we
attained the deserted waters above. By then we should practically be
beyond immediate pursuit. Even if Carver or the sheriff discovered
Kirby, any immediate chase by river would be impossible. Nothing was
available for their use except a few rowboats at the Landing; they
would know nothing as to whether we had gone up or down stream, while
the coming of the early daylight would surely permit us to discover
some place of concealment along the desolate Illinois shore. Desperate
as the attempt undoubtedly was, the situation, as I considered it in
all its details, brought me faith in our success and fresh
encouragement to make the effort.

The distance was covered far more quickly than I had anticipated. The
road we followed was by now fairly visible beneath the faint
star-gle