the steamer which had passed us was heavily laden
with troops was most encouraging. In itself alone this was abundant
proof of the safe delivery of my dispatches, and I was thus relieved to
realize that this duty had been performed. My later disappearance was
excusable, now that I was convinced the papers intrusted to me had
reached the right hands. There might be wonder, and, later, the
necessity of explanation, yet no one would suffer from my absence, and
I was within the limits of my furlough--the reinforcements for Forts
Armstrong and Crawford were already on their way. So, altogether, I
faced the task of eluding Kirby with a lighter heart, and renewed
confidence. Alone, as I believed him to be, and in that new country on
the very verge of civilization, he was hardly an antagonist I needed
greatly to fear. Indeed, as man to man, I rather welcomed an encounter.

There is little to record, either of the day or the night. The latter
shut down dark, but rainless, although the sky was heavily overcast by
clouds. Satisfied that the river was clear as far as eye could reach
in every direction, we managed to pole the heavy boat out of its berth
in the creek while the twilight yet lingered, the western sky still
remaining purple from the lingering sunset as we emerged into the
broader stream. The following hours passed largely in silence, each of
us, no doubt, busied with our own thoughts. Sam made no endeavor to
speed his engine, keeping most of the way close to the deeper shadow of
the shore, and the machinery ran smoothly, its noise indistinguishable
at any distance. Twice we touched bottom, but to no damage other than
a slight delay and the labor of poling off into deeper water, while
occasionally overhanging limbs of trees, unnoticed in the gloom, struck
our faces. By what uncanny skill the negro was able to navigate, how
he found his way in safety along that ragged bank, remains a mystery.
To my eyes all about us was black, impenetrable, not even the water
reflecting a gleam of light; indeed, so dense was the surrounding gloom
that in the deeper shadows I could not even distinguish the figure of
the girl seated beside me in the cockpit. Yet there was scarcely a
break in the steady chug of the engine, or the gentle swish of water
alongside.

The clouds broke slightly after midnight, occasionally yielding a
glimpse of a star, but the uninhabited shore remained desolate and
silent. Day had not broken when