FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121  
122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   >>   >|  
we came to the mouth of the Illinois, and turned our bow cautiously up that stream, becoming immediately aware that we had entered new waters. The negro, ignorant of what was before us, soon beached the boat onto a sand bar, and we decided it would be better for us to remain there until dawn. This was not long in coming, the graying sky of the east slowly lighting up the scene, and bringing into view, little by little, our immediate surroundings. These were lonely and dismal enough, yet revealed nothing to create alarm. A desolate flat of sand extended from either shore back to a high ridge of clay, which was thickly wooded. Slightly higher up the river this ridge approached more closely the bank of the stream, with trees actually overhanging the water, and a rather thick growth of underbrush hiding the ground. The river was muddy, flowing with a swift current, and we could distinguish its course only so far as the first bend, a comparatively short distance away. Nowhere appeared the slightest evidence of life, either on water or land; all was forlorn and dead, a vista of utter desolation. Sam was standing up, his whole attention concentrated on the view up stream. "Do steamers ever go up this river?" I asked, surprised at the volume of water. He glanced around at me, as though startled at my voice. "Yas, sah; putty near eny sorter boat kin. Ah nebber tried it, fer Massa Donaldson hed no bus'ness ober in dis kintry, but Ah's heerd 'em talk down ter Saint Louee. Trouble is, sah, we's got started in de wrong place--dar's plenty watah t'other side dis yere bar." "Who told you the best way to find Shrunk?" His eyes widened and searched my face, evidently still somewhat suspicious of any white man. "A nigger down Saint Louee way, sah. Dey done cotched him, an' brought him back afore he even got ter Beardstown." "And you believe you can guide us there?" "Ah sure can, if whut dat nigger sed wus correct, sah. Ah done questioned him mighty par'ticlar, an' Ah 'members ebery sign whut he giv' me." He grinned broadly. "Ah sorter suspicion'd Ah mought need dat informa'ion." "All right, then; it is certainly light enough now--let's push off." We had taken the sand lightly, and were able to pole the boat into deep water with no great difficulty. I remained crouched at the bow, ready for any emergency, while the engine resumed its chugging, and Sam guided us out toward the swifter current of the str
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121  
122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
stream
 

sorter

 

current

 

nigger

 

remained

 
plenty
 
crouched
 

started

 
Shrunk
 

difficulty


Donaldson

 

swifter

 
nebber
 

engine

 
emergency
 

resumed

 
guided
 
kintry
 

chugging

 

Trouble


informa

 

correct

 

questioned

 

mighty

 

grinned

 

broadly

 

mought

 

ticlar

 

members

 

suspicious


lightly

 
evidently
 

suspicion

 

widened

 

searched

 
Beardstown
 

brought

 
cotched
 

concentrated

 
lonely

dismal
 

revealed

 
surroundings
 
slowly
 

lighting

 

bringing

 
create
 

thickly

 
wooded
 

Slightly