ou go on. What
happened after they left?"

"Why, we just went back ter bed, an' 'long 'bout daylight, I reckon,
sum fellars cum ashore off a steamboat, an' done broke inter de house;
muster bin a dozen, er mor', white men, a cussin' an' swearin', an'
sayin' dey wus a huntin' dem thar Beaucaire niggers. We never done
heerd 'em till dey bust in de dore. One ob dem he knocked me down, an'
den Ah saw Massa Shrunk kill one, afore dey got him. Ah don't know
just whut did cum ob de free nigger; Ah reckon maybe he run away.
Dar's a fellar on board yere whut killed Massa Shrunk; an' he's de same
one whut made me cum 'long wid him."

"You mean the deputy sheriff? the man with the chin-whiskers?"

"No, sah. Ah don't mean him. He wus thar all right, but Ah never saw
him hit nobody. It wus another fellar, a smooth-faced man, sorter tall
like, all dressed up, an' who never talks much."

"Kirby--Joe Kirby, a river gambler."

"Dat's de name--Kurby. Wal', he's de one whut wus lookin' fer dis yere
gal, Rene Beaucaire. He wanted her pow'ful bad. Dey hunted all 'round
fer ter git hol' her, cussin' an' threatenin', an' a haulin' me round;
but 'twan't no sorter use. So finally dey took me 'long ter a boat in
de crick--a keel-boat, run by steam. Most de odder men disappeared; Ah
never did know whar dey went, but dis yere Kurby, an' de man wif de
chin-whiskers, dey done shut me up in de cabin. Ah don't know much
whut did happen after dat, till 'bout de time de steamboat done hit us;
an' 'bout de next thing Ah wus yanked up yere on deck."

"But there was another woman on the keel-boat when it was sunk--a
prisoner also. Surely you must have seen her," I insisted.

"Ah saw her--yas," eagerly. "But Ah don't know who she wus, sah, nor
whar she ever cum frum."

"Then she is not there with you?"

"No, sah; Ah's yere all 'lone. Ah reckon, tho', she sure mus' be on
board sumwhar. All what Ah does know is, dat de gal called Rene
Beaucaire sure ain't on board; fer she, an' her mah, am at Beardstown
long fore dis, an' a headin' right smart for Canady; while Ah's headin'
fer down soufe. Ah's a free nigger, an' dey's kidnapped me. Ah's just
told yer all dis, Mister White Man, 'cause you's a frien' ob de
Beaucaires--yer wus, wusn't yer?"

"Yes," I said soberly, "I am; and, if I can find any chance to help
you, I am going to do it, Elsie. Be careful now; don't talk any
more--the captain is just coming out of the pilot house."