by Kirk Munroe
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE "RIVER-TRADERS" ATTEMPT TO REGAIN POSSESSION.
So it was settled that the three who had been campmates together on theplains should now, with Winn Caspar to complete the quartet, becomeraftmates on a voyage of nearly a thousand miles down the great river.It is hard to say which of the four was happiest during the busy daythat followed the making of this arrangement. Winn was overjoyed atrecovering the raft lost through his over-confidence in his own wisdom,and at the prospect of taking a trip so much longer than he hadanticipated at the outset. He had also conceived a great fancy for thetwo manly young fellows whose fortunes had become so strangelyconnected with those of the _Venture_, and was glad they were to be hiscompanions on the voyage.
Billy Brackett was not only rejoiced that he had at length beensuccessful in finding both Winn and the raft, but was delighted to meetagain those with whom he had already shared so much of peril andpleasure. That they had again become his mates in such a peculiarmanner, and amid such different scenes, was proof, as he quaintlyexpressed it, that "Truth can give the most expert fiction points, andstill beat it at its own game."
Glen and Binney were raised from a depth of dismay, caused by the lossof their money and the resulting predicament into which they werethrown, to a height of felicity at the prospect of a raft voyage downthe Mississippi, under the leadership of their beloved campmate, BillyBrackett. They also liked Winn; and, judging from what had alreadyhappened to him, regarded him as a boy in whose company a variety ofadventures might reasonably be hoped for.
Owing to their past experience with the "river-traders," Billy Brackettand Winn were somewhat uneasy at the presence of Grimshaw and Plater intown, and their manifest desire to regain possession of the raft. Theywere puzzled by this, and wondered what reason the men could still havefor wanting the raft. Certainly their connection with it was now toowell known for them to hope to make any further use of it in pursuingtheir unlawful business. Nor did it seem likely that they would chooseit merely as a conveyance down the river. No; it must be that they hadhoped to sell the _Venture_, and realize a considerable sum by thetransaction. This was the conclusion finally reached by our raftmates,though it was not one with which they were entirely satisfied.
Still, they felt that, as they were now four to two, they mightreasonably hope to be left in undisturbed possession of the raft forthe future, and so did not allow thought of the "river-traders" totrouble them to any great extent. They decided that two of them shouldstay constantly on board the raft, at least so long as they remained inthat locality, and that Bim should also be added to the protectiveforce.
To begin with, Binney and Winn remained on guard while Billy Brackettand Glen went into the town to telegraph for Solon, send down theinstruments, and make other arrangements for the voyage. It had beendecided that as their crew was incomplete without a cook, Solon shouldbe sent for, and that they could not make a start until he arrived,which would probably be early the next morning.
Winn and Binney found plenty to occupy them during the absence of theothers in becoming acquainted, learning each other's history, andarranging the interior of the "shanty." From Binney, Winn learned whata splendid fellow his young uncle was, and how much he was respected aswell as admired by all who were so fortunate as to be counted among hisfriends. "He is a fellow," concluded Binney, "who couldn't do a meanthing if he tried. One thing I like especially about him is that he isjust as careful in his attention to trifles, if they come in the lineof his duty, as he is to big things, and Billy has already had somepretty important positions too, I can tell you. He is full of fun, andwas the life and soul of the Second Division all the time they werecrossing the plains. Glen knows him better than I do, though, becausethey were 'bunkies' together, and from what he has told me I regardmyself as mighty lucky to have the chance of taking a trip in hiscompany."
"He has told me a good deal about you and Glen on that trip," saidWinn, "but I don't remember hearing anything about his own adventures."
"That's just what makes fellows like him. He is always ready to listento what they have to say, or to tell of anything they have done, if itis worth telling; but he never puts himself forward as one who knows itall or has done it all and can't be taught anything."
This conversation set Winn to thinking, with the result that in oneinstance, at least, he had been too hasty in his conclusions. He hadbeen somewhat ashamed that his uncle should act the part of showmanwith a river panorama, and had supposed that it was done from a desireto display his own accomplishments. Now he wondered if, after all,this was not the one delicate and unobtrusive way in which Cap'n Cod'spoor little undertaking could have been saved from a ridiculous andmortifying failure. He had been inclined to regard his young relativeas rather frivolous; but perhaps there were depths to Billy Brackett'scharacter that he was not yet wise enough to fathom. He would study itmore carefully hereafter, and how doubly thankful he now was that hischance to do so had not been lost with the wreck of the _Whatnot_.
Although the interior of the _Venture's_ "shanty" still seemedunfamiliar to Winn, he could no longer doubt that the raft was hisfather's. In the small room that he was to have occupied he now foundmost of his own possessions just where he had left them. Among thethings that he was particularly glad thus to find were several changesof clothing, of which he stood greatly in need.
The "shanty" was in great disorder; but the two boys worked sofaithfully at sweeping, cleaning, and putting things to rights, that bythe time the others returned with a dray-load of freight the interiorwas thoroughly clean and inviting. The afternoon was spent in layingin a store of provisions for the voyage, repairing the splintered door,and mending one of the sweeps, which was on the point of breaking.
By sunset everything was in readiness for a start, and all hands weregathered about the galley stove, each superintending the cooking of hisspecialty for supper. Billy Brackett could make griddle-cakes, or"nip-naps," as he called them. He fried them in an iron spider, andthe deftness with which he turned them, by tossing them in the air, soexcited the admiration of his raftmates that they immediately wished toengage him as regular cook for the trip.
"This isn't a circumstance to what I can do in the culinary line,"remarked Billy Brackett, modestly. "To know me at my best, you oughtto be around when I make biscuit. My heavy biscuit are simplymonuments of the baker's art. They are warranted to withstand anyclimate, and defy the ravaging tooth of time. They can turn the edgeof sarcasm, and have that quality of mercy which endureth forever. Aquartz-crusher turns pale at sight of them, and they supply a permanentfilling for aching voids or long-felt wants. In fact, gentlemen, it isuniversally acknowledged that my biscuit can't be beat."
"Neither can a bad egg," said Glen, who was trying to make an omelet.
"Let us defer the biscuit for this time, and have a smoking dish ofcorn-meal mush instead," suggested Winn. "It is one of the hardestthings in the world to cook, but I know the trick to perfection."
"Mush, mush, mush, tooral-i-addy," sang Binney. At that moment Bimbegan to growl, and to sniff at the bottom of the door. They opened itand looked out. No one was there, nor did they hear a sound. Darknesshad already set in, and they could see nothing. Bim ran to the edge ofthe raft, barked once or twice, and then returned to his place near thestove.
"It must have been your singing that excited him, Grip," remarked BillyBrackett. "He generally acts that way when a person sings, and I haveheretofore attributed it to envy, though I don't see how it could havebeen in this case."
After supper Billy Brackett went into town to call on the telegraphoperator, with whom he had established friendly relations, and toreceive some despatches that he was expecting. He had not been gonelong before Bim, who had been left behind, again began to show signs ofuneasiness, and intimate a desire to be let out.
Again the door was opened for him, and again he rushed out into thedarkness. This time retreating footsteps and the rustling of bushe
s onthe bank were distinctly heard. With a low growl Bim sprang ashore anddisappeared. The next instant the boys saw a flash of lantern-light afew rods below the raft, heard a smothered yelp, the sounds of aconfused struggle, and a moment later a loud splash in the water. Thenall was again buried in darkness and silence.
"Something has happened to Bim!" exclaimed Winn, in a low but excitedtone, "and I am going to find out what it is." With this the boyleaped ashore, and hurried in the direction from which the sounds hadcome.
"It's a mighty foolish thing to do, but you sha'n't go alone," saidGlen Elting, quietly, as he started after Winn, adding, as he left theraft, "You stay behind and stand guard, Binney."
The boy, thus suddenly left alone, stood guard for about fifteenseconds, when all at once two dark figures sprang aboard the raft fromthe bank, and he had barely time to utter a single cry of warningbefore he was engaged in a furious struggle with one of them, who hadseized him from behind.
"Drop him overboard!"
Although the command was given in a low tone, Binney heard andunderstood it. Then the strong arms in which he was struggling liftedhim as they would a child, and bore him towards the edge of the raft.
"The strong arms lifted him as they would a child."]