CHAPTER XIV.
SAM CLEARS UP THE MYSTERY.
Tommy was the spokesman.
"Now then, Sam," he said, holding out his trowsers toward the fire todry them, "tell us all about it."
"I can't," replied Sam.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know all about it myself."
"Well, what do you mean by building this shed?"
"Don't call it a shed, Tom," said Billy Bowlegs, "it's a mansion, andthese are our broad acres all around here."
"Yes, and the alligators down in the swamp there are our cattle," saidSam.
"And here's our fowls," said Billy, slapping at the mosquitoes, "gameones they are too, ain't they?"
"Stop your nonsense," said Sid Russell, "I want to hear Sam'sexplanation. Tell us, Sam, what did you build the shanty for?"
"To live in while it rains, to be sure."
"Yes, but how long are we going to stay here?"
"I don't know."
"Well then, why are we to stop here at all?" asked Tom, "and what haveyou been thinking about all the afternoon? You didn't open your headafter it began raining, until we got here; you were working outsomething, and this halt means that you've worked it out. What is it?That's what we want to know."
"You're partly right," said Sam, laughing, "but you're partly wrong. Ihave been thinking how to get out of this pocket we're caught in, andI've partly worked it out, but not entirely. That is to say, I mustwait till morning before I can say precisely what I shall have to do.Let me show you where we are;" and with that Sam took out his map andspread it on the ground before him, while the boys clustered around.
"Here we are," pointing to a spot on the map, "near the Nepalgahriver, at the upper end of the peninsula it makes with the Patsaligaand the Connecuh rivers. You see the Patsaliga and the Nepalgah bothrun into the Connecuh, their mouths being not many miles apart. Thispeninsula that we're on is low, swampy, and full of creeks, a littlelower down. This heavy rain will raise all the rivers and all thecreeks, and make them spread out all over the low grounds on bothsides. The land is higher on the other side of the Nepalgah river, andit was my plan to cross over to-day, but when this rain came on Ibegan to think it not at all likely that we could get to the riverbefore night, and then I began to lay plans for use in case of afailure."
"That's what you've been puzzling over all the afternoon, then?" saidBob Sharp.
"Yes. I've been wondering what we should do, and trying to hit uponsome plan. You see the matter stands thus: we can't go on on thisside, that is certain; the river will be out of its banks to-morrowmorning, and we can't easily get across it; and if we were across itwould still be difficult marching, as there are creeks and swampsenough to bother us over there."
"What are we to do, then?" asked Tommy, uneasily. "We _mustn't_ goback. That'll never do."
"Never you mind, Tom," said Sid Russell, whose faith in Sam'sfertility of resource was literally boundless, "never you mind. Weain't a goin' back if the Captain knows it. He's got it all fixedsomehow in his head, you may bet your bottom dollar. Just wait till heexplains."
"That's so," said Billy Bowlegs, "only it seems to me he's got amighty hard sum this time, an' if he's got the right answer I'd liketo see just what it is."
"He's got it, ain't you, Sam?" asked Sid, confidently.
"I believe I have," said Sam.
"What is it?" asked all the boys in a breath.
"Canoe," answered Sam.
"To cross the river with? That's the trick," said Bob Sharp.
"No," replied Sam, "that was what I first thought of; or rather, Ifirst thought of building some sort of a raft to cross the river on,and then it occurred to me that we could go on faster on high water ina canoe than on foot; so my notion is to dig out a good big canoe andride all the way in it."
"Can we do that?"
"Yes, the Nepalgah river runs into the Connecuh, and the Connecuh intothe Escambia, and the Escambia runs into Escambia Bay, and EscambiaBay is an arm of Pensacola Bay. Here, look at it on the map; you seeit's as straight a course as we could go even on land, or prettynearly."
"Well, but you said you couldn't tell till morning about it."
"I can't. I am not absolutely sure where we are, but I think we arewithin a very short distance of the river. I shall look in themorning, and if we are, we'll dig the canoe here, or rather, we'lllive here and dig the canoe down by the river, for it must be a bigone to carry all of us, and we can't carry it any distance. If I findthat we are not as near the river as I suppose, we must break up hereand find a camping ground further on. At all events we'll dig thecanoe and ride in it. The rivers will be high, and it will be easytravelling with the current, while there won't be any danger ofgetting the fever from being on the water, as there would have beenbefore the rain when the water was low. Come, our clothes are dry nowand we must go to sleep, as we've a hard day's work before us."
"How long will it take to dig out the canoe?" asked Bob Sharp.
"One day, I hope, but it may take as much as three. Luckily we'vekilled so much game to-day, that we needn't be afraid of running outof victuals. But we must lose no time."
"Oh, Sam--" began one of the boys after all had laid down for thenight.
"I won't open my mouth again to-night, except to yawn," said Sam, andit was not long before the whole party were asleep.
Captain Sam: The Boy Scouts of 1814 Page 14