by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXVII
AMONG THE KEYS OF TAMPA
Christy Passford did not intend to cut the negro's punt into two pieces,though perhaps there was some mischief in the purpose of the cockswain.The boatman gave him an evasive answer to his question, which provokedthe young officer. The punt was a very old affair, reduced almost topunk by the decay of the boards of which it was built, or the bow of thecutter would not have gone through it so readily. The lieutenant hadsimply desired to get alongside the negro's shaky craft in order toquestion him, for he was satisfied from the fellow's manner that he knewmore than he pretended to know.
The boatman had come off from the shore of his own accord; he had notbeen solicited to give any information, and his movements had beenentirely voluntary on his own part. Yet Christy was sorry that his punthad been stove, valueless as the craft had been; for, as a rule, thecolored people were friendly to the Union soldiers, and he was notdisposed to do them any injury.
As soon as the officer in charge of the boat saw that the bow was likelyto strike the punt, he directed the cockswain to stop and back her,which was done, but too late to save the flimsy box from destruction.The two bowmen drew in the negro without any difficulty; and soexpeditiously had he been rescued that he was not wet above the hips.He had been caught up just as the bow of the cutter cut into the punt.
"That was well done, bowmen," said Christy, as the boatman was placedupon his feet in the fore sheets.
The negro was rather small in stature, and black enough to save alldoubts in regard to his parentage; but there was an expression ofcunning in his face not often noticed in persons of his race. Thecoast of Florida, south of the entrance to Tampa Bay, as in many otherportions, is fringed with keys, or cays as they are called in the WestIndies, which are small islands, though many of them are ten miles inlength. This fringe of keys extended up Tampa Bay for over twentymiles; and it was from behind one of them that the punt had put outwhen Christy's boat approached. The negro had been obliged to paddleat least half a mile to come within speaking-distance of the cutter.
"You done broke my boat in two pieces!" exclaimed the boatman, gazing atthe two parts of the floating wreck. "Don't t'ink you is a frien' ob decolored man widin no limits at all, or you don't smash his boat likedat."
"That was an accident, my friend," replied Christy. "How much was thepunt worth?"
"Dat boat wan't no punk, massa, and it was wuf two dollars in goodmoney," replied the colored man, his eyes brightening, and hisexpression of cunning becoming more intense, when he realized thepossibility of being paid for his loss.
"If you give me the information I desire, I will pay for the boat,"added Christy, who proposed to do so out of his own pocket, for hisfather was a millionaire of several degrees, and the son had very nearlymade a fortune out of the prizes, from which he had received anofficer's share.
"Tank you, massa; I'm a poor man, and I git my livin' gwine fishin' indat boat you done stove."
"What is your name, my man?"
"Quimp, sar; and dat's de short for Quimple," replied the colored personof this name.
"Where do you live?"
"Ober on de shor dar, in de woods."
"How deep is the water inside of these keys, Quimp?" asked Christy,pointing to the long, narrow islands which lined the south-easterly sideof the bay.
"Not much water inside dem keys dar, sar," replied the boatman, lookingoff in the other direction.
"But there are deep places in there, I am very sure."
"Yes, sar; ten feet in some places," replied Quimp, suddenly becomingmore communicative. "When de wind blow from de west or de norf-west,dar's twelve foot inside de long key."
"Do you know of any vessels, any schooners, or steamers, inside the bay,Quimp?" asked Christy, pushing his inquiries a point farther.
"Couldn't told you, massa," replied the boatman, shaking his head.
"Do you mean that you don't know, my man?"
"Dis nigger done got but one head, and it's wuf more to him dan it is toany oder feller, massa; and it don't do for him to tell no stories aboutvessels and steamers," replied Quimp, shaking his head more vigorously.
"I suppose you have a family, Quimp?"
"No, sar; done got no family. De ole woman done gone to glory more'n tenyears ago, and de boys done growed up and gone off. No, sar; dis niggergot no family."
"Then you don't care to stay here, where you have to work hard forlittle money?" suggested Christy.
"Money! Don't see no money. Nobody but white folks got any money; anddey has next to noffin in dese times."
"I will pay you well for any information that may be of importance tome, and I will take you on board of a man-of-war farther down the bay,if you are afraid of losing your head."
"If dis nigger told some stories he lose his head for sartin," addedQuimp, shaking his head, as if to make sure that it safely rested on hisshoulders.
"If you tell me the truth, you shall be protected."
"Wot you want to know, massa?" demanded Quimp, as though he wasweakening in his resolution.
Christy could not help wondering why the boatman had come out frombehind the key, if he was not willing to impart his knowledge to theofficer of the boat, for he could not help understanding the object ofthe gunboats in visiting the bay; and the Bellevite lay not half a milebelow the northern end of what Quimp called the long key.
"I want to know if there are any steamers or other vessels in the bay,"replied Christy, coming directly to the point. "If there are any, weshall find them; but you can save us the trouble of looking for them."
"How much you gwine to gib me, massa, if I told you?" asked the negro,as he walked between the men on the thwarts to the stern sheets, inorder to be nearer to the officer.
"I will give you ten dollars if you will be sure and tell me the truth."
"Dis nigger don't never told no lies, massa," protested Quimp. "If youpay me five dollars for de boat you done stove, and"--
"But you said the boat was worth only two dollars," interposed theofficer.
"Dat's de gospel truf, massa; but it costs me five dollars to get a newboat, to say noffin about de time. I mought starve to def afore I canget a boat."
The negro's argument was logical, and Christy admitted its force, andexpressed his willingness to pay the price demanded.
"Five dollars for de boat, massa, and ten dollars for tellin' de wholetruf," added Quimp.
"All right, my man," added the lieutenant.
"Yes, sar; but I want de money now, sar," said Quimp, extending his handto receive it; and Christy thought he was very sharp for one in hisposition.
"I will pay you when you have imparted the information," he replied;and, for some reason he could not explain, he was not satisfied with theconduct of the negro.
He was altogether too shrewd for one who appeared to be so stupid. Theexpression of cunning in his face told against him, and perhaps it wasthis more than anything else that prejudiced the officer. He took it forgranted that he should have to take the boatman off to the Bellevitewith him, and that it would be time enough to pay him on board of theship.
"Dat won't do, massa!" protested Quimp earnestly. "What you tink?Suppose dar is a steamer in de bay loaded wid cotton, all ready to quitfor somewhar. Do you tink, massa, I can go on bord of her wid you? No,sar! Dis nigger lose his head for sartin if dem uns knows I pilot you todat steamer. You done got two eyes, massa, and you can see it forshore."
"But I can protect you, Quimp," suggested Christy.
"No, sar! All de sojers in de Yankee camp could not save me, sar. Defirst man dat sees me will knive me in de heart, or cut my froat fromone ear to de oder!" protested Quimp more earnestly than before, thoughhe manifested no terror in his words or manner.
"Very well, Quimp; I will pay you the money as soon as we see thesteamer or other vessel, and then assist you to make your escape,"replied Christy. "I will go a step farther, and pay you for the boatnow; but I will not pay you the ten dollars till you
show us a vessel."
While the negro was scratching his head to stimulate his ideas, theofficer handed him a gold sovereign and a shilling of English money,provided for his visit to Bermuda and Nassau, which made a little morethan five dollars.
"I don't reckon a gemman like you would cheat a poor nigger," saidQuimp, while his eyes were still glowing with delight at the sight ofthe money in his hand.
"Certainly not, my man," replied Christy, laughing at the idea. "Just assoon as I get my eye on the steamer of which you speak, I will pay youthe ten dollars in gold and silver."
"I don't know much about dis yere money, massa," said the boatman, stillstudying the coin.
"The gold piece is an English sovereign, worth about four dollars andeighty-five cents; and the silver coin is a shilling, worth very nearlya quarter of a dollar; so that I have paid you over five dollars."
"Yes, sar, tank you, sar. Cap'n Stopfoot fotched over some ob de moneylike dat from Nassau, and I done seen it."
"But I can't stop to talk all day, Quimp," continued Christyimpatiently. "If you are going to do anything to earn your ten dollars,it is time for you to be about it."
"Yes, sar; I will told you all about it, massa."
"No long yarns, my man!" protested the officer, as Quimp seated himselfin the stern sheets as though he intended to tell a long story.
"Yes, massa; told you all about it in a bref. De wind done blow freshfrom de norf-west for t'ree days; dat's what Massa Cap'n Stopfoot say,"Quimp began.
"No matter what Captain Stopfoot says!" Christy interposed. "Tell mewhere the steamer is, if there is any steamer in the bay. We will stopthe foot and the mouth of Captain Stopfoot when we come to him."
"Well, sar, if you don't want to har dis nigger's yarn, he'll shet upall to onct," replied Quimp, standing on his dignity.
"Go on, then; but make it short," added Christy, finding it would takeless time to get what he wanted out of the negro by letting him have hisown way. "Wind fresh from the north-west for three days."
"Yes, sar; and dat pile up de water so de tide rise six or eight incheshigher," continued Quimp, picking up the clew given him. "High tide inone hour from now, and de Reindeer was gwine out den for shore. Dat's dewhole story, massa, and not bery long."
"All right, Quimp. Now where is the Reindeer?"
"Ober de oder side ob long key, massa. Dar's more'n four fadoms ob waterunder dis boat now, and twelve feet 'tween de two keys," added theboatman, whose tongue was fully unlocked by this time.
The crew of the cutter were directed to give way, and the negro pointedout the channel which led inside the keys.