by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIV
THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE ARMS
The three lanterns were lighted, and Levi Bedford lost not a moment inmaking the preparations for loading the boxes into the flatboat. Thesink-hole was a tunnel in the ground, at the bottom of which could beheard the gurgling of waters. The overseer said the brook which flowedinto the creek where they had found the gundalow had its source in thisplace, though it made a considerable circuit before it reached itsoutlet.
On the side of the inverted cone nearest to the creek there was anopening which led into the cavern, the bottom of which was at leasttwenty feet above the water, whose ripple they could hear. The descentwas gradual, both in the tunnel and in the cavern; and with lanterns intheir hands Deck and Artie led the way down, for they had madethemselves familiar with the subterranean chamber in the afternoon, andit was years since Levi had been there.
Mr. Lyon followed his son, while the overseer, with a coil of small lineon his arm, which he had taken from the boathouse, brought up the rear.The party were taking a survey of the entrance in order to determine thebest way to move the cases. It looked as though the water had flowedthrough the cavern at some remote period of time, probably rising fromthe sink-hole below, for the limestone at the floor was worn tolerablysmooth. Doubtless the extinct stream had found a new outlet, loweringthe level of the water so that it had ceased to flow through the cave.
The boxes were piled up just as they had been found in the afternoon.The roof of the cavern was very irregular, and in some places it was notmore than five feet above the floor, while in others it was from eightto ten. The arms were deposited in a recess about twenty feet from theentrance. When the boys visited the sink-hole they had found the openingof the cave partly filled up with branches of trees and other rubbish;but they had removed these obstructions, which formed only a very weakattempt to conceal the depository of the arms.
Levi studied the interior of the cavern and the situation of the cases,attended by the planter. The lanterns were sufficient to light it sothat they had no difficulty in seeing to work. The apartment began towind about just below them, and all was gloom and darkness in thatdirection.
"It is about twenty feet to the opening," said Levi, as he measured thedistance with his eye. "The roof is not more than five feet high halfthe way; and, if their skulls are not harder than the limestone, Generaland Dummy will be likely to stave a hole in them."
"The rest of the hands are not so tall," suggested Mr. Lyon.
"I brought this rope with me without knowing that it would be of any useto us; but I find that it is just the thing we want," continued theoverseer as he uncoiled the line. "Now, boys, all we will ask you to dois to hold the lanterns; but you must not go to sleep and let them fallon the stone floor."
"No danger of that," laughed Deck. "But we can work in the low placewithout smashing our heads."
"I am glad there is no hard work for you, boys, for you must be tiredafter pulling a boat twenty miles this afternoon," added Mr. Lyon.
"I am not very tired, and I can do my share of the work," replied Artie.
"So can I," added Deck.
"But you can do the most good by holding the lights," replied Levi. "Oneof you stand down here; and the other, with two of the lanterns, nearthe opening."
The boys followed this direction, Deck placing himself at the entrance,where he could light a part of the cavern and the tunnel. The overseeruncoiled his rope, and with the help of the planter lifted one of theboxes down to the floor. He then made fast the rope to it with aslip-noose, the knot on the under side, so as to carry the case over anyobstructions.
Walking up to the entrance, uncoiling the line as he proceeded, hepassed out of the cavern into the tunnel. Calling General and Dummy fromthe place where they had been told to wait, he stationed them near thedoor, and then carried the line, which was not less than seventy-fivefeet in length, to the shore of the creek.
"Now, Rosebud, and the rest of you, take hold of this rope, and when theword comes up to you from General, haul up the box which is made fast tothe other end of it," continued Levi. "As soon as you get it up here,unhitch the line, and throw the end down to General. As soon as you havedone that, load the case into the boat, then haul up another, and do thesame thing over again."
"Gunnymunks!" exclaimed the laughing negro. "Whar all de boxes comefrom?"
"None of your business, Rosebud; mind your work, and don't askquestions," returned the manager, as he descended to the entrance to thecavern.
"W'at we gwine to do, Mars'r Bedford?" asked General.
"You are going to pull and haul; and you can begin now," replied Levi."Take hold of that line, and draw that box up here. Pull steady, so asnot to break it."
The two powerful negroes manned the rope, and dragged the case up to theopening without any difficulty, and without doing it any great injury.It was placed so that it could be readily hauled out of the sink.
"Above there!" called the overseer. "Now haul steady on the rope! Easeit out of the opening, General."
The two big men crowded it around the corner, and then it went up to theground above without any obstruction or delay. The line was detachedfrom the box, and thrown down to the entrance, General passing it downto the pile of boxes. Another had been prepared for the rope, and theplanter made fast to it. Levi had gone up to superintend the loading ofthe box, and arranged a couple of planks he found in the boat, so thatthis part of the work could be conveniently done. He made Rosebud the"boss" for the time being, and then went down into the cavern to assisthis employer.
"It won't take long to do the job at this rate," said Mr. Lyon when theoverseer joined him. "Your plan of doing the work makes an easy thing ofit."
"I could not tell how it was to be done till I saw the situation ofthings here; but we shall be back to Riverlawn before daylight," repliedLevi, as they lifted down the third of the boxes.
When the method of moving the cases to the boat had been adopted, andhad been found to work so well, the task was practically accomplished.The ease and celerity with which they mounted to the upper regionsastonished and delighted the planter and the boys, and they were filledwith admiration at the skill displayed by Levi Bedford in the managementof the business. He was accustomed to working the hands, and knew whateach of them was good for; and no other person could have done so well.
The work proceeded with increased rapidity as the men became used to theoperations. In less than an hour all but the two cases containing thecannon, which Levi said were twelve-pounders, had been removed. The"Seceshers" had evidently had a great deal of difficulty in handlingthem; for they had stove one of the cases in pieces, and the other washardly in condition to hold the heavy piece. Levi made his rope fast tothe cascabel, or but-end of the gun, and the word was passed for the menabove to come down to the entrance.
The six negroes made easy work of hauling it up to the opening, whilethe overseer and the planter directed it with levers, split from thebroken case, so as to prevent it from receiving any injury. The six menwere then sent above the tunnel, and the gun was drawn up. Loading itinto the boat was a more difficult matter; and the planter and theoverseer were considering how it was to be done, when Generalinterrupted them.
"Go 'way dar, niggers!" exclaimed General, waving his hand for theothers to get out of the way. "Cotch hold ob de end ob de shooter,Dummy, and we uns will tote it in de boat!"
The big preacher seized the end of the piece at the vent end, andGeneral did the same with the muzzle. They lifted the gun from theground, though with a strain which brought out some grunts from them,and slowly marched to the boat with their burden. Levi ordered two moreof the men to take hold with them, at the trunnions, and sent the othertwo into the boat, who assisted as they could obtain a hold on the load.It was safely deposited in the bottom of the craft.
The overseer opened the other case with the hatchet Artie had brought,and broke up the boards of which it was constructed. It was put into theboat in the same manner as th
e other. The water was deep enough in thecreek for the boat, and Levi gave his attention next to the trimming ofthe craft, while he sent some of the hands to bring up the pieces ofboard left in the cavern; but the cargo needed but little adjusting, andthe party were ready to return to Riverlawn.
"When your precious brother visits that cavern next time, he will belikely to wonder what has become of his arms and ammunition," said Levi,wiping the perspiration from his brow. "Now, boys, go down into thathole again, and see that we have left nothing there, for I don't wantCaptain Titus to find anything to let him know who has done this job forhim."
While they were gone upon this mission, the overseer placed the Magnoliaahead of the flatboat, in readiness to tow it down the creek. The boysreturned, and the hatchet was the only thing which had been left. Totheir astonishment they found that Levi had shaken out the sail of theMagnolia, and they had their doubts about his ability to manage it.
"I hope you won't tip the sailboat over, Levi," said Deck, as he steppedon board of her, followed by Artie.
"If I do I shall not spill you out, either of you; for I want you totake charge of the flatboat, with two of the hands," replied theoverseer. "I shall keep four men in the Magnolia to row, and I think thesail will help us along a good deal."
"I should like to change that plan a little, Levi," interposed Mr. Lyon."The boys and myself can take care of the flatboat, and you can have allthe men at the oars."
"Just as you say, Major Lyon, and perhaps that will be the best scheme.I was thinking that you and the boys might sleep part of the way down,"answered the overseer. "The wind is blowing pretty hard from thesouth-west, and I reckon we shall get some rain before a great manyhours. The sail ought to help us a big piece."
The planter and the boys armed themselves with the long oars of theflatboat, which had been driven into the muddy bottom of the creek tohold her in place at the landing, and they were ready to keep her offthe shore in going around a sharp bend. Mr. Lyon placed his between thepins in the stem to steer with.
With their oars in hand the six rowers were in their places, and Levigave the word to shove off. When the men had pulled a short distance,the skipper, a position which the overseer had assumed, hauled in thesheet, and made it fast at the cleat for the purpose. The sail filledwith a vengeance as a sharp flaw struck it, and the Magnolia forgedahead with a dart, dragging her tow after her. As the creek widened thesail strained, and the Magnolia seemed to be struggling to get away fromthe gundalow astern of her.
As she proceeded on her course down the stream, she increased her speed,and appeared to make nothing of hauling the tow after her. The motionproduced by the sail bothered the rowers, who were not used to thissituation. Some of them "caught crabs," and the oars of all of them werelifted and thrown back by the water that rushed past them. They madesuch bad work of it that Levi ordered them to unship their oars.
The Magnolia was making something like six miles an hour, and would havemade ten without the tow. He steered her so that she carried thegundalow safely around the bends of the stream; and the planter hadlittle to do, the boys nothing. Deck and Artie stretched themselves onthe boxes, and were soon fast asleep; for they were worn out with theexertion and excitement of the day and night.
The bends in the stream near the spring road perplexed the skipper atfirst; but his excellent common-sense helped him out, and he hauled inhis sheet so as to bring the boat up closer to the wind. Above the mosttroublesome bend at this point, the general course of the creek was westnorth-west. He let off the sheet, and the Magnolia flew faster thanever.
When he came to the bridge by the mansion, he waked the negroes, who hadall fallen asleep, to take down the mast, so that he could pass underit, for he had already lowered the sail. He ran the boat close to thebank off the ice-house, and the negroes secured it and the gundalow.
"Dexter, Artemas!" shouted the planter. "Wake up! The cruise is ended."