by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VIII.
STARTING FOR THE WEST.
THE next morning they found, to their satisfaction, that the river hadsunk nearly a foot. The boat had risen considerably when the cargo hadbeen removed the evening before, and the ropes overhead had beenproportionately tightened, so that she now hung so high that the rentswere well out of water, and they were able at once to set about the workof repair. There were tools on board, for during their prolonged tripsit was often necessary to execute repairs of one kind or other. Theflooring-boards were utilised for the repairs, and by evening the holeswere closed effectually.
The next day the work was strengthened by additional ribs and stringers,a coat of pitch was put on outside and in, and Hiram pronounced the workcomplete. From time to time the ropes had been loosened as the rivercontinued to fall, although less rapidly, and it was thought well not toput too great a strain upon them. The next morning the plug was againdriven into the bottom of the boat, and they set to work to pump andbale her out, and then shifted the cargo back again from the raft. Thiswas not a long job, and at night, after a great washing-up of thecabins, to get rid of the mud that had been left there, they had thesatisfaction of taking possession of their old quarters.
"Well, lad," Hiram said, when they lighted their pipes after supper, "Inever thought we were coming so well out of that job. With plenty ofrice and sugar, not to speak of rum, on board, I didn't expect we wargoing to starve, but I thought we might have been weeks and weeks--ay,months, may be--before any one came along, and the thought as came intomy mind was as we should have to make a raft and pole along till we gotout into the river again. However, here we are, with the boat not muchthe worse, and everything on board ready for a start in the morning; andit's thanks to you as we have done it, for I am free to say as I don'tthink as I should have hit on this plan as we have carried out. You area good mate to work with, lad, and no mistake. I don't wish never to geta better. It's a pity ye don't mean to stick to it for good, for I canswar that you would make one of the best hands on the Mississippi, intime."
The journey down the river was continued next morning. At the firstplace they stopped at they heard reports of widespread damage, of greattracts submerged, and of danger to life; the river was still at fullflood, although it had fallen two feet from its highest level, and thenext ten days were spent in rescuing the unfortunate people from thetops of the houses, trees, and patches of rising ground on which theyhad taken refuge. Then, having done all they were able, and the riverhaving now fallen nearly to its average level, they continued theirvoyage down to New Orleans.
Hiram, in his report of the voyage to his employer, spoke in high termsof Frank's conduct, and ascribed to his quickness of invention theirescape from what seemed likely to be an almost endless detention.
"But I am afraid he has made his last v'yage with me," he said; "he istalking of striking out across the plains to Californy. There was a goodtalk of gold thar before we started; and last night, after we came in,and went in for a drink and to hear the news, there didn't seem nothingelse to talk about. The young chap was asking all sorts of questions,and I expect he's off; and I don't know as I blames him. He's the sortof fellow to get on. He has plenty of grit; he's strong and active now,and in a couple of years he will widen out and make a very big man. He'shad a first-rate edication--he don't talk about it, but one would beblind not to see that--he will make his way wherever he goes, and Idon't blame him for striking out from the river. He likes the river,too; but it ain't the place for making a fortin, unless you've got moneyat your back, as you have, boss. But I don't know if he had money, andcould go into steamers and such-like, that he would stick to it.
"I don't know nowt of his history, but I think things must have gonehard with him somehow, and he came out here for excitement more than formaking money. But there's nothing reckless about him; he don't drink,and he don't gamble, and it says a lot for a young fellow in New Orleansthat he don't do one or the other. And he can fight, he can; there ain'tno doubt about that. Why, I saw him give the biggest kind of a thrashingto the bully of a lumber camp, where we moored up alongside one night,as ever you seed. The chap was big enough to eat him, but he didn't haveno kind of show. The young un just hit him where he liked, and in fiveminutes that chap's face was a thing to see, and the lad never got somuch as a scratch. I wouldn't have thought as a man could have used hishands like that if I hadn't been thar. I shall be right-down sorry tolose him."
"I knew well-nigh when I took him on that he was not likely to stay,Hiram; he said as much. He wanted to get to know something about theways of the country before he decided upon anything. If all youngfellows would do as he did, go to work for a few months, instead ofloafing about spending their money, and getting into bad ways, and amongbad fellows, it would be better for them; he has only drawn a fewdollars for his expenses--when he was down the last time--since he cameto work, so he has got a good sum due to him. I will have a talk withhim myself. There are a good many parties starting from here and takingthe Santa Fe route; but, taking them all in all, I don't think I shouldrecommend him to hang on to one of them."
"No, I should guess they would be a pretty hard lot who would go outfrom here--gamblers, and horse-thieves, and runaway sailors, and Mexicanfighters--neither good to travel with or good to work with; he hadbetter go up and strike from St. Louis."
"He had better go higher still, Hiram; there's a northern route, and Ihear a lot of the Western men are making across that. However, I willtalk to him."
That afternoon Frank went into Mr. Willcox's little office.
"Hiram has been speaking in very high terms of you, and I find that I amindebted to you for the saving of the boat, with what cargo she had onboard, which Hiram said he had altogether given up as lost. You seem tohave been in a position of very great danger, and to have had anextraordinarily narrow escape of your lives. However, I can understandthat you are not content to settle down for life on the Mississippi, butI can tell you that with enterprise, judgment, and steadiness there isfortune to be made here still. I am not surprised that the gold-seekingmania has got hold of you."
"It is not so much, sir, the gold-seeking mania as the excitementattending it. I don't think I particularly care about making money, butI do want the excitement of such a life. I have come out for that, andnot, as it is generally called, to make my fortune. The course of mylife at home has been upset by circumstances into which I need notenter, and, at any rate for a time, I want action, and excitement. Afterthat, perhaps, I may think of settling down, and what is called makingmy way."
"I can understand your feeling, lad, and will not try to persuade you tostop at this business. And now, what route are you thinking of takingacross the continent?"
"I was thinking of joining a party going direct from here across toSanta Fe."
"I don't think that will be a good plan, lad. The caravans from here arecomposed, for the most part, of very hard characters, the sort of menwho would shoot you for your horse if they took a fancy to it; I wouldby no means advise you to ally yourself with such men. I can, I think,put you in the way of a better plan than that. I find that a greatnumber of caravans from the West are going by a northern route whichcrosses the Missouri at a point called Omaha. I have been thinking thatthis will become an important place, and have made up my mind tofreight four or five flats with flour, bacon, and other goods of allsorts, and a frame store, and to go up there and open a business. Ishall want a handy man with me at first; I shall take up a storekeeperto leave there in charge, but at first he will want help. If you like togo up in charge of one of the scows, and to stay to help put up thestore and set things running, I will give you a hundred dollars, and youcan have your passage up for your horse, which I should advise you tobuy here. You will get one that will carry you, though of course notmuch to look at, for about fifty dollars; I know several horse-dealershere, and will get one for you if you like. You had also better get astout pony to carry your traps and provisions; that will cost aboutforty
dollars. Then you must have a rifle and a Colt. These areabsolutely necessary for such a journey, for I hear that the Indians arevery troublesome on the plains. These, however, I myself shall have muchpleasure in presenting you with, in testimony of the obligation I feel Iowe you for saving my boat and goods. The hundred dollars that are dueto you, and the hundred that you will further earn at Omaha, will besufficient for your horses and outfit, which will leave this money whichyou placed in my hands untouched. You will find that very useful, foryou will want to buy a tent and provisions and tools out there, andmoney to keep you till you hit upon gold. Well, what do you think of myoffer?"
"I am extremely obliged to you, sir; nothing could suit me better. And Iam indeed greatly obliged for your kind offer of a rifle and revolver;they will certainly be most necessary, by what one hears of thejourney."
"You have some other clothes, I suppose?"
"Yes, sir; I have another suit in my portmanteau."
"Very well, put them on, and come back here in an hour's time. It willbe a week before my steamer starts, and you had better come and stopwith me till then; it will keep you out of mischief, and I should beglad of your company."
At the appointed time Frank returned to the office, dressed in the suitof clothes he had brought with him. A light carriage with a pair ofhorses was standing at the door.
"Ah!" Mr. Willcox laughed, as he came out, "I fancy you look more likeyourself now."
Frank took his place in the carriage, Mr. Willcox took the reins, thenegro servant sprang up behind, and they were soon rattling through thestreets of the town.
Mr. Willcox's house was situated two miles out of the city. It was alarge building, with a verandah running round it, and standing inwell-kept and handsome grounds; three or four negroes ran out as thecarriage drove up.
"Sam, take this gentleman's portmanteau upstairs, and get a bath readyfor him at once, and lay out a suit of white clothes for him.
"We always have a bath before dinner in this country," he said to Frank;"one wants to get rid of the dust of the day. Dinner will be ready inhalf an hour."
After enjoying a luxurious bath, and attiring himself in a suit ofsnowy-white gear, Frank descended to the dining-room.
Mr. Willcox was a widower, without children, and they therefore dinedalone. As they were sitting over their wine after dinner in theverandah, Frank's host said, "I do not wish to be inquisitive, but ifyou don't mind telling me, I should like to know why a young fellowlike yourself should embark upon a life of adventure."
Frank had met with such kindness from his employer, that he frankly toldhim the whole history of the events which had driven him from England.
"It is a singular story," the trader said, "and I own that appearanceswere against you. Of course I don't know him, and may be misjudge himaltogether, but the only person who appears to me to have had anyinterest whatever in getting you into disgrace, and causing you to leavethe country, is your cousin."
"Fred Barkley," Frank exclaimed, in surprise; "I can assure you such anidea never entered my mind; he is not at all a bad fellow, thoughcertainly he is not popular at School."
"I should prefer taking the general verdict of the School to yours," thetrader said; "boys are seldom far out in their estimate of persons; theyhave more instinct than men, and a boy is seldom far wrong in hisestimate of character.
"The fact that he is generally unpopular is, in my mind, a proof thatthere is something wrong about this cousin of yours. Then what you tellme, that he refused to lend you the money which would have got you outof your scrape, while he afterwards came forward with twenty pounds toenable you to get away, is another strong point. The advice which hegave you was distinctly bad; for you had much better have remained, andto the last have protested your innocence. Then there is another point.Did I gather from your words that you and he are the nearest relationsto the wealthy uncle with whom you lived?"
"Yes, that is so," Frank replied.
"Then, in case of your disgrace, it is by no means improbable that youruncle will leave him the whole of the money. Is that so?
"I have no doubt of it," Frank assented.
"Then you see he has a very strong interest in bringing you intodiscredit. Besides there were only, you say, five people who had anyknowledge of this affair, and of your need for the money. None of theother four had the slightest possible interest in bringing you intodisgrace; he had a very strong interest, and, take my word for it, yourcousin is at the bottom of the whole affair."
"I cannot believe it," Frank said, rising from his chair and pacing upand down the verandah; "if I thought so I would return to England by thenext ship and have it out with him."
"But you have no shadow of proof," Mr. Willcox said, "it is a matter ofsuspicion only. Even had the idea occurred to you at first, you wouldonly have injured yourself by stating it, for it would have beenregarded as a hideous aggravation of your crime to bring such a chargeagainst your cousin unsupported by a shadow of proof. No; now you havetaken your line you must go through with it, and trust to time to rightyou. It is a suspicion only, but you mark my words, if the mystery isever solved it will be found that your cousin was at the bottom of it."
Frank spent a very pleasant week at the charming residence of Mr.Willcox. The latter entertained a good deal, and Frank met at his houseseveral of the leading merchants of New Orleans, and acquired a gooddeal of knowledge of the state of the country. Most of them wereincredulous as to the stories of the abundance of gold in California.That gold had been discovered they did not deny; but they were ofopinion that the find would be an isolated one, and that ruin would fallupon the crowds who were hastening either across the continent, or byship _via_ Panama, to the new Eldorado. Several of them tried todissuade Frank from his intention of going thither, and more than oneoffered to place him in their counting-houses, or to procure himemployment of other kind.
Frank, however, was firm, for he was going, not for the sake of makingmoney, but of finding adventure and excitement. He went down every dayto the wharf and superintended the loading of the scows, and at the endof ten days he resumed his boatman's clothes and took his place on oneof the scows. Hiram accompanied him, with eight negroes, two for eachflat. A tug took them in tow, and they started up the river. Mr. Willcoxwas to follow by a steamer next day, and would arrive at Omaha some timebefore them, and have time to choose and buy a lot of land for hisstore, and to have all in readiness for their arrival. Frank hadpurchased a strong, serviceable horse for his own riding, and a pony forhis baggage, together with blankets and other necessaries for thejourney. His mining outfit he decided to get at Sacramento, as, althoughthe cost would be considerable, he did not wish to encumber himself withit on his journey across the plains. The rifle and revolver had beenpresented him by Mr. Willcox, and he determined to practise steadilywith both on his voyage up the river, as his life might depend on hisproficiency with his weapons.
The voyage up the Mississippi and Missouri was performed without anynotable adventure, although in the little-known waters of the upperriver the tug ran several times aground. Those on board the flats hadbut little to do, their duties being confined to pumping out the waterwhen there was any leakage; and the negroes had been taken up more forthe purpose of unloading the cargo, carrying it to its destination, andputting up the store, than for any service they could render on thevoyage. Frank, who had laid in a large store of ammunition for thepurpose, amused himself by practising with his pistol at a bottle towedbehind the scow, or with his rifle at floating objects in the stream, infeeding and taking care of his horses, and in listening to many yarnsfrom Hiram.
"I can tell you, lad," the latter said one day, when, after passing St.Louis, they had entered the waters of the Missouri, "thar have beenchanges on this river since I was a youngster. I was raised at St.Louis, which was not much more than a frontier town in those days, andmost of the work lay below; here and there there was a farm on theMissouri, but they got thinner as they got higher up, and long before wegot to whe
re we are going it was all Indian country. I used to go upsometimes with traders, but I never liked the job: first, I didn't likeselling 'fire-water,' as they called it, to the Indians, for it madethem mad, and brought on quarrels and wars; in the next place, it was adangerous business. The Indians used to meet the traders at some placethey had appointed beforehand, and there would be big feastings;sometimes the traders would come back with the boat loaded up withbuffalo robes and skins, and Indian blankets, and such like; once ortwice they didn't come back at all, and it was just a mercy that Ididn't stay behind with them on one of the trips.
"I went up with a trading party to a place somewhere near this Omaha; wehad three boats, with six voyageurs in each. I was about five-and-twentythen, and was steersman of one of them. There were four traders; theywere in my boat, and they played cards and drank all the way up. One ofthe boats was a flat--not a flat like this, but just a big flat-bottomedboat,--for they were going, as I understood, to get some good horsesfrom the Indians and take them down to St. Louis. We had pretty hardwork getting her along, and a weak crew would never have got her againstthe stream, though of course we chose a time when the river was low andthere wasn't much stream on. Sometimes we rowed, sometimes we poled,keeping along the shallows and back waters; and, though the pay wasgood, I wasn't sorry when we got to the place appointed; not onlybecause the work was hard, but because I didn't like the ways of themtraders, with their gambling, and drinking, and quarrelling. However,they gave up drink the last day, and were sober enough when they landed.
"I don't know why, but I didn't think things were going to turn outwell. I had heard the traders say as they didn't mean to come up thatpart of the country agin, and I knew their goods warn't of no account,and that they were going to trade off bad stuff on the Indians. Thefirst two days things went on all right; every evening large lots ofgoods were brought down to the boats, but except when I went up with theothers to the traders' tent to bring the things down I didn't go aboutmuch. It was a large camp, with two or three hundred braves, as theycalls 'em. I told the men in my boat what I thought of it; but theydidn't think much of what I said, and traded a little on their ownaccount, for it was part of the agreement that each man should beallowed to take up fifty dollars-worth of goods, and have room for whathe could get for them. I traded mine away the first day for some buffalorobes, and so hadn't anything to take me away from the boat.
"The third day the trading was done; there was to be a grand feast thatnight, and the boats were to start the next morning. Most of the menwent up to see the fun, but I persuaded two of my mates in my boat tostop quiet with me. Presently I heard a yell from the camp, which wasabout three hundred yards away. 'That's mischief,' says I. I had scarcespoken when there was a yelling fit to make your har stand on end, and Iheard pistol-shots. 'Quick,' lads, says I, 'catch up a hatchet and stavea hole in the other boats, and push ours a little way out from thebank.' We warn't long in doing that, and then we stopped and listened.
"There was a sharp fight going on, that we could hear, and guessed howit must be going when they war twenty to one. Presently the shouting andfiring ceased, and then against the sky-line--for they had lots of firesblazing in camp--we saw a crowd of Injuns come rushing down to theriver. We shoved the boat off, and took to our oars; they shouted to us,and then fired at us, and shot their arrows, and swarmed down into theother two boats to come after us, and there was a fresh burst of yellswhen they found that they wouldn't swim. We didn't stop to talk, you maybe sure, but rowed as hard as we could.
"The night was pretty dark, and though several bullets hit the boat, anda dozen of their arrows fell into it, only one of us had a scratch, andthat wasn't serious. As soon as we war fairly away, we set to work toroll up the buffalo robes and skins into big bales, and lay them alongon each side of the boat, so as to form a protection for us from theirbullets and arrows; for we guessed they would follow us down, and inmany places the river was so shallow they could ride pretty well out tous. They did follow us, on horseback, for the next two days, and shot atus pretty hot at times. Once they rode so far out in the shallows thatwe dared not pass them; so we dropped anchor above, and took to ourrifles, and gave them a pretty sharp lesson, for they lost seven men.After that they didn't try that game any more, but just followed down inhopes we might stick on a sandbank. I tell you I never looked out sosharp for shallows as I did on that there voyage.
"Fortunately, at the end of the first day a breeze sprang up from thenorth, and we got up a sail, for we war pretty nigh done, having rowedby turns from the time we pushed off. We war afraid, you see, as theymight patch up the other boats and set out after us, though we hopedthey mightn't think of it, for these horse Indians don't know nothing ofriver work. They gave it up at last, and we got safely down to St.Louis. What the trouble was about I never heard, for not one of thosewho had landed ever got away to tell us. I expect it was some troubleabout the quality of the goods, and that the Indians got a notion theywere being cheated,--which, sure enough, they war."
"Was anything done to punish the Indians, Hiram?"
"Lor' bless you, who was to punish them? Why, there was scarce a settlerthen west of the Mississippi. No; if traders went among 'em they wentamong 'em at thar own risk; and, I am bound to say, that if the Indianswere treated fair, and the men understood thar ways, thar was no greatdanger. The Indians knew if they killed traders that others wouldn'tcome among them, and they wanted goods--guns and powder most of all, butother things too, such as blankets, and cloth as they calls cotton, andhatchets, beads, and other things, and they wanted to trade off tharhosses and buffalo robes, and skins of all kinds. That was theprotection the traders had; and it warn't very often the Indians fellfoul of them, except it might be a muss got up over the fire-water.
"When the news came down to St. Louis there was a good deal of talkabout it; but it got about that these fellows had been taking up trash,and the general verdict was that it sarved 'em right. All the traders onthe frontier set their faces agin men who cheated the Indians, notbecause they cared for the Indians, mark you, but because anything thatmade bad blood did harm to the trade all over. However, it gave me a badscare, and it was a good many years before I came up the Upper Missouriagain. There's some men as seems to me to be downright fond of fighting;but I don't feel like that, anyway. If I get into a hard corner, andhave got to fight, then I fights, but I had rather go round the otherway if I could. Thar are dangers enough on this river for me; what withsnags, and shoals, and storms, they are enough for any reasonable man.Then there are the river pirates; they are worse than all, though it'ssome years since we had much trouble with 'em."
"River pirates, Hiram? I have not heard you say anything about thembefore. I did not know there were any pirates on these rivers."
"Thar used to be, lad, years back, lots of them, and a pretty livelytime we used to have on the river."
"But what sort of pirates, Hiram?"
"Well, thar war two sorts, you see, at that time. Five-and-twenty yearsago the settlements on the river war a long way apart. You might gofifty miles without seeing a village when you once got past theplantations on the lower river; you may say as this region then was likewhat Kansas is now. Chaps who had made it too hot for them in the eastcame out here, and just had to wrestle round for a living. New Orleansis pretty bad now, but it was a sight worse then; and St. Louis was apretty hard place. Then, too, thar war runaway slaves. So you see, oneway or the other, a fellow who wanted to get together a band up to anymischief had not to look far for men.
"Well, as I said, thar war two sorts. Thar war the men who lived awayfrom the river, say in the low country between the Arkansas and the mainstream, which was then pretty nigh all swamp and forest; perhaps theyhad hosses, perhaps not, but mostly they had. Well, one fine morning adozen of them would ride into one of the villages on the river. Tharwasn't much to take thar, you know, onless it war fever, and they hadenough of that in thar own swamps. They would wait, may be, for a day ortwo, till a boat came in, and
as soon as it had made fast they wouldcover the men with thar rifles, and just empty it of all it hadgot--powder, blankets, groceries, and dry goods, and what not--and makeoff again. I got my cargo lifted, I should say, a dozen times that way.It war onpleasant, but thar was nothing for it; and it warn't no usemaking a fuss when you saw half a dozen rifles pinted at you. Why, inthe early days of steamers, more than once they got held up, and thefellows went through the passengers and cargo and took what theyfancied.
"Well, that was one sort of pirate. The other was what you may call theregular water pirate. They lived on the islands, in among theback-waters, or where-ever thar might be a patch of raised ground amongthe swamps, and had boats; and they would attack you at night as you wardropping down the stream or poling up the backs. They war wuss nor theothers. A sight more nor half of 'em war blacks; and good reason why,for the fevers carried off the whites as joined them before they hadbeen thar long. They was a powerful bad lot, and those who fell intothar hands hadn't much chance of thar lives. The runaway slaves war downon a white man, and he had no marcy to expect at thar hands; besides,they didn't want no tales told which might scare boats from going nearthe places where they war hiding. So in general they fust emptied theboats, and then scuttled and sunk them, and cut the throats of all onboard. Hundreds of boats war missed in those days, and none ever knewfor sartin what had become of them.
"I tell you one had to keep one's eyes open in those days. We had strongcrews, and every man was armed, and a pretty sharp lookout was kept; butfor all that thar was places, back-waters, and cuts, and such like, wharI wouldn't have been stuck in after dark, not for all the money inOrleans. Even in the open river no one was safe from 'em, for they gotso bold they would go out, four or five boat-loads, and attack in broaddaylight; things got so bad that no one dared go up or down, unless itwas ten or twelve boats together for protection. It war the steamers asbroke 'em up; thar ain't no stopping a steamer, and every one took tobeing towed up or down. Then the population increased, and regularexpeditions war got up to hunt 'em down. Altogether it got made too hotfor 'em, and the game didn't pay; but for some years, I can tell you,they war a terror to the river."
"And were you never attacked, Hiram?"
"I was chased several times," Hiram said; "but I had a fast boat and agood crew, and we generally had four white men on board then, and plentyof arms. Yes, we had some skirmishes, but it was only once I had aregular set-to with 'em, and that war a pretty bad job."
"How was it, Hiram?"
"Well, you see, the river was pretty full, and the wind had been lightfor some time, and there warn't no way of making against the mainstream; I had waited for three weeks, and me and my mates got sick ofit. We had a cargo which was due up the river, and we made up our mindsat last that we would push on and take our chance. We had eight negroes,all strong active fellows, armed with cutlasses and old ship muskets,and we four whites had rifles and pistols. We allowed we could make agood fight of it, so we agreed as we would go up the back-waters, somanaging as to be able to get out into the stream every night and anchorthar. We shifted the cargo a bit, so as to pile it up round the sides,stowing the rice-bags so as to make a sort of breastwork; then off westarted.
"For some days we got along well; the blacks poled thar best, and everyevening we just hit a pint where we could go out into the stream agin.Two or three times we fancied we war watched, for we heard the snappingof twigs, and sounds in the thick swamp jungle ahead; but I reckon theythowt better of it when they saw two rifle-barrels peeping out from thesacks on each side, and saw we war ready for a tussle. But one day--itwasn't very far from the pint where we mended up that boat the otherday--we war later than usual; the stream war stronger than we reckonedon, we had run aground two or three times on the mud, and it war gettingdark, and we had two miles yet before we got to a place where we couldget out into the river. The blacks war working thar hardest; it didn'tneed no words from us to keep 'em at it, for they knew as well as we didwhat was the danger, and the boat just flew along that narrow channel."
"We war on the watch, with our eyes fixed on the bank, and our earspretty wide open to catch any sound ahead. All of a sudden a gun wasfired close alongside. The blacks gave a yell, and would have jumpeddown into shelter, only I shouted, 'Stick to your poles, men; if youlose them we are done for; there's no danger, it's only one man.' So onwe went again, for, luckily, no one was hit. 'That's a signal,' Bill,says I to one of my mates; 'I reckon we shall have trouble afore we areout of this.' On we went, flying between the bushes, which warn'tfifteen yards apart. Not a sound was heard but the panting of theblacks, the splash of their poles in the water, and a sort of sighingnoise behind, as the ripples the boat made as she glided along rustledamong the boughs which dipped down into the stream.
"We had got a mile further when we heard a noise. It was much as a polemight make knocked against the side of the boat. I knew thar wasmischief now. 'Get in your poles, lads,' I said; 'four of you get outoars through the holes we have left for them atween the bags, and putyour muskets close at hand; the other four get your muskets, and stationyourselves two on each side.' We went on slowly now; we knew they warahead of us, and that hurrying wouldn't do no good, and that we had gotto fight anyhow. It might have been five minutes when thar was a flashfrom the bushes on either side--which we could scarce see in thedarkness,--and fully a dozen muskets poured a volley into us, buckshotand ball, as we found on looking over the boat the next morning. It wasa good job as we put them rice-bags in place, for I reckon thar wouldn'thave been many of us up to fighting if they hadn't been thar. We hadagreed not to fire back if we war fired at from the wood, for theycouldn't do us much harm thar, and it was best to keep our fire for theboats which they war sure to have as well.
"The moment the volley was fired two boats shot out, one from each side.'Now, give it 'em,' says I. Up we jumped, four on each side, and pouredour fire into the boats, which warn't twelve feet away. The darkies whowar rowing had been told what to do, and, to do 'em justice, they did itwell. Thar was a yell from the boats as we fired, for I reckon everyshot told; but the way they had got brought 'em on, and their bowsstruck us just at the same moment. Then at it we went with our pistolsas they crowded forward and tried to get on board. It was over in half aminute, for the four blacks had seized their poles, and, shoving theminto the boats, two on each side, pushed 'em off.
"I have heard pretty tall language on the Mississippi, but I never heardsuch volleys of cussing as came up from them boats; some of the menblazed away with thar guns, some shouted to others to row alongside,some who war hit yelled and cussed like fiends; and all this time we warlying behind the bags, ramming down fresh charges for the bare life. Wegave 'em eight more shots before they could cast off the poles and comeat us again. This time they came along more on the broadside, and fiveor six of 'em sprang on board; but we war ready with the butts of ourrifles, and the blacks with thar cutlasses, and we cleared them offagain. The four darkies had stuck to thar poles; one boat was shovedoff, and one of the blacks run his pole right through the bottom of theother, and in a minute she went down.
"The other boat didn't know what had happened, and came up agin; butleaving two of the blacks to chop down any of the fellows in the waterwho might try to climb aboard, the other ten of us stood up and fought'em fair. Our blood was up now, and our darkies fought like demons. Thepirates soon found they had the worst of it, and would have got apartfrom us if they could; but we jumped into thar boat and fought themthar, and they soon jumped over and made for the bank. Directly it wasover they began to fire agin from the shore, and we jumped back intoshelter agin in our own boat and manned the four oars agin. We fastenedthe painter of the boat on to our stern, and towed her behind us, and inanother half an hour were out in the stream. It was a toughish fight, Ican tell you, while it lasted; two of the blacks and one of my mates hadbeen hit by thar musket-balls, and the rest of us war either gashed bythar knives or had got ugly cracks. However, six of them war lying inthe boat when
we hauled it alongside; two war stone-dead, the otherfour had been stunned with the butt ends of the muskets, or cut down bythe darkies' sabres. We took 'em down to the next place and handed 'emover to the sheriff; and as thar happened to be a lot of boats waitingthar for the wind, you may guess it warn't many hours afore they triedand hung 'em.
"When the chaps heard the particulars, and that we had sunk one boat,besides bringing off another, they guessed as likely enough the pirateswar trapped thar; and so they got up a regular expedition, six boats,each with a dozen men. I went back to show 'em the place. They broughtdogs with them, and hunted through the woods and swamps till they cameto the patch of higher ground whar the pirates had got thar huts. Tharwere about twenty of 'em, mostly negroes, and they fought hard, for tharwas no escape, the boat having drifted away after it had sunk. Behindthar war some widish channels, and some of the boats had gone round tharto cut 'em off if they took to swimming. They war killed, every manjack, and that put an end to one of the very worst lots of pirates weever had on the river."
"You were lucky to have got out of it so well, Hiram. I suppose thatsort of thing is quite over now."
"Yes. In course thar are water thieves still, chaps who steal thingsfrom the boats if thar is no one with 'em, or if you are all asleepbelow; but thar haven't been no real pirates for years now--leastwaysnot above New Orleans. Down in the great swamps, by the mouth of theriver, thar's always gangs of runaway slaves, and desperate charactersof all sorts, who have got to live somehow. Thar are still boatssometimes missing up the river, which may have been snagged and gonedown with all hands, and which may be have comed to thar end some otherway. Anyhow, no one thinks much about pirates now, and the river's quiteas safe as the streets of New Orleans. That mayn't be saying much,perhaps, but it's good enough. Of course a party might any day take tothe swamps and stop up-passing boats, just as they might take to theroads and stop waggons going west; but one doesn't trouble about thingsonless they get so as to be what you might call a general danger.
"You can't go into a bar-room without a risk of getting into a fightwith a drunken rowdy; you can't stop at one of these landing-places butwhat thar's a chance of getting into a mess with fellows who come infrom the backs for a spree, and one doesn't look to have these riverswhich, one and the other, are tens of thousands of miles long, just keptas free from hard characters as a street in Boston. It's as good as wecan look for at present. Settlement is going on wonderful fast, and,like enough, in another forty years there won't be any more pirates onthe great rivers here than thar are on the seas. Steam and settlementsis bound to wipe 'em out at last."
During the last two or three hundred miles of the journey up theMissouri a few settlements only were passed, little villages nestlingclosely together on the edge of the river, surrounded often by astockade; for although the Indians were gradually falling back beforethe advance of the whites, Indian wars were of frequent occurrence, andthen the bands of wild horsemen swept down to the Missouri, carryingfire and destruction in their course. In front of every settlement lay ascow or two, used partly for the transportation of the crops, butvaluable also as an ark of refuge in case of attack. The shores werelow, and shallows and banks abounded in the stream, and sometimes thetug ran aground four or five times in the course of the day. In spite ofhis practice with his firearms, and Hiram's talk and stories, Frankbegan to find the days pass very slowly, and was not a little glad whenHiram pointed out a cluster of huts on the left bank, and said, "Thereis Omaha."
Half an hour later the tug was alongside, and Mr. Willcox was on board.
"I am glad to see you up," he said, as the flats were moored to thebank, and Frank stepped ashore and joined him. "The time has gone slowlyhere; for though I stayed four days at St. Louis, I have been herenearly a week. There is lots to do, and I am greatly pleased that I wentin for it. I wish you could have made up your mind to settle here; youwould have made a precious deal better thing of it than you ever will doby digging for gold. However, I know it's no use talking about that. Ihave got a capital location on the main street; I bought it off a foolwho came up in the steamboat with me, and had made up his mind to sellout and cross the plains. I had an offer for it yesterday at five timesthe price I gave for it; but, bless you, I wouldn't have taken twentytimes. This is going to be a big place. I am glad you have come foranother reason. I am putting up at one of the shanties they call anhotel, but one might as well try to live in the Tower of Babel. There isan uproar day and night; every inch of the floor is taken up forsleeping on, and I have been nearly driven out of my mind. Now I canlive on board the tug till she goes down with the empty flats. I am gladI brought up those eight negroes, for there would be the greatestdifficulty in hiring hands here; every one seems to have gone stark mad,and to consider every hour's delay in pushing west as so much loss of achance of making a fortune."
For the next fortnight the labour was incessant. Hiram, Frank, and theeight negroes toiled in landing the stores and the framework of thehouse, and in transporting them to the lot which Mr. Willcox hadpurchased. Even the engineers of the tug were induced by the highpayment Mr. Willcox offered to aid in the work. Several stretchers, orhand-barrows, had been brought up with them, and on these such bales andboxes as were too heavy for one man to carry were transported. Theframework of the house was first carried to the site, and four of thenegroes who were good carpenters at once began to put it together, sothat by the time the last of the goods were brought up the store wasready to receive them. It was a building some sixty feet long by twentywide, and was divided into two by a partition: the one end, twenty feetin length, was the saleroom; in the other, forty feet long, the bulk ofthe heavy goods, flour, rice, bacon, hogsheads of sugar, and chests oftea, were stored. There was, in addition, a lean-to, nine feet square,at one end, which was to serve as the habitation of the storekeeper. Theassortment of goods was very large. In addition to the stock ofprovisions, which filled the storeroom nearly up to the roof, were agreat quantity of clothing fitted for the rough work of the plains, alarge assortment of rifles and pistols, kegs of ammunition, casks ofaxle-grease, ironwork for waggons, and all the miscellaneous stores,down to needles and thread, which would be likely to be required by theemigrants. As soon as the stores were all safely on shore and housed,the tug started down the river again with the flats; Hiram and six ofthe negroes accompanied them, two of the latter being retained asassistants to the storekeeper. Between Hiram and Frank there was a verycordial adieu.
"I likes yer, young fellow," the boatman said; "you will make your way,never fear, some day, if you get a chance. Send a line to me, to thecharge of the boss, and let me know how things go with you. I shall begladder than I can tell you to hear as you're making your way, and Ishall be anxious like till I hear as you have got safely over thisjourney, for they do say as the Indians are playing all sorts of devilrywith the caravans. Well, there's one thing, you are a good shot now; butbe careful, lad, and don't get into no fights if you can keep out of'em."
Frank remained for another fortnight assisting in the store; by the endof that time things had settled down. They were already doing a verylarge business, and Mr. Willcox had sent down orders, both to St. Louisand New Orleans, for fresh consignments of stores very greatly exceedingthose which he had brought up with him.
Three months previously Omaha had been a tiny settlement of a dozenhouses, but was rapidly growing into a considerable place.
Many stores were rising, but the distance from the inhabitedsettlements, and the difficulties of carriage, were enormous. Thepopulation was, for the most part, a floating one, scores of waggons andvehicles of all sorts arriving every day, while as many departed. Thiswas the last point of civilisation, and here the emigrants generallyhalted for a few days to rest their weary cattle, and to fill up theirstores of provisions for the journey across the wilderness.
All believed that a vast fortune awaited them on the other side of thecontinent, and the most fabulous tales of the abundance of gold werecirculated and believ
ed. In some cases the parties consisted only of menwho had clubbed together and purchased a waggon, and started, leavingtheir wives and families behind them. In others they were composed ofwhole families, who had sold off farms or businesses in the east in theassurance of acquiring a fortune at the gold-diggings. Around the littlesettlement the plain was dotted with the white tilts of the waggons,mingled with the tents which had been extemporised of sail-cloth,tarpaulins, and blankets.