Evening Star Newspaper, May 5, 1900, Page 24

24 (Copsright, 1900, by SS. McClure Oo.) Synopsis of Preceding Chapters. Five sears before the outbreak of the civil war love of adventure, hatred of slavery and the desire to help my friend, George ‘Wesner. led me, Charles Bradley, a civil engineer, of Attakapas country, La., to be- come an agent of the underground raltroa Wesner had been nursed through the small- pox by a young slave, Lucy, belonging to Coverly plantation, He discovered s which proved that Lucy was white f good family. A seeret love match followed, which progressed well until Cover- ly proposed to sell Lucy to his son and Tefused to sell her to any one else. Wesner became desps e. I agreed to belp him steal Lucy, and went to New York to ar- range with the Anti-Slavery Society for the care of any slaves we could bring north. Returning home 1 seeured a boat and sup- Plies. engaged a man, Moere, end located a refnge station at my wood camp several miles up the river. Moore assists me In securing a safe and secret route from the mouth of the White river to our yard. Wes- ner snd I make the trip to the wood camp and find that Moore has the U. rallroad com ed. We retarn and put up a@ store building where. to aveld all suspicion, we carry on a general me andise bosiness. In a few days Wesner starts the first batch of Coverly’s slaves, including Lucy, for the nerth. and fmmediately a searching party Is sent ont. and Moore evade the pursners, which Lucy renders great assistance, in all of called, “The I-law an’ con-st-st-t-t-tu-tu- tion, gentlemen, to back it up. Out on the prairie In front of the store the boys we-e gathering waiting Coverly's arrival. He and Dick were both expected, and the hunt would not begin until they came. I had sent word to Dick that George had gone, or he would not have put in an appearance, for he had a wholesome dread oe my partner's anger and avoided meeting im. Dick and myself were personally on good terms. I never admired him, but had never quarreled with him, and as the negroes to be hunted for were in part his property, I really wanted him to take part in the sport. ame wonderfully arrayed with a pair ican spurs on his heels, a brace of -ealiber in his hostlers, and the present shotgun in his hand. He was a mounted arsenal under a sombrero hat. His weapons and a scarlet sash wound around his waist gave him the appearance of a formidable antagonist; but he was not over-courageous, and though something of a bully, had an uncommon aversion for the small end of a.gun. He dashed up to the boys like a warrior. I wished him a cheer- ful ‘Good morning.’ and away rode the crowd for Perry's, Dick on the big roan, leading at a gallop. I was somewhat interested to know the result of their hunt, and kept a sharp look- out for the return of the hunters. I saw nothing of them until about 5 o'clock in the afterncon, when one of the Smythe boys rode up to the platform, dismounted, and, tying his horse to the hitching rail in front, iked into th. store. “Well, Charley, did you find the runa- Not one.” he answered. THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, MAY 5,.1900-24 PAGES, our store and stock alone, it being a cross- road store and no buildings very near. CHAPTER X. It was late that night before we got to bed, and the next day was a very busy one; our goods coming from the steamer had to be taken care of, and it was Sunday before we were settled for George's narrative. “Now,” said George, as he took out his to- bacco and commenced to roll his cigarette, “we will begin. in the little hut it was raining heavily. I am willing to admit «that I was a little homesick,” he continued, “‘but the stream was crossed, the bridges burned and there was no retreat. I wrapped a blanket around me, lay down on the floor and tried to sleep, but was so nervous and excited that I did not succeed very well, although a little drowsy before morning. Impatiently I waited for the light. Before sunrise I was on my feet. Lucy aroused the sleepers, and soon breakfast was ready. “I was a white man now, and break- fasted by myself. About 8 o'clock the sun came out bright and clear, causing the steam to arise from the wet follage in such dense masses that it would con- ceal the smoke, and there was perfect safety in our having a fire. I directed the boys to make a big one out of doors to dry our clothing and cheer the people, for there is nothing so cheers and enlivens one in the woods as a big, brackling fire, and our spirits rose with the sparks. “A dozen people cannot move so quietly and expeditiously as two men, and I con- cluded that it would take at least four hours for the party to accomplish the same distance you and I did in two. “The little brook leading into the Teche was more than bank full and was now merely a_ deep ditch in the overflowed swamp. Our canoes were quite a distance up the brook, but we had no difficulty in finding them, although there was some trouble in arranging the passengers. The sun was low in the west before we began to make our way toward the bayou. “In the first canoe was Lucy, together with Pharo—rather a thick-headed, blun- dering darky, afraid of his own shadow— Tom, Jack and myself. I took the bow; to Jack, who was quite a waterman, I gave the stern, telling the others to keep still and watch, but not move. “J had my rifle and revolvers, none of the others were armed, as I dared not trust them. In the other canoe were the remain- der of the party, in charge of Lemuel Ma- On the road at last, the Spanish moss on | .tVnat caused all she excitement?” the Hve oaks looking weird and ghostly in couple of free negroes in there split- the gloom and murky darkness. Quietly | ting rails. They had their women with we rode past the few houses that bordered | them, a couple of little nats built, and the main traveled road. ‘The mud was deep Bere o8 Sotee cones, Wenn In alee and it was impossible to move faster than a | 1q'me. ‘They wanted good. straight. rifted My tim precious, as I was | trees. Lord, man!—how Dick Coverly’s lip anxious to get to the rendezvous, see for ™ If how the negroes were situated, and go back before morning. IT wanted to be at the store before daybreak, d have a good chance to clean my hot from the mud stains and wet. I do not know that I ut I had that uneasy feeling: option. ually dtsguised, overseer and I as the . bringing the white guide to when we reached ous. All was as nt the vicinity of t = the homes of the dead. Not a sound we hear as we drew near. Whether they were dead or we off the track we unable to conjecture. Through the blackness of the night no eye could pene- trate, and 1 kept our way thus far by compa urning our dark lanterns upon it every few rods. The water was ankle deep, our kne Through t stumbling now luckily keep- s some up. who w. til T ¢ said he, “from the shoaling of We must be near them. On this mmock is rather flat and slop the her side, where the cabin I don’t want to pass It, wandering morning. hu © of the left our find one 1 your light © anything.” aid, “for this nd again turned waded perhaps two water shoaling spark. was enough. soy. Turn on your nst the walls of the whistled the door, dripping with mbers gaye a Luey In the © men were slumbering: back ion slept the women | and c rain by & against the low r A he wind sweeping through the forest, drowned the noise created by our entrance, and they as only negroes | p. Jt was now nearly 1 o'clock. 1 op but a few moments, for I had miles to go in a heavy ugh swamp and foi rain storm, . and alone. hiopia itseif, and 1 gentleman, Lucy?” In ten minutes there set and a steaming cup of coffee ‘at a luxury at that moment. Few words were exchanged. “I must return before daylight,” sald 1, and ri from the table, threw on my wet coat and left the cabin. George and Lucy accompanied me to the edge of the water, and, wishing each other a mutual “god: speéd,” with one hearty hand-grip for suc- cess, I was alone. my compass In my hand, and opening Je of my lantern, 1 made! the best possible time toward the hor: a n 1 had left on an old abandoned road, used for years. In fact, I think it was | never u to haul ‘out ship timber winter by some northern shipbuilde: one 3 This road ran n with | my cor and sha So as to be} sure and strike it between the horses and | the stream, I kept on and fn less than an| hour reached it about one-fourth of a mile | below the horses. At 4 o'clock both horses Stabled at the store and well rubbed I lay down for a few hours’ n the first customer for the for business. quiries were made during the day ree, but my In} ble answer was: ade as to the s," none of them The old man had men amp constantly, and never within fifteen of there, I concluded {1 was no par- ar harm to let them watch. Skew Bill came tearing up to the thet One da: | ga bounced off his pony and rushed * erfed he. has got track of his nig- “cause, you see, I saw two niggers afore last come out of the swamp wlk off. J follered ‘em a spell, but they caught sight of me and hid. There ts ag to be a big hunt tomorrer, all the fel- lers are to meet here at 8 o'clock in the morning, and, by hokey, we'll just scour the ole swamp and if they are there. They Must be on this side of the bayou.” ‘The next morning the boys commenced to gather. ‘Th were about t thitry of w bucks.” youn . as bucks and full of fun. To them a negro hunt rn juic and & geod Ume As for negroes, if found, all right: if not, they had the fun all the same. There were Bil . Mary's, young, Iithe cool as ice, a dead shot and on horseback; the Smythe a 2 brothers from New Iberia, both able men, who afterward proved their bravery; the Dubois br . three of them, fun-loving Frenchmen, any one of whom would risk his life for a joke. These are all the names I re- Member, except Charlton, the deputy sher- iff, a thick-h2aded old blunderer, an invet- erate stammerer and tnvarlably drunk by 12 o'clock every secular day, but plumb Sober on the Sabbath, when he endeavored to make up for a week's scoundrelism by Praying the greater part of the day. This Was a sheriff's posse, and what Chariten Ley GAZED AT US A MOMENT son, with old Mose in the stern. I gave “You remember, Brad, when you left me prisoners and thinlsing what I could do with them. Finally, l-dsew my revolver. At the Bight of it they tusned = ones eee blue, and shook Hke anague chill. ll, boys, said I, ‘it will ber my unpleasant duty to shoot you both.” I-don’f really like to do it, but I know of no ethermway. I am going to the free states with these folks and don’t want to have you go bakk and set the whole country after us, as you would if we let ou go. Say, yourc! with the cracked ead, drop your hand your skull, will you? I want a fair shot, for I don’t want you to be a longstime dying, and again, you — uld upset ithe @ance if you kicked much.’ “‘Oh, massa; legus go norf, tool Let us go! We'll work fer yom and pay our way and will stick forevery "deed an’ we.will. ir; ‘deed we will’ * "I called 01d Mese down. ‘Mose,’ said I; ‘is it best to shagt these fellows or take them along” “Mose did not knowrme, and felt rather inclined to be frightened himself, but fin- ally he stammered out: ‘I wouldn't shoot "em, massa; let's take ‘em along; there's reom enough in my canoe for one.” ._ “So I concluded not to kill them, mutch to their satisfaction. On further question- ing I found out to whom they belonged. They were Lanman’s boys and had been up the bayou fishing, probably for chickens, as there were two then in the canoe. I did not lke to deprive Lanman of a couple of his hands or fob him of $2,500, but, having left my conscience at home, I certainly could not send them back. The only other re- scurce was murder, and I thought on the whole I would be justified in committing the theft. I therefore ordered them on shore to get their breakfast. 5: “After breakfast, more trouble, Jim, the youngest, had a wife at Lanman’s and had told his story to the party. Lucy had heard it, and her heart was touched. She followed me to the boat; ‘Only one more, just one, we can crowd her in somewhere. Just think, suppose I were her, would you leave me? “He must leave her,’ said I, for I knew enough about plantation negroes to know that it would be posting a handbill to allow him to return. s ““His wife Is at Stephenson's,’ she re- plied, ‘and cannot know of her husband's absence, and laying here a day he could ether.” cl spucy,’ I replied, ‘you and Jim must bear with disappointment this time. If Jim goes for his wife and gets her, the whole country will be scoured, for it will be known at once that they have run away. We shall run great risk of being caught, and then what would become of you and the rest? I shall run the canoe into the bayou, upset it, and then Mr. Lan- AND GAVE HER HAND TO WESNER. vopped when he sa slave in thi semewher he turne me This was the end of Mr. Coverly's “negro hent.” Time passed and the Ist of May came without news from Geor: I took a Orleans daily paper, and thoroughly ex amined every Had the fugitis hended, the first news wouid in the New Orleans napers. Co had a standing advertiseznent fering $1,000 for any informatio: ad to their capture, and nlien, August, for Lu Until { had ent ticnist I had never espe of the that would KY) for their them before ard of $2,000 | th a runaway departmen’ news nor had J cared about them, but nov item I , and it became nt to me s pleasant as {ts supporters repr as not much given to moralizing In th: s (I had seen the negro in his native country), and did not waste much un philosophizing upon the morality of Amer! can slavery. My ambition was to get my partner and myself well out of the affair and well Into another. May 15 came the first news from George. The letter was very brief, but enough. Here ft is: CAIRO, Ill., May 3, 1855. Friend Bradley: Arrived here all right to- Gay. Have sold cur cotton to eastern porties. Shall see them personally, and not trust to broke! iy s enough, for it told me they were and that he should accompany them himself until they were safe. A few days later I received another letter from yme interior town in Ilinols, relating to other business. There was quite a crowd in our store when my mail came, and as this was from George, some of his friends be- asking questions about him. I read the letter, and as there was nothing about the fugitives in it, I could not unde its import. The last sentence read lik P. S—Have been detained by had to see a ph Fe will resume my journe This I did not quite understand, and I doubly anxious. One day not long after I received a tele- graph dispatch forwarded by mail from w Orle This w ‘Cotton sold, spot ¢: I breathed free; we were safe for this time. I anxiously awaited my partner's turn, being very impatient to hear the par- ticulars of his adventure. Where every day was fraught with peril and any hour might bring the hunter or sheriff upon him, the mental strain must have been very wearing, and I felt that 1 was not doing my share of the work. I had been compara- tively idle, although, of course, I was to share in the spolls. The Zist of June I had business at the town of Franklin, and was at the steam- boat landing when the boat arrived. There were but few deck passengers upon the up- per deck, but as I glanced about my eyes rested on my friend. Wesner, leaning over the guards, smoking the never-absent ciga- rette. His eyes sparkled, and a quiet smile of triumph rested on his face as he nodded to me. Got your buggy, Brad?” yes,” I repiled. “Then I will ride with you, and let my baggage go ‘0 New Town with the goods. There is a heavy involce billed there.” On the ride home George refused to talk. “The story,” said he, “is a long one. I kept a brief diary of every important occur- rence as we went along, and also where we were at the time. I am tired and pretty well fagged out, and all I will say 1s that I recelved from the Anti-Slavery Society just $800 for the venture and $400 more for ¢€ penses. “I thought, George, you took ten, elght grown men and women and two children.” “So I did, but I preferred to bear Lucy's expenses myself.” “Where is she? “I placed her in a school at Andover, Mass., deposited $0 to her credit, pald a year’s board in advance and left her deep in books and study. Brad, you would have been pleased could you ‘have seen the ex- pression on the faces of those ‘Yankee schoolmarms’ when I introduced Lucy to them. But there, let us talk of something else until I get rested. I have a whole l- brary of adventure to relate.” Adjoining our store we had a little cottage built, containing two rooms, where one and sometimes both of us occastonally slept. When George was at home he usually stop- ped here, as we did not feel safe to leave Ww: no discount." asked him raight sand nd to kill. T am a free man, ybe I'l soon a dead one, but Vil gain live another man's prop- pat were the provisions needed nt. Cautioning Lemuel not unt our boat was a few rods » I pushed into the sluggish current, ng the canoe t d the bh ‘ou. for the north,’ L whispered to ent the we went, rods, touching the The dip nof the branches = and on nd cot our can ddle and the sw We disturbed them i all that broke the awful silence, “It was k before we reache: the wate he, and tied up close under th iting for Lemueb and his canoe. tired with waiting be- fore they joined us, “As we should now have to paddle against the current, and must make a noise, I thought it best to wait until 10 o'clock where we were, for a short dis- tance above us, on the banks of the bayou, Laurent's plantation. His negro qi were quite near the water's edge, and as the stream was narrow at this’ place, 4t was with no little anxiety that I drew near. Although the night was dark, yet there might be some one around, or some darky fishing. I spoke very softly to Lemue!, and he ranged alongside. With a Ught cord I fastened both canoes to- gether. vow, my boy, strong but easy,’ and we moved slowly on past the house by the quarters unheard and unseen, ““Ah, what's that! “Lemuel stoped his paddle. Hist! hist! It was the dip of a paddle from up the river, and before we could make a movement crash came a canoe, con- taining two darkies returning from a chicken steal. “Hi, what dis?’ one cried. “A sweep of my paddle, and he lay in the bottom of his dugout, another moment and I had sprung into his boat and had my hand upon his partner's throat. ““A word, a lisp, and you man!’ “ ‘Jack,’ I whispered, ‘move on, and you'— to the darky I had by the windpipe—“take that paddle and follow. Not a is “He obeyed. I examined the on ad Introduced the paddle. He was just coming to his senses. His head was bleed- ing pretty badly, and his face showed white Spots even In the darkness. “Their canoe was a small dugout about fifteen feet long. Stepping back toward the stern, I mottoned to the fellow who was paddling to go forward, and then ordered him to drag his companton into the center of the canoe and let him He there until he recovered his senses. He was frightened cicee through, but had the good sense to ol re a dead 0 whom ow, my boy, go forward; paddle for your life, and don’t let the dip of your pad- dle be heard*two feet from the canoe,’ I or- dered. He was glad to obey, and the three canoes went speeding by the plantation, and in a few minutes were safe for the night. “I had intended to reach the little run- around before daylight. If you recollect, that was afew miles above Lochen’s, and was the only place that offered a’ safe haven, as the banks of the bayou were too ickly settled for us to attempt t them by daylight. ee ae “I was hampered with my two prisoners, and hugging the east bank of the stream, made redoubled exertions to urge the canoes forward. “The bank was dimly, outlined, and 1 could tell very nearly where we were. We had made seven or eight miles, when, to my great joy, our canoe ran over the buoy we had placed below the outiet, and in a few moments we were pushing our way through reeds and bushes of the run- axoonds I did spot try to go far, but halted canoes a few rods from the waited for daylight. ae “The sky had begun to redden in the east before we moved again. At sunrise we were @ mile up the stream and secure from ob- servation. The two canoes were fastened to the bank and I remained alone with the prisoners in the captured canoe. The boys on shore built a little fire and soon the smell of hot coffee and fried bacon told me that they were weil employed. “This branch, you will remember, was more of a natural ditch than a stream, as it was not more than eight feet wide, but quite deep—perhaps four feet or more. I sat in the stern of the canoe, looking at the man will think he ha: s in the bay. wife!’ he said no more. Was to be lost a couple of ne- xt trip I will take Jim felt bad to think kidnaped, but he was de- of everything, emonstration. I not think he was quite heartbroken. The canoe L took down to the bayou that afternoon and upset her, and let her float to tell the tall nman that he was out a couple of n kon we may as he termined to make the b and did not make much ¢ do to take our ne volce from there. Obed, the other one, was forty years old. had left a wife and two little ones ten s in Louisville, K He had no loves to leave behind. He the devil's own. It was he whom I paddled. I talked to him as I minut tied up 1b i. In a few s I was satisfied that he wotld be nd man, next to Lemuel Ma- “Obed I left at the wood. uel Mason is at New Orlear ith them for weeks, and neither of them suspects whom I am. To Lemuel I gave free papers as a protection if arrest- ed. im you can trust. He is brave and cool, “Let's see—I was tying up Obed’s head, I believe. After I had washed off the blood so he could eat his breakfast, I sent him up to the fire, and after he had finished his coffee and bacon talked to him awhile. He was rather reticent at first about his past life, but I finally drew from him the fact that he had attempted to run away from Kentucky, been caught and brought back, whipped nearly to death and finally had killed another negro set to watch him and had again escaped, but was retaken and finally sold into Louisiana as a punish- ment. He was very anxious to get back to Kentucky, not for any love of his for- mer home, but in order that he might punish his’ persecutors. His wife was a free woman, as were his children. He had heard nothing from them for years,, and old recollections had about faded from his mind, but he was intelligent enough to hate a slaveholder, and cared nothing for his own Iffe if he could injure him. “I sat down and explained my plan to take this party through. He was, of course, willing, for he had no other alternative. The day wore slowly away, and about 6 p.m. we ate our supper, and at dark left our little camp and moved slowly up the branch. It was 9 o'clock and quite dark when, pushing aside the intervening bushes, we again entered the bayou and headed up the stream. This was to be a night of ex- treme caution and care, as we had three plantations and one Village to pass. We must travel thirty miles before we could make our next haven. Luck was ours the second night, for we met neither man nor steamer—a boat was what we dreaded most on the bayou—and it Was sunrise before we made our landing. The canoes were scarce- ly out of sight when around the bend above us shot a steamer. She passed so near that the swish from her wheels half fill one of our canoes as it lay close under banks. No fire that day—cold water, hard bread and raw bacon. The sun was warm, however, and we slept and watched by turns. At dark we were off. Above Ver- millionville there was no steamer. I kept a sharp lookout fer the mouth of the pas- sage that led to the Atchafalaya waters, but passed it in the dark and had to tay by the next day. Thus one day was lost. “T dared not put one of our canvas canoes on the bayou, so we waded and floundered down alongside, hunting for the passage, and found it about three miles below. “As soon as night shut down we entered it, and after numerous difficulties and two or three wettings were on the upper wa- ters of the Atchafalaya. “We had made but a mile or two, when, rounding a short bend in the river, we al- most ran into a canoe containing four men. They took no notice of us. Probably they had no suspicion of meeting runaway ne- groes at night on the Atchafalaya. I held my breath in suspense as they glided by, and my hand clutched the stock of my revolver. I did not want to shoot, but as I was northward bound, should have sent four shots home if Interfered with. They seemed as anxious to avoid us as we were them, and In a few seconds they passed into the darkness. ““*What are they, Obed, do you think?’ “ ‘Hoss thieves, I reckon, massa; dey is powerful plenty ‘roun’ de Teche. Dey steal canoe up country, run down forty or fifty miles and steal hoss or mule, den run back again. Dat'’s de way dem peoples work. Big lot ob munny a feller’d get to take ‘em. Sheriff, he after "em, neber—neber catch "em. Dem chaps is too smart for de sheriff. One day ole man, next day some! oder body.’ “I was not particular ag to who they | now. I have were, but if they were horse thieves we Were not Hable to be followed by them. Brad, it is nard work paddling a heavily Joaded canoe against even a slow current. I was fast getting tired, and my hands were blistered so they bled. It was a relief to me to know that Obed was good at that sort of engineering. I settled down then, and concluded that my particular forte lay in commanding the expedition, and as com- mander, of course, I could not well be en- gineer. Therefore I sat resignedly in the stern of the canoe and kept a good lookout. By hard work we made four miles an hour against the current. At midnight we pulled up for a short time, ate a luncheon and got well rested, Twelve miles further would take us to the mouth of a chute, the course of which was up the river. As it was too small for steamers, and no person had set- ted there, I felt safe in attempting to make the passage by daylight. We must enter before morning light, however, or go ashore and Iie in the woods all day. We made every exertion, and before daylight had the good fortune to enter the mouth of the oo A couple of miles up and we felt safe. “Unload, boys,’ sald I, ‘and we will rest and have our breakfast, for here we stay until 4 o'clock. Three short hours will take us into the bayou again, and then look for trouble, for you will find plenty of danger and scores of steamers.’ “We landed and breakfast was soon un- der way. Coffee, fresh fish and bacon, with a few cakes of pilot bread—it was a good, square meal, and ravenously de- voured by as hungry a set of runaways as ever left the sunny south. After breakfast we lay down and slept soundly until 3 o'clock, when I aroused all hands. Hard bread and coffee, then off again on our uncertain journey. “I had calculated to strike the bayou again about dark, and as it was quite wide at the mouth of the chute we would have no difficulty. The chances of any notice being taken of us by passing steamers Were well in our favor. Usually they had enough of their own business to attend to and would not suspect us of being a lot of runaways unless news had been spread abroad that we were off for the north. Of this there was no great danger unless, as there is no telegraph in the region, the news had just reached there. In that in- stance even it would be very unlikely that we were canoeing our way to Canada, but if we were overhauled we could not an- Swer, as the very fact of traveling by canoe and without baggage In that steam- boat country would be a dead giveaway. “Three hundred miles of water journey lay before us. Six days and nights car- ried us 180 miles, without sign of danger. At last I became careless, and did not take the extra precautions needed, and this care- lessness came very near costing us dear, and ruining the whole expedition. “One Sunday night I was sitting in the stern of the canoe, perhaps twenty rods in advance of the other one. Obed was :n the bow, doing most of the labor. The night was warm, and very pleasant, and perhaps I got a little drowsy myseif. I know the rest were, for all hands were nedding. I took the steering of the canoe after dark, for by that means I was sure to be awake. We were close to the bank, in fact, quite under the overhanging branches of the trees, when the largest alli- gator I ever saw raised his head within a foot of the gunwale of our canoe, and snapped my paddle with his ponderous jaw. I was awake enough then. Two of my passengers screamed, and sprang to the fur- ther side of the canoe. The craft, never as too stanch, careened to the water's edgy. Don’t movet’ erled I; ‘for 1f we over- set you are ‘gator meat, every one of you! In less than a minute a dozen ugly heads broke the muddy water, and it seemed if ¢ y alligator in the bayou had gath- red around the boat. I ordered Lemuel to elose his canoe up quick, and he did, but I dared not attempt to transfer for fear of sinking his canoe. Obed, understanding the situation, kept beating the water with his peddle to frighten them and keep them at ay; thus we got our boat ashore, landed our wet and scared passengers, then bailed the water out of our drowned craft. “I can't say that I was frightened, but I afterward thoughteperhaps I might have been. 1 did not relish ving y eer cut short by an alligatcr, for I wanted to in see some lively work in the Attaka- as country “This affair consumed an hour, and about daylight we landed, hauled up our canoes and prepared to pass another day watching Ass nd w g for night. ance of a little t Red river. You planning it was canoes bayou, in recollect when we were the route we pushed boldly oui different now. “| was too ignorant of the river to make debut on it by night, as quantities of ple to be running ter. Next morning, ther while yet dark, we moved along to iver, and as daylight approached push- y moving cur ipated, the surface was rinkled with driftwood. This was with great difficulty avoided, Although de ing our best, the current carried us a mile below our starting point, and it was a re- lief when, without accident, our canoes were close under the opposite bank of the ri my driftwood were li ge of the w re th ed our canoes Into the 5) re s I had anti th “There were so many steamers moving that I did not feel quite and about 9 o'clock, hearing the threshing of an up- ward-bound one, we ran the canoes into a little cove, where we were secure from ob- servation. Here the banks of the river were well wooded, the foliage thick and overhanging. rhe swift-rolling river eddied and spar- kled In the bright sunlight as, loaded with drift, tt rushed past. From our secure place in the cove I closely watched it, and reluctantly concluded we must continue our voyage to the mouth of the Black most- ly by daylight, the risk from the curlosity of people on passing steamers being much less than the danger from collision with the floating debris, and it would not be an unusual sight for a couple of canoes to be seen paddling up the Red river. I there- fore determined to remain here the bal- ance of the day and the coming night. “As this was to be ouf first all-night rest, we made quite an extensive preparation, putting up a light frame of poles and stretching our tent over it as a protection from the heavy dew and fog. I was a little wary about fire, but by digging a hole a few feet deep and making our fire in that we had quite a lively blaze that could not be seen a dozen yards away. Hot coffee, fried bacon and catfish, with hardtack for a relish, made an excellent repast, and as the epicurean tastes of my passengers had never been very extensively cultivated, they found no fault. As for me, I was so con- founded hungry that I was not particular and would have relished the food equally as well had it been raw. “After supper we lay down, and in a few minutes all but myself were asleep. I was too tired and anxious to sleep soundly, and perhaps I was a trifle nervous. I lay think- ing and planning until almost midnight. “From here to the White river was a long distance. I had become accustomed to the danger and thought chiefly of the fatigue. “In the morning we were off again. For ten days we voyaged, sleeping at night and resting our tired limbs. The strain and fatigue were very wearing. The women and children were mere shadows. Lucy could walk but a few steps when ashore, and from sharing my care and anxiety, to- gether with the self-restraint imposed to conceal her previous knowledge of me from the rest, she had become so nervous as to be almost hysterical. In view of these facts I determined to rest at least one week, and on the evening of the thirty-first day from the rendezvous, then being about seventy or eighty miles from the mouth of the Tensas, I reluctantly gave orders to haul up the boats. We landed about 1 o'clock p.m. on the west bank of the bayou. The shares were very low, but I judged, and rightly, that a little way inland there was dry ground enough for a safe and pleasant camp. After much labor we dragged our heavy canoes, perhaps a quarter of a mile, through mud and water, and left them se- cure from observation.” (To be continued.) ————_ +o+_____ Remodeling Old Jewelry. From Harper's Bazar. ‘There is so much jewelry now worn on the evening gowns that one can make use of almost anything. A funny old-fashioned fitigreed gold bracelet, with cairn-gorms set here and there, has been utilized for mak- ing a most charming shoulder strap. The stones, which originally hung all around the bracelet, suspended from fine gold chains, were taken off and put at the two ends when the ornament is fastened to the gown. The clasp of the bracelet forms the top or center piece, while four pendants of the cairn-gorms form Unes going from It. Lower over the shoulder are three fine gold chains, graduating in length. A pair of bracelets can be worn in this way, but tt ts considered more “chic” to wear only one. Qld coral or amber necklaces, which chil- dren used to wear long ago, are very pretty made up into shoulder straps, to be worn with evening dresses, and are much in vogue this season. ADVERTISED LETTERS. a ‘The following 3s a let of advertised letters re- iallette, 1 Col Fa Jn the, Washington D.C) Post-oifice Sat | C&Friden, AL wan eC ‘To ‘obtain ‘any of these letters the applicant Shirley and Mra euy should call for “‘Advertised Letters.” If not called for within two (2) weeks be seat to the Dead Letter Oilice, ad ti wADIES' LIST. Adams, A R Mrs Adams, Emmagine Miss Lang, Esther Mrs Adams, R Mrs Allen, May Miss Amager, Susie Miss Anderson, Mamie Mrs Angell, Lillian Miss Armstrong, Lelia Miss Armstrong. Muriel Mrs , Janie Miss (2) Bard, Beckey Miss Barber, Agnes Mrs Bartholomew, Clara Mcs Bateman, Martha B Bayly, Edith G Miss Baum, Minnie P Miss Beale, E G Mrs Beall, A M Miss Bell, 'E R Miss Bell, Francis Miss Belley, Emmor Bennett, 1 L Miss Berry, AH Mrs Berry, Wm L Mre Beveridge, J Mre Bishop, Emma Mrs Binck, 'A J Miss Boggs, Lotta Mrs Boldin, Mary Mrs Bowers, J E Mra Bowler, GE Miss Bowman. 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Butler, R Frank — : Butler, J M Little Elmer—“Papa, what is a sot?” » Butler, W B Prof. Broadhead—“A sot, my son, ts a oat oe poor man who gets drunk: @ rich man who meron, Chas & “Mrs drinks to excess is the possessor of a cone MF De vivial disposition.”