"Here, massa, here, all in de dark; dis niggar bery sick."
On this I struck a match, and by its faint light I saw a figure lying on
the ground in a recess of the cave. There were a number of sticks
collected for fire-wood piled up close to him, so putting the match to
some dry leaves which we swept up together, we quickly had a blaze.
"What has happened, Dio?" I asked, kneeling down by his side.
"No matches, massa," answered Dio; "and him eat up all de food Massa
Tidey left. For two days him had noting to put in him mouth."
"You shall have something then without delay," I said, giving him a
bottle, which I had fortunately filled at the last spring we had passed.
He eagerly swallowed a draught, and we then produced the provisions we
had brought. Though weak from his previous illness, the poor black was
not so far gone as to be unable to eat a hearty meal. This quickly
revived him. He told us that his fear of being captured by the
emissaries of his old master had prevented him going out in search of
food, and that he had imprudently on the first day consumed the
provisions left by Mr Tidey, which, eked out, might have lasted almost
to the present time. His joy at hearing that the Kentuckians had been
defeated, greatly assisted to recover him, although he expressed his
regret that we should have been exposed to danger on his account. When
we told him we had come to escort him on his way to Mr Grey's, his
countenance fell.
"But my father says we may take you back, if you are willing to
accompany us to the west, where we shall be at a distance from the
slave-states," I added.
"With all dis niggar's heart," exclaimed Dio; "me go whar' massa go;
right 'way to de Rocky Mountains, if him like."
We spent the night in the cavern, neither wolves nor bears showing their
noses, and the next morning Dio, after a good breakfast, declared that
he was well able to go back to Uphill. On seeing him attempt to walk,
however, I judged that it would be prudent to let him take another day's
rest, while we went in search of game and obtained some more water from
a spring which rose at some distance from the cave.
We had capital sport, and a fat turkey which I shot put some more
strength into Dio's muscles. We were very happy in our roomy cave,
which was large enough to afford shelter to a dozen families, and we
agreed that we should like to spend several days there. However, we
were wanted at home, and Dio having completely recovered, we set off at
daybreak the following morning.
We stepped out so briskly, that although we made a circuit to avoid the
risk of falling in with strangers on the high road, we reached home soon
after sunset. We found the preparations for our departure much
advanced. My father had procured four waggons and several teams of
stout oxen, which were considered more suitable than horses for
traversing the prairies, as being hardier and better able to go a long
distance without water. My father, Mr Tidey, and I had a horse
a-piece, and Uncle Denis would, of course, bring his own with probably
half-a-dozen more for some of the men.
Martin Prentis was to remain with the purchaser of the property; indeed,
without his assistance, Mr McDermont would have been badly off. Our
overseer promised, however, when his services were not required, to join
us.
Three days after our return Uncle Denis arrived, bringing with him
several white men, among whom was his overseer, and two blacks, slaves
whom he had emancipated with the promise that they should labour for him
until they had paid the price of their freedom. "We shall see whether
they prove faithful or not," he remarked, as he described his
arrangements. Besides them Uncle Denis was accompanied by his overseer,
who, not being required on the farm, was in search of employment.
Greatly to our satisfaction, just as we were on the point of starting,
Martin Prentis came forward and offered to give up his situation to
Uncle Denis's overseer, Tom Sykes, if Tom would take it, and Mr
McDermont would agree to the arrangement. This he did, and it was
settled that Martin should accompany us, so that altogether we formed a
pretty large, well-armed party. We all had rifles, and a brace of
pistols, besides long knives in our belts, and my father and Uncle Denis
wore their swords.
Our uncle's followers, including Sam Hodding, his factotum, were sturdy
fellows, and if some of them were not very bright, they were all, he
said, as true as steel, while he believed that the two blacks,
influenced by gratitude, would prove perfectly faithful.
He brought word that Mr Bracher was said to be very ill. We suspected
that he was suffering from a wound he had received while attacking our
house. There was some fear, should he hear of our intended departure,
that he might for the purpose of revenging himself, send a party to
follow us up and attack us while on the move.
"Never fear, friends," said Mr McDermont, when the subject was spoken
of, "I'll keep an eye on the proceedings of the gentleman, and if I hear
of any suspicious characters going in the direction you are travelling,
I'll dodge their steps and come to your assistance. They'll not follow
you far, if they follow at all, so I don't think that you need have much
fear of being troubled by them."
We exchanged kind farewells with our new friend, and not without many a
regret at leaving Uphill commenced our march. We all knew that it would
be a toilsome one and not free from danger, but my father had
determined, that as he was moving he would move far west, where the
curse of slavery was unknown.
The waggons I have mentioned were of a stronger build than those before
described. They had high tilts which made them comfortable
sleeping-places at night. My father and Uncle Denis rode alongside the
leading waggon, in which my mother, Kathleen, Biddy, and Rose travelled,
and Dan condescended when tired to take his seat with them. Martin
Prentis drove the first, Sam Hodding the second, Peter the third, and
some of our other men the rest. Mr Tidey and I brought up the rear.
For some days we kept Dio inside, lest he might be recognised and an
attempt made to carry him off. Boxer and Toby generally scampered on
ahead, coming back every now and then, and giving a loud bark as if to
hurry on the train.
We moved but at a slow pace, for although the patient oxen could travel
on for many miles without growing weary, it was impossible to make them
advance out of a steady walk. We proceeded northward, having the mighty
Mississippi on our left, until we reached the banks of the Illinois
river, which we crossed in flat-bottomed boats, and then proceeding
several days' journey westward, entered the wide prairies of Missouri,
the vast river from which the state takes its name being to the south of
us. We were now truly in the wilderness, but "Westward Ho!" was our
cry. We had numerous dangers to guard against; prairie fires might
occur and envelope us in their deadly embrace; hostile Indians might
attack us and attempt to carry off our cattle during the night: when
crossing rivers floods might come down and overwhelm us; or packs of
fierce wolves might seize any of our oxen straying from the
neighbourhood of the camp; but the fear of such contingencies did not
deter my father and uncle, who had made up their minds to move on until
they could find a region suited to their taste. Many had done the same
and failed, others had succeeded, and they hoped to be ranked among the
latter.
Our mode of camping at night, having reached a spot near water, was, to
form a square with our waggons, leaving an opening through which the
cattle might be driven in case of an attack; if close to a broad and
deep stream, the water served for one side and the camp could thus be
made of larger size. The fires were lighted in the centre, and two or
more men were always posted outside to give due notice of the approach
of a foe. We had brought a tent for my mother and Kathleen, which was
of course pitched inside the square, that they might enjoy more room
than their waggon afforded, although that was made as comfortable as
circumstances would permit for sitting in during the day-time. In case
of being attacked by Indians, the goods in the waggons would serve, we
hoped, as protection against their arrows or even the bullets of those
possessed of fire-arms.
We always did our best to reach a spot of this description before
sunset. Our first duty was to water the horses and cattle, then to
hobble the former. This was done by fastening the fore and hind-legs on
one side with an iron chain, a leathern strap passing round the fetlock.
They were then turned loose to graze, their instinct inducing them,
provided there was plenty of grass, to remain close to the camp. We
then set to work to get wood for our fires, after filling the kettles
with water; the salt meat was then put on to boil, or when we had game,
that was spitted and placed on forked sticks to roast. We each of us
had our various duties to attend to, some made up the beds with blankets
and buffalo robes; one man roasted the coffee berries in a frying-pan
and prepared them for boiling in a primitive fashion by wrapping them in
a piece of buffalo or deer-skin and pounding them with the back of a
hatchet.
As soon as the coffee was boiled and the meat cooked we all turned to
with good appetites, our mother, Kathleen, Biddy, and Rose, seating
themselves on some of the lighter packages, which were taken from the
waggons for the purpose.
After a few days' travelling we got so accustomed to the style of life
we were leading, that having encountered no serious difficulties we
began to hope that the dangers we had heard of were more imaginary than
real, and that we should after all perform our journey with ease and
safety. Silas Bracher had either received no notice of our departure,
or he did not suppose that Dio was with us, for we had travelled a
hundred miles or more northward without seeing any of his people. Mr
Tidey and I, however, as we rode in the rear, kept a look-out for them;
and had they come up with our train they would have found us well
prepared to give them a warm reception. It was satisfactory, however,
at length to believe that there was no risk of an encounter with them.