ON THE GREAT LAKE
When Henry awoke at dawn, all the weariness from his great efforts was
gone, and he looked upon a world full of beauty. The unbroken forest of
deep green bore a luminous tint, light and golden, from the early
sunshine. Free of body and soul, it was the brilliant world that he had
known so long, and he was ready once more for any task that might lie
before them. Long Jim had already prepared breakfast, and he turned a
benevolent gaze upon Henry.
"Ain't it fine," he said, "to have all the family reunited ag'in?"
"It certainly is," said Henry joyously, "and you surely stuck by the
missing member in masterly fashion."
"Wa'al, you've stuck by us jest ez hard many a time," said Long Jim
meditatively. "Paul, what wuz the name uv the feller that stuck by the
other feller, the only big one, that got away from Troy after the Greeks
rode into the town inside a hoss?"
"You're thinking of the faithful Achates, Jim," replied Paul, "and AEneas
was the name of the big one to whom he was faithful."
"Yes, that's the feller. Henry, you're our AEneas, an' I'm an Achates;
Paul's another, Tom's another and Sol's another. Uv course we couldn't
go away without our AEneas, an' while I'm talkin' I want to say, Paul,
that the tale about the takin' uv Troy is the tallest hoss story ever
told. Ef it wuzn't writ in the books I wouldn't believe it. Think uv
your fightin' off a hull army fur ten years or so, an' then draggin'
that army into your town inside a wooden hoss. It can't be so. I've
knowed some pow'ful liars myself, but the tribe must hev gone down hill
a lot since the days uv them ancients."
Paul merely laughed and took another bite out of his venison steak.
"Anyway, Henry," said Shif'less Sol, "ef you've been AEneas you're goin'
to be the wandering 'Lysses fur a while, an' we're goin' to be fightin'
Greeks, sailin' right along with you."
"What do you mean?" asked Henry in astonishment.
"Tell him, Paul," said the shiftless one. "Saplin' hez cooked so well,
an' I'm so busy eatin' I can't spare time fur talk."
"We felt sure we'd rescue Henry," said Paul, "and we arranged everything
so we could get back South as fast as we could. Knowing that the woods
were full of warriors and that we didn't want to be interrupted in our
travels, we took a big boat one night from Detroit--I suppose we stole
it, but you have a right to steal from an enemy in war--and carried it
off down the river, hiding it among thick bushes at the mouth of a
creek, where we're sure it's now resting securely, say five or six miles
from this spot. We also gathered a lot of stores, food and such things,
and put them on the boat. It was another risk, but we took that also,
and I'm confident that our good genius will save the boat and stores for
us. If they're there waiting for us all right we're going down the river
and then across Lake Erie. It will save us a lot of time."
"Fine! fine!" exclaimed Henry with enthusiasm. "You've done well. It
will be a lot easier and faster for us going so far by boat."
"An' we'll see one uv the big lakes, too," said Long Jim.
"We shorely will," said Shif'less Sol.
In a few minutes they were on the march again, and found the boat
undisturbed at the mouth of the creek. It was a stout craft with a sail,
and lockers for stores. Doubtless Colonel de Peyster had attributed its
disappearance to some of his own Indians who could not always be
trusted, but in the press of military preparations he had found no time
to seek it.
"Now," said Shif'less Sol, "we'll take to the river. We may meet enemies
thar, but it won't be ez long a trip ez the one we took down the Missip.
Besides, ef we do meet enemies they ain't likely to be in big force ez
most all the warriors seem to be drawed off fur the expeditions ag'inst
Kentucky."
"At any rate we'll risk it, as we have risked many other things," said
Henry.
The five embarked, and set sail fearlessly upon the river. Nevertheless,
they did not neglect caution. They kept close to the Canadian shore,
where they were in the shadow of the dense forest, and at least three
were always on the watch with ready rifles across their knees. Yet they
saw no enemy. This was the heart of the Indian country and the canoes of
the warlike Northwestern tribes often floated on these waters, but
to-day the five had the river to themselves. Peace was everywhere. Birds
sang in the neighboring woods. Now and then a fish leaped from the water
and sank back in a mass of bubbles. The broad river was a sheet of gold,
and then a sheet of silver as the sun shifted.
Henry appreciated all this rest and ease. He admired still more the
foresight and daring of his comrades which enabled them to travel in
such a luxurious way and so far. He examined carefully the weapons they
had secured for him and saw that they were all of the first class. He
also opened the various lockers and found them filled with venison,
jerked buffalo meat, such luxuries as bread and coffee, and large
quantities of powder and lead.
"We found part of these in the boat," said Paul, "and it was your friend
Lajeunais, who helped us to get the remainder. We do not go to sea
unprovided."
"You've all done so well," said Henry lazily, "that I'm not going to
bother myself about anything."
He put his double blankets under his head as a pillow and lay back
luxuriously. Their good boat moved steadily on, the sail doing the work,
while one of their number steered.
"I hope the wind will continue to blow," said Jim Hart, gazing
admiringly at Henry, "'cause ef it don't we'll then hev to git our oars
an' row. An' it would spoil the purtiest picture uv a lazy feller I ever
saw. Why, I never saw Shif'less Sol hisself look lazier or happier."
Henry laughed. He knew that Jim Hart would have died in his defense.
"I am lazy, Jim," he admitted. "I never felt so lazy in my life before.
I like to lie here and look at the river and the country."
"It's a fine big river," said Shif'less Sol, "but we can't see much of
the country because of the trees, which shoot up so thick an' close on
either bank, but I've heard that it ain't really a river, jest the
stream o' water pourin' out o' them mighty lakes to the north into them
lakes to the south, which ain't so mighty as the others, but which are
mighty anyhow."
"It's true," said Paul. "All of this is lake water which runs through
the other lakes, too, and then out by a tremendous big river, hundreds
of miles to the Atlantic Ocean."
"When God made this chain uv lakes an' rivers he done one uv his biggest
an' finest jobs," said Tom Ross reverentially.
They moved on their course slowly but steadily. Once they saw a canoe
near the further shore, containing a lone occupant.
"It's a squaw," said Shif'less Sol, "an' she's pulled in near the land
so she kin jump an' run ef we make for her."
"Like ez not she thinks we're hunters or French from the fort," said
Long Jim.
"At any rate, we'll soon leave her far behind," said Henry.
The breeze stiffened and she quickly dropped out of sight. Nor did they
see any other human being that day. At night they anchored close
inshore, among bushes and reeds, where they remained undisturbed until
the morning. The remainder of the journey down the river passed in the
same peace and ease, and then Paul, who was in the prow, caught a
glimpse of a broad expanse which looked silvery white in the distance.
"The lake! the lake!" he cried eagerly.
They swept triumphantly over the last reach of the river and out upon
the broad bosom of Lake Erie. In their earlier voyage down the
Mississippi they had learned how to use a sail, and now when they were
about a mile from land they took in the sail and looked about them.
The great inland fresh water seas of North America aroused the greatest
interest, even awe, among the earlier explorers, and there was not one
among the five who did not look with eager eyes upon the ocean of
waters. They were better informed, too, than the average woodsman
concerning the size and shape of this mighty chain.
"You look west and you look south an' you don't see nothin' but water,"
said Long Jim.
"And they say that the whole grand chain is fifteen hundred miles long,"
said Paul, "and that Lake Superior reaches a width of three hundred
miles."
"It's a lot o' water," said Shif'less Sol, trailing his hand over the
side, "an' while I'd like to explore it, I guess that the sooner we
cross it the better it will be for what we're tryin' to do."
"You're right," said Henry. "We'll set the sail again and tack as fast
as we can to the south."
The sail was set, and the boat, heeling over under a good breeze, moved
rapidly. Paul and Henry watched with pleasure the white water foaming
away on either side of the prow, and Long Jim also watched the trailing
wake at the stern. Used to rivers but not to lakes, they did not really
appreciate what dangers might await them on the bosom of Erie. Meanwhile
the lake presented to them a most smiling surface. The waters rippling
before the wind lay blue under a blue sky. The wind with its touch of
damp was fresh and inspiring. Behind them the shore, with its great wall
of green, sank lower and lower, until at last it passed out of sight.
Long Jim, who sat in the stern watching, then spoke.
"Boys," he said, "fur the fust time in the life uv any uv us thar ain't
no land. Look to the east an' look to the west, look to the north an'
look to the south an' thar ain't nothin' but water. The world uv land
hez left us."
There was a certain awe in Jim's tone that impressed them as they looked
and saw that he spoke the truth. Their world was now one of water, and
they felt how small was the boat that lay between them and the
tremendous power of the lake.
It was now somewhat past midday and the sun was uncommonly bright. The
wind began to die, and the little waves no longer chased one another
over the surface of the lake. No air gathered in the sail and presently
the boat stopped.
"Now wouldn't this make you mad?" exclaimed Shif'less Sol. "We can't
move at all unless we git out the oars an' row, an' a lazy man like me
ain't fond o' rowin' seventy or eighty miles across a big lake."
Nor was the prospect pleasant to any of them. A little while ago they
were moving swiftly at ease; now they rocked slightly in the swell, but
did not go forward an inch. Hopeful that the wind would soon rise again
they did not yet take to the oars. Meanwhile it was growing warmer. The
reflection of the sun upon the water was dazzling, and they spread the
sail again, not to catch the wind but as an awning to protect them from
the burning rays.
They also used the interval for food and drink, and as the wind still
did not rise they were thinking of taking to the oars as a last resort
when Henry called their attention to the southwest.
"See that black spot down there," he said. "It seems to be only a few
inches either way, but it doesn't look natural."
"I'd call it a cloud," said Tom Ross judicially.
"An' clouds ain't what we're wantin' jest now," said Jim Hart.
Henry rose from his luxurious reclining position and gazed long and with
great care at the black spot. He knew as well as Jim Hart that it was a
cloud and he saw that it was growing. But a few inches across the
horizon before, it stretched to feet and then to yards. Meanwhile not a
breath of air stirred, the deep waters were waveless and the air hung
hot and heavy about them. Henry had heard that dangerous storms came up
very fast on the great lakes, and, although with no experience as a
sailor except on rivers, he believed that one would soon be upon them.
"Boys," he said, "look how that cloud grows. I believe we're in for a
big wind and storm. We'd better take down our mast, make everything
tight and strong, and get ready with the oars."
All at once Henry resumed command, and the others instantly accepted it
as the most natural and proper thing in the world. The mast was
unshipped, it and the sail were lashed down, everything that was loose
was put in the lockers, or was tied securely. Meanwhile the cloud grew
with amazing rapidity. While the east and north were yet full of blazing
light the south and west were darkening. A draught of cold wind came.
The waters, motionless hitherto, suddenly heaved convulsively. Low
thunder rolled, and the lightning flashed across the troubled waters.
The five felt awe. They were familiar with great storms, but never
before had they been in one with no land in sight. The little boat,
which alone lay between them and the depths of the lake, became smaller
and smaller. But the five, although they felt more tremors than when
going into battle, sat with their oars in the thwarts, ready to fight as
best they could the storm which would soon rush down upon them.
The cold wind came in raw gusts, and there was rain on its edge which
cut like hail. The boat rose and fell with the increasing waves. Henry
took the helm, and, with the others at the oars, strove to keep the boat
as steady as possible. With the usual foresight of borderers, they had
already covered up their rifles, pistols and ammunition. Even on the
water they would not neglect this precaution. Now the darkness spread to
the entire heavens, the thunder crashed heavily, like invisible
batteries firing, the lightning flared two or three times, showing the
surface of the lake far and wide tinted a ghastly gray, and then, with a
shriek and a roar, the wind struck them.
The boat heeled over so far on its side that Henry thought at first they
were gone, but after hanging for a moment or two, seemingly undecided,
it righted itself, and the five uttered simultaneous sighs of relief.
Yet the boat had shipped water which Paul began to bail out with his
cap, while the others strove at the oars, seeking to meet and ride the
waves which followed one another swiftly. The rain meanwhile was driving
hard, and they were drenched, but they had no time to think of such
things. Every effort was bent towards keeping afloat the boat, which was
rushing before the wind they knew not whither.
"There's a pail in that little locker," shouted Henry to Paul, "you can
do better with that than with your cap."
Paul opened the locker, and took out the pail. Then with great
difficulty he closed the locker again, and set to work keeping the boat
clear of water. He made much better progress with the pail, but now and
then wind, rain and the rocking of the boat together threw him to his
knees. His comrades were working full as hard. They made up for lack of
experience with strength, intuitive quickness and courage. Often the
boat seemed to be submerged by the crest of a great wave, but every time
it emerged right side up with the industrious Paul still bailing.
Meantime the wind kept up a continuous screaming, almost like that of a
wild animal, a fearful sound which got upon the nerves of them all.
Except when the lightning flared they were surrounded by a darkness like
that of night. Suddenly Tom Ross shouted in a voice that could be heard
above the whistling of the wind:
"Jim, you're seein' the Great Lakes at last!"
Then he bent grimly to his oar.
Luckily the boat they had taken was a strong one, built partly for the
storms which sometimes drive with such force across Erie, the shallowest
of the five Great Lakes, and with the aid of the strong arms at the helm
and oars she managed to ride every wave and swell. But it was a long
time before the wind began to abate and they were half dead with
exhaustion. Moreover they were covered with bruises where they had been
hurled against the sides of the boat, and now and then they were almost
blinded by the water dashing into their faces. Shif'less Sol afterward
said that he felt as if some strong-armed man were slapping his cheek
every minute or two.
Yet hope began to return. They had kept afloat so long that they felt
sure of keeping afloat all the time. There came a moment when the water
from the lake ceased to enter the boat, although the rain still drenched
them. The darkness lightened somewhat and Henry looked anxiously about
them. He was trying to reckon in what direction they had come, but there
was nothing that would enable him to tell. He saw nothing but the waste
of waters. He knew that the wind had changed its course and they might
now be driving back toward Detroit. He longed for light that might show
them whence they had come.
Now the storm, after declining, suddenly acquired new strength. The
darkness closed in again thicker than ever and the hearts of the five
sank. They were so tired that they felt they could not repel a second
attack. Yet they summoned their courage anew and strove even more
desperately than before. Another hour passed and Henry, who was looking
ahead, suddenly saw a dark mass. He recognized it instantly and gave the
sharp cry:
"Land!"
The three who were straining at the oars looked up, and Paul in his
surprise let drop his tin pail. Henry had made no mistake. They could
see that it was land despite the darkness and the driving rain. There
was a low shore, with trees growing almost to the water's edge, and they
thought at first that it was the western coast of the lake, but as they
swiftly drove nearer Henry saw water both to right and left, and he knew
that it was a little island. If they kept a straight course they would
strike upon it, but with such violence that shipwreck was inevitable.
Strong and agile as they were they might possibly escape with their
lives.
"Boys!" cried Henry, above the shouting of the wind, "we must make that
island or we'll surely be lost in the storm!"
"It's so!" Shif'less Sol shouted back, "but how are we to do it?"
"Paul, you take the helm," said Henry, "and steer to the left of the
island. The wind is blowing straight ahead and if we can come in behind
the land we may strike a little stretch of comparatively smooth water."
Paul took the helm and Henry seized a pair of oars. Paul could steer
well, but Henry's strength would be needed now. On they drove, the rain
beating hard on their backs, and the surf from the lake also driving
into the boat. Paul steered steadily and the four bent powerfully on the
oars, driving the boat in a wide curve to the left, where it would avoid
possible rocks and shoals.
Yet it was hard to bring the boat even diagonally against the wind. The
waves turned it on its side and it trembled violently. The four labored
at the oars until every pulse in their temples throbbed. Now the low
shore and the green forest were coming very near, and Henry glanced at
them from time to time. He was afraid that the wind and the waves would
bring them back again and dash them upon the island, despite all their
efforts. But the boat shot past fifty yards to the left, ran for a
quarter of a mile along the edge of a low green island, and then with a
mighty effort they brought it in behind the land.
Here in a little space where the wind was beating itself to pieces
against the trees in front of it, the sea was comparatively calm, and
Paul deftly swung the boat about. His sharp eyes noticed a little cove,
and, the four at the oars pulled for it with all their might. A minute,
two minutes and they were in the cove and in safety. They had entered it
by a channel not more than a dozen feet wide, and Paul's steering had
been delicate and beautiful. Now the four drew in their oars and they
swung in waters as quiet as those of a pond ruffled only by a little
breeze. It it was an inlet not more than twenty yards across and it was
sheltered about by mighty trees. The rain still poured upon them, but
there was no longer any danger of shipwreck.
The momentum had carried the boat to the far edge of the pool, and Henry
sprang out. His muscles were so stiff and sore that, for a moment or
two, he reeled, but he seized a bough and held fast. Then Tom tossed him
a rope from the locker and in a minute the boat was secured head and
stern to the trees. Then they stood upon land, wet but solid land, and
in every heart was devout thankfulness.
"The land for me every time," said Long Jim. "I like to feel something
under my feet that I don't sink into. Ef an accident happens on land,
thar you are, but ef an accident happens on the water, whar are you?"
"What I need most is a pair o' kid gloves," said Shif'less Sol. "I've
got purty tough hands, but I think them oars hez took all the skin off
the inside o' 'em."
"What we all need most," said Henry, "is shelter. We are soaked through
and through, and we are stiff with bruises and exertion. Suppose we bail
out the boat and try to use the sail as a sort of roof or cover."
They were wedged in so closely among the trees that together with the
boughs and the mast, which they set in place again, they managed to
fasten the sail in such a manner that it caught most of the rain as it
drove towards them. Everyone also gave up one of his pair of blankets
for the same purpose, and then they were protected fairly. Still fearing
colds and stiffness of the muscles they took off all their wet clothing
and rubbed their bodies long and thoroughly. While they were at this
work the rain decreased, and after a while ceased. The wind still blew
and they heard branches crashing down from the trees, but none fell
over them. They did not reclothe themselves but hung their soaked
garments on boughs, and then everyone wrapped himself about with the dry
blanket that he had left from his pair, the other still doing duty as a
rain shield. Although the air was quite cool after the heavy rain, the
blankets protected them and they began to feel a pleasant warmth. Their
spirits indeed were improved so much that they could jest.
"One would scarcely expect to see five Roman senators in their togas
cast away on this little island in Lake Erie," said Paul, "but here we
are."
Long Jim with his bare legs as far as his knees protruding from his
blanket was prowling among the lockers.
"What's the noble senator lookin' fur?" asked Shif'less Sol.
"I'm lookin' fur somethin' to help you an' all uv us," replied Long Jim,
"while you're settin' thar lazy an' wuthless. We didn't search this boat
very well when we took it, hevin' other pow'ful important matters on
hand, but them that owned it wuz men uv sense. Lots uv useful things are
hid away in these little lockers. Ah, look at this! Shorely it's
industry an' enterprise that gits the rewards!"
He drew triumphantly from the corner of a locker an iron coffee pot and
a large package of ground coffee.
"Now I've got the coffee an' the coffee pot," he said, "an' ef the rest
uv you hev got sense enough to build a fire I'll hev you feelin' like
kings ten minutes after that fire is built. Thar are two pewter cups in
that locker also, so nothin' is lackin'."
"You've certainly done your part, Jim," said Henry, "an' now we'll try
to do ours, although it won't be any easy job."
They had not been woodsmen all their lives for nothing. The ground under
the trees was covered more than a foot deep with leaves, the
accumulation of many years. It is difficult for water to penetrate all
the way through such a carpet, and turning them over they found here and
there some leaves fairly dry, which they put in a heap. They also cut
off all the wet outside from some dead boughs with their strong hunting
knives, and then shaved off dry splinters which they put with the
leaves.
The four gathered in a group about the little heap, looking very odd in
their blankets, with their bare ankles and shoulders projecting, and
Henry began work with the flint and steel. After many efforts he set
fire to the finer of the splinters, and then the flames spread to the
leaves and larger pieces of wood. They had succeeded, and as Shif'less
Sol fed the fire, he said triumphantly to Long Jim:
"Now, Jim, everything's ready fur you. Bring on your coffee an' b'il it.
I want fourteen cups myself."
Jim set to work at once, showing with pride his skill in such a task.
The flames were not permitted to rise high, but they burned rapidly,
making a fine bed of coals, and within ten minutes the coffee was ready.
Then they drank, warming themselves through and through, and receiving
new life. They also warmed some of the deer and buffalo steaks over the
coals, and ate real bread from the lockers.
"All things must come to an end," said Shif'less Sol, with a sigh, when
he could eat no more. "It's on sech 'casions ez this that I realize it.
I wish I wuz ez hungry ez I wuz a little while ago, an' could eat all
over ag'in."
"We've been in big luck," said Henry. "If it hadn't been for this little
island I believe we would have been wrecked. It's true, too, that we'll
have to go around in our blankets for a while yet, because I don't
believe those clothes of ours will dry before morning."
"Suits me," said Jim Hart, as with proverbial caution he put out the
fire after finishing cooking. "I wouldn't mind goin' 'roun' in a blanket
in summer. Injuns do it an' they find it pow'ful healthy. Now the wind
is dyin' an' the clouds are passin' away, but it's goin' to be dark
anyhow. Jedgin' from the looks uv things the night is right here."
The wind undoubtedly was sinking fast. The great storm was blowing
itself away as rapidly as it had blown up. The trees ceased to shake and
moan, and looking down the channel whence they had entered, the five saw
that the high waves no longer rolled across the surface of the lake. In
a few minutes more the last breath of the wind whistled off to eastward.
A cold twilight fell over the little isle of safety and the great lake,
of whose rage they had been such vivid witnesses.