I lay down to sleep that night quite satisfied of my ability to wake up
in good time; but it was still dark when Pomp was shaking my arm.
"Make hase, Mass' George," he cried, with his lips to my ear, "um
gettin' so dreffle late."
"Eh? Now, no tricks," I said, in that irritable state of sleepiness
when one wants just an hour longer. "Why, I have only just lain down."
"Why, you've been seep all de night. You call me laze lil nigger if I
say dat. Get up!"
"But is it nearly morning, Pomp?" I said, with my eyes closely shut.
"Ah, you do dat 'gain! You roll ober de oder side for? You tink um dis
week when it morrow morning."
"But it isn't really morning."
"Yes; bror daylight. Able see dreckly."
"It isn't," I said, opening my eyes and looking from under the boat-sail
that made our tent, and seeing the stars burning brightly.
"I neb see such dreffle man," whispered Pomp, for fear of rousing my
father. "Get late. Sun get up soon 'fore we get dah. Mass' Morgan an'
Pomp fader gone down to de boat, and carry big bag somefin to eat. Pomp
got de fishum-line, and dey say you'n me bring free guns and de powder
shot."
"Eh! Gone down to the boat?" I said, rising hurriedly, for this was
suggestive of being left behind; and hurrying my preparations--my
dressing-room being outside the tent--I was soon ready, took the pouches
and the three guns I had undertaken to have ready, and in a very few
minutes we two were marching toward the gate, I carrying one firelock
under my arm, and Pomp stepping out proudly with one on each shoulder.
"How long is it since Morgan and our man Hannibal went through?" I said
to the guard at the gate.
"'Bout half an hour," said the man, rather sourly. "Nice to be you,
young gentleman, going out like that instead of keeping watch here."
"Oh, that will soon be over," I said. "Come along, Pomp."
It was for the sake of saying something, for Pomp was already outside,
waiting. But I wanted to get down to the boat, and not stop to be
questioned by the guard as to what we were going to do.
As we went on down toward the wharf, the stars were still making their
reflections glimmer in the smooth water of the big river, and a sculling
sound and the rattle of an oar being heard, told me where the boat lay.
"That you, Master George?" said a familiar voice.
"Yes; but isn't it too early?"
"Not a bit, sir. But it'll be daybreak directly, to be sure. See
there?"
I could see a very pale streak right away down and over the big river in
what I knew to be the east, but I was still too drowsy to feel much
interest in our excursion, and consequently replied rather gruffly to
Hannibal's good-natured--
"Morn', Mass' George."
Just then the boat's keel grated on the pebbles, Hannibal jumped out,
took the guns which Pomp parted with unwillingly, and passed them to
Morgan, who stowed them in the stern. Then mine was passed in, and
Hannibal bent down.
"Jump on, Mass' George, no get foot wet."
I leaped on his great broad back, thinking that he was getting his feet
wet, but that it did not matter as they were bare; then wash, wash went
the water on both sides as the great black and his boy waded out. I was
dropped into the boat, the two blacks ran it out a little and stepped
in, Morgan came aft to me, and the others backed water a while, and
after turning, rowed out a little but kept pretty close, so as to be out
of the swift current running down toward the sea.
"Talk about early," said Morgan, pointing to the increasing pallor of
the sky; "why, it will soon be broad daylight, and I want to get to the
mouth of the stream by that time."
They rowed on, and the freshness of the air, the motion of the boat, and
the thorough feeling of change soon made me forget my discomfort, and as
the pale dawn spread and showed the thick mist hanging over the low
growth at the edge of the river, the memory of the last time I came by
there started to my mind, and I looked eagerly at the near shore,
thinking of hidden Indians ready to send flying their keenly-pointed
arrows.