BUILDING THE RAFT.
I found Sim Gwynn at our landing-place on the verge of the swamp, which
was a safe spot for him, as he could retreat, at the approach of a
pursuer, where no one could follow him without a boat. On the raft lay a
sharp axe, which assured me he had not remained in the swamp all the
time during my absence.
"Where did you get that axe, Sim?" I asked, disturbed by an unpleasant
fear that he had been disregarding the rights of property.
"I got it up to Barkspear's," replied he, laughing, as though he had
done a clever thing.
"Then you must carry it back again, Sim. I won't have any stealing
done!" I added, sharply.
"Hookie! You don't think I'd steal--do you, Buck Bradford?"
"Didn't you take that axe from Barkspear's?"
"Yes, I did; but that's my axe, you see; and that makes all the
difference in the world. That axe was gin to me by Squire Mosely. His
best cow got out, and came down into this swamp. She got mired in the
mud, and couldn't get out. I dug her out for him, and took her home.
Squire Mosely wanted to do something for me, and asked me what he should
give me. I was going to say something to eat; but I felt kinder 'shamed.
I was cuttin' wood for the fire, when he come over, with an old blunt
axe, the only one Barkspear would let me use. So I told him I'd like a
good axe, because I couldn't think of anything else I wanted. He gin me
the best axe he could find in town. I used it when Barkspear wan't
round; but I kept it hid away in the barn. I went up and got it after
you left."
"All right, Sim; I don't want to have anything done that isn't right."
"What you goin' to do with them ropes, Buck?" he asked, as I threw the
clothes-lines upon the raft.
"We want them to haul the logs out with."
Sim was in high spirits, and I concluded that he had filled himself
again from the provisions I brought. I was confident that he would be
satisfied as long as the rations were supplied. We poled the raft over
to the branch of the creek; and, as I had the plan of the structure we
were to build in my mind, we lost no time in commencing the work.
"I don't know what you're goin' to do, Buck," said Sim, as he picked up
his axe; "but I can chop as well as the best on 'em. If you'll tell me
what to do, I'll go into it like a hund'ed of bricks."
"You won't need your axe yet," I replied, assured there would be no
difference of opinion in regard to the manner of constructing the raft,
for my companion had few ideas of his own. "We must build the raft on
the stream."
I selected two logs from the pile, thirty feet in length, attached one
of the lines to each of them, and hauled them out of the pile of lumber,
though not till after we had secured the boards, slabs, and other
smaller pieces. We placed them side by side over the deep water. I then
nailed each end of a couple of slabs to the inner log, at the two
extremities of it. We next rolled the outer log away from the other
until the two were ten feet apart, and the other end of the slab was
nailed to it, thus forming the shape of the raft--thirty feet long, and
ten feet wide.
"Now, Sim, we want another log thirty feet long," I continued, when the
work was laid out.
"I see it," replied Sim; and, in his eagerness to be useful, I was
fearful he would tumble into the river, for he was rather clumsy in his
movements.
I cut one of the lines in two, and carefully secured the frame to the
trees on shore, using the other line to float the logs down to the
structure. There was only one other stick in the heap that was thirty
feet in length, and we pushed this under the cross slabs, and nailed it
half way between the two. For the rest of the groundwork of the raft we
were obliged to use shorter sticks; but we made a solid platform of
large logs.
"Now, Sim, bring on your slabs, ten feet long," said I, as I took my
hatchet and nails.
"I'll fetch 'em as fast as you can nail 'em on," replied my willing
assistant.
"Take this pole as a measure, and cut them off the right length. You
can try your axe now," I added, throwing him a stick I had cut the width
of the raft.
He kept me well supplied with materials, until I had covered the logs
with slabs, nailing them down to each stick. By this time I had used up
all my nails, and it was nearly the supper hour. I did not like to leave
the work in which I was so much interested, but I had to go for the
mail; and I wished to do so on the present occasion, in order to make
some purchases in Riverport for the enterprise.
"I must go now, Sim," I said to my fellow-laborer.
"Hookie! You ain't a-goin' to stop work so soon--are you?" demanded he,
with an aggrieved look.
"I must."
"But I want to do something more."
"You may cut up those small logs into pieces ten feet in length. They
are to be placed crosswise on the raft, to keep us well up out of the
water."
"I'll do it; and I'll have 'em all ready when you come down in the
morning."
"Where are you going to sleep to-night, Sim?" I asked.
"I don't know--in somebody's barn," replied he with a grin, which made
me feel that his lodging did not disturb him.
"You can sleep in our barn, if you like. No one goes into it very often,
except myself."
"Thank ye, Buck. I always knowed you'd help me, and that was what I
wanted to see you for."
"Have you anything left for supper?"
"Plenty, Buck. I couldn't eat all you gave me this forenoon."
"I will bring you a good supply in the morning."
I left him, and hastened back to the house. My tyrants had been so busy
in entertaining their distinguished guest that they probably had not
thought of me. The squire was in the parlor with Mrs. Fishley, who was
as lovely as a summer day. She had company, and I was safe enough as
long as the senator remained. My woes would come as soon as he departed;
but I hoped to have the raft ready for a movement by that time.
Supper was not on the table, and I went into the store to see if the
mail was ready. Mr. Barkspear was there, engaged in telling Captain
Fishley that his good-for-nothing "help" had run away and left him.
"Hev you seen anything of Sim Gwynn?" said Mr. Barkspear, turning to me
as I entered the store.
That was a hard question, and I decided not to pay any attention to it.
I asked Ham if the mail was ready to go, and was hastening out to the
barn to harness Darky, when Captain Fishley called me back.
"Are you deaf, Buck?" demanded he, sharply, and with that ugly look he
had worn since our troubles began.
"Not much," I replied.
"Mr. Barkspear asked you if you had seen Sim Gwynn. Why don't you answer
him?"
"I would rather not answer him," I replied; for, whatever other faults I
had, I felt above lying and stealing.
"That means, I s'pose, that you have seen him," added Barkspear, in that
peculiar whining tone which always indicates a mean, stingy man.
I made no reply, for I had no idea of betraying Sim, on the one hand, or
of lying, on the other.
"Why don't you speak, Buck?" growled the captain.
"I have seen him, and he has run away. That's all I have to say about
it."
"I didn't think your boy would try to kiver him up. Sim hadn't any
business to run away, jest when he was gittin' big enough to be some
help to me about the farm."
"I would have run away if I had been in his place," I ventured to
remark, perhaps foolishly, for I could not bear to see Barkspear
assuming to be an injured man, when his own meanness had driven poor Sim
from his home.
"I allus took care on him, and sent him to school every winter, when
there warn't much to do; and it's shameful for him to treat me so. He
hain't got no gratitude in him."
"Did you have any trouble with him?" asked the captain.
"Well, we did hev a little yesterday mornin'. He stole some things out
of the house, and I licked him for't," replied Barkspear, rather
sheepishly.
"He ought to be licked if he stole," said Captain Fishley, glancing
sternly at me; "or if he didn't behave himself, and be respectful to his
employers."
"What did he steal, Mr. Barkspear?" I asked, indignantly.
"Well, he stole some things out of the buttery."
"Yes, sir! That's just what he stole--something to eat! He didn't have
breakfast enough to keep his stomach from grumbling, and he stole a
piece of boiled pork and some cold potatoes."
"That boy eats more'n enough for four men!" exclaimed Barkspear, in
disgust.
"No matter if he does; he ought not to be starved. In this house we have
enough to eat, and that which is first rate too. When Sim told me he
didn't get enough to eat, I pitied him, for I'm not used to such
things."
Captain Fishley almost smiled at this "first-rate notice" of the fare at
his house; and my judicious commendation saved me any more hard
questions from him.
"When boys are growing, they feed pretty strong," added the captain, now
entirely non-committal.
"Sim was half starved, and I gave him some of the good things from our
buttery; and I don't think anybody here will say I stole them. They
don't call it stealing when any one takes something to eat, either for
himself or to give to some one that's hungry."
Captain Fishley looked benevolent and magnanimous, but he did not say
anything. He took credit to himself for the state of things I explained.
"Sim has run away, and if you want to know where he has gone, you must
ask some one besides me," I added.
"There! that will do," interposed the captain, sternly. "You may go and
harness the horse."
While I was hitching Darky to the post, I saw Barkspear leave the store,
and I do not think he obtained much sympathy from Captain Fishley. I
wish I could have spoken as highly of the Christian love and kindness of
his house as I had of its hospitality and good fare. We had an extra
nice supper that evening, out of respect to the distinguished guest.
Everything was pleasant at the table, and Mrs. Fishley seemed to be the
loveliest woman in the world. I am afraid there are a great many
families that appear better before company than at other times.
When I was getting into the wagon to go to Riverport with the mail,
Squire Fishley presented himself, and said he would ride a little way
with me, and walk back. He seated himself by my side, and I drove off. I
was glad he was only going a short distance, for his presence would have
interfered with my operations in procuring supplies for the raft. But I
was glad to see him alone, for I wished to ask him whether the whole
forty-six dollars he had given me was intended for me. If it was a
mistake, I did not desire to take advantage of it, though the loss of
the money would defeat my enterprise with the raft.