THE FUGITIVES REACH LAKE CHICOT.
The Isabel moved steadily through the waters of the wide bayou, bearing
her precious freight farther and farther from the plantation. With every
mile she advanced, the hopes of the fugitives grew stronger. Though
Dandy alone knew the route by which they were to reach the land of
freedom, they were conscious that any white man whom they might meet
would arrest them as runaways. Before they could pass out of the limits
of the state, they must go in sight of many plantations, where they were
liable to be seen, and even near two or three villages.
In spite of the perils which the future had in store for them, the party
were quite cheerful. Even Lily, gentle and timid as she was, soon became
accustomed to the novel situation in which she was placed, and ceased
to dread the pursuing footsteps of the slave-hunters.
"Do you think we shall escape, Dandy?" asked she, as she seated herself
by the side of her friend.
"I expect we shall," replied he, unwilling to kindle too strong a hope
in the mind of the girl. "If we manage well, we have a good chance."
"I hope we shall, for master would certainly sell us all if we should be
caught."
"Dat ud be wus as staying wid Massa Kun'l," added Cyd. "But I s'pect we
won't be caught, Massa Dandy."
"Why do you call me master, Cyd?"
"Dis chile tink you cutting it rader fat."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You'se tell me do dis, and, Cyd, do dat,--jes as dough dis nigger no
account at all."
"I am in command of the boat; and it was my duty to get her under way.
When I told you to do any thing, you began to ask questions."
"Dis nigger's free now," replied Cyd, with becoming dignity.
"Not yet, Cyd. We may be caught at any moment."
"Gossifus! I tought I was free now."
"What made you think so?"
"We done runned away from Massa Kun'l."
"He may catch you again."
"De Kun'l ain't here, no how, Dandy; 'pose I neber see him any more, and
he neber see me any more, who's my massa den?"
"When you get into a free country, you will be free."
"But who's my massa now? Dat's what dis chile want to know for sartin."
"You have no master."
"Den I'se free," exclaimed Cyd, exhibiting his ivories, which the gloom
of the night, increased by the deep shadows of the tall trees, was
powerless to conceal. "I tell you, I'se a free nigger."
Cyd commenced a most violent demonstration of satisfaction as he
contemplated his new social position. He laughed, kicked with his heels,
sang and danced. He felt that he had got the best of the argument, and
this was no small ground of rejoicing.
"Suppose you should be caught?"
"Den I be Massa Kun'l's boy again."
"But why did you call me Massa Dandy?"
"Kase you order me round jes like Massa Kun'l, and de white folks. Dis
chile begin to tink he's your nigger."
"You are just as good as I am."
"Yes, sar; Cyd knows all about dat. You tell me to git de row boat; den
to git de wherry; and when I ask what for, you tell me to mind my own
business, and not ask queshuns."
"It was because we had no time to spare," replied Dandy, whose feelings
were injured by the charge of his sable companion.
"Dat may be; but you speak to me jes like de white folks."
"I didn't mean to do or say any thing that would make me seem like a
master, for I hate the very sound of the word."
"Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, gratified by this acknowledgment. "I done
tink you meant to be my massa, jes like de kun'l. If dis chile jes as
good you be, Cyd can't see why you don't tell what you do dese tings
for."
"I am willing to tell you what I did these things for, now that I have
time to do so. But, Cyd, I will change places with you."
"Possifus! What fur?"
"You shall command the boat, and I will obey all your orders without
asking a single question."
"What, Cyd?"
"Yes, Cyd," replied Dandy, earnestly. "Here, take the helm!"
"Gossifus! I dunno whar you're gwine."
"Very well; I will give you my map of the country, and you shall find
the way for yourself, as I shall have to do."
"What you gib me?"
"The map."
"What's dat?"
"Here it is," replied Dandy, giving him a small pocket map of the State
of Louisiana, of which he had possessed himself a few days before the
departure.
Cyd took the map, turned it over two or three times, and could not make
out its use. Lily and Dandy both enjoyed his confusion, for it was a
great puzzle to him to know how they were to find their way through the
swamp by the aid of this little book, as he called it. A lantern was
lighted, and Lily unfolded the map, and spread it out upon one of the
berths.
"Mossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, when he had carefully examined the map, and
the lantern was prudently extinguished. "I don't see what dis paper
fur."
"It's all I have to guide me to the ocean, after we have passed Chicot.
Now, if you will take the map, and command the boat, I will obey you in
all things."
"Golly! I don't see what good de paper's fur. I kin foller de norf
star."
"But we are going to the south."
"I tink I will stay where I is, and you shall command de boat."
"Then you must mind me at once. Our very lives may depend upon your
prompt obedience."
"I will, Dandy."
"Free men have to obey, as well as slaves. On board a ship, every body
obeys the captain."
"What's use ob bein free, den?"
"The captain of the ship can't sell the sailor, nor separate him from
his wife and children. The man is paid for what he does, and when his
voyage is up he may go where he pleases."
"I knows all about it now, Dandy."
"I don't want to be called Dandy any more. My name is Daniel, but you
may call me Dan for short."
"Possifus! Den's what's my name? I'se free too, and I wan't my name
changed."
"Your name is Thucydides."
"Tucydimes!"
"No, Thucydides," laughed Dan--for we will adopt his suggestion, and
call him no longer by his plantation name.
"Hossifus! Hab to git up afore breakfast to speak dat word in season for
dinner," chuckled Cyd.
"You are called Cyd for short, as I am Dan. There is nothing bad about
the word."
"It's a very good name, Cyd," added Lily.
"Goshus! If you say so, Missy Lily, it's all right. If it suits de fair
seck, it suits me," said Cyd, shaking his fat sides with satisfaction.
"Dis chile don't keer what you calls him, if you only calls him to
supper."
"Now, Cyd, I will answer the questions you asked when we were getting
under way."
"Yes, what ye got all dem boats draggin arter us fur?"
"Don't you see the reason, Cyd?"
The boy scratched his head, but he could not see. As we have before
observed, he had not been in the habit of doing his own thinking, and,
consequently, he was not skilled in reasoning from effect to cause.
"Suppose we had left the boats, Cyd," added Dan.
"Den we shouldn't hab em wid us, keepin de boat back."
"At six o'clock in the morning, Colonel Raybone will be ready to start
on his trip. He will go down to the pier, and expect to find us all
there."
"Gossifus! we shan't be dar!" exclaimed Cyd, whose imagination was
lively enough to enable him to picture the scene that would ensue.
"What then, Cyd?"
"Golly! Massa Kun'l up and rave like he neber did afore," replied Cyd,
who appeared to enjoy the idea.
"Well, what then?"
"Dunno. He can't help hisself," chuckled Cyd.
"Suppose we had left the boats?"
"Mossifus! He tell four stout boys to git in de club-boat, and streak it
down de riber like an alligator arter a possum. Yah! ha, ha!" roared
Cyd, holding on to his sides.
"Do you see why I have taken all the boats?"
"Yes, Dandy--Dan; I sees into it jes like a millstone. You'se got a long
head, Dan. But what ye gwine to do wid de paint?"
"We shall live in the swamp till the colonel has done looking for us.
This boat is white now, and we will paint her green, so that she can't
be seen so easily."
"Dat's good, Dan; but de kun'l won't stop lookin fur us till he finds
out something."
"I mean that he shall find out something. He will suppose that we have
gone to the north. He will never suspect that we have come this way.
Here we are," said Dan, suddenly rising in the boat, as she came to a
narrow opening on the southerly bank of the river.
Running the boat up to the bank of the bayou, he ordered Cyd to make her
fast to a tree on the shore.
"What's gwine to be done now, Dan?" asked Cyd, when he had obeyed the
order.
"We shall follow the big river no farther. Now, I want to make Master
Raybone think we have gone up that way, which leads to the Mississippi.
I left some papers in my room, which will convince him that I intended
to go that way. Now, Lily, we must leave you for a little while," added
Dan, as he drew the bateau alongside. "We will not be gone more than an
hour."
Dan and Cyd got into the bateau, and towed the other boats about two
miles up the river, where they secured them in such a position that they
seemed to be abandoned. When the search for them was made, these boats
would be found two miles from the course the fugitives had actually
taken. They then pulled back to the Isabel, and got under way again.
Their course was now changed, and the boat passed down the narrow
cut-off, which soon widened into a broad stream. The wind, which had
been quite fresh when they started, had now subsided to a gentle breeze;
but as the country was more open than on the Big River, as it was
called, they still moved along at the rate of three or four miles an
hour.
At five o'clock in the morning--Dan had a silver watch which had been
presented to him by Master Archy--they reached the entrance of Lake
Chicot. It was about daylight, and as there was a plantation on the
western bank, it was not deemed prudent to proceed any farther, for if
the boat was seen, it would at once be recognized as that of Colonel
Raybone.
The westerly side of the lake was low, swampy ground, covered with a
thick growth of trees and an undergrowth of cane. The skipper of the
Isabel ran along this shore till he found a stream flowing into the
lake. Hauling up the centre board, he ran his craft into this creek. As
the sails would not draw, being sheltered by the trees and cane, the two
boys worked the boat up the stream with their oars till she was
completely concealed from the opposite shore, or from the lake, if any
boat should happen to pass during the day.
Here the careful skipper intended to lie until the friendly shades of
another night should permit them to proceed on the voyage to a more
secure haven.