THE PLANTER AND HIS FAMILY.
I was quite exhausted after my efforts and the strain put upon me, and
I was in no humor even to be praised. Some of the negroes our boats
picked up on planks and on their toppling houses might have been
drowned; but I did not believe the people in the mansion-houses were in
any great danger. However, I had never seen an inundation before, and I
may have been mistaken. My father was one of the first to visit me in
the pilot-house.
"You have done well, Alick," said he; and that was all he did say, for
he was not given to praising any one beyond his desert. "What are you
going to do with all these people?"
"We can land them, or put them on board of one of the steamers here," I
replied; and I had not thought of the matter before.
"Mrs. Shepard is very nervous indeed, and is anxious to get away from
this place," continued my father.
"The Islander might have gone on," I suggested.
"We could not leave until assured that you did not need the assistance
of the other steamer. We were about to send a line to you and attach it
to one of the steamers. The only trouble was to get a line long enough
and strong enough."
While we were talking Colonel Hungerford came into the pilot-house. I
introduced him to my father, and the planter indulged in more praise
which I do not care to repeat. He informed me that he had chartered one
of the river steamers to take his servants and those of the other
planters down to Carrollton, a few miles below.
"I am now going on board of another steamer to inquire if she is bound
up the river, for I have concluded to visit my brother at Baton Rouge.
But I suppose my mansion will not be fit to live in for some weeks to
come, if ever. I desire to know your address, Captain Alick,--excuse
me, but that is what I hear others call you,--that I may communicate
with you at some future time."
"Quite unnecessary," said my father, with a smile, as though he
suspected the object of the inquiry.
"But I desire to express my sense of obligation to your son for the
great service he has rendered me and my family," persisted the planter.
"You have done that already, sir, to my entire satisfaction," I added.
"You are very strange people, not to allow me to do something."
"We are decidedly averse to having anything done," replied my father,
laughing, not because anything was funny, but to prevent the southern
gentleman from taking offence at what he said. "My son owns and
commands this yacht, and I dare say he will be glad to have you take
passage in his steamer to Baton Rouge, or any other point on the river
in our route."
"I shall be most happy to accept your very kind invitation," replied
Colonel Hungerford, promptly.
By this time the steamer he had engaged to take his "people," as he
called them, like one of the patriarchs of old, came alongside. The
four planters had a consultation, as to what disposition should be made
of the servants, and the business manager of one of them was appointed
to take the entire charge of the party. The other planters were going
to New Orleans, and the same steamer was to convey them there.
In less than half an hour the boat started, and we restored things to
their former condition on board of the Sylvania and Islander. We lashed
boats again, and restored the bridge from one vessel to the other. All
hands were employed in cleaning up the Sylvania; and I asked Captain
Blastblow not to allow any of his passengers or crew to come on board
till this had been done. He complied with my request, and sent all his
crew on board to help.
We did not get under way until this was done, as Moses wanted to
overhaul the engine a little, for he declared that such a wrenching as
he had given the machine was enough to start half the nuts and bolts.
My father remained in the pilot-house talking with the planter. But the
subject of their conversation was the inundation. I lay upon the sofa,
resting myself, and rather dreading to meet the people on board the
Islander, for I had been praised enough, and this sort of thing was
becoming more embarrassing. As the hands were drowning the decks again,
Washburn brought the family of Colonel Hungerford into the pilot-house,
which was about the only place for them, unless they went into the
cabin.
The planter introduced his wife, son and daughter to my father and
myself. In the daughter I saw a very beautiful young lady; the son was
very affable and pleasant, and the father and mother were not less so.
All of them began to express their obligations to me, and I replied as
cheerfully as I could.
"We shall have a very pleasant party up to Baton Rouge, Colonel
Hungerford," I ventured to say, in order to turn the current of the
conversation.
"It's no use, Blanche," said the colonel to his daughter, who had been
the last to speak. "Captain Alick won't let you speak of any
obligation, and he won't even give me his address."
"I don't think he has any address in particular at present," interposed
my father, "unless it be on the high seas or the Great Lakes. I have
not yet made a home in America, as I intend to do. When we have one, we
shall be very glad to have you discharge whatever sense of obligation
you may feel by making us a visit; and we shall judge of the depth of
the obligation by the length of the visit."
"Upon my word, that would be an odd way to discharge an obligation; and
we should be obliged to stay with you all the year round," replied the
planter.
The young lady had snapping black eyes; and I saw that she wanted to
say something, but was restrained by the newness of the acquaintance.
"If we had got out on the river half an hour sooner, we might have
saved imposing ourselves upon your hospitality, for a large steamer
went up then," said Colonel Hungerford. "She stopped a little while at
the crevasse, I am told, but finding she could do no good, she went
on."
"I am glad she did, as otherwise she would have cheated us out of your
pleasant company," replied my father.
"You are very kind, Major Garningham," replied the colonel. "I confess
I am greatly interested in your steamer, for I never have seen one like
it before that I can remember."
Washburn reported that the engine was in order, and that the cleaning
process was finished. I directed the pilot to blow his whistle and go
ahead. In a few minutes we were again stemming the tide of the
Mississippi. The crowd on the levees and the steamers honored us with a
series of rousing cheers, to which the pilot replied with the steam
whistle.
As soon as we were fairly out of the vicinity of the late exciting
scene, the passengers of the Islander, including Mrs. Shepard, came on
board. They were all presented to the planter and his family, and of
course there was a great deal to say about the inundation, including
the details of the escape of the people on the knoll. I found that the
party were soon the best of friends, and I went into my room to lie
down. I was so tired that I dropped asleep.
I was awakened by Captain Blastblow coming into my room. He seemed to
be considerably excited; but I was sure he would not be where he was if
any accident had happened to either steamer.
"Sorry to disturb you, Captain Alick, but this has been a very exciting
time; and while we were all so busy, your two prisoners have taken to
themselves legs or wings, and cleared out," said he, with a lugubrious
gaze at me, as I sat upon the bed.
"Cleared out!" I exclaimed. "Where have they gone?"
"That's what bothers me. I kept my eye on them for a good while, but
they behaved so well that I soon forgot all about them as we became so
absorbed in the fate of the Sylvania," replied the captain, blankly. "I
know I ought to have kept an eye on them to the end, and I am to blame.
But it wasn't quite human to mind much about those rascals when we
expected every minute to see your steamer fall back and be swamped. I
had both boats ready to drop into the water."
"Gone, have they?" I repeated. "Haven't you any idea where they went?
Your steamer was not near the levee, and they would not have gone
ashore there, if it had been."
"I can only guess where they went. Not long before you got out of that
hole, a large passenger steamer came alongside, and held on at our
bowsprit-bitts awhile. She kept her wheels working all the time, while
I was telling the captain what had happened. I am inclined to think
that Cornwood and Boomsby stepped on board of her before she left. I
found just now that their baggage was gone; and they could easily have
got it out of the fore-cabin while I was talking to the captain. I am
sorry for it, and if it hadn't been for that break, and your running
into that hole, it would not have happened."
"How far ahead of us is that steamer?" I asked.
"She must be all of two hours ahead," replied Captain Blastblow.
"I am sorry we have lost them, but it can't be helped," I added, as I
led the way out into the pilot-house where the passengers were
assembled. I told my father of the escape of the robbers, and asked him
if the money was still safe, meaning the four thousand dollars.
"It must be, for it was in my trunk in the Sylvania all the time you
were inside of the levee," replied he. "But I will make sure of it." He
went down into the after cabin, and returned with the intelligence that
it was where he had put it. This was some relief; and we dropped the
matter because we could not do anything about the escape of the
rascals. I felt rather cheap about the matter, because I had not
delivered them to the police at New Orleans.
While I was asleep, my father and Mr. Tiffany had directed Cobbington
to remove their portmanteaus, as they called their trunks, from the
grand state-rooms. They reported to me, and I assigned one of them to
the planter and his wife, and the other to Miss Blanche. They were
delighted with the apartments. Owen insisted upon giving up his room to
Mr. Tiffany; and there were berths enough for my father and my cousin.
Our cabin was about full again.
I saw that my father was very much pleased with the planter and his
family; and I think one might have gone all over the country to find
people more agreeable.
Supper was ready by the time the passengers had taken possession of
their rooms and berths. I took the captain's place in the cabin for
this occasion, though I often did so while we were in the river and the
Sylvania was in charge of the pilot. Colonel Hungerford sat next to me
on one side, and I told him all about the robbery of the bank
messenger, and the escape of our prisoners.
He thought it very probable that they had taken the steamer bound up
the river.
"Donaldsonville is the next town of any importance; and there we can
telegraph to some place ahead of the steamer, and have the robbers
detained by the police. Does any one remember the name of the steamer?"
asked the colonel.
Miss Margie Tiffany remembered that it was the Queen of the South. Owen
was so reckless as to say he was glad the prisoners had got away, and
he hoped they would succeed in eluding the police. We were yachting on
the Mississippi, and we could not bother with arresting and holding
prisoners. We had the money they had stolen, and that was enough.
"We may find the Queen of the South at Donaldsonville when we get
there," continued Colonel Hungerford. "It is seventy-four miles from
St. Charles, which is the nearest post-office to my plantation. When
shall we get there?"
"Not until early in the morning," I replied. "We can't get along very
fast against this current."
"The Queen may be there, as she will arrive in the night, waiting for
freight or passengers," replied the planter. "If you will allow me, I
will take charge of the apprehension of those men, for I think I shall
understand it better than you, as I have had considerable experience in
such cases."
Colonel Hungerford looked slyly at his wife and daughter. I could not
understand the meaning of his expressive communication; but I was
entirely willing he should cause the arrest of the fugitives.