Beadle's Dime Library No. 247 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ST eng gp Se a oo => i = . ee down his rifle while his face assumed a puzzled expression, ‘‘ I admits that, sab.” ‘Then the fust proposition am proved to the complete satisfaction of the court,” said Jake, triumphantly. ‘‘ Now, sah, lax you, sah, what is your rank in that regiment, sah?’ «Tis fust private in the cullah comp’ny, sah,” responded Gardner proudly, ‘‘and we nebber had a man leave them cullahs till he was carried off, feet fust.” Jake took off his hat and waved it ina gran- diloquent and courteous manner, ‘Very good, sah. I admit that the cullah comp’ny of the hundred and fust Texas is a good comp’ny as comp’nies go. I b’long to the seniah comp’ny of the regiment, sah, You admits that, sab?” “Sartinly, sah; Cappen Pink’s boys was al- lers reckoned mighty good yellers in a chaiage, sah.” “Very good, sah. Now, sab, you please tell me, sah, how many men there is in the cullah comp’ny of the hunner and fust Texas?” Gardner hesitated a moment and his gray face flushed slightly. ‘“You must remember, sah,” he said, ‘‘ that the cappen hez gone to the Ca’linas recruitin’, and he hain’t got back yet. _ We ’specks to be all full when he gits back. In the mean time, sab, I has to carry the cullahs, and dress on the nex’ man,” ‘*‘ And you has no offisahs present?’ demanded Jake, in the same inquisitorial way. ‘“‘No, sah,” returned Gardner. ‘You is awaiah, sah, that the offisabs, all but Cappen Rutledge of the cullah comp’ny, was killed, sah, No, sah, the sahgent-majab, acting—which the same it is Cawp’l Stone of the fil? comp’ny—he do all the ordahs on the dress parades, sah,” Jake listened till be had finished, and then, with a very triumphant air, exclaimed: ‘Then my p’sish’n prove, sab. Don’t you see?’ Jackson stared stupidly, **No, I don’t, sah.” “Why, sah, you is on’y a privit, sah, end Lis anudder privit, sah, and the hull regiment is jest five men, sah, all told, and the seniah offisah present is a cawp’l, sah, so that between you and me, sab, you ain’t no call to ordah me, nor I to ordah you, and neider has any call to ’bey the oder’s orders. You see, sah?’ Jackson Gardner rested a slow, ox-like gaze on Jake, and it seemed a full minute before he apprehended what the other evidently thought a very brilliant joke. Then a slow smile illuminated his features, and he began to laugh, at first hesitatingly but, as be proceeded with more assurance, till he roared out loud, and fell back in his boat, crying: ‘ Well, Iswow to grashus! Ef you ain’t the durndest cuss to make fun I ever see’d. I thort you was a-talkin’ treasin.” ‘* Preasin?’ echoed Jake, scornfully. ‘ Not I, ole man. We’uns has fit in too many scrim- mages together to think of that. Got any backer?’ ‘‘ Home made,” responded Gardner, reaching into a pocket in his brown clothes and bringing out a twist, which he handed toJake. ‘Say, ain’t it bout time fur the gineral to go off arter the stores, Jake?”, ‘*Reckon it is. We’s gittin’ outer ammuni- tion, and a right smart heap o’ things.” _ ‘‘Waal, I ain’t gwine on the expedition, I hear. We-uns of the hunner and fust stays to hum for gyard. Whats the orders, Jake?” ‘‘Same as allers. Keep yer eyes skinned, and don’t let no Yanks git past byar. If they does, lug ’em, and fire all ye kin, to rouse the boys n the barrick.” — Gardner immediately took his oars, rested his gun between his knees, and remarked: ‘Waal, then, I’m gwine to patrol a bit.” ‘Patrol away,” remarked Jake in answer. ‘“Ye won't see nothin’, Who in blazesis gwine to come byar, ’less he’s like us, the tail end of the Confed’recy on detached sahvice. Reck’n the Yanks has got sicker tryin’, sense we whip- ped ’em so bad. Good-by.” ‘Good-by,” replied his friend, and then they rted, Jake rowing away toward one of the lands, while Gardner pursued his path out of the opening in the cedar swamp to the flooded Everglade outside, Julian looked all round himself, and saw that he was completely screened by the gray curtain oe moss that hung down to the water all round m. He remained quite still till he beard the rumble of distant oars telling that Gardner was on his patrol at some distance, and then he red out between the moss to look after him as he went. He saw the honest member of the “ hunner and fust Texas” rowing along the edge of the cedar bush, and wondered whether the man had found any suspicious trail. He saw Gardner row near the t and heard, to his surprise, a general caterwauling of the panthers, while Gardner answered them with loud hails, and appeared to be talking to them as if they were tame, and he were well uainted with them. hen he saw him row directly under one of the trees, and begin to throw pieces of meat to | the Alligator Ike. nthers, at which there wasa louder cater. wauling than ever, and one of the beasts leaped down into the dug-out. Julian started, expecting to see the man torn to pieces, but instead of that the beast picked up a piece of meat. from the inside of the boat, and instantly leaped into the water and swam away, like a cat detected in stealing. Then he beard Gardner soout fiercely: ‘*Scat! Scat! ye ornary brown cusses, d’ye want to steal yer wittles?. Scat!” With that he seized his oars and rowed off, scolding the brutes just as if they were tame cats, Julian was astounded, This explained the boldness of the panther in following him from tree to tree, ‘he brute was accustomed to being fed by a manina boat and thought Julian bad brought it a ration of meat according to practice, But he was very curious to see what would follow Gardner’s patrol, and where it would terminate. Very slowly he glided among the cypress trunks, so as to command a view of the rower, and saw that be was turning to come back. This of course brought Gardner's back to him and he seized the opportunity to paddle to another covered space, which commanded a view of the great inner lake and the smoke, while it was entirely hidden from view by the gray-moss curtain. Then he ensconced his canoe, and listened to the sound of the oars, while be watched the sun set, close to the mysterious smoke, Hoe bad made up his mind what to do. He would wait till night, then cover his canoe with moss to hide its whiteness, and explore the mystery before him, What it was, he could not clearly divine. That it was connected in some way with the defunct Southern Confederacy he felt sure; but in what way he knew not. The men he bad seen, seemed to imagine that the Confederecy was still in existence, and talk- ed of some officer as being absent on recruiting service in the Carolinas, What could it all mean? Before be bad settled the point to his own satisfaction, he heard the rumble of the oars in Gardner’s dug-out, and the worthy mem- ber of the “*hunner and fust” passed by him, not twenty feet away, scanning the cedar brush and moss, For a moment Julian thought he was to be discovered, and he softly picked up his rifle, but Gardner passed on several hundred yards, and he saw him returning, just as the twilight advanced. The man ceased pulling when he got to the opening in the belt, took in bis oars, and Julian heard the splash of the anchor as he fastened his canoe. Then Gardner rigged a long fish pole, and tranquilly began to fish, with bis face toward Julian, an occupation he continued till dark- ness and the full moon strove together for the mastery. For some time Julian did not dare to move from his covert. The moon had spoiled all his calculations of stealing away. He watehed the fisherman attentively, and noted that Gardner seemed to have very good luck, for he caught many fish. As the night wore on a slight current set in, which swung the boat slowly round till the sentry’s back was toward him, and then Julian backed slowly out through the trees into the Everglade, keeping the curtain of moss between him and Gardner. Then be swept down the belt a little way, cut down a quantity of gray moss, and draped it over his canoe, bow and stern, letting it trail in the water. He muffled the blade of his paddle with a sleeve of his flannel shirt, which he tore off for the purpose, and then swept into the midst of the cedar swamp, about a quarter of a mile below where the guard was stationed. This was an easy matter in the overflowed state of the Everglade, and he soon saw the open water ahead, Then with slow strokes of his paddle, and peeeeng his body down near the level of the deck, he stole out into the open water, silent as a ghost. He kept his face turned toward Gardner, and saw that the sentry was out in the full flood of moonlight, his back turned toward the canoe, seirip was still in shadow, busily engaged in shing. He had no difficulty in increasing his distance pene in the shadow of the cedar swamp, an in this way he coasted away to the north till he was nearly a mile from the boat, which was almost invisible. Then he took a survey of the lake, and swept slowly toward an island he saw at a little dis- tance, which offered a shelter. Three minutes later he saw the reflection of the orange groves on the coquina bluff just before the bows of the canoe, and put the island between him and the sentry. _ Now he sat a little more upright, and made a little better progrens, keeping a wary eye ahead and on either side. —_—— -_-————_- --_ -_ a — ee Y ‘ ee ee ee oe He was close under the shadow of one island, saw another about half a mile away to the north, on which there seemed to be a house but he was set on investigating the smoke ahead of him before he did anything else in the way of exploration, Now that the sun was down, he saw flashes of light cast on the dark cloud from below, at in- tervals, which confirmed him in his idea that it must be a volcano, though he had never heard of a voleano in the Everglades of Florida, and could not believe it to be a common volcano, Slowly and cautiously he circumnavigated the island, and as he came to the side next to the smoke, he perceived with surprise and some apprehension that a figure was moving up and down on the beach beside a tall pole. Instantly he ceased paddling and sunk down into his canoe as before, watching the moving figure closely. He soon ascertained that it was a man with a gun on his shoulder, walking up and down by a flag-staff as a sentry, with a white house at the foot of the bluff behind him, In the windows of the house burned more than one light, and Julian could see figures moving about. The sentry, whoever he was, had not seen the canoe, which had not yet got into the moon- light, and Julian leaned over the side awa from the land, and began to paddle softly wit his open hand, so as to steal away from the place, Presently he heard a voice singing, and the sound of some instrument in the house, The air was a familiar one, sad and plaintive, and it was sung by a female voice of great sweetness, He looked toward the house and saw a female figure by one of the lighted windows seated by a harp, as it Oe he at that distance, while a man was standing near her. And the man wore some sort of uniform, for Julian caught the gleam of buttons and a belt- plate. There was something in the sound of the girl’s voice that impressed Julian in a way he had never felt before. Hitherto he had been a young man fond of all sorts of athletic exercise, a hunter, a rower, rider, bicycler and so forth, not very fond of ladies’ society, and never actually in love. Perhaps it was the position in which he found himself, his dangerous but romantic surround- ings, that caused such a sudden flood of emo- tion to sweep over bim; but at that moment he felt as if he would have given anything in the world to speak to the girl, who was singing, though he could only see the outline of her form atacouple of hundred yards off, and her fea- tures were impossible to be distinguished. He saw she had fair hair, and dressed in white, and tbat the man by her side was young and slender in figure, so that he forthwith be- gan to hate the young man, and say to himself: ‘*T'd like to get you out in a quiet place with no one tointerfere, my friend, and I’d tan your hide for you.” Though, a moment later, he smiled to think that it was no earthly business of his to do any- thing of the sort. While he looked, he heard the girl close her song with the refrain: “Maryland! my Maryland!” Then he remembered what it was: “Why, that’s an old Confederate song,” he thought. ‘“ What sort of a place is this I’ve got into? Are the peopleall crazy?” He thought so a moment later, when the girl began to sing another song, with a wild, spirit- stirring air, in which he caught the words; “Hurrah for the bonny blue flag, That wears the silver stars,” ‘“That’s one, certainly,” he thought. ‘‘ Ive heard my father say so. But what does it all mean?” Before he could determine, he found the view vanishing, and realized that a cnrrent was sweeping him past the house, CHAPTER XX, BROTHER AND SISTER. JULIAN’s view through the open window had been intercepted by the trunk of a large tree that grew down near the water’s edge, and he lifted his head, discovering that the tree was loaded with gray moss and would constitute a complete shade for him, Overjoyed by this, he made the best of his way toward it, paddling with one hand, and finally found himself under its shade and able to draw his canoe under the shelter of the moss in silence. Then he entered into the dark cavern of shade formed by the tree, and speedily mada the discovery that his canoe was not alone, v-e-—" Two canoes, dug-outs, smoothly finished to the . toucb, lay there, moored to the trunk of the’ tree, and Julian realized that the place wa; used as a boat-house by the inhabitant. of the isl- and. The discovery made him very ca, tious, for he knew, from the fury with which the attack on the light-house had been conducted, rhat he was in the presence of desperate meu, who would not hesitate to kill him on sight. “~ . 4 7 Eomicboo (C S) : : »)