Big Brother: A Story of Indian War

by George Cary Eggleston

  CHAPTER IV.

  SAM FINDS IT NECESSARY TO THINK.

  It was twelve miles from their first encampment to Fort Glass, and ifSam had been strong and well, and the way open, they might easily havemade the journey before morning, by carrying little Judie a part of theway. As it was, they had to go through the thickest woods to avoidIndians, and must move cautiously all the time, as they could never knowwhen they might stumble upon a party of savages around a camp-fire, orsleeping under a tree. Those of my readers who live in the far Southknow what thick woods are in that part of the country, but others maynot. The trees grow as close together as they can, and the underbrushchokes up the space between them pretty effectually. Then the greatvines of various kinds wind themselves in and out until in many placesthey literally stop the way so that a strong man with an axe could notgo forward a hundred feet in a week. In other places the thick canemakes an equally impenetrable barrier, and Sam needed all his knowledgeof the forest to enable him to work his way southward at night throughsuch woods as those. The little party of wanderers sometimes foundthemselves apparently walled in in the pitchy darkness, with no possibleway out but Sam's instinct, as he called it, which was simply hisability to remember the things he had learned, and to put two factstogether to find out a third, always extricated them. Once they foundthemselves in a swamp, where the water was about eight inches deep. Theunderbrush, canes and vines made it impossible for them to see any greatdistance in any direction.

  "Oh, I know we will never get out of here," whined poor little Judie,ready to sink down in the water.

  "Yes we will, lady bird," said Sam cheerily. "What's the good of havinga big brother if he can't take care of you? Tell me that, will you?Keep your courage up, little girl, I think I know where we are. Let methink."

  "I know wha' we is. Mas' Sam," said Joe.

  "Where, Joe," asked Sam, incredulously.

  "We'se dun' los',--dat's wha' we is," replied Joe.

  Sam laughed.

  "I know more than that," said Tom, "I know _where_ we're lost."

  "Wha', Mas' Tom?" cried Joe, eagerly.

  "In a swamp," said Tom.

  "And I know what swamp," said Sam, "which is better still. This swamp isthe low grounds of a little creek, and I've been in it before to-night.I don't know just which way to go to get out, because I don't know justwhat part of the swamp we're in. But if my foot was well I'd soon findout."

  "How, Mas' Sam?"

  "I'd climb that sweet gum and look for landmarks."

  "Lan' marks? what's dem, Mas' Sam? will dey bite?"

  "No, Joe, I mean I would look around and find something or other tosteer by,--a house an open field or something."

  "I kin climb, Mas' Sam," replied Joe, "an' I'll be up dat dar tree inless'n no time."

  "WE 'S DUN LOS'--DATS WHAT WE IS."]

  And up the tree he went as nimbly as any squirrel might. As he went up,Sam cautioned him to make no noise, and not to shout, but to look aroundcarefully, and then to come down and tell what he had seen.

  "I see a big openin'," said Joe, when he reached the ground again, "an'nigh de middle uv it dey's a big grove, wid a littler one jis' off to deleft."

  "Yes," said Sam, "I thought you'd see that. That's where Watkins's housestood: now which way is it?"

  "Which-a-way's what, Mas' Sam?"

  "The opening with the groves in it."

  "I 'clar' I dunno, Mas' Sam."

  It had not entered Joe's head to mark the direction, and so he had toclimb the tree again. In going up and coming down, however, he woundaround the tree two or three times and was no wiser when he returned tothe ground than before he began his ascent.

  "Look, Joe," said Sam. "Do you see that bright star through the trees?"

  "De brightest one, Mas' Sam?"

  "Yes."

  "Yes, I sees it."

  "Well, climb the tree, and when you get to the top, turn your facetowards that star. Then see which way the opening is, and rememberwhether it is straight ahead of you, behind you, or to the right orleft."

  Joe went up the tree again and this time managed to bring down theinformation that when he looked at the star the opening was on his left.

  With the knowledge of locality and direction thus gained, Sam was notlong in finding his way to firm ground again, and as soon as he did sohe selected a hiding-place for the day, as the morning was now at hand.

  The next night they had fewer difficulties, the woods through which theyhad to pass being freer from undergrowth than those they had alreadytraversed, and when the third morning broke they were within a mile ortwo of Fort Glass. Sam thought at first of pushing on at once to thefort, but, seeing "Indian sign" in the shape of some smouldering firesnear a spring, he abandoned the undertaking until night should comeagain, and hid his little company in the woods. Something to eat was theone immediate necessity. They were all nearly famished, and neither cornnor sweet potatoes were to be found anywhere in the vicinity. Samdirected the boys to bring some rushes from the creek bottoms, andpeeling these, he and his companions ate the pith, which is slightlysucculent and in a small degree nourishing. Sam had learned this fact byaccident while out hunting one day, and Sam took care never to forgetanything which might be useful. Towards night, when the rushes failed tosatisfy their hunger, Sam was puzzling himself over the problem ofgetting food, when Tom asked him if he knew the name of a singular treehe had seen while out after rushes.

  "It has the biggest leaves I ever saw," he said, "and they all growright out of its top. Some of 'em are six feet long, and they've gotfolds in 'em. There ain't any limbs to the tree at all."

  "Where did you see that?" asked Sam eagerly.

  "Right over there, about a hundred yards."

  "Good! It's palmetto. I didn't know there was one this far from the seathough. Here, take my big knife and you and Joe go and cut out as muchas you can of the soft part just where the leaves come out. It's whatthey call palmetto cabbage, and it's very good to eat too, I can tellyou."

  The boys, after receiving minute instructions, went to the palmetto-treeand brought away several pounds of the terminal bud. On this the littlecompany made a hearty meal, finding the "cabbage," as it is called, awell-flavored, juicy and tender kind of white vegetable substance, verynourishing and as palatable as cocoanut, which it closely resembles inflavor. Storing what was left in their pockets, they began to preparefor their night's journey to the fort, which they hoped to reach withinan hour or two. They were just on the point of starting when a party ofIndians, under Weatherford, the great half-breed chief, who was the lifeand soul of the war, rode across a neighboring field, and settledthemselves for supper within a dozen yards of Sam's camp. The sky wasovercast with clouds, and so night fell even more quickly than itusually does in Southern latitudes, where there is almost no twilightat all. Sam made his companions lie down at the approach of the savages,and as soon as it was fairly dark, the little party crept silently away.Before leaving, however, Sam had heard enough of the conversationbetween Weatherford and Peter McQueen, the other great half-breedwarrior, to know that he could not reach the fort that night. The twohalf-breeds talked most of the time in English, and Sam learned thatthey had a large body of Indians in the vicinity, who were scouring thecountry around Fort Glass. Sam knew enough of Indian warfare to knowthat there would be numerous small parties of savage scouts lurkingimmediately around the fort day and night, for the purpose of pickingoff any daring whites who might venture outside the gates, andespecially any messenger who might attempt to pass from that to anyother fortress. He knew, therefore, that for some time to come it wouldbe impossible to reach Fort Glass, and penetrating the woods for aconsiderable distance he stopped and sat down on a log, burying his facein his hands, and telling his companions not to speak to him, as hewanted to think.