Up the River; or, Yachting on the Mississippi

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XXIX.

  UP THE RIVER FOR MANY DAYS.

  Colonel Hungerford was even more vexed at the failure of the plan toarrest the fugitives than I was. But Baton Rouge was on the last of thebluffs that one sees in descending the great river, and above theregion of continuous levees. There was no doubt we could operate fromthis region, and secure the capture of the fugitives.

  "How long since the Queen left?" asked the governor, of the man who hadgiven us the information.

  "She must have been gone nearly three hours," he replied.

  "The fugitives are not likely to leave the steamer before she gets toVicksburg, for there is no railroad from any point this side of thatcity. It is thirty-five miles from here to Bayou Sara. The steamer maystop there, and may not," said the governor, musing. "That is the lastplace in this State at which she is at all likely to make a landing. Iwill telegraph at once."

  Without waiting to see any of our passengers ashore, I went with thegovernor to the telegraph office. He sent the dispatch to an official,directing him to board the steamer, if she did not stop, and arrest thefugitives, a sufficient description of whom I gave him. When this wasdone, Colonel Hungerford had time to attend to the landing of theparty. He insisted that all the passengers should go to his residenceand stay over Sunday with him. Colonel Shepard declined, and declaredthat he and his family had no claims upon his hospitality. Agood-natured controversy ensued, and ended in the Colonel and all theothers yielding the point.

  Three carriages started for the residence of the chief magistrate, andanother was awaiting his orders at the levee. By this time a reply camefrom the official in Bayou Sara, in which he promised to follow theinstructions of the governor as soon as the steamer came in sight, forshe had not yet appeared.

  "Now, Captain Alick, if you will get into the carriage, I will take youup to the house," said Colonel Hungerford.

  "You must excuse me, sir, for I have to attend to the affairs of thevessel," I answered.

  "Must I argue this same question with you, too?" demanded the governor.

  "I hope you will not, for I think it will do no good," I added,laughing. "Your excellency forgets that I am the captain of theSylvania, and a true sailor never gives up his ship."

  "Your ship is all well enough. You must go to my house, and bring Mr.Washburn with you."

  "Impossible, sir! Our steamer is not a river boat, and she is not aflat-bottomed craft," I tried to explain. "Her keel does not takekindly to the levee. I must stay here and look out for her; but I willcall at your house this evening."

  But it was no use to argue the point; the governor persisted, and Ifinally compromised with him by agreeing that either Washburn or myselfshould be at his house all the time we remained in the place; in otherwords, we were to have "watch and watch" in visiting him. I took myfirst turn.

  Nothing could be more delightful than the home of the governor, and Ithink I never saw so many beautiful residences in a city of the size ofthe capital. I had put on my best uniform, and prepared to make acreditable appearance in the place. Our party were presented to all theprincipal people of the city, who called to see the governor andcongratulate him on the escape of himself and his family from theinundation, news of which had come by the steamer. I tried to keep in acorner, and talk with Miss Margie and Miss Blanche; but I was draggedout twenty times to be exhibited as the captain who ran his vesselthrough the crevasse, and over the cane-fields of the plantations.

  We had a very large party at tea, and in spite of the embarrassments ofmy position, I enjoyed the occasion very much. Before we left the tablethe governor received a dispatch informing him that the two fugitiveshad been captured on board of the Queen of the South, and committed tothe calaboose, or lockup. Again I felt really sorry for poor NickBoomsby, and almost wished that he had escaped, though I could notjustify myself in permitting him to do so.

  On Sunday we all went to church, leaving the Sylvania in charge of acrew from the Islander, and the whole ship's company, including thepilot, dined with the governor. The next morning I was astonished tohear that Cornwood and Nick had arrived, having been brought down incharge of an officer in the night, and were in prison. Late on Saturdaynight I had sent by telegraph to Florida, a condensed account of thearrest of the robber and his accomplice after the fact, and theinformation that the money had been recovered. A reply soon came thatproper officers, with a requisition for the culprits, would be sent atonce for them.

  In the mean time, the prisoners were brought before the court, and theevidence against them was heard. Cornwood was his own counsel, as wellas Nick's. The testimony was considered strong enough to hold thefugitives for the requisition. They were sent to the lockup again, andour party resumed their merrymaking.

  We rode all about the country; we went to dinner parties; and wereciprocated the hospitalities extended to us by taking the governorand his friends on several excursions in the two steamers. Mrs. Shepardimproved wonderfully as soon as she realized that the earth beneath herwas solid, and there was no danger of the unruly waters drowning herwhile she slept. It was an exceedingly jolly time we had from morningtill night, and sometimes half the latter.

  After we had been at the capital of the state three days, I thought itwas about time to move up the river again; but the Florida officialshad not yet appeared. It was not till the following Saturday that theyarrived. They had been detained in procuring the requisition by theabsence of the governor, and in collecting what evidence they couldobtain. With the officers came Peverell, the bank messenger, from whomthe money had been stolen.

  Another hearing before the court was necessary. The package containingthe four thousand dollars was produced, and identified by Peverell. Hetestified as to the manner in which the package had disappeared fromthe counter of the saloon. He brought the affidavits of two men who hadseen Nick go off to the Islander just before she sailed, with a bundlein his hand.

  Captain Blastblow and I testified that the money had been found, inequal parts, on the prisoners. The plan of Cornwood to get possessionof the whole or half of the money was shown from the manner in which hehad conducted himself, in causing the departure of the Islander fromKey West before the arrival of the Sylvania, though the latter was insight when the former left.

  Cornwood attempted to disprove the charges by repeating the silly storyhe had told me. He cross-questioned the witnesses, and did his best tobrowbeat Peverell. The messenger showed that it was impossible that anymoney could have been obtained from the bank while Cornwood was inJacksonville between the time the Floridian arrived and departed. Butthe court was satisfied with the evidence, and the governor compliedwith the requisition.

  Before I left the court-room, I went to Nick to say how sorry I was forhim--sorry that he had done anything to reduce himself to such asituation.

  "I don't know what made me do it," blubbered Nick, to the great disgustof his fellow-criminal. "I didn't think of doing it until the minute Idid it. I had been thinking, as I told you at the time, of clearingout; and the sight of the package of money seemed to show me how itcould be done."

  "What are you talking about, you ninny?" growled Cornwood. "You areconvicting yourself."

  "I don't care anything about that. I won't lie any more about it, forit ain't no use," replied Nick, sourly. "If it hadn't been for you, Ishould have got off all right, Cornwood."

  I concluded that his penitence was not very deep. He told me then howCornwood had come on board of the Islander and accused him of takingthe package, and he had been compelled to give him half of it toprevent him from exposing him. But all he said was no more than we hadreasoned out before, and the confession seemed to be hardly original.

  "You can do something for me, Captain Alick," he continued. "If youwill get me out of this scrape I will never do anything wrong again aslong as I live!"

  "I can do nothing for you," I replied, as gently as I could.

  "They say you are thick with the governor, Alick. If you say the word,he will let me off,
" pleaded the culprit.

  "He can do nothing for you any more than I can. You are in the hands ofthe law now, and nothing but the law can settle your case, Nick.Good-by."

  I had hardly uttered the last words before I felt a heavy hand laidupon my throat, which was followed by a choking sensation.

  "What are you about, Sandy Duddleton?" demanded my ancient enemy. "Whathave you been sayin' ag'in my boy? He's a hund'ed times as honest asever you was!"

  I thought I should be choked to death; and the instinct ofself-preservation took possession of me. I sprang at the throat of myold tyrant. He went down upon the floor, and I on the top of him,before my father or any other person could come to my aid. As he wentdown he released his grasp on my throat in his effort to save himself.

  "I sprang at the throat of my old tyrant." _Page 343._]

  "Arrest that person!" cried the justice, in the sternest of tones.

  In another instant two officers had Captain Boomsby in their clutches.A complaint was made against him for a breach of the peace. The justicemade short work of him; he was sentenced to pay a fine of one hundreddollars, and to stand committed until paid. It was more money than hehad, and he was sent to jail. As usual, he was more than "half seasover," as he used to call intoxication when I sailed with him in theGreat West. It appeared that he had followed the officers, but had somedifficulty in finding "his boy."

  In the afternoon the Florida party took a boat down to New Orleans,intending to return home by the steamer to Cedar Keys. I afterwardslearned that both Nick and Cornwood were convicted, and sentenced tothe penitentiary for three years. Though Cornwood was only anaccomplice after the fact, he was the greater villain of the two. Inever saw either of them again.

  We spent another Sunday in Baton Rouge, and delightful as our sojournhad been, even Mrs. Shepard thought it was about time to depart. But Icould not leave with my ancient enemy unforgiven. I went to the clerkof the court and paid Captain Boomsby's fine. He was released fromconfinement, and took the next boat down the river. He had the grace totake my hand, and say good-by before he went; and that was the lasttime I ever saw him.

  We had a large crowd on the levee when we left, and we kept ourwhistles going till a bend in the river took us out of sight of thehospitable city where we had enjoyed so much. The water had fallen alittle, but not much. The melting snows of the northern hills had notyet sent down their full tribute to the Gulf.

  We stopped at Natchez and at Vicksburg, and were very handsomelytreated by the people. But the broad river was the greatest study tous, for we had visited no end of towns and cities on our long voyage.We were interested in the numerous islands, hundreds of them. When welooked at some of them from below, the fresh foliage seemed to form aregular flight of steps. The pilot explained this appearance. The rapidcurrent was continually wearing away the upstream end of the island,and depositing its soil on the other end, in which every year new treessprang up; and each step denoted a period in the growth of the wood.

  It was the first day of May when we reached Cairo, at the mouth of theOhio, where the waters of the two rivers seemed to be spread out likean inland sea or lake. We found an excellent hotel there; but Washburnand I spent what time we had to spare with our friend West, who hadbeen for a time a student in Somerset College.

  A couple of days more brought us to St. Louis, where we found enough tointerest us for a week. When we were about ready to continue ourvoyage, Colonel Shepard came into the pilot-house, where I was seatedwith Washburn, and wanted to know how much farther up the river Iintended to go. He had heard me speak of sailing the next morning, andhe thought it was about time for him to leave for New York, by train,with his family.