CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
THE TIME AT LAST.
It was nervous work during the next few days, neither Nic nor Petedaring to take any step towards making their escape, for the feeling wasstrong upon both that they were in their enemy's hands, and that he wasonly waiting his time before betraying them to the overseer.
"That's his way, Master Nic, and it always was. Once he had a grudgeagen a man he'd never forgive him," said Pete one night, "and he'd waithis chance to serve him out. I never liked Humpy, and he never likedme; zo, after all, it was six o' one and half-a-dozen o' the other."
"I can't help thinking that we are worrying ourselves about nothing,Pete," replied Nic. "It's a case of the guilty conscience needing noaccuser."
"That it aren't, sir," said the man sturdily. "I aren't going tobelieve you've got any guilty conscience, and there aren't nothing worseon mine than a bit o' zalmon."
Nic smiled in the darkness, and Pete went on:
"Well, if you think like that, Master Nic, let's risk it. Old Humpy'scunning enough, but p'raps two heads'll be better than one, and we canbeat him. What do you zay to trying, then?"
"Anything is better than this terrible suspense, Pete," said Nic. "Idid manage to bear my fate before, but the thought now of that boatlying ready to carry us down the river is too much for me, and there aremoments when I feel as if I must say to you, `Come on; let's run down tothe river and dash in, risking everything.'"
"What! and them zee us go, Master Nic?"
"Yes; I am getting desperate with waiting."
"Wouldn't do, my lad. They'd chivvy us, them and the blacks and Humpyand t'others. Why, bless you, nothing old Humpy would like better."
"I'm afraid so."
"That's it, zir, whether you're 'fraid or whether you bean't. Ands'posing we got the boat, what then, zir? Them seeing us and goingalong by the bank shooting at us."
"We might lie down, Pete."
"Yes; and they'd send in half-a-dozen niggers to zwim to the boat andbring it ashore. What do you say to that, zir?"
"That I'm half-mad to propose such a thing," replied Nic.
"Talk lower, zir. I can't hear old Humpy; but let's be on the lookout."
"Better give up all thought of getting away," said Nic despondently.
"Bah! Never zay die, Master Nic. Why, there's the old place at homeseeming to hold out its finger to us, beckoning-like, and zaying `Come,'and once I do get back, you'll never ketch me meddling with no one'szalmon again. But look here, zir, we thought it all out before, and Idon't see as we can better it."
"I feel hopeless, Pete."
"And I feel as if I've got 'nough o' that stuff in me for both. Wish wecould be hoeing together again, so as we could talk it over."
"I wish so too, Pete."
"It aren't half so pleasant hoeing along with the blacks as it is withyou, zir."
"Thank you, Pete," said Nic, smiling to himself.
"I aren't got nought agen 'em. They can't help having black skins andthem thick lips, and they're wonderful good-tempered. Just bigchildren, that's what they are. Fancy a man being a zlave and ready tozing and dance 'cause the moon zhines, ready to go out hunting the coonsand 'possums as if there was nothing the matter."
"It's their nature to be light-hearted," said Nic.
"Light-hearted, zir? Why, there's one o' the gang along with me asallus seems as if you were tickling him. Only to-day he drops hisselfdown and rolls about in the hot sun, and does nothing but laugh, justbecause he's happy. Why, I couldn't laugh now if I tried."
"Wait, Pete; perhaps you may again some day."
"I want to laugh to-morrow night, zir."
"What?"
"When we've got a couple o' guns aboard that boat, and we're going downthe river," whispered Pete excitedly. "I can laugh then."
"We couldn't do it, Pete."
"We could, zir, if we zaid we would."
"There is the risk of that man watching us and telling."
"He'd better!" growled Pete. "Look here, zir; let's have no moreshilly-shallying. Say you'll go to-morrow night, and risk it."
"Why not wait for a good opportunity?"
"'Cause if we do it mayn't never come."
"But food--provisions?" said Nic, whose heart was beginning to throbwith excitement.
"Eat all we can to-morrow, and chance what we can get in the woods, orgo without a bit. I'd starve two days for the sake of getting away.Will you risk it, zir?"
For answer Nic stretched out his hand and grasped Pete's, having his ownhalf-crushed in return.
"That settles it, then," whispered Pete hoarsely. "Zave a bit ofbread-cake if you can. May come in useful. To-morrow night, then."
"To-morrow night."
"Are you two going to keep on talking till to-morrow morning?" growled adeep voice. "Zum on us want a bit o' sleep. Look here, mates; I'mgoing to speak to the gaffer to-morrow, to ax if them two chatterin' oldwomen can't be put somewheres else."
Nic turned cold, and Pete uttered a deep sigh, for if this were donethey would, he knew, have to begin making their plans again.
But hope cheered them both as the next day dawned and passed on withoutincident. Humpy Dee's was evidently only an empty threat, and asevening drew on Nic's excitement increased, and with it came a sensationof strength such as he had not enjoyed for months.
It was as if his companion had endowed him with a portion of his ownelastic temperament, and success was going to attend their efforts. Allthe weary despondency had passed away, and in imagination Nic saw theboat floating down the river towards the sea, where, hope whispered, itmust be very easy to find some British ship whose captain would be readyto listen to their unhappy story, and let them hide on board till he setsail, and then let them work their passage home. "For," argued Nic nowin his excitement, "no Englishman could be so hardhearted as to refusehelp to a white slave."
He saw nothing of Pete after they had started for their day's work,their duties taking them to different parts of the plantation; but thatwas no more than he expected, and he toiled away with his hoe, tellinghimself that this was the last time he would handle it, for they would--they must--escape; and he wondered now that he could have hesitated solong, and have let the notion that Humpy Dee was quietly trying toundermine them act like a bugbear.
One thing was difficult, though, and that was to eat heartily inreadiness for what might be a long fast. Nic ate all he could forcedown, however, and hid away the rest. But how long that hot day seemed,before the darkness closed in and the strange sounds began to rise fromthe woods and river!
Never had all these sounded so loudly before; and when at last Nic laydown in his rustling bunk, and the place had been locked and the blacksentry placed at the door, it seemed to the listener as if the greatgoat-suckers were whirring about just outside, and the bull-frogs hadcome in a body to the very edge of the woods and up the ditches of theplantation to croak.
Humpy Dee and his companions were talking together; the black sentryyawned, and began to hum an air to himself; and soon after the voices ofthe settler and the overseer passed, discussing some plan in connectionwith the crops; but Nic did not hear either of the dogs bark, neitherdid the one which had shown friendliness towards him come snufflingabout the entrance of the low shed.
"Why doesn't Pete say something?" thought Nic, who began to wonder atthe silence of his companion, not a word having passed since they met atthe rough supper; and now, for the first time that day, Nic's heart sanka little, for it seemed to him that his fellow-plotter had shrunk fromthe risks they would have to encounter--risks which might mean beingshot at, worried by the dogs, dragged down by the alligators to ahorrible death, perhaps fever and starvation in the swamp, or beingdrowned at sea, if they reached the river's mouth, and were swept awayby one of the fierce currents along the shore.
It meant waiting two hours at least before they could begin theirattempt; but still Nic wanted to get rid of the oppression whichtroubled him
, and to feel that they really were going to make theirescape; but the murmuring of their companions' voices went on, and stillPete made no sign.
At last Nic could contain himself no longer. He was all eagerness now;and, if they were not going to make the attempt, he wanted to know theworst. He spoke in a whisper:
"Pete, Pete!"
"Phew! how hot--how hot!" muttered the man.
"Pete!" whispered Nic again.
"I wish you wouldn't keep on talking," said Pete loudly. "You know howit set them grumbling last night."
Nic drew a deep breath through his teeth, as he lay there in the hot,oppressive darkness. They were not going, then. It was the way with aman of Pete's class to pick a quarrel upon some other subject when hewanted to find an excuse and back out of an arrangement.
"Ay, you had a narrow escape on it," said one of the men surlily. "OldHumpy was pretty nigh going to the gaffer to-day."
"It's all over," thought Nic, as a feeling of bitterness ran throughhim. Only four-and-twenty hours earlier he had been ready to give upand accept his position. Then Pete had touched the right chord in hisnature, and roused him up to a readiness to run any risk, and make abrave dash for liberty; while now the man seemed to have shrunk backinto his shell, and to be completely giving up just when the call wasabout to be made upon his energies.
At another time Nic might have argued differently; but, strung up as hehad been, his companion's surly indifference was crushing, and it seemedthat the wild, exciting adventures of the night were to give place to acowardly, sordid sleep.
"If anything big is to be done, one must depend upon one's-self,"thought Nic at last; and, angry with the whole world, bitter at his ownhelplessness, as he felt how mad it would be to attempt the venturealone, he turned over in his bunk, throwing out one hand in themovement, and it came in contact with Pete's, to be gripped fast.
In an instant the blood was dancing through his veins, and a chokingsensation as of impending suffocation troubled him; the arteries in histemples beat painfully, and he lay breathing hard.
For it was to be after all, and this conduct was his companion's way ofshowing him that it was better to lie in silence, waiting till the timearrived for commencing their task.
Nic lay there listening to the low murmur of his fellow-prisoners'voices and the chorus of strange sounds from the forest and river; andin the stillness of the night, every now and then, a faint splash cameplainly to where he lay, sending a thrill through him, as he thoughtthat, if all went well, before very long he might be swimming across theriver, running the gauntlet of the horrible-looking reptiles, and hisleft hand stole down to his belt to grasp the handle of the sharpenedknife, while he wondered whether the skin of the alligators would behorny or tough enough to turn the point.
How long, how long it seemed before all was perfectly still in the long,low shed, and not a sound could be heard outside but the faint hummingnoise made by the black sentry!
Then all at once there were steps.
Some one had come up, and in a low whisper Nic heard the words:
"All right?"
"Yes, massa."
Then the steps passed away again, and Pete gripped Nic's hand as he laystraining his hearing to try and ascertain whether the overseer hadentered the house; but the barking or croaking of reptiles was the onlysound.
Another hour must have passed, and then Nic's blood rushed through hisveins, for a hand touched his again lightly, and seemed to seek for theother. Directly after he felt a hot breath upon his face, and lips tohis ear, uttering the one word:
"Come!"