CHAPTER XVII
WE MEET WITH AN ACCIDENT
I find it poor work transcribing so much regarding myself in recountingthese small adventures, yet how else may I tell the story rightly?This all occurred so long ago the young man of whom I write seemshardly the same old man who puts pen to paper. The impression growsupon me that I merely narrate incidents which befell a friend I onceknew, but who has long since passed from my vision.
It was wearying work, toiling up the muddy Arkansas, and in the enddisastrous. Occasionally, for miles at a stretch, our hearts weregladdened by a curve toward the northward, yet we drew westerly so muchwe became fearful lest the Jesuit had made false report on the maincourse of the stream. Every league plunged us deeper into strange,desolate country, until we penetrated regions perhaps never beforelooked upon by men of our race. The land became more attractive, thesickly marsh giving place to wide, undulating plains richly decoratedwith wild grasses, abloom with flowers, bordered by a thick fringe ofwood. Toward the end of our journeying by boat, after we had passedtwo cliffs upreared above the water, the higher rising sheer for twohundred feet, we perceived to the northward vast chains of hills risingin dull brown ridges against the sky-line, seemingly crowned with rareforest growth to their very summits. During all these days and nightsin only two things could we deem ourselves fortunate--we discovered nosigns of roving savages, while wild animals were sufficiently numerousto supply all our needs.
Three days' journey beyond the great cliff--for we voyaged now duringthe daylight, making camp at nightfall--I became convinced of the utterfutility of further effort. By this time I had recovered sufficientlyfrom my wound to assume a share of labor at the oars, and was pullingthat afternoon, so my eyes could glance past the fiery red crop of thePuritan, who held the after-oar, to where the Captain and Madame restedin the stern. I remarked De Noyan's dissatisfied stare along thefeatureless shore we skirted, and the lines of care and troublebecoming daily more manifest upon Madame's face. Thus studying thetwo, I cast about in my own mind for some possible plan of escape.
They had been conversing together in low tones, so low, indeed, nowords reached me, while the preacher knew nothing of the languageemployed. Nevertheless I could guess its purport. It was sufficientlyclear to all of us that we merely wasted strength longer breasting theswift current of this river, and were constantly drawing farther fromour goal. Yet I was of proud spirit in those days, finding it not easyto swallow my hastily spoken words, so I continued to pull steadily atthe heavy oars, not seeing clearly how best to conquer myself, confessmy former mistake, and advise retreat. Fortunately a strongerinfluence than false pride urged me to action. Marking again how sadlyEloise drooped her sobered face above the water, it put the heart of aman in me to acknowledge my error, offering such amends as were stillpossible.
It seems simple enough, yet it was not so small a struggle, nor did Ifully win the battle over stubbornness until the gray of evening beganwrapping about us hazy folds of cloud, the time coming when we mustseek suitable night camp. It was then I found tongue, even whileglancing across my shoulder, through the shadows, searching for alanding-place. As if all this were yesterday, I recall the scene.Everything swam in the gray haze, which, settling across the water,shut off from view much of the land. We were nearly abreast of where asmaller stream came leaping down from the right to hurl its clearcurrent far out into the muddy river. So rapid was this discharge, thewaters about us were thrown into turmoil, tossing our boat like a cork,causing Madame to grasp the rail nervously. Its narrow mouth waspartially concealed by overhanging shrubbery, so we were well withinthe sweep of its invading waters before I could conjecture the forcewith which it came. Through the dim light, confusing to the eyes, Isought to peer ahead. The hills, huddled much closer to the shore,appeared rough in their rocky outlines, while the heavy underbrush,clinging tightly to the water-side, offered nothing in the way of asuitable camping-spot. Beyond the tumultuous sweep of this northerntributary, however, I discovered a considerable patch of grass,overshadowed by giant trees, and there I made selection of the spotwhich should complete our upward voyage.
"Steer us in toward yonder green bank, Madame," I called to Eloise,"where you see that group of trees through the fog. God willing, itshall prove our last camp before we turn east and south once more."
It did my heart good to observe the sudden brightening of her face atthese words of promise, as if they came in direct answer to prayer. Iunderstood then how weary she was with our toll, how cruel I had beento hold her so long at it. She had given utterance to no complaint;even now, it was not her voice which welcomed my decision. It was theChevalier, seldom failing in ready speech, whose careless tongue raspedme with quick retort.
"Ah, so you have really come to your senses, Benteen," he criedeagerly. "I thought it would not be much longer after you were able toget grip upon an oar. Our red-headed friend has slow tongue of late,yet I warrant he has little love for such man-killing work; so aturn-about will be the vote of us all. Saint Anne! 'tis the happiestword to ring in my ears since this cursed trip began."
Nothing tests the innate quality of a man like the wilderness. Howeverbold of heart, if every utterance is a complaint he will prove aconstant hardship. I doubted not both De Noyan and the Puritan wouldshow themselves true men if emergency confronted us; but in the dailyplodding routine of travel the Chevalier gave way to little worries,jerking along in the harness of necessity like an ill-broken colt;while Cairnes, who pulled steadily in sullen discontent, was much thebetter comrade of the two.
"Call it what you please," I answered shortly, never removing my gazefrom the pleased face of Madame, thus keeping better control over mytongue. "I have become convinced the map of the Jesuit priest lied,and this stream runs not northward. It is useless pushing any farther."
"Where, then?"
"Back, of course. To drift down-stream will be easy now we knowsomething of the current. We return to the junction of the rivers,where we left the Spaniards--'tis hardly probable they are still there;but if they are, then we must trust to our stout arms, and have faithin the right.------ By heavens! Cairnes, what mean you? Damme, man,would you overturn the boat?"
This hasty word of expostulation had hardly left my lips before thePuritan scuttled clumsily overboard, his red hair cropping out of theseething water like a rare growth of fungus. Another instant, and thefull shock of that racing current struck our bow, hurling it about asif the trembling boat were an eggshell. Over him we went, his pudgyfingers digging vainly for some holding-place along the slipperyplanks, his eyes staring up in terror.
"For God's sake, cling tight, Eloise!"
I heard this shout of warning from De Noyan as he fell backward intothe water, which, luckily, was scarcely above his waist. Helpless toprevent the plunge, I joined company at the bow, going down well overmy head without finding footing, and coming to the surface face to facewith the Puritan, who was spluttering out river water and scraps ofCalvinistic speech, striving madly to lay hold on some portion of theboat, now spinning away on the swift flood. It was no time to seekexplanation from any man wrathful as Cairnes appeared to be, so Idevoted my attention to doing the one thing left us,--keeping the crazycraft upright to save Madame and the cargo. Nor was this an easy task.Seldom have I breasted such angry, boiling surge as beat againstus--there was no fronting it for those of us beyond our depths, whileeven De Noyan, making a manful struggle, was forced slowly back intodeeper water, where he floundered helpless as the rest. It spun usabout like so many tops, until I heard a great crunching of timbers,accompanied by a peculiar rasping which caused my heart to stop itspulsation. All at once the heavy bow swung around. Caught by it, Iwas hurled flat against the face of a black rock, and squeezed sotightly between stone and planking I thought my ribs must crack.
It was then I noted Cairnes, struggling just beyond me, reachingbackward with his foot until he found purchase against the stone, thenlifting his great crop to g
aze about, sweeping the moisture from hiseyes. He braced one mighty shoulder against the boat's side, with sucha heave as I never supposed lay in the muscles of any man; swung thatwhole dead weight free of the rock, and ere the dancing craft, weclinging desperately to it, had made two circles in the mad boiling, Ifelt my feet strike bottom, and stood upright, ready to do my shareagain.
"Are you safe, Madame?" I questioned anxiously, for I could see nosigns of her presence from where I stood, and she uttered no sound.
"I am uninjured," she returned, "but the boat takes water freely. Ifear a plank has given way."
"_Parbleu_!" sputtered De Noyan, with a great sound of coughing. "Sohave I taken water freely. _Sacre_! I have gulped down enough of thestuff to last me the remainder of life."
"Hold your wit until we are safe ashore, Monsieur," I commentedshortly, for as I stood the strain was heavy on my arms. "Push towardthe right, both of you, or the boat will sink before we can beach her;she takes water like a sieve."
We slowly won our way backward, the effort requiring every pound of ourcombined strength, De Noyan and I tugging breathlessly at the stern,the sectary doing yeoman service at the bow. Yet the effort told,bringing us into quieter water, although we upbore the entire weight ofthe boat on our shoulders after we made firm footing. The water pouredin so rapidly Madame was for going overboard also, but we persuaded herto remain. Anyway, we drove the prow against the bank at last, and, asI rested, panting from exertion, I observed the others draggingthemselves wearily ashore, Cairnes was a sight, with his great mat ofred hair soaked with black mud, which had oozed down over his face, soas to leave it almost unrecognizable. He shook himself like a shaggywater-dog after a bath, flinging himself down full length with a growl.De Noyan fared somewhat better, coming ashore with a smile, eventrolling the snatch of a song as he climbed the bank, but his gaymilitary cap, without which, jauntily perched upon one side of hishead, I had scarcely before seen him, had gone floating down-stream,and the fierce upward curl of his long moustachios had vanished. Theyhung now limp, leaving so little _a la militaire_ in his appearancethat I had to smile, noting the look of surprise in Madame's eyes as hegallantly assisted her to the dry grass, before flinging himself flatfor a breathing spell.
"God guide us!" I exclaimed, so soon as I could trust myself to speak."This is a hard ending to all our toil, nor do I understand how it cameabout."
"_Sacre_!" commented De Noyan, glancing across at the fellow. "Itlooked to me as if yonder canting preacher either was taken with a fit,or sought to make ending here of two papists."
I turned to face the grim-faced sectary, still too thoroughly winded byhis late exertions to try the lift of a Psalm.
"See here, sirrah," I began angrily in English, "perhaps you willexplain what sort of a Connecticut trick you attempted to play there inthe current?"
He twisted his narrow eyes in my direction, apparently studying thefull meaning of my words before venturing an answer.
"I know not what you mean, friend," he returned at last, in that deepbooming voice of his. "Did I not perform my work with the best of ye?"
"Ay, you were man enough after we went overboard, but why, in the nameof all the fiends, did you make so foul a leap, bringing us into suchimminent peril?" The gleam of his eyes was no longer visible, but Imarked the rise of his great shoulders, his voice rumbling angrily,like distant thunder, as he made reply.
"Why did I make the leap, you unregenerated infidel, you thick-headedheretic? Why did I? Better were I to ask why you ran the boat's noseinto that bubbling hell. Why did I? What else saved us losing everypound we carried, together with the woman, you cock-eyed spawn of thedevil, only that Ezekiel Cairnes possessed sufficient sense to throwhimself in the way, upbearing the bulk of the strain? The water wassomewhat deeper than I supposed, and my feet found no bottom, yet 'twas the best thing to do, and the only hope of steadying the boat.Better for you and that grinning papist yonder to be on your kneesthanking the Almighty He sent you a man this day, than lie there likeso many hooked cods, gasping for breath with which to abuse one of theLord's anointed. Yet 'tis but righteous judgment visited upon me forconsorting with papists and unbelievers."
Feeling the possible justice of his claim I hastened to make amends tothe wrathful and worthy man.
"You may be right," I admitted slowly. "Certainly we will returnthanks for deliverance each in his own way. As for me, I greatlyregret having mistrusted your act. Perhaps it was best, yet I think wehave small chance ever to use this boat again. It appears badlyinjured. However, we must await daylight to note the damage. In themeantime, let us make shift to camp; a hot fire will dry our limbs andclothing, and put us in better humor for the morrow."