Books: The House Boat Boys
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St. George Rathborne >> The House Boat Boys
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"Couldn't please me better," answered his chum, picking up a pole
and feeling to ascertain the depth of the water.
With that wind blowing them toward shore there was little
difficulty in making a landing, and after skirting the edge for
some distance they found a chance to get a purchase on a
convenient tree, when the trick was done.
All the balance of the day they hugged the fire; nor were they any
too warm at that, for the furious blast seemed to find cracks and
crannies in the wall of the flimsy cabin through which to gain
entrance.
At times it fairly howled around them, and Thad suggested the
advisability of their tying down the cabin with a spare cable, for
fear less some tremendous blast of wind tear it from its
foundations and send it flying among the treetops ashore; but
Maurice declared he did not believe it to be quite so bad as all
that.
As the supply of fuel was growing low it became necessary for one
of them at a time to go ashore and use the ax to a purpose, so
that during the afternoon the pile was replenished bountifully in
this manner.
Such a night as that was--the boys had never passed a more
unpleasant one in all their previous experience.
It became very cold in the cabin, despite the half-way decent fire
they kept going all night, and their blankets did not seem to be
sufficient covering to induce warmth, for Maurice was shivering
most of the time.
A flimsy boat like the one they were on can seem like an iceberg
during a heavy wind that sweeps across a wide stretch of rough
water, and comes straight out of the Alaska region; then, the
waves that were kicked up by its passage across the river dashed
against the side of the boat and flew in spray over the very top
of the cabin, freezing upon the wall in great icicles, and adding
to the general discomfort, for in the morning they had difficulty
in breaking their way out of the door.
About four o'clock Maurice could not stand it any longer, and
getting up, he pulled on his sweater and sat down to make the
stove red hot, after which it became fairly comfortable in the
cabin and Thad slept on.
Luckily the storm was of short duration, and with the morning the
wind seemed to have gone down considerably, with promise of a
further mitigation of the cold during the day.
Of course, neither of the boys enjoyed such an experience, but
they were of a philosophical turn of mind and ready to accept
things as they eame along, making the most of the good and
enduring the evil when it could not be avoided.
Lucky the lad who has been blessed with a disposition after this
kind, for life will have a bountiful supply of pleasures in store
for him, out of which no temporary adversity may cheat him.
They started downstream again after breakfast, for the snow had
ceased and it was easily possible to see their course.
The morning packet breasting the current hove in sight a short
time after they cut loose from their night's anchorage, and it was
always a pleasure for them to wave to those aboard these boats--
never did the pilot aloft in his little house wfeere he handled
the wheel fail to respond to the waving of a handkerchief--it was
the custom of the river, and one would be lacking in common
politeness if he refused to answer such a friendly greeting.
By noon they were making great progress again, and Maurice began
to have hopes of bringing up at Paducah by night; but there were
so many twists and turns to the river he had not counted on that
when the afternoon drew near its close and they saw a town at the
mouth of a river coming in on the Kentucky side, he knew it must
be Smithland lying at the junction of the Cumberland with the
Ohio.
Once again they floated past a town, unwilling to put in for fear
of trouble with some of the rough characters usually found along
the river front in all of these places.
Fortunately, after experiencing some difficulty in crossing the
mouth of the Cumberland, which was belching forth a volume of
yellow water that carried the shanty-boat out some distance,
despite their efforts, they finally managed to find a place to
stay for the night.
It was in striking contrast to the previous experience, for there
was no wind, and the cold had moderated wonderfully, so that it
seemed as though rain might be the next thing on the program.
They were a bit too close to the town for quiet, as sounds
frequently came to their ears from a number of flatboats anchored
just below the mouth of the smaller river that emptied its volume
of water into the Ohio; these people were evidently engaged in
having a high old time, probably with plenty of liquor, for they
kept the racket going more than half the night.
Fortunately, however, they knew nothing of the nearness of the
shanty-boat that had gone past just at dusk, and while our boys
kept the door locked and slept on their arms, so to speak, they
were not disturbed at all.
They were glad to get away in the morning without meeting any of
the rough element belonging to those anchored shanty-boats.
Paducah showed up during the morning, after which they had a long
stretch before them straight away into the west as it seemed, at
the end of which they could expect to find the big junction city
of Cairo.
Here they would make a sudden turn to the left and begin to glide
down the waters of the wonderful Mississippi, heading really south
at last.
But they could not hope to make it on this day, though a favorable
run seemed to be the order of things; it actually did rain, as
Thad predicted, and each of the boys, clad in oilskins, took turns
at the rudder as the boat swung along downstream, not far away
from the Kentucky shore.
Taking it in all they had experienced but little decent weather
thus far; that would come, they hoped, when they managed to get
further along in the direction of Dixie, where the warm breezes
would thaw them out, and allow of lying on the deck taking a sun
bath.
The shore was mighty uninviting along here and seemed low in most
places and marshy.
Ducks were numerous and the gun was kept handy in case they had a
chance to knock down a couple, for it would be an agreeable change
in their fare to have game for supper.
The rain stopped about three, and Maurice, who had been looking
ahead, declared that if he could only get ashore he believed it
was possible to crawl through the brush and get a shot at a bunch
of ducks in a cove ahead; so the boat was brought to a stop by
means of the anchor, and jumping into the little dinky, gun in
hand, he made for the shore.
Thad waited after he had disappeared, being anxious to see how the
adventure panned out.
About ten minutes later he heard a shot, followed by a second, and
then Maurice came hurrying along to the little boat into which he
jumped and set out in hot chase of his game, which was floating
away on the current.
Thad pulled in the anchor and floated downstream; he saw his chum
drag several ducks aboard, and so of course Thad had to do the
Highland fling as usual.
CHAPTER VI.
IN THE GAME COUNTRY.
It proved that Maurice had knocked down three of the feathered
prizes, and as they were fat teal, it looked like a genuine treat
in store for the river travelers on the shanty-boat.
Thad was at work plucking the fowl before they had gone fifty
yards down the stream, and announcing that they would have them
for dinner that very night--at least a couple, for he believed one
apiece ought to satisfy the demand.
"When I heard you shoot I knew we were in for a treat, and with
the second shot I said it must be two; but you went me one better,
Pal Maurice. That little old gun is as good as ever, I do believe,
and my conscience, how she does penetrate. These bones are knocked
into flinters in places. How many were there in that flock?"
"Just three," returned Maurice, smiling.
"I thought so, and you bagged the whole lot. I reckon no fellow
could have done better than that, at least so you could notice,"
quoth Thad, holding up the first victim of his labors so that the
shooter could see how plump the bird was.
"Yum, yum," went on Thad, swinging it to and fro, and gloating
over the tempting appearance of the game; "don't I just wish it
was time to sound the gong for supper and these boys browned and
ready to be devoured. But three mortal hours must crawl along
before then. How can I ever stand it?" he groaned.
Maurice was accustomed to these ludicrous actions of his chum, and
only laughed at the wry face he made; but, to tell the truth, he
would not be sorry himself when the night had settled down over
the river, and they were lying in some snug sheltered nook,
sniffing the cooking meal.
The birds seemed to be young, and it was decided to try the oven
upon them; so Thad went in, after he had them both ready.
Once when the other glanced through the partly open door he saw
him trying to make some stuffing out of bread crumbs. Then the
fire was attended to, so that there would be an abundance of heat,
after which Thad appeared with the look of a victor on his face.
An hour later and the first scent of dinner began to ooze from the
door; whereupon Thad darted in and began to baste the fowl with
tender solicitude.
He came out making motions with his lips as though his mouth were
fairly watering, and shaking his head in a suggestive way that
made Maurice roar.
Meanwhile the boat had been steadily heading down the river, and
the same dismal prospect confronted them along the shore--marshy
land, with higher ground further back, an ideal place for ducks,
great flocks of which could be seen at this hour flying from the
river to some favorite sleeping place in the marsh.
"If this were a hunting expedition, which it is not, we would not
need to go a bit further than this place. Just imagine the
shooting a fellow could have in the swampy land beyond--with some
decoys he could bang away for hours at fresh flocks passing back
and forth all day trading. Well, I mean to pick up quite a few now
and then, unless we get tired of duck as we did of fish," Maurice
observed, while watching these bunches of feathered squawkers
sailing swiftly past the boat and heading shoreward.
"Tired of duck--why, you could never get me to say that. I could
eat it every meal and every day for a month," announced Thad,
sniffing the air, which was now becoming very strongly impregnated
with a delicious odor that announced the nearness to completion of
the baking birds.
And when finally they found a place to anchor the shanty-boat--for
trees there were none within reach of their longest cable--and the
shades of evening began to gather around them, Thad went inside to
see if dinner were ready for serving.
Well, that was a feast the boys enjoyed to the limit--the ducks
were tender, delightfully browned, and possessed of a flavor our
young and hungry cruisers had never seen equaled; the stuffing
proved to be a success; the coffee was as tasty as usual, and, in
fact, they fairly reveled in good things until nature called a
halt, and the board was cleared.
The night proved very quiet, and as there was now a moon of fair
size, the early part of it was not wholly dark and forbidding.
And such a variety of queer sounds as came to their ears from the
adjacent marshes, most of which must have been made by the aquatic
birds that spent the night there; but there were also mysterious
grunts and squawks that kept both boys guessing for the longest
time, while they sat on deck, Thad smoking his pet pipe and
Maurice just bundled up in a blanket, taking it easy.
"I rather think if a fellow hunted around in that place he'd find
'coons and 'possums galore, besides a fox or two prowling around
in search of a fat duck, for you know, Thad, they're like you, and
can eat one at every meal, day in and day out. A funny assortment
of sounds to woo a chap to sleep, eh? If you wake up in the night
please don't think you're in a menagerie and shout for me to jump
in and pull you out. To speak of it makes me feel that I'm pretty
sleepy and that a turn of a few hours in that cozy bunk of mine
wouldn't go amiss. What say?"
It turned out that Thad was about as sleepy as his chum, so after
looking to the anchor to see that it had good holding ground, for
a sudden storm coming out of the east would be apt to sweep them
down the big river, extremely dangerous at this point, they
retired inside the cabin.
The night passed without any storm, breaking over their devoted
heads, for which both boys were thankful when morning came, and
they looked out to see the sun painting the heavens red with his
advance couriers.
Maurice was washing his face in the only little tin basin they
owned when he heard an exclamation from his friend--whenever
anything out of the usual occurred Thad always began growling and
talking to himself as though he had an audience which was waiting
to be addressed.
"Well, it's gone sure enough, and that's all there is to it. Now,
hang it, how could a fox have come aboard our boat with twenty
feet of water separating us from the shore? That's a conundrum I
give up," Thad was saying to himself.
"Hey what all this row about--who's been aboard during the night,
and what do you miss, Mr. Cook? You remember we ate those two
ducks last night; did you expect they would turn up again this
morning to be devoured over again?" laughed the Captain, still
dashing the cold water in his face, and finally snatching up the
coarse huck towel to rub his skin dry.
"That's all right, but it's the other chap I'm after now--perhaps
you'll be so obliging as to tell me where I can put my paws on
him. I hung the duck from this nail--the cord was good and strong,
and it couldn't have broken loose. You see it ain't there now. So
the question is did the blamed bird come to life again and
skedaddle off, or was one of your friends the foxes aboard while
we snoozed, to make way with my fat duck? Anyhow, it's gone, dead
sure, and that's no lie."
"I see it is. Certain, are you, that it hung there when we went to
bed?"
"One of the last things I did was to slip around here and nip it
to make sure it was as tender as those jolly birds we had for
supper. There wasn't any wind to whip it around and twist the cord
till it broke. Yet where is it now?" and he shook his head
dolefully, looked at his friend as if confident Maurice could in
some way explain the mystery.
Maurice went at things in a far different way from his chum;
instead of calling it an unfathomable mystery he stepped forward
and took hold of the piece of cord that still hung from the nail.
Thad saw him closely examine it.
"Could a fox swim aboard and climb on top of the cabin to reach
over and down to where that duck was hanging, and cut the cord
with his sharp teeth, and then sling the bird over his shoulder to
swim back again to--" he began.
"Stop!" exclaimed Maurice. "You're on the wrong track. It wasn't a
fox!"
"'Coon, 'possum, wildcat, whatever could it have been?"
"A two-legged thief," announced Maurice, quietly.
"Shucks! you don't say so? How'd he ever get here, and if he
wanted to steal why didn't he run off with something more valuable
than a poor little teal?"
"H'm, will you tell me what he could have taken, with everything
nailed down, the cabin door locked and even the little dinky
fastened with a chain and lock. This cord was cut with a knife and
never twisted apart. Do you know that once in the night I awoke
and thought I heard something knock against the side of the boat--
that must have been his skiff when he came aboard, and I thought
it was only a floating log. Well, our teal is gone; but think of
the lot over in the marsh yonder. The fellow must have been mighty
hungry, and with no way of shooting a dinner. Why, while you cook
breakfast I'm going to see what I can do with taking toll of our
neighbors who kept serenading us all night."
Which he did.
Once in the marsh with the little boat and his gun, Maurice found
that it would be the easiest thing in the world to knock over a
dozen ducks if he wanted them, and indeed he held his fire from
the first because he believed he could get several victims with
the one shot.
Four times he pulled the trigger inside of ten minutes, and when
Thad looked out to see if he were in sight, so as to wave to him
that breakfast was ready, the lone hunter was just in the act of
throwing a couple of plump birds upon the deck.
"Two--wow, that's good!" cried Cookey, in his usual ornate style,
darting out to pick the game up.
"Four!" exclaimed Maurice, suiting the action to the word, and
landing a second brace beside the first.
As Thad stooped down to feel of these he received a shock, for a
third couple struck him on the head.
"Six?" he ejaculated, almost afraid to believe his eyes.
"That's not all. I'm determined to keep you on a duck diet for a
week, so there's another brace, and for good measure count these
as ten!" announced the mighty Nimrod, climbing over the gunwhale
himself, gun in hand.
It was a pretty assortment of game, six of them teal, three
mallards and one of an unknown breed, which Maurice thought might
be a broadbill, though he had an idea that class of divers kept
near the salt water in its migration.
"I forgive that wretched thief; he's welcome to the lone duck he
took. Why, it looks like you'd enjoy nothing better than to agree
to supply food for all the families in Evansville at this rate;
and I believe you could do it, too, down here, for every time you
shot, a million or two ducks sprang up above that marsh, and their
wings made a roar like thunder. Say, I like this country around
here. Given a good old gun like this Marlin, plenty of ammunition,
a fishing outfit, and some cooking things and matches--yes, and a
little tobacco for a fellow's pipe, and I think I could exist here
forever without needing a cent. I'm awful glad I came, ain't you,
pal?"
"Don't I look like it, Cook? See anything like regret on my phiz?
I'm just as happy as I look, and the end isn't yet, for we've got
several months of this before us; of course, there'll be troubles
and setbacks, but in spite of all we're sure to keep making steady
progress into Dixieland, and long before Uncle Ambrose gets into
port again we'll be waiting for him in New Orleans. It was just
the finest thing in the world that his letter should have reached
me on that black day; and then to think how you had this
inspiration, too--why, I consider that we're two of the luckiest
fellows on earth this morning," said Maurice, earnestly.
"Bully for you, old pal; my sentiments exactly; and now, come in
to breakfast."
CHAPTER VII.
A WILD BLOW.
"How does it look to you--think we can make the riffle today?"
asked Thad, as they floated down the stream, very broad and
swollen at this point, as the low shores allowed the water just
that much more expanse--further up, the Ohio is confined by hills
that prevent its spreading to any great extent, even in the spring
freshets.
Maurice knew what he meant, for they had only the one thought in
mind just now, and that was getting into the Mississippi.
He drew out his charts and studied them to make sure he was right,
though from frequent use he knew the same by heart.
"I can see no reason why we shouldn't. As near as I can make out
we're now something like twenty-three miles above Cairo, and at
the rate we're sailing along we ought to pass there shortly after
noon--say by two o'clock anyway. That will give us time to move
down a few miles and have our first night on the greatest of
American rivers," he remarked.
"I'm a little bit worried as to how we'll get on. You see I've
heard so much about the tricks of the big river that I'm nervous,"
admitted Thad.
"Oh, rats! It can't be much worse than the old Ohio when she gets
on a bender, and we've seen some pretty big ones in my time. We'll
come out all right, never fear, old chap. Every day will have to
look out for itself. What's the use of borrowing trouble? Not any
for me. Now, what could be finer than this view, for instance?"
sweeping his hand around to include land and water, with the sun
dimpling the little waves.
"Nothing on earth; it's just grand, that's a fact, and I'm a fool
for thinking anything can get the better of a couple of fellows
like you and me when we've got our war clothes on. Hurrah for We,
Us and Company, not forgetting the old Tramp. Say, she's behaving
herself some, eh, pard," laughed Thad, his face all wreathed in
genial smiles again.
"She's all right, and a credit to you. A little cool and inclined
to be draughty on a windy night, but taken all in all a thing of
beauty and a joy forever. Here's to her--may it be many a moon
before she's broken up into hindling wood."
So they joked and chatted as the day wore along.
Nothing escaped their eagle eyes on the shore, and from time to
time one would draw the attention of the other to some point of
especial interest.
Now it might be the peculiar formation of a point of land, some
trees, a swamp with hanging Spanish moss, which, however, was
nothing to what they would see further south--or anon perhaps it
was some negro cabin on an elevation, with the pickaninnies
playing by the door, and the strapping woman of the household
leaning against the post, always smoking her clay pipe.
Maurice, with the hunter instinct, watched the flight of an osprey
that was circling the river brink with an eye to dinner; and later
on observed an eagle drop down into a fluttering flock of ducks,
from which he evidently took his usual toll, as presently he flew
heavily away, with some dark object dangling below.
About noon they had a little lunch, Thad making a pot of coffee,
and otherwise the meal was called in local parlance a "snack,"
which would seem to mean a pickup affair that could be eaten
standing if necessary.
They wished to get this duty out of the way, for by the signs it
was believed that they must be approaching Cairo, and as the
junction of the two rivers is a turbulent place, with considerable
craft moving about, the boys considered it wise to have their full
attention fixed upon their movements.
After all, it was a mere nothing--they simply turned a point and
found themselves upon a much wider stretch of water--and this was
the famous Mississippi!
Now they were really heading south, and no matter how much colder
the weather grew, it could not freeze them in and stop their
flight to the desired port.
Just as Maurice had figured, it was two in the afternoon when they
could really and truly say they were afloat on the big river.
In about a couple of hours they began to cast their eyes along the
shore seeking a favorable place to tie up for the coming night--
the mere thought of being adrift upon that immense yellow flood
after sunset was appalling to them, though possibly by degrees
they might become so accustomed to the rolling tide that it would
cease to have the same sensation of alarm for them.
It was almost dark before they discovered a convenient tree close
enough to the water's edge to serve their purpose; for evidently
the river during its periodical seasons of flood had torn nearly
all growth on the lower banks away.
Thad climbed up to this friendly trunk and slipped the cable
around its base.
The boys sat there on deck for some little time watching the last
flickering red die out of the western heavens; and when the
panorama had come to its logical conclusion, with a sigh they
entered the cabin to prepare supper.
In this manner did they spend their first night upon the Father of
Waters, and it was as peaceful as any they ever knew. The river
sang merrily as its little wavelets washed up against the sides of
the shanty-boat, the air was almost balmy in its touch, coming from
the south where the cotton fields and wilderness of pines lay; and
all together the boys felt that they had been exceedingly foolish
to imagine that anything terrible could await them upon the bosom
of this majestic stream.
Ah! wait until the same river is seen under different conditions,
and perhaps the old dread may be revived with redoubled force; for
the Mississippi in the throes of a westerly storm is a sight to
appall the stoutest heart.
When morning came they were soon under way again, and reaching out
for another stretch toward that genial clime that seemed beckoning
them onward.
Now they could notice quite a difference in the stage of the
current, for with the increased volume of water it seemed that
they were being borne onward faster than at any other time in the
past.
All the way down it was policy on their part to hug the eastern
shore; indeed, to attempt to cross that billowing flood with such
a frail craft would have seemed the height of foolishness, both
boys thought, nor would they have any object in so doing.
The river makes many wonderful twists and turns, sometimes seeming
to flow almost due north as it follows its intricate channel; for
it is a law of nature that water always pursues the easiest route,
and seeks its own level.
Maurice had during the morning commented on the balmy feeling in
the air, whereupon the weather sharp, Thad, had warned him
solemnly that there was a great change coming within twenty hours,
perhaps much less, for all signs pointed to cold and windy
weather.
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