Part 21 (1/2)

”h.e.l.lo, Harvey! If Miles couldn't get across, how can either of us go over?”

”Oh, I reckon the creek isn't much up yet,” answered Harvey. ”Miles is easily frightened.”

So, on they rode, hoping for the best; but when they reached the creek they saw, to their dismay, that the water was much higher already than it usually rose in the summer-time. The low grounds on each side were overflowed, and nothing could be seen of the bridge but the tops of two upright timbers near its middle.

It was certainly very unfortunate that both the operators were on the same side of the stream!

”This is a pretty piece of business,” cried Harry. ”I didn't expect the creek to get up so quickly as this. I was down here yesterday, and it hadn't risen at all. I tell you, Harvey, you ought to live on the other side.”

”Or else you ought,” said Harvey.

”No,” said Harry; ”this is my station.”

Harvey had no answer ready for this, but as they were hurriedly fastening Selim and the mule to trees near Lewston's cabin, he said:

”Perhaps Mr. Lyons may come down and work the other end of the line.”

”He can't get off,” said Harry. ”He has his own office to attend to.

And, besides, that wouldn't do. We must work our own line, especially at the very beginning. It would look nice--now, wouldn't it?--to wait until Mr. Lyons could come over from Hetertown before we could commence operations!”

”Well, what can we do?” asked Harvey.

”Why, one of us must get across, somehow.”

”I don't see how it's going to be done,” said Harvey, as they ran down to the edge of the water. ”I reckon we'll have to holler our messages across, as Tony said; only there isn't anybody to holler to.”

”I don't know how it's to be done either,” said Harry; ”but one of us must get over, some way or other.”

”Couldn't we wade to the bridge,” asked Harvey, ”and then walk over on it? I don't believe it's more than up to our waists on the bridge.”

”You don't know how deep it is,” said Harry; ”and when you get to the bridge, ten to one more than half the planks have been floated off, and you'd go slump to the bottom of the creek before you knew it. There's no way but to get a boat.”

”I don't know where you're going to find one,” said Harvey. ”There's a boat up at the mill-pond, but you couldn't get it out and down here in much less than a day.”

”John Walker has his boat afloat again,” said Harry, ”but that's over on the other side. What a nuisance it is that there isn't anybody over there! If we didn't want 'em, there'd be about sixty or seventy darkies hanging about now.”

”Oh, no!” said Harvey, ”not so many as that; not over forty-seven.”

”I'm going over to Lewston's. Perhaps he knows of a boat,” said Harry; and away he ran.

But Lewston was not in his cabin, and so Harry hurried along a road in the woods that led by another negro cabin about a half-mile away, thinking that the old man had gone off in that direction. Every minute or two he shouted at the top of his voice, ”Oh, Lewston!”

Very soon he heard some one shouting in reply, and he recognized Lewston's voice. It seemed to come from the creek.

Thereupon, Harry made his way through the trees and soon caught sight of the old colored man. He was in a boat, poling his way along in the shallow water as close to dry land as the woods allowed him, and sometimes, where the trees were wide apart, sending the boat right between some of their tall trunks.

”h.e.l.lo, Lewston,” cried Harry, running as near as he could go without getting his shoes wet, for the water ran up quite a distance among the trees in some places. ”What are you about? Where did you get that boat?

I want a boat.”