Part 26 (2/2)

Dan was determined to be very cautious, and to expose his party to no risks which could possibly be avoided. The voyage was perilous enough at best, and he was not disposed to trifle with the good fortune which had thus far attended the expedition. He knew nothing of the navigation of the lake, or of the Atchafalaya River, through which he must pa.s.s to the Gulf of Mexico. He was therefore exposed to many perils. The boat might get aground at a perilous point, which might expose them to an examination from some inquisitive slaveholder. He might be stopped by a steamer, or overhauled by a boat, and the fugitives taken into custody because they could not give a good account of themselves.

Then, if he succeeded in reaching the Gulf, he knew that a day's sail at the most would take him out of sight of land; and he had nothing but a small compa.s.s and a map of the coast of Texas and Louisiana to guide him. He had no expectation of being able to reach the free North in the Isabel. He depended upon being picked up by some vessel bound to New York or Philadelphia; and he had read the newspapers and listened to the conversation of his master and his guests enough to know that s.h.i.+pmasters were very cautious about carrying slaves to the North. But he had made his plans, and hoped he should be able to overcome even this most formidable difficulty.

To contend against all these adverse circ.u.mstances, he had a good boat, though she was not fully adapted to a sea voyage. With her light draught she had but a slight hold on the water; yet Dan was an excellent boatman, and trusted in his skill to overcome the deficiencies of his vessel. The Isabel was well provisioned for at least a month; and if the weather was even tolerably favorable, he felt confident that he should be able to contend successfully against the elements. At any rate he feared the ocean, storm, and distance less than the insatiate slave-hunters of the South.

With these difficulties before them, the young fugitives started upon their uncertain voyage. It was a bright, pleasant evening, with a lively breeze from the westward. The long confinement of the camp in the swamp made the changing prospect exceedingly exhilarating. They had encountered perils before, and the experience of the past prepared them for the trials of the future. They had a head wind down the bayou which led to the lake, and it required two hours of hard work for the two boys to work the Isabel down to the open water; but when this labor was accomplished, the foresail, mainsail, and jib were hoisted, and they had a fair wind down the lake.

”Now, Lily, our voyage is commenced,” said Dan, as he seated himself at the helm.

”Yes; and I am so glad to get out of that dismal swamp!” replied she, with a smile which spoke the joy of her heart.

”Perhaps you will wish yourself back again before many days, and perhaps before many hours.”

”Do you think there is much danger, Dan?”

”We may not meet with a single difficulty, and we may be in danger all the time. I cannot tell. I hope for the best, but I am ready for the worst.”

”Any thing is better than slavery, Dan.”

”Even death itself, Lily,” replied Dan, solemnly.

”But there will be no people out on the lake in the night--will there?”

”There may be; but we may not find a good place to conceal ourselves during the day. We may be discovered, for there are more people at the lower end of the lake than in the part where we have been.”

”We will pray to G.o.d, Dan, every day, and He will protect us, as He has before,” added Lily, confidingly.

”And while we do that, we must be very careful. There is one thing I have been dreading ever since we began to prepare for this cruise.”

”What is that, Dan?”

”You know Mr. Lascelles?”

”Yes; he spends a week at Redlawn every year, and master used to stay a week at his plantation.”

”He lives down this way somewhere--I don't exactly know where. The Isabel, I think, came down here one year; if so, I am afraid they will know the boat.”

”Possifus!” exclaimed Cyd, who had been silently listening to this conversation. ”Dey'll ketch us, for sh.o.r.e.”

”I'm not afraid of being caught; but Colonel Raybone almost always visits Mr. Lascelles in the month of May. Suppose he should be there, and we should happen to go near his plantation?”

”Hossifus!” groaned Cyd. ”Ma.s.sa Raybone down dar! Dis chile gubs it all up den.”

”Don't give up yet, Cyd,” laughed Dan.

”Mossifus! If dis n.i.g.g.e.r see ole ma.s.sa, he done sink into de ground, like a catfish in de mud.”

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