as soon as they had left the clearing, walter, who led the way and acted as commander of the expedition, changed his course, and instead of going directly toward the bayou, held his way through the woods parallel with the stream, and about a mile distant from it. he was afraid that if he and his companions followed the bank of the bayou they might stumble upon coulte before they knew it, and he hoped by this course to avoid meeting him altogether. their object was to get ahead of him, and reach the mouth of the bayou first, and that, too, without giving the old frenchman any reason to believe that he was pursued. if the latter knew that there was some one on his trail, he might remain in the swamp, or try to reach the gulf by some other route; in which case they would lose the opportunity of rescuing chase.
for the next ten miles the boys rode at a full[254] gallop, and never once drew rein until they arrived on the bank of the bayou about a mile above its mouth. this was the narrowest part of the stream, and they had selected it as the best point at which to intercept the pirogue; but, to their great delight, they found that the wind had anticipated their designs, and that it would not be necessary to use their axe at all. a large poplar, which leaned over the bayou, having been uprooted, had fallen into the water, the top resting near one shore and the butt on the other. if they had felled the tree themselves they could not have placed it in a better position for blockading the bayou. it lay so close to the surface of the water that the smallest canoe could not go under it, and was so high that a vessel of the size of the pirogue could not be easily dragged over it. the only way that coulte could pass would be to take the pirogue ashore and carry it around the obstruction; but that was a thing that walter and his friends did not intend to allow him to do. he did do it, however, and not one of the club made the least effort to prevent him.
the boys dismounted near the tree, and perk, after hitching his horse, sprang upon it and walked out over the water to see if he could discover any[255] signs of the pirogue. it was already dark—so dark that he was obliged to exercise considerable caution in moving along the log. the trees threw a deep shade into the water on each side of the bayou; but there was a bright streak in the middle, extending up and down the stream as far as his eyes could reach, and perk was certain that he saw something in it. he listened, and distinctly heard a rushing sound such as a boat makes when passing rapidly through the water. he was all excitement in a moment.
“keep close there, fellows,” he whispered, addressing himself to his companions on the bank. “we’re just in time. they’re coming as sure as the world. and like a steamboat, too,” he added, mentally. “i hope they will strike the tree and smash their old pirogue into kindling-wood.”
perk being afraid to return to the bank lest he should be discovered by the men in the pirogue, stretched himself out at full length on the log and kept his eyes fastened on the approaching vessel. in a few seconds she began to loom up more distinctly through the darkness, and perk was astonished at the amount of canvas she carried and the manner in which she was handled. her huge sail[256] extended up into the air until it seemed to reach above the tops of the trees, and, although pierre and coulte had seated themselves as far back in the stern-sheets as they could get, her bow, instead of riding gracefully over the waves, was forced down into them by every gust of wind that filled the canvas. it was plain that coulte and his son were in a great hurry, and that they thought more of speed than they did of their own comfort or the safety of the vessel.
“they’ve more faith in that old tub than i would have if i was in her,” soliloquized perk. “if she labors so badly here in the bayou, where the water is comparatively smooth, and the wind hasn’t half a chance at her, what would she do if she was out in the gulf? but she’ll never get out there. she’s going to smash herself into a million pieces.”
the boys on the bank, who had by this time discovered the pirogue, thought so, too. she continued to approach the log at almost railroad speed, and perk held his breath in suspense, and even clasped his arms around the tree as if he feared that the concussion might knock him off into the water; but pierre, who handled the helm, was on the watch, and when the pirogue had arrived within[257] ten feet of the obstruction, he discovered the danger and with one sweep of his arm escaped it.
“whew!” whistled coulte, clenching his teeth tightly on the stem of his never-failing pipe, and holding fast to the stern-sheets with both hands; “somedings wrong again!”
“yes, of course there is,” replied pierre. “haven’t things been going wrong with us ever since we began to meddle with this business? here’s a log extending clear across the bayou, and i came within an inch of running into it. we’ll have to go ashore and pull the boat around it.”
while this conversation was going on the pirogue, which had been thrown up into the wind, was drifting down the stream broadside on, and now brought up against the log directly in front of the place where perk lay. coulte and his son both saw him there, but did not take a second look at him, supposing him to be a huge knot on the body of the tree. while perk was waiting to be discovered, and expecting it every moment, a brilliant idea occurred to him. he looked over into the pirogue, which was bobbing up and down with the waves scarcely two feet from him, and just then a figure, which was stretched out in the stern of the[258] boat, raised itself to a sitting posture and said, in a frightened voice:
“i hope there is no danger. remember that i am tied hand and foot, and that if we are capsized i can’t swim a stroke.”
“lie down, and hold your tongue,” replied pierre, savagely. “small loss it will be to us or anybody else, if you do go to the bottom!”
in obedience to pierre’s order chase—for it was he who spoke—tried to lie down again, and was a good deal astonished to find that he could not do it. a pair of arms were suddenly thrust out of the darkness, strong fingers fastened into his collar, and in a twinkling chase found himself lifted bodily out of the pirogue and thrown across the log. he looked up and saw a dark form kneeling beside him, which quickly jumped to its feet and catching him up in its arms, started with him toward the bank. it was perk, who highly elated with the exploit he had performed, called out to his companions on shore:
“now just listen to me a moment, and i’ll tell you what’s a fact: i’ve got him.”
it was so dark that walter and his friends could not see what was going on at the middle of the[259] bayou. they were at a loss to determine whether perk had got hold of chase, or coulte, or pierre; but knowing by the tones of his voice that he was highly excited over something, they sprang upon the log and ran toward him. “hold fast to him, whoever he is,” cried walter. “we’re coming.”
“i’ll do it,” replied perk. “i’ve got him, as sure as i am an inch high.”
“have you?” exclaimed a gruff voice. “then bring him back here and give him to me.”
there was a shuffling of feet and other indications of a brief struggle on the log, and angry exclamations from perk, two or three savage blows that were plainly heard by the boys on the bank, and then a loud splashing in the water, followed by a hoarse, gurgling sound, as if some one was gasping for breath. the boys stood transfixed with horror, fully aware that a desperate fight was going on before them in the darkness, but not knowing which way to turn or what to do to assist their friend. the rapidity with which this state of affairs had been brought about utterly bewildered them, and for a moment they stood speechless and motionless.
“don’t desert me, perk,” cried chase, his voice coming from the water. “i am helpless.”
[260]
“never fear,” was perk’s encouraging reply. “it isn’t my style to desert a fellow when he’s in trouble. let go his collar, coulte, or i’ll pull you overboard.”
“whew! whew! everydings is going wrong again,” exclaimed the old frenchman; and the boys knew from the tones of his voice and the manner in which he spoke that he was struggling desperately with some one. “ah! oui! everydings. leave go, meester perkins.”
“now just listen to me a moment and i’ll tell you what is a fact: let go yourself, or come out of that boat.”
“take that! and that!” shouted pierre; and then came the sound of heavy blows on the water and a cry of distress from perk.
all these things happened in much less time than we have taken to describe them. it was probably not more than half a minute from the time that perk lifted chase out of the boat until the fight was over, but during that time his triumph had been turned into utter defeat. when walter and his friends reached the middle of the log the pirogue had disappeared, and there was no one in sight.
perk had begun to exult over his victory a little[261] too soon. his plan for releasing chase was a bold one, and the suddenness with which it was carried into execution struck both pierre and his father dumb with astonishment. they saw the object, which they imagined to be a knot on the tree, spring into life and action, seize their prisoner by his collar and pull him out of the boat, and they never made a move to prevent it. it was not until they heard the sound of perk’s voice and saw him jump to his feet and run along the log toward the bank, that they seemed to realize what was going on. then pierre aroused himself, and after a short fight, during which he received one or two blows from the boy’s hard fist that made him see stars, succeeded in catching him by the ankle and pulling him off the log.
perk’s sudden immersion in the cold water almost took his breath away, and made him feel for a moment as if every drop of blood in his body had been turned into ice; still he retained his presence of mind and all his courage, and as soon as he arose to the surface, he caught the helpless chase by the collar, and lifting his head above the water struck out for shore. but coulte had by this time recovered himself, and he, too, seized chase and[262] held fast to him. both boys struggled hard to break his hold, but finding that the old frenchman hung on like grim death, perk laid hold of his hair and exerted all his strength to drag him overboard—an undertaking that he would have quickly accomplished had not pierre snatched up an oar and struck him a severe blow with it. that did the business for perk. with a cry of pain he released his hold of chase’s collar, and, as he sank slowly out of sight in the water, coulte pulled his prisoner into the boat, while pierre seized the helm and pulled away for the opposite side of the bayou.
“where are you, perk?” shouted walter, running up and down the log, and looking in vain for his friend. “sing out.”
“what’s that?” exclaimed wilson, pointing to a dark object which just at that moment arose from under the log, and floated slowly down the stream.
“it’s a head!” cried bab, with blanched cheeks.
“and perk’s head, too!” gasped eugene. “i would know that long black hair of his anywhere.”
fortunately, walter was not in the least excited or dismayed; if he had been, perk might have drifted on down the stream, and sunk for good before any effort was made to assist him. while the[263] others stood with their necks outstretched, their mouths wide open, and their eyes almost starting from their sockets, staring hard at the object in the water, and wondering if it was really a human head, or only a piece of driftwood, walter had hurriedly divested himself of both his coats, kicked off his boots, and taken a header from the log. the object was still bobbing about in the waves, and floating slowly down the stream, and a few swift strokes brought walter close up to it. it was perk’s head, sure enough. the brave young fellow was struggling feebly, but with a very poor prospect of extricating himself from his dangerous situation, for the blow that pierre dealt him had taken away all his strength, and his heavy clothing, which hung upon him like so many pounds of iron, weighed him down in the water until nothing but the top of his head could be seen above the surface.
walter was quick in his movements, knowing that there was not an instant to be lost, but cautious also. having learned by experience that it is a dangerous piece of business to trust one’s self within reach of a drowning person, he swam up behind his friend, and, watching his opportunity, seized him by the back of the neck, lifted his head[264] above the water, and held him off at arm’s length. perk kicked and thrashed about wonderfully, beating the water into foam, making blind clutches at the empty air, and trying hard to turn about, so that he could take hold of walter; but the latter held his arm as stiff as an iron bar, and having secured a firm hold of perk’s long hair, he compelled the latter to keep his back toward him, and held him in that position while he carried him toward the shore.
in the mean time the old frenchman and his son were not idle. taking advantage of the confusion that prevailed among the club, they filled away for the shore, took down the sail, dragged the boat around the obstruction, launched it again on the other side, and resumed their voyage toward the gulf—pierre expressing great astonishment at the whole transaction, and swearing lustily at the delay that had been occasioned, and at the wind which continued to increase in fury as night came on; coulte wondering at the recklessness perk had displayed in attacking them single-handed, and feeling his head, which still ached from the effects of the strong pulls the boy had given at his hair; and chase, encouraging himself one moment with the hope of[265] a speedy rescue, and the next holding his breath in dismay, when he thought of the dangers yet to be encountered.
poor chase was in a miserable condition. his hands and feet were still bound, his clothes were dripping with water that was almost cold enough to freeze, and he was exposed to the full force of the wind, every gust of which seemed to cut him to the bone. but, after all, he did not mind this so much as he did the voyage into the gulf, which, unless something happened to prevent it, would be commenced in less than ten minutes. suppose the boat should go down, what chance had he for his life? he tried to induce his captors to release him, assuring them that there was no possible chance for him to escape now that they were so far from the shore; but not only did they refuse to grant his request, but they would not even permit him to see what was going on around him. as soon as the pirogue was once more fairly under way, coulte forced him to lie down on the bottom of the boat, and threw a blanket over his head. this, in some measure, protected him from the wind and the spray, but he would much rather have been exposed to the full fury of the gale, if he had only[266] been allowed the free use of his eyes. to be blindfolded, so that he could not see when danger approached, was positive torture to him.
the journey to the island was by this time fairly begun, and it continued four long hours. the wind blew even harder on the gulf than chase had imagined, the waves rolled higher, and the voyage was quite as perilous as he had expected it would be. nothing but the greatest skill and the most watchful care on pierre’s part, kept the pirogue right-side up. he had his hands full in minding the helm, and coulte had as much as he could do to bail out the water as fast as it came in. it began to gain at last, and chase was glad of it, for it was the means of securing his release.
“whew! i don’t can shtand dis no longer,” panted the old frenchman, after he had used his bucket until every bone in his old body ached with fatigue. “meester shase must help, or we goes to ze bottom.”
“untie him then,” growled his son. “i guess there’s no danger now that he will jump overboard and swim ashore.”
the pirogue was rolling and pitching in the most alarming manner, and coulte, not having his sea-legs[267] on, found it a matter of some difficulty to work his way back to the stern where chase was lying. during the time that he was employed in freeing the prisoner’s hands and feet, short as it was, the water gained rapidly; and when chase sprang up and seized the bucket, it was almost knee deep in the bottom of the pirogue.
as soon as chase found himself at liberty his courage all returned. having been brought up on board a yacht, like all the rest of the bellville boys, he was not very much afraid of a gale, although he could not help being appalled at the scene that was now presented to his gaze. the sky was clearing up a little to windward, and there was light enough for him to see that the water was in a frightful commotion. one moment the pirogue would be riding on the top of a wave, which to a landsman would have looked as high as a mountain; the next she would sink down into an abyss that appeared to be almost bottomless, and the huge billows would come rolling after her, seemingly on the point of engulfing her every instant. chase looked at the waves and then at his captors to see what they thought about it, and he was satisfied that if they could have put the boat about without[268] danger of swamping her, and gone back to the shore, they would have done it gladly. she was now running before the wind, and consequently was comparatively safe; but an attempt on the part of her crew to bring her about and to beat back to the main land, would have resulted in her destruction. she must go on, for she could not turn back. pierre and coulte both knew that as well as chase did. the old frenchman was literally shaking with terror, while pierre was as white as a sheet.
when chase had noted these things, he went to work with his bucket, and for two hours scarcely paused to take breath. at the end of that time pierre began to keep a sharp lookout in front of him, knowing that if he had not missed his course he ought to be somewhere near the island. presently chase discovered it looming up through the darkness, looking a thousand-fold more gloomy and uninviting than it had ever before appeared in his eyes, and then he too began to be uneasy, lest the pirogue should be dashed upon the beach and broken in pieces by the surf. but the good fortune that had attended them during the voyage had not yet deserted them, and in spite of the wind and the[269] waves pierre succeeded in piloting the boat between two high points, and running her ashore in a little cove where she was effectually protected from the fury of the gale.
