Raftmates: A Story of the Great River Read online

  CHAPTER V.

  HOW THE VOYAGE WAS BEGUN.

  When Winn Caspar turned into his comfortable bunk aboard the raft onthe night of the storm, it never once occurred to him that the_Venture_ might float before morning. She never had floated, and sheseemed so hard and fast aground that he imagined a rise of several feetof water would be necessary to move her. It had not yet rained wherehe was, and the thought that it might be raining higher up the streamdid not enter his mind. So he went comfortably to bed, and slept likea top for several hours. Finally, he was awakened so suddenly that hesprang from the bunk, and by the time his eyes were fairly opened, wasstanding in the middle of the floor listening to a strange creaking andscratching on the roof above his head. It had aroused him, and now ashe listened to it, and tried in vain to catch a single gleam of lightthrough the intense darkness, it was so incomprehensible and uncanny,that brave boy as he was, he felt shivers creeping over his arms andback.

  Could the sounds be made by an animal? Winn knew there were wild-catsand an occasional panther in the forests bordering the creek. If itwas caused by wild-cats there must be at least a dozen of them, and hehad never heard of as many as that together. Besides, wild-catswouldn't make such sounds. They might spit and snarl; but certainly noone had ever heard them squeak and groan. All at once there came agreat swishing overhead and then all was still, save for the howling ofthe wind and the roar of a deluge of rain which Winn now heard for thefirst time.

  The boy felt his way into the forward room and opened the door to lookout, but was greeted by such a fierce rush of wind and rain that he wasthankful for the strength that enabled him to close it again. Mingledwith the other sounds of the storm, Winn now began to distinguish thatof waves plashing on the deck of the raft. Certainly his surroundingshad undergone some extraordinary change since he turned in for thenight, but what it was passed the boy's comprehension.

  After a long search he found a box of matches and lighted the lamp,forgetting that all its oil had been exhausted the evening before. Itburned for a few minutes with a sickly flame, and then went out. Eventhat feeble light had been a comfort. It had showed him thateverything was still all right inside the "shanty," besides enablinghim to find and put on the clothes that he had hung near the stove todry. As he finished dressing, and was again standing in utter darknesspuzzling over his situation, he was nearly paralyzed by a blindingglare of light that suddenly streamed into the window nearest him. Itwas accompanied by the hoarse roar of steam, a confusion of shoutings,and the loud clangor of bells. Without a thought of the weather, Winnagain flung open the door and rushed into the open air. So intense anddazzling was the flood of yellow light, that he seemed to be gazinginto the crater of an active volcano. It flashed by as suddenly as ithad appeared, and the terrified boy became aware that a big steamboatwas slipping swiftly past the raft, but a few feet from it. Thebewildering glare had come from her roaring furnaces; and had not theirdoors been thrown open just when they were, she would have crashed atfull speed into the raft, with such consequences as can easily beimagined. As it was she was barely able to sheer off in time, and ascore of voices hurled back angry threats at the supposed crew of theraft, whose neglect to show a lantern had so nearly led to death anddestruction.

  So long as he could detect the faintest twinkle of light from therapidly receding boat, or hear the measured coughings of her exhaustedsteam, Winn stood gazing and listening, regardless of the rain that wasdrenching him to the skin. He was overwhelmed by a realization of hissituation. That steamboat had told him as plainly as if she had spokenthat the _Venture_ was not only afloat, but had in some way reached thegreat river, and was drifting with its mighty current. He had no ideaof how long he had thus drifted, nor how far he was from home. He onlyknew that the distance was increasing with each moment, and that untildaylight at least he was powerless to help himself.

  As he turned towards the door of the "shanty," he stumbled oversomething, which, by stooping, he discovered to be the branch of atree. To the keen-witted boy this was like the sight of a printed page.

  "That accounts for the noise on the roof that woke me," he said tohimself. "The raft was passing under those low branches at the mouthof the creek, and I can't be more than a mile or so from there now."

  For an instant the idea of paddling home in his canoe and leaving theraft to its fate flashed across his mind, but it was dismissed aspromptly as it had come. "Not much I won't!" he said, aloud. "I'veshipped for the voyage, and I'm going to see it through in spite ofeverything. Besides, it's my own fault that I'm in this fix. If Ihadn't carried away that cable this thing never could have happened.What a fool I was! But who would have supposed the water could rise soquickly?"

  The thought of his little dugout caused the boy to wonder if it werestill attached to the raft where he had made it fast the eveningbefore. Again he ventured outside to look for the canoe, but thedarkness was so dense and the violence of the storm so bewilderingthat, after a narrow escape from stepping overboard, he realized thatwithout a light of some kind the undertaking was too dangerous. "Theremust be a lantern somewhere," he thought. "Yes, I remember seeing onebrought aboard." Finally he discovered it hanging near the stove, and,to his joy, it was full of oil. By its aid his search for the canoewas successful, and he was delighted to find it floating safelyalongside, though half full of water, and in danger of being stoveagainst the timbers of the raft by the waves that were breaking ondeck. With infinite labor he at length succeeded in hauling the littlecraft aboard and securing it in a place of safety. Then, though hewould gladly have had the comfort of a light in the "shanty," thethought of his recent narrow escape warned him to guard against anothersimilar danger by running the lantern to the top of the signal-pole,and leaving it there as a beacon.

  He could do nothing more; and so, drenched, chilled, and weary, thelonely lad crept back into the "shanty." How dreary it was to be itssole occupant! If he only had some one to talk, plan, and consultwith! He felt so helpless and insignificant there in the dark,drifting down the great river on a raft that, without help, he was asincapable of managing as a baby. What ought he to do? What should hedo? It was so hard to think without putting his thoughts into words.Even Elta's presence and counsel would be a comfort, and the boylaughed bitterly to recall how often he had treated the dear sister'spractical common-sense with contempt because she was only a girl. Nowhow gladly would he listen to her advice! It was pretty evident thathis self-conceit had received a staggering blow, and that self-reliancewould be thankful for the backing of another's wisdom.

  As Winn sat by the table, forlorn and shivering, it suddenly occurredto him that there was no reason why he should not have a fire. Therewas plenty of dry wood. How stupid he had been not to think of itbefore! Acting upon this idea, he quickly had a cheerful blazesnapping and crackling in the little stove, which soon began to diffusea welcome warmth throughout the room. By a glance at his watch--asmall silver one that had been his father's when he was a boy--Winnfound the night to be nearly gone. He was greatly comforted by thethought that in less than two hours daylight would reveal his situationand give him a chance to do something. Still, the lonely waiting wasvery tedious, the boy was weary, and the warmth of the fire made himsleepy. At first he struggled against the overpowering drowsiness, butfinally he yielded to it, and, with his head sunk on his folded arms,which rested on the table, was soon buried in a slumber as profound asthat of the earlier night.

  At daylight the unguided raft was seen in the "Slant Crossing" by thecrew of an up-bound steamboat, and they wondered at the absence of allsigns of life aboard it. Every now and then the drifting mass oftimber touched on some sand-bar or reef, but the current always swungit round, so that it slid off and resumed its erratic voyage. Atlength, after floating swiftly and truly down a long straight chute,the _Venture_ was seized by an eddy at its foot, revolved slowlyseveral times, and then reluctantly dragged into a false channel on thewestern side of a long,
heavily-timbered island. Half-way down itslength the raft "saddle-bagged," as the river men say, or floatedbroadside on, against a submerged rock. It struck fairly amidship, andthere it hung, forming a barrier, around the ends of which the hurryingwaters laughed and gurgled merrily.

  With the shock of the striking Winn awoke, straightened himself, andrubbed his eyes, wondering vaguely where he was and what had happened.