Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 83: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Flood their cargo with nervous haste. Bain stood perfectly still in the spot from which he had issued his orders. _ “Get to camp,” he directed when the work of returning the stolen goods was completed. He followed the men closely, and as they came into the light of the fire he noted the identity of each. One was the big scar- faced negro who had volunteered as a hunter. He shot a malignant look at Bain, which revived the vague memory of a pre- vious encounter. ‘The other three were day hands. Bain expected no especial loyalty from any of them; the incident was closed so far as he was concerned. Before going to sleep he woke Willie Thompson. — “Willie,” he explained as the big fellow strove piteously with sleep, “that big scar- faced nigger and those three boys to his left, tried to skip with the wagon-bed and grub. Put a guard over the boat. If they make just one more move like that, we’ll hang them.”’ He spoke very quietly, but so that all who were awake could hear. No one doubted that he meant exactly what he said. “Yessuh! Channy an’ me’ll take keer of ’em and de boat, Boss.” Willie was now wide awake. When the manager had seen him rout out Channy, he curled up in his nest of leaves three yards distant from the thwarted deserters, and> slept peacefully until daylight. It was a heroic program which Bain planned for himself and his men the follow- ing day,and immediately after an unappetiz- ing all-meat breakfast they charged into it. ‘The sheer power needed to haul the sunk- en, mud-loaded barge from the water and up the slope of the Mound would be enor- mous. But this force—presuming they could apply it—must be used with judg- ment and extreme care. timbers of the old flat-boat were none too stanch. Bain did not dare hitch his chain to any member of the barge itseif. “All right, Uncle John! Cut us a six- inch sapling as long as this old scow is wide inside, and hew it flat on two sides. Ander- son, you and Abram help him. Alex, you and Paxton make us some pegs out oi pin- oak. Make ’em about an inch through, and eight inches long. Round ’em up with your pocket knife.” Bain himself climbed into the corner of 5 The weathered 65 the barge which rested above water, and carefully measured the distance from center to center of the longitudinal beams which stiffened its bottom. ~ “About two feet. 7em. The wide.” When the timber had been prepared by old John and his helpers, it was laid across these bottom beams, and marks made on its | upper surface to correspond with the centers of the beams below. A rusted iron rod was found in the barge itself, and this, with one of the tail-gate rods from the wagon bed, was heated in a fire kindled near-by. | While some of the men cleared out. as much mud from inside the barge as they could get at, others were kept busy burning holes through the green timber with the white-hot irons. Corresponding holes were sunk in the same way to some depth in the barge timbers, and the tough hackberry beam securely pegged across the floor joist of the barge. Bain now felt that he had something to which he could safely hitch his chain. A crew was set afloat in the wagon-bed and instructed to stir up as much mud from the interior of the submerged part of the barge as possible. “Evry little bit he’ps,’” was Willie Thompson’s comment on this phase of the work. ‘“‘Mistuh Bain he’s gwine at dis jes’ like he makes a cotton crop: Doin’ ev’ry thing a-fore hits needed, an’ not stoppin’ doin’ hit till hit tain’t no use. Boys, we’s. good as off dis crawfish house now!” “Channy, you and Robert and Alex cut us eight or ten round logs for rollers—make | 7em long enough,” Bain called. ‘“’Bout fourteen feet.” ‘Boss,’ asked Willie gently, “chow is jes’ us niggers gwine to pull dat ol’ boat out? All dat mud an’ water hit weighs.” If there had been any doubt of success in Willie’s mind, he would not have asked the question. Now he knew in his bones Mis- tuh Bain had something up his sleeve— “sumpthin’ dat will work shore—’’ conse- quently he wished to anticipate victory. “We can pull her out, all right. I ain’t afraid of that part of it, Willie. Thing is, will she stand it?” “T sho’ wants to see how is you ean to manage.” Bain cocked a wise, noncommittal gray eye at the scurrying clouds. And there’s eight of thing’s about fourteen feet COMIGDIOOKSEEO