Page:The White Slave, or Memoirs of a Fugitive.djvu/318

 reward, — produced a great sensation in the company; though, till it had first been ascertained, by further inquiries from the confessing prisoner, that his formidable chief had neither rifle, pistol, nor fire arms of any sort, no arms in fact but a knife, there did seem to be some little lack of vigor in proceeding with the business; so my planter informant told me, lowering his voice, and casting a knowing glance, with a significant smile, at two or three of the fiercest looking fellows in the cavalcade before us — one in particular, who bestowed every now and then very savage looks on the mounted prisoner, and seemed with difficulty to keep his hands off him.

To make all sure, eight or ten of the company were sent to patrol on horseback round the edges of the swamp, together with all the dogs but one, while five or six of the strongest and most resolute proposed to penetrate the interior, and to storm the island retreat. The prisoner, with the rope still about his neck, the other end made fast to the waist of one of the stoutest of the company, was required to serve as guide; and though he protested that he knew nothing in particular of the approaches to the island, he was threatened with instant death in case he did not conduct them safely and expeditiously across. The fellow, however, whether through ignorance or design, led them into very deep water, in some places fairly up to their necks, through which they were obliged to wade, holding their rifles and powder horns over their heads; and in spite of every effort to keep him quiet, as the party drew near the island, he would insist on crying out, as if giving directions as to the passage, but, as was strongly suspected, with the real design of alarming his confederate. And, indeed, before the party could make good their footing on the island, he had already taken the alarm, and had plunged into the water on the other side. He had gained a considerable distance before he was seen, and as he dodged behind the great trees of the swamp, several rifle shots fired at him failed to take effect. In