"BY THE way, Dan," Vincent said when the negro had finished his meal, "we have not talked over that matter of my clothes.I can't imagine how that letter saying that one of us was disguised as a minister and would have a negro servant came to be written.Did you ever tell the people you lodged with anything about the disguise?""No, sah, neber said one word to dem about it; dey know nothing whatsoeber.De way me do wid your letter was dis.Me go outside town and wait for long time.At last saw black follow coming along.Me say to him, 'Can you read?' and he said as he could.Isaid 'I got a letter, I want to read him, I gib you a quarter to read him to me;' so he said yes, and he read do letter.He a long time of making it out, because he read print but not read writing well.He spell it out word by word, but I don't tink he understand dat it come from prison, only dat it come from some one who wanted some rope and a turn-screw.Me do just de same way wid de second letter.As for de clothes, me buy dem dat day, make dem up in bundle, and not go back to lodging at all.Me not know how any one could know dat I buy dat minister clothes for you, sah.
Me told de storekeeper dat dey was for cousin of mine, who preach to de colored folk, and dat I send him suit as present.Onless dat man follow me and watch me all de time till we go off together, sah, me no see how de debbil he guess about it.""That's quite impossible, Dan; it never could have been that way.
It is very strange, for it would really seem that no one but you and Iand the other two officers could possibly know about it.""Perhaps one of dem want to do you bad turn, massa, and write so as to get you caught and shut up again."Vincent started at the suggestion.Was it possible that Jackson could have done him this bad turn after his having aided him to make his escape It would be a villainous trick; but then he had always thought him capable of villainous tricks, and it was only the fact that they were thrown together in prison that had induced him to make up his quarrel with him; but though Jackson had accepted his advances, it was probable enough that he had retained his bad feeling against him, and had determined, if possible, to have his revenge on the first opportunity.
"The scoundrel," he said to himself, "after my getting him free, to inform against me! Of course I have no proof of it, but I have not the least doubt that it was him.If we ever meet again, Mr.Jackson, I will have it out with you.""You got two pistols, sah," Dan said presently."How you get dem?""The lady of that house gave them to me, Dan; they are one for you and one for me.""Dis chile no want him, sah; not know what to do wid him.Go off and shoot myself, for sure.""Well, I don't suppose you would do much good with it, Dan.As Iam a good shot, perhaps I had better keep them both.You might load them for me as I fire them.""Berry well, sah; you show me hew to load, me load."Vincent showed Dan how to extricate the discharged cartridge-cases and to put in fresh ones, and after a quarter of an hour's practice Dan was able to do this with some speed.
"When we going on, sah?" he said as, having learned the lesson, he handed the pistol back to Vincent.
"We are not going on until the evening, Dan.When it gets dark the lady is going to take us to a place where there is a boat hidden, and we shall then be able to cross the river.""Den I will hab a sleep, sah.Noting like sleeping when there is a chance."I believe you could sleep three-quarters of your time, Dan.
However, you may as well sleep now if you can, for there will be nothing to do till night."Vincent went back to the edge of the wood, and sat down where he could command a view of the cottage.The country was for the most part covered with wood, for it was but thinly inhabited except in the neighborhood of the main roads.Few of the farmers had cleared more than half their ground; many only a few acres.The patch, in which the house with its little clump of trees stood nearly in the center, was of some forty or fifty acres in extent, and though now rank with weeds, had evidently been carefully cultivated, for all the stumps had been removed, and the fence round it was of a stronger and neater character than that which most of the cultivators deemed sufficient.
Presently he heard the sound of horses' feet in the forest behind him, and he made his way back to a road which ran along a hundred yards from the edge of the wood.He reached it before the horsemen came up, and lay down in the underwood a few yards back.In a short time two horsemen came along at a walking pace.
"I call this a fool's errand altogether," one of them said in a grumbling tone."We don't know that they have headed this way;and if they have, we might search these woods for a month without finding them.""That's so," the other said; "but Mullens has set his heart on it, and we must try for another day or two.My idea is that when the fellow heard what sort of a chap Mullens was, he took the hack train that night and went up north again."Vincent heard no more, but it was enough to show him that a sharp hunt was being kept up for him; and although he had no fear of being caught in the woods, he was well pleased at the thought that he would soon be across the water and beyond the reach of his enemy.He went back again to the edge of the clearing and resumed his watch.It was just getting dusk, and he was about to join Dan when he saw a party of twelve men ride out from the other side of the wood and make toward the house.Filled with a vague alarm that possibly some one might have caught sight of him and his follower on the previous day, and might, on being questioned by the searchers, have given them a clew as to the direction in which they were going, Vincent hurried to the spot where he left Dan.The negro jumped up as he approached.
"Me awake long time, sah.Began to wonder where you had got to.""Take your stick and come along, Dan, as fast as you can."Without another word Vincent led the way along the edge of the wood to the point where the clump of trees at the back of the house hid it from his view.
