USA > Kentucky > Livingston County > Chronicles of a Kentucky settlement > Part 16
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"'All right then,' replied Cap, 'I'll land ; but let them come aboard at once.'
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" And land we did some two hundred yards below the Cave : when the captain and three others-my brother being one of them-went ashore and walked up to the Cave. After waiting for more than an hour, and none of our men returning, I asked my remaining companion to go up to the Cave and see what was detaining them. Another hour passed away ; the sun had gone down, and night, with clouds, was rapidly coming on.
"I began to feel uneasy, and, to add to my uneasi- ness, a large dog, which we had on board, began howl- ing most dismally. Presently, by the dim twilight, I saw three inen approaching the boat from the Cave ; and, at first, I thought them a part of our crew, but I was soon undeceived, for they came on board and, with pistols drawn, demanded my surrender. Resistance was useless ; and my arms were soon bound behind my back, and I was told that if I made any row my brains would be blown out. I asked about my friends, but was only told that they were 'all right' ; that the cap- tain had 'sold the boat and cargo'; and that was 'enough ' for me 'to know.'
"I was then blindfolded, and when my money had been taken from me, I was assisted-I should say lifted -into a skiff, into which two of the three men, so I thought, entered. I begged to know what had become of my brother, whom I described to them, and told them that he and I were only passengers on the boat, and no part of the crew proper. I did this, hoping that, if they knew we were only passengers, and had no direct interest in the boat and cargo, they would think us less likely to return to the Cave and molest them. But the only answer I got was, that the 'fewer
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questions ' I asked the better it would be for me by a d- sight.'
" The skiff was then rowed away-in what direction I could not tell, but in some five minutes there was a pause in the rowing, and soon a slight jar as of two skiffs coming together, followed by a conversation carried on in whispers, the purport of which I could not catch. Very soon, however, one of the men ap- proached me and whispered in my ear. There seemed to be a remnant of mercy in the intonations of those whispered words, rather than in the words themselves. He said : ' We 're goin' ter vi'late orders a little, an' turn yer loose here in the middle er the river. An' the furder yer float away frum here 'fore yer make enny noise, the better fer yer by a d- sight. You'd better lay low an' keep dark till mornin' comes.' The speaker then slackened the cords that bound my arms, after which he again whispered : 'Yer ken work 'em loose when we 're gone, say in 'bout an' hour, but not sooner, or yer may get inter trouble. An' don't yer never come back here to ax enny questions, or yer '11 fare a d- sight worse, an' do nobody enny good.'
" The man then left me, seated in the stern of the skiff, and I could tell, from the motion and the rattling of a chain, that a second boat was being pulled along- side it, into which the man stepped, leaving me alone, I strained my ears to catch the slightest sound, but I could neither hear the click of oars nor the dip of a paddle, but the latter might have been used so noiselessly as to be unheard. I was, therefore, in doubt : I thought possibly the other boat might be floating close to me, and that I was being watched. This brought to my mind the man's caution, not to
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try and free my arms for an hour. I, therefore, remained quiet for about that length of time, and no sound reached me except the moaning of the night winds among the forest trees that lined each shore, the occasional barking of wolves, and the weird cry of night-fowis-particularly the blood-curdling hooting of great owls.
" Oh, what an hour was that ! What a host of memories and fears rushed through my mind ! My chief fear was for my brother. Was he dead or alive ? Even if alive, how and when could we ever find each other in this wilderness of the West ? I was so over- come by these thoughts that I was alinost tempted to spring into the river with my arms bound, and termi- nate a life that was so lonely-that had so much of darkness and danger around it, and not one gleam of light ahead. But my next thought was that poor John, if alive, would pass his life in hunting for me, and the thought of the joy our meeting would give him aroused me to the value of my own life.
" After a long and painful effort, I succeeded in releasing my arms, and then in freeing my eyes from the bandage. On looking around I found the heavens overcast, not a star was to be seen, and the night was so intensely dark that I could see only a dim outline of the shore. I was floating near the middle of the river. I then examined the skiff, but there were neither oars nor paddle in it. What was I to do ? Was I to float along thus helplessly until, by hallooing, I could attract some one to my assistance ? But I was only floating some two or three miles per hour, and it might be many hours before I would pass any habita- tion. I, therefore, made up my mind to lie down in the
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skiff, try and get some sleep, and await the coming of morn. But the distant, growling thunder was creeping nearer and nearer ; flash after flash lit up the heavens, followed by almost deafening discharges that rolled, crashed, and reverberated along the river and among the forests, which moaned and groaned under the pres- sure of the rising wind. Then the waves in the river were momentarily increasing, and were dashing my little skiff about in a way that was alarming. More- over, I soon found that I was being driven, by the force of the wind, toward the Kentucky shore, and it was necessary for me to be on the alert, lest I be driven against some steep bank, or some snag, and be swamped. Soon the rain, which at intervals had been falling in large drops, suddenly ceased ; there was a momentary calm, a stillness and sultriness in the atmo- sphere-and then-I can never forget it !- there was a blinding zigzagged line of fire from zenith to horizon, followed by a crash so near, so terrific, that it seemned as if the solid earth had been rent in twain ; and, in a moment more, the rain came down in such a deluging sheet that it really appeared as if that mighty thunder clap had shivered the bottom of the heavens above and let through the angry flood of waters. In a few moments the turbulent waves of the river were flat- tened out as if by a fiat of Omnipotence. But, thought I, if this downpour continues for many minutes my skiff will be filled and sink. And how was I to bail it out ? There was but one way : to use my thick leather shoes as a scoop. I worked manfully while the rain lasted, but, fortunately, this was not for more than an hour, and towards the close by no means so heavy as at the beginning.
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" The long night finally passed, but the heavens were still overcast. I peered along both banks- looked, hoping to see smoke curling above some cabin chimney, but there was no sign of human habitation. Occasionally I raised my voice to its highest pitch- gave a loud halloo, but no answering voice was re- turned. However, about an hour later, I saw, ahead of me, an island, and it was evidently inhabited, for, notwithstanding the leaden aspect of the skies, I could see smoke ascending from among the trees. I used my hands as paddles as vigorously as I could, so as to drift against the head of the island, and succeeded. I secured my boat, soon found the cabin, and was kindly received by a Mr. Prior and his wife, who gave me a good breakfast. I told them of my misfortunes, and they expressed much sympathy for me. Mr. Prior, who seemed to be an honest and intelligent man, told me that he was one of the earliest settlers in those ' parts' : that he had often heard of the depredations of the Wilson gang about the Cave, and that I was lucky to have escaped with my life ; that the gang had been organized some ten or fifteen years before the Territory of Illinois was organized into a State (in December, 1818) ; that they were then (in [822) so numerous and thoroughly organized, as to set the law, in such a thinly settled country, almost at defiance. He finally advised me to stop at Smithland, at the mouth of the Cumberland River, where I might obtain assistance and directions as to what was best for me to do. Mr. Prior then, with his axe, made me, out of a clapboard, a paddle ; and bidding him and his kind wife good-by, I returned to my skiff, pushed off, and that evening arrived in Smithland.
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" In Smithland, I went to a hotel kept by a large, jovial-looking gentleman, and from his name, Mc- Dougal, I inferred that he was from Scotland, or of Scotch descent. I was, as you will understand, in a sad plight : wet by the drenching rain of the previous night ; and, not having slept for the previous thirty- six hours, was haggard, hungry, and sleepy. I told the landlord my misfortunes, showed him my testi- monial from St. Andrew's Society, told him that I was hungry and sleepy, and that I had no money, but would leave with him the skiff, which, however, did not belong to me, unless I was to consider it as a par- tial compensation, from my captors, for the money they had taken from me. My story told, the old fellow patted me on the shoulder and said I had 'come to the right house.' He then ordered from the bar a ' stiff hot whiskey toddy,' which he handed me, saying : 'Drink this, me lad, drink ye every drap o' it ; it '11 do ye good.' I did drink it, and it-was-good. Soon I had a good meal, a room with a fire in it to dry my clothes, and a good bed.
" The next day my story was generally known, the landlord having spoken of it to the crowd that as- sembled every evening at the hotel. Many were the expressions of sympathy I received. Reports and rumors of such outrages had reached them before. There were a few who favored forming a band of Regulators, and marching to the Cave and making open war against all of the Wilson gang. But the older and cooler heads pooh-poohed such a course : (1) They would, so it was contended, in thus taking the law in their own hands, probably confound the innocent with the guilty, since no one knew of whom
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the so-called gang was composed. (2) That the gang had, perhaps, emissaries or sympathizers in Smithland, who would inform them of any expedition sent against them. (3) That Jim Wilson, who was generally sup- posed to be the chief of the gang, lived in Kentucky, but no one had ever been able to trace any crime posi- tively home to him. (4) While the tale I had told was doubtless true, yet it was the tale of but one man, and that man a stranger. (5) And, finally, that there was no use in my appealing to the law in Kentucky, for the offence, if any, was committed in the State of Illinois.
" This was sufficient to show me that, so far as the law was concerned, I could not hope for any assistance in finding my brother, or in punishing the Cave rob- bers ; the latter was, of course, a secondary considera- tion, but to find my brother, if alive, was to be the work of my life, and how to go about it was the ques- tion. After conferring with my kind landlord, I determined, in the first place, to write to my brother's friends in Philadelphia and Charleston of how his sepa- ration from me had occurred, and request them, should they hear from him, to write to me at Smithland ; my friend, Mr. McDougal, being authorized, should I be absent, to open and read my letters and forward them to me if important. Thinking it probable that my brother would, if released, continue his journey to St. Louis, I also wrote to a furrier in that place. These letters dispatched, I resolved to visit the neighborhood of the Cave, and try to obtain some information re- garding my brother. Mr. McDougal, who alone knew of my purpose, gave me a note of introduction to Squire Howard, of Salem. But I have made my story
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so much longer than I intended, that I fear I have tired you, and will hasten over the remainder of it."
" No," replied Adair, "I have been much inter- ested. You have made the hours, which promised to be slow and sad ones, pass rapidly away. Go on, and tell me fully of your search."
" Of that," said Duncan, " I will narrate the chief incidents, which will lead me up to a matter of much moment to me at present, and about which I wish your counsel and advice." -
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16
CHAPTER XVII.
George Duncan in Salem-His Hunt for his Brother-He Meets Miss Catherine Wilson-He Tells her his Mission- Mingo, the Slave-In Wilson's House-Mingo's Hunt and Warning-Miss Wilson and the Flute-George's Hurried Departure-Mingo's Disclosures-George, and Col. Lovell's Family, and Laura Howard.
T HEN, to begin where I left off," said Duncan, on resuming the story of his life which he told to Adair, " Mr. McDougal sold the old skiff for a few dollars, which he insisted on iny taking, saying I could pay his bill when it was convenient for me to do so. I then set out for Salem ; and on my arrival there I had a long talk with Squire Howard, who then lived in town. He at once took a deep interest in my affairs and aided me in every way he could. After remaining in Salem for a few days, and obtaining such informa- tion as I could about Wilson and his gang, I was so impatient to learn something of my brother that I determined to make a start.
"I had learned that Wilson was ordinarily hospitable, and occasionally ostentatiously benevolent ; and that he had a wife and one unmarried daughter. I there- fore determined, after consultation with Squire How- ard, to go to Wilson's house ; to represent myself as a journeyman saddler on my way to Illinois, where I
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had a relative living ; and, as I was about out of money, to ask if he could not give me a job of repair- ing saddles, bridles, harness, etc. I accordingly pro- cured in Salem the few tools I would require, and, with these in a pack, off I trudged. But, before leaving, Squire Howard gave me a note of introduction to his son-in-law, Colonel Lovell ; who, he said, lived but a few miles from Wilson's, and to whom he advised me to apply for assistance in case my plans should not work well.
"Just before sunset I was walking down a hill, a mile, as I afterwards learned, from Wilson's house, and slipping sprained my ankle. It was some time before I attempted to resume my journey, and when I did so I found it impossible to walk, and sat down. I was about hallooing for assistance, when I heard the tramp of a horse's feet, and, looking back up the hill, saw a lady riding towards me, and by her horse's side an immense dog. At the same moment the dog bounded forward with a deep growl as if about to attack me, whereupon the lady cried out : 'You Growler ! Come back ! Be quiet !' When she came near me, I saw that she was young and beautiful. and, raising my hat, I said : 'I thank you for calling off your dog, for he would be a formidable antagonist for any one, and par- ticularly one in my helpless condition.'
"' Why, or how is it, sir, that you are helpless ?' she asked, reining up her horse.
" I explained the accident that had befallen me, and asked her if she would not be kind enough to try and send some one to my assistance, as I was unable to walk. Suddenly, and before making any reply, she dismounted, and leading her horse to where I sat :
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" 'Let me assist you,' she said. 'Take my horse ; it is only a mile to my father's house, which is the nearest one to us ; I can easily walk the distance.'
" I hardly know what reply I made, but I said some- thing about my disinclination to ride and force her to walk, and spoke in warm terms of her great kindness in proffering such assistance to an entire stranger. But, without pausing to insist on my taking her horse, her only reply was to ask how she could assist me in mounting. I was soon in her seat, on a side-saddle.
" She was slightly above medium height, and of an elegant figure; had an abundance of soft, glossy chest- nut hair, and lustrous brown eyes ; altogether she was one of the most beautiful and bewitching creatures I had ever seen. Then, too, there was an ease, compos- ure, and naturalness in her manner and speech which gave me the impression she had been accustomed to good society-certainly much better than could be obtained in that disreputable neighborhood.
" 'Did I understand you to say,' she said, after we had made a start, 'that you are a stranger here ? '
"'Yes,' I answered, 'not only a stranger, but very -very far from my native land.'
" ' You speak, sir, as if you had been a great wan- derer,' she said.
"' I am a native of old Scotland,' I replied, ' but left there when a child, and, losing our parents when we were quite young, my only brother and I were edu- cated and lived in Charleston, South Carolina, until we were nearly grown, since when I have travelled much by land and sea, and am now on my way to join that brother-my only living relative,-who is, I suppose, in Illinois, if alive.' The words 'if alive' I spoke
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before I thought-spoke them with a sad emphasis ; and, fearing I had been imprudent, hastened to mend the matter by adding : 'I say "if alive" because I have not heard from him for some time.'
"'I hope,' she kindly replied ' that you will find your brother alive and well. But how strange,' she added, thoughtfully, 'that one born in old Scotland- from which country my grandfather came-should be here in the far West-in this lonely spot !'
"'Ah, strange, indeed !' I replied, and added : ' How little we know whither our footsteps tend. A few years ago I could almost as easily have been persuaded that I would, to-day, be walking among the mountains and valleys of the moon as along this lonely road. And, to me, it seems equally strange that, in this out- of-the-way spot, I should, as I have, come across one . like yourself.'
" ' Why one like myself ? ' she artlessly asked.
"' In this wild, wilderness world,' I answered, 'I should have expected to find an illiterate and perhaps uncomely country girl, instead of which I find one- yes, the very reverse in every respect.
"' Oh,' she replied, with much frankness in her tone and manner, 'for the last four years I have attended a good school in a far-off town, and have thus enjoyed some advantages of which most country girls are unfor- tunately deprived. Nevertheless, this wild, wilderness world, as you term it, is my home and has many at- tractions for me, though I often lack for both books and entertaining society. For, unfortunately, ours is what is called, and perhaps justly, a bad neighborhood.'
" Here it came into my mind to trust my secret to my fair companion. I felt sure she was kind, compas-
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sionate, and intelligent. But who was she? I knew that I was not far from the residence of the notorious Jim Wilson, and this was perhaps his daughter. If so, did she know or suspect her father's character ? Little time, however, remained for reflection, and I felt an almost irresistible impulse to speak out-to speak truly-to tell that young lady, whoever she might be, who I was and what had brought me there.
"' Who lives in the house ahead of us ? ' I asked.
"' Mr. James Wilson,' she answered.
"'Pardon me, but are you bis daughter ?' I asked. "' I am,' she answered.
" I at once checked my horse, and, looking into her face, I slowly and distinctly said : 'Miss Wilson, you have been so kind to me that in your presence I can wear no disguise. I will tell you who I am and why I am here; and, unless your kindness to me and that fair face of yours are but cruel mockeries, you will not only keep my secret, but you will further aid me in a work of love and mercy. And now, Miss Wilson,' I went on without giving her time to reply, 'listen, for I have but a few minutes for explanations ; at another time I hope to be able to tell you more.' Then after telling her my name, I gave her a brief sketch of my life, and particularly of the great trouble that had come upon me at the Cave-in-Rock. In conclusion, 'It pains me,' I said, 'to say aught that may possibly dis- tress you-but-"
" 'Speak plainly, sir, and have no fears,' she said, interrupting me. And, notwithstanding her apparent effort to speak composedly, her bosom heaved and her voice was tremulous.
" Without hesitation I resumed : 'I was told that the
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gang of bad men about the Cave were generally known as Wilson's gang ; and that if I ventured here I would do so at the peril of my life. But my anxiety about my poor brother was so great that I determined to run the risk. My purpose, then, was to seek your father's house ; to represent myself as a poor journeyman saddler-and such I now am-on my way to Illinois ; to plead poverty and ask for employment ; and then obtain information about my brother in any and every way I could. But your kindness, your face, your tones, have changed my plans. Before you, as I have said, I will wear no disguise. And now,' I added, ' you have my secret-my tale of sorrow. And, crip- pled as I am, I am in your power, but I fear not, and will make no appeal to you. Of your father, I know nothing excepting what comparative strangers have told me ; he may be a bad man-I wish I could think otherwise for your sake,-but you are his daughter, and I cannot ask you to serve me at his expense, or do any violence to your filial obligations. If, however. you can find it in your heart to aid, counsel, or advise me, so that I may find my missing brother, you will confer on me a favor I can never forget, and would repay if in my power.'
"She listened to me with marked attention ; her breathing was at times irregular, and a slight involun- tary twitching about her firmly compressed lips and delicate throat showed plainly how greatly she was per- turbed. But when I had finished speaking she gave me a look which I can never forget. It assured me I was safe !-- that I had made no mistake in trusting her. After a short pause, stepping to my side and extending her hand, she said:
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"' Your secret is safe with me. My father has ever been an indulgent father to me. If he is, or ever has been, leagued with robbers, I know it not ; nor do I believe it. But that he is suspected and shunned, I have had sad proofs ; for I have myself been shunned by those of my own age and sex whom I would have sought for friends and companions. Nor have I been blind to the fact that my father is here surrounded by many vicious and bad men, over whom he has a cer- tain control, due, so I have thought, to his mental and physical strength, and his strong and overmastering will. But I deeply deplore your misfortunes ; and there is no reason why I should not aid you, if I can, in tracing your brother. What I can do I know not, but I will do my best. But your name, and object in coming here, must not be known. You can tell the tale you intended telling. I will know you only as the stranger whom I found by the roadside. You will be properly cared for, while lame, by my mother. You need fear no evil, unless you should be seen and recog- nized by some of the men from the Cave, of which, I hope, there is little or no danger. And there is,' she continued, 'a negro man on the farm named Mingo ; I will take him into my confidence, for he can best serve me in finding what has become of your brother. Mingo is faithful and very intelligent ; and you can trust him implicitly if there is occasion for you to speak to him. I will tell him that he can trust in you, for he is cautious and guarded in conversation with strangers. You will know him when I tell you that he is about thirty years old : rather tall and slim ; is very black : has a high, receding forehead-is, in fact, bald nearly to the crown of his head ;-- and he rarely laughs,
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sometimes smiles, but never grins as most negroes do. But now,' she added, ' describe your brother to me, for it may be important that Mingo should know what kind of a looking man he is-his dress, etc.'
" I then described my brother as minutely as I could, after which she said : ' We must now be moving on, it is growing dark, and your sprained ankle should have been attended to before this. But,' she added, 'by- what name will you be known ? '
"'George McGregor,' I answered. 'And,' I added, 'now, while I can, let me thank you, with all my heart, for your kind words and comforting assurances ; but let me add that you must, in trying to serve me, run no personal risk ; for if any harm should, in that way, come to you, I should never cease to regret it.'
"'Have no fear on my account,' she replied with emphasis, ' for terrible as my father may be in the eyes of many, to me he is gentle; I am now his only child.'
"On arriving at the yard gate in front of the house, Miss Wilson requested me to keep my seat in the sad- dle, saying she would send some one to assist me into the house. A few minutes later a negro man came around the corner of the house and approached me, whom I thought to be Mingo, and I was soon sure of it, for-after a knowing look and slight obeisance-he said : ' I sees, sah, it's your right foot what is lame,' from which I was convinced that Miss Wilson had spoken to him and given him an intimation of my injury. I was carefully assisted by Mingo into the house, and was cordially received by James Wilson and his wife.
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