Arkansaw Bear: A Tale of Fanciful Adventure Read online

  CHAPTER V

  GOOD-BYE TO ARKANSAW

  "Oh, the wind blows cold and the wind blows raw, When the night comes on in the Arkansaw-- Yes, the wind blows cold and the snow will fall. And Bosephus and Horatio must travel through it all."

  THE little boy's voice quavered as he sang, and his teeth chattered. Ithad been more than two months since he started on his travels withHoratio, and the October nights, even in southern Arkansaw, werebeginning to be chilly. The night before he had in some way gotseparated from his friend's warm furry coat and woke shivering. Hekindled a fire now, singing as he worked, while Horatio touched thechords of his violin pensively. He did not feel the cold. Nature wasproviding him with his winter furs.

  "Bo," he said presently, "you'll have to have some heavier clothes.Either that or we'll have to go farther South. As for me, you know, Icould go to sleep in a hollow tree and not mind the winter, but youcouldn't do it, and I don't intend to, either, this year; we're makingtoo much money for that."

  Bo laughed in spite of the cold and jingled his pockets. They were morethan half full of coin, and he had a good roll of bills in his jacketbesides.

  "No," he said; "we are getting along too well. We'll be rich by springif we keep right on. I'm thinking, though, that we'll never be able toget South fast enough if we walk."

  "Look here, Bo; you're not thinking about putting me on that cyclonething they call a train, are you?"

  "Well, not exactly, but yesterday where we performed I heard a fellowsay that there was a river right close here, and steamboats. Youwouldn't mind a steamboat, would you, Ratio?"

  "Of course not. I don't mind anything. I've always wanted to ride on oneof those trains, only I knew the people would be frightened at me, andas for a steamboat, why, if I should meet a steamboat coming down theroad--"

  "But steamboats don't come down the roads, Ratio; they go on the water."

  "Water! Water that you drink, and drown things in?"

  "Of course! And if the boat goes down we'll be drowned, too."

  Horatio struck a few notes on the violin before replying.

  "Bo," he said presently, "you're a friend of mine, aren't you? A truefriend?"

  "Yes, Ratio, you know I am."

  "Well, then, don't you go on one of those boats. It would grieve meterribly if anything should happen to you. I might not be able to saveyou, Bo, and then think how lonely I should be." And Horatio put one pawto his eyes and sobbed.

  "Oh, pshaw, Ratio! Why, I can swim like everything. I'm not afraid."

  "But you couldn't save us both, Bo--I mean, we both couldn't save thefiddle--it would get wet. Think--think of the fiddle, Bo!"

  The fire was burning brightly by this time and the little boy wasgetting warm. He laughed and rubbed his hands and began to sing:--

  "Oh, we're going down the river on a great big boat, And Horatio's so excited he can hardly play a note, For he never liked the water and he never learned to swim, And he thinks if he goes sailing now his chances will be slim."

  Horatio stopped short and snorted angrily.

  "I want you to understand," he said, sharply, "that I'm not afraid ofanything. You'll please remember that night when the forest peopledanced and you thought your time had come, how I saved you by making yousing. There's nothing I fear. Why if--"

  But what Horatio was about to say will never be known, for at thatmoment there came such a frightful noise as neither of them had everheard before. It came from everywhere at once, and seemed to fill allthe sky and set the earth to trembling. It was followed by two or threefierce snorts and a dazzling gleam of light through the trees. Thelittle boy was startled, and as for the Bear, he gave one wild look andfled. In his fright he did not notice a small shrub, and, tripping overit, he fell headlong into a clump of briars, where he lay, groaningdismally that he was killed and that the world was coming to an end.

  Suddenly Bosephus gave a shout of laughter.

  "Get up, Ratio," he called, "it's our steamboat! We're right near theriver and didn't know it. They're landing, too, and we can go rightaboard."

  The groaning ceased and there was a labored movement among the briars.

  Presently Horatio crept out, very much crestfallen, and picked up theviolin, which in his haste he had dropped.

  "Bo," he said, sheepishly, "I never told you about it before, but I amsubject to fits. I had one just then. They come on suddenly that way.All my family have them and act strangely at times. I'm sure you don'tthink for a moment that I was frightened just now."

  HE FELL HEADLONG.]

  "Oh, no, of course not. You merely picked out that briar patch as a goodplace to have a fit in. Do you always think the world's coming to anend when you are taken that way?"

  "We'll go right aboard, Bo; you are a little timid, no doubt, so I'lllead the way." And Horatio stepped out briskly toward the lights andvoices and the landing steamer.

  A few steps brought them out to the river bank and a full view of theboat that had crept silently around a bend to the woodyard, where it washalting to take on fuel. The gang plank had not been pushed out to thebank as yet, but a white ray of light shot from a small window to thedark shore and looked exactly like a narrow board. The boy and the Bearwere both deceived by it, and Horatio in his eagerness to show hisbravery did not pause to investigate.

  "Take the fiddle, Bo," he said, loftily, "and I'll show you how to geton a boat. You should always be brave, Bosephus."

  Bosephus took the instrument and Horatio, with arms extended as abalance, stepped straight out into nothing and vanished. There was asudden splash, a growl, a scrambling sound in the shallow water andHoratio's head appeared above the bank. Bosephus, at first frightened,was now doubled with laughter.

  "Oh, Ratio," he gasped, "how funny of you to try to walk on a moonbeam!"

  Horatio shook himself and sniffed angrily. A wide gang plank was nowbeing lowered from the boat, and as it touched the bank the boy steppedquickly aboard, followed by the wet, shambling Bear.

  "Oh, there was an Old Bear on a dark, dark night, Who tried to walk on a beam of light,"

  sang Bo, as he crossed the plank,

  "But the beam wouldn't hold and the Bear broke through, And now Horatio follows, as Horatio ought to do."

  "Hello!" called a voice. "Where did you come from?"

  Bo looked up and saw a brawny man with a group of wondering negroesbehind him.

  "We are travelling," said Bo, "and we want to go down the river. We canpay our way and will make music for you, too."

  "Good boy," said the mate. "Go right up and report to the clerk, thencome back down here, and after we get this wood loaded we'll give yousome supper and you can give us a show."

  On the upper deck the few passengers gathered around and made much ofthe arrivals. All asked questions at once, and Bo answered as best hecould. Horatio kept silent--he never talked except when he was alonewith Bo. The boy kept his hand on the Bear's head, and when the boatbacked away and puffed down stream he felt his big friend tremble, but alittle later, when they had had a good supper, Ratio's fear passed off,and on the lower deck, where all hands collected, the friends gave anentertainment that not only won for them free passage down the river,but a good collection besides. It was far in the night when theperformance ended. The officers, passengers and crew kept calling formore, and the travellers were anxious to accommodate them. The negroeswent wild over the music, and patted and danced crazily whenever Horatioplayed. Finally Bo sang a good night song:--

  Music]

  "Now, we've had a lot of music, and we've had some supper, too, And we're sailing down the river in a little steam canoe,

  Music]

  And we love to be obliging with our music, but it seems That we ought to go a-sailing to the land of pleasant dreams.

  THE NEGROES WENT WILD OVER THE MUSIC.]

  THE LITTLE BOY WAS IN THE LAND OF DREAMS.]

  Music]

  And I must not fai
l to mention we enjoy your kind attention, And the favors you have shown to us have filled us with delight,

  Music]

  And to-morrow we will play for you and sing our songs so gay for you, But now you will excuse us if we say--good--night."

  Bosephus and Horatio were both offered staterooms on the upper deck, butHoratio preferred to sleep outside, and the little boy said he wouldsleep there also. Horatio sat up for some moments after Bo had stretchedhimself to rest, looking at the dark wooded banks and the starlight onthe water behind them.

  "Bo," he said, at last, "we are going to see the world now, sureenough."

  "Yes, Ratio," was the sleepy answer.

  "Bo, do you suppose our camp fire is still burning back yonder?"

  No answer.

  "I hate to leave old Arkansaw, don't you, Bo?"

  But the little boy was in the land of dreams.