| Show A 0 ae W I 1 I 1 U 1 E P N E 59 S wp c 0 of abc 0 fc ly y IRVINO IRVING R CHAPTER IX 18 the voyage in the whales belly amos went outs out to the fallen tree with his handsaw a and nd clinging to the upper branches lie began sawing olt off those below water flush with the trunk soon the under side of tile the tree was clear of boughs lie ile labored until the sun had passed the middle of the heavens while robert on ills his lofty perch looked out upon the jake and tile the silent wilderness sloping upward from the shore ile he saw no sign of 0 life when amos rapped on the side of roberts tree the young man mail descended and saw with wonder what the ingenious pioneer had accomplished plis shed lied about two fathoms from its butt he had sawed and split out with ills his hatchet nn an opening in the upper shell of the tree large enough for a roan man to enter beneath it he had loosened with a spud the crumbling rotted heart of tile the old hemlock and tossed a waln load of its timber dust in the water until lie he had cleared it a space under the shell wider than his shoulders and twice as long as ills his body ile he had carefully preserved the bark covered arch cut from the rounded side of the bole the big belly of the old tree Is our cabin lie he sold said its nigh two fathom long and wide enough for us to stretch out inside the stem la Is a big shell shelf ol 01 0 good timber ive made mad two portholes port holes on each side and rammed a peek hole through the punk fouard fo rard the wide spread 0 boughs above water to in the stern wilt will keep her balanced and their weight and mine will lift her bow a little do ye notice how ive got era em tied together that turns her top into a s sail ail robert said but we have no rudder amos bit oft off a chunk of tobacco and answered we dont need it no more than a toad needs it a pocket in his breeches in wide vide water wah ath the wind mostly coln our way we dont have to be nervous about steerage daytimes I 1 set straddle back in the riggin near the stern with a long stout paddle I 1 can help her a little to keep her tall behind her ill be hid by the green bo boughs shell yaw yav around some ashes got a right to make her look fatral nat ral but whether she backs up or slips sideways or goes head bead first shell shelf be movin south and by the guts 0 pharaoh I 1 think shell take us to the lakes end amos lifted his right foot and shook it playfully robert tells in ills his diary of the old pioneers amiable habit of lifting and ills his right foot when greatly pleased tile the man spat and looked very wise and confident as he added dont worry about old amos amo its bad coln when lie he gives aples up Les go below ill put on the hatch and show ye how to be captain they entered the little cabin amos adjusted the bark covered arch coming down through it was a bit of dressed hemlock about the size of it gent lemans cane green brunches branches were left on its top above tile the arch they resembled a natural outgrowth from the trunk amos proudly set forth the duties of his young friend ye se lie ile here in fit the whales belly and keep watch it if the wind blows hard hold on to that stick if ye see any danger on the right rap once on the left twice ferard three times dont make much noise just tap gentle on tile the side like that ill hear bear it after this daythel day they called their ship the whales belly they got their packs and wallets aboard amos hewed his paddle out of a long strip of dry spruce and smoothed and shaped it with its ills knife they carpeted their cabin with a blanket and stored their luggage in eath end amos cut fathoms of robins hedgerow a luxurious creeping clinging vine with dark green foliage abundant in the northern forest and asked robert to wind it around him on tile die string of tills this vine lne are tiny brickers pr ickers so that it Is able to cling to its footing as it grows when robert was done with the winding lils his comrade looked like a vine covered stump now when im buck back in the boulls boughs I 1 reckon take a sharp eye to see me suld said amos as he boarded jils his ship walked astern and sat down in the thick fol foliage lage ills aills weight lifted the big hollow trunk just free from the sand now youre well hid said robert thus amos directed the casting oft off take that lever and shove her out a little then get aboard und auml well pole her into the wind slowly after much pushing with pole ane paddle the singular craft began her courney lu urney there was a light breeze from the northwest at a snails pace the curt curl aus old tree trec ship drifted into it bo C fore it struck her sails amos bad worked lier her bow toward tile south soon sh slip e w as out in broad wat water L r with small waves breaking on her side they cleared an ail island and she went on ns as steady as a fafty ton soon amos heard three taps the captain had spied through the forward peephole a fleet of heading toward them tham in the distance the breeze freshened the ship began to S swing w ing amos sat motionless and let her drift as she would ten canoes filled with painted warriors passed near them going north they gave no do attention a to the floating tree doubtless a common slight sight on this lonely wa water ter with its shadowed far reaching border of towering trees they seemed to have crowded down to look and to battle bathe their feet aril there to have stood pushing and peering over one an others shoulders entranced by the scene for centuries tile whales belly grounded off ft point on oil a small email island many miles nearer their destination when darkness toll fell amos crept forward and lifted the hatch and lowered his feet to tile cabin sitting down lie he asked illow how do ye like the cabin its a comfortable place but ill be glad to get out and stretch my legs well theres nothing on this island ive listened for nu an hour its well out front from the eastern shore we can slip over the side and take s a quiet dip before we go to sleep amos removed his cover of vines saying that by lying down on the tree trunk in times of danger he thought that lie he would be well hidden they undressed and had bad a refreshing bath on the sandy beach the breeze had sunk to almost a zephyr I 1 tiling idling down the vast water plane from the he north well try to push her out and shell make a few miles with her own head while were asleep amos Is happy she was lightly grounded they worked her free shoved her into deep water and climbed aboard they dressed and lay down under their blankets with ith the hatch off and roped to a peg in the cabin side elde they spoke poke ot or the iroquois warriors who whom rn they had passed A war Is on with the durons and Algon quins said amos the iro fro quals tire are out scouring the wilderness like a pack 0 wolves before snow lies there are six nations ol 01 0 them banded together in their long house a chain 0 villages on a pat thunder pa bunder the forest roof from near the north river to a great freshwater sea in tile the west they cultivate their lands they rule their people smart and with a sense 0 justice but they are fierce and terrible they have haie driven brhen the algon quins and the durons from those these lands north 0 em cm to the great canadian river they aliey keep era em nort liard they give eni em no rest on the big split you may be sure that the have moved since we ve set out I 1 bet a pig whistle that they are on that flint island the iroquois are at least semi said robert t they give us fair treatment amos answered 1 I t trust pm the white man Is their pison alson with ills fits his god tind and his fits thunder birds that travel with him ile he bothers em ills death song Is like blueberries blae berries and honey we have no friends among anion the dutch lne taij in III allans bans could 10 lo do ni as they like with us we better not take that bull hy by the horns id rather have hold ol 01 0 his big tall the travelers fell asleep and were awakened just before daylight by the chattering of birds above them amos arose and looked about A lock flock of pigeons hew flow out of the branches over the stern were still drift driffin in 11 lie he whispered them the breeze has freshened a little I 1 can just make out tile te treetops on tile lie east shore daylight Is colln my bly thoughts have been around that handkerchief that like ilke a love gal to hang lanng her handkerchief out over the water she says sais jo to herself if he comes down the lake in a canoe hell keep close to shore and it its daylight hell see that thai little white ling hag and grab it its like a play ol 01 0 will Shake and me one ol 01 0 the players wo wont have long to walt wait for the last act I 1 reckon ile he begun began to browse on the dried meat and fish as he stood surveying the scene lie ile leaned over scooped up a drink of water in his barli barb cup and swallowed owed it lie ile passed another drink to his friend the tinkle of his bis cup on the lake surface the whispering of the hemlock boughs and a faint ripple on their ships bide were the only sounds founds that broke the deep interminable silence soon lie he was back on his perch in the stern and began slowly working her i tall to the wind in a trek toward the middle of the lake headline forward with ills paddle between the prea alna water and the side of the tree its broad long blade served sai as a kind of center board they drifted on through it a day filled with excitement A bald eagle lighted on a branch of the old hemlock and presently discovering amos amog threatened him for a moment will spread wings and open beak the wild ga tante spirit of the wilderness lie ile rested a little time and resumed hla his flight toward midday they passed a party of indian women in canoes hauling up tip nailing fishing lines fastened to wooden buoys later a solitary BH savage crossed th their air bow scarcely ten fathoms ahead in pursuit of a swimming deer in tile the dusk of the falling night they grounded on a rock a bowshot bow shot olt off a point of land A fire waa burning ja in the edge of the forest behind the point the timbered slope rung rang with wild cries those days in the whales belly gave robert his first chance to try his hand with the delicate mechanism of locket one day it yielded to his bla patient efforts und and peggyj peggys secret lay jay before him it was written on a little square of perfumed paper that bore these words dare you tell me again robert needed no interpretation of this message in a moment he had sounded the depth of its meaning she had decided that she could not be happy with It Il osewell and was planning to break with him doubtless she thought that robert would soon return to her and beg for help in solving the mystery mastery once she knew that lie he was eager to learn her secret she would have helped him to find it lip lie thought of that day with her on the forest path how flow it glowed in ills his memory 1 soon he exclaimed what a what a pity that my life had to be broken like a tree lilt by lightning 1 it fair yet there was something in this bit of paper that gave him cheer and comfort ile he examined the beautiful trinket and wondered what was the meaning of the legend engraved in greek on its case the day waned with a deep sense ot of relief relict he be heard amos crawling toward him in the darkness gently his big friend lifted the hatch and entered the cheerful resourceful amos was a comfort to the young man ile he and his ship were just a part of the wilderness but a kindly part of it ile he could make lt its winds and waters serve him by the liver and lungs ol 01 0 pharaoh I 1 the old pioneer exclaimed in a whisper im een a most tuckered out and hungry enough to eat a raw muskrat I 1 aint dared to move from my perch all day lie he began to strip off the dried meat and devour it there goes a twig but I 1 dont mind twigs or moose hair or saud sand and pebbles he muttered sly lly insides has got kind 0 lonesome like a lost man holleran holler ln bill for help ye can undress and take a quiet dip if ye want to robert stood up with his lend head through the hatchway and began to undress the lake was a great inland sen so big that lie was losing heart this Is like a sea voyage he be said do you think well get through well comrade ive been in worse fixes and got through its an old say ye can tie he the hands bands and feet of an englishman but unless ye break his head his brain will do its as it pleases for r or just a moment the young man opened ills heart A good englishman can look death in tho the face rather calmly I 1 reckon its true of a gentleman the world over im not that im losing my manhood im a trembling coward I 1 get worse every day amos answered loo here comrade dont put no dirty word on bob heathers in my presence ye dont understand him as I 1 do by the toenails 0 Ihara oli lil 1 A man that can suffer what ye have without swear ln or kielan up a row is as good as any man ought to be in this here world we live in yere half sick tile the matter for tile alie first time in many days robert laughed and with tears of joy in his eyes then lie he told of tho the medallion and showed the messana which had just arrived as it were it relieved the young man to hear the encouraging cou raging cheerful comments of tho the old pioneer come heart 0 goedl amos cried out dont live in a coke pit hang on to peggys peggye skirts and the black thought leave ye amos Is happy but youre not shaking thal cing your right foot and so I 1 know its only verbal happiness said robert its a credit to you nevertheless robert took his dip and climbed aboard and dried himself with a piece of linen in ills his pack its getting cold tie he whispered yes the wind has swung into the tha nor cast I 1 look for a storm roca lay down and covered himself with ills his blanket amos put on tile the hatch and looped a cord over the tha stick which served to hold it down and made it fust fast to the cabin side TO BID BB CONTINUED |
