rcely had I glimpsed this rolling flood,
sparkling under the sun's rays, when my gaze turned up stream, directed
by an excited gesture of the negro. Less than a mile away, its rapidly
revolving wheel churning the water into foam in ceaseless battle
against the current, was a steamboat. It was not a large craft, and so
dingy looking that, even at that distance, it appeared dull gray in
color. A number of moving figures were perceptible on the upper deck;
two smokestacks belched forth a vast quantity of black smoke, sweeping
in clouds along the water surface, and a large flag flapped
conspicuously against the sky. I stared at the apparition, scarcely
comprehending the reality of what I beheld.

"Yer bettah stoop down more, sah," Sam urged. "Fer sum o' dem fellars
might see yer yit. Ah nebber heerd nuthin', ner saw no smoke till she
cum a puffin' 'round de end 'o dat p'int. Ah cudn't dare go fer yer
then, sah, fer fear dey'd see me, so Ah jus' nat'larly lay down yere,
an' watched her go by."

"Is it a government boat?"

"Ah reckon maybe; leastwise thar's a heap o' sojers aboard
her--reg'lars Ah reckon, fer dey's all in uniform. But everybody
aboard wan't sojers."

"You know the steamer?"

"Yas, sah. Ah's seed her afore dis down et Saint Louee. She uster run
down de ribber--she's de _John B. Glover_. She ain't no great shakes
ob a boat, sah."

His eyes, which had been eagerly following the movements of the craft,
turned and glanced at me.

"Now dey's goin' fer ter cross over, sah, so's ter keep de channel. Ah
don't reckon es how none o' dem men kin see back yere no more. Massa
Kirby he wus aboard dat steamer, sah."

"Kirby! Are you sure about that, Sam?"

"'Course Ah's sure. Didn't Ah see him just as plain as Ah see you
right now? He wus for-rad by de rail, near de pilot house, a watchin'
dis whole shore like a hawk. Dat sure wus Massa Kirby all right, but
dar wan't nobody else 'long wid him."

"But what could he be doing there on a troop boat?"

The negro scratched his head, momentarily puzzled by my question.

"Ah sure don't know, sah," he admitted. "Only dat's perzackly who it
was. Ah reckon dar ain't no boat whut won't take a passenger, an'
Kirby, he knows ebery captain 'long dis ribber. Ah figur' it out 'bout
dis way, sah; dat nobody kin tell yit which way we went--up de ribber,
er down de ribber. Long cum de _John B. Glover_, an' Massa Kirby he
just take a chance, an' goes aboard.