the truth, Uncle
Job?"

"I neber spoke noffin but the truf, Massa Ossifer."

"Are those four very large,--long as this cabin is wide?" asked the
lieutenant with interest.

"No, sar!" exclaimed Job with energy.

"But they must have had very big guns."

"Yes, sar; but dey done tote 'em all ober to de Mis'sip Riber."

This seemed to be reasonable to the lieutenant, and in accordance
with the belief of his superiors on board of the Bronx, for no Union
man-of-war of any size could pass through the water courses to the great
river. It looked as though the big guns had been replaced with those of
smaller calibre.

Mr. Pennant put out the light in his lantern, and the party started to
cross the island.

CHAPTER XXIX

A PROFESSIONAL VISIT TO THE FORT

Mr. Pennant had some doubts about the correctness of the important
information he had obtained, but he was at a loss to know how to verify
it. It was a matter of course that sentinels patrolled the vicinity of
the fort, or at least the principal approach to it. He decided to
postpone his inquiry into this matter till a later hour of the night or
morning.

"Whar you gwine, Massa Ossifer?" asked Uncle Job, after they had walked
a short distance from the negro village.

"Over to the other side of the island," replied the lieutenant.

"Wot you gwine to do ober dar, massa?"

"I want to see what there is over there."

"Dis nigger kin told you wot dar is over dar."

"Well, what is there over there?"

"Dar's a steamer ober dar, an' I speck de Yankee gumboat's gwine in
dar to look arter dat steamer," said Uncle Job, chuckling as though he
enjoyed the prospect of such an event. "Say, Massa Ossifer, is Massa
Linkum in yore gumboat?"

"Not exactly; but she is well filled with his people," replied Mr.
Pennant, laughing.

"I done wish dat Massa Linkum come down here hisself," added the
venerable colored person.

"He can hardly spare the time to do that; his business is such that he
cannot leave," replied the lieutenant, much amused at the simplicity of
the negro. "Now tell me something more about this steamer in the bay.
How big is she?"

"I can't told you 'zackly, massa; she as big as de fort."

"Where did she come from?" asked the lieutenant, who had more confidence
in the honesty than in the intelligence of Job.

"I dunno, massa; but she done come in from de sea. When she git off dar
two mile she done stick in de mud," answered the negro, pointing in t