"
"Yes," said the black man Jim, here,--breaking silence,--"we'll show you
de way back if you kin go up in a boat dey can rest in, fur dey's most
all clean done out, an' de capen's wound is awful bad yit."
"This captain,--what's his name?" inquired Coolidge.
"His name is here," said Jim, carefully drawing forth a paper from his
rags,--"he has on dis some figgers an' a map of de country he took
before he got wounded, an' some words he writ wid a bit of burnt stick
just before we cum away,--an' he giv it to me, an' tole me to bring it
to camp, fur fear something might happen to him while we was away."
"My God!" cried Coolidge when he had opened the paper, and with hasty
eyes scanned its contents, "it's Tom Russell; I know him well. This must
be sent up to head-quarters, and I'll get an order, and a boat, and some
men, to go for them at once." All of which was promptly done.
"See here! I speak to be one of the fellows what goes," Jim emphatically
announced.
"All right. I reckon we'll both go, Given, if the General will let
us,--and I think he will,"--which was a safe guess and a true one. The
boat was soon ready and manned. 'Bijah, too weak to pull an oar, was
left behind; and Jim, really not fit to do aught save guide them, still
insisted on taking his share of work. They found the place at last, and
the men; and taking them on board,--Russell having to be moved slowly
and carefully,--they began to pull for home.
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