“Oh!” he said, and we rowed on steadily hour after hour, realising how we must have increased our distance from home in the night.
Sometimes as we swept round one of the river bends we encountered a breath of fresh air, but mostly deep down in that narrow way winding through the forest the heat was intense; and there were times when, as I paused to sweep the perspiration from my face, I felt that I must give up, and lie down at the bottom of the boat.
But almost invariably at these times I heard faintly what I believed to be the Indians calling to each other as they came on through the forest; and in the hope that perhaps after all we had got the start, and would reach home in time to give the alarm, I tugged at my oar again, and so long as I rowed Pomp never for a moment flagged.
But I could not keep his tongue quiet. Now he would be making derisively defiant remarks about the ’gators; then he had something disparaging to say about the Indians; and when I spoke to him angrily he would be quiet for a time, but only to burst out with reproaches at me for calling him a “’tupid lil nigger.”
Nothing ever hurt Pomp’s feelings more than that term, which seemed to him the very extreme of reviling, and always went straight to his heart.
It was getting toward evening, and a rich orange glow was beginning to glorify the long reach of the river down which we were rowing—sluggishly now, for we were both tired out—when it struck me that I had not heard the cry for some time now, and I made the remark to Pomp.
“No; fock gone asleep now till de moon get up. Den fock get up too, an’ holler.”
“No, Pomp,” I said, “it’s the Indians, and they are silent because they are getting near the house now.”
“So Pomp get near de house, and don’t care for de Injum. He so dreffle hungry.”
So was I; but my intense anxiety drove away all that, and I tried to tug harder at the oar, for I knew that we were near home now; familiar trees and corners of the stream kept coming into view, and I was just thinking that very soon I should be able to look behind me and see our landing-place, when a faintly-heard hail came along the river.