At Six Mile Point the actor escaped his bonds and for a moment got Hugh into his sole possession.
"Certainly, under these conditions," he assented, "you can't assert anything—of that particular sort. But see here: You can tell me, just for us two Gilmores exclusively, what your next boat will be named. Can't you?"
"Yes," said Hugh, "she'll be the—" He let Gilmore speak the name interrogatively and merely nodded, smiling.
The Enchantress was within five minutes' run of Carrollton when Watson dropped a quiet word to the roof, where both the Courteneys and Gideon were looking up-stream at a downward-bound steamer which had rounded to and landed under Nine-Mile Point.
"What is she?" asked Gilmore of Watson for his group.
"A Hayle boat, the Troubadour," said the pilot; "probably putting off some sugar-house machinery."
The Enchantress neared the huge Carrollton levee. "Good-by." "Good-by." "Good-by." "Good-by." Down they hurried, the old commodore, the players, the extraneous pair, and the six from Vicksburg and the Bends, followed to the stage plank by "California," and waved to from the after guards by Joy and Phyllis.
"Good-by." "Good-by!" The beautiful craft backed away and turned for Nine-Mile Point. And here came the Troubadour, with whistles trumpeting a troubadour's salute to the new queen of the river. The Hayle boat's people had espied their own commodore and the black mass on their forecastle were singing "Gideon's Band."
With whistles above and song below the Enchantress replied. The whistles ceased; the song was "'Lindy":
"Come, smilin' 'Lindy Lowe, to meet to paht no mo',