“I heard some one pounding on your door,” said he; “but I couldn’t hear what he said to you. Knowing that you had no friends in the city, my curiosity was excited, and so I came out to see what was going on; but I found your room empty. It was lucky that I followed you to the office, for I learned something by it. You remember that rescued passenger we found in the old trapper’s cabin, don’t you? That was my Uncle John.”
Bob looked bewildered, but said nothing.
“He overheard every word of our conversation,” continued the young pilot. “He wasn’t asleep at all. He knows that we are going to Texas together, and he means to prevent it, if he can.”
“What would he have done with me, if he had got me into that carriage?” asked Bob, drawing a long breath. “And why does he want to trouble me? I never did anything to him.”
“No, but you carry the purse,” replied George. “If he could manage to send you back up the river to St. Louis, or across the gulf to South America, it would leave me in a bad fix, for I have no money. He wants to keep me away from home, and he thinks he can do it by separating us. Now, Bob,” added George, earnestly, “we must never lose sight of each other until we reach Texas, if we can help it!”
The boys spent an hour or more in talking the matter over, and then George went into his own room. Bob locked and barricaded his door, and tumbled into bed again, but not to sleep. Thinking of the trap he had so nearly run into, kept him awake. It was anything but pleasant for him to know that he had an enemy in a man with whom he was not acquainted, whom he would not have recognised if he had walked into his room at that moment, and who might at any time, when he was off his guard, get him into his power and ship him off to South America, or some other out-of-the-way place. Bob did not ask himself what his favorite border men would have done under similar circumstances, and in fact he never thought of them now. He no longer looked upon them as objects worthy of emulation. He and George were very careful after that. They were scarcely out of sight of each other during the following day, and it was not until they were safe on board the steamer, bound for Galveston, and George had searched high and low, to make sure that his uncle was not on board, that they began to breathe easily.
The journey across the gulf was made without the occurrence of any incident that was worthy of note. Neither of them enjoyed it, for the sail grew monotonous after a while, and, as they had nothing to read, and had exhausted almost every topic of conversation, they could only sit and think—one, of his happy boyhood’s home, toward which he was hastening, and where he knew he would not be welcomed by those in possession, and the other of the loved ones he was leaving behind, and whom he might never see again. He hoped he might see them again, however, and laid plans accordingly. He wouldn’t spend any of David’s money for a hunter’s outfit, as he had intended to do. If he had had it all in his possession, and could have reached home without spending any of it, he would have turned about at once; but, as that was impossible, he would go on, and seek employment as soon as he reached his journey’s end. George had told him that herders received forty dollars per month, and that, in Bob’s estimation, was a large sum of money. At that rate it would take him but a little over four months to earn as much as he had stolen from David Evans. As soon as he could save the amount he would send it to David, and, as soon after that as he could earn enough to pay his expenses, he would start for home. “And when I get there, if ever I do,” added Bob, with tears of penitence in his eyes, “I’ll stay, if I have to live on a crust of bread a day.”
This was the way Bob talked to himself while he was sailing from New Orleans to Galveston, and he meant every word of it. But he had not yet reaped the full reward of his folly, and something happened to prevent him from carrying out his plans.
It was night when they reached the end of their journey, and the long wharf at which the steamer landed was so dark that the boys, after getting out of the circle of light made by the dim lanterns that hung over the gang-plank, could hardly see where they were going. There was a crowd on the wharf, too, and in passing through it the companions became separated for so long a time that Bob began to fear that they should never find each other again. He was so greatly bewildered by the noise and confusion, and was jostled about so roughly that he became completely turned around and came near walking off the wharf into the bay; but at last, to his great joy, he ran into the arms of George, who was in search of him, and following in his lead, soon found himself standing on solid ground once more. Then George came to a stand-still.
“I am not at all acquainted with the city, although I have been here a number of times,” said he, “so we will wait for a guide. Here comes one now.”