Phil, Phœnix, and Adam were naturally much amazed by this second disappearance1 of Chap, which took place immediately after the magistrate2’s examination; but all conjectures3 and surmises4 were soon put to an end by the arrival of a note from Chap, which was brought by a negro boy. It was written on the back of a business card, and read thus:
“Dear Boys: I can’t stay to any court. Let Adam testify. You can go away by the first boat that stops at Sanford. I am going to catch the Winkyminky. She starts from Enterprise to-night. I’ll wait for you in Jacksonville. Good-by.
“Chap.”
The three gazed at each other in astonishment5, as they read this note by a light in their host’s hall, and when that gentleman came out to invite[268] them to make their home in his house while they stayed in the town, they were obliged to tell him of their friend’s disappearance. He was very much surprised at the information.
“He cannot take the Winkyminky,” he said, “for that boat will not stop at this town to-night. Your young friend has been mistaken in his plans, and will probably return to the shelter of my roof ere long.”
The boys knew Chap, and did not believe one word of this. They were greatly disturbed, and searched and inquired everywhere for news of him. They heard nothing, however, until about twelve o’clock, when a small boat, containing two negroes, came in from the lake, and the men reported that they had taken Chap out to meet the Winkyminky, and that when that boat had come along she had stopped and taken him on board.
“That’s just like Chap,” said Phil.
And Phœnix and Adam agreed that it was.
There was nothing for them to do but to wait till another boat should go down the river, and then to follow their captain, who, it must be admitted, had a rather curious way of leading his men.
As soon as Chap had heard what the magistrate said about his remaining as a witness, he felt that if he stayed in that room an instant longer he would be compelled, by some legal process, to appear[269] at the next term of court, and he, therefore, slipped out of a side door and ran down to the river. The Von Glode was gone, but he felt he must get away from that town. Adam intended to stay there, anyway, and he could give all the testimony6 that would be needed; and as for Phil and Phœnix, they had seen nothing of the assault in the woods, and, therefore, would be free to leave by the first boat that came along. He was the only one that would be put to any trouble, and he must get away.
He remembered that the Winkyminky was going to Jacksonville, and he wondered if she had yet left Enterprise. If not, there might be some way of his getting across the lake, and taking passage in her. The money that had been advanced by the colonel had been divided, as Phœnix declined to be treasurer7 when he did not supply the funds, and Chap had enough with him to pay his passage.
At this moment a small boat, rowed by two negroes, came in from the lake, and Chap found that they had just come across from Enterprise.
The Winkyminky, they informed him, was preparing to start when they left, but she had not passed this point yet, and they could row him out to meet her. Chap then hastily wrote a note by the light of a lantern on the pier8, and sending it to the boys, was taken out to meet the Winkyminky.
[270]When that little steamboat came along the captain stopped and took Chap on board. His advent9 occasioned a great deal of surprise, but a comfortable state-room was given him, for all the Winkyminky’s Indian River passengers had left her at Sanford.
But the next morning he found that there were three passengers who had come on board at Enterprise. One of these was an old gentleman, another was a very respectable negro woman, and the third was a lady.
The old gentleman was tall and thin, with a high shirt collar, and military bearing. He was a communicative person, and soon made friends with Chap, giving him a great deal of information on various subjects.
“Do you see that lady sitting over there by herself?” he said. “Well, sir, you don’t often see anybody like that in this country, sir.”
“What’s the matter with her, sir?” asked Chap.
“Well, sir, she is a countess. Did you ever see one before?”
“Never, to know it,” said Chap, “except in pictures.”
“Well, that is one, sir. She is a republican by birth, from some place in the North, but she married a Spanish count, and they have an orange-grove in the back country here.”
“Aloof!” said the old gentleman.
“Yes,” said Chap; “she has been alone since I first saw her. I should think she’d be glad to have somebody to talk to.”
“She might,” said the other, “if she could meet with persons of her own rank and station. But, otherwise, she would probably prefer to be aloof, as you call it, sir.”
About half an hour after this, Chap borrowed a fishing-line from the cook, for all his traps had been left at Sanford, and went to the stern of the boat, where the countess sat with a novel in her hand. Taking a position not far from her, he threw out his line, and let it troll behind the boat.
After a while she raised her eyes from her book and, looking at Chap, asked,—
“What are you fishing for?”
“Good!” said Chap to himself. “She has broken through her feudal11 bonds, and speaks to the masses.”
And then, aloud, he answered,—
“Anything I can get. Did your grace ever try trolling from a steamboat?”
“No,” said the lady, with a laugh. “My grace never did. Why do you call me that?”
“It was the nearest I could come to it,” said[272] Chap. “I should be glad to know just what to say.”
“So long as we are not in Spain, madam will do very well,” said the countess. “And now tell me, how did you come to get on board here, at night, all by yourself?”
Chap freely related the reasons for his coming on board the Winkyminky, which greatly interested the countess; and then, working backward with his story, he told what had happened since he left home. This account took a long time, and was only interrupted by the hauling in of one large cat-fish, which greatly horrified12 the countess, and induced her to ask Chap to put up his line and confine himself to his story, which she found more entertaining than her novel.
In spite of the fact that Chap did not belong to an aristocratic circle, the countess was very glad to talk to him, for he was the only person on board in whom she could take the slightest interest, and they soon became very well acquainted.
She was going, with her negro servant, to join her husband in Jacksonville, and had intended to take passage from Enterprise in the Von Glode; but she was too late for that boat, and was obliged to take the Winkyminky. This inconvenient13 little boat did not suit her taste at all; but she had to make the best of it, and was very glad to have on board such an original and pleasant boy as Chap.
[273]
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1
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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2
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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3
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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4
surmises
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的第三人称单数 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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5
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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6
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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7
treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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8
pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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9
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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10
aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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11
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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12
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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13
inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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