and I've got to outguess him. If I let him do as he's planned, he'll win, I know he will. Pa used to say, and Regal says the same, that a boy should never play the other man's game. If I stay on this steamboat I will be playing their game, and I think he's got a wheel turning with that Essie Buchanan, who shares my cabin. They've been talking, and - '
'I was going to speak to you about that,' he said then. 'You should not be sharing a cabin with a woman like that. It's a disgrace.'
'It won't be for long,' I said.
'It has been too long already. I shall speak to the captain.'
'Don't you do it.' I had looked up to see a man come into the main cabin. I saw him look around and I saw his eyes meet mine.
'We've troubles enough,' I said. 'There's Felix Horst!'
Chapter 13
For a minute or two I just sat there. Timothy Oats and Elmer did not worry me much, but Felix Horst was something different. I was afraid of him.
A body could see at a glance this was not only an evil man but a wily one. I would never have tricked him as I had Oats, nor would he have bothered to fight with that young Irishman. He would simply have killed him and chased after me, wasting no time. He wanted that money I carried, and meant to have it.
Oats had no doubt gotten Essie Buchanan to keep an eye on me, so if I got away, I had to slip away from her.
'Mr. Chantry,' I said, 'you have to help me. I am going to leave the steamer. I am going to get away. You can help me.'
'How?' He was cautious, not trusting me or my ideas.
'You've got to ask me out to take a walk on the deck after supper. I mean' - I blushed a mite - 'like you were courting me.'
He studied me coolly. 'And then what?'
'I slip off the boat. I get ashore and take off up the Big Sandy. I figure I can rent a horse or buy one. Or maybe a mule. Then I head for home.'
'Not without me.'
'Are you up to it? That there's rough country, Mr. Chantry. It won't be like riding to hounds. You'll be sky- hootin' it along ridges, dippin' down into hollows, you'll be pushin' through woods and brush and maybe have a mite of Injun trouble.'
'Indians?What you are talking about isn't exactly the far west!'
'No, sir, but there's Indians. The Cherokee mostly know us Sacketts. Some of the others do, by reputation. The ones that know the Sackett name won't do us harm, but there's Shawnee around, too, and they aren't friendly with the Cherokee right now. The Creek, too, sort of go their own way.'
I tried my coffee and it was still hot. 'Have you got a rifle, Mr. Chantry?'
'A rifle? No, of course not. Not here.'
'You'll need one, and so will I. I left mine at a tavern on the way, but it is some little distance. Regal an' Ma, they convinced me young ladies in Philadelphia do not carry rifles as a reg'lar thing.'
'Can you actually shoot a rifle? You're serious?'
'Yes, sir, I have shot a rifle.'
He did not take that seriously, I could see. In his world womenfolks danced, rode to hounds, partied around, and wore pretty clothes most of the time. Well, that was all right, but in the mountains things weren't quite like that.
'Mr. Chantry,' I said after a bit, 'we should smile more, like we were enjoying each other's company. Let Horst and them think something's going on betwixt us. If we act too serious, they are apt to get suspicious.'
He smiled beautifully.
'There! That's better! A body would think you'd never courted a girl before.'
'I am not exactly courting you, Miss Sackett. If you wish to deceive them, of course - '
'We've got to. We can't let them guess we're going to duck off this boat and head upcountry. I've got a map coming to me. A young officer promised he'd find one for me, or draw it.'
'A young officer?' He raised an eyebrow. 'You do get acquainted, Miss Sackett.'
'Yes, sir, when it's necessary. He's a right handsome lad, too.'
'You've talked to him?'
'Of course. Several times. He's the tall blond officer.'
'I haven't noticed,' he replied somewhat sharply.
'No reason why you should. You noticed Essie Buchanan, though, didn't you?'
'She intends to be noticed. She dresses to draw attention.'
'And she gets it.' I swallowed some coffee and then added, 'She wanted me to meet some men. One of them, she said was very well-off.'
'You didn't accept, I hope?'
'Well, no. But a girl has to think of her future, and most of the boys back in the hills are spoke for. You see, I am sixteen, and where I come from, that's almost an old maid.'
'As I have said, I do not think Essie Buchanan is fit company for a young girl.' He glanced at me in a very professorial manner. 'She's what is known as a shady lady.'
'Well, what do you know? I always wondered what one of them would look like. Regal's told me a good bit about them.'
'And who is Regal?'
'I thought I told you about him. He's my uncle, and he goes round and about from time to time and is quite a man with the ladies. Right now he's laid up. Had him a little go-around with a bear.'
'You mean he shot a bear?'
'Not exactly. This was a notorious bear, a trouble-making bear, and he tackled Regal, not knowin' he was a Sackett, so Regal had to kill him. Not until they'd disputed the subject, however.'
'Killed him? How?'
'Mostly with a knife. He's got him one of those Tinker knives and he cut that bear up considerable. Finally did him in with his ax but not until the bear chawed on his leg and arm and clawed his ribs.'
'You mean he killed a full-grown bear with a hunting knife and an ax?'
'Wasn't no other way. The bear wouldn't wait for him to fetch his shootin' iron, so they just had at it, an' Regal fetched him.'
She looked at him seriously. 'You ever eat much bear meat, Mr. Chantry? Grandma Sackett, she says there's no other way to raise a boy. Got to feed 'em bear meat when they're young. Ever' two, three days she'd take down her rifle-gun and fetch home a bear from the woods. Got so we had to move.'
'Move? Why?'
'No more bears. She either killed 'em all or they just got tired of dodging her and taken off out of the country. Grandma, she was a caution.
'If you do come to the mountains with me, we'll feed you some bear meat. Good for you. Puts hair on your chest, Regal says.'
He looked shocked. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything about hair on his chest. Young ladies didn't talk that way, I guess. No doubt where he lived young ladies weren't supposed to know that a man grew hair on his chest.
'I got to go now. I have to meet that young ship's officer. He should have that map for me.'
He stood up, his features stern with disapproval. 'I could have gotten a map for you,' he protested.
'Here? On this boat? A chart of the bends and of the places they will stop?'
Walking forward to the rail which was just above the steps leading down to the cargo deck, I waited, watching the river. Suppose there was no stop? Could we leave the steamboat while it was moving? We would need a boat, of course, or a raft.
Robinson came along shortly. Hewas good-looking in his uniform coat and cap. He glanced around to see if we were watched, but there was nobody in sight.
