"Dunno; never wus up in yer afore. We bin runnin' 'tween Saint Louee an' New Orleans, 'till the Gov'ment took us. Maybe the captain kin tell yer--sumwhar up Rock River, I reckon, wharever that is." We climbed the steep steps to the upper deck, and were met at the head of the ladder by the captain, evidently desirous of looking me over. He was a solidly-built individual, wearing white side-whiskers, and a bulbous nose, and confronted me not altogether pleasantly. "All right, are you? Water pretty cold yet, I reckon. Been sticking on that snag for long?" "Several hours; but my boat was wrecked before we lodged there." The captain laughed, and winked aside at the mate. "Seems to be a mighty populous river up this way, hey, Mapes?" he remarked genially. "Castaways round every bend." "What do you mean? Have you picked up others?" "Certainly have. Hit a keel-boat twenty miles below." "A keel-boat, operated by steam?" "Couldn't say as to that. Was it, Mapes? The craft had gone down when I got on deck. Had four aboard, but we got 'em all off, an' stowed 'em back there in the texas. You better get along now, and shuck those wet clothes." CHAPTER XIX ON BOARD THE _ADVENTURER_ The captain turned rather sharply away, and I was thrust through an open cabin door by the grasp of the mate before I could really sense the true meaning of this unexpected news. Mapes paused long enough to gruffly indicate a coarse suit of clothes draped over a stool, and was about to retire without further words, when I recovered sufficiently from the shock to halt him with a question. "I suppose you saw those people picked up from the keel-boat?" "Sure; helped pull 'em aboard. A damned queer combination, if you ask me; two nigger wenches, Joe Kirby, an' a deputy sheriff from down Saint Louee way." "Two women, you say? both negresses?" "Well, thet whut Joe sed they wus, an' I reckon he knew; an' neither ov 'em put up a holler whin he sed it. However one ov 'em looked ez white as enybody I ever saw. The deputy he tol' ther same story--sed they wus both slaves thet Kirby got frum an ol' plantation down below; som' French name, it wus. Seems like the two wenches hed run away, an' the deputy hed caught 'em, an' wus a takin' 'em back. Kirby cum 'long ter help, bein' as how they belonged ter him." "You knew Kirby then?" "Hell, ov course. Thar ain't many river men who don't, I reckon. What is it to you?" "Nothing; it sounds like a strange story, that's all. I want to get this wet stuff off, and will be out on deck presently."