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She was an old East Boston ferry-boat, a "double-ender," admirable for river-work, but unfit for sea-service. She drew seven feet of water; the Planter drew only four; but the latter was very slow, and being obliged to go to St. Simon's by an inner passage, would delay us from the beginning.
A second boat had been lowered, and the outfit of the shore party was landed rapidly. A dozen of the crew put the knocked-down boats together on the beach. There were five of these craft lean and narrow, with flaring sides, and remarkably long. Each was equipped with three paddles and several iron-shod poles. "You chaps certainly seem to know river-work," Sheldon told one of the carpenters.
The swift, broken water surged into high waves, and roared through the piles of driftwood that covered the points of the small islands, round which the currents ran in every direction; and those among the men who were unused to river-work were much relieved when they found themselves in safety.
We made about seventeen miles and crossed the river ten times, so that the bullocks, which had never before been accustomed to river-work, became quite used to it, and manageable, and have continued so ever since. We halted for the night at a shepherd's hut: awakening out of slumber I heard the fitful gusts of violent wind come puff, puff, buffet, and die away again; nor'-wester all over.
It was a magnificent rescue. Any but these men of iron would have adjourned for thanks and congratulations. "Still retaining his hold on the other man's collar, Sam twisted him about and delivered a vigorous kick. 'There, damn you! said he. That was all. They fell to work at once to keep the jam moving." I instanced, too, some of the feats of river-work these men could perform.
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