Satisfied they had gathered all the necessary reagents that Laurel required to make the special concoction for curing the town of the pestilence known as black scour taint, the companions head south through thick vine, heavy fern and thickets, to reach the river. There are no paths. The companions take turns at taking point, hacking through the undergrowth and vine. The heat of the day beats down on everyone. Those in heavy armor are soon forced to abandon the steel or suffer exhaustion and fatigue. Beyond the irritating bites of insects or scratch of thorny vines and serrated fern leaves, everyone suffers with the lack of water. Three hours later, the forest opens to the bank of the river. There is not much of a bank, just three feet or so of mud and vine. It is usually more steep, but the recent rains have swollen the river. Most of the trees grow right up to the water's edge. The river is lined with reed, high grasses and other vined foliage, some now swamped in water. It is forty yards wide from bank to bank and the muddy water is filled with large logs floating slowly with the current to the west.

Somewhere to the east, a shout or two is heard. Looking in that direction, a wooden barge with three men can be seen a ways away on the other side of the river near the bank. Two men are shirtless and are pulling at a large log with gaff hooks. The third holds a long pole with one end in the water in front of the barge while keeping an eye on the river.

Leah manages not to say, `I told you so' to the other who had not wisely removed their armor long ago. They learned their lesson, and there is no reason to be smug or rude.

Seeing the flooded river, Leah frowns. There will be no way to swim across that, even if karrock was not a dwarf. However, the discovery of the barge is a good thing. It would be perfect for what was needed. And those are clearly a wise group of individuals. One of them is carrying a pole, after all.

"Hello!" she calls out, adding, "Do you need help?" she asks of the men.

"Whatever they're after it must be big or viscious or both," Roxie stated as she looked a little more closely. "Maybe once they haul it in they'll give us a ride over."

The man holding the steering or anchor pole shifts his eyes in the direction of the party while other two men seem oblivious to her call. There is a few words, inaudible from this distance, followed by some laughter and the other two men taking a moment to glance down river. They do not answer and finish pulling a stuck log from the underbrush of the bank with their gaff hooks. The three men then drift to the center of the river, talking amongst themselves as they draw nearer on a parallel course to the party. All three men are sweaty, lean, with muscles that lend evidence to the hard work cutters are used to.

The man guiding the barge with the pole wears a simple brown tunic with breeches and hard boots. He has a belt with a dagger and a wide brimmed straw hat that is torn along the edges. The other two men wear breeches and shoes. They too have belts without the dagger. Their only weapon appears to be the poled gaff hooks.

Red beard's eyes shift from Leah, to the other members of the party and his eyes become hooded and wary. "Well now, I wouldn't a mind with just the purdy lady, but this aint no ferry and we got no time to dally much. Take four trips to get ya all across safely."

One of the other two men mumbles something to red beard who simply nods.