Bobby Blake on a Plantation; Or, Lost in the Great Swamp
Page 23
CHAPTER XXIII
TRACKED BY A PANTHER
But in, the morning there was no sign of this midnight prowler, and withthe rising sun the boys gave little thought to the weird sounds of thenight before. They were up at the first break of dawn, somewhat sore andstiff from the effects of their hard bed, but still full of “pep” foranything the day might have to offer.
They had decided to follow in a general way the course that had takenthem so far, that is, head in the general direction of home, but stillkeep away from the impassable low ground in the vicinity of the river.Bobby wanted Lee to take the lead, but the latter objected.
“I got us into a pretty bad mess the last time,” he said, “and you gotus out again. So now, you’d better lead again.”
“Oh, it was mostly luck on my part,” Bobby replied. “How did I know wewere going to hit on this island?”
“Your brand of luck is what we need, then,” said Lee. “Let’s hope itwill hold out long enough to get us out of this swamp.”
“Well, I’ll do my best, then,” said Bobby, “but don’t blame me if I landyou at the bottom of some nice mudhole.”
“I’ll take a chance on your getting through all right, and it will bemore than luck that does it, too,” said Fred.
“Let’s go, then,” urged Bobby; and the three friends resumed theirperilous journey.
They had by this time become so expert in choosing the best spots tostep that they found their progress less arduous than they had expected.But now a new difficulty arose, for the sun became clouded over, andthis left them at a loss as to direction, this having been their onlyguide so far.
Bobby grew more and more anxious as the haziness continued to increase,and at last called a halt on a bit of high ground that was a littleharder than the surrounding bog.
“Looks as though we’re rather up against it now, fellows,” he said. “Ifwe can’t see the sun, we won’t know what direction we’re going in, andchances are we’ll just be getting in deeper all the time instead ofgetting out.”
“But we can’t stay here,” objected Lee. “We’ve just got to keep going,and hope we’ll come out somewhere, anyway. We know we’re headed aboutright now, so why not try to keep on that way?”
Bobby shook his head doubtfully, but as there seemed to be noalternative, except to return to their island, he started on again.Indeed, he felt far from certain that he could find the island again, orhe might have proposed going back to it.
Fortunately, the ground seemed to be getting somewhat firmer, but asthey progressed the trees and undergrowth became so dense that theyfound increasing difficulty in making progress. Several times Bobbystopped and peered about uneasily among the trees, apparently in searchof something which he could not locate.
“What’s the matter, Bobby?” asked Fred, at last, made uneasy by hisfriend’s uneasiness. “What are you looking for, anyway?”
“I may be wrong,” said Bobby, stopping again, “but I can’t help feelingas though we were being followed and watched by something. I thought Isaw something in the underbrush just a little while ago, but it was goneso quickly that I couldn’t be sure.”
“What did it look like?” queried Lee, quickly.
“I’m not sure, as I say, that I saw anything,” said Bobby, “but it justseemed to me as though I saw a flash of light brown against a treetrunk, and then it disappeared so quickly that I thought I might bemistaken.”
“Light brown?” whispered Lee, with a frightened look in his eyes.“Bobby, that’s the color of a cougar, and you remember that cry we heardlast night—”
His voice trailed off into silence, and the boys peered fearfullythrough the matted tangle of vines and underbrush. They could seenothing to confirm their fears, but suddenly a twig snapped not far fromthis, and they thought they could hear a stealthy rustling.
“What would we better do, Bobby?” asked Fred, anxiously. “If we only hada gun with us, we could soon take care of that fellow if he comes afterus, but as it is—”
He had no need to finish the sentence, for his companions knew what hemeant. Unarmed, with not even a knife among them, except, of course,their pocket knives, they would be no match for the savage beast thatwas stalking them. In all probability, as Lee told them, the pantherwould wait until toward dark, and then leap on them at the firstopportunity.
“If that’s so,” said Bobby, who had been doing some quick thinking, “itseems to me as though we’d best pick out the place to fight it outinstead of leaving it to Mr. Cougar.”
“Yes, but one place looks about as bad as another to me around here,”said Lee. “What’s your idea, Bobby?”
“I think we’d better get up a tree,” said Bobby, “then if he comes upafter us, as he’ll probably do if we keep him waiting long enough, we’llhave a chance of beating him off with clubs. On the ground here there’shardly room enough to move, and he’d have us at his mercy.”
Bobby had hardly finished speaking when they heard another stick snap,closer this time than before, and although still they could see nothing,they had little need of their eyes to tell them that the peril was closeand imminent.
“There’s a big tree over there,” said Bobby, pointing to a toweringgiant that stood somewhat apart from the rest. “We’ll make for that, buttake it easy, so it won’t look as though we were in a hurry.”
He started toward the tree indicated, pausing only long enough to pickup a stout section of a fallen branch that lay at his feet. Fred and Leefollowed his example, and they made quietly for the tree, controlling analmost overpowering impulse to break into a run. They kept a warylookout, and before they reached it, all three saw the cougar plainly ashe crossed a slight opening in the underbrush. He was gone again in asecond, but the boys knew now beyond any doubt who their enemy was.
“We’ll be lucky if he leaves us alone until we get up the tree,” saidFred, voicing the thought that was in all their minds.
“We’ll have to chance that,” said Bobby. “I’ll be the last one to go up,and I’ll pass the clubs up to you.”
By this time they had reached the tree, still unmolested by the panther.Lee started up first, and then Fred. Bobby admitted afterward that hespent a nervous two minutes on the ground, waiting for them to get farenough up so that he could start. Every second he expected a lithe formto hurl itself upon him. In reality it was only a few seconds beforeFred reached down for the clubs, for both he and Lee were climbingfaster than they had ever done before in all their active lives. Theboys passed the clubs from one to the other, two climbing while theother hung on and held them, and in this manner they quickly negotiatedthe twenty odd feet to the heavy branches. As they swung themselves intoa broad fork they noticed for the first time that their fingers weretorn and bleeding from contact with the rough bark, but they were toothankful at being there to worry about that.
“Gee!” exclaimed Bobby, drawing a long breath of relief as he peereddownward in search of their foe, “I expected to feel that brute’s clawsin my shoulder every second.”
“So did I,” said Fred. “If he’d attacked us while we were shinnying up,it would have been all over for us.”
“We’re a long way from being safe yet,” Lee reminded them. “That beastcan climb a tree like a cat going over a fence, and he won’t leave usalone here, you can bet on that.”
“Well, let him come,” said Bobby, coolly, as he drew his jackknife andproceeded to whittle a handle on his club. “We’ve got a chance hereanyway. I only hope he doesn’t try to starve us out. We can’t stay uphere forever, if he decides to play a waiting game.”
“There he is!” shouted Lee, almost before Bobby had ceased speaking. Andsure enough, the cougar, apparently deciding that he would no longerkeep to cover, came bounding out into the little open space at the baseof the tree. He glared upward with baleful eyes and paced quickly aroundthe tree a few times, switching his long tail and growling ominously.
The boys gripped their clubs and braced themselves, expecting the bruteto
come climbing upward at any second. The cougar seemed in no hurry,however, but kept circling the tree, growling louder all the time andevidently working himself into a greater rage with every step.
“Hold my club a minute, Fred,” exclaimed Bobby, suddenly. “I’ve got anidea,” and without further explanation, he set feverishly to workhacking off some of the smaller branches near him. Without exactlyknowing what his plan was, Fred and Lee started cutting too, and betweenthem they soon had quite an armful. Bobby then took all these branches,and with some fish line he drew from his pocket he proceeded to lashthem to the tree just below the crotch in which they were perched.
“When, he comes, that will slow him down, and give us a chance at him,”explained Bobby.
“Fine,” exclaimed Fred and Lee together. “But look out, fellows!” Leeadded, “he’s getting ready to climb!”
The panther, who had been watching these proceedings suspiciously,seemed suddenly to make up his mind, and with a vicious, spitting snarlleaped to the trunk of the tree and started up at a terrific pace. Theboys gripped their clubs, and with wildly beating hearts awaited theonslaught of the ferocious animal.