Bobby Blake on a Plantation; Or, Lost in the Great Swamp
Page 24
CHAPTER XXIV
SWALLOWED UP BY THE BOG
The cougar quickly reached the screen of branches that Bobby hadarranged, and here he hesitated, not understanding the nature of thisobstacle. The tawny head was within two feet of the boys, and they foundthemselves looking fairly into the wicked green eyes that glared at themthrough the frail network of branches.
But the panther had little chance to solve the puzzle before him, forwith one accord the boys, wielding their clubs with a strength born ofdesperation, rained blows upon his head. The cougar growled and spitfuriously, and struck viciously at them with wicked claws extended. Buthe was at a disadvantage, for he could only use one paw, being forced tocling to the tree with the others. For a few minutes he battledfuriously, and it seemed as though he would force his way past thebarrage of blows descending on him. One sweep of his paw caught Fred’sclub and tore it out of his grasp, and it was only by a tremendouseffort that Fred kept himself from following it to the ground. ThenBobby, risking all on one blow, let go his hold on the branch, where hehad been steadying himself, stood up to his full height, and, graspinghis club in both hands, brought it down with tremendous force squarelybetween the cougar’s eyes. Stunned and bleeding, the animal had receivedall the punishment it could stand for the present, and, still spittingfuriously, it backed down the tree and leaped to the ground.
The boys were panting and well-nigh exhausted, but they still hadstrength left for a cheer as they gazed down at their discomfited enemy.
“That was hot work while it lasted,” panted Fred. “If it hadn’t been forthat scheme of yours, Bobby, it would probably have been a differentstory.”
“It did help some,” admitted Bobby. “But we’re not through with thatbrute yet. You can see he’s working himself up to come after us again.”
“I’ve got to get another club,” said Fred, as he started hacking at astout branch with his knife. “I don’t know how I ever kept from fallingwhen he knocked that stick out of my hand.”
“It was lucky he connected with the club instead of with your hand,”remarked Lee. “You’d better get that branch cut as quickly as you can.That beast will be up here again inside of five minutes.”
“All right, I’m ready for him,” said Fred, as he cut through the lasttough fibre and found himself provided with a serviceable club. “We cangive him the same dose he got before.”
The cougar was still full of fight, and Fred had hardly regained hisposition when the fierce brute came swarming up the tree again. But thistime he did not stop at the screen of branches, most of which had beentorn off in the previous struggle, and in spite of a staggeringfusillade of blows he managed to reach the crotch in which the boys werestanding.
“Out onto the branches, fellows!” yelled Lee. “It’s our only chance!”
Before the panther could get his balance and reach one of them, the boyshad scrambled out on three separate branches, leaving the cougar inundisputed possession of their former vantage ground.
It was a breathless moment for all three, as they waited to see whichone the animal would attack first. The cougar himself seemed undecidedat first, glaring from one to the other, spitting and growling,viciously. Then, perhaps because he had happened to choose the largestbranch, the ferocious beast started creeping toward Lee, his wickedyellow eyes staring fixedly at his victim.
“Help me out, fellows, or I’m a goner!” cried the Southern laddespairingly.
His friends had no intention of leaving him to his fate. Some three feetabove Lee’s branch were two others, almost parallel to it. Bobby andFred, both moved by the same thought, selected each a branch and crawledcautiously out in the wake of the advancing cougar.
The latter was proceeding cautiously, for the branch bent and swayedwith his weight, and anyway, his prey seemed so securely within hisreach that he saw no cause for hurry. He was so intent on Lee that heeither did not notice the swaying of the branches over his head or elsethought it not worth noticing. Lee kept edging further and further outon the branch, until at last the cougar, feeling it bend perilouslybeneath him, paused a moment in his deadly progress. This was Bobby’sand Fred’s opportunity, and they were not slow in taking advantage ofit. They poised their clubs a second, and then, at the same time,brought them down full force on the wicked yellow head beneath them.
No panther that ever lived could withstand that crushing impact, and thecougar went limp, lost his hold on the branch, and went crashing to theground, twenty feet below, where he lay twitching convulsively.
“Now’s our chance to make an end of this customer for once and all!”yelled Bobby. “Come on down, fellows, and we’ll finish him this time.”
Lee hastily scrambled back from the end of the branch, and all threeboys slid down the trunk of the tree to where the cougar lay, stillstunned from the terrific blow and from its fall.
“Quick,” said Bobby, “grab hold of him, and we’ll throw him into thatbig bog-hole we passed when we left the main path.”
“Right!” exclaimed Fred. “But we’ll have to act mighty quick. He’s aptto come to life any second.”
It was all the boys could do to lift the big brute, but, with thestrength of desperation, they managed it somehow, and half carried, halfdragged, the unconscious panther to the slimy green pit that they hadalmost tumbled into themselves while making for the tree. The pit wassurrounded by an expanse of treacherous quicksand, and into this theyshoved the cougar. The greedy quicksand received its victim withavidity, drawing the cougar down and down into its slimy depths, untilwith a dull sucking sound it closed over the bloodthirsty brute’s head.
The boys watched, fascinated, and almost found it in their hearts topity their late enemy. He was gone as completely as though he had neverexisted, and the treacherous sand stretched out smooth and unbroken, nota quiver on its surface to tell that it had added one more victim to itsalready long list.
“Gee,” exclaimed Bobby with a shudder, “that’s a terrible way to die,although that brute deserved all that was coming to him.”
“Well, it’s pretty certain that he won’t bother us any more,” remarkedFred. “And I think we’re mighty lucky to be alive.”
“I’ll say so!” exclaimed Lee, fervently. “I gave myself up for lost whenI found myself out on that limb with the panther not ten feet away fromme. That was an awful wallop you fellows gave him.”
“A wallop in time saves nine,” misquoted Fred, with a grin.
“It probably saved the nine that the cougar was figuring on giving me,”said Lee.
“Looks to me as though that wallop lost nine,” said Bobby, slyly.
“How do you make that out?” inquired Fred.
“Why, it lost that big cat’s nine lives, didn’t it?” inquired Bobby,innocently.
“It certainly did,” admitted Lee, laughing, “and you can bet I was in aposition to appreciate it, too. The business end of that panther wasgetting entirely too close to me for comfort.”
“Well,” said Fred, “it must be Bobby’s turn next to get in a tightplace. First I nearly get eaten up by an alligator, and then Lee prettynear furnishes a hearty meal for a hungry cougar. What variety ofanimals do you prefer, Bobby?”
“Oh, I’m not jealous of all the attention you fellows get,” returnedBobby. “You can have your little pets and welcome.”
“How generous he is, Lee, isn’t he?” said Fred, sarcastically. “Butdon’t forget the old saying, Bobby, that ‘he who laughs last,irritates.’”
“That must be a mighty old saying, all right—so old that everybody’sforgotten it but you,” said Bobby.
“That just goes to show what a fine memory I have,” retorted Fred.“Whenever you can’t remember an old proverb, you try to make out thatthere never was such a one. Your memory is nothing but a hole with nobottom in it.”
“All right, pick on my memory all you want to,” grinned Bobby, “butremember ‘it’s a long worm that has no turning.’”
“You fellows had better cut out a
ll those fake proverbs and get down tobusiness,” warned Lee. “We’re just as far as ever from getting out ofthis swamp, and we don’t even know where we’re going to get our nextmeal. Why don’t you exercise your minds on this problem: when do we eat,and if so, how?”
“You certainly start off with a terribly hard one,” said Fred. “Can’tyou think of anything easier than that, Lee?”
“I’m getting so hungry that I can’t think of anything else. It’s hourssince the last of those alligator eggs disappeared,” complained Lee.
“Then you shouldn’t have thrown the cougar into the quicksand,” retortedFred, “he might have made tough eating, but it would have been a lotbetter than nothing.”
“I thought of that,” admitted Lee. “But I was more anxious to keep himfrom eating me. Besides,” he added, “you and Bobby never thought ofanything but getting rid of him at that time either.”
“No use crying over spilt milk,” said Bobby, philosophically. “We’llhave to move and trust to luck for something to eat.”
As neither of the others had anything better to suggest, they ploddedback to the path they had been following when they were so rudelyinterrupted by the cougar. The haze had lightened considerably, and thesun shone through with the appearance of a big red ball, enabling theboys to pick their way for a short time, but then the haze settled downthicker than ever, and they found themselves entirely at a loss. Theironly consolation was that the ground appeared to be getting steadilyhigher and firmer, and they felt that they had left the worst of the bogbehind them. But the faint path they had been following grew less andless distinct, and before they fairly realized it they were hopelesslylost. For a time they stumbled on through a maze of vines and creepersthat grew steadily thicker, until at last they became practicallyimpassable. Then the boys were forced to call a halt, and they gazed ateach other questioningly.