Bobby Blake on a Plantation; Or, Lost in the Great Swamp
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CHAPTER XXIX
’RASTUS ABIMELECH BELSHAZZAR JOHNSON
“Who can that be?” asked Fred, as the startled boys focused their eyeson the tree.
“Search me,” replied Bobby. “But whoever it is, we want to talk to himright away. It isn’t likely he intends any harm, and maybe he’ll know away to get out of this swamp.”
“More likely he’s lost in it, just the same as ourselves,” conjecturedFred, but followed Bobby and Lee who had already started in thedirection of the tree.
When they were within twenty feet of it, they halted.
“Hello there!” sang out Bobby. “Come out from behind that tree, please.We want to talk to you.”
A woolly head peered cautiously around the side of the tree and then adiminutive darkey boy appeared in full view.
Recognition on both sides was instantaneous.
“Why,” cried Lee, “that’s the boy who fell overboard on the way downfrom New York, the one that Bobby saved by throwing him the lifepreserver!”
“The one with the long name!” exclaimed Fred. “Let’s see, it was—”
“’Rastus Abimelech Belshazzar Johnson,” finished the little darkeyproudly, with a grin that showed all his white teeth. “An’ Ah sure amspifflicated to meet all you young gem’mun agin, speshul dis one whatsaved mah life,” indicating Bobby.
“Maybe you can do the same for us now,” said Bobby. “We’re lost in thisswamp. Do you know the way out?”
“Ah sho will,” replied ’Rastus, and a moment flash of his gleamingivories. “Ah wuz bo’n an’ brung up only a few miles fum heah. Reckon Ahcud fin’ mah way fru dis yeah swamp wiv mah eyes shet.”
This was indeed good news to the boys, who felt as if a thousand tonshad been lifted from their hearts.
“Fac’ is,” continued ’Rastus, “Ah cum along wiv a pahty what wuz lookin’fur you-all. Dey’s only a little way fum heah, an’ Ah specs Ah’d bettergo an’ info’mation dem dat you-all ez heah.”
“You bet you would,” cried Lee. “Hurry up, ’Rastus, and you’ll find thatthis was the best day’s work you ever did.”
“’Rastus is going to be our Moses to lead us out of the wilderness,”cried Fred gleefully.
“Mah name ain’t Moses,” replied their deliverer. “It am ’RastusAbimelech Belshazzar Johnson.”
“And a mighty good name it is,” said Bobby, “and one that we’ll alwaysremember. But now let’s see how quick you’ll be in finding the otherpeople and bringing them here.”
“Ah sho will,” replied ’Rastus, and a moment later he had vanished likea shadow among the vines and tree trunks.
“Thank heaven,” cried Lee as they looked after his retreating figure.“Before night we’ll all be back in the home that I began to fear we’dnever see again.”
“It’s glorious,” agreed Bobby, “but after all, perhaps it’s all for thebest that we’ve had to stay in the swamp as long as we have. If help hadcome yesterday, for instance, we wouldn’t have found the boundarystones. That’s paid us for all the trouble and danger we’ve beenthrough.”
In a few minutes they heard the sound of voices, and soon a party offour men came in sight, with ’Rastus Abimelech Belshazzar Johnsonproudly leading the way.
There were broad smiles on their faces as the boys rushed forward tomeet them and it was hard to tell which group was the more delighted.All talked together, and there was a general hubbub until the excitementquieted down a little.
The leader of the party was a Mr. Lanfranc, the Parish Clerk of thatsection, a big, bluff, genial man, who was a great friend of the Cartierfamily.
“I can’t tell you how relieved we are to find you boys,” he said, as heslapped Lee affectionately on the shoulder. “We’ve been beating theswamp for you for the last two days. But it covers so many miles ofterritory that it’s almost like looking for a needle in a haystack. Butthank God that we’ve found you at last, alive and well. Your poor motherhas been almost crazy about you. Here, ’Rastus,” he continued, turningto the little darkey who stood by, all smiles and swelling with a senseof his importance, “you go right away to the Cartier place and tell Mrs.Cartier that we’ve found the boys, that they’re all right, and thatwe’ll be home before night.”
With another flash of his white teeth, ’Rastus was off on his errand.
“We’d go right away,” explained Mr. Lanfranc to Lee, “only we have arendezvous with another party to meet them at noon only a little wayfrom here. As soon as they know you’ve been found we’ll have a bit oflunch and then we’ll all make tracks for home. But how did it come aboutthat you got lost?” he continued. “I understand you went away in themotor boat. What became of that?”
“Jim Boolus stole it from us,” replied Lee.
“What!” cried Mr. Lanfranc.
He listened while Lee told him of the confession they had extorted fromthe negro boy who had acted as the tool of Boolus, and his face grewdark with wrath, that was reflected on those of the other members of theparty.
“The old scoundrel!” he exclaimed. “That caps the climax. For a longtime he’s been the bane of this parish. But up to now he’s been socunning that the law has had no chance to get a grip on him. But thistime he’s overreached himself, and the minute we can lay our hands onhim we’ll clap him in jail. It will be a double satisfaction to do that,because of the way he’s been trying to get your mother’s property awayfrom her. I’m afraid he may do that yet.”
“No, he won’t!” cried Lee jubilantly. “We’ve found the boundary stonesof the property!”