CHAPTER XXX
JIM BOOLUS TRAPPED
“Say that again,” cried Mr. Lanfranc, delight and incredulity strugglingfor the mastery.
“Sure as shooting,” affirmed Lee with a happy laugh. “It isn’t more thanan hour ago that we came across them. Come here and I’ll show them toyou.”
The whole party hurried to the precious memorials and examined themclosely. The Parish Clerk was skilled in such matters, which came withinthe duties of his office, and he confirmed the belief of the boys thatthese were the only things necessary to make Mrs. Cartier’s title to theproperty absolutely secure.
“This has been a great day,” he said, as he rose from his knees aftermaking notes of the inscriptions on the stones, “not only because wehave found you boys, but because we’ve been able to put a crimp in theplans of the greatest rascal in this part of the parish. It was a cleverthing, by the way, that you boys caught on to the meaning of theseboundary stones.”
“Oh, as for that,” said Lee generously, “all the praise must go to Bobbyhere. He was the one that figured it all out.”
“Some boy,” said Mr. Lanfranc approvingly, and Bobby flushed to hisears.
“It’s a queer coincidence,” continued Mr. Lanfranc, “that we ran acrossBoolus, accompanied by one of his negroes, in another part of the swamp,no later than yesterday. He said that he was out hunting, but I didn’tsee that he had any gun. But here come the other fellows,” he added, ashe caught sight of a party of three coming into view, “and as it ispretty near noon, I guess we’ll have our lunch right now and hurry backhome. I can imagine how impatient Mrs. Cartier will be to have you withher as soon as possible.”
The newcomers were quite as delighted as the first party had been, tolearn that the missing ones were found and that their anxious search wasended. They chose a spot on higher ground in a clump of trees, and setto work on the abundant lunch with which they were provided. The boys,with their minds free for the first time in days, thought it was themost delicious repast they had ever tasted.
They had not quite finished when Bobby caught sight of two figures atthe edge of a fringe of trees some distance away.
“Here come two other men,” he announced.
“Is that so?” said Mr. Lanfranc with some curiosity. “I wonder who theyare. Hunters I suppose.”
“No,” cried Lee, who had been studying them closely. “It’s Jim Boolusand that darkey of his.”
“So it is,” confirmed Mr. Lanfranc, after another look. “Lie down flat,all of you. I’m curious to see what the old rascal is up to.”
They stretched themselves flat on the ground and looked through thebushes at the approaching couple.
All unconscious of the scrutiny, they came on, Boolus in the van, hiseyes scanning the ground as they advanced.
Suddenly he caught sight of one of the boundary stones, which, havingbeen largely uncovered during the investigation of the markings were nowin plain sight. With an exclamation of satisfaction, he hurried towardit, and fell on his knees to look at it closely. Then he rose to hisfeet and rubbed his hands together in glee.
He beckoned to the colored youth, talked to him for a minute or two andthen both set to work digging about the stone, using some implementsthat the attendant had brought with him.
“What are they after?” asked Fred in a whisper.
“I know very well what they are after,” replied Mr. Lanfranc in a lowtone that held grimness in it. “He’s hanging himself with his own rope.”
The couple worked hard for perhaps a quarter of an hour, and then withgreat effort dragged the heavy stone out of its hole and laid it on thegrass. Then after resting a moment each took one end, and half carrying,half dragging it, moved toward the edge of a bog that lay twenty yardsaway.
“Halt!” shouted Mr. Lanfranc, and at the same moment the whole partyrose to their feet and poured out from among the trees.
At the sudden command, Boolus and his helper dropped the stone as thoughthey had been shot. In a moment the members of the party were upon them.The negro started to run, but one of the men caught him and dragged himback by the collar.
“So, Jim Boolus,” said Mr. Lanfranc, “you robber of widows and orphans,we’ve caught you at last. You’ve kept out of the grip of the law for along time, but it’s got you now. The evidence is so clear that the jurywill convict you without leaving the box. You stole the boat of theseboys and left them to starve and die, for all you cared—”
“I didn’t,” denied Boolus, “and you can’t prove it.”
“This boy has confessed that he did it at your direction,” declared Mr.Lanfranc, indicating the negro.
“You don’t suppose a jury would take the word of a negro against that ofa white man, do you?” replied Boolus, who thought he saw a ray of hope.
“Against such a white man as they know you to be, I think they would,”answered Mr. Lanfranc. “But let that pass. Just now, all of us have seenyou commit a crime. Two minutes more and that stone would have beenswallowed up in the bog. The removal of boundary marks is a seriouscrime and a state prison offense. You’re due for a good long time behindthe bars, Jim Boolus. Come along now,” he commanded, cutting shortabruptly the mumbling appeals for mercy that the detected wretch wasbeginning.
The whole party took up the march, and in a few hours reached thenearest town, where Jim Boolus was committed to the charge of thesheriff, who took him to the jail. There he stayed until, a few weekslater, he began his long prison term.
The boys hurried at once to the plantation, where Lee flew to hismother’s arms. She hugged and cried over him, as mothers do, and thenBobby and Fred came in for a welcome scarcely less warm. It was aglorious reunion and one of the happiest occasions that the boys hadever known.
“Do you remember what I said about a hunch this morning?” Bobby askedFred, when, at the end of that jubilant day, they were getting ready forbed.
“Yes,” agreed Fred, “your hunch was right. It sure has been our luckyday!”
“And to think we found those boundary stones,” put in Lee. “That’s thebest ever. My mother will want to thank you for that—when she gets overall this excitement over our return.”
“Gee, but we’ll have a story to tell, when we get back to Rockledge,”was Fred’s comment. “Lost in a swamp, and fighting a cougar, and amoccasin snake, and sinking in the mush—”
“They won’t believe the half of it,” added Bobby. “It sure was a lot ofadventures!”
“Well, now you’ve got to settle down to good times on the plantation,”said Lee.
“I wonder if we’ll get back that motor boat,” cried Bobby, suddenly.
“I don’t know,” answered the Southern boy. But it may be added that theboat had already been found and was returned to the Cartiers the nextday.
Delightful days on the plantation followed. The boys avoided the bigswamp, but they visited the cotton and the rice fields, and had the bestof times.
“And now, back to school!” sang out Bobby one day, and here, gettingready to return to Rockledge, we will leave the lads.
THE END
Bobby Blake on a Plantation; Or, Lost in the Great Swamp Page 30