CHAPTER IX
THE PERILS OF THE WATER LABYRINTH
"Silence, everybody!" hissed Elmer, who knew it would be just likeToby, and perhaps some of the other fellows, to burst into a shout assoon as they could get command of their voices.
It was certainly a bear, a small one to be sure, but genuine enough,and not such as can be seen with wandering foreigners, taught to dance,or wield a pole as a soldier would his musket.
Just when the scouts glimpsed the hairy denizen of Sassafras Swamp, hewas engaged in sitting on his haunches and gathering in the bushes withhis sturdy forelegs. To Lil Artha, it looked as though Bruin might bemaking a lunch from the luscious, big blueberries that grew in suchabundance here and there through the swamp.
Up to the moment when Lil Artha thus called attention to the presenceof the black native, the bear must have been in ignorance of theirbeing so near at hand. When he did notice them, he simply gave adisgusted grunt, and ambled away through the brush. Lil Artha alwaysdeclared the bear glanced back at them as he ran, and even put out histongue, just as if he knew it was the close season, and that a kindgame law protected him from all harm.
"Say, let me tell you this old Sassy swamp isn't such a bad place for agame preserve after all," said Toby; "I think some of us could enjoyhaving a week up here, after the law on bears and all such was up. Butit's too far from home during the school session, for us to come."
"Oh! I don't know about that," remarked the tall scout, meditatively;"we could borrow a car, and start in the middle of the night when therewas a moon. That'd give us a whole day up here. Take it atThanksgiving and we could make it three, with Friday and Saturdaythrown in. Elmer, think it over, won't you?"
"Plenty of time for that," he was assured; "We've got our hands full asit is, without borrowing trouble."
"And perwaps before we're done with it," Ted croaked, "you'll be thattired of seeing nothing but thwamp all around, that you'll vow neveragain for yourth."
"I'm going to make a proposition, Elmer," said Landy; "and I hopeyou'll agree. Suppose we go ashore and tackle some of those elegantblueberries ourselves? It's a shame that bears should be the only onesto enjoy such a feast. And it's tough sitting here so long!"
At that Lil Artha grunted, and looking almost savagely at the speakernodded his head while he muttered:
"That settles it, my boy; I see your finish. You're going to earn yoursalt after this, no matter what happens!"
Elmer seemed to consider for a few seconds.
"I see no reason why we shouldn't pull up for a little while, just asyou say, Landy," he observed, to the delight of the rest; "and everyoneof us is fond of a mess of good ripe blueberries. So pitch in whilethe supply lasts."
The berries were thicker and larger than any they had ever seen before;and Lil Artha declared he considered the judgment of the little blackbear "prime."
"He sure knew a good thing when he found it, and so do we," he toldthose who were working fingers and jaws near him.
When Elmer concluded that "enough was as good as a feast," they oncemore embarked, and the voyage was resumed. There was a new pusher inthe older skiff, however.
"Here, you Landy, suppose you change seats with me," Lil Artha hadremarked as the fat scout started to settle down in the middle of theboat, just as though he had a mortgage on that prize seat.
Landy looked worried.
"What for, Lil Artha?" he ventured to say, looking at the skipper withdistress plainly marked on his round features; "do you want me to pushthe boat now? Not but that I'm willing to do anything I'm asked, youknow; but I didn't think you'd want to take chances on getting wet, andmebbe losing our packs in the bargain; because I know I'm awful clumsyabout some things."
"Well, in this case we'll have to take the risk," said the other,grimly; "the only satisfaction we have is that if anybody does get wetyou won't escape. We're all in the same boat, you understand; and wesink or swim together. Now climb up here, and I'll show you how tohandle a pusher. Time you learned a few more of the tricks a truescout ought to know."
Landy, apparently, wanted to do his best. He watched how Lil Arthaused the heavy pole and then started to imitate him.
"That's the way, Landy," said Mark, desirous of encouraging the stoutboy in his new duties; "you can do it all right if you only keep on thewatch."
"Course I can," replied the new hand, scornfully; "guess you're allfooled if you think I never pushed a skiff with a pole before."
"So you were just playing 'possum, were you?" demanded the indignantLil Artha, "bent on fooling me so as to evade hard work, eh? I'd beserving you right, Landy, if I kept you shovin' away the rest of theafternoon. It'd thin you down a trifle, too, because I think you'regetting too fat for any use. Go slow there, and don't splash so loudwhen you drop the pole end in again."
Landy seemed to soon become fairly proficient so that his mentor couldturn his attention to other things of interest they happened to seearound them as they continued their course.
Crows scolded from the treetops as the two boats glided underneath.This circumstance might probably pass unnoticed by one who knew littleor nothing of woodcraft, but to an Indian it would be a sure sign thatthe sharp-eyed birds had discovered some human being, probably anenemy, and in that way he would be put on his guard against a surprise.
As the man they were looking for did not appear to be educated alongthese lines, they need not fear that their presence in the swamp wouldbe betrayed through any such agency as crows cawing, or flying about inexcitement.
Some time later Toby uttered a low "whew" that caused Chatz, just thenin the act of putting the pole back into the water, to hold itsuspended in midair.
"Elmer, I may be mistaken," said Toby, "but something moved over in thebranches of that tree yonder, and unless my eyes deceived me, whichthey seldom do, it was a cat!"
"You mean a wildcat, don't you, Toby?" whispered Landy, for the twoboats were close enough together for the occupants to have shakenhands, had they wanted to.
"Just what I meant," repeated Toby, firmly. "I can't say that I seehim now, for he's somewhere up in the thickest part of the bushy tree;but it must have been something more than a 'coon, because I actuallysaw the blaze of its eyes!"
"Whew!" gasped Landy, looking as though he wanted to drop the push-poleon the spur of the moment; "get your gun, Lil Artha, why don't you?Mean to let a feller be jumped on, and clawed something awful, do you?I give you my word that if I see a wildcat comin' for me, I'll jumpoverboard, and let him tackle the rest of you in the boat, that's what.Get your gun, Lil Artha; they're vicious you must know, specially whenthey've got kits around."
"We haven't lost any cat!" remarked Lil Artha, composedly, as though hereally took a cruel satisfaction in seeing Landy shiver; "and, besides,I don't more'n half believe the fairy story. Toby's got to show mebefore I own up. I reckon some of my people must have come fromMissouri."
"Yes, they raise a heap of mules there, I understand," remarked Toby,with considerable sarcasm; "but I'm glad to see that Elmer has thoughtit worth while to lay hold of his scatter-gun, so as to be ready.Course we don't want any trouble with any old cat; but there's such athing as armed peace. If she jumps for us, I hope Elmer will give hera load before she lands, that's all. We've got to pass pretty muchunder some part of that tree, understand?"
Acting on Elmer's initiative, Lil Artha now also picked up his gun, andstarted to keep a sharp watch. As Toby had truly said, they could notreally continue on their way without passing under the wide-stretchingbranches of the tree where he claimed to have seen "something thatlooked like a wildcat."
"Get busy there, Landy, use your pole, and push us along. Don't standthere just like you were frozen stiff; we won't let any cat grab you,make up your mind to it. Get a move on you, I say, Landy Smith."
"Oh! well, might as well be killed for a sheep as a lamb, I reckon,"muttered the fat scout as he started to make use of his push-pole.
For the time be
ing, caution was thrown to the winds; all Landyconsidered was the rapidity with which he could get past that ominoustree containing Toby's bobcat.
Perhaps Landy's heart was beating a regular tattoo as he found himselfactually compelled to pass under the tree itself, owing to thenarrowness of the channel at just that part of the runway. Elmer,watching out of the tail of his eye, could see how pale the other hadbecome, and he was secretly amused.
It was just like Lil Artha, when their skiff was directly under thesuspected tree, to utter a low gasp, and proceed to elevate his gun ina hurry, as though sighting the quarry.
Poor Landy came very near having a fit; he dropped the pole overboardand fell backwards in the boat, which came near swamping. Toby, in theother craft, succeeded in rescuing the floating pole before it had gonecompletely beyond reach.
"Guess I was mistaken that time!" said Lil Artha, without cracking asmile, although no doubt he must have been secretly chuckling at theway the handler of the push-pole had shown alacrity in getting out ofrange.
So Landy, with a sheepish grin, managed to get on his feet again, andtake the rescued pole from Toby's hands. He gave the tall scout asharp look as though suspecting that it had been a trick intended toplay upon his nerves. But then Landy was always a good-natured fellow,and never bore anyone ill-will, no matter what the joke might be ofwhich he became the victim.
Toby could not be persuaded that he had not glimpsed a wildcat in thattree under which they passed. He kept staring back as long as it waspossible to catch a view of its leafy branches.
"Well, say what you like," he concluded, "I did see _something_ whiskout of sight up there; yes, and it had starey eyes in the bargain. Ifit was a 'coon, then all I can say is they breed queer 'coons up inthis old Sassafras Swamp country. There now, that's about enough fromme."
"The afternoon is nearly half gone, and we haven't scared up our quarryyet," advised Mark later on.
"Plenty of time, for there's another day coming," said Elmer. "We'rehere to comb the swamp through from end to end but what we'll findnobody knows. Keep listening, too. It might be possible we'd hear ashout that would give us a clue."
"Say now, I hadn't thought of that before," admitted Toby. "If Hen_is_ being treated harsh-like by that unknown who's got hold of him,mebbe he might let out a yawp once in a while. There's no harm done inlistening, I reckon, and Landy here could tell if it was him givingtongue."
Now and then some sound did come to their ears, but of an entirelydifferent character from the one they were hoping to catch. Agranddaddy bullfrog on some mossy log sent out loud and deep-toneddemands for "more rum! more rum!" Then a saucy bluejay started in toscold the fellows in the boats for daring to trespass in its preserves,and how the angry bird did lay it on until they were well beyond reachof its chatter.
Once a far-away grumble floated faintly to their ears, at which therewas an immediate comparing of opinions. Some seemed to incline to thebelief that it must be distant thunder, and that they were bound tosoon be caught in a storm, which had been creeping unnoticed up onthem, the dense foliage by which they were surrounded preventing themfrom learning the fact sooner.
"If you asked me what it was," said Elmer, when he found that theothers were not able to agree, "I'd be inclined to say we're not morethan half a mile away from one side of the swamp, and that there's afarm lying yonder on which they keep a bull. I imagine it was hislowing we heard just then."
"Bully, say I, not meaning to be funny either," remarked Landy; "forI'd a heap sooner believe it was a bovine trying out his bazoo than athunder-storm heading this way. It's bad enough to be in constantdanger of getting ducked by falling overboard, without taking chancesoverhead in the bargain."
As they did not hear any repetition of the suspicious sound the scoutsfinally determined that Elmer had guessed right, and that there must bea stock farm not a great distance away from the border of the swamp.
The more they pushed on into what seemed the interminable recesses thatsurrounded them the greater became their wonder as to how they were tofind those they sought. The chances seemed very much against them; butthen they had an abounding faith in Elmer's sagacity; and he seemed tobe determined on persevering. Doubtless, too, the others reasoned tothemselves, Elmer had some clever plan laid out which would be sprungwhen the proper time arrived; and this confidence did much to relievetheir minds as they pressed steadily on.
Lil Artha was apparently bent on making Landy pay for his previous easytime; he kept the other at work, though frequently the fat scout had tohold his push-pole under his arm while he mopped his reeking brow.Perhaps Landy panted very loud on purpose, with the object of causinghis obdurate boss to relent, and give him a chance to "spell" with Mark.
Heedless of sighs and half-heard groans alike, Lil Artha just sat thereand took his ease, while the slave worked and worked as though he werechained to the galley's oar.
No one ever knew whether it were actually an accident or a deep-laidscheme on the part of the weary Landy to end this period of torture.There may be some things even worse than a mere ducking--at least astout boy like Landy Smith might think so.
At any rate, none of the scouts happened to be looking very closely atthe time, and consequently they could not say one way or the other.All they knew was that without any warning Landy was seen to be draggedout of the stern of the skiff, struggle to clasp his writhing legsabout the pushpole that stood at an oblique angle, caught firmly in thetenacious mud, and then releasing his hold, flop with a great splashinto the dark-colored water of Sassafras Swamp!
Afloat; or, Adventures on Watery Trails Page 9