CHAPTER XX
MAN-SIGNS IN THE CANEBRAKE
Daylight on the following morning found Bill Lilly and Tad Butlermethodically making preparations for their jaunt, which no doubtwould lead them many miles from the camp on the Sunflower River.Lilly had not divulged his plans, beyond telling the Professor thathe need feel no alarm, as he merely desired to administer a lesson tothe man in case they found him.
"Of course, there's more than an even chance that we don't catch thehound. If we do I promise you there won't be any gun-play if it canbe avoided. I don't want to get mixed up with anything of that sortand lose my liberty for the rest of the fall until the courts meet inJanuary. No, sir, not for Bill Lilly. You don't have to worry aboutthe boy, either. He knows how to take care of himself better thanmost of us, and he will be a whole lot of help to me, too."
Professor Zepplin had given a reluctant consent to Lilly's proposalto take Butler, along with him. They packed just enough food intheir saddle bags to carry them through the day, intending to eattheir meals in the saddle.
A hasty breakfast was eaten, then after giving his orders that no oneshould venture away from the camp out of hearing, Lilly and Tadmounted their horses and rode away. The horses started off at theloping run that was now so familiar to the boys, and sight and soundof the two men was soon lost to those in the camp. Lilly had said itwas doubtful if they returned before late in the night, and perhapsnot until the following morning.
The guide had gained quite a lead on his young companion at the start,but this Butler quickly overcame ere they had proceeded far.
"Where do we go first?" asked Tad.
"We will take up the trail at the point where you fought the wolvesyesterday. I wouldn't do this only there is no telling what thatfellow will do, seeing he has done so much already. I thought afterhe had stolen the doe and you found him out, that he would be scaredto go any further. I reckon nothing but a dose of lead will scarehim. He'll get that if he doesn't watch out."
"If we sight him I guess it will not be necessary to do any shooting,"replied Tad.
"You are right about not wanting to. Anybody can pull a trigger, butit isn't everybody that can keep from pulling a trigger under greatprovocation. It's a good thing that I have someone with me who cankeep his head. I confess that I am mad all through. I don't dare totrust myself. Never in all the years I have been riding the canebrakehave I been so tarnation mad."
"You will get over that after you have slashed through the brake forten miles or so," answered Tad laughingly. "I shouldn't work myselfup were I in your place."
Lilly took the advice of the freckle-faced boy and held himself down.They reached the scene of the battle with the wolves. There was noindication that any of the beasts had returned, but while Lilly wastaking a survey of the place Tad Butler had gone west a little way totry to pick up the trail he had discovered on the previous day. Theboy got down from his horse the better to examine the trail.Suddenly Tad uttered an exclamation. He had made a furtherdiscovery. Securing his horse to a tree, he trotted on a shortdistance, then halting, stood thinking. Soon, however, he turned inresponse to a hail from the guide.
"Find it, Tad?"
"Yes, sir; will you come here?"
Lilly rode over to where Tad was standing.
"He has been here again."
"He has?" exclaimed the guide.
"Yes, sir."
"How do you know?"
"These are the same hoofprints as the others. The horse had lost ashoe from the nigh fore foot. This horse also has lost a shoe fromthe off fore foot. I don't know which way he came, I haven't lookedfor that, but it is immaterial anyway. What is important is that hehas gone in that direction--north, I think it is."
"Right you are. So the moccasin has been back here again, eh?" musedthe guide. "Came back to see how well his little scheme worked?Well, I hope he is satisfied."
"Have you any idea where he has gone? Has he any place where hewould go to get out of the way?"
"Say, I'll bet he has. I'll bet he is heading for Turtle Bayou,"cried Lilly.
"How far is that from here?"
"Ten miles in a straight line. It is farther the way he would bemost likely to ride because the roundabout way is the easier way."
"Then had we not better follow his trail?"
"Yes, I reckon we would make better time. Then, if he is coming back,we might meet him. That is what we will do."
The trail at first they found rather blind, the fellow evidentlyhaving sought to leave as slight evidence of his presence there aspossible, but to Tad the trail was not very difficult to follow, andTad was keen in work of this sort. He now concentrated all hisefforts on the trail, Bill Lilly satisfying himself with taking secondplace, where he watched the boy with approving glances.
"I will watch the trail and you keep a lookout ahead," suggested Tad,glancing back for a moment.
"Right, my boy. Mine is the easy job."
"Neither one is very hard," smiled Tad.
For some time neither spoke. At one stage of their journey Taddismounted and began examining the ground. After a few moments ofthis he nodded and swung into his saddle again.
"Stop here?" asked Lilly.
"Yes, sir. I don't know what he halted for, but he did not staylong."
"You should have been an Indian, Master Tad."
"I have been told that I am one as it is," was the boy's laughingreply.
"In instinct you are. By the way, we ought to be getting near theplace we're heading for," announced the guide.
"You tell me when you want to change the plan. We are not makingmuch or any noise, so we should be able to go pretty close to thedestination. Of course, you know best."
"I don't," answered the guide with emphasis. "I may know the brakeand the game, but as a trailer of man-signs I am not in the sameclass with you, young man."
It was about three-quarters of an hour later when they came in sightof Turtle Bayou, a lonely channel in the heart of the swamp, risingfrom the shores of which were ranks of cane that disappeared in thefar distance.
"I suppose they are as thick in there as hairs on a dog?" said Tad,pointing to the stream.
"'Gators? I should say so. It's alive with them. A man who got inthere never would get out alive. You want to look out for moccasinsabout here, too. They aren't disturbed much hereabouts, so there area lot of them."
"I don't worry about snakes," answered the freckle-faced boy. "Justnow I am looking for something that looks like a man. But, do youknow, you haven't told me for whom we are looking."
"I reckon you wouldn't know his name if I did, but if we are luckyenough to meet him, I'll introduce the fellow," answered Lilly with agrim smile. "Do you see that thatched shack over there?" he asked,pointing to what appeared to be a heavy growth of bushes back fromthe bank on a rise of ground.
"Is that a shack?" asked Tad.
"Yes. It is where our friend puts up when he is in this vicinity. Ihave several shacks in different parts of the canebrake, but wehaven't come across any of them yet, though we shall before we leavethe brake."
"In there? Do you think he is at home?"
"We'll find out pretty soon. What would you suggest?"
"I would suggest that we walk right up to the entrance and learn ifanyone is at home. I should advise leaving the horses back here, sothere will be no trail close to his hut."
"Good idea. We'll do it."
They quickly secreted their horses in the brush, and after looking totheir revolvers, the only weapons they carried with them afterdismounting, the man and the boy made their way cautiously towards thehut, Bill Lilly leading the way, slightly in advance of Tad. Therewas no sign of life about the place, so they kept on until they stoodin front of the hut.
"Nobody at home," announced the guide.
"So it seems. Shall I take a look about inside?" asked Tad, steppingforward.
"Wait! Don't be in a hurry. I reckon I'll have a lo
ok myself."
Tad did not understand Lilly's reason for wanting to do this, but hesupposed the guide knew best. Lilly did. He leaped back suddenly,giving a vicious kick with his heavy boot, then jumping on some objectwith both feet.
"Look out! There may be more of them!"
"What is it?" cried Tad.
"A moccasin! The hound. Don't you see what he has done? He's madea snake-trap here. This bucket standing in the middle of the shackis sure to be tripped over by anyone who didn't know the trick. Thatwould mean trouble for the kicker."
"I saw that bucket. I presume I should have at least pushed it toone side," answered Tad in an awed voice.
"That's the kind of a critter we have trailed down."
"It strikes me we haven't trailed him down. Perhaps he discovered usand has gotten away."
"I don't know about that. I'll let you take a look outside in aminute. The dishes are cold, but that doesn't mean much--he may nothave cooked anything."
"The remains of his fire are cold, too," answered Tad. "I felt themwhen we came in."
"You are a wise head," nodded the guide. "You go out and see whatyou can pick up on the outside, but watch out for yourself," warnedBilly. "There are some things I want to look at in here. Take yourtime. Don't get far away, that's all."
Tad stepped out, pausing to look about the place. His purpose was tolearn if the owner of the shack had ridden away or if he were hidingsomewhere in that vicinity. If he had ridden away there must be thetrail of the horse with the bare off fore foot.
The Pony Rider Boy circled about, first looking for the place wherethe horse had been tethered. He found it without great difficulty,for a hoofprint always attracted Tad Butler's attention. Even athome he found himself studying them in the streets, out on thehighways, wherever horses traveled. As a result he could read muchmore than the average good observer from tracks that lay before him.Tad was able even to form some opinion of the man who was riding thehorse that had left the tracks.
The ground was considerably trampled at the tethering ground, and thebushes stripped clear of foliage where the horse had been browsing.It was this latter that had attracted the boy's attention first ofall, telling him that a horse had been tethered there. From that, itwas not a difficult matter to look up the trails. There were severalof these. More time was necessary to determine which of them hadbeen made last, but after a little study the Pony Rider Boy pickedout the fresh trail.
"He rode out this way, heading southwest, I should call it," mutteredthe lad. "I wonder where he was heading for? Still, there is no usewondering, for he may have turned due east or due west after goingfarther into the swamp or the brake. The question is, where is henow, and is he coming back here today?"
The question was answered in a manner wholly unlooked for by TadButler. For the moment the lad, caught off his guard, was at a losswhat to do. But his quick wit came to his rescue. Tad dropped toall fours and on hands and feet began running over the ground like amonkey, his body well screened by the bushes about him.