CHAPTER XV. STILL BUMPING BUMPUS.
Various were the expressions of disgust when the scouts heard this pieceof intelligence from the guide.
"Well, what d'ye think of that now, for a piece of nerve?" exclaimedStep Hen.
"Seems just like this here Ricky, whose first name must be Gin, Ireckon, thinks he owns pretty much all Alligator Swamp, because he'sheld out here so long, and nobody ever bothered him before!" Bumpuslamented.
"But what's the use talking that way, fellows?" said Giraffe, almostfiercely; "none of us expect to clear out just because Mr. Ricky sayswe've got to go. If he expects that he's given us the worst scare of ourlives, he's got another think acoming to him, that's all."
"Giraffe, you never spoke truer words than that," cried Davy Jones,suddenly firing up, and showing unexpected zeal in the matter; he had away of stretching his eyes when under any sort of excitement, and inthis way made the other boys laugh at his looks; but just then, somehow,no one even smiled, for they were too much taken up with the seriousnessof the conditions confronting them.
"Well, it strikes me about the same way," spoke up Bob White, with hiscustomary Southern eagerness, "the Silver Fox Patrol has gone throughwith too many adventures in its time to get scared off, just because oneold moonshiner chances to feel ugly that we've had to come into thisswamp."
"He'd better take care," warned Smithy, who seemed fully as much workedup as any of the rest of them; "or we might make up our minds to killtwo birds with one stone."
"That's what!" echoed Bumpus, aggressively; "while we're alooking upthis here Felix, why, if we're forced to show our hand without a glove,p'raps we'll take a notion to pull old Ricky in, and hand him over tothe revenue officers. Maybe there might be some sort of reward out forhim; and we've made our expenses before now in helping the hands ofjustice. Remember what we did up in Maine, boys?"
"Yes, and please move our boat a little to the right, will you, Allan,because somehow I think the air comes a mite finer from that quarter,"and Giraffe as he said this almost glared at Bumpus; who returned hislook with one of pretended indifference, as he fondly stroked his dingyold khaki jacket that was so discolored from long and hard use that onecould hardly tell what the original color may have been.
"Well, I hope now we ain't going back, anyhow?" the fat scout remarked,calmly.
All eyes were turned upon the scout-master, as though the decision mustrest entirely with him; but then they knew Thad well enough to feel surehe never backed down in anything he attempted until the very last wordhad been said.
And then again they must have found more or less consolation in the factthat it was his particular business that had brought them all the wayinto Dixieland; the possibility of finding his long lost little sisterwould spur Thad on to reaching his goal, if there were a dozen Rickymoonshiners in the way.
Just as they hoped and expected, he lost no time in settling the matter,at least as far as he was concerned.
"We're here to find that man with the little girl, boys, and we're boundto do it, by hook or by crook," he said, quietly, but in that firm tonethey knew so well. "If this man who makes the moonshine stuff chooses toget in our way and show himself disagreeable, why, we may have to turnaside for a little while, and teach him that it isn't always safe tointerfere with other people's business, even if they do happen to be BoyScouts. And I'm sure our guide here, Tom Smith, will stand by us throughit all, won't you, Tom?"
Now, the swamp hunter was having his eyes opened right along to thepossibilities of boys under the new way of making them think forthemselves, and the more he saw of Thad and his seven chums, the higherhis admiration arose. So when the young scout-master thus appealed tohim, he was quick to assure them of his constancy.
"I've lived around hyah fo' a good many yeahs, an' minded my own biznessright along so 'at Ricky an' me we-all never hed any fallin' out; but Isez right now, thet if he thinks he kin chase you boys outen AlligatorSwamp, jest 'cause yuh happens tuh be wearin' them uniforms as makes him'spicious like, he's beatin' up the wrong tree, thet's all. I'll sticktuh yuh through thick an' thin; and Ricky, he bettah go slow, thet'sall."
"Of course," put in Thad, hastily, as with a movement of the hand hechecked the cheer that arose to the lips of several of the moreenthusiastic scouts; "we'd rather not have the least trouble with theman, because, you understand, we never even knew of his being here untilwe started in to try and find the others; but if he's as obstinate as amule----"
"Or Bumpus here," interjected Davy, as quick as a flash.
"Why," Thad went on to say, "we'll have to pay attention to him first ofall, because it's unpleasant to think that at any minute you're apt tobe shot at from ambush, by some one who is hidden behind a tree."
"I never did sot any store by this hyah bushwhackin' bizness," declaredtheir guide, frowning. "And Ricky, he's bound tuh git hisself intuh aheap o' trouble if so be he tries thet same on, many more times."
"I was thinking," resumed Thad, "that perhaps, now, there might be someway for you to get in touch with Ricky, or leave a communication for himsomewhere. In that way you could tell him who we were, and that wehaven't any notion of doing him any harm. In fact, so far as we'reconcerned, it doesn't matter if he keeps on with his little still in theswamp till doomsday, does it, boys?"
"No, if only he keeps his hands off, and don't bother the Silver FoxPatrol in the line of their duty," asserted Giraffe. "Some other people,just about like this same old Ricky, learned that it was as safe tomonkey with a buzz-saw as to fool with scouts when they're bent onminding their own affairs. I could mention more'n a few who got theirfingers pinched, and pinched bad too."
"Well, don't bother going into details now, Giraffe," remarked Allan;"all that will keep for some time when we're sitting around the fire,and you happen to feel like telling our guide a few things about whatwe've done in the past. Just now we've got to settle on our plans forwork. How about what Thad asked you, Tom Smith; can you manage to getword to this Ricky, do you think?"
The swamp hunter had been thinking while the boys exchanged these fewremarks; and now he nodded his head in the affirmative.
"I kinder reckons as how I mout do thet same, son," he went on to say,as though his mind were made up. "In the fust place, I knows jest wharRicky he holds out, an' hes his ole still; an' I wants tuh say thet Idon't reckon tuh find them parties yuh be alookin' fo' in thet erequarter. So, yuh see, we's soon gwine tuh head in a diff'rent way, soRicky, if so be he's a watchin' on us frum the bushes'll make out thetwe don't mean tuh disturb him yet awhile."
"Still, he might think we were only going around to come up on him fromanother quarter?" ventured Allan.
"Yes," added the scout-master, "and if you can let him know what I saidabout our being only Boy Scouts; and that we've hired you, not to findhim, but another party altogether, it might be best."
"They's a chanct tuh do thet same," returned Tom Smith; "an' this istheh way o' hit. Yuh see, Ricky he don't never show hisself outen theswamp, leastways not in daytime, 'cause he reckons as how thar be amarshal behind every tree, jest awaitin' tuh nab him fo' moonshinin'.But he sells his mountain dew, as they calls it up in Georgia an'Tennessee tuh sum o' theh natives, an' when they wants a supply theyleaves word at his post office like."
"Oh! I see, Ricky isn't only trying to beat the United States Governmentout of its revenue on the stuff he distills, but he's set up a rivalestablishment for sending letters through the mails without paying acent of postage?" and Giraffe chuckled at his own wit, which Bumpusthought very bad taste; but then Bumpus was provoked at the lanky scoutjust then, and could not see anything good in whatever Giraffe said ordid.
"And can you get a note into that private post office without too muchtrouble?" Thad asked, quite interested, and ready to carry out thelittle scheme with all the speed possible.
"Why," resumed the swamp hunter, "hit happens thisaway, yuh see; we'sbound tuh pass right neah thet holler tree,
whar Ricky allers looks fo'letters; an' if so be yuh guv me a note tuh stick in the hole, chancesare he'd see me do hit, an' be ahookin' theh same out arter I quits."
"Then Ricky can read?" queried Allan, as though surprised.
"Him?" ejaculated Tom Smith, as though surprised at the question; "surehe kin, an' write too. Why, I 'members him atellin' as how he went tuhschool an' got book larnin' a whole winter, long time ago."
"What d'ye think of that?" ejaculated Step Hen. "Suppose, now, Ricky hadhad half the chances of us fellows, wouldn't he set the world on fire,though? Only went to school one winter when he was a boy, and learned toread and write at that. I'm ashamed to say it, but there are some chapsI know that have been agoing to school all their lives, and don't knowmuch more'n how to read and write."
"Speak for yourself, Step Hen," said Bumpus, who seemed unusually touchythese days, and resented the significant way in which the other lookedin his direction.
"I'll write a few lines then," said Thad, "and make it as plain as I canthat we don't mean Ricky any harm, and would rather than not he helpedus find that strange man with the little girl; for I suppose he musthave noticed him around in the swamp, and has wondered what they weredoing here."
"Oh! as fo' thet," chuckled the guide, "nobody ever questions what afeller is after when he hides in ole Alligator Swamp; 'case, yuh see,it's allers been a safe retreat fo' every escaped convict, and sechothers as want tuh keep outen sight. I hev heard as how in theh ole dayso' slavery many a black took tuh this place arter runnin' away from thesugar plantations; and they used tuh hunt 'em with bloodhounds. Fack is,right in these hyah days I've heard the bayin' o' hounds more'n a fewtimes; and I done larn on'y yesterday as how the sheriff, he went an'fotched a brace o' dorgs down from another parish, tuh use the samehyah'bouts."
Thad was already busily engaged, having secured a page from a pocketnotebook, and with the stub of a pencil he was writing a few lines asplainly as he could accomplish it.
Giraffe and Davy were whispering together as their boats happened todrift close together, and from the fact that they allowed their eyes toturn toward Bumpus from time to time, it seemed probable that some newscheme was being hatched looking to the further annoyance of the fatscout.
Bumpus saw what was going on, and moved uneasily, as though he suspectedthat some species of bomb were being prepared to explode under him; buthe did not say anything, however much he may have thought.
Thad had just folded the note, and handed the same to Tom Smith, so thathe could place it in the tree post office as they came to it; whenGiraffe caught the attention of the scout-master.
"Me'n Davy here been conferring on a certain matter, you see, Thad," hewent on to say, apparently half in earnest, yet with his eyes twinklingas though a wicked sense of humor bubbled up within; "an' while we hopeyou won't think we're atrying to start a mutiny of any sort, we wouldlike to get your opinion to a certain scheme to keep peace in thefamily, and let the rest of us get our share of good sweet air."
"Well, hurry up and state your case, Giraffe," remarked Thad, whopossibly could more than half guess what was coming; "because we've losttime enough already, and should be on the move."
"Why, it's just this way," continued Giraffe, after exchanging winkswith Davy, as though looking for encouragement there; "we've tried ourlevel best to coax a certain member of this expedition to be faithful tohis vows, and stow away the greasy old fishy suit he keeps on awearing;and he's just that like a mule he won't do the first thing toaccommodate us. Now, we all feel that we've got rights, and Davy herethought up a plan whereby Bumpus can keep on wearing his cast-offs if hewants to, and have all the fun to himself."
"Oh! is that so?" sneered the object of all this tender solicitude; "howkind of Davy, and you too, Giraffe. Maybe, now, you'll go right along,and explain how this same miracle's agoing to be fixed? This suit is anold friend of mine, and I just love it. Course, if Thad lets you, andthe whole bunch pile on, I can't hold out against seven; but that ain'tthe way to treat a fellow scout. Go right along and explain what Davy'splan is."
"Why, here's the scheme, and I must say it's a grand good one," Giraffecontinued, bracing up to make the explanation. "Since Bumpus must savehis good suit, let him, if only he don't bother the rest of us sofuriously. Now, there's the boat of our guide; let him change placeswith Tom Smith, and follow away behind the balance of the expedition. Wecould wave him back whenever we thought he was getting too close, youknow. And I want to say the plan has my unqualified endorsement, anddoes our chum Davy great credit. Now, what's the verdict. Thad? DoesBumpus either have to agree to throw away that old suit of his; or getin the guide's canoe, and go away back and sit down? We're content toabide by your decision in the matter; and here's hoping you fix it tosuit the majority!"