CHAPTER II. AMONG THE PUZZLING SWAMP WATER TRAILS.
"Alligator!" shrieked Smithy; and as this was the very first saurian hehad ever set eyes on, not in confinement, his excitement was hardly tobe wondered at.
"Lookout, Giraffe, he's after you!" cried Bumpus, from the other boat,close by.
There was no need of spurring the lanky scout on to any furtherexertions; for he had comprehended that the living log was a scalyreptile, even before he took that involuntary bath; and the instant thathis head came above the surface again he made frantic haste to clamberback into the boat.
Allan had instantly stooped, and possessed himself of a repeating Marlinrifle, which he kept handy at all times now; and had that 'gatorattempted anything like hostile action, the chances were that he mustspeedily have made the acquaintance of a soft-nosed bullet that wouldprobably have finished his earthly career in a hurry.
No doubt the denizen of the swamp was even more badly frightened thanGiraffe, for after that one whirl and splash nobody ever saw him more.But then, how was the lanky scout to know that? Imagination peopled thatdark waters with a myriad of twelve-foot 'gators, all plunging towardthe spot where he was struggling to drag himself back into the boat,though his soaked garments seemed to weigh very nearly a whole ton.
"Lookout, Giraffe, or you'll upset us all!" shouted Bob White, whoprobably did not see any great reason for all this haste, becauseconditions always color such things differently.
"Help me in, somebody, can't you?" gasped the clinging boy. "Want to seeme bit in half, do you? Thad, you lend me a hand, since these otherfellows won't? Oh! what was that?" as a great splash was heard; but ofcourse it was only Bumpus playfully striking at the water with the flatof his paddle, on pretense of "shooing" away the sportive and hungryalligator, though no doubt he had also in mind the idea of hasteningGiraffe's getting over the gunwale on wings of fear.
They managed to pull him aboard, where he stood looking all around, asthough in the end a trifle disappointed not to see a few monstersshowing their keen regret at being cheated out of a meal; for that wouldhave always added flavor to the story when he came to tell it.
"Guess he's gone down to the bottom!" suggested Giraffe; "I kicked withall my might all the time I was in the water, and that's the only way toscare a 'gator, a coon told me. But you can laugh all you've a mind to,Step Hen and Bumpus, I reckon you'd a done as much as I did if it'd beenyou fell in. Why, I saw him open his jaws, and I declare to goodness, hehad a mouth big enough to swallow a sugar barrel, and that's the honesttruth, fellows."
"I see plain enough that we're due for some rattling lively times whilewe're down in old Louisiana," remarked Smithy. "But if you don't mind,Thad, please paddle your craft a little more to the left, because thebreeze is blowing straight from you to us, and, well, you know what Imean."
Bumpus was feeling so hilarious over seeing that great splash taken byhis persecutor, Giraffe, that he did not pay the slightest attention towhat Smithy said.
"You know, fellows," the fat scout went on to remark, "up to now it'sbeen poor old Bumpus who's generally gone overboard, or got in troublelike that; but seems as if times have changed, and now Giraffe, he wantsto take his turn. If I'd been close enough, and had a boat-hook handy,sure I'd a got it fast in the collar of your jacket, Giraffe. And I'd aconsidered it a pleasure, too."
"That's right, I reckon you would, Bumpus; you're an _aw_fulaccommodating chum, ain't you?" the tall scout sneered. "But see here,whatever am I to do now, Thad?"
"Sit in the sun, and let your duds dry on you!" suggested one comrade.
"The only trouble is, we have to bail out the boat, because he's nearlyflooded us right now," Bob White asserted, beginning to get busy with abig sponge.
"Had I ought to make a change, Thad?" demanded Giraffe, ignoring theseside thrusts, and appealing to the fountain head.
"Just suit yourself," replied the scout-master.
"That's what I mean to do, only this is my new suit, and I kinder hateto put it up to dry, for fear it'll shrink on me, and I can't get out ofit again," the lanky one went on to say.
Presently, as the air under the trees was not so warm as if they had hadmore sunshine, and Giraffe commenced to shiver, Thad told him he hadbetter make the change.
"You can wear your old suit right along, if you have to," he remarked;"and even if you have to throw away the other, better do that than get aheavy cold from trying to let it dry on you. That's all very well in hotAugust weather; but there's a little tang in the air, even away downSouth here, along in December. So strip to the skin, and make yourselfcomfortable."
Giraffe concluded that after all this was the best policy; and so he setto work, paying little heed to the jests of his chums, who, like allboys, could never let so good a chance to joke an unlucky companion passby.
"Next time you see a log, Giraffe," Bumpus told him, "take a second lookbefore you go to punch it with your paddle. They say logs down here havegot _teeth_, and can take a big bite right out of an oar. We don't wantto lose any of our paddles; and let me warn you that it's risky jumpingoverboard after one when you do drop it in the drink. We'd hate to seeyou make a meal for a hungry 'gator; though for that matter it'd be apretty slim dinner he'd get!"
"Well, one thing sure," retorted the tall scout, who was now fullydressed, and feeling in readiness to do battle again; "I wouldn't blameany old 'gator if he declined to gobble _you_ for a relish right now,and that's what."
"There you go again, but on account of your recent trouble I'll let itpass. A fellow that has just been nearly scared to death ain'tresponsible for half he says," and the fat boy waved his hand toward theother as though he really meant it.
"From the way you've been pestering us lately about that stuff youforgot to take home to your mother from the drug store, I'd think youhad troubles of your own to bother about," retorted Giraffe. "I neversaw such a fellow to keep thinking of little things that don't amount toa row of beans. Why, you admit it only cost five cents, and yet to hearyou let out a howl about it every little while, you'd think it was wortha whole dollar."
"It ain't that," said Bumpus, with dignity, "but I'm so built that whenanything gets on my nerves like that has, I just can't sleep till I'vesolved the puzzle. Did I take that little package home and give it to mymother, or did I leave it anywhere on the way? That's the question I'dlike to have solved; and I mean it shall be, if I have to write to threeseparate boys whose houses I stopped in on my way home, to tell 'em whata ge-lorious time I expected to have down here."
"But you did write to your mother from Memphis, to ask her about it; andwhen we got letters back at that last town you nearly took a fit becausethere wasn't any for you," Davy Jones went on to say, taking a hand inthe affair, though he was as far away from Bumpus in the other end ofthe boat as he could possibly get.
"That's all very true," replied the fat scout, composedly; "and now I'vegot to just hold in, and wait a long time till we get more mail. Itbothers me more'n words can tell you. A scout should never fail in hisduty; and my mother said she wanted what she wrote on that paper theworst kind. What if it was only five cents; I'm not thinking of theamount, but the fulfilling of my duty. Thad always says that's the mainthing to consider. Faithful in little things, is my motto."
"Hear! hear!" cheered Bob White, from the other boat.
"Good boy, Bumpus! them's our sentiments, too!" declared Step Hen,hilariously.
"Huh! little things, hey?" sniffed Giraffe; "please get busy fellows,and draw ahead of our friends in the other boat once more. Seems to methe air is better up ahead."
"But make him beware of the logs, mind you," called Bumpus, as a partingshot.
They proceeded carefully along for some time. The channel they werefollowing seemed to be very winding, and yet there could be noreasonable doubt but that it was constantly taking the expedition deeperinto the great Alligator Swamp all the time.
Thad had tried to get all the informat
ion possible about the strangeplace he intended to visit, but few people could assist him. One mangladly allowed him to have a very rude chart that he said "Alligator"Smith, who made a practice of hunting the denizens of the swamp fortheir skins, had once drawn for him, with a bit of charcoal, and a pieceof wrapping paper. This was when the "cracker" had lost a heifer whichhe suspected had either strayed into the fastnesses of the swamp; orelse been killed, and eaten by some "hideout" escaped convicts, whofound a refuge from pursuit within the almost impenetrable depths of theextensive morass.
There were things about this chart which none of them could fully grasp.Thad had some hopes of being fortunate enough to come upon the man whohad drawn it, as he was said to be somewhere about, pursuing his queervocation of acquiring a living from securing the skins of alligators hemanaged to shoot or trap.
And it was in this way that the eight chums had actually dared to startinto one of the least known places in the whole State of Louisiana. Someof those with whom they had spoken about their intended trip had warnedthem not to attempt such a risky thing without a guide. But Thad wasfairly wild to learn whether there could be any truth in the strangestory that had come to his guardian in that letter; and he just feltthat he could not stand the suspense another day.
Inquiry had developed the fact that inside of the last few months a manand a little girl had really been seen several times, though nobody knewwhere he stayed; and some said they had seen him paddling out of theswamp in a pirogue, which had evidently been fashioned from the trunk ofa big tree with considerable skill.
As the afternoon advanced, and they found themselves getting deeper anddeeper in the gloomy swamp, the boys began to realize that this singularexpedition might not turn out to be such a pleasant picnic after all.There was always a peril hovering over them that must not be lightlytreated; and this was the danger of losing themselves in those windingchannels; for they had been told that more than once men had gone intoAlligator Swamp never to be seen again by their fellows.
Thad and Allan had arranged a plan whereby they might mark their way;and if it came to the worst they would stand a chance of returning overthe same passages that they were following in entering the place.
They did this first by attaching a small white piece of cloth to a bushwhile still in sight of the last one that had been marked. When thesefinally gave out they proceeded to break a branch, and allow it to hangin a certain way that was bound to catch their eye, and tell them how topaddle in order to keep passing along the chain.
This was a well-known method among woodsmen in these great swamps, whereone can be turned around so easily, and all things look so much alikethat even the best of experienced paddlers may make mistakes that areapt to cost dearly.
The boys fell quiet as the shadows lengthened. To tell the truth all ofthem were growing a bit tired from this constant paddling, and twistingtheir heads in trying to see so many sights at once; and when Giraffehinted broadly that in his opinion he thought it might be high time theypicked out some nice spot for stopping over, so that the fire could bestarted, and supper gotten underway, nearly all the rest gave him asmile of encouragement.
"Just what I was thinking about myself," said Thad; "and unless I'mmistaken, right now I glimpse the place we're looking for; because, youunderstand, we ought to have a good high and dry spot for a camp."
"Do you know whether these here 'gators can climb, Thad?" asked the fatscout, a little nervously.
"Not a tree, certain sure, Bumpus, so you're safe, if you only showenough speed in getting up among the branches; but they just _love_ toslide down banks, they say, and don't you go to depending on any such tokeep your scaly friends from sharing your blanket," Davy remarked,maliciously.
"Oh! who's afraid; not me?" sang out Bumpus, puffing out his chest as hespoke; "besides, haven't I got a gun along with me this trip; and someof you happen to know that I can use the same. I've got a few crackshots to my credit, ain't I, Thad?"
Before the scout-master could either affirm or deny this assertion,Giraffe gave a loud yell, and was seen to be standing up in his boat,pointing wildly ahead.
"Looky there, would you, boys!" he cried; "that's a coon in the boat,seems like to me, and he's paddling like everything to get away from us.What say, shall we give chase, and see if four pair of arms are betterthan one? Maybe, now, it's only a hideout darky, scared nigh to deathathinking we're the soldiers come hunting after him. And then again, howd'we know that it mightn't be Felix himself; because, you remember, theydid say he was burnt as brown as mahogany! Whoop! see him make thatpaddle fairly burn the air; and ain't he flying to beat the band,though? Thad, why _don't_ you give the word to chase after him, when youcan see we're all crazy to let out top-notch speed."