CHAPTER XI
THE CONVICTS' CAMP.
MCCARTY took the lead, and, without hesitation, struck out due north.
"Why, you're going the wrong way," Walter exclaimed, "or at least itseems the wrong way to me. How do you know you're headed right?"
McCarty grinned. "I spent lots of my spare time hunting," he explained,"and most of it was done in a worse country than this, where one couldget lost within a couple of hundred yards of camp. That kind of huntingdevelops a kind of direction instinct, as hunters call it, but which isreally a habit of observation. Now I have taken note of every turn wehave made to-day, and, although we are not going back the way we came,I'll guarantee that we'll come out within a hundred yards of camp. ButI guess I had better stop bragging. I need all my wind to handle thisdeer."
It soon became evident that McCarty was right, and that they were notgoing to be able to make camp before dark. Indeed, they had coverednot more than three miles of the distance when darkness descended uponthem.
"It's a little risky, but I guess we can push on until the white mistrises," said McCarty, as they halted for a moment to rest. "The moon isbright enough for us to pick our way now, but when the mist rises wewill have to make camp for the night. I couldn't trust myself to findmy way through the fog."
"I don't mind a night out," Walter said, "but I hate to have theCaptain worrying about us."
"Same here," agreed McCarty. "But that cannot be helped now. Let's pushon again, and get as far as we can."
"Well, let me take the deer for a while," Walter urged.
"Well, I don't mind if you do, for a few minutes," McCarty admitted."I've carried many a one twice this distance, but that was in the daytime. This trying to pick trail and carry too is sure getting my goat."
They had not proceeded far before McCarty stopped again. "If I am notbadly fooled, there's a campfire right ahead of us," he said. "See thatfaint glow there in the darkness."
"Good," Walter said. "We can perhaps camp for the night with them,whoever they are."
"Maybe," agreed his companion doubtfully. "If they are Indians, it isall right, but I am suspicious of white men I meet in this country.We can keep on for a ways, then one of us had better go ahead andinvestigate before we walk in on them."
"That's my part of the job," Walter exclaimed. "I'm a pretty fairscout, if I am not much of a woodsman."
"No," contested McCarty. "I'm better used to the kind of people we havein this part of the country than you are."
"Let's not quarrel about it," laughed Walter. "We can both go. Whoeverthey are, they are not likely to hear us above the din of the frogs andowls."
As the boys drew nearer to the campfire they became silent, lest thesound of their voices should make their presence known. When sometwo hundred yards from its glow, they left the deer behind and creptforward on hands and knees.
It was well that they had used such precautions, for the appearance ofthe group around the campfire was not reassuring. It consisted of threewhite men and one negro. The four were sprawled around the fire, overwhich a large turkey was hung to roast, and the firelight lit up fourof as villainous looking faces as ever existed. The boys crept closeenough to distinguish their features and hear the conversation that wasgoing on.
The negro, whose face was scarred by several knife wounds, wasspeaking.
"I'se done getting tired ob dis," he was saying. "I don't like dishangin' around in de woods day atter day adoing nothin'. What for datwhite man send us out in dese woods foah if he don't want us to donothin'?"
"Shut up," said one of his white companions curtly. "You've got nocause to kick. If he hadn't bribed the guard at the convict camp to letyou escape, you would be working hard gathering turpentine yet."
"You ain't got no call to talk. I reckon you was in as bad a fix as me.Worser, 'cause de guard was just layin' foah a chance to put de whip onyouah back."
"You two stop fussing," said the second white man in the group. "Weare all escaped convicts, one no better than the other. A man helpedus to escape, and sent us out here with a couple of months' grub andinstructions to wait his orders. That suits me. I ain't anxious to goaround any town until I get new clothes and my hair grows out, so Iwill not be spotted as an ex-convict. I'm willing to do what he saysand wait for his orders."
"Same here," agreed the fourth man. "I don't know the boss' business,but I figure that he don't want to use violence to stop the building ofthat road unless he has to. He put Murphy out of business pretty quickby spending a little money with the engineers. Likely he's waiting tosee if he can't work some such trick on the new concern before he triesany rough work."
"Why don't he want the road built?" inquired one of his companions.
"Give it up. I reckon he's just an agent for some big corporation,"said the other. "I ain't worrying my head about it. What I want is newclothes and some money, and I reckon we will get both if we do as theboss tells us to do."
The talk drifted round to other topics, and the two lads crept silentlyback to the deer, and, shouldering it, circled around the convicts'camp, being careful to give it a wide berth. It was not until they hadplaced a full half mile between themselves and the convicts that theyventured to speak aloud, and by that time the white mist had begun torise, and McCarty stopped near a clump of small spruces.
"No use trying to go any farther," he said. "Let's make camp here inthese spruces. We can cut some boughs and make a comfortable bed in afew minutes."
The spruce thicket really made a comfortable camping place. The densegrowth of spruce shut out the dampness, and the ground beneath them wasthickly carpeted with fragrant pine needles. In a few minutes the boyshad cut enough small boughs to make a comfortable bed. They were tooutterly weary to light a fire and cook any of their game. They stillhad part of their lunch left, and, as soon as it was eaten, they laydown on their couch with sighs of relief.
"That was sure a tough-looking bunch back there," said McCarty, as hestretched out his weary limbs.
"And, judging from their conversation, they don't mean any good to us,"Walter commented.
"It's queer, but I've felt all the time that some outside influence washolding back this road building, but it was only a hunch, and I couldnot be sure about it. Those fellows' talk to-night proves my hunch wasright."
"The agent at Jupiter hinted that the Southern Dredging Co. might makeus trouble," Walter remarked.
"The agent is mistaken," said McCarty, decidedly. "I worked for thatcompany for years, and, while they will try to crush any company thatgets in their way, they certainly would not take the trouble to go outof their way to crush a little concern like ours. No, there's someother reason for the trouble we've been having. Well, it's no useworrying. We had better go to sleep and get what rest we can. We willhave to work to-morrow if your chum gets back with a new crew."
The two weary lads were soon sound asleep, and did not awaken untilbreak of day. As it grew lighter, they were delighted to see the camponly three miles away. McCarty had made good his boast. He had come ina straight line from where they had killed the deer. In an hour's timethey reached the camp, where Chris and the Captain were overjoyed tosee them back.
"If you hadn't shown up early this morning I would have been outhunting for you," the old sailor declared. "Chris and I didn't sleepmuch last night."
"I'm glad you didn't start out," said Walter, with a grin, "for then wewould have had to turn around and hunted you up. Chris, cut off somevenison steaks and fry them for us, please. We are as hungry as wolves."
As soon as breakfast was over the two lads went out to the machine andtook the pump to pieces, so as to have it ready for putting in the newparts Charley was expected to bring back with him. This was all theycould do until he arrived with a new crew, so they returned to the campand lounged around, chatting with the Captain and Chris until theyheard the truck coming in the distance, when they went out to the roadto meet it. As it came in sight they could see that it was loaded withmen.
 
; "He's got them all right," Walter exclaimed with delight.
"Yes," agreed McCarty, "he's sure got a load of them. Gosh, I hopethey are the right kind. If they are, we will soon get things runningsmooth and good."
As the truck drew near, they could see two white men on the seat besideCharley, while the body of the car was filled with well-dressed menwith black eyes and hair and rather dark complexions.
McCarty gave a whoop of delight.
"Bully for your chum!" he said. "He's got some of the best class oflaborers that work in Florida."