"There," said Morgan, one day, as he gave the soil a final pat with his
spade, "that job's done, and now I'm going to have a bit of a rest.
Leaving-off time till the sun gets a bit down."
"What have you been planting?" I asked.
"Seeds, my lad; flower seeds, as I've picked myself. I like to keep
raising the useful things, but we may as well have some bright flowers
too. Where's the master?"
"Indoors, writing."
"Then what do you say to a bit of sport?"
"Another rattlesnake?" I cried.
"No, thank ye, my lad; meddling with rattlesnakes may mean bringing down
the Indians, so we'll let them alone."
"Nonsense!"
"Well, perhaps it is, my lad."
"But what have you found?"
"What do you say to a 'coon?"
"Oh, they get into the hollow trees, where you can't catch them."
"Well then, a bear?"
"A bear!" I cried; "a real wild bear?"
"Ah, I thought that would set you off; but it arn't a bear; they're up
among the hills."
"What is it then? How you do hang back from telling!"
"Course I do. If I let you have it all at once, you wouldn't enjoy it
half so much."
"Oh, I know," I cried, "it's going to fish after those ridiculous little
terrapins, and they're such horrid things to take off the hook."
"Guess again."
"Birds? An eagle?"
"No; guess again, nearly right; something as lays eggs--"
"A turtle?"
Morgan shook his head.
"Not an alligator, is it?"
He wrinkled up his face in a hearty laugh.
"Alligator it is, sir. I found a nest yesterday."
"And didn't tell me. I want to see an alligator's nest. I never could
find one."
"Ah, you didn't look in the right kind of tree, Master George."
"Don't talk to me as if I were a baby, Morgan," I said; "just as if I
didn't know better than that."
"Oh, but you don't know everything. I got awfully laughed at once for
saying squirrels build nests in trees."
"Oh, but they do," I said; "I've seen them."
"'Course you have; but when I said so, some one laughed, and asked how
many eggs you can find in a squirrel's nest.--So you don't believe the
'gators build in trees, don't you?"
"No; but I believe they lay eggs. How many are there in this?"
"Oh, it isn't that sort of nest. I mean a nest where he goes to sleep
in; and you and me's going to wake him up, and try if we can't catch him
and bring him home."
I could not help thinking of the Indians, as I went with Morgan to make
the preparations, which were simple enough, and consisted in arming
himself with a long pole and giving me one similar, after which he put a
piece of rope in his pocket, and declared himself ready.
We went off in the same direction as that chosen when we killed the
rattlesnake, but turned off to the left directly, and made for the bank
of the river, that bore away from the landing-place, towards a low,
moist part, intersected by the meandering stream which drained the
marshy part.
Here we had to proceed rather cautiously, for the place was full of
decayed trees covered with brilliant green and grey moss, and looking
solid, but which crumbled away at a touch from the foot, and often
concealed holes into which it would have been awkward to fall, since we
did not know what kind of creatures lived therein.
"Seem to have lost the place," said Morgan, after we had been going
along for some time pretty well parallel with the river.
"Oh, Morgan!" I exclaimed, impatiently.
"No; I have it," he cried. "I remember that tree with the long moss
hanging down so far. The ground's harder here too. More to the left,
Master George. There you are at last."
"But where's the nest?" I said.
"Why, there it is, my lad; can't you see?"
I looked round, but there was nothing visible but a few footprints in a
muddy spot, and a hole of very moderate size, evidently going some
distance down into the moist, boggy soil.
"Is this it?"
"Yes, of course."
"But you said a nest."
"Well, I meant, as I told you, his nest, his snuggery. Now I'm going to
see if he's at home."
I looked on full of doubt, for the whole proceeding seemed to me to be
very absurd, and I felt sure that Morgan was mistaken.
"I don't believe he knows any more about alligators than I do," I said
to myself, as I saw him thrust the long pole down into the hole.
"I tried this game on yesterday, Master George, and he said he was at
home."
"Nonsense!" I cried, pettishly.
"But I'm afraid he has gone out for a walk this time, and it's a case of
call again to-morrow. No," he added, energetically, "it's all right.
Says he's at home."
"Why, what do you mean?" I cried.
"Got a bite," said Morgan, grinning. "You try. But mind he don't come
out with a rush. He might be nasty."
I hesitated for a moment, then leaning my own pole against a bush, I
took hold of the one Morgan gave into my hands, and moved it slightly.
"Well?" I said. "I don't feel anything."
"Give it a bit of a stir round, my lad," he said.