AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.
"He was here, all right!" said Thad, in an awed tone, as he looked
all around him.
Maurice took several steps forward, as if mechanically starting to
follow the plain imprints of those big shoes.
"Hold on, there, pard; you wouldn't want to chase after that
critter, now, would you? We haven't lost anybody, that I know
about. The best thing for us is to keep right along the road, and
mind our own business. Ain't I right?" demanded Thad.
"I reckon you are, son; and don't think I was so silly as to try
and follow that creeper. I'm not anxious to see him. Come on, the
quicker we get moving the better."
With that Maurice turned on his heel and started off.
"I don't want him to get the notion in his head we're scared about
it," he muttered; "but all the same I think we'd better shinny on
our own side, and move along."
"Keep that gun ready for business, Maurice," admonished the other,
who flourished his stick in a belligerent way while bringing up
the rear.
"Don't you fear about that, my friend. If anybody jumps out at us
I'm ready to give him a warm reception!"
Maurice spoke aloud. It was his hope that if the man might be
lingering near he would overhear the words, and take warning
accordingly.
They hurried along the dimly defined road. It must have been quite
some time since vehicles used this, for the marks of wheels were
in many places utterly obliterated by the rains of summer and
fall.
Three times they really got off the trail; but fortunately their
united vigilance told them of the fact before it was too late to
remedy it easily.
"Must be getting near George's place," grunted Thad, at last, for
he was almost out of breath, what with their haste, and the
necessity for keeping that head of his at all angles, so as to
forestall any treachery on the part of the enemy, whom he felt
sure must be dodging their trail all this time, waiting for a
chance to get in a telling blow.
"I'm afraid not. Seems to me Mr. Stallings said it was nearly a
mile past the swamp; and you see we've just got to the worst of
that."
"All right, then; keep hoofing it, pard. We've just made up our
minds that we're going to see George at home, and nothing ain't
going to stop us. Get that?" declared Thad.
"Just what I say. Come on again, if you've caught your wind."
Again they pushed on.
Their surroundings seemed even more dreadful than ever; and
Maurice realized for the first time what a fearful place a swamp
may seem, especially when danger is hovering about, and a hostile
figure may spring out from behind any tree.
Even the sudden harsh cawing of a crow that sprang up from the
ground and lodged on a branch startled Thad; and when a rabbit
bounded away through the brush alongside the road, Maurice
involuntarily threw his Marlin half way up to his shoulder as
though inclined to press the triggers.
"I hope we left him behind," said Thad, presently, when, for the
fiftieth time, he turned his head to look.
"But I don't believe we did," replied the other instantly. "See
here, you found that other footprint; what d'ye think of this?"
"He's been here ahead of us, as sure as you live. Oh, look! That
little twig jumped up into place right before my very eyes. Don't
you see what that means, Maurice? He passed along here only a
minute or so ahead of us. That twig didn't have time enough to get
back to its position up to now. Phew! Perhaps he's laying for us
further on."
"Well, what if he is? Do we go on?"
"Well, I guess yes. Let me carry the shooter now!" said Thad, as
he reached out his eager if trembling hand.
"Oh, no! What's the use changing? I'm as fresh as a daisy; and
besides, that stick just fits your hand. I'll give him a scare if
he tries to jump at us, never fear."
"Just as you say, Maurice; only PLEASE don't get excited and fill
me up with birdshot, instead of the thief."
"No danger, if you keep where you belong, in the rear. There's
some pretty suspicious looking trees ahead there, on both sides of
the road. We want to watch close now, Thad. Once we get by here,
I've a hunch the going may be better."
"Yes," said Thad, whirling his shillalah around in a lively way,
as a token of what he meant to do in case of an emergency.
By the time they reached the spot where the trees joined branches
across the dimly defined road both boys were in somewhat of a
feverish state of apprehension. They looked at each hoary old
trunk as if they believed every tree might conceal a crouching
enemy, ready to leap out and attack them.
Yet, strange to say, neither of them once thought of craning their
necks in order to survey what lay above.
Perhaps, had Thad done so, he might have received more or less of
a shock just about that time.
"Hark!" exclaimed Maurice, pulling up.
"That was a shout, wasn't it?" demanded his chum, his eyes seeking
those of the other instantly.
"I'm dead sure it was, and not an owl," replied Maurice.
"And it came from ahead there; didn't you think so?"
"It certainly did. Listen, there's more of the same kind. Now what
d'ye make of all that?" muttered Maurice.
"Somebody's coming this way, for I can hear the sound of running.
Say, perhaps it's the coons he told us about, the outlaws that
live in the swamp! Mebbe the sheriff's posse has stirred 'em up
like a hornet's nest, and they're on the jump!"
Maurice looked annoyed.
"If that's the case we ought to be hiding ourselves," he declared.
"Yes, but just remember, boy, that there's another thing bothering
us just now. What if we ran plump into the arms of that red-top
who's laying for us?"
"Well, then, let's drop down here behind a couple of these trees.
Perhaps they'll go past and never get a peep of us," suggested the
one who carried the double-barrel gun.
"No use," chirped Thad, immediately.
"And why not?" asked Maurice.
"They saw us; they know we're here; that's why."
"How do you know that?"
"I just saw a feller bob up along the road there. He swung his
arms over his head as he dropped down into another hollow. And
look, ain't that some more of the bunch, topping the rise? I tell
you, it's all off, Maurice; they've got us caged. Why, we can't
run away, and all that's left is to stay here, grin and bear it."
Thad sat down as though he believed it absolutely useless to take
the least step toward seeking safety in flight, but, indeed, both
of them were already partly winded with their efforts, so that
anything in the line of running might be deemed mere madness.
"Hide the packet then, quick! Stick it under that root there,
while no one is looking. Perhaps we can fool them yet!" hissed
Maurice, as a brilliant idea flashed through his brain.
"Bully for you, my boy! That's the ticket."
While he was speaking Thad drew the small package from his inside
pocket, where he had been carefully keeping it since leaving the
boat, and with one quick nervous movement thrust the same out of
sight under the convenient root.
No sign remained of his action, and he was fain to believe that no
human eyes save his own and those of Maurice could have witnessed
the act.
But it was not so.
"Say, they're coming on the jump!" exclaimed Maurice, who had
remained on his feet while the other squatted, the better to carry
out the process of secreting the precious packet.
"How many?" asked Thad, between quick breaths, induced by the
tremendous excitement of the occasion.
"Don't know, but a whole lot of 'em. And every mother's son seems
to be armed with some sort of gun. A fine chance we'd have against
such a husky bunch, if we showed signs of fight. Yet it does go
hard against the grain to give up without striking a blow."
Maurice gnashed his teeth and frowned while speaking, fingering
the lock of his Marlin nervously.
By this time Thad had risen to his knees, an overwhelming sense of
curiosity urging him on.
"Why, Maurice, that's funny!" he exclaimed, immediately
"I don't see it; what's struck you now, Thad?"
"Why, don't you remember what Mr. Stallings told us?"
"Sure I do--that these swamp rats were about as ugly a crowd to
handle as he had ever heard tell of; and I guess he was right; for
if I ever saw a tough lot of fellow citizens they're coming down
on us right now, five, six of 'em. Ugh!" growled Maurice.
"I think you'll live to take that back, old fellow," chuckled
Thad, who seemed to be far less alarmed than he had been a brief
time previously, though still excited.
"What ails you?" asked the other, querulously.
"Look for yourself. Are those chaps white men or coons?"
"Why, I reckon they all seem to be white, so far as I can see--oh!
I declare, I remember now--"
"The storekeeper told us those bad men were niggers!"
"Right; that's what he said. Still, these may be another lot,
connected with your friend with the sorrel-top!" declared Maurice,
who died hard.
"Rats! You know now just as well as I do that yonder is the
sheriff and his posse! Perhaps they think we're some of the
riffraff they've been chasing, and that's why they keep aiming
their blamed old guns at us that way. Hadn't we better hold up our
arms, Maurice, and give 'em to understand that we surrender? Some
fool might think it fine to take a snapshot at us and explain
afterwards he thought we meant to fight!"
"That's right, Thad; a clever idea. So up you go, my boy."
Maurice, as he spoke, allowed the gun to fall at his feet, and
elevated both hands as high as he could get them. Thad hastened to
follow suit, and it might be he unconsciously cast his eyes upward
at the same instant, as though eager to see just how his chum held
his.
A sudden spasm seemed to shoot through the frame of Thad, and his
companion heard him give utterance to an exclamation; but being so
intensely interested in the coming of the runners, who were now
very close, he made no comment, nor did he ask questions.
The men quickly closed in around them.
Maurice realized that what his chum had guessed must surely be the
truth. He even decided which of the six was the sheriff; for the
storekeeper at Morehead Landing had described this individual to
him, so that he might know him if they ever met.
"Hello, Mr. Jerrold! Glad to meet up with you, sir. Mr. Stallings
told us you were out after some game. But he said it was black
meat you wanted, not white," sang out Maurice, cheerily; and when
he chose to make himself agreeable the young Kentuckian could win
over nearly any man.
"Seems like yuh know me, youngster. Who-all be yuh, anyhow, and
what yuh doin' thisaways. I'd like tuh know right well?"
But the sheriff had at the same time made a motion to his men, and
all show of weapons vanished. He knew that there was no need of
violence in this case.
Maurice quickly told him who they were, and that, desiring to see
George Stormway, bearing good news from the North, they had been
directed along the road by the friendly storekeeper.
"Don't s'pose now, boys, yuh seen anything o' a pair o' black
sheep? We done skeered 'em up outen the swamp, an' when our dawgs
gits heah we s'pect tuh track 'em down once foh all," observed the
sheriff, now apparently ready to shake hands with the two
voyagers.
"No; we haven't met a single person, black or white, on the trail;
but we have reason to believe that there's a man hiding around
here who wanted to waylay us and rob us."
Thereupon, as the sheriff asked the reason he had for believing
such a thing, Maurice started in to explain. He told of finding
something of value on the boat that belonged to George Stormway's
wife, Bunny Badgeley that was--how the man with the red-top had
tried to steal the packet and was baffled by reason of Thad's
cunning trick; how his chum had seen him just outside the hamlet
of Morehead Landing, the tracks on the road, and finally the
figure seen by the clump of bushes.
"Yes," broke in Thad just then, and his chum saw that an expansive
grin covered his face as he spoke, "and if the gentlemen will only
take a squint up over their heads they will see the party in
question squattin' on that limb right above us, where he hid
himself, I reckon, thinkin' to just drop down on whichever held
the gun!"
Then there was an immediate craning of necks; and loud laughs from
the members of the Mississippi sheriff's posse attested to the
fact that they had discovered what strange fruit that live oak
bore.