OUTWITTED BY A BOY
Bill Lilly's attention had been called to a slight movement of the
bushes behind where Alligator Pete was standing, but he did not
understand the meaning of the disturbance, nor did he look very
sharply until something unusual caused him to flash a quick glance in
that direction.
A writhing, twisting something rose from behind the bushes, wriggled
through the air, headed directly for Pete. The guide suddenly
realized that it was a rope, with a great loop at the end of it.
The loop wobbled over Pete's head for a brief instant, then flopped
down over his body. Instantly the loop was drawn taut; then came a
mighty tug and Pete went down with his arms pinioned to his sides,
struggling frantically to free himself from the grip of the rope.
Even then he did not understand what had occurred. Perhaps he
thought it was a snake that had twisted about him.
In a few seconds, however, he collected his wits. The revolver was
still in his hand. Pete began pulling the trigger, trying his best
to get a bead on Bill Lilly and put a bullet through him.
"Keep out of range till he gets through shooting!" called the exultant
voice of Tad Butler from behind the bushes. "I can hold him. He
won't get out of that loop in a hurry."
Lilly took advantage of the opportunity to spring back into the
shack, where he snatched up his own weapon, then leaped out.
"Drop that gun, Pete!" commanded the guide sternly, at the same time
leveling his own weapon at the man on the ground. "Drop it, I say!"
Pete, after gazing at the determined face of Billy Lilly for a few
seconds, let go his grip on the butt of his revolver. Billy stepped
over and kicked the weapon out of reach. Next he searched the
clothes of the roped man, removing a knife.
"Get up!" he commanded.
Alligator Pete did so, his face red with rage, his eyes menacing.
"Who did that?" he demanded.
"I reckon I did," answered Tad Butler, stepping forward, still
keeping the rope taut so that his prisoner should not run away.
"I'll kill you for that!" raged the prisoner.
"Not just now you won't. Later, perhaps. At present you are not in
condition to kill anyone. What shall we do with him, Mr. Lilly?"
Pete was staring, still working and tugging at the rope. He had
recognized Tad Butler on the instant.
"It isn't a doe this time, Pete," laughed the Pony Rider Boy.
"No, it'll be a dead kid when I get free again."
"I wouldn't make any threats were I in your place. You are in no
position to make threats. Shall I remove the rope, Mr. Lilly?"
"Take it off, but look out that he doesn't grab you. If he tries to
run away I'll pink him. Remember, Pete, no monkey-shines."
Tad slacked up on the rope, nodding to the prisoner to let it drop,
which the man did quickly, Tad not taking chances by getting within
reach of the fellow's wiry arms.
With his freedom, Alligator Pete's oozing courage in a measure
returned to him, though he was still covered by the guide's revolver.
Tad coiled his rope and secured it to his belt, Pete watching the
operation with interest. He had never seen roping in real life. He
had not seen this time, but he had felt, which was less interesting
than had he been a mere spectator. Lilly was regarding the fellow
frowningly.
"I ought to do it, but somehow I can't," he muttered.
"What shall we do with him now we have him?" asked Tad. "I guess we
shall have to turn him loose."
"I reckon we won't do anything of the sort, or he will be sure to be
up to more mischief. I reckon we better take him with us. He has
got to pay for what he has done."
"I haven't done anything. You can't--you don't dare hold me. You
let me go!"
"See anything green in my eyes?" demanded Lilly. "We have the goods
on you. We have trailed your pony, we have identified your dog, we
know the whole story from beginning to end, as I have already told
you. I'll tell you what we will do, Master Tad. We will put him on
his horse and take him back to camp with us. We can then talk the
matter over and decide what we had better do."
Tad was willing, in fact he was rather glad of the opportunity to
take Pete back and show him to the boys. Chunky would be pleased to
set eyes on the fellow again.
"Get the horse," directed Lilly. "I will hold him here until you are
ready."
Tad hurried away. First he brought up their own animals, then went
after Pete's mount. Pete's rifle came in for attention, and Tad
decided to empty the magazine and put the rifle back in the saddle
boot, which he did. Next he examined the horse's feet. There was a
shoe missing on the off fore foot. The horse was a wiry, active
little animal. The boy looked over him with the eyes of an expert.
"He is a better nag than mine," decided the Pony Rider Boy. "I'll
wager he could lope all day without tiring out. I wonder if I could
buy him? This animal has one shoe off the off fore foot, as I told
you," announced the lad, leading the animal up to the shack.
"Always keep your horse well shod and free from hoof or shoe
peculiarities if you don't want to be trailed down," advised Butler.
"How do you propose to keep Pete?" he asked the guide.
"We shall have to tie him," answered Lilly.
"Suppose I place my rope around him, keeping the free end in my hand
and riding behind him? That will leave you free to use a weapon in
case he tries to get away."
"Good idea. Get aboard."
Pete lost no time in obeying the latter command, evidently believing
that on his horse he would find a better opportunity to get away.
Tad winked at the guide as the hunter swung into his saddle. No
sooner had Pete felt the touch of the stirrups under his feet than he
dug the rowels of his spurs into his horse.
The animal snorted, rising into the air. Then a most unexpected
thing occurred. Alligator Pete was jerked from his saddle. He
landed heavily on his head in the soft muck.
"Catch the horse!" shouted Tad.
Billy Lilly aroused himself from his stupor caused by the quick
action of the Pony Rider Boy, and, running out, captured the white
horse, leading it back to the scene. Pete was getting up slowly,
rubbing the ooze from his head and face.
Tad had suspected the hunter would make the very move he did. The
boy was ready for him and while Pete was getting into his saddle,
back half turned to them, Tad was swinging the big loop of his lariat
over his own head. The instant he saw what the hunter was up to, the
boy sent the rope twisting through the air. It fell neatly over the
head of Alligator Pete with the result already known to the reader.
Lilly was grinning broadly when he returned with the hunter's horse.
"That was the slickest thing I ever saw in all my life, boy. Didn't
know what you had met up with when you stole the doe from this kid,
eh, Pete? Now, do you think you can be good, or do you want some
more of the same medicine?"
The prisoner did not reply.
"Leave the rope where it is," directed Butler. "I don't take any
more chances with you. You ought to thank me for having roped you.
If I had not, the chances are that Mr. Lilly would have shot you."
"I reckon I would have done it," grinned the guide.
At a nod from Tad the guide led up the boy's horse. He then ordered
Pete to mount again, after which the guide and the boy leaped into
their saddles, with Tad riding close behind the prisoner, Lilly a
little to one side. In this order they started for camp. They had
not gone far before Butler observed the prisoner's hand resting on
the butt of his rifle. This brought a grin to the face of the Pony
Rider Boy.
"To save you trouble, Pete, I will say that I drew the shells from
the magazine. Your gun is empty. Lilly doesn't know this, so if you
try to draw the gun you may get shot."
The prisoner promptly withdrew his hand from the butt of his weapon.
For the first time he seemed to realize that he had been outwitted at
every turn, and his courage began slipping away from him. Pete's
head drooped until his chin was almost to his chest. Tad Butler
recognized the sign of surrender. He felt pity for the man, for Tad
was tender-hearted and he did not like to see others suffer.
"Hadn't we better let him go, Mr. Lilly?" he asked in a low voice,
nodding toward the prisoner.
_"No!"_
Tad shrugged his shoulders. They continued on in silence for a long
time, Tad keeping his eyes on the prisoner, now jogging faster, now
slower, to keep the lariat at about the same degree of tautness.
Pete felt a gentle pressure about his body all the time. He knew
that the other end of the rope was secured to the pommel of his
captor's saddle and that any attempt to get away would land him on
his back on the ground. This not being a cheerful prospect,
Alligator Pete rode on as docile as a whipped cur.
It was just supper time when they rode into the camp on Sunflower
River with their prisoner. Stacy Brown was the only one of the party
except Ichabod who recognized Alligator Pete.
"Hello!" greeted the fat boy.
The prisoner did not answer.
"I am glad to see you. I owe you something. After you have had your
supper I'm going to beat you," announced the fat boy.
"He is pretty well subdued as it is, Chunky," answered Tad soberly.
"Don't humiliate him. Can't you see that the fellow is suffering?
Never kick a dog after he is down and helpless."
"He isn't a dog. The dogs wouldn't own him as a member of their
tribe."
In the meantime, Lilly had ordered the prisoner to get down, after
which the guide tied the man to a tree. The boys pressed about Tad
to hear the story of the capture. Butler told them briefly what had
taken place, without making any special point of his own part in the
affair. But if Tad had been modest about it, Lilly was not. He told
them plainly that Tad Butler was the cleverest little roper and
trailer who ever had come into the Louisiana canebrake, and that if
it hadn't been for Tad there might have been all entirely different
story to tell.
"What do you propose to do with the man, now that you have him?"
asked the Professor after the story had been fully told.
"Keep him till we go back to Jackson. I'll have him locked up, and
you had better believe the judge will give him all that's coming to
him. Pete won't be hitting the canebrake trail right smart again, I
reckon."
Supper was given to the prisoner, then later he was made comfortable
for the night. Lilly announced that they would take the trail for
bear again in the morning. He said he felt it in his bones that they
were going to have the sport for which they had come into the
canebrake. He felt that there were bear waiting for them out there.
They had enough reserve dogs to take the trail and they might be sure
that Alligator Pete would not be on hand to bother the trail.
At a late hour they turned in, Tad Butler not as well satisfied over
his achievement as most lads would have been.
It was late in the night when Tad crawled from his tent and crept
cautiously towards the spot where Alligator Pete lay sleeping. He
reached the prisoner without awakening him, so cautious had been his
movements. The first Pete knew of his presence was when Tad shook
him lightly by the shoulder.
The "Alligator" started up, but was too good a woodsman to utter a
sound.
"It's Butler," whispered the boy. "Have you a family?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Wife and some kids."
"Where are they?"
"Just over the line in Mississippi."
"Do you think, if you were let go, that you could go home to
Mississippi and behave yourself?"
"I reckon it wouldn't take me long to get home."
"And you will keep away from Bill Lilly and not try to take revenge
on him?"
"I don't want to set eyes on him again."
"It isn't a question of your setting eyes on him, but of his setting
eyes on you. If he does, he will shoot you on sight, Pete. Do you
promise to get over to your own state and behave yourself?"
"I promise."
Tad without further parley untied the knots that held the prisoner to
the tree.
"Your horse is about ten rods down the bank that way. Your rifle is
in the boot and you have plenty of shells. I have also put some food
in your saddle bag. Now--get!"