CHAPTER 24 _UNDER THE FENCE POST_
Penny was tormented with worry as she saw the men walk hurriedly to thecreek where they launched a flat-bottomed boat belonging to Ezekiel. Soonthe craft was lost in the blackness of the swamp channel.
"There goes my chance to catch Danny and recover the stolen money!" shethought. "Oh, what can I do to prevent them from getting away?"
Another boat had been tied up at the dock, but Penny knew she never woulddare enter the swamp alone at night. In any case, what chance would shehave against four armed men?
"If only Mrs. Jones hadn't hurt her ankle!" she thought. "It will takeher a long while to reach a telephone, and help may not get here for anhour!"
As Penny stood gazing gloomily toward the swamp, a shaft of light cutfleetingly across the water. The flash came from the headbeam of a carswinging up the lane to the Hawkins' house.
Not knowing who the arrivals might be, the girl stepped behind a tree towait. Soon the car came closer, halting with a jerk.
From the sedan stepped Mr. Parker, Salt, and Jerry Livingston. Scarcelybelieving her eyes, Penny ran to meet them.
"Oh, Dad!" she cried. "You did get Mrs. Jones' message!"
"Message?" he inquired. "Why, no! We were worried because you had beengone so long, so we came out here to find you. What's this all about?"
Penny rapidly told of Danny's flight into the swamp with the stolenmoney.
"If Mrs. Jones reaches a phone, police should get here any minute!" sheadded.
"In the meantime, we can't let those men escape!" Mr. Parker exclaimed."Salt, you stay here and wait for the police. If they don't come in tenminutes, go after them!"
"Sure, Chief!"
"Jerry, you come with me," the publisher directed, untying the boat atthe dock. "We'll try to keep those men in sight and mark the way forpolice to follow."
As Penny followed Jerry into the boat, her father protested quickly:
"Penny, you know you can't go! Danny Deevers is a desperate character."
"If you expect to capture him, you'll have to take me, Dad. They'llprobably follow the main channel to Black Island and beyond. You'll belost before you've covered half the distance."
"All right, come along," Mr. Parker agreed unwillingly.
The boat shoved off into the cool night.
Fairly certain the Hawkins' boat would pass Lookout Point, Penny directedher father and Jerry to row toward it. Soon she caught a glimpse of amoving light through the trees.
"That's their boat!" she exclaimed. "Ezekiel must have lighted hislantern again!"
Scarcely had she spoken than those in the Parker craft were startled tohear a metallic pounding sound from the direction of the Hawkins'farmhouse.
"The dishpan signal!" Penny cried in dismay. "We forgot about Mrs.Hawkins! Evidently she saw us leave the dock and is warning her menfolks!Now they'll know someone is following them!"
Mr. Parker's face became very grave as the girl revealed the significanceof the signal. Penny also told him what she and Mrs. Jones had learned onBlack Island.
"Unarmed, we've no chance to capture those men," he commented. "Our bestbet is to keep them in sight, marking the trail well for police tofollow."
"And hope they do," Jerry added grimly.
Breaking overhanging tree limbs, and slashing trunks to blaze the trail,the party passed Lookout Point.
When they were perhaps twenty yards beyond the isle, a bullet suddenlywhizzed through the trees, only a few feet above their heads. The shothad been fired from the island.
"Duck low!" Mr. Parker ordered. "They've taken refuge there!"
As the trio remained motionless, another bullet whined over their heads.
"Dad, it's only a trick to divert us!" Penny whispered. "One of theHawkins' boys probably has stayed on the island, but the others have goneon! See through the trees!"
Jerry and Mr. Parker peered where she pointed and caught the brief flashof lantern light.
"You're right!" the publisher agreed. "Row on, Jerry! We're practicallyout of range of Lookout Point now."
The boat pushed on. A light mist was rising from the water and the nightwas very dark. Shielded by the blackness, the trio slipped away withoutbecoming the target for another bullet.
"We've got to keep that other boat in sight!" Mr. Parker said grimly. "Ifwe lose it, we may never find our way out of this place!"
"And if we catch up, we may never be allowed to get out!" Jerry observed.
Penny, who scarcely had taken her eyes from the moving point of lightahead, now exclaimed:
"They've blown out the lantern!"
"Then they may have seen us," Mr. Parker muttered. "If only we werearmed!"
Cautiously, the party proceeded. A few minutes later as the boat passed ahigh point of land several hundred yards deeper in the swamp, anotherbullet whizzed dangerously close overhead.
"Where'd that come from?" Mr. Parker demanded, shielding Penny with hisbody.
Jerry pointed to the high point of land on the right hand side of thechannel. "Those birds must have pulled up there and hope to pick us off!"he whispered.
Still another bullet whined close over their heads, splashing as itstruck the water.
Hurriedly Jerry steered the boat into a clump of bushes. All remainedmotionless and silent.
Bullets kept splattering the water, though farther away.
"We're in a pocket!" Mr. Parker fumed. "They can pick us off almost atwill if we stay here!"
"What's our move, Chief?" Jerry asked anxiously.
"Let's back-track to the farm and await police. It's the only thing wecan do."
As a lull came in the firing, Jerry shoved off and rowed rapidly backtoward Lookout Point. All crouched low in the boat, but no shots werefired at them.
"They're satisfied we've turned back," Mr. Parker said. "That was whatthey wanted."
However, as Lookout Point loomed up, the party was disconcerted to see atall, lean figure silhouetted there.
"Stay where ye be, or I'll fire!" the man shouted. "If ye try to pass,I'll sink ye'r boat!"
"It's Ezekiel!" Penny whispered.
Mr. Parker signaled Jerry to row back out of range. "We've trappedourselves between two fires!" he muttered in disgust. "Ezekiel stayedhere on purpose to guard the channel while the others make theirgetaway."
"Danny could be captured easily if only we could get word to Salt and thepolice," Jerry added.
Penny and her father nodded gloomily. Salt, they knew, would follow theirtrail into the swamp as soon as police reached the Hawkins' farm. ButEzekiel from his point of vantage, would fire upon them before theyrealized they were running into danger.
"We could chance it and try to push through," Jerry proposed.
"Ezekiel's not bluffing," Mr. Parker replied. "Those first shots were awarning. If we attempt to pass now, he may shoot to kill."
"There's one way we might bring help," Jerry said, staring thoughtfullyat the grim figure guarding the channel.
"How?" Penny demanded eagerly.
"You and your father would have to wait on the bank and let me take theboat."
"Too risky," Mr. Parker said. "You never could get through."
"I'd try an old trick," the reporter explained. "When Ezekiel startsshooting, I'll upset the boat and float beneath it until I'm past thepoint. I'm a good swimmer and can hold my breath a long while. Anyway,after the boat is upset, there will be a pocket of air beneath it."
"It might not work."
"Let me try it. Unless we get word through, Danny Deevers is certain toescape."
After lengthy whispered debate, Mr. Parker reluctantly agreed to theplan. Retreating beyond Ezekiel's range of vision, the boat brought up onshore where Penny and her father alighted.
"Wait right here!" Jerry directed. "I'll be back for you in a fewminutes!"
Boldly the reporter pushed off alone in the boat, drifting down chann
el.Before he had gone many yards, Ezekiel challenged him.
"Ye come another foot, and I'm lettin' ye have it!"
Jerry shouted an insult. But as Ezekiel's gun spat, he upset the boat,disappearing beneath it.
"Oh, Dad!" Penny murmured anxiously, watching the craft float slowlydownstream past the point. "Was Jerry really hit?"
"I don't think so."
"What if Ezekiel fires again?"
"He can't harm Jerry now unless he's forced to come up for air."
Anxiously the trio watched the overturned boat. Unless Jerry had foundthe pocket of air, they knew not even an expert swimmer could remain solong underwater.
Finally the boat was beyond their range of vision, blotted out bydarkness.
"Jerry has nerve!" Mr. Parker commented. "He's safely through now."
Nervously the publisher and Penny kept attentive watch of Lookout Point,fearful lest Ezekiel launch a boat and try to capture them. To theirintense relief, the swamper made no such move. Occasionally, they caughtbrief glimpses of him as he shifted his position.
Directing all their attention upon Ezekiel, Penny and her father paidless heed to the channel. Near them was a passage so narrow a boatmancould have reached out to touch bushes on either side.
A slight rustling sound close by suddenly startled Penny.
"What was that, Dad?" she whispered.
"Only the wind," he reassured her. "Ezekiel's still over there on thepoint. We're safe enough."
Even as he made the observation, a boat moved out from behind the screenof leaves. Penny and her father found themselves gazing directly into thebarrel of a gun.
"Safe, are ye?" Coon Hawkins shouted in glee. "We got ye now, ye sneakin'snoopers! Ye won't do no more spyin' in this swamp!"
With him in the boat were his brother and Danny Deevers.
"Git in!" Coon ordered sharply.
"What will you do with us?" Mr. Parker asked, trying to stall for time.
"We're takin' ye to Black Island," Coon replied, prodding the publisherwith his gun. "Move!"
One glance at the grim, determined faces of the men convinced Mr. Parkerand Penny it would be folly to resist. Silently they entered the boat.
Hod pushed off and the craft moved noiselessly away into the night.