CHAPTER X
IN THE HEART OF THE CANEBRAKE
"That boy!" muttered the Professor, as everyone turned sharply andstarted back, Lilly outdistancing all save Tad, who now rode thejungle fully as well as the guide, except that Tad had never used thebush-knife. It was a dangerous weapon in the hands of aninexperienced rider. With it one was likely to do his horse as wellas himself a serious injury.
They heard Chunky's yells for help long before they reached him, andeven after reaching a spot where they might have seen the fat boy,they did not at once catch sight of him. They were looking forChunky on the ground, believing that he had fallen and been left byhis horse, while as a matter of fact Stacy was in the air, six oreight feet above the ground.
While standing high in his stirrups he had been caught across thebreast by a tough vine that grew between two trees across the trail,so high that the guide's bush-knife had not reached it. Stacy hadthrown out both hands to protect himself. The vine had slippedneatly under the lad's arms. The next second he was dangling in theair, with the horse trotting on ahead. And there they found him,swaying back and forth, howling lustily, afraid to let go for fear hewould hurt himself when he struck the ground, but almost ready to letgo no matter what the consequences might be.
The Pony Rider Boys, when finally they did catch sight of theircompanion, uttered shouts of merriment.
"Hanged at last!" howled Ned Rector. "Oh, I never thought I shouldlive to see this happy moment!"
Tad brought his horse down just before reaching the fat boy.
"Hello, Chunky, what are you doing up there?" demanded Tad.
"Having a swing," answered Stacy sheepishly. "Come on up, it's fine."
"Thank you, but I don't see any way of getting up," chuckled Tad.
"Easiest thing in the world. All you have to do is to ride under thevine, reach up and grab hold of it, then let your horse go right onabout his business."
"Is that the way _you_ did it?" questioned Butler.
"Something like it," admitted Chunky. "Are you going to help medown?" was the urgent question.
"What do you think about it, Professor? Wouldn't it be better toleave him up there where he cannot get into any further difficulties?"asked Tad, turning to the Professor.
"I am inclined to agree with you, Tad," reflected the Professorgravely.
"How long have you been there, Stacy?" asked Walter.
"Long enough. Come, help me down."
"Let go and you will come down much more quickly than we could helpyou," suggested Ned.
"But I don't want to fall," wailed the boy.
"Oh, very well, then, stay where you are," retorted Ned.
"I will help you down, Stacy," offered Tad, riding under hiscompanion. "Now, let go."
"I--I'm afraid."
Tad grabbed the fat boy's legs, giving them a violent tug, whereuponStacy and the vine came tumbling down. In trying to catch Chunky,Tad Butler was himself unhorsed, and the two boys landed on theirheads and shoulders on the soft ground with the yells of theircompanions ringing in their ears.
"Get up!" commanded the Professor sternly. "This sort of thing hasgone far enough."
"Tha--that's what I say," stammered Chunky, wiping the muck from hisflushed face. "A good old-fashioned country road is good enough forme. I don't like this kind of traveling."
"Do you want to be sent back?" demanded Professor Zepplin grimly.
"No-o-o-o," drawled Stacy. "Not if I have to go back over thattrail. That's the stickiest mess I ever got into."
"Your behavior is somewhat sticky, too," observed the Professor, witha smile. "Now, if there is no objection, I move that we proceed onour journey, but I wish Master Stacy to ride just ahead of me so thatI may watch him."
"Who--who's going to watch you?" stammered the fat boy.
"Don't worry. We will look after the Professor," laughed Tad. "Youmust remember that he hasn't been getting into quite so much troubleas you have."
"He will," answered Stacy. "He's just been lucky, that's all."
The party, after again assisting Stacy in his saddle and placing himbetween the Professor and Tad, moved on once more. The distance totheir next camping place was now less than a mile, and they soonreached the Sunflower without further disturbance, tearing their waythrough the dense cane, making a crashing that must have been heard along distance away.
The Sunflower was a stream some fifteen rods wide by several mileslong, with little bayous reaching off into the swamp every now andthen, lonely, silent bayous, beneath whose surfaces lurked manyperils.
"Do we swim across?" asked Walter.
"Master Stacy may want to. I do not believe the others will careabout doing so," answered Lilly with a smile and a brief nod.
"Where do we make camp, Mr. Lilly?" called Butler's cheery voice.
"Straight ahead on the little rise of ground, Master Tad."
"Any choice as to position?"
"Use your own good judgment."
"Thank you, sir," was Tad's response. "Stacy, how is your hearttoday, after all your experiences?"
"It's weak," whispered Chunky hoarsely.
"Then I have a good remedy for it. Go out and cut some wood, but nomore cane as you value your life. We don't propose to have anothercampfire blow up in the middle watches of the night and scare us todeath."
"No more cane fire in this camp, young man," affirmed the guide.
Chunky very reluctantly shouldered an axe, after they had dismountedand removed the lashings from their packs, and after some delay theyheard an occasional whack of the axe, then silence. The camp waspretty well settled when Tad sang out for Chunky.
"Where is that boy with the wood? Ichabod is waiting for it.Chunky!" he called.
There was no response.
"Ned, I guess you will have to go look for him. I hope he hasn'tchopped his head off."
"Oh, he couldn't do that if he wanted to," laughed Walter.
"You don't know him. Stacy Brown can do most anything that otherfolks would think they couldn't. Chase him up, Ned."
"Which way did he go?"
"North, along the bank. He probably has gone into the swamp a littleway to get out of the cane. I'll blow the horn."
Butler did blow several blasts, but there was no answer. Tad was notworried, knowing that Stacy could not have gone far and realizingthat he would leave a plain trail in case he had strayed into theswamp.
A few moments later Ned's horn was heard. He had found Stacy soundasleep, sitting with his back against a tree, while at his side on alog was a great, hook-beaked, barred owl blinking at him wisely. Nedsaid the owl was enough like Stacy to be his own brother.
Ned was obliged to cut the wood himself, as Stacy refused to do athing because Rector had used him roughly in waking him up.
"You treat me as if I were a bag of meal," complained Chunky.
"No, I wouldn't insult the meal to that extent," snorted Ned. "Getover there and sit down till I have the wood cut. You will then toteit to camp."
"I will then _not_," retorted Stacy belligerently.
"You will _yes_. Remember I owe you one. If you don't watch out Iwill make it two and settle both accounts out here while I've got youalone," warned Ned.
Stacy pondered over this for several moments while watching hiscompanion swing the axe, and evidently decided that Ned had thebetter side of the argument.
"All right," said Stacy finally. "I'll carry my share of the wood.It isn't that I am afraid of you, you know, but my heart won't standany undue excitement."
"Oh, fudge!" grunted Rector, pausing to wipe the perspiration fromhis face and forehead.
Stacy started back with the wood before Ned had finished, but carriedonly about enough wood to burn ten or fifteen minutes. Ned had tofetch the rest, for Stacy refused to go back for more, knowing thatNed would not assault him here in the camp.
Along the water's edge the great cypress trees reared themselves intothe air, and a few r
ods back of them the dense cane. The party wasnow in the heart of the canebrake, in which they had reason tobelieve lurked much of the game of which they were in search.
One of the big cypress trees stood just in front of the camp, itsawkward knees twisted and bent, extending some four feet above theground. Below the knees were watery caverns, black and oozy, fouland unhealthful. Stacy sat perched on one of these knees gazingthoughtfully down into the black pool.
The others were busy about the camp and failed to observe him. Aftera time the fat boy went out to hunt for a pole. He wanted to try thewater to see how deep it was. He returned a few minutes later with atall cane, the foliage still fresh at its top. It had been brokendown, he knew not how and cared less.
"Going fishing?" questioned Ned, fixing a grinning gaze on the fatboy.
"I may be, then again I may not be."
"I hope you have luck."
"I hope I do."
"And I hope you fall in."
"I hope I don't."
Stacy perched himself on one of the cypress knees, and, letting thebushy top down, began poking about in the black pool. He feltsomething move under the pole in his hand, and gave a vicious prod.There followed a sudden commotion down in the water, then the canepole was jerked down with terrific force.
It all occurred so quickly that Chunky did not think to let go of thepole until it was too late to do so. But there was time in which toyell. Stacy uttered a wild, piercing scream, for he saw what hadcaused the disturbance below. A huge snout, with a pair of jaws thatseemingly worked on a loose hinge--Chunky didn't have to be told thatthe swimming reptile was a huge alligator!