CHAPTER VIII
IN THE SWAMP
"There she is!"
"She seems to be all right!"
"Shall we go on board?"
Such were the cries from the Rovers and their friends as they camein sight of the _Dora_. The view of the houseboat filled them allwith pleasure.
"Wait!" said Harold Bird. "Don't show yourselves!"
Dick at least understood and held the others back.
"Keep out of sight--we want to investigate first," he said, in a lowtone. "There is no use in our running our heads into the lion's mouth."
"Mine cracious, vos der a lion aroundt here?" demanded Hans, turningpale.
"Maybe you'll find a lion if you don't keep quiet," answered Sam,with a snicker.
After that but little was said. Gradually they drew so close thatthey could see from one end of the _Dora_ to the other. Not a personwas in sight.
"Really does look as if the craft was deserted," was Harold Bird'scomment. "Perhaps they got scared when they saw what a crowd wasfollowing them."
"I move two of us go on board and the rest stay here," said Tom."Then, if there is trouble, the crowd to stay behind can come to therescue."
"That's a good scheme," answered his elder brother. "Supposing Samand I go? You can lead the rescuing party, if it becomes necessary."
This was also agreed to, and a minute later Dick and Sam, with theirpistols in hand, crawled from the bushes and made for the side ofthe houseboat. A gangplank was out and they saw the footprints ofseveral men and also two horses.
"I don't like those much," said Dick, pointing to the hoofprints. "Ahorse here means that he was used for carrying some stuff away."
As nobody came to stop them, they walked on board of the _Dora_ andlooked into the gallery, that being the nearest apartment. The cookstove was still there, just as Aleck Pop had left it, but the potsand kettles were scattered in all directions and some of the best ofthe utensils were missing.
"This looks as if the houseboat had been looted!" cried Dick, andran from the galley to the dining room and then to the living room,while Sam made his way to several of the staterooms.
Nobody but themselves was on board the houseboat and they soonannounced that fact to the others in the bushes, and they came forwardon a run.
"Did they steal anything?" demanded Tom.
"Steal anything?" repeated Sam. "They have taken about everythingthey could lay their hands on!"
"Everything is gone but the stove, piano, and bedding," said Dick."And just to show their meanness they hacked the top of the pianowith a hatchet!"
What Dick said was almost wholly true. The rascals had stolen everythingof value that they could possibly carry, leaving behind little outsideof the things already mentioned. Not only was the piano mutilated,but also the chairs, the dining-room table, and the berths in thestateroom. All of the lanterns but one were missing, and the smallrowboat resting on the rear deck of the houseboat had its side stovein from an ax-blow.
"The fiends!" muttered Dick, as he gazed at the wreckage. "What theycouldn't carry they tried to ruin!"
"What could you expect from fellows who would shoot my pet dog?"returned Harold Bird.
"I tell you, Dick Rover, those men ought to be landed in jail!"
"Well, we'll land them there!" cried Dick, earnestly.
"Do you mean that?"
"I certainly do."
"I will aid you all I can," answered the young Southerner heartily.
After that all made a thorough examination of the houseboat, to learnif they could find out anything concerning the thieves. Muddy footprintswere visible in every apartment, but they told little.
"I think we are simply wasting time here," said Tom, presently. "Thebest we can do is to follow up those footprints outside and see wherethey lead to."
"Dot's so," said Hans. "Dis muss is so bad like it vill pe Lund villget no petter py looking at him, ain't dot so?"
"All right, come on," said Sam, and led the way off the houseboat."I don't believe those chaps intend to come back. They took all theywanted."
To follow the footprints was no easy task, and before long, theyfound themselves going through a swamp where the walking was extremelytreacherous.
"I don't like this," said Sam. "They may have known the way, but wedon't; and if we don't look out we'll get in so deep we'll be helpless."
"Yah, let us go back," said Hans, who had not forgotten his experiencein the bog hole. "A feller can't schwim in vater mit mud up to hisneck alretty!"
Again they had to turn back. As they did this Dick fancied he hearda faraway cry for help.
"Did you hear that?" he asked of Tom. "What?"
"I heard somebody call, I think."
"So did I," put in Harold Bird. "Listen!"
They listened, but the cry, or whatever it was, was not repeated.Soon they were back to the side of the houseboat once more.
"Do you think that call came from Fred or Songbird?" asked Sam.
"It might be, Sam," answered Dick. "Maybe we had better get back tothe launch."
"Yes, yes, let us go back by all means!" exclaimed Harold Bird. "Ifyour friends are in trouble we ought to aid them."
As rapidly as they could do so, they started back for the spot wherethe gasoline launch had been left. Once they lost their way, and gotinto a swamp from which it was next to impossible to get out.
"We'll have to go back!" cried Sam, after he had moved in severaldirections, only to find himself worse off than before.
"Be careful," warned Harold Bird. "If you aren't careful--Stop!"
All of the boys halted, for the command was out of the ordinary. Theyoung Southerner was looking straight ahead of him.
"What is it?" questioned Tom, in a low tone, thinking some of theenemy might be near.
"Am I right, and is that a snake ahead?" asked Harold Bird. "It lookslike a snake and still it may be nothing but the dead limb of a tree."
"Say, I ton't vonts me no snakes in mine!" ejaculated Hans, tryingto retreat.
All the boys gazed at the object ahead with interest. Then Tom brokeoff a stick near him and threw it at the object. The latter did notbudge.
"Must be a tree limb," said Tom. "But it looked enough like a snaketo frighten anybody."
"I am not sure yet," answered Harold Bird. "You must remember thatsome of our southern snakes are very sluggish and only move when theyare hungry or harassed."
"We'll give the limb, or whatever it is, a wide berth," said Sam.
They started to move to one side. But Tom was curious, and chancingto see a stone among some bushes, hurled it at the object, hittingit directly in the center.
Up came an ugly-looking head, the object whipped around swiftly, andthe next instant the boys found themselves confronted by a swampsnake all of six feet long and as thick as a man's wrist!
"Mine cracious!" burst from Hans' lips. "It vos a snake annahow! Lookout! he vill eat us up alife!"
"We must get out of here!" cried Sam. "Oh, Tom, why didn't you leaveit alone?"
"I didn't really think it was a snake," answered the fun-loving Rover."Somebody shoot it!"
Queer as it was, nobody had thought to use his pistol, but as Tomspoke Dick pointed his weapon at the snake, that was crawling rapidlyover the tree roots towards them. The puff of smoke was followed bya writhing of the reptile, and they saw that it had been hit althoughnot fatally wounded.
"Wait, I'll give him another shot!" cried Sam, who now had his pistolout, and as the head of the snake came up over a tree root, theyoungest Rover fired point-blank. His aim was true, and the head ofthe snake went down, and the body whirled this way and that in itsdeath agonies.
"Is he--he dead?" faltered Tom.
"Next door to it," answered Harold Bird. "That last shot took himdirectly in the throat. I do not think he will bother us any more."
They saw the body of the snake sink down in the water beneath theupper roots of the tree, and then continued to retreat, making theirway to
what looked like safer ground. They were now completely turnedaround, with only the sun to guide them in their course.
"This is no joke," said Dick, gazing around in perplexity. "If weare not careful we'll become hopelessly lost."
"I think somebody had better climb a tree and look around," said Tom."I'll go up if somebody will boost me."
The others were willing, and soon the fun-loving youth was climbinga tall tree which stood somewhat apart from the others. He went upin rapid fashion and before long was close to the top.
"Can you see anything?" called up Sam, after what seemed to be a longpause.
"Hello!" cried Tom. "Why, there is the small lake and, yes, the launchis moving from the shore."
"The launch?" ejaculated Harold Bird. "Do you mean my gasoline launch?"
"It must be yours--or some craft very much like it," answered Tom."There, it is out of sight now behind the trees."
Tom waited for fully a minute, but the launch did not reappear.
"Who was on board?" questioned Dick, as his brother came down.
"I couldn't make out."
"Which is the way to the spot where we tied up?" asked the youngSoutherner, impatiently. "We must investigate this without delay."
"Over that way," answered Tom, pointing the direction out with hishand. "Come, I think I saw a good way to go."
Then all of the party struck out to reach the landing-place withoutdelay. They felt that something unusual had occurred, but what, theycould not surmise.