Lower coast gazette., 1913-10-18

and start the fife far coffee, in order
to warm his chille1 pones. But he had
not stumbled backsten yards on what
he thought was the trail before he was
in a tangle of vines and cypress
spikes. Then he worked about in a
circle, thankful that his boots did not
leak, for he was halfway to his knees
in water. AS he stopped to avoid a
festoon of bamboo brier, he tripped
and fell square against a clump OF pal
mettoes.
The crash anpd the sharp edges of
the fans reused his sleepy senses. And
then in a fash all his wits were awak-
ened; ahead in the darkness he saw a
round and binding light turned full
on him!
He knew at once what it was. Some
hunter was in a deerstand less than a
hundred yards away, in wait with his
lantern for the bucks stealing back be-
fore dawn. And this flambeau was
thrown wide open, and at him. The
sense of his danger almost made him
cry out. The bright, round light was
all he he could see, and suddenly the
thought came to him that he must
not look at it! F1ambeau-hunters rely
on catching the CLEAN of a deer's eyes
with their light; doubtless a mans
eyes would show almost as well. The
unknown poacher would shoot at any
| CLINT he saw.
Bob turned his head away, and very
slowly sank to his knees. But he
knew that the rustic of the palmettos
betrayed him. To save his life he
could not keep from stealing a glance
to see what the headlight-hunter was
doing. The globe of light was moving.
Bob peered at it over the crook of his
arm. He was sure that the CLEAN Of a
gun-barrel showed beneath the fam
beau. With a spring he threw him
self headlong into the water. The
roar of a gun followed. He heard the
buckshot cut the palm fans and spat-
ter on the water all about him. Then
he sprang up and ran as fast as he
could away from the dangerous spot.
The light was turned off now. He
heard an excited voice, and knew that
the hunter was climbing down from
a tree. Bob's wild foundering must
have convinced the fellow that he had
wounded a buck. Bob, charging away
through the water, was. making noise
enough for a whole regiment of deer.
he was about to call out a wal Aing,
when he remembered Pierre's hostility
to him. The poachers might shoot
him with less hesitation than they
wyOdid deer, andaever after say that
it was an accident. No, he would not
show himself.
He ran headlong through the brush;
another shot was sent in his direction,
but it was wild. He could e the
l - E4- M4 EF. -. EHE eHH -
fambeau bobbing up and down with
the motion of the hunters hat. Bob
had gained the back trail now, but at
a spot that in the ftful CLEAN of the
headlight, he did not remember having
seen before. He was sure he had
passed his pirogue on the log. But
he dared not stop for fear his pursuer
would shoot again.
Pounded and cut by the brush and
cypress limbs, he rushed on breath.
lessly; then he fell heavily over some.
thing in the dark. 1t vas a canoe. He
jumped to his feet and showed it off;
as he slid into it, he seized the paddle.
Two or three strokes sent the tiny
craft far out, and just as the hunter
rounded a bend in the ridge trail Bob,
selling a clump Of salt grass, pulled
the canoe behind 1t.
He was aware of an exclamation.
The hunter had stopped; for the first
time it had dawned on him that he
was chasing something else than a
wounded deer. Bob, who was peering
between tufts Of long grass, saw him
throwing his light on the mark of his
pirogue in the mud.
"Sacre!' the cajun gasped. What
dist" Then he bent lower and picked
up something, and Bob recognized it
as the cartridge.belt that ne had drop.
ped when he fell over the canoe. Evi-
IDENTIFY the swamper also recognized it,
for he held it out and gave a long,
alarmed yell.
Papa! Dem wardens!"
There was an answering cry off in
the dark. Pierre's son was shouting
wildly in the cajun dialect. The other
voice was rapidly coming nearer. And
the substance Of the clamOr was vnal
Bob Manson had stolen Tiorion's fam.
GUS running pirogue!
Florion became almost speeches.
with anger. Despite Papa" Pierre's
protests, he waded out to his should
ers. Once, thinking he saw the fugi.
tive, he fred into the zane of the
prairie. Bob, meanwhile, had been
silently working the pirogue farther
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