The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-23
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the woods afforded. His limbs and
breast and shoulders were so sore
that he was half glad Off the snug
place to lie in, like a fox in his bur-
row, while the hounds beat up the
woods at fault.
Lack of water was the greatest
drawback. Thirst was already begin
ming to annoy him. The water glanc-
ing an curling at the foot of the cliff
sorely tempted him, but he dare not
climb down to it, not because there
was danger of being sen al this early
hour, but because it would not do to
risk wearing the trail deeper. There
were already two or thre marks where
his boot had scraped in scrambing
up that could hardly fail to pass I'M
sen, particularly if the ono pair Of
eyes he most dreaded should chance
to light there.
He ook out his sandwiches and ate
two more of them. saving the other
two until later in the day. The salty
bacon made the water more tempting
still. He drew back a little space
from the brink of the ledge out of
sight of it still tempted him. Partly
to kill time that was already begin
ming to wear, he tried to fix his mind
on what was probably happening just
then at Buckeye They were early
risers in the flatwoods. The village
would be ast.r by now. though it was
harly likely that the Sheriff would
have gone to the Jail with the break
fast. When he did!
The Pearlhunter tried to imaga.ne
it. The Sheriff would likely dash down
the road to the Mud Hen and give
the alarm. Men-and women-would
come running. A crowd would swarm.
A tempest of stormy talk would trans
form the crowd into a mob, with ev-
erybody raw-hiding the Sheriff for
not allowing them to finish the des-
perado when they had the very rope
around his neck;-which wouldn't
have been so bad, had the rope been
around the right neck. But that's a
question the mob doesn't always stop
to consider.
There would be a storm wave flow
ing in and out of the Mud Hen.
lot of Squirrel" would be drunk; a
lot of tobacco would be chewed, a lot
more be smoked. After a time a
suave, handsome man with an agrees
sive mustache would come down out
of his room and saunter into the bar
calm, collected, master of himself
and of the situation. There would be
a stampede to the Jail. He would DIS
cover the loosened bar, in such way
as to make the Sheriff think he had
discovered ii himself. In the search
for the trail he would further patron
ize the Sheriff by making him think
he was leading instead of following
They would both fail-at least they
would follow the trail no farther than
Yellow Branch.
After that it would be any mans
hunt. woodchoppers. squirrel hunt
ers, coon hunters, loafers-the woods
would be OVERLOOKING with them. They
would have about as much success as
pack OF bull pups after an old dog
fox-unless some chance befell. The
cabin at Fallen Rock, the house boat. |
the camp of pearl fishers on Alpine
Island, all would be visited. Not even
the cabin of the three gabls would es-
cape,-though the bandit himself would
probably keep away from there. The
others the Pearlhunter did not fear.
The hunt would flare up in the morn
ing; burn itself out by noon: be dead |
ashes by night. But the mob would be |
satisfied.
The morning was two hours old-the |
sun marked the time against the op-
posite bluff-when the woods brought |
him the sound for which he had been /
listening; shouts and calls from the /
west, over toward the pond where he /
had digged the elecampane; other /
shouts and calls from the east, toward /
the River Road. For moment the /
Pearlhunter thought the mob had split
and was actually going by him. He
was soon TO be undeceived.
Voices reached him suddenly. break
ing upon the silence from around
sharp turn Of the gorge down stream
Ha draw his face back from rda hripJ-i