Part 6 (1/2)

”He sho is de c.o.c.k o' de walk when it come to fightin',” said July, ”but when it come to votin' he ain't got but one vote. Hus.h.!.+ H-yuh he is now.”

Buck Hardy had come out of the woods, and, pausing at the edge of the clearing, he now called Ted to him.

”Well, what you boys aim to do?” he asked in a friendly way, as Ted joined him.

”I'll tell you what I'd _like_ to do,” said Ted earnestly, encouraged by his tone, ”and that is, persuade you, and as many of the rest as I could, to go out of this swamp and be drafted for the war.”

Buck Hardy laughed outright, but there was no unfriendliness in his merriment. ”You've laid out to do a pretty big job of work, kid,” he said; ”most too big, I reckon. Better give it up. Better jes' stay h-yer a while with us and learn to hunt.”

”I wouldn't mind staying a while if--if there was any chance of----”

”But there ain't, son; so you'd better not bother your head about it.

And I reckon you'll have to put up with our company a while. We talked it over this mornin' and took a vote. We agreed when we come in h-yer to decide things by vote. I was for takin' you boys out to-day and puttin'

you on the trail home, but the fellers wouldn't hear to it. Al Peters was the only one who agreed with me, and _he_ wasn't willin' to let you boys go unless you promised on yer honor to say nothin' about us when you got home.”

In great excitement Ted was about to declare that nothing could ever induce him to be silent in order to s.h.i.+eld fugitive slackers, but Buck went on speaking before the imprudent words were uttered, and after reflection the boy decided that it would be wiser not to make such a declaration until he had to.

”You see,” Buck continued, ”the boys is afraid the sheriff will send a posse in h-yer and take us out and prosecute us. So there's nothin' for you and Hubert to do but stay h-yer a while and get all the fun you can.

Maybe I can win the boys over to my thinkin' in a week's time. I'll try.

The truth is, I don't think there's very much danger in letting you go even if you did tell on us, for there's too much goin' on now for the county to take the trouble to send a posse away in this swamp jes' to get eight men drafted. But the boys has voted and it stands, as I tell you. I want to say another thing, kid,” added Buck, after a slight pause: ”I want you to feel free, and I like to hear you talk about the war, but you must be careful not to step on the boys' toes too hard. I don't want a fight on my hands.”

”I hardly know what to say--I'll have to think,” said Ted, lifting his troubled eyes to the big slacker's face; ”but I'm very much obliged to _you_, Mr. Hardy. I think you are just splendid, even if you are a----”

The boy stopped, confused, dropping his eyes.

”That's all right, kid,” said Buck, patting Ted's shoulder in a kindly way. ”Now you just go and enjoy yourself, and maybe everything will come out all right.”

Buck Hardy turned abruptly and swung off into the woods. Ted returned slowly to the fire, where, with a very serious face, he announced to Hubert the fact of their captivity. The younger boy's grip on his lachrymal ducts was never firm and the tears now ran down his cheeks in a steady stream as he sat on the gra.s.s by silent Ted.

”I want to go home,” he wailed.

”I think dat's a shame,” said July, promptly taking the side of the boys.

”Don't cry, Hu,” said Ted. ”It will come out all right. We'll stay a while, and then if they don't let us go, we'll run away and go anyhow.”

”Maybe I kin help you git off,” proposed July, standing in front of the seated boys, his black face full of sympathy. ”If I kin, I will. But you mustn't tell dem white mens on me.”

The half-witted Billy now appeared from the direction of the boat-landing, and, seeing Hubert's tears, he seemed to be much concerned. He had taken a fancy to Hubert. Dropping into a seat by the grieving boy, he put a hand on his knee and asked indignantly:

”Who been whippin' you?”

”n.o.body. It isn't that.”

”Well, don't cry. If you don't cry, maybe I'll take you to see son.”

”You haven't a son!” said Hubert, smiling through his tears.

”Wait till I show him to you, and you'll see.”