University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER V.
THE CONVICT GUARDS.

"HEY, mister, it may look funny from your side, but we don't hanker about staying up here in these trees any longer'n we c'n help!" called out Josh, always impetuous, and a bit thoughtless.

"You don't say so, sonny?" jeered one of the men, a heavy-set fellow, with a face that was so ugly and sneering that it gave poor Rooster the cold creeps just to look at the same; "s'pose yuh come down, then."

"But them dogs'd jump on us, and take a bite before we could say Jack Robinson. Just fasten 'em up, if you please, so we c'n drop down, and be sociable like," Hanky Panky remarked.

"Well, we ain't alookin' foh any o' you jest yet," the short man went on to say in his snarling way; "but we kinder gut an ijee yuh might tell us more er less 'bout a pair o' coons as kim past thisaways a short time back. How 'bout it, younkers?"

"We saw the two you mention, that's true," observed Rod, thinking it time that he took matters in his hands; "and we'll be only too glad to tell you all about our experience with them."

"Reckons yuh better, son, if yuh knows what's

good foh yuh," the man went on to say; "and so git a move on, an' spin her out."

"Don't you think it would be nicer for us to be down there on level ground with you, while we talk? It's anything but comfortable up here, I give you my word for it, sir," Rod continued.

The man who had been doing the speaking up to now growled savagely. Apparently he had a violent temper, and Rod pitied the unfortunate convict whom such a brute had to guard, or recapture.

"Beggars ortent tuh be choosers; an' sence our dawgs trailed hyah tuh this camp I reckons them as are in it hadn't orter tuh be so particular 'bout whah they be, if only the houn's teeth kin be kept away. Better speak up right whar yuh be, an' thank yuh stars we don't make yuh drap down right now."

"Tie up your dogs and we'll come down and tell you all we know," said Rod, with a flash of spirit. "We are travelers down here, and you have no right to threaten us as if we were escaped convicts. Not a word shall we speak until you do the right thing by us; just as you would want to be treated if the tables were turned, and the dogs were threatening you."

It was probably an unwise statement to make, and might have brought about trouble for the motorcycle boys, had that ugly-tempered guard been in supreme command of the detachment. Fortunately this did not happen to be the case.

"Just hold on thar, Harper, the kid's right," said another man just then, and from the vein of authority in his voice it could readily be seen that he was in a position to enforce his opinions if need be; "these boys ain't done nawthin' tuh be threatened with the dawgs, an' 'tain't fair foh you tuh do the same. Git the leash on the hounds, Rider, an' be sure yuh hole 'em tight, er yuh'll hev tuh answer tuh me foh the consequences."

The third man immediately snapped a catch upon the collar of first one dog, and then the other. He was evidently the master of the hounds. The animals seemed to understand that they were not expected to do anything further, and proceeded to lie down, panting from their recent exertions.

"Now, kim down, boys," said the tall guard, not unkindly.

Rod accepted the invitation, and quickly dropped alongside the speaker. His companions made haste to follow his example; though Rooster looked dubiously toward the pair of ferocious hounds, and made sure to keep very close to his tree, as if desirous of again placing himself safely among the lower limbs, should one of the beasts slip its collar.

"Now I'm willing to tell you all we know about the two escaped convicts," Rod immediately remarked, as he turned to the friendly guard.

Accordingly he started in, and narrated how the black men had made out to be stealing one of their

motorcycles, as if hoping that they would all rush after him, when the other might make a clean sweep of the food lying around. Probably it was this they wanted rather than the cumbersome machine, which would be of no value to them whatever.

The three men listened to all that was said. Once or twice the tall man interrupted Rod in order to ask a question, as some point may not have seemed as clear as he would have liked.

The short man, with the ugly face, and a temper to match, kept growling from time to time. Rod was not sure whether he was doing the right thing in telling such a brute as this about the runaways or not; he pitied any person or thing that would come under the dominion of a man who possessed such a hateful disposition as this one seemed to have.

But the taller guard had done the right thing by them, and seemed to be only following out his line of duty by the State in thus trying to retake the convicts who had broken away.

"What kind of men are they, suh?" asked Elmer, and possibly there was that in his tone that told the guard he was Southern born, for he shot a quick glance that way.

"The shorter man is a desperate case, one o' the toughest we ever had tuh deal with," he went on to say; "he's known as Yellow Yamma, and chances are we'll never fotch him back alive. The

other is a coal-black coon known only as Ajax. But we ought tuh be movin' along right smart now, if so be we wants tuh run them two down this same night. They're some tired as it is, an' cain't keep it up much longer, we reckons. Which way did the critter run as tried tuh snatch yuh grub, was yuh sayin', son?"

Of course it was now up to Elmer to tell, because he and Rooster were the only ones who had seen the second black convict.

"Fetch the dogs over here, suh, and I'll show you where he was when we sighted him last," he said, waving his hand at the same time, with the manner of one who was accustomed to telling others what to do; and somehow Elmer's demeanor impressed even the rough-voiced guard who had been so ugly toward Josh possibly because he guessed the other was a "Yankee."

"Reckons as how they'll kim together again some ways off," remarked the leader of the pursuers, as he followed Elmer; "if we could only git that yellow un agin we wouldn't keer so much 'bout t'other, who's on'y a common idle coon, an' fotched up agin the law by gettin' in bad company. Is this the place, younker?"

"Yes, we saw him running about here," replied Elmer. "You see, he thought to snatch up some of our food, and get off befo' we could prevent it; but it happened that we were too quick for him;

and seeing the clubs we swung I reckon suh the yellow fellow didn't have spirit enough to stand out, but turned and fled. If you take the trouble to look heah, suh, you will see his tracks."

"It's all right, son, an' we sure is much 'bliged tuh yuh for showin' us. The dawg'll soon git on the track agin; an' this time we'll try an' end the run, one way er 'nother."

The cruel grin that flashed across the ugly face of the short man, when his leader said this, together with the way he took a fresh grip on the repeating rifle he carried, told plainer than words which way he preferred, when it came to bringing the long chase to an end. Rooster shivered as he kept his eyes fastened on that merciless face; and doubtless thanked his stars that it was not a fellow answering his description whom the two guards from the convict camp were hunting with their "dawgs."

The third man, who had been called Rider by the chief, brought the dogs close to the spot where the prints of bare feet showed in the soil. He had little difficulties in getting the animals to recognize the scent that they had been following, for quickly each dog in turn raised his head and gave a long-drawn bay that rang out through the surrounding forest in a way that caused some of the boys to shudder.

Then they started to tug furiously at the leash, evidently eager to be free to dash away on the trail of the hunted fugitives.

"Hold 'em till I give yuh the word, Rider," said the tall man, possibly afraid lest the hounds might turn on some of the boys, should they be set free while in the immediate neighborhood of the camp-fire.

He was the last of the three guards to hurry away, and reaching the fringe of bushes he had the decency to turn, and wave his hand, as he called out:

"So-long, younkers!"

Presently there came back to the ears of the boys a series of quick, snappy yelps, that sounded through the woods with startling distinctness. They knew from this that Rider had let the hounds loose again; and the joyful cries signified their savage desire to come up with the objects of the pursuit.

Again and again did the yelps come floating back to the ears of the listening boys, gradually growing fainter as the dogs rushed along the road, and doubtless entered among the thick growth of trees beyond.

And when they could no longer catch the thrilling sounds the boys turned and looked seriously at each other. No one spoke immediately. There was not even a single laugh over the comical aspect of the case when the coming of the hounds had caused them to seek safety among the branches of the trees.

They really felt sorry for the wretched fugitives

who were being chased by such a savage combination as those two tawny dogs and that brutal, short-set guard.

The tragedy of it acted as a weight upon the spirits of the boys; and finally in silence they sauntered back to their cheery fire; but it was quite some time before they felt like themselves again.