AN ADVENTURE WITH FLORIDA SMUGGLERS. 
plnecome, to See. —ihis looks as ii 
there was trouble ahead.” 
We were sure the Floridian and his 
piratical looking friends had decamped 
with our boat, or, if not that, were in hid- 
ing on the island with the boat secreted 
among the mangroves. We ran . back 
to the beach. The tide was low 
and on the sand were marks made by 
the dingy’s keel as it had been pushed 
afloat. There were also footmarks, but 
all apparently made by one man. We 
turned toward the end of the island that 
lay nearest the mainland. As we moved 
along we saw for the first time a schoon- 
er beating in from around the keys to the 
North. 
We had not gone far when we came to 
an unexpected obstacle in the shape of the 
entrance to a bayou. 
“We will go round it,’ Bob said; and 
we set our faces toward the center of the 
island, holding our path well away from 
the bayou shores, which were _ thickly 
grown with mangroves and all but im- 
passable in consequence. We guided our 
progress by glimpses from time to time 
of the bayou’s smooth surface where. it 
glistened among the trees. 
When we had, as we judged, almost 
completed its circuit we made again for 
the beach. 
Our calculation was not accurate, for 
instead of coming out on the beach we 
emerged on the shores of the bayou, 
and, what was more surprising, near our 
friend of the night before, who was com- 
fortably seated on the bow of our dingy, 
drawn up on the bank. He was smoking 
a cob pipe and across his knees rested a 
rifle of venerable appearance. Not a stone’s 
throw away our missing craft and a 
large catboat rode at anchor. There was a 
moment of mutual surprise, but the Flor- 
idian was equal to the occasion. Removing 
the pipe from his mouth, he said: 
“Good morning, gents.” 
“Who moved that boat?’ Bob demand- 
ed, hotly. 
“I wouldn't be foo curious if I was 
you,” said the cracker. “Pretty soon you 
kin have your boat; when I says so and 
not until. You keep cool; that’s the word, 
keep cool.” 
“What if we say we want our property 
now and are going to have it now?” cried 
Bob. 
Se tican ene iG 2° Wien tman. Tosemand 
stood leaning on his rifle. Bob and he 
eyed each other in silence for a moment. 
There wasn’t much difference in point of 
height and Bob had a decided advantage 
where weight was concerned. In spite of 
this, however, he was only a boy and in 
a trial of strength between them he would 
355 
agave a man’s hardened muscles to con- 
tend against. He turned to me. 
“Push the dingy off when I say the 
word, Charlie.” 
“Dont do nothin’ 
cracker, ‘calmly. 
I stood, reluctant to do my brother’s 
bidding, and he spoke again sharply: ‘*Push 
off the dingy!” 
I moved forward to obey, when all at 
eiuce—I never knew what the beginning 
was—Bob and the cracker were en- 
gaged in a fight that to me looked se- 
rious. They strained and wrenched, each 
with one hand grasping his opponent 
while with the other he clutched his gun. 
I made ready to rush to Bob’s assistance 
by dropping my gun in the bottom of 
the dingy, when he called imperatively: 
some Olt, Say! 
Then I saw his design; he wanted me to 
get the dingy afioat. We could then per- 
haps tumble into it and row out to the 
sloop. I put my shoulder to the task and 
sent the boat down the gentle incline to 
fiilemmMmake@ras stasimmas: ly comlde. litt was) all 
but afloat when an arm was passed about 
my waist and I was ignominiously lifted 
from the ground, my legs and feet beating 
the air in most unmanly fashion. I man- 
aged to catch a glimpse of a dark face 
bending above me and I knew the Indian 
had me. In his strong hands I made just 
Amani and bit a) small one at that. 
Meanwhile Bob had been having all he 
wanted in the way of scuffling, and when 
my inglorious capture occurred he gave 
up. 
Hostilities ceased abruptly. The Indian, 
with his relentless hold on me, was stand- 
ing near the boat. Farther up the bank 
was the cracker, and midway between 
was Bob. 
“It’s all up!” I sang out, as I squirmed 
in my huge captor’s arms. 
' thats thie (way. to. talk,” the cracker 
cried, panting hard from the recent strug- 
gle. “Just you wait and you can have 
the boat.” 
Suddenly the Indian made an exclama- 
tion and gestured with his hand. We 
followed the sweep of his extended arm 
and saw, fluttering above the tree tops, 
something that might have been a flag 
held by a man whose presence we could 
just distinguish in the summit of the look- 
out palm. The flag waved a moment and 
then disappeared. This performance had 
a marked effect on the cracker and his, 
companions. The former shouted glee- 
fully: 
“She’s come! He’s signaling her.” 
The Indian turned and, dragging me af- 
ter him, made for the beach. Bob came 
in pursuit, for, of course, he wanted 
to know what they were going to 
foolish,’ said the 
