At that time the big fellow had been pleading for the safety of a waif who had come on board the _Rambler_! Both the man and the waif had disappeared when the officers had come on board. Clay wondered where the boy was, and why this outlaw had taken an interest in him. The man appeared to be kind, though his appearance and his modes of life were against him. It was all a deep mystery to the boy.

However, the giant's defense of himself, when Sam would have mistreated and, perhaps, murdered him, led Clay to believe that he was not wholly depraved. There might be some powerful motive for his adopting the life of a river outlaw.

The boy resolved, at the first opportunity, to question Red regarding the fate of the lad who had so suddenly disappeared from the boat that night. He now saw that the willingness of his companions and himself to aid the waif had led to good results, for it was this willingness which had undoubtedly caused the giant to stand between him and injury or even death. His little loaf of bread cast on the waters had returned to good purpose!

Sam seized the pole, as soon as Red agreed to his proposition to make their way down the river without delay, and began working the _Rambler_ out into the current.

"Better wait until that mess of wreckage pa.s.ses!" Red advised, as a crush of floating timbers made its appearance under the moonlight. "If we get into that bunch we'll never get out again. It will go by in a few moments."

Sam stood looking at the ma.s.s with a frown on his sullen face. He was anxious to be away for more reasons than one. The boat had undoubtedly been reported seized long before this, and every craft pa.s.sing up or down would soon be looking for her. His idea was that the lads who had left the boat would soon return and report the disappearance.

He did not know, of course, that Case was at New Madrid, or on the way there, when they had attacked Clay, nor did he suspect that Alex. and Jule had fallen into the hands of a band of bandits in every way as desperate and unscrupulous as that to which he belonged.

But, aside from the question of safety, there was another matter he wished brought to a conclusion. He had been a.s.saulted by Red, and was raging for revenge. Once in the company of his lawless fellows, his revenge might be gained!

"There is some one on that wreckage," the watchful Sam finally declared. "I saw a movement there. Good thing we are not near enough to be asked for help."

Red looked at the floating raft and shook his head.

"There is a boat lodged against the mess," he said, "but there's no one on board her, and there's no one on the raft, either."

The light of the moon was now shut out by a drive of clouds, and the two men waited for a clear sky again. When the raft was revealed they saw a white bulldog running up and down across the timbers!

"That's the brute I pitched overboard up in the bayou!" cried Sam. "I wish I had knocked him on the head. Some of those boys are not far off."

Red laughed at the idea of the boys being there, But Clay, listening with every faculty awake, had a different notion of the capabilities of his chums.

"If Captain Joe is there," the boy mused, his heart bounding with hope, "the boys are not far off! Anyway, I'll give them a chance to see the old boat once more!" he continued, reaching out and turning on the cabin lights.

Sam uttered a fierce oath as the lights flashed out on the rushing water, and made for the cabin, but Red caught him by the arm and faced him around.

"Look here!" he snarled, "if you go to making trouble for that boy I'll send your worthless hulk bobbing down to the Gulf! The lights won't hurt! We don't have to answer any calls for help that may come.

Now, edge her out into the current and leave the boy to me. There's no sense in beating up the kid!"

With a word of warning to Clay, not unkindly spoken, Red switched off the cabin lights, and then went to a.s.sist Sam in getting the _Rambler_ out into the stream. Clay heard them saying that the raft was, after all, empty of life except for the dog.

"The boat lodged against it seems to be broken," Red said, and Clay's heart went into his throat again. He feared that the boys had been caught in wreckage and drowned. The presence of the dog showed that they had been with the broken boat, he thought.

Then, while the two men worked frantically in front, Clay heard the window leading to the cabin from the stern deck cautiously pushed aside, and then the faces of Alex. and Case appeared at the opening!

CHAPTER IX

RED DECLINES TO TALK

In a moment the ray of moonlight slanting through the west window of the cabin was cut off by a floating cloud, and the faces of the two boys pa.s.sed out of view. Their voices, however, came to Clay, enquiringly.

"Are you all right?" Alex. asked.

"Have you got any dry guns in there?" was Case's question.

Clay answered both questions in a whispered affirmative and moved softly toward the window. It was necessary that some definite plan of action should be agreed upon, for the lads' presence there might be discovered at any time.

"Is Jule there?" whispered Clay.

"We're all in this neighborhood!" snickered Alex., "including Mose, Teddy and Captain Joe! We came down the river in a busted boat and on a poor raft! We should have pa.s.sed the _Rambler_ only for the flash of lights in the cabin. What next?"

"First," Clay answered, "I'll get the reserve weapons. One of the outlaws has my gun, but the others are in the lower drawer of the cupboard. I've been trying to get at them for a long time, but this is the first time, since I was set free of bonds, that the men have been too busy to notice me."

Clay crawled to the cupboard and secured three revolvers, held as a reserve stock.

"Now," he directed, "you boys get through the window while the ruffians are busy and the moon is out of business."

As the boys wiggled their way through the small opening, Teddy began uttering growls of joy and welcome. He pranced about the cabin, too, in spite of all Clay could do to restrain him, tipping over chairs and rattling the dishes in a great pan on the floor, where the pirates had left them after their luncheon.

And then, as if to add to the perplexities of the situation, the clouds which veiled the moon drifted away, and a slant of light shone full on the little stern deck, and on the figures grouped there. Case and Jule pulled themselves through into the cabin, but Alex. was left crouching on the outside. Clay pa.s.sed him a revolver, and started to close the window.

At that moment, attracted by the unusual commotion on the inside, Sam lurched to the door and looked through the gla.s.s panel. He saw Clay at the window, and caught sight of a figure outside and called out to Red, who was still busy at the prow, trying to keep the boat out of a ma.s.s of wreckage which was coming down faster than the boat was going for the reason that it was farther out in the current.

Almost before Red could turn around, before his brain could grasp the significance of Sam's warning shout, Clay swung the door open and turned the switch which operated the prow light. In an instant the deck of the _Rambler_ was as light as it had ever been at noon. The cabin was still in darkness, save for the light which came through the gla.s.s panel of the door.

The hands of both outlaws swung to their hips as the light flashed out, but did not bring forth the weapons carried there. Instead, they came up empty and were pushed out straight and held there. It was Clay who had given the order to keep hands out.

Clay advanced along the unsteady deck to Sam and held his gun within an inch of his crooked nose, at the same time calling to Case to come and relieve the outlaw of his weapons.

Sam's looks would have committed murder, if savage eyes and revengeful frowns could have done so, when the weapons were taken from him.

Glancing hastily at Red, Clay thought he saw an amused smile lurking in the giant's eyes.

"Now, Sam," Clay said, "we've got to repair the motors and get the _Rambler_ out of this ruck, where the leak can be repaired, so we've got no time to waste guarding a skunk like you. You would have murdered me if Red hadn't interfered, but I'm going to give you a chance for your life! Can you swim?"

"Fo' de Lawd's sake!" grunted Mose, appearing on the deck, wet and shivering from the river, "dat's de 'dentical question he done ask me!"

Captain Joe, who had come on board from the raft with the negro, sniffed at the heels of the outlaw and seemed to ask permission of Clay to take a bite out of him. The cub pranced around the little waif as if he had found a friend from whom he had long been parted. Sam did not answer the question. He glared at the weapons, at the exposed fangs of the bulldog, and turned a scowling face to Red.

"These rascals seem to be friends of yours," he said. "I don't hear anything about your being given a chance to swim! Is this a frame-up?"

Red's already flushed face darkened at the insulting question, and he would have struck Sam only that Case, whose gun was at his breast, motioned him to desist.

"There'll come a time!" growled Sam. "Me an' you will have a settlement right soon after we get shut of these imitation tramps.

Understand that?"

"Yes, kiddo," Red cut in, turning to Clay, "Sam can swim. He's great on giving exhibition stunts in the water. He can do anything with water except drink it."

"Glad to know it!" Clay replied, "for I want to see how far he can swim! Take a run-and-jump, you toy pirate, and get overboard."

"Fo' de Lawd's sake, dat's what he said to dis----"