Swamp Island Part 38

"You've found Danny Deevers!" the widow guessed, preparing to cast off.

"Yes, and maybe the stolen money! But there's not a second to lose! Let me have your knife, and go as fast as you can!"

Without questioning the odd request, Mrs. Jones gave her the knife and seized a paddle. Penny shoved the skiff far out into the stream.

Then she turned and with a quick glance toward the woodshed, darted to the nearby fence. Rapidly she examined the wooden posts, searching for a V-shaped mark. She could find no slashes of any kind. At any moment she knew the men might emerge from the woodshed and see her.

"Somehow I've got to keep them here until Mrs. Jones brings the police!"

she thought. "But how?"

Suddenly an idea came to her. It might not work, but there was an outside chance it would. With desperate haste, she slashed several posts with V-shaped marks.

"That may confuse them for a few minutes," she reasoned. "But not for long."

The door of the woodshed now had opened. Penny dropped flat in the tall weeds near the fence.

Without seeing her, the four men came with a spade and began to inspect posts scarcely a dozen yards from where the girl lay.

"Here's a marked one!" called Hod as he found one of the posts Penny had slashed.

In the darkness the men did not notice that the cut was a fresh one. They began to dig. Silently the work went on until a large hole had been excavated.

"Where's the money?" Ezekiel demanded. "Danny, if ye'r pullin' a fast one--"

"I tell you I buried it under a post!" the other insisted. "Thought it was farther down the fence, but this one was marked."

Ezekiel flashed his lantern full on the post which now had been tilted far over on its side.

"The post's marked," he confirmed. "Fresh new slashes."

"Let's see!" Danny exclaimed. He examined the marking briefly and straightened up. "I never made those cuts! Someone's tricked me!"

Excited by the discovery, the men now moved from post to post. Other slashes were found.

"Here's the one with my mark!" Danny cried, pointing to a post close to where Penny lay hidden. "Who slashed these others? Someone must have learned where I buried the money!"

"It does look kinda bad," said Ezekiel. "But there hain't been no diggin'

by this post. Git busy, boys!"

Taking turns, c.o.o.n and Hod fell to with the spade. Soon they had uncovered three large tin cans filled with bank notes.

"It's all here!" Danny said jubilantly. "Every dollar!"

Ezekiel blew out the lantern light, looking carefully about the yard.

"There hain't no time to divide the money now," he said. "We gotta git you through the swamp, Danny, before them snoopin' police come around.

Bring the cans and come on! We're moving out o' here right now!"

Hod shuffled off to get the boat ready as the others each picked up a can and followed quickly.

CHAPTER 24 _UNDER THE FENCE POST_

Penny was tormented with worry as she saw the men walk hurriedly to the creek where they launched a flat-bottomed boat belonging to Ezekiel. Soon the craft was lost in the blackness of the swamp channel.

"There goes my chance to catch Danny and recover the stolen money!" she thought. "Oh, what can I do to prevent them from getting away?"

Another boat had been tied up at the dock, but Penny knew she never would dare enter the swamp alone at night. In any case, what chance would she have against four armed men?

"If only Mrs. Jones hadn't hurt her ankle!" she thought. "It will take her a long while to reach a telephone, and help may not get here for an hour!"

As Penny stood gazing gloomily toward the swamp, a shaft of light cut fleetingly across the water. The flash came from the headbeam of a car swinging up the lane to the Hawkins' house.

Not knowing who the arrivals might be, the girl stepped behind a tree to wait. Soon the car came closer, halting with a jerk.

From the sedan stepped Mr. Parker, Salt, and Jerry Livingston. Scarcely believing her eyes, Penny ran to meet them.

"Oh, Dad!" she cried. "You did get Mrs. Jones' message!"

"Message?" he inquired. "Why, no! We were worried because you had been gone so long, so we came out here to find you. What's this all about?"

Penny rapidly told of Danny's flight into the swamp with the stolen money.

"If Mrs. Jones reaches a phone, police should get here any minute!" she added.

"In the meantime, we can't let those men escape!" Mr. Parker exclaimed.

"Salt, you stay here and wait for the police. If they don't come in ten minutes, go after them!"

"Sure, Chief!"

"Jerry, you come with me," the publisher directed, untying the boat at the dock. "We'll try to keep those men in sight and mark the way for police to follow."

As Penny followed Jerry into the boat, her father protested quickly:

"Penny, you know you can't go! Danny Deevers is a desperate character."

"If you expect to capture him, you'll have to take me, Dad. They'll probably follow the main channel to Black Island and beyond. You'll be lost before you've covered half the distance."

"All right, come along," Mr. Parker agreed unwillingly.

The boat shoved off into the cool night.

Fairly certain the Hawkins' boat would pa.s.s Lookout Point, Penny directed her father and Jerry to row toward it. Soon she caught a glimpse of a moving light through the trees.

"That's their boat!" she exclaimed. "Ezekiel must have lighted his lantern again!"