th a confident, even aggressive step, such as
no true swamp denizen would use; and presently, beneath the beard, the
matted hair and ragged clothes Roger recognized Davis, the man whom
they had helped to escape from the Cormorant that first day on the
river. Davis' attention was concentrated upon Willy's wound.

"What?" he said hopefully. "Are there still some of them round?"

When the accident had been explained he turned to Roger.

"The United States Government missed by two hours last night the
biggest round-up of egret shooters ever made. Garman tried a gang of
pugs first, and you cleaned them out. Then he yanked his egret
shooters out of the rookery and put them on the job. It was the first
time in two years' work that I'd known 'em to be in a bunch. I got
fifty government men assembled at Citrus Grove for a round-up; but the
crooks down here got word of it somehow and streaked it into the
cypress swamp. We've got the rookery, got twenty good men hidden
there; they'll never shoot there again; and the rest of the men are
after the gang in the cypress swamp. We lost out last night; but I
think Garman's egret graft is broken up for good."

"Garman? Is he in that, too?"

Davis smiled.

"Payne, do you know anything round here that Garman isn't in? He's
boss of the egret graft down here."

"Have you got evidence of that?"

"I'll say we have. A photograph of him trying out the gas gun he
invented on a bunch of nests."

"Then why don't you get him if he's the head of the gang--first of all?"

Davis' lips came together in a bitter line.

"Did you ever hear of a big man--one of the really big ones of the
country--being got for anything? No; the other big men, the whole gang
of them up in Washington, won't let it be done. They can't afford to,
as a matter of self-protection."

"Great Scott! Garman isn't so big that the Government is afraid of
him?"

"How much do you know about Garman, Payne?"

"Not much, I admit."

"I'll give you his number: He has among a lot of other things, a home
in Washington, an office in Jacksonville and the house here and the
Egret. When he is at home in Washington, some of the most powerful
statesmen in this great nation regularly infest his house to prove what
truly great poker players they are. No statesmen ever lost any money
there, for only those whom Garman can use and who will listen to
business reason are invited. No statesman accepts a vulgar bribe, but
se