hnny made a sudden discovery that gave them all a little thrill.

CHAPTER VII

THE MISSING SKIFF

"Well, I swan!" was the sudden exclamation that broke from the lips of
Johnny Spreen, the farmer's bound boy, as he came to a halt.

Elmer, glancing hastily at him, saw the boy rubbing his eyes in a
somewhat dazed fashion. He acted for all the world like a fellow who
did not feel sure that his sight was as good as usual. Something
evidently was amiss.

"What is it?" demanded Lil Artha, in his usual impetuous way.

"The boats!" muttered Johnny Spreen.

"Sure thing, we see 'em!" declared the tall scout.

"How many kin yuh count, tell me?" asked the other, beseechingly, still
giving an occasional dab at his eyes, as though doubts clung to his
mind regarding their faithfulness.

"Why, let's see, I glimpse three--no, there are only two skiffs
afloating in that little bayou," Lil Artha told him.

"Only two, air yuh dead sartin?" continued Johnny.

"That's correct, two boats and no more. I c'n see each one as clear as
anything. Why, what difference does that make, Johnny?" asked Toby.

"But ther ought tuh be _three_, I tells yuh," insisted the bound boy;
"wun two-year old, another built larst season, and the last un just
this Spring. Yessir, three on 'em in all."

"Well, I gueth your old boat took a notion to go to the bottom then,
Johnny," asserted Ted, "becauth there are only a pair floating there, I
give you my word."

"They was every wun thar yist'day," persisted Johnny.

"Are you sure of that?" Elmer asked him.

"Well, my name's Johnny Spreen, ain't it?" demanded the other, grimly;
"I'm workin' out my time with Mister Trotter hyar, ain't I? Then I
still got two eyes, and I ain't turned loony yit by a long shot. I
tell yuh, Elmer, I handled three skiffs yist'day--seen as they was tied
securely. And now yuh tells me they be but two."

"Yes, that's a fact," the patrol leader assured him.

"All right then, they gut one, thet's boz."

Elmer expected some such result as this, so after all he did not seem
to be very much staggered.

"I suppose by 'them' you mean the chicken thieves, Johnny?" he remarked.

"No other."

"But if the man has been moving around in the swamp for a couple of
weeks, more or less, could he do without a boat all that time?"
continued the leader.

"I guess he cud, Elmer, though w'en yuh wants tuh trap muskrats yuh
need sum sort o' craft the wust kind. P'raps he didn'