egan to tremble with fright. He had heard of
quicksands, and while this black ooze could hardly be called by such a
name, it was certainly a quagmire.

Perhaps it did not have any bottom--perhaps he would keep on sinking
inch by inch until his head went under! And when Phil and Tony came
along later, they might only learn his fate from seeing the gun on one
bank, and the dead turkey on the other.

He strained with all his might. Now he managed to get one foot
comparatively free; but as all his weight came on the other, that sank
down two inches, instead of just one.

Wild with fear Larry started to shouting. At first his voice was
strong, for he was thoroughly worked up; but after a little while he
found that he was getting husky. So he stopped calling, and devoted
himself to finding out whether there might not be some way by means of
which he could save himself.

Possibly poor Larry exercised his mind more during the time he was held
a prisoner in the clutch of that sticky mud than at any previous span
of his whole existence. And he had good reason for alarm. Many an
unfortunate fellow has been sucked down by the muck to be found in
marsh or swamp, his fate unknown.

As Larry happened to turn his despairing eyes upward, to see whether
the sun might be going down, for it seemed to be getting gloomy to him,
he made a discovery that gave rise to a newborn hope.

Just over his head, and within reach of his extended hands, the limbs
of a tree swung down. It was a live oak that grew on the solid ground
near by; and the idea that had flashed into his mind was that perhaps
he might tear enough of these same branches down to make a sort of
mattress on the surface of the mud, which would even bear his weight
temporarily.

Feverishly then did Larry start to breaking off such branches as came
within his reach. These he carefully allowed to fall upon the mud in a
heap. And he made sure to draw each down just as far as he could
before breaking it loose.

But he was sinking all the while, so that he was now down almost to his
waist.

Why, his hands actually touched the sticky mire when he, by accident,
let them fall at his sides. If this sort of thing kept on, in less
than twenty minutes it would be all over with him.

And by now he realized another discouraging fact. Even though he could
succeed in making a mat sufficient to bear his weight, how was he to
draw his legs, one at a time, out of that adhesive st