"Wait!" shouted Bo to the officer. "Somebody on this boat last night stole our money, and I want my Bear to find him. It won't take but a minute, for he can tell a thief at sight when he's mad and hungry, and he's mad now, and hungry for dark meat!" The boy looked straight into the crowd of negroes, while the Bear growled fiercely and fixed his eye on the fat darky.
The crew fell back and the fat darky with a howl started to run.
"That's the one! That's the thief!" shouted Bo, and with a snarl Horatio bounded away in pursuit. Down the narrow gangway to the stern of the boat, then in a circle around a lot of cotton, they ran like mad, the Bear getting closer to the negro every minute. Then back again to the bow in a straight stretch, the thief blue with fright and Horatio's eyes shining with hungry anticipation. The rest of the crew looked on and cheered. Suddenly, as the fat darky passed Bo, he jerked a sack from his pocket and flung it behind him.
"Dar's yo' money! Dar's yo' money!" he shouted. "Call off yo' B'ar!"
But that was not so easy. Bosephus shouted frantically at Horatio, but he did not seem to hear. His blood was up, and his taste for dark meat was stronger than his love of money. As the two came clattering around the second time he was so close to his prey that with a quick swipe he got quite a piece of his shirt. With a wild yell the fat fugitive leaped over into the river and struck out for shore.
Horatio paused. His half open jaws were dripping and his eyes red and fiery with disappointment. Bo went up to him gently.
"Come, Ratio," he whispered.
The Bear paid no heed. He was watching his escaped prey, who had reached the shore and was disappearing in a great canefield.
THE FAT FUGITIVE LEAPED OVER INTO THE RIVER.