“That’s the boat. That’s the very boat that we started to cross the lake in.”
“How do you know?” asked the sheriff.
“Because, as we told you, we examined him with the aid of a lighted match before we would trust ourselves to him,” replied one of the prisoners. “I believe that boy tipped us over on purpose.”
“I haven’t the least doubt of it,” assented the sheriff. “You let him see the inside of one of the valises, and of course the sight of so much money excited his cupidity.”
“I hope Jim didn’t hit him when he shot at him,” said the other robber, in an anxious tone.
“Haven’t I told you more than a dozen times that you need not borrow trouble on that score?” asked the officer. “If the boy had been hurt we should probably have heard of it when we crossed the outlet at the hatchery the next morning. Robbing the bank is all you will have to answer for.”
And wasn’t that enough? I wondered. I did not know just what the penalty was for the offense of which they were guilty, but I did know that they were destined to pass some of the best years of their lives in prison. I was surprised to hear the sheriff talk so familiarly with the robbers, but really there was nothing surprising in it. Having captured them, as he was in duty bound to do, he showed them as much consideration as he showed the guides he had summoned to his assistance, but he kept a sharp eye on them to see that they did not escape.
“Put him together again, Swan, and we will go on and pay our respects to Jake Coyle,” continued the officer. “It is possible that he intends to return the money and claim the reward. If he does—”
“Don’t fool yourself,” said Mr. Swan, with a laugh. “If Jake ran into that snag on purpose, he did it with the intention of fishing up that money and keeping it. He can’t claim the reward, for there is a warrant out for him. He helped to steal this canvas canoe.”
Having tied me together with the rope, Mr. Swan raised me to his shoulder, ordered the guides to stop talking, and the entire posse set off through the woods in the direction of the hatchery. As they drew near to it they spread out right and left, forming a sort of skirmish line which was so long that those on the flanks were out of sight of one another, and in this order moved forward with increased caution. The sheriff and Mr. Swan remained in the center with the two prisoners, the latter holding me in one hand and a revolver in the other. The officer consulted his watch very frequently, and at the end of ten minutes moved out of the bushes to the “carry,” followed by Mr. Swan and the captives. Then I understood the meaning of this maneuver. The sheriff’s object was to surround Rube’s cabin and capture the inmates.