As they approached the swampy ground the vegetation became profuse and rank and the earth turned slimy underfoot. There was a musty, unpleasant odor, such as they had noticed two days before, arising from the marshes. Knowing that the trail they had followed on that unsuccessful invasion of the swamp was a false one, they turned sharply to their left on this occasion, choosing their steps with even greater care than before.
“I wonder if this is the direction the boys took,” said Amy, when they stopped on a small rise of ground to catch their breath before hurrying on. “I’d hate to think we were wasting time by going in the wrong direction.”
“I am sure we are right so far,” Jessie reassured her, consulting the compass in her hand. “They started due south, and up to this point the trail is quite plain.”
“The question now seems to be, where do we go from here?” remarked Nell, looking about her with distaste at the sea of rank grass and vegetation. “If we make a false step we may find ourselves up to our necks in mud.”
For some distance the ground remained soft and slimy. Then they came to a comparatively solid trail over which they could proceed more rapidly.
Suddenly, ahead of her through the thinning trees and vegetation, Jessie saw something that brought her to a halt.
Out on a rise of solid ground, such as were scattered over the swamp like tiny islands in a lake, was a queer-looking hut. The windows of the hut, seen from that distance, appeared no bigger than the portholes of a ship.
A flat scow or raft lay close to this “island,” as though it were used to carry occupants of the hut back and forth to the shore.
Jessie beckoned to the other girls, and as they joined her several disreputable-looking men and women emerged from the hut and, embarking upon the raft, pushed out from the island in the direction of the shore.
“Now what do you think of that?” demanded Amy, but Jessie pressed an urgent, silencing hand over her mouth. The appearance of those men and women on the raft warned her that it would never do to make known their presence in that vicinity.