Bill took his place amidships, with Sam in the bow, and the young Seminole wielded a paddle in the stern. “I know that you’re skipper of this cruise, Osceola,” he flung the words over his shoulder, “but I think we ought to go out to the wreck of the plane before we leave this locality for keeps. What do you say?”
“It’s okay with me. I don’t expect we’ll find much. The water is pretty deep in this part of the Glades.”
“Do you think you can find the spot? It’s more than I could do.”
“Oh, yes, easily enough. I was raised in these swamps, remember. I know exactly where the amphibian nosed in.”
He swung the dugout to the left, and a few minutes later they came out of the high saw grass on to one of the myriad water leads that crisscross the Everglades in every direction. The grass near the Island had not been particularly dense; but now they noticed that the growth which lined the lane of open water was a ten-foot jungle of stiff, saw-toothed stems. Even the lead they were following was not free from obstruction, for huge patches of water lilies choked the way, and the power needed to force the canoe through the tangled masses of blooms came only by back-breaking effort.
“Bill, I think we’ll have to pass up the wreck,” declared Osceola from the stern of their little craft. “It would take us all day to push our way through the grass and we’d probably get some bad cuts into the bargain. It isn’t worth it.”
“I thought we might be able to salvage something,” said Bill, resting his paddle on the side of the dugout.
“No chance of that, anyway. The chances are that nothing but the tailplane is above water after her nosedive. These swamps are dangerous to wade about in, even if there is a high bottom over there, which I doubt.”
“He means de ’gators and snakes,” Sam explained fearfully. “We alls been lucky so far, but let me tell you, Marse Bill, dese Glades is sure plumb full o’ vipers. Dis nigger ain’t gwine to do no mo’ wadin’ unless he has to. Unh-unh! Not me!”
Bill grinned. “I retire under force of argument,” he said with mock resignation. “Let’s be on our way again. I think I can see clear water ahead.”