“Hello, Mr. Pepperman! Going fishing?” began Bill, as they made fast and lowered sail. “Yes? Expect to catch much? No? Well, I know something that will bring you in two hours more money than in three weeks of the best fishing you ever had.”
“Swamp” wanted to know how such a thing could be done. Said Bill:
“Dead easy! You take a walk right away down through the pines toward the Point. Know how to whistle a tune? Sure; well then, come over all the tunes you know. Let on you’re hunting for special fish bait or something. Sheer off toward the big pine and keep through toward the ocean. You’ll meet somebody likely. Don’t get curious, but talk fishing and boats. Tell them you take folks fishing and that you have a dandy boat all ready—a fast one. They’ll probably want to see her. Tell them you keep her up here, but if they’ll hang off shore at the Point you’ll sail her around there. Then, when they leave for the Point and you’re sure of it, you come up the bay side road and tell us. We’ll be waiting. How much is there in it? Twenty-five dollars, Mr. Pepperman, if your errand turns out successfully. Is that enough?”
“I reckon hit air,” remarked the sententious “Swamp.” “When do I git the money?”
“Any time—to-day,” said Gus, and without another word the lanky fellow, laying aside his tackle and bait of crab meat, was off into the woods.
Hardly an hour passed before Gus remarked to tired and sleepy Bill: “Somebody’s coming. I’ll bet it’s ‘Swamp.’”
It was, and he reported the exact carrying out of the plan. Two men, young fellows, one very dark-skinned, the other light, and both carrying guns, had started to the Point to wait for him. The other man,—there had been three along the wood road—had headed up into the nearer woods along the ocean side.
“You go back and wait for Dan,” said Gus to Bill. “I’m going to make one more try for Tony.”