‘Big? Yes, they’re big, but they’re mighty shy. Swamp Pond’s more to my taste, but that’s fished a lot. The Swampers keep that pretty clean.’ ‘Which way is Swamp Hole from here?’ asked Pud. Lank waved a big hand over the port bow. ‘Yonder,’ he answered, ‘about two-three miles. If I was you I’d keep clear of it, son. Some of them Swampers are kind o’ tough individuals.’ ‘Well, if we go down Two-Pond Run do we keep away from the Hole?’ ‘Pretty well. There’s a few cabins this side the Run, but I guess no one won’t bother you if you just keep on rowin’.’ ‘Rowing?’ echoed Pud. ‘I meant goin’. My mistake, son. Well, yonder’s where we leave you. Just ease up against the bank to your left when we get to the branch.’ Not far ahead the stream forked, and Pud called to Tim to slow her down and, finally, to stop. The launch nestled up against a bank and Cocker led the skiff around to the side. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘the best of friends must part, as the old song has it. We’re sorry to have you leave us, but I guess you’ll be wantin’ to get along toward home before it gets much darker. Come on, Mistah Johnson, step aboard.’ He took Harmon by the shoulder and shoved him ungently toward the skiff. ‘Take your han’s off me, Mister!’ protested the darky. ‘What you-all aimin’ to do?’ ‘Shut your black mouth and pile into that boat,’ said Lank grimly. ‘Come on, now, the rest o’ you!’ ‘But we’re not going in that skiff!’ declared Pud stoutly. ‘We’re going on down in this launch.’ ‘No, you ain’t neither,’ answered Cocker. ‘We’ve swapped boats with you. Mind you, we wasn’t keen for doin’ it, but you insisted, an’――’ ‘Better give ’em a couple o’ dollars to boot,’ said Lank. ‘They might claim we cheated ’em.’ ‘That’s so!’ Cocker fished a bunch of dirty money from a pocket and selected two bills. ‘Here you are, sonny. A fine rowboat and two dollars for your launch. There’s some that wouldn’t trade so easy, but me and Lank was always sort o’ soft-hearted.’ Pud pushed the greasy bills away, trying to smile, although his heart was somewhere down in his shoes. ‘I guess you’ve made a mistake,’ he said. ‘We haven’t traded the launch to you. We couldn’t, because it isn’t ours to trade!’ ‘Now don’t you try to go back on a bargain,’ remonstrated Cocker reprovingly. ‘’Tain’t honorable, sonny.’ He laid a broad hand on Pud’s arm and stuffed the money into a pocket. Then he propelled him to the side. ‘Climb over now, ’cause we got to be shovin’ ahead. No nonsense, neither, or’――he placed a huge fist an inch from Pud’s nose――‘you’ll get this side o’ the jaw, see!’ ‘Cut out that stuff,’ growled Lank. ‘The kid’s all right. Let him alone.’ Pud turned hopefully to the speaker. ‘He’s fooling, isn’t he?’ he gulped. ‘He can’t take this launch away from us! We’ve got all our things here, and――’ ‘You do like we’re tellin’ you,’ advised Lank coldly. ‘But――but you’ll give her back to me, won’t you?’