The Mystery of the Alligator Swamp by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner [Chandler Warner, Gertrude]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4804-5107-0
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Chapter 7

Lost in the Swamp

Grandfather put on his life vest and looked up at Billie. She was standing on the dock. “I’d send Beau with you to act as a guide, if I could find him,” Billie said.

“We’ll be fine,” Grandfather said. “Your map is a good one.”

“Crying Bayou is a long way, though,” Billie answered. “But the way is well marked. It’s just outside Alligator Swamp. You’ll see my signs right up to the edge of it. You shouldn’t have any trouble.”

When the Aldens had told Billie they wanted to go to Crying Bayou, she had been surprised.

“We’re going to see if we can catch that ghost alligator before it scares away more fishermen,” Benny had explained.

“In Crying Bayou?” Billie had said.

“Where Eve said she saw it,” Henry had said.

“Well, if that’s where those fishermen think they saw it, too, they really were lost. It’s a long way from here. As a matter of fact, I don’t know what Eve was doing all the way over there,” Billie had said.

Now she leaned over and set a cooler in the pirogue. “Something to drink if you get thirsty and some cheese sandwiches. Also peanut butter.” She shook her head. “I’m out of chicken again, can you believe it?”

“Didn’t we just bring you some this morning?” Grandfather asked, surprised.

“I thought so, but it’s gone. I’m beginning to think I’ve got ghost chickens. They just get up and walk right out of my refrigerator.” Billie shook her head. “Go on. We’ll see you about sunset.” She untied the rope that attached the pirogue to the pier and tossed it to Henry. “Good luck.”

Jessie waved. Then she lowered her hand to her cap to shade her eyes even more. Who was sitting on the restaurant porch, peering out through the screen at them? She thought she caught a glimpse of dark glasses, but she wasn’t sure.

Henry steered the pirogue around a bend and the camp disappeared from sight.

The afternoon light was different from the morning light, but the swamp looked much the same. Benny kept an eye out for alligators. Jessie and Violet read the map and Grandfather sat by the motor.

At a wide bend, another boat came into view. It was Swampwater, leading one of his tours. He and Eve waved.

The boat hummed onward, cutting through the dark, sluggish water. Birds swooped overhead and Benny spotted another snake looped through a tree branch. Henry was careful not to steer the boat under that branch.

“We’ve reached the end of Alligator Swamp,” Jessie announced, looking up from the map.

“How can you tell? It all looks the same,” said Grandfather.

“Just ahead there is a short open stretch of water,” said Jessie. “Straight across, we should see a white marker. It points the way to Crying Bayou. Not far up the channel, we’ll see a tree with a split trunk. That’s Crying Bayou.”

A minute later, Henry steered the boat out onto a wide patch of water. They crossed it and Violet said, “There’s an arrow.” She pointed to a small white arrow made of wood, nailed to the stump of a tree.

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