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The Outdoor Girls in Florida, by Laura Lee Hope, Chapter XXIII - The Escape

Chapter XXIII - The Escape

Taken by surprise by the sudden rush of Mr. Hammond and his men those in charge of the Everglade camp, and the miserable creatures they held in virtual bondage, offered little resistance. There was neither time nor chance for any.

Well armed, but fortunately not being obliged to use their weapons, the men from the orange grove made such a show of strength that resistance seemed out of the question.

The camp, as the girls saw afterward, was merely a collection of miserable huts. Some were better than others, and it was to these that the rescuers turned their attention, for in them were the "bosses" of the camp. Mr. Hammond and his men made a rush for these, and, surrounding them, called on those within to surrender. At first there was sleepy-eyed surprise as the rough men ran out. Some showed a disposition to fight, but Mr. Hammond coolly said:

"It's of no use, men. We've got you just where we want you, and we're enough in numbers to take you all prisoners. We only want a couple of young fellows you have here." "We've a right to all the help we have!" growled the leader of the campers: "We've got the papers to show it, too!" "I don't doubt but what you've got papers—forged ones, though," replied Mr. Hammond sternly. "We won't dispute that. But you haven't any papers for my man, Tom Osborne." "Tom Osborne—your man—was he the one that——" The leader began thus, but he did not finish. He saw the damaging admission he was about to make.

"Yes, Tom Osborne!" exclaimed Mr. Hammond. "I say Tom, where are you?" he called, loudly.

"Here, Mr. Hammond!" was a shout from a distant shack. "Are the young ladies all right?" "Yes, they're here to help rescue you. Tumble over there, some of you," directed Mr. Hammond to his men, "and let Tom out. Break in the door!" "I say now!" began the leader of the campers, "that won't do——" "That's enough from you," warned Mr. Hammond sternly. "Smash in that door, men!" A little later Tom Osborne, rather forlorn and miserable from his night's imprisonment in a tumble-down shack, walked out, his bonds having been cut. "Now for your friend, Harry," said Mr. Hammond to The Loon. "We must get him out next." "There's some young fellow in the shack next to where I was," said Tom Osborne. "I heard him talking to himself early in the evening, but not since daylight. I guess he's the one you mean." A rush was made for the wretched place, and the door was burst in, but the hut was empty.

"He's gone!" cried The Loon. "They've taken him to some other place. Oh, I'll never be able to keep my word to him!" "We'll find him," declared Mr. Hammond. "I don't know who he was, but we'll get him. Look in every shack, men!" In turn every cabin was inspected. Many wretched young men, and some old ones, too, were routed out, but the proprietors of the camp seemed to have a right to their services, either by contract, or through the action of the criminal laws. Sad indeed was their plight, but the rescuers had no legal right to take them away.

"Though I can, and will, proceed against you for taking Tom Osborne," declared Mr. Hammond. "And I'll see to it that you get the punishment you deserve." Mr. Stonington said something in a low voice to the overseer.

"Oh, yes," went on Mr. Hammond. "If you want to tell what became of this other young man, whom you seem to have kept against his will, I'll do what I can to have your sentence lightened." "He must have got away," said the head lumberman, sullenly. "He was such a spunky chap that we kept him locked up. And we had a right to him, too. He signed a contract." "Probably an illegal one, if I'm any judge of your methods," said Mr. Hammond, grimly. "I don't blame him for getting away, but I wish we could have rescued him. He may be in a bad plight in this swamp." An inspection of the cabin where Tom had said some other prisoner had been held showed a board forced off in the rear, and it was evident that the unknown young man had gotten out this way when the guard was asleep—for the camp was kept under guard, so fearful were the bosses that their wretched slaves would escape.

"Well, we can't do much more here," said Mr. Hammond, looking about. They had inspected every cabin, and the men had searched in various places.

"You have my last word," said Mr. Hammond, grimly, as the rescue party prepared to leave the miserable camp, "if you produce that young man I'll do what I can to have the courts deal easy with you. If not—you'll get the limit!" "I tell you he escaped!" insisted the head of the lumbermen. "And if you think you can scare us, go ahead. If you hadn't so many with you, and if my men had the spunk of chickens, there'd be a different ending to this," he added, vindictively. "Don't be rash," advised Mr. Hammond. The girls were permitted a distant view of the camp, and then they started for their boats, Tom in the midst of the girls, explaining to them his seeming desertion. The Loon was worried over his failure to rescue the unknown young man who had given him money.

"Never mind," consoled Mr. Hammond. "We may find him later. We'll keep a lookout as we go along. If he has any sense he'll get out of this swamp, anyhow." "I wonder who he may be?" said Grace. "Oh, if only we could go to the rescue of my brother. I wish we would get some news of him." "We all do, dear," spoke Mollie, gently.

Chapter XXIII - The Escape

Taken by surprise by the sudden rush of Mr. Hammond and his men those in charge of the Everglade camp, and the miserable creatures they held in virtual bondage, offered little resistance. Colti di sorpresa dall'improvviso accorrere di Hammond e dei suoi uomini, i responsabili dell'accampamento di Everglade e le misere creature che tenevano in virtuale schiavitù opposero poca resistenza. There was neither time nor chance for any.

Well armed, but fortunately not being obliged to use their weapons, the men from the orange grove made such a show of strength that resistance seemed out of the question.

The camp, as the girls saw afterward, was merely a collection of miserable huts. L'accampamento, come le ragazze videro in seguito, era solo un insieme di misere capanne. Some were better than others, and it was to these that the rescuers turned their attention, for in them were the "bosses" of the camp. Mr. Hammond and his men made a rush for these, and, surrounding them, called on those within to surrender. Hammond e i suoi uomini si precipitarono verso di loro e, circondandoli, invitarono quelli all'interno ad arrendersi. At first there was sleepy-eyed surprise as the rough men ran out. All'inizio c'è stata una sorpresa con gli occhi assonnati quando i rudi uomini sono usciti di corsa. Some showed a disposition to fight, but Mr. Hammond coolly said: Alcuni si mostrarono disposti a combattere, ma il signor Hammond disse freddamente:

"It's of no use, men. "Non serve a nulla, uomini. We've got you just where we want you, and we're enough in numbers to take you all prisoners. Vi abbiamo portato proprio dove volevamo e siamo in numero sufficiente per farvi tutti prigionieri. We only want a couple of young fellows you have here." "We've a right to all the help we have!" "Abbiamo diritto a tutto l'aiuto che abbiamo!". growled the leader of the campers: "We've got the papers to show it, too!" ringhiò il capo dei campeggiatori: "Abbiamo anche i documenti che lo dimostrano!". "I don't doubt but what you've got papers—forged ones, though," replied Mr. Hammond sternly. "Non dubito che abbiate dei documenti, anche se contraffatti", rispose severamente il signor Hammond. "We won't dispute that. "Non lo contestiamo. But you haven't any papers for my man, Tom Osborne." "Tom Osborne—your man—was he the one that——" The leader began thus, but he did not finish. He saw the damaging admission he was about to make. Si rese conto della dannosa ammissione che stava per fare.

"Yes, Tom Osborne!" exclaimed Mr. Hammond. "I say Tom, where are you?" "Dico io Tom, dove sei?". he called, loudly.

"Here, Mr. Hammond!" was a shout from a distant shack. un grido proveniente da una baracca lontana. "Are the young ladies all right?" "Yes, they're here to help rescue you. Tumble over there, some of you," directed Mr. Hammond to his men, "and let Tom out. Alcuni di voi vadano lì", disse il signor Hammond ai suoi uomini, "e facciano uscire Tom. Break in the door!" Sfondate la porta!". "I say now!" began the leader of the campers, "that won't do——" ha esordito il capo dei campeggiatori, "questo non va bene...". "That's enough from you," warned Mr. Hammond sternly. "Basta così", avvertì severamente il signor Hammond. "Smash in that door, men!" "Sfondate quella porta, uomini!". A little later Tom Osborne, rather forlorn and miserable from his night's imprisonment in a tumble-down shack, walked out, his bonds having been cut. Poco dopo Tom Osborne, alquanto smarrito e infelice per la sua notte di prigionia in una baracca fatiscente, uscì, essendo stati tagliati i suoi legami. "Now for your friend, Harry," said Mr. Hammond to The Loon. "E ora il tuo amico Harry", disse il signor Hammond al Loon. "We must get him out next." "Dobbiamo portarlo fuori la prossima volta". "There's some young fellow in the shack next to where I was," said Tom Osborne. "I heard him talking to himself early in the evening, but not since daylight. "L'ho sentito parlare da solo la sera presto, ma non dall'alba. I guess he's the one you mean." A rush was made for the wretched place, and the door was burst in, but the hut was empty. Ci si precipitò in quel misero posto e la porta fu sfondata, ma la capanna era vuota.

"He's gone!" cried The Loon. "They've taken him to some other place. Oh, I'll never be able to keep my word to him!" Oh, non potrò mai mantenere la parola data a lui!". "We'll find him," declared Mr. Hammond. "I don't know who he was, but we'll get him. Look in every shack, men!" In turn every cabin was inspected. Many wretched young men, and some old ones, too, were routed out, but the proprietors of the camp seemed to have a right to their services, either by contract, or through the action of the criminal laws. Molti giovani disgraziati, e anche alcuni vecchi, furono eliminati, ma i proprietari del campo sembravano avere diritto ai loro servizi, sia per contratto che per azione delle leggi penali. Sad indeed was their plight, but the rescuers had no legal right to take them away. La loro situazione era davvero triste, ma i soccorritori non avevano il diritto legale di portarli via.

"Though I can, and will, proceed against you for taking Tom Osborne," declared Mr. Hammond. "And I'll see to it that you get the punishment you deserve." "E farò in modo che tu abbia la punizione che meriti". Mr. Stonington said something in a low voice to the overseer.

"Oh, yes," went on Mr. Hammond. "If you want to tell what became of this other young man, whom you seem to have kept against his will, I'll do what I can to have your sentence lightened." "Se vuole raccontare cosa ne è stato di quest'altro giovane, che lei sembra aver tenuto contro la sua volontà, farò il possibile per farle alleggerire la pena". "He must have got away," said the head lumberman, sullenly. "Deve essere scappato", disse il capo boscaiolo, imbronciato. "He was such a spunky chap that we kept him locked up. "Era un tipo così vivace che lo tenemmo rinchiuso. And we had a right to him, too. He signed a contract." "Probably an illegal one, if I'm any judge of your methods," said Mr. Hammond, grimly. "Probabilmente una illegale, se so giudicare i vostri metodi", disse il signor Hammond, torvo. "I don't blame him for getting away, but I wish we could have rescued him. "Non lo biasimo per essere scappato, ma vorrei che avessimo potuto salvarlo. He may be in a bad plight in this swamp." Potrebbe trovarsi in una brutta situazione in questa palude". An inspection of the cabin where Tom had said some other prisoner had been held showed a board forced off in the rear, and it was evident that the unknown young man had gotten out this way when the guard was asleep—for the camp was kept under guard, so fearful were the bosses that their wretched slaves would escape. Un'ispezione della capanna in cui Tom aveva detto che era stato tenuto qualche altro prigioniero mostrò una tavola forzata sul retro, ed era evidente che il giovane sconosciuto era uscito in questo modo mentre la guardia dormiva, perché il campo era tenuto sotto sorveglianza, tanto i padroni temevano che i loro miseri schiavi potessero fuggire.

"Well, we can't do much more here," said Mr. Hammond, looking about. "Beh, non possiamo fare molto di più qui", disse il signor Hammond, guardandosi intorno. They had inspected every cabin, and the men had searched in various places.

"You have my last word," said Mr. Hammond, grimly, as the rescue party prepared to leave the miserable camp, "if you produce that young man I'll do what I can to have the courts deal easy with you. "Avete la mia ultima parola", disse il signor Hammond, torvo, mentre i soccorritori si preparavano a lasciare il misero accampamento, "se producete quel giovane farò tutto il possibile perché i tribunali siano clementi con voi". If not—you'll get the limit!" In caso contrario, il limite sarà raggiunto!". "I tell you he escaped!" insisted the head of the lumbermen. "And if you think you can scare us, go ahead. "E se pensate di poterci spaventare, fate pure. If you hadn't so many with you, and if my men had the spunk of chickens, there'd be a different ending to this," he added, vindictively. Se non aveste così tanti uomini con voi, e se i miei uomini avessero il coraggio dei polli, il finale sarebbe diverso", aggiunse vendicativo. "Don't be rash," advised Mr. Hammond. "Non essere avventato", consigliò il signor Hammond. The girls were permitted a distant view of the camp, and then they started for their boats, Tom in the midst of the girls, explaining to them his seeming desertion. Alle ragazze fu concessa una visione distante dell'accampamento, poi si avviarono verso le loro barche, Tom in mezzo alle ragazze, spiegando loro la sua apparente diserzione. The Loon was worried over his failure to rescue the unknown young man who had given him money.

"Never mind," consoled Mr. Hammond. "We may find him later. We'll keep a lookout as we go along. Terremo d'occhio la situazione man mano che procederemo. If he has any sense he'll get out of this swamp, anyhow." Se ha un po' di buon senso, uscirà comunque da questa palude". "I wonder who he may be?" said Grace. "Oh, if only we could go to the rescue of my brother. "Oh, se solo potessimo andare a salvare mio fratello. I wish we would get some news of him." Vorrei che avessimo qualche notizia di lui". "We all do, dear," spoke Mollie, gently.