When they reached camp Dick staked the pet out with a line long enough to let it get into the river when it chose.  He took the rope from its jaws, leaving them free, and the ’gator never took advantage of it by trying to bite.  At first the pet got very much excited when he was dragged out of the water and up on land, but after awhile he got used to it and seemed to almost enjoy it.  Dick caught fish for his pet which always refused to eat them.  Then Dick cut the fish in pieces and while Ned held the little ’gator, stuffed them in its mouth and then held its jaws together till it swallowed its food.

“See the baby ’gator sit up, Ned,” said Dick one day, after he had been training it for some time.  “I’ll have him eating with a fork and drinking from a cup in a week.”

[Illustration:  “SEE THE BABY ’GATOR SIT UP, NED!”]

CHAPTER XIV

ENCOUNTER WITH OUTLAWS

One day, just after the boys had returned from an unsuccessful hunt for deer and Dick was at his usual occupation of training his pet, they heard the sound of oars, and a skiff, rowed by a man who looked like a product of the swamp, landed beside the camp.

“Kin you fellers let me have a little salt to save my hides?  ’Gators are pretty thick ’nd my salt’s gi’n out.”

“We have only about a bushel of salt, but you can have half; yes, we can spare you three-quarters of it.  We only use it for specimens and there’ll be enough left for us,” said Ned.

“That’s mighty kind o’ you, ‘nd I won’t fergit it, tho’ that won’t be any use t’ you, bein’s ye ain’t likely t’ see me ag’in.”

“Why not?  You go to Myers, I suppose.  We might meet you there and we’d be glad to see you.”

“Thar’s other folks ‘d be glad t’ see me thar, perticiler the sheriff.  Ain’t you fellers skeered, now yer know yer talkin’ t’ an outlaw?”

“Not much,” laughed Ned.  “If you are an outlaw you have probably had all the trouble you want.”

“You bet I hev.”

“Then you aren’t looking for any more.  So what is there to scare us?”

“Not a blame thing.  But you boys is plucky.  There’s men ’d fight shy o’ staying ’round here.”

“Well, it doesn’t worry us.  We didn’t suppose there was any one around here, though, and we wondered who it was we heard shooting last night and we are glad to find out.  Did you get any big alligators?”

“‘Twasn’t me shootin’.  I didn’t shoot las’ night.  Say!  You’ve gotter look out!  I know them fellers.  One on ’em’s bad and you boys ain’t safe.  I’m goin’ ter hang ’round, ’n if you smell trouble jest fire two shots ‘nd trouble’ll cum a-humpin’ fur them fellers,”

“All right and much obliged, and if anything does come that we can’t manage we’ll remember you, sure.”