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Authors: Charles Tang
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bushy-haired man. “Soon I was tracking both the cat and a man. It wasn’t hard, since this guy has a similar receiving device. Plus he left footprints all over the place.”
“Like this one!” Benny proudly showed Andrew the plaster cast of the boot mark.
“Boy you kids are real pros!” Andrew said admiringly.
“We’ve been seeing this guy everywhere,” Jessie told Andrew. “He followed us up on the observation tower at Shark Valley. And we’ve seen him in the snack shop at the Miccosukee Village.”
Irene scowled at the man on the ground. “I’ve seen you hanging around, too. Who are you?”
Sighing, the man sat up. “My name is Ned Fry. I work for a rich man who owns a private zoo. He wanted a Florida panther in his zoo. So he hired me to catch one.”
“That’s terrible!” Violet exclaimed. “There are so few cats left in the wild. And you were going to steal one!”
“It’s called poaching,” Andrew said. “Ned Fry isn’t the first to poach in the Everglades. Some people will pay lots of money to have an alligator, a crocodile, even a Florida panther in their personal collections.”
“I’m also a radio operator. It wasn’t hard to find the radio frequencies on the cats’ collars,” Ned said. “Soon I began tracking Cat Number Twenty-seven.”
“But we kept seeing you at the visitors’ center,” said Benny. “You were hiding behind the postcard rack!”
Ned went on, realizing the jig was up. “I’m not that familiar with the Glades and had to keep going back into town for supplies and to the visitors’ centers for maps. One day I heard you kids talking about Andrew Beldon.”
“You looked like a tourist,” Violet said accusingly.
“I knew Andrew was in the Glades,” said Ned. His brow was sweating. “I had to keep using disguises so the park people and you Aldens wouldn’t recognize me. Once I figured you kids were looking for Andrew, I had to watch out for him and keep my eye on you, too!”
“Busy man,” Irene commented. She tilted her head toward a sound.
“I don’t think Ned will be so busy in the future,” said Andrew. “That’s your father’s airboat, isn’t it, Irene?”
“Yes, he said he’d stay on the chickee with us tonight. We’re camping out.” She put her hands on her hips and looked at Andrew. “That was you Daddy saw, wasn’t it? Why didn’t you answer him?”
“I couldn’t,” Andrew explained. “I still hadn’t found Ned or Runner. I didn’t want to get Mr. Osceola involved in case I had trouble with Ned.”
The airboat roared into the clearing, then was quiet. Mr. Osceola waded through the shallow water to the mangrove hammock.
“Well,” he said. “I see our party is a little larger. Good to see you, Andrew. You could have called back to me.”
Andrew shook his head regretfully. “Sorry, but I couldn’t risk Runner’s life. I’m afraid I’ve caused people to worry and my boss to be upset with me, but the cats come first.”
Mr. Osceola nudged Ned Fry’s shoe. “I’ve seen you sneaking around. You were after that cat, weren’t you? You left a trail a mile wide — footprints, snapped branches.”
“What will happen now?” asked Jessie. It was getting late and the bugs were getting to be even more of a nuisance.
Andrew helped Ned Fry to his feet. “Ned will have to take a little trip back to the ranger station, where he will be charged for attempted poaching. That’s a very serious crime in this state. The Florida panther is the state animal.”
“What about our camp-out?” Benny didn’t want to skip the fun part. Not before he had a chance to have his second wish granted.
Grandfather had a plan. “Suppose the kids and I set up the camp. Andy and Mr. Osceola can escort Mr. Fry to the ranger station. Andy it would be great if you could come back. After you call your father.”
“I promise! I’ll come back in my own airboat and give Mr. Osceola a break.”
“And I’ll return for you all in the
“Like this one!” Benny proudly showed Andrew the plaster cast of the boot mark.
“Boy you kids are real pros!” Andrew said admiringly.
“We’ve been seeing this guy everywhere,” Jessie told Andrew. “He followed us up on the observation tower at Shark Valley. And we’ve seen him in the snack shop at the Miccosukee Village.”
Irene scowled at the man on the ground. “I’ve seen you hanging around, too. Who are you?”
Sighing, the man sat up. “My name is Ned Fry. I work for a rich man who owns a private zoo. He wanted a Florida panther in his zoo. So he hired me to catch one.”
“That’s terrible!” Violet exclaimed. “There are so few cats left in the wild. And you were going to steal one!”
“It’s called poaching,” Andrew said. “Ned Fry isn’t the first to poach in the Everglades. Some people will pay lots of money to have an alligator, a crocodile, even a Florida panther in their personal collections.”
“I’m also a radio operator. It wasn’t hard to find the radio frequencies on the cats’ collars,” Ned said. “Soon I began tracking Cat Number Twenty-seven.”
“But we kept seeing you at the visitors’ center,” said Benny. “You were hiding behind the postcard rack!”
Ned went on, realizing the jig was up. “I’m not that familiar with the Glades and had to keep going back into town for supplies and to the visitors’ centers for maps. One day I heard you kids talking about Andrew Beldon.”
“You looked like a tourist,” Violet said accusingly.
“I knew Andrew was in the Glades,” said Ned. His brow was sweating. “I had to keep using disguises so the park people and you Aldens wouldn’t recognize me. Once I figured you kids were looking for Andrew, I had to watch out for him and keep my eye on you, too!”
“Busy man,” Irene commented. She tilted her head toward a sound.
“I don’t think Ned will be so busy in the future,” said Andrew. “That’s your father’s airboat, isn’t it, Irene?”
“Yes, he said he’d stay on the chickee with us tonight. We’re camping out.” She put her hands on her hips and looked at Andrew. “That was you Daddy saw, wasn’t it? Why didn’t you answer him?”
“I couldn’t,” Andrew explained. “I still hadn’t found Ned or Runner. I didn’t want to get Mr. Osceola involved in case I had trouble with Ned.”
The airboat roared into the clearing, then was quiet. Mr. Osceola waded through the shallow water to the mangrove hammock.
“Well,” he said. “I see our party is a little larger. Good to see you, Andrew. You could have called back to me.”
Andrew shook his head regretfully. “Sorry, but I couldn’t risk Runner’s life. I’m afraid I’ve caused people to worry and my boss to be upset with me, but the cats come first.”
Mr. Osceola nudged Ned Fry’s shoe. “I’ve seen you sneaking around. You were after that cat, weren’t you? You left a trail a mile wide — footprints, snapped branches.”
“What will happen now?” asked Jessie. It was getting late and the bugs were getting to be even more of a nuisance.
Andrew helped Ned Fry to his feet. “Ned will have to take a little trip back to the ranger station, where he will be charged for attempted poaching. That’s a very serious crime in this state. The Florida panther is the state animal.”
“What about our camp-out?” Benny didn’t want to skip the fun part. Not before he had a chance to have his second wish granted.
Grandfather had a plan. “Suppose the kids and I set up the camp. Andy and Mr. Osceola can escort Mr. Fry to the ranger station. Andy it would be great if you could come back. After you call your father.”
“I promise! I’ll come back in my own airboat and give Mr. Osceola a break.”
“And I’ll return for you all in the
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