Swamp Terror by Truman Capote. Short summary

5 seconds

The boys Jep and Lemmy wander the swamps looking for a convict in hopes of a reward. Lemmy goes home and Japp is left with his dog Pete. But Pete is bitten by a snake, and the boy is left all alone.

1 minute

Jep and Lemmy and Pete the dog wander through the swampy woods looking for the escaped convict. The boys want to find his lair and inform the authorities for a reward. They have already wandered far, Lemmy is frightened and offers to go back, but his friend refuses.

Lemmy left, Jep stayed with Pete. The boy moved on. Suddenly, Jep heard a cracking sound-a rattlesnake. The boy fell, and when he got up the snake was gone. Pete was gone, too. After a while he found the dog dead and swollen.

Jep went on and after a while realized he was lost. He decided to climb a tall tree. From the top the boy saw nothing, but when he began to descend, he heard voices. A convict came out to the tree, leading the crying Lemmy.

They stopped, and the man began beating the boy and asking who was hunting him. Jep sat in the tree as quiet as a mouse. Suddenly voices were heard, Lemmy screamed, and the convict began choking him. Then men appeared, and the outlaw was seized. Jep came down from the tree, but Lemmy was already dead.