road, who told them about his "son" and how proud he was of him. That night he returns to the swamp to continue his vigil and encounters McLean, who says he loves Freckles and is going to make him his son. McLean gives Freckles a second revolver for extra protection. In the days that follow, the Bird Woman comes to the swamp often to photograph bird nests while Freckles sings for the Swamp Angel and shows her the wonders of the swamp. One day the Bird Woman spots Wessner and Black Jack in the process of sawing down a tree. Although Freckles' first instinct is to protect the women, the Bird Woman devises a plan to foil the theft, telling Freckles to give the Angel one of his revolvers and producing one of her own. Under the cover of the swamp the three drive off the thieves. Her skill with a gun gives Freckles further reason to love the Swamp Angel. The next day he returns the Angel's hat that she left behind during the fracas to her father at work, rather than going to her home, and this gentlemanly behavior makes a positive impression. While Freckles secretly worships the Swamp Angel, he believes himself to be far below her in social class and meaning nothing to her. Freckles is given the use of a bicycle to alert the camp swiftly should the thieves appear again. In spite of these precautions, Black Jack ambushes Freckles at dawn, spilling him from his bicycle, and captures him. His gang, all deserters from McLean's crew, tie him to a tree in the room and begin to cut down a valuable tree in its wall. After they finish, Freckles is to be left for Wessner to kill personally, and his body will be hidden so that it will look like he joined the thieves, killing his reputation as well. However, the Swamp Angel finds them, pretends to think they are on official camp business, flirts with Black Jack to make him trust her, and rides off on Freckles' bicycle. She sends Mrs. Duncan to warn the Bird Woman on the other side of the swamp and rides off to bring help. Despite crashing the bicycle she reaches the camp and urges the crew to hurry. When the reinforcements return, led by the Angel, they finds that the Bird Woman has shot Black Jack in