We found the holes (stopped with wooden plugs and painted over),
but there were not so many as I had expected. Charley noted my
look of disappointment, and laughed; and then to comfort me he gave
an authentic account of one expedition which had descended upon Big
Alec's floating home to capture him, alive preferably, dead if
necessary. At the end of half a day's fighting, the patrolmen had
drawn off in wrecked boats, with one of their number killed and
three wounded. And when they returned next morning with
reinforcements they found only the mooring-stakes of Big Alec's
ark; the ark itself remained hidden for months in the fastnesses of
the Suisun tules.
"But why was he not hanged for murder?" I demanded. "Surely the
United States is powerful enough to bring such a man to justice."
"He gave himself up and stood trial," Charley answered. "It cost
him fifty thousand dollars to win the case, which he did on
technicalities and with the aid of the best lawyers in the state.
Every Greek fisherman on the river contributed to the sum.
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