ect and now and then they growled
savagely.

When David had driven home a good-sized charge of buckshot and placed
a cap upon his gun, he leaned the weapon against the thwart upon
which he was sitting and picked up the oars. Don dropped his paddle
into the water, and the canoe moved around the foot of the island and
along the beach, until it reached a point opposite the place where
Bert had found the path the day before. Then it was turned toward the
bank, and the moment the bow grounded, the hounds sprang out. The
boys followed with all haste, and Bert, as he stepped ashore, drew
the canoe half way out of the water, so that the current could not
carry her down the stream.

"Now, we'll send the dogs in to drive him out," said Don, "and if
they can push him fast enough to make him take to a tree, he's our
bear; but if he takes to the water and swims to the mainland, we
shall lose him. We don't care for that, however. He'll be sure to
come back, and when he does he'll find a trap waiting for him. We'll
see as much sport in catching him alive as we would in shooting him.
Hunt 'em up, there!" he added, waving his hand along the path.

The hounds, baying fierce and loud at every jump, went tearing
through the cane, followed by the boys, who moved in single file, Don
leading the way. A very few minutes sufficed to bring them to the
cleared spot in which Godfrey's camp was located, and there they
found the hounds running about showing every sign of anger and
excitement.

"They're on a warm trail," said Don, looking first into each corner
of the cleared space and then up into the trees over his head. "The
game has just left here. This is somebody's old camp, and the bear
has taken possession of it. No doubt he slept in that shanty. Hunt
'em up, there!"

The hounds followed Godfrey's trail through the camp, and diving into
the cane on the opposite side were quickly out of sight. The boys
followed, and presently stood panting and almost breathless beside
the drift-wood where the hounds were running about close to the
water's edge, now and then looking toward the opposite shore and
baying loudly. But Godfrey was safely out of their reach. Seizing the
opportunity when the hunters and dogs were hidden from view in the
cane, he stepped into the water and struck out for the mainland. He
had hardly time to climb the bank and conceal himself in the bushes
before Don's hounds were running about on the very spot where he had
been