rd General Gordon's. He was greatly enraged
over his failure to steal his brother's ten dollars, and really
thought David had been guilty of a mean piece of business in putting
his money where it would be safe.

"He hain't went off with that thar shootin'-iron on his shoulder fur
nothin'," thought Dan. "He's goin' huntin' with them Gordon fellers,
and he'll have a nice time an' get somethin' good to eat, while I
must go without my dinner, dog-gone it, kase thar hain't nobody here
to cook it fur me. They don't take half so much notice of me as they
would if I was a pinter dog!"

Dan sat on the bench for half an hour or more, now and then looking
down the road as if he were waiting for something, and all the while
his mind was occupied with such thoughts as these. At last the sight
of Don Gordon's canoe, which suddenly appeared in the lake, brought
him to his feet and sent him behind the cabin in great haste. It did
more. It recalled to him the fact that his father had told him to
steal that same canoe and bring it to Bruin's Island, together with
several necessary articles that were to be purchased at Silas Jones's
store. Dan had not once thought of this since he saw David at the
landing with ten dollars in his hand, and heard the grocer tell him
that his credit was good for six months; but he thought of it the
moment he saw the canoe with the hounds curled up in the bow. His
eyes were sharp enough to see that Don carried his rifle in his
hands, and that a heavy shot-gun, which Dan knew belonged to General
Gordon, leaned over Bert's shoulder. Godfrey's prediction was about
to be fulfilled. Don was going back to the island to shoot the bear
which had frightened him and his brother the day before. The thought
made Dan almost frantic. He jumped up and knocked his heels together,
slapped his hands, dashed his hat upon the ground and made other
demonstrations indicative of a very perturbed state of mind.

"Pap's in fur it now, an' so am I," said he, in an excited whisper.
"He'll get his jacket wet swimmin' the bayou to get away from them
fellers, if they give him the chance, an' I'll get mine dusted with a
hickory, kase I didn't fetch that canoe up thar. I jest wish I knowed
what to do."

Dan, almost ready to cry with vexation and alarm, watched the canoe
until it turned into the bayou and passed out of his sight, and then
went back to the bench and sat down to think about this new
difficulty in which he found himself, a