' search,
and a single glance at them confirmed his suspicions. They were made
by a barefooted man, and that man must have been Godfrey Evans, for
there was no one else in the settlement, that he knew of, who was so
very anxious to escape observation that he was willing to swim a
bayou on a cold day.

"I was right," said David to himself, feeling grieved and mortified
when he remembered that his father had been hunted like a wild
animal. "He is somewhere about here, and if I find him, I shall find
the pointer with him. There he is now!"

The sharp crack of a rifle rang through the woods at that moment, and
David scrambled up the bank and hurried away in the direction from
which it sounded. He knew it was his father's gun (those who are
experienced in such matters will tell you that there is as much
difference in the reports of rifles as there is in the sound of the
human voice), even before he received the proof that came a moment
later. Scarcely had the report died away when he heard an impatient
yelp just in front of him, and that he also recognised. It was
uttered by Dandy. Godfrey was probably out hunting for his breakfast,
and the pointer, excited by the report of the gun, was complaining
because he was tied up in the camp and left behind. This was the way
David explained the situation to himself, and the sequel proved that
he was right.

After running through the bushes for a short distance, David came
within sight of a little cloud of smoke, which ascended from a hollow
just in advance of him. A few steps more brought him within sight of
the camp, and the first object his eyes rested upon was Don Gordon's
pointer, which was tied to a sapling near a little bark lean-to,
something like the one Godfrey occupied while he was living on the
island. The animal, hearing his approach, advanced to meet him as far
as the length of his rope would allow, and stood wagging his tail
with every demonstration of joy.

"I've saved Don ten dollars," thought David, as he pulled out his
knife and cut the rope, "and I have kept Dan and father from playing
a most contemptible trick upon one who would be a good friend to
them, if they would only let him."

David had taken no pains to approach his father's camp without being
discovered. He knew he was in the right, and he intended to be open
and above board in everything he did. He expected to meet his father
face to face, and he was ready to use every argument he could think
of