e in the conversation, he
looked toward the place where it ought to be, but could see nothing
of it. "What's the matter?" asked his brother, who saw that there
was something wrong.

"That's Long Point, isn't it?" asked Bert, in reply. "It certainly
is, but where's the house?"

"You haven't been there in almost six months, and perhaps you have
forgotten where it is," said Don, with a laugh.

"No, I haven't. It stood close beside a big shell-bark, didn't it?
Well, there's the tree; now show me the shooting-box?"

Don faced about on his seat, expecting to point the building out to
his brother at once, and was a good deal surprised when he found that
he could not see it himself. There was the tree, sure enough, but the
spot which the shooting-box ought to have occupied, was vacant. After
running his eyes all along the shore, to satisfy himself that he had
made no mistake as to the locality, Don picked up the oars again, and
with a few more strokes brought the canoe to the bank. All there was
left of the shooting-box they could have carried away in their arms.
Even the stove had not escaped destruction. The chimney had fallen
upon it and it was completely ruined.

"Godfrey means to put a stop to all our fun if he can, doesn't he?"
said Bert, who thought that a man who would steal a canoe and spring
a trap, would be guilty of any meanness.

"Let's go home," was Don's reply. "We'll have another shooting-box
here some day, Bert, and it will beat the old one all to pieces."

The boys thought they had had hard luck that day, and so did their
father, when he had heard their story; but they came very near having
worse luck that night, and they never knew anything about it until
several days afterward. The General found it out the next morning.
He went to the fields at an early hour, as he always did, to set his
negroes at work, and was met by the hostler, who had an exciting
piece of news to communicate. "Misser Gordon," said he, "Misser Don's
hound dogs done treed two fellers down dar in de quarter. Dey's been
dar all de blessed night top o' dat ar house; yes, sar, dat's what
dey says, sar!"

The General replied that if the two fellows had come there for the
purpose of stealing, he was glad of it, and said he would go and take
a look at them. When he saw them, perhaps he would know where the
contents of his smoke-house had been going lately. He rode down to
the quarters as soon as his horse was brought out, and when he c