, perhaps it is, my lad."

"But what have you found?"

"What do you say to a 'coon?"

"Oh, they get into the hollow trees, where you can't catch them."

"Well then, a bear?"

"A bear!" I cried; "a real wild bear?"

"Ah, I thought that would set you off; but it arn't a bear; they're up
among the hills."

"What is it then? How you do hang back from telling!"

"Course I do. If I let you have it all at once, you wouldn't enjoy it
half so much."

"Oh, I know," I cried, "it's going to fish after those ridiculous little
terrapins, and they're such horrid things to take off the hook."

"Guess again."

"Birds? An eagle?"

"No; guess again, nearly right; something as lays eggs--"

"A turtle?"

Morgan shook his head.

"Not an alligator, is it?"

He wrinkled up his face in a hearty laugh.

"Alligator it is, sir. I found a nest yesterday."

"And didn't tell me. I want to see an alligator's nest. I never could
find one."

"Ah, you didn't look in the right kind of tree, Master George."

"Don't talk to me as if I were a baby, Morgan," I said; "just as if I
didn't know better than that."

"Oh, but you don't know everything. I got awfully laughed at once for
saying squirrels build nests in trees."

"Oh, but they do," I said; "I've seen them."

"'Course you have; but when I said so, some one laughed, and asked how
many eggs you can find in a squirrel's nest.--So you don't believe the
'gators build in trees, don't you?"

"No; but I believe they lay eggs. How many are there in this?"

"Oh, it isn't that sort of nest. I mean a nest where he goes to sleep
in; and you and me's going to wake him up, and try if we can't catch him
and bring him home."

I could not help thinking of the Indians, as I went with Morgan to make
the preparations, which were simple enough, and consisted in arming
himself with a long pole and giving me one similar, after which he put a
piece of rope in his pocket, and declared himself ready.

We went off in the same direction as that chosen when we killed the
rattlesnake, but turned off to the left directly, and made for the bank
of the river, that bore away from the landing-place, towards a low,
moist part, intersected by the meandering stream which drained the
marshy part.

Here we had to proceed rather cautiously, for the place was full of
decayed trees covered with brilliant green and grey moss, and looking
solid, but which crumbled away at a touch from the foot, and of