ierly as he galloped away with the
other men that the boys felt as cheap as possible.

CHAPTER VII.

When the boys went into the house they found that their Aunt Mary had
a headache that morning, and, even with the best intentions of doing
her duty in teaching them, had been forced to go to bed. Their mother
was too much occupied with her charge of providing for a family of
over a dozen white persons, and five times as many colored dependents,
to give any time to acting as substitute in the school-room, so the
boys found themselves with a holiday before them. It seemed vain to
try to shoot duck on the creek, and the perch were averse to biting.
The boys accordingly determined to take both guns and to set out for a
real hunt in the big woods.

They received their mother's permission, and after a lunch was
prepared they started in high glee, talking about the squirrels and
birds they expected to kill.

Frank had his gun, and Willy had the musket; and both carried a
plentiful supply of powder and some tolerably round slugs made from
cartridges.

They usually hunted in the part of the woods nearest the house, and
they knew that game was not very abundant there; so, as a good long
day was before them, they determined to go over to the other side of
the woods.

They accordingly pushed on, taking a path which led through the
forest. They went entirely through the big woods without seeing
anything but one squirrel, and presently found themselves at the
extreme edge of Holetown. They were just grumbling at the lack of game
when they heard a distant horn. The sound came from perhaps a mile or
more away, but was quite distinct.

"What's that? Somebody fox-hunting?--or is it a dinner-horn?" asked
Willy, listening intently.

"It's a horn to warn deserters, that's what 'tis," said Frank, pleased
to show his superior knowledge.

"I tell you what to do:--let's go and hunt deserters," said Willy,
eagerly.

"All right. Won't that be fun!" and both boys set out down the road
toward a point where they knew one of the paths ran into the
pine-district, talking of the numbers of prisoners they expected to
take.

In an instant they were as alert and eager as young hounds on a trail.
They had mapped out a plan before, and they knew exactly what they had
to do. Frank was the captain, by right of his being older; and Willy
was lieutenant, and was to obey orders. The chief thing that troubled
them was that they did not wis