in some form, always accompanied him
whenever there was a possible chance of his being alone for any length
of time.

Then David left the farm. He said good-bye to no one. To one of the
maids who saw him leaving he merely explained that he was going for a
walk. He did not ask for food to take with him. His one idea was to be
off as soon as possible.

The boy was not entirely certain of the route that he must travel. He
knew of but one way to go, and it stretched over many miles. It might
mean delay and difficulty. David was not as strong as he had been before
the shock and injury of the fire. Still, the thing must be done. It was
not the physical effort that worried David.

The trip seemed interminable. The lad had to travel along the road that
led back to the houseboat, and from there to follow the line of the
river bank to a well-remembered spot. David swung along as rapidly as
possible. His greatest desire was to make his journey and to return to
the farm before the riding party got home. He might then have an
explanation to make. What could he say if anybody demanded to know where
he had been? His silence would create suspicion. But then, David had
kept his own counsel before to-day.

It was well into the afternoon before the boy reached his destination.
Slowly and cautiously, making as little noise as possible, he climbed a
hill that rose before him. The crest of the hill was heavily wooded and
a high pile of sticks and branches formed a clever hiding place. But
there was no human being in sight, no old woman, no man, no sign of a
fire except a few ashes that had been carefully scattered over the
ground.

When the youth reached the top he stood still and looked cautiously
about him. He could hear the rush of the river below the hill and the
rustle of the wind in the trees. He crouched low and put his ear to the
ground, like an Indian, then rose and, with a frown, went to the brush
heap and crawled under it. Presently he came out, holding in his hand a
small red handkerchief which was knotted and tied together. David's face
was very stern. It seemed that something which he had feared had come
true; yet the lad turned and went down the hill again, whistling and
kicking at the underbrush and shrubbery as he walked, as though he were
trying to make as much noise as possible. Ten minutes later David came
back up the hill by another route as quietly as some creature of the
woods in hiding from a foe. Behind a tree