a little armful of leaves under the roof of the lean-to and there
was a block of wood beside the fire-place, the position of which was
pointed out by a bed of ashes and cinders. The leaves served for a
bed and the block of wood for a chair; and they were all the
"furniture" that was to be seen about the camp. But Godfrey was very
well satisfied with his surroundings and Dan was delighted with them.
It must be splendid, he thought, to live there all by one's self with
nothing to worry over and no work to do. It was not even necessary
that Godfrey should chop wood for the fire, for the upper end of the
island was covered with broken logs and branches, and five minutes'
work every morning would suffice to provide him with all the fuel he
would be likely to burn during the day.

"What a nice place you've got here, pap!" said Dan, when he had taken
a hurried survey of the camp.

"I reckon it's about right," replied Godfrey. "I had this fur a
hidin' place while the Yanks was a scoutin' about through the
country, an' I come here now kase nobody won't think of lookin' fur
me so nigh the settlement. An' they won't stumble onto me afore I
know it, nuther. They can't git to me if they come afoot kase the
bayou'll stop 'em; an' I never heard of nobody coming up here in a
boat. Nothing bothers me 'ceptin' a bar. He comes over every night
to feed on the beech-nuts an' acorns, an' some night he'll come fur
the last time. I'll jest knock him over, and then I'll have meat
enough to last me a month. I build my fire and do my cookin' at
night, so't nobody can't see the smoke, an' that's what frightened
the bar away afore I could shoot him."

"I've a notion to come here an' live with you, pap," said Dan.

"'Twon't be safe," replied his father, quickly. "If you're missin'
from home folks might begin to hunt fur us, an' that's somethin' I
don't want 'em to do. 'Sides you must stay in the settlement an' help
me. I shall need things from the store now an' then, an' as I can't
go and git 'em myself, you'll have to git 'em fur me. But what was
you sayin' about Dave?" asked Godfrey, throwing himself down on one
of the piles of cane and motioning to Dan to occupy the block of
wood.

"I was a sayin' that he's a little the meanest feller I ever seed,"
replied Dan, "an' don't you say so too, pap? Kase why, he's goin' to
git fifty dollars fur them quail, an' he's goin' to give the money
all to the ole woman."

"An' leave me to freeze an' star