he had no desire to face a wild animal alone
and unaided, and he was in no condition to do it, either. We say
alone and unaided, because Bert would have been of no assistance to
him. Bert was a famous shot with his double-barrel, and no boy in the
settlement could show more game, after a day spent among the
waterfowl, than he could; but he was too timid and excitable to be of
any use to one placed in a situation of danger. Even the sight of a
deer dashing through the woods, or the whirr of a flock of quails as
they unexpectedly arose from the bushes at his feet, would set him to
shaking so violently that he could not shoot.

"What do you suppose it was, Don?" asked Bert, and Godfrey did not
fail to notice that his voice trembled when he spoke. "Was it a wild
cat or a panther?"

"O, no," replied Don. "One of those animals wouldn't warn us. He'd be
down on us before we knew he was about. I wish I had my rifle and the
free use of my legs. I'd never leave the island until I had one good
pop at him."

A slight rustling in the cane told the listeners that Don was again
advancing slowly along the path. Dan was afraid that he had made up
his mind to risk a shot with his double-barrel, and so was Godfrey,
who uttered another growl, louder and fiercer than the first, and
rattled the cane with his hands. That was too much even for Don's
courage; and Bert was frightened almost out of his senses.

"Look out, Don! Look out!" he exclaimed. "He is coming!"

"Let him come," replied Don, retreating backward along the path.

"Run! run!" entreated Bert.

"That's quite impossible. I'm doing the best I can now. If he shows
himself I'll fill his head full of number six shot."

Godfrey continued to growl and rattle the cane at intervals, but
there was no need of it, for Don was quite as anxious to reach his
boat and leave the island as Godfrey and Dan were to have him do so.
He retreated along the path with all the speed he could command,
holding himself ready to make as desperate a fight as he could if
circumstances should render it necessary, and presently a rattling of
oars and a splashing in the water told the listeners that he and his
brother were pushing off and making their way down the bayou. In
order to satisfy himself on this point, Godfrey crawled over the pile
of cane, behind which he had been concealed and moved quickly, but
noiselessly along the path, closely followed by Dan. On reaching the
edge of the cane they looke