CHAPTER V

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FIRST NIGHT

When Phil walked away from the spot where the power boat was secured,
with his two companions aboard, he did not mean to go far. Night would
soon swoop down on the wilderness; and from former unpleasant
experiences the young hunter knew what it was to be lost.

This was his first experience in Florida sport, and he knew that he had
lots to learn; but he was a boy who always kept his eyes and ears open;
and besides, had a general knowledge of the many things peculiar to the
country.

He had mapped out a little turn in his mind. By moving directly east
for perhaps ten minutes, then turning sharply north, and proceeding for
the same length of time, after which he would swing into the southwest,
Phil believed he might cover quite a stretch of territory, and stand
few chances of missing the river.

He pushed on through patches of the ever-present saw palmetto, with its
queer roots thrust out of the ground, and as large as a man's leg.
Phil never ceased to be interested in this strange product of the
southern zone, even if he did manage to stumble over the up-lifted
roots more than once.

The pine woods proved rather open, since they had halted for the first
night in a region where there was something of a swamp on one side of
the river, and high land on the other. Tony had of course selected the
latter for their stopping place.

Phil noticed that he had the breeze on the left as he advanced; and it
was toward this quarter in particular that he kept his eyes turned; for
if he was to get near a feeding deer it would have to be with the
animal toward the wind.

When he made his first turn, and headed north, the conditions were
still more favorable, since he was now walking directly into the breeze.

Once he heard the whirr of little wings. He had flushed a covey of
quail; but as his mind was at the time set on nobler game, and the
chance for a shot not particularly good, he did not attempt to fire;
though naturally his gun flew up to his shoulder through the hunter
instinct.

"Looks good to me ahead there?" he muttered, as he noticed some patches
of green in open spots or little glades. "If there's a deer around, I
ought to find him feeding at this hour of the afternoon."

With this idea pressing upon his mind he began to advance cautiously in
the direction of the glades; keeping his body sheltered by the scrub,
and his eyes on the alert for a moving red form