Giant walked to the other side of the little hill and then along a cove of the big swamp.  Far ahead he saw some birds, resting close to the water’s edge.  He felt they might be quail or perhaps some wild turkeys.

The ground was anything but firm, and Giant soon had to leap from one dry patch to another.  He was half tempted to turn back, but now he was almost within gun-shot of the game and he hated to give up the quest.

“I’ll go back a bit from the water and come around on the other side,” he reasoned.  Then he took to another course, only to find, presently, that it was worse than the first.  He was now between clumps of reeds, and almost before he knew it one of the clumps turned over on him, sending him into the water and mud up to his knees.

“Gracious! this won’t do!” he muttered, and tried to turn back.  He found the water and mud very treacherous, and in a few seconds he went down again, this time to his waist.  His feet were in the mud so firmly that he could scarcely budge them.  He let out a cry for help.  Then the mud below the surface commenced to sink, and in a few minutes poor Giant was up to his armpits.  What to do he did not know, and it looked as if he would surely be drowned.

CHAPTER XVI

THE RESCUE OF GIANT

Snap had the breakfast well underway when Shep came out of the tent.

“Hello, you’re at it early,” remarked the doctor’s son.  “Why didn’t you call me and I would have helped you.”

“Oh, I didn’t want to disturb you, Shep, you were snoozing so comfortably.”

“Where is Giant?”

“Gone off to see if he can get some game before we leave.”

“Do you want me to help with breakfast?  If you don’t, I’ll try for some game myself.”

“Go ahead—–­only come back when I whistle,” answered the leader of the club.

The doctor’s son was soon on his way, with his shotgun trailing in his hand.  He, too, crossed the little hill as Giant had done.  Hardly had he done this than he caught sight of a wild turkey and let drive, bringing the game down some distance ahead of him.

“Now I am going to have some fun getting that turkey,” he told himself, as he surveyed the mud and water before him.

It was no light task to bring in the game, and the doctor’s son got both feet wet.  But the turkey was a gobbler and of good size, and he was very proud when he had the game over his shoulder in true sportsman’s style.

“Guess I’ll go on a little further and see if I can stir up anything else,” he thought.  “If game is plentiful around here maybe it will pay us to stay for a day or two after all.”

He trudged on, and had just caught sight of what looked like some wild ducks when a cry reached his ears.  At first he imagined it came from behind him, and thought it might be Snap calling him to breakfast, but then he concluded it came from in front.