regarding the capture of the bear, which had so long held possession of the island, brought a bright idea into his mind, and he acted upon it at the right time, too.  It was the only thing that saved him from discovery.  Don was not afraid of a man, and if he had known that Godfrey was hidden in the cane a few feet in advance of him, he would have walked straight up to him, and accused him of stealing his boat; but 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 looked down the stream and saw the brothers twenty rods away in their boat, Bert tugging at the oars as if his life depended on his exertions.  The danger of discovery was over for the present, but how were Dan and his father to leave the island now without swimming?  Don had taken his canoe away with him.