Bob slept but little that night for excitement, and dreaming about the glorious things that might be in store for him, kept him awake.  He and Lester were up long before the sun, and as soon as they had eaten breakfast, they mounted their horses and rode off in the direction of Godfrey Evans’s house.  Early as it was when they arrived there, they found the cabin deserted by all save Dan, who sat on the bench by the door.  David was hastening through the woods toward his father’s camp, intent on finding the pointer, and Mrs. Evans had gone to her daily labor.

“He’s just went over to the General’s house, Dave has,” said Dan, in reply to a question from Lester; and he thought he told the truth, for we know that David went in that direction on purpose to mislead his brother.  “Yes, he’s went up thar, an’ ’tain’t no ways likely that he’ll be to hum afore dark.”

The visitors turned their horses about and rode away, and as soon as they were out of sight of the cabin, they struck into the woods to make one more effort to find David’s traps, if he had set any.  But, as usual, they met with no success, and Lester again gave it as his opinion, that David had no intention of trying to trap the quails.  Bob thought so too; but in less than half an hour, they received positive proof that they were mistaken.  They were riding around the rear of one of the General’s fields, on their way home, when they happened to cast their eyes through the bushes that lined the fence, and saw something that surprised them greatly, and caused them to draw rein at once.  There was a wagon in the field, and Don and Bert Gordon were passing back and forth between it and a little thicket of bushes and briers that stood a short distance away.  They left the wagon with empty hands, and when they came back, they brought their arms full of something, which they stowed away in a box.  While Lester and Bob were looking at them, a small, dark object suddenly arose from the box and came toward them, passing swiftly over their heads and disappearing in the woods.

“That’s a quail!” exclaimed Bob.  “It escaped from Don’s hands.”

“Yes, sir, and we have made a discovery,” said Lester.  “Dave Evans hasn’t given up trapping the quails after all.  He’s catching them every day, and Don and Bert are helping him.”

“It’s just like them,” replied Bob, in great disgust.  “They’re always poking their noses into other people’s business.  But I don’t feel as badly over it as I did a short time ago.”

“I know what you are counting on.  You are as sure of that mail carrier’s berth as you would be if you were to ride the route for the first time to-day; but if you should happen to slip up on it, you’d be glad to have the seventy-five dollars to fall back on.”

“O, I am willing to work for it,” replied Bob, quickly, “not only because I want it myself, but because I don’t want Dave Evans to have it.  What’s to be done?”