Godfrey's prediction was about
to be fulfilled. Don was going back to the island to shoot the bear
which had frightened him and his brother the day before. The thought
made Dan almost frantic. He jumped up and knocked his heels together,
slapped his hands, dashed his hat upon the ground and made other
demonstrations indicative of a very perturbed state of mind.
"Pap's in fur it now, an' so am I," said he, in an excited whisper.
"He'll get his jacket wet swimmin' the bayou to get away from them
fellers, if they give him the chance, an' I'll get mine dusted with a
hickory, kase I didn't fetch that canoe up thar. I jest wish I knowed
what to do."
Dan, almost ready to cry with vexation and alarm, watched the canoe
until it turned into the bayou and passed out of his sight, and then
went back to the bench and sat down to think about this new
difficulty in which he found himself, and to find a way out of it if
he could. His father would be compelled to hunt up a new hiding-place
now--there was no way to prevent that--and in order to leave the
island he would probably be forced to swim the bayou, for he would
have no time to build a raft. That would, of course, make him angry,
and he never could breathe easily again until he had taken
satisfaction out of somebody.
Pages:
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179