Dan
recognised the voices, and his first impulse was to jump up and take
to his heels. His next was to stay where he was until the wagon
passed by, and this he did; for he was in an excellent hiding-place
and no one could have found him without taking pains to look for him.
The wagon came nearer, the voices grew louder, and presently Dan
heard the shrill notes of a quail directly in front of him and just
on the other side of the fence. He paid no attention to the sound
until the wagon was brought to a stand-still in front of the thicket,
and somebody, after working his way into the bushes, called out in a
cheery voice:
"Here's the first instalment of your hundred and fifty dollars,
David!"
These words made Dan so excited that he almost betrayed his presence
by letting his rifle fall out of his hands. He cautiously raised
himself to a standing position on the log, and looking through the
tops of the bushes, listened intently to catch every word that was
said.
CHAPTER XIII.
TEN DOLLARS REWARD.
When the quails had been taken out of the trap and put into the coop,
the wagon drove on, and Dan sat down on his log to think about what
he had just heard, and to wait until the coast was clear, so that he
could resume his walk toward the landing.
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