But they never found a single one, for the reason that they
were all set on the General's plantation, and the boys never thought
of looking there for them.
"It's my opinion," said Lester, one day, when the two were seated at
a camp-fire in the woods, broiling a brace of squirrels which Bob had
shot, "that David has given it up as a bad job and left the way clear
for us."
"Hurrah!" shouted Bob.
"Well--yes; but I'd hurrah louder if he had only set a dozen or two
traps and given us a chance to rob them. If he'd done that, we might
have had a hundred birds on hand now. The best thing we can do is to
set our own traps and catch the quails as fast as we can. We'll keep
an eye on David all the same, however."
This programme was duly carried out--that is, they spent the rest of
the day in setting their traps, but they did not devote any more time
to watching David's movements. Two incidents happened within a few
hours that suggested new ideas to them, and made them sure that at
last they had the game in their own hands. They had built a good many
traps, and having no mule and wagon at their command, as Don Gordon
had, it took them all the rest of the day to set them, so that it was
dark by the time they reached home.
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