bayou'll stop 'em; an' I never heard of nobody coming up here in a
boat. Nothing bothers me 'ceptin' a bar. He comes over every night
to feed on the beech-nuts an' acorns, an' some night he'll come fur
the last time. I'll jest knock him over, and then I'll have meat
enough to last me a month. I build my fire and do my cookin' at
night, so't nobody can't see the smoke, an' that's what frightened
the bar away afore I could shoot him."

"I've a notion to come here an' live with you, pap," said Dan.

"'Twon't be safe," replied his father, quickly. "If you're missin'
from home folks might begin to hunt fur us, an' that's somethin' I
don't want 'em to do. 'Sides you must stay in the settlement an' help
me. I shall need things from the store now an' then, an' as I can't
go and git 'em myself, you'll have to git 'em fur me. But what was
you sayin' about Dave?" asked Godfrey, throwing himself down on one
of the piles of cane and motioning to Dan to occupy the block of
wood.

"I was a sayin' that he's a little the meanest feller I ever seed,"
replied Dan, "an' don't you say so too, pap? Kase why, he's goin' to
git fifty dollars fur them quail, an' he's goin' to give the money
all to the ole woman."

"An' leave me to freeze an' starve out here in the cane?" exclaimed
Godfrey, with a great show of indignation. "Not by no means he won't.
If he don't mind what he's about we'll take the hul on it, Dan, me
an' you will."

"_He_ won't get none on it, you kin bet high on that," said Dan. "I