Page:Dave Porter on Cave Island.djvu/47

Rh All gazed steadily in the direction but saw nothing unusual.

"Maybe it was a rabbit, or a bear, or something like that," suggested Buster. "If it's a bear we had better look out," he added, nervously.

"We'll soon find out," said Dave. "Come on," and he walked forward toward the woods. But he found nothing and soon rejoined his companions.

"I must have been mistaken," said Ben. "Come on, if we are to do any hunting." And off he stalked, and one by one the others followed.

Evidently the shots at the partridges had scared much of the game away, for at the upper end of the island they started up nothing but two squirrels and a few wild pigeons. Then they came down the north shore and there bagged two rabbits. They also saw a wild turkey, but it got away before anybody could take aim at it.

"See, it has started to snow!" cried the senator's son, presently, and he was right. At first the flakes were few, but inside of five minutes it was snowing steadily.

"We may as well start for the Hall," said Dave. "This storm looks as if it might last for some time."

They left the shore and soon reached the edge of the island. By this time the snowflakes were