“But suppose the wind were to sweep it off, so that he couldn’t come back toward us?”

“Come, come, Joe! a truce to your suppositions; they’re any thing but pleasant.”

“Ah! sir, every thing that happens in this world is natural, of course; but, then, any thing may happen, and we ought to look out beforehand.”

At this moment the report of a gun rang out upon the air.

“What’s that?” exclaimed Joe.

“It’s my rifle, I know the ring of her!” said Kennedy.

“A signal!”

“Yes; danger for us!”

“For him, too, perhaps.”

“Let’s be off!”