Dan, who was still sunning himself on the bench, must have thought so, for when his brother first appeared in sight, he jumped up and stared at him as if he could not quite make up his mind whether the approaching object was David Evans, or one of the dreaded haunts that lived in the General's lane.

He could not wholly satisfy himself on this point until he had made some inquiries.

"Is that you your own self, Davy ?" he asked, holding himself ready to take to his heels in case a satisfactory answer was not promptly returned.
David replied that it was.
"What's the matter of you, an' whar you been ?" continued Dan.

"Whar's your gun ?" "I have swam the bayou twice, and I have been taking a walk in the woods.

My gun is in the water near the foot of Bruin's Island." Dan opened his eyes and was about to propound a multitude of questions, when something that came around the corner of the cabin just then checked him.