Four Boy Hunters Part 24

"I tell you what we can do," piped in one of the crowd. "Let us go over to their camp some day when they are away and hide all their things on them."

"Yes, that's an idea!" cried several. "It will be lots of fun, and they won't know who did it."

"Well, we want to be certain that n.o.body is around," said Ham Spink.

"For if they caught us at it they would surely kill us."

"Oh, we'll be careful!"

CHAPTER XVIII

A MIX-UP IN CAMP

After the deer hunt the young hunters were content to take it easy for several days, lolling around the camp, or going out fis.h.i.+ng on the lake or up the river beyond.

While fis.h.i.+ng one day, Giant and Shep ran into several of the Spink crowd and some unpleasant words pa.s.sed. When the rival campers separated, the feeling upon both sides was very bitter.

"I don't like those chaps at all," was Shep's comment. "I am sorry they came to Firefly Lake."

"They make me sick," was the way Giant expressed himself. "And they are such dudes, too, with their fancy hunting outfits and patent fis.h.i.+ng gear."

"And not one of them can shoot worth a cent," said Snap.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw them at the shooting-gallery one day. They couldn't make a single bull's-eye, try their best, and lots of times they didn't even hit the target."

On Friday, Shep came into camp from a walk up the lake and his face showed his excitement.

"I saw some more deer!" he cried. "Come on, all of you! It's the chance of our lives!"

This announcement filled the crowd with excitement, and soon they were asking all sorts of questions of the doctor's son. He had looked across the upper end of the lake and had seen seven or eight deer making their way along one of the mountain trails.

"We'll take to the boat and go over," said Snap. "Hurry up and get some provisions together. This may keep us out all day."

The boys set to work with a will, and in twenty minutes were ready for the trip. They kicked out the camp-fire, shut up the cabin and then leaped into the rowboat and took up the oars.

"I suppose the cabin is safe," said Snap, a little anxiously.

"Safe enough," answered Shep, whose mind was on the deer.

The young hunters rowed up the lake with all speed, and, landing, tied their craft fast among the bushes.

"This will be an all-day chase, I guess," said Giant.

"Well, what of it?" returned Whopper. "Our time is our own. I hope we get at least one deer."

The young hunters soon pa.s.sed out of sight of the sh.o.r.e, and a moment later another rowboat appeared, containing Ham Spink and his particular crony, d.i.c.k Bush.

"Say, Ham, did you hear what they said?" asked d.i.c.k Bush, eagerly.

"I certainly did, d.i.c.k," drawled Spink.

"They expect to be gone all day."

"Exactly."

"This will give us the chance we have been looking for."

"By jove! that's so!"

"We can go over to their camp and do just as we please, and they will never know who did it."

"Not unless they come back sooner than we expect."

"We can stop them from coming back in a hurry."

"I don't see how."

"Over yonder is their boat. We can tow that along. When they find the boat gone they'll have to walk around the end of the lake, and that will take a long time."

"So it will. Do you think it is safe to take the boat now?"

"We can wait a little while."

They waited, and at last, thinking the coast clear, pulled the other craft from the bushes and tied it to the stern of their own boat.

Then they wound up their lines, for they had been fis.h.i.+ng, and lost no time in rowing to their camp, where they had left their cronies lolling in the sun, smoking cigarettes and playing cards.

"Hullo! where did you pick up the boat?" asked one of the other boys.

"It belongs to the Snap Dodge crowd," answered Ham Spink. "Boys, we have got the chance of our lives to get square with that crowd now,"

he added.

Matters were speedily explained, and all of the dudish boys present voted it would be just the thing to go over to the other camp and "make a mix of it," as they expressed it.

No time was lost in getting away from their own camp, and it did not take them long to get to the opposite sh.o.r.e of the lake. Here they took the second rowboat and hid it under some overhanging bushes.

"We'll make it look as if it drifted here," said Ham Spink, and this was done, a broken line dragging in the water over the bow.

Arriving at the other camp, the dudish boys proceeded to make themselves at home. Feeling certain Snap's crowd would not return for some time, they rekindled the fire and cut themselves some meat and took whatever of the stores they wanted. Inside of an hour a good dinner was ready and they sat down to this with gusto.

"Nothing like living on the fat of the land," observed Ham Spink.

"Must say, their coffee is all right."

"That's because you made it good and strong," said another of the boys.