CHAPTER XVII
THE RIVAL CAMPERS
It was no light matter to get the three deer down to the lake shore. The old hunter showed the boys how to lash the game to long poles, resting the poles on their shoulders as they walked along.
"I believe I'll take the buck to town," said Jed Sanborn. "I can get a good price for him there."
"Will you take one of the deer home for us?" asked Snap, after consulting with his fellow-members of the gun club.
"Sure I will, lad."
"We want the meat divided," came from Shep. "Give each family its fair share." And so it was arranged, and the boys told Jed Sanborn to tell their folks that all was going well and they were "having the time of their lives."
After Jed Sanborn had departed the four boys set to work to cut up the deer they had kept. They nailed the hide up so that it might he preserved, and then cut a fine venison steak for supper.
"Now we've got a real camp!" cried Snap, enthusiastically. "Just think of it! Deer meat!" And he fairly danced a jig for joy.
It was certainly a happy gathering, and the young hunters voted the venison steak the best meat they had ever eaten.
"Well, I declare!" cried Whopper, presently, as he gazed across the lake. "Am I mistaken, or is that a camp-fire I see."
"It certainly is a fire," answered Snap, leaping to his feet.
"Maybe it belongs to those persons we heard shooting, after we shot the deer," suggested Shep.
The boys were curious to know what sort of folks could be in that vicinity, and after it was talked over, Snap and Whopper entered the rowboat and moved over the lake in the direction of the strange light.
"I see three persons moving around," announced Snap, as they drew closer. "Let us remain on the lake until we make sure what sort of people they are."
They drew closer with caution and at last made out five young men, among them Ham Spink, the Fairview dude, who was, as usual, smoking a cigarette.
"It's the whole Ham Spink crowd," muttered Snap—-"Ham and Dick Bush, Carl Dudder, Sid Foley and Sam Anderson. I didn't know they were coming up here."
"Ham said something about going hunting," answered Whopper. "Don't you know how he stuck up his nose at our way of going out?"
"Yes, I remember. But I don't see that their camp looks any better than ours does," went on Snap. "See, they have a fancy striped tent. That looks well, but it can't be very warm."
"They have one of those patent cook stoves, Snap. They don't use the camp-fire to cook by."
"Well, I'd just as soon use the regular fire."
"See, they have a wash-stand and a regular looking-glass," went on
Whopper. "Nothing like being in style, is there?"
During their conversation the two boys had allowed their craft to float close to shore. Now one of the lads in the camp saw the boat and leaped up in alarm.
"Somebody is coming, fellows!" he called out.
"Oh, it's only Snap Dodge and Whopper Dawson," drawled Ham Spink, lighting a fresh cigarette. "What do you want?" he asked, abruptly.
"Nothing," answered Snap, coldly.
"Then why did you come over?"
"We wanted to find out who was camping here, that's all."
"Humph! You are over there, ain't you?" went on Spink.
"Yes."
"Had any luck hunting?"
"A little."
"Just wait till we get down to business. We are going to bring down everything in sight," went on Ham Spink. He could hardly talk without "blowing his own horn," as some of the boys put it.
"Were you out for something this afternoon?" asked Whopper, curiously.
"What business is that of yours?" asked one of the other boys.
"None at all."
"Yes, we were out. We got two fine wild turkeys," answered Ham Spink.
"To-morrow we are going after some deer we saw early this morning."
"Maybe you won't get them, Ham," said Snap.
"Why not, I'd like to know?"
"We got three of them this afternoon."
"Three deer!" came from nearly all of the rival hunters.
"Yes."
"Oh, that's a fairy-tale," came from Ham Spink. "You can't make me believe it."
"It is true," said Whopper. "Jed Sanborn was along. He took two of the deer to town, and we have the other at our camp."
"Humph! Think you are some pumpkins, I suppose," sneered Ham Spink. "Well, let me tell you one thing: Don't you dare to interfere with our hunting after this."
"We have as much right to hunt here as you have."
"We saw those deer first and it was our right to shoot them."
"Then why didn't you shoot?"
"Next time we will," said one of the other boys.
"How long are you going to stay here?"
"As long as we please."
A few more words passed, and then Snap and Whopper turned their boat around and started back for their own camp.
Hardly had they done this when something whizzed through the air and landed in the bottom of the boat with a squashing sound. It was a tomato that was overripe, and the center splashed over both boys.
"Who threw that?" cried Snap, in anger.
There was no answer.
"Whoever threw that is too cowardly to own to it!" went on the leader of the Fairview Gun Club.
"Do you mean to say we are a set of cowards?" blustered Ham Spink.
"Yes, you are, to do such a mean thing as that in the dark."
Just then another overripe tomato came whizzing over the rowboat.
Had not Whopper ducked his head he must have been struck.
"Wait, I'll give them a dose of shot!" cried Whopper, reaching down into the boat as if to take a gun. As a matter of fact, the boys had brought no weapons with them.
"Hi! hi! Don't you dare to shoot!" roared Ham Spink, in terror.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" came from some of the dude's friends.
"Are you going to throw any more things at us?" demanded Whopper.
"No, no!"
Some of the boys on shore were so scared that they ran for the nearest trees and got out of sight.
"We ought to give them a shot or two," said Snap, seeing the joke of the situation. "Maybe it will put some common sense into them."
"Don't!" came once more from three of the boys on shore, and they drew further out of sight than ever.
"You are a set of cowards," said Snap. "Now, don't you dare to make any more trouble for us. If you do, you'll surely get into hot water."
"We'll—-er—-let you alone if you'll let us alone," answered Ham
Spink, in a voice that trembled.
"Very well, then, see that you remember that," said Snap.
A moment later he and Whopper rowed away and soon the darkness hid them from the view of the Spink party. Then the boys on shore drew a sigh of relief.
"What rowdies!" declared one boy, who was as dudish as Spink. "I really believe they would have shot us, don't you know!"
"Very, very rude," said the youth who had thrown one of the tomatoes.
"They ought to be locked up for threatening us," declared Ham Spink. "It is an outrage that we cannot come here for an outing without being bothered by such low creatures."
"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 nobody is around," said Ham Spink.
"For if they caught us at it they would surely kill us."
"Oh, we'll be careful!"