A WAR OF WORDS
The knowledge that Professor Lemm, Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell were approaching the cabins on the upper end of Snowshoe Island filled the Rover boys with wonder.
"Professor Lemm must have come to see Uncle Barney about those deeds," remarked Randy.
"I wonder if that is Slugger's father with him?" broke in Fred.
"Maybe," answered Jack. "Those men were the only two who were interested in getting possession of this island."
"I'll tell you what I think we ought to do!" exclaimed Andy.
"What?" came from the others quickly.
"I think we ought to go back to our own cabin and arm ourselves."
"That might not be such a bad idea, Andy," returned Jack. "Those men, backed up by Slugger and Nappy, may want to carry things with a high hand."
Acting on Andy's suggestion, the four boys retreated to the cabin which they had just left, and each took possession of his weapon.
"I don't think they'll try much rough-house work when they see how we are armed," remarked Randy grimly.
"Of course, we don't want to do any shooting," cautioned Jack. "We only want to scare them, in case they go too far."
"Jack, you had better be the spokesman for the crowd," remarked Randy. "You go ahead and talk to them, and we'll stand back with our guns."
Still holding his rifle, Jack went forward again, and in a moment more found himself confronted by Asa Lemm and the man who was with him.
"Rover! Is it possible!" exclaimed the former teacher of Colby Hall in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"
"I and my cousins are here to hunt."
"Humph! I didn't know old Stevenson allowed anybody to do hunting around here."
"Maybe they are hunting here without the old man's permission," suggested the other man. "Where is Barney Stevenson?" he demanded of Jack.
"Mr. Stevenson has gone over to Rockville on an errand," was the reply.
By this time Slugger and Nappy had come up, and they stared at Jack and his cousins as if they could not believe the evidences of their senses.
"Well, what do you know about this!" burst out the former bully of Colby Hall.
"All of those Rovers up here, and armed!" came from Nappy.
"Who gave you the right to come to this island?" went on the bully, glaring at Jack.
"Do you know these boys?" queried the man who was with Professor Lemm.
"Sure, Dad, I know them! They are the Rover boys I told you about—the fellows who helped to have me and Nappy sent away from school."
"Oh, so that's it!" cried Slogwell Brown. "Did you have any idea they might be up here?" he questioned quickly.
"Not the least, Dad. I thought they were down in New York. Nappy said he had seen them on the ice in Central Park."
"I did see them, too," answered the lad mentioned.
"Well, we didn't come here to see you Rovers," broke in Asa Lemm stiffly. "Not but what I have an account to settle with you," he continued significantly.
"We want nothing more to do with you, Professor Lemm," answered Jack boldly.
"But I'm going to have something to do with you, young man!" stormed the former teacher of the Hall, beginning to show his usual ill humor.
"Never mind these boys now, Lemm," interposed Slogwell Brown. "We want to fix up our business with old Stevenson first."
"If you have anything to say to Mr. Stevenson, you'll have to come when he is here," answered Jack.
"When do you expect him back?"
"I don't know exactly when he will come—probably before nightfall."
"Then, all we can do is to wait for him," grumbled Slogwell Brown.
"If we have to wait, we might as well go inside his cabin and do it," suggested Nappy. "It's too cold to stay out here."
"Yes, and I'm all tired out from wading through those snowdrifts," added Slugger. He looked past Jack at the other Rover boys. "Had any luck hunting?"
For the moment there was no reply. Then Randy stepped forward.
"I don't know as that is any of your business, Slugger," he replied coldly.
"Oh, say! you needn't get on your high-horse," growled the bully. "What Nappy and I ought to do is to pitch into you for having us fired out of the Hall."
"You stay right where you are!" cried Fred.
"Humph! you think you've got the best of us with those guns, don't you?" came from Nappy, who had ranged up beside Slugger.
"Never mind what we think," answered Andy. "If you know when you're well off, you'll keep your distance."
"See here! you boys needn't get too fresh," came harshly from Slogwell Brown. "I've heard all about your doings at Colby Hall, and how you got the professor, here, and my son and his chum into trouble. Some day I intend to make you suffer for that. But just now we are here on a different errand."
"We're going to put old Stevenson off this island and take possession!" cried Nappy triumphantly. "And then, when he goes, you can go, too!"
"Why cannot we take possession of these two cabins at once?" suggested Asa Lemm. "The island belongs to us, and we have a perfect right to do so."
"Of course we can take possession," answered Slogwell Brown. "Remember—possession is nine points of the law," he added, in a low tone of voice.
"We'll show old Stevenson where he belongs," growled Slugger.
"Yes, and we'll show these Rover boys where they belong, too," put in Nappy, his eyes snapping viciously.
Without further ado, the whole party started toward the cabin which was Barney Stevenson's home. Evidently the men had been there before, and knew that this was the right building of the two.
"Oh, Jack! are you going to let them take possession?" questioned Fred, in a low voice.
"What do you fellows think we ought to do?" queried the oldest Rover boy quickly.
"I think we ought to make them keep out until Uncle Barney gets back," answered Randy.
"That's my idea, too," added his twin.
"They may have the right to this island, but I'd make them fight it out with Mr. Stevenson," was Fred's comment.
"That's just the way I look at it, too," answered Jack. "Come on, Randy; we'll guard that cabin while Andy and Fred can remain here to guard this place."
"Would you dare to shoot at them?" questioned Fred anxiously.
"I don't think there will be any necessity for shooting, Fred. I think if we merely show we mean business they will keep their distance."
The boys exchanged a few more words, and then Jack and Randy set off on a run for the cabin occupied by Uncle Barney. They outdistanced the visitors, and soon placed themselves in the doorway.
"Now, you keep back!" cried Jack warningly. "Don't come near this place until Mr. Stevenson returns!"
"Ha! do you dare to threaten me?" burst out Slogwell Brown in amazement.
"You heard what I said."
"Every one of you keep away from here," put in Randy.
"See here, Rover!" commenced Asa Lemm. "This is outrageous! We own this island, and we intend to take possession."
"Whether you own it or not, you are not going to take possession of anything until after Mr. Stevenson gets here," answered Jack, as calmly as he could. "I don't know anything about your claim. As far as I do know, Mr. Stevenson is the owner of this place. He left us in charge when he went away, and we are going to remain in charge until he gets back."
"Huh! do you think we're going to stay out in this cold?" grumbled Slugger.
"I don't care what you do," answered Jack. "You can't come into either of these cabins—and that's final!"
"We'll see about that!" stormed Nappy, and advanced several steps.
"Get back there," ordered Jack sternly, and made a movement as if to raise his rifle.
"Stop! Stop! Don't shoot!" yelled Asa Lemm, in sudden fright. "Keep back, boys, or they'll certainly shoot at us!" and he began to retreat.
"Do you dare to threaten us?" questioned Slogwell Brown and the tone of his voice showed his uneasiness. A glance over his shoulder had shown him the other two boys at the doorway of the second cabin, and also armed.
"I'm telling you to keep away from here—that's all," answered Jack. "You can come back when Mr. Stevenson returns."
"I—I think maybe it would be better for us to retire," stammered Professor Lemm. "We—er—don't want to run the risk of being shot. Those boys are very hot-headed, and there is no telling what they might do if we exasperated them."
"I'm not going to give in to a bunch of school boys!" stormed Slogwell Brown, who, in his manner, was every bit as much of a bully as his son.
"But if they should shoot at us——"
"I don't think they've got the nerve to do it. They are only putting up a big bluff."
"Don't you be too sure about that," put in Nappy, who was just as much scared as was the professor. "Those Rover boys are game to do almost anything when they are aroused."
"We've got to remember one thing," came from Slugger. "There are four of them, and each of 'em has got a gun."
"I wish I had brought a gun along myself," said his crony.
"We should have armed ourselves," grumbled Slogwell Brown. "It was a mistake to come over to this island without so much as a pistol. If I only had some sort of a weapon, I'd show those boys a thing or two."
"Maybe we can get into the cabin by a back way," suggested Nappy.
"Say, that's an idea!" cried his crony. "And if we can do that, maybe there's a gun or a pistol inside that we can use."
"You boys can take a walk around to the rear if you want to," answered Slugger's father. "I'll see if I can't bluff those fellows into letting us in at the front."
Slugger and Nappy had just started to move away toward the lake shore, intending to sneak behind some rocks and bushes, when they heard Fred give a loud shout from the entrance to the second cabin. Then Andy gave a long whistle.
"What's that for?" questioned Nappy quickly.
"See! they are waving their hands to somebody," announced Slugger. He turned to gaze out over the lake. "A man is coming."
"What do you bet it isn't old Stevenson?"
"It is! See, he's coming as fast as he can!"
"Yes, and he has his gun with him," announced Asa Lemm somewhat feebly.
Attracted by the call from Fred and the loud whistle given by Andy, the old lumberman had noted that a number of visitors were standing in front of the two cabins at the upper end of Snowshoe Island. He was still a considerable distance out on the lake, but his rapid skate strokes soon brought him to the shore. Then, without waiting to unstrap his skates, he came forward through the snow, his shotgun ready for use.
"Well, I'm mighty glad he's got here," murmured Jack, and his cousins echoed the sentiment.