“Oh! yes, he was warning me to steer clear of one Caleb Martin, a strapping big fellow who used to be, first a logger, and then one of those men who get boats’ knees out of the swamps and marshes up here; but who for some years has made up his mind to loaf, and take toll of other peoples’ traps, or shoot game out of season.”
“Caleb Martin, eh?” Step Hen went on; “seems to me it was another name from that?”
“Well,” Thad continued, “he did mention two others who were said to be cronies of the big poacher. Let’s see, I believe their names were Si Kedge and Ed Harkness; wasn’t that it, Jim?” and he turned suddenly on the smaller guide.
“That’s right,” answered the other, promptly; “though to be fair and squar’ with you, I didn’t hear him speakin’ o’ ’em atall. But I lived up hyar, yuh knows, an’ Cale, he’s been akeepin’ the hull kentry kinder riled a long time now. I’m hopin’ we won’t run a crost him any, an’ that’s a fact.”
“Sounds like there wasn’t much love lost between you and this same Cale Martin?” ventured Thad.
“They hain’t,” was the only thing Jim would say; and Thad knew there must be a story back of it, which he hoped later on to hear.
“But why should the wardens be afraid of just three men, when they have the law on their side; that’s what I’d like to know?” Bumpus demanded.
Giraffe gave a scornful laugh.
“The law don’t count for a great deal away up in the wilderness, Bumpus,” he remarked, in a condescending way. “All sorts of things are done when men get away off in the Maine woods. They laugh at the law, till they feel its hand on their shoulder, and see the face of a warden close to theirs. Then p’raps they wilt. But this bully of the big woods has had a free hand up yonder so long, that he just thinks he’s the boss of all creation. He needs takin’ down, I reckon. And p’raps, if we happen to run across him, it might be the mission of the Silver Fox Patrol to teach him a lesson. Queerer things have happened, as we all know, looking back a little at our own experiences.”
“We don’t want to brag,” remarked Thad. “Perhaps the shoe would be on the other foot, and he might kick the lot of us out of his territory. But all the same, let’s hope our trail won’t cross that of Cale Martin.”