“Listen to me,” he said, with the air of a commander giving his final orders on the field of battle; “Both of you have got to lie down on your faces, and put your hands behind your back; do you understand?”
“Be yuh agoin’ tuh tie us up?” asked Si, his face as black as a thundercloud.
“Just that, and nothing more,” replied Giraffe, resolutely. “You think that because we’re only two boys that we’ll stand for a heap; but that’s where you’re away off your base. Get busy now, and down on your marrowbones, both of you!”
“Air yuh agoin’ tuh let us go free in the mornin’?” asked Ed Harkness, already on his knees, for he wished to placate that uneasy fat boy, who kept raising his gun again and again, as though anxious to press the trigger just a little harder all the time.
“If you don’t give us any trouble, we might; because so far as we’re concerned we’re not up here to help the game warden arrest you fellows. Lie down now, or else we’ll have to help you!”
This was a ferocious threat for Giraffe to make; and doubtless he would have been exceedingly loth to put it into operation; but then the case was a desperate one, and required a remedy of like nature.
Even such a fire-eater as Si Kedge “threw up the sponge,” as Bumpus put it, and knuckled down to the half grown tyrant. Perhaps he realized that in his half boozy condition he was in no shape to grapple with the dilemma by which he and his companion found themselves faced. What with their hands tied by the fact of their guns having been taken by Cale Martin, they were perfectly helpless. And two firearms held in the hands of a couple of determined boys can be just as dangerous as if grown men had them.
So, still uttering more or less protestations, coupled with hard language, both Si and Ed sprawled out flat on their faces.
“Now, Bumpus, it’s going to be your job to secure them both, while I cover you with the guns; and if either of them tries any funny business, he’ll wish he hadn’t right speedy, believe me,” said Giraffe, loud enough for the others to hear, for he wished them to wholly understand the situation.
Bumpus placed his shotgun close to the feet of his chum. Then he looked blankly around.