“Four against two—zat ees too mooch odds. We cave; we gif in; we cry out, enough!” exclaimed the ferret-eyed French Canadian voyageur, who, they said, had once been the factor at a Hudson Bay Fur Company’s post until he betrayed his trust, and fled to the States with a bunch of money belonging to his employers.
“Well, we want to say good-night then, to both of you,” said Thad.
“We ain’t agoin’ ter forget this, let me tell yer,” replied Hank.
“I don’t see why there need be any hard feelings between us,” Thad went on. “It’s only tit for tat. You held us up first, and now we’ve returned the favor. And we haven’t taken anything from you, Hank Dodge.”
“But—held up by a pack o’ kids; we’ll never be able ter look each other in the face agin till it’s wiped out, sum way,” the man went on to say, angrily.
Thad knew that further argument would be useless. There was only one thing men of their calibre could appreciate, and that was force.
“Oh! well,” he said, as if carelessly, “you can do just as you please about it. But I want to tell you this plainly, right on the start. We’re all armed, and can shoot as well as the next one. We’re no tenderfeet, like our chum who is lost. And if in spite of this plain warning you choose to molest us, look out you don’t get something you won’t like. That’s all I’m going to say; but you can put it in your pipe and smoke it. Back off, fellows, but keep ’em both covered, and shoot if they try to grab up a gun!”
So the four scouts backed out of the hostile camp, the air of which did not seem to agree with them. Those avaricious eyes belonging to Hank Dodge did not create a favorable impression on any of the young campers.
“I sure believe he meant to keep my dandy little gun,” Step Hen was muttering, as, having passed out of sight of the two timber cruisers, the scouts walked along in couples, on the alert for any signs of further trouble.
“Just what he expected to do,” replied Thad. “And another time we happen on any unknown men in this part of the country, see to it that you keep your gun in your own possession, Step Hen.”