“No more scared than you!” retorted Lewis. “If it’s a buffalo, I’m going to shoot it.”
“Don’t you go to firing, Lewis,” Marion said. “Let the buffalo go. And you had better get up on the roof again,” he continued. “I want you to keep a sharp eye up-stream for boats or floating trees. Don’t come down here again till I send a man to take your place.”
Thus admonished, Lewis climbed on the roof once more and remained there for an hour or so, when Moses, his task of holding the lantern being over, went up to see if anything new had happened.
Of late the two boys had wrangled somewhat; ever since Moses had shot the “gobbler” he affected a certain superiority over Lewis, although he was not as old as the latter by a year. Lewis resented this.
“I know what you came up here for,” Lewis said, shortly. “You think you will have that bear!”
“Well, what if I do?” exclaimed Moses. “You claimed Tige.”
“Tige is only a dog,” replied Lewis. “He will not fetch anything, but we can swap that bear for a silver-mounted rifle at New Orleans.”
“And I shall have it!” insisted Moses. “You were all so fast to claim Tige. Now, I claim the bear.”
“You never want to play fair in anything!” exclaimed Lewis.
“And you are always whining when anybody gets even with you!” Moses retorted.