“You mustn’t fight on account of me,” he said, looking distressed.
Before Ted could reply Plum struck in with: “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to fight over you, kid. This Thorn has had a trimming coming to him for a long time and I’m going to give it to him! He’s been the big boss around here for some time and he has put it on thick. Telling us when to go to bed and when to get up and when to eat and when to do everything, like he was the king of the country or something! When we fellows who are going home do get home we’ll go off on a camping trip of our own and we’ll do things to suit ourselves. Get on guard, Thorn!”
“Wait a minute!” cried Buck, who was burning to take Ted’s place, but who kept quiet with some difficulty. “This affair has to be run right. Two minute rounds, and I’m the boss! You start and finish when I say so!”
Plum dropped his hands to his side. “Say, this is a fight, not a boxing match! I want to lick him in a hurry and I don’t want to have to stop right when I’m going strong.”
“If you want to do it in a hurry, two minutes ought to be plenty of time,” retorted Buck. He took out his watch. “Here, all the rest of you get back and form a big circle. When I say time you start and when I say time again, you stop. Got that clear, Plum?”
“Sure. Let’s get going and stop all the hot air!”
Buck looked at his watch, and then, “Time!” he called.
Ted and Plum faced each other grimly, squared off for the battle.
In his crouching attitude Plum looked bulky and menacing, while Ted looked cool and alert. Plum began to advance, his steps cautious and his fists poised in the attitude of a boxer. He had taken lessons in the art and was no novice at it, while Ted had confined his activities to neighborhood scraps which had been informal affairs and in which he had been as often beaten as victorious. But he had no fear of Plum, who was to be counted on for more in the line of bluster and noise than for anything else.
They were close now and Ted tried a light shot which was quickly blocked by the other boy. Plum then jabbed quickly at the camp leader with his right, stopped the blow halfway and landed with his left on the shoulder. That tap, light as it was, started the fight off in earnest, for Ted bored in, disregarding a few shots at close range and the fight was actually on.