"Must have been hit before she came this way," said Giant.
As the young hunters surrounded the game they did not notice the
approach of three men on snow-shoes, all carrying guns and gamebags.
The three men were Andrew Felps and two of his particular friends,
Giles Faswig and Vance Lemon.
"Hi! what are you doing here?" demanded Andrew Felps, striding up angrily. "Didn't I warn you off of my land last summer? You have no right to hunt here."
"They have the deer!" put in Giles Faswig. "Hang the luck anyhow."
"Never mind, the deer belongs to us—it was shot on my land," muttered
Andrew Felps.
"Certainly it is your deer if it was shot on your land," put in Vance
Lemon.
The four boy hunters listened to the talk in considerable dismay.
Evidently the three men intended to appropriate the game.
"Is this your land?" asked Whopper.
"We didn't see any fence," put in Snap.
"The fences are there anyway—I had them put up last fall, after the fire. You have no right to even cross my land, much less do any shooting."