"Oh, don't preach!" cried Ham.
"What do you want of me?"
"I want to give you fair warning that neither I nor Carl will stand for the way you are acting. Either you keep your distance, or it will be the worse for you."
"I am not afraid of you."
"Well, you had better be."
"What do you mean by that?" demanded Snap. He fancied there might be some hidden meaning to Ham Spink's words.
"Oh, you'll find out one of these days," came from Carl, significantly.
"If you try any of your underhanded tricks you'll get the worst of it—just as you did up to the camp," answered Snap, and went on his way.
"Oh, I wish I could mash him!" muttered Ham Spink, between his set teeth.
"Yes, and mash the whole crowd of 'em," added Dodder. "I hate the very sight of 'em!"