"Humph! I don't wish to play a game if I can't win or lose," said Augustus, and with this unsatisfactory answer he walked off.
Though the boys thought a great deal of baseball, they did not neglect other sports, and one day a grand game of hare and hounds was instituted. The hares were Harry and Link, while Bart was made the chief of the hounds. Each of the hares carried several bags of clipped slips of paper and also a lunch, and the hounds were likewise provided with something to eat.
"We shall give you exactly fifteen minutes in which to get away in," declared Bart to the hares. "At exactly twelve o'clock, no matter where you are, you must stop for one hour in which to rest and eat your lunch."
"And you must do the same," said Harry; and so it was agreed. It was likewise agreed that the run should be planned to last from nine in the morning until four or five o'clock in the afternoon.
The day for the game opened brightly and by quarter to nine the hares and hounds assembled at the starting point, which was the public square of Lakeport. A gentleman was there to act as starter, and promptly on the stroke of nine he sent the hares off and at exactly quarter after nine the hounds followed on the trail.
"Now, Harry, we have got to hump ourselves," declared Link, as they struck off down the street and turned the first corner. "Don't forget that some of those other chaps can run better than we can."
"I'm willing to hump as much as I can, Link, but we don't want to tire ourselves out the very first thing," declared Harry.
They had already settled on the first two miles of their run, and this took them out of Lakeport and along the lake for a distance of a mile and then up a hill leading to what was known as Dudley's Pastures. From the pastures they crossed a small creek, and then struck up another hill, leading to Bramberry's Woods.
"They have started after us," cried Harry, consulting his watch.
"Well, we've got a pretty stiff lead," answered his fellow hare. "All we have got to do is to keep it."