This rather closed Pudge up, and he mournfully went away. Midkiff said with scorn:
"They must be having a nice time over at that camp! They don't open their tent-flies before nine o'clock. Sleep away the best of the day. Then they lay around and squabble most of the time, I s'pose."
"Don't let their behavior worry you, Grouch," Red advised. "You haven't got to play father confessor to that bunch."
"I'd like to give 'em penance, all right," growled Midkiff. "What they need is a rattling good shaking up. Being half an ace from drowning the other afternoon wasn't enough."
It looked, the next forenoon, as though the "shaking up" was about to come to the first party of campers on Storm Island. Kingdon and his mates had got the engine of the catboat into running order, and were just about to try her out, when the sound of another motor approaching brought them all up standing. Motor crafts, thus far, had not been very plentiful in the sound.
"See who's coming to be in our midst again," invited Peewee. "It's the jolly constable."
"Now we're in for it!" predicted Midkiff, looking solemnly at Rex.
The latter seemed the least disturbed of any of them. Indeed, he smiled quietly and went about preparing for the trial of the catboat.
"Is he coming here?" queried Cloudman after a minute.
"Not first, I guess," said Red, who was likewise pretty solemn. "But he'll be here all right. He's going over to take another squint at that permit, I s'pose. If you had only let us get that paper away from those fellows, Rex——"