The truce was made, the two tramps soon had the larger cabin toasty warm and the transfer was made, the two tramps having to haul over the canned food to the larger cabin. Jeek was determined that he should govern the amount which they had.
By this time the afternoon was spent and darkness was coming on them. As Snadder and Blinky were hauling in an armful of the canned goods, they heard Jeek in the living room of the larger place saying:
“Them boys have got to pay for that dog—one way for another. They’re up here at the Parsons’ camp, and they’ve come after the old king moose, same as we have. Now, they ain’t going to get it, because I’m going to see they get chased back to Columbia.”
Snadder nudged the fat Blinky, and both listened.
“Did you try to make his father pay for the dog?” asked Carey.
“Didn’t have time. We were in a hurry to get up here, and they tell me old man Allen has just had a fire and an accident, so I figured he wouldn’t be in a humor to pay. But we can make that boy pay, all right,” Jeek rambled on.
Whatever Carey said was in a low tone of voice, and the tramps did not get the import of it.
But they decided that the same boys that had put them out of the Parsons’ camp were the ones that Jeek meant. The fact that the letter “P” was on some of the silver led to this conclusion.
Snadder stuck his head into the doorway, speaking:
“Jeek, are you talking about them boys about a mile back in that good-looking camp? They put us out of their camp a couple of days ago, and I’ve got it in for one of them, the young fellow that’s the leader. He acted too smart to suit me.”