“It is no use, fellows,” said he, pitching his hat spitefully into one corner, “we might as well give it up. I don’t see what such boys as Tom Mason are made for, anyhow.”
“Oh, no! we can’t give up the dinner,” said Duke, quickly. “If we don’t succeed in capturing a turkey, we will shoot a wild goose. We can find plenty of them, you know.”
“Well,” replied Mark, “if you want to hunt wild geese on a raft, you can do it. I’ll stay at home.”
“On a raft!” repeated Duke. “Where’s the canoe?”
“You tell; or, if you want to be certain about it, go and ask Tom Mason. He knows. It is gone, and I had to build a raft to go over to the island where we made our last trap.”
We were all very much provoked when we heard this. It was irritating enough to have our sports interrupted and our plans broken in upon by such a fellow as Tom Mason, but we did not mind that so much as the loss of our canoe. The Spitfire—that was the name we had given her—was a swift, handy little craft, and as it was the first one our fellows ever built, and we had owned it for years, we thought a great deal of it. Even easy-going Sandy, who seldom spoke harshly of any body, declared that it was high time we were taking that Tom Mason in hand.
“I don’t think we can be expected to stand this thing any longer,” continued Mark. “I know that there are as many as fifty turkeys that roost on that island at night, and that some of them must get in that trap every morning. I propose that we camp out on the bank of the bayou to-night and watch the island.”
“That’s a good idea,” said I. “I will go down at once, and send a couple of darkeys into the swamp to build a shanty for us.”
While I was hunting up the negroes, and giving them some instructions in regard to the location of the shanty, the manner in which it was to be built, and the quantity of provisions we should need during the two days we expected to remain in the swamp, I heard a great rumpus in the house, such as might have been occasioned by a squad of cavalry driving rapidly through the hall. I knew, however, that the noise was made by the heavy boots worn by our fellows, who were rushing pell-mell down the stairs.
Wondering what was in the wind now, I ran around the house, and saw a group of excited boys gathered in the lane.