“That’s all right, Dale. Never mind about what’s past,” Rob said; “but in the future let’s make this talk have some good effect. Let the Hawks and the Eagles get together. I know that the rank and file of the Hawks are friendly toward us, and——”
“You bet they are,” blurted out Dale. “It’s only Hunt’s influence that drew them apart, and it’s this same influence that’s keeping them there. We could get together to-morrow if it wasn’t for Hunt and one or two of his cronies. I’m ashamed to think that I was one of them, but it’s over now. I’m disgusted with Hunt—through with him for good.”
Rob saw that the boy was agitated by something more than the mere mention of Hunt’s name. He appeared to be anxious to say something more, but apparently it stuck in his throat.
“Why, what has Hunt done recently to make you so disgusted with him?” asked Rob, by way of giving the other a lead.
“Why, don’t you know?” exclaimed Dale; “haven’t you guessed who put up that job on you when that soldier and the Jap attacked you?”
“I’ve often wondered how they came to know we would be traveling by that road,” said Rob. “It puzzled me a good deal, but I attributed it to accident, for lack of a better explanation.”
“It was no accident,” Dale assured him. “Hunt and Jack Curtiss found that a secret passage ran from the beach to the grounds of the old De Regny house. They sneaked through it the day that you were out there, and lay in a clump of bushes close behind you while you talked. They thought they saw a chance to get even and hastened off to set those two fellows on you.”
“The dickens they did!” exclaimed the other. “That explains a whole lot that wasn’t clear before. Hunt is a worse young rascal than I thought him.”
“He certainly is,” agreed Dale. “I was disgusted clear through when they told me about it, and said so. But Hunt and the others threatened to do me up if I said anything to you, so I kept quiet for a while. But when my sister told me that it was you who had rescued them from that bull of Jeffords’, I just had to come and see you, and tell you how sorry I was. I hope you’ll be friends.”
“Of course, I will,” said Rob heartily, “and I hope we can make this a means of getting the two patrols together.”