“I’ve been thinking about it while waiting for you and Rex to get here, and it seems to me that there’s but one thing to do. Of course we could get Jean and the rest of our men together and go down and try to stop them but you know that will mean a fight and I think it can be avoided.”
“Fight’s our middle name,” Jack laughed. “But if you say no fight, why no fight has it.”
“I never believe in fighting when there’s a better way out,” Bob declared. “Now here’s my plan. We’ll let them build up the pier and then all we have to do is to take that scow, after they have returned to the camp, and go out and tear it down. It ought not to be very hard work to do it and I believe we can do it from the boat without getting into the water at all. What do you think about it?”
“I’ll say it’s a good idea,” Jack quickly agreed. “You certainly have the thinking apparatus of this firm working in good shape.”
“S-hh,” Bob whispered as his ears caught the sound of steps. “Someone’s coming.”
In another minute low voices were heard coming nearer and soon four men, talking in low tones, passed within six feet of them. The boys kept perfectly still until the men were out of hearing.
“I guess those are the fellows who are to do the dirty work,” Jack whispered.
“No doubt about it,” Bob agreed. “We’ll wait about an hour and by that time they ought to be at work. Then we’ll get some peaveys and follow them down. We can hide in the woods till they get through.”
The weather had turned warm during the day and they were not uncomfortable as they waited. They could hear the laughter and songs of the men as they sat around a small fire which they had started a few yards from the door of the camp. But in the woods men go early to bed and as the fire died down, by twos and threes they sought their bunks and, by the time the hour had passed, all about the camp was silence.
There was no moon and the night was very dark.