“Mebbe the ould ghost has been patched up again for a sicond show!” suggested Jimmie, grinning at Josh, who had turned a bit pale, and moved uneasily.
“Well, there they go off without saying a single word to us. Talk about your good manners, these fishermen along the St. Lawrence are a lot of soreheads,” and George mockingly waved his hand after the retreating boat, though Jack considered his act as bordering on the reckless.
“George, suppose you and I go ashore after a while, and shoot at a mark a few times with that rifle of yours?” Jack suggested later on.
“Now you’ve got some notion in your head, or you wouldn’t say that,” remarked George. “Tell us what it is, Jack.”
“Only this,” replied the other, without hesitation. “Some of those men may be hanging about within earshot. We don’t know but what they have a camp on the island here or some other close by. It might be as well to let them know we’ve got a gun and can shoot if necessary. Is that straight?”
“It’s what you would call good and sufficient warning, in law,” George replied. “And I call it a bright thought, Jack. Let’s start now. I challenge you to a trial of skill with my rifle. And Josh here can go along to keep tally.”
“Please excuse me,” retorted the party mentioned. “But I’ve got plenty to attend to right here. Try Nick; the exercise will do him good.”
“All right!” exclaimed the fat boy, promptly. “I’m on deck every time. You never knew me to shirk; even if some of you did allow terrible suspicions to creep into your minds about my entire trustworthiness. But in good time I expect to clear up that dark mystery of the past. I can afford to wait my time; the triumph will be all the sweeter. Shall I tumble into your dinky, Jack?”
So the three went ashore, and for some time the rivalry was keen, the sharp reports of the rifle sounding at intervals, accompanied by more or less shouting and merriment. As Jack said, they might as well notify everybody within earshot of the fact that even the appearance of a ghost had not frosted their spirits to any appreciable extent.
So the afternoon gradually passed away.