“You may hear from us again after we have talked to Mr. Silverton,” said Mr. Hatfield. “Meanwhile, good-bye.”
With dignity, he turned and led the crestfallen Cubs back along the twisting trail.
CHAPTER 2
The Cubs on Trial
No sooner were the Cubs well beyond the hearing of Saul Dobbs than they broke into excited argument over whether or not they should have submitted to his threats.
“Why didn’t we just tell him to go jump in the river?” Chips demanded furiously. “Just who does he think he is, anyhow?”
“He happens to be Mr. Silverton’s foreman,” Dan pointed out quietly. “Also, he was armed.”
“He was only bluffing,” Red volunteered his opinion. “I say, why don’t we go back there and tell him off?”
Mr. Hatfield paused on the trail. “Aren’t you fellows losing sight of an important fact?” he inquired.
“That we were trespassers?” Dan supplied.
“Exactly. If Mr. Silverton had given us permission to have visited the farm, then we’d have been within our rights.”