“Humph!” grunted the stout red-faced sportsman, with one of his ugly frowns; “and I suppose then you’ll make out that I missed him entirely?”
“I’m not making out anything, sir, for you can see from the red mark just where your lead cut a little section from his hind leg. I’m sure I heard it sing past me and hardly ten feet away. That hurt would never have crippled a strong beast like a young bull caribou. You would never have had the least chance to lay claim to any of the meat if you had depended on your shot. But we’re not greedy, sir; and if you care to forget this little unpleasantness we’ll gladly call it our combined trophy of the chase, and divide the meat with you!”
It was a generous offer, and did the boy credit; but apparently the quarrelsome sportsman with the purple face felt himself insulted by being patronized by a couple of boys, for he ground his teeth together, and looked daggers at Phil.
[CHAPTER VII—NOT TO BE BLUFFED]
“I mean to have all, or none!” and as he said these words the red-faced hunter glowered at Phil as though he felt like eating him, X-Ray afterwards declared.
“Suit yourself, sir,” remarked the boy, coolly drawing out his hunting knife.
The man looked a little startled; perhaps he thought Phil intended to attack him.
“Be careful what you mean to do, boy!” he stammered, some of the color leaving his fade; but he saw that X-Ray stood there with his gun under his arm, and finger playing with the lock, so he dared not try to elevate his own weapon in order to threaten Phil.
“I expect to cut this caribou up,” said Phil, firmly. “Half of it is as much as we care to tote back to our camp with us. I shall leave the balance here. You can take it or leave it, as you choose, sir. It matters nothing to us.”
He turned and said something in so low a tone to X-Ray that the sportsman could not catch its import. Since the other boy immediately drew back the hammer of his repeating rifle, and swung the weapon slightly around until it was pointing directly at the man he could easily guess what Phil had told his chum.