Four Boy Hunters Part 3

"Hullo, you! How long are you going to snooze?" demanded the small youth. "I've been ready for an hour. Don't you know that this is the all-important day?"

"I do!" cried Snap. "What time is it?"

"Half-past six. I wanted to start by six."

"We're to start at eight o'clock," answered Snap, and hurried into his clothing with all possible speed.

By seven o'clock all of the boys had had a good breakfast and then they bid their folks good-by and hurried down to the river.

It was a glorious morning, as clear as crystal after the rain, and with just the faintest breeze blowing.

The stores had been packed away on Sat.u.r.day in a boathouse nearby, and it was an easy matter to transfer them to the rowboat. The craft was rather crowded with goods and boys, but the lads made the best of it. Only two could use the oars, so they took turns at rowing, Snap and Whopper taking the blades at first, with Giant in the bow and Shep in the stern, steering.

Nearly everybody in the town had heard about the outing, and many came to see them off.

"They'll be back in a week," said one big boy, with a laugh.

"Just wait till they catch a rainy spell."

"You're only mad because you can't go along, Ham Spink!" cried Snap.

"Bah! I wouldn't go with you!" retorted Ham Spink. "When I go out I'll do it in first-cla.s.s style and with an A1 guide. No little two-cent trip for me."

Hamilton Spink was the son of a very aristocratic man who had come to Fairview a year before. Ham, as all the boys called him, was very much of a dude and always thought himself superior to the regular town boys. He smoked cigarettes and played pool and golf and rode horseback, and did as much "showing off" as he possibly could. As a consequence the majority of the boys detested him.

"This isn't a two-cent trip!" cried Shep. "I don't thank you to call it such."

"I'll call it what I please," muttered the dudish youth.

"Oh, dry off and keep cool!" came from Whopper, and he allowed his oar to slip on purpose, sending a shower of water over the youth on the dock.

"Hi! hi! stop!" came angrily, as Ham backed away. "How dare you do such a thing!" and the dudish boy got out a silk handkerchief and began to wipe the water from his face and high collar.

"Excuse me," answered Whopper, drily. "I beg two million pardons, Ham. You see, I was holding the oar this way and I turned it so, and I---well, I declare, there she goes again!" And once more poor Ham received a shower of water over his rather elegant suit.

"I'll---I'll have, the constable lock you up!" spluttered the dudish boy, backing away rapidly. "This is---er---outrageous---I'll--- I'll tell your folks!"

"That's right, be a tattle-tale!" came from Giant, and then he began to sing softly.

"Ham in the pan! Ham in the pan!

Ham's the best of meat!"

"Ham in the pan! Ham in the pan!

Ham is good and sweet!"

"You stop that!" roared Ham Spink, and then, as a dozen boys on the dock took up the darky song, he turned and strode away, with his rather short nose tilted high in the air.

"Do you think he'll call on our folks about this?" whispered Whopper, somewhat anxiously. "I shouldn't like to leave under a cloud."

"Oh! he hasn't got backbone enough to make trouble," answered Shep. But Shep was mistaken, as we shall learn later.

The rowboat was now some distance from the dock, and with a final wave of the hand the boys began the journey to Lake Cameron.

In a straight line the lake was about ten miles from the town, but the river was a winding one, so they had a row of over thirteen miles before them.

"I hope we haven't forgotten anything," said Whopper. "It would be a shame to have to go back, eh, fellows?"

"We are not going back," returned Giant. "If anything has been left behind we will have to get along without it."

Having left the town behind, the boys reached a point on the stream where the trees and bushes were thick on either side. They turned in toward the left bank, where the sun was not quite so strong, for in spite of the fact that it was fall it promised to be warm.

"Be careful along here," cautioned Shep. "There are some big rocks just under the surface."

He had scarcely spoken when there came a terrific b.u.mp which almost threw him overboard. Whopper was sent sprawling on his side, and his oar sent a shower of water over Giant.

"Wow!" came from Whopper. "Say, did we strike a fortress or what?

I thought I was going to the bottom sure!"

"I said to be careful," answered Shep, as the craft sheered off.

"Either move out to the middle of the stream or else go slower."

"No use of moving to the middle of the stream now," said Giant.

"I want to land a short distance below here."

"What for?" asked the others.

"I'll show you when we get there."

Presently they came to a clearing where there was a cornfield.

Beyond this was a fine apple orchard, and looking among the trees they espied some especially fine apples.

"We may as well take a few along," said Giant.

"Who owns the orchard?" questioned Whopper.

"Pop Lundy," answered Snap. "The meanest farmer in this district."

"Then he won't give us any apples," declared Whopper.

"We'll have to make an appropriation," said Giant, coolly. "He owes me some, anyway. I once did an errand for him in town and he hardly gave me a thank you for it."

"If he catches us he will make it warm."

"We'll keep our eyes peeled."

After a few words more the rowboat was run up under some bushes and all leaped ash.o.r.e. They made their way through the bushes into the orchard proper and then hurried for the tree that seemed to be bearing the best of the fruit.

"These apples are certainly all right," remarked Shep, biting into one which was extra juicy. "We may as well take all we can carry of them."

It was no easy task to get at the apples, which were rather high up, and one after another the boys got up into the lower branches and then mounted higher. Here they stuffed their pockets until it was impossible to carry another one.