"What I want to say," d.i.c.k went on, rather calmly now, since he felt that he was nearly master of the situation, "is that, if you break the door down, or start anything else that is mean, we shall have to tell your father all about it. We were given charge of this property, and we"ve got to account for it. You"re a lawyer"s son; perhaps you know what kind of trouble your conduct here to-night will get you into."
"Telltale!" taunted Fred.
d.i.c.k made no answer, deeming silence the wiser course.
"Sneak!" added Ripley.
d.i.c.k held up his hand as a signal to his chums to preserve silence.
Outside the other boys heard no noise save that made by Tom Reade when he began to feed the fire, for the interior of the cabin was growing a trifle chilly.
"Now, don"t say a word to them, no matter what those fellows yell at us," d.i.c.k whispered, circulating among his chums. "Don"t even let them hear us talking among ourselves. If everything is still in here, and they can"t get any answer from us, that may set them to guessing. If we get them to guessing they"ll be uneasy next."
So silence reigned within the cabin. There was no response from d.i.c.k & Co., even when the larger boys outside kicked and pounded on the door and shouted abusive taunts.
Every now and then one of Fred"s crowd would slip around by the shack and warm himself before the still glowing embers.
"We might as well cut it, and get out of this," Fred whispered at last to his companions, after he had summoned them by signs to join him before the blaze that was left at the site of the shack. "Those youngsters won"t let us into their house, and we"ll freeze to death around here as soon as yonder bonfire is out. We"ll get back to your uncle"s Hen. Bert and I have been paying him board money for the crowd, and he"ll be glad enough to see us back. But let"s go without making any noise, and then the youngsters in the cabin will wonder--just simply wonder--whether we"ve left or are still around. The result will be that they won"t dare to show their noses outdoors."
So General Fred marched his forces away by stealth. Had he been able to look into the cabin, though, before departing, he would have felt chagrined.
For Messrs. d.i.c.k & Co. were far from feeling uncomfortable. They had suddenly discovered, all over again, that they were hungry. The hour being late, they had put together a light repast, and were now enjoying it. Then, not having heard anything of the enemy for an hour, d.i.c.k decided upon opening the door to take a peep outside. His five chums, however, stood at his back, while Greg Holmes held the bar, ready to drop it into place instantly at need.
As d.i.c.k looked out he saw all clear before the cabin. He stole down to the corner of the log structure, gazing at what was left of the shack blaze. There was but little of that.
Then Prescott ran around the cabin.
"n.o.body in sight," he reported. "The rowdy crowd has gone home--or probably up to Hen"s uncle"s house. We won"t see "em again to-night."
"Let"s go to bed, then," proposed Tom. "If they come back they can"t get in without making a noise that will wake us."
"Bed will be a first rate idea," nodded d.i.c.k, "as soon as we have got in some wood and water."
This took barely ten minutes. The same s.p.a.ce of time was devoted to building up the fire for the night. Then, well tired, despite all their excitement, all the members of d.i.c.k & Co. were soon sound asleep.
It was eight in the morning when the first one of them awoke.
"Well, we got through the night without having any more of either Ripley or Fits," remarked Tom, as he dressed.
"Which is worse?" inquired Dave.
"Mr. Fits, by all means," d.i.c.k replied. "We can come very close to thrashing Fred Ripley and his crew. And they can be scared away, too.
But Mr. Fits is downright dangerous."
"If all outsiders, intruders and enemies will only keep away from here we can have a splendid time after this," sighed Tom.
"We"re going to have a good time, anyway," d.i.c.k declared stoutly. "So far, those who have tried to annoy us have succeeded only in furnishing some excitement for us. Although we"ve been s...o...b..und most of the time here we"ve had anything but a dull time."
"Is it safe for us all to leave camp at one time?" inquired Greg.
"If you"re asking me," d.i.c.k replied, "I don"t believe it is. We can"t be sure that Fits, or Fred Ripley"s crowd, won"t swoop down here at any moment. It is just the doubt that will make us feel unwise in leaving the camp without any one to guard it. As far as Ripley is concerned, I don"t believe he"s going to show up here again. The burning of the cook shack, accidental though it was, has probably been enough to frighten Fred Ripley so that he and his crowd will soon start for Gridley, if they haven"t headed in that direction already."
"Then suppose you and I stay here this morning," proposed Dave Darrin, "and let the other fellows get out for this morning?"
"All right," agreed d.i.c.k.
"And you"d better keep the shutters over all but one window," suggested Tom. "You can close and fasten that one quickly, at need. And, when you"re inside the cabin, have the bar on the door and don"t open, even to us, unless you recognize our voices."
"Why, we"ll feel as if we were living in a fort, at that rate," d.i.c.k laughed.
"One has to, in the face of an enemy," Greg a.s.serted. "But you can call it a blockhouse, instead of a fort, d.i.c.k, and the logs will look more in keeping."
Before four of the Grammar School boys departed on a forenoon tramp all hands turned to and laid in a goodly supply of firewood and water.
In the afternoon d.i.c.k and Dave headed a party of young explorers, leaving Tom and Greg on guard at the cabin.
The day after, morning and afternoon, the Grammar School boys fished through the ice on the pond, catching enough pickerel and trout to last famished boys for two meals.
During these two days neither Mr. Fits nor the Ripley crew made an appearance. Still, the camp was not left unguarded. A few more days of rare life and sport followed. Then there came a day when, an hour after sun up, the crust proved too weak to support the Grammar School boys.
"We"ve a thaw coming," hinted Dave.
"Or else a storm," added Prescott.
"Whatever is coming will be all right," announced Tom, "if it isn"t another big blizzard. A second blizzard, and we"ll be s...o...b..und here for the rest of the winter!"
The softness of the snow kept the Grammar School boys at the camp that day. Their stock of books came in handy now. By four o"clock that afternoon it began to rain. Soon it poured, and the downfall kept coming all night long. It was still raining heavily when the new day came. That warm rainstorm lasted until nearly evening of the second day. With every hour of continued rain some of the snow vanished.
"We"re going to lose the last bit of the good white stuff," predicted Tom gloomily.
When the rain ceased at last the prophecy was verified. Throughout the forest the recent "big snow" was visible only in small patches here and there.
"The best part of our good time is gone," grumbled Dan.
"Have you fellows been watching the state of provisions lately, I wonder?" asked d.i.c.k.
"What about "em?" demanded Harry.
"Well, just look over the stock."
"We"ve enough for two days yet, haven"t we?"
"I don"t believe what we have will last us through to-morrow," d.i.c.k went on. "Let"s appoint ourselves a committee to take account of stock."
"We made a big mistake when we were figuring on what we"d need,"
grumbled Dan.
"No," replied d.i.c.k, with a shake of his head. "What we didn"t allow for, in the first place, was boarding a huge eater like Hen Dutcher for a while. Nor did we plan to have Ripley"s crowd here in our absence, helping themselves and wasting almost as much as they used."