d sized up the contents of the
camp, he concluded that the occupants did not intend to stay long,
judging from their outfit, but Bill was mistaken. Bill said that he
would proceed to clean house at any rate.

We had taken in new straw for the bunk, so we threw the old boughs
and the other litter outside and burned it and went in for a general
house cleaning. Just before dark, two men came in great haste. One
rushed into the shack and demanded to know what in h--- does this
mean. Bill said, "nothing, just moving in is all."

Then the spokesman said, "Do you fellows pretend to own this camp?"
Bill replied that we did, as we did some dog-on hard work building it
at least. The one man continued to go on with a great deal of telling
what he would do and what he would not, until we had supper ready,
when we asked the men to eat with us. The man that had done very
little talking readily consented but the other man was still inclined
to bully matters, but he finally took a stool and sat up and ate his
supper. After supper we learned that they were from near Wellsville,
N. Y. We made arrangements for the men to sleep on the floor, or
rather on the ground at the side of the bunk.

The next morning after breakfast was over, the man who proposed to
run things to his own liking said that he did not see any other way
but what we would all have to get along together the best way we
could in the shanty. This was more than Bill could stand so he opened
on the man and said, "See here, stranger, I am dog-on if a aint
willing to do almost anything to be neighborly, but I am dog-on if it
don't take a large house for two families to live in, and this shack
is altogether too small."

It now began to look as though we were not going to be good neighbors
very long, when the man that had but very little to say, up to this
time, said, "See here, Hank, you know that this is not our shanty. I
told you that some one would be here and want it," and he took his
blankets, gun and sack of crackers and started off down the run.
After the other man had done some more loud talking, he gathered up
the rest of their plunder and started on after his partner with the
remark that he would see us again. Bill replied that he would be
dog-on pleased to have him come when we were at home.

We were a little afraid that they might return and do us some dirt,
but they did not. They went farther down the run and built a sort of
a shelter out of boughs and pieces