ame that we stir up."

"We never sneaked after you," cried Snap rather indignantly. "And we
have always been able to stir up our own game."

"Bah! I know better."

"Of course they have taken our game---more than once," came from Ham
Spink. "And if they don't shoot our game they scare it off, so that
we don't have a chance to bring it down."

"What you say, Ham Spink, is absolutely untrue, and you know it," put
in Shep, brushing through the crowd. "We have never in our lives
touched any game that was coming to you or your crowd. We-----"

"Say, do you want to fight?" cried Ham Spink, working himself up into
a quick passion; and he doubled up his fists as he spoke.

"No; but I can defend myself," answered the doctor's son just as
quickly. "I am not afraid of you."

"And we are not afraid of ghosts, either," was Snap's sarcastic
comment.

These last words made Ham Spink and one or two of his cronies furious.
They had been up to the distant lake where the "ghost" had held
forth, and had been so badly frightened that they had come home,
"on the run," as Whopper expressed it now that the matter had been
fully explained, Ham and his followers felt decidedly sheepish over
it consequently, to mention the affair was as bad as to wave a red
rag in front of a bull.

"You shut up about ghosts!" cried Ham, shaking his fist in Snap's
face.

"Say, Ham, let us give 'em a dressing down before we leave," whispered
Carl Dudder. He looked around the dock. "Nobody here but ourselves."

"That's the talk," put in another of the Spink crowd. "They deserve
it for trying to crow over us."

Shep and Snap heard the talk and looked at each other. They endeavored
to back away in the direction of the street, but before they could
accomplish this the entire Spink crowd threw down their guns, rods
and bundles and advanced upon them.

"Keep back!" cried the doctor's son.

"If you hit us you'll take the consequences!" added Snap.

An instant later Ham Spink and his cohorts closed in. Snap and Shep
were caught, front and back, and several blows were quickly exchanged.
It was an uneven contest, and the doctor's son and his chum might
have fared badly had not a sudden cry rang out:

"Look at that, Giant! They are trying to maul Snap and Shep!" The
cry came from Whopper.

"Let up there!" added Will Caslette. And then, as small as he was,
he ran out on the dock and toward the center of the melee. Frank
came with him, and e