ach caught one of the Spink faction by the arm
and swung him backward.

"Good! Here are the others!" panted Shep. "Give it to 'em, fellows;
they started it!"

The arrival of the pair somewhat disconcerted the Spink crowd, and
they stopped fighting. They were still six to four, but to handle
four was only half as easy as to handle two. The others looked
inquiringly at their leader.

"Give it to 'em!" muttered Ham; but even as he spoke he edged to the
upper end of the dock, past Giant and Whopper.

"Give it to 'em yourself," murmured a follower who had received a
blow in the eye. "I guess I won't fight any more to-day."

As quickly as it could be done, Whopper and Giant ranged alongside
of Snap and the doctor's son. They gazed defiantly at the crowd that
confronted them. For a brief spell there was an ominous silence.

"Say, did we come here to fight or to start on our outing?" asked
a lad of the Spink crowd. He was tall and thin, and evidently very
nervous. He was a newcomer in the town and knew but little about
the quarrels of bygone days.

"Don't waste time here," added another youth. "We can finish with
them when we come back."

"You are afraid, now that we are four to six," said Snap. "You
were willing enough to pitch into Shep and me when we were alone."

"Oh, give us a rest!" growled Ham Spink, not knowing what else to
say. He caught up the things he had been carrying. "Come on,
fellows," he added, and almost ran from the dock.

With great rapidity, for they were afraid Snap and his chums would
charge upon them, the others of the Spink coterie took up their guns,
rods and bundles and followed their leader.

"Let us go after 'em!" cried Whopper. "We can knock them into the
middle of next Christmas, and I know it!"

"That's the talk!" cried the plucky Giant. "Let's go and make
mincemeat of 'em!" And he started to follow those who had retreated.

"No use, boys!" called out Snap. "Come back."

"Why not?" demanded Whopper.

"They are going aboard the _Mary Raymond_. Ham said so. There she
is now, with a lot of other passengers. See, they are heading for
that dock already."

"Where are they going, anyway?" asked Giant as he halted.

"I know," whispered Whopper. "Just heard about it. They are going
to camp out behind Lake Narsac, in the Windy Mountains."

"The Windy Mountains?" ejaculated the doctor's son in evident
astonishment. "Did you say the Windy Mountains, Whopper?"