ted to throw up his gun, as if bent on threatening mischief, unless
the boys ran in a hurry.

But it was the hand of the giant that grasped the gun, and turned it
aside.

"Don't ye try it, Si," roared Old Cale. "We done enuff as 'tis, atakin'
ther game away from 'em, without layin' a hand on ther hides. But ye'd
better skip out, as Si sez, younkers. An' say, wile I think o' it, jest
tell thet sneak, Jim Hasty, fur me, thet I'm agoin' ter keep my word
'bout them ears o' his'n. I'll larn him what it means ter defy Old Cale
Martin."

For the life of him Thad could not help making some sort of reply to
this.

"I'll carry your message, just as you say," he went on; "but let me tell
you right here and now, you never made a bigger mistake in your life
when you call Jim Hasty a sneak or a coward. Would a coward dare come up
here, when he knew how you hated him, and had it in for him? I guess not
much. Fact is, Jim's got a message for you; somebody's sent him up here!
And he meant to hunt you up, and see you face to face. A coward! Well, I
guess not."

And without giving the giant a chance to say another word Thad wheeled,
striding away, with the nervous Step Hen at his side, casting many an
anxious glance back over his shoulder, as though not quite convinced
that the warlike Si might not think it best after all to shoot after
them.

But ten minutes later, and the two boys were well away from the spot
which had come very near looking upon a tragedy.

"How do you feel about it now?" asked Thad.

"What do you mean?" inquired the other. "I'm as sore as can be about
losing my lovely six-pronged buck, and knocked over all by myself, too.
Wouldn't I just like to give it to that low-down liar of a Si Kedge,
though, for saying that was his bullet, when anybody could see that it
came from my rifle? Why, he only pinked the deer in the neck, because I
could see the mark. Oh! the thieves, the miserable skunks, to cheat me
out of my prize! I'll never, never get over this, Thad!"

"Oh! yes you will, Step Hen," remarked the other, soothingly, for he
felt that the bare-faced robbery had been a terrible shock to his
companion. "But what I meant when I asked that, was, do you want to head
toward camp now; have you had enough hunting for to-day?"

"Now, I know you're saying that, Thad, just to let me down easy,"
declared the other. "I acknowledge that I was beginning to get tired, up
to the time I killed that deer; but it's all passed