Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/117

. “He did a little cruising this morning before ye woke up. It’s a small deserted shack. Big Nick has been stopping there, but he’s far away by this time. We’re going to follow him.”

“He won’t come back and find us, will he?” anxiously inquired Stanley.

“No; and if he does it’s Bub he’ll be looking for,” cynically reminded Abner. “If it had been Bub instead of ye a mooning down by the water last night he’d met with some trouble, I’m a thinking.”

“I ain’t afraid of any half-breed,” said Bub stoutly.

“Boy foolish,” observed Charlie.

“Wal, I guess there’ll be no danger,” slowly decided Abner. “Not so much as if ye was with us. We’ll be between ye and Nick and we’re sartain he won’t beat back. He knows Charlie would pick up his trail this morning and by this time he’s on his way to join them that hired him.”

“Who hired him?” cried Bub, his mouth opening in curiosity.

“Never ye mind; leave that for yer elders and betters,” discouraged Abner. “He never come here and tried to spoil our canoe of his own idee. Someone put him up to it. Of