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But before he had gone a dozen steps Ham Spink, Ike Akley and Jack Voss were on top of him and had borne him to the ground. They did not treat him any too gently and he was kicked in the side and the breath was literally knocked out of him. "St -stop! Do -don't ki -kill m -me!" he gasped, when he could speak. "What are you doing here, Shep Reed?" demanded Ham, angrily.

The entire camp was now in wild commotion, for each lad present understood that all the boats were gone. Ham Spink and Carl Dudder were in a rage. "We should have placed somebody on guard," cried Ham. "We were chumps not to do it." "I didn't think anybody would be over here so quick," answered Carl. "How could they do it without a boat?" "Maybe they had another boat," put in Ike Akley.

Presently he was near enough to make out six forms around the fire. Then he recognized Ham Spink, Carl Dudder, Jack Voss, and some other of the lads of the town who usually went with Ham and Carl. One boy, named Ike Akley, was a ne'er-do-well, who had once set a barn on fire and burned up two cows. For this he had been locked up, but his father had procured his release by paying heavy damages.

"Capture him, fellows!" shouted Carl Dudder, and at once several of the Spink crowd fell upon Snap. But Snap was not to be made a prisoner thus easily, and hitting out with all his might he sent Jack Voss reeling to the ground. Then he hit Ike Akley in the nose. "Ouch!" yelled Ike, and put up his hand, to withdraw it covered with blood. "He has broken my nose!" And he fell back in alarm.

Won't they be surprised when they get up and find the things minus!" "They may set a guard;" suggested Ike Akley. "If they do we'll have to make him a prisoner and gag him." "When shall we start?" asked one of the boys. "Let us dry ourselves by the campfire first," said Ham. "And we may as well get something to eat too, for there is no telling how long we'll be gone."

"I want to talk to you," murmured Ham, not knowing what else to say." "To-morrow morning, at ten o'clock, at your camp," answered Snap promptly. "That was the bargain." "But see here " "We won't waste words, Ham. It's ten o'clock to-morrow and nothing else." "We want our boat and our canoe, and we want them now," cried Ike Akley. "It is not for you to dictate, Ike Akley," said Shep.

"Well, somebody did." "It wasn't me," said Carl, and he looked at Ike Akley as he spoke. That boy shifted uneasily but said nothing. While the talking was going on Jack Voss had quietly slipped off a portion of his clothing. Now he made a leap into the lake and swam rapidly for the raft. "Get back there -unless you want to get hurt!" cried Snap, who saw the movement.

"We are going home," declared Ike Akley, and his manner showed that he was frightened almost out of his wits. "Let us have the boat and the canoe and we won't bother you any more," said Carl Dudder. "You can have the whole lake to yourselves." "Did we see what?" asked Giant, of the youth who had first spoken. "The ghost," was the unexpected reply.

"It said something about being dead and about being buried." "Yes, and then it uttered a hideous laugh," said Ike Akley. "I shall never forget that -it was awful, and it seemed to go right through a fellow." "Why didn't you shoot at it?" asked Snap. "That is what I should have done." "Humph! I guess if you saw that ghost you'd be paralyzed," said Carl Dudder.

After all you did to harm us in the past we've got a right to do almost anything to you, and you know it," said the doctor's son. "Now you clear out and leave us alone." "You've been following us," put in Ike Akley. "Not at all." "Then why did you come away out here to camp?" "Because we chose to come. Now, clear out -and stay away!" A wordy war lasting several minutes followed.