The Go Ahead Boys in the Island Camp Part 21

"Keep away from me, I say!" threatened Fred, brandishing a stick in his right hand. "I swear I'll hit you over the head with this if you don't."

"Oh, Fred, you wouldn't do that, would you?" exclaimed George, pretending great surprise. "You wouldn't hit your old friend who only wants to share something nice with you. You can't be serious."

"You heard what I said."

"But Fred-"

"Whew, what a smell!" cried Fred suddenly and he turned and fled as fast as his legs could carry him. Close behind him followed George calling out at every step for Fred to wait and share something nice with him.

These invitations however seemed to have no effect upon Fred, for he merely increased his speed.

Now it so happened that the course Fred followed in his flight led behind the tent and down the same narrow trail where George had had his disastrous encounter with Mr. Skunk only a short time before. It also happened that Mr. Skunk had not left the neighborhood with such eagerness as had George; indeed he had been inclined to linger around the same spot where they had met before.

As has been told the path was narrow and hard to follow and the night was growing darker every moment. Unfortunately for Fred a vine stretched across the path just before he came to the spot where George had searched for the "cat." This vine caught Fred's toe and he sprawled at full length on the ground; George, but a couple of steps in the rear of him, had to jump over the prostrate body of his friend in order to save himself from meeting the selfsame fate.

When Fred fell he not only surprised but greatly annoyed Mr. Skunk who was lurking only a few feet away. As a result Fred was treated to the same dose that had made George so unpopular around the camp.

Together the two boys returned to camp. They were fellow sufferers now.

Though nearly overcome by the powerful stench, they bore with it long enough to walk arm in arm up to the fire and put Grant and John to sudden flight. This provided them much amus.e.m.e.nt but the smell was too strong to be borne any longer.

"I guess we'll have to do as Grant advised," said George.

"What was that?"

"Throw our clothes away and take a swim."

"I guess you're right," said Fred and side by side the two boys made their way down the water's edge.

CHAPTER XIV-TALKING IT OVER

Monday morning came and found the four young campers eagerly awaiting the arrival of their challengers. There was great speculation as to what they would look like and whether or not any set of games between the two camps would provide an equal contest.

"I believe we can beat them," exclaimed George confidently.

"Don't be so sure," advised Grant. "You'd better wait until you see your opponents before you begin to make any predictions."

"That's right," said Fred. "You'd better not talk too much about it either, Pop. You'll need all your wind for the swimming and canoe races."

George gave the speaker a scornful glance but said nothing. The four friends finished their breakfast and lolled about the camp waiting for their rivals to appear.

"There they come now," exclaimed John after the lapse of about an hour.

"Where?" demanded George. "I don't see them."

"That tree is in your way, I guess," said John. "You'll see them in a minute or two."

"There they are!" exclaimed George suddenly. "Their boat looks just like the Balsam, doesn't it?"

"I think it is the same," said John. "It seems to me my father told me that there were two catboats on the lake made by the same man and made exactly alike."

"That'll be fine," said Fred eagerly. "No one can claim any advantage because of the boat then, and the best sailors will win."

"Let's hope we're the ones," laughed Grant. "Come on, who's coming down to the wharf to meet our guests?"

"We all are, I guess," exclaimed John, and a moment later the four boys were standing on the tiny dock waiting for the approaching catboat to come into their little harbor.

"They're good sailors all right," whispered Fred as he watched the boys in the boat maneuver their craft. "We'll have to be awfully good to beat them."

"All the more credit if we do," said Grant.

"Ahoy, there!" he shouted a moment later. "You'd better anchor a little way out from the dock here. We'll come out in the canoes after you."

"All right," came the reply. "Did you get our challenge?"

"We certainly did," said Grant.

"Good. I hope you'll accept it."

"Of course we will."

The boat swung around and one of the crew threw the anchor overboard.

The sail was quickly lowered and everything was done in a quiet business-like way that instilled a great amount of respect into the hearts of the boys who, from the dock, were watching the proceedings.

A moment later Grant and John each took a canoe and set out from the sh.o.r.e. They came alongside the catboat, which was named the Spruce, and quickly transferred the crew to the canoes, and thence to the sh.o.r.e. One of the boys, Thomas Adams by name, seemed to be the spokesman for the party and he proceeded with Grant's help to introduce everybody all around.

Much laughter and embarra.s.sment followed but before long all of the boys were quite at their ease. They left the dock and proceeded to the tent and all sat down on the ground in front of it. It seemed that the camp at the end of the lake was very much like the one on the island. It was occupied by four boys of just about the same age as the others and practically of the same size.

"We thought it would be fun," said Thomas Adams speaking for his three friends as well as himself, "to challenge you fellows to a set of water sports. We heard that there were to be four of you on this island this summer and we saw you the other day just when you were leaving our camp; right after that storm I mean. We were sorry to miss you."

"We were sorry, too," said Grant.

"You were away when we came to see you too," said Thomas.

"Yes," said George, "we were off trout fishing for a few days."

"Have any luck?" asked Hugh McNeale one of the other visitors.

"Pretty good," said George. "We had a lot of fun too."

"Who caught the biggest fish?"

"Ask Fred here," grinned George. "He knows all about that."

Being urged to do so Fred proceeded to relate the story of how George had carried off the prize. He did not spare himself in the telling either and left out no detail of how disappointed he had been to find that George had beaten him out. When he told how George had hooked his trout the story was greeted with gales of laughter and congratulations were showered upon the fortunate fisherman.

"A fellow with schemes like that would be hard to beat in any sort of a game," laughed Hugh.