CHAPTER VII
MAKING THE TRAMPS SQUIRM
"You come back here!" screamed Danny Grin desperately.
"Haven't time now," called one of the tramps jeeringly, whilehis companion laid the whip over the startled horse.
With such a start as the tramps had they might be able to drivea mile ere the running boys could overtake them.
Besides, both law and custom forbade six boys clad only in bathingtrunks from running along the highway.
"You'll find the wagon a few miles from here!" jeered the trampwho held the reins. "We'll leave it when we're through with it.We-----"
But further words could not be heard for the wagon had vanishedfrom view at a turn in the road between the trees.
"We're in a bad pickle, now!" gasped Tom Reade.
But Dick, studying the lay of the land with swift glances, sawjust one chance. If the tramps turned the horse in the rightdirection on gaining the highway-----
Dick broke off his thoughts there.
"Tom, you and Dave pursue a little way and travel like lightning,"ordered young Prescott. "The rest of you pick up stones! Fast!Come along now."
On reaching the highway the driver was forced to make a littleturn in order to cross the bridge, in case he decided to travelin the direction that the boys had been going. So Dick dashedahead, hoping to profit by the one chance he saw.
Just as luck would have it, the tramps turned in the right direction.The horse, galloping fast under the lash, struck his forefeeton the bridge.
Whack! clatter! plug! Four high school boys, all of them baseballplayers and proud of their straight throwing, sent a small showerof rocks whizzing through the air.
These struck the bridge planks well ahead of the horse.
"Stop---or the next ones will hit you!" shouted young Prescott.
Just by way of suggestion he threw one stone that flew by withina foot of the nearer tramp's head. Holmes duplicated the throw.
"Stop that!" yelled one of the tramps, but he brought the horseto a standstill.
"Don't you throw any more stones!" yelled the tramp, as he sawthe four ball players poised ready for more work in that line.
"Then hold the horse where he is until we come and take him,"ordered Dick.
"We won't, and don't you throw any more stones," ordered the tramp."Jerry, turn your pistol loose on the young cubs if they throwanother stone. Giddap!"
"That's a bluff. You haven't any pistol," Dick called to thetramps coolly. "Just start that horse, and we'll knock both yourheads off with stones. We know how to throw 'em."
Splash! Greg Holmes had taken to the narrow river. Now he wasstriking out lustily for the other side. In case the horse wasstarted Holmes would be there, with a handful of stones with whichto bombard the fugitives in passing.
"You fellers quit throwing stones, or you're going to get hurt!"
But the pause had accomplished the very thing for which Dick hadwaited.
"Throw another stone," repeated the tramp, "and you'll get-----"
"Oh, tell it to the Senate!" broke in Tom Reade, climbing intothe wagon and seizing the speaker. Dave, who had crept up withhim, had gripped the other tramp by the collar.
Both tramps were thrown from the seat. Ere they could recoverfrom their astonishment, Reade and Darrin had leaped down upontheir tormentors.
"In with them!" ordered Dick.
Two splashes, occurring almost in the same second, testified tothe tackling skill that Reade and Darrin had acquired on the gridiron.
Dick and his friends stood by to rescue the tramps, in case eitherof them could not swim.
Both could, however, and struck out for the shore, abusing theboys roundly as they swam.
Dave had seized the horse's bridle, and was now turning the animalabout. Tom walked on the other side of the wagon.
"Look out, Greg!" called Dick suddenly, as the tramps, gainingthe opposite shore, made a sudden rush at Holmes, who stood alone.
"I can take care of myself!" chuckled Greg gleefully, as dodgingbackward, he poised his right hand to throw a stone. "Look out,friends, unless you want to get hurt!"
Both tramps halted in a good deal of uncertainty. They wantedto thrash this high school boy, but they didn't like the riskof having their heads hurt by flying stones.
Two splashes on the other side of the river heralded the factthat Dan and Harry had started to Greg's aid. The instant theysaw this, both men turned away from Greg, making a dash for thehighway.
Laughing, young Holmes followed them up with all the missileshe had left. Not one dropped further than three feet from theflying heels of the fugitives, yet not one struck either of thetramps or was meant to do so.
"Come across, you three fellows," laughed young Prescott, whenthe enemy had vanished in flight. You've all earned your breakfastnow, and you shall have it."
"As for me," spoke Tom from the wagon, as he drove into the forestpath, "I'm strong for putting on my clothes before I sit downto dally with food."
Reade did not wait until he had driven the wagon where he andhis friends could dress away from the view of people on the road.
"The cast-iron cheek of those scoundrels!" vented Dave Darrinindignantly.
"I rather think we are their debtors," smiled Dick quietly, ashe drew his shirt over his head.
"You do!" demanded Darry incredulously.
"Yes; just think of all the zest they've put into our morning,and they didn't harm us, either."
"But just think of what it would have been like if we hadn't stopped'em!" gasped Danny Grin solemnly. "We couldn't have chased 'em.It wouldn't have been decent for us to go along the road, makingfour miles to every five covered by the horse. No, sir! We'dhave had to remain hidden in the forest until we could signalsome farmer to send to our folks for clothes to put on. Wouldn'tit have been great, staying in the woods two or three days, withnothing to eat, waiting for the proper clothing to enable us togo out into the world again!"
"It was a mean trick!" cried Darry hotly; and then he began tolaugh as the ridiculous features of the situation appealed to him.
"But nothing serious happened," laughed Dick, "so we owe thatpair of tramps for a pleasant touch to the morning's sport."
"I wonder how many years since either of them has had a bath,until this morning," grinned Reade, as he began to lace his shoes.
As Reade was dressed first, Dick called to him: "Take the horseout of the shafts, Tom, and let him feed in comfort."
"You may," laughed Reade. "As for me, I've flirted with my breakfastso long this morning, and have taken so many chances of not havingany, that now I'm going to make sure of that first of all."
So Dick himself attended to the horse. Dan was already gatheringfirewood, which Dave piled into the stove in the wagon.
Soon water was boiling, coffee was being ground, tins opened,and a general air of comfort and good fellowship prevailed inthat forest.
"We'll have to give you the palm for being a good trainer, Dick,"declared Tom, taking a bite out of a sandwich and following itwith a sip of coffee, "but you have one short-coming. You'reno fortune teller. So, as you can't foretell the future, I votethat, after this, we breakfast in the morning and swim later inthe day. It would affect my heart in time, if we had to battleevery morning for our breakfast in this fashion."
"I can't get over the impudence of those tramps," muttered Darry,as he set his coffee cup down. "They couldn't hope to get awaywith the horse and wagon and sell them in these days of the ruraltelephone. They couldn't use our clothing for themselves. Andyet they stole all we had in order to get hold of our food. Atthat, they didn't care what became of us, or how long we hadto travel about in these woods without food or clothing."
"The tramps must be optimists," laughed Prescott. "Probably theyhad an abiding faith that all would turn out well with us, andso proposed to help themselves to what they needed."
"I wonder whether they'll fool with our outfit again," ponderedTom gri
mly, "if they come across it in our absence."
"I don't know," said Dick gravely. "As you've already remindedme, I am no foreteller of the future."
The High School Boys' Training Hike Page 7
